Chapter 1

A 7 year old Eren was running down a long hallway, panting like crazy. He had every reason to pant, of course. He had been running for what felt like hours. Finally, as he neared the end of the hallway, he saw that it it turned right, down into another hallway, identical to the one he had just come from. Slowing down, and eventually coming to a stop where the two intersected, he stood there for a moment, allowing his confusion to distract him from how tired he was. Hadn't he been down this hallway already? Walking towards the wall of the new hallway, his confusion turned to dread. Yes, he had been there, for there was a long scratch in the wall before him; a scratch Eren had put there himself to mark where he had been from where he hadn't. He was literally, walking in circles (or squares, if you were to take the shape that the hallways made up into consideration).

Groaning in frustration, he looked around, wandering what to do, when suddenly a quick movement he had seen through the corner of his eye alarmed him. Whipping around to face the threat, fists clenched, he saw nothing, but when he turned around again, there it was, millimeters away from his face. Eren yelped and jumped back in surprise and fear. The thing was terrifying, to say in the least. It's fur was black with lighter patches of gray, and huge claws and teeth that made Eren tremble. What was the most terrifying though, was the piercing silver eyes that stared him down, because they were not unlike a certain someone's Eren knew back home. A certain someone Eren had hated since he was 7 years old. A certain someone who had tormented Eren every chance they got. A certain someone who had loved to make Eren cry.

Levi Ackerman.

The thing opened its mouth, preparing to bite down on Eren's face, and right as it snapped its jaws shut-

"Eren! Wake up!" Mikasa yelled, her mouth inches from his ear.

"Gaaahhhh!" Eren hollered in surprise, tumbling out of bed while doing so. He looked around, noticing that he was in his room and his rightful age of 15 once more.

"Ow. Mikasa? What the heck!? It's Saturday!" He looked over at the clock on his nightstand and frowned. "And apparently, 6:00am."

"Yes, and do you know what that means?" She asked.

"Oh no...It's the Saturday Levi is coming, isn't it?" Eren asked, unable to keep the dread out of his voice, which in turn, earned him a disapproving look from Mikasa.

"Yes. It is. So get dressed and pick up in here a little bit. Your room is filthy. And you know how Levi is."

"I sure do." He muttered darkly under his breath.

"I heard that."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Eren, your ears-"

"Shut up!"

After cleaning his room and taking a shower, Eren cautiously padded downstairs, checking to see if Levi had arrived yet. To his delight, he hadn't.

"Good morning sweetheart!" Carla chirped as she prepared breakfast.

"Oh, 'morning mom." Eren replied, giving her a tired smile. "Would you like some help with breakfast?" He asked, watching in awe as his mother flipped pancakes with one hand, and scrambled eggs with the other.

"Oh, you're such a dear! Thank you sweetie. You can get started with chopping up that fruit over there."

As Eren walked over to the cutting board to comply with her request, he asked, "You're uh, really going all out, aren't you? I mean, it's just Levi. Are you going to do this every morning he's here?"

"Why of course I am, he's our guest!" Carla responded, giving Eren his second disapproving look for the morning.

"Oh. Well, I was just curious." Eren said a little too quickly, trying to end the conversation before he said something else that would get him in trouble. And with that, he started on the fruit.

He didn't mind the task. It gave him time to reflect on his morning. From that strange dream to Levi visiting, Eren had a feeling it was going to be a long day. He knew he was being a little selfish though. Levi was, after all, Mikasa's cousin, and she should have the privilege of seeing her own family. Mikasa was adopted when Eren was 7. Levi's guardian and uncle, Kenny, sadly didn't have the money at the time to take Mikasa in as well, so everyone had to settle for the yearly visits Levi made. They used to be every year, anyway, until Kenny had lost his job, so that he and Levi were struggling to get by for quite some time. This would be the first visit from Levi in four years. The least Eren could do was try and be respectful, if not for Levi, then for Mikasa.

Eren froze as he heard the doorbell ring. Slowly lowering the knife he had been using to chop up fruit, he looked over to his mother, who was still busy at the stove.

"I have to get that, don't I?" He asked with an unintended hint of attitude to his voice.

"Well, it's certainly not going to open itself, now is it?" Carla asked with a frown. "Don't look so depressed, it's not the end of the world. Now get your rear end over there, and open that door! And try to be polite!" She called after him as he walked to the entryway.

Taking a deep breath to prepare him for what was to come, Eren slowly opened the door.