Chapter Three : Abuse
a/n : *sigh* Sorry about the last chappy, a bit too gruesome, don't you think? Well, be aware this is ten times worse than the last chapter, and Ikhny is my FAV character! Alec will get what he deserves...believe me, in the next chap.
summary : Alec is taking the abuse too far. He even lands Kizna in critical condition!

Ikhny's eyes fluttered opened. The first thing she saw was white. White ceiling. She smelled rubbing alcohol and iodine, the kind of scents you'd smell in a doctor's clinic. She turned her head and saw a nurse. The one with the big pink pigtails. She was humming cheerfully and running her hands through several medical supplies, as though searching for something certain. She didn't notice Ikhny was awake.
" Where am I?" she uttered quietly.
" Oh!" the nurse turned and flashed her a smile. " In the infirmary! Poor girl. Your friend took you here, and wouldn't say what had happened. She said you knew."
" Oh..." The memories flooded in her mind, bringing back the memory of Alec hitting her. Twice. The boy had actually hit her twice on the face. " Um... I just fell. While sitting at the controls for Pro-Ing training... I fell. I must've hit my face...It hurts," the girl lied to the jumpy nurse.
" Oh. All you have is a cut, one that wouldn't stop bleeding," the nurse told her. " If ya ask me, the work looks like it was done by big knuckles or something... Like someone hit you."
" N -no! No one hit me! I fell during Pro-Ing training! Hit my cheek on the panel, it's nothing really!" cried Ikhny really quickly, using hand motions.
Ikhny had no idea why she was defending Alec. For godesses' sake, all she did was make him lose to Hiead in Pro-Ing training. And for that the guy got all whacked out and punched her twice. He was worse than Hiead had ever been. Ikhny lost herself in her troubling thoughts, thinking quite hard about Hiead. Hiead. Hiead Gner. Why did that name apply so much to her? It sounded so wonderful to her. Maybe it was because she was aching terribly for him. She'd be More than happy to become his dumb pilot repairer again. Anything to get away from Alec, thought Ikhny.
It was decided. She'd ask the headmaster right away if she could switch candidates. Hiead was easier to put up with than a more abusive pilot.
" Really?" the nurse seemed quite suspicious. " If you seem so sure..."
" I AM sure," snapped Ikhny.
The nurse just mildly shrugged and handed her some cotton balls that were soaked in a smelly substance.
" These have rubbing alcohol. Your cut's still bleeding a little, so pat it with these, and you're as good as anything to get out of here! Ok, I gotta go. Some patient's in pain," the nurse handed her the cotton balls and hurried off.
Ikhny slowly stopped the bleeding and before she left, heard a loud, long wail of pain. She stopped Dr. Rill.
" Wait, who's that?" Ikhny asked her.
Dr. Rill seemed patient with Ikhny, yet a little bit annoyed since she had a lot of business to attend to with the wailing, loud patient.
" Oh, aren't you Allecto? Ikhny Allecto?"
" Yes, I am."
" You doing okay?"
" I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."
" Good to hear. Ya mean the wailing patient?"
Ikhny nodded. " Yes. They seem so much in pain--"
" A repairer."
" Of?"
" Number 88."
" You mean," Ikhny began to tremble.
" Yes," nodded Dr. Rill before hurrying off. " Kizna Towryk."

-*- 20 Minutes Before -*-

" No use!" shouted Kizna, still hunched over the fainted Ikhny.
" Did that Alec guy do this?" cried Zero.
" Yes, didn't you see? He HIT her, Zero! Twice!"
" I'll straighten him out," Zero said through gritted teeth and got up.
" No," Kizna hissed and grabbed her partner's arm before he could go after Alec. She stared him steadily with her red/brown eyes. " I'll straighten him out good. It's my concern for Ikhny's wellfare and that bastard. I knew there was something wrong with him!"
" Are you sure, Kizna?" Zero asked worriedly.
" Of course."
" Kizna..." Zero murmured. " I don't want you getting hurt."
Kizna turned to look at her partner, surprised. Was he really serious? She gazed into his eyes. They were deep and mysterious, nothing like she had ever seen before.
" Oh, Zero," Kizna sighed and squeezed his hand. " Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."
Zero didn't seem at all convinced, an uncertain frown marking his concerned expression. " Kizna--- I... I..."
" Kizna!"
Zero didn't get to finish as they saw Saki and Clay running towards them.
" Oh! What happened to Ikhny?!" Saki yelped, bending down beside her.
" You know how Alec lost to Hiead? Well he began accusing Ikhny! And he PUNCHED her! TWICE!" Kizna cried.
" Interesting..." Clay flipped us off/adjusted his glasses with his middle finger.
" CLAY!" Saki snarled.
" How he seemed so kind to Ikhny, and now we see the REAL Alec," Clay said.
" Oh, Ikhny!" Saki began to cry.
" Take her to the infirmary. Zero, tell Instructor Azuma!" Kizna barked.
She got up and began to ran to the door where Alec had exited to.
" Wait!" cried Saki. " Where're you going, Kizna? I hope you don't mean to go after Al--"
" Yes," nodded Kizna and turned. " I have to straighten him out."
As the cat-eared repairer fled through the door and disappeared, Zero rushed to Roose and Yamagi, dimly forgetting instantly about telling Azuma. He explained what had happened to Ikhny. The boys began talking about what a bastard he was, worse than Hiead. Hiead stood in a corner next to Mia Yue, his 'replacement repairer for Ikhny'. He sighed and began to walk through the door where both Kizna and that Alec boy had gone through.
" Where are you going?" Mia called.
" That stupid girl can't straighten out a jackass like Alec," Hiead answered coldly. " I'll just have to handle it myself."
But Mia ran and stopped in front of him, her sapphire eyes sparkling. " You care for Ikhny, don't you Hiead?"
" That's none of your business," snapped Hiead.
" I just don't get you." Mia snapped at him. " Why do you deny you care for Ikhny?"
" I don't deny anything," hissed Hiead angrily. " Get out of my way." He turned and suddenly began running.

Alec walked down the corridor, hands stuck in his pockets. He heard heavy footsteps and slightly heavy breathing and turned around, seeing the cat-eared girl with pink curly hair. He smiled. This girl was so beautiful... and good. Maybe she wasn't as pathetic as Ikhny appeared to be. He stopped and let the girl get closer. Kizna stopped in front of him and suddenly, Alec found himself sprawled on the ground, holding his nose.
" OW!" Alec whined.
" You ASSHOLE!" Kizna screamed, panting heavily. " How DARE you lay a hand on Ikhny! She's never even done anything to you! Everyone makes mistakes!"
" Heh. Ya know, you're so beautiful, Kizna," Alec smiled adoringly at her.
" Don't say that!" Kizna snarled, clenching her fists. " I'll..."
But before she could finish, Alec sped forward and punched her hard across the face. Kizna fell back on the floor, bleeding from her nose. She groaned and tried getting up. Alec sneered and stepped forward, swinging a hard kick into the cat-eared girl's stomach. Kizna spat up blood, groaning and crying at the same time. Alec chuckled. This was his sick sense of amusement? What the hell kind of boy are you?! thought Kizna angrily.
" I will not hesitate to kill you," Alec growled suddenly.
Kizna looked up and gazed into his eyes. They were no longer amused. They held a sense of anger and evil, the emeralds turning into fierce garnet-red. A fire of evil...
" It's so easy..." Alec smirked. " Just a quick snap of your neck and you'd be dead, never to see life ever again. Isn't that so easy and so painless?"
" What is your PROBLEM?" sobbed Kizna. " Who ARE you?"
Alec said nothing. He sneered. " Listen, I am only here for becoming a Goddess pilot. Ikhny has to understand that I must never fail or --"
" That doesn't mean you have to HIT her! You need a good talk-down, you-you...monster!"
" Sure I do. You want to know why I act like this? I am from Zurr."
" Zurr?"
" Zurr was the second to the last planet. My problems are endless. I come from a very troubled background, Kizna. For instance, my mother died giving birth to me. My father went crazy without her and killed my sister. I was abused every single day by my father until I had the guts to call security. They took him away to a mental institution. I was left with my brother. When Victim came and destroyed Zurr, my brother was killed and I was one of the only ones saved from Zurr. So you see, in my life I've had my mother killed, my sister and my brother."
" That doesn't mean you must kill like your father!" Kizna yelled.
" Yes, I do. Aside from him hitting me, he told me stories. I must lie, cheat, steal and kill my way through life in order to succeed, Kizna."
" You are so gullible!" snapped Kizna.
" Shush. You are getting on my nerves."
And with a quick step forward, Alec broke her arm. Kizna tilted back her head, as though in slow motion, and screamed.

Hiead stepped back. This guy was a maniac. He'd report it to Azuma right away. He turned around and ran quickly back, and bumped into Zero.
" Hiead, what's that screami--"
" Get Kizna!" Hiead cried. " Bring her to the infirmary! Quick!"
Zero glared at him. " Bu--"
" DO IT!" Hiead grabbed Zero's shoulders and slammed HIM against the wall. " DO YOU THINK I'M LYING?! Take her to the infirmary, Zero!."
Then Hiead let him go and sped through the Pro-Ing training doors.
" Okay..." Zero nodded after him and turned to get Kizna, who was still screaming.

Alec smirked and moved in the shadows, watching the zealous boy take Kizna into his arms and hurry to the infirmary. Alec stepped out of the darkness.

-* present time *-


His eyes flickered as he saw a certain girl step out of the infirmary, crying.
" Weeping for her friend, most likely," Alec said to himself. " I should go comfort her."
He approached Ikhny, ignoring the people who pushed past him roughly.
" Ikhny..." Alec crooned.
Ikhny spun around, let out a small cry and ran down the corridor, disappearing around a corner.
" A chase around GOA," Alec smiled to himself. " All right. I see her little game...I'm sure she won't mind if I bend the rules a little bit...?"
He disappeared into the elevator.

a/n : ne... sorry if it sucked. have a major case of writer's block, so bear with me!! REVIEW! PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE! I AM BEGGING YOU TO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!