CH 4 Recognition

Where have I seen those eyes before? Why does it feel like I'm supposed to know him?

There was something about those grey eyes that looked so familiar, yet she was certain this was the first time she's ever seen him. The moment her gaze locked with his, she could breathe again, she felt the burning cold sensation on her skin receding. All her senses were nullified, the only thing that existed at that second was him, every inch of her body told her she needed him.

Go to him, Mikasa.

That voice. It sounded so much like her own, yet her gut told her it was most definitely not hers. It resonated inside her head with such authority, like an order she couldn't help but obey. Without any warning at all, her body began to move on its own. Mikasa rose and began to walk forward, never breaking eye contact with this stranger, for the fear of him disappearing the second she looked away.

Remember…you have to remember. That voice was most certainly not hers.

Three steps forward were all that she managed to take before both of them halted in perfect sync. Recognition flashed across their eyes for a split second.

I finally found you.

Her breath caught in her throat. She felt something inside her crack, almost as if there was some kind of barrier blocking a distant memory. What do I have to remember?

Mikasa was too caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the moment Levi snapped out of his daze.

"YOU! It's you!"

She was startled by the sudden outburst. Does he really know me?

"Assassin!" The final word that came out of his mouth shook her to her core. Before she even had time to determine which direction was the way out, she did an about face and ran faster than she had ever remembered running.

She didn't bother looking back, somehow, she knew he was pursuing her, and he wasn't falling behind either. The further into the woods she got, the denser the trees became, and the less light seeped in through the canopy. She didn't know how long she had been sprinting for but based on the burning in her legs, it was longer than she had hoped.

He's not giving up.

From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of movement in the shadows.

She hadn't been in his presence that long, but she could already concur that he was freakishly fast and determined. Any normal person would have dropped from exhaustion just trying to keep up with her, that wasn't the case with this guy.

Who the hell is this guy and what exactly does he know?

The underground societies were sworn to secrecy, there was no way civilians knew about the assassin society. Had she already blown her cover before she even began her mission? This wasn't supposed to happen, all she wanted was to take a quick look around to quench her curiosity but instead she was met with a disaster.

Mikasa was distracted tonight, under normal circumstances she would have evaded her assailant a long time ago, and she would have most definitely seen and stopped the attack that was currently aimed at her head. Tonight, was not a normal night.

A fist was directed at her face, she halted abruptly and barely managed to dodge before it could make contact. She could feel the gust of wind as his fist sliced the air in front of her, and then all that could be heard in the quiet forest was a loud crack.

Kneeling down in her current position, Mikasa cautiously looked where his fist had just landed. Saying she was shocked was a complete understatement. This was no ordinary man, the sight before her confirmed it, his fist had collided with the bark of a tree splitting it directly in half.

There's no way in hell. Her violet eyes moving frantically, trying to analyze how it was humanly possible for anyone to be that strong.

"By the look in your eyes I can tell you're impressed. I missed on purpose by the way." Finally pulling his fist out of the crater he formed in the center of the tree. He straightened up and turned towards her, not even looking slightly winded. "Next time I won't miss."

Mikasa remained kneeling, still not fully comprehending how he looked so unfazed like chasing after assassins was a common occurrence for him. She took this time to assess him with the little bit of moonlight above them, he was her height or slightly taller but not by much. His face was flawless, skin so smooth it looked like porcelain, his hair was impeccable despite the high-speed chase he just went through. Then her gaze traveled down to his body, he was wearing dress clothes, definitely not made for running, but he was toned everywhere. She felt the heat rising on her cheeks. He's so…

"Oi, who the hell are you? Who sent you and for what fucking purpose? Answer me truthfully and I might take pity on you and kill you fast."

Whatever thoughts she may or may not have just had racing through her mind, they were completely gone the second he started talking. Overly confident bastard.

She rose to her feet in one fluid motion, staring back at him with such intensity, quietly accepting his challenge. She wasn't planning on backing down to the likes of him.

"What makes you think you can kill me so easily?"

He was fast, dangerously fast. There was no way this guy was normal, she hadn't even seen him move. One second, he was standing a few feet in front of her and then next she felt rough hands at her neck violently pushing her back into a nearby tree. When her back made contact, all she could hear was a loud crack, then came the surge of pain. What the hell is his problem...

A slight groan escaped her lips. He smirked and leaned in towards her ear. "I'm more than positive I could kill you right now if I so wanted it." His hot breath fanned across the sensitive skin of her neck, sending tingling sensations throughout her body. Focus Mikasa, don't let him affect you.

"Then do it." Mikasa challenged back as she turned her gaze to meet his. He faltered by her remark, not expecting her to be so bold, looking deep into her eyes, for the second time that night, he got distracted. One second was all she needed to turn the tables around on him, grabbing hold of one shoulder she pushed back, throwing him off balance, while simultaneously sweeping his feet out from under him.

She straddled his lower body with her legs and sat on his abdomen while gripping his wrists at his sides. The look of shock on his face was evident, he had never encountered someone who was almost as fast as him. He hated to admit it but whoever this girl was she was trained well, it would be in his best interest not to underestimate her. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little curious about her, there was something about the way she moved that intrigued him.

This girl that was messing with his head. Normally, Levi would never let the enemy have the upper hand in a fight but somehow with her, it was different. His thoughts started to wander to places it's never been before, having her sitting so intimately on top of him made him feel… Get your fucking head out of the gutter. What the fuck is wrong with you...

Her voice snapped him out of his daze. "Look, I don't want any trouble tonight. I haven't done anything to you so stop being a creep and quit stalking me."

Part of her knew that he wasn't going to believe her, but she really didn't want any trouble. She just wanted to get back before anyone noticed she was gone. Looking down at him, he had the most emotionless expression on his face that she had ever witnessed. It felt like he was taunting her by purposely being so unaffected and stoic, especially since the same couldn't be said about her.

Before she could react, Mikasa felt his hips thrust her headfirst, and without losing contact, he rolled her forward until she was trapped under him instead. Quickly grabbing both wrists with one hand, he used his free one to peel her right glove off, revealing an intricate design representing the mark of the assassins.

"Like fucking hell I'd believe a cold-blooded killer." He sneered at her while tightening his grip on her wrists.

He wasn't supposed to know that, only those who are in the society know the location of their mark, but he knew exactly where to look. Mikasa squirmed under him in an attempt the break free but his hold was insane, she tried to pry her wrists only to have him pull them apart and restrained using both his hands.

Remember... you have to remember. There it was again, that voice.

It was the same voice from before only this time it sounded louder and more desperate. They both stopped struggling at the same time and looked at each other.

"Did you hear that?" Levi was the first to speak up, surveying the area around them.

Mikasa didn't get a chance to respond, something was happening again, she could feel heat radiating through her bones. Levi looked down at her when she fell silent.

"Oi, answer me! Who the fuck is out there? Are they your assassin buddies?" She couldn't hear him, the wave of sensations taking over her body were assaulting her senses. First it was a tremendous heat flowing every which way in her system and then there was a sharp stabbing pain, localized on the right side of her chest, as if someone had taken a hot knife and started carving into her skin.

She let out the most gut-wrenching scream he had ever heard in all his years. Levi's eyes widened.

"Oi brat, what the hell is wrong with you?" He let go of her wrists and started to shake her forcefully, but she didn't respond, she started hyperventilating. He reached for her mask in an attempt to take it off, but he froze suddenly, his fingertips lingering on her jawline.

Remember Levi… you must remember.

Then it happened, he felt fire coursing through his veins, pumping through his body and converging at his heart. In a matter of seconds that fire transformed into a searing pain so physically debilitating that he dropped his hands on each side of her head trying to keep himself up.

"What is happening" He managed to croak out before he lost all control of his body and landed directly on top of her. They both laid there in agony for what felt like an eternity, slowly losing all sense of reason, but somehow through all the pain they were able to make out each other's presence. In a desperate attempt for comfort, Mikasa dug her face into his chest and screamed louder. Levi grabbed hold of her exposed hand and intertwined their fingers, the second their skin made contact with each other, the pain was replaced with a surge of power.

Startled by the sudden sensation, both their eyes snapped open, witnessing for the first time the glow radiating from their bodies. It was a sight so surreal, one might confuse reality with a dream. A small fluctuating light emanated on both of their chests right above their hearts, dimmed by the material of their clothing.

Mikasa looked up at Levi, she felt an icy flow of liquid spread from that spot on her heart and through her entire being until it reached both upper and lower extremities. She could tell he was experiencing the same sensation because the flow of red was illuminating the veins on his skin highlighting the pathway of the force surging through his body.

He felt fire course through his veins, spreading everywhere until it reached all areas of his body. He looked at the girl under him, although he couldn't see all of her, he knew she was enduring the same. The veins on her wrist glowed with a bluish-purple light, he assumed the same force flowing through him was also taking over her.

Their eyes were the last to be engulfed, Levi's usual steel grey eyes began to turn into a vivid crimson while Mikasa's violet-grey orbs began to glow a bright blue with shifting violet hues. Their intertwined hands began to shake as did the earth around them, the power coursing through them was so strong it was radiating out towards the surrounding area.

"It is time. Wake up and remember." That voice, it was talking to both of them.

The final power surge was so strong it broke their hands apart instantly releasing them from the trance like state they were in, returning them to normal. All evidence of their connection had immediately vanished.

Their labored breaths were all they could hear in the dead of the night, as they laid there motionless.

"What the fucking hell..." His words came out with a mix of fear and incredulousness. Staring at her, "What the hell did you do to me brat?!"

She couldn't believe him, they had just experienced the most supernatural unexplainable event in history, and he was blaming her for it? Who the hell does he think he is?!

"I didn't do anything you fucking jerk!" Kicking him off of her with as much force as she could muster at that moment. "You're the one who followed me, for all I know you used some kind of curse to kill me."

He quickly recovered and rolled into a standing position. Narrowing his eyes at her as she also rose to her feet "Oi, do I look like some kind of fucking witch throwing around curses at my enemies and be dumb enough to curse myself in the process?"

"Wizard." She whispered softly.

"Excuse me?" The little patience he had left slowly fading.

"You would be a wizard not a witch, since you're a gu- ". He cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"What fucking shit are you talking about?! Is this some kind of game to you? What was that just now and what in god's name happened to us?"

She couldn't answer him because she didn't know herself, all she knew in that moment was that she had to get away. She turned around and began to walk away but before she could make it far he grabbed her elbow and turned her around.

"STOP! Don't touch me!" She snatched her arm out of his grasp, he could see the fear written in her eyes when her gaze landed on his.

"Whatever happened between us was brought on by our physical contact. Just forget I even exist, and I'll do the same." Summoning all the strength she had left, she vanished with such inhuman speed leaving behind a puzzled Levi.

He stared at the ground where she had last been standing, feeling overwhelmed with emotions and overall confusion. None of this made sense to him, the girl, the voices he heard, the sensations he felt when he saw her, the strange phenomenon that happened when their skin made contact, and that power that coursed through his body. Something had happened to him that night and whoever that girl was, she was the cause of it.

I'm afraid I can't simply forget about you. Looking down at the hand that held her hand not so long ago. I will find you and when I do, I'll make you tell me what the fuck happened tonight.

He slowly started to make his way back to campus.

I promise you.