Small A/N: This is a submission for the r/rational subreddit challenge: Fanfic Grab-bag. Enjoy!
"Mama, mama!"
She looked up from where she was hanging clothes, idly lost in thought. She watched her child come jogging up to her from the forest bordering their land, waving.
"What is it Satoshi?" she asked, gazing down at her son. The ten year old, in stark contrast to his usual exuberance, had a serious look on his face. Well, serious for a child, anyway. His dark brown eyes were looking up at her sternly, though the fact that he was hopping from one foot to another betrayed his excitement.
"A titan, Mama." he said. He pointed to the forest he'd just exited. "In that direction, near the river. Me and Bo saw it about ten minutes that way."
The woman nodded thoughtfully, setting the clip on the sheet she held to the line. She walked towards the house, quickly but calmly.
"I see. Was it headed this way?"
"No. It's just staring up at the sky. But we heard it moving earlier; it's a big one!" he laughed. "I've never seen a fifteen meter class before."
"Oh, wow. You're right, that is pretty big. And where's Bo-kun now?" she asked.
"He's home. I stopped by on the way there. Old man Fiji asked me to run here and ask you to deal with it though; they're running pretty low on Lures and I told him we had some to spare since Dad's gonna be bringing more back from Shiganshina any day now."
"I see." said the mother, entering the house. She went to the small, padlocked chest situated against the far wall, away from everything else in the house. She pulled on the long coat hanging on the wall near it, buttoning it with quick, sure movements before pulling up its hood and pulling on the gloves. She opened the chest with the key she kept around her neck, reaching inside and pulling out two sealed bottles; a large blue one and a small, red one. She also withdrew a long spool of wire before closing and locking the chest.
She exited the small house, finding her son standing excited, looking at the bottles she held in her hand.
"Can I come and watch, Mama?" he asked.
She was about to respond in the negative but then she stopped and thought. Satoshi was getting older. His birthday was in a few short months; he would need to know how to handle himself around titans eventually. It wouldn't do for him to panic if her or his father weren't around and he found himself handling one by himself. For all his childish awe, she knew how terrifying they could be up close.
"Alright, sure. But you have to rub yourself down first." she said, holding out the blue bottle.
Satoshi grimaced but took it from her without complaint. He opened it and poured the thick, filmy paste into his hand, applying it liberally to his exposed skin. The gel glistened on his skin and, as always, he felt slightly energized by the sun hitting it, though that didn't make up for the other effects.
"Ugh, this smells so gross." he complained, handing the bottle back to her. "I think you're being paranoid; it's not like we're going to be anywhere near it."
She shrugged, capping the bottle.
"Better safe than titan food. Now let's go."
They began making their way through the forest, Satoshi helpfully leading the way.
"Takeda and Luca are gonna be real happy with us. Our Lure will keep stray Titans away for weeks." said Satoshi, grinning.
"Assuming it doesn't rain." she corrected mildly.
"It's the middle of summer, Mama. I doubt we'll get much rain." he said.
"Regardless, I think I'll talk with them when we get back. I hate how Luca thinks a Lure is a glorified excuse to slack off on night watch duty." she said, narrowing her eyes.
"You worry too much, Mama. It'll give you wrinkles." said Satoshi, stretching his eyes out comically. "See?"
His mother didn't respond but to whack him softly on the back of his head. He whined softly, rubbing at the spot.
"Regardless. I think I'll have them set to restringing the perimeter alarms and traps tonight anyway. It'll give them something to do." she said. She hadn't been part of the watch for years, ever since she got pregnant with Satoshi, but everyone still treated her like she was, even its commander.
She looked around, noting the quiet of the forest around her. They were getting closer. Animals weren't overly shy of titans but they certainly didn't like to be in their general vicinity.
"So where exactly is the titan, Satoshi?" she asked.
"It's right over there." he said, pointing to their far right. "If you squint, you can see it between the trees, near the clearing by the river."
She looked where he pointed and could indeed glimpse a large, flesh coloured form through the thicket of trees. She froze.
Satoshi continued walking but found his mother had an iron clad grip on his shoulder.
"Satoshi, you didn't mention that this titan was…different." she commented, eyes narrowed. She continued advancing, guiding Satoshi to walk beside her at their new, slower pace.
"Different?" asked Satoshi curiously. He squinted before shrugging. "I mean, he's really muscular, I guess? But I thought all fifteen meter classes were? That's how they look in all the paintings."
"That's because most of those paintings are depicting a specific fifteen meter titan." she said. "The Vanguard Titan is the most classic depiction of fifteen meter class titans; it's a special case. Most of them are just as pudgy and out of proportion looking as any other titan."
"Really?" asked Satoshi, scratching his head. "That's weird. Is the long black hair and pointy ears weird too then? Cuz it had those, just like in the paintings."
Her breath caught. This time, she froze out of surprise instead of fear. She then darted off, startling her son.
"Mama?!"
She burst into the clearing, chest heaving for reasons that had nothing to do with her brief sprint. She looked up and up and up, taking in the muscled form she could see, gazing up at the sky like her son had said.
He stood fifteen meters tall; a giant, even from where she stood. His form was covered in thick, corded muscles. Scars riddled his shoulders and chest; an oddity. Titans didn't have scars. But she knew where they'd come from; she knew they were the result of too many battles fought in too short a time span; his regeneration forced to its absolute limits in the last great struggle against the Betrayers. The result of which left his human form heavily scarred; his titan form reflected the damage done for years afterward. Still did, clearly.
Long, black hair hung around his head, gnarled and thick with wooded debris. He had the pointed ears and nose of an elf from a child's fairy tale but there was nothing playful about the skinless lips he had parted, his mouth open to the sky above him, as if he could drink the sunlight pouring down upon him. She couldn't see his eyes from where she stood but she knew they would be a bright, empty green.
"See? I told you. He's just looking at the sky. He was just like that when me and Bo first saw him." said Satoshi, panting at his mother's elbow. He'd finally been able to catch up with her; he had no idea his mother could move so fast. She didn't even seem winded!
"Eren…" she muttered, only vaguely hearing her son's words.
"Eren? Who's Eren?" Satoshi asked quizzically, looking over at the titan. He hadn't dared to come out this far with Bo but, with his properly equipped mother there, he wasn't afraid. He marvelled at the size of the titan; his hand looked like it was the size of three of him!
His mother didn't answer him. She'd began moving again; taking the spool of wire and threading it through the large ring on the red bottle. She clipped it securely before tying a knot and pulling, confirming it was secure as well. She handed the blue bottle to Satoshi, who took it and stepped back several steps.
She raised the wire over her head and began building up momentum, swinging the bottle around and around. As she did, she released more and more wire until she had a large, buzzing halo of metal whirring over her head. She looked across the trees, judging the distance carefully.
"Haiii….HO!" she cried loudly, releasing the wire from her hand a second later. This was the standard call for when you were releasing a Lure; it let anyone in the area know to stay the hell away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the titan move in response to her voice. She saw those green eyes lock onto her and she didn't flinch; she'd grown used to their gaze long ago.
The red bottle flew, arcing up and over, trailing wire behind it, the coil unspooling with each meter of distance the bottle got. She watched the bottle as it flew away from her, arcing in the direction opposite, away from both her and the titan. It flew further into the trees, her aim was good and her arm was strong. It was several seconds before she saw the tell-tale slack of the wire as the bottle hit the top of its arc and began to fall, out of sight.
She watched both the wire and the titan carefully; he hadn't moved since shifting his head to look at her. She mentally counted the seconds off in her mind. It shouldn't be long now…
She knew the instant the bottle broke. She saw the titan move, his head shifting away from her as it looked in the direction that the bottle flew. She saw him inhale deeply before beginning to plod slowly in its direction. Each footfall shook the ground beneath her feat. She could hear Satoshi's quiet gasps as he watched the lithe, powerful creature move.
As it began to enter the treeline, it didn't spare either of the humans a passing glance.
She heard its footfalls fade into the distance as he moved towards the Lure; he would probably stay there for weeks, pawing around the area before moving on. She'd have to get some of the boys to range out and plant a few more to ensure it…he didn't wander back their way.
"That was so cool…"
She looked down at her son, who was staring at the spot where the titan had vanished into the tree line. Even though it was out of sight, the trail of destruction it had casually wrought in the forest line was plainly visible. She sighed, shaking her head sadly. There was once a time where seeing a titan would've been anything other than "cool". Nerve wracking, terrifying, heart breaking, panic inducing…but certainly not cool.
She took the blue bottle from Satoshi's hands, pouring out some of the paste and rubbing it into the gloves and coat. The Lures were very well sealed but it was still safe practice to rub yourself down with the repellent after placing one. It was a precaution most didn't even bother with anymore but she did; she had seen first-hand just what titans could do.
"We'll have to tell the others about it when we get back." she said.
"And by we, you mean me." he said grumpily, the awe from the titan sighting fading fast as he realized his mother planned to have him running around the village once they returned home.
"Yup." she replied, giving him a small smile.
"Next time, I wanna be the one placing the Lure. Not playing messenger." he complained, folding his arms.
"We'll see." she said lightly, rubbing his head affectionately. "Anyway. We should be getting back."
Despite her words, she didn't move immediately. She continued looking towards the path the titan had cleared through the forest. Though he was out of sight, she could still see him clearly in her mind's eye. He still looked the same, even after almost fifteen years.
"Mama, who's Eren?"
She looked sharply at Satoshi's utterance of that name. He was looking back at her, head tilted curiously.
"You said Eren when you saw the titan." he said, brow furrowed. "And you had this look on your face…"
Satoshi knew her well; there wasn't anyone that knew her better besides his father and a few friends and comrades she had scattered across Paradis Island. Humanity had taken well to being able to live outside the Walls for the first time in over a hundred years. She debated lying to him but discarded the thought; there was no reason for him not to know. He was getting older. If she thought he was getting old enough to place a Lure, he was certainly old enough to hear about the history of that particular side of their family.
"Eren…Eren Yeager is his full name." she said. "He's your…uncle, I suppose you'd call him. And he also happens to be that titan we just lured away."
To his credit, Satoshi was quiet for several seconds. This had no effect on the eventual volume of his answer, however.
"MY UNCLE IS A TITAN?!"
The titan luring equipment had been safely locked away and the laundry had all been hung up before Satoshi was able to get any more details. It was one of the few times she'd seen him eager to assist with chores. Self-motivation was a powerful thing.
Satoshi sat at the dining table, legs practically vibrating with anxiety as he watched his mother make her way towards him. Her pace was measured and calm and in her hands, she held a long, wooden box that she'd retrieved from the cellar.
She placed it in front of Satoshi before taking a seat, leaning forward to open the box.
"This story's been a long time coming, Satoshi." she said, pulling the green fabric from the top and handing it to him. Satoshi felt the thick cloth between his fingers and marvelled once he realized what he was holding as he saw the silver and blue winged emblem emblazoned proudly on the cape.
"This is a Survey Corps cloak." he said, awed. The Survey Corps were legends. They'd officially disbanded over a decade ago but every kid heard stories about the brave men and women that put their lives on the line and fought titans in actual combat. Nowadays, any soldier could simply walk up to a titan and cut it down with minimal trouble or fuss.
"Indeed it is." his mother said. She lifted out two large, metal rectangular cases. Jets sat at one end of them while handles jutted from the other end. Large spools full of the same wire used for lure placement sat on thick, metal reels, along with a chaotic jumble of straps.
"And that's actual 3D manoeuvre gear!" cried Satoshi excitedly. He looked down at the cloak in his hands, realizing what it must have meant.
"Mom…is this Dad's old Survey Corps stuff from back in the day?"
His mother shook her head, brushing dark hair from even darker eyes.
"No; it's mine." she said, handing him another piece of clothing. A worn, tan jacket. Satoshi took it, turning it over in his hands. The material was tough but loose, and he could spot several places where tears had been sewn up. He traced his hand over the patch on the shoulder.
"Mikasa Ackerman…" he said thoughtfully. "That's weird. I thought your last name was Yeager?"
Apparently, this was more surprising to Satoshi than the revelation that his mother had once been in the Survey Corps.
"It is now." she confirmed.
"But…I don't get it…Dad's last name isn't Yeager or Ackerman. Why was yours?"
"That's all part of the story, Satoshi." said Mikasa, looking down at the equipment in her hands. She hadn't had occasion to put them on in years but she still kept them clean and polished; it was difficult to tell they were over two decades old. "This is the story of a man that changed the world as we know it. A man I was happy to call my best friend and then, many years later, much more than that. A man that refused to give up until he saw humanity free of its self-imposed exile behind the Walls. A man that could turn into a titan at will."
Mikasa looked up at Satoshi, who was staring at her with rapt attention.
"Eren Yeager's story starts long before any of that though; it starts back from when we were children living in Shiganshina; him, your father and I. We were watching the Survey Corps return one day; it was quite the event back then. Almost a parade, of sorts. We stood there, perched on a wall, watching them pass below us. People revered as heroes; the very best that humanity had to defend itself from the titans and their ever present desire to consume us."
Mikasa smiled softly in remembrance.
"Eren, irreverent upstart that he was, took one look at them and, out of nowhere, said that the entire Corps were 'freaking morons' for fighting against the titans."
"No way." said Satoshi, awed. He'd been hearing tales about the Survey Corps of old for as long as he could remember; they lived heroic lives, striking down titans, bereft of any protection but their wits, their 3D gear and their blades. No one would call them morons.
"He complained that the cost in human lives weren't worth it. Even the best soldiers, who'd been serving in the military for years, only had a few dozen titan kills to their names. And expeditions, which happened every few weeks, often had casualties numbering at least half a dozen."
How can we expect to beat back the titans, who outnumber us by God knows how much, when we can't even get close to a 1:1 ratio of kills on them?
Mikasa chuckled at the memory. It was a common gripe of Eren's. He had a lot to say about the Survey Corps, even before they'd joined.
"Your father tried to point out that we did the best we had with what we had. Titans were stronger, more numerous, never tired, regenerated any damage done to them and had a single weak point located in a very hard to reach spot. The 3D manoeuvre gear and the special titan slaying blades were humanity's best weapons against them. Eren simply gave him a flat look and asked him why they needed weapons at all."
Listen to me; these walls save a ton of humans every day. That's an infinitely better ratio than even the Levi squad has. Thanks to them, we have time; we need to come up with a better idea than sending out wave after wave of our fittest people to fight these walking impossibilities.
That's what Eren often called the titans; walking impossibilities. He'd adopted the term from their father, Grisha. Their existence made no logical sense. The amount of energy they would need to live, let alone move, was unfathomable and it was a well-known fact that titans didn't actually eat humans for sustenance; even if they did, there was no way they were getting their energy from that. There were too many of them and too few humans available.
"Eren asked him if we wasted time trying to tear down mountains or drain rivers or clear every dangerous animal from the forests."
No, we don't! Because that would be a waste. We build around them; we divert the flow or develop on top of it. We accept that these things are here to stay and we control them and put ourselves above them. We just need to find a way to apply that to the titans.
"Eren felt that, eventually, humanity would do just that. He felt that it was simply a matter of time until we corralled the titans to our will."
"And he was right, Mama." said Satoshi, still holding onto the green cloak reverently. "Hardly anyone lives in the Walls anymore."
"I wouldn't call half our population 'hardly anyone', Satoshi." she said, smiling softly. "But you're right, we've expanded quite a lot in the past few years, of that there's no doubt. And we have Eren to thank for a lot of that."
"Really?" asked Satoshi. "But I've never even heard about him before today."
"He never cared for recognition." she said, thinking back to the intelligent, driven young man she'd known. "Most of the credit for his discoveries went to his commanding officer, Hange Zoë."
Satoshi gasped at the familiar name.
"The Mad Scientist Extraordinaire? Uncle Eren worked with her?" he asked.
"Yup, directly under her. He was assigned to her squad almost immediately after we finished training and signed up for the Survey Corps."
"But wait, I thought Uncle Eren thought the Survey Corps was dumb?" asked Satoshi, scratching his head. "Did he change his mind or something?"
"Ah, well…it's complicated. It all started when Wall Maria first fell thirty years ago. As you probably know, the Betrayers breached the wall at Shiganshina, which led to the eventual overrun of the entire district, forcing us to retreat behind Wall Rose. What you wouldn't have learnt in history class is that I was there."
Satoshi gasped.
"You were at the first breach?" he asked.
Mikasa nodded.
"Your father as well. Eren, he and I were right in town when the Colossus titan breached the wall. Debris from the hole had destroyed our house and our mother was…was trapped inside."
The years had numbed the ache she felt in her heart when she thought about that day but it had never quite vanished.
"Uncle Hannes came and carried us away but I heard her crying as we ran. I heard Eren screaming. I heard the titan sifting through the debris. I heard everything. I couldn't see it but Eren did and he told me exactly what I'd heard."
That titan…it just picked her up like a doll. It held her in its hands and just…squeezed. I saw her snap in half, Mikasa. I saw that titan bite our mother in two. And I couldn't do a single thing about it. I refuse to ever feel that powerless again. Someday, I swear things will be different. The day will come when humanity will have nothing to fear from the titans. I swear it on my life.
"We joined the army recruits two years after that. Eren was determined to learn more about the titans and what exactly they were and he couldn't do anything from within the walls. He'd have to venture outside of them and encounter titans for himself; see them with his own eyes. So he set his sights on joining the Survey Corps and I was right behind him. I wasn't going to let him go alone; he was the only family I had left."
"Even during training, Eren never stopped trying to learn more. All of our squad leaders were sick of his questioning and he spent more than one afternoon doing laps because he didn't know when to keep silent. But he didn't care. The breach had shown him that humanity didn't have the time he thought it did. And he felt it was up to him to save it, all on his own."
I will protect you, Eren.
"Well, mostly on his own." she amended quietly. "Regardless, he soon caught the attention of Hange Zoë after that. He'd made it a point to hassle every commander he could get away with into asking her to come to visit their training class; he'd heard about her interest in titans and she was at the forefront of what little titan research had been accomplished by that point. She found him…what exactly did she call him…oh yes, 'cute but scrawny' and told him he was years too early to assist her with anything. But she promised to give him a second thought if he managed to graduate in the top ten of his class and sought her out in the Survey Corps. So he did."
Mikasa smiled as she thought about graduation day. She'd sat at the top of the class, followed closely by…them…but Eren had placed a respectable 5th.
"The second breach took place the day after graduation, when we were stationed in Trost district. It was there that Eren discovered he had the unique ability to transform into a titan. It was also there that we captured our first Betrayer."
The Colossus titan vanished as soon as I went for it. Just like five years ago. A titan that big is slow as dirt; there's no way it just waltzed off. And we already knew it was at least an Abnormal but now we definitely know that it was intelligent; I saw it clearing the battlements myself. That must mean there are other humans like me that can turn into Titans. And I didn't see anyone on the walls once the steam cleared. So whoever was inside must have escaped and the only way that could've happened was with 3D manoeuvre gear. The titan evaporated in seconds; there was no time for it to crouch and escape from the neck on the ground level. Besides, the entire area was flooded with the titans it'd just let in.
"That night, Eren shared his suspicion with Hange. There were only so many soldiers with 3D manoeuvre gear that weren't accounted for during the brief period that the Colossus titan appeared. Hange convinced Commander Erwin to detain them all, leading the entire corps underground in what was officially a scouting mission to inspect any damage that would've been done to the tunnel system. Once underground, the suspects were captured and detained, Eren included."
"But he was the one who told Hange about the whole thing." said Satoshi, eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't seem fair."
"It wasn't but that was better than allowing a potential enemy to walk amongst us. Eren knew they were simply being careful and waited patiently. It took weeks of containment but, eventually, Bertolt cracked under the strain and attempted to transform. The earth kept him pinned down, however, and his full form was unable to manifest. Captain Levi disabled him immediately and Bertolt was kept imprisoned and questioned relentlessly. That was when Eren first made the discovery that would change everything."
He was so strong, Mikasa. The things they did to him…the things they could do because he could just heal…it was sickening. And yet he still refused to give us anything substantial. We had to settle for scraps of information. One of the things they asked him was how he'd done it; how did he transform and then manage to get away the first time. It's an exhausting experience and he definitely didn't have any 3D manoeuvring gear; he was too young. He told us that he didn't know; that titans just tended to ignore humans fresh from their titan transformations. They would still attack if you waited too long or actively sought their attention but you could easily walk among them for hours otherwise.
"This baffled Eren; he tested it with Hange and confirmed that titans pursued him just as often as they pursued other humans at first but, if he transformed and then left his titan body to roam among them, he was ignored. For the most part, anyway."
It's just a hand, Mikasa. For the last time, it will grow back. Now would you stop nagging me!
Mikasa quirked her lips. Eren had been such a stubborn boy; he hadn't ever wanted to seem weak to her. Even when most of his arm was bitten off in an experiment gone awry, he hadn't wanted to admit he was hurting. She'd never really told him but she found it quite cute.
"Eventually, after months of testing and experimentation, the first prototype for what would eventually become TR, Titan Repellent, was created. Eren and Hange had worked together and found a way to stabilize a titan's blood. Normally, it would evaporate on contact with the air but they found a way to make it so that it stuck around while also dampening your own, natural scent. And if you applied it to yourself, titans ignored you, provided you didn't do anything untoward to attract their attention. And even then, they lost interest rapidly.
It was an amazing discovery; something so simple but so revolutionary would change the entire structure of the Survey Corps; no soldier need ever fear a titan again. It was soon after this discovery that the second Betrayer was apprehended and killed in battle."
It was Annie, Mikasa. We caught her trying to sneak into the lab. I'm glad you weren't here for that. The entire lab was…it was destroyed. All of my work crushed beneath our big, clumsy feet as we fought. I…I heard so much screaming. I felt myself step on things; soft, warm things. Connie died that day. I still don't know which one of us killed him.
"Eren was able to subdue Annie but she died in the ensuing attempt to remove her from her titan alive." said Mikasa, choosing to leave out the part where Eren had told her he remembered leaning down and tearing out her nape with his titan teeth. In a lot of ways, she was glad she hadn't been there either. For all that she was an enemy, Annie had been a friend too. "They were setback for months but, eventually, they were able to create a functioning TR model again. But that in and of itself wasn't enough for Eren. Having a spray bottle that kept titans away was all well and good but it wasn't a long term solution. He was determined to give us even more than that."
"That's when he started creating different products; mundane products. He took some of the leave time he'd allotted and used the break to work closely with a merchant family that we'd saved during the battle of Trost district. They helped him to develop several goods, all embedded with the stabilized titan formula he'd managed to create after months of rigorous testing. Soaps, linens…anything you could think of, really. Any and everything could be a titan repellent. And, due to the lower concentration, the smell wasn't nearly as pungent as it once was. It was almost pleasant."
Satoshi sniffed deeply at his shirt sleeve, not smelling anything out of the ordinary.
"You wouldn't be able to smell it, Satoshi." she said, laughing at his antics. "You've grown up with this scent your whole life."
"But the paste smells so…ick." he said, extending his tongue out.
"That's because it's really concentrated. It's meant to completely overpower any trace of a Lure on you if you manage to break one open. Outside of that, your clothes and shampoo are more than enough to keep you invisible to any titans you may inadvertently encounter." she said.
"So did Uncle Eren invent Lures too then?" asked Satoshi.
"He assisted heavily in their development but that was Hange's pet project more than his; he was all for keeping titans away while she was all for keeping them close. It was fitting that she was able to invent something that let her do just that. It's a blessedly simple idea too, though one that only works because we've adopted TR into our daily lives. It's essentially just concentrated, undiluted human." she said.
"The inside of a Lure is just bright red paste; it's slow to decompose and would probably smell like nothing to you. But, to titans, in this new, "humanless" world they find themselves in, it would smell like a crowd of humans just suddenly popped up. So they go chasing after it and mill mindlessly around the spot until it's washed away or the scent fades. It's not uncommon for them to get the paste on themselves either; trust me when I say it's disturbing to watch a titan try to eat itself."
"That sounds like it would be cool to watch." said Satoshi, eyes sparkling.
"Boys." said Mikasa, shaking her head. "Now where was I…yes, so the development on Lures and TR was going very well. Hange and Eren were getting more and more support, retiring entirely from the front line work as they continued their work behind the walls. And that's when we suddenly found ourselves besieged by the last of the Betrayers; Reiner Braun. Otherwise known as the Armoured Titan. He tried to break through the ground above the prison where we were keeping Bertolt; Eren rushed to meet him and was successful in stopping him."
He wasn't any match for me, Mikasa. I don't know if it's because of what I did to Annie or if he was just off his game but I took him down easily. I just trounced him in sheer hand to hand. He ran away with his tail between his legs.
"However, this was only the first of many attempts. And, midway through his campaign against us, he was joined by the Beast titan; a large, ape like titan with massive strength and the ability to bend mindless titans to his will. It was a foe that would've caught us all off guard if it weren't for Hange turning into the Colossus titan mid-way through the battle."
"Hange could turn into a titan too?!" said Satoshi, flabbergasted. Was everyone able to turn into one? Could he do it too, maybe?
"Yes. Though exactly how she accomplished that is something I'm not allowed to tell you."
Father's journals talk about the secret to making more people like me; people that can change into titans. I've gotta say, once I told Hange, I've never seen a human so excited to eat another person. I mean, I know this is Hange we're talking about and I know she probably didn't mean anything by it…sort of…but still, it was terrifying! She was giggling and cradling the titan serum syringe like it was a newborn baby. I don't know if I could've let her go through with it if it were anyone but that murderous bastard, Bertolt.
"Regardless, her and Eren's combined might was able to turn the tide and the Betrayers were firmly crushed. The Beast titan fled to parts unknown and Reiner was captured and brought in, before being put on trial and executed. And thus, the Betrayers of Humanity were vanquished. Eren and Hange continued their work and it wasn't long before the Lures and Titan Repellent you're familiar with became a staple in the home. It allowed for further expansion across Paradis Island than we could've ever foreseen and the creation of many satellite villages, our own included. Now, the titans have become little more than particularly large, bumbling nuisances that a simple night watch and attentive neighbors can deal with. "
"Well yea, I know that part Mama. We learnt about that in history forever ago but Ms. Lenz goes on and on about how our village was founded. I think she gets a kick out of telling us how she had a hand in creating this place." said Satoshi.
"She's always been an incredibly kind woman." said Mikasa, smiling as she thought of her friend. Krista had taken well to life after their time in the Survey Corps; teaching and motherhood suited her.
"So what happened to Uncle Eren, Mama? I mean, I get he can turn into a titan or whatever but why haven't I met him? And why was he just wandering around the forest? Is he doing an experiment or something?" asked Satoshi.
"Not quite." she said, her smile fading. "As the years went on, Eren and I grew close. Closer even than we'd already been. It wasn't long before we began dating and we were married on my twentieth birthday, which is when I adopted his last name as my own."
"But what about dad? Weren't you all friends?" asked Satoshi. "Wasn't he jealous?"
"Your father and I weren't romantic then; we were simply the best of friends. The three of us were, really. He was Eren's best man at the wedding. He was happy for us, but no one was happier than Eren and I were. It was…an amazing time in my life."
Mikasa's heart still ached when she thought of the time she had with Eren; the brief years they'd been husband and wife. She loved Satoshi's father but Eren…Eren had been her world for so many years. And then one day…
"Eren started to get sick when he was twenty two. He went to every doctor and specialist in the walls, and some outside of them, but none of them could tell him what was wrong. He was simply…wasting away. His titan healing had always protected him from injury and disease but it wasn't working; not on whatever this was. I watched him grow weaker and weaker by the day. Near the end, he was so weak that he couldn't even get out of bed. That's when he finally told me."
It's the Curse of Ymir…father's journals mention it. Any human that takes on the power of a titan only has thirteen years with which to live after they obtain the power. I've been going on for almost thirteen and a half now. I knew I had this coming.
"He knew why he was sick. It had something to do with his titan abilities and there wasn't anything we could do. No medicine or treatment helped. All I could do was sit there and watch him die; I felt so weak, so powerless."
Mikasa felt tears on her cheeks and she touched them in surprise. When had she started crying? She took a deep breath, trying to calm the raging emotions. For all that she was a calm person, the few passions she had were stirred up that much more easily.
"When Eren passed, it was a sad day. Hundreds came out for the funeral procession through Shiganshina, though only a few of us went beyond the walls to make the journey to the open water."
At sea, Mikasa. I…I want you to bury me at sea. It seems…fitting. Plus I don't want any greedy nobles desecrating my grave. I want the power of the Attack Titan to die with me.
"However, once we were a few miles out of the walls, the cart carrying Eren's body began shaking. The horses attached to it bucked and whinnied and the driver shouted, scrambling away from the cart, which had begun to glow. It was a good thing he did too. Seconds later, in a burst of yellow energy, Eren's titan form coalesced in front of us. I was so…so happy. I thought he'd managed to come back to me; that he'd managed to beat the odds again. But that wasn't what had happened. He'd simply become a mindless titan, like all of the others that roam Paradis. And I was forced to watch him walk away. It wouldn't be the last time either."
Mikasa thought back to how he'd looked at her in the forest; his green eyes were so vacant and empty. She'd searched hungrily for any spark of recognition but, just as with all the other times she'd encountered him since the failed funeral procession, there was none.
"It was after years of mutual grief and heartache that your father and I came together. Things were awkward, at least at first. He thought he was trampling on Eren's memory, somehow, but I knew that Eren would approve. He wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone. And if there was any man good enough for me, it was Armin Arlert."
"You called?"
Mikasa looked up at the door, where Satoshi's father stood framed in the doorway, his hands on either side of the frame. His long, blonde hair was slung into a ponytail and his bright blue eyes were fixed onto his family. His thin frame had filled out more as he'd grown into a man, though he was still noticeably slim. He had a messenger bag strapped across his chest, stuffed with goods that rattled as he entered the room. She'd heard him approach, of course, but Satoshi hadn't noticed, engrossed in her story as he was.
"Dad!"
Satoshi hopped up, barrelling into Armin's chest and almost taking him off of his feet. Armin stumbled back, barely managing to stay standing as he threw his arms around his son.
"Whoa, easy there tiger. It's only been two weeks, ya know?" he said, smiling at the excited boy. He looked up at Mikasa and his smile widened.
"Mikasa."
"Armin."
She stood up, dusting her hands off before approaching him with her even, measured gait. She took his face in her hands and leaned forward, placing a deep kiss on his lips. She'd missed him.
They both ignored the faux gagging sounds their son was making.
"Old people kissing. Gross."
"Hey, we're not that old." said Armin, chuckling as he pulled away from Mikasa's face to glare playfully at his son. "Besides, your mother is just as beautiful as she was twenty years ago. Meanwhile I feel like I've done enough aging for the both of us."
Mikasa rolled her eyes good naturedly, shaking her head. Armin's self-deprecating nature had never quite left him, though it now came from a place of humour rather than insecurity.
"So what's all this?" he asked, gesturing to the open box on the table. "Feeling nostalgic?"
Mikasa nodded, reaching into the box. She picked up another jacket, one larger than hers with a missing sleeve. She ran her thumb over the name embroidered on the patch before turning to face him.
"You'll never guess who we saw today, dear."
Large A/N: Woohoo! Attack on Titan fic done. Was excited to write this ever since I saw the note on the challenge thread; this had been the last thing I watched before I read said note and I was happy! As you probably noticed, this is an AU that deals with an Eren that's more intelligent than hot-headed. I realize that somewhat shoehorned him into Armin's role and I apologize for that. Armin's still smart though! It's just that Mikasa was telling her son the story of Eren Yeager.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed. I realize a lot of detail was missing, as Mikasa kept the story focused on Eren, so I'll put a brief overview of some pertinent events below. For those of you who only watch the anime, there may be some spoilers below:
This story takes place almost exactly thirty years after the breach of Wall Maria when Mikasa and Eren were ten.
Eren kicked Reiner's ass so easily because Reiner was breaking down without Annie or Bertolt there to support him and help him with his mental trauma. It would've been a much rougher fight if he'd been fully in his right mind.
After the defeat of the main three titan shifters, the Beast titan retreated back to Marley. They still want to invade Paradis but don't have the resources; they can't afford to risk more of their titans now that they've lost the element of surprise and they're no longer a secret to the higher ups behind Wall Sina, especially with the pressure from the other world's nations on them. The general populace doesn't know about the world outside the walls though, beyond knowing that they're on an island, as the bounds of Paradis have been thoroughly mapped by this point.
Historia Reiss remained as Krista Lenz and never took power in this universe; she never needed to as a coup was never staged because there wasn't enough unrest thanks to there never having been a breach in Wall Rose due to Bertolt's untimely capture. The rest of the Betrayers' plan fell apart soon after as Annie tried to sneak in (much like she did when she killed the captive titans) but got caught because they were on higher alert. Unlike in the main series, they knew to be aware. Despite the fact that he never talked, they knew Bertolt had to have at least one more ally as they saw that the Armoured Titan had helped him in the first attack.
The island of Paradis is largely peaceful; they have more than enough space to prosper now that they can expand outside of the walls and any common villager can use a Lure. With the expansion of all the titan repellent being manufactured cheaply (since titans regenerate anyway, so you can drain your captive titans indefinitely as long as you keep them in the sun), the titans stopped concentrating near the walls and began wandering aimlessly. Paradiso is that big. Movements of large groupings are still tracked by branches of the army though there's a lot less urgency. It's more like weather reporting than anything else.