A/N: Hello everyone. this is my first Leon/Chris story. I was inspired to do this off of youtube video about them. I have set this after RE6 and Vendetta. I hope you like it. Gentle feedback is appreciated.
Chapter 1: If I Only Could
"If I only could, I'd be running up that hill." Placebo
On paper, their mission was simple. Two teams, one island. Each takes a half. Recon, find evidence; avoid combat if at all possible. If one must, then engage only when necessary. Stay in contact with each other; rendezvous in three days to safety point.
Simple, quick, easy.
Leon Kennedy gritted his teeth, gazing out the door, propellers of the helicopter eliciting sharp chopping noises in the air. Cool wind hit his face, causing brunette bangs to cover silver blue eyes; emotions tossing through them like a thunderstorm on the horizon.
No mission he ever did was simple. No mission he'd been dragged into was quick and easy. Very rarely, was there calm, or peace. If it didn't include crazy viruses, city takeovers, reanimated dead and a psychotic villain; well then it truly wasn't a task to behold.
Gut instinct in the agent for told him; this would not be lighthearted. A remote island, nestled off the Greek coast; surrounded by turquoise waters, was breeding ground for madness. Madness he'd seen in real life, madness he'd seen in nightmares. Enough of it to make him run to Colorado; only to be forced back out again.
Leon had been given an option; take a partner or go alone. He would have had his pick of partners; anyone he wanted, across multiple organizations. Claire, Sherry, Rebecca, Chris, Sheva, Jill.
He chose none of them. He prefered to work alone; to not drag anyone in, since his list of options were all people he cared about; if things went south; he'd at least have all of them safe. Or so he thought.
Three of them had volunteered. Two as a team; one has head for base camp and rendezvous points. It was those three that had him gritting his teeth now, and one in particular that made his stomach clutch in the strangest of ways.
He was to meet Sherry Birkin at base camp, once the bird landed. She was leader of camp, communications liaison and safety point medical tech. He didn't like it, but in Hunnigans terms, it was her choice; he could not fight it.
Sheva Alomar was once partnered with Captain Christopher Redfield, in Africa. She joined him again on this mission; team two to take the islands second half. Leon respected her, she had protected his friend in Africa, kept him safe. She was strong and a good asset.
Christopher Redfield.
His name alone had Leon swallowing thickly, a reaction he could not understand. Since China, since Colorado, during Arias. Leon had saved Claire Redfield, his sister; earning respect from the BSAA Captain. They understood each other on a level that was foreign to the DSO agent; unusual, murky in its depth.
Redfield traveled all the way to Colorado to pull him out of the bottle and into the fray again. Redfield alone had been spooked about his wellbeing in China, had tired to check on him after Arias. Something in Leon stirred, setting an uncomfortable edge when he thought of him. He was lucky, very lucky that Chris and Shiva were landing on the opposite side of the island.
"Five minutes to landing, Mr. Kennedy." the pilot called to the back, the sound of the rotors making his voice vibrate.
Leon nodded; taking a deep breath in before allowing himself to focus.
The island stretched out before him; a mirage of green and white. He was reminded of a painting; lush emerald colorings mashed into sharp vivid white of rock outcroppings, a spire of mountains and warm hills, splitting the island in two. He could see sand bars beneath turquoise waters, sea foam eroding away sand.
"It's way to peaceful here. There is definitely trouble." he murmured quietly.
He felt the descent; felt the landing; greeted by a blonde figure running to him, her voice screeching over the blades.
"Leon!"
Sheva studied her partner for a moment. The tall muscular brunette man had been strangely quiet since their departure from D.C. Molton brown eyes studied the outside; an answer to mystery within him more than likely found in the sky.
"Captain, we land in about five minutes. What's on your mind?" She asked, accent airing a bit of concern.
He didn't know how to fully phrase what he was feeling. His thoughts hadn't really been his own since China, preoccupied with a certain agent who had the nerve to jump him in an attack protecting an imposter.
Even with a daunting three day task in front him; his mind wandered back to Kennedy; back to everything they'd been through; every word crossed between them; in anger or support. There was a wall between them; a hill he couldn't climb, but if there ever came the chance, he would break down Leon's defenses to the man simmering underneath the surface. He finally placed his eyes on Sheva, smiling to throw her off, redirection.
"I'm fine, just planning the mission and looking at all possibilities for what we could come across."
His automatic response had his partner raising her eyes at him; before a "Uh huh." slipped from her lips, an indication that she did not believe the lies he had just spit between them. She turned her eyes back out the door, looking towards their goal.
Before she could take in the view; white hot flashes of light cascaded around them; instinctive arms being thrown up to shield the eyes. She could hear the alarms in the helicopter going off as she tried to regain sight; feeling like she was spinning out of control.
"Hold on you two! I'm trying to get her back under control!" the pilot yelled, struggling with the unstable aircraft.
Chris immediately reached out grab to Sheva's hand, jerking her close to him; in attempt to stabilize both of them. He felt the helicopter begin to even out, so he snapped.
"What the fuck was that?"
"I am unsure Captain. It appears to have come from the island. I'll have us landed in approximately 45 seconds, Sir. "
"That can't bode well can it?" Sheva asked, him, still grasping him tightly.
He said nothing, as he checked his weapon, making absolutely sure that it was loaded.
A crackling in his ear let him know that his ear piece was working when the deepend voice of Leon S. Kennedy snapped sharply through the static.
"You better be alive, Redfield."