AN: Hello, everyone! I'm a new author to FanFiction and I haven't written in a while so forgive me if I appear a bit rusty. This is my first swing at a uploaded fanfic so please be nice about criticism.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! This for pure entertainment purposes!

Enjoy the story!

Prologue: Adventure Is Out There!

When Hunnigan had contacted him and said that he had a new assignment involving an expedition, this was NOT what Leon had in mind.

But now, here he was, on a ship known as the Endurance with a group of aspiring explorers on an expedition to the Dragon's Triangle just off of Japan to discover the lost island of Yamatai and all its secrets. At least, that's what the group was hoping for, especially a young new archeologist named Lara Croft.

Lara. Boy, was that young lady something to him. Determined, passionate about her work, and stubborn as all hell. She had not been too thrilled upon discovering a Government Agent, who, in her personal opinion, had no business accompanying their expedition, was tagging along anyway.

'Well, it's not like I signed up for this,' Leon thought to himself bitterly. 'Seriously, what was Hunnigan thinking? What business do I have being on this search?'

Leon was grateful that he had at least done his homework on all the individuals attending the expedition before being thrown in himself.

Lara Croft - The 21-year-old daughter and only child of Richard and Amelia Croft. Orphaned at a very young age when her parents died on an archeological trip when she was six, leaving her with a huge life insurance policy, but without the parental love she needed. Decided that she wanted to earn her own way and would apply to the University College London (UCL). Shortly after starting University at UCL, Lara met Samantha Nishimura. It was because of Sam's free spirit and wild streak that Lara was able to experience much more of London than just the universities and museums that she loved so much.

Sam Nishimura - 22 years old. Documentary Producer/Translator of the Endurance's expedition, being in charge of filming all the material and the video editing. Sam had mixed heritage, being Japanese on her father's side, and Portuguese on her mother's side, though she holds an American citizenship. Thanks to her rich parents, who regularly give her money, Sam had quite the expensive lifestyle, obsessing over designer clothes and far-away trips.

Alex Weiss - 24 years old. American technician of the Endurance. He was apparently also a very skilled hacker and electronics geek.

Conrad Roth - 52 years old. Lara's mentor/second father figure and Captain of the Endurance, as well as a freelance salvage and treasure hunter. He was ex-military with interests that included rock climbing, hiking and wreck diving.

Joslin Reyes - 42-year-old American mechanic of the Endurance. Before she became a mechanic, she was once a police officer for the NYPD, but enjoyed tinkering with the engines. Apparently, she had a young teen daughter waiting for her back home.

Jonah Maiava - 33 years old. American, but New Zealand born, cook and general ships dogsbody of the Endurance. His interests include fishing, the outside, and inventing new recipes.

Angus "Grim" Grimaldi - helmsman of the Endurance. There was nothing about sailing and water that Grim did not know, and he had sailed all the oceans of the world, which included stints working for the Merchant Navy where he met Roth.

Last, and in Leon's opinion, certainly least, Dr. James Whitman - American archeologist, sporting a television show and a failing marriage, he joined the Endurance crew as senior archeologist to "hit it big". There was something about him, though, that made Leon very wary of him. And his intern, Steph, had been caught more than once checking him out, and to Leon, not in a pleasant way.

A sharp ringing from his belt pulled Leon from his thoughts as he reached for his phone.

'Most likely Hunnigan,' he thought briefly before accepting the call.

"Kennedy," he said shortly.

"Leon," the voice of Ingrid Hunnigan echoed in his ear.

'10 points for being right.' he thought before refocusing on Hunnigan.

"I wasn't able to pass along the message before you left for the expedition task, but the President sends his utmost gratitude for the rescue and return of his daughter."

"I was given a mission and I accomplished it. It's what I do. Hunnigan, why do I need to be a part of this search? I fail to see how a Government Agent can assist with a archeology expedition."

"I don't exactly know, either, Leon. But could you just grin and bear it and try to get along with them? There's obviously a reason why you're there. We just don't know that reason yet."

"No promises, but we'll see."

With that, they ended the call and Leon wandered over to a table where Sam was filming Jonah teaching Dr. Twitman how to cut a fish. The man ended up cutting himself and stormed around the corner to fume with Sam following him to cool him down.

'Jesus, what a stuck-up PRICK,' Leon thought to himself. Then, feeling a little sorry for Jonah, he walked over and picked up the fish Whitman had been holding, took the knife beside it, and turned to Jonah.

"So, is it like this?" he asked while perfectly executing the cut Jonah had been trying to demonstrate.

"Yes. That's exactly how it's done," Jonah praised.

"I'm sorry for you. That doctor's a moron when it comes to anything besides archeology. He wouldn't last 5 minutes in the wild."

Jonah chuckled and nodded. "But Little Bird looks up to him. So we must tolerate him for her."

Leon grimaced. "I'm glad the rest of you are so close to her upon meeting her. I seem to be the only one she doesn't seem to care for."

"Maybe she just needs more time to warm up to you. Honestly? I think it's interesting. A Government Agent on an archeology expedition? What could be the reason?"

"You and me both. I just got back from Spain on a mission to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter and next thing I know, I'm on a ship for a search for some mysterious island. Not what I had in mind for a break."

"Try not to let it bother you too much, Agent. Now, go on and visit with the others. We'll all gather in a few hours for dinner. I'm serving up my famous fish stew!"

Leon smiled and did as Jonah suggested. Jonah seemed nice enough. He should meet with the others and further profile them.

Later, everyone gathered in the mess hall for dinner. The stew was good, Leon had to give Jonah props, and everyone but him poured over the little information they had regarding this mysterious "Yamatai". Lara had gotten a hunch and said they weren't on the right heading and should change course, while Whitman argued it wasn't safe and they should stay as they were.

"What do you think, Mr. Agent," Roth suddenly asked him, surprising him a bit, but he meandered over to the table anyway.

"He doesn't know a thing about archeology! He shouldn't even be here! What would he know about any of this!" Whitman objected, but was silenced as Leon pinned him with a fierce glare.

"Maybe I don't know much about this, but I'm pretty good at finding my way around and I've taken the liberty to read up some on the legend. We're currently approximately here, correct?" he asked, indicating a portion of the map with his finger.

Roth nodded in confirmation. Leon turned back to the map.

"Well, judging by what information we currently have, Yamatai should be somewhere in the heart of the Dragon's Triangle, so actually, Lara may have a point. I'm with Lara on this one. We need to turn and head toward the heart."

Whtiman walked away with a huff, while Roth nodded, taking Leon's evaluation into consideration.

"Well, what else do we have to go on? Not much, right? Let's get this ship turned in the right direction."

An hour later, with the ship on a new heading, Leon stood on the main deck, leaning on the rail and watching the sun sink down over the horizon. He could hear the soft murmurings of two people talking somewhere behind him. They sounded like Lara and Roth. Leon paid them no mind, thinking that whatever they were discussing was their business.

The murmuring stopped, and then he heard distinct footsteps aproaching him. He didn't turn around until a soft voice spoke up behind him.

"Why did you help me earlier?"

That was when Leon turned, and found Lara Croft standing a few feet away.

"I haven't exactly given you the warmest welcome. Why be so courteous when I wasn't at all friendly?" she added.

"I don't hold first impressions against people. I've had varying opinions towards me upon a first meeting. Some flattering, others not so much. I'm sure it was a bit ludicrous to you when you found out. It was to me. A Government Agent asked to attend an archeology expedition? What were my higher ups thinking? To be honest, I still don't know. But we'll most likely be facing rugged terrain and feral wild animals. I may not know much about archeology, but I've got several degrees of training and survival tactics under my belt. The least I could do is keep you all alive. Of course, we need to get there first. And if your hunch does that, I'll put all my cards on the table, too."

He turned to her, ready to say something else, but hesitated. After an internal debate, he spoke again.

"There's more to people than meets the eye, Lara. I've seen things, experienced things that should never have occurred. I've saved people, and I've been forced to watch people die. I've even had to be the one that put them out of their misery. But when you come out of that still breathing, it makes you strong. It makes you a survivor. I'm not the only one either, but I pray that no more people will live the way I do. While it makes you stronger, it also leaves scars. Physically, mentally, emotionally, even socially. I have my own feeling about all this. A feeling that something is going to go wrong somehow. Everyone better hope like hell I'm not right."

By the time the sun had set and Leon decided to go down to his cabin and retire for the night. Lara watched him go, thinking silently about everything he'd said.

'Please,' she prayed to herself. 'Don't let anything happen to us.'

AN: And that's a wrap! There's the opening to my newest story. Criticize me if you must, but please, no flames! Thanks for reading! Leave a review if I should continue.