The tall, elegant woman who came down the stairs in tightly laced ankle boots and billowing skirts was a stranger to him. Levi could do nothing but gape up at her dumbstruck, only one thought tumbling around in his skull… damn.

"Do you think it looks strange?" She grimaced, touching the coquettish little hat balanced on top of her head.

Help.

The apparition had Hanji's voice and there was the eye-patch over her left eye. But the rest…? There even were two ringlets bouncing merrily around her ears with every step she took towards him! She held a silly thing in her hand and he blanked on what it was called, that's how confused he was. Para… Para… something.

"I don't think I gave you permission to get out of bed," someone addressed him from behind. Ugh. Hanji's doctor. Lucky for him Levi was too preoccupied with staring at that… that person on the stairs to kill him for sneaking up on him like this.

"Last time I checked, you weren't my father and you sure aren't my Commander," Levi snarled at him viciously, taking pleasure in the visible recoil his aggressive demeanor caused.

The brown-haired man was so tall he had adopted a slouch, likely because he was afraid to hit his head on door frames. He may have the stature of a giant but Levi was confident he could knock him over with a mere flick of his fingers. The doctor might be tall but he was also soft and flabby and his tongue was probably his strongest muscle.

"Easy," Hanji quickly sauntered down the last few steps to stand next to the doctor. Had she grown in their time apart? Levi frowned up and then down in displeasure. The shoes! They added several inches to her height, how rude! "Let me properly introduce you two: Levi, this is Doctor von Bergmann, his late wife was from the Oriental Clan. He has been of tremendous help to our cause and to me in particular. Ernst, this is Levi Ackerman, Captain Levi, my lieutenant and right hand man, I trust him with my life."

Ernst, was it? Levi glared up into the curious face of someone he instinctively hated like the plague. Which was probably unreasonable, the Doctor seemed to know what he was doing, he had sutured his knife wound expertly, it barely hurt to move - and if Hanji said he had been helpful to her, it was a very good thing, one to be grateful for. Hanji's health had been a constant worry of his for years, Armin just wasn't ready yet to take over as Commander and Levi sure didn't want the position.

"Shake his hand," Hanji whispered, elbowing him in the ribs.

The Doctor had extended a hand expectantly. Ugh, if I must. Levi squeezed the giant's hand with enough force to make the saggy being wince in pain.

"Hey," Hanji hissed angrily, "didn't I tell you to work on your manners?"

Maybe she had, Levi thought sullenly, lessening his grip a little, on that ship that had carried them across the salt lake. He had hated every second on that thing, having no control over its movements nor over its functions. Why it should not sink but actually move forward at reasonable speed was beyond him and he had hardly slept a wink in expectation of the worst.

"Do something about that sour mood," Hanji had scolded him before their arrival, she had only been half-joking. "You stand out like a sore thumb with this perennial pout of yours!"

He had no reason to be in a good mood though, even if she seemed to think there was nothing more delightful than to put her life into the hands of others and their stinky, loud machines. In his opinion, this overseas mission was far too risky, and the potential gain too elusive. The arrival of the Azumabitos may be considered a stroke of good luck by the brass - when it was clearly almost only an economic calculation on the foreigners' part - and their thorough dependence on that Clan's benevolence was a source of great anxiety to Levi. Going up against Titans was what the Survey Corps was good at - but taking on a whole nation, potentially the whole world on their turf with only two handfuls of soldiers? Only an absolute lunatic could come up with a plan like that! Hanji was possessed by Erwin, he had concluded back then.

"He isn't thinking of fighting tonight?" Hanji's doctor addressed her incredulously.

"I'm right here, fucker," Levi grumbled, his annoyance for being treated like an unruly child whose parents talked about him over his head leaving a tangy taste in his mouth.

Hanji shrugged in response, looking like the Hanji he knew for a moment. Exasperated and exhausted.

"That's insane," the Doctor groaned. "That wound is deep."

"Ah, you know," Hanji sighed and tilted her head to the side as she let her eyes glide fondly over Levi's body. "Stopping him from doing what he thinks he must do is impossible."

At that, Levi stood a little straighter. Being praised like that made his face feel warm. Eight months. Like it or not, he was parched for Hanji praise. Hell, even Hanji scoldings. And of course he wouldn't let himself be stopped, she was absolutely right! This fight was important, for more than one reason. The measly doctor sure wouldn't understand, but Hanji might.

"We gotta go," he grumbled and poked an aggressive index finger in the Doctor's direction. "But you, Ernst, can't come, it's too dangerous in Lowtown for the likes of you, and I can't protect you tonight."

The doctor blinked down at him through his stupid round glasses that were hanging halfway off his nose.

"What was that about fathers and commanders?" He lifted his eyebrows with a faint smirk. "You will need a doctor, Mr. Ackerman, that much I can guarantee. I am coming to that fight and I will patch you up afterwards. You can thank me then."

Levi looked at Hanji, expecting her to tell the Doctor to shut it and stay home. But nah... nothing. Eight months and that flaccid four-eyes had obviously managed to win Hanji's affections. She's always been much too trusting, Levi thought angrily. Fuck this! Suit yourselves.

"I can't protect you either in that thing," he told Hanji as they exited the house, Jean and Connie in tow. "Who puts on clothes like that?"

"Women, my dear Levi," Hanji chuckled, opening up that para-something to block out the sun. "The richer, the frillier, it's the same here. You know that Alexia Smith is fairly well off, right? Her husband runs a thriving trading company down at the docks after all!"

"You look like a clown," he told her, though he couldn't quite help sounding smug. My husband, she had said. That was him. "You'll trip and fall in an emergency."

"It's detachable," Hanji lifted the outer fabric of her skirts to demonstrate, "plenty of other things underneath here, see? Women don't fight around here."

"That's not true," Levi bristled, "I've met plenty who do. Passably so I have to add."

Well, at least the few that came to his boxing classes but no need to go into details. Fact was, he didn't want Hanji to look like… this. So… different. Beautiful. A bit like a flower. It made him feel awkward, like his normal way of expressing himself was inadequate.

"Oh?" Hanji seemed acutely interested in the fighting women he'd met, her visible eye glistening excited behind the glasses. "You have to tell me everything that happened to you in the last eight months!" She interlinked her arm with his, drawing him a little closer. Hanji-scent flooded his nostrils. "We have to walk like this, you know? We are married after all, Mr. Smith."

Ah yeah? Levi pulled her closer as well so that their sides bumped into each other and he almost tripped over that ludicrous outfit of hers.

"I'm going to take you by your word. Mrs. Smith," he smirked. "We've got quite some catching up to do after eight months of separation."

"Is that a promise?"

Too flustered to respond, Levi kicked a pebble and watched it zoom through the evening air.

###

"Begad, this is very exciting," Ernst von Bergmann exclaimed, the sound of his voice drowned out by the ruckus of hundreds of spectators shouting at each other, the air heavy with the smoke of cigarettes, the odor of sweating male bodies, piss and cheap alcohol. "Let me go have a look at the construction of the boxing ring!"

Yes, it was exciting, she thought as she watched his retreating back, nobody was immune to the sizzling tension before a fight as big as this one. But… Zoë couldn't stop the worry from settling heavy in her stomach. A different place, a different time - and yet, it reminded her too much of another fate-charged fight whose bloody outcome haunted her nightmares to this day.

I should have stopped him. There already was an attempt on his life this morning.

Only that the joy of reuniting with Levi had addled her brain and it was too late to order him to stay away now: A glimpse of Levi before he had disappeared backstage had turned the crowd into a frantic mess. That, too… much too familiar.

"You really Mr. Smith's Missus?" A guy in a black cap had asked doubtfully at the entrance but Jean had smacked him over the head and told him to zip it. Someone in their employ, Jean explained. Would you believe it, Levi had built up a whole gang!

"He's gonna win this, isn't he?"

It was noticeable that the boys were not worried about Levi in the least, so maybe she shouldn't be either.

"Sure, Captain Levi always wins."

Even though Zoë knew that the town had been abuzz with news about this particular fight for weeks - it had something to do about the opponent - she had not quite understood just how famous Levi was. Human beings were much alike, whatever race they belonged to, Zoë pondered. This society they found themselves an unwitting part of since crossing the ocean was thirsting after a distraction from the decades of war that had exhausted them physically and emotionally. Levi, the small, perfect fighting machine, was the perfect distraction. And these people didn't even know he was humanity's strongest!

"Those guys down there belong to the Bindella gang," Jean explained once he had shown her to her seat. "They're our main rivals."

"Your arrival ruffled feathers?" Zoë felt a twinge of jealousy that she had missed all the fun. She accepted a cup of warm beer from Connie who had gone to fetch drinks and snacks for them from one of the hawkers.

"Captain Levi didn't tell you?" Jean nodded proudly. "It only took us two months to dominate the scene."

They began to feed her anecdote after anecdote. Obviously, she was right to feel jealous: The Levi group had had all the fun! While she had built a respectable life for her group with proper jobs and… Eren. Zoë sighed. She had failed. She should have let Levi handle Eren.

"Aurelio coming?" Connie nudged Jean in the ribs with a huge grin.

"She said she would," Jean turned adoringly red. "Not sure she can make it."

Oh? Zoë lifted her eyebrows. Did this sound like Jean had finally found a girl?

"Man, I wish Sasha was here!" Connie sighed dramatically. "I bet you she ate too much to move."

Listening to the boys discuss Sasha's obsession with a certain cook and his food, Zoë sipped her piss-warm drink and observed the crowd around them. Liberio's low-lives looked far better off than anything she had ever seen in the Underground. Insufficient nutrition and bad hygiene were things the state of Marley had begun to tackle a few years ago, Ernst had told her, installing sewers in all parts of town and distributing basic food items to the poor. A group of doctors had gotten together, going into Lowtown areas once a week to offer consultation hours for the less fortunate. Which meant: Only Eldians were locked up and treated like shit.

"Careful," Connie stood up abruptly, spilling half his beer on himself, drawing Jean to his feet too. "Enemy approaching!"

Zoë looked up, seeing a handsome, well-dressed man with olive skin make his way through the crowd. No need to tell her that this man was a VIP, and not someone to trifle with, it was obvious from the way people ducked away in front of him. Besides, there was a gloomy tank of a man dogging him, looking ready to stomp on anyone who annoyed him.

"We come in peace," the handsome one smiled at Connie and Jean. He sported a vivid purple bruise on his left cheek, making him look extra rakish, with eyes that were cold, mean and calculating. "I just wanted to greet our guest of honor. Mrs. Smith, I presume?" He took off his hat and bowed elegantly. "It such a pleasure to meet you. How come nobody told me how beautiful you are?"

"May you be Mr. Bindella?" Zoë smiled, getting to her feet too. "I have heard so much about you!" Flattery won't get you anywhere, scumbag.

"That I am," Bindella bowed again. "Would you do me the honor of joining me down below? You will have a much better view from there!"

"I'd be honored," Zoë smiled, ignoring Jean and Connie's alarmed indrawing of breath. Please boys, don't sweat it. I can take care of myself. "If you see Ernst, tell him to stay with you," he instructed them. Please don't let him be another fool who rushes headlong into danger.

"This is my brother Donatello," Mr. Bindella pointed at the silent hulk behind him. "He doesn't speak much."

"Pleased to meet you too," Zoë smiled, surprised to see a faint blush appear on the massive man's swarthy skin. Maybe he didn't get to talk to women often.

It's the same everywhere, Zoë concluded as she walked down towards the center of the room with the two gang leaders behind her. Underground on Paradis, Lowtown in Liberio, there's not much difference. Where there are people, they fight over something. Once they have won, they look for the next thing to fight over. I'm so tired of this shit.

"I once knew a man named Renzo," she told Bindella over her shoulder, "you remind me of him."

"Oh? How interesting," he couldn't make it more obvious that he wasn't interested at all. His loss.

"Yes, very," Zoë nodded. "He was an artist but inherited a business empire by accident. My dear husband Edward killed him. Not by accident."

That fake smile was snuffed out on the dark haired man's face.

"You know," Zoë continued, "that island off the coast of Hizuru we come from is a cut-throat place. It's kill or be killed, oh my! We don't know how to behave ourselves, I'm so sorry."

"Ha," Mr. Bindella laughed mirthlessly. "I think I like you. Come, have the best seat - and watch your husband die right in front of you."

"Been there, done that," Zoë laughed in his face, careful not to let him see that his words made her stomach clench. "I hope you haven't bet too much money on it?"

"What do you say?" The handsome Bindella asked his huge brother with an ugly smirk. "Winner gets the loser's wife?"

"Yes, brother," the mountain hummed happily, leering at Zoë with drooping eyes. "I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

###

Hanji must be worried.

Silly of his thoughts to circle around that realization instead of focusing on the upcoming fight. It was as clear as day that the Bindellas would try to play dirty, he had to keep his wits about him. Refusing to eat and drink anything in case it was poisoned, checking the gloves carefully for sabotage, keeping his back to the wall and quietly observing everyone who came in and out of the room, Levi sat on his bench and tried not to fidget.

Hanji must be worried because it's a bit like back then in the Underground. When she thought I died.

They should have, but they had never actually talked about it. But he knew how she felt anyway: That the thought of losing him was one of her biggest fears. He knew because he saw it in her eyes. And because he felt exactly the same about her.

"Fifteen minutes to the gong!" Someone shouted.

In the past months, Levi had learned how to draw out the illegal fights for the pleasure of the crowd. More importantly, for his own pleasure too: Marleyans were pathetic fighters, every last one of them. But without a living thing to hit with his fists, he'd have gone crazy months ago. Pathetic as well. Kenny was probably having a good laugh in his grave.

"It is what it is," he murmured, hitting his gloves together. "What a fucked up life."

"Capt… Mr. Smith?" A spooked looking Jean rushed through the door.

"What is it?" alarmed, Levi jumped up.

"Bindella snatched the Comma… your wife. They're sitting right next to the ring together. What should we do?"

"Bindella is no match for Hanji," Levi waved Jean's concern aside. "I'm sure she wears weapons underneath those frilly skirts."

"I don't like it," Jean looked very uncomfortable. "We should have forfeited after what happened this morning. It feels… weird tonight."

Jean wasn't wrong, it did feel weird… as if invisible people were watching them from the shadows, fingers already cocked on the trigger. But there were things that had to happen and this fight was one of them, despite the risks. His honor was one thing. Money was the other. He doubted that Jean, Connie or Sasha had any idea about how much they had made in the last few months with the trading business and then with what was called "investment". If he was similarly successful investing the winnings from tonight, they would have enough money for a very good life in two, three months maximum. Each of them, even Eren.

Ridiculous. He was actually planning their retirement, as if it wasn't clear that everybody in the Survey Corps died way before that! But even someone like him had to believe in some kind of future. He derived the biggest pleasure from envisioning how Hanji would use her portion, which would be double the size. Yes, she deserved it the most, for having to do this shitty job as a Commander.

"You're looking forward to beating the shit out of Donatello?" Jean asked cautiously, reminding Levi to wipe the smile off his face.

"Have you heard any rumors?" Levi asked back. "About any deals?"

"No," Jean shook his head. "Which is weird too, they have to be planning something! Donatello is big but he is also much too slow to be a match for you. He cannot seriously think of winning against you fair and square."

Levi shook his head. No, fair and square had never been on the menu. And Rudi Donatello? He was a back-stabbing devious bastard to take seriously because he had some brains.

"They might have stationed snipers somewhere?" Levi mused.

"Not if they mean to win the fight!" Jean protested. "That would simply be murder! There would be riots."

It did seem excessive to shoot him but who knew how desperate Bindella had gotten? Judging from him sending his brother into the ring… very desperate.

Levi tapped his gloves together again, sorting through his thoughts. Something had been bugging him since this morning. Why had Bindella confronted him about being Eldian? Was it just a suspicion? Or… Somebody must have told him. The only ones who knew about it were a few Azumabito Clan members, themselves and… Hanji's Doctor. But you don't like the man because he obviously adores Hanji. doesn't make him a traitor. Who else?

"Eren hasn't come back by any chance, has he?" he asked Jean because… but no. Eren might go through a difficult time but he would never betray his friends. Never.

"Don't know, Mikasa is still out looking for him, apparently," Jean replied, pulling a face. "By the way, if the Magath chit comes here, what do you want me to do?"

The Magath chit, "Aurelio", who had taken a starry-eyed liking to Jean "no bitches" Kirshtein, was hugely important for the next phase of this operation, which would start tomorrow.

"Don't fucking blow it," Levi frowned. "We need access to the internment zone and she is the one to get us in, got it?"

"Yes, I know, I know," Jean colored slightly. "I was just thinking…"

"You don't need to impregnate her or anything," Levi retorted. "Just play with her for a few more days. That cannot be so hard!"

Judging from Jean's remorseful face, it was. Not only was the Survey Corps on the brink of extinction, it was also filled with good-hearted, emotional fools like Kirshtein. So, yeah… brilliant idea, Hanji. Let's go kill Titan shifters with a bunch of angsty teenagers in tow.

"Do what you can," Levi sighed. "And what your conscience dictates. We will find a way somehow or other."

For a second, it looked like Kirshtein wanted to hug him out of gratitude. Levi pulled a disgusted face and got to his feet.

"Leave me alone already, you wuss," he growled. "Stay close to Hanji in case something happens to me."

"But, sir…!"

"Just go," Levi shooed him away with his gloved hands.

A sort of quiet settled around him as he sat back down on his bench. The noise outside retreated to the background. We have to talk, Hanji. About… things. We never do. And one day, maybe soon, it will be too late.

Levi felt the presence of the man even before he stepped into the backroom. Impossible. His head snapped up but he did not move otherwise: He certainly did not reveal to the visitor with the piercing gray predator eyes that the mere sight of him made Levi's stomach cramp up and breath stop, like somebody had delivered a heavy blow to his solar plexus.

Funny how he had only recently studied the image of a panther in a book about the flora and fauna of the world. He had found it ridiculous that Appius Tybur had chosen that name for himself. He was nothing like the majestic animal, the "King of the Jungle". He was just a man, driven by greed, driven by hatred, doomed to fail like every power-hungry person inevitably failed sooner or later.

"Lost something, Ackerman?" Tybur smirked. He was older, with lines in his face, his blond hair thinning. His face had an unhealthy pallor to it, like he only dwelled underground and never ate well.

Levi was kind of glad to see him. Because things suddenly made a lot of sense.

The Panther: Appius Tybur, Will Tybur's bastard half-brother, royal blood through the Reiss family, with sinister, abstruse plans to take his brother's place as a puppet master with the help of an army of Ackermans. Someone in the past had hyped up everybody about the Ackerman abilities but that was all bullshit. Yes, Mikasa and him were good fighters. But that was it. There was nothing more to being an Ackerman. Apart from maybe having a tendency to brood too much.

"No need to ask how you got here," Levi drawled. "Did you swim?"

Growing up fat and rich on the continent, Tybur had possessed technology even before they on Paradis had known something like it existed, like those flying things with which to dominate the sky. Well, Tybur had miscalculated and the military on Paradis had taken over lots of his weapons for Paradis' defenses. Exile had probably not become someone as used to comfort as him.

"I should have killed you years ago," Levi pondered. "You don't seem to be smart enough to give up."

"Giving up is not in my playbook, Ackerman," the Panther eyed him carefully from a safe distance away. "But I think we should work together."

A startled laugh broke from Levi's lips. "Have they managed to drug me after all? This is just absurd!"

"Hear me out!" The Panther lifted a hand. "The Founder? I think he managed to erase your memories with some underhanded trick even though you're an Ackerman."

The Founder… Eren? Erase memories?

"Yeah, where the fuck is Eren?" Levi frowned, shying away from that thought because… no. "I bet you have come here to tell me."

"We need to prevent him from meeting his half-brother. If we fail, it's over."

More half-brothers?

"Zeke Yeager. The Beast Titan," Tybur specified.

The mere mention of that name made Levi's blood boil. Okay, Tybur had his attention. Which the fucker realized, judging by the thin smile on his ugly face.

"You know where Eren is?"

"Yes. He is hiding in the city until the warriors come back."

"What do you think we're doing?" Levi scoffed. "Enjoying the sights?"

"Five minutes to the gong!" Someone shouted.

"If Zeke Yeager manages to use the power of the Founder, this world will become a living hell."

"It already is," Levi shrugged. "What else?"

"He hates the Eldian race!"

"Aha," Levi nodded. "Like the rest of the world. Hard to hold that against him."

"I, on the other hand, want to restore Eldia to its previous greatness!" The Panther's eyes began to shine fanatically. "I can help you rule the world!"

"Really?" Levi got up and sighed deeply. "I think I'll just kill you both. That will not solve our problems but will bring me a lot of personal satisfaction."

"Still stubborn as a mule," the Panther took a step backwards. "To prove to you that I mean well, I have come with a warning: They are sending an augmented human against you in the ring."

Augmented … what now? Levi shook his head in disbelief. The world was crazy. It was a miracle he was still sane.

"This is the result of Titan experiments on non-Eldians. In the labs. My brother heads them, with the help of Zeke," the Panther's words tumbled out faster and faster.

Rudi Bindella would do this to Donatello? His beloved brother? They had to be sure of the results then.

"So what? He'll be like a Titan?"

The size was almost right. Shame he didn't have his ODM gear.

"The strength, the speed, the hunger. But with a mind that works... faster and better than a human mind."

Fun. Sounded like a fight he'd enjoy.

"Of course you're going to win, Captain Levi," Tybur smiled coldly. "You're an Ackerman after all."

Do not act so goddamn rashly, Erwin had always told him. Stop, think and consider whether a person might still be useful to you later before you kill them.

"Go fuck yourself, Tybur," Levi growled. "We'll talk later."