No Name [Ereri/Riren Fanfic] [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Five

     "Eren. It's been some time since I last saw you."

     "... Dad..."

     Dad? So this man was Eren's father? I could understand, possibly, why he'd call for his son, but me? As curious as I was for why he had called me out as well, I stood back and just listened in on what the man had to say to Eren.

     "... Listen, about your mother-"

     "What about her? It's still my fault? Is it still my fault that she took her own life because of all that you did during those few years? ... I kind of expected that you wouldn't hear me, the real me crying out with all my might..."

     "Let me finish, Eren." I watched as the brunet flinched when the man called his name. He's still afraid of him. This whole interaction is shaking him to his core. "You may not think I am but I'm perfectly sober right now, so anything that comes from my mouth will only be the truth... I was going to say... if Carla were still here the she'd be proud of you and your accomplishments... You know that deep down." Eren only moved his head to look down at the floor, his hands simply hanging at his sides. He knew his father was right, and he probably hated that fact.

     "... Didn't you hear her last words? 'I loathe you. You're the reason I have to do this.' ... She spoke with such displeasure and disappointment that I actually believed her... However I made you the bad guy, I made you the monster, and twisted her words so I wouldn't feel that hurt and the self-loathing I had for myself. You hurt mom, you hurt me, your son, and you hurt yourself. I had to make you the monster or I wouldn't have been able to bear it all any longer than I did-"

     "Carla didn't say what you thought you heard, Eren. Trust me, I was there; I may not have been completely sober but I was there. She loved you dearly, son. She loved you with all her heart, but she must've seen that I wouldn't stop and thought that by taking her life she'd protect you... but look where that got us... I knew that back then and yet I did all those horrible things to you, and for that I can't apologize enough."

     It was now that Eren had finally managed to look up from the floor and look his father straight in the eyes. The apology threw him off guard, and frankly it threw me off guard too. No one in my life, Hanji's life, or Miche's life had anyone apologized for their mistreatment toward us; Eren must've known that and was ultimately surprised when he heard those words from his father. I couldn't help but feel happy for him, but whether he accepted it or not was ultimately his decision.

     "... I... I want to come home... I really do. I want us to go back to how we used to be. Even if mom is gone, I still want to try and be a family again. But..." He turned toward me and wore a rueful smile when he looked me in the eyes. "I finally found a home within No Name. I found peace and comfort with the one person who stuck by me since I joined. I know that what I'm asking is pretty selfish, but it's what I truly want right now."

     Eren's father looked over to me, finally acknowledging my presence, and looked back to Eren before wearing a small smile. "I see. Well, I'm grateful to you. This may sound presumptuous coming from me but I'm grateful for all that you've done for my son; it means a lot. So, thank you." He extended his right hand.

     Eyeing his hand at first, I reckoned everything this man has said was the honest truth and thus I shook his hand in mine with a smile of my own. "And I to you, sir. Thank you for taking the first step, and same goes for you Eren. You both took a major step forward and that step will make everything else that happens next between you two that much easier."

     "You sound as though you speak from experience, though I won't ask for you to indulge me in your story if you're not comfortable with it. I don't know how much Eren has told you about me or if he mentioned my name, but as an introduction my name is Grisha Jaeger. Former medical doctor but I am working on re-establishing my career."

     "Levi Ackerman; lead singer of my band No Name."

     "Ackerman you say?"

     "Yes, that's correct sir."

     "That's quite peculiar."

     "I'm sorry, but what is?"

     "I had a patient under the name Ackerman when I still worked as the dean at the hospital I worked at. She was quite frail though; it was a miraculous thing what the EMTs did to bring her to the hospital before she was lost forever."

     In an instant my mind thought about my own mother. The last I saw her still alive, possibly, was when I was four or five but my memory from way back then is hazy at best. I don't know if uncle Kenny had called for help after he took me to his house or not, it's a possibility at most; I don't know how close they were if at all. Though I kept myself from thinking that the possibility of her being alive after all these years had even existed as I didn't want to get my hopes up only to have them crushed yet again.

     Eren must've noticed me thinking to myself and probably thought exactly what I was thinking, so he asked, "What's the patient's name and how are they doing?"

     "She's doing fairly well though she's been in a fragile state for some time, but she hasn't kicked the bucket."

     "And her name?" Eren pressed on, clearly trying to help me find some solace from my increasingly restless mind.

     "Kuchel Ackerman, if I remember correctly."

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WOOOOO!!!! Chapter twenty-five is now up! What a plot twist though! Sweet Kuchel is alive after all these years! Seems like our precious babies are finally getting the good ending they both wanted/deserved. I'm gonna make the next chapter the final "actual" chapter and then write up a short epilogue and then this'll be complete. Hooray! After this is complete I'll work on Incurable since that's getting closer to it's end as well, then after that I'll make up a small Google Form for you all to use where you can choose which fanfic you want me to update. The fanfic with the most votes will be the one I work on the most, and then the second voted will be second, and so on. Next chapter might be a little/lot longer than all the previous chapters but we'll see... but do be prepared for that if that does happen ^^' Anyway, hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!!!

~ Author-san