On The Bench (AOT/DxD)

[D.KnightOfShadows]

Its finally happened, the meeting we were all waiting for.

And oh, there's so much conflict and bittersweet sorrow rearin its head on either side, but they're still so happy.

This is good.

I mean..... yeah, Eren might try and kill Serefall (just the once!) before he dies, so he can be sure Mikasa will be free when he dies.

Mikasa will definitely have "words" for Kuroka and will likely go from "pursue your man" advice to Rias and Sona to "back off, mine!".

Theres also Eren's newest "Plan" still chugging along....

But none of that matters now.

The hesitent steps that outlined Mikasa's journey on Earth.

Eren thinking it was a dream.

The kiss.

Mikasa immediatly realizing Eren was on a clock and trying to Save him this time.

And their quiet little bubble of joy.

Yeah, this chapter was worth the wait and any and all shenanigans afterwards.

(Taking bets, is this where we finally learn where Eren lives? When Mikasa moves in, X hours later? Or is she carrying him off to her house? He's still gotta be around the bench, so.. ...)

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, I really like how you wrote this reunion between Eren and Mikasa. I imagine that things will occur to disrupt it, but I am glad that these two were able to have that joy. Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!

 

[DracoArgentum]

ngl, I expected Kuroka to pop up at the end of the chapter there, but I guess that confrontation will start in one of the next few chapters.

 

[Bigreader]

I'm a little confused about their incarnations in this world were they reborn as babies and grew up with grew old or did they just appear as a child and a old woman respectively?

 

[Vanbers]

Ehhhhhh.

Still kinda hoping against hope that this doesn't go ErenXMikasa, tbh.

 

[ScriptGenius12]

Would the thirteen year time limit even apply after Ymir got her necrophilia cuck fetish itched, which allowed her to pass on?

 

[defenestrator]

I'm sorry did Serafall complete miss out the fact that the territory she gifted her magic-less and (at the moment) delusional pawn was the stomping grounds of the then-Red dragon emperor

 

[Weebner]

Wrapped in a red scarf, two lost souls reunited on the bench.

Click to shrink...

HE SAID THE TITLE OF THE STORY.

THAT'S IT.

WRAP IT UP FOLKS.

IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER THAN THIS.

 

[Monarchist Guy]

HE SAID THE TITLE OF THE STORY.

THAT'S IT.

WRAP IT UP FOLKS.

IT AIN'T GETTING BETTER THAN THIS.

Click to shrink...

 

[ReadingDangerously]

Eventually, the questions needed to be asked.

"You weren't reborn in this world," Eren asked with a frown.

"No," Mikasa denied, leaning against his side. "Serafall told me my coffin appeared in front of her one day with a note to reincarnate me."

"...And she just did it," Eren asked in disbelief, arm tightening around her at the mention of her death.

"Serafall is... impulsive sometimes. She did have Adjuka examine me first."

"Beelzebub?"

Eren's face took on an odd expression as if he didn't know what to think about her casual acquaintance with some of the most powerful beings in this new world.

"Yes," Mikasa nodded casually.

She understood the surprise, but really, all four Satans were very different from what their reputation portrayed them as.

After Adjuka examined her and discovered her genetic makeup was different from that of humans in this world, he was just as excited as Serafall about her reincarnation. The only question was if she would even be able to come back, as she had been dead for over a day, according to his examination.

Usually, that was out of the time limit the Evil Pieces had to bring people back after they died.

Mikasa remembered those first few hours as a hazy mess. A confusing jumble of questions, arguments, threats, and explanations.

Adjuka had theorized that she was from beyond the Dimensional Gap, thanks to her different genetics, the complete absence of magic, and the lack of any unified history they could agree on.

Devils had been around for tens of thousands of years and had no record of Eldia or Titans.

Mikasa hadn't wanted to believe everything she heard and demanded to be brought to the closest thing she recognized to home.

Paradis Island, or Madagascar on their upside-down map, had seemed like the best place to start looking.

"That's..." Eren sighed. "I wasn't like that. I was fully reborn as a baby. I ended up in an orphanage in a small town in Africa. Everything was hazy, and my memories were fuzzy till I turned six. Fragmented, like half-remembered dreams. One day, they weren't. That's when I fully remembered and... when I regained my power."

It was Mikasa's turn to tighten her grip on the boy, reminded of their limited time together.

"I should have looked harder," Mikasa said lowly, shame and anger at herself filling her.

"You had no way of knowing I was alive," Eren denied. "Or that I was a child. I might not have recognized you those first years anyway, and I hadn't transformed yet, so I didn't have any marks for you to recognize either."

Mikasa knew Eren was making sense, but that didn't stop her from feeling like she had failed. Maybe she could have saved him if she had found Eren before he turned into a Titan for the first time.

"After that, I became a solder," Eren continued. "A mercenary."

"What?" Mikasa asked, agahst.

Even now, in this new world, Eren still hadn't been able to live a peaceful life?

"You don't need to worry about me," Eren sighed. Despite herself, Mikasa felt her lips quirk at the familiar argument. "There weren't a lot of options for kids in that part of the world at the time. And I was fighting other humans. Mostly with guns. With my healing, I wasn't in any danger unless they got extremely lucky and hit my nape."

Once more, Mikasa was reminded about just how bullshit the Shifters had been. Slit throats, amputated limbs, even heads cut in half. None of it was fatal unless the spine at the nape of the neck was severed.

If that didn't happen, they'd just heal from everything eventually.

One of the greatest terrors of Titans was the sheer difficulty of killing them. Even dumb ones were pretty much immortal for most humans until they discovered their weaknesses and gained the technology to fight them.

"... Eventually, I made enough money to retire," Eren continued after a moment of thought. "Travelled the world a bit and ended up here in Kuoh a year ago."

"Did you..." Mikasa hesitated, unsure how to word the question or if she wanted it answered. "Did you tell Sona to keep you hidden?"

"No?" Eren tilted his head in confusion. "You asked about it earlier. Why would I?"

"... No reason," Mikasa said lowly.

Oh, Satans, Sona really had been hiding Eren from her and Serafall because she liked him, hadn't she?

And it was apparent Eren wasn't healthy by how thin he was, so that must have been what she was talking about when she mentioned he would die soon.

Sona liked Eren, maybe even loved him.

How would she take Mikasa's presence?

That she and Eren had... kissed?

Mikasa wanted to die of embarrassment when she realized she had been giving romantic advice to her honorary niece, using her past situation with Eren as an example.

They had been talking about the same boy without ever realizing it.

Eren could never know.

It hit Mikasa, then.

Sona.

What was Sona thinking now, after Mikasa had interrogated her like that and disappeared? Was she thinking her fears had come true and Mikasa would attack Eren?

Then another thought hit her, and Mikasa paled.

Serafall.

She had been there with her sister. She knew where Eren was. She might not know 'who' he was to Sona, but her curiosity would not stop until it was sated.

And then Eren would die, Titan powers or not.

Mikasa needed to get back to the Underworld as soon as possible.

"I didn't know who Sona was at first," Eren said as Mikasa had a silent panic attack. "She used a fake name."

"She wanted to stand on her own two feet," Mikasa nodded absently, mind going a mile a minute on how to save Eren from turning into a frozen corpse. "Didn't want to rely on her sister's reputation for her dream."

"She's going to be a fine teacher. She's already been teaching me Japanese," Eren nodded slowly. "Her and Rias. It's made my life a bit easier since I moved here."

Mikasa's mind ground to a halt.

"...Rias? Rias Gremory?"

Mikasa might be able to save Eren from Serafall since they were best friends but from Sirzechs Lucifer?

Eren was doomed.

Unless... Maybe she could get Grayfia to control her husband if she took that job at the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

"Yeah," Eren sighed. "I recognized her name right away. But she is... nothing like I'd imagined the sister of Lucifer to be like. Neither of them are."

"We will be free," Rias declared to the world, eyes firm with purpose. "And we will destroy all who try to take that freedom from us."

"What..." Mikasa's throat was suddenly dry. "What are you planning with them?"

Was this to be another Falco and Gaby situation?

In an attempt to understand Eren better, Armin had tried to piece together all his actions near the end. He had started at the end and worked his way back.

Obviously, Eren needed Falco to become the Jaw Titan for them to be able to stop him, and Falco's ability to fly was only possible thanks to drinking Zeke's tainted spinal fluid and gaining traces of the Beast Titan.

At the same time, Eren needed Gaby to shoot him so everyone could discover the source of the Titans, as it erupted from his neck when he could finally connect to the Paths.

It had been little consolation that Sasha's death had gained Eren the pieces he needed to achieve his final goal of wiping out all Titans from the earth, though it had explained his reaction to the news.

And it had all started when a disguised Eren had started to meet a young boy on a bench much like this one.

Was that tragedy going to repeat itself here?

"Planing?" Eren asked in turn, looking at her in confusion. "With them? Nothing. I had no plans on meeting them or getting involved with devil society."

Mikasa let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn't think Eren was lying to her.

"Then why did Rias say that?"

"Say what?"

"There's this... ceremony in the Underworld. Young noble devils state their dreams to the world. Rias stated her dream was to be free."

"Huh," Eren leaned back, looking at the sky as he stared upwards, obviously nonplussed at the news. "It's a good dream."

"She reminded me of you," Mikasa admitted.

"Those kids reminded me of us," Eren agreed slowly. "All of us. Not the same, but it was close enough that I couldn't stop myself from getting involved. I didn't tell her to say that, though."

"What have you been talking about?"

"Anything? Everything?" Eren shrugged, but there was a helplessness to it. "This world... It might not be a hell like ours, but people are the same. Devils are worse because they have more power and live longer, but humans are no different. I saw it all when I was a mercenary. Murder. Rape. Theft. Terror. Oppression. All of it committed by humans on humans. Ideals. Race. Religion. Power. Greed. The same reasons as in our world. Magic, gods, and devils have not changed humanity in the least. And I..."

Eren trailed off, and Mikasa heard wood creak. Looking down, she realized Eren was holding a cane.

A cane engraved with the blue and white Wings of Freedom.

"For some reason, those kids like listening to me ramble," Eren said as he ran his fingers over the handle. "I just thought... 'I don't want these kids making the same mistakes we did. That I did.'"

"Do you regret it?"

For a long moment, there was silence on the bench after Mikasa's question.

"...I have so many regrets," Eren admitted. "But I'd do it again. Because I really don't know of any other way. Maybe Armin could have figured something out, but I... I was just an idiot drunk on power and blood, no different from anyone else."

"He couldn't," Mikasa said, and Eren looked at her. "He couldn't find another way. He tried to think of one for years, but he couldn't."

"Huh."

"The problem was Ymir," Mikasa explained, dredging up old memories of long nights of Armin's ramblings on theories and speculations. She didn't remember even half, but a few key points stood out. "When she became the first titan, the Paths were created. Nothing before that could be changed, only the future. But, without other titans, there was nothing to destroy that worm, even if she cut her own head off. The only way to destroy the Paths, to be free, was to spread her bloodline. So she went back to Fritz, knowing what would happen."

"She loved him," Eren denied. "I don't know why, but Ymir loved Fritz. After everything he had done and would do, she still loved him. I know that for certain."

"...Love is irrational. It doesn't care about pain. It doesn't care about what is right. All it cares about is what you feel."

The pair remained silent momentarily before Mikasa continued with Armin's theory.

"She could have loved him because she saw their future together if her powers worked like yours. Or maybe she fell in love because of the children they'd have, and she wanted them."

"Loving someone because you saw your future together? It's possible."

"It doesn't matter," Mikasa pressed on, not liking Eren's tone of voice. "The problem was that, after Ymir died and Eldians started to spread, nobody among the Nine wanted to eliminate Titans. They were the source of their power and empire. For two thousand years, Ymir waited for someone who would free her from the Paths."

"Me."

"The Attack Titan is unique," Mikasa nodded grimly. "Because it sends memories back, rather than forward like all the others, the last Attack Titan will be the one to decide the future."

"Was the Attack Titan always moving forward, chasing freedom? Or was I doing that, and it was just my tool, and all my predecessors thought my will was the titan's?" Eren asked himself in realization. Shaking his head in wonder, he murmured, "That's just like Armin. I never thought of it that way."

"When Ymir created the Nine, she set the Attack Titan loose to guarantee an end," Mikasa continued to explain Armin's theory with a smile, glad to be able to share something about their best friend. "The other seven, apart from the Founder, were the tools needed for that end."

"And she needed you because the Founder couldn't alter your memories," Eren nodded, adding his own part to the theory.

"... Probably," Mikasa said, uncomfortable talking about her own role in the end of the titans. About what she had to do to free both Ymir and Eren. "She needed both of us, in that specific circumstance, for her to have her revenge, be free, and ensure her descendants would continue to live on after she was gone."

"It's a good theory," Eren nodded. "It might even be true. I can't say for sure since my mind was such a mess at the time. But in the end, it doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters," Mikasa argued. "Don't you get it? Ymir was the cause of everything. From the first titan to the Rumbling. Everything."

"No."

Eren's voice was so firm, so unbending, that Mikasa flinched.

"I understand," Eren continued more softly. "It would be easy to blame Ymir. To make theories or excuses. Nobody wants to be guilty. I don't. But I am."

"If you are, we all are," Mikasa argued just as softly. "We all put so much on you—our hope, our dreams, our sins. We were the ones to benefit from the Rumbling, not you. You died, Eren. You died. And we lived."

"I am glad for it," Eren hugged her tightly. She wanted to cry again, but she was all out of tears. She just felt wrung out. "Armin might be right. Ymir might have set things up so that someone who hated titans would be the last Attack Titan. She might have known that a suicidal blockhead like me would rather die than continue living in a world with them. She might have known about the Rumbling from the first second she emerged from that tree. It doesn't matter. Ymir might have created the situation, but my choice was mine."

"You were trapped," Mikasa tried to argue. "You couldn't change the future."

"I trapped myself."

Silence.

"I tried to change the future because I didn't want to die," Eren confessed softly. "Because I didn't want to have to kill all those people. Because I hoped the Rumbling wasn't the only solution. I looked. For years, I looked. But it was the choice I'd make. Not just because of Ymir or because I wanted to wipe out the titans but because I wanted that future. I wanted it so bad. I wanted a world without titans, where my friends got to live, where my home wasn't under threat, and where I had my revenge. I wanted a blank slate."

Eren's eyes stared blankly out over the park, at the trees and the city beyond.

"I chose that future. That's why it trapped me."

It was like he was staring at a world trampled flat once more.

"I just didn't want to die and kill so many people for that future. I couldn't change the future because I didn't want to change it. Deep down, I am that monster, that Devil. I chose death and all those sins rather than miss out on a future that I wanted."

All excuses, theories, or reasonings were irrelevant. Only actions counted.

Whether it was because Ymir had set things up that way, because of a thirst for vengeance, or to ensure his friends a long and happy life, it didn't matter.

Eren Yeager had made his choices.

He had died with them, and now he must live with them.

So must Mikasa.

They sat together in silence for minutes, lost in memories of a faraway world.

Mikasa eventually tore herself out of her funk and realized with some surprise that they hadn't been interrupted by an angry Serafall.

She had wholly forgotten after they had started talking about their past.

Honestly, Mikasa didn't want to leave, even if only to calm down her King and her honorary niece.

What if Eren disappeared again?

It did bring up a question, though.

"How do you know about devils and Peerages?"

"...I got offered one, once."

"Really?" Mikasa asked with some surprise. "Who? Sona or Rias?"

"Some King from one of the lesser-known pillars," Eren shrugged casually. "In one of my jobs, I ended up fighting Griselda Quarta."

Mikasa's eyes widened, and her arms tightened around Eren. Even she had heard of that woman.

"I took her by surprise, injuring her pretty badly. The devil had been following my career for a few years and decided to offer me a place in his Peerage. Explained everything to try and convince me. He wouldn't take no for an answer. It was the first time I transformed in this world."

Obviously, Eren had won the fight, but he had been lucky. Some devil bloodlines would have made minced meat out of him, titan or not. The only reason Mikasa was even a credible threat to anyone of significance was because she was fast and precise.

In a straight fight, one where she didn't have an element of surprise, she had no confidence against even the most basic of Ultimate class beings.

"I ran into a few other supernatural factions after that," Eren explained grimly. "I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. Most don't think highly of humans, so I ended up avoiding those I didn't want to have to fight and kill."

"I've noticed that as well," Mikasa sighed. "The perspective is different. So few supernatural races can die of old age. Many of their leaders have been around for thousands. They have powers humans don't, live so long, and know much more. If it weren't for Sacred Gears, nobody would see humans as anything more than playthings and tools, except for a few magicians or skilled people."

"I understand that," Eren acknowledged with a grim line in his mouth. "I know there is a reason. I can't imagine living for longer than titans existed and seeing regular people the same way. But just because there's a reason doesn't mean that reason matters. I know humanity isn't better or that the supernatural races are worse. I know it varies from person to person. But the system is imbalanced. Even Sacred Gears can't make up the difference in time and power. Especially since devils could enslave humanity's best with the Evil Pieces."

Mikasa didn't like the parallels Eren was drawing.

"They can do some good," she pointed out. "If not for Serafall, we wouldn't be here. Together."

Eren didn't have anything to say to that.

They lapsed into silence again, but this time, Eren broke it.

"Tell me about it," he suddenly said. "About what happened after I died."

Where to even begin?

"It was a mess," she eventually started. "The titans were gone, and the Rumbling was stopped, but we had to convince the survivors of that. And so many people had died. Everyone had lost someone. Most had lost everything. Just getting enough food for everyone was a challenge during those first few years. And the Yeagerists didn't make things easy. They used to drive Historia mad, complaining that they should finish the job you started."

"Sorry," Eren said, his voice laden with guilt. "I needed help, and the military was pushing for Historia to turn and get the Founder back in Royal hands. They wouldn't help me if I asked."

"...I know," Mikasa's voice was sombre, memories of fighting and killing old comrades filling her mind. People she had known since her cadet days. "Eldia wasn't without injuries either. All the titans had to pass by somewhere, and many of ours died, too. Our government was also a mess, between the loss of most military and political leaders. Those first few years were spent trying to gather information and clean up. Only after people were certain there were no more titans did the remaining nations and the Yaegerists start to make trouble."

"I see." There was pain in Eren's voice.

Pain and shame, but no surprise.

Even from a young age, he had known that not even a common enemy could unite people. His hope that the Rumbling and his death would change things had been naive.

"You left them so much work," Mikasa admitted. "Not that I was much help. I retired right away. They never blamed me, but I sometimes wish I had been strong enough to help with the peace and rebuilding efforts."

"Sorry."

"In the end, they managed it though. Historia and Armin mostly, but the others helped them. While fights and resentment never really went away, by the end, there hadn't been a war since the Rumbling."

"That's something, at least," Eren sighed in relief. "I am sorry to have left so much for you all to do. I just... there was no perfect solution. No timeline where everything ended happily for everyone. I looked, but I couldn't find one. I had to make a choice."

"We know," Mikasa agreed tiredly.

Despite everything, all the terrible things he had done and all the confusion leading up to it, none of them had ever doubted Eren's motivations in the end.

Maybe it would have been easier to get over him if he had just been the monster he had tried to convince her he was.

Maybe then she could look back at the lie he told her in their last meeting and believe those terrible words.

"Despite all the work and trouble, we were happy. By the time I died, we had rebuilt a large part of the world. Eldia was thriving, and thanks to everyone's efforts, so was the rest of the world. We were protecting our future."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for," Eren's relief was more than palpable. Then he shifted in his seat awkwardly, and Mikasa recognized that he was embarrassed about something. "What about... What about everyone? Specifics, I mean."

...Right.

Mikasa understood what he was asking about but didn't know how to start.

"Armin and Annie ended up getting married," she said, delaying a bit. "They had two kids, Erwin and Hange. Erwin actually ended up marrying Ymir, Historia's daughter. They were still ruling Eldia when I passed but were considering retiring."

"That's great," Eren said, genuine happiness for his best friend in his voice. "I was worried about him, but Annie and he must have balanced each other. I wish I could have seen it. And... Historia? She was happy?"

Mikasa took a deep breath.

Even to this day, she didn't know for sure, but she had always had her suspicions about Ymir's actual father. Historia's pregnancy and Ymir's birth had just been too perfectly timed.

But there had never been any proof, one way or the other, as the baby had inherited almost all her traits from her mother, not her father, whoever it was.

In the end, Mikasa decided it was for the best that she didn't know, so she never asked.

If she was wrong, she would just hurt others, and if she was right, she would just hurt herself.

Besides, Eren hadn't used the Founder's power until coming into contact with Zeke. That had to mean something.

"She was," Mikasa nodded. "I think they came to love each other. And she loved Ymir. Kept complaining about you, though, since you left her so much work."

"Did Reiner's crush ever go away?" Eren asked with some schanderfreude.

"No," Mikasa sighed with fond exasperation. "He was never married, but he did have a few lovers here and there. I don't think he had it in him, not after everything. Falco and Gabi did end up together, though. Four kids."

"I see," Eren nodded in understanding. "I'm happy for him. How'd Connie do? Captain Levi?"

"Connie was... Connie. He didn't get married either, but he was happy. While Historia was dealing with the problems at home and Armin was acting as a diplomat, Connie led the survey teams to find survivors and resources after the Rumbling. The midget was too angry to let his injuries stop him, even if he couldn't go into the field. After most of the rebuilding was done, he led the training of new cadets."

"What about Armin's other child, Hange? How'd they turn out?"

Mikasa realized they were both dancing around the issue.

The words going unsaid.

Eren did want to know everything about his former colleagues, but there was a question that burned more than any other that he didn't know how to ask.

Or if he wanted it answered at all.

But Mikasa knew what silences like this could cost.

Eren deserved to know.

"She," Mikasa said, unsure how to continue but knowing she needed to. "She became a doctor with her husband... Childhood friends who had the same dream and ended up together. They were happy together, too, her and Grisha."

"Gri-," Eren swallowed thickly at the name. "Grisha?"

"My son," Mikasa said softly.

"I..." Eren took a deep breath, his voice thick. "I see. Grisha. It's a good name. And you ended up being in-laws with Armin? I should have guessed as much."

Mikasa didn't say anything as Eren's ramble trailed off into silence.

"...Who?" He eventually asked, his voice thick.

They both knew who. It had been the one Eren hadn't asked about.

Mikasa answered anyway.

"Jean."

"Horseface?" Eren barked in disbelief, but his hands were tight around his cane. "You could have done so much better."

"...We were happy together."

"You better have been! If that bastard didn't do everything to make you happy, I'll go back and beat him up again!"

Eren's words were strong, but his figure remained hunched, and his knuckles white around his cane.

"Eren?"

"I'm glad you were happy," Eren bit out, not looking at her. "I am. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to forget about me. I wanted you to burn that scarf."

"Eren?"

"I have no right to be jealous. Not after so long. Not after wanting you to move on. Not after I did the same."

'Did the same?'

There was someone Eren... loved?

Was Sona's crush not unrequited after all? Or was it someone else?

It had been nineteen years. And Eren had no idea Mikasa was in this world.

It wasn't surprising he might have... been with someone. Might have developed feelings.

Mikasa had no right to feel jealous.

So why...

"So why do I feel like this?" Eren gasped, shoulders shaking. "You deserve to be happy. After everything I put you through, you deserve someone that will make you happy. So why am I still such a pathetic hypocrite?"

Mikasa didn't have an answer to that either, for she felt something similar.

Eren deserved to find someone he could love, too. Someone who wasn't as emotionally stunted as her. Someone who could tell him her feelings without holding back.

So why did Mikasa want to find this woman and rip her to shreds?

She knew why.

She, unlike Eren, had eighty years to grow and learn about herself and her feelings.

Love didn't care about hypocrisy.

Love just cared about what you felt.

That didn't make it easier to deal with.

"I waited ten years," Mikasa eventually said. Were her words for Eren or herself? "I grieved for you for ten years. And I never really moved on. I couldn't. Just because I got married doesn't mean I could forget."

Eren froze.

"...What did Armin tell you?"

It took Mikasa a moment to understand what the question meant.

"About your talk in the Paths, right?" Eren's whole body shivered at her question. "Everything."

"... I'm gonna kill him. I'm going to find him and kill him."

"He was drunk," Mikasa defended their friend, but there was a slight smile on her face. "It was Grisha and Hange's wedding. He told me he was glad he kept your talk a secret since things turned out so well. I got the full story out of him the next day with Annie's help."

"...Annie found out?" Eren asked in horrified disbelief, looking up and meeting her gaze with red-rimmed eyes.

They were distracting themselves, they knew, but they needed the distraction. Neither was sure how to continue, not after their words and their kiss.

Feelings were still there, still as confusing as ever. Love, joy, jealousy, it all roiled in their guts, just as it always had.

Both were still not the greatest when it came to expressing emotions. So, they continued to distract themselves.

"They all did by the end," Mikasa nodded, feeling some vindication and a hint of embarrassment. "She told the others at the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Heaven and Earth... That's what it ended up being called, our fight with you. We were trading stories, and it just came out."

"... I need to go back and finish the job. Letting you all live was a mistake."

Mikasa realized something as Eren clenched his fists in anger, staring into nothing as if he could see their old comrades laughing and joking at his expense.

Eren was free.

Free of all the expectations and hopes they had heaved on him.

Free of a future he couldn't change and a past he was forced to watch repeat.

There were no walls here.

And that freedom allowed hints of the boy he had once been to return.

And that gave Mikasa an idea.

They had so little time together. But even if they didn't get the long, happy life they wanted, Mikasa wanted Eren to be happy in what time they did have.

He deserved it.

"Eren."

"...Yeah?" Eren asked with trepidation at the firmness of her voice and the directness of her stare.

"Hold on."

"Wha-"

Eren almost lost his cane as Mikasa grabbed him under his arms, pulling him to his feet.

With speeds that the average human couldn't follow, she activated the minor illusion and hypnosis device Adjuka had given her when she needed to go to the human world.

Then Mikasa spread her wings and took off.

Eren's eyes were wide, mouth open as he gazed at the clouds around them.

Mikasa held Eren firm in her arms, carrying him through the azure skies over Kuoh.

Neither said a word as a devil's wings carried them like a song through the air.

Eren eventually relaxed, letting her carry him.

He spread his arms wide as if they were his own wings.

They flew, free of the burdens below.

The city, the mountains, and the bench disappeared as they flew together like birds in the sky.

By the end, almost an hour later, they both returned to the cold reality of the ground.

Yet on both their faces were the tiniest hints of smiles. Smiles of joy. Of contentment. Of beauty. Of freedom. Of reunion.

Both returned with their shoulders and hearts a little lighter.

Love didn't care about reality or logic.

It didn't care that you tried to move on or that decades had passed.

All it cared about was the feelings held fast in the chests of those two found souls as they regained their breath on the bench.

********

Man, after the response from the last few chapters, I could farm the Mikasa/Eren controversy for engagement and push my story to the top of the site. I won't, obviously, but man, was it eye-opening. Still, the story moves on. It's not cut and dry. Just because they are reunited and still love each other doesn't mean there aren't issues.

I am not saying one way or the other that Historia's child is Eren's. It was in a different ending that Isayama thought of, but it is very much left ambiguous in the canon ending. There are reasons both for and against, with the latter being slightly more substantial, in my opinion. That being said, whatever your headcanon is can fit with this story as it is an attempt to continue on from that ambiguous ending.

One thing I will comment on in this chapter was Mikasa's, and through her, Armin's, attempt to decipher the ending of AOT. As I've said, this story is partly coming to terms with what happened, both for the characters and me, the author. I have no doubt Armin would have done his best to understand everything he could about the lead-up to the Rumbling. There is a thread of logic there if you want to follow it. It is pretty obvious if you work backwards from the end of the show to its very beginning.

But I also wanted to point out that theories about 'why' don't really matter except for our understanding.

To say the ending of AOT was controversial is an understatement. Some loved it. Some hated it. Some understood it. Some didn't believe there was anything to understand. There are dozens and hundreds of theories crafted to explain either the Rumbling, Eren, the Paths, or whatever. I am guilty of that as well, trying to make sense of a story I love. The author of AOT leaves much up to interpretation, so we will never get a definite statement on everything. It's very Dark Souls-esque like that.

My point was this: It doesn't matter.

All headcanons, theories, or the like are utterly irrelevant in the face of the story we received. By trying to make sense of it and justifying our likes or dislikes of the show, we miss the overall message of the specifics.

There are no villains. There are no heroes. No absolute good or absolute evil.

There are just people and the justifications they tell themselves for their actions and their feelings. Everyone has justifications, in fiction and in reality, but that's all they are: justifications, reasons, and excuses.

Our actions and their consequences are what really matter.

A victim can become an aggressor. A loved one can commit an atrocity. Everyone has reasons.

Only by reconciling all that can someone really understand humanity. Denying reality will not change it. Whether you love Attack on Titan, hate it, or don't care about it, my stories at least contain a hint of that human experience.

I will leave you on that note and meet you again next week with our loveable DxD cast on the bench.

 

[Vongrak]

*Me reading the author's notes after only ever watching like 3 episodes of AOT* Yes, Yes I see. Truly there was a lot left unsaid in AOT that I like to think about.


On a more serious note it is fascinating to read the author's notes, and I guess just the story in general knowing basically nothing about any of these people. I am here because On The Bench is written by ReadingDangerously, not because I'm an AOT fan. In fact, it was always a bit grim to me and not to my taste.

So it just gives me... I don't know if "schadenfreude" is the right word. I think it's wrong but in my heart it feels right. I see this dissonance between my own feelings, the author's and the commentors and I just find it interesting. Like poking that weird thing you see with a stick. All these interesting questions.

Mainly, how is the romance going to be sorted. Kuroka is going to fight hard, and I suppose Mikasa is too. Not sure about Sona but I can see Rias going either way. She's not quite as invested as the other three. Sure it seems like she's got a crush but I feel like she's got more going for her then Sona does at the moment. More herself perhaps. Sona on the other hand... as much as she tries to be mature she seems like, I don't want to say a kid but certainly "younger" or less mature despite how she acts. Kuroka and Mikasa... will either get along amazingly well or they'll hate each other and I can't wait.

 

[Basilisk]

*Me reading the author's notes after only ever watching like 3 episodes of AOT* Yes, Yes I see. Truly there was a lot left unsaid in AOT that I like to think about.


On a more serious note it is fascinating to read the author's notes, and I guess just the story in general knowing basically nothing about any of these people. I am here because On The Bench is written by ReadingDangerously, not because I'm an AOT fan. In fact, it was always a bit grim to me and not to my taste.

So it just gives me... I don't know if "schadenfreude" is the right word. I think it's wrong but in my heart it feels right. I see this dissonance between my own feelings, the author's and the commentors and I just find it interesting. Like poking that weird thing you see with a stick. All these interesting questions.

Mainly, how is the romance going to be sorted. Kuroka is going to fight hard, and I suppose Mikasa is too. Not sure about Sona but I can see Rias going either way. She's not quite as invested as the other three. Sure it seems like she's got a crush but I feel like she's got more going for her then Sona does at the moment. More herself perhaps. Sona on the other hand... as much as she tries to be mature she seems like, I don't want to say a kid but certainly "younger" or less mature despite how she acts. Kuroka and Mikasa... will either get along amazingly well or they'll hate each other and I can't wait.

Click to shrink...

This is DxD! Eren just needs to be converted to the harem mind set!

 

[Monarchist Guy]

I have no right to be jealous. Not after so long. Not after wanting you to move on. Not after I did the same.

Click to shrink...

Oh? Another subscriber to the Historia's baby daddy is Eren theory?

 

[Vongrak]

Oh? Another subscriber to the Historia's baby daddy is Eren theory?

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure ReadingDangerously was refering to Kuroka here, especially after in the AN ReadingDangerously mentioned they thought there was slightly more evidence to suggest Erin wasn't the father.

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, I really like how you wrote Mikasa and Eren's talk and how you wrote about what happened after Eren died in their original world. I am excited to see where you take this next, stay safe out there and keep up the good work!

 

[Mikail]

Thank you for writing this

 

[Tortonium]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Monarchist Guy]

Pretty sure ReadingDangerously was refering to Kuroka here, especially after in the AN ReadingDangerously mentioned they thought there was slightly more evidence to suggest Erin wasn't the father.

Click to shrink...

yeah, completely forgot about her tbh. IDK, the Kuroka moments in this series seem almost forced to me, as I truly don't think Eren would ever move on from Mikasa... Though thats probably because we haven't seen any scenes from where Eren and Kuroka met prior to all this.

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Aunty just left? Just like that?"

"Yes, Rias," Sona said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. It had been a long day. "As soon as I told her where he was, Aunty teleported away. She didn't stop. No matter what we said or who said it."

For emphasis, Sona looked over at her sister.

Serafall Leviathan was weirdly silent, reading the file the Sitri agents had compiled on Eren so long ago.

A file that was obviously missing huge chunks.

Sona had rarely seen her sister so focused, but she was glad to no longer be under the Levithan's interrogation.

She had managed to divert her sister to the file by explaining that 'Eren Yeager' was a former mercenary that had set up near Kuoh and that Rias was slowly trying to get to join her Peerage.

Rias, noticing the look, grimaced in understanding.

As much as Aunty could control Serafall's worst impulses, she usually listened to her King like a soldier when needed. For her aunt to straight up ignore Serafall like that was unheard of.

Usually, Sona would be panicking, rushing to the park to save Eren from her aunt's overprotective wrath.

That was what she had first thought to do when Mikasa teleported away, but she had been delayed by her sister's questions. When Sona had a chance to leave, Rias and her Peerage had appeared to investigate the disturbance and talk about the match.

Saji had also been attracted to the commotion, and Sona's plan to teleport to the human world to save her crush was stopped by a piece of information that had come up as she explained things to the Gremory Peerage.

By now, it was too late to do anything, and Sona would have to trust her aunt not to do anything too terrible.

"Kaicho, I swear, I never told her who he was," Saji repeated.

"I believe you," Sona nodded, but a part of his story stuck out. One that had been bugging her. "But you said his last name after she left."

"I didn't know she'd hear that," her Pawn defended himself.

"Irrelevant," Sona waved him off. "But you are absolutely certain you never mentioned his first name?"

"Yes, Kaicho!"

It was Akeno who asked the question on the Sitri heriress' mind.

"Then how'd she know who he was? She asked, using his first name, right?"

"Maybe the Child of Evil hurt someone she knows," Xenovia suggested with a scowl.

"While he was a mercenary? It's possible," Sona said, lost in thought.

It was possible but unlikely.

Her aunt barely left her house in the Underworld most of the time. How would she hear about some random human mercenary who had only been active for a few years after Mikasa retreated from the human world?

And that intensity.

Mikasa Ackerman had never looked at Sona like that before.

It honestly felt like if Sona hadn't told her aunt where Eren was, she would have been attacked by her sister's Pawn.

Whether that was true or not, Sona didn't know, but the fact she had felt like it was a possibility at all was alarming. Aunty had always been a source of almost matronly comfort and security for Sona.

Feeling threatened at all drove home how little Sona Sitri knew of the Mikasa Ackerman.

Despite all that, Sona would still trust her aunt not to kill a defenceless human.

"This doesn't sound like her," Kiba said, crossing his arms with a frown. "She's usually so cool and collected. And Senpai is too young to have done anything to her while she was human."

"Maybe it's the scarf?"

All eyes turned to Issei Hyoudou in question at his random statement.

"What did you say?"

Surprisingly, it was Serafall Leviathan who asked the question.

In less than an instant, the Satan had practically teleported next to the Red Dragon Emperor, the file on Eren Yeager still clenched in her hand.

The strongest female devil glared at the boy, all pretence of playfulness gone despite still being dressed as a magical girl.

"Um, ah, It was just a thought?" Issei stammered, clearly intimidated by the intensity of the attention from one of the leaders of all devil kind.

"What do you mean 'the scarf,'" Sona asked, trying to intercede on the boy's behalf. "Why do you think it's important?"

That red scarf was her aunt's single most important possession, and Mikasa never went anywhere without it.

But Issei Hyoudou should have no way of knowing that.

So why had he brought it up?

"Um," Issei hurried to try and step back from the Leviathan, though not without getting a peek down her shirt first, as he stuttered out an answer. "I was just spitballing an idea. Eren mentioned a scarf once, and I noticed she wore one. It's the only connection I know of, so I threw it out there."

"He never mentioned a scarf to me," Sona said.

"Me neither," Rias agreed, looking around the room and getting shakes of the head in turn. "What did he say?"

"Not much," Issei said, looking toward Asia awkwardly with a blush on his face. "He was, um, giving me advice and stuff. He mentioned saving a girl and wrapping her in a scarf. Said she kept it and that it meant a lot to her, to both of them. And, um... other stuff that isn't really important. My idea was just that maybe it's the same scarf, ya know? Like maybe someone gave it to your aunt, and she knows him because of that."

That was impossible.

Hyoudou was clearly talking about Eren giving him love advice, but Aunty had that scarf from her time as a human, well before Eren was born and from another world.

It was just a coincidence.

The others clearly thought so, too.

"That's probably not it," Rias disagreed with a shake of her head. "Aunty has had that scarf for years. Way longer than she's been a devil."

"Maybe it is their weapons?" Kiba offered, getting his own looks from the group. "Senpai's sword has a bit of a unique design. It's completely flat and thin, which is rare for swords because then they'd break easily. But it's made so that the blade can be replaced easily. The sword is disposable, but the handle isn't, like Lady Mikasa's."

As an example, the Knight summoned his Balance Breaker.

The radiation of Light and Demonic energies could not cover up the odd blade design.

"But their swords are different," Sona disagreed, having seen her aunt's original blade recently. "Hers is wider, and the handle has those two triggers."

"Senpai's has to fit in his cane," Yuuto explained easily. "That's why it's so narrow. However, the design principle behind it is the same. I don't know what Lady Mikasa's second trigger is for, but one of them releases the blade. Senpai's handle should have something like that as well. He did replace his blade after he broke it. The idea is such a perfect fit for Blade Blacksmith that it became a part of my Sacred Gear."

The Knight was right, Sona realized.

She didn't know anything about swords beyond the basics, but now that she thought of it, how her aunt fought was decidedly odd for a sword fighter.

What kind of swordswoman abuses her weapon till it breaks, then throws it away?

"So it was when Eren was a mercenary?" Akeno asked.

"That can't be right either," Rias denied. "Aunty has had that sword on her mantle since before I met her. He wouldn't have seen it unless Eren came to the Underworld."

"Uh," Asia hesitantly stepped forward, looking at Yuuto apologetically. "Maybe they met when she was dealing with the um, the Holy Sword Project?"

"Too young," Koneko disagreed. "Peace conference?"

"I don't think they met," Akeno disagreed, looking at Serafall for emphasis. "It would have to be before we met him."

Sona tuned out the theories that continued to be bandied about as she noticed something odd.

Her sister hadn't moved.

Ever since Issei explained his comment about the scarf, Serafall had not so much as twitched or even looked at anyone speaking. She hadn't even flaunted her bosom to tease the boy when the Red Dragon Emperor took a peek down her shirt.

Did she know something?

"So-tan?" Serafall asked, torn from her thoughts by Sona's light touch on her arm.

"Is something wrong," Sona asked softly.

"Of course not," the Leviathan denied with a wide smile. "Mi-chan is just curious about your little friend. Why'd you hide him from Onee-sama? Is So-tan trying to keep secrets?"

Sona wasn't buying it.

"...Onee-sama needs to talk to Ajuka-chan," Serafall eventually said, shifting her gaze from Sona's blank face to the half-crumpled file in her hand.

"Lord Beelzebub?" Sona asked in surprise, drawing the attention of the others in the room. "What for?"

"Is it Eren's disease?" Rias asked hopefully. "Did he have a breakthrough?"

The magical girl shook her head, still smiling but slightly pained.

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan can't say. It's a secret," Serafall said, leaning over and putting a finger over her lips for emphasis.

It also showed off her cleavage, much to Issei and Saji's joy.

"Onee-sama will be back soon. Stay here," the Leviathan told her sister. When Sona looked like she would argue, the Satan simply smiled. "Trust Mi-chan, all right? She won't hurt him."

Before Sona could ask what her sister meant, Serafall disappeared in a swirl of sparkles.

(The unnecessary panty shot was, of course, included.)

There was silence in the room for a long second, but eventually, Issei spoke up.

"I have no idea what's happening," he admitted.

"Uh, me too," Asia raised her hand in agreement with her boyfriend's words.

"...Me three," Koneko raised her hand, albeit reluctantly.

Xenovia, Saji, and Akeno all raised their hands in solidarity. Even Ghasper poked one hand out of his cardboard box in the corner to raise it.

Only Rias and Sona's hands remained lowered. The former watched her rival's face with intensity.

"Sona?" Rias asked, seeing something that the others didn't on the Sitri heiress' face. "Do you know?"

"...Maybe," Sona hesitated. "It's just an idea. But it's really unlikely."

So unlikely that it might upend everything they knew about reality.

"Give me a bit of time to think. Saji, please check on the rest of the Peerage and let them know something has come up. I'll stay here till my sister comes back."

Her Pawn nodded dutifully, and Sona thanked him before taking a seat and delving more and more into her train of thought.

Serafall keeping secrets from her wasn't rare.

Despite her childish antics, she was the Satan Leviathan. Sona genuinely had no idea what her sister did most of the time she wasn't filming her show or making a nuisance of herself to her family. Sona knew the gist of it, handling foreign affairs with other factions, but her sister never elaborated on the specifics.

Aunty's secrets were likewise not hidden. Not only was her aunt not the most talkative of women, but much of her past was painful or private, and Sona had never pried about her life as a human.

Eren's secrets were... well, they were a mess.

On one hand, he had opened up enormously since she first joined him on the bench over a year ago. On the other hand, many of the people and events he talked about did not match what her family's agents had found.

Sona didn't think Eren was lying. She hadn't thought anyone could fake those emotional responses for over a year, so she had always assumed that her investigation had missed something.

It was as if she had lacked one crucial piece of information that would bring it all together.

And her idea, no matter how unlikely it was, would fit the pieces she had built in her mind.

What if this was not Eren's first life?

Reincarnations were nothing new, though they were rare. Usually, the spirits of great heroes or famous figures pass through Heaven's system without too much damage because of the force of their personalities and deeds. These great souls were also more likely to be reincarnated with a Sacred Gear.

The only issue was that Sona had never heard of a reincarnation remembering their past life with precise detail.

But what if Eren was from a world beyond theirs, where the rules were different?

What if Eren not only reincarnated but also remembered his old life?

The more Sona thought of it, the more things started to fall into place.

Eren listed names of people they had not found any mention of, events that had never happened. Could those be from another life in another world?

It would explain Eren's competence. Despite being recruited as a six-year-old child, he had been an almost supernaturally good soldier without access to magic or a Sacred Gear.

If he had memories of a much older man, it would explain his strategic ability and how he had managed to go from a random orphan to a mercenary leader by his early teens.

Didn't he also act like he was much older than them? Sona had thought it was either due to being a few years older or because of a wider wealth of life experience, but what if he actually was older? Twenty years? Thirty? Fifty years older?

Eren was also increadibly blase about the oddness that occasionally cropped up around them, without ever knowing they were devils.

Or did he?

He might. Even if he never brought it up, Eren probably at least suspected their last names, once he learned of her true one, were infamous.

Either way, if he had reincarnated, he probably wouldn't be surprised by anything.

Another thought hit Sona then, and she went even further back.

Eren's name.

It had been written on the basket he had been found in.

Eren Yeager was not an African name, though some colonial heritage could have used it. It was clearly European in origin. And Madagascar had not been a German colony. That's why they believed it had been left by his, possibly European, parents. It would match his Germanic traits.

But didn't her Aunty also possess a name that had origins that sounded Germanic while being from another world?

What if, in that old life, Aunty knew him?

Whether he was the person who gave her that scarf or not, if Mikasa Ackerman knew Eren Yeager, then so many pieces would fit together.

She had spent a few months in Madagascar when she was first reincarnated, hadn't she?

What if she had discovered an infant and somehow recognized him as the same as her?

What if she had given him the same name as he had in his last life before leaving him on that church's step?

What if she heard the name of a boy who was supposed to be on the other side of the world come from Saji's mouth and immediately went to check on him?

...No.

There was something wrong with that train of thought.

Not that Mikasa might have known Eren from his last life.

That still fit.

It fit perfectly even, as Eren's birth would be around the same time her aunt had been reincarnated.

What didn't fit was that if her aunt cared so much about the baby, why wouldn't she have kept track of his growth? She had the means, both time and resource-wise, to either take him in or check up on him occasionally.

So, if Eren was reincarnated, remembered his old life, and was from the same world as Aunty, and they knew each other back then but didn't know of each other until now, then everything would fit.

It was just too many unlikely coincidences for Sona to believe likely.

Coincidences or design.

Was somebody behind all this?

...She'd put aside that thought for now.

Still, if all this was true, what was the relationship between Eren and her aunt?

For a brief moment, Sona entertained the idea that Eren had been her aunt's husband but shook the thought off.

Sona did know Mikasa's husband had died before her, but it couldn't be Eren.

He was very clear about his lack of luck with romance.

Similarly, Sona didn't think they had been friends. Eren had mentioned a whole host of names, and her aunt's hadn't been one of them.

No, Sona had a much more likely idea, one that sent a shiver of worry down her spine.

Mikasa and Eren had been enemies in their past life.

Eren himself had mentioned that his actions had impacted innocent people and that he was a man who had caused a lot of casualties to get revenge on his enemies.

Had her aunt's loved ones been among those he killed?

Maybe Issei was right, and the scarf was the same one Eren had mentioned, but that notion would take a much darker turn if Sona thought of it as a memento, not of remembrance but a victory trophy.

Sona shook her head, not wanting to think of either her aunt or Eren like that.

(There was a third option, one that niggled in the back of Sona's head.

Sona crushed it ruthlessly.

Eren's retelling of the nameless woman he loved and their parting did not match the young man her aunt confessed to loving.

Her aunt spoke of a boy with a terminal disease, one she didn't have the courage to confess to but had loved to the end.

Eren spoke of a woman who didn't return his feelings and whom he made into his enemy to carry out his plans, even if he still loved her.

They were completely different people.

Or so Sona told herself.)

"What is it?" Rias asked, interrupting Sona's thought process after she shook her head.

Her Peerage's theories had gotten wilder and wilder as time passed, ranging from Eren being an alien to a secret super soldier to actually being the love child of a devil and an angel sent down to bring peace between the races.

"I think I know what's going on," Sona eventually said.

Or at least a better idea than some 'Nephalem' or whatever. Angels couldn't even breed regularly without Falling. That was the entire point of the Brave Saint system. And devils were famously infertile.

It was such a preposterous idea that Sona could only shake her head at Rias' Peerage lack of grounding in magical theory.

On the other hand, a reincarnation from beyond the Dimensional Gap had its basis in proven magical phenomenon.

"Really?" Rias' eyes lit up in excitement. "Destined rivalry or childhood romance?"

"What."

"Ignore the weeb," Akeno said teasingly at Rias. The redhead stuck out her tongue in response. "Why don't you tell us your idea?"

"...I'm not certain of the specifics," Sona hesitated. "It's just an idea that fits."

"Gimme."

Under Rias's urging and the expectant eyes of the people in the room, Sona laid out her reasoning for believing Eren might have reincarnated with his memories from another world.

"Anime is totally real," Rias whispered reverently, eyes wide.

"Please focus on the important part," Sona sighed, rubbing her temples.

Had she really lost her first Rating Game to this tit-for-brain?

Was this really her rival?

Sona should reevaluate her life.

"Yes. The important part," Akeno nodded in agreement, but Sona didn't like how her eyes were alight with mischief and how she covered her mouth in a giggle. "Like how Lady Mikasa might now be a rival for Eren's affection."

"Akeno!" Sona chastised. "That's not it at all!"

"You said she was frantic when she left," Akeno, far from looking contrite, continued to stir the pot. "Maybe they were lovers in their last life, reunited after death. Ah, how romantic."

Rias looked like she was taking her Queen's words more seriously than Sona thought they deserved.

"That's no fair," the Gremory heiress muttered to herself. "The childhood friend always wins."

"So I was right?" Issei asked, looking inordinately pleased. "It really is the same scarf?"

"We don't know that for sure," Sona denied, trying to rein in the chaos of Rias Peerage since their King seemed to have fallen into a funk. "And reincarnation was just a guess. Who knows if it's the truth?"

"Maybe they're doing it right now?"

"...Pervert," Koneko pouted at Akeno, but the Queen didn't take the insult to heart, looking lost in her fantasies.

"Sorry, man," Issei said consolingly as he patted Yuuto on the back. "Don't worry, we'll find you another MILF."

"What?" Sona was at least gratified that the Knight looked as baffled as she felt. "No, I'm fine. I haven't had a crush on her in years. I hope they are happy together."

"Why are you assuming they're together!?" Sona yelled incredulously.

"Do you know Aunty's stance on mistresses?" Akeno asked Rias, who was still pouting. "Or do I need to seduce her first? What's she into?"

"No seducing my aunt!"

"At least she will help me convince him to join my Peerage, right?" Rias asked herself, looking like she was desperately looking for a silver lining.

Sona thought she saw a ray of hope that her rival might be at least focusing on the essential parts, like Eren's survival, but the Sitri should have known better.

"Aunty is pretty, but I have bigger boobs, and I'm still growing. And once I'm his King, we can hang out even more. I'm sure he'll like anime. I can make up the difference."

Sona felt despair like never before as she saw what her words had wrought.

Was this truly the Peerage of the woman who, only a few weeks ago, had threatened the Underworld?

Was devil-kind going to be all right once Rias became the Gremory head?

Why was she friends with these idiots again?

Sona Sitri turned to the two individuals who had never really interacted with Eren in desperate hope for some semblance of sanity.

Gasper Vladi watched everything from the two eye holes in his cardboard box.

Xenovia Quarta was-

"Come, Ise," the Knight said, tugging the back of the surprised boy's shirt. "We cannot allow the Child of Evil to have a baby before us!"

"Why are you competing with him at that?" Issei asked incredulously as the woman tried to drag him from the room.

He didn't look like he was putting up much of a fight.

"I'm sure we can find a private room somewhere around here," Xenovia said, ignoring the question. "Devils are famously infertile. We will need to keep trying if we want to beat them."

Issei looked like Christmas had come early.

"Uhhh," Asia wailed, trailing after the pair. "Wait for me!"

Was it too late to join a convent?

Thankfully(?) the trio was stopped before they could leave the room.

Sona never thought she'd see the day when she would look to her sister's arrival as a stabilizing force.

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan has returned!" Serafall Leviathan proudly declared, hands on her hips, as she reentered the room in a flash of pink light.

Sona could do without the dramatic light show that accompanied the teleportation but was genuinely grateful that her sister's arrival had calmed the madness that was Rias' Peerage.

"Welcome back," Sona said instantly, trying to get things back on track. "Why'd you need to talk to Lord Beelzebub? Did you discover something?"

"Miracle Girl Levi-tan has discovered something amazing through the magic of love."

The Satan twirled, shooting off more sparkles, and posed.

Koneko gave the show a slow clap.

Serafall Leviathan beamed at the dimunitive Rook.

"What?" Koneko shrugged at the looks she was getting. "Gotta respect the game."

"Sister," Sona sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples again. Should she take up drinking? No, that would ruin her work. "Please explain."

"Right! I have discovered that Eren Yeager is Dun. Dun. Dunnnnn." Serafall paused dramatically. "From another world!"

Silence.

"Well, at least my guess was right," Sona sighed, the rubbing of her temples gaining new strength.

"Ah," the Leviathan gasped, obviously surprised by their lack of reaction. "So-tan knew? And she didn't tell Onee-sama?"

"I guessed it after you left," Sona explained.

"So it's true? Eren's from beyond the Dimensional Gap?" Rias asked.

"According to Miracle Girl Levi-tan's wonderful deductions, yes he is!"

"Why does Lord Beelzebub think that," Sona asked.

"Pooey. So-tan is no fun," Serafall pouted, but she did explain. "Ajuka-chan used a bunch of words like 'recessive traits,' 'unknown pathogens,' 'magical incompatibility,' and other boring terms."

"I knew giving him that blood was a good idea," Rias said proudly.

"And he's from the same world as Aunty?"

"Yep, yep," Serafall nodded excitedly. "Ajuka-chan thinks they might even have a common ancestor, but that is way back."

"So they're cousins?" Akeno asked, eyes lighting up in another no doubt deviant fantasy.

"Nah," Serafall denied easily, much to Sona's relief. "Mi-chan is super special, ya know? Her blood has a whole bunch of nifty secrets, according to Ajuka-chan. The boy's blood is boring. As expected of Mi-chan!"

A thought struck Sona then.

If Eren really was reincarnated, wouldn't his blood not match her aunt's at all?

Had other people come to their world at some point in the past, and he was descended from them?

"I have a question," Issei asked, raising his hand like he was in class.

"Levi-tan's rival admits his weakness!"

"Rival?" Rias asked, the look of confusion on her face mirroring everyone else in the room.

Except Sona, who just sighed.

"There's talks of making a new show based on the Red Dragon Emperor. It's going to be a tokusatsu style targeting children. Audience reception for the Pilot has been off the charts in the lead-up to our Rating Game. Onee-sama has been complaining about it for weeks."

"Levi-tan is number one!"

"Really," Issei asked in surprise. "Why?"

"A mixture of the Rating Game against Riser Phenex, the novelty of a dragon emperor being a reincarnated devil, the rumours around the fight with Kokabiel, and leaked footage of the Youth Devil Gathering. We've all become quite well known," Sona explained, unsurprised the Gremory Peerage didn't know of their burgeoning reputation.

If she knew Rias, her rival and her Peerage had spent all summer at an anime-esque training camp.

None of them were the type to pay attention to the news cycles of the Underworld.

"What was your question?" Sona asked, pulling them back on track.

"Right. Is coming from another world a big deal?" Issei asked awkwardly, and when he received odd looks, he hurriedly tried to explain. "Like, we're in the Underworld, right? And a bunch of other worlds are real, too, like Heaven and stuff, right? So Ackerman-sama is an Elden from another world, and Eren is, too. Why's that important?"

"Eldian," Sona corrected, one of the few pieces of information she was confident about regarding her aunt's past. "And it's important because before we knew about Eren, my aunt was the only being we had ever met that originated from beyond the Dimensional Gap."

Also, if Eren remembered a past life after reincarnating, that would be the first verified record of such an account.

Sona could write her thesis on his situation alone. That was how monumental this discovery would be for the wider magical world.

"The Underworld is really close to Earth, relatively speaking, in the Dimensional Gap," Akeno took up the explanation. "That's why we could take a train here. Other dimensions are like that, too. We're all floating together."

"Think of it like Bleach," Rias explained in a way a teenage boy would understand. "The Underworld and all other neighbouring dimensions are like Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. But Aunty was Isekaied from Dragon Ball."

"Gotcha," Issei nodded in understanding.

"There have been theories in magical communities that study the Dimensional Gap that believed there were more worlds out there, other realities that operate differently than ours," Sona continued to explain, unhappy to have such impactful and important knowledge reduced to anime lingo. "But nobody could prove it."

"Why not?"

"Dimensional Gap is scary."

"It is deadly to all but the strongest beings," Akeno nodded to Koneko's summary. "And that's just the Gap. Its two inhabitants are the most powerful beings in existence. Great Red and Ophis."

"Isn't Ophis-"

"The power behind the Chaos Brigade? Yes." Yuuto nodded grimly.

"It's why the leaders are taking the Brigade seriously," Serafall, in a rare moment of maturity, warned. "Ophis is only weaker than Great Red, but that doesn't mean the Orroroboros Dragon is weak. It is still more powerful than all the Top Ten strongest beings combined. A list where the Ddraig and Albion at their strongest were only in the middle."

"Ophis is scary~" Gasper wailed from his box.

"Doesn't that mean we're screwed?" Issei asked with worry.

"If it were to fight directly, then yes," Rias nodded grimly. "But we would have already lost if it wanted to do that. Both Dragon Gods are born of the Gap itself. Concepts made real. Infinity and Dreams. Both the Dragon of Infinity, Ophis, and the Dragon of Dreams, Great Red, are powerful enough to destroy Earth, the Underworld, and everything else by themselves if they want to."

"But they don't," Sona took back up the explanation, knowing better than to let panic fester. "Until recently, both were content to live in the Dimensional Gap. It's the only place big enough for them to be comfortable. They would occasionally appear on Earth or the Underworld before leaving again. They're treated like natural disasters, even among the supernatural races. The last time Great Red appeared on Earth, he took a nap on a mountain range. His snores were loud enough to cause earthquakes."

"Who knows what Ophis is planning with the Brigade," Serafall shrugged. "They don't think like us. It's not to wipe us out, or it would have. It is after something else."

Then, as if her moments of seriousness were all an illusion, the Leviathan shook her head energetically, bouncing her hair.

"So uncute. I am glad Mi-chan didn't have to deal with those bullies."

"Anyway," Sona nodded at her sister's words. "That's why my aunt is a 'big deal.' Even if she's not the strongest by our standards, she's still the first being we know of to traverse the Gap and survive the Dragon Gods. Her existence and origin aren't a secret, but we don't advertise it to avoid panic. If Eren is also from beyond the Gap, it is a big deal because others might be too."

"Gotcha," Issei nodded.

"We got off topic for a bit," Sona shook her head and looked back at her sister. "What else did Lord Beelzebub say? Did he find a cure for Eren?"

"No, but seeing him so frustrated is funny. If he keeps up, Ajuka-chan will be as bald as Falbi," Serafall was the only one to laugh at the joke, the others only turning grim at the reminder of their continued failure to cure their friend. "Hey! Don't look so glum. Mi-chan will save him. Just you wait."

"She's going to reincarnate him," Rias asked, at once hopeful and downtrodden. "How can you be sure?"

"Levi-tan knows Mi-chan," Serafall said proudly, puffing out her chest. "If she guessed right, then Mi-chan won't let him die again."

"So you know how they know each other," Sona said eagerly. "How?"

"Um, Levi-tan wants to tell So-tan, but she doesn't know all the details," Serafall said apologetically. "Just that there was a big war in Mi-chan's world, and a lot of people died. The boy who gave Mi-chan her scarf as well. Levi-tan doesn't know more than that. Mi-chan is stingy with her secrets."

"So I was right!" Issei said proudly. "Eren did give her that scarf!"

"Yes, he did."

All eyes whirled to the doorway where Mikasa Ackerman stood.

A few people looked embarrassed to have been caught talking about her behind her back, but Mikasa didn't look bothered.

Instead, Mikasa looked wrung out.

Sona noted that her aunt's eyes were red from crying.

Mikasa surveyed the medical room, her eyes lingering on Sona and Rias for a moment before they turned to her King.

"I just came by to get some of my things, say a few goodbyes and tell you I'll be in Kuoh if you need to find me."

"Mi-chan?" Serafall asked.

"He won't come to the Underworld," Mikasa 'explained' with a minuscule shrug. "Just as stubborn as always."

"So it's really him," Serafall asked, eyes lighting up in glee. "Levi-tan is happy for Mi-chan. How long do you want? Five years? Ten? A hundred? Maids will deal with your house and territory; don't worry. I can have them build a mansion in Kuoh if you want? Or you can live with So-tan. And you have to introduce me. I have to see if this boy is worthy of my Mi-chan!"

"That's all right. Eren has a spare room," Mikasa shook her head gently. "I'll only be gone a year. Maybe less."

The ominous feeling in Sona's stomach turned into a pit.

"Wha?" Serafall's mouth opened in shock. "You didn't reincarnate him? He's not you-"

"No." Mikasa cut her King off, not letting her finish the question. "He's not. He won't be."

"Oh," Serafall whispered, eyes softening in sympathy. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's already more than I ever expected to see him again," Mikasa said, turning away to leave.

Despite her desire to bear impending heartbreak with maturity and grace, Sona noticed her aunt's fists clenched with white-knuckled strength.

"Aunty?"

Sona's call stopped Mikasa in her tracks.

The Pawn turned around and met her niece's questioning eyes. Then she looked around the room at the other eyes watching her in question.

"I can't make decisions for you all," Mikasa said softly to the entire room. "But, if you can trust me one last time."

Her eyes were only on Sona.

She knew.

Her aunt knew what Sona felt for Eren.

So many emotions raged across Mikasa's face, too many and too complex for Sona to grasp.

Two emotions ended up dominating.

Concern and pity.

"Be careful with Eren Yeager. You have no idea who he is. What he's capable of."

Softly, so softly that only Sona and her sister could hear, Mikasa whispered one last piece of advice.

"He'll break your heart."

Then Mikasa Ackerman was gone again.

********

This was supposed to be out yesterday, but I couldn't access it due to power and internet issues. I had to rewrite it all offline and copy/paste it from my phone, so pardon the lateness. It ended up being slightly longer than initially planned, so I hope that evens things out.

Once more, the 'Mikasa controversy' tree is ripe with fruit.

This chapter is partly so we see the DxD character's thoughts and partly to world-build a bit of DxD lore that isn't really in the anime yet, mostly later in the Light Novels, so some of you probably aren't familiar with it.

I know many people are excited about a catfight (pun intended), but I ask that you trust me to do the characters justice when they meet and interact.

I won't say anything more for the moment. I've lingered on this one day for long enough that it is time to get the story going again.

The big pivot of part 3 is over, but now our characters need to confront the change and face the future. Time will speed up once more as we inexorably march towards part 4, our final part.

I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, stay safe out there and keep up the good work!

 

[Grigori]

I think that I've watched the first season about a decade ago and I've read fanfics on and off but I am only just now recognising that Ddraig and the great red aren't the same dragon...

Chapter was worth the wait though. Rias and co are a mess. Issei's growing harem is all in the background where it belongs and Sona's coming in with these insightful observations and deductions. Good stuff. Did appreciate Serafall being supportive too and Mikasa was enjoyably ominous.

 

[Schadenfreude90]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Monarchist Guy]

 

[DracoArgentum]

"Really?" Rias' eyes lit up in excitement. "Destined rivalry or childhood romance?"

Click to shrink...

"Anime is totally real," Rias whispered reverently, eyes wide.

Click to shrink...

"That's no fair," the Gremory heiress muttered to herself. "The childhood friend always wins."

Click to shrink...

lmao, Rias you beautiful weeb.

Alas Eren comes from more of a Seinen Anime as opposed to your typical Isekai tone wise, so better follow Misakas advice.

(Or maybe she will manage to Go Beyond and snatch that happy ending... hey, a guy can hope. )

 

[hypetraining]

Was this the first chapter that didn't end with 'on the bench'? The AN did, but not the chapter text itself.

 

[Renko]

I'm confused!

Is Eren and Sona going to be thing? And what's up with Mikasa?

 

[ReadingDangerously]

"Uh," Asia 'whispered' to her King. "Why are we hiding?"

"We're gathering information," Rias explained to her Bishop, lowering her binoculars.

They were enchanted, as regular human tools wouldn't help devils.

Not that they helped that much, with all the trees in the way.

"Rias is nosy," Akeno piped up, not lowering her own binoculars.

"I am not," Rias huffed. "Proper information gathering is essential to formulating a battle plan. I learned my lesson from our game against Sona. I don't want to be taken by surprise again. So we need information before forming a plan."

"...Nosy," Koneko agreed her set as she surveyed the bench from a nearby tree.

"While I am happy you are seeing the benefits of proper scouting," Sona sighed, rubbing her eyes under her glasses in exasperation. "When you said you wanted to all meet Eren and Aunty together, this is not what I had in mind and is a violation of their privacy."

Sona did not have binoculars.

No, she was not salty about it.

"There is nothing wrong with peeping," Issei defended, though he wasn't trying to spy on the couple(?).

Friends?

Isekai'd soulmates?

Rias didn't know how to categorize Mikasa and Eren's relationship, seeing as she was still missing a lot of details.

One thing she knew was that there was definitely a history there that made Sona's honorary aunt a fierce rival.

"I do think there is something wrong with that statement," Yuuto said, awkwardly scratching his cheek in answer to the Rook's comment. "But as far as I know, they are not doing anything inappropriate, right? And I admit I am curious about Senpai's relationship with Ackerman-sensei."

"Exactly!" Rias agreed with her Knight. "Nothing inappropriate at all. They are just sitting on the bench. I don't even think they're talking. Eren might be napping, but I can't get a good look. Can either of you?"

"No."

"Not on Eren from this angle," Akeno denied as well. "Aunty is leaning on him, though. It is pretty cute."

"Enough of this," Sona sighed. "I am going to talk to them. You are free to join me if-"

Sona's words were cut off as Koneko fell out of her tree with a small 'Eep' of surprise, hitting the ground solidly.

"Ara?" Akeno gasped in surprise, though it wasn't at the Rook's uncharacteristic clumsiness.

"What? What happened," Sona asked hurriedly.

Rias didn't answer, eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly open, a bit of drool leaking out of her mouth.

Asia was already racing to heal Koneko, though the Rook wasn't hurt by such a pitiful fall.

"Buchou? Akeno-senpai?" Issei asked worriedly.

"Ufufufufufufufu," Akeno started giggling like a creepy old man.

"Maybe we should leave after all," Yuuto said slowly, looking at the reactions of the three girls who had been watching through the binoculars. "If something inappropriate is happening, we can-"

"No we will not!" Sona said strongly. "I will not have lew... improper activities happening on school grounds."

"Nothing like that, ufufufu," Akeno denied, still giggling as she lowered her binoculars. "We just got caught, is all. Eren looked right at us."

It took a moment for the implications of that statement to sink in.

"...Eren?" Sona asked hesitantly. "Eren looked at you?"

"Yep," Akeno answered with a broad smile, eyes alight with mischief as she popped the 'p' for emphasis. "And guess what? You know the photo on his passport we have on file? The fake one he used as a mercenary?"

"....Yeah?"

"Did not do him justice."

Before Sona could ask what the Queen meant, a voice interrupted them.

"What are you doing," Mikasa asked, appearing in front of the group in a burst of speed that sent a few of their members scrambling back.

Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't happy.

"Every pervert for themselves!" Issei yelled, taking off running.

Mikasa caught him by the back of his shirt, quickly holding the Red Dragon Emperor in place as everyone else looked at him in confused surprise.

The Rook stopped struggling and looked around, seeming to realize the situation.

"Sorry," Issei apologized with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Instinct."

Koneko punched the pervert in the side, and her fellow Rook winced at the blow.

"Ignoring that," Sona sighed, looking at her aunt. "I simply wished to speak to you two. They are the ones who set up this whole... thing."

"Traitor," Rias muttered under her breath at her rival, having put down her binoculars at the Pawn's arrival.

Mikasa turned her glare to the Gremory Heiress, and Rias grimaced.

Hells, Aunty could be scary when she wanted to.

Still, Rias was unrepentant.

"Eren is my friend," Rias said simply, staring back at Leviathan's Pawn. "Human or devil, from another world or not, Eren is my friend. Our friend. We won't stay away just because you told us to."

Her Peerage looked buoyed by their King's firm stance and nodded fiercely in agreement at the older woman.

Or as fierce as a newborn puppy could look in Asia's case.

Mikasa's face turned from a glare to a look of pained regret.

"I wasn't trying to stop you-"

"Mikasa."

Eren's voice was gentle, yet the Pawn closed her mouth with a click as the older boy walked into the clearing, leaning on his cane.

"It's fine," the older boy said as he approached. "You don't need to baby us."

There were a few gasps as most of the group got their first unobstructed look at Eren's face without his bandages.

Rias fully understood the reaction.

As long as they had known him, Eren had given them the impression of a sickly and frail man, with the top half of his head completely wrapped in white fabric.

Without it, the impression was completely different.

He was still thin, but now it only looked like he was on the skinnier side rather than appearing a few minutes from death. He still leaned on his cane, but Eren held himself with a confidence and surety that was wholly lacking in most men his age.

And his face...

Eren wasn't the best-looking man Rias had ever seen, not even close.

Most supernatural races were just better looking than humans. It was the simple truth. Partly because of magic, but many also had some form of limited shapeshifting. There would never be an ugly devil, for example.

Still, Eren wasn't out of place even beside Mikasa, one of the prettier devils Rias knew.

Long dark hair in a knot framed an angular face with aristocratic cheekbones and grey eyes that seemed to pierce Rias' soul. Those eyes, so long hidden, were further emphasized by long curving markings that stretched from below his eyelids to the middle of his face.

Issei said it best.

"Damn handsome," the Red Dragon Emperor muttered under his breath, eyes wide in surprise.

It was probably one of the better reactions.

Akeno had started giggling lewdly again, and Sona looked like she had forgotten to breathe.

Rias knew the reactions were exaggerated due to a Cinderella-like effect.

The shift of perception from 'weak, sickly and blind' to 'thin, good-looking, and not blind' gave them more whiplash than if they had just seen Eren without bandages for the first time.

Still...

Come to mamma.

Mikasa's glare darkened, but Eren was utterly oblivious to their reaction's subtle(?) nuances.

"It's good to finally put faces to names," Eren said simply, looking around at each of them, his eyes ending up on Issei. They lingered on the pervert for longer than the others, still trapped in Mikasa's grasp. "I'm sure you have questions. Come on."

Eren turned and started walking back toward the bench, and Mikasa dropped Issei to offer an arm for him to lean on. The boy accepted it gratefully, and soon, the pair disappeared into the trees.

"...Damn," Koneko eventually broke the silence, startling everyone from their shock.

"They're grey."

"What was that," Rias asked Sona, shaking her head to get herself back together.

"His eyes," Sona explained with a frown. "They're grey. The passport said they were green."

"I think it's pretty obvious it was fake," Yuuto shrugged helplessly and started following the older pair toward the bench.

"I can guess why and how Eren would use a fake passport," Sona muttered as they followed. "Those marks would stand out. But why lie about his eye colour."

"That's what you are worried about?" Rias asked incredulously. "We've thought he was blind this entire time! He acted blind! I am glad he can see. I am. But I could have introduced him to anime months ago!"

Sona deadpanned at the Gremory, but Akeno stumbled slightly. When Rias looked at her Queen, the half-fallen looked away, ears slightly red in embarrassment.

Before she could ask about it, they reached the clearing with the bench, both Eren and Mikasa having taken a seat, though they were slightly further apart than Rias had seen while spy... gathering information.

"So you're really not blind," Issei asked with all the delicacy of a raging dragon as soon as he caught sight of the pair.

"And you're all devils," Eren said simply.

There were a few winces and sheepish looks, both recognizing they had been keeping secrets from the other.

Still, Rias felt there was a bit of a difference between not volunteering information and actively pretending to be disabled for over a year.

"Why'd you pretend?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I didn't plan on it," Eren sighed, looking away slightly in embarrassment. "My face is pretty... distinctive."

He gestured at the marks around his eyes for emphasis.

"I use the bandages to cover my face while travelling. With my condition, most people don't ask too many questions. By the time I decided to stay here, it was a bit... awkward to suddenly be able to see. For all intents and purposes, I have been blind for the last year. I really hadn't seen most of your faces before today."

Ah.

Was this it?

The fabled Gap Moe?

Seeing the ordinarily stoic or scowling Eren acting all embarrassed and cute was doing things to Rias that suddenly gave her a much greater understanding of her Queen's preferences.

"It was... nice," Eren continued softly, no longer looking away but down at his cane. "Not having to See. It was peaceful."

Ah, Satans, what were they supposed to say about that?

Were they supposed to get mad at the child soldier who decided he had seen enough cruelty in the world that he chose to live blind?

And who knows what his past life had been like? Probably not great.

"Well," Sona coughed slightly. "Now that we know, no more of this facade. At least during lessons. School starts again tomorrow, and I will be busy for the first few days, but after that, your lessons will resume. Now that you can see, we shall begin with hiragana and katakana. The Japanese writing system is much more complex than many other languages, though once we move on to kanji, you might find it easier to distinguish between homophones."

Eren looked at Sona in slight surprise but eventually nodded in agreement.

"I'd like that."

Mikasa looked at her niece, a complex look on her face as the Sitri met her sister's Pawn's gaze. Eventually, the older woman simply sighed and nodded, looking more resigned than mad.

The tension eased slightly after that, and the group of young devils started to relax, taking their own seats where they wished.

Rias brought out the blanket she kept in the storage box under the bench, laying it out for her, Akeno, and Sona while Issei and Asia sat together in one of the hammocks. Yuuto stayed standing, leaning against a nearby tree.

Koneko surprised everyone when she grabbed a few snacks from her pack instead of joining the other girls on the blanket and plopped herself on Eren's lap.

The Rook's blank face looked increadibly smug as she munched away under everyone else's disbelieving stares.

"Comfortable," was all the younger girl said in between bites.

Rias gave Akeno a thumbs-up when her Queen snapped a picture of the cute moment, Eren's face set in a bewildered expression as he looked down at the small girl in his lap.

Mikasa looked around the clearing, a conflicted look on her face.

"Don't mind it," Eren told her softly, placing a hand on hers. "I know you're worried. You don't need to be."

Mikasa looked at their hands for a second but eventually nodded slightly and relaxed against the bench, leaning slightly on Eren's shoulder.

Rias felt a twinge of jealousy at the intimate sight and couldn't help but speak up.

"So, how do you two know each other," she asked. Then, realizing how that could sound, hurried to clarify. "We know Aunty is from another world, and we guessed you were too, right?"

"Aunty?" Eren asked, looking at Mikasa in surprise. The Pawn flushed slightly, pulling up her scarf to cover her face as she looked away. Eren shook his head and looked back at Rias to answer. "It's... complicated. But yes, we are both from another world."

"That's so cool," Issei said, leaning forward. "Were there dragons in your world? Devils? What was it like?"

"It was hell."

Eren eyes were distant as he scowled.

"For the longest time, humanity was prey—cattle. And when it wasn't..." Eren's voice turned bitter, angry, regretful, and full of self-loathing. "We didn't have dragons, no. But we did have devils."

It was Mikasa's turn to reassure the boy, her fingers squeezing his hand as she looked over the bench at the Red Dragon Emperor, who had paled at Eren's words.

"There were no other sapient races, just humans. But you don't need other races to live in hell," Mikasa explained softly. She wasn't glaring at the Rook, but there was a note of warning in her gaze. "Island Devils. That's what they called us Eldians. A racial slur."

"Why would they do that?" Asia asked sadly, the sheltered nun unable to really understand humans hating other humans on a racial level.

"Our ancestors," Eren spat, voice full of loathing. "The Eldian Empire ruled our world for two thousand years. They committed unspeakable acts on anyone who didn't have Eldian blood. By the time we were born, the empire had been gone for a century, but the rest of the world still remembered everything Eldia had done. And they took it out on us."

"They were afraid of a new Eldian Empire," Mikasa continued, her hand squeezing Eren's once more. "It didn't matter that we had no idea about any of that or that nobody alive had been responsible. What mattered was the possibility. Fear and anger will make devils out of anyone."

Eren flinched.

Aunty's lips thinned, but she didn't move her hand or take back her words.

"... Penguin?" Koneko offered, looking sorrowfully up at the scowling boy and offering him a cracker.

Eren blinked down at the girl in surprise.

Then he sighed, his muscles untensing as he opened his mouth. Koneko fed him the cracker, looking pleased with herself.

"...Sorry," Issei apologized regretfully.

"Not your fault. You had no way of knowing any of that," Eren shook his head dismissively. "Just a sore subject. Our world was mainly like this one, though about a century in the past, technology-wise. Even the geography is largely the same, though with differences. No magic, though."

"Closer to forty or thirty years behind," Mikasa corrected gently.

"Really?" Eren asked in surprise. "They got that far? After everything?"

"Some places were better off than others initially," Mikasa allowed. "Armin spent a lot of effort trying to ensure everyone was as close to equal. People felt better that way. Less likely to do something drastic."

"Huh," Eren grunted in thought.

"You know," Akeno singsonged in the brief silence that followed. "You never answered. How do you know each other?"

"Yes, I did," Eren deadpanned at the half-fallen. "It's complicated."

"That's not an answer," Sona said, adjusting her glasses.

"It is," Eren denied with a scowl.

"Not a good one," Rias joined in.

While she was still slightly jealous, she was also dying of curiosity.

They usually didn't pry when Eren clearly didn't want to talk about something, and it was the same with Aunty, but this was too important to let up.

Had she been right that first day? Were they childhood friends who promised to marry?

Rias could picture it in her head.

Two young lovers, cruelly separated by death, only to reunite in another world and finally have a chance together.

Rias would have proof that anime was real if that were the case. She could hold it over Akeno's head for the rest of time.

Which might be worth some jealousy.

"It's the only one you're getting," Eren said, his scowl back in full force as he glared at the Queen, who acted innocent.

Eren was a stubborn mule—they all knew that. He wouldn't explain if he didn't want to, no matter what they did.

But all three girls on the blanket knew someone else who, despite acting strong and stoic, had a surprisingly soft side.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Mikasa Ackerman in supplication.

"It's... complicated," Mikasa said softly, looking away and raising the red scarf further to cover her blushing cheeks.

Unfortunately, she had looked in Eren's direction.

And Koneko, whose watery eyes looked up at Mikasa with all the cuteness of a wet kitten, silently begging for an answer.

The woman caved.

"His parents took me in after mine died," Mikasa explained with a sigh, hand resting on her scarf. "Brother and sister, in a way. Best friends. Then comrades when we joined the military together after they died. Eventually, we got older and... well, things happened."

That was probably all they would get, but Rias could piece things together from there.

Mikasa had been the one Eren had loved, the one he was ready to run away together with.

But either she hadn't felt the same way at the time, was too shy to admit it, or other circumstances stopped the woman from reciprocating.

Eren had gone on to enact that plan of his, the one that had collateral damages he was so regretful of, and the pair had never been able to be together.

And Eren had died.

The discrepancy in knowledge about their home world, Eren's rebirth, and Aunty's shock at discovering he was alive.

It all pointed to Eren's death.

Eren had died young in his home world, but Mikasa had lived a whole life afterwards. She had married, had children, and died an old woman before becoming Serafall's Pawn.

The idea filled Rias with mixed emotions.

On the one hand, it wouldn't be too out of place in an anime, though one a bit grimmer than she usually preferred. If she wanted, she could definitely use it against Akeno.

On the other hand, Rias was a romantic at heart. Eren and Mikasa had clearly loved each other, and still did to this day. To not be able to live together with the one they loved, to be separated by death, even if they were reunited later, it filled Rias with a sense of melancholy.

More than any jealousy, she felt sadness at the idea.

It wasn't right.

Both Eren and Mikasa deserved to be happy.

The world Rias dreamed of, the one she had promised, was one where the people she cared about were free to be happy. Where they weren't forced by other people or circumstances to live in pain, loneliness, and sadness.

Rias, lost in thought as she was, wasn't the only one to realize the implications of Mikasa's words. Sona, too, was grimacing in sympathy, but it was Akeno who had the most surprising reaction.

Far from teasing the pair about the possible illicit implications of their relationship, of having the same parents even if one was adopted, the half-fallen had paled and was looking between Eren and Mikasa.

"Akeno," Rias asked in concern at her Queen.

"Nothing," Akeno shook her head hurriedly. "It's nothing."

Nobody was buying that, but only Eren seemed to recognize what was going on with the girl. His scowl turned into a look of profound grief and self-loathing as he looked away from the young girl and to the ground.

That seemed to be enough for Mikasa to at least get an idea.

"Oh," the Pawn said softly, looking away from Eren to Akeno. "Right."

Akeno looked at the older woman in surprise, as if not expecting her to know about something.

Rias would admit to be dying of curiosity about what the three were thinking about, but even Issei could see how much the topic distressed all three of them.

An oppressive mood settled on the clearing as nobody spoke up.

"I have been curious," Yuuto eventually said in an apparent effort to change the topic. "What are those scars, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind," Eren shrugged, not bothered by the question. On the other hand, Mikasa bit her lip and clenched her fist tightly. "You could call them a side effect of my condition. I also had them in my last life. They do nothing besides make me more recognizable if that's what you're wondering about. They're not magical tattoos or seals or whatever you devils use."

"That's... not really how magic works," Sona couldn't help but put in. "While human magicians use precise magical formulas to enact various effects, a devil's power is much more malleable. While devils do have house seals, they are more like shortcuts to make certain spells easier and act as identification badges."

"I can't use magic," Eren shrugged again. "A holdover from my old world, I guess. And, to be honest, I tried to stay away from devils when I could. Most of the ones I had to deal with as a mercenary were not... Well, we didn't get along."

"Did you know we were devils?" Rias asked, morbidly curious if all their precautions had been for nothing.

"Most of you, sure," Eren nodded easily. "Not Sona, but the Gremory name is pretty famous, even if I tried to avoid devils. The rest of you were pretty clear about your relationship with Rias. I might be thick-headed, but I'm not stupid."

A pit formed in Rias' stomach.

If Eren had always known she was Rias of the Gremory, didn't that mean he...

She tried to shake off the thought, trying to focus on the positives of Eren's knowledge of devils and magic.

They could talk more openly now and get to know each other better without so many secrets.

There was also a greater chance of saving Eren now. He might have turned down becoming a devil, but they could work on changing his mind.

If he and Mikasa really were together, then surely he would like to spend more time with her.

Devils lived tens of thousands of years—more than enough time to make up for all the time the pair had lost together, to make happy memories instead of sad ones.

And Rias was happy. She was.

She was happy she could return to the bench with her friends.

She was happy she could finally look Eren in the eyes.

She was happy he was more relaxed than she could remember him ever being.

That afternoon, in that small park clearing, Rias Gremory was happy.

Still...

A traitorous part of her mind could not help but ask.

Had it all been a lie?

Utterly oblivious to her rival's inner turmoil, Sona took the opportunity to explain devil magic, culture, and history to the boy on the bench.

********

As I said in the last chapter, time will start speeding up again. I wanted this one to be both a transition and to establish a new status quo.

Yes, more secrets are out in the open, but that doesn't mean Eren, Mikasa, or anyone else will suddenly start spilling their guts on everything. Many topics are still just as painful as they have always been. Everyone is trying to find the new boundaries without stepping on toes.

Anyone who has had a friend group that suddenly gained a new addition can probably sympathize.

While a portion of this fic is romance-based, I don't want that to be the sole focus. I have been trying to keep a trifecta balance between 'Story progression, romance and the struggles of daily life.'

Ironically, DxD is better at this than AOT. AOT is peak pacing story-wise, but that is because it almost wholly focuses on the main plot at the expense of everything else. A few chapters to slow down and show a bit more of the relationship growth between Mikasa and Eren would have made the ending less controversial. While DxD suffers from a lack of entire story planning (and a stupidly large harem cast to focus on), every volume is self-contained as a balance of plot progression, romance progression, and daily life.

Eren's knowledge of the supernatural casts all their previous interactions in a new light. His lack of blindness might seem to be accepted relatively easily, but it doesn't mean it is without consequences for the characters, either.

(I also couldn't help paying homage to how absolutely thirsty the internet went over post-time skip Eren. It's not really story-focused, but I was giggling the whole time I was writing about teenage girls being confronted with an 'Oh no, he's hot' moment, so I left it in to lighten the mood slightly.)

Summer is done, fall is coming, and school has started. I will meet you all next week on the bench.

 

[ScriptGenius12]

I completely understand why E and M don't want the power of Titans to come up at all lest someone try to replicate it, but I'm still eager to see the devil's reactions to "I literally killed everyone outside the island so that no one alive would be in a position to threaten my family and Mikasa cut my head off for it."

 

[Gwynx]

wow Mikasa territorial cat

 

[kz3838]

Thank you for the great chapter, gotta say I admire how Eren and Mikasa danced around the topic of Titans. Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!