Christa's POV

Reiner, Annie and I swung from the next branch, to the other, following the direction that Mikasa sped off to. Since we found the blood, Mikasa's speed has been increasing and the way she'd manuver around would be rough compared to her calm self earlier. I watched as Mikasa disappeared behind one of the large ruffling trees and land somewhere below. Annie stooped high above me while Reiner hung onto the side of a large stump. We saw Mikasa dash away and eventually head farther into the forest.

"Man, this is really tiring.." Reiner huffed with sweat rolling down his forehead. "I feel like Bertolt."

"We're probably close to finding Eren; I can tell by looking at Mikasa's actions." I said while towering over him as he slumped to the ground. He caught his breath and gave me a smirk as I flipped my hair over my shoulder. "Well.. we should get going." I raised my brow at him as he bit his lip while watching Annie backflip off a tall branch and swiftly handing before me.

"Yeah." She replied with a nod. We followed Annie, who apparently knew what direction Mikasa went from watching atop the trees. Towards the North Mountains we went, hovering over the grassy hills and even taller trees. I stopped when I heard the sound of branches cracking and crashing on the ground making the birds retreat from an opening on the west side. "Over there."

Reiner sucked in breath of air as we lunged over a branch and landing in a furrowed bush that provided us safe landing. Annie dashed ahead while I brushed the leaves off my lap and waited for Reiner to pick himself up. We manuvered around a couple more trees, and a few more boulders that stood in our path. The west side had many branches that we're perfect for our 3DMG but a bit frustrating at times when Annie made it up front. Beyond the grassy hills ahead, I spotted Mikasa being held in someone's arms. surrounded by three other mysterious looking people with green robes that we draped over their shoulders.

My eyes widened at the sight of the Wings of Freedom and at the mans' glowing eyes. His prescence was strong, overwhelming, and made me feel uneasy while the other younger looking female had a softer aura around her. The other brunette with glasses had a saddened look on her face. We shot our hooks straight ahead and smashed the trigger as the cords dragged us forward with high speed and slight force. I landed beside Mikasa and saw that the one embracing her was Eren. Reiner and Annie stood beside me and walked closer to them.

"Eren! You're alright!" I exclaimed. He looked up from Mikasa and froze for a second before blinking a couple times. Mikasa shifted in his arms as he straightened up his back.

"Good to see you again, man!" Reiner said before letting Eren speak and nudging him in the shoulder. He smiled back at us and rubbed the back of his head as he held Mikasa with one arm. His mouth twitched to say something but Annie stood up from behind.

"Eren, are these the guys who kidnapped you?" We averted our gaze at the three other people that stood before us. Two of them were vampires with already glowing red eyes and one of them had a strange but still fearsome prescence surrounding her. The one that sent shivers down my spine was the short man that shot daggers at us with an emotionless face that immediately landed on mine. I took a step back, only to feel Reiners' chest against the back of my head.

"Reiner," I heard Eren say with a loud but quivering voice. "Carry Mikasa with you guys, she sprained her ankle and make sure you guys go straight back home. He lifted Mikasa up and placed a light kiss on her forehead before shifting her body over Reiners' broad shoulders.

"But Eren, what about-" Reiner started but Eren interrupted him with a monotone voice. He flinched and took a couple steps back before looking up at us.

"I can't go back for now. But I promise I'll be back. So.. please take care of her for me."

"Eren.." I muttered. "But.."

"Please understand." He had a low, serious tone in his voice. It was strange to see Eren like this. He was usually so lively with a bright smile and would always lighten up the mood. But now he felt so far away and distant from us..

"Let's go." Annie said. "We're gonna lose the light." Reiner frowned at her and then over at Eren. I nodded hesitantly and gave Eren one last look. He had his bangs over his face and gritted teeth. Before we used our gear to reach the top of a high branch I heard Eren mutter, "Thank you.."

••••••

Levi's POV

We all stood there in silence as the wind blew across the grassy hills and flipped my cape around behind my back. I glanced over at Petra and Hanji who sent me looks of sadness or maybe even sympathy for Eren. Hanji flipped her hair around before mouthing at me to go get Eren. The brat was frozen in silence and kept his face away from our sights. I furrowed my brow and walked up to the kid and calling him out.

"Hey, brat, get over it. You're not going to be able to go home for awhile. Just because your girlfriend showed up doesn't mean you have to cry about it." I said to him in my usual tone. Damn, was I too harsh. No, I think it was fine..

"S-she's not my g-girlfriend.." Eren muttered. He wiped his face before turning around to face me. As expected, his face still had some dried tears and a couple scratches from earlier. "I'm sorry.. Shall we get going?" He tried to crack a small smile from the corner of his mouth but failed miserably. We gave each other a look of doubt for the brat was terrible at hiding his true feelings. I shrugged it off and let it slide for the moment.

"Come on, brat."

~~~

The walk back to the castle was very tense, Petra wanted to talk to Eren about what happened but she didn't want to bother him. Hanji tried to enlighten the mood by making weird innapropriate jokes and poking at him but he only continued to fake a smile with dull eyes. On the other hand, I left him alone for the time being, the kid needed some space, peace and quiet, at least that's how I feel when I'm down. When we entered the castle, we were greeted by Oluo at the door and Erwin standing by the staircase. I handed Oluo my robe and wiped the dirt off my boots before entering. Petra excused herself to her room, then Hanji smiled and waved at Eren before she hibernated for a couple hours back in her lab. By the time she came back, it was already dinner. A late dinner.

Erwin had Oluo prepare quite a feast for us, roasted beef, mashed potatoes, corn on a cob, caesar salad, tomato soup, and caramel pudding. Indeed, Oluo was an excellent butler, fit for the Scouting Legion. I stared down at the nicely set up table and nodded in satisfaction before sitting down in my usual seat. Lastly, Petra entered the room while dragging Eren by his wrist and guiding him to his seat beside me. He was hesitant at first, after exchanging glances with me he sat down slowly and slumped in his seat. Erwin noticed Eren's behavior and leaned in to my side.

"Did something happen?" He whispered with a hand over the side of his mouth. "What did you do, Levi?"

"It wasn't me. During the picnic, we ran into someone from his clan who tried to take him back. But I handled it." I said while holding onto the rim of a porcelein teacup that had blue vine patterns on its surface. "That brat was surprised and had some kind of emotional breakdown."

"I see. Well, I hope he gets better soon." Erwin leaned back into his seat and eyed Eren poking at his mashed potatoes. I saw his lips curve up into a smirk as he watched Eren eat and eventually switching glances with me. "What is it?"

"Nothing." I mumbled while twirling a silver knife in my hand. "It's nothing.."

Dinner soon was over, after Oluo collected all our dirty dishes, Erwin dismissed the rest of us up to our rooms. Hanji and Petra left together while chatting about library books and other weird potion ideas. Erwin left without me noticing, leaving me and Eren in the empty dining room. He hasn't really said anything since that girl, Mikasa came by. I huffed and took a sip out of my tea as Eren continued to stare blankly at the silverware in front of him.

"Hey, if you keep staring you're gonna burn your eyes." I said while holding my tea up to my face, breathing in its relaxing aroma. Eren darted his eyes at me for a second before focusing back on the utensils before him. "Do you want me to stick one up your face or something?" He seemed to be taken back a bit. Did silver actually scare him that much?

"N-no.." He grumbled.

"Are you just gonna sulk for the rest of your time here? Get over it already, you're getting real annoying." I said to him with a click of my tongue. His face lowered a bit while I let out a sigh. "I know you may feel lonely, sad, hurt, angry even, I understand that. But there are some things in life that you've just gotta accept. It's better to hurry and let it go than to hold on to it because if you hold it for too long, you'll just end up hurting yourself and causing others pain..You..I've actually been in that kind of situation before and I'm telling you now..." I closed my eyes and opened them to find two bright green orbs staring right at me. His eyes were not as dull as before and they had that golden tint color back in them.

"Levi.." I twitched at the sound of his voice calling mine. His low voice aroused me a bit, making me feel like a jumpy teenager. I wanted him to call out my name more.. with more expression.. more feeling..

"Anyways, try it out and you'll see." I continued to drink my tea and occasionally glancing over at him. "Well, time to go back to your room. You Shapshifters aren't exactly like us vampires.."

"We're kinda nocturnal but I guess I'll get some sleep.." He muttered as he slowly left the room.

••••••

Eren's POV

Way to go. Levi gives me all this advice and all I do is leave? I didn't even get to say thank you or anything.. Was he actually worried? I didn't think that he even gave two shits about me. But earlier the tone of his voice and the way he looked at me was almost sad looking..

I sulked over the staircase and dragged my feet as I walked across the halls. To my surprise, I saw the Fuher leaning by the side of my door with his arms crossed. He flickered his gaze to mine and stood up from his position.

"Hello, dear pet." He said to me with a smile as I slowly approached him. Pet? Did he seriously just call me a pet? I frowned at him and stopped when I heard a chuckle fall out of his lips. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Better. Thanks for asking, Er- I mean, Fuher- no wait, Master..?" I stammered in confusion. This only made him let out another chuckle and take another step towards me.

"Just call me Erwin. There's no need for any formalities. After all, we've met before, remember?" He raised his bushy brows at me as I gave him a puzzled expression. When did I meet Erwin? Now that I repeat his name in my head, I swear I've heard it somewhere before..

"Ah! Are you possibly Smith? Erwin Smith? We met down at that one old antique shop in town, right?" He grinned and slightly nodded.

"Now you remember! I'm just glad you didn't forget all about me."

"Sorry, you just look different from last time. You had that long robe on before and now you have all these fancy clothes.." I said apologetically.

"No matter. I just wanted to check on you. It's good that you're feeling better. If you ever need company or advice on anything, come to my office." He winked at me before brushing my shoulders and walking off into the shadows.

"Uh, thanks..?" I said wearily before heading back towards my bedroom.

••••••

Mikasa's POV

"Mikasa.. Wake up.. Mikasa.."

I heard my name being called by a gentle voice in my ear.. Who is it..? When I fluttered my eyes open I caught the blurred sight of blonde hair and two bright blue orbs.

"Christa?" I said as I sat up in my cushioned bed. "What happened?"

"I'm Armin." I rubbed my eyes and got a better look of the person sitting beside me. Oh god, it was Armin. He frowned at me and looked away.

"S-sorry, Armin! I couldn't tell, my head is still a bit fuzzy.." He nodded and handed me a glass of water. "Thanks.."

"It's fine. You must be exhausted after what happened yesterday. I heard from Annie that you got attacked by a vampire and almost got killed!" He exclaimed as he took a capsule of pills out of the drawer beside my desk.

"It was pretty close. He was a royal vampire I think.. But I didn't get any major injuries." I said as I glanced out the window, watching the pink curtains dance in the cool breeze.

"You sprained your ankle though. Good thing Reiner came in time to pick you up when Eren-" He stopped when he mentioned Eren's name and covered his mouth with his hands.

"I.. I wasn't able to take Eren back. It was my fault for being weak. If I only had been more careful and not sprain my ankle then he would already be back with us.." Armin looked down at the pills he held in his hands and slowly placed them in mine. I dropped the pills into my mouth and gulped down the rest of my water before laying back in bed.

"Take it easy for now, Mikasa. I'll get more information from the Alpha and the rest of your squad." Armin smiled at me and shut the door with a soft click. I closed my eyes and drifted into my thoughts.

That man was strong.. Unbelievably strong.. He was definitely a royal. To be able to make that much damage with one blow.. It's gonna be hard to get Eren back with that guy around him. The female vampire seemed to be less of a threat. I couldn't see her face well but she was familiar..

The other person wasn't a vampire.. What was she? Could she be a human? That doesn't matter, all I need to do is make up a plan to defeat that guy.. I swear to god.. I'll kill him.

••••••

Hanji's POV

It's been three days since that last incident with Erens' relative. He's been in acting more cheerful than usual now, probably because of all the things him and Petra have been doing around the castle. The two of them were certainly getting closer and more comfortable around each other. I guess I was happy for them, Petra would always seem bored for she had Oluo do everything for her, and Eren, on the other hand, was taken away from his home and his loved ones. At least the two of them had each other and started enjoying life a bit more.

"Hanji!" I turned around and saw Petra calling out to me as Eren followed behind her. " I was just about to show Eren the castle garden. Want to come along?" She was very jumpy and looked excited to see the castle garden. I shrugged and opened the front door.

"Why not?" I replied. We stepped outside and went down a gravel path that led to a wire gate with vines wrapped around it. "Hm, I don't remember ever visiting our garden.."

"Really? When I was younger, I would always eat lunch out here and even tend the roses. It's really beautiful." Petra stated as she slipped past the rusty gate. Tall hedges and small rose bushes aligned in straight columns immediately came in sight. "Isn't it?" The bushes had lush red roses blooming with green vines surrounding them. My eyes widened as I got a better look of the scenery and caught a glance of a sparkling greenhouse.

"Wow! A greenhouse! Why don't we hang out over there?" I pointed over and grabbed Eren by his wrist. He stammered as I happily hopped over to the entrance of the greenhouse.

"Hanji, wait!" I heard Petra say as she followed from behind. "T-that's-"

"What do you think you're doing?" We looked over a hedge and saw Levi sitting on a small bench reading an old library book. He crossed his legs and snapped his book shut. "Hey, I asked you a question."

"What's up, Levi? We were just visiting the roses and giving Eren a tour." I said as the three of us inched closer to Levi's area. He sent daggers at me and let out a huff.

"Tch. How many tours have you given him already for the past three days? And just so you know, this greenhouse is my property, you need my permission to enter."

"Really? I didn't know that!" I said sarcastically. He clicked his tongue once again and met eye contact with Eren.

"G-good afternoon." Eren managed to say as Levi stared intently at him. Levi simply nodded and scanned Eren up and down. "Er.."

"Sorry, I was just noticing the new clothing you had on today." Levi said in response. I narrowed my eyes at Levi suspiciously, he seemed so calm and collected around Eren. Strange. He was doing a really good job covering up his face.. Oh, I know what to do..

"Ah! Petra, we should prepare some tea for Eren! He must be thirsty!" I placed my hands on Petra's shoulders and started pushing her out the entrance. "I'm also sure that Levi would like some tea, hurry on!"

"H-hanji? What are you-" Petra started. Eren raised his brow at me and then looked over at Petra.

"Don't worry I'll help you out! Now, let's go to the kitchen. Come on!" I pushed her out and managed to pull ourselves away from Levi and Eren. Levi gave me a weird look, I simply grinned at him and mouthed, "Go for it!"

"Wha-" Levi jumped with his face slightly pink.

"Well, see you later! We'll be back with the tea!" I winked at them and left the two alone in the greenhouse.

••••••

Eren's POV

I stood there awkwardly as Levi sat back down on his small wooden bench and crossed his legs over the other. The sun shone into the greenhouse, making the droplets on the roses shimmer like crystals. The greenhouse had a strong scent of roses roaming, along with a hint of fertilizer. On the outside, it probably looked like I was admiring the flowers but in reality, I was freaking out since I was all alone with Levi! What should I do? It's been days since I last talked to him.. Maybe this could be my time to say thanks from the advice he gave me last time!

"Hey." I blinked and looked down at him. "You can sit down." He gestured to the spot beside him. My face grew warmer by the second as I slowly sat down, keeping my eyes on the roses in front of us. Darn, why can't I even start a small conversation? There's always this lump in my throat whenever I get around Levi, my breath quickens, and my fingers get all shaky. I gulped and cleared my throat as he shifted his position in his seat by placing his arms over the bench, nearly around my shoulders.

"Um, Levi?" He grunted and continued staring into the distance, probably into some area outside the greenhouse. "Thank you." Levi flipped his face towards me and stared at me in shock.

"What are you saying?" I saw his foot tap a couple times before I finally responded.

"Well, you're kinda the reason I got over what happened with Mikasa. When I saw her, I felt like chocking, I wanted to run away with her and receive all the warm smiles I would usually get from my clan. We were a family and they are all precious to me.."

"You.." Levi kept his eyes glued on my face as I fiddled with my thumbs and continued talking.

"But I knew that I couldn't go back, not with the deal I have with Erwin. It was hard to send her back, especially fighting with all the tears. I felt broken down, hurt, even more than I was before. Even I knew myself that if I ever saw one of them again that I would break down. Heh, I guess I ended up doing it anyways.." Levi's face showed a bit more emotion compared to the look on his face earlier. His brows were furrowed, as always, but in a more saddened way.

"I don't get why you're thanking me." Levi closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in a tight grip. I slipped a smile out of the corner of my mouth and giggled.

"After what you said that night, I started thinking, about a lot of things, actually. I realized something. There were many things I should've let go in my past and too many that I've held onto. I might've caused pain to the people around me more than what I've been feeling.. It helped me a lot and made me feel a lot better. All thanks to you, Levi."

"What a brat. It's no problem, there's no need to thank me." He replied while playing around with his raven hair. I sat there grinning while Levi looked away from me.

•••••

Levi's POV

The kid actually remembered what I said.. And he even thanked me for it. Honestly, I was shocked and felt all fluttery inside. My cheeks were heating up as I gazed at his glorious smile and listened to his heartwarming giggle. When was the last time he smiled at me? I don't even remember. Has he even smiled at me before? Was this the first time? I looked away and unconsciously started playing with my raven locks.

"We're back~" We heard Hanji and Petra walk in holding a tray of teacups with some nice, warm Earl Grey. Eren happily took a cup from Petra while Hanji plopped herself on the opposite side of the bench, blowing on the surface of her tea. "What did he say?"

"He thanked me." I muttered. Hanji took a sip of her tea and smiled.

"That's nice. He did say something about you giving him advice a couple days ago."

"Hmph." My eyes drifted off into Eren's direction and landed on his adorable pouting face.

"This tea needs more sugar." He said as he scooped up two teaspoons of sugar out of a small pot. I sighed and took a sip out of my own tea. Maybe... just maybe.. I've fallen for someone.

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OH GOD IM A TERRIBLE AUTHOR I haven't updated! I have no excuse so please, throw all your baked potatoes at me if you wish. ...>_<...

I think my story is really boring so far.. Ugh I'm just trying to get though all this and reach the moment when they all get close to each other. I'm sorry my fanfic must be like crap. I can't even believe this got so many reads.

But thanks you guys for everything! Even though this isn't that great..

I DONT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR ANY CHARACTERS

I only own the storyline/plot and the setup.

~jaja

Ereri is life💕