Heavy footfalls. Heat. Smoke. Cries of anguish in the distance. The familiar sound of the maneuver gear whirring.

There were so many things happening, so many things going wrong. Yet she only had one last task to accomplish. Ignoring the burning sensation in her throat and the pain in her lungs present every time she took a breath, she navigated swiftly and skillfully from target to target. Tears were already filling her good eye, distorting her vision, but evaporating instantaneously as soon as they began flowing down her cheek. It was only now she noticed how hot it had become. Her uniform was plastered to her skin, the exposed areas already turning red with small blisters forming here and there. And the pain. It would have been less painful if she jumped into a well filled with millions and millions of needles. Whenever she swung herself towards the sky in order to inspect the efficiency of her work did she experience temporary relief. However, she had to continue. There was no way back. She had to keep slicing off the thick red skin off their napes. Everything depended on whether she could muster up enough courage to see it through. Determined not to give in she gritted her teeth. And despite her fate being already sealed she felt no fear. On the contrary, an immense strength overcame her as she flew through the scolding air screaming at the top of her lungs. With every swing of her blades a piece of the enormous burden she had been carrying for so long fell off her shoulders, disintegrating in the chaos below. Leaving behind all the years of tragedy and loss, bloodshed, uncertainty, fear, pain, frustration felt so liberating. She knew she gave it her all. She devoted her heart every time and this time would not be different either.

Resisting the urge to close her eye she took in the mesmerizing sight below her. So captivating and beautiful. Perhaps she was the only one granted such view. For so long she yearned to learn more about the world beyond the confines of the Walls. So many years she dedicated every waking minute of her time in pursuit of the truth and science behind these fascinating creatures. It seemed only fitting they would be the last image she gazed upon. Or rather, this was the one and only way she was willing to say her farewell.

The sky was so close now. Just a few more slices with her blades and she would be able to touch it. The cloudier her vision became the more she felt herself getting lighter. The controllers were burning irreversible damage into the skin of her palms,. The sweltering heat stiffened up the joints and tendons of her fingers. Now even if she wanted, she would not have been able to let go. Her breathing became erratic, then ragged. No more screams could escape her lips for she lost her voice. The tissue in her throat swelled up, her airway now obstructed completely.

Suddenly there was no more agony. The noise ceased, the heat dissipated, darkness descended, and she felt her body falling.

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A horse neighed in the distance.

She opened her eye only to be blinded by a bright light. She raised an arm to shield her vision and blue skies with a few scattered clouds greeted her.

"Welcome."

A familiar voice. She turned her head in the direction she assumed the person would be and looked into the warm brown eyes of a kneeling soldier beside her. A pleasant feeling spread across her body. Of course, she recognised him.

"...Moblit."

The light-haired soldier smiled and offered to help her to her feet.

Ignoring his outstretched hand, she propped herself onto her elbows not breaking eye contact with her fellow soldier. Thoughts were racing in her mind and there was a feeling in her gut like no other. She felt something was very out of place, but she could not quite put her finger on it.

"Is this a dream?" she cocked her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face.

"No." The short answer was accompanied by an enigmatic smile.

She felt a little stab of annoyance when she realised he left it to her to figure it out on her own.

It had always been that way. He was not only her right-hand man, he was also her close friend, and in one or two instances also her partner in crime - not her proudest moments though. He was on par with not only her intelligence, but her deductive abilities as well. Whenever during their times of brainstorming or experimental data acquisition he came to a conclusion before she did, he chose to present her the facts rather than reveal the result. He knew she loved the thrill of putting the pieces of the puzzle together on her own. Of course, she knew he withheld the information on purpose. She could tell by his poor attempt at maintaining an indifferent expression and a neutral tone to his voice. His eyes were always telling. It was a silent and mutual understanding, and they were both fine with that.

Now there was that familiar mysterious glow to his eyes again. She inspected him with a raised eyebrow. Why did she feel like she had not seen him for years? He had always been by her side. If another squad required one of her soldiers, he was always the last one she chose. Over the years they had grown on each other and let's be honest, he did protect her countless times, usually when she overconfidently overstepped the line between risky and life-threatening, fully disregarding her own safety in the process.

Suddenly, she gasped.

"You... The explosion!" Filled with bewilderment, she straightened herself into a sitting position. "But how can you be here? Is this even real?"

He offered her his hand once more. This time she accepted it, and with a swing she easily rose to her feet. Standing at roughly eye level with her comrade, she took his face in her hands as if wanting to examine him closely. This unexpected intimacy took him by surprise and his cheeks took on a light pink colour. Before he could inquire into her motives her eye lit up and she threw her arms around him while burying her face in the crook of his neck.

What a totally confusing mess. She did not understand anything anymore. The explosion in Shiganshina blew her entire squad away, that much was certain. The only reason why she managed to escape by merely a hair's breadth was because he selflessly traded his life for hers. Tears began to form in her eye when she remembered the agony upon first realising that nobody besides her made it out alive. All she could see after the smoke cleared was utter destruction. Trying to find any of her comrade's remains was all to no avail. There was not even the smallest piece of fabric from their uniforms she could bring back to Wall Rose with her. Nothing that could aid their loved ones in their grief. Nothing that could help them find closure. She lost so much that day. Her comrades. Her friends. Her confidante. Carrying all that pain all these years had been an arduous task and the hole in her heart had never sealed completely. That's why she was baffled at the sight she was now seeing. At first, she lost him and now he was here. The whole situation was giving the scientist inside her a major headache.

"It really is you," she whispered. She tightened her embrace around his body and he did the same. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest, so it was not just her imagination. It must be real. He must be real.

After drawing away from each other she noticed his expression change. With a heavyhearted look upon his features, he gently slid across the fabric of her eyepatch with his thumb. With a slight inverted smile on his lips, he let out a small sigh.

"Oh."

"Have you figured it out, Squad Leader?"

The moment she heard him call her by her old title was when the last missing piece finally fell into place. At first her heart dropped, but then the familiar thrill of discovery washed through her. She slapped her hand to her forehead.

"Oh, of course! That is why you're here. And that's why I'm here as well." Silence had fallen for a time while she gathered her thoughts. "Thank you for Shiganshina."

"You've always been reckless," he replied, the warm smile returning to his eyes.

The remark amused her. She exhaled through her nose, rolling her eye. "Hah, really?" She cast down her eye, the bitterness returning to her voice. "I wish things turned out differently that day. All these years have been so hard. Losing you hurt more than losing any other comrade. It still does." Her vision became cloudy. "There were so many instances when I wanted to see you, have you beside me, ask for your advice. Something has been missing from my life for four long years."

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I've been watching all this time and I think you had managed without me just fine," he said with a grin.

She clapped her hands on her hips, feigning annoyance. "Hah, is that how it looked? Idiot." Then she remembered something. "Oh wait! What about the flying boat?" Her eyes darted to the sky.

"It took off."

It was only now that she noticed they were not alone. A few steps to the side she saw the wings of freedom emblem decorating the green cloaks worn by her comrades. Several were looking into the distance. The man who had just spoken turned around. There was a soft look upon his features, a look she had never seen on him as far as she could recall. So different, yet so peaceful.

"Hange. You did your duty."

She locked her gaze with a pair of blue orbs.

"Erwin." More of the soldiers turned to face her. "Everyone..." Then she saw the two-propeller aircraft slicing through the air, rapidly climbing towards higher altitudes. "Ah. It looks like I did." Now she was sure the same peaceful expression spread across her features as well. So, she was finally here. Reunited.

She approached the group with Moblit by her side and looked across her fallen comrades. Some of them kept looking at the sky, their backs still turned.

"So, this is where you guys have been all these years. Ah, I can tell you've missed me. Tch, by the way. Erwin. Do you know how much trouble I went through because you named me Commander?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a touch of annoyance in her voice. Rolling her eye, she continued, "That idiot Eren. He's caused so much trouble it makes your head explode. I'd like to hear how you would sort out the mess he's made."

There was silence for a moment. Erwin sighed. "Ah yes, it must have been a lot. Tell us everything, we're here to listen."

Hange grinned, overjoyed. "Brilliant! But first things first. I am not a Squad Leader anymore," she said, turning to Moblit. "Actually, I am not even a Commander. I left that resposiblity to the next generation. So, you should not call me any of those titles. From now on I am just Hange." She now addressed the others as well. "And secondly, if you guys were watching then you must have seen it... I looked insanely cool back then, didn't I?"

A/N: Thank you for reading this short oneshot! Ever since the idea popped into my head I knew it had to escape into the world. I hope you liked it, feel free to leave a review if you'd like!