Disclaimer: All Resident Evil characters belong to Capcom

Becoming Insane

It's the steady, almost rhythmic beeping that greats Chris' conscious mind. His eyes part slowly, almost too agonizing, his head spinning and almost protesting at the act. But he has to wake up. Piers…

That's when he remembers, the water, the needle, the lightening, Haos- Piers! Chris remembers being pushed into the escape pod, landing heavily on his back, and screaming at Piers to open the door. But Chris knew Piers wasn't going to, the slow movement of his head, the look of utter defeat against the mutating virus slowly consuming his arm. If it wasn't for Piers who saved him… saved the world, he wouldn't be here. He remembers a helicopter, Helena and Leon. The last thing he remembers is feeling his legs buckle from underneath him when Helena and Leon picked him up and he was on the helicopter, and the dreaded question full of worry and remorse, 'where is Piers?' He left Piers behind- left him to die alone. His exhausted mind and body gave out then, and the last thing he saw was Leon's panicked expression as he ran forward to catch his weight.

There is something over his mouth, because the moment he tries to speak, he feels his throat constrict, and something tug at his jaw. Chris has been in the hospital enough to know it's an oxygen mask. He can feel the familiar straps of the IV over his arm, as pain slowly flares around his body, especially his sides. Broken ribs, Chris can already conclude.

Soft hands reach down and caress Chris' face, making the BSAA captain lean into the familiar soft hands that countlessly roamed his body at night when tangled with the bed sheets. Chris opens his eyes even more, his vision blurry, the light from the morning sun streaming through the open window with no regard of his current state.

Surprisingly he looks more stunning now, his hair combed, perfect pale skin glowing under the light, and the smile on his pink lips present and only reserved for Chris. There is no sign of the virus that was consuming his body, his hazel eyes bright and shining, and his skin free from any scar and dirt from what clung to him the last time Chris saw him. His hazel eyes are like looking into the vase ocean and seeing an end, even though he knows there is none.

It's almost too perfect.

Piers...

Chris has no idea how Piers got out of the underwater burial, or how Piers got here, much less how he was able to fight the mutation and look so clean, but Piers is here and that has a small smile grace his lips, as his closes his eyes in bliss and happiness. A single unnoticed tear roll from the edge of his closed eyes, running down the side of his face.

/

"Judging from his record, he's had a similar problem before."

Claire stares at her brother from the other side of the window. "After Kijuju." Claire explains, her eyes fixed on the man she cares about with her entire being. The same man who took care of her after their parents passed away and was her rock. She remembers when she went to practice with her brother after he returned from Kijuju, and he had a negative reaction. She remembers asking him if everything was ok, and he refused to tell her that he's been having hallucinations and horrendous flashbacks. He's been suffering from flashbacks, nightmares, and was slowly losing it.

Claire looks down at her shoes, feeling guilt take over. It was her responsibility to take care of Chris when she saw something was off about him. Jill was transported straight to the BSAA after she was rescued, Jill would have done something. Jill would have stopped him, told him to take a break and to relax.

Sheva, even though she brought up concerns over his well-being, could not do much since their relationship was purely professional. She told her about the ceremony and how he couldn't give his speech after accepting his honors for defeating Wesker and saving the world. Claire couldn't attend in person because Terrasave needed her at that time. She regrets not attending in person. Claire watched the ceremony on the television, live, and she knows Sheva was telling her the truth. Sheva also brought up that Chris wasn't dealing with Kijuju well, that he was constantly writing on the walls, the name over and over again, along with a simple but repetitive message 'They Are In. Claire knows she should have said something. She should have been his rock then.

Now look where it has gotten them.

A gentle hand falls on Claire's shoulder and the redhead looks up to meet eyes with Leon. He gives her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and Claire responds with a small smile that does not reach her eyes. Helena is standing behind Leon, her dark eyes trained on Chris.

"I didn't think he would fall this low." Helena mumbles more to herself. A part of her can see herself in Chris. When she lost Debrah, if it weren't for Leon who urged her to keep going, to find that closer, she might be in the same position as him. If she has to be honest, Helena doesn't know how she is standing right now, and wonders if maybe she should be the one in there instead of Chris. Is it normal to not be in that same state after losing her sister? Or is it that he has seen too many deaths and now...

"The BSAA won't let him stay here long." Claire speaks up. It's true. And she has no say in this either. They will find a way to get him back on the fields- in charge of another team. Until her brother breaks, they won't stop. Until her brother just can't get up again, then they will leave him alone.

Leon sighs, while he brings down his hand from Claire's shoulder, his blue eyes returning to Chris. He knows what Claire means. He's had similar problems, where Leon has asked for breaks, a simple vacation, only to be called in regardless to deal with another Bio-attack.

Chris has fought longer than he has. Leon went into training after Racoon city to become the agent he is now, but Chris continued to fight against Bioterrorism, Umbrella, Wesker, Alexia, and much more. And after Chris thought he lost Jill, not even Claire could have gotten a hold of him, keep him still- he was out fighting in every mission possible, securing the world of Bioterrorism, and in the long run, after seeing all the shit one too many times, lost one too many and for such a long, long time- Chris is paying for it now. There is just no end to this war. Yet, men like them, they can't walk away. They will never be able to. It's part of them now, and leaving doesn't become an option.

Fight until they die in the battlefield or lose it all trying.

Claire eyes her brother. She doesn't know what her brother is saying, but the fact that he looks happy, talking to someone only his head can see tugs at her heart so hard that it physically hurts.

/

"When I get out of here, maybe we can go to the shooting range." Chris says, a smile on his face as he looks at Piers who is sitting next to him on the edge of his hospital bed. Chris is lying on his back, his eyes focused on Piers.

"I would like that, captain." Piers' voice answers smoothly, "Rest. I'll be here when you wake."

The BSAA captain nods, a smile taking his lips while his eyes drift close. "Ok."

AN: This idea came to me after reading a few short comics where Piers visits Chris as a ghost and Chris interacts with Piers. Thank you for reading! (some of these are based off the Re5 viral campaign) XD