Hanji's POV
"Charles, I got the titan crystals," I say to him as soon as I climbed down into his underground bunker. "How long will this take?"
"As I said, Hanji, it'll take a few days for me to extract from these crystals. "I know you're itching to go back home to the one you care about. But it'll take a bit longer for me to turn that into a serum. As well as we need to test it. Of course, I'm a Marleyan, and it won't work on me. But on you... we can test it on you."
"How did you test the previous serum if you were a Marleyan? How did you know that it would've healed me?"
He sat up, straightening his back. "You told me about those Scouts who used to go out on expeditions to explore the world beyond the walls. Sometimes, those horses carried their riders out here, and I took them in as much as I could. For a few of them, I asked if I could use the serum on them. I remember them crying because they thought they couldn't make it back home, so they said yes to me. The serum I gave to you was a successful one- going back 3 years. I have the right recipe for it. Would you mind if I tested it on you? Just in case."
My hand went straight to my missing eye, and I sighed. There was a chance that I could get my eye back... and I could be whole again. Then, I could give the serum to Levi and he could get better as well! Oh... but because he's an Ackerman... would it work? We never tested it out in fear we would ruin them. We were always afraid of using the titan serums on Levi and Mikasa because we didn't know how it'll affect them. Even if it did work, how could we get those Ackermans back into humans? We needed shifters. It was too much of a risk that I was not willing to take.
If it doesn't work on Levi but does on me... would it be fair for me to be fully healed of my injuries and he's left to suffer without his whole body? It might be enough for him to smile to know that I'm no longer a broken person... but could I smile to him, knowing that I did my best to ensure he would be fully healed of his injuries, but he could not be whole again? Should I leave myself broken like this so Levi wouldn't feel alone with those wounds that can never heal properly?
"Hanji?"
"Huh?" I looked at him, tilting his head. "Oh... right... my answer... Charles, let me ask you a question... after taking these serums, in 3 years, would I go back to my state of being burned?"
He shook his head. "No. We healed you of those injuries. Sure, it may have made your body younger, but it does not mean you will have those burns again."
"I see..." I wouldn't need to worry about reusing those serums to keep us from experiencing those painful injuries again. "I'm... not too sure about being tested... I know that if I do, I'll gain back my eye. But the person I care about the most... I'm not sure if the serum would work on him."
"Is he a Marleyan?"
"No, he's not. He's... special."
"If he's not an Eldian, I wouldn't use the serum on him. This man... is he the one who is badly injured?" I nodded my head. "I'm sorry, Hanji. I am truly, truly sorry."
"I believe he's half Eldian... wouldn't that work?"
"I don't believe so-."
"But Reiner, the Marleyan Warrior, is half Marleyan and half Eldian! He's able to turn into a titan! Therefore, it must work on an Ackerman! Right? Right...?"
Charles looked at me as if I was a little crazy. "Ackerman...? Like in the legends? I thought that was nothing but a legend... the person you care the most about is an Ackerman?"
"Names don't matter-."
"It does when it comes to an Ackerman. Hanji, I don't think it'll work-."
"It... it has to..." I could feel the tears welling up inside of me, burning my eyes before I could cry. "He's... he deserves everything... he lost a lot of himself... I'm not willing to let this go... please, this has to work..."
Charles sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I doubt it will work."
"But I'll still use it on him... if it doesn't work, then... I shouldn't be healed."
"Hanji, I can give you two serums- one of them to use on the Ackerman and the other for yourself. Is that alright with you?"
I nodded my head, wondering which path is right. I could've healed myself... but that is selfishness. Levi mattered the most. If I know him as best as I know him, seeing something that reminds him of the past is painful enough. Sure, he can get upset that I gave up the chance to have my eye back... but seeing me as whole as I used to be is probably painful because he may never have that chance to be like that.
"Yes, that's fine."
"There are no guarantees this will work- you understand this, right?"
"I... I understand. Just tell me what I need to do."
YOU ARE READING
{LEVIHAN} Always
Fanfiction*BASED ON MANGA Unable to let go of his lover, Levi attempted to lay her to rest. But for her to rest in peace, her body was needed. When his squad and others went to the last place Hanji was seen alive, her body was gone. Levi knew she would always...
