Wild Innocence [Part II: Because I'm A Girl]

[Leia Avenrose]

Disclaimer: I don?t own Gundam Wing??
Dedication: To all who love Gundam Wing lemons!



Wild Innocence
By: Lynzi Knight
Rating: R / NC-17
Part II: Because I?m A Girl





3 weeks later?

The ladies? room was quiet and completely void of all human existence. All human existence except one young woman. The harsh white lights raining down overtop of the counter in front of the elegant mirror that ran the wall, make the room appear dull, dead almost. She was glad for the privacy given at that moment, but she was sure that her solitude was scarce, it always was. The stall surrounding her was painted a light rose, the toilet she was bent over, an alabaster white, porcelain, clean. Her stomach heaved again and she silently wished it would all end now. Why didn?t it end? Why was it happening now? Was she sick? Did she have the flu? Was she?? No! It was utterly impossible?she was on birth control. She was careful, always was. What went wrong this time?

The nausea was slowly beginning to fade. About time. Her face felt like someone had set it on fire unexpectedly. She swallowed heavily, grimacing at the horrible aftertaste left on her tongue and the inside of her mouth. Beads of perspiration dotted her forehead, her upper lip. Her left hand moved from the place beside her on the side of the toilet bowl and reached for the silver handle. She was stopped as her stomach heaved heavily. Her hand immediately gripped the handle tightly, flushing what dinner and breakfast she had thrown up earlier. She threw up five more times, the acids from her stomach burning her mouth and throat, her eyes burning from the tears that stung like the bite of a snake. A loud, heavy sob left her tingling lips as she gasped and pulled away from the toilet, nearly stumbling.

Relena Darlian, Vice Foreign Minister, and former Queen of the world, slowly stood on unsteady legs, her throat still burning, her stomach completely calm and now empty. Reaching up, she began to wipe at the stray tears that had escaped her eyes and beaded her long black lashes. Grabbing her purse off the ground, she unlocked the stall door and staggered out, walking over to one of the six stylish sinks that aligned the wall. She turned on the cold tap at full and scooped her trembling hands together. With the little manmade bowl full of icy water, she splashed the cool liquid against her face and gasped at the icy teeth that bit at her cheeks and nipped at her lips. Bent over, hands planted firmly on the countertop, Relena closed her eyes and swallowed thickly. The doors to her left slid open, startling her.

?Oh! I?m terribly s?Relena? Are you all right?? Doreen Noventa, Sylvia Noventa?s mother, stepped into the restroom, the door closing behind her with a soft hiss of air.

Relena only stared at the woman with a dazed expression. She opened her mouth, her lips suddenly dry and aching. She felt her throat move, her tongue and lips forming words, but to her everything was dead quiet. No sound entered her ears. She felt like a mime, mimicking the older woman?s previous words. Doreen watched with concerned blue eyes as Relena slowly took her hands from the countertop and began to sway dangerously. The young Vice Foreign Minister?s eyes were half-lidded and her expression made her appear lost, like she didn?t belong there at this particular moment, like she didn?t even know where she was. Relena blinked absently. Through her vision of haziness, she caught the gesture of Doreen?s hand raising and reaching out for her. What was wrong with her?

Suddenly she felt like throwing up again. The nausea hit her harder then before. She slowly tried to straighten to her full height, but she doubled over immediately as a sharp pang of pain stabbed at her stomach. With an arm wrapped around her abdomen, her free hand covered her mouth as her face paled to the color of the toilets, her cheeks puffing out slightly, she turned and began to walk towards the stall she had just come out of earlier. The stall was right there, she was almost there, to the toilet to relieve herself of this pain and horror. Her left foot suddenly went out from under her, her ankle twisting as she stumbled and then fell forward, her eyes rolling back into her head, her long wheat colored hair flying around her.

Doreen watched in horror as Relena?s head hit the corner of the door to the stall. The Vice Foreign Minister lay motionless before her on the ground. She couldn?t help but stare. Her eyes shifted away from the pale face to the streak of blood on the stall door. Oh, God, she thought, her eyes flying to Relena?s face. She then noticed the blood dotting her forehead and a few droplets lying on the ground. She turned on her heel and ran from the ladies? washroom in search of someone and in search of a phone.

* * * * *

His earpiece beeped faintly. Thank God he remembered to set the volume to low.

?Death, here. How is it you wish to die? Painfully slow?my favorite, or quick and have no pain at all? But then again, that would r??

?Ah, good morning to you too, Death. This is God speaking. Have you decided to come c??

Duo Maxwell chuckled loudly, reaching over to flip a switch. A small screen in front of him flickered on and a familiar face popped up. ?Hiya, boss! What can I get you this lovely summer morning?? He leaned back in the chair and watched the face in front of him, hands folded behind his head.

Lady Une?s face was surprisingly blank this morning. Duo silently wondered what was up with her. Her brown eyes stared into his, her hands folded neatly on top of her desk. ?Duo, we kind of have a situation on our hands.? She spoke in a low voice. The tone sent shivers down his spine. Something big was up.

?Yeah?? She had his full attention now. ?Who does it involve? Can I be the first one to hit em? Pleeeeease??

?Don?t whine, Duo,? Une said sharply. She wasn?t in a joking mood?it showed. ?I don?t think you?d feel like getting on our shit-list, now, do you? What with it heavily involving Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. I mean we?d have you locked up for the rest of your l??

?Okay. Okay,? Duo muttered irritably. ?I get the picture. Sheez. You don?t have to be mean about it, ya know. So what?s up with Relena now? Another assassination threat? A ransom note for her kidnapping? Or did you happen to stumble across the hacked pieces of her bo??

?Duo! That?s enough!? Her eyes flashed dangerously. ?It?s not that serious. Earlier this morning, at approximately eight-fifty hours, she was admitted to the Saint Grace hospital of Calico Avenue.?

Duo blinked, stunned by the sudden news. ?What the hell happened now?? he demanded roughly. ?Whoever touched her, I?ll get to those bastards before Heero gets the chance to crack a smile. Tell me!? He was cracking his knuckles and twisting the bones in his neck.

Une held a hand up, her expression softening. ?Same old Duo, always loyal to his friends until the day he dies. Well, for one, Duo Maxwell, you and I both know that Heero Yuy will never, in his life, crack a smile. It?s just completely impossible!?

Duo snorted, crossing his well-toned arms over his broad chest. ?Well? Who did it? You just want to keep them for yourself! I get it now. You don?t want me to have any fun!?

?Stop it, Duo! Relena was attending an important meeting at the Shi Yau Lei Embassy on the L8 colony. It?s said that she excused herself and disappeared for the last part of the meeting. Doreen Noventa, mother to Sylvia Noventa, found her in the ladies? restroom down the hall by the Lounge. Noventa claims that Relena appeared to be extremely ill. Relena had fainted while going into a stall and now she had six stitches on the side of her head. They might be keeping her overnight for observation, but it?s a big might.?

Duo blinked. ?What was the cause again? Why would that Noventa woman think that??

Une shrugged, looking thoughtful. ?I?m not sure why, Duo.?

?All Noventa women are a bunch of bitches,? the young man muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

Une shook her head, pretending to not hear his off-hand comment. ?There is no cause, Duo. Noventa just claimed that Relena was doing some drugs.?

?Wha??

?Yeah. We?re still going to bring her in for a little questioning. Anyways, Duo, I called you up to explain the situation, since you and the rest of the boys were due at the Minister?s manor at twenty hours for the barbecue.?

Duo cursed and covered his face with a hand. How could he have forgotten? He groaned loudly behind his hand and slowly dragged it down until a pair of cobalt blue eyes peered out. ?Who else is going to this barbecue??

?Oh, people. I?m sure you know the type.? Une grinned sarcastically. Someone spoke to her faintly and she turned her head to see who it was. She nodded as an overstuffed manila package was handed to her.

Duo stared at the package through the screen. ?What is it? Who?s it from?? He leaned forward in his chair.

Une shook her head, shrugging as she read the front of the package. ?It doesn?t?say?? Her voice drifted off into a whisper.

Duo frowned deeply. Bad feeling? No, not now. ?Well? Whaddaya waiting for? Christmas? Open it already!?

Une nodded, clearly distracted by the sudden arrival of the package. ?Yeah, I guess you?re right.? She tore the top off and pulled out the contents. She set the thick piece of paper down in front of her on the desk.

Duo stared at it. ?What the hell is it??

You shouldn?t have gotten her to open it, his mind screamed in wild alarm. Too late now, man. Too late now.

The paper looked overstuffed. Une let the empty manila envelope fall to her lap and she stared down at the thing in front of her. This was really?odd. Reaching out, she tore away a thin, opaque sticker. She flipped it around and dismissed the distant ?Tick. Tick. Tick.?, assuming it was the little Victorian clock on her desk. ??What happens when something goes wrong??? she read out loud.

Duo shrugged, his eyes on the package, bad vibes chilling the marrow in his bones. ?I don?t know,? he said in a strangely hesitant low voice, his eyes never leaving the package.

??You make it really long.??

?Make what long??

Une squinted as the writing got smaller and smaller. ??A song???

?Which song? What the hell is that? Some sick joke?? Duo watched Une?s face. ?Get rid of it!?

Une lifted her head. She looked puzzled, terrified, and indecisive of the tone of caveat and anxiety in his voice. ??Boom?? Du?? A deafening explosion cut her off abruptly, filling the dark cockpit and his head. The screen went a bright orange.

And then?snow.

Static.

His earpiece short-circuited with a loud pop and then sizzle, leaving a numbing feeling in his ear. The earpiece flew from his ear, landing on the dark floor somewhere in pieces. With a hand to his bleeding ear, he stared in silence shock at the snow on the screen. Scrambling to undo the belts with trembling hands, thoughts flew through his mind on who could?ve been in the Preventers? HQ. He prayed that? No! She?s never go there, not to see him if he had told her where he?d be. Once out of the blasted seatbelts, he flew down the ladder a few seats behind the main chair in the cockpit and then out of the large mobile suit entirely. It then dawned on him, as he ignored Howard?s protests and questions, as he flew towards his convertible sports car, that he had never told her where he would be today.

* * * * *

She coughed loudly, inhaling the smoke on a gasp of breath. What the hell happened? There were low moans of pain around her, the occasional sob here or there. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to push aside the sting of tears that assaulted her eyes. She couldn?t move her legs or her left arm. What was wrong with them? She tried to wiggle her toes. They moved easily. She then tried to shake her fingers and felt a bolt of pain shoot up her arm at the attempt that proved to be useless. Crap. This wasn?t looking good. Well, at least she had her legs, she thought in irony, lifting her right hand. Brushing her fingers along her brow, she brushed aside some of her midnight blue bangs, grimacing as her nails dragged along a vertical cut on her right eyebrow. Her knuckles scraped along something that felt like stone. It was overtop of her.

Hilde Schbeiker sighed heavily and then began to cough deeply, loudly. Her entire body shook as it was overcome by the coughs that left her gasping for air. She lay on the ground, a hand to her chest, breathing deeply, slowly, trying to regain her breath.

?Okay,? she murmured to herself, ?I?m on the fifth floor?or was. And now I?m?where? Hello? Someone?anyone, speak to me,? she called out weakly.

She lay there listening. No answer. Did that mean everyone was dead? Looking straight up, all she saw was semi-darkness. Was she trapped? No! Her mind screamed in terror as she began to smell smoke and hear the crackle of a fire developing somewhere. Many grotesque images came to mind of what she might look like if anyone were to find her.

?No, Hilde,? she said firmly. ?No one is going to find you looking like that! Do you hear me? Someone will find you, alive!?

But for some strange reason, she didn?t believe her own words. For some odd reasons, they didn?t reassure her, didn?t fight back the fears that were quickly building, quickly gathering. Her words felt cold. Dead. Twisting her head to the side, brought a painful little jolt that ran through her body, but she spotted the hole large enough to squeeze her arm through. If only?. Hilde bit down on her bleeding lip and began to shift her body, trying to bring it closer to the small gap ahead of her. Bending and then raising her arm, she extended her long fingers, spread, and reached desperately for the gap. There was a hard, painful pressure against her thighs, and it was holding her back. Trying to twist her legs from side to side, she managed to squeeze part of her legs through. She glanced down the bridge of her nose, her chin pressed against her chest, and tried to look for as long as she could at her legs.

Just a little more?

Shifting her legs some more, she lifted her hand, and pressed her palm flat against the rough surface of the large stone overtop of her. With her fingers, she began to inch her hand closer and closer to the gap. Almost there, just a few more centimeters, she thought as she clenched her teeth together and grunted loudly.

Hilde shifted her legs again. And this time, she felt the large stone shift, pebbles falling down onto her, near her head. Oh, no, she thought, going completely still. If I move anymore?this rock is going to squish me flat.

She cursed loudly and let her hand fall to the ground. It was pointless. All her attempts for the gap, the one thing that might save her, were all in vain! Why hadn?t she thought about it before? Staring up at the rock, a thought suddenly wandered into her mind. That was it! That was how she would be able to get her hand to the gap! Ha! Hilde budged her right leg, leaving her left one still. She hoped this would work as well as it had played in her mind. Pebbles rained down around her face, as she reached for the gap and moved her leg. Suddenly, it came free. Yes! She had done it! Or hadn?t she? Throwing the right side of her body forward, her fingers skimmed the edge of the rock until her entire hand popped up into the open.

Tears of joy filled her eyes as she wiggled her fingers around. She let out a cry of success and giggled loudly, a sob mingling with her laughter. It then died on her bloody, chapped lips as the stone trapping her scraped along something and then slid down along that something, heading for her frail, young body. Hilde?s eyes flew up and she stared at the stone. She felt the sharp edge of it slice downwards on her leg, just above her ankle.

?Somebody help me!? she cried, her eyes shifting around frantically and then closed. She heard something through the gap crackle, snap off of something and then begin to fall with a loud whining protest of metal.

It landed heavily, cracking the rock overtop of her, in half along the side. Her left leg snapped just above the ankle. She felt the bone push through the flesh and screamed in agony. The broken side of the rock slammed down against her right side, trapping her right arm between the ground and stone. While the other half fell down onto her body, the sharp, brittle edges scraped the right side of her pale face as her head snapped to the side. Searing pain shot through the side of her head and assaulted her eardrums as she felt something warm and wet trickle down her chin quickly.

Hilde began to cry loudly as the edge of the broken rock dug into the middle of her breasts and stomach, and then along her neck, slicing into the flesh of her body. It tore at her clothes. She lay there for a few moments, motionless, weeping because of her situation, and because of the pain that was stabbing her body. Somewhere overtop of her, through the long crack where the stone had broken, the young frightened woman heard something shift and then smash against something. Glass shattered. Someone screamed, a woman. Their screams quickly fading into sickening gurgles. She heard another sound and it was then that she started praying for a miracle as she heard the protesting whirling of metal blades on top of her.

* * * * *

?Where is she?? He swerved past a stopping van, charging into on-coming traffic. He veered past a car beside him and then pushed ahead of him, cutting it off. The driver slammed both hands down on the horn and stuck its? head out the window, screaming at him.

Duo stuck his middle finger up and swore heavily at him in return as he slammed his foot down on the gas and flew through a red light, just skimming the back of a car.

?I?m sorry, but she left around half an hour ago. Who is calling?? The secretary sounded truly apologetic.

?Maxwell?Duo Maxwell. Do you know where she went?? He crossed his fingers, praying it wasn?t where he thought she would go.

?Uh, hang on, Mr. Maxwell. I?ll check out her schedule for you.?

?Be quick about it, will ya?? he barked into the cell phone, speeding through another red light. A series of loud horns chased after him and then faded out.

?Hilde, babe, don?t be where I think you are,? he murmured, wrenching the steering wheel to the left to crawl into the on-coming traffic lane once more. He sped ahead again. ?What the hell is everyone?s problem? It?s not Sunday, people!? he screamed at the driver of the car he cut, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke and gravel.

?Hello?? he shouted into the phone, slammed a hand down onto the horn, giving a man the ?L? for ?loser? as he picked up the pace and raced past him.

?Sorry! Mr. Maxwell, are you still there?? The secretary sounded out of breath.

?Yeah! What do you got? Where did she go? Who was she seeing? Tell me, damn it!? He pushed down hard on the gas, and the car shifted into the fourth gear.

?Yes, well, Ms. Schbeiker left half an hour ag??

?I know!? Duo shouted, turning a corner sharply, just missing a small girl and her mother.

?She should be at the Preventers? HQ, Mr. Maxwell.? The secretary paused. ?She was going to?see?you, Mr. Maxwell. Is something wrong??

?Shit?. My fault! My fault. Did she leave a note?? Duo felt a cold hand of fear grasp his heart. His throat began to close up on him.

?No, I?m sorry, Mr. Maxwell. She did not.?

?Great. Just fucking great!? He saw the black smoke bellowing up into the air and felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

?Is something the matter??

?Turn on your radio, or something. Listen to the news. I?m sure you?ll find out from that. I don?t think?I don?t think I should tell you.? He hit the ?End? button and let his cell phone fall to his lap. Tears burned his eyes at thoughts of the woman whom he cared for was probably dead now.

This wasn?t happening to him.

Maybe she hadn?t gotten to the Preventers? HQ when it had been bombed. Maybe she was far away from it when it had exploded. She wasn?t dead! She just wasn?t! No! Duo blinked back the tears as he turned the car into one of the parking lots and drove through one of the far aisles closest to the scene of the destruction. Even in broad daylight, the swirling red and blue lights were seen for miles. He slammed on the brakes just as the sight of debris came in perfect view. Anger was beginning to eat away at his fears and pain.

?Oh, God,? he choked out, putting the car into park. He sat there, his eyes wide and carrying a dazed look.

He absently turned the car off, his eyes never blinking, never leaving the massive smoking pile of rubble. Firefighters, policemen, paramedics were all rushing around, screaming orders, warding off the scattered fires, lifting people, dead and alive, from selected areas of the pile of broken stone, bent large metal beams and smashed glass. Slowly, very slowly, Duo opened his door and stepped out onto the pavement, his feet crunching the small pebbles and small shards of glass. He continued to stare at the mess in front of him, not even taking note of the eight policemen who were redirecting the traffic, pulling out the ?Police Line: Do Not Cross? tape, and telling curious, shocked citizens to get to somewhere safe or just go somewhere else entirely.

?Hilde,? he whispered gruffly, his legs slowly walking him towards the area where ambulances and police cars were parked, blocking the way for large vehicles.

?Hilde,? he repeated firmly, picking up the pace. He began to run now, past the ambulances and police cars, past the objecting paramedics and firefighters.

He didn?t care hat they said. His only thoughts were of the woman possibly trapped and?dead. He ran past the dead corpses that were stacked together tightly as if they were now no one to the entire world. Someone screamed at him as he stumbled over a stone and regained his balance. He continued to run along side the massive heap of debris, dodging the large blasts of water from the fire hoses that sprayed down the scattered flames. Firefighters shouted at him, telling him to get back, that it was too dangerous. He wouldn?t listen to them. He was too driven on getting her out alive and in one piece. He heard footsteps behind him. He pushed himself to run faster.

?Hilde!? he screamed, running, hurdling over stone and other broken things. ?Talk to me, Hilde!?

?Get back! It?s too dangerous for you!? someone screamed from behind, chasing after him.

Duo shook his head, running still. ?No!? he cried. ?Not as long as she?s in there trapped! Just leave me alone! Let me get her!?

?It?s suicide, buddy!? another voice shouted.

?I don?t give a shit! Chase me all you want, I?m going in there to get her!? He jumped off a fallen stone and began to run across more heaps of tumbled stone.

He heard them follow.

Wonderful!

Hang on, babe, he thought with much determination, hoping she?d hear his thoughts. I?m coming to get you.

Arms encircled his legs abruptly and he felt himself falling, as someone then jumped onto his back. He couldn?t stop himself from hitting the ground without getting hurt?his arms had been pinned to his sides. The side of his face hit the top of the rubble. Something pierced the flesh of his cheek and then scraped along his cheekbone. He grunted as his head bounced off the ground and then something struck his temple. The person who had tackled him from behind slowly stood up, pinning Duo?s arms behind his back. The man who had grabbed his legs was standing in front of him as he was stood up roughly.

Dark, intense green eyes stared at him; a square jaw set tightly, the cheek muscle twitching with anger and annoyance. ?What the hell is wrong with you? Are you suicidal or something?? He crossed his arms over his broad chest and fixed a glare on Duo.

Duo returned the glare with a deadly glower. ?I only want to save her. That?s all I planned on doing. Let me go!? He struggled against the hands around his wrists.

The man in front of him shook his head. ?Sorry. We?re putting you in cuffs and then into the back of a cop car.?

?Like hell you are!? Duo spat venomously. ?I?m not going anywhere with you!? With that said he pushed back roughly against the man behind him, brought his legs up in one quick movement and kicked the policeman in front of him sharply in the nose.

Even he heard the quick snap of cartilage.

The man grabbed his bleeding nose and swore with heavy force. The man behind Duo made an attempt to grab him in a neck hold, but Duo kicked his leg back and successfully got him in the groin with his calve. The man let go of Duo?s wrists and grabbed himself, doubling over to the ground. Duo turned immediately and his eyes went wide in disbelief. A dozen or so more policemen stood in front of him, their guns and clubs drawn.

?Look, guys. All I want is for her to be ali??

?Yes, we know. And we?re here to make sure she is alive.?

?Bullshit,? Duo shouted. ?You want to try me? I dare you.?

?You want to try the guns? We will shoot if we really must, sir. And believe me?you won?t stand a chance against the guns.?

?Wanna try me? I?ve had much, much worse then a bunch of guns fired at me!? He ran towards them, jumping to the side as a gunshot rang through the air. He then spun around in a full arc as more guns went off. Some of the policemen charged at him, their long, black clubs raised, but Duo merely crouched to the ground and then flipped into the air, performing a triple spin, before landing on a knee a good ways away.

He silently blessed Trowa Barton for the lessons. He stood and was running away quickly, breathing lightly, when something painful hit him in the back of the shoulder. The sharp sting flared down his arm. Another bullet hit the same shoulder, only just along the first bullet wound. Duo immediately clutched his shoulder, trying to ignore the immense pain and the blood that oozed between his fingers. He had to get to her, no matter what the costs were! He had promised her, back when they had first met in Operation Meteor, that he would always protect her and keep her away from any harm.

It seems like he had failed?

The policemen came up behind him and suddenly grabbed his arms, roughly pulling him back. Metal, all of a sudden, encircled his wrists. No! He struggled against the hands that pulled him away from the one place he needed to go, away from saving her. He was spun around, and then shoved towards more policemen. They grabbed him at the chance and began to direct him to the police cars. Duo twisted and struggled, but it was no use. All useless, all in vain.

?Let me go!? he screamed, savagely twisting his wrists in the cuffs. ?Let me go! I have to save her!?

?We already know.?

?Let us do the saving, sir. Just calm down.?

?Fuck you! I will not ?calm down?! Let me go this damn minute! Let me save her!? He didn?t stop struggling.

?Forget it already.?

Duo stole a glance over his shoulder at the heap of rubble that had once been the Preventers? HQ and felt his pain and fears overwhelm him completely. What was he going to do now? Who was he going to turn to?

?My girlfriend?s in there! Let me save her!? he shouted, twisting his shoulders out of their grasp. He turned immediately on his heels and began to make a desperate sprint for the burning rubble.

?I will save her!? Hands grabbed him again and he was shoved down to the ground roughly, a pair of cuffs going around his ankles. And a sudden sharp pain at the back of his head, followed by darkness.

Continued?

[kmf]

:o

Oh my! Ok, Im on the edge of my seat with this one. Poor Hilde! Poor Duo! Poor Une!

Why on earth did you stop there??? *looks around for the next chapter* Please, please update soon!

kmf

[Litia-sama]

Awe, poor Duo's so desperate. I hope things turn out okay. I cringed at what happened to Hilde. Guess I'm more squeamish than I thought. But, I still can't wait to see what happens!


~Litia-sama

[Leia Avenrose]

Duo's always desperate. Maybe I'll even make him suffer. For the sake of you all you Duo lovers. MWUHAHAHAH! *evil, sly look* Ha. Just kidding. Expect chp 3 soon; more killing!

YAY!!!! :evil: