I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
A/N: I have redone chapter 12, story shall go into a different way.
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. Also, the website glitched on me horribly so I had to delete multiple chapters and re-upload everything once more, DX
An aching groan of the bells of the grandfather clock rang for the second time since Mikasa was brought in.
Following the last toll, the snip of the final suture and a satisfied yawn came to them. "Whew! It's done!"
Bertolt had taken a nap in a chair and had only grew aware of the sudden change of movement. Armin and Reiner (he borrowed a jacket from Tobias to cover himself) returned earlier and were sitting about near Bertolt, mugs at hand, though Armin still couldn't handle drinking at the moment; he had managed to mollify his anxiety and was just tracing the carvings on the wood with his index finger. When Hanji's voice came to them, they all snapped their heads up towards her.
She turned around and walked towards them, her bare hands were bloody, as was the apron. A proud smile was on her face as Petra went to assist Rivaille in wrapping bandages around Mikasa's torso. For decency, they covered her exposed chest with a Recon Corps cloak from Petra, "Alright, guys, she ought to be fine. She just needs some rest,but I will admit she lost a heavy amount of blood. A week's bed rest and she should be back to normal."
Armin spoke out with a hoarse voice,"Thank you..."
"It's no problem, as long she doesn't move to tear a stitch, she'll live." She turned and headed for the bathroom.
The three, wanted Scouts got up from their chairs and neared Mikasa; Petra had wrapped the last roll and had clipped it off.
"She's pretty useful when you give her someone's life," Rivaille commented, Petra couldn't have agreed more.
Tobias suddenly came to them with a key, little did he know that a simple statement would bring on a fight. "Room is free for one night, but you will be charged if you stay longer."
Armin whirled around and suddenly snapped,"You're charging for an injured person!? She needs a week's rest, you bastard, show some charity!"
"Boy, this is a tavern, a business, not a sick-home or hospital!" Tobias retorted angrily. He had been generous to Hanji and Rivaille but, with so many people in his establishment, he felt that he was in the right to be payed for the influx of potential customers. Rivaille could have spoken out but he needed the tavern owner to be riled up; all the anger he had hidden away under his misery needed to come out soon, the Corporal was waiting for it. "You people in the military come here thinking you can just...just barge in and expect to be served!"
He shoved the key towards Armin's face but the blond, in turn, pushed his hand away.
"I have tabs that have gone unpaid for months! The most charity I can give is to not rat you out to the Military Police!"
Rivaille's eyebrow twitched at the threat. The man was listening to their conversations. He obviously posed a danger, Hanji may be trusting the wrong person. Armin, free of his Gear and any sort of weapon, shot back,"We can't afford extra nights right now!"
"Then you may as well take that bitch's body and leave after tonight!"
"You're being unreasonable, Tobias!" Petra inputted, now holding Mikasa's body upright with Reiner by her side. Tobias reached around to his back belt and brought out a cutting knife, his key was tucked in the palm of his hand. "Are you crazy!?"
Eyes bulging and nostrils flaring, he rasped in a crazed and desperate way,"Customers are supposed to pay!"
By then, Rivaille was fed up. He reached to his side and brought out his unloaded gun, pointing it across the table towards Tobias. The redheaded man, as did everyone, froze in place out of fear of the firearm. "Just give us the room, you damn fucker. I don't care if you are an old friend of Hanji or not, it doesn't matter; I can kill you and this tavern will still be standing for our needs, you'll simply be a dead body-"
"Enough! Rivaille, put the gun away!" Hanji's voice broke through when she emerged from the bathroom, shattering the sudden intensity of the room and preventing them from getting physical. She had a washrag at hand but she threw it to the bar as she ordered,"Tobias, stop arguing and give them a room!"
Her words left no room for Tobias to fight against. His eyes softened at hers and his nostrils, still flaring, scrunched up in offense. Reluctantly, he gave Armin the key and mumbled,"Room 2. Up the stairs."
Pointing a finger at him, she added firmly,"I don't want to hear another word about you turning us in."
As Reiner picked up Mikasa's newly bandaged body from Petra's arms, Hanji advanced upon Rivaille, her now clean hand grasped at his bloodied cravat.
Tobias glowered at her, murmured something about needing to see the horses, then stalked for the door, Rivaille was about to pursue him but Hanji kept him in place. The tavern owner flung the wooden entrance open and then slammed it shut, causing the frames on the walls to rattle violently.
"And you," she said, voice low and dangerous,"I don't ever want to see you point that gun at Tobias, he's in need to get back on his feet, just give him a break. The man lost his wife and child."
She released him as he holstered his flintlock, he glared at her in turn when he couldn't speak. She gave an exasperated sigh, trying to stop him with his threats was like trying to get her to shut up about Titans. Without wanting to say any more, she made a gesture while saying,"Armin, Reiner, come with me, I'll show you the rooms. We need to get her new clothes..."
As she trailed off up the stairs, the front door burst open, catching their attention. She was caught mid-step but she gestured for the two teens to continue up the stairs. Hanji descended down to see a tall, black haired woman stop at the threshold and then toss a blond girl wearing a Recon Corps cloak; she landed in a puddle of Mikasa's splattered blood.
Her hands were tied behind her back, they were held together by a strip of leather that was used as a rein for a bridle.
"Annie!?" Bertolt blurted out as the raven haired woman stepped over her, gun still pointed at the back of her head. Christa's head popped into sight from the edge of the doorway, curious as to who was inside; once comfortable, she slipped in and passed Ymir so that she would be inside the tavern.
"Who's that?" Rivaille demanded, eyes flickering to Ymir. She wasn't dressed properly as a soldier and she held one of his personal guns, it told him that she was most likely one of the escapees that Petra met; the blond may have given her the gun but he had to make sure she was one of them.
"It's one of the two I got out of prison," Petra answered,"she was there with Bertolt."
Rivaille took it in and said,"Alright, she took a hostage, though I don't see the practical use-"
"She's not just any hostage," Ymir responded, a victorious smirk was plastered on her face,"she's a Titan. And she's going to solve our problems with that fucking organization you call government." Her voice was rose to address everyone. "Is there a basement here? She needs to be in a small space or else she'll transform, it's a hassle enough to not be paranoid on our way here."
Hanji spoke up from the bottom of the steps,"Yeah, I'll lead you to it."
Ymir took a handful of Annie's blond hair and forced her to her feet. The blond didn't put up a struggle, strangely, as she was lead at gunpoint towards Hanji; the brunette motioned for her to follow and they traversed behind the bar for a door that was tucked under the stairs. Hanji opened it and a set of stairs leading underground were revealed to them.
The trio disappeared with a lantern lighting their way as Petra cleared her throat to address Christa, who had seated herself near the piano rather than the bloody table,"Were you followed?"
"No, not at all, it was clear on the way here," she said with a relieved face,"Sasha is coming, she's just with the horses."
"Sasha Braus?"
"Yeah, her."
Petra pulled out the pamphlet and read over the list. They had rescued almost everyone, she correctly guessed the blond as Christa and, with Sasha in tow, there was only one person left in the Karanese. She looked up from her list and informed Rivaille,"Jean Kirstein is the only one missing, sir."
"We need to deal with one thing at a time right now. First, we need to secure that so-called Titan. Second, figure out what the fuck we're going to do with said-Titan and hope she doesn't arbitrarily transform underground; I don't want to wake up at night with a roof no longer covering my head," Rivaille reasoned. "Is she on the wanted list?"
"No, sir," Christa pipped up,"she's part of the Military Police."
His eyebrows peaked up. "Oh? This will make things interesting for everyone," he mused, he then raised his voice,"I want you all to clean up this mess Mikasa made, cleaning supplies are in the hallway to the right, in a closet. I'll check on that Titan down below, I expect this filth to be gone when I return."
He went off for the bathroom. Once he was out of earshot, Bertolt to blatantly asked,"Is he serious?"
Within moments, he emerged with his hands clean though his shirt was still stained with red, he glared at the young soldier, saying,"I'm fucking serious," as he descended into the depths of the cellar.
-...-
"You don't have to point that at me now that we're underground," Annie said with bitterness.
Ymir gave a nudge to her back and said casually,"It just gives me security. Plus, I still want to get back at you."
"Good lord, you're still on that subject? May as well just push the trigger now if that'll get you off."
"Shooting you won't do any good."
"Exactly, so just-"
Hanji chided them,"Both of you, please be quiet, I can't hear myself think."
The stairwell to the cellar below was much more compact than the flight to the second floor. The steps were of stone, as were the walls. The cellar was used to house the vine barrels but, since business went slow, torches that lined the walls were left unlit. As a result, Hanji would pause every few steps to light the old wicks with her lamp.
She kept cautious by having a good distance from Annie.
Her thoughts wandered to Rivaille pulling his gun on Tobias. Rivaille would only resort to threat when there was a good reason for it. She was washing her hands and forearms when she heard voices rise. She wiped herself clean, left her bloodied apron at the sink, and then found Tobias holding a knife over Armin, clearly that fight was about to go awry but she saw Rivaille aiming the barrel. Sure, it was uncalled for but there had to be a reason, a very damn good one; she wasn't the type to demand anything from Rivaille.
She decided to let it roll off her shoulders when she remembered he blatantly stated something about becoming paranoid last night. She reasoned that Tobias may have overheard bits and pieces of their conversation with Mike and Petra, she left a mental reminder to speak to him about keeping their whereabouts a secret; however, she had a feeling he was bluffing, she couldn't picture him going to the authorities or interacting with anyone.
Tobias must be at fault...I suppose with so many people coming in, he thinks he could make a profit, friend or not, I'm just a customer. Maybe he doesn't care about our situation-
As she lit the seventh torch, Ymir said,"I take it that you're Hanji."
"Former Squad Leader Hanji Zoe, now pronounced dead? Yeah, that's me," she distantly responded with chagrin.
The brunette stopped at a door that was at the bottom of the stairs. She forced it open and the tiny hallway expanded into a larger one, then it merged into a decently sized chamber where giant barrels were propped on proportional stands. The cellar stretched for a good twenty feet with a high ceiling that composed of wood. Footsteps from above were heard from where they stood.
She lit four torches that stood at the four, wooden supporting columns that held the tavern up. Then Ymir prodded Annie to walk to the middle of the cellar where Hanji pulled up a wooden chair. Without any force, Annie complied and sat herself, a fight now would be troublesome to her. She would have to deal with the famous Lance Corporal Rivaille should she make any attempts to escape.
"You can put that away," Hanji told her as she found ropes in the corner. She hastily tied Annie to the chair; both hands rested behind her, both ankles were secured to the wooden legs. Ymir clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "What?"
"She's stronger than the average person but there's reason why she wasn't fighting when we rode; she'll get caught for becoming a Titan on will. Plus, she was steaming all the way here, barely grew an arm back out by the time we arrived," Ymir explained,"we had to hide it under the cloak."
Said cloak was draped on Ymir's shoulder, she had taken it off before entering the tavern.
"So you figured out she was a Titan because she was regenerating. The time it took you to get her here was hardly enough for her to grow back her limb so even if she tried to leave, she'd be caught," the woman surmised, Ymir nodded,"I think she'll be a danger to us if she doesn't have a reason to hide from the public."
Ymir raised an eyebrow, wondering what she could be getting on to, but the sound of a pair of footsteps going down the stairs prompted them to look over their shoulders to see Rivaille. He had caught the last of Hanji's words and told them,"Then hack away at her body parts. Forcing her to regenerate will prevent her from having to leave."
"I actually see that as a great idea," Hanji agreed, though she was wary of him. She placed her lamp on the ground as she no longer needed it.
"Personally, I'd rather do it myself," Ymir offered as the Corporal approached them, he brought a hand to examine Annie's face. She shrugged away his fingers but held a bored look as though she were trying to say she was not intimidated by them.
"No, let Hanji do it," Rivaille declared,"she has the better knowledge than either of us."
Ymir shrugged, then she finally holstered the flintlock. "If you say so. I recommend getting chains for her, ropes aren't going to cut it in the long-run."
-...-
Her ankles and hands tugged at the cuffs. Despite her wrists being thin, she couldn't slide it through. She whimpered and tried once more, fighting against it until her joints bled against the unforgiving metal.
-...-
Hanji shirked at the sound of chains having to be used, she wanted to avert the use of it so she told her,"I practice on Titans, not humans-"
"She isn't human," Ymir pointed out. She found a stool tucked between two of the large, vine barrels. She brought it out to sit on it in front of Annie.
Hanji pressed her hand against her chin, contemplating her thoughts on Ymir's words.
"Is she a freak?" Rivaille scoffed. He suddenly threw a punch with a enough force to break her nose. The sickening crack made both Hanji and Ymir flinch but it didn't stop there, he threw another one; this time, it resulted on blood spilling from her nostrils. Annie didn't let out a cry or groan, but instead, glared harder at the Corporal as he took out a cloth from his back pocket to clean his dirtied knuckles. "Definitely a freak."
"Does it hurt?" Hanji asked, going close to Annie.
The blond's eyes glowered at her. Within a matter of seconds, steam rose from her nose, telling them she was regenerating. Amongst the hissing from the vapors, the blond struggled out,"Barely."
"If she can hardly shed a tear then she can lose more limbs," Rivaille said cynically.
Hanji gave a slightly disturbed laugh under her breath but the two next to her ignored it, then she agreed with a sinister fervor,"Fine, I'll take care of dismembering her. Just let me get ready, I need a clever and something to work as a gag; no matter how tough she is, she's going to scream at one point. The ceiling is thin here, I don't want everyone else to panic once she makes noise."
"Hm...for a moment you sounded like you didn't want to experiment on her." He made a gesture for Ymir to follow, and so she got off of her stool as he headed for the door. They left Hanji as she began to talk to their new hostage, the one-sided conversation drowned out as they went higher. "She's going to have too much fun with her."
"Fun?" Ymir questioned as they ascended up the steps, her question was left unanswered.
Instead, Rivaille praised her,"It's good that you brought a hostage...she'll get us out of a tight spot when we get into one."
"Well, considering she's from the MP, we could use her to sway the military to look other places besides the Recon Corps. We can stage a public showing of her transformation in front of everyone, stir things up, and slip away."
"If we're going to do that, Mike, the guy leading the search operation, needs to check on us soon so that we can set that up. For now, we need to stay here until Mikasa is well enough to run. Armin mentioned something about having no choice...it makes me wonder what happened with them," he mused. He glanced back at her,"I didn't catch your name."
"Oh? It's Ymir."
He briefly paused in mid-step. The name sounded familiar, like it was in a journal from somewhere. It came to him. Ilse Langer, she mentioned someone named 'Lady Ymir' in her journal before she died...
"What?"
"...it's an interesting name," he thoughtfully replied as he resumed his ascent.