#cycle 6

Levi scowled. Farlan was far too amused about the whole thing.

"Aren't you really bothered by the fact we know nothing about her?"

"But we do," Farlan said. "We know that when it came down to it, she picked our side. No matter her lies, her actions prove she is with us. At least for now. And it means we have an inside source on the Corps that no one but us knows about."

Levi hated to admit it but Farlan was right. The advantages of having Sakami on their side were obvious. He really shouldn't let his hurt pride - and it was that more than anything else - to stand in the way.

"I should talk to her, huh?"

"That's up to you but I think so, too. Not that watching you fall into pieces over her isn't entertaining but we have a job to do."

"I'm not falling to pieces over her." Even to Levi's ears, the denial was just too desperate. And judging from Farlan's snort, he had heard it, too.

"Levi, we've known each other for years. You never acted like this, about anyone." Farlan leaned against the bunk bed and crossed his arms in a deceptively casual pose. "I watched you two the past few weeks, you know. It's like there's this connection between you two that draws you close to each other but then you seem to realize it's happening and one of you pulls away."

Levi didn't say anything. Farlan was perceptive as always and with his outsider's perspective, he saw some things more clearly than Levi himself could. Levi had no rational explanation for why he felt so strongly about Sakami's lies. He had kept telling himself she couldn't be trusted but on some level, he had trusted her regardless.

"For what it's worth," Farlan spoke after some time. "She likes you the best out of the three of us. With me and Isabel, she's always keeping distance. With you, she lets go of her restraint and acts more genuine."

"I remind her of someone she used to know," Levi said, the admission weighing on him for reasons he didn't want to acknowledge. "It means nothing."

Something in the tone of his voice convinced Farlan to drop the whole topic.

~~~~~~~

The training later that day went relatively well. Their squad leader was an asshole, no doubt about that, but the other SC members seemed willing to at least give their group a chance. Levi spent most a lot of that time watching Sakami who was rather obviously holding back. He was waiting for an opportunity to talk to her and clear the air.

It didn't come until much later in the evening. Farlan had managed to sneak into Erwin's office to search for the documents but he hadn't found them and he and Levi had agreed the man was most likely keeping them on his person somewhere. It meant they would have to find an opportunity to catch him alone and their best shot at that was going to be the upcoming expedition a few months later.

It meant that reaching some sort of truce with Sakami became paramount. Everyone believed their group of four to be tight-knit and they would eventually notice if there was tension between two members of that group.

Isabel informed him that Sakami remained at the training grounds and practically pushed him to go after her.

"Sis is sad about your argument, go and make up," she told him and Levi very pointedly ignored Farlan's smug 'I told you so' expression.

Sakami was, indeed, still at the training grounds. Everyone else had already left for the night but she was sitting on one of the logs and staring into distance. Levi sat down on the same log but kept his distance. He wasn't used to feeling this uncertain. Uncertainty could get you killed. Being decisive, making a choice and sticking to it, that was what had kept him alive all these years.

"This would be nicer if I still wasn't angry with you," Sakami spoke suddenly.

"I know I was acting like an asshole," Levi admitted. He heard her snort.

"That's because you're an asshole," she said.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you apologizing for being an asshole?"

"No, for how I treated you earlier."

Sakami nodded.

"I know I have no right to expect your trust but it still hurt. There are moments-" she paused but then she powered through her admission. "-there are moments when I feel like I could belong here and that scares me."

"Do you think you can still go back?" he asked, thinking to her strange story and how it didn't make any sense to him. From her expression, both back then and right now, it didn't make any sense to her either.

"I have people who need me. People I need, too. I have to believe I can go back."

"I wish I knew how to help you," Levi said quietly and he meant it. No matter how complicated and mystifying his feelings for her were - Farlan was going to pay for making him face up to their existence - she was one of his people now and that meant something.

"Just, keep being yourself," she replied. "That would be more than enough."

"Even if I'm an asshole?"

"I can deal with that," she said and then she suddenly smiled. "I have no problem taking you down a peg if it becomes too much."

It was his turn to snort.

"I'd like to see that."