Ikigai || A Leon S. Kennedy FanFiction

CHAPTER 1

Note: This chapter does not include Leon, it is a prologue for the fanfic and starts off in the mansion in the beginning of Capcon's 'Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)'. You can skip this chapter.

Ikigai (生き甲斐, lit. 'a reason for being') is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.

[reader]'s POV

You sat quietly staring out the window. You were currently on a chopper, on your way to some mansion. According to your research, Glenn Arias was reportedly found doing his shenanigans in an abandoned manor in Mexico. You were BSAA's informant, you were good at finding, sneaking, and attacking, everything that Chris needed in a soldier. What caught Chris off guard was that he found all those important characteristics in a 27-year-old woman... who went to filmmaking school. Chris wasn't a sexist, the 'filmmaking school' part had him doubting you until he found out your father was a soldier who put you through unnecessary training which you enjoyed. But it still bothered Chris why you went from filmmaking to fighting bioterrorism. You were sitting beside a random man followed by Chris, he was in between the two of you.

"So you're the famous Chris Redfield and his sidekick [reader] also known as BSAA's Eagle, huh?" Both Chris and I turned our heads toward the guy. "The big heroes." he snickered. "The experts on the living dead, so tell me... how do I protect myself from them?" Chris and I stared at him for a few seconds before Chris asked "You got friends?" The man looked around at his supposed friends and laughed. "Yeah, I got friends," he replied. "You got a family?' Chris asked, again with the same face. "I got a wife and two kids, my folks too.". Chris sighed. "Big heroes, huh? All these corporations out here are making dangerous viruses and targeting our families with them. One day your family might be affected and... it's either you kill them or be killed" Chris hesitated before saying the last part but it had to be said. The guy had a look of instant regret on his face, he looked at both of us and apologized. I patted his back and gave him a sympathetic smile.

One of the guys got up from their seat and started telling us about the mission. I didn't pay attention because I was the one who gave them all the information, I was the informant after all. Chris used to always ask me to be the one telling the team about the missions but I wasn't confident enough for that, if it were people I knew then it wasn't a problem but most of the time Chris and I are working with new squads.

*time skip*

The team had already reached the manor, it looked pretty much thrashed from the outside. When we reached the inside, it looked neat. By the look of it, someone had been living here... hopefully, Cathy and Zack were safe too. Chris signed the squad into 3 different groups. Squad 1 took the bottom floor, squad 2 took the right side of the first floor, and Squad 3 took the left side of the first floor. Chris and I were in squad 2. The mansion was dark, without our flashlights we'd be as good as blind. We went to the first room we saw, and we steadily walked around the place. I was mentally writing down all the details in my head. It didn't take for chaos to come because I was damn sure I just heard the most gut-wrenching screams since the J'avo Outbreak. Our entire squad ran towards the screaming and gunshots on the Captain's orders.

When we entered the room, nobody was there. It was a master bedroom. There was dust but at the same time everything was well managed, is this where Arias was keeping Cathy and Zack? If yes, then where are they? There was a toy car on the bed, it might be Zack's. One of the men walked towards the bed. I nudged Chris and he told the man to be careful. After almost two and a half years of being in the same squad, you two had unimaginable teamwork, you could read each other like an open book. All thanks to Piers, without him you wouldn't even be able to make it this far. Sometimes you wish he were still here. Your line of thought was cut off when the guy who held the toy car got dragged below the bed. Chris instantly went to check under the bed, you were going to do the same till you hear screams of pain from behind. The guy who sat beside you in the chopper had been bitten, you looked at him with a horrified face. You didn't have any time to process anything till you heard the same gut-wrenching screams and gunshots. Chris heard them too and told you to go and help.

You ran downstairs and into what seemed like a dining room, what you saw horrified you. It was a woman with a half-body and her spine was literally out of her body. The soldiers in the room panicked and blindly kept shooting at everything in the way. You ducked your head under the dining table. When these idiots stopped shooting you took your FN 57 pistol and shot that thing in the head. They looked at you with somewhat relief, you could hear more growling coming from the back. You saw a door on the other side and motioned the two survivors to run there. You three ran as fast as possible, afraid of the outcome if you even stayed for a second longer. You shot a few infected that were running towards the dining room and shut the door. You made your way to the other door but all you saw were chunks of meat on the floor. You looked ahead and saw Arias, you tried running towards him but then remembered the strings which will shish kebab you. "Arias, you son of a bitch."
Arias just grinned and walked away, you couldn't shoot him because your orders were to bring him alive. You heard the infected behind, they almost broke the door down. You took your assault rifle and broke the window beside you. You jumped out but lost your balance when you stepped on what seemed like a bag of fertilizers.

You got back up but felt a sharp pain on your hip, a piece of glass had penetrated your skin deeply. You limped to the front part of the mansion, worried something had happened to Chris. You saw Chris on the ground and many infected sloppily walking towards Chris to have dinner. You tried running towards him but tripped. "Fuck sake!" you cried out as you felt the sharp pain in your hip get worse. You rolled on your back ignoring the pain, pulling out your assault rifle you started shooting at them. With your bullseye aim you were doing good but there were too many. Fortunately, an emergency evac chopper was pulled up with a machine gun. I just sighed in relief and laid down completely flat.

To be continued...