Chapter 10: The Night Before

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~(Y/N)~

~Dreaming/Memory~

I had pressed myself against the wall of my two-story house taking a belt to my side. The sound of the belt making contact with my body made me flinch every time. "You're a little whore! No one will ever love a stupid whore like you!".

Snap! He had hit me for the fifth time hard. "Stop please!" I screech at the top of my lungs.

Then, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me up. Dragging me across the kitchen, I lean back to slow him down. I knew what he was going to do, I knew what would happen next.

The closet next to the bathroom. He had locked me in there countless times leaving me for hours on end with no food, no water, and no bathroom access. He opened the door and began shoving me in only I hooked my fingers on the molding that was around the door. I screamed and cried wishing he would set me free. "Get your stupid ass in there bitch!" he yells, then with his left foot, he kicked me hard in the stomach.

He did this a few times until I let go and fell onto the closet floor. He then slammed the door shut leaving me in there with only the small light from the bottom of the door. I sat there sobbing and laying there in pain for hours. Sometimes he wouldn't let me out until morning.

I am placed in here for stupid things like not cleaning something right away or coming out of my room. But this time I tried calling the police. I was a smart seven-year-old. Hours past by as I sat there silently listening to the times I heard his footsteps. Thud, thud, thud...Then, suddenly the door swung open.

Ripping me out of the close he threw me against a wall. He smacked me hard in the face while I crouched down, he held my arm firmly and yanked at my hair with his free hand now. "Go to your room you piece of shit!" he yells.

~End of Dream~

I felt hands tightly grasp my arms shaking me awake. Gasping away I sit up finding myself in cold sweat and out of breath. I felt the strap of my nightgown falling off my shoulders slowly.

I wasn't hearing anything, I looked in front of me seeing a dark mass at the foot of my bed slowly coming around to the side. Turning I light the lantern beside my bed. Turning my head I find Levi leaning over the side of my bed, shirtless, and worried. Wiping the wetness of sweat and tears off my face I look forward and not at Levi. "I heard screaming and crying... I thought you were being attacked." Levi says.

I slapped his hands away still staring off into space. "I'm fine, just a dream," I say.

Looking at me confused he backed away slowly. "You're not fine, you were screaming as if you were in pain-

"It's just a damn dream! Do you see any new injuries on me?" I ask rhetorically.

He fell silent as he gave me a stern glance. "I didn't think, so now get out of my room Captain," I say flashing a glare at him.

Crossing his arms he stood his ground, he didn't fear me and I didn't expect him to be. "Fine, be that way." he groans softly. Turning on his heel he quickly left the room, his slamming of my door would be loud enough to wake up everyone in our section of the headquarters.

~Levi~

That stubborn little brat! She just makes me want to rip my damn hair out! Stomping into my office I slam the door shut. Pacing back and forth in my office I needed to find something to calm my raging nerves.

I stood in front of my bookshelves after pacing around for a while. I read through my numerous books of different tea recipes looking for one that will calm me down. God damn that girl is stubborn, it's annoying as hell.

Letting out a long sigh I walk over to my desk completely forgetting to make the tea. Sitting in the chair I lean back and look up at the ceiling. Shutting my eyes I tried getting some sleep although my mind still wondered if she were really okay.

~Next Day~

~(Y/N)~

There I was attached to the contraption to practice using the ODM gear on. I was hanging upside down, just like Eren had done when he first joined. How embarrassing. "Tch, let her down, I'll check her belt." Levi orders. With little time to react, I hit the ground hard with a loud thud.

Quickly I stood on my feet while Levi circled around me and hooked his fingers underneath my belt gently tugging at it. "Nothing seems to be broken... it must be your posture, you're not staying straight-

"I'm doing my best!" I snap. Crossing my arms I watched him continue to circle me.

Jabbing at my back I stood straight. "You can do better, do it again," he says to the other cadet signaling for him to take me up again. Slowly the wires began to pull me up slowly into the air. I did my best not to move and stay straight.

Levi then circled me again trying to figure out why I couldn't stay up. "You're moving too much, you need to stay still, relax," he says.

Letting out a loud annoyed sigh I glare back at him. Not paying attention to what I was doing I was slowly beginning to lean forward until I came rushing to the ground. Before I could hit the ground I felt the straps on my back being pulled back.

Looking back I see Levi glaring down at me while holding my straps. He let out a soft growl before pulling me back up. "Again," he says sternly.

Fail after fail Levi continued to have me brought back up. He wanted me to perfect it and he wasn't giving up until I did. It was now late afternoon and I was being taken up again. This time I would succeed, I was completely still and smirked down at him. "One more time just to be sure," he says. I was let down again and brought back up.

Again, I had succeeded. Dropping me down to the ground I stood up and crossed my arms as the other cadet unhooked me from the contraption. "We'll go practice in the forest after dinner, report to my office when you've finished eating," he says.

As I begin to turn the other way I looked up finding Eren running this way. Shit! Turning back I quickly make a run for it in the other direction, away from Eren. "(Y/N)!" I hear Levi call. Running into the forest I hid behind a large tree, shutting my eyes tightly I took a deep breath. Can't be around him, if I make contact it could screw up the future.

Turning my head I look out from behind the tree watching as Levi talked to Eren, Levi placed both hands on his hips as Eren spoke, I could see Eren's hands moving in many gestures.

I could tell the conversation had been ending when Eren then saluted Levi before turning around sharp, then ran back towards the headquarters. Levi's head snapped in my direction with a stern glare. Pointing at the ground he signaled for me to come here.

It was as if he were calling a dog that had done something bad. Standing confidently I march my way over giving him a hard stare. As much as I tried not to look afraid on the inside I knew Levi could beat me, or kill me without even blinking. I didn't want to seem intimidated by him so I stood tall as I stood before him. "You running off is really annoying. At this rate I'd have to cuff you to me in order to know where you are at all times," he complains.

Rolling my eyes I cross my arms and look away from him. He then let out a sigh and did the same, crossing his arms and looking away. "There is a ball tomorrow night... you're going with me-

"What? Hell no!" I interrupt my head snapped forward giving him a pouty glare.

He then smirked down at me seeming to be amused at my reaction. "It's not a request, you will attend it with me since I have to drag my ass there," he says. Letting out a loud overdrawn groan I felt the urge to just punch him in the face only I held back knowing he'd hit me back twice as hard.

"Instead, of training, I'll send you and Hanji out dress shopping," he says.

I kept a stern glare on him as his words didn't ease me in the slightest. I wasn't big on attending dances. "When do I go?" I ask as we began walking towards the doors together.

"I'd prefer you'd leave after you've eaten something," he says.

Nodding my head we both stop in the doorway, turning to each other we stared at one another for only a moment. "By the way, I don't know how to dance," I inform him.

He let out an annoyed sigh before running his long slim fingers through his raven hair. "I'll teach you tomorrow instead of training with the ODM gear," he says. Nodding my head I turn and enter the headquarters fully.

Before I could leave Levi wrapped his hand around my wrist, catching me. Turning my head I look down at his hand before ripping my wrist out of his grasp. "Report to my office first thing tomorrow, I'll have breakfast ready there then we'll practice dancing," he says.

Nodding my head once I then turn and quickly leave before Levi could stop me again. Why is this guy so damn grabby? Taking the left turn I entered the mess hall quickly before turning left again towards the food service area. There I grabbed a small tray and walked up to the servers.

One by one I visited each and got a tray full of food. At the end of the line, I turn back finding Levi sitting with Commander Erwin and Hanji, for a moment mine and his eyes met as he looked up from his tray. I had stopped in the middle of the room as cadets passed me while I lost myself in an intense staring contest with Captain Levi. Eventually, the moment had passed and I re-entered reality and walked off to an empty table.

Setting the tray down I sat down on the bench. As I picked at my food I heard a loud slam as a tray hit the table. Looking to my right I find a man with a rather large nose sitting down, he had a slight mustache and facial hair on his chin leading up the side of his face. I had seen him the first day I arrived, he was one that tried catching me along with Levi.

"Oh, hello Mike." I greet softly. I watched as he leaned over and took in a long sniff. Oh right, this guy likes to smell things. Sitting up straight he hummed softly to himself as he smirked.

"How is it you know my name?" he asks. He raised his left eyebrow towards me as he looked down at me suspiciously, we were never introduced.

"You're the second-best fighter after Levi, how could I not know your name?" I ask with a slightly nervous laugh afterward.

He fell silent as he began to eat his food. Our conversation concluded there as I quickly ate my food and left to meet Hanji out front. As I walked out of the mess hall I made my way to the front door, passing by a cleaning closet I was suddenly pulled in and the door shut quietly.

The room was dark as I looked around wondering who had pulled me in. Suddenly a lantern had been lit revealing the one person I didn't want to see. Eren. I backed myself up against the wall and looked away from him. Shit, shit, shit!

"Did I do something to make you dislike me?" he asks.

Looking around I was beginning to go into a panic attack. My mind raced at the thought of ruining things in the future making me overthink so many things that could happen. Hyperventilating I look around the room trying to find an escape route, it felt like I had been drugged only I was terrified. "Oh, crap...Uh, I'll go get Levi-

As if Levi had already known I turn my head towards the door finding it wide open now. Levi stood there in the doorway, as he looked at Eren he seemed disgusted, but as his eyes fell onto me they turned worried. "What the hell did you do?" Levi asks as he took my hand into his.

"I-I was just going to ask her something-

Levi glared at Eren before he pulled me out, I was pressed up against his chest, almost like he was protecting me. "You're on stable duty for an entire week," Levi says.

Eren seemed upset at the orders and stormed off leaving me and Levi alone. Back to my normal self I pushed myself away from Levi. "I'm okay now," I say after exhaling. Levi looked at me coldly as I pushed him away.

Walking past him I quickly walked down the hall preventing him from catching me. Making my way to the front I stop in the doorway where I found Hanji bringing out our horses.

Running up to her I stop at my horse and grab the reigns. Walking towards the gate with her we didn't say much other than exchange hellos. Climbing onto my horse I wait as Hanji does the same before the gates opened fully. Kicking the horse's sides lightly, I started going faster down the dirt road with Hanji close behind before passing me.

~Time Skip~

Hanji and I were now paying for my dress, it was an off-shoulder black and red Victorian dress. As I took the dark plastic wrapping that covered my dress, I turn on my heel towards Hanji and walked to the door of the store. "I want to talk before we go back," she says.

Looking at her slightly confused I grab my horse's reins and follow her in the opposite direction of the headquarters. We stopped under a large tree before she sat down on the grass. Sitting a little ways from her I wondered what she wanted to talk about.

"I want to keep this conversation between us, whatever you want to tell me will stay between us," she warns.

Looking at her I felt a little uneasy at what she may want to know. "Now, while you were unconscious when you first came... it was mandatory to go through your things, of course, Erwin and Levi don't know what I found," she says. I slid in closer to her now interested in what she was talking about.

"So, you know... don't you?" I ask.

Nodding her head silently she looked over at me. "How did you get here? That's what I really want to know... how were you able to find a hole in time?" she asks.

Shrugging my shoulder I thought back to that day when it happened. I touched a blank gravestone. Looking down at my hand I felt confused how a hole in time would be placed exactly on a grave. "In the forest a little ways from the headquarters... there was a blank gravestone, I don't think it'll be here now but I touched it and that's all I really remember." I say.

"That's strange... and what's the deal with Eren?" she then asks.

"He's my many great grandfather," I answer.

Her lips made an 'o' shape as she came to the realization to why I avoided him. "And you don't know how to get back?" she asks.

Shaking my head I purse my lips together. "I would assume it's the same way I came back but because of Levi, I haven't gotten a chance to go and look," I answer.

Hanji seemed puzzled and looked forward again. "I saw that you were also doing research on us... I assume it was for school?" she asks.

Nodding my head I then bring my knees to my chest, holding myself. "I went to the headquarters in my time... I went into your office and tried to find your research on Eren... but when I got here it was completely empty of all the information along with a few other of my books." I say.

She let out a soft hum. "Makes sense since you did travel back, it would mean I haven't written that stuff down yet," she says.

Great so I have to base most of this stuff off my memory. "I see... well, that makes our situation difficult now you can't figure out what you need about the titans." I say.

"Just mean's we'll have to work together, you help me with studying titans and I'll help you get back to your original time," she says before standing up. Looking up at her she extended her hand down to me. Taking it she pulled me up to my feet.

"Deal, but you can't mention this to anyone, even Erwin," I say. Nodding her head we both shook on it before grabbing our horses and walking back to the headquarters.

"How long do you intend on staying?" she then asks.

"As long as I need to, even if I find out how to get back," I answer.

Smiling she nodded her head then hooked her arm around my neck. "Can't wait to work with you partner." she laughs happily.

"I thought Moblit was your partner?" I ask.

"I can have more than one partner." she then says. Laughing with her I nod my head. Maybe this won't be so bad being here, helping them.

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