...Exposing...
You kept Levi in sight as you snuck across the roofs, hood up, face covered.
Eren, Historia, and you all had body doubles. Eren's was Jean, Historia's was Armin, and yours was this other Scout that Levi borrowed from Hange's squad. He had feminine features, the same s/c skin, the same e/c eyes, so topped with a wig, it was believable enough.
The real Eren and Historia were riding in the back of a wagon. But you weren't, on Levi's orders. In any case, if the enemies went after either you or the two of them, it left the other free to escape. You were a one-woman squad all by yourself. It was just sort of surprising at first that Levi himself had enough confidence in you.
Once the MPs grabbed the fake Eren, Historia, and Y/n, Levi and the others joined you on the rooftop to follow after that wagon.
"How's everything going inside?" he asked Mikasa as she peeked inside the building.
"They're feeling up Y/n's body double right now. If we wait any longer, they'll see through his disguise."
You grimaced. Gross. But at least it wasn't Armin. Or else you would've barged in there and killed those men yourself.
"These kidnappers are clearly amateurs. Why're they not using professionals for a job like this?" Levi stood up. "Handle the rest on your own, Mikasa. Y/n and I will make our way to Eren and Historia. Meet up with us when you're done here, ridding the world of its trash."
"Understood, sir."
You followed Levi across the city to meet up with Nifa. You greeted each other with a polite smile.
"The road's crowded, but I've seen nothing unusual," she said. "It's not far from Commander Pixis' from here, so I think we're good. How'd the body double mission go?"
"A success," he muttered.
"You don't sound very pleased."
"I'm not."
"May I ask why, sir?"
"Because it was all too easy," you answered for him. "Something doesn't feel right here. Like there's some secret, sneaky move beneath all this we're missing right now."
"Keep your sharpness up. You'll need it," Levi told you. "Nifa, ever heard of Kenny the Ripper?"
"That mass murderer in the capital? The one who slit the throats of over a hundred MPs? Of course, but isn't he just some urban legend?"
"He's no legend. The stories are all true. I lived with him when I was a kid."
Nifa nervously chuckled. "That's very funny, sir. But probably not the right time to make jokes."
"He's not joking," you told her. "How else is our Captain so skilled? Can't be Shadis who trained him, that's for sure. Or else we'd have a hundred other Levi's."
The noise of bricks turned your head over your shoulder. Two guns were aimed at you.
"Lev-"
"Get down!" Levi pushed you down, hovering over you. He tugged your hood over your head and pulled you behind the chimney. "Blades out. Now."
You unsheathed them and took a peek at Nifa. Her head was blown off. "Damn it, she was really nice."
"Y/n, when I tell you to go, you go. Get as far away from me as you can."
"Yes, sir."
"Don't go for Eren or Historia."
"Right." Or else I'd lead the enemies straight to them.
"Long time, Levi," said a man with a gruff, smoky voice. "Still a runt, or have you grown some?"
All of a sudden, dozens of soldiers in ODM Gear emerged up into the air from all sides.
The man with the hat swung over the chimney. "Nope. Doesn't look like you've changed much at all, boy. Who's this little brat you've got with you? Why don't you hand her over?"
"Go."
You slashed the first two enemies in your way. One was decapitated instantly, the other with a stab into his chest. The last thing you heard was Levi yelling out that man's name. It was Kenny the Ripper.
Five enemies were already after you. They possessed guns, and you possessed blades. An unfair fight already. You dove past building by building, but they were right on your tail. As you turned the corner, a gun was aimed straight at your face. You rolled your head back, and the bullet shot down the enemy behind you. You slashed the shooter's head off and sped off.
Do they want me alive or not?
Levi chased after Eren and Historia, who had both been tranquilized. As he slaughtered and swung, he noticed there were fewer after him. In fact, the weaker ones.
This isn't right. Where are the rest of them?
He caught a glimpse of Kenny, but he wasn't coming in his direction. The opposite way, in fact. And so were the rest of the enemies. Then there was a shot. And the realization hit Levi like a bullet itself.
Fuck, I got it all wrong. They don't want her alive. They want her dead!
He turned back the way he came from without a second thought.
The more corners you turned, the more people popped out, coming after you. Your blades were now blown off, and there wasn't a chance to switch them out. All you could do was dodge. And there was no promise how much longer you would last.
Up until the man with the hat appeared right in front of you, his gun pointed just centimeters away from your face. But he didn't pull the trigger. And in that split moment, you caught a tiny spark in Kenny's eyes. A spark of recognition. "You look like Freya."
Who? Suddenly, you were grabbed by the throat from behind and slammed down onto the rooftop.
"No hesitation, my ass," said the woman who held you down. "Any last words for your girl before I blow her neck off?"
Your eyes fell wide. His what? Kenny stared down at you with an unreadable, conflicted expression. "No. Kill her-"
The woman was thrown off and collided with Kenny. Somebody else took off with you under their arm. "Not dead yet? Good."
"Levi!" You were never happier to see him than right now. "You said to get away from you!"
"That was until I found out they wanted you dead. Now, hold on tight!"
As the enemies shot at the two of you, he swung with you until you arrived at some restaurant.
"It's Levi of the Scouts!"
"Who's that girl with the fried hair?"
You held up your braid and saw that the ends had been blown off. You quickly tied the hairband to a higher place and decided to deal with it later. Levi wiped the blood off his forehead and hid you both behind the counter.
"It's the damndest thing," said Kenny from outside. "I seem to be smellin' some rats in this fine establishment. Come on out, little rodents! The Sheriff is here! And I aim to exterminate all the vermin I can find!"
Levi held a finger to his mouth. You nodded.
"Oh, come on out, brats!"
"Been a while, Kenny," said Levi. "Thought you'd be dead by now with all the MPs you were butchering. But now you're friends, huh?"
"Well, adults do plenty of things little kids can't understand. Oh, my mistake. You're s'posed to be an adult now. But you're still such a runt it's hard to tell. Always hoped that I might get to see you in action someday. Can't say I'm disappointed. Seemed you still remember every trick I taught you."
"Learned from the best, didn't I?"
"S'pose you did. But didn't I ever tell you what happens to a cornered rat? 'Cause if I did, you'd know wherever you run, you'll find a bullet waitin'. Now, if you hand the girl over, I might give you a few seconds to make a break for it."
"You've got your new priorities, Kenny." Levi glanced at you. "And I've got mine."
Kenny chuckled. "I see. So, tell me, Levi. Did you pick this little brat to care about because she's mighty strong as you, or did you already know you were blood cousins?"
The two of you whipped your heads to each other. You were sure your face mirrored hisâconfused, shocked, and somehow, a little relieved.
"I'll take the silence as a no? Too bad. If your whore mother was still here, then maybe the four of us could've been some stupid family, spendin' vacations out in the countryside or some lame shit like that. But life ain't fair, and this little brat had been thrown out to the place nearest to the outside. Now, imagine if I had kept her. Then maybe the two of you would've grown up together in the Underground."
The dots were slowly connecting. Levi was your cousin. Kenny raised him. He also knew Levi's mother. And this Kenny seemed to be your...
A chair was thrown at the wine cellar, the glass shattering and the blood-red sprinkling down. Out of impulse, you stuck out your tongue and savored a few drops of it. Yum.
"You must've become a Scout for a reason, and I think I know what that is. We were forced to survive in that little hellhole. So when we found out just how big the world really was, you can bet it hurt like hell. But you know what saved us? We found somethin' we enjoyed doin'. Every person needs themself a hobby. Maybe the only source of fulfillment we'll ever find in this wretched world."
"Oh, I see now." Levi watched Kenny's reflection through the wine bottles. "Is that why you blew off my people's heads, then? And want this 'blood cousin' of mine dead? Or should I assume, your daughter?"
Even hearing it out loud sounded so right yet so wrong.
"To achieve my grand goal, I'll kill as many that get in my way. You're no different. And neither is she. Speakin' of her, Y/n, is it? Ever imagined meetin' your old man like this? Paid off to kill his own flesh and blood?"
"No, but I expected him to have better looks," you said. "Now, I know for sure I got mine from my mother."
He chuckled. "Aw, but you sure talk like you're a daddy's girl, don't you? Hey, Levi, you proud of this little brat? She seems to take after me more than you ever have."
"Yeah. I am." Levi flipped over a rifle and shot at Kenny. "Stay close. Don't even think about letting go." He gripped your hand tight, and the two of you broke out through the window. You saw Kenny lying on the ground, but not dead yet.
Levi threw out a chair as a diversion, and the two of you swung up to the roofs. He used the dead body of the man he killed to shield you both from the other bullets.
The woman stared down at Kenny, his hat resting on his face. "Captain. You finally bit the dust or what?"
"Dumb question. How would I answer if I was dead, Caven?" He sat up, stretching his back. "Brat got me good. Forgot that bar owners keep guns to protect themselves. Looks like the runt grew up more than I figured."
"Lovely, sir."
"Like hell. The boy's a thorn in my ass."
"And the girl? You hesitated. That seven-and-a-half million could've long been ours."
He sighed. "Well, if one time's not the charm, there will be a second."
"And who's Freya?"
Somebody he hadn't thought of once in more than a decade. "Little brat's mother."
"Wasn't aware you had a wife once."
"I didn't."
"So it was out of wedlock?"
"You ask too much, Caven."
Levi let go of you once you both were far enough. "We're going after Eren and Historia."
"I thought you said I shouldn't."
"They hijacked their wagon and tranquilized them. You want to hide, or you want to fight?"
You finally got to switch out new blades. "Fight. Duh."
"Stay close. Follow my lead and orders."
An enemy swung up from above. Levi latched his wire into him, bringing him forward to you, and you slashed him from the neck down to the stomach. The rest of your friends caught up soon after.
"Y/n!" Mikasa stuck by your side. "What happened to your face?"
You gasped. "What happened to it?!"
"There are cuts on your cheek!"
"Oh." Must've been from that roof you face-planted on. "Scared me there, thought I became deformed or something. But now we're matching!"
"Listen up! These soldiers were trained to fight other people. They've already taken out three of ours," said Levi. "And they want Y/n dead." They all gasped.
"Why?" demanded Mikasa.
You shrugged. "We don't know!"
"If you hesitate for so much as a second, you're dead with her. The moment you see an opening, go for the kill."
"Yes, sir!"
As Armin and Jean took over the wagon, the rest of you guarded it by killing all soldiers that tried getting near. And by "the rest of you," it was just you and Levi. Mikasa, Sasha, and Connie kicked and slashed but never went further for the kill. Except for Armin. He shot a woman dead who almost killed Jean.
Suddenly, three soldiers swung up from above, aiming at the two of them. Connie and Sasha swept them out of the way, but those soldiers took over the wagon and headed for Wall Sina.
You swung straight for it, slashing half of a man's head off. Then, the other one pointed his gun at you. You brought both your blades together, raising it into the air, gripping it like a sword, and brought it down as he pulled the trigger. You cut the bullet in half. But the explosion blew you back, and you would've gotten burns if it weren't for your cloak.
You dragged your feet across the ground, balancing yourself. The wagon entered the gates of the interior. "No!" You latched your wires to the nearest building, but Levi knocked it away.
"Let them go. We're running low on fumes."
"If I can still see them, I can still get them!" As you were ready to set off again, two arms hooked under yours and held you back. It was Mikasa.
"Y/n, you'll get yourself killed!"
"I don't care! I can still get them!"
"You can't get them if you get killed! Leave it for now! We'll get them later!"
You reluctantly lowered your blades. "Fuck. You're right," you muttered.
If you died, then there was no chance for you of getting them back. And you've never been in the Interior, so you wouldn't know how the terrain worked. Plus, you'd never get to sort out that thing between you and Eren.
It's not as if they wanted them dead, not like you. They'd be alive, and they'd stay alive. That was the one stupid belief you have always had faith in since the earliest of times. That your friends would not die unless you said so.
*
god i loved writing this chap it was so fun
also literally uploading this minutes before getting on my flight
ok ik im technically talkin to myself but ykw even if i got 3k reads by like near ch70 whatever ð¤·ââï¸ this was a side gig to begin with i still got school shit ð
and PUH LEASE leave more comments im desperate for human interaction