Disclaimer: I only own the characters you don't know. Oh, and the song, 'Where Will You Go' belongs to Evanescence.
»«»«»«
Thanks to:
Mel: Thank you very much for your e-mail and words. Hope you keep thinking that way.
Kuroi Kitty: Well, I can't answer that, for if I did, where would be the fun of reading this? But I promise you'll like it.
kawaii28: Well, all I can do is pray for you to like this.
Jupiter's moon Europa: Thank you very much for your words, and you better keep reviewing because I intend to post a new story here. At least, I'll be waiting for your reviews:
Black Lace Ice Princess: You know, I think you should read things carefully before insulting the writers.
Estelle Stafford: Thank you a lot for your words, but I guess you'll have to wait.
Skydancer1: Wow, guess you're a err...'go angst' person, huh? Well, I guess you'll have to read to find out.
akuweaselgirl: Okay, new chapter up, hope you like it.
»«»«»«
And now, the chapter...
Chapter 10: Where Will You Go
His body was on fire, yet he was cold.
He could feel his blood slowly leaving his body, yet he was almost certain it was his tears.
He wanted to open his eyes, but tiredness filled his every muscle, though he felt like he had enough energy to move.
He felt light like air, yet he felt heavier than a mountain,
What was happening to him? Was he...dying? Was he going to die, after all he had done? Did he deserve it?
Silence...
Yes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hiead asked, while slamming Ikhny against the wall "I could have lost!"
"I'm...I'm sorry..." the brunette whispered, closing her eyes when she felt Hiead's grip getting stronger "The computer...it stopped working for a few seconds..."
"So what? It's your job to tell me where my enemies are! I swear, if I'm not chosen to be a pilot, I'll kill you!"
Suddenly Ikhny looked at him, with wide eyes and tears threading to fall and Hiead froze: the look of her eyes: afraid, sad, hurt...lost. He knew that look...he knew it to well, to keep looking at it. He knew it too well to stop himself from asking why on earth was he feeling sorry for the girl in front of him and, why was he feeling guilty.
"I'm...sorry..." the girl said, in her usual scary voice
"Humph, you weakling." he said, releasing her "For your sake, I hope you stop being a failure and start working or..." without finishing his sentence, Hiead turned around and started walking, with his hands on his pockets.
"I'm sorry..." Ikhny whispered, with tears falling down her pale cheeks "I'm so sorry..."
He deserved it.
Ikhny couldn't help but tremble, while Hiead kept pushing her towards a dark corner in the hall: no one was there but it seemed like Hiead wanted to be sure, no one could heard or see them. Finally, he stopped pushing her, and without warning he slammed her against the wall:
"Listen, and listen carefully." he started "I don't know how you do it, but I want you to stop it, right now."
Ikhny blinked her eyes, confused:
"Nani?" she asked, but that only seemed to make Hiead angrier:
"I want to know how you do it, and I order you to stop it!"
"What are you talking about?" Ikhny asked, not feeling scared but confused "I haven't done anything."
"Hanash'te!" Hiead almost yelled, and Ikhny winced:
"I-I don't know of what you're talking about." she replied, with her voice trembling.
Hiead approached his face from hers: while brown eyes were confused, scared and hurt, ruby eyes were cold and lifeless:
"Listen to me, you're going to stop right now, because you're playing with fire. I'm a very dangerous person Allecto and, if you don't stop this shit right now, I'm going to kill you."
Ikhny gulped, and her eyes started to tear:
"I...I don't know...what are you talking about?" she managed to ask; while she tried hard to ignore the hot breath she was feeling coming from Hiead.
"I'll say this one last time: stay out of my head and my life. I don't need your help, and never will. I only need you to turn into a pilot, then you can die for all I care." with that, he took his hands of her arms, and with one last glare he walked away, while Ikhny sunk on the floor, with tears falling down her cheeks:
"I...I didn't do anything..." she said, through a trembling voice.
Death was the only path he could choose, as a way to show how regretted he was about everything he had done.
"Hiead?" a voice called, and Hiead felt a warm hand against his cold cheek. He wanted to see who was talking with him...he wanted to see who was there with him, but his eyes just didn't wanted to open "Hiead, is this what you want? Is this the destiny you want?"
After swallowing hard, Hiead finally found the strength to talk:
"N...no." he replied, his throat dried.
He wanted to open his eyes... Hiead was commanding his body to reply, but it didn't.
"Then, why are you quitting?" the voice asked, "You can't quit now, for if you do, the future won't come."
"W...what do you mean?" Hiead asked, frowning "I have a future?"
"If you don't quit now, yes." the voice replied, "Tell me Hiead, do you want to become a Pilot?"
"Yes." Hiead answered, still trying to open his eyes.
"Do you want to fight Victims?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to go back to Ikhny's arms?"
Hiead froze for a few seconds, before swallowing hard:
"Yes." he replied in a whisper.
"Then fight." the voice said, as the warm touch disappeared
Finally, Hiead managed to open his eyes, but the only thing he was able to see was a pair of rubies looking back at him.
Then, only stars filled his vision.
"HIEAD!" Zero yelled, as he looked around him.
It seemed as if space had turned itself into a graveyard, after the explosion that had occurred minutes before. Killed Victims filled the now silent space, while the Pilot Candidate #88 tried to find his friend.
"Zero, are you ok?" a worried Kizna asked
"Yes I'm fine, but where's Hiead?" Zero asked, as he continued to fly through destroyed Victims "I need to find him!"
"Ikhny, where's Hiead?" Zero heard his repairer ask.
"He..." Ikhny trailed off.
"Ikhny, where's Hiead?" Zero asked again.
"He's a twenty yards from your position, Zero. To your right." Ikhny replied "But... I'm not receiving signals of life."
"NANI!" Zero asked, his eyes opened wide in shock.
A silently tear felt down Ikhny's pale face, only to be followed by many others. It was then that Ikhny Allecto let her cold mask fall, only to reveal the Ikhny Allecto she had once been. An Ikhny that had tried so hard to keep the ghosts of her life way from her mind, but that just couldn't fight anymore.
It had been then, that Ikhny's once hidden heart returned to life.
As she clenched her fists, Ikhny's tearing eyes felt on the screen in front of her, and after a soft hiccup the brunette started typing quickly.
'He can't be dead.' Ikhny thought, silent tears still falling down her eyes 'No, he can be a bastard, a cold heart, but I...' suddenly Ikhny stopped writing and started at the screen:
"Hiead?" she called, through a nervous voice, "Hiead, if you're listening, please answer me."
Even though silence was the only thing that answered her pleads, Ikhny refused to believe Hiead Gner was dead.
'No, he can't be.' Ikhny told herself 'He's too much of a pain to die now, especially being so close to turn into a Pilot. No, he can't be dead.'
"Hiead please, answer me." she repeated.
"Ikhny..." Kizna whispered, as she looked at her friend.
No matter how awful Hiead was, Kizna knew he didn't deserve such destiny. While Ikhny tried hard to stop herself from thinking Hiead was dead, Zero flew at full speed to the direction the brunette had pointed to.
"You better not leave us, Hiead." Zero muttered, "We still have to fight and see who's the best."
However, Zero stopped talking when his eyes felt on a strange object.
"Oh shit!" Zero exclaimed "Hiead!"
In front of him was what had been once a great and powerful Pro-Ing, but now all that was in front of him were pieces of the machine. All members had been ripped off, the head of the machine was hanging by one side and Zero was almost positive it would fall off before he had the time to grab the machine and return to G.O.A. And the chest...the chest's protection was full of burnings, probably due to the explosion.
"Hiead!" Zero exclaimed, as he flew towards the machine "Hiead!"
"#88, did you found him?" Azuma's voice asked
"Hai, but I don't think I can take him to G.O.A." Zero replied "At least, not alone."
"Not if we can help you." someone replied, and Zero turned around, to face the five Ingrids.
"Erts!" Zero exclaimed, and a small smile formed in Erts' face:
"We'll take him, now." he replied.
On G.O.A. Ikhny felt on the ground, tears now falling freely, yet they continued without a sound.
"Ikhny!" Kizna called, catching everyone's attention. In seconds, everyone had run to the girl's side:
"Are you ok?" Wrecka asked, and Ikhny nodded:
"Hai." she replied, in an almost inaudible voice "But I need to see him..."
"They're bringing him, now." Leena said, "C'mon, we need to have faith."
"But...the computer, it said..." an hiccup interrupted Ikhny's nervous speech "It said there wasn't... any sign of... life..."
"Ikhny, take a deep breathe." Kizna instructed, "This is Hiead we're talking about, he's too much of a jerk to die now. Besides, if he did, he would be saying Zero's is stronger than him and we all know Hiead doesn't want us to think that way."
"But...that explosion, it..."
However, Ikhny was interrupted when a pain shoot at the back of her head.
"Ikhny, are you ok?" Tsukasa asked.
"H...hai." Ikhny said, as she held her head "I'm fine."
"G.O.A. please bring all the medical staff to the bridge." Gareas's voice said "Now!"
"C'mon girls, lets go." Dr Rill said, as she looked at the two nurses. However, when she was about to leave, she turned to Azuma "Tell everyone to go to the Infirmary."
"Hai." Azuma replied, his voice softer than normal. Then, the sensei looked through the window, to the group around technician #87.
Slowly, Eeva Leena put what remained of Pro-Ing on the ground.
"Oh my... how are we suppose to open that?" Nurse 1 asked, "The door's completely destroyed."
Slowly, Dr Rill looked at the Pilots and Candidates behind her:
"We have to work together, if we want #87 to get out of there." she said "Now, help us!"
In silence, everyone started to grab what they believed it could work to open the door, and the truth was that only after a good half an hour between sweat, small injuries and orders the door from the Pro-Ing finally moved, and after a long push it broke free.
Without wasting a second, both Gareas and Rioriute pulled Hiead from inside the machine and everyone gasped: Hiead was unconscious, his injured head leaned against Gareas shoulder, while his left arm hanged beside the tired body. Dr Rill was sure it was broken, just like one of the legs, which was still bleeding. Hiead's whole body was full of cuts and scratches, some of them still bleeding.
"Bring him to the Infirmary, immediately." Dr. Rill instructed, "Everyone must come, too."
Even though some didn't have the clue why they had to go, everyone decided to keep silence for none of their condition was as worse as Hiead's.
"Zero!" Kizna exclaimed, as she saw her partner
Turning around, Zero saw the pink haired girl and a small smile appeared on his face:
"Hey Kizna." he said "H..."
Zero would have continued, if Kizna hadn't kissed him right on the lips.
"I was so worried about you!" Kizna exclaimed, as she broke the kiss "You scared the hell of me, when you started to fight all those Victims. What were you thinking? I -"
Now it was Kizna's time to be cut off, as Zero kissed her again:
"Lets go to the Infirmary." Zero whispered and Kizna nodded, her face completely red.
From where she was, Ikhny looked to the completely damaged Pro-Ing and other tear felt down her cheek:
"You can't leave me, Hiead." she whispered, her feet already leading her to the Infirmary "Not you too..."
"I need more bandages!" Dr Rill yelled, to Nurse 2 "And gypsum! Quickly!"
"Hai!" Nurse 2 exclaimed, as she tried to grab everything that had been asked for.
Hiead was still unconscious, while Dr Rill bandaged his body and protected both his broken arm and leg with gypsum.
"I can't believe he's still breathing after all this." Dr Rill muttered, not noticing Azuma walking in.
"Do we dare to hope?" he asked suddenly, but Dr Rill didn't take her eyes of Hiead:
"No." she said, after a while "It doesn't matter if he's breathing now, because the damages on his body are...unbelievable. I have to be honest with you Azuma, if this boy survives, he'll be very lucky."
"Could there be any..." Azuma started, but Dr Rill interrupted him:
"I do not know." she replied, softly "I can't tell if Hiead Gner is going to suffer anything after all this, it will all depend of what he wants. I know he's strong, but I can't make any promises."
Sighing, Azuma ran a hand through his brown hair:
"What about the others?" he asked, without taking his eyes of Hiead.
"Nurse 2 is taking care of them, but none needs to stay here." Dr. Rill replied, as she continued to put the gypsum around Hiead's broken leg "Now, if you don't mind Azuma, I would like to continue my work."
"Hai hai, gomen ne." Azuma said, before walking to the room where the others were.
"How is he?" Zero asked, as he saw his sensei enter "Is Hiead going to be ok?"
Azuma looked at him, prepared to answer, when his eyes felt on a small form, in a corner.
Ikhny Allecto was sitting on the ground, her arms hugging her knees close to her chest, while her head rested against them. Her brown hair was falling gently to the front, hiding the brunette's face from everyone.
She seemed to be completely oblivious of what was surrounding her.
Taking a deep breath, Azuma passed besides Zero and walked towards Ikhny: he wasn't suppose to show any kind of emotion towards his students, but the situation they were in allowed him to come closer to one student:
"#87?" he called, but Ikhny didn't move "#87!" Azuma called again.
Slowly, Ikhny raised her head, only to show her swollen, puffy and red eyes. Silent tears were still falling down her cheeks, as silent nascent springing from a once warm earth:
"Is…is he ok?" Ikhny managed to ask, through a very hoarse voice, and Azuma licked his lips:
"#87...I talked with Dr Rill and..." Azuma trailed off, when he saw the emotions in Ikhny's eyes. Azuma knew she wouldn't recover if he said Hiead Gner could never wake up again "Dr Rill is trying her best to help #87."
Ikhny clenched her fists:
"Does that me...mean he can die?" she asked so quietly Azuma almost didn't hear her:
"I didn't say that." he started "I just said Dr Rill is doing her best to help candidate #87."
Taking a deep breath, Ikhny wiped her tears:
"C-can I see him?" she asked, new tears already forming in her eyes.
Azuma stood quiet for a few seconds before answering with a:
"No."
Suddenly, Ikhny got up:
"If he d-d..." the brunette took another deep breath and clenched her fists harder, so she could feel her nails penetrating her skin "If Hiead d...dies, I'll leave G.O.A." she said, before walking away.
"Hey, wait!" Nurse 2 exclaimed, "I have to examine you!"
"I'll go get her." Kizna said as she took Zero's arm off her shoulders, and walked after her friend.
'He can't leave me. Please; please don't let him leave me. I wouldn't... I know I wouldn't recover.'
"Ikhny?" Kizna asked, as she walked towards her trembling friend.
She had known Ikhny would be on the Observatory despite the fact she had lost her friend's trail along time ago, just like Kizna knew Ikhny would have to tell her what was going on.
"Leave me alone, Kizna." Ikhny said, as she tried to sound like the Ikhny she had once been. The cold Ikhny she wanted to be now.
"You know I can't do that." Kizna replied.
"Yes you can, all you have to do is turn around and walk through the same door you used to enter here." Ikhny replied, her still bloodshot eyes still locked in the few stars she could see through the dirty windows.
"I think you've been around Hiead for too long." Kizna said, before she could stop herself, and silently Ikhny closed her fists.
"He's my partner Kizna, I'm suppose to stick with him." she replied, without looking at her friend.
"True, but being with him doesn't imply to become just like him." Kizna answered back, as she sit next to the brunette.
"You know, if you don't like it, you could just go away." Ikhny replied.
"True, but that won't stop me from coming back again." Kizna answered, as she looked at her friend "You can be acting like Hiead, but that won't stop me from asking what's happening to you."
"And despite the fact you're acting like you're my best friend doesn't mean I'll have to answer your questions." Ikhny replied, her eyes focusing on a star, and Kizna rolled her eyes before getting up:
"Ikhny, what the hell is going with you!" she asked "Why are you acting so much like Hiead? Why are you even feeling sorry for that jerk? He doesn't deserve it!"
"You don't know what you're talking about." Ikhny replied, softly.
"Well I would know, if you explained it to me!" Kizna exclaimed "But since you don't do that I guess I'll have to stay the ignorant I am now!"
"I didn't say you were an ignorant." Ikhny said, still without looking at her pink haired friend.
"But you're acting as if I am one!" Kizna exclaimed, angrily "And why on earth don't you look at me?"
As she closed her eyes, Ikhny took a deep breath. Then, as slowly as she could Ikhny opened her eyes again, and looked at her friend:
"Because..." Ikhny trailed off, and looked at the ground "Because I can't stop thinking about him."
"What?" Kizna asked, caught completely off-guard.
Ikhny swallowed hard: her head was hurting badly, but the brunette didn't care. Only the pain in her heart was important.
"It doesn't matter to where I look or to whom, I..." Ikhny took a deep breath "all I can see is him and...them."
"Who?" Kizna asked scared about the way her friend was acting. Ikhny looked so vulnerable, so pale under the small light in the Observatory that made Kizna believe Ikhny could break easily "What are you talking about? Everyone is ok."
"I don't want to talk about it." Ikhny said softly.
"But Ikhny...you're scaring me." Kizna said, and Ikhny shook her head only to stop quickly when her vision started to get blurry:
"Forget what I said, Kizna." Ikhny said, as she got up. Her legs were so weak...trembling as jelly, and Ikhny was sure she would have fallen if her hand hadn't found the cold wall next to her:
"Are you ok?" Kizna asked, worried.
"Hai, I'm fine." Ikhny replied with a weak smile. However, as a proof her words were a lie, Ikhny stumbled back and fainted.
»«»«»«
"Ikhny... Ikhny Allecto..."
Slowly, Ikhny opened her eyes only to face stars, and silence.
"W...who's there?" the brunette managed to ask, as she tried to see the person who was calling for her
"Ikhny I know...I know how difficult it was for you to receive such notice, but..."
"How can you know?" Ikhny asked, before she could stop herself "No one knows!"
"Oh, but I do." the voice replied "And that's why I came here."
"What?" Ikhny asked confused.
"You have to be strong Ikhny." the voice replied "You have to be strong, because only you can bring him back."
"I don't understand." Ikhny said, "Who are you?"
Suddenly a shadow appeared in front of the brunette and Ikhny jumped backwards: she couldn't see who was talking with her; just like Ikhny didn't know why she wasn't feeling scared.
"Who I am is not important." said the shadow "But only you, Ikhny Allecto, can bring Hiead back."
"How?" Ikhny asked "How can I bring Hiead back?"
"With your voice." the shadow replied.
"Huh?"
"Just call for him." the shadow said "Call for him and give future a chance."
"What? Hey, wait!" Ikhny exclaimed, as she watched the shadow disappear.
"Just call for him." said the voice.
"#87?" a voice called "#87, are you hearing me? Dr Rill! Dr Rill, repairer #87 is waking up!"
Slowly, Ikhny opened her eyes, but closed them again due to the intensity of the white lights over her:
"#87?" a voice called and Ikhny opened her eyes again, to face a blurred Dr Rill.
"H...hai?"
"Oh, you're finally awaked." Dr Rill said, as she put a lock of her hair behind her ear "Your friends have been way to worried about you. They're actually so worried about you, they actually forgot the candidate #87."
At the sound of 'candidate #87', Ikhny opened her eyes wide and sit on the bed.
"Hiead! Where is he?" she asked, as she looked around.
"Calm down, he's in there." Dr Rill said, as she pointed to a bed covered by white curtains
"Can…can I see him?" Ikhny asked.
Dr Rill stood silence, looking closely to the shaken girl in front of her, and nodded:
"Yes, but, please, don't get your hopes to high." she said, "I cannot make any promises."
"Arigatou." Ikhny said, as she got up.
Slowly, after she had grabbed her glasses, the brunette walked uncertain towards the hidden bed while both Dr Rill and Nurse1 walked away. When she finally reached the white curtain, Ikhny pushed it away with a trembling hand, and froze in shock when she saw her partner: bandages were around Hiead's head, gypsum was around the boy's leg and arm, along with some other things which were all over his body.
"Oh my..." as she licked her lips, Ikhny sit on the chair next to Hiead, and though a bit uncertain, she put a hand over his: her hand was so cold, against his warm one.
'Trust Hiead to be different, in every occasion.' Ikhny thought a small smile on her face, that quickly disappeared when a voice appeared in her mind:
"But only you, Ikhny Allecto, can bring Hiead back." (...) "With your voice." (...) "Just call for him." (...) "Call for him and give future a chance."
"But what am I suppose to do?" Ikhny asked, her eyes starting to tear "I don't know what to do."
Suddenly, Hiead's voice appeared in her mind:
"Please, sing." (...) "Please, for me."
As she opened her eyes wide, Ikhny couldn't help but ask herself if that was what she had to do.
'Well, I can try.' Ikhny thought before taking a deep breath, and let words get out of her mouth.
"You're too important for anyone
There's something wrong with everything you see
But I, I know who you really are
You're the one who cries when you're alone
But where will you go
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can't escape
You can't escape
You think that I can't see right through your eyes
Scared to death to face reality
No one seems to hear your hidden cries
You're left to face yourself alone"
'Why am I singing?' Ikhny asked herself, her eyes focused on Hiead's face 'It's not like he's listening to me.'
"But where will you go
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can't escape
You can't escape
I realize you're afraid
But you can't abandon everyone
You can't escape
You don't want to escape
I'm so sick of speaking words that no one understands
Is it clear enough that you can't live your whole life all alone
I can hear you in a whisper
But you can't even hear me screaming"
Kizna walked inside running, and she was about to open her mouth when her eyes fell on her friend's figure, sitting next to an unconscious Hiead.
Though she was kind of shocked with what she was seeing, Kizna couldn't help but notice the feelings she on Ikhny's voice.
'Does she like him?' Kizna asked, her eyes still on Ikhny's back 'How's that possible? They're way to different and Hiead treats her like a servant. No, Ikhny can't like that guy, he doesn't deserve Ikhny's affection.'
However, deep inside her soul, Kizna couldn't help but ask herself if Hiead did deserve Ikhny's love.
"But where will you go
With no one left to save you from yourself
You can't escape
You can't escape
I realize you're afraid
But you can't reject the whole world
You can't escape
You won't escape
You can't escape
You don't want to escape"
When Ikhny stopped singing, a tear finally managed to run down her cheek and gently fell on Hiead's hand. Ikhny knew she couldn't hide it anymore; she wanted Hiead to come back to her... she needed Hiead back, even if it was only to have him slamming her against walls and calling her weak.
Ikhny knew she wouldn't survive without Hiead.
"Please Hiead, don't leave me." Ikhny mumbled, through her tears "Please, don't leave me..."
Though she had been caught off her guard Kizna blinked, and after short but confused thoughts, the pink haired girl walked away. Kizna just couldn't believe Ikhny Allecto did like Hiead Gner.
While that, Ikhny looked at the sleeping Hiead, her vision blurry due to the tears.
"Please Hiead, I know you think I'm a weak and maybe I am, because…because I can't live without you. But, please, come back. Please..."
Ikhny trailed off on the same second tears started to fall harder, and still against hers and Hiead's hands. Suddenly, Ikhny jumped in surprise, when she felt something squeezing her skin.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Okay, another chapter done and I hope you liked it. I just hope you won't kill me because of this cliffhanger. Bye!