Chapter 6

Why am I here?

Homebrew was a nice little café, situated right by the university. It was homey, the floors made of a warm orange hardwood with a few deeply colored brownish red rugs littered about the floor. Much like Petra had told him, there were students littered about the café, mostly sitting in the couches that surrounded a small coffee table. Levi watched those students discuss with each other quietly from time to time, piquing the interest of other students and sparking a debate about various subjects. He sat not too far from them in a simple padded chair before the fireplace, wherein coals simmered. He closed his eyes as he sank into the chair, thinking about the golden-haired woman.

He enjoyed the feeling her café gave off. It spoke intelligence, but also of comfort. Levi listened to the children behind him discuss politics and the many theories associated with it. Their debate, while interesting, calmed him.

To the side, the door swung open. A gentle bell chimed to announce the arrival of the newcomer, of Petra. Levi could sense her aura. Opening his eyes, his gaze flicked to the side to watch as she hurried inside. Her cheeks and nose were tinted a rosy shade from the cold, her body trembling just slightly as shivers went through her. She looked flustered as she strode from the door to behind the counter, past the threshold that led to the kitchen and out of sight.

"Late again, Petra?" a man called playfully at the till as he went about pouring coins from rolls into the machine. He was a dirty blond-haired man, styling his hair much like Levi had his, except the hair on the top of his head had a slight wave to it. He had a long, square-shaped face with an equally as long nose. His eyes were dark, curved upwards at the corners as he smiled to himself. On his left breast, his nametag read "Auruo".

Levi rose from his spot and moved to the counter fluidly. He regarded Auruo for a moment before the human noticed his presence, startling when he saw the Tengu looking up at him from the other side of the till.

"Hey!" Auruo said with a friendly smile. "How can I help you?"

The Tengu's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't know if he liked this human.

How was it that humans ordered their food now? "You sell coffee."

"…Yes, we sell coffee," the merchant responded awkwardly.

"I would like to purchase some of your coffee."

"Just a regular coffee?"

There are other kinds of coffee? "…Yes."

"What size?"

"A pint."

"A pint?"

Is that not right? "…Yes."

Auruo looked at him strangely. "I'm afraid we only have small, medium or large. A small is twelve ounces, a medium is 16 ounces and a large is 20 ounces."

"A medium, then, please."

"Alright! What would you like in your coffee?"

"What do you mean? I want coffee in my coffee," Levi grumbled irritably. He glared at the taller man with a mixture of confusion and distaste. Why was everything so complicated now? "Why do you care what I get in my coffee?"

"So I can make it for you, sir," the man told him patiently. "Would you like it just as it is? It's bitter."

"Okay."

"That'll be two dollars, sir."

Levi paused. "…Right."

He reached into his trench coat pocket and worked up some magic of his, summoning some coins into his palm before he lightly placed them in Auruo's outstretched hand. Upon receiving the currency, the dirty blond gave him a stern, no-nonsense look. He held up one of the coins and stated, "Sir, I'm afraid we don't accept yen at this location."

"What do you accept?"

"Dollars."

"Money is money, what does it matter?"

"No it's not, sir." Auruo's jaw muscles tightened as frustration began to settle in. "We only accept Canadian or American dollars, not yen. I'm afraid I can't sell you anything until you come up with some acceptable currency."

The Tengu blinked. "Can you show me what two dollars looks like, then?"

Auruo's eyelid twitched.

He was about to say something when Petra swung out of the kitchen. Both man and Tengu turned their heads to look in her direction. Her pleasant smile completely diffused the tension between the two, even though she hadn't even looked in their direction yet. Levi felt a small twinge of wanting in his chest as he watched her gracefully make her way into the lobby, looking around for a messy table. When she turned her gaze towards them, her eyes fixed upon him. Her face turned from one of pleasantness to joy.

"You came!" she exclaimed as she practically skipped towards them. She beamed a radiant smile at him.

"I came," he responded softly, finding himself smiling in return.

"What're you ordering? Auruo, I'll take care of him," Petra offered, earning a relieved look from the man. Levi had nearly forgotten his presence, withholding a grunt of dissatisfaction when the woman smiled at him as well.

The Tengu watched as the man walked off to occupy himself with something else, and Petra took his place behind the counter. She eyed the contents of his order upon the till's screen, her nose wrinkling at him. "No."

"No?"

"No," she agreed, erasing his order. He watched her twist away, going about from machine to machine with two cups in hand. There was a soft hiss as she started one of the machines. She spoke to him over her shoulder, "You don't strike me as the kind who'd like their coffee black."

"Black?"

Petra shot him a sly smirk. "You're not from here, are you?"

"No," he admitted, his cheeks warming. "How could you tell?"

"Well, no offense," she started softly as she handed him a warm paper cup with a dome lid, "but you seem awkward and out of place. You also have a teensy bit of an accent. Where are you from?"

Beyond the veil. "…Japan."

Petra seemed to come alive at that. "Really? There's a kid who comes in here every once in awhile who's in love with Japan."

"It's a beautiful country," Levi agreed.

"I could imagine," the woman said with a smile. She walked around the counter and beckoned him with a tilt of her head. He followed her back to the fire place. She pulled up another chair beside the one he'd been sitting in and sat down. He followed suit, admiring her from the corner of his eyes as she brushed her hair behind her ears. After a moment, she asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Less than a week," he responded, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a tentative sip. The Tengu's eyes widened at the pleasantly sweet, peppermint taste of the liquid that touched his tongue. It was creamy and warm, unlike anything he'd ever tasted in a beverage. As he swallowed, he appreciated the fresh feeling in his mouth that the mint left behind. Levi looked at Petra with incredulity.

Petra smirked knowingly. "It's good, then?"

"It's delicious."

"Peppermint mocha," she told him. "You know; something for the wintery days. You're the first person to try it, though."

"How did you know I'd like it?"

The woman laughed softly. "I didn't. But, you look like someone who enjoys simple tastes with subtle intricacies. I find that chocolate and coffee go together, and the mint is subtle enough that it seems like it's supposed to be there, you know?"

"I see what you mean. Thank you," Levi told her as he took another sip.

He met her gaze after he lowered the cup from his lips, pausing once again at the warmth in her golden eyes. She reached to him and touched his wrist, giving him a light squeeze before standing. Alarmed, Levi sat up straight and watched her walk in front of him.

"I have to get back to work," she explained, noticing his stare with a blush. "You should come here more often. If you stay, I'll make you another cup?"

"I'll stay," he promised.

"Good!"

The Tengu watched the woman walk away, his gaze half-lidded as he observed her. She had an odd effect on him. One which he should've feared. Interestingly enough, he had already begun to care for the human.

After taking another sip, the Tengu sighed with pleasure.

Eren sat by her all night. He pulled a chair up to the side of his bed, where she lay dormant for hours now. Her breathing had become easier, deeper. When he checked to see the progression of her wounds, he was both shocked and relieved to find that the injury had fully closed. He pressed his fingers gently into her skin to feel for broke bones just as he felt something pull back into place. Eyebrows rising, Eren kept his hand at her ribs as he felt her bones move of their own accord. When they stopped, he pressed lightly, feeling for any movement. There was none.

He covered her modesty with his blankets, feeling wrong about letting her lay exposed. The only thing by way of clothing she wore was his red scarf, something he'd wrapped around her when he noticed her shivering. He kept his gaze upon her face, admiring the peaceful expression on her face. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed softly, her face twitching every now and then. Eren couldn't help but smile when she wrinkled her nose at something in her slumber.

She was beautiful and adorable.

Careful so as not to wake her, Eren brushed her long black bangs from her face and behind her ear.

He ground his teeth as the memory of the inugami suddenly rushed through his mind. If there was one thing the painter hated most it was being useless. By no means was he a weak man, but in the face of the supernatural, he was nothing but prey. How would someone even attempt to go about changing that? Eren vowed that he would find a way.

He refused to be useless.

Not to anyone, and especially not to her.

Eren remembered reading stories about how humans could become more than that by sheer force of will, if certain conditions were met at first. Or by divine intervention. Both were highly unreliable, something that he would have no chance of being able to do by himself. He couldn't do anything so risky on the basis that it might work. He'd have to visit a library or one of the World Religions students.

Looking back towards Mikasa, he jumped when he noticed she was staring at him. Her face was impassive but her eyes focused on him thoughtfully. He flushed, realizing after a few moments of staring that neither of them had said a word.

"Good morning," he said sheepishly. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry for watching over you like this. I'm not a pervert, but I was worried about your injuries… And I couldn't take you to a hospital for obvious reasons…"

Mikasa's face softened from assessing him to gratitude. "Thank you."

When she moved to push herself up, the covers slipped down to her waist and exposed her. Eren turned abruptly in his chair, eyes wide as he stared at the door. His face was hot. Beside him, Mikasa sat up in bed. He could feel her amusement at his flustered, tense disposition.

"You can look now," she told him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Eren turned back to her. She was wearing a white blouse with a tank top beneath it; his blankets covered her legs still. In her lap was his red scarf. She folded it neatly and moved to hand it to him, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"It looks better on you," he explained with a small smile. "Keep it."

"Thank you," Mikasa responded softly. She unfolded the garment and wrapped it around her neck, sighing when she felt its warmth. She brushed her thumb over the end, the soft fabric comforting her. Eren could feel her uncertainty, an inner conflict raging deep within her.

Picking up on why, he murmured, "You don't need to explain."

The woman paused, shooting him a surprised look. "What?"

"You don't need to explain any of this. Why you're here, what you saved me from, how you magically have clothes on hand or why it is you can turn into a fox and back again," Eren told her softly. He reached to her hand, placing his palm over her knuckles and giving her fingers a careful squeeze. The gesture was intimate, something he wouldn't have normally done, but felt like the right thing to do in the moment. Surely, Mikasa's tension visibly melted away. "You can tell me things when you're ready, or never. Either way, I'm going to be there for you like you were for me."

"You know who I am then," she stated, her lips twitching upwards and then downwards. As if she didn't know whether to smile or to frown.

Eren nodded.

Mikasa let out a deep sigh. "I didn't mean to intrude on your life. It should never have happened, really. That's why I walked out so quickly the other day."

"I know."

"I'm…I'm here because something between our worlds broke, and pulled me into your reality. It's pulling other things into this world, too. Like that inugami that tried to eat you yesterday. Benevolent and malevolent yokai alike, it doesn't matter. There's even a Tengu roaming around somewhere near here," Mikasa rambled, fidgeting with the scarf as she spoke. "I didn't want you to get involved with me and, in extension, the yokai world. It's dangerous for a human. If I hadn't been watching over the town yesterday, you might have been eaten by that inugami. Who knows what else will come through the veil…or what has already managed to sneak through before it broke."

"Wait," Eren interrupted. "The veil?"

The kitsune nodded. "The veil is the barrier between our worlds. For the most part, it separates yokai and other spirits from the human world. But it isn't perfect. It has weaknesses that can be exploited; humans pass through the veil sometimes while they dream, and spirits can slip through the veil at times."

Like a filter, he told himself. Holds back most of everything, but even smaller specks can get through.

"And it's broken?"

"Yes," she answered with a grave tone in her voice. "Shattered, to be exact. I saw it happening. I went to investigate and guard the place where it broke, so humans or spirits wouldn't go where they shouldn't, but it sucked me into your world. Now, I can't see it. I can only feel the veil, and it's crumbling more and more every day."

"What could cause such a thing?" Eren asked, frowning. Such a barrier should have been powerful enough to withstand the test of time. Surely something was wrong in the world for it to simply crumble?

"One of the great spirits died," Mikasa guessed out loud, her tension returning. "The greater spirits maintain the barrier and hold back lesser spirits like me from interfering with your world. Something is very wrong with them."

"Kami?"

"Kami," she agreed. "You consider them gods, but they are not all-powerful. Even the kami can die or wither away."

The painter took a moment to take in this information. He leaned back against the chair, regarding the woman thoughtfully. She averted her gaze from him, staring at her lap as she allowed him to absorb the knowledge. He knew that she couldn't stay much longer with such a thing happening in their world. That struck him harder than any amount of danger that might come through the veil. No, he couldn't let her fight alone. He couldn't lose her. There was no way.

"How do we stop it?" he asked.

"We – Wait," Mikasa caught on immediately, her eyes narrowing as she looked his way. "There's no 'we'. This is my problem. You can't get involved, you'll only get hurt."

Eren glared at her. "I won't let you fight alone."

There was a pause as the two regarded each other. Her eyebrows furrowed, her face twisting as more and more annoyance flowed through her. Turning his gaze away from him, she growled, "Where is it?"

He smiled sheepishly and pointed to the ward on his door. "Were you trying to leave with magic?"

She grumbled. Extending her hand to the ward on the door, she pointed at it and the paper burst into blue flames. The kitsunebi completely destroyed the paper, but the woman didn't leave. Instead, she lowered her hand into her lap and murmured, "That was the only successful ward in decades that could hold me in a place."

"I did a lot of research since you showed up in my dreams. I can handle myself, if you let me."

Shoulders dropping, Mikasa cast him a conflicted look.

"Just give me a chance to be able to help you," he offered, reaching out to her again. This time she turned her hand so that she could return his hold. His cheeks burned again. "If I can't keep up, just leave me and I'll stop trying to follow you, okay? I promise I won't get in your way."

She relented, "Fine. Just…don't get hurt."

Eren gave her a wide smile, nearly pulling her into a hug when she agreed. She looked away from him stubbornly. He didn't miss the slight twitch of a smile on her lips.

"Battle Three… FIGHT."

Jean let out a low, ferocious growl. His thumbs tapped madly upon the xbox controller in his hand, his body shaking with the effort it took to be able to keep up with the blond woman beside him. In contrast, she looked almost bored. She didn't mash the buttons in frustration like her did, instead her thumbs accurately struck commands into the controller and her character seemed to overpower him despite his effort.

Soul Calibur V was one of his favourite games. He'd grown up with games like Soul Calibur, and so when someone came along who had never played it before beats him at it, he would get crabby.

"K.O."

He cried out when his last bar of health dropped to zero, "What the FUCK, Annie?!"

The game played back the last few seconds of the game, where Annie totally mopped the floor with Jean. She had chosen the character Viola, a swift magic user that, at the present moment, promptly kicked his ass. With a tiny magical ball.

Annie glanced at him neutrally, preferring to watch him have his tantrum as she took a sip of her pepsi.

"No one can be that attractive and this good at Soul Calibur!" he shouted. He glared fiercely at Armin when he heard him chuckling softly to the side. "This isn't funny! This is injustice!"

"Maybe your soul just wasn't up to caliber," Annie offered. To the side, Armin bit his lip in attempts to quiet his laughter.

Jean glared. "Hilarious."

"Thank you."

"I wasn't being sincere!"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you weren't ogling Ivy's jugs, you'd have won."

The brunette flushed a deep, tomato red. "Maybe if she wore more practical clothing I wouldn't be ogling her jugs."

"You ogle anything with breasts, no matter what they wear."

"You do, Jean," Armin added from the side. "Remember when you hit on Annie right in front of me…after we told you we were dating?"

"See?"

"I resent that," the brunette grumbled. "I was verbally appreciating her beauty through witty, alluring humor."

Annie paused at that before looking Jean in the eye and, in a low voice, mimicking him, "Hey, baby. Do I know you? Cause you look a lot like my next girlfriend."

He opened his mouth to defend himself when a door behind them opened. Everyone turned their heads to watch as Eren finally walked out of his room. Annie narrowed her eyes at the woman, Mikasa, who followed behind him. She had a slight smile on her face as the painter lead her out of the room. Making a face, the blond woman said, "Hey, Eren? You know when I said you should get a girlfriend, I didn't mean dive into sex with a crackhead."

Eren's eyes widened, but Mikasa looked amused. "She's not a crackhead! And we didn't have sex!""

When the two came into the living room, Jean was already standing. Both Armin and Annie watched quietly as the ash-brown haired boy made his way past Eren and directly towards the woman. He paused awkwardly in front of her, something that made each of the onlookers raise an eyebrow. Was Jean actually…nervous?

The young architect looked down nervously and fidgeted with his hands. "You, uh… You're very pretty. Hey."

"That's ass backwards, Jean."

He didn't even bother glaring at Annie. "Shut up, blondie."

The woman met Jean's gaze steadily, unaffected by his poor attempt at flirting. "Thank you," she responded graciously. She looked towards the two blonds still sitting around the television, dipping her head slightly in a bow. "And thank you, I'm sorry for intruding."

"You're not intruding at all!" Armin quickly told her, friendly as always. "Any friend of Eren's is a friend of ours."

Annie observed the woman curiously. She was pretty, she decided. Wearing a white blouse and black skinny jeans seemed to really suit her. Her hair was parted just off to the side so that some of her bangs hung in her face, casting a mysterious look upon her face. In her grey eyes there was intelligence, and wisdom.

She decided she liked this Mikasa.

A/N: I know; another build up chapter. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it! The story takes off from here.

Also, I've been told that I should invest some time in putting up disclaimers. Bad whyspers.

Despite this being fanfiction.

So, here's a disclaimer: I don't own this shit. I don't own SnK, I don't own "Let it Burn" by RED (the song from a few chapters ago), I don't own Zoolander, I don't own Soul Calibur V. Or any of the Soul Caliburs. Or Xbox!

I tried to make that as sincere as possible, really. .

UPDATE: Thought I put those breaks in before . Sorry about that!