See you later, Eren Chapter 3
Title: Back in the 104th: Part I
Hello again! I'm oh so excited to release this next chapter of See you later, Eren! It's part one of two because I couldn't fully wrap up the arc of the chapter without breaching into post-10K words. I didn't want to go farther that that, as most of my chapters will be sub-10K so I wanted to keep the pacing okay. Thank you all for the amazing reviews, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support and how much it inspires me to keep at it! A special thanks to kaffeenator666 who went extremely in-depth with the review, so there will be a response to him soon. I won't do many responses to reviews unless they are specific questions, but I'd love to elaborate on some things from kaffeenator's review, so you all can read it if you want some clarification! Without further ado, enjoy! -Y
Response to TheGreenVex: Thank you for the reviews! and to answer your question, I plan on uploading a new chapter every week on Sunday (after all, it is attack on titan sunday) somewhere around 3:00-5:00 pm est. Chapter 2 came out so quickly after Chapter 1 because I had a lot of free time and Chapter 1 was short. Yes, this chapter did come out on Tuesday, but I hope to remedy that soon, as Tuesdays aren't the most ideal days to post.
Response to Kaffeenator666: Thank you so much for writing such an extensive review! Such a long one warrants a thorough response, so here I go. I definitely agree that 139 could shake things up a bit, but these next few chapters will mainly be laying the groundwork anyways, so I'll be sure to make any changes as needed to my outline before I get too deep into things. I don't really think the Erehisu barn secks is likely, but my main concern is the titan shifters/pure titans being eradicated by the end of the story, which is certainly possible if not likely. But rest assured, I'm keeping everything in mind. I also agree with you that Mikasa definitely doesn't understand Eren's actions since the basement/touching Historia's hand, and this fact will play a big part in her actions throughout the story. Finally, yes, there is a lot of Eren x Mikasa ship in this fic, and while I think young Eren has a relationship to young Mikasa that exceeds family (i.e., he loves Mikasa but doesn't truly realize it), I agree the romantic element is very much not at play for him at the moment. Also, I always interpreted Eren's annoyance at Mikasa, in the situations that he was, as coming from a mixture of jealousy at her strength and a desire for independence. He admits the former in S3 and the latter has always been a core part of his character. Either way, you don't have to worry about Mikasa just confessing her feelings and Eren being like "wanna kiss?" haha, their love is naturally a big part of the story and as such I hope to write a gradual and believable transformation of their relationship. But you've left me with a lot to consider when it comes to what I should focus on moving forward, and I love knowing my readers' thoughts, so thanks!
MIKASA POV
His face is... peaceful. Yes. Mikasa decides that his face is peaceful. The wind makes the grass and the flowers and the trees sway to and fro, the leaves being pulled by the gust, which makes a loud yet tranquil sound that envelops her ears. She can feel the scarf tugging at the same direction as the leaves of the trees, and she can see her long hair flash in and out of her vision, her eyes focused on the sleeping boy in front of her. His hair blows too, but it's too small for it to make much of a difference. She thinks that she envies hair like that, but decides she likes her hair long.
Though the sun is full, shining brightly against the diminishing dew of the grass around the tree that they sit at, the many branches and freshly bloomed leaves leave them with plenty of shade. She doesn't remember what she was doing. But, right now, she's watching Eren sleep... peacefully. She lets a slight smile grow on her face, not a smile of mischief, excitement, or of joy, but of contentment.
It feels like there's something that she should be worrying about, but staring at Eren's napping face completely allows her to stop thinking. Kneeling there, in front of the boy that has always made her feel safe, she wonders what he's thinking about. This small, lovely, passionate boy. Mikasa lets the feeling of pure happiness grow within her. There is always something to worry about, she figures, but there is also so much to be thankful for.
She's thankful she has a home now, a new family...
Eren.
She lets the winds of peace and freedom absorb her, no longer fighting against it, just taking in her favorite person.
...
"Carla is probably wondering what's taking us so long", she finds herself thinking. "after all, the only thing she asked us to do was-"
...
"What did she ask us to do?"
She figures that Eren isn't going to wake up from his peace anytime soon, so she lets her attention falter ever so slightly to try to think about Carla.
"Carla... what did you want me to do?"
It's on the tip of her tongue... and as she looks over to Eren, she can see tears leave his closed eyes.
"Mikasa!" a pained, fearful squeal of a woman is what she hears.
The tears on Eren's face stop, his face having remained in the same... peaceful state they were in the entire time. The tears quit exiting his closed eyes, but they continue to fall until they reach his chin in an uncanny way, and then they disappear, leaving his face completely dry.
"You must survive!" the same voice of the woman... Carla... is heard. The terror and love in her voice as clear as they day she died.
The wind stops.
"Please... don't go..." Carla whispers.
Suddenly Mikasa can't help but wonder what Eren is thinking about. This small, lovely, passionate boy.
...
Reality washes over her as Mikasa opens her eyes, only for her to find that she might as well have not opened her eyes, it was pitch black either way. She sits up in her creaky bed, momentarily caught off balance at the odd weight of her head. "right... I cut my hair". A part of her berates herself. It had only been a week that she had long hair all over again, before that she was nineteen years old and her hair had never been shorter. Now, she's back where she was when Eren had first suggested she cut it, what felt like 2,000 years ago. She ghosts the short, jagged strands that were the result of her recent haircut. She swears she cut it better the first time she did it, did she really get worse at it after seven years? The next shower she takes should help get the small pieces off; the tiny strands that got caught on the back of her neck or in her shirt when she so amateurly sliced each bit off.
She takes in her surroundings, her eyes having adjusted just enough to see that she's on the bottom bunk of a double bed, a snoring girl above her. To her left, she sees two other girls in a separate double bed. She wonders what time it is, worrying momentarily that if she doesn't get to sleep, she won't have enough energy to wake up bright and early for training tomorrow. But, she reenters the psychology that got her through her training years and her years in the scouts. "it doesn't matter how much you sleep, you'll get up anyways because you have to."
Mikasa scoffs, she hoped training would be easier now than the first time she did it, and in many ways it was, but it seemed to be getting harder to wake up early. She briefly considers that the week she stayed at the orphanage had softened her up, allowed her to get used to waking whenever she pleased, but she remembers she never slept long there either.
"it's the nightmares."
The nightmares. On the frequent nights she had them, she couldn't go back to sleep and so her body was tired. On the few nights she didn't, she never wanted to get out of bed, because it was nice not to have any nightmares. She rubs her eyes, but stops when she feels wetness touch her knuckles. Tch. It happened again. She can't help but wonder if her cries are audible as she sleeps, just as one is sometimes concerned if they snore too loudly. You can never know unless someone tells you. Though, she guesses that they aren't, because if she could be heard, the rumor would have spread around the entire 104th within the day. After all, it clashed so heavily with the reputation she built for herself.
The thoughts of her last dream came back to her. Was it a nightmare? She isn't sure. "it didn't really seem scary". She might have even dared to say it felt nice if it wasn't for her knowledge. His beautiful, innocent face sleeping. That's all it was. The boy who saved her. It should have felt nice. She wants to save Eren, she knows she does, but she still can't fully be at peace with him like she used to, because of what he'll do, because of the rumbling, because he hates her. The very thought that she'll never be able to look at him the same way again nearly brings her to tears every time it crosses her mind, but she knows that its a demonstrable fact. But deep down... maybe if she saves him, maybe, she'll be able to convince herself that it never happened.
"Please... don't go...". For a reason she can't fathom, Carla's words come back to her. She furrows her brow in contemplation, as she remembers Carla telling her the things she heard in the dream, to Mikasa and Eren, as she lay crushed by her own house, desperately trying to convince them to save themselves and leave her. But... Mikasa can't for the life of her remember Carla ever telling them to not go, even in a restrained, pained whisper. The thought of Carla actually saying that brings her chills, as if it was true, a whole new layer of guilt that she didn't need would be added to her.
"it was probably just some weird dream".
...
The faint sound of crickets is all that is heard as Mikasa decides to remain leaning against the headboard of her bed, taking in Eren's death all over again, partly in a futile attempt to numb herself to the pain of it, but also to remember what she's here to do...
ONE WEEK EARLIER
"You there!" the loud, gruff voice of Commandant Shadis boomed menacingly at the small but determined twelve year old in front of him.
"Yes, sir!" Armin salutes heartily, staring straight ahead into nothing in particular, just like they were told to do.
"Who are you?"
"Armin Arlert, from Shiganshina!"
"Yeah? That's a stupid name. Your parents give you that?"
"My grandfather!" the boy responds, Mikasa could tell that Armin was just a little caught off guard by the insult, but she herself was partly astonished that she was seeing Shadis alive again, knowing that he ended up sacrificing himself to allow them to stop Eren, but also partly nostalgic at the thinly veiled insults he frequently used to throw at them in order to harden them up. She misses it. It was scary at the time, both remembering her own experiences and looking upon Armin's currently discomforted face, but it was painfully simple. A part of her is happy that she gets to spend three more years here, as if she had known the hell that awaited everyone after this, she would have wanted to stay. Training with Shadis was heaven by comparison.
"Arlert, what are you doing here?"
"Trying to aid humanity's victory!" he closes his eyes to express his devotion, but also, she knows, to avoid his domineering gaze.
"That is indeed wonderful... then you will feed the Titans. Row 3, about face!" Shadis finishes as he grabs the bewildered boy's head forcefully and turns him around. Mikasa wishes she could look happily on these simple times, but the future pulls at her soul. "you end up fighting Eren one last time, and ensure that I can kill him", is all she is able to think about Armin.
"Who are you?" Mikasa notices that Shadis has moved on to another blonde boy. She doesn't really remember him, which means he died a horrible death by the titans.
"Thomas Wagner, from Trost!" he responds. Trost. The moment Eren's titan is revealed. Mikasa looks down in contemplation, posture remaining the same as all the other cadets around her. "when Eren became a titan for the first time, the military discovered the truth and our freedom was forfeit. As soon as they found out..." she thinks to Pixis, Erwin, and Levi, "Eren began his journey to the basement". She can't let that happen, so she must stop Eren from ever becoming a titan.
"I can't hear you!"
"Thomas Wagner from-"
"Too soft! Go practice in the cattle shed!"
"And to do that, I can't let Trost happen"
"You, next!"
"Mina Carolina, from Karanes!"
"Wrong! You are from the pig shed, worth less than cattle."
Cattle.
Mikasa focuses intently on Shadis and the discomfort of the cadets that have the displeasure of being confronted by him, determined to avoid thinking about Eren's words.
"I've always hate-"
"Yes sir! I am less than cattle!"
"No, you're a fly, swarming around a pig's ass!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Next!"
"Samuel Linke-Jackson, from Snate Village!"
"A horrible name, change it now! What are you doing here?"
"Sacrificing myself for humanity!"
Mikasa sighs through her nose quietly. "humanity..."
"Row 4, about face!"
She sees him walk past Eren.
"Listen up! I've seen a lot of shit in my time, but you are the sorriest pieces of shit I've ever seen. You're in for three years of hell!"
Mikasa keeps her stone cold face as he continues to pass by the students with a particular type of grimace. If she were to guess, she would say that he could tell who has already been through hell, or who's resolve is already plenty strong. She looks at him skipping Reiner and Bertholdt. "they're problems", she realizes. Up until this point, she's kept the mentality that they were allies fighting against Eren, but now, she knows exactly what they are and what they plan to do. "Bertholdt, you're the one who started this all, and you're the one who broke through Trost".
She is snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Shadis approaching her line, so she reverts back to her general, stoic stare. She sees Shadis looking intently at each of the cadets' faces, determining which he should berate. When he looks at Mikasa, for a split second he sizes her up, but, quicker than with anyone else she's seen, he looks away and moves on. She detects the tiniest change on his face, eyebrows parted slightly further in what looks to be surprise, or maybe unsettlement.
She wonders if he can, on some level, tell.
"Who are you?!"
"Jean Kirstein, from Trost!"
Mikasa resumes her thinking, "Trost not only killed many of my comrades in the 104th, it set Eren down a path that will lead to his death. For everyone's sake, I have to stop Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt before they can do it".
"What are you doing here?", Jean looked a bit caught off guard by the question, as if he was contemplating his answer. However, Mikasa knows the only thing he's contemplating is whether or not to tell the truth.
"Joining the Military Police, for a life deep within the walls"
"Oh, I see." Shadis seems partly amused at the explanation as Jean's face reverts back to the forcefully blank but worried expression many of his comrades were wearing.
"You want access to the interior?" Shadis resumes.
"Yes." Jean says, a bit too enthusiastically, resulting in a sudden headbutt by Shadis. Jean drops to his knees and clutches his head.
"Who said you could sit down?! Anyone who can't handle this will never make the Military Police!". Anger remains on the Commandant's face as he walks over to his next victim, "Who are you? What are you doing here?". The expression on this boys face is wide and enthusiastic. A very obvious smile glows from him as he explains, "Marco Bott, Jinae City, Wall Rose South District! I want to join the Military Police, to offer the King my body and self in service!
"The King... the King is a fake" Mikasa remembers. That could also serve as a potential problem for her. If the Reiss family has no intentions to even defend themselves from a Marleyan attack, would she only be delaying the inevitable by killing Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt? In fact, how exactly is she supposed to kill the titan shifters. She could easily do it, she has years of training, Ackerman strength, and, most importantly, the element of surprise. But... what if it really was futile? "At best, this would put Marley on edge and possibly act as a cause for war, and at worst, I could be executed for murder if anyone found out..."
"Really..." Shadis chuckles as he doubtfully remarks, "I'm glad to hear that. Good luck. However..." Marco's face becomes thoroughly unsettled as his instructor gives him a particularly exacting look. "The King doesn't want your body."
Before Marco can even process the remark, Shadis moves on, "Next! You!"
"Who are you?"
Mikasa's eyes widen. Seeing Jean was strange enough, but there was Connie, too. The nearly-bald boy salutes in an inverted way, "Connie Springer, of Ragako Village, Wall Rose South District!". Mikasa suddenly sees Shadis grab Connie by the head. Admittedly, her memories of this exact moment were scant. In fact, most of her memories of today consisted of what was about to happen to a certain redhead. "You're doing it wrong, Connie Springer... I explained that this salute demonstrates your resolve to devote your entire heart to the people. Is your heart on your right side?" he asks before a girl situated to the left and back caught his eye.
They hear the girl take a bite of her potato. The incredulous look on his face, along with the scared looks of all her students, makes Mikasa want to smile wistfully. Sasha. The memories of Mikasa and Armin crying over her cold corpse in the dark airship flash in her mind. She remembers how split she felt towards Eren at the time. She knew it was his fault, but she couldn't bring herself to be seriously upset with him, as she was just so glad he was back in Paradis where she didn't have to worry about him as much. If only she knew then what he was planning to do...
"Hey, you... What are you doing?". Sasha looks around dumbly, as if Shadis isn't obviously talking to her. She takes another bite-
"You're the one I'm talking to! You!" he shouts. "Who are you?!"
Sasha quickly swallows and salutes. "Sasha Blause, from Dauper Village, Wall Rose South District!" she says in an overly-formal voice, potato held in her saluting hand.
"Sasha Blause, what are you holding in your right hand?"
"A boiled potato! The kitchen had a fresh batch, and I couldn't resist."
"Did you steal it? Why? Why would you choose to eat a potato now?"
"Letting it get cold would've been a waste, so I decided I should eat it now." she responds with dead seriousness.
"Well, I still don't understand... why would you eat that potato?"
"Are you asking me why people eat potatoes?". All that could be heard was the soft whistle of the wind and all that could be seen were the incredibly shocked faces of all the cadets around her. It seemed that Mikasa was the only one to force herself to look away. After a painful bout of silence, Sasha gasps slightly in realization before tearing the potato in two. She grabs the piece that couldn't have been half the size of the other, and offers it to him. "You can have half...", she says with restraint, as if it was hard enough just to give any of the potato away, completely oblivious to the truth of the situation around her.
"Half..."
Sasha forces a smile.
EREN POV
"He's still making that potato girl run." some of the cadets could see the girl's silhouette, cast by the falling sun, tiredly running around, clearly on the verge of collapse.
"Wow, five straight hours... but she seemed more distraught when told she wouldn't get dinner than when told she must run until she dropped" Eren remarks.
"If I remember correctly," the bald one speaks up "Dauper village is a tiny hunting village, deep in the mountains." However, Eren's gaze switches to the moving carriage not far from the mess hall, walking up a dirt path. "What's that?"
"The dropouts." the girl answers. "they requested a transfer, to the frontier."
"What? But it's only the first day." he hears Armin ponder. Eren sighs, "it was only a matter of time. If you aren't strong enough, you have to leave". The other four look at him, a bit shocked at his comment. But, as far as he was concerned, it was true. It's no wonder why the Commandant felt the need to yell at so many, he's trying to sort the quitters out. Still, the thought makes him a bit dispirited, "hard to believe they'd rather go back to weeding and picking up rocks." he mentions the chore that always brought him the most dread as a kid. The meniality of it always made him want to find Armin and hang out with him... maybe go and run around the hills near town, or just stare at the sky and listen to him talk about the outside world... anything but weeding. It was time consuming, boring, and it never made a difference, because the weeds would always come back. He knew Mikasa didn't care for it either, not that she ever complained. Whenever he complained, she would always tell him that the house looked better without weeds, so they ought to make sure they don't come out. He would always say that he didn't care how the house looked... his mind cuts back to his destroyed house, with his mom trapped under the heavy wooden beams...
"Hey, he didn't ask where you were from, did he?" he hears the tall boy with freckles speak up. Eren forces a smile as he puts a hand on Armin's shoulder, "Shiganshina, the same as him", he hears the others gasp, "I see..." the boy continues, "thats...". "then, weren't you there that day?" the bald kid interjects.
"H-Hey..." the taller boy tries to carry some tact about him, but the bald one continues enthusiastically, "Did you see the Colossal Titan?".
"Y-Yeah..." Eren says, a bit caught off guard by the sudden topic. With the misplaced enthusiasm, Eren remembers that this was Connie Springer, the one that had his salute all messed up. He seems to pick up on Eren's stammering, so he clarifies.
"You know, the big one that broke through the outer gate."
"Oh... that's what they call it... yeah, I saw the big one." though big didn't even begin to describe the feeling of the thing. His friends and neighbors were ants to it, and he can only imagine how intimidating the rest of it's body was, as all he could see was the skinless head.
Connie is about to continue, but the tall kid interrupts the conversation again. "wow, that must have been hard, having your homes taken away from you...".
Eren keeps his hand on Armin as he looks to him. Armin looks back with a comforting smile. "I still have my friends, though" he smiles resolutely. Armin raises his eyebrows slightly, likely surprised by the sincerity of his words. Eren looks back, "you're the one who wants to join the Military Police, right?". After hearing of that Kirstein kid's intentions with joining the MP, his respect for that branch of military had plummeted. Did people really aim to become Military Police just so they could stay safe and wait for the end of their pointless lives in comfort? It was the very antithesis of what Eren believes in.
Marco smiles, putting his hand behind his back "yeah, Marco Bott. Although, maybe people have been getting the wrong idea from me. I want to serve the King dutifully, not just be safe behind the walls" he explains, placating some of Eren's more angry thoughts. Eren determines that his smile looks genuine enough. Still, he grew up with Armin, someone that questioned the King and the church of the walls since his parents died, so Eren had little respect for people in those places of power. Those who could do something, but didn't. "If I was king, all the titans would be dead in no time", he thinks to himself.
"Good luck with that." Armin spoke cheerfully, "from what I hear, the Military Police is full of a bunch of corrupt, lazy people who don't care at all about the citizens they're supposed to protect". Eren wholeheartedly agrees with his best friend, Armin voicing Eren's thoughts better than he himself ever could. Eren nods firmly.
"Yeah, that's probably true, but that's why I've got to go there, the King needs servants who are actually willing to see his ideals through" Marco responds with a hopeful expression, earning a respectful smile from Armin and a masked scoff from Eren. "wow..." Mina interjects, "I've never heard anyone talk that way about the Military Police, you guys must have had a different way of living out on the edge of the world".
Armin shrugs, "not really, people never exactly appreciated our opinions on these things, but Eren's always had my back". Eren smiles, looking back nostalgically on the times him and Mikasa helped fight off Armin's bullies.
"You guys must be close, having to go through the fall of Shiganshina like that" Connie remarks.
"Well, it wasn't just us, Mikasa was there with us too" Armin adds. Eren thinks back to the girl easily handling the bullies like they were nothing, which made him feel weak every time, like he couldn't protect Armin all by himself. However, he is reminded of the sobbing, shivering girl he held over a week ago, the one he felt the strong compulsion to watch over and protect that night, even if it meant he got no sleep.
"Oh? Who's she?" Marco asks.
"She's the one with long black hair, I'm sure you'll meet her soon" Armin explains.
"Ahhh, was she the one that the Commandant skipped over? Her being from Shiganshina would explain that"
Mina interjects, "if I'm thinking of the right girl, was she the one Shadis hardly even looked at?"
"Probably..." Armin chuckles, "she's been through a lot, I wonder if the Commandant could tell". "I don't think he had to, you could see it right on her face... she's not here to make any friends, that's for sure." Connie adds, earning an irked look from Eren that no one noticed. But, he had to admit, Mikasa has been acting a bit strange. Before, she was more simple, or at least that's how it felt. She was never emotional, nor terribly outward, but she was reasonably sociable as a kid, especially around him and Armin. But... a week ago, she had cried harder than, well frankly, harder than he had ever seen. Not even after her first few nightmares when he and his family took her in did she cry so hard and hug him so hard. Though, he had given up on thinking he could come to any reasonable conclusion about it. Even though Mikasa had gone back to being her protective self, it still felt like she was reeling from whatever nightmare she had, in fact it still feels like that. Plus, whenever he would bring up the subject, she reverted back to the cold husk that looked like Mikasa, but he knew it wasn't. Either way, it did no good to overthink. Training had finally begun, and he wasn't going to get distracted by trivial things like this.
Eren scratches his head in contemplation and slight discomfort.
ARMIN POV
"hey guys, this guy saw the Colossal Titan!" Armin hears the enthusiastic voice of Connie shout out to the entire mess hall. He considers himself lucky that he had gone to talk to Mikasa before Connie burst into the building to tell everyone the news, because practically everyone save for him, Mikasa, and a few stragglers strewn about the hall immediately swarm Eren, their faces full of wonder and curiosity. He looks to Mikasa, expecting her to wear a similar face to his, of exasperation at his colleagues and empathy for Eren's situation. However, she's staring at her food, completely emotionless, but not really eating all that much, either. Come to think of it, Armin can't help but wonder why they ended up lucky enough to avoid the onslaught... "why was Mikasa sitting here, alone, when Eren was just a few tables away?".
"I already told you I saw it" he can hear Eren's casual voice ring throughout the room thanks to the dead silence, though that dead silence is killed as soon as he responds, as Armin hears multiple gasps.
He resumes his thinking, looking back at Mikasa. "I know you've been acting weird, Mikasa... ever since that nightmare". Armin wishes he could forget the sight. He wonders if Eren ever saw her like that, crying the way she did. He assumed the answer was yes shortly after it first happened. After all, Eren's told him about the nightmares she had when he first took her in, and Armin will never forget the day Mikasa decided to tell him about one of her nightmares. Even at the time he knew it wasn't the full truth, but it was the first time she felt comfortable disclosing that information with someone other than Eren, and Armin really considers it the true beginning of their friendship. But... the more he thought about it, the more he remembered Eren's face that night. He looked thoroughly spooked, and, in a way, more scared than Armin was. So maybe it was the first time for him, too. He supposes it doesn't really matter if it had ever happened before, because there's a first for everything, and she was in something of a prime condition.
"Really?"
"how big was it?", he hears the conversation continuing.
He and Eren were so resolute about joining the military. Eren had always been, and when Armin looked back at his dead grandpas hat, he decided that he wasn't going to let anything stop him from seeing the ocean with his friends. But... Mikasa never really seemed on board. She was absolutely determined to join, but only out of a desire to protect them. She said as much two years ago, though Armin always suspected she really just wanted to be with Eren, no matter what. Either way, he knows she never desired to join the military specifically, and the threat to his own, and especially Eren's life that came with joining the military probably put her through a lot of stress that they didn't have to deal with.
"Big enough to look over the walls." Eren responds.
That's not even to mention the death of her second mother and the loss of her home. "yeah... it's no wonder Mikasa broke down like she did... she was probably holding in a lot of emotions, and just one bad dream was enough to make it overflow". Armin furrows his brow, confident that he's found the answer, wondering how he hadn't figured it out sooner.
"What? I heard it stepped right over them."
"Me too!"
"That's what they said in my village"
However, as Armin continues his train of thought, he is reminded of why he has had so much trouble coming to a definitive solution, because he's Armin. "still, that doesn't explain why she acted the way she did afterwards... was- is she trying to compensate for her outburst by acting cold?", he stares more intently at the raven-haired girl. Armin always had to counter himself, every time he feels confident about his answer, he always manages to destroy it by continuing to think.
"No, it wasn't that tall"
"What did it look like?", yet another wave of gasps and shock is heard, seemingly reemerging with every response to the kids' inquiries.
Armin is brought out of the moment by the girl's question, but not enough to break him fully from his thoughts. He can't help but wonder how long he's been staring at her, and if she's noticed, not wanting to make anything awkward. But her face remains in the exact same position. "No, she hasn't noticed. Has she even noticed I'm still here?"
He decides that her behavior has definitely been strange the past week. Yeah, there's plenty of reason for Mikasa to be stressed, but who is he trying to fool? Mikasa never acted this way, even under the most terrible of circumstances, especially not when there's a matter as important as the beginning of training.
"Mikasa..." he hears himself say in a hushed tone, attempting to not interrupt the interrogation that is going on a few tables away from him.
"Hm." he hums back a response, not shifting her gaze.
"It barely had any skin, but it had a huge mouth" Eren says to the group.
"Are you okay, you seem like you're lost in thought", Armin grabs her arm in a vain attempt to get her to look at him so he knows she's paying attention, but to no avail.
"What about the Armored Titan that broke Wall Maria?" he hears another boy ask.
Strangely enough, this appears to be what knocks her out of her staredown with her food. Except, instead of lifting her eyes to meet his, he sees them shift over to some blonde boy. His back is turned to them, but he seems to be peacefully enjoying his water, though is probably eavesdropping on the conversation as much as Armin is.
"They call it that, but it looked like a normal titan to me."
Quickly, however, she darts her eyes again, finally resting on his own. "what?", she asks. Armin sighs slightly. He doesn't know how to broach the topic, but he supposes he should start with the first question that comes to mind-
"Th-then what's a normal titan like?", one boy asks, and at this, Eren stops talking. Armin can hear a spoon fall and his best friend gasp while covering his mouth. The blonde's attention instantly switches to concern about Eren as he looks over to him, but he can't make out a great picture with so many others around him. There's an awkward interval of silence, though the interval is long enough for his gaze to switch back to Mikasa, where, to his utter shock, she is back to staring at her plate emotionlessly.
"Guys, let's stop with the questions."
"Mikasa... Eren just went silent, he looks just a little bit anxious... why don't look concerned?". After all, this was Mikasa. The most protective person he's ever met. It's not a huge deal, no, but mixed with what he has been wondering since he sat down with her, it only seems to reaffirm the notion that she's been acting different. The sight alone was unnerving because it felt so wrong.
"I'm sure he'd prefer to forget some things." he hears Marco finish, though Armin's still staring attentively at his other best friend. And he's glad he was, because he sees her eyes shift ever so slightly at Marco's words, into a position to where it looks like she's stopped staring at her food and is now staring at nothing in particular, lost in thought. Though, as to what that thought is, Armin doesn't think he'll ever be able to fully decipher. But... it's not a pleasant thought, he can see it in the way her eyebrows morph her face into a more... scared... one.
Something is wrong.
"I'm sorry for asking-"
"Don't be!" Eren says, earning plenty more gasps from his colleagues. He takes a strong bite out of his bread.
"The titan's aren't all that tough... if we can master the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, they won't stand a chance!"
Armin wants to smile at his friends probably-misplaced confidence, but he wants to be there for Mikasa, because the more he thinks about it, the more obvious it becomes that something isn't right.
"Mikasa..." he says with more urgency than before, squeezing her arm. She looks to him, that worry gone from her face. Maybe not gone, but certainly invisible. "what's wrong, Armin?"
"...I was just so excited, I forgot myself for a second..." He can hear Eren going on some kind of monologue, but ignores it.
"I should be asking that question to you. What's got you so focused that you don't even sit with Eren?", his voice came off as a bit overdramatic. After all, he needed to keep the situation in mind. Her actions indicated something was wrong, but nothing she's done has been nearly a big enough deal that it warrants such an urgent response from him. He realizes the overbearingness of his words only a second after he's uttered them. She pauses for a second. Armin expects her to be confused at why he's blowing this out of proportion, but her face stays the same, as if she took it somewhat seriously. Yet... her response shoots that down.
"I can hardly go to sit with him now. He's got everyone asking him about the titans", no emotion in the voice, though that has never been unusual.
"No, I meant earl-"
"Hey, are you nuts?" Armin's attention is interrupted by another boy cutting Eren's speech off. He can't help but scowl at the teasing boy, all too used to bullies who never took he and Eren seriously.
"Did you just say you want to join the Survey Corps?" he continues.
"Yeah, I did" Eren responds. "And you said you wanted to join the Military Police to take it easy, right?"
"I'm no liar... I'm a straight talker, unlike someone who pretends to have balls of steel, even when he's about to piss himself."
Eren stands. "Are you talking about me?"
"Hey, I didn't..." the boy stands up as well. They approach each other, and as interested as Armin is to see where this goes, a part of him is bewildered that Mikasa isn't even looking at them. "Eren is literally about to get into a fight!"
He hears the bells ring, at which many of the kids look up. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't want to say you're doing the wrong thing. Peace?" the boy finishes as he extends a hand to Eren, his smile betraying the truth to Armin that he probably doesn't take his best friend seriously.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, too" he says as he slaps his hand away. Armin sees others begin to get up and leave the mess hall, and before he can continue to talk to Mikasa, she is among them, beginning to walk about of the mess hall, a few feet behind Eren. Armin sighs, not bothering to leave his seat just yet.
"That went poorly." he remarks to himself. He figures if he's going to talk to Mikasa, he needs to do it with some tact. "I wonder if having Eren with me would make things easier..." he looks back at Mikasa's retreating form, "or harder."
He sees Mikasa walk past the boy who had been mocking Eren. The boy's eyes widen as he keeps his gaze on her. "oh great...", he thinks, but what he sees surprises him.
"Hey, you..." the boy calls to Mikasa. Her eyes widen and her face takes many forms, going from what looks like surprise, to solemnity, to back to her cold stare as she turns around to meet him.
"W-W-Well, uh..." the boys face turns a shade of red as he struggles to find the words. Mikasa's coldness is gone again as Armin sees her eyebrows arch slightly. "It's just that you look different than the rest of us. I'm s-sorry... your hair is very pretty"
Armin wants to facepalm at the boys words. Him trying to hit on Armin's best friend makes him plenty uncomfortable, but a part of him is entertained, knowing that her reaction will be completely apathetic, leaving the teasing boy in the dust.
Except... she looks down, but quickly looks back up to him and smiles. Sure, it looks forced, but in a way, it doesn't... why is she smiling? Armin can't possibly determine her inner thoughts through her face at this moment. "thank you..." she replies curtly as she extends her hand, "Jean, right?"
The boy... Jean, seems almost as surprised as Armin at her reciprocity. "y-yeah, it's Jean... J-Jean Kirstein" he clarifies as he shakes her hand, blushing even harder than before. Mikasa holds his hand for a bit too long, to a point where even Jean notices, but Armin can see her eyes aren't focused on him any more, instead they are blank again, as if lost on thought. There is an uncomfortable silence, at least it's uncomfortable for Armin, until Mikasa finally says "it's nice to meet you... Jean". She turns around to leave as Jean stands there gobsmacked, probably not thinking it would go as well as it did.
The face she wears as she leaves is completely unreadable.
EREN POV
"what the hell was that?", Eren wears an incredulous look as she sees Mikasa leave the mess hall to come join him in walking back to their sleeping quarters. He tries to disguise his face a bit, but Mikasa sees right through it. "what?" she asks. Eren doesn't bother responding, "I shouldn't care who she gets along with... but it had to be that bastard?". It didn't help that she had acted so nice to him, which was the last thing Eren expected.
Say... why isn't she berating him for almost getting into a fight? Why didn't she intervene? Eren supposes that it should be a welcome change. He could always handle himself, he didn't need Mikasa acting like a big sister to him like she always did. He feels discomforted by it, though, not that he has the time or energy to think about why. Instead of trying to figure things out, he has Armin. The two always complemented each others flaws, and he's sure if he notices something off about Mikasa, then Armin does as well.
Eren looks over at Mikasa, her face cold like it always is, but a hint of melancholy in her eyes. Eren sighs as the two begin to walk. "you're doing it again"
"Doing what again?"
"The same thing you've been doing for the past week"
"Which is...?"
Eren sighs, louder this time. "Forget it."
He looks away again, trying to think of some other thing to talk about. The two walked together in silence all the time, but he feels the need to change the subject. His mind goes back to her interaction with Jean, and the thought of her hair comes back.
"You think I should cut my hair?" Mikasa asks before Eren has the chance to speak.
"uh-" his eyes widen a bit in surprise.
"It could cause an accident during training" she says as she pinches a few strands.
"Y-Yeah..." "that was kind of weird"
"I was about to bring that up" Eren adds nonchalantly, Mikasa hums back in response. Weird, sure, but it left Eren secretly pleased. "at least she doesn't care what horse face over there thinks".
"Hand to hand combat training, though ineffective against titans, is an essential tool in any half-decent soldier's arsenal, especially those looking to join the Military Police or Garrison Regiment!" the gruff but booming voice of Shadis is heard throughout the flat, rocky terrain. "what is this? I'm joining the Scouts, why do I need to know how to beat up a human? We'd be fighting on the same team, right?" Eren remarks to himself, internally groaning as he sees the instructor go around and assign sparring partners to each other. He tries to recognize the pattern at which people are being assigned, and looks to his left, seeing Mikasa. Her freshly cut hair looks... really good on her, he thinks to himself. There's something pleasantly nostalgic about it, though he can't place it, but he mentally slaps himself.
"I'm here to train, not butter anyone up with complements about their hair" he reminds himself as he looks back forward. Shadis approaches them soon, "Ackerman with Jaeger!" he says as he moves on. Mikasa is already walking a few meters to the nearest available open space, and Eren follows.
"Remember, use the moves that you were taught in yesterdays lessons. Those who didn't pay close enough attention, expect no pity from those that did! Begin!"
Eren tries to remember the starting position. "ugh, I guess I'm in the first category". Eren somehow got the idea that he didn't need to listen very intently during Shadis' previous lessons concerning this type of combat, considering he was joining the Scouts, but now he's paying the price. Though he can't completely remember, he looks at Mikasa's form and copies her, figuring she probably has the right idea.
"Oi, Mikasa, just because we're family doesn't mean you should go easy on me, okay?" he warns her. This is a serious concern for Eren, seeing as how she never particularly liked to hurt him.
"Right." she responds. Her face is unflinching, but the fire in her eyes that was there whenever she attacked the bullies back in Shiganshina is absent. Like it was becoming a theme as of late, her eyes had a certain quality that Eren could only describe as resignation of some kind.
Eren ignores it, and after about a second of silence, he moves to throw a jab at Mikasa's side. He fully expects her to block it, but what catches him completely off guard is that she dodges it, grabs his arm, and before he can process what's happening, spins around... or maybe he's the one spinning around... and the next thing he knows he's face to face with the dirt, his right arm held up by Mikasa and his left pushed down with the rest of his body flat onto the rock.
"What the...", Eren tries to process the information as he cranes his neck to look at Mikasa. Her eyes look satisfied, like she's proven something to herself, but Eren can't help but gasp. "tch... Mikasa! What was that?!"
"Sorry." she says as she lets go of him. Eren quickly gets up, his astonishment refusing to leave his face. Without saying a thing, he moves into position again, a part of him hoping to catch her a bit more off guard. She turns around and just barely raises her hands again before he's at her. He throws a punch which is immediately blocked with considerable force, stunning him for a fraction of a second. But a fraction is all she needs, as she instantly has him tripped and on the ground again.
This time they were starting to attract some attention. Eren, from his ground-level position, can see a few of the stunned faces of his fellow trainees. He feels his ears burn in embarrassment. "how am I going to fight the titans if I can't even land a hit on Mikasa?"
He quickly gets up, shoving the dirt out of his face with his classic ferocity. He can practically feel Jean's gaze on him, and his stupid laugh. Emotion flashes on Mikasa's face for a split second, and she briskly walks over to him, arms slightly raised. "Eren, are you okay?". He realizes what she's looking at and touches his cheek, feeling blood. He figures he must have cut himself lightly on a sharp pebble while he was getting up or being forced down, no matter. Except she's up close to him now. The guilt isn't strong on her face but concern certainly is, and for a moment he feels his scowl try to lessen, but he frowns harder after assessing the situation. "I don't need her babying me after beating me up! What does she think I am, some kid?", he pushes her back before she can grab his arm. "back off, it's nothing"
"hey, is your face red or is that just the blood!" Eren hears Jean shouting over to him from a fair distance away. He gives him a nasty glare, which only seems to make him smile cockily. But Mikasa gives him a bit of a glare at the remark as well, which makes him look down and his face turn red a bit.
"damn... I'm not letting Mikasa-"
"Here, I'll stop going so hard on you"
"Don't even think about it! Give me everything you've got, there's no other way I want to improve"
She sighs a bit, raising her hands back to position as Eren does the same.
After 10-20 minutes, he hits the familiar rock once again. He's lost count of how many times she's bested him, with him not even being able to land a single hit. Well, there was one time, but he snapped at her for it, seeing in her eyes that she totally let him land the hit. Sure, he's embarrassed, pretty jealous, and absolutely astounded at how proficient she is, all of which were reasons to keep getting up, surprising even Mikasa with his insistence, but his determination to improve is what drives him even when all of his muscles are aching.
"Eren" he hears her say, but he grunts to shut her up, getting back into position. There were plenty of people around them now that were completely distracted by the sheer beatdown that was happening before their eyes. "all the more reason to keep getting up. I'm not a quitter"
He had no idea how bloody and bruised he might be, but he doesn't suspect its that bad. Try as he might, he knows he can't get Mikasa to use her full strength, so he figures she's probably trying to keep injuries to a minimum. "Even though she's been acting weird, she's still Mikasa... but even Mikasa could never fight this well"
"What's your secret Mikasa?"
She raises her head a bit in confusion.
"How do you always seem to know what I'm about to do? You've always been strong but I've never seen anything like this."
"You're moves are slow, and you're too dependent on the textbook techniques" she explains curtly.
"Well, what other moves am I supposed to know?" he can feel his hot-headedness rising again, not satisfied at all by the explanation. "It doesn't explain why you're so good at this, everyone can see it" he gestures with his head to the right. Mikasa follows with her eyes to see the small crowd of people that have gathered. He sees her eyes come back to his, obviously trying to ignore the people.
Eren sighs and gets ready, going for another punch, this time near the shoulder. She dodges it again, like he expected, which is why he didn't put all of his weight into the punch. Instead, poised to make another blow with his left hand, but she grabs his right forearm, and then grabs his left fist with ease, as if he had put no force behind either punch, and pushes herself near him. He feels himself being lifted over and then behind Mikasa, plummeting to the ground. It doesn't hurt so much, because Mikasa didn't use all her weight to push him to the ground, but he's thoroughly beaten regardless.
"Ackerman!" he hears instructor Shadis speak to her. "I know what I said earlier, but I think Jaeger has learned to keep his ears peeled during the lesson. I would suggest allowing him to practice instead of using him like a punching bag"
"Yes sir!" she quickly responds. Eren's face is now considerably red with embarrassment.
"Sorry, Eren" he hears her say, but he wants none of it, "quit it with the sorrys. You're a soldier, it's a good thing that you're strong" he says, trying to maintain some kind of dignity by keeping his mind on the end goal, but his face clearly betrays his frustration, which Mikasa picks up on.
"it's hardly a fair fight if I don't let you train-"
"It's never going to be a fair fight" he interrupts, shutting her down. He raises his fists again, ready for another go.
MIKASA POV
Bertholdt is on the ground once again, though this time she can feel her breath pick up just a little bit. He didn't stand much of a chance against her, but she couldn't beat him with complete ease like the others. "must be his Marleyan training".
She thinks about helping him up, like she usually does with the people she's sparred against, Eren, Sasha, Thomas, and Daz. But seeing his face, she can't help but look at it with disdain. "if it wasn't for you, Carla would still be alive... Eren would never want to join the scouts..."
Deep down she knows that last part isn't true. He always wanted to join the Scouts. But regardless, Bertholdt set into motion this horrible chain of events. If it wasn't for him and the other two Marleyans, she might be content with letting the King stay in power, the populace continuing to live in ignorance. But the threat of the shifters meant that Eren was in danger whether she liked it or not, and the King had to go if they were to effectively defend themselves.
"but then... he'll just find out about the basement again"
She shakes herself from her thoughts. Deciding to get immersed again in the combat training. ODM gear training had not started yet, seeing as how they were only a few days into training, but she already greatly enjoyed sparring with others. There's not even a hint of competition as to who is the best fighter in the 104th; it's her, and she can't help but get a kind of pleasure out of easily besting everyone. It also helped to remind herself that she still had her muscle memories of the other timeline. Not that she ever thought she would forget, but she found it tempting to get lost in this happier world, to surround herself in Sasha's laugh, Connie's enthusiasm, Jean's pathetic attempts to impress her, Armin's warmth, and Eren's presence. But, she has to remind herself of the future, so she can work to avoid it.
As much as it hurts, she's been purposefully blocking herself off from her friends. Their faces are a constant reminder of the horrible fates that befall them. The only exception is Eren. She honestly can't help but be a little more open to him. She steels herself vigorously when she sees him, trying her damnedest to remember what she has to stop him from doing, but his smile... his passion... his eyes... most if not all of her mental reservations melt when she's around him, and she can't help but indulge. She's noticed that she touches him a lot more... not in that way. She mentally berates herself for even thinking about it. She still loves Eren, but the lean physique that she found herself physically attracted to when he was fifteen is certainly not there at twelve, and she still feels a bit uncomfortable thinking about him that way now, because she's still a nineteen year old trapped in a pre-teens body.
But no, she's just found herself holding on to his forearm some of the time, holding his hand to get his attention or keep him with her, and she's even spoiled herself with a few hugs whenever she gets the chance. When they're alone, of course, because she knows he gets embarrassed by being so close to her in public. It all just warms her heart, makes her forget about everything for a second.
She frowns, a part of her upset at how attached she still is to Eren. And she goes back to fighting, because, like she said, it reminds her of her past life, of her purpose here.
Bertholdt falls to the ground again. "wow... you're really strong, Ackerman, where did you learn all this stuff?"
"There were plenty of bullies to go around in Shiganshina" she responds coldly, allowing him to get up himself.
"Right..." he says, probably not liking her extremely reserved attitude. He's probably also skeptical, being an intelligent if apprehensive warrior. "you must have taken all the good ones then, because that Jaeger kid definitely doesn't know half as much as you do".
Mikasa frowns, raising her fists again. The last thing she needs is Bertholdt figuring her out, but she thinks her situation is so unbelievable that she couldn't convince him if she tried. "he's got plenty of secrets himself..."
He goes for a jab, which she blocks. She blocks two consecutive jabs to her stomach, and finds an opening in his footwork rather easily, going for a low kick which trips him up. She finishes him off with a toss, putting a bit too much weight into it. "he deserves it" she thinks.
"What about you?" she asks, clearly catching Bertholdt off guard by the question. She keeps a knowing smile from forming. She elaborates, "you're pretty good yourself, where did you learn to fight"
"Me and Reiner learned some basics at our home village" he responds with practiced ease.
After another round of fighting, this time a bit more difficult for Mikasa, though still resulting in her victory, she continues. "was your home attacked by titan's too?"
"yeah..."
She dusts off her pants, "I'm sorry, I bet you guys were the only survivors".
He narrows his brow a bit, "yeah, we were... how did you know?"
Mikasa shrugs, and goes for a punch with enough strength to break through Bertholdt's block and knock him back. The pain from the force of the hit gives her ample opportunity to finish him off, but she doesn't, remembering the horrified cries of her neighbors. She remembers one man sobbing over a figure, her lower half in a skirt, and her upper completely crushed by a large rock. She can't help but think of the possibility of Eren being there, under that rock. After all, the chances were equally strong... it could have been him. Her life would have been forfeit then and there. She stands there as Bertholdt shakes the pain out of his arm, confusedly look at Mikasa, who returns his gaze, looking dead into his eyes. He looks unnerved.
"You look guilty, Bertholdt"
"..."
"I would too, if my entire village was slaughtered... and I was the only one left"
His expression eases, if only a bit. "r-right..."
She thinks back to him. He did look guilty... he really did. But she knows that it won't stop him. She didn't expect her words to, but she held, no, holds on to a small glimmer of hope that she can get him to change his mind. But... she remembers Reiner, and how determined he was. She remembers the conversation she had with Reiner...
"Don't forgive me. I really am... a worthless man."
She grips the sheets until her knuckles bleed white. "Reiner isn't going to stop... and Bertholdt will follow him like a loyal dog"
She sighs, her voice still weak from the crying she was doing during her nightmare. It was probably a mistake to do that though...
"Can't sleep either...?" she hears the deeper voice of a girl speak, Ymir.
Mikasa doesn't respond, she just closes her eyes and slumps her shoulders in dread, being in no mood to talk tonight.
After a long bit of silence, Ymir continues. "nightmares?"
...
"yeah..." Mikasa says. "what could it mean?" seeing Eren under that tree again brought her unfathomable joy... but he was crying, and it just had to be ruined by the reality of her situation... no wonder she still has tears in her eyes.
"Same here..." she responds.
What was probably around a minute passes by, with no one speaking. Mikasa hoped the conversation was over, but she can tell Ymir has more to say.
"So... why did you join the military?" she asks nonchalantly, though still in a hushed tone in order to not wake the two other sleeping girls in the room.
Mikasa, her eyes fully adjusted to the dark, is able to make out Ymir's face, and she looks at it incredulously. "this is what she's bothering to talk about?"
"Don't give me that look. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be sleeping again any time soon, and judging by your watery eyes I didn't figure you would either"
Shit... she knew. Mikasa wipes her eyes, trying to get the rest of the tears out, and looks back to the foot of her bed. Ymir continues, "I'm not gonna say anything to anyone. I don't know what you're hiding, but it's not my business." she shifts in her bed a bit more, "but I suggest you try to muffle yourself a bit more next time".
Mikasa retains her silence. "So... I know you're trying to act distant, but failing pretty spectacularly if you ask me."
...
"You obviously hate it here, so why did you join?"
Mikasa finally breaks the one sided conversation, "I wouldn't say I hate it here". That was the truth, she loved it here compared to her future as a member of the Survey Corps. But the memories of the future continue to tug at her spirits.
"hm?" Ymir responds, clearly confused at the remark. "then what's the deal?"
...
"I know what we're getting into"
...
"Yeah... titans are nasty pieces of shit, that's for sure, but all the more reason why you shouldn't be here, right?"
Mikasa sighs, "I wish I wasn't here... but I'm glad I am. I still have family, and I'm going to save him."
"Ahhh, and he wants to be in the military, so here you are."
"Here I am."
...
"It's Jaeger, isn't it?"
Mikasa looks to Ymir. The shock is invisible on her face, but it is certainly there.
"The one you're always with, letting him talk his mouth off about how he's gonna join the scouts of all places and kill all the titans" Ymir chuckles. Mikasa stays silent. "I just thought you had a big crush on him, but I guess it makes more sense if he's family... why the hell else would you want to put yourself through loving someone like that?" she says as she looks to the ceiling.
Mikasa puts her scarf over her mouth, staring intently at her sheets now.
But... she remembers Ymir. She barely knew her, but she knows she's a titan shifter... why would she risk her power by joining the military?
"What about you?" Mikasa finds herself saying. "why did you join?"
"Because I could" she says as she shrugs. "And that's a choice not everyone gets to make...". Ymir looks to the girl on the bunk above her. Historia. Mikasa remembers how close Ymir and Historia were, and even how Historia tried to defend Ymir when Eren had been taken by Reiner and Bertholdt.
She wasn't about to let that stop her then... not from getting her Eren.
Another few minutes of silence pass before Ymir speaks up again. "Sorry about your situation, though. It's obviously putting you through the ringer." she says, referring to her cries. "That Jaeger kid looks like a tough cookie to crack. I know you're not related, but that doesn't mean he can't be your family."
Mikasa sinks back into her bed, sensing the conversation is over. Though, now that she's completely awake, she can't help but think.
"There's no winning... if Eren joins the scouts, the basement is inevitable.", but she can't give up. She remembers his face... his smile... his warmth. She won't give up.
...
"I have three years here. Maybe... if I can just get him to quit, we can be safe"
"Maybe..."
DAYUM why is this so long and I haven't even gotten that far. I hope you guys enjoyed! This is a part one because I wanted to truncate the length of what was originally going to be one big chapter. After getting 10,000 words in, though, I decided to calm down and release the next chapter later. Fret not! The chapter should come out sooner than Tuesday of next week, because it won't be this long. Anyways, that's all I have to say for now, thank you for reading and please leave a review telling me what you thought, thank you! -Y