Chapter 3.6
"You okay? You've been like that for a while now."
Jason lifted his helmeted head and looked at Emily, who was leaning forward, watching him closely. Luckily, he was still wearing his helmet and this prevented her from seeing his eyes.
"I'm fine. Just met some people that I once knew," Jason gathered his thoughts and took his helmet off as he replied, not realizing that he was still brooding.
"Let me guess, they were once your besties and now you don't even recognize them," Emily tapped her finger on the side of her face as she tried her best Sherlock impression.
"What makes you say that?" Jason asked, amused at her antics. A small smile lingered on his face as he watched her, unbeknownst of the feeling he had for her.
"Because I had friends like that too," Emily replied in a small voice full of sorrow. "But, you know, that's all they are. Friends. They won't walk with you forever and that's the point. You keep moving forward while cherishing the past and what you have in the moment. That's how I live."
As Emily finished talking, the sadness she first showed evaporated and she smiled confidently.
Keep moving forward while cherishing what you have in the moment. These words reverberated through Jason's mind, stunning him. In his mind, memories of the past few years flashed through his eyes...
A beautiful redhead, covered in only a bedsheet, loomed over him as he lay cuffed to the bed.
"Lemme show yer what real love is, laddie," she whispered in a drunken voice as she leaned forward...
A twelve-year-old boy lay in Jason's arm, a gunshot wound causing him to bleed out from his chest as the train moved on.
"Ha, what'd ya know? I saved ... Fenrir. Jason, it's cold... I don't wanna die alone. It's cold ... but you have to leave. Live ... for the rest of us. Please... live..." The boy coughed blood as he spoke, the light fading from his eyes...
An old man in a monk's outfit slowly shook his head after observing him.
"Amitabha, you have turned into an Asura already. The most I can do is give you a scripture to recite that will lessen your bloodlust. But you must become a disciple in this temple for a short while..."
A young teen, about fourteen of age, laid on a cheap bed, tears filling her onyx eyes as she smiled. Surprisingly, her features were similar to Jason, however, her face carried a softer, sweeter touch.
"Jason, it's alright. It's just like the fairytales you told me. Even if I lose all my memories, even if you grow old and I don't age, we'll still be family. Just like Hansel and Gretel. And no matter what, I'll always love you, brother. Heh, brother. Still... sounds... weird..."
The girl silently fell into a death-like sleep as her hand, which was gripping his, fell to her side...
Finally, an arrogant little girl stood in front of him, with her hands on her hips. Her brown skin and curly black hair accentuated her round cheeks as she smiled, her dark brown eyes glimmering with excitement.
"You don't have a home? Well, you could live with me! On one condition though: you be my bodyguard and beat up anyone I tell you to! Just like you did right now! Oh, my name is Alina, pleased to meet you!"
Jason, unaware of it, was staring at Emily the entire time he was recollecting his past, and she looked down at her shoes with embarrassment; she found his gaze rather intense and her cheeks heated up. He smiled as he returned to the present, his mind clear.
"Thank you, Emily," he said softly and gratefully while she gently smiled back.
"No problem!" Emily answered while blushing, her finger twining around a strand of her hair as she spoke tenderly.
She's right. The past doesn't matter, I should focus on what I have right now, Jason thought as he remembered Alina's smile. And no matter what, I'll protect this new life. I'll protect her. And if anyone, ANYONE, gets in the way? I'll simply kill them.