Amaranth

Chapter 21: Protea

After their embarrassing encounter in the locker rooms, Annie gently grabbed Mikasa's wrist and led her to her destination, her house. "How's your leg?" Annie asked as they walked.

"It's fine," Mikasa assured her.

"You're limping," Annie said without looking at her.

"Observant, aren't you?" Mikasa teased as she huffed.

"You pushed yourself," Annie commented dryly.

"I'll be okay," Mikasa told her. After all, she'd had worse injuries than a hurt leg. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, she thought to herself before laughing internally, what bullshit. What idiot said that? Stronger? If anything, I'm just as weak as the kid me who did nothing as I watched my parents get stabbed to death. The kid who saved herself over anyone else. The kid who let my mother take my sister from me.

Suddenly, Mikasa was fuming. Annie noticed it, but she said nothing. She knew Mikasa had a hell of a day, and she accepted that there was a lot the taller girl had to wrap her head around.

Annie didn't consider herself a patient person; she never had been. Her father would spend hours training her in combat, and if she didn't get it in the beginning, she'd get angry and give up. Of course, her father would continue pushing her until she dropped, but it always resulted in endless frustration. Still, here she was, being patient. It was almost laughable how much Mikasa had changed her in such a short time.

Now that I know her, I remember things more clearly, Mikasa thought to herself with both anger and sadness, I remember sleeping together after nightmares, playing in the backyard, gardening with mom, playing in the dirt and snow; I remember it so vividly. Even the day she left is etched in my brain now.

*******

"We have to pick one," Mikasa remembered overhearing her father as she and Eternity were about to go outside to play. Mikasa looked to her twin with a finger over her lips. Both giggled quietly before going silent, listening to the conversation between their parents.

"We can't split them up; I won't," their mother said firmly, "They're twins, for crying out loud, they're practically two halves of the same whole. Separating them would be heartbreaking."

"Corinna, there's not enough food on this peak to feed the four of us. The house is too cramped, the food is too short, the winter is too cold; there's too many problems," her father argued, "I love them. I love them both so much, but it's because we love them that we have to make these decisions to save them."

"They're going to hate us," Corinna told her lover with teary eyes. The man embraced her with a sad smile as he continued.

"They'll understand one day. They'll find each other again," the man assured her, "As you said, they're two halves of the same whole. I have to believe that even if they're separated, they'll never forget each other."

"They'll be okay as long as they remember," Corinna decided with teary eyes, "They'll remember."

"How could they forget?"

*********

I.... Forgot, Mikasa thought to herself sadly.

"Do you want me to bring you home?" Annie offered, seeing the sad look on Mikasa's face while the girl was still limping.

"No," Mikasa assured her, "You said you wanted to show me something."

"It can wait for another day if you need a break," Annie assured her with a sweet smile, "It requires a lot of walking anyway."