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He remembered the first time he noticed her, it was lunch time. The sky was cloudy, dark, with strong wind blowing. Signs of an upcoming storm and they had a short training in the forest after this.
Some people already finished their lunch and now exiting the mess hall. As the door opened, a strong gush of wind swept inside the mess hall, bringing a fragrant air with it. He never smelled something like that before, not in his years living in a military. The scent immediately reminded him of fruit. Fresh, juicy, sweet, light, bright. The scent of spring, the scent of life. The scent that made you feel alive. He wondered, among the five people standing at the door, slightly taken a back by the sudden gush of strong wind from outside, who owns the scent?
As he took another deep breath into the air, Hange elbowed him with a wide grin on her face, teased him with a question if he smelled something he liked at the door. He just huffed at Hange's question, making her laughed even more until Moblit calmed her down and now she turned her teasing to Moblit, leaving Mike alone with his curiosity. Erwin who sat in front of him got curious too, turning his head to the door and back to him with a smile. He stared him back, silently telling him to not even think about joining Hange in teasing him.
*****
The thick forest foliage doesn't even managed to stop the rain. Visibility is only clear for a few meters. Mike with his squad leader were on top of one of the trees, operating the mechanical titan dummy. Between the sound of pouring rain and the occasional thunder, he can hear the faint sounds of horses approaching. When they are close enough, he will release the titan dummy, to see if these new recruits are really capable of handling ambush attack.
The galloping sound is clearer now, they're close. A group of five people approaching. Mike waited a few seconds more to release the dummy, he aimed it so it would dropped above the middle of the group formation.
When the dummy dropped, it surprised the person in the middle of the formation, who managed to hold himself and his horse so they don't fall over. That moment, he saw one person at the back jumped up to the trees, on guard, making sure no other titan apparition jeopardizing their group. He didn't notice when it happened but someone from the front are now charging at the dummy and in one swing, slice the dummy's nape. That person landed on the same tree where Mike was, some two meters below him. That's when he smelled it again. The fruity scent. He couldn't really see that person's face, only a glimpse of blonde hair from under the cloak.
Later in the day as the squad leader and senior members participated on this afternoon's training discussing today's training result, he found out who that person was. Nanaba.
*****
He remembered that day during winterbreak, he was in on Erwin and Hange's plan to sneak out to the forrest on snowy day. As Erwin and Moblit bullshit their way to let Dieter to allow them to get the horses, he saw her in one of the stalls, cleaning it. That damned Hange teased him again, saying she found that fruity smell and told him to make sure. As Hange stopped to ask her about the horses, Mike went around behind her and took a quick sniff of the air. It was true. It was her. The scent was hers.
*****
That day, on the day of another expedition he saw her assigned on the supply cart duty led by Hange. At least he knew she was safe in Hange's team. He remembered that he was amazed by her skill when he saw the titan carcass that night. Her blade work almost severed it's neck.
She's a good and capable soldier. Her skill improved tremendously during subsequent training he observed and he knew it would benefited the Corps a lot to have soldiers like her.
*****
His days were filled with training and expeditions. His life is surrounded by death, humans, horses and titans. Until one day, it's his squad leader's turn. An abnormal titan made a surprise move and he was too late to change his trajectory course. His left leg fell from the titan's mouth. Mike managed to grabbed it off the ground as the titans made another swing to another group.
Later that week, he had to escort the squad leader's family to collect him, or what's left of him, and his belongings, so they can bring him home for proper funeral.
Commander Shadis made him the next squad leader. While pending official letter from the capital, he was assigned to lead the former squad, until he was officially allowed to announced his own squad.
A few months after that, Erwin managed to share the same fate as himself and Hange, somehow, now, has a new title as the squad leader for the titan research program.
*****
Mike will never understand, what's inside Hange's head. She's already busy setting up list of people she wanted to be in her squad, when the official announcement won't be in a few months. He noticed that she put Nanaba's name on the top of her list, when he peek into her notes during lunch.
These past week she said that she's been suspicious of Moblit. Telling him and Erwin that she thought Moblit is up to something and insisted that they should help her found out what he was hiding.
Mike flat out refused to be in any part of Hange's business, telling her to sort it out with Moblit herself. He's her squad member anyway.
*****
Tonight is pretty warm, they had to open all the mess hall door and window to let cooler air in, otherwise the entire mess hall would feel like a sauna.
As he was finishing his dinner, people are starting to make a buzzing sound. At the end of the room, he saw Moblit, Nanaba and two other member wheeling in two large tables. One filled with food, especially roasted meat. One with drinks.
Cheers and whistles erupted throughout the mess hall. Then, Moblit came forward to make a speech. It was about congratulating him, Erwin and Hange on their promotion to squad leaders.
So, this is what Moblit's been hiding all this time. His thought interrupted by Hange pulling his arm so he would stand up and came to the front to taste the food.
As he was enjoying his drink, he noticed Hange with a full plate of food started to sing a happy birthday song, followed by the other members, making a way to a corner table where Nanaba sat.
So, today is Nanaba's birthday. He didn't know that. The poor girl seemed uncomfortable with the sudden attention on her, but she smiled anyway. Sweetly.
Mike went to refill his glass and decide to made one for her too.
As the singing group led by Hange dispersed, he slowly walked to her table and sit opposite her, offering the drink and wished her a happy birthday.
She smiled and thanked him, looking relieved that Hange's singing party is gone now. In return, she offered him her plate of food brought by Hange earlier to share. When he asked, she told him that she didn't really care for birthdays anyway and they enjoy their food in quiet while watching everyone enjoying themselves.
She told him a secret, that the entire thing tonight was entirely Hange's. Not Moblit. She even asked him to tell Hange to be nicer to Moblit. The boy was pretty stressed out trying to keep up with Hange's antics.
*****
Hange was furious with him after he announced that Nanaba was to be in his squad. Well, it's not his fault that Commander Shadis asked him to come forward first to announce his new squad member. All he did was picked someone that would be useful for his squad and Nanaba's combat talent would be useful on the field. Really, didn't she remembered when she almost decapitated the titan? She may be slim but her hands are powerful.
Hange being Hange, she already forgot about her fury to him this morning now at lunch she's already filling everyone's head with her crazy theories and ideas on how to defeat the titans, unaware that she already lost half of her soup content because of how violent she moved around around the table.
*****
Mike took the time before dinner to go to his office after shower. A proper shower after a week of training in the forest. He saw a pile of letters on his desk, reading the names, it was all for his squad members, he took them to the mess hall to distribute them personally.
He waited for Nanaba to show up. She got a letter from a guy named Max and the address is the Military Police's headquarter's office in the capital. He wondered, who was he to her? a relative perhaps? or a lover?
Nanaba finally showed up and took the letter from his hand with a thank you smile. After the letter distribution duty was done, he grabbed his meal and sat at his usual desk along with Erwin, Hange and Moblit.
He just finished his meal when he saw Nanaba making a way out of the mess hall. He excused himself to his table mates and quietly went out to followed her.
Mike went into the stable and looked around trying to figured out where she was when he heard a rustling sound on one of the stalls to his left. He went to peeked inside the stall one by one until he found her, sitting on a stacks of hay in the corner, reading the letter.
He called out to her several times until she finally noticed him. Her face was flat, he couldn't detect any emotion from her. He wandered was it something about the letter when she offered it to him to read.
He was surprised to learned about her father's death. He never knew she still had a father. Well, he still knew nothing about her to be honest. If it wasn't for Hange's celebration he wouldn't know that it was her birthday. He's not sure on how to approach her, if only she broke down with tears it would be easier for him to calm her but, she's calm now, even though he knew it was just a delayed response to the news. So, he dealt it with the only way he knew how. Straight to the point, ordering her to take a three days leave to sort out her personal affairs.
That seemed to work, when he saw her on the administration office the next morning. He waited in his office, and immediately signed her leave request form when she finally came in. Since she's still with the same flat expression on her face like yesterday, Mike offered himself to accompany her back to her village. When she refused the offer, as expected, he knew that she needed the help and filed for leave himself.
*****
That three days of leave gave him a new perspective on her. Things he's glad to know now. Things he wished he never knew. Her village was beautiful, he really enjoyed the scenery, the way she explained things around the village. Only, things went down hill pretty fast after they arrived in her house. He helped her in any way he possibly can because coming home seemed to really overwhelmed her senses, she shuts down.
During lunch at her neighbour's house, Mike learned of her dark past. She doesn't speak much, her eyes fixed to her plate most of the times. As they parted with the neighbour and went to the cemetery, Nanaba was still quiet. He looked around and found a flowery bush by the fence, took a handful of them, tied them together with a single long grass and gave it to her to put on her mother's grave.
That night after dinner, he learned more stories about her dark past from the villager's men. His blood boiled imagining little Nanaba had to live alone with such a violent man. What cruel world made her shone her brightest amongst the gruesome life of a Survey Corps soldier instead of this peaceful village.
His heart beat faster as he ran outside the inn, trying to found her. She's been gone for half an hour and Mike didn't really know the area so, he gambled on going to her house.
That night he realized that she's just a human being. He held her as she screamed out her frustration, cried her heart out. He watched her as she slept, exhausted over pouring out her emotions. He held her again as she resumed her story and explanation on her outburst earlier. That's all he could do. Held her.
*****
He looked at her as they walked back to the inn for breakfast. She's smiling now as she explained to him about her future plans for the house. The morning sun peeked through the trees, when it hit her hair, it made her shine bright the way he always remembered.
THE END