Title: Vague Memories

Pairing: Levi and Mikasa Ackerman

Characters involved: Armin Arlert, Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirchstein

Rating: T (for language)

Summary: She sees him in her dreams for five nights in a row. She didn't know who this man was and she could barely remember a single thing once she had woken up from her slumber. This mysterious man had been haunting her in her dreams and she couldn't tell if it was déja vu. Perhaps, it was one of the vague memories of her past.

Author's note: Leave a review at the end of the story? Let me know your opinion! And please, no flames in the reviews. Also, I'm not the best writer in the world so, bear with me.

Oh yes, one more thing, there isn't going to be much on Levi in this one-shot, since the focus is mainly on Mikasa. So unless y'all want this to be a multi-chapter story then let me know?

Torturous.

Five sleepless nights.

Sleeping, drenched in cold sweat was the most uncomfortable for her; for everyone in general.

She had been seeing the same face in her dreams five nights in a row except she wasn't certain who the face had belonged to. Sometimes the dream felt so real, it felt as though she was still awake and that man was standing before her.

Mikasa sat up on her bed, her pillowcase drenched with her cold sweat. She dusted the wet spot as though there was dust all over it and a combination of both a frustrated and an exhausted sigh escaped her lips. The young lady was desperate to find out who the mysterious man that had been present in her dreams.

Turning her head to take a quick look at the clock on the wall to check the time, Mikasa released another exhausted sigh when the clock indicated it was only a quarter to three in the morning. She had been waking up at the same exact time for these five (sleepless) nights and even when she managed to fall right back to sleep, she'd wake up more worn out than she was the night before.

The clock struck eight in the morning and Mikasa's alarm rang. The need to wake up early was agitating enough, let alone hearing the sound of the alarm to wake her up from her slumber.

She needed more rest; even her other friends told her so. Her brother was deeply concern about her well-being. Eye-bags that weren't previously under her eyes appeared to be more obvious and despite telling everyone else about what she had been seeing in her sleep, it was of no help. Neither of her friends (including her brother) had any experience of the sort. Some even went to the extent of surfing the net to do a little bit of research on Mikasa's case.

But Mikasa told the others she was fine. She would find a way to help herself.

Her friends nodded in agreement but were they still worried for/about her?

Yes.

She finally gathered enough energy to drag herself out of bed to get ready for school. She was a college student, attending the same classes as her brother, Eren, and her two friends Armin and Jean. Jean was pretty much an asshole for picking on Eren a lot and Mikasa strongly disliked it. She also hated that he never quit trying to hit on her since their high school days but unlike Eren, Mikasa had known and seen Jean's emotional side which explained why she was able to tolerate him until the present day despite his failed attempts on trying to win her heart.

"Mikasa, are you ready?" A knock on her bedroom door was heard. Mikasa recognized the voice - it was Eren Jaeger.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just packing some last minute things for class. Give me a sec," she responded, with a lethargy tone to her voice. It was unlike her to be lethargic. She was always pumped with so much energy.

It had been almost a minute but she hadn't left her room. Eren was beginning to worry.

Eren gave Mikasa's door another knock. "Mikasa? Is everything alright in there?"

There was dead silence in her room.

Uncertainty coursed through the boy's veins when he heard nothing but silence. "Mikasa, I'm coming in." To his dismay, he failed to turn the knob of the wooden door; Mikasa had quietly locked herself in the room.

Despite the day being a Friday and the weekend was less than twenty-four hours away, Mikasa wanted to skip her classes. She sat on her bed as she listened to Eren knock on her door and calling out her name continuously, her sore eyes glued to the carpeted floor. Mikasa noticed the tone in Eren's voice; he was pleading but she wasn't going to budge. Her heart told her to move forward to open the door, to stop worrying Eren but her body refused to listen to what her heart said. And so, she remained seated on her bed, drawing imaginary circles on her sheets with her gaze not shifting from the carpeted flooring.

"Mikasa!" One last loud bang on the door and Eren was almost close to giving up. Never once in his entire life had he ever come across this side of Mikasa. This was the first and he didn't know how to help her. Was this about the sleepless nights she had been having?

Then, Eren decided he didn't want to leave the house for as long as Mikasa was going to lock herself up in there. He didn't care how long she wanted to remain locked in her own room like a prisoner, he'd wait anyway. She'd come out eventually.

Eren had given Armin a call to let him know that he and Mikasa wouldn't be able to turn up for classes due to this issue. Armin, being the concerned little fellow he was, bombarded Eren with questions which Eren himself could not answer. On other days, Mikasa had no problem leaving her room to go to class, but today was an exception. Something might've caused her to trigger, to make her do this.

Meanwhile, in school, Jean and Armin were worried sick. This was Mikasa they were talking about. Mikasa was never the type to shut herself out from the world like that. No matter how upset she gets, she'd mask her sorrows with a smile even if the smile was only temporary.

"Should we go over to Eren's to help the guy out? The dude probably needs help," Jean suggested.

"What you said is true, Jean, but are you the one talking here? The Jean I know doesn't give a care about Eren at all; not even a tad bit," Armin shot at his friend, giving him a confused facial expression.

Burn.

"Uh, well yeah, I don't like the guy at all," Jean rubbed the back of his own neck. "I don't like Eren. I never do but I care a lot about Mikasa-"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "I knew that'd be your answer, Jean. I know you all too well."

"Shuddap."

"Mikasa... It's been five hours already. What's keeping you in there?" Eren's back was leaning against the wood of Mikasa's bedroom door. Her sudden actions confused him.

"Eren..." Mikasa's voice was tiny and soft, but loud enough for Eren to hear her.

Eren's eyes widened, relieved that Mikasa had finally uttered a word. At least she was still breathing.

"Mikasa, let me in. We need to talk." Eren's voice was gentle.

The girl finally rose to her feet and quietly headed for the door. Eren, who was on the other side of the wood, stepped away from his spot. He couldn't hear Mikasa's footsteps at all and he was about to turn on his heel to head for the kitchen to grab something to drink when Mikasa swung her bedroom door open slowly.

The creaking sound of the door made Eren's head turn and with a sigh of relief, he faced Mikasa and wrapped his arms around her slim figure. Mikasa didn't return the hug but she was grateful for the hug Eren gave her.

Withdrawing himself away from the girl, Eren grabbed his sister's sides and noticed her swollen eyes.

"Dammit, Mikasa, have you been crying again?" Eren asked, stating the obvious. His sister had obviously been weeping in silence within those five hours in that room. He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear before proceeding to wipe the tears she was shedding using his thumb. His other hand cupped the side of Mikasa's face.

"E-Eren..." Mikasa sniffled, stuttering as she spoke. "I think those dreams I've been having has finally taken its toll on me. Of all days-"

"Hush now." Eren's hand which cupped the side of Mikasa's face then cradled the back of her skull. He pulled his sister in closer so that he was able to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead, then finally pulled her into a warm embrace. "We're all doing our utmost to help you out, Mikasa, but you cannot shut yourself out from everyone like that."

"I've talked to you about it," she continued to sob as she spoke, her face buried at the curve of Eren's neck. "I've told Jean and Armin about this and it has been five nights..."

The Mikasa Eren knew had vanished for the time being. Seeing his sister in such weak state made him realize that even a strong, tough young woman like her breaks down (not as if he never knew this but in his defense, he never really did see this side of Mikasa until this incident).

By then, Eren and Mikasa were seated on the couch of their cosy living room, facing each other. They weren't living their parents so they pretty much grew up depending on each other most of their lives.

And the door bell rang.

"Wait here, okay? I'll go get the door," Eren told Mikasa and she nodded.

While waiting for Eren to get the door, Mikasa took a deep breath before exhaling. She took the handkerchief Eren had given her to wipe her tears so that whoever that was waiting on the other side of the door would not be able to see her weeping.

Upon opening the door, Eren groaned in frustration.

"What are you doing here, horse-face?"

"Good afternoon to you too, Jaeger," Jean responded. He had his arms crossed with a dumb smirk plastered on his face and was the only one standing there.

"Are you alone?" Eren asked, his actions obviously showing he simply could not be bothered to waste his time on a douche-bag like Jean while his sister was having a rough time trying to stand back up on her two feet.

"I'm with Armin, actually. He was going to get you and Mikasa something. I don't know what that thing is I wasn't really listening anyway."

"Sounds a lot like you."

"Can I come in?"

"N-"

"Thank you," Jean kicked his shoes off by the door and walked past Eren, only to find an upset Mikasa sitting alone on the couch in the living room. Eren rolled his eyes on Jean.

Quickly rushing by her side, Jean sat next to her and took her hands in his. "Mikasa... Look at you, you poor thing. What happened to you today?"

Mikasa was looking down on the floor and she shook her head in response to Jean's question.

"Oh c'mon, Mikasa, stop lying to me." Jean wasn't a tad bit angry. Worried, he was.

Eren watched Jean and Mikasa for a moment before sighing heavily. He had always known that there was a softer side to Jean, it's just that that guy never softens up around him; unless Mikasa was involved.

Just as he wanted to close the front door shut, he heard a familiar voice from outside the house.

"Eren, wait!" Armin exclaimed.

Eren's lips curved into a smile when he heard his best friend's voice. He immediately pulled the door back open, then stepping to the side to welcome his blonde-haired friend in. "Welcome in, Armin."

"Thanks," Armin responded as he took his shoes off. "How is Mikasa?"

Eren used his chin to point towards Mikasa and Jean's direction. By then, Mikasa was shedding tears again and Jean had one arm wrapped around the girl's shoulder and the other placed gently on one of her thighs.

Armin dropped his shoulders, his heart broken at the sight of the strongest person he knew on this planet. Her sleepless nights apparently did more than enough damage to her than he had thought; than everyone else had thought.

The blonde knelt before the girl, placing a hand gently on her thigh. "Mikasa? It's Armin."

Mikasa lifted her head up and her gaze shifted to Armin's round, blue orbs. A small, weak smile formed on her face and Armin was relieved.

"Thank god you're finally smiling. Eren told me what happened this morning."

Jean joined in the conversation. "Yeah, we were so worried about you. We had a test today, you knew that right, Mikasa?"

Mikasa nodded. She remembered about the damn test but she didn't have the willpower to do anything for the time being. Her legs refused to carry her to school, or anywhere else besides home for that matter.

Meanwhile, Eren had shut the door and his back was leaning on it. He watched helplessly as his two other friends lent Mikasa a helping hand. It might not work but at least it was worth a try.

Armin flashed Mikasa a gentle smile. "Mikasa, I know you're going through a really hard time but like I told you on other occasions, that we are all here for you."

"Yeah," Jean added. "You're always the one helping us. Let us help you this time. At least, let us return the favour, ya know?"

Eren snorted. "Straight from the horse's mouth."

"Hey!" Jean definitely wasn't at all proud of that comment but he seemed to be alright with it when he heard Mikasa let out a small chuckle.

"Thank you, guys, for being so kind to me." The words finally left her lips."Frankly, even I don't know why these dreams, or nightmares, rather, have been bothering me so much. I-"

The moment her eyes were fixed onto the window next to Eren, she saw what she thought was an illusion of a man dressed in a black suit walked past their house. He had the same features of the man that had been haunting her in her dreams.

The man wasn't as tall as herself but despite his height, there was more to him. Somehow, her heart knew how this man looked like.

Of all his face features, his eyes weren't revealed but something inside her told her he had piercing gray eyes that could shoot her soul dead with a glare within seconds.

The man was a lot older than her, probably twice her age and he had abs as hard as rocks. He had a chiseled jaw, probably kissable lips too, a sharp nose and hair parted in the centre.

But there was something else, too.

Something inside her told her this man had a heart of stone.

Something inside her told her this man was intimidating.

"Mikasa? Mikasa?"

Mikasa snapped out of her thoughts when Eren, Armin and Jean caught her staring outside the window.

"Huh..? I'm sorry, I-" Mikasa's eyes darted for the same window she thought she saw the man before rising to her feet, racing for the front door.

Instead of chasing her, Armin, Jean and Eren stood there dumbfounded. What was she trying to do now?

"Mikasa!" Eren did not waste any more time and chased after his sister, who had already ran out of the house barefoot.

By the time she made it out, the man whom she thought she saw with her own eyes, had vanished.

Who was this man? Why did he keep appearing in her head while she's asleep?

For the sake of her decreasing sanity, Mikasa needed answers to her unanswered questions.