Levi heard the water stop and Mikasa emerged from behind the curtain with a towel wrapped around her slender figure. Her skin looked ridiculously soft and clean droplets of water glistened as they fell from the tips of her hair.
Levi swallowed and averted his eyes. He retrieved a towel for himself from the chest and brushed past her to enter the bathroom. The smell of tropical storms and fresh spring seemed to waft from her hair and Levi inadvertently closed his eyes.
He snapped back into reality, however, and reopened his eyes when her footsteps had faded away as she went to get dressed. Inside the chest there were some simple clothes, designed to be comfortable, not necessarily a fashion statement.
Levi stood underneath the water and tried to clear his mind as he meticulously cleaned every inch of his body. Reluctantly turning off the shower, he grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist. He pulled the curtain back and froze. Mikasa was lying on her side, curled up, her eyes shut, breathing deep and even. She had fallen asleep on top of the covers and was wearing a white tunic that came down mid thigh. It resembled the one she had been wearing the first time he saw her.
He cursed silently and ran his fingers through his damp hair. Perusing the kitchen he found grabbed an apple and munched on it while he looked through the chest for some suitable clothes. Muttering to himself he found a simple white shirt and a pair of black cotton shorts.
He approached the bed and looked down at it forlornly. How was he supposed get on the bed without waking her up? He couldn't walk around, the bed was pushed up against the wall. She was laying on the outer edge, he could try to scoot her over but he would probably wake her up.
"Damn it," he cursed. Very carefully he lifted one of his legs up to try to set his knee down on her other side. Wincing when the bed creaked under his weight, he threw caution to the wind and vaulted himself over her still form and landing on the other side of the bed. At the sudden motion, Mikasa's eyes popped open she she turned over abruptly and her face was mere centimeters away from his.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get into the bed without waking you," he grumbled.
"Well that didn't work," she said matter of factly. "No shit, sherlock," he muttered. "Who is sherlock?" she asked. Levi sighed, "Never mind, just go back to sleep."
She mumbled something to herself, something that was undoubtedly rude, but he let it slide. He reclined on his back, right up against the wall, trying his damnedest not to brush up against her.
She curled up on her side, turned away from him and he found himself staring at the delicate lines of her back.
When the sun rose the next day, Levi woke to find himself strangely warm and relaxed. And then he realized he had his arms around something soft and cuddly. His eyes shot open and he found himself with his nose nestled in her hair, breathing in her clean, fresh scent. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist and she was comfortably molded to his body. He could feel her heart beating against his chest through her back. Its steady rhythm soothed him and kept him from freaking out wondering how they had ended up like this.
He really should move before she woke up and they were in an awkward situation, but he was really comfortable in this position. Heaving an internal sigh, he carefully retracted his arms, but she began to yawn sleepily and she stretched her arms above her head.
She turned over to face him and he nearly gasped at how beautiful she looked in the morning. "Who are you?" he asked wonderingly.
Bleary dark eyes peered up at him and she buried her face in the pillow. "Do you know what the treasure of Sina is?" her voice came out muffled. Levi jerked upright in the bed, "Woman, that's what I've been asking this entire time!" She sat up too and looked down at her lap. "It's not something grand or amazing, I didn't want you to be disappointed."
Levi stared at her hard. Realizing he wanted her to continue, she said, "It's love. That's all it is. My people had a knack for finding their soulmates. The siren song helped a lot. Once a mate had been found, they chose to stay on the island with the one they loved. To them it was worth everything else. Love was more valuable to them than anything outside the island was."
Levi pondered this revelation in silence before speaking, "So all this time, the legend I've been chasing, it was just an emotion?" Mikasa shook her head vigorously, "Love is more than emotion, it's belonging. It's family. It's knowing that you'll never be alone, that someone will always be there. Those who found their way to the island realized that love was a treasure worth more than all the gold in the world."
"Hm, love," Levi mused. "It seems I've been on a wild goose chase. I'm chasing after a legend that doesn't exist." Mikasa looked at him with wide eyes, "It did exist! It still exists. It could still exist."
"Love," Levi repeated, "Do you think I've found love on this journey?" Mikasa blinked at him, "I don't know, have you found it?" Levi exhaled and rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, maybe I have found it," he whispered.
She smiled at him and she looked so warm and inviting, he couldn't help himself. He leaned over and kissed her, tasting her lips. Her fingers grasped the silky strands of his hair and her mouth parted beneath his.
Maybe, just maybe, Levi had found the jewel he had been searching for his entire life.
