Special thanks to Heidi for proofreading and editing the English version, as always, thank you so much :')! And to Dani, since she inspires me to write more with her awesome art! Check out my blog to take a look at the gift she gave me~

* Dirndl: traditional German (Bayern) and Austrian dress.

LAWLESS


Chapter 3. Ackerman


Armin had slept for an hour on a sofa when he heard someone knocking on the door and calling his name.

He rubbed his eyes a few times. Opening the door he saw the haggard and tired look of his - until then - missing friend. He also met the dark and inscrutable eyes of his unknown companion, a beautiful girl with her black hair braided to one side. She was wearing an indigo traditional dirndl which had little white polka dots, under whose bodice jutted out a crisp white blouse that covered her bust and shoulders.

In silence, he allowed both of them into the apartment and then closed the door.

Armin gave a confused look at the girl and waited for Eren to say something, for him to explain what had happened and at least to introduce the girl. The stranger didn't seem interested in talking to him at all. She quietly devoted herself to examine the apartment. He almost introduced himself, but decided it was better not to annoy her with polite conversation that - he had the impression - she would probably ignore.

He looked intently at them both without knowing what exactly to say, since the first things that came to his mind were nothing but indecent suspicions. Eren had disappeared and he hadn't been alone, the mysterious girl in the red dress had also been missing. She was the last person the attendants had seen his friend with. And looking at him now, Eren was a mess: his shirt was out of his pants and it was wrinkled like his tie. He was disheveled and he seemed exhausted.

"Maybe they had an immediate infatuation and they fled together," Historia had suggested last night, grinning at the thought and allaying the more serious concerns that had made her shed a few tears, "Could it be?"

Historia and Armin looked at each other and couldn't help a giggle that helped to slightly relax the atmosphere.

"It's something difficult to imagine, because we're talking about Eren, but… Sure, it could be a possibility," Armin said while he stuck his hands inside the pockets of his soft cloth pants.

Before conceiving such a positive idea, they had already thought about the worst scenario. They imagined that Eren had been abducted and that his captors would demand a ransom in gold within days – that if they hadn't already killed him. And after such ill-fated ideas, Historia and Armin had tried to focus on the fact that the security levels of the Palace were quite high and even higher during special events, so the likelihood of an actual abduction occurring was very low.

But for Armin Arlert there was something that didn't quite fit, and it was that no one knew the identity of the girl in the red dress, even though that uncertainty was obviously expected at a masquerade ball.

According to Historia, some noblemen used these thematic parties so their most timid daughters, some of whom had recently come of age, could have a good time with decreased social pressure. Nevertheless, Armin realized that this was also the perfect opportunity to evade Palace's security by impersonating a random nobleman and falsifying an identity. So, it seemed absurd to him that they still believed it was totally safe to carry out such activities.

"Eren…" Armin muttered suddenly, returning to the present moment. He felt relieved to see his friend safe and sound though, at the same time, he felt a bit overwhelmed. "Last night you vanished and we feared for you with the passing of the hours. Where were you? At what point did you leave? Nobody saw you leave the Palace's grounds."

He was confused, since there was still the possibility that Historia's romantic idea wasn't as far from reality as he thought. Although Eren didn't seem in love - and much less happy – so maybe neither did the girl.

Armin was so lost in his musings that he didn't realize Eren was packing his belongings inside a large suitcase, one that he hadn't used in years. Why?

"She's Mikasa, the damsel in distress, do you remember her?" Eren finally presented her, making use of a sarcastic tone and speaking loudly so she could hear him, "I guess you don't care, but this is my best friend, Armin."

"We met last night," Mikasa said, getting close to Armin. Her voice was as soft and calm as her demeanor while she peered into Armin's bright blue eyes. "I said to him that I was dying to meet you, and he helped me to find you."

Eren slightly squeezed the red scarf he had been folding. Maybe she had said that in order to bother him, but her words made him feel a certain restlessness in his chest. Moreover, after reading his father's letter and remembering that Mikasa was the girl that-

"What happened?" Armin asked suddenly. He was upset, "Eren? Mikasa?"

The girl's fingers lightly caressed the cover of a book, as if there wasn't anything odd happening. As if the atmosphere of that room hadn't changed in the least and if the three of them weren't perceiving that silent longing for something that should have been, but was not.

"It's almost time to go," Mikasa said, maintaining her uninterested and impassible disposition, "If you're going to explain things to him, do it fast. I'll wait outside and help you with the baggage once you're ready."

As soon as the girl left the apartment, Eren took a deep breath and flopped onto the same sofa where Armin had been sleeping. He let his head fall back.

"Mikasa was that girl that lived in the highland of Shiganshina," Eren started to explain, trying to conceal the bitterness that the grave situation gave to him and dealing with his impotence for not being able to do anything about it. "The girl that my father wanted me to meet."

"The girl whose family moved shortly before you came to know her?"

Eren sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"My father lied to me about that, and he hid a few more things from me. He left me a letter." He scowled as he stood up to close the large suitcase. "I don't have time to explain or tell you everything I know, but in summary: Mikasa isn't a fragile nor an innocent girl. After I helped her last night, she drugged me, abducted me and then I got to meet Kenny Ackerman again, who happens to be her uncle."

Armin's eyes widened when he heard the name of the Ripper.

Shit. This had nothing to do with the naïve notion of a pair of lovers who fled from the tumult to kiss each other in secret. No.

Kenny Ackerman. Kenny the Ripper. This is serious. This is so serious. Armin thought as his heartbeats went wild.

Eren continued. "Kenny is a nutty old guy and my father, for some reason I still cannot comprehend, made a kind of deal with him so he… so he could protect me. I know it's strange but I can't give any more details right now."

Clearly disturbed, the blond boy nodded and took Eren by the shoulders, inadvertently burying his fingertips in the process.

"Eren, just promise me that you'll be careful," Armin asked him. Anguish was reflected on his face.

There was not much else to say or to do about this. Eren was in the clutches of a criminal clan whose existence was an open secret, a clan that practically existed under its own rules and government, to the point that not even the Military Police interfered in its affairs.

Kenny Ackerman should have been hanged in a public square years ago, but that didn't happen. The Royal Family saw itself forced to cancel the arrest and execution warrant soon after Kenny and his men annihilated about twenty policemen in one night. They no longer speak about them, let alone write about them and much less pursue any member of the Ackerman Clan.

Eren hugged his best friend tightly in an attempt to calm him down.

"I'll be fine. They won't hurt me." Eren stated, even though he wasn't sure at all. He released Armin slowly and moved away. "Before I leave, I'll need you to do me a big favor…"

A bit calmer now, Armin raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Eren's cheeks were slightly colored and that he avoided his gaze. Armin stayed quiet until his friend deigned to speak after an exasperated snort.

"It's something absurd, but necessary." Eren awkwardly excused himself from the beginning, "It's about starting a stupid rumor. You have to say that… that Mikasa and I- That I…"

Armin saw him blushing furiously and struggling with himself.

"Obviously, you should not mention Mikasa's name, you may say that…" he inhaled a bit of air, "That I fell for a certain Margot. I need Rod Reiss to think that I'm out of my mind. I don't know how to explain it because it's a shitty plan, it was damn Kenny's idea, but I know you can come up with something better than that, and less ridiculous, right?"

Armin's anxiety levels dropped and a small grin started to take form in his lips.

Although he still needed to gather more information, the fact that Grisha Jaeger - the wise Doctor Jaeger - trusted in a murderer of Kenny's caliber seemed strange to him, right now the modus operandi that started during the Reiss' party made sense. From Mikasa's apparition as the striking red dress girl and her later fall, to Eren's disappearance and his arrival to the apartment that morning in her company… Some residents from that neighborhood in the middle of Mitras may already have seen them together.

Therefore, the point had always been for the girl not to go unnoticed and for everyone to see Eren helping her. Then for several of the attendees to learn of their sudden absence. And, especially, for Rod Reiss to find out about it.

If a young pair disappears at the same time and they disappear together, what's the first thing that comes to someone's mind?

Armin knew that it was not even necessary to start the rumor, because it must have already began to spread the night before, and that all this was nothing but a smokescreen.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The coachman assisted Eren with his baggage. Mikasa was already waiting inside the carriage, as any lady would do. After storing the suitcase in which he had kept his clothes, Eren grabbed his medical bag, he put one foot on the metallic sill and clung to the edge of the coach door to push off.

"Let me help you, sir," offered the coachman.

Eren shook his head. "Thanks, but I can go up alone."

The coachman tried to help him anyway. When he was inside, the man gazed at Mikasa and whispered to Eren: "I'm glad to know that you're alive, sir."

Eren looked at him, a bit confused. It was the first time he heard him speak, since on the outward journey the man had only offered him an anxious smile, the same he was giving to him now. He was a middle-aged man with a dark moustache and a graying beard. Most of his hair was hidden under an elegant short brimmed hat.

"Uhm, thanks," Eren said while he seated inside of the carriage, leaving a distance between him and Mikasa.

The girl remained silent and looked in the opposite direction from him.

Outside, the coachman carefully closed the side door.

"His name is Gustav," Mikasa said softly, almost without any energy and still looking the other way. "He always seems to be anxious. Last night he thought you were dead."

Eren just let a little oh escape from his mouth as he settled into the seat. He didn't know what to say about it. He was annoyed, remembering that she had made him lose consciousness while simulating a harmless hug. It made him angry to remember how she had played the damsel in distress so well.

Despite that, he knew that while she had participated in the plan, it wasn't really her fault. Still, Eren couldn't help but feel some resentment towards the girl and towards her whole clan. They were criminals, after all. Criminals in which his father - for some fucking weird reason - had placed all his confidence.

In the brief letter, Grisha had asked him to especially trust in Mikasa because, according to him, her sweet and noble essence would never be altered. That had been his father's theory at least.

Sweet…, Eren thought while releasing a small snort. In general, that girl gave the impression of anything but sweetness.

He squinted at her. She remained impassible, with her hands on her lap while she contemplated the landscape through the window on her side. Fine, maybe the feminine dress that she was wearing and the little braid could generate a certain effect of sweetness, and surely that was what she was looking for… besides appearing to be a normal and defenseless girl.

Eren decided to look away, towards the window beside him, scolding himself for having forgotten such an important thing as that no one was exactly normal. Much less could she be a normal person, a girl who at a young age witnessed the murder of her own parents. Grisha didn't give more details except to note that since then Mikasa had lived with the only family she had left; Kenny, her uncle and Levi, her cousin.

After reading the missive certain things made more sense to him. For example, now he could comprehend why his father never mentioned Mikasa's family surname, and why when they were at home with mom he used to refer to Mikasa's family only as 'the family that lived in the highland' – or 'in the mountains'. At the same time, it made sense that they lived so far away from the city, given that bearing the Ackerman surname constituted a disgrace, as well as the risk of being accused as murderers and enemies of the welfare of the Kingdom and its people, everything thanks to Kenny's negative reputation.

And this poor girl ended up being raised by Kenny himself…

Eren closed his eyes and went back in time. Ten years ago.

"You're a persistent brat, huh?" Kenny observed as he was nibbling a cigar, "But if you keep struggling with the ropes you're gonna hurt your wrists."

Eren could feel how the dry tears stretched the skin of his cheeks while he was still struggling with the ropes. He had been crying of anger just minutes ago.

"Before dying I'll fight, I'll die fighting!" he yelled with his childish voice, at which Kenny laughed heartily.

"Dammit, you damn kid. You're gonna kill me with laughter."

"Shut up!" he didn't tolerate being made fun of.

Kenny couldn't believe that the same little kid who - a couple of hours ago - had pissed himself after realizing his identity, now acted in such a rebellious and reckless way. It was enough to say that Eren Jaeger had even threatened to kill him, 'the Ripper'.

"I have to admit that you have guts," Kenny smiled, approaching the kid, "However, I already told you that I don't wanna kill you. I only care about talking with your old man because he's the fucking Doctor."

Eren spat. It landed some centimeters away from Kenny's boots, who ignored the action and started to wander through the room. The kid didn't take his eyes off the three sharp knifes dangling at the Ripper's waist, fantasizing that at any moment he would bury one of these in his throat due his daring and, in that way, he would put an end to his short life. Or to his father's life.

"You remind me a little of my nephew, you know?" Kenny said, "The boy already has at least twice your age, but he's almost your same height."

Eren's face turned into a grimace of confusion. Kenny grinned at him.

"Yeah, he's a fucking midget…" then he added with some sort of satisfaction, "A midget whom I'm proud of."

While Kenny wandered, Eren noticed that the door - a few meters away from him - was half opened and saw small pale fingers grabbing the edge of it. At the same time, a girl with straight black hair and dark eyes poked her head into the room. She looked at him in silence, with genuine curiosity.

"Uncle Kenny," she asked with a little sweet voice, "who is this?"

The Ripper didn't seem impressed by her presence.

"He's a guest. What are you doing here?" he asked with a certain weariness.

"He's tied…" she pointed out, confused.

Kenny took the girl in his arms and quickly took her away from there. She could have not been more than ten years old.

Eren opened his eyes, returning to the present moment. He felt the movement of the carriage as it advanced back to the Ackerman's lair. He settled himself in the seat again, since it already felt stiff.

When he turned his head to the left he realized that Mikasa was looking ahead, perhaps concentrating on something.

Mikasa had obviously been that little girl, for whom Eren had expressed his concern once his father, safe and sound, arrived to demand his release. He recalled that Grisha had assured him that the girl would be alright, since she was part of Kenny's family and they would protect her.

Yes, maybe they protected her, fed her and dressed her, but a criminal clan would never be a good place for any child, much less for a girl whose essence was, supposedly, sweet and noble.

How much sweetness could she have left after living in such a dark place in every sense, after growing up with guys like Kenny? And what nobleness could remain if-?

"What?" Mikasa asked abruptly, making Eren bounce a little in his place.

Shit, have I been staring at her or did I say something? Eren asked himself, feeling a slight warmth on his cheeks. He had been so lost in his memories and thoughts that he hadn't noticed anything, but he surely had been staring at her unconsciously. Nothing serious.

"Nothing," he replied, shrugging.

The girl scrutinized him for a moment.

"You should organize your stuff, eat and sleep when we arrive," she suggested in a neutral tone, "Your training begins tomorrow."

Eren raised an eyebrow.

"Training? Kenny didn't say anything about a training, he just said something about protecting me from some unexistent threat in exchange for healing his… chums."

"The training is so you can learn to defend yourself."

The boy snorted and crossed his arms. "I know very well how to defend myself."

Mikasa just looked at him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Keep both forearms up," ordered a guy called Volker, giving him a touch on the arm that he had let down slightly. "That's it, hit and defense. Hit and defense."

Volker, a tall redheaded man, was making Eren throw punches against a leather sack stuffed with sand. He also urged him to only move the trunk and his head from side to side to dodge imaginary punches.

Eren had no idea of how much time he had been doing that, he only knew that he could already feel the exhaustion and that he felt his arms, shoulders and abs fatigued. He was sweating.

A while later, two members of the gang came to sniff the first training of the Doc, as they nicknamed him that morning during the breakfast in which Doctor Jaeger did not exchange words with anyone, and only dedicated himself to eat.

"Doc, the sack doesn't even swing with your punches," pointed out a burly tanned guy, called Luther. "You should hit it with more strength."

The other newcomer, Bernard, made fun of him.

"I don't think he could manage to make it swing," Bernard commented to Luther in a low voice, "Look at him, he's a weakling."

Eren frowned and turned around to gaze-challenge Bernard.

"What was that you just said?" he demanded, offended.

Bernard laughed and gave Luther a nudge so he would laugh with him, but the guy didn't even take him into account. Besides, Bernard met with a gesture of disapproval from Volker.

"I said that you're a weakling," repeated Bernard, standing up and getting close to Eren. He ignored the lack of support from his colleagues.

Volker stood between Eren and the troublemaker.

"Are you an idiot or what?" questioned Volker. "Get out of here."

Bernard muttered something under his breath.

"Whatever, I just said the truth," he said as he turned around to leave. Before he could even go through the doorway, Eren ran after him and knocked him down, falling on his back.

"Who do you think you're calling a weakling? You fucking moron," the boy groaned and gave him a punch on the back of the head. And then another one, and another one. And another one.

"Eren, stop it!" Volker exclaimed, while a laughing Luther lifted Eren so he would stop punching that idiot Bernard.

After a moment, Bernard stood, very pissed and a bit disoriented.

"Don't look at us that way, you started it," noted Luther as he still was restraining Eren.

"Yeah, whatever," the guy recognized, offering a hand to the son of Grisha Jaeger, "Okay! I'm sorry for calling you a weakling."

Luther let Eren go.

Eren adjusted his shirt and, after some hesitation, he shook Bernard's hand as a sign of truce.

But Bernard was a complicated man and as soon as everybody let down their guard, he took the chance to connect a powerful punch on Eren's cheekbone. The blow knocked him out immediately and Luther managed to hold him so he didn't fall on the floor.

Volker grabbed Bernard by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall. He was furious.

"You crazy son of a bitch! The fuck you think you're doing? Levi's gonna kick your ass!"

"Who's ass am I kicking?" asked Levi, who was cleaning his hands with a little white towel.

Everyone that was present in the room looked at him, startled, while Eren was lying unconscious on Luther's arms.

Levi noted that Eren's right cheekbone was swollen. The form of two red knuckles were printed on his skin. Right cheekbone, left fist. There was only one left-handed man between the three members of the gang that were in the event site.

"Luther," called Levi, expressionless. "Take Eren to Mikasa and get something cold for his bruise."

Luther nodded and left the room immediately, bringing the fallen boy with him, who was beginning to regain his consciousness.

"Volker," Levi spoke again, keeping a cool stare at Bernard, "Explain to me how it was that this idiot came to knockout our honorary member, while I hold the urge to break his damn neck."


A/N: I'm sorry about the late update. Things of life and the tiredness made it hard for me to write, but finally here's the third chapter. I hope I have answered some questions and have made you wonder other things xD

Thank you all so much for reading this and I want to especially thank the people that took their time to give me some encouraging words and/or feedback in the past chapter, seriously, thank you guys so much for your support! Thank you Meyssa, Guest (1), meliikasa, Guest (2), HMSAOT, Guest (3), Meri, slayerxd117, Naruto4Sakura, hana49 (:x), ME, natiwati (:*), Elvira-Etu and Hera96.