New Life

After a lot of suffering, here is a happy chapter for you! At the moment I was writing, it came to my mind the song "Two Shadows", from the wonderful anime "Clannad". So, if you want to make your reading experience even better, when I signalize "PLAY", put on the music to make everything more exciting! Have a good reading!

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Lara was sitting on a bench outside Commander Erwin Smith's office. She had just heard Hange and Levi shout a resounding "WHAT?!" from inside the room, and she also could have sworn she had heard that Erwin had allowed her to join the Survey Corps without having to wait for another two years.

Mike Zacharias was standing beside her, on guard. He had a serious expression on his face, but when he also heard Hange and Levi's exclamation, he glanced at Lara and saw that she gave a mischievous smile, thinking he wasn't looking. Mike chuckled inwardly. He liked the girl. She was fun, friendly, and not at all annoying. She did typical children's things, like suddenly screaming sometimes, but it didn't bother him.

In fact, they even got along really well in Shiganshina, having a moment when he piggybacked her through the halls, placing her on his shoulders. Lara simply loved it, because he was almost two-meter tall. Besides, of course, Mike was impressed with the fact that she was brave and had already managed to kill two Titans. That, for sure, wasn't for everyone.

Inside Erwin's office, with puzzled expressions, Hange and Levi approached the Commander's desk.

"What do you expect from us?" asked Levi, frowning. "That Hange and I adopt the girl?"

Hange abruptly turned to Levi, feeling her heart pound and a shiver down her spine. Erwin just chuckled and replied:

"Not yet."

Levi had his mouth agape.

"What do you mean?!" he asked, "'not ye–'"

"This is what I expect from you both," Erwin cut it short, staring firmly at his friends in front of him, "Levi, from what you've told us about Lara back in Shiganshina, she does have a certain education, knows how to read and write, but no knowledge beyond the basics, right?"

"Yes," replied Levi, still looking serious.

"Okay," continued Erwin, "I had a lot of time to think in Shiganshina, and on the way back here. And, I came to the following conclusion: Lara has great potential, and if it is well explored, it can yield excellent results. I'm not joking. A child at that age, especially in the conditions she was raised in, showing such braveness…" Erwin let out air through his mouth and widened his eyes, "She killed two Titans, guys! Two! I have soldiers who have never even killed one and have been here for a long time. Now, pay close attention. If we know how to teach her to develop her physical and mental capacity, I'm sure I won't be mistaken that she really will become the next humanity's strongest soldier."

Silence fell over the three of them and Hange looked worriedly at Levi, who just kept staring at Erwin in a serious way.

"And what's your brilliant plan?" asked Hange, wearily.

"It's quite simple," the Commander continued, crossing his fingers, "Hange, you are incredibly smart and know more about Titans than anyone else here. Teach Lara everything you know. You told me she showed great interest in learning about them, didn't you? Well, keep encouraging her to want to learn more and more. Children at this age need that kind of encouragement."

Hange looked down at her own hands and couldn't hold back a smile. Indeed, Lara was one of the few people she knew who let her talk freely about the Titans. Most people would get bored when they listened to Hange speak and some would even ask her to keep the information to herself. It was different with Lara. The girl knew how to listen and asked smart questions. Hange felt she could be herself in the presence of that child.

"Levi," continued Erwin, looking at the soldier, "I don't even need to say that you're the best in the fighting aspect. You've seen how good Lara is with a sword. So I want you to train her hard. I want that girl spinning just like you."

Hange laughed out loud and wiped a tear from her eyes, with Erwin joining in on the laughter. Levi wrinkled his nose at them. He didn't want to admit it, but Erwin was right. If Lara was properly educated and trained, she would have a promising future. Another thing Levi didn't want to admit and tried to hide the feeling, was that deep down, he felt happy at knowing he wouldn't have to separate from that child. But he also hid it.

"Very well, then," concluded Erwin, rubbing his hands. "Any questions?"

"Yes," said Hange, stepping forward. "Where will Lara stay?"

"At the usual place, in one of the dorms with other female soldiers," he shrugged.

"Erwin," said Hange, with a concerned expression, "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Why not?" the Commander frowned.

"I've already heard what those girls talk in their dorms," sighed Hange, looking disgusted, "it's ridiculous. I don't think it's wise to let Lara have this kind of company, especially at this age."

Erwin raised his eyebrows, pursing his lips. He thought for a moment and asked:

"And what do you suggest, Hange?"

"I don't mind sharing my room with her. It's big enough and I'm sure if we organize it well, we can fit two single beds there."

"Why don't you take this opportunity and clean it at once?" asked Levi, crossing his arms.

"I'll let you do it," replied Hange, sticking out her tongue, and making a face. Levi did the same.

►PLAY - Two Shadows, from Clannad

"Okay, good!" exclaimed Erwin, getting up from his chair and heading for the door. "I think we can call Lara now and give her the good news."

At the same time, Levi and Hange felt butterflies in their stomachs and exchanged looks. Hange gave him a very kind little smile, which made Levi feel his heart skip a beat. Without even realizing it, he also smiled back.

They heard Erwin call Lara in the corridor and thank Mike for taking care of her, dismissing him. When the girl entered the room, Hange and Levi instinctively got closer to each other, their hands brushing. They couldn't understand why they were feeling so nervous, but in the depths of each of their hearts, they felt an intense urge to hold their hands.

Erwin asked Lara to sit in the chair in front of his desk. He went back to his place and gazed at Lara, hands resting on the desk. The girl glanced back, seeing where Levi and Hange were, giving them a little smile.

"Lara…" said Erwin, with one of his eyebrows raised and a friendly smile forming on his lips, "You are, officially, a Survey Corps soldier! Welcome to our team!"

The next scene was unexpected for everyone: with a cry of pure joy, Lara ran out of the chair, went around the desk, and jumped so high into Erwin's arms that if he hadn't caught her in the air, she would have fallen sprawling on the floor. She hugged him very tightly and he, smiling, returned it with the same intensity.

"Thank you so much, Commander!" exclaimed Lara, emotionally, her face buried in his neck. "I can't thank you enough!" She began to cry, "Thank you for not letting me go back to that horrible orphanage!"

Realizing that the girl had started to cry, Erwin desperately looked at Hange, just like when a baby starts crying in your arms and you look for the mother to give back the tiny human being.

Right away, Hange stepped forward and took Lara from Erwin's arms, hugging her very tightly. She couldn't hold back from crying as well, but quietly. It hurt her heart to know that Lara had been through a lot of bad things and to see her fear of going back to that orphanage. But now, their cry was of only happiness.

Hange went back next to Levi, with the girl still clinging to her, and then, out of the blue, Lara also grabbed Levi's neck, who ended up being forced to give the two girls a hug. There, with the heads of the three of them practically glued together, Lara whispered:

"I promise I'm gonna make you proud."

Erwin watched the scene with a gleam in his eyes and a sweet smile. Lara looked at him and jumped from Hange's arms to the floor, walking towards him. Levi and Hange stared at each other, not quite understanding how they ended up in that triple hug, and they realized that Levi still had his hand around Hange's waist. Blushed, they pulled away and walked to Erwin's desk.

"Alright, Lara," said Erwin, sitting down in his chair and inviting the others to sit too. "But first of all, I need you to know a few things."

"Yes, sir!" replied Lara, hitting her right hand on her chest, making the salute. Erwin couldn't help but chuckle. Lara was still quite small and her voice still sounded way too high-pitched sometimes.

Despite her excitement, Lara listened very carefully to everything Erwin said to her. The Commander explained how things worked at the HQ and in the Survey Corps. He also said that, at the moment, her main task was to learn. He made it very clear that Hange and Levi would be her tutors and that she owed them total obedience.

As they left Erwin's office, Levi closed the door and stopped in the middle of the corridor, next to Lara, who was holding Hange's hands. There, Lara felt as if she were in a dream. The morning sun streamed in through one of the large windows of the corridor, shining the hair of her new tutors, and making them look extraordinarily fascinating. She wished that moment would last forever.

Goodbye, orphanage! Hello, Survey Corps!

Goodbye, darkness! Hello, light!