Der Anfang

ザ・ビギニング

The Beginning

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'The rain feels cold...' These were the thoughts of a nine year old Eren Yeager as he was walking with his father towards the Ackerman family home. It was just him and his father today, as his older sister stayed behind to stay with their mother and teacher. He'd always wanted to go with his dad to visit patients as he found it to be interesting. Part of him wishes he could bring Armin along with him, but the blonde haired boy had to stay with his grandfather today, so it was just Eren and his father.

Armin was his very best friend and shared his passion for reading books with him, Eren would tell Armin about how his father came from outside the walls and that they used to live in a forest before coming to Wall Maria and residing in Shigashina. Excited, the blonde asked him if he believes the ocean exists, and Eren told him that it really does exist because his father said so. After that, the two became fast friends, but because of their similar interests in wanting to see the ocean, the other kids would call them "heretics'' to their faces and started harassing them.

His friend wasn't much of a fighter, but Eren was. When the other kids decided to start bullying them, they started with their words. Eren told Armin to ignore them, so he did. It was only after they tried to physically hurt them that Eren retaliated. He couldn't even call it a fight as the bullies were decimated in an instant. Having easily defeated them, Eren took Armin away to his house, the blonde boy asking him questions about who taught him how to fight the whole way. Eren didn't mind indulging him at all. Eren proceeded to introduce his friend to his family, as soon as his sister Erena saw his new friend, she jumped on him. Armin was blushing the whole time, not knowing how to handle the fact that his sister had taken an instant liking to him and dragged him to her room.

His mother and father greeted Armin warmly, but his teacher commented about how he was surprised that he was able to make a friend. He kicked the man in the shin for that. Eren had always been curious about the way his father works and asked if he could read some of his books with him. He was giddy inside when his father let him read through some of his books, with him present to help him sound out some words and explain some things he didn't know. Being a doctor can be very tiring, his father would always tell him and Eren could see the tiredness in his father's eyes every time he came home.

That's why Eren decided to go on house calls with his father to help him out in some way and to learn everything he can.

It was the consecutive knocks on the door that dragged Eren from his inner thoughts. Looks like they've arrived at the Ackerman home. They live out here in the mountains, away from the people of the city from within the walls. If it wasn't raining right now, Eren would find the area around him to be peaceful and quiet.

"Remember Eren, I want you to get along with their daughter Mikasa." Grisha reminds his son, after knocking on the door.

"Mikasa?" Eren questioned, making sure the cloak around him was nice and secure.

"That's right. She's a girl your age," Grisha responds as he looks at his son, "As you've already noticed, there aren't any other children around here, so get along well with her, okay?"

So she's like Armin, then.

Eren knew Armin didn't have any friends because he wanted to go outside the walls and see the ocean, even being called a heretic because he believed there's life outside the walls. His friend was right, Eren wanted to tell him he was right, but knew he couldn't.

"Okay, dad." Eren complied, secretly wanting to meet her already.

Grisha smiled, "Hopefully you'll have two friends instead of just one."

"I like being friends with Armin," Eren insists, "He's warm and kind."

Grisha couldn't help but be amused by that, "I see." Looks like both of his children have taken a real liking to the boy, "Hm, they usually don't take this long to answer the door. Maybe they went out."

He decides to knock on the door again, "Mr. Ackerman, it's Dr. Yeager." Having still not received an answer, he opens the door slightly to see if they were indeed not home like he suspected, "Pardon the intrusion."

Before even attempting to take a step inside the home, he gasped as he saw the two bodies of both Ackerman's still on the floor. A puddle of blood lay beneath their unmoving bodies.

Sensing his father's sudden mood change, Eren spoke, "What's wrong?"

Grisha didn't respond, a bead of sweat fell down the side of his face as he continued to stare at the sheer evil before him.

"Dad?"

Snapping out of it, Grisha rushes inside, first checking on Mr. Ackerman before proceeding to check on his wife. Eren steps inside the house and freezes at the sight of the two dead bodies. How could...how could someone do this…? No, the why wasn't important right now.

Stepping towards Mr. Ackerman's still body against the wooden table, he checks to see how long the body has lost its warmth. Placing a hand on the man's neck, he deduces it hasn't been that long since they were killed.

'The monsters who did this have to still be here somewhere up on this mountain,' Eren stood up from his crouch position, 'I'll find them!'

As he was preoccupied with his thoughts, Grisha meanwhile was checking to see if Ms. Ackerman was still alive by some chance.

"No good." He gives the woman a silent prayer before addressing his son, "Eren, is there a girl nearby? Do you see Mikasa anywhere?"

...no

He didn't…

"No." His voice was soft, but it was only because he was trying to hold back his rage. Teacher constantly told both him and his sister that letting your emotions control you in any situation is stupid.

"I see." That wasn't good.

"Listen, Eren, I'm going to go call the Military Police Brigade and request an investigation. You go wait at the base of the mountain, understand, Eren?" Grisha says to his son.

Eren heard what his father was saying, but unfortunately his instincts were telling him to do something else. Electric impulses were going off in his entire being, eyes turning gold as a simple phrase was uttered.

Hunt and kill.

So he will.

'There.'

Just as he suspected, the monsters were indeed still here up in the mountains. Tracking them down wasn't very hard, the rain helped him as it made the ground soft, allowing him to track them down by following their foot prints that were etched in the mud.

For animals, they were pretty dumb.

Smarter animals would hide anything that would lead predators to them, be it their scent or footprints. This just makes things all the more easy for him. Hiding behind a tree not too far from where a house was located, he made sure that his hunting knife was tucked safely in his pocket. Closing his eyes, his eyes begin to glow a golden color, allowing him to sense those inside.

'She's in there.' That's all he needed to know.

Approaching the house, he opens the door slightly, startling the two inside. From the crack through the door, he could see the girl—Mikasa lying on the floor, not moving a muscle. He can't tell if they've done anything to her yet, but he'll check later.

"Excuse me." He softly said, announcing his presence.

One of the men made his move, the one with short blonde hair, "Hey, you damn brat! What are you doing here, huh?!" The man slams the door wide open, glaring down at Eren.

Eren remained calm, while also managing to look innocent at the same time, "I...was lost in the forest...and I saw this cabin…" he saw the man towering above him look over at the other and have a silent conversation before he turned his attention back over to him.

"A kid shouldn't be walking around in the forest alone," The man said crouching down to his eye level before placing a hand on his head, "There are scary wolves roaming there. But you shouldn't have anything to worry about if you come with—"

SLASH

For a moment there was silence as the man's eyes widened before feeling something warm fall from his neck and onto his shirt. It was at that moment he realized his throat had been slashed. It was so quick and precise that he didn't have enough time to react.

"Thanks, mister," Eren thanked in a calm, cold tone before brushing the man's hand away from his head like it was common filth that was found on the side of the road, "I only want one thing from you…" his eyes began to glow again, "Die." Having said that, the man fell to the side, dead.

"You kidding me?!" The man sitting in the chair the whole time sat up abruptly with wide eyes.

Unbothered by the man's disbelief, Eren closes the door to the room, his cold, calculating eyes on the man the entire time as if daring the fool to follow after him.

"C-Come back, you damn brat!" The man yelled before opening the door back up, only to cry out in pain as his foot was caught in what looked to be a bear trap, making him fall backwards back inside the room and dropping the axe he had grabbed. Eren was already on him as he put one hand on the man's face, while the other had his hunting knife to the man's throat.

"You aren't humans…" To hear such a calm and collected tone from a child was terrifying as the look in the man's eyes confirmed it, but Mikasa didn't look afraid at all, "...just filthy animals." In one swift movement, he slit the man's throat.

Mikasa was still staring at Eren with a dead look in her eyes, but the moment his eyes looked into her eyes...she couldn't look away. The glowing, golden color of his eyes kept her focus on him and nothing else.

Eren saw she was looking at him and went over to her, "It's all right now." Bending down, he cuts the rope from her wrists gently, "You're Mikasa, right? I'm Eren, Dr. Yeager's son. You've met him before." He moves in front of her and wipes the blood off her face, "I came along with him to your house for the medical examinations when we saw what happened."

Mikasa looks him right in the eye as she rubs her wrist, "There was another one…"

Eren heard the footsteps before grabbing Mikasa and moving out of the way quickly as the third man came out of nowhere, his leg just barely not making contact with Eren. He looked furious, probably because his friends were killed by a mere nine year old.

'I didn't sense him before, just the other two. My 'sense' was off.' Eren thought, as he moved Mikasa behind him and prepared his knife to kill the last man.

"Did you do it?"

Eren doesn't answer the man.

"I'll kill you!"

"Like you killed Mikasa's parents? You're an animal just like them." Eren coldly responds.

This seemed to set the man off, "Shut up!" He charged at Eren, but being small had its advantages as Eren moved out of the way and sliced at the man's leg.

"Ngh! You little—!"

While the two were busy trying to kill the other, Mikasa was still on the floor, afraid for the boy that was trying to protect her. Someone else was going to die because she was too weak to do anything.

Just like how her mom tried to protect her…she failed to do anything for them.

And now, she's…

"Fight!"

She looks up and sees the boy saying those words to her as he was still avoiding getting hit by the last man.

"If you don't fight, you'll die! You're still alive, so fight!"

BA—BUMP!

Hearing those words set something off inside her. She wasn't sure what was happening, but the next thing she knew, a powerful force had taken over her. A powerful electrical force coursed through her veinsThe feeling of something heavy registered in her mind, she had grabbed something, possibly the axe lying next to the dead man who had his throat slit by the boy.

After that…

...she felt her instincts take over.

Letting out a fierce war cry, she charged at the man in top speed, and the boy Eren followed her lead and did the some from the front, while she charged from behind.

For the first time, the man showed fear as he was caught in both the front and back. At the same time, the two children stabbed him, Eren from the front at his stomach, while Mikasa from the back near his chest. When the two backed away the man fell to the ground, dead.

He died instantly.

Mikasa let out huffs as she stared down at the man she had just helped kill along with Eren. She had done it.

She had killed the man and survived. Her life had been saved and given another chance to live a new life.

A warm hand grabs her own, "Let's go." Eren proceeds to drag her away from the three dead bodies, unaware of the new feelings blooming within her.

'He's so warm…'

The Military Police were already outside the hideout, it was already night and they finally decided to show up. Eren wasn't impressed with them, his teacher would have found them quickly without even trying to. From Eren understood, the three men were sex traffickers, and were probably remnants of a sex trafficking ring they had broken up months ago. It was obvious these three had run off without ever being caught, and then these Military Police guys forgot about them. Hence, leading to this tragedy.

No wonder his teacher calls them useless idiots.

His father was also with them, the older Yeager giving him a hug as soon as he saw they were both safe and unharmed. He felt really bad about worrying his father, so he returned the hug.

The two military men went inside and paled at what they saw, "This one had his throat slit," one of the men's eyes then looked over at the other dead man, "His foot got caught in a bear trap, causing him to fall backwards before his throat was slit in the same way, and then…"

Finally, he looks over at the last man before going over to inspect his body, "He was stabbed in the front, the blade aiming for his stomach," he then rolled the man over, "Also stabbed in the back, but his heart was pierced from the back with one strike. They stabbed him at the same time."

His partner was still looking very pale, "Those kids did this?"

"Hard to believe, but they're the only ones here and no one else."

"But still...for two kids to do...this."

At that, his partner had no words.

Back outside Grisha was scolding Eren, "I told you to wait at the base of the mountain, didn't I? Do you truly understand what you've done?!"

Eren's response was a calm one, "I killed them. I killed filthy animals. They weren't human, but beasts that only look human."

"Eren!"

"Dad, they would have been long gone if we'd waited for the Military Police to arrive. By the time they'd finally got here, it would have been too late." Eren continued.

"That's no excuse!" Grisha scolds, "Training or not, you were just lucky, Eren!"

Eren had gone silent at that.

"Listen, the reason I'm scolding you is because you thoughtlessly risked your life without thinking! You can't do that!" Grisha tells him.

Sensing he truly made his father upset, Eren hugs his father again, and Grisha returns it by giving his son a bear grip like hug.

"I heard it."

"Eh?" Grisha questioned.

"There was...something inside me...telling me to hunt and kill…"

Grisha's eyes widened before gently pulling away from his son to look him in the eye, "What you heard...is it possibly...the awakening?"

Tilting his head a little to the side, Eren looks at his father for clarification, but Grisha decides to let it go in favor of focusing on a silent Mikasa.

Standing up, he looks at her, "Do you remember me, Mikasa? We met a few times when you were younger." From what he can tell, those three men haven't done anything to her, thank goodness Eren did manage to save her before they could do anything, but there's no way he'd ever tell his son that.

"Dr. Yeager, which way...should I go to return home?" Mikasa's soft voice inquires, "It's cold." Even though the man had given her his jacket, she still felt cold, "There's nowhere...for me to go home to." She said, looking down.

Grisha gave the girl a sympathetic look. To lose her parents at such a young age, and to experience what she had…

Eren sees how sad she is and goes over to her, he unwraps the red scarf around his neck before gently wrapping it around her, "You can have this." His mother had knitted this scarf for him, even made one for his sister, but surely she won't mind him giving it to this girl who needs it more than him right now.

"It's warm, right?" His tone was low and gentle as he said this to her.

Nevertheless, Mikasa felt touched by his warm act of kindness and touched the fabric of the red scarf, "It's warm." Just like him.

Grisha found the scene before him to be adorable, despite his son's calm and reserved demeanor, his heart is kind, "Mikasa, why don't you live with us?"

"Eh?"

"You've been through a lot, you also need plenty of rest." Grisha kindly tells her.

Mikasa looks over at Eren, as if seeking confirmation that it truly was okay for her to live with them.

Eren gently grabs her hand, "Let's go home."

Hearing those words were enough to make the girl cry tears of happiness, "Okay…" her tears are then gently wiped away by Eren before dragging her away from the area.

Grisha watches his son drag her away with a smile. They just met, and it already looks like he's taken a liking to her. Giving one last look at the house that was now stained with blood, he follows behind the children as they descend down the mountain.

Carla was downstairs, reading an interesting book Armin's grandfather had lent her some time ago. Reading this book is the only thing that was keeping her emotions in check. That sweet little girl, Mikasa. Those vile vermin dared to try and sell a sweet child such as her? Good riddance.

Her son had gone and saved a cute girl like her, she was proud, but she had to agree with her husband that what Eren did was reckless, and that while his training with his teacher was going well, he still shouldn't have done what he did. Fortunately, Eren realized that doing reckless things was wrong and promised not to do it ever again, so she only let him off with a light scolding.

His teacher was proud, of course.

Another thing that was on her mind was how Eren has experienced the awakening, just like his sister.

'For the two of them to awaken at their age, our children truly are prodigies.' Carla thinks before putting her book down.

"Mom."

The Yeager matriarch sees her daughter standing at the entrance of the kitchen, her long brown hair shined as the moon's light hit it just right. Her beautiful green eyes matched her brother's perfectly.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" How rare for her daughter to still be up and not in bed.

"That girl, Mikasa...you'll let her stay here, right?" Erena get's right to the point.

Ah, so she's taken a liking to Mikasa as well.

"You like her." It was a statement.

Erena nods, "She reminds me of our cousin. Small and helpless, yet proud and kind."

"Mm, she certainly does have the same unique qualities as her, doesn't she. Do you believe her to be a good fit for Eren?" Carla questions.

Erena huffed before looking away, "Maybe."

"I see, now then, off to bed with you."

Nodding, the older Yeager twin goes back to her room to sleep. Carla knows her children well, if one of them likes something, the other is sure to follow. Should they hate something, the result is the same. She believes Mikasa would be a good fit for her son when they got older, and as for Armin...well, her daughter has pretty much claimed the boy as hers already.

Looking out the window, she sees it's another full moon out tonight. A cold feeling seeped within her very being as she knew this quiet peace won't stay quiet for very long. They will be making their move soon, and the results will not be a favorable one...if they weren't already prepared for countermeasures.

"Soon…"

Tage Des Friedens (Days Of Peace)