Eren's POV:

I shut the door behind me and set Mikasa down on the couch. I placed her backpack aside, draped a blanket over her and sighed. She managed to sleep through all of this. She was really amazing.

I walked over to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I sat down on the kitchen countertop and watched Mikasa while I was drinking. She looked really adorable when she was sleeping, but there was something bothering me.

She looked familiar from the beginning, but I didn't know where. I didn't want to ask her for some reason. Instead, I decided to check out her bag if there was something about me and I found a red scarf...

Huh. She never wore this during the entire school day. I wonder why she brought it with her in the first place? I decided to take a closer look. It had a couple of holes and smelled like strawberries. It's funny because I had a scarf like that.

Wait a second... It's MY scarf!!!

I ran upstairs and burst into my room. I went to my desk and flipped open my journal, which is NOT a diary, which some girls had. I never put my feelings in here, only what happened that day. Now, back to the point.

I looked through my entries from a few years back and found the one I was looking for. It went like this:

"July 7th

Summer break was nice, but I can't seem to find my strawberry scarf... My mom will get mad at me for losing it. But I don't think I actually lost it, I think I remember giving it to Mika, the girl I saved. But then again my memories are still fuzzy. I wish I wrote about that day to remember..."

That's true. I had only just started writing in my journal after I saved a girl my age from some horrible guys. So she really did have the scarf all along! Mikasa really was the Mika I remembered!

I started to cry, a few tears falling onto the scarf. I can't believe we didn't recognize each other all this time...

So that first day when I met her again, I guess I remembered her in my heart, but not in my mind. It wasn't just that she was cute from the last time I met her or she felt lonely, it was because I remembered her in my heart and wanted to talk to her. I just never realized it all this time.

I wiped my teary eyes and went back down. I put the scarf on Mikasa and smiled. Then I went back to the kitchen to cook.

Mikasa's POV:

I was dreaming and in my dream, I was in that terrible memory from the past. But something surprised me. I could hear water boiling and someone cutting food on a board. My eyes started to budge open. I groaned. I just want to go back to...

Hold on... This is not my room or my house. And who is cooking? I turned my head and saw Eren cooking some noodles in a pot. I was even more surprised now.

"Finally awake now, right Mika?" Eren smiled at me.

"Mm. I guess so. Is this your house?" I asked, looking around.

"It is. My dad is at his clinic so he usually isn't at home during the night. So don't worry about him. Anyway I just finished making some noodles. You want some?"

"Sure!"

I got up from the couch and sat myself down at the table. Eren brought over the pot and poured some noodles in my bowl.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome. But try the noodles, they're good."

I took a bite on the noodles and it tasted amazing. "Eren, did you make this?" I said while scarfing down the noodles.

"I did, I just started learning how to cook."

"Wow! It already tastes good. It's like you're a pro at this." I said, encouraging Eren.

"I guess you're right. Hey, I noticed the red scarf in your bag. What's the story behind it?"

This was weird. He noticed the scarf? I might as well tell him.

"It brings back some bad memories..." I sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm curious and you have me to cry on anyway." Eren smiled softly.

I don't know what he was thinking, but here's the story I told him anyway:

--Somewhere Back in 3rd or 4th Grade--

I was coming home from school with one of my classmates. I couldn't remember his name we only met for a short time and my memories were sort of fuzzy too. I knocked at the door but no one answered. I knocked again only to get no response. Then I heard some screaming. I broke through the door and found my mom and dad in the corner tied up. I was about to run to them but a tall guy caught me and put me in another corner. He pointed a gun at me and said, "You better not scream, too. You hear that?"

I shivered and started to cry, but suddenly, there was a knock at the back door. The tall guy tied me up in some... duct tape? He put some around my legs, arms and my mouth.

He pulled out his gun and answered the door. I was shocked! My classmate was there at the door. I wanted to tell him so much that this guy was going to tie him up too. But all he could hear from me was gibberish.

"What are you doing here little kid?" asked the tall guy.

"I was just passing this way when I heard some screaming. Are you all right?" asked my classmate.

"Yeah. Just dropped a heavy box of tools on my foot."

"Good to hear that sir. Now, I'm only doing this because it's for your own good."

"Huh?" My classmate hit him on the head with a baseball bat. It was enough to knock him out but not kill him. He untied my family and I, and tied up the tall guy. I wanted to thank him, but the police took us away for protection. All he left for me was this red scarf. I never got to see him again...

--End of Flashback--

Eren's POV:

"But you already did," I said to Mikasa after she finished her flashback. "You just met him and you already said thank you to that guy."

"Huh? Where? And when?" Mikasa asked.

"You know, I never realized it from the start but when I saw it, I couldn't believe it."

"Eren, what are you talking about?"

I sighed and told her.

"I'm that guy who saved you years ago..."

"Wait, what?" She was definitely surprised.

"You have my scarf and I remember losing it or giving it to someone named Mika. She turned out to be you!"

"Was that why you kept calling me Mika?"

"I guess so. I didn't entirely remember you but somewhere here," I pointed to my chest, "I remembered you. I just made the realization while you were sleeping."

My mind started filling up with memories of the past. The girl I saved was right here all this time!

"Where were you years ago? I was trying to contact you, be friends or something like that."

"My family was put under protection and put in the city. They later died of shock..." Mikasa's eyes became watery. I wiped her eyes and whispered into her ears.

"But that's the past now. We're here right now. We became friends that were supposed to years ago and you already said thanks many times today. I think you need some rest." I whispered softly.

"You're probably right Eren. I'll get going now." She got up from the couch and hugged me. She opened the door, and before leaving she said, "I'm happy we found each other."

The door shut close and I was left here on the couch. I sighed and looked out the window. Soon after she left, my dad got home, tired as usual. He just sat down at the table and ate the rest of the noodles.

I went ahead and changed into my pajamas. I lied down on my bed and thought about something. I was thinking about Mikasa and finally meeting her again all these years and not realizing it. I was really an idiot for not recognizing her. So I finally got sleepy, turned off the lights and called it a night...

Mikasa's POV:

-The Next Morning-

The alarm kept blaring the song from my favorite show, "Strike on Giant." I pressed the snooze button and tried to go back to sleep, but the alarm soon rang again. And soon, I was awake. I got changed and ate breakfast by myself. I put on my red scarf and left the house.

At school I found Eren alone at his desk working on something.

"Hi Eren!" I greeted him.

"Hi Mika! Uh, it's okay to call you that now, right?" Eren looked at me.

"Yeah, and you should have asked sooner."

He smiled and said, "Now you're wearing the scarf. I would have realized it was you sooner if you were wearing that."

"Sorry, I usually wear at home. I feel like I'll lose it at school."

"If you ever lose it don't worry. I'll help you find it." We both smiled and laughed.

Mr. Levi came in as usual and took attendance roll. He was grumpy and gloomy as usual. Then he had an announcement.

"I'll be passing out your new schedules. The extracurricular activities you chose has already been added. Anything dumb you signed up for will be your next class after this." He passed out the schedules and when he was done, he went out to get coffee as usual.

Eren's POV:

The lesson was boring as expected from Mr. Levi's class but I noticed Mikasa was really excited to see the next class, the 104th Training Corps.

The bells rang and Mikasa was eager to get to the 104th TC. We walked together to the gym where the class we chose was.

"Welcome to the 104th Training Corps! I'll be your instructor, Reiner Braun!"

We looked around and the gym looked like an obstacle course on those TV shows mixed with a martial arts dojo. Blue foam mats covered the floor and obstacles were in the middle, while the ends were full of white belts (the martial arts kind) and instructors.

Mikasa and I looked at each other and we smiled. We were going to have a lot of fun here.