⚠️TW: HEAVY MATURE SUBJECT MATTER, PLZ READ A/N SPECIFIC TW TAGS ⚠️
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And if I only could
I'd make a deal with God
And I'd get Him to swap our places
'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush
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"YMIR!" you scream angrily. "FOUNDER YMIR! SHOW YOURSELF TO ME!"
You walk, your chest heaving angrily. You walk and you walk and you walk. You walk for hours, calling out Ymir's name and finally see her walking towards you from the ultrabright coordinate. At once, your feelings of fury turn to impassioned sorrow and you break down and sob and run up to her. You run up and throw yourself at her feet, sobbing in furious tears.
"Founder Ymir!" you sob in reverence. "I know you created me and granted me life anew and I am beyond grateful for the gifts I've received but I beg you! I can't go on like this! I can't go on collecting souls! I want my children back! My heart can't go on like this! I need them and they need me! I cannot go another minute without them!"
You look up into her darkened eyes, your cheeks soaking wet. "I thought he loved me, but he hates me! I know he hates me! And I despise him! Let me be rid of him! Let me never gaze upon his face with love again! Let me grant his wish and show him what life would be like if we never met and let him forever be haunted by what he sees! Let him live with his shame and scrub him from my heart and mind forever! Please! Let me be free of him once and for all! Because if I see him again, I'll destroy every last breath of humanity in my rage and grief!"
You grovel and sob and lower your head in respect. "Please Great Founder! I know you understand, one victim, one mother to another! I need my freedom; I need my children!"
Ymir stands before you for a moment and sniffles and cries in her own grief and slowly rests her hand on your head and nods quietly and you sniffle and smile gratefully. "Tha—thank you Ymir! Thank you for this! I'll go to him and bid him farewell and then be gone from him forever! Just as he wants!"
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The evening of the eruption, the city of Stohess is under caution and an evacuation notice as everyone from citizens to reporters to government agents watches the dangerously active twin volcanos. Ash and smoke continue to billow out of their top, mushrooming up into the stratosphere and across the island. It reaches past the ocean and over Marley and surrounding continents, leaving them all under a dark thick thunderous ash cloud that turns day into lightning-fuelled night and snows down volcanic ash on everyone and everything.
Eren idiotically drives his Jaguar around looking for engagement rings, embarrassed that he had none to give to Mikasa when he proposed. In his passionate impatience to hear her answer, he forgot to buy her the one thing he should have had on him. At least this time he won't make the mistake of buying gaudy couple rings like he did with you. No, she deserves the best ring.
Eren thinks back on his mom's ring and imagines it on Mikasa's hand before shaking his head in disgust. That ring was buried with you, it stays with you. Even Eren wouldn't go that far. He just now needs to find a ring that's equal or better. He drives around only for half an hour, his face hidden in a mask to combat the ash as he listens to the radio DJ.
"It appears that there's no sign of when the tremors or eruption will dissappate so authorities have ordered an evacuation of Stohess and all surrounding areas. Still no signs of another big wave but the beaches have been shut down as they are still flooded. As for the rest of Paradis Island, the environmental agency has called a level 3 advisory, do not go out unless absolutely necessary. School has been cancelled, businesses and government buildings shut down. There's been an influx of 9-1-1 calls for car accidents so don't crowd up the lines. If you are outside and you don't need to be, GO HOME. "
"Yes, unfortunately folks it looks like we're all stuck on this island. Traffic is bumper to bumper and at a standstill on the Paradis International Bridge and all flights in and out of Paradis and the continent of Marley have been cancelled or rerouted...."
Eren sighs as he drives. It's so eery, it's 2pm but it looks like midnight. Lightning and thunder roll within the clouds and everything is closed. His windshield wipers stay on, wiping away flurries of dark ash and after 10 minutes of seeing no one on the street except emergency service workers and environmental agents, Eren gives up and drives back home. He shifts and turns his car and feels another rolling tremor, the third in the last two hours alone and sighs heavily. He knows, he just knows...
"Okay... I get it..." he says calmly as he drives. "I'll come tonight for you. We'll talk Rose, I know you're beyond angry and you have every right to be. I fucked up in a really bad way but you gotta fuckin stop. This isn't like you, and you know it."
Later that evening, he and Mikasa sleep in bed, completely exhausted by the stress of the day. Every time there's a tremor they wake up. The continuous barking and howling of city dogs, the chirping of confused birds, and the sound of car alarms going off for the last 24 hours isn't helping one bit. A tremor hits Shiganshina again and they wake up and groan in irritation and struggle to fall back asleep.
Mikasa falls back asleep and when a tremor hits, she stays asleep.
"Mikasa?" Eren asks as he moves to see if she felt that, but she stays asleep. He shakes her but she's completely asleep. He sighs and lies back down on his pillow and looks out the window. The dark billow ash cloud isn't letting up, not today at least. He gets out of bed and walks out to his balcony, taking in the site of the city under a thunderous, lightning charged ash cloud. The thunder rumbles loud and lightning streaks across the sky as Eren wipes away a thick layer of soot of his outdoor chair. He sits down and runs a hand through his short hair as he sighs heavily.
He closes his eyes and sighs as he tries to head into the paths. He needs to find you, talk to you, make you understand that this isn't the way to go about your anger. He knows more than anyone how destructive anger can be and he knows that you're not like him. You wouldn't destroy people no matter how angry you are. You were always the one to help him, to calm him down when he raged in anger, now it's his turn to do the same for you.
He keeps trying to head into the paths but the veil isn't opening for him. Eren knows for a fact he can go here anytime he wants so why the fuck can't he get through? Eren tries again and again to get through the paths but the way is shut to him as if someone's locked the door.
"Rose, let me in," Eren groan as he sits on his balcony as a tremor rolls through. "I know you're upset but let me in. We need to talk!" He stands up and tries to physically grab at the veil but it's not opening, it won't budge. "Fuck sake, you're gonna make me call that asshole aren't you?!" he growls angrily and closes his eyes, trying to summon the white bird. He waits for it to annoyingly show up like it always does and when it does finally fly in, he huffs and puts his hands on his hips.
"Jaeger, open the fucking door," he sneers at the bird. "I need to talk to her..."
The bird caws and Eren scoffs, "What the fuck do you mean she's gone?! Where did she go?!....... oh 'I dunno'?! You are so fucking useless sometimes asshole..."
Eren huffs and looks out over the city as the lightning streaks across the sky once again. "Fuck... the only portal to the paths is the tree... I don't know if I can even get up there..." He sighs heavy and closes his eyes. "Fuck it, I need to try. She'll destroy this whole island if I don't go and try and calm her down..."
Eren quickly goes into the bedroom and tries to look for his motorcycle keys, he'll weave in and out, he'll drive through the woods if he has to. But he's going to the tree and he's going.
"Just give me an hour babe, I swear to god I'm coming..." he says as he puts his hair up in its man bun when suddenly a fog blows in from under his door frame. Eren sniffs it and he suddenly finds himself totally overcome by fatigue. He groans as he tries to stay standing but finds he can't. He sleepily stumbled over and crashes into his bed.
"Rose..." he murmurs as his eyes droop heavily as before his eyes, you appear through the mist. He sees a flash of violet before his eyes close shut and refuse to open. You enter their room while he falls asleep and watch him quietly. You look over at Mikasa, glaring at her.
"Sweet darling Mikasa," you coo gently as you walk over to sit by her side. "Always thought you'd be the perfect girlfriend for Eren because you knew me and loved me so much. If I knew your love for me could be written off by a single night of fucking, I never would have let you in my home. I would've slammed my door in your face and taken your nose clean off with it... I must say you always acted so shy and meek around me, you are the perfect little actress."
Your face darkens as does your heart. "You have a lot of fucking nerve fucking my husband you rat-twisted snake. You'd have to be pretty fucking stupid to not think I'd want him back with me and you are many things Mikasa Ackerman, but stupid isn't one of them. Did you know in medieval times, they used to cut the hair off of women accused of doing this exact thing?" You chuckle to yourself. "Sorry, I don't know why I said that... But trust me honey, that'll be nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you..."
You caress her face while she stays paralyzed in a deep sleep. "I'm sorry I won't be able to attend the wedding. I'm sure it'll be expensive as hell and everything mine wasn't. Consider this my wedding gift to you," you say gently and lower your mouth to kiss her. Your eyes glow red before dimming and she gasps a little but otherwise remains still as you get up and glare over at Eren.
You walk around and sit down to face Eren. You watch him as he sleeps peacefully, his face looking fuller now that his hair is shorter. You caress his face and short hair, remembering just how much you used to love watching him sleep.
"Dear husband, it's been a long time since we've been this close. Do you remember the last time we were this close? Ahh yes, I remember, it was up on that cliff where you promised to say goodbye and never did," you sneer. "Unlike your fiancée, you're as stupid as they come Eren Jaeger, but even I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to insult my memory. You never fucking insult a goddess, you dumb piece of shit. Especially not one who happens to be your wife. You never heard hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? "
You lean in and open his green eye, leering down at it in contempt. "I just want you to know, I never wanted to do this to either of us and I'll never forgive you for making me do this now. I would've rather died all over again than show you what you're about to see. But you leave me no choice Eren," you say calmly and close his eye. "You stood in front of this girl and told her you wish you never met me, and she kissed you. And guess what? I saw it, I saw that vile disgusting display in front of my own eyes and you both make me sick. You wish you never met me Eren Jaeger? Consider your wish granted."
You lean into a sleeping Eren, your lips grazing his. "As a final gift to you my love, I will show you exactly what life would be like if we never met. And when you wake up screaming, just remember you brought this on yourself. Consider this our final separation. Goodbye Eren..."
With that, your eyes glow ultraviolet and Eren stirs, and his glowing green eyes open a little just as you press your lips into his and press your forehead against his. There's a flash of lightning that flashes through your mind to Eren's. It travels right into his brain and Eren falls into a deep sleep he can't wake from.
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It's a bright and sunny day, and the breeze blows hot through Shiganshina on this very day 3 years ago on July 12th 2023. The breeze blows down the gated community of Santa Sina, whizzing past the Jaeger residence.
Inside Eren lays in bed, sighing miserably and playing video games, deep in a sulky depressed funk. He adjusts his long hair under his black hoodie and doesn't even look up when there's a knock on his door. Mikasa walks in and stands with in front of his TV, wearing her red bikini, a cover-up over top, and an annoyed expression on her face. Eren groans in irritation and tries to lean over to see the TV better.
"Thanks for opening the door Eren," Mikasa says as she crosses her arms. "Zeke had to let me in."
"Mikasa, come on, move outta the way," he scoffs.
"Eren, you said you were coming to the beach with us today..."
"Oh fuck..." he groans, "that was fucking today?"
"Yeah that's really today Eren," she says, raising an eyebrow. "Now come on, get some swim trunks on. Jean, Armin, and Annie are waiting in the car..."
"Nah, I'm not really up for the beach today," Eren mutters and shrugs, still trying to look past Mikasa to see the tv. "Just go without me."
"Eren, you already blew off hanging out with Reiner yesterday. You know this beach day's important! Come on, we're all going back to school next month. This will be one of our last hangouts, so just cut the moody shit and get up."
Eren groans in annoyance and drops his controller and looks up at Mikasa stone-faced. He crosses his arms and she crosses hers again and they glare at each other silently before Mikasa rolls her eyes. "Fine, be a jerkoff and don't come. See if I care..." she walks to the door. "Be sure to say hi to whatever hookup you have scheduled for tonight asshole."
Mikasa huffs down the stairs and slams the door shut, and Eren rolls his eyes petulantly before returning to his video game, while texting a girl who's planning to hook-up with. A girl who's name he doesn't even remember.
It's a few weeks later in August and there's a knock on door and a ringing of the doorbell. "JUST A SEC!" a female voice calls from upstairs. A few seconds barely pass when the door is knocked again, and a frustrated groan comes from upstairs.
"JESUS! I SAID JUST A SEC!" she shouts again and comes bounding down the stairs from her bedroom. She's got red hair sitting in a high ponytail and wearing a white tank top and jean shorts as she throws open the door and grin.
"LaMarcus! Thank you so much for coming again!" you sigh.
"Hahaaa my sweet baby sis!" LaMarcus grins and kisses your head. "You know I'd come, I had to. Gotta makes sure no creeps or stalkers show up to this open house now!"
"Or sports fans," you chuckle as he walks in with yet another 6-pack of beer just like before. You look anxiously around and fidget as you get lost in a thought. "LaMarcus?" you say cautiously as you come up to him.
"Mmm what Rose?"
You sigh heavily. "If...if we can't find anyone from this open house today, I wanna take a breather to rethink my options..."
"Rethink your options?" LaMarcus asks and raises an eyebrow, and you nod.
"Yeah, on this whole roommate situation thing... I dunno, I just don't feel comfortable having a roommate around."
"Well girl, you don't have a lot of other options open to you..." LaMarcus says cautiously. "And those property taxes are—"
"I'll get a second job!" you blurt out and your brother looks at you skeptically.
"A second job? Baby, you already work 12-hour shifts at your regular job..."
"Well...I don't know Lamarcus," you shrug helplessly. "I'll work during the evening, I'll work weekends. I just really don't want to have a roommate..."
Your brother looks at you carefully and sighs. "Are you sure? I really don't think it's safe for you to live all alone..."
"Come on LaMarcus," you groan in irritation. "It's 2023. I think I'll be alright living alone in a house by myself...I've already been doing it for 2 years. What's another... I dunno lifetime of singlehood?"
"Come on, don't say it like that baby girl..." LaMarcus sighs. "You gotta stop selling yourself so short like that. There's other fish in the sea besides Porco..."
"Yeah well... if they're anything like him, I'd rather not fish at all," you shrug, your eyes lowering to the ground in sadness.
Your brother groans and sighs and shrugs. "Aight, I can't stop you. I'll try to help you where I can but you gotta find a job to supplement."
"Really?!" you grin wide and your brother nods. "You won't make me get one?!"
"Yeah really, it's your house, you should feel safe in it. Now come give your big bro a hug."
With that, you set out to search for a job you can work during the nights and work on weekends. Honestly the options aren't expansive and none of them would build anywhere near the amount of cash you need to supplement your taxes.
One night after work, you're driving around Shiganshina and hit a red light. Your mind wanders as you listen to the radio and your eyes wander around the street and fall upon a 'HELP WANTED' sign on the door of an establishment known at The Kit Kat Lounge. You eye the building, it's definitely a strip club. You look away, refusing to even entertain the idea.... But money is tight, you're in good enough shape... and you're low on options.
You sigh, hardly believing yourself as you turn into the parking lot and cautiously walk up to the door, showing your ID to the bouncer. You walk inside to a dark strip joint, circular lights playing across the show room and a stripper on the pole. The place isn't too busy, it's a Tuesday. You go up to the bar and ask to speak to the manager. He comes out and speaks to you, asks if you wear high heels and stillettos.
"I dabble," you say smugly, trying to play up your coyness. It works and he smirks as he looks you up and down.
"You've got a strange kinda elegant timeless look to you honey. You got any stage talents?"
"I took ballet for 5 years," you say confidently. "And I'm a classically trained pianist..."
The manager smirks and chuckles. "Well... I dunno how much good that's gonna do you here but I guess it doesn't hurt to know... you learn to pole dance on your own time, you can start on Friday."
And so just like that, you become a dancer at a topless bar, working Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You've already mastered wearing heels and so you begin walking around your house in stilettos to practice, while installing a pole in your living room. One night, just for a laugh, you invite over your friends Rochelle, Frida and your new friend Sasha to help you practice pole dancing. You all proceed to get wasted on cheap mixers as you all cackle and attempt to climb the pole. Only you seem to master it, taken aback by upper body strength you didn't know you had.
Soon enough you've learned how to do splits, climb, and hang off poles, spin around them in a way that's slow and seductively enticing. The manager plays up your supposed elegant look by having you wear your red curls either in updos or down your chest, covering your breasts. Your go-to outfits always feature long strings of pearls around your neck and pearl and crystal encrusted lingerie and clear 6-inch stilettos. You go by the stage name 'Red Lily' and dance to pop music and the occasional pop song that features a piano. You even build a highly popular striptease routine to Adele's Rumor Has It, sliding around the stage, working the pole as slow and teasing as possible while guys throw large bills on the floor and shout your name.
You may have come for the money, but you stay for the thrill. The thrill of being able to express yourself sexually, the thrill to dance to music you love, and wear pearls around you neck, feeling them glide across your naked chest. And of course, the money is a massive appeal.
You grin and laugh one night, just a few weeks into your new job, as you pick up your tips from the floor while men applaud and come up to slip bills in your garter belt and g-string. You carry the tips backstage, grinning ear to ear as you step into the dressing room and sit at your designated vanity table. A work friend Jasmine comes up behind you and gives you a massive hug while you laugh and count your money. You've already made half the money you need to pay off your property taxes for one month in the span of two shifts alone.
"Not a bad night huh hun?" Jasmine grins and you nod happily.
"If I keep this up, maybe I can cut back on hours at my 9 to 5!" you laugh enthusiastically, looking at your tips proudly as you count out the bar's sub-charge fee.
"Mmm speaking of your 9 to 5, there's a guy here who asked to see you for a private dance Red," Crystal calls from her own vanity as she straightens her hair. "Said he's a work friend!"
"Ohhhh fuck," you groan, your cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Ohh hush girl! You think you're the first girl who's been spotted by a coworker here?"
"Yeah, it's not like he can call you out at work," Jasmine grins. "Not unless he's cool being outed as a guy who goes to strip clubs..."
"True enough," you mutter as you get up and check your makeup and hair before walking back out. You walk through the club and head for the VIP private booth sections and nod at a bouncer standing at them.
"Hey Red, he's in booth 4..."
You saunter down the booths and take a deep breath in and out before throwing the curtain open and gasping in shock to see your boss Lord Tengen Uzui sitting inside. He's wearing his hair long and his usually open chested purple velvet business suit. He's got his large muscular arms crossed; he's been waiting in amused anticipation. You feel your hair stand up on the back of your neck and you heart beat rapidly in your chest. You feel yourself going clammy as he stands up, towering above you, a big smirk on his face.
"Ahh Kitten, thought I saw you out there! You never told me you worked here!" he exclaims smugly.
You blink in dumbfounded silence as distorted images pull up in your head like a tv with a bad connection; distorted images a music concert and basketball game, muffled high pitched sounds in a dark penthouse, a tall fuzzy faceless figure with dark brown hair who comes up to you to give you a hug and caresses your bruised skin.
"Kitten..." Uzui says, his eyebrow raising as he waits for your response, and you blink and startle.
"Oh... I'm sorry Lord Uzui-sama!" you exclaim and quickly bow in shame. "I'm sorry this is how you find out!"
"Oh please Kitten," Uzui chuckles as he leans into you. "If I would've known you were working here, I would've come sooner..."
You flush in surprise, looking up at him meekly. "You... you would have?"
"Fuck yeah," Uzui smiles and cocks his head to the side. "Heyyy wait a minute. So when you came to my office on Tuesday and said you couldn't make it to the Battle of the Bands concert tonight, it's cause you were working here?"
You nod and wince. "I'm sorry Uzui-sama, I should've told you I have a commitment on Fridays now..."
Tengen grins smugly as he sits back down and grabs you to sit on his lap. "Well I just thought of the flashiest way you can make it up to me. Now be a good girl and give me a lap-dance before I explode."
After you finish, Uzui holds you tight in his arms as he huffs heavily and chuckles happily. "Aww Kitten, that was fan-fucking-tastic. I had no idea you had it in you..."
You nod quietly as you sit in his arms as he pants and adjusts his pants. He murmurs and his mouth draws near your ear. "Come back home with me tonight Kitten, I'll make it worth your while..."
"You will?" you ask slowly and Tengen nods enthusiastically.
"Come home baby, be my sugar baby. Lemme spoil you rotten... you'd get a helluva a lot more money from me than you would here." He grins deviously and pats your ass, and you hesitate, distorted images and sounds coming back to your head.
"Well....I'm waiting Kitten..."
"Yeah," you say slowly. "I—I might like that..."
Uzui chuckles lowly. "I know you will..."
And with that, you quit your stripper's gig to become your boss' sugar baby. He lets you keep your house and spoils you with luxury items, clothes, shoes, the works. And all he asks for in return is that you be a little bit of arm candy, be open to all his sexual wants and needs. You have such mixed feelings about being "with" him. Truth be told, the money is good, you're able to afford your house no problem. And it's so much safer than being in the club, only having to please one man instead of numerous. Not to mention, your history together. He knows about your situation with Porco and doesn't seem to have a problem with it. He makes you laugh. He's charismatic, charming, eccentric, and sexy as hell.
But you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach that you can't describe. Like there's an alarm sounding off in the distance that you can't quite process. One day Uzui asks you to go on a date with him to Stohess Bistro, and despite your reluctant inner ear telling you not to go, you do. He takes you inside, holding your arm in his and pulls out your chair for you. He whispers compliments in your ear as he sits his seat right next to you and feeds you oysters. At one point he stops and smiles at you, his red eyes blazing.
"God you're so fuckin sexy," he purrs. "I wish you would've come to me sooner baby..."
You smile coyly and move your hair, which he caresses passively as he leans in to kiss your neck.
"Kitten... there's something I wanna ask you..."
"Oh? What is it?"
Tengen smiles dreamily. "Be my girlfriend baby, be my one and only. I'm crazy about you... I've been crazy about you since the first time we met..."
"You mean when I started a few years ago..." you ask gently and he smiles and nods.
"Yeah but also when we met as teenagers. Do you remember that party baby? When I asked you to leave with me and you said no. Fuck how different your life would be if you had said yes..."
You look at him and smile calmly. "I didn't know you've liked me for so long..."
"Of course Kitten, why do you think you got the job?" Tengen coos. "Baby, I want you to be mine, all mine..." he grins as he presents you with an expensive diamond bracelet and you gasp softly as he places it on your wrist.
"Oh Tengen," you sigh softly as you look at it sparkling. "I...I don't know what to say."
"Say yes baby," Tengen murmurs into your ear as he caresses your bracelet. "I'll treat you like a goddess if you'll give yourself to me fully...Come on baby..."
You look up at him and you think it over before nodding, feeling your heart swell as you stare at your bracelet. "Yes, yes! I'll be your girlfriend! Nothing would make me happier!"
And so you dive headfirst into a relationship with Tengen, kept under wraps from family and friends until you two both know it's serious. Now the real spoiling begins with a trip to a ski resort in Marley to celebrate along with more gifts, more luxury, more everything. A little over two months into your relationship, and while on holiday in Mexico, he proposes with a large enough diamond ring that would sink the Titanic and you happily smile and give an enthusiastic yes.
One night in December, a little more than a week after he proposes, Uzui is in your home and you two are in bed together. You're lying under him, gasping and moaning and arching your back as you bite your lip as he fucks you. He starts going harder and harder and you begin wincing and crying out in pain.
"Tengen..." you whimper. "Slow down... St—stop... you're—you're hurting me..."
He doesn't respond, just keeps going and going harder and you begin crying.
"St—stop!" you sob, "Stop!"
"Shut up Kitten," he growls as you begin struggling, trying to push him off. "Just shut the fuck up..."
"Stop! What are you doing?! YOU'RE HURTING ME!" you scream as he huffs and rolls you over violently and pins your head and your wrist into your mattress as you keep wriggling and struggling against him. "STOP! STOP IT!! STOP IT!!! PLEASE!!!"
You scream and sob, your insides searing in agonizing pain as you're pinned down in your bed. You violently weep as he keeps going, bearing his weight down on you. You scream at the top of your lungs for someone to help you but there's no one, no roommates around, and your neighbours either can't or won't hear you.
You fall silent after minutes as he huffs and moans and keeps going hard and you stare tearfully out your window at the trees in your backyard. There's a flash of a young girl in tattered clothes who watches you and you barely register her as you lay there, pinned down, and unable to move.
Eventually he huffs happily and slaps your ass as he gets off you and you lay motionless in your bed. He gets up and go washes up in the bathroom before coming back to lay down and go to sleep as you lay motionless in your bed. You don't have anywhere to run to so you lay in bed, lay perfectly still when he pulls you into his chest and pins you to him.
A few days later, he comes back with flowers and a pair of diamond earrings, telling you he's really sorry and he doesn't know what came over him. Your cheeks flush as he leans in to playfully caress your neck and you sigh and tell him it's alright as long as he never does it again.
After that day, the cycle of abuse begins. Your workdays are a constant string of fulfilling work duties, being gifted with extra work niceties, and being abused by your fiancée behind closed doors. One day during a brutal struggle, he manages to break your wrist and you scream in agony as your wrist burns in twists as he violates you on his desk. Afterwards you're sent to the ER and told not to say a word if you know what's good for you.
You soon lose touch with your friends and family, too ashamed to admit that you're in an abusive relationship. Too ashamed to admit your own involvement, that sometimes you consent to being roughed up, and that sometimes you let him back into your life willingly when his apologies seem the sincerest.
The abuse continues at home too, it's a constant cycle of apologies, gifts, overly enthusiastic remorse, and abuse. The cycle continues even after you change your locks and try to barricade your front door. He simply slips in through your sliding back doors or shoves his way in.
One cold winter night with a shiny black eye and a wrist in a cast, you sob as he bangs and tries to shove his way into the front door. You scream at him, begging him to leave before you run for your phone and shakily call 9-1-1.
"9-1-1. What's your emergency?"
"Hello, I need you to send someone out to Reisswood Heights! My fiancee's here and he's trying to break into my house!" you sob in fear.
"Mmm ok, stay on the line. I'm sending someone out now..."
"Please! Hurry! He's gonna beat the shit out of me if he gets in here!"
"GET OFF THE FUCKING PHONE ROSE AND LET ME THE FUCK IN!"
"Ok, just stay on the line, a scout car will be out to you shortly..."
You tremble as Tengen breaks through and gets inside. "GET OUT TENGEN! GET OUT! I'M ON THE PHONE WITH 9-1-1! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" you scream as he storms over to you and smacks you across the face just as red and blue lights flash into your window. He growls and huffs and tells you not to say a word before he grabs you and walks you both outside.
"Excuse me, we got a call about a potential break and enter," one of the officers says as he eyes your face and Tengen chuckles as he steps up to the officer.
"It's nothing Officer, really. We've had a fight and she's overreacting... I promise it's nothing more than that," he says as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out several bills. He shakes the officer's hand and smiles as the officer notices what's been passed. "Honestly, it's nothing really that we can't sort out ourselves..."
The officer looks at Tengen wide eyed and then at you and nods quietly. "Alright, be on your way sir. No more disturbing the peace tonight. Ma'am..." he says as he quickly gets back in his patrol car and Tengen flashes you a look before going over to his SUV as you tremble in your front lawn.
You go back inside and slowly close the door as you sniffle and shake in fear. You go up to your room with your phone and sit in bed, trembling in the dark. You sob softly, wishing more than anything that you had someone, anyone to go to for help and protection. You can't get your girlfriends Rochelle, Frida, or Sasha involved and potentially risk hurting them too. LaMarcus is away on his retirement tour...
You sob quietly as you pick up your phone and shake as you dial his number. You bite your nails tearfully as it rings several times before a male voice comes on.
"Hello..." he answers nonchalantly.
"Hello....Porco?" you shake, your voice trembling in fear. "It—it's me..."
"Rose... what's going on? Why are you crying?" Porco asks, having never heard you sound so scared.
"Por—Porco... I need you to co—come pick me up...." you sob, shaking and quivering. "I—I don't have anywhere else to go and I'm scared!"
"Why Rose? Why are you scared?" Porco asks and you shake your head frantically.
"I—I can't tell you now. Can you ju—can you just get here please?! I have a really bad feeling something's gonna happen!"
"Well..." Porco sighs, "I'm...I'm on the other side of the city, can you give me an hour?"
"Yes! But please! Come right now!" you sob frightfully. "I'm scared Porco! Please hurry!"
"Okay, I swear I'm coming now Rose, I'll call when I hit the off-ramp."
"Okay, bye..." you tremble and hang up and sob as you sit on your bed in your dark bedroom. You sniffle as you go over to your walk-in closet, quickly stuffing clothes into your duffle bag, checking your phone constantly for the time.
You shuffle your bag on your shoulder and tearfully head down your stairs, your house in sudden pitch-black darkness. You barely touch down on the ground floor, barely register that all your house lights are now turned off, when a giant hand grabs you from behind and pins you to a body.
"Make a scream, make any sound and I'll snap your fucking neck," he sneers angrily into your ear as he ties your wrists behind your back and drags you outside. He orders you to get into the backseat of his tinted SUV and makes you lie down on it before climbing into his seat and spinning out of your driveway.
You whimper in fear as he drives you out of your neighbourhood, drives you out of the city and you sob as you tearfully watch the mountains pass your window. "Te—Tengen, where are you taking me??" you sob and shake and he tells you to shut up and keep quiet as he speeds down the Interstate Highway, heading north.
The SUV climbs altitude, going higher and higher into the mountains and after over two hours of driving, Tengen pulls up to a grey mansion built into a cliff. You sob as he pulls you out and walks you into the mansion, lit, warm, lived in.
"We're gonna stay here Kitten," he says angrily. "We're gonna stay here and play house... start a family just like we talked about it..."
"No... no please Tengen!" you sob as he pulls you upstairs to a bedroom down the hall. "STOP! PLEASE!"
And so it goes... you're trapped in this miserable mansion with Tengen. You're forced into domestic servitude, cooking his meals, making his drinks, washing his clothes, cleaning his house, and letting him have you whenever he wants.
Meanwhile, posters are put up for you in Shiganshina, your ex-husband Porco filing a missing person's report the first chance he gets after he drives to an empty broken-into house. The news media runs your picture a few times but your story isn't seen as one of great interest to the public. You're simply the missing sister of a retired pro-athlete, there's no tragically romantic angle to your story. Most people didn't even know about your relationship to Uzui, and the few who do aren't talking. To the public, you simply vanished from your house one night after making a single 9-1-1 call earlier in the evening.
A few months pass, and other than your brother, ex-husband, and handful of friends trying to send out public appeals for you with the little information they have to go on, nothing's being done for you. All the while you're beaten up, violated, constantly ordered around that mansion with only Uzui, a handful of bodyguards and the occasional stone-faced business partner being you company.
One late afternoon in late April, the sun hangs high as you find yourself calmly making dinner for Uzui. You've decided you simply can't take this anymore, you need to get out of here, even if you gotta fight Uzui and the guards to do it. As you cook his meal, you silently slip a steak knife into your apron pocket and excuse yourself to go to the bathroom upstairs.
That evening, come sunset, Tengen has you again, huffing and groaning as he lays on top of you. "Come on baby, open up for me," he groans, "tonight's the night, I can fucking feel it..."
You moan performatively as you lay on your back, trying to give him what he wants like you always do. "My—my lord, please, lemme get on top," you pant as you reach up to kiss his cheek. "I—I want your baby, let me roll on t—top of you."
Tengen eyes you closely as you moan and arch your back before kissing you hard and rolling you both over. You moan and gasp as you rock and bounce on Tengen, arching your back and pressing your hands on his chest as he bucks underneath you, groaning in pleasure. "Ohhh fuck Kitten, you look so sexy..."
"I know, ohhh my lord Tengen..." you moan desirably as you rock your hips and slither down to kiss him as he wraps his arms around your waist. "Ohh I'm sooo close," you moan into his mouth as your hand slowly moves under the pillow. You both moan and kiss as your hand searches slowly before coming across the hilt of a knife and without a second thought, you shoot up straight and hysterically shiv Tengen in the chest several times like a mad woman.
Tengen screams out in pain and you scream in rage as you try and stab him again but he punches you in your flat stomach, knocking the wind out of your lungs. You choke in pain as he grabs the knife and throws it across the room. He roars in an adrenaline-fueled rage and rolls you both over violently as his chest bleeds out. He looks down at you with flashing murderous eyes as you scream in fear and try and fight him off before he quickly wraps his hands around your neck. With no self-defence training, you're completely helpless to fight off Tengen when he has the upper hand.
"HELPPPPPPP—" your scream is cut off by his hands squeezing tight. A white bird flies across the closed window and hovers right at the closed balcony doors, tapping its beak frantically as you lay inside, the life being squeezed out of you. You feebly hit his arms as he roars and turns red, his blood pouring down on you.
"FUCKING BITCH!" he growls in a rage.
You let out wheezes and gurgling sounds as your head begins to feel a ton of pressure and your windpipe begins to crush down and break. Your body twitches as you keep trying to fight him before your eyes begin to bulge and your arms become limp. Your eyes flutter as you see a white bird shriek at your window and a young girl and a man stand in the corner as you shake and seize under his weight as he squeezes your neck tight. Your eyes grow hazy and fuzzy and your arms fall limp as you pass out.
Before Tengen can take your last breath, he chokes on a pool of blood pouring into his stabbed lungs and his own chest and heart collapses with his adrenaline. He collapses on top of you, crushing you down as he gurgles and drowns in his blood. His own breath passes from of his body as you lay unconscious under him.
A while later, a couple of guards chuckle and come in from their smoke break and call out to Tengen. They come upstairs and knock on the door several times.
"Sir, there's about to be a shift change. Need anything from us before Tom and Andy take over?" one of them calls out. When there's no answer, they open the door to find the two of you naked, bloody, and lifeless on the bed.
"Holy fucking shit..." one of them mutters in total shock.
"Son of a fucking bitch..." the other says as he walks in and checks Uzui's pulse. "He's fuckin' dead Eddie..."
"Fuck... we're gonna have to call the MPs and the Uzui estate Leo... see how they wanna handle this..."
"One thing's for sure man, she can't be here when they show up..."
"What do you suggest? We chop her up?"
"Please Eddie, don't be fuckin gross. That's way above my paygrade. Besides... I got a better idea..."
The guards roll Tengen onto his side and off of you. Your eyes remain closed as the head-guard Leo picks you up from the bed. Your red hair hangs down as your head hangs off the guard's arm as he carries you bridal style over to the doors.
"Be a dear, would ya Ed?"
"Pffft fuck you Leo..."
Eddie opens the doors to the balcony and Leo carries you up to the railing as a white bird calls out as it flies above your naked body. Leo looks out at the crashing waves of the sea before looking over your face and hair and body.
"It's too fucking bad. She was a pretty little thing, wasn't she?" he sighs lustfully.
Your eyes suddenly blink open as you feel a shaky breath pass through your body just as the guard chuckles and shrugs.
"Ahh well, au revoir gorgeous," he says and you barely open your mouth before you're tossed over the railing unceremoniously to plunge down into the ocean below.
You let out a cry in fear as you plummet down 100 feet, feel your hair fall back as a white bird circles around you. The drop is sudden, and you let out a terrified scream as you hit the water hard, plunging down deep into the waves like a rocket, and disappearing completely into the black and violent depths of the sea.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Eren's green eyes blink rapidly as he suddenly finds himself transported onto a beach on a bright clear sunny day. He breathes heavy, his eyes shaking wildly, not sure what the hell's going on, why he can't wake up.
"LET ME OUTTA HERE!" he screams as he pants in fear and tries once again to force himself awake as he has several times but it's now the door to his consciousness that's bolted shut. "ROSE WAKE ME THE FUCK UP!" he screams desperately. "I'M SORRY! I'M SO FUCKING SORRY! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE SAID THOSE THINGS TO YOU! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE PUSHED YOU AWAY! PLEASE ROSE WAKE ME UP! TALK TO ME!"
Eren startles as he hears a nearby car engine rumble as a family van drives up to an empty parking lot that sits near a lighthouse. A few more cars slowly drive up as a couple of boys shriek in delight as they run out to the sandy beach as their parents get out to unload the back of the van. The boys play and run as other people stretch and get out of their cars and Eren watches as one of them stops right in front of him.
"MOMMY! DADDY! LOOK! A MERMAID!" he screams out in delight as he points right through Eren. Eren hears his heart begin pounding as the parents look where their son is pointing. Their eyes go wide as other people look and the boys shriek happily as they run past Eren.
"LOOK A REAL-LIFE MERMAID JUST LIKE ARIEL! SHE'S SLEEPING MOMMY! CAN WE KEEP HER?!"
"OH MY GOD!" the mom calls out as adults beginning running down the beach, all their eyes wide in shock. "JACE! BOBBY! ERIK! GET AWAY FROM HER!"
"HOLY SHIT! SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1!"
Eren sees people running past him and before he can stop his legs, they turn him around and his eyes widen to see Rose lying in the sand naked and motionless.
"Oh my god! Do you think she's alive?!" someone asks frantically.
"ANYONE KNOW CPR?!"
"KIDS GO BACK TO THE CAR!" a man calls to his own children as a crowd begins to huddle around the redheaded beauty lying in the water, her opened eyes and face sinking into the sand more and more as the waves crash in to her again and again.
Eren watches in shock as a man runs up and someone shouts for everyone to step back as he rolls Rose over and performs CPR on her limp naked body. He does it only for a minute before he pulls back. "She...she's dead..."
"Holy fuck... look at her neck..."
Eren shakes as people huddle tight around her while some families drive away in a panic. His legs shake as he slowly walks forward. "Ge—get away from her!" he shouts. "Show some fucking respect! Quit fucking gawking at her!"
Nobody listens to Eren and instead looks over her, some with genuine curiosity, fascinated to see a dead body in person. Eren shakes in anger as someone points out Rose's eyes. "Don't they look like glass, how they stare out at nothing?"
"Take a picture man," his friend whispers low. "I wanna sketch her out when I get home..."
"Draw me like one of your French girls Jack..." he friend chuckles back low.
Eren looks at them in a blind rage and shoves them but his hands do nothing. He's not in this scene, he's just watching from the audience.
Soon an ambulance and a police car show up and take one look at her neck and call in for more back-up. "K CLEAR THE BEACH EVERYONE! THIS IS NOW A CRIME SCENE!"
The crowd all go back to their cars, some still staying to watch as the beach is cordoned off. Eren feels his anger rising as the gawkers stay and watch as pictures are taken of Rose, and the beach searched for clues. Detectives ask them questions as a stretcher is brought out of the ambulance with a body bag on it.
Eren murmurs frightfully and tries to close his eyes but he finds they won't shut for him as the stretcher is wheeled down to the shoreline. Eren tries with all his might, but his eyes refuse to shut, as if they're being forced open with clamps. His body is unable to turn, and he's forced to watch as your lifeless body is carefully laid into the body bag, zipped up, and loaded into a stretcher.
Eren whimpers as the stretcher is wheeled back to the ambulance as the crowd disperses. The show's over for them but not for Eren. He's immediately dropped into a sterile room with a metal slab in the middle. He looks around and immediately recognizes this is a morgue, the one place he never wanted to see you.
"No... no Rose... get me outta here... wake me up...." he trembles. "You made your fucking point! WAKE ME UP!!!"
Eren's eyes are kept open and he's physically incapable of looking away as the body bag is brought into the morgue and unzipped by a mortician and his assistant. The mortician clears his throat and records his voice into a tape recorder as pictures are taken of your body.
"Try and find any identifiable marks on her... uhh this is April 27th, 2024, 3:22pm. Jane Doe discovered on the beach near the Fritz Lighthouse at approximately 10:00am. Found wearing nothing, no wallet, no ID found on the body."
The assistant walks around you as you lie naked, covered in sand and dirt, and lifeless on the cold slab as more pictures are taken.
"Jane Doe, aged between 25 to 34, red hair, violet eyes. No tattoos. Pierced ears. Found with severe bruises on neck, arms, chest, and inner thighs. Could be a possible sexual assault turned homicide..."
Your body is cut open and water is discovered in your lungs and Eren's forced to watch as you're examined, stitched closed and washed over with a hose as a routine procedure. No soaps or oils, no care, no respect. Just a hose down like you're little more than a piece of meat.
"Ligature marks found on neck and severe tracheal damage suggesting possible strangulation. Water discovered in lungs; cause of death marked as drowning. Looks like she was raped, strangled, and thrown in the water while she was still alive and drowned soon after. Not much in the way of sea decomposition, so she wasn't in the ocean for long. I'd say she's been dead for little more than 14 hours from discovery, so I'd mark approximate death at 7:00pm yesterday on April 26th, 2024."
Eren's eyes widen in slow realization of what he just said. April 26th... the day he saw you run out to him from the cabin, soaking wet.
"Oh my god..." Eren trembles quietly, beginning to feel his heart heave heavily in his chest. "What have I done...."
"It's a real shame," the assistant says. "She's a real beaut."
"Well what can you do?" the mortician sighs. "When your time is up, your time is up."
The mortician turns off his tape recorder as his assistant scribbles info down on a toe-tag and wraps it on your big toe and throws a sheet over you. The two men wait a few minutes before one of them walks outside to meet someone walking down the hall.
"Glad you could come so quick. I know the drive from Shiganshina is far for you..."
Eren's eyes widen as Porco walks into the room, his face looking older and stressed. Eren steps back, his chest heaving in a feeling of contempt for the man he hasn't seen in well over two years.
"Alright Mr. Galliard-san, I know this may be hard for you. Just take a deep breath and tell us if this is indeed her..." the mortician says softly as he pulls the sheet down enough to show your face and Porco lets out a sorrowful gasp. He burst into shocked tears and he leans in to see you closer before covering his mouth with his hand and standing back up straight.
"Can you positively identify her?" the mortician asks.
"Yeah that's her... oh my god. That's my wife, Rose Galliard..." he sobs and Eren's eyes flash wide in shock. Porco leans in sobs as he kisses your cold face. "How the hell did she even get out here?! What the hell happened to you Tweety?!"
"I'm sure the investigators will have information when the time is right Mr. Galliard-san. If you come with us, we'll sign the paperwork so the funeral home can come and pick her up..."
Porco sobs and takes one last look at you before the three men leave you alone under a sheet on a cold wet slab as Eren watches in grief and shock.
"Rose..." he whimpers as he walks up to you. "Rose....please, I...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I—I didn't mean it, I didn't mean those things I said... I was just so angry when I found out what I was, what we were. I was just angry with what's happening to me on the outside! I love you baby, I still fucking love you!"
Eren sobs as he sees your face under the thin white sheet and pulls it back. He sobs even harder as he sees your lifeless face under the fluorescent lights and kisses your cold blue lips desperately. You stir slowly and look up at him and Eren lets out a gasp to see your violet eyes open.
You stare at him for a long while than speak. "When you made your wish Eren Jaeger, you said you thought I would die sooner. You thought you were my second chance at life but I still died on April 26th 2024 at 7:00pm just like it's written in the book of life. But because you stayed away from the beach, you never saw me run past you," you say hauntingly as Eren's eyes widen.
"And because you never saw me at the beach, you never asked about me, and Sasha never gave you my address so you could come look at my house—"
"Rose," Eren whimpers, his guilt starting to really form and make a hole in his chest. "Please, stop. I get it, that was the worst thing I could ever say to you! I'm so fucking sorry..."
But it's too little too late for apologies. You sit up and glare right at him.
"Without Eren Jaeger as my roommate, no one was around to stop Tengen Uzui from sexually assaulting me. And because there was no Eren Jaeger around for me to develop feelings for, I became Tengen's girlfriend and his victim of domestic abuse for months rather than weeks..."
"ROSE! STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Eren cries out as he steps back and begins sobbing hard as you stand up.
"Without Eren Jaeger around to take me away on tour, I was kidnapped in December, just before Christmas. Without Eren Jaeger around, I had no large group of friends to look for me, to get the media and the law involved for me. Without Eren Jaeger around, I sat in a mansion for four months being brutalized in every way imaginable."
"STOP! FUCKING STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!" he screams and closes his eyes and tries to put his hands on his ears but they're glued to his side. You glare at him coldly as he drops to the floor. You sit down next to him and put your hand coldly on his shoulder.
"Without Eren Jaeger around, I never learned self-defence. So, I never was able to use the joint lock to get on top of Tengen Uzui. Instead, he laid 200 lbs of weight into my neck and I had my windpipe crushed and my stomach punctured before I was thrown into the sea." Your eyebrows furrow and your eyes rage. "Without Eren Jaeger, I never made a promise to come home which I fucking kicked and screamed my way through a violent undersea riptide to keep! Instead, I gave up and drowned on April 26th, 2024 at 7pm!"
"BABY! STOP ROSE! FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Eren screams as tears roll down his eyes. "YOU'RE SCARING ME! STOP IT!"
"You didn't prolong my life Eren. With you around, I experienced love and joy and happiness. But with you not around, I experienced torture and pain and suffering that was far worse than I ever imagined. That, that is what you wished for! That's what you wished upon me and upon yourself..."
You play audio into the room and Eren startles as he hears his own voice. He looks at you in shock as you look at him coldly.
" Mikasa, I wish I stayed with you...I wish we stayed together..."
"Really Eren? But what about Rose?"
"No one understands the pain of knowing your relationship with someone was just a way for them to live longer, to be free and happy a little longer. I'm...I am grateful for those memories where we were happy but, it doesn't change the fact that there's a part of me that wishes I never met her..."
You look at Eren and shake your head coldly. "I don't know how you can sleep at night, knowing that you dismissed my freedom and happiness as if those weren't the two things I deserved more than anything in the world. I don't know how you could brush them off simply because you were hurt that I died... I don't know how you can live with yourself saying that about the woman you loved and the mother of your children."
Eren looks at you, completely speechless and with a look on his face that you haven't seen in years. A look of total pain, remorse, and shame. "I...I don't—"
"That was only half of your wish Eren, I'm being one sided," you say coldly. "I'm sure you want to see just how good your life's going. Let's see if you and Mikasa made it... let's go... hmm let's go to the exact time of my death..."
You transport Eren out of the morgue and back into his room in the Jaeger residence. He's playing video games and looking miserable, it looks like he's stayed on the bed for all 10 months of this journey. Eren looks at himself, his face growing white as your sheet.
You look at him, your face made of stone and Eren looks at you, remorse completely plastered into his face.
"Baby..." Eren sniffles as he grabs your face. "Please... wake me up. I'll come talk to you at the tree, I don't give a fuck about the ash cloud. I'll come talk to you and we'll make up and we'll talk about where we go from here..." He holds you while you stand still and stoic and he begins hyperventilating and shaking you. "Baby, please! I swear to fucking god, I never wanted to lose you but I had to! I had to let you go so you—"
"You're sitting here on April 26th, 2024 at 7pm. You never got back together with Mikasa Ackerman and you wanna know why? Cause you didn't have me around to make you a better man, a kinder man, a man worth putting a ring on your finger for. You just stayed a cocky, spiteful, arrogant asshole and Mikasa got fed up with your shit and married Jean and now she's expecting her first in September. And what are you doing with your precious god-given second chance of life without me in it to fuck it up for you and lock you down and make you wish you never met me Eren Jaeger?"
You walk up to his ear, your violet eyes blazing as he trembles. "You're sitting here playing video games, waiting for a hook-up text from a girl who's name you don't even remember. Isn't that such a swell way to live. On April 26th at 7pm while I'm drowning in the ocean, begging for someone to help me as I thrash around and my lungs fill with water, YOU'RE SITTING HERE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES WAITING ON A HOOK-UP TEXT FROM A GIRL WHO'S NAME YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER!!"
With that you shove Eren angrily down onto the floor and he sobs and hits it pathetically and breaks into full hyperventilating tears.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO FUCKING SORRY, I'D FUCKING KILL MYSELF TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU!" he screams up at you, his green eyes shining. "PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I FUCKED UP, I FUCKED UP COMPLETELY BUT I WAS SCARED! I'M SO FUCKING SCARED AND NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH!!!"
You shake your head coldly, scoffing in disgust as you tower over him naked. "Look at you! You're weak! You're pathetic! Looking at your face is really starting to piss me off!"
Eren sobs and hangs his head in shame. "I'M—I'M SO FUCKING SORRY I SAID THAT! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!!"
You scoff in full judgement. "Frankly my love, I don't give a fuck. I hope you're happy with the choices you've made, I hope you're happy with your newer, better, stronger marriage. I'm leaving this place for good to go find my children and raise them by myself. And when your head gets cut off and you die, don't bother looking for me. I'm not your problem anymore Eren Jaeger. Goodbye."
With that your eyes flash ultraviolet and Eren sees a flash of you drowning in the sea before he screams and wakes back up. He screams several times, thrashing, and shaking as he sees you thrashing and screaming as the currents pull you apart in every direction. He falls quiet and shakes in his fear, his eyes wide.
He hears Mikasa scream next to him as she keeps sleeping and he turns and frantically shakes her. "MIKASA! MIKASA! WAKE UP!"
Mikasa's grey eyes flash wide open as she screams and shakes in fear. "I SAW HER EREN! I SAW ROSE!!!"
Eren pants and she shakes and sobs. "There was a baby in a nursery! And I tried to go and hold it but a big black panther with glowing purple eyes wouldn't let me!!! It kept growling at me and lunging at me and the panther turned into Rose and she screamed and called me a backstabber!"
Mikasa sobs helplessly as she stays laying down. "She said she trusted me and loved me and I betrayed her and stole her husband and disgraced her memory!! And then she threw me into a pit of snakes and rats Eren! I can feel them on me! I can feel them on my skin!"
She visibly shudders in disgust and sits up and Eren's eyes grow wide. "Mikasa..." he says in fear... "your... your hair..."
"What?" Mikasa whimpers and slowly and shakily gets up and goes to the mirror and screams as clumps of hair fall from her head. She screams and shakes as she pulls clumps of hair away from her head.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" she screams and sobs and Eren gets up to shakily hug her, his own anxiety through the roof.
"Mikasa... I... I gotta go..." he says after she's calmed down. "I gotta go get air, I swear I'll be back soon!" He shakily kisses her and feels a new tinge of something like a stone as he does. He back away from her and quickly turns to grab his motorcycle keys.
Eren speeds as fast as he can down the highway, with little traffic in his way as he drives north in the direction of the eruption. It's still thundering and black and terrifying. But Eren's just so grateful to see the turnoff to Meteor Lake occurs right before a police and emergency services blockade from going any further north. He quickly rides his bike down to that old abandoned parking lot, covered in ash.
He hops off his bike and takes off running, his face covered behind a mask. He runs as fast as he can through the woods. "ROSE!" he screams as he runs and soon he makes it out to the clearing and his eyes widen as he sees the tree on top of the hill covered in ash.
He struggles to climb up to it as the ash makes for a slippery slope. He gets up to it and sighs in relief when he sees the veil to the paths but he stops dead in his tracks when he looks down. He stops dead and his heart stops and sinks as he sees there's no longer a headstone under the tree. No headstone for you and Lily, as if you were never buried here.
"Fuck..." he huffs as he throws himself into the paths and quickly looks around to see where you are. "ROSE!!!!" he screams as he takes off, running aimlessly, trying to keep his ears open for the ocean.
"ROSE!!!!"
He runs frantically until he hears waves and runs towards them as quick as possible. He stops at the top of a sand dune as he sees the beach completely flooded, the waves crashing frantically.
"Goddamnit Rose!" he groans in frustration as he starts running along the hill, keeping his eye out for your beach house. He pants and runs as quickly as he can. "Fuck! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
He keeps running till he finds your beach home, now sitting as its own island, surrounded by waves that crash but hold back from overtaking it. Eren sobs as he slides down into the water and swims frantically to the house, countless flowers and stars floating around him as he does.
"God, what the fuck have I done..."
He swims and gets up to your house and runs inside, screaming your name. He stops abruptly when he realizes your apartment is completely emptied out. There's no mattress, no mirror, no record player. The place is dead.
Luna mews quietly as she comes out of the dark room and Eren murmurs in shock and walks to her but she hisses angrily, her violet eyes blazing.
"Luna...It's me..." Eren whimpers and his old black cat hisses even angrier and disappears from his sight.
Eren shakes as he stands alone in your emptied out beach home and stops as he sees something shiny sitting on the floor. He slowly goes and crouches down and picks it up and his heart sinks into a pit. It's Carla's wedding ring. It's the real Carla's wedding ring, taken from off the body Eren was supposedly locked down by. Taken back so he can give it to the better fiancée that he always wished he had. Taken back by you and left behind as your parting gift to Eren. A final separation. He's free of you for good.