For Anything

Chapter One; The Call

"Rivaille. A call's come in." Erwin said.

Levi looked up from where he had been doing a draft for a battle plan, inside Survey Corps headquarters.

"Huh? What do you mean, a call?" Levi asked.

"Dr. Jaeger didn't show up for his earlier appointment he had set with the Ackerman's. Their worried. The Jaeger's are still living in that cabin, out in the woods? Its miles away from the Ackerman's, and they have their own kid to look after. Can't leave her or something, in the bad weather to go check up on Em. Military Police are supposedly booked up, so your on call." Erwin said.

Levi showed no emotion. He never did.

Instead he stood with a sigh, dawning his cloak and Manuver Gear, dreading going out in the downpour.

"Fine. I'll be back." Levi said to Erwin, striding out of the command room to fetch his team and refill his Manuver Gear's gas and grab his spare blades, just in case.

********

"I'll knock." Levi said to his squad, hood pulled up against the beating rain.

"They probably just didn't want to get out in the pouring rain." Pedra muttered crossly, thoroughly soaked through by the rain.

"We still have to check," Oluo chided.

Ignoring his squads bickering, Levi walked forward and began to knock. Just as his knuckles hit the oak door, It swung open, hinges splintered and broken.

Pedra gasped behind him.

The small cabin was gory and bloody, Dr. Jaeger laying in an ever-widening pool of his own blood, eyes wide and glassy. A knife was still buried hilt deep in his chest. Not far away lay his wife, a deep gash on her head, eyes open but unseeing. Blood was splattered all over the cabin: on walls, the floor, the ceiling, even the white tablecloth.

Suddenly, the tablecloth rustled, and five pairs of blades were pointed at where the rustle came from.

Comunicating via looks and hand gestures, Levi signaled to them to wait. He stepped forward, silently, before quickly flipping the table over, pointing his blade at the figure.

It was a little boy, no older than three, curled up in a fetal position in the corner, where the table had been. The little boy had messy locks of wild brown hair, fear-filled green eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and sunkissed tan skin. The little boy had bloodsplatters on his clothes, but appeared unharmed. He squeaked in fear when Levi's razor-sharp blade hovered mere inches before his throat.

Immediately upon seeing the child, Levi dropped his blade, sheathing it quickly and kneeling down.

The child had pressed himself into the corner, as far away from Levi as he could. Seeing the frightened child and thinking, well, maybe Captain Levi wasn't exactly the best person to coddle a child, Pedra knelt down and extended her hands slowly.

"Hey little guy. It's okay, come here." She cooed, trying to coax the child out of the corner.

The little boy sniffled, looked up, and gazed at the group of soldiers gathered before him. The little boy stood unsteadily, shakily, and ran towards them...

...right into Levi's arms.

Levi stared, shocked, at the bloody, snotty, teary toddler in his arms. The last thing Levi had expected was for the kid to run to him. It shocked him so much, his expression actually changed to one of shock; his mouth open slightly, his eyes wide.

The little boy clung to Levi like a lifeline, sobbing and covered in his parents blood, their lifeless body's just feet away. The crying toddler wrapped his arms around Levi's neck and refused to let go, so tightly it was almost choking Levi.

"Captain? Do you want me to take the child?" Pedra asked uncertaintly.

Levi managed to shake his head.

"I don't think you could, Pedra. He has a death grip. Oluo, Eld, stay and watch the cabin. Make sure whoever did this doesn't come back. Gunther, Petra, and I are going back to HQ to call for the Military Police. Homicides are their jurisdiction." Levi commanded, stony emotionless mask back in place.

"Captain, what about the kid?" Oluo asked.

Levi paused for a moment, and appeared to be pondering this.

"I'll carry him with me. Can't leave him here, in the rain and cold with his parents dead just inside. Besides, he's covered in blood and soaked through with rain. If we leave him here he'll catch hypothermia." Levi decided, shifting the boy to his hip and wrapping his cloak around the child in a vain attempt to keep him somewhat dry and warm. Only the mop of brown hair stuck out from inside Levi's cloak, and with Oluo and Eld's "Aye, Sir!" the four took their leave, snapping through the branches of the high trees via Manuver Gear at extremely high speeds.