Hello Everyone! I have to say, this chapter does get a bit personal to the characters. It's quite emotional, so if you're sensitive to sad stuff, prepare yourself. I thought it was a pretty good chapter, and a vital point in the story. So with that being said, enjoy!
Mikasa woke herself up quite a bit that night. Between crying and waking up hyperventilating from that same dream where Eren gets killed, she woke up a total of 14 times before finding peaceful sleep. When she woke up again bright sunlight greeted her, although she winced at the sight. All her crying from the previous night must of caused the servere, pounding headache that also greeted her. She yawned loudly and subconsciously walked to the bathroom to do her business. When she returned to her bed she sat back down and rubbed her eyes, making an attempt to wake herself up.
A few minutes passed and Mikasa was still rubbing her eyes in a trance-like maneuver. Just as she stopped rubbing her eyes Mikasa heard a soft knock at the door.
"Come in." she said in a soft robot-like tone.
Armin stepped into the room with his left arm plastered to his side.
"Good morning Mikasa." he said.
Mikasa sighed. "Morning."
Armin made his way to the bed and sat down next to Mikasa. "You doing OK?" he asked.
She sighed again. "I guess so."
Armin had begun to second guess himself. What he had under his arm would probably not help Mikasa out of her depressed state that she had been in for a few days.
"Well." he started. "I know the last thing you need is a reminder of what happened but." he paused. Well. I already said something; there's no going back now. he thought "I knew you'd want it back. You dropped it as you were running home a few days ago." Armin pulled the object from under his arm and handed it to Mikasa. At the mere sight of it, she nearly burst into tears once again.
"T-thank you Armin." she said, her voice shaking. She unfolded the red fabric and wrapped it around her neck.
"No problem. I'll leave you alone now." he said. He stood up and started to walk away, but he felt Mikasa's cold, soft hand wrap around his own.
"Please stay. I've isolated myself for far to long. I-I need someone to talk to." Mikasa said.
Armin slowly sat back down beside Mikasa. For a few moments silence haunted the room, and Mikasa hadn't bothered to move her hand from Armin's which made the silence ever-so-slightly awkward.
Finally the silence became to much for Mikasa. "Have you ever liked someone Armin?" she asked.
Armin hesitated. "Like? As in wanting to spend the rest of your life with that person?" he asked.
Mikasa slowly nodded.
"Well, if I'm being completely honest, I don't know!" he paused. "D-do you and Eren count?" Armin asked.
This next portion is completely made up, seeing that we don't know how Armin, met Eren and Mikasa.
You guys made me feel like I'm important. That first time Eren gave me a hand off the ground, I felt a fire burning in my heart, but it wasn't love necessary; it was hope. You guys helped me realise that there are other nice people out there, besides our parents." Now Armin was on the brink of tears. "You guys were my first friends."
Armin couldn't control his emotions. Tears the size of dimes fell down his pale face, and into his lap.
Mikasa held out one end of her scarf to Armin to wipe his tears. "Well, I guess there's one thing we have in common." She said.
Armin wiped his tears on the end of Mikasa's scarf (seeing as she offered.) "What's that?" he asked.
She sighed. "We've both been helped by Eren at some point." she said. "Not everyone has seen the side of him that faces death straight in the face; and overcomes it. He believes that there are worse fates than death, so he risks his life for others, as if it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies." she sniffled. "Not everyone sees beyond his rageful outbursts. Everyone thinks his strength comes from his knowledge that he can save himself from any situation by turning into a titan." Thick tears were dripping down Mikasa's face. "But being a titan didn't save him all those years ago when he saved me from that killer. He used his own human strength. He pulled me up off the floor and told me you have to fight. I didn't always have the willingness to fight. It was Eren who helped me off the ground and taught me friendship and.. love." I can't remember anything that happened prior to that day, so as far as I'm concerned, Eren was the first person I've ever loved." Mikasa sat up a little straighter."And a person who loves somebody doesn't sulk around because the love of their life found happiness elsewhere; which is what I've been doing, and I shouldn't be." Mikasa said. Silence filled the room once again, but it didn't last long.
"Thank you for listening Armin. If it's alright with you I'm going to lay down. I didn't sleep well last night."
Armin stood up at once. "Of course. I'll see you later Mikasa." Armin walked out of the room and closed the door behind hime.
Mikasa laid down on her bed.
'Eren' she thought. 'If I can't make you happy in a relationship, I'll make you happy as a friend.' She drifted off onto a peaceful sleep that she had not retrieved in days.
And done! As I said in the beginning, this is a key point in the story where Mikasa realises that she can not be with Eren as his girlfriend. So stay tuned until next chapter!