In the Dark

By Lalita

Disclaimer~ Megami Kouhosei isn't mine- obviously.

Summary~  Ikhny is tormented endlessly by Hiead, until… *evil laugh*  Read to find out!

Author Notes~ Well, here's the re-edited chapter two.  I hope you like it!  Please read and review!

Chapter Two~ Frozen

            The frozen air was fraught with the scent of fear.  In the dark, small closet, a girl in a simple uniform lay huddled on the floor, shaking as she fought the hysteria rising within her.

            This girl was Ikhny Allecto.  If anyone had bothered to ask her what she was doing in a closet full of cleaning supplies, she would have said she was finding a box of tissues, or some other moronic excuse such as that.

            Why would she lie?  It was really quite simple, considering the person who had thrown her in the room happened to be Hiead Gner.  And anyone who messed with Hiead Gner did not usually mess with him again- either because they weren't able to anymore, or they were too scared.

            In Ikhny's case, she was both.  She could do nothing to stop her pilot, and, even if she could, she was too terrified of him to try.  She wrapped her thin, bony arms around her knees and clenched her hands in a desperate attempt to halt the shaking, but she couldn't.  Inhaling deeply, she struggled to clear her muddled mind, but the dark all around her twisted mops and buckets into terrifying creatures of a little girl's past.

            Heart pounding so furiously she was almost certain it was as loud as a drumbeat, Ikhny tried to stand, but her legs had turned to jelly and she sank back down onto the floor.  Besides, who was to guarantee that he wouldn't be out there, that he wouldn't be waiting for her?  Surely even a pitch-black, tiny, cramped closet full to the brim with junk was better than facing more of Hiead's wrath.

            And so, as her mind always did when she had dealt with bouts of Hiead's sudden temper, it reflected on her so called relationship with him.  She wondered why the fates had cursed her with Hiead.  Why on Zion the instructors had decided to pair them together.  She snorted derisively.  " Suited best for each other," she thought bitterly.  " What a laugh."

            Wiping her running nose on her sleeve, Ikhny searched around in the closet for her glasses, which had fallen off earlier.  Panicking slightly again, she hoped that they had not decided to get trampled on outside by the unobserving personal on GIS.  She shivered at the thought of going sightless.  Once, when Hiead had been in a particularly tormenting mood, he had taken her glasses from her and taunted her inability to see. 

            It would be just like Hiead, too, if he were to permanently damage her glasses and shove her around while she couldn't see.  Not that he had any problems doing that when she did have them on, but not being able to see her enemy had always been a great fear of Ikhny's- hence, her fright of the dark.  In the dark, evil things dwelt.  And compared to the horrors found in the shadows, even Hiead was preferable.

            Finally, Ikhny's hand closed around the small frames of her glasses.  She hastily put them on and blinked repeatedly, but it didn't help.  She still couldn't see.  Ikhny resigned herself to her fate and lay against the door, rubbing her arms for warmth.  She knew it was pointless to try and escape, for Hiead had locked the door. 

            Time slipped by. Seconds dragged on as minutes, minutes as hours, and hours as days. Later on, Ikhny could not recall exactly how much time she had spent locked in the enclosed area, but it seemed like forever.  Every few seconds, she would sneak a look across the room, searching for some lurking danger.  And every time she did so, she forced her mind away from the fear and struggled to concentrate on other things.  She had previously found out from other experiences that it was the only way to escape still mentally sane- or as sane as anyone forced to deal with Hiead every single day could be.

            Her life was falling into a routine, although it certainly wasn't boring.  Rather, it was painful and emotionally stressful.  On Hiead's orders, she awoke first of all the other repairers, early in the morning, and ran a check on his precious Goddess.  Then, if she was lucky, she could manage to get a light breakfast before she was supposed to check on the Goddess again.  After that, there was usually a confrontation with Hiead.  Lunch.  VICTIM.  A fight which involved Ikhny being forced to suffer even more cruelty.  Another check on the Goddess.  By that time, dinner was over, so she would try to avoid the other repairers, go to her room, wash up and tend to wounds, then fall into a troubled sleep.

            Ikhny sighed, half out of yearning, half out of sadness.  Hiead underestimated her.  In fact, by his continuing presentation of her worst fears, she was steadily growing stronger.  Still, Ikhny wished that she could have had another candidate, one nicer, gentler, more prone to encourage than to hurt.  Someone like Zero, or even Roose or Clay...  Not someone like Hiead, whose only delight came from causing destruction.  One who never knew love or would learn it.

            Ikhny shook her head.  It was pointless to dwell on matters that couldn't and wouldn't be changed.  It was a waste of time to wonder why she was stuck with a cold, emotionless bastard.  It wasn't like she hadn't wondered that a hundred times before.  Wondered why, in some instinctive, odd way, she had grown to care for him.  From the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew he had a story, something to make him the way he was...  Perhaps it was just her motherly instincts kicking in, but she wanted to help him more than anything on Zion.  Unfortunately, it didn't look like she was making progress.  Hiead would never return her affections.  He loved causing her pain and making her feel awful, but that was about it. 
            Worried, concerned voices broke into her train of gloomy thoughts.  She recognized the voices as Kizna and Zero's and bit back a groan, cursing her rotten luck.  She really hoped they wouldn't find her, for they would have questions that she wasn't up to face at the moment.  Ikhny carefully rose to her feet, biting back a fresh wail of woe as her shoulder painfully hit the wall.  It hurt worse than Hiead's assaults normally did.  She was going to have on hell of a bruise.

            A wave of nausea passed over her and she closed her eyes, breathing in and out, slowly but surely.  Soon, the sickness passed and she could breathe normally.  Today had been far worse than other days.  Much, much worse...  And Ikhny couldn't help but wonder how much more things would plunge.  And how much longer she'd be able to take it.  It had already been two long, miserable years.  She was never sure if she'd live to see another day, let alone long enough until Hiead's seemingly endless EX supply ran out.  All she could do was pray for the day she'd be free of him, free of his haunting eyes and the confused, angry emotions he brought out in her.

            The footsteps have stopped.  Ikhny held her breath and exhaled when she heard nothing more.  They must have passed her...  But a second later, her idea was proved wrong as Kizna swore loudly.  Apparently, she had just discovered the door was locked.  After a few more pounds and muttered swear words, the door slid open and in came stumbling Zero and Kizna, both breathing hard, as if they had just finished running a marathon. 

            " The fates must really hate me," Ikhny thought dimly before plastering a weak smile on her face and lifting her head to meet Kizna's frightened gaze.  Perhaps if she could just fake it well enough, they'd leave her alone.  But lying had never been Ikhny's strong point, and Kizna saw right through her anyway. 

            " Ikhny!" Kizna exclaimed, letting out her breath in a whoosh.  She stood in the doorway, clutching her heart.  " Thank the Goddesses you're alright."

            Zero had just taken a good look at Ikhny.  He clenched his fists, obviously trying to restrain his anger, but without much success.  " We knew it," he growled, his face darkening in anger and loosing most of its general warmth.  " When we saw Hiead grinning like it was his birthday.  It was him, wasn't it." 
            It had come out as a statement, not a question.  Ikhny bowed her head in shame.  Oh, she would never stop feeling guilty about deceiving her friends, but it had to be done.  Else Hiead would do even worse...  " N-No," she stammered, holding her face in her hands.  " I-It wasn't H-Hiead."  The way she said his name, the way she acted, it all gave her away too clearly.

            " Like hell it wasn't, Ikhny!" Kizna exploded, rounding on Ikhny with a fierce glint in her violet eyes.  " You have got to report him!  Stop covering up for his ass!  What he's doing is wrong, and you know it, but you just make it all the more easier for him!"

            Ikhny looked away, but the simple motion was enough to send her pounding head into waves of dizziness.  Guilt gnawed at her. " It must really annoy Kizna, having such a weakling for a friend,"  Ikhny reflected miserably.  Of course, Kizna was right.  She always was.  Ikhny did need to stand up for herself, and she knew it just as much as she knew Zion was the last star.  She willed herself to force out the words, but instead she found herself defending Hiead- again.  " I l-locked myself in a-again, Kizna. It w-was an a-accident, I swear!"

            Her protest was a bit too vehement, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Kizna and Zero.  " You're such a terrible liar,"  Kizna mumbled underneath her breath, her cat ears twitching rapidly.  Finally, after several minutes, she calmed her heavy breathing and temper long enough to ask Ikhny, " Are you alright?"

            Ikhny nodded meekly, but the way Kizna's eyebrows lowered and Zero's scowl deepened showed they did not believe her for one second.  More likely than not, they would drag her to the doctor, which would result in more questions and more lies for her to invent.  " You'd think after lying so much, I'd be an expert at it," Ikhny thought wryly.

            Zero coughed absently, distracting Ikhny from her musings.  His deep blue eyes were filled with concern, as were Kizna's.  He ran a hand through his already mussed auburn hair, as if thinking very hard on his next words.  Ikhny let a true, small smile form on her face.  It was nice to know that some people cared for her, no matter how interfering or complicating that concern could get. 
            The pilot of the former Ernn- Laties spoke.  " Ikhny, you know, we could always find another replacement for you or Hiead, if you ever wanted it."

            Ikhny shook her head in denial.  " You c-can't risk loosing H-Hiead sir.  He is a r-remarkable pilot, and v-very much irreplaceable."  Ikhny knew Zero had offered kicking Hiead out as an act of kindness, not as an act of reality. 

            Zero looked about to argue, as if he thought Hiead was perfectly easy to replace, but thought better of it.  Both Zero and Kizna heaved Ikhny onto her feet, balancing her by supporting her light weight on their shoulders.  The pounding in Ikhny's head grew so terribly she lifted a shaking hand to her forehead and moaned feebly.  Instantly, the world spun around her and she fell back, the world fading around her.  Someone- Ikhny couldn't be sure- caught her before she hit the floor.  Seconds later, the world was put back into focus and Ikhny concentrated on steadying herself, which, at the moment, was proving to be quite difficult.

            When Kizna was assured Ikhny was fully recovered from her brief fainting spell, she rose and stood in the doorway, preparing to leave.  Had she been a cat, her hair would have been standing on end and she would have been growling.  The latter wasn't far from the truth, for when she spoke, her voice came out as little more than a feline snarl.  " That damn bastard!  This is the last straw!  I'm going to bash his fucking head in, that's what!"

            " Kizna...  Please don't!"  Ikhny pleaded, but Kizna paid her no heed.  If she wasn't careful, Hiead would hurt her far worse than he had ever injured Ikhny. 

            Zero reached out and laid a restraining hand on Kizna's arm.  " Kizna," he warned, but she shook him off, her eyes shining in defiance and determination. 

            " Can it, both of you.  You can't stop me."  Kizna stalked off, but threw one last glance towards Zero and Ikhny.  " Oh, and Zero? Make sure Ikhny gets to the hospital ward, okay?"

            " You h-have to go a-after her!" Ikhny shrieked, her face contorting into a mask of fear.  Zero studied her, caught in indecision.  " I'll b-be fine," Ikhny reassured him, and, as if to prove her statement, she stood upright, clinging to the wall for balance.  Without another word, Zero nodded and bounded off the corridor, following the direction Kizna had gone.

            Ikhny watched him for a minute or so, then, confident that he was gone, slipped down to the floor again and curled into a fetal position.  She cried softly, weeping about all the injustices of life.

            It just isn't fair...