...Trusting...
"Green smoke signals. Oruo, pass it on," said Levi.
"Yes, sir!" Oruo fired the green signal flare.
The Levi Squad was riding in the back, away from the frontlines. Safer than anyone else, even the carriages that would eventually carry the dead bodies. You would've been upset at being excluded from all the action, but the squad's main objective was to protect Eren. So there was really nothing to complain about.
A Scout from another squad headed over "A message, Captain! The right-wing spotters have apparently been wiped out! One of you will need to relay the message down the line!"
"Already? How can people die so easily after training for years?" you mumbled to no one in particular, but it didn't go unnoticed by Eren.
"Uh, Y/n, you're in public."
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so'? Tone it down a little, don't let them hear that before you get in trouble."
You rolled your eyes.
"Got it," said Levi. "Petra, go." She nodded and rode off into another direction.
Eren gasped, realizing something. "Wait, but the right wing's where Armin's positioned."
You blinked, taking in the information. "But he wasn't with the outliers. So he'll be fine. He's fine."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because's Armin. Duh," you told him. He faced forward again, but he didn't look any less nervous.
Black smoke fired up into the air, which meant an abnormal.
"Y/n, fire the signal," ordered Levi.
"Okay." You took out the black signal flare and fired it.
Levi broke the formation and led the squad into the massive forest. At this point, Petra already came back and rode right beside you. Eren started voicing out complaints, questioning Levi, but you stayed silent. He isn't considered Humanity's Strongest for nothing so he must have his reasons, you thought.
"Black smoke!" yelled Eren.
"That damn thing's been on our ass since we got here," said Eld.
"Blades drawn," said Levi. "Now!" You unsheathed yours. Holding your blades felt as natural to you as eating food does to Sasha. "It'll happen in an instant. Be ready."
Suddenly, there was stomping. And through the glimpses of the trees, you spotted that abnormal. "Woah! That thing has more tits and ass than me!" You've never seen a titan that remotely had a similar body to a woman, but it was charging forward, fast. The rear reinforcements charged in but was wiped out within seconds.
The titan swiped its hands down, scattering the squad, seemingly to be reaching for something. It didn't take long for you to realize its target was Eren. And if so, since no pure titan would ever have tits and muscles, you concluded there might be a human inside of it.
The rest of the squad were clearly washed in horror, demanding Levi's next orders for them to engage in ODM Gear. Fear never really got its way with you so that was your advantage. The ability to stay calm and collected even when the rest of your comrades could not. And it seemed like Levi had that ability too.
"Levi, there's a trap ahead, isn't there?" you asked loud enough for him to hear but not for the others. They were too busy being scared to focus on you anyway.
He glanced over his shoulder at you. "That's one fast brain you've got there. Keep quiet."
You nodded, feeling smug that you managed to read into him before the other seasoned soldiers. It wasn't that hard, as you observed that though he was only ever looking forward, he wasn't leading you all blindly.
"Cover your ears, all of you," Levi ordered. "Now!" You did as told, and when everyone else followed suit, he shot his signal flare up into the sky, but no smoke came out of it. The clanging ring could've bursted your eardrums.
"Was that an acoustic round?!" asked Eren.
"What is our mission, everyone? Is it to act impulsively when you feel the need? No, it's not. This Squad's mission is to keep this brat alive, whatever the cost. Don't forget it. We keep pushing forward on horseback. Clear?"
"Clear!" everyone echoed back.
"But we can't keep running forever! She's catching right up! We need to do something!" Just as Eren said it, more Scouts swung into the scene. "They'll keep dying if we don't do something!" You sighed frustratingly. Not this again.
"Eyes front! Stop looking behind us!" shouted Gunther.
"Keep pace with the group! Maintain top speed or we're all dead!"
"Eld! If the Levi Squad can't do anything then who will?!" Just as he said it, one of the Scouts got smashed into the tree. "Another one just died! We can save the last one before it's too late!"
"Do as you're told, Eren! Eyes forward!" yelled Petra.
"How can all of you just ignore what's happening back there?! You want me to abandon my comrades?! Just like that?! How can you expect me-"
"Eren!" The moment your voice reached his ears, he shifted his eyes to you, still as stone. You were using that infamous glare again from your childhood. The one that could shut anyone up. And clearly, it still worked, at least on him. "Do you trust me?" you asked him.
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
"Then shut up, eyes forward, and trust in your Captain too. You may not have the brain capacity right now to see the bigger picture, but get it into yourself that others can." Maybe that was a little too harsh.
But instead of submitting, he lifted his hand up to his lips.
"Fuck you, Eren! Put your hand down! Now!" Nevermind, I should've been harsher. He rested his teeth on his skin. "Eren, put that damn hand down before I chop it off! Listen to me!"
"Eren, listen to her! You swore an oath to never use your powers unless your life is at extreme stake!" yelled Petra.
"I won't blame you if you do it," said Levi, which surprised the lot of you. "Having your ability does not make you a monster. And it could save us. But that said, it could well enough do the complete opposite. We might all die because of you, and you might become the monster you didn't want to be. The choice is yours. Trust yourself, or trust in the people willing to put down their lives for you."
"Make up your damn mind, Eren!"
"Eren!" He turned to you again, his pensiveness transparent through his eyes. "Come on! Please! Don't you make me raise the blades! You know both of us wouldn't like that!"
Then finally, he dropped his hand. "I trust you all!!"
Levi nodded. "Good. Now onwards!"
At a certain point, you heard Erwin's voice roaring out through the trees. "Fire!!!" Hundreds of arrows shot out from all angles into the titan, trapping it in place. You all rode out from the smoke into the clear.
"Everyone, hitch your horses a bit further on and switch to ODM Gear," ordered Levi. "I have to break away for a little while. Eld's in charge for the time being. Tuck Eren somewhere out of sight, away from that Female Titan. Y/n, don't let him away from even out of an arm's reach."
"On it!"
"And someone, see to my horse." Levi swung off back in the direction of the Female Titan.
"So what do you think of us now, Eren? We managed to outsmart that damn thing!" yelled Gunther.
"Learn this lesson! Don't ever underestimate the Scouts!" yelled Oruo. "Be more like your girlfriend!"
You both screamed out at the same time, "I am not his girlfriend!" "She is not my girlfriend!"
Later, you all found a tree to rest on for the time being. Through the conversation, they realized that apparently all of them were kept in of the dark from the trapping plan. None of them took notice that you had guessed it straight on, so you kept quiet. Then they all theorized that this whole ordeal was to bring out a spy who most likely killed Sawney and Bean. Rest in peace to the titans that you would've really loved to meet.
Then out of nowhere, a howl ripped from inside the forest.
"What the hell was that?"
"Not a horse, that's for sure."
"Could that have been the lady titan?" you asked.
"No way! The Female Titan should've been caught by now! No way that she's getting out of that mess!"
Then a dozen abnormal titans rushed into the forest as if they were Sasha when there was free meal for grabs. You all glanced at each other and shrugged. But after a bit, a blue smoke fired up into the air.
"Alright, I guess we're going home!" announced Gunther. "After whatever the hell that was."
"You really think they found out who it is?" asked Eren. He, you, and Petra were put on filling-fumes-tank duty.
"Of course! Thanks to you," she said.
"Huh? How?"
"You learned to trust the members of your squad. That's big as it is. And thanks to Y/n too."
You furrowed your eyebrows. "Me? I didn't even talk much."
"That's true, but don't think that we didn't notice you were acting the most composed throughout all of it," she said. "I'm actually surprised someone, let's say, as free as you could be so calm at a time like that while the rest of us were losing our minds."
You smiled. "Thanks, Petra."
Then you all took off in your gear.
"Petra, Oruo, for someone who pissed themselves on their first time out, you've come a long way!" yelled Eld.
Petra screamed from beside you. "You promised you would never bring it up again!"
"Shut up! I have the highest kill count out of anyone else in the squad!" yelled Oruo.
"For the time being! Watch out for Y/n! She'll be higher than you in no time!"
"Like hell she will!"
"Is that a challenge? You challenging me?"
Before Oruo could bark out his retorts, Eren intercepted, "So did it spray down on everyone or what?" You bursted out laughing which made him laugh along with you.
"Enough! Focus on the mission!" yelled Gunther. Green smoke fired in the distance. "Must be from the Captain. Let's go!" He stopped on a branch briefly and shot his signal into the air.
As you all swung in the air, a hooded figure swung in with you all.
"Captain Levi?" asked Gunther.
"Hold on." You furrowed your eyebrows. "That's not Leviâhe's a little taller than that."
"Oh, shit-"
In an instant, the hooded figure swung before him and slashed him. He dropped like a dead bird and dangled from his single wire.
"Gunther! You okay?!" Eren swung down to him and you were right behind him, following Levi's order on keeping him close to you. The both of you gasped. Gunther's head was half-slit off.
"What happened? Is he okay?"
Eren glanced up with horror in his eyes. "He's killed!"
"Come on, kids!" Oruo swung by and grabbed both of your hoods. "Keep moving!"
The hooded figure appeared again and you swung in, dividing them from Eren. You caught a glimpse of icy blue eyes. You swore you've seen those eyes before. Somebody's face flashed in your mind. Oh, don't tell me... Petra swung in right in front of you. "Who is that?!"
"Keep them away from Eren!" yelled Eld. "No time for the horses! Make for HQ at full speed!"
Then lightning struck and the Female Titan formed out of nothingness. She charged your way at full speed.
"You again! I'll kill you!" Eren raised his hand up to his mouth.
"No, don't!" shouted Eld. "The three of us will handle her! You and Y/n get back to the base! Go!"
You whipped your head to him. "What?! But I can handle her too!"
"No time for arguing! You're still a kid! So go be a kid and run!"
Eren pulled you away with him before you could say anything else. "Come on, we have to have faith in them!"
"Now look who's talking!"
And just as the three of them seemed like they took her down, she crushed Eld.
"Or not!" you yelled and the two of you swung back. Then you watched with your own eyes as Petra got crushed as well. You sped up faster. And then it was Oruo's turn.
Your words from earlier today rang in your mind. How can people die so easily after training for years? You bit down onto your tongue. I probably shouldn't have said that.
As the titan reached her hand out to you, with one concentrated slash, you cut clean through her entire wrist. As her hand fell down, you dove to its open nape and swung. But then your blades shattered. Her nape had somehow hardened its skin. You jumped out of the way as her other hand came, assuming it would grab you, but it balled up into a fist. Your arms blocked yourself as the punch came forward, sending you back into a tree. There was a hard, rattling bang on the back of your head. And you dropped down to the ground.
"Fuck..." The ground beneath you was spinning. It felt like you were a fish fresh out of water, flopping around in a bowl.
In your haziness, you could swear you heard Eren calling your name. Then there was a flash of lightning. Your hand went to the back of your head where the throbbing pain was pulsing and you looked down at your palm. Blood. A whole, scarlet splatter of it.
"Y/n, you embarrassing piece of shit," you mumbled aloud. Ignoring the pounding stomps all around, you propped yourself up against the tree to take a quick breather. Closing your eyes, crossing your legs, clasping your hands on your stomach.
Just give me three minutes.