((To keep me occupied while Resident Evil: Captive is in process, I decided to experiment with this bit, we'll see how it goes and hopefully it is liked enough to keep!))

--

Chapter 1: Partners

"All our lives we search for someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance the song of heartbreak and hope all the while, wondering if somewhere, somehow there is someone searching for us"

--

"I received special training via a secret Organization working under the direct control of the President. I was to assume the responsibility of protecting the new President's family." His voice was frustrated, trying to persuade them to leave it at that, only to be greeted by a laugh.

"Why am I the one who always gets the short end of the stick?" The first local cop mused as he turned his hues toward the window.

"Yo, who are you really? Come on and tell us. You are a long way from home, cowboy. You have my sympathies," The other cop added from the front seat.

"Guess that's a local's way of breaking the ice. Anyway, you know what this is all about. My assignment is to search for the President's missing daughter," He tried to keep his cool, but was it really going anywhere?

"What, all by yourself?" A taunting chuckle erupted once the driver took his anticipated turn to speak. Leon nearly wanted to remove the fist, tightly pressed into his cheek, and smack him at the back of the head.

"I'm sure you boys didn't just tag along so we could sing Kumbiyah together at some Boy Scout bonfire. Then again, maybe you did."

"Ah, he didn't come alone," The cops teeter-tattered their inputs, the driver laughing in agreement.

"That's right, the woman!" They laughed as the car came to a stop, Leon rolling his eyes in response to their childish remarks. If he hadn't tuned them out he would have heard the 'crazy American' a cop spewed beneath his breath.

The car door slammed abruptly, catching Leon off guard from his pondering. His blue orbs shared a glance with the driver who simply responded with 'piss break'.

A shifting of gravel made a steady beat in the rhythm of footsteps. Leon had just turned his attention back to the window when a petite figure came into view, causing a twist in his stomach that seemed to jolt through his entire body. He swallowed back the sensation as his fist departed from his face to roll down the window and invite the warm, thick air within.

"What's the hold up?" Her voice, as if a coaxing Siren, rang out as she peaked around the innards of the vehicle; her own transporters parked behind Leon's own.

"Bathroom break, sweet cheeks." Blue hues shifted to greet the brown ones that peered at her, making her lips part in awe at the demeaning name. It was only a slight pause however and then she showed playful amusement. She turned to Leon, speaking lowly between her teeth,

"Charming, aren't they?" Her head tilted, sending crimson strands to one shoulder from the restraints of a ponytail. In response, he offered her a tired smile with a sense of unease that was harder getting rid of then the sensation that first arose when she approached.

The cop returned and slammed himself within the car, taking Leon's attention briefly, and as soon as he turned his attention back the woman had already departed to the vehicle behind them; they proceeded down the rarely touched path. Within a matter of minutes, they came to a final halt.

"The village is up ahead." With a nod, Leon acknowledged that he would go take a look around. Their humor about getting a parking ticket distasteful, but none the less he took the "good luck" they had granted him upon departure.

"Hey," his hand outstretched towards the crimson beauty who was already half up the trail. Dark blue jeans tightly fitted her toned legs and a black jean jacket surrounded a black shirt that fit her like another skin. After his call out, she had stopped and brought her shoulder back to glance at him, but keeping her visuals open.

"Claire," He jogged shortly, coming up beside her, "You know you didn't have to come." They proceeded forward together.

"I wanted to, besides, if what Chris said is true then you'll need my help."

She was right—Chris Redfield had discovered some shady activity around the capturing of Ashley, but Leon refused to believe it was anything worse than a few inexperienced locals asking for a sum of money. Lucky for him, Claire was working on becoming a rescuer against bioterrorism attacks and constantly trained with her brother; she was a likely partner and had a number of vital assets to help him through, including communication skills.

A crack of the radio disturbed them from further conversation.

"Leon, I hope you can hear me. I'm Ingrid Hunningan. I'll be your support on this mission." Claire loomed over his shoulder at the woman forming within the video call.

"You must be Claire Redfield." Claire shot out a half smile, letting Leon do the talking.

"Loud and clear—Somehow I thought you'd be a little older. So the subject's name's Ashley Graham, right?" As they continued their conversation, Claire ventured forward and pressed by the branches of some of the overgrowth reaching towards the path.

"Leon out." Her crystal blue hues turned to him as he began making the trek towards her.

"Look, there is a house up there." A finger extended towards the old home situated just beyond the trees. Without a word, Leon advanced and carefully listened for the disturbance of dirt that she was following—and she was.

The wood of the steps stressed beneath their feet, his tennis shoes and her boots creating harmony upon the old floor upon entry of the house.

"Hello?" Claire said softly, extending her "oh" as her body slanted to the side as to peer around the corner. A man was rekindling his wood and Leon found it the perfect opportunity to ask if he had seen the President's daughter. He approached, extending a picture of the blonde girl that looked rather proper. Claire stood behind the table, curiously investigating the items about the house, including untouched food that was rotting away; the smell was rancid.

"What the hell are you doing here? Get out!" Cried the man in fluent Spanish and threatening Leon.

"Sorry to have bothered you," Leon said coolly while stepping away. Yet, the Spanish man wasn't done yet. Claire watched as he turned to grasp his hand around an axe by the fire place; her lips parted in awe once again, but this time it didn't fade into sweet amusement.

"Watch out!" She cried, throwing herself over the table and making a swift landing as a leg flew up to greet the man on the side of the face; her shin sent him into the wall and the axe to the floor.

Heart pounding and bangs scattered across her "I mean business" face, Claire backed up to Leon's side in a half crouch; they were both on their toes as the man began to charge again with a new found fury.

"Freeze! I said freeze!" Quickly, Leon withdrew his gun and released bullets into the man, but he continued on forward until Leon sent a blast to sever the man's head. What was left of the man's body collapsed to the ground towards the pool of blood collecting beneath.

"Shit!" Claire exclaimed, her body situated at the window now as the sound of human commotion and vehicles hitting water took place. Leon hurried to her side, taking a call by Hannigan and within a minute of informing her, returning his video call to his pocket.

"Whatever matters necessary, Claire," He mimicked Hannigan with a sense of concern, something had had clearly picked up.

"Right," She nodded once as she spoke, turning to view him jump through the window.

"Was that a necessary matter?" She spoke to herself under her breath, shrugging to his tactics and throwing her nimble weight from the window that was already broken for her. When she landed, a hand coiled around her bicep, hoisting her up to Leon's side and to view several villagers crowding towards them.

"Well this took a turn for the worst rather quickly." Stress, shown through a wrinkle between eyebrows formed upon Leon's face. He was more serious than her at the moment, but appreciated that she was here with him now. They knew how they worked from Raccoon, the trust between them untouchable.

"Take those," he instructed, but she had already turned for cover behind a rise of logs where she was reflecting the flying, sharp objects coming their way. He double-took back towards her, finding her idea useful but also wanting to lure them away. With his half, he led them back towards the house.

The sounds of crackling gunfire took place, followed by expressed words of distressed as flesh met flesh. They took turns, moving away from the perusing villagers and kicking their agile bodies from the other's danger zone until the bodies lay lifeless upon the rocky floor. Claire knelt beside one of the limp bodies and examined it slightly.

"No time for that," Leon broke her concentration. "We have to find Ashley, now, or she might succumb to… this!" his eyes scanned the dead bodies before them and Claire's hand retracted from the clothing of the dead man.

"Was just looking for items like this." From a pocket, she pulled out ammunition for a shotgun – there must be one around somewhere. If all villagers were this hostel, it would be a necessity.

"You mine as well take the money, too, maybe we could bribe them to hand Ashley over," Leon spat sarcastically. Claire's hues peered up through perked eyebrows and fallen bangs while her hands rummaged pockets.

"Good idea," She was serious and hesitant at the same time, but he didn't protest. Who knew, maybe it would come in handy.

Standing up from her crouch, she placed all important objects, clues, etc into a pouch that was a bit more fashionable than a fanny pack upon her hip. They proceeded down the path, viewing several symbols upon the road with skulls hanging on the wooden posts eerily. Guns withdrawn, they steadily continued on until Claire began to fall back. Leon let out a sigh of the lost time, turning to face her with question.

"What's the hold up," He asked. She couldn't possibly need to catch her breath already.

"Do you hear that?" She was looking around, the sound of a whimper faint, but soon he too was glancing about.

"Look!" she pointed towards a type of dog, or wolf, trapped within a bear trap. Together, they aided it by freeing him.

"They have bear traps around here, it seems," Leon noted and Claire nodded as a hand touched the back of his shoulder to urge him forward. He realized that her awareness would be valuable to him.

--

Upon their journey to the village, they encountered more inhabitants that wanted them dead. Was the whole town in on this? They didn't know, all they knew is that with each other they were able to easily advance through their obstacles. A crack within the radio disturbed their tense silence; Hannigan was asking them how they were.

"Bad Question," Leon said as his gray-blue hues peered at their trail ahead.

"Sorry to hear that, how are you keeping him in line, Claire?" Claire shook her head as a cheerful smile seemed to awkwardly place itself upon her face.

"That, is a good question, Hannigan," Claire smirked and allowed them to end the conversation. Ater all, she was doing fine keeping him in line. They proceeded forward after Claire allowed a large, blue, and metal door shut behind them—they had reached the village.

A hand touched Claire's stomach and her crystal hues shifted down towards what had stopped her, and then back at him. He had his binoculars out and was advancing towards a tree to spy on some of the locals; although a very wrong sport, she let it slide this time. With a bend at her waist, she leaned towards his direction until grimace went across Leon's face; yet, instead of asking, she waited for him to tell her.

"One of our cop transporters are dead," He as he came towards her and watched as her head dropped with confusion at the situation; he continued on with the plans.

"We'll have to go into the village, I don't know how they'll react," he paused.

"Shit… you know how they'll react," He didn't protest, but found himself turning and running in a light jog towards the fire that burned within the middle of the buildings. Hurriedly, she followed behind, wondering if a running approach would be the best way NOT to set them off. Internally, her eyes rolled while they came to a slow; she was right, the locals spotted them, pointed, and raised their weapons high to the sky.

"Come," He insisted as they together ran into one of the buildings at full speed and burst through the door. Her hands fell to her knees as he began to barricade the door with the furniture given. Once she recovered, which was in a matter of seconds, she made her way to the stairs and ascended. He was right behind her, soon pushing his way past to view out the window from the upstairs level.

"Damn it," He shouted with distress.

"Who are these people? What are they planning?" He turned towards Claire who had found a note upon the bed. His question was put aside from the rev of machinery that provided crescendo upon approach. Claire looked up from her read at Leon, asking him what it was.

"Great, a chainsaw," he said with a sour humor as her crystal hues widened at him.

"Shit…" She exclaimed, grasping the paper tightly until it made a crinkling imprint where her hands were, the sound of the villagers below beating against the windows and barricaded door.

"Shit," he agreed.