Chasing Ghosts [Attack on Titan](Wattys 2014 Winner)

Chapter fifty-three- Aaru

Chapter fifty three

I'd been teaching myself over the last month, the last day Tamaki was around he'd taught me a thing or two. I'd miss that brown-haired buffoon, he was a good guy as much as he was an idiot. I opened my mouth and began to sing “It wasn't worth your time…And don't ask me why I didn't cross the line I didn't have to try. You were every face I see In every cloud and every tree. What if they could see me hide..? What if they were on my side…?” I took a breath, keeping my eyes shut as my fingers flew across the keys, I felt him staring at me. My voice filled the room, echoing and ringing back into my ear as the piano played a beautiful melody to match. “ I never said goodbye…And don't ask me why I didn't make a sign I didn't have to cry… You were every face I see In every cloud and every tree What if they could see me hide…What if they were on my side..?” I looked at him out of my right eye, he was staring at me. His mouth was open and eyes wide in surprise. “ It wasn't worth your time And don't ask me, don't ask me…I never said goodbye And don't ask me, don't ask... you were every face I see In every cloud and every tree What if they could see me hide What if…..”I stopped removing my hands from the keys.

He smiled at me as I opened my eyes, a true smile. “That was… truly beautiful Alya.” He said quietly moving closer to me as I let my hands hang at my sides. I felt my face flush slightly pink “Its not nearly as good as you play.” I said modishly. He chuckled softly kissing the base of my jaw line passionately. “Tell me, did you learn to play that for me?” he asked. I nodded “I wanted to show you it when you woke up.” I said sheepishly. He smiled “You have a lovely voice.” I smiled at him, looking into his steel gray eyes. “I do?” He nodded “Its beautiful… a lot like my mothers.” He said quietly getting a distant look in his eyes. I turned myself towards him sitting sideways to look into his eyes. I sighed “Yeah, the one part of my story you don’t know… my childhood.” I waited, he looked at me. “Do you really want to know?” I nodded slowly. He sighed quietly taking a deep breath then beginning.

“Well…. I was born into wall Rose, in the city of Trost. Much like you, we lived in the richer district. From my birth I had everything I wanted handed to me on a silver platter, toys, food… Everything but love.” He explained. “My father was hardly around, he worked hard up in Sina to provide us the life we had. Mother was ill, she had a very weak immune system. She caught colds that could kill her.” He said quietly. “With mother always Ill and father gone, I was alone a lot of my childhood, sure I  had the maids to look after me but they would rather gossip then take care of a two year old boy.” He said. “So I ran around the massive halls of that home alone, playing with my shadow.” He looked up at the ceiling of the room. “When I turned ten, I met Arabella. She was so kind to me, we played in the gardens and for the first time I felt like I belonged. When we turned fifteen, as I told you… I dated her for a while. Father returned when I was sixteen, that was the summer mother died. Two days before she died, she played a song to me. She sang and tried to teach me the piano… ever since she died…I've been playing the piano whenever I could. After she died, father took his anger out on me.” Levi suddenly tugged on the side of his shirt collar, on the left hand side of his neck was a small pink scar in the shape of a zig-zag. “He attacked me one night and left this.” He said.

I stared in silence; my father had attacked me true… but never left a scar. On the outside anyway. Levi sighed “Then I moved in with Arabella and her family, they accepted me with open arms. We wanted to get more serious… marriage, a child perhaps. I worked in a black smith for a while, but it wasn't enough. I wanted… I wanted adventure.” He said, at the word adventure his face lit up. “That’s when things went downhill, Arabella didn't want me to join the military after a month of battling her she kicked me out and I was alone… I didn't know what to do. So I left, I went to the under city. Cold, scared… angry. Commander Ackerman found me… and here we are.” He said looking over at me. I blinked, staring at him in amazement. It did sound like my story, but he had been rich… “I guess money doesn't make you happy.” I said. He played a low key on the piano “Exactly.” I shrugged my shoulders and said nothing. We sat in silence for a while, he looked down at me. “You know, I didn't tell you but before the mission last…” He seemed to have forgotten when the mission was “Month” I helped. He nodded gratefully “Last month, I found a book on names and you know what your name means?” He asked. Giving me a playful half smile. I raised an eyebrow “What?” He grinned “It means, ginger!” I laughed “No it doesn't, tell me what it really means!” He chuckled “It means heavenly, something like an angel.” I blinked “Really?” He nodded “That would really explain to me why you joined this branch of the military, for your wings.” He tugged at the patch on the right shoulder of my jacket.

 “What does yours mean?” I asked. He looked forward “It means harmony.” I blinked “Heaven and Harmony….” I trailed off, he chuckled “No wonder we go together so well.” I smiled at him looking up into his brilliant steel gray eyes. “Aaru.” I said. He blinked at me, looking down at me while I leaded on my left hand resting against the piano. He blinked “Aaru?” I nodded “It means Peace, that would be our childs name.” He laughed softly “Aaru… I like it.” I smiled at him… a image of a little baby with curly red hair and steel eyes came into my mind. A very cute little boy, with chubby fingers… Aaru.