Chapter 8 - Afraid To Be Close

                                        

                                              



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It was raining.
Eren was a bit restless after the long trek up from Shiganshina and up into Wall Maria's interior. After all, it's been a while since his dad had taken him anywhere, let alone this far out past his hometown.
There weren't many kids his age in Shiganshina, kids that would think this green-eyed, black-haired, strange-mannered kid known as Eren Yeager would be their friend. Heck, even Armin was a stroke of luck.
He remembered when he first brought Armin home and introduced him to his parents. They were delighted to see he was making friends.
"Mikasa?"
He echoed the name, it sounding strange in the way it rolled off his tongue as his father knocked on the Ackerman household's door. It was pouring now, though Eren didn't mind the rain. If he got sick, his father would take care of him.
"Yes. She's about your age," his father replied, now looking at him. "There aren't many children in these parts, so try to get along."
"That depends on how she acts."
"Eren. That attitude is why you've only made one friend," Grisha lightly sighed.
It was true, in a sense. He had the tendency to start fights with the other kids his age due to his standoffish nature. Armin, for example, was bullied by some kids who looked down on him and when Eren tried to defend him, it resulted in multiple bruises around his body at the end of the day.
It wasn't like it discouraged him from defending Armin, though. 
"Are they not home?" His father murmured to himself, knocking on the door. "Mr. Ackerman! It's Yeager!"
Hearing another, strange non-reply put Eren's father on edge so he lightly pushed the door. Upon seeing how it was unlocked, he pushed it forward some more to get a better look inside...
"Is anyone home—" Grisha cut his words off with a sharp gasp.
Eren, confused looked up to him. "Is something wrong?"
No response.
"What is it, Dad?"
His father rushed into the Ackerman household, towards something Eren couldn't see, so he followed the line of sight where he would be and... saw two bodies slumped in various conditions across the house.
One of them was a lady with black hair. She was facing away from him but he could automatically tell her neck was cut and had bled out already. She was dead.
Another was a man with blonde hair. He was slumped right in front of him, his head down and a pool of blood at his feet. 
These people must've been Mikasa's parents.
Eren's ears began to ring.
"Too late..." His father cursed. "Eren. Have you seen a girl—Mikasa—anywhere nearby?"
"...No."
"I see..." Grisha took in a short breath as if resolving himself to something. "I'll get the Military Police and have them conduct a search! You'll wait at the foot of the mountain. Is that clear, Eren?"