Part X
Three plus One makes Four

(I'll try and keep this part as close to the "No Regrets" background as much as possible, but dialogue will be changed, or added, here and there.)

"Here! Sorry for the wait!" Spoke Farlan as he shuffled the money from their latest heist through his hands. He separated the money into even piles and gave one pile to each of those who were sat in front of him. "Payment for both this time and last time."

Things were going well for them lately, when it came to the money side of things. Enough to keep a share for themselves, as well as pay those who helped from the other districts. Being able to maintain alliance with them. The end of the heist was not too long ago. Levi still sat, sharpening his pocket knife until it was spotless in his eyes and Fury sat opposite him, writing down the takings of this heist so they knew how much they had saved away.

Farlan then gazed over to one of the men sat down and he smiled softly. "Here you go." Farlan whispered, giving the last pile of money to him, though it was obvious there was a little extra there for him more than the others, though no one spoke out against it. The young man looked up at Farlan, nothing but thanks in his eyes as Farlan nodded to him. "Don't spend too much of it! Don't wanna make it obvious that you came into a sudden amount of money! We're still being watched…"

"We're already aware of that." One of the young men spoke out as he and two others stood up and began leaving for the exit. The last of the men, the one Farlan gave more money to, was the last to stand and leave. And though he did not look back, he departed with gratitude.

"Jobs have been so much easier with our ODM gear as of late. I still never thanked you for getting us that!" Farlan then spoke to Levi, still cleaning his knife. "Everyone's share of the money we gather has been able to increase too!"

"Some more than others, it seems." Levi muttered, lifting his knife to his face so that he could somewhat see if it was clean enough. Fury remained silent for now. "The reason for that is…?"

Farlan looked down for a moment, knowing Levi wasn't happy. But Farlan did not regret what he had done and it was clear to Fury that she also knew of the reason. "His leg. "She answered for him. "Surely you've noticed too?"

"It's gotten worse. Again." Farlan continued, his usual smile fading to a frown. "We know how medicine is expensive, especially down here. The price recently went up too."

"That's the Underground Merchants for you." Fury spoke, putting her papers aside. It was her idea to keep track of their amount of money, so that they were all aware of how much they could and couldn't use if they were wanting to save. "I believe the Stairway Toll has increased also. Which means our own target has increased when it comes to putting money aside."

Farlan gritted his teeth. "With that, it's gonna be even less likely for the poor to ever see sunlight! We have to buy our way into things no matter where we go now. They increase prices as much as they want. Not that they have to do that to keep up with cost, but they just want more money themselves. Even if we can pay to go up there, without a Citizenship, we won't be up there for long. Then how long will it be before we can afford to go up again?"

Fury nodded, agreeing with Farlan and it reminded her of the conversation she had with Levi over who gave the higher ups the right to treat people this way. "They say it's the lack of sunlight that causes people's legs to go bad as well. Although, it's not like knowing can change much though…"

Levi moved his gaze from Fury over to Farlan, who still stood with a deep frown. "Your mother's was the same, wasn't it?" Levi's eyes closed as he came to understand Farlan's reasons to help the young man. "So that's why… Even so, it was still a large sum you gave him."

"It's compensation." Butted in Fury to somewhat help Farlan, but she looked down herself. "Though… it might already be too late for him. At the very least, with the money he received he has a good chance of finding a decent hospital."

"I see." Replied Levi. "Though how much more are we going to need if we want to live up there?"

To that question, neither Fury or Farlan answered. It was beginning to look clear for Levi himself that the two of them were slowly starting to give up on this ideal of living in sunlight. Could he carry their hope for them? He wondered himself if their dreams were still worth pursuing. At the same time, he wanted happiness for his friends, though he would never admit this out loud. Levi was aware Fury has a complicated background, so a better future for her was something he'd like to give. And he knew Farlan had been through a lot with losing his mother and turning to crime to escape that fact. It's how the two men met. Levi himself lost his mother as a child, he was almost left for dead if it weren't for Kenny.

The room was silent. If only for a while. The three needed a moment to gather their thoughts. But it became interrupted at the sound of a clash outside of their door into the house.
All three of them stood up on instinct, believing it may be the Military Police out there. Levi clutched to his freshly polished knife as Farlan placed his hand upon the door handle. With a look from Levi himself, Fury was told to stay back from the door. They always planned this. If the three ever found trouble had come to their doorstep, Fury would be the one to flee with the money and then do her best to help out in retrieving Levi and Farlan.

Both young men were ready, and Levi gave a subtle nod to Farlan so that he could open the door. He did just that, he flung the door open and as both were about to lunge forward for an attack, a young girl fell forward onto the floor.

She was out of breath and dressed in orange rags that almost matched her hair colour. For one, Levi wasn't at all amused and Farlan was slightly caught off guard. As for Fury, she began to feel a somewhat spark within her body. She had not felt this before, but whatever it was, it was telling her that this young girl was of no threat. Fury shrugged of this unusual feeling as she then stood beside Levi, both of them looking down at the girl on the floor.

Farlan soon emitted a sigh of relief. "Ah, just a kid. She almost gave me a heart attack with that entrance!"

"I'm not… just a kid!" The young girl spoke, anger on her face and her teeth gritted. Fury's eyes never left the girl. With that response, she was beginning to remind Fury of her old self.

"Is that so…?" Levi muttered in response. "I'm not going to feel bad for telling you to get out then? I'll let the fact slide that you also dirtied my floor due to your bizarre way of entering my home. I'd like you to leave… Now."

The young girl did nothing but almost hiss at Levi as she remained laid on the floor. This caused even Farlan to become irritable. "Can't you move?" He asked with a sigh among his words.

"Of course I can!" The girl snapped. She was beginning to remind Fury of herself more and more now. Even Levi himself looked over at Fury. Could he see it too? Fury wasn't exactly friendly either when they all first met. "Don't you all look down on me!"

The girl, with obvious struggle, began to lift herself up from the floor. "Strong willed." Fury muttered out loud. It was somewhat nice to see someone else down here had fight in them. The three of them soon turned their gaze to sounds of shouting outside and this caused the girl to fall back slightly, hitting back on the door as she curled into a ball. She was clearly scared, but of who?

Fury soon began to frown herself. She's seen reactions like that before… from herself… when she was working for low life's who did nothing but prey on others. She already felt anger dwelling inside her. She really hoped this young girl hasn't been through something similar. Fury knew she herself was messed up emotionally because of it, she didn't want anyone else to go through that.

"Tsk. You're being chased!" Levi scolded. He walked to the door and leaned on it, Farlan doing the same on the other side as the two men watched a bunch of thugs at the bottom of their stairs.

"That little brat… she bit me real hard!" One complained, rubbing his hand.

"Ain't been a rough one like her since that Fury was around in the district!" Another laughed, patting his friend with the bitten hand on the back. Levi was somewhat shocked hearing that, causing him to look back at Fury, who was sat next to the young girl with a hand on her shoulder. He couldn't tell her that these men knew of her. He wasn't sure why he decided to make that choice.

"That Fury is probably long dead by now, no way could she of survived on her own down here, no woman can!"

"Speaking of the weaker sex, when I catch this little one, I'll make sure I'm the one to have fun with her first!" The thug laughed at his own threat but was soon interrupted by a whistle from Farlan, causing the men to look up at both him and Levi who were watching them. "Hey! You seen a dirty little girl run by?! You haven't got her in there with you, have ya?"

"Dirty kids are the only types of kids down here!" Farlan joked in response to the thug and that irritated him enough to walk up the stairs to confront them both.

"You guys have control over this district, right?" The thug asked as he made his way further up the stairs. He soon came to sudden stop as his gazed became fixed upon on both Fury and the young girl. "I've found her!" He then called out to the thugs below. "You lot friends with her?"

"Not at all, we just met." Farlan replied, folding his arms and keeping his smirk.

"Then hand her over! You'll be sorry if you cover for the likes of her. After all, she did attempt to get passed the 11th Stairway without payment! The likes of you should know that it's under jurisdiction of one of the nobles, Lobov! Anyone who tries to pass without paying is prosecuted on sight. And of course, all of you will be charged for being her accomplice. So you boys now get it, hurry up and give her to me!"

Neither Levi or Farlan gave a response. This gave the thug the idea to try and walk past them both to grab a hold of the girl. This even caused Fury to stand up and be on guard. They may not be as bad as the types that used to control her, but they were still bad enough in her eyes.

As the thug placed his hand upon Levi's shoulder, he swiftly moved and ripped his knife through the thug's skin upon his hand, causing him to call out in pain and he trembled backwards. As both Farlan and Fury watched, they allowed Levi to throw a few punches at the thug he just cut open with his knife. Both of them knew not to stop him or get involved. They knew and trusted Levi to know that he'll decide when it's best to stop.

As for Levi, after a few kicks and punches, he lifted the thug up by his collar, still remaining composed as always.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hand. I might get dirty." He snarled, glaring at the thug. The thug's line of sight then moved over to Fury and the girl, who watched Levi stand his ground for her. "Don't look at them either!"

Levi then pushed the thug down the stairs, causing the others to catch him in shock.

Farlan then chuckled, placing a hand into his pocket. "You can't do it like that. We always prioritise good hygiene and the taking care of each other. Why don't you all go wash your hands and come back for round 2 later?"

Each of the thugs looked at one another and decided not to even bother replying, finally seeing it was best to leave this well alone.

Fury helped the girl to her feet, though she was currently in awe over Levi, and took her to the sofa and sat her down.

Farlan closed the door behind Levi who went and took his own seat back at the table where he always sits. He took out his knife once again and began cleaning it of the blood which had been left on by the thug. Farlan himself went and took a seat next to the girl, both him and Fury looking at her.

"How long are you going to hold that against your stomach?" Levi asked the girl, who snapped out of her awe and looked down. All the time, she was cradling an injured bird. Both Fury and Farlan could barely believe it. Birds weren't exactly a common sight down here. "It'll die, you know."

"I-I thought I could keep it warm!" She responded, unwrapping it from some of the cloth in which she had cradled the bird in.

"How the hell did you get that bird anyway?" Farlan asked, leaning over as he used one finger to stroke the small animal.

"I think it got lost on its way out of here." The girl muttered. "Probably through some air duct. So… I wanted to take it back to the surface."

"Don't tell me you tried to get through the Stairway for that?!" Farlan replied, a look of shock upon his face.

"…better for it to be up there and be free than being stuck down here…" Fury spoke quietly. But she was also speaking for herself at the same time. The girl smiled at Fury, nodding with agreement.

"Well, that's all well and good but… look at it." Farlan said, gently taking the bird from the girl to inspect it more. "It's wing is broken, you know. Let me put some wrapping on it so that it may have that chance of being up there again."

The girl nodded as tears began to form in her eyes as she watched Farlan do his best. As for Fury, she couldn't understand how she was feeling herself at the moment. She felt sorry for this young girl. Sorry enough that she couldn't just let her go back out onto the streets. Why was she seeing so much of herself in this girl? Why her, why now? Why were her days with Kenny resurfacing? Levi still had no clue of her knowing Kenny, and if she told him now, how the heck would he respond still, after all the time that has gone by? Fury felt conflicted. An emotion she was not familiar with, nor did she want to feel it. Her life had been so much better living alongside Farlan and Levi. They're her family. As for this girl, was it Fury's right to dictate whether she can stay or not? It was obvious the girl needed shelter. Reading people was something Fury did well.

"There we go. Hopefully his wing will heal with this stick keeping it straight enough to mend the bones." Farlan said, stroking the animal's head.

"You're really good, you know!" Praised the girl as she clapped her hands happily. It was like today never happened for her. "I'm Isabel!" She then went on to reveal.

"I'm Farlan!" He then looked over to Levi. "And that's Levi." He then looked at Fury, who was sat next to him with a book in her hands. She loved to read. "And this one is Fury."

Isabel gasped. "Furry?! No way, I heard all about you!"

Fury's eyebrow raised. "It's Fury!" She hissed as she lowered her book. This earned a chuckle from Farlan and even a lip curve from Levi. "Shut up..." Fury then spoke aloud, not wanting the joke to persist further.

"Didn't say a thing... Furry..." Farlan laughed, even spiking a giggle from Isabel herself.

"I'm sorry!" She wheezed.

Fury just sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, so how is it you have heard of me?"

"From those guys who tried to come get me before!" Isabel revealed, causing Levi's head to then lower. "Used to compare me to you, they did!" She said proudly.

"In… what way?" Fury was slightly wary of Isabel's next response. "And't don't even think about referring to my name!"

Isabel laughed, though shook her head. "About my tendency to fight back! Always used to say my attitude was always similar to yours!"

"I don't think that's a compliment." Fury muttered, giving Isabel the realisation that Fury wasn't exactly proud of being the way she is.

Isabel then scoffed anyway and yet smiled at Fury. "Well, either way, I look up to people like you Fury. Well, to all of you. You stand your ground and I wanna do that too!" She took a deep breath. "So, it's Farlan, Levi and Fury, is it? Listen, please… Let me stay with you!"

The three of them looked over at Isabel. "I know it's you three that have the ODM Gear! I've seen you all a few times, in the air, that's how I knew to come here… I was always envious. Always flying around like birds."

"What do you think?" Fury asked Levi, somewhat hoping he'd allow her to stay under their protection. "You did it for me, Levi. Having one more is beneficial."

It took time to hear a response from Levi. This was his house after all, Fury and Farlan had always allowed him to make the choices, within reason. Levi knew Fury had also made a point. He did allow her to stay, though at the time, it was not to be permanent. He's looked out for both her and Farlan over the years, it had always been the three of them. But he saw the look upon Fury's face. Though she did not make it obvious, it was clear to him that she was showing desperation. Why? He couldn't figure that out. May be she just wanted female company but he knew that it had never bothered her who she was around. He was at a loss. It'd be another mouth the feed, another person to train. But even Farlan wasn't against the idea.

"If you stay here under this roof, I expect you to learn how to clean before I even think about giving you ODM Gear." Levi finally responded as he then stood and departed for his room.

This caused Isabel to look over at Farlan and Fury, to which they both nodded to her question that she hadn't even asked. Levi was allowing her to stay with them.
The young girl began jumping around, literally, shouting her thanks to Levi.

Fury looked down and she smiled to herself, making sure Farlan and Isabel could not see it. She was happy. Genuinely. Isabel was off the streets, far away from the possibility of men who could give her temptations or even worse. This was truly becoming her family now, her home. She had learned to trust both Levi and Farlan. She always saw herself to walk her life alone, without having to care for anybody.
But even she could not deny that she cared for these people. Not once have any of them judged her or pushed her aside because of her past. These are the people she wants to live alongside. It being on the surface would just be a bonus for her now.

And as for Kenny? He wasn't a focus anymore. And it wasn't worth the risk of losing trust from Levi by bringing that man up now.