Chapter 3 : A Worthy Opponent

Time flew like an arrow , it had been 5 years since Elizabeth left the God forsaken Colbert's house and joined Farlen's gang. He had taught her every means to survive , from petty crimes like stealing , survival skills like fighting , and even included her in high risk illegal activities like drugs trading. He had introduced to her the first taste of alcohol , her first assignment on bets collecting , and her favourite den in the entire region of the Underground City , the bare knuckle fight club.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with wonders when she had the opportunity to make her first visit as a 12 year old girl to the fight club. It was during one of her assignment as a bet collector when she chanced upon a fighter named Levi Ackerman. No older than Farlan , He was one of the youngest contestant in the club , yet his moves said otherwise. Elizabeth could only watch in awe with wide eyes as she witnessed the match , his moves are fast , sleek and accurate. As if watching a dance performance , his body moved gracefully but every punch and kick he landed on his opponent was deadly. By word of mouth , she learned that Levi Ackerman used to be a regular in the fight club when he was in his early teenage years until he got involved in doing dirty works for the rich where he was paid well. Levi's appearance in the fight club became a rare occurrence now , it was hard for Elizabeth to chance upon him to watch him fight again. However , his records remained clean of defeat : 97 matches , 95 wins , 2 losses , 48 one-hit-KO.

Elizabeth's encounter with Levi Ackerman had intrigued her and triggered her interest in the art of combat. She would recall his movements and recreate them on her sketchbook , serving it as her guide while she practice with the gang. She revisited the fight club on countless occasions to watch other skilled fighters and hopefully to catch Levi Ackerman in action again. However to her disappointment , he stopped showing up.

At age 14 , Elizabeth quickly surpass the combat skills of her gang. There was a limit to what Farlan and the boys could teach her, in order to improve further , she participated in her first match at the age of 15. In a year's time , Elizabeth proved herself a worthy opponent in the eyes of other contenders, earning the name " Swift" due to her great speed. Her well reputed name had also brought in a decent income for the gang , many had willingly paid to watch her fight ; her small stature and delicate features had also aided in deceiving others to underestimate her strength, Elizabeth was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

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Over the years , Elizabeth developed a special relationship with Farlan. She was fiercely loyal to him and in return , he placed all his trust in her , even assigning her the role to manage all finances of the household. Affectionately referred to as " Liz " , even nicknames calling was exclusive for Farlen , she wouldn't respond to anyone else beside him who calls her by that name. Elizabeth tirelessly served the gang for their needs daily without fail and any complains , even when the boys could be demanding at times when they urged her to learn a new recipe; she cooks and did all necessary housekeeping as a way to show her appreciation and gratitude , she understood that if it was not for them , she could probably be dead by now.

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It was Sunday again , grocery shopping had to be done at least once a week in order to have enough supplies to feed the gang. Elizabeth didn't mind at all , grocery shopping on sundays was always therapeutic as Farlan would always help her. The pair would have deep conversations and talk about everything under the sun ; about the possible future to come , about keeping a pet , about their dreams. There wasn't a need for them to exchange words constantly , they seemed to have master communicating through telepathy , there was never a moment of awkward quietness between them , only comfortable silence.

On their way home passing by a narrow alley , Elizabeth spotted a black tiny wobbling creature from the corner of her eyes. " Oh a puppy ! " She exclaimed as she excitedly approach the adorable canine. Kneeling down and gently lifting it onto her lap , she noticed it had an injured hind leg.

" What is it? " Farlan walked into the alley following behind her.

" It's hurt. " Elizabeth stood up on her feet while stroking the puppy as it lays comfortably in her arms , it was the softest and fluffiest thing she had ever touched.

The pair had talked about keeping a pet and it was a convenient time that they have chanced upon a suitable one.

" We could keep it and take care of it. " Farlen suggested. There wasn't a need for any discussion , they already knew each other's intention.

Elizabeth nodded with glee with a bright smile on her face. Farlen watched her affectionately as she gently pet the hurt creature , revealing a kind smile on her face. So much had changed over the years , no longer had she need to keep up with her tough facade that she had painstakingly built to mask her private despair, no longer she emit an unapproachable vibe around her , no longer will she cower and avoid interacting with others. It had took him some time to tear down her walls , but it was all worth it to him.

" Hey i forgot something , could you hold these for me? " Elizabeth urged as she placed the puppy in his arm and the groceries on the ground.

" I'll be back soon just go home without me! " she sped off leaving Farlan dumbfounded at her sudden change in behaviour.

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At a brief glance , Elizabeth swore that she had spotted a familiar face of the one who had inspired her to take an interest in martial combats , the one whom she yearn to fight and learn from , Levi Ackerman. It was a rare chance to meet such a skilled fighter like himself and she wasn't going to let her second chance go to waste. She should have been braver to approach him the first time but she was too afraid to speak to strangers.

Turning around a corner , she found a familiar back. " Hey! " She called out. He didn't budge. " Hey! Short one! " he stopped. Elizabeth realized her choice of word and regretted it instantly , it was the first description that came to her mind when she noticed his short stature. The man in front cocked his head and revealed an angry scowl, no doubt it was him. " What the fuck do you want brat ! " Elizabeth was taken aback , slightly intimidated.

" I've watched you fought in the fight club before. You are Levi Ackerman right? " her voice shook noticeably. The presence of this man was strong enough to make her falter.

" Tch , " he clicked his tongue in irritation , " Why do you care? " as he began to walk away.

" Hey stop! I propose a challenge! " She followed after him.

" Go home. I don't fight girls. " he waved lazily shunning her away.

Agitated , Elizabeth stopped to pick up a small pebble and proceeded to do the unthinkable, she pulled her arm back and threw the pebble towards him. It hit him right on the back of his head. Levi stopped dead in his tracks.

What seemed like forever , Elizabeth waited for the man to turn around , she might have offended him.

" Fine. If that's what you want… " Levi spun around listlessly and got into his stance. " Name ? " he questioned as his cold grey eyes bore into hers.

Elizabeth let out a gulp before reverting back her composure , she held her fists up , stepped forward and lean back to her battle stance , " Elizabeth Franklin , sir. "

" Ladies first. " He smirked.

Without hesitation , she charged towards him and launched her first blow.

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It was a satisfying match , Elizabeth understood why no one other than Levi Ackerman was crowned as the best fighter in the Underground City. His offenses were fast , precise and hard , he possessed the strength that she had lacked. He fought clever , knowing and targeting weak spots of the body. He was quick to dodge , it poses as a problem to land hits on him. He was flexible and elegant, but extremely deadly. Distracted and struggling to keep up after a while , she was pinned to the ground in defeat and spared off the last hit.

Before departing , Levi left behind 2 simple words that made Elizabeth's chest swelled in pride , " Not bad. " he commented . It was not much of a compliment but it showed that the skillful fighter had acknowledged her strengths and capabilities. Although defeated , Elizabeth couldn't seemed to hide her joy as she returned home to where Farlan was waiting for her.

" Someone's in a good mood. " Farlan teased as he took a bite of a raw celery stick. Elizabeth plopped down next to him on the couch , " i fought someone formidable today , " she let out a contented sigh , " he's a legend , i lost. " . Farlan raised his brows in surprise , it wasn't common that Elizabeth sing praises about other fighters , unless she had really meet her match.

Understanding her cue , she continued , " Remember Levi Ackerman? He still hold the top record in the fight club , though he probably had retired from there. " Farlan had watched Levi fought before , no doubt he was a very strong fighter. However , it had always been in his impression that Levi was a lone wolf , dangerous and does not seemed to get along very well with others. Since Elizabeth had took a special interest in him , Farlan decided to find out for himself what exactly was so intriguing about him. " Guess i'll sniff him out and pay him a visit soon then. He might be a good asset to the gang" he sneered. " Tsk. Be careful, he's' tough. " Elizabeth warned , she knew exactly what Farlan was planning in his head.

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Writer's Note : I never knew writing a fanfiction could be this taxing , I'll continue posting again when there's more ideas ! Keep the commentaries coming , all is appreciated! Cheers ~~