Red... the colour so beautiful and deadly... adoring beautiful sunsets stretching out in a red orange colour... She loved to watch them from her old rotten window in her room. It was one of the rare things what could each day, make her look up from her papers, her so called research. Not many acknowledged her work and how she sacrificed her life each day for it.

But now it only meant one thing. Death.

As Hanji opened her brown eyes the dark grey sky greeted her bruised face. Raindrops were falling on her body which was spread out on the ground without any mercy while thunder was roaring in the sky muting most of the screams and cries from her dying comrades around her. She didn't know exactly what had happened but one thing was for certain... she fucked up and if she wouldn't do anything in the next few seconds she would end up sooner than later like her friends around her. Torn in pieces, unmoving lying in a puddle of blood mixed with mud thanks to the rain falling down on them.

"...Ahh, and here I just got a new pair of goggles the other day. Erwin will kill me."

Carefully Hanji pulled her broken goggles over her head. Getting an eye injury was something which she didn't need now too. Looking back at her hand she grimaced. Red... blood from her forehead. She was bleeding. The impact from hitting onto the ground must have caused it.

Trying to sit up the pain finally set in as well. A sharp pain filled her right side.

"The shock was over so of course it would start to hurt like shit" she cursed.

Her right leg was broken most likely. Blood was seeping out of it, making her lie in a puddle of dirty brown and red. Her 3DMG was broken too as far as she could tell. Clicking her tongue she let herself fall back into the mud, looking up at the gray sky. Levi would scold her for this but she was already dirty so what does it even matter?

Besides she couldn't move, she couldn't use her 3DMG to at least climb up on top of a tree... she could do nothing... only wait for the steady louder growing footsteps to reach her. It didn't took long until a 5 and 10 meter class titan soon came in sight. They didn't look like they were abnormals, not that it did change anything about what would happen to her.

Even now in her dim situation she was in she couldn't help but chuckle. At least they looked kind of cute she thought. Seriously what was wrong with her? She was about to die and all she could think about was this? Someone else would continue her research. Moblit was her right hand so he was the best candidate. Poor him now he would be loaded with the responsibility all by himself.
Just as the 10m class titan reached his hand out for her a thunder echoed through the sky, turning the whole sky white. A split second later both titans fell to the ground, the nap of their necks cut out. Bright light and the coming out steam from the titans was making it hard to see the figure standing on top of one of the corpses. But even without glasses and a bad eyesight Hanji could tell, the wings of freedom worn proudly on the back of his green cape as he looked behind himself at her.

"Levi"

Like the roaring thunder himself he came descending down from the sky in a flash of light. Faster than anyone and stronger than anyone in the whole Survey corps. It could only be Levi.

"The hell are you doing four eyes?"

Also the only one with such a vulgar language, addressing her with such an almost lovely nickname.

"Ahahaha, would you believe me if I said I was enjoying the night sky, looking at the stars?"

"It's raining like shit, the sky is grey and not a single damn star is out to be able to see. Did your eyesight become even worser as it already was to begin with?"

Putting his swords away he made his way to her, scowling like always. Standing now in front of her he kneeled down to her shocked expression, ignoring the dirt around him or the water soaking into his white pants painting them in an ugly brown.

"You look like shit.."

"Sorry clean freak, I couldn't find the time to take a proper bath. Could you lend me a ha- ughh this hurts..." she hissed as he pressed a white cloth onto her forehead. Wait wasn't this his beloved cravat?

"Stop whinning and don't look with such a questionable expression at me. It's the only thing I have with me. You better wash it after we are back within the walls before returning it to me, shitty glasses"

Levi carefully wrapped the white clothes around her head bandaging her, afterwarts he took her 3DMG off since it was only unnecessary death weight for both of them at the moment. Wrapping his cape around her freezing cold wet body, he could at least shield her a bit from the down pouring rain. He had to hurry however before more of those monsters would find them. A proper medical treatment she would receive later at the camp soon enough.

Looking up he scanned the area for any danger or other injured... But the screams and cries had turned quiet since a while.. Hanji was the only survivor.
Clicking his tongue in frustration Levi picked her up into his arms as careful as he could which didn't stop Hanji from groaning in pain however.

"Uggghh.. I can't even pinpoint where it hurts the most. My whole body screams in pain. Sorry Levi for giving you all the trouble... now you even have to carry me. Say, where's your squad? Did you come alone? Erwin told you he doesn-" Hanji stopped as she looked up at his face a small smile gracing her lips.

He tried to not let it show how concerned he was. Hiding his true feelings behind his stoic mask. But in reality he cared, most likely more than anyone else in the corps. Over his fallen comrades, over the people he couldn't save even through he has the title humanity strongest soldier. Shouldering everything on his shoulders alone. Not even Hanji herself knew what he must have endured in his younger years before he joined the Survey corps. But she could guess. He was a former thug, he came from the underground leading a gang, she knew about the two important friends he had Isabel and Farlan and how they died... the few years they knew each other now she had plently of time to study him, to learn how to read him, to understand his weird behaviours. But those were all things in the present for the things what happened to him in the past Hanji let him decide the pace. He would tell her eventually.

She placed one of her hands on his cheek to make him look at her. "Levi.. I'm fine. Thank you."

It took him quite by surprise as he stopped and landed on one of the nearest three branches to be able to look down on her form. As he did she already had her hand removed from his cheek and her eyes were closed. But she was breathing. She was alive.

He sighed before he took off again, murmuring quietly. "You better will be Hanji."