Slight spoilers here and there from the manga.
Humanity's Bravest Soldier
People always speak of the Ackerman family, about how they were extremely strong, that they were almost inhuman. But oh, hey they forget about the Asian Clan. There was one family of the Asian Clan, who were able to be on par with the Ackermans. Of course, they weren't born to be strong, but they had this sort of power about them; it was extreme determination and bravery. They say that if a member from the Tsukino family were able to watch something bad happen to them, and see it affect them, they'll remember it forever and won't let go of it. Those key traumatic memories will shape them to become courageous and determined in whatever they do. And trust anyone, if a Tsukino was truly determined and brave about a goal or goals, they will be able to do anything. Unlike the Ackerman's their personality do not change, but will once necessary. The Tsukinos were a dying family and their race was dying too. And now it's up to the future bravest soldier, to play their part.
Chapter 1: Unforgettable memories and people
The last Tsukino family lived in the Stohess District and were living a comfortable life. They were a well to do family thanks to a grandfather and the father of the family working in the government in the Capital. People in Stohess would not question why an Asian family was living in such a rich town. But there would still be people who stared at them and treat them unfairly.
Akemi Tsukino was the only child of that family; a cheerful and talkative 4-year-old girl. She looked different compared to every other child because she was from the Asian Clan. The young girl had auburn brown wavy hair up to her shoulders, fair skin, freckled nose and cheeks, rosy lips, dimples and bright brown monolid eyes. Her mother, Haru Tsukino was a housewife with black straight long hair, olive skin tone and bright brown eyes; she was a very strict yet loving mother. Aki Tsukino was Akemi's father whom she inherited her hair colour and hair style from, had fair skin and grey eyes with a slim build. He was kind, gentle and polite, who cherished his daughter and wife.
They were once a normal family until the day something very wrong happened to them which changed them and was the thing that unlocked Akemi's power. It was the day, her and her mother were kidnapped by the Military Police on orders of the Government and King and left in a small house outside Wall Maria. Shortly after, her father was left there too. Ever since then, their parents possessed a bitter hatred against the Military Police, Government and King. And that was when Aki told his daughter that the Government and King were keeping a secret about humanity and the walls, one everyone deserved to know but decided to keep to themselves. Her father then decided to teach her survival skills and how to fight against people as well as Titans.
Titans was where the story continued. Their family were lucky enough to hide from them even though their house was in an abandoned village far away from the walls.
Until 2 years later, when Akemi's life had finally fell apart. It was the day a Titan had found her house, the day her parents gave their lives so she could escape; the day she became an orphan. First, she saw her mother getting eaten by that Titan and then when Aki gave his horse to his daughter, he was grabbed and go eaten too. She had watched her parents being eaten alive by a Titan and that was when her true bravery and determination awakened. That was the day she also killed her first Titan, at the age of 6 with just 2 very sharp Tanto swords.
When she had gotten away from the abandoned village and was chased by 4 Titans, she was saved by the Survey Corps and taken back to live within the Walls. That was the day she wanted to join the Survey Corps once she got old enough. However, as they transferring her to the place where her grandfather lived, she was kidnapped by the Government and taken to the Underground.
That was when her suffering continued when she had to live on the streets with barely any food or water, for 3 weeks. She had lost too much weight and was completely dirty. She was ready to accept death any day because she knew her grandfather wouldn't have been able to find her here. Akemi would have been taken away from someone who lived in the Underground, to be trafficked to the surface to become a slave and later a prostitute. She had given up all hope and just did not fight back anymore.
But that was until the day she met someone, who she would never forget. A boy who helped her get away from such a life. Her life was indebted to him from that day on. A small boy with messy black hair, who also looked skinny and was her age. When he was holding her hand, and running away, she squeezed onto his hand; it was warm and filled her heart with warmth. When he looked back at her and told her things were going to be okay with a smile, she knew it was true. His name was Levi.
That day, they had gotten away from the man who was about to kidnap her and Levi took her to a small basement, where he lived with his mother Kuchel.
"Did you bring home a friend?" A woman with long black hair asked with a smile.
"I found her on the street, Ma. This bad man wanted to take her away." He answered and Kuchel kneeled to the little girl.
"What's your name?" She asked and when the girl looked up, she saw a loving and friendly smile.
"Akemi." She answered as she still had an emotionless face.
"Well, let's get you cleaned up Akemi." Kuchel took her hand.
The young mother took the little girl into a very small bathroom and gave her a bath. When she was done, she dressed her in an overgrown cream shirt belonging to Levi and brushed her hair which was now up to her mid waist. Levi had entered the room to see if the girl was alright.
"What a beautiful little girl you are, Akemi." Kuchel stated and the girl blushed at this. The boy who saved her looked at her and thought her eyes were different but they were pretty. "Your eyes are really lovely."
"The other kids and grown-ups laughed at me because of my eyes." She stated.
"Well, they're just jealous." Kuchel assured her and led her to the kitchen, where they ate some break and drank water.
"Thank you." Akemi broke the silence and looked at both mother and son. "To both of you."
"It's alright." The dark-haired woman stated. "How come you were alone on the streets, where were your parents?"
"My parents were killed by Titans." She answered as if it was a normal thing. Kuchel and Levi stopped eating and stared at the little girl. "My parents used to live in Stohess but we got kidnapped and put outside the walls, because we're Asian."
Kuchel's eyebrows furrowed together and stared at the little girl who sat with her. Her eyes they seemed so familiar.
"What's your last name, Akemi?" She asked.
"Akemi Tsukino." No wonder, she knew their parents, well more of her mother.
"Your mother is Haru right?" Akemi looked at the woman and nodded. "Haru is…dead…"
Haru and Kuchel were best friends who lived together in the Underground. One day in their youth, Aki came to the Underground for some business and met Haru. They fell in love and he managed to get Citizenship for her thanks to he and his father's best friend. Even after getting married, Haru would still visit Kuchel with some clothing, food and black tea to give her. The last time she saw her was when she had baby Akemi in her arms and she had baby Levi in hers.
"Did you know my Mama?" Akemi asked and Kuchel was snapped out of daze.
"Yes, your mother and I were very good friends." The young mother smiled and then turned to Levi. "Remember that day you asked me where we got the black tea from? Akemi's mother gave it to us."
"You came from the surface?" He asked curiously and she nodded. "What's it like?"
"It's not nice when you're Asian." She answered bluntly.
Kuchel placed her hands on her chest and felt her eyes water; she couldn't just leave her best friend's child out on the streets of the Underground. She was grateful for everything Haru had did for her, but now she needed to pay her dead best friend back.
"From now on, we'll take care of you." She smiled.
"Thank you." Akemi said.
Kuchel started to clear up and the little girl sat next to the boy who saved her. He was a quiet boy and had not said a word since bringing her home. She looked at him and her eyes saddened.
"What's your name?" She asked and he looked at her.
"Levi." He answered plainly and she frowned.
"I'm sorry, for being such a burden." She apologised.
"You're not a burden." Levi stated. "I'm sorry for being so quiet."
"Don't mind Levi dear, he's get very shy in front of girls." Kuchel giggled and he blushed.
Akemi couldn't help but smile at this and giggle which came to their surprise. Levi saw her smile and those dimples and he felt nice inside. There was just something about that smile of hers which was different and he didn't know why. It was the first time she had smiled in so long and it felt nice to smile and laugh again.
"Levi, I hope we can be great friends." Akemi stated and he nodded.
5 months had passed and Levi and Akemi became very close best friends. Wherever he'd go, she'd follow, wherever she went he went. When people picked on her, he'd defend her and beat them up. Sometimes there would be men to ask if they could buy Akemi from Kuchel and offer so much money, but she would refuse to give her up. Levi would get so angry, he'd lash out at them but got punched in the process.
One day Levi had gotten beaten up black and blue and was on his and Akemi's bed. The little girl was rubbing a wet cloth on his face and he hissed with pain. She had a frown on her face and looked up at Levi who kept looking down ashamed.
"Why did you do that?" She asked. "Look how hurt you are."
"He was gonna take you away." He answered.
"But you got hurt." Akemi mumbled. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"I'm not gonna stop protecting you." She gasped at this.
"Don't say that!" She cried out and he looked up to see her brown eyes filled with tears. Those tears slowly fell down her cheek. "My parents never stopped protecting me, that's how they died. I don't want anything to happen to you." She mumbled whilst blushing.
"Nothing's gonna happen to me, I promise." He stated and she pouted. "Don't make that face." She looked down and he huffed. He held her chin and made her look up at him. "Please smile."
"How can I if you keep getting hurt like this?" She pushed his hand away and wiped his face. "It kills me to see you get hurt."
"It kills me to see you suffer and sad." She gasped at this. "I told Ma, I'd protect you."
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I care about you." He said and she smiled at him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
They heard loud coughing and heard someone fall on to the floor and pulled away. Akemi got off the bed and ran outside to see her guardian on the floor.
"Aunty Kuchel!" She exclaimed and Levi got off the bed.
They both picked her up from the floor and placed her on the floor. Kuchel looked so pale and ill with dark circles around her eyes. She had also lost weight due to her disease. Her son tucked her in and Akemi got a bowl of water, a cloth and a glass of water. She wet the cloth and started wiping her face and then placed it onto her forehead. Levi picked up the glass and helped her drink the water.
"Ma, you're still sick." He stated and her eyelids opened just a little.
"Levi…you're hurt." She whispered weakly.
"Aunty, he got beaten up to defend me." Akemi pouted and she smiled whilst placing her weak hand on Levi.
"You love her." She said ever so quietly.
"Aunty, what is it you need? Do you need food or tea?" The brown-haired girl asked.
"I just want you two, here with me." Kuchel mumbled and wrapped the two children she loved, then held them against her. They were both by her side as she rested in between the children.
"Ma…" Levi squeaked and when Akemi opened her eyes to see him crying as he embraced his ill mother. She held his hand and squeezed it with reassurance and support. He looked up at her and she too had tears falling down her cheeks. Kuchel looked down to see this and smile with delight as she held her children closer.
Time had passed and the children had fallen asleep. Kuchel smiled at this and had tears falling down her cheeks. This would be the last moment she'd spend with her loving children. She accepted Akemi as her own daughter because she loved her like she was her own mother. All she wished for them 2 was to be completely happy.
"I love you both…" She whispered and closed her eyes, finally accepting death.
A few hours later, Akemi opened her eyes to see Levi crying as he stared at his mother. She got up onto her knees and shook the woman's body.
"Aunty…" She began. "Aunty wake up, I'm gonna make you breakfast."
"Akemi, she's gone." Those words echoed into her ears and her brown eyes widened. They filled and stung with tears and her breathing became shaky.
"No…" She squeaked. "Aunty, no wake up!" The girl started crying as she shook her guardian's arm.
"Akemi…" Levi joined her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. The little girl then began to cry louder and louder buried her face into the dead body's chest with Levi crying too.
Days had passed and they stayed in the same room. They did not move their mother and ate the small scraps of food left in the house. Levi sat on the floor hugging his knees, Akemi sat next to him with cross legs and rested her head on his shoulder and they held hands.
Then a suspicious man wearing a hat entered the room he was internally shocked to see how much she had lost weight.
"You've lost a lot of weight, haven't you Kuchel?" He asked.
"She's dead." Levi stated and the man turned to the child who said this.
"Who are you two? You're still alive, aren't you?" The man asked and they went quiet. "C'mon gimme a break. Your name? Do you understand me?"
"Levi… just Levi." He answered. "What about you?"
"I'm Kenny…just Kenny. Kuchel and I were acquaintances. Please to meet ya kid. Now what about her?" The girl opened her eyes and lifted her head whilst rubbing her eyes. She turned to him with her hand over her eyes at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm Akemi Tsukino." She answered.
"Last one of the Asian Clan huh?" He asked and nodded.
"Ma said her mother was her best friend." Kenny's eyes widened at what Levi just said.
The man turned to Akemi; she was Haru's daughter? Haru…he was once so deeply in love with her but never showed it and would always be mean to her. But then she got married to someone else and moved to Stohess.
"Are you really Haru's daughter?" He asked curiously and she pulled the hair from out of her face. There he saw those bright brown eyes; she was her daughter.
"Yes." She answered.
"How's your mother?" He asked.
"She's dead." That was like a cut to his heart. "So is my dad. Titans killed them. I was kidnapped and brought here." Then he remembered something.
"Your grandparents have been looking for you like crazy, kid." He said. "Come on you both, you look starved."
Kenny stood up and took the children. They went into a bar where the 2 kids ate proper food in so long. Kenny stared at Levi and then turned to Akemi who glanced up at him but then looking down at her food. She looked so much like her father but got her eyes and freckles from her mother.
"Why do you keep staring at me?" Akemi asked.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, young lady." He warned her. "When you're done, I'm taking you back to your grandparents." Levi and the little girl looked up.
"But I don't wanna leave Levi." She whined.
"Your grandparents have been looking for you for almost 6 months." He stated.
"Can't he come too?" She asked.
"He can't, I'm sorry." Kenny apologised.
They had finished eating and he took the 2 children up to the entrance of the Underground. Kenny grabbed Akemi's arm and was dragging her towards the entrance but she had pulled her arm out of his grasp. She ran towards Levi and held onto his arm. He looked down at her and sighed. He placed his hand on her back and she looked at him with wide eyes.
"I don't want to leave you." She cried.
"Akemi, you'll be safe up there." He stated.
"What about you?" She asked.
"I'll be okay down here, don't worry." Levi reassured her and she wrapped her arms around him.
"You better be." She whispered and he hugged her back. "Don't forget me, Levi."
"I won't, you don't either." He replied and she pulled away from him. His small smile dropped when he saw her crying. "Stop crying." He huffed and took out a handkerchief then wiped her tears.
"I'll come back someday, Levi." Akemi stated and went back with Kenny. She held his hand and they started to leave. But when she got to the door, she turned to Levi and smiled at him whilst waving. That was the last time he saw that smile, in a very long time.