The Fragments of Us | Levihan |

|{|}| PROLOGUE |{|}|

The sun's golden tendrils reach up from the horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful conglomeration of rosy, golden clouds. A sight that once signified renewed hope, now a looming harbinger of the devastation that would befall the world from the Rumbling.

The Alliance stand at the quaint little seaport of Odiha. The eyes of both Eldians and Marleyans alike are fixated on the towering wall of Colossal Titans advancing toward the port. Shreds of time and tentatively built-up hope seem to slip away with every step the blood-red giants take, evaporating into oblivion like the scalding-hot steam emanated from the Titans.

Levi stands at the end of the concrete pier, his cropped black hair blowing in wisps across his face. His hands hang limp at his sides. He's just waiting, idle... waiting for Hanji... holding her gaze, knowing this is the last time he'll ever see her.

She strides down the pier towards him after her exchange with Pieck. Her Omni-Directional Mobility gear clinks lightly against her hips with each step. Her forest-green Scout cloak billows in the wind, the overlapping blue and white wings of the Scout Regiment insignia rippling with life. She has a look of resolve set on her finely arched brows, along with an unexpected peace that seems to have overtaken her conscience.

Something tightens in Levi's chest—a swollen, sickening ache. He clenches his teeth to stifle the pain.

Levi suddenly pictures a different scene from a different life playing out before him: Hanji walking down a packed dirt path strewn with white flower petals. Her lacy wedding dress, studded with jewels and gleaming pearls, glimmer in the sun. The cold sheen of the thunder spears strapped to her muscular arms have been replaced by a bouquet of orange roses and pink calla lilies, which sits in her carefully cupped hands. Levi, in turn, is wearing a crisp black suit with a matching boutonnière fastened to his lapel. They are back in the lush woodlands of Paradis Island.

Hanji's honeyed voice echoes in his mind.

Maybe we should just live here together. Right... Levi?

At that moment, a surge of adrenaline as strong as all the seas rushes through Levi's bloodstream, tearing through his veins and heart. In this moment the temptation he felt in that very forest seizes him again in a vice-like grip: The temptation to drop his title, drop his reputation, drop whatever duties and expectations his subordinates hold for him... for in this moment, all he wants is to be with Hanji. Hanji. Messy, unkempt hair. Animated, lively eyes. Her unquenchable flame of curiosity. Hanji who doesn't know the first thing about hygiene. Hanji who is kind and empathetic towards everyone she meets. Hanji, who is always willing to listen to outside perspectives.

Hanji.

Hanji who sparks passions and emotions in Levi like he's never felt before... and who would never put her own selfish desires before her duties.

Levi's own voice rings in his ears.

If we keep running and hiding... what will that get us?

"... So, Four Eyes. Yet another love for a Titan gone unrequited, I see," murmurs Levi as Hanji reaches him. He throws a nonchalant glance at Pieck, who has just rejoined the rest of the group at the hangar bay on the other side of the pier.

"... We'll be friendly in no time," she drawls. Then she mumbles, "hey... Levi, do you think they're all watching? Do you think... we can finally hold our heads high for our dead comrades...?"

Levi hangs his head. "... Don't you start talking like him too..."

Hanji nods. Then her entire demeanour shifts. She is smiling, but it's not the same smile that Levi is used to. Her eyes would sparkle like morning sunshine. By nature, Hanji's smile is fervent but sweet, her mouth stretching across her rosy cheeks into an ear-splitting grin.

This smile, though.

The smile that takes hold of Hanji's face now seems dull, stiff, strained. Levi swears there are tears in her eyes.

She says softly. "You understand, Levi. My time... has come."

But you're all I have left.

"I wanna go out with a bang."

I can't lose you too.

"So please, let me go..."

... Don't go.

Levi keeps his eyes on the brightening horizon. He can't bring himself to look at Hanji. He's afraid if he does, he will hold her tight and never let her go. Levi pushes the onslaught of words that threaten to tumble out of him down into the pit of his stomach, engulfing him in a wave of nausea. The deafening groan of Odiha's collapse tears through the air.

The wall of Titans is almost upon them.

Before he can stop himself, Levi gently raises his left hand into a fist over Hanji's chest in the form of the Scout Regiment salute.

"... Devote your heart."

Although Levi's eyes are transfixed on the rising sun, he hears Hanji's soft gasp. Feels her stiffen. The two of them stand there for a few moments, not looking at each other; merely embracing the last few remnants of time they have left together. He holds his fist over her chest for as long as he can, feeling the gentle pit-a-pat of her heart beating against his touch like the wings of a bird in flight.

At long last, Hanji utters a stuttering laugh, breaking the silence. "That's the first time I've heard you say that."

She steps past Levi and, without hesitation, fires the grapple hooks of her ODM gear into a nearby warehouse. She takes off into the sky without a second glance, heading towards the onslaught of Colossal Titans.

Levi fights against the urge to rush after her, vision blurred with tears. All around him Odiha, once a ghost town devoid of life, seems to come alive with the discordance of crumbling buildings and falling Titans. Hanji is situated in the midst of the chaos, a blurred green bullet striking the crimson sea of giants.

Levi had seen death countless times before, had grown numb to its grim inevitability. But this time, it's different.

This time, it's Hanji.

Unable to watch her struggle, Levi turns away from the scene. He doesn't cry. Doesn't act. Even when he wills his feet to drag him into the hangar and onto the flying boat. The Azumabito mechanics and the rest of the Alliance climb in and bolt the doors shut. As the engines roar to life, Levi hears Armin scream.

A dozen voices in mourning are all he needs to know what happened. In the spur of so much feeling, it takes Levi a minute to realise he's out of breath. He wasn't aware that his breathing had been cut off—his heartbeat motionless and clogged in his throat, suffocating him. Thoughts scatter in the ocean breeze and emotions glare out of control, all merging into a dissonant white noise.

In the crowd of grief-stricken faces, Levi sits frozen amidst the chaos, his senses dulled by the overwhelming cacophony of destruction. Tired and defeated, he whispers.

"See ya, Hanji. Watch over us."