Attack On Titan: Goodbyes

Mikasa's POV

Year 850

By winter, the echoes of titans being crushed beneath Trost's colossal sledgehammer finally faded.

When the heaps of snow began to melt, the military announced that Wall Maria had been fully cleansed of titans.

With spring's arrival, we retired the last of Trost's towering elevators, and the main roads leading home were being rebuilt.

Flowers bloomed, butterflies danced in the soft sunlight, and hope seemed to quietly settle over the land once more.

It wasn't long before refugees were permitted to return to their hometowns, roughly a year after the attack on Trost. Six years had passed since the Colossal Titan's first assault, and with Wall Maria reclaimed, the Scouts resumed their expeditions beyond its borders, under the command of Erwin Smith.

As for Eren, he had been promoted to Vice Commander of the entire Scout Regiment, taking charge alongside Erwin. But whenever I looked at him, the fire in his once-determined eyes had dimmed, leaving behind an unsettling hollowness.

He wasn't the same Eren I had known—the one whose warmth and affection had felt genuine, even if fleeting. When Armin died, I thought Eren's change in demeanor was because he was grieving too.

I believed he was trying to comfort me when I needed it most, and for that, I was grateful. But as my own wounds began to heal, his presence grew colder, more distant, as if he had shut himself off entirely.

He hardly spoke anymore, isolating himself from everyone. I'll never forget the day it all changed. After that fateful ceremony, after he kissed Historia's hand, something in him seemed to shatter.

He once told me that when Historia and Rod Reiss touched him, memories of his father had surged through him, clouding his mind. But this time... it felt different.

The silence that followed in his gaze was deeper, like something darker had taken root, and it chilled me in ways I couldn't explain.

I tried asking him about what he'd seen that day, but he never spoke a word. Even as I reeled from the agony of knowing I'd lose him in just a few years, of watching him marry Historia from afar, I kept pushing forward, staying close enough to pull him back if he ever fell too far into the darkness.

Still, a terrible thought slipped into my mind, one I loathed myself for even considering: Could the fame and money have changed him? But I knew deep down that wasn't Eren. It was something else—something I couldn't reach.

Year 851

( The year in which the Conferences for next inheriter would be discussed )

As much as I hated it this year I'd witness him become the new king of Eldia and of Historia. I don't know why but I started to remain close to him no matter how oddly reluctant I was. I wanted to be with him yet I didn't since I wanted to get used to it.

But one night while strolling through our dorms, I heard weird voices echoing out of Eren's room, out of desperation, I peered through a small keyhole into his room. And what I saw paralyzed me.

Eren lay curled up on his bed, tears streaming down his face, saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth. His hair was wild, his hands clenching his head as though holding his skull together.

My heart shattered. I couldn't stand it—I burst through the door, rushing to his side, wrapping him in my arms without hesitation.

He was in a pain I couldn't understand, a silent agony he kept buried. His face pressed against my chest, seeking solace from the invisible war raging in his mind.

"Please… tell me… what's going on," I begged, my voice breaking. Tears blurred my vision as I pulled back, searching his face for any hint of the Eren I once knew. "It's.... It's nothing....." Eren spoke up his shoulders loosened his tears drying up.

"Stop..... It... Please...." I pleaded but Eren...

he just sat there on the tangled sheets, his gaze distant, hollow and dried up. Eren was with me in body, yet his soul seemed somewhere far, far away.

The mouth that had once spoken of his mission to annihilate every last titan now stayed silent. His eyes—those green, glimmering emeralds once alight with determination—had lost their shine, replaced by a haunting emptiness.

And the man who had once pushed himself relentlessly, who had trained beyond his limits, who had fought until he could barely stand… now sat lifeless, as if the fire within him had been snuffed out.

Seeing him so broken broke something inside me, too. I couldn't hold back my own tears as I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him close without a word.

There was no space left for my own desires or regrets—Eren was all that mattered now. To my relief, he leaned into me, his arms sliding around my back, finally letting me be there for him.

Slowly, I guided him to lie down beside me, hoping to grant him the peace that seemed to slip further away every day. In that moment, a memory surged back, clear as day: the night of our childhood when he wrapped his scarf around me for the first time, comforting me without hesitation.

I had cried myself to sleep in his arms, my head pressed against his chest as he stroked my hair, silent but steadfast. I held that memory close, as if its warmth could somehow reach Eren now, easing whatever darkness haunted him.

And as I held him, I felt him begin to calm. His eyes grew heavy, his breaths evened out, and before long, he had drifted into a quiet sleep. A faint, silent tear slipped down my face.

If only… If only it were me rather than Historia, I'd do this every night. I'd watch over him, take care of him forever. But even if that regret would stay with me to the end, I knew this world was bigger than my own feelings.

And Eren… Eren would do whatever he was forced to, whatever he believed would bring peace to Paradis, even if it cost him everything.

The night passed like a bittersweet dream. And as morning sunlight bathed Eren's room in it's warmth I blinked awake, realizing Eren was still holding onto me in his sleep, his grip tight and secure. I didn't want to move, so I gently brushed my thumb over his cheek, savoring the moment.

"Eren!" Suddenly, a sharp voice shattered the tranquility like a glass dropped on stone.

"Huh?" Eren gasped, jolting awake as I turned to see the culprit. It was Sasha, that fucking bitch ruined it all.

"Uck... Sorry, I didn't see anything..." she muttered, her weird smile curling as she looked away, though I caught her sneaking glances at us from the corner of her eye.

Eren rubbed his eyes, glancing between me and Sasha, still half-asleep. "Er... Eren... You can rest; I'll talk to her" I said softly, resting a hand on his arm.

"No... thank you, but I'm alright," he whispered, his eyes now focused on Sasha. "What's going on?" he asked, finally getting up.

"Well... there's a strange thing floating on the sea, heading toward Paradis. Commander Erwin has summoned you." she explained. Eren sighed, nodded, and headed to his restroom to change, leaving us alone.

Once he was gone, I rounded on Sasha, my eyes glinting with irritation. "So, that's all you came to say?" I hissed, letting my frustration show.

Sasha just smirked, completely unfazed by my glare. "Well, I didn't mean to interrupt you two while you were... making love," she teased, raising her brows.

My face flushed red. "It's not like that! Eren and I were just—" I stammered, but her knowing grin didn't waver.

"Fine. But if you want me to keep this secret... a kilo of beef should do it," she bargained, her eyes twinkling.

I was doomed. I'd spent my last bit of money trying to cook for Eren all month, and no matter how bad the food was, he never complained. "Can you wait a bit? Maybe until next—"

Sasha waved her finger at me, shaking her head smugly. "No can do."

Just then, my savior walked back in—or at least his shirtless torso did. "Ah…" I gasped, taking in the sight of his toned muscles. Sasha whistled, her eyes wide.

"Dang... When did you get so muscular, Eren?" she teased, draping her arm around his shoulder, much to my irritation.

Eren threw on his shirt a bit frustrated," I thought you guys left.... sorry.." He avoided eye contact with me turning red.

For some reason, he looked really really really cute... even cuter than usual. My heart hammered, and to my horror, my nose started bleeding. I quickly wiped it, struggling to regain composure.

"H-hey, Eren..." I stammered, feeling oddly shy. I'd seen him shirtless a hundred times before she we were kids, but today, I was somehow tongue-tied.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking a bit puzzled.

I swallowed, feeling awkward. "Um... could you lend me some money? I promise I'll pay you back once I get my salary…"

Eren just nodded, smiling slightly. "I've told you, you don't need to ask. Just take whatever you need." He leaned in a bit, "And don't worry about paying it back, alright?"

I shot Sasha a quick glare who was just smiling like a complete idiot who's ambitions had been fulfilled.

He shrugged. "Make sure to give Sasha some, too. She's been poking me the whole time." Sasha saluted him with a grin. "Thanks, dear Vice Commander!"

As Eren moved to leave, he paused near the door. Without looking back, he said, "Mikasa... thank you. For last night. I'm... grateful."

With that, he was gone, leaving both Sasha and me in the quiet that followed. Sasha turned to me, clearly ready to pounce with more questions.

"So, what exactly did you two—" she started, but she stopped when she saw the smile on my face as I stared at the door.

"I'll do it countless times for you...."