One Day... {LeviHan}

Chapter 24: Goodbyes

Hanji's POV

When I came to, I saw Levi pacing back and forth. I know his tone. He's whispering something under his breath. I only caught a word of his whispering, "promise,"

"L-Levi..." I called out in a meek voice. "Levi... come here..."

A single glance toward my way and I felt all the strength leave my body. I thought I regained my strength when I slept for hours, but it went away. Something's wrong. I know it's wrong. But what is it? That I don't know. He closed his eyes, sighing heavily before walking to me. 

"Levi, what's going on?"

"I have to leave."

"For how long?"

"Until I kill the bastard."

He's not coming back until the bastard of an uncle is dead. He's panicking. Something must have happened between the two of them. It must've been recent. Did they talk when I was regaining my strength? For you to be in this state of mind, he had to have threatened our son. Between the two of us,  our son is the only one that's vulnerable to the horrors of the real world so early. He's the most vulnerable one out of us all.

"Levi, if you don't come back before he turns one... I'll kill you myself."

A small smile tugged on Levi's face even if it was just a bit. "I promise, I'll be here before he turns one. I promise."

"When will you leave?"

"As soon as possible. He's around here, and he's getting far. I should never have gotten involved-."

"Levi, even though it was dangerous, I'm glad to have my best friend back. I'm glad to have our son."

"Is it time for the birth certificate? I want to leave after we officially name our son."

"We can call the nurse over now."

*   *   *

We thought we had agreed on a name, but when filling out his middle name, we ran into some trouble. Levi wanted one name, and I wanted another. We revised it, wanting a new name we thought would fit him. As for his first name, the spelling was changed. I wanted it to be unique. Levi wanted it to be simple.

"Zayne Charles Ackerman." I say confidently, "I like that."

"I think the first name should be different. Without the 'y' it is better."

"Well, you'll be gone for a while, I have a higher power over Zayne's name. I'll be going with the 'y' name, Levi. You don't get a vote." I smiled brightly as our son's name was written out. 

Once the form is filled out, we turn it into the nurse for it to be officially processed. While we were waiting for them to bring our son back, I lowered my voice, almost pleading for him to stay. I know it's in our best interest, but if something were to happen, I'd be left with a baby boy. I'm scared that I can't raise a baby on my own without Levi. But I want to have Zayne forever. I want him to have a dad as I did. 

"Levi... promise me you'll be back..."

"I promise. Don't look for me. I beg of you. Stay out. It's not just you anymore, our son's life is on the line."

"I'll handle some other cases in the meantime. For Zayne's sake. But if you don't come back before Zayne turns 1 year old, I'm not sure what to do. Do you understand me, Levi? I want to go back to my job. The usual stuff. I want to do what I hoped to do when I got into the academy. I can't juggle that and our son by myself."

"I know. I'll make sure I'll be here before his birthday. I promise."

"Say goodbye to Zayne..." The tears began to fall down my face. I can't handle it anymore. I wanted to scream at him and beg for him to stay forever. The selfish part of me wanted Levi to stop hunting his uncle just for him to stay with me. But more people could get hurt if his uncle isn't stopped. For the sake of everyone's lives, I'll be alone for a while. I'll suffer to stop someone's suffering."

"I'll see you guys again... I promise."

"That's just an empty promise until you fulfill it. Levi, I know you promised it, but I need to know that you'll keep it."

"I'll prove it. I'll be back. No matter what it takes."

"I would ask for details, but I might never come to terms with what you'll do."

We sat in silence for a bit until our son came back to us. As much as I wanted to hold Zayne, it was Levi's last time holding him for a long time. He whispers words to him that I couldn't hear. He must've held him for half an hour before Levi gave him back into my arms. He kisses my lips, caressing my cheek with his thumb. 

"I love you, Hanji... I love you and Zayne. I'll do anything to protect you two. Be safe..."

We kissed again until I watched him leave. Once he left, I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. I wanted to hold Zayne close to my chest, hoping for Levi's warmth to comfort me. The only thing that held me back was that I was afraid of squeezing him too tightly. Zayne began to cry only minutes after Levi left. We cried together, waiting for the day Levi comes back to us.