Humanity's Savior (Attack on Titan)

Captain Levi

Spark's P.O.V

I wake up the next morning feeling well rested. I take a moment to simply lay in bed, enjoying the comfort of the mattress and the softness of the blanket before finally rising. I feel sticky in my clothes from yesterday, but shrug off the feeling in favor of pulling my cloak back on.  The gem from yesterday rests against my chest, tucked beneath my shirt safely out of sight.  I know I have a small amount of money left in my pockets, but don't really worry about it.  Yawning stretching, I go downstairs to let the inn keeper know I'm checking out, before heading back out to the streets.

Wow did I sleep late... The sun is already high up in the sky, and people are crowding the streets, rushing to do whatever they have to do. All the people running around make me think back to yesterday. Man, did I screw up... Shrugging to myself as I walk down the street– this time with the intention of staying out of trouble– I think about how Armin had known to summon me.  Who had known about me that could've passed that information into Armin?  And why does his last name sound so familiar?

"Psst!" Stopping in my tracks, I listen for the sound again.  "Psst, over here!" Looking off to my left in the shadows of an alley reveals the same boy from yesterday. Why he wants to see me, I have no idea, but I decide to humor him.  Slipping into the alley unnoticed, I raise an eyebrow in question at the kid, who seems to be more fidgety than usual.  I frown as waves of nervousness and trepidation roll off of him.

   "The Survey Corps are in town– and they're looking for someone who supposedly 'had an encounter with one of their cadets.'  You've any idea what that means?"  Right to the point, as usual.  I swear under my breath as the situation becomes clear to me.  He gives me a curious look.  "So I'm guessing you're the one they're looking for?"

   "I didn't know they would bring the subject up to their superiors...."  Looking at the kid, I nod in confirmation to his suspicions.  "Indeed I am, but I have one question, kid.  Why are you helping me?"  The kid freezes for a second, then shrugs.

   "I guess I've grown to like you.  Oh, and by the way, my name's Liam."  I nod, and smile at him.  Taking a quick look around, I gently brush some of my bangs aside, revealing one of my eyes to him.  He doesn't seem too affected, and I blink often to break him from his trance easily.  His lips form a small 'o' as I reply,

   "Spark.  Nice to formerly meet you, Liam.  Where did you last see the Corps?"  Liam shakes himself from his staring as I let my bangs fall back into place.  He tells me that he last saw them by the same food stands as yesterday, and I fish a few coins from my cloak to deposit in his hand.  He grins and delves deeper into the alley as I wave and bolt off to the location he told me about.  Keeping to the shadows of an alley, I climb up to the roof directly parallel to the market stand, immediately spotting the Wings of Freedom insignia on the back of a few soldiers' jackets.  When they are seemingly done with their talk with the vendor, they turn around, only to reveal the faces of Armin, Eren, and Mikasa.  I feel a sharp tug at my gut, but stay hidden as they walk farther and farther away.

   Further down the street, I can also spot a... very insane looking brunette next to a very short raven-haired man, talking to a tall blond who seems to hold himself highly.  They seem like a... weird bunch– if I'm saying it nicely.  I definitely recognize the two men from my brief encounters with them back in the Forest, but the brunette's behavior has me eyeing her specifically.  Sighing and shaking my head, I hunker down on the roof, preparing for a long wait.

~~~~

    It's in the late afternoon, and my stomach is starting to growl at the delicious smells of bakeries and street foods wafting up to me.  I don't really need to eat, but... it's been so long since I've had human food.  It appears as if the Survey Corps have moved on from this area, so I carefully climb down and head to the same vendor who had been talking to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa earlier.  I don't have much coin left from my inn room and my interaction with Liam, so the only thing I can afford is half a small pastry, but I didn't mind.  It smells sweet, and I don't recognize from my prior time in the walls.  Maybe it's new?  After I hand the correct amount to the man I turn around with the intention to find a place to sleep.  Not the inn again, I haven't any more money– My thoughts still when I bump into someone.  I look up, and am met with the sight of...

   Eren.  He's a good three inches taller than me, and I still feel small in human form.  My breath catches in my throat as he looks down at me, and my heart rate speeds up as his eyes widen in recognition.  He grabs my wrist and yells (quite unnecessarily, in my opinion),

   "It's you!"  Panicking, I try to get out of his grip but fail, and decide to use my last resort.  I quickly use my free hand to raise my bangs away from both eyes, staring directly at him.  He instantly chokes, unable to move as I break my wrist from his grip.  Thinking quickly, I release my bangs and spin in place to roundhouse kick him in the side, sending him to the ground.  With my pastry forgotten on the ground, I turn on my heel and run, before calling softly over my shoulder,

   "I'm sorry, Eren."  Apparently hearing me, he snaps his head up, and looks at me with his jaw dropped.  Suddenly, I notice Mikasa come up beside him.  Knowing she will notice him favoring his side, I turn and sprint away, not having to be looking at her to see her glaring daggers at me.  If looks could kill, I'd have been dead.  Uh oh...  Running faster, I decide to trust my instincts and use my barefoot state to my advantage.  Feeling the ground beneath me has never lead me astray before, and I'll sure as hell trust it now.

   Now sprinting full-force, I sense the impending doom that is emanating from Mikasa.  Rounding a corner, I quickly forge ahead, squeezing through the crowd in hopes of loosing the raven-haired girl.  Unfortunately, luck isn't on my side today, and as I exit the crowd, Mikasa follows close behind.  If she wasn't pursuing me, I'd be impressed by her determination and speed.  My heart is pumping hard and fast, and looking ahead, it dropped into my stomach.  Standing around without any real urgency are the blond, brunette, and short raven-haired man from earlier that day.  But with this dire situation, I see an opportunity.

   Pumping my legs faster, I run straight for the tall blond man, who looks over at Mikasa and me in alarm.  There's only a small chance this will work.  If it doesn't, I'm getting the hell out of the walls, 'cause screw dealing with humans.

   "Get her! Commander, it's the girl Armin mention!"  The man– the Survey Corps's Commander– faces me, and gives a small nod to show that he acknowledges the fact.  Taking a deep breath, I prepare to jump.  It's now or never! Unfortunately for me, I don't notice the raven-haired man's familiarity with my last-ditch maneuver.  Once I'm within one meter of the man, I kneel and then jump, landing on the man's shoulder with meticulous balance.  He is caught off-guard by my sudden move, and in response, straightens. 

   This is what I had been hoping for!  Leaping off the tall man, I have just enough power to reach the roof.  My palms are scraped to all hell by the brick, but I grip firmly to the ledge and begin to pull myself up.  Before I can get too high though, someone grabs my ankle. 

   Desperation causes me to kick out at whoever it is, but the person never loses their grip and instead, yanks me down to the ground, making me hit my head on the cold street.  As everything starts to spin, a man enters my vision– the short ravenette from earlier.  A heavy scowl adorns his face as he stares down at me.

   "You better be ready to answer our questions when we get back to headquarters, brat."  Those words echo in my mind before the world goes black.