Chapter 10: A Promise for a Meeting
Eren ran from the cover he was hiding behind to hopefully get the men shooting at him. He knew he'd survive a few rounds if he needed too, it would just be hard to explain the bullet holes. He did have to be careful though, a bullet to the head would kill him instantly since he had no idea how to do that consciousness thing Zeke was talking about.
As Eren jumped from his cover, Miyuki got lower to the ground, hearing the bullets go over him. He hasn't ever been in a gun fight before and the only time he really fought was when he rescued Kaguya. He needed to fall back on his training if he was going to make it out of here.
Miyuki moved low to the ground, using the boxes as cover while Eren retaliated quickly. Miyuki knew he was nowhere near as skilled as Eren, so he kept low and mostly out of the way, only trying to give a small amount of backup.
Miyuki looked up as a Yakuza thug rounded the box he was hiding behind. Without thinking, Miyuki aimed his pistol from his low position and shot the man.
The bullet hit him in the stomach, causing the man to scream in pain from the hit and double over, his pistol falling out of his hands as he hit the ground. He curled up in a ball, clutching his now bleeding abdomen. Miyuki hoped he could get medical treatment since Miyuki didn't want to kill anyone.
Miyuki crawled a bit further, over by the two police that were also taking shelter. One man was the first one that was shot, who had a large amount of bleeding coming from his upper arm. The other cop already started applying a tourniquet on that arm in order to stop the bleeding.
"Are you ok?" Miyuki asked.
"Yea." The cop said. "Those bastards must have set an ambush."
"Why?" Miyuki asked.
"I don't know, but they were probably waiting-." He said.
The cop was in a crouched position as he treated his friend, which meant his head was slightly exposed. A round skipped off the top of his head, blowing a chunk of his upper skull and brain right next to Miyuki.
Miyuki looked at it in shock. He saw criminals die that night he rescued Kaguya... but never a fellow law enforcement official. An innocent man just died in front of him, serving the country of Japan, and leaving a family behind.
"Focus kid." The injured cop said. "Mourn after we escape."
Miyuki nodded at the cop and tried to pull himself together. He couldn't focus on that right now, he had to stay focused on the fight in front of him.
Miyuki looked up over the box and saw Eren easily dispatch a guy in close quarters. His style of fighting got more tactical as he learned how to fight outside of his almost improvised style from before. He actually used proper shooting techniques and followed basic fundamentals.
Eren shot the man in front of him in the shin before executing him on the ground. Eren had already killed at least half a dozen men by now, but there were a few more. The Yakuza were really no different, still just untrained lackies that only knew how to pull the trigger but not how to actually use the weapons they illegally acquired.
"Fuck this!" One Yakuza member yelled.
A few ran away and Eren debated about shooting them as they ran, but he was technically a member of the government now and he had to avoid concepts like "Excessive force" when fighting criminals.
Which always bothered him, since he remembered the MPs always used excessive force. Whether they were under the command of the false king or Zachary, they always used extreme force, which produced results.
Eren always felt confused by these modern concepts of humanitarianism. He always just chalked that up to a difference in culture compared to his world.
After the fighting stopped, Eren stuck a finger in his ear to try and quiet the ringing.
"Damn fast healing." Eren said to himself.
His eardrums really were back to one hundred percent, meaning that now every shot sounded like the first time he ever fired it. He actually got used to his slightly degraded hearing, which didn't affect his normal life, but made the sounds of gunshots more bearable. Now, he was back to every shot being an annoying pain.
"What happened out here?" The medical officer asked.
"We have two cops down." Miyuki said. "One..." Miyuki couldn't finish.
"It's alright, just let me see." The medical officer said.
Miyuki walked over to Eren who was busy cleaning out his ears, like it was the first time he shot a gun.
"Are you ok Senpai?" He asked.
"Yea, just some ringing." Eren said.
"W-we... we lost a guy." He said sadly.
Eren looked over at the body of the other cop, the one who wasn't hit and now had a part of his skull on the ground next to him.
Eren felt... guilty at his death. If he wanted to, he could have transformed, ending the fight in an instant. They would have been too scared to fight and all it would cost is Eren's secret.
However, Eren refused to reveal it so casually. He was too afraid to risk his family learning, which could open up questions he never wanted to answer. Questions about the rumbling and the crime he committed.
Even after all these years, Eren selfishly chose himself over others.
"Senpai, you're shot!" Miyuki exclaimed.
"Wha-" Eren looked down.
His black suit jacket had three holes in it from gunshot wounds. Eren's adrenalin was so high he didn't even feel them, even then, they healed almost immediately. Eren could also see some blood that leaked through before the wounds were closed.
"I'm fine." Eren said.
"Senpai, I see the-"
"They're just ricochet's, they didn't pierce my skin." Eren denied.
"I can see the exit holes on your back!" He yelled.
Eren knew there was no getting out of this, so he had to resort to a half assed lie.
"Look." Eren opened his jacket and while dress shirt, which took Miyuki by surprise.
There was no damage on his torso. No bleeding aside from a few blood stains, and the holes in his clothing. Miyuki couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Eren... what the hell..." He tried to say.
"Like I said, they must have bounced on the ground." Eren said.
"Eren, I'm not dumb. How the hell are you uninjured?" Miyuki asked.
Eren had no response. He knew Miyuki was going to report this, since any good agent would. It may bring up questions, about how Eren not only had fast healing but the Titan only appeared where Eren was. It wouldn't take much for them to find out.
"Miyuki, I need you to keep this a secret." Eren said.
"You're joking, right?" He asked.
"Please, right now my family could be in danger." Eren said.
"Why?" Miyuki asked. "Why would they be in danger? Who in the criminal underworld would mess with you?"
"Criminals that no longer fear me because of giant monsters." Eren retorted. "Whatever this thing is, he wants me."
"Eren, I need more to go on." Miyuki said.
"Just please Miyuki, not right now." Eren almost pleaded.
His main concern was keeping his powers a secret as long as possible. He wasn't naive, eventually it'll come to light, especially if he's pushed to fight the Jaws. But he just needed time to prepare for when his secret got out.
"Right now, I need to get home to my family." Eren said. "You stay here, explain to any backup, and catch a ride back; I need to go."
Miyuki noticed that Eren was almost panicking right now. He seemed like he was in danger or like something bad was happening.
Eren jogged outside back to his car. He got inside and started the car, hoping to get home as soon as possible, especially if Reiner was near his family. He had no idea what Reiner had planned, but he could guess.
That damned Jaws probably led him into a trap, but why? Was he trying to leverage the criminal world against him? Was Reiner attempting to get close to his family to take them hostage?
Damnit, why did they have to come here. Eren didn't want to get into another fight with those damned Marleyan's and certainly didn't want to deal with Titan's anymore. He thought he was done with that.
And now, Miyuki knew about his healing. Eren had no lie prepared, but he reacted in the moment. He let himself get shot trying to protect those police, and now his secret was in danger of being revealed. If Miyuki put that in a report, it wouldn't be too much for Naicho to suspect Eren of being related to the Titan Shifters, especially after China.
He didn't want to imagine what that could mean.
Damnit, Eren just couldn't keep his thoughts straight. His mind kept flashing to his house being collapsed in rubble and having to pull the bodies of his family out of it. The same sight Eren saw the day he attacked Liberio. If those warrior bastards wanted revenge, that's probably how they would do it.
"Good evening darin." Ai greeted as Eren walked into the house, although he looked a bit panicked.
"Ohayo papa!" Mikasa said from the couch.
"Mika-Chan, it's evening." Ai giggled.
Eren looked around the main room, sighing a bit as he noticed the whole family was there, sitting and watching TV. At least they were safe for the moment.
"Papa, are you ok?" Ruby asked as she noticed Eren's blood stained shirt.
"Yea, just work." Eren waved off.
"Oh my... you were shot?" Ai asked as she got up to inspect him.
His shirt was undone, and she could see his torso, but there were no injuries.
"I was wearing armor." Eren lied. "Where the hell is Reiner?" He asked.
Aqua knew this was coming, since Eren really suspected this was the same Reiner he knew. Which given the evidence, probably was. He was unsure of how Eren would react exactly.
Ai though, she actually giggled at his worry.
"Ara, does papa not approve of a boy talking to Ruby-Chan?" Ai giggled.
From her interpretation, Eren was just being a normal father when it came to boys around his daughter. Which Ai knew she would find cute and adora-
"Where is he?" Eren said, silencing her thoughts and grabbing Ai's arms.
Ai was surprised at the sudden outburst. She imagined Eren to be a bit upset and overprotective, but this was seeming like there was an actual threat. His grip was tight, but not tight enough to cause her pain. He seemed worried as well, like something was about to happen.
"He's probably home." Ai said. "Reiner took a train home after our karaoke night." Ai explained. Though for the first time, she actually kind of feared her husband right now.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me about him?" Eren asked.
"Eren, please, calm down." Ai tried to say, feeling his grip tighten on his arms.
Something must have happened to him today at work. She could tell he was in a fight, one involving guns, so he may be shaken up by the event. She knew he was worried for their safety, for some reason, but she needed to stay calm so he could stay calm as well.
"Eren, we're fine." Aqua said.
Eren took a breath, calming himself. He was getting emotional.
Why didn't she tell him? Simple, because he really didn't take an interest in this whole idol thing so there was no reason to tell him. She didn't know the danger Reiner posed, how could she? It wasn't fair of him to start accusing her or blaming her for something she couldn't possibly know.
Eren let go of her arms and brought his wife into a hug. All he could think about was his family dying in a pile of rubble the entire trip.
"I don't want you working with him or seeing him again." Eren said.
"What? Why?" Ai asked. "He has helped us so much with our-"
"Ai, that's what's going to happen." Eren said. "I don't want him working with you."
"Why papa?" Ruby asked. "Is this because he tried to ask me on a date?"
"What?" Eren turned to her.
"You didn't know?" Ai asked. "I thought that's why you were worried."
Why the hell would Reiner ask Ruby on a date? How did Reiner even know what a date was? That wasn't a thing in their world. Oh right, he was reborn, so he grew up in this world as an infant and probably adapted.
"Why would he ask Ruby on a date?" Eren asked out loud.
With his context, it made no sense since he already was working with them and as such, was close to his family. So why go the extra steps to ask Ruby on a date?
Ruby though, took it a whole different way.
"Wait, are you saying I'm not good enough to be asked out on a date?" She asked, kind of offended.
"That's not what I meant." Eren said.
"Eren, it's ok." Ai said. "I spoke with him, he's a very nice boy. Besides, Ruby said she wasn't interested in him."
"When was his birthday?" Eren asked.
"How is that relevant?" Ai asked.
"Today." Aqua answered.
Ai looked at Aqua, as if there was context between him and Eren that she was missing.
"Why does it matter?" Ruby said. "I turned him down, so you don't have to worry. Besides, he helped us to get some recognition. I have an interview soon because of his help."
"I just-" Eren had nothing.
He had no way of explaining to the family why he was so afraid. Or the context of why Reiner was such a threat to the family. How could he explain it? Maybe Ruby would understand since she was reborn, though Ruby didn't know that Eren knew.
"Why don't you come tomorrow to the studio to meet him." Ai said. "Then you can judge him for yourself."
And probably kill Reiner while he was at it. Eren didn't like the idea of being in a building where Reiner could transform. However, with Eren there, if he needed to, he could do a partial transformation to shield his family.
"Fine." Eren relented.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Ruby said, annoyed. "Who I chose to spend time with is my business."
"It's not about that." Eren said.
Ruby actually turned away from him, a bit upset at how Eren reacted about the whole thing.
Reiner was kind and sweet, if a bit of a dork. He was honest and sincere, and even if he was really forward in how he acted, Ruby actually liked those qualities. She didn't understand why Reiner was getting so much hatred from Eren.
Unless...
Ruby looked at Aqua and narrowed her eyes in confusion and even a bit of an accusation. Aqua saw her glare and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking why she was looking at him.
Ruby said nothing and went upstairs to her room.
Eren said nothing as he walked upstairs as well, planning to go to his office so he could do more research.
Ai looked sadly as he went upstairs, wondering what exactly was wrong with him lately. She never once in her life saw him be afraid, yet now, he was acting like there was this massive fear and burden on him. She wondered what that would mean.
Ai decided to go to the kitchen and get dinner ready. She hoped at least a homecooked meal would make her husband feel better.
Mikasa watched her papa walk upstairs and got sad. Something was wrong with him and it seemed like even her mama didn't know what was bothering him. Well, papa never really played video games before, so maybe she could convince him to watch her play. It might cheer him up.
She turned to where her mama went and when she saw that her mama was out of view, she quietly made her way upstairs. She was always told not to bother her papa during his work when he was home, but maybe he would make an exception now.
Mikasa tiptoed over to the door of his office and opened it. Papa was hard at work on his computer, writing down notes on a small notepad that she assumed was filled with work related information. He rarely worked from home since all his secret agent computers had to stay at work, but he sometimes did minor things when he was home.
Her papa changed his shirt, now wearing a shirtsleeve shirt since his other one was damaged. The old shirt was thrown on the desk on the side, papa barely noticing.
"Papa-" She tried to say.
"Not right now Mikasa." Eren said, barely paying attention to her.
"Are you sure you're ok papa?" Mikasa asked timidly.
"Yes Mikasa, now go downstairs and let me focus." Eren said again.
Mikasa didn't listen, instead she walked over to Eren's side and tried again to get his attention.
"Well, if you're feeling bad right now, how about you watch me play a video game." She said.
"Mikasa, not now." Eren repeated, his voice raising just a bit.
"It'll be fun papa. Since you never played video games, I could show you how to-"
"Mikasa! What did I say!?" Eren yelled, turning to face his daughter.
Mikasa stepped back, surprised at her papa's sudden outburst. He looked annoyed and angry, and all she was trying to do was cheer him up.
"I-I'm sorry papa..." Mikasa said sadly as she started to sob slightly, tears already coming out of her eyes.
Eren instantly softened, feeling bad at his outburst that terrified his poor daughter. He didn't mean to yell at her, he just felt stressed. He was already researching information about Reiner, so he didn't want to be interrupted.
But, with seeing how Mikasa just stood next to him, her head down and her arms at her side, sniffling and sobbing, yet refusing to move, made Eren feel like his heart shattered. He never meant to make her cry, he was just so worried about her.
"Come here Mikasa." Eren held his arms out in an invitation for a hug.
Mikasa still cried, but she walked over to Eren, got in his lap, and hugged him. Eren wrapped his arms around her, one hand holding the back of her head as she cried into his shoulder. Her crying was softer now, but she was still sad.
Eren closed his eyes and enjoyed this moment. His daughter's tiny body in his arms, trying to memorize everything. Her voice, scent, and even the feeling of her in his arms. The very thought of that being taken away from him terrified him to no end.
Eren knew he was getting too wound up. He needed to relax. One night of no research won't change anything, besides, he'll see Reiner tomorrow and can deal with him then. And maybe kill him for trying to manipulate Ruby into dating him to get to Eren.
"Come on, let's go play that TV game."
"It's a video game papa." Mikasa said through one last sob, pulling away from Eren's hug and drying her tears.
"But it's on the TV, right?" Eren asked.
"Yes, but it's called a video game." Mikasa pouted, which Eren though looked cute despite her tear-stained face.
"Then why not a TV game?" Eren said again.
"It's video game!" Mikasa yelled, punching him the chest.
"Oof!" Eren exaggerated, making it seem like Mikasa hurt him despite the weak punch.
"Are you two having fun?" Ai said at the doorway.
She heard the commotion from downstairs and wanted to check on them, glad they at least seemed to quickly make up. She knew Eren was stressed about something, but he recognized that and decided to calm down for his child's sake.
"Papa's going to play Spider-Man with me." Mikasa said.
"That sounds familiar." Eren said.
"We watched it the first night you stayed at my place." Ai said.
Eren did vaguely remember that. They watched some movie about a guy who had spider powers of all things. It was a really weird concept and Eren honestly didn't pay much attention to it at the time.
"After that knife guy, right?" Eren remembered.
"Please don't bring up Ryosuke." Ai said with a shutter. "I'd rather forget that whole event."
"Who?" Mikasa asked.
"No one." Ai dismissed, not wanting her daughter to know her mama almost died years ago.
"Ok." Mikasa shrugged. "Come on papa!" Mikasa said, grabbing Eren's hand and pulling him out of the chair.
"Ok, fine." He said.
"Dinner is almost ready." Ai said.
"Just put it in the main room, I'll eat it while we're playing." Eren said.
But that's not the point of a main room, Ai thought to herself. She let it go since Eren was at least keeping his mind off of work and spending time with Mikasa. Besides, a video game could be good for him since he really never did anything with it, despite getting the kids a PlayStation.
Mikasa booted the game up and sat on the couch next to Eren. She started explaining all the things she loved about it and how awesome it was. Right now, she was at around halfway through the game.
Eren was confused, he remembered nothing of the movie from years ago, other than some guy in a red and blue outfit moved around like he had ODM gear. She started the game and showed Eren how to play it.
She demonstrated how to swing and fight; all the while Ai brought the food out and decided to let them eat over the coffee table.
"Ok, this is not at all realistic." Eren said.
"Well, yes. It's fantasy." Ai said.
"Yea papa, it's not supposed to be realistic." Mikasa said.
"I know but, how is he able to swing like that?" Eren asked.
"What do you mean?" Ai asked.
"I mean, that's not how physics work." Eren said. "Without any kind of external force, he shouldn't be able to go higher. It's like a pendulum, you can't swing to an equal height because you lose momentum."
"Watch." Mikasa said. "He jumps at the end of his swing."
"On what?" Eren asked. "You can't jump on the air. He either needs to reel in the strings or have some kind of thruster."
"It's webs papa." Mikasa said.
"That's another thing, how don't they break?" Eren asked. "I've walked into spider webs, they're weak."
Ah, there's that lack of formal education showing itself, Ai thought to herself.
"Webs are actually stronger than steel." Ai said.
"Ok... now I know you're messing with me." Eren said.
"If they were as thick as what's in the game, they would be." Ai said.
"But it makes no sense." Eren said. "He's just getting momentum out of nowhere."
"It's not like you ever swung papa." Mikasa accused.
"Yes, I have." Eren said.
"Really?" Mikasa asked.
"The ODM gear I used to save your mama." Eren said. "That took me three years to learn, and I know how momentum works. You need an external force to actually push you, otherwise you'll eventually swing lower and lower until you hit the ground."
The videos of him using ODM was still pretty common on the internet. While they were hard to identify since Eren was so fast and the CCTV camera's had poor quality, everyone knew who he was.
Gan'an even adapted a civilian and rescue version, though without Ice Burst stone he had to use regular compressed air, which was decent as a slow grappling hook at best. It was used mostly for rock climbers and emergency rescue in the mountains, though it never had nearly the capabilities it did before. It only let you slowly walk up a steep cliff instead of soaring through the sky.
"Like that right there, you went from the street to fifty meters in the air with no external force." Eren said.
Mikasa now kind of regrets inviting her papa to play video games. She was still having fun though, despite him not understanding how cool the game was.
"Why is it in English Mika-Chan?" ai asked.
"Well, it takes place in New York, and I wanted the English since it feels more authentic." She said. "It would be weird if he spoke Japanese."
Ai smiled to herself as she continued to play, while Eren critiqued every single little part of it. How can you fit those lines in a small thing on his wrist? How are his arms not ripping out of his sockets. It went on and on. He really didn't pay attention to the movie years ago, or maybe in a video game form he just noticed how unrealistic it was.
At least he seemed like he calmed down a lot. Which gave Ai a sense of relief.
"Aqua, a word." Ruby said from her bedroom door as Aqua walked upstairs to get ready for the evening.
"What is it?" Aqua asked.
Ruby's normally happy face was replaced with a look of annoyance. She seemed like she realized something about what happened earlier with Eren.
"What did you tell papa about Reiner?" She asked.
"I don't know what you mean." Aqua said in a neutral tone.
"Don't lie to me, I know you said something." She said. "You couldn't have told him that Reiner was reborn, because papa wouldn't believe it."
"It's not that, it's just..." He didn't know exactly how to give her a satisfying answer without telling her the truth.
"Reiner is a good person, so I don't know why you're telling lies about him to papa." She said.
Aqua assumed she was misreading the situation. She didn't know that Eren was from another world, and so didn't have the context of what Eren told him. Plus, Eren's reaction is not normal without the actual context there. Even with the context it was hard to believe.
So, he assumed that Ruby thought Aqua distrusted Reiner and lied to Eren about him. Given the context that she knew, it made perfect sense.
"Ruby, there's something off about Reiner." Aqua said.
"How can there be something off?" She asked. "He was reborn, just like us."
"I know, it's just that-"
"Papa was reborn, wasn't he?" Ruby asked.
Aqua was silenced. He never expected Ruby to actually figure that out on her own. Well, she's a little bit off, but close enough.
"How'd you figure it out?" Aqua asked.
"If I wasn't reborn myself, I never would have." Ruby said. "I figured it out a few minutes ago. Especially with the way he acted. Plus, Reiner said he knew an Eren, so with how secretive you always are, I figured there had to be something behind it."
Aqua really wished he learned how to act. His innocent boyish charm has faded and he can no longer pretend to be an innocent toddler. Now, Ruby was able to largely figure out the whole issue.
"How long did you know?" She asked.
"After Hikaru tried to kill me." Aqua said.
"And you never told me?" Ruby looked upset.
"You never could keep secrets Ruby." He shrugged.
Ruby pouted. She looked so upset about him learning it and yet not having enough trust in her to at least tell her. It filled her with frustration and anger.
"I figured, since we were alone in this, that you'd tell me everything." She said. "But maybe I was wrong."
"Ruby, I wanted to protect you." Aqua said.
"Why, because you think I'm a child?" She asked. "I'm technically twenty-eight." She said.
"Meaning you died at twelve." Aqua said.
Darn... she accidentally admitted that.
"This is the first time you reached sixteen, meaning that you're still youn-"
"I am not." Ruby growled. "I am an adult now. So, I can handle anything like a regular adult."
Aqua couldn't help but think that's how a sixteen-year-old would sound.
"Did papa know I was reborn?" Ruby asked.
Aqua's silence answered her question.
"And I'm assuming he didn't tell me for the same reason?" She asked.
"Eren didn't want you to know so you could just be normal Ruby." He said. "He wanted to treat you like a real daughter and he didn't want you to feel any different because of your circumstance."
There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Ruby felt slightly betrayed and frustrated that both of them kept that part of their lives a secret from her. Eren was reborn as well. He was in the same situation as them, and not only that, he knew Reiner. They had a history together.
"So, where do we go from here?" She asked.
"I figured I should tell you everything." He said.
Reiner told her Eren's situation. How he wasn't reborn, but full on transported to a new world. He was only a day or two on Earth when they first met, whereas Reiner was fully reborn from their world.
Aqua even told her about the Titan threat, and how there were possible enemies between Eren and these warriors. How Reiner was a warrior who was at war with Eren's country. That could mean Reiner was getting clos-
"I don't believe that." Ruby denied.
"We have to be careful Ruby." Aqua said. "They can turn into actual monsters. We don't know what to expect."
"I know, but if Reiner wanted to hurt us, he would." She said.
"Why are you defending him?" Aqua asked.
"Because he's not a bad person." Ruby said. "Mama always said never to judge people we don't know."
"We kind of know a lot about him already Ruby, like how he nearly killed Eren." Aqua said.
"Papa killed a lot of people too, but we still love him." Ruby said. "So why not give Reiner that same chance?"
"Ruby... you don't actually like him, do you?" Aqua asked.
Ruby suddenly started to blush. Her eye's widened and she stepped back slightly, as if she was just literally punched by the accusation. She looked like she was almost paralyzed for a moment at what Aqua just insinuated.
"Of course not." She looked away from him.
"Really?" Aqua asked.
"I can't date, I'm an idol. You saw what happened to mama, but I won't make the same mistake." Ruby denied even more, but her blush was growing.
"Damn it." Aqua sighed. "Either way, Eren and Reiner are talking tomorrow and there's no guarantee it won't come to violence."
"Well, I'm going to be there during that talk." Ruby said.
"I really don't think that's a good idea." Aqua stated.
"Well, you don't get to chime in after you kept this from me for so long." Ruby turned away from him. "I refuse to blame Reiner for something that we know nothing about. So, I am going to be there when they talk."
Aqua could do nothing to convince her. It reminded him so much of when Ai first met Eren. Any red flags were thrown out the window. She refused to see the reason in at least having some suspicion of someone who showed odd and even dangerous traits.
Reiner did seem like a decent person, but according to Eren, he was an enemy soldier in their world. There is no telling if Reiner harbored some hatred for Eren or even vice versa. Aqua just wanted to approach this situation with care and caution.
But Ruby already made up her mind. Despite what she was saying about wanting to remain pure to avoid a controversy, Aqua could tell she at least liked him. Maybe not romantically, but she trusted him enough to defend him.
At the same time though, he wondered how much of this was teenage rebellion, since now her papa disproved of a guy. Aqua luckily is avoiding that since he already matured past that state in his previous life, but Ruby was reaching this age for the first time. Despite the added years from her rebirth, she was still mentally a teenage girl.
"Please Ruby, just be careful." Aqua said.
"I will." she said. "Now get out of my room, I need to get changed."
With that, Aqua went back into the hallway.
Aqua remembered years ago, during his therapy sessions, how he came to terms with the fact that he was projecting his feelings of Serina unfairly onto Ai and Ruby. How he idolized them both as a kind of extension of his former patient. How he fought and kept secrets to preserve their lives and even innocents so that at least some part of Serina would still be alive.
He realized years ago how self-serving and self-destructive that mindset was. He didn't want to repeat what happened with Hikaru, where he took the burden on all by himself and didn't include Ruby. Sure, she was a child, but she deserved to know the danger and threat that Hikaru was.
Aqua looked down to his forearm, the scar from that Yakuza guy was still there. A reminder of his suicidal tendencies when it came to protecting Ai. He remembered he had no plan to take that guy on, just a need to act.
Now will be different. He won't be suicidal and do everything alone. He'll work with Eren to keep the family safe, and even tell Ruby and keep her informed. He can't really do that with Ai, Kawachi, or Mikasa since they'd probably assume he was joking or just crazy. But at least now, he won't let that burden be his alone.
However, he knew that tomorrow was going to be rough.
I honestly got exactly the reaction I expected last chapter. A lot of people thought I was going to cheaply extend the meeting between Reiner and Eren lol. Nope.
Hopefully you guys won't mind too much since the next chapter will be the meeting. So, at least I'll fulfil that.
I do hope you guys enjoy so far. We're at chapter ten and by now expectations should be fully established and the tone should be set. It is going to be more focused than the last story in terms of the threat, since now there's the "Mystery" element (Granted, there's only so much mystery you can add with reusing characters lol. A unique challenge to writing fanfiction).
As always, hope you guys enjoy.