A/N: Just to clarify a few things. In terms of romance, there won't be much in this story. There may be some romantic Yumikuri, but it won't be a major part of the story. The main focus will be on the Shiganshina Trio and Historia.

Secondly, in case people are confused. This story is set in a modern AU with no giant human-eating monsters. It's just not set in America. More about the characters past and how they came to be who they are will be revealed throughout the story.

Finally, sorry it took so long to update.

The water was cool, but the sun warmed her skin as she floated on her back. It had been a while since she had let herself relax like this. Yes, it was very likely that they would all end up in prison soon, but Eren and Armin were safe, and they were happy and they were all together. For now, she was content.

Small waves jostled her, and the turned her head to see Armin swimming next to her. His hair was floating around his face like a golden halo, and his delicate features made him seem almost angelic. She almost laughed at that. Armin may not have blood on his hands like she and Eren did, but he was no angel.

His fingertips brushed hers gently and she rolled forward so she was treading water beside him.

"How long do you think we can stay in the water until we risk catching pneumonia?"

Armin smiled fondly at her. She knew he thought she was worrying too much, but none of them could afford to fall sick. Not when hospitals were currently off-limits to them.

"Armin." she said quietly. "Do you think we actually have a chance?"

He hummed thoughtfully, and for a few seconds they floated in silence.

"We might." he said at last. "If we don't stay in one place for too long, we can keep heading south until we find a way to cross the ocean. It would be best if we stop on the islands but the smaller community means that there's a better chance people will notice us, especially if we turn up on a stolen speedboat or something. So the next best thing would be to cross directly to Africa, but crossing into those waters would be incredibly risky, plus all of us bar Eren would stand out. So honestly? Our chances don't look that good."

She took a minute to process that, before looking at Armin again. The air of relaxation was gone, and he looked pensive and stressed. She reached across to tap his shoulder.

"I have faith in you, and so does Eren. We know you'll come up with the best possible strategy."

Armin took a breath, and dunked his head under the water. When he emerged he looked calmer.

"Right." he said. "For now, let's focus on the small things. It's probably best to get out of the water. The blood should be all washed off, so that's a plus. We need to find a store and get food, bottled water, shampoo and deodorant, also fuel for the van. We'll probably have to shoplift, and we'll need to be careful. We can't do anything that would alert the police to us. But what if there's an easier way? I'm not so sure-"

"Armin." she interjected softly "Breathe. We can get those things, no problem. First things first, let's get back to land."

Armin nodded and started swimming back. Mikasa paused for a second before following. She wondered how long Armin would ignore the obvious: without fake passports there was no way they could travel the world the way he and Eren longed to. They would be lucky if they managed to escape the country.

She looked at Armin again, laughing at Eren's legs as they stuck out of the water, and felt her lips twitch into a fond smile. For now, she wouldn't bring it up. She would try to keep them happy for as long as she could, and when that inevitably failed she would focus on keeping them safe.

They swam towards the beach, until they were next to Eren, who was busy diving underwater.

"Armin! Look, I found a crab!"

"That's great Eren! Bring it out to the beach and we can examine it."

He nodded, a big grin on his face. Then it fell.

"Wait what? We're leaving already? We just got here!"

Mikasa sighed. Armin smiled sheepishly at her and began wading back to the shore.

"Eren," she said flatly. "you can't stay in the water for too long. You know that."

He scowled.

"Cut it out Mikasa. I'm not a kid!"

"Then stop acting like you are."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh wow, great comeback."

She stared stoically at him. Then slowly, she began to walk towards him, ripples sloshing around her every time she pushed forward. His eyes widened.

"Mikasa don't you dare-"

She scooped him up effortlessly, and balanced him on her shoulder despite his squirming. Ten seconds later she dumped him on the sand in front of Armin.

"Mikasa! You know I hate it when you do that! God, why can't you just-"

"Eren." Armin interrupted. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Eren looked around, then seemed to realize than Ymir and Historia were nowhere in sight. Mikasa had kept careful watch as Historia had gone back to the van. Neither she nor Ymir had left it yet.

"Do we trust them?" Mikasa asked. She had already decided that she didn't, but getting Eren and Armin's opinions wouldn't hurt.

"Nope." Eren replied. "Krista or Historia or whatever her name is has been lying to us since the day we met her, and I've only known Ymir for a few hours and I don't like her."

"We do seem to be stuck with them though." Armin mused. "I don't think it would be smart to just abandon them, not until we know why Levi tried to kill Historia."

"They both already know too much about us." Mikasa added. "If we try to dump them they could alert the police to our location. I'd rather not risk that."

Eren nodded, a frown on his face.

"I agree, but if we're going to do this together we need to trust them and they need to trust us. Armin, any ideas on how to get that to happen?"

Armin's stared at the sand as he concentrated. Mikasa thought she could almost see his thoughts shifting and reforming behind his eyes.

"I have an idea." he said at last. "It's pretty simple, but there's a chance it might not work, and we'll have to give them pretty personal information."

Mikasa looked at Eren. He shrugged. She nodded.

"Whatever you think is best, Armin." Eren said.

That seemed to relax Armin. Mikasa recalled how a year ago, it would have taken a lot more coaxing for Armin to gain any confidence in his own plans. She had always trusted his opinion, even when they were only children, but it had taken a lot of time and a certain incident for Armin to understand that she and Eren valued him and thought of him as an equal.

She brushed the memories aside and focused on the boys standing in front of her. Eren looked confident, standing tall with a self-assured smile. Beside him, Armin didn't look as confident, but his eyes were filled with determination.

"Let's go." he said. "Follow my lead, and try not to antagonize them."

Eren huffed indignantly, and Mikasa tried to hide her smirk.

They made their way back to the van. Armin climbed carefully into the back, and Mikasa and Eren followed him, leaving the doors open. Historia was sitting against the wall and staring into space. Ymir was lying on the floor and staring at Historia.

Mikasa knew she wasn't exactly the most normal of teenagers, but these two were strange even by her standards.

"We ready to move on?" Ymir asked, rolling over so that she could push herself up off the floor.

Armin smiled. Mikasa knew that smile. It was half-fake and half-genuine, the one he used when he didn't actually care about you, but really needed you to do something for him.

"Actually, before we leave, I was thinking that we should have a talk."

Historia looked up at him, clearly wary. Mikasa tensed, wondering if she would bolt.

"What kind of talk." Historia asked flatly.

"The thing is," Armin said. "Eren, Mikasa and I know each other very well, but we don't know either of you. If we're going to be fugitives together I think we need some semblance of trust."

"And how do you suggest we get that trust?" Ymir asked. "Trust falls? Sing-alongs? Hold hands and confess our deepest darkest secrets?"

"I was thinking that we should start with something simple." Armin said calmly. "If we're going on the run, I think we should all know our individual reasons why. Why we're here and what we're hoping to get out of this."

He looked around expectantly, but when there was no reply from Historia or Ymir he swung around to face Eren.

"Eren, why don't you start?"

"Uh, me?" Eren said. "Ok, sure. Well, I kind of killed somebody, and even though I personally think it was justified, I know the government won't see it that way. He was a pretty high ranking guy in the military."

The van was silent again.

"And why do you want to stay with us?" Armin prompted; a hint of panic in his voice. Mikasa could tell that this wasn't working out quite as well as he'd hoped it would.

Eren frowned.

"Because you guys are my family? And I've got a much better chance of not going to jail with you guys around."

"What about your parents?"

Everyone turned to look at Ymir, who shrugged.

"This is what we're supposed to do, right? Ask each other personal questions and shit."

Eren looked ready to fight her, but caught Armin's pleading look.

"My parents are dead." he said shortly. "My mom died when I was ten. A gang called the Titans raided Shiganshina. She was one of the victims."

Mikasa's hand automatically reached up to tug on her scarf, remembering Carla Yeager's warm hands helping her wrap it properly around her.

"Eren's a good boy, but he's useless when it comes to clothes. You'll have to help him with that when I'm not around, otherwise he'll keep tripping over his shoelaces and never get anywhere."

She and Armin had finally taught him to tie his shoelaces a week before they were due to head to military school. It had been a frustrating night for all of them, but Eren's proud grin when he finally managed a tight bow had made them all smile.

"My dad died a little while later." Eren continued. "He had… he had an accident in his lab, and the whole place went up in flames. We went to live with Armin's grandfather, and when he died I decided that I wanted to go to military school. I wanted to get strong enough so that one day I could destroy the Titans."

Ymir let out a snort of disbelief at that. Eren scowled, but continued.

"So now that my career in the military is gone up in flames, I'm not entirely sure what's next. I want to travel a lot and see the world, but I don't want to leave the country until the Titans are dead. Either way, my best chance is here with you guys."

Eren finished his story with a shrug, and then slumped down onto the floor of the van. Neither Ymir nor Historia gave any reaction.

"Right then." Armin said brightly. "Mikasa, why don't you go next?"

"My parents are dead." she said bluntly. "The only family I have left is here in this van. I don't really care where we go, as long as we're safe."

They stared at her. She stared back.

"That's it." she said.

That wasn't it, and Armin knew that, but it was all she was willing to give to these complete strangers.

"I guess it's my turn." Armin said. "Like Eren said, my grandfather was the one who raised me, and he died when I was eleven. I've always wanted to see the world, which is what I plan to do now. Like Mikasa said, the only family I have left is in this van."

They all turned to look at Historia. Next to Mikasa, Armin was quiet. If Historia refused to talk this would all have been for nothing.

Historia gave a tired sigh.

"My name is Historia Reiss." she said dully. "My father is a very important man in Sina, and I'm his bastard daughter. He killed my mother and sent me to military school under a false name so that I could die when I got into the real army. I think he planned to stage an accident if I didn't get deployed fast enough. To be honest, I have no idea what I want. If I go to jail he'll probably find a way to kill me, but I don't really think I care. I'm here because you guys sort of dragged me along."

She paused to look around at the shocked faces surrounding her.

"Look, I'm sorry I don't have a better answer, but I really don't know what I'm doing. I've been pretending to be Krista for three years, so I'm not really sure who Historia is anymore."

"That's ok." Armin said softly. "Thank you for sharing that Historia."

Mikasa was still reeling from the news that Rod Reiss's daughter was in their van. Historia hadn't mentioned a first name, but it had to be Rod. A major politician in Sina who somehow managed to keep his life a secret despite his name coming up in nearly every political scandal, he was a mysterious figure that had fingers in nearly every criminal organization Mikasa knew of and still managed to get elected every year. She'd never paid much attention to him, but she'd heard his name enough on the news to understand the kind of man he was.

The dimly lit face of one of her parents murderers flashed through her mind and her fists clenched. Rod Reiss was the kind of man she'd gladly kill, knowing that people everywhere would benefit from it.

Eren was speaking now, his face lit up with earnestness.

"I know you're confused about who you are, but maybe finding yourself is what you'll get out of this." he said. "I've only known you for like a day and a half and your whole life sounds incredibly depressing, but I already like you more than Krista."

Armin winced and Mikasa considered throwing Eren out of the van. To her surprise, Historia gave Eren a genuine smile.

"I don't think I ever really cared about you, but Krista was supposed to like everyone so I'm not sure."

Eren smiled back, and for a moment the tension left the van. Mikasa listened to the sound of the waves, and imagined them stealing a boat and sailing away, living their lives traveling the ocean. She wanted to imagine it as a peaceful life, but she knew that it would be anything but.

"Ok then," Ymir said, breaking the silence "I guess it's my turn. Um… I don't have a family and I couldn't afford to leave that town. So when you four showed up I just kind of went with it. So far this is kind of cool, so I guess I'll stick with it for now, but I'm not sure if I'm here permanently. I don't really have, like, a specific goal or dream, but you four are weird and I think it's funny, so I'm in."

Honestly her speech was a lot less abrasive then Mikasa had predicted, and the boys seemed surprised too.

"So," Armin said "now that we know a bit more about each other, I think it's time to explain where we're going next."

He reached into the front of the van and grabbed the map lying on the passenger seat. He unfurled it on the floor, and the others crowded around him. Even Historia looked intrigued.

"So obviously, we need to leave the country and we can't do that by plane. We could drive north through the mountains but I'm not that confident in my driving skills, and I'm fairly certain the police will expect us to have fled north. It's the easiest way to leave the country."

"But we're not taking the easy way." Ymir said with a grin.

"No we are not. We have a few options. He pointed to a spot on the map close enough to the town they were currently in. We could travel south and try to find a way onto this small island. From there we could sail to this island, which is owned by France. We could then try to get to France, and continue travelling west, through Spain, Portugal, maybe even down to Morocco."

"Or," he pointed further south. "We could keep travelling along the coast until we reach the bottom, then cross over onto Sicily and then try to cross over to Tunisia. These waters would certainly be more dangerous, but the voyage would be quicker than the one to France."

"Our third option" he pointed east. "Is to travel southeast and try to cross over to Albania. Seeing as we can't use our passports, all of these options will probably involve stealing a boat and crossing the sea with no protection. It's all very risky, but if we stay here sooner or later we will get caught."

They studied the map. Mikasa scanned the three routes Armin had pointed out. The third one appealed to her the most, seeing as it would involve the least amount of time on water. Eren could row a boat, and Armin and Historia were competent swimmers, but none of them were skilled at sailing.

"Whichever one we choose, we need to head south anyway, right Armin?" she asked.

He nodded, fingers tapping softly against the map.

"So let's get out of here first. We can discuss the options as we drive."

"Do we all get a say in this?" Ymir asked.

Eren nodded.

"If you plan on coming with us, then yes. But no one is hunting for you, so why would you risk being caught by travelling illegally?"

"Eh," Ymir shrugged. "I don't have any money on me, and I left my passport behind, so I might as well come with you."

Mikasa slid into the front seat, and let Armin fiddle his screwdriver until the car's engine started. She noticed Eren scowling in the back and rolled her eyes.

"Fine." she said. "You can drive. Try not to blow us all up."

"You're faith in me is truly inspiring." Eren muttered as they switched places.

She settled down in the back, aware that Historia was staring at her. She didn't let it unsettle her. Once upon a time, her eyes had been as dead as those in the girl sitting next to her. Eren had saved her then, given her a spark of hope that had become the warmth of a family. Her family. Maybe someone would be able to do the same for Historia.

She listened as Eren and Armin bickered in the front. Armin was trying to show Eren the basics of driving, and it was clear his patience was wearing thin.

"Just release the clutch and press the accelerator. It's not that hard!"

"What about the gear-stick thingy? God, why couldn't you have stolen an automatic van?"

"Eren just do it!"

She smiled as the car revved, jolted forward and then revved again.

"Shut up Mikasa!" Eren called back, turning her smile into a full-blown smirk.

"I didn't even say anything!"

"I could feel you laughing at me with your mind. It's my first time driving, ok?"

"Whatever you say Eren."

"Ugh, you know what-"

"Eren!" Armin snapped "Concentrate!"

As the car finally started to reverse out of where it was parked, and the bickering faded into background noise, Mikasa let her eyes close and her head fall back against the side of the van. Their chances were no better than when they had arrived at the beach, yet somehow Mikasa felt more hopeful then she had an hour ago.

Maybe, just maybe, they could make it.