A/N: Hey everyone! I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK! And I bring with me tidings that TheDarkCanTell! But first, a little about me.
I'm sure you all must have been wondering where I've been for, um, the past three to four weeks. Well you'll be pleased to know that I am now fully recovered from a nasty malaria-sore throat-chills combo, the kind you may get every once in a while in West Africa, which is from where TheDarkCanTell his tales!
But to be totally honest, it's not really that terrible triad of trials that prevented me from reaching out to you. The problem's a little more fundamental. Here it is. As all of you may know, reviews are the LIFEFORCE of a writer, TheDarkCanTell included! Good, bad, ugly, doesn't matter. All we need to know is that our story was scintillating enough for someone to leave a comment. Yeah that's right! I need to hear my readers testify, "TheDarkCanTell and tell it well!" Come on, guys! Help a (not so young) upstart out, here a little and review. Review and recommend.
Alright, enough about me. Now to the story. I've decided to pick up the pace yet again and this chapter is even longer than the previous. I was rather undecided about the, um, intensity at the end due to personal convictions but I finally decided to see it through. Something about proving something to myself so…. ARRGH, I can hear y'all screaming, 'enough with the rambling already!' so without much further ado I present to you the latest of what TheDarkCanTell…
(Warning: This deserves to be rated an M, coz it contains a smattering of smut! So for those out there with delicate sensitivities, you've been warned!)
Chapter 4: Run
"Mikasa wait up– ! Hey Mikasa!"
Mikasa continued to stalk up the stairs, her eyes fixed resolutely ahead. Her mind was hazy with the myriad of thoughts tumbling over each other but all of them one stood out clearly. She had to reach the safety of her room. She absolutely had to. Before the tears pricking the back of her eyes began to pour in earnest.
"Oh, for fuck's sake – Mikasa wait up!"
She heard the pattering of his feet pattering as he reached the stairs and briefly considered letting him catch up so that she could send him tumbling back down the stairs when he touched her. It wouldn't be hard; he wouldn't be expecting it. And the idea of him bowling that bitch over like a ninepin was so tempting…!
But no, she decided. She would not dignify them with such an outburst. She increased her pace.
Eren tore up the stairs three at a time, animated by fury at her actions. Fury and something else. Something he had rarely felt before, not like this and certainly never around her.
Pure fear.
It had hit him like a shockwave the moment he saw her standing in the doorway when he had alighted from the carriage. The raw pain oozing from her had made him immediately release Annie's hand like it was scalding hot and start towards her, but then she'd spun round on her heels and all but ran off into the castle.
And that's when the fear had kicked in for real. For no matter how herculean the trial, how high the hurdle, how intense the pain, the Mikasa he knew had never once ran away. Over the years he had seen her fearlessly fight her way through a dozen bullies, the smallest of whom was easily twice her size, launch herself at a horde of titans without a moment's hesitation and even prepare to singlehandedly take on Annie in her extremely dangerous Female Titan form without so much as batting an eyelash. He'd also seen her endure some of his angriest outbursts with impassive silence even though he knew that deep down it must have hurt her.
But never once had he, in all the time he'd known her, seen her run away. Until now.
And it scared him shitless.
The sight left him feeling more frightened than he had been in a long while. It was a different fear from what he'd felt around the titans, of course. Different, yes, but no less potent. It was akin to the cold fear that had gripped him when he saw Carla Jaeger being raised to the mouth of that cursed smiling sumbitch. The kind of fear that preceded an irrecoverable and irreplaceable loss.
And he couldn't have that. Not again.
He was determined to get to her before she could reach her room and barricade herself in. Then he would shake her till her teeth rattled so hard she'd be drinking soup for a week. Or maybe settle for pinning her down and talking some sense into her.
But what exactly would he tell her? Commander Erwin's orders had been pretty clear from the jump. The mission was to remain top secret. Nobody was to know the truth about what Eren and Annie were up to. Especially Mikasa. Captain Levi had been the one to drive in that little clause.
The subject of his mission presently called his name, a plaintive note in her normally dispassionate voice, but he ignored her. She was the least of his concerns right now. He had bigger things to worry about, like stopping Mikasa from entering her room. She had cleared the last of the long steps and he had the feeling that if she got into her room before they had a chance to talk he wouldn't get another chance in a long time.
"Mikasa, please-!"
Mikasa paused in her tracks and slowly turned around to face him, more out of shock than any desire to hear what he had to say. The Eren she knew would never beg for anything, especially her. Not since they were kids anyway. It wasn't that he was rude or anything. Not really. Eren was just Eren, and begging wasn't his thing. But now Eren was begging. She stared down at him, intrigued.
Eren opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out so he self consciously cleared his throat and tried again, to no avail. The last call had done the trick and she had stopped but now that he had her full attention he found himself at a fucking loss for words! For one he had no idea what to say to soothe her without divulging the details of his mission, and being halfway down the steps wasn't helping matters any.
And then there were her eyes. They were twin obsidian orbs, wide with wonder and glistened suspiciously as if with unshed tears. The sheer beauty of them, of her, was breathtaking. How couldn't he have noticed it before?
A small corner of Mikasa brain noted the return of that rapt predatory gleam in Eren's intense emerald gaze. In the way they seemed to slowly undress her and greedily drink her in. And there was a small stubborn corner of her brain that desperately wanted to believe this was the case, that she had been right all along…
"Eren?"
Eren cursed inwardly. It had come from Annie, the single word so punctuated with despondency that he had no choice but to tear his eyes away from Mikasa's and impatiently turn round to her. But when he saw her the scowl darkening his visage lifted.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her left arm clutching her right elbow close to her side as her right arm dangled downward. It was a pose he had often seen her adopt back in at boot camp and more recently while she had been laughing maniacally at the allegations Mikasa was hurling at her. Now she was doing so again, but this time without the faintest trace of amusement.
It was surely a reflexive pose, stemming from a part of her that the amnesia hadn't been able to quell. It proved that somewhere deep down within this tremulous blonde girl looking at him the real Annie was cocooned, biding her time till she could break free. Erwin's instructionss on the mission at hand echoed in Eren's head and he took a deep breath.
"Don't worry, Annie," he said, his mouth curling into a reassuring smile despite himself. "It's alright. I'll be with you in a moment, let me just…"
Eren's voice trailed off as he turned back to look up the stairs. There was no one there. A second later he heard a door slam shut, followed by the rustling noise of a deadbolt being pulled firmly into place.
Mikasa leaned against the door momentarily before sliding slowly down into a sitting position on the floor. And there, locked away within the safe confines from her room where nobody could see her, she closed her eyes and finally allowed the stinging tears to slide down her cheek.
Dinner that night was a somber affair. Eren and Annie entered the mess hall to find it abuzz with mutterings that suspiciously subsided almost at once, leaving a tense silence in their wake. He immediately began to scan the room for any sign of Mikasa, ignoring the hostile eyes that were trained on them. Erwin had promised to take care of them.
Indeed at his command an announcement had already been passed earlier forbidding anyone from accosting Annie or antagonizing her in anyway. She had been acquitted, the announcement had said, due to recent evidence unearthed which proved that she had acted unwillingly and unwittingly under the manipulations of an unknown criminal group Reiner and Bertholdt were affiliated with.
Unfortunately in the process of extracting this information had taken a heavy toll on her and she was in an extremely fragile state right now, physically as well as emotionally and mentally. As a result the announcement urged everyone not to in any way refer to her capture or the traumatic events that had led to it, including her genocidal binge. Failure to comply would be met with swift and decisive retribution.
"Bullshit!" Jean had muttered darkly when he heard it, impulsively stabbing his fork into the wooden table before him. He didn't believe a word of what was being said.
"What was that, Kirchstein?" The senior officer passing the announcement had asked, frowning down at him.
"N-nothing," he had quickly replied and slumped back into his seat as the senior officer resumed his announcement. The man could blabber the whole evening if he wanted but Jean refused to believe a word of what he was saying and that wasn't likely to change.
Neither did Arwin for that matter. While he had left shortly after Annie had been forcibly extracted from her crystal by Eren and thus had no idea what had transpired in his absence, he had read enough about interrogation to know that the kind of detailed information needed for such a compete exoneration couldn't have been amassed in such short time. Especially not from someone as tenacious and taciturn as Annie.
He wondered what had really happened. There was a plan, of that he was certain. He also knew it had something to do with Eren, which was why he had been asked to stay back and was now moving around with Annie. Whatever it was, it was extremely risky letting Annie return to a place filled with people who would gladly leap at any opportunity to kill her.
At any rate, neither Armin nor Jean nor anybody else would dare to go against Erwin's commands so she was safe for now.
"Why… why are they all staring at me like that?" Annie whispered anxiously. She had moved closer to Eren and was now clutching his arm. "Like they hate me?"
"Never mind," Eren said absently, still looking round the hall for Mikasa. His gaze came to rest on Armin and a shard of disappointment laced through him at the sight of the blond boy sitting alone. Armin straightened in his seat and looked hopeful when he noticed Eren's gaze, no doubt expecting them to join him.
But Eren knew that he and and Annie couldn't sit with anyone, however. Not yet. The commander's orders had been clear about that too. He turned to Annie.
"They're only surprised to see you here, that's all. Nobody expected to see you up and about so soon after that terrible accident you had. Let's get a seat."
He took her hand and led her on a meandering path around the tables to an empty one at the back of the mess hall. All eyes present followed them as they passed by, their gazes filled with a variety of emotions ranging from fury to fear, but nobody said anything.
"Are you sure?" Annie asked again as they settled into their seats.
"Of course I am," Eren replied with an easy laugh. "Why on earth would they hate you?"
Annie still looked unconvinced but she didn't say anything more. Eren drummed his fingers on the table for a few moments then abruptly rose to his feet. Annie started at the sudden movement.
"I'll go get us some food," he explained and began to move sideways out from his seat. At once Annie lunged for him.
"Don't go!"
"But I have to get us-"
"Don't go!"
Eren studied the trembling form clutching tightly to his arm for a while with a mixture of frustration and pity, then finally acquiesced and sat down.
"I won't."
But even as he reassuringly squeezed her fingers his thoughts returned to the dark haired girl who hadn't showed up for supper. Lateness had never really been her thing, so it was unreasonable to expect her to show up. However throughout the rest of the evening his head jerked up every time the doors of the mess hall swung open to let someone through, hoping against hope that it was her.
She didn't come down for supper.
Neither did she come out for breakfast the next day. Or lunch. Or supper. She didn't show up for any training activity or meetings either. In fact, it didn't seem like she left her room at all. After two days of her continued absence Eren took to prowling her corridor whenever he had spare time on his hands, which wasn't often. He spent all his time with Annie now and was only free when she fell asleep. He had been relegated to his room in the dungeons and so had she. She was a heavy sleeper but tended to panic if he wasn't in sight when she got up.
He didn't get to see Mikasa, though, and on one night in particular he found himself lurking outside her door, listening for any signs of life. When he heard nothing a cold heart wrenching fear gripped him at the thought that she might have escaped or, worse, died, and he stepped back to run through her door.
Just then he heard a small sound from within and stopped. It was a sniff, then another. Mikasa was still in there, and from the sound of it she was crying. Relief washed over him and leaned against her door. At once the sniffing stopped and he heard nothing more that night.
Over the next few days he would listen for signs of life, only leaving when he heard some. Relief soon turned to worry-induced anger at her irrational behavior and several times he would draw back his balled fist, fully intending to pound on her door till she came out. But he couldn't pluck up the courage to do go through with it and his hand always stopped short.
He finally decided that he had better chances with Armin. Mikasa may be avoiding him but he doubted her hiatus extended to Armin, against whom she had no grudge. He needed to find out if Armin had seen her, how she was doing and if possible why on earth she was behaving like this.
Because though he knew her behavior had something to do with Annie, he had absolutely no clue why seeing him with her pissed Mikasa off so much.
And so one week after his return with Annie to the castle he finally permitted Armin to approach them. It was during lunch and they were all seated in the mess hall. They had just returned from a particularly strenuous bout of training in preparation for an upcoming excursion to wall Maria and the legionnaires were famished. Even if they hadn't warmed up to Annie yet they were at least able to politely ignore her and a hearty banter filled the hall as they ate. Eren caught Armin's eye and nodded to him, beckoning him close.
"Hey Eren."
"Hey Armin." He turned to Annie. "Annie this is Armin, my best friend. Armin this is Annie."
Two pairs of cerulean eyes stared at Eren, waiting to see how he would introduce Annie; Armin's in the hopes of getting a clue to help put the puzzle together and Annie's because she was eager to finally know what bond she shared with this green eyed boy who was all she could remember. Eren felt himself redden under their intense scrutiny.
"She's also a very close friend," he mumbled and clamped his mouth shut.
"Nice to meet you Annie," Armin said, taking the cue from Eren to act as though they had never met before.
"Same here," Annie returned with a shy smile, then turned to Eren. "Is he new here?"
"No, why?"
"Because you said I had worked here before, which means I should know him, right?"
"You do, but I figured it'd be easier for you if I introduced him anew," Eren explained.
"Actually we were good friends," Armin said cheerfully supplied as he sat down.
"Really?" Annie asked.
Eren was pleased. Talking with Armin was easy for Annie, mostly because the boy intuitively knew to stay clear of any sensitive topics. Plus Eren had really missed his friend's company. However underneath the pleasant chatter he was on the alert for any information about Mikasa and was disappointed when Armin supplied none, even after deliberate prodding from Eren.
Finally Armin begged to be excused and got up to leave. Eren's eyes followed the blond boy as he returned to the dishing table to discreetly collect a fresh helping before exiting. Eren immediately sensed that something was amiss. Unlike Sasha Armin had never been much of an eater but even if he were, Eren knew that the Scouting Legion's meager resources were often so strained that second helpings were seldom commonplace. Annie noticed his troubled gaze.
"Is something wrong?"
"No," Eren replied then slowly rose to his feet, his mind made up. He turned to Annie, his eyes wordlessly pleading. "There's something I must do. I'll be gone for only a moment."
She looked frightened but she nodded. "Okay."
Eren gave her hand a last grateful squeeze before hurriedly shuffling out from his table and heading for the door of the mess hall. He swung it open just in time to catch a glimpse of Armin disappearing through another door at the other end of the hallway. Eren followed after him, always making sure to keep at an unobtrusive distance.
Armin got into the deserted entrance hall and made for the great stairs, unaware that he was being followed. Eren's suspicions concerning his best friend's intentions were confirmed when he saw Armin pause outside Mikasa's door and rap his knuckles in a distinct pattern.
"Mikasa, it's me," he whispered. "Open up, I brought you some food."
She must have said something in reply because Armin said, "you know you've gotta eat. It's bad enough that you only eat once a day, now you wanna stop that too? Please open up."
After a brief pause Eren heard rustle of the deadbolt being drawn back and he shrank back in his hiding place at the top of the stairs, his heartbeat quickening. His vantage point parallel with the wall could only afford him a side view of Mikasa's door as it swung open. Pale hands emerged to grasp the contents of Armin's outstretched arms – his first glimpse of Mikasa in an entire week – and withdrew into the room with them.
There was another pause, after which Armin said, "You're welcome. I'll see you later when I come back for the dishes," and then the door swung close and the deadbolt was fastened once more.
Armin turned to head back for the stairs and froze when he saw Eren standing there with his hands on his hips, scowling balefully at him. He noted the accusation and fury in the icy green glare but before he had a chance to explain Eren had spun round on his heels and descended the stairs, leaving him alone with his guilt.
Armin stood motionless for several moments, listening to his friend storm into the entrance hall down below and slam the great doors on his way out. Why did such unpleasant tasks always get shunted to him? With a world weary sigh he turned back to Mikasa's door and repeated the complex knock they had devised for him to reveal his identity.
After a few seconds the deadbolt was drawn and door inched open a little for Mikasa to peer through the crack. As always his heart went out to her at the sight of her puffy eyes lined with dark circles that testified to all the nights she had spent crying.
"What's the matter?" She asked in a hollow voice. "Already back for the dishes?"
Once again he took a deep shuddering breath.
"Mikasa, we need to talk."
The legionnaires filed into the mess hall the next day for supper after another hard day of inhuman training, courtesy of captain Levi's recent return to the force. He had recently recovered from his leg injury and seemed determined to make up for his prolonged absence by squeezing a week's worth of exercise into a single day. And all this after a thorough cleaning of the castle which he disgustedly declared had become unbearably filthy in his absence.
Even Eren and Annie hadn't been spared his wrath, and had spent the whole day on the clean up team since Annie was deemed unready for training yet. The exercise had proven good for Annie though, permitting her to mingle with the other legionnaires and relax around them somewhat. Presently they collapsed into what was fast becoming their usual table and wordlessly began to wolf down their supper.
The door of the mess hall swung open. Eren, who was backing the door, felt rather than saw her walk in. Annie who was seated opposite him looked up to see who it was and confirmed his intuition.
"Hey – that's the girl from the other day. The one with a flower in her hair, whom you were chasing up the stairs."
Over the passing days Annie had emerged from the frightened girl persona and though she wasn't fully herself and still had no memories she had regained some of her former mettle. Enough for her lidded eyes to shimmer with a measure of mischievous curiosity as she observed Eren for his reaction. Eren, however, was in no mood to indulge her and scowled forebodingly as he ate. To his relief Annie took the hint and didn't press the issue but returned to her meal.
Mikasa's eyes scanned the hall as Eren's had done a week earlier, searching in spite herself for him. She finally spotted him at the back of the hall sitting, as she had expected, with her. From the tense set of his shoulders she knew was aware of her presence, even if he hadn't so much as looked up from his food.
Reminding herself that she was only doing this at Armin's behest she took a deep breath and searched for the blond boy. Her eyes swept once more through the hall – flickering past Jean, who had scooted sideways in his seat to create space for her and was now staring hopefully at her – and located Armin at another table. He was seated alone, just as she had requested, and she walked up to him.
"H-hey Mikasa! You made it!"
Armin sounded so genuinely pleased that she couldn't hold back a little smile as she settled into the seat opposite him.
"You look very well," he said, noting her well rested complexion.
"Thanks, Armin," she replied.
After Armin had finally succeeded to convince her to leave her room yesterday she had taken special pains to cover up all traces of the misery that was engulfing her. She had scrubbed her face and treated herself to a good night's sleep. It seemed to have done the trick, judging from the curious stares everyone was giving her instead of the sympathetic looks she had so feared. Armin, clairvoyant as always, accurately read her mind.
"Everyone's glad to see you back," he said warmly, then smiled as he spotted Jean's longing expression across the hall. "Some more so than others."
"Everyone?" She breathed, unable to completely keep the bitterness out of her voice.
Armin looked down at his plate of food. It was the first time either of them was referring to Eren since the day of Eren's return. Armin had banged on her door for what had seemed like hours on end before she finally opened, only to find her crying uncontrollably. He had quickly put two and two together and decided that she would be the one to bring Eren's name up whenever she was ready, not him.
"I told you about the announcement, remember?" He presently said, his voice low and soothing.
"Yes," she said simply and began to spoon her stew. "Not half bad for a change," she commented after gulping down a mouthful.
"It could use some salt though, but yes," Armin agreed, but he was more interested in the way she was trying to change the topic than the quality of the tomato sauce they were having for supper. It was clear that she wanted to change the topic but for her sake – and Eren's – he had to get it over and done with right now. steeling himself he plunged in once more.
"Commander Erwin is a smart man and a worthy leader," he began tentatively. "He wouldn't be one to elaborate a mission if he didn't think it was of the utmost importance to mankind."
He paused to gauge how she was receiving this but Mikasa continued eating for so long that Armin began to wonder if she had heard him. Finally she spoke without looking up from her plate.
"Yes he has humanity's best interests at heart, but so far he hasn't shown much concern for the personal welfare of his underlings or people, has he?"
Armin couldn't argue with that. Erwin was indeed a man who preferred to look at the forest rather than the trees in it. It was this ability to focus on the big picture that made him such an invaluable asset to mankind, but that wasn't what Mikasa wanted to hear right now. He switched tactics.
"Eren respects him and follows him, as do we all, but he's still the same hardheaded guy we grew up with. Whatever the mission may be, he'd never forget what's truly important to him, who's truly important to him."
Mikasa's hand paused for the briefest of moments above her bowl of soup before delving in once again. After swallowing the spoonful she finally met Arwin's gaze, her dark grey eyes uncharacteristically dull, even for her.
"Yes, but who could that be?"
She returned to her soup but something about her told Armin that the discussion was over. They finished their meal in silence. Gathering her plate, she quietly thanked him for the meal and exited the mess hall. Armin's stared sorrowfully at his retreating friend for a while then turned back, just in time to catch Eren looking over his shoulder in their direction. Eren quickly turned back to his food, but not before Armin saw his green eyes mirroring the same deadness he had seen in Mikasa's.
Armin was about to resume his meal when he heard a sudden noisy clatter. He looked up to find Annie alone, Eren's bench thrown back to the ground, and a resounding bang behind him told him Eren had exited the hall as well. Confused, he was somehow found himself looking at Levi who had been quietly watching the whole scene.
"What, you're waiting for a gold-lettered invitation?" Levi drawled, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Go stop that brat before he prattles and ruins everything!"
"Y-yes sir!" Armin said and took off, stumbling over his bench as he went.
"Kids," Levi muttered, shaking his head.
Armin caught up with Eren at the bottom of the stairs in the entrance hall. It was a good thing Eren had been taking slow deliberate steps or he would have been too late. Presently he stood in front of Eren, barring his passage.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Eren snapped. "Get out of my way!"
"I will, but hear me out first," Armin gasped, bending over to clutch at a stitch in his side. "I know what you're going to do."
"Very smart, Armin, as always," Eren said sarcastically. "Now get out of my way or-"
"It's not going to work! You have a secret mission at hand and it is your duty to complete it!"
"Fuck the mission!" Eren snarled. "I'm going to kick in that bitch's door and give her what she's been looking for! A piece of my mind!"
"So you're just going to throw away everything, just like that?" Armin countered just as loudly.
"And why the hell not?! It's what's gotten us into this mess in the first place!"
"No it's not and you know it." Armin's voice was quiet now. "There are issues between you and Mikasa and you can't go blaming it on this mission. You know that what I'm saying is true. So if you want to go resolve those issues, be my guest, but as a fellow member of the Scouting Legion and a friend I urge you to reconsider the stakes of the mission before you do or say something you'll regret."
Armin stepped aside to let Eren pass. The two young men stared intensely at each other for several long moments. After a while Eren admitted defeat and sank to sit on the bottom stairs. Soon Armin joined him and they sat in companionable silence.
"How much do you know – about my mission?" Eren began, breaking it.
"Nothing really," Armin admitted, "but I assume it must be pretty important for Erwin to go to such lengths for it to remain a secret even from the likes of Mikasa and myself."
Eren sighed. "It's brought me nothing but trouble from the jump. Now it's got Mikasa acting all weird and avoiding me and –"
"That's not entirely true," Armin cut in, a little smile on his lips. "You guys already had the same issues way before the mission came along, you probably just didn't know it yet."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Eren sputtered, feeling himself redden slightly. "We didn't have any issues. I mean we did fight a lot, but that was always because she incessantly coddles me and doesn't want me to grow and – why are you laughing?"
"Nothing," Armin said and gave one last knowing chuckle before rising to his feet and stretching. "So what do you say we head back to the mess hall? Everyone's gonna be wondering where you went off to in such a hurry. Might think you had to take a really huge dump if you don't return quickly."
Eren frowned suspiciously up at his best friend for a little longer then stood as well.
"Trust Horse-Face Jean to spread such a rumor," he said..
"Or maybe Connie," Armin suggested. "I wouldn't put it past him."
And with a laugh they left the entrance hall just as a door upstairs opened. Mikasa wandered over to the stairs. She had heard raised voices and could have sworn one of them was Eren's. After debating on whether she should go check it out or not she had finally let her curiosity get the better of her and headed out, only to find nobody. She remain there for a while, wondering if it were her imagination – or perhaps that unrelentingly hopeful part of her brain – before returning to her room for the night.
The next week continued in pretty much the same pattern as that first night, with Mikasa resolutely ignoring him and he doing the same. Only problem was, he had never been one to hold down his feelings and anytime he saw her he was seized by the overwhelming urge to grab her and talk some sense into her or wring her muffler laden neck. Both choices were equally appealing. Armin's words from that night at the bottom of the stairs kept returning to him however, and he kept his silence.
But it was the most maddening thing he had ever done, and the only available outlet for the constant restlessness he was feeling was an even shorter temper than usual. Even Annie had noticed this and asked him on more than one occasion what the matter was.
So he was understandably very excited when Levi took him aside during breakfast one morning and told him he could rejoin the legionnaires for training that morning.
"But what about Annie?" He asked after resisting the urge to do a celebratory jig.
"She sticks with you, Jaeger. You're the baby-sitter, remember? I hear you guys used to spar a lot during your days at bootcamp? You might want to try that again; might help jog her memory a little. But nothing too strenuous, okay? We can't have her going all titanic or I doubt even Erwin's words will be able to stop the legionnaires from killing her, understood?"
"Yes captain."
The corporal nodded curtly and began to leave then turned back suddenly.
"One more thing – how far with her memory recovery?"
"Nothing so far," Eren admitted ruefully.
"Isn't that a bust?" Levi said. "well you know what to do right? Continue at her."
"Yes captain."
Eren waited for the corporal to leave the mess hall before hurrying over to Annie's side. The blonde girl was chewing on some bread, her heavy lidded eyes looking more bored than ever. For a brief moment Eren reconsidered the response he had given the corporal concerning the state of her memory. Then he brushed his misgivings away and plopped down into the seat opposite her.
"Ready to do something really cool today?" He asked, his excitement clear in his eyes.
"So this is your idea of cool?" Annie asked, looking around the field at the other legionnaires as they grunted and sparred. "Fighting a girl who's significantly smaller and weaker than you?"
"Of course not!" Eren snapped, blushing slightly. Put like that, it did sound embarrassing. "It's not my idea, it's yours. You used to love this stuff back in the day."
"Me? Love fighting?" She stared at him for moments then let out a peal of merry laughter. "Are you sure I'm the only one here suffering from amnesia?"
"Haha, real funny," Eren snorted. "But right now I'm the one who knows you better than you, and I say let's try it. Aww come on!" He added wen she hesitated. "It'll be fun, I promise."
"You promise?" She repeated.
"Cross my heart," he said drawing his left thumb across his chest over his heart in emphasis
"Alright, Mr. I-know Annie-better-than-Annie. I'll be coming to collect on that heart," she said with a hint of menace in her voice and assumed a fighting stance.
Eren stared at her.
"What, something wrong?" She asked, lowering her high held arms a bit.
"N-no," Eren stammered as he fought to recover from the shock wave that had hit him.
She had assumed her trademark fighting stance.
How was this even possible? He quickly looked around to see if anyone else had noticed it. It seemed no one had. They were all engrossed in their respective battles or, in the case of Connie and Sasha, goofing around. He turned back to her and gulped.
"I'm making a fool out of myself standing like this, aren't I?" She asked when she saw the shell shocked look on his face.
"No no not at all!" He hurriedly reassured her. "It's perfect. You're perfect."
For some reason her cheeks turned rosy pink. Eren was intrigued but before he could say anything she raised her arms once more and her face disappeared behind them.
"Then let's see what you think about this!" She said and rushed at him.
It became immediately apparent to Eren that she hadn't recovered her memory. The haymaker was too wide, too slow, too careless to have come from the Former Annie. He easily ducked under it and pushed her away. She stumbled back and fell.
"That all you got, soldier boy?!" She jeered as she sprang back to her feet.
Eren was incredulous. "Me?! I'm just trying to make sure you don't get hurt!"
"Quit talking and start showing me what you got."
And with that she lunged at him again. Again he dodged, then again, and then again. He was starting despite himself to enjoy this turning of tables and got so carried away that when she came at him the fifth time he couldn't resist using one of her moves on her. Sidestepping outside her left hook, he clamped his left hand down on her outstretched wrist, his right hand on her unprotected neck pushing her head back and swept her feet out from under her with his right foot.
"OW!" She cried as she crashed heavily to the floor.
"Shit – I'm sorry, Annie!" He blurted out, sinking to his knees beside her and offering his hand. "I really didn't mean to! I got carried away and – hey!"
She tugged on his arm, tipping him off his balance, and the next thing he knew he was lying spread eagled on the floor, locked inside an extremely painful armbar which she was executing from a position perpendicular to his head.
"What the – where' d' you learn to do that?" He gasped.
"I don't know, It just sort of… came to me naturally," she said then let out a gasp. "Wait – do you think I'm finally starting to remember stuff?"
"Probably," came the groaned reply. "And now I'd very much appreciate it if you'd now remember to not wrench my arm off."
"Oh, but – does it really hurt that bad?" she asked coyly.
"ANNIE!"
"Alright, alright," She said and released him.
He sprang to his feet, rubbing at his deltoids as he glared reproachfully at her.
"What was that for? You tricked me!" He whined.
Yeah, well what did you expect? I'm a poor defenseless girl." She raised her hands once more. "You were right; this is turning out to be more fun that I had imagined."
Eren suddenly smiled.
"Isn't it? Well, my turn now."
They rushed at each other, grappling and counter grappling. Before Eren knew it they ended up on the grassy floor with him on top of her. Their faces were inches apart and he could see the tiny freckles adorning her cheeks and the golden flecks glinting in her cerulean eyes. And the pink blush that was back on her cheeks.
"What's the matter?" He breathed, worried at her flushed expression.
She turned her face away and her hair fell over her eyes. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing," Eren insisted, and with his free hand he gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Tell me."
"You planning on spending all day on me?" She commented dryly with a sidelong glance at him. "You're kinda heavy, you know."
"Oh, right."
He quickly extricated himself from her and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him as he went. She made a big show of dusting imaginary specks from her clothes and then noticing his unwavering intense gaze she finally heaved an exasperated sigh.
"It really is nothing," she insisted, "just that just now, when we were on the ground, I think I saw something."
"Something like what?"
She couldn't seem to meet his gaze. "Something like – oh, I don't know, something like this had all happened before."
"Really? That's good then," he said, making a mental note to tell Levi the first chance he got. "We used to spar like this all the time, back at boot camp."
"Really?" She asked incredulously, finally turning to him. "And did we also spar naked?"
He frowned at her. "Naked?! What in the world are you… talking… about…"
He suddenly realized what she was talking about. It would have been back in the forest of giant trees when they had met for the first time as the Rogue Titan and the Female Titan. He had at some point been atop her, breathing murderous threats at her for killing the elite forces.
"Oh, no, no, no, no," he said hastily, "you got it wrong, that was when we were –"
But then he paused again. She obviously didn't know about titans, and he didn't know if it was his place to bring up a subject so delicate. Now, at least. He would have to clear that with corporal Levi first.
"When we were what?" She urged, her cheeks now a fiery red.
Eren stared at her, then slowly it dawned on him what she must be thinking had transpired between them. The intimacy of it all. And then it was his turn to feel his cheeks heat up.
Mikasa had been watching the entire exchange from the corner of her eye as she sparred with Jean, and was growing more and more irritated by the second. From the moment she had seen the bitch adopt her trademark pose, she knew this whole memory loss charade was just that; an act. But then the bitch had decided to push it further and was deliberately throwing amateurish punches, and Eren was foolishly gobbling up the act.
But what did she care anyway what happened to him? All week she had felt his emerald gaze on her whenever he thought nobody was looking. They'd had an accusing glare to them, like all this was her fault. Like he wasn't the one who had gone to team up with the enemy Annie under the pretext of some super secret mission. Like he wasn't enjoying every second he spent with the bitch even after everything she had done.
So why should she care what happened to him?
I'm just keeping an eye out on Eren, she told herself firmly. For his mother's sake if nothing else.
And so she continued to watch them while absentmindedly sparring with Jean. She didn't notice the tiny smile of satisfaction that lifted the corner of her mouth when Eren sent the bitch crashing to the ground or the way her heart skipped several beats when the bitch tricked Eren into one of those her submission moves.
There were things she did notice however. Like when Eren had landed on top of the bitch. She was painfully aware of every second he had spent atop her without moving, which anyone with half a brain could see was unusual. The bastard was clearly enjoying himself! She willed herself to look away at that point but couldn't. she had to see how this thing ended, even it killed her.
After what had seemed like eleven eternities Eren finally got to his feet, a little too slowly to her taste, dragging his bitch friend along with him. Then there had been a snatch of conversation which she couldn't follow, after which they had stared at each other for several moments, twin blushes illuminating their cheeks. She couldn't see Eren's face clearly but she could see Annie's. the girl had the same longing look in her eyes that Mikasa was sure she herself had had.
That had nearly been her undoing. Jean took advantage of her inattention to send her crashing to the ground. For a moment they stared at each other, she confused by what had just happened, Jean unable to believe his luck. She quickly regained her wits though and in a matter of seconds the roles had been reversed. Jean lay on the floor, squirming in pain and she stood over him.
"Ow," he moaned, severely winded from the sharp blow she had just dealt his midriff.
But she had no eyes for him. She had eyes only for Eren and Annie. She was tired of running. She had tried it for over a fortnight with no results. Now she was going to revert to something she was actually good at. Making that bitch pay.
As she stormed off to join them the memories of the one and only time they had sparred returned to her.
The trainees of the 104th squad cheered and whistled as the two young women circled each other warily. It really was the dream match, the guys decided gleefully. The opponents shared a lot of similarities. They were both freaking hot, both freakishly strong and both poker faced. And they both had a certain interest in Eren Jaeger
Some people surmised that this may have been what was at the root of the impending battle. But what did it matter, anyway? Whatever had triggered it, a historic event was about to unfold before them and nobody wanted to miss a second of of all Eren Jeager himself.
Without warning or sound the two women simultaneously rushed at each other to the uproarious delight of the onlooking crowd. The fight had started. It was a flurry of punches and kicks and grapples and counter grapples. The throng cheered and supplied advice, but the women themselves were silent, save for the occasional grunts punctuating exertions and the impact their blows made when connecting with flesh.
They were both evenly matched. Mikasa was a natural born prodigy at fighting, and despite the lack of formal training was an unparalleled brawler. She also had her height and weight to her advantage. Annie, on the other hand was smaller and slightly slighter, but which also meant slightly faster. She was also the product of a childhood dedicated to intense martial arts training and had acquired a skill set which she now wielded with deadly efficiency and purpose.
On and on the scrapper raged, till the crowd had gone from noisy excitement to hushed awe at the sheer endurance and determination of the fighters. As for the two women, they had eyes for none other than themselves. After a fight like this no matter who lost, they both would be worthy of respect. But there had to be a winner and a loser. That was the way of life.
Suddenly Annie broke apart and took several steps back. She lowered her arms and straightened.
"I give up," she announced in a voice ragged with exhaustion, to the onlookers' shock.
"Just like that?" Mikasa panted back.
"Just like that. This fight is quickly losing its meaning. I thought the objective was for us to train ourselves, but it seems to have become much more than that, hasn't it?"
Mikasa didn't say anything. She simply watched as Annie turned and began to walk back to the barracks. And then she turned and looked at Eren, the reason why she'd gotten into this fight in the first place. His green eyes were following Annie's retreating form, something akin to admiration glowing in them.
"My turn," Mikasa said quietly as she stood between Eren and Annie, startling them.
"Wh-what the fuck are you talking about, Mikasa?" Eren stuttered behind her.
Mikasa ignored him. She had eyes only for Annie. The blonde girl eyed her quizzically.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me the first time," Mikasa said calmly. "I said it's my turn now."
"What for?" Annie asked.
"Oi, Mikasa!" Eren snarled, gripping her shoulder and turning her round forcefully. "What the fuck?! What's this all about?!"
She resisted the urge to twist his arm. "I wish to spar with her."
"Well I'm sorry but that's not going to be possible," Eren said, recalling Levi's instructions.
"Why?" Mikasa inquired.
Eren couldn't tell her what the corporal had said so he tried another tactic.
"Why do you want to spar with her in particular?" He demanded.
"And why shouldn't I?" Mikasa retorted. "The objective of this exercise is to get stronger, and other than the corporal himself she's the only one present who can hold a candle to me. So you tell me; why shouldn't I want to spar with her?"
"Why?!" Eren grappled inwardly for another reason. "Because – oh, for fuck's sake Mikasa, because she's not ready yet!"
"Not from what I have seen. She was able to get you to tap out just moments ago, and you're no slouch yourself when it comes to fisticuffs, just not good enough for me." Ignoring the angry flush on Eren's face she turned back to the blonde girl. "So how about it, Annie? Are you game or what?"
Annie evenly returned Mikasa's deadpan stare. As it was on that day before a crowd had quickly begun to gather, drawn together by tales of the legendary fight that was about to unfold told by the few surviving 104th squad members present. Soon they were at the centre of a roughly hewn ring; Eren, Mikasa and Annie. None of the spectators, Eren noted forebodingly, wore their 3D Maneuvering Gear.
"Annie, don't do this," he said hurriedly with a rising sense of panic. If things got out of hand here the casualties would be unbelievable. "Don't –"
His words were drowned out by a unanimous whoop from the crowd as Annie raised her arms and once more assumed her battle stance.
"I'm game, flower-girl."
Mikasa's eyes widened slightly for the briefest of seconds as the meaning behind Annie's comment sank in. Eren understood it too. It was a derisive reference to the way Mikasa had appeared on that day. He was behind Mikasa but he didn't have to see her face to know that she was livid. Annie, and by implication everyone else, was now in mortal danger.
Suddenly burly hands grappled him from behind, dragging him out of the make shift arena.
"Hey – ! Let go of me!" He roared. "Let go of me, you idiots! Can't you see I'm trying to save all your lives?!"
But nobody was paying any more attention to him, not even his captors, for the fight had already begun. Eren had no choice but to helplessly watch with his heart in his mouth as Annie and Mikasa fought each other much like they had once done all those years ago. Mikasa, it turned out, was right. Annie was capable of holding out her own and she was. At first.
But Eren knew her fighting style better than anyone present and he could see that she wasn't still at one hundred percent. Sooner or later Mikasa would beat her down and in the heat of the moment she might transform. If that happened then the one person she wouldn't rest until she had killed was Mikasa. His Mikasa.
With superhuman strength Eren broke free from his captors just as Mikasa sent Annie crashing down just as he had feared. Before anyone could catch him again he sprang forward into Mikasa's path intercepting her before she could land another blow on Annie. The crowd vociferated in disappointment.
"What are you doing?!" Mikasa hissed amidst the catcalls, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Saving you and all these people, you idiot," Eren muttered fiercely then turned round and hurried over to Annie.
And like that time before, he has picked Annie over me.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Just a scratch," Annie said, brushing a trickle of blood oozing from her bust lower lip as she rose to her feet. "Nothing to make a scene about, really."
"Really?" Eren insisted. "Are you sure?" He had to make sure the danger was averted.
"'Course I am," she said. "If I were you I'd be more worried about flower-girl over there. Or should I say fleeing flower-girl."
"Don't call her – wait, what?!"
He turned and spotted Mikasa running away, a parting in the crowd marking were she had frayed her way through. She was heading back up for the castle, and her room no doubt.
Oh shit –! Not again!
"Armin!" He bellowed over the din of the throng, "Take care of Annie, please!"
And without waiting to see if the blond boy had heard his instructions he tore after Mikasa, fervently praying that he would catch up to her before she got a chance to lock herself up again. He couldn't shake the distinct feeling that if she did so it'd be for good this time.
Mikasa ran through the entrance hall and towards the stairs, a sob escaping her as she went. She couldn't believe that after all this time Eren's reaction could hurt her so much.
She reached the stairs and began to race up them.
She knew she had promised herself not to run but this was more than she could bear. The sight of Eren turning away from her to worry about Annie's wellbeing was so similar to what he had done all those years back that it made her realize he had never even been hers to begin with. He had always been Annie's. and that thought broke her heart.
Behind her she heard another patter of feet as someone sprinted up them as well and she increased her pace.
Come to think of it she shouldn't really be surprised. What had she expected? Wasn't the world filled with nothing but cruelty? Hadn't she known this all along? Why had been so dumb enough to think he'd be different?
The door to her room appeared and she ran for the last haven that existed for her in her crumbling world.
Oh no you don't! Not this time!
Mikasa gasped as Eren hurtled into her, slamming her into the wall just inches away from her door. Almost immediately she began to fight back. She was strong and she was pissed, but there was no way he was going to let her go. Not until he had cleared up all this tension between them.
"Mikasa, for fuck's sake listen to me!" He yelled breathlessly as he fought to resist her struggling. "PLEASE!"
Just as he thought the word immobilized her like it had done that time before. He knew it wouldn't last, though, and he took the opportunity try and talk some sense into her.
"Mikasa, what the fuck?! Why do you keep doing this?! You spend the whole time ignoring me and then all of a sudden you show up, itching to beat Annie into a pulp and then you run off again? What the fuck's going on?!"
"Yes!" She snapped back, wriggling until she had turned round in his arms and was facing him. "Put all the blame on me, why don't you?! After all it's what you've been doing for years, right?! Shunting all the blame off on me!"
"What are you talking about?!" He asked, taken aback by her outburst. He had never seen Mikasa this livid. "You're the one who's been ignoring me!"
"So were you!"
He couldn't deny that. "Only because you were doing so first!"
"How mature of you!" She sneered.
The emerald orbs flashed. "Don't you dare lecture me about maturity! You're the one who's been acting all funny since I got back from the capital! You haven't even bothered to ask how I am, you immediately shut yourself away and do all you can to infuriate and frustrate me! And when finally I'm trying to improve on my sparring skills you have to come and ruin it all with this pointless vendetta you seem to be having with Annie, nearly hurting her and killing yourself in the process! How do you think it makes me feel?!"
"Wait – how do I think all this makes you feel?! How do I think all this makes you feel?! Here I am, worried sick about you when you gladly go on some suicide mission that involves some crazy ass genocidal bitch – yeah, I said it, that girl's a bitch who murdered so many people – and all this with an eager smile on your face like you're going to meet the love of your life! And don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at Annie, all these years–!"
She continued to rant and rave but somehow Eren's mind began to block out her voice. There were other pressing matters on his mind now. Like the way her obsidian eyes flashed beautifully when she got carried away like this.
And the way her soft breasts were now rubbing maddeningly against his chest, chasing all coherent thought away from his head.
And the way her hair brushed against his cheeks, silken curtains into which he longed to bury his hands.
And the mixture of the faintly tangy scent of sweat emanating from her after the morning's exertions, tinged with that indescribable musky scent he identified as her.
And her lips. Oh! Those beautiful lips that couldn't seem to stop talking right now!
And in that moment he knew that he had never wanted another woman like this. Never needed another like this. But she was probably too busy talking to even notice, so he did the only thing he could do. The only thing he wanted to. He brought his mouth crashing down on hers.
Mikasa knew what was about to happen a split second before it did. She had seen the desire build in his emerald orbs as they progressively darkened, swallowed by the dilating pupils which grew like dark pools. She had felt it in the way his arms tightened around her even though she wasn't really struggling anymore. And then she saw the soft lips part and before she could so much as breathe they came down upon hers with unexpected fierceness.
Eren reveled in the softness of her lips, the inexplicable cloying sweetness to them. She tasted even better than she smelt and that was saying something, considering that his head was spinning from the scent of her. She struggled a little in his arms, and even though he knew she could have put more effort into it he reflexively tightened his grasp. She was his prey now, and she was going nowhere.
Suddenly no longer satisfied to taste the outer pleasures, his tongue began to seek the comfort of her mouth.
Mikasa thought she was going to die from the pleasure of the sheer sensations searing her lips. It was like they were on fire. She had never thought her lips could feel so much. It was very first kiss with Eren, and while she had often dreamt about it, nothing in her wildest fantasies could hold a candle to the flames eating away at her lips and tightening in her lower stomach. His lips were soft yet firm, demanding. The taste of them was exhilarating. She breathed in the masculine particular scent that was Eren. His tongue began to seek an audience with hers, and she open her mouth, granting it access.
He loved the sigh she emanated and the shudder that wracked through her body as his tongue slipped into the sweet recesses of her mouth to meet hers. Her tongue drew his in, sparring playfully with it for moments before she began to suck on it for real. He couldn't suppress a shudder of his own and the moan that followed.
Mikasa felt rather than heard the low rumble of the vocalization that had involuntarily escaped Eren's mouth. The sound gave her an indescribable feeling of power and whetted the flame that was flickering away at her inner core. She could feel the rock hard bulging evidence of his arousal pressing at her belly through the fabric and she leaned into it, wrapping her right leg round the back of his left leg.
Eren swore inwardly and crushed her against the wall. This girl was driving him all sorts of crazy, and deliberately too. It was about time he showed her who the boss was here. His left hand snaked down her side to caress her raised thigh while the right pushed underneath her shirt to feel the satiny flesh covering her taut abs and roving till it cupped her left breast. He scrapped the taut nipple lightly with his fingernail.
Mikasa gasped sharply at this, her body bucking forward in a spasm. He smiled against her mouth and his mouth slid down from hers and slowly traced a path down her neck.
"Eren," she whispered hotly, struggling urgently against his left hand.
His mouth found the nipple of the other breast and framed the aureole through the fabric before he impatiently pushed it aside and began to suck it in earnest. It wouldn't do to show favoritism.
"Eren!"
She felt him smiling again against her flesh and felt her competitive side resurfacing once more. She had never backed down from a challenge before and she wasn't going to start now. She dragged his head back up and began to attack his lower lip relentlessly. At the same time her other hand trailed from his nape down his spine with tantalizing slowness and came to rest of his behind which she cupped fiercely, pulling his hardness against her.
"Shit!" He groaned. "Mikasa!"
"Yes?" she whispered coyly, gently biting his earlobe.
"I want you…" There was a menacing growl in his ragged voice as he spoke the words. "I want you so bad…"
It excited her to no end, his mouth, his hands, his voice, his voice. Suddenly she decided she could take it no more. The heat searing her core was threatening to consume her alive. She needed to feel more of him.
"I want you too, Eren," she replied against his questing mouth. "More of you. All of you. Now!"
The blatant urgency in her voice triggered something primitive and feral in him. With a growl his hands left her breasts to cup her ass and he hoisted her up. Accordingly she wrapped her legs around his waist, her mouth glued to his.
This was so fucking perfect, he thought. He and Mikasa. Mikasa and him. And now it was about to become even more perfect. All he had to do was push through the door of her room and–
And what? An unwelcome voice in his head asked. What do you want to do to Mikasa once you get there?
I want to make love to her, he found himself thinking back fiercely. The intensity of his emotions shocked him, scared him shitless. He was about to lose himself completely to Mikasa.
Mikasa whimpered in protest as he abruptly broke the kiss. He lowered her carefully to the ground. She was unbearably beautiful. He noted her eyes lidded and unfocused with desire, its orbs inky black, her slightly swollen lips and the heavy breathing. And he felt a tightening, but this time in his chest and not in his loins. He really was in trouble.
"Eren?" The uncertainty in her voice pulled at his heart.
He planted the whisper of a kiss on her forehead then turned round. And then for the first time in his life he turned and ran away.
EPILOGUE
He didn't stop running until he was back in the security of his room in the dungeons where he threw himself on his bed. He traced his lips as his mind constantly replayed the steamy events with Mikasa. Soon he found himself wondering if he had made the right choice. And that was when he first it. the voice that spoke to him from the dark recesses of the dungeon.
"Of course you did," it said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Phew, that was close! For a moment there I thought I'd have to step in and pull you out myself!"
A/N: So there you guys have it! How'd y'all find the chapter? Remember to let me know in the reviews! As you must have guessed, the challenge I faced concerned the, um, mini-smut I smothered you with. I just had to see if TheDarkCanTell Smut too. So what do you think? Can I?
Also as from my next chapter I'll be on to a new rave. I call it 'Tributes' and here's how it works. During each chapter starting from the next, my job is to slip in a quote from a popular movie, song or TV series. It could be a line or several lines. Your job, my dears, is to identify the source of the quote. It'll be taken from a collection of my personal favorites. That way you can know the kinds of stuff TheDarkCanTell really likes, which is missing from my profile page. Let's have fun, shall we?
Oh, and lest I forget, what on earth do you think Eren's trying to get from Annie? A million thanks to urgandma12 for rising to the challenge and attempting an answer that struck close enough to home!
And what about the voice that speaks to Eren in the dungeon? Who could it possibly belong to? Now I'd really love to see someone guess that one!
And to all who have believed in what TheDarkCanTell so far, thank you very much!