A/N: Hey everyone! After reading all of your heartfelt reviews, I hope I can make you all happy again with another chapter to The Last of Us: Attack on Titan! I apologize for being so inactive and for updating so late in the game! Thank you for continuously supporting this story even while I was off the fanfiction grid! It took me a little while to get back on track, and I feel a little rocky with this chapter since it's been a long time since I've updated, but nonetheless, i hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LAST OF US OR ANY PART OF THE NAUGHTY DOG FRANCHISE OR ATTACK ON TITAN.

The stakes were higher now, and so she begged the question: "If I became a Titan, would you pull the trigger?"

Levi's hands shifted up Petra's shoulders. He then pulled himself away, staring into her with furrowed brows and wide eyes, full of genuine concern. His voice was audible now – low but still quiet: "What are you talking about?"

Her lips stiffened, and she shook her head. "N-Never mind, forget it."

She had innocent intentions – really she did. All the woman sought for through such a twisted question was confirmation: did he really love her as much as she loved him? And if that was the case, exactly how much would she lose if the end came early for either of them? Was it worth it to suddenly raise the stakes in such a dangerous operation, and could she have compromised the mission in doing so?

Could they afford to continue moving forward, knowing they could lose each other at any moment in their Titan-wrought world?

At that moment, all she could do was push those questions aside.

She eased herself away from him, pinning her false smile onto her mouth for as long as possible. "I guess I'm just exhausted. I'm starting to speak some nonsense now! I– I'm sorry, Levi."

He bore into her with piercing blue eyes, catching wind of her white lies. He asked her plainly, "Are you sure you're just exhausted?"

She simply nodded.

Dissatisfied, he tried to ask again: "And there's nothing else on your mind?"

"N-No. I think I just need some sleep."

He frowned at her – her facade was as clear as day to him now; and the best part: she could even tell that he could see right through her. Was it even worth trying anymore? Her cheeks began to ache, slowly turning scarlet from her burning lies.

"We've been traveling for many hours straight now anyway." She let out a nonchalant chuckle, hoping she could still fool him somehow no matter how futile it already seemed. "You know what, yeah, that's it! I'm just–"

She felt his hand gently pat her on the head. Her eyes flicked towards him, but suddenly, she was pressed down to his thigh, much to her surprise. Her cheek nearly rammed into his knee. She immediately felt a dull sting at her cheekbone, and her face reddened even more from such a close proximity to his body. What was there for her to do now?

"You talk too much," he said softly.

She choked on her words. "B-But... Levi–"

"If you need rest, then rest, Petra. Stop talking now."

Petra could only stare at the wood floor. She didn't even know anymore if that was the reaction she wanted from him. Was he finally fooled? Or could he still see through her? Her pure confusion kept her in place and kept her quiet.

She felt his fingers run against a few strands of hair as he let her use him as a pillow. The corners of her mouth sank, and she closed her eyes. Her tongue was in a knot – and so was her stomach. Oh, how she wished to be so forward and honest with this man. To be able to speak her mind in front of him could have made her life easier – or so she believed.

Her fingers curled into her palm, and she pressed her hand against her chest.

What would it be like, she said to herself, if we never found out how we felt about each other?

Maybe then… Her lips began to quiver. Maybe then…

I wouldn't be so scared for my life now.

"Eren?" a calm voice called out to him.

The boy awoke underneath one of the greenest trees he had ever seen. The sky was pure blue with a few clouds here and there. Even the blades of grass he laid on was a beautiful dark green. He sat up, hearing the grass crunch from beneath him. Standing next to him on this beautiful grass was a girl just as beautiful – and his same age.

Around her neck, she wore a red scarf. Her raven black hair framed her face and was grown out just past her shoulders. Strapped to her back, she had a crate with stacks of firewood – the same crate sat beside the boy, but his was practically empty. Aside from his cat naps while on the job, his firewood crate alone demonstrated a difference in work ethic when it came to chores assigned by his mother.

He rubbed his eyes with both hands, still feeling rather groggy.

"Did you have that dream again?" the girl asked.

He nodded to her. "The same one."

"Maybe you think about the same things too much during the day."

"Why the heck would I think about the same exact, gory things every single day."

"Maybe you're just that kind of person, Eren."

"Tch. Yeah right. That's not even funny."

He stood up on the grass hill he slept on, slung the crate over his back and led the both of them towards home. They trudged through the blades of grass and onto the city pavement, weaving through bustling crowds that seemed to ignore them both. From the rooftops, they seemed like two ants inside those busy streets – their rattling crates only made them just a tad larger; but as he continued onward through those long, crowded streets, he could only hear his own crate rattling. He paused in his tracks and rotated at his hips, taking a good look behind him. He saw the girl standing still amidst the crowd of villagers with her head hung in silence. His brows twisted, wondering why she had suddenly stopped. It was then that he realized that the villagers avoided them as if an invisible, impenetrable bubble encased them both. It was just the two of them in the middle of that estranged street.

He took a small step towards the girl. "H-Hey, what's going on?"

She did not answer.

He took a second step. "Hey."

Then a third. And a fourth.

After a few more timid steps, she rose her head slowly, uncovering her pale mouth from behind the red scarf. She then spoke with a low, eerie voice, "Do you really think those two will keep you safe?"

Suddenly, the a strong gust of wind blew, and the villagers yelped in surprise. Leaves and dust began to blow over the street, and the wind grew stronger and wilder as the seconds passed. Eren shielded his face with both arms and clamped his eyes shut. He could hear the firewood behind him rattling violently with every passing moment; but as soon as the wind came to an abrupt stop, he found himself in a bedroom, lying on a mildly dusty mattress.

His eyes were sore from his lethargy. He had tossed and turned during his stupor, deaf to the bed's creaking every time he moved. He even mumbled in his sleep – deaf to himself as well, leading him to a very poor slumber. Boggled by the dream he had just witnessed, he simply laid still. After a good whole minute, he raised his hand to his face again, eyeballing the indents at his thumb. He then covered his face and groaned in frustration.

He closed his eyes again, tired of being awake, but then he remembered the girl's bizarre question:

"Do you really think those two will keep you safe?"

His eyes refused to close.

The sky was streaked with purple and orange as the sun set on Ragako village. The village had become silent ever since the Female Titan disappeared, and it became easier to simply sit and breathe in the world the Levi, Petra and Eren trekked.

Levi leaned himself into the stiff bench, staring blankly at the tattered ceiling. Petra occupied the length of the bench with her sleeping sprawled body. While the rest of the house had finally fallen silent, Levi remained restless.

Different pieces of his mind were jumbled. His thoughts were incomplete and clashing with each other – he didn't know what to think at the moment nor what to feel; nor what to do. All he could manage was to sit still, drowning in his thoughts that flooded his head.

He knew there was something off about Petra. He knew full well.

If I became a Titan, would you pull the trigger? Petra's words echoed and gnawed at his mind.

What kind of question was that?

He closed his eyes and stared into the darkness inside him.

Once again, he heard her: If I became a Titan… would you pull the trigger?

His chest throbbed at the thought, and it dried his throat.

His gaze drooped down at the sleeping woman beside him, watching her breathe softly with her lips slightly parted. He ran two fingers through a bundle of her ginger hair, being careful not to make her stir. His fingers brushed against her soft skin, and the touch of her flesh made his heart jump; but he paused for a moment.

His nerves then tangled, and his hand tensed.

A sudden flash of light blinded him for an instant; and in that instant, he swore he saw another face at his lap. Petra's hair was briefly bunched into crimson pony-tails, and her skin darkened by a few shades. She was still sound asleep, but a word slipped through her parted lips.

"Big brother…" she murmured.

He pulled his hand back, resting it on his lap behind the sleeping head that already found refuge. Levi's eyes were then wide with pure fear.

"Levi! Big brother!"

He sat up swiftly and snapped his head away from the woman at his lap, towards an overly familiar scream. It was then that he saw Isabel and Farlan screaming for him as they were trapped inside a Titan's bloody maw.

"Please help!" they screamed as he watched the Titan's lips curl into a smile.

Levi's heart began to race, and his breathing hitched. His leg twitched, his hands clenched – his body practically begged him to stand. To fight.

"Please help us! Please Levi!"

"No..." Quickly, he squeezed his eyes shut, shielding himself from the horrible sight. He then tried to drown out the dreadful screaming with his own panicked, repetitive thoughts:

It's not real...

"Levi!"

It's not real...

"Big brother, please save us!"

And after what felt like a whole hour of their pleas, the screaming had disappeared. When he opened his eyes, he averted them to the corner of the room, breathing almost frantically. He then flicked his eyes to the front and back to his lap at the sleeping woman.

The illusion was finally gone.

He swallowed hard, heart pounding against his tightened chest.

If I became a Titan, would you pull the trigger?

"Geez..." He covered his face with one hand, trying to recollect himself. He then said breathlessly, "What the hell are you trying to say?"

Suddenly, the woman stirred at his lap, much to his dismay. Slowly she sat up, and he groaned to himself, Well isn't this just some perfect timing.

"Levi?" she said tiredly after hearing his panicked breaths. She rubbed her eyes. "Did you... have a bad dream?"

Levi swallowed again and inhaled deeply to regain control over his body. His hand then fell to his lap.

"Are you okay, Levi?"

"It's nothing," Levi said with a listless tone. "I just need rest too."

Her eyes fell to the floor. She held her hands at her lap, trying to string together some wise-choice words for his comfort; but he spoke to her again: "And what about you?"

She turned her head to him, still as confused from before she slept. Her brow wrinkled, and he continued, "Feel any better now that you got some sleep?"

Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes dropped to the corner.

"You're not gonna ask questions like that again, are you?" Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back into the bench. "It... haunts me a little bit."

"I'm sorry," she pouted. "I really am."

"You don't have to apologize."

"B-But–"

He pushed himself onto his feet and raised his arms to stretch. He caught a glimpse of the changing sky through the window and made note of the time. In about an hour, it would be time to set off for Castle Utgard once again, regardless of whether or not all three of them had any sleep at all. They had rested long enough – there was only so much daylight they could burn in getting Eren where he needed to be. Every minute counted. And none could ever be wasted.

He ambled towards the hallway to find and wake Eren but was stopped when Petra jumped off the bench and hastily followed after him: "Levi, about what I said earlier, I didn't– I didn't mean to worry you or anything, I just– I'm..." Her voice cracked as she began to twiddle her thumbs. It was painful to be completely honest and difficult to craft sentences together in the midst of noneloquently exposing the bitter truth. "I really am sorry that you did. I'm really sor–"

"I said don't apologize." All at once, he grabbed her wrist and forced her into the wall. The old pictures hanging on the wall trembled for a moment and continued to hang in their original fixed position. Petra winced from the sudden impact, taken aback by his rapid actions. He then leaned into her, body pressing against hers and warm lips grazing her ear. She shuddered into his neck, mind completely locked in bona fide astonishment. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, quickening her breaths and buckling her knees.

"You talk too much," he whispered unto her. She felt his lips just barely tug at her ear lobe, sending shivers down her spine.

It was strenuous to keep himself from letting loose on her. She was so close to him after all – her lips were only inches from his; her left hand was already pinned and rendered useless. The scent of her skin and hair was constantly intoxicating him, driving his entire body insane. He could have easily taken advantage of this moment to steal a few more kisses from her right before setting off into the night for who knows how many hours; but his mind was plagued by the same unnerving question:

If I became a Titan, would you pull the trigger?

An image of a Titan's ugly, smiling face then flashed inside his head. The corners of his mouth quickly fell as rage quickly replaced his lust. His grip then tightened at her wrist, and he said hoarsely into her ear, "Don't ever talk like that again, you hear me?"

Paralyzed, Petra watched him release her and remove himself from her. Without a second look, he turned his back and sauntered down the dimly lit hall.