Present

They were halfway through the path to school when she finally became alert to him, his warm hand crushing hers making her legs quiver. She panted, exhausted to the core from running in such haste with him. Maybe all boys were breathtaking and forceful. Not able to resist she recoiled her hand from his and pushed it on her knees gasping for air, hoping he wouldn't mind taking a break. "Eren…" She heaved through short exhalations, "You didn't have to lie to my brother; I was going to go with you anyway."

He pondered her words, still trying to contain the rapid staccato of his heart. He couldn't remember ever seeing her ruffled and breathless. "You know he hates me Mikasa, I didn't want him to see me sneaking into your house."

"I guess you're right about that?" She said tucking one of the mussed up strands of hair behind her ear. The wind had also affected him, his eyes were dry, lips chapped and yet he had the slight suspicion it wouldn't matter to her if he happened to brush her cheek with them right now. That thought efficiently woke him. He had dated a lot, and never seen her that way. Mikasa was his sister almost. He wouldn't like to change that now.

"Yeah, come on Mikasa, I heard the new teacher is one of the best. Heard he's a foreigner too." He said smiling and hoping she didn't notice the redness creeping to his ears.

Levi wasn't having a good day. He rarely had the time of the day to leave the sink disinfected or the tub scrubbed until it squeaked. Those were the few things that made his mornings better, cleaning and waking up to Mikasa's mellow voice humming in the kitchen. It would have been one of those mornings were he chided her for being so loud with her singing –even if he didn't mean it- and she served him a cup of earl grey tea as she poked his ribs for being mean. If only that scrawny kid hadn't jumped his fence and profaned his peace and normalcy.

If it wasn't enough he had to face those same irritating green eyes in his 8 a.m. class. At least Mikasa was there as well… sitting beside him. He tried not to crush his foam tea cup so early in the morning.

Eren looked at the board only to pale at the sight of the same dark blue eyes that had almost made him piss himself. Levi was glaring at him again and if that wasn't enough Mikasa almost looked happy of having him as her teacher. She couldn't contain the feeling of comfort having her brother so close, he had always been so caring and protective it was nice she would see him every day now. He seemed engrossed in his tea trying to delay the routine presentations every teacher did on the first day. Mikasa looked around her to see a crowd of students she had never seen. Eren seemed to know each and every one of them by name.

Never being the social butterfly herself she pursed her lips hoping she wouldn't have to open them much. She at least had Eren.

"Sit down. I would think twice if I were you, if those are your dreams you should quit school now. Next." She heard Levi's voice wake her from her thoughts and address her with dull eyes, almost instantly softening them when she acknowledged him. It was the first time in a long while that he talked like that, like he was a complete stranger from the loving sweet onii chan, like she used to call him when she was nine and could only speak Japanese.

"I'm Mikasa Ackerman. I want to become an architect and my dream is to be with the people I love the most." She said trying not to let her natural accent show too much. Eren was looking at her so intently the whole time she felt weird.

"Sit down. Just an advice Mikasa, sometimes having foolish dreams make you suffer. Next."

Mikasa unclenched her crumpled skirt not knowing when she had grabbed it. She wasn't scared at how sharp his words had been, she was used to it, and she knew he was actually trying to protect her.

"Wow Mikasa, that's the first time Mr. Ackerman addressed a student by name." She heard someone whisper behind her. Carefully turning her head she saw an angel like creature with golden hair and crystal blue eyes. "I'm Krista by the way." She said smiling tenderly. Mikasa held her breath not sure how to talk to her.

"She's Ymir…" She said pointing to a brown haired girl currently glaring at her. "She's a bit aloof, just give her time." Mikasa wanted to point out she was happy they had bothered to speak to her, when she felt a loud slapping noise against the wood of the desk signaling the start of the lesson. Levi was very strict even at home so she bowed politely hoping they wouldn't take her silence for disinterest.

6 Years ago

Eren had been a constant presence in her life since she moved to America. He was also a new kid in her fourth grade, the boy that had been traveling his whole life with his mom and dad. The first week no one seemed to approach for his rude attitude and silent glares, except Armin. But Grisha and Carla Yaeger were nice parents; at least she thought so after meeting them the first time at the principal's office, where her brother had attended as well. Eren glared at her from a chair across, and she wasn't sure why since the whole detention thing had been his fault.

That day they had been paired up, and somehow that had annoyed him profusely. He was supposed to be paired up with Armin, the friend he knew before coming back to America, and he had yelled about that the whole time they sat in the circular drawing table cutting forms in origami paper. The teacher though, thought it was best the new international students got to know each other.

And that's how she got a brand new scar below her eye. Eren had been so distracted in his rampage he hadn't noticed the scissors he held in his hands were dangerously aiming towards her. It wasn't until he finally pushed his chair to stand up that he cut her. Mikasa hadn't yelped, nor reacted and for a moment it went unnoticed, until Mrs. Brzenska gasped in horror to see a thick, fresh trail of blood leaking from the little new girl's upper cheek. "Eren, to the principal's office now!" She yelled, almost hysteric, while ushering the confused Mikasa to the nurse's room. All she felt was a wet trail of goo moisten her face, yet everyone stared like she was dismembered. All she could see was Eren. The class had gathered at the door in seconds, whispering poisoning words. Violent boy, scary and never approach him. Mikasa looked back only to see Eren's watery eyes as he was roughly pulled away by the substitute teacher.

Present

Mikasa was used to his presence now. So much she hadn't noticed he always waited for her to have lunch, even if he could eat with his girlfriend, or his soccer teammates, he always ate with her and Armin. Almost like a ritual, Armin looked at her with a hopeful smile. She knew what he wanted.

"I brought you Verne today. Levi loves this one so if he catches you we're done with this." She muttered trying not to think on how this actually made her look forward to the end of the week, where they risked their lives by returning her brother's book to it's safe secret library.

The little blonde jumped her in a tight hug not able to contain his joy. Eren looked at them equally thrilled. He just liked the rush of having to sneak into Mikasa's basement to retrieve a different book and return the current one. They had done this since they started eating together and it had stayed like that the past eight years. "Oh this one is good" Armin said munching on his apple. Mikasa and Eren hurried to Armin's sides until the two formed a crowd around him.

"Well, when will you start?" Eren asked secretly trying to look for pictures.

"I'm sure you'll like this one, it has lots of pictures." Mikasa mumbled evenly.

"Ha ha". Eren glared at her from behind Armin's amused smile.

"Well, this is 20,000 Leagues under the sea, so it's about a metal beast like submarine that travels around the ocean with this aloof captain and they go in so deep they see creatures like giant squids, corals and… did I bore you?" Armin said shyly after noticing the dumbfounded looks in his friends.

"What! No way! That book sounds amazing!" Eren grinned, ruffling his best friend's hair with his hand.

"Yeah, the cool thing is this was published in 1870, so not even cars had been invented! Can you imagine the imagination this guy had?" Armin continued blushing in excitement of having the book for a whole week. "Thank you Mikasa." He said turning to his quiet friend. She merely hid her face in her ever present scarf too embarrassed to say anything.

"Levi doesn't read anymore, it was being wasted anyway." Even though it was muffled and spoken in a way too soft voice Armin had heard.

"I want to go to the ocean and see all those things too." Eren said in between bites.

"Me too." Mikasa said more firmly.

"I hope we do that one day." Armin giggled, giving one last longing glance at the book before tucking it in his bag. "Maybe in this summer vacations, that is if Mr. Ackerman doesn't leave assignments."

"That's a farewell to another dream." Eren sighed disappointed.

"Levi is not that bad. Besides it's just the first day, how can you judge him so fast?" Mikasa said protectively, not that she was defending Levi, she just understood him a lot, being so similar herself.

"I don't know Mikasa, remember this morning when I barely escaped with all my teeth from your house?" Eren said adjusting his head on the grass where he was resting. "And it's not the first time; he has been like that since we met."

"You know he has reasons." Mikasa whispered half hoping he wouldn't get it. By the anxious look in Armin's eyes and the fresh frown in Eren's brow she knew he did.