LAWLESS
Chapter 1. Crimson
Mikasa hit the wall hard. In spite of it, the coldness of the bricks did little against her accumulated body heat. Today's training had been tough since she had to battle against the stockiest and tallest man at Kenny's service.
Will, who was practically a beast of a man, lay face down on the floor. Blood dripping from his broken nose.
"Is he dead?"
The girl shook her head slightly, without even looking at the man approaching the scene. She needed to catch her breath and calm her heart rate. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm while she thought that yeah, she could have killed him. The idiot would have deserved it only for trying to be too clever.
"He should be dead, huh?" murmured the man in an expressionless tone, but Mikasa knew him well enough to perceive his simmering anger.
"The fucking pig". Levi turned Will over easily with a foot, without any care at all, so he could check his face. Mikasa had done a good job wrecking that stupid face, the guy was going to look uglier than before. Usually when a training session ended like this, it was because the practice puppets had said something disgusting to her or tried something they shouldn't have.
Although she knew that some of the guys Kenny sent as human punching bags were precisely chosen so she could learn to defend herself under complicated and stifling circumstances; a thing that she no longer considered necessary. She was completely capable of defending herself, and she was fed up with it. With this attack, she's managed to send the message Kenny was expecting her to give.
Because of Will's size, it took more time than usual for Mikasa to knock him out. Levi had wanted to be present at the training, but she asked him to trust in her abilities, and so he did.
"This is the last one of the week, maybe of the month," said Mikasa as she passed him by, walking toward the exit, "Or definitely the last one".
She was dangerous. She was an Ackerman.
"Oi, brat-"
Don't mess with the Ackerman, Kenny used to repeat with a smirk.
"I want to be alone," she cut him off.
Levi followed her with his eyes for a moment, then squinted back toward the subject at his feet. He let out a snort when he noticed the nauseating state of the floor, spotted with blood and rancid sweat. He could even see a few teeth not far away.
The youngest of the Ackermans walked rapidly through the dark corridor, observing that farther ahead Kenny's office door was slightly ajar. She could perceive the dim light of the room and the smell of burnt tobacco. She also heard his snicker and some banging, the tell-tale sound of Kenny's favorite and ridiculous boots landing on the desk.
Mikasa moved cautiously to try and glimpse what was happening inside the office but before she could get to see anything, Kenny had spotted her.
"Oi! Stop sniffing around and get in!"
She issued a little snort; that old man always made her doubt her stealth ability.
Mikasa glanced down at herself. She was still wearing her training outfit and was extremely sweaty. The bandages that covered her knuckles were stained with someone else's blood. In truth, she wasn't even remotely presentable… and in this moment what she most wanted was to take off her clothes, have a bath and read something. She did not want to socialize.
Nevertheless, she felt too much curiosity to simply decline the invitation. It wasn't often that Kenny had visitors—and she could tell he had one now since the door was left slightly ajar. Kenny only did that when he had company. He said it was for the tranquility of the visitor. Supposedly.
In the interior, Kenny smoked from his pipe with his feet rested on the shabby desk, while in front of him sat a handsome, tall and muscular blond man with his hair combed neatly back. As the girl entered the room, the stranger scrutinized her face with intense blue eyes and, after some seconds, gave her a cordial smile.
"Miss, my name is Erwin Smith," he introduced himself, standing automatically so he could offer her his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Mikasa..." she started to introduce herself, glancing at Kenny who nodded with a proud smile. The girl shook the man's hand with less strength than she expected. It seemed that she actually was exhausted. "Mikasa Ackerman."
Erwin Smith noted the dirt and blood on her hands but was not fazed in the least.
"Good," Kenny said, "I just wanted you to know this guy. Go take a shower and do your girly stuff. Whatever. Later we'll talk about tomorrow's mission. It includes a cute dress."
The girl openly rolled her eyes and turned around, saying a polite goodbye to Mr. Smith. She could almost imagine what type of mission it would be.
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"Doctor Jaeger!"
The young man turned around and noticed a little girl running impetuously towards him. She was carrying some flowers in a fist that she gave to him as soon as she reached him with a light blush, "Many thanks for healing my daddy!"
He smiled and caressed the girl's head, bending down to meet her height.
"You and your mother did all the hard work taking care for him for days. It's because of that he healed so quickly after my visit," he clarified, taking the flowers. "But thank you so much for the gift."
The girl nodded. The admiration and gratefulness reflected in her hazel eyes thrilled Eren, who was now more convinced that he'd never give up his volunteer work in the poorest districts of the Kingdom for a large house in royal grounds.
Despite the frequent offers, he wasn't interested in filling his pockets while exclusively taking care of the noble and high born, and he was not interested in living a quiet and sedentary life. His desire was to travel constantly. To live one month here and a week there, treating the people that couldn't afford to pay one of the few available doctors.
As he boarded the ship that would take him to Mitras, Paradis Kingdom's capital, he was able to see part of the house where he lived during a large part of his childhood. Now another family inhabited it, but he still allowed himself to fantasize that one day he'd knock on the door and he would be welcomed by nothing more and nothing less than his aged parents.
He let out a bitter smile and shook his head… visiting Shiganshina made him nostalgic, sentimental.
Noticing the orange tone of the sky, he realized it was almost time to set sail, so he decided to search among the boat - built for around a hundred people - for a particular blond headed passenger.
He found him easily a moment later. Armin was sitting on a chair, absorbed in his reading, while a fat lady was looking at him disapprovingly. She was standing and there were no more available seats; the trip would take more than two hours.
Eren loudly cleared his throat but he couldn't catch his friend's attention.
"Hey, Armin…" he called.
The blond looked up immediately from his thick book, stood, and approached the brown haired boy, waving at him cheerfully. The lady took her chance and seated herself quickly, an action that Armin barely even noticed.
"Eren!" he greeted him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I thought you boarded the morning boat and that you were already at Mitras."
"I needed to visit more patients before leaving, you know," Eren replied. "Besides, having to leave Shiganshina so soon for such a stupid reason annoys me, so I just took my time."
Armin nodded and shrugged. He knew Eren wasn't fond of high society's frivolous parties, which he was bound to attend as a courtesy so they wouldn't think he was ungrateful.
"At least I'll be there as your companion, and I'm bringing my chessboard in case you want a rematch after last night's games." The pieces inside clattered playfully as Armin shook the closed board with enthusiasm.
"Armin," Eren groaned and playfully hit him on the arm.
"Ouch! And what else do you want us to do, dance? I d-don't know how to dance, I'll embarrass myself!"
"Historia taught you less than two months ago. You forgot already?" Eren asked while he nonchalantly sat down on the floor. He was exhausted, "I can't give you lessons from now til the night. What are you going to do if one of those daring girls asks you for a dance? It happened to me the last time and I accepted so I wouldn't offend her… unlike the time before that," he complained.
Armin shuddered a little thinking about the possibility.
"I'll ask Historia to hide me in a room or inside a wardrobe before the dance begins", he replied hastily. "That's what I'll do. Or I'll escape to the gardens."
Eren snorted mockingly and shook his head, giving his friend a lopsided smile.
"Crap, Armin. If I knew that you didn't remember how to dance, then I wouldn't have gotten you into this mess." He stared at the sky for a moment and closed his eyes, thinking that maybe he'll take a nap. He needed it. "I'm sorry mate, I'm too worn out to keep talking."
"It's okay, don't worry," Armin replied. "I'll stay by your side and read, and I'll make sure that nobody steps on you while they pass by."
"Mmh… mhh…"
Armin knew that Eren would not wake up even if someone did unintentionally step on him. He always slept soundly since he decided to take the place and responsibilities of his father. The poor boy worked so hard that he could sleep anywhere like a baby.
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Wearing tuxedos, both young men arrived in time to present their invitations to the guards, and then to the butlers posted at the entrance hall, who requested they put on masks before going in.
The Reiss's white palace was undeniably magnificent, large and beautiful. In the interior of the ballroom, the vivid colors of the ladies' dresses gave a brilliant contrast to the white marbled floor and pastel toned roses, all part of the elegant decor.
There was food, drinks and flower arrangements on each of the long tables that surrounded the ballroom. Meanwhile, the orchestra performed refined and serene melodies in a kind of domed stage, making the ambience pleasant, despite the noise the conversation of the guests produced.
Armin was captivated and offended at the same time by the opulence, even though it was not the first time he assisted his friend at one of these parties. Eren was talking with a noble men who'd recognized him when they entered and begun talking about things that Eren wasn't remotely interested in.
Meanwhile, Armin decided to walk around in case he found Historia. He hoped to ask her to help him avoid the embarrassment of the dance when the time comes. She would understand.
"I knew that Doctor Jaeger was invited, but I haven't seen him"
Armin heard the voice of a girl, so he stopped his search out of curiosity.
Eren was extremely popular among girls, but he never seemed to be aware of that. He was dedicated to only do his job.
"I haven't seen him either, what a pity," sighed another girl, "He must be looking so handsome, especially today."
"Yes! But with these masks, it's difficult to recognize anyone…"
"True, but at the same time everything is more fun and mysterious, isn't it?"
"Yes, I guess," said the girl that first mentioned Eren, "I wish the doctor asked me to dance with him tonight."
He chuckled to himself. Poor girls; Eren couldn't be less interested in dancing and spending his time with people in a romantic sense.
"Ugh, Historia Reiss is so fortunate. There are a lot of rumors about her and him, like they're going to marry some day or that they're already a couple."
Armin almost spat his drink and, to his bad luck, he caught the attention of the girls. He coughed dramatically for a few seconds, pretending to be sick, so the girls moved away so as not to catch the flu, or whatever that stranger had.
Beside him, a pale girl dressed in a red gown and mask offered him a serviette. She wore her black hair combed into a high bun.
"Oh, t-thanks!"
She gave him a small, pretty smile, framed with crimson lips.
"I saw you arrive with Doctor Jaeger, but I lost sight of him a few moments ago," she commented point-blankly to him. "Everything was the fault of an old moneybag who decided it was a good idea to offer me money in exchange for a kiss."
Armin raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
She nodded, looking at him directly with her dark and deep eyes through the rabbets of her mask. Even if he couldn't see much of her face, she had to be a very, very beautiful girl. Armin couldn't help but to look at her cleavage unconsciously.
"Do you have any idea of where doctor Jaeger is?" she asked smoothly. "I'm dying to meet him…"
Armin looked up immediately and scouted for Eren in the crowd. He could see him talking with Historia near a thick marble pillar.
"He's there, with Historia Reiss, see?" Armin replied, pointing in their direction. "I don't know if it would be appropriate to interrupt them. After all, she's a princess and - Hey!"
The mysterious girl in the showy, red dress left him speaking alone. When she was about to reach the place where Eren and Historia were, Armin saw her trip. Several of the attendees that were near exclaimed upon seeing her fall and some men rushed to help her but Eren reached her first.
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Mikasa let out a small cry of pain before hearing Eren Jaeger ask her if she was okay. He helped her to stand up carefully, while Historia Reiss gave him indications to help the poor girl to seat near there and to verify that everything was fine.
"Eren, please accompany and examine her," the heir of the Reiss family directed. "I'll be back in a few minutes, my father wants me to meet some people… Miss, I hope you're alright!" she said to Mikasa before leaving with an apologetic look.
"Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Eren asked her while he took off the stupid mask.
For a moment, Mikasa felt a slight unease when she was directly confronted with his large, worried, emerald eyes.
"No… the truth is that I don't feel fine," she murmured, bringing a hand to her head. "I think I need a bit of fresh air. I'm feeling dizzy."
"Okay, I'll help you to the terrace. Can you walk properly?"
The girl moaned when she put her right foot on the floor, so Eren held her by the waist and helped her to move. Since the night was cold, the terrace was empty when they arrived.
"Come, let's sit here for a moment," he said while he helped her onto a stone bench. "Please, let me check your ankle." Eren crouched down and carefully took one of her heeled shoes off. His delicate brush made Mikasa blush and she involuntarily dodged a new touch. "Does it hurt here?"
"A bit," she lied, averting her gaze.
"It could be a mild sprain," he pointed out, and in that instant he noticed that the girl's shoulders were bared.
Mikasa watched as Eren took off his jacket and gently placed it around her shoulders.
"You said you have dizziness, did you drink much?"
"Nothing at all."
"Any possibility of being pregnant?"
"What? No!" she almost yelled.
Eren blinked in surprise. "It's okay, I was just asking. It seemed like you passed out, and because of that you lost your balance and fell."
Eren remembered that when he was talking with Historia, she told him that there was an elegant girl dressed in a red gown coming to where they were, so he followed the blonde's gaze but, in that same moment, the girl in the red dress tumbled over just before them.
"I certainly didn't feel well. There's a lot of people and noise inside, and that's a bit suffocating to me," said the young lady aside him. She took off the crimson mask, "But I feel better already. Thanks," she smiled at him slightly.
The boy nodded slowly, contemplating her delicate features and how the darkness of her eyes stood out in contrast with the snowy tone of her skin. Weirdly, it seemed to him that it wasn't the first time that he saw her. He wasn't sure if he had seen her at another of those parties or in another place.
Maybe in the streets.
Maybe a long time ago.
Eren couldn't remember when, nor where, he just knew that those features weren't common and were difficult to forget. He was about to ask her if they'd met before, but then realized that he'd forgotten to ask her something.
"Oh! By the way, what's your name? I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger."
The mysterious girl let out a little bitter smile. It lasted only a moment and was almost imperceptible, but he managed to see it.
"I know perfectly well who you are, Eren Jaeger," she snapped coldly, in a different tone compared to the one she'd used since the beginning. Her face was now stoic, "My name is Mikasa," she informed, somewhat reluctantly.
"… Mikasa?" even though in this instant he wasn't able to think straight, he had the faint thought of recognizing that name.
But then a penetrating sickly-sweet smell filled nostrils. Mikasa moved closer and embraced him, leaning her head on one of his shoulders. The action surprised Eren, making him open his mouth slightly to take a deep breath of adulterated air that only confused him further.
"I'm sorry, Eren," he heard Mikasa whisper in his ear. She covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, soaked with a substance that he realized was the source of the smell.
As soon as he lost consciousness, Mikasa did a quick whistle after which a man of short stature came out of hiding behind some bushes.
"Finally," he complained sourly while approaching her.
She simply squinted her eyes, took off her shoes and hastened to follow him.
Levi carried Eren on one shoulder as if he weighed nothing.
A/N: the idea of writing this fic has been haunting me for about a year already, and some months ago I wrote the draft of this first chapter. It's been almost ready for about a month, but I just finished and published it less than a week ago in Spanish. I hope that the English version is good enough and I hope the fic have a good reception c:
I want to especially THANK Dani for giving me her support, her fangirling and for sdaifhlasdfhasasdjkfaksd drawing a fanart of this Eren :'D - I'll link it on my profile! Check her blog she's an awesome artist! - and also I want to thank Heidi SO MUCH for her goodwill and for checking my story for some wording issues, since English is not my first language. I can't stop thanking you both guys T_T
That's it, I'll impatiently wait for any feedback!
