Notes:
UHM. . . I'm so sorry everyone ;-;
Once again, I'm very sorry for another delay! I couldn't follow the deadline that I made for this fic because my uni's assignments were just tha :(
BUT ALAS; NEW CHAPTER
Thank you so much everyone for waiting! Thank you for your continuous support to this fic! I just... wow, 10 chapter in! Thank you so so so so much! LOVE YOU!
Enjoy!
P.S (I'm not a native english speaker, so I'm so sorry if there were errors)
DISCLAIMER:
Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan belongs to Hajime Isayama
CHAPTER 10: Travelling
"I can see that you are back on your feet again, Miss Ackerman." Dr Chastain said with a smile to a girl that was leaning against the headboard.
"Really?" Her face brightened up as she heard the words from his mouth. It's been almost a week since the first time he visited, and she couldn't fathom to be glued back on her bed for another day.
"Yes, as long as you take care of your body, you should be able to go to Shiganshina next Monday." He told her as he put away his equipment back to his leather bag.
Nifa, who was standing next to the bed, exclaimed with a glee, "Isn't that good, Miss Mikasa?"
Mikasa nodded and threw a glance to the other person who stood next to Nifa, "Hey, did you hear that?"
Levi gave her a side glance, hands in his pockets.
She shrugged, "I'm just making sure."
Dr. Chastain laughed, "You are definitely cured, Miss."
"Yeah, now she's back on being a full time brat again." Levi added in which earned him another laugh from the doctor and a piercing glance from Mikasa.
"Now, now, no more siblings fight." Dr. Chastain announced in between his chuckles, "I need to ask one last thing, Miss. How about your sleep lately?" He asked her, but Mikasa didn't answer, instead, she looked at Nifa curiously.
"Ah," Nifa let out a small gasp, "She hasn't had any episode for a few weeks."
Dr. Chastain nodded with a wide smile, "That's good to hear. I await nothing but good news from here onward."
Mikasa marveled and let out a soft laugh, "I hope so. Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome, Miss."
"So that means, you don't have to force Nifa to babysit you every night." Levi remarked which was not welcomed at all judging by Mikasa's reaction.
She gave Levi a dirty look, "No one asked for your opinion, shorty."
"I don't mind at all, Miss!" Nifa chuckled, "Although this shows that you are growing, Miss."
"Ah, Miss Nifa is right! The next time I see you, you would probably no longer be a young Miss Ackerman." Dr. Chastain added before looking at Levi, "That reminds me, sir. The first time I saw you, you were no older than Miss Mikasa."
"And I bet he was not as tall as me." Mikasa interjected and Levi felt his eye twitch at her remark.
Dr. Chastain let out another laugh, he stood up from his seat, "Alright, I think it's better for me to leave."
Mikasa snickered, "So it's true."
"Tch, you are annoying." Levi said, he didn't even bother to look at her, instead he focused his gaze at the older man, "Thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome, sir. If you need me, you know where to find me."
Dr. Chastain bid his goodbye to Levi, Mikasa, and Nifa before walking away from the bedroom with Moblit. As the door closed, Levi glanced at Nifa who was talking to Mikasa.
"Nifa, have you done your packing?" He asked.
Nifa nodded at him and smiled, "Yeah, all prepared for me to go tomorrow morning."
"Oh!" Mikasa exclaimed, "For the wedding, right? How's the progress going?"
"Everything seems to be going well, although there were some things that needed to be adjusted. But, other than that, I think it's going to be beautiful."
"That must be nice," Mikasa smiled, "I've never been to a wedding before."
Levi sneered and crossed his arms, "Who would want to invite a brat to a wedding?"
Mikasa let out a loud whine, "Oh God, would you just leave already."
Levi threw her gaze back at Nifa, "What do you mean by adjustment, Nifa?" He asked, dismissing the muffled hissed that Mikasa gave to him.
"Ah, my sister actually wanted to marry on Saturday, but my parents didn't approve of it. They are… very traditional and still believe in superstition. In the end, my sister had to change the wedding day to Wednesday."
Mikasa narrowed her eyes, "What superstition?"
"You probably didn't know this, Miss. But, there's this old rhyme about which day you should have your wedding, but I couldn't remember it."
"I think I know the rhyme," Levi suddenly interrupted, "It was like right this, right?"
"Marry Monday, marry for wealth;
Marry Tuesday, marry for health;
Marry Wednesday, the best day of all;
Marry Thursday, marry for crosses;
Marry Friday, marry for losses;
Marry Saturday, no luck at all."
Nifa gasped, "Ah! Yes, that one. I'm surprised you knew it, sir."
"I knew a guy who liked to sing that rhyme unironically."
"Really? There's a song for the rhyme?"
"Not that I know, he probably created the song while he was drunk. Believe me, the song should never see the light of the day."
"He seemed like a funny person," Nifa commented.
"Oh, yes. He was a funny guy. I always laughed at his jokes." Levi said in his usual paper flat face.
"Someone has an unresolved grudge." Mikasa remarked with a singsong voice.
"Thank you for pointing that out, but, let's not talk about him. He could probably hear us."
Nifa giggled before she paused as if she remembered something, "Ah, come to think of it. I should thank you, Mr. Levi, for giving me a week off."
"No worries, Mikasa needs to be away from you so she wouldn't become a spoiled kid."
"I will not!" Mikasa protested.
"Ah! Look at the time," Levi said while pretending to look at an air clock. "I leave her to you, Nifa. Please bathe her, make sure you scrubbed every inch of her. I want her to be clean by breakfast time."
Levi heard a series of curses flying over him, but it all went out when he closed the door behind him.
Levi was reading his newspaper when he saw Mikasa walking toward the table. She took a seat in front of him, purposely moving the chair as loud as she could. She threw a menacing glance at him while her mouth stitched close.
Levi internally shrugged, thinking that this is probably another of her petty grudge. But, even when the food arrived, they still didn't talk to each other. As they began to dig into their foods, they heard the door that led toward the kitchen being opened.
"Miss Hange!" Mikasa happily called.
"Ah Mikasa! I reckoned the check up went good, right? It's nice to finally be able to see you outside the bedroom." She walked toward Mikasa with a bright smile.
"You're late," Levi grumbled as he sipped his tea.
"Ah, sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting something." She said as she sat next to Mikasa.
"You're not." Mikasa replied, "Where were you, Miss Hange?"
"Oh, me? You know, the staff have been busy with the preparation for the party next month, so Lily asked me to help her with grocery shopping. It was supposed to be a quick trip to the farmers market, but I guess we got caught in the moment and lost count of the time." She explained as she took a plate and began to scoop two slices of bacon to her plate.
"It sounded like you were having a good time." Mikasa commented.
"Yeah, I did! I always love going to the market. I like the atmosphere" She said, hands hovering over the big plate with sausages and eggs, "Are you interested, Mikasa? We could go tomorrow if you want."
Levi wanted to remind Mikasa about the doctor's order, but, as soon as he saw how happy she was at the offer, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Alright, but first, we should eat before the food gets cold." The governess exclaimed, putting her full breakfast plate in front of her, "Thank you for the food."
Just like a mantra, as soon as she said that, they began to eat their own meal.
"Speaking of, when I visited the market, some people were asking about you, Mikasa."
Mikasa halted the movement of her fork at the mention of her name, "Who?"
"Hmm, there were Mr. Haas, Uncle Will, Old Lady Church, the Collins triplet, Grandpa John, Mr. Magnolia, and Granny Kelly"
This time, Levi was the one who paused. He glanced at the governess and asked, "You know all of them?"
She looked at him and bobbed her head, "Yes. Mikasa and I would often visit them."
Of course.
"Ah, they did say about some odd lady appearing out of nowhere."
She laughed, "Oh My God! Did they really say that?"
"Of course not, Miss Hange. He's just jealous." Mikasa interrupted, giving him a piercing glance.
"No I'm not. They really said that." Levi informed as he continued to eat.
Mikasa rolled her eyes before looking back at her governess, "By the way, Miss Hange. What are you planning to do on your days off?"
Her face immediately brightened up, "I'm going to visit my Mom."
Mikasa paused as if she was thinking about something before speaking again, "Oh, so you are going to Stohess?"
The governess shook her head, "No, I'm going to Nedlay."
"Wait," Levi spoke up, "I thought you are from Stohess."
Even Mikasa seemed to agree with him, as she nodded her head alongside his query.
"I am from Stohess," She emphasized, "But my mom is from Nedlay. She currently lives there."
Levi and Mikasa could only stare in silence.
"Oh!" Mikasa suddenly squealed, "Why don't we go together, then?"
This time, Levi and the governess shared a look of confusion as they stared at Mikasa.
"Nedlay is in Maria City, right? Which means, we are on the same route."
Levi noticed the quick glance that the governess threw at him before giving Mikasa an awkward smile, "Uhm, I'm..."
"Hey Levi!"
Levi almost jolted on his seat when he heard Mikasa calling him.
"Do you mind if Miss Hange joins us?"
Levi summoned all of his might to look as uninterested as possible when he muttered, "Do whatever you want."
Mikasa smiled as she looked back at the governess, "So?"
There was a silence.
"Sure."
"Great! Now, I wouldn't be stuck with Levi for eight hours on the train."
"Where the fuck is she?" Levi took a glance at his pocket watch and grunted. He tapped his cane against the concrete, counting the time inside his head.
"I got her," A voice was heard coming from inside the house, it was Mikasa.
Following behind her, there was the governess with her maroon cloak and her seemingly new wide brim hat. They walked fast as they approached him who was standing near the carriage.
"What did you do again, this time?" Levi grumbled.
"Ah, forgive me. I was taken into custody by Mrs. Koch. She wanted to give me this!" She showed him two small boxes wrapped with brown paper and tied with twine.
Levi stared at it before letting out a sigh, "Whatever, let's not waste anymore time." He gestured his head to the carriage.
He took Mikasa's hand to help her goes to step into the carriage, which she returned with a seemingly intentional tight grip she gave to his hand.
Take a fucking deep breath, Levi.
After that, he looked at the governess and noticed something. "You didn't bring any suitcase?"
"Ah, no. I have enough clothes back in Nedlay." She said as she swung her small red and brown carpet bag.
"Do you need help with that?" He gestured at the bag.
"No, thank you. I can manage," She lifted her bag, "This is actually very light."
He smirked, "Of course."
He didn't even need to think twice before giving her a hand. She gave him a wide smile as she took his hand. It almost reminded him of that time, but this time, she was wearing light orange gloves that matched her orange dress.
A quick 'thank you' was heard coming from her, and just like that, their hands were quick to be parted. Even so, he felt warmth spreading onto his hand. He gripped his hand into a fist as he followed them into the carriage.
He took a seat across Mikasa and the governess, and with a tap of his cane on the carriage's ceiling, the carriage walked away from the manor.
It didn't take them long enough before arriving at the railway station. It was bustling with people and Levi shuddered at the thought of having to be in the middle of those.
As soon as the carriage's door opened, Mikasa and the governess immediately bolted out from the carriage.
"Hey, don't— " Levi yelled at the two as he followed them, but when he was outside, they were nowhere to be found. He groaned and asked Keiji to help him with the luggage. A man in a blue outfit approached him and offered them a luggage service.
"Perfect! Keiji, please deal with him while I search for those two lost cats." Levi said to Keiji before disappearing into the crowd. He searched for them, bumping into people and almost getting knocked out by a large suitcase.
Come on Levi, think! Where the fuck would they be?
Ah.
His eyes caught a cart filled with flowers hidden behind a pillar near the entrance. He caught a sight of two familiar people.
Of course.
They didn't seem to notice him as he approached them.
"What the fuck are you two doing here?"
They jolted and looked at him, Mikasa with her half smile and the governess with her sheepish smile.
"Miss Hange bought me some flowers," Mikasa said as she showed Levi her hat that was filled with little flowers, "See."
"You two could at least wait or tell me about it, so I don't look like an idiot."
"Sorry, sir. We are just too excited." The governess said with a small bow of her head.
"Alright, come on." He said and led them away before stopping in his tracks and went back to the vendor. His action earned him raised eyebrows from his two companions. He grabbed a yellow flower with a wide brown center he forgot the name of and asked the old lady for the price.
He walked back to them and gave the governess the flower, and he was sure that Mikasa and the governess were looking at him like he was a ghost.
"So you two can match into becoming a walking vase," He said as he shoved the flower to her and walked away, "Come on or none of us will be able to leave this city."
After much hustle, body bumped into strangers, and a little running, they have finally arrived at their compartment. It was a little room with seats for four people with a little table near the window.
Mikasa and the governess took a seat next to each other, while Levi once again sat alone across them. A minute later, the train started to leave the station.
Levi immediately took a small pocket book from his suit. Minutes into reading the book, he felt a small movement against his hand. He put away his book and saw that the governess was nudging him with a small box, and right at that moment, he was hit by the smell of something sweet.
"Do you want some?" She asked, and next to her, Mikasa was chewing a cookie.
"No," He replied.
"Alright," She said and began to savor one for herself.
He raised one eyebrow, "I thought Mrs. Koch hates you."
She laughed, "She used to, I think? But she changed her mind when she found out that my mother is from Nedlay. Mrs. Koch is also from Nedlay, and surprisingly, she also knew my grandfather."
Levi raised her eyebrows, "She knew?"
"Yes, my grandfather is a doctor, remember? He was quite popular back in Nedlay."
An image of a frog and a toad went into his head, "Ah, yes. I suppose you are going there?"
The governess nodded, "Yes— and Oh! I don't know if Erwin told you about this already, but my mom and his mom were close friends."
"No, I don't know."
"They would often visit each other. That's why I'm so close with Erwin. I knew him ever since I was an infant. Not to mention that he was also my father's apprentice while he was in Law School."
Mikasa looked at her curiously, "I'm surprised you two weren't betrothed to each other. You two seem close."
The brown haired woman glanced at Mikasa with wide eyes before erupting into a loud laugh, "I think our mothers had that plan in mind, but they didn't act on it. I think it's because they knew that Erwin and I never saw each other in that light."
Levi let out a breath that he didn't know he held.
"I had my fair share of accompanying him to a few parties, but it was only for a show and oftentimes he just invited me because he knew I love going to a party." She continued, digging for another cookie.
"How about you, sir?" She looked at him, "I heard from Erwin that you two went to the same school."
Levi was taken aback by her question, "Yeah, we went to the same college."
She was about to open her mouth to reply but Mikasa beat her to it, "Miss Hange, look!"
Just outside the window, they saw a vast body of water glistening under the sun. It was surrounded by thick vegetation and there was a herd of cows that could be seen drinking on the bank of the river.
"Wow! That is beautiful!" She exclaimed, eyes sparkling with wonders.
"Right? But, still not as beautiful as the one in Shiganshina, though." Mikasa commented before looking at her with a small frown, "Too bad that you couldn't come with us."
"Maybe next time, Mikasa. Believe me, I've always wanted to go to Shiganshina."
Mikasa nodded, "Oh, and maybe we could go together to Nedlay."
Levi noticed the twinkle on the governess' face as she spoke, "Yes! That could do! We have beautiful beaches that you could visit."
"Yeah, the three of us! Imagine—"
"Hey!" He yelled, "Since when did I give my consent to whatever plan you two are scheming right now?"
"Since three seconds ago," Mikasa replied with a smug that he so wanted to erase.
"Tch," Levi returned to his book and ignored them.
They continued their conversation, but he chose to tune them out of his ear. All he could hear were giggles, laughs, and murmur coming from them. Something about the butterfly they saw outside the window, about the party next month, and they were probably also talking about him.
As the hours passed, the compartment started to become quiet. Noticing the change of atmosphere, Levi put away his book and saw that Mikasa was curled up as her head fell onto the woman that sat next to her.
"She's finally asleep," The governess said.
"I figured," Levi sneered, "She was too excited that she couldn't sleep last night."
The bespectacled lady let out a soft laugh, "I know that feeling." She said as she glanced at Mikasa, "This was kind of unrelated, but, I've always wanted to have siblings."
"You can have her if you want."
This time she let out a loud laugh, and Levi couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that.
"No," She said after calming herself, giving Mikasa a warm smile, "I'm fine with whatever we have right now."
Yeah.
"Speaking of, what are you reading?" She asked, her eyes looming over his book.
Levi lifted the book for her to see, "This? A book for kids that feel more like a hallucination induced experience."
She narrowed her eyes, trying to read the title, "Alice… Alice in Wonderland?" She exclaimed with a bright smile, "It's one of my favorite books! I didn't expect that you would like it too?"
"This was given to me as a joke, but I actually enjoyed it."
"That's adorable," She smiled, "My mom was the one who told me the story. I remember being so mesmerized by it. When I read it now, it was written just like how kids' imagine how the world around them worked. It doesn't make sense for adults but it is for the kids."
"So what you are saying is, kids are just that weird." He remarked.
She brought her palm to her mouth and snorted "Essentially."
"Speaking of books, Moblit told me that you would often smuggle books from the library into your room."
She widened her eyes and looked away with a cackle, "Oh, busted!"
"Well, at least you made them finally serve their purpose" He told her as he leaned back on the seat, "I don't know when was the last time people ever stepped into that library."
"Ouch, what a waste. My mom would give everything to have a library as big as yours."
Levi stared at her, "You seem close to your mom."
"Yes and no," She smiled, "When I was a child, I'm way closer to my dad than my mom."
When he wanted to open his mouth to reply, he noticed that she hung her words and averted her gaze from him.
"But then he died when I was sixteenth, they told me that he died from a fire accident at the firm he worked in. I never believed it, I think he was killed. You know, with him working with law and jurisdiction, it was bound to happen at one point or another. I'm pretty sure that even my parents saw that one coming for us."
Silence followed after her, and all he could hear were the muffled sounds of children playing outside of their compartment and the sound of fumes of the train.
"My paternal family don't like my mom and they made sure that neither me or my mom got anything out of my dad. Luckily, my dad knew that and in the end he was able to secure our house and left us with some money. Although, we knew well that the money wouldn't be able to sustain both of us for years to come. So, two years after that, we sold the house and moved to Nedlay. Then, a year later I went on to become a governess."
"Sorry, that must be hard." He muttered.
She gave him a weak smile, "Yes, it was. Especially during my early years working as governess, it was hard. Not to mention that I never got to work very long at one place. Fortunately, I still have my mom and I couldn't ask for a better companion than her."
An image of a woman with a long hair flashed upon his mind and it brought along some rose scent. He pulled one corner of his mouth, "I bet so."
She tittered, "Honestly, I almost gave up after my fourth job, but then Erwin sent me a letter, he told me about a job offer from his friend. Without a second beat, I accepted it." She looked at him with her warm orbs, " — and, the rest is history."
The way she stared at him made his mouth immediately curled into a small smile as they fell into a comfortable silence. He hovered his eyes to the bright flowers that were sitting on the brim of her hat. He opened his mouth but he closed it again as he noticed the fast blinking of her eyes.
He looked away to the windows, and on the horizon he could see the sun slowly descending and leaving the sky in purplish blue color.
Maybe not now.
When Hange stepped out from the train, the sky was already dark. She took a glance at the windows and saw Mikasa and Mr. Ackerman. Mikasa waved her hand to her while her cousin only looked at her with his usual scowl.
Hange smiled widely at them and waved her hand at them as the train began to move again. She kept waving until they were no longer in sight. After that, she walked toward the exit of the station, and then she saw her.
"Mom!" Hange yelled as she ran to a middle aged lady that was standing near the station's exit. She immediately enveloped her mother into a tight hug that she loosened already when her mother felt like nothing but bones and skin. "You shouldn't be here. Are you even allowed to go out of the bed?" Hange knitted her eyebrows while looking at her mom from up until down.
"I'm fine enough to pick my daughter from the station." She chuckled, "How about you?"
Hange smiled as she tried to keep her tears at bay, "Amazing, I can't wait to tell you all about it."
Her mother brushed a fringe out of her face, "We have all night," she said as her finger traced over the hat, "Oh, Han! That's a beautiful sunflower."
"Ah!" Hange touched her hat and marveled, "I know! It's adorable, right?"
Her mother raised one eyebrow, "I think you owe me an explanation for that."
Hange laughed, "What? What explanation?"
"Whatever it is, it can wait. Let's go, your uncle is waiting for you."
- Chapter 10 End -
Replies:
Deadkoala: No, English is not my first language :'D I'm so sorry for the error, I will try to be more careful from now on
DuhRoberts: Awww! Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you found this story charming 3
hipswaggcrimson: I HEAR YA! Sorry for the delay! Hope you like it :D
AckerZoe: Thank you! I'm happy you like it!
Notes
HAHA, to think that I once wanted to finish this fic before April :D
Anyway, thank you so much for reading! I hope this was worth the wait. I actually like this chapter so much, I had a lot of fun writing it!
Do share your thought about this chapter! :D
P.S FINAL CHAPTER OF SNK YO! I've followed SNK for 8 years and I still can't believe it's over :'D
P. S. S one more chapter and it would mark the end of the first act of this fic ;)