Hange Zoe

1

NOTE: This backstory is not canon. 'Leon Keith' and the other characters you may not recognize are characters that I completely just made up lol. There's a bit of LeviHan in this story so if you're not a fan of that, you can always just read the italicized paragraphs.

'I'm hella exhausted.' The thoughts of the commander float around as she looks to her right where humanity's strongest is still unconscious. Unconscious but alive. She just had to treat him right now and she had no idea how the hell she'd do that with all the bullets her body took. 'How many were they again?' She wonders, her hand reaching for her leg...... '1 on my right leg.... 2 on my left......' Her hand moves to her back and she sighs. '5 in total.' She tries to move but her body won't let her. She used the last of her strength to pull her and her comrade out of that strong river. She huffs and lets her body fall back. She was now looking up at the sky. "If only things down here were as peaceful as it looks up there.. that'd be nice huh, Levi?" She asks, mindful that he's still unconscious. The dark sky was full of countless bright stars again. A beauty she had completely forgotten to appreciate once she joined the Survey Corps.

"Hange, over here!" The young girl with long, brown hair looks up and squints. Once the figure gets closer, she realises it is Leon Keith, her close friend, running to her. She stands up with a happy smile and waves back. "Ah, Leon!" "You didn't...." He starts, stopping to catch his breath. "..recognize me again from afar, didn't you?" She replies with a "Hehe." making him sigh. "Well? What brings you here?" "I came to check up on you. You seem fine." "Mhm!" She cheerfully replies, "He hasn't come back for almost two whole weeks now." Leon sighs in relief. "Is auntie alright?" "Better than ever. Mom's become more cheerful. So have Boris and I!" "That's good." "It is." "Ah, here," Leon takes something out from the small bag he brought along and shows it to her. "What's that?" She asks, looking close. "This is.... the Hange glass!" "Hange glass..?" "It's a pair of glasses I asked my dad to make for you." "Oh!" "Try it on." He says, putting it on her without asking. "It's.... it's tight." "Ah, sorry. Let me just....." He goes behind her to adjust it and stands back in front of her when he's done. "Tada! Well?" Her eyes widen in amazement. "Woah! I can see you clearly, Leon!" He grins. "Your skin looks rough." His grin disappears for a few seconds before he starts laughing. "You're weird!" "Hange glass..... Why Hange glass?" "Cause they're goggles with the glass to help make you see. That way, they'll never fall of when you're fighting." "Ah, I see.... Sounds stupid." She smiles as he gives her a look. "Thank you." "You're welcome." "......But why would I need to fight anyone?" "You're joining me." "To?" "We're joining the Military Police when we're older, right?" "Oh right.... Right! We're going to become the strongest duo!" "Yeah!"

That happiness didn't last long. She opens her eyes again, seeing that same beautiful night sky above her. Why? Why was she remembering all this now? She heard a grunt that cut off her thoughts and made her sit up. "Levi..?!" That's right, she needed to get help. Right now. She forces herself to stand up even if her whole body is shaking and she just immediately falls back right next to Levi. "Damn it." His left eye barely opens and he sees somebody shaking as she tries to pick herself back up. Her messy hair is a giveaway. "Han.... ge.." "You're awake. We'll get you help soon." He closes his eyes again because it hurts but remains awake. "Hold on.." She positions him on her back and lifts them both up. He's light. 'This would be easy if I wasn't shot.' She shakes her thoughts and takes a step forward.

She wakes up and hears Leon's voice but can't tell what he's saying. 'Where am I..?' She wonders as she tries to recall the last events. Leon gave her a pair of goggles, she went back home to show her mother and Boris, she helped them make dinner then..... then her father came back. Her eyes widened with fear and she starts looking around the room desperately for her mom or her baby brother. "M-mom!! Boris!? Where.... Where are th-?!" When she looks at Leon, his expression was enough to tell her everything and she loses all her energy. "......What happened, Leon?" "Hange," "Let me tell her, Leon." Leon's father says, gently placing a hand on Leon's shoulder before going to Hange's side. "You've been unconscious for 4 days now, Hange." "4..?" "The other night, we could all hear disturbing noises from your home. When people came over to see what was going on, they found all four of you unconscious and..... bloody. With some help, the neighbors, Leon and I brought all four of you here and got some help." She was speechless, letting him keep talking. "Only...... only you and your father survived. Now.... I can already assume but can you please tell me what happened that night?" They receive no response and Leon just silently reaches for her shaking hand. Her expression was something he'd never seen before. Hange would always smile even if her father would beat her up then but.. now she showed an genuinely sad expression that broke his heart. She takes a deep breath and starts speaking in an uneasy voice. "That night.... that man came home after being missing for 12 days.. and..... and he got into another argument with mom again. I thought it was the usual. I already expected him to hurt mom and me again but.. but this time he had something with him. Mom told me and Boris to hide but after Boris saw it, he got out and tried to take it from him." "What was that something..?" He gently asks her. "..A small knife." "I see..... What else happened?" Her hand forms into a fist and Leon doesn't take his off on top of hers. "And.... and he used it against Boris.... then mom.... then he saw me looking out from the corner of the door and slowly came to me.. I tried to run..... I really, really tried to run but he got me.. it was-" "That's enough. You don't have to force yourself to say anymore." "No, wait.... I feel like I have to say this." Leon and his dad look at each other then back at Hange. "I think he stuck it in himself before it could reach me."