Lady execution Levi Ackerman x OC (ENG) 18+

Chapter II. Forgotten memories

She walked out of the building, across the courtyard into the busy streets of the capital, knowing, he was following her. Together they walked a short distance behind the stately buildings until they reached a place that was familiar to both of them. They went down the stairs to the underground and walked without a word, through the dark streets of the dirty city below the surface. Levi knew every corner, every house as well as every hidden place. Not far from the entrance, she stopped in front of a small building with peeling plaster, broken windows and a damaged roof. He knew where they were.

"Why are we here?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. Wordlessly, Theia walked up the three steps in front of the main door, which she carefully opened. They both entered a room where there were two long tables with tiny chairs. In the center of the room was a large fireplace, near which a woman was standing.

"Miss Theresa," she addressed the woman, who turned around. After their eyes met, her features softened.

"Theia. I'm so happy to see you!" She ran to her and took her face in her hands to examine it closely.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you for a while," she apologized, noticing the searching look she was keeping on Levi's face. He felt insecure. Too often today, someone monitored him, like a commodity on the market. "Is he familiar to you?" Theia asked, as if she knew the reason for the older woman's agitation.

"Yes. But that's not possible," she whispered hesitantly.

"What makes you think it's not possible?" Levi frowned and took an angry breath, watching Theia begin to smile softly.

"He's dead," Miss Theresa whispered again, keeping her eyes on him. Theia shook her head.

"Is that what Lobov told you?" Theresa's eyes widened and stared into Theia's face for a few seconds. She could see the incredible pain in her eyes. "It's Levi," she told her with a smile and lady covered her mouth in surprise. Levi frowned, but didn't have time to say any questions because the older woman threw herself around his shoulders.

"Levi! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! We couldn't help your mother neither you. I'm so sorry," she cried on his shoulder and he was speechless. He stared ahead with a confused look. He knew the place; he knew the woman. From his old memories. She looked up and took his face in her hands. "You have her eyes, her hair. You look exactly like her," he felt as if his huge wall was breaking into small, withered pieces. He swallowed hard, but was still speechless. "How did you find him? How do you know all this?" She asked Theia.

"Lobov, who is responsible for all your problems. For the death of my mother, for the death of Levi's mother, is dead. I learned from him that he owned a brothel where my mother worked together with Kuchel. He told me that she had given birth to a child, and that she had fallen ill and succumbed to her illness because of the conditions he exposed her to. He told me that was Mom's main reason for the revenge that started with report to the military," Theresa looked down.

"Kathlyn was a miraculous yet mysterious woman," she added, as if she wasn't at all surprised by Theia's story. She smiled and pulled out a bag full of money from her pocket, which she handed in her direction.

"Take it. I got it as compensation for the trouble I went through because of that person. It's yours,"

"Don't..." Theia walked over to her, took her hand and placed the pouch in her palm.

"Please. Only thanks to you, those children have a chance to live," Theia whispered in a kind voice.

"You really are our light," Theresa smiled, turning to tell the news to the other women staying in the house. Levi absentmindedly walked over to the table where, exhausted from the rush of new information, he sat down on one of the small chairs. Theia stood just behind him and hugged him from behind.

"You knew all this time and you didn't tell me anything?" He asked in a low voice.

"I wanted you to find out exactly like this. Those women here care about every single child. I wanted, you know, to..." she stopped. She had no speech prepared. She just wanted him to know. That their destinies were intertwined long before they even met. Long before she was even born.

"Levi, have you joined the survey corps as well?" Theresa asked after a short while, returning from the side room followed by a number of small children from the age of two. Levi pushed Theia away from him.

"Involuntarily," Theia laughed.

"Is there another way?" Theresa also laughed and looked at Levi again. He was still staring ahead without a word. "I am so..."

"There is no reason why you should apologize to me for the things that have happened. My mother is dead. I'm alive..." Levi said coldly and Theresa looked at Theia in surprise, who shook her head. A little girl started crawling between her legs. Theia took her in her arms with a big smile.

"You little one, you messed with me last time..." she smiled and got up from her chair. She carried her towards the large fireplace. "How about Captain Theia cook you something good?" She asked, immediately receiving enthusiastic approval. She promptly sat the child on her right hip and grabbed the kitchen tools with her other hand. She started throwing the ingredients she found into the prepared pot. With a sigh of relief, Theresa sat down in the place where Theia had sat earlier and looked at her.

"Her mother always did the same," she said into the wind and Levi looked at her.

"But she's not her mother," he reminded her and Theresa smiled softly.

"You are absolutely right. Children are not like their parents, but they carry their will, desires, dreams. They carry the hope of all mankind. Because it is the children who will change our world," she looked again at the bunch of innocent kids, running on the old carpet around Theia, who was concentrating on her activity. Levi watched her. Her every movement, smile, expression. The way she lovingly held the little girl in her arms and let her taste the goodies she prepared for them. She laughed as she licked the pot and made a sour face. He found it iconic how a woman who has the blood of hundreds of people on her hands can look that little child in the face with such love and tenderness. He stood up from the chair and walked a short distance to the wooden shelf from which hung a large, old pair of scissors. He ran them through his fingertips.

"Do you need them for something? They are already rusty. I'll bring you another if..."

"No," he interrupted Theresa in a soft voice, walking through his own memories of his mother cutting his hair with those scissors. He hated them then. She always scratched him with them, but she made sure he was neat and clean. According to her, no matter where you were born or where you live, there is no reason to be dirty and neglected. Supposedly, to get along with people and be liked by girls. He smiled and turned his head towards Theia, who was shaking another child from her leg that was pressing into her ass. He learned to cut his hair himself so that no one would scratch him again. He learned to live alone to not to lose anyone and take a piece of his heart with him. And then some people came who turned his life upside down and now he's standing in front of her. Theia Smith. That damn name. A name worn by only two people in his life who brought him to his knees. He withdrew his hand from the scissors.

"Hey, but I don't have a chance to cook like this!" Theia laughed again in her high voice. Levi walked over to her and took the three-year-old boy who was climbing up her back in his arms. He turned the kid towards him and frowned.

"You should learn to behave yourself. It's not appropriate to climb on top of women," he said seriously, and Theia and Theresa laughed out loudly. But the one who didn't find it funny was the boy who cried when he looked at Levi's scary face. He rolled his eyes and put the boy to the ground, who immediately ran to hide behind Theia's legs. With all her might, she finished the simple lunch, which she spread on the table with Theresa's help.

"You're really not staying to eat?" Theresa asked, walking them to the exit.

"We must return to our bases in Shiganshin by evening. We'll buy something quick on the way, we've been delayed enough anyway," explained Theia, saying goodbye to the unhappy children and giving them one last wave.

"Take care Levi. I believe that Kuchel and Kathlyn are both looking at you from a place where neither is suffering anymore,"