Chapter Text
[. . .]
"Beauty in the eye of... who?"
[. . .]
Chapter 1
At The Gates
[. . .]
Rocks fall like smoldering meteors and Erwin is bereft of himself.
He grimly assesses an inevitable situation and descends into the abysmal hate built upon through years since childhood, swelling into a sickly barrel of etiolated acceptance and regret.
I have to die, he tells himself in purposeful resignation, numbly turning away from the sky to face the remaining, small battalion of soldiers. All of them are young. Not even twenty-five years of age.
All of them that he will send to die.
Youthful agony, child-like cruelty, every person who looks up at him metaphorically extends their bloody hands to reach the pedestal he built out of the corpses of the innocent.
What's a few more? Erwin asks himself regretfully, rehearsing a new plan in his head that Humanity's Strongest Soldier holds in the palm of his hand.
Detached, he levels his face and stares at the crying and vomiting deviations of soldiers—no, not soldiers. Children. Children that he has been damning for years with little yielding results that only today come to a head.
Shameful, unworthy, remorse that's slowly been poisoning him comes at a tragic climax, suffocating his throat. He allows his eyes to truly look at them; to memorize their twisted expressions and contorted yearning they pray for from him, and thinks: My God, I Have No Right For Grace.
He is the Devil himself. They beg on their knees but their savior has been a lie.
He tells them one more. He bedazzles his words in bitter honey, dunks them in watered sugar, and spits them out in trembling truth. Silver tongue and all, Erwin Smith histrionically commands his Final Operation.
Father, he tells himself as he speaks from a stone heart to the bruised ones of children, I regret never finding my answer to you.
Levi stands beside him as a strong stepping-stone and Erwin tries not to feel like this death is merciful for all his misdeeds. He tries to hold onto Levi's invisible hand and questions if his cessation will be meaningless even though his life has never been meaningful. And as he endeavors to grasp for kindness by his forced hand of fate, he realizes one thing.
That even if he does not have his answer, at the very least, those who remain will.
In Death, perhaps, if he deludes himself enough, he can die knowing he will win.
As he expresses words that have never rung truer than now, he ignores the plummeting doom relentlessly shoving down on his stifling sanity. It is difficult to manage the lump in his throat and the squeeze of eternal guilt in his chest, but he does. He does, and he must, for it is he that is damned and the damner. He recovers into surrendered apathy that he is, truly, indeed, going to die.
The basement is right there.
But it seems he will not know, never know, what lies beneath there.
Not in this lifetime.
[. . .]
Erwin expects an infernal, abysmal, punishment when he opens his eyes. He expects fire in the wake of rocks, torture in the aftermath of riding the high of the White Stallion, and retribution for the sake of his selfishness. He has carried that tomb—a cenotaph of his prayers to a God looking down on his filthy hands. It's not any less than he deserves.
Instead, he is blessed with the beautiful face of a woman with radiant jade and a soft, indescribable pink.
His squinting eyes focus on her, taking deep lungfuls with tentative grasps of the grass and dirt beneath him. There is a fresh sensation twisting around just on the left lower half of his body, filling up the empty holes caused by the tragic inevitability of his fate.
He feels weak. Faint. But he can breathe.
"Are you God?" He croaks, unable to look away from her brilliance. A gentle verdant glow kisses her face.
She does not respond. She gives him a mere smile instead, curving her kind eyes that are framed with the short, delicate strands of her hair.
Erwin doesn't expect an answer. He is floating, he thinks. The dirt sinking into his nails is a mere illusion, foolishly attempting to ground him from the mercy of a God he had thought abandoned him long ago.
He thinks he hears thunder in the background. The earthquakes are in tandem with it, but Erwin doesn't much care.
He feels heavy, here. Heavy, but quiet.
Peaceful.
He closes his eyes.
The fresh sensations spread throughout his body. His skin erupts in goosebumps, chilling him with a fill of compassion.
He is not sure if the afterlife should have so much sensation.
It does not matter.
He is okay.
"Thank you," He whispers.
The light of the sun grants him his wish.
[. . .]
Levi Ackerman watches in bewilderment as a nearly invisible, black shade takes his priority from him.
He's just about to jump on the second pure titan leading him to his awaiting retribution, when he's interrupted by an electric flash tittering by him with a fire-like ozone, slicing the entire necks of the lined titans clean off. He lands on the ground, rough enough to twist his leg when he tries to avoid the falling carcasses, helpless to continue Erwin's final order. The desperation that engulfs him is so deadly that he forces himself to stand on his twisted limb, to finish what he started.
But he has remained frozen in place, lonely, on the tainted dirt, observing the defeat of the Beast Titan from afar.
It happens in just four seconds.
One moment, he is grieving over his leg, and the next, he is surrounded by steam, hardly covering the dismal riddance of the Beast Titan's head soaring at a far distance.
The fight is over.
The rocks stop, the screaming of what's left of his distant comrades stops, and Levi is bereft of himself.
He is bereft, that is, until the savior who took his order lands before him.
It makes Levi flinch back, brandishing his blade with angry, alarmed eyes. He makes a swipe, but it's unfounded on skin—another blade stops his attack.
"What the fuck?" Levi hisses, looking into the black void of a single eye belonging to a tall man with a long, dark cloak. His hair covers his other eye, fluttering to give a peek of something horrifically purple that Levi cannot explain. He is staring down at him in neutrality, a type of expression Levi cannot recognize having seen on anyone else. His features are foreign; the eye he can see is narrower than that of an Eldian, and his face is paler than most, porcelain in its touch.
The uncanny expression prompts Levi to pull back his useless budging on strength, unsubstantiated, stumbling on an unsure being that prickles an impending doom on his body. "What are you?" He seethes, clenching the hilt of his weapon anxiously.
He does not know who this is. Hell, he might not even be real.
But Levi isn't insane. He is grounded on the reality of things, and unless he's hallucinating from blood loss he has not acquired from a wound, then there's no reason for a random man to appear before him like a ghost.
The man doesn't answer him.
It makes Levi bristle, but he bites back his demands, rendered silent from the gut-wrenching fear curling inside him.
Levi cannot explain why it is he feels this way. Something is begging him not to, as if it's a type of spicy soap lathering him in the scent of death. The aura emitted paralyzes him.
So Levi clamps his mouth shut, releasing a confused sound of frustration.
The man sheathes his sword then, hiding his limbs under the cloak. "Why was a giant ape attacking your battalion?"
The question catches Levi off guard. The voice is smooth. Low and rich with a promising violence that Levi isn't stupid enough to miss.
Working through the knot of his tongue, Levi answers vaguely. "I don't know."
"Hn," The man intones blandly, and Levi glowers at him. "At my wife's and daughter's demand, I won't kill you. Our intervention was only granted because of their mercy," The man informs threateningly, narrowing his eye on him. "Any step out of line and I will take care of you and your weak soldiers myself."
Levi doesn't have a chance to respond.
The man disappears before his very eyes, leaving behind the indents on the grass to indicate he was ever there.
With it, the aura of death goes, and Levi releases a shuddering breath.
His leg throbs in agony. His muscles are pinched together, huddling in an unintentional protective poise that Levi knows would have done little to stop the man from ending his life. Because that's just what it is. A man strong enough to take him down, Humanity's Strongest Soldier.
An unnamed dread suffocates him.
He has no clue if Erwin survived. The first rocks were thrown, and there is no guarantee they missed. The first at the front was Erwin.
Whoever that man was made a huge mistake. He should have prioritized Erwin and what remains of the Scouts instead, not...
Levi grits his teeth.
He needs to find out. He needs to see.
"Um. Hello."
Levi snaps his head up.
The face of the man is back—no. No, it's not him.
It's a little girl with red glasses dressed in a red shirt with even weirder clothing. Long socks and short pants. She looks just like the man, but her features are different. Softer. Kinder. Uncertain.
"Papa said to help you," She informs him with an awkward clearing of her throat, positioning her hands behind her back.
Levi makes the connection. "...The man who threatened us?" He remarks scathingly, and he feels bad because the girl seems to droop.
"Sorry about that," She sighs, despondent. He doesn't trust her. No, fuck that. "He's really overprotective. For no reason, too. It's not like you can hurt me."
The dig at his strength is met with resignation. Okay. Levi keeps note of that, not one to underestimate. She may be a child, but she handles herself with confidence. Levi was a child, once. And he was a damn deadly one. "...What do you want?" He grunts, glancing toward where he sees the gathering of the Scouts he's so inclined to know the whereabouts of.
"To help you," She answers, studying him. "It looks like your leg is broken." Her brows scrunch together with what appears to be genuine concern.
Concern won't fix his leg. "Then you can't do shit to help me," Levi is terse with his response.
She puffs up her cheeks, offended. "I can help."
Levi narrows his eyes.
"Look, see?" She shuffles closer and crouches, reaching for his leg with a glowing green hand.
Levi pulls it back even though it hurts like hell. "What are you doing?" He hisses, looking between her hand and face with suspicion.
"I'm going to heal you," She deadpans.
"Heal?" He scoffs. This little girl is delusional.
"You just saw my dad kill all those giants in less than five seconds, and you're doubting my ability to heal?" She asks, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "My hand is glowing, mister." She gestures with said hand.
Levi quiets.
That is something he can't fathom. Not even what happened just minutes ago. It still doesn't feel real. But it happened. The bones of the Titans are around him. The job is finished.
Mostly, he realizes, narrowing his eyes over the girl's shoulder to where he saw the Beast Titan's head land. Either that sick fuck is still alive or he's been cut in half, suffering like he deserves. He'll need to investigate if he wants to fulfill Erwin's promise.
The girl crosses her arms, and the movement makes Levi acknowledge her again. "Please let me help you. You won't believe me until it happens, so I might as well help."
Levi scowls. The risk is nonexistent. The girl doesn't look like a threat, at least, in the facial sense. Her body is poised for an attack, sure, but... If she can help, he might as well take it. A fixed leg is better than a useless one. "...Fine," He grits, slowly extending his injured limb. He bites back an annoyed groan. Stupid fucking weak ass legs. The one time they decide not to work on him.
Her thankful smile makes him feel uneasy. "Thank you! Now, I need you to hold still because I'm going to reset your leg before I heal it."
Fuck's sake. "Just fucking—" Levi wheezes when, without wasting any time, she does just that.
He leans forward, groaning as he clutches his thigh.
"Sorry," She says. She sounds suspiciously guiltless. "The pain'll be over soon, okay? I'm training still but I can heal legs now, so you have nothing to worry about."
Ominous ass words. Levi lifts his head, glaring at her, but says nothing. He doesn't know what she means, but the implications aren't doing any favors for his worried mind. Besides, she holds true to her promise. As soon as those eldritch glowing hands of hers clasp his knee and shin, the burning, fuzzing pain disappears completely. It's replaced with what feels like cold water.
A silence reigns. The wind howls in his ears, pushing his strands of hair to one side. The ground no longer rumbles. The fighting from the other side has ceased, and Levi can't help but try to see if he can catch a glimpse of the Colossal Titan.
It's nowhere in sight.
An unsure weight both dips and lifts from his chest.
He wonders if the man took care of it.
"My name is Sarada, by the way," The girl says, breaking the stillness.
Levi turns to regard her, analyzing her concentrated expression. He's never heard of that name before. "...You're not from here," He accuses, slightly on guard. Erwin's crazy theories prove right yet again.
"No, I'm not," She confirms. Her tongue sticks out, and Levi holds still when she lifts his leg from under his knee. "Do you feel anything out of place?" Her hands have stopped glowing. She pokes his knee.
Levi tests it. His leg moves just fine. "No."
Sarada pulls back with a relieved breath, smiling. "Okay, good." Her smile engages him, "I'll have Mama take a look at you too, just in case."
She has a mother. Of course. Levi is betting she's just as creepy as her fucking father.
"For now, I'll carry you to her, okay? She might still be busy healing everyone else," Sarada hums, standing while dusting her socks.
Levi perks. "She's healing everyone else?"
"Yeah. We saw what happened. It was pretty bad," Sarada winces.
That means Erwin might still be alive. Everyone who got hurt might still be alive.
Hope emerges from his chipped heart.
Levi shakes his head. "Whatever. Let's go." He stands tentatively, but upon seeing that there's no discomfort, Levi confidently takes a couple of steps forward. No pain. No agony. This is insane. Although grateful, Levi can't help but feel disturbed. Healing like this shouldn't be possible. And didn't she say she'd carry him? What the fuck type of strength does she have?
"I know you've probably never seen powers like mine or my parents before," Sarada says, pushing her glasses further up her nose. Levi side-eyes her. He mustn't have hidden his reaction as well as he thought. "Your world doesn't have Chakra. So... I won't be offended if you think I'm weird. You've never met someone like me before."
And she says that so confidently.
"No," He agrees, moving his shoulder. "Never." He stops himself from calling her a freak. She read his mind, too. That's unforgivable.
He stops.
Wait.
She came from the direction...
"Did you see a stupid, ugly ass fucking individual coming out of that furry ass head your father chopped off?" Levi inquires, completely calm.
Sarada blinks. "Um. Yeah, actually. I tied him up. But I don't know if he's still there? There might've been a crawling giant that picked him up."
Levi closes his eyes and lets out a calming breath.
A sound reminiscent of boulders sounds not too far, and Levi's heart leaps to his throat, craning his head to see the new threat.
"Huh," Sarada says, standing next to him.
The two of them look at the large cloud of dirt screeching in distress.
"Mama must've taken care of it."
Levi might be losing it.
[. . .]
In the end, Levi's carried because it's faster that way.
It doesn't mean he likes it.
"Are you mad?" Sarada asks him lightly, jostling him in his bridal position in her arms.
Levi glares at her hatefully. He answers. "Pissed off." As creepy as she is, Sarada helped him. The least Levi can do is reply. Even though he would much rather not.
Sarada shakes her head. "You're very dramatic. And rude. You didn't even tell me your name," She points out, and Levi responds with an indignant huff, crossed arms, and a petulant refusal to look at her. What if she's into Black Magic? Levi doesn't believe in that shit, but he's not taking any chances. Her hands glow. She can carry him. She jumps like a damn grasshopper. Who knows if she'll use his name to get back at him for his comments?
She sets him down after another jump, and Levi scrambles to get off.
This is all very surreal.
"Okay. Here, mister. Your friends are over there," She points and Levi follows, centering on several bandaged scouts, among them the prize of his worry.
He immediately jogs toward him.
"Sure, don't thank me," He hears Sarada grumble before she becomes inaudible. Levi hardly cares.
"Erwin," He breathes just as he's in front of his displayed form leaning against a dead horse, but he falters.
The man isn't awake.
His heart twists into something akin to horror.
Levi quickly reaches to touch his neck, checking for a pulse.
Weak. It's weak, but it's there.
Levi sags with relief.
"Captain Levi!"
Levi steps back to gaze at the oncoming crowd of scouts looking worse for wear. One of them is Floch, looking beyond relieved.
"Did you see?!"
"See what," He deadpans, checking for any injuries on them. None of them are hurt. Their horses are in the back, eating grass like nothing ever happened. Levi doesn't know how to feel.
"The Spring Goddess!" A girl cheers, Rika.
"Fucking who?" Oh, for fuck's sake. Are they talking about the creepy girl's mother?
Right on cue, "Oh, do you mean my mom?"
Levi pinches the bridge of his nose when her sudden presence peeking from behind him causes the crowd to yelp in unison.
Except, it's not because of Sarada that they start going ballistic. Levi turns around to see for himself, keen on figuring out just what—
A very unusual-looking woman with pink hair is holding the unconscious body of a girl and the less-than-intact body of a blonde man who looks completely out of it in the ropes he's being held up in. Levi recognizes the Beast-Titan fucker immediately. The other must be a titan shifter too because of the weirdass markings under her eyes. "Hm? Oh hello," She chirps, setting the bodies down. "Do you need a doctor?"
"No, mama," Sarada answers for him. That's her mother? The bangle of kids behind him are utterly still. "I healed him. He might need to be checked over, though. Just in case."
"Alright, sweetheart."
Levi steps back when Sarada's mother comes closer.
The woman, dressed in pants, stops. "Oh. I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Sakura, and I'll be your doctor for today. Do I have your consent to treat you?"
Her smile is too bright.
Levi thinks he'd rather break his damn leg again.