A/N: As a heads-up, I may have fudged with Erwin and Levi's ages just a bit. There is a lot of guess work going into this since we have no definite ages for them, though I have created a timeline that I believe fits into this specific story well. I actually spent many anxiety-fueled hours making a full layout of everyone's backstory and timeline even though most of it probably did not need to be exact in any way. Oh well, it helps me to understand ages and what the characters were up to each year so I can better tie everything together.

So, as for season 1 of Attack on Titan:

Erwin is 35

Levi is 32

Purcella is 30.

If anyone wants to see the basic timeline leading up to season 1, let me know and I will post a special chapter with it! (Without spoilers, of course! I will only give their ages and basic info already known of the character)

*WARNING*

The following story is purely fanfiction. I claim nothing except for my own characters, as well as any storyline not considered to be Canon from the original source. All rights to Attack on Titan go to Hajime Isayama. Any plagiarism of the contents within this story in regards to my own characters or their stories will be considered theft.

The contents of this book will consist of:

Major spoilers for both Manga and Anime

Descriptions of violence

Character death

Adult situations

Strong Language

Plot Description:

Purcella Aster's earliest memory she could recall could be described in one word; loneliness. She did not know how long she wandered the Underground alone, nor could she truly remember the face of the man that had abandoned her. After all, it is not often that a two year old remembers such things. What she could remember was them; the small, broken group of four who found her and raised her as their own. However, on the day she is to finally prove her worth, the truth to her identity appears.

After spending the first part of her life in the Underground, Purcella is thrown into a world she has not known; a world filled with unimaginable dangers . Even so, she is willing to face whatever troubles that lay before her head on, vowing to discover the truth beyond what she has known. Everything finally seemed to be settled and straightforward for the girl - she knew who she was and what she wanted to do.

That is, until she meets a headstrong, blonde haired, blue eyed man who holds a great tenacity for the outside world and the short-tempered brunette man who wields an uncanny skill that rivals her own, not including his godly abilities in cleanliness.

*Slow burn romance*

The stale air was cold and silent as if petrified in a block of ice, sealing away a moment of pure solitary. The darkness emanating from what should have been a night sky full of stars displayed a suffocating blanket of shadows that clung heavily to the buildings and cobbled streets, bathing the world in black. The only light came from a street lamp, its lone fire flickering dully. There was no human sound other than distant, muffled voices that could hardly be considered whispers above the stale breeze. The thick stones paved haphazardly into the ground were uneven and jagged, causing unidentifiable liquid to pool in odd low spots on the streets.

Fat wet plops disrupted the silence, echoing and buzzing through the small space between the decomposing buildings built far too close together. A girl no older than two wandered, her bare feet cut, bruised, and wet; the sound of her steps signaling her presence within the city for no one to hear. "Papa?" the child whispered as she tentatively twirled a strand of dark brunette hair between her stubby fingers, tugging rather harshly against her right temple. There was no answer and there was no other sound besides the distant murmurs and the insistent drip of a broken pipe. She called out again to no avail. The child hummed nervously, her eyes wide and panicked as she searched desperately around her unfamiliar surroundings.

She could not remember how long she had been standing here beneath the flickering light of the lamp, though the longer she had waited, the more she felt as if something was wrong. Her father had never taken her to such a place before, and he had not left her for such a long stretch of time. Where was he? She did not like this place. It was cold and dark and she had left her shoes in the carriage. When was he coming back? The girl whimpered as tears filled her round eyes. Should she look for him? He seemed to be in such a sour mood before he left. Would he be angry if she were to look for him? She wanted her dolly.

What had he told her? The girl knew he had said something before taking his leave, though the words had left her mind blank. All she could remember was his bright blue eyes, so wide and serious, and the way the brown whiskers above his lip quivered when he spoke, his tone deep and solemn. However, his exact words failed to emerge within her memory. Had he told her to stay put? That seemed like the logical answer, though she simply could not remember him saying those words.

There was a sudden loud squeak, capturing the attention of the child. She gasped and clutched her hair fearfully to her chest, her eyes landing upon that of a rat. The creature looked back at her from under the shadows of an alleyway, its large, hungry eyes flickering with the lamp as it watched her. The girl did nothing, only stared at the beast as her heart raced beneath her fragile bones. The rodent squealed again and took a daring step forward. The girl yelped in surprise and turned to run, though the tip of her big toe hooked against a rock and she fell, landing with a harsh thud upon her chest. The air forcibly escaped her lungs as she let out a strangled cry, a splash of dank puddle water splattering her front. Pain blossomed through her body like an ugly vine of thorns, not allowing her the opportunity to cry as it continued to pulsate.

The girl pushed herself up, her small palms scraping against pebbles as she did so. Her sore muscles ached and protested against the movement, though she forced herself to ignore both this and the new stream of tears that dribbled down her round cheeks. She looked down upon the front of her pink dress where she felt a wetness, only to gasp in horror at the damp brown spot created by the puddle. She sobbed. She had ruined her dress.

"Hey, look at this kid!" a voice suddenly spoke. The girl jumped, her eyes searching the shadows. In the alley just behind her, a group of people emerged. She sniffed and perked up, instantly relieved at the presence of more people. Maybe they had come to help her find her father.

The first to emerge from the shadows was, surprisingly, a boy no older than eight. The boy's hair was a light brown and hung just above his brow. His dark brown eyes peered down a sharp nose at the girl with an unsettling indifference that caused her to shuffle uncomfortably. "Looks like she's lost," he sneered with a harsh, gap-toothed grin. Leaning back from the child, the boy brushed down the front of his green shirt as if the child had somehow gotten him dirty.

"Oh wow, her hair's actually been brushed," said another, more sweet and high pitched voice. From behind the boy emerged a girl the same age. Her long, golden blonde hair was tied back into a high ponytail with a frayed piece of black cloth with white dots that somewhat resembled a bow. She wore a dress of a tattered, discolored blue that seemed to have been scrapped from multiple different types of fabric, causing her green eyes to stand out strikingly. The apples of her cheeks and her heart-shaped lips were stained a shade of pink that appeared almost unnatural against her pale complexion.

On the blonde's right came yet another child that could have been mistaken as a girl. His shoulder length hair was such a light blonde in color that it would have appeared white if not for his own white hooded jacket. Despite the lightness of his hair and the blue in his eyes, when side by side with the blonde girl, it became obvious that the two were siblings if not twins. "It looks so soft!" he hummed, his sweet face parting into a soft smile. The lost little girl said nothing and she tugged at her hair again, her tears momentarily forgotten as the odd strangers drew ever closer.

"Her eyes are weird," grumbled the brunette boy, causing the siblings to lean in close to the little girl and they studied her looks with a grinding indifference. What was wrong with her eyes? The girl shied away, her gaze downcasted as she tried to hide herself from their scrutinizing glares. "Why do they look like that? Is there something wrong with her?" The boy reached forward as if to grab the little girl, though the blonde girl pushed him aside very suddenly.

"Her dress is pretty," she mused. She leaned in close to the lone child and snatched the end of her pink dress, yanking it as she twisted the soft fabric between her fingers. The lost girl tried to edge away from her burying fingers, though the blonde refused to let go. "I wonder where she stole it from?"

"She's from the Upperground." From the darkness of the alleyway, another boy emerged. The very atmosphere seemed to shift upon his appearance and the lost girl could sense this change instantly. He was different from the rest. The blonde girl let go of the pink dress as she and the two boys all took a collective step away from the lone child, parting way for the new boy.

His dark raven hair was shaggy and hung past his ears, unbrushed and splaying in odd directions. Deep blue eyes shown menacingly from behind his unruly black strands, striking against his pale skin as he looked down his slightly crooked nose; broken from a previous fight some time ago. He wore a dark gray shirt with black jeans and overcoat in stark contrast to the much lighter dress of his friends. He stood no taller than the others, though the way he kept his back so straight and held his head so high gave him the appearance of being as tall as Wall Maria to the little girl. Self consciously, the child clutched the front of her pink dress and she wrung the fabric, feeling as if she would sink into the ground with the weight of the intimidating boy's stare.

"The Upperground?" echoed the blonde boy, who began to nervously twiddle his fingers. "What would a kid from the Upperground be doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the black haired boy snapped. Instantly, the rest of the kids bowed their heads in submission. All except for the brunette boy.

"We don't know that for sure, Emil," he mumbled.

"What other reason would her parents come down here, Konrad?" was the raven boy, Emil's, stony, condescending response. "She's been abandoned."

"Should we take her to the military police?" the blonde boy questioned softly. At the instant scrutiny of his peers, he recoiled from the question. The insistent tapping of his fingers quickened and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Just-just in case?"

"What are you talking about, Hugo?" his sister snapped. "She isn't our problem. Why should we risk getting caught for some lost kid?"

"I want my dolly." All eyes fell onto the little girl. Her small hands pinched and strained the ends of her dress. Her strange eyes began to drip continuous tears as she looked up to the bickering elder children, confused and terrified at the situation she had unwittingly found herself in. "I want papa!" She threw her bawled fist up to her face, covering her eyes as she began to sob.

"Oh great," Konrad rolled his eyes, though his rude comment stuck in his throat very suddenly. Emil had kneeled in the muck before the child.

Pale hands brushed away the sobbing child's shaky fist and Emil cupped her round, red cheeks. The child's cries subsided quickly in her confusion, as did any chatter from the rest of the small group as they watched in shock at Emil, who brushed away her tears with his thumbs. The child blinked slowly, her odd eyes shining both brown and blue and rimmed with pink edges from her previous tears. With her crying momentarily paused, the boy tightened his grip on her face and turned her head side to side, his deep blue orbs scanning over her every feature down to the last three beauty marks below her right eye. The lost girl hummed in question and her bare feet brushed patterns into the dirt anxiously. Instinctively, Emil's eyes flickered down at the movement of her feet. He was still for many long seconds, watching as small smears of blood stained the dirty, damp cobblestones. Then, he extended an expecting hand to the group behind him. "Helene, I need something to wrap her feet with. She's bleeding."

The blonde girl, Helene, scoffed and crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't have any extra fabric."

"Then give me your bow."

Helene gasped, her green eyes widening in horror at the mere thought of using her bow for such a thing. However, she was quick to realize that Emil would not back down, his harsh glare unwavering as he waited. With an exaggerated sigh, the girl slumped in defeat. "Fine, she can use this," she grumbled and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her dress. After a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled out a long cut of faded red fabric. "It's not that pretty anyway."

Emil took the fabric and revealed a small dagger from his back pocket. The lost girl blinked curiously at the object, watching in awe as the blade flickered in the firelight. She had never seen such a thing, but she thought it was pretty. The child reached forward, ready to grab the knife, though Emil was too quick for her wandering hands. "No," he snapped. The girl jumped back, her hands snatching the front of her dress fearfully. Cautiously, she looked up at Emil with large, innocent eyes. Her look of confusion caught him somewhat off guard and his brow furrowed ever so slightly. How was it that a child did not know the dangers of a knife? Then he remembered that she was not from the Underground such as he. With an annoyed sniff, Emil held up the dagger before the child, one finger pressed against the tip of the blade. "Look, this is sharp." He pressed. A small bead of red blossomed against the blade and dripped quickly down the length of his palm. "See? This will hurt you."

"Sharp," the girl repeated, her voice quiet and uncertain. Despite himself, the corner of his lip quivered with what could have been a smirk. Catching himself, Emil ran a quick hand through his shaggy, black hair and he sighed, settling himself. "Sharp?" the girl tried again, searching for his attention. Emil placed a heavy hand upon her head and he ruffled her long brown locks. The child smiled, her previous fear and pain washed away and forgotten by his simple gesture.

Satisfied that she would not reach for his weapon again, Emil adjusted his grip upon his dagger and with a single slash, he sliced the red fabric in half. He flipped his knife, twirling it about with his fingers as the lost girl giggled in delight, then he slipped it easily back into its sheath. The dark haired boy took one of the slices of fabric and he slid it under the girl's left foot, causing her to squeal and laugh. "Up up!" she giggled and raised her feet high into the air. From behind Emil, Hugo suddenly spouted out a bout of laughter. Konrad punched him in the shoulder and the blonde boy yelped.

"What?" he whined, rubbing the freshly bruised spot. "She's cute!"

Konrad only scoffed. "Who cares? I'm hungry. Let's go already."

"We're not leaving her here," Emil said, now working on the girl's right foot. He finished off with one final knot, leaving her chubby feet wrapped firmly up to her ankles with only her toes exposed. Leaning back onto her elbows, the girl raised her feet up into her line of view and she wiggled her toes, inspecting Emil's work with another small giggle.

"Well, what do we do with her then?" Konrad questioned as he crossed his arms firmly over his chest.

"We'll keep her with us for now. See if anyone reports a missing kid." Emil began to stand, though he hesitated. The girl had reached out her arms, clenching and unclenching her stubby fingers in a silent plea. At first he did not understand what she wanted, then blinked blankly in realization. Gently, he wrapped his arms around the child. She was quick to cling to him. Her stubby arms wrapped around his neck and she curled herself against him tightly as he lifted her. Ignoring the baffled expressions of his friends, Emil pushed past them and began walking down the street. However, a heavy hand caught him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"If no one comes for her?" Konrad demanded, refusing to drop the issue despite Emil's settled disposition. Emil did not grant the brunette with even a passing glance before he shook off his hold.

"She stays."

"Are you serious? We can hardly feed ourselves as it is! Just leave her here so she's someone else's problem."

Emil's head snapped to the side and blue eyes locked on brown, striking and perilous. Although Emil's outward display remained cool and collected, there was a sense of a creeping, coiling danger laying dormant, ready to strike. Even so, Konrad showed no signs of backing down as he took a daring step forward. Hugo and Helene shied away from the two, trying to disappear into the shadows; cowering away from the imminent fight.

"We are keeping her and that is final." Emil's words were dark and commanding, leaving no room for further discussion.

Konrad balled his fists and the movement did not go unnoticed by Emil. He tightened his grip on the girl, who was peering up at Konrad through the mass of her unruly brown hair with bewildered, terrified eyes. Konrad glanced between both the child and Emil, his teeth grinding and fists shaking. Then, to everyone's surprise, Konrad stepped down. "She better be worth it, Emil. A girl like that could get us all killed."

"You let me worry about that."

Despite both boys having backed down, there was still a great tension in the air. Feeling uncomfortable, the child began to twirl strands of Emil's black hair between her fingers. Emil shifted her weight within his arms so that a hand rested against the middle of her back protectively and he returned to walking down the path. Dutifully, the other kids followed.

The group was silent on their short journey, no one daring to speak after the altercation between Konrad and Emil. The sounds of the Underground City devolved back into a thick, eerie quiet with only wet footfall and the distant screech of fighting rats to fill the void. Down some alleyways or standing on the side of the road, there were more people. However, their soft chattering silenced when the kids passed them by, replaced only by bold stares that the group promptly ignored. Eventually the mystery child fell asleep, her chubby cheeks burrowed in the crook of Emil's neck, her light snores audible only to him.

Slowly, the houses and buildings the kids passed began to decay before their very eyes, becoming increasingly less inhabitable the further they traveled from the center of the city. There were less lights in the windows, less murmurs in the breeze, less signs of life, and the kids finally began to relax. Soon, the group of five reached their destination.

The shack hooked off the left side of an abandoned building whose roof had crumbled some time ago. The shack itself was greatly dilapidated, covered in coiling vines and mold and plastered with patched quilts to conceal the shattered windows. To the normal passerby, the shack seemed nothing more than an eyesore even in the Underground City. To the kids, however, it was their home.

They did not enter from the front door, which was bolted firmly shut. Instead, they climbed into the destroyed building through a hole in its side. Emil had some trouble ducking under the rubble with the sleeping toddler in his arms, though she thankfully did not stir. The group navigated through the mounds of stone and ancient wood until they finally reached the door that led into the shack.

Surprisingly, the inside of the shack looked far different from its exterior. There was not much in terms of furniture other than a faded green sofa against the wall to the right with a metal coffee table and three wooden chairs positioned in front of it. In the wall opposite of the couch was a fireplace, though the crumbled bricks rendered it useless. A variety of damp shirts and pants clipped with wooden pins hung from strings nailed across the ceiling, slowly drying in the rotten, dusty air.

Hugo and Helene both took their seats in the wooden chairs while Konrad plopped down into the sofa, his arms folding behind his head as he kicked his feet onto the table. Helene scrunched her face in mild disgust at the sight of his muddy boots, though Konrad only stuck his tongue out at her and reclined further into the lopsided, creaky sofa. Helene huffed and smacked Hugo's shoulder, giving her brother an expectant look while gesturing to Konrad and his boots. Hugo yelped in surprise, though was instantly shushed by the others. The poor blonde boy only gaped wide-eyed at them, innocently confused until Helene pointed at Emil and he was reminded of the sleeping child.

Emil said nothing as he watched their interaction. The boy adjusted his grip on the girl once more and headed to the opposite side of the room where there was another door, the old green paint chipped and falling into a small pile of flakes upon the floor. The door creaked loudly on its hinges and only opened halfway before it sloped down on one side, preventing it from opening any further. Inside this room were three mattresses with only one having a true frame. The bedframe and the couch had been here long before Emil and the others had found the shack. The rest of the furniture had been acquired in one way or another and was hauled back, eventually creating this little home for the lost children.

Emil headed for the bed with the frame. After pulling down the crusted sheet he had found on the side of the road some time ago, he placed the sleeping girl gently onto the mattress and tucked her in. The girl only hummed sleepily and curled in on herself, her fingers still twisting strands of hair unconsciously. From behind Emil, the others peeked into the dark room from around the doorframe, their faces displaying a confusing mix of emotions. Emil quietly strode over to a mattress on the ground and picked up one of the few toys scattered across the sheets.

The toy was a rag doll without a face, her blue and white striped dress splattered with unidentifiable stains and her red hair of yarn tangled and clumped. Ignoring the gasp of outrage from Helene, Emil brushed the sleeping girl's hair out of her fist and away from her face and he slipped the doll under her arm. The lost girl took to the toy instantly, snuggling the doll close to her chest as she released a long, sleepy sigh before her gentle snores returned.

The group of four returned to the main room, all taking their seats as Emil shut the bedroom door as quietly as the door would allow. With a tired groan, Emil brushed back his long black hair and plopped into the couch beside Konrad, who scooted as far away from Emil as he could with an upturned nose.

"Alright," Emil said, finally breaking the unspoken silence between the group, "I know you all have something to say so just say it."

"I like her," Hugo said instantly with a sweet smile.

"I'm not sharing my stuff if we're keeping her," Helene huffed. "She can keep the doll but that's it."

"We will get the kid her own things tomorrow. Anything else?" Emil gave a pointed look at the twins. Hugo smiled and shook his head while Helene shrugged indifferently. Emil turned his attention to Konrad, then, who was currently staring daggers at the table as if he could will it to burst into flames. "Konrad?" Emil pressed, leaving no room for Konrad to ignore him further.

Konrad shook his head and bit his lip, searching for the right words, though his mind momentarily failed him. Emil could tell exactly what the boy wanted to say and he was curious as to if Konrad would truly speak his mind. Part of Emil wanted him to - dared him to - and yet another part hoped Konrad would keep his mouth shut for his own good. After a few seconds more of inner debate, Konrad pinched the bridge of his nose and he let out a great exhale. "I just hope you know what you're doing, man."

Emil's blue eyes darkened, the corner of his lips twitching into a scowl. It was not uncommon for the two friends to bicker as they did, however, there was something different about this argument. Emil did not understand it, but he already felt a sense of responsibility for the child asleep in his bed. Although he would not say it out loud, he knew that - no matter what the others would have said - the child was his now whether they liked it or not. Every push-back he felt from Konrad only solidified his stance on the matter as well as fanned an ember deep within himself; an ember that begged to catch fire. In comparison, Konrad felt a shift in their dynamic as friends. Of course he did not hate the girl, though he could not fight back the itch in the back of his mind that would not go away. He felt that things would change now. He wondered how this change would affect them as a whole; would the girl be the group's opportunity to finally shine bright for all the world to see? Or would they become engulfed by that very flame? It was just a feeling he told himself, and although he would not admit it out loud, it scared him.

"So," Helene cleared her throat, her green eyes flickering awkwardly between the two boys. "What do we call the little twerp?"

A/N: I have no clue what the first comment on this chapter is talking about. Maybe I did not make it clear, but OBVIOUSLY this chapter does not begin in season 1. I did not make Erwin a 30 year old in love with a 2 year old. I also did not "age up the characters." Every source I've read has said that, starting in season 1, Erwin and Levi are in their thirties so I guessed as to what their exact ages are. And isn't every romantic story - or any story at all - a self-insert in some way?

I'm sorry I am ranting and I would have said this all to the commenter directly, but they are a guest so I can't directly say anything to them. Also, I was worried that others would be confused so I just wanted to clarify.

Also, I love reading comments and criticism helps me so so much, but PLEASE do not comment just to be so horribly rude like this guest. That is a good way to get people to stop writing all together when you should be helping them to evolve and get better at writing. I know that its not your duty to do so, but that is what commenting and reviewing does. Thank you!