A/N : Hey guys, I just wanted to thank every one who has taken the time to review/favorite/follow this story. You guys are the best and it makes me so happy to know you are enjoying this!
When Levi walks into the Dojo, the first snowflakes of the winter have already completely covered the frozen grass with a thin layer of glistening ice. His dark hair is speckled with white crystals and his cloak is drenched from the snow melting on the thick cloth. The early birds are still singing their morning songs, huddled together on the bare branches of the sleeping trees under the pale sky.
As he passes through the door, he sees Mikasa indolently leaning on an opened window. She is dressed in her training clothes, her tight black shorts and brassiere matching her raven hair contrasting with the snowy scenery outside. Her hand is outstretched, an open palm reddened from the cold and collecting the falling snow. He cannot see the look on her face, but there is something reflective and nostalgic in the way she holds herself, a vanishing grace he can't help but admire. The edge of the window almost appears like the frame of a painting, enclosing the young girl in front of the peaceful garden.
"You'll catch a cold like that Ackerman." he speaks up while putting his cloak up to dry. His voice is surprisingly stern.
"Good morning to you too, Corporal."
She sounds cold and distant, perhaps a little too withdrawn, even for her. She doesn't budge. He lets out a small sigh and walks through the tatamis over to the large opening where his student is standing, covering at the same time his left hand with a thin, long strip of white cotton. He places himself next to her, leaning in his turn against the window and watching the serene white garden.
"Everything all right?" he asks her, still working on his hand.
She answers him with a slight nod, glancing rapidly at him before returning her attention to the snowflakes. A couple of minutes pass in silence, something not so unusual when the two of them are together. She continues her quiet musing as he finishes bandaging both of his hands, getting ready for their session of day. Over the weeks of training together, mutual respect had settled between the two individuals, even if arguing and antagonism always punctuated their encounters.
Their relationship had grown from distaste to tolerance in a matter of days. The mutual admiration however, had quietly and furtively crept onto them over the weeks, neither of them willing to admit it, neither of them accepting they could feel something else than annoyance for the other. Consequently, they did not give in or surrendered to the other, both refusing to lose this battle of wits, rejecting the very idea of being openly vulnerable; Neither one of them yielded, just like both of them found in each other a piece that was missing inside of them.
But sometimes, some very rare, extraordinary times, one of them would say something. And the breach would open a little a more.
"That wind would feel like a thousand biting blades in the mountains." she ushers, almost to herself.
Levi straightens up, trying to not linger on her words; tightly closing his two hands into fists to make sure the bandages are secure and walking back towards the center of the room.
"Come on Ackerman," he orders while looking back at her, "Let's get to work."
She closes her hand and stands still for a second before stepping away from the window and sliding it shut. She walks up to Levi and stops before him, ready for their lesson. Her cheeks and nose are red from the cold, drops of water trickling down her wet hair to her neck.
Her stance has completely changed, determination replacing what previously had seemed like melancholy. Her eyes are back to their controlled intensity, her long back straightened and ready.
"How's the meditation going?" he asks her, his hands clasped behind his back. She nods with resolve.
"Every morning before you arrive and every night before going to bed." she replies mechanically.
"And?"
She seems to hesitate before giving him an answer.
"I'm not sure," she finally says, "It seems to get harder every day instead of easier."
Levi studies her for a few seconds, pondering on whether or not he even made the right choice when he decided to train this girl. And before she has time to react, his hand is already shooting up at her throat, the side of his straightened out palm hitting it in a smooth blow and preventing the air to enter or leave her body. She falls to her knees, the pain too sharp and fast to realize what has happened. Her hands reach to her throat, suffocating noises coming out of it as she tries to take a breath. Dark, angry eyes shoot up towards the corporal, a growl seeming to come out from the back of her throat, her back tensing up as if she were ready to launch herself at him. Unimpressed, Levi looks down at her.
"You could have stopped my blow," he retorts, clearly ticked off, "But you just continue to not pay attention."
He bends to the ground, levelling his eyes to hers, "When you open your mind, your other senses sharpen. Your ears, your smell, your sense of touch, of being touched," He places one hand on her forearm before continuing, "Clearing your mind will facilitate your instincts, and your instincts are what will keep you alive."
She frees herself from his grasp and backs off, well away from him.
"I will destroy you," she gasps with rage, barely recovering her voice, the pain clearly still present in her throat. Levi sighs and stands up.
"How long are we gonna continue doing this, Ackerman?" he barks, crossing his arms.
She gets up on her feet silently, not giving him an answer besides a cold, hard glare. They study each other for a few seconds before Levi breaks the silence.
"Come here."
Mikasa doesn't move, both of her hands now to her side, her feet firmly planted into the ground.
"Ackerman", Levi threatens before reiterating, "Come here."
"So you can hit me again?" Mikasa ripostes, shaking her head, "I don't think so."
Levi's tongue ticks and he hurries towards the stubborn girl. Once he has reached her, he raises his right hand in front of him, his palm facing Mikasa.
"Put your hand on mine." he commands her.
She looks at him suspiciously, still unsure if she can believe him or not. After a very short moment though, she raises her hand and places it delicately against his palm. His touch, despite the resentment towards the man before her, leaves a confusing feeling in her stomach, a tingling across her skin where their hands join.
« Look at me. »
Her eyes dart back from their linked hands to his dark stare. In a mix of distrust and curiosity, she locks her gaze into his, warning him silently. Intuitively, they slowly let the air out of their lungs just as Levi applies pressure against Mikasa's palm, gently and slowly moving their touching hands away from him.
"Clear your head," Levi's voice is soft but firm, his left hand shifting towards Mikasa's other arm, placing it against it, "This is not a fight. Follow my moves."
Rotating around each other, Levi leads the young girl into a slow stream of movements, his hands against hers, fingers lightly flowing on the skin of her arms, softly pushing one after the other, limbs against each other, feet drifting on the matted floor like an arrangement of strange notes trying to find the perfect harmony.
"Tell the voice in your head to shut up," he says in a whisper, his eyes still locked into hers, "If you can listen to me through my movements and feel the drive inside of you, your senses will guide you and predict my actions."
Something seems to light up in the eyes of the young girl wearing a frown of concentration on her beautiful face. Their rhythm intensifies without a word, an understanding seeming to settle between the two, each one of their touch, each one of their actions being guessed by the other. They shift around one another, a loose yet controlled journey where their mobility turns into a dance. They progress to the other, wandering, travelling to the other's territory.
The earth stands still as they turn around each other, their hands following the other's, every gentle and fluid movement in accordance, predicting what the next change is going to be, trading the energy that has started to flow amongst them. If one of them puts some space in between them, the other closes that distance, helplessly, dependently.
Their breathing gets heavier just as their steps get faster, Mikasa suddenly taking the lead, almost commanding him to step back as she closes every inch of space left between their bodies.
Levi feels a cold wooden surface hit against his back. Pinned against the wall, his hands clasped in hers, he becomes suddenly aware of how close she really is. Their bodies intertwined, he lowers his eyes to her parted lips, feeling her heavy panting against his face, her nose grazing his. When their eyes meet, she is flushed, and in his stomach Levi can feel surging a desire and a longing to eliminate any kind of space that is left between them. But before he can even act up on his feeling, she breaks away from him, taking a step back and aiming for the exit. But her hand is still sheltered into his, and he is not ready to let go of her just yet. He tries to hold on to her but her hand slips away.
"Ackerman."
His voice is imploring, heartfelt yet firm. She stops on her feet and turns around, confusion bathing her entire face. Her chest is rising rapidly, her heart pounding inside of it. A moment of uncertainty settles between the two, both considering each other, a thousand questions going through their heads. He takes a shy step towards her, torn in his indecision, feeling her shift towards him, uncertain, wavering.
"I should go."
Her voice is pleading, sincere yet strong. Levi feels it like a violent hit in the gut. And as he watches her silently disappear, he can't help but feel his heart drop a thousand feet.