Song: "After the storm" by Paul Cardall, "Flavor of life" by Utada Hikaru (ballad version)
Disclaimer: I don't own any the songs that I recommend, Shingeki No Kyojin or any of it's characters. If I did own SNK, Jean would have cosplayed as a bunny in an attempt to lure the titans away from Wall Maria.
"Order number 44: Espresso to go!" Levi took his cup of coffee off the counter and exited the cafe after thanking the cashier.
It wasn't raining anymore- thank God for that. It had been raining for nearly nine days straight and the weather had been showing no signs of letting up. Levi was relieved upon seeing the sky finally not pissing any more water. The depressing atmosphere that it was creating and the trouble that it had been causing was annoying as hell and he wanted nothing more than for it to stop.
Levi couldn't say that he was only in a glum mood when there was rain, though. He'd been told many times before that he didn't even need the rain to be grumpy. He idly took note of the darkening sky, knowing all too well that it was going to rain again soon.
He passed by the hall in which Mikasa's room was located in and paused. He looked at the door momentarily before averting his gaze to another direction and walking away.
That woman was so damn stubborn. Levi hadn't had any general opinion about her when he had first seen her sprawled against the wet cement with blood seeping from her head but he was sure as hell that he never could have expected her to be so stubborn.
To any bystander walking in the rain, she was really a sight to see. Her clothes were tattered and cut and it seemed that the scarf wrapped around her neck was the only thing that was able to give her warmth. He had merely thought that she must have been one of the many homeless that roamed the streets. They were filthy and he would never had let them enter his pristine car but instead he found himself taking her in anyway.
Just when he thought that he could have never been any more merciful, he again found himself staying for a while longer to see her condition and visited her for the past two days after work. Hell, he had even told Historia that he would be taking her in if Mikasa let him. He dismissed his uncharacteristic actions with the fact that he was responsible for this predicament. But despite this, something nagged at him and told him that it was something more than that.
Levi took another sip of his coffee and checked his watch to see what time it was. Historia approached him and greeted him with a smile.
"Levi-san, I truly appreciate you letting Mikasa stay into your home for the time being. I understand how hard it must be for you since…" she trailed off. Levi waved his hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter," he answered gruffly, his eyes turning dark. "How's her condition?"
Historia bit her lip and looked at the clipboard in her hand. "There was something that I failed to mention back in the room. It seems that she had already been in a fight of some sort before the accident. There are mysterious cuts on her arms that appear to have been there longer than the bruises that the hit had caused. Also, we found a recent bullet wound as well but it seems to be have been well cleaned and is healing properly with no infections."
Levi raised his eyebrow. What the hell? What wandering woman would have a recent bullet wound? "Is there really no way to identify who the hell she is?" he asked, his curiosity for her identity growing slightly stronger. To this Historia shook her head solemnly.
"I'm really sorry but it just isn't possible. She had no ID on her nor did she have any drivers license or credit card or library card- she was completely empty."
Levi let out a sigh. "What a pain in the ass," he grumbled.
"But there is good news," Historia announced, trying to remain optimistic. Levi looked at her doubtfully. Historia ignored the look and continued, "I was able to find something about her. It seems that Mikasa is a part oriental."
"So what?"
"So… that means that she's originally from the southern district of Maria. There are a large number of orientals that live there. Maybe if you take her there, she'll be able to remember something."
An oriental, huh. Those were rare there in Sina. He wondered idly just how she had gotten from Maria to Sina if she truly was from there.
"Is that all?"
Historia nodded her head. "It's worth a try."
Levi grunted and lifted the cup up to his lips. The southern district of Maria was considered to be the most poorest part in the country. It could explain her tattered clothing but it still didn't quite explain her wound and cuts.
"HISTORIA! WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE GOING INTO LABOR!"
Historia flinched in surprise at the sudden exclaim and frowned. Levi merely regarded the impatient brunette with an indignant scowl.
"W-well, good luck with Mikasa! I hope it will all get fixed soon." Historia waved her farewell and rushed to Ymir's side, reprimanding her for shouting in the hospital as they walked away.
Levi returned to his previous musings as he continued to sip his coffee, deciding to give Mikasa a few more minutes to make up her mind before he came in.
When Levi returned, he was greeted with the monitor letting out a high pitched beep, it's wire unattached to any living human. The bed sheets were crumpled with creases everywhere and he resisted the urge to smooth it out. With his eyebrows knitted in confusion, he knocked on the bathroom door and opened it after a moment of silence. It was unattended just like the room. The wind howled mysteriously and he abruptly turned to see the window open. So she had made a get away….
He approached the window to see the ground just two floors below him. To him, it was a good sign; it meant that she shouldn't have gotten too far. After closing the window and locking it, he left the room in a heart beat, his steps long and purposeful as he exited the hospital. As he exited the building, he then began his long search along the outside of the hospital building.
Levi had known that Mikasa disliked him from the very start when she had woke up. It was understandable considering that it was him that made this happen. But for her to let her emotions drive her so much as to run away like this- it was reckless and childlike. Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance when he hit a dead end. He turned around quickly and continued searching, albeit in a much more quicker pace.
As he jogged around, he thought of the many possible places where she would have gone. He ruled out every ridiculous place that he could think of until the only place that seemed plausible was where the accident had taken place. He had no idea why he was drawn to believe in that theory, but there was no time to question it completely.
He began to jog faster, a scowl etched on his face as it began to drizzle harshly. Oh how fucking great. Now his cravat was going to be soaked. He began to wonder idly if letting that troublesome woman stay with him was such a good idea. He could let her stay with Hanji instead but then again, the woman and her sister would probably drive her to the brink of insanity and Levi wasn't that cruel. Then again, maybe he will send her there.
Levi turned at a corner and stopped abruptly. He was a block away from the hospital now and ahead of him, he could see her standing barefoot in front of a restaurant clad only in her hospital gown and the scarlet scarf tied loosely around her neck.
She looked so distant and withdrawn, as if she was remembering a solemn memory. Her eyes were blank and empty as they stared into space and the look was so agonizingly familiar that Levi forced himself to look away. There was also something familiar in her eyes that caused his chest to lurch painfully. He knew that look. It was the look of a lost soul.
As he looked away from her, his eyes found what her onyx orbs was locked onto. It was a small family of four eating happily. There was a boy toddler speaking and the female child trying to get the attention of her parents back to her and not to her little brother. The mother was cooing nonsense to the toddler whilst the father patted his daughters head with a laugh.
From his peripheral, he could see her shifting on her feet. He turned his attention away from the family and back to Mikasa. The drizzle that had now turned into rain soaked her to the bone. He could see her shivering slightly as she lifted her scarf up higher in attempt to make herself warmer. He approached her, taking off his blazer and placing it over her shoulder.
Mikasa came out of her deep reverie and jumped in surprise. She looked at the blazer and to the owner, a look of confusion passed her face before anger replaced it. Levi stepped back, matching her scowl with his own.
"What the hell were you thinking when you jumped out of that damned window?" he asked, his anger apparent in his tone.
"Why do you care? What I do shouldn't be any of your business," she retorted, taking off the blazer. She threw the blazer to him and he caught it without a blink of an eye. His glare grew fiercer as he held her gaze with his own.
"Put this fucking blazer back on; you're going to get even more sick than you already are."
"It's fine. I can manage on my own."
"You're going to put this damned blazer back on or so help me I will force you to."
"I'd like to see you try," she scoffed, doubting him. In a flash, he had his one arm around her waist in a firm grip while his other hand held the blazer. Mikasa's eyes widened in shock at the sudden action and made a feeble attempt to push him away. Though because of the drugs that the nurses had given her, her body wasn't strong enough to make him let go.
She stopped and settled to glaring at him, hoping that maybe those lasers can magically appear and burn him to a crisp. It was then that she realized just how close their proximity was. His nose nearly touched hers and even though he was slightly shorter than her, his eyes held a certain authority that made her feel as if he was towering over her. And then she saw something in those chestnut colored eyes that made her glare falter. The emotion that reflected in his eyes was clouded, much like how she had seen her own eyes from the reflection of the tall, glass window from the restaurant.
Mikasa was so deep in thought that she hadn't realized how his grip had loosened slightly and how he had slipped the long sleeves of his blazer into her arms. By the time he was done, he let her go instantly and retreated a few steps back so as to maintain some distance between them.
After a moment of glaring at each other through the thick blanket of the rain, Mikasa let out a sneeze. Levi resisted the urge to smirk. "I told you so," he said, smug. "Now lets get the fuck out of this damned rain." He turned around and sat on one of the seats leaning against the wall of the restaurant beside the entrance.
"You can't sit there," Mikasa sniffled.
"I can sit wherever the hell I want. Now sit over here; at least there's a fucking roof over our heads."
Mikasa shook her head stubbornly. Levi looked at her incredulously. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Does it strike you that you could possibly die of illness if you don't find shelter?"
"I'm aware of that. But I don't think it would be wise if I were to simply sit on chairs that were originally meant for customers," she said, going to the wall on the other side of the door. The roof above her head didn't block off as much of the rain compared to Levi's side but it was better than nothing, she mused.
Levi scoffed. "You sure do know what's right from wrong," he murmured sarcastically, leaning back against the chair and lazily letting his arm lie on the chair next to him as he crossed his leg.
"Of course I do," she said, feeling the sudden need to defend herself.
"Bullshit," he said bluntly, looking at her. Mikasa narrowed her eyes. Levi continued:
"Take this situation in hand. It's because of your choice that caused this whole dilemma. If you really knew the right from wrong, you could have just stayed in your damn room instead of running off in this troublesome weather," he stated.
"But I don't like the hospital," she mumbled, "and it wasn't raining when I left."
"Nobody likes the hospital," he said passionatly, "yet, you don't see patients jumping out of their windows because their burning hate for that place is so damn strong. And I don't give a shit if it wasn't raining. You should have known that it was going to rain again regardless."
Mikasa let out a sigh and sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. "Why do you care so much?" she asked, tired.
Levi paused. To this, Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "Do you pity me?" she asked, turning her head to face him, "Because if it's pity that's driving you to care, then stop. I don't need sympathy."
"I don't fucking pity you, brat."
"Then what is it? Why did you offer your home to me? Why did you run out in this godforsaken weather just to find me? What the fuck did I do before this? I don't understand what's going on and you're not making it any better," she all but nearly yelled.
Mikasa was frustrated, so damn frustrated that she couldn't remember. She still had no idea who this man was. All she knew was his name and that was it. She was certain that they had never encountered each other in the past. If they had, some sort of recognition should have been apparent in his eyes and the doctor shouldn't have looked so concern about her unknown identity.
Levi watched her in silence. Her turmoil was as clear as day and it brought a sudden ache in his chest. It felt as if it was deja vu, he mused darkly to himself.
"Oi, brat," he called out.
"What?" she snapped.
"Do the right thing and live with me. I live alone and- don't give me that look, you moron. I'm not going to fucking touch you if that's what you're worried about," he said indignantly. He continued where he left off: "and before you say no, just know that I have a way of getting your memories back."
"You do?" she suddenly looked hopeful. Then the sudden glimmer in her eyes darkened until a look of reluctance replaced the gleam. "What is it..?"
"I'm going to give you six months until your memories come back. During your stay, I'm going to take you to where, I assume, you were raised in. Hopefully that will trigger a flashback and if the memory from there has any clues of where the next flashback may take place, we'll go there."
"... Are you sure that will work?" she asked, hesitant.
"If it doesn't, you're free to beat me to your hearts content," he replied blandly, confident that it certainly will work and that he won't get his ass handed by her in the end.
Mikasa looked thoughtful for a moment. She would get her memories back if she went with him and if she didn't, she would have the honor of beating him to a pulp. It was like killing two birds with one stone. "Fine, shorty," she replied.
"What did you call me?"
Mikasa looked up at the sky. "The rain's letting up," she said, ignoring him. She sighed, knowing that this meant that they would be returning to the hospital. Levi getting up from his seat only confirmed her thoughts and her heart sank some more.
"Let's go," he said, eager to return so that he could go back home and change into cleaner and drier clothes.
Mikasa followed behind him, leaving a respectable distance between herself and him as they walked. As she stared at his back, she wondered idly if she could really trust him. She glanced down and noticed that she was still wearing his blazer. Her gaze returned to him and she could see a slight shudder go down his back. He was cold, yet, he had given up his warmth for her. The sudden realization was shocking enough to make her look back at the ground with a slightly frustrated expression.
"Hurry up," he ordered, "We need to get the bandage on your head replaced since it's so damn wet." Mikasa complied until she was walking beside him, still looking at the ground as she did so. To this Levi raised an eyebrow before shrugging it off.
Yes, Mikasa decided with finality. She will trust this stranger. It was the least she could do, after all.
A/N: I'm really really sorry for this late update! *offers peace cookies* This chapter was really long so I hope it was satisfying enough for you all to put your throwing knifes down. If it isn't... well, just let me know what you thought about it in the reviews! Everyone's opinions matter :D
Speaking of reviews…. Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows! I honestly didn't expect this story to get that much attention but now that I do know, I'll be working twice as hard to perfect and complete it.
Also, for Chapter one I recommend that you listen to "Kiss the rain" by Yiruma if you ever want to reread it. I'm going to start posting up what songs to listen to above the disclaimers from now on because I'm always listening to songs while I write chappys and it just fits and I want to share it with you all :D This includes the first Chapter too so I'll be putting it on there as well. Oh god this was so long IM SORRY.
I don't want to keep you here any longer so have a good day/night! :)
~ Streaks Of Moonlight