Author's Note: The idea popped into my head randomly, and I plan on even making a theory video about it very soon. WARNING: This fanfic deals with graphic details of rape, abuse, and mentions of pedophilia. But from reading the summary, I imagine you figured that already.
It was late at night, it had to be around two in the morning. The moon was full though, so things weren't dark at all really. The temperature was a bit cooler than usual, winter was approaching. You could actually see your breath from how cold it was.
Three figures walked down a slightly steep hill in the forest. They had just finished intense training with their ODM Gear, and were headed back to their base.
The young trainees were tired, while the youngest was sore. He had worked extra hard, in order to achieve his goal.
Eren Jaeger, only 14 years old, had joined the Survey Corps two years ago, when he was 12. After the titans broke through the wall, his mother was eaten by one of them.
Since that day, he had swore revenge on the titans, and would stop at nothing to destroy every last one. And save humanity.
Joining him, was his childhood friend Armin Arlet. Armin had also lost his family. They have been training hard these passed few years...and in that time, so far no more titans broke through.
"Remember everything we taught you tonight, Eren?", Reiner asked him gruffly, as Bertolt kept the lantern shining forward.
"Yes sir", Eren nodded, eagerly. "Good, then you should be all right tomorrow", Reiner nodded. As the guys passed a row of dark bushes, Eren paused.
He heard some loud rustling from the bushes. It sounded too loud to be a rabbit...but too quiet to be a bear.
"Eren?", Bertolt called back to him, as he and Reiner stopped. Eren blinked, looking back at them. Something about that rustling..he didn't understand why but..he had to see what it was.
"I'll catch up with you guys", Eren told them simply. Reiner and Bertolt frowned. "All right, just don't get killed", Reiner told him.
The two older guys turned their backs, and continued on their way back to base. Eren lit his own lantern, and approached the bushes.
He forced his way through, and saw on the other side was a dark cave. It was fairly big...big enough for a titan to fit into.
As he got closer to the cave's entrance, he felt a shiver down his spine, and actually tensed. He heard what sounded like a small rock being kicked slightly, or shifted.
There...couldn't be a titan in here...could there? No..that didn't make sense...it was impossible. But he also knew..something was in there.
Glaring, and swallowing hard, Eren gripped his blade. He pulled it out of its sheath, gripping the handle firmly. The blade shined under the moonlight, as he slowly took a step inside the dark, cold cave.
"Who's there?", he asked, after a few seconds of silence. He heard nothing. Biting his lip, he took a few more steps in.
"Are you human? Answer me!", he ordered. After another few seconds of silence...he suddenly heard a small breathy whimper.
Eren froze, he shined his lantern forward...and saw what looked like a pair of knees sticking out from behind a large rock. He also caught a glimpse of jet black hair. The figure slipped fully behind the rock, hiding.
Eren realized...it was a girl. Her breathing remained labored and shaky, as she started to whimper and groan weakly in pain.
"Oh...", Eren relaxed, as he put his blade away. He started to walk over. Her whimpering and heavy breathing continued.
"Hey it's all right...I'm not going to hurt you...", as Eren got closer, and peered behind the large rock, his heart sunk.
All color drained from his face at the sight of her, he even staggered a bit. The girl...she appeared to be his age. She had short jet black hair, pale skin, and was wearing an old, faded white nightgown.
But the parts that took Eren's breath away in horror, was her condition. She was eerily skinny, looking like she hadn't eaten in months.
She was also soaked in sweat, but most noticeably...was her small, but obvious swell in her stomach. Eren froze, seeing it.
"Are you...pregnant...?", he asked, in shock..she was so young. She didn't answer him, she was grimacing in pain, clutching her belly.
Her back was pressed to the rock, as she kept her eyes closed tightly, gritting her teeth. Eren's stomach churned...was she in labor? No...she didn't look...like she was 9 months along.
She looked more like she was only 4 or 5 months. Unless it was a dangerously premature labor. Only knowing that she needed help, Eren knelt down beside her.
"Hey...", he gently went to place a hand to her shoulder, thinking maybe she was in too much pain to notice he was there, but she suddenly flinched away, shaking like a leaf.
"Hey, hey, it's okay! It's okay..", Eren tried to assure the terrified girl. Her eyes finally opened, they were wide and terrified, as she continued to tremble violently.
She was shaking so bad, it nearly looked like a seizure. Eren froze, noticing her strange eye shape, and how black they were.
"Your eyes...wait..", then, he got a sick feeling, as he recognized her eyes. But..it couldn't have been here...there was no way she'd survive this long...or would she?
"Mikasa Ackerman...?", he asked her slowly. The girl remained silent, but she did look surprised he said it, as she continued panting.
"No way...you're alive...?! My dad and I...we came to visit you and your parents..five years ago. Your parents were...dead. And you were gone...they had kidnapped you..we looked for you but...", he trailed off, seeing her body go more limp.
She was still shaking, but she suddenly appeared worn out, panting and huffing for air, her eyelids half shut.
Eren's eyes grew more worried, as he slowly got closer. He gently reached over, she was too weak to flinch back. He gently placed a hand over her forehead.
His heart sunk, feeling how hot she felt. He even winced his hand back, it was like her skin was on fire.
'She's sick...really sick...', he realized fearfully, and her shivering also confirmed this. "You're burning up...here", Eren unwrapped his large green cloak, and wrapped it around her shoulders carefully.
Mikasa didn't say anything, she just continued to shiver, and wince in pain. Her breathing was labored, and remained heavy.
"I need you to talk to me, okay? I can't help you if...", he nervously glanced at her stomach. "Are you in labor...?", he asked her slowly.
She didn't answer him, she only grimaced painfully, curling up over her belly. Eren sweat dropped...this was bad.
The girl seemed to be completely mute...and after all she's been through, it was possible she may be deaf or blind as well.
But he did know she was extremely sick, emaciated, weak and pregnant. What he didn't know..was if she was in labor or not.
He wasn't a doctor...he had no way of knowing if it was safe to move her in this condition...but he couldn't just leave her here either.
He jumped then, his thoughts being interrupted as she released a cry of pain, closing her eyes tightly. Her body tensed, as she gritted her teeth.
Eren tensed as he watched her, her body appeared to be struggling, straining as she held her breath, her face flushed.
'Shit..! Shit, she's pushing...she's really in labor...!', his panicked thoughts paralyzed him for a moment, as she continued to struggle.
But then he snapped out of it. He had to help her. "Mikasa...? Mikasa, listen to me...you can't have your baby here...can you move?", he asked her.
Mikasa once again, remained mute. She gasped for air, breathing hard. Eren froze, realizing...when was the last time she had water?
He quickly reached in his bag, and pulled out a bottle of clean water. "Here...", he opened it, and offered it to her.
She was too weak to hold it, so he shifted closer, and held it up to her lips. She began to drink it, and then started to nurse on it desperately, drinking fast.
"Whoa, whoa, easy! Easy, slow down..you'll choke...take it slow...", Eren's eyes widened..she was dehydrated.
She downed the entire bottle, before gasping for air. "I need to get you somewhere safe...I'm going to carry you, okay? You're too weak to deliver...you think your baby will wait a few more minutes...? Just until I get you to a doctor...?", Eren asked her.
Mikasa breathed heavily, her eyes only halfway opened. But finally, she glanced at him. Her eyes...appeared soulless. Like she had been broken.
But then, to Eren's relief, she gave a small nod. Eren exhaled. "So you can understand me...okay", Eren set his lantern down, and lifted her up onto his back. His heart dropped..she was so light.
It felt more like he was carrying a child, rather than a teenager. She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck...but it was such a weak effort.
"Hang in there, Mikasa", Eren carried her, and he exited the cave. The moonlight gave him enough light, as he made his way through the forest.
Mikasa rested against his back, her breathing remained hard and labored. Her whimpers and groans didn't ease up either.
Finally, Eren saw the base in sight. Standing outside was Armin and Sasha. "Eren..?", Armin blinked, and Sasha gasped.
"Oh my god!", she cried, as Armin ran over. "Eren, what happened?! Is she injured?!", asked Armin fearfully, as Eren came over.
"Sasha, get a doctor...hurry! She's..she's really sick...", Eren started to explain, as Sasha and a doctor hurried over.
"Lay her here, quickly!", the female doctor ordered. Eren gently lay her down onto the stretcher, as Mikasa remained in the same state. Armin and Sasha both froze, going pale when they saw her swollen stomach.
"I...I found her...in the forest. She was alone...I think she's in labor...", Eren started to explain, but he could hardly form words...it was so horrifying to explain.
She was so young...and here she was in this condition. "Eren...look...", Armin said then. Eren blinked, following his friend's gaze..and just noticed fresh blood below Mikasa's waist, on her nightgown.
He looked behind, and saw a long blood trail...indicating she started to bleed when he was carrying her.
The female doctor paled, as she examined Mikasa. "Oh no...oh no..okay...I need to get her treated NOW!", the female doctor's tone turned urgent, as she and another doctor lifted her up on the stretcher.
"What..?! What is it?!", asked Eren fearfully. "No time! She's going to die if we don't work on her right now!", the doctor replied urgently, as they carried her inside.
Eren froze up, his heart pounded. "Eren...what happened?", asked Sasha, horrified. "She...she just...", Eren began to explain it all to them.
"She's..Mikasa?! The Mikasa you and your dad...", Armin asked, in shock once Eren finished and they were back inside.
"I'm almost positive...you saw her eyes", Eren nodded. "Do you think she was in labor...?", asked Sasha anxiously.
"My dad was a doctor..so I'm not completely ignorant. I'm pretty sure she was...she was in a lot of pain, and she started...", he swallowed hard.
"Pushing...? That would explain the blood...", Sasha said softly. "She's so young...she can't be older than us...", Armin added.
Eren tensed up, clenching his fists. He knew...why she had been kidnapped all those years ago. She was oriental.
The kidnappers...would have sold her to pedophiles...older men who wanted a new 'thrill' and had their way with her.
That would explain such a young pregnancy...and her muteness. Not to mention her condition. She was most likely used as a sex slave...treated like an animal.
Eren couldn't even...begin to imagine what she's been through. He also couldn't believe she was still alive..and somehow managed to escape.
After hours of waiting, morning soon came. Finally, the female doctor stepped out. "How is she...?!", Eren asked, worriedly as he stood up.
Armin blinked...he had never seen Eren so worried about someone before. In fact...this was the longest Eren had gone without talking about, or even thinking about the titans.
The female doctor gave a grim sigh. "Not well...its a miracle she's alive. She's...in bad shape", she began.
"First of all..it's obvious she's been raped. Multiple times. She's also malnourished, dehydrated, and extremely weak. She also has pneumonia. She's very sick, and her fever is just now starting to break. She has bruises and scars all over her body as well..", she explained.
"And...the baby?", asked Armin worriedly, as Eren remained quiet, his heart sinking. The female doctor's eyes softened.
"She wasn't in labor...", she started. Eren and Armin blinked. "I'm afraid...when you found her..she was miscarrying...", the doctor confessed.
Eren's stomach flipped, and he actually felt sick for a moment while Armin paled. "She...lost the baby?", he asked, as Eren turned white.
"Yes...the straining you saw? She was...trying to pass the tissue, and the dead fetus. She was only 4 months pregnant. She most likely didn't even understand that's what was happening, she's so young. She was acting on instinct. By the time you carried her here, most of it was over...we just had to..extract some more tissue is all..", she explained grimly.
Eren remained silent, looking down. He clenched his fists...wanting to strangle..no...murder the sick bastards who did this to her.
"Will she recover...?", asked Armin. The doctor looked down. "I really don't know. She's far from out of the woods. Putting aside her physical condition, her mental condition is a whole other huge concern. She hasn't said a word, so its possible she's mute. She may have even forgotten how to speak...she's been through so much...she's going to constantly be fearful...", she replied.
"Can I...see her?", asked Eren, worriedly. "Actually, yes. That may be best...you're the one who found her, so she might open up to you faster..", the female doctor led Eren into the recovery room.
Eren entered the room, and he froze. Mikasa was resting in bed. She had been changed into a clean nightgown, her eyes were closed.
Her baby bump was completely gone, and she looked exhausted. Eren quietly sat at her bed side, watching over her.
She stirred weakly, her eyes opening halfway. She remained mute, but her gaze seemed focused. She shivered a bit.
Eren noticed. "Here...", he unwrapped his red scarf, and wrapped it around her neck.
"You're sick..and I'm sure you're anemic too. You...lost a lot of blood", he said softly. Mikasa's eyes opened a bit more..feeling the warmth from the scarf.
Eren bit his lip...and actually felt a lump forming in his throat..along with a powerful wave of regret and guilt.
"I'm so sorry Mikasa...I was...supposed to save you. You were just a child...9 years old..and you had to...go through all of that...just because I didn't get there in time to save you...", he looked down.
"I shouldn't have listened to my dad...I shouldn't have waited! I should have just...ran...to you as fast as I could. I should have murdered the sick bastards who did this to you...", he growled.
Mikasa continued to gaze at him, remaining quiet. Eren looked down, shaking furiously. "Nice going Eren...wasn't it bad enough you couldn't protect mom...?", he asked himself.
Mikasa blinked weakly. Some life returned to her eyes at his guilt. Eren wiped his eyes, as he stood up.
"You should rest...", he turned around, and went to exit her room. As he began to approach the door, Mikasa felt herself panic.
She struggled, parting her lips. Her throat was dry, and felt so sore. But...using all her energy, she formed a word.
"E-Eren..", she croaked, and her breath turned shaky. Eren froze, stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes widening.
He turned around and looked at her. "So...you can speak...", he said, as he came back over to her side. Mikasa breathed weakly.
He could tell by how croaky it was..she hadn't uttered a word in years. "Do you..want me to stay here?", he asked her gently.
Mikasa gave a weak nod. "Y-Yes...", she uttered out, her eyes pleading. She reached her hand out weakly to him.
Eren gently took it...it felt so cold. He gently rubbed it, in an attempt to help warm her up. The doctor would be bringing food and water in shortly for her.
"Y-You...saved me...?", she asked him, again her voice was weak and strained. "I found you...yeah...", Eren nodded gently.
Mikasa's eyes turned worried, her other hand weakly found its way to her now flat belly. "My...my baby...", she started.
Eren looked down grimly. "You lost the baby..I'm..so sorry...", he said softly. Mikasa's eyes softened, tears sparkling in them. But she was too weak to completely break down.
Eren realized...she had been alone for so long...this baby..was all she had. "Mikasa...you're not alone, okay? You're safe here", he promised her, giving her hand an assuring squeeze.
Mikasa gave an exhausted nod. Her eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier..she hadn't had decent sleep in so long...years.
"Get some sleep..I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere", Eren promised her. Mikasa nodded weakly, as she drifted off.