AOT: Insight

Crumbling walls

Eren paced back and forth before the rock. What had Levi been trying to tell him? Eren had only been seven or eight the last time he saw his friend. He knew Levi was older than he was. Levi had been teaching him to read and write. Eren had a hard time with bigger words. He jokingly abbreviated them. The one written on the stone was one such abbreviation.

Re’mber Sa

But what was he supposed to remember? He racked his brain trying to recall all the times he had seen Levi. The things they had done. He shook his head. Then a voice spoke behind him.

“What had you wanted more than anything back then?” Armin asked.

“To have a loving family.” Eren responded.

Armin walked up to the rock. He picked up the stone Eren had found in his hand. “Which meant what to you?” Armin asked blocking what he was doing with his body.

He gazed up at Eren a few minutes later, the hand with the stone in it rested on his bent knee.

“What did you want to feel the most, Eren?” Armin asked.

“To be safe.” Eren whispered. “Levi helped me…” His voice chocked up as Armin moved away.

Re’meber Safe was now written on the stone.

“You always told me how he had made you feel safe, no matter what.” Armin pointed out.

Eren knelt to look at the stone. He reached out to touch the part his hand had created. He drew in a deep breath. Levi was part of the mafia. Eren didn’t know much about it. He knew they were bad. Any of the street kids that got pulled in were never seen again. Was Levi trying to tell him that he would keep Eren safe?

“He wants me to meet him.” Eren explained the conversations he had with the small group.

He found himself at an outdoor Café, one he was pretty familiar with. The blond Erwin was there. Eren had cried out trying to get away from them.

“You’re with the Mafia, just leave us alone. We don’t want anything to do with that!” He cried.

The others tried to say Levi wasn’t like that. That he wasn’t a bad mafia boss. Eren vehemently shook his head. He didn’t want to hear any of it. It all terrified him. The very thought that his once savior was just like his parents sent a chill through him. He came back to himself while Erwin was still trying to convince him Levi was a good guy.

He had sat on the rock to try to collect his thoughts. Then he was back with them. They were still at the Café. Eren had raised his eyes up to look at them.

“All this time I thought my father had killed him. I didn’t dare make any friends because I was terrified of losing them.” He muttered.

“Armin?” the girl asked.

“Doesn’t like no.”  Eren smirked.

“Levi is alive. He survived the gun shot.” Erwin said.

“He took us in, well sort of…”  the girl said. Her friend beside her butted in.

“Look meet us at this Café tomorrow 10 am. We will bring Levi. At least let him tell you what he wants. One meeting with him can’t hurt, right?” the guy said.

The girl had elbowed him but turned back to Eren. She began to tell him all the good Levi has done for kids like them how they weren’t coming back to the streets because Levi was finding them places to live.

Now Eren looked at Armin. The blond before him nodded.

“I know Isabel. In fact I met her out by that Café just a little bit ago. Levi must have been there too.” He muttered.