Wind whistled in my ear, ruffling my hair to it streamed in the air behind me, bright silver flowing through a dark world. A smile rested itself on my face, and I giggled as I heard the two men following me stumble and roll on buildings, fools using 3D Maneuver gear to little effect.

The sound of the gear was loud, and I laughed as I rolled through the air, mocking them.

"Oh, come on," I shout back. "It shouldn't be this hard to get a little girl."

I laugh and land on a stone roof, watching them slowly get closer and closer before taking off again. I hear them shout obscenities at me, and all it does it make me giggle. This was the most fun I ever got down there, and it was usually a good show for the people on the streets from what I've heard.

Suddenly, a man rammed into me, throwing me against a building roughly. I grunted as I begin tumbling down the wall trying desperately to get my gear working well enough to keep me from hitting the ground. I clenched my hands and was barely able to pull up, hearing the grinding sound of my gear on the cement as I lifted myself back into the air. Gritting my teeth, I glanced back and saw more men flying after me.

Damn, that seems like a lot for a loaf of damn bread!
Green capes billowed behind them and I nearly fell out of the air. They called the Scout Regiment?

I groan, this was turning out to be more effort than it seemed worth. Sighing heavily, I turn sharply down a narrow alley, hoping to shake them off my trail. They turned with me, still following as quickly as before. More began closing in on my sides and I clenched my hands around my grips.

Pointing my gear toward the bottom of a building I land swiftly and begin running, attempting to go somewhere they couldn't travel with their gear. The soldiers are still whizzing overhead and I turn and sprint down another alley, before realizing this one has only the one opening.

"Shit," I whisper and turn to run out when I see the soldiers standing ominously. I swallow thickly.

"Hello, there miss," a blonde man said to me, a blank look on his face. I make a move to use my gear again with hopes of being able to rush out over them when I'm suddenly grabbed and shoved against a wall, my face smashed against the concrete.

I grunt and try to wiggle out of the hold to no avail, and my hands are swiftly and surely tied together.

"Stop struggling," a monotone voice says in my ear. "Just listen to what he has to say."

I grit my teeth and look over my shoulder at him. He's shorter than me by a few inches with a dark undercut. His eyes are shrewd, an onyx color not much different from the stone down here. I growl and he glares at me.

"Now then, Violet is it?" the blonde man says, interrupting my staring contest. I turn back to him, shocked. "Surprised I know your name?"

I struggle against the shorter man's hold, trying to get away even more than before. "Now, now, there's no reason to be scared."

I scoff. "As if I'd be scared of you," I say. "Let me go, I haven't done anything wrong."

He walks up to me and grabs me by the hair on the top of my head. "I beg to differ, young lady. However, I"m not here to turn you in, so long as you do what I say."

I growl and spit at him. He flinches as it hits his face and he wipes it off with the sleeve of his coat.

He sighs before grabbing me by my hair again and throwing me down, placing his foot on the middle of my back to keep me in place. I growl up at him.

Crouching down, he looks me in the eyes. "How do you feel about leaving here?"

I stop struggling and glare up at him. "I don't enjoy jokes, asshole."

He chuckles darkly. "This is no joke, I can get you on the surface. On one condition." He lifts his leg off my back and lifts me high enough to look at him directly. "What do you say?"

"What is your condition?" I say roughly.

"Join the Scout Regiment," he says simply.

"Untie me and you've got a deal," I say quickly. Even he seems surprised at my answer. I grin, "you think I wouldn't kill to get out of here?"

He chuckles and moves behind me using a blade to get the rope off of me. "I didn't expect you to be so cooperative." I rub my wrists and push my long hair out of my face. "We've got a deal?"

I bow slightly. "As long as I breathe, use me as you see fit," I say, jokingly.

"Cheeky," the short man says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I like it, she has character," the blonde man says before turning to me again. "I am Commander Erwin Smith," he says. "This is Captain Levi Ackerman."

I hold my hands out to the two of them. Erwin takes one of them swiftly, but Levi seems to refuse.

I place my hands on my hips and look around at the other men in green capes. "So, when are we leaving?" I ask.

"Now," Levi says crossly. "We leave now." He walks swiftly past me, bumping into my shoulder as he does. I follow his quickly, I couldn't wait to leave this place either.

Stepping out in the sunshine was certainly an experience, no small sliver of light through rocks could quite compare to this piercing brightness. I had to cover my eyes and blink several times before I could look around properly. Buildings rose from the ground and people filled a shopping area, perhaps it was because of the sunlight but the area seemed cheerier than the underground.

"Come along then," Erwin says, placing his hand on my back to lead me away from the opening underground.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"We are headed to a Scout Regiment base close to Wall Rose," he says while we walk. "There are lots of people there that will be able to help you adjust. And we can get your training underway." I nod stiffly. He smiles kindly, "Don't worry, you'll be treated well there."

I don't answer and instead walk beside him, feeling the eyes of many soldiers on me.

"Oh, is she the girl you went to grab?" a woman named Hanji asked Erwin. I silently sip the cup of tea that had been handed to me by a lovely young lady named Petra. She's been sitting next to me since I walked in, asking me if I wanted anything to eat or needed any water and if I wanted someone to talk to she was here. "Yes," Erwin says.

She leans down and looks me in the eyes, seriously. "So what was it like living underground?"

I furrow my brows and am about to answer when I'm interrupted. "Glasses, would you leave her alone?"

"Oh, come on Levi!" she says, happily. "I'm curious and you'll never tell me."

He glares at her.

"It was dark," I say suddenly. They both turn to me quickly and I look down at my cup. "There wasn't much light, thats all thats incredible about it."

"So then, you aren't used to the sunlight?" she asks.

I shake my head. She laughs a bit, "that's interesting, I wonder if you are more sensitive to the sun's rays."

"Glasses, drop it," Levi says stiffly.

She laughs a bit and looks back at me. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen I believe," I say quietly.

"Wow, that seems so young," she says. "Younger than Levi was whe-"

"Hanji," Levi says, his voice low and warning.

"FIne, fine. I cant believe youre so defensive of her," she says, ruffling his hair teasingly. He growls at her.

"I'll cut you down I swear," he says.

"Yeah, yeah," she laughs while walking out patting Erwin on the shoulder before she exits the room.

"So," Petra says awkwardly, turning to me. "What are your plans since you're up here?"

"I am to join the Scout Regiment," I say. "It was the agreement made to get me above ground."

"No, no. Like, your first plans for you as a person."

I'm confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, most people who join do something to identify themselves as a new person. A lot of people here used to be criminals. And they like to have something to show themselves they're a different person now," she says, smiling. "So, what do you plan to do?"

I stare at the ground for a second, before reaching up to the locks on my head. "I want to get my haircut," I say. "And I want a tattoo."

She smiles and claps her hands happily. "That's great! I could help you cut your hair if you'd like? There is an awful lot of it, it would be pretty hard on your own."

I'm surprised by how kind she seems, this was not something I had expected coming up to the surface. "I...suppose so. Thank you."

"And Mike could do your tattoo," she says. "He's done some for a few others as well, he's pretty good at it."

I nod. "Yes, thank you."

"Come on then," she says, grabbing my arm and dragging me from the room happily.

"Wh-where are we going?" I stutter.

"To cut your hair, silly."

We walk through a couple wide halls into a small room with a couple chairs and a long table. A large window let light shine on brightly, and she sits me down in a dark brown chair.

"So, how do you want it cut?" she asks me happily, grabbing a pair of scissors from a drawer.

I grab the locks and spread them out over my shoulders. "I want the sides shaved down," I say. "Leave the middle long."

"Ok," she says happily and moved behind me. I swallow thickly, feeling the cold metal of the scissors on my neck sent a shiver of anxiety through me. I forced myself to breathe through my nose calmly.

By the end of the haircut, a man whom Petra referred to as Mike had walked in and Petra told him about me. "So, you want a tattoo?" he asks, sitting in a chair across from me as Petra finished off the sides of my head.

"Yes please," I say.

"Well, what do you want?"

I look at the ground and grip my hands. "I want the Scout Regiment wings of freedom," I whisper.

He puts in finger on his chin and thinks for a second. "You want the actual symbol?"

I nod my head.

He grins. "Well, I think I can do that."

I smile widely. "Thank you so much," I say and bow a bit.

Petra giggles a bit behind me. "Nah, you're fine. Wipe that hair off and we'll get to work on you," he smiles happily and leaves the room. I stand and shake my head out, using a strip of leather to tie back the remaining silver locks.

Hours later, the sun has set and Mike is putting his things away by candlelight. "It's a good thing I was already almost done by sundown. Come on," he says motioning to a mirror Petra brought in before she left to speak with Erwin. "Tell me what you think."

I maneuver the hand mirror so I can look at my back, where the large symbol covered the skin, blue and white coloring my pale flesh.

"It's perfect," I say, smiling for the first time since I walked out of the ground. I start giggling a bit. "Thank you so much," I say and wrap my arms around Mike's neck. He seems a bit taken aback before awkwardly hugging me back.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it."

He waves a quick good bye as he walks out of the room, leaving me in silence. I use the mirror to look at my wings from all angles possible, and smile at the way they move with my body, the way the colors dance in the candlelight.

Heyo guys, Max here! This is the first chapter of my SNK fan fiction Survival, I'd love to hear what you guys think! If you have any suggestion, let me know please!