Eren finally got up from the ground only to find a few seconds later that Mikasa was attached to his back like a new born koala. He looks back at her with questioning eyebrows and teases.

"You think letting me beat you with a magazine is compensation for seven years."

"Well when you put it like that."

"Precisely, now less chit chat and more walking into the house. Then if you've been a good boy I might give you the scraps of my dinner. Now mush boy mush!"

The sight brought back fond memories to Armin as he day dreamed up the past as he watched two parts for their three stooges act like children again.

"You guys haven't changed one bit." Armin was now smiling widely at his friends as they stared back at him in confusion until Mikasa spoke up.

"Hey I've changed.... I used to be ugly. Eren still is." The words rolled off her tounge sarcastically. Eren gave Mikasa a hurt look, giggling at her own joke as they made there way inside.

When he heard the door close Connie got up to see who the hell could have taken so long to come in. When Connie saw Eren he went into a hyperactive over drive which caused his nose to bleed. Eren could only laugh out loud at Connie. After his sudden laughter Eren heard a loud crash of chairs and scuffling of feet. He was luck he had put Mikasa down or she along with him would have been crushed by a wave of bodies.

"Mmpppphhhhmmh, ahhh

.. ahhh... can't breath." Eren could actually take quite more weight than this thanks to his training but he didn't exactly find Reiner, Sasha, Marco and the insanely tall Bertholdt piling on him. Connie however did not notice Eren discomfort at all when he decided to take a running jump on top of the pile on, genuinely knocking the wind out of Eren. After he sorted out this blood nose.

"Alright guys you need to get off now."

Mikasa pulled a hell-ish smile at Eren as he gave her a pleading look.

"Don't look at me for help, this karma and ain't she a bitch." Mikasa and Annie winked at eachother then gave the much weaker Armin a set of predatory stares as they easily picked him up, despite his highly audible protests, and threw him onto the pile.

After ever one decided Eren had had enough the all made their way to the dinner table. Jean was there and he didn't seem to be as enthusiastic at seeing Eren. No body knew Jean had seen Eren, Jean had decides to keep quiet as the old Eren wouldn't have shown his face to anyone but Armin after leaving (he couldn't help Annie or Jean and the old Eren would've been terrified of Mikasa's wrath).

Mikasa turned some music on as the night progressed and everyone was offering Eren drinks as they tried to lossen his lips about the past seven years. He let them in on that he served in an airborne division, he told them of some of the places he visited from Afghanistan to Russia. He also mentioned captain Levi and how demanding he could be to his troops but that he respected him and saw him as a brother.

As the night continued on everyone's speech, with the exception of Eren (dues to his training to handle alcohol), Armin (who despite his size is a heavy weight) and Reiner (as he was driving but he could still out drink everyone), was starting to slur which was evident when Connie, Sasha, Annie and Marco stood on top of Mikasa dinning room table and caressed everyones ear's with a shaky yet loud rendition of Billy Joel's Piano Man.

"So Eren what do you plan on doing now your back?" Reiner asked Eren as he dragged him and Armin with him to the front patio so they could talk.

"I don't know, hey why aren't you with Bertholdt isn't he supposed to be your best friend."

"Yeah he is you an Armin are a close 2 and 3. Don't lie to me you wouldn't have come back without a reason."

"Yeah well if I had to put it into words, I wanted a normal life." Eren sighed, "I know I did things to help people while I was gone and I'm proud of that but I've also done things I'm not proud of, things I can't forget."

Armin spoke up, "Eren we've all done things we aren't proud of but we have to move foward."

Eren took out a cigarette and lit as he pondered what Armin said and responded in a calm manner as he let out a puff of smoke, "It's been said that taking lives for the sake of your country is admirable. In a sense it is but it doesn't make it any easier to cope with the weight of your sins."

Reiner and Armin lowered their heads in guilt.

"Don't feel bad guys, talking about it helps so I'm glad that you guys listened and arent trying to physo-analyse me. So don't over think it."

Armin and Reiner headed back inside to give Eren some space to think. He sat there mumbling old poems watching the sun set,

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them."

Tears threatened to fall from Erens eyes as he saw the faces of his fellow solider who passed beyond this life. He heard footsteps behind him and to his surprise Jean sat next to him in silence. Eren handed a cigarette to Jean and lit it for him, as they sat in silence for a few minutes more smoking a away.

"Ahh shit Mikasa is going to kill me for smoking."

Eren chuckled at that light-heartedly, "Look like we'll both get our backsides kicked by her today."

"Guess we will."

"Jean just so you know, I haven't forgiven what you said about my parents, nor have I actually liked you that much since. I do need to say one thing though. I'm not here to home-wreck. Mikasa is with you and I'm not here to change that but as her best friend I won't hesitate to put you in a coma."

"I didn't expect anything different. Frankly I despise you too Yaeger, so stay away."

Eren just smirks at the fact that Jean hasn't changed one bit.

Back inside Mikasa was wondering around looking for Eren and Jean were. Mikasa trusted Eren to not start anything as he had matured quite abit but Jean on the other hand could fly off the rail at any moment.

Eren walked back inside and saw Mikasa as she walked over to him.

"Hey Eren, have you seen Jean?"

"Oh yeah we were talking out the front a second ago."

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, "Really you and Jean were having a civil conversation?"

"Hey I know we argued alot before but not that much."

"If not that much means translates to every second time you guys talked then yes it wasn't that much." Mikasa moved closer to Eren, her coming ever closer to his. The sound of a gun shot came from the kitchen and was followed but Jean apologizing to everyone for it as he knocked something over.

Erens mouth gaped open and he turned pale as he asked Mikasa where the bathroom was. Eren locked the door behind him so no one could come in after him.

There was blood all over his hands as he rushed to the sink trying to wash it off. The blood wouldn't come off and this made Eren even more scared as he started hyperventilating. He kept on scrubbing his hands trying to clean them but to no avail. He could hear voices of people long gone and see the faces a friends and foes flash before his eye's.

___________________________

It was around 11 o'clock and Eren was six again as he got up to go too the toilet. He had to pass through the main family room to get there. When ge reached to sliding door his feet felt damp, "this doesn't feel like water." Eren ever so slightly opened door. Before his eyes bathed in moonlight was an unfamiliar man hunched over the corpse of his mother. Eren realised the liquid on his feet belonged to his mother and the trail lead back to her. Eren stood there in shock staring in his mothers eyes which were always so full of life, now however they were devoid of any life at all. The unfamiliar man was breathing heavily and stood up. When the man moved he the moonlight revealed the razor edge of a bloody blade close to Eren. When he noticed it Eren instinctively grab hold of it careful not to make a sound as he snuck up behind the stranger and stuck the blade between his ribs. Eren was caught up in rage fuelled bloodlust as he savaged the man over and over again. He eventually moved his gaze to his mother and somehow overcame the urge to puke everywhere as he saw his mothers entrails dashed across the floor. Eren cradled her in his arms as hand his small hands through her hair.

"It's alright mum it will be okay, dad will come home, stitch you stomach right up and everything will be alright."

___________________________

*Knock Knock* The door slid open and the reflection of the mirror showed Mikasa with a concerned look.

"Eren is everything alright."

"Yeah I'm fine, just alittle uneasy, wait i thought I locked that door."

"Yeah well the lock doesn't exactly work. Are you sure you look like you've seen a ghost? Do you need medicine or anything?"

"Thanks Mikasa but no. I think I just need to get some rest a home. Thanks for having me and it was great to see you again."

"You too Eren. Oh and when you know have free time text me and well meet up ok."

"For sure Mika." Eren gave her a weak smile.

"Your singing for me next time I see you got that. Good. Now drive safe Eren."

Eren and Mikasa excused themselves as Mikasa walked Eren over to his bike and Mikasa hugged him goodbye then went back to the house and found Jean with an excessively large bottle of whiskey is his hand.

"Why are you out here Jean it's freezing."

Jean gave her a cold stare and walked back into the house.

"Wonder what his problem is?"

Once again I apologise for any spelling/grammatical mistakes