Farewell by the Sunset
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The sound of the helicopter roaring angrily over smoky terrains filled the exhausted Sheva's ears, the rumblings droning in and out of her mind as her eyes blinked rapidly to stay conscious. Through her fuzzy vision, she saw her partner lying against the cold wall of the aircraft with his eyes closed. His hand was held around Jill Valentine's waist securely, and Sheva couldn't help but wonder if a sleeping man could have the ability to be so aware as to consciously attempt to protect another person, even if there didn't appear to be any imminent danger surrounding them. Sheva could tell that Jill was tired as well. Her head rested limply against Chris's shoulder with a tranquil hand on his lap.
She looks so peaceful….there's not a single sign of rage, just…peace…Sheva thought as she smiled at the sight before her. She was happy that her partner finally found his friend and managed to save her from a tortured life Sheva couldn't even begin to fathom.
An explosion immediately caught her attention, and her eyes snapped wide open. She instinctively grabbed her shotgun before she realized she was not in a battlefield, but resting in the middle of a small chopper. The final battle with Wesker had ended about an hour ago, and Josh had managed to rescue everyone with the intention of brining them all back to the European BSAA headquarter in one piece. Peering out the window, she saw that they were still flying above Africa, the place that would forever haunt her in her nightmares, the place she used to call home. It suddenly occurred to her that the explosion she had just heard did not come from the sky; it sounded from below her. From what she able to make out, she came to the conclusion that there were still a number of infected civilians creating a state of unrest that would have to be quelled by another team within the BSAA later on.
The sight and sound of what used to be ordinary civilians made her heart throb with sadness and guilt. The grounds below were not her home anymore. They were simply battlefields and memorial sites for her fallen brothers and comrades that had been covered in blood she had shed and blood they had shed upon each other.
The BSAA member was surprised when she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. It had been so long since she had last cried or showed any type of weakness. At the tender age of fifteen, she had vowed to never cry or pity herself. There was no point. Her tears would not bring back her parents. All she could do was look ahead to the future and hoped it could bring her the strength she had lost the day her parents died. With that in mind, Sheva still couldn't explain why the tears were fighting to cascade past her usual fiery eyes. Sitting up, she pulled her legs against her chest and watched languidly as the sun began to set past the golden horizon. It reminded her much of the fire and explosions she had witnessed during her journey with Chris. She could never see the sunset in the same way again.
Even though the earth below scorched like the layers of Hell, the cool breeze above tickled her skin and made her shiver slightly. Just as she was about to rub her arms, she felt a soft material draped over her back, the warmth of the cloth eventually shielded her from the cold. Looking up, she saw Josh standing above her with a small grin. She was about to protest when he cut her off.
"It's on auto-pilot," he said reassuringly before taking a seat beside her.
Sheva nodded in understanding and turned to face the window again while pulling the blanket closer to her body. She didn't want the man who had trained her to be the fighter she was today to see her in such a state of despair.
"They're going to be okay," Josh said gently, referring to Chris and Jill.
"Yes, they will be." In the midst of all the chaos and uncertainty, Sheva could bet her BSAA badge that Chris and Jill were going to make it through the aftermath of Hell for all they needed was each other.
From the corner of her eyes, she watched Josh lean over to spread another spare blanket across the sleeping Chris and Jill. "And what about you, my dear?" he whispered, making sure that his volume was low enough so he would not wake the sleeping duo across from him.
"I'm okay," Sheva stated in an automated tone.
"Doesn't sound like you are," Josh countered with patience. Kijuju had been a traumatic experience for everyone, and it was certainly going to take time for them to all be psychologically stable again. He had to keep an eye out for Sheva. He felt responsible for her well-being since she had trained under him when she first joined the BSAA. Outside of training and lectures, they were not personally close at all. Everything had been strictly professional and orderly. Throughout their time in Kijuju, he wanted to stay beside her to protect her, but he knew that Chris was more than capable of the job as a guardian. "Come on, you've trained under me for a good amount of time. I think I know when something isn't right."
"Oh? And how would you know that, Mr. Stone? I don't believe we've associated with each other beyond that of a learner and an instructor," Sheva replied in an attempt to keep her defense raised.
Josh chuckled slightly beneath his breath. "You're right about that, Ms. Alomar. But I've been part of the BSAA for quite some time and I think I have some good experiences when it comes to reading someone's feelings."
Sheva cast a sideway glance at him. Deep down, she knew it was very difficult to lie to Josh.
"It's your home, isn't it?" he asked tenderly, his voice filled with concern and empathy.
Sheva nodded and blinked, letting the rage and sadness that had racked her body escape with her tears. Unable to look outside the window anymore, she covered her face with her hands, almost naïve to believe that they could permanently shun her away from the disturbing sight below her. It was truly a naïve thought, but she would give almost anything for it to be true. She had remained strong and determined throughout her entire journey with Chris. She couldn't show her weakness or else she would become weakness itself. Perhaps she had to thank the danger that kept her mind sharp and made her fight for something else besides hope for once- her life. But now that everything was finally over, or at least she desperately wished, there was nothing stopping her true emotions from being pounded against the floodgates of her mind, waiting to be let out like a deluge against tight confines.
"It'll be all right," he whispered softly into her ears as he tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't budge, he decided to take it a step further by embracing her back.
"I know…" Sheva said in between small sniffles and deep breaths to composer herself. His soothing voice and an accent that she could personally relate to made her feel calmer and easier to confide in him. "It's just hard, you know?"
"Of course." Josh had not forgotten Sheva's past and how much she had suffered because of Umbrella. It was due to people suffering the way Sheva had that made him want to join the BSAA to fight for a chance of happiness and life again among a world on the verge of being ruled by bioterrorism weapons.
Even though their conversation was filled with terse lines, they both understood the intensity of the situation and the pain from the aftermath of Kijuju better than any words could convey.
Glancing one last time at the window before resting against Josh, Sheva muttered a solemn "farewell" as the last ray of sunlight was devoured by the looming nightfall. The darkness would provide her some solace as it covered her people below her. Perhaps in the dark, they wouldn't be seen as 'monsters,' but God, she could still hear them.
"Just go to sleep," Josh ordered faintly as he held the BSAA agent in a firm embrace while placing his chin gently on the crown of her head. He gazed past her to steal a quick glance at the scene of the insurrection below them. Tiny colorful specs roamed about the land and sparks of light, which Josh assumed to be gunfires, lit up every now and then among the darkness. I pray they will not be in your nightmares, Sheva…
Sheva obeyed and closed her eyes; the long deserved sleep she had been waiting for came faster than she thought it would.
-Fin
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A/N: I don't think I've seen a Josh/Sheva fic so I decided to take my stab at one since people mostly write about Chris/Jill during the ending of the game. After reading the RE5 files about Sheva, I felt really touched and admired her even more. She's a tough cookie, and somewhat overshadowed in the game by Chris and Jill. The game vaguely hints at some sort of connection between Josh and Sheva, not necessarily romantic, but I wanted to give it that feel here. I wanted to keep it as subtle as possible, but also wanted to leave the opportunity for them to grow as a pairing later on. Hope you guys enjoyed this, and please leave a review. As always, thanks for reading!