Mirage

A/N: Oh, God. I can't even remember the last time I updated but here I am again, folks! I really do hope that you guys have not forgotten this story. I still get reviews 2 years after I last updated, and some are really begging for updates. I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting. One thing to know: we're actually nearing the end, and god forbid I want to actually finish writing this story. Thank you for your continued support. Please read and review!

Summary: Humanity's strongest soldier had secrets of his own. So when the woman he thought he loved died, he turns on another for pure companionship and comfort. But a night of mistake has its consequences. Levihan.

CHAPTER THIRTY: THREAT

If there's one thing on Hange's mind right now, it's that she missed her job. Terribly.

She gazed around the table. She could clearly see that every veteran in that meeting was clearly focused on what Commander Erwin was saying at the moment. They've been in the briefing room for almost an hour now, and normally, she would've been bored and tinkering with her pen while lazily looking at Erwin, but right now, after being off duty for one whole year, after marrying an infuriating man and having two kids, Hange was more than thrilled to be working for her cause again.

The commander carefully laid out the map of Wall Maria on the table, and Hange could clearly see that he already marked some areas which they would be venturing in for their expedition tomorrow morning. The base camps that they'll be setting tomorrow are already nearing the Shiganshina District, and she calculated that after two more missions, they'd finally reach Eren Jaeger's home. And hopefully debunk the truth about the Titans, she thought.

Erwin suddenly cleared his throat, pulling Hange from her thoughts. "Squad Levi will assume their spot in the center of the formation, as we wouldn't want to risk Eren and make him open to any possible Titan ambush," he turned to the Captain, who, as Hange noticed, was somehow not interested in what Erwin was saying. Levi seemed to be deep in thoughts. "Squad Mike will follow behind me in the frontlines, as will Squad Nanaba. The rest will be in the left and right wing of the formation, defending Squad Levi at all costs. So, any questions?"

Hange actually raised an eyebrow at Erwin's plans. "How about my squad, Commander?" She was kind of offended that her squad was not positioned in the frontlines, because ever since she became a Squad Leader, she always did assume a position on one side of Erwin, no matter how dangerous the missions are.

Erwin, with his usual blond hair in place, frowned at her. "Oh, I almost forgot. Squad Hange will be at the rearmost, leaving trails. Once the formation changed, your squad will be setting up camp at this location," he pointed an area on the map.

Her brows furrowed, confusion now growing in her mind. "But…. That area's the closest to Wall Rose, and there's less Titan activity in that place. We've already secured that area and I believe, from my very extensive knowledge of Wall Maria, we've already set up camps in nearby towns. Why leave us there?" for the first time in a veteran meeting, she raised her tone at the Commander. Ranks be damned, she thought.

"Yes, everything you've said is true, Hange. But my decision has already been made. No one is to question my instructions," there was ice in his tone when he spoke.

Erwin narrowed his blue eyes at hers, and Hange noticed the barest softness in them. She turned to Levi. Her husband was looking at her quite sternly, as if wanting her to sit down and question the Commander no longer. She clenched her fists. "But Erwin-"

"I expect everyone to resume their preparations for the mission tomorrow. Brief your respective squads before the sun sets and for heaven's sake, serve them a sumptuous meal for dinner. It might be their last. Meeting adjourned."

As soon as the Commander said the word, everyone stood up and left. Mike and Nanaba walked to the door hand in hand, but before they reached the doorway, the couple looked over their shoulder and glanced at them, worry evident in their eyes, but they soon left. Erwin was carefully stacking papers and stuffing them into his briefcase, not even flinching despite the growing tension in the room. Hange stood there defiantly, minutes away from lashing out and just waiting for a decent time, and Levi sat there in his chair, his face unreadable.

As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Hange decidedly banged her hands against the table, but the two men remained indifferent. Her cheeks grew warm with anger. "What the hell was that, Erwin? Do you really expect me to set aside while you guys head on to much farther and more dangerous areas in Wall Maria? No, that's not happening!"

"It's for your own safety, Hange." Erwin fixed her on his blue gaze, and once again, Hange saw the softness in them.

"My own safety? I've endured more than twenty missions with the two of you out there and not once did you ever consider my safety then," she breathed. She glared at Erwin, and then she turned to Levi, who, surprisingly, remained calm and uncaring. Of course she knew that it was for her safety, but she's a veteran member of the corps, and she can handle herself pretty well in the battlefield. Even after her untimely pregnancy, she knows she still can. She is still a soldier, after all. "Erwin, you would need intel regarding Titans and I know you would need my advice on certain things. Please, let me assume my rightful position with you and Mike."

"Tomorrow's mission will be dangerous, Hange. For one whole year, your squad had no solid trainings because you were not there to supervise them. So technically speaking, your squad is not fit and prepared to fight. They've spent more days inside your lab, working and experimenting, while the other soldiers were training for all their worth," Erwin sighed. "Their lives would be at a higher risk."

"I can still be there beside you and give you every detail I know, helping you with strategies." She spat. Hange regretted those days she wasn't with her squad, and she would admit their fighting skills have gotten rusty.

"Even if you managed to change my mind about it, it just cannot happen, Hange. I've already briefed all squad leaders regarding the mission tomorrow. If I suddenly moved your squad to the frontlines, our formation will be disordered. My strategies will not be executed properly, and there are things which would need reconsideration. The mission may well have to be rescheduled, if that would be the case. But I simply cannot. We have to be on schedule, lest the higher ups sanction us again."

Erwin hadn't changed at all, and she'd bet he'd already calculated his responses to her days ago. There is no way she'd be at the frontlines now, and she hated it. Hated that she couldn't even live up to her position as Squad Leader, and hated that a small smile was now playing on Levi's lips, obviously enjoying the fact that she wasn't winning this argument with Erwin. Hange slumped back on her chair, looking defeated.

"Actually, I'd prefer you not joining the mission at all, or the one after that." Erwin declared.

Hange's eyes grew wide at his words. "What? What did you say, Erwin?"

"I want you to stop joining missions. Were my previous words not clear to you?" his face was challenging.

Hange laughed. Really laughed, that it echoed around the room. There were actually tears in her eyes as she laughed. "I'm sorry, Erwin, but that just isn't possible. You can throw me into the rear for all I care but quitting? That's something I just wouldn't do." She took off her glasses and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Apparently, we're done here. I'd resume on my preparations for tomorrow's mission, and I'd have a briefing session with my squad, like you said, Commander." She turned her back and left, banging the door behind her.

With Hange gone, Levi sighed. He turned to Erwin, who now has a disbelieving expression on his face. "Talk to her, Levi. Tell her it's for the best."

"She's stubborn like that, Erwin. I can't…. I just can't." He muttered.

He didn't want her to go, not now, not ever. It was something he couldn't deny anymore.

Levi didn't want Hange to join the mission tomorrow, or any other missions in the future. He's afraid of what might possibly happen, and everytime the image of Hange losing to a Titan and actually being killed haunts his mind, it's impossible to shut it down. The dreams he had before, the one where he could clearly see his wife and his twins in the hands of a Titan, had frequented. Every night, he would wake up with a sheen of sweat coating his body, and his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He would immediately turn to see Hange soundly sleeping in their bed, and he would also stand up just to take a peek at the twins, ensuring that they are safe. It had been a dread to sleep, much less wake up, knowing that they're inching towards the day of the next mission. The past month was hell.

Levi got up from the couch and walked to the windows. He could see the skies rapidly darkening with its purple and blue shades, and stars are already showing up one by one. The day ended up being so beautiful, reflected by the skies. It would have been so much more beautiful if the events that happened earlier on were alright.

Actually, it was his idea to position the Squad Hange at the rear of the formation. This is the only way he knew to spare Hange from danger, and Erwin, having grown to care so much for her, without second thoughts agreed to his suggestion. Even Mike seemed to have agreed as well. He knew she would retaliate and argue with Erwin about it, but she wouldn't win. Not easily. She'd have to wrestle his tooth for that, and even so, Levi was there to admonish her if Erwin somehow lost his reservations.

But even after everything, there's no way she would just quit the Survey Corps. It was something that not even him or Erwin could make her do. Levi knows she isn't stupid. Hange will realize that this is because of the twins, and she knows that it's the best thing she can do for them. But her resolve would not falter. Levi remembered the night when Hange had laid out her plans for the twins if the two of them died fighting the Titans. She had set up a bank account for them at Wall Sina, and had even talked her parents into taking care of them if ever she died. All without his knowledge.

He yelled at her, angry that she'd already thought of a future for the orphans that Theo and Ciel will become if they died fighting. It angered him that she was so calm about it, like she didn't care enough for the twins. She called it being realistic. He knew she was right, but then Levi suggested that one of them had to give up the Corps to care for the kids. She was so adamant about her decision not to quit.

But of course, the kids aren't the only reason he wanted her to leave the Corps.

The door to their quarters suddenly opened and Levi looked up to see Hange entering the room with blank expression on her face. She shut the door behind her and stared at him, brown eyes taunting him and piercing him on his position by the window. His wife looked tired and the day's weight lay hovering in her face, but she was still so beautiful.

"It was you, wasn't it? The one who really wanted me to quit? The one who planted that seed into Erwin's head?" she said, expression not even changing one bit. She crossed her arms before her chest and she glared at him.

"Yes," Levi simply uttered, returning the challenging look. "It's the right thing to do, Hange, and you know it."

"It was not your call to make!" she yelled, and Levi was stunned to see that reaction in her face. "No one has right to tell me what to do. And not a soul within these walls would be able to force me to quit, Levi. Not even you." There was disdain in her voice.

Levi couldn't help himself anymore. He walked closer to her, stance defiant. "God damn it, Hange! Are you not thinking about Theo and Ciel at all?! How fucked up their lives would be if you die? If both of us die?! They'd grow up without parents to explain them what a fucked up world we live in. Where are they now? They're with their grandparents in Wall Sina instead of being with their mother because of this mission tomorrow. It's already starting. If you think that they'd honor our memory if we die, Hange, no! They would hate us! They'd grow up thinking that their mother and father did not even love them, Hange!"

He could see it from where he's standing, the first tear that fell from her eyes. "You told me before that you wouldn't get in my way when it comes to this matter, Levi. What the hell are you doing now?" she said as her tears now continuously fell.

His eyes softened a bit, and a sudden pang hit his chest. "That was before," he said. "That was before I realized how much I love you. How much I love Ciel and Theo. I don't want to lose you, Hange. I would not be able to bear it if you die. I'd rather die than live in a world without you, or the twins. I love you and the kids so much it actually scares me."

At any other moment in his life, he would not be able to say these words. But right now, with all the fear he had inside him, it was only the truth he could manage to utter.

"I love you too, more than you know," she smiled through the tears. "I love the twins too. I care about them as much as you do. This is why I want to keep on fighting, for you, for them, for our future. I might succeed or die trying. If I didn't have this dream of a better future, I would quit. Gladly. I would take care of our kids while I wait for you to come back from a mission. But this dream… This dream would not be a reality if I'm not with the Survey Corps. Humanity needs me. As much as I want to dread it, but I believe I'm one of the keys for our freedom. You, Erwin, Eren, all of you are assets to the Corps. And I am too. I would continue fighting if that would mean a better future for our children and the rest of humanity, Levi, and I want you to respect that."

Levi looked down then, for he knew she was right. There was no more arguing with her. This is Hange in all her glory and exaltation. He dreads it too, but he would accept. "There's no way that I could possibly stop you or force you to quit. And I believe that you are humanity's hope too. I just…. We have a family. And if there's anything I can do for our kids to live normally I would do it, without second thoughts."

"I know, Levi. I know. But we're in this together. I promise I won't put myself in danger and you, you promised me a few months ago that you wouldn't die on me, on our twins. I expect you to fulfill that promise," she smiled again. Hange wiped the tears from her eyes.

Levi walked straight to her and wrapped his arms around her then. He wanted to keep her there, forever, to feel her body against his. Hange wrapped her arms around him as well, and they remained standing and intertwined like that for minutes.

A knock on the door caused them to break apart. Levi silently cursed as Hange tried to compose himself.

Levi opened the door, still in dismay, only to find Mike in front of him wearing a white polo shirt, and a rather reluctant look on his face. "Hey, Levi, I was wondering if you, uh, would like to be a witness to our wedding?" He declared. Mike looked past Levi and eyed Hange. "You too, Hange. Nanaba and I decided that we'd like to have our wedding tonight before the mission…. should anything happen tomorrow. We thought that tomorrow's expedition would be one of the most dangerous missions we'd have since it'll be closer to Shiganshina. So… are you coming? I'm sorry to disturb you."

It was Hange who answered. "Of course, Mike, we'd come. Levi and I would just need to change, okay?" she smiled. "I'm so happy for both of you."

"Thank you, Hange." Mike beamed at her.

When Levi and Hange arrived in the dining hall, they'd expected the whole Survey Corps gathered in there. But instead there was only Erwin, a pastor, and the bride and groom.

Hange looked at Nanaba. The woman, who'd been one of Hange's comrades and close friends for a long time now, looked entirely beautiful in the white sleeveless dress that she was wearing. Her cheeks were blushed pink and Hange could see in her eyes that she was very happy to be marrying the man he loved. Mike looked dashing as well, and it was evident that all the love he had was for Nanaba only, as he never strayed his eyes away from her, totally in awe of her simple beauty.

Erwin looked happy and proud as well. And Hange could clearly see in his eyes that he respected Mike, and loved Nanaba like a sister. He was happy and more than delighted that the two ended up together.

"Dearly beloved," the pastor started. "We are gathered here today to celebrate these two people pledge their hearts to each other," he smiled.

Hange dimly remembered her own wedding as she watched her obviously in love friends finally tie the knot. He glanced at Levi, who sat beside her. He was intently listening as Mike said his vows, and Hange hoped she's able to read his mind at the moment.

"I, Mike Zacharias…" he softly said, repeating the priest's words. "Take you, Nanaba Martin, to be my wife, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer… In sickness and in health… To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live,"

Hange's heart almost melted at the way Mike looked at Nanaba. They deserved this, after all. However, she was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Levi's hand slowly coming up to rest over hers, and she responded by intertwining their fingers together. He looked at her then, his eyes showed her just how much he loved her, and how he wished he could've said the same vows then with the feelings he had for her now.

The wedding didn't last quite long, and each of them bid farewell to one another as they retired to their respected rooms. When Levi and Hange arrived to theirs, he showed her what his eyes were already expressing, he laid her down and made love to her in the darkness of the night.

Morning came quickly. Levi woke up first, and he stared lovingly at his wife as he ran a finger against her cheek. He then looked around. The sun filtered through the windows, yet he heard no birds singing. Everything was still and quiet.

Something was wrong.

There was a bang at the door. Levi bolted upright, waking Hange in the process. He opened the door and Nifa tumbled before him, her grim expression evident. Sweat ran down her forehead as she panted.

That's when he heard it. His heart started to beat wildly.

Alarm bells.

"Captain Levi! Squad Leader Hange! Commander Erwin calls you to the briefing room. Now!" the girl exclaimed.

"What happened, Nifa?" he demanded.

"Wall Rose has been breached, and multiple Titans have been sighted. The Survey Corps is needed, Sir."

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