AN:

I have returned.

Chapter 13 - Knife edge

"Are you sure about that?" Mikasa asked, a hint of unease in her voice.

Al simply shrugged and wiped his mouth with the heel of his hand, "Why not? It's as good as a time as any."

He walked over to the table over to the table, grabbed something and tossed it over to Mikasa. She caught it in her right hand and only realised it was a knife as her hand gripped the handle. She looked up to see Al select another knife and turn to face her, adjusting his grip on the knife. "Besides… I was pretty curious about who'd win…" He added, smirking.

Mikasa didn't say anymore and raised her fists, gripping her knife tightly. Al exhaled and bent his knees slightly, adjusting his fingers on the knife handle. Al quickly leaned forward, swinging the knife in a wide arc. Mikasa ducked down, Al's knife missing her neck by inches. She quickly lunged forward, her arm outstretched and the point heading for Al's leg. Al batted her arm away just in time and swung out quickly with his other arm. Mikasa backed away from the knife, exhaled and continued to encircle Al eying him even more cautiously.

'He's faster than I thought...' Mikasa thought in annoyance as she kept her eyes on Al. 'Maybe if I can cause him to focus on his leg more, I could get an advantage' Mikasa slowly edged around Al, causing him to pivot more. Al kept his breathing steady and clenched his knife until his knuckles turned white. Mikasa lashed out suddenly, causing Mikasa tossed the dagger in her hand and rushed forward, sending the knife down onto Al's shoulder. Al's eyes looked up and he instinctively raised his hand and lashed out.

Al's fist connected against Mikasa's arm, knocking it back with sudden force.

He threw another punch into her shoulder sending her staggering back but still keeping her defence. Al gritted his teeth as he staggered unsteadily onto his feet as Mikasa gripped her right forearm.

"Not bad…" Al chuckled, "Not bad at all… "Al breathed out before he threw another right hook followed by a left hook, only for both to be blocked. Mikasa saw her advantage and stepped forward and swung out for Al's head. Al ducked just in time and threw an uppercut. Mikasa backed away just in time and quickly got into her stance, both of them eying each other's every move.

'She's pretty fast so why isn't she bothering to attack more?' Al thought as the two of them circled one another. 'She's not completely focused on the fight. Her mind seems to be somewhere else at the same time, most likely something to do with Eren. That's something that I can use' Al thought in his mind, predicting what Mikasa would do next. Suddenly, he sent a left jab followed by a right hook, causing Mikasa to duck down and shuffle further back. "Now I just need to end this soon or I'm just going to tire out-" Without Al even realising Mikasa kicked out at Al's leg causing him to lose balance. Mikasa grabbed Al by the arm and threw him upwards. Al didn't have time to think before he found himself crashing right into one of the spotlights in the ceiling, breaking the glass and dislodging the stone inside. The knife was torn from his grip and was sent clattering on the floor a few metres away from him. Al landed back onto the training mats on his front, the stone dropped next to him and rolled away. "Out of all the things you could have done you just had to throw me into the ceiling," Al groaned, trying to get up but falling back down to the ground, '... Dammit! My leg!'

Mikasa rushed forward to Al, taking advantage over the situation. Suddenly, with his good leg, Al swept Mikasa's legs from beneath her. Mikasa grunted as her back hit the floor and she quickly rolled out of the way as Al's fist hit the training mat. Mikasa got onto her feet and raised her fists. Al soon followed suit, cursing loudly as he hit his bad leg, numbing out the pain.

"Wow, you really are merciless, aren't you?" Al chuckled despite the pain. "Just don't think I'm gonna give up that easily!"

Mikasa's gaze only narrowed as she focused on Al. Al shifted his weight onto his good leg and eyed Mikasa a lot more cautiously. Mikasa suddenly rushed forward, swinging out causing Al to duck. Al leaned back onto his good leg and spring forward, taking Mikasa completely by surprise. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pushed his weight forward, causing her to lose her balance. Both of them tumbled onto the ground. Mikasa winced in pain as she landed onto the ground. She raised her elbow and sent it crashing down onto Al's shoulder. Al ignored the pain that exploded through his shoulder as punched hard, his fist connecting with Mikasa's side. Mikasa gritted in pain, and Al got up, sending punches raining down. Mikasa raised her arms to defend herself, surprised herself by Al's constant barrage of attacks. 'Can't keep defending like this' She thought to herself, but before she could do anything else, Al sent a right hook and broke through her defence. Instantly, she reacted, placing a well-aimed kick into Al's ribs, sending him sprawling to the side.

Al swore as he landed on his side, his shoulder beginning to throb. He saw something glint from the corner of his eye and realised it was his knife. Without giving this a second thought, Al suddenly reached out and grasped his knife. Mikasa suddenly realised what he was going to do and she scrambled forward and lashed out just as Al swung his knife.

Al's fingers curled around Mikasa's wrist as Mikasa's hand snapped onto his. Their arms trembled violently, like an arrow of a compass. Al clenched his jaw as Mikasa bit her lower lip, their faces inches from one another. As soon as both of them realised neither of them was going to get the upper hand, their eyes drifted to each other's knives, their silver points resting against the skin of their necks. Both remained perfectly still, not daring to move an inch. Al looked down to where Mikasa was gripping his wrist. Slowly, he cleared his throat and broke the silence and he looked up at her.

"So…" Al huffed, "It's a stalemate?…"

"It's a stalemate…" Mikasa grumbled, her expression unreadable as she let go and sat down on the training matt.

Al ran a hand through his hair and grinned, shaking his head. Part of him was completely shattered. The other half was roaring with adrenaline. He looked at Mikasa who was sitting down a metre away from him and his head tilted in mild curiosity. 'She's one hell of an opponent, I'll give her that…' Al thought, as the dull throbbing in his leg began to return, 'Certainly more interesting than most of my guests…I was still hoping I'd win though...'

"Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" Al asked, "Seriously though, that was pretty incredible…"

Mikasa dropped the knife, "It just happened once, during an incident with me and Eren…"

Al nodded, 'Of course, that whole incident Eren mentioned before…'

"Let me guess, your brother taught you how to fight?" Mikasa asked flatly.

"Just the basics you'd learn during training but it was actually my butler who taught me the rest." Al responded casually, twirling the knife around with his hand.

Mikasa stared at Al. She had to admit, she was rather stunned Al could keep up with her and even got in a few good blows, considering she was an Ackermann and even after he was thrown into the ceiling, he still managed to put up a fight. "I'll admit I wasn't expecting to hear that." She stated calmly, "Was your butler ex-military?"

"I've never actually asked much about that. All I know is that he's one hell of a butler-"

Suddenly, the sound of loud footsteps could be heard as someone made their way down the stairs towards the basement. Both turned their heads as they saw Eren climb down the stairs.

"Mikasa? You here-?" Eren called out but stopped as he saw Al. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched a little. "Oh… Hi, Alphonse…" His eyes stayed fixed on the knife still in Al's hands.

Al raised his hands and managed a smile past the pain as he got up onto his feet, "Hey there… I guess I'll leave you two to it then…." He nodded as he hobbled over to the staircase, gritting with pain every time he put his weight on his bad leg.

"You sure you'll be OK?" Mikasa asked flatly as she stood up. Al only waved his hand dismissively and continued to limp up the stairs.

"No, no, its fine," Al insisted, "I'll just… find a medical kit somewhere and patch myself up…" He added, failing to mention his slightly hurt pride as he disappeared out of sight.

"Mikasa, what was going on?" Eren asked as Al was out of earshot. "Are you hurt? Why was he holding that knife?"

"We were just sparring…" Mikasa stated flatly. Eren glanced at the numerous dark bruises on Mikasa's arms. "Did Jay go near you?" She asked, noticing Eren was looking at her arm and she hid it from view without realising.

Eren looked up at Mikasa and shook his head, "The psycho kept his distance for now…"

Mikasa nodded and a scowl emerged on her face, "He had no right to take it out on you. I don't care what other people think. That fact still remains…"

"And what, you want me to tell you if Talbot gets close, is that what you want?" Eren asked sarcastically. Mikasa only glanced at Eren and he sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"If that's what it comes down to… Then by all means, so be it…" Mikasa stated coldly.

'And I'm sure Alphonse will allow that to happen, especially when you give him a weapon to prove his point…' Eren thought bitterly as he turned away and began to walk off to the exit.

"Eren? What's wrong?" Mikasa tilted her head, a concerned expression on her face.

"It's nothing…" Eren stated, without looking back. 'It's something I need to do on my own...;'

"Have you two got a first aid kit nearby…" Al groaned as he hobbled into the room where Dante and Jay were. Dante was fiddling with his pistols while Jay was staring down at a chessboard filled with randomly arranged pieces. Opposite him was Armin, doing the same thing.

"Meh…" Dante muttered, "Ask Jay. He should know…"

Jay grumbled under his breath and turned to Al, about to say something but stopped. His gaze settled onto Al's leg where he was limping on and widened and he stood up almost instantly. Al looked down and realised what Jay was thinking. Armin looked up at Jay in confusion and then turned his head only to realise what Jay found so shocking

"What the hell-?" Armin breathed out.

"What happened?" Jay asked quickly.

"Look, Jay. It's not what-" Al began but Jay quickly walked up to him.

"What happened?" Jay demanded, "Alphonse, just answer the question!"

"Calm down!" Al retorted, "It was a sparring accident with Mikasa! Alright!?"

"You were what?" Armin exclaimed and then he turned to Jay, "I got to see to the others, alright?"

Jay nodded and as soon as Armin left, he sighed out, rolled his eyes and shook his head and began to pace around the room in growing frustration. Dante snorted in laughter as he bit down his lip, getting Al's attention.

"What's so funny?" Al asked only for Dante to reply with a shrug of his shoulders and a moment's silence.

"What he probably finds funny," Jay interrupted, "Is how, for the son of the most powerful family in the north, you're so goddamn willing to risk your life. Either you don't care what happens to you or you are just that stupid."

Al glared at Jay, "It was training. Big deal…" He grumbled sarcastically.

"So you mean if I went downstairs, I wouldn't find something totally destroyed, would I?" Jay asked only to be replied by a moment's silence, "Yeah. Of course I'm right. It's what you do. So what the hell happened to your leg!?"

"Mikasa threw me into the ceiling!" Al blurted out angrily, "She… threw me into the ceiling…"

Jay's eyes widened as Dante let out a low whistle and broke into a small chuckle, "Holy crap… I mean, you're what? 81kg? And she just handed your a-"

Both Jay and Al glared at Dante. "I didn't lose if that's what you're asking," Al retorted defensively, his pride hurt, "She took me by surprise and we were still fighting until Eren showed up!"

"Oh so Mr loud, whiny and angry saved your a-"

"Shut up!" Jay growled, "Just don't! Am I the only grown up one here!? Dante, stop treating it as a joke! Al, think past your pride and consider what would have happened if Mikasa had done something worse!? What would Elias do when he finds out!?"

Al stared at Jay, his jaw clenched, "My little brother has nothing to do with this! And besides he wouldn't find out because I would have already healed because of my titan's ability! You forgot about that!?"

Jay and Dante remained completely silent. Al blinked, slightly disturbed by the silence between the two, slowly realising what he'd just said.

"Dante, check the outside corridor and keep an eye if anyone comes…" Jay ordered quietly. Dante looked up and was about to protest but Jay gave. He sighed in annoyance as he tossed his pistols aside and went over to the door.

"How about you say that a bit louder, hmm? So everyone else can hear…" Jay remarked coldly. Al's eyes widened with realisation and he swore, "Listen… We can't… Not yet anyway…" Al mumbled.

"So when it's convenient, we're going to keep secrets, especially the fact we're both titan-shifters!" Jay seethed out, "I don't see that fitting in with your whole trust thing you're so obsessed with…"

"For your information, I wasn't going to hide that!" Al retorted, "This requires a bit more of a delicate approach. Something that needs time!"

"Look, I've already accepted it by now that you want to be all diplomatic and invite them round to have a pleasant tea party or whatever plan you have! But listen. This means that you can't afford to use your healing ability. That limp and that graze on your cheek have to stay there! That will get you killed one day! I'm not ready to risk that, are you!?"

"Then let me worry about it then!" Al snapped, "I know how to control my titan's abilities better than you ever could so you don't need to worry about that!"

Jay shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, "No! No! You don't get it! Your abilities have nothing to do with this! Hell, what am I saying? This has nothing to do with trust! This is just a way to pacify them! And you're deciding what to reveal and not only for your benefit! Acting on your own selfishness won't help anyone and the very second something goes wrong, it'll all crumble apart and none of this would matter. You've already done enough! So just leave it!" Jay remarked annoyed.

"Oh yeah, well, I can say the same for you!" Al remarked, "The Mangler thing! You're still doing it. It was only last year when you started killing left, right and centre. And you were done! You already found the men responsible for hunting your parents and you killed every last one of them!"

"Be careful about what you say next…Consider that as a warning!" Jay growled as he looked at Al, a part of him feeling relieved that Al got that hurt leg. 'At least it makes things easier for me if things get out of control…' Instantly, he pushed that thought down and instead focused on the matter at hand.

"So why are you still wearing the damn mask!? Don't tell me you actually enjoy it!?"

Dante froze as he held his breath and glanced over his shoulder to see Jay, who was giving Al a murderous stare. 'Oh crap… You really shouldn't have said that…' Dante braced himself as he noticed Al keep his ground and looked at him quizzically while Jay stepped forward to him.

"... Because if I hadn't continued being the Mangler, we wouldn't even be a fraction as close to the Senator as we are now…" Jay stated coldly. He opened a nearby drawer, pulled out a small case and pushed it out to Al. Al caught it as Jay began to storm past.

"Here's your damn first-aid kit…" He grumbled as he slammed the door behind him. Al shook his head and slammed his fist down onto the table, the sound echoing all around the room. "What the hell is his problem!?" Al growled out as his ran his hands through his hair and began to pace around the room, his limp becoming much less noticeable now.

"He has got a point, you know…" Dante muttered quietly but Al's head snapped to his direction.

"Don't tell me you're siding with him!" Al yelled in disbelief.

Dante raised his hands, "Hey! I'm not on anyone's side here! I'm just saying it's going to be a hell of a lot more difficult to try and balance these two things, you know. The more you stick your neck out for them, the more difficult things will end up…"

Al shook his head and sighed out, "Yeah right. But how about you listen to me and just think about-"

Suddenly, a series of footsteps could be heard. Dante quickly peered out and cursed beneath his breath. He stepped to the side and the door swung open, to reveal Levi standing in the doorway.

"Alphonse…" Levi muttered dully.

"Captain, is there something you need?" Al stood up straight, slightly taken aback by Levi's suddenly appearance and Dante hiding behind the door.

"You've seen Blackwood anywhere?" Levi asked as he scanned the room with his dull grey gaze.

Dante leaned past the door, his head and hands shaking and a mixture of helplessness and fear on his face. Al did his best to ignore it and focused his attention on Levi.

"Afraid I haven't…" Al tilted his head and raised his eyebrow, "What did he do this time?"

Levi slowly exhaled and gave the slightest hint of a shrug, "It doesn't matter… But about Jay and Eren. Those two stupid brats are volatile. I expect them to be on different sides of the Retreat at all times. Are we clear?

Al nodded, "We're clear. I'll keep an eye on Jay…"

Levi nodded and slammed the door shut. Dante blinked and finally breathed out, his shoulders sagging and his head lowering.

"What the hell did you do?" Al demanded, his brow furrowed in annoyance, "Honestly, what in God's name did you do to get you in trouble with the Captain?"

Dante looked up, a miserable expression on his face, "It doesn't matter…" He muttered quietly as he slowly shook his head. Al tilted his head and glared at Dante. Dante breathed out as he pulled the rim of his hat over his eyes, "Something I'm not entirely proud of… And also something I'm not willing to share…"

Al shook his head and sighed, 'So this is what happens. When you stick your neck out, the more difficult things get…' Al thought but kept it to himself.

"And if you excuse me…" Dante added further as he opened the door, "I'm gonna attend to potato girl, cueball and horseface…" He finally shut the door behind him. Al's face creased in confusion but he shook his head, knowing better not to question Dante. He sat down and opened the first aid kit and began to pull out the contents.

Mikasa sighed as she noticed that the fire in her room had died out, even more so that there was no more firewood. 'I guess Al would know where to get some more…' She thought as put her jacket on and left her room. She pulled her jacket tighter around her and wrapped her scarf around her neck as she went further down the corridor, the air getting chilly. Mikasa walked in, "I'm out of firewood and I have no idea where you keep your-" Mikasa stopped when she realised Al was half dressed. He only had his trousers and gloves on and had a towel around his neck which he was rubbing his hair with. What struck Mikasa the most were three long white scars over Al's torso, one going over his upper chest and the other two over his chiselled abdomen.

"Don't you knock? It's rude..." Al said, hanging the towel up on a peg and throwing on a shirt, the buttons done up in a lazy fashion, "Even more so that you want to fight an injured man…"

Mikasa breathed out and tilted her head, "I wasn't-"

"Relax. It was a joke…" Al admitted, raising his hands and a smile appearing on his face, "Albeit a bad one. Anyway, you said something about firewood? Didn't quite catch what you said after that."

"I'm out of firewood and I have no idea where you keep your supplies" Mikasa repeated.

"Oh here I'll show you" Al walked out of the room followed by Mikasa, making sure he had a slight limp. He led the way through the corridors towards the south side of the mansion, adequate lighting provided by a series of the shiny ore found in the Reiss Chapel and the moonlight.

"Why do you even need a place this big anyway, it just seems like a waste of space in my opinion" Mikasa remarked, looking out of each window they went past.

"But without it there would be no headquarters for the GSC. Sure we could use one of our family manors but that might put one of our families in danger should anyone who are against find out our location and attempt to destroy it. You really should think things through you know" Al explained, looking back at Mikasa, who stared back at him with her usual emotionless face. "Well off to the basement then" Al said, descending the stairs that led down to the basement. They walked past the training rooms and the workshop and Al opened the door to the supply room. The room itself was quite large with shelves lining the walls and rows of crates with all sorts of labels in the middle. "Now where is the firewood in all of this…" Al looked at each of the labels of the crates. Mikasa did the same on the other side, all the labels read pistols, rifles, gas cylinders, maps and uniforms.

"Quite the armoury you have here…" Mikasa muttered as she look through the crates. "And what's with the extra uniforms?"

"Yeah, well it's good to be prepared…" Al called out from behind her, "And the whole GSC is a growing thing so maybe Erwin would want to send in new members to join us. But if you want to wear them, I'd be more than fine with that…"

Mikasa shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes and continued to look through the crate. Then a thought had struck her."Those scars on your body," Mikasa turned her head to face Al," Where did you get them from?"

"I thought you would ask about those, "Al looked down at his chest and traced his hands over where they would be under his shirt, "I didn't get all three in one go. The first one I got while protecting someone, the second I got in a streetfight and the third on an expedition. Does that answer your question?"

"It'll suffice as an answer I guess" Mikasa answered back, tilting her head in Al's direction. "So that you were protecting someone when you got that first scar. I assume the two are close..."

Al stayed quiet, "We were. Her and I…" He muttered.

"Her and I?" Mikasa asked in mild curiosity.

"To put it simply she wasn't who I thought she was…nothing more to it really…" Al remarked quietly but shook his head, "Anyway...What's the story behind yours?"

"Oh this," Mikasa parted her hair to reveal the small scar on her cheek which had faded quite a lot, "I assume you've read the reports about the Trost-."

"I already know how you got that scar. Sure the reports didn't say anything but it's really not that hard to figure out. During the reclamation campaign of Trost I understand that Eren tried to kill you in titan form and some of the shrapnel from the debris cut your cheek thus giving you that scar."

"Then what are you talking abo-"

"The one on your right forearm."

Mikasa glanced down at her forearm and lowered her head and exhaled shakily as she moved her hand to her mouth. 'When was the last time I actually thought about them?' She thought miserably and in self-loathing as she thought of what had happened years ago.

"...Mikasa?" Al turned to look at her, his head tilted at an angle and concern written all over his face.

"It was a family tradition, from my mother's side of the family…" Mikasa spoke quietly, "I guess, Eren and you are now the only ones who know about that…"

Al sighed out and cursed at himself, "I'm sorry… For bringing them up… and about them… you know…"

Mikasa nodded slightly, "Yeah, don't worry… Same to you with your brother…"

"Thanks, I guess…" Al murmured to himself. He felt a lump start to form his throat and tried to fight back against the tears that was threatening to form. Quickly, he cleared his throat, trying to focus on something else. 'Maybe I should tell her? About us being titan shifters?' . Al exhaled and closed his eyes, "Er… by the way… I've been needing to-"

"Found the firewood," Mikasa stated and Al stopped, finally deciding against his previous decision. Instead, he got up, brushed down the front of his shirt and shrugged.

"Well, there you go, mission accomplished…" Al smiled, "Don't worry about clearing up, I'll handle it myself. I insist"

Mikasa gave a reluctant nod and was about to leave until she stopped. She turned around to face him, "Oh, and Alphonse?" Mikasa added as she turned to Al who looked up at her.

"I told you before, it's Al," Al cut in smoothly, "But you were saying?"

"I didn't just come here just to ask you for firewood," Mikasa admitted. Al's eyebrows raised in surprise. He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms, "Oh really?" He asked, a smile beginning to emerge on his face as he tilted his head.

Mikasa shook her head as she stepped forward and reached into her inner jacket pocket. She pulled out a book and held it out for Al. It was the same book he had shown her the night before. Al broke into a chuckle, shook his head and took the book from her. "I was wondering where that went," He admitted as he looked at the book. "I've read that, what? Three times now?"

"I guess I should have told you that I took it," Mikasa stated, "And that you may have been right,"

Al shook his head and extended it out to her, "I insist. You can keep it for as long as you want. And you're free to take a look at whatever book there is in the library. Same for the rest of your squad as well…"

Mikasa slowly took the book back from him and held it underneath her arm, "...Thanks Al…" She nodded as she left with the firewood. Al nodded and remained there, thinking to himself.

CREAK!

Al's head perked up instantly. He quickly and silently, grabbed for a nearby knife and his knees bent into a crouch. Slowly, he made his way to the door, calming his breathing as he adjusted his grip on the knife. He pushed the door slowly and peered out into the corridor. It was completely dark, making it near impossible to see.

"Whoever you are… Come out…" Al ordered as he scanned his surroundings,

There was silence.

"This is your one and only warning… Come out and show yourself!"

There was nothing.

Al finally exhaled as stood up straight. 'It was probably nothing… I'm just imagining things…' He sighed as he tossed the knife and scabbard over his shoulder into the crate and walked out, shutting the door.

As Al was leaving, Eren crept out from the shadows and eyed Al leaving and disappearing into the dark. As quietly as he could, he sauntered inside and stopped as his eyes scanned the numerous crates. 'Now then, Alphonse…' He thought bitterly, 'Now just what the hell are you planning…'

Eren's eyes scanned the numerous stashes of weapons in the armoury. 'So this is what is lying beneath the entire place. Hmm?'

His eyes lingered and stopped on one particular weapon. Carefully, he reached into the crate and pulled out a long sharpened dagger with an ornamented sheath. He pulled it out of its sheath and held it gently in his hands and examined the glinting blade. 'Long, sharp but small enough to hide on me...This should work…' He thought as he holstered it and hung it from his belt at the back of his trousers.

"What are you doing?"

Eren flinched, his blood turning icy cold. Slowly he craned his head over his shoulder and his eyes focused to see who was behind him.

AN:

Sorry for being so late with this chapter. Life's been sort of catching up lately and there're things that need to be attended to first.

Hopefully this chapter satisfies the wait and as for next chapter I can't give a guarantee as to when it will we released.

But I do wonder if anyone got that Black Butler reference at the beginning...

As always FOLLOW to stay up to date with the story and leave a REVIEW just to keep the story going.

Till next time.