68 Across Dimensions For You

His hands were folded in front of him as he met Ashe's weak gaze. She was surprised at his voice. Was he referring to what she said about him not being human and their safety? 

Ashe nodded and looked back at Melissa, "It was nice talking to you, Lisa. Practice the boxes I taught you and you'll make your own designs in no time!"

The girl nodded obediently and waved Ashe good bye, "Thanks for spending time with me."

Ashe smiled and looked up at Adrien with the same stern gaze before he turned around and walked away. Ashe followed, knitting her fingers together. After a while Adrien halted in front of a room. He dug his pocket for a pass card and the door slid open. 

"Is this your guest room?" Ashe asked and he didn't answer, only walked inside. Ashe stepped in and the door slid close with a small beep. She wondered where her guest room was. Adrien took out another white card and handed it to Ashe, "I came to give this to you. Everyone else has gone to their rooms after dinner." 

Ashe took it and placed it in her pocket as Adrien stared at her. 

"What did you mean by 'not being safe for each other'?" 

Ashe was right, that had provoked him. But it wasn't her fault for not expecting Adrien to be standing there. "I…you…uh…"

Adrien bent down and cupped her face and lifted it up so that she met his eyes and not his shoes, "Ashe. Are you scared of loving me?" 

She didn't believe what she said next. She always knew it, but hearing herself say it out loud hurt even her heart. 

"Yes."

Profound hurt flashed through his eyes that was clearly not robot like. Ashe wondered sometimes if he was more human than she was. "Why?" 

Ashe stepped back and her cheeks slipped from his palms. He dropped his arms to his side, his shoulders slouching. "I've never loved anyone before. I'm scared if I'll not do it right." 

"Ashe…"

"I'm scared if I'll hurt you more than I already have. I'm scared of what will happen to the rest of the world if we both go through with this. I'm scared," she took in a breath, "if you'll leave me when you realise I'm not the person you thought I was." 

Adrien scoffed and looked to the other side, "Why would I leave you when I crossed a whole dimension to meet you?" 

"Huh?" Confusion reigned her head. "What? You crossed a whole dimension to kill me, not meet me!"

"And that's where you are wrong," Adrien sighed, stepping closer to her. "I was different from the rest, remember?" 

Ashe nodded, "Yeah, you protected me. But how could you have come to meet me when you didn't even know me?"

"Oh I knew you before you even knew me. Ashe…I met your dad before we Beamed here…in the game. We…talked. He mostly talked about you. Ever since then, I've always wanted to meet you." Adrien flopped down on the bed and sighed. He felt like he had gotten a huge weight off his chest. He didn't know how to tell her this but when he finally did, it felt liberating. 

"My dad's in the game?" Ashe's voice was twisted with disbelief. 'Oh,' she realised, 'Adrien means the Professor character in the movie who was built in resemblance of Dad. But wait…' 

"Is that how you knew my middle name?" Ashe still didn't get it. Why did her Dad instil such personal information inside the programming of the Professor? 

Adrien looked up in surprise, "How did you—"

"I read your works on the cupboard. But never mind that, Adrien even if you did, it is still a risk. I mean…no matter if you are half human, you have a heart too. I can't be the reason to break that." 

Adrien sighed, burying his face in his hands, "Why do I feel like I'm losing you even before I have caught you?" Ashe narrowed her eyes, her heart stilling. She suddenly remembered the real reason she was here. Why she had helped them escape the police. 

To kill Adrien. She needed to kill him before he said something more that would make her change her mind. Her eyes flitted around, thinking, 'What do I do…how do I kill him indirectly?' 

"What are you thinking?" Adrien called and she broke out from her trance. He looked amazing, even after everything they had gone through. How could she kill someone like this? This was pure evil. 

"Are you thinking of killing me again?" Adrien slapped her with his words. Seeing the surprise look on Ashe's face, he sighed, "This was the same look you had when we were in the woods. I will never forget this look. At least now, don't you think I have the right to know why you're doing this?"

Ashe felt like she had been dipped in ice cold water without an oxygen mask. If she admitted to this, all plans laid by Darren and Saye will go crumbling. Her hedgehog mind snickered, "For how long will you go by their words? Try to do something on your own for once, jeez." Ashe frowned. Something on her own…

"Your brother and that ex-bully are in hospital now anyway," the hedgehog mind said. Ashe's mind lit up with that knowledge. Her hedgehog mind was right…they can't say anything now. She felt like patting her hedgehog mind for the unexpected help. 'You deserve to be named,' Ashe told the hedgehog mind. 

It snickered, "About time." 

Ashe looked back at Adrien and her thinking face dropped, leaving her unguarded, "Will you burst out if I tell you?"

He shrugged, "Depends."

"Adrien," Ashe repeated in a warning tone. 

"Fine! I'll not say a thing." And Ashe sat on the couch. She didn't expect she would do this, but here she was, finally telling Adrien. She was finally doing something on her own. 

Ashe explained about the police allegations after the video of them trying to kill her and the proposal put out by the government after declaring them as a National Threat. She recollected how Systema Games was in danger of being lost to the government if the so called Threat was eliminated.

And the instruction in the black notebooks which Darren had read. It had hinted to kill the most important person to shut down the game. And since that was Adrien, and only Vislates could kill other Vislates, Ashe and Saye were sent in to provoke the six to kill Adrien. 

Ashe didn't tell him about the plan Saye and she had come up by the poolside that night though, he didn't have to know that. 

Adrien listened intently, his heart becoming weaker and weaker with every word Ashe spoke, "So you're saying the entire Core of the game is inside me? And killing me would automatically eliminate the Breakfire 1 dimension and erase all the code that exists. This would prevent the government from taking control over Systema Games and throwing your family and other shareholders out on the streets." 

Hearing Adrien say all this in such a blunt manner made Ashe re think her decisions. But he was right. "Yes," she concluded. After a long pause, Adrien cocked his head to the side, looking at the floor in confusion, "But don't you think there is something wrong here, Ashe Florence Hermann?"

She was surprised by the sudden use of the full name, "What?"

"How are you so sure that I'm the most important person when it is not clearly mentioned?" 

That made Ashe do a double take yet again. She had never thought of that before. "There is no one else. Darren and I are both sure."

He nodded and leaned over to pick up the flower vase. Ashe watched in confusion as he took out the flowers and lay them on the bedside. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Shh…" he whispered, emptying the vase. He kept the vase aside and chose a flower from the bunch before turning to Ashe and leaning forward to tuck it in her hair. It was a blue bell that changed colours from purple to bright blue in the lighting of the room. She felt her heart melt as he gently touched her hair and stroked it, a smile of melancholy on his face. 

Her startled expression then turned into horror when he grabbed the vase and threw it on the floor, its crackle echoing throughout the room. 

"ADRIEN!!" she shrilly screamed, grabbing his hands. But he was too strong, he shook his hands free and picked the biggest broken piece of the glass vase and held it to his wrist. 

"I don't want you or your family to live a life of misery, Ashe. And if that means me dying, then so be it."