Although Levi and Mikasa could stand up in the dim tunnel, it was not wide enough for them to stretch out their arms. Still, they proceeded on the only way they could, slowly.

"Yeah, we are really going to have to find a torch at some point." Mikasa said.

"It'll be our priority, right after we find a key for these." Levi said, pulling his arm on the handcuffs.

"I've got to agree with you there."

They walked for a short time in silence, neither of them knowing what to say to each other.

After all, we practically know nothing about each other.

Levi had mulled over this thought to himself, as he scanned the metal walls that made up the tunnel in front of them. It appeared that the tunnel was made of metal sheeting, with pillars of rivets connecting them together. The rest of the tunnel was spartan save these small details that Levi had noticed.

Suddenly, Mikasa stopped in her tracks. Levi, not noticing that Mikasa had stopped, bumped into her.

"What the hell?"

But just as the words escaped his mouth, Levi had caught a flash of light from the corner of his eye. The direction of which, Mikasa was now looking at – there was no doubt in Levi's mind that she too had seen the flash of light. Mikasa was already standing on the tips of her toes and reached up with her hand. With her hand grasped firmly on the object she stood back onto the flats of her feet.

"What is it?" Levi said, the lack of light preventing him from seeing the object.

Mikasa was silent as she traced her fingers over the object. She knew exactly what it was when she first touched the leather grip.

"It's a knife." Mikasa said, Levi struggling to hear, as her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Levi got the impression that something in those few seconds had changed in Mikasa. Yet, he dared not say anything, he waited to see what Mikasa would say or do next. Levi couldn't be sure because of the darkness, but he was sure that Mikasa was just skimming her fingers over the blade of the knife, over and over again. To Levi, Mikasa seemed totally and utterly entranced by the knife. Slowly, Mikasa's hand moved to her abdomen.

"Are you going to be sick again? Because if you are, can you make sure do to it away from my direction?" Levi said with some haste.

Mikasa finally raised her head to look at Levi, seemingly out of whatever trance she was in.

"Erm...let's see if this thing can get our cuffs off, shall we?" Mikasa suggested, but her bright tone did not deceive Levi.

And just like that, things are back to normal? I don't think so.

"What was that?" Levi asked.

"What was what?"

"You. With the knife?"

"Nothing." Mikasa said, her tone defensive.

"Tch. Whatever. But soon, you'll have no choice but to trust me."

Mikasa said nothing, but lifted up her cuffed hand and tried to pry open the lock of the cuffs, to no avail. Even when Levi tried, the cuffs did not budge, but the metal was left with scuffed marks to show their efforts in vain. The pair decided to move on, and Levi suggested keeping the knife on their persons. Mikasa did not even give Levi the option of carrying it, when she immediately stashed it away in a pocket of her jumpsuit.

"We should keep it a secret... just between us." Levi suggested.

On that, both of them agreed without any issue.

"Yes, just in case." Mikasa said.

Indeed. Just in case.

The pair were nearing closer to source of the light in the tunnel, which appear to be coming from a grate down low in the wall. It reminded Levi of the panel they themselves had crawled through to get in here.

Mikasa and Levi, without saying a word to each both knelt down side by side to look out of the grate. There was another room, one that they had not visited before. The floor was made up of large flag stones. But there appeared to be four large pits filled with mud. Without making a sound, Mikasa prodding Levi's shoulder and pointed to something in the corner of the room.

A man with blonde hair, and a thin moustache was lying on the floor.

"Should we wake him up?" Mikasa asked.

Levi did not answer, needing time to think to himself.

Mikasa took a few seconds of her own, to muse to herself.

"Perhaps we should keep quiet about everything we've seen - the knife, the tunnel, this new room, and that guy down there. Who knows when all of this information might be useful?" Mikasa proposed.

Levi nodded.

"We should see how all of this plays out... I agree."

With that, the pair decided to head back down the tunnel to the grate that lead back to the aquarium. Mikasa and Levi walked in silence; the air was steely between them.

Something about that knife had done something to her...

"Did you notice this before?" Mikasa asked, pointing to something on the wall.

On the wall of the tunnel printed in black was the word "MIRK".

"What do you think it means?" Mikasa said, taking out the notepad from her pocket and writing the word down with her pencil.

"It could mean a hundred things... or nothing." Levi imparted, and shrugged his shoulders.

Mikasa smirked, and put the pencil and notepad back in her pocket.

"Now, I know that you don't believe that." Mikasa said, the smirk curling the end of her lips.

Levi turned to look at Mikasa.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"You are smarter than that." Mikasa said, proceeding to step away from Levi and towards to grate.

Levi's cuffed hand grabbed her wrist.

"What makes you think that?" He said, frustrated with her half answers.

Mikasa's eyes widened with a look of panic and she yanked her wrist out of his grasp. She quickly stepped away from Levi, as if trying to escape from him. But they were still handcuffed to each, so the more the backed away from him, the more he had to step towards her. Levi made a mental note to himself that she was as quick as she was strong.

"Mikasa! We are handcuffed!" Levi urged.

"Don't touch me! I don't like being touched!" Levi could detect fear in Mikasa's voice.

Taken aback, Levi put his hands up in a surrendering gesture, until Mikasa finally stopped moving. Levi had never thought he would see the day when Mikasa would appear to be afraid of anything.

"I'm sorry – I didn't know. It won't happen again." Levi said, hoping that she realised that he meant it.

Mikasa nodded, looking away from Levi.

"In answer to your question, I can practically hear the cogs turning in your head whenever we find new information." Mikasa said quietly.

The pair climbed through the grate, and were met by the familiar blue glow of the aquarium and it sea life. Levi fastened the grate back in place, so that it looked like it had not been moved in the first place.

Levi wanted ask Mikasa why she had reacted the way she did, when he had touched her wrist. But he decided that right now was not the best time.

"So are we heading straight back to the Library, Mikasa?" Levi asked. He wanted her to feel like she was in control of the situation.

"Yes. I think we've seen enough here." Her voice was cold and her words concise.

The two of them marched on down the corridor in silence.

"I am sorry you know." Levi offered.

Mikasa did not reply to him. They continued down the corridor in silence until the door to the library came within sight.

"We should get our story straight, Levi. We'll say that all we found was the aquarium, nothing else should concern them at this point. Not until we can decide who to trust." Mikasa said in a matter of fact way.

"I agree. Not until we know who to trust." Levi replied. He could already feel his headache coming back.