CHAPTER 1:NEW AND FAMILIAR.
Leon walked down the insipid hospital hallway,white and blank with a few posters advertising some hand hygiene tips and information.
It had been two years since he had seen Manuela Hidalgo.
Two years,he thought as he continued to down the blank hall,looking down at the room number on a slip of paper the recipient had given him. Two years,and he wondered if she looked the same or not. If her baby blue eyes still widened with innocence and curiosity. He shook his head,smiling to himself.
Of course not. He thought.She'll probably be the same Manuela Hidalgo I met two years ago.
`209
Leon stopped outside of the white door,where a thin man with brown hair and even thinner glasses stood in front of ,writing something on a clipboard with focus and precision as he scribbled down some notes,occasionally pushing the spectacles up his thin nose.
"Uhm",Leon mumbled as the man looked up hastily,peering at him through his glasses,he smiled.
"Ah,you must be Leon Kennedy",extending a hand,Leon shook it.
"I am the doctor responsible for Manuela Hidalgo,Mr. Smith",he said as a way of introductory. Leon nodded. "So,how is she doing?",the doctor wrote something down before speaking.
"Actually,we've been running quite the tests and scans on her and she is in stable condition and has gotten better,dramatically over the two years,the virus has been effectively flushed out,samples have been taken,of course,oh but except for the fact that she has been a practical mute and her appetite seemed to have gone missing too",he mused as Leon furrowed his brows.
"But",the doctor interjected.
"The week our team gave her the news that you were to visit her,her spirits changed,preternaturally",he said,pursing his lips. Leon raised his eyebrows.
"Really?",he asked genuinely. The doctor nodded.
"Yes,she conversed with the nurses a lot more and her spirits were quite bright,it was very odd,really,but the thought of your presence has made quite the impact",The doctor peered at the agent through thin glasses,brown eyes twinkling before he waved a hand,opening the door to reveal a cross legged Manuela,clad in black sports shorts and a white t shirt,talking to a rather animated nurse as Manuela giggled at something she said.
Leon's hitherto tense shoulders relaxed,upon seeing her carefree and still innocent face. Her hair had grown a little longer,he noted. He was glad that there was someone there to illicit a sound like that from her. The doctor coughed,causing the nurse and Manuela to look up. Manuela's eyes widened when she caught sight of the brown haired agent. Someone she would always recognize from a mile away.
The doctor smiled,ushering the nurse out. "I'll leave the both of you",Leon nodded, before turning to Manuela.
"Leon",she whispered as she got out of the bed,a little slowly at first as if she was testing if he were real or not before full on tackling him into a hug. Leon chuckled,stepping back a little as he stroked her back.
"Hi,Manuela",he whispered into her shoulder. He noted how her scent was of vanilla and a hint of cinnamon as she pulled back,and he found himself liking it,her eyes looking into his own. Yep,he thought. Her eyes are just the same.
"I,I thought I would never see you again",she admitted as Leon walked forward,Manuela walking back to her hospital bed,legs dangling over the edge as Leon sat on the chair in front of her. Plastic and blue.
Leon scratched the back of his neck,feeling guilty for leaving her without anybody that she knew.
"Sorry,I've just been…really busy",he said as he looked up at her. Manuela nodded as she smiled before frowning a little.
"I heard what happened to Krauser",she looked at her hands. "I'm sorry,he,he was your friend,and he helped to save my life too". Leon nodded,swallowing.
"Yeah,but it's alright,Krauser's a strong guy,he's doing fine",Leon assured. Manuela nodded,her smile returning.
"How are you doing?",she asked. The government agent leaned over a little,his hands resting on his thighs. "I'm alright,but what about you?How have you been doing?Are they treating you well?",Manuela nodded at his questions.
"I have been doing well,and yes,they have been treating me well",she assured. "But there's something I wanted to tell you",she adjusted herself on the hospital bed and Leon cocked an eyebrow. "Oh,and what's that?"
"I am a U.S Government Agent now",she fiddled with her thumbs a little before looking up at Leon,a perplexed expression on his face before he furrowed his brows.
Government..
"You're a Government Agent?",he asked,a little incredulous. Manuela nodded. "Yes,I am,why do you seem so confused?"
Leon ran a hand through his hair,shaking his head. "Manuela",he started. "A government agent is serious business,you could get hu-",he paused. "Did they pressure you into this?",his head boiled at the thought. "Did they?",Manuela shook her head almost immediately.
"No,no,I wanted to do this. I thought that I could help in some way. I,I could make an impact on something like this,I feel useful and needed",she said. "I can't let more people die",she looked into the blank corner in the room and Leon exhaled,leaning back into his chair,quipping a smile as she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
"Fair enough",he remarked. She really is something,he thought. "Anything else you want to hit me with?",Manuela giggled and Leon loved the sound.
"Actually,I am looking for an apartment,since I am now 18",she informed. "They are looking into that for me,although",she stopped. "I will not know anybody,so it will be quite strange",she mused,chuckling nervously. Leon thought for a little bit.
Observing the girl for a few seconds,he asked,"Why don't you come stay with me?"
Manuela looked up at him,her blue eyes wide as she tilted her head.
"Stay with you?Are you serious?",Leon smiled at her.
"Why not?It would be easier because someone you knew could keep tabs on you and it would make the medical stuff a little easier,aswell as you being a government agent and",he hesitated before smiling again.
"I could use the company",Manuela smiled. A smile that made her blue eyes glimmer as she nodded. "Thank you,Leon",Leon was about to say something when the doctor walked in.
"Sorry,I just forgot a few things,alright Manuela?",he asked as he started picking a few specific pieces of paper from the table near the corner of the room. Manuela nodded. "Yes,doctor,thank you",
"Hey doc?",
"Hm?",the doctor hummed as he took a pen from behind his ear,marking something before he looked up.
"What if Manuela were to live with me?",The doctor paused and Leon half expected him to say no. He could already imagine the flaws in the plan that he wouldn't be able to see,but the whole department would. The doctor nodded.
"That's actually a great idea".
"It is?I mean,uh,it is,yeah",Manuela giggled and Leon turned to her,smiling as the doctor nodded again. "It would help Manuela in a myriad of ways,plus,you could keep tabs on her if she were to ever have a relapse",Leon nodded.
"You're aware that she is an agent?",he asked. Leon looked at a bashful Manuela,to which Leon gave a half smile at.
"Just five seconds ago?Plenty aware",the doctor chuckled,adjusting his glasses.
"Good,did you inform Mr Kennedy on Guy's broken arm?",Manuela smiled nervously,wringing her fingers before Leon looked up at the doctor. "A broken arm?"
"Manuela has quite the strength when she's in "battle mode",so during a little training session,one of the newer recruits began to train with an even newer Manuela,unfortunately during a defense tactic,his arm ended up broken",the doctor was laughing and Manuela smiled a little. The whole department found it quite hilarious when a hitherto rather fierce Manuela had gasped and apologised in near tears.
"It was an accident",she said hastily as Leon chuckled. The doctor wiped an eye. "Oh yes,Guy was alright and was more than happy to laugh about it afterwards,we just noticed that during the training sessions his volunteering was kept to a bare minimum",Leon laughed as Manuela chuckled at the memory. She kept the apologies up for a whole week.
"I just thought you should be warned,anyway,about living arrangements",he paused.
"I know your files are with us and the government can hand them over,no issue,so you're stable,I'm sure",Leon confirmed with a nod.
The doctor called in a nurse,whom he whispered to for a few minutes before nodding,the nurse grinning at Manuela. "She is rearing to go,her things will be packed tonight,as in her clothes and belongings,we'll just check her blood pressure and you can come later tonight",Leon smiled at the doctor.
"Thanks,doc",as Mr. Smith left,Manuela had a beam on her face. "Where do you live?",she asked as Leon got up from the plastic chair.
"In an apartment,",he said. Manuela pursed her lips.
"What does it look like?",Leon laughed. "You'll see when you get there",Manuela wrapped her arms around his middle before he left. Leon paused before stroking her hair,one hand on her shoulder.
"I's nice to know that this is not a dream",Leon looked down at her straight brown hair as she moved her face to offer him a quick closed eye smile. Leon breathed,"Yeah,me too",tucking a strand behind her ear he smiled.
"I'll be back later tonight",he promised before he left. Manuela staring at his back as he exited,leaving her with a genuine smile and a twinkle in her eye. She was going to be staying with someone she actually knew and liked.
Leon. I wonder what his apartment looks like. Just then the nurse came in with a gentle smile,letting Manuela know that she had heard. Manuela grinned as she laughed.
A/N:This is my first Resident Evil story regarding Leon and Manuela,I've always been intrigued with the ship and I've always thought of their ship so,here is a story for them :),oh and I specifically made Manuela 18,because,well,reasons. Anywho,I hope you enjoyed this chapter,and if you did,or have any feedback,please review and tell me what you think :),I hope you have a lovely day ^^