Occhiolism

The awareness of the smallness of your perspective

When Armin recovered from the flu, his eyes were bright and his nose was no longer clogged. He found himself at their usual hideout looking happier than ever. He had brought a new book and even had the energy to play tag with Eren and Mikasa. If only Armin wasn't so keen and observant about everything, Mikasa's sudden disappearance might have been forgotten. Eren knew Armin would be angry for what he did to her and Armin knew just what to say for Eren to spill everything.

"You hurt her with a slingshot!" Armin yelled his eyes bulging like he wanted to punch Eren with his glare. "I know you're angry Armin but that was actually an accident I just wanted to scare her." Armin turned to give him his back. His shoulders were trembling and he looked like he wasn't going to let this go easily. When he turned back he did it fast and shoved an angry finger into Eren's chest. "The fact that you carried a weapon makes you a thug, you were awful and we're going to find her and apologize. If she really is a princess we are worse than dead Eren."

That finally broke his loudness, Eren was mute. Well Armin was never wrong. But to swallow his pride was still a big step. "Armin I don't think we should even look for her now…"

The blonde tensed, narrowing his blue eyes and pressing his lips tightly before sighing. "Eren you are my friend, but if you don't do something about this I don't think we can keep seeing each other." Eren looked wounded. That was harsh; they knew each other for too long, they were like brothers. He huffed in defeat before pressing his index and thumb to the bridge of his nose. If Armin was going to make things hard so be it. "Fine Armin, but if the guards throw us out I'm counting that as the end of this."

Armin gave another glare for good measure but ended up following Eren to the place he said he saw Mikasa disappear last time.

Eren was back at the gates of the palace, at the East wing where a lonely tower wrapped in thorny vines, rose towards the sky. It sat at a lonely spot from the castle, abandoned and weak. Armin looked skeptic at first but seeing as Eren wasn't really one to lose their time he agreed to sneak in. "No guards Armin, we can move now." Eren said jumping out of the shrub near a path that led to a vine that stretched along the tower. "I saw her move some blocks here and then she was gone" Eren said moving the stones and ripping away the plants that hid the entrance.

There was a dark tunnel that coiled inside the tower with snail like stairs twisting inside. "It looks safe." Eren huffed sarcastically. "Listen, if you weren't such a hotheaded mess we would be playing tag with Mikasa right now." Armin said pushing Eren inside the hole before anyone would spot them, not caring if he stepped into an abism.

It was a faraway tower but there were plenty of guards around for it to be an empty death trap."We should have brought fire." Eren said trying to pat his way through the broken wood plates. The wall was cold and mossy through his fingers to anchor his steps and not fall into an imminent death. Who knew what could lie below. "Isn't this ironic Eren, you're doing so much for the girl you worked so hard to get rid of." Armin said while clumsily stumbling with a rock for the ninth time. "Armin I can still walk out of this and kidnap you when I want to play." Eren said knowing how stupid he sounded. It was too dark to see anything still and talking was actually their only way of continuing. Not only was it unsafe, they could die if they were found or they could die from falling.

"This is a really tall tower Armin." Eren whispered feeling like their echoing steps were getting louder now. "Yeah, and I will always remind you how this was your fault." Eren groaned again, knowing he would be reminded of that eternally. He was going to be smart about it again when his head bumped against something. The sound so hard he lost his footing falling over into the darkness. At last he was about to die in a karmatic turn of events if it weren't for Armin grabbing his shirt. "Wow Eren, looks like you were so distracted you couldn't even see the light coming from the door you just hit."

"Armin if I weren't literally hanging for my life from you I would punch you." Armin laughed and cracked the small door open leaving space so that only the top of his head could be seen. He saw a dusty plank that lead to more stone stairs. Eren sighed exasperatedly when he peaked with Armin "How long are these stairs? Do you think Mikasa climbed this much every day?" Eren asked feeling even worse if she really had it this tough. "Well if what you saw was right then probably, she's actually very athletic." Armin answered still sneaking through the stairs now illuminated by small cracks of light that crept through the stones.

Eren raised his eyebrow, incredulous "What? I never saw her like that, she was always braiding flower crowns like the little girl she is."
"That's because you never really paid attention, and when you were near her you bullied her. I actually thought you liked her for a moment." Armin casually pointed, raising an eyebrow for dramatic tease.

Eren hated the way his cheeks heated up. Armin was stupid; he didn't care about girls at all. He was just trying to get rid of her and protect what little of his loved ones was left. He didn't have time for non-essential feelings "You know I don't care about that Armin." Eren said, trying to look cool but failing to impress his friend. "Yeah don't worry, now I know you actually hated her" Eren wanted to comment about that but they had arrived to a big door that was probably the one connecting to the top of the tower.

"Should we open it? If there's someone else besides Mikasa we die." Eren said, looking more nervous than what he did a second ago falling to his death. "We got all the way here, we might as well try." Armin said cracking the door and wincing at the loud squeaky noise it made. At first they were blinded by the sunlight that hit directly through a tall window, engulfing the entire room. It looked like a white halo compared to the darkness of the tunnel.

When their eyes got accustomed to it the smell hit them first. Eren had never cared to smell Mikasa but if he did, he imagined this would be it. It was a mix of fresh washed linen and flowers. Armin looked entranced by the whole place; it was colorful and fresh, and a bit tight for more than one person. Whoever lived there had a vast collection of wild flowers and leaves maybe an herbalist, or a witch. "You think this is her room?" Eren said shyly taking a pen from a nearby desk.

"It is." Armin said smiling at a small tulip that was planted on a teeny pot near the window. "This is the tulip I saw her stealing the first time."

"Why is she living closed up in this tower? Wasn't she a princess?" Eren thought out loud.

"I'm not the princess of this kingdom" Said a voice from behind them startling Eren from his thoughts. Armin reacted first, and rushed to engulf the new figure standing near a small bed. Eren looked pale, as if he had seen a ghost. His feet were unconsciously shuffling away from the tiny girl that was being crushed by his best friend.

When Armin finally let go of Mikasa his eyes were liquid pools of emotion and for the first time he looked like he couldn't find the words to speak. "I.. I came because Eren has something he wants to say. And I have some questions too." Armin said after a long and awkward pause. Eren hadn't moved from his spot since encountering the room, cornered like a mouse, hidden from the light that overflowed from the only window of the tower, too stunned to react. Also, not that he noticed, but Armin had grabbed Mikasa's hand after their embrace. Armin probably did miss her, and that was just one of the things he was not ready to accept.

When Eren finally noticed they were waiting for him to react he also remembered his eyes hadn't once met with Mikasa. Not only did he feel stupid, he looked like one too. When he forced his eyes back on her he froze, she had gray eyes, he knew, and he also knew they were slanted and different, so why did he feel this was the first time he saw her. "I'm so sorry." His mouth rushed the words faster than his brain could process them. She was too pretty. His brain also thought. He slapped a hand to his mouth before he would throw out unnecessary thoughts.

Armin gave him a weird look but said nothing. With the light hitting her directly Eren also noticed the small pink line below her eye. He scarred her. If he hadn't realized how much of an ass he was he did now. Mikasa was standing there, saying nothing and Eren was paper thin. After a slow minute of nothingness where a pin drop could be heard she moved her eyes to the blonde boy. "Armin you can't come here." Mikasa said looking worried and completely ignoring Eren.

Well why hadn't that occurred to Eren. If he had known how much it stings to be avoided he would have started doing that in a more obvious way to Mikasa. She wasn't just going to ignore him after the trouble he went through for her, he wouldn't let her. "Excuse me, I said I'm sorry." Eren said, the anger flowing through the tone in his voice. He also added a step towards them for emphasis.

That seemed to wake Armin from his lack of reaction. "I'm sorry Mikasa, we came here because Eren needed to apologize, after he hurt you he followed you and so here we are." Armin said softly trying to put his body in between Eren's aggressive stance. He hadn't realized just how much he had backed them to the wall, though he was trying to be intimidating.

"I don't want his apology, I need to be alone. I'm sorry Armin, please leave." That was it. Eren was going to blow something up. He moved Armin away from his protective stance towards Mikasa, perhaps a bit rougher than he intended, but he was beyond furious. She was going to accept his apology and she was going to explain who she was.

He grabbed her arm pulling her towards him so she had no way of ignoring his eyes "I said I'm sorry for shooting at you and being a jerk to you, I was trying to protect Armin. But I'm not sorry for following you and saying you are stupid because you've just proven you are."

Arming gaped. Eren was never good with words and worse when he was rushing through his mind without any filter with his mouth. Mikasa stared at him with wide eyes unable to escape his tight grip. "So now, give me an answer, am I forgiven or not?"

"Let go of me." She said finally looking directly at him almost through his head, her words emotionless, her eyes narrowed dangerously. He felt sliced and dropped her arm as if she had actually cut him.

"Eren you clearly said I couldn't go to your play spot so you can't come here either." That was the most she had ever spoken to him since they had arrived. And it was to kick him out. Oh, how the tables have turned. "I won't leave because I need answers." Eren said, defiant and not caring if she ignored him anymore. Now that he had calmed down from the shock he also noticed how close he was and how she was only wearing a white see through camisole.

Talk about awkward. It seemed that she also noticed his eyes roaming and she jumped to grab a robe lying on her bed. "I'm not a princess Eren I'm quite the opposite and I can't get out of the tower anymore anyway so you have won." She said softly her eyes looking embarrassed and annoyed.

She moved away from him and walked to take Armin's hand squeezing it. Eren didn't like how his gut clenched with some unknown guilty feeling. "I'm sorry I can't explain Armin but I want you to know I loved the time I played with you." It was then that Eren realized he wasn't supposed to be there. He also knew he hadn't really been forgiven and he was getting upset at how much he wanted her to also say goodbye to him.

"If you tell me to leave right now as things are, I will come back." Armin said surprising them both. "You are my friend and I want to help you. You can't forbid me from doing that so you either tell me now or tomorrow or the day after because I'll keep coming until you tell me or until I get caught."

Mikasa took a moment to stare at Armin much like she had done with Eren. But she didn't seem to want to stab his eyes out. She looked affectionate and defeated, and Eren thought of how his mom looked when she let him disappear every day and comeback no questions asked; Mikasa had dropped the blonde's hand in the middle of his rant and flopped on a cushion by the window. If Eren hadn't been irritated he would have told her she actually looked like a princess with her dramatic expression staring out the window. "And you are being unfair to Eren. Believe it or not you're the first person he apologizes to and you didn't even acknowledge him." Armin said making her look at Eren. He felt exhibited since he had been staring far too long at Mikasa and Armin's stupid display of affection. Armin was really dangerous if let alone.

"Eren, it's okay, I wasn't mad at you I was scared and hurt because I thought you hated me." She said looking at him with the sad expression he used to think was false. He didn't anymore maybe living alone in a tower did that to a person, she actually had a right to feel sad, and he was just being an ass.

"I don't hate you." He said roughly and through his teeth but still clear enough so she would understand. She smiled softly and Eren felt his stomach churn like he had a bad stew but pushed it away. "Now, answers, why do you say you're the opposite of a princess and why are you living in this tower surrounded by guards?

Mikasa turned her head to her bed. She looked like she wanted to crawl back in and ignore the two boys pressuring her for answers. "Mom used to tell me long ago, this kingdom was protected by the Ackerman clan that was raided years ago and vanished. She told me dad was an Ackerman soldier that she met before this time of peace." Mikasa began pushing every word trying not to end up out of breath, almost as if talking hurt her. "…and my mother was the queen of Hizuru. We were conquered by the kingdom of Paradis when I was five and I was taken to be a prisioner. I wasn't killed because they can use me, one day I'll marry a prince and become an alliance for this place, or so they told me the last time." She finished slowly as if expecting Eren to call her a liar. He didn't.

Eren was emotionless, maybe he wanted to say something but he was speechless. And to Mikasa he looked like he was about to say something mean.

"I'm sorry Mikasa you may think Eren's teasing you." Armin interrupted "It's just that you're a myth all over the towns and not one that people like. Grandpa once told me one day he saw a military raid bring treasures from a late mission. They had all sorts of Asian gold and banners and one carried a strange human sized cage. Since then people believe they captured a princess who lived in the king's castle spending all their taxes."

"This means that your grandpa wasn't senile after all Armin." The blonde boy looked affronted but was distracted by melodious giggles coming from Mikasa, the sound so different from the mood of her story. "It's nice that you can laugh about it." Armin said looking relieved. Mikasa's cheeks colored and she tucked her chin down, a habit Eren had observed so often and now knew she did when embarrassed. "Well I'm not a princess in here, I'm a prisioner. So I've been kept in this tower hidden from everyone so I don't have a way of reuniting with my family. I haven't even seen the palace before."

"Then how did you find Armin?" Eren asked clearly not happy with all the facts thrown at his face. "I found a secret passage when I was cleaning..." She replied pausing as if to remind them how they arrived in the first place. "...and I followed it and started gathering everything you see here. When I was in Hizuru I liked to take care of a garden with mom." She paused, taking a moment to recall "So I tried having one here. The guard that brings me food said I could and he brought some flowers sometimes too. Then when I found that strange bulb flower by the lake Armin surprised me… and you know the rest." She said fiddling with her hands and trying not to look at Eren.

Eren had the recurring feeling that he couldn't be more of a jerk, and the more she spoke the more he needed her to slap him. Not knowing how to face her anymore he started looking at the small round room filled with nature and embroidered cushions. It seemed comfortable but a person wasn't meant to live in a jail no matter how comfortable it may seem. Mikasa probably felt that way and that's why she constantly met them. Eren looked at her again, smiling at Armin looking pale against the sun's white brightness. He was really sorry but he knew no words could really transmit how much he wanted to take it all back.

A.N./ Thank you all those who reviewed, fav and followed. I know I said I would continue and it's almost new year and I'm trying to do all I haven't done in 2018 in a day XD. Fuck right. Anyway I haven't written next part since this is all I had saved in my computer so let me know if this could be continued I'm not sure anymore.