Author's Notes:

I'm back… despite being two weeks late. My apologies

As for the previous chapter I was going to change Levi's nickname to his original name Rivaille. But I changed my mind. Instead I chose to add it along with the story. The explanation is in the story.

In the meanwhile thanks for the reviews, faves and follows.

It's exciting seeing the notifications telling me someone else enjoyed my story!

Happy reading!

I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITANS OR ITS CHARACTERS.


Indebted

Mother

I'd taken her, but ultimately, she'd taken me.

Levi tried to destroy her, but spontaneously, she'd destroyed him.

This was the beginning of the end.

Not the end of his feelings for her but the way of his life, his world.

Something would have to change.

Something would have to give…

Someone would have to die.

~x~


Mikasa existed with a brain full of betrayal, schemes, and plotting.

Living with the Smiths was utterly exhausting. Every day was a challenge to figure out the truths from the lies. But no matter how hard she worked, she could never seem to unravel reality from fiction.

He'd won.

And with a winner came a loser. One triumphant and one depressed. A trophy over misery.

Two days had passed since Eld had granted the truth to one of many mysteries. Two days in which she hadn't been able to think of anything else.

Mikasa wanted to hate Levi for duping her; for stringing her along like an idiot.

But whenever her anger boiled over, needing desperately to confront him, she remember one thing.

One important, vital thing.

He'd initiated contact before he was told.

He'd communicated with her almost as if it were a cry for help, rather than a plot to deceive.

If this were another trick, then so help him, she'd find a way to castrate him.

But, somehow, she didn't think it was.

She had a horrible feeling this was the one way that he would let her in. An avenue of truths that he felt comfortable enough to continue, because a silent written word didn't have as much weight as a loudly spoken one.

Which brought her back to her vitally important conclusion:

Levi wants to be honest.

He wanted to stop playing charades and show her everything he kept hidden.

He wanted to talk to someone. Perhaps, for the first time in his life, he wasn't satisfied with the hand life dealt him and…

Stop fabricating excuses.

All day, Mikasa had been coming up with theories on why he was how he was and reading too far into things that he'd done.

It could be as simple as: he'd been told to get in touch. Told to initiate contact in a way that could potentially mold her into a more submissive captive, especially if she were to believe he was on her side.

Mikasa wanted to believe he'd acted against his father. But no matter how much she wished it, it didn't make it true.

How do you explain the knowing then?

She slouched against her pillows in bed. That was true. A part of her just seemed to know. Call it either sheer idiocy or feminine intuition.

My brain hurts.

When they were alone, when they weren't arguing or fighting, there was an enchanting calmness. A connection.

Closing her eyes, Mikasa let her mind skip back to Eld's unwilling promise. The way his eyes had darkened with secrets as she'd collapsed into his arms from the news two days ago.


"Mikasa?"

A crushing headache appeared from nowhere. It was the most she could do to stay present and not permit her mind to relive every moment Levi's men, which he had sent kill her adoptive parents.

"I'm… I'm okay. You can let me go." Mikasa struggled out of Eld's embrace, her skin humming from his touch. She needed space. She needed a world full of space to get over the treachery and lies.

"Sorry to drop the bomb on you like that." Watching her, "Sad enough he really doesn't go by that name. He prefers to go by Rivaille. More biblical. But the only time he uses his other name Kite is to keep his identity hidden so it will not come back towards our family." Narrowing his eyes he watched Mikasa. "You really didn't know? You hadn't guessed?" Eld crossed his arms, never taking his brown eyes from hers.

She glowered. "How could I know? I thought it was either Reiner or you!"

He flinched. "Yes, that was the plan. To make you believe it was me, so he could continue on with whatever little mind games he was playing." Leaning closer, he added, "I haven't been aware of details of his invasion that happen to your family; so don't feel like I've intruded on the details that I shouldn't."

Anger infused her blood. "If you were both in on it; why didn't he show you the corpses of my dead….? Why were you so nice to me? What does this all mean?"

Eld moved away, reclining against an adolescent tree. "I was nice because that's just who I am. Yes, I come from a family with twisted morals, and I'm loyalto those twisted morals, but I also did it out of loyalty to my brother. If you're pissed, direct it all on him. Not me."

"Oh, believe me. I'm pissed. Beyond pissed." Mikasa's hands balled as her mind filled with crazy ideas of retribution and revenge. She would make him pay.

"I'd cool down before you spring it on him. Best to keep it quiet. Besides Erwin, it was just me who knew Levi had been in touch with you before he was given the go-ahead to gather you in the black market."

Mikasa froze. "Why did he have to murder my family almost five weeks before he could claim me?"

Eld shook his head. "The day I understand my brother is the day I'll gamble my entire inheritance on the stock market. I can't work him out. The only thing I can do is be there for him. And I only found out 'cause he changed pretty much around the same time he started searching you out. Something different… we're close. So, I saw it before the others."

Her brain throbbed trying to figure out just what had changed in Levi. He'd seemed the perfect Smith when he'd come to collect her. Cold as ice and deadly as a sword.

Now that she knew his secret, she had power. And she had no intention of giving that power back. Levi had been playing her for far too long. He'd successfully screwed with her head. It was time for payback. "Don't tell him that I know."

Eld's eyes popped wide. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Don't tell Levi about today. Let him continue to think I'm clueless." Her heart bubbled with rage and unhappiness. She was stupid to believe she'd gotten through to him on some level. The sex between them left both of them stripped bare. Something more than family feuds and hatred existed when he slide inside of her and sent both of them shattering into dust.

She'd let him inside her. In so many ways. It was her turn to do the same.

"You know I can't do that, Mikasa. As welcome as you are in our household, and as much as I like hanging out with you, I can't betray Levi. Not after everything he's been through."

She pounced on the small thread of truth about her tormentor. "What has he been through, Eld? Tell me and I'll march back to the villa right now and tell him myself."

Eld shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet her eyes. "Slip of the tongue. Forget it."

Crossing her arms, Mikasa hissed, "Fine. Seeing as you're so capable of keeping secrets, keep this one for me."

Eld scowled. "Keeping my own flesh and blood's issues hidden isn't the same thing as helping out an Ackerman."

Her heart raced. If Levi hadn't taught her how to stand up for herself, she would've cowered at the thought of being pushy with a full-grown man all alone in a forest. Now, she was raging and fully intended to get her own way. "Give me two weeks. Two weeks before you tell him that I know. Do that and I'll be forever grateful."

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "How can you be forever grateful when forever isn't something anyone has."

Especially her, seeing as her lifespan was destined to be significantly shorted than his.

"Just… please, Eld. One favor."

It took him a while to give in. His allegiance to his brother was strong.

Finally, he huffed. "Fine. But it won't save you from his temper when he finds out."


However, she had no intention of suffering Levi's wrath. She had every right to deceive him after he did it to her. Her revelations were safe; for now. She trusted that Eld wouldn't say anything. She didn't know why, but on some level she did trust Eld; just enough to use him in her plans. And she was fully committed to tripping Levi up.

It was his turn to reveal things he might not have if he'd known the truth. Hiding behind the pretense that Rivaille was Eld had made him softer the past weeks. She could use that crack to make the crevice she'd been trying to form since she gave him a blowjob after hunting her down.

She couldn't think about anything else. She couldn't focus on sketching, sewing, reading.

Nothing.

Her brain was a whirly-gig of Levi. Rivaille. Kite. Levi. Rivaille. Kite.

And she'd had enough.

Throwing herself out of bed another sleepless night, Mikasa wrenched back the curtains and frowned at the gloomy weather.

The watery dawn did nothing to inspire either anger or contentment. The sky has grey. Fog looked like haunting ghosts, threading its ghoulish tentacles over the lower woodland of the estate. No birds chirped or sun shone.

Summer had truly abandoned them. The bit in the air shouted 'go back to bed where it's warm' but her brain had no such intention.

She hadn't relaxed for two days. Now that she knew it was him, her willingness to show so much had gone. Knowledge was power and he had too much of hers already. How could she dig deeper into his mystery while maintaining all of hers?

The answer… she couldn't. And that made her incredibly nervous. To find out who he truly was, she had to show everything that made her real. And despite the emotionally growth spurt she'd endured at the hands of the Smiths, she wasn't ready to evolve again. She'd lost so much herself already; how much was she prepared to leave behind before she became a perfect stranger?

"Ah!" Mikasa dug her fingers into her hair. She needed an absolution from her racing thoughts, and she knew exactly how to do it.

Mother Nature's sudden urge to switch seasons from summer to winter couldn't stop her itch.

She needed fresh air, and she needed it now.

Racing around her room in the new Ackerman quarters where Levi had made her beg and come apart with his member deep inside her. She found a pair of black spandex shorts and highlighter pink sports bra. Pulling the clothing on, followed by her sneakers, she quickly smoothed her hair into a bun and shot from the room.

She hadn't worn exercise gear since the morning of the brutal murder of her adoptive parents. She'd sprinted until she'd collapsed off the street in her old village.

Jogging down the corridor, Mikasa's racing mind and temper eased, already reacting to the stress relief she'd sought all her life.

I need him out.

It wasn't fair. She was supposed to seduce him and make him care for her; not the other way around. She wasn't supposed to fall for her own games.

Lust was as dangerous as love. Only it was worse because it had the power to make even the worst ideas seem reasonable; and even recommended, when sexual reward was given.

The moment Levi gave in and kissed her, she'd betrayed more than just herself. She'd betrayed her entire family line and all the Ackerman women who'd died before her.

She had feelings for him.

A dangerous softness toward her would-be-killer.

It has to end.

She had to find a way to seduce him… to make him love her, all while she kept her heart reserved and locked away in an ice fortress.

She laughed under her breath. You sound just like him.

Only, ice wasn't resistant. Ice melted and succumbed to fire.

She'd proven that over the past month.

The house breathed around her with gentle heartbeats only ancient dwellings could have. Spirits of past generations lived in its walls, phantoms danced in the drapery, and figments of long forgotten lovers floated through the tapestries.

A grandfather clock tick-tocked as she jogged past, showing the time at six thirty a.m.

After being privy to the business meetings with Eld and the Brotherhood, Mikasa knew the men never got up early. They worked late, dealing with shipments and transportation of stones worth more than any dress she could sew. Darkness was their asset, the sun their foe.

At least she could run and be back before anyone tried to stop her.

She didn't want to draw the wrong conclusion that she was trying to escape again. She blinked as she ran head first into a horrendous conclusion.

Even if you found the boundary this morning, you wouldn't leave.

Her heart thumped harder at the tangled web she lived.

Freedom was something she wanted more than anything. But even if she escaped the Smiths, she would only run back into the trap of pity. She wanted more than that. She deserved more than that.

If she found the estate edge, she wouldn't disappear. She couldn't.

Her captivity wasn't just about her anymore. It was about the future. It was about Levi.

Admit it…

It was about living.

The passion, the intensity, the blazing violence of existing with enemies and plotting beneath their noses was a much worthier cause than sitting at home sewing for the common people.

This was about her. She standing up for herself, and for the future she wanted, not a future already planned for her.

This was about so many twisted things.

She wrenched open the French doors at the end of the corridor and stumbled into the foggy dawn. Fresh air welcomed her and she found a reprieve from her scramble thoughts.

I can't forget my ultimate plan.

No matter how Levi endeared himself to her; giving her glimpses of someone barely coping inside his wintry armor, she wasn't going to forget her goal.

Freedom.

Not just for herself, but for the rest of her legacy. Her children and their children and their children's children would never have to go through this. She intended to be the last Ackerman stolen.

It's time for a new debt; one that owes us life, not death.

Sucking in lungfuls of crisp air, Mikasa strengthened herself in what she had to do. In order to win, she had to guard her soul. She had to play along with Levi's mind games and hope to God she won first.

A cool breeze whistled through the trees, sounding like haunted cries. She shivered, wishing she'd brought a jacket.

You'll be sweating in ten minutes. Ignore it.

Gritting her teeth against the cold, she bent over and stretched her quads. The tug and slow release of muscles was heaven after the stress of the past few days.

Her body hummed with the knowledge it was about to run.

And run.

And run.

For fun this time, not for survival.

Bouncing in place, Mikasa rolled her shoulders, eyeing up the extensive lawn before her. If she went right, she'd loop around the stables towards the beach. If she went left, she'd cut through the sprawling rose garden and orchards.

Go straight.

Down the twisting path that disappeared over the horizon.

She switched from bouncing to jogging.

"And just where do you think you're going?" a cool voice whispered through the silver fog.

Mikasa wrenched to a stop, peering behind her.

No one.

"I thought you'd realized running wasn't a viable option, Ms. Ackerman."

His icy voice sent a strange mixture of hot and cold desire down her spine. Levi morphed into being, seeming to solidify from the mist like a terrible poltergeist. He leaned against one of the pillars holding up the entryway, crossing his arms.

Her heart collapsed, unable to untangle the maze of hypocrisy between them. Her skin begged for his touch, her lips tingled for his. Every inch of her craved what he could deliver.

Heat. Passion. An eruption that she felt in every cell.

But none of that was real.

And she refused to believe in trickery any longer.

Mirroring his body language, she crossed her arms. "I realize escaping isn't a viable option. But I'm not escaping. I'm running. Running is my only option to escape the mess you've made."

His jaw clenched. "The mess I've made?"

"Yes." She took a step backward as he advanced. "You're messing me up, and I'm done playing whatever it is that you're doing." She sucked in a courage and embraced honesty. It seemed to work around him, and she needed him to see how serious she was. How hurt she was with his deception.

He's Rivaille now.

Bastard.

Baring her teeth, Mikasa said, "It seems I have a weakness for you, but I changed my mind. I don't-"

A low growl escaped him. "A weakness? You call what happened between us a fucking weakness?"

Her breathing intensified as if she'd already run two miles. "The worst kind of weakness."

He smiled, but no humor entered his gaze. If anything, his gray eyes were glowing with anger. "You're the one who started it… Mikasa."

She gasped at the delicious corruption of her name on his lips. The sound echoed in his mouth, shooting straight to her core.

Shit.

Levi advanced again, his body trembling with barely veiled lust. "You're the one who created this problem." His hand came up, fingers slinking through her tied-up hair, tightening around the back of her skull. "I can't hear the name Ackerman without getting fucking hard. I can't even think of you without boiling with need."

His nose brushed against hers, his lips so damn close to stealing all her scrambled plans and sending her headfirst into a life of sin.

"You should never have said those two words, Ms. Ackerman. I told you. We're both fucked now."

Her mind was blank, every synapse focusing on his fingers in her hair and his mouth only millimeters from hers. "What two words?"

He chuckled. The sound was humble and almost sullen with dark intensity. "Kiss me."

Mikasa shivered in his hold. "You're reminding me of what started this mess, or you're asking me to kiss you?"

Ask me. And I will. God, how I will.

She'd kiss him until she'd stripped him of his arctic armor and destroyed it, she'd lick him until she tasted his truth, and she'd bit him until she'd eaten every fragment of his soul.

She'd do all that so he had nowhere left to hide.

They stood wrapped in foggy silence. The drawn out anticipation of a kiss turned her legs to jelly. If he pressed his mouth to hers, she wouldn't be going for her run. She would climb his body and sink onto his member.

Fakery be damned.

Kite/Rivaille's sins and deceit be damned.

She just wanted a raw connection; with this man, who made her soul whimper for wrongness.

Levi's tongue slipped between his lips, hypnotizing her. Then… he let her go. "No, I'm not asking you to kiss me. I won't ask anything from you."

Mikasa flinched as if he'd slapped her. "Why not?"

"Because I own you. Everything I want will be given, not requested."

Double shit.

She should hate him. She should smite him. So, why did his every word seduce her, even while his morals were narrow-minded and heartless?

Forcing her body to obey, she shoved the weakness she had for him as far away as possible. Her eyes trailed down his front. He wore tan jodhpurs, black riding boots, and a tweed jacket. The bulge between his legs looked heavy and far too dangerous to be legal.

"You've been riding."

A gentle gust of early morning air blew his scent directly into her nose. She inhaled, soaking her lungs in hay, horse, and all things Levi.

He nodded, crossing his arms once again. You run. I ride. Seems we have something else in common."

Something other than being forced into this debt and finding each other irresistible, you mean?

"Oh, what's that?"

Levi stepped closer, seeming to bring shadows into the smoky light of dawn. "We both need time alone to hide from the things that chase us." He stiffened, his eyes churning with things he refused to voice. His strong jaw clenched as his lips parted while his gaze was pure brimstone.

Swiftly, he cupped her cheek.

Oh, God.

Electricity instantly sparked beneath his fingertips.

Would I always suffer the ecstasy of his touch?

Mikasa's skin seethed; pinpricks of light, of fire, of hell, all shimmering beneath his hold. She swayed, pressing her face harder into his palm.

He sucked in a breath, his fingers digging harder against her cheekbone.

The chemistry and need to devour one another thickened with every heartbeat.

One beat.

Two beat.

Three.

They stood there, frozen on the stoop of Smithsridge Villa just waiting for the other to move. The moment they did, their clothes would disintegrate and she would willingly let him drag her into a bush and fuck her.

Lust and tension swirled.

She had so many questions and doubts; so many reasons to hate and fear him. But when he touched her… poof.

She no longer remembered, nor cared.

They swayed closer, drawn against their will to close the aching distance.

Mikasa couldn't breathe.

Kiss me. Please, kiss me.

The moment stretched until it hummed with overwhelming possibilities.

Then, it snapped.

Loudly.

Painfully.

Shattering around their feet.

"You're too fucking dangerous," Levi muttered, removing his touch and stepping away. Dragging his hand through his hair, he commanded, "Wait here. Don't go anywhere." His hands went to his jacket buttons, undoing them. With quick fingers.

She blinked, struggling to shed herself of heavy need and focus on the true reason why she stood barely dressed in the freezing morning. "I'm not escaping. I'll be back in forty minutes or so."

He shook his head, slipping out of his tweed jacket and revealing a black long-sleeved jumper.

Her mouth went dry. Even in clothing, she could make out every ridge of muscle in his stomach, every ripple of energy as he breathed in and out. He was designed straight from her fantasies, and she hated him for being so splendid.

Her core clenched, sending flutters of wetness between her legs.

Mikasa hadn't seen him in two days, yet she'd panted after him as if he'd been missing her entire life.

If he suspected she knew that he was Rivaille/Kite, he hadn't let on. After Eld had told her the truth, she'd waited for Levi to barge into her room and swear her to secrecy.

But he hadn't.

He didn't look at her any differently; he gave no outward sign that his lies had begun to unravel. As much as he confounded and frustrated her, she couldn't help admiring his perfection at hiding.

She wanted to be like him. She wanted to protect her secrets so damn well that whatever she did next would come as a surprise.

She wanted to rule him.

"I'm coming with you. Don't leave." He disappeared into the house, leaving her abandoned and covered in chills from both the morning air and his departure.

Jogging in place, she considered ignoring him and leaving.

Just go.

What was the worst that could happen? He'd have to chase her again. Her tummy coiled at the thought. She liked that idea way too much. She liked the thought of what would happen after he found her.

The power she'd felt giving him that blowjob. The awe and attraction that'd glowed in his eyes.

I want that again.

Screw waiting like a good little captive.

Make him hunt.

And then she would make him explode.

Mikasa bolted.

~x~


Of course, she ran.

Levi fully expected her to.

Unlike last time when he expected her to cower by his feet, he had the last month to get to know his charge. Through getting into her mind, and getting into her body by sheer insane passion, he'd come to understand her; more than she knew.

And unfortunately for her, she'd lost the ability to surprise him.

She'd lost the ability because he'd been inside her body and mind. He'd traded his soul for her; no matter how much she would deny it. No matter how much he would deny it. They were linked.

Connected.

Bound.

Somehow, she'd crept inside his barricaded heart. She'd weakened him; but that weakness worked both ways.

He felt her. He heard her fears, tasted her tears, and somehow knew how she would react.

He hadn't permitted anyone to have that control over him since Minna. Even he and Eld didn't share such a strong connection.

That strange bond had a name.

He called it his disease.

And it only got worse the more he was around Mikasa.

He craved her so intensely; he would break both of them before any more debts were paid.

Levi didn't think she believed him when he said they were well and truly fucked. And not just because of his father and what he would do. But because of what he was.

Because of his condition.

The moment he left her in the entryway, he knew she'd go. The knowledge echoed in his bones, making it fact rather than speculation.

In the time it took to jog back to his room and trade his riding attire for all-black workout gear, she'd left.

Balling his hands in the cool morning air, Levi smiled. A genuine smile. It'd been forever since he'd let himself relax enough to be genuine about any emotion.

Just like empathy and compassion were banned from his repertoire, so too, was feeling something so purely that it became a spark in his dead heart. He didn't want to be genuine about anything because it could be used against him.

It was best to hate everything and everyone. To hide his true desires even from himself.

The anticipation of another hunt sent his blood flowing thick and hot.

Her tiny footprints led a trail, like enticing crumbs. The dew-damp grass flattened from her path.

I'm coming, Mikasa.

Just like before, he took off after his prey. But the difference between this chase and the previous one was he knew she wanted him to hunt her. He knew she wanted to be found. And he knew she fed off this cat and mouse idiocy as much as he did.

His legs spread into a large stride as he left the Villa behind.

He preferred to perch on the back of Freedom when galloping fast and far. He wasn't a jogger. It wasn't quick enough for him. He missed the power of a large beast between his legs, responding to the commands to race and outrun everything that he was.

Every footfall caused him to wince from what he'd done to himself in the last 'fixing' session. The pain radiated up his legs. He supposed he should be grateful for the agony; it helped him in so many ways. And he needed all the help he could get with Mikasa wreaking havoc in his world.

You know it's no longer working, so why still do it?

That was true.

Pain no longer held the comfort or fortress it used to. Minna was right. It was time to start looking at other methods, or, if he was brave enough, let everything that he'd been hiding emerge.

He snorted at the reaction that would get him. Not to mention the complications with his father.

No, he wasn't ready. Not yet. Besides, he had more important things on his mind.

Such as hunting.

Leaping over the rock wall and tearing down the path, Levi put his head down and ran after his little Ackerman.

~o~


A pitiful six minutes later, Levi gained on her.

Her stride and pace were impressive, and he had to appreciate her crafty ways of trying to throw him off her trail by cutting across the driveway and disappearing into the woods on the other side.

But he was an experienced hunter.

Her clues littered behind her, leading him directly to his prey.

Her hair bounced, locks coming loose from her hair-tie. Her sculptured legs led to the firmest ass he'd ever seen.

His mouth watered.

He wanted to bite it. Bite her. Lick her. Fuck her.

"This seems all too familiar," he muttered, pulling up beside her with a burst of speed.

She jumped. Clutching her heart. "Shit, I didn't hear you creeping behind me."

"Creeping? I did nothing of the sort."

She rolled her eyes, settling back into the punishing pace she'd set. He matched his stride to hers. Companionable silence fell as his attention turned inward again, focusing on the agony in his feet.

He really shouldn't have chosen that part of his body; especially if running with her became a frequent occurrence. He'd have to find a new place in which to fix himself. The soles of his feet had been used for years; when he needed the extra buffer. No one could see the marks, no one would know, and the pain was constant whenever he moved.

A perfect place for secrets.

"Do you run?" Mikasa asked. Her breathing was heavy but even, her fitness level higher than his own.

Levi shook his head. "No. I prefer exercise where a horse does the hard work, or perhaps a punching bag that takes my fists."

"You do that often?"

"What, ride?"

"No, assault an innocent punching bag." Her dark eyes landed on his, diving deep into his complexities before he slammed up his walls and prevented her from seeing any more.

"No more than usual," he said, pulling ahead of her.

With a small grunt, she matched him, not letting him disappear. "I know you have issues, Levi. But I'll keep my speculations to myself… for now." Running for a while, she finally asked, "What time did you wake up today?"

He frowned, gritting his teeth against the pounding pain in his feet. "What?"

"It's dawn, yet you've already been for a ride. Are you an early riser?"

He snorted. You could say that. "I'm not good at sleeping. Freedom is used to me."

"Freedom?"

"My gelding." He threw her a glance. "The horse I was riding when I tracked you. Remember?"

Mikasa's face shadowed. No doubt thinking about the hunt and the significant amazing blowjob.

Sexual tension sprang harder between them, itching his skin, making his member swell.

His voice turned gruff as he added, "Ever since he was broken in, Freedom has been used to me sneaking into the stables and going for a ride in the dead of the night. He got a small sleep in today. I didn't saddle him up until four a.m."

Mikasa nodded, soaking up his confession as if he'd announced the epicenter of why he was fucked up.

"You didn't have any shipments to take care of?"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "How do you…" He cut his self off. Eld. Of course. The weeks they'd spent together meant she would probably have a good idea of the sort of wealth they smuggled and the amount of shipments completed since she'd arrived at the Villa.

"Why can't you sleep?" she asked. They ran side-by-side, leaving the gloom of the forest and trading mud for the gravel of a pathway.

He looked up. His heart screamed.

Shit, we're on the wrong track.

He didn't want her to see what was up ahead. Not yet. He was sure his father had some sick agenda to show her when she fell out of his good graces, but he didn't want to break her again. Not so soon.

He'd avoided the place most of his life. It held only terror. So, why the fuck were they running toward it? It was almost as if she'd been summoned by forces outside his comprehension.

A chill darted down his back at the thought. He slowed his pace.

Mikasa looked back, decreasing her steps to match his. "Are you going to answer me?"

What, why can't I sleep?

"No."

He had no intention of answering. There was no easy response, and she knew far too much about him already. Trying to distract her, he said, "Why do you have to run?"

She ran a hand over her forehead, wiping away glistening sweat. "To re-center myself. At home, it was the only time I had to calm my mind. The death of my parents and the demands… it all stole something that I only found again when I was alone with just my frantic heartbeat to keep me company."

Shit.

Her answer was fucking perfect.

Levi swallowed hard as a glow of more than just lust washed over him.

She understood. She dealt with the same pressures, the same expectations. Only her flaws were visible to everyone, while he hid his own as best he could.

Admit it. The moment you saw her with her adoptive brother in town, you knew.

He fisted his hands, trying to stop the conclusion from forming.

But it was no use. His mind delivered the crushing knowledge with elaboration and barely hidden relief.

She's the same as you. You could tell her.

No fucking way would he ever tell her.

He didn't want to feel anything for her, but he did care. Enough to stop her from seeing what existed ahead. He might not want her in his brain, but he didn't want her in pieces, either.

Levi slammed to a halt. "Mikasa. Stop."

Locking her knees, she bounced in place and turned to face him. Her chest rose quickly, panting for breath. "What? Why?"

His eyes involuntarily went to the break in the trees up ahead. Damn sunshine broke through the fog at the same moment, spotlighting the one place he didn't want her to see.

Mikasa followed his gaze. Her shoulders hunched, feeding off his nerves. "What's up there, Levi?"

"Nothing."

"If it's nothing, then why are you determined not to let me see?"

His temper fed off her nervousness, creating a sick sensation in his gut. "Because it's time to get back. You've wasted enough of the day doing something as pointless as running." He snapped his fingers. "Let's go. Now."

Her eyes filled with rebellion. She looked back to the hill, chewing her lip.

Levi moved forward, ready to pounce and drag her back to the Villa. "Ms. Ackerman-"He inched closer.

Hesitation flashed over her face.

He tried to grab her. But he was too late.

Darting away from him, she said, "I want to see what you're hiding," then bolted down the path.

"Fuck!"

Her hair flew free from her hair-tie as she sprinted faster up the gravel and onto the hill that he wished didn't exist.

Shit, she's fast.

He tore after her, wishing he had Broly and the other foxhounds to swoop in and cut her off before she reached the crest.

His feet burned and his socks became slippery as old wounds opened. His lungs weren't delivering enough oxygen as he sprinted the final distance and skidded to a halt.

She'd turn from super-sonic to a statue, staring dumbfounded at what existed before her.

Goddammit, why did she have to be so determined to uncover what I wanted to keep hidden? The truth never helped… it only made things worse.

Her hands flew into her black hair, fisting tightly. "Oh, my God…"

Levi sucked in air, hating the sensation of trespassing on such a sacred site. He wasn't welcome here. None of his family was welcome, and if he were superstitious, he would admit there was a motionless force that howled with hatred and pain.

"No!" she whispered. Her strong legs that sent her flying into hell suddenly collapsed from beneath her.

Her fingers dove into the dirt, clutching at grass and mud. "This can't be real. It can't"

She bowed with disbelief, kneeling on the grave of her mother.

Her anguish joined the storm of disgust that never seemed to leave this place. Goosebumps darted down his arms as a gust of wind whipped her hair into a wild mess.

"Ms. Ackerman…" He moved forward, fully intending to pluck her from the earth and hurl her over his shoulder.

I can't be here another fucking second. Goddammit, this isn't supposed to happen.

Her eyes met his, but they didn't swim with tears; black hate shimmered instead. "Is this true? All along, Mr. Yeager had said someone had given my mother a proper burial along with my father. At that moment it clicked in my head that maybe they were still alive, because not once did he take me to see their graves. After what your father said… about what he'd done, I still held onto those childish stories that she was alive. But this…" Her voice sliced through him. "Is. This. True? All this time my mother has been buried, cold and lonely, in the ground of the men who murdered her?!"

Levi swallowed, rapidly diving into the safety net of his snow. He couldn't stand there and hear her horror. He couldn't let her grief infect him. He refused to fucking listen.

"I didn't do it."

As if that makes it any easier to bear.

Mikasa shook her head, staring at him as if he were some grotesque eyesore. "You didn't do it? Do you think I care if it wasn't your hands who severed her life? It was you family, Levi. You're a monster… just like them!"

The cuts on his feet no longer protected him. He was so fucking close to losing control.

He itched with the need to shut down. To hide from everything snowballing inside. "Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Mikasa spun to face the burial place of her mother.

His eyes rose to read the inscription on the simple marble headstone looming over her trembling form.

In here lies payment for debts now paid.

Rest fitfully Hatsu Ackerman wherein hell you may

face another toll.

Mikasa looked over her shoulder, her eyes widened until they were as black and as soul-sucking as an eclipse. "Levi…"

The pain and hatred in her voice sliced him better than any cut on his foot. He took a step backward, placing distance between them. "I can't give you what you want."

She shook her head. "You can't or you won't"

He knew she wanted answers. An explanation. Facts on why her family was buried on Smith land and how they circled the law to do things no one else could.

But what could he say? He was bound. Muzzled. Shackled, not by Smith blood, but that very condition that made him a reject in his own family.

The truth hurt. Fuck, everything hurt.

Her panic. Her grief. The throbbing pain in his feet.

He had to get away.

This is why he'd remained cold. Why he did what he did.

This was why he never let anyone get close to him and embraced his duties as a son over the cravings of his heart.

His disease meant he couldn't let things like this happen.

Levi couldn't handle it.

"I told you I didn't want you to see this place but you fucking defied me!" Hot anger gave him somewhere to hide. "I refuse to indulge your feelings of self-pity." Rage coated his veins, granting sanctuary.

He backed away. Distancing himself from the raw fury glowing on her face. "Come here. We're leaving." He snapped his fingers again. "Now!"

Mikasa stood. Her eyes darted to the semicircle of death surrounding them. An unlucky horseshoe of tombs.

Her chest rose as a silent sob escaped her. Waving her hand at the other graves, she shook her head. In one motion, she asked a lifetime of questions.

How could you?

How did you get away with it?

Why has no one stopped you?

Levi had no answers.

His eyes fell on the graves.

Six in total.

All with a diamond carved into the remembrance of their tombstone and the ultimate mockery of all: a hammer perched on the top, its face and neck dripping blood down the face of the eulogy.

"This… it can't be real. No one could be this diabolical."

You're wrong. The Smiths can.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Quiet." Looking back up, he demanded, "Say goodbye. We're leaving, and I doubt you'll be allowed back up here."

Her mouth twisted with black bewilderment. "You… I don't have any words for what I think about you. How sick you make me."

"Good. I don't want words. I want to leave."

Storming forward, Levi grabbed her elbow, yanking her away from the cemetery.

"No!" she screamed, scratching his hand and backpedalling. A huge wave of anguish struck him. Everything she felt poured from her like a tsunami. He stood, unable to move as it drowned him.

Apart from knocking her unconscious and carrying her back to the Villa, he had no way of making her leave. He couldn't handle carrying her kicking and screaming.

He'd break.

She rattled with pieces of her broken heart, and just once, he wanted to give in to her compassion that others enjoyed.

But he couldn't.

Levi couldn't stand there while she grieved.

It just wasn't possible.

Not for a man like him.

Sighing, he said, "Fine. Stay. Pay your respects and worship the dead, but you'll do it alone."

You'll do it alone, so I don't lose the rest of my soul.

This wasn't a good place for a Smith, but in a way, it was home to an Ackerman. She might find whatever she was missing by conversing with her past.

"I'll… I'll leave you alone."

Mikasa balled her hands, looking as if she wanted to attack him. "Disappear, Mr. Smith. Run like you always do. Good fucking riddance. Leave you piece of shit. Get the hell away from me and don't come back!"

Levi paused for a fraction. He should do something about her outburst; teach her that he wouldn't permit her to raise her voice, but he was done here.

Taking another step away, he said, "I'll see you back at the Villa."

She didn't reply.

With a black-laced heart and thundering headache, Levi backed away, faster and faster. Her arms wrapped around her body and her hair danced in the turbulent breeze. She looked like a witch placing a curse upon his house. Then she collapsed at the base of her mother's tombstone, bowing in the dirt. He left her with only ghosts for company, kneeling on the grave of her ancestors.

Shuddering once, Levi turned and didn't look back.

To Be Continued


Author's Notes:

Hatsu – Firstborn Daughter

Tell me what you think so far

Yes and the Mikasa that fought with rage from the beginning will be back.

Also another debt will be paid soon… just not yet.

Please Review!