"Good thing it was just a minor injury!" Sasha exclaimed. Mikasa nodded, "Yeah, what a relief."

After they got Mikasa's ankle checked out at the clinic, they joined the boys in the cafeteria. But when they arrived, an awkward tension lingered amongst them all.

"Uh... What happened?" Sasha asked, as she sat down beside Connie.

"I'll explain later." he muttered into her ear. Mikasa took the seat between Armin and Eren, as no one else spoke. Eren had his cheek slumped on his palm, and Armin sat respectively with excellent posture.

"Oh Mikasa, there's a letter here for you." Armin said, handing her a slightly crumpled envelope.

"Oh?" she questioned, as she took the envelope carefully. "I don't know who it's from. An officer came by and told us to give it to you when you came back." Armin explained.

She nodded curiously, and began slowly tearing the paper.

"Well, anyways. Mikasa's foot is ok! The doctor said it was going to hurt for a few days, but nothing that can't be fixed!" Sasha reported.

"Oh good, I'm glad." Jean muttered, as Connie and Armin nodded in agreement.

"Where's the food?" Sasha asked, as she surveyed the empty table. Connie shrugged, "The commander said we're getting a celebratory meal, so it's going to take longer than usual." he explained.

Sasha's eyes lit up, "Celebratory? So do you think we'll be able to eat double than what we usually do?" she asked, beginning to drool from the delicious idea.

As the others were chatting, Mikasa gazed down at the neatly written letter in horror. '...therefore we sincerely regret to inform you...'

She clutched the letter and sprang up, rushing to the door.

"Mika- OH MY GOD IS THAT MEAT?" Sasha exclaimed, as one of the cafeteria workers placed a platter of steaming ham onto their table.

Before any of them could think twice about Mikasa's whereabouts, the rare occurrence of meat grabbed their attention. They were all immediately reaching their hands out and fighting over pieces of ham. All of them except Eren, who stood up and chased after Mikasa.

From the small glimpse he captured of Mikasa's expression, his heart dropped. He knew this face all too well, an expression linked with

...

He frantically ran through the camp, since she slipped away from his sight the moment she stepped out of the cafeteria. The sky was pitch black, making it difficult for him to see anything at all.

His eyes caught sight of her figure, as he chased after her. He stopped abruptly, as he saw her kneeling at an officer's feet. "Please! I need to know who delivered this!" she begged.

The officer shook his head, "Stand up! I told you already that a messenger delivers letters at the beginning of every month." he snapped at her.

"Mikasa..." Eren muttered, as he stepped closer to the scene.

The officer took notice of his presence, "You! Do you know this girl?" he asked rather aggressively. Eren nodded, as Mikasa didn't bother to look up. She stayed glued to the floor, begging at the officers feet.

"Get her off of me then! Don't just stand there!" he ordered.

"No please!" she screamed, as Eren dove down next to her.

"Mikasa-" "Stop!" she sobbed.

He held her shoulder as the officer jerked his foot back, and he walked away muttering to himself.

"Please..." she sobbed, sinking her head down to the floor. Eren stroked her back in a comforting manner, as he spotted the crumpled letter that laid on the floor. He hesitantly picked it up, and began to read over it to the sound of Mikasa's stifled sobs.

'Mikasa Ackerman. We have been informed that you are Ms. and Mr. Ackerman's only child, and you joined the cadet corps as of this year. Therefore we sincerely regret to inform you that your parents have been killed...'

Eren didn't continue reading another word before he held the back of Mikasa's head, and pulled her into his chest. She didn't fight back, she simply clinged to Eren's shirt and soaked the fabric with her tears. He held her close, and gently stroked her hair. He picked the letter back up, and continued to read.

'...Three intruders broke into their home, and after careful investigation we came to the conclusion that your parents attempted to fight back. They were both unfortunately killed on January 11th, and the intruders were caught three days later. They will be charged for murder and handled accordingly. As for your parent's burial, it will be held on January 27th in the Trost District. We are sorry for your loss.'

The letter was finished off with a scribbled signature that wasn't legible, not that it mattered.

Eren did his best to stabilize his shaky breaths, in an attempt to stay strong for Mikasa.

He couldn't help but think back to everything Mikasa had ever told him, and how she finalized her future around her parents. Nothing in the world mattered to her as much as them, that she was willing to twist her life around to make them happy. The pain must be unbearable, was all he could think about.

He pulled her in closer, and buried his face in her hair. He whispered sweet promises to her, as they both remained crumpled on the floor.

She couldn't talk, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. All she could do was cry her heart out onto Eren, and silently pray it was all a bad dream, that she'd wake up. And with that last strand of hope, she cried herself to sleep in Eren's arms.

...

After Mikasa fell asleep, Eren had to spend several minutes collecting himself and his thoughts.

It was a scenario he never imagined or prepared himself for, a moment in his life where he would have to hold Mikasa as she wept uncontrollably. He had to watch her past, present, and future crumple beneath her feet in a matter of seconds.

After he recollected himself, he carried her back to her cabin. Sasha was outside waiting for them, and she sprang up from her seated position when she spotted them.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "She needs to rest, where's her bed?" Eren asked, as Sasha led him inside.

Everyone else was asleep, as he silently laid her limp body down. After he tucked her under a blanket, he followed Sasha back outside. He closed the door behind them, and sat beside her.

"You need to tell me what happened." Sasha demanded quietly. Eren let out a deep sigh, but knew that if Mikasa would let Eren share anything personal about herself to anyone else, it would have to be to Sasha.

"Mikasa's parents are dead." he stated coldly. Sasha covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped, a feeling of despair rushing over her.

"Oh my god... How? When? Why?" she began, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

He took the folded letter from his pocket, and handed it to her. She read over it carefully, her lip quivered the further she read into it. She handed it back to him as she wiped her eyes with her thumb.

"Sasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep her happy. Okay? I can't do it, but you can."

Sasha nodded softly, "Of course I will, but what makes you think that you can't?" she asked.

He stayed quiet, thinking back to all the times they fought, or she blew him off.

"You can't say anything to Jean, but I always imagined Mikasa with someone like you." she explained.

His eyes widened at her words, a future with Mikasa briefly flashing in his mind.

She chuckled softly, "Sorry that sounds weird, I guess I tend to say whatever's on my mind when I'm in the state of shock you know?"

He nodded, "Yeah. No problem."