Straining against his seatbelt Eren curled in on himself, knees to his chest and arms crossed tightly. It wasn't as if he didn't have an excuse for scrunching into a petulant ball. The entire backseat was stuffed with his parents' things, his father's medical bag digging painfully into his hip. There was only just enough room on his left for Mikasa. Tentatively, she wound her hand through the numerous bags until she could find his, then squeezed. Her skin was warm.

Eren's mom noticed the movement. She turned from the passenger seat, trying to smile at them both.

"Oh, Eren." She sighed. "Are you still pouting?"

"Let him be, Kalura. He'll come around once he sees how gorgeous our new home is."

"Grisha. Really."

"I don't care about the house," Eren muttered. His head shot up from where he'd stuffed it between his arms. An angry streak of red marred his forehead. "I liked our old house!"

"Eren." His mom twisted further, trying to reach out to him over the seat. Eren just curled himself away. "We've been over this. That place was a money pit. I'm still shocked it didn't fall down around our heads." She grinned tightly over at Grisha, trying to lighten the mood. "Honestly. I used to have nightmares about the kitchen beams collapsing. I was trapped under them, my legs crushed." She shuddered.

Grisha shook his head. "No creaky beams at this place, dear. Besides, Eren, you know we need to move for my new job. Couldn't have kept the old place if we wanted to."

"That's—" Eren pounded the seat with one hand, his other still gripping Mikasa's. "That doesn't even make sense, Dad! You're a doctor. Shouldn't you have stayed with your patients?"

"Doctoring doesn't work that way. Our village was too small. Sometimes you have to move to where the profit is. Even doctors need to make money."

"That's disgusting."

"Eren!" His mom's ponytail whipped sharply against the window as she turned to chastise him.

"It is. If I were a doctor I wouldn't just leave people because I wasn't making money. You abandoned them, Dad. What about Mrs. Panetta? Or Hannes? He's a war hero! Who's going to take care of him now?"

"There are plenty of other excellent physicians to look after Hannes, Eren." His father sighed. "And don't romanticize the war. You know it upsets your mother." He reached across the seat to squeeze his wife's leg.

"I liked our old neighborhood," Eren insisted, returning to his cocoon.

"Right. Which is why you had so many friends there."

"Grisha!"

"It's true, Kalura. The boy needs to learn to spend five minutes with someone else his age, preferably without getting into a fight."

Eren emerged once more to counter with, "I have Mikasa." He tightened his fingers in hers.

"She's your sister."

"Not technically."

Eren turned to said sister as his parents continued bickering, mouthing a quick 'sorry.' She just shrugged, slinking down into her own cocoon of red scarf. It was nearly ninety degrees out, but Eren knew she'd never take it off. He'd even caught her coming out of the bath with it once, the wool still wrapped tightly around her neck and the fringe soaked with water. It wasn't worth worrying about though. It wasn't as if the scarf hadn't gotten soaked before.

"There, kids. Look!"

The siblings jerked at their mother's voice. As the car rounded the bend the ocean came into view, a massive strip of blue far off to their left. Eren saw Mikasa stiffen slightly, felt the same emotion reflected in his own body, so he shoved aside the medical bag and a box of shoes to get closer to her. He tucked the scarf closer against her skin.

"It's okay," he whispered.

Mikasa had never been comfortable around the ocean, and Eren definitely couldn't blame her. It wasn't like he was any better. Three years ago he and his parents had been at the beach, taking a vacation that they really weren't able to afford. Eren couldn't have been more grateful that they'd splurged though. He'd followed his father down to the sand for a midnight walk, Grisha stretching his legs before bed, Eren chucking shells back into the sea. The winds were high that night and he'd been fascinated by the lightening illuminating the waves, a storm slowly rolling in. Grisha had just called to him that they needed to head in when Eren spotted it.

A dot of white.

It was so obvious that Eren wondered how he'd missed it before (and later, he'd wonder if noticing it faster would have made a difference). It was a tiny boat, stark against the water, the sky-blue coloring he'd admired that morning having darkened to black from the storm. His first thought was that whoever was out there needed to get to shore—fast. It took Eren another five, crucial seconds to realize that they couldn't. The little boat was overturned.

"Dad!"

Grisha realized the implications just moments after his son did. The wind had picked up then, the storm edging closer to the pair, so Grisha had to lean close to be heard. He shook Eren, yelling at him to stay put. Stay here. Grisha ran towards the nearest home, desperate to find help. At the same time Eren took off running for the water.

When he came parallel to the boat Eren realized that it wasn't nearly as far from shore as he'd originally thought. Sneakers filling with sand he'd thrown himself into the ocean, hardly thinking about how icy the water was, or the fact that he'd only mastered swimming a year or so ago. Eren just sucked in great mouthfuls of air, filled with droplets and bits of salt. He kept clawing forward every time the ocean pulled him in a direction he didn't want to go. He had to. He had to because he could see her. Even with all the darkness surrounding them Eren could see the boat clearly, a contrast on the water, and the girl's hair—a rich black that fell past her shoulders—was a sharp contrast to the boat.

Eren swam to her.

When he did reach the girl—choking, weighted down by his clothes—Eren discovered that the only reason she hadn't been torn away was the rope looped round her wrist, keeping her connected to the boat. Eren had vague memories of trying to see if she was injured, calling up the bits and pieces his father had taught him over the dinner table, but ultimately it was useless. The rain was too hard and the wind was too strong. Eren could only see a long, painful-looking gash along her cheek. He tugged the rope away and pulled her into his arms, hoping hysterically that her neck wasn't damaged or something equally awful. Eren was so consumed with these currently inconsequential worries that he didn't even realize why this might be a bad idea. As it was, the second the girl was against him her weight, combined with his, started dragging them down. She was just as tall as him and a whole lot heavier. Eren got a last look at the thundering sky before they both went under.

Then…

Then the next thing he knew they were on the sand, coughing, spluttering, Eren's father screaming and shaking him. Later his parents would theorize that they must have miraculously washed to shore, but Eren had always thought that was a stupid theory. He'd felt how strong the current was beneath him. They'd been sinking down with no way back up. Besides, cuddled against the girl, Eren's forehead pressed to hers, it almost seemed as if they'd been… placed like that.

Not that this theory made any more sense.

The next few hours were a mess of yelling and hospital visits. Eren remembered little of it, except for three things: he learned that the girl's name was Mikasa, that her parents had been on that boat too—and they hadn't made it to shore, forehead to forehead like they had—and lastly, Eren remembered thinking how cold she must be, shivering so hard she could barely speak. Half sick from cold himself, Eren pulled the sopping red scarf from his own neck and wrapped it around hers, never mind that it had probably made her even colder. Mikasa came home with them that night and she hadn't taken the scarf off since.

"You don't have to go swimming or anything," Kalura amended softly.

After a tense second of silence Mikasa nodded. "I know. But… I'll go swimming if Eren does."

Their mom looked hopeful so Eren twitched in what might have been a shrug.

"Maybe."

Kalura faced the road again and Eren leaned in to give his sister a quick, sloppy kiss. He wasn't terribly fond of the water anymore either (an understatement, really…) but he'd go in with her. If she wanted. Maybe….Either way, Eren couldn't actually say he was disappointed as the ocean was once again lost from view. They'd turned onto a side road, winding through a grove of dense trees. Their leaves blocked out a great deal of the sun and Eren shivered, though the temperature of the car hadn't changed. A little bit of the ocean's cold still clung to him.

"Grisha, are you sure you know where you're going?"

"It's fine, Kalura, this is a shortcut. We'll save gas."

Eren rolled his eyes, pressing himself up against Mikasa's ear. "I bet you a sweet that we're completely and totally los—wha!"

Both kids tumbled back as the car hit a rough patch, bouncing and shaking them painfully. Eren's mom latched onto the dashboard while her children dodged falling clothes. His dad just leaned forward, accelerating.

"Dad, what are you—?!"

"Grisha!"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm sure it's just around this bend—oh! What's that then?"

Eren and Mikasa were thrown against the back of their parents' seats as the car came to a sudden stop. Groaning, Eren peered past his mom and saw that they'd just avoided hitting some sort of rock sitting in the middle of the path. Directly behind it was a huge, old-looking tunnel.

"What sort of stupid person puts a rock there?" Eren muttered.

Mikasa popped up behind him. "It's a shrine," she said. She poked his cheek when Eren just stared at her. "Some people believe that spirits inhabit them."

"Very good, Mikasa. How 'bout we get a closer look?"

"Yeah!" Eren scrambled after his father, unwilling to be left behind. His mom was already calling for them both back but if they had to move someplace new they should at least get some adventure out of it. His dad had always understood that better than his mom.

"C'mon, Mikasa." Eren urged. He turned and saw that she was still in the car, her butt in the air as she dug for something in the very back. After a second though she came scurrying out too, leaving their mom to sigh and follow. Mikasa unfurled her fingers to show Eren a small, wrapped chocolate.

"Here," she said. "We're very lost."

Eren laughed. He stuffed the chocolate in his pant's pocket and the two of them ran to catch up.

"You can't really mean to go in there," Kalura was saying. A strong breeze blew through, mussing her hair. She wrapped both arms around her waist and pursed her lips. "Grisha, please. It feels like… like something's pulling us in."

"Oh come now. You kids want to take a look, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Eren said again. He was feeling better than he'd had all day. After seeing his enthusiastic response Mikasa also nodded in agreement. Only Kalura continued to edge away.

"You're welcome to wait in the car, dear."

"No way. You three aren't leaving me alone here."

"Just a quick peek then. I promise."

So the four of them began making their way through the tunnel, their world growing darker the further in they went. Grisha lead while Mikasa walked behind him, scanning the ground for anything they might trip on. Eren and Kalura brought up the rear.

"Mooooom. Don't cling so much."

Luckily they quickly entered another building, one brightened by stained glass windows, and like magic Kalura's grip loosened from Eren's arm. By the time they'd come out on the other side she was nothing but smiles.

"Oh wow… would you kids look at this."

Even Eren had to admit that the view was pretty spectacular. He and Mikasa came together, staring out across the vast field of grass. It seemed to go on forever, disturbed only by a long bed of rocks that acted as a boundary. Beyond that was a cluster of buildings and, beyond that, a forest so large the trees dwarfed the ones they'd driven through to get here. Eren quickly closed his mouth even as his mom bemoaned the fact that they hadn't brought their lunch with them. It was the perfect spot for a picnic.

"See this, Eren? Mikasa?" Their dad drew their attention back to the building behind them. He rested a palm against the wall and a bit of paint peeled away. "It's an old amusement park. They built of a ton of them in the early nineties—a way to boost morale during the war—but once the economy tanked they had to shut them all down. I treated a trapeze artist once who'd taken a nasty fall. He did good business, up until he busted his leg of course."

Talk of the war made Eren think of Hannes: how he would have loved the titling structure behind them and the fascinatingly misshaped buildings Eren could just see in the distance. But thinking of Hannes caused Eren's stomach to churn unpleasantly. So what if he couldn't stand anymore, or he drank a little too much during the day? So what if the other men claimed he cheated them in cards? (But never to he face; he was, still, a hero). Hannes had never cheated Eren and up until he'd met Mikasa he was the only friend he'd had.

Not that his parents agreed. A jaded soldier three times his age and an adopted sister didn't equal friends in their book.

Eren could feel himself beginning to sulk until something tumbled into his back. He turned to find Mikasa grasping at his shirt. She nodded towards the building and gave a little shiver.

"I heard it moaning," she said.

"What…?"

"Eren! Mikasa!" Both kids jumped. Their parents were far ahead, Grisha waving and Kalura laughing, trying to keep her skirt from blowing upwards. "Don't you want to keep going? I think I smell food."

"Okay!" Eren called, only to hesitate. Mikasa's fingers were still digging into his skin. "You don't want to go?"

She shook her head against his shoulder blades.

"Want to go wait back by the car?"

Another shake.

"Okay, well, I want to keep going, but you can hold my hand if you want." So the two siblings jogged hand-in-hand to catch up, Eren tugging Mikasa hurriedly through the tall grass. It had always been like this, ever since they'd met. Eren wanted to go everywhere: up that tree, over those rocks, through that neighbor's fence (even though he knew it wasn't allowed). A lecture and no dinner was well worth it. After all, there was a whole big world to explore. Eren didn't understand the people who didn't want to see it. That was the only thing worthwhile about moving—at least now there was more to see.

Eren had realized quickly though that Mikasa was kinda-sorta-almost one of those no-adventures people. She much preferred helping their Mom with the boring house stuff like shelling peas or weaving little pictures out of yarn. What Mikasa liked even more than quiet though was Eren, so she gave all that up just to stay by his side. She trailed him like a shadow, quiet and unassuming. The only time he'd ever seen her truly animated (beyond that night—beyond bobbing in the water and shrieking in the hospital for Mama) was when a couple local boys had decided to pick a fight. Or rather, they'd accepted Eren's invitation for a fight. Either way, with one boy pinning him and another digging into his hair, Eren had screamed for Mikasa to fight—fight so that they could win. She had, landing a surprisingly solid punch that gave them the advantage, but that didn't mean she'd liked the feeling of another's tooth dislodging under her knuckles. Quickly enough the other kids had realized that the new Yeager girl would defend her brother if she had to… and they backed off. In return Eren tried to spend that winter sitting by the fireside like he knew Mikasa wanted, yet only an hour later he was dragging her out into the snow, chattering about three things while working up to a fourth. He didn't think she minded, much, but he did try not to tug too hard.

"C'mon you slow pokes," Kalura said. She was balanced on a long bed of rocks, her soft shoes slipping between them.

"What is this place?" Eren asked. He and Mikasa started making their own way across. Neither of their legs were really long enough and they had to pull one another in turn. Eren's fingers caught in the fringe of Mikasa's scarf, the wool itchy against his warm skin.

Grisha was already on the other bank. He tilted his nose high into the air. "Looks like they'd planned to build a river at some point… oh wow, do you smell that? I'm glad we forgot lunch. I'll have whatever they're having."

"Where is it even coming from?" Kalura huffed as she jumped the final rock to join him.

"Not sure. Somewhere up ahead. Maybe this park is still in business. Hurry up now!"

Eren did hurry, Mikasa tripping behind him. They cleared the dry river and as they did Eren thought he felt a tingle run along his arms, down the column of his back, and over the arches of his feet. It felt like he always imagined an electric current would—only softer. Like the long, black strands of hair that fell when Mikasa brushed her hair. They'd cling to Eren, nearly invisible, tickling him without permission. The feeling was a bit like that too. Only it was gone faster, and felt heavier. There was a weight to this feeling he couldn't quite place. Still, there was little time to think on it. Their parents were still too far ahead and Eren could now smell the food for himself.

"That's dumplings," he said, picturing the ones his mother made.

"Really?" She asked. Kalura breathed in deeply. "I smell something sweet."

"Caramel." Mikasa agreed.

"Maybe there's—" but Eren stopped, whatever he'd been about to say lost in an excited gasp. The buildings beyond the river were dark, their paint just as thin as the one they'd come from. The ones beyond were vibrant though. Colorful in a way he'd never expected. Eren could see walls painted orange and blue and starfish pink. Signs swung in the midday breeze, sporting various exclamations in thickly painted brushstrokes. He couldn't quite read them—the wind was growing stronger now—but there was so much more to look at. Architecture was as far from Eren's interests as possible, but he could still appreciate the invitingly narrow crawl spaces; the towers so high above his head they just begged to be climbed. He counted three strings of lanterns drawn between the buildings—thick twine that had a decent chance of holding his weight—and that was just this one street. Eren could see more stretching out before him and he was just about to charge forward when Grisha spoke.

"Here it is!"

Sure enough, one stall to their left was emanating heat. A stoked fire bellowed smoke out over giant platters of food.

Eren, along with the rest of his family, felt his mouth watering in anticipation.