Chapter Text
“She’s gonna be so mad,” Mikasa said.
Levi just sighed in response.
She knew it was his way of saying: ‘Yeah, she might kill us out of anger.’ Levi was difficult to read for most people but not to his little sister. She always felt his emotions and could tell if he meant his words or if it was just a joke attempt. Because yes, Levi Ackerman, the notorious thug of the Underworld wasn’t always serious.
Mikasa wasn’t as well known as him. On the contrary, her anonymity was the core of their success. Usually when Levi got recognized she would stealthily but efficiently sneak in the back to steal money or food while he was the center of attention.
The siblings were walking in the dark cobbled streets, Levi leading the way even though Mikasa knew where they were going. They kept their hoodies on their head, both hiding their beautiful raven hair. They would be in trouble if by bad luck they got recognized by a victim of their uncountable thefts. If they could leave the city again, they would. But they had to find an other opportunity to leave the Underworld.
When they arrived at the corner of the street, they stopped, admiring thoughtlessly the sign of The Drinks of Freedom.
“You enter first,” Levi said.
“And get myself killed on the spot? No thanks,” Mikasa replied.
They exchanged a look. None of them wanted to enter but they were still eager to see their friend, it had been at least three weeks.
“Fine, I’ll go,” Levi finally conceded.
He opened the bar door and stepped inside. The very moment he removed his hood, a glass got broken.
Mikasa cringed at the sound. They were about to get lectured for a century. Maybe if she ran away now and pretended to still be in the Upworld as planned she could survive.
But Levi spotted her feet stepping back and immediately pulled her next to him. He wouldn’t be the only one getting a blame.
“WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE??!!” Hange yelled from behind the bar.
“Hum… Hi?” he attempted.
Hange took the time to clean her glasses with the fabric of her shirt, put them back on and blinked a few times, not believing who she had in sight. The Ackermans, who had joined the army to finally be out of this living hell, were back in the Underworld. Hange was already frowning. Mikasa looked down to avoid any eye contact.
“You come back from the Upworld and you say ‘hi’?” Hange fulminated.
“Errr- Well- I- We…” Levi spluttered. “How are you?”
Mikasa facepalmed. She wasn’t good with social interactions but at least she wasn’t as bad as her brother. He had the talent to embarrass her everyday.
Surprisingly calmly, Hange walked around the bar to face them.
“What the hell happened?”
Revealing her face, Mikasa responded, “Levi got kicked out of the army.”
“What for?!”
"Undisciplined behaviour and disrespect to his superior,” she precised.
“For fuck’s sake Levi! I told you to behave!” Hange said, tapping the back of his head.
“Yeah… sorry,” he murmured.
It was rare for the man to apologize, but Hange meant a lot to him and his little sister. She was a mother figure to them. Their real mother died from the plague alongside their father when Mikasa was only 7 and Levi 15 years old. From then on Hange Zoe, a dear friend to the parents, acted as the godmother of those two kids and took them under her wing.
“Wait a minute…” Hange said. “Why are you here too Mikasa? What did you get kicked out for?!”
The girl opened her mouth and got interrupted.
“Wait, let me guess, you didn’t want to let your brother here on his own?”
Damn it, she had hit the nail on the head. Mikasa had naturally followed him. She couldn’t even say she had hesitated. If her brother had to stay in the Underworld then she would too, it was as simply as that.
Mikasa received a tap on the back of her head too.
“I’m not congratulating you folks. I guess you’re back to square one. Let’s just hope we’ll find another way to get you to the Upworld.”
“You’re not… mad?” the girl ventured.
“Well, I’m not glad you guys are back in this nightmare but at least you’re okay and… I missed you,” she said before pulling them into a group hug.
“Ugh…” Levi groaned but bared it.
It was strange to be safer in the army than in a certain underground city. Only a few could obtain a pass to escape this life in the Underworld, by gaining enough money, joining the army or by having powers. The lucky people born in the Underworld with interesting powers were allowed to leave this hell for the Upworld in Mallatopia. That was why the Underworld were only inhabited by non-magical humans, and Mikasa had never met someone with powers. It was like a legend they could never reach.
“Okay that’s enough four-eyes!” Levi got away from her.
He seemed almost happy to be short so that he could free himself easily from the hug.
Mikasa felt relief when she saw Hange smile. She wasn’t mad at them.
***
Mikasa had made sure she didn’t have anything valuable on her. Pickpockets and thieves like her knew how to take advantage of this kind of alleys. So it was carefully that the girl walked through the Underworld. Hange and a mysterious lady were waiting for her at the Drinks of Freedom. Hange had told Mikasa this lady wanted to hire her for a job in the Upworld. It seemed too good to be true, there had to be a glitch somewhere.
When she entered the bar it was crowded. Saturday nights.
Mikasa made her way to the counter and waited for Hange to notice her. She wasn’t enthusiastic about the job to be honest. She was reluctant to the idea of leaving Levi alone here for an undefined time. And it wasn’t like they were lucky enough to find another job in the Upworld for him.
“Mikasa, you’re finally here!” Hange exclaimed.
“Sorry for being late.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” Hange responded, discreetly pointing at a hooded silhouette at a table.
The mysterious employer was short, and Mikasa could see a strand of red hair popping out of the pine green hooded cloak. This job already didn’t look good. Mikasa didn’t want trouble, she just needed cash. But in order to obtain cash quickly, she maybe had no choice than walking into the lion’s den.
“Sorry for being late,” Mikasa repeated to the stranger.
“It’s okay.”
They had a very soft voice, it was probably a woman. Mikasa sat next to them.
“I want you to protect someone,” they said and took a sip of what seemed like simple tea.
Mikasa caught a glimpse of the stranger’s gold orange eyes. They were beautiful.
“Call me Petra,” the stranger murmured. “Someone I know needs to cross Mallatopia. I will lend you a horse and you’ll have to hit the road by her side. To protect her from any danger.”
“Is she a wanted criminal or something?” Mikasa asked.
“Irrelevant.”
They exchanged a look. Petra wouldn’t say more about that girl. There was something fishy going on.
“Why are you taking the risk to employ an inhabitant of the Underworld? I could just disappear in the Upworld,” Mikasa pointed out.
“And leave your brother alone down here? I bet you wouldn’t dare.”
Mikasa frowned. That woman knew about Levi. She must have done her research about the Ackermans. And yet she had chosen Mikasa over the famous Levi… probably to be discreet.
“I’ll give you a pass if you accept the job. And when, only when you have brought Sasha to the top of the Black Mountain I will give your brother a pass too,” Petra said.
So Sasha was the girl’s name…
“How would you know if I’ve done the job?”
“I’ll just know.”
It seemed too easy. Protecting one person in the safe Upworld? There had to be more. Mikasa watched Petra finishing her drink and pondered. What kind of people were in danger in the Upworld? From all Mikasa had heard of it it seemed like an utopia. But of course it couldn’t be one. Life wasn’t this simple.
“One more thing,” Petra interrupted her thoughts. “You’ll have to cross the Kingdom during the Dark Days. Do you have any problem with that?”
The Dark Days… What the hell was she talking about? Mikasa had never heard of it. Hange had never spoken to her about it.
“You don’t know what the Dark Days are, don’t you?” Petra wondered.
It pissed off Mikasa for her lack of knowledge to be exposed like this. She was about to pretend she knew what is was about but Petra started to explain to her:
“It’s three days at the end of the year, where the Sun doesn’t rise. For 72 hours, it’s only darkness, like right in the middle of new moon night.”
Mikasa realized even people in the Upworld had to live without sunlight, even if it was only for a few days. She felt quite disappointed: she would have enjoyed the sunlight during her mission. But she was quickly comforted by the idea of leaving in the Upworld with her brother permanently afterwards.
“So, do we have a deal?” Petra asked.
Mikasa took a deep breath. Was she ready for this? Hell yes. Anything to get to the Upworld. And it was just an easy job, what could even happen?
“Deal.”