Dormant Wings | A Levi Fanfiction

三十四 A Way to Move On

~34~

Hange stands from her crouched position, shaking her head solemnly.

"She's dead."

Levi sits back down on the log, burying his exhausted face into his coarse palms. "We should have expected this. Elias probably sent one of his men to make sure she kept her mouth shut. Permanently."

My hands move up to run through my hair, needing something to grab onto while I ponder what just happened. I suppose Johanna and Elias really didn't have the best of familial relationships. Considering the fact that he was easily able to have her killed, and it didn't take much to convince her to share anything we asked of her.

Just next to me, Jean, Mikasa, and Eren are on high alert, searching the dark trees to see if anyone stayed behind to make a threatening move towards us.

"We should leave," Mikasa says warily, and I have no trouble agreeing with her.

Everyone else silently complies with her suggestion, gathering the small amount of things we have and preparing to depart.

However, Armin stays still, gazing down at Johanna's limp body with an unreadable expression. "Should we really just leave her here? I feel like we should at least give her a proper burial."

Levi scoffs in reply. "For what reason? You're welcome to do whatever you like, Arlert, but don't expect any help from me."

I stare sympathetically at Armin, who is torn between duty and compassion. While his kindness can sometimes get in the way, I do envy his ability to see the good in so many things. In this situation, I feel only contempt towards the lifeless girl before me. I feel anger towards her family for having my own killed, as well as the friends I've lost in the short amount of time we've been faced with the problem that is The Hogs.

A part of me shreds in heartbreak as Armin turns his head slightly to the side, following the rest of us out of the clearing.

——

The morning sun shining through the trees above is what wakes me.

I rub my eyes stiffly, moving to a sitting position to see my surroundings. Most everyone is curled up in the lengthy grass around me, sleeping soundly in the secluded area we managed to find and stop at late last night.

When consciousness fully sets in, I start to hear the consistent sound of quieted slashing. To my right, I notice Levi seated by a thick tree trunk, continuously slicing his blade through the crisp wood. The focused look in his eyes and frustrated frown he bears causes me to tilt my head slightly.

"What are you doing?" I ask quietly, so as to not wake the others around me.

His head shoots up abruptly, not expecting me to be awake. "Just passing time," he mumbles.

I narrow my eyes at him, noticing the purple crescents beneath his eyes that are more prominent than usual. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A bit," he answers hesitantly. "I woke up early to keep a lookout in case Elias' men showed up."

I let out a heavy sigh, knowing full well that he didn't get a wink of rest. This unhealthy state he's in is only getting progressively worse.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he goes back to sliding his blade through the tree. This time, his hits are more sloppy and unfocused.

"What do we do now?" I question out of the blue.

He glances at me for a split second. "Hange and I had a discussion last night. Everyone is going to return to HQ to acquire some gear that we lost at the cabin, aside from you and I."