I'd like to thank EremikaHaven once again for letting me write this. She deserves a HUGE shout out for this. She is AMAZING. It's a shame she isn't known more. She has to be one of the most interesting people I've ever seen. I have so many ideas for this, and I really hope you like it! Thank you so much, Brianna! (I hope you don't mind if I call you that.) I really hope I was able to write you good enough…I hope I don't get you OOC.
Keep in mind, this is the AOT world. In this fanfiction, it's like an alternative path, like if adoption was a huge thing in AOT. Keep in mind, I've done a fair amount of research on AOT and adoption, and I read a lot about foster homes, so please don't freak out about every little thing. Thank you, my readers.
Their bond began that day…a day neither of them would have ever forgotten. A bond deeper than any blood relatives out there…one that would change the very fate of the world itself, change the very history…changed the way their fates would have been…a bond deeper than compassion…a bond deeper than love.
Thunder crackled in the city of Shiganshina, on an early Saturday morning. It was 3:00 AM throughout all of wall Maria, and most families were sound asleep. The city wasn't bustling with sound like it usually did when the sun was out, and the only sound to be heard was the roaring thunder and pouring rain pattering against every roof within miles.
In the Rodorigo Foster Center, all the boys and girls were sleeping soundly inside of their rooms. In the foster home, there were nineteen kids; eleven girls, eight boys.
In each room was about five children since there were so many abused and neglected children there. But one of the most famous way that the kids would get in was from being orphaned. Whether it was from titans, accidents, or just other humans, children lost their parents more often than most who lived in the walls even knew about.
Because the king had made such a complex system of adoption, a lot of people didn't want to go through the pain of adopting these kids. So, more often than not they get left alone, left with nobody but each other.
The adoption process was very largely expensive since the government was greedy for more money. You had to practically buy the child, which could be thousands of dollars, so a lot of people didn't have the money for that, and if they did, they used it on other things, since they could just have children naturally most of the time.
The process could take weeks to months to get finished, depending on how complex the child/parent's files and histories were. It was a very cruel fate for the poor children since most would never even be considered to get adopted, and most of the foster cares were actually extremely abusive to the children, since the highest paid were the ones who became foster parents, and it was far too likely that if you had a lot of money, you were a corrupted person.
People also couldn't just take an orphaned child on the streets home; they had to bring them to foster care.
And that's why, despite all the sleeping children, Mikasa Ackerman sat, wide awake, her silky black, long hair falling and sticking onto her tear stained face.
She was hugging herself tightly, feeling nothing but her own warmth through her nightgown. On her lap was a long maroon scarf, which was off because it could choke her in her sleep, and she had only just recently awoken.
Thunder rolled again, lightning flashing through the window on the right wall, which was made completely of bricks. The nine-year-old yelped, jumping slightly, trembling further. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks, as more thunder came, and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing helplessly.
"How come none of the others have woken up yet…? Usually Suzanne would be awake by now, since she's a light sleeper…it's a good thing she isn't though…I can't deal with her right now…"
Mikasa heard more thunder, and grabbed her blanket, burying herself under it, shaking like a leaf.
"I didn't used to be so scared of the thunder…it only started when…when…"
Mikasa gasped, throwing a hand to her forehead as a torturous pounding began in her head, showing that she was having another migraine. She just buried her head in her legs, grabbing onto her scarf and clinging to it like a lifeline, sobbing into herself, feeling so frightened and helpless.
Mikasa heard footsteps outside of the door. Immediately, she lied down, curling into herself, trembling as she prayed they wouldn't notice she was awake. She covered her mouth to keep in her whimpers and gasps and hoped with all her heart nobody would come in to torment her, like they often did, despite the fact that she wasn't doing anything but seeking help and healing from all the trauma she had been through.
"Eren…please…help me…I'm so scared…everybody here hurts me…nobody…nobody wants me…except you…Mrs. Araya always hits me and locks me up…and most of the kids ignore me…and the other kids bully me…please…please…save me, Eren…I miss you…I…I…"
Mikasa closed her blue eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, as she remembered everything she had been put through over those last few weeks. Those days she spent getting hit, called names, made fun of because she is a different race, treated like an unwanted object. She thought of how Mrs. Araya would beat her, since she was much bigger than Mikasa. Mikasa may have been strong, but she was only a child, who was all alone. Against about ten abusive people with nobody to comfort and love her, she stood no chance.
Mikasa wouldn't say a single word during the entire day, since if she said anything Mrs. Araya disliked, she would get beaten and locked up in the bathroom, where she would cry and cry, waiting for them to let her free. Since she hadn't spoke, it hadn't happened to her…but she saw Araya do it to some of the other kids.
Mikasa did fight back. She had kicked, and hit, but Araya threatened to kick Mikasa out on the streets if she didn't obey. For Mikasa, that would be worse than being in the foster home. She would be at risk of being kidnapped or starved, and nobody would be able to take her in without officially adopting her. At least at the foster care she wasn't going to be kidnapped and sold, and there was food. But she still couldn't handle the abuse she was enduring, just because she was born different than most.
The night went on, with nobody even caring enough to help the traumatized child they were living with, who was just weeping in bed. When the thunder storm finally stopped, and the sun came out, Mikasa's heart dropped, and she felt extremely miserable just thinking about going out of her bed, where she was vulnerable to the world.
The small girl wrapped her warm maroon scarf around her neck, slipping over the side of the bed, her small feet hitting the ground. She waited for all the other kids to walk out first, so that she didn't get in the way and bother them. She didn't want them to get angry at her, because they'll bully her, and then she would defend herself, and then Araya would beat her for that.
The children filled up the dining room rather quickly. Mikasa grabbed a plate of breakfast set out for her, looking down to avoid looking Araya in the eyes, although she could see out of the corner of her eye Araya's green orbs staring at her, making Mikasa swallow hard in fear. Mikasa walked over and sat on the floor, since the dinner table was full, and tried her hardest to ignore the bruises on her arms and legs from past beatings.
"Listen up, all of you! We actually have somebody coming today to check you brats out. You better dress your best, and you know what not to say about me. If any of you says anything you're not supposed to, I will not stand for it. Understand?" Araya said, standing up, her brown dress falling over her feet.
Nobody said a word, just nodded. Mikasa nodded meekly, feeling hopelessness sink in.
"Nobody is going to adopt me…nobody loves me…the only people who ever loved me…was Mommy and Daddy…and now…now…"
Images of her mom, soaked in her own blood, sprawled across the floor, eyes dark and lifeless entered Mikasa's mind, along with images of her father, slumped against the wall, his eyes wide and lifeless, like her mother's, blood soaking his shirt.
Mikasa began hyperventilating, the thoughts making her nauseous. Mikasa set her food on the counter, not saying a word, turning and walking to her room, her mind filled with too many gruesome memories for any child to have to bear with.
She decided to get dressed, to try to get her mind off those memories. Mikasa picked out her white dress, grabbing her pink coat with it, (so that it covered the bruises on her arms,) knowing she would be in trouble if she didn't get ready, since she wasn't going to it. Mikasa slipped into one of the bathrooms, shutting and locking the door.
Mikasa changed into her new clothes, and washed her face, making sure to wipe away all the tear stains, although she felt her heart sink when she realized she has no way of hiding the dark circles under her eyes, from all the sleep she was losing, from both nightmares and thunderstorms, since it was spring, and that made storms far more common.
Mikasa picked up her hairbrush, and stroked it softly through her black hair, that was like cotton to the touch. When she was finally done brushing it, she heard somebody knock on the door, rather harshly, making her jump in surprise.
"Hey, brat! Get out! I need a turn! No matter how much work you do on yourself, your ugly will stay the same, but unlike you, I actually can make my beautiful even better!"
The sound of Suzanne's voice sent chills up Mikasa's spine. Soft tears built in Mikasa's eyes. All she wanted was somewhere she could rest peacefully, in the arms of someone who would protect her, love her, and heal her broken soul. Somewhere she could sleep, eat dinner, play, smile, feel something besides the aching in her heart.
"It's too late for that now…"
Knowing the fourteen-year-old, military drop out, who was professionally trained in hand-to-hand combat, was right outside her door, ready to take on Mikasa while her whole body ached from lack of sleep, beatings, and the little amount of food she was eating, since her flashbacks always made her lose her appetite, (and the stressful abuse didn't help her feel any hungrier,) already scared Mikasa half to death, but opening the door was a harder fight. She knew that the girl's wrath would be less brutal if she opened the door sooner, but she didn't want to go through any of her bullying when she was so exhausted already.
As Mikasa grabbed the door handle, she felt her hand tremble, as she prayed to God one thing over and over.
"Please let somebody save me from this…I…I can't take anymore…this world is too cruel…too cold…too painful…it's like a living hell…please…somebody…anybody…save me…I have no reason to live here anymore…just please…have some mercy on me…"
Just one second before she was going to open the door, she heard somebody enter the front door of the house. Right after, Araya called out to everybody.
"KIDS! GET OUT HERE! The guest is here!"
Mikasa almost collapsed in relief, blinking back her tears.
"Thank you…thank you…thank you…"
Little did she know, if that visitor hadn't shown up, the young girl would've taken a beating that would've been her last.
Mikasa opened the bathroom door, walking very shyly into the main room. When the woman's dark eyes fell upon Mikasa, she felt herself swallow hard. The woman's short brown hair fell a bit past shoulder length. She was wearing a pair of glasses, a pink shirt, and black pants. She was smiling a bit, but her smile seemed to just fade when she set her eyes on the small girl, who was shaking from head to toe.
"I'm here to look into adopting…adopting…" her words, which she was saying to Araya, fell quiet for a moment.
"Adopting…?" Araya urged on, acting rather fakely enthusiastic. The woman blinked, looking back at Araya, although she kept glancing at Mikasa, which made Mikasa shift rather nervously.
"Oh, um…adopting a girl. I want a daughter," the woman finished, giving Mikasa another glance. All of the kids were playing around, rough housing, drawing, reading…doing what normal kids do. But Mikasa…she just stood out. She was the most miserable out of them all…the one who seeked help the most.
She just stood in the center of the room, eyes sad and empty, not even the hint of any type of positivity on her face. She looked soulless, far too traumatized to have a child's spirit or mindset.
Araya grinned, a strand of curly blonde hair falling into her face as she spoke her next words, saying in a rather strange voice, "Well, that shouldn't be too hard. We have plenty of girls here. You can try talking to them, and whoever you're interested in the most, just let me know. Any questions?"
"Uh, no. Thank you," the woman said. Araya nodded, and walked away, letting the woman begin.
Mikasa sat down in a corner, feeling a headache begin. She would sometimes get them at random, because of how stressed out she was feeling. Mikasa buried her face in her scarf, the only source of comfort she even had.
The woman approached Mikasa, sitting at a fair enough distance from her, before speaking.
"Hey there…"
Mikasa looked up, letting her blue eyes look into the woman's dark eyes, that captivated Mikasa. The way she spoke to Mikasa reminded Mikasa of the way she had been spoken to only weeks before, and it made Mikasa's heart ache.
"Are you alright?"
Mikasa realized that she was waiting for a reply, so she nodded, rather meekly. The woman offered Mikasa a kind smile, before looking her softly in the eyes.
"My name is Brianna," the woman introduced, still giving her a smile, although she looked rather concerned for the small child, which made Mikasa's shoulders ease a bit, feeling a bit more comfortable with Brianna.
"…I…I'm Mi…Mikasa…" Mikasa said quietly, her voice slightly raspy from not speaking in so long. She hadn't spoken to anybody since she spoke her parting words to Eren.
Mikasa stood out in the wet grass, completely barefoot. Blood trickled down her lip slowly, from where the man had punched her just hours before, but the scarf, which had just been wrapped around her neck, soaked the blood up. The materiel on her face and neck were so soft and warm, and it almost reminded her of the gentle touch of a mother…although Mikasa knew she'd never get that ever again.
Mikasa felt tears stream down her cheeks and fall into the scarf, as she gazed into the emerald green eyes of the boy who she owed her life to. He made her feel warm…she thought that she would have never felt that warm ever again.
Mikasa's heart pounded in her chest, and in the back of her mind, she knew that all she wanted was for this boy – Eren – to hold her and comfort her…she wanted him to love her, since she was all alone, and he had saved her. She wasn't sure if he had saved her out of the kindness in his heart, or something else, but all she knew was that she wanted to be by his side so badly that it hurt.
"C'mon. We have to head out."
Mikasa turned her head to look at the faces of the MP officers who were going to bring her to a foster home…but all she wanted was to go home with Eren instead…to stay by him forever.
As the military police officer took her hand and began pulling her away, she turned, and cried one last thing to Eren, which was the last words she would say in nine weeks.
"Goodbye, Eren…thank you."
She went into the carriage, and they began riding off with her. The last thing Mikasa saw of them, was Eren, standing out under the starlight, waving goodbye to a girl he hardly even knew.
Mikasa noticed that Brianna had scooched closer, almost cautiously. Mikasa didn't really mind…she kind of liked Brianna.
"You have a very pretty name," Brianna said. Mikasa couldn't tell if she was being honest or trying to make her comfortable, but either way, Mikasa carefully began uncurling herself, hardly even noticing that her headache was suddenly gone.
"Thank you…" Mikasa said, feeling very desperate to make sure Brianna didn't leave her. Brianna was Mikasa's only way out…her only hope to be taken somewhere where she'd have safety, and comfort, and maybe even love. Somewhere she could call her home.
She lost everything…her parents, her home, her normal childhood, the only people who ever loved Mikasa, her chance at standing by her savior's side, a chance at growing up and living a normal life…and even her will to live, all because she was so isolated and lonely. She was given so many things to torment her…abuse, bullying, neglect…so she seeked love from a stranger if it meant she wouldn't be mistreated anymore.
When Mikasa looked Brianna in the eyes, she saw Brianna's eyes widen, and she knew Brianna could tell exactly what she was asking…could tell that she was begging for Brianna's affection, more than anything in the world.
"Please…help me…save me…I can't take anymore…if I can make you stay…if I can make you come back…will you give me a home? Will you care for me? Will you keep me safe? Will you…"
"Love me?"