Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Wing characters.

Aunty's Sweets Bakery

Chapter One

Duo Maxwell's life was—he felt—going according to plan. He lived a rather simple, though comfortable life, which he shared with a dear friend, Hilde Schbeiker. They lived together in a small, quaint two bedroom apartment and worked together at their scrap yard.

While their relationship was currently platonic, Duo planned in five years to move their relationship onto a more romantic level. Then five years after that, he'd ask Hilde to be his wife. It was all a part of his plan. Right now Duo was on the best friend slash bachelor stage.

Hilde knew nothing of this plan, but Duo had full confidence everything would work out as he had planned it; Though, sometimes little hitches came along like other men, who foolishly thought they could romantically pursue Hilde.

In fact today, Duo remembered, watching Hilde gleefully skip out of the apartment, wearing a sexy blue dress with matching high heels that screamed take me I'm yours. Duo had found it hard not to do just that; He imagined that Darian, the guy Hilde was going to meet for a lunch date, would have a hard time as well. But, Duo wasn't worried one bit. He'd spent most of his Sunday afternoon lazing about and waiting.

At the moment, Duo was sitting on the sofa. He was flipping though the latest edition of playboy when he heard the apartment door swing open and then, a moment later, slam shut. Duo looked at his wrist watch. Right on time, he thought. He was certain that was Hilde and from the way she slammed the door, he was certain she was angry; And Duo had good idea why?

"I can't believe this," Hilde said.

Duo believed it; Hilde had been stood up again—he had made sure of it again; however, Duo continued to peruse the magazine as Hilde approached him, pretending to be unaware of anything.

"I own a bakery," Hilde said gleefully. "Can you believe it?"

Duo couldn't believe it. "What happened to your date?"

She stiffened. "Date?"

Duo couldn't believe it. "You forgot." And he went through all that trouble of blackmailing the guy and all.

Hilde plopped down on the sofa, next to him. "Whatever-his-face will get over me." She reached over and squeezed his cheeks together. "Duo, I have my very own bakery."

With his cheeks squished together, it was hard for him to say, "How?"

She continued to squeeze his cheeks together as she explained, "I don't know, but this lawyer guy calls me up on my cell. Says he wants to see me. Says it's very urgent and could I come to speak with him. I'm like 'right now' and he's like 'yeah'. So I go." Hilde pulled his face closer to hers. Her eyes stared intensely into his. "You'll never guess what he said to me."

Duo removed her hands from his cheeks and guessed, "You own a bakery."

"Of course he said that, but that was much later. First he said I have an aunt," Hilde said.

"I thought all your relations were dead or too ashamed to claim you," Dou said.

"Actually, he said I had an aunt. She died," she said. A twinge of sadness shaded the happiness which gleamed in her violet eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Duo said. He leaned in to hug her, but she slid back into the sofa and out of his reach.

"I never knew my aunt—never knew she existed. And now, I'll never know her," she said. "And to think she was only an hour's drive away."

"What do you mean," he asked.

"Aunty's Sweets Bakery. You know the one downtown," she said.

Duo did recall the bakery. A year ago the shop had been a pizza parlor, but Aunty's Sweets Bakery took its place—the bakery was pretty popular too. Why hadn't they gone?

"Why did I have to diet that year," Hilde exclaimed.

That was it, Duo remembered, Hilde spent last year on a low sugar diet.

"Curse my foolish vanity," she said.

Duo watched her sink further into the sofa and further into a state of complete gloom. He wondered what he could say or do for her. When he lost those dear to him, he became a Gundam pilot, battling in a large mecha against other large mechas. Where could he get Hilde a large mecha?

Suddenly, Hilde sprung to her feet, standing on the sofa's cushions. "I won't let my aunt down. I, Hilde Schebieker, promise to make Aunty's Sweets Bakery the most successful bakery in this colony." She looked down towards Duo, who looked up at her. "Duo, I'll need you to run the scrap yard without me."

"Now wait a minute," Duo began, pulling Hilde down next to him. "I can't run the scrap yard without you."

"You have to Duo. This is my childhood dream," Hilde said.

"Since when," Dou said.

"Since the lawyer said I own a bakery! Plus I can't forsake my aunt. The bakery is her life legacy," she said.

Duo wanted to say no. He hated the idea of being without Hilde, even if she'd be only an hour's drive away. He meant to say no. Hilde owning a bakery and running it on her own—without him—wasn't part of his plan. So why did he say, "Fine. I'll manage somehow." Why?

She leapt into his arms and kissed each cheek. "Duo you're the best," she said.

That's why, he thought, because saying yes to Hilde was a lot more fun than saying no.

Dairy Entry One

I'm thinking of you. I love thinking of you and that's why I'm thinking of you every moment of each and every day. Someday you'll think of me every moment of each and every day and you'll love it. Someday you'll know how I feel... Hilde Schbeiker.

-by anonymous