Where was he?! Where was Eren?! Mikasa told him not to go after that titan, but he wouldn't listen and now he had been gone for over forty minutes. Now she was riding all over the wide open plains beyond the walls looking for him. She didn't have time to admire the clear blue sky or the lush green fields, or even the lack of titans. Not when he could be in danger. He's fine, she thought to herself, Eren's practically invincible, especially in his titan form. I'm worrying over nothing. Still something bothered her and caused her general unease. That's when she spotted something in the distance. Something that looked…odd and unusual. There was a change in pigment in the grass ahead of her. It looked at first like mud, a mushy brownness, but the mud had a shine to it that made her even more uneasy. Calm down, she told herself in a mental lecture, even if that is blood it's not like there isn't enough around here with all the fights. At least there aren't any bodies.

As she drew near she realised how wrong she really was. Her heartbeat now steadily increasing every time the horse's hooves hit the ground, the feeling vibrating throughout her entire body sending her into a small panic. Yet, she remained calm on the outside because there was no confirmation of anything yet. She collected herself as she slipped off of her horse and steadily made her way to the horrid scene. The view was gut-wrenching to say the least. The body was lying face-down missing a leg from the ankle down and an entire arm. There were pieces of what appeared to be chipped bone and small chunks of flesh lazing about in the sun, emitting a disgusting odor. The scene, though gruesome, gave her some comfort as she gave a sigh of relief. For one thing no one could do that much damage to Eren, especially not one titan, and for another even though the body was face-down and mangled Mikasa could see enough to confirm that it wasn't Eren. She bent down near the body and let her thoughts wander. I wonder who this poor guy was and how we didn't notice him missing earlier… He must've been part of the flank that was eaten and probably tried to crawl his way back. She didn't blame him for leaving the battle and trying to get home on his own. Poor guy, he probably watched his friends get eaten right in front of him. He even made it a good distance to the wall.

Then the smallest detail caught the edge of her vision, his back was slowly moving. No, she had probably just imagined it, but there it went again. She was sure this guy was alive and now she wanted information. Hope started to build up in her as she once again let her thoughts wander. Maybe this guy saw Eren or knows something about his whereabouts. The first thing she noticed as she rolled over his body was those piercing emerald orbs that seemed to cut right through her, straight into her soul. Do I know those eyes? She let out a harsh gasp once the realization hit. Eren?! His face, at first, appeared to be angry and ready for a fight but after he realised who she was his features softened and sadness flooded into his eyes.

"Mika," he coughed out, "I'm sorry for ru-" He was cut short as he started to cough up more blood.

"For running away," he continues after a small fit, "like that."

"It's okay," she whispered into his ear. Her voice trembling as she chocked back the salty tears that were welling up in her eyes.

No. No. This isn't happening. Any moment now I'll wake up from this nightmare. Eren will be there outside waiting for me, I'll tell him about my dream and he'll laugh asking how a titan could get the better of him. This can't be happening. Eren is humanity's last hope…or is it was humanity's last hope… No. I was supposed to protect him. Why did I let him go off on his own? Why did I wait so long until I left to try and find him? Why couldn't I have saved him?! Despite the horrible situation, Eren broke out into a small smile and stared her in the eyes like he was trying to tell her that if he was going out then he would go out happy and with dignity. This wasn't like the day she had found him crying. It should have made her happy, it really should have, but the only thing she could focus on right now was the boy, the one that she loved more than life itself, slowly dying right there inches from her. It pained her how she couldn't do anything for him even though he was literally right there, all those efforts to keep him alive were now meaningless. No, not meaningless, they meant something but she couldn't think of what.

Fear and sadness invaded and clouded her thoughts as his breathes became shallower and shallower. As a last effort to show her feelings she took off her scarf, for the first time since he gave it to her, and wrapped it around his neck as he once did to her as if that event from the past would now restore him as it did her so long ago. Finally she placed a single kiss on his forehead: a blessing. Then she opened her mouth to tell him how she felt, but she couldn't. Why couldn't she?! It felt like an apple had decided to get stuck in her throat and she couldn't speak past it. She tried and tried but only more tears fell in place of words.

"Thank you." Eren muttered, his smile now feeble and weak. His once piercing emerald eyes now a dull, lifeless green. Seconds later his chest stops and you can almost see the life drain out of him with all the blood. His body was now an empty sack of flesh, it looked like Eren but it wasn't in the least bit. There was nothing Eren about that thing now.

"Love you." she says, almost yelling it with all the tears that she was holding back. She can't believe it, the only time she could say it, the only time when the lump wasn't there, was the only time it didn't matter. There was no purpose for those words now, he was gone and that was that. She didn't-couldn't believe it, he was really gone. It wasn't like before, this time she witnessed it with her own eyes until the very end. There was no bringing him back, no second chances, no tricks up his sleeve. There was just…nothing. A void. A hole she could never fill again.

"Love you too." he says, taking in a deep breath as life once again flowed back into him.


Author's notes: Thank you for reading! I hope Mikasa wasn't too OOC (out of character); I re-watched all the moments where she cried in the anime before I wrote this, so I hope that didn't make her too emotional in my story... Special thanks to ShiftWithTheWind for reviewing my short story! I can see my mistakes and i'll do my best to avoid them in the future, but I won't edit this story just for the sake of always remembering my mistakes. Once again, reviews are appreciated whether good or bad and favorites are appreciated too if you liked this story.