Levi's Redemption

by imokipromise

In the underground, Kenny Ackerman holds a complex system of kidnapped children and teens, selling them to whomever he pleases for a high amount of money. Erwin Smith comes along to recruit Levi Ackerman from this system, having heard of the raven's skills, and bring him into the Survey Corps. Disaster within the underground and surface is created, resulting in bonding and chaos.

1. Chapter 1

The gray, muddy-walled hallways were ingrained in his mind forever. No matter how many years he'd been away, he could still smell the dust that never seemed to settle, always glowing in the streams of sunlight that leaked through the derelict, breaking roof. He could still feel the chill in the air in the winters and feel the humid heat in the summer nights on his skin. He still remembered the way his blood would run cold as he sat on the floor in his room, throwing his knife at the bed frame he shared with two other teens, when Kenny would yell his name, summoning him for whatever hellish deed he willed him to do... And Levi put on a stone face every single time he was called upon. Harlan and Isabel, his roommates, if you will, would tell him that the stone cold expression never left his features, like it had been engraved forever onto his head.

"Levi?" The raven was ripped from his thoughts at the sound of his commander's voice, "Let the past rest."

Erwin, perceptive as ever, could always tell when Levi thought too hard and remembered the past a bit too vividly. He commented that his subordinate's eyes would narrow, the corners of his mouth drooping down in a disappointed manner. Erwin's perceptiveness oftentimes irritated Levi greatly, yet he was also somehow grateful for the kindness of the tug back into reality.

"It's been resting for years now, Erwin," Levi responded quietly, setting down his cup of tea that had now gone cold. "The past has been resting, but it sometimes stirs in it's sleep, and I fear..." He trailed off.

Suddenly, there was a harsh rapping on the wooden door to Erwin's office, cutting through the air like a knife, causing Levi's heart to skip a beat, though his composure remained the same. Erwin stood and opened the door to find a man he hadn't seen in years. He was tall, his greasy, graying hair slicked back, and his eyes as sharp as Erwin had recalled. He was even dressed the same as he had been when the commander first met him; the only difference was that he was holding a gun, which was pointed directly at Erwin's forehead.

"Knock knock," Kenny said slyly, "The past has awoken."