Chapter 2

The cold afternoon air pierced through my jacket and I pulled it tighter around myself. I was headed to work, as it was a Thursday and I worked at the Children's Hospital, helping the nurses and playing with the kids. Distracting them when they got shots or reading stories. I didn't help with the babies though. I did on my first day and nearly dropped one of her head. They cried and wailed and I had no idea what to do with them, but the older ones I could deal with. After all I had had the same experiences.

When I was 10, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. It's where your heart isn't strong enough to pump blood through your body. I was in the later stages and I would've died if my mother hadn't given me her heart. She had sacrificed her life for me, as she always said she would for me or Mikasa. My father was devastated, insisting that we could find a different donor in time, but we couldn't.

Four days after my diagnoses, I went into Cardiac Arrest and we had no donor, my mother made her final decision to give me her heart.

Two months later, through grief or mental disorder, my father killed himself and tired to take me and my sister along with him. No one close to us knew the details of that night. No one except us, Mikasa and I, not even Armin.

Now five years later, Mikasa and I lived by ourselves. Our 'guardian', Mrs. Smoots lived in the apartment across the hall but other than that, we lived a normal life; at least as normal as we could. I wasn't going to complain, I like my life. I just wish something more would happen.

"Eren, hurry up!" A brunette with a sandwich in her hand ran past me. "We're gonna be late!"

"Sasha!" I turned to see a smaller gray haired boy running after Sasha. He slowed to a walk, bent over his knees. "I don't know why I even try." I smiled at his joke, Sasha was incredibly hard to keep in check, and I don't know how he does it. "She's right, you know. We are going to be late."

I checked my phone. "Yeah, let's get going." Breaking in to a jog, turning the corner and going down the next street, we came to a pristine white building, with flowers, and trees, and pretty landscape.

There were children with crutches and wheelchairs, some excepting small bouquets of flowers finally being able to leave. To be back to their full health and be children again, I knew that feeling. With my mother's heart, I could be normal again; I could run and play sports. I never had to worry again. That's why I loved it here; to help these kids. If I didn't do anything else in my life, I'd be glad I'd done this much.

Stepping inside, I walked up to the front desk, signing on the volunteer papers.

"Eri-Chan!" A bright pink bundle crashed into my side, twinning her stick-like arms around my hips.

"Hello, Yui-Chan." Returning her fierce hug, "And how are you, Yui-Chan?"

"Eri-Chan! Mommy's coming to see me soon. She said she'd bring me a present too!" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me down the hall towards the play room.

"Later, Eren." Connie waved and headed in the other direction. Connie was actually becoming a doctor, it was good for him. He was passionate and could keep his head. He'd make a good doctor.

Yui had said something I hadn't heard and was shaking my hand fiercely, trying to regain my attention. "I'm sorry Yui, what did you say?"

"I want you to be here when I see mommy. Won't you come, Eri-Chan? I want her to see you!" I had been taking care of Yui since she came to the hospital. She was only four and her mother had taken good care of Yui.

Even though she was a recovering addict, when Yui was diagnosed with cancer her mother couldn't pay the bills. She was still trying to get out of debt because of her drug years, and now she had even more. She had a job at a small bake shop on the other side of town. Her boss was kind enough to let her stay at her house as well, but she couldn't keep up with the bills. Social Services had interceded, Yui was now considered an orphan, and her mother was allowed to see her only so often. Days like this were Yui's happiest, and I was glad to see her happy.

"Are you sure, Yui-Chan? It's been a long time since you saw your mom."

"It's fine! Mommy said she wanted to meet you!" She gave me her biggest Bambi-like eyes.

I groaned "Well, I guess I can't turn that down, can I?"

"Yay! Thank you Eri-Chan!"


Flopping back into a hard hospital chair, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally all the kids were in bed. I loved the kids I took care of, but something about bed time set them all on a rampage. Some through tantrums, crying and wailing, others ran and made you chase them, and refused to stay in bed once you got them there and others tried to bribe you. How they were all so smart did not seem like a good thing, but then there were others like Yui. If you told them it was bed time, the only thing they asked for was a story, or water, or being tucked in to bed.

Yui amazed me at bed time. She always did her best to help me put the kids into bed. She was stern if she needed to be and kind to others. At her small age of eight, she transformed into a lovely, doting mother to the children who shared a room with her, and she was the first to get up and the last to bed. Also, Yui would hold them when they were crying and my hands were full and sung away their nightmares. It made me love her more.

One night, when I was tucking her into bed, I asked: "Yui, why do you take care of them like you do? That's my job and the nurses."

"I know Eri-Chan, but you can only do so much, and all the kids here are without mothers and I still have one. So why do they get to go without being loved?" She smiled sweetly at me, and I wondered where she got all her wisdom.

"I love you as well, Eri-Chan. I know your momma's gone too." She hugged me, and planted a warm kiss on my cheek. Then she was yawning and blinking sleepily, so I laid her down and tucked the blankets around her. It wasn't long before there was only soft breathing coming from the room. I smoothed back her hair that was finally growing back in, just like my mother had done to me for years, and kissed her sweetly on the temple. "And I love you, Yui."

"Long night?" I smiled at the raven-haired who had sat beside me.

"Yeah. Am I late?" My head rolled on my shoulders so I could see her.

"Yes, but it's alright. I know how much these kids are to you."

I smiled. "Yeah, they do mean a lot to me."

She then stood. "Come on, Eren. Let's go home."

"Kay. Just let me get my stuff." I walked to the other side of the room and grabbed my backpack, then jogged back to catch up with Mikasa.

Stepping outside into the night air, I pulled my jacket on. I walked with Mikasa home every day, and it was never awkward, and there was no need for words between us. It was comfortable, this silence. She came back from the book store she worked at and me from the hospital; both were only a couple blocks from home, and it was shorter if you went through a certain neighbor. Which we usually did, but it was one of the criminal zones; with gangs and drug dealers and that sort of stuff. Both weren't unknown to us, Mikasa and I had taken down full gangs before; leaving them nice and pretty for the police to pick up.

Walking down the street I noticed Mikasa was fiddling with her scarf, the one I had given her when I saved her from a particular neighborhood like this one. I was about to ask her what was wrong, when a chilling scream split the cold night air. I turned my head sharply towards the sound when it was cut off abruptly. Without looking back at Mikasa, I ran toward where the sound once was and I knew she would follow me.

I was running fast.

Turning sharply around corners, skirting boxes and discarded trash, and cars, and head darting left and right while looking for the source of the scream.

"Oomph!"

The sound of a sack of flour hitting the floor came from the same direction and a sharp but short squeal told me we were close.

"Gah, stop it!" Again the sound of flour hitting the ground was accompanied by the words of a man.

I made a sharp turn around the next corner, skidding to a halt when a large pile of crates blocked my way. Another 'oomph' and a groan came from the other side as I was scrambling up the side of the blockage now.

"Mikasa, find a different way around! He might get away!"

Still scrambling.

I then slipped and falling several feet before finding purchase again.

Scrambling.

Finding the top, I pulled myself over and heard another whimper, though the sound of man or women could not be distinguished.

Standing up, I looked down on the scene.

There was the woman curled up against the wall, hand over her mouth, and staring. I followed her gaze to another figure that was moving abruptly and in taunt, jerking movements. The sound of the flour sack, again and again. I could not tell what the strange figure was and so I started down the pile of crates and falling more than climbing.

Now being closer to the scene, I could tell that the figure was not one but two. A man was leaning over another person, and the sound of the flour bag now had a more reasonable explanation. The man was punching the other. He picked up the other by its shirt front, and the slightly raised position exposed both their faces to the moon.

A man whose face was bloody and swelling, along with a black eye that was already forming. Then there was the other, the attacker.

It was Levi.


"What the-! Levi?!"

Those gray eyes found me, and stared intently at me from a crossed abandoned parking lot. He straightened up, and I realized I stood in the shadow of the building next to me. I stepped farther into the parking lot, and Levi's eyes grew darker. Why? Did he remember me? Was he even trying too?

A bright light came on, shinning down from some sort of scaffolding. "CUT! Cut, cut, cut! What the fuck is this KID DOING ON MY SET?"

I took a step back as a tall and lanky figure was striding toward me, but his voice was dangerous. He walked in lengthy strides, almost cat like to an unknown tune. When he stood in front of me, I had to look up substantially. Closer up, he wasn't quiet as lanky and his shoulders were wider and his eyes blazed with a fire I was afraid would come out of his mouth if he spoke.

"Set?" I asked and his eyes rolled.

"Yes," He seethed the word. "It's a movie set, my movie set. Which you have so rudely interrupted."

"I'm sorry but I heard the scream-"

"And you automatically assumed that someone was in trouble?" My eyes turned to the raven man who looked the complete opposite to the tall blond in front of me and was walking towards us. Even on the other side of the lot, his voiced carried precisely. "Who made you the knight-in-shinning armor?"

"N-no one, but-"

He was closer now, and a spicy scent rolled off his skin. Something grew in the pit of my stomach but I was too occupied by the onslaught in front of me.

"Exactly. So why don't you skedaddle on home, brat. Your heroism has been noted."

I flushed. "I'm not a brat. What are you doing out here anyway? This is the worst part of town."

"You don't listen well do you? Like he said," nodding toward the man next to him. "We're filming."

"Filming what?"

"You're just plain stupid." He voice was credulous. "We're filming a movie, fuck head."

"Why here? Don't you have like, fake sets?"

The taller man spoke again. "Fake sets?! Why would a great director like me use fake sets?! Where would I be if I had done that my whole career?"

"I don't know. It just seems more reasonable than coming to the worst side of town. And I only came running over here because of that scream. You guys should know better. What if it was the police who found you and not me?"

"All police in the area have been informed that this block would be shut off for filming, and if you'd come from the front, instead of over the wall. You would've seen all the cameras."

"Eren!" Mikasa voice ringed out through the parking lot. Looking past the cameras to the sidewalk, I saw Mikasa. It looked like she wasn't allowed to pass through the front. I looked back to Levi.

"Go on kid, you've caused enough trouble." I didn't know what to say. I had been wrong but it was a complete accident. How was I supposed to know they were filming some movie? What if it was someone like Mikasa who had been screaming? Lost, afraid, running for their life, their parents killed and them running from the murderers? If I hadn't found her, who knows what would've happened to her.

"Sorry." I mumbled and turn to leave, but someone else stopped me. A short ginger haired woman with her matching brown-gold eyes that made her appearance plain and unnoticeable.

"Your name's Eren, right? Eren Jeager?"

"Yeah. What's' it to you?" I asked and pushed past her. I was done here. I'd already made a fool of myself and I didn't need to make myself more embarrassed.

The women caught up with my long strides. "I just wanted to know and the woman who called your name. She's Mikasa Ackerman? Am I correct again?" She asked.

"Yes." Was all I replied. I probably should have wondered why she knew our names, but I wanted to be able to leave with some pride. I'd ask if I ever saw her again, which was unlikely.

She had stopped walking with me after I had confirmed our names. I walked through the cameras, assistants and make-up artists; by passing rolling rods of clothes. He was right. If I had gone through the front, I would've realized it was just a movie set.

Stepping under the rope barrier, I could hear them restarting the scene. The woman's chilling scream was repeated perfectly and instead of watching, as most of the small crowd did, I swept my eyes along them to find Mikasa.

Our eyes locked, and there was amusement in them. Stepping closer to her, I could see her biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Oh shut up." I had to smile at my stupidity too, but it didn't soothe the bite of Levi's words. I wasn't a hero. I didn't have super strength or awesome technology and lots of money. I was me, Eren. The boy who couldn't survive on his own. The boy who had his mother's heart keeping him alive. I couldn't even keep myself alive. How could I save others?