THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

The pounding in Arika's head had returned with a vengeance only now she was more aware of it. Heavy eyelids refusing to open, she blindly tried to massage away what sounded like a person knocking on her skull as if it were a door. But her arms wouldn't move. Arika's muddled mind was slow to wrap around the feeling of biting metal against her wrists. Her confusion only lasted as long as it took for Arika to remember where she was.

Handcuffs. They've got me handcuffed in an underground cell. Inside the Walls. Any drowsiness Arika had possessed was quickly driven out by a wave of frustration. Curling her cuffed hands into fists, she slammed down on the paper thin mattress in anger. Anger at herself for getting caught. Anger at the world for being so damn unfair. But mostly anger at him for being the sole reason why she was here.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

It was back again. Arika squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the sound out of her head. It was only after focusing that she realized that the sound hadn't been her imagination. Right as her eyes fluttered open, light flooded the room and forced her eyes shut on reflex. After being in the pitch black room for so long, the light was scorchingly painful but at the same time a giant relief. Adjusting to the sudden change caused Arika to miss a good portion of Levi and Hanji's argument.

"Shouldn't be involved? How could I not get involved with this?! This is my expertise after all and whether you like it or not I will talk with her!"

Levi rebutted with a painstakingly level tone, "I merely suggested that you would do best to wait a while before talking with her. She could have a vendetta against you because of your work with titans and shifters for all we know; she did attack you after all."

Hanji brushed away the notion. "She didn't try to kill me, she was just trying to escape. You would've done the same thing in her position."

"Oh, good. So I shouldn't be suspicious until she tries and or succeeds in killing you," Levi paused to light a lamp that further illuminated the room. "Well, isn't that reassuring," he said, applying a thick layer of sarcasm.

Hanji rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Geez, would it kill you to ease up and let me handle this for once? Leave it to me, I'll decide if she's a shifter or not and then you're free to be paranoid to your heart's content!"

"You guys think I'm a shifter? Is that what all of this has been about?"

The two bickering soldiers were brought back to attention by Arika's voice. She was sitting upright, no longer tired or blinded, only bewildered at hearing the accusation of being a shifter. Hanji was at Arika's side in an instant, holding her hands in a vice grip in a way that was probably meant to be friendly but was verging on bone-crushingly painful.

"You don't even know why you're here? Levi! You didn't bother to take five seconds to explain anything to her?!"

"Idle chit chat wasn't exactly my priority when she was trying to shatter my skull with a shower curtain rod," Levi remarked with a shrug.

Idle chit chat? Since when does the reason behind keeping someone held against their will qualify as idle chit chat? Arika let the thought pass without commenting.

"I'm not."

"Excuse me?" Levi gave Arika a look like she had just sprouted a second head.

"A shifter," Arika clarified. "I'm not a titan shifter. I'm actually shocked that you even know of shifters' existence."

"Eren is a shifter," Levi said simply as he approached Arika's bedside. He caught a brief glimpse of Arika's eyebrows arching in surprise. "That's already been established and dealt with. Knowing of titan shifters' existence only makes it harder for me to believe you when you say you aren't one. You'd have the perfect motive and it would make sense that you'd be willing to take your chances living with the titans."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble then. I'm not a shifter. That won't change regardless of if you choose to believe me or not."

Arika had been intending to drive home her point by staring him down, but Hanji suddenly tore one hand away from her wrist to turn her head away from Levi. Arika was forced to stare straight into Hanji's unwavering eyes and was held in place. After a while, Hanji pouted.

"Aw, dammit! She's telling the truth." Hanji's fingertips finally left Arika's wrist where she had been monitoring her pulse for any faltering. "And I was so looking forward to having another titan shifter around!"

"Are you sure she isn't?" Levi pressed.

"Positive. Makes sense, I guess. If she had truly been a shifter she would've been able to escape at any time at the hospital," Hanji sadly pointed out. "That, and her cuts don't indicate any abnormal healing," Hanji said as she gestured to the angry red markings reminiscent of Arika's tumble from the hospital window.

"You're normal?" Levi prodded in disbelief.

"Last time I checked, yes."

His eyes darkened in curiosity. "Then why are you so hell bent on getting back outside of the Wall?"

"It's safer out there," Arika said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Safer? Out there? With the man-eating, giant monsters? That fall must have truly scrambled your brains."

"Better to live with a predictable monster than a human if you ask me," Arika said numbly before mumbling to herself, "Though I do suppose humans qualify as monsters just as easily."

Hanji tried to loosen Arika's lips. "What's so important out there? What keeps you bound there?"

"The same thing that keeps all of you bound here," Arika's eyes briefly became unfocused as she was mulling over what Hanji had asked.

There was a pause as Hanji thought of something that motivated every soldier to put their life on the line. "A loved one?" Hanji guessed hopefully. Arika gave a soft nod without realizing the action.

"So there are more people outside of the Walls?" Levi pushed. Suddenly Arika was no longer spaced out and was instead aware that anything she said could bring harm to that very same loved one she was trying to protect.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she vaguely dodged the question. Levi frowned as Arika was yet again returning to her uncooperative state.

"Maybe you would be more motivated to speak after missing a couple meals. The hunger and dark solitude could do you some good," he threatened casually. Thick tension laced the air at the challenge.

Hanji threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "This attitude of yours isn't helping us make any progress here, Levi! Keep it up and I'm going to have to assume you have a terminal case of Asshole Syndrome! We'll get our answers when she's ready to give them, okay?" she huffed.

Levi had gotten a dark look in his eyes and had his mouth halfway open when Hanji took the initiative to drag him out of the holding cell.

"So sorry to cut things short like this, but I think there's a couple of things that need to be straightened out first." She gave a sideways glance at Levi whose malice was silently radiating off him in waves. Quickly forcing him out through the door, Hanji's head popped back in once more. "We'll be back later!" she chirped before shutting the door, once again leaving Arika in darkness.

"Take all the time you need, I won't hold my breath," Arika murmured to nobody but herself.

With a sigh, Arika leaned back and closed her eyes. She was on the verge of drifting back off to sleep when the room was flooded with light. A frown automatically etched itself onto her face without her even opening her eyes.

"Five minutes isn't what she meant by later, moron. Leave."

"I get that I was a fool for playing into your tricks, but calling me a moron is taking it a bit far, don't you think?" The soft voice caused Arika to bolt upright. There was a hiss of a match and the room was alight with a flickering glow, revealing it to be Eren instead of Levi in the doorway.

"Oh, I didn't—"

"It's fine," Eren prevented her from continuing what would've been an apology. Without a word, Eren walked over and placed a tray of food on Arika's lap. Blinking at it in disbelief, Arika thought that Levi would have been true to his word on starving the truth out of her. Yet, here was a full tray of food not even five minutes after Levi had threatened her. Arika looked up at Eren as his sat down at the edge of her bed. He didn't meet her eyes, alternatively choosing to gesture at the food.

"I'd eat that quickly if I were you," he mumbled quietly.

He's talking to quietly, Arika thought to herself. Could he have…? Eren confirmed her guess when he shot a glance over his shoulder at the door as if expecting it to open at any time.

"You aren't supposed to be in here, are you?" Arika mimicked his hushed voice.

Eren gave a shake of his head. "Not exactly, no." Shifting to finally look at her, Eren momentarily forgot about the door as he focused on the real reason he had for sneaking in here. "But I heard everything that you said and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Arika raised an eyebrow at the revelation. "You were listening?"

"I was standing right outside of the door," Eren admitted, "Levi said that my screwing things up had already helped enough and that I shouldn't be involved in any questioning, but the door was right there and it was cracked open…" He trailed off and was silent. At the very least, that explained the food. Eren had heard everything and gone off to get her this in the hopes of getting to speak with her.

Not wanting to be ungrateful and now fully aware of her grumbling stomach, Arika picked up a loaf of bread and tore into it. "Thank you."

An uncomfortable silence followed before Eren spoke again. "So the loved one, the one outside of the Wall, is that why you're trying so hard to get back out?"

Finishing off the loaf of bread and moving on to a baked potato, Arika nodded. "Family's a precious thing, especially in such hard times," she stated in response, "I'd do anything to keep safe what few things I have left to protect."

Arika recognized a faint glint of fire in the boy's eyes at her words. "I don't think I could've said it any better," he mumbled before continuing in a clearer voice, "I understand completely; I get why you'd go to such great lengths for family. Cheat, fight, lie… I'd do anything to hold onto them one more time, and I wouldn't give up that time for anything."

Eren made sure he was looking Arika straight in the eye at what he said next. "So I want you to know that I don't hold any of it against you. None of it."

Arika was taken by surprise and it showed in her shocked expression. "You don't care that I lied to you?"

Eren gave a breathy chuckle and shook his head. "No, not now that I know why you did it. Plus, I just admitted to eavesdropping on your conversations. I think we can call it even," he said with a swift smile.

Realizing time had gotten the best of him, Eren glanced back at the door and remembered where he was. "Well, I'd better get going before I get caught. Remember, I was never here, okay?"

Arika gave a quick nod and was answered with a heartwarming smile. Before she could say anything, Eren had gotten up and slipped back out of the cell, the almost empty food tray as the only reminder he had ever visited her. Arika let it all sink in and gave a sigh of relief.

His smile. It didn't hurt anymore. That same smile had, only hours ago, seared through Arika with guilt. But now it left her relieved knowing that Eren felt she hadn't done anything wrong.

It didn't make what she was going to do next any less wrong, but at the very least Arika wouldn't feel bad about doing it.

With a distinct click followed by a clatter of metal, Arika's handcuffs fell to the cold floor.

~*~*~*~*~*AoT*~*~*~*~*~

Skillfully shutting the door without a sound, Eren let out the breath he had been holding. He had been right; there had been a reason to what Arika had done. For some reason it put him at ease knowing her motives, and it was in this relieved state that Eren was caught off guard.

Thinking himself to be in the clear, Eren rounded the corner without a second thought and in the process ran straight into Levi and Hanji. The sound of surprise that swelled into Eren's throat was stifled when Levi slapped a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him. Caught red-handed, Eren started compiling a list of excuses but was cut off when the Corporal seemingly read his mind.

"Don't even try digging yourself out of this one, we saw everything. Now just shut up and cooperate or else you're going to blow everything. Again," Levi bit out with hostility before peeking around the corner to check down the corridor where Arika's cell resided.

Tearing away from Levi who was occupied watching Arika's cell door, Eren turned to Hanji. "What the hell is going on?" he asked in confusion.

After motioning for Eren to lower his voice, Hanji responded, "Don't mind him. Levi's just on edge because he's having to do this a second time."

"Because you messed up the first mission," Levi spitefully added in.

"Mission? What mission?" Eren was now completely lost.

Not wavering from watching the door, Levi explained in a low voice, "The girl has a lock pick on her. It's well hidden, mind you, but I know she has one. She used it when she was breaking out of the hospital. I decided to let her keep it and use it to our advantage. I had everything set up perfectly; soldiers hidden at the exit, ready to follow her the minute she gets out." Levi's gaze flitted briefly to send a harsh glare Eren's way. "But then you got involved. I'll give the girl credit that tricking you into escorting her was a smart move, but it was the worst outcome possible. She could've slipped right past my men with you as a cover. Then everything would've been for nothing. Lucky I caught you when I did."

It took a moment for everything to add up in Eren's mind. "Wait, so you planned out a mission and didn't let me in on it?"

"You're not exactly an unbiased person, Jaeger. It was best you didn't know what you were getting into." Levi gave an agitated huff. "But I guess that isn't exactly an option anymore."

At that exact moment Levi heard the long awaited click of a door lock being picked. His eyes narrowed in anticipation as the door opened and Arika poked her head out and checked that the corridor was clear before stepping out and closing the door as if she were still in there. Just as Levi had anticipated, she could be seen slipping her lock pick into a concealed compartment of one of her boots. With one more glance in either direction, Arika started moving swiftly in the direction of the exit, having memorized the way she was taken to her cell.

Levi readied himself to follow and gave one last glance towards Eren. "Looks like you're coming with us, brat. Don't make me regret this, I don't want to follow her a third time."

"Where are we following her?" Eren asked as he watched Arika dart around another corner and Levi moved after her.

"Where do you think?" Levi prompted him in a way that was almost mocking.

It was a dumb question, truthfully. Eren already knew the answer. They were going to follow Arika to the place she most desperately wanted to get back to.

They were going outside of the Wall.

A/N: TheHeart'sCompass - Looong wait, I know, I know. Please don't shoot! School and sports are time consuming! Ah well, I'm done making excuses. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it hopefully cleared some stuff up. Most importantly it hopefully explained why Levi's been such an ass these last two chapters (the Corporal isn't a happy camper when things don't go his way and his time gets wasted! XD). There was also a ton of Eren and Arika interaction this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed that, too! I've gotta get working back on my other story so it might be some time until the next chapter, but please be patient! If you haven't already, check out my story, The Blessing and Curse that is Hope. Thanks so much for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated, and have a SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT day! :D

A/N: Butterfly Chibi-Hey I hope you guys in enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the wait~! XD Also we will be discussing the next upcoming chapter. Hopefully you all will be pleased with it. We appreciate everyone who is supporting us with this story.