Levi's POV

It's been a few weeks since Hanji's death. Armin had told me that there was no new evidence of where Hanji's body would've been. I could feel my anger seething and bubbling when the days passed, and her body hasn't been found. Some creep has her dead body, and I can't bear to think of what was going on. Where is she?

Unable to sleep once more, I decided to take my wheelchair and go down the empty halls of this old castle. I can remember when it was full of Scouts the night before an expedition. I hear a few of them crying, wondering if they'll make it home. A few would be having a few drinks, but not too much before they're unable to move the next day. A few would be singing songs to push the fear away. Then, there would be a few playing some childish games to remind them of times of peace.

I remember when Hanji would stay down in her lab, writing a few experiments and last-minute proposals to bring a few things with her on the expeditions. Sometimes, Moblit would stumble into my room, asking me to help calm Hanji down from drinking too much. I remember a lot of things when she was around... Hanji... 

I never knew how much things revolved around her.

Even now, I could see her running in the halls... 

Running?

The footsteps couldn't be some figment of my imagination. "Hanji?" I called out, gripping my hands on the wheels. Was it true that losing my eye meant I could see ghosts as well? I began to spin my wheels on the wheelchair, trying to follow the sound as I called out to figure. "Hanji? Is that you?"

I could feel myself growing desperate. If I could run, I could catch up to the figure. My arms felt weak, but I kept pushing them to move me in that wheelchair. The footsteps went down towards Hanji's old laboratory in the basement.

"Hanji! Hanji!" 

When I came to the stairs to the basement, I could see the wooden door faintly swinging. Someone had been here... that door should've been closed. Hanji never had it unlocked or open like that. 

"Hanji!" I cried out again, trying to get to my feet.

"Captain Levi!" I turned around, not noticing myself slipping off of the wheelchair. Armin was running with a few people behind him. Even Gabi and Falco came to his side. Before I knew it, I fell down the flight of stairs, passing through the door.

Grunting in pain, I tried to look in the darkness with my one good eye. I could see some sort of shadow in the corner... it... looked like... Hanji...

"Hanji? Is that you?"

My fingers gripped onto the stone floors as I tried crawling towards her. "Please... Hanji...?"

"Captain Levi!" Armin quickly grabs me by the armpits. "What's going on?!"

"She's down here! I saw her! I saw her!" I cried out as Jean helped carry me up the stairs. "Hanji! She's down there!"

Armin looked down into the basement before looking at me. Mikasa did the same as Jean looked down at his feet. Onyankopon had to hold me down to the wheelchair while Gabi and Falco held my arms down.

"Captain... you know it's impossible... she got burned up. Don't you remember how I was when I was burned up by Bertholdt? I could barely breathe", move... as much as I wish it was Hanji... she has to be dead..."

"Then how the hell did she move? The only thing I can think about her disappearing body is that someone took her and used her body for something! If she could've lived... if she could be living... I swear... she's down there..."

"Captain, aren't you hoping for too much?" Jean asks quietly, "I mean, we all wish for something to be true when we know it's false."

"Jean, come down with me into the basement and we'll search the place," Mikasa whispers before walking downstairs. "So he could have some sort of closure. We'll search every nook and cranny."

One time, Hanji was attacked in her laboratory, and she said she created little hiding spots for her to hide in case if she was attacked again. Those secrets died with her. "I doubt you can look through every nook and cranny. Hanji was... special... I could search and search in her entire room, and I would never find one of those secret spots. I've tried more than once. She did amazing to hide those spots.

Those two took a few minutes before coming back up with defeated looks. They found nothing.

"Captain," Armin says, nodding his head towards Onyankonpon to turn me around. "I'm sorry... we'll find her again. I promise."

"I'm seeing ghosts..." I whispered, feeling Onyankonpon pushing me back towards my room. "Hanji..." Am I going crazy... insane? I swear I saw her there. "Onyankonpon,"

"Yes?"

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I do. Ghosts are lost souls who haven't decided to go into Heaven."

"Do you believe Hanji's one of these lost souls?"

"For the time that I've known her, Levi, I believe she would be the person who won't leave this place without proper closure. I believe she would fight for a way back to life. I believe she would never give up this easily."

I chuckled softly, thinking about how that truly fits her. She never gave up a fight. Even when Erwin and Keith had denied her requests for a titan to experiment on, she always gave a proposal with revisions. She never gave up. People in her position would've given up... but that's one thing I admired about her... she had a goal in mind... and she never gave up on it. She would always work towards it. 

"That's right... Hanji would never give up easily."

"Levi, I would suggest you rest. Ghosts can haunt us when we are the most vulnerable. Rest until you start to feel better. Her ghost shouldn't show up anymore-."

"What if I do what to see her again? I lost everyone else close to me... I can't lose her. I know I already lost her, but I do not want to lose the memory of her."

"Levi... you shouldn't torture yourself anymore. Look at yourself- you're broken down to the point you can't walk on your own. You lost your fingers and your eye. How much longer will you push your body to the brink? If your strength was tied to the titans, it's gone now. You shouldn't keep pushing yourself beyond your current limit."

I looked down, shaking my head. "I'll keep going until I cannot go any further."

"And what will that cost? Levi, it'll cost you our life-."

"Does it look like I care? No, no I don't give a damn. The last person to understand me died. I'm cursed." Onyankonpon let go of my wheelchair as I got close to my room. I slammed it shut behind me as I wheeled myself towards my bed. 

With a heavy sigh, I pulled myself from that wheelchair and onto the bed. I longed to walk again... I would've searched that place from every little crack. From anywhere that doesn't seem to be suspicious. I had to think like Hanji. I know for damn sure that Hanji was there. But of course, the logic said that she wasn't alive. Hanji would've told me that it was impossible.

I closed my eyes after pulling the blankets over me. I tried to think about her next to me... I wish she was here... ghost or not, I wanted her here with me.

*   *   *

"I'm sorry, Levi..."

Her... voice? I couldn't move because all the strength in my body was drained. I didn't have the strength to open my eyes. 

"Levi, I'm sorry to put you through that... I got scared..."

"What... are you doing here...?" I muttered, able to whisper a few words. "Hanji..."

"I have some business to attend to. Don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine. I promise. Go back to sleep, Levi... I won't bother you anymore." 

I should've said something back, but I couldn't. I felt her kiss on my forehead- like a mother would do to her child. I hear those footsteps walking away and the door slowly closing behind them. Was that you... Hanji? Your ghost...?

*   *   *

Waking up from my sleep, the sunlight began to fall on my face. My hand quickly went to my forehead, wondering if what I dreamt last night was real or a dream. Looking around my room for clues, I finally found one...

A letter in Hanji's handwriting. The letter told me about how things were going to be okay... how everything will be revealed soon, Next to that letter was an iris flower. I remember how she loved having those flowers in her room and her lab. What kind of prank is this? Everyone knows I'm still grieving for her... why the hell are they playing this sort of prank on me?