Us Against The World

"There are two types of pains in this world: Pain that hurts you, and the pain that changes you."

Leon was in no physical pain, but the mental one was more torturous. He rubbed his eyes again to do away with the tiredness he was feeling. Even the normal warm air of his superior's office was stinging his eyes like gust of icy wind. He took the exhaustion to be the reason. What an irony! First he couldn't sleep properly and then his arduous assignment. He sighed inwardly.

God! I need a brain wash.

He had decided not to think about what he did, but it was hard to ignore. It wasn't like he was feeling any regret over the decision he had taken. He would do the same again if he was given the chance. But right now he needed to avoid this metro train of thoughts. He couldn't ignore it, but he could try to avoid it for sometime. For some minutes at least.

As if answering his soon to be asked prayer, the large office room's door opened and in stepped a well dressed man in his fifties.

"Sorry Kennedy! Had to make you wait." he said in his signature American accent.

"I can understand, sir." Leon replied humbly.

John Williams. One of the few men American government was lucky to have. Well, Leon was lucky too that he had a cool tempered superioir like him. His grey eyes reflected intelligence, control and visible traits for leadership. He respected him and was glad that he got it in return. And as icing on the cake, they were good friends too.

"Yeah. You always do." he said in casual manner. "Hunnigan briefed me about your latest mission."

Time for the hard part.

"I think whoever he was must have left a long time before you reached there." he continued without waiting for Leon to respond. Circling to the other side of the table, he picked up a manila folder and opened it. Leon could already see the faces on the photographs in his mind.

Williams hummed. He took out the pictures inside and observed them keenly. "What were the mercenaries doing there if there was no one passing out the information?"

Leon felt uneasy but didn't let it show. He decided to play cool and easy. To answer his question, he just shrugged.

The older man just looked up at him and for a moment, his gaze made Leon think that he knew everything. Leon wanted to look away but like many other times, he thanked his training. Not meeting someone's eyes meant you were hiding something. He didn't want to believe the guess that his very own superior was doubting him.

To his relief, Williams said "You've been working hard lately. I'll pass on all the progress in this case to President."

"I guess I'm allowed to go home and sleep now?" Leon asked with a smile.

"Why don't you take a few days off? I wouldn't want our best agent to get sick. Plus, killing people isn't a normal thing for you."

Leon felt shame overwhelm him. The word 'killing' hit him no less harsh than a poisoned had gone against his own book of rules and regulations. With hatred for himself in his voice, he replied "No, I'm fi-"

"Ahh Don't try to be a hero. You need it." Then after a pause, "I wish you had a wife who wouldn't let you work overtime."

Leon shook his head and before he could leave, he heard Williams say "And stop calling me sir."

Leon didn't know what to say. So instead of arguing, he agreed to take a leave for a week. With formal goodbye, he exited the office and started walking down the corridor. He was feeling like he had just won a battle and finally permitted himself to wander in the valley of thoughts and memory. Fifth time since in government building, the same flashback came infront of his eyes.

He could swear he saw a taunt in her smirk. Was she challenging him to make the first move? He knew he was not going to shoot her, but he hadn't been sent on any mission with shoot at sight orders before either. Who would've thought that target was going to be the famous Ada Wong. But she was betraying them, betraying her country, her job and most importanly, she was betraying him. And not for the first time. He felt his blood circulation speed up. He hated her. From every aspect and every perspective. Krauser was right. She really was a bitch.

Each and every word of his own was resulting as a slap on his own face. He mentally scolded himself for thinking about her the way he just did. The conflict of right and wrong, honesty and dishonesty, hope and frustration, and above all, love and hatred was too much for his heart and mind to take. Not more able to keep his emotions in control, with an angry grunt his finger pressed on the trigger sending a bullet in the far away wall. By now, along with his heart beat, his breathing rate had also increased. He looked down at her with narrowed eyes.

"Ada Wong" he put much emphasis on her name, "If you are done with your usual dirty work, would you mind explaining?" His statement was enough to wash away the smirk on her face , which was now replaced by a hurt expression. He had addressed her by full name first time since they had met. And with such bitterness?

After instantly regaining her composure, Ada leaned back in her chair like nothing had happened. "I thought you would know."

Leon frowned. He was sick of her games and directionless statements. "I know very little, you know. Now, stop bullshitting and be straight for once." He said every word through greeted teeth.

The cracks on Ada's mask appeared to be deepening, but not for very long. Instead of replying to him, she turned her revolving chair to the computer screen again.

"I'm asking something" he shouted.

Again silence.

"Answer my damn question" Leon almost pleaded.

Then she looked down and slowly began, "I'm sorry, Leon". Her voice just above a whisper.

Leon was mazed in between believing her and reprimanding her. She never let her smirk fall from her face and now she was apologizing. He shook his head "Just why are you doing this, Ada?" The softness for her had returned in his voice.

"I ca-" She was cut off by a noise downstairs. Someone other than the two of them was there. Acting on instinct, they looked at each other and took safe positions. With the hand holding the gun raised, Leon opened the door enough to see what was going on. She could only admire him when the light from outside reflected from his blue eyes. With hand expression he told her that there were three people, visible. Remaining were out of his sight's range. He closed the door and turned to her 180 degree. "You need to leave" he said, shocking her.

"What?" Ada said in disbelief.

"They're government." Leon explained referring to the people downstairs.

"I'm not going to runaw-"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you?"

"Look, I'll handle everything. Just go." He began pushing Ada towards the back door. She resisted initially but obliged afterwards. Half way through the door she turned and looked at Leon with emotions in her eyes that he couldn't understand. She'd been deceiving him in the past and was doing the same now, but he didn't care. He still wanted her to be out of danger's way. All of it made him the best person on planet Earth and her, the worst living being. Leon raised an eyebrow when he realized she was practically staring at him. Ada smiled on his reaction.

"Don't hate me okay?" The way she had said it in a beseeching tone was so impelling that the next thing Leon remembered was taking a step forward. And Ada felt a pair of lips on hers.

A chill ran through Leon's body on the last memory. But he was satisfied that Ada would be somewhere safe by now. She didn't deserve cold cells and mean investigation. At least he thought that. The problem was that he had to lie to his own fellows by telling them that he found no one except the mercenaries he had encountered. Thanks to God that they believed him. Only if anyone at his workplace had gotten air that he let a traitor go- no, he helped her escape, he would be dead by now. Or even worse. But Ada Wong was not a traitor. He was sure of that. With aeonian hope of meeting her soon, he got into his car to get home.

Wondering why I used aeonian? Well I didn't create it. It already existed. Actually 'aeonian' is a synonym for unending, unceasing. I searched and found that 'aeon' is considered to be a force that exists since even before the universe was created and will last forever. What a coincidence. Our Leon + Ada = Aeon is a force? Wow!

Aeon rocks :D and my reviewers too.