"...To Stay by Your Side..." (AOT Alternative Universe)

60. Towards the Tree on that Hill (Final Chapter)

AUTHOR'S POV:

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The dreaming person was seeing the dream through the perspective of someone who was sitting on a bench before a wooden cabin in a secluded area with a saddened expression on his face, his eyes half closed with strange marks on his face while his gaze was downcasted.

Before him, a 19-year-old Mrs. Mikasa was standing, smiling slightly, looking down at him.

Slowly, Mrs. Mikasa bent down a bit and reached out before gently putting her hands on the dreaming person's cheeks. "See you later..." She gently brought the dreaming person's face closer to her. "Eren..."
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Clouds in the sky flew idly while the Campanula flowers danced along with the gentle breeze.
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Birds chirped around softly while the squirrels played around.
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Under the tree on that hill, a 49-year-old Dr. Eren was sleeping in a sitting position while a 49-year-old Mrs. Mikasa was crouching before him with a soft smile on her face while her red scarf was ruffling in the wind.

Mrs. Mikasa reached out and gently put her hand on Dr. Eren's shoulder. "Darling, wake up."

With a soft groan, Dr. Eren slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Mrs. Mikasa with a tired gaze.

"Darling, you might catch a cold." Mrs. Mikasa said, still smiling softly.

Dr. Eren blinked a few times in confusion. "Mikasa...?" He slowly looked around. "When... did I fall asleep?" He looked to his right to see their cabin there.

"A while ago." Mrs. Mikasa said softly and ran her fingers in her husband's hair. "You must have been exhausted."

Dr. Eren looked down and rubbed his sleepy eyes with his forearm. "It's just, I feel like I had a really long dream..."

Mrs. Mikasa nodded slightly, still smiling. "Let's just take it easy and do nothing for the rest of the day." She slowly stood up and turned to their cabin. "We've caught your favorite fish earlier..." She turned back to her husband. "So-" Her eyes widened slightly as she saw tears rolling down Dr. Eren's cheeks. "Darling, why are you crying?"

"Huh?" Dr. Eren said with mild confusion, looking up at Mrs. Mikasa.

A gust of wind flew upwards, blowing leaves along with it while ruffling Dr. Eren's hair.

Dr. Eren reached out to touch his tear-strained cheek. "I... don't know..." His gaze fell on the drop of tears on his fingertip. "I suddenly felt like..." He looked down, his expression saddening. "We don't belong here..."

Mrs. Mikasa kept staring at Dr. Eren with concern for a moment before her expression softened and she slowly crouched before Dr. Eren again. "Darling..." She reached out and put her hands on her husband's cheeks. "Look at me."

Dr. Eren obliged and looked into his wife's eyes.

Mrs. Mikasa smiled reassuringly and gently caressed her husband's cheeks. "Of course, we belong here, Darling. This is our home." She gently wiped Dr. Eren's tears. "I think you had a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?"

Dr. Eren kept staring at Mrs. Mikasa's eyes with a saddened expression for a moment before looking down. "I... don't know, Mikasa..." He let out a sigh and looked back at Mrs. Mikasa before putting his hand over her hand. "How many... years have passed...?" He reached out and put his hand on Mrs. Mikasa's cheek. "You look... older now..." He gently traced her scar.

Mrs. Mikasa looked confused and surprised yet again. "Um, It's been 30 years since then..."

Dr. Eren's eyes widened in surprise. "30... years..." His expression then softened. "We have been here for too long now..." He leaned in and embraced Mrs. Mikasa.