Year 848

Why won't Eren notice me?

That was Mikasa Ackerman's thought as she sat at the girls' table in lunchtime. Eren Jaeger, her adoptive boyf- brother, sat at the boys' table across from her, facing Mikasa. Despite Mikasa constantly looking towards Eren, he never once returned a glance. As time went on, she became more disappointed and annoyed. The other girls seemed to notice.

"What's wrong, Mikasa? Why do you look so down? You look even more depressed than usual... uhh, no offense," said Mina, whose face reddened in embarrassment at her accidental insult.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"Aww. It's really obvious what you're so stressed about, Mikasa. It's okay, me and Franz were like this in the start." Hannah winked at her. She and Franz were an intimate couple in the 104th Trainee Corps, though they claim they're not. Occasionally, they become too intimate, often resulting in annoyance from their fellow cadets or punishment from Sarge.

"Hm?"

"You want Jaegerbomb to notice you, huh, huh?"

"Eren? He... I..."

While Mikasa blushed and felt this topic was awkward, Hannah seemed quite excited, her eyes glowing. Finally, something she could be useful for. If the Trainee Corps specialized in relationships and love, she and Franz would be tied for the top of their class.

"Don't worry, Mikasa," said Hannah, placing her arm on Mikasa, "I know exactly what you need to do."

As Hannah dragged Mikasa elsewhere, Eren still sat at the boys' table, oblivious to what was going on.

"Like I said, Sarge was a real pain in the... Hey, where's Hannah and Mikasa going?" asked a confused Eren.

"Gee, Eren. Don't you know? It's like, a girl thing to go to the bathroom together... right?" replied Armin Arlert, his childhood friend, just as confused.

"Huh? Why? Do they read magazines or something? Or draw pictures?"

"I dunno. Maybe they're discussing combat tactics."

"What?! And they won't let me join them? Gosh, these people..."

Eren whistled, walking along the dirt path towards the training field. Normally, Mikasa would be by his side, but for whatever reason, she had been absent since lunchtime. Unbeknownst to him, a mysterious figure secretly followed him.

Where the heck is she, anyways? thought Eren to himself, realizing the abnormal behavior of his adoptive sister this particular day. It was then that he turned the corner of the building, and came face-to-face with a terrifying sight. Mikasa in a feminine appearance.

Her scarf seemed looser than normal, her hair tied back, her form looking like it's trying to resemble a teenage girl but failing miserably. This Mikasa, caked in make-up and a non-masculine tone, was a completely different human being altogether.

"Hello, Er-" Mikasa interrupted herself, cleared her throat, and began again with a more "girly" voice.

"Hellooooo, Eren!"

"Duh, wha... what?! What is going on?!"

"L-Let's go to school together, Senpai!"

"Ahhhh!"

"How'd it go, Mikasa?" asked an excited Hannah.

"He ran away screaming," she replied.

"Ha, ha! What's the matter, Jaeger? Still butthurt about before?"

"Screw you, Jean. You only caught me by surprise that time. I swear, though, the next time we're in training, you'll be the one who should be careful!"

"Pshh. Whatever, you goof."

Eren angrily marched off back into the barracks. Earlier, he had a confrontation with Jean, his main rival in the Trainee Corps. It resulted in an awesome fight.

I can't believe it. This is a bad day. First, Mikasa's missing. Then, some weirdo tries to ambush me. And now, Jean is screwing with me again. I really wish Mikasa were here, then she'd...

"I said go away, Jean!" Eren said, swinging a fist at the person who had just placed their hand on Eren's shoulder. The fist came flying into... Mikasa.

"Ow!" screamed Eren, pulling back his hand in pain. Mikasa always was a hard girl.

"What the heck, Mikasa?! I thought you were that horse-faced insect! Great, just great."

Mikasa said nothing, but instead, came closer to Eren with her arms outreached, as if she attempted to give him a hug. She closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and waited. For a while. When she opened one eyelid, she saw that Eren was long gone, and she was in the barracks by herself.

"Well? How did my direct approach work?" asked Hannah once again.

"Eren called me an insect and ran away."

"Oh? I'm really sorry, Mikasa. I think that Eren's not that type of guy who'd understand all this mumbo-jumbo. You'll just have to talk to him yourself."

"I figured."

When Mikasa finally found Eren, she saw that he was out in the forest by himself deep in the night. She managed to track Eren by his scent. Don't ask how she is capable of doing so. He sat near a tree, gazing at the moon through the branches.

"Go away, Mikasa."

"Eren, I came here to apologize."

"Apologize? You've abandoned me for most of the day, and when I actually did find you, you acted all crazy and weird. What gives?"

"Eren. I am sorry for everything that I have done so far. I apologize for all of the antics I have pulled. I apologize for any harm done to you. I did this all out of selfishness."

"This is about me, isn't it? I'm sorry, too, Mikasa. If you wanted me to help you more in training, then I'm totally up for it."

"No, Eren. That's not my purpose. I only wanted you to notice me... uh, as a companion."

Mikasa sat down next to Eren. She shifted her body so that it was closer to his. She looked at Eren to see if he would respond, but he still continued gazing at the stars. She sighed, guilty over her actions, and stared at the ground beneath them. A ladybug chewed on a blade of grass.

"Mikasa," Eren suddenly interjected, "You don't need to do all of this stuff just to get me to notice you."

"Huh?"

"Listen. I've always treated you as my lifelong companion. You, me, Armin. We're all in this together. I've wanted to protect you from the day I met you... well, the night I met you. Anyways, there's no need for you to change to get closer to me. I just like you the way you are, that's all."

"Y-You really mean that, Eren? You've been noticing me this entire time?"

Eren nodded, and smiled. Mikasa smiled back and blushed.

"You're Mikasa, and that's who you'll always be."

Eren patted Mikasa on the head. The two then looked back upwards, staring back at the bright moon and the pretty stars. This is a cruel, but beautiful world.