AR: Here's chapter 2 for ya. I don't have much to say, so...
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters used in this fic. I wish I did, but unfortunately, I don't.
Chapter 2: Healing Words
Wh… where am I?
The blue water in the healing tank swirled around the confused blue-eyed pilot, as he lay suspended in the middle. He was lost. His body felt like it wasn't real; the entirety of it was completely numb from the chemicals in the water. It was like he was floating in a dream.
What happened? I… the pilot thought as he tried to remember how he got into this place. Everything was fuzzy. His memories felt like they had been covered by a blanket and he was unable to reach them. His surroundings didn't help much either. The room around him was distorted by the cylindrical glass of the tank, but he could still see people moving around and the machinery that was hooked up to the tank. Machinery…Oh, god.
Realization struck him and he hesitantly looked down at his lower body. He was unable to suppress the large gasp that followed and he cringed. Though his wound had finally stopped bleeding, he could see a few of his ribs and the tissue that was exposed. The Victim that snuck up on him had bitten a chunk out of the Pro-Ing and thus injured Zero at the same time. Zero bit his lip to keep from crying at his stupidity at letting his guard down and his breathing became a bit erratic. However, he noticed something strange about the way his breathing felt. What the…?
He wasn't hooked up to any oxygen. He was breathing the water.
I'm… I'm breathing water! Zero's body stiffened up and he became frantic, not knowing why he hadn't drowned yet. The water swirled around him as he thrashed out weakly; trying to escape whatever nightmare he was in. A couple of the sensors hooked on to him came undone and they floated away from the panicked boy. Oh, god… Get me out of here…
"Zero! Cut it out! God damn… Now we'll have to reattach all of the sensors."
What? Reattach…? Oh… I'm in sickbay, Zero realized as he made out the familiar face of GOA's doctor. An embarrassed look spread across his face as he understood what all had happened. After his harrowing experience, someone had brought him here to sickbay. Someone had saved him… I wonder who did it…
Zero closed his eyes as he floated in the warm waters of the tank. The waters were soothing; leading him into a calm state of mind, which was quite a change from his drowsiness from the loss of blood. It certainly felt a lot better. He was able to concentrate easier; he didn't lose all of his thoughts as soon as they came up. He was able to remember what all had happened.
He remembered the Victim that had overcome him and bitten his side, catching him off guard. Zero knew that normally he would have stopped the Victim before it got even close to him, but something else was on his mind. He didn't quite know what, but it distracted him from everything else. His usual cheerful nature was suppressed by his confusion and slight depression. What had made him so unfocused? Was it the amount of Victim? No… He had encountered those amounts before and always come out fine. What was it?
Zero bit his lip as an unfamiliar feeling spread through his body making it tingle strangely. What the…? Is this EX? he thought, puzzled at the new feeling. No… EX is more of an adrenaline rush. This is… different. He writhed slightly in the tank, this feeling making him feel strange, unnatural. Perhaps it was the chemicals. Yeah, that must be it…
"Hey… You awake?"
Zero's eyes flew opened as he heard a familiar voice penetrate his thoughts. He looked through the distorted glass at the speaker and his eyes widened as he saw who it was.
"H-hiead?" he said softly, staring at the crimson-eyed boy as he wrapped a bandage around his forearm. It was Hiead! What was Hiead doing here? His rival pilot hated him; he always spoke to him with contempt in his voice. Zero often got the feeling that Hiead thought of him as a speck of dust. So… why was the pilot here, much less actually talking to Zero?
"What are you doing here?" Zero said quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence of the dark room. It was eerily quiet… Almost like death had warmed over. Hopefully his small conversation with Hiead would break the silence a little.
"I brought you here," he said, surprising Zero by the fact that Zero could actually hear Hiead through the glass. His surprise was soon changed however as Hiead mumbled an afterthought. "I wasn't going to let you die anyway."
"You weren't… what?" Zero replied, that feeling spreading through his body again. "I thought…. I thought you didn't care."
Hiead paused and merely smirked and rested his arm against the glass, leaning in towards Zero. Zero blinked at the strange look on Hiead's face and stared at him in silence as he tried to understand the look that Hiead was giving him. He had never really seen Hiead smile, so that was surprising enough. But the alluring smirk? That was enough to send experts into a frenzy. Zero gulped slightly at that smile. Hiead's grin simply widened further and he let out a small laugh.
"You know… You look awfully vulnerable in that tank. Keep looking like that and you'll get yourself into trouble."
"I'll what? Ugh, asshole!" Zero said and then looked away quickly, a sulky look on his face. However, he stopped and looked at Hiead out of the corner of his eye, confused at what Hiead had just said. "And, what do you mean 'trouble?'"
"Oh, nothing," Hiead said, that infuriating smirk plastered on his face. Zero huffed and looked off to the side, muttering, "Jerk…" under his breath. He wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the red-eyed pilot, so he decided not to waste his breath. Not that Hiead even cared anyway…
"Ah…" Zero exclaimed softly as he realized that he was wrong. If Hiead didn't care, then why didn't he rescue him from near death? Zero clenched his fist slightly and turned back to Hiead.
"Umm… I guess I should thank you," he said softly, slightly embarrassed about having to apologize to his bitter rival. "You saved my life…"
"Yeah… Don't worry about it," the white-haired boy said, taking his arm off of the tank and putting his hands into his pockets. "You would do the same for me."
Hiead was right. Though the two pilots were bitter enemies in every aspect, Zero couldn't think of living without the constant challenge that Hiead presented. It kept him on his toes; always ready for the unexpected. Their rivalry also helped them both hone their skills and become better pilots than they already were. Not that they needed much improvement in that area, however.
They had both been training at GOA for the exact same time as most of the other candidates, even shorter than some, and yet they had still become two of the best. They were both determined to become Goddess pilots, and they were well on their way to doing so. However, Zero would never become a Goddess pilot if he became unfocused in every battle. The battle with the Victim that had injured him was a huge mistake; it was something that never should have happened. He had let his emotions get in the way, and that was the one thing that led candidates on the road to failure. You were always supposed to have a clear mind, and Zero had broken the rule. With what however, he had no idea.
"What the hell happened out there, Enna?" Hiead asked, breaking Zero's small thought stream. Zero sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them, but not moving enough to reopen or disturb the healing process of his wound. He sighed dejectedly, and looked away from Hiead, a sad look in his eye.
"That's what I'd like to know…"
"Ah," Hiead exclaimed, blinking at Zero's response. He didn't know? Then, what the hell had bothered him…? Hiead thought, confused at what Zero was saying. "You mean you… don't know what distracted you so much?"
"Well, I…" Zero replied, furrowing his brows in his search for answers that he did not have. "I sort of do, I guess… I just… I'm so confused…"
"You're telling me," Hiead said, sniffing slightly. A thoughtful look appeared on his face for a moment and he suddenly turned to the doctor who, at the moment, was leaned over some computer screens. "Excuse me… How long is Zero's recovery going to take?"
The doctor looked over in surprise at his sudden interest in Zero's physical state. "Hmm…" She walked over to Zero and stared at his side through the glass, estimating how long it would take to heal. A warm smile spread across her face and she turned to face both Zero and Hiead at the same time. "Don't worry… With the technology in here, it should only take about a week for Zero to fully recover. By then he'll be well enough to pilot the Pro-Ing once again."
"And…" Zero interrupted quietly, a hopeful look on his face. "How much longer until I can get out of this tank?"
"You should be out of there in another day or two. I don't know exactly when, but it won't be long. Then, you can talk to your friends easily, without the obstruction of this glass."
A look of relief spread across Zero's face and he smiled happily; glad to hear that he wouldn't have to stay in the blue waters much longer. It was calming, but he didn't know how much more of it he could take. He preferred the crisp air of GOA to the warm waters of the tank, anyway.
"Friends…" Hiead said, breaking Zero out of his reverie. "Are we?"
Zero blinked and thought about what the doctor had said. He looked up and found himself looking straight into Hiead's eyes. They both had a look of slight surprise on their faces and when the word sunk in, they both laughed softly. Relief lit up Zero's face as he realized that they actually were friends, if strange ones.
"I guess we are," he said, a warm smile lighting up his face. The smile soon turned into a mischievous grin and he laughed. "Though, I'll still beat you, Hiead! Us being friends doesn't change anything!"
"Do you ever get tired of saying that, Enna?" Hiead said, the smirk back on his face. Hiead truly laughed for the first time, slightly puzzled that he was so… happy with his bitter rival. Well, they say an enemy is worth a thousand friends, Hiead thought, amused at the ironic statement. Though, with Zero and Hiead, it was true. Their laughter died down and they were left with smiles on their faces. Hiead hoped, at least for the moment, that Zero had forgotten about his wound. He seemed like he had, for he was back to his usual, cheerful self. Hiead was glad; no matter how much he loved to see Zero squirm, he didn't like to see him depressed.
"So…" Zero said quietly, trying to break the slightly uncomfortable silence that followed their laughter. "Are you… going to head back to the dorms now?"
"Do you want me to stay?"
"Well, I'll be out soon, and…" Zero replied, surprised that Hiead had actually considered staying with him. Zero smiled to himself at their strange new relationship. He, however, shook his head. "No, you don't have to stay. I'll see you soon enough, and I'm sure that you're needed for training, so…"
"Yeah, you're right," Hiead replied, nodding slightly. He turned away and walked towards the door slowly, his hands still in his pocket. Before he shut the door behind him however, he turned back to Zero and looked at him. A small smirk crept upon his face and made Zero gasp slightly. Damnit… Zero thought as a small blush threatened to show on Zero's face as that strange feeling once again flew through his body. Don't think like that, idiot… He's just a friend, and a guy at that! What are you thinking?
"I'll see you in a few days then, Zero. Later."
The door shut and Zero sighed in relief, letting his body finally relax. What in the world happened? Zero thought as confusion at his reaction sunk in. All Hiead had done was smile, which admittedly was not something he did very often. But, why had Zero reacted like that? And why did that feeling flood through him every time Zero had strange thoughts like that?
"Shit…" Zero whispered and curled up into a ball once again, trying to collect his now-scattered thoughts. He closed his eyes and slowed his quick heartbeat, calming himself down. A single thought flew through his mind and he whispered it softly, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks.
"What is it about you, Hiead? What is it that makes me feel so… peaceful?"
AN: All right, chapter 2 is finished. I hope you liked it.
Comments, comments, anyone? Comments are yummy. Just like fresh pineapple. Mmm... Pineapple...
