2. Outside

Levine sat inside the carriage where Erwin and Hange let him stay until they arrive in their destination which is the Survey Corps Headquarters. They left in dawn and Levine never saw the outside after their departure since there is something blocking his view.

It's not that he's impatient to see it, it just annoys him that those two didn't let him come outside this filthy carriage. He made a mental note to clean it later.

He wore a hood over his head, hiding half of his face. He suddenly wondered what the outside world is look like. Is there really this boundless blue sfuff above people's head called sky? Just how blue is it? Is there really this bright yellow ball that is the source of all light? Can it be reach or not? Are the plants really green? or maybe only the vegetables are green?

Questions came in thought as time pass by and he is worried that it might drive him crazy. He is curious like an ignorant child asking its parents the same questions. Well too bad for him, he doesn't have parents or family to be exact. He lived alone all his life.

His train of thoughts stopped when the carriage is put into a halt. He jolted up and looked over to the entrance of the carriage. He heard footsteps coming and waited for someone to come into view, thankfully someone did. Hange.

"Come on, little shorty! Time to come out!" Levine clicked his tongue and jumped out of the carriage, glaring at Hange under his hood. Oh how he hates it when she calls him that stupid nickname. It's both redundancy and an insult.

"Stop calling me that, four-eyes," he said only making Hange laugh. His blood boiled and just decided to approach Erwin instead. At least he's a lot more quieter and decent.

"Hey, are we at the HQ already?" He asked, rudely surprising the other soldiers who are with them. This kid has some guts, talking rudely at the head of the Brigade.

"Yes, here we are," Erwin answered, not bothered by Levine's rudeness. Levine looked at the building in front of him and stared at it blankly. Wow. What can he say? It looks huge... and clean. Who is in charge of the cleaning? Maybe he'll get along with him or her.

"Let's go," Erwin said and walked towards the building. Levine followed him and they pass through some cadets talking, cleaning or training. Erwin leads Levine into the building until they arrived in a room.

"Levi, we got a newcomer," Erwin said, closing the door. Levine looked up a little and saw the desk with a person standing in front of it with arms crossed. Erwin walked towards the desk as Levine stayed by the door.

"Tch, another brat? Now where did you pick him up?" A cold voice asked Erwin as Levine kept his hood down and stayed quiet.

"Same place where you came from," that statement surprised both party, making Levine lift his head a little and saw the other person's mouth, but his hood still covers the rest of his face.

"The Underground," the cold voice said and looked over to Levine. So this guy in front of him is also from the Underground. Did he joined the corps with the same reason as him?

"Yes. He is known as the Lone Wolf in the Underground and he survives alone down there," Erwin said and turned to Levine, "Go on. Show your face to Levi."

Levine did not hesitate and pulled his hood back, revealing his face for the unknown person in front of him. He looked straight and he finally saw the other person's face clearly and his eyes slightly turned wide.

The person have gray eyes and raven hair. His bangs are also split into two but in a more even amount. He glares at Levine and Levine glares back. Well, the both do wear the same  glare as always.

"A kid?" The person said and Levine growled, glaring intenser.

"I'm 19," he stated, annoyed as the person clicked his tongue and turns to Erwin.

"So you want this brat to join my squad?" He asked Erwin while still staring at Levine. Erwin nodded and decided to introduce the two to each other.

"Levi, this is Levine," Levi raised his thin eyebrow at Erwin as if expecting him to say something.

"Levine?"

"Just Levine. I grew up alone not knowing my family," Levine said, lying about his surname. Before he went up to the surface, Levine told Erwin and Hange to conceal his surname for an unknown reason and they gladly obliged.

"Well, bad for you," Levi said with no trace sympathy or anything. Just plain blank.

"And Levine, this is  Lance Corporal Levi Ackerman," Levine's eyes slightly widened at his last name, but he regained his composure and stayed still, "He will be leading you in the squad we have put you in."

Levine thought it is all a coincidence, but maybe not and Erwin planned this. And just who is this Levi Ackerman? What's his connection with him?

"I don't remember agreeing with this," Levi said, crossing his arms and glaring at Erwin. Levine rolled his eyes and crossed his arms together.

"And I don't remembered obliging to any conditions," Levine said imitating Levi. Or maybe it's just his similar attitude. Levi turned to him with narrowed eyes, eyeing him slightly. For someone with a small body who lived Underground he looks healthy and muscular. He could be useful, but his attitude's the problem. He kinda reminds him of someone.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and Erwin said to come in. The door behind Levine opened and a blonde woman came in.

"Erwin, Hange's trying to..." As the woman face the three men inside the room, she stopped at her mid-sentence, especially when Levine turned to her. She's a small woman with short blonde hair and green eyes. She also have a nasty glare in her eyes that says back off, but over all she looks beautifully stunning, "Erwin, why is there two Levis in the room? Am I hallucinating?"

"There are no other Levis. This boy here is Levine, the new recruit and he'll be joining you and Levi in your squad," Erwin told her and the woman eyed Levine closely, making the latter blush. Well, this is the first time a woman came close to him so it's new for him. There are not much female thugs Underground.

"He looks a lot like Levi. Only younger," the woman said and flicked Levine's forehead. Levine noticed the ring on her ring-finger and his eyes widened. This woman is married? With whom? Not that he's interested or anything, but can a Survey Corps soldier marry in a very dangerous lifestyle?

"So you're saying, I'm old?" Levi asked and the woman turned to him and put her hands on her hips.

"We're both 29 and he's a teenager, Levi," the woman said plainly and turned to Erwin, "Anyway, Hange's trying to get me on a experiment again. Tell her off."

Lavine blushed at her attitude. He never thought that a woman can be this fierce and rude towards a man, not to mention a superior. All the women Underground seem timid and scared all the time and a woman at her caliber is rare. She seems attractive somehow.

"This is the third time this week, isn't it?" Levi asked and the woman huffed in annoyance. Levine stared at them. He thought that soldiers are suppose to be disciplined and they respect their superior, but these other two just do things unrespectful right in front of their commander. This quite amuses him. He started wondering what the other soldiers are like.

Erwin sighed and rubbed his temples, but decided to speak to end these headaches.

"I'm going to discuss this with Hange while the two of you get Levine ready," Erwin said dismissively and Levi and the woman walked over to Levine and saluted "Dismiss."

"Another troublesome. Great," the woman said as she lowered her fist. She and Levi headed towards the door and Levine followed them. He came out last and closed the door. After that, he put his hood back on, earning weirded looks from Levi and the woman.

"Hey, brat. Remove your damn hood," Levi said, but Levine shook his head, disobeying his order, "Listen well, brat. You are under my command now and you must listen to me."

"What if I don't want to?" Levine asked, raisng his head to come in eye contact with Levi. Levi stared back and they commenced a staring contest. A glaring contest rather. The woman sighed and flicked their forehead, earning yelps from the two.

"Urgh! Darn it, woman!"

"For a girl, you're f*cking strong," Levine muttered, as he felt someone, grabbed him by the hood.

"Levi, leave this troublesome to me. I have plans," the woman said as she drag Levine wth her. Levine growled, but didn't bothered to struggle out of her grip and just went wth her.

He let her drag him out of the building and his eyes closed from the sudden light in his eyes. He felt the woman letting his hood go and he tried adjusting to the light. As soon as he is used to the light, he slowly opened his eyes and they turns wide. He saw green leafy stuff around him and blue above. He saw cottony white substances in the blue void and felt warm heat around him.

He looked around in awe. He might look like an ignorant child going out for the first time, but he didn't seem to care right now. It's his first time seeing these.

"You don't go out much, do you?" The woman asked and Levine turned to her, seeing her with arms crossed. He nodded, but didn't talk much further, "Levine. Am I right?"

"Yes," he said with a straight stone face.

"I am Hazel Braugstein. Well, former Braugstein," she said and a slight blush appeared on her face. Levine looked down to her hand and saw the ring on her finger.

"You're married? To who?" He asked and the blonde looked away, but didn't answered.

'Looks like she's embarrassed,' Levine thought and a voice came calling from behind.

"Hazel-san!" A voice of a boy called and Levine turned around. He saw a tan brunette with emerald eyes running towards them. He stopped with eyes wide when he saw Levine, "Huh? Who's this?"

"Good timing, troublesome."

"Can you please stop calling me that?" The boy asked a sweat on his cheek. Levine stared at the boy and decided to speak.

"I'm Levine. A new recruit," he said and the boy formed an o with his mouth.

"And he'll be joining our squad, so introduce him to the rest. There's no training today," Hazel said and the boy nodded, turning to Levine.

"Okay," he grinned at Levine and offered a hand, "Hi. My name's Eren Yeager."

Levine stared at Eren's hand and then at him. Back at the underground, people who offered a hand to him will try to assault him later, so he never shook anyone's hand. But this is not the Underground anymore so he extended his arms and shook Eren's hand.

"Sure, yeah. So there are more of you?" Levine said, confusing Eren a little as he took his hand back.

"Ah, yeah. Wanna meet them?" Levine shrugged, but followed Eren around the HQ, seeing more cadets in their teenage years. He saw them practicing hand-to-hand combat and he should say. They're way better than those good for nothing, boring thugs in the Underground city

"Hey, guys! I wanna introduce you to someone!" Eren said, waving his hand for attention. They turned their heads and saw Levine. At first they were weirder out, but soon realized that he is not Levi.

"Woah! Eren, who's the new guy?" Connie asked, pointing a Levine. Soon all of them gathered around Eren and Levine as Eren started introducing Levine to the rest.

"Hazel-san said he's the new recruit. He's Levine and he'll be joining us from now on," Eren said, but Levine don't payed any attention to anything he said. He just stare at each of their faces. They look teenagers alright. Around 14-16 he guesses. Great, he's the oldest.

"A kid? So where are you from huh?" The tall guy with a long face, Jean Kirstein said, earning a glare from Levine.

"I might be short, but don't ever call me a kid. I'm older than any of you," he said, coldly, confusing the group and turns to Eren, "Who is he, anyway?"

"Huh?! I'm right in fr--"

"I'm not talking to you, horseface," Levine said, flatly making Eren and Connie snicker at Jean. Jean was dumbfounded, but when he regained composure, he decided not to talk.

"He's Jean Kirstein. A.K.A Mr. Horseface," Eren laughed, annoying Jean to no end. He glared at Eren and the brunette glared back.

"I was never called like that!" Jean exclaimed and the two started fighting, bumping heads with each other. Armin sighed and decided to introduce himself to Levine. He approached him and offered a hand.

"Hi. I'm Armin. Armin Arlert," Levine shook his hand, but didn't bothered to speak. It's not like he has something to say. Later, Levine met everyone. They all have different personalities, compared to the same personalities the thugs have in the Underground. He feels like a newborn baby, discovering new things right now. He feel kind of pathetic.

After the introduction, Hazel arrived with new uniforms with her.

"Oi, where's the new guy?" She asked, catching their attention. They made a way for Levine and he suddenly blushed when he saw Hazel, although no one really notice it.

"Hey! It's Mrs. Ackerman! What's up!" Levine's eyes turned wide when Eren suddenly said that. Hazel's face became red, but she glared at Eren, making him flinch.

"S-Shut up!" Hazel stomped her way towards Levine and dumped the uniform on his arms, "This is your uniform. Welcome to the Survey Corps."

After that, Hazel left without another word, leaving Levine a bit dumbfounded. Maybe it's because of what Eren said. Sure, Hazel is attractive, but that doesn't mean he likes her. Right?

"Mrs. Ackerman?"

---

A/N:

So hey, guys. Unfortunately yeah. Hazel is Mrs. Ackerman since this is a sequel of my first SnK fan fiction, Levi's Secret. Yeah, I hope there are some readers out there who've read it and for those who are new here, please read it, if you want to that is. But I hope you do. Byiiii!

~RSE out