The good news? Annie and Eren were officially part of the band. They had to be in the cafe on Saturday mornings to practice with the other guitarist, the bassist, and the keyboardist.

The three first year high school students exited the cafe and walked along the curb to their respective houses. Not far from them, an old lady was being harassed by seven bulk-bodied men who tried to exhort money from her. Eren impulsively ran to help the old lady. He kicked and punched one guy at a time, but as he was fighting alone, he was easily outnumbered. Add the fact that though he was lean, he was puny compared to those buff men.

One man who was holding a metal rod tried to hit him with it, but someone punched the life out of him. It was Mikasa, who fought that man single-handedly. Annie, meanwhile, was secretly learned in muay thai, also fought two men at a time, kicking the ankle and pushing chest-down one man, and kicking the side of the loin of the other. The three students fought all men until all seven stood up and scrammed.

"Mikasa, you shouldn't have!" came Eren's annoyed remark to her.

"You just—" Mikasa retorted in an angry yet calm manner before being interrupted by the obaasan.

"Thank you so much, young kids," the old woman said to the three.

The three students went to the old woman and assisted her to stand up well.

"Daijoubu desu ka?" Eren asked with worry.

"Ah, daijoubu, young man," the obaasan said. "You and your two friends sure are heroes in the future."

"Two friends?" Eren thought. "Did they...?"

After bidding the old woman goodbye and seeing to it that she was no longer followed by the men, Eren turned to the girls.

"I am glad that you two are there to fight with me," Annie said with her grand airs. "I can bring them all down, but I am such a frail girl who needs protection too."

Mikasa was started to get annoyed at Annie's pretense. Yeah sure, she can fight, but does she really have to tell them that she also needs protection? Who was she fooling?

"You bring Reiner down with your kicks all the time, and you never even seem to need help," Mikasa shot back at her, her tone dark and full of anger.

"But having Eren fight along makes me feel like I have a knight in shining armor who's gonna save me afterwards," Annie replied to raise Mikasa's ire.

But Eren blushed and replied, "Well, I am flattered that you feel that way, Annie."

Mikasa did not say a word. Her hands rolled into balls of fists, and Annie was very satisfied with what she had seen. So, Mikasa's really possessive and protective, eh? Maybe she can try to snatch Eren away from the possessive b**** and make the Oriental even more jealous.

Such a good idea, Annie thought.

"Oh well, I gotta go and engage in another clan war," Annie said before going away.

The two were watching her walking off when Mikasa remarked, "That girl certainly doesn't need any protection at all."

"Says Miss-I-Can-Protect-Myself-Coz-I'm-Strong," came Eren's sarcastic reply.

Mikasa turned to him with a sad look in her eyes, but she was not able to utter a thing.

"Why did you help me back there?" he asked her in annoyance.

"Because you are impulsive. Do you know you have to have a plan in mind before fighting?" Mikasa shot back at him.

"Are you trying to imply that I am stupid? You always make me look weak and stupid all the time!" Eren shouted at her.

"No, I..." Mikasa started in anger, but faltered. "I..."

"Give me a break, Mikasa, will you?" Eren begged in exasperation before turning away.

"But you are happy that Annie came to help you, ne?" Mikasa asked him softly, loud enough for him to hear her.

Eren must have heard her because he turned his back to face her. He saw her bangs covering her face, and her hand bringing her scarf up her cheeks again. He felt stinging guilt. He was being hypocritical again. He hated it that Mikasa helped him, but he was flattered that Annie helped him. And both girls certainly could kick a** without help. He was deeply guilty because he and Mikasa had spent many years together, while he and Annie just spent a few months as classmates in school. He brought himself closer to her, put his hands on her arms, and gently asked.

"Hey, hey, are you crying?" he asked.

Mikasa shook her head, but a drop of tear betrayed her from her lie. Eren brought a finger to her cheek to brush off the tear.

"Hey, I'm sorry for shouting at you."

"I'm sorry for being protective again," she replied. "I can't help it."

Eren did not see any more tears from her face, but he cupped her face and used his thumbs to caress her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for getting jealous," Mikasa whispered.

"What did you say?" he asked, unable to hear what she said.

"Betsuni," she lied again.

Eren brought his face closer to her and blew some air so he can see her eyes. When her bangs departed from her face, Mikasa saw those teal-green eyes again, and she could feel her face flush. She really didn't like Eren blowing on her face, so she gently slapped him on the cheek. Eren let go of her face and laughed.

"So, we're cool now?"

"Yeah, we're cool," she replied solemnly.

Mikasa brought her hands close to Eren's and held it, and she walked first to lead the way, holding his hand. She gripped his hand tight so he'll not let go, but all the while, she still hid her face with her scarf.

Not far away, Sasha, Connie, Armin, and Jean saw them.

"That bastard! Did he kiss her?" Jean screamed with rage.

"No. And mind you, siblings don't kiss," Connie said.

"And they definitely are not siblings," Sasha said while munching on a bagel.

"I guess they're good and making up," Armin said with a smile. "They fought this morning because Eren did not listen to my math explanation."

"Whatever!" Jean told his friends in jealous anger. "I won't forgive that boar-headed bastard if he makes Mikasa cry again!"

"Jealous much?" Sasha nonchalantly asked Jean before turning her attention to her bagel.

~~.

They lived in a condo unit, all right, but the unit was just enough for them two. There was only a small sofa and a small table with a flat-screen TV in the living room, and the small dining table shared space with kitchen. There were also only two rooms, so whenever Armin would come to chill, he would sleep in Eren's room. And they also share the small toilet. Outside, there's a small balcony where they just sit on the cemented floor because it could not accommodate any furniture. The only good things about the small balcony were two small potted cacti that Mikasa owned.

Eren was studying his lessons first while Mikasa was cooking. Though Mikasa often did the household chores, she and Eren shared chores during school days. Mikasa does the cooking and setting the table, Eren does the washing of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. With that arrangement, the two of them can have time to study.

The smell of soup wafted through the air, and Eren's stomach began to rumble. He began to muse to himself, that if Sasha were to stay with them, she would hoard the soup to herself the moment Mikasa turns off the stove. He had a hard time concentrating on his lesson because the soup was so good. Even though Levi-sempai had bought them snacks, Mikasa's cooking always boosts his appetite. All other foods go digested in a jiffy.

"Time to eat," Mikasa called out from their little kitchen.

Eren stood up and walked to the kitchen. He stood next to her in the sink as he turned the tap on. He was washing his hands vigorously as Mikasa placed more utensils into the sink. After washing his hands, Mikasa washed her hands too.

Finally, the two settled at table.

"Itadakimasu!" the two said to each other.

Eren took his bowl of soup and slurped. It was still a bit hot, but he hungrily took all the soup. Mikasa smiled a bit watching him eat. It was a pleasure seeing him eat heartily.

"I never say this often, but your cooking is just so good," Eren complimented her.

"Arigatou," was her usual deadpan reply, though she was blushing.

"You know, if you're gonna get married, your hubby's sure one lucky guy," Eren joked and laughed.

"Eh?" Mikasa asked, shocked. Why was Eren talking about marriage?

"But I'll be luckier if I marry you instead," Eren joked again.

Mikasa liked him a lot, and fantasized about staying beside him and being his wife. But Eren talking about marriage as if it were not a remote possibility made her choke on her soup.

"Ah! Gomen! Daijoubu?" Eren asked as he stood up and pounded on her back.

Mikasa hacked out her cough and began to pound on her chest as well. She could tell some of the soup went up her nose too.

"Gomen..."

"You sure have a wicked way of joking, ne, Eren?" Mikasa told him spitefully in between coughs.

"I said, I'm sorry, okay?" Eren worriedly told her as he continued to tap her back hard. He was sick with worry that his joke could cause someone to die of asphyxia. "I'm sorry..."

He assisted her as she drank her water. Then, he went back to his table and continued to apologize.

"What's with the marriage talk, all of a sudden?" Mikasa asked. "Was it because of the kiss?"

Though Eren told her it was an accident, he was still bothered with the kiss at the rooftop. And he began to blush.

"Ah... no, no, it's not that... It's... I," he stammered, suddenly unable to explain himself.

Mikasa looked at him expectantly, hoping he'll say he liked her too.

"Uhm... See... I see you already are so capable of being in the kitchen and..." Eren started. "While I am incapable."

"No, you're not," Mikasa said. "Remember when I had flu? You were making soup and omelet for me, and it was so good I was able to sleep for the rest of the night."

Eren sighed. He only knew how to fry breakfast food and make soup from soup stock, but other than that, nothing else. He could only make what he calls "medicine food"—the food that you eat when you are sick so you'll get better.

"You want me to teach you?" she offered.

"Nah, I can manage," Eren said with a smile. "I can read instructions in a cookbook."

Mikasa held out her hand on to his and squeezed it. With a small smile, she told him, "I know you can cook."

"So if you trust my cooking skills, will you also trust that I can look after myself?" Eren asked, like it sounded like a bargain.

Mikasa was taken aback. If she didn't agree, the two of them would end up fighting again. And though she loved him unconditionally, she was getting tired of the fights as well.

"Hai..."

~~.

After cleaning the kitchen, Eren asked Mikasa, "Hey, I'm going out. Do you want something?"

Mikasa thought for a while before shaking her head. "Not that I know of."

Eren smiled and asked her, "It's almost the time of the month, is it?"

Mikasa suddenly looked away and blushed. Eren knew the arrival of her red visitor, a proof of how close they really are since back then.

"I checked your room yesterday while looking for your sewing kit, and it seems we had forgotten to buy them last weekend."

Mikasa gaped. She had totally forgotten to pile up some. She didn't want going out from wherever she will be by the day she will have her red tide. She had suddenly forgotten to plan it out.

"I know your brand," Eren told her, smiling in a gentle manner.

Mikasa blushed. The last time she had Eren buy her her girly pack was three years ago, and she vowed then that she'll never have him go at the middle of the night just to buy a pack.

"Okay... I'm sorry I forgot," she told him.

Eren smiled and grabbed the doorknob. He opened the door and stepped out.

~~.

It was not only because he was going to buy her girly provision. It was also because he was craving for some ice cream. He and Mikasa shared the same passion for chocolate-flavored ice cream, and there's a local 7-Eleven near the condo. He missed sharing ice cream with her and Armin, especially after celebrating. Tonight, he was going to celebrate getting in the band and having to earn some money from a gig, and he wanted to celebrate with her.

He realized that Mikasa had been doing a lot of things for him, and after that kiss, he suddenly realized if Mikasa was hiding something from him. Like she was feeling more than she let on. Could it be...

He felt guilty again. He always shouted at her whenever she acted like a protective lioness. He realized he had done little to reciprocate her acts for him. Maybe, a little ice cream could do as a token of gratitude.