- WHAT'S THE POINT? -

And she starts to wonder if running away from it all is worth it.

A Resident Evil Fanfiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or anything related to it - characters, places, etcetera.

Leon grabbed Ashley's arm and pulled her towards him. He shook her shoulders roughly, anger, exhaustion and confusion all playing like a masterful orchestral piece in his eyes. The results weren't good, mind you.

Leon breathed in deeply. He was tired. He was tired and he had enough of the ganados. The zealots. And the maniacal soldiers with the high-voltage cattle prods. He had enough of those things. Especially the dumpsters and the degrading corpses. He hated all of that. But he had a mission - to get out of that infernal island and finally take the subject - Ashley Graham - home to her father. The President. President Graham.

Ashley - and Leon had to be honest with this - was not the best person to be with in this kind of situation. She can't wield a gun, she can't defend herself, she mostly whined, and the time Leon spent on the mission consisted mostly of rescuing Ashley from the hands of the enemies. Ashley was very depended on him. And Leon understood that well. It was his mission to save her, but as the time went by, he felt that it wasn't just a mission - he was keen on seeing how Ashley would fare after the ordeal and if she had developed any kind of admiration, of love, towards him. He hoped that this was so, of course. Ashley grew on him. She might have been annoying and useless to him, and more or less a pain in the butt, but he had to get her out of the place. If it wasn't for the mission, then he had to get her out for his own personal reasons. He liked Ashley. As to whether this liking is love or not, he'll see, after the mission's done.

But she's becoming a pain in the butt again. Stubborn. Annoying. It was one of those moments in which she made up her mind and just wanted to give up. And given the time Leon had known her, he discovered that when Ashley made up her mind, it was no use trying to change her decision. But he had to.

He shook her shoulders again, and Ashley looked at him, fear evident in her eyes.

"Don't be stupid, Ashley. Let's go!"

She pushed him away. She couldn't, of course, but Leon didn't let her effort go to waste and let her go.

"What's all this for, then, Leon? Running away so I could get caught again? And then you'll try to look for me, and rescue me? I hate this. It's rinse, repeat, Leon. We don't even know how much damage the plagas in our bodies have done. We might be strangling each other later on!"

Ashley turned her back on Leon. She crossed her arms and frowned. Leon's face, tense and contorted with anger just a while ago, softened and looked at Ashley. Ashley and her beat-up frame, her frail body, and the obvious need for food and refreshment. She had a point. But giving up was not an option. Not when everyone was waiting for the both of them to come back, all in one piece. She was obviously going through that stage the psychologists described to him before he went on to the mission - hopelessness. But seriously. Who wouldn't be hopeless if they were in Ashley's shoes?

"Leon, tell me. Is this worth running away from? Sooner or later, we'd be both dead. If we, by some chane, escape and get back, won't we suffer mental damages or something?"

Leon thought no, at least, in his case, but he had to give Ashley a chance to speak. Being the only sane company on the road, the last thing Ashley needed was for Leon to tell her that she's wrong.

"I'm tired, Leon," she said, as she faced him. "I'm tired. I don't want to run away again. It'll only get worse." She leaned against Leon, then hugged him. He started to feel warm drops of water on his shoulder. Tears. She was crying. God, how do I comfort a crying college girl? He hugged her back, held her close. He admitted it - he liked the way they were right now. Then he cursed himself mentally for saying so. Even if no one heard it. He patted her back for good measure.

"I'm tired," she repeated.

Suddenly, Leon felt like an incredible idiot for shaking Ashley like that, just a while ago. The ordeal was awful for the both of them, and although Leon was trained to become emotionally stable in these kinds of situations, Ashley was not. Fear was kicking in. He looked at her in the eye as she stepped back and wiped the tears from her face.

"Ashley, come on. This is no time to give up. There's no room for giving up. It's either we get out of here or die trying. I think the first option's much more appealing than the second one, don't you think?" He took out a clean, white handkerchief from one of his pockets (and it surprised him greatly that there was still a piece of clean cloth lying somewhere around his mud-and-dirt-and-all-manner-of-putrid-substances-caked body) and helped her wipe her cheeks.

"I don't want to die, Leon. But something will get us. If it's not them, it will be those parasites."

"Ashley, don't talk that way. Aren't you worried about your parents? I'm sure they're expecting us to come back," he said.

"If we ever will." She sighed. "Listen, Leon. Go if you must go. I don't want to run around anymore. I'm so tired, hungry, cold. Just... just tell them you were too late..."

"Ashley." He shooked her again, but gently this time. "I'm serious. Don't talk that way. Sooner or later, we'll get something to eat around here that isn't one of the human body's internal organs. And you don't have to run, you know. I can carry you."

"Leon, I'm already a pain in the neck. And no, don't tell me I'm not," she said, as Leon started to open his mouth on protest. "You can barely move around without constant fear of them getting me, and I can't even help you fight."

"You're not supposed to."

"But still," she retorted. "I don't want to go on anymore, Leon. Leave me here. I'm sure you could go on better without me." Ashley sighed. "It's just a mission, after all."

Leon took her hand. "I can't leave you here, Ashley. I've got a mission to accomplish."

"Leon, I don't-"

"Ashley. I have a mission to accomplish. I need to get you out here alive, no other questions. And until my mission's done, I won't leave you. And don't think I'll just go walk away when I've had enough of your whining."

"You have had enough of my whining though, haven't you?" she sneered.

"That's not the question." He took her close again and looked at her in the eye. "I will do anything - ANYTHING - to get the both of us out of here. It doesn't matter if I'm dead or alive, as long as you're safe and in one piece when you get back home. I've been through a lot since arriving here, and I won't let the attitude of a college girl in her early twenties stop me. It's my mission to accomplish. And besides - " he managed to curl his lips into what looked like a smile but didn't seem like smile - "I'm not trying to save both our asses just because it's a mission anymore."

"What?" Ashley thought she saw something in Leon's eyes - a vague glimmer that meant something - and felt better.

"It's not just for the mission anymore. Stay alive. Let's get out together. Not just for the sake of the mission, Ashley. Be strong. For me, at least," Leon said. "Come on. Let's go."

She didn't budge. What was it that she saw in Leon's eyes? What did he mean by those words? Maybe... he likes me? Ashley suddenly felt very stupid. Ugh. How can Leon like me? What's there to like about me? Ugh. What am I thinking?

"Ashley. Don't tell me you're tired or something again. We have to go on, unless you want those guys with the cattle prods to catch up." Leon tugged at her hand and stepped forward, trying to tell Ashley that it was time to go. She finally moved, and they didn't walk far 'till Ashley spoke up.

"Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Hold my hand, please." Ashley's cheeks turned a healthy shade of pink as she voiced her request. It was stupid, and she knew so. She wouldn't be surprised if Leon said no. Hunger's getting the better of me. To her surprise, Leon nodded.

"I'd be glad to." He gripped her hand tightly, and led her through the cold, eerie interiors of the island complex. "I won't let go, don't worry."

"Thank you." I guess I could still manage, she told herself. Yeah, I could.

A/N: Good. Second LxA fic, I think. I didn't do good in this, I know. It sucks, but I just HAD to write something. The idea flared in my mind and was waiting to be pinned down on the word processor. Comments? Does it need improvements?