I see what people can't (rivamika)

The Crucified Blonde

Why hello there unsuspecting reader, as the past chapters and even the title may suggest, this will be another one of those "gory" descriptions of a chapter that I like to do. If you have an issue with such matters I suggest to either read with caution or not at all but oh well, I'm not your mum so go ahead if you want...

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Levi's POV...

Alright, four eyes ain't here yet to give me a full autopsy report so I suppose it's time to do it myself. I put some gloves on and get my equipment ready for the body examination. I go to approach the body but Mikasa grabs my arm and stops me.

"What are you going to do to him?" she asks me clearly concerned yet most would probably not be able to see past her tough act. Then again I'm not the commonwealth, I see much more than most.

"Relax, Hanji is not here yet so I'm doing the autopsy myself" I reply and pull my arm off of hers. She doesn't protest further, not that she really could and if I need to wait for shitty glasses another minute I'll explode. So then, where do we start? Simple, the cause of death is the first thing that needs to be addressed.

<Autopsy stage>

Ok then, lets see how the little blonde died. Looking at the body, I can see clear marks around the kid's neck as well as slashes and scratch marks around the Adam's apple. We obviously have the massive nails that are holding the body up by his arms, stuck right in his wrists puncturing the poor blonde's arteries. Except the nails aren't nails at all but rather just sharp butcher knives pierced all the way through his now limp arms. Not only that, his hands are wet and have some spilt soap on them leftover. I can assume he was washing dishes in the kitchen as I can see the water tap still slightly dripping. The kid must've heard someone and hastily closed the tap without looking to check if it's fully closed. Now moving up to his face and head, obvious blunt forced trauma took place  as well as some sort of beating suggested by the clear bruising on his left eye and jaw. I can also spot a water trail coming from his mouth and while pressing down on his chest area, I can feel different pulses than those of a natural death, his lungs are filled with water so possible drowning. Touching his head I can feel it way looser than any sort of neck should be. It would appear a neck fracture Also took place. In addition, his legs are tied together and there's a small sack near his body, potentially wanting to capture little Arlert here for some reason. I also found a big puddle of blood underneath his body that is forming from his stomach area. Pull his shirt up and I see something I never expected, the Titan clan logo carved right into his flesh. They always leave their mark on their victims and places they raid. Are the two cases linked somehow? Finally I can see some small scratches on his clothes as well as some rips on his oversized jeans. As I take a closer look at his legs I notice the oddly shaped knee joint. It would appear Armin had his knee broken and his kneecap completely dislocated, hmmmmmmmm...

<Autopsy complete>

"Alright Mikasa. That's the full autopsy from the outside. Of course we will get an autopsy for his organs in case of any new possible causes of death however, whoever the killer is made sure to try and mislead us as he created several scenarios and none have conclusive evidence to suggest they are the cause over the rest" I explain and hand her my notes. Her face becomes grim seconds later, covering her mouth with her hand in order to cover the screams threatening to come out.

"Oh my... Armin, oh no Armin" she whispers loud enough for me to catch. Her eyes ready to let waterfalls flow down her pale, rosy cheeks. I have made the rest of the officers leave the area while I'm investigating. Can't have them annoy me while I work, so while I have the opportunity I go closer to her and lift her chin up from the notebook and make her look at me with those beautiful silver grey eyes of hers.

"Mikasa, listen to me" her face uncertain of how to react, hints of confusion plastered on top of the unbelievable sadness and rage. Thankfully she listened and looked at me in awe. "We will find them, we will bring justice to them, for your friend... and for you" I say that and her expression changes immediately, going from what I described before to now looking surprised yet trying to force herself to not cry anymore, which isn't working too well.

I take my chance and pull her closer to me again as I wrap my arms around her, comforting her. She seemed reluctant at first, looking around checking for any officers which I don't blame her for but after a few seconds she gave in and hugged me back tighter. Letting all her pain and suffering out, she buried her face in my jacket. Her arms scratching my back but I couldn't care less at that point. She was hurting and I wanted to make it stop for her, no matter the cost, even if it means putting my life at risk.

"There there, I know it's tough. Believe me, I do" I keep rubbing her back gently as she's clawing away at mine. Soon enough I hear some more small sobs muffled by my jacket as she starts trembling. She tries to stop them but to no avail, I keep trying to make her feel better, gently playing with her beautiful black locks and slowly caressing the back of her head as she cries silently on my shoulder.

"Look Mikasa, I want you to go back home for the day, I'll stay here and work on the case day and night until it's solved but I'm worried for you. You took it badly which is understandable but you need some time to calm down" I tell her with no intention of getting a no as an answer.

"But Armin, he's... he's-"

"I know, which is why I won't stop until I bring his killer to the spotlight, but right now you are my biggest concern so I want you to go home and rest, if you need anything you contact me immediately ok?" I ask her, patiently waiting as she tried to compose herself.

"Mhm" was all I got from her and she placed her head back on my shoulder. "Please, find him for me"

"I will, I promise you" I say, reassuring her. I hug her tighter making sure she knows she's not on her own. I'm here now and I will protect her, help her, no matter the cost...