Chapter 27: Aftermath of the Attack
Eren's gaze shifted from Ruby's unconscious form as the police began to park outside of the area. His breathing became ragged, hyperventilating as he saw his daughter unconscious and weak from the experience. The adrenalin in the fight replaced with a sense of rage and anger.
His thoughts turned to Aqua. While not really a son to him, but a member of the family all the same. His smoking and broken body reminding him of what he had to do in order to stop his rampage.
Then his thoughts went to his two missing children. Kawachi and Mikasa were somewhere without his protection. Either alone and terrified, or captured and in his enemy's hands. The anger Eren felt was almost palpable, an anger he hadn't felt in so very long.
"Eren?" Ai asked as she watched Eren bring his hand up to his mouth.
Eren bit the meaty part of his hand, willing himself to transform so he could tear this city apart and get his two youngest children back. Eren swore that he would find them no matter how many people he had to kill.
"No..." Eren said in realization.
"Eren!" Ai yelled out as he bit his hand.
"No... no, no, no not now damn it!" Eren bit again, hoping that he'll be able to push past his exhaustion and transform.
"Eren, stop!" Armin tried to say.
Eren bit his hand again and again, trying to force himself into a fourth transformation. Unlike normally, the wound on his hand wasn't even steaming, showing that he was completely out of energy.
The girls and Ai grimaced at the self-mutilation. While they knew of his powers and that it could heal, it was still a macabre and grotesque sight as bone and tendons were exposed as Eren ripped the flesh off of his hand.
"Darin... stop..." Ai said, holding back her tears as she gently grabbed Eren's mangled hand and pushed it away from his mouth.
She looked up at his face. Eren's mouth was covered in his own blood as he desperately tried to cause a transformation. His eyebrows went up in a way that showed shock, horror, and sadness as his eyes reflected the pain of a father who worried for his children.
"Please darin, please just calm down." Ai said gently.
Ai felt the same as her husband, her maternal instincts making her terrified for the safety of her two youngest children. Aqua and Ruby, while hurt and unconscious, were at least safe and protected by them. But Mikasa and Kawachi were all alone.
Ai reached up and cupped Eren's face with both of her hands. Eren closed his eyes as his wife comforted him, tears threatening to spill out. She's never seen Eren so broken up before in her life. Every emotion of fear and rage were at the surface, threatening to consume him.
Ai was just as terrified, but she knew that if she didn't remain strong, Eren would lose himself.
"I need them here." Eren said.
"I know darin, it's ok. You'll find them, I know you will." She said.
"Don't worry Eren, we can look for them as humans." Armin said off to the side.
"I'll tear this damned city apart if I have to." Eren said, his sad eyes going angry for a moment.
"Listen." Armin said, taking charge of the situation. "Reiner, Mem, Akane, Kana, and Ai, you stay with Ruby and Aqua at the hospital." He pointed to them. "Zeke and Eren, we'll find the kids. I am at full energy and Zeke can still transform. We'll search the city for them."
"To hell with Reiner!" Eren yelled.
"Darin-" Ai tried to say.
"Eren, I understand you're worried-" Reiner tried to begin.
"Those are your damned allies; how do I know-" Eren stopped himself.
"Eren, I understand. I get that we were enemies before, especially after I betrayed you. But I promise you that I never had any knowledge of this." Reiner said.
For a moment, Eren noticed Reiner's eyes move towards Ruby. Eren could tell by his expression that Reiner felt conflicted. Eren could tell Reiner cared for her, and whatever he saw clearly affected him as well.
"Listen baby brother, we need to be logical and strategic right now." Zeke said.
Eren took a breath. They were right. He was reverting back to his old self and reacting without thinking things through. He needed to calm down and approach this with reason and not emotion.
"You're right." Eren said as he calmed down.
He had a moment where he got angry and acted irrationally. He was above that, but he was so scared and terrified right now. So scared for Ruby, for his youngest children, and for his family in general. He almost lost them today, did lose them today, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.
Eren walked over to Ruby who was laying on the ground. She looked so peaceful like normal and based on the fact that one of her idol boots were missing, he could tell whatever injury caused her to change was traumatic.
Eren knelt down and ran a hand through her hair. He knelt down to give her a small kiss on the forehead before standing up and preparing to look for his other children.
Everyone tensed up on instinct, wondering who was calling him.
Suddenly, Eren's phone rang.
"Hello?" Eren asked. "Sergei-?"
"Da, I got the little ones, they are ok." The bad guy said as he drove Kawachi and Mikasa in his car.
He said he was talking to their papa to let him know that they were ok. He said it would be better for the city that he was informed immediately, mostly to avoid having new parking spaces. He laughed at his own joke, but Kawachi and Mikasa stayed quiet, mostly due to their own fear.
They were taught not to trust this man. Their mama always told them that if they run into an old man with a funny accent named Sergei that they should run. She told them that he was a bad man.
"Da, I'll bring them to that hospital tonight, for now I'll take them to a safe house." He said on the phone. "Don't worry, I have RPGs there just in case... Well, why not? You never know when you'll need an RPG." He chuckled.
After he was done, he put his phone in his jacket. He glanced back at them from the rear-view mirror, checking to see if they were ok.
Kawachi had a neutral face and kept his eyes down, clearly affected with seeing a man die for the first time. He didn't seem to have any energy and simply reacted to any command he was given without thought.
Mikasa though was terrified. She was gripping onto her seatbelt like it was a lifeline and looking around frantically, like they'll get attacked at any moment. They were clearly very concerned and scared.
"You know, your papa is very scared." Sergei said, trying to get their minds on something else.
"Papa never gets scared." Mikasa said, seemingly calming down. "Mama might be the one scared but papa has never gotten scared."
"You think that highly of him?" Sergei chuckled.
"Of course." Mikasa said proudly. "Papa is always brave and always keeps us safe. There's no way he'd ever get scared."
"Even if you two were in danger?" Sergei asked.
"We're never in danger for long." Mikasa said. "Papa would have found us easily if you didn't get involved."
"Is that right Malyshka?" Sergei chuckled. "You're lucky to have a papa that protects you." He gave the kids a warm smile from the mirror.
"Of course, don't you have a papa?" Mikasa asked innocently.
"Well, my papa and I never got along." Sergei said vaguely.
"I'm sure you can make up with him if you two are upset. Sometimes I have to say I'm sorry when I make papa upset." Mikasa tried to offer advice.
"I might try that." Sergei chuckled.
"But I guess it makes sense, mama said you're a bad man so I guess you would be mean to your papa." Mikasa said without a filter.
"Really?" Sergei asked.
"She said you kidnapped her when I was still in her." Mikasa said.
"I didn't "kidnap" her." Sergei made air quotes. "I simply offered her a meal and helped her with her issues with your papa."
"No, mama said you kidnapped her, and she never lies." Mikasa said, choosing to believe her okaasan over the criminal. "She also said you're the reason papa did bad things before he met mama."
"I'm also the reason they met." Sergei said with a bit of pride. "So, I'd say it was worth it." He smiled.
Mikasa still remembered that conversation with her mama when she was six. How she had to avoid anyone who was from papa's criminal past. The biggest one was the scary man named Sergei who was the reason that papa was a bad man before he met mama.
Then mama told her a romantic story of how her love and innocence made papa good. Then almost a year later, Kawachi and her were born.
But that did bring up a question in Mikasa's mind.
"Sergei-San, how did I get in my mama's stomach?" Mikasa asked innocently.
"Huh?" Sergei asked, completely taken aback by the random question.
"Well, mama said Kawachi and I were in her stomach when you kidnapped her, so how did we get in there?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Why are you asking me?" Sergei asked.
"Because mama said it's not right for a girl my age to learn." Mikasa said. "And since you're a bad person, I figured you wouldn't care and you could tell me."
For some weird reason, Mikasa saw Sergei's eyes twitch from the reflection in the rear-view mirror.
"Your reasoning is astounding Malyshka." He said sarcastically.
"So, will you tell me?" She asked innocently.
Mikasa assumed it would be an easy thing for him to answer. She didn't know why he was hesitant though.
Sergei put his hand to his chin in thought, as if he was trying to think of something. It confused Mikasa. He's an adult, shouldn't he know?
"I actually have no idea how." He said.
"Eh?" Mikasa asked. "I thought all grownups knew."
"Well, not all." Sergei said. "You see, only married people know the truth."
"Really?" Mikasa asked.
"Da." Sergei nodded. "And I am not married so I never learned."
"But that's unfair!" Mikasa yelled.
"Yup, it is truly a mystery that I will never learn." He nodded sadly.
After a while, Sergei's car pulled into a parking lot. It was dark and both kids could barely see around them. Mikasa whined a bit, clearly scared, but Kawachi just remained silent. Mikasa noticed a lot of neon lights all around her, mostly red. She couldn't really make out any of the signs with her position in the car.
"Here, put these blindfolds on." Sergei said, handing them some strips of cloth.
"Nani?" Mikasa asked.
"Because this is a hidden spot, and I don't want either of you seeing it." He said. "Remember, I am a criminal and have to protect my assets." He said.
The logic checked out in Mikasa's mind, so she put them on. Then Kawachi followed, though he still remained quiet.
They heard Sergei get out of the car and open their doors so they could get out. He then grabbed their hands and led them to his safe house. Mikasa felt scared as she walked, unable to see. A few times she tripped over her own feet but Sergei gently held her hand so she wouldn't fall.
"Sergei... I hate to ask but, why are you bringing kids here?" A man she couldn't see asked. "I know the boss keeps quiet about your stash, but I think kids are drawing the line."
"Do you really think I'd bring kids here without a good reason?" Sergei asked, his voice sounding offended to Mikasa's ears. "This is the closest stash I have, now let me into your boss's office."
"Sergei, I can't let kids in." The man said.
"These are Eren Yeager's kids." Sergei said.
"Nani!" The man screamed. "W-why do you have Eren Yeager's kids!"
"Because they were attacked, and I saved them." Sergei said.
"Who would be stupid enough to-"
"It doesn't matter, let me into the boss's office so I can get my stash, or you'll have to be the one to explain to Eren Yeager why his kids aren't safe!" Sergei said angrily.
"R-right, up you go." Mikasa heard them man step aside and Sergei led them into a building.
They climbed a flight of stairs and Mikasa heard a door open. They were led inside, and it smelled like smoke and alcohol inside. Mikasa barely knew what the smell was, occasionally friends from Papa's work would come over and they would have a small drink, so she knew the smell.
After a few moments of walking upstairs, Sergei opened a door and the intense smell lessened. Though it still lingered in this room.
"Eh, Sergei, I know we've done weird things before, but I draw the line at kids." They heard a woman say.
"What is with-" Sergei sounded annoyed. "These are Eren Yeager's kids, and I am trying to get my damned stash!"
"Oh." The female voice said. "That's good to here."
"Just put this on Sakura!" Sergei said, throwing what sounded like cloth at the woman.
"Boss isn't here tonight so you can use his office." The Sakura woman said.
"I know, who do you think keeps this place in business?" Sergei said.
"Can I take the blindfold off now?" Mikasa asked.
"Da, you can." Sergei said.
Mikasa and Kawachi took their blindfolds off to see a small and dark office room. The woman named Sakura was dressed in a furry robe and had beautiful dyed pink hair. She seemed to be a bit older than her older siblings, maybe 20 or so.
"Hi, I'm Mikasa. Who are you?" Mikasa asked Sakura.
"I'm, eh, Sakura." She said.
"Are you Sergei-San's daughter?" Mikasa asked.
"I said I don't know where kids come from, and she think she's my daughter?" Sergei mumbled out loud to himself as he reached under a desk and opened a secret compartment.
"No, I'm a worker here." Sakura said.
"A worker? What are you?" Mikasa asked.
"She's a model." Sergei said quickly, poking his head from behind the desk.
Sergei seemed slightly concerned at the question, as if he was afraid Mikasa would figure something out.
"Right, I'm a model." Sakura said quickly as well.
"Really? Just like my mama?" Mikasa asked.
"S-sure." Sakura said.
"Cool." Mikasa said.
Pop!
"Ouch." They heard from Sergei as he stood up with a big gun and a rocket launcher.
"Are you ok?" Sakura asked.
"Just my knee." Sergei groaned. "I'm too old for this." He limped over to the couch.
Sergei put the gun and rocket launcher down and slowly sat on the couch. As he did, they heard more cracking sounds coming from his back.
"Are you ok Sergei-San?" Mikasa asked in a concerned tone.
"Just old." He waved off.
"He was eating too much ice cream." Mikasa said to Sakura.
"Eh?" Sakura asked.
"Mama always said if you don't eat enough good food, you get old fast." She said.
"Parshivet." Sergei muttered. "I'm in my sixties, I'm just old." He said.
Sergei noticed that Mikasa was staying pretty animated and lively, but he turned towards Kawachi who kept his eyes down and seemed to be in shock. Sergei could understand, it was a look he saw on many children his age when he grew up in the old Soviet Union.
He just wished it was a look he'd never see on his "grandson".
"Kid, stop looking so sad." Sergei said to Kawachi.
Kawachi looked at him but didn't make a sound.
"Look kid, you did good. You protected your sister." Sergei said.
"No, I didn't." Kawachi said sadly. "You did."
"Come here." Sergei motioned.
Kawachi moved over to Sergei and stood next to him. Sergei put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Kawachi's brows furrowed a bit, but his expression remained largely unchanged.
"Listen, I've seen a lot of bad things in my life kid, and I understand how it can feel when you see something bad." Sergei began. "But you did good. Sure, you would have lost, but you're a child that stood up to a full grown and trained man to protect his family. You showed bravery in the face of certain defeat. Showed all the qualities of a man. It's important for a man to protect the women in his life."
"But-"
"No buts." Sergei cut off. "You're a child, you shouldn't expect to be able to win that fight. But you had the courage to try. Eventually, you'll grow into a good man. Trust me."
"I guess." Kawachi said simply.
"Anyway, before we get there, let's stop and McDonalds." Sergei said.
"Mama says it's bad to eat McDonalds because the food is unhealthy." Mikasa said.
"That's why moderation is important child." Sergei countered.
Sergei grunted as he stood up from the couch, his back popping as he did so. When he stood up be bent his back backwards to stretch it out a bit and get it moving again.
"If you ate more healthy food, your back wouldn't break every time you stand up." Mikasa lectured.
"You want ice cream from McDonalds?" Sergei asked.
"Hai!" Mikasa yelled happily.
"Little hypocrite." Sergei grumbled with a small chuckle.
After Eren got done on the phone with the Director, Ai explained everything to Saitou and Miyako. To say that they were having trouble accepting it was an understatement. If they didn't see the destruction that happened at the concert, there was no way they would believe it. But the evidence was there.
"So, that explains why you had no idea about our culture or technology." Miyako said to Eren.
"I grew up in what you would consider Napoleonic or renaissance times, I still don't fully know how to classify it." Eren said.
Right now, the entire group was sitting in a large hospital room that had Aqua and Ruby laying on two hospital beds on either side of the room. The rest of B-Komachi got looked at but they wanted to be in the room to make sure that their lead member was ok.
However, one important conversation they had was Aqua and Ruby's secret of being reborn. It was a very difficult thing for them to understand at first, but in the grand scheme of things, it didn't surprise them as much.
Once you accept rebirth, giant monsters, and other worlds; learning that your friend was reborn is pretty trivial. Especially since they're used to it with Reiner and Armin by this point.
Miyako did glare at Ruby and Aqua though. Kami... yea right. Those gaki's played a trick on her and it actually kind of upset her. However, she kept those thoughts to herself since she didn't want to explain why they felt the need to trick her. Especially since it would bring up how she almost ruined Ai's career and wished to be unfaithful.
"What happens now?" Saitou asked.
"We'll need to increase security." Eren said. "Especially with those two being able to transform."
"I still don't see how that's possible." Zeke said.
"Considering they were reborn as well, there has to be something more to it." Armin said.
"Even then, they're not from our world." Reiner said.
"Yet you two are non-Eldians and still you have the power." Zeke said.
"But Ruby has the founder." Reiner said.
"Is- is that bad?" Ai asked.
"She'll likely be a target." Zeke said. "Much in the same way Eren was. But if she can control it-"
"No." Eren said.
"Eren-" Zeke started.
"This power dies with us." Eren said. "I'm not teaching them how to wield it, not her."
"Why not?" Armin asked. "Don't you think that-"
"I said it's not happening." Eren said angrily.
"Darin, what's-" Ai tried to say.
Eren stood up from his chair and turned around. The power of any Titan allows the user to see into the lives of the one before them, meaning that if Ruby learned how to use it, there was a chance that she could see his past, specifically the rumbling.
Eren didn't know if she would be able to see the point after the rumbling began, but it wasn't a risk that Eren was willing to take.
"They were trying to go after you because you had the founder Eren." Armin said logically. "Now I fear their target has changed to Ruby. She needs to learn."
"I'm not putting my daughter through that kind of hell." Eren growled.
"What would she learn?" Ai asked, trying to be more logical about the situation.
"The best thing is to teach her at least to control it." Armin said. "It takes a few transformations to actually control it, plus we don't want an accidental transformation to happen. She'll at least need to learn to control that. Aqua too."
"What does it matter?" Eren asked. "They don't have nearly the experience to actually fight, so it would be pointless."
"Aqua has the Warhammer though." Zeke said.
"What is the Warhammer?" Kana asked.
"It's the only Titan that can make hardened Titan flesh from nothing into any shape it wants." Reiner said. "Most previous ones made it into a large Warhammer, hence the name."
"But it can be made into a bow, sword, or really anything the user can imagine." Zeke said.
"Plus, the hardened skin makes it very tough to injure." Armin said.
"But Eren's Kaiju broke through it easily." Mem-Cho pointed out.
"Not exactly." Armin said. "The strength of Titan flesh depends on the experience of the user. When Eren first transformed he would destroy his arm with a single punch. It takes time to actually make it strong enough to be useful in a fight."
"That's why I could easily defeat Lara Tyber." Eren said. "She never trained with it, making her easy to outlast and defeat."
"Using the Warhammer's powers also takes up a lot of energy." Zeke said. "When Eren wielded it, he could only transform once if he planned on using the power. If he avoided using it, he could transform three times at least."
"I also spoke with the Director over the phone." Eren said. "We're getting moved to a U.S. Marine military base for protection for now, especially with the Marleyan's getting more and more overt in their attacks."
"Why a U.S. base?" Akane asked.
"The Government wants to run tests on us as Titans." Eren said. "The base is located at the foot of Mount Fuji and is a Combined Arms Training Center. They're going to shut down the mountain and use the training area for us to transform out of view."
"Makes sense." Armin said. "There aren't a whole lot of large training areas that can conceal Titan testing in Japan."
"It'll also keep us protected." Eren said.
"W-what about our careers?" Akane asked.
Akane felt kind of stupid asking about that, but it was a valid question. What were they going to do?
"The Government wants you all to keep performing?" Eren said.
"Wait... really?" Ai asked, confused.
"Luckily, no one was able to get any clear video of the attack." Eren said. "Naicho's analysts are going through it, and while there are videos of the fight, no one saw a transformation directly. So the Government wants you to keep performing so there's no suspicions that Ruby and Aqua can transform."
"It would be weird if suddenly a whole idol group went missing, especially the daughter of Eren Yeager." Saitou chimed in.
"But wouldn't that be dangerous?" Kana asked.
"The Government is signing a resolution to protect future performances. Called the "Heritage and Cultural Protections Act"." Eren said. "It's basically a way to ensure you have armed security at your performances."
"What about us?" Armin asked.
"With the exception of Reiner, we're going to get more offensive in our fight against the Marleyan's." Eren confirmed.
"Seems like a solid plan." Zeke said.
Everyone turned as the door opened with a small knock. A young nurse peaked her head in, looking concerned and even a bit scared, mostly due to Eren.
"T-there's a guest here, with two small kids." She said.
"Send them in!" Ai said immediately.
"Hai." The nurse nodded and went back into the hall.
In just a moment, the door opened again to reveal an older man in his signature military trench coat. He gave a warm but confident smile as he strode into the room. He was holding a cup of soda from Mcdonalds that was half empty by now.
"Sergei has come to deli-Whoa!" Sergei couldn't finish.
Ai grabbed his collar and with a surprisingly deceptive strength from the small woman, threw Sergei to the side and ran past him. Sergei fell down but managed to keep his cup from tilting and didn't spill a drop from it.
Ai rushed past him to the two kids behind him. Kawachi was looking down, but Mikasa was holding a small ice cream cup from McDonalds and still had some ice cream around her lips that she hadn't wiped off yet. Ai practically slid on her knees and embraced the two children in a secure and warm hug.
"My babies." Ai almost cried. "I'm so sorry I lost you two. I'm such a failure of a mother." Ai said.
Eren visibly relaxed as he saw his two children come in. He calmed down significantly after Sergei's call but now the tension was finally released, and he let himself relax.
"It's ok mama, it was my fault." Mikasa said. "I ran away, I'm sorry."
Ai started to tear up as she kissed both of their heads repeatedly. All the fear from earlier finally gone now that her children were in her arms.
"Thank you, Sergei." Sergei muttered sarcastically as he stood up painfully, every bone in his body popping as he did so. "Thank you for saving my children. Oh, you're welcome little idol girl. Happy to help."
"I know you have some ulterior motive like when you let me get captured by the Yakuza." Ai shot back.
"... You told her?" Sergei asked Eren.
"Why wouldn't I?" Eren asked.
"Fair." Sergei said. "But I promise I have no motive this time. I'm actually kind of retired." He said.
"Like I'd believe that." Ai said angrily, still upset that he led to her and her daughter getting kidnapped a decade ago.
"Hell hath no fury, right Eren?" Sergei asked.
"I don't know what that means." Eren said.
"Never mind." Sergei patted Eren's back. "Good to see you kid, want a big mac?" Sergei fished out a bag from his trench coat.
"I'm good." Eren declined. "Surprised you aren't speaking through a proxy this time."
"Different circumstances, wanted to make sure your kids were safe." He said. "Also, what happened to your hand?"
Eren's mangled hand was wrapped up in gauze to stem the bleeding. Some blood still came through, staining it red, but Eren didn't seem at all bothered by it.
"I can only transform three times." Eren said. "I tried a fourth, but it didn't work." He shrugged.
"Don't you heal fast now?" Sergei asked.
"Tomorrow when I regain my energy, but not right now." He said.
"Guess what mama, did you know drive thrus started in Arizona in the U.S.?" Mikasa asked excitedly.
"D-did they?" Ai asked, remembering the last time she heard that story.
"We also met a nice lady named Sakura-San, she's a model like you were." Mikasa started.
Ai raised her eyebrow and looked towards Sergei, who was motioning for Mikasa to be quiet.
"Sakura-San?" Ai asked, feeling a bit suspicious with how Sergei was acting.
"Yes, she worked in a building with a lot of red neon lights." Mikasa said.
"Shit." Sergei said.
"You took my children to a red-light district?" Ai said, her voice taking a very uncharacteristically venomous tone.
"I actually had them blindfolded so they didn't see anything." Sergei defended. "Plus, it was the closest stash I had at the time." Sergei revealed a short barreled AK under his trench coat.
Ai had to take a moment to take a deep breath, struggling between wanting to thank the evil criminal for saving her children and punching him for taking them to a red-light district.
"Anyway, Saitou and Miyako, good to see you two again." Sergei waved pleasantly.
"R-right." Saitou tried to wave back but still felt uncomfortable around the man that held him and his wife hostage and threatened their lives at the time.
"You should head out Sergei." Eren said. "Naicho will be here soon and I think they'll have words with you."
"True." Sergei chuckled. "Take care little ones." Sergei waved to the two youngest kids.
"Take care Sergei-San." Mikasa waved.
"Yea, take care." Kawachi said halfheartedly.
With that, Sergei left the room, needing to get away before any Naicho agents showed up. They have been hunting him for thirty years and he did not want to get caught during his retirement.
"He was scary." Kana said from her side of the room.
"Agreed." Mem-Cho nodded.
"But he knew Eren-San." Akane tried to defend.
"Eren-San is still pretty scary." Mem-Cho said, remembering his little outburst when he learned that his kids were missing.
"True." Kana nodded.
The hospital was nice enough to give everyone futons for the night so they could stay with Aqua and Ruby while they slept. It was nearly midnight now and aside from Ai, everyone was fast asleep. Ai decided to sit on a chair at Aqua and Ruby's bedside so she could watch over them. Even Eren was asleep due to his exhaustion earlier.
Ai could admit, she never saw that side of Eren before. That almost animalistic side that reacted without thought. Based on what Reiner and Armin said of his past, Ai wondered if that was how he used to be like. Even when she was in danger from the Yakuza, Eren still acted with cold calculation.
Come to think of it, he's been getting very agitated lately. He's been getting a lot more emotional than he ever has in the past. She could understand though. Eren was terrified of his old enemies, especially with the old powers they had.
Eren dealt with the Yakuza pretty easily once he got used to this world and how it works. Looking back on it, Eren didn't even break a sweat, and that was without his powers. But this fight against his old enemies really terrified him in a way she has never seen before.
Which was why she needed to remain strong. Eren was slipping, she could see that. There was something in his past that he was terrified of them learning and Ai knew that she needed to remain strong so he would have a pillar to lean on. Just like earlier when she had to calm him down.
Ai felt a presence next to her and looked to see Kawachi standing next to her, his eyes down and had a sad look on his face. It seems he had trouble sleeping.
"What is it Kawa-Chan?" Ai asked gently.
She noticed he seemed different. He was quiet and looked sad. She understood that he must be having trouble coming to terms with whatever he experienced. Mikasa told her what happened to them and although Mikasa avoided seeing the dead body, she could tell that Kawachi saw it.
Ai saw his mouth begin to frown and his eyes twitch as tears started to come out. He didn't move, but she could tell he was close to crying.
"Come here Kawa-Chan." She whispered softly and opened her arms in an invitation for him.
Kawachi slowly walked over to her and almost fell into her arms as he started to lightly cry. He tries so hard to act like a man that it's easy for her to forget how vulnerable he can be, especially what he witnessed.
"It's ok Kawa-Chan." Ai soothed as she rubbed his back. "You know, Mikasa told me how brave you were and how you protected her."
"I-I wasn't brave okaasan." He said through very light sobs. "I was so scared."
"Still, you were ready to protect her." Ai said gently.
"I wish I was more like otosan." He said.
"Really?" Ai asked.
"He wouldn't cry." Kawachi said sadly.
"You know, when we found out that you two were missing, I think I did see him cry." Ai said.
"No way." Kawachi said. "Maybe you did, but not him."
"Eh?" Ai asked in fake offense. "Do you think you okaasan isn't so strong?" She tried not to giggle.
"Not like otosan, he never gets scared." Kawachi said. "I wish I was more like him." Kawachi buried his head further into Ai's embrace.
"You know, he was very scared when he thought you two were in danger." Ai said.
Kawachi didn't reply and Ai could tell he didn't believe here. He put his otosan on such a high pedestal that it was almost impossible for him to believe that Eren was anything but stoic and manly.
"Okaasan..." He said.
"What is it?" Ai asked.
"Please don't tell otosan that I cried." He said in a vulnerable voice.
Ai broken the embrace and gently cupped his cheek as his tears started to dry up. She gave him a warm and gentle smile as she wiped the tears off of his cheek.
"It'll be our secret." She smiled.
Despite being on his futon, Eren heard every word. He was having trouble falling asleep and heard the exchange between his wife and son.
Despite how scared and vulnerable his son was, Eren was so very happy for him. Even in his darkest moments, he had a mother who could comfort and whisper loving words to him. It filled him with incredible relief that Kawachi had someone who could take his pain away.
Eren wondered how different his life would have been if he had a mother he could cry to during his darkest moments.
Sorry for the delay. Got stuck with work lol.
Now I did debate early on if I should completely end the B plot with Ruby's idol career after this point, but decided to keep it so some characters can have some relevancy lol. My justification is by no means realistic, but I'd say it works for an anime lol.
Obviously, the aftermath isn't concluded since Ruby and Aqua need to be brought up to speed and react to their new... gift lol. But Sergei's section took up a lot of time.
I was hesitant on that scene to be honest. I never really like having scenes with entirely OCs since people typically don't care about that in fanfiction. However, I let this scene play out for a number of reasons. 1: People seem to really like my OCs. 2: It was short, so it doesn't take from the main cast much at all. 3: I like the idea of explaining the environment from the kids POV since Sergei is trying not to let them see where they are, and they have no idea about adult subjects. Especially with Mikasa saying anything on her mind like most kids do lol.
As always, hope you guys enjoyed.