Exodus - Part 1

~~~One Year Later~~~

Nathan's eyes fluttered open as he sat in bed. He brought his hands up to his faces and rubbed his eyes in an effort to fully wake himself up. He threw his legs over the bed and tried to get a reading on his current location. From the looks of the room Nathan assumed that he was in some sort of hospital. He spotted a mirror across the room and went to walk over to the object but his legs gave out from underneath him. He must have made a loud enough noise because he heard multiple footsteps scattering in the room next to his.

The door to his room opened and three people walked through it. They saw the young man laying on his stomach and trying to sit himself up. "Captain Levi come quick! The kid we picked up is finally awake." One of the soldiers yelled. "Oh no. Are you alright? You shouldn't be moving around all by yourself." A female soldier said while helping him up. She was a relatively short woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore the typical uniform of a member of the Survey Corps, with a white button-up shirt underneath.

"Petra...Help me get him back on the bed. He needs to rest." The girl now known as Petra and another female scout member rushed over to the boy and helped him onto the bed. "Hey kid do you remember anything?" The boy, who was now lying back on the bed, looked up at the scout member and shook his head.

"I don't think so. Last thing I can remember is running and Lena-" his eyes widened and he stared at the scout. "Where is she?! Where is Lena?!" The boy began thrashing violently and tried to leave the bed. "You need to rest!" Petra called out to him but her pleas fell on deaf ears as he continued. The girl from earlier went to put a hand and comfort the young man but he smacked her hand away as he backed up against the wall.

"Don't touch me! Where am I?! Just stay away from me!" Nathan walked further and further back until he felt the wall press against him. He looked around a grabbed a knife. "Just...stay away from me! Please..." he pleaded. The girl whose hand he smacked away earlier approached him slowly with her hands raised.

"My name is Hanji Zoe and I'm a squad leader in the survey corps. You have been asleep for a while...what is the last thing you remember? Let's start with something simple...what is your name." She had wide, light brown eyes and shoulder length dark brown hair that they often kept tied up in an unkempt high ponytail with bangs parted down the middle.

Nathan grabbed his head and let out a painful grunt. "Nathan. I-I think that's my name." Hanji smiled and moved a bit closer. "That's a nice name Nathan. I'm going to move a bit closer if that's ok..." Nathan nodded slowly and slightly lowered the knife. "Thank you for trusting me. I know it's hard but I'm going to need you to remember something. Anything is fine."

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed and his face contorted into one of pain and sadness. "The uh Titans had just entered into the gate and I was running with my friends." Nathan's grip in the knife loosened and Hanji drew closer to the boy. "My friend Connor he..." The young man out his over his mouth and started swaying back and forth. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as he fell against the wall.

"Oi four eyes! I heard the brat woke up-" A man with short, straight black hair styled in an undercut curtain, as well as narrow, intimidating dull gray eyes with dark circles under them entered the room. He took this opportunity to analyze the situation in front of him while trying to keep level-headed. "Why is the brat holding a knife at you?" Instead of answering

Hanji moved her attention back to young man who stood in front of her. "How long?" Hanji turned her head towards the young man in front of her. "How long what?" Hanji knew what he meant but she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news as it were. However, her attempt at playing innocent didn't go well with Nathan as his eyes narrows and the knife found its way into a secure grasp in his hands.

"Don't play stupid! You know what I meant...How long was I asleep for?" Hanji couldn't answer the young man in front of her and backed up slowly. She wanted to console the young man but she didn't know how to do so. Any words she tried to say in order to comfort Nathan would simply be of no help. "Tch. You have been asleep for one year brat." Hanji and Petra turned their eyes to the captain with wide eyes. "Captain Levi! You cant just-"

"Save it Petra. He needs to know the truth and no amount of babying will make the reveal any easier." Hanji and Petra stayed quiet and had reluctantly agreed going by their silence. "O-one...y-year?" Nathan fell and slid down the wall behind him. He hid his face behind his knees and refused to look up. "Its safe to say your friends and family are probably dead..." Levi continued.

"So that just leaves you. I want to leave you in the nearest refugee camp and get rid of you." Hanji and Petra both sent Levi glare but he rolled his eyes at them before looking back at Nathan. "But your evaluations from your time as a cadet pegged you as a decent hand-to-hand fighter. You were also apparently the best odm user in your class."

Nathan didn't look up but Levi knew he was listening. His breathing was slower then a moment before and he looked to be in control of his actions. "If you choose to stay then we can finish your training and you become a scout. Or we can do the original plan and dump you at a refugee camp." Hanji eyes softened as she looked at Nathan who was now standing up with the dagger remaining on the ground. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure kid? Once you say yes there is no going back." Levi warned Nathan. Nathan didn't back down and narrowed his eyes at Levi before nodding. "Well I guess there isn't a choice. I have to clear it though Erwin but he should be fine with it." Hanji and Petra smiled at each other before turning back to Nathan who had small tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

He was trying to keep up his stoic expression but it was slowly faltering. Petra saw this and her protective nature kicked in, she turns to Levi and tries to usher everyone out of the room. "Captain Levi sir! I think it's best if we leave so Nathan can recover in peace."

"Do what you want Petra. Hanji let's go, Erwins going to what to hear our reasons. You can come back and drool over him later." Hanji face, which was focused on Nathan for quite a while, developed a small hint of pink before turning to Levi. "W-what are you talking about? I wasn't drooling!"

Levi scoffed before turning to and walking through the infirmary rooms door. "But Commander Hanji...I think I remember you hardly leaving his side when he was asleep. You also constantly changed his bed sheets. Oh and that one time when you had to dress-" Petra recalled. "Ok! I get it! Let's go Levi! You to Petra!" Hanji grabbed Petra and stormed through the door following after Levi.

Soon after they left Nathan slid back down to to the floor and got lost in his own thoughts. Now that he was alone he couldn't truly grieve and come to terms with what happened. "My friends are gone. I left Connor to die and Lena sacrificed herself...for me." He tired to assure himself that he was dreaming, that everything that had happened was nothing more than a nightmare and that he would soon wake up from. His cries became louder and his tear tracks stained his face. The young man soon found himself dozing off as his tears were the last thing he heard before falling asleep.

~~~A few hours later~~~

Nobody had hear or entered Nathan's hospital room since he woke up. Many passing scouts had heard loud cries coming from the room as they passed his room, but since then it was eerily quiet. Petra volunteered to check on him but, Levi ordered her to resume and focus on her training, much to her annoyance.

Erwin was to busy to visit the young man despite his wanting to. The only other, willing visitor, was section commander Hanji Zoe. The 'mad scientist' told Erwin that she was more than willing to check on Nathan should the need arise. And arise it did.

Hanji was on her way to check up on Nathan and speak to him for the first time since earlier that day. The closer she got to Nathan's infirmary room quarters, the less and less she knew what to say. Trying to start a conversation with someone that was asleep for a year and then told they're family and friends were all dead. And not to mention being thrown the ultimatum of either 'join the military or be abandoned' probably didn't help.

She shook her head and realized that she must have been standing in front her door for a while. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door and awaited a response. "Nathan? It's Hanji from earlier, do you remember me?" Nothing. "Well...some of use are worried and Commander Erwin sent me to check up on you." Hanji still didn't get a response. She sighed and was about give up but she noticed that the door wasn't locked.

'Should I just let myself in? I mean Erwin did tell me to check on him after all...' Hanji tried to resins with herself and justify what would come next and ultimately did. "Nathan. I'm coming in..." Hanji slowly opened the door until the entire room was in her view. She looked to the bed first and took note of its owners absence. He gaze moved over to where she left him earlier and still couldn't find him. She walked further in the room in hopes of finding him. Hanji looked in the corner and cornered at the sight in front of her.

Nathan was curled up into a ball and rested his head against the wall. Tear tracks could be seen on his face and his dark-skin was pale. His face contorted into one of pain and small whimpers along with cries of help could be heard from the young man. Hanji couldn't help but pity the man in front of her, everything he was forced to go through at such a young age had clearly taken its effect on Nathan and Hanji didn't like it one bit.

"Nathan. It's ok it's just a dream. I need you to wake up now." Hanji kept repeating over and over until Nathan finally woke up. His eyes held such a pain, sadness, and anger behind them and as they fluttered open Hanji could see all of it. But there was something else his eyes held. Something...beautiful. Something unexplainable. "Hanji?" The woman in question was shaken form her thoughts and realized she was staring at Nathan. A small blush of embarrassment founds its way onto her face and as she fixed her glass she managed to avert his gaze by looking away. "Yeah? What is is it."

He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Why are you here?" Hanji cleared her throat before answering. "Well it has been a while since we had last spoken. So we figured someone needed to check on you." Nathan nodded in understanding before returning his gaze back to the ceiling.

Hanji wanted to say anything but, much like her earlier dispute, didn't know how to start a conversation with him. Luckily she didn't have to. "Hanji? Can I ask you something?" His gaze returned to the woman in front of him staying there fo maybe a bit too long but eventually tenured to the ceiling. She nodded and he continued.

"Are the walls... really here to protect us? When Titans arrived all I could do was run but I realized there was nowhere I could go. The only place to 'escape' to was behind another set of walls that ultimately broke." Nathan paused to gather his breath but continued shortly after. "I know that they are supposed to protect us but it's like they kept us...captive or something." Hanji smiled and placed her hand on his check as she caressed it with her thumb.

"I know what you mean and I think other people share your mindset. But that's what the survey corps is about. Finding answers to humanity's questions. Ensure if that there is a way to survive outside of the walls. Although it has taken longer than expected."

"But if we give up now then humanity will remain inside of these walls until we are extinguished." Nathan's eyes widened as he listened to Hanjis speech. He didn't receive a direct answer to his question but in a way it felt like he did. Even after 'accepting' Levi's proposal, he still felt unsure about actually joining the corps. However, his view changed. Instead, he felt reassure that he would now be fighting for a cause bigger than himself.

Nathan turned his gaze back to Hanji and found himself staring in the section commanders light brown eyes. Her eyes reminded him of the sweetest and rusher chocolate you could find. Sure comparing someone's eyes, let alone a woman's eyes, to food a isn't the most romantic thing in the world. But Nathan isn't romantic at all, still that was all he could think about. Most because he was hungry but still...he is trying. 

Had Nathan not been lost in her eyes, he would have noticed a similar stare towards his own eyes. Once Nathan had open his eyes and stared at Hanji she did the same. His brown eyes complimented his darker skin which was something she hadn't taken too much of a noice before. He was wearing an eyepatch, made from spare bandages in the hospital.

But now that she was very close with him, she could truly take in his appearance. Despite being 18 he was already 6'1 and had a well developed muscular frame with broad shoulders. Her eyes evoked a feeling of comfort and warmth. But also something dangerous almost as if it was...animalistic. But whatever it was - it drew her closer to him.

That is until a cough from the door cause both Hanji and Nathan to jump back with blushes on their faces while avoiding eye contact. "So four eyes...mind telling me what's going." Levi walked further in the room and stared at both of them. "W-well I n-needed t-to uh...ensure t-that Nathan here is actually h-healthy. Right?" She shot Nathan a glare that basically told him to agree and he did so by nodding his head.

"This so annoying. Whatever, if your gonna make out with him just make sure he is ready for tomorrow." Hanji became a stuttering and blushing mess while Nathan sent Levi a questioning look. "We start training tomorrow. I'll send someone to come get you but you better be ready. Got it?" Nathan nodded and Levi's sighed before leaving the room. Hanji left the room soon after and apologized if she made him uncomfortable. He gave her his thanks for being worried about him to which she blushed and stuttered some more before leaving the room.

"Tomorrow I'm going to begin my training as a scout eh? I wonder what's in store for me. Well whatever it is...Lena, Connor your sacrifices won't be in vain I'm going to escape these walls for us and find what lies out there. I promise." Nathan's soul burned with a passions that would be unsent and his words carried weight. A weight that he may not have understood but a weight he will defiantly carry.

However, outside his room, a listener to his new declaration had a smile on his face. He was leaning against the wall and decided to just listen in on the boy. The convictions his voice carried reached all the way outside the room and into the strangers ears. With a smile on his face he gets on his feet and walks away from the door.

"Cadet Nathan. I truly can't wait to see the kind of solider you will become. And when day that comes, when we break free from these walls, I wonder what you will do. What will you sacrifice to keep your promise. Truly interesting indeed. You have my respect and trust."

"What do you think about the brat?" The stranger stopped and stared at the captain. "He will become something that nobody could plan for. This make him bait trustworthy and dangerous."

"So what will you have me do?"

"Nothing for now. But...I feel as though we can trust him as of now." The stranger answered.

"Whatever. You already know how I feel about it...still I'll follow you till the end of my days Erwin." The stranger, now identified as the Survery Corps commander himself Erwin smith, thought to himself before leaving the infirmary. "I know my friend. I know."

(A/N): Btw The character descriptions came from the AOT wiki page