Hope of Morning

Romance and Hurt/Comfort

English

Rated M

Levi Ackerman/Sakura Haruno

Warnings: Language, Violence

Summary; The first memory she had was one of blood. Experiments and then being thrown down into the underground. She hated it, but within that dark and cold place, she had met him. He had given her wings and she gave him her loyalty.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin nor do I make any money from my writings.

A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews and support. It really touches my heart to see that I'm still getting reviews, followers, and favorites for this story, despite not having updated in over 3 years. I know this isn't an excuse, just an explanation, when I say that the reason why I haven't been updating any of my stories is because I've been dealing with severe depression for years and it hit its peak around 2017. I had also been dealing with pulling out my hair from the roots that lasted for 6 years and for a reason that I still don't know, I would do it when I would type on my computer. It was so bad that I had considerably thin hair along with multiple bald spots. So not only did I start hating and fearing working on my fanfiction, I forced myself to stop in order to keep from pulling my hair out. Which resulted in the spotty attendance in my stories and the eventual neglect.

I'm not going to lie and say that I've recovered fully. It's still a struggle to not break pieces of my hair off, but I can say that I'm no longer pulling them out at the root. I want to bring back activities into my life that once brought me so much joy to help me overcome my depression.

Again, this isn't excuse, but I want to share this private information about myself in order to help bring awareness to this issue, specifically to the ones that are also going through a similar, if not the same, issue as me. These things do take time and it is painful, but at the end of the day you aren't alone and to be going through this isn't shameful. Remember that the people that write the stories you love so much are also human and have experienced their own trials, so you are never alone.

I love all of you so much. Thank you for your support. I hope to continue this story for a long time and that everyone will continue to support and be patient with me.

Applessian: Thanks for the review and to answer your question, the last time I checked, Levi's age isn't actually known other than that he was in his late twenties during the early canon time line. That was the last time I checked, which was like last year, so it could have been updated or clarified to an exact age, I don't know. So I'm gonna say that he's in his very early twenties around this time in my story. Maybe around twenty-one to twenty-three-ish. I had Sakura at twelve years old when I first started, but given the time that she's been with Levi, she'll be thirteen. I never looked up Farlan's or Isabel's age, but judging from their appearances, Farlan looks to be in his early mid-twenties and I'm guessing Isabel is fourteen-fifteen years old. The OVA that took place when Levi is in the underground doesn't really give a timeline for when it takes place. If it does then I completely missed it several times, so I'm just guessing and not following any solid timeline. I hope I was able to answer your question and you're free to pick whatever age you'd like within that frame to get a better grasp on the characters. I won't be pinpointing ages until after I get into the canon timeline, cause then they give specifics with ages and everything. Sorry for this long explanation haha. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story.

LoganLiet: Iie is one of the Japanese word for no. I use it since it has a more casual and nonformal tone than 'no', at least in my opinion, so I like the way it sounds better. Please don't take my opinion too seriously though since I'm not fluent in Japanese, so I can't say if it's actually nonformal. And it is two I's and not a lower case L as in lie. Sorry for the confusion. It took me a little while to understand what you were asking since I haven't looked at this fic in a long time so I can understand why you would be confused. I hope you continue reading and supporting this story. Thank you for the review.

Please enjoy.

Chapter Three: Aloofness or Tough Love?

It had become a habit of Sakura's to force herself to smile when in the company of the three others she lived with, though she found herself having an easier time spending time with the dark-haired male. It wasn't that the smiles came more naturally to her, it was just that she didn't have to force herself to be chipper in his presence. It almost came naturally to her, spending time with him and being herself. Well. . . 'Herself' was a bit of a stretch.

No one knew of her previous life. No one else shared her memories or knew what she had done in that life. Even without a blade in her grasp, her hands could still be considered deadly weapons. What the others did know, however, was her lack of will when it concerned taking the life of another. Not that the need to do such a thing arose that often, her new sensei didn't miss an opportunity to point out her weak will in that regard.

What was so wrong with not wanting to kill? What was so wrong with wanting to be accepted by the people around her? Why was it so bad to be hesitant in taking lives?

It's true that her hands had plenty of blood on them from her previous life, from people she had killed and from people she hadn't been able to save. However, this wasn't her previous life. She wasn't a kunoichi of Konoha anymore. She wasn't a kunoichi in general and she no longer possessed her chakra. She was well aware that the fact she wasn't able to heal her wounds anymore should make her all the more conscious that she should protect herself.

Just because she was aware of that fact didn't make it any easier to digest though.

"What are you doing?!" a deep voice snapped before the female felt herself being swung through the air. Not a moment later, a choking grunt left her throat as her body slammed into the ground.

Sakura had her eyes clenched shut and a sharp pain shot through her body, her small form hitting the ground so hard that her body ricocheted off of it by a few inches. Her brow was furrowed deeply and her teeth were gritted. She groaned deeply, her body aching and her muscles spasming in protest. She hurt all over.

It was true that she had experience as a shinobi, but she didn't fail to remember each time that this was a different body, fresh and brand new. She knew the movements, she knew how to attack and defend, but her speed and reaction time had suffered most of all. The reflexes she had engraved into her body with years of missions and battle experience had practically vanished. Her mind was able to process what her opponent's next move was, but her body wasn't able to keep up quite yet.

Which was why she currently found herself on the ground, scrapes and bruises littering her skin while a slightly taller individual glared down at her from above. "Don't tell me you're done already."

Sakura cracked open an eye to look up at Levi, his dark gaze piercing her down to the ground in a way that would leave her unable to move even if her body wasn't running on empty in energy. She took silent pride in the fact that he had at least worked up a sweat when sparring against her. She could also see him sporting some fresh bruises on his arms below his rolled-up sleeves and on his left cheek.

The pinkette was never told anything of the male's past, but she was aware that he had struggled and fought in order to survive this far, given the way his body moved. It was a stark contrast to her own experience in this lifetime. While she had practiced taijutsu, she hadn't been able to spar with anyone or fight in order to live. She had gotten spoiled. That much was obvious by the way she wanted to call it quits just after thirty minutes of intense training.

Sakura let out a huff and with shaking limbs, she leaned forward to sit up. Ragged breaths left her and sweat rolled down her forehead and the back of her neck in sticky streams. Turning her gaze back toward him, her green eyes were narrowed with determination, though clouded with exhaustion. "Not even close."

Dark eyebrows rose slightly, and the male watched as the pinkette pushed herself up into a standing position, using her wobbly knees as leverage. She turned to face him completely and immediately got into a defensive position. Her gaze was hard on him, watching him, analyzing him, and he had the stinging sensation that she had been memorizing his movements down to his breathing. His skin itched and random muscles in his body would spasm, telling him to stay on alert against this small child.

Levi was well aware that even though Sakura had yet to best him in their sparring matches, she was progressively getting better, stronger, and faster. Her movements were becoming sharper at an almost alarming rate. It wouldn't be too much longer until she won her first victory against him.

He knelt down slightly when the female charged toward him in an attack, and he began the beginnings of what would become a long rally of strikes being blocked or dodged. The girl was a natural when it came to a fight, having bested both Farlan and Isabel early on when they had volunteered to train with her. Sakura's attacks were precise, agile, and swift. She was confident in her skills and if Levi were any less experienced or slower, he would have succumbed to her brute talent as well.

Which was why Levi was confused. The girl was able to use a blade properly and she was a force to be reckoned with when it came to hand-to-hand combat. So why didn't she fight back all those months ago in that alley? Of course, he had asked her the same thing back then and he remembered her answer very well, but it still didn't make sense to him. Sakura had the ability to protect herself, so why didn't she? Self-defense didn't equal to that of being a monster. If anything, it was the opposite.

Why did she hold herself back? Why was she worried about being called a monster? What happened to her to make her view herself as such?

Levi barely dodged a firm palm to his face, swiftly moving out of the way and turning so that the pinkette flew past him. He could hear her clicking her tongue when she realized she put too much force into the attack. She stumbled a fraction before she quickly righted herself and turned toward him, that same look of determination in her jade eyes. Her miss didn't deter her at all, and she continued on with her offense.

Her uncanny appearance could have partially been to blame, Levi concluded. Pink hair and bright green eyes. It was an unusual combination. Hell, just either of those things by themselves wasn't normal and he supposed that it would cause most people to become cautious of her. There was no logical explanation how someone could have those features and it was normal for humans to fear what they didn't understand. Other than that, and the purple rhombus on her forehead, there were no obvious indications that she wasn't a normal child.

Dark eyes shot open wide as Sakura lurched toward him, her eyes narrowed with an almost sinister intent. She let out a short battle cry that could be considered cute more than frightening while she pulled back her hand to attack. Levi would have found it slightly adorable if not for those eyes. Eyes that were focused solely on him, the desire to win swimming heatedly around those green irises and burning with a fire he hadn't seen in her previously.

Levi swiftly connected his fist with the pinkette's stomach, causing her to lurch forward and let out hacking coughs. He pulled his hand back and she fell to her knees to the ground. His skin prickled and sweat collected at the nape of his neck. His heart was hammering in his chest and his eyes stayed glued to her coughing form at his feet. His arms trembled and his breath shook with the trepidation he held for the bloodlust she had sent his way. The killer intent she had practically shot through his core, forcing his body to rely on the fight-or-flight response.

He knew that she had been desperate to improve and win against him, but damn.

Sakura curled up in around herself with a groan, settling to lay down on the ground on her side. She held her stomach with her knees bunched up in front of her in a fetal position. Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes were clenched shut, not even caring that it probably looked like she was having constipation cramps to her opponent.

Levi forced his breathing to calm, not quite willing to let the female know that she had rattled him so much. "Are you done?"

The pinkette was more honest about her unease, letting out a pained, whiny, "Yes."

~SCENE CHANGE~

Sakura sat in the tub, the water so hot that it burned her skin just as much as it relaxed her aching muscles. She lifted up her hands through the water and cupped a pile of bubbles in front of her. Bringing it to her face, she looked over the soap duds before blowing it out into the air to scatter around.

Normally, Levi would have told her to stop playing around, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Since the time that they had come back to the house, he had bathed, changed, and cut the female's hair down to her shoulders once again. She had never asked for him to do so, but with it being so long, the male had caught glimpses of her being snagged by the length being caught on something. If he was asked if he cut it himself out of concern for the girl, he would deny it right after calling that person a dumbass. Of course, it would have been the truth.

Just like it was the truth behind why he was currently running his fingers over the pinkette's scalp while she bathed in the tub in front of him. Well, she was more focused on the soap bubbles more than washing, since it was a habit of hers to wash her hair before going over the rest of her body and she couldn't really do that with Levi taking up that particular space.

Neither of them minded though since he took it upon himself to scrub the soap into her pink strands. He stood outside of the tub, directly behind her and fully dressed. Levi lathered her head and dug his fingernails into her scalp to get any stubborn dirt that would normally be skimmed over. It wasn't often that he would do this for the child. Hell, this was only the second time he had willingly washed her hair for her.

Dark eyes skimmed over the soapy head in front of him, watching as the white color began to merge with the dirt to form a dingy grey. Levi wasn't sure if Sakura knew what he was doing by forcing her to let him wash her hair, but neither of them brought it up. In truth, he was inspecting her for any injuries. It wasn't uncommon for her to hit her head harshly when colliding with the ground outside or bump into some surface of the house she was too distracted to notice.

The first time she did, was the first time Levi had been truly concerned for her well-being to the point that he had felt panic coursing through his veins. They had been out in the busier parts of the city and a fight had broken out right next to her seemingly out of nowhere. She had been pushed unceremoniously to the side and thrown around by a hoard that surrounded the fighting idiots. Sakura had been shoved to the ground while adults stomped their feet near her and at that moment, Levi had lost sight of her. The thought that grown-ass men could be stepping on her without a second thought caused a boiling rage to fuel through Levi.

The need to protect her had been instantaneous and pushed him through the crowd. If he had brought out his blade and shed blood in his wake to get to the female, he hadn't noticed or cared. The shouts had been lost on him, his only focus had been on getting to Sakura, even ignoring the yells of Farlan and Isabel. When he had reached her, she was in the fetal position on the ground, her arms covering her head in an attempt to protect herself. The crowd had cleared enough for him to get to her.

When he had put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she had looked up at him with tears running down her cheeks, fear in her eyes, and blood running down her forehead and cheeks. To say the least, Levi had been pissed and sure enough, blood had been spilled that day that didn't belong to the pinkette.

He had immediately carried her back to the house, forgetting the reason why they had gone out to begin with. The dark-haired male had been cautious and gentle when inspecting her and cleaning the injury. Luckily, she only had a small gash on her scalp that had healed quickly enough.

It wasn't a hidden fact that Levi was protective of the girl, though the only one that didn't seem to register that was the girl herself. At least to an extent. It wasn't that she didn't know his personality, it was more that she just seemed to disregard it.

Feeling only a small swelling on her skull from hitting her head on the ground during their spar, he was satisfied with his search and grabbed the cup that was resting in the water. Filling it up and pouring it over her head, he ignored the small flinch she made before sputtering out the dirty water that made its way into her mouth.

What wasn't uncommon was for Levi to stand guard in the doorway, not from others coming into the bathroom while she bathed, but to make sure that she didn't leave prematurely. Though she was very conscious of his desire for a clean home, there were times where she would blatantly ignore it and bathe half-assed because she was too exhausted to clean herself properly. He had put a stop to that immediately and tossed her back into the tub and forced her to wash all over again, even with freezing water.

Those were only on days when she was tired and aching from sparring, so it wasn't like he had to stay in the bathroom with her every time. Surprisingly, it wasn't uncomfortable. They both had gotten used to each other's presence in the small space and they respected each other's privacy. To a degree.

"Do you ever wash Isabel?" she had asked him one day, which he immediately returned with a hard,

"No."

Levi didn't even wash Sakura, just her hair. He didn't even want to bathe with her, much less with Isabel. That was just disgusting on so many levels. Honestly. What possessed her to ask such a stupid question was beyond him.

The dark-haired male ran his fingers through pink locks, guiding the soap along to leave her head while he continued to pour water over her. It was soft. Soft and thick. He filled the cup once again and right at the moment he began to pour it over her again, she tilted her head back. The water splashed into her face and she scrunched her features, sputtering as the liquid assaulted her.

Levi paused and frowned down at the female. "What did you think would happen when you do that?"

Sakura dismissed his question and looked up at him, water clinging to her eyelashes and her mouth settled into a soft pout. Her eyes glanced over his calm features before she turned her head forward once again. She didn't get him. The female was at a loss when it came to the male behind her. "You're weird." she whispered.

"You have no room to talk."

He left her soon after that, content with his findings when he only found the small lump on her head and she was able to move and twist her body properly without showing any signs of discomfort. As he was leaving, he could feel her piercing gaze on his back and a shiver racked its way up his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and goosebumps rose on his skin. Instantly, a pair of blood thirsty eyes flashed through his mind and he had to force himself to shut down the miniscule amount of fear that threatened to appear.

Levi would never be scared of the little girl, but the thought of what she was capable of, the potential she had, made his skin crawl. He couldn't help but wonder, if things had been different for her, if she hadn't suffered through some trauma that was unknown to him, would she be a killing machine? Somehow, it wasn't hard to imagine her being absolutely terrifying.

Sakura watched as Levi shut the bathroom door behind him and she blinked slowly, trying to grasp the situation she was in. Sighing, she looked back down at the water and grabbed the bar of soap that had been floating around. Beginning to wash her body, she mused over what had been happening.

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with the situation or with being around Levi while completely naked. She had been stark nude in front of him countless times before and there wasn't a single instance where he appeared to have any ulterior motives. He had also yet to appear in front of her without some type of clothing covering his lower half. She had seen his torso, legs, and hips before, but that was the extent.

That didn't bother or confuse Sakura though. What got her questioning and contemplating was when he would act gentle toward her and still be completely aloof. It was hard to get a gauge on him. If he wanted to be affectionate, but was secretly nervous or wanted to appear calm, or if he wasn't sure how far she would allow him to 'spoil' her, then okay. The thing was, Sakura didn't have a damn clue why he was so protective of her.

She had seen him pat Isabel's head before and kill people that had bullied her in some way, but that was on a totally different degree than what he did with Sakura. When Levi had killed for Isabel, he had been discreet, sneaking out when the older female didn't know. Or when he had patted her head, it had been over in a moment.

When Levi did those things for Sakura, it made a much bigger impact. His affectionate touches lingered longer, his nudging was softer, and when he had killed for her, it hadn't been discreet. At all. She recalled when she had been knocked over in the streets and stepped on by the older men. It had been scary to suddenly be caught up like that and have her body jostled around, having no clue what was going on, but it hadn't been terrifying.

She had been kicked in the head hard enough to stir her vision and bring tears to her eyes, but it was nothing to panic over. The moment Levi had grabbed her, and she had looked into his eyes, she saw the concern in that gaze. She had watched as grey shifted into blue as rage built up inside of him. No one had been shown mercy that day, whoever had been in his warpath had been taken out. Fourteen people had been cut down in a flurry of blood and limbs. The only ones that had survived were those four and innocent bystanders that had the misfortune to view such an atrocious slaughter.

The way he had handled her afterward wouldn't be short of a lion licking its cub's wounds after a fierce fight with another lion. She had never seen Levi that pissed off, not before that day or even afterward. That being said, she wasn't sure if she should place him into the category of being just 'protective' or if she could file away in her mind that a part of him was genuinely affectionate.

Sakura let out the water in the tub and quickly grabbed a towel to dry herself off with, starting with her now short hair that barely reached her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, her body relaxed, but still aching in spots where she was sure she had pulled a muscle. It didn't bother her when hardened, grey eyes settled into her darkened vision.

Normally something like whether a person was touchy-feely or not wouldn't concern her. Other than the fact that she was completely touched-starved. That was Sakura's main problem. Growing up for years with no real human contact, she was aching to be touched. To be held. She didn't think she could handle a lot of attention at once though. Which was where Levi came in.

Sakura knew that if she went to Isabel, the girl would no doubt hold her back, but then the problem of that being too much skin contact came into play. The pinkette wouldn't be able to pull away freely either, not wanting to seem rude in any way. There was also her wanting extensive amounts of touching for a long period, which would probably weird out the older female or annoy her.

Sakura wasn't exactly keen on hugging Farlan or reaching for his hand and she had no doubt that it was because of him being male and that she wasn't particularly close to him. Even though Levi was a man, he had gradually earned Sakura's trust. She had no qualms about pulling away from him if she were to hug him and she was sure that he wouldn't hug her back. There wouldn't be any feeling of suffocation and as long as she didn't outright disturb him, he tended to let her do what she wanted.

The problem was. . . Would he actually allow her to cuddle up next to his side and stay there for hours on end? Or would he give her a look that blatantly said, "What the fuck are you doing?" It was hard to tell and though she knew she wouldn't be reprimanded if she did take action, she didn't want him to think ill of her.

Letting out a sigh, she resigned herself to her fate of having to deal with this herself. She quickly pulled on fresh clothing and used the little remaining water in the tub to rinse out any lingering grime she had washed off of her. Walking out into the living room was a little bit more of a chore as her exhaustion started to catch up to her. She rubbed the aching pressure in her right shoulder and felt the knot on her head pulse harshly against her skull. She was definitely going to have a migraine soon.

"How was training?" Farlan asked from the couch with a smile on his face and a book in his hands. Isabel was sprawled against the couch next to him with her head lolled over the back of it, her mouth hanging open with quiet snores.

"Hell." Sakura grumbled, slightly amused at the older female's chaotic sleeping posture.

Farlan chuckled and turned his gaze back down to the words in his lap. "That's Levi for you. I've already suggested he be gentler with you."

The pinkette shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not complaining. I've gotten better."

"I've heard."

Sakura's breath hitched for an unknown reason. "From who?"

The blonde male glanced up at her, but the exchange was so brief, she almost missed it. Though she didn't miss the barely suppressed shit-eating grin that spread over his lips. "A little birdie."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and frowned at him in annoyance. She wasn't in the mood to play a verbal game of cat and mouse. "Did Levi-sama leave?"

"Right after he left the bathroom, in fact."

The young female hummed and filed the information away as 'Opportunity to Sleep in Levi's Bed Without Him There'. Without wasting a moment, she turned and hurried to the empty room, without missing the sigh from the couch. Shutting the door behind her, she glanced around to make sure that the clean freak really wasn't in the premises. All clear, she flopped onto the neatly made bed and sprawled out, curling the blanket in her fingers. She rubbed her nose vigorously against the fresh linen and reveled in their unique scent of earth and grass. It was hard to place what exactly it was, but it was somehow nostalgic and filled her with a cozy warmth.

The best times to be in Levi's bed were when he wasn't there. It was times like these when she could really bask in the bed's scent without being embarrassed of being seen as some sort of animal by the dark-haired male. She could just imagine the look and comment he would throw at her and she would like to avoid it. 'Don't rub your bratty snot on my clean sheets, brat!' being a favorite of her imagination.

For some reason, it was always more comfortable to be sprawled out in the middle of the bed rather than in it properly. Her body relaxing and the scent of nature in her nose, she felt a fuzzy weight settle over her. She was asleep in moments and didn't wake up to either the drool rolling down her cheek or to a pair of feet walking into the room hours later. She didn't even wake up when the mattress dipped in under someone's weight beside her. She especially didn't wake up when a quiet and affectionate, "You're such a pain in the ass." reached the air around her.

~END OF CHAPTER THREE~

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcomed and much appreciated. I hope to update much sooner from now on. Have a beautiful day everyone.