"Come on, Ashley," Leon whispered hoarsely, his voice almost in a begging tone. "You can make it. I know you can." He was not surprised whenever he received no answer.

Ashley was leaning against him, forcing herself to keep her eyes open as she clung to his arm as if he was her last resort. Then again, he was… If the blonde agent were not there with her, she would almost certainly collapse and fall asleep right there on the leaf-littered ground.

The blonde agent made a small noise of excitement as he noticed a small, decrepit shed off on the horizon. The president's daughter looked up out of curiosity, creating what would have normally been a smile, had she not been so exhausted.

If I'm this tired, then Leon must be on the verge of passing out… she thought solemnly.

Leon brought the young woman to rest against a wide tree trunk before gently prying her arm from his, bringing it to a sturdy branch. Ashley looked up at him, a confused expression on her features.

"Ashley, stay here," he ordered. "I'm going to go make sure the shed is safe." The woman's eyes widened slightly in fright. "… Just call if you need help…" Leon turned towards the shed, his fully-loaded Punisher in hand.

"… Leon?" Ashley's tired voice called out. Said man turned back around, a questioning look in his eyes. "… Be careful…"

The agent smiled. "I will…" He quietly turned back towards the shed, stealthily creeping towards it. Leon nudged the door open, careful not to let the hinges squeak. He was greeted with a gruesome sight.

The mangled body of a Spaniard woman was resting on the ground of the one-roomed shed. Guess there's no sex discrimination here… he thought sarcastically. The blonde clasped a hand over his nose and mouth in an attempt to block the vomit-inducing stench. It did not work.

Leon shooed away the large amount of flies from his face, his gun still prepared to shoot something in his hand. I can't let Ashley see this… She's already seen too much…

The man thought of dragging the corpse outside, but remembered that there was not a place outside that would hide the body very well. If a villager happened to notice it, they would probably head for the nearby shed. Besides, the agent was worn out, and probably would not be able to even get the carcass of the unfortunate woman past the doorway.

Leon noticed a wooden dining table in the far end of the room, clad in a stained tablecloth. Pulling the cloth from the piece of furniture, he draped it over the body, covering it completely. It's not perfect, but it'll have to do…

An odd noise pulled him from his thoughts. It sounded as if thousands of insects were suddenly crawling across the roof of the shed outside.

The agent came to realize that it was raining. Raining! That means Ashley-! Leon ran out to bring the girl inside.

Ashley was wearing her magenta sweater that had previously been tied around her neck. The blonde woman had also lifted a large leaf over her head as she leaned against the tree, protecting herself from most of the rain.

Smart.

At the sound of his footsteps, Ashley peered up, a look of relief spreading across her tired face when she recognized him. "Come on Ash, it's safe." He let out a hand. She took it, shifting her weight as she walked with him towards the run-down shack. Once the pair was at the doorway, she threw the leaf on the ground.

Leon closed the door behind him, turning his attention towards the president's daughter. Ashley was focused on the tablecloth-covered heap, her eyes wide, probably realizing what it was. Immediately, the agent put himself in her line of vision, blocking the frightening sight.

"… There's some burlap sacks over there, next to the bookshelf," he said, pointing to said items. "We can sleep on those…" Ashley nodded quietly, making her way towards them, trying not to notice the body.

She collapsed on the sacks, sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes. Leon smiled to himself. She looked… well… cute…

The agent turned, looking around the shed once again. There were no windows, so he did not have to worry about that. But there was still the door…

He grabbed a very worn chair that was resting next to the table, and put it under the doorknob.

Leon quietly made his way towards the pile of burlap bags, dragging one closer towards the door, checking to make sure his guns were full of ammunition. If someone managed to break in, he would be ready.

The agent heard soft snoring, signaling that Ashley had already fallen asleep. Leon looked over at her.

The young woman looked so peaceful when she slept. That was a good sign, showing that she was not having nightmares.

Yet… Leon thought grimly.

Ashley did not deserve this. She was so sweet and innocent in both appearance and personality, and even after all this, after all of this Hellish torture that she had been through for what seemed like eternities, she had somehow managed to keep that sweetness. Even if she had less than when she first came here…

I hope she stays that way after she gets out of here…

Leon often forgot that she was actually only seven years younger than him. Sometimes she seemed so much younger, and other times she seemed so much older.

Sometimes, she just seemed so… well… helpless… The way she had clung onto him whenever a Ganado appeared. The way she screamed whenever one of the villagers tried to take her away. The way she wrapped her arms around his neck whenever she jumped down from a ledge… It all made her seem so much younger and vulnerable…

Not like that's a bad thing… Ashley gave off an air that made him want to protect her…

Other times, Ashley acted much older. Just earlier that night, the pair had come across a locked door that was at least nine or ten feet high. Quickly devising a way to get past this problem, he had asked her to get on his back, climb over the gate, drop down and unlock the door. She did that exactly.

For those few seconds, he was so nervous that she had been out of his sight and reach. Ashley simply quelled his fears with a timid: "I've opened it, Leon."

Leon had noticed a pattern so far in their journey to escape from this Hellish prison. Every time he had asked her to do something to help them, she did it without comment, successfully too.

The agent had never told anyone, but whenever he had first seen the photograph of Ashley he had been given, he immediately thought of her as the generic, stuck-up cheerleader type who would complain about her mineral water being too hot or cold.

He found himself quite wrong.

Ashley never once complained whenever he asked her to complete a task, or complained about their condition. In fact, the president's daughter seemed much more concerned about her own rescuer than herself. She really was quite a mature young woman, wrapped up in a package of innocence and cuteness…

"Leon?" Ashley's meek voice broke the silence, causing him to look up. One of her warm hazel eyes was open, looking at him with a concerned stare.

"What is it, Ash?"

"… You're not asleep when I am… That's not fair, considering you're doing all of the work…"

The agent blinked, taking in her words, then chuckled. "Don't worry, Ashley, I'm just having a little trouble sleeping… You need your rest too, we have a big day ahead of us."

Ashley closed her eye. "Okay…"

The rain pattered gently against the shed, humming a soft lullaby.

"… Leon?"

"Hmm?"

"… Nothing… Good night…"

"Good night, Ashley…"