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Episode 26- Beast Titan (continuation)

Levi entered Erwin's office, not bothering to knock,

"Ugh, those damn titans never give us a break," he said closing the door behind him. Erwin's back was turned towards him and a scout was standing to the side holding up a couple of pages, he must have been busy getting debriefed about this whole situation.

"Can you go?" Erwin asked, looking over his shoulder, Erwin was asking if he could physically go, but Levi knew that he was also asking if he was willing to go and if he going to be difficult about having to take Gaia with him,

"Not like there is much choice" he replied,

"It was wise to have commander Miche watch the 104th. I believe he can handle the situation" the scout intervened,

"Yes," Erwin said, turning back around, not sounding as convinced as the scout,

Let's hope so, Gaia is yet to be fully prepared for battle and we haven't had her transform again since she entered the wall.

Taking her with or leaving here would both be exposing humanities strongest soldier's one and only weakness. Seeing that Erwin looked like he was done talking Levi turn to leave,

"We leave at dawn," Erwin said as he closed the door behind him, Levi did not bother to reply. He thought that their encounter would end like that anyways. Erwin has two well known (to Levi at least) characteristics about him, he is a strategist and that he has little-to-no hope in most people's capabilities, much like Levi.

Levi walked down the corridors to his room, not particularly excited as to how the next 24 hours are going to pan out. Levi has seen too many days like this, lost so much to days like this. He could not help but feel something that he has not felt in a long time...worry. Not for himself, he did not fear death, he was more worried about Gaia. He never thought that his fondness of her would reach this level.

He came to his bedroom door and opened it, his form came in contact with the same emerald gaze that he was so fond of. Gaia sat on the bed in one of his shirts, she must have been getting ready for bed during his short meeting with Erwin. Levi did his best to keep his mind out of the gutter as he closed the door behind him and entered the room.

"Levi?" Gaia asked as she noticed the look on his face, he was frowning a little more than usual and it was not particularly at someone or his paperwork,

"What's wrong?" she asked, day-by-day, she was slowly starting to realize how useful her evergrowing vocabulary was becoming.

"We have to leave," Levi replied sitting down next to her on their bed,

"Are we going to the house?" she asked, referring to Levi's farmhouse which they, by now, had visited a few times to get away from everything...and for Levi to remove any dust that had been collecting. They have never spent the night there though, simply because the whole regiment would probably search for them as well as the fact that Levi knew the kind of gossip that would spread if they both chose to not return for the night or even worse, if they were spotted alone in a house.

"Unfortunately not, it appears that titans have entered wall Rose," Levi replied, running an aggravated hand through his hair. He looked over at Gaia who's expression told him that she was waiting for the rest,

"I don't suppose your allies have come to retrieve you," Levi half-joked, It was something that he always wondered. Especially now that they were aware that humans can turn into titans and that they are able to control it, he could not help but wonder if they were somehow more organized and coordinated than the human race was aware of. For that reason he always has wondered if Gaia would give him some insight...also something that he did not like to admit, but he could not keep it from crossing his mind now and then, is which side is Gaia on, humanity or the Titans.

"Hmm, you don't trust me," Gaia commented, reading his thoughts, Levi raised an eyebrow, clearly not getting how she figured him out,

"You've made jokes like that before and Jean says there is always a little truth behind a joke," she explained, Levi did not whether to sweat-drop and her very black-and-white analyses or the fact that Jean would say something as "wise" as that,

"Other than that, I have been watching you for most the time since the moment I met you, I was bound to learn how to read you at some point," She added, Levi could not believe that she could read him that easily. An important skill to have, as a soldier, is to be unreadable and unpredictable, there was a girl that has been human for barely a year and she could read him so easily.

Gaia watched Levi, his eyes distant yet calculating, staring at the carpet in front of the bed, as if study its woven patterns, but she knew far too well that that was the last thing on his mind. His mind was reeling back and forth and she decided to put an end to his eternal battle. She got off the bed and kneeled in front of him, capturing his gaze

"Levi, I am on your side," she said kneeling, he looked at her searching her eyes for any hint that her words were ingenious and found none and released a breath that he was not aware he had been keeping,

"That makes you the second titan on humanity's side," he commented in slight relief, however, it was short-lived when he noticed her frown,

"Levi, I said I am on your side, not humanity's" she said, Levi's eyebrows raised,

"What's that even supposed to mean? I am on humanit-" he started,

"Yes, you are and as long as you are on their side, I am too," she explained, Levi could not help but feel like she knew a lot more than she was letting on,

"Gaia, what is it that you are not telling me?" He asked, "We have already discussed our stances on lying,"

"I know. It's not something that I am purposefully keeping from you." She sat back on the carpet with a frustrated sigh,

"Then what is it?" he asked leaning forward, his elbows on his knees,

" I don't know, I realized something the other day," she replied,

"What did you realize?" he asked,

" I can't remember," she replied,

" What can't you remember?" he asked raising an eyebrow,

"What I was doing before you came into my life and I do not mean it in the romantic way that some of the girl scouts talk about," she tried to explain, Levi had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the end of her comment,

" I can't remember what I was doing, how I got there, I just remember that I was extremely bored and waiting for something. I do not know what I was waiting for. It's...It's frustrating not knowing," she said frowning, Levi looked at her with concern, not entirely sure what to say, he usually was not seen anywhere near introspective conversations, because it has been a long time since he even cared how someone else was feeling,

"All I know is that I do not trust many easily and certain people's existence just feel annoying," she finished. She was surprised when she heard a soft chuckle after she completed her monologue.

"It sounds completely normal to me, Eren and Jean tend to have that effect on people," he chuckled, she grinned at his comment,

"To you, yes, they do not make me feel that way. I do not mean it in the way that I just don't have the personal preference for some people, I mean it like some people physically make my skin itch?" she tried, not really sure what she was feeling,

"They make your skin crawl?" Levi offered,

"Yes, that. It's just like I have intense annoyance to them, but its such random people, maybe it's just me," she concluded and looked over at Levi, who looked almost as confused at her.

"I am not sure how to help you, most people make me feel that way naturally" Levi half-joked, they both chuckled at that and the once serious aura, was finally lifted between them.