"Eren..." a voice called out.... a soothing and angelic one. Eren took in his surrounding, sitting up from the grass. This was something he never saw, and he suddenly felt a drop of tears flow down his eyes. Instead of a dark cave, there was an opening which viewed the blue sky that was painted with cloud. There were creatures flying around freely as the fresh pack of wind was blowing gently against his skin, also allowing the grass and little flowers to dance. It was beautiful, it looked like heaven. Was he in heaven?... did he finally pass away after all the countless beating his Father handed him? He felt no pain though, he checked where the aching should've been felt at but surprisingly they were still intact.

None of this made sense. He felt no pain even when his recent bruises were visible, he's somewhere that he's never been to before, and... there was a woman standing on a hill, next to a blossom tree.

"Eren" the voice spoke again, finally knowing who's voice it belongs to. "H-how do you know me?" Eren asked, walking up the hill hesitantly. Her back was facing him, giving him the disadvantage to be able to detect how she actually looked like. Though she was wearing a white gown, and her brown hair flowing with the wind over her left shoulder. It took a moment before the stranger finally turned around, making Eren's eyes widen. "Why are you crying, my dear?" She walked towards him, kneeling in front of him to wipe his tears with her thumbs. Cupping his cheeks, their eyes locked.

"A-are you an angel?" He managed to ask, causing the woman to chuckle. He felt his heart race quickly at that sound, she surely had to be an angel. For some reason, Eren could see himself through her. She held the same unique features he had, himself. Beautiful wide eyes; except brown; brown hair, similar shaped face. "You could think that." Her smile faded as she scanned the child a bit more. "Oh Eren... forgive me for not being there to protect you." She looked down, dropping her hands to his. Eren was deeply confused, though he was confused about everything, and the fact that the woman knew his name and apologized for something irrelevant at the moment just added to the confusion list.

"Eh? It isn't your fault! Daddy is just sad that Mommy died because of me" Eren explained, and as he did, his heart ached. Logic surely was a pain, but he had the strength to still admit it. He faced the fact that his Father does not love him, though there was times he'd lie to himself, saying that he did, just beating him and treating him like utter garbage was his way of showing love. Though he grew out of that lie long ago, but that didn't mean he wished otherwise. He always wondered how he treated his mother and how he'd treat him if she was still around... speaking of his mother, Eren never met her due to losing her through the delivery process, but he found drawing of her a times while his father's door room was still open, which soon made his eyes widen. 'I-it can't be...'

"Y-you..." Eren couldn't find the words to carry on what he wanted to say. He knew what he wanted to say, though it's as if he lost his voice box. He stuttered a few, mentally knocking himself for sounding like some broken kid. The woman looked up at him with tears in her eyes, making him stop his nonsense rambling and feel a bit shocked. "Before you awake, never lose hope. I understand that you're hurting, but trust me" she hiccuped, moving Eren's small hands to her cheeks, closing her eyes to take in the soft and gentle touch. "You'll have someone to save you, that someone will be the one to protect you." She managed to crack a smile at her statement even though tears were dripping down.

After her words, she stood up, hands still tangled together. Her eyes finally opened, making a few more tears easily drop, also making those crystal orbs of hers shine. She knelt down, low enough to kiss the top of Eren's soft hair. "W-wait, will I ever see you again?" Eren was panicking as he felt the absence of her hands. He lingered for that touch that he never received before, and the small amount of time he had that gentle, loving touch, he became addicted. She was... fading? "One day, Eren, but until then, you must live on to find that one."

"Wai-"

*gasp* Eren shot up from the floor, where he was met with reality. He was back in room. The faint noises of moans, screams, and yelling filled his ears from around the apartment and out the window. "A... A-A dream..." he muttered, upset that it had to end, though he remembered everything so vividly. Her looks, her voice, her words. He reached his cheek which was stained in tears. It felt so real, he was questioning himself if he was actually dreaming still. Who was that someone she was talking about? So many questions filled that little mind of his, but he figured one out. That woman was...

"M-Mommy..."

"Eren! Wake up you little shit, this place is a fucking mess. It better be clean by the time I get home!" Grisha's raspy voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He heard the door slam, and silence filled the room again. "He's gone, y-yay..." Eren cheered quietly, genuinely happy that he doesn't get to see his father for awhile. There was a few places he could possibly be at and all of them contained of him staying there for quite some time.

When he began to stand up, his body screamed. There it was... the bruises finally gave him that familiar aching that he didn't feel during the odd dream. He winced, taking a moment before trying to stand back up again. Finally being able to barely stand on his feet again, he heard a thud at his window. Sighing, he limped once again towards the window where he could see Armin with a piece of bread in hand.

"Good mowning, Eren! Here" Armin tossed the bread Eren's way which he quickly caught. "Thanks" Eren smiled and took a bite, humming at how tasty his breakfast was. It was little, but he was grateful for whatever he could get. "Daddy is going to be out for the day, you wanna hang out?" Armin smiled, which made Eren's mood glisten. "Yea!" Suddenly Eren's smiled flipped to a frown, realizing his schedule was a little packed to be hanging out with his coconut. "But I needa clean... maybe later?" Eren explained, though the Armin shook his head. "I can help!"

It took about 5 minutes of arguing of if Armin should be able to help or not, which at the end he did. Armin took care of the living room and dining room while Eren took care of the bathroom and his bedroom. Luckily Grisha didn't allow Eren in his room, meaning less rooms to clean. After what felt like an hour, the two helped each other in the kitchen.

They chatted about random things to not make the duty entirely boring. For example, Armin talked about the recent novels he read, such as tales of the titans which roamed out the cave, eating humans for survival. The conversation ended as they sunk in the couch. "Ugh, finallllyyy done" Armin chuckled. Eren hummed in satisfaction at the clean space, and closed his eyes, a little worn out from all the cleaning he had to do. There she was again, that woman. He couldn't get her out of his mind ever since, and he started to feel more upset and irritated that he couldn't figure out the answers to the questions he had.

"Armin." Eren called out, making the child tilt his head in curiosity. "Yes?" He replied back, until Eren leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I had a dream last night... but it felt so real." Eren began, making Armin switch his body position, facing the other. "About?" The blonde asked. After a few minutes of explaining, Eren gulped and looked back at Armin's intrigued expression. "I think that lady was my mommy." Armin's eyes widen a bit, and Eren sighed. "I donno... but she talked about this 'someone' but I wonder who it could be." Eren rubbed the side of his head and huffed.

"Well I think she gave you a hint! It's like a treasure hunt, you just have to find it" Armin said in his iconic energetic tone. Eren nodded, but was lost in his own world of questions. He only sees Armin, his father, and the women he plays with, but that's about it. How could he find that someone when he's always stuck in the house?

It had been about another hour or so, and the children had only been on the couch spending some quality time together. Reading, taking a short nap, playing some games that consisted talking and less movement, and other random conversations. After a game of eye spy, Eren was lying his head down on Armin's lap who was finishing his other novel he had brought with him.

"Eren, do you know when your daddy is coming back?" Armin asked, closing his book and placing it beside him. Eren thought for a moment, before opening his eyes to meet the others'. "Well he's probably on another date, so not until later during midnight." Eren exclaimed, and asked why he was curious. "Let's go explore! Then later we could visit my daddy at his job" Armin got up from his seat, picking up his books as Eren sat down on his knees, pouting.

Eren was anxious, a sweat dropped from his forehead at the thought of the consequences once his father found out of his sneak out. "E-eh... I donno, Armin" Eren felt butterflies in his stomach. He's never left the house without his father knowing, only when he has to go out and buy supplies. "Eren, you'll be okay, we'll be sure to come back before your daddy comes home." Armin assured Eren, who soon gave up. "O-okay." Eren hesitantly agreed while Armin smiled widely. Grabbing Eren's right hand, he led him to the door where they quickly put their shoes on. He did still feel rather sore around his body from last night but he had already agreed to Armin's plan. Seeing Armin's smile made Eren suck up his pain and went with it, he didn't want to disappoint the little one. It always upset Eren when he saw Armin feel sad. Closing the door, Eren stared at the knob until Armin pat his shoulder.

"We'll be back, pinky promise" Armin stuck out his pinky for Eren to lock. The brunet stared at it for a second before he tangled his with the younger and smiled gently, feeling less anxious. Throughout their friendship, they barely made promises, but when they did, they dared not to break it, which made Eren trust him. Armin always sticks to his words, and it showed how much he was loyal. "So... where to?" Since Eren has been prisoned in his own home a majority of his life, he barely knows what's out there. Well what could be new out there. He's only ever seen a glimpse of it throughout his little errand trip. He remembered this one time as he came back from gathering wood, he passed by a man who was stabbing a stray cat. Eren almost went out his way and tried to save the cat who was already long gone, but the man's glare was a warning to not go ahead of himself.

"Let's just sneak through the alleys and probably find something along the way! My Daddy has shown me hidden walkways for me to go to so I don't get hurt." Armin smiled widely while snatching Eren's hand once again, running down the hall and out through the back. Eren looked back once more at the door that he left through before looking ahead, repeatedly telling himself not to worry... everything will be okay.

-

*slash*

The raven haired teen let loose of the child's hair as he whipped out his knife, where extra blood splashed to the side. He then took out his handkerchief and wiped it before the annoying four eyes skipped her way behind him. "Kenny~San said to tell you that he'll be back in about 2 day, I don't know what's he'll be doing buuut I'm guessing another hunt!~" She explained with that iconic joyful tone of hers, placing her hand on the shorter male's shoulder, while peeking a look at the lifeless child.

She looked around 6. Eyes wide open in horror, neck gushing out blood as her left arm was twisted in such a terrible position. "What'd she do?" Hanji tilted her head while walking up to the body, kicking it softly with her hands in her pocket. "She tried to touch my knife..." Levi answered bluntly, making Hanji hum. There was a short comfortable silence between the two, mainly because Levi was too focused on his beloved knife as for Hanji on the body. "Anyways, some baldy is paying me to kill some slut of his for stealing most of his money. I gotta finish before today ends." Levi secured his now clean knife in his stash, and folded his hanky before shoving it down his back pocket.

"I wanna join!" Hanji beamed, but was immediately turned down as Levi walked away. "You're gonna fuck up like last time" he rolled his eyes, as the four eyes ran after him, leaving the useless body. "Ehhhh! It wasn't my fault that granny was such a big mouth" Hanji pouted. 3 weeks ago, Levi had been requested to assassin one of his local drug lords, and Hanji tagged along since she had the insight of the hotel that the man stayed at. There was a slight change in plan as an old lady walked in on Hanji spying from another room. Hanji freaked out and wasted time, giving the woman enough time to yell and rat her out before suffocating her. Though she was too late, making the lord wanting to leave with worry of being caught, but luckily Levi was already in the room alone with him. Let's just say that after his quest was fulfilled, the nuisance got scolded with a bruised arm.

Continuing her begging to join, Levi was damn close to shoving his hand down her mouth to yank out her tongue, but he restrained himself by only twitching his eyes. "Fine, one more mistake and you aren't allowed to go for a month." Levi gritted his teeth, knowing that if he didn't, he'd honestly regret it later... not because that Hanji would actually be useful but because she would pester him even more for not letting her go. They had made it to an open sidewalk and head their way around the area to find where the target was at. "Yea yea, but I know damn well you'll need me within that month and you can't deny it!" The four eyes giggled cockily, and she wasn't wrong, but Levi didn't want to make himself look defeated, so he decided to ignore her.

Hanji had been there throughout Levi's scandals even if she did or didn't come along. Her brain was what helped him through the process, and he hated himself for not being entirely independent. She was like his side kick! Whenever he filled her in with what had to be done, she'd collect data and useful tips for Levi while he just had to listen and be the big man to do what had to be done. The two teens had another member to their party... well that member is still in, just less active nowadays ever since they had more responsibilities weighted on their shoulders.

At first, it personally did upset Levi for a bit, the kid was what made him sane around the four eyes, but he had to let them go because he had his own life to be worrying about. Hanji on the other hand still can't get over the fact that her favorite smarty had to leave. Don't get them wrong, they still see each other from time to time, but it doesn't feel the same when all they used to do was hang out everyday. It's just how life is sometimes... you get caught up in the good times, though time never last forever. There's stages in life where you have to surpass and as much as you hate it or enjoy it, it will only continue through the mind.

Levi is just a 16 year old criminal, who has a better life than most others that's down in Sheena. Some rich, skilled, feared, handsome, dedicated kid that has a small group of good people to watch his back, what a lucky kid he was... but that small heart of his still aches in a way that he does not understand yet. He even abused himself; not cutting or punching himself but clenching his hands to the point his nails are digging through his palms or slapping himself to snap outta it. Nothing entirely bad; or take his anger out on others just to distract himself from this longing sensation that is still unknown. Sure, there's days where he thanks the gods that that feeling is gone, but it always manages to crawl back into his life.

Throughout the silent walk, he couldn't help it. He's going to have to kill someone else after this, for he has never had the urge to want or even need to tell someone how he feels. He's Levi Ackerman! He never talks about his personal self or show no other than his angry, bored, or deadpan expression. Though, sometimes you can't lock your feelings in forever, you can only ever keep it in before it bursts out.

"Hanji..." Levi finally had the confidence to call out as the two hit another curve. He had memorized how to get to the location and as to where he is right now, it'll take a little over half an hour to get to his destination. "Hm?" The way the short teen called her caught her attention. Of course, throughout her 13 years of being by Levi's side, she gathered enough information to understand him. From his expression, body language, and tone. As much as Levi held in such a monotone, this time, she heard a tint of seriousness. Well yea... he's always serious but this is a different type of seriousness and Hanji had to play her part of being a good friend and listen. Sure she can be a bit over the top but she knew her limits, and that's what Levi respected from her.

"Do you ever have this stinging feeling in your chest?" Levi began. That question had to sink in Hanji's mind for a bit. There were many definitions to a stinging feeling and one she was common with knowing about is illness. Could it be that Levi is ill? Oh no, Hanji was starting to worry! She can't lose Levi... she loves Levi! He's like the brother she never thought she would be grateful to have, aside from him. Though he's beside the point, we're talkin about Levi at the moment. Hanji kept it cool and double checked what she was going to say, so she doesn't ruin anything.

"What do you mean by stinging?" Hanji asked, peeking at Levi, she was silently shocked at the expression he had plastered on his face. One would probably say he had that same old bored face, but it wasn't just his face that held emotion... it was his eyes. Those silver orbs were coated in confusion and pain. This made Hanji's anxiety double. It was nothing like it, she was witnessing a whole new side of Levi's he never thought she'd see with her own eyes. Though that didn't make her happy. Even though this is rare and she loves to see surprises that Levi had to offer... this one was like getting charcoal for Christmas instead of goodies.

Her heart began to ache, she had to retreat her gaze at something else to calm herself down. "It's like that feeling of not getting what you want... but this is different. Nothing seems to make this go away" Levi clenched his hands again while he took deep breaths to drain his growing anger. "None of these fuckers are even helping. Not even killing 5 families makes this damn ache go away and it's PISSING ME OFF" Levi raised his voice, making everyone around them tense. Men that were outside drinking, women that were chatting, stopped their tracks and stared at the two. Both stopped on their ground, Hanji laughing nervously while rubbing the back of her neck while Levi glared at everyone. "What the hell are you looking at?" The raging teen growled, his glare felt like venom, making everyone go back to their tracks. Sighing, they both continued walking.