Resentment

Mikasa: W… what?

Sasha: Did you kill my father?

Mikasa terrified: W..ww…who told you that?!

Sasha: You. I heard you.

Mikasa HUH?!

Sasha: "Are you going to tell me to kill my daughter too?"

Mikasa falls to the ground in shock and panic: I…

Sasha: It's true isn't it?

Mikasa: I…. I. She can't speak.

Sasha: It's not that fact… that disappoints me. It's the lie. Did Armin and you… thought I would never find out? I guess not… how could I… right? I guess only a handful of people know the truth… all of them known to me… all of them lied to me…

Mikasa starts to break down sobbing.

Sasha: It was for my good… that was the excuse, right? I guess it makes sense… but you knew… you knew since I was little that I felt something was wrong… I have always noticed it…

Mikasa still cannot bring herself to say something.

Sasha: I always put your feelings first… so I never insisted when I understood it was too hard for you… but no more. You have never told me anything that is true… not even… about him… "my father"…. Who is my father mom? Do I even have one?

Mikasa hysterical: DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! HOW CAN YOU SAY EREN IS NOT YOUR FATHER?!

Sasha unfazed: Tell me… who am I? You need to tell me now. No more lies. Or you'll never see me again.

Mikasa shocked: WHAT?!

Sasha: Surprised? Yeah I was too. Would have been good to know that I was a monster.

Mikasa: You are not…. DON'T SAY THAT!

Sasha: Why? It's the truth… isn't that why you had to kill him?

Mikasa feels so much pain in her chest she feels like she will pass out.

Sasha sits in her bed: Please… tell me.

Mikasa struggling to talk: I… had too…

Sasha saddened: To stop him… to stop the Rumbling…

Mikasa: No…

Sasha surprised: Huh? What do you mean?

Mikasa: I… did care about any of that… I had too… to set him free

Sasha is shocked: What? Free him?

Mikasa: You cannot imagine… the pain… the suffering he had to endure… for so long… we never lied to you Sasha… Eren… sob… WAS NO MONSTER!

Sasha starts to tear up in shock.

Mikasa: I had to free him from all that suffering… he sacrificed everything… for everyone… for me… even his soul… it wasn't fair… why couldn't I share that pain with him?! WHY DID HE HAD TO SUFFER ALONE?!

Sasha is silent and overwhelmed

Mikasa: He had no control… of anything… he was as much a slave since he was born… of a thousand years of horror… he had no choice but to end it… through my hand. It's so unfair… I hate her… the founder… for forcing us to this… to be born in such a world…

Mikasa and Sasha are silent

Mikasa: Still… this is where… he was born… and you too…

Sasha: Who am I? What… what am I?

Mikasa: My dream… his dream… Eren's… you look just like he wanted… you are so much like him… how can you say you are not his daughter? Can you blame me… to make you a reality and not just another dream? Couldn't I just have that?

Sasha: What do you mean… make me a reality?

Mikasa: I… was tricked by that man… he could see… the frailty in me… but still… It was no mistake. No matter what happens… it was not a mistake.

Sasha: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!

Mikasa: Kaspar Ackerman… he gave me information… for a way… to recover my family… through the power of the source of the titans.

Sasha felt her soul leave her body.

Mikasa: I cannot explain what happened… but after touching the resting place of the source… I was carrying you. I couldn't bring him back… but I was given you instead… a miracle everyone could see…

Sasha: My eyes… my marks… my ability to transform… you knew it since then?

Mikasa: No… nobody knew you could transform… it wasn't supposed to be possible… as you have Ackerman blood. But…

Sasha: But what?

Mikasa: I guess it's because… you are not a shifter….

Sasha: Huh?

Mikasa: I think you are the source itself.

Sasha: W... what? What does that mean?!

Mikasa: All that power… created you. I don't know why or how… but I made a promise… that you wouldn't have a life of pain and suffering… so that power would never show itself… forgive me… forgive me for failing you.

Sasha's mind is blurry, she cannot understand what she just heard.

I'm… the source? Why? WHY?! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!

Mikasa: I only wanted for you… to feel loved… Did I… failed in that?

Sasha looks at her mother. She sees so much pain…

Sasha crouches in front of her: No… you didn't

Mikasa starts to sob.

Sasha: I guess I… understand why you didn't tell me… I'm sorry… to make say those things… about my dad.

Mikasa hugs Sasha crying loudly.

Sasha hugs her back. She remembers the love she feels for her mother… but then starts to cry unconsolably.

Another feeling has seeped in, one that makes her hate herself, one that she cannot make go away… a deep resentment.


The next day – Ackerman Military Center

Historia: Where is Sasha Mikasa? She should be in this meeting too…

Mikasa visibly afflicted: She's not feeling well today…

Ymir looks at Mikasa with concern, meanwhile Leo turns in direction of Mikasa's cabin…

Pieck: That's too bad… she must have a lot to think about… but please inform her of what we discuss today… this concerns her too.

Connie: What's going on?

Historia shaken: We received news from Marley… it's in a state of emergency due to civil unrest…

Jean: Just as Armin expected…

Leo is clearly distraught about the news: Can you please be more specific Your Majesty? What has happened?

Historia: News of Reiner's death had spread through Marley, causing protests and civil unrest over the different nations, blaming the government for his murder due to ineffective measure to deal with the terrorist threat.

Ymir: The eldian majority of the population has turned against the government, calling it's members Marleyan radicals, enablers.

Historia: The military believes the government won't last longer than a few days… I agree.

Pieck: This was Ackerman and Aganyu's plan all along. Guess who is being benefited from this crisis? There is already a propaganda campaign being deployed establishing Aganyu's leave from power to be the reason of the crisis… he is being sold as a sort of savior.

Leon: Have there… been casualties?

Historia: Yes but not many, mainly protestors and a few military members… Don't worry your family is fine…

Pieck: Armin and me established a safe line to communicate… we use codified telegraphic messages. He, your mom and your sister are safe in Tongo. It's the nation with less disturbances, they are being protected by Onyakopon himself, nobody knows they are there.

Leon sighs of relief: That's good to know…

Pieck: Gabi, Falco and their son decided to go with Armin… Captain Levi followed them too… I guess to keep an eye on Gabi and her family… so all of them should be pretty safe… I don't think it's good that all of them are together… but I guess it can't be helped.

Historia: That brings us to this moment. Paradis response to this situation… The corps have been put on stand still on observation duties. We cannot afford to lose not one of our allies… We should expect a situation like the one in Marley to happen in here…

Jean: But how? The corps have managed to control the potential candidates for domestic terrorism…

Pieck: Internal sabotage.

Ymir: That's right… we have intel that high ranks of the military are ready to betray the government…

Mikasa: Hitch…

Historia softly places her hand in Mikasa's shoulder: Don't worry she's fine, nothing will happen to her I promise you, she seriously knows how to take care of herself…

Leo: Do you have a contingency plan?

Pieck: our priority needs to be to keep the Queen, the princess and Sasha safe.

Mikasa: Sasha?

Jean: Yes… I'm afraid Ackerman plan is based around her… we don't think his plan ended by meeting her…

Mikasa is shocked: What else… why…

Historia: Please calm down… we'll make sure to protect her…

Mikasa: Can you protect her… from herself?

Ymir: I'll submit that blockhead Lady Mikasa don't worry!

Leo is very concerned…

Connie: So… what are we going to do now?

Pieck: I think it would be best to keep a low profile, even if a situation starts here… Mikasa I need you to stay close to the Queen… you can stay here at your state but please keep close to the capital… we need your skills in case something happens

Mikasa: And Sasha?

Jean nervously: We believe it would be best… to separate you for a while…

Mikasa: Huh?! Why?

Pieck: We know something is going on between you two… and Sasha's mental state needs to be in check due to how important her role is in this… we can't let her… be swayed.

Mikasa: What? What are you saying? That she could… betray us?

Jean: Listen… we all love her… but she is in a bad place… she is young… and we are dealing with an enemy that has beaten us at every battle… we need to reduce the risks…

Mikasa stands up, Historia stands up too: Mikasa… I agree with them. It's just for a while… you both need to take a breather…

Pieck: We are planning to go south… to Dauper…hide at the Blouse's state… Connie and Jean's remarks about the place make it the safest place to be due to how remote it is… far away from the cities and the because of the trustworthiness of the Blouse family.

Historia: Ymir, I want you as the emissary between us… we need to keep our circle closed.

Ymir: Count on me! You too Lady Mikasa! I'll make sure Sasha comes back to her old idiotic self!

Leo: Lady Mikasa… I'll… stay with you… if you allow it.

Mikasa surprised: Aren't you here for Sasha?

Leo: Yes but… I know that it would be better for her… to know that you are not alone… and that you have someone to support you…

Historia: Aw… isn't he the best son in law?

Ymir loudly laughs while Leo blushes.

Mikasa: All right… for how long?

Jean: We need to see how the situation develops, at least a month.

Historia: Please trust us Mikasa…

Mikasa: I do… but I don't think she does…


Sasha was sitting by the window of her room silently brooding… random thoughts kept popping in her head… she kept remembering the dreams she used to have… of her mother singing… of the boy who intrudes her sleep… of Kaspar Ackerman… a collage of memories and feelings… in the end the only thing she was certain of… was that she was alone.