NOTE: Forgive my mistakes. I know very little of the Halo universe but I watched some clips of Halo 4 and fell instantly in love with the dynamics between these 2 characters.

These writings will be random, unpolished pieces which will probably make sense only to me. But you're more than welcome to come along for the ride. =)

Just in case: DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR HALO 4

Background info: Somehow Cortana survived rampancy. She now has a semi-human body. But she's broken. Is this the start or the end?

Pinpricks.

A thousand of them jabbing into her body starting from the neck and radiating down. Her breath shuttered too loudly in the dark. Overhead the two moons flickered in and out of focus. She began to twitch uncontrollably. Slight tremors seizing control of her muscles.

Noises.

She choked on her next breath. Someone was in pain! Their cries pounded thru her skull with a bruising force. Was that her voice crying out? The gravel dug into her skin. Flesh and bone. Somehow she was on her hands and knees watching tears wet the grass beneath her fingers.

A strangled whimper crawled its way out her throat. She bit her lip until the air hinted at metal and copper. She ran muddy fingers across her teeth feeling the warm liquid seep underneath her nails. Blood. It was oddly comforting to feel such warmth. She watched the redness harden into flaky dry specks.

NO! Something was wrong. Get it off, get it off. GET IT OFF! She clawed at her fingertips. She ripped chucks of earth from the floor. But the blood kept coming. It was everywhere! It covered the ground and slowly slithered up her legs. She twisted backwards and landed on her stomach. Crack!

"AHH!"

Someone help me! She was suffocating! The darkness robbed the air from her lungs. She writhed in agony desperate to escape all the blood. Her forehead slammed into the ground. For a split second, the world went dark. Then something screamed in her ear. It felt like thunder underwater: Powerful, angry and distorted.

"STOP IT!"

Suddenly, she was immobilized. The air rushed from her body in a painful gasp. The demon landed on her spine and crushed her ribs. She tried to push up but her arms were locked behind her back. She snarled snapping her teeth and kicked out her legs, fighting like a rapid animal.

She threw her head backward and felt an awful crunch. The demon grunted in pain. She twisted and threw her weight. Sparks of blue flames jumped from her skin and snapped angrily at the intruder. She felt the power grow. She became feverish. Her skin slicked with sweat. The manacles holding her wrists loosened for a second and she used the second wisely. With all her strength, she slammed her elbow into its body. Reaching back, she clawed until she felt skin tear.

"Control yourself!" The demon demanded. Fool! She would give it nothing! She fought harder. It retaliated by twisting her arm until her shoulder popped. Her scream pierced the night. She screamed and screamed until tears clogged her throat. She screamed until she cried. Pathetic. In the end, she begged for mercy like a prisoner before her master.

"Please."

A heartbeat. Or a lifetime.

But eventually, the weight on her back shifted. Her wrists slowly set free. She fought not to gag as every cut and bruise announced itself. The adrenaline that once kept her fighting now left her feeling broken.

She tried to hug her knees to her chest, wanting to escape from the agony. Hot and cold. She couldn't tell if she was going to die or throw up her stomach. The buzzing in her ear was getting louder and louder. She thrashed to get away from the noise.

And then…a whisper.

"Cortana."

The word meant nothing. But the sound tugged at her consciousness. Like velvet across nerve endings. The gruffness of the voice reached in and awoke parts of her she thought long lost. Fingers swept the hair from her eyes. She kept them tightly closed and turned her face into the warmth.

"Cortana, look at me."

As if her body was his to command, she felt her heavy eyelids flutter and open. His wide shoulders filled her vision. Four jagged red marks slashed across his face from her nails. He loomed over her with muscles coiled in tension. Even without the armor, his body was every bit as powerful as the suit he donned.

Her warrior.

The sight of him so strong made her feel small and ashamed. "John." Cortana shut her eyes but the tears fell anyway. She curled herself into a ball hoping to hide from his penetrating gaze.

John ran his thumb across her bloodied lip. He asked a hundred questions in that simple gesture. She had no answer worth giving. A breeze swept thru the trees and across her sweat-soaked flesh. Cortana cradled her throbbing arm between her breasts and felt icicles stab along her naked skin.

John raised his arms and stripped off his shirt. His flesh was a canvas of scars that spoke of a lifetime on the battlefield. Even though she was half mad with the echo of rampancy, the sight of him still took her breath away. John wrapped his shirt around her shivering body. Cortana burrowed her face into the fabric and let the essence of him fill her senses.

"I hurt, John," she shamefully admitted. Cortana hated how weak she sounded. But it was too late to take back the the words so she forced the truth out. "I don't want to live like this."

"I can't," she whimpered. "I want you to let me go. I need you to –"

"No."

"John –"

His fingers dug painfully into her neck. John dropped down until his face was inches from hers. This close, she could count the gold specks in his eyes. She could feel the warmth of his breath. When he spoke, he enunciated slowly as if each word was carefully chosen.

"I am not leaving you here. The ship takes off at 0900. We're either both on it or we stay."

Cortana searched his eyes and tried to find the source of his conviction. Despite all the sacrifices, his faith never wavered. Civilizations could fall and worlds could collide but this Spartan would never hang his head in shame. Never walk away and accept defeat. As long as he breathed, he would fight.

For a future. For humanity.

For her.

Beyond his shoulders, the sky looked enormous. The universe stretched in all directions. Tomorrow offered nothing, yet demanded so much of them. Cortana wanted to bury her face into the safety of the cotton shirt but John held her face in his hand. She felt the power in his forearms, his biceps, in the magnificence of his chest. He was assembled beautifully. A more perfect being would shut her eyes and let him go. He deserved so much more than a fragmented mind and a broken body.

The sky turned pink. Dawn was quickly approaching. Cortana turned her face into his palm and felt his calluses drag across her lips.

"I want to see the sunrise," she murmured.

John froze. Cortana felt his muscles lock as if preparing for a battle. She surprised him. Whatever he expected her to say, it wasn't that. John sat and slowly stretched his big body until his back was flat against the grass. Though half naked, he didn't seem bothered by the cold morning air.

They were separated by an inch of space but it didn't matter. She'd lived in his mind and seen the world thru his eyes. Even when they were separated by galaxies, she still knew each beat of his heart.

John watched the sun set fire to the sky.

Cortana watched him instead.

Sunrise never looked more beautiful.