Note to Disclaimers: I do not own Gundam Wing so please don't sue me. Please (I hope you will) enjoy the fanfic! ~Calima~

Nighttime Glimpses

A young man with a long chestnut colored braid roamed the dimming streets. It was a dark but busy night. He frowned slightly. "I'm famished." He said quietly to himself. "But where will I get something to eat? There are too many people around."

He wasn't alone on the street so he decided to head down an alley. He was alone in the alley, except for a young boy who was wandering aimlessly ahead of him. He stared at the boy and felt himself growing hungrier by the second. Then in a flash he was upon the boy, draining his essence mercilessly. When done, he left the boy in the alley, still alive but rather weak and shaky. He perched himself in a tree to watch the people who passed by.

'I wonder if anyone knows about me yet?' He thought as he leaned against the tree branch. Below him, the streets had started to empty themselves of the bustling. He jumped from his perch and headed toward his sanctuary. It was a dark, dingy area in an abandoned building off in the middle of the woods. Quietly, he slipped into his cache of darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wow, this is no fun…maybe I should take a walk." The young girl mused to herself.

She sat at her vanity, looking warily at her reflection. Dark midnight-blue hair, dull blue eyes, and pale skin framed a delicately heart shaped face. She sighed in boredom. 'Maybe if I had a friend, then taking a walk wouldn't seem so dull.' She thought to ask Relena, one of her very good friends, but often a busy one who didn't have time to take walks down the streets. It struck her to ask her roommate, Catherine Bloom, but she did not decide to.

"I think I'll save the walk for later this evening. By then, no one in town will be awake to question me." She said to her reflection. She slid the bandanna over her hair, changed into her nightgown and pulled the covers over her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, the girl with the dark hair awoke and headed out. Her simple black farm dress fit somewhat loosely over her slim figure. A white, starched bonnet covered her hair and her black shoes were caked with mud. She was walking through the forest thicket to her favorite place. There was a log and a small opening through the trees where the moonlight was able to show. This was her thinking place, her place to be herself. The air was sweet with the scent of pine and rich, fresh, crisp air. She laid back and rested on the leaves, closing her eyes so that they would be filled with visions.

From his place by the tree, he watched as the girl leaned back. She was different than most human women and men for that matter. He could tell easily. She had a small, delicate frame, meaning she was fragile like a flower. "She is enchanting." He breathed in. Suddenly his breath caught in his throat. She had sat up and was looking around.

"Hello? Is someone there?" She asked curiously. "Please do come out. I mean no disturbance or harm."

He chose to run, but something inside him pulled him from the shadows. He half stepped out from behind his tree. The girl looked at him with wonder. "Sir," She began, "is something the matter? You look deathly pale."

" I am quite fine Miss. I believe I have disturbed you." He stopped in front of her

She looked up at him. 'He so pale, yet so handsome and mysterious just like the moon and stars.' She smiled warmly. He had long, chestnut brown hair, which was pulled into a meter length braid. He was as pale as she was with dark, indigo eyes that shone in the silver moonlight. "Those eyes hold so much mystery…and so much more that I cannot describe.' She thought. She stood up and offered him her hand in a polite gesture. "Hello, I am Hilde Schibeiker. It is nice to meet you, sir."

He took her hand and kissed it softly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Duo Maxwell."

Hilde blushed profusely "So uh…where do you live, Sir Duo? Is it anywhere around here?"

He shook his head in response. "No, I am afraid I do not. I live wherever my hunger takes me." His indigo eyes pierced her blue one with a fierce intensity. 'She's very different.'

'He's so different from the normal person on the street. They stared at each other until Hilde cleared her throat, breaking the gaze. "Well, Sir Duo, it has been nice speaking with you. Perhaps we shall meet again. But I am afraid I must be going. The night wares later and I need to be in bed. Goodnight." Hilde said hesitantly. She waved, turned around and began running home.

Something about that boy sent shivers up and down her spine. His eyes were so mysterious. His skin, so pale, looked like death itself. She had reached her house sooner than she thought. She opened the door and stepped inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo followed her, swiftly flying from one tree branch to another. As she entered her house, he leapt down and peered into her window. She had taken off her dress and had replaced it with a nightgown. Her bonnet lay carelessly to the side. He was about to knock on the door, but a ray of sunshine started to break through the misty clouds. He gasped and began his dash to his sanctuary.

Hilde looked around. "Is someone there?" She asked. She had heard something, but didn't see anyone or anything. She opened the door slightly but was met with nothing to her vision. 'I was sure there was someone here.' She sighed and closed the door gently. As she climbed into bed, her mind began to drift to the beautiful stranger she had met in the woods earlier that day. He had such gorgeous eyes, such pale skin, and his aura was rather intriguing. 'I have to know who he is. I've never seen him around here…until tonight.' Just as Hilde began to fall into a slumber, Catherine walked in.

"Hilde, are you still up?" Catherine asked from her bedroom. "I brought some food home incase you're hungry."

"Thanks Cathy, but I feel too sleepy to eat. I'll see you later in the afternoon, okay?" Hilde replied.

"Okay. Sleep well Hilde." Catherine said as she closed her door.

Hilde turned over in her bed. She couldn't sleep. Every time she shut her eyes, the image of the mysterious boy filled her mind. Now she was more determined than ever to find out who he was. For a while, Hilde stared out the window, contemplating whether she should just get up or still attempt to sleep. She chose the latter and gingerly got out of her bed. 'Maybe I'll go into town today. I know I haven't slept, but I feel energized and it is the morning, after all.' Hilde slipped back into her farm dress and made her way into town. She hastily grabbed her bonnet and placed upon her head. With that completed, she headed toward the town in search of the young man.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ms. Schibeiker, here for the usual?"

"Yes, James. Um…can I have two more pounds of flour than I normally buy? Oh, and please add a box of the mocha chocolate to that too." Hilde stood outside the grocery store. She clicked her heels together while she waited for James to give her the order. When he was done, Hilde paid him, thanked him graciously and proceeded to her next stop. After exiting the stuffy flowed shop-the scents drover her allergies insane-Hilde started for the butcher shop. She was about to order when something caught her eye. 'A chestnut braid!' She walked up to the man in front of her and poked him lightly.

"Can I help you miss?" He said from behind is black shades.

"Sir Duo, is that you?" She questioned.

"Miss Hilde? Well, isn't this just lovely? So we have met again." He smiled.

"Sir, you are very lucky to have met Ms. Schibeiker. She is one of the nicer townspeople and rather helpful." Carl smiled at her. "Hilde, Mr. Maxwell here needed a place to stay. Perhaps he could stay at you boarding house. I believe Relena and Sally will be returning this evening. And if I'm not mistaken, that leaves one room open."

"I would appreciate it if you would allow me to stay there for sometime." Duo bowed. "Please, Miss Hilde?"

"Um…sure, why not? I don't see why you couldn't." Hilde said thoughtfully. "Shall I show you around the town then? This is my last errand." Duo nodded. "Very well then. Let us both finish here, then we can proceed with the rest of the day."

Duo nodded once more before following Hilde out of the butcher shop. Hilde walked briskly down the streets, every now and then pointing out things to Duo that were supposedly important to the town. Personally, Hilde didn't find the monuments that vital to the town's history. All in all she could care less whether they were torn down or not. In fact, she preferred that the townspeople tear them down. They were [the statues] tacky, bulky, and took up too much space in the town parks and the town square. She snorted.

"Is something wrong, Miss Hilde?" Duo asked politely. "You seem to be troubled by the town monuments."

"They are stupid and pointless." Hilde spat. "They are of no use to the town. They don't even tell the true history of the town. It is all dumb."

"Why, I've never heard someone speak of his or her hometown in such a manner! I'm am appalled!" Duo feigned surprise. Truthfully, he knew that she didn't like her living place. Her selection would have been somewhere far off in the mountains. Not in a village in the middle of nowhere.

"Don't be appalled, Sir Duo." She grumbled. "I may be polite, but when it comes to expressing my thoughts, I am quite blunt."

"I can see that." He commented.

Hilde smiled mentally. She enjoyed his company very much. She couldn't help but grin stupidly when she realized that he would be staying at her house for a bit. He was so mysterious…so handsome. She was looking forward to getting to know more about him. 'Maybe we'll become friends. Hm…I'll have to introduce him to Relena, Cathy, and Sally.' She had become so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice they were at her house. "Oh well, what do you know, we're here."

"You have quite a lovely place." Duo flattered the house as he sat down on a large oak chair. "Tell me Miss Hilde, did you receive this as a gift or did you buy it?"

"I received it as a gift from my grandmother. Some of this furniture belongs to the other boarders, or as they should be referred to, my other roommates." Hilde responded while she put away her groceries.

"May I help you with that?" Duo smiled kindly. Hilde nodded. "Miss Hilde, when will your roommates arrive? I would like to meet them formally, if that it quite all right."

"Well, everyone living here has a different schedule. My friend Catherine Bloom is a nurse so she is most likely napping right now before she has to go on her nightshift at the hospital. Dorothy Catalonia is an officer for the town. She protects the people, so she is probably on call right now…but she'll be by sooner or later." Hilde took a breath and a sip of water. "Relena Peacecraft is the mayor's sister and works with the town's board of directors. She's at a meeting right now, but she'll be here in a while. Lastly, Sally Po is a doctor at the same hospital where Catherine is a nurse. She is home whenever she gets the chance, but that's very rare. Her room is normally clean, quiet, but rather dusty due to the lack of time she has to straighten it up."

"Your friends sound interesting. I believe I know Relena Peacecraft." Duo said.

"Oh? She never mentioned you before. Were you seeing her? Or are you a relative of some sort?" Hilde felt her skin crawl at the thought of Relena winning the heart of the beautiful stranger. "Please tell me, I don't want Heero to be upset."

"Who is Heero?" Duo asked curiously. In truth, he knew Heero. Heero was his friend.

"Heero is her current bodyguard." Hilde answered. "You aren't-

"No, no. Relena and I knew each other when we were young, but there is nothing going on between us." Duo chuckled wildly. "That is a most silly thought, Miss Hilde."

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your business." Hilde's face was flushed with embarrassment.

"HILDE, I AM HOME NOW!" Relena's voice rang out. "I'M GOING TO BE ON BREAK FOR AN HOUR WHILE MILLIARDO TAKES CARE OF THE BOARD! HILDE, ARE YOU HERE?"

"I'm in the kitchen. We have a visitor." Hilde said.

Relena walked into the kitchen and dropped her paperwork. Her eyes widened and she stood stunned before letting out a happy shout. She ran to him and threw her arms around him a tight hug. "DUO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Nice to see you too, Lena." Duo smiled. "So, who is this…Heero guy?"

"I barely see you and you ask me who my bodyguard is?" Relena giggled merrily. "Oh Duo, you haven't changed at all. Please, Hilde, let us all go to the room and talk over some tea."

"All right." Hilde looked shocked at Relena's outburst. When they had sat down and Hilde had served the tea, she turned to Relena in wonderment. "Relena, how did you and Duo become friends?"

"When I was in first grade, a bully had tried to make me eat sand, and Duo came to my rescue. It is really weird I know, but we have been friends ever since." Relena smiled.

"Oh, wow!" Hilde grinned. "That's amazing!"

"Hilde, when did you meet Duo?" Relena asked.

"I was taking one of my usual walks, and we just ran into each other." Hilde said honestly. "We talked and then I ran into him again at the butcher shop. Carl asked if he could stay here since Sir Duo is new in town and I obliged. It never occurred to me that he knew you or anyone else for that matter."

"Haha…Duo and I go back a long ways, but that doesn't matter. I'm just glad to see you." She said to Duo. "I've missed you so much, my friend."

"And I have missed you as well. But tell me, Lena, who is this…Heero?" Duo inquired again. "He seems most interesting from what Miss Hilde has told me."

"He is my personal bodyguard, Duo. He was hired by my brother to protect me when I'm not working." Relena stated. "But I think it's really silly; it's not like anything ever happens in this town."

"So you say, Lena." Duo observed.

"Oh well, gosh, look at the time, I got to go fro a bit. Catherine is expecting lunch and I agreed to bring it to her. She's working full time today, you know." Relena packed a lunch quickly. "I'll see you both later! Bye Hilde! Bye Duo!"

They both waved her off and returned to their previous conversation. Hilde showed Duo to his room and gave him his clean sheets along with the bedspread, pillowcases, and cover. He thanked her and then she was gone. Hilde wandered back to her room, finally plopping on the bed from exhaustion. In reality, she didn't understand why she was so tired. She felt drain but at the same time she felt empty. She was craving something yet she didn't know what it was that she wanted. For the next hour before Dorothy was to come home, Hilde stared at the ceiling, pondering what he situation was. After a while, she tired of watching the ceiling and decided to go outside where she played amply with her musket. Hilde shot a couple of birds for dinner before entering the house again.

When she arrived back in the house, she spotted Duo sitting by the fire. He had changed his clothing, but the colors were still the same. She gazed in awe as he stood and stretched in front of the fire. Suddenly something caught her eye. A long, silver necklace dangled form his neck. The ornament was an elaborately designed cross with an eye in the middle. Hilde was in shock. The eye had begun to glow a reddish hue that Hilde was sure wasn't normal. She had just started to wonder when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Is something the matter, Miss Hilde?" Duo's voice broke through the thick silence. "You appear to be staring at my necklace, yes?" Hilde nodded fervently. "I am not surprised. Many people stare at my necklace for it is most unusual-if I do say so myself-but you need not wonder about it. It is quite normal. It was given to me by my foster mother, Sister Helen."

"Sister Helen? Foster Mother?" Hilde's shock resumed itself upon her face. "Sir Duo, you were an orphan?"

"Yes, of sorts." He smirked. "But that does not bother me at all. I was quite happy where I was. Sister Helen was a very good mother."

"I'm sorry, Sir Duo. I shouldn't have asked nor should I have been staring. It is most sinful for a woman to do such." Hilde blushed brightly. "My apologies again, Sir Duo."

"They are not needed, Miss Hilde." Duo grinned, took her hand, and kissed it gently. "And please, Miss Hilde, call me Duo. The sir is much too formal and I believe we are friends now."

"Um…you may call me Hilde. The Miss is rather funny, I agree." Hilde laughed. "It is getting late, Duo. I think I shall go take a nap. I shall see you in an hour." With that, Hilde walked to her room and set herself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, in the living room, Duo was grasping his head in pain. 'I can't do it. I won't so it. She is far too innocent.' His mind screamed in protest, but his body fought and prevailed. He crept into Hilde's room, stealthily brushing her hair aside from her neck. 'I can't!' The urge of hunger was too strong and he began to lower himself to her flesh. Suddenly Hilde turned over in her sleep. Duo snapped from his daze and darted out of the room, accidentally knocking over a vase with flowers in it. The vase fell to the floor, shattering to a million pieces. Hilde woke with a start. She scanned the room but found not intruder.

She stepped out of the bed, cautious to make no noise as to distract the assailant. When she came to the living room, the fire was out and Duo was leaning against the window seal, staring off into space. He appeared as though he was tired and his shoulders were sagging slightly. She strode over to him and touched his shoulder. "Did you hear anyone just now? There was someone is the house."

"I heard no one." Duo replied quietly.

"Are you feeling all right?" Hilde questioned with worry. "You feel rather cold."

Duo turned to her. His eyes flashed angrily. At the corner of his mouth was blood, but Hilde didn't notice. Hilde took in the paleness of his skin, the silkiness of his chestnut hair, and the intricateness of his finely etched face that was clear in the silver moonlight. She reached up to touch his face; her fingers had just brushed his skin when he placed his hand over hers. His hand curled around hers, tightly securing it to his cheek. Hilde blushed but she couldn't move. She started to pull her hand away but Duo wouldn't allow it. "Duo…is something wrong?"

"I…I need the essence…the l…life…please help…me…" Duo's eyes closed gracefully and he slumped on the window seal. His hand fell from Hilde's, landing on his side.

Hilde shrieked. "RELENA! CATHY! ANYONE PLEASE HELP!"

(Well…I think this was kind of weird, but I hope some people like it. This is my first Duo/Hilde fic and if you don't like that couple well…I don't know why you'd read it or why you did if you did read it. Anyway, please R&R and be kind and refined. No really rude comments, but constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks!) ~Calima~