Just as Farlan and Levi passed through the double doors and took off, the soldiers turned down the hallway leading to this wing and so I ducked back into the room to remain hidden from view. I went back into the armory and walked briskly to a door on the wall adjacent to the door I'd just come in from.

This one led to a cleaning supply closet, but when I stepped inside, closed the door behind me and looked around, I realized that it now looked more like it held extra tools and equipment for maintaining gear, which made sense. But no matter the contents of its shelves, the room was the same, including even its biggest flaw.

A thin panel of wood covered - or attempted to, anyway - a small hole in the wall. It'd started off merely as a crack but the stone and brick had fallen away perhaps with the help of a child's inquisitive hands, and it was perfect as a crawl space between two rooms.

With the layout of the building, the wings were tightly packed and there were rooms that shared one wall yet opened up on different hallways. It had been terribly confusing in my mind as a child but now, I knew the layout damn well like the back of my hand, including even the exploits I had used when I'd run and hide from Reyes when all he wanted to do was go on his lunch break.

I crouched on the dusty floor and pried the wooden board away from the wall, sliding it behind a shelf for now before getting to my stomach. I pulled myself through the small hole, maneuvering carefully to squeeze my shoulders through and nearly having to pray to get my hips through.

Thankfully, I didn't have to pray, and I got to my feet as soon as I was able. This room was the best I could have hoped to find myself in, which was wonderful considering I hadn't needed to hope for it in the first place, because I knew it was here.

Where I now found myself was a training room. Workout equipment sat lifelessly on their shelves and on the floor gathering dust and nothing more. Punching bags were hung in a row but had not ever needed to be patched or replaced and never had they even been moved, not since...

Goddesses. Another memory.

El would have me come in here and let loose some energy sometimes, for after work some evenings to relieve stress and stay fit he would workout here.

The last person to use the Military Police's workout equipment in the Underground City had been my late father, and before him... me.

Pathetic, isn't it?

I could hardly believe I was standing here again. Hell, I could hardly believe I was even doing this. That I was even here. That I had somehow been talked into leading a damned heist against the people who used to babysit me, and that I myself had planned it.

No, but they betrayed me first. This was just due diligence, a stroke of justice.

The kindness I had once wanted to repay someday had been done for me, by them canceling the order entirely by refusing to go against their orders and help me and my father.

Rushes of memories could be found in each and every room of this building, if I so chose to do that. But I couldn't. I was in a time crunch and... there was nothing left for me here. Nothing but memories. And those... those I kept with me, anyway.

I got back to work.

It wouldn't take long to get to the medical wing now. If I had taken the hallway, that was certifiably the "long way" but this had shaved off precious minutes from that. So I now went from room to room, dashing from hall to hall, ducking into doorways and hiding where I could at every single noise I heard, human or not.

But I didn't slow down for too long. I went quickly, or as quickly as I safely could. An internal clock running down in my head motivated me to keep moving, to never stop moving for each second lost could mean that I miss being picked up by Levi and have to find another way out of here. It wasn't that I couldn't, but I didn't want to be in here longer than I needed to.

The medical wing was, as usual, completely empty except for a single nurse they hired to be here full-time. Because they didn't work too hard, the soldiers here never really got hurt... save for those that got murdered, but there was nothing a nurse could do about that.

Still.

For as boring as the job surely was, the nurse was reading when I peeked into the room. I ducked down underneath one of the beds when she stood, her eyes lifting from the book to find nothing, not even a rat. She crossed the room, her heeled shoes clacking against the floor and she walked right by me and out the door, as though knowing that I wanted her out of the room.

Huh, I thought. Lucky.

I came out from under the bed only once I was sure she was gone and jogged over to the large - and locked - storage cabinet on the other end of the room. It was a simple lock, but even if it wasn't, I was more than prepared to handle it. I slid a pin from my hair and got to work picking it.

Noiselessly, it swung open, and I scanned the shelves to detail what was inside, glancing over my shoulder occasionally to ensure that I didn't have sudden company. The pockets of my pants were practically nonexistent, but I at least had the sense to bring a cloth bag with me with ties to keep it closed.

With the bag now in my hands, I stuffed it full of all kinds of medical supplies: painkillers, gauze, bandages, throat lozenges, medicine to help break a fever. I was hardly looking at what I was grabbing, because it didn't matter. Any medicine was more than what anyone in this damn city had. So I swiped my arm along the shelves, catching whatever I could inside the bag.

Unfortunately, with a thousand little pills in a hundred little bottles now jostling around in it, I'd have to make sure I was extra quiet and didn't move too unpredictably or risk making a right racket.

I tied the bag, strapped it to my body, and shut the cabinet, just to be nice.

Then I left the room.

All I had to do now was get to the courtyard where Levi would assuredly be waiting for me. It was easy! Well, it should have been, anyway. Actually, quite contrary to the luck I'd had all morning so far, I faced my first true bit of bad luck today when, as I walked down a hallway leading to the courtyard, a group of soldiers turned down the same hall suddenly and I was forced to sneak into a closet before they could see or hear me.

Their footsteps approached, and their voices grew louder, but thankfully, it seemed that they were all far too engrossed in whatever they were talking about to have looked up and noticed a strange woman clutching a bulging sack of what looked like pill bottles slink into a closet. And thank goodness for that.

But as they approached and then passed, I was able to overhear parts of their conversation.

"Are you kidding?"

"No," responded another. "I wish I was."

"How the hell does that even happen?"

"I don't know. All we know is that the delivery was late and the boxes were full of shit."

"Like, literal shit?"

"Close enough. Trash and broken shit and I'm sure some actual shit was mixed in, too."

"It's like a bad joke."

"You're telling me."

"So now we have to... what?"

"Go for a meeting in the courtyard. How many times do I have to say it?"

I don't know how many times you have said it already, I thought, but I am incredibly grateful for your dunce of a partner making you say it again.

That would certainly throw a wrench into my escape plan. It wouldn't be impossible, of course it wouldn't. It would just be a little harder than I had anticipated. But so long as Levi was still waiting, I still had an easy way out. I just needed a way to get there and not get tackled and handcuffed straight away.

Find a solution. Find a distraction. Find any way to obscure myself. Find a...

My eyes caught on one of the bottles in the closet. Looking around, actually, there were a lot of bottles. Different cleaning chemicals, even some... cooking stuff? Oh, this was a secondary pantry and cleaning closet. Thinking about it, it made sense. I was near the mess hall. And these pigs were certainly gluttons. Non-perishable items like sugar were in here, but so too were so many chemicals and salts, including one that planted an idea in my mind right away.

The salt in question could be used in medicine, in fertilizer, or used to make gunpowder if utilized properly. It was a dynamic, versatile, very useful chemical. Oh, yes, I thought as I eyed the sugar. Incredibly useful.

Potassium nitrate and sugar - the ingredients for a smoke bomb alongside water. El had made one once for one of my birthdays. It hadn't been the best idea, because the entire neighborhood had been smoky and hazy for days until it all slowly ventilated out, but it had been wonderful to help him make and watch burn. He was the only reason I knew of it, and perhaps being here - in a place so riddled with memories of him - was the only reason I was able to recall it now.

I couldn't believe it. El was helping me, even now. Hell, he was helping me rob the very place that had employed him. The irony was not lost on me, but it was fun. Very fun. Oh, this would be good.

I smiled as I made it, thankful that there was water in here as well. I had to work around how little time I had left as I hurried to make it, using only enough water not to douse it, but to make it work, because I didn't have time to let it dry. Hopefully this will work as intended. If not, well, at least I tried.

As it was, I needed it fast, not perfect, and soon, I had a verifiable, certified smoke bomb in my hands just waiting to be used. All I had to do now was walk in, search for Levi and if spotted, use the bomb to cause a distraction. And then... leave. If all went well, we'd be home-free from there.

I couldn't help but smile as I stood and left the closet. I didn't even bother being discreet anymore - I didn't need to. I walked the halls proudly, for I knew how best to slip into a crowd and the way to do that was not to sneak around and bring attention to yourself by acting suspiciously. No, if I acted like I was supposed to be here, I could walk right into the crowd and remain undetected.

Hopefully.

In a bold move, I lowered the hood from my head. Perhaps someone might recognize me, but then again... let them know. Go ahead. Let them know who broke into their base, stole Reyes' gear and an entire shipment of gas, and a myriad of medicines and other goodies. I wasn't afraid.

What was happening... It was their fault.

It was easy enough to walk to the courtyard. I passed through the door and into the open air of the courtyard quietly. Located in this courtyard was the cemetery memorializing all the soldiers who had died here. As I walked past the lines of graves, the soldiers that stood in clumps talking and waiting for their section commander to arrive and address them didn't notice me. Not at all. I passed through as noiselessly as a ghost, undetected and unseen.

I came to a stop by El's grave, looking over the words on the gravestone. "Hey, dad," I said quietly. "Nice to see you."

I glanced over my shoulder, letting my gaze drift upwards until I could make out the figure of Levi crouched on the roof, waiting for me. And when our eyes met, I nodded, but just at that moment, I realized I shouldn't have, because one of the soldiers noticed me.

"Hey, you," she called out. "No visitors right now." Then, to another soldier: "Why the hell would a visitor be allowed in when we all know damn well that there's a meeting in a few minutes?"

"Wait," said a familiar voice. "Wait. No, wait. Is that... are you..."

It was Reyes. Well, I'd been found.

I looked back to the gravestone briefly, reaching into my pocket for a match. I lifted one foot, striking it against the bottom sole, then watched the flame flicker as I drifted my gaze back to the gravestone. "Seems that I've been caught. Bye, dad. I love you and I miss you more every day."

Then, not daring to waste another moment, I lit the bomb and threw it down. I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and hell, it worked better than I thought it would and I braced myself for what I was sure was coming, and it did. I was suddenly grabbed and though I could hear the ruckus of panicked soldiers trying to reach me, I wasn't scared, because I knew who it was who had grabbed me and it was no soldier, it was Levi.

He hefted me into his arms with little more than a grunt and I held on for dear life as we suddenly swung into the air with a burst of gas that did little to disturb the smoke still coming from the bomb. "You're lucky I was paying attention," he muttered as we swung up and over the rooftop.

I fought the urge to laugh, but ultimately lost. Something about his dry humor was terribly endearing to me, and somehow I felt that luck had nothing to do with it. I wasn't sure what it was, and because of the luck I'd been having already today it very well could have been luck, but right now, I felt that it was something else.

But I didn't dwell on it.

"Shit," Levi said. "This won't work." He'd grabbed me like how one would carry their bride, but evidently, it was getting in the way of the gear. So he hooked onto a building and slowed to a stop on its roof. "Move."

"Move how?"

He looked over his shoulder. We'd put some distance between us and the base but it wouldn't take long for someone to give chase. Smoke still poured steadily from the bomb, obscuring part of the building and that was likely the only thing keeping them from coming right after us.

I got behind him and made to get onto his back, but he turned. "That won't work either," he said. "You'll block the gas."

"Oh," I said. "Then how...?"

With a huff, he set the controller grips back in their holsters at his chest then took hold of my hips. Once more, hefted me up unceremoniously. I got the picture and - albeit awkwardly - wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

His hands that had helped steady me as I did grabbed the controller grips once more, and he approached the edge of the building. I turned my head and peeked over my shoulder as he reached the edge and suddenly I was suspended over a long drop down, clinging to a man I barely knew.

I clung tighter to him and if he noticed, he didn't voice it, though when I turned my head to a more natural position I caught a glimpse of what might have been a smirk on his lips. "Ready?"

I didn't even have a chance to answer before he leapt from the roof and the words I'd been preparing to say all died in my throat to be replaced by a surprised yelp. It was bad enough that I was clinging to him in such an... intimate way, but I'd never actually gone so fast and to not at all be in control of what was happening, and to know that letting go even a little bit would mean certain doom...

I understood that logically, keeping myself like this was the only way for me to be held by him that wouldn't impede the gear's boxes, gas, or controller grips, while still allowing him to maintain control of his body, but it was so... so intimate!

And did he have to do so many unnecessary flips?!

I didn't realize I had my eyes scrunched shut and my face buried against his neck until he said something. "Amaya," he said gruffly, "your hair. Do something about it."

"Huh? Oh, sorry," I said, getting myself together just enough to hold on tighter with one arm as the other held my hair back. "Better?"

"For now."

"For now," I repeated incredulously. "What, will I have to braid it too?"

I could feel more than hear his chuckle, and from what I could tell, he was pleased. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Enough medicine and bandages to last years," I answered proudly. "A lot of it we can keep, but I think we can sell some of it."

He hummed thoughtfully. "I know a few people who could benefit from having some."

"Good, then," I said. "I'm glad."

"The smoke bomb," he said then. "Did you make it?"

"I did," I answered with a smile, and for a moment I was able to forget the stomach-churning sensation of flying backwards. I even turned my head inwards towards Levi and looked over my shoulder, watching as we zoomed between buildings and along streets in a roundabout way of getting home.

Home. I could hardly believe the plan had worked and that we had made it out. There was no one on our tail and really, all we had to do was get home. Our home. Goodness, that was strange to say.

"How?"

"Sugar, water, and one of the salts used in cleaning supplies and fertilizer - potassium nitrate. I overheard that they were gathering for a meeting in the courtyard so I knew I'd need a way to obscure myself, just in case. So I whipped it up in a closet."

There was a certain tone in his voice that almost sounded like he was impressed when all he said in response was a simple, "Huh."

"I can show you, if you want," I offered, just before Levi took us down a steep dive right towards the ground and I ducked back towards his neck. "Is this necessary?!"

"No," he responded.

"So why are you doing it?"

I opened one eye as we leveled up and he shot us back up into the air. For another moment, we were suspended in the air, reaching the top of our arc before starting to freefall. Not that it lasted long, for Levi shot out one of his wires and suddenly we were flying forward again.

I glanced into his eyes and saw... amusement?

"Don't tell me you find tormenting me fun," I gasped. When he didn't reply, I knew that it was true. "Levi!"

His only response was a self-satisfied smirk.

"You're awful," I muttered. "Can't we just go home?"

"What a brat," Levi said, no trace of amusement in his voice but instead there was a certain level of teasing, instead, followed by what could have been an indulgent sigh. "Fine. As you wish."

"Thank you," I said, relieved, only for my mind to take in all that he had said.

...

"What the hell did you just call me?!"

—

The mission had been a success. I had secured not one, but two sets of 3DMG, and an entire shipment of gas. Additionally, we now had a variety of medicines and other medical supplies, some of which we would keep for ourselves but what we had in excess would be going to those who needed it.

And around here, that was just about everybody.

Right now, the three of us were gathered at the kitchen table. The only spot of light in the room was the single candle lit in the center, and our plates from dinner had been long since cleared away. We were just... talking. Enjoying each other's company. Remarking on the day.

In a lull between conversations, Farlan leaned back in his seat and smiled at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you did it," he said. "I knew you were a skilled thief, but I don't know anyone who's ever attempted this."

"Yes, you do," Levi corrected him before taking a sip of tea. When he lowered the cup from his lips, one of his eyebrows arched upwards, expecting Farlan to clue into who he was talking about already.

"Oh," Farlan said, finally getting the picture. "You mean Tilly. Fine. I don't know anyone who attempted it and didn't get tossed into a cell for life."

"She was an idiot," Levi noted, setting his teacup down.

"I don't know what I saw in her," Farlan sighed.

One of my own eyebrows arched up as I regarded Farlan. "You make it a habit to invite women you like into this group?"

"Huh? Ah, shit, no. Sorry, Amaya. I can see how you'd think that, but she wasn't in the group. I was considering it, but..."

"She was overzealous," Levi said dryly. "She bit off more than she could chew to try to impress Farlan and it bit her back."

"Don't make it sound like I made her do it," Farlan muttered. "I tried talking her out of it." He looked at me then, smiling ruefully. "I'd been sick at the time. She had wanted to help me feel better, so she tried breaking in to steal some medicine for me, but it didn't work."

"But you got better, at least," I said. "That's a good thing."

"Sure," Farlan said. "It wasn't a terribly bad sickness, just a head cold or something. It wouldn't have killed me, and it didn't. But she wanted to help so badly."

"I see," I said. "Well, it was a damn good thing I knew that building so well."

"Yeah," Farlan said. "This might be the biggest haul we've ever gotten in one day. I assume that's enough proving herself for you, Levi?"

Levi remained silent for a moment, his eyes searching mine. Then, he nodded. Farlan grinned, and I balked at Levi. "Really?"

Levi looked at me like I had three heads. "You stole two sets of gear when we told you only one. You don't think that alone is enough, idiot?"

I ignored the fact he called me an idiot. I was too busy smiling, looking at Farlan who shared in my excitement. "So, it's official then?"

"It's official," Farlan agreed. "Right, Levi?"

"Right. But this was just one day. I hope that wasn't everything you have to offer."

"It's not," I said resolutely. "I'll keep surprising you, don't you worry."

He actually seemed impressed by my words. "I'll hold you to that."

"Next time," Farlan piped in, "don't use the whole self-sacrifice route. Got it?"

"Why not?"

"We're a team now," he explained.

"If I plan something, responsibility falls to me," I argued.

"Aren't you listening? You're part of us now, Amaya. As you help us, we'll help you. You're part of the family. So long as you fight for us, we'll fight for you."

Family.

I hadn't realized I had said it aloud, not until Farlan laughed a little.

"Yeah, family. Levi won't admit it, but he'd be lost without me. And now, he'd be lost without you."

"Watch it," Levi said to him in warning.

Farlan shrugged, though a playful smile remained on his face. When he looked back at me, the smile faded and he grew worried. Very worried. "Amaya, are you... You're not crying, are you?"

"The hell are the tears for?"

"I'm sorry," I said, smiling a watery smile even as a tear rolled down my cheek. Since when had I been so quickly brought to tears, over something... so good? "It's just been a while since I've been part of one. I'm just... I'm happy. Thank you both, truly."

Levi and Farlan shared a look. I lifted one hand to wipe my tears away, but suddenly a handkerchief was presented to me. I looked up at Levi, the question clear in my eyes. "Just use it," Levi said. "I don't need you getting snot all over the table."

I couldn't help but laugh as I took it into my hand and started to dry my eyes and cheeks, and blew my nose for good measure. I tucked it away for now in my lap, making a mental note for myself to wash it later.

"Your father, the Military Policeman," Levi said. "What happened to him to make you hate them so much?"

"It's a long story," I warned.

"And we've got time," Farlan assured me. "Go ahead. Tell us the story of Amaya."

—

Days Later:

I stood now on the roof of our home with the unfamiliar, heavy weight of gear against my body. Hell, all of it was unfamiliar, all of it was heavy, and all of it was undeniably strange and uncomfortable. It'd been awkward enough watching and following alone - and failing to copy - as Farlan showed how to put the harness, straps, and belts on, and he had needed to help me ensure that it was fitted properly.

And now I stood here awkwardly, wondering how on earth rolling my shoulder might possibly make me feel the straps looping beneath my heel shift. I knew scientifically that the entire body was connected and a prick to your finger might relieve an ache in your neck, but these were straps on my body, not a series of interconnected muscle and tissue and nerves.

The whole concept was weird, but I was outfitted in everything I would need to fly... or try to, anyway.

Farlan was standing off to my side explaining things I should have been listening to but I was too preoccupied trying to count how many damn buckles were on my body at the moment. I felt the weight of Levi's watchful gaze on my profile and I was distinctly aware of the fact that he saw the way I grimaced when after experimentally lifting my leg, I felt a tightness on my opposite shoulder.

I did what I could to ignore Levi and listen to Farlan, however fruitless the venture was.

"Vertical maneuvering equipment revolutionizes combat," he was explaining. "It enables us to fight in a three-dimensional space, no longer confining us to a flat plane. Although it can grant a skilled, dedicated user incredible mobility, speed, and increased options during combat and travel, it is demanding. It requires strength, skill, balance, and a hell of a lot of patience."

Right. All that made sense. Why the hell did he waste time explaining it?

Farlan looked at me seriously. "It's not likely you'll actually get to fly today. This is dangerous, and because we don't have training equipment, you have to get your body used to it quickly and all at once." He cleared his throat. "That isn't to say that I don't have faith you can do it, I just know firsthand how difficult it can be to jump right into it."

I had a feeling that he was speaking on whatever struggles he encountered while first learning the gear with Levi. If I had to guess, I was sure Levi took to it like a fish to water, or in this case, a bird to the air.

"Obviously you're well acquainted with the harness and belts," Farlan continued.

"Unfortunately," I muttered under my breath.

"But you should also know what else there is. Hand grips, otherwise known as the controller grips, the body of the device containing the steel hooks, the compressed gas cylinder located above the gear box where the blades are stored, and the fan. Now, I checked both sets of gear we stole, and while both had some wear and tear, they're in very good condition. It's important to maintain them if you want them to work."

"Right."

"The basics are simple in theory. Fire off a hook, let it grapple, reel yourself in and let go of the hook to propel yourself forward. But even just training to do that is exceedingly difficult. The gas mechanism itself is powerful enough to bring you forward without needing to hook, but to master maneuvering your body to aim it and master your trajectory and speed will take time."

"Sure."

"You don't sound like you're paying attention."

"Huh? I am, though."

"You're ogling Levi."

I nearly choked, realizing that I had been staring at him, probably an instinctual thing as my mind registered that he was still looking at me. But while that was true, I had absolutely not been making anything so childish as ogling him. "I was not!"

"This is important," Farlan said. "Come on. You have to listen."

"I'm trying," I argued, "but Levi was staring at me, first!"

"Tch-!"

"Oh, come on. Does that matter?"

"It does!"

"I was not staring at you, moron!"

"You two sound like children. Get over yourselves. Amaya, just listen. Or would you prefer I just push you off and let you figure it out?"

"Trial by fire," I mused playfully, walking myself to the edge of the roof. "I like it."

"Really?"

"No, dipshit," I responded. "Teach me the ways, Mr. Church."

He started with a demonstration, first, of each part and what they did. He showed me where the wires shoot out from, what the different triggers on the controller grips did and what switches and buttons could be pressed to regulate different things regarding gas outtake.

At last, it was time for us to begin actually using the gear, and immediately my hands became clammy and my stomach leapt up into my throat. But seeing Levi and Farlan watching me so intently, I was motivated to do it, no matter how bad my nerves were.

I readjusted my fingers against the triggers in their grips. "You're sure I should just go for it like this? Aren't there... I don't know, textbooks for this kind of thing that I can read? Or an instruction manual?"

"Most people down here are illiterate, Amaya," Farlan drawled out. "Even if the MP's needed it, they wouldn't give it to us, but since they're trained already, there aren't any for us to steal. When we got this gear we didn't bother to ask if there was a curriculum they could share with us, sorry."

"Maybe ask next time," I advised.

"You're not scared, are you?"

"No," I said, ignoring the way my tongue went dry with the lie. "But you'll catch me if I fall or something, right?"

"Of course," he said with a warm smile, seeing right through my words and picking up the fact that I was, in fact, scared. "Not until the last moment, anyway, like a hero."

"Asshole," I responded quietly, filled now with a sudden bout of probably unwarranted confidence. I focused, shifted my hips slightly, and pressed a trigger, releasing a single wire. It shot off towards the building on the other side of the street and latched on with a jarring thud of metal against stone.

"Good," Farlan said. "Now, jump off."

"Excuse me?"

"Use a little bit of gas and jump. Feel free to fire off your other wire too. It'll make it a bit easier for you. You need to learn to land against walls and things without breaking your ankles, so make sure to roll through your foot and bend your knees to cushion the impact."

"You must think I'm stupid."

"Here," Farlan said, taking a few steps away and firing off both wires. "I'll show you, then we can do it together. How about that?"

I leaned forward with the intent to peek down at the ground to see how far I was from my certain death, but even that slight movement had lots of resistance from the gear, and the wires - wanting to reel in - threatened to pull me off. And I would've fallen, if there wasn't a sudden hand pulling me back by the harness, making me stumble backwards against his chest. I looked over my shoulder to see Levi.

"Be more careful, stupid."

"Thanks," I said quietly, unable to think even of how stupid of a death that would have been, due because of the close proximity I currently shared with Levi.

"Off to a good start," he said, and I hated that my cheeks flushed and I reacted exactly as he wanted me to in response to his light teasing.

"Shut it," I muttered embarrassedly. "We can't all be prodigies, Levi."

—

"I can't believe it," Farlan huffed irately. "How the hell did I end up surrounded by prodigies? Why was I so shit in the beginning?"

"I'm not a prodigy," I argued with a laugh.

With an expertly placed hook to the roof and a short burst of gas to lift my body up above it, I released the hook and landed softly against the rooftop of our home. I jogged for a few steps as momentum kept me going, and when I stopped, I turned and looked at Levi who was once more sitting on a box and had been awaiting our return.

"Levi," I said happily, "did you see?"

"I saw you almost miss hooking to a building," he told me.

"Besides that," I said with a huff. "Why do you have to only look at what I did wrong?"

"Because what you did wrong could get you killed," he said. The words were harsh, and so was his tone, but there was an underlying sense of care beneath it all. I could only tell it was there because of his eyes, and... why they hell was I looking into them so intently?

"Right," I said, my happy mood sobering a bit. "Sorry."

He shook his head as though to tell me not to apologize to him. "You did well."

"Thank you," I said, joy and gratitude lifting my heart a little. I wasn't sure what it was about it that had my heart beating a little faster, but there was something, and I felt like I didn't want to know. "I'll admit, when I missed that wire I was scared but I didn't panic, I just-"

"Remembered the expert tips that Farlan told me," Farlan said in a sing-song voice likely meant to imitate my own. I stepped back from Levi a few paces so I could face them both, though for now I sent Farlan a look that told him silently to buzz off. "I'm shocked you went so fast on your first flight. Are you insane?"

"I don't know, maybe," I answered. "It was just... fun. I wanted to see how fast I could go!"

"And you left Farlan in the dust," Levi noted, standing up. "But let's see how fast you really are."

"Wait," I said, growing nervous. If he was implying a race against him, there was no damn way I would come close! "This is only my first day, and..."

"And I saw you use maneuvers that Farlan took weeks to figure out," he interrupted.

"What the hell?!" Farlan cried out, tired of being made fun of and of course, called out. The sight of such a tall man being upset over something so trivial, and pouting as a result, was terribly funny to me and so I laughed, thereby only making his pout intensify. "Don't laugh! It's not true!"

"If you're scared," Levi said directly to me, "then stay here."

And with no other warning, he leapt from the roof, falling straight down. Logically, I knew that he was a master with the gear. I'd seen as much on those nights sitting out on the roof of my old apartment. But my heart leapt up into my throat as the thought that he was falling to the stone ground below.

I... don't know why I did it, but I leapt after him. Without hesitation.

"Amaya," I heard Farlan cry out, and then his rapid footsteps nearing the edge of the roof.

I wanted to call out that I was fine to him, but I didn't, because I was so focused on Levi's movements. He was diving straight down towards the ground, not daring to spare even a glance up at me to see if I was following - at least, not until he shot out a wire and as he twisted his body to allow for the movement, he turned his head.

He actually looked impressed when his eyes locked onto mine, and time seemed to slow as I smiled. Something about the freefall... of being at the mercy of physics, only to fight back against it at the last moment...

And speaking on that last moment, that's what I waited for, just as he did, to send out a wire, and that initiated quite the chase.

For a while, he zipped along the street with his body only inches from the stone, using only enough gas to keep him from hitting it. Occasionally, he let his feet touch the ground, only to sprint forward a few paces then spring back up into the air, and I would follow. The first time I tried, I stumbled slightly, righting myself only with the help of a wire. The second time I tried, I stumbled again, but managed to right myself and leap back up into the air unassisted.

And the third time I tried, I did not stumble.

Levi had turned over to fly backwards so he could watch me, and though my eyes had been trained downwards towards the ground zooming so quickly beneath my feet, when I successfully managed to leap back up and seamlessly start using just enough gas to stay afloat, I looked up, met his gaze, and grinned.

He nodded at me, as though impressed and approving, then turned back over and suddenly shot off a wire far to our right. I hadn't realized we had reached one of the town squares, filled with people despite the late hour, and that made me nervous. I didn't react as quickly as he had and so hooking to what he had was impossible. So I redirected my body and let the gas lift me high up into the air.

When he glanced over his shoulder and didn't see me behind him, I could tell he was confused, but I called out to him and when his eyes found mine, one of his eyebrows arched upwards. He looked forward once again - just in time to dodge a moving (spoiled) fruit cart, and I followed diligently. I alternated firing a wire off to my left and to my right to buildings on each side of the street.

Actually... I tried not letting it hook. If I allowed it to get close, then started to reel it in, I could get a slight burst of speed without the use of gas. I tried it the same way, but using gas as well, and... Suddenly, I was just behind Levi. I bit my lip with concentration and did it again, waiting half a moment longer to release the gas and... I passed him!

A jubilant burst of laughter escaped my lips and I kept going. If the gas was powerful enough to keep a person flying in the air, then so were the wires, and I was right! I looked over my shoulder as I dropped down a few feet, staying ahead of him. His eyes were wide, and he was watching my movements carefully, and a proud smile lifted my lips and I figured if I was in the lead, I may as well have a bit of fun leading him around.

I dove back towards the ground only to slingshot back into the air, releasing both hooks and doing a slow, controlled backflip through the air. The move cost me some time, but I didn't care, because even when Levi caught up, he didn't seem too focused on passing me again. Rather, we just flew together, and he seemed to anticipate my movements before I even made them. As I got into the groove of it, I started to watch his movements, to see what techniques he used and his style of flight.

When I started to propel myself further upwards, he followed, doing so with ease. When I hooked to a stalactite and allowed myself to swing around it, using it as a fulcrum to do so, Levi followed. When I allowed myself to freefall, so did Levi.

I knew how high I was in the air, and so I allowed myself a moment to close my eyes, to appreciate the feeling of being so free. There was a smile on my face and with my eyes closed, the rest of my senses were heightened and I could hear the wind whistling by my ears, feel the muggy air cold against my warmed skin from working so hard and moving so quickly, feel the air rushing past my clothes and through my hair.

My stomach lurched when I snapped my eyes open and shot off a wire to a large apartment building, one of the largest buildings here in the entire city. Levi passed me by then, but slowed immediately as we both heard the sound of other sets of gear.

"You there! Stop!"

I landed next to Levi against the edge of a building, hanging suspended by one wire with my feet pressed into the stone wall. "Follow me," he said, and I nodded.

"Right behind you!"

It could only have been the Military Police chasing us, and when I chanced a glance behind me as I leapt into action right after Levi, I confirmed that. A group of three were chasing us, but Levi still carried about him a sense of peacefulness and calm, and a certain steadiness as well. He'd done this many times which surely warranted a certain level of confidence that he could get away this time as well, but he looked over his shoulder to look at me often as though to make sure that I was still with him, that I hadn't been caught.

I followed his every movement, getting a feel for how he usually flew. We made more and more distance between us and the Military Policemen, and whenever I glanced down at the people we flew over, I was met always with wide eyed looks, mouths agape and shock clear on their faces. Shock, maybe, that people were simply using the gear that weren't soldiers, but when I saw that much of the focus was on me and not Levi, I realized that perhaps they were shocked that another person had joined him and Farlan.

My heart swelled with pride at the thought.

I continued to follow Levi just as the soldiers continued to pursue us. And when he flew suddenly into a narrow alleyway, I had no choice but to follow. "Oh, holy shit," I muttered, doing what I could to match his rapid pace of sending out wires to ensure he passed safely along the alley.

"Keeping up?"

"Kinda," I replied. I risked a glance behind me. The MP's had followed us here, but weren't foolish enough to try flying through as we were, and as such, they were forced to pick their way through the rubble. Why one didn't fly over the buildings to ambush on the other side, I didn't know, but it was funny to watch.

"Focus," Levi called, and I did, facing forward again. This alley intersected with another and he took a sharp turn along the one it crossed. I followed diligently, finding it was easier to navigate through this one and soon, he let himself zip up higher into the air.

I copied his movements and soon we had clambered onto a small balcony that might have been one whoever lived here could have walked out onto, but now was boarded up so there was no way inside from here, but we didn't need for there to be. Crouching on the balcony, high up as it was, kept us hidden enough.

Precious seconds later, we heard the heavy, clambering footsteps of the policemen running by and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to hide my laughter. Only when they were out of sight did I lower my hand.

Choosing to appreciate the break while I had it, I lowered myself from the crouch to sit more comfortably against the stone floor of the balcony and Levi slowly, hesitantly, followed my lead, now.

"So," I said, "how am I doing?"

"Better than expected," he replied, and even that admission was enough to have me smiling widely. "You seem to like it."

"I love it," I said truthfully. "It's so fun, and it's freeing and wonderful and a million other things. You know, my father wanted to teach me one day but never got the chance but I'm just happy I'm doing it now. I've never felt so free in my life and I'm even more excited now to reach the surface because can you imagine doing this in the sun? Or in rain? I..."

I trailed off when one of his eyebrows rose and I realized I'd just blabbered nonsense in a rush at him. My smile turned sheepish and though I couldn't be rid of the excitement bubbling up in my chest, I could at the very least keep hold of it.

Levi shook his head... maybe incredulously, maybe fondly, but there was something strange in his eyes...

"How'd you pass me?"

"Oh," I said, my smile turning mischievous. " could tell you, or I could keep it a secret."

"I could just watch you do it and figure it out."

"Were you not watching me then? And you didn't figure it out yet?"

For a moment, he seemed speechless. My smile grew sly and the silence stretched on for a few moments.

"Do people usually stare?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you use the gear," I elaborated. "Do people usually stare at you?"

"You used to," he reminded me.

"I know," I said, "but I knew you. Kinda, anyway. I'd watch you and Farlan because I knew you."

"People usually look," Levi said. "Does it make you nervous?"

"If you're asking if I have performance anxiety, no," I answered with a laugh. I drew my knees up towards my chest and looped my arms around them. Levi seemed to relax a bit, leaning back against the wall of the balcony.

"They don't have gear," Levi went on to say.

"It's jealousy, then?"

"Maybe," he said. He must have seen a plan starting to form through the expression on my face, because he shook his head. "I don't like that look in your eye. Don't go getting any ideas. I doubt we'd be able to steal enough for the entire city without them noticing."

"You don't know that," I countered. "They're not the brightest."

He considered it. "True enough."

"So, I assume it's official?"

"What is?"

"That I'm on the team," I said. "That I'm one of you."

He looked at me strangely. "It was as soon as your stupid ass didn't get caught or die getting your set of gear."

"I am not stupid," I responded, smiling through the words. "It'll do you well not to call me that again."

"It'll do you well not to fall behind on the way back," Levi said, standing up. Something in his eyes was playful, teasing, and I stood in order to rise to his challenge. I had no time to react or try to get ahead before he vaulted over the side of the balcony and shot off a wire.

"That's not fair," I said, laughing all the while as I made to pass him.

And just like before, we raced.

But unlike before, this time we raced all the way home.