Song: Interlude by Shane & Shane, Stay by Vender
Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin nor any of it's character. If I did I'd have already given Sasha a life time supply of meat just to lock it away from her because I like to make characters suffer.
The air was dry and cool as Mikasa leaned against the brick wall with her hood up, covering her bandaged head and protecting her ears from the cold. When she woke up earlier that chilly autumn morning, she was disappointed to find that Levi had already gone for work. She had been hoping to speak to him about taking her to the place where she was assumed to have lived in. But upon seeing the penthouse bare and desolate, she settled to grabbing a coat that Levi had found for her the day before and went exploring beyond the walls of the apartment.
Sina was a bustling city. The traffic was harsh, but it was nothing compared to the pedestrians speed walking to work (or maybe school) with a large cup of coffee in their hand. Mikasa had been observing them all morning with slight fascination, wondering why they seemed so dead yet at the same time alive. They pushed and shoved, trying to get through whatever small space was in between the many people before them but the sidewalks were far too crowded to let anyone through. This had resulted to some unnecessary yelling.
To get away from the abrasive crowd, she settled to planting herself against the wall near a bus stop and observed them all from there. The bus stop was equally just as crowded but at least no one was pushing and telling each other to "get the fuck out of the way."
People came and went as quickly as the seconds ticked on. Soon it was time for lunch and she found herself still standing against the wall in the same position. She straightened her back and stretched, untangling the knots that had wound themselves on her back and legs. She removed her hood, no longer feeling the need to protect her ears now that the temperature had slightly let up. Her stomach growled and she frowned. It was lunch time and she still hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast.
"Madam Mikasa!" a familiar voice called out. She turned her head towards the direction of the voice and found herself staring at a running redhead with a potato in her mouth.
"Potato for lunch?" Mikasa questioned, eyeing the said potato. She was so hungry that even an unpeeled steaming potato looked like a delicacy.
Sasha nodded her head and swallowed, holding out the less than half eaten potato to her. "Would you like some?"
Despite her growling stomach, Mikasa shook her head. "No, thanks." Sasha shrugged and took another bite.
"Are you going to work?" Mikasa inquired, trying to avert her eyes away from the potato. Instead she settled to observing the other woman's attire to keep her eyes busy. Sasha wore what seems to be a uniform what with her polished black shoes, slacks and sapphire polo. There was a deflated backpack that hung nonchalantly against her back that made Mikasa wonder if there was anything inside.
"Yes. I work at a restaurant a few blocks down. You don't have any plans right now, right?" Mikasa shook her head in response.
"Great!" She clapped, her potato now completely eaten much to Mikasas disappointment and relief. "You can come with me for work." Mikasa's stomach growled involuntarily and she flushed, covering her stomach.
"You haven't eaten lunch yet?" Sasha asked, a look of horror apparent on her face. She didn't even let Mikasa reply for she had grabbed her arm and was pulling her into the bus which had arrived just as Mikasas stomach voiced its complaint.
"Sasha, what are you-?"
"Oh, you poor child! Is Levi starving you? The nerve of that man. Don't worry, me and big sister will make him pay for not feeding you!" Sasha furiously slipped the dollar bills in the machine, ignoring the bus drivers surprised and slightly frightened look as he gave her two transfer passes. She dragged Mikasa to two empty seats in the back, fuming. "I should have given you at least part of my potato. Ugh, why did you have to say no?"
"Sasha, it's okay. Levi feeds me just fine. Though I must admit that there are moments where I check the food to see if he's poisoned them but they aren't." She added quickly upon seeing Sasha's eyes widen. "I just skipped breakfast and I was just about to go back to the apartment to grab my lunch."
Sasha visibly relaxed into her seat. "Oh. Well you don't need to go back and eat his nasty food. Once we reach the restaurant you can have pancakes or some hamburgers since it is lunch or maybe you can have both! The meat is delicious by the way. You need to try it." As Sasha continued to give a full description on the scrumptious juices of the meat, Mikasa had to do her best to not drool as much as the woman next to her.
When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Mikasa could feel her stomach jumping up and down for joy. It was either that or it was slowly eating itself and the jumping was just all in her head.
The restaurant was near the mall which towered over it. It was reasonably sized despite it being squished in between a supply store and a large, busy clothing shop. There were chairs and tables with large umbrellas that cast shadows against the warm sunlight. The logo and sign was hung above the door, its polished, black letters shining.
Upon opening the door of the restaurant, a mouthwatering aroma danced its way into her nose, causing her to breathe in and out in content. It was simple inside; there wasn't anything fancy about it. The wooden rectangular tables had checkered table cloth and a small glass vase with flowers that looked as if it were recently picked. The chairs were wooden as well with green cushions that complimented the color of the checkered table cloth. The counter had metal glittering metal stools lined at a respectable distance away from each other. The atmosphere that the restaurant had was a cozy feeling and the lingering smell of breakfast helped to enhance it.
Mikasa followed Sasha to the counter, sitting down on one of the stools as the latter sauntered to the kitchen.
"Our bacon is the best," Sasha stated with a hint of pride, placing a plate of bacon, eggs and salad in front of her along with a cup of water. Mikasa took a bite of the bacon and she suddenly felt warm inside, the flavor bursting in her mouth as she chewed slowly, savoring the taste. She nodded her head in agreement. Their bacon were really good. In fact, it was so good that even Sasha couldn't resist taking a strip from her plate.
"Sorry," Sasha munched although she didn't seem very sorry. Mikasa narrowed her eyes and protectively brought the plate closer to her.
"My, my, who is this young beauty?" an elderly voice shrilled. Sasha swallowed the bacon discreetly and licked her lips, trying to cover any evidence that she had eaten from a customer's plate.
"This is Mikasa, Mrs. Matsuki," Sasha answered to the elder. Mikasa followed Sasha's eyes to find an elderly woman almost as tall as the stools walk towards them. The old woman had large glasses and white hair that didn't quite resemble Levis stark white floors. Her hair was pulled into a bun with wisps of hair framing her wrinkled, tanned face.
Mikasa swallowed her bacon and waved politely. "Good afternoon."
Mrs. Matsuki approached her, leaning in so close to her face that Mikasa had to lean as far back in the stool as she could without falling. Up close the wrinkles seemed to look like canyons. After a moment of tense silence from Sasha and an awkward one from Mikasa, Mrs. Matsuki pulled back.
"Where are you from, my dear?" she asked, taking a seat on the stool next to her.
"I'm from Maria," she replied.
"I thought so. We don't get many of you Orientals over here. Very, very little. It's nice to finally see another one. It has been so long…" she trailed off. Mikasa nervously shifted in her seat. The way Mrs. Matsuki said it made it sound as if all the Orientals were extinct.
"No matter!" Mrs. Matsuki clapped her hands. "My dear husband was an Oriental himself, you see. That old man died long, long ago. Gotta love him. He was the one that made a special recipe to that yummy bacon!" She laughed heartily, remembering something nice. The sight made Mikasa smile. She had expected a look of remorse pass in the elders face but instead she radiated happiness at the thought of her late husband.
Mrs. Matsuki continued to chat, reminiscing about her husband and telling her stories about how they had both met when they were just little kids. Mikasa ate as the other chatted happily, listening intently to every word that the old woman said. Mrs. Matsuki didn't seem to mind that she was doing all the talking and for this Mikasa was glad; she wasn't much of a conversationalist.
"You know, you don't talk much," Mrs. Matsuki commented, an expression passing through her eyes as she said the words. "My husband was like that too. He always let me do all the talking. He was a good listener, that one. Much like you... Now, that's enough about me and my husband. I wanna know more about you."
Mikasa swallowed the last of her egg thickly. What was she supposed to say? She didn't know much of her past and she didn't even know where to start. Besides, even if she hadn't lost her memories, she had a sudden strange feeling that prevented her from opening her mouth, from speaking about her unknown past.
"You don't need to tell me something really deep about yerself," Mrs. Matsuki consoled, her eyes soft and understanding, "You can tell me something like your favorite food or even talk to me about your job."
"I don't have a job." Mrs. Matsuki looked taken aback.
"You don't? Well, my dear, how will you pay for your breakfast?"
Mikasa reached into her pockets, trying to see if Levi had left any money in the coat before he had given it to her. He didn't. She pursed her lips and returned her eyes back to Mrs. Matsukis expectant gaze.
"I can work to pay it off. Since I don't have anything to do during the day, I'll just work until I've paid every penny."
Mrs. Matsuki seemed pleased, as if that was the answer she wanted. "Fine. You can start working tomorrow. Oh, my husband would have been overjoyed to find another Oriental working in our restaurant. You know, you are our first." In a harsher tone, she yelled out: "Sasha! Get a new uniform for Mikasa!"
A crash in the kitchen was heard followed by a whimper. Sasha exited the kitchen after a moment with a bag and a bump on her head. Mrs. Matsuki frowned.
"You better not have been taking any food again," Mrs. Matsuki grumbled, taking the bag from Sasha. For a split second, Sasha resembled a deer that had been caught by headlights.
"O-of course not!" she chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Mrs. Matsuki shook her head but a faint hint of a smile was apparent on her lips. She held out the bag out for Mikasa and she took it.
"Thank you," Mikasa said after taking a peek inside the bag.
"No, no, no. Thank you, my dear." Mrs. Matsuki stood up, her hand on her back as she did so. "Oof, I'm turning into an old lady just like my husband…" She continued to chatter to herself as she walked away, back into the kitchen to check on the mess that Sasha had possibly caused. Once she was gone, Sasha let out a sigh of relief and leaned her elbow against the counter.
"Mrs. Matsuki is scary. I do not understand why you are not intimidated by her," Sasha mused.
Mikasa shrugged. "I like her."
"I like her too!" She paused. "When she's not yelling at me to stop eating the potatoes," she added lamely.
Mikasa grinned. She could just picture Mrs. Matsukis face red as she chased Sasha who had an armful of potatoes, crying. Mrs. Matsuki would be holding a pan over her head and yelling to her husband about how troublesome Sasha would be and Sasha would be yelling back, telling her husband not to listen. The scene in her head was so comical that she allowed herself to laugh out loud.
"So the cold hearted brat can laugh," a soprano voice rang in the room.
Mikasa snapped her head to the entrance. Her eyes were immediately captured by a pair of chestnut orbs. His eyes held something different in them, though. It wasn't cold like how it had looked like when he had been upset with her for the sandwich drop; it wasn't sorrowful like how it had looked when he had held her by the waist and expertly put his blazer on her. It was different. It was bright and as he drew near, she could see her reflection in his eyes and for some reason the sight made her look away vehemently.
"What are you doing here?" Mikasa asked as she watched Sasha take her empty plate away from her and retreat to the kitchen.
"Lunch," he replied as he stood next to her stool. Another waitress came and took his order and disappeared as quickly as she had come. "I thought you were staying at home."
Mikasa shook her head. "I went out for a walk and Sasha dragged me here for lunch."
"Did she pay for you?"
"No. Even if she did offer, there's no way I would have let her." She took a sip of her water. "By the way, I have a job now."
"You're not going to work as that idiot's body guard, are you?" Levi asked, recalling Mrs. Matsuki and Sashas relationship.
Mikasa scowled. "Of course not. Does it look like I can guard her from Mrs. Matsuki?"
Levi nodded. "Although it hurts my pride to say this, you did flip me after I judged the way you vacuumed the carpet yesterday. You're stronger than you look, brat."
Mikasa clicked her tongue. "You shouldn't judge someone based on how they look."
"You shouldn't either," he retorted. His to-go order came and he payed the waitress. He grabbed his food and let his eyes roam around the restaurant. Mikasa stared at him, taking note of the distant look in his expression and wondering what he was thinking about.
"I don't usually come to crappy restaurants like this," he conceded, ignoring the look Mrs. Matsuki gave him from the door of the kitchen, "but I like the fast service." He turned around and he looked as if he was going to take a step forward but paused. His head was bowed, his short bangs covering his eyes and Mikasa stayed silent, patiently waiting for him to do or say something.
"It's a pity it wasn't as fast as it should have been…" he mumbled at last. And then he was gone. He left her sitting on the stool, dumbfounded and wondering. She knew he was talking about an event that happened in his past and she suddenly felt a pang of envy course through her at the thought that he could remember something and she couldn't.
Mikasa turned her body so that she wasn't facing the door any more. She played with the rim of her glass cup and let her mind soar. She wondered about Levi's past. She wondered why she would sometimes see his eyes show envy when they spoke about her missing memories. She wondered what he had meant before he had left. There were so much questions that it made her head sore. She clutched her head and her hand was met with the bandage that was wrapped neatly and securely.
"Sasha," Mikasa said to the redhead who was wiping down the counter, "what happened to Levi?"
Although the question was vague, Sasha still knew what she meant. She avoided eye contact with the Oriental and focused on the cloth in her hand. "It's not my story to tell," she spoke quietly after an agonizing silence, still avoiding eye contact. "Madam Mikasa, please don't ask him about his past, please don't press it any further. Please." Her eyes slowly found their way to Mikasas onyx orbs and this time it was Mikasas turn to look away.
The raw emotion that the redhead held in her eyes was desperate, pleading. She knew that she should agree and keep it at that but something was stopping her. She genuinely wanted to find out about Levis past. It was a mystery much like her own but at least she knew that there was someone that had answers. She didn't want to keep any empty promises.
"Which bus should I take to get back to the apartment?" Mikasa asked, changing the subject entirely. Sasha seemed grateful. She reached into her pocket and took out one of the transfer passes that the bus driver had given her.
"Take the number 4 and stop at the bus stop across from the bus stop that we were waiting at. You remember where it was, right?"
Mikasa nodded her head, for once feeling happy that she remembered something that was useful. She took the transfer away from Sashas outstretched hand and bid her farewell as she exited.
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