I've never seen anything Hanji x Annie before, but I ship it super hard. Bear with me.

She trembled with nearly uncontrolled excitement.

This is it.

Monstrous footsteps pounded toward their location. The panicked screams of civilians echoed in her ears. Children crying out for their mothers. Screams cut short by death's inescapable clutches.

Nearly. Just hold on a little longer.

The roofs she and her squad perched on seemed intent on throwing them as the whole world seemed to shake with each heavy footfall. She clenched her hand around the trigger, a crazed grin through clenched teeth plastered across her face. She wasn't entirely sure if the cracking she heard was the sound of the fissures being smashed into the stone street, or her tense jaw. The 14 meter Female titan hurled herself through the streets just close enough to finally capture.

"NOW!" Squad leader Hanji Zoë roared. Blonde hair whipped with the force of her turning head and cold blue eyes noticed the ambush too late. Thousands of grapples fired out of hundreds of cannons, powerful enough to rip through concrete.

"HOLD STEADY!" The once human struggled to push through to no avail. She collapsed to the hard stone ground and lay trembling against the tension of the metal cords restraining her. Hanji dropped to the ground and rushed to the fallen titan as her squad dropped the barbed net to further restrain the beast. She could barely contain the hysterical laughter bubbling in her gut.

Frosty eyes stared at her, wide with the frantic need to escape. Hanji leaned in close, raising her blade just above the pupil and stared in fascination as it contracted in fear.

"Be a good girl and stay put," Burnt caramel eyes shone with intelligence and a barely concealed madness. Nearly giddy laughter escaped her when the Female titan's leg jerked in an attempt to break free. "Oh, lovely, everything held. Give me a moment and I'll be happy to slice you out of that steaming flesh of yours."

The brunette used her 3D maneuver gear to swing onto the squirming titan's exposed nape. Through the soles of her boots Hanji could feel the incredible heat radiating off the exposed tissue. Drawing her other blade, she raised them high over her head to gather enough power to carve out the creature inside. A low vibration wracked the large figure as it attempted to vocalize. Hanji's grin suddenly held more steel as she slashed down, quick as lightning, cleaving through the meat that covered her target. As it was ripped away, she finally saw the small form within.

Light blonde hair was damp from its enclosure in the steaming shell. She seemed to be unconscious as tears streamed down her pale face, marked temporarily around her eyes from her titan form. The scientist hunched down and unceremoniously ripped the girl from what was now becoming just a steaming hunk of flesh. Brown eyes, once filled with anticipation, stared coldly ahead. When Hanji dropped to the ground she was greeted by a more than a little nervous Moblit.

"Squad Leader, we've gathered the necessary equipment to secure the specimen," The blonde man saluted her and gestured to the soldiers hurrying to them with padded restraints in tow.

"Good work. Make sure she's properly restrained before taking her back to base," The tall woman slid the ring from the blonde girl's small finger, unwilling to take any risks. When they had removed any possibility of her shifting again, Hanji sent one of the soldiers to report back to Erwin while they hurried back to Scouting Legion headquarters. It was important to eliminate any possibility of the subject escaping as quickly as possible.

Once there, she released everyone under her command under strict orders not to bother her or her test subject while she was in the basement. Slinging the small, limp form over her shoulder, she hurried down to the basement used for a laboratory that doubled as her quarters. The tall woman carelessly dropped her burden on the ground before lighting a single lamp on her cluttered desk. Quickly she scrawled down a reminder to experiment as she had with Sawney and Bean. Her chest ached just thinking about them. So much progress destroyed by a single person. Rage quietly bubbled in her gut upon remembering the culprit lying unconscious on the ground, and she wasted no time in gathering a bucket of nearly bone chilling water to toss on her.

The girl gasped and bolted up into a sitting position as soon as the water hit her. She spluttered and coughed up the liquid that had managed to make it up her nose. Blue eyes were wide with confusion and shock as she struggled to register where she was. When she met Hanji's intense brown eyes above her, she immediately slid a blank expression into place.

"Annie Leonhardt," sharp eyes stared down at her behind glasses gleaming in the dim light of the lamp, "or the Female titan. Whichever you prefer."

Nothing from the blonde on the ground.

Hanji felt her lips curl into a snarl of a smile at the defiance in the girl. "You'll have to forgive my rudeness, but shaking your hand would only be insulting at this point. After all I don't really plan on making friends here.

"My name is Hanji Zoë and, although I've heard a lot about you, I don't believe we've had the pleasure," She nearly spat the word, "of meeting before," Her tall stature screamed danger as she stood at her full height. The menacing aura filling the musty basement grew with each second that passed. Eventually the brunette knelt down to look directly into Annie's grey-blue eyes.

When the blonde looked away, Hanji grabbed her jaw tightly and yanked her back to facing her. The intensity in those light brown orbs made the blue flicker with the smallest hint of fear. She pulled her small head forward, so close that she could feel the steady breathing of the younger girl. Never once did she break eye contact, quietly absorbing whatever information she could gather.

She seems lucid enough to question, though with the look she has it'll be like pulling teeth.

The brunette allowed herself a sadistic smirk.

Maybe it will be pulling teeth.

She could feel no guilt. After all the Female titan had done, if all she had to worry about was Hanji pulling her teeth she was lucky.

Strawberry blonde hair and smiling amber eyes flashed through her mind. A brief memory of someone she had once loved was enough to fill the tall woman with the rage to fuel a whole army. The pain filled her heart. Wave after wave of agony came with each beat that it took. The brown eyes flashed with a silent promise of twice that pain to come for the blonde in front of her.

Patience.

"Alright then, Miss Leonhardt," She drawled the formality with mock pleasantness, "I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and you," Hanji squeezed her jaw harder for a brief moment, "Are going to answer them with all the thoroughness of an autopsy."

Silence.

She set a cheerful smile on her face before leaning back on her heels, allowing Annie a small amount of space. "First, are there anymore like you that I should know about?" She knew there were. Although, she didn't know who, she knew it was something that needed to be brought to everyone's attention.

Nothing was revealed in those passive eyes, nor did she attempt to answer. Hanji sighed and tsked quietly before grabbing a fistful of blonde hair and slamming her blank face into the ground. Bones crunched against stone and a soft grunt of pain left the girl's lips. When she yanked the blonde back into her previous position, her smile was back in place, though it contained a blatant thirst for her blood. Blood that dribbled down Annie's face from her crushed and steaming nose. Hanji noticed when she spat out a few blood stained teeth from between bruised lips they had already been replaced by new ones. Even her once broken nose seemed to be repairing itself at a rapid pace.

Although, The brunette regarded her in silence, Not as quickly as before. Possibly because of extended use and lack of sunlight. She made a mental note to record the data.

"Let's try again. Are there more like you?"

More silence, but this time a flicker of apprehension shone in her normally expressionless eyes.

This time, Hanji stood. Nearly too fast to react to, she grabbed the girl's hair again and crashed her knee into her skull. Releasing her hair, she swung her leg at top speed, and slammed a foot into her face with such force, her small body was thrown back a sizable distance.

The brunette stood at her full height and stalked over to the figure sprawled on the hard floor. "What did I say before? I want you to be a good girl," She yanked Annie up by her hair and screamed with fury, "AND ANSWER MY FUCKING," She hurled Annie's now steaming body into the wall full force, "Questions." She was in control of herself once again as she strode over to the form lying in a crumpled heap.

Annie was gasping for air when she finally met Hanji's gaze. Her normally stoic eyes were bright with anger and tears of pain. Her pale skin was damp with sweat and steam from healing. Finally she spoke.

"Probably somewhere," Her soft voice was unnaturally smooth, considering the damage she'd taken.

Hanji felt an unsettling twist in her gut when she heard the girl. It wasn't rage or fear or hatred. Her brown eyes widened slightly upon recognition. It was a weakness she couldn't afford to acknowledge. She dismissed it with the rationalization of her abstinence. Though she had felt it before, she had never acted on her urge to mate with anyone. Her work had absorbed her life and she hadn't been attracted to anyone before or after Petra. Of course Petra hadn't known the scale of her feelings. They were friends to her and nothing more. It had hurt, but Hanji had been content for the moment, telling herself that one day she'd say something. One day came and the woman she loved was dead. Hanji recalled the last words they had spoken.

They were about to ride out on their expedition and Petra had pulled her aside for a comforting hug. She remembered how the warm amber eyes had been filled with determination.

"Hanji," Petra's voice was kind and gentle, "I know I tell you this every time, but in case I die please don't go back to before."

Hanji laughed and playfully ruffled her hair. "What before are you talking about, Petra? We'll be fine." She knew the life expectancy for their kind and knew they couldn't cheat death forever.

The small pout that covered the short woman's face was absolutely heartwarming. "You know what I mean. Staying alone. Not socializing. Blocking everyone like you did before we became friends."

"Psh, fine. Just don't expect me to hop right back out there. I'll need time after losing my friend," The word friend was enough for now. She would confess after the mission.

Hanji accepted the warm embrace goodbye, not realizing it really was

Goodbye.

"Holy shit, four eyes," Another, deeper, bored voice brought her back to reality, "I thought we were trying to prevent her from going titan. It looks a lot like you're encouraging it."

Hanji turned to face the small man at the foot of the stairs. His dark eyes stared into hers blankly. "Levi!" She bounded over to him and risked her life pulling him into a tight hug and lifting him into the air.

"Get the fuck off of me, shitty glasses," Levi whacked her over the head and landed gracefully when she released him with a pained groan. "I just came in to remind you to eat and to check on that one." He glanced pointedly at the girl steaming against the wall behind her.

"I'll be up in a few minutes, don't worry about it," She knew it was pointless to tell him not to worry. He had taken Petra's death much like she had, although he had come to terms with it in a quicker, less obvious way. Levi had buried himself in missions much like Hanji threw herself into her research. No one had thought to check on either of them until one day Levi barged into the basement to forcefully drag a nearly starved Hanji up for sustenance. They all knew he had saved them both when he reestablished their relationship. They both needed to lean on each other for awhile. In his own way he had shown he cared.

Levi snorted humorlessly and turned to leave, "We're going into town for a special meal tonight. One of those filthy restaurants that people seem to enjoy for some reason. Erwin said it was a celebration." He climbed the stairs announcing that they would leave in ten minutes.

Once he had left, Hanji turned back to the small figure against the wall. She was no longer steaming, though she panted heavily with exertion. The tall woman grabbed a full syringe from her desk and knelt before Annie again.

"Now, while I'm gone, I want you to think long and hard about the answer you'll give me when I return," Her voice was low and grew more threatening with each syllable. She jabbed the needle into Annie's arm and released the fluid inside before the girl could even begin to struggle. The panic was now obvious in her once cold eyes. "Calm down, it's just a sedative to make you sleep until I return. Be good."

With an empty smirk she stood and strolled out of the room, leaving her nearly unconscious subject behind.

When Annie woke she could tell it was late. She didn't need the sun to help her with general time. The blonde allowed herself to groan in pain as she struggled to adjust herself in a slightly more comfortable position. Although she healed just fine, without the sun to restore her energy, she could feel where everything had been melded back together.

A sigh passed her lips and she gave up trying to sit. Each attempt she made to stand was muddled by the restraints on her limbs. Obviously they didn't want to give her anymore freedom than absolutely necessary. In fact she was mildly surprised she hadn't been gagged. Of course that would defeat the purpose of interrogation.

Her stomach growled insistently and she remembered she hadn't eaten for more than a day. At this point the thought of food made her nauseous but she could feel herself begin to salivate all the same.

The last words of the scientist rang in her mind. Think long and hard about the answer you'll give me. It was as good a threat as any and she had a feeling she had barely even begun to feel the full extent of the woman's wrath. Her objective was to capture Eren and she failed. She came to admit that she was not a warrior and all she could do was try to make herself feel human.

Human.

The word felt like fire in her mind. What she longed for the most was the most unobtainable thing for her. In the village where she was raised, humans had been seen as weak, creatures. Incapable of understanding another species. In the time that she had spent in the walls she had learned quite the opposite. She had been confused at first, wondering why they had been so excited to fight. As time had passed she realized what she longed for was what the had. Annie came to admire the fire in each of them. In some it burned more ferociously than others, but all of them had it. Even when it dimmed, they fought to bring it back to it's original glory. The way the people in the walls held onto hope and always seemed to fight for the horizon. No matter how bleak things seemed, they always pushed on with all their might.

She has seen it in her peers in the 104th. Eren's fire, blazing to near insanity, pushed him forward with his hope. Mikasa's will to protect those she cared for, her fire keeping them safe while burning any and all threats.

Including me. Annie grimaced slightly.

Armin's unrivaled flame of knowledge. Wise beyond his years, always flaring his gift to burn through prejudice and ignorance. His strength was quiet, though just as powerful. Sasha's flame, beautiful and unique, took on the challenges the world threw at her with a strange grace that few recognized. She burned to be more than anyone said she would be and, although afraid of death, she would risk everything for her friends. Even Jean, who burnt fiercely, especially toward a goal. Although he and Jaeger were similar their flames were too fierce together.

Annie had come to admire them behind her cool facade. She was the ice being melted by humanity's flame. Her father would have been furious. Her mission was clear. They had to capture the Jaeger boy and bring him back alive, no matter the cost. She saw Reiner get lost in it as well. He had adopted a new persona in order to keep both worlds. Annie knew he wanted humanity as badly as she. Bertholdt had been the only one to hold strong. He held them in place and led them toward their ultimate goal.

Her choice now was to abandon her already failed mission and adopt humanity, or keep herself crushed under the weight of a goal that wasn't her own. It was clear to her what to do now.

Silence shrouded the empty room in a heavy cloak. Annie could hear the ringing in her ears from the pressure of it. Although she dreaded the return of the mad woman, she was eager to move on to another stage of her life that was hers and hers alone.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door at the top of the stairs crashed against the wall as it was flung open. Annie pulled herself back behind her cool exterior and waited to see what the woman would do.

The scientist whistled a bright, non specific, tune as she ambled down the stairs to return to her project. As soon as Annie met her eyes the whistling faded. She knew that she was risking everything with this, but she needed it. She needed to be human.

"Squad Leader Zoë," Annie kept her voice calm despite the anxiety bubbling in her stomach, "I would like to speak with you now."

There was no mistaking the surprise that flashed on the tall woman's face. It was quickly replaced by suspicion. "Are you sure you've truly thought of the perfect answer?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, the small blonde nodded.

A tense pause hung in the air. Annie felt as if she were standing at the gallows. She could practically see the noose being placed around her neck as Hanji seemed to contemplate the possibilities.

Suddenly, the brunette pulled the chair from her desk and sat in it before her. She revealed a loaf of bread and offered it to the tense figure on the floor.

"Eat and then speak," There was an unreadable expression on the scientist's face as she held out the bread.

A test, possibly. To see if I'm offering my trust in exchange for hers.

Without hesitating a moment longer, Annie took the food with a quiet thank you. She felt Hanji watching her every move. The disconcerting way she studied her made it nearly impossible to stop herself from fidgeting. She took a bite, choosing to ignore the searching stare. A moan of relief nearly escaped her and she was reminded of Sasha. They had never interacted personally, but Annie thought that she would have liked to learn from her. in turn she would have taught what she knew of fighting. Everyone, including Sasha, would watch whenever she was dragged into a fight she didn't care about. Each bite came with a memory, pleasant or not. She remembered how Mikasa had challenged her, really challenged her, when she asked to be taught after Annie had thrown Eren for possibly the tenth time that day. She remembered how afraid everyone had been when Bertholdt appeared as the Colossal titan, just after they had finally finished training. She felt guilt when she remembered how her father had told her that he would always be on her side and how she had promised to come back. Swallowing the last of the bread, she blinked at the burning in her eyes. She knew that promise would have to be broken. The world could not be her enemy for the rest of her life.

Hanji's eyes were still on her, just as intense as before, but now hinting at curiosity. She remained silent, waiting for Annie to speak.

"I've made a choice," She was quiet, not yet daring to go louder, "I want to tell you about the Colossal and Armored Titan. "

Brown eyes widened slightly as the scientist took in this statement. "Friends of yours?" Her voice was calm, laced with the slightest hint of anticipation.

"Yes, well, no," Her words were becoming rushed now. She feared if she paused, she would stop completely, lose her nerve, "Before I explain, I have a request."

"Why should I allow you anything?" Pure disgust filled the brunette's voice.

"Because," Annie struggled to find the words, "I want to become part of humanity. I want to live as you do. I've seen your kind and your remarkable will to live. I want to live. I want to fight along side of humanity against the titans," She noticed the closed look on Hanji's features, and pushed further with the same intense desperation she had felt when running from Eren, "If Eren can shift and help you, then so can I. If not in the field, then in research."

For a moment Hanji continued to stare at her with the same cold expression as before. Finally, her expression turned to one of mild interest. "I would be using you as an experiment. You would have to follow specific directions flawlessly. If you are so willing, I will bring it up with the Commander."

Relief flooded Annie as she absorbed the information. "Of course. I am willing to follow whatever orders I may be given."

Pure intrigue took over the brunette's gaze upon hearing her submission. "Tell me what you know."

No further push was needed to spur her into speech.

"Bertholdt Fubar, of the Scouting Legion, and previously the 104th squad, is the Colossal Titan. He kicked through the wall. It was part of how we were told to destroy you all," Her voice was firmer now. She took all of her determination to press forward.

"Reiner Braun, also of the Scouting Legion, is the Armored Titan. He too crashed through one of Humanity's walls."

She watched as recognition flitted across Hanji's face, "I believe they're currently with the rest of the new recruits being held under suspicion of assisting you. Are you positive that's who it is?"

Annie nodded again, a small pang of guilt pressed into her heart. She knew how Bertholdt felt about her, and, no matter how uninterested she was, he had respected her. The guilt lessened when she though of Reiner. The charismatic face he had created was nothing more than a mask. Deep down even Reiner knew it.

"Yes, but you have to know," She spoke desperately now, unsure if it was for herself or for the woman in front of her, "When we were sent here, we were all around 10 years old. We knew nothing about you, just what we had been told by our elders. We didn't consider what it meant to humanity. We were children just trying to obey, you must know that."

Hanji stared at her with blatant disbelief. Slowly, in an almost predatory manner, she stood from her chair and hunched down to eye level with her.

"It's not like you didn't grow and come to your own conclusions later," Her voice was low with the barest hint of anger, "You could have stopped at any time. Any time in the past six years, you could have stopped it all. You're much more lucid in your titan form than Eren, and I would say that the other two are as well. You could have brought back what you stole from us."

"No, we couldn't," Annie felt pain and fear and shame welling inside her to occupy the space she had been holding the tears now rolling down her pale cheeks. She looked down at the floor, unable to maintain connection any longer, "We were warriors. It was our job, and not completing it would have dishonored us completely. There were no second chances. Had we come back empty handed we would have been either killed or sent to exile." She visibly shuddered at the thought, knowing what that would entail.

Again, Hanji grasped her jaw and turned her to face her. Annie understood that it may take even years to regain the trust she once had, and may not regain it back fully even then. Upon seeing the blonde's tear stained face, she softened her grip the slightest bit. Intelligent brown eyes searched devastated blue in silence. The scientist must have found whatever she needed because she released her face with a new gentleness. They were still in close proximity. Annie could feel the woman's breath on her cheek as they continued to stare at each other.

With an awkwardness that Annie would have found endearing under normal circumstances, Hanji placed a tentative hand on her shoulder and gave a light, unsure squeeze.

"There's a lot in the world I don't understand yet, but I'm trying to see from your perspective," It looked as though it physically pained her to speak those words, even though the blonde could sense the sincerity.

Annie nodded. It was new to have her walls completely demolished like this. By nature she wasn't a very open person, and the past few years had only helped strengthen her armor. She had released a torrent she could no longer stop. She was no longer sure if she wanted to.

"Thank you, Squad Leader," Her voice stayed soft and even throughout the endeavor.

The woman stood and handed her a blanket from the desk, "You may sleep there," She gestured to a mat in the corner as she knelt again to loosen Annie's restraints enough so she could walk. "Do not make me regret trusting you, or I'll make you regret it far more." The words were a steel dagger on her throat.

Annie stood and stretched as well as she could in her predicament. Hanji had decided to show her kindness and, in turn, trust. It was a gamble that no one else would have made, she was sure.

"Yes, Squad Leader," She shuffled over to the mat with her blanket.

"Hanji," Another gamble. A name wasn't much, but sometimes it was enough.

Yes, Hanji," Annie couldn't help but feel that working for this woman wouldn't be completely awful. She knew that she had probably killed people very close to the woman, yet, forced or not, she had still shown a small amount of kindness.

The room's chill was dulled by the blanket she pulled over herself as she laid down to rest her aching body. Her mind was made up. She would help humanity, no matter the cost. Some how she found herself confident that Hanji would back her, so long as she saw the rationality behind each decision.

I will fight.

I will become part of humanity.

My father was wrong.

She heard the scrape of a chair being pulled to the desk, followed by the scratching of a pen. Hanji was no doubt documenting the day. Hesitant confidence leaked into her thoughts.

The whole world is not my enemy.