{Yandere EreMika} Only Mine...

Chapter 25: Broken and Alone

Eren's POV

Wanting to leave and escape... I made my goodbyes with Armin and took Mikasa's hand. From there, we escaped back to her home. The one place I can vent freely of my mental instability. The one person I could truly look upon was Mrs. Ackerman. She was in the same boat as I was... except... further. She married someone who was like Mikasa- she's even having his kid! I... I want to know... how she was able to hold onto something like that... I... I need that...

*   *   *

I trekked over to Mrs. Ackerman- yet I had to get pass Mr. Ackerman's murderous glares. He just... stared at me. If I wasn't careful or if Mrs. Ackerman wasn't protecting me... he would've killed me by now. It's not my fault for being dragged into this mess... I needed constant aid from Mrs. Ackerman...

"M-Mrs. Ackerman..." I stammered as I was directly next to her husband. Those eyes shot icicles into my spine as I stayed in his view.

The woman smiled towards me, chuckling a bit. "Eren, you can call me that in the classroom. Here, just call me Hanji. I don't mind it- and certainly not a certain somebody..." Her hazel eyes glared towards Mr. Ackerman as he averted his gaze. "Whatcha need, Eren?"

"C-Can we talk... i-in private...?"

"Private?" She asked as she tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"I-I need someone to talk to... that's all..."

Understanding my vague request, she nodded her head and got up from her seat. "Alright then. Levi, I'm going into the basement with him. That way... we avoid... it. It wouldn't be long- I'll be back when we go out for dinner."

Mr. Ackerman sighed, scowling towards me as he nods his head. "Don't take too long."

Mrs. Ackerman led me down into the basement as Mikasa solemnly watched me go downstairs. It was like... even being out of her sight wasn't enough to sate her psychotic needs. What was wrong with this family...?

She took the bed to rest her tired feet as she looked up to me. "What did you want to talk about, Eren? Down here, it's our little safe area, okay? You can always talk to me. Not just because I'm your teacher at the school- but because of this... thing here, okay?"

I nodded my head. "I-I wanted to talk about what to do. Armin talked to the agents about the rumors around Mikasa... and... I want to support him... but I got Mikasa to worry about. I want to break the truth- but I cannot break it. H-How do you do this...? Smile and push away the fact that they murdered innocent people?"

Mrs. Ackerman sighed, leaning on the bed a bit. "Well... as I said before... I learned to understand it. Knowing Levi killed people... yes, it did agitate me. But knowing that he won't hurt anyone helps me. He's... highly explosive, if you would."

"H-Highly explosive?"

She nods her head. "Yes. If I'm not holding him down, he can go out on a killing spree. But we both know that it isn't good for anyone if that happens. So, I keep him tied and on a short leash. We made a compromise."

"Is that how you worked it out? Based on a compromise? Mikasa and I made a compromise- I will stay by her and she won't kill. Isn't that good enough?"

Mrs. Ackerman shook her head. "Eren, I'll give you an example okay?" She said with this tone that all teachers have. It makes sense- she is one... "When I found out he killed people... he spilled everything to me. He was afraid of me leaving. He wanted to keep me around. So... the first time, we made that exact compromise."

"What changed?"

Her shoulders shrugged a bit, sighing heavily with the truth weighing heavily on them. "Life changed. I didn't want to be with someone who was killing people- but the way he acted around me... he was human. He had feelings and he truly cared for me. If you opened your heart and remember why you liked her in the first place... remember that."

Thinking back... the reason why I liked her changed. She needed to be protected- now the roles had been reversed. How could I protect her... and keep her safe?

"One time... I was in denial... and was attacked after school. Levi, well-known bad boy, defended me. Now, it wasn't uncommon for him to do that- but when he protected me... I truly knew that he wouldn't do anything I didn't want him doing. Yes, he seems like a robot doing those things... but he's human."

"So... Mikasa can be human...?"

Mrs. Ackerman chuckled softly, nodding her head. "Of course. You're the one that makes her human. Yes, it may sound a bit creepy... but... she talks to us about you. I saw her smile brightly. She was completely... bright. You're clouding yourself because of her mistakes- but tell me... haven't you made your mistakes before?"

"I-I have..."

"I know the murders have been grisly and fearful... but keeping your mouth shut about it all and lie is the only way to keep them safe. I will protect Levi as long as I can to ensure he won't kill people willy-nilly. If he separates from me without knowing- he will start to break and kill. Mikasa might be down that path as well."

I nodded my head, sighing heavily. "I-I'll take it again... I'll... I'll ignore the murders."

Mrs. Ackerman reached out to my shoulder, tapping it gently. A smile fell upon her face- a smile of hope. "Don't worry, Eren... it'll be alright." She repeats those last words over and over- assuring me that it'll be great. Confidence would be building up again... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I-I understand, Mrs. Ackerman- I mean... Hanji."

"Good. Now, call your mom. Tell her that you're staying here with us for dinner. That way you have more time to calm down and relieve yourself from the stress. Don't worry."