Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.

This is merely to quench my intense feels about this anime and the manga. AU. Mikasa-centered. Rivamika in the end.

A Possible Route

Chapter One: Meet and Greet

It was a special day for the young Mikasa Ackerman. Nothing in particular had happened so far; she had helped in the garden and done her chores, her mother had helped her with her sewing, and now Dr. Jaeger would be coming for a check-up. She loved it whenever the doctor visited them, partly because the Ackermans hardly ever had visitors, and also because Dr. Jaeger was a very nice man who often joked and sometimes gave her a sweet when her parents weren't looking.

The nine-year-old girl was looking forward to his visit, and, right after she had proudly presented her sewing to her mother, and right after her mother had praised her and told her this was a tradition they had kept in the family for generations and she should teach it to her children, and right after Mikasa had curiously asked how she would get children, and right after her parents had tried to beat around the bush, there was a knock on the door.

Mikasa's father, a tall, handsome blonde man, gave a relieved chuckle. "Ah, that must be Dr. Jaeger," he had said, already moving to open the door. And when he did, there stood the doctor, looking smart and gentle and friendly as he always did, holding a briefcase in his hand.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Jaeger," Mr. Ackerman greeted, letting the doctor pass.

"Likewise, Mr. Ackerman, Mrs. Ackerman," he said, nodding at them two of them respectively. "This is my son, Eren. He's the same age as Mikasa. I thought the two could be friends." The doctor started to move his hand to put it around his son's shoulder when he realized he wasn't standing where he had been a second ago.

"Eren?" He looked around him and realized he was still outside. The doctor sighed.

"Eren, come in, it's all right. No one's going to bite you," Dr. Jaeger promised. Reluctantly, the little boy walked into view, slowly at first, then quickening his pace to partly hide himself behind his father's briefcase. The parents chuckled at this. In response, Eren frowned.

"He just needs some time to warm up to you," Dr. Jaeger promised. At this, Eren's frown seemed to intensify.

Mikasa observed him curiously and quietly throughout the check-up. She rarely saw any children, let alone children all the way from the city. She hadn't even known that Dr. Jaeger had a son. But when she saw the boy's stubborn frown, she didn't know whether to feel thrilled to make a new friend or disappointed that he had turned out to be like this.

At the end of the surprisingly quiet day, when Dr. Jaeger packed up and prepared to leave, Mikasa went up to Eren and sat down next to him. The grown-ups were talking, so the little girl had found this to be the perfect opportunity to talk to him.

Eren took no notice of her.

"I'm Mikasa," she said hesitantly. "You're Eren, right?"

A grunt. "Yeah."

Silence.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Mikasa asked. "Nobody ever visits us."

Eren shrugged, but his expression had brightened. "Yeah."

Mikasa almost jumped for joy. A new friend wasn't something she made every other day. "Do you have any other friends?" she asked eagerly.

Eren faced her properly now, his face brightening up completely, and for the first time Mikasa saw his eyes and they almost took her breath away. They were a peculiar colour—one she had never seen before. They were a deep, almost green shade of blue that had flecks of alternately lighter and darker shades of blue and green in the them, and now they were wide in excitement and pride.

"Yeah," Eren answered. "His name's Armin. He lives in the city, too. He's really smart and he has books about the—" Before completing this sentence, Eren shut his mouth and glanced hurriedly at his father, who was still talking and had taken no notice of him. "He has books about the outside," Eren whispered, leaning in so only Mikasa could hear.

Mikasa gasped. "Really?" she breathed. "Could I meet him?"

"Yeah," Eren said, nodding. "Of course."

The two children were interrupted by Mrs. Ackerman, who jokingly said, "Alright, you two, what's this whispering all about?"

Mikasa and Eren simultaneously peeped, "Nothing!" The parents laughed and said their final goodbyes before Dr. Jaeger ushered Eren out the door.

Mikasa went to bed that night feeling accomplished. Her first real friend. And soon she would have another one who knew about the world outside the walls! She sighed happily.

Things were looking up for her. She knew it.