"I was on my own.

The emptiness left when you exercised my haunted soul.

I will never stray from the only constant I've ever known.

…

I am grateful to be here with you.

You set me free. You set me free."

-Erra

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Staring intently down the sights of her weapon, Ilse's ear twitched as Sasha stepped on a creaky floorboard and swore quietly.

The two of them were slowly backing deeper into the house, guns out and primed. With the destruction of the front door, it was safe to say by this point that their enemy was in the house with them. And deep down, Ilse knew that neither of them was confident about the outcome of this inevitable face-off.

Sasha was trying very hard to appear sure of herself, but Ilse knew it was for her sake and wasn't sure if her friend even believed herself. It was a bad situation. Maybe even an irreparable situation. But they both knew they would go down fighting.

Ilse twitched as Sasha's lips brushed her ear.

"Basement to the right."

A flare of possibility rushed through her mind. They could board up in the basement and hold off for as long as they could; with no cell coverage, it would be their only option. Call the police and they would still get a short end of the stick if they survived the encounter for breaking and entering with lethal intent. But holding the basement presented the eventual possibility of getting gassed or smoked out. At this juncture though, it bought them the most time. She nodded.

Suddenly, from behind her, she heard a short scuffle and a muffled yelp from her friend. Heart rate jumping, she spun and crouched, gun raised to a ready position. In a shaft of moonlight passing through the window, she saw a small hand tight over Sasha's mouth.

"Ease up you two, we're out of here."

Ilse had never been gladder to hear Annie's icy tone as she released a relieved Sasha; with no further words passing between them, they followed her back to the window she had apparently crawled from and leapt out after her. The men who had supposedly been keeping the perimeter on that side of the house all lay on the black ground, unmoving and slumped. The three of them hit the ground softly, crouching or tucking into rolls to protect the ankles. They straightened and looked around at the fallen men.

"Annie… how in the hell did you… "

Sasha was cut off as a call came from the other side of the house.

"Adams! Come here a sec!"

All three of them ducked and drew their guns; a bobbing light approached from around the corner.

"Hey Adams!"

As he rounded the corner, he brought his light up. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking as his eyes bulged, staring at the three young women with guns drawn and the bodies of his companions lying still around them. He got as far as opening his mouth before an arm wrapped around his throat and a foot kicked him to the ground. A sharp jab to his wrist dropped his gun and he thrashed silently as his assailant choked him into darkness. He had stopped moving for a good ten seconds before Mikasa rose and glanced at them.

"Move."

She joined them at the front as they moved as quickly and quietly as they could towards the tree-line. As they passed into the brush, there was a roar behind them and Ilse glanced back to see a small explosion rock the lower level of the house through the windows; she was torn away as Annie took her arm and yanked her forward. They wandered a good ten minutes before the black shape of a car appeared in front of them, sitting silently on the road. Mikasa slid into shotgun while the rest piled into the back; in the blackness and utter silence that suddenly took hold, Ilse was aware of someone sitting in the driver's seat. When Hange spoke, it was with a frightening amount of restrained anger.

"Now… now that I have the four of you here, I want to make something very plain."

Knowing Sasha was experiencing the same, Ilse felt a childlike rush of guilt.

"I understand how strong all of you are. I understand your confidence in your decisions because of that. But… we CANNOT continue running off on our own and diving into fresh piles of shit."

Ilse felt, more than saw, Hange's grip tighten on the wheel.

"Krista is in the hospital, bullethole in her stomach. Mikasa just got back from getting raped… "

What?

"… and now I have you two, gallivanting off and almost getting gangbanged by twenty men with guns."

She took in a deep breath.

"You are all the children I never had. I can't lose any of you. I will not lose any of you."

Quiet held the car still for a solid minute, as Ilse allowed herself some time to be angry at herself. She could feel Sasha shaking next to her. After a time, Hange started the car, speaking with a tone that clearly said nothing further needed to be mentioned.

"So. I assume you learned something from your outing."

Sasha swallowed and spoke up as they pulled out onto the road.

"Our… our car was… "

"Mike came with me, he took it back to the office."

"Oh."

She didn't seem capable of saying anything else; Ilse filled their boss in.

"Sash saw a guy hanging out with a gun at the hospital. We followed him back here and talked to him. He uh… "

Shifting uncomfortably, she looked out the window at the now-speeding darkness which was all she trusted herself to look at.

"He said he was there to take you out Hange."

"I assumed as much."

Ilse glanced up, confused.

"You… assumed?"

"I saw the same man and had someone tag him to his place. That same someone told me he saw you two breaking in, that's how we knew to come."

She rapped the steering wheel, clearly now deep in thought.

"When Joseph talked to Wilburn at the bar, he mentioned they had planned on hitting me next, but were planning on playing it low for a while."

In the mirror, Ilse could see her smiling.

"I imagine they caught onto Joseph and told him that so he could pass it on and lure us into a false sense of security. And with Krista in the hospital… "

The car began to swerve slightly, and Mikasa reached over to pull it back straight; Hange seemed entirely unaware.

"… they would have a perfect chance to knock at us while we're distracted."

She continued driving, eyes narrowed in thought before shaking her head and sighing.

"I already told Ymir, but be at the office early tomorrow. We… have a lot we need to talk about."

Ilse sat forward with a newfound interest, but realized how unbelievably tired she was. They continued to drive for fifteen minutes as Hange drove them to each of their respective dwellings. Ilse was the second last to depart and was only able to get into her apartment, shower, and collapse onto her bed before she was sleeping like a rock, her last thought being of the disappointment she had heard in Hange's voice.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

As they eased up in front of her apartment, Hange glanced to Mikasa.

"He in there?"

She shrugged.

"I assume so. It's the weekend and he normally crashes here on those nights."

She wasn't afraid to ask.

"You think he'll be here now that he knows where you've been?"

"I don't know."

Mikasa barely spoke above a whisper.

"I hope so."

Hange rapped on the steering wheel; this, she was afraid to say.

"If he is there… tell him not to come in tomorrow."

She received a confused glance that she knew was coming.

"Why?"

"You'll see. It'll make sense tomorrow."

She sensed no recess of Mikasa's confusion, but, unbelievably, the shitty excuse worked.

"Okay."

She felt a rush of relief.

"Alright well… goodnight."

"Night Hange."

She climbed smoothly out of the car and glanced at her apartment a moment, as though scared to approach it. Then, she gave a short wave, walked up to the door, and disappeared inside. Hange sat in the car a long time before pulling away. She was furious at herself. Not because of what she had hidden from all of them, but how she had hidden it directly after reprimanding them for hiding things themselves.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

He was there.

Mikasa felt her relief almost immediately washed away by a wave of anxiety.

He knows.

So what? He would be relieved to see her safe and alive, right? He wouldn't care that she had forced his hand as long as she was there now, right?

She didn't buy a word of her own bullshit as she walked cautiously towards her room.

Joseph was sitting on the floor, back against the bed, almost perfectly still. If he hadn't tilted his head slightly towards the door as she entered, he could have passed for asleep.

Say something.

She wanted him to stand up and look at her with relief. She wanted him to walk to her, to hold her. She wanted him to say how thankful he was that she was alive.

"You're here."

That was all he managed from his place on the floor. He didn't even turn to look at her; she wanted to feel angry, but couldn't muster it.

"Yes."

He sighed.

"You're doing okay, I assume, if you're here."

She crossed her arms.

"I'll live."

His head tipped forward into his hands.

"Well… glad Annie at least had the decency to keep an eye on you, unlike some useless fucks I know."

It hit Mikasa then that he wasn't mad at her.

He can't blame himself.

As though he read her mind, he turned slightly; he still wasn't looking at her, though she could see half of his shadowed face. He looked very destroyed.

"It is my fault, you know. I could have come along. He told me too."

He?

"But I didn't. I didn't protect you. Because I… "

Suddenly, he pitched forward, offering a low moan.

"Why… why, why, WHY… did you tell me to stay?"

She found she couldn't move.

"I thought it would be for the best."

It was a mistake as soon as she said it; he vaulted to his feet, his face now a despondent and angry mess.

"Why would you do that to me?"

"I… I… "

"You knew what... what that MONSTER was capable of! And you went ALONE!"

He spun away towards the wall.

"And worthless excuse for a person I am, I just LET you go!"

"Joseph… "

"And now look what's HAPPENED!"

Through her own self-hatred and sadness at his state, she felt anger rise up.

"Stop blaming yourself."

He turned and looked at her in disbelief.

"Why? It's my fault!"

"No. It isn't."

"I essentially let you walk into a lion's den, didn't go with you, didn't tell anyone. How is that not my fault?"

"And I was the one who forced that on you."

He howled and drove his fist into the wall.

"I listened! I obeyed! And now… "

She was at his side in an instant; she took his shoulders and forced him to look at her. The agony in his eyes almost broke her voice.

"You respected what I wanted. And I made a stupid decision. But you know what?"

He looked back, saying nothing; she brushed a thumb against his cheek.

"If I could go back two days, I wouldn't change a thing if I thought it would put you in danger too."

For a moment, he looked back at her as she offered him a gentle smile. Then, his mask broke and he fell into silent tears, burying his face in her shoulder and wrapping her into a tight hug. His embrace felt better than anything she had ever experienced and she responded just as strongly, shushing him quietly as he shook in her arms.

"I… I don't think… I've ever been more scared."

"Shh… its okay, I'm okay… "

"Please don't… don't ever do that again… "

He continued to mutter desperate pleas to her as she eased him onto the bed. She lay there with him for some time, holding him tightly until he lapsed into a deep sleep, breath coming in large swells. Sitting up, she put her hand under his shirt, dragging her fingers along his back. He shifted in his sleep, loosing a deep sigh and she dragged the covers over him. Several minutes passed before she rose to shower.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Did you see what he did?"

…

"I can't believe he did that."

…

"Her, of all people."

…

"I should teach him a lesson for this."

…

"Maybe I will."

…

"But I'll be patient."

…

"There's still quite the fight to be had."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

As she rose and dressed as quietly as she could, Mikasa couldn't keep her mind away from why Hange had requested her to not bring Joseph.

Makes no sense… everyone will be there… except Krista, but she's in the hospital for Christ's sake…

With a sting, she remembered that days prior, she had promised to take him running with her in the morning. It was something she did rather frequently, and, while he admitted to being on his high school's running team, he had long since fallen out of the sport since leaving for college. So she had told him, one of these mornings, they would both go. She remembered him talking in a mockingly arrogant voice,

"I'll go slow so you can keep up, never fear."

"Thank goodness, I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask."

"Oh, I always know what's on your mind, no use keeping secrets from me."

"Yeah?"

She had given him a raised eyebrow.

"What am I thinking about right now?"

He had looked at her with a flash of confusion, before resuming his braggart pose.

"Let's see… well, it's obvious isn't it? You're wondering how I'm so awesome."

The childlike remark had made her laugh before she replied.

"No, actually, I was wondering when we were having Sasha over for that three-way."

His attitude vanished into one of incredible annoyance.

"Can you stooooooooop?!"

Laughing, she had walked to the car, leaving him to follow, demanding why she refused to drop that stupid idea when he hadn't even come up with it in the first place.

Oh Joseph… if you weren't so easily annoyed, it'd be a lot less enjoyable to make fun of you.

As she pulled on her shoes, she happened to glance at him again. He looked ridiculously content, dreaming who knew what deep dreams. Sliding her knife into its sheath, she walked delicately over. Being careful not to wake him, she knelt silently and pressed her lips to his forehead. Holding for a few seconds, she pulled away, then mentally cursed herself as his eyes drifted blearily open.

Mikasa, you idiot.

"Wuzzgoinon?"

"Shh… nothing, nothing, Hange just needs to see me real fast."

He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Whywithowme?"

She smiled at his garbled words.

"Don't worry."

She kissed his hand.

"I'll probably be back before you're even up."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. I promise. We can go on that run I promised…"

"Yeah… yeah, lesrun… "

Giving a great sniff, he exhaled and snuggled back under the covers, closing his eyes again. Not wanting to further bother him, Mikasa scooted out the door and to the car, still asking herself why he wasn't supposed to come with.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Ymir stared intently at Hange as the older woman processed what she had just said. She had just related what Levi had informed her of the previous day at the hospital, save for the part about Kenny…

… being his goddamn father, Levi, what the fuck…

Sasha, Ilse, Mikasa and Annie were all present and were listening just as closely. It took several seconds for Hange to stop spinning madly in her chair, before sighing.

"Klan. Just what we need."

Ymir risked a glance at Mikasa, whose arms were crossed so tightly, they could have passed for steel beams. It was no secret what she had done that night and while Ymir hadn't brought it up, she was sure everyone was thinking about it.

"Well, it's good Levi has a source he's willing to share. Though, why, I can't imagine… "

Rapping the desk sharply, she stood.

"Ymir, thank you for bringing that to my attention. Now, for the reason I asked you all here this morning… "

Hange looked at the clock for the seven hundredth time in the last minute and Ymir shifted weight uncomfortably; she was very tense being away from Krista, but her boss had made it clear that this was of serious importance. Eyes still on the clock, Hange tapped her knuckles.

"Any second now… "

Seconds ticked by.

"Aaaaaaaany second now… "

Sasha and Ilse exchanged glances and Mikasa's eyes narrowed.

"Hange, what exactly are we waiting for?"

Ymir noticed then that the older woman looked nervous, but was trying very much to hide it.

"We uh… we have someone who wants… "

The door opened a crack and an equally nervous Mike poked his head in.

"Boss, he's… he's here."

Hange took a deep breath.

"Send him in."

Mike nodded and retreated; she looked around seriously at all of them.

"No matter what, don't lose your calm… "

The door banged open and Kenny Ackerman strolled in, followed by a sputtering Mike.

"You can't just barge in… "

A spidery hand went up.

"Now, now, my good man, I was welcome, was I not?"

Ymir felt a strange numbness in her bones as Hange waved her aid back.

"It's fine Mike, thank you."

He swallowed and closed the door. Kenny beamed around at all of them as though they were his long lost children. Annie had taken a step in front of Mikasa, though the subject of her protection looked very much like she would like to pull the man's head off then and there. Ilse was looking reserved though a muscle was working madly in her jaw; Sasha was making no such attempt to hide he emotions, eyes wide with anger and shock.

"Now, where is my little niece… "

His eyes came to rest on Mikasa.

"There she is! Come give Uncle Kenny a hug!"

She didn't move; Kenny didn't seem to take offense. Hange spoke from her desk; her own knuckles were rather white.

"You called this meeting. Start it."

He looked around in disbelief.

"I am starting it… !"

When he realized he was getting no-bullshit glares from everyone in the room, he rolled his eyes.

"Party poopers."

He yanked over a chair, bumping Sasha's leg in the process; he gave her a fake apologetic wink.

"Sorry love."

She swelled angrily, but said nothing. He dropped into the chair and kicked his legs onto Hange's desk, clearing his throat.

"So here's the thing ya'll."

He inclined his head.

"This is not at all what I wanted when I got into drug trafficking."

Whatever dam holding Ymir in place collapsed and she felt her anger spill from her mouth.

"Yeah? What exactly did you have in mind other than shooting pregnant women, taking hits out on people who have yet to wrong you, and trying to force sides to shoot each other to pieces?"

Kenny looked at her with wide eyes.

"She was pregnant? Oh my, that's so sad though. I feel just awful."

She held his mocking gaze until it faded and his toothy grin returned. He winked,

"Just kidding. It was your fault you know."

Ymir found her rage rendering her speechless again. Laughing in her face, he returned his attention forward.

"I'll admit I have been far too pushy. You were here first, finders keepers. Sure. Okay."

He leaned back, completely at ease.

"We've killed people on both sides. But this hit last night… that was low, even for our conflict."

Hange looked at him coldly.

"What are you talking about."

He snorted.

"Oh please."

Pulling free a tablet from his long jacket, he punched the screen several times and tossed it onto her desk.

"Don't pretend that's not one of your peeps bashing in the heads of my men."

Ymir leaned forward with the rest to watch; three men were striding down a street, darkness falling, when a figure stepped out of an alley, swinging a bat. Within seconds he had subdued them, and proceeded to pound their bodies into bloody masses. Feeling a queasy rush in her stomach, Ymir had only to look at Mikasa's paled face to know that was indeed Joseph. Kenny pulled back his tablet and stowed it.

"One of yours, yes?"

She met his gaze unflinching.

"That was not an ordered hit. He acted on his own accord for reasons I don't know."

Hange leaned forward, ignoring the furious look shot to her by Mikasa.

"May have had something to do with the fact they raped and beat a girl who is now in a hospital."

Ymir felt a rush of confusion along with her fury. Kenny grinned.

"Can you prove that?"

Gaining no response, his smile widened.

"But here I can prove that he bashed their brains in."

Still nothing.

"Sooooo… you gave no order to hit them."

"None."

"Just a loose gun then, is what you're saying."

She didn't reply. As though she had agreed with him, he leaned back, nodding and stroking his chin.

"Hmm… hmm… "

He remained in an obviously thoughtful state for only a few seconds before sitting up and clapping his hands.

"Okay, well look. I'd like to propose a deal. One where we can put our little war behind us."

Hange didn't move other than to reply.

"We're listening."

"So here's my end. I back off. Retreat to territory that you guys don't have on lock already. No more hits and I'll even do what I can to leash the Klan boys who are trying to get at you. Though no promises there. As police chief, I'll kill the charges against Sasha and Ilse for breaking and entering my employee's home."

Ymir's fists clenched and unclenched furiously as he spoke.

"We take domain over our prospective areas and we never have to see each other again."

He smiled broadly as though he had just revealed himself to be Santa Claus. Hange drummed her fingers together.

"So that's your end."

"Yup."

"And I assume you want something in return."

"You'd be correct."

"What is it you want."

He sighed.

"Very easy for you all, that what I want. Very simple and hopefully, relatively painless."

His grin reached a peak in size.

"Kill Joseph. Then we're square."