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Hanji's eyes struggled open as she groaned. Had I passed out? she thought to herself. She lied at the edge of the river, her lower part of her body still submerged in the water. Her attention was immediately brought to the man tucked into her arm as he began to cough and sputter out water. Levi! she remembered in a panic. That stunt that she pulled to escape Floch and the Yeagerists had almost drowned the two of them. But it was the only plan she could think of to get them out of that tight spot. Hanji turned Levi on his side, slightly face down and firmly patted his back to encourage any further expelling of water in his lungs.
She glanced up and realized that they had washed up close to Historia's secret location in the countryside. It wasn't too far of a walk. With as much strength she could muster, she pushed Levi out of the river so that most of his body lay on dry land. Hanji climbed out and stooped down, taking Levi in her arms once more. She grimaced, wondering how the hell one so small could weigh so much. But she couldn't leave him here. She had to get help and fast. She shifted Levi's position so that he draped across her shoulders as she held one of his legs and arms tight.
With as much strength and speed as she could manage, Hanji carried her limp friend towards the farm. Her body wanted to give up so badly, but she knew she had to press forward for Levi's sake. As she approached closer to Historia's farm, she was eventually stopped by 2 members of the Military Police.
"Halt!" one called authoritatively. "Identify yourselves!"
The other guard cast them a look of familiarity after noticing Levi's military attire. "Survey Corps soldiers? Commander Hanji?"
"Yes," panted Hanji. "I'm Hanji Zoe and this is Levi Ackerman. He's been badly injured and we need somewhere safe to tend to his wounds...please."
The two guards gave each other hesitant looks before one mentioned to the other, "Historia is friends with these two, they should be safe." They nodded and indicated to follow them. One offered to help carry Levi but Hanji only tightened her hold protectively.
"Thanks," she murmured. "But I'll manage."
Once inside one of the cottages on the farm, Hanji was able to gently set Levi down on a nearby bed. "I need first aid supplies," Hanji pleaded.
One guard went to go retrieve them and the other motioned to the exit, stating, "I'll go get Historia."
The guard entered with the first aid supplies and Hanji quickly took them from him. At the same time the other guard had entered with Historia following.
"Hanji?!" Historia cried. "What happened? Oh my God, is that Levi?!" Even in her hindered pregnant state, Historia rushed over to join Hanji's side.
"Your highness please," Hanji protested calmly. "You don't need to stress yourself. It's a long story but Levi was badly injured. Is there a tub I can use to help clean Levi's wounds?"
"Y-yes of course," Historia answered, managing to tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight that lay before her. "In the next room. I'll draw some hot water and bring you some towels." She disappeared behind a door nearby before Hanji could protest.
While she waited for Historia to prepare the bath, Hanji began removing Levi's cloak, boots and ODM belts/braces. She was careful not to put too much stress on his body, as she wasn't sure how extensive his injuries were aside from the ones that she could see with the naked eye.
Historia entered a moment later and informed Hanji that the bath was ready. "I've set out a few towels," Historia offered. "Also, I've added some salt to the bath that's supposed to help with sore muscles and pain."
"Thank you," Hanji said softly, giving a weak, but warm smile.
Historia nodded. "If you need anything else, I'll have one of the guards wait outside this building. Do no hesitate to ask for anything, OK?"
Hanji gave a slight nod before mentioning. "He might need another pair of clothes. And the ones he has on will need to be washed."
"I'll have someone deliver some clothes right away," Historia said. "And they'll pick up the ones that need to be washed." She paused briefly to stare at Levi with a look of uncertainty before giving them some privacy by exiting the cottage.
Hanji carefully began removing Levi's clothing and throwing them into a bloody, messy pile on the floor. Thank goodness he's unconscious for all this, Hanji thought with a blush, doing her best to avoid looking too long at his genital region. Otherwise this would be very awkward...She scooped Levi into her arms gently and made her way to the other door.
Hanji entered the washroom and gently lowered Levi into the bath tub. The warm water enveloped him and Levi's face contorted in discomfort for a moment before giving a soft sigh as he settled in. Hanji went to work immediately as she grabbed some tweezers from the medical bag and went to try her hand at the metal shards that were embedded in Levi's face.
As she gripped the first one, she looked at Levi's face apprehensively. She took a deep breath before she placed a gauze pad near the first shard. With a gentle and slow movement, Hanji tugged the shard from his cheek while applying light pressure to the open wound it left behind. Levi's face grimaced in pain as he groaned.
"I know, I know," Hanji cooed guiltily as she dropped the shard onto an open cloth on the floor. "Just a few more."
As she managed to pull the last shard out and finished stopping the bleeding, Hanji went to grab the alcohol. With shaky hands, she pried the cap off and poured it liberally on one of the cloths nearby. She braced herself for her next move. "I'm not sure if you can hear me," she warned. "But this is going to sting, so hang in there, ok?"
She reached and placed the cloth firmly over the close shard wounds. Levi immediately hissed and reflexively pulled away. Hanji wrapped her arms around his shoulders firmly while she held the cloth in place. "Just a bit more," she comforted softly, her face close to his so that her lips brushed against his forehead softly.
She wasn't sure if that was the reason, but Levi visibly relaxed himself afterwards. Hanji removed the bloodstained cloth once she felt it had done it's job. She cleaned the remaining wounds on his face, fearful to inspect the damage done to his eye. It was hard to tell since he was unconscious with both eyes closed.
Hanji remembered Levi's injured hand with a shudder. He's really going to hate me for this one, she thought grimly as she lifted his arm up and draped it over the tub's edge. She held his arm firmly before pouring the alcohol over his hand where he had severed his fingers. Levi hissed and tried to yank away. He was weak, so Hanji was able to hold him in place. "Sorry!" she cried, not knowing if he could hear her or not. I need to hurry up and dress these wounds, Hanji thought, doing her best to hurry and clean Levi.
She grabbed a fresh cloth and began to lather some soap onto it. She began to gently clean the blood off of Levi's body. She found it difficult since Levi was still mostly unconscious and wasn't staying in place. His body kept threatening to slip under the water.
Hanji sighed at one point and put the cloth down. She stared at the water, now tinted red with blood. This kind of thing probably would have bothered Levi, but not her. Hanji began to remove her clothes, knowing what she had to do. "Looks like it's my turn to bathe you," she muttered, enjoying the ironic situation.
Hanji climbed into the tub in front of Levi and found it much easier to wash him, while holding him in place. Once most of his body was washed, she reached forward and pulled Levi towards herself closely, almost like a hug. As Levi's head rested on Hanji's shoulder, she was able to access his back. She scrubbed gently when she felt Levi's head stir on her shoulder.
"Hanji?" he croaked weakly, barely audible. Hanji froze and pulled him away from her so that she could see his face. However, it looked like he had lost consciousness again. Hanji poured some shampoo on her hands, lathered it and began to wash any blood that might have been in his hair. She carefully shielded Levi's eyes as she grabbed a nearby pitcher on the floor and rinsed the shampoo off.
She reached over and began to drain the tub as she climbed out. She quickly patted herself dry before throwing on her clothes the best she could. Once the water had emptied, Hanji walked over and began to dry Levi gently with one of the many towels. Once done, Hanji secured a towel around his waist to give him some privacy before hoisting him into her arms again.
She carried him back to the bed to find that someone had placed clean linens, removing the blood stained ones. Also, there were fresh clothes folded in a pile on a nearby chair where the soiled clothing had been taken.
Hanji lay Levi down before propping him up with pillows so that she could dress his wounds. As delicate as possible, Hanji began to dress Levi in the clean clothing. She pulled the bed covers over him as much as she could to keep him warm. Then, she began bandaging his injured hand, followed by his eye. Finally, she secured some gauze to his cheek where the sword shards had been.
Afterwards, Hanji grabbed a nearby chair, dragging it to Levi's bedside. She slumped down and tried her best to rest while watching over him.
"Hanji?"
A touch to the cheek startled Hanji awake. She sat up straight, her eyes wide open in surprise. Levi had pulled his hand away, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry," he murmured. "...wanted to make sure...wasn't dreaming."
Hanji smiled, tears of relief forming in the corners of her eyes at the fact that Levi was awake. "Levi!" she cried, causing Levi to startle this time. "You're awake! How do you feel?" She wanted to embrace him so badly. But she still wasn't sure how badly he was injured and didn't want to cause him any more pain.
"Like shit, what do you think?" Levi grumbled. He began to look around at his surroundings. "Where are we?" His eyes fell on Hanji once more. "How did you find me?"
"Historia's farm," Hanji replied. "What...what do you remember last?"
Levi struggled to recall. "The thunder spear..." he began slowly. "Zeke detonated the thunder spear I had placed in him...The blast sent me into the nearby river...Zeke!" Levi cried, breaking his recollection. "Is he dead?"
Hanji gave him a nervous look. "Ah...yes and no."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Levi spat. "Did I finally manage to kill the beast titan or not?"
"Well," Hanji replied apprehensively. "When I found you, Zeke's body was lying nearby...dead." Hanji cleared her throat. "But for reasons that I don't understand, he...came back alive."
"Tch," Levi answered, clenching his jaw. "So I didn't manage to fulfill my promise to kill that damned monkey...pathetic."
They remained quiet for a moment as Levi began trying to recall any other important memories. He remembered hearing Hanji's voice calling him and her holding him while in the river...but was she washing him in the river? He struggled to differentiate whether his memories were mixed with his dreams or were actually events that happened.
"So how did you find me?" Levi finally asked. "What were you doing out there? Where are the kids?"
"Long story short," Hanji answered. "Floch went AWOL and teamed up with some Yeagerists, including Eren. He imprisoned the kids, including myself. However, he took me hostage and demanded I take him to Zeke's location."
"Did he hurt you?" Levi asked, giving her a wary eye.
"No," Hanji replied. "But Shadis was beaten pretty badly. Anyway, I figured I had no choice but to lead Floch before anyone else got hurt. That's when we saw the flash of a thunder spear being detonated. We headed to the location and I found your body by the river's edge."
"So Zeke was still alive?" Levi asked again.
"Not when we arrived," Hanji replied. "But after I found you, Floch was threatening to make sure you were dead, which I had to lie and tell them you were. Zeke's resurrection was what gave me the opportunity to escape."
"How'd you manage that?" Levi inquired curiously.
"Dove into the river with you in tow," Hanji replied with a slight smirk.
Levi gave her a disapproving look.
"Well it worked, didn't it?" Hanji argued.
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud growling. Levi and Hanji both looked at Levi's stomach.
"Wait just a moment," Hanji ordered.
Levi was left to himself for a few minutes. During that time, he berated himself for the predicament he was now in. Yes, he was alive, but to what extent? How damaged was he? He wondered how long it would take for him to recover and how that would put a damper on how long it would take to try and kill Zeke again.
Levi groaned as the pain in his head began to pulsate. Considering all these things was giving him a massive migraine. He decided to focus on just recovering for the time being. He may be useless at the moment, but he had no intent to keep it that way.
Hanji re-entered the room with a bed tray. Atop of it was a bowl with something hot, as steam was rising from it. Levi did his best to shift upwards to a better seated position. Hanji rested the tray atop his lap. "One of the cooks prepared soup." she stated. "Hopefully it's better than what they serve at the Survey Corps barracks."
Levi grunted in agreement as Hanji went over and poured some water into a glass from the pitcher set atop of the nightstand. As she placed the glass on the table, she hesitated on giving Levi the spoon. "Uh...Levi?" she murmured apprehensively.
"What?" he asked.
"Um..." she continued. "I'm not sure the extent of your injuries...but..." Hanji prayed that he take it well. "The blast severed 2 of your fingers on your right hand..."
Levi immediately pulled his bandaged hand up for inspection. After staring at his hand for a moment, he put it back down to his side in defeat. "Tch. Why am I not surprised?" he grumbled.
"If you want," Hanji offered. "I can help feed you..."
Levi snatched the spoon out of her hand with that of his uninured one. "I'm not completely useless!" he shouted, causing her to wince.
Levi dropped the spoon in the bowl and took a deep breath. He flicked his eye towards Hanji. "Sorry..." he muttered. "This isn't...easy for me to grasp. My dignity has pretty much gone out the window at the moment." He let out a sigh. "But don't think I don't appreciate you for...everything."
Hanji and Levi spent the time updating each other on what's been going on since their last meeting. Hanji informed Levi about what's been happening in the city and how everyone seems to be against the Survey Corps, especially the Yeager Faction. Levi informed Hanji about how Zeke had turned all the soldiers that were with him into Titans. He was ashamed to admit that he had to kill them, but Hanji understood that he didn't have much of a choice.
There was a moment of silence between the two. Levi regarded Hanji with gratitude. There were no words that could come close to describe how relieved he was to have Hanji here with him. After being apart from her for so long, it was like a piece of heaven to him. Unfortunately, their reunion came from an unfortunate circumstance. He had wondered to himself so many times the things he would say to Hanji when they met again. However, now his mind seemed to draw a blank. "Hanji," he began hesitantly. "I..."
Historia knocked and came inside with another bowl of soup.
"How's everything?" she asked tentatively.
"Shitty as usual," Levi replied, slightly annoyed that he was interrupted.
Historia chuckled nervously and turned her attention to Hanji. "Here," she offered the bowl of soup. "I brought you one since the cook informed me you only took one with you."
Levi glared at Hanji momentarily before thanking Historia. "It was really good. Much better than what I've had at the barracks."
"I'm glad you liked it," Historia beamed. "We grow all of our stuff here at the farm." She paused to observe the two of them. "I'll stop by again in a bit to check on you guys. Remember, if you need anything, inform the guard outside." With a quick nod to Levi, Historia added, "It's good to have you back Captain."
They both nodded and Historia left them alone.
"Idiot," Levi growled, turning his eyes back to Hanji. "Don't neglect yourself for my sake. I didn't know you haven't eaten yet."
"I wasn't really hungry," Hanji replied quietly. "I was worried about you. I still am, so I'm not very hungry..."
"Eat!" barked Levi. "If you want me to get better, don't make things more difficult by having me worry about you!"
"Right," Hanji answered, turning her attention to her bowl with a smile.
Once they were done eating, Hanji cleared their area and set everything aside by the door. She opened the door informing the guard that they were finished eating and that she would be needing to sleep soon. The guard nodded as she closed the door. She walked over to Levi and helped him settle down in his bed, adjusting the pillows to his liking.
"Don't fret over me," Levi whined shyly, trying to bat her away with his good hand. Hanji ignored him and continued to make sure he was covered and warm. Levi was reminded of a mother tucking in her child and couldn't help but feel bashful. Especially when Hanji brushed a few stray hairs out of his eyes affectionately, he couldn't help but blush and cry out in protest.
Historia knocked and came inside with one of her assistants. In her arms were some bedding. "Hanji, I've set up a room for you to sleep if you'll come with us."
Hanji smiled gratefully, knowing that she was in desperate need of sleep. However as she motioned to pull away, Levi's hand caught hers. Hanji turned to look at him and found that he had a look of panic etched momentarily on his face. Struggling with the words he wanted to say, he eventually cast his eyes downwards with a frown. "Tch."
Hanji understood immediately and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She turned to face Historia and her assistant. "Would it possible to set up a futon here on the floor?" she asked.
"Are you sure?" Historia asked. "It wouldn't be very comfortable."
"It's not like I've been living the life of luxury up to this point," Hanji assured.
"Sure, I think we can do that," Historia agreed, motioning for her assistant to go get what they needed.
She came back immediately and placed the futon on the floor, along with the extra bedding.
"Thank you," Hanji said. "For everything," she added, turning to Historia. "Without you...I don't think..."
"Hey," Historia interrupted. "How could I have not?"
They exchanged smiles before Historia left with her assistant.
Once the door closed, Levi quietly thanked Hanji. "I don't mean to sound like a coward," he admitted. "But I really don't want to be alone like this."
Hanji smiled reassuringly at Levi before looking down at their hands. They were still joined together. She cleared her throat before teasing, "I didn't take you for the hand holding type."
Levi tore his hand away with an exasperated snarl. "It's just that-"
"You don't have to explain anything to me," she assured, placing a comforting hand on his head. "Let's get some rest, ok?" Levi gave her a weak smile before Hanji set up her sleeping area. She blew out the light before turning herself in for the night.
"What do you mean Pixis and the others aren't here?!" shrieked Hanji at the other guard who had switched places with the previously stationed one.
"It's just me and my partner," he replied.
"So, they never showed up?" Hanji inquired.
"No," the guard answered. "My partner and I were asked to scout ahead and inform Historia of the plan. However, no one ever showed up after us. We're assuming they've been captured."
"That sounds likely." Hanji agreed. She knew it was only a matter of time before Historia's secret location would be breached. However, no one knew that her and Levi were currently here...at least she hoped.
Hanji regarded the Military Police guard briefly. "Can you ask Historia to meet me as soon as possible? We have some important matters to discuss."
The guard agreed before Hanji thanked him and entered the building. It was early morning and Levi was still sound asleep. Hanji made an extra effort to be quiet so not to disturb him. He needed all the rest that he could get.
Hanji continued to watch over him to make sure that he was comfortable. Deep down, she feared that he would succumb to his injuries. As that horrible thought lolled over in her head, a slight knock came at the door before Historia peeked her head inside.
"Historia," Hanji whispered. "Thank you for coming."
"You needed to speak to me?" Hisoria asked.
"Yes, but not here," Hanji replied. "I don't want to disturb Levi."
"Ok, we can go to one of the other cottages," Historia offered.
"Can we just talk outside?" Hanji negotiated. "I don't want to go too far with Levi in this state. I don't think he's comfortable being alone at the moment."
"Sure," Historia agreed, tightening the robe around her for warmth and walking back outside.
Hanji threw a blanket over herself and went to join Historia outside.
After properly filling Historia in about everything that's been going on, Hanji advised Historia that she herself was also in danger.
"The military police should have been here to protect you," Hanji explained. "But there are only the guards you have right now...I have a bad feeling that Pixis and the others were apprehended."
"What should we do?" Hisotria asked, growing concerned.
"In your state, you should not be moved," Hanji urged. "However, I don't think they plan on hurting you." Hanji paused to think. "Levi needs to recover from his injuries so we have no choice but to stay as well. We'll have to keep a lookout for the Yeager Faction at all times. If we know they're headed our way, Levi and I will have to hide. No one is to know we're here."
"One of the cottages has a hidden basement accessed through a trap door on the floor." Historia offered. "Once you are able to, we'll transport you and Levi there so that if you need to hide in a moment's instant, you can use the hidden basement."
"Thanks again for all your help," Hanji murmured.
"I only wish I could do more, but not in my current condition," Historia admitted.
"It's more than enough," Hanji assured. "Without you, I don't think Levi..." she stopped as her voice began to waver.
"How is he doing?" Historia asked, concerned.
"Better," Hanji answered. "But I'm so afraid the injuries will be too much to handle."
"Levi's strong, always has been," Hisoria reassured. She smiled nostalgically. "You know, when I was in the Survey Corps, all of us always looked at you and Levi like parental figures."
Hanji was taken aback by her words.
"We were away from our families for so long that we all kind of latched on to you guys." Historia continued. "But you and Levi were always a team and it was cute how you two got along, like a bickering husband and wife who still loved each other despite their arguing..." she noticed Hanji blushing. "Sorry!" Historia squeaked. "That was a bit much!"
Hanji shook her head. "It's OK your highness." She looked back towards the door as if she could see through it. She turned to address Historia. "I'm going to try and get some more sleep while I can. Remember to inform your people here about keeping a lookout for any approaching groups."
"Of course," Hisoria agreed. "I'll have someone prepare the cottage for you with the basement. It's been a while since anyone's stayed in there so it's a bit dusty."
"It won't bother me," Hanji protested.
"Yeah, but I know who would be bothered," Historia sniggered playfully, causing Hanji to giggle.
"Thank you your Highness," Hanji said, before turning to go back inside. Her blush was still present as she stared at the sleeping Levi. Historia's words had affected her as Hanji recalled all her memories of working with Levi. She smiled, silently admitting to herself that she had fallen in love with him over the years. He was her best friend and her biggest supporter. That's why she was determined with all of her heart to support Levi in his unfortunate state.
"Come on," Hanji urged impatiently.
"What do you mean come on?" Levi growled back. "I'm the one who's healing!"
"You've been cooped up for days now!" Hanji argued back. "A little sun will be good for you!"
Levi regarded her skeptically before giving a heavy sigh of surrender. "Fine. Whatever," he murmured before making his way slowly to her.
She followed closely to make sure that he didn't stumble. The past few days, Levi was getting better at moving around and walking. He really is fast at healing, Hanji considered to herself. Although she didn't want to push him, she knew that they were pressed for time. The Yeager Faction or Zeke could show up any minute and Hanji needed Levi back on his feet as soon as possible.
"Oi," Levi called irritably, taking a moment to rest. "How far are we going?"
"Just before the hill drops down. We have a nice view from there." Hanji answered.
"View of what? Open fields? Chickens?" Levi replied with an air of dry humor.
"Don't make me carry you," Hanji threatened with a smile.
"I'm starting to think you enjoy carrying me," Levi replied, recalling the past few days when Hanji would carry him if the distance was too far to travel.
"I won't deny that I do," Hanji teased sweetly, causing Levi to look away bashfully. She giggled and set down the basket that she was carrying. She began to unfold the blanket she also took with her and began whipping it up and down before settling it flat on the grass in front of them.
As she sat down, she looked up at Levi and patted the spot next to her. Levi hesitated before slowly bringing himself to sit down next to her. He grimaced at the pain and soreness he was still experiencing, but knew doing stuff like this was making it easier for his body to regain its strength. Hanji began to take out some of the items in her basket, which were some sandwiches and fruit.
"Can't believe you dragged me out here for a picnic," Levi muttered.
"The picnic is a bonus," Hanji argued back. "We came out here so you can do some physical therapy and get some sun."
Levi stopped his complaining and began to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his skin, knowing darn well that the woman was always right. He leaned back and closed his eyes in content. Hanji watched him with a smile before taking her eyes off of him to observe her surroundings. From their vantage point, they had a much better view of the land. They had practiced drills in the event that their fears were realized and Zeke and/or the Yeager Faction showed up. However, she still worried for the day that happened.
She was still mulling around a few alternate plans in her head. But one major factor was whether or not Levi was strong enough to handle traveling. She watched as Levi began peeling one of the oranges she brought. He had also taken a few bites from his sandwich. At least his appetite has picked up, Hanji thought with gratitude. She continued to watch him contently, knowing that Levi was alive and well beside her.
"You need to stop staring at me," Levi said, his cheeks slightly pink as he popped an orange wedge in his mouth. His eye was cast towards the open fields before them. He gave her a side glance before touching his face softly, tracing the large scar across his chin to his eye which Hanji had decided to leave a bandage on.
"Is it that bad?" Levi asked quietly.
"No," Hanji replied.
"I guess I won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon," Levi stated with amusement.
"At least you still have personality," Hanji offered. She pretended to think before adding. "Wait, no you don't. Guess you really are shit out of luck." She flashed a smile at Levi.
In return he smiled back at her. "Heh," he chuckled. "It's nice...to have you around again."
"I missed you too," Hanji answered, without skipping a beat.
"Tch, that's not-" Levi protested, pink cheeks turning crimson.
Hanji giggled before adding, "We need to stop splitting up."
"Why do you say that?" Levi asked.
"Because when we do, we have near death experiences." Hanji answered. "At Shingashina, I nearly got killed from the Colossal Titan's blast. And with Zeke, he almost killed you with the Thunder Spear."
"Guess you're right," Levi agreed. He groaned. "Ugh, that damn monkey! Can't believe he's still alive and almost killed me!"
"I'm still wondering how that is, because technically when we found him, he looked more dead than you." Hanji wondered aloud.
"And I call myself an Ackerman," Levi muttered, still upset over Zeke.
"I know right?" Hanji poked. "Already I had to save your ass twice. First from the other Ackerman and now from the other Yeager."
"Rub it in, why don't you?" Levi cried sarcastically. He sighed before giving Hanji a friendly hair tousle. "I'm grateful...eternally."
They both continued to survey the land around them.
"So what now, Commander Hanji?" Levi asked, gazing at her with admiration.
"I'm working on it," Hanji replied. "Just focus on your recovery and I'll figure something out. Let's stay together this time though." As she continued to look onwards, she felt something in her hand and glanced down to see that Levi had slipped his good hand over hers, interlacing his fingers in hers affectionately.
"Don't say anything," Levi muttered, cheeks flushed.
Hanji smiled before nodding at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. His gesture wasn't an easy thing for him to do. Understanding easily what Levi was trying to convey without words, Hanji thought to herself, I love you too. We'll pull through this thing together...