---713Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvScspehEm
It was daylight with a beautiful sunshine, sparkling the buildings that magically stood even taller and mightier. The houses that magically looked lively. The trees and other wonders that magically looked even more enchanting. Waters around strikingly blue and crystal clear that magically looked even more breathtaking. Strawberries looked even riper, fresher to eat.
The sun isn't as fiercely bright when it just woken up. It was gentle and warm and fine.
Watching the dawn breaking was her favorite hour, as though she's facing the beginnings of the beginnings.
She was like a sunflower back then.
A hand clasped her small shoulder, skin that grew tanner. She turned and looked up, seeing a stranger in front of him.
Somehow, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. That creepy smile of his made her feel uneasy.
"What are you doing here so early, little girl? Are you lost? Do you want me to take you home?"
He smelled like the one her dad warned her not to drink in the fridge. The weird bottle that can make anyone become a temporarily different person.
She slid off the stranger's hand from her shoulder by taking few steps backwards, feeling disturbed of the man touching her. Her voice was soft, but clear and strong for a young child. "I can go on my way home, so no thank you, sir."
She turned and continued walking, resisting the urge to walk faster or just run just to not see that stranger near her ever again.
Uttermost disgust and horror crawled behind her spine when a hand grab her by the wrist and tugged her forcefully backwards to where the stranger was standing.
She tried to wriggle her wrist free but the grip was tight it was painful resisting.
"Aw, but it's dangerous to be walking all by yourself, little girl. Come on, I won't hurt you. I have a car to drive you home, so you won't have to hurt your feet too. I'll treat you to lunch~"
"Let go of me, please..." She was scared, but her tone spoke a different emotion. It was also irritation close to anger.
She moved forward and pushed the stranger backwards with a lot of force.
"Hey!" The stranger protested, but he didn't even flinch. The grip was still tight on her small wrist that her part of hand was starting to numb.
"I—I said let go!" She started to yell now as she still tried to rip away from his grip with her other hand. Her eyes was moist and hot.
She yelled even louder, even bold enough to shout for help.
She saw blackness. Before a flash in white flickered for a second.
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
Inoue's head felt like it's splitting in half.
"Uggghhhhh....."
Nevertheless, she got up in her own pace. She's not stupid to shot up from the bed. That will make things worse for her already-aching head.
She still felt groggy despite sleeping for seemingly several hours. Though she slept peacefully, she's certain that what she slept on isn't her bed. Her bed was softer with firm pillow, a longer fluffier blanket, and has a lot more space to roll over. After a second of inspection, she knew she was laying on a couch.
Why this couch looks familiar... I don't know. I'm too light-headed to think about this.
The movement of a thing on her upper body caught her attention. It was a coat used as a blanket for her. It's not hers but it also looked familiar for her.
Lastly, she scanned the room, fully knowing she's not in her humble abode rented by her mother. It's late afternoon based on the orange glow emanating through the windows. From the way it looked, it's an office. An office of... She frowned. Why do I get the feeling that I've been in this situation before even though I haven't been...?
As if on cue, there's a groan of the door opening. Quickly turning her head to where she heard it, she spotted a figure emerging and their eyes immediately met.
Levi Ackerman.
"I may not know why you're gaping like that but, it's good you're finally up."
Finally feeling her open mouth, she closed it quickly and pursed her lips. Embarrassed.
"Uhm... where am I?" She asked, her voice a little slurry as she watched Levi walking toward the spotless desk. He placed two hardbound books there.
"Can you not tell? You're in my office."
Levi's Office? But this seems to be....
"This is originally Erwin's office, but for the meantime, I'm staying here."
"Eh? You're going to sleep, eat, drink, and clean here?"
He went to the other side of the room to Inoue's left, hearing him say, "Yeah."
The answer wasn't really surprising for her. But still, she just had to make sure.
A moment of silence as the sounds of clinking and rumbling can be heard.
I haven't heard that kind of noises for a long time. What was it again?
She let out a sigh, massaging her head. How long was I out...?
"How did I ended up in here??"
"You passed out during your cleaning task in the library."
She almost yelped, not noticing Levi offering tea for her. She mumbled a thank you, taking it by the saucers.
"I passed out in the library...." She repeated, trying to recall what happened. Finally, the events flashed back into her mind, tilting her head. I didn't passed out! I got hit by a heavy book while cleaning!
She chose not to explain that. She put that book herself. Though, it's not her fault that the shelf tilted.
"Um... thank you for the tea."
"You just said that."
"Oh yeah.... Haha..." Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid—
"Do you still feel cold?"
"Huh?" She looked down on her lap, the coat still on her thighs. Freeing one of her hand, she give the coat back to him. He sat down. Flattening his coat, he then expertly folded it neatly, as though he'd been doing it for ages.
"I just remembered. That's your coat. Thank you for letting me use it."
When he was done folding, Levi looked at her and cocked his head, shifting a part of his neck. "Even now, you're still the type to remember unimportant things."
"I'm only attentive to you... what you wear, what kind of tea-sets you're going to use, your hand gestures... Every memory of you was still fresh in my mind, like it was only yesterday"
... She wants to say, but chose not to say it. She clamped her eyes shut, warding off those thoughts. The sight of her tea looks attractive to her now. Gently lifting the cup to her lips, she took a sip.
The sweet berry and floral taste surprised her. "Um... what kind of tea is this?"
"Strawberry Ceylon black tea. Thought you might like it."
It was her turn to cock her head questioningly. "You mean to say, you just bought a cup for me?"
"Not a cup. A box of it."
He nodded at the table between them. Inoue noticed the unsealed box of the said tea for the first time.
"It was supposed to be a gift for your birthday, but I didn't know when."
".... It has already passed away...."
"Belated birthday gift then." He said flatly, his face expressionless as ever.
Inoue couldn't bear to keep on avoiding his gaze. She stared at Levi again thoughtfully.
The teacher was already eyeing her.
She lowered her head, staring down at her lap again.
No, no, no! Go back up! Stare back at him again! You can do it!
But instead, she drank the rest of her tea, as if it was just water, shocking Levi mildly.
She sighed pleasantly, ripping her lips to smile. The Japanese tea cup was gently placed on the coffee table.
She made a curt bow before slowly standing up. "Thank you for letting me rest here. Sorry for disturbing you."
"Don't go yet."
Her shoulders flinched, now nervous. "Eh? W-why not??"
Levi didn't answer and instead, went to the other side of the room again, then came back only few seconds later. He stepped closer to nonplussed Inoue and walked behind her.
"Stay still."
Without warning, Levi started to brush her tangled hair with his fingers. Inoue stiffly stood there like a plank, feeling a light graze of his tips of fingers on the nape of her neck.
With a gentle clasp, he tied Inoue's hair into a loose ponytail "You looked like sh*t right now if you go out there."
He walked around to take a good look at Inoue, inspecting her stiffened expression. "Your glasses."
There was no answer until a moment later.
"A- huh? Yes??"
His burrowed eyebrows frowned even deeper. "Your glasses. You don't have them right now."
"O...oh... My glasses. It's just for the day, I'll be okei without them for now..."
There's a faint cock of his head that only Inoue noticed, but there was his narrow-eyed expression that she hasn't seen before. "But aren't you... your eyes..."
--
She was punched in the eye.
A knee to her tummy came next, making her choke and gasp.
She sprawled on the floor, clutching on her stomach, making a coughing fit that doubled the pain. She felt like vomiting.
Tears start to form from her eyes, choking out her words. "H-help..."
Something hard and rough hit her below the side, scraping her leg. Cusses. Spouting at her.
His leather shoes hit her sides again, her shoulders aching this time.
"H....help..."
A stomp on her sides. A kick to her stomach. Water spitting out from her mouth.
Right now, things just spun backwards. Suddenly, she's not a completely innocent little girl. Everything looks different.
She wasn't like a sunflower now.
She prepared for the worst thing to come, thinking that she'll be hit on the head next. As a crushing blow. Maybe the end of her life. Too young.
She heard a loud crack that she flinched, thinking she got hit. Nothing happened to her, other than the bruises she already has.
Already scared out of her wits, she just opened her eyes into slits. Ripped open her eyes wide.
There's a figure of another man. Shorter and thinner than the stranger who hurt her.
His voice was like the roughest stone and cold to the touch. "You are even worse than sh*t."
The stranger was down. His body lie in a position people don't put themselves to. She knew for sure that he could be.... gone. The man turned to her direction, revealing his face.
In front of her were the dullest yet also most beautiful piercing eyes she'd ever seen.
--
From her acquired heterochromic eye she stared long, and hard at those piercing eyes she'd grew attached to ever since that day.
Heaviness growing inside her chest. Fainting. Fluttering.
But slowly.
There's a small smile.
"It is all in the past now. Thank you, Levi-seishou."
A chosen moment of silence.
His subtle expression was gone.
"You surely have grown quite lady-like. I'm proud you, Inoue."
"W--w-what??" She blinked. She's not sure if she heard it right.
But a knock on the door interjected.
"That's not Hanji..." She heard Levi murmured before telling the person behind the door, "Come in."
With that said, Kuro and Rikkun entered.
"Oh. So you're awake." Rikkun say at Inoue while regarding their teacher, Levi, coolly with a nod of his head.
"Inoue-chwan..." Kuro was looking at their teacher too, but not regarding him coolly or anything pleasantly.
He's voice came out less enthused. "it's getting reeaaaaalllly late so we should be going now."
Kuro walked forward in a fast pace, grabbing Inoue by the wrist without her permission and ushered her out in a forced manner, completely surprising her. "Excuse me sir."
For unknown reason Inoue couldn't comprehend, Kuro was not in his usual mood today.
713Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhE9wH7T2O
713Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSnhlfkAnD
