DILAN P.O.V.
"Mother fucker. Who the hell does he think he is?" Dilan mumbled to herself, heading inside. That had been way over the line. Should would never kidnap a child. Never. She couldn't even kill the innocent. But he didn't deserve her to explain that to him. If he has the wrong idea, then that's his problem. Why should she care what he thinks of her?
Dilan sighed and shook her head of the thoughts, slipping past the people towards Kenny. It had been a while and yet the man still smiled that annoying smile whenever he spotted her and started shouting like an idiot.
"SHE'S BACK! EVERYONE! SHE'S BACK AGAIN!" Kenny yelled happily and Dilan rolled her eyes under the hood. The man still hadn't seen her face after all this time, and she wanted to keep it that way. See, while Kenny let out a stupid vibe, Dilan knew full well he was an evil mastermind. His new child trafficking scam proved it. "Hey, you never came for payment. You killed the guy and a few others I might add. But then you disappeared. Off the grid for three months. Where have you been?" He raised a slim eyebrow in question. Dilan guessed it was lucky that one of the guys that ended up dying was the target otherwise Kenny may not have been so forgiving for her failure. Dilan brushed past the question.
"Kenny, I want some information." She got straight to the point. Kenny blinked at her.
"Since when do you make the demands, little fox?" He asked, amused and a few of his friends laughed.
"Since I'm your best assassin here. I want a job and I know the kind of ones you've been giving out. Child trafficking seems simple enough. I'm sure it pays the big bucks too." She said, a smirk evident in her tone. Kenny cracked a wide smile and slapped his friend on the back.
"I love this kid! She's so ballsy, reminds me of my nephew." He laughed. "Of course, anyone else and I probably would have killed her for talking to me like that. But... I like you so you live." He said casually with a shrug. Dilan gulped, knowing full well, despite the man's nonchalant tone, he could have ended her life in a second.
"So, do I have a job or not?" She asked. Kenny looked at her and tapped his fingers on the table. Dilan was glad she had her hood up otherwise the man would have seen her sweat. His eyes were so intimidating. They reminder her of someone. But who?
"Sure. I don't see why not. But even though you're my best, your small. I'll need to put you on the job with my other guys. Get to the house, take out the guards, grab the kids and take them to the address. Then leave. I may be getting the cash, but this is not my game. These people are serious, and I have no control over them. If they think your valuable, they'll take you too and we can't have that, now can we? You bring me too much amusement." He grinned, going from serious to cheerful in a second. Dilan supressed a shiver at the thought and took the envelope he was extending before turning on her heel and walking away. It was a dangerous game she was playing. Doing this would put her in trouble with both Kenny and this other place. She needed to be careful.
Getting outside again, she glanced at Levi, still slightly pissed at him but decided she had more important things to worry about right now. She started walking and Levi walked with her wordlessly.
"You should go." She said after a while.
"What?" He asked. Dilan sighed.
"You should leave." she repeated, and Levi glared at her.
"Brat, I agreed to help. Just because your pissed you shouldn't let it cloud your judgment." He pointed out.
"It's not because of that, dumbass. I got a job, the same job that I expect these horsemen shits are doing tonight." She explained and Levi's eyes widened a fraction.
"You're going to help them?" He asked slowly. Dilan rolled her eyes at his
"With or without me these children are going to get kidnapped. But if I am with these guys, I can deliver the children with them to the address where apparently, they are keeping these kids. From there I can infiltrate the building and get them out. Simple enough." She lied. It most certainly was not going to be simple. There was a real chance she would die, and she didn't want to bring Levi into that, no matter how much he irked her.
"Dilan." Levi said as he stopped walking. Dilan stopped too and turned to face him. "It sounds like there are a fuckload of kids in there. You know you can't get them all out, right? And even then, where are they going? Your friend's orphanage wont house much more and others are worse than the streets." He said seriously. Dilan sighed and scratched the back of her head; a nervous habit she had picked up from her brother.
"I know. The odds aren't looking good for them... but I could give them a fighting chance. I'm sure they would want to fight to survive and try to get back to where they came from then rot in there without the choice. Some may not make it, but they'll prefer that to where their going. In the least I will deliver my kids from the orphanage back to their home." She said. Levi sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
"You're crazy." He mumbled. "But I'll help you." He added. Dilan's eyes softened a bit, seeing he actually cared.
"Look I appreciate it, but you should go." She replied before starting to walk off again. Levi huffed in annoyance and grabbed her wrist. She glared at the hand on her and he let go again, confusion and remorse on his face. Although it quickly morphed into irritancy.
"Stop being stubborn and let me help, damnit! You know it will be easier with me, that's why you asked for my fucking help in the first place!" He hissed, annoyed. Dilan grit her teeth. She was getting bored with arguing with this guy every five seconds.
"I'm not being stubborn! I'm trying to give you an out! This isn't your business anymore and Kenny gave me a warning. He told me not to stick around the address and heavily implied that I may not come out alive. I'm trying to stop you from getting yourself killed with my suicide self!" She yelled back. Levi blinked at her, clearly not expecting that and there was silence while they both calmed down.
"I thought you weren't suicidal." He said after a while in a calmer voice, a hint of joking in his normally monotone voice. Dilan let out a puff of amusement and shook her head in disbelief.
"I'm not, asshole." She sighed and kept walking. Levi walked with her. "But this is a suicide mission. There's a high chance that the kids will escape, and I won't." She explained calmly. Levi nodded in understanding and took some time to mull it over. Dilan was silent while he did.
"Well if I don't bring back his favourite toy, Erwin will string me up anyway. Let's just do this and get it over with. And try not to die if possible." He said simply. Dilan bit back a smiled of amusement.
"You sure about this?" She asked, needing confirmation. Levi rolled his eyes and flicked her on the forehead. "Ow, jerk!"
"I'm sure. Now let's think of a fucking plan so we don't go home in a body bag." He said sternly. Dilan smirked.
"Fine."
A few hours later and darkness had clouded the underground making it somewhat of a criminal's playground. Levi and Dilan were killing time on a roof, opposite the house they were supposed to attack. Dilan had changed into her black outfit and kept the 3DMG but covered it with her cloak. Levi stayed in his survey corps uniform since he wasn't actually coming on the mission part.
They had devised a plan that Dilan would go in with the guys and Levi would tail the carriage to the address since they were only expecting her and would grow suspicious. From there, if given the chance, Dilan shouldn't waste it and access the building, leaving Levi to find a way in later. However, if she was escorted out, they would regroup and figure out a plan since this would be the first time, they've seen the place. Levi had made her promise that if the job was impossible, she wouldn't charge in there 'all suicidal' and instead they would call for back up. Hopefully the others wouldn't be too pissed that they missed curfew a while ago now. Although Levi did say by the morning, so she was currently sticking to her word. They had about 30 minutes until go time and they had been in a silence for a while now.
"Pissed that I caught you tailing me?" Dilan smirked, not being able to help herself. Levi turned his head to glare at her. They had been laying on the roof relaxing with a meter's distance between them staring at the ceiling. Dilan was just on the floor while Levi had taken off his cloak as a barrier between him and the dirt. Damn clean freak. How did he survive down here so long?
"Fuck off. You think I wanted to spend my free day watching your stupid ass bound around the underground?" Levi scoffed. Dilan blinked. So, he didn't follow her because he was still suspicious then?
"Why did you?" She asked, curious. Levi sighed and looked back up at the ceiling.
"Stupid eyebrows fucking made me. Thought you would come back here. Guess he was right." Levi chuckled humourlessly. Dilan rolled her eyes.
"I fucking hate him." She gritted out.
"Most people do. He's a bastard." Levi commented lazily. Dilan raised an eyebrow. Levi had never been this open with her before. He was normal tight lipped with his words and didn't let anything slip accidently. He had never outright cursed Erwin. Maybe it was because they were finally alone, he couldn't go around cursing the commander in the regiment since someone would likely tell on him.
"Why do you hate him?" She asked. Levi looked at her and she could sense the hesitation in his eyes while his face was blank. "What? Think I'm going to snitch on you?" She scoffed.
"You told Hanji I tried to kill you." He pointed out. Dilan rolled her eyes. Weird how long ago that was.
"Yeah well I didn't have much other choice. You left a fucking horrendous mark." She mumbled, subconsciously bringing her hand up to her neck as she gazed at the ceiling. If there was one thing about the surface, she missed. It was the sky.
"I am sorry about that, you know." Levi forced out the words. Dilan smiled in amusement and turned to look at him.
"That fucking killed you to say, didn't it?" She smirked. Levi rolled his eyes but let out a small puff of amusement that surprised her. That was the closest thing to a laugh that Dilan had ever heard from the man.
"More than you know, brat." He mumbled.
"What's with the brat thing? I'm not that bratty." She huffed. Levi smirked a bit.
"Says the girl that flipped me off after escaping two guards at the whore house." He deadpanned and Dilan had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop from outright laughing.
"Holy fuck, I forgot about that. Your right, I am such a brat." She laughed, her body shaking as she tried to be quiet. Levi looked mildly amused and raised an eyebrow.
"Did you just agree with me about something?" He asked slowly. Dilan stopped laughing and gave him a look.
"Don't get used to it." She retorted quickly. Levi nodded and smirked a bit. "Levi?" She asked after a while.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"Do you think it will ever get better for these people? Do you think they'll live in the dirt for the rest of their lives?" She asked. Levi took a long moment before replying.
"Unless we defeat the titans, yes. These people will die down here." He said simply. Dilan sighed, she guessed he was right. It was some motivation to be a soldier, but she wanted to kill Erwin more. Guess that made her a selfish bitch. She turned on her side to look at him. There was a question she needed him to answer.
"No bullshit. Were you captured with anyone else from the underground?" She asked seriously. Levi seemed to tense slightly as he looked at her.
"Who taught you how to fight?" He shot right back, immediately on the defensive. Dilan sighed in frustration.
"Why won't you just answer my question?" She said. Levi gave her a look.
"Why don't you answer mine?" He asked. Dilan sighed and bit at her lip.
"Because the answer hurts." She replied truthfully. Levi's eyes softened slightly.
"Exactly." He replied. Dilan looked into his eyes and saw no trace of a lie. He was being genuine. What hurt about his answer?
Before she could ask, she heard the squeak of carriage wheels. They both snapped their heads up over the edge and looked in time to see the horsemen, climbing out. Dilan gave Levi a glance.
"Don't fuck up." He said simply. Dilan smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Don't fuck up either." She replied before sliding down the alleyway, jumping on various things to make her landing safe. She ran across the road and joined the 'horsemen.' They were massive.
"You're Kenny's kid?" One of them scoffed in a deep voice. She couldn't tell which. They were all dressed the same.
"Yeah, you got a problem?" She replied. One of them laughed and reached out to touch her but she grabbed the hand and got him kneeling in seconds.
"Fuck." He groaned. The others looked surprise. Or as surprised as a person in a mask could look. Dilan got off of him and crossed her arms.
"We going to do this or what?" She asked, bored. They shared looks and shrugged.
"Let's go then. Three kids. Two parents. Three guards. Rich ass family. Or as rich as you can get in the underground. These are merchant kids, chubby, healthy and they will go for a fucking good price." One of them updated. Dilan nodded, ignoring the curdling in her stomach. "You're with me and Mac and Bill on the second floor. The others will deal with the guards downstairs. We get in, knock out the parents, get out and get lost. Understood rookie?" He asked. Dilan nodded again and they proceeded to climb up the side of the house while the others went around to the front door. Dilan had to remember to keep her breathing in check as they lifted up the window and climbed in. I'm doing this for them, for them, for them. She repeated over and over again to try and ease the guilt as she watched one of them open a bedroom door. There was a scream from what sounded like a woman before it stopped abruptly as well as a loud bang from the downstairs door being kicked down.
"Keep that up and your dead." One of them warned and Dilan heard quick punches. She took a breath and kept going, freezing as she heard a door creak open.
"Mummy?" A small child's voice sounded, and Dilan was pretty sure her heart broke. She turned around to see a little girl in her pyjama's. She was probably no older than 3. Her baby blue eyes were narrow with sleep and she was rubbing them with a fist. Her golden hair was tousled, and her other fist was holding a stuffed bear. The girl blinked at her, her lip quivering slightly and stood frozen too the spot, so innocent it actually pained Dilan's heart.
"Daisy?" Another kid said and Dilan turned around to be met with a boy, 13 maybe 14. His eyes widened in realisation. And he ran past her, grabbing the little girl. "Run! Malissa wake up!" He yelled, moving towards the last door.
One of the horsemen grabbed them before they could get very far and they screamed, crying loudly.
"What the fuck are you doing rookie?! Get the last one!" He yelled. Dilan swallowed but forced a nod and jogged down into the last room, opening the door and scanning the room, finding another small girl hugging her knees in bed. She was about 5 and had the same bright blue eyes as her sister and brother. She looked healthy and Dilan could see what the men were talking about even if it made her feel sick.
"A-are you going to kill me?" She whispered, tears streaking down her face. Dilan forced herself to remain composed as she entered the room. Dilan tried to pick her up and she flinched away. She sighed, not wanting to hurt her.
"Kid listen to me. There are men out there that will not take you gently. Please cooperate." She reasoned quietly, her voice kind of desperate. The girl sniffed but didn't move again and Dilan picked her up careful. The girl hung around her neck as she moved back out into the hallway.
"W-why are you doing this?" She sobbed. "I want my mummy!" Dilan breathed out shakily as the guys ushered her through the window.
"Stay calm, sweetie. You'll see your mummy again soon." She reassured quietly, subtly stroking the girl's hair which calmed her down a bit.
"Oi, give her, here." One of them said, through the window. Dilan shook her head, no way in hell she was going to hand this girl over.
"I got her." She hissed back and the guy backed down.
"Whatever you say, rook." He shrugged and climbed back down. Dilan sighed and held the girl tightly with one arm as she used the other to climb down the porch, landing on the ground and making her way over to the carriage. She flicked her eyes up to where Levi was and saw him. her heart was beating fast and all she wanted to do was knock these guys out and give the children back to their parents. A sharp shake of the head from Levi told her he got what she wanted and was reminding her of the costs. She wouldn't be able to save the rest.
Dilan took a breath and nodded as a reply before placing the girl in the carriage with her siblings, her heart lurching as they cried and hung onto each other. She tried and failed to get the horrible memories out of her head.
"BROTHER!" She screamed as a man dragged her away, her wide orange eyes darting from their parents' corpses to her brother who was struggling with another man trying and failing to grab him.
"DIL! HOLD ON!" He yelled back, struggling to fight. The boy was only 10 at this point. Dilan was just three. She watched with tearful eyes as her brother made a mad dash for the knife that was sticking out of their mother's chest and slit the man's throat as he came after him. Her brother screamed as he ran at the man holding her who had turned at the sound of the scuffle and stabbed him in the leg before slitting his throat too. The warm blood sprayed all over Dilan's head and dribbled into her shocked face as the man dropped her and she fell to the floor. Her brother dropped the bloodied knife and held his stomach as he threw up on the pavement. Dilan stood on shaky legs and stumbled over to him, wiping the blood out of her eye.
"B-brother?" She whispered. He took a few breaths to calm down before taking her hand and pulling her away from their dead parents.
"Come on, Dilan. We're on our own now." He mumbled, tears dripping down his face. Dilan had never seen him look so distraught as he mourned their parents and mourned the life they used to have. Everything would change from now on.
"Not bad, rook. Most people bail on their first time." One of the men's deep voices sounded, snapping her out of her depressing thoughts. She was glad her hood was up, or they might have seen her glossy eyes as the carriage took off and headed towards the address.
"Whatever. I've had worse jobs." She muttered. The man snorted.
"Here's to that." He chuckled and slapped his friend on the back. Dilan blocked them out and tried to avoid looking at the children. She hoped her plan works, otherwise she had just condemned these kids to a life of pain and misery.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
Levi waited a few moments after the carriage turned the corner before jumping off the roof and tailing them. He was slightly anxious, not sure how this was going to go down. He had seen the hesitation on Dilan's face, and she had barely managed to follow through. Levi could imagine that must have been hard for her. They were all so young. He couldn't believe anyone who would ever take children that young from their parents. Of course, this was the underground but to see it happen really shook him. If he was honest, he barely resisted intervening either but this was for the greater good.
As he flew through the air Levi though back to something Farlan told him once. About something similar that happened to him when he was a kid and his teeth gritted in anger. He would end these low life's, in Farlan's memory.
It took a while to get to the house and Levi's eyes widened in dread when he saw it, ducking immediately and landing on a roof.
"Shit." He hissed, peeking over the edge to watch Dilan and the horsemen unload the children. There were guards waiting at the gate and they had guns. Levi had grossly underestimated this operation. This was a really, really bad place. It's run by Madam Han, one of the, if not the, worst criminal in the underground. She has her fingers in every single fucking pie in the bakery. She deals in prostitution, assassination, robbery, terrorism, narcotics, drugs, booze and apparently now child trafficking. Levi only knew about her because apparently her and Kenny used to be partners when he was a kid and the man used to take him to this house a lot. He would wait outside of course.
The partnership ended when Madam Han fucked Kenny over. It was the only time Levi had ever seen someone best the man and he didn't retaliate. It was the only time fear prevented Kenny from doing something. If Kenny of all people feared Madam Han, then she was some really fucking bad news.
Levi watched with wide eyes as Dilan spoke to the guards while the horsemen scrambled out of there. The guards look amused but nodded and Dilan was taken inside. Fuck, the idiot has no idea what she's getting herself into.
Levi raked a hand through his hair and took a breath, trying to figure out a plan. He couldn't leave encase the brat needed help but saying they needed back up was the fucking understatement of the century. He heard a metal door slam shut and looked over to see a man locking up his shop. Levi didn't hesitate to jump off the building and land in front of him. The man jumped back in surprise, clearly expecting to get mugged.
"Listen up and listen carefully. I am from the survey corps, see?" Levi showed his uniform. The man gulped at his intensity but nodded anyway. "I need you to take this money-" Levi grabbed the man's hand and placed the pouch, heavy with coins, in his hand. "-and fucking sprint it to the corps. Use it to bribe the stair gate, use it to get a horse and use it to get whoever the fuck you can to listen to you. When you get to the corps, give them this message exactly. Tell them Levi needs back up in the underground. Give them this exact address. If you do as I say you will be compensated with three times the amount in that pouch. If you fuck up and run, I will find you-" Levi's eyes flicked down to his workers uniform. "-Darrell." He smirked as the man paled. "I'll find you and I'll slit your throat. Are we clear?" He said darkly. The man was sweating heavily but nodded again anyway. "Good. Repeat the message to me."
"L-Levi needs back-up in the u-underground." He repeated, shakily.
"Good. Now fucking run Darrell. Do not disappoint me. I'm not a man to be messed with." Levi warned. The man nodded and sprinted off towards the stairs. Levi sighed in relief and raked a hand through his hair. He'd give it a 50% chance the man came back. Not bad odds but not the odds they needed right now.
Levi grappled back up to the building and looked at the building, trying to see a way in. Try not to die, idiot.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan supressed a shiver as she followed the armed guards through the structure. This place gave her a bad vibe. Obviously, they were holding children captive but that's not what she felt. This place was bad news. Like you're going to die bad news. She wondered if this was really it. She wondered whether they were actually showing her to a toilet like she asked them too and decided she didn't want to find out. Dilan unsheathed her blades and stabbed them both in the back of the knee. They cried out in paid but Dilan was quick to silence them, grabbing their heads by clumps of their hair and dragging a dagger across their throats. Dilan huffed with effort as she dragged them away into what looked to be a storage room, grabbing one of their guns and slinging it around her shoulders just in case. She closed the door behind her and looked around. The place was like a maze.
Dilan sniggered to herself wondering if perhaps she should have asked the men for directions before she ended their lives and shrugged. Well, you live, and you learn. She smirked walking down the hall.
It was quiet. Dark. She wasn't sure how far she had walked but she knew she was starting to get fed up. Where was everyone and why was the place seemingly abandoned? She had taken to jogging, looking for any sign of life. She went up the three floors and found absolutely nothing, starting to get pissed off. She knew another set of guards had taken the children in here. They can't have just disappeared. What was she missing?
Dilan sighed for the umpteenth time and ran back down to the ground floor. She was on the verge of just yelling out in the hopes someone would materialise but deemed that a very bad idea on second thought. These men were armed, and she couldn't probably take on more than 10 without dying and that was a push. Maybe if Levi helped her. Where is that bastard anyway? Did he bail already? Dilan thought as she turned a corner but immediately sprang back as she was met with two guards deep in conversation. She peeked her head around the corner and strained her ears but couldn't hear what they were talking about. Deciding not to kill these ones yet she waited it out, watching with curiosity as one of them moved the corner of a random painting to the side and stuck a key in the wall. He twisted it and pushed open part of the wall, going down some steps into what Dilan assumed was a basement.
Of course! A secret basement. Think Dilan! She scolded herself, walking up to the secret door that had been locked behind her, the painting swinging slightly as it fell back into place from when the man let it go. She hummed in thought. What to do? She sighed realising she would probably have to wait until a guard decided to enter and exit and sat against wall, scrunching up her nose in annoyance. What a drag.
An hour later and Dilan's eyes widened in hope as she heard noises behind the door. She jumped up, practically wagging with excitement and unsheathed her blades as the door opened and two different men came out. They froze as they spotted her and made a grab for their guns, but Dilan had already put her blades to their throats. They swallowed slowly, alarm in their eyes.
"You going to be good?" She cooed. They looked irked but nodded slowly. "Drop the weapons and hand me the key." She smiled a sickly sweet smile. One of them growled in resistance so Dilan cut him with her sword, and he flinched, stilling. They dropped the weapons and the taller one handed her the metal key. "Where are they keeping the children?" She questioned.
"Cells at the bottom of the compound." One of them gritted.
"And how many guards are stationed?" She continued. He smirked.
"Too many. You'll never make it." He grinned. Dilan glared at him.
"Matter of opinion, boys." She said before slicing both their throats. She dragged them both to her storage room and threw them on the growing pile before jogging back to the entrance. She unlocked the door and was about to descend into the darkness before deciding to give Levi a hint. She pricked her finger with the knife and wrote a small 'B' for brat underneath the frame. It was subtle and anyone who wasn't Levi wouldn't find it. The man was too perceptive sometimes. She spared the empty hall a glance before stepping into the stairs and shutting the door behind her, plunging herself into darkness. She swallowed down her fear and forced forward. I'm coming, kids.
"B-brother it's dark." Dilan whispered as she was pushed up into a crack.
"I know, Dil, but it's all we've got now." Her brother replied before climbing up into the crawl space himself. Dilan sniffed and edged towards him, fear and sadness clouding her eyes making every shadow look like a monster waiting for the kill.
"I want-want to go h-home." She sobbed a bit. He sighed and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair.
"I know, so do I. But we're each other's homes now okay? When we are together, we're always home. We'll fix this place up too, yeah? Get some blankets, maybe a lamp. We can put the light under our chin and make scary faces." He said kindly, clearly still distraught but hiding it to ease her pain. Dilan relaxed a bit.
"You're my home." She mumbled, hugging him tighter. Her brother nodded and rubber her back comfortingly as she closed her eyes and snuggled into him.
"And your mine." He whispered as she passed out.
Dilan blinked back the tears, picking up the pace a bit. That memory always resurfaced when it was dark, and she resented it for doing so. It only made her feel depressed and alone. She hadn't been at home anywhere in a really fucking long time. Her brother was her home and he wasn't anywhere. He was just... gone. She shivered and stopped her movement as she reached the bottom of the staircase in front of another door. she tried the handle, finding it was locked before grabbing the key from her pocket and twisting it. the change was instant. This place sure as hell wasn't abandoned.
Light. A type of dark eerily light covered the place from multiple torches hung around the walls. It was a dark long hallway made of some kind of cobblestone rock. There was only one way to go so she locked the door behind her again and took a breath, moving forward. Noise was the second change. It was no longer quiet. The screams of sex seemed to echo about the place and Dilan had no idea where it was coming from. Some sounded like pleasure, others pain. Dilan felt the bile rise in her throat as a woman screamed out for someone to help her. She gritted her teeth and kept moving. As much as it stung, she wasn't here for them. Those ladies were already in the deep shit. They were already scarred. These children, they still had their innocence; they still had their lives. They were her first priority. If she was given the chance to save others after, then she would be sure to try but she had to focus on what was important.
Dilan walked through the hallways, the noises becoming louder and louder. She stopped in front of two pathways. The noise was radiating from that area while the other was dead silent.
"PLEASE! STOP! HELP!" A woman screamed in pure anguish and Dilan clenched her jaw, hesitating before heading down the empty pathway, breathing out shakily as the screaming stopped abruptly.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to herself, not looking back.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
It had been an hour and Levi couldn't deny he was edgy. Was the brat even alive? What the hell was he supposed to do? If he went in and the corps got here, they wouldn't know which building to infiltrate and have no information on what this was about. If he waited for the corps, the brat could be dead before they get here. This was possibly the worst situation imaginable. Levi sighed and rubbed his head. Such a troublesome brat. He decided he had no choice but to stick put and pray Dilan doesn't get herself killed before the corps show up. If they even showed up that is.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
She had been wondering around for a while now, slightly lost but too proud to admit it. she ended up in some sort of drug manufacturing wing and her eyes widened at the size of this operation. Forced prostitution? Drug manufacturing? Child trafficking? This had to be the dirtiest place in the underground and that was saying something. This thing was big, and she had underestimated it. She knew that now but it was too late. She was in too deep and she couldn't stop now.
Dilan held her breath as she ducked past the windows of the lab and made her way down yet another pathway. She found it weird that she hadn't spotted any guards yet. Where the hell was everyone?
Her question seemed to be answered as she stumbled into the exact place she was looking for and observed about 14 guards standing post, chatting. It looked like they were taking a break. Dilan's eyes widened as she heard a sniff and looked behind them to see the rows upon rows of children in cells. They were shoved in there like rats, horribly tattered and malnourished. It hurt Dilan's heart.
"OI!" A man's voice brought her out of her heart ache, and she blinked at the guards who had all turned to look at her, discovering she had stupidly failed to get back behind the corner of the room. She sighed. Great. Here comes death, she thought with an eyeroll as she unsheathed her blades. The men flinched as she licked her lips and ran at them.
The men at the front open fired on her and she skidded to her knees, arching her back and watching with mild curiosity as the bullets flew over her head, slicing a single hair off of her fringe in their fury. Dilan didn't allow them time to readjust as she sliced their legs before standing up and slicing their throats. They gagged and the blood squirted into her face as she used the men as a shield, grabbing the smaller one by his shirt and using the adrenaline she had gathered to push him as she ran, grunting with effort as more bullets flew, digging into the man's limp body and narrowly missing her. She pushed him into the next two as they shakily tried to reload their guns. In fact, to her delight she realised that 10 out of the 12 men remaining were currently reloading. Now was her chance.
Dodging the last rounds of fire, she ducked, slashed, stabbed, kicked punched and used the gun a few times herself to end the remaining men, sighing in absolute relief as the last body dropped to the ground, convulsing on the floor as he bled out. She took a breath and leant on the wall for a moment while she calmed out of her bloodlust and assessed her injuries. Blood here, blood there. Surprisingly one of it was hers. Guess she was heavily motivated not to die. She had some children to save.
She heaved a final breath to calm down before looking up at the rows of kids balking at her, took down her hood and flashed them all a comforting smile.
"Hey kids. My names Dilan. Let's get out of here, yeah?"
LEVI'S P.O.V.
"Fuck, where are you?!" Levi hissed, pacing the roof. It had been another hour and he was starting to lose will power. All he wanted was to get in their find the brat and get out again. Who knows what shit she could be dealing with right now? His head snapped round to the sound of horses galloping and sighed in relief, throwing himself down to meet them.
"Levi. What the hell-" Erwin started in a half confused, half pissed off tone. Levi cut him off.
"That building is home to Madam Han. She is one of the most dangerous leaders of crime in the underground. Dilan infuriated, following a lead of child traffickers before I could warn her off the dangers. She's been in there for 2 hours and the odds are not looking good." He explained logically. Erwin's eyes widened and he pursed his lips.
"We will talk about your disappointments later, Levi. For now. Scouts! Prepare for combat!" Erwin yelled. Levi rolled his eyes as Hanji was glaring daggers at him. It's not like he abandoned her. What were they so pissed about?
"Yes sir!"
10 minutes later and they had disarmed the guards, or rather Levi had disarmed the guards and got inside the building without much hassle. Erwin sent different squads to different areas of the building to search and Levi joined Mike squad who were all glaring at him too. What the actual fuck was their problem?
"I cannot believe you." Tabitha mumbled under her breath as they turned a corner. That was it. The end of Levi's tether.
"The fuck is your problem?" He hissed back quietly. Tabitha glared at him.
"You hate Dilan. You obviously didn't protect her!" She snapped back. Levi grit his teeth.
"If I wasn't going to protect her, why would I call you all in. If I wanted the brat dead, I would have left her to rot here. Said I lost her and left her high and dry." Levi replied logically. Tabitha looked royally pissed off but didn't retort.
Another 10 minutes and all the squads were back at the foyer, reporting nothing. "Levi, what bullshit is this?" Mike hissed. Levi ignored him.
"An explanation." Erwin demanded, walking up to him. Levi ignored him too as the blonde started ranting about insubordination and wasting the corps' time for no reason. Levi blocked him out, scanning the place for any clues. He had seen them go in here. They couldn't have disappeared. He stopped as he spotted a drop of blood on the floor and ignored Erwin to walk over and crouch down by it. He turned his head to look up at the wall as more people continued to yell at him, demanding answers, supressing a smirk as he saw a 'B' drawn into the wall. 'B' for brat. That idiotic genius. He rolled his eyes internally and stood up, pushing the frame to reveal a keyhole and thanking god as everyone shut up.
"You done? Can we fucking get to work now?" He said in a bored tone. Erwin looked between the emotions of irritated and impressed and nodded. Levi turned back to the door, about to lift his leg up and knock It down before he heard noises on the other side. Like shuffling.
"Everyone hide." Erwin order and the squads hid around the corner. Levi hid behind the door, as did Erwin, Hanji and Mike. Levi heard the click of the lock before the door was pushed open. Levi was about to grab the person before he heard a sigh of relief and stopped. No way.
"Dilan?" Levi questioned, moving round the side and blinking at Dilan drenched in blood, holding the hand of a small child which was holding the hand of another child and another child, creating a long child train. His jaw practically dropped open in surprise as she grinned.
"Hey! Guys, it's Levi. You remember I told you about Levi, right?" She said cheerfully and the children smiled and nodded.
"He's grumpy!" The first one blurted out and Dilan laughed loudly, ruffling the kid's hair.
"Indeed, he is." She chuckled.
"Dilan?" Hanji asked as the others stepped around the door and gasped at her. The brat looked like she had been in a bloody massacre. Levi continued to balk as the rest of the squads came out too.
"Oh. Hey guys!" She smiled. Mike squad gasped and ran over to her, Tabitha gripping her by the shoulders tightly, tears in her eyes.
"D-Dilan what happened? Whose blood is this?!" She demanded; the most worried Levi had ever seen her. Dilan blinked at herself.
"Oh, its not mine. Just the guards. We should probably get back; this line of kids is horrifyingly long." She sighed, patting the kids head as he sniffed. Everyone blinked at her.
"...right." Erwin said, unsure for the first time Levi had known him. Suddenly there was a loud high-pitched scream.
"DILAN!" A child yelled and Dilan cursed, turning on her heel.
"Kids, stay calm and stick to the left of the tunnel, make your way up. These guys will help you; I promise." She said seriously and they nodded, starting to run up to where survey corps members grabbed them and ran out of the building with them on Erwin's orders. Dilan sprinted down the right side of the tunnel where a path had formed as the child, who somehow knew her name continued to scream out for her. Levi cursed and ran down the path after her, down the long hallway, amazed and disgusted at the sheer number of children.
"Dilan!" He yelled.
"Hurry!" Her only reply sounded as she skidded around the corner. Levi gritted his teeth and pushed himself faster, hurtling around the corner as they reached the end of the line of children and jumped into battle with the brat who had sent a round house kick to some random guard's head. Levi caught the small child as he dropped her and set her down around the corner, managing to throw himself to the ground as a shot rang out, missing him by an inch. Dilan unsheathed her blades and Levi wasn't far behind as they shared a look and sprung into battle.
The whole process took less than 5 minutes. There were ten guards, but their weapons were meant for long distances and they were terrible fighters. Levi had tried just knocking them out at the beginning, but he found that it didn't end well and eventually had to kill them instead. The worst part was he didn't feel bad. He almost enjoyed it and it was that thought that scared him. Levi and Dilan worked in perfect sync, blocking the opponents as they tried to hurt the other, stabbing and slashing in harmony... well apart from the screams. He had trusted her completely during that fight and she had trusted him. It was an odd feeling and it shocked him after the fighting stopped and they were standing there, breathing heavily, surrounded by bodies.
"Not bad, sir." She smirked after a while. Levi gave her an exasperated look which made her laugh before she raked a hand through her blood-soaked hair and sighed.
"Let's go." He mumbled, turning to leave. His ears pricked as he heard a small gasp and turned in time to see the brat push him out of the way as a shot rang out and hit her in the shoulder, causing her to fall to the floor. Levi's eyes widened and he grabbed the dagger out of his belt to fling it at the man while he reloaded, hitting him in the centre of his chest and he fell to the ground. Levi rushed to the brat's side and helped her sit up, checking the damage. "Shit, brat. Why would you do that?" He hissed, keeping pressure on the wound. It was bad. Dilan chuckled weakly as they heard distant footsteps.
"Do we n-need to go through this again. I. Don't. Care. But I do care about that girl. Take her and leave. Now." She croaked out in a hoarse voice, growing pale. Levi shifted in confliction as he heard voices. A lot of them.
"Dilan get your ass up. We're all getting out of here." He ordered, trying to pull her up. she winced and pushed him back.
"You can't carry me and the girl. Go. Please... just let me rest. I'm okay with it. I miss him." She mumbled, her eye lids growing heavy. Levi swallowed hard. How could he have been so wrong about this girl?
"I'm sorry. Sorry for everything." He said sincerely. Dilan smiled, a bit of blood dribbling down her chin.
"Its c-cool. Look a-after the o-orphanage for me." She whispered. Levi nodded firmly, squeezing her blood-soaked hand.
"You're a good person. You did something good. These children are free because of you and you have my respect. I'm sorry it ended this way." He replied, letting go of her to pick up the shaking child. Dilan closed her amber eyes, a slight smile on her lips.
"Thanks... you grumpy bastard." She choked out before falling unconscious. Levi felt a harsh tug of pain in his chest and hesitated before sprinting down the hall and skidding around the corner and into the stairs before the first round of bullets sounded. He ran up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. He was met with Erwin and Hanji. They looked at him with hope and he shook his head. Their faces fell.
"Let's move out." Erwin ordered and the three jogged out of the compound. Suicidal idiot. Why did you make it so hard? Why did... I make it so hard? In another world... we could have been friends.
A/N: Ooh we finally got here. I've been imagining this scene for a while. We had some progressive Levi and Dilan moments in this chapter. They were starting to understand each other and trust each other. Shame everything went to shit. Guess we'll have to see what happens next. I'm loving the comments guys! They are really inspiring me to keep going. Thanks for reading! X
