Should've known Duo could take those two Mobile Suits down with barely a problem. Me? I almost get myself killed. Of course, I reminded myself, those two suits had fighting stats of two Gundam pilots in them, and Duo was in his Deathscythe while I was only using a Taurus. The odds of winning in a Taurus against those two things was pretty slim, regardless of who was piloting. Too bad I was the one piloting.
When I showed Duo the data disk I had gotten, I thought he was ready to hit me and my Taurus clear across the universe. Apparently, he was not thrilled that I had decided to play hero.
"Why'd you risk your life?" he demanded, glaring at me with a near crazy look in his usually jovial eyes.
"Because I... " my voice trailed. `Because I wanted to help you, you big, cute dope,' was the first thing that came to my mind. But, that wouldn't be good. At that very moment, we were both strained as it was. I didn't need to make it worse. "... I wanted to, Duo."
Not the answer he wanted, I think. He stared at me like I had torn his heart out or something. Then that crazy, furious look came back, and he yelled over the speakers, "You're a stupid fool!"
I didn't take it to heart. Underneath the anger, I could sense the undertone. The hurt, the fear of loss, the caring. The caring. He cared. It had been worth it. "I figured you'd say something... like that," I smiled, weakly.
Duo mumbled something about me being insane, and then picked up my Taurus to carry it back to Peacemillian. Which was fine by me, since I wasn't in the best of shape at the moment. I was bleeding, a lot. I could feel it dripping warmly down my face and arms. Not very pleasant, if you were curious. And my insides felt even worse. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if my insides even looked like insides anymore. I felt pretty mushy, to be honest.
I held up the data disk, and grimaced when I noticed my blood on it. Hastily, I wiped it on my pants. Duo was angry with me as it was. The more blood he saw, the more upset he would become, and I really didn't need nor want that. Having my blood on the data disk I snatched... well, let's just say the symbolism would be enough to make both of us feel uncomfortable.
When we got inside of Peacemillian, I could hear Duo asking for someone named Sally to come check on me. He placed my suit down fairly gently, and I braced myself as I opened the hatch. I didn't even have a chance to look up before a familiar shadow loomed over me. My eyes finally lifted up and I found myself staring into the violet eyes of who some call Shinigami, the God of Death. I call him my friend. My best one. Maybe even more... if I didn't get myself killed.
"Hilde... " he uttered, a strangely pained look on his face. It took me a moment to realize that I probably wasn't the most pleasing of sights. I managed a weak, encouraging smile, and tried my best to stand up and get out of the suit. Unfortunately, my legs didn't want to cooperate, and they gave in underneath me. Strong arms wrapped around my waist before I fell completely, and I looked up again at Duo, who gazed back at me with an expression I'd never seen on him before; like his heart had been broken. "Don't move," he ordered, helping me down.
When we were on the ground he didn't let me go, afraid I would just drop like a stone. I probably would have. So, he stood there, holding me up. I'd never been so physically close to Duo before. I could hear his breathing, his breath caressing my cheek. His heart beating against my own chest. I could smell him. I didn't even realize he had a smell. It was spicy, kinda. Nice, and oddly comforting.
I placed my forehead in the crook of his neck and inhaled, relaxing. I was home. Duo's arms tightened slightly around me.
"God," he whispered, his voice edgy. "Dammit, Hilde Schbeiker, if you even think of doing something as dumb as that again, I'll handcuff you to your bed!" He pulled away just enough so that we could look at each other. His face was grim. "Do you understand me?"
"No picking on me," I gave him my best pout. "You should consider yourself blessed. How many other girls you know would sneak onboard an enemy ship to get you vital information?"
"Thankfully, none," he tried to keep a straight face, but he wound up smirking. He sobered quickly enough, though. "Do you have any idea how close you came, Hilde? What if I hadn't gotten there in time?"
I shook my head, firmly. "I wouldn't have died. Not before giving you this," I pulled out the data disk and held it up. To my chagrin, some of my blood was still smeared on some parts of it. Duo looked at it like it was a snake poised to attack. "Take it," I demanded, smiling as best I could. "I didn't risk my life getting you this info just so you could stare at it."
Almost reluctantly, he took it from my hand, and shoved it in one of his pockets, before slipping his arm back around me. I sighed, relaxing in his arms and placing my head on his shoulder. I offhandedly wondered when this Sally woman would come in. As long as Duo held me, she could take her time.
I was getting tired. Blood loss, probably. My eyelids were getting heavier by the moment, and my thoughts were getting cloudy. I'm surprised that I actually remembered what I did at that point.
"Duo," I said, forcing my eyes to stay open. He looked down at me, violet eyes questioning. "I met someone on Libra. Someone important," I licked my dry lips. "Relena Peacecraft. Sh-she said she knew someone named... " what was the name? "Heero. Someone named Heero. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," he nodded, slowly, his mind obviously a million miles away. "I get it." I'm glad he did. I didn't know this Heero guy from a hole in the wall. Duo didn't tell me much about the Gundams. He thought he could keep me safe. Ha!
"Good," I smiled, closing my eyes again, and resting against him. He was so warm, and I was getting cold. I shivered, then stopped when I felt Duo's hand brush against my hair. I heard the door of the landing dock open, and I forced myself to open my eyes and look over. A tall woman, with bright blue eyes and sandy hair done up in twists walked in with a gurney. Ah, Sally.
She looked over at me and smiled, but I could see the worry in her eyes. I looked like hell. "Welcome aboard Peacemillian, Hilde," she said, in a kind, alto voice.
"Glad to be aboard," I answered back.
I attempted to walk over to her, but Duo had other plans. In a flash, he picked me up and carried me over as if I weighed no more than a feather. He sat me on the gurney and we faced each other again. His face was still filled with concern. And... guilt? He felt guilty for what had happened to me? But, I had done it by my own free will. That's how I do everything. My choice, no one else's.
Or course, with Duo's track record when it comes to people he's held dear... his parents.... Father Maxwell and Sister Helen... other people I'm sure he's not willing to tell me about, yet... well, maybe he just expects us all to die on him. Including me.
Suddenly, reassuring him was more important to me than that damned data disk had ever been. "Duo," I smiled, touching his cheek, "I'm not gonna die on you." He blinked at that, surprised I'd been so observant. "Hey, I'm technically your boss, right?" I joked, weakly. "Who ever gets rid of their boss that easily?"
He smiled back at me, slightly. "Lie down, Hilde," he said, giving me a bit of a push.
I did as he asked, and Sally put a blanket on me, telling me she was going to bring me to the infirmary to patch me up. I nodded my acknowledgment at her, and turned back to Duo, who still looked uncertain. My eyes were beginning to shut, tightly. I was going to be in the Land of Nod soon, but not before I got my point across.
"Listen to me, Duo Maxwell," I ordered, willing my eyes open one last time. He looked at me, eyebrows lifted in curiosity. "I am not going to die any time soon. Do you get that? I care about you, but I'm still going to live. Understood? You... " Time to take the gamble. "You... care about me, too, right?"
He jolted in shock a bit, then reached out to take one of my hands. "Yeah," he nodded, squeezing my hand, tight. "Yeah, I do."
"And I'm still here. You're not cursed, Duo," I smiled, finally allowing my eyes to close for good. "Like it or not, you're stuck with me."
I relaxed then, too tired to move. They must've thought I had gone to sleep, because they started talking to each other.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Duo asked, still concerned. Goofy lug.
"She's loss quite a bit of blood, and probably has some internal injuries," Sally admitted, voice professional. "But she'll make it fine. She's a toughie."
"She's insane," he corrected her, harsh. "She's a nutjob."
"But it seems," Sally said, in a wistful tone, "that she's your nutjob."
Duo laughed, slightly, squeezing my hand again. "Yeah. That she is. My nutjob." Something warm pressed on my forehead, and I realized, with surprise, that Duo had kissed me. "And, God help me, I think I love her for it."
If I had been in perfect health and completely awake, I probably would've fainted. In a way, it was almost a blessing that I was beaten as badly as I was. I would've made quite a scene. Squealing and jumping would've played a major part in it, I'm sure.
Instead, though, I was content to drift off into unconscious, with the knowledge that maybe that something more I had thought about earlier was possible. The gurney began to move, and Duo still held tight to my hand. And as I finally slipped into sleep, I had no doubt that he'd be there, still holding my hand, when I woke up.