Follow Lara's journey, an orphan girl of just ten years old, who joins the Survey Corps. Having Levi Ackerman and Hange Zoë as her tutors, her life takes on a new meaning as the relationship with these two soldiers grows. And, as time goes by, she d...
On a Monday morning, Commander Erwin Smith summoned the Survey Corps' soldiers to a meeting at the refectory. Everyone was tense, because when he scheduled that kind of meeting, it was because a new mission was in sight.
Lara was sitting down at a table with Hange, Levi, and some other soldiers, like Mike and Moblit. They had just finished breakfast and Mike was playing with Lara to see who could hit each other's hands the fastest. Mike wasn't taking it easy, but he was surprised by the girl's speed.
Erwin went towards an improvised stage and some of his assistants handed him some papers, which he leafed through for a few seconds. The Commander muttered a few things to himself and looked at the audience.
"Good morning, everyone," he said, firmly, "I was informed by a few soldiers from the west District of Krolva that for a little beyond that region, an abandoned camp was spotted, where it's very likely that it has a lot of equipment of extreme importance to us from the Armed Forces."
The soldiers exchanged surprised looks. If that was really true, it would be great, because Erwin had been getting complaints for a few weeks about the lack of ODM gear pieces.
"By your reactions," he continued, "I assume you all liked the news. If all goes well, we'll complete this mission with a fresh stock of blades, belts, gas cylinders, and other important parts for the use of our ODMs."
Erwin took a long pause and a deep breath. The soldiers leaned forward, curious.
"However..." he sighed, "Unfortunately, that region is infested with Titans. So I ask you to prepare yourselves in the best possible way. We're leaving next Monday, so we have an entire week to make all preparations. During the next few days, I'll pass on the other instructions. If any of you have any questions, our doors are always open. Thank you for your attention. You're dismissed."
Erwin left the stage and the soldiers were still seated, looking at each other, uneasily. Gradually, they got up and left the refectory, talking in whispers. Mike ruffled Lara's hair and also left. Moblit saw Hange signal for him to take Lara to the lab, for she would stay a little longer.
Moblit headed towards Lara and guided her out of the refectory. The girl had a serious expression. Before she was out of sight, Lara peeked back, where she saw Hange and Levi watching her with worried faces.
When the refectory was almost empty, with only the presence of Erwin, his assistants, and a few other soldiers, Hange looked at Levi, who was sitting in front of her.
"Levi..." started Hange, anxious.
"I know," he cut it short in a dark tone, "I know what's gonna happen."
"She can't go!" Hange hit the table, calling the attention of some colleagues. She apologized and continued, in a whisper, "Lara is not ready yet!"
Levi looked down at his hands, melancholic. He hated to admit it, but Lara was ready. Anyone could see that, even Hange. Surely not all soldiers would go on the missions. Some would stay at the HQ, but not resting or having fun. They stayed to make sure everything continued working perfectly there. If Lara stayed, it would be nothing but favoritism, which would not be good for her.
"Levi, please..." Hange grabbed his hands, squeezing them. He was startled by her sudden movement and touch, and his heart beat faster. "Talk to Erwin!"
"Talk to me about what?" a voice came from behind Hange. It was the Commander.
Hange got a fright and stood up in a jump. Levi remained seated, looking at his two friends.
"Erwin..." said Hange, clearly upset, because her voice seemed to be choked up, "I beg you, please don't let Lara go on this mission."
He looked from Hange to Levi, who was staring at Erwin from the shadows of his bangs. The Commander closed his eyes and placed a hand on the Squad Leader's shoulder.
"Hange..." he said, sighing, "You know how closely I followed Lara's progress. I remember very well, as you do too, that she had promised us she would be humanity's strongest soldier. Of course, we know she's still not the strongest, but we can clearly see that Lara is outperforming many soldiers in the Survey Corps. Mike himself told me that one of these days, he played sword fighting with her just for fun and it was harder than he would've imagined. If they hadn't been playing with wooden swords, Mike said he would have died at least four times by Lara's hands."
Hange pressed her fingers on her eyes, trying to hold back tears. Yes, she knew all that and more. Lara had not only become an excellent soldier, but also a great apprentice. The time the two of them had spent together, whether in the lab or in the bedroom, in their baths, in the refectory, or anywhere else, had been the best of her life. And Hange didn't want to miss that.
"Listen," continued Erwin, "I know you're worried and I confess that I also don't like the idea of sending an almost eleven-year-old girl to what can be her certain death."
After listening to those last two words, Hange slapped Erwin's hand off her shoulder and sat back down, covering her face. Levi was clenching his own hands and gritting his teeth nervously. At that moment, he felt an intense urge to wrap Hange in his arms and wipe away her tears. His chest got tight, filled with feelings like anger and helplessness, but he tried hard to suppress them all. Levi remained quiet.
Erwin patted Hange on the back, trying to comfort her.
"If I don't let Lara go," he said, "we may lose more soldiers in this mission. If she goes, our chance of success can be greater."
Hange remained in silence and slowly nodded. Erwin headed towards Levi, who was staring at his own feet.
"On Saturday, you and some other soldiers are going to Stohess District," said Erwin, "I need you to take some horses there to do a general checkup for the mission. I'm sure you'll be back by Sunday at lunchtime."
Levi just nodded. Erwin left the refectory and at that point, only Hange and Levi were left in the room. Silence reigned between them both. Now that Hange realized that she was alone with Levi, she started to cry and sob, bouncing her shoulders.
Levi clenched his own hands so tightly that he started to hurt himself. His heart was beating fast and he was feeling a burning sensation in his eyes, which were completely red. He tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly and gritted his teeth.
Hange looked so small there, covering her face with her hands. God in Heaven, how much Levi wanted to hug that woman! He had an urge to cross that table, sit next to her, and leave Hange cry on his chest as much as she wanted. He would stroke that messy hair of hers and would wipe away her tears.
Levi's body was shaking all over, and for just a second, he thought he would be capable of doing all of that he had thought. But, he just didn't have the guts. Instead of standing up to comfort Hange, Levi jumped off his seat so abruptly, it startled the woman. He practically rushed out of the refectory, leaving Hange stunned and alone.
Besides feeling sadness, Hange was now feeling anger. Anger at Levi.
For just a millisecond, she mentally swore him a "coward".
How much would Levi be willing to pay for suppressing his feelings that much?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
