Hange Zoe Short Story Collection

Yellow (Part 6)

"I swam across, I jumped across for you. What a thing to do. Cause you were all yellow..."

Days slowly passed by since the second wall invasion. Many things occurred during that time, for starters, there was Eren Yeager, the newfound hope of humanity. There were also rumors about a spy that had infiltrated the scouts. That baffled (Y/N) greatly. What would the spy be spying on exactly? Wasn't it humanity versus the titans? But she didn't pay much mind to it and carried out her duties like a good soldier. Hange had never mentioned her near-death encounter again, but she could tell that they kept a watchful eye on her. Even though they were swamped and had other important things to do, they always made time for her.

(Y/N) currently lay on the soft green grass, staring up at the vast sky with millions of stars twinkling down at her. She raised a hand, as if trying to reach for a star. She was a mere ant on a rock, floating in space. The insignificance of existence itself began to make her doubt her reasons for fighting. Normally, she would have succumbed to the voices and felt miserable, but this time her thoughts eventually strayed to Hange. She thought of the words they had said, it's not your time. She thought of their persistence in wanting to help her. She thought of how they had exclaimed they were proud of her—something (Y/N) hadn't heard once the entire two decades she had lived.

In a world full of darkness and despair, Hange had become a lantern for her. It hadn't happened all at once, of course. They might not have known but due to their persistence and close proximity, they had improved the quality of (Y/N)'s life greatly. She had realized this due to very small changes that wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else. For once, she had slept a peaceful night. No nightmares. No tossing and turning. She hadn't had any blissful dreams either, but at least her sleep wasn't tormented.

It was amazing, wasn't it? The addition of one person...getting to know just one person had changed her life. It might not have been in dramatic ways, but it was still appreciated. Although, she still feared getting close to them. She couldn't let her guard down.

"I don't need them," she whispered softly, hoping that saying it out loud would cause her brain to believe it. But she couldn't help but want to see Hange again. She couldn't help but want to see their smile, to hear their encouraging voice.

"I don't need them," she repeated again firmly. The stars twinkled back at her, as if they were laughing at her. (Y/N) sighed heavily, rubbing at her eyes. She was growing tired. Maybe she should go back inside to actually sleep. Staring at the stars had been her favorite pastime, a method that she would partake in whenever her nightmares or insomnia got really bad.

"You're up late."

(Y/N)'s eyes shot open, and she sat up, blinking at the figure of Hange. A sudden bout of déjà vu washed over her, and she felt as if she had lived that moment before. Hange smiled softly before kneeling down to sit next to her, their long legs sprawled ahead of them on the grass.

"Section Commander," (Y/N) nodded. She wasn't as perturbed by their presence as she had thought she would be. In fact, she welcomed the company—a feat that wouldn't have been possible mere months ago. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to stargaze."

"That's a good idea," Hange hummed. "I do the same exact thing. Great minds think alike, huh?"

Her mind could never compare to Hange's. "I guess."

"Tell me, (Y/N)," Hange spoke up after a few minutes of heavy silence. "What do you think about when you gaze at all those stars above."

The feeling of déjà vu was getting stronger and (Y/N) turned to stare at Hange, briefly wondering if this were all a dream. "Um, whatever is on my mind."