Another week passed and (Y/N) was able to get out of bed and walk around. She had been able to explore the rooms in Hange's house, realizing that just about every room was a chaotic mess. There were things and papers scattered about and the entire house just radiated Hange's energy. She loved it.
"Hey, do you think there is any way for us to contact Jean?" (Y/N) asked from her seat at the wooden dining table. Hange was attempting to make the two of them breakfast.
"Perhaps. Jean Kirstein is his name, right? I could always ask Erwin for help in finding him and getting him to talk to you."
"Could you? I would really like to talk to him," (Y/N) sighed, fiddling with the tablecloth. "I really want to talk to him. To ask him why he's dealing shimmer, why he's on the topside. I have so many questions."
"Sure. I can try today when I head over to the lab," Hange placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of her. "And what about Levi? I thought you wanted to talk to him too."
"Yeah, I have the flare. I'll send it out today and hope that he sees it."
"A flare? That can be incredibly dangerous. Augustus and his men are still searching for you. The other day the King issued out a search warrant in your name," Hange stated.
"I won't get caught," (Y/N) responded, determined. She reached down to feel the tender area where she had gotten stabbed. "I've pretty much healed. I can do this, Hange."
"Just be careful," Hange relented. It warmed (Y/N)'s heart to think that Hange was worried about her safety, that they wanted her to remain alive.
"Sure, cupcake," (Y/N) grinned. "You're surprisingly sweeter than I thought you would be."
Hange shook their head. "I'm going to the lab. Try to stay out of trouble."
--
(Y/N) found herself on a hill near the palace, dressed in one of the cloaks that she had borrowed from Hange. She had sent off the flare ten minutes ago. Everything stood really still. Levi hadn't come. (Y/N) let out a long sigh, staring up into the blue sky. She had hoped he'd be nearby. She better leave before anyone comes to investigate the poof of blue smoke in the sky--
"Are you okay?"
(Y/N) whirled to see Levi climbing the lengths of the hill, looking concerned. Mikasa followed at a distance behind. She let out a sigh of relief. "Levi! Thank god you responded. I was getting worried you wouldn't—"
"Are you okay?" Levi repeated. "We heard of an incident at the palace earlier. Something about a traitor. We hadn't heard from you since and were growing worried."
"Yeah. I got stabbed, but then Hange took me to their house and fixed all my wounds," (Y/N) waved a hand. "I have so many things to tell you, but the most important thing is that I saw Jean. He was dealing shimmer."
"What?" Levi responded, shocked. "You got stabbed? And Jean?"
"And I found the guards who killed Sasha and Connie. Their names are Augustus and Leo. Hange said they'd help me find them and Jean. They were going to talk to King Erwin today and—"
"Hange is going to explain the situation to the King?" Levi asked, his tone dripping with distaste. "And you really think that will go well? What is Hange going to do—walk up to Erwin and tell him how his guards are dealing shimmer? And what if it's the King that was behind this all in the first place?"
"Relax, Levi! Hange is smart. I'm sure they have some sort of plan in mind. And the confrontation isn't going to be that blunt. I...I trust them," (Y/N) said simply. And it was true. Many would call her crazy for that. How could she trust someone from the topside? And the royal scientist at that? But Hange wasn't like all the other topsiders...they listened to her. They took care of her. And never once did they treat her with pity or disgust—even when she had kidnapped them.
"You can't trust Hange," Levi sighed. "They—"
"They nursed me back to health, Levi. They're letting me stay in their house even though they'll get punished if the King catches them. Hange helped me by telling me intel that I would never have found out on my own. Don't you think they would have betrayed me by now if that was their intention?" (Y/N) asked. "And we have other pressing matters on our hands. The whole shimmer operation has to be shut down."
"About that...it's been getting worse," Levi said grimly. "Before, only a small percentage of people in the undercity knew about it. The numbers are growing, and the level of addiction as well. Before you know it, shimmer will run rampant in the streets. More people will die due to withdrawal and its other symptoms."
"And that's why we have to stop it now. We know Augustus and Leo are definitely behind it. We have to figure out a way to capture those two. Hange will figure out a way for us to talk to Jean," (Y/N) said, determined. "Just trust me, Levi."
Levi looked at her for a long time before he finally spoke. "Take me to the palace. I know its dangerous for you to be near it right now, but I need to be able to scope out the exits. For our next plan, we need to know all areas of infiltration. Once we reach there, point out any exits you know."
"Alright."
--
(Y/N) led Levi up the hill, trying to get him as close to the palace as she could without being spotted by the guards. Luckily for her, Hange's cloak was fancy enough to be considered a typical outfit on the topside, which allowed not a lot of people to pay attention to her.
"The palace should be coming up in a minute," (Y/N) huffed as she trudged up the hill.
"Are you alright?" Mikasa asked, concerned. She had been walking near (Y/N) and had heard her heavy breathing. "Are you even sure it's okay for you to be climbing this mountain?"
"I'm fine," (Y/N) reassured. "Just a little out of shape after lying in bed for a week. Hange said my injury is pretty much healed."
Mikasa nodded and walked silently besides her. Levi walked a few feet back, guarding them from the rear. He was still skeptical about trusting Hange and (Y/N) understood why. He had grown up hating the topsiders and being betrayed by almost everyone he had called a friend. It was better to err on the side of caution than to be crushed once more.
"The palace should be coming up..." (Y/N) trailed off when she saw a thick tendril of smoke curl up into the sky. It was coming from where the palace stood. "What is that?"
"Looks like smoke," Levi's hand instinctively went to the blade that sat at his waist.
(Y/N) hurried closer, her eyes widening when she had realized that there was a lot of smoke. Almost as if there had been a fire. She found herself walking closer, looking over the edge of the cliff to look closer at the palace. She felt her heart sink when she realized that one of the balconies of the palace had crumbled. Smoke was unfurling from the area where the balcony had crumbled.
"Oh no," (Y/N) whispered. "That's where...That's where Hange's lab is..."
Levi frowned. "The area where the balcony fell off is Hange's lab? Did they say they'd be at the Palace today?"
"Yes," (Y/N) breathed. She felt a surge of panic. Was Hange oaky? It seemed as if the entire wall near their lab had crumbled down. "They were supposed to finish up an experiment before talking to Erwin."
"We can't go into the Palace now," Levi looked towards the crowd that had begun to appear next to the palace walls. There were dozens of guards nearby, trying to prevent people from peering in. "It looks like there has been an explosion of some kind. People might suspect you."
"I can't leave," (Y/N)'s eyes were glued to the place where Hange's lab had been. "Not until I know Hange is okay. They saved my life, Levi. The least I can do in return is to make sure they're fine."
"What do you plan on doing? You can't just walk in there and ask to see Hange. You're a wanted person now," Levi was exasperated. "Just leave Hange and let's go back. We'll come up with another plan—"
"No," (Y/N) said firmly. She had to make sure Hange was alright. They had to be. Even though she had once threatened to kill Hange if they'd ever betray her, she couldn't imagine them actually dead. She felt a deep sense of dread at that thought and hope with everything within her that they'd be alive and fine. That they had gone to talk to the king, and not had stayed behind in their lab.
"(Y/N)," Mikasa said softly, reaching out to place a hand on her arm. "There is not much we can do. Let's go back. Maybe this will be on the news. Maybe Hange will come back to their house, completely fine."
"But what if they don't?" (Y/N) whispered.
"Then we'll come back and ask around," Mikasa gently tugged at her arm. "Let's go back."
Reluctantly, (Y/N) let Mikasa pull her away from the ledge, her eyes still glued on the smoldering building. Hange had to be alright.
--
(Y/N) paced the living room in Hange's house, her eyes on the clock. It had been five hours. Five whole hours without any word from Hange. Levi had said that the news was calling it an accidental explosion that happened due to an experiment in the royal scientist's lab. So far, three guards had died. There was no mention of whether the royal scientist had lived or not.
"You really care about Hange, don't you?" Levi spoke up from where he sat on the sofa, his expression one of distrust. It didn't seem as if he approved of how (Y/N) felt for the topsider.
She let out a slow sigh. "Look, I don't...I just don't want them to be dead. I want them to be alive. And not just because I need their intel or help or whatever. Hange's a good person, Levi."
"I know," Levi said quietly. "But I want you to know that naïve trust can be dangerous. I've made the same mistake in the past. In fact, it was the King that I had trusted, and look where it got me."
"King Erwin?" (Y/N) asked, astonished. "You personally knew King Erwin?"
From the looks of Levi's face, he really didn't want to talk about it. "I'm just saying—"
But before Levi could continue on with the sentence, the door to Hange's mansion creaked open. Everyone froze, everyone's hands going to their weapons. Hange had told her that no one came to visit them. So did that mean...
(Y/N) hurried to the door, her heart erupting with relief when she saw Hange. They were limping, one of their arms in a cast, their face had cuts and bruises, but they were alive.
"Hange!" She exclaimed, rushing to meet them. She didn't hug them or throw her arms around them, even though she wanted too. Instead, she gripped them by the arm, eyeing them with concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Hange winced. "Just got released by the hospital. An explosion's got nothing on me, dear."
"I was worried," (Y/N) said softly. "We went to see the palace and it was full of smoke...the news said it was because of an experiment you were doing?"
Hange let out a sharp laugh as they closed the door behind them. "An experiment I did? Oh no. It wasn't me, (Y/N). Someone planted an explosive device in my lab. And there was a motive behind it, in which they were successful."
"What do you think the motive was."
Hange looked at her grimly. "To kill Augustus and Leo."