Alterations

SUMMARY: Are you willing to abandon your humanity to save the thousands who will only curse your name? Can you truly become a monster for the sake of the ones you care about? Because once you've been chosen to carry the burden of your people, there is no other alternative. AU where, under very different circumstances, Levi saves Mikasa from the traffickers. Shifter!Mikasa.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while. The pacing of this chapter is fairly quick, but as it follows along with canon events almost exactly, I didn't really feel the need to explain everything in detail. I've been told that my pacing can sometimes be too fast, so I'm trying to work on that. However, I promise the next chapters won't be so "fast", as that's when all the action is happening. Not that there isn't any action in this chapter. Or something.

Anyways, please enjoy and reviews are always greatly appreciated!


"Mikasa Ackerman?"

Mikasa turned to the man who'd called her name. "Yes?"

"I'm Ian Dietrich," he said. "Part of the Stationary Guard. I've been asked to reassign you to the rear guard." His shaggy blond hair hung in his eyes, a grim expression taking over his long face. "Immediately."

Mikasa turned to Eren helplessly. "But, only the elites are assigned to the rear guard."

Dietrich nodded. "These orders come from higher-up. I'm only supposed to be in charge of you for the time being."

"Mikasa," said Eren. "Go."

"Eren," said Mikasa. "But, what about you?"

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "Go Mikasa."

She sighed heavily, exhaustion already wearing her down. "Would it be possible for him to come with me?" She asked Dietrich.

The man shook his head. "I've received orders to bring only you. And these are orders, Ackerman. I understand the desire to stay with your comrades, but I assure you that this would be the most efficient method of protecting them."

Though the man's logic was sound, Mikasa wasn't swayed in the slightest. "Fine," she agreed, "I'll be there with you in a second." The man nodded to her and walked off, allowing her a few more minutes to say goodbye.

"I'll be fine," insisted Eren. "You're being chosen to be part of the elites, Mikasa. This is a good thing. I don't understand why you're being so hesitant, right now. Are you scared or something?" His eyes flashed dangerously, a sign of an oncoming fight that Mikasa had neither the patience nor willpower to deal with.

No! Mikasa wanted to shout. She wasn't scared. Titans didn't scare her half as much as humans did, anyhow. At least titans killed humans for the sake of feeding, regardless of whether or not they actually digested them. Humans, on the other hand, had motives. Humans could kill just because they wanted to be cruel and because they could. "Be careful," she said to Eren. "Take care of Armin, too."

"I know," said Eren, his expression softening slightly. "We'll be fine. I'll see you later."

Mikasa nodded wordlessly, pulling her scarf over her mouth and breathing in the scent of home, faint as it may be. It was funny, really. Though the scarf reminded her of the Yeagers whose kindness had permitted her survival, it could get stifling and sometimes, she wanted nothing more than to pull it off her neck. "See you later."

She had no way of knowing that this would be the last time she was able to have a truly private moment with Eren. After the Battle of Trost, nothing was the same.


Mikasa felt nothing. The horror that usually came with knowing of a comrade's death had not hit her yet, and she had no intention of letting it do so. The only thing she could do, would do, was to continue. She had a duty to Armin. She had to ensure his survival, as well as the survival of her peers.

Clutch and release; it was a process. There was a rhythm to the 3DMG, a way of twisting your body to maximize its reach. Mikasa focussed on that, barely acknowledging the massive amount of gas she was consuming, or the worried looks of the people around her.

Then came the jerk.

Her Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear had finally run out of gas and while she could still launch the hooks into the wall to prevent her from falling, she was unable to launch herself through the sky.

She fell into the awning of a store before hitting the ground, the tarp cushioning her fall. As she lay there, she listened to the whizzing of her peers above her and hoped that they had gotten away from the titans. "Ere…" She forced herself not to say the name, trying to erase the boy's existence from her mind. She knew it was futile. The moment Armin told her of Eren's demise, he was the only thing plaguing her thoughts. She didn't blame Armin, though. It wasn't his fault; it was hers. She should've argued harder, should've stayed by his side.

The slow footsteps that had caused the ground beneath her to rumble, paused. Looking up, Mikasa noticed a titan had peeled off from the pack and was regarding her with the sort of curiosity that a predator would lend its prey. Then, it began to advance. Mikasa reached for her blades, only to realize that they had been broken down to their very last shards and she was still far from the supply depot.

Is this it? She thought to herself. Maybe this was punishment for escaping death the last time. Maybe she'd see her mother and father again. This time, she'd apologize to her mother for messing up her embroidery. She'd ask more about their long-extinct clan, the mysterious symbol on the palm of her hand, the forgotten histories. She'd thank her father for taking her on the hunting trips deep inside the woods and the special lake in the middle of the forest where he'd first taught her how to swim.

This is it.

Mikasa noticed a blur approaching the titan. The figure sprinted across rooftops with near inhuman speed, dodging around chimneys and slow-moving titans. As it approached the titan nearing Mikasa, the figure drew their blades and spun, taking out a chunk of the titan's neck. The giant froze and leaning forward, it toppled to the ground in front of her. The figure landed deftly on the ruined neck, their hood blowing back from their face with the force of the landing.

A plait the colour of ink was tossed over the person's shoulder while their dark eyes regarded the titan apathetically. As they raised upwards, they caught sight of Mikasa and froze, sizing her up.

Mikasa breathed in deeply. "Reya?"

At the sound of her name, her eyes widened and like a frightened deer, she took off. Launching the hooks of her 3DMG into the nearest building, she swung herself upwards and out of sight.

"Mikasa!" Lifting her head, she saw the face of Jean come into view. "What are you doing? Let's go!"

Wearily, she got to her feet, reaching for the uneven bricks of a house nearby to steady herself. Her legs wobbled and she fought to keep herself upright. "I'm fine," she said, waving off Jean's hands. "I can get along fine."

She staggered to her feet, looking as if she'd topple over any moment, but as she'd promised Jean, she didn't. "I'm okay," she promised. "We should get going before any other titans come." But just as she said those words, a deviant type flew through the air and latched its misshapen body onto a nearby tower.

"Shit!" Jean looked over at Mikasa. "Do you have your gear?"

She nodded but as she readied herself to take to the skies, she realized that her blades had been broken down to the very last notch and she was completely out of gas. Jean's gear was damaged as well, a large dent marring its usually shiny surface.

He reached for Mikasa's hand to pull them away from the danger, but just as he did so, another titan entered the vicinity. However, this one was different. Unlike the others, it was leanly muscled and held itself with the stance of a fighter. Instantly, Jean knew that even Mikasa was outmatched, especially since she was lacking the proper materials.

"We have to get out of here."

Mikasa nodded her agreement, but didn't take her eyes off the titans, who immediately launched an attack against the wall-hugging deviant, completely ignoring the two humans. "He's not attacking us," she murmured.

"What?"

"He's not attacking us."

"If we wait around any longer, he will be!"

"Jean," Mikasa addressed the boy," there's something not quite right about that titan. He's not even looking over at us."

"Are we going to just stand around and wait until he does?" Jean didn't wait for Mikasa's response and as he grabbed her by the arm, Mikasa let herself be pulled along. "I have no idea what's going on with that titan," he said, "and I have no intention of getting close enough to find out!"

"I don't think things could possibly get any stranger," she said to the boy, who nodded along with her.


Every time the boot of Levi's heel sunk into Eren's face, Mikasa twitched. Her face contorted as if she was the one being struck and eventually, her expression must have given away her ill intentions, as Armin held tight to her hand in order to keep her from leaping out.

Levi grabbed Eren by the hair and uttered words that Mikasa couldn't make out, but none of that mattered. He wasn't that far away. It would take her five steps—maybe even four if they were large enough—to reach him and when she did, she would give him a beating he'd remember.

It was funny, really. She hadn't seen the man for years, had missed him almost painfully and now that he was standing right in front of her, she wanted to kick his face in. It was only Armin's surprisingly steely grip that held her at bay, reminding her at once where she was.

After what seemed like hours, Levi finally ceased his assault, gripping Eren by the hair and speaking lowly to the boy. People in the audience shifted uncomfortably, whispers breaking out in pockets and travelling faster than Mikasa could pinpoint their origins.

"What's he saying?" She growled, digging her nails into the polished wood of the railing in front of her. She turned to Armin who could only shrug helplessly. "I need to know what he's saying."

Mikasa hated feeling this way. The rushing noise in her ears drowned out everything else, but she could still hear the thump of Levi's boots against Eren's body and the clacking of teeth hitting the floor. She felt someone squeeze her hand, startling her out of her reverie. Armin's eyes were fixed on the proceedings in front of them, but held her hand in his and squeezed again. You don't have to do this alone, he seemed to be telling her. She squeezed back.

When everything ended, Mikasa followed Armin to a tiny room in which Eren was recuperating from his wounds. To her utter horror, Levi was there too, arm thrown carelessly over the top of the very same couch Eren was sitting on.

"Are you okay?" She murmured to her brother. He nodded, pressing the handkerchief offered to him by Armin closer to his nose.

Suddenly, Hanji grabbed Eren by the chin. Mikasa reacted instantly, reaching for Hanji's wrist, but Levi had noticed her movement and swiftly pinned her to the couch, her wrists locked in his grip.

"Let go of me." Mikasa tried to keep her voice from trembling, but to no avail. I haven't seen you in so long. How are you? I've missed you. Nothing's been the same since you left. I just saw your sister and she's supposed to be dead.

Those were the words she wanted to say, what she was supposed to say upon her reunion with Levi, but they died on the tip of her tongue. This Levi wasn't the kind, if slightly brusque boy she'd spent the better part of two years with. This Levi with the tiny scars criss-crossing his hands and empty eyes was a stranger to her, made even more so by the bruises marring Eren's face and body.

"Calm down," he said and then relaxed.

Mikasa rubbed her wrists, ignoring the dark purple marks that had begun to form on the skin. "What are you doing?" She aimed the question at Hanji, who continued peering at Eren curiously.

"He's healed completely ," they said. "His teeth…Levi knocked a few out, but they're all here."

"The brat's a monster," said Levi tonelessly. "That's all there is to it."

The word rang in Mikasa's head. Was that all there was to it? Was it just Eren who was the monster in this case? I've killed a man when I was a child. And I would do it again if it meant Eren could stay safe. She glanced at Levi out of the corner of her eye, watching the man sip calmly from his teacup as if he hadn't just spent the last hour beating up a child. I've done it for you.

"Why did you call us here?" Armin finally spoke up, having spent the past few minutes absorbed in his own thoughts. "You probably didn't do this out of the goodness of your own heart."

"You're right," said Levi. He turned to Hanji and they just nodded sadly. "Eren is going to join the Scouting Legion and be under my command as part of my Special Operations Squad." Lowering the cup, he locked eyes with Mikasa who glared back. "And I want you to join."

She blinked, instantly taken aback. "Why me?"

"Mikasa Ackerman. Graduated top of her class and according to several eyewitness reports, possesses the skill of a hundred ordinary soldiers. How could we just let you fade into obscurity?" Hanji lowered the file. They were breathing heavily, their glasses nearly fogged up with excitement.

"I guess you're more beast than human, too."

Mikasa didn't even have to look at the speaker to know who they were.

"Think of this as a chance to watch over your brother. Though, you'll be working with me most of the time. You may be good, Mikasa, but you have to get better."

At the use of his sister's first name, Eren looked over at Levi with vague confusion. The latter silenced him with a glare.

"Our first expedition is going to be in a month."

"Does Mikasa have any say in this?" Armin asked on her behalf. His eyes were lowered, giving off an air of distinct disappointment, but Mikasa sensed his anger. "You can't force her to do this."

"I won't have to," replied Levi. "If I didn't think she was going to accept the offer, I wouldn't have made it." He smirked uncharacteristically and the expression made Mikasa's stomach curdle unpleasantly. It reminded her too much of someone else, of a long braid swinging in the wind and apathetic eyes that could have cared less if Mikasa was nothing more than a corpse in an alley.

"Reya…" The word slipped out before she could stop it and Levi's eyes narrowed.

"What did you say?"

"I'll join." Levi could wait. She didn't need to tell him right away. After all, she had waited years to see him. A few days was nothing.

"Good." Levi picked his cup back up before realizing it was empty.

"Mikasa…" Armin stared between the two siblings, concerned etched on his face. "Will you two be okay?"

"We'll manage," said Eren. "We always have."