Innocence Lost, Blackness Ensues
prologue-part six
by P_M
Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing.

WARNINGS: May contain lemon content!

Prologue

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The blackness surrounded me, engulfed me completely as I struggled to figure out where I was or if I was even alive. Dear God what's going on? I felt as if I were floating in space, all I was really aware of was a pain, a blinding one at that but I couldn't figure out what was hurting so much.

As I struggled through the blackness sounds started to come to me, what they were I couldn't tell. A sense of panic came over me, what the hell is happening, why is everything black, what were these sounds? As they became clearer I could make out disjointed screams and I started to fight harder through the blackness towards the screams that had began to assault my fuzzy senses. The blackness seemed to almost part and a light appeared somewhere in front of me. Smiling in relief I made my way towards that light. The closer I got to the light the louder and clearer the screams seemed to become.

I managed to open one eye, it felt as if that task alone drained all of my energy and my other eye seemed to refuse to open no matter how hard I tried. As I looked up I saw a blurry ceiling. I vaguely recognized a moving ceiling fan. The screams were louder than ever and were coming from beside me. Straining, I barely managed to turn my head and saw red; red filled my vision. Why was red everywhere, had Duo spilled the ketchup again?

"No! Help me please! Somebody help…" The voice was clear and unmistakable, Relena. Why was Relena here had she and her brother argued again? They had been doing that a lot lately and she liked to take refuge at my and Duo's house.

As the thoughts slowly turned over in my psyche the pain that had momentarily subsided returned two-fold, I felt the blackness take over again and I was plunged into it headfirst. Just before I was completely conquered I felt something sharp being put into my limp hand…

What the hell was happening?

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Part One

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Once again the blackness was everywhere but I wasn't worried this time knowing I could fight my way out of it. So instead of panicking I lay still in the dark, attempting to gather my jumbled thoughts and figure out precisely what had happened. I recalled instantly Relena's voice though whatever she had said I couldn't remember. Had Relena and Zechs really fought again, was Relena in the house somewhere upset and in need of comfort? Never being one to let my best friends suffer I once again began to pulls myself out of the blackness. The pain I had felt the first time had subsided into a persistent and annoying throbbing, I really didn't feel like dealing with it right now.

Damnit Hilde come on Lena might need you right now.

As I neared the light for a second time in who knows how long voices started to intrude upon my conscience once again, I recognized the voice too. It was Duo.

"Hilde! Hilde wake up!" It definitely was Duo's voice, he sounded upset.

Why the hell does everyone come to me when they're upset? Usually people don't go to smartasses like me for emotional help, maybe if I pretend to be asleep he'll go away.

The blackness disappeared in a rush as I felt myself being roughly shaken around which was not doing any damned good for the throbbing.

At least this time around I managed to open both of my eyes, Duo was above shaking my limp body but instead of looking upset as I had thought he looked pissed, really pissed. His beautiful purple eyes were black, the same black I had just been surrounded in.

"Hilde how the hell could you do this?! We all fucking trusted you!" His voice was raw with the rage coursing through him.

What the hell did I do? Is laying on the floor a high crime these days?

Slowly, I turned my head to look away from Duo to the scene around us, dear god I regretted it. Red was everywhere, it stained the carpet, the drapes, it was even on the walls. My throat felt as if it was being constricted but I had to know what happened. Mastering up a little strength I managed to open my mouth.

"Duo…what happened?" His eyes narrowed at my hoarse words and his rage seemed to grow till it surrounded the both of us.

"Don't fucking play innocent Hilde! There's evidence, the fucking knife was IN YOUR HAND!"

Knife? What knife? This was confusing me even more, as I tried to sort everything out, with little success, a single thought fought its way free of the chaos and jumped to the front of my mind, Relena.

"Relena? Duo's where's Relena?"

He shook me hard enough to make my teeth rattle and to put stars in my eyes, "Why do you want to know Hilde? So you can finish the job you started? You're damned lucky Heero went to the hospital with her or your ass would already be dead!"

In silence I stared up at Duo as memories of my first awakening commenced an assault on me. Red everywhere, Relena's voice screaming in panic, something sharp being slipped into my hand. Flexing my hands I felt nothing in them now as new questions came forth and a terrifying realization came upon me; red, Relena screaming, Duo mentioning a knife, asking me if I wanted to finish the job, hospital.

Shit, someone had attacked Relena and they thought it was me. Frowning, I tried to dig deeper into my memories, why had Relena been at our house, who else had been here, and most importantly what had happened? I drew blank after blank and my brown went down in frustration, I couldn't remember.

I looked back up at Duo hoping for answers but was never given the chance to ask questions as I was I flipped onto my stomach and felt my arms being roughly pulled behind my back.

Duo's voice sounded to me from above, "Hilde you're under arrest for the attack and attempted murder of Vice Foreign Minister Relena Dorlan."

The blackness came crashing down again as my battered mind and body were overwhelmed, this time I welcomed it. I prayed that when it lifted next time everything would prove to be one big dream.

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The next time I surfaced I was aware of a pair of hands gently going over my forehead and wrists. Blinking open my eyes I quickly adjusted to the light and saw a figure looming above me.

"Sally?" Sally AKA Preventer Water looked at me with angry eyes.

"Hilde how could you? Relena always considered you one of her best friends."

There is goes again, I guess it wasn't the dream I had hoped it would be. I managed to pull myself into a sitting position and survey my surroundings. Gone was the red, hell I wasn't even in my house anymore. The walls were of cinderblock and the exit was blocked by thick metal bars, I was in a jail.

"Sally please…what happened?" Maybe it was my stricken and confused voice that caused her eyes to soften for a second before hardening once more.

"Don't tell me you forgot what you did Hilde." Her voice was gruff and short, a clear sign that she wasn't going to play any games, good neither was I.

"Damnit Sally what the hell is going on? I don't REMEMBER!" I was really losing my patience with all this "how could you" shit, I wanted answers.

"You stabbed Relena 35 times Hilde, she's in a coma and the doctors aren't sure that she'll pull through."

I felt my eyes widen and jaw drop at that statement. 35 times? No, no I didn't do it, "No, Sally I didn't-"

"Don't lie to me Hilde! You were holding the knife she was stabbed with, your fingerprints were all over Relena's clothes! We found a narcotic in your blood. You were on a high and attacked Relena," with that Sally walked to the bars of the cell, "Guard!"

When the guard opened the door she exited without even sparing me a glance.

I fell to the floor on my knees and Once again I prayed but not for myself or for this to be a dream. this time I prayed for Relena and for her to live through this, whoever had done it was one the loose, I prayed that Heero would protect her well.

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I don't know how long I was there kneeling on floor praying but the opening of the cell door snapped me back to reality in a rush.

"Hello there little one." Three guards walked into my cell, fear went through me at their menacing expressions, "So you're the one that attacked Dorlan huh? Don't look like much to me." One holding a club sneered at me and the three advanced.

Before I could even move or make a sound my hands were being tied and a cloth was being shoved in my mouth, it tasted like motor oil, making me gag but it prevented me from screaming.

I lost count of how many times the club descended upon my body, the pain had overwhelmed me a long time ago but they wouldn't permit me to faint. Every time my eyes started to close or my body slackened I would be roughly slapped and kicked back into consciousness. The pain coursing through my body was beyond unbearable, I wish my body would settle into some sort of numbness so I couldn't feel anymore.

"Guess what little bitch that trial of yours will be in two weeks, every lawyer refuses to represent you in any damned way. Not to mention we get to visit you every night until they send you to a bigger prison."

The club began to descend at a faster and even more vicious pace, biting into the foul cloth that was in my mouth I tried to scream out my pain but they were stopped but the cloth.

Eventually they went out of my cell, I was left laying my bed, I couldn't move and my thoughts ran rampant. I was still hopeful, hopeful that someone would realize that I would never hurt Relena and that I was innocent. I lay in the bed staring blankly into the surrounding darkness feeling my wounds throbbing painfully, I was alone.

So this is what true hell is like.