Attack on Titan

Blood. That's all the little girl known as Mikasa Ackerman could see as the metallic smell pervaded her senses, offended her nostrils. Not for the first time did the image of her parents' needless, brutal deaths flash before her young black eyes as any resemblance to innocence was shattered like an illusion.

Her father, ran through with a blade in his stomach. Her mother – dear goodness, her mother – struggling with one of the human traffickers before her skull was pierced through with an axe.

Mikasa could only look on, horrified, as blood gushed from the wound. Collapsing to the ground, her mother turned her unseeing eyes on her.

"Why Mikasa?" Her mother croaked out. "Why didn't you help? You stood on the sidelines and let me and your father die."

"No!" Mikasa shouted, tears brimming her black eyes. "I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry?" Her mother's corpse rasped out. "Did you not help us because you hate us? Did we do something to make you resent us?"

The tears cascaded down her face in pained rivulets. "I'm sorry! I wish I could've saved you!"

Her mother's glassy eyes took on a faint semblance of pity. "If only you could have saved us."

Mikasa fell to the ground, her hands covering her mouth in a vain attempt to suppress her sobs. "I'm sorry!" She cried softly. "I'm so sorry!"

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Upon waking up, Mikasa's black eyes glistened with unshed tears as she noticed how her hands had subconsciously wound themselves into the red fabric of her scarf. Her fingers curling around it as if it could prevent her recurrent nightmares from appearing. Shuffling out from her bed, she wandered absently in the Yeager Household.

It wasn't long before – after stumbling around in the dark, using the slivers of moonlight to illuminate her way – that she found herself standing in front of the door leading to the bedroom of Eren Yeager. Opening the door as silently as she could, she looked into the darkness of his room.

"Eren?" Mikasa called softly. "Are you awake?"

The answer was a snore pervading the air.

Of course he isn't awake. A voice said at the back of her mind. It's the middle of the night.

Inching the door open before closing it so only a small shaft of light could filter in, she looked at Eren's bed once more. Approaching the bed cautiously, she took in his sleeping form. A trail of saliva was coming from the corner of his mouth.

Analyzing his dozing form, Mikasa was struck by how peaceful he appeared. The apparent tranquility was incongruous with how violent he was. How vicious he had become when he killed two of the human traffickers that had kidnapped her.

As Mikasa watched him silently, she realized with a jolt that he was looking back at her, turquoise eyes bleary with sleep gazing back at wide obsidian ones.

"Mikasa!" Eren exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Mikasa fiddled absently with her red scarf. "I had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Eren repeated. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Eren, do you think that I could maybe..." Mikasa trailed off, unsure.

"Maybe what?" Eren echoed.

"Could I...umm..."

"Spit it out already Mikasa!" Eren snapped.

Mikasa retreated back a step at his outburst, considering if coming here was such a good idea. Taking a deep breath before exhaling it, she steeled her resolve. Somewhat anyway.

"Eren," Mikasa started. "Do you think that I could...ummm...share the bed with you tonight?"

Eren eyed her critically, his gaze narrowed.

"If you don't want to, that's fine too." Mikasa continued.

Eren's facial expression softened before he sighed and pulled the covers away. "Sure," He relented. "why not?"

A small smile spread across her face. "Thank you Eren."

Eren grunted noncommittally as she hopped into bed and the covers were thrown back over them. "No problem Mikasa."

Snuggling deeper into the sheets, Mikasa sighed contently. "Good night Eren."

"Night Mikasa." Eren said as Mikasa's eyelids were already feeling heavy. After a few moments of enjoying the reassuring heat, she was surprised to feel two arms wrap around her torse in a friendly hug.

"Eren, what are-"

A snore coming from the aforementioned boy cut her off mid-sentence. She shook her head, a small smile on her face before she fell asleep.

Laying there under the covers, the nightmares never came. As she lay there though, for some reason she felt warm in the face. She brushed it off though as simple body heat. Little did she know that she would soon fall desperately in love with him as they grew older.

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The sun ascended into the sky as the early morning colors appeared above the town of Shiganshina. The citizens were just now waking up, but there were two people who were already up.

"What are you doing Carla?" Grisha Yeager, Eren's father, asked as he came behind his wife.

Carla Yeager, Eren's mother, turned to him with a smile on her face brought on by what she saw in her son's bedroom. Flexing her index finger to herself before pointing into his bedroom, she spoke, "I'm observing our son and his visitor."

"His visitor?" Grisha repeated, perplexed. He didn't remember his son's best friend, Armin Arlelt, staying over. He also knew son was both too young and too dense to have a girl over. So that left only one possible person left...

His suspicions were proven correct as he saw that, hugging in his son's bed, were Eren and Mikasa.

"What is she doing in his bed?" Grisha wondered, more to himself than his wife.

From what he could see, Eren's red scarf hung loosely around them. Eren's arms wrapped around Mikasa's torso, hugging her close. Mikasa had a content smile on her face as Eren's mouth twitched upward.

"Perhaps she had a nightmare?" Carla suggested helpfully. "The girl did recently go through a traumatic experience.

Sympathy shone in her husband's eyes. "Poor girl. No one should have to go through so much emotional pain."

"At least Mikasa was fortunate enough for Eren to be there," Carla said before shuddering and hugging her arms. "who knows what could of happened to her."

There was a firm set to Grisha's jaw. "Damned boy. He was fortunate to get him and Mikasa out before they were killed."

Carla placed her hands on his shoulders as she looked him directly in the eyes. "Had Eren listened to you, who knows how much more trauma Mikasa would have had to endure."

Grisha sighed. "His recklessness could have gotten him killed."

Carla moved her hands from his shoulders to cup his face. "His recklessness saved someone's life though," She gently pressed her lips to her husband's before pulling away. "besides, it is an essential part of who he is."

Grisha shook his head. "I suppose you're right. Eren wouldn't be who he is if he wasn't reckless."

Carla had a small smile on her face. "Exactly my point. Now, how about we go make breakfast together? I'm sure the two of them will be starving when they wake up."

A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "Sure."

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Sunlight filtered in through the windows and aimed itself at the black haired girl in the eyes. Opening them up, slowly but surely, Mikasa was aware of the fact that she didn't have any more terrible nightmares involving her parents and the human traffickers. She was also aware of a pair of arms still wrapped around her torso, holding her close.

As her face felt warm, a part of her hoped that she wouldn't have to share the bed with Eren to scare away her nightmares. Because that would be strange. Very strange indeed.

Flicking his forehead, she spoke. "Come on Eren, it's time to wake up."

When he snored again, she flicked him harder.

This caused the brown haired male to jump in pain. "Ouch Mikasa! What was that for?!"

"You weren't waking up." Mikasa answered simply before hopping up out of bed.

She walked over to the door and opened it before sparing a glance over her shoulder. "Better hurry up. The day isn't going to seize itself and I think I can hear breakfast cooking."

That caused the male's scowl at being flicked in the forehead to turn into a excited grin. "I'll be right there."

Before Mikasa closed the door behind her, she saw him hastily scramble out of bed. Shaking her head, she went to her own room to change.

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"Tastes great mom." Eren said gratefully in between bites of food.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Yeager." Mikasa added after finishing a bit of food and hitting Eren in the back of the head for his rudeness.

"Ouch!" Eren put a hand to the back of his head as he felt a slight knot forming. "Mikasa what was that for?"

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full son," Grisha said, eating his own meal.

"Mom!" Eren turned his glance to the woman sitting next to his father, hoping someone would be on his side. To his bitter disappointment, she wasn't.

"Your father and Mikasa are right Eren." Carla said succinctly.

Eren groaned before putting his head in his arms. Turquoise eyes glaring at each of them over his arms, he mumbled, "You guys suck."

Eating another piece of food absently, Mikasa hit him over the head again.

"Mikasa, why do you keep hitting me?!" Eren asked.

The girl in question merely shrugged as she continued to eat like nothing happened.

"Whatever." Eren muttered before stabbing at his food angrily before devouring it.

Glancing around the table though, what he saw made a smile threaten to break out across his face. Upon Mikasa's visage was a small smile that just radiated a sense of warmth.

She's really pretty when she smiles.

Eren shook his head and ate another bite of food, wondering where in the world that thought had came from. Talk about random.

Unbeknownst to Eren, he would soon find himself endlessly falling in love with Mikasa no matter what. He would also acknowledge the fact that he would be terrible at showing it. But he would realize soon – as she kissed him passionately with her arms thrown around his neck and his hands on her thighs – she would have more than enough love for the both of them.

In the meantime though, they both would deal with Mikisa's decreasing nightmares, Eren's growing hostility, and their unfamiliar enjoyment in being in the presence of one another.

"MOM! DAD!" Eren shouted, covering his eyes with his hands. "I do not need to see that."

The that in question being his parents leaning in to each other as they kissed, slowly and fervently. The pair merely continued kissing despite their son's shouts of protest. Mikasa gazed at them with a look of nostalgia washing over her face. She recalled a happier time when her parents use to engage in that activity and her mother would read her fairy tales. A dull ache resonated in her chest.

"Come on Mikasa," Eren started to pull on her sleeve, breaking her out of her reverie, after getting up. "let's go find out what Armin is up to today."

"Okay." Mikasa said tersely.

As his parents watched them go after pulling apart as they heard the door close loudly, they looked at each other with a smile. Carla had a moderate grin on her face as Grisha had a small smile.

"What do you think Carla?" Grisha asked.

Carla seemed deep in thought for about thirty seconds before responding, "It may take a while, perhaps a couple years, but I definitely can see something beautiful blooming between the two of them."

"Unless a harsh cruelty comes between them." Grisha added.

"Something tells me that nothing will be able to break any bond they forge." Carla said.

"You sure are optimistic, aren't you?" Grisha commented.

Carla chuckled, filling the space in the room with her laughter. "Yeah, I guess I am."

And she leaned towards him and kissed him.

Author's Notes: And here it lies, my first foray into the Shingeki no Kyojin world of Fanfiction. I cannot help but feel as though I got the characters a bit off. Oh well! I digress.

Cover Art? Google Search: Young Eren and Mikasa Scarf