Published on:
Sat, 27 Feb.
The year 2021
Chapter 9|Cards Revealed
Mikasa's palm pressed down on her glass of juice. The words shot into her core like a thunderclap. "What?" she blinked at him. Armin repeated himself, watching Mikasa squeeze over her glass. "You're a waterbender." She lowered her glass of juice and set it on her lap. "I'm not. What makes you think that?" Her throat felt dry, despite the juice she had drunk only seconds ago.
Armin set his lemonade down on the grass. "I'm not asking if you are, I'm telling you that you are a waterbender." Her breathing was heavy as she looked him in the eye. What was she supposed to do? Why can't she speak? She will only prove him right if she remains silent. Will he tell the principal? Will he attack her with his lemonade glass?
"Since you don't deny it. I think you agree too." Was that a trick! Did she just fall for it! How stupid!
"Armin-"
"I won't tell anyone." He smiled and took her hand in his, "I promise."
"Armin, you don't understand, I'm not-"
"I'm not telling anyone, Mikasa." He assured her.
Mikasa stared, just stared. His face didn't look deceptive at all, those bright eyes, that warm smile, even his words seemed sincere. As far as Mikasa could remember, Armin had never shown contempt for any people, but he was interested in learning about their culture and beliefs. Maybe he is telling the truth, maybe he doesn't even mind that she is a waterbender. Maybe there is still hope that her people might one day make peace with the Fire Nation.
"H-how long have you known?"
"Quite a long time, to be honest. But it doesn't matter now."
Her anxiety kicked in once again, "If Eren knew, he would -" Armin squeezed her hand, "I won't tell him, Mikasa. I know how much he detests waterbenders. But I won't let him know. I may be Eren's best friend, but, Mikasa, you are my best friend too."
Her eyes sparkled into his ocean blue ones, has he always been like this? Or is it the year they spent together that made him trust her somehow, despite her race? Mikasa pulled him into a hug, "Thank you."
Eren spotted his friends near the tree, so he walked up to them and saw Mikasa lying on her back in the grass, her eyes closed and relaxed. He stood before her head and leaned toward her, with his face above her. "What, are you playing dead?" She opened her eyes to his radiant smile. Her face was devoid of any emotion. "Would it make you happy if I died?"
Eren blinked, dumbfounded; he definitely hadn't meant it that way. "Of course not." What has gotten into her? Can't she take a joke?
For a second he felt that Armin was staring at them, but when he jerked his head, the blond hid his face behind his book and smiled. "What are you smiling for?"
"Nothing!"
Eren looked back and forth between Mikasa and Armin. Why did this suddenly feel so strange?
•◦•⊱✿⊰•◦•
Mikasa finished her geology class and strode out of the classroom when she saw Eren standing by her locker, his face lighting up a little when he saw her. "Finally! My feet were so close to breaking." She looked down at the floor and smiled as they both reached the exit.
"We'll pass by the bakery to pick Armin. He insisted to buy those buns you like."
Mikasa zoned out while Eren kept on talking. The idea that he was waiting for her class to end so they could go home together made her day. She appreciated that even if he complained about his feet, it didn't erase the fact that he was waiting for her. "How was class?"
Mikasa shrugged, "The usual. Geology is kind of boring ..." He scoffed, hitting a pebble along the ground, "You couldn't be more right! It's all about layers and rocks and their boring habitat. Even my brain doesn't have that many layers to accommodate all that information." Mikasa chuckled, "It's not that hard."
He pushed open the gates as they strolled down the street, the trees crossing their path. "Really? You know them all by heart?" She nodded. He raised his eyebrows, "Wow, my memory often gives me a hard time."
"I can help you with your studies if you want."
"It's not that I'm keen on studying that much but, fine."
Mikasa stopped, causing Eren to stop as well. He looked over at her, she was peeking over some bushes near the ground, muttering to herself. "It's growing here too? Despite the warm weather?"
"Huh?" Eren approached her, looking at the dull plant Mikasa was sniffing. He had always thought girls loved flowers, but look at this strange one sniffing on ugly plants.
"Eren, look! These are called kueila leaves. It's the most beautiful scent you can ever breathe in when you lit it with fire." He bent over the plant to take a hint before returning his attention to her, "but you hardly ever find them anywhere. I'm surprised to see them here, though." She looked at him, "Can I have some?"
He shrugged, "There's no one around, do as you wish."
Mikasa reached for the stalks before withdrawing her hand, "This is city property, we probably shouldn't tamper with it."
Eren stared after her as she walked away, She's unbelievable. He rolled his eyes, grabbed a handful of stalks and stuffed them into his backpack, then hurried forward to keep up with her pace.
Armin ran in their direction, Mikasa and Eren were surprised to see him, they were supposed to pick him up from the bakery and he's here. "Sorry, we're late."
Armin handed her the Cinnamon bun and handed Eren the waffles, "No problem." He took a bite of his pancakes as they walked down the street. "Thanks, for the bun." Armin just smiled back. Eren bit into his waffles but quickly ran off and threw up on the side of the road. Mikasa rubbed his back, "Eren, are you okay?"
He came to his knees breathing heavily before turning his face to Armin, "Are those waffles with cinnamon?"
Armin's eyes widened, "Definitely not!" He scratched his head, "Oh god, they must have mixed since they were in the same bag. Eren, I'm so sorry! We should go see your dad or go back to the school infirmary-"
"I'm fine, I didn't swallow it, just tasted it. I'm f-" he lowered his face to the floor and vomited up everything he had eaten two hours ago. The smell of acidic fluids in the air. Mikasa put her bun in her bag-pocket so Eren couldn't smell it. Armin gave Mikasa some tissues and they began wiping Eren's mouth and face and everything else. Tears threatened to fall from Armin's eyes as he looked so guiltily at his sick friend. "I'm really sorry," he muttered.
Mikasa turned to Armin, "Maybe we should take him to Uncle Grisha?"
"I'm really fine, guys, it'll stop soo-" he puked again.
"His work is really far from here, I don't think he'll do well on the way there. Besides, Aunt Carla isn't home, our only option is the infirmary!"
Eren held his throat. He felt as if sand had been poured into his bronchioles, his lung muscles tightened. The panic and lack of air drove him to gasp, to breathe as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the air around him.
Armin panicked, "It's too late! It's too late!" Both he and Mikasa supported Eren's body as they tried to run. "Wait, I know what to do!" She let go of Eren's arm, letting Armin take all his body weight. He, of course, couldn't hold him still, that Eren's back slowly hit the floor.
Mikasa took off her bag of water and opened Eren's mouth when Armin screamed, "Mikasa! No! What are you doing!"
"Trust me!"
Armin grabbed the water bag, "He can't swallow! He'll choke! Are you trying to kill him!" Mikasa pulled the water bag from Armin's grasp and poured the water into Eren's mouth.
"No!"
Eyes wide, Armin watched a faint glow coming from Eren's chest as the little boy gasped and fresh air rushed into his lungs.
She healed him? He remembered how Mikasa's leg healed, leaving not a single scratch or scar. That day, he confirmed she was a waterbender. Of course, his ointment can never do such magic, he has been using it since he was little and it barely seals the wound.
He had read about the healers of the water tribe. Some of them require healing through physical contact, but Mikasa had no physical contact with Eren's chest. So she must have bended the water from the inside. But how could she do such a thing? She is only eleven, and to master healing takes ten years of practice. She couldn't have mastered healing at that age!
Eren stared at the tree branches towering above them as he caught his breath, inhaling the smell of fresh green leaves into his lungs. "Cold." He muttered, "It felt cold in my lungs."
Armin blinked and exchanged a glance with Mikasa. Had Eren noticed the faint glow on his chest?
"What was that you made me drink, Mikasa?"
"Just- water and some herbs ..." Mikasa was thankful he was gazing up the sky and not her face.
"Thank you ..." he panted, still relaxing on the floor.
He did not notice.
Armin let his weak legs sink to the floor. His soft eyes bore into Mikasa's.
Thank you.
She smiled back as if she could read his eyes.
As soon as Eren felt comfortable enough, they went on. "Man, I could have died today! I thought that was it! That I wouldn't make it to the military." He laughed and pulled them into a hug as they walked, "Imagine if I didn't have you guys."
Armin muttered, "Then you wouldn't have choked in the first place."
"Stop it already. It was an accident."
He sniffed at his shirt. "Damn! I really need a shower right now! Stay away from me!" He moved away from them, but they went with him anyway as their feet came to a stop. In front of them stood two grown men with black beards, wearing red coats over their casual clothes. The taller of them spoke with an accent, "Well, well, who have we here?"
The other guy spat, "At last we have met with the brave boy."
Eren raised an eyebrow, "Do I know you?"
"You mean you don't recognize the resemblance of that face? People say my brother and I look alike."
Eren looked at the other man's face. "No, this is Jonny, a friend of mine, I meant my younger brother."
"I don't know you man, let's go guys." Eren pulled Mikasa and Armin behind him.
The man turned around: "Oh really? And don't you know firebending is illegal under the age of sixteen, boy?"
Eren froze in his place and looked at him closely. He had heard that sentence before. Wait a minute. Those two assholes from last year. Are they his brothers? How would he know him?
"I see you recognized me. You see, your father is a great soldier. How come he brought a lousy little brat like you?"
"You know my dad?"
"Indeed! And I can assure you that we are very, very close friends."
Eren lowered his arms, his hands balled into fists, ready for any attack. "If you know him, why didn't you tell him what I did to your damn brother? Why did you wait a year?"
"Why, you say? You know what tastes better than disciplining someone?" He grinned, leaning down to Eren's level, "Re-venge."
"Disciplining your brother tasted good to me."
Armin sparked at Eren to stop provoking the grown man.
"You took something from my brother."
"You want my eyes?"
"I'm afraid I'm not bringing two eyes today," he chuckled, drawing his dagger, "I'm bringing him six to cover up the loss!"
Eren bent down, grabbed some dirt, and threw it in the man's eyes, "Run!"
"Phil!"
"You little wanker!" He grimaced, "After him Jonny!"
The children ran along the path. "Where are we going!" cried Armin.
"Just follow me!"
A fireball shot through the gap between them. Armin screamed, panic overtaking him, "Eren! He can firebend!"
Suddenly, Eren changed course. Mikasa and Armin trailing behind, the three dodged the fireballs headed their way.
Where was Eren going? Mikasa looked around the old houses as fewer and fewer people were around. A dead-end! Wait, she knows this place! Why did he pick this place! Does he think they can take on those two men alone? But Armin can't fight!
"Well, well, what a place you picked, boy." Phil scoffed, followed by Jonny. "I'm afraid I must offer my condolences to your father." He blinked.
It felt like déjà vu. How strange that Phil had the same attitude as his brother. It was all happening again, same place, same scenario, but in a different dialect. "Eren." Mikasa's voice caught his attention. Her eyes bored into him with stunned horror. The same eyes, the same look he had seen a year ago.
Armin murmured, "It's over ... it's over ... we're dead."
The smaller man fired at them as Eren blocked it, spreading the fire to both sides. He fired so many times he sent arrows of fire at them, but they all dodged them. "Not bad, not bad for a kid like you."
Armin's eyes darted around frantically looking for an escape route when he noticed a shovel on the ground near an old building. Armin ran and grabbed it as Jonny pulled it from Armin's grasp and raised it in the air to strike the boy, but Mikasa kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall to the ground. She came at him with a stick but he caught it and threw it away with her. "Mikasa!" Armin doubled over as her face hit the ground. The man grabbed the shovel and was about to hit Armin when Eren shot at Jonny's back. Fire burning his coat and the man threw it away.
Armin ran and helped Mikasa, who was stroking her head. His eyes spotted the Englishman lying helpless on the ground.
Jonny held Eren up in the air by the throat. He struggled to free himself as the skin of his throat burned under the man's palm, "Does that hurt, huh? How about I burn your eyes like you did them?"
Eren gritted his teeth, tensing his neck muscles to keep from choking, he gasped and looked at Mikasa and Armin, "Fight! F-fight-tt!"
Mikasa glared as she stood up. What is she doing! She glanced down the drain next to the man's feet.
I have to do it.
Mikasa bended the dirty water through the drain, plunging ice spikes into the man's flesh.
Eren slipped from the man's grasp and fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. He stared at Mikasa as his breathing grew heavy. Did she just...? Mikasa just...?!
She watched him rose to his feet, staring at her in shock. His brows frowned and his fists flared with red fire that turned a light shade of orange and then yellow. Mikasa's water hovered in the air on either side of her as she watched his fists grow hotter. She swallowed, her heart pounding in her dry throat. What's going to happen now? He's not going to shoot her, is he? He can't shoot her, she's his best friend!
Eren stared at her.
Mikasa?!
Mikasa is a waterbender? What the?! It can't be!
Armin pushed himself off the ground, his eyes glancing nervously at his friend. He won't do it. He knows him very well, "Eren?"
She lied!
She lied!!
Eren looked at the ice spikes digging through the man's body as blood ran across the floor. He must be dreaming, this can't be real!
She lied! Kill her! Kill her now!
Each step he took toward her made his fire grow even hotter. The war in his head was enough to make him want to kill her, but he stopped and hesitated.
No, don't! Yes, kill her! No!
His feet moved forward while hers came back defeated. Her whole body was trembling.
She's a fucking waterbender! What the fuck is wrong with you! They're not human!
Grisha's voice echoed in his head.
They're witches!
Murderers!
But never humans!
That when he took his decision.
Never humans!
Mikasa gasped when she saw the flames moving toward her. She covered her face with her arms and her water splashed onto the floor. Armin's hoarse cry rang in her ears, "Mikasa!"
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Copyright © 2021 Salva Ibraham
Author: SalvaIbraham
A/N: Eren seems to think like his father, brainwashed by all the anger and hatred. What do you think he should do? Should he choose his country and stand by his people against their enemies?
Would it be better for him to choose loyalty to country or loyalty to friendship?