LAWLESS
Chapter 2. Abduction
After waiting for the two guards that patrolled the area to move far enough away, Mikasa and Levi hurried until they reached an elegant carriage parked near a zone of lush vegetation.
Several meters ahead, the access' sentinels were trying to politely reason with three provocative women. They stubbornly insisted that they were invited to the party, although they lacked an invitation that could prove it and they weren't even wearing appropriate wardrobe for the occasion.
The coachman raised an eyebrow when he noted that Levi was carrying someone who didn't offer any resistance.
"Is that one dead? Injured?" the coachman whispered with some concern and glanced at the guards, who were distracted with the prostitutes that he himself brought to the Palace.
"Shut up and make these horses move their asses," said Levi sitting at his side, after he deposited Eren Jaeger inside the carriage. Mikasa was boarding it at that moment.
Levi was dressed similarly to the man who held the reins of the horses.
"It's just that I would not want him to... stain the upholstery," the coachman insisted, anxious.
"Don't fuck with me, your upholstery is already disgusting," Levi glanced at him reproachfully and then turned around. "Mikasa, I left you a change of clothes in there."
The aforementioned just nodded, forgetting for a moment that Levi couldn't see her from the outside.
"Okay," she answered, absorbed while she stroked the silky red cloth that covered her legs.
Mikasa liked the dress a lot. She felt so, so feminine wearing it. She loved the entire outfit, it was beautiful. The dark shoes, the red dress and her intricate high hairstyle.
She almost felt like a lady. Almost, because of a lady she had nothing, even with that outfit she could only pretend to be one. Besides, she could never get used to wearing high heels. She had only been wearing them for a short while and already her feet were becoming resentful.
"Have a good night, gentlemen!" she heard the coachman say merrily, probably to the sentinels. She didn't hear Levi say anything, as expected.
Mikasa tried to take a look at the unconscious boy in front of her, who she laid down on the wide seat. It was difficult to visualize details amidst a darkness to which her sight wasn't adjusted yet. Anyway, it was evident that the irregular movement of the carriage made Eren's head bounce rhythmically on the worn padding, so Mikasa knelt beside him and put a little pillow under his head.
It was then when she realized that he was just wearing a white shirt and a black tie, since she still had his black jacket on her shoulders. When she removed the garment, she was invaded by a fetching and musky scent. Instinctively, Mikasa brought the fabric to her nose and inhaled softly to perceive a citric vestige, at the same time that she closed her eyes. The fragrance transported her to the past, to the times in which the sensation of security, tranquility and naïve happiness were a constant in her life… When she still lived with her parents.
The carriage took a leap and the shaking pulled her out of her little lethargy. She quickly covered Eren with the jacket and verified that he was still asleep. She paid special attention to his measured breathing. Everything seemed to be alright.
The girl caressed for a last time the lustrous fabric that clung to her waist - it loosened under her hips and its length didn't get to cover her ankles.
After a listless sigh she proceeded to unbutton her back, not without some difficulty.
"Fucking buttons" she murmured to herself, since the last pair to unbutton was giving her problems.
The front side of the dress had fallen and it no longer exerted any pressure on her naked torso, so she just turned the dress to finish undoing everything. She didn't want to unintentionally damage it. Thankfully, her sight had adjusted to the dim light and she managed to smoothly solve the problem.
Suddenly she realized the boy was moving, so she immediately covered herself with her arms and glanced at him, distressed, because he seemed to have his eyelids half open. She approached him, ready to punch him and knock him out, but Eren didn't even try to dodge the fist that remained just a few centimeters from his nose. To Mikasa's relief he was still unconscious, as it should be. She grabbed his jacket and covered his whole face anyways, just in case.
Maybe Eren Jaeger was that kind of weird person that slept with their eyes open.
Meanwhile, the girl finished removing the dress and quickly put on a shirt, sweater and black pants.
They arrived late-night to an area of small houses located near the border of Orvud, a district to the north of Mitras. The full moon lit the dusty entrance of the structure, next to which a man with a wrinkled face was sitting wrapped in a blanket. When he saw Mikasa get out of the carriage, he showed her a smile that was missing some teeth.
"Good night, missy," he saluted her with a nod of his head.
"Good night, Arnie," she answered with some kindness. "Have you had supper?"
"Yeah, a jug of wine and a delicious chicken!"
"Good," she smiled slightly at him and her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She had not had time to eat at the Reiss' party, let alone drink anything. She was famished.
Inside the small house, she proceeded to give a series of rhythmic knocks on a part of the wall that happened to be a camouflaged door between two furnishings and behind a small table, on which there was a plate with chicken bones and a clay jug.
The door opened with a squeak and from the other side they were received by the ever serious Tom, a bald man with a black moustache and beard. Since Levi was carrying Eren, Mikasa allowed him to go in first. She went down the deteriorating steps and followed him through the poorly illuminated tunnel - with soil floor and rock walls - until they ran into an iron door already opened and flanked by two men as silent as the first one.
As they passed the entry, to their left it was possible to hear some hysterical laughter, banging on tables and an out of tune man singing with extreme emotion.
Both Levi and Mikasa rolled their eyes and turned in the opposite direction, to a short corridor, in which they soon reached a thick metal and dark wood door.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Eren slowly opened his eyes.
Stunned, he realized that he was sitting on a chair with armrests, to which his wrists were tied. His ankles were tied to the forelegs of the chair.
What…?
No, he wasn't even dreaming.
But, what the hell? He thought, irritated.
He tried to look around. It was a small room, with a bed stuck to the left wall, while the opposite wall was less than a meter away from him. He turned his head and at his back he could notice that on a bedside table there was a candle, barely illuminating the place.
In front of him there wasn't much he could see, since his own body blocked what little light there was, but the entrance to the room should have been in that direction. It was a windowless room, narrow and long, and there was at least two more meters of it onward.
This shit again, Eren frowned and felt how the rage overpowered him.
An abduction.
"Another damn time!" he complained, clenching his teeth while he stirred on the chair trying to loosen the ropes.
"We hope this is the last time"
Eren stilled immediately upon hearing the soft feminine voice, without putting much attention to the spoken words. He had thought he was alone.
His surprise didn't last long though, because the annoyance of being in his present situation came back. Realizing that it was the voice of that girl infuriated him even more.
"Mikasa," he pronounced her name in a tone tinged in rage. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? What kind of game is this?"
She had deceived him. She had taken advantage of his goodwill and concern. She had taken him for an idiot.
The girl didn't answer so Eren insisted, making a poor attempt to control his anger.
"Where am I?" demanded the boy. "What do you want from me?"
From one moment to another - and to his bewilderment - Mikasa was standing just in front of him, sudden like the attack of a viper. Eren would have fallen back from the shock if he wasn't tied to a chair.
Mikasa stood without saying or doing anything other than staring at him, expressionless. The only thing that moved was the orange dancing flame reflected in her dark eyes. Her pale and perfect face, now without makeup, almost seemed like an alabaster modeled statue. The ebony hair surpassed her shoulders by several centimeters.
"You're at the Ackerman's residency" she informed him, monotonous.
Eren's eyes went wide and felt his heartbeat suddenly altered.
He recalled the smile and the teasing tone of Kenny Ackerman, the tall and skinny man about whom he had heard tales during his childhood - Kenny the Ripper. The strong and ruthless assassin that nearly three decades ago had blood stained the streets of the wealthy and safest neighborhoods of the Kingdom.
It seemed to Eren that he could smell the tobacco stink that characterized Kenny, so he closed his eyes and pressed his eyelids together hard for a while, reliving the deep terror he felt as a child upon learning the identity of his kidnapper.
"But… but my father is dead. The dead can't make deals," he murmured, half opening his lost eyes.
Mikasa was gone, camouflaged again in the shadows of the room.
"We know that," she stated, feeling a sadness that she tried not to show on her voice, even though Eren could barely hear her.
Doctor Grisha Jaeger had been the first person she met apart from her parents, and he had always been very kind to her. On one occasion, he told her that he had a son that was about her same age, and that his name was Eren.
The last time the doctor had visited her home, he had promised her that he would bring his son with him on his next visit, so they could know each other. So they could be friends.
It never happened.
"What does Kenny Ackerman want from me?" Eren asked, jaded.
He was sidelong glancing towards the shadows, frowning.
"For you to work with us," Mikasa replied simply.
"Ha! Come on…" the green eyed boy scoffed, "You can have me abducted any time you want, even torture me or kill me. Whatever, I refuse to collaborate with a group of murderers, with a pack of beasts disguised as humans."
Eren heard the squeak of rusty hinges and then a thud of wood against wood. Mikasa had left the room, but he didn't hear her locking the door or running a latch.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Mikasa found Levi in the kitchen. He was drinking tea in silence near a counter.
"What are you doing here?" Levi asked her after taking a long sip.
"I just came to look for something for him to eat and drink."
"Tch, that's not how things work."
The man looked at the girl as she poured water into a glass and put a large piece of bread next to a slice of cheese on a plate.
"It doesn't matter," she said.
When Mikasa returned to the room she found that Eren had diagonally fallen with the chair on the edge of the bed. He glared at her furiously from his ridiculous position and she struggled to contain the laughter. His fury in this context didn't daunt anyone but it was rather funny.
The poor boy must have been shaking in the chair like crazy trying to release himself during the time she left him alone.
"Are you hungry?" Mikasa passed him by and put the things she brought on the bedside table.
"No," Eren groaned "I don't want anything from you."
Ignoring his anger, Mikasa moved behind him and returned the chair to its normal position without major effort. Seconds after she started to untie his hands and feet in complete silence. As soon as Eren was released, he ran towards the door, but Mikasa promptly took him by his wrist, put a hand on his back and slammed him against the wall.
"Don't try anything stupid," she warned, as she bent his arm behind his back.
"And what… do you want me… to do?" Eren questioned with some difficulty, since he has his stomach and his chest pressed against the wall, plus half of his face. That girl was strong. "Do you want me… to stay seated… and chill?"
"Yeah," she said, releasing him.
Eren turned around rubbing his cheek as he glanced at her warily.
"I know I didn't have the chance to go beyond that door," he admitted out of humor, leaning himself on the wall as he crossed his arms.
"Good."
Eren just wanted to try complicating things a bit, to show her that he wouldn't surrender so easily. Whatever. So he leaped on the girl, but she dodged him with ease.
All of a sudden, Eren's feet had left the ground and - from one moment to another - he had fallen on the bed. He sat on the mattress immediately and gazed at Mikasa, dumbfounded.
She was far faster and far stronger than him.
"Good night," Mikasa said as she nonchalantly settled a strand of hair behind her ear.
She was a weird and certainly conceited girl.
This time, Eren heard her lock the door from the outside. He brought his hands to his head, exasperated, then pressed a pillow to his face so he could suffocate a yell full of anger and desperation.
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he was woken up by the annoying smell of tobacco. A bit disoriented, Eren pinched his nose and sat up on the bed.
"Nice shirt and tie," Kenny said, sitting on the same chair Eren had been tied up in the night before. Behind him, the door was open and an orange light streamed in from the hallway. "So much time living under the wing of the Reiss people has given you a taste for refinement, huh?"
Eren frowned without saying a word. Kenny had more wrinkles on his face now, but he was wearing almost the same outfit he wore the first time he met him, including his stupid boots and his black hat.
"I see Mikasa treated you well," the Ripper said, noticing the untouched water and bread. A teasing tone was palpable on his voice, "You can't rely too much on teenagers."
The leader of the Ackerman took out a curved knife from inside his jacket and nonchalantly started to play in a skillful way with it. The light flashed on the edge of the blade.
"So?" he said to the young man, "Don't you have any questions to ask?"
"No. You all can go to Hell," Eren blurted with a defiant look.
Kenny laughed out loud for a while, until he stood up and took Eren by the collar of his shirt, dragging him off the bed.
Kenny held him up with one hand. The boy struggled.
"You're gonna live and cooperate with us, whether you want to or not."
He dropped Eren to the ground when he realized that he could barely breathe. As Eren coughed, Kenny threw him a small yellowing envelope that fell on his lap.
"He asked me to protect you, among other stuff," Kenny informed. "Obviously, in exchange I want you to treat my men whenever they're injured or when they fall ill… And I want you to give me some information," he added the last sentence with a lopsided smile.
"Him?" Eren questioned, confused. He took the envelope with his free hand while rubbing his throat with the other one.
Who the hell was he talking about? And to protect him from what or whom? Because, if there was anyone you needed protection from, it was from Kenny and his criminal association.
"Read the damn letter. I'll come back later."
Eren approached the light of a new candle on the bedside table, which someone must have changed while he was sleeping. He carefully extracted a piece of folded paper from the inside of the envelope, and his eyes widened as he recognized the calligraphy of his father.
A/N: first of all, I want to thank everyone that left me a review on the first chapter; meliikasa, ShiinaTamazaki, Mtmeye, skinky, Chris, Guest, HMSAOT and mia, thank you all for taking the time to tell me something, to give me some feedback, and not being lazy. I'm really grateful!
Also, I want to thank Heidi again (erensjaegerbombs on Tumblr) for taking her time to check my story and to correct my grammar errors, especially because she did it even when she was super busy, which was why it took a bit more time than last time. Thank you so much for your help! :')
Finally, I want to ask you guys for your feedback on this second chapter; please tell me what do you think or feel about it, or just tell me if you're liking this story or not. Considering ALL the visits (not hits, but individual visits), only a very few people told me their thoughts and it was a bit discouraging tbh :c This story had 90+ individual visits on September only and it got only two reviews on that month, so of course it made me think that it wasn't interesting at all for those visitors to even left a comment :/
So PLEASE, if you like this tell me something, don't stay quiet.
Again, THANKS A LOT to those that reviewed this :) I'm updating it this time for you guys especially!
