Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.

i. Soko niwa soko ga aru
—There is a reason underlying the given reason—

寒

It's snowing.

Levi hates it. Not because it's cold, but because it stops him from doing his duties, like going to the winery to see if they're selling well. But the snow is piling up on the streets, forbidding any carriage or wagon to travel. And it's fogging up the windows too, giving him more work. He has to clean all of them before they block the view outside.

But he knows it's pointless, so he drops the cloth on the table and leans against the kitchen counter. Outside it's all white. There aren't much people willing to go out while it's snowing, like him, but there are some children playing. He rolls his eyes. He knows they'll get sick later.

He passes a hand over his forehead and suddenly the kettle's squealing. He almost forgot. He was boiling water for tea. He silently moves to remove the kettle and turns off the flame, pouring the boiling water into a teapot. He throws in tea leaves and puts the lid on top. It'll be a while for the flavors to blend. He needs something to do before that happens.

He picks a random book from the shelves and reads the title. It's about the history. He shrugs and pulls out a chair from the table, sitting down and beginning to read the book. There are mentions of the previous kings and queens, and the assassinations. Plans to dethrone them were written in detail, from the very first rebel to the very last. Idiots, he thinks. What's the point of rebelling against someone much more powerful than them?

He flips a page and stops. There's a picture of a man, with his wrists cuffed and a collar around his neck. He wore a dress up to his knees, and behind him, another man of royalty raising a whip. Levi closes his eyes and the book altogether. He sucks in a deep shuddering breath to compose himself before releasing it quietly.

There's a knock on the door and he doesn't make a move to answer it. Instead he mumbles out a low yes and it's opened, a tall blonde man walking in and sitting on the chair in front of him. Levi stares at him with calculating eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asks slowly, a hint of suspicion laced in his voice.

Erwin Smith smiles amusedly, as if knowing this would happen. "I have a job for you."

Levi heaves a sigh, finally pouring himself a cup of tea. He takes a long sip and puts the cup back down, palming his cheek. "It's snowing," he reminds the older man, eyes almost flicking to the window. "It'll have to wait for tomorrow."

"I'm afraid it can't," Erwin cuts in immediately, the smile still intact. "It will be quick."

Levi thinks about this for a while, eyeing the ripples on the surface of his tea and listening to the steady beat of his heart. He gives up in defeat, fingering the delicate curve of the tea cup's handle. It wouldn't hurt to try.

"Well?"

He looks back up at Erwin, his mind working out an answer. He can think of ways to avoid this, to do it on another day, but something is telling him it needs to be done soon. Somehow he feels he may regret this later if he doesn't accept the job.

He picks up the cup and sips his tea. "Is this necessary?"

There's a glimmer in Erwin's eyes that scares him—just a bit. "Naturally."

Levi puts the cup down again and clasps his fingers in front of him, propping his chin on top of them. He can feel his heartbeat quickening for a reason he can't place. He swallows hard. "What is it?"

"Buy a slave."

At that very moment, he thinks to himself, what a coincidence.

寒

Levi has never regretted accepting a job before his whole life. But considering the fact that it was Erwin who came to him and offered it, he couldn't really refuse. He could have delayed it for a day or so, but the man was just pushing it. Now he stands before an old building, the paint peeling off its walls and the interior barely seen through the windows. He can tell it's dark inside, and he wonders once again to himself—why is he here?

His breath appears in the form of a fog when he sighs, adjusting the red scarf around his neck. He tugs the cloth over his mouth to keep himself warm and finally walks towards the entrance, pushing the double doors open and stepping inside the dimly lit hallway. He makes a quick observation. Dozing employees by the reception, blinking lights, dirty floors. The place is everything he hates. He suppresses the urge to clean the whole building and approaches the counter.

The woman glances at him, her eyes dropping with exhaustion while she rakes them over his form. "What can I do to help you, sir?" she asks in a sickly sweet tone, her lips curling upwards into a sly smile.

Levi's face remains stoic as he stares back at her. "Give me your list of teenage girls," he says firmly but quietly, biting onto his tongue to keep himself from saying anything rash. She nods and heads into the back where the bookshelves are, running her fingers over the book spines carefully.

He directs his gaze to the men propped up against the counter. They look drunk, with drool spilling from the corner of their mouth. He looks away from them in disgust. He wants to leave as soon as possible. He can almost hear Erwin laugh in amusement at his situation, but the man stated this was for his own good.

"Why?"

"You'll see. Just buy one, it doesn't have to be one of the specials. An ordinary one will do."

"And if I don't find anyone up to my standards?"

The woman returns with a thick catalog, placing it in front of the man. "Here you go sir." He swallows thickly and lifts the cover, trying not to dirty his gloves with the dust all over it. He flips the pages. There are a lot of teenage girls raging from special to ordinary, but he can't really see anyone up to his standards.

"There will be someone, don't worry."

This is stupid anyway, he thinks to himself. He continues to browse through the list of girls, flipping faster than before. He lands on the age bracket of 15-20, and at the very top of the list, a girl catches his eye. His eyebrow twitches a bit in curiosity. He looks back at the woman who is busy staring at her nails.

He clears his throat. "Can you lead me to the 15-20?"

She pauses, her eyes narrowing with incredulity, before nodding. "Right this way sir."

She slides the catalog off the counter and returns it to the shelves, grabbing a ring of keys from a drawer afterwards. She swings the barricade open and steps out of the reception area. She starts walking in front of him, leading him deeper into the building. The place darkens even further, and he doesn't fail to notice the flashlight peeking out of her back pocket.

He draws in an inaudible breath, the sounds of wails and screams beginning to fill his ears. He can feel goose bumps pricking his skin despite of the heavy layer of clothing he chose, and he can feel the hair on the back of his neck stand as the sounds grow louder. The woman doesn't seem bothered by them. Rather than that, she looks like she's even enjoying it, accompanying the screams with whistling. They descend the stairs that lead to the basement.

Now she gets the flashlight out of her pocket, turning it on and illuminating their path. His insides churn with anxiety at the sight of dry blood all over the walls and the floor. He fists his hands, trying not to focus too much on the dirt and the sickening sounds of flesh ripping.

They enter the area of cages, and suddenly hands are reaching out to him. Begging. Crying. Screaming. He keeps his eyes in front of him, clenching his fists tighter. He swallows hard, his usually calm demeanor shattered by the chaos ensuing around him. He curses Erwin under his breath. He doesn't know why he still made him do this despite knowing of the past.

"Help me!" a man cries out, fingers brushing against his arm. Levi jerks back in surprise, but he is also assaulted from the other side, hands trying to grip onto his sleeve. He glares at them and they back away, whimpering.

"I'm surprised you can scare them," the woman comments after seeing what happened. "Usually we'd have to resort to whipping if they don't stop, but one look from you and they're already whimpering like dogs." She cackles bitterly, shaking her head in mirth.

Levi doesn't reply. He wishes the woman would just shut her mouth for once, but he can't bring himself to say it. He's too focused on the smell of the familiar metallic tang, and the sound of shameless cries. They turn around a corner, and in this area it's quieter, but there are sniffles and low whispers of girls.

The woman clicks her tongue, kicking one of the cages. The bars vibrate, shaking the girls awake and alerting them of their arrival. "Who said you bitches could sleep, huh?" she shouts, picking up a whip from a hook on the wall and snapping it on the floor. They all flinch accordingly to the dangerous sound, including him.

"Too bad none of you look neat," she snarls, smirking slyly down at the rest of the girls. "This man here is going to buy one of you. I'd offer him one of our bests, but he's willing to pay for one of you disgusting whores—"

"Shut the fuck up," Levi finally hisses, eyes narrowing into slits at the woman who steps back in surprise. "I can't really pick one with you talking so much."

The woman closes her mouth and glares, putting back the whip on the hook. "Fine," she grits out, bowing mockingly. "Take your precious time, sir."

Levi looks at her for one last time before moving on his own, skimming the girls quietly. They all look unhealthy, their wrists so thin he could snap it in one grip. They stare at him with a begging look in their eyes, accompanied by a small flicker of hope. But each time he passes them, they vanish and they return to the corner of the cage, crouching and sobbing.

He reaches the second to the last cage and stops in front of it, stepping closer to get a better look at them because they are all hiding in the shadows. They barely give him a glance, minding their own business and scratching their skin. A bad habit, he thinks to himself. They could get infected. But that isn't really his problem now, is it?

He steps back with a sigh and makes a move for the next cage until he hears a quiet whisper.

"Pick her, please."

His eyes widen a little, looking back at the cage to see a girl with black, shoulder length hair, nudging her head towards a blonde girl. Levi catches her gaze and he freezes at the lack of emotion in them. There is barely any pain, any sorrow—nothing at all. But he can see beauty inside them for some reason.

His shoulders tense further when he calls for the woman. She stands beside him, her gaze clearly wondering how he found someone interesting in this cage. "I want that one," he tells her, pointing to the black-haired teen.

The girl's eyes flicker with surprise, the very first emotion, and then they harden into a glare. The woman looks at the number on the lock and picks the key corresponding to it, sliding it in and twisting it open. The girl slowly pushes herself to her feet. She lowers her head and makes her way towards them, her body trembling with silent frustration.

"Oh, you," the woman says in shock, gripping the girl's chin and turning her head so she could look at her. "Why are you here?"

"What's wrong?" Levi questions, his face void of emotion.

The woman gives him a sideways glance and sighs, letting go of the girl and leaning back. "I was sure she was put in the limited ones. You know, those who get transferred after a certain amount of time," she mumbles. "She's one of the rare beauties, according to the slave trader."

Levi's mouth quirks a bit. So she escaped, he thinks to himself. What an interesting girl.

"Let's talk over the cost at the reception area," he tells the woman. "Head back without me. I'm going to have a talk with the girl."

"But sir—" The woman is silenced with one look and she huffs, turning on her heel and leaving the two alone.

They descend into quietness, but it doesn't seem like she's bothered by it. He notices that she keeps glancing back behind her, at the girl with yellow hair. Levi folds his arms over his chest. The girl is taller than he expected her to be. "What's your name?"

She blinks repeatedly, fingers curling into fists. "Mikasa," she answers quietly, her hair framing her face when she bows her head. "Mikasa Ackerman."

Levi's breath hitches in his throat when he hears her name, but she doesn't notice it. "I'm Levi," he informs her, reaching out to give her a solid pat on the back. "You will stay with me from now on. Understood?"

Mikasa doesn't make a move for a while, and for a moment he thinks he made the wrong choice. But after a certain amount of time, she relaxes under his touch and nods slowly. His lip tightens with hidden relief. Finally, he can leave this place.

"Well then," he pauses to glance at her face, and his eyes glint with an unknown emotion. "Let's go."

Aien Kien - shared bond, mysterious bond, "uncanny relationship formed by a quirk of fate,"

寒 - cold

A/N: It's my first time writing a RivaMika fic :) I hope you liked it anyway. If there were any mistakes, or if you liked it, please leave a review!