Chapter 2: Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Petra wakes up seven years into the past. She works as a hired hand at a fruit shop then goes freelance for another two months. She accidentally knocks Levi out.

Petra resisted the urge to go put on the 3D maneuver gear and feel the air through her hair as she flew. She still couldn't believe it. She had heard the rumors, but how did he get his hands on it? She stared at the unconscious man tied up in the corner, having removed all of his items and triple checking his person to make sure he had no hidden weapons before binding his arms and legs nice and tight with rope.

She was under no delusions. Levi didn't know her and would likely perceive her as a threat, seeing that she had knocked him out. The fact he fell for the trap still astonished her. Petra played with the bracelet around her wrist. It was in his hand and she concluded she had dropped it and he had come to return it. Had she waited, he would have left it at her doorstep before moving on.

Mary's charm was lucky indeed. It brought Levi right to Petra.

Levi had been unconscious the entire night. Countless times she found herself resisting the urge to touch him, to reassure herself he was there. He was the first familiar and reliable face she had seen. It made her positively giddy. She could do this now. Befriend Levi, leave the Underground City with him, join the Survey Corps, and save Eren and their squad. Tear filled her eyes and she quickly wiped them.

Suddenly, the smiling face of her father flashed through her mind and her joy faltered. Many times she had woken up from that familiar nightmare about losing Eren and the others before reality came crashing down. Thoughts about her father and her younger-self often occupied that time before sleep finally claimed her again.

What would happen with that Petra? Even if she used a different name, when young Petra joined, no one would miss the blatant similarity.

Images of a small and sickly Petra came to her.

A shiver went down her spine.

The Female Titan wasn't the only star in Petra's nightmares. For quite some time now, she had been plagued with dreams about herself, as a child, meeting her demise from some illness.

Initially she had dismissed the creepy dream, believing it to be a manifestation of her fear of disease. Diseases were deadly in the Underground City, far more than aboveground. There were no good doctors and proper medicine down there so it wasn't unfounded.

Lately though, she had noticed it was always the exact same dream. She was always a sick, bedridden kid. An eerie thought had occurred to her. What if the child-Petra she kept seeing was the one aboveground, living with her father? What she was seeing that Petra's death?

If it was true, in a way it solved her problem. There would be no issues with two identical looking but different aged Petras in the Survey Corps. Although it also broke her heart thinking about her father. If the child-Petra died as a result of her being there and not dead in the future like she was supposed to be, her father would be all alone and shattered. Her chest hurt from the guilt.

It might just be a dream. Petra would have to wait and find out. No use making assumptions until she was out of the Underground City and investigated. But try as she might, the thought wouldn't leave her. Somewhere deep down, she was convinced it was more than a dream. Still, it wasn't something she could deal with right now and banished it from her thoughts to be dealt with and fretted over later.

When Levi began to fidget, she straightened up. It only took a second or two before he became lucid. His eyes widened when he realized his hands were tied behind his back. A ball of dread formed in his stomach.

Petra knew he would have cursed if it weren't for the gag. Levi glared at her and she felt warmth spreading through her. She almost smiled. That look was something familiar and made her emotional.

Quickly, she shoved the feeling back and focused on staying neutral. "I'm going to remove the cloth, please don't head-butt me, that would be very counterproductive." She carefully undid the knot, staring Levi dead in the eyes, something he was obviously unused to. Petra moved back and asked. "Who are you and why were you following me?"

Instead of answering, Levi took in his captor. She was small and skinny, dressed in brown boots, dark pants, and a gray jacket that made it difficult to tell if she athletically built.

Stubborn as usual. Petra regarded his silent, alert posture. "You know, no matter how much you glare, I'm not going to spontaneously burst into combustion."

No reply.

"Look, my name is Petra and I have no interest in keeping you captive." His posture tensed and she realized the ambiguity of her statement. She also mentally slapped herself for her use of her real name, too caught up his presence, feeling comfortable and slipping up. I'm an idiot. If her freaky dream did turn out to be only a dream, she had just created more trouble for herself. "I'm not going to kill you either. So why don't we just talk it out like mature adults?"

Levi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, at least you didn't laugh at me. That's the reaction I usually get when I suggest solving a problem without resorting to violence first." Silence. Petra sighed, "Not talking isn't going to help you."

Silence again.

"Oh, by the way, I sold your gear. It fetched quite a nice price."

Anger surged in Levi. That 3D gear was the reason he had survived for so long and done so well. "You what?!"

"He speaks!" Petra grinned, "I knew that'd get you to talk."

"Let me go."

"I would love to. As I said, I have no interest in keeping you captive. But I can't chance you turning on me."

"This is what I get for trying to be a decent guy," Levi grumbled.

Petra held up her wrist. "You came to return this?"

"I did." Truthfully, he figured as a bounty hunter she was bound to have goods stashed away. He had acted on an impulse to follow her. Eventually, he might need to buy what he needed rather than waste time he might not have planning and executing a robbery. Distracted by that thought, he had let his guard down—and no one set up traps like that, as far as he knew—focusing more on how to approach her and falling for her trap.

"I see."

"Now that you have it, why don't you let me go now?" He suggested.

"I'm sure I had the bracelet on me while I was in the shop, which means you were there last night. You're a thief," she deduced. It wouldn't make any sense for her to let him go when she obviously knew what he was. He'd think she was stupid and then she could kiss her chance of sticking with him goodbye.

"Last night?" Levi stiffened and Petra eyed him curiously. He forced himself to relax. He couldn't alert her to his weakness. She tried to get him to talk but he wasn't saying another word. Eventually, she gave up and left, locking the door behind her as a precaution.

Petra went to the adjourning room and opened up his 3D gear. She felt bad for doing that, she knew how much he disliked people touching his things without permission, but it was for his own good. She began cleaning it. Understandably, he didn't know the proper way to take care of the machinery. It was starting to get rusty in tricky places. I'd give it another year before some vital part malfunctions and he drops to his death. She couldn't do much without proper tools. A few minutes later, she was done. There, that should suffice.

I might as well go buy myself some supplies. She grabbed her bag with the essentials that she kept with her at all times, less likely for them to be stolen that way, and left.

Petra pulled the collar of her coat up so she could hide her nose. I guess the sickness has reached here. She made sure her hair was covered, not that anyone was interested. They were too busy avoiding other people as much as possible to care. In any case, she was from the 7th Sector of the West. Currently, she was in the 18th Sector of the East. There was no one to recognize her there.

Her attention was snapped when a young man ran into her. Petra first thought he was a pick-pocket, but soon figured it was just an accident. "Sorry," he apologized distractedly.

"Are you alright?" The logical part of her groaned internally. Erd used to say she was kind to a fault. Anytime she saw someone in distress she went to help. Never mind her initial impression of the person may be wrong and she could end up in trouble, but she could never turn down a person when it was within her power to help.

Farlan was taken by back her sincerity, and spoke hesitantly, feeling little desperate, "Uh, yeah. My friend's sick and my other friend went to get her medicine but he's not back yet."

"If you can't find any medicine," Petra went on automatically, "there are other ways to help. They aren't as fast or effective but they really do help."

His interest was piqued. "It sounds like you have some prior knowledge in the area."

"Yeah, I guess." Petra shrugged. "My friends were rather incompetent when it came to self-health. I always ended up taking care of them when they got sick."

Farlan stared at her intently for a few seconds, mind whirling, before coming to a decision. "If it's not too much, can you please take a look at my friend? I swear she's not contagious."

Petra's protective instincts kicked. "Sure," she agreed. He seems so nice. In truth, she was thrilled at the prospect of making a friend. It was lonely and she use an ally. Deep inside she knew it had more to do with the former than the latter. "I'm Petra, by the way."

"My name's Farlan," he introduced himself, "Farlan Church."

"Isabel, wake up, I brought someone who can help. C'mon, sit up." Farlan helped the red-haired girl sit up in the bed.

"Where's big brother?"

"He's getting medicine, I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Petra knelt and smiled. "Hi, Isabel, I'm Petra. I made you some lettuce tea." She giggled at the way the other girl wrinkled her nose. "Don't worry, I sweetened it with sugar."

The duo gaped at her. Sugar was incredibly expensive and hard to find. Petra had some left from the time she'd caught a big-time criminal. She had been utterly thrilled and nearly died in bliss when she tasted it. She was glad she had enough left for the tea. A little sugar in exchange for two friends was more than worth it. Petra stood up and dipped some pieces of cloth in the bucket with cold water. Farlan took the cup from Isabel and helped her lie down.

"Here." Petra handed him some of the rags. "Put them around her ankles." She put the one in her hand on Isabel's forehead. "Change it every fifteen minutes or so. And make sure she's hydrated. If she's hungry, give her bland food, it's easier for her stomach to digest." She gave him a few more tips. "That's all I know. I hope your friend returns with the medicine soon. This will do for now."

"Thank you very much," Farlan said gratefully.

"No problem, I can come back tomorrow if you'd like." She tried not to be too hopeful.

"Yes, that'd be great actually." He couldn't believe such a kind stranger existed, especially considering where they lived. "I'd walk you home but Isabel needs me. Can you find your way back?"

"Yes, it's no problem."

Petra wondered if the medicine Isabel needed might be in the stash Levi stole. She made up her mind. If their friend's not back tomorrow, I'll give them the medicine if I find it. Levi will just have to deal with it. She remembered the shop owner had invited her for dinner and quickly made way for his place.

She felt somewhat guilty because she was in possession of his stolen goods. Petra rationalized the medicine was going to help an innocent young girl so she'd let it go this once. She was halfway done with her meal before she realized Levi was tied up all alone in a cold room, without food. Her appetite, which always seemed to be there, suddenly vanished.

Her host asked her if she as okay and she pasted a smile on her face, assuring him she suddenly realized she had somewhere to be. Petra had the rest of her food packed and practically ran home.

Levi wondered if there were intruders in the house because of all the noise. I guess not. He watched curiously as the short woman, Petra, entered the room. What's wrong with her? Then he figured it out. "What, did you forget about me?"

"I'm so sorry!" She blurted out, taking him by surprise. "I just lost track of time! I found this guy and went to help this girl and..."

Levi couldn't understand her incessant babbling. He thought she was upset because he might have escaped because of her forgetfulness. Here she was muttering "I'm sorry" every other sentence because he was stuck in the room.

"...and it's so cold and I forgot to leave some food..."

His captor, Levi decided, was the strangest woman he had ever met. First, she abandoned him to the cold and hunger, then apologized numerously, looking ready to cry. He had an odd feeling maybe he should reassure her that he'd been through worse. But he kept his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry, I feel terrible for what I did—"

"Why are you apologizing?" Levi watched her curiously, she was honestly upset. "As far as you know, I'm a thief." What would she have to feel bad about?

"Yeah, but I'm not going to starve you. I'm not that cruel."

"If I were to guess, I'd say I haven't even been here for twelve hours," he pointed out with a shrug. If she was really that soft-hearted that she felt bad for him, maybe he only need to act agreeable to get free. Her knotting skills were no joke.

Petra shifted uncomfortably before taking a seat near him. "I hope you heard about not biting the hand that feeds you." Before Levi could process what she meant, Petra dipped a spoon in the soup and held it up for him.

"Are you serious?" For a moment, he considered head-butting her but she had tied him up good and he had already figured he wouldn't be going anywhere. No point in antagonizing her. Petra really seemed decent enough. I might just be able to talk my way out of this one.

"I'm not untying you."

He stared dubiously at the spoon. Petra rolled her eyes. "It's not poisoned. I told you I'm not going to—"

Levi's head moved forward. Who was he to deny free food? He'd need the energy if an opportunity to escape presented itself. Besides, it was free food.

They were silent for the next few minutes. Petra was too relieved to be embarrassed about spoon feeding her future captain. Levi's pride wouldn't allow him to meet Petra's eyes once he was done. She left and came back with a blanket. "What're you doing now?" He gaped as she tucked it around him.

"It'll be really cold at night."

Levi was still staring incredulously by the time she left. The blanket smelled surprisingly clean and he loved it. Rarely did he get his hands on such nicely scented soap. Petra obviously bathed it and now the scent transferred to her blanket. But if she gave him her blanket, what was she using for herself? She must have an extra one, he thought to himself.

There weren't many truly kind people in the Underground, definitely none as kind as he was making Petra out to be. She's not too bad. Levi decided he would knock her out very gently if he managed to free himself.

When he woke up the next morning it was to his captor watching him with rapt attention. She blinked and coughed self-consciously. "Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine."

"Right." Her hand twitched.

"What's in there?" He nodded toward her pants' right pocket.

Petra flinched. "Um, I need this." She took out the medicine he had taken for Isabel and he stilled.

"Are you sick?"

"No—"

"Then you can't have it."

"Are you sick?"

"Well, no—"

"Then I'm taking it."

"Wait, stop!" Levi jerked and threw off her blanket angrily.

She was gone.

Levi swore and tried to go after her.

After trying and failing pathetically for twenty minutes to free himself, he reluctantly gave up. Isabel... What was he going to do now? Petra had taken the medicine, Farlan was waiting with a sick Isabel, and he was stuck there. Levi tried not to fall into despair. Just when he was starting to like her, convinced he could talk her into letting him go without resorting to unpleasant methods, she went and did something like that.

The feeling of helplessness threatened to overwhelm him and he fought it.

Levi could practically imagine Kenny's shade staring at him and feel his disgust at his foolishness and weakness.

I'll get out of here and save Isabel. Ignoring the pain, he began struggling again. Even with the food she had given him he was still weak. And her knots really weren't something to laugh at either. He kept flailing around. Despair settled in his stomach and he continued to struggle to break free, his thoughts plagued by his ill self-proclaimed sister.

"Hey Farlan, is your friend back yet?"

"No," he answered with a sigh.

Petra bit her lip. Levi had looked very upset when she took the medicine. But Isabel needs it. One glance at the shivering girl and she caved. "I think I have what you need."

Farlan took the medicine tentatively, eyes wide, "T-Thank you."

A sickening feeling built up in Petra's stomach as soon as the medicine was out of her hands. She hoped her chances of befriending Levi hadn't just gone up in smoke as Farlan gave the medicine to Isabel. But she knew him to be better than that. Once he knew why she had taken it, Levi would understand. He was someone who deeply valued human life. I should go release him. He'll probably throw me in the room I locked him in and take my stuff. Petra sighed. "Hey Farlan, can you help me with something?"

"Sure," he replied, nodding. After what she had done, Farlan would do just about anything she would ask.

"Come with me." At his startled expression, she explained her situation. He agreed immediately and now they stood before the locked door. Petra opened it. Levi was in the middle of the room, staring dispassionately at the wall.

Farlan stepped in. "Levi?!"

His head snapped up. "Farlan?!"

Petra looked between the two, "You two know each other?"

"Wait," Farlan turned to her and asked, "this is the stalker you were talking about?"

"Stalker?" Levi was offended and ignored.

"He's the friend who went to get Isabel's medicine?"

"Is that who you gave it to?" Levi demanded.

"What are the chances, right?" Farlan grinned.

"Yeah," Petra giggled.

"HEY!" Levi snapped. "Stop ignoring me!"

"Hold your horses, Levi. Give me a sec." Farlan knelt in front of him and tugged at the ropes.

"Here, I'll help." Petra went behind Levi and began to loosen the knots while Farlan untied the ropes around his legs.

Levi stood up and stretched, massaging his bruised wrists to get the blood flowing. Petra, of course, apologized. "Sorry about that. But it's your entire fault, you should have just told me."

"I didn't know," he muttered with a scowl.

"Let's discuss this somewhere else," Farlan suggested.

Petra led them to the room that was her temporary bedroom. Levi immediately walked toward his 3D gear. "You opened it?" Nervousness bubbled in his stomach at the sight of his gear in so many pieces. He had no idea how to put it back together.

"Only to clean it," Petra told him.

"I keep it clean," Levi replied stiffly. How dare she. He was rather offended she thought he couldn't clean properly.

"I mean it needed some maintenance work. I didn't have the proper tools to get the job done right. I don't recommend using it past this year. It's a disaster waiting to happen."

"We were planning on getting some tools to do that ourselves. But from medicine to machines to martial arts, you sure know a lot," Farlan complimented.

"I'm not an expert," Petra said shyly.

Levi rolled his eyes. "If you're done flirting then put my gear back together."

"We weren't flirting," Petra grumbled. The two men watched in interest as she put the pieces back together with an expert's hands. "There, done, happy now?"

"Levi's only happy when he's cleaning like a madman."

Said madman ignored them in favor of expecting his stuff. Everything was as it should be, except for one thing. "Are you looking for this?" Petra held out his switchblade.

Levi took it back, comforted by its familiar weight and shape. "Now that you have your favorite toy back, come with me." Farlan grabbed the shorter man's shoulder. "If you'll excuse us." He nodded to Petra and dragged Levi outside the house.

"I know."

"Know what?"

"You're going to try to convince me to let her join us."

"It won't take much, right? Petra's really useful. C'mon, Levi, just say yes."

He paused for a moment. "Is Isabel better?"

"By now she's probably awake and raiding the food supply."

"If she says yes—"

Farlan didn't wait to hear the rest and ran off like an over-excited puppy. Again, Levi rolled his eyes. He could almost imagine the wagging tail as he went back inside. Farlan had already asked Petra and was waiting for her answer.

"I suppose it would be safer," Petra began thoughtfully, only for show as internally she felt thrilled, "and not so lonely."

Levi spoke bluntly, "Yes or no, it's that simple."

Petra tried not to grin too much. "Then my answer's yes."

Please Review~