Hometown

Chapter 36 - Birthmark

"Mikasa!" I shouted. "You have to get up!" I stood atop the wall, Annie and Eren battled it out for a second time. But this time around, instead of destroying every tree in their path, it was every civilian home, every church, every bridge, every fountain. I couldn't help but think to myself what a horrendous power it was to be a Titan. Until the end of time, I'd forever vow that I'd never want to possess such a destructive force – Even though my mind in itself could be destructive.

"It's all my fault..." I mumbled to myself. "If I hadn't told the Captain... None of these people would have to die..." I looked on helplessly, the tips of my fingers felt numb, yet I clung onto my blades all the same. I looked down again, Mikasa lay in the rubble unmoving. I brought myself to call down to her again. "Mikasa! Mikasa get up!" She didn't move. I looked around for any sign that I was being watched. They had told me specifically to stay put, and Hange had even warned me it was a test. But I looked down at Mikasa, and my feet jumped off the wall on their own.

I shot out my wires to the wall and caught myself before I could land. I ran out to Mikasa and checked her pulse. She was alive.

"Mikasa, get up. Eren needs you." She started to stir at Eren's name. She looked up at me, and I watched as her skin sparkled in the sunlight. After all the years of knowing her, I still had never met anyone with such beautiful skin and thick black hair. Whatever type of mutation that took place in her genetics was a marvel. In a way she was so unique that she was precious, and couldn't help but want her to stay safe.

"Eren?" She asked before she stood up. "Eren!" She sped away. I couldn't help but smile a bit thinking about her devotion to him. As I got ready to zip back up the wall, a figure caught my attention in the corner of my eye.

"Scuse me," the Man approached. His voice was raspy and carried a strange accent to it. To accompany the strange accent, he wore a large fedora which from underneath long stringy hair dangled. He had wrinkles that the shadows from his hat could hardly cover. "Ya wouldn't mind showin' me where I might go to steer clear of this Titan mess, would ya? I'd find a place myself, but yer odm gear there might help me make my way a bit more safe like." The man sneered. There was something strange about him. He spoke so casually, almost as though the Titan battle didn't pose a threat at all. It was as though he had already gotten used to it.

"Sorry sir, but my post is atop the wall. I should be getting back up there..." I raised my right hand to aim the ODM gear, but he spoke before I could even pull the trigger.

"Intrestin' scar ya got there on yer hand..." He said slyly. "How'd ya get it?" I dropped my hand down and looked at the mark. It was on the back of my hand in an L-shape.

"It's not a scar, it's a birthmark. It's genetic. My parents both had it along with my brother. Not so sure why... But really I should get back–"

"That ain't no birthmark. That's a scar." He took a few steps closer, seemingly ignoring the action between the Titans in the distance. "Now lookin' closer, it looks more like a burn." He looked up from my hand and smirked menacingly. "Soldier, what's your name?" I paused for a moment and eyed him. Something didn't feel right.

"Y/N L/N, sir. I hope you find your way to safety, now please excuse me." I zipped up before he could inch in another word. When I looked down, he seemed to smile before walking away, yet the curve at his lips seemed so unwelcoming that I wondered if I could even call it a smile.

As I landed back on the top of the wall, I couldn't help but gaze at my birthmark. It was never anything important nor did it have any meaning. It was the same as having a dominant hair color in the family. Yet why was the shady man in the fedora so interested in it? He was right about it looking more like a burn, but I had known since I was little it was a birthmark. At some point or another, one of my parents had told me, so it had to be true.