HOME | DD

Description

I know what they say about the underground. It’s a savage place, full of the worst criminals, disease, destruction, and death. It’s a place you don’t want to visit, nor do you want to be born in. You can die even if you led a healthy and perfect life just because the sun doesn’t reach you. The food quality is never as good as the surface, and it’s hard to make enough money to properly survive. It’s run by the Military Police, which only serves to make life for those living there an utter hell.
             I grew up there, and it’s all true. I hated living there. I had talent, skill, brains, and strength, but other than making money through criminal activities, those assets did little to better my situation.
             But I’d be lying if I said I don’t have any fond memories mixed in with the painful ones. I know it sounds strange, but to this day, if it would make a difference, I wouldn’t mind going back for a visit.
             It’s because of her. [Full Name].
             I have to admit, she was far from being what anyone would call a gem or whatever else people think is rare and valuable. I can’t call her an angel, nor can I call her the best of human beings. She wasn’t as bad as me, sure, but there’s only so much credit I can give her. It’s not that she was a bad person in any way. It’s just that she wasn’t the type of person that particularly stood out as overly nice. She was kind. She was a decent person, and that’s the end of it. She didn’t have any particular skill or charm. She was good-looking, but nowhere near the most beautiful, even in my eyes. She was just another person. She was there. She existed.
             And yet, I fell in love with her. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened or why it happened, but I did. To be completely honest with you, I still can’t really explain why I loved her the way I did, and still love her the way I do. It’s not like she’s the light in my world, nor was she the perfect piece to complete the puzzle that is my soul.
             No, she was none of that. The best thing I can think of to explain it is this: I felt at peace with her.
             Now, there’s just something that might be confusing for you. It’s not like Isabel and Farlan. I felt comfortable with them, and I enjoyed being with them. I wanted to protect them. But with ____________, I felt at peace. It’s not like my worries washed away or anything, but when I sat beside her, I felt that maybe it wasn’t all so bad. As long as I got through my challenge, it was alright. She gave me a sense of tranquility that just didn’t happen with anyone else. We fought, so it’s not like we were perfect, but even then, my life never seemed so bad when I reflected on it.
             I tried to explain this to Erwin, Hanji, and my squad and they barely understood. The one thing that somehow seemed to make it clear to them was when I told them my past. The history I had with her.
             As Petra stated, listening to the story doesn’t make you understand through knowledge, but somehow you can understand because your heart does. It’s not something you can explain with words, but you have to feel it.
             I don’t know why I decided to do this, but I’m going to tell you my story. If you want to turn back, do so now. But, if you’re going to continue to listen to my words, I expect you to stay until the end.

             It all started a bit after I met Farlan, but before I met Isabel. I was outside, just going around and minding my own business. Of course, being a renowned thug does make a peaceful walk more or less impossible.
             There was a new gang in the neighborhood I was walking in, and they wanted to “test my strength,” and if I was satisfactory, they’d “let me join their group.”
             Idiots. Every last one of them. Absolute morons. They’re stupider than Eren.
             I was done with them within minutes, but as I was about to hit the last one, something caught my eye.
             There was a girl, a bit shorter than I was, standing and hiding behind the corner of the building that led into the alleyway we were fighting in. What distracted me, I can’t say. She didn’t particularly stand out, and she seemed afraid of what was going on but unable to look away.
             But that one moment was all it took for the guy to try slashing me. He didn’t wound me badly, of course, but he managed to slice through my shirt with his knife and create a long cut on my chest. That was the last move he made before I knocked him out with a punch to the gut.
             I turned back to see that she was still there, staring at me with a scared expression.
             “Hey, you brat. How about you stop staring at me like a stalker and tell me what you want!” She didn’t move, and I growled out to her, “Are you one of them?” I pointed to the guys on the ground. “Trying to plan a way to destroy me after I beat them all up?”
             Her eyes widened and she viciously shook her head back and forth like a child. “I-I’m not with them.” She managed to call out. From her strong voice and the way she held herself, I could tell she wasn’t a shy person, but just afraid.
             “What do you want then?” I stepped over the guys in my way and stormed up to her. “Look, I’m not in a good mood after these idiots wasted my time, so how about telling me what you want?”
             She looked at me and hesitated. I just turned and began walking away. Suddenly, she called out, “W-wait!” I stopped and turned to look at her. She pointed to my chest and said, “You’re…. you’re hurt.”
             “This is nothing.”
             She shook her head again and cautiously came up to me. “N-no. Please, let me wrap that up for you.”
             “I’m fine, brat. Now if you don’t have anything better to say, you’re wasting my time.”
             “Stop!” She grabbed my elbow and said, “You know how dirty it is down here in the underground! What if it gets infected?!”
             “Then I’ll either live through it or die.”
             She huffed and said, “I know who you are. Levi, famous thug here in the underground, right?” I nodded, not really surprised she knew who I was. She tugged on me and said, “Come on! My house is just up the street!”
             “I said-“
             “Look.” She cut me off. “Can you answer this question? Why would you increase your chance of illness and death if you can avoid it? You know the dangers, and just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’ll be able to survive it. You should know that.”
             I didn’t have an answer for her, so I finally agreed to let her take me to her house.
             As we walked up the street, I growled to her, “What are you, some kind of angel? Someone who has to help everyone she sees?”
             “If I were an angel, I’d have helped the guys lying in their own blood back there,” she replied. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but I decided that I really didn’t care. We eventually reached her house, which was the same as every house in this area: not in particularly bad shape, but not in good shape either. Just livable.
             She unlocked the door and we walked into her house. She took me to the living room and told me, “Sit here. I’ll be back with the medical kit.” With that, she walked off to who knows where. I just sat down on her couch and took a look at my surroundings.
             It wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t dirty. Off to the side was a small shelf, but it held nothing on it but a single rock. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why she’d put a rock onto a shelf, but I didn’t bother to question it any further. After all, I’d never meet this girl again, so I didn’t care, or at least those were my thoughts at the time.
             She walked in with the medical kit and said, “Alright, take off your shirt.”
             I quirked my eyes at how nonchalantly she had said that, but again, I didn’t care. I took off my shirt and she looked at the wound before bringing out an antiseptic. She dowsed a small cloth with it and handed it to me.
             “I doubt you want a complete stranger cleaning your chest for you, so here. Do it yourself.” She said. I took the cloth, not really caring but not really wanting to bother with her, and cleaned off the wound. It stung, but it wasn’t too bad.
             Then she came to me with a bandage and said, “Lift your arms so I can wrap you up.” I sat back in the couch and asked, “Whatever happened to not wanting a stranger near me?” I questioned. She frowned and said, “Well, unless you want to wrap yourself – which, by the way, is a lot more annoying to do than you’d think – I’d suggest you shut up and let me do it.”
             I rolled my eyes and lifted my arms up while sitting straight as she bound my chest with the thick bandage. “Is it too tight?”
             “No.”
             “Good.”
             Finally, she finished and clipped it into place. I put my ripped shirt back on. She closed the antiseptic bottle and put it back into the first aid kit before looking at me and nodded. “I’m finished. You can leave when you want to.”
             She stood up again and turned to leave, so I asked her, “Why’d you bother to help me? I’m a criminal – a thug – and you know it. Yet you leave the others to sleep in their wounds.”
             She looked back at me and said, “I don’t know. I just felt like I should help you. That’s the end of it.”
             She glanced out the window and swore under her breath. She dropped the first aid kit and ran over to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me. I followed her, surprised, and she pulled me through the kitchen.
             “What’s going on?”
             “My parents are back! They can’t know you’re here! They’d have a fit if they knew I brought the underground’s most renowned thug into the house!” She shoved me out the back door and said, “Good bye. Have a safe trip.” With that, she slammed the door in my face.
             Definitely no angel.
             Annoyed at her behaviour, I just turned to leave. Despite everything, what she’d done was to help me (though unwelcomed help, still help), and because I’m not completely heartless, I made sure her parents were already inside before walking back to the front of the house.
             I walked back to my house feeling irritated. As I came through the doorway, Farlan looked up at me from whatever he was reading and asked, “Hey, where’d you go?”
             “Out.”
             “What happened to your shirt?”
             “Some idiot slashed me with a sword.”
             Farlan started laughing. “How’d anyone get close enough to slash you?!”
             “Shut up. I was distracted.”
             This just made him laugh harder. “Oh, the great Levi was distracted! Ahahaha!” He finally stopped before saying, “I can see the bandages. Who patched you up?”
             I walked towards my room, opened the door, stepped in, and answered, “The distraction.” With that, I slammed my door shut to make sure he knew I didn’t want to be bothered.
             “I wonder if I made him mad.” I heard Farlan mutter from the other side of the door. Little did he realize that I wasn’t so angry at him than still irritated by the girl.
             Months went by, and I all but forgot about her. By this time Isabel had joined us as part of our family. Farlan and Isabel never heard me speak of her, so they didn’t know.
             Then, one day, we went out. We were out in the market, just strolling past. We didn’t want anything, and we weren’t stealing anything. Just passing through.
             But one guy form one of the stalls recognized us and screamed out, “It’s Levi’s thug squad!”
             Isabel laughed. “Levi’s thug squad?”
             Farlan sighed. “If they were going to give us a name, couldn’t they thought of something a little less lame?”
             “Yeah! Like, uh, the Underground Beasts! Hey, big bro! Don’t you think it would be cool to be called something like the Underground Beasts?”
             “Don’t be stupid.” I replied. I heard Isabel whine behind me, but we just kept walking. Of course, after that little outburst, there was no way we were getting away without some unwanted attention. A group of men from different shops came out, all holding different weapons. They surrounded us as we stopped walking, and they all smirked. “Today is the day we put an end to your criminal ways!” one called out. “That’s right! Today’s the day we kill you!” another yelled. Everyone all nodded and murmured in agreement.
             “Idiots. They think they can take on big bro and us? We’ll have them begging for mercy in no time… Hey Levi! Don’t you think what I said was really awesome?” Isabel exclaimed.
             “I said don’t be stupid.” I responded. I saw them all begin readying their weapons, and I grabbed the handles of my hidden 3DMG from under my cloak. They all grinned, honestly believing they could take us down. That’s fine. Confidence is a good thing. But confidence doesn’t assure victory. Luck, strength, speed, and skill will determine who wins.
             They lunged at me, but before they knew it, I shot out my 3DMG wires to the building behind them. I pulled in my wires and stuck out my legs and kicked two guys as I flew past them. Then I turned and punched another who came at me. I looked up only to realize Isabel and Farlan had already taken care of the rest.
             They smiled at me, and I nodded. Then a call rang out.
             “OVER HERE! MILITARY POLICE! THE THUGS ARE OVER HERE!” I growled at the sudden notice that they were coming. Not that they’d get us, but they were a pain to deal with.
             “Isabel. Farlan. We’re leaving. Now!” I turned on my heel and shot out my wires. “Let’s go!” They also shot out their wires, and the next thing anyone knew was the three of us were in the air and soaring away. I turned around slightly and saw the Military Police were actually nearly on us.
             “Tch.” I turned back around and the two followed me without a word. But I suppose we were too focused on getting rid of the most pressing problem, because we forgot about the people down below. They didn’t seem to be a threat, so I guess we really chose to ignore them. But that was our mistake.
             I didn’t see it, but I can guess what happened from what occurred next. One man waited until we were just about to pass by him before throwing a knife up at us. Isabel is great at the 3DMG, but being the newest, it’s understandable that she’s still worse at it compared to Farlan and me, so she was slightly slower and lagged behind a bit. This was when she was still just learning how to use the 3DMG.
             The man threw the knife, and it hit Isabel on the leg, but it also cut one of the wires on her 3DMG. “GYAH!” she screamed. I heard that and quickly turned in time to see her plummet to the ground.
             “ISABEL!” Farlan yelled. We both dove for her, but I got there first and grabbed her, but Farlan reacted too slowly and crashed into me. The three of us went tumbling onto the ground.
             I quickly pushed Farlan off of me, glanced at him to make sure he was alright (for the moment. Then we could fix ourselves up at home) before looking at Isabel.
             “Levi-bro. I-I’m so sorry.” Isabel managed to breathe out. I turned her over and saw the knife sticking into her thigh. Luckily, it hadn’t been shoved into too far during our fall, but it had moved, leaving a long gash in her leg.
             “Isabel, I’m going to carry you home, but that might hurt. Bear with me, alright?” I said. I didn’t dare pull out the knife yet, for fear that it would just let the blood flow quicken. I picked her up and tried my wires, but nothing happened. I tried again and I growled when I got no response from the stupid machine attached to my legs and hips. I quickly looked over at Farlan and he looked back at me.
             “What’s wrong?” he asked.
             “My 3DMG is broken. It must have been the fall just now.”
             “I told you that your machine needed fixing!”
             “I didn’t think it would be this quick in breaking down! I thought it would hold out until the end of the day at the very least! It probably would have too, if I didn’t fall down from the rooftops!” I growled back.
             “This is why I told you to use the new and good ones instead of giving them to Isabel and me, but no-“
             “Farlan, we’re not having this conversation.” I gave him Isabel. “They’re almost here. Take her and go. I’ll meet up with you.”
             He nodded and shot out his wires, but the next thing we knew was his wire was cut through. The Military Police landed around us, all with their weapons drawn. Their faces looked ready to kill us. Probably anticipating it too.
             I grabbed the small knife I held (our 3DMG didn’t come with those huge blades when we stole them, and we’d been pressed for time and hadn’t been able to get our hands on any yet) from underneath my cloak and backed up to Farlan.
             “Alright. I’ll create an opening. You take Isabel and run straight through.”
             “What? Can’t you just beat them all up?” He asked. I tightened my grip on my knife. “I probably could, but not without putting you two in harm’s way. With Isabel in her condition, you wouldn’t be able to avoid getting injured, and I can take on those that come, but I can’t be in two places at once.”
             “Alright.”
             “Levi-bro. Be careful, alright?” Isabel whispered to me. I got ready to fight.
             “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on letting any part of me join your leg.” She chuckled. I ran forward and began attacking the men in front of me who were blocking the entrance to the alleyway. I punched and kicked and slashed past them. I heard Farlan and Isabel right behind me.
             Finally, I managed to push past them. I turned around and let Isabel and Farlan pass by me while I held off the Military Police. I beat up all the guys that were there, but I knew there was backup coming. I quickly turned and ran after them by following the trail of blood Isabel had left.
             I found them resting against the side of a building in a darkened part of the alleyway. The store wasn’t open, meaning no light shone through the window, leaving us in a more dimly lit part of the alleyway.
             “Levi… You… Made… It.” Farlan huffed out. His breathing was hard – probably because he had to run while holding Isabel – and Isabel just sat on the ground, not speaking.
             “Yeah.” I answered. I crouched down and said to Isabel, “You need to hang on just a little longer. I’ll get you fixed up soon.”
             She looked up and smiled weakly. She nodded and said, “Yeah, I know you will.”
             I stood up but pressed myself to the wall to try to remain as hidden as possible. “We have to get going. I beat up the guys we met on the street, but the reinforcements are surely on their way.” Farlan nodded. I was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed me. “Levi, we’re being watched.”
             I looked to where he was looking, and there I saw the strange girl again. She stood there, hidden partway in the darkness, just like we were. Her eyes were wide, and judging by the way she stared at us, it was obvious that she had just gotten here and didn’t realize what was going on.
             “You.” I growled.
             “You know her?” Farlan questioned.
             “Not really. I met her once a few months back.”
             She smiled. “I’m surprised you remember me.”
             “I remember a lot of things.” I growled out.
             She giggled before her eyes finally landed on Isabel. She quickly rushed over and frowned. She looked up at me and said, “They’ll catch you at this rate.” She pointed to the blood trail I had followed and said, “They’ll be able to follow that just as well as you did.” I nodded and hissed, “I know that, you idiot!”
             She looked around and suddenly said, “Follow me.”
             “No.”
             She marched up to me, unafraid, and said, “Listen here. I don’t care how strong you are. I don’t care how much of a loner you are. I don’t even care if you decide to kill me after this. But, if you care for your friend here, let me just tell you that my way will make things a lot easier on you. You may be fine without me, but my way will be far easier and quicker and, from the looks of it, better for her health.”
             Farlan looked at her then back at me before saying, “Levi, I think I trust her. Just listen to what she has to say.”
             I frowned but nodded. She smirked at me triumphantly before saying, “Pick up the kid and bring her over here.”
             “Hey! I’m no kid!” Isabel managed to wheeze out. The girl looked at her and said, “I’m a lot older than I look, so you’re probably a kid compared to me.” I picked up Isabel and followed her.
             Just next to the wall where we’d been hiding, in the direction we’d just come from, was a smaller alley. Well, more than an alley, it’s really just the space between two buildings. It had several crates and things in the way, and because the buildings were built in the same fashion as every other, there were small ledges from the roofs that kept us hidden from an aerial view.
             “In here.” She said. I brought Isabel in, and the girl put a crate on the ground and motioned for me to put Isabel onto it. She said to Farlan and me, “Keep her leg elevated.” Then she went and began trying to stack the crates to keep us hidden from either side of the street.
             I walked over and began helping her when I realized that she was physically too weak to lift the crates. I lifted one up and noted it was heavier than it looked. “Farlan, get the other side.”
             “Alright.”
             I pushed her aside and the two of us piled the crates up. They weren’t piled high, so they weren’t suspicious in any way, and they were piled haphazardly, so that they looked ready to fall over at any moment’s notice. I brought Isabel over and sat her against the wall, but on the ground this time to ensure she was hidden.
             “HEY! I FOUND MORE OF THE BLOOD!” I heard a voice call out.
             “They’re coming. But the blood trail.” I muttered. The girl then stuck her hand out to me and ordered, “Give it here.”
             I raised my eyebrow. “What?”
             “The knife that you had last time I saw you. You still have it, don’t you?” she questioned. I nodded and showed it to her. “Good. Give it to me.”
             I looked at Farlan, but he didn’t move. I glanced at her again before deciding to trust her since Farlan did. I dropped the knife into her hand. She quickly ran around the crates, and I glanced around them to see what she did.
             She quickly brought the sharp end of the blade to her open palm and sliced her palm. It wasn’t a deep wound in any sense, but the blood began flowing freely from her hand. She hissed in pain before holding her hand out and quickly running back the way we’d just come. The blood dripped from her hand, mixing with Isabel’s, and as she ran away, I realized she was creating a fake trail.
             “Farlan, stay here. I’m going to follow her.” I said. He seemed surprised, but nodded and said, “I’ll stay here with Isabel then. Hurry back and be careful.”
             “Yeah.” I waited until the Military Police ran past our hiding spot. A couple of them inspected the area, but not thoroughly. It was more that they stopped mid-run, spun in a circle, then kept following the trail of blood.
             When I was sure they’d all passed, I followed the trail of blood silently until I heard the girl’s voice. I hid behind a wall and looked around it to see her talking to the Military Police.
             “Th-they just came out of nowhere!” She said hysterically. “Calm down you!” one Military Police officer exclaimed. She pointed to her left, which happened to be at a diagonal from where we actually were hiding and screamed, “GET THEM YOU IDIOTS! THEY SUDDENLY TOOK OFF ON THEIR 3DMG AND FLEW THAT WAY!”
             “Well then why don’t we see any more blood?!” one yelled at her. She glared back at him and said, “Maybe you didn’t realize that 3DMG are a lot faster than humans! Have you thought maybe the blood dripping is slower too? Huh? Maybe if you go that way, you’ll find another spot of blood along the way!”
             They growled but from their facial expressions it seemed like most of the decided she wasn’t worth the effort. They quickly shot out their wires and flew in the direction she’d pointed them in. As soon as they were out of sight, she collapsed.
             I walked over to her. “That acting was impressive.” I muttered. She looked at me and smiled, but I noticed her entire body was shaking. She rubbed her arm before shakily saying, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I don’t think I can handle any more drama.” She laughed.

             I don’t know why I did it, but I felt inclined to wrap my cloak around her. She seemed surprised, as was I, but I didn’t question my own actions. “I’ll take my friends and leave.” I said.

Description

I know what they say about the underground. It’s a savage place, full of the worst criminals, disease, destruction, and death. It’s a place you don’t want to visit, nor do you want to be born in. You can die even if you led a healthy and perfect life just because the sun doesn’t reach you. The food quality is never as good as the surface, and it’s hard to make enough money to properly survive. It’s run by the Military Police, which only serves to make life for those living there an utter hell.
             I grew up there, and it’s all true. I hated living there. I had talent, skill, brains, and strength, but other than making money through criminal activities, those assets did little to better my situation.
             But I’d be lying if I said I don’t have any fond memories mixed in with the painful ones. I know it sounds strange, but to this day, if it would make a difference, I wouldn’t mind going back for a visit.
             It’s because of her. [Full Name].
             I have to admit, she was far from being what anyone would call a gem or whatever else people think is rare and valuable. I can’t call her an angel, nor can I call her the best of human beings. She wasn’t as bad as me, sure, but there’s only so much credit I can give her. It’s not that she was a bad person in any way. It’s just that she wasn’t the type of person that particularly stood out as overly nice. She was kind. She was a decent person, and that’s the end of it. She didn’t have any particular skill or charm. She was good-looking, but nowhere near the most beautiful, even in my eyes. She was just another person. She was there. She existed.
             And yet, I fell in love with her. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened or why it happened, but I did. To be completely honest with you, I still can’t really explain why I loved her the way I did, and still love her the way I do. It’s not like she’s the light in my world, nor was she the perfect piece to complete the puzzle that is my soul.
             No, she was none of that. The best thing I can think of to explain it is this: I felt at peace with her.
             Now, there’s just something that might be confusing for you. It’s not like Isabel and Farlan. I felt comfortable with them, and I enjoyed being with them. I wanted to protect them. But with ____________, I felt at peace. It’s not like my worries washed away or anything, but when I sat beside her, I felt that maybe it wasn’t all so bad. As long as I got through my challenge, it was alright. She gave me a sense of tranquility that just didn’t happen with anyone else. We fought, so it’s not like we were perfect, but even then, my life never seemed so bad when I reflected on it.
             I tried to explain this to Erwin, Hanji, and my squad and they barely understood. The one thing that somehow seemed to make it clear to them was when I told them my past. The history I had with her.
             As Petra stated, listening to the story doesn’t make you understand through knowledge, but somehow you can understand because your heart does. It’s not something you can explain with words, but you have to feel it.
             I don’t know why I decided to do this, but I’m going to tell you my story. If you want to turn back, do so now. But, if you’re going to continue to listen to my words, I expect you to stay until the end.

             It all started a bit after I met Farlan, but before I met Isabel. I was outside, just going around and minding my own business. Of course, being a renowned thug does make a peaceful walk more or less impossible.
             There was a new gang in the neighborhood I was walking in, and they wanted to “test my strength,” and if I was satisfactory, they’d “let me join their group.”
             Idiots. Every last one of them. Absolute morons. They’re stupider than Eren.
             I was done with them within minutes, but as I was about to hit the last one, something caught my eye.
             There was a girl, a bit shorter than I was, standing and hiding behind the corner of the building that led into the alleyway we were fighting in. What distracted me, I can’t say. She didn’t particularly stand out, and she seemed afraid of what was going on but unable to look away.
             But that one moment was all it took for the guy to try slashing me. He didn’t wound me badly, of course, but he managed to slice through my shirt with his knife and create a long cut on my chest. That was the last move he made before I knocked him out with a punch to the gut.
             I turned back to see that she was still there, staring at me with a scared expression.
             “Hey, you brat. How about you stop staring at me like a stalker and tell me what you want!” She didn’t move, and I growled out to her, “Are you one of them?” I pointed to the guys on the ground. “Trying to plan a way to destroy me after I beat them all up?”
             Her eyes widened and she viciously shook her head back and forth like a child. “I-I’m not with them.” She managed to call out. From her strong voice and the way she held herself, I could tell she wasn’t a shy person, but just afraid.
             “What do you want then?” I stepped over the guys in my way and stormed up to her. “Look, I’m not in a good mood after these idiots wasted my time, so how about telling me what you want?”
             She looked at me and hesitated. I just turned and began walking away. Suddenly, she called out, “W-wait!” I stopped and turned to look at her. She pointed to my chest and said, “You’re…. you’re hurt.”
             “This is nothing.”
             She shook her head again and cautiously came up to me. “N-no. Please, let me wrap that up for you.”
             “I’m fine, brat. Now if you don’t have anything better to say, you’re wasting my time.”
             “Stop!” She grabbed my elbow and said, “You know how dirty it is down here in the underground! What if it gets infected?!”
             “Then I’ll either live through it or die.”
             She huffed and said, “I know who you are. Levi, famous thug here in the underground, right?” I nodded, not really surprised she knew who I was. She tugged on me and said, “Come on! My house is just up the street!”
             “I said-“
             “Look.” She cut me off. “Can you answer this question? Why would you increase your chance of illness and death if you can avoid it? You know the dangers, and just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’ll be able to survive it. You should know that.”
             I didn’t have an answer for her, so I finally agreed to let her take me to her house.
             As we walked up the street, I growled to her, “What are you, some kind of angel? Someone who has to help everyone she sees?”
             “If I were an angel, I’d have helped the guys lying in their own blood back there,” she replied. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but I decided that I really didn’t care. We eventually reached her house, which was the same as every house in this area: not in particularly bad shape, but not in good shape either. Just livable.
             She unlocked the door and we walked into her house. She took me to the living room and told me, “Sit here. I’ll be back with the medical kit.” With that, she walked off to who knows where. I just sat down on her couch and took a look at my surroundings.
             It wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t dirty. Off to the side was a small shelf, but it held nothing on it but a single rock. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why she’d put a rock onto a shelf, but I didn’t bother to question it any further. After all, I’d never meet this girl again, so I didn’t care, or at least those were my thoughts at the time.
             She walked in with the medical kit and said, “Alright, take off your shirt.”
             I quirked my eyes at how nonchalantly she had said that, but again, I didn’t care. I took off my shirt and she looked at the wound before bringing out an antiseptic. She dowsed a small cloth with it and handed it to me.
             “I doubt you want a complete stranger cleaning your chest for you, so here. Do it yourself.” She said. I took the cloth, not really caring but not really wanting to bother with her, and cleaned off the wound. It stung, but it wasn’t too bad.
             Then she came to me with a bandage and said, “Lift your arms so I can wrap you up.” I sat back in the couch and asked, “Whatever happened to not wanting a stranger near me?” I questioned. She frowned and said, “Well, unless you want to wrap yourself – which, by the way, is a lot more annoying to do than you’d think – I’d suggest you shut up and let me do it.”
             I rolled my eyes and lifted my arms up while sitting straight as she bound my chest with the thick bandage. “Is it too tight?”
             “No.”
             “Good.”
             Finally, she finished and clipped it into place. I put my ripped shirt back on. She closed the antiseptic bottle and put it back into the first aid kit before looking at me and nodded. “I’m finished. You can leave when you want to.”
             She stood up again and turned to leave, so I asked her, “Why’d you bother to help me? I’m a criminal – a thug – and you know it. Yet you leave the others to sleep in their wounds.”
             She looked back at me and said, “I don’t know. I just felt like I should help you. That’s the end of it.”
             She glanced out the window and swore under her breath. She dropped the first aid kit and ran over to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me. I followed her, surprised, and she pulled me through the kitchen.
             “What’s going on?”
             “My parents are back! They can’t know you’re here! They’d have a fit if they knew I brought the underground’s most renowned thug into the house!” She shoved me out the back door and said, “Good bye. Have a safe trip.” With that, she slammed the door in my face.
             Definitely no angel.
             Annoyed at her behaviour, I just turned to leave. Despite everything, what she’d done was to help me (though unwelcomed help, still help), and because I’m not completely heartless, I made sure her parents were already inside before walking back to the front of the house.
             I walked back to my house feeling irritated. As I came through the doorway, Farlan looked up at me from whatever he was reading and asked, “Hey, where’d you go?”
             “Out.”
             “What happened to your shirt?”
             “Some idiot slashed me with a sword.”
             Farlan started laughing. “How’d anyone get close enough to slash you?!”
             “Shut up. I was distracted.”
             This just made him laugh harder. “Oh, the great Levi was distracted! Ahahaha!” He finally stopped before saying, “I can see the bandages. Who patched you up?”
             I walked towards my room, opened the door, stepped in, and answered, “The distraction.” With that, I slammed my door shut to make sure he knew I didn’t want to be bothered.
             “I wonder if I made him mad.” I heard Farlan mutter from the other side of the door. Little did he realize that I wasn’t so angry at him than still irritated by the girl.
             Months went by, and I all but forgot about her. By this time Isabel had joined us as part of our family. Farlan and Isabel never heard me speak of her, so they didn’t know.
             Then, one day, we went out. We were out in the market, just strolling past. We didn’t want anything, and we weren’t stealing anything. Just passing through.
             But one guy form one of the stalls recognized us and screamed out, “It’s Levi’s thug squad!”
             Isabel laughed. “Levi’s thug squad?”
             Farlan sighed. “If they were going to give us a name, couldn’t they thought of something a little less lame?”
             “Yeah! Like, uh, the Underground Beasts! Hey, big bro! Don’t you think it would be cool to be called something like the Underground Beasts?”
             “Don’t be stupid.” I replied. I heard Isabel whine behind me, but we just kept walking. Of course, after that little outburst, there was no way we were getting away without some unwanted attention. A group of men from different shops came out, all holding different weapons. They surrounded us as we stopped walking, and they all smirked. “Today is the day we put an end to your criminal ways!” one called out. “That’s right! Today’s the day we kill you!” another yelled. Everyone all nodded and murmured in agreement.
             “Idiots. They think they can take on big bro and us? We’ll have them begging for mercy in no time… Hey Levi! Don’t you think what I said was really awesome?” Isabel exclaimed.
             “I said don’t be stupid.” I responded. I saw them all begin readying their weapons, and I grabbed the handles of my hidden 3DMG from under my cloak. They all grinned, honestly believing they could take us down. That’s fine. Confidence is a good thing. But confidence doesn’t assure victory. Luck, strength, speed, and skill will determine who wins.
             They lunged at me, but before they knew it, I shot out my 3DMG wires to the building behind them. I pulled in my wires and stuck out my legs and kicked two guys as I flew past them. Then I turned and punched another who came at me. I looked up only to realize Isabel and Farlan had already taken care of the rest.
             They smiled at me, and I nodded. Then a call rang out.
             “OVER HERE! MILITARY POLICE! THE THUGS ARE OVER HERE!” I growled at the sudden notice that they were coming. Not that they’d get us, but they were a pain to deal with.
             “Isabel. Farlan. We’re leaving. Now!” I turned on my heel and shot out my wires. “Let’s go!” They also shot out their wires, and the next thing anyone knew was the three of us were in the air and soaring away. I turned around slightly and saw the Military Police were actually nearly on us.
             “Tch.” I turned back around and the two followed me without a word. But I suppose we were too focused on getting rid of the most pressing problem, because we forgot about the people down below. They didn’t seem to be a threat, so I guess we really chose to ignore them. But that was our mistake.
             I didn’t see it, but I can guess what happened from what occurred next. One man waited until we were just about to pass by him before throwing a knife up at us. Isabel is great at the 3DMG, but being the newest, it’s understandable that she’s still worse at it compared to Farlan and me, so she was slightly slower and lagged behind a bit. This was when she was still just learning how to use the 3DMG.
             The man threw the knife, and it hit Isabel on the leg, but it also cut one of the wires on her 3DMG. “GYAH!” she screamed. I heard that and quickly turned in time to see her plummet to the ground.
             “ISABEL!” Farlan yelled. We both dove for her, but I got there first and grabbed her, but Farlan reacted too slowly and crashed into me. The three of us went tumbling onto the ground.
             I quickly pushed Farlan off of me, glanced at him to make sure he was alright (for the moment. Then we could fix ourselves up at home) before looking at Isabel.
             “Levi-bro. I-I’m so sorry.” Isabel managed to breathe out. I turned her over and saw the knife sticking into her thigh. Luckily, it hadn’t been shoved into too far during our fall, but it had moved, leaving a long gash in her leg.
             “Isabel, I’m going to carry you home, but that might hurt. Bear with me, alright?” I said. I didn’t dare pull out the knife yet, for fear that it would just let the blood flow quicken. I picked her up and tried my wires, but nothing happened. I tried again and I growled when I got no response from the stupid machine attached to my legs and hips. I quickly looked over at Farlan and he looked back at me.
             “What’s wrong?” he asked.
             “My 3DMG is broken. It must have been the fall just now.”
             “I told you that your machine needed fixing!”
             “I didn’t think it would be this quick in breaking down! I thought it would hold out until the end of the day at the very least! It probably would have too, if I didn’t fall down from the rooftops!” I growled back.
             “This is why I told you to use the new and good ones instead of giving them to Isabel and me, but no-“
             “Farlan, we’re not having this conversation.” I gave him Isabel. “They’re almost here. Take her and go. I’ll meet up with you.”
             He nodded and shot out his wires, but the next thing we knew was his wire was cut through. The Military Police landed around us, all with their weapons drawn. Their faces looked ready to kill us. Probably anticipating it too.
             I grabbed the small knife I held (our 3DMG didn’t come with those huge blades when we stole them, and we’d been pressed for time and hadn’t been able to get our hands on any yet) from underneath my cloak and backed up to Farlan.
             “Alright. I’ll create an opening. You take Isabel and run straight through.”
             “What? Can’t you just beat them all up?” He asked. I tightened my grip on my knife. “I probably could, but not without putting you two in harm’s way. With Isabel in her condition, you wouldn’t be able to avoid getting injured, and I can take on those that come, but I can’t be in two places at once.”
             “Alright.”
             “Levi-bro. Be careful, alright?” Isabel whispered to me. I got ready to fight.
             “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on letting any part of me join your leg.” She chuckled. I ran forward and began attacking the men in front of me who were blocking the entrance to the alleyway. I punched and kicked and slashed past them. I heard Farlan and Isabel right behind me.
             Finally, I managed to push past them. I turned around and let Isabel and Farlan pass by me while I held off the Military Police. I beat up all the guys that were there, but I knew there was backup coming. I quickly turned and ran after them by following the trail of blood Isabel had left.
             I found them resting against the side of a building in a darkened part of the alleyway. The store wasn’t open, meaning no light shone through the window, leaving us in a more dimly lit part of the alleyway.
             “Levi… You… Made… It.” Farlan huffed out. His breathing was hard – probably because he had to run while holding Isabel – and Isabel just sat on the ground, not speaking.
             “Yeah.” I answered. I crouched down and said to Isabel, “You need to hang on just a little longer. I’ll get you fixed up soon.”
             She looked up and smiled weakly. She nodded and said, “Yeah, I know you will.”
             I stood up but pressed myself to the wall to try to remain as hidden as possible. “We have to get going. I beat up the guys we met on the street, but the reinforcements are surely on their way.” Farlan nodded. I was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed me. “Levi, we’re being watched.”
             I looked to where he was looking, and there I saw the strange girl again. She stood there, hidden partway in the darkness, just like we were. Her eyes were wide, and judging by the way she stared at us, it was obvious that she had just gotten here and didn’t realize what was going on.
             “You.” I growled.
             “You know her?” Farlan questioned.
             “Not really. I met her once a few months back.”
             She smiled. “I’m surprised you remember me.”
             “I remember a lot of things.” I growled out.
             She giggled before her eyes finally landed on Isabel. She quickly rushed over and frowned. She looked up at me and said, “They’ll catch you at this rate.” She pointed to the blood trail I had followed and said, “They’ll be able to follow that just as well as you did.” I nodded and hissed, “I know that, you idiot!”
             She looked around and suddenly said, “Follow me.”
             “No.”
             She marched up to me, unafraid, and said, “Listen here. I don’t care how strong you are. I don’t care how much of a loner you are. I don’t even care if you decide to kill me after this. But, if you care for your friend here, let me just tell you that my way will make things a lot easier on you. You may be fine without me, but my way will be far easier and quicker and, from the looks of it, better for her health.”
             Farlan looked at her then back at me before saying, “Levi, I think I trust her. Just listen to what she has to say.”
             I frowned but nodded. She smirked at me triumphantly before saying, “Pick up the kid and bring her over here.”
             “Hey! I’m no kid!” Isabel managed to wheeze out. The girl looked at her and said, “I’m a lot older than I look, so you’re probably a kid compared to me.” I picked up Isabel and followed her.
             Just next to the wall where we’d been hiding, in the direction we’d just come from, was a smaller alley. Well, more than an alley, it’s really just the space between two buildings. It had several crates and things in the way, and because the buildings were built in the same fashion as every other, there were small ledges from the roofs that kept us hidden from an aerial view.
             “In here.” She said. I brought Isabel in, and the girl put a crate on the ground and motioned for me to put Isabel onto it. She said to Farlan and me, “Keep her leg elevated.” Then she went and began trying to stack the crates to keep us hidden from either side of the street.
             I walked over and began helping her when I realized that she was physically too weak to lift the crates. I lifted one up and noted it was heavier than it looked. “Farlan, get the other side.”
             “Alright.”
             I pushed her aside and the two of us piled the crates up. They weren’t piled high, so they weren’t suspicious in any way, and they were piled haphazardly, so that they looked ready to fall over at any moment’s notice. I brought Isabel over and sat her against the wall, but on the ground this time to ensure she was hidden.
             “HEY! I FOUND MORE OF THE BLOOD!” I heard a voice call out.
             “They’re coming. But the blood trail.” I muttered. The girl then stuck her hand out to me and ordered, “Give it here.”
             I raised my eyebrow. “What?”
             “The knife that you had last time I saw you. You still have it, don’t you?” she questioned. I nodded and showed it to her. “Good. Give it to me.”
             I looked at Farlan, but he didn’t move. I glanced at her again before deciding to trust her since Farlan did. I dropped the knife into her hand. She quickly ran around the crates, and I glanced around them to see what she did.
             She quickly brought the sharp end of the blade to her open palm and sliced her palm. It wasn’t a deep wound in any sense, but the blood began flowing freely from her hand. She hissed in pain before holding her hand out and quickly running back the way we’d just come. The blood dripped from her hand, mixing with Isabel’s, and as she ran away, I realized she was creating a fake trail.
             “Farlan, stay here. I’m going to follow her.” I said. He seemed surprised, but nodded and said, “I’ll stay here with Isabel then. Hurry back and be careful.”
             “Yeah.” I waited until the Military Police ran past our hiding spot. A couple of them inspected the area, but not thoroughly. It was more that they stopped mid-run, spun in a circle, then kept following the trail of blood.
             When I was sure they’d all passed, I followed the trail of blood silently until I heard the girl’s voice. I hid behind a wall and looked around it to see her talking to the Military Police.
             “Th-they just came out of nowhere!” She said hysterically. “Calm down you!” one Military Police officer exclaimed. She pointed to her left, which happened to be at a diagonal from where we actually were hiding and screamed, “GET THEM YOU IDIOTS! THEY SUDDENLY TOOK OFF ON THEIR 3DMG AND FLEW THAT WAY!”
             “Well then why don’t we see any more blood?!” one yelled at her. She glared back at him and said, “Maybe you didn’t realize that 3DMG are a lot faster than humans! Have you thought maybe the blood dripping is slower too? Huh? Maybe if you go that way, you’ll find another spot of blood along the way!”
             They growled but from their facial expressions it seemed like most of the decided she wasn’t worth the effort. They quickly shot out their wires and flew in the direction she’d pointed them in. As soon as they were out of sight, she collapsed.
             I walked over to her. “That acting was impressive.” I muttered. She looked at me and smiled, but I noticed her entire body was shaking. She rubbed her arm before shakily saying, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I don’t think I can handle any more drama.” She laughed.

             I don’t know why I did it, but I felt inclined to wrap my cloak around her. She seemed surprised, as was I, but I didn’t question my own actions. “I’ll take my friends and leave.” I said.