After an hour of plodding down the mountainside, the sun was directly overhead. Its harsh rays turned the crisp air into a muggy heat. It was going to be one of those days, Erza decided as she strode along the path with an uneasy feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach.

At some point during her rather prolonged walk, the boy who had been somewhat holding on in his sleep, started to slip. She stopped momentarily, readjusting her grip on his legs. His head was resting on her own. It wasn't an uncomfortable position, she had experienced it many times before while carrying Natsu or Gray after they had been knocked out. But this was different. His hair, unlike Natsu's or Gray's had a soft, almost plush feeling to it, as if it were the fur that a cat retained from its days as a kitten. Erza allowed a small smile to pop up at the thought. But as soon as the grin had appeared, it vanished. This was a serious situation. This boy could be dying on her back, and here she was comparing his hair to that of a kitten's. She bit her tongue to keep her mind off such ridiculous things and bring her back to reality.

The leaves of the towering trees that stood far above them partially blocked the sunlight, creating a patch of darkness here, or a small streak of light there. The patchwork of shadows led her down the path that seemed like it had doubled in length. Wildlife had begun to stir, and the mountain didn't seem so... empty anymore. Birds chirped, insects hummed and frogs croaked together in a wonderful symphony of life.

Twigs still crunched underfoot, and pebbles flew short distances when picked up by Erza's constantly moving feet. They would be at the base of the mountain soon, and that would mean only another half an hour until town. No, she had to be faster than that. She could make it in ten. Erza grinned. This could be interesting, she thought as her pace sped up considerably.

Halfway to town, the gravel path became a worn dirt road. Its fine dust was spread throughout the air whenever the slightest breeze rolled by, creating a small dust cloud that hovered around Erza with no sign of ending.

Once she got there, she ought to buy something for the boy to eat. He was terribly thin, and she could feel it as his ribcage knocked against her back every now and then. Why was he this thin? He didn't look malnourished, just really skinny. Perhaps he was homeless?

What would she do with this guy after she returned him to the guild? Surely they would have Wendy treat him, but what about herself? She had a job to do, but something nagged at her, urging her to stay near this boy. Staying on a steady course, the first buildings on the edge of the town came into view.

From here she could make out the people dotting the streets before them. The next train wouldn't be here for a good portion of an hour, they'd have to time to waste. She could check over his wounds, grab something for them to eat and notify the guild of her preemptive return from her job.

As they met the crowd in the streets many faces turned to watch them pass. Whispers filled the air. The weight on her back felt heavier for a split second, almost akin to her luggage in terms of heaviness. Her cart usually drew the most attention to them, but it seemed like most were looking at the boy on her back. It was very likely, most of these people wouldn't have seen someone this beat up in their lives.

Erza pressed forwards towards the nearest cafe. She didn't know what he would or wouldn't like, but he would need something that could fill him up. I'll order him some tea and a heavy slice of cake she decided.

Dropping her cart outside, Erza entered the building. As she had predicted, eyes widened as she walked up to the counter and ordered herself and the boy cake and tea to go.

The waiter came scurrying back with their bag."Is your friend okay miss-?" She trailed off with a questioning tone.

"Erza. And he's fine, we were just returning to the guildhall." He was definitely not okay, and she hadn't the slightest idea who he was either. Causing needless worry wasn't exactly a thing that was on her to do list right now though.

"Oh, you're both wizards then!" She said smiling. "What guild are you in?"

"We're in-"

"You're Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail, right?!"

The sudden outburst came from the other end of the cafe. A man stood up clutching a camera. "Can I get a photo please?"

She glanced back at the body on her back. "I'd prefer if you didn't at this time. My colleague is badly hurt and we like to show Fairy Tail at its strongest, not its weakest."

The man visually sagged. "Alright. But next time you're around here I'll catch ya!" He took his seat and returned to his own business with the occasional glance in their direction.

"Fairy Tail, huh? Life as a wizard must be pretty interesting." The waitress intoned as she walked away.

Erza left the cafe with their snacks and proceeded to make a beeline to her cart. She set the goods down on the edge and grabbed the handle. The train station was across town, with this guy on her back clanking all the way it was going to be a long walk.

Making her way downtown, walking fast, she passed numerous people. Most knew her by her bright red hair, and approached her only to stop when the saw someone passed out on her back. They gave her adequate space to get through with her cart, but not enough to maneuver properly.

They arrived at the station earlier than expected. This was to Erza's advantage however, and she took it with stride. Grabbing their tickets took only a few moments of explaining to the conductor that they'd need a private booth as to not startle the other passengers. An agreement was made quickly and her luggage was loaded onto the train.

She followed the numbers on her tickets to their compartment. What should she do now? She couldn't sit down with him on her, she could Injure him further by doing that. She could set him down, but if he woke up at that point he'd probably freak out. His arm was still draped over her shoulder. Maybe if she poked him?

Lightly tapping his hand, Erza moved further into the compartment. The boy made nothing that could be interpreted as a response. She continued putting a slight inconsistent pressure on his hand for a few minutes, and when he still didn't stir she set him down on a seat that would give him enough room to lie flat.

He wasn't very tall, average at best Erza decided as she sat adjacent from him. Probably a bit taller than her though. His face looked like it'd seen many battles, a scar making itself present under his left eye. Erza dragged her gaze from his face to the angry bruises on his arms along with the lacerations that dotted his limbs.

He wasn't bleeding anymore. Was he bleeding when she first found him anyways? It had seemed like it, but nothing had rubbed off or stand her clothing, right? With a quick inspection she affirmed that he hadn't bled out on her. Even as a wizard who fought for money, looking nice was important, and bloodstains didn't exactly fit into the average person's definition of looking nice.

The final call for passengers was being made and Erza idly scanned the crowd in the station from her window. When she caught someone's gaze who obviously knew who she was, she grabbed the curtains and drew them shut. Let's not draw attention to myself right now.

Her attention drifted to the boy across from her. He hadn't moved yet, causing Erza to furrow her brow. Was he really just that tired? Or did he lose too much blood beforehand? Erza leaned forward to tap his cheek when he made a small noise.

"Nng."

She quickly retracted her hand, fearing she might startle him if he woke with something at such a proximity to him. His face contorted into that of a scowl as he shifted in his sleep.

Erza watched him move around slightly, his good arm twitching every now and then. He was sound asleep, or she thought he was. There really wasn't anyway to tell. He could have just exhausted his energy to the point of being unable to move until his body replenished some of its strength.

The train started moving then, it's movement causing the space they were in to shake. The boys limbs were jostled along with the seat. She winced for him as his bad arm slipped off of his stomach and onto the seat beside him. Despite this, he didn't wake, he merely muttered something unintelligible before his good hand twitched yet again.

Was he dreaming of something? Peering at his hand, waiting for another motion, Erza sat quietly. The train was gaining considerable speed and with it the severity of some less than appealing track work was increasing. Bumping and bouncing all over the old section of these tracks, the compartment continued to be pushed around.

On a particularly bad patch, their little space dipped suddenly and they were treated to an abrupt smack against the seats. Erza scanned the form across from her to see if anything had happened. He hadn't moved, but his face was scrunched up. If Erza hadn't known he was asleep she might've thought he was throwing some sort of fit. But in knowing his current state she leaned closer, inspecting his expression for any hint of pain.

"..n." N? Just a noise? It looked like he was trying to say something. She couldn't be sure until more was said, that is if anything else was said at all.

"...ren..." He was definitely trying to say something. No two ways about it. Erza full on stared at him, willing him to continue.

"...en... Ere..." He looked like he was about to cry. She wasn't sure how to deal with this person. Comforting would be an option if he wasn't asleep.

"Eren...?" Wait, a name? Was he calling out for someone? His face lost its expression and went blank. Almost immediately after it warped into a fearful expression.

"E-Eren?! EREN!" The boy bolted upright, eyes snapping open and locking onto the only other thing in this area.

Startled by his sudden outburst, Erza scooched back on her seat, giving him some room. He was glaring daggers at her, as if he'd forgotten their encounter earlier. It was a possibility after all, he'd lost blood, passed out and was obviously in a position that made him vulnerable. He shouldn't be glaring though, she'd given up a job and spent money on his ticket and food just to get him this far.

"If you're going to complain, don't. I could've gone about my business and left you out there." Erza rummaged through the bag with their snacks. She pulled out a piece of cake and a fork. Placing it on a napkin she held it out in front of him and looked at him expectantly. "You've lost blood so I got you something to keep yourself conscious. There's tea in here as well."

The boy's eyes flickered to the cake and back to Erza several times before he sighed. He readjusted his position on the seat, moving his legs to dangle off the edge.

"Thank you, Miss Scarlet." He said as he reached for the cake.

So he did remember the events that happened earlier. That was good considering he looked like a cornered cat ready to pounce on anything that came near.

He was eyeing the cake with an air of confusion surrounding him. Erza had grabbed her own piece of cake from the bag and had taken a bite. Fantastic, they must have caught the cafe on their fresh goods day. Their slices were from a much bigger cake, a mere sliver of the thing really. But they were completely worth every jewel.

They sat in silence, Erza enjoying her cake immensely while the other across from her studied his rescuer. The cake sat on his lap, the napkin sliding between the slight crease between his legs. His eyes followed the treat, as if he was unsure what to do with it.

He cleared his voice before beginning, "Was this expensive Miss Scarlet?" Erza shook her head. Was this why he wasn't touching it?

"It was only around six hundred Jewels. The tea was four hundred. Just pocket change."

He visibly paled, looking at the cake in his lap.

"I can't accept this. It's too much for me to pay you back. I can't make that in a year, let alone pay you back while being able to afford food."

The queen of fairies deadpanned. How bad a job did he have where he couldn't make a thousand Jewel in a year? It truly was pocket change, and if he isn't able to make this in a year, how has he not died yet?

"What kind of job do you have?" She inquired, interested in knowing how he made a living.

"I'm a soldier." What kind of soldier wore clunky boxes with thin swords? So many straps as well, perhaps he was in a guild? Thinking about it, they weren't as strange as some of her armours, but they looked to be a weapon.

"I see. You must mean the Fiore Royal Military, right?" A grunt soldier was the only possibility. Their wages were poor, but Erza couldn't think of anything else. Surely a grunt would make over a hundred-thousand jewels though, regardless of being military dogs, they still had to pay for rent and other necessities. It was a stretch considering the difference of uniform, but this could be a casual thing.

He shook his head. "No, of our three branches, I serve the scouting legion. I have our insignia on my cape, I'm surprised you didn't recognize it." He examined the train's interior. The carved wood on the handles of their seats caught his eye. "Such fine craftsmanship, are we in wall Sina? That might explain your lack of knowledge for the separate branches of military."

There was this talk about walls again. "I don't know anything about these walls you're speaking of, and you're mentioning them quite a bit. Care to explain?" The boy's attention was ripped from the handles and became fixed on Erza. She met his gaze, noting the underlying confusion that was currently growing from both ends of their situation.

His voice went flat. "What do you mean 'care to explain'...? How could you not know what the walls are? They should be visible out any window unless obstructed by something." He nodded towards the curtains. "And even if you couldn't see them through there, just step outside this building."

Things were starting to get weird, what had happened to this boy that had left him with wounds and spouting nonsense about walls? Erza reached towards the curtains and drew them open, the sunlight flooding the dim room. The boy shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of light.

He slowly drew back his arm, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. You could almost see his heart stop when he looked out those windows.

To those whom it may concern;

Sorry for the horrifyingly long wait. I can't really say anything else. I had this chapter done about four to five months ago, totally finished along with chapter three. But my laptop where everything was saved on failed on a bios level. I've tried to recreate what was there but it's taken me awhile to remember.

Anyways, shoving that aside, I've hit a few bumps, and by bumps, I mean age. Erza over here, is 19 on the DEBUT of FT, and Mikasa is only 15. Fifteen guys. I know love knows no bounds, but even in my crackships I like to have their age closer. So Mikasa is temporarily being aged up to 18. Everyone else in the AoTverse will be aged if brought in. Also, sorry for the horrible OOCness.