Opposite
Angels:
Disclaimer: I don't
own Gundam Wing, sorry to disappoint you all.
"Mommy! Tell me a story" The petite woman looked
down at her little daughter who was tugging at the apron she currently wore
while washing the dishes. She grinned at her and put down the plate she was
wiping, carrying her daughter to the den and settled herself along with her
daughter down in one of the overstuffed cushions that occupied the room. "What
kind of story would you like to hear?" She asked looking at her daughter who
sat facing her on her lap. Her daughter looked thoughtful, swinging her small
braid that she sported back and forth. "I want to hear the one about you and
your crazy room mate." The woman grinned slyly at her daughter, "You mean the
one where I kicked all those guys' butts?" Her daughter nodded, shaking her
head up and down excitedly, "yep, that's the one!" The woman settled herself
back into the chair and started her tale…
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Hilde sighed and
collapsed into the small mattress that served for a bed. Upon hitting the bed,
she felt the hard lumps and springs in the mattress working their way into her
sore body and regretted immediately for laying down. She climbed up slowly and
stood in front of the mirror gazing at her reflection. Slowly she peeled off
the stiff uniform jacket that everyone at the military school was required to
wear and gratefully tossed it aside onto the bed. She groaned and rubbed her
sore shoulder; what on earth have you gotten into? She asked herself
resignedly. Only the first day and she already felt dead and beat. All her life
she had looked forward to attending the Victoria Base Academy, but when she
finally arrived at her goal, she began rethinking her decision and asking
herself if she had been too rash. It was bad enough that the training was tough
and the daily lessons were strenuous, especially to a small fragile figure like
herself. But the fact that the entire school consisted of guys, not just
regular guys, but the world's biggest chauvinistic pigs made the whole ordeal
even more unbearable. She grimaced angrily as she thought of all the eyes that
bore down at her when she walked down the hall, or the constant whispering and
staring that followed her everywhere she went. The one good thing about this
whole situation was that her room mate that she was supposed to share a room
with had inevitably disappeared and she could have the privacy that she'd been
craving for all day.
Just then a loud clear
bell blared throughout the dormitory buildings, signaling that it was time to
eat dinner. Hilde pulled on her leather jacket that her father had given to her
for her birthday 2 years ago, just before his death. She closed her eyes and
inhaled the distinct smell of leather and a feeling of homesickness overwhelmed
her. She thought about her childhood and the past that she'd tried to run away
from. She shook her head trying to rid herself of her thoughts and left her
room, closing the door silently behind her and making sure to lock the door.
She padded quietly out of the dormitory and exited the building, heading for
the dining hall that was located not far from where she was. Hilde shivered and
pulled the jacket more closely around her as she felt the cold wing blow past her,
chilling her. She stared up at the sky and the hundreds of twinkling stars that
were gazing down at her. "Soon I'll be among you." She said softly, as she
smiled up at the beautiful night sky. She suddenly turned around when she heard
footsteps approaching and the laughing voices that accompanied them. She
agilely slipped off the path into the darkness to see who was behind her. It
was a tall blond boy, around her age and his gang of friends. His friend said
something to him and he laughed, "I agree. Women shouldn't be fighting; they
should just stay home and tend to their children. Did you see that girl, that
Schbeiker girl?" Hearing her name, she caught her breath and stood listening
even more intently upon the conversation. "I bet you she won't last more than a
week with that body of hers. The only thing she's good for is in bed…" Hilde
hissed in her breath angrily as she heard these words. The humiliation and
anger that she'd been holding back the whole day suddenly creped into her once
more and she found that she could no longer hold back the feelings any longer.
She stepped out of the shadows to turn and face the boy who had mocked her. "Do
you mind saying that to her face?" she asked calmly, her eyes boring down at
the boy. He seemed daunted for a second, and then laughed to shake it off.
"Cheeky little one isn't she, step aside honey unless you want to get hurt." He
said smirking. His friends laughed at her and started walking again, expecting
Hilde to step out of the way. But she wasn't about to give up that easily,
"What if I don't want to hm?" She asked hands on her hips and an eyebrow
raised. The chattering of the guys stopped and all eyes gazed upon her as if
she'd suddenly said some vitriolic word. The tall boy took a step towards
Hilde, "Want to repeat that again honey?" he asked sneering. Just then did
Hilde realize how much larger the boy was and the big mistake she had made.
Hilde, if you get yourself into trouble, you'll have to get yourself out of it,
she thought to herself and took a step towards the boy, not letting him sense
how irresolute she was. "You have a hearing problem? Then read my lips, what if
I don't want to?" The taller boy walked up to her and grabbed her by the scruff
of her jacket, "Then we'll have to make you won't we?" he asked with malice
gleaming in his eyes as the rest of his friends gathered around them. Shit!
This is not good…Hilde muttered to herself, then taking a deep breath,
composing herself and did the only thing that she knew how to do well…fight.
She grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted it away from her jacket, "Don't ever
touch me you hear?" she said fiercely and kneed him in the place where the "sun
don't shine". The boy grunted and fell
to his knees groaning, his friends seeing their leader go down became angry and
began closing in on her. Good Lord Hilde, what are you going to do now? Hilde
thought frightening, as she looked at all the menacing faces surrounding her.
Just then a whistling from the roof of the
building next to them caught their attention and they all looked to see who it
was. A figure stood there and flipped off the roof to land next to Hilde. "Hey,
this isn't the best way to treat a lady is it?" The guy asked, grinning a large
grin that was accented by his large eyes. Hilde eyed the guy and stared
strangely at the long braid that hung past his hips. "Oh…should we be scared?
It's a priest with a braid." One of the guys snickered. "Yes, you should be
scared, for I am the death angel and everywhere I go, I bring death." He said
grinning. Oh great, a Goth is here to save my life, thought Hilde, almost
laughing out loud at the thought. Obviously the other boys were thinking the
same for they began laughing uncontrollably. Before any knew what was going on
the braided haired boy had whipped out a gun and had it trained on there faces,
"Do you really dare laugh in the face of death?" he asked, the laughter gone
from his eyes. At the sight of the gun, the laughter ceased almost immediately
and the gang of boys hurriedly muttered their apologies and dragging their
leader with them, headed to the dining area.
The boy laughed loudly and turned to Hilde,
offering his hand, "My name's Duo Maxwell, what's yours?" Hilde looked at him
warily, still looking at the gun and didn't accept his hand. Duo put down his
hand and looked at the gun, laughing again and pulled the trigger. Expecting to
feel the pain she closed her eyes, but instead of the blow she was expecting,
she felt the cold feel of water upon her face. She snapped her eyes open in
surprise and gazed into the amused eyes of Duo Maxwell. Suddenly all the misery
and angry melted off her and she couldn't help but laugh. Duo seeing that his
newly met companion smiling couldn't help but grin another of his happy go
lucky smiles, "As I always say, laughter cures the mind and soul."
What a bizarre day she said sighing as she turned
on the water in the shower and let the warm water rain down her back. Feeling
the soothing feel of the water massaging her, she let out a sigh and began
rubbing herself with the lavender soap she had brought with her. She inhaled
the smell eagerly and closed her eyes, picturing her homeland where the seasons
were beautiful and keen to the senses. Someday I'll return there again, she
said softly as she rinsed the last of the soap off her body and shampoo out of
her hair. She stepped out of the shower and reached for the towel hanging on
the door. Just as she was doing so however the door creaked open and she
screeched out loud in surprise. The intruder upon hearing the sound immediately
slammed the door shut.
Hilde hurriedly dried herself and put on her
undergarments and bathrobe. She walked cautiously out of the bathroom. Hearing
the soft sound of footsteps behind her, she whirled around and gazed into a
pair of cobalt blue eyes. Without bothering to find out the owner of the pair
eyes, she punched the person in the stomach and reached for the gun on the
counter as the boy crumpled to the ground in a heap. Training the gun on the
offender she eyed him warily, "What do you want pervert." She said through
clenched teeth. "How about going to the bathroom?" mumbled the guy as he knelt
on the ground clutching his stomach. Suddenly Hilde noticed the familiar long
braid that fell around him and the distinct black outfit he wore. "Duo?" she asked
kneeling down to face him. The boy stood up slowly, "You know, it's a pretty
good idea to see who you hit first before you actually hit them." He grumbled,
glaring at her slightly. "I'm really really sorry, if I knew it was you
I…hey…what are you doing here and how'd you get in?" Hilde asked, the thought
finally hitting her. Duo grumbled, "Exactly what I wanted to ask you." Hilde
looked surprise, "Um…I live here." Duo,
who had had his eyes slightly closed a moment earlier now snapped them wide
open. "What?!" "What?" asked Hilde bewildered. "I'm sharing a dorm with a
girl!" "What?!"
Hilde woke to a bright
light shining down on her eyelids and slowly blinked them open. Annoyed, she
sat up with a start, looking around for the source of the light. Geez, she
muttered can't I even get sleep around here? She climbed out of the bed and
went searching for the source of her tormentor and followed the light. She
approached the blanket that her and Duo had put up that night to divide their
room and give each other more privacy. Noticing that it was parted slightly she
peeked through and saw Duo with his shirt off and typing on a lab top. She was
mesmerized, it was as if she couldn't take her eyes away from him. She shook
her head, Hilde you're here to learn not to date. She shifted her eyes and saw
a scar that ran from the back of his neck to his ear. It looked fresh and some
blood still coursed from it. Alarmed she stepped forward slightly and
accidentally caught her foot on the rim of the curtain. With a gentle tug the
hastily built structure collapsed. Duo jumped up suddenly hearing the
commotion, snapping his lab top shut, he pulled out a gun, body tensed and
safety pulled off. "I'm trained to shoot so don't try to hide." Hilde removed
the blanket that covered her and glared at him. "Is it so wrong to get some
undisturbed sleep around here?" Duo put down the gun and looked serious, "Don't
do that, I could have shot you." Hilde
rolled her eyes, "Another water gun?" she asked sarcastically. Duo shook his
head and shot at the lamp, the shattering of the bulb resounding throughout the
room. Hilde's eyes went wide as she realized the close encounter she had had
with death. "Get the point?" asked Duo, eyes flashing. Hilde nodded, slightly
shaken. "Good, now go to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us." Without
protesting she walked back to her bed and went to sleep. Strange guy, she
muttered as she lay down on the lumpy mattress and tried desperately to get
some sleep.
In the following months the academy began to feel
more like home to Hilde as her muscles tightened and she found that all the
pain she had gone through was worth it. Duo and her had quickly become friends
(considering the fact that he would never shut up, this wasn't very surprising)
and this factor made Hilde's training more bearable. "Oof!" Hilde said one
Friday night as she set down a pile of heavy books onto the desk in her dorm
and leaned against the table. "I really don't need to handle this at 13." She
said to her companion who was also laden with books and weighed down. "I
completely agree with you." He said his voice muffled and set the offending
objects next to those of Hilde's. He leaned against the table to rest, "What's
the point of making maps? I thought there were people who get paid to do that."
Hilde grinned and pulled out a chair to sit down and opened the first book in
front of her, "Exactly my point." Duo sat down beside her and leaned back in
his chair. "At least we've got all weekend, I don't feel like doing my
homework, I'd rather talk." Hilde put down her pencil and rolled her eyes,
"Duo, you always feel like talking. In fact there isn't a moment in which you
ever stop talking." Duo shrugged, "Oh well. Would you rather do your maps?"
Hilde sighed and turned her chair to face him, "Good point, what do you want to
talk about." Duo pondered, "Anything I guess, like how you ended up here, in an
academy full of guys." Hilde's face darkened. Duo looked a bit taken back,
"What?! Did I say something wrong?" he asked. Hilde creased her complexion, "That
question really came out of nowhere. Besides, a past is something a person
guards and is there treasure that shouldn't be shared to anyone but a chosen
few, because for some, it is all they have." Duo looked thoughtful, "Good
point, never thought about it that way. Fine, if you answer my question I'll
answer yours." "Deal." Said Hilde and began her story.
"I was born in a wealthy family in the capitol of
the country of Germany. I never knew my mother for she had died giving birth to
me. My father was all I ever had and I loved him dearly. When I neared the age
of 7, my father remarried a woman by the name of Oriencor. She was beautiful,
she truly was, with hair as black as night streaming down to her feat and large
blue eyes that accented her dark red lips. It wasn't a wonder that my father
had married her. I truly wanted to love her, wanted her to be the mother I
never had. I guess I was wrong, for my father had married a woman for her outer
exterior rather than what was within. She despised me because of the knowledge
that my father loved me more than anything else in the world and would give his
life to protect me. She hated me even more that the entire estate's inheritance
belonged to me if ever anything should happen to him. 4 years later, my father was
poisoned to death after drinking from a cup of wine while giving a toast to me
on birthday. The last thing he ever left me was the black leather jacket that
had been my birthday present. Because of the uncanny death and the irony of it
being on my birthday, my stepmother blamed his misgivings on me pronouncing to
the world that I had killed my father in order to gain the inheritance that
would surely be left to me. Nobody believed her words, but because they feared
her, I was condemned to death. I would surely have died had it not been for the
Earth Sphere Alliance…" she stopped when she saw Duo's fist clench at those 3
words. Ignoring it she continued, "…they helped me get into this academy and
paid for my fees. If it hadn't been for them, I would undoubtedly be laying in
my grave."
She finished her story to look at Duo. His face
was stoic, the laughter and joy gone from his face. Hilde looked at him
strangely, "Are you alright Duo?" she asked. He nodded, "Just 2 reactions I had
from your story. My first is anger, anger that any person in this world could
treat you in such a way." He said as he glanced meaningfully at her. She smiled
tightly, "thanks." She said quietly, "What's the second?" she asked. Duo
sighed, "I don't know if I should tell you this, but since I trust and care for
you, I feel you should know the truth. But before I say anything more I need
you to promise me this; do not say any of the following to anyone and not to
say anything until I am finished. Understand?" he asked. Hilde gave him a
strange look then nodded. Duo looked grim and began accounting the events of
his life.
"I was an orphan at birth, not knowing who I was,
nor who my parents were. All I knew was that I had to stay alive, stealing food
and such to keep my friends and me alive. One trip we were caught and sent to a
church, Maxwell church." Hilde gasped as she heard the name. "The Maxwell
church massacre?" she asked, "The very one. The kind priest, Father Maxwell and
Sister Helen took us in and they treated my like their son and to me they were
my father and mother. Even when all the others were adopted and I, disliked and
unwanted, the father and sister still kept me at the church and helped me to
try and achieve greatness. That was when I was 7. A year later the war around us
intensified and many rebels came into our church. When Father Maxwell and
Sister Helen preached about the wrongs of war, the men grew angry and hit them.
Overhearing earlier that they needed mobile suits in order to fight the enemy,
I promised them a mobile suit in return for them leaving the church. I snuck
into an enemy's base and successfully stole a mobile suit. When I got back to
the church however I found the entire place bombed and destroyed. I found
Sister Helen lying underneath a big pile of rubble, the last words she said to
me was that she and the Father were thinking about me until the last moment."
By this time there was an intense tone in Duo's voice as he continued to speak.
"And this is why I call myself the death angel, for everywhere I go I bring
death with me, it is my inevitable fate. Thus I am here, to help me become on
of the best in order to battle and avenge the deaths of my loved ones. To
battle my enemy, the Earth Sphere Alliance."
Hilde was shocked, "How could that be possible, but
they…" Duo shook his head, "Do you not realize that the only reason you're
training here is so better to serve their army? 100's of thousands of lives
have been destroyed and torn up by them. Mine is just one of the millions of
them. Hilde, awake to the truth." Hilde sat there, unbelieving but then
suddenly, things began piecing together. She had been fighting the guards that
were there to take her away. She fought well and felled 2 of them and would
have made it out the door if the last one hadn't knocked her out. When she had
awoke, she found herself tied to a chair facing what appeared to be the captain
and the two men in which she had knocked down. They were discussing something
and when they saw her awaken, the captain had congratulated her for getting a
scholarship to possibly the best military academy. "No wonder…" she said softly
and Duo nodded at her knowingly. "They are very crafty and would do anything to
get what they want." "I'm such a naïveté, I was to desperate. If someone had
told me then that I was the queen of the world I would have believed it." She
said, disappointed at herself. Duo shook his head and put his arm around her
and pulled her close. "It's not your fault, you just didn't know." Hilde leaned
into him and sighed, glad that she was under the protection of a man like him.
"Why?!" Hilde exclaimed as Duo set out his
suitcase and began throwing his belongings in there. "I have an urgent call and
I need to leave immediately." Hilde placed a hand his shoulder, "You can't
desert me Duo, I need you." She meant to say more, but she held her tongue. Duo
slowly turned her around and held her hand. "I'll never leave you Hilde. I
promise you we'll meet again." "Promise?" Hilde asked with tears in her eyes,
eyes that showed all the unsaid words that she wanted to say. "Of course Hilde
for you're my Angel of Life." He said as he touched her face and gently tilted
it upward and bent his face down…
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Click. Hearing the
sound of the door opening, Hilde stood up, picking up her young daughter with
her and going to greet the person at the door. She didn't need to see who was
there to know who it was. The familiar man whom she had known for so long, the
man that was her opposite, the man that she loved and would never leave so long
as there was breath in her body. Duo pulled off his Preventer jacket and went
to embrace his wife and daughter. He kissed his little daughter on the nose,
"How's my little Song?" he asked grinning at the mirror image of himself. She
had large eyes and long hair placed in a braid except the color of her hair was
a dark ebony. She giggled as her mother put her down on the floor and her
father and mother embraced and kissed deeply. "How was work?" she asked. Duo
groaned, "Don't even begin, I swear if I have to hear Wufei and Sally arguing
again I seriously will tape one of their mouths." "Why don't they just get
married, we all know that Wufei is crazy about Sally despite the poker face he
puts on whenever she's near." Duo laughed, "You've missed way to much, you
really should consider coming back to work one of these days." He said to his
wife. He put his arm around her and they proceeded to the living room. Little
Song tugged the leg of her mother's pants and Hilde looked down at the little
girl. "Mommy! You haven't finished the story yet!" she said pouting. Duo picked
up the little girl, "Where was she at?" he asked grinning at Hilde. Song
pondered as she sat in her father's arms sucking her little thumb, "Mommy was
telling how her room mate was leaving and that's all. I want to know what
happened to him!" she sat determined. Her father grinned and looked her
daughter in the eye, "He's standing right before you." Song looked confused,
"Daddy, your name's not Duo. I call you daddy, Mommy calls you honey, and Uncle
Wufei and Heero call you Maxwell!" Duo pretended to look hurt, "Song, don't you
even know daddy's name?" he asked turning away and pretending to cry, winking
at Hilde in the process (who was having fits of laughter.) Song looked alarmed,
"Maybe Uncle Heero was right when he said that Daddy had a big mouth." Duo
stopped pretending to cry immediately at these words and looked at Song, "Did
Heero actually say that?!" Song nodded, eyes open wide, "Yep yep yep, and lots
of other things too." "Why that little…" Hilde who was standing there watching
couldn't help but smile. She had truly found happiness this time. *
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*Yay! I'm done. So everyone, how'd you like this story m? This is based
on the inference that Hilde and Duo had met before. I was always curious how
Hilde could become attached to Duo in a matter of days/hours. Didn't make much
sense, so I decided to right this story. Hope everyone enjoyed it ^.^*