Hange Zoe Short Story Collection

Yellow (Part 9)

"Look at the stars...look how they shine for you...and all the things that you do..."

The feeble hope that (Y/N) had held in her heart, hoping that one day things would get better, had fizzled away. If things had seemed dark before, they were completely haywire now. Eren had started the rumbling, the survey corps had gotten disbanded, the Jeagerists were demanding rule, it was all going haywire. So many lives had been lost already and the bloodbath was yet to continue.

However, even in the face of it all, Hange had still persevered. After they had discovered the injured body of Levi, they had spent days nursing him back to health. Luckily, (Y/N) had been with them so she had assisted Hange. She had witnessed Hange's determination to keep one of their friends alive firsthand, and she could see the frustration in their eyes. They weren't going to let Levi die. They had lost Erwin. Moblit. Their entire squad. Levi had to live, he had to.

"He's going to be fine," (Y/N) had whispered, staring at the sleeping body of Levi. Humanity's strongest soldier had to be alive.

"I sure hope so," Hange sighed, burying their head in their hands.

"It'll get better..." (Y/N) trailed off, not sure if she believed her own words. With the beginning of the rumbling, she had begun to think that humanity was at the brink of its demise.

"Sometimes I wish that we could just...run away from the mess we left behind," Hange sighed. "Why not just live in the woods? It'd be better than dealing with the rumbling."

"I understand that," (Y/N) placed a hand on their arm. "But we have to keep moving, don't we? Staying in the woods won't solve our problems."

"When did you get so wise, (Y/N)?" Hange gave a small smile.

"When I got put on your squad, Commander," (Y/N) smiled back, grateful to see some remnants of Hange's smile.

"Call me Hange," they turned to her. "If there's no survey corps, then I'm not technically the commander, am I? At this moment, we're equals. So, call me by my name."

(Y/N) blinked, startled by Hange's sudden proclamation. She could call them by their name? That felt strangely intimate. She silently mouthed the letters of their name, trying to get it to roll off her tongue.

"Okay...Hange," she said quietly. "But just know that I'll always follow you, whether you're in a position of leadership or not."

Hange didn't respond, they only patted her hand lightly, as they stared off into the distance. (Y/N) wondered what they were thinking about. They had gotten so reclused, so withdrawn, over the course of the past few months that she wasn't able to read them anymore. It was at times like these she began to wonder if her presence was enough support for Hange.

She watched as they stood to change Levi's bandages, her eyes seeking the familiar warmth that used to emanate from them.

~~~~~~

For a brief moment, (Y/N) had felt the taste of success. She had stared at the plane, feeling triumphant and confident in her and her team's abilities to stop the rumbling. But that had been before the plane had been attacked and one of the parts had broken.

"No," (Y/N) whispered, staring at the broken plane. They had been so close. So close. She could see the looming colossal titans in the distance, each minute bringing them closer. Was this it? Was this how she was going to die? By being trampled by colossal titans? Years ago, she would have taken this opportunity. Occasionally, the glimpses of her dead loved ones would flash before her mind, reminding her of the stabbing pain that had occurred with their loss. But now, instead of succumbing to the darkening desire to let go, she thought of Hange. The one who had taught her how to live, the one who had taught her that even though it seemed like it, love was not a weakness.