Riverbank {LeviHan} [Manga Spoilers!]

Chapter 19: Aftermath

Mikasa's POV

"No, she can't be gone!" Jean shouted to Historia, and we all fell sorrowfully. She was the only one left here that knew what we've been through. Eren and Armin were all gone from the titan's curse. Historia, Jean, Connie, and I were left. Hanji was the only surviving one as the former commander of the Survey Corps- and now she was gone. "She can't be! What now?!"

"It's just life." I say quietly, shaking my head. "We live and we die."

How much we have all changed since then. Jean actually found himself a wife and was expecting their second child. Connie wasn't much, but slowly introducing himself to a young woman. Historia has her daughter, and preparing her for the throne. And I? I couldn't move on. Everything was taken away from me, but I knew I should keep my line going. Captain Levi Ackerman was the last male Ackerman we have ever known. As much as I hated him, I learned that family was important- carrying the family name was important. Mother wanted me to keep it going to my children, so I shouldn't abandon it.

"Now what? What are we gonna do?" Jean continues to freak out, sighing heavily. 

"We give her a proper funeral." Connie, at last, speaks. "Queen Historia-"

"Don't call me that anymore..." She says, looking at us directly in our eyes. "We trained together, don't call me that. Not in front of me."

Connie nods his head, "Still, you said that she loved Captain Levi, am I wrong?"

In response, she shook her head. "You're not wrong. She did love him. Planning to let her rest next to him?"

"It does seem proper to do." I say, seeing that no one else was speaking. "Let her rest next to him. She deserves it. Like all of us, she suffered and sacrificed a lot. We were young and lost a lot instantly, but she lived longer and suffered losing more friends than we have. She had the experience that none of us had. Why wouldn't we let Commander Hanji rest with the person she loved the most?"

Unanimously, we nodded our heads and accepted her fate. 

*   *   *

Our heads laid down when Commander Hanji's gravestone was being implanted behind that mount of dirt. Next to it was Captain Levi's. Behind those two gravestones laid my two childhood friends. Eren Jaeger and Armin Arlert. I sighed softly, seeing how far we have come. So many of us went into the Cadet Corps with hopes and dreams, only to be crushed by that attack in Trost. From Trost, some of us went into the Survey Corps- only expressing so many casualties by Annie Leonhardt. 

What happened there? We went downhill. Our hopes and dreams were being shattered and being granted. Armin's dream was to see the ocean that laid beyond us, and look... he did that. Eren freed humanity in the walls, and allowing them to be free to spread their wings. 

How could we lose so many people... how?

My only thoughts thought of everyone had fallen were walking in new steps. I take a deep breath, thinking every one of them were around us, watching. I couldn't stop thinking that everyone I loved was still here.

Commander Hanji Zoe died peacefully, and we should leave it at that. There are always people who doesn't deserve to die. But of course... this life is cruel yet beautiful, and so we must respect it.