Note: Sorry it took so long. Been working more often than not and exhausted by the time I get home. I've also been going through personal bull so that's taken its toll on me.

Enjoy!

Dancing Crow Chapter Five

Mike sent out a couple others to go and help gather everyone that Itachi had left safely within the trees. He then commanded others to proceed to get into formation, determined to get back on track. They couldn't take the chance to linger, knowing that they could be ambushed once again at any given time. Eld Jin and Gunther were whispering to one another, glancing wearily around before focusing back on towards their conversation. It was Eld approaching Itachi that had the Uchiha turning towards him, acknowledging her comrade. He looked hesitant, shifting from foot to foot as he gazed down upon the younger girl.

"Levi was separated from all of us. He backtracked once he was able to garner the attention of two titans that were about to destroy the carts." And he wavered at that point, face grim looking. "I'm almost positive he was low on gas at that moment, with how much we all used to divert the titans from the carts path."

Gunther gave her a sympathetic look and Itachi suddenly found herself disagreeing for some reason.

"I'll find him." And they could only watch her in astonishment as she turned on her heel and stalked towards Mike with a look of pure determination. She could feel her Uchiha obsession kicking in. It wanted Levi to be fine, commanded that she seek him out and ensure that he was still alive, even if she had to drag his body from the belly of the beast. He's been gravitating towards her ever since she's been under his leadership and something was tugging at her heart, whispering to her that he was fine. He would be okay.

"Mike." She started, drawing his attention towards her. "I'm going to look for Levi."

She didn't give him an option, more like demanded that she was going to be looking for her leader. Mike scowled and looked like he was about the object when the group consisting of those that had been lost, came into the clearing. He gave Itachi one more look, eyes drilling into hers before he inclined his head.

"I can't send reinforcements back for you." He began. "If you go, you'll be on your own from here on out. Do you understand what that means?" he questioned, eyes not leaving her own. Obsidian eyes softened and Itachi smiled at him. There were some gasps from those that could see her soft features and murmurs suddenly broke out.

"I'd give my life for my comrades."

Mike stared for a moment longer and his own face softened. "Then go. We'll be making our way back when you decide to rejoin us."

Itachi didn't waste one second. She was already moving.

Filling her tanks up with gas, she swiftly proceeded in grabbing a couple rations and canteens of water from the cart and a small backpack that settled between her shoulder blades on her upper back, underneath her cloak. She wanted to ensure that they had some food and water just in case.

A small first aide kit was shoved into her hands and Itachi looked up, seeing Emma, the girl she saved earlier, flushing.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me!"

Itachi smiled at her and shook her head. "I'll always look out for my team. Life is precious, so keep fighting."

Emma flushed even further and looked down, her face beet red. One of the guys behind her laughed and pulled her away.

"Looks like someone has a crush!"

"Eh!"

Itachi continued to make sure she had everything while shaking her head at their antics, amusement lingering on her face. They had to stay positive one way or another.

Once she double checked everything and gave Aliz one last look over (who was still out cold), she then proceeded towards Gunther and Eld. She didn't even have to ask in which direction he had taken off in, Gunther simply pointed with a grim look on his face.

She paused, looking back at her comrades and inclining her head towards Mike before taking off. Once out of sight of her team, she created a shadow clone. Staring at the ruffled looking girl before her, Itachi found herself blinking at how frazzled she looked. Sighing, she stretched her neck before looking around the forest.

"Protect them and don't be seen. Kill anything that threatens them."

They both separated and Itachi was quick to spread her senses. Chakra flared and seeped into everything around her as her eyes bled red to find any clues. With that, she lurched in the direction that held a couple of broken branches and grapple hook marks dug into the trees.

Oooo

The sun was sinking in the sky, indicating that hours had passed. The sky was turning that fiery orange red as the natural light started to dim.

"Fuck!"

Levi cursed as a deep anger simmered beneath his skin. It was festering, building, as he struggled with his gear and trying to fix it. Somewhere in the chaos of fighting with the titans and leading them away, it had been pulled out way too far and had snapped part of the mechanical devices on the inside. He wouldn't be able to fix it without the right tools. He had been lucky to have the other side still working enough to get him onto one of the higher branches because he was pretty sure his gas was almost empty as well.

The clawing sound and rough vibrations from below told him that a titan was there, which only made his ire rise even more.

"Damn it!" he spat, slamming a fist into the branch he was perched upon. It was just his luck that he had been separated from everyone. He didn't even know how far out he had ended up. The distraction was only supposed to take them out of range from the carts, but when he had managed to get into the denser part of the woods, he had found himself surrounded by even more titans. The only thing he could do at that point was to lead them in a different direction and take out those that he could. He had no way of contacting his team from here. It was unlikely they would even send anyone to look for him because of how important it was in getting the supplies back to the wall.

They'd probably even label him as another loss, and that unfortunately, meant that Humanities strongest wasn't good enough.

The hissing of air reached his ears and Levi jerked, head whipping around to find the source of noise. His heart leapt into his throat as he spotted a figure far off, flitting through branches and stopping to get a good look around them before continuing forward. He pushed himself up, watching with wide eyes as they drew closer. Had someone from the unit accidently gotten pulled further from the group like him? He highly doubted they were there for him specifically.

He was just about to call out to get their attention, when the tree he stood upon shuddered violently from another titan joining the first one. Levi cursed, trying to regain his footing from the harsh impact and shuddering of the tree.

His luck wore out though and Levi lost his footing. He slipped and grunted as his chest and chin slammed into the tree branch he once stood upon. His arms were straining to hold himself up, but his hands were unable to find much purchase on the larger branch. He had just barely caught himself from plummeting, but he knew it wasn't going to last long.

"God damn it! Why can't things just work out for once!?" he snarled and with aching ribs, he attempted to pull himself back onto the branch, nails biting into the bark as he struggled.

The tree shuddered again, and Levi's heart dropped as he lost his grip. His hold slipped and he could only watch as the branch receded further away from him, arms stretched out before him and hands grasping at air. Strands of hair flew into his eyesight, whipping around him as he fell. The thoughts of seeing his deceased friends again crossed his mind for a brief second before something was slamming into him with a breathtaking force. The air was knocked out of him and he could feel hands clutching desperately at his shirt before his eyes looked up. Wide, red eyes stared at him before they both slammed into the ground and went rolling.

He was already short of breath from the tackle in mid-air, so when he hit the ground, any recovery that had been developed, was instantly taken from him. Levi clutched at the grass, lungs spasming for air before he was coughing and sucking in harsh breaths. The rumbling from the titan's footsteps were vague, barely registering in the back of his mind before there was a body slamming into a large hand that was reaching for him. A scream, one filled with pure hatred and a desperate need to protect, had him jerking in surprise. His eyes flickered in the direction of the two forms before him and he watched as blood hit the ground in a disgusting 'splat' and the form of one titan falling reached his ears after a loud 'boom'.

The last titan was approaching them and the figure that was before him suddenly fell to their knees, clutching at their bleeding shoulder. Levi pushed himself up to his knees, lungs finally starting to settle when the familiar person before him was screaming again as the titan reached for them. His heart plummeted and he could only lift a hand to one of his blades before the titan suddenly froze up. Silence permeated the air and Levi took in the large hand twitching and jerking in an awkward way. His jaw dropped when it suddenly pulled back and the titan before them collapsed to its own knees.

The figure before him shifted, blade glinting in the fading light as a blue aura suddenly erupted around the blade. A trembling hand fisted, blood pouring down that entire limb before they were gone. The titan went down seconds later and Levi finally moved, taking in a deep breath and pushing himself to his feet. His body was sore, aching all over the place, but he was desperate to see if it was who he thought it was.

When the figure landed back on the ground, it stumbled and fell forwards, clutching at the bleeding wound on their arm. Levi lurched forward and as he finally steadied the person, he found his eyes locking onto a face streaked with bloody tears.

His eyes could only soak in the look on her face before his trembling hands reached up, hesitating before cupping her bloody cheeks.

"You fool!" he managed to get out before pulling her into a tight embrace. The shuddering that came from her body told Levi exactly how exhausted she was.

Levi pulled back after a minute, eyes softening as he pulled her away from the decomposing titans.

"Let's get your arm cleaned up and bandaged."

"Aa…" a soft reply answered him.

Oooo

Itachi watched with hollow eyes as Levi helped tug her arm out of her jacket. His eyes lingered on the bloodstained white shirt underneath before sighing heavily. She knew that it was already bothering him, the bloodstain that is. She'd have to burn the thing when they got back. He then gently pulled the jacket off her injured arm and frowned at the sight of a large gash starting at her collarbone and went down onto her left arm, slicing open everything in its way. He was surprised she was moving it so well, considering that it would need stitches.

He took the medical kit she had packed and Itachi jerked back in pain when he pulled the bloodstained fabric away from her open wound.

"We need to take this off too." He murmured and Itachi was already pulling the shirt over her head without a second thought.

"Oi!" Levi got out, face flushed and annoyance coloring his voice. "You don't just…Strip in front of people!"

"Aa…" She replied once again and Itachi shrugged her good shoulder. "It's fine. You're helping me dress a wound. I have bindings on underneath anyways."

Levi sighed in exasperation. "That's….That's not the point brat… how old were you again?"

Itachi paused, gaze flickering to the side before glancing up towards Levi in an almost shy manner. She didn't expect that question to come up. "Almost sixteen in a few months." She responded, an amused expression finally settling upon her face. She kept forgetting this body was a bit younger than what she had been in her previous world.

Levi rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath as he helped Itachi with dressing her wound and then pulling her bloodstained shirt back on, followed by her jacket. Itachi watched Levi cringe the entire time as he helped pull on her bloodstained clothing. She knew it was bothering him, but there was nothing they could do. It got a bit too chilly at night, so she needed the protection the layers offered her as well.

Once everything was packed back up and Levi having scrubbed her face of dried blood as best he could, he was pulling her to her feet. He was just about to start walking in the direction that they knew the team was heading in when Itachi's hand caught his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks.

"Take my gear and tanks."

"What?"

"Take-"

"No, I heard you fine Itachi." Levi cut her off, his gaze cutting right through her. "I meant, why would you even suggest that I take your gear."

Itachi didn't back down, eyes taking in the distress that the settling on his face. "You're not injured. You have a better chance at getting us to safety than I do right now. Please, take my gear Levi." She wanted to add that she would be fine without it. It was him that she was worried about. He took longer than she'd liked for him to come to a decision. His gaze bore into her and all she could do was stare back, refusing to back down.

"How full are your tanks?" he finally caved, starting with detaching his gear before he began pulling at some belts and buckles around her waist. Itachi suddenly found her heart hammering in her chest, eyes wide in surprise at her body's reaction. She knew almost instantly what she was feeling, and it took everything in her to respond to Levi's question, trying her best to ignore the sudden attraction flitting through her body.

"It's full."

Levi paused, knuckles ghosting over some exposed flesh near her hips. "I'm never complaining about your ridiculously uncanny and illogical ability to keep your tanks almost full, ever again."

Once he had her gear secured to his straps, he then proceeded to connect his own to Itachi. They couldn't just abandon it, especially since it was a problem easily fixed with the right tools.

"Let's go." And they both began to walk in the direction that would lead them back to the walls.

Oooo

Night had quickly descended at that point, but they still trudged on, refusing to sit down for the night. It had taken them hours of walking before finally being able to find fresh tracks with hooves and carts. Itachi's feet were sore at that point and her wound was throbbing, but she'd dealt with more uncomfortable situations before. Trying to fight half blind and breathe with disease riddled lungs was hard in itself in her other life, this was a bit easier to deal with.

Chakra circled around her shoulder, ensuring that infection didn't have a chance to settle within the wound. Another step forward and she suddenly found herself stumbling.

She pursed her lips as Levi caught her arm, steadying her. Right, she forgot how much her advanced form of her sharingan took out of her.

She hadn't meant to use it, but she had been desperate to save Levi. When she had slammed into him, she had tried to maneuver their bodies so that the impact into the ground wouldn't kill them. As she hit the ground with him, a large branch she hadn't anticipated on, had sliced her right open and left her injured. Activating it had been pure instinct. The use of her second form and a genjutsu for controlling the titan was taxing. She had activated her Mangekyō sharingan for a more potent use of her genjutsu. When demanding the titan to stop its advance, she had struggled with there being no chakra to affect its system. It had fought her ability to control it. She had forced her willpower and chakra onto it at that point, demanding it to stop before she was moving, killing it before it could kill them. It was Levi trying to scrub off the blood on her face that it finally hit her that she had used that form.

She desperately begged some form of higher power that she wouldn't go blind in this world, because unless she had children, who activated their own stages of their sharingan, she would be forever blind (and god, she didn't even want to think about children and taking, transplanting, eyes for any sort of power. It was a sickening feeling.). On top of that, she didn't think there were any doctors here that could really transplant eyes in the first place. That wasn't something she wanted to happen in this world, because anyone that could use it could destroy everything with it. She couldn't chance her eyes deteriorating unless she were in a dire situation. She'd have to be more careful in the future.

Yes, it took overuse of the Mangekyō sharingan to start deteriorating eyesight, but if limiting it to dire situations helped in prolonging that damage from happening in the first place, it'll be for the best.

"We need to stop for the night…" Levi murmured, pulling Itachi to a stop and gently helping her sit down. They settled within some brush next to a couple trees, hoping that it was enough cover for them. As it got later into the night, the wind picked up and Itachi found herself shivering. She focused chakra into circulating through her body, feeling a warmth spread before she noticed Levi shifting uncomfortably.

"You're cold." She simply stated and Levi grunted, a scowl spreading across his face as he shifted again.

"It's getting colder." He murmured, shrugging in response. He was leaned up against the tree trunk that the brush sat up against. Itachi sat up and simply stared at him before shuffling over and settling into his side. Levi jerked, looking down at the raven-haired girl before rolling his eyes and wrapping his cloak around both of them. In minutes he could feel a heat seeping from her that wasn't natural for the human body. His eyebrow rose, but he didn't question her ability to produce enough heat to keep the cold bearable.

The sound of heavy footsteps caused Itachi's eyes to flutter open. Her mind was awake in seconds, followed by her body, which had been ingrained through training on how to react as soon as she became conscious. She was pressed tight against Levi's side, still under his cloak. He was breathing evenly, indicating that he was still out.

Another footstep had her eyes bleeding red and she was already weaving a genjutsu around the brush they had settled in.

Minutes later, a titan shuffled by, pausing for a second before continuing forward. Itachi watched it go before relaxing, letting her eyes slide shut and enjoy the sunlight filtering through the trees and brush and onto her face.

She felt herself starting to drift again before she jolted awake from Levi moving. Onyx eyes flickered open and she glanced at Levi, who was staring up at the sky.

"Ready?" he questioned and Itachi got up, stretching some stiff muscles while being careful with her wounded shoulder.

"Aa." She replied and Levi quickly doublechecked their gear before they were moving once more. Morning passed, followed by midafternoon not long after. They were getting closer to the traveling group, which looked like they were taking it steady but slow. They were weary on being ambushed and were being cautious about advancing too fast.

They stopped for a half hour break, eating a ration bar and sipping water from the canteens before they were moving once more. Itachi's wound started to throb a bit harsher as the day wore on and finally, she paused in their trek, causing Levi to come to a stop. He tilted his head in her direction, taking in her subtle but pained facial expression.

If it had been anyone else, they would have probably been complaining the entire time.

Itachi rubbed at the outer edges of her wound, wincing as she brushed the tender flesh underneath her bandages. She flushed chakra towards the location, sighing in some relief as it numbed it a bit more. Just as it began to finally settle into a dull throb, Itachi's senses went haywire.

Her clone had popped.

Flashes of something not normal filtered through her mind. Her clone was further out (probably over an hour away after killing everything in the surrounding area), killing any titan that dared come close to the group. What she hadn't been counting on, was running into a man.

He was tall, blond hair with a moustache and beard. What had drawn her attention though, was his well-toned body, indicating that he knew how to fight. He was wearing loose fitting pants and had circular glasses upon his face. His chest was bare, no sign of a shirt anywhere. She wouldn't have been interested in him if it weren't for the fact that humans don't live outside the walls.

She had paused in her scouting and he had caught sight of her, a sudden scowl settling across his face. She didn't know what he wanted, but when a different language suddenly left his lips, she frowned. It sounded like the normal language she knew now, but it had a different kind of context behind it.

He then gave a heavy sigh and muttered something under his breath before lightening struck, a resounding boom and hot steam swelling from where he had been, briefly blinding the girl.

Itachi didn't have time to react before her back was against a tree and a large fur covered hand was wrapping around her clone, crushing her instantly.

Was he an enemy? That hand that had crushed her clone wasn't a human's hand either. It was a titan's hand. Had there been one that she hadn't noticed? What? Just…What?

She found her gaze directed towards where her clone had been killed, lips turned down into a frown. She wanted to go investigate, but she was unsure of what exactly had happened. He had some kind of ability, she knew that from everything that had just occurred, but she didn't know what kind of ability. Lightening? Steam? What?

Was he alone, or was he with a group? How many? Had he been left behind in the breech? Or was he from somewhere else entirely?

Levi interrupted her train of thought, turning on his heel and pushing onwards once he realized that she looked alright. With a lingering look in the direction her clone had been killed, she proceeded to follow Levi. That man wasn't headed in their direction, but the opposite, so they should be okay, for now that is.

Evening came with a misty drizzle and Itachi and Levi settled within the leafy canopy of the trees, trying to use them as a cover. It was already cold at night, so Itachi wasn't surprised that the bite of the air tonight was a bit worse than yesterday.

Levi was propped up against the trunk of the tree and Itachi was above him on the next branch. Her leg was hanging down right next to him, almost brushing his shoulder. Her mouth quirked up at his flinch whenever her dirty shoe swung too close to him. She could tell that it was irritating him.

"Knock it off!" he finally caved and Itachi smiled lightly as he shoved at her leg. It didn't surprise her, especially with how muddy they've gotten from the misty drizzle soaking into the ground.

She went to pull her leg up, but something stopped her. Looking down, she raised a brow at the hand holding higher up on her boot, close to her ankle so as to avoid the mud lingering on her boots. Her eyes flickered towards Levi's face, which was shadowed by his hair and the fading light.

"Come here."

Itachi slowly blinked, brows furrowing before she shifted her other leg over the branch and slid down to his. She assumed the heat she produced with her chakra and fire nature was tempting on a night like this.

Being careful of her wound, Levi pulled her down, settling her between his legs due to there being little room on the branch for them to sit side by side. Itachi felt her face heat up, but she simply relaxed into his frame as he propped up one leg and rested an arm over it.

Chakra circulated and Itachi watched as a light heat wave seemed to come off of her as it warmed them both up but reacted with the chilly air.

She drifted off to sleep then, eyes heavy and body exhausted, especially with the wound and traveling.

Oooo

Itachi skirted around a tree, barely getting out of the way of a lunging titan before Levi came spinning past it, severing its weak spot. Her eyes blazed red and scanned the area as her captain took out another titan not too far off from the first one.

Creaking could be heard from behind her and Itachi was lurching to the side and behind another tree as an abnormal titan came sprinting through the area she had just been in.

The beast slammed headfirst into the tree Levi was standing in and he scowled with a disgusted face after regaining his balance.

He shifted his hold on his blades and launched into the air, swiftly dodging a snapping maw and killing the titan in a single blow. Ensuring that it was clear, Levi landed next to Itachi, who's eyes were still bright red and tomoe spinning as she gazed around the clearing.

When silence continued to surround them, she let her eyes fade back to onyx.

"We're getting closer. From the looks of it, they should be roughly an hour away from us. Let's hope they stop for a bit this afternoon so we can finally catch up to them."

They settled back into a steady walk, Levi in front and Itachi flanking him on the right. Another couple of hours passed as they kept up with the pace of the formation before them. Soon, the sound of horses, creaking carts, and hushed murmurs reached their ears. The sight of the group packing up from their small break sent a rush of relief to both Levi and Itachi.

Someone glanced back in their direction, hand automatically going for their gear handles when they froze at the sight of a blood-stained female and disheveled male.

"No way!" was heard and the entire group turned in their direction, weary faces turning into disbelief and excitement.

"Itachi!" a female cried out and Itachi smiled at the sight of a female waving enthusiastically. They were greeted with open arms when they got close enough, Mike staring at Itachi with a calculating gaze before it shifted towards Levi.

They clasped hands and started talking while Aliz was tugging at Itachi, pulling the girl into a hesitant hug and then whisking her off to get the stitches she needed from the medical crew.

Her shoulder was sterilized and then stitched by Klaus, who held steady hands and an arched eyebrow when he commented on her injury looking better than he expected. No infection was good, because they didn't have the medication and personnel to help her right now. The fever would have put her out, hallucinations may have put their group in danger. It was hard enough dealing with the one that had half a missing arm. Luckily, someone had cauterized it, ensuring that infection was deterred for the imminent future. As long as it was kept clean and covered until others could look at it, the man was in stable condition.

Once Itachi was bandaged back up, their group was moving once more. They settled into silence as Itachi was sat within one of the carts that carried the canister tanks. She went about refilling Levi's empty ones connected to her and pulling off the gear before opening it once given the proper tools for maintenance. She had to fix a bar within it, one that helped reel the wire in before finally deeming it fixed.

The day went on after that, Itachi surprised that her horse made it but pleased that the animal survived. There was little to no altercations with titans in the next coming days before hushed voices rang throughout their group at the sight of the high walls protecting their territory.

Someone started to cry, and others picked up the pace, excitement on their faces. Aliz, who hadn't really moved from her spot next to Itachi and Karl, who had become fast friends with the tall girl, was excited and talking about some food and ale.

Itachi's gaze lingered on the wall, her eyes focused and alert as she made sure no titans were in the immediate area of the gate they needed to go through.

There were shouts from atop the wall and a resounding call came from below before they were opening the gates for the returning soldiers.

They rushed through the gates at that point, watching as the last person entered and they closed the gates behind them.

That night Itachi sat at a table with a warm meal and some tea. Levi was sat right next to her, surprisingly brushing shoulders with her as she watched out of the corner of her eye as he picked up his teacup by the rim, like always. She found it mildly amusing.

She had showered and changed into another uniform already, feeling refreshed. Her boots had been cleaned and her hair pulled into a low ponytail after it had been towel dried. Her arm was in a sling to take the strain off her wound, but still useable if necessary.

There was partying within the small bar, their crew getting some ale and a good meal from the town at their safe and successful return.

Itachi bit into a roll, savoring the warm, buttery bread. She almost startled when Aliz came flying over to them, sloshing ale onto the table and almost getting the raven-haired teen. Levi leaned far away at that point, giving Aliz a look of disgust. Itachi listened to the girls peals of laughter and excited yammering, smiling softly at the happy woman. She was glad that they all made it. Glad that there weren't any deaths on this expedition.

Aliz was pulled away by a fluttering Karl, who sent Levi and Itachi an apologetic look, coaxing the buzzed woman to turn her attention onto the other people around them.

"Erwin isn't going to be happy that we had to leave so much behind." Levi finally mused, lidded eyes watching everyone. Itachi paused in bringing the bread up to her mouth, sending Levi a look, before taking a bite.

She'd show him and Erwin only.

Only them.

Her reasons as to why Hange wasn't included? She didn't need the scientist imploding anything through experiments on storage scrolls. Yah, that woman didn't need those in her hands, ever.

There was a rowdy call from the other side of the room and Itachi watched in amusement as music was suddenly being played, other customers dancing and enjoying the high spirits.

Someone bumped into Itachi's back, pushing into her and hands coming to rest down around her body, caging her in. She stiffened at the contact, head whipping around to look at the person who was pressing against her. Not having chakra in this world left her blinded in some areas at times and she was still trying to get used to it. Her eyes widened as she took in a man her sharingan had burned into her mind. He had been talking about her before she left the gates for the mission.

Her blood ran cold as he sent her a warm smile, reaching for her face, as if to brush her bangs that framed it, out of the way.

A hand snapped out and snagged his wrist, squeezing it tight within its grasp as he was pulled off center and away from the cage he'd created around the Uchiha.

"You'll not lay a finger on her."

"Ahh! Sorry man!" the guy spluttered, pulling away from Levi's tight grip with a sour expression on his face. "Didn't know she was taken!"

Itachi merely looked amused when Levi froze at the guys words, watching him slink back into the crowd. She went back to eating.

It was roughly twenty minutes later that she found her eyes drooping, mind starting to go foggy. Levi gave her a look, sighing in annoyance.

"Oi, brat, if you're that tired, just head to bed?"

Itachi's mouth opened and then closed, her brows furrowing. She's been a shinobi for way too long to not know what this feeling was. She could recall days where Shisui had personally trained her to recognize some obvious signs.

Her stomach turned and her head bobbed again, mouth unable to coherently form any sort of words. Her limbs felt sluggish, tired. Her mind, exhausted.

Her vision was getting hazier when Levi tugged her up, dragging her from the bar that they were celebrating in.

"Just head back to the barracks, we'll be there soon. I've got to get them rounded up and the tab paid for…" and he sighed heavily in exasperation. Itachi couldn't say anything as she watched him retreat back inside.

The barracks were right there, right across the small street. There was no need to walk more than a couple feet before she'd be able to slip inside and sleep this off.

But, when had someone been able to slip sleeping powder into her food?

Her mind was too foggy, chakra heating up her system to try and purge the ingredients.

Her feet felt heavy as she made it across the street and she had just managed to get the door open when something grasped her shoulder.

"How are you sweetheart? You're partner too busy to take care of you?"

All those years of training and she's let her guard down because she's not had to worry with Levi and her comrades around. Her blurry gaze took in the man that had bumped into her, caged her at the table, and her mind connected the dots almost instantly.

He had used a slight of hand, distracted both her and Levi as he slipped a powder into her food.

Her hand lashed out, slow for a shinobi but too fast for a civilian. Fingers dug into his throat and she was choking him, anger flitting across her face at not having realized what had happened. She was angry at herself. She hadn't been given this second chance at life for nothing.

He struggled within her chakra enhanced grasp before something slammed into the back of her foggy head and darkness clouded her vision. She felt herself fade as arms latched under her arms (wound screaming underneath its bandages) and locked around her chest, dragging her off to who knows where.

Oooo

Levi was annoyed. He was annoyed that he had to get this rowdy bunch back to the barracks. He was annoyed at the man from earlier, thinking he could put filthy hands on the Uchiha's face. The amount of dirt under his nails had sent shivers down his spine.

He was annoyed that Itachi had been that exhausted. He was especially annoyed when she seemed to be struggling to stay awake for some reason, so it wasn't much of a decision to send her on her way and make her get some rest before they set out early the next day.

Getting drunk people out of a bar was hard. They were too excited, some argued about not being tired, some were passed out drunk. It was a nightmare.

The last person finally stumbled out of the bar at midnight and back to the barracks when Levi finally snapped the door shut behind him, shoulders tense. His annoyance was clear across his face when he spotted Mike opening the barracks door, brow furrowed in confusion.

"We're missing Itachi."

Levi froze, stunned disbelief suddenly crossing his face at that statement. "What?" he asked, that simple question ringing with irritation and a promise of death.

"I've not seen her since you pushed her out of the bar. I assumed she had slipped back in when I came over here ten minutes later to go over inventory."

Something cold doused Levi's body. That man, from earlier. Itachi hadn't been looking too good not long after he'd left.

"Fuck." Levi spat. "Fuck!".

Mike shifted. "We have two others that haven't been drinking due to helping with the inventory, we need to set out now, Levi, if we want to find her."

Levi was already moving, launching onto the rooftops to see if he could find anything.

Oooo

Itachi came to with a start, mind foggy but working. Her hands were pulled tight behind her, wrists tied but fingers free. Her wound was screaming though, the bandages tugging at the wound and the strain of her arms being tied back were pulling on the stitches that had been administered not long after they got back.

God, she's glad that they aren't shinobi. To leave her chakra unbound and fingers free to perform signs, she's got this. Another reason she was lucky was that she still had her eyes. They hadn't been plucked out of her head for the next person to use.

But, what had she been kidnapped for in the first place? Oh, right, she recalled them saying something about getting a good price for her if they could sell her. A rough sigh and her head thumped against the wood of the cart she was in.

The sound of hooves filled her ears and Itachi glanced off to the side, trying to see out the canvas covering the cart. Her wrists ached from the angle they had been tied in.

Shifting, she pulled herself up with abdominal muscles only, and tilted her head to the side, chakra filling her ears to pick up any possible conversation. Nothing reached her and she shifted her legs up underneath her, pushing herself into a low crouch.

The wagon came to a crawl at that point and footsteps crunched underneath feet. The canvas was pulled back and Itachi launched herself at the man, slamming into him and rolling forward, coming up to her feet when she hit the ground.

"Fuck!" the man shouted, holding his stomach and trying to get past the pain. Her feet were beneath her and the cool air filtered past her face before she was being tackled from the side. The breath was knocked out of her and Itachi jerked as they hit the ground, her head slamming into the dirt and scattered pebbles. A pained grunt left her as she was flipped onto her back, revealing the scruffy man from last night hovering over her.

"Damn it! I'd have already slit your throat open if you weren't worth so much money!"

She grit her teeth and bucked her hips, setting him off center and easily tossing him to the side when she twisted her body. Standing up, they came to a standstill as they stared at one another. Chakra hummed and before either man could understand what happened, a huge fireball was taking over their cart, upsetting the horse and sending it bolting off with a burning cart.

"W…What?" a voice murmured and both men were staring at her with wide eyes. Smoldering onyx eyes locked with their wide eyes and her body burst into a flock of crows, cawing and circling.

Itachi crouched within a tree, head leaning against the trunk as she stared at the two men stuck in her genjutsu. She had activated it as soon as they had both looked at her. Their horse and cart were still in the same spot, untouched. She rubbed at her bruised wrists before creating a clone and letting it knock the two men out.

With that, she dug through their possessions, pausing as she found a folder. Opening it, she found rough sketches of herself throughout the town, with Aliz, with her comrades. She found a note stating how much she could be sold for before she paused on one picture where she was purchasing bread from that bakery. Another page had a list of people they had approached in selling her to over the past week since they've been outside the walls. The one that stood out the most was a man called 'Kenny the Ripper' for some reason or another. She's heard rumors about him, faint but still there. He'd disappeared not too long ago, with how no one was finding slit throats and bodies as much as they had been. She briefly wondered where he was before storing that name into the back of her mind.

Her fists clenched as she crumbled up some of the sketches. Her stomach felt like an acidic ball was spinning within it while she kept staring. A burst of chakra and she had the file burning, unwilling to leave anything of herself behind.

Flushing her system with chakra, she ensured that she didn't have anymore of the drug within it before heading back towards town, leaving the two men on their own. She didn't care for them if they survived or not. There was no getting out of those ropes without someone untying them.

She had barely reached the town when Levi, Eld and Gunther, suddenly appeared before her, looking surprised at her ruffled appearance, blood dripping down from the wound on her temple from taking that hit from the tackle.

"Where the hell did you disappear to?" he snarled and the two other comrades easily scampered off, not wanting to face the wrath of a pissed off commander.

Itachi visibly wilted, causing him to stop in his tracks as he appeared before her.

"The men from last night managed to grab me after spiking my food."

His mouth opened and then closed, unsure what to say. He's spent the entire rest of the night digging around the town for her. He'd finally managed to find a lead and was setting out to go find her when she had appeared before them.

"Try not to get kidnapped again, brat."

Itachi paused, eyes taking in his set jaw, the tension within it to his dark rimmed eyes, exhaustion clear.

"You'll just have to keep a better eye on me from now on."

Her slightly flushed face had his stomach flipping as he realized something.

"Are you…flirting with me Uchiha!?" Levi choked, eyes wide and unable to process the situation. Itachi shrugged before heading for town.

"Maybe."

The strangled sound that followed her had the Uchiha smirking.

Oooo

Itachi mused over Kenny the Ripper. He was willing to buy her for some reason. Why would he want to purchase her? Was it because of her blood? Or had he heard about her skill and had wanted her for something else? Or did he just want to slit her throat like all those other victims?

She'd never know unless she asked him herself, but she knew not where he was located.

It took them a couple days to get back to their headquarters when Mike and Levi went to Erwin to debrief. Hange had attached herself to Itachi, begging for information on titans. She had barely managed to give Hange her notebook when Levi was dragging the Uchiha away, muttering under his breath.

"Erwin wants to talk to you."

"Hn." And she got an annoyed tick from him.

The door opened and closed behind them before Itachi finally found herself standing before Erwin. She saluted him as per protocol before he waved her off.

"Don't worry about it Itachi. Levi informed me that you went back for him?" He started and Itachi stiffened. She didn't know how well they'd react when it came to going back for comrades.

It had always been 'mission first' in her village before the White Fang had deemed his comrades more important than the mission.

Erwin smiled at her, easing her worries. "I'd like to thank you for going back for him." And he shifted. "Unfortunately, I've heard from Levi and Mike that we had to leave behind a good amount of necessary equipment. I'd like for you and Levi to head for the capitol and try procuring medical equipment from some of the Military Police. I have a letter for Darius Zackly, the head of all our divisions, in requesting more medical equipment."

Itachi froze as Levi inclined his head, reaching out for the letter that Erwin was holding out for him. She hesitated. Her heart leapt into her throat, a buzzing ring starting to clog her hearing before she found herself rummaging through her small bag and finally pulling out a scroll. Itachi then laid the simple looking scroll upon the desk before Erwin, hand hesitating to come off it.

Levi and Erwin simply stared at the object that sat innocently upon the edge of the desk, confusion prominent upon their faces.

"There was nothing left behind, sir."

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