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I do not own Attack on Titan.
He ran through the hospital, blurs of pasty white walls flashing in the corners of his vision. The aroma of rubbing alcohol filled his nose, turning his stomach. He kept going, weaving through the halls until a desk came into view.
"Where is Petra Ral?" he gasped.
The nurse looked up. Her eyes widened as Levi gripped the edge of the desk to stop his legs from shaking. Beads of perspiration rolled down his face, and he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
"Please," he panted.
The nurse offered him a small smile as her eyes flickered around the room. "Petra Ral? Oh, yes. Uhm… she's currently in critical condition, and visitors are strictly not allowed near her," she squeaked. She closed her eyes, as if waiting for Levi to strike her.
He glared, then swiveled around.
A bed was being rolled past him. The sheets matched that of the walls, except for the bright red stains that were soaking through the material. He caught a glimpse of auburn hair as the bed passed him.
"Petra!" he cried. He stood there, paralyzed, taking in the sight of her. Her eyes were swollen shut, her lips had a bluish tint. Black and blue bruises decorated her body, and a thick, red liquid was oozing from her head, collecting in her hair and on her face, as if it were weaving her in a crimson spider web.
He didn't hear the nurse calling out to him, just the sound of his heart. The pounding in his chest and the blood rushing in his ears. He opened his mouth, Petra's name on his lips. He faltered as a scream echoed in his brain.
"No!" Hanji screamed. Her shrill cries broke through Levi's barriers, and he blinked.
"Let me go! Petra…" Hanji yelled. Her eyes were wild, darting around in an inhuman manner. A nurse was holding her back, or attempting to. Hanji scratched the women's arms, drawing blood. The nurse gasped and let Hanji go. She turned, ready to pounce and follow her friend just as Levi grabbed her wrist. He griped it, holding onto it because it was the only thing keeping him from falling right with her. Hanji choked on a sob, and fell into the only person willing to catch her. She fell into Levi's arms, and he held her as her sobs shook her body.
This was Petra's favorite kind of evening. She lay in the grass, feeling the cool blades touch her skin. She giggled, watching Oluo fall onto the ground beside her.
"Isn't it just beautiful?" Petra murmured, entranced by the sky.
"Yeah…," he replied. They stayed there, staring at the swirls of blue, pink, purple, yellow, orange and red. The colors reflected off the clouds, illuminating their faces.
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth soak into her face, until it grew quiet and still, and the stars had replaced the sunset.
"Petra! It's getting late!"
Petra sat up as she heard her mother's voice.
"Coming, Mama!" she called. She stood and smiled, offering her hand to Oluo. He grinned back and took it, and she pulled him up.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," she whispered. She planted a small kiss on his cheek before running off into the darkness.
She wished, ever so much, that she was oblivious to the way he looked at her. Even then, at the age of thirteen, she knew something was different. It was confirmed when she left, and he never came to say goodbye. He stood on the docks, far away from her, and watched her go, letting a single tear roll down his face. She hoped he was happy now.
He pulled her off the ground and staggered as she became deadweight around his neck.
"Hanji, you have to get up," he groaned. He glanced at her. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her cheeks were shiny. She choked on a sob, and Levi realized this was the first time he'd ever seen Hanji cry.
"She's my best friend… I can't lose her," she murmured.
I know...
"Uhm… sir?"
Levi looked up, then had to look up farther to meet the eyes of a tall, blonde man. He had piercing blue eyes and thick eyebrows, and looked like the kind of person who should be modeling somewhere and not in a doctor's uniform.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked. The doctor raised his eyebrows as Hanji's breathing became less ragged.
"Can you tell us how Petra Ral is? Please, we haven't been allowed to see her," Hanji pleaded. She grasped Levi's arm and took a tentative step towards the doctor.
"Petra Ral? Are you family of her's?" he questioned. Hanji nodded.
"Well, I'm afraid she currently in a coma due to her injuries. I will alert you if any changes do occur," the doctor replied. He looked right in Hani's eyes and cleared his throat. "I'm very sorry".
Levi's body felt heavy, as if he were made of bricks. He took in a shaky breath. A coma. Some never woke up, and even if they did, they were never the same.
"Does Ms. Ral have something to fight for?" the doctor murmured. "Because in my personal experience, those who have something to fight for are usually the ones who wake up. And even in the event that she doesn't wake up, you can be assured that she'll be in a better place."
"Thank you," Hanji mumbled. She stared daggers into him for a moment, then began walking away towards the waiting room, still wiping tears from her face.
"I'll do everything I can to help your friend. If you need anything, just ask for Dr. Erwin Smith," the doctor gave Levi a nod before turning on his heel.
"Why are you so invested in this? Why do you do it? Help people who are going to die anyway?" Levi asked. He didn't look up from the white tile floor.
Erwin Smith stopped and laughed, causing Levi to pale. "Why the hell are you laughing?"
Erwin grinned. "It's just, I often ask myself the same question. I suppose I do it to make up for whatever I do wrong in the next life."
Petra had never had siblings. She'd always wanted one. A brother to play around with. A sister to dress up and gossip with. She never got one. She'd heard whispers that her parents had given up having another child after several miscarriages, but at the time, Petra didn't really understand what that implied.
Whatever the reason, Petra never had a brother or sister. She had her friends, Oluo, Gunther and Eld, but it wasn't the same.
When she came to America, it was Eren and Mikasa who found her. They were young, no older than twelve. They found her wandering the streets, calling to people in German, trying to find directions.
"You're not from here, are you?" He spoke in her native tongue, which was as surprising to her as the reality of "the land of dreams"; the only people willing to help her were two children.
"No. I've just arrived here. Please, do you know where I could stay?" she pleaded. The boy grinned.
"Yeah! Follow me! I'm Eren, by the way. Eren Jeager. This is my sister, Mikasa."
He led her through the streets to a less appealing part of the city, where a woman was waiting for them.
"Did you get the bread I asked for?" she asked the boy. He nodded and she ruffled his hair before noticing Petra. "Who's this?"
"I'm Petra Ral," Petra murmured. Hanji straightened her glasses.
"Petra Ral, did you say. I'm guessing you need a place to stay, right? Well, you can stay as long here as you need. It's always nice to have some extra company, isn't it?"
When she walked through that door, she gained a new home. No, it wasn't what she expected, but she had a brother and two sisters now. She had a family.
Levi clutched the arm rests of his seat, watching his knuckles pale.
"Levi?" Eren whispered. "What's wrong with her?"
In that moment, he reminded Levi of Isabel, with those troubled green eyes. He swallowed.
"I'm scared. I can't do this anymore," Isabel whimpered. Levi looked up from his foot, which was now wrapped in mediocre cast.
"You could have died, falling from that height," she continued. Farlan sat in silence against the building wall. The alley held an eerie silence, and it made tremors run through Levi's body.
"Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?" he tried to stand up, but groaned as pain shot up his leg. Farlan caught him before he collapsed.
"It's broken, Levi. You can't put pressure on it," Farlan said softly.
"Please, Levi. I want to go back," Isabel cried.
Levi whipped his head around, eyes blazing. "Go back where, Isabel? We don't have a place to go! The orphanage is just going to keep cycling us through couple after couple until there's no one left. This is our only way to be free, and I'm not giving up. Giving up leads to your downfall!"
Maybe it was the opposite.
"She's in a coma, Eren," Levi answered. His chest squeezed. "I-I don't know if she'll wake up."
It was several days before they let anyone visit her. Hanji had long taken Mikasa and Eren home when Dr. Smith came to find Levi sitting in the waiting room, alone. The doctor led Levi into a room, quiet and peaceful. There was more color in this room. A painting of the Virgin Mary hung on the wall, watching the comatose girl. A rose sat on the bedside table, the rose that Eren had used his extra savings to buy.
"It's for something important," he'd said as he pulled out a few coins from his shoe.
Levi didn't hear the doctor say, "I'll leave you alone," or the door close. He ran to her, her bandaged and broken body. Her skin was a sickly gray color, and her hair looked as though the color had been drained from it.
Please don't leave me…
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Happy Easter!
Best Regards,
Ivy