Mikasa looked at herself happily in the mirror, it was the following morning, her second day of school. She wore a blue summer outfit, with a white summer hat. She grabbed her bookbag, and hurried outside.
"I'm off, mom and dad!", she waved to her parents once she exited the house, running down the porch steps.
"Oh, don't you want us to drive you, sweetie?", Akane asked, her and Herrick tending to the goat. "It's okay, mommy! I want to run!", Mikasa assured her mother with a beam, hurrying over to her parents.
"Alright sweetheart, just be careful and don't trip", Akane smiled, as she hugged her daughter. "Excited to see Eren?", Herrick asked with a smile, as Akane knelt down at her daughter's eye level.
"Uh huh! I can't wait to tell him about Snow!", Mikasa nodded. Akane smiled warmly, as she gently cupped her daughter's face, pressing her forehead against Mikasa's.
Mikasa smiled, nuzzling into her mother's touch, a gesture they did with each other. "Have a fun day at school, my beautiful butterfly", she said softly.
"I will mommy", Mikasa assured her mom, and then hugged her dad. "I'll keep an eye on Snow sweetie", Herrick assured his little girl. "Thank you dad", Mikasa then hurried off.
She waved at her parents, blowing them a kiss as she hurried down the path. Akane and Herrick smiled, relieved she was excited to play with someone else her age.
"She's growing so fast", Herrick sighed softly. "I know, she's going to be a wonderful big sister", Akane smiled, her hand on her still flat stomach.
"H-Hey, Maybelle!", Herrick said then, the goat had started chewing on his jacket sleeve, eating it. Akane giggled, as she helped her husband get out of the glutton goat's grasp.
"Oh, what time is your appointment tomorrow sweetie?", Herrick asked his wife once they finished tending to the goat. "4:30 PM, so Mikasa will be able to come with us", Akane replied, talking about her first ultrasound.
Mikasa went for a long sprint down the pathway, on either side of the path were dense forest, but she never went in them.
Her father taught her there were wolves and bears in the forest, so it was never safe to enter them alone.
She saw the school bus in sight, and hurried on. She looked to the back of the bus, and saw Eren sitting in the back by the window, playing on his handheld game.
"Eren!", Mikasa cried happily, and breathlessly from running. Eren blinked, glancing up from his video game. He waved. "Yo", he said, as Mikasa hurried over, sitting next to him.
Eren felt a little bit of color reach his cheeks at her beaming. "You're really happy today, did something happen?", he asked a little surprised.
Mikasa smiled, nodding. "Mmhmm, my pet rabbit Snow had babies!", she replied. "Oh, that's pretty cool, how many?", asked Eren.
"Nine!", Mikasa said. "That's a lot", Eren admitted. "There's something else", Mikasa added. Eren blinked, listening.
"My mom's having another baby, so I'm going to be a big sister", she revealed. "Oh..! I actually heard from my dad", Eren said then.
"What? Really?", asked Mikasa. "He is a doctor, and I overheard him and my mom talking about it last night", Eren explained.
"Ohhh..", Mikasa realized, of course Eren knew. Her mother's doctor was Grisha Jaeger. "So, do you think you'll get a little sister or brother?", asked Eren curiously.
Mikasa looked down, thinking, placing her little hands over her heart. "Mommy says it'll be a boy for sure, she said it feels different from when I was inside her...", she gave a little smile as she spoke about this.
Eren's eyes softened. "I bet your brother will grow big and strong", he said with a smile. Mikasa's eyes lit up, as she nodded.
She blinked then. "Eren, when's your birthday?", she asked curiously. "It's March 30th, yours?", asked Eren softly.
"February 10th, Mommy had me during a harsh winter, she originally wanted to have me at home, but I was 2 weeks late being born", Mikasa explained.
"You really know a lot about the whole pregnancy thing for your age", Eren admitted, surprised. Mikasa blinked. "Is that a bad thing?", she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Not really, makes you seem more mature than other kids", Eren replied. Mikasa smiled softly, looking down.
"It can't really be helped, living on a farm, even a small one. Between breeding our rabbits and sheep, that sort of thing becomes common knowledge...plus I've just always been close to my parents", she said.
"So then you know where babies come from?", asked Eren. "Oh, that...no actually. Daddy said I'm still a little too young to know...I know the baby grows in Mommy's tummy, but...that's about it", Mikasa admitted.
"Armin says a stork comes and puts it in the mother's stomach", Eren recalled. "Armin?", asked Mikasa curiously.
"He's my friend, he's been absent with the flu", Eren replied. "He's really smart, and reads a lot, the baby is carried on the stork's back", Eren went on.
"But that doesn't make sense, the baby would fall, and how could a bird open up my Mom's tummy?", asked Mikasa.
Eren thought for a moment, frowning. "Maybe its like a Cyborg movie and her stomach just opens up?", he wondered.
"That sounds silly", Mikasa admitted but she chuckled a little. Eren shrugged, as he began playing his game again.
Mikasa glanced at its screen. "What game is this?", she asked curiously. "Pokemon Soul Silver, I'm trying to catch Lugia", admitted Eren. Mikasa watched him play it, looking curious.
"Have you ever played a video game before, Mikasa?", he asked. "Not really, I'm more of a bookworm", Mikasa confessed, though she liked watching Eren play it.
Once they arrived at school, soon it was lunch time. Eren finished getting his lunch from the cafeteria, a slice of cheese pizza, a bag of potato chips and a chocolate milk, when he noticed Mikasa.
"Eren, you want to come eat outside with me?", she asked, waving from the door, carrying a lunchbox. Eren blinked, but he nodded following her.
"You eat outside?", he said, as Mikasa lay out a picnic blanket under a large oak tree by the school's recess.
"Mommy said its a tradition in her home country for students to eat outside, plus I like it better out here, it's quiet", Mikasa explained, setting her lunchbox down.
It had butterfly stickers on it, as she pulled out a bento box. "You really like butterflies, you even have them on your bookbag", Eren noticed. Mikasa smiled a bit.
She had a traditional Japanese bento lunch with rice, fried shrimp, omelets, vegetables, and a juice box. "You really eat healthy", Eren commented, surprised.
"Mommy cooks all my lunches, though on Fridays we have a junkfood day", Mikasa explained, sipping her juice box while Eren ate some of his pizza.
"So...your parents are stay at home farmers?", asked Eren. "Yeah, Mommy grows vegetables while Dad goes hunting", Mikasa nodded.
"What about your mom, Eren?", she added curiously, since she already knew his dad was a doctor at the local hospital.
She took a bite of her rice as Eren sipped his chocolate milk. "Well, my mom used to work as a cashier at the market, but she decided to quit to raise me, since dad's always working", Eren replied.
Mikasa ate some more of her lunch before speaking again. "Are you closer to your dad or mom?", she asked curiously.
Eren hesitated, frowning a bit. "When I was little, I was closer to my dad..I looked up to him as a superhero...", he started. Mikasa's eyes softened. "And...that's changed?", she asked.
Eren once again hesitated, avoiding eye contact with her. He took another sip of his drink before continuing.
"Dad's busy so...Mom and me bond more", was all he said, not looking at her. Mikasa blinked softly, worried. Even though she and Eren just started playing together, she sensed that wasn't the whole story.
But she decided to not press it. "What about you?", Eren asked curiously, changing the subject. "Mommy. Defiantly mommy", Mikasa admitted with a smile.
"So a mommy's girl, huh? Do you and your dad get along?", asked Eren. "Of course, I love Dad..I just...have always been a mommy's girl, from the moment I was born according to my parents", Mikasa admitted.
Eren looked at her, the way she talked about her parents, he never met another kid who seemed...so close to their parents.
"Don't you and your parents ever fight? Or disagree?", he asked. "Not really..we're really close", admitted Mikasa.
"You've never thrown one fit for a toy or game or something?", asked Eren, surprised.
Mikasa shrugged. "I had some tantrums when I was 2 years old, but it was mostly over not being able to sleep in the same bed as Mommy when her and dad needed space", she confessed.
"So your only fits were about clinginess..? You're making me feel like a brat here", Eren admitted with a chuckle.
"You've had tantrums?", asked Mikasa. "Mainly about wanting stuff, I had a fit to get this video game console. Mom kept saying no, but dad gave in and bought it", Eren explained.
By the end of the school day, once the bus arrived, Mikasa saw her parents in their car waiting to pick her up. She said goodbye to Eren and hurried off the bus and in the car.
It had started raining at this point, the sky a dark gray color. "How was your day, angel?", asked Akane softly.
"It was good! Eren and I had lunch together...", Mikasa blinked then, noticing her parents looked a little sad, and nervous.
"What's wrong?", she asked worriedly. Herrick gave a worried sigh as he turned off the car and turned a bit to face his daughter.
"Sweetheart, its about Snow...well, one of her babies...", he started slowly. Mikasa blinked worriedly, she got a sinking feeling in her gut at her dad's sad tone.
"One of her babies...died today. The runt, he just stopped breathing", Akane explained softly. Mikasa blinked, confusion and horror in her features.
"W-What? But why?", she cried, not understanding. "It just..happens sometimes baby, he was very small and weak, there was nothing anyone could do", Akane explained gently.
"D-Did I do something wrong? Did I not take good care of Snow...?", asked Mikasa worriedly, tears sparkling in her eyes.
Herrick and Akane's eyes filled with horror at this. "No, no baby!", Akane removed her seatbelt, exited the car and got in the backseat with her daughter, hugging her close.
"You did NOTHING wrong my angel, it just is something that can happen with small baby animals, we can't prevent it..", Akane soothed her, as Herrick also reached back to squeeze his daughter's hand.
Mikasa sniffled, nuzzled close in her mother's embrace, tears in her eyes. She choked back a small sob. "I...I want to bury him...", she said. Her parents nodded softly.
"We'll bury him next to Tiger", Akane said, an old barn cat who passed away about five years ago.
Once back home, Herrick dug a small but deep hole near the barn, and the family buried the tiny baby bunny.
Mikasa placed some lilies over the little grave, she was quiet, tears in her eyes as her mind wandered. Akane was gently rubbing her daughter's back, Herrick also staying near.
Mikasa couldn't help but wonder...worry...what if something happened to her baby brother? What if...what happened to baby animals was the same for human babies?
Could she lose her baby brother as easily as Snow lost one of her babies? She wanted to ask her parents, but she didn't want to worry them.
Mikasa slept restlessly that night, and given the circumstances, her parents let her sleep in their bed with them.
When morning came, Mikasa was naturally not her usual cheerful self. She was gloomy, and didn't smile much as her parents drove her to the bus stop.
"Baby girl, if you don't want to go to school today, its alright", Akane assured her daughter, knowing how upset she was.
"We won't be angry or disappointed honey", Herrick added. Mikasa shook her head. "I'm okay...", she assured her parents..which was partly untrue.
She wanted to talk to Eren, get her mind off it, but at the same time she wanted to stay near her parents. For the first time she was feeling torn.
"Alright angel..hey but listen, Mommy had an ultrasound this afternoon, so you can see your baby brother on screen", Herrick said softly.
Mikasa gave a silent worried nod, before hugging her mom and exiting the car. The worried parents watched her get on the bus, it was still cloudy today with some rain drizzling down.
"She didn't blow us a kiss...", Herrick noticed, worried about her. "She's upset, our poor baby...I'll stay by the phone today in case she wants to suddenly come home", Akane decided.
When Mikasa walked down to her seat, she noticed Eren. "Hey Mikasa...", he went to wave but paused, noticing her somber expression.
His eyes softened worried, as Mikasa sat beside him, not saying a word. "What's up..?", asked Eren worriedly, as Mikasa continued looking down.
She wiped her eyes, they were red and puffy from crying. "Hey, is your mom okay?", asked Eren, getting scared it was something to do with her mom's pregnancy.
Mikasa shook her head. "One of Snow's babies died...", she revealed, her voice a bit cracked. Eren blinked. "Oh...", he said, he didn't exactly have an emotional attachment to rabbits like Mikasa did, but he still felt bad.
"I'm sorry Mikasa...was he the runt by any chance?", he asked softly. Mikasa nodded, biting her lip. "I see...hey don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. I had a neighbor who's dog had puppies once, and one of the pups didn't survive because he was the runt of the litter, its actually common", Eren said, trying to assure her.
"Eren...I'm afraid...what if...what if my baby brother...suddenly dies like this? For no reason?", she asked fearfully, trembling at the thought.
"Mommy..would be so sad..I don't want her to go through that..or Dad...", she said, hugging her knees to her chest, burying her face in them.
"Mikasa...it's okay...", Eren gently rubbed her back, a worried look in his eyes. Sitting in front of them was Gabi and Annie. Gabi snickered, peering over the seat.
"What a crybaby! It's just a rabbit", she said meanly, as Annie remained quiet. Eren glared dangerously at her.
"Shut up, Gabi! No one's talking to you", he growled. "Give me a break, my cat died and I didn't even cry", Gabi continued as Mikasa chose to ignore her.
Eren glared, and suddenly grabbed Gabi by the shirt collar, causing some students to gasp or yell.
"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!", he yelled. Mikasa blinked, looking up, surprised.
"EREN JAEGER! LANGUAGE!", the bus driver barked from the front. "He's grabbing Gabi!", Annie yelled, as Eren continued glaring at Gabi.
The bus driver sighed, stopping the bus and coming in the back. "Jaeger, hands to yourself!", she ordered, making Eren let go of Gabi.
"She wouldn't shut her mouth!", Eren defended. "ENOUGH! You were kicked from your previous school for fighting, so this has landed you detention...another stunt and it will be suspension, understand?", the bus driver said firmly.
As it was he was given a warning for punching Gabi two days ago. Eren glared at Gabi.
"Eren, its okay..you don't want to get suspended...", Mikasa said, trying to calm him. She didn't want to not be able to see Eren for a few days because of this.
Eren continued glaring, but he sat back down. The bus driver sighed, and returned to the front, continuing to drive.
Mikasa felt touched Eren was defending her so much, but a small part of her felt...a mix of worried and disturbed...she never met another kid with such fire before...she was too young to recognize it as a warning sign though.
The rest of the school day went by fairly slow, but soon Mikasa was back home. She waved goodbye to Eren, who waved back and she saw her parents car.
She got in the backseat. "Hey sweetheart, how was school?", asked Akane softly. "It was good, mommy", Mikasa replied.
"How are you doing, princess?", asked Herrick worriedly. Mikasa hesitated. "A little better", she admitted, though this was only half true.
She was naturally still upset, and her worry for her unborn brother didn't ease. She hadn't even talked to Eren about it.
"Are you ready to see your baby brother for the first time?", asked Akane giving a soft smile. Mikasa gave a nod, as she put her seatbelt on.
Herrick drove them to the hospital, which was a fairly long drive from their home, a good 45 minutes. Mikasa was quiet for most of the ride, much to Akane and Herrick's worry. She was usually a bit chatty on car rides.
When they arrived at the hospital, a nurse brought them back to an examine room. Mikasa stayed close to her mom, clinging to her a bit.
"You need some help, honey?", the nurse offered as Akane got onto the examine bed. "I'm okay, I know the drill", Akane assured the nurse softly, as she got comfortable.
"Here we go princess, see that screen?", Herrick asked as he gently lifted Mikasa and placed her in his lap as he sat at Akane's bedside.
Mikasa nodded softly, seeing the medical monitor. "That's where we'll see your little brother", Herrick explained.
"Really?", asked Mikasa, blinking, as the doctor came in then. "Afternoon, you two", Grisha smiled as he stepped in, preparing the ultrasound.
"Oh, hello Mikasa, good afternoon", he added. Mikasa hesitated slightly, always being the shy type. "G-Good afternoon", she greeted in a small voice, as Akane gently stroked her hair.
"Are you excited about becoming a big sister?", asked Grisha, as he gently lifted Akane's shirt up a bit, exposing her stomach.
Mikasa observed what he did as he spread warm gel on her mom's belly. "Yes", Mikasa gave a small nod, as she watched him move the long strange looking instrument over Akane's stomach.
"Alright, everything is looking good...you'll be able to hear a very fast heartbeat as well", Grisha said, looking at the screen.
Akane gazed at it lovingly, as Mikasa also looked. "I can't see him..", she said, struggling to find the baby on the screen.
Grisha laughed softly. "Well, he's just a teeny tiny little grape right now, so he's that little speck..", he pointed so Mikasa could spot it.
"He's got a lot of growing to do, just like you did Mikasa", Akane said softly with a smile. "So far everything is good health wise for both mother and baby, I'll go print your images", Grisha said as he left the room.
Herrick wiped the gel off his wife's stomach, as Akane sat up, pulling her shirt back down.
After he did, Mikasa heard a loud, fast thumping noise fill the room, it sounded like a powerful train going at high speed.
"Mommy...is that...the baby's heartbeat?", asked Mikasa, listening to the machines. "Yes it it angel, he's nice and strong", Akane smiled softly.
As Mikasa listened to it, she felt a powerful wave of relief fill her, as she placed her little hands over her heart.
"So then...my little brother will be okay...? He...he isn't weak, like Snow's baby was..?", she asked, her lip trembling.
Herrick and Akane both blinked, surprised and exchanging concerned looks. "Were you worried about that, baby?", asked Akane softly.
Mikasa sniffled, looking down. "I...I was afraid...what happened to Snow's baby..could happen to my brother...", she explained.
"Oh baby girl...come here", Akane opened her arms, and Mikasa cuddled her mother's stomach, nuzzling into her embrace as Herrick rubbed his daughter's back.
"Why didn't you just tell us princess? We never want you having such a worry on your little shoulders", he asked her softly, as Akane stroked her hair soothingly.
"You don't have to worry about that at all, butterfly. It's different in humans, your little brother is nice and strong, don't you worry, okay angel?", Akane gently cupped Mikasa's face, pressing her forehead against hers.
Mikasa nuzzled into her mother's touch, exhaling in relief. The little family cuddled close, Mikasa's worries and fears being washed away by her parents' love and assurance.