Jack trudged across the rubble and stones, walking around the fallen, un-moving bodies. Blood sprayed over the ground, insides strayed the carcasses onto the rocks. He felt sick. This was the worst thing anyone could possibly witness. Him and the other very few men had found about three survivors, less than they had expected. Jack, however, was out to find a particular person. He scoured the graveyard, looking for bright red hair...

Ara stumbled through the massacre, her gun at the ready, eyes scanning through the smoke for any signs of a man, or possibly him. Her leg was agonizingly painful from a bullet lodged in her thigh. She could feel blood pouring from the wound down to her leg where it dripped onto the floor, leaving a trail behind her. The air was choked from oxygen, it was near to impossible to breath in without gagging. The smell of burned flesh and used gunpowder reeked into all corners of the square, it would take months for the odor to depart from the city. None of her fellow soldiers moved as she limped her way slowly to the gallery. 

There! A silhouette. A man. Something about his profile seemed to be familiar, the way he was crouched a little low, the way he stepped cautiously among the bodies. As he crept closer and closer to Ara, his features began to show more clearly, his dirty blonde hair covered in grey dust, his sea blue eyes glinting even through the dullness of the square. He had a scar crawling down his left cheek, something he didn't have before. Her heart swelled with happiness as she quickened her pace towards him. He seemed oblivious until her foot hit a stone a little harder than the others which caused it to tumble a little. The noise made him turn his head up. She stopped. Everything stood still, nothing was moving. It seemed like the world had turned upside down in that one moment, stopped spinning, stopped circling. As if Jack and Ara were the only two left. This quiet stillness continued, until suddenly he pulled up his rifle.

He fingered the trigger, knowing that he had her life practically in his hands. He was slightly shaking as he kept the gun up, his eye on her. Slowly she put her hands up, palms facing him. She looked into her eyes, a sad twist in them. He had her. 

"Well, here we are," he said, his lips curling up into a smirk, "bit ironic how the place we first met will also be the place you die!" 

*******************

~ 18 years ago in Trafalgar Square ~

Jake had ran away from home because his parents were having yet another argument. He just needed a break from the shouting that they didn't bother to conceal from him. He was just sitting on the side of the fountain, twiddling a £1 coin with his thumb and forefinger, trying to think of a wish to throw into the water. And then he subconsciously flipped the coin wishing for things to get better.. Afterwards he stood up from the fountain and began to walk back to his flat, keeping his head low, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. However he wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into someone. Looking up he saw it was a girl with brown hair braided in two plaits. She had green eyes and was a little taller than him. She was wearing a spotless little white dress covered in small blue flowers, white stainless socks pulled up to her knees and shining white shoes with velcro straps. Compared to her he was a little scrap; denim shorts that were dirty and grimy, a pale yellow t-shirt that was covered in jam stains and white trainers that were covered in mud and grime. His hair was un-brushed and tangled into a mess and his face wasn't washed. It was almost shameful to stand next to her looking such a sight.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled and went back to walking home.

"Wait!" a high voice called out to him from behind, hidden in the crowd of people. He stopped and turned to see the girl walking up to him. She was smiling, much to his surprise. Smiling at him.

"What is your name?" He crossed his arms, lowered his eyes and shrugged, not particularly wanting to reveal his name to a stranger.

"Oh surely you must have a name!" she was insisting. He looked up again to see her beaming at him, as if her face was the sun shining out to him; her face was practically glowing.

"What is it to you?" She laughed, her laughter sounding like wind chimes in a small breeze. He had to push back the urge to laugh with her, keeping a poker face. Her eyes were sparkling in humor, her cheeks were plump with smiling.

"A name is not important to me, I just want us to be friends." Her white little teeth were showed to him as she gave him a big smile. Suddenly he felt shy and could feel a certain heat rise up his cheeks. He moved his eyes from hers.

"I don't have friends..." he mumbled. A hand closed around his, it was hers, small dainty hands covering his dirty unwashed ones. He looked up in surprise. Her smile was gone, replaced with a look of sincerity, not breaking while she said;

"You do now.." 

*******************  

Jack felt wetness on his cheek. He had be crying. Angrily, he wiped his face with the back of his hand. Ara was looking at him with confusion and sympathy. Why though? She didn't care. She hadn't even cared for his name when they were children! A new wave of hate washed over his brain as he tightened his hold on the trigger. 

"Jake.."

"Don't call me that!" he snapped. She took a shaky breath.

"Jake, I know what you must think of me. But you must believe me I said all those things for your own good.." He shook his head, not believing a word. She had lied to him all those years, and she was lying to him now, to save her skin. 

"Not.. Another.. Word" he emphasized the not. But she wouldn't listen, instead she started to walk slowly towards him. His arms began to tremble from the weight of the rifle, it was heavy and quite difficult to hold up for too long, especially when he was also tired from the night before.. 

"I didn't mean a word of what I said back then, truly I didn't. I said all of that so you could survive, so you could live." Another pause, still slowly making her way to him, hand raised slightly to his face. Her hands were covered in dirt and blood, but something inside him told him that he didn't care. Skin contact was made but he jerked away from her touch

"This is just a trick! Just like the past 18 years! You never meant a word you said to me!" He furiously pushed back the tears threatening to abandon his eyes. She lowered her hand again, but took one more step forward. They were so close now, his rifle hovering just over her heart.

"If you can shoot me, go ahead. I mean who am I to stop you?"