Into The Unown

The Last Night

"Hey,"

Serena sat at the edge of the straw bed when Ash came inside. A position which accurately represented the state she was in. When Gary had left, he hadn't said goodbye, he'd hugged her. She didn't know whether it was their new powers or the days of being on the road which had melted the fat from his arms. When she touched her back, she could still feel the dents his hands had left.

He hadn't said goodbye, but left something semipermanent.

"Serena?"

She looked up. Ash was hovering near her bed. Serena hadn't noticed.

"I'm... sorry, I was... thinking." She shifted aside, eying him to sit down next to her.

"About Gary?"

She nodded. She was thinking about Gary, and Dawn, and Charlus, and Delia, and even stupid Calem. She was thinking about all of them and the unspeakable horrors they were left to dealt with.

They were supposed to be a team. The five of them. They were supposed to deal with the Apocalypse head on like they'd been taught at the academy. To be able to handle themselves in any situation imaginable.

And yet... and yet here she was.

At the academy, they were taught that being a liability was a sin greater than betrayed. Serena didn't know how to repent.

"It's not your fault," Ash said.

"Hmm?" She questioned.

"It's not your fault," his eyes stared into hers, "whatever happened with Dawn and Calem. It is not your fault, Serena."

She let out a scoff, "How did you even know that I was blaming myself."

Ash shrugged, as if reading her was a class he'd taken in the academy. Like it was general knowledge. "I know you,"

She looked away. "It's all because of me. If only I was strong and not stupid—"

"Do you blame me?"

Ash's abrupt question forced her to face him head on again. She found herself drowning into his eyes again. "What? Of course not. What happened to you was an accident and—"

"Then why do you blame yourself?"

She had no words. It felt like she was a teenager again, left on the whims of an impulsive ten year old Ash and his simple logic powerful enough to answer the toughest of the riddles.

"I... I just do," she sighed, "with everything that has happened—" she reached for his hand, "—I don't know—"

—who I am anymore. She had meant to say, but the words had never left her mouth. Ash would never betray her. Serena would risk being condemned to an eternity in hell then ever question Ash's loyalty.

But, she thought, would he still feel the same way if I told him the truth? That my body and mind were no longer mine? That the powers he swore to protect me from would one day—

Serena inhaled sharply. "Kiss me,"

"What?" Ash questioned, "What did you say?"

She turned until her body directly faced his. Serena shifted closer until his breath fell on her, until she could feel the electricity bounce between themselves. "Kiss me," she said, slower this time. "I want you to kiss me."

Ash moved closer, and Serena closed her eyes. She parted her lips ever so slightly to accommodate his... but they never came.

"You don't have any fever," Ash said, pressing his palm on her forehead and then his for comparison. He continued his assessment of her physical status by pulling down her lower lids,"No jaundice and anaemia either."

Serena scoffed. "I am alright, Ash. I... I want you to kiss me."

"In the middle of a forest? In the middle of the deadliest mission we've ever had? There were people hunting us down a few hours ago. There... there is a bounty on your head! Not to mention we're literally acting like a human bait—"

Before he could finish. She crashed her lips into his. Serena Before he could finish, she crashed her lips into his.

Ash pulled apart, "Serena," he cupped her cheeks in his hands, "talk to me, what happened?"

She swallowed. Thinking was something she didn't want to do. Ever since she'd come back, ever since she'd been recruited, thinking was all that she'd done.

Serena had been terrified—of N, karma and all the horrible things they were capable of doing. But most of all, she was afraid of Xenos and what she—of what Serena would do.

If you die, your soul will be mine and I will make you rue the day you were born. Xenos had warned her.

There was no escape for Serena, not in the future or the past, not even in death. All that was left was her was the present. With Ash.

The two of them. Alone.

"Please," there were tears in her eyes, "I... I don't want to die without—"

Before she could finish the sentence, Ash grabbed her hair, entangling his hands gently in her roots and pulled her close. The kiss lasted longer this time.

Long enough for the heaviness to melt away from her bed, long enough that she'd forgotten to breathe. When they broke apart, tears rolled down her face.

"Did... did I hurt you?" Ash panicked, his hand hovered over her wound.

She shook her head. "No... you... you were perfect."

Unsure of what to do, Ash suggested. "Do you want to lie down? I secured the parameter so we're safe. I have an air mattress so you'd be more comfortable."

In between her half-sobs and nods, Ash got to work. Immediately he began securing the hut they were in, placing all sorts of devices which Serena wasn't familiar with. Within seconds there was an inflatable mattress with blankets at her feet.

"I've placed a warmer around the hut, it will warm us enough for the night without giving away our location."

But no matter what he did, her cries didn't stop. Left with no choice, he lied down next to her. Ash pulled her closer until her forehead rested on his chest.

"Nothing will happen to you," he kissed her forehead, "I promise."

A lump formed in her throat. As naive as it sounded, Serena wanted to believe it. She nodded, her grip around his shirt tightened.

Ash wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer against his chest, until his heartbeat echoed in her ears.

"I wish we could go back to when life was all about worrying which gym you were going to challenge next," she whispered.

"We were kids,"

She leaned back until her eyes met his. "Back then all I had to worry about was how to tell you I liked you."

Ash smiled, "It's unimaginable to think how someone so pretty and intelligent like you could fall for someone like me—messy, stupid and boring."

"You were many things, Ash, but you were never boring." The tears were gone, leaving behind a sheen so bright that the stars took a bow. Her voice was steady now. "Every minute I spent with you on that road to championships... I wouldn't trade for anything."

The world was in chaos, but inside the hut, there was peace. Something the two hadn't experienced in years. Serena wanted to be selfish. And so, she leaned in to kiss him again and Ash did not pull away.