Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

-Well like you guys asked for here is chapter three.

Mission of Mercy

Chapter 3 'Shopping'

* * * * * * * * * * * One year later

Hilde pulled her hair into a ponytail after she exited the community shower and tried to remember what the agenda was for today. 'Oh yeah, it's Saturday. No school.' She actually was a little disappointed. She loved teaching the children every one of them were so bright. She knew that somehow they would get out of this town and live the life they deserved. Relena and her both suffered as each child did. Their struggle to grasp the language was theirs as well as the child's.

The high school had been completed only a month ago. It had been a hard struggle to get it built. No one seemed to understand what they were working for. They didn't want to give them money, supplies or teachers. That's where Relena fit in perfectly. Her skills as a negotiator made her the ideal person for the job and sooner or later the people would give in and the community would get what they wanted. In face Hilde bet that Relena was in the office right now fighting over something. She pulled on her tank top and khaki shorts before she went to find her friend and tell her the shower was free. She didn't have to look long because Relena's enraged voice could be heard echoing throughout the tent.

"What do you mean you can't afford to give us new text books. These things are outdated by at least eight years." She screamed into the phone. "Some of them more." Her voice was quiet for a moment as she listened to the man on the other line. "So you can afford to get books for children going to rich school, but the schools who need your support and the funds are beyond your help. It that what I'm hearing." She stopped for a moment a grin spread across her face. "Well that's more like it Mr. Gram. I knew that you would see it my way." She paused again. "Yes, we need science, math, English and history for k through high school." She nodded. "Well thank you for you corporation. I'll get back to you on the number of students. Yes, I'll have the number by Monday. No thank you." Relena smiled and set the radio receiver on the desk and leaned back propping her feet on the wood. She turned and grinned at Hilde. "We've got a very generous book company who is willing to send us knew text books." She smiled slyly. "I only took slight negotiation."

Hilde laughed and put her hand on Relena's shoulder. "You've been fighting with those guys since we got here. They're just go sick of your mouth." Relena's laughter joined hers.

"Maybe." Relena mused, "but that just proves how good I am or that being a pest has it's rewards." She giggled and noted Hilde's wet hair. "What happened to your hair dryer?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, the radio is used so often and the batteries are so hard to come by I figured I could live with wet hair." Hilde smiled. "It's not like someone I know was dropping me hints or anything either."

Relena shrugged. "Your good deeds are all your own." Relena pulled her feet off the desk and onto the ground. "Does this mean the shower is free?" She asked.

"Yep, but you'd better hurry." Hilde smiled at her. "You know you won't get a hot one is Bulzer gets in first." She smirked. "For a guy he can be such a girl."

Relena leaped to her feet. "I'm going to head straight for the shower. Will you bring me a towel?"

"Sure." Hilde told her and watched as the woman took off through the tent trying to beat Bulzer to the shower. She must have made it too, because she heard a stream of curses from Bulzer as he entered the bathroom.

Hilde laughed and went to get Relena's towel. The place was short on everything and each volunteer had three towels. They had to wash them with their other laundry and lay them out to dry. Wash day came once a week on Sunday. Everyone would bring their laundry to the wash hole and wash their clothes, or the families. The children would hang everything on the clotheslines for them to dry. Things were so simple here Hilde couldn't imagine ever leaving. A doctor came every week just in case and would drive in if called. Hilde entered Relena's room and saw her towels thrown haphazardly across her cot. She grabbed one and headed back to the bathroom. By now Relena was probably done.

"I was wondering were in the hell you were!" Relena called in mock anger. "Now give me my towel."

Hilde thought about running with it, but Relena had gotten her back last time by stealing not only her towel, but her clothes as well. "Here." She said and passed it over the stall.

"That felt good." Relena told her and emerged a few moments later wearing a spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of cut off blue jeans. She squeezed the excess water out of her know short golden locks and pulled it into a bun much like Hilde's was. "You ready to start the day?" She asked. Hilde nodded and followed her outside. She couldn't believe how much they'd changed.

Relena smiled as the children waved at them as they passed through the streets. One of them, an American orphan ran to her and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Can I go to town with you today?" He asked his eyes widening. "I've never seen it before."

The child's innocent eyes played on her heart. "Sure little guy, but only this time." She told him and picked up the six-year-old.

"Hey Miss Hillary." He called from over Relena's shoulder.

"Hey there, Deacon." She smiled. "You coming with us today?" He nodded and smiled widely at her.

"I've never been there before." His violet eyes sparkled with anticipation.

He reminded Hilde so much of Duo, it almost hurt to look at his innocent face. Hilde wondered if Relena ever thought of the life she'd left behind. Hilde, herself, didn't think of it too often, but sometimes at night she missed her friends and more than anyone, Duo. Hilde shut the thoughts from her mind and focused on the day's shopping trip. They had a tight budget to follow and too much that need to be bought.

Relena strapped Deacon into the back of their beat up jeep and jumped into the passenger seat. "Your turn to drive, Hill." She called and grinned as if it was a privilege.

Hilde hated driving on the bumpy road. "Oh thank you." She told her and smiled mockingly. I don't know what to say." Hilde turned the key and started the hold jeep that she had begun to like more than when they first got it. Sure it was ugly, but had never caused them problems. She turned and backed out of the village and headed for town.

It took about thirty minutes to get there and Relena spent most of the time trying to entertain Deacon. It didn't take much though. He was just fascinated by the animals that would appear every once in a while and Relena would happily tell him what it was. Hilde joined in as well and most of the ride went pretty smoothly.

Relena loved her knew life, she loved the people and the fact that every day she was doing something for someone else. Never would she win an award for her work or be looked at as an idol. She and Hilde had become closer friends over the years and she couldn't think of ever being separated from her best friend. Still she thought of home. Especially at night when she was alone, she thought of her brother and her sister in law, her niece. Sometimes though Relena would find herself thinking about him, Heero. She wondered about him and wished that she had talked to him before she left, not to tell him where she was going, but to… Her thoughts trailed off and she sank into her seat and tried to focus on what was at hand, shopping, and not just any kind of shopping. Shopping that involved lots of bargaining and negotiation. The kind that made Relena feel alive every time someone argued. She wasn't the only one who enjoyed it. So did Hilde. Every once in a while she would argue, and when she got mad Relena didn't even want to bother with her. She smiled. 'What would I do if I didn't have these merchants to bug?' She thought, 'or Hilde either.' Soon the jeep pulled into town and Hilde pulled out her list.

"Okay, first stop Helen's." She looked at the list for a moment. "We're out of soap, shampoo, deodorant, and great this won't be easy to get."

"What?" Relena asked as she unstrapped Deacon. Relena could feel the urge to fight already.

"I can't believe this." Hilde mumbled. "She asked us to find some perfumed body wash. Can you believe this she wants forty bottles of it." Hilde shook her head. "She must have gone off the deep end."

Relena nodded. "I knew she would crack one day." She adjusted Deacon on her hip and looked at Hilde. "Well let's try to get it without losing funds or dealing off the black market."

"Well she left us eighty extra dollars to do it with." Hilde told her and smiled. "Maybe she knows something we don't"

Relena shrugged and scanned the streets as usual they were full. People lined the streets some trying to buy, but most trying to sale. You had to be careful whom you dealt with in the market. Most of the street merchants stole their items from stores and jacked up the price. They never bought off the street. Relena held Deacon closer as he pointed at each and every new thing and demanded to know what it was. She always answered him. They pushed their way through the market until they reached a store near the end of the strip. Painted clumsily on the outside was 'Helen's soaps and such.' Relena put Deacon on the floor as they entered, but held his hand. "Don't talk okay Deacon. Not right now and stick close by me and Miss Hillary, okay."

The little boy nodded. "I will." He told her and held his fingers up. "Scouts honor."

Relena laughed and followed Hilde to the back of the store where Helen was. The workers just waved them back.

"Hello ladies." Helen's raspy voice invited them in to her office. "I looks like it's shopping day once again." She smiled.

Relena forced herself to smile back the woman was purely in the business for money, not because she needed to feed her family, but because she wanted to money. She was greedy and the worst type of person to try and deal with.

"Always a pleasure." Hilde said and shook the woman's wrinkled hand.

"Same here." Relena told her and took the gnarled hand in her own.

"Well, what will it be this week?" She asked and smiled.

Hilde looked at the list and read off the standard order of soap, shampoo, and deodorant." Hilde kept her temper under control as the woman tried to con them out of their money. "Helen, don't play." Hilde told her, her voice incredibly calm. "We bought the supplies for less than that last week and I know for a fact that prices haven't risen." It took at little bit of coaxing but Helen eventually caved.

Relena smiled happily. "Thank you Helen." She smiled and got up to leave. If Helen had something new she would tell them before they left in hope they would buy it. Hilde smiled at her as she paid the money and went to get their boxes.

"Wait," She called after them. "I have something new, that your preserve might be interested in." Her voice rose slyly.

"What's that?" Relena asked trying to keep the urgency out of her voice.

"Well I've just come in contact with a very interesting and rare product." She paused hoping to build suspense, but no one seemed to care that much. She frowned and continued. "Body wash." She laughed. "Only your refuge would care for such a frivolous product." She smiled.

Hilde didn't smile or show any interest. "I don't think we're interested Helen." Hilde told her and we turned to leave.

"Wait." Helen called. "I haven't even told you my price."

Hilde turned back around, but Relena played her part kept herself facing the door. She made sure she could hear what they were saying as she left. "Come on Hilde." Relena said and disappeared out the door. As soon as Relena was far enough out she scooped Deacon into her arms and whispered in his ear. "Listen to Miss Hillary tell that woman, how to do it." She told the child and smiled as she put her fingers to her lips.

"I'll give you twenty bottles for one hundred dollars." She said. "That is a bargain price."

Hilde sighed. "I have more important things to buy and little money to spare." She looked at Helen harshly. "Unless you have something else, I'm done here."

"How about eighty dollars." She ventured.

'Testing your waters huh Helen. We know you better than that.' Relena followed the conversation and grinned when Hilde countered again.

"No not interested Helen." She told her and began to walk out again.

"Fine you wore me down." She said her voice rising with anticipation. "I can give you a good deal." She paused as if lowering her price would kill her. "I'll give you fifty bottles for seventy-five dollars."

'Don't act too excited.' Relena coached her mentally.

"I don't know Helen that's still a lot of money."

'Good, Helen will think she's wearing you down.' Relena grinned they were going to get it. She held her breath and hoped that Helen was in a very good mood.

"My LAST offer." She spat at Hilde. "I'll give you forty bottles for seventy dollars."

Hilde didn't answer immediately. "You know Helen I might be able to use that. I guess you've got a deal." Hilde smiled at her and Helena felt as if she'd won a major battle. Hilde handed over the money and went to get their purchases.

Relena made her way to the front of the store and pretended to be looking at some stuff. She knew Hilde would come out in a moment with a grin on her face. She was right and Relena smiled at Deacon. "I told you she could do it." She whispered to him. "And I think that you are good luck." Relena grinned and went to help Hilde with their purchases. They checked each box and took one of Helen's carts so they could carry it with them. No one else was as exhausting as Helen was and soon the shopping was done and they had some extra money to buy the children each a piece of candy for school on Monday.

"That went perfect." Relena said clapping her hands and loading their purchases in the cart hooked to the back of the jeep and tied everything down. Relena slid into the driver's seat when the sound of a radio caught her attention.

"Today marks the anniversary of the death of Relena Peacecraft and her friend Hilde Sheickberg as well as the doomed passengers of flight 547 to Hawaii."

Relena stopped dead and looked at Hilde. "Did you hear that." She almost screamed at her. The pale expression on Hilde's face confirmed it. They sat unmoving to listen.

"A memorial is to be held today at noon. We hope that the Peacecrafts will remain in all of our prayers on this tragic day." The broadcast faded out and Relena turned the keys of the jeep. 'No wonder no one ever looked for us.' Her mind screamed. 'Everyone thinks your dead.' Relena couldn't think of a thing to say until they had unloaded all of the groceries and told Tutain about the great deals they had gotten. After giving her the extra money both retired to Relena's room.

So…???? You likes? Tell me.

Thanks for all of you who reviewed the last two chapters. *Gives everyone a hug* I love you guys!!!!