𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 ; 𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘬𝘢

000. PROLOGUE | PT 2

Mikasa had kept her word. Every day after dusk, she would come to meet Eren with a bright smile on her face and a basket full of bread. Mikasa would always talk endlessly while Eren would happily snack on his bread, making sure to save some for his mom.

In the little time, Eren had known Mikasa, she had told him everything about her.

Her age, favorite color, her fears, hobbies, and dreams. One sunset, Eren looked at her, curiously.

"Why do you trust me so much?" He wondered.

She turned to him and stared at his eyes for a long time. At first, it put Eren on edge but he slowly got used to it, mesmerized by her wise-looking eyes. Her red nose twitched a few times. Eren found it quite cute.

"I don't really know. I guess you make me feel safe." She simply answered. At those words, Eren started blushing. He turned his head the other way quickly, his heart racing. He felt so stupid for feeling like this.

Eren heard Mikasa snicker beside him which made his blushing turn worse.

"Hey, I never asked your name." Mikasa blurted out. Eren faced her, eyes wide. He bit his lip in uncertainty.

"Kruger." He finally answered. Mikasa slowly added, "Okay, Kruger. Tell me about yourself."

Eventually, Mikasa would come to the tree with more things than just bread. On the second week, she appeared with warm clothing. Eren was surprised when she said it was for him. He tried the cloak on, immediately feeling the warmth. It fit quite big on Eren's tiny body which made Mikasa laugh loudly.

As if a virus, Eren couldn't hold himself from laughing.

The next day Mikasa arrived, jet black hair full of snow, panting, her breath in front of her, visible and an arm wrapped around a tiny little box filled with pages. "This is a book, Kruger. For the next few months, I'll teach you how to read." She said, poking Eren's cheek.

It took time but with Mikasa's patience and Eren's determination, he learned to sound out a few syllables. As the snow thawed and the sun peaked out, Eren had learned to read his first full sentence. Mikasa jumped and clapped, twirling in the grass as Eren sat there, amazed at himself.

"We did it, Kruger." She cheered as she grabbed his hands and twirled in circles with him. They both laughed, the warm Spring air tickling their faces. By the middle of May Eren had finally mastered reading short sentences. Mikasa always complimented his intelligence. The next time Mikasa came with two new faces.

One girl with golden hair tied up tightly. She had beautiful blue eyes that reminded Eren of his friend but she looked tired, completely different from his friend. She was wearing a simple white dress that stopped at the knees and black slip-on shoes. For a rich girl, she looked quite humble. Her eyes were naturally sleepy, making her look irritated. Her face was expressionless and intimidating.

Next to Mikasa, there was a boy. He was animatedly talking to her but she didn't seem to be paying attention to anything he said. The boy was chubby, his spiky ash-brown hair standing out. He had small, brown eyes that stayed on Mikasa.

"My mom told me I had to take them with me." Mikasa frowned. Eren laughed.

"That's fine." He beamed. Mikasa pointed with her thumb at the girl with blonde hair who stood next to her.

"Kruger, this is Annie Leonhart." Mikasa said. Annie raised her hand halfway, waved once, and dropped it. She turned her attention to the bright blue sky.

Eren gave her an uncertain smile. Mikasa pointed towards the boy next to her who finally took his eyes off Mikasa. This time he was staring at Eren with a smug expression.