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Fuck. It had been three hours. Three hours since he had wandered off from his guards. He had only wanted a few minutes to himself, not three fucking hours. And it didn't look like he would be finding someone to help him anytime soon. If only he had not been so desperate for some time alone, that he ditched his guards as soon as they reached the inn. If only it wasn't so dark, you couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of you. Not to mention the fact that he had somehow wandered into the worst part of this shitty town. He had heard what he thought were gunshots not fifteen minutes ago. Erwin should have prepared him for this. As his adviser, that was his job, wasn't it? Fuck. Levi was over this. If he didn't find someone to help him soon, he was going to freeze. Did it do anything other than fucking snow here? Levi cursed to himself as he trudged along.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he heard muffled voices. Looking up slightly, he started to walk towards the alley they seemed to be coming from. For some reason, this particular alley looked less friendly than the others. He stopped in the entrance, listening for any hint that this would be worth his time. Not that he was in a hurry or anything. He was only fucking freezing to death. As he listened, he heard more voices, and they seemed to rise in volume the longer they spoke. And he definitely heard sounds of scuffling and flesh hitting flesh. He was not sure he wanted to get involved anymore. Clearly someone was getting beat up or maybe something worse, if the sounds they were making were anything to go by. Shaking his head of these thoughts, Levi sighed. "Fucking brats," he mumbled, trudging into the alley. He was a prince with moral obligations to his people, yes, but more than that, he was a man who hated to see injustice. He couldn't just walk away. He would have to put a stop to this, and then, if any of them were still alive, he would get them to take him back to his hotel. Yes, this was a good plan.

The alley was empty. Levi looked around in confusion, he was sure he was hearing voices, but he couldn't see anyone around. They were close enough that he could hear someone's pleas for them to stop, as well as distinguish at least three attackers. As he reached the end of the alley, he heard a low growl. It sent chills down his spine. He knew enough about animals to know that nothing good could come from a growl that feral. Turning slowly, he gasped. Not five feet from him was a large white tiger, but that was not what stole his breath from him. The tiger had brilliant turquoise eyes that made him look almost human. They had that intelligent look to them, but as Levi continued to stare into their depths, he saw an intense rage that froze him on the spot. Levi was a little surprised at his reaction, because nothing scared Levi. He was a brave man who had fought along side his soldiers multiple times to defend their country from outside attacks. He had watched men die, most of them at his own hand. He had traveled the world and seen many unsightly things. So, no, Levi could not be scared of a large cat, he must just be shocked. Yeah, shock, that's reasonable. Levi rolled his eyes at his own doubtful thoughts, irritated by his own mind. However, this brought on another growl from the angry feline, who apparently thought Levi had directed that eye-roll towards him. As they stared at each other, they were jerked back into reality by the yelp of pain from the victim Levi had originally been trying to find. The tiger growled again, even louder than before, his eyes darkening in anger. Levi wasn't sure what to do, he was trying to find the men, but now he had to deal with a tiger. But before he could decide on his next course of action, the tiger took off to his right, slipping into a small opening between the walls of the buildings that Levi had missed before. Not wanting to miss this, he quickly followed, well, as quick as he could in the dark.

As he stumbled through the cramped space, he could hear the men yell in fear. He heard the scuffling stop, followed by growls and heavy footsteps of the men trying to get away. He smirked, thinking that these men got what they deserved. But then he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. A gunshot. Followed by a pained yelp. Levi quickened his pace. Why was he worried about a tiger? No, not the tiger, its whoever was being attacked. Yeah, that's who I'm worried about. Just because that tiger had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, human or animal, or the fact that they seemed intelligent and caring and intense all at the same time. Fuck, what is wrong with me? Levi stopped suddenly, only now aware of the silence. As he walked out of the tiny alley into what seemed to be another alley, though since it was dark, he could not be certain, he couldn't help but stare. Not at the bodies of three men, covered in deep gashes and blood, those didn't bother him. No, his eyes were focused on the half naked blond boy, or girl, he wasn't really sure. More specifically, on the mop of brown hair the boy was cradling on his lap, and the naked body it was connected to. The blond looked up at him, and immediately shrank back in fear.

"It's okay," Levi said softly, taking careful steps towards him. "I'm not like them, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure you're okay."

As he got closer, he noticed blood pooling around the naked boy. The blonde continued to tremble in fear, unsure whether he should run or stay.

"Say kid, what's your name?"

"A-a-armin," the blonde stuttered.

So he is a boy, huh. Never would've guessed. Levi shrugged, then knelt in the snow to check on the unconscious brunette.

"Armin, are you hurt anywhere?"

"N-no, but Eren is. Please help him, don't let him die!" The boy cried.

Eren, hm? Attractive name, wonder if it suits him.

"I will do what I can, but I believe he will need a doctor, and that, I am not," Levi solemnly stated, while turning the boy over. "What happened to the tiger?"

Levi looked up, only to see Armin biting his lip, avoiding eye contact.

"There was no tiger."

Levi had to strain to hear him, as Armin had whispered the response. What the hell? Am I finally losing it? No, I know what I saw, this boy is hiding something. Deciding to let it go for now, he gave the brunette his full attention. The boy had been shot in the right shoulder, but there was no exit wound. Seeing the bleeding hole in the boy's chest, Levi removed his scarf to help stop the bleeding. But even as he looked, the blood flow was already starting to slow. Levi carefully lifted the boy in his arms, and stood up.

"We need to get him some place warm, where can we go?" Levi looked to Armin.

"Our house is just around the corner," he replied quickly, not taking his eyes off the ground.

Levi started walking in the direction the blonde pointed, before realizing the boy was not following.

"Well? Are you coming?" Levi asked, impatiently.

Nodding, Armin quickly walked towards his house, now leading Levi there. What the hell am I getting myself into?

A/N: Hey, guys, thanks so much for reading my story! This is my first ever fan-fic, and I am very excited about it. Please R&R, I am definitely in need of your opinions! I have never really tried writing much before, except for papers in school and stuff, so I thought this would be a good thing for me to try. I actually dreamed about this plot line, and decided it would make a good story. I am in love with this pairing, so I hope I do them justice. I will try to post once a week, though I haven't decided what day, more than likely Saturday or Sunday. Also, much thanks to my sister, who is my beta for this story. She has been encouraging and very helpful in correcting my grammar and helping me word things when I just can't get my thoughts out clearly. :)