Prologue: A Chance Encounter
"Eren, come back here!" yelled a voice in the distance, but obscured by the sound of rain pattering onto the concrete floor and the rough steps of a small boy. The small boy's name was Eren, and at a young age of 9 years, he was known to have the boldest of natures; more often than not, Eren caused his caretakers trouble, and this time wasn't any different.
"I don't want to!" Eren shouted back, running aimlessly into the distance. He didn't know where he would go, but he knew he didn't want to go back to the orphanage. For the umpteenth time, Eren had been rejected by the potential foster parents. However, Eren had grown accustomed to rejection, but what had truly bothered him was that Jean had gotten adopted instead of him. Surely, if that horse-face had gotten adopted, then he could be adopted as well.
It was then that Eren realized that he had wandered off much too far, finding himself about a mile or two away from the orphanage. By now, his clothes were drenched, and the rain had turned from a moderate drizzle to a violent storm. Eren then spotted a small, dark alleyway, and sought refuge within it. The alley way had just enough roof space to shelter him from the onslaught of rain, and so, despondently, he sat down on the cold brick floor. Bringing his knees up to his chest, Eren hugged his legs, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Shivering, he brought his red scarf over his mouth, complementing his now red nose.
"Why wasn't I adopted?" Eren whispered, wiping the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes with his jacket's sleeve. It was then that he noticed that he wasn't the only one seeking shelter from the rain in that alley, hearing the rustling of the litter as a small shadow moved not more than two or three feet away from him. The shadow was small, petite, and from the small amount of light that peaked through the crevices of the roof, he caught a glimmer of jet-black hair. Eren proceeded to move closer to the shadow, but the closer he crawled, the further the shadow moved away.
"It's ok, I won't bite." Eren reassured the mysterious person, extending his hand a peace offering. Still, the shadow moved away from him until it met a dead end. Finally reaching a close proximity to the shadow, Eren realized that it was a girl around his age. The girl had long jet-black hair, cream colored skin, but her skin was blemished by a scar on her right cheek, and was tainted by dark dirt marks. Then, he looked into her eyes, they were the darkest sets of eyes he had ever seen, and Eren was instantly mesmerized by their beauty.
"Stay away from me!" the girl whispered meekly, waking Eren from his entrancement. Eren then noticed how the girl trembled, and in an attempt to comfort her and demonstrate his good will, he removed his scarf and handed it over to her.
"Here, you can have this." Eren said enthusiastically, extending his arm outward to the girl.
At first, the girl simply stared at the red material, but then she began to observe Eren's countenance, noting his earnest eyes; she took the scarf into her hand. The girl held the scarf up to her face, embracing the warmth that radiated from it. Then, she took in the scent of its owner, and for some reason, his smell brought her tranquility. The girl then looked into Eren's eyes, and a small blush began to creep its way onto the girl's face, which she instantly hid behind the scarf.
"What's wrong?" Eren breathed, noticing her abrupt movements while she quickly wrapped the scarf around her.
"No, nothing's wrong..." She said almost inaudibly, while the girl fidgeted with her thumbs. "…but, I want to say thank you." She uttered, looking into Eren's eyes. Eren smiled back at the girl, bring her into his arms. The girl was surprised at first, but she soon felt comfortable within his embrace.
"What's your name?" Eren asked timidly, running his fingers through her soft strands of hair.
"Mikasa." She answered firmly, and Eren was finally able to hear her voice clearly. Her voice was soothing, akin to that of an angel, and Eren suddenly felt the need to hear it again.
"Mikasa," Eren began, liking the way her name felt as it rolled out from his tongue. "My name's Eren."
"Eren." Mikasa articulated, looking down onto her thumbs as she played with them, avoiding Eren's intense stare.
"Where are your parents?" Eren questioned, looking around for any trace of Mikasa's parents.
"I don't have any parents." Mikasa said ruefully, and she began to feel moistness to build up in her eyes.
"What happened to them?" Eren inquired, his concern growing for the poor orphan girl. An orphan, just like him. No, she was not just like him. Mikasa seemed to have been living on the streets for a while, evident from her small, nimble frame, smudges of dirt, and tattered clothes. How had he not realized it before? While he did not have parents, he did have people who cared about him at the orphanage, and she should begin to appreciate them. This girl, Mikasa, she didn't even have people to look after her.
"They died! I managed to run away from them!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Who are they?" Eren asked, perturbed by her sudden outbreak.
"The men who killed my parents…"Mikasa sobbed, trembling uncontrollably. "…and kidnapped me." Eren reached out to hold her hands, trying to comfort her.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Eren muttered, wiping the tears cascading down Mikasa angelic visage, for he did not wish to see her face corrupted by sadness.
For a long while, Mikasa didn't speak, but opted to lay her head down on Eren's shoulder. Then, she looked into Eren's eyes, and all he saw was despair. Why would someone harm her in that way? Eren didn't understand, but he felt that he needed to make her happy, so he hugged her as tight as he possibly could. Mikasa gasped at the sudden force of Eren's embrace, but soon relaxed into his arms.
"You know, you should come back with me to the orphanage." Eren offered, relinquishing his grip on her.
"Really? Okay, I'll go with you!" Mikasa declared, and for the first time, he saw her smile. Her smile was small and subtle, but he could tell it was there, and he never wanted it to leave her beautiful face. Eren didn't know why, but he felt the need to protect this girl, and to care for her.
"Well, let's go. It's not raining anymore." Eren stated as the clouds began to dissipate, giving way for sunlight. Eren then proceeded to get up, extending his arm for Mikasa and helping her up.
Making their way out of the narrow alleyway, Mikasa and Eren left hand-in-hand, heading towards the orphanage where Eren resided in. Eren couldn't help but wonder, what would his caretakers say when he introduces them to Mikasa? Although Eren was sure that they wouldn't reject an orphan from the residence, he was well aware that they were going through a financial crisis and were struggling to keep up with some bills. Still, Mikasa was an orphan like the rest of them, and he felt the need to protect to her and bring her with him.
"We're close." Eren announced, pointing towards a rather large building, which was in a dilapidated state. "That's my home." Eren finished. No matter in what conditions the building was in, it had always been home for Eren, as he had never met his parents. From what Eren had been told, he was abandoned as a newborn at the doorsteps of the orphanage. Unlike Mikasa, which had to face the struggles of her parents' death, he never had to go through such an emotional strife.
"You know, I'm sure you'll get adopted before me!" Eren exclaimed, as a soft smile began to appear on his face.
"What? I'm sure you'll get adopted." Mikasa replied.
"Well, we'll see. I've lived here all my life, and I still haven't gotten adopted, not after all this time." Eren explained, approaching the doors of the orphanage.
"I'm sure you'll get adopted because you saved me!" Mikasa insisted, hoping that others will see what she saw in Eren.
"Mikasa, I didn't save you." Eren began, knocking on the doors of the orphanage. "I just brought you here." He sighed.
"No, you saved me." Mikasa whispered, looking into his eyes. "I thought I was alone, but you proved me wrong." Mikasa smiled once again, and Eren couldn't help but smile.
"If I do get adopted, I hope that you can come with me, Mikasa." Eren admitted, untangling his fingers from Mikasa's, adjusting the scarf he had given her.
"I'm sorry! I forgot to give you your scarf back." Mikasa apologized, attempting to remove the scarf, but Eren's hand stopped her.
"You can keep it." Eren claimed, knocking on the door once again. "Just remember that I'm always with you."
Finally, the door opened, and Eren and Mikasa were greeted by the enraged image of one of the orphanage's staff members. Initially, the caretaker only noticed Eren, seemingly ready to rebuke him. However, she soon laid her eyes on Mikasa, and her facial expressions softened. Embarrassed, Mikasa once again hid behind the shroud that was her scarf.
"Who is this, Eren?" asked the women who stood in front of them, ushering them inside, and locking the door behind them.
"This is Mikasa, she doesn't have any parents, so I brought her here." Eren explained.
"Oh, well any orphan is always welcomed here." The women assured, as the three of them walked over to a divergence in the hallway. The floors creaked as they walked, the wooden floorboards loosely attached to the ground. The wallpaper of the orphanage was in no better state, torn and stained, ready to come off any day now.
"Eren, there is couple here looking for a boy around your age, so you should go to the living room and meet them." The woman disclosed, guiding Eren towards the corridor on the left.
"What about Mikasa, can she come with me?" Eren asked desperately, hoping that his new friend could be adopted along with him. Eren didn't know why, but even though they just met, he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
"I'm sorry Eren, but they are only looking for a boy." The woman confessed, grabbing onto Eren's arm. "Mikasa, you can wait for me here while I leave Eren in the living room."
"I don't want to go!" Eren yelled, refusing to move.
"Eren, listen to her." Mikasa breathed, looking into Eren's eyes. "You might get adopted, and that's a big opportunity. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She beamed, holding onto her scarf.
"That's right…" Eren whispered. "I'm always with you, so always remember that!" Eren cried, allowing the caretaker to take him to the living room.
"I really hope you get adopted…" Mikasa uttered. "…Eren, you deserve it." Mikasa thought out loud, remembering the warmth and hope he had given her in her time of need.
"Okay, Mikasa, let's get you a room." The caretaker said, leading her over to the right corridor and towards a set of wooden stairs.
"Oh, I almost forgot, my name is Petra." The woman stated with a smile, taking Mikasa's hand as they climbed upstairs.
"Thank you, Petra." Mikasa spoke as Petra opened the room closest to the staircase. This was to be Mikasa's room, and although it didn't have much, Mikasa felt that it was strangely quaint.
"So, this is where you will be staying until you're adopted." Petra welcomed her into her new room. "But don't worry, I think you'll get adopted real soon." Petra concluded, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Feeling exhausted, Mikasa laid herself down onto her new bed, her eyelids starting to feel heavy as she slowly succumbed to slumber.
"Goodbye, Eren."
Author's note: On a final note, I would like to thank you all for reading my newest piece, and I hope you guys liked it. I know it was kind of short, but I am looking foward to writing the next chapter!