Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading! I'm sorry last chapter was a bit slow. Next chapter is going to have a bit more action, yay! Enjoy ^^
Chapter Seven: Devil's Claws.
Levi's jaw tightened as he tried to keep his surprise hidden. It was crazy how many times he had been surprised in these past few hours. It was like a fun house in here with every corner opening up to a new and shocking discovery. It was a train ride that he wanted to get off of right now. Levi Heichou hated surprises. He preferred disappointment over surprises, surprises usually ended with a person fumbling over words trying their best to not say the wrong thing, disappointment was a lot more painful to endure, but you didn't make mistakes. Levi was not disappointed to see Commander Pixis. Leaning back in his chair he eyed the aging man. Signs of age had already begun to grace him, but there was a look to him that warned that he was anything, but old. His eyes held those characteristic wrinkles that often clung to those that smiled too much. They looked tired, however, but when he stepped into the room he did no frown, he did not scowl, he smiled. He looked at Meelo and Levi and gave them a polite smile before shifting over to his chair and dropping down with a weary sigh.
There was a moment of silence, where Levi simply stared. He was astonished to see the Commander here. It seemed as though Levi and Meelo were in a lot more trouble than he had anticipated, otherwise why would Pixis be sitting there? Surely he had a lot more better things to be doing then berating two teenagers that had broken the law? Apparently not, for he stayed where he was, his eyes looking over them, calculating, but the smile never leaving his face. Levi eyed him, suddenly unsure of himself. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, all interest in Luca evaporating as a new problem was thrown right at him. It seemed he was never going to get a break from this misery.
"Hello Meelo and Levi, I'm pleased that you could join me." He smiled, and there was no hint of condensation or superiority in the way he spoke. It was like he had expected nothing less than their required presence, and yet was still pleasantly surprised that they had turned up.
Levi nodded, he liked this guy. There was something about him that made him stick out, that made Levi feel as though he was fair, and would not be insanely cruel. There was an honesty to those dark eyes, and a hint of compassion that Levi had believed long gone from this world. This man knew what he was doing and it was clear that he had no wish to make them suffer anything unnecessary. Levi did not trust him, though; trust was a rare commodity that seemed so far lost and gone that it was never going to return. Hell, the last person he had trusted had turned on him and look where that had gotten him. He was way too far past doing anything along those lines ever again. It had been taken from him, the only person he reserved that word for now was Meelo. She was the only person he needed to be able to trust, other than that he would rely on himself and his own skills, Justas he had his entire life.
Nodding ever so slightly the smile flickers and disappears, Pixis' eyes turn grave and he leans forward, pushing his elbows onto the table. "I know you've heard this from my other colleagues—" He waves a hand to indicate the soldier's, "—But they were not joking when they said you are in a lot of trouble. If you had of just been any normal thief you would have been let off with a week or so in a cell, but you aren't. What is more you," he said, his eyes looking intently at Levi, "attacked one of my mean. That kind of assault has landed you into some pretty deep trouble, more so than if you had of just left it."
Levi's eyes burned with anger, and he opened his mouth to cut in, but before he could say anything Pixis held up a hand, forcing him with the sharp gesture to withhold the harsh words he was about to spit out. "Don't get me wrong, I understand why you did it. Believe me, I do. But it doesn't change the face that you did do it." Pixis' eyes seemed to harden as they stared at Levi, almost as though they challenged him to say anything. Levi held his tongue, knowing that what the man had said was correct. Pixis, it seemed, was not an idiot, like most other soldier's.
So instead Levi settled for a question that had been nagging at him. "You said that if we were petty thieves we'd be in a cell and out. That suggests that you think we have done a lot more than what we did. He has—" he indicated Luca with a sweep of his hand, his eyes not leaving Pixis "—obviously said a lot to you about us. It seems that you all think we are pretty important." He smirked, unable to stop the stress he placed on the last word.
Pixis simply stared at him for a moment before responding. "You seem to think that we soldiers are ignorant of the doings of the Underworld. We aren't. We have ways to get information; we know who is at the top of the chain, who is at the bottom and who needs to be brought down. Luca here was one of them. We managed to get him on a hunch from another person. It is simple, he didn't go to jail and all he had to do was—"
"Yeah, I know what he had to do, why else would I be sitting here and not lying on my couch at home?" Levi replied, his tone hinting at his annoyance. Pixis smiled, his lips twisting upwards ever so slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes studying the short, young boy in front of him.
"But why did he hand us in? Aren't there a dozen more important thieves you guys need to catch?" Meelo spoke up, her tone questioning, her voice a lot calmer and not as agitated as Levi's. Levi glanced at her, her eyes were sparkling with that light that meant she was on the brink of solving something, but she was just missing the last few pieces. And then all at once her eyes seemed to light up, flooding with understanding, Levi watched them widen ever so slightly, before she narrowed them, her accusing gaze turning onto the Commander.
Levi also looked at Pixis, he raised an eyebrow, his mind not as sharp and quick as Meelo's when it came to conundrum's like this.
"You asked him to, didn't you?" Meelo said, her voice low, but very accusing. "That was the deal? But why us, though, why did you ask for us specifically?"
Pixis looked at her, his eyes showing the smile his lips would not reveal. "Now come on, Meelo, how have you not got that part yet?" He replied, he watched her intently, but after a few more moments of silence he seemed to give up. He turned so that he could look at them both.
"Your sister is close. And almost had it. We did ask Luca to give us information on the both of you, specifically you, Levi. Whilst your sister is just as good as you, you seem to be a lot more troublesome, which was proven last night when you bashed up a trained officer with no trouble at all. Regardless, the real point on getting the two of you was the fact that believe it or not, but you are within the top five of the Higher Ups 'go to' list. Meaning you are in the top five for the best thieves, and more important ones in the Underworld."
He paused as though he expected some kind of response, but neither sibling moved, or spoke. He shrugged before continuing, "so it became imperative for us to catch you. Bring down the foundations and you break the entire structure. Luca here had enough information and knew you two well enough to arrange that little ambush."
There was a long, awkward silence where no one spoke. Commander Pixis seemed perfectly calm, and he also seemed to be waiting for one of them to speak. Levi eyed him, he kept his face expressionless, allowing the cool, calmness that he was so good at flood him. He'd known that Pixis was going to say what he had said. Hell he knew that Meelo and he were at the top of the Underworld, they were in fact ranked number three, their parents number two and the actually leader as number one. But it wasn't common knowledge and it wasn't something he generally spoke about to anyone. The only reason he was ranked where he was because of the number of jobs he had accomplished, and he had outsmarted a number of people that had once been ranked higher then himself, most of them had mysteriously disappeared just as Luca had.
Then suddenly he knew what Pixis wanted.
He stood up so abruptly that his chair flew back and fell onto the floor. Meelo jumped in surprise as did the guards, they stepped forwards, but Pixis held up a hand to stop them. Pixis stared at Levi, and those brown eyes meet his, they burned with an intensity that made Levi uncomfortable. And with an even voice he said, "I won't do it."
Pixis stared at him.
"You hardly have a choice. Give me what I need and you won't spend the rest of your life in a cell." He replied. Levi had expected that threat, and he stayed where he was, hands splayed across the table, he leaned closer to Pixis, his eyes burning.
"I might not love those idiots, but I won't give them up." He said. It was true, his parents were useless, but family was family.
Pixis sighed breaking the eye contact, "Levi you hardly have a choice. Did you not hear what I said? You will spend the rest of your life in a cell, but maybe you hadn't realised, but your sister is sitting right there as well." That cut into Levi like a knife and he stumbled backwards a step. Pixis had just snagged the one thing Levi could not let happen. He could not bare to imagine Meelo in a cell, on the dirty, cold hard ground for the rest of her life.
He scrambled for words, anything he could use to get his sister out of this situation and throw himself into it. That way he could deal with it, take it all and not worry about the consequences. But with his little sister in the mix that was not an option she was important, way more important than his family. The threat clung to him like a disease.
"No. No, I take full responsibility of everything that happened tonight. You leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with it." He spat, he stepped forwards once more, his hands clenched, and they were glued tightly to his side.
Pixis looked almost sad as he shook his head, standing up to tower above the angry boy. "Simple as this, Levi: Give me information about them. You join the army, serve your time and your sister lives her life out of a cell."
Levi was fuming.
"Hey! Oi, both of you stop. I am sitting right here. And Levi Heichou you will not be taking the blame. Hell I am the one to blame for this entire mess; I believed that dick cowering in the corner. I made the mistake of trusting him. And you –" she pointed at Commander Pixis, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "—don't you dare talk as though I can't handle myself, saying that this is his only choice. I am not a weak, breakable thing that can just be handed over to another person or used as a threat—"
Levi cut her off his lips forming the words he didn't want to say before he could stop himself, "yes. I'll do it. Just promise me she does not go to jail and she stays safe." He looked directly at Pixis, he couldn't look at her, he refused to look at his sister. He had to keep her safe, protect her, just as he had promised.
"What the hell are you doing, Levi?" She spat, she jumped forwards, her arms gripping his yanking him around to face her. "What the hell? Why did you just say that? You just said you give up our parents? What is wrong with you?" She was screaming at him now and it took all Levi's will power to not grab her and scream at her.
"I'm doing this for you, so you don't spend god know how long in jail. Our parents can deal with it." He replied, tone cold.
Meelo stared at him in shock for a moment and then she screamed in frustration, before jumping at Levi, her small hands pummelling him, hitting him anywhere she could.
"You idiot! You giant big ass! You promised me you'd take care of me." Then there were people grabbing her and pulling her off of Levi, she glared, tears filling her eyes.
"Levi, you'll be transported to the camp tomorrow; there I'll get that information from you." Commander Pixis spoke briskly, he tried not to look at the wailing girl, but just as he turned to leave Meelo clawed her way free and ran at him, grabbing his arm and forcing the Commander to look at her.
"I'm going as well. I'm joining the army with Levi."
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed and hopefully next chapter is up soon! Please stop by and leave a review, let me know what you think? c:
