Beyond
He could barely make out the muffled words the Captain was shouting behind the glass but judging by Chris' look of despair, Piers guessed that Chris did not approve of his decision to stay behind.
There were no words to be said as the escape pod was jettisoned into the deep ocean. The pod became a dot in mere seconds. The facility continued to quake around him as more debris fell from the ceiling.
Help him... I know that... you two can...
Words from over a year ago suddenly resurfaced in the depths of his mind and he closed his eyes.
His job was done. He found the Captain and was returning him back home where he will carry on the battle against bioterrorism. That was the best Piers could do given the circumstances.
A deafening thump brought him out of his daydream as he saw the transparent blue monster from before claw its way past him and began to tear the tunnel of the escape chute open, flooding the area much quicker than anticipated. There was no time to lose as the water rose to his waist. Piers widened his stance so his legs were shoulder width apart and he took in a deep breath.
The pain was excruciating as electricity gathered in his withered limb. Water was up to his chest now as he concentrated on charging up his attack. Knees buckled slightly from the strain but he planted his feet firmly on the floor to maintain his balance.
Sea water touched his mutated arm and he howled as he was electrocuted. Piers pressed on, biting his lip to muffle his cries of agony. Screaming would only waste what little strength he had left.
Finally, he felt the fullness of pure unadulterated power in his arm and he discharged the energy with a yell as the water rose to his chin. It felt like forever as he kept his aim on the battered hind of the monster.
Haos slowly evaporated in the distance and Piers couldn't help but smirk at taking down the son of a bitch.
He was underwater without realizing it but he continued to scream his frustrations away before water filled his lungs. With a last burst of energy, he zapped the B.O.W. till it was no more. Piers fell on his back from sheer exhaustion and floated in the water, watching multiple spheres of energy expand and explode towards him.
The blues and reds were a beautiful sight to behold. A brown object floated past him and a memory stirred, reminding him how beautiful Merah's eyes were in her last moments, even if blood stained her lips and she was perspiring profusely.
Promise me, Piers...?
He closed his eyes and felt the darkness consume him. Piers' last thought was a dark skinned woman with pigtails smiling down at him.
When he awoke, his immediate environment was nothing but sterile white. He looked down, finding himself garbed in a pair of khaki pants, a white t-shirt, and combat boots. His right arm was surprisingly whole and unblemished.
"Piers?" A female voice called out and he turned to find her clad in the same outfit as him.
He couldn't believe it. Standing in front of him was Agent Merah Biji of the BSAA Far East branch. She had died over a year ago. Sacrificed herself to keep him out of harm's way. It broke him to see the life drain out of her eyes as he held onto her hand, desperately wishing that she would pull through.
"Don't be afraid. You're safe now. " Her voice was gentle and she walked towards him as he gaped like a fish.
Piers closed his mouth and swallowed thickly. "M-Merah? "
She nodded and smiled.
"How-? Where are we? " Piers asked again as he took a good look at her features. The blood and bruises that marred her face when she died were no longer there. She looked like how they first met at the field in the Far East branch's training facility.
"Beyond. It's where the deceased go," Merah said simply and gazed at him with a sad look in her eyes. He shouldn't have died young.
Piers glanced away, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Merah."
She tilted her head and one of her pigtails bounced along with the movement. "What for?"
"I broke your promise. I failed. I can't continue the fight. I-"
Merah placed both hands on the side of his head and lifted it up so he could face her properly. Her brown eyes were blazing now. "Stop it, Piers. Chris isn't here, is he? You kept your promise, you made sure he survived so he can continue the battle in our names."
Piers could only stare at her helplessly and he screwed his eyes shut as rested his hands on top of hers. "You sacrificed yourself for me... Only for me to join you a year later. I didn't have the long life you expected."
Merah sighed.
"I didn't want to see you suffer and I do not regret my actions at all if it meant that you lived. Plus, you found Chris and brought him back, that counts as something."
He could only stand there in silence as tears formed in the corner of his eyes and trailed down. Piers was surprised that even in the afterlife, he could feel sadness and Merah's hands were still warm. Perhaps he will learn everything in due time but for now, he just wanted to cherish this moment with her.
Her thumbs gently brushed the tears away. They have not been intimate at all when they were alive but Merah felt she had been caressing his face since forever.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and took a good look at her. His arms wrapped around Merah's back and waist, pulling her flush against him. It was a pose reminiscent of the time he held her body moments after she passed away but now, she was responding by embracing him in return.
"I've missed you," Piers whispered into her ear and buried his face into the crook of her neck.
"I'm here now," Merah replied reassuringly as they maintained the hug.
Knowing they will have an eternity to spend together, Piers pulled away and looked around with a watchful gaze of a hawk. "It's awfully quiet here," he said eventually.
Merah smiled again. "You'll meet the others in due time." After all, she did reunite with her parents after meeting a few of her colleagues and close friends in Beyond. Now they were just a mere thought away. It was convenient.
"Let me guess, you're the first person I'm meeting because I thought of you before I... died?" Piers still had to get used to the fact that he was no longer in the land of the living but he was still around in a way, possibly somewhere else in another realm?
She grinned again. "I see that your mind is still as sharp as your aim."
"Why these clothes though?"
Merah shrugged. "I still have no idea. Maybe the reason is that we spent quite a lot of time training and sparring?"
"Would you like to do that?" Piers asked, wanting to spend time with her.
She arched an eyebrow, "I can't-"
His face fell.
Merah had to suppress a chuckle. "I can't if you're holding my hands so tightly."
He looked down and true enough, their fingers were laced. Piers abruptly let go and coughed awkwardly.
"I like you too, Piers." Merah said cheerily.
"I know," he replied and got into a fighting stance. Merah mirrored him and had to stop herself from rolling her eyes from Piers' usage of a Star Wars joke. He was such an avid fan of the franchise and never failed to drop references to the movies at every opportunity.
They were soon grappling and grabbing each other's shirts, both parties attempting to get the upper hand.
It felt just like old times other than the sparring match ending in a kiss.
Why didn't they do this sooner? It didn't matter, they were finally a couple. Even if it was through unconventional means.
Author's Note: This is my very first non-Aeon Resident Evil fic and I am quite happy with the results. I've been wanting to write this Bijivans (Merah Biji x Piers Nivans) short fic since the manga came out in Japan a couple of years ago. It wasn't till recently that it was officially translated into English that I can finally write it properly after knowing the full story.
Anyway, I know most of you are confused, who on earth is Merah Biji? She's a character from the official RE6 prequel manga, Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire which also features Chris Redfield, Piers Nivans, Carla Radames (though no one knows who she was in the manga), and a handful of other original characters.
I highly recommend that you read this manga series, it showcases the beginning of the C-virus and has more Carla in it, for those who felt a little disappointed by how hammy Carla was in the main game.
I fell in love with Merah while reading the manga. She's so strong, badass, and not a damsel in distress. Even though I disliked the writer for sexualizing her early on, she easily held her own against a mutated B.O.W.
It is implied that both Piers and Merah had feelings for each other and it was an attraction that Chris noticed. He knew that Piers would never forgive him if he left Merah behind. It's a pity Merah and Piers never acted on their feelings and there is a panel where Piers trembles before hugging Merah's corpse. It was so depressing!
The dialogue in italics were Merah's dying words too so I had to incorporate it into the fic. T_T
This fic is also inspired by "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" written by Mitch Albom and an "Afterlife" fanart done by retrogami on tumblr where Piers and Merah reunite in Heaven.
I took some liberties with slightly altering the cutscene at the end of Chris' campaign, mainly flooding the facility and also making Piers unable to hear what Chris was saying. Just to dramatize things a bit.
There were many ideas I had for the story too. Should I end it on a sad or happy note? Should I have Merah and Piers appear as injured/damaged versions of themselves in the afterlife or appear as they usually do? In the end, I decided to end it on a sweet note because both parties have been through so much in death. They deserve a break in heaven.
I don't see a proper ship name for this couple on the internet but I personally coin them as Bijivans.
If you read this far, thank you for reading. :)