Episode 3

Yuki flutters her eyes open as numbness plunges into her blood-stained body. She blinks multiple times to clear the red haze blocking her vision, disgust circulating throughout her veins. She coughs loudly while spitting out some titan blood that got in her mouth during her fight earlier. Her pink  orbs dart around frantically, her mind trying to process exactly what happened. She pushes herself upright and immediately realizes she's being carried on a wooden platform. A group of men chats among themselves, the sound of trotting horseshoes reaching her ears.        

    The man on her right glances in her direction as the two other guys laugh at some crude joke. 

    "Hey, she's up. We should take a break, Jake. This trip has been exhausting," he says, making the guy dragging her along behind his horse come to a stop. They each exchange a look while he reluctantly agrees. 

    "Yeah, whatever. If you hadn't pulled that stunt an hour ago, we would already be home," he remarks, the group coming to a halt. She pushes herself up with some effort and notices they've stopped in a closed-off wooded area. The men immediately began setting up a small camp, Jake walking up to her. 

    She scrambles away from him as she instinctively reaches for her blades. Her fingers wrap around space, a dumbfounded expression twisting into her broken facial features. He chuckles at her reaction while grabbing her hands by the rope tied around her wrists. She growls like an uncaged animal, her body being dragged forward. 

    "Well, it wasn't completely a waste. We did pick up a prize. If you look past the blood, she's quite something. Am I right, boys?" He announces and tilts her face to the left. The other two men grin at her creepily, her muscles growing stiff. She quickly bites his nose and sinks her teeth into his flesh. He cries out in alarm, blood gushing into her mouth. 

   She snaps his nose out of place without hesitation as a loud popping sound breaks the heavy silence. He struggles to break free, her eyes flashing. She lets go of him while keeping an eye on the other two. They blink at her in shock, blood leaks down Jake's chin. She spits out his blood onto the ground in front of his feet and narrows her eyes at him. 

    "Number 1, I'm not anyone's prize. Number 2, touch me again like that and you have more than a broken nose," she demands, his blood dying her chin crimson.  

    All of them laugh at her comment as he grabs her by her shoulders. He pulls her to her feet, dragging her toward the small fire pit. He swiftly kicks the back of her knees to bring her down while keeping a hold on her left arm. Her kneecaps collide with the ground, fresh pain stabbing into her limbs. 

    "Really, we found you half-way dead next to a titan. We saved your life and you treat me like that. You belong to me, cause I found you. You're our property, little girl," he growls through his black-stained teeth and digs his nails into her skin. She clenches her jaw painfully, blood dripping from the injury carved into her skin. 

    She quickly takes in her environment as an idea latches onto her brain. She lifts her chin, locking eyes with him. 

    "Hey, Jerk-face. I don't belong to you or your group of nasty unsanitized brats. In fact, Levi Ackerman is coming to save me. You're messing with "humanity's strongest soldier" fiancee. He's going to carve you up like he's does those titans. Especially, with the state I'm in," she exclaims. He begins laughing hysterically at her words, swiftly delivering a blow to her head. 

    Yuki's front half collides with the dirt as a sickening sound of skin on skin contact lingers in the atmosphere. A burning sensation flows throughout the right side of her face, her ears ringing from impact. She takes in a breath while pushing herself up to a sitting position. She looks up at him with a twisted grin, a hoarse laugh breaking from her vocal cords. He raises an eyebrow at her current state and she instinctively touches the purplish-blue bruise fading her skin a different shade. She spits out two teeth onto the ground, her own blood leaking down her busted lip. 

    "Is that all you got? You're just going to take me down like a coward? Ha! Some bounty hunter you are!" She continues laughing like crazy and shows him the knife she took from him while he was beating her up. She swiftly slices the rope keeping her hostage, standing to her swaying feet. 

    The other two men immediately glance at each other in horror as she flashes the blade in the fire's glow. 

    "Sorry, bro! We're getting out of here!" they shout in unison, fleeing in a random direction. Jake begins walking backward while keeping an eye on her approaching frame. He puts his hands out in front of him, fear permanently twisted into his facial features. 

    "I was just messing around. You know, playing around to show off to the guys," he blurts out a confession and trips over a rock. He hits the ground with a loud thump, swiftly scrambling away. 

    She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly as she kicks him roughly in the side. His body tenses up, pain registering in his face. She casually sits on top of his abdomen with her legs crossed over one another elegantly. She taps the weapon against her bruised kneecap, watching him squirm like a fish. She swiftly slices the blade across his throat while continuing to move it down his neck. Blood leaks along the marks cut into his flesh, his breath coming out slower by each passing second. He opens his mouth to speak and more blood immediately pours down his face into a crimson puddle. His body goes completely still, the girl quickly wiping the blade clean on his shirt fabric. 

    Yuki walks away from the corpse as she tosses the blade aside. She shivers once-more, wondering if Levi is going to find her or not. She staggers forward mindlessly while her mind continuously fights to piece itself back together. The young girl walks on like a puppet on strings, her body fading into a shattered porcelain doll. Sounds of people shouting mixed with painful cries reach her ears and she stumbles toward the noises nearby. She steps into a small clearing, her soulless orbs growing wide in shock. 

    Levi's group of trusted friends are standing around as her fiance integrates one of the hunters who had run away. She watches silently, realizing he has the man held up in the air by the collar of his shirt. The bounty hunter struggles to speak while Levi continues to cut his airway off. 

    "You're going to tell me where that girl you kidnapped is or I start by cutting out your tongue," he shouts, a blade glinting in his right hand. The man turns his head away from the weapon and narrows his eyes at her. 

    "Why don't you look over there," he remarks, making Levi look in her direction. 

    His gray orbs grow wide as a mixture of unreadable emotions flickers over his pupils for a moment. Yuki manages to whisper his name, tears clearing a path down her blood-smeared face. He swiftly drops the guy while she stumbles in his direction. Levi quickly catches her before she can fall, pulling her closer. The two land on their knees together and he holds her up by her shoulders. 

    "You should have come with me," he says, making her smile despite her pained appearance. 

    "And let you have all the fun, I don't think so," she mumbles as his eyes scan her body like he would if he were cleaning. She places a hand on the right side of his face, her thumb wiping away invisible tears. Blood smears across his untouched skin while he leans his head into her palm without hesitation. He closes his eyes at her touch, relief overwhelming her senses. She places her other hand on top of his head and runs her fingers through his jet black bangs. She leans her body against his frame, her head landing on his left shoulder. He let's go of her shoulders as he loops his arms around her waist instead. Their bodies have no distance whatsoever, blood dying his clothes a crimson shade. She buries her head into the side of his neck while he places a hand on the back of her head. Her vision slowly becomes blurry, tiredness latching onto her muscles. She listens to his breathing pattern like she always does to help calm herself and her eyelids close automatically. He silently sits there motionless, refusing to let go of her ever again. 

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