To be honest, Mikasa Ackerman's childhood was as carefree as it could get. The work, well the work was never too hard in that it got strenuous, and not once has she had to give herself a poor excuse of entertainment because she had nothing to do. The work was good, that's all there was to it. Good for her, and good for her small family.
They profited from this work, provided herbs to the scarce residents on the mountainside, as well as to the small town at the base of the mountain. True, they definitely were not rich, there's only so much hunting and gathering can do for you in terms of money. But for her family, it was enough to sustain them and keep food in their stomachs at the end of the day.
Her mother, a soft spoken woman and last of her tribe, dealt with the few customers they got, elegantly and with a grace that Mikasa envied. Usaka Ackerman, gentle and delicate, whose eyes shone like mercury in the sun's rays, was, in fact, a beautiful woman. Men and women alike appraised her with their eyes as they went into town, children stopped playing their games to stare with wide eyes at her gorgeous mother as she strolled past. Mikasa had asked her mother once, if she noticed that they stared, if she cared that sometimes men looked at her with greed in their eyes.
Usaka had simply smiled, reached out a hand to stroke her daughter's ebony locks.
They do indeed stare, every time we go to market, She had said, But their stares don't matter to me. There is only one that does.
From his seat to her mother's right, Colin Ackerman had smiled slyly, eyes crinkling fondly as he looked at Usaka.
They stared at each other for quite a while, Mikasa looking back and forth between them with wide eyes. Such love in their stares, even Mikasa, seven years old at the time, could come to appreciate the bond they shared. Never had she ever seen them fight before, not even once. They always seemed to have an understanding of each other's feelings.
The flowers and herbs that were grown in their small garden were usually tended to by Usaka, with Mikasa helping out once in a while. Her mother had always said that she had a natural green thumb, and that whenever she was around, the plants seemed to blossom in her presence. Colin often joked with her and said that before she was born, none of the plants ever grew correctly, either being too small or inedible in general. Such jokes never failed to make the youngest Ackerman blush. Her father was a natural comedian.
Still, Mikasa had come to appreciate her childhood environment. Her favorite activity was chasing the butterflies through the clearings located around their property. Such small, beauteous things the insects were, flying all around her. They captured her attentions whenever they were around, made her parents smile, and she would do whatever it took to keep those smiles on their faces.
Yes, Mikasa had a good childhood.
Then there was the day her uncle showed up on their doorstep.
She remembers it, because she had never met another relative of hers before.
Her parents, even though they weren't related and couldn't trace their history back to a single common ancestor, had the same last names. No, not because they were married. Because those were their birth names. This had been explained to Mikasa before, and she knew what she talked about. Her mother had the same maiden name as her father, simply because that was how it turned out. It was only a coincidence.
As for her relatives though, she knew most of her mother's family was either missing or dead. Her father never talked about his.
The Usaka Ackerman side of the family stemmed back into a race that was now very rare inside the walls. In fact, her mother sometimes practiced their old customs, though only the basic ones, inside their home. They were intricate, beautiful rituals and traditions that Mikasa yearned to learn. To think that she had the same blood as those rare peoples was truly mystifying.
It was a shame that they had mostly died out already.
When her mother was child, human traffickers had come into her village, killed the men in gruesome, cruel ways. They had taken the women and children to be sold on the market as slaves, or as mistresses to nobles. Usaka was very young then, she barely even remembers some things, but she does recall the memory of watching her older brother being clubbed to death for resisting his assaulter.
He was fifteen then, almost of legal marrying age, and adored by all the girls in the village, she had said, manner solemn and grieving. I watched the club come down onto his head like time had slowed. Before the final blow, we made eye contact, and he screamed. I had never heard my brother scream.
After that, her mother had escaped, and somehow found a new family to live with in the span of a year. They died when she was a teenager, but after she had found her husband. They were already married when the news of their deaths had reached the couple.
In spite of her terrifying past, that should have crippled her mother far beyond repair, Usaka Ackerman is strong. She no longer grieves over the past, for there is no way of changing it. Her husband gives her even more strength, supporting her, carrying her burdens on his own shoulders, and she his.
Whenever she had asked her father of his own past, his own family, he had looked at her with hardened eyes, gazed at her solemnly. His own eyes resembled hers, pure gray, but duller than her mother's. Mikasa couldn't tell at the time, but they held a great weight behind them, told of a different sort of past than what he was living now.
She only understood the looks her father had given her when she was older. When she shared that hardened stare, and gazed at her new family with those dull gray eyes.
But now, as she looks over the man on their front doorstep, Mikasa notices that his eyes are positively alight. Almost feral-like. The being standing before their threshold is a monster. It's all in his eyes.
"Colly-boy! Nice to see ya!" With two great strides, he's inside the house, this monster, this stranger with the burning eyes. He pats her father's shoulder like he's a long time companion, faces the stone hard glare Colin gives the man with a calm resolve. Those eyes drift, land first on Usaka, lips tilting into a smug smile before making their way over to Mikasa and staying there. "Nice family you got here!"
"Kenny." Her father's voice is cold, colder than his daughter has ever heard it before.
The man continues to stare at Mikasa, eyebrows raising when her expression darkens.
She recognizes trouble when she sees it, even though its uncommon around her. Its there in the occasional brown bear that appears on the property, in the smoldering looks men give her mother, give her sometimes, too. Its sick, disgusting, and that's exactly what this man before her is. Trouble. An irritating rash on her family's skin. Her father's voice only confirms it.
"You know, your girl sure is beautiful. What's your name, kid?" He says, ignoring the warning that Colin is giving, the tense stance of her mother as she stands from her seat. Kenny, as her father had called him, plops down onto the hand made table top, wood creaking beneath his weight. Mikasa continues to stare at him, and he her, gazes sharp and unyielding. "Hmm, not too talkative, huh? Reminds me of someone I knew, when he was younger."
Kenny shoots Colin a sly glance, and Mikasa swears she can hear her father's blood boiling.
"Get out, Kenny." Usaka is poised behind her daughter now, protective hand resting on her slim shoulder.
The unspoken threat fails to intimidate him, clearly only making him amused. He voices this by forcing out a hearty laugh, head thrown back and shoulders shaking.
"I see you haven't changed, Usaka!" He pauses, shooting Mikasa another glance before looking away entirely. "But that's not the reason I'm here."
"I don't care, Kenny. Get out of our home." Colin steps forward, putting a forceful hand upon the man's shoulder, trying to pull him towards the door. Kenny doesn't even waver.
"You know, you might. If you heard that it was about our sister."
Colin pauses, expression changing into one of surprise for a brief moment. Then back to aggravated.
"What about Kuchel?"
"Well," Kenny removes his brother's hand from his shoulder with an expression of distaste. "She's dead."
Mikasa's father sputters, face paling, hand falling away completely. Behind her, her mother gasps, surprised and wet.
Colin's expression is one of pure shock, surprised and completely grief ridden. His body is almost limp, and he reaches a hand out to catch him himself on the table before he falls to the ground. "What?"
"Kuchel…is dead?" Usaka says, voice small.
Kenny's eyes seem to have softened, if only a small amount. "Yeah."
"When?" Colin gets out, clearly struggling to contain himself.
Kenny sighs. He runs a hand through his hair, which is overgrown and long, slicked back, down to his shoulders.
"When did she die, Ken?" Colin uses the nickname almost casually, like he wasn't just about to force this man out of his home. Mikasa stills looks at him distrustfully, still wary of the man who is supposedly her uncle.
"Twenty-three years ago."
Silence pierces the room.
Before anybody can react, Colin is in front of Kenny, pristine shirt fisted in his hands. His eyes are unlike Mikasa has ever seen them, intense, full of anger and resentment.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means she died a long time ago, Colly!" Kenny shouts into his brother's face, expression betraying his own anger for the first time since his arrival.
"Why didn't you come earlier?! Why didn't you tell me as soon as possible?! You know how valuable she was to me!"
"Because I knew you wouldn't welcome me into your home, you fool! You think I didn't know how much you loved her? I'd have to be fucking stupid if I didn't! We all loved her!" Kenny is shoving his brother away now, pushing him back, and Colin is doing just the same. Mikasa's mother grips her shoulder more tightly, bending down to wrap her other arm around her, comforting.
"This is why I left the family business! This! Too many secrets!" Colin shouts, voice filling the room, and it seems to Mikasa that he is a different man than she knows.
"Well, you should be happy to know that she left behind a son, then." It comes out as an angry hiss, filled with contempt and rage. But now Mikasa is scared, scared of this man and what might come to happen should this fight turn to blows. She knows her father is older, older than her mother by almost ten years, so he has some experience under his belt. But she doesn't know if he is experienced in fighting like this man seems to be.
Colin stills, hands starting to shake. His face changes, changes into an expression of grief once again.
"What?"
"Yep, raised the kid myself once his mom died!"
"And where is he now?"
Kenny smirks, shrugs.
"He's a thug. The strongest and most skilled of them, too, if I do say so myself." He says so, smugly. Her father's lip curls.
"You raised Kuchel's only next of kin to be a thug? What were you thinking?"
"Actually, I originally raised him to continue the family business. Didn't tell him he was part of the family, though."
Usaka tenses. "You didn't tell him you were his uncle? You let him think he was alone?"
Kenny laughs, rough and piercing. It sends a spark down Mikasa's spine.
"What's his name?" Mikasa has had enough of this. Her voice shakes, and she may be a child, but she's still allowed to ask questions. That's what being a child is all about, gaining knowledge from the adults around you.
"Mikasa." Usaka tries to console her, stop her from talking. From asking the important questions.
"What's my cousin's name?" I'm smart, Mikasa thinks, I know the term for that kind of relative.
Kenny looks at her, something unreadable in his eyes. It's different than before, she knows that he'll answer her. The reason? Well.
It's because she's interesting.
"His name is Levi, kid."
Mikasa nods, a silent thank you.
Kenny smiles back, almost animal like.