Violets (Mikannie)

4 - Rest

Very slowly, Annie opened her eyes. It took a long time for her eyes to adjust to her surroundings, as if she hadn't opened them in a long time. That was probably true; she had no idea how long she had been in her crystalline prison. Too long, clearly. Everything ached. Eventually, she could make out the shapes of things around her.

She was in a bed, under an overly soft blanket. She flicked her eyes around the room, surveying it. It was relatively plain, with pale blue walls and a cream ceiling. A strangely shaped wardrobe stood against the far wall, with a jar of seashells on top. There was a window, with the curtains drawn. A soft breeze blew the curtains into the room.

Annie tried to sit up, but couldn't. She closed her eyes in frustration, and slowly moved her toes, then her feet. She moved her leg and arm, and sat up slowly. The blanket fell off her, and she was glad to still be wearing her hoodie, though her pants were missing.

Annie swung her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand up. Key word: attempted. Still not used to being free, Annie's legs buckled beneath her and she fell, face-first, into the carpet.

In response to the noise, somebody down the hallway started towards the room Annie was in. She shot up, her survival instincts kicking in. She lifted her hand to her mouth, ready to transform if need be. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, though, because she wasn't sure if she could take it.

Whoever had come down the hall knocked on the door.

"Are you... Is everything alright in there?" A familiar voice asked softly. Annie wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't. The person spoke again.

"I'm going to come in, is that alright?"

No. No, it wasn't. Annie tried to speak, but her voice wasn't working. She got up on her knees and held onto the bedframe, trying to get back on the bed despite her legs not working. She was nearly up when the door opened. Armin saw what she was preparing to do, and rushed to her, alarmed.

"Don't do that here!" He whisper-shouted, moving her arm away from her face. Armin held her shoulders in comfort. "It's, uh, it's good to see you awake. It's okay, you're safe here. We aren't going to hurt you."

Annie felt herself steady, then she collapsed and blacked out.

When she woke again, she was back on the bed. The blankets had been hastily thrown over her, and they fell off when she sat up again. It was easier to adjust this time, and she noticed the two people in the room with her, whose eyes had haunted her dreams for the last... well, she wasn't sure exactly how long it had been. Surely not as long as it had felt. Surely. Annie was a tad too preoccupied to think about time, however, because the last time she had seen these people in the flesh they had tried to kill her.

"Hey," Armin said, waving awkwardly. Mikasa cringed and pulled him out of the room. Annie caught parts of their hushed conversation.

"Seriously? "Hey?""

"I don't know, it just felt sort of natural."

"She just woke up from two hundred years of sleep, and she's in an unfamiliar room, and the first thing you say is "hey?""

"Well, what were you going to say?"

Mikasa reopened the door and stormed in.

"Annie. You've been asleep for two hundred years, give or take. We've all been reborn. The world as you know it has changed."

"Wow. That's so much better than "hey,"" Armin said sarcastically, following his friend into the room.

Annie, however, was clutching the bedcovers.

"How... How long did you say?" She whispered.

"Oh, it was-"

"Two hundred."

Armin frowned at Mikasa. "Look at what you did, she's panicking!" He turned back to Annie and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard to understand, but she's right. You were asleep for a long time, but you're awake now." Armin smiled. "And the danger's gone. Nobody wants to kill you."

Annie looked up and locked eyes with Mikasa. The latter's grey eyes were filled not with hatred and anger, but something else Annie could not identify. As if she were worried for her-

No. Annie refused to believe that the girl in front of her had any sort of care for her. Those were just silly dreams.

And the unthinkable happened. Mikasa walked over and sat down on the bed, next to Annie. She pulled the blankets closer.

Then, even more unthinkable:

"I'm sorry," Mikasa whispered. She looked into Annie's eyes, and Annie recognised the emotion this time. Sincerity.

She looked at how Mikasa had changed. It wasn't much change - she was still recognisable - but not quite the same. She still wore her hair short, though the cut was smoother and more professional looking. Her clothes were also obviously different, but this was a whole other time period. And her scarf appeared to be totally new. Mikasa noticed her stare, and played with the end of the scarf.

"Eren made it for me," she said. "Not the original."

Annie didn't answer. Instead, she took Mikasa's hand in hers and held it tightly, then wrapped her arms around her waist. She buried her face in Mikasa's shoulder. The latter girl tensed in shock.

"I... I need to head off," Mikasa whispered. Annie detached herself reluctantly, and watched her get up and walk to the door. "Are you alright to look after her?" Mikasa asked Armin. He nodded.

"Grandpa's out of town for the next few days. Fishing trip."

"You'll explain stuff to her?"

"Sure. And-" Armin looked back at Annie, who was staring longingly at Mikasa. "-come back tomorrow, okay? I have a feeling she wants you more than anything."

"Of course."

Mikasa left the house, trying to suppress the hammering of her heart.