THE LEAST OF US
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DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha © and all recognizable characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi. Attack on Titans/ Shingeki no Kyojin © and all recognizable characters were created by Hajime Isayama. Everything else is from yours truly.
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SUMMARY:
"I don't know…I never have. I can believe in my own abilities or the choices of the companions I trust. But no one ever knows how it will turn out. So, choose for yourself whichever decision you will regret the least." Levi x Kagome x Sesshoumaru
RATING: M
THE LEAST OF US
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2
I'm No Hero, Kid
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"Ugh."
Kagome looked up and saw that the man had a look of disgust on his face as he took a napkin from his pocket and wiped down his dagger.
"So disgusting. Cleaned this yesterday and now it's all dirty again. Piece of shit," he muttered, saying the last part with a definite kick to the corpse lying by his feet.
And just like that it was over. Whether from relief or from a state of shock, Kagome plopped down, her whole body shaking.
She didn't die.
She was still alive.
"-d."
"-ey kid!"
"Kid!"
Kagome jolted, her eyes flashing to the young man who had kicked the corpse to the side and was now standing a few feet in front of her. He had already pocketed his dagger and just stood there, looking wary. He looked young. She noticed that there was some blood staining his black jacket and his shirt. She remained silent as she buttoned up her jeans but winced when she discovered a huge tear in her shirt. The monster probably ripped it when I fought back. She fumbled around with it, trying to bring the sleeves to cover up the dark bruises on her wrists.
"Can't cover it…it's still showing…mom is going to be so worried…" she mutters. Her fingers were still shaking as she tried to fix her shirt.
"Here."
"No!" Kagome yelped, scrambling backwards, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. "Nononono. Don't hurt me!"
"Hey, hey. Just calm down. I'm not going to hurt you alright," the man's voice was deeper than she had expected and he spoke as if speaking to a frightened animal.
The young man walked forward slowly, one of his hands up, the other one holding on to his jacket. Kagome noted that he looked pained, like he didn't know what to do with himself when facing a child. She shook her head ignoring his jacket as she scrambled towards the bread that littered the ground.
"What are you doing?" he asked confused, watching as the small slip of a girl knelt in the blood and the dirt to gather three dirty pieces of bread and stuff them in a bag that had holes in it. He winced when he saw how muddied up the girl was: the back of her shirt was torn – probably when she had been pinned down – and he could see traces of blood and garbage in her hair. His eyes narrowed when he could see the development of bruises on her upper arms that couldn't have been caused by anything but human fingers. "Piece of shit," he muttered to himself staring at the man that he had just killed. Should've killed him slower.
He grimaced when he saw the girl pat the bread down and shake off some dirt before putting it in the bag. "Look, you can't eat that now. Just leave it here."
"This was supposed to be for my mom and brother and me to share," she murmured softly. She saw him shake his head but was glad that he had left the subject matter alone.
"Fine, but just take my jacket okay? You look like a mess right now and you probably don't want to walk through town looking like that." He walked forward again but paused when she shook her head.
"Why did you help me?" Kagome asked softly. If she closed her eyes, she could still hear her voice screaming for others to help her as the man dragged her away and she could remember the way they turned away from her. So why? Why did this guy come out of nowhere to help her?
He snorted, casting a condescending look at the man that he had left near the garbage dump. "I'm no hero kid. He was a grown man that got his kicks attacking young kids. He was a piece of shit that the world is better off without."
For a moment Kagome just stood there, blinking at him. While she felt grateful for him, it didn't escape her notice that the man who saved her didn't seem to have any problems with killing another person. Was this even the first time he had done this? She shook her head clearing her thoughts. What did it matter? He saved her from a monster. That's all that she should be focused on.
"Thank you," she said softly. His face softened just slightly and a faint smile curled his lips. "I'll take that jacket now," she murmured walking towards him, thanking him again when he placed his jacket around her much smaller form, the clothing dwarfing her completely.
"So where do you live?" he murmured ushering her out of the alley.
"Uh…Tekina House…a few blocks from here…" she answered, drawing closer to the stranger when she sees the other people staring at the blood staining their clothes.
"…Tekina House?"
She felt him pause and she looked up to see him staring at her, confused. "Yeah, the brothel place…"
He stiffened, "I know what that place is but why are you living there? You look like you're only 5."
She sniffed at that. "I'm seven years old, thank you very much. And my…mother lives there so…"
"Ah, I see." His expression shuttered, his eyes going hard and frosty.
An awkward silence blanketed the two of them as they walked slowly towards their destination, the stranger glaring at the men who looked a little too closely at the small girl walking meekly by him.
"My name is Kagome by the way," she said breaking the silence. When it looked like he wasn't going to respond, she tugged the edge of his shirt persistently until he had no choice but o look at her.
"What is it kid?"
"It's not 'kid', it's Kagome."
"Okay, that's nice," he said in a patronizing tone.
"…"
"…"
"And your name is?"
"Does it matter?" he answered uninterestedly. He stopped when Kagome stood in front of him, a defiant look on her face as she stared right into his eyes.
"Of course it does! You," she pointed to him, "saved me," pointing to herself, "so we should be friends."
"Friends?" he said flatly, fixing his shrewd eyes on her face. "We're friends now?"
"Of course we should! I don't know you but you seem like a good guy-" she froze when he suddenly crouched down and leaned towards her face, his face not betraying any emotion at all.
"How do you know I'm a good guy?" he asked, sounding almost amused. "You know I killed that guy and I don't feel a bit guilty about that," he continued whispering almost. "Shouldn't a good guy be sorry?"
Her brows furrowed as she thought about what he had just said. Hadn't she been thinking that very thing moments after he had killed the man? But then again –
"I'm glad you killed him…" she said with no trace of hesitation in her voice.
"Oh?"
"If I could have killed him, I would have done the same…You were right, the world is better off without a piece of shit like that taking up space."
He gave her a long and level stare. He twitched when she poked him in the shoulder.
"Well, what's your name then?"
He gave her another look before shaking his head and standing back up. "The name's Levi kid-Kagome," he corrected when she cleared her throat.
"Levi…that's a nice name," Kagome said, grinning when he made a noncommittal noise.
"A little shrimp like you shouldn't say things like 'shit'," he said.
She looked up at him looking scandalized, "But you said that! A lot!"
He shrugged, "Well, I'm an adult so I can say whatever I want but a little kid like you shouldn't be saying things like that."
He said it so seriously that Kagome would have thought that he was actually being serious if it wasn't for the slight tilt in his lips. She was about to retort back when she heard someone yelling her name.
"Kagome!"
"Oof!" She grunted when her mother ran to her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. She winced as her mother came in contact with the bruises.
"Thank God you're here. I was so worri- What is this?!" her voice raised when she tugged the jacket off and she saw the state of her clothes and the bruise on her arms. "What happened to you?!"
"Some bastard tried to get a little too friendly with her," Levi answered.
"What?!" Kagome winced when her mother's arms tightened as her eyes fixed toward him. "What happened?!" Her eyes went back to Kagome as she took in her daughter's appearance again with more scrutiny. Her face darkened when she focused on the tear in her shirt. "H-he didn't…?" she got out stiffly.
"No!" Kagome sighed, putting her palms on either side of her mother's face. Her mother was starting to get that look again where she was going to start panicking and Kagome leaned her forward against her mother's forehead. "I'm alright mom," she whispered calmly, "I didn't get hurt that badly…"
"But-"
"I'm okay," Kagome repeated again, internally sighing when her mother appeared to take control of herself again.
Her mother sighed as she held Kagome's hands and gently rubbed her thumb across the visible bruises. "This is why I told you not to stay out past dark, Kagome."
"I know. I'm sorry mom." Kagome bowed her head as her mother reached forward and wrapped her arms around her much smaller form. It didn't escape the fact that though her mother sounded much calmer, her body was trembling. She rubbed her mom's back softly as she waited for the tremors to die down. "But mom, look. He's the guy that saved me," Kagome said as she pulled back and gestured to Levi who just stood there, his arms placed leisurely by his side, watching the scene in front of him with slight interest.
"Ah really?" Her mother stood up to her full height and looked at Levi, her eyes noticing the drops of blood scattered in his white shirt. His eyes widened in surprise when she smiled gently at him and bowed at the waist, lingering for a few seconds. "Thank you. I don't know who you are but I'm grateful that you saved my daughter."
For a moment, Levi just stood there, blinking, not sure about how to respond to Kagome's mother show of thanks and respect. "Eh, you're welcome."
Kagome laughed at his expression, silencing when he pinned her with a dead-panned stare. "Heh."
Levi sighed before shaking his head. "Well, see you then."
"Wait!" Kagome called out when he made a move to turn. She shrugged off his jacket and extended her hand out to him, "Your jacket."
Levi just shook his head, "Nah, it's all dirty now. You can keep it."
Kagome pursed her lips. What was up with this guy and cleanliness? She pulled back her hand as she crushed the jacket to her chest. "I'll have it clean in two days. So you have to come and see me then!" She exclaimed, smiling at him.
His brows lifted and a small smirk curved his lips. He had to give it to her. The kid definitely had some audacity. "Alright. Alright. Just make sure not to get into any more shit before then!" He almost chuckled when her face twisted comically into an appalled expression, pointing to him.
"You just said shit again!"
Her face puckered even more when he just pointed a finger at himself. "Again, adult," he pointed at her, "kid."
"Pft, fine fine," she pouted before smiling at him again.
The world is an unfair place…but…
Kagome watched the retreating form of Levi as he melted back into the shadows before taking her mother's hand as she walked back.
…I guess it's not all bad…
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