I've never written a chapter so fast ! This one felt like a breeze, and while I took some similarities from the original draft, I feel like it's vastly different. As a matter of fact, this should actually be chapter 6, but I've removed a lot of parts that I felt were useless in advancing the story. I'm actually getting a little confused by the changes, but what else is new xD ? Enjoy !

Chapter 5. Breathe

Ashley woke up with a start, sweaty and gasping. She blinked, adjusting to her surroundings, which looked nothing like the void she'd dreamed up, thank God. There was sunlight, white walls, a plain coffee table, and not a sign of floating eyeballs or creepy smiles. Wait a minute…where was she ? She tried sitting up – and immediately regretted it, her muscles tensing and screaming at her like she'd run a vicious marathon, breaking her body in the process. She groaned.

But the pain seemed to open a doorway in her brain for memories to flood in. Men from the D.S.O had come to take her away without an explanation, bringing her to that underground lab – where she was separated from her bodyguard to meet those scientists, and then…oh god…they told her the parasite, the Plaga, was still inside her, in some form or another. Then they made her sit in that chair, claiming it was the only way to find out more – and that man, Derek Simmons, had promised that whether it worked or not, nothing would happen. It would be painless. Harmless.

But it had been anything but. Ashley's skull pounded at the memory of the agony that had exploded throughout her body, from her fingertips to her toes, sparing not one inch of her body from the excruciating pain. That's why she was hurting so much, wasn't it ?

But what had happened after that ? A dim memory surfaced from the vaguer parts of her mind…Leon's dark blue eyes looking down at her. Shhh, it's okay. I've got you. I'm gonna get us out of here. He had said. Oh. Of course. He had saved her. Again.

This time she forced herself to sit up, ignoring the way her muscles clenched and pinched. She took in her surroundings…though there wasn't much too take in. The couch she was sitting on was brown leather, and the kitchen was merged with the living room, which were both sparse of decorations. There were two doors – which Ashley suspected led to the bathroom and the bedroom. But where was Leon ?

Deciding to stand up, she did so on shaky legs – and then proceeded to fall like a sack of rocks, landing on the paneled floor with a loud THUD. "Ooow…"

One of the doors suddenly opened, and a familiar voice – one she'd recognize anywhere, called out her name. She barely had time to process the approaching footsteps before hands picked her up, helping her to her feet. "Sit down." Leon instructed, guiding her back to the couch before kneeling in front of her. "You okay ?"

Was she okay ? "I don't know." Her voice shook. She was scared, and she allowed it to show on her face, in the tremble of her voice.

"Why ? What's wrong ?" He scanned her face first, then the rest of her body – looking for any sign that she was unwell.

She shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Leon, down there…they told me…they said that I…" Her throat felt like it had closed up. She was having a ridiculously hard time getting the words out, but Leon saved her the trouble.

"I know. They tried to stop me from getting you out, so we had a nice little chat." She didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice, or the derision in his eyes.

"What did they say ?" She asked timidly.

"First things first." He brushed his fingers beneath her bangs and pressed them to her forehead, feeling her temperature. "Seems like your fever's broken. How do you feel ?"

"Really sore, and my throat hurts a little, but I think I'm okay." Her bodyguard stood up and strode to the bathroom, then to the kitchen, before walking back to her. He handed her a glass of water and a pill.

"Drink. You need to rehydrate, and that pill will help with the pain."

"Thanks." She replied, swallowing the medication. The cool water made her realize how dry the inside of her mouth was. He sat down next to her on the couch.

"They didn't tell me much. Well, I didn't really stop to listen." He said as he clasped his hands together. "But they said you were still… affected by the Plaga." She could hear the invisible quotation marks around the word affected. "What does that mean ?"

She pursed her lips. "I don't really understand it myself, but I was told Luis's machine was…faulty."

Leon looked up at her, frowning. "Faulty ? I saw it destroy the parasite, Ashley. It was gone."

"I know. But apparently the machine had a 3% chance of failing and, well…they found traces of the Plaga in my blood."

"Traces ?"

Ashley nodded, gripping her knees, if only to busy her hands with something. "There's more. They said the parasite found a way to survive and that, basically…it merged with my DNA, somehow ?" She toned the last sentence like a question. "I don't know what that means, but that chair – they said it was an upgraded version of Luis's machine. They were going to test it out, see how my body reacted to it…but…"

"…but it didn't work out." He finished the sentence for her. "It doesn't matter. We'll figure it out, okay ? And we'll do it without torture machines."

She chuckled breathlessly. "That sounds pretty good, actually."

There was a moment of silence before Leon added, "I was worried about you. You were out the whole day and night." The words were spoken so softly, Ashley almost missed them.

"Thank you for taking care of me. And for saving me."

"You're welcome. But let's not make a habit of it, yeah ?" The right corner of his mouth lifted, then. It was the first smile she'd seen from him since waking up.

She grinned, the expression genuine despite the anxiety roiling inside her. "I'll try."

"Good. Now, is there anything you'd like to eat ? I don't have any food here, but I can order some groceries."

She eyed the man beside her. "You can cook ?"

"No, but how hard can it be ?" He shrugged. Oh boy. She felt like that sentence could invite all sorts of trouble.

"You don't have to get groceries." She finally said. "I'm not really hungry."

That earned her a disapproving look from her bodyguard. "I don't think so, Missy. Your body's weak – it needs food and rest to recuperate. I'm not taking no for an answer." Had he just called her Missy ? And when had he gotten so bossy ?

"Anything's fine, then."

They ended up ordering Indonesian food. Apparently it was one of Leon's favorites, and Ashley could see why. It was so good she went from 'not hungry' to practically scarfing the stuff down, and the warmth of hot food spread through her body like a soothing balm. "This is delicious." She said in-between chews.

Unlike her, her bodyguard was eating like a normal person. "Slow down or you'll choke." He said, but he was smiling.

A few minutes later, when they were done and Leon had cleared the table, he got up – disappearing through the other door, and came back with a pair of folded clothes. "In case you want to change. There's a shower if you want it, too."

She did. She'd been sweating for too long, wearing the same clothes as yesterday morning. "Thanks," She replied, her relief palpable, and began standing up. Her face instantly scrunched up in pain as her muscles burned, straining against her efforts.

But Leon was immediately at her side. He wrapped an arm around her back and helped her to the bathroom. "You sure you'll be okay ?" He asked when she let him go, instead switching to the doorway frame.

"Yeah, I'm just sore." So sore that her legs were incredibly shaky, and she could fall at any point and break her neck on – say, the sink, or slip to death on the wet shower floor…yeah, she didn't mention any of those things to Leon. Besides, what could he do anyway ? Help her naked self stand in the shower ? She almost choked at the thought. "I'll be fine."

He nodded. "I'll be out here if you need anything. Towels are in the cabinet behind the door, and feel free to use the shampoo and body wash."

Closing the door, Ashley proceeded to shed her old clothes. The process was slow, and even bending down was painful, but eventually she made it, and carefully stepped into the shower cubicle. It was tiny just like the rest of the apartment, but something inside it caught her eye. A laugh bubbled out of her throat before she could stop it.

Not five seconds later, Leon was knocking on the door. "Ashley ?"

She tried to stifle her snicker. "Sorry, I'm okay !"

There was a pause before he said, "What's so funny ?"

On the small shelf was shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner – and not just any. Ashley recognized the brand, it was one of those expensive ones, whereas the other two were pretty generic. She laughed. There was something funny about imagining Leon – stoic as a rock Leon, go to the store to buy fancy hair conditioner and use it to make his hair all shiny and soft. "Now I why your hair's so perfect all the time !"

"You think my hair's perfect ?"

She scoffed at the question. "Are you kidding ? Even when it's drizzling, you look like you've stepped out of a men's fashion magazine." And then she realized what she had just said. She'd basically indirectly called him hot, and not very subtly too. "A-Anyway, I'll be done in fifteen minutes !" She quickly added before he had a chance to reply, turning the showerhead on.

…

Leon listened intently for any sounds of distress. Earlier he'd mistaken her laughter for a yelp, though turns out she'd just been giggling at his choice of hair products. He huffed in amusement, but it died as soon as it had come – replaced by fear as a high-pitched scream rang through the apartment. He jumped to his feet and pounded against the bathroom door. "Ashley ?! What's wrong ?"

He didn't wait for her answer and turned the knob. The door hadn't been locked. He opened it – ready to rush in, but instead he saw a flash of pale blonde hair before Ashley collided into his chest and stayed there. He didn't try to push her away – on the contrary, wrapping his arms around her delicate frame was almost like second nature. She was breathing in quick, short spurts, hyperventilating. He looked around the bathroom, searching for anything unusual, but nothing jumped out at him. "Hey, hey, calm down. Breathe."

"My eyes…my eyes were red, like…like those…" Her fingers clutched his shirt as she continued to gasp.

Her eyes ? "Ashley, look at me. Let me see." But she wouldn't budge. The only thing he could do was put his hand on the back of her head – which was damp from the shower – and rub her back up and down with his other one. Only then did he notice she was wearing his clothes. They were way too large on her. "Try to breath."

"I…I can't…"

"Yes, you can." He insisted. "Do it with me, okay ?" He took a deep breath, held it for three seconds, and let it out. With his hand on her back, he felt her try to match him. At first her breaths were shaky and short, but they gradually became longer and longer, until finally she was in sync with him. "You're doing great."

Slowly, she let go of his shirt and took a tiny step back, just enough so that her face wasn't buried in his chest anymore. She placed a hand on top of hers, breathing. Gently, so as not to spook her, he took her chin and raised her face. She looked up at him with the green eyes he'd come to know so well. "There's no red in them."

She swallowed. "Are you sure ?"

"Yeah. The whites are as white as they can be."

"Not the whites, the…the iris. They're not red ?" The iris ?

"No…they're green."

She looked away from him, forehead creased in frustration and confusion, stepping in front of the small mirror. Leon joined her at her side, trying to see what she was seeing in her reflection. "When I was done changing, and I looked in the mirror…I was so sure…"

"What, Ashley ? What happened ?" What had happened to trigger a panic attack ?

"My eyes, they were red like theirs…" She didn't have to elaborate, Leon knew who she was talking about. The only people with red eyes – red irises, to be specific, were the Ganados. But they were dead, along with Saddler. "Maybe it was just my imagination…" She added, but he could tell she didn't believe her own words. She turned to look at him once more. "Do you think I'm going crazy ?"

"No, you're not. After everything you've told me about the Plaga, how a…remnant of it stayed inside you, it wouldn't be a surprise if your eyes became red."

"But doesn't that mean I'm becoming one of them ?" She asked, and he heard the edge of panic in her voice.

His own stomach felt tight with anxiety, concern for his charge, his friend, but he believed his next words. He had to. "You've made it this far, and nothing's happened. I don't think this time is the same as the last situation. The Plaga's not acting as a parasite inside you, anymore – it's merged with you. Whatever that means, things are different, and we'll find out in what way together. Okay ?"

"Together ?" She repeated the word, eyebrows drawing into a confused frown.

He was almost offended. "I told you, I'm not going to dump you."

"Yeah, but this is different, and I'm pretty sure it's not part of your job description." She attempted a smile.

"You're not just a job description, Ashley." He replied hoarsely, and her cheeks flushed. "Anyway, why don't you go relax on the couch ? I'm gonna take a shower, and after that we'll think of a plan. Sounds good ?"

She cleared her throat. "Sounds good."

…

Ashley had more pressing matters than her boy crush, but his words, you're not just a job description – and the fact he had taken such good care over her, watching over her, had awakened butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't going to deny she was also more than a little willing to be distracted from her current predicament. She sighed, dropping her face into her hands. Now that she was calm again, she was more than a little embarrassed by how she'd freaked out in front of him earlier. Did I really have to grab him like that ? She groaned at the memory, and then quickly stifled the sound. She didn't want Leon to think something was wrong.

He'd grown very…protective of her, she'd noticed. Not just since she'd woken up, but for a while now, more than all the bodyguards she'd ever had. Most of them weren't even her friends – keeping a professional distance, and they definitely didn't nurse her back to health or help her breathe through a panic attack. And with this new thing happening, Leon's protectiveness had been amped up twice as high…she didn't mind. On the contrary, she liked it more than she cared to admit. You're not just a job description, Ashley. Her heart pounded as his words kept echoing in her head, tempting and enticing.

Her heartbeat picked up the pace when the door opened, letting out a cloud of steam – and then actually stuttered when she saw Leon, freshly showered, his dark blonde hair even darker as it clung wetly to his skin, slicked back from his forehead, and frigging topless. Her lips parted and she stared – until she remembered herself and quickly looked away. He must've noticed because he said, "Oh, sorry. I forgot to bring clean clothes with me."

She laughed, though the sound was weak. She wanted to look so badly. "Don't worry about it." This man would be the death of her. Did he also forget she was a young woman with hormones – or did he not realize how hot he was ?

"So," Leon spoke up a few minutes later, once he was wearing clothes again. His arms were crossed and he was leaning on the edge of an armchair. She suspected he was the type of person who liked to move around, as opposed to just sitting around. "I tried calling your father."

Hope flared in her chest, but it quickly died down at the word 'tried'. "Let me guess. He didn't answer ?"

He nodded. "I tried five times, but it always led to voicemail."

"Voicemail ? Didn't his secretary say he'd pass the message, or something ?" That's what Ashley and her mom always heard whenever they tried to call her dad.

He shook his head. "He gave me his private number in case anything happened to you. It should go straight to him." She pursed her lips, swallowing the bitterness that wanted to spill out. His own family didn't have access to that number, but she kept that to herself. "It's suspicious."

"Why ? Maybe he's just busy." He was always busy.

"Doesn't matter. He should've answered – and the fact he hasn't, and that he hasn't spoken to me about anything that's been going proves something's going on. Think about it; would the president have his own daughter go through something like that ?"

They both knew what he meant when he said 'something like that', and Ashley was keen not to remember the details. Either way, he was right. No matter how much her father was absent, he'd never give the order to have his child go through an experiment that was potentially harmful. "Why didn't I think about that before…" She sighed, slapping a hand across her eyes.

"Hey. You were scared. There's no point beating yourself up over it – if anything, I should've known better. None of this is your fault."

She glanced up at her bodyguard, giving him a grave look. "Then whose is it ? If my father didn't give the order, who did ?"

"While your father does command the D.S.O, the organization pretty much acts on his own. Still, being the president's daughter – no matter the emergency, they should've notified your father, and it circles back to the fact that he would've notified me in turn. So that leaves two possibilities."

"What ?"

He seemed hesitant to elaborate, but eventually he said, "I don't think that's the case, but either something's happened to the president…or the organization has a rat. Someone who thought they were above the rules." Neither scenarios were comforting, but Ashley felt chilled by the first one. What if something had happened ?

"Couldn't it have been an honest mistake ?" She offered without much hope.

"I doubt it. If your father isn't aware of what's going on with you – that means someone's deliberately keeping the information from leaking to him."

"But how likely is that ? Isn't there more of a chance that my dad…"

His gaze softened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that."

"No, if it's a possibility then I need to know."

"It is, but it would've been all over the news if something had happened to the president. There's no way to hide something as big as that, and…well, I would've been notified of that too – through connections outside of the organization. As far as I'm concerned, your dad's okay. It's you we have to worry about."

"When you came to get me, yesterday, did you meet someone named Derek Simmons ?" She asked, remembering the scientist.

"I did."

"Him and his team – they're the ones who discovered something was wrong with me. Could it be that man took the initiative on his own ?"

The spot between Leon's brows creased in thought. "Normally, no. Every order has to go through the higher-ups before anyone acts on them, but we can't rule it out. Anyway, speculating won't do us any good. I'm gonna call my boss – so you should get some bed rest."

"What ? But I want to know what he says !"

"And you will." He said, getting up from the armchair to squeeze her shoulder. "But this might take a while, so try to rest in the meantime. I'll wake you up when I'm done."

Before she had time to protest, the doorbell rang, startling her so much she almost jumped out of her own skin. Leon's eyes widened in apprehension, and he suddenly whipped out a gun from the back of his trousers.

To be Continued…

I'd like to point out real quick that, although this story is based on the remake of the game, the Ganados's eyes will be red like in the original. I just think it's cooler that way :P