I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Thanks for the reviews~! I'll keep writing with more~
UPDATE 7/26: I have made a few changes, I removed the previous Chapter 10 (containing Hanji's past and a brief glimpse of Rivaille's history), while it is relevant to the plot, I want to push it later on in the story. Sorry for all you LeviHan fans but something pushed me into rewriting it. Please bear with me.
He lunged for her, trying to get a hold of her body, but she grabbed an inflamed timber from the inferno. She struck out, swinging the burning wood at him and eliciting a howl of agony from the man, she didn't see the extent of the damage as she had taken this time to run.
-...-
The ancient grandfather clock in the Flora struck 1100.
The front door from below burst open at the eleventh toll so suddenly, it startled them, prompting Hanji to fly off the chair. She rushed to the window and peeked over the windowsill to see three horses standing about without riders but she saw a blond boy leading them to the stables; it was Armin being assisted by a taller man.
Her hand undone her ponytail so that she could redo it; it had grown loose throughout the morning.
"They made it," she declared, her persona shifting, Rivaille got up and headed for the door with Hanji licking at his heels. They would have to speak to one another for a different time, much to Hanji's relief. There were some things best to be left alone. Forcing the thoughts away, she heartily said,"I'm surprised they actually got here!"
"Me too," Rivaille confessed. When they got to the tavern downstairs, Petra was at the front door, holding it open while she was frantically waving her hand in a 'come here' gesture. Within seconds, Reiner came in with a bloody raven haired girl was unconscious in his arms. She was seeping so much, it was staining his shirt and even dripping to the floor.
Hanji's heart fell to the put of her stomach at the sight as Rivaille sprinted over to direct Reiner in bringing the injured soldier to a table. He removed his coat and laid it across the surface so that she wouldn't bleed more on the table. Instincts kicked in for the scientist as she dashed for the kitchen, saying,"Do you have any medical supplies!?"
"A kit, yeah," Tobias replied, with his dog sitting by his feet, looked up from his stool. A half-peeled potato was in his hands, he pointed his cutting knife towards a cabinet while asking,"What happened?"
The white dog, disturbed from its nap, got up and wandered away.
"Someone's injured, please, get me water in a bowl," she briskly said, her hands flying to the cabinet doors by her knees. She rummaged through the various kitchen wares until she found a wooden box; she checked the contents to see if there was everything she needed. Sutures. Needles. Gauze. No anesthetics but the girl is knocked out. It looked like only a quarter of it all were used but she took it with her anyway. Tobias had gotten up and picked up a clean, wooden bowl; he filled it with water and she gave an approving nod, then he followed.
Entering the tavern once more, she saw that Armin had removed his jacket and was using it to apply pressure to some part of her body, probably her stomach. She approached, shooing Reiner away as Armin exclaimed upon seeing her,"Oh my god, Hanji, you're alive!?"
"Yeah, big deal," she snapped.
"Y-your glasses-"
"Don't need them."
Reiner broke in to explain Mikasa's state,"We had no choice-"
"Tell me later later," Hanji barked, irritated by the interruptions, Rivaille was at her side, he nudged Armin away so that she could examine her body.
Her shirt had soaked up blood from her wound. Rivaille took the liberty of taking a knife from the med-kit and then running it up her shirt, tearing at the cloth to reveal her porcelain skin smeared with the crimson liquid; the bandages that held her chest were partially torn, he slitted those apart as well, exposing her chest and torso to them. Across her abdomen and angling up to the side of her chest was a long laceration that clean tore through her skin. It was made by the blade from a Gear, no other weapon can have such exact precision.
"Petra, get them away here," Rivaille instructed as Hanji tried to survey her body once more. The blond was about to usher the young Scouts out but then the seemingly unconscious girl let out a drawn out cry.
"EREN!" Mikasa raved, she sounded delusional. "EREN!"
Her body thrashed from both the pain and the adrenaline still in her. Hanji figured that she had just got out of a skirmish along the way to the Flora but, with the lacking of pursuers upon their arrival and a sudden burst from Armin, she briefly thought that something else had happened.
Mikasa struggled, her wound seeped more blood as she tried to fight, but Rivaille slammed the knife on the table so that his hands can hold her shoulders.
"LET ME GO, I NEED TO GET EREN!"
Armin could only stand there, his body had frozen in place; Reiner offered comfort by putting a hand to his shoulder, muttering to him,"You had to do it..."
Somehow, the struggling girl slapped Hanji in the face, leaving her cheek stained with blood, much to the brunette's annoyance. She cursed,"Fuck, I can't do anything if she moves around-ugh!" She was punched in the face and ended up falling over. "Bitch, I'm trying to help!"
"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL HIM! HE'S THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE LEFT! YOU BASTARDS ARE COWARDS, YOU CHOOSE TO RUN BUT I CHOOSE TO FIGHT!"
As if on cue Tobias, who had left for the moment, returned with a bottle and rag. Over her screams, he told Hanji,"Zoe, here, I got some stuff!"
"Oh thank god!" Hanji gasped, relieved that he had anesthetics, or at least a crude version of it. She had done her fair share of medical practices on the field (should a soldier be alive) and, unfavorably, had to deal with several unruly ones who couldn't stay put.
Mikasa's wound was obviously terrible, she was bleeding out and the amount she was losing already could have killed a normal person. Her strength was renown and Hanji couldn't deal with her fighting as she was trying to mend her.
Tobias poured some of the contents of the bottle into the cloth and approached Mikasa; the rag was placed over her nose and mouth, muffling her screams. Within seconds, her voice died down, her body falling limp soon afterwards. She was rendered unconscious once more.
Once Mikasa had ceased her movements, Rivaille got down to one knee to help Hanji up. The brunette used both the table and Rivaille to get to her feet, she then rolled up her sleeves and began her arduous work. She slipped out of the world around her to focus on mending the wound, her deft hands working as Rivaille assisted her with placing pressure and cleaning blood that had seeped ought of her.
"Looks like it tore through her muscle then ends under her breast...I'll just put it together," she told it to herself though they all heard her,"at least this proves she isn't a Titan-shifter..."
Silence fell throughout the tavern as they watched Hanji's hands carefully suture. Armin, growing sick of seeing the process, turned away to face the piano, Reiner, on the other hand watched with a stern look as though he were counting on Hanji to slip up on something. Fortunately, she didn't. Tobias had ventured off once more and then came back with a tray of mugs; he brought out another bottle though it was surely vine.
Petra silently confirmed that the pair didn't need assistance, she went to stand by Reiner.
"We're in debt to you," he told her in a surprisingly hushed voice.
The sound of scissors snapping and vine being poured resounded throughout the room. Petra let out a sigh. "Not to me, I was ordered by her-" She indicated with her chin bobbing once at Hanji. "-to fetch you guys. Where's Bertolt?"
Water dripped against the wooden surface of the table and floor as Rivaille brought a now bloodied rag with water to dab against the wound. Hanji's body covered most of her work, leaving the rest in the dark of what she was doing. Reiner answered while throwing a glance at the door,"He's putting the horses in the stable, he's also making sure our Gears are operational."
"My part in getting you guys to safety is done, what you do for yourselves is now at your own risk though I suggest you consult with Corporal first...where are you planning on going should you leave?" She said, raising a brow. "The whole city is going to be covered by the MP and the Recon Corps, check-points should be going up by tonight."
"Perhaps...back to our home village, it's in lost territory but we'd rather be there than here," he said with a huff,"we're wanted men...we may as well flee to where none can find us. I can trust that Armin and Mikasa are safe in your hands so my own responsibilities are done now."
Tobias stood in front of them, one hand holding a single mug and another holding two. "Drink it, you'll relax." They nodded in thanks as they took his offer. "It's free this time, given the circumstances. If only Zoe were here to care of Edith..." He rambled on as he went to Armin. "Boy...take one."
"No," Armin meekly replied, voice riddled with a sense of guilt,"I'm feeling sick..."
"Bathroom is over there," Tobias said, pointing at a hallway that was adjacent to his bar. Armin immediately ran for it, hiding away from everyone. Petra drank slowly from her mug as her eyes drifted at Rivaille. The man's front had droplets of blood but he was holding up as best he can to help Hanji, she looked away and tried to focus on the cleanliness of the tavern.
"It was dirtier when we first got here," Petra stated, Reiner gave her an odd look when he finished his slip, she restated,"the tavern, it was worn down when we got here. Corporal cleaned it up."
"Never imagined him to be a neat-freak- unh!" She elbowed him.
"Don't say that out loud," she warned. They took another drink but then Petra saw Bertolt walking by the window. Knowing how Hanji reacted to being interrupted by the opening of doors, Petra cautiously ran to the door and then carefully opened it for him so that he would barge in unexpectedly. Bertolt gave her a confused look but thanked her with a smile.
When seeing Mikasa's body, it fell off of his face as he went inside with Petra gingerly closing the door. Taking notice of her body language, he whispered,"Is she alright?"
"She's in Hanji's care, she'll be fine," Petra assured him, patting him on the shoulder. She walked him over to Reiner's position and brought him the extra mug Armin refused; Tobias had left it just in case someone wanted it. Bertolt graciously took it and drank.
She stared at Reiner. His front was covered in Mikasa's blood as he was the one who carried her on horseback. An arduous hour ride it was, and a difficult one at that as Mikasa spent the time trying to fight back to stubbornly fetch her brother; Reiner had to knock her out a half hour ago but her spirit proved too strong to stay down for long.
Reiner uncomfortably shifted around in his bloody shirt. He murmured,"I'll go clean myself...check on Armin too," and then left for the bathroom.
-...-
He stepped into the men's bathroom to hear Armin vomiting in one of the stalls.
Reiner undid the harness on his chest and let it hang at his sides so that he could take off his shirt. He ran the sink and reached for a bar of soap to lather. Armin let out a long groan before emptying his stomach once more.
"You alright?" Reiner asked when there was a pause from Armin. His hands rubbed viciously at his shirt, trying to clear it of Mikasa's blood.
The stall door opened and Armin staggered out for the sink next to him. He turned the knob, causing water to gush out from the tap. He frantically drank it, then splashed it on his face, saying,"I just..." He fell to his knees, neglecting the sink he left on. Eyes wide and hands going to his head, he ruffled his hair. "I...could have killed her..."
"She wouldn't stop resisting," he said, turning his attention to his shirt. "You're not the only one feeling shitty about this, I had to hold her for you."
"We could have knocked her out, hit her head, something..." Armin rambled.
The suds were growing upon Reiner's hands, he continued to scrub away as he reasoned,"She would have killed us or drawn attention to us. Petra and Bertolt wouldn't have found us if we fled to try and get her. Besides, going back to headquarters would kill her...I know you want to get Eren too, but think about it, they probably would have moved him elsewhere as a precaution."
"I still don't understand...why you had to tell everyone to run..."
Reiner dropped his shirt into the sink and got to one knee in front of Armin. Being at eye-level, he reached out to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying,"You have two things to work on: Sasha screaming about Connie and then the rumors about that Squad Leader getting executed for being a Titan."
"True...and yeah, that Squad Leader was Hanji...but she's alive now-"
"It doesn't matter, she's an example of how far the military is going to go. Even if we did get interrogated, they'd most likely try to kill us in the end regardless if we're innocent or not. Armin, we're wanted, all of us, those who escaped, they want us dead, they have the city in alert for us. Even if Mikasa tries to come clean, even if they run tests on her, she will die by their hands...better to have her half-dead than dead," he added, though he contorted his mouth in displeasure.
Armin gave an understanding nod. "The government...it's been acting up since Eren's trial and that double murder of Hanji's Titans."
"Suspicion, that's a truth right there. I bet to you that the woman saving your friend right now has something to do with it since the military wanted her dead so badly," he said, then he got up to resume his work,"indirectly...you could blame her for this."
"I'll...I'll ask her about everything later...when she's done. But still, Mikasa..." Armin trailed off.
"That girl is too dedicated to Eren for her own good, she needs to be less dependent on him to make her own decisions in life. It's like her world revolves around him," he commented,"she's going to get killed trying to play mother hen."
Armin eventually brought himself to relax, he let out a deep breath despite his occasional shaking. "It's always been like that but I see your point. I suppose the only way to stop her is through incapacitating her completely, that's something I...I don't want to do again."
He shuddered at the thought of how easily his blade sank into flesh; a wave of sickness coursed through him, forcing him to make a dash for the stall.