Disclaimer: I am not sadistic enough to own Shingeki no Kyojin. (See Chapter 81 if you disagree...)
Atlas
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"Carry your world,
I'll carry your world.
Carry your world
And all your hurt."
~"Atlas"
Coldplay
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Chapter One
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Underground District~April 16, 836
Fifteen-year-old Levi Ackerman let out a low hiss as the older teen swiped the knife across his cheek. His eyes darted around the group of burly men surrounding him, looking for a way out. He was in a narrow alley, though, so there wasn't one. At least, there wasn't one that taking would be better for him than staying where he was. He couldn't risk leading the gang to his hideout. Levi would have to defeat them by force.
There were a few problems with that plan, though. For one, he was severely outnumbered. There were at least six men there to capture Levi, and he was backed into a corner with nowhere to run. Also, they had already given him several injuries with their knives. Levi was strong, but he was still young, and it was unlikely that he'd be able to succeed against so many enemies even uninjured.
But although Levi was young and outnumbered and hurt, he was also calculating and determined. As he was about to give up, his mind flashed back to the whole reason he had gotten into this situation in the first place, and his vision burned red. Adrenaline shot through his veins and, hardly even realizing it, he quickly was able to flip over one teen, disarm another, and sprint out of the alley before any of the other thugs were able to catch him.
Levi kept running until he was positive that he had lost all pursuers, then doubled back around and returned to his hideout, which was just an abandoned shed behind an out-of-business shop deep in the slums of the Underground. When he arrived unscathed, Levi felt every muscle in his body relax, and he let a small smile grace his face as he pushed back the door and entered.
Levi quickly shut the door so no passersby- not that there were any- would notice. He then paused on the threshold, listening intently. After a moment, a small cry came from the back corner of the shed. Levi let out a relieved exhale when he heard that and rushed over to the origin of the cry.
In the back corner of the shed, there was a large cardboard box, full of all the blankets Levi had been able to find. He knelt next to the box and carefully drew back the blankets, revealing the pale face of a tiny baby. When she saw Levi, the baby's eyes lit up and she reached for him, exclaiming "Wevi!"
Levi's smile widened and he carefully extracted the baby from the blankets, pulling her against his chest. "Hey there, Kasa," he whispered, smoothing back her fuzzy short black hair. She nuzzled against his chest, grabbing a fistful of his shirt in her tiny hand. Levi stroked the baby's hair for a few seconds, scanning her up and down to once again ensure that she was uninjured. When nothing caught his attention, he looked back to her face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and calm, completely comfortable with his presence.
Suddenly, her face contorted with pain and she whimpered as a loud growl emitted from her stomach. She opened her eyes and fixed Levi with a pleading look that instantly turned his insides to ice. It was becoming too difficult to find enough food to support two people, especially when one of them was a baby who needed to be able to grow properly. She hadn't eaten in two days, and it had been even longer for Levi. That was why he had gotten cornered by the teens in the alley- apparently the food he had stolen had belonged to them.
She continued to give him the same desperate look, and Levi couldn't stop but reach into his pocket, hoping beyond hope that some food would magically appear. Of course, he was met with nothing but breadcrumbs. Still, Levi pulled them out and held them up to the baby. She was so hungry that she eagerly grabbed them and quickly stuffed them all into her tiny mouth.
As Levi watched this, he couldn't stop himself from shaking. His eyes filled with tears and he pulled her to him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Mikasa." She simply whimpered and curled closer to him. Levi's heart fell further when he noticed that she was shaking too. This was so wrong... sweet, innocent Mikasa shouldn't have to live like this. She was only a baby- she should have real parents who were able to take care of her, not Levi, with whom even tomorrow was never assured. She deserved a real life, not half of one in the slums of the Underground, where she would never even be able to see the sun.
As Levi was crying, he felt a tiny hand squeeze his finger and looked up. Mikasa was looking up at him from her position against his chest, a small smile on her face. "'Fank you, Wevi," she whispered in her broken baby speech. Levi felt his heart shatter. She should not be thanking him for bringing her mere crumbs to eat. His crying intensified as he brought her closer to his chest.
"Don't thank me, Kasa," he choked out between tears. "You deserve more than that. You should be getting so much more of everything than I could ever provide you. I'm so sorry. I've failed you."
Levi sincerely doubted that Mikasa was able to understand the majority of what he said, but she was clearly able to pick up on his tone. She let out a small whimper and snuggled closer, grabbing his shirt in an attempt to provide comfort.
Feeling this, Levi felt his breathing relax, if only slightly. Life with him may be less than she deserved, but Levi was still glad that it was the way fate had played out. He may not deserve to have Mikasa in his life, but he was still happy for it. Even though it would be easier for Levi to survive without having her to take care of, he knew he wouldn't trade her for the world. Levi loved Mikasa, and somehow, the feeling was mutual. During the hardest times of life in the Underground, the fact that he had a family, someone who genuinely cared for him, helped Levi draw the strength to go on.
Levi looked back down at Mikasa. She was still snuggled against his chest, but her deep, even breaths told him that she had fallen asleep. As he watched her, an inkling of his smile returned. He resumed the soft stroking of her hair and whispered "Good night, Kasa," then laid down on his back with her stretched out across his chest. Gazing at the baby's peaceful, innocent face, it wasn't long before the events of the day caught up to Levi and he joined her in sleep.
A/N: Hi everybody! Thanks for clicking on my story, and I hope you all liked this chapter! :) This is my first Shingeki no Kyojin story, so I would appreciate any feedback! I know Levi and Mikasa aren't actually siblings, but I've always thought it was an interesting idea, and I really wanted to write a story to try to develop Levi's character. This story will probably be pretty long; I plan to follow it all the way through the events of No Regrets and into the actual storyline of the manga/anime.
If you've read any of my previous stories, you'll know how bad I am at updating, but I'll try to be as regular as I can. I have eight chapters of this written already.
Also, is anyone familiar with the story of Atlas and understands the title and cover picture?
UPDATE 1/7/17: I'm going back through the posted chapters and editing, because there were some inconsistencies with ages between the characters.