*

After a defeated day we all headed back to the warehouse, seeing as night begins to take over. Everyone was entirely exhausted, while some were traumatised having to face the fact, that titans isn't the only thing we have to kill, but also people. With Eren and Historia ripped away from us, all we could do was retrace back and recuperate.

A flash of the man's eyes imprinted into my mind, with a face that could switch from menacing to a psychopathic expression. Shivers ran down my spine, hand clutching my bullet wound tightly forgetting to breathe.

No name was given, but tiny pieces left here and there with nothing to understand or interpret. 

The cloak darkened his appearance, masking that ghastly scar that almost covered his left side of the face. A ghostly white eye was left on that side, while the eyes was azure. His hair was wavy and messy with a few grey strands hung over his eyes, then the rest pulled back into some kind of cultured bun. 

He was death himself, as his own aura alone was darkening. 

"Corporal," a soft voice approaches me, before seeing my assistant. "You're okay!"

Meeting her soft brown eyes, relief washes over me thinking she was shot earlier with the rest of Hanji's squad. She closes the warehouse door quietly, before walking over to me with haste.

"Lena....y-you're....." my lips part, finding my throat dry and raspy. 

"I tried to find you after I heard gunfire, and--" She pauses, eyes drifting down to my wound. My hand bites down around the wound, applying enough to pressure to keep myself steady. "You're wounded, we need to--!"

I hush her, "Please don't........make it a big deal," I assure her, but taking a step forward my head soon grows lighter and dizzier. Trying to blink away the exhaustion, Lena without hesitation loops an arm around my good shoulder giving me some support.

"Come on, let's get this treated,"

Grimacing while seething through my teeth, my face contorted in pain when we soon shift  forward. Just the slightest movement in my left arm, finding it heavier than before. It was the first time being shot, and to be honest it was unexpected. The firearms were incredibly powerful, seeing by how they were built mainly for people, than titans.

"Where's the Captain?" Lena asks softly, glancing around. 

"He's just getting stitched up, Sasha is tending to him now," I reply softly. "The kids are just.........watching over Reeves at the back.....they're a little shaken up."

She purses her lips together, eyebrows pinching together in confusion.

"What for?" She questions, noticing my sudden change of behaviour. Silence drifts between us, "Hey......Corporal, what happened out there? What did I miss?"

She searches within my eyes for anything, the slightest hint as to why the room felt melancholy and silent. The silence itself was dragging heavily against the ground, no one couldn't utter a word but our own defeat. 

"You know, I'll wait.....firstly, let's get you treated," She continues aiding me, heading over to a quiet spot. Her wispy blonde strands of hair covers her eyes, wondering what happened on her end of the whole entire event. Placing me down upon a smaller crate, I softly groan from the small shift in my wounded arm.

She then collects some water we had left over, and the medical bag we had in case for any wounded on our small journey. 

"Alright.........we're gonna need someone else to help with this," She murmurs to herself, before turning to see Sasha walking over with few things in hand. "Ah, Sasha just who we need."

Sasha lifts her head, "Sorry, just finished the Captain's wound," informing us, she was at my side already to help with what she can. "What do you need me to do?"

Lena gestures to my stained sleeve, "Just roll up her sleeve for me, so we can get started,"

Sasha timidly reaches over, being rather hesitant. It wasn't as worse than I thought it was, when she slowly peels the damp sleeve from my arm. Grimacing in pain, a small hiss seethes through my teeth.

"It's gonna be hard stitching it up like this," I grunt out, seeing how awkward the material wouldn't budge any further up to where the bullet was. Some of the blood dried to my skin and the material, it was peeling painfully against the hairs on my skin.

"We might need to take her shirt off, along with the straps," Lena suggests, while I was hesitant at first not wanting to at first. Slowly sinking to the point of reality, I wanted this pain to go away. It was more or rather the scars that bared across my back; so many in fact that I was ashamed of them. 

Scoffing lightly, "What the heck? You won't be able to treat it anyway," I retort, jokingly while slowly unbuckling my top half of straps, then lifting the hem of my shirt. Grimacing at the slightest discomfort, made the air caught in my throat. Teeth clenched tightly, while holding in my straining cry of the pain intensifying, with every small movement I make.

Lena places a hand on mine, "Let me help," offering her help, she slowly pulls my shirt off. Finally after a few agonising seconds, I tug the shirt to cover my chest and plush torso. 

A small gasp leaves the young soldier, while hearing a heavy sigh coming from Lena. I've never shown these old wounds before, so Lena was taken back by this after years of being comrades.

"Corporal......" Sasha manages to utter out, as if she committed a sin.

Turning to the girls I arch an eyebrow, with a weak smile.

"You gonna treat my wound?" I ask quietly, ignoring what she's seen that marred across my flesh against my back. Too many to count, and so many to bear. I felt ashamed of them, but my body had many flaws all at once.

"Akira, what's---?" Lena's voice shakes, as if she's appalled by them. The lingering silence was enough to let them know, that it was something I wasn't comfortable in explaining yet. "S-Sorry, I........shouldn't have asked...."

She focuses back to my wound only to grimace at the sight, seeing how ghastly the bullet wound was.

My flesh was torn around seeing the size was about a inch or more, which was bigger than a usual bullet would be. Blood coats down my arm, not stopping at all with how deep and torn it was. Cursing under my breath, Sasha begins to try cleaning the wound first. Dipping the cloth into the water, she wrings it out before cleaning around it. 

Grinding my teeth, I knew the next step was to get the damn bullet out itself.

"Shit, the bullet is deep in there," Lena curses, while tenderly touching around the bloodied wound. She turns to Sasha, "Get me a cloth, she's gonna need to bite down something."

Sasha complies, rummaging through the bag finding some kind of cloth.

She finally appears before me and places it between my teeth, comfortably making sure I wouldn't break my teeth. Nerve Wracking as I was feeling in the pits of my stomach, it was bound to happen. Unpredicting as things are, today I wasn't sure what the outcome would have ended.

"Alright, let's start," Lena soft says, when Sasha plops herself in front of me holding her hands out. For a moment I was taken back, as her hands were greeting me for some kind of comfort. Slowly I place my hands in hers, awaiting for the pain to become unbearable.

Lena began to work on the bullet wound, prodding the tweezers into my flesh, causing me to gasp sharply, almost choking on the air in my throat. Breathing heavily through my nose, she begins to try reaching the bullet, that was embedded into my flesh. Soon fresh warm blood begins to seep down, coating my arm again while trying my hardest not to cry out.

Sasha whispers soft and gentle encouragements, while I squeeze my eyes tightly shut.

"It's okay, it's okay,"

A groan rumbles from my throat feeling my veins pulse, while almost buckling forward when my head rushes, overwhelmingly. Dizziness settles for a moment, feeling more light-headed than before being treated. 

"Got it," Lena whispers, before carefully pulling the bullet out. Once she's done, she places it on the crate that held the medic supplies. 

The cloth drifts past my lips, panting heavily realising I forgotten how to breathe for a moment. My eyes try to maintain focus on the ground steadily, as the pain slowly subsides to somewhat relief. However blood begins to flow down, when Lena presses firmly with an old cloth.

"I'm sorry," Lena whispers, before pulling out a needle and thread. "How are you feeling?"

Wincing slight, "Hurts like a damn bitch," with a shaky smile, while Sasha smiles with relief. She stood up, giving my hand one last reassuring squeeze before helping Lena out. Placing some alcohol onto the wound, the pain soon comes back in an instant. Finally after cleaning it around, the process of the stitching was painful, but Sasha manages to give me some water to keep myself hydrated. 

'Time to come home,' His aura changes more darkly, cracking his knuckles nearing closer to me. 'You're real home, beyond the walls.'

Shivers ran down my spine hearing his voice, like it was vivid and clear in my head. What did he mean by real home? Beyond the walls? I just........don't understand.....

A sharp jab into my flesh knocks me out of my thoughts, before my eyes hazily drift over to see Levi walking slowly up to me. I could feel Sasha shift right behind me subtly, trying to not make it obvious she was shielding my wounds across my back. However he seems to be in deep thought, before breaking his steady focus and turned his attention on me.

"How is she?" He asks, the echo of his boots shuffle across the stone floor.

Lena sighs, "She's gonna be alright, luckily it didn't anything vital," the resonance of her voice, brought relief in his eyes. Feeling her gently clean again around the stitched masterpiece, she begins to wrap my arm with gauze carefully. Levi approaches me and took Sasha's old place from before, taking my hands in his with a gentle squeeze.

My eyes felt heavy, but feeling his skin on my own brought a sense of relief.

"There you go," Lena cleans up the small space, before returning the supplies back into the bag so she wouldn't forget. "Just drink some water, you're still a little unstable to move."

Nodding elusively, my eyes drift up to Sasha and Lena, thanking the two quietly before they leave Levi and I alone. Although things were rather quiet, and the tension heavy within the warehouse, I couldn't help but to dwell on that man. It wasn't something to look upon, and came back scathed from him. 

His thumb rubs over my knuckles tenderly, allowing silence to speak volumes between ourselves.

Was I now a target then? Does that mean I have to watch my own back, whether I'm watching over the two kids, who were now abducted again from us?

"What happened out there?" his voice tenderly breaks the silence, cautiously questioning what happened on my end of the ambush. His thumb gently rests beneath my chin, tilting up our eyes align to each others. He tries to searching for something, already finding myself feeling terrible to not aid him when he needed me.

My other hand holds my shirt tighter against my chest, preventing it to fall.

"........"

"Baby, please?" his voice grew quiet, pleading for any sign for me to open up. It wasn't his fault, but I blamed myself for not being able to be there quick enough. Inhaling slowly and deeply, I allowed my mind to finally clear, staring into his eyes. 

"Nothing, just........wished I came sooner," I lied, but it balanced to a truth in some angle. "Don't worry about it, alright?"

About to stand up he gently tugs me back down, frustration surfacing to his face.

"Akira, there's something you're not telling me," he pushes further, wanting the truth. "Please? Let me help, just tell me?"

Pecking his nose softly, "Nothing, so please?" I plead softly, throwing my shirt carefully back on. The material wraps around my curves, while I achingly roll the long sleeves up to above my elbows. Soon taking his sore arm that he was wounded, I couldn't help worry about him since the beginning of the chase. "How is your arm?"

"Don't change the subject--"

"I'm not, I just......." my voice grows shaky, the further I overthink the negative scenarios, repeatedly rolling in my mind. 

My eyes flickering back and forth, unsure whether to tell him or not.

He sighs heavily, "It's just a bullet graze, I'll be fine," he assures me, threading his fingers through my tousled locks that hug over my eyes. Sweeping it away, his eyes soften seeing confliction swimming in them. It was as if silence alone could fix this tension, being that we just went through hell. He knew it, and I knew it.

His knee shifts from between my legs, shifting closer feeling his warm breath against my flushed skin.

"I'm just glad you made it back safely," he presses a warm kiss to my cheek, before standing up. Lending a hand down to me, I took it as a sign we needed to gather everyone up. The moment I stood up, my head rushes for a moment almost buckling forward. His hands firmly grip my waist, my body pressing up against his for support.

"Sorry, guess.......lost a little," I chuckle lightly, trying to lighten the room a little. 

His hands squeeze my hips, "It's fine, just take it easy," before threading his fingers through my own, heading over to where everyone is. Taking gentle and subtle steps, I begin to feel confident with my strides. There was barely any lanterns lit, but we had to keep the warehouse dull and dark to make it look unoccupied.

"Sasha, gather everyone for us," I order softly. "You're also next on shift."

"Yes, ma'am,"

Sitting all in a circle around a small lantern, the dim light casts a shadow over most of the children's eyes. The silence alone was enough to know they're still not registering what just took place, a few hours ago. Armin's eyes grew distasteful, along with a grey dull to those pure eyes. He had to pull the trigger, he had too. It was out of instinct, to cover his comrade who was defenceless. 

Taking a few moments to clear my mind, I soon finally masked over my disappointment and remained strong for the children.

Sitting down carefully upon one of the crates beside Levi's, I grimace slightly with again the most subtle movement in my arm. Shit, those weapons are packed with some impact and power. My attention shifts up to still see Armin staring at the loaf of bread in hand, eyes wide with horror written across.

"What's wrong?" Levi asks, while the poor boy sat there completely still like a statue. "Did all this filth kill your appetite?"

"No," Armin answers, softly. "Jean, there's something I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"When i turned around to try to save you......" Armin continues, his voice so small and shaky. ".....that woman already had her gun to your head. It's.....funny. How could I have shot, before she did?"

Jean winces at the thought, not meeting not one of our gazes while we tried to understand his answer "I don't know......"

"You shot first because she hesitated," Levi cuts in, earning a sharp gasp from Jean. "It's simple."

Jean clenches his teeth, "I'm sorry, Armin," he apologises, painfully. "You wouldn't've had to save me, if I had just done my job."

"I know what it is," Armin spokes up, coming to a realisation. "The woman I shot back there....I bet she was a really kind person. She must've had a lot more human empathy than I ever did. I pulled that trigger so easily. Without a thought......I'm...."

My anger boils beneath my blood, even though my face remains emotionless with a hint of worry and sympathy.

".....a killer......and now that your hands have been soaked in blood," Levi says, taking the direct approach a little harshly upon the poor boy. "The person you once were is gone for good."

"What would you say that?!" Mikasa demands angrily, wanting an answer. 

"...And you shouldn't regret it for one second," Levi says sternly. "Because if you'd chosen to keep your hands clean, Jean would be a corpse on a cart right now."

Armin shifts his eyes to mine, as if he was pleading it was all a dream.

My brows pinch together with frustration, lowering my gaze to focus on the small lit lantern that settled between us. Although a flame so small with light, still makes me feel cold and at a loss. Dammit, all because I was stalled back there. 

"I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger," Levi starts, more firmly. "Because your comrade was about to die.....Armin. Everyone on our squad survived today, because you got blood on your hands......thank you."

My eyes linger back up to meet the boy's eyes, with a warm smile with reassurance.

"Armin, what you did........was a heavy and difficult choice to make," I spoke up, feeling all attention resting upon me. "If I'm being honest......With all my life fighting titans, I never thought ending a human's life would feel gut wrenching. Yet, I know that you're relieved to have saved Jean's life.......or anyone's if it wasn't him there, because I know you're willing to save your comrades. This is reality, and I'm sorry you have to see it that way from now on and the future.......but I'm proud of you for stepping up."

The boy's eyes slowly widen, registering my simple compliment and assurance.

"Corporal......Captain," Jean spoke up, nervously. "I, uh, I thought it was wrong for us to fight other humans, sir. I thought it was wrong that you'd ordered us to do it. I mean, we became soldiers to protect people.....but now, I see that I was in the wrong, sir......next time I swear I'll shoot."

I shook my head, "Jean, slow down," I say firmly, earning his eyes to meet mine in surprise. "You didn't listen clearly enough, if you're thinking in shooting without thought.."

"Huh?"

"I never said anything about what was right or wrong," Levi says, sternly. "My moral high grounds shot to hell. I have no idea who's in the right at this point." I could feel the question lingering for a moment, as everyone didn't know how to reply. "Now then," levi stood up, turning to the man we've confined earlier thanks to the kids.  "I think it's time we heard what our guest has to say."

While walking over to the fat man, that was tied down with a gag in his mouth, I placed a hand on Jean's head ruffling his hair softly. His tired eyes meet mine, seeing the lack of sleep the kids have gone through.

"Things will become difficult from now on, but I'm with you all," I say softly, like a mother to a child would say. "I've watched you grow from kids, to soldiers.......and now you're seeing the real world up close. However, I will always be here if you need me....or if you're struggling, let me know."

They were all growing on me since the cadet days, as if they were my own. My instincts kicked in, and I felt more protective to have something worth guarding.

Standing up I began approaching Levi and Reeves, seeing Levi staring at the fat merchantman with disgust. The old man held a fearful expression, and was probably pissed off by our sudden take on his capture. Levi soon rips the gag from the man's mouth, to hear a loud exasperated gasp for air.

"Mercy, please?!" Reeves gasps out. "I'm just an old man they use to move cargo. I didn't want to, but they--"

"I've met this one before," Mikasa chimes in, her voice grew cold as ice. "He seemed to be a prominent merchant."

Levi hums, "Yeah, I know him, Dimo Reeves, right?"

The old man grunts with anger, face contorts to a more irritated and regretful with every