A week later

Ichigo, Renji and Rukia were on Earth in a kakigori shop along with Orihime and Tatsuki

"It seemed like I was going to lose the match at that moment, like…that guy had me completely pinned down! That was when in the spur of the moment, I just grabbed that guy's leg and flipped positions with all the strength I had left. As soon as he his back hit the ground, he was done. And the rest…is history." Tatsuki narrated her finals match that happened the previous day

"I'll be honest, that was one sick finisher move Tatsuki. It was a highlight of the match!" Ichigo said

"I wouldn't mind if you called me sensei now strawberry…"

"In your dreams, tomboy."

"But it's a good thing you have a good idea of what to do for the future Tatsuki-chan. Although I took an economics subject, it's difficult to have an idea for what to do later on given the choices." Orihime replied

"Don't worry, Orihime. You'll get an idea soon enough. At least you've figured the basics for now."

She then turned to Rukia and Renji

"Anyway, do you mind staying another day or two? I know you have stuff to do but I was thinking of going to the beach for a while. I was supposed to go with three friends of mine along with Ichigo and his family. But they sort of ditched me in the end."

"Hey you forgot me Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime said

"Yeah, yeah you too…So, what do you say? Rukia? Renji?"

The two looked at each other for a second and then they nodded

"Well sure…there's nothing important to do…nothing that actually matters, at least…"

The four slightly scowled as he thought of the man who Rukia had to work with. Before Tatsuki could notice, Ichigo got a call

"It's Karin."

He picked the phone and spoke

"Yeah what is it?"

"Ichi-nii where are you?"

"I'm at the kakigori café in the next block"

"Okay, I'm coming."

"Hey what happened?"

"Oh it's just someo-"

Suddenly the call went static

Ichigo moved his phone from his ear in front of him.

"Looks like her battery went out. This is the 4th time! She should seriously buy a new phone for herself."

"So what did she want?" Renji asked

"She's on her way here and she was about to say something about 'someone' when the call went static"

"Oohh, is this 'someone' possibly a bit 'special' to her?" Tatsuki teased. It always riled up Ichigo because of his protective nature towards his sisters

"Like hell it is. She's not the kind to fall for someone that easily. I can vouch for that."

"Well, you never know…" she slowly said

"She's in the age right Ichigo? It's possible that she'll find someone." Orihime said

"Just because we were a case like that doesn't mean everyone's the same Orihime."

"But still, Ichigo, you should really stop worrying about your sisters too much!"

"But still-"

They suddenly heard a familiar voice at the entrance of the café.

"There they are!"

"Looks like she's here." Tatsuki said. She stood up to see her. She waved as she said

"Hey Kari-"

She then spotted someone towering her behind. And Karin seemed to know him.

"Woah. She ACTUALLY brought a guy with her. And he looks…damn he's hot." Tatsuki slowly whispered in the end.

Ichigo stood up as well to see the guy with his sister.

"Who the hell-"

All words died in his throat as his eyes went wide at the guy in front of him

Orihime stood up as well to see who the person was

"What, really ? Let me-"

When she looked at the guy in front of him, she couldn't form any words as well as her hand began to shiver.

Rukia then chuckled and asked

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, Ichigo?"

Ichigo then said one word which made Rukia and Renji's faces go pale.

"E-Eren."

4 hours ago

Eren came back from the Hanten world after his break with a wide, content smile on his face. With this visit, all the worry he had about his friends went down to an extent. And not to mention the feeling of flying in the air as a bird, with the wind against his face, was a feeling he'd never forget…although the feeling of feathers on his body felt very weird.

As he went across the landscape that day, he saw slowly rebuilding cities on land littered with footprints of Colossal Titans. The first familiar thing (or person) he saw was Armin standing at the helm of the ship. Next to him, he saw Annie, followed by Reiner, Pieck, Jean and Connie. Looks like his plan worked. He wondered about the Yeagerists who supported his ideals of war, but he knew that Armin would find a way to get through to him. Except him and Mikasa, who knew his true nature, he was capable of pretty much convincing anyone to his side.

The sudden thought made Eren realize: "Where is Mikasa?"

The thought of her brought a smile to him, but he was still hesitating to see her again.

"What if…she's with another man…"

Eren shook himself from the thought

"No no, it's only been 3 years…she might not have found someone…yet…"

Eren then decided

"To hell with it, this is the last time I'll be visiting this place in a long time anyways. Probably this is…the last time I'll see her thinking about me…"

He then kept flying…into Paradis Island, among the plain, stamped landscape where small patches of greenery were starting to grow. Soon, Shiganshina came into view. Without the walls, Shiganshina looked really different. From the sky, it was the first time he saw his birthplace in all its majesty. It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen, although he'd known this place since childhood.

He flew lower to see his house once…or at least where it used to be. After he saw his ruined house once, he flew across the marketplace, he began to smell many things: bread, liquor, biscuits…all the things that reminded him of home. He then went up and sat on the top of a bread store. Hearing the sounds of the marketplace…it brought him a lot of memories of the times he had with his friends…followed by the pain that he couldn't be with them.

Just then, he heard the very familiar voice from the shop under him that made his eyes go wide.

"I need one loaf of bread please."

He went and looked below.

It was her. It was Mikasa.

Over the past three years, her hair had grown longer, enough to tie it in a ponytail. Her facial features had matured a bit more. She was wearing a pink shirt and a red skirt but most importantly…

She was still wearing his scarf.

"Here you go miss."

She bought the loaf and went away from the marketplace, towards the outskirts of Shiganshina. He began to follow her, to see how she had been for the last three years. Was she happy? Was she safe from people like the Yeagerists and others who supported him? But most importantly…

He wanted to see her more.

As he followed her, he saw a small cottage in sight…the cottage where she lived. He spotted some animals outside her house: chicken, sheep and even a goat. She seemed to be living alone…away from civilization, as though she just wanted to get away from it all.

He spotted an open window on one side and sat on the window sill. He watched as Mikasa placed the bread loaf on the table and went to wash her face. She then took a book from her shelf and started reading a book from her shelf.

I didn't know Mikasa was one for reading. But then again, she ranked 1st in the Cadet Corps, even in the studying part, so it makes sense.

As she kept reading, Eren saw some of the symbols on the book. They seemed…very familiar. Then it struck him.

These were the symbols I read during Shinigami training!

He then got a bit curious. He flew for What was Mikasa reading about Shinigami? Was she trying to bring him back to life or something? Although the idea seemed comforting, he knew he couldn't be farther from the truth. He told her that day to forget her. Even if she refused to that day, that doesn't mean she won't forget him in the future…or the fact that someday, she'll find someone…someone much better than him, someone who can treat her better than the shitty way he did. He knew Mikasa wasn't that stupid to cling on to him all her life.

He then heard a voice from above

"What, do those stuff seem that interesting to you?"

He then slowly looked up to see Mikasa staring down at him with a slightly interested look. His body stiffed as he looked at her. He then looked around himself. Instead of the window-sill, he was on the dining table now

How did he end up here?

He then realized that he was so lost in thought that he never realized when he flew closer to read the book.

As he realized that he was a bird, he began to get scared of how Mikasa would react. He slightly tilted his head

Mikasa then sighed and put a few grains next to the bird

"Here you go. Eat a little. Just don't mess up the book."

Mikasa then went still for a second and rolled her eyes as she muttered

"Am I seriously talking to a bird? But then again, I talk to my other animals as well…why is this any different?"

Eren stared at her

She talks to her animals?! How much has she been away from people?!

Mikasa then put her finger out for the bird to climb. Eren slowly climbed on. Mikasa then said slowly

"Must be your migratory season now huh? Seems like you got a bit lost. Poor thing. You can stay for as long as you want until you don't wreck the house. I really wanted to keep a bird for a while. Might as well make yourself at home."

In the days that followed, Eren used to visit Mikasa's cottage after he was done with exploring the lands nearby. Even Mikasa enjoyed the little bird's company. Although it would seem weird to most people, she'd sometimes read the book out loud to the bird as it sat on the table with her. She even spoke to the bird at times as she did her chores. She didn't know if the bird even understood a word of what she said, but at least it didn't keep her lonely.

Once, Eren flew till Mitras and then came back, the entire trip taking him two days. It was his last day in the Hanten world and he had to go back to the Soul Society soon after. When he came back to the cottage, he flew to the window sill again, only to not see Mikasa anywhere. He then flew up higher to see a larger area. He then spotted her walking towards a hill. She was wearing a white shirt, over which she wore a pink coat, paired with his scarf along with a light brown skirt. He had to admit, she was very good at finding clothes that matched his scarf. She had three flowers in her hand as well.

Wonder where she's going.

He then saw her sitting under a tree on top of the hill. Wanting to see her again, he flew towards the tree and sat on the lowest branch.

He began to observe what was happening on the ground. She was sitting with her back leaned against the tree. The flowers she brought were placed on the ground. When he looked further, he saw a small stone near the flowers. It had the following words engraved on it

Here forever
Rest in peace
My beloved
My dear
854

Eren's eyes widened

"Wait, is this…"

"Eren."

He turned his head to see Mikasa speaking to his grave

" Everyone…will be coming to visit you soon."

Until today, Eren tried to push away the thought of him not belonging to this world with his friends. He only focused on spending some time with Mikasa before…before she moves on. But…hearing Mikasa say his name again, after 3 years of longing…tears came to his eyes. Although all his efforts led to a happy ending for the people he cared about, the thought that he won't be there with them to see made him feel empty.

He then saw Mikasa gently placed her hand on the stone with a light smile on her face

"Aren't you happy?" she said

She then looked out towards the sight in front of her. The absence of the walls made the vast empty lands laced with houses look like a work of art.

He then saw Mikasa sob as she looked at the view. Tears started to come down her cheeks as her scarf came undone. She then slowly whimpered

"I…want to see you again…"

That was all that he needed to hear. Before he went back, he only wanted to see her again without making an appearance, but after hearing what she asked for, he just couldn't help himself.

He flew down towards her and latched his beak on to the edge of her scarf. Although he was a fairly large bird, the size of his beak made it difficult to lift the material up. He madly flapped his wings with all his strength as Mikasa looked on with her mouth agape. After lifting the scarf high enough, he then slowly tucked it behind her shoulder. After looking at her face on last time, he then flew upward towards the sky, knowing that his time limit was over.

Mikasa continued to look at the bird as it flew away.

"That bird…"

She then remembered what Eren told her when he first activated the Coordiante

"I'll wrap that around you…as many times as you want! Now and forever…as much as you want!"

As she remembered those words, all the memories she spent with that particular bird came to mind. All the times she spent talking to that bird…she knew from the beginning that something was strange in the way the bird behaved, but this…

She knew now for sure…by the way that bird stayed with her this whole week…by the way it listened to everything she kept saying…by the way it pulled her scarf up now…that was him. The man she loved all these years, and will continue to love for the years to come.

As it slowly flew away, Mikasa gently smiled

"Thank you…for wrapping this scarf around me…Eren…"