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 the support and reviews. Please read and enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Five: A New Face
Levi watched from across the living room, seated at the small circular table near the kitchen. His grey eyes were calmly scanning the two individuals that were seated on the couch, both looking over some tools made from clay or some other material by one of them. The conversation from that very morning was running through his mind. It had only been a few hours, but it was like it had never happened at all. The pinkette acted as if nothing had changed and the redhead next to her was none the wiser.
Steam rose from the teacup in his hand, the rim just gracing his lips. He wouldn't usually pay attention to the conversations between the two females, but considering the kind of topics they discussed recently came to light. . . Levi was more than a little wary. He still had no idea how it even came about in the first place. Why would Isabel think that Sakura had feelings for him? Was it some behavior that he could possibly correct?
"What's this?"
Sakura looked from the clay kunai she held in her hand and at the table where Isabel was pointing at a pair of senbon that had also been made out of the same material. She deathly missed being able to hold the real things, but the clay ones would have to suffice. "Those are senbon."
She wasn't worried about them finding out about her experience as a shinobi. As far as they knew, these tools and their names were just created out of her imagination rather than her memory. She put the kunai down on the table and picked up the pair of senbon before handing them over to Isabel. The redhead brought them up to her face to look over them curiously. Her lips parted and her brow furrowed in contemplation. "What would you use these things for?"
"Poke stuff?" Sakura supplied sheepishly and Isabel didn't waste a beat to laugh and suggest that the pinkette would be poking bugs.
Levi closed his eyes and took a welcomed sip of his tea. Although he had never seen those type of tools before Sakura had joined them, there was no doubt in his mind what they were. Weapons. Though he knew her proficiency with a knife, he had never seen her use those tools before nor did he know when or why she would use them. Especially considering her unwillingness to harm anyone.
At that moment, Farlan walked out into the living room from the hallway door. He glanced over the tools on the table curiously, noting that a few more had been added to the pinkette's collection. He smiled at the duo. "I see you've expanded your collection, Sakura."
The ex-kunoichi smiled up at him in return, a small amount of pride swelling inside her chest. "Ah." She had about thirty shuriken, 15 kunai, three pairs of senbon, and she was hoping to create a large windmill shuriken some time soon. She had accomplished a lot in the short amount of time she had been with them. It was too bad none of them were made out of metal.
"They're impressive. Keep up the good work."
Sakura tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes with a broad grin. A blush coated her cheeks at the praise of her craftsmanship. The redhead to her right leaned so that she could look over the pinkette's shoulder, her eyes landing curiously on Levi.
Levi had been watching them and he looked back at Isabel. Why had she looked at him? She seemed satisfied with whatever she found and turned her attention back to Farlan with a bright smile.
"Are you headed out now?" she asked.
"Un." Farlan confirmed with a nod while Sakura resumed her inspection of the kunai she had held previously. She ran her finger over the edge, which was surprisingly sharp. "Did you want to go with me?"
"I'll go."
"I'll pass."
Isabel frowned over at her companion, "You don't want to go into town? See if they have any cool stuff?"
"I'm sure they have the same stuff as yesterday. Anyway, you two have fun."
Farlan looked over at Levi, "Do you want me to bring back anything?"
"Iie." Levi replied with his cup still to his mouth.
Sakura glanced over at the dark haired male with an even expression. She looked back over the kunai in her hand before exchanging it for a senbon on the table. She poked at the tip, feeling its sharpness.
"What about you, little lady?"
She didn't look up from her task, mentally reminding herself that she'll need to sharpen her senbon again soon. They were starting to become dull. "We're going to need more tea."
Farlan was surprised for one main reason. If they really had needed more, then Levi would have said so. "Eh?" He looked over toward the kitchen table. "Are you running out soon?"
"No." Levi replied, but he had closed his eyes, returning to drinking his cup.
The blonde looked back at Sakura curiously, who was smiling sweetly up at him with her eyes closed. "Tea please."
"R-right."
"Woow Sakura," Isabel smiled, "You really wanna make sure Bro has his tea."
Sakura's face lit up with an embarrassed scowl while Farlan smiled nervously. The next moment, a yowl echoed through the room as Isabel was kicked off the side of the couch and onto the floor. Naturally, the senbon she had been holding had been snatched up by the pinkette before anything could have happened. Levi let out a sigh, his eyes still closed.
"Just for that," Sakura stood with a pout aimed at the brooding redhead on the floor, "I have no choice but to tell Farlan."
Isabel's eyes instantly lit up with worry, "Tell him what?" Sakura grinned at her mischievously and Isabel gasped. "You wouldn't!"
The pinkette began to walk around the table and jumped to the side as Isabel made a lunge for her. "Sakura-chan!"
"What is it?" Farlan smirked while Sakura came up to his side with the same shit-eating grin on her face.
Isabel stood with her fists at her sides, frowning and blushing in embarrassment. "You don't wanna know!"
"Oh," the pinkette said, her hand coming up to her mouth, "It's a very interesting secret."
"I'd like to hear it then." Farlan added.
"Nooo." Isabel whined and her brow furrowed in desperation, "Sakura-chan, please."
Sakura gestured for Farlan to lean down toward her with one hand, still covering her mouth with the other. He did so and kept his head straight so that she could whisper into his ear, her mouth and voice being covered by her hand so that no one else could hear.
"Be careful," she whispered and his eyes hardened a fraction at her quiet, but very serious, tone, "The other day, we were being followed before we ran into you. I haven't told anyone else. I didn't want Isabel to freak out over it. I'll let Levi-sama know once you two leave."
Farlan nodded with a hum. "I see. That is a very important secret."
Isabel was on the verge of visibly panicking. She bounced on her tip toes with her hands clenched in front of her. "What did you tell him?"
"Let's see." Farlan smiled down at Sakura as he straightened, and she backed away from him enough to give him space. "How many secrets did you tell me?"
Sakura smiled up at him and folded one arm behind her back while holding up three fingers on her other hand in front of her. "Three."
"Thank you." he quipped in return and looked back at Isabel, who was glancing over them with a confused expression. "We can get going now."
Isabel gave the two of them strange looks, but she didn't make a fuss while the two of them left and shut the door behind them. Silence fell over the room, and it was heavy on Sakura's shoulders. She was glad that it only lasted for a moment.
"What was that about?"
A different kind of heaviness fell on her, and she didn't have the will to move her gaze away from the front door just yet. "I told Farlan that me and Isabel were being followed the other day."
She could feel the pressure of his gaze on her back. She looked down at the ground with her brow furrowed. His voice was heavy and cold as he asked, "Why didn't you tell anyone sooner? Does she know?"
"She doesn't know." Sakura fiddled with her fingers in front of her nervously, waiting for the beat down, physical or verbal.
Levi had a hard scowl settled on her back, his cup now placed on the table in front of him. He couldn't believe this. That had been four days ago. He got up from his seat and he watched her body tense when the sound of the chair scraping against the floor echoed through the quiet room. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?" he repeated.
"It was a mistake." she said, and the regret could be heard in her voice. "I was distracted by things I shouldn't have been." He watched her as her hands fell to her sides, her fists clenching. Her head lowered and he could almost feel the shame she was radiating. "I know that we're lucky nothing has happened. I put my feelings above my companion's safety."
She truly hung her head down and the sound of her teeth gritting could almost be heard. "It won't happen again."
Levi analyzed her for a few moments, having heard the guilt and frustration in her voice. He could see how tense her body was, and he thought back to the past few days and how her behavior had changed. He had instantly noticed that she had been avoiding him and he had figured out the reason a few hours prior. However, he had also noticed that she had been staying especially close to Isabel and watching her closely. She had somehow managed to get the redhead to either stay in or if she did go out, Sakura had persuaded Levi to accompany her. Even if Sakura hadn't told anybody what had happened, she had been making sure Isabel had stayed safe.
Letting out a sigh, the male decided to drop the topic and sat back down. He picked up his cup and brought it to his lips when the pinkette said softly, "We're going to get some rain."
"It doesn't rain down here." he replied, thinking the comment ridiculous. "What are you –?" He looked up to see tears running down the side of her cheek, her bangs covering her eyes. She was no longer bowing her head, but she still had it turned downward slightly. He could vaguely see that her teeth were still gritted. Looking away, he said softly, "It's been a while since you cried."
"I'm not crying." she replied defiantly.
He kept his gaze downcast toward the cup in his hand and he waited a moment before asking, "Do you know who it was following you?"
Sakura wiped at her eyes and let out a shaky breath to steady herself. "The three guys that followed me back here when I took that hog."
Levi sighed, "You're such a pain in the ass."
Sakura's feet wrestled with each other in their spot. She was starting to feel restless for some reason. The air around her was heavy and her fingers twitched. Whatever this sensation was, it was greatly unsettling. "I-I need some air." she mumbled and headed for the door.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The pinkette stopped at the front door, her hand on the handle and she frowned back at him with her brow furrowed. He was staring back at her with a hard glare. "Out."
"You just told me that you were being followed. You're not going anywhere."
"Hah?" Sakura frowned at him, frustration starting to ebb at her nerves. "I told you that so that you can keep an eye on Isabel, not me."
"You don't think that this affects you too?" He was starting to lose his patience.
Green eyes narrowed at him and her grip on the door handle tightened. "I'm not gonna stay cooped up inside all day and wait for someone to take me out like some kind of pet."
"Maybe you should think about that before you go off stealing hogs."
The two glared at each other, one in defiance and the other trying to assert their authority over the situation. Sakura slightly pursed her lips in a pout. She was pressing her luck as she began to pull the door handle down, opening it.
A dark eyebrow twitched. "Sakura." Levi warned.
Sakura continued to lower the handle and she began to lean down, preparing to dash out the front door the moment enough space granted her. Levi stood up from his chair with an icy glare and she could feel that ice run down her spine.
With the instinct to run for her life, she threw the door open and made to run out of it. Only she was stopped before she could completely leave the threshold by a hand gripping the back of her shirt's collar. She was yanked backward, and she fell on her backside with a grunt. Opening her eyes that had closed upon the impact, she glanced nervously up at the male behind her. His eyes were cold and from this angle, they looked deadly with a matching frown. They almost burned through her. "Since you're obviously going through your rebellious phase," he began in a voice that sent a chill through her, "how about we do something that will knock that out of you?"
"N-no thank you." Sakura smiled nervously, feeling a cold sweat build up on the back of her neck.
"I wasn't asking for your input." His eyes shone darkly and the pinkette swallowed a dry lump in her throat.
~SCENE CHANGE~
Sakura indeed got her fresh air, but it was hard to enjoy it when it was constantly being punched or kicked out of her. Levi had practically dragged her to an empty clearing further on the outskirts of the city that was surrounded by rock walls. A place where not many knew about. There was a large hole in the ceiling high above them, but due to it being directly in the center of the ceiling, it wouldn't have been practical to use the 3D gear to escape through it.
She had apologized profusely while he gripped the back of her collar and pulled her along with him to this vacant space. He had ignored her the entire time and forced her into a harsh training session that verged on a beating. Of course, Sakura had attacked back at him, but that didn't make the whole experience any less painful. By the time the blows had finished, and the grunts had died down, the pinkette was sprawled out on the ground, her face in the dirt.
Her entire body was sore and ached with painful pulses. She could already feel the bruises forming underneath her skin in multiple places. This training session had definitely been harder than any other up to that point. Never piss off Levi again, she would not.
The ground shifted next to her, indicating that he had sat down. She turned her face toward him and cracked open an eye to see his bottom half sitting about two feet away from her. "You're not worried about your ass getting dirty?" she just barely mocked.
"Shut up." he said in return, though it lacked its usual bite.
She groaned and rolled onto her back away from him, spreading out her arms. She looked up at the sky through the hole above them, her green eyes skirting over the few stars that could be seen in the night. The blue light filtered through the hole and lit up the area around them in its sorrowful hue. She didn't say anything to him, too exhausted to try to bring up a conversation. Whatever had been fraying at her nerves earlier was gone. A comfortable silence fell between them.
Levi had also been looking up at the sky, but when a dark cloud covered the little amount of moonlight they were allowed, he looked down at his side at the pinkette. She looked on the verge of falling asleep and yet, awake enough to be aware of what was around her. He was curious. He had asked the question on his mind so many times before, but he had never received a genuine answer before. "Why don't you want to hurt anyone?"
Sakura blinked and though her eyes didn't focus anymore than they already were, she ran the question through her mind. "I told you already."
The dark haired male said, "You said you didn't want to be seen as a monster." He closed his eyes and looked back up at the sky, still dark with clouds. "Hate to break it to you kid, but none of us are exactly saints."
"You are." she replied softly. Levi was momentarily surprised, and he had half a mind to ask her if she was insane. "Compared to me." she added on quietly, almost too quietly for him to hear.
He did hear it, though. He looked back down at her as the clouds above moved enough for blue light to shine back through. It barely lit up her eyes enough for him to see them. A deep sorrow swam through her green eyes that he had no trouble recognizing. He had seen that look on her countless times before. "I'm not going to force you to tell me," He looked ahead of him with an almost exhausted expression. "But unless you can get over this, I'm not going to trust you to roam around on your own anymore."
"Why does it matter so much to you?"
"Why doesn't it matter to you?" he asked in return. He looked back at her and this time, he wasn't going to look away.
"I've survived up to this point just fine and I survived on my own until I met you." she frowned and folded her hands together over her stomach. "I don't need to kill people to live."
"No." he agreed, "but you might need to in order to survive."
Sakura closed her eyes with a small frown. "We're just going in circles at this point. I'm not worried about it."
"You're not worried about your wellbeing?"
"No."
Levi blinked slowly down at her, frowning deeply. "What would it take for you to care about yourself?"
Sakura looked up at the sky and genuinely thought about the question. A cool breeze blew through the area, signaling the oncoming rain that she had mentioned hours beforehand. What would it take for her to care about herself? She sat up and leaned forward, her hands folding into her lap. Would it be alright to think about it? Would it be alright for her to say it? "If. . ." Several moments passed by and she could no longer feel his gaze on her, though she was sure it was there. All she could feel were the ghosts of sensations on her skin. Under her fingers, through her hair, in her lap, against her back. The memory of whispers in her ears, of screams of pain, of broken promises, and hollowed names. She felt cold. . . "If none of that ever happened. . ." Her voice was soft, weak. "If I had died instead, maybe then it'd be alright for me to care about myself."
Levi was frowning over at her, watching a single tear roll down her cheek. She leaned forward and brought up her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She lowered her head, but not quite enough to put her chin on top of her knees. Her bangs covered her eyes. "If I cared about myself now, then that's like saying that it was alright for me to live over everyone else. If I kill someone, then that means that I haven't changed at all."
She was laying herself bare, uncovering the first layer of her consciousness for him to see. It barely touched the surface, but hopefully he would get her message. "It wouldn't be right for me to exist."
He didn't say anything, but he got the feeling that she had killed before. He realized that there was untold trauma in her past concerning the issue. It wasn't as simple as he had first made it out to be. That much was obvious now. It occurred to him that if there was no way out of the situation if she had to fight, then she would die. Whatever scars she had, they ran that deep.
"Let's go back." he said and stood up.
Sakura stood up and followed after him as he walked off toward the clearing's entrance back into the city. She fought the emptiness she felt deep in her chest, resisting the urge to cry more. In her peripheral, she caught movement and looked over to the side. Her feet stopped when her gaze landed on a single man standing at the other end of the clearing. It shouldn't have been possible for him to be there. The only entrance was the one Levi was headed toward and the ceiling was far too high for someone to just jump and land down there. His appearance hadn't made a single noise. She also hadn't sensed him. If she hadn't caught him in the corner of her eye, she wouldn't have known he was there at all.
He seemed surprised that she had caught him watching them, but he straightened out his expression a second later. He continued to look at her, almost as if appraising her. His features had an underlying sorrow in them. She looked over him cautiously. He was wearing a long, dark brown coat, dark pants, boots, and a white shirt underneath his coat. She couldn't make out many details on his clothes. His face though. . . His deep green eyes shone through the dark and for a moment, she felt as if she were looking in a mirror. She could see an abyss of despair and chaos in those eyes. His brown hair fell down to his shoulders in unkempt strands. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties.
His sudden appearance was startling, but Sakura's body didn't tense in the way she thought it should have. Her instincts that would warn her of danger immediately were telling her that this situation was alright. That, despite him having appeared out of nowhere, this person wasn't dangerous to her. Did she know him?
Before she could call out to him, she heard Levi, "Sakura."
Sakura didn't take her eyes off of the strange man, who only kept her gaze in return. She watched for any movement from him, anything to tell her how he had gotten there. She also waited for Levi to notice him, but that never came.
"What are you doing?"
The pinkette looked over at Levi, who was frowning at her with his brow furrowed. She saw that his attention was directly on her, not paying any attention to the man on the other side of the clearing. She looked back toward where he was, only to see that he had vanished. She blinked at the spot, seeing no evidence that he had been there at all.
Was it an illusion? Was she hallucinating? Had she been seeing things? Was she going crazy?
Turning slowly away, she began to follow after Levi once more. He gave her a curious look, but said nothing. They both walked back to the house in silence.
~END OF CHAPTER FIVE~
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