Break Your Heart

Year 848

Mikasa's POV

Time ticked by in a blur for everyone else, but for me, it crawled. Each second felt stretched, agonizingly slow, as I counted down to this very moment. Hand-to-hand combat practice.

While some cadets questioned its relevance—wondering how it could help them against titans—others stayed silent. For me, this day had been the light at the end of a month-long tunnel. The moment I'd waited for with a heart brimming with both anticipation and dread.

Sigh.

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me I've been paired with you..." Eren's voice was low, edged with cold indifference. Yet, even that coldness made me feel a tiny flicker of happiness. He was speaking to me, even if just to push me away.

I struggled to keep my emotions in check, reminding myself of Armin's words.

Stay calm. Be normal.

"I'm afraid so," I replied, my tone much more subdued than I wanted it to be.

Eren's gaze shifted toward Christa, who seemed engrossed in her own sparring session, paired with another guy. Their hands were locked together in a series of coordinated moves, and though it should have felt like a relief that she wasn't near Eren, it only unsettled me.

His expression was unreadable, but Ymir, standing nearby, looked like she was drowning in despair, watching Christa so closely.

I couldn't stop myself. "I'm your opponent right now. Try focusing on your foe instead of that girl," I muttered, the jealousy leaking out before I could rein it in. My fists clenched, frustrated with myself for letting it slip.

"I see..." Eren said quietly, his voice carrying an eerie calm. "Then why are you just standing there? Bring it."

He took his hands out of his pockets, his body exuding an unnaturally menacing calm, his eyes closed, like he didn't even need to see me to know what was coming.

My eyes stayed glued to him, my heart torn between wanting to embrace him and wanting to impress him with my strength.

"Come..." Eren muttered, his eyes snapping open. A dark, almost oppressive aura surrounded him.

Without hesitation, I sprinted towards him, throwing the most unpredictable attack I could muster. My fist shot out, but at the last second, I used the momentum to swing my leg in for a surprise kick.

Thunk.

I gasped. Eren had caught my leg effortlessly, gripping it with one hand. "How...?" I whispered, quickly yanking my leg back. He didn't counter. He didn't press forward. He just let go and stood there, watching me, his gaze sending chills through my entire being.

"Tch... Don't get too confident. Blocking one attack doesn't make you any stronger than me," I spat, though my own words stung me more than they ever could hurt him. But Eren didn't react. He remained unfazed, rooted in place, his expression unreadable.

I lunged at him again, unleashing a barrage of punches, hoping to break through that calm exterior. But with an unnerving ease, Eren's body moved like water—smooth, fluid, dodging every strike without even stepping back. His torso swayed, his movements too fast, too precise.

"Haaaa!" I faked a kick, hoping to catch him off guard with an uppercut. But Eren blocked it, his hand gripping my fist, firm yet surprisingly gentle. My breath caught in my throat. He hadn't hurted my hand with his vice grip—he could have—since the strength in his grip was undeniable.

"I guess you've learned your lesson," Eren said, his voice low and almost... bored. "You're not fit to be my sparring partner. No cadet is. Stop wasting my time and focus more on getting strong."

My eyes widened. How was he so fast? So strong? I tried to pull my fist back, but he didn't let go, holding me in place as if to prove his point. Then, without warning, he released me, sending me stumbling backward onto the ground.

"No matter how hard you try, your efforts are futile," Eren continued, his voice as cold as the night air. "At this rate you'll die in your very first expedition .... Get over this childhood friend of yours and focus on your training...."

His words hit me harder than any punch ever could. My heart sank as I sat there on the ground, watching him walk away, his back turned, his figure consumed by that same impenetrable aura. The Eren I knew… is gone?

"Tch, over my dead body..."

Rage surged through me like wildfire, burning away the hesitation, consuming the doubt. I was back on my feet before I even realized it, an unnatural strength flooded my veins, my muscles tightening, my senses sharpening to a razor's edge.

My body felt different this time—stronger, more controlled my Ackerman strength kicking in.

"I'll never forget Eren. Not now, not ever..." I whispered, each word fueled by pure determination. "You're just a damn shadow of him... No matter what, I'll bring him back."

I started walking toward him, slow but steady, each step heavier with purpose. Eren's movements stopped, his gaze finally shifting towards me. It seemed I had finally managed to catch his attention, but that didn't matter now. Nothing else mattered but the fire raging inside me.

"Even if the real Eren Yeager—the boy who saved me—had said those words, I wouldn't have listened. I belong by Eren's side, not as that frail girl who can't even protect herself."

I muttered, my voice becoming eerily calm as the storm within me settled into something cold and focused. "I'm far stronger than her. And I can protect you... But before that, I'll show you just how strong I really am. Come at me, Eren."

For the first time, I wasn't pleading. I wasn't begging for him to remember. I was ready to fight for him, to prove myself in the only way I knew how.