A/N: Written for Rivetra week, using "first aid" as the prompt for day two.
Holes in the Sky
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She walks across the road that is made of an uncommon type of crystal, for some reason her tiny feet are bare, feeling mesmerized at how clear her reflection looks from the ground.
She wonders where exactly she is, why she can't remember what lead her to this place, and why there's no blue sky but just light. Taking a look from behind, a soft sigh escapes from her lips, surprised that there's not a trace of how much she's walked.
It's a quiet place, she thinks briefly, suddenly seeing a blue bird passing her by. The bird is gone too soon, disappearing through the shining, and she blinks. So, there must be something near.
The young woman keeps on moving from an undetermined time, feeling strangely aware that she's been walking in circles. She curses quietly, frustration rising on her, until she catches a glimpse of a shadow, not so far from where she currently is.
She decides to follow the vague shape of gray, and she runs in a graceful way, feeling surprisingly weightless.
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The shadow takes its form, a man with raven locks and a military type undercut, wearing plain dark clothing.
Hey!" She exclaims, the echo of her voice filling the atmosphere.
The man turns back; stopping on his tracks, and gives her a puzzled look.
"Excuse me?"
From the look of his narrowed eyes and his formal mannerisms, he might be on his later twenties. Or probably much older. She hesitates, taking one step closer, and asks:
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business." It's a rude answer, but it doesn't bother her at all. To the opposite, she keeps on insisting.
"Excuse me sir, I'm being polite and I…"
"Are you?" The black haired man crosses his arms, waiting for a proper answer. His gaze is impassive, but there's no hint of impatience or anger.
"I made a question." She gives a long sigh, looking across the place, still disappointed for the lack of things around.
"I´m sorry, but I have no idea miss."
Ah, so he can be polite. A brown leaf comes suddenly from somewhere, and falls in between of them.
She takes the leaf on her hands, but as soon as she touches with her fingers, it turns into a bright shade of gaze turns back into the man, who is walking again, and she keeps on his pace, finding him strangely peculiar.
"I know you're finding the exit of this place." She says with a shy smile, smiling even more when he looks at her questioningly.
"You talk just too much."
"Yeah, that's what my friends say."
"Hm."
"Uh, are you looking for someone?"
The question makes him stop. She really is small — smaller than him—with short locks of copper and a pair of amber eyes that are way too radiant. She might be on her early years of adulthood, and there's an air of innocence on her look, even though he finds himself wondering why her yellow dress has some asymmetrical red circles on her skirt.
"You are not wearing shoes." The man remarks, chuckling quietly, as the girl notices her state.
"I know and it bugs me. I just want to be out from this place."
"Then stop whining and keep on walking." The petite girl smiles widely, showing her white teeth and he blinks, feeling oddly pleased.
"My name is Petra." She says, putting her right hand in front of him.
"Levi." He's not fond of touching hands, especially the ones that come from strangers like her, but she seems like a willing human and also has a pretty face, maybe she could help him.
"Finally someone who I can talk with!"
Levi ignores her words, focusing on the road, their conversation soon being broken, and the quietness comes again, like a whisper.
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"How much have we walked?" Petra asks after some time, stretching her arms as a signal of tiredness.
"I could tell you, but I've lost track of time."
"I wonder what kind of place is this…"
"It's shit." Levi replies with bluntness, and she can't help but agrees.
Suddenly she hears her name from the distance, making her look back to behind.
"What?" The dark haired man asks, noticing her sudden stopping.
"Did you hear something?" She says carefully, taking a few glances, waiting to hear a similar sound one more time.
"No. "
Petra frowns in confusion, she may be naive on occasions but has always had a good sense of listening, and she's really sure she's heard something. She continues walking instead, wondering why the man decided to have an undercut as a hairstyle. It fits him in some way. She also wonders if he cuts his hair by himself and how long it takes him to do it; somehow, he's not a completely stranger anymore.
"Look." Levi turns back to her quietly, pointing with his finger a blurry view of what could be a door.
"Should we go in there?"
"What do you think?" His questioning gaze makes her uncomfortable, so she replies in annoyance.
"Of course we do."
"Tch." The man mumbles as he opens the door. "Is this like that shitty story of Alice in…" He stops on his ramblings, as the door suddenly disappears, and everything turns to black. The copper haired girl grasps on his arms tightly, and they both feel something like falling down for an unknown time, opening their eyes when the sensation leaves.
"It got better."
Petra's eyes widens at one of the most beautiful sights she's ever seen. There's no shining anymore, but simply clarity and all hues of blue at the sky. She doesn't have idea where the sun might be — or if it exists in this place, she discovers — but she can't help but feel peace at noticing a small crystalline waterfall at her left and vast amounts of trees all around. Little flowers of yellow decorate the unnatural type of grass, and it's so strange that she holds a single flower, gasping slightly at how natural and marvelous it feels.
She puts the flower on one side of her hair, closing her eyes at the quietness of the place. She tries to remember something, about what happened before discovering this new place, but she finds nothing. The young woman looks at her dress, eyebrows in confusion at the sight of red blotches of red around the skirt, and she tries to erase them with her hands. Logically impossible, she walks to the waterfall, sitting on her knees on one corner of the river. She bends over the water, washing her skirt on it for a few moments, but the dots seem to grow as she continues trying to wash them off.
"How odd…" Petra looks at her reflection from the water, giving herself a smile. As in flashback, she sees blood all over the water, making her feeling dizzy.
"Hey!" She feels something holding her arms, as she regains to her normal state. She coughs roughly; feeling embarrassed at her now soaked dress. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I just saw something and then all went blurry." The short haired woman answers moments later, sitting on the wet grass.
"What did you see?"
"I don't know." She's too confused to remember, simply desiring to have her dress dry again. "But the water is too damn cold."
"Take this."
She hesitates, wondering why he's not looking at her, and why the thought bothers herso much, but she accepts his coat. The fabric is warm and it has a tinge of masculine scent, and she finds it surprisingly pleasant.
"Thank you." She gives him a shy smile, and the man gives a loud sigh.
"I've found a house."
They take a short path to a small cottage building that has an array of pink roses around the principal window. Petra feels like she's seen the house at some point of her life, but her thought vanishes as they both enter through the door.
The cottage is way too small, too intimate that it only has one table with two chairs and a single bed, and she wonders is someone has visited the building before.
"Are you hungry?" Petra asks as she searches through the tiny kitchen, finding water and fruit.
"Not much." Levi replies in the moment she handles him a glass of water, first looking at it questioningly, and then taking a few sips.
"It doesn't tastes like fruit. More like hospital fruit." She laughs at the vague idea, but stops at the puzzled look of the raven haired man.
"Hm."
"I'll look at the closet if I can find new clothes for me."
"If you're feeling tired, then you should rest." Really, what a strange man.
She nods in silence, retiring from the chair, and she walks to the closet, finding a pair of brown shoes and a light blue dress that fits her perfectly, even though the skirt is probably 3 inches shorter than her soaked dress. She sits on the bed, adjusting herself and trying to feel comfortable, staring at the ceiling.
Why can't she remember?
Hearing footsteps coming closer, she glances at the open door, her partner coming to her view.
"Did you find something relevant?" Petra asks, noticing the change on his features. "What is it?"
"The dress is shorter."
"I know but….wait. Are you looking at my legs?" She grins at his baffled look, feeling completely pleased. It's never been like this with other people.
"I'm not."
"Prove it."
Levi rolls his eyes in irritation, and he sits at the other side of the bed.
"As I've wanted to say, there's no clue of where we exactly are."
"It just came from nowhere."
"Something must have happened before."
"Do you remember something?" It's her question, and the look on her brilliant eyes that makes him think. She looks familiar, with pretty locks of soft hair and rosy cheeks. It might be the dress but he isn't sure if blue is the best suitable color for her, but she certainly looks lovely. And very familiar.
"I don't remember much."
"Me neither." Suddenly she is sitting next to him and something feels missing.
"I'm looking for my cousin Mikasa. I'm bloody sure she's in this place too."
"Then, I'll help you!" She exclaims, her smile stopping when she realizes she's been holding his arm. Again. However, he doesn't feel disturbed, but he looks at her in silence.
"Alright." The man stands up, walking to the door, and he stops in the moment he hears her voice.
"Levi…I just can't sleep."
He then tells her about his life, and the young woman listens to his little ramblings. He likes to work a lot, he has a childhood friend named Erwin, he failed two subjects at college and he likes black tea. He also describes her how his cousin looks like, and how it irks him that she mocks him for being taller than him. His voice is deep; his jaw strong and masculine. He has perfect teeth and asymmetrical lips. She wonders why he looks so tired, so defeated and at the same time, so human.
"I feel I've known you from somewhere." She tells him after a long time of silence, one side of her face covered by the pillow.
"Go to sleep Petra." She feels his hand caressing her hair, and as she closes her eyes, she can't help but smile at his touch.
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"Petra." The man nudges on her cheek softly, calling her.
She yawns in sleepiness, opening her eyes after some time of blinking.
"Yes?"
"Let's continue on walking."
He waits for her at the exit of the building, arms crossed in a relaxed position.
"Here, your coat. Thank you." The copper haired young woman handles him the piece of cloth, the slight touch of their hands doesn't go unnoticed by.
"Now I'll smell like woman."
"You won't." She gives him a tiny poke on his arm, and she clearly sees a ghost of a smirk on his features. Almost like a smile.
The waterfall and the little cottage disappear from their view, like if it were erased unexpectedly. As they walk, the atmosphere changes, suddenly it feels colder, and crude.
From the corner of her eye, she can see him, quiet as usual, but his arched eyebrow tells her that he's as confused as her.
"Hey, I'm still here." She holds his hand then, and he stops on his walk, looking at her. His fingers are calloused and tender at the same time. And, as he intertwines his fingers on hers, she doesn't feel cold anymore.
They reach a new path, just like the first one she found herself walking, but this one is different. It's not crystalline but simply bricks, and there's no sensation of peace but awareness.
"I don't trust this place." Levi tries to start a conversation, looking at her pale face. "You should be the one talking."
"As a matter of fact, I'm slight frightened."
"I'm still here you know?" He repeats her words, and she gives him a shy smile. She doesn't know why but she has the sudden urge to have him closer, so she grabs his other hand. The raven haired man accepts her hold, spinning her so she's in front of him.
His touch is light as a feather, making her shiver, reminding her that she's known him before. But from where?
"What is it Petra? Are you still scared?" Levi asks in a whisper, not breaking his gaze on her. His fingers roam on her eyebrows, on her reddened cheeks and her ears. He stops for a while, placing his hands on the curve of her neck.
She is about to answer, to tell him that she knows him since ages ago, to reveal that she's sure who he was before, and how much she devoted herself to him until all turned into burning ashes. She closes her eyes at the feel of his lips on hers, and focuses instead of the soft feel of his mouth against her. He retreats after a while. Then kisses her again. And again. The fourth kiss is way too much to handle, too intimate and painful, and she feels her knees tremble, as he tastes her completely. She grasps on his back tightly, his body warm and perfectly aligned to hers.
Her mind leads her to a place in which a similar event happened, long way ago and it feels like a déjà vu, making her feeling giddy.
When he looks at her again, he has a strange smile but soon disappears as his face turns pale.
"Petra, your nose is bleeding."
The short haired woman gasps, touching her nose with one of her hands. And then something clicks.
She is looking at the bright sky, for some reason she can't feel anything but sheer shock, and the tingling sensation of an upcoming headache.
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"Who are you?" A petite blonde haired woman appears on her view. She wears clothing that looks like someone who works from a hospital, with striking light blue eyes and a pointy big nose.
"I'm Annie and I'm giving you first aid." Her voice is cold and calming somehow, and she gives her a look that she has seen before. Pure pity. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't feel anything. What happened?" She wonders where she is, why she feels so dizzy and at the same time, why she hears the gasping sounds of people around.
"You had an accident."
She will never know if it was Annie's voice or the taste blood coming from her mouth, but she remembers. She was going to visit his father after work. Then, she saw a white car coming in front of her, and a pair of blue eyes.
She moves her head to her left, and her eyes widen at the sight of a young girl's hair trapped in the middle of the now destroyed white car.
Mikasa…
Petra sees him seconds after, as the paramedics take him to the ambulance. His eyes are closed, his features unrecognizable, but it's him, and the thought constricts her heart so achingly, that she screams and the last thing she sees is the surprised look on Annie.
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"Levi!" She calls out his name as she follows him, running as fast as possible. She sees the walls trembling with each step she takes, and she slips to the ground in exhaustion.
The dark haired man stops, turning his back and giving her a longing stare.
"I know where Mikasa is."
"I want to go with you!" She feels bitter tears falling from her eyes, her throat becoming dry.
"You can't."
"But why?!"
"You have to live." Levi replies after a long time of silence. This time he looks pained, troubled, but as his worry fades and turns into his normal self, he points to her direction. "He's been calling you."
She hears that same sound again, and when she turns back again, the sight of Levi is gone.
Too dumbstruck to even understand, she gazes at her dress, and the red blotches of blood appear all over her skirt. She cries for a long time, way too long that a river forms around her, the soft sound of running water coming to her ears. And she feels empty.
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This time she does wake up, finding a pale gray room and the slight annoying sound of a medical machine.
"Petra! You´re awake!" A man that looks exactly like her father shouts, holding one of her hands nervously. "It's been too long, we've been so worried of you, Oluo hasn't stopped sending you flowers and…"
The man's fast ramblings changes to a very concerned look. "Petra, are you okay dear?"
She feels trapped, broken and way too tired for thinking. She tries to remember but something's missing, and the thought of it makes her cry.
"I can't remember anything."
"That's because you've been in a delicate state."
"No dad, you don't understand. I just can't remember something really important." She finds herself crying in shock, his father's arms wrapping her in search of soothing her, but as the nurse appears and gives her a medicine that makes her close her eyes, she falls in a deep slumber.
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Petra sees the pretty but calm face of Mikasa, guiding her to a huge willow tree, and when she feels a familiar pair or arms that keeps holding her with strength and care; she can't help but cries in joy.
"It's you."
Levi caresses her hair, and when he tucks one strand of her copper hair behind her ear, he whispers gently:
"Have you ever wondered about the place between dreams and reality, Petra? It´s more real than you ever imagined."