Changes

The waiter seated Duo and Hilde. The two young people had a lovely view of the water front form their table on the terrace. The scenery was beautiful. The trees, the flowers, the lake. And if you looked across the water, you could see the faint lights of the castle.

"I can see why you'd want to move here, Hilde," Duo said, "The whole place is beautiful."

"Suited for an angel such as yourself," a voice said inside Hilde's mind. The voice wasn't Duo's, her parents', or even her own. This voice was lower, deep, and soft. Caring, but also very pained. Familiar, yet Hilde cannot recall ever meeting some one with such a soothing voice. She had been hearing the phantom speak in her mind ever since the Eve Wars had ended.

"Some thing here sure is beautiful," Hilde said, gazing at the castle, "But the scenery was merely a secondary reason for my moving to the Cinq Kingdom."

"Hilde?" Duo asked, confused. He looked over at Hilde and saw a deep sadness in her eyes.

"Duo, I'm sorry," Hilde said, on the verge of tears.

"Sorry about what? Hilde, what's wrong?" Duo asked her, concern filling his voice.

"Please tell him, Angel," The voice in Hilde's head told her.

Hilde blinked the tears out of her eyes, and looked over at Duo. He reached across the table and put his hands on Hilde's.

"Hilde, what is it?" Duo asked again.

"Duo, I'm sorry. I don't think I love you anymore. I think we should break up," Hilde said. She began crying. Duo panicked.

"Hilde? I... I... umm... Oh, damn... Hilde... Why?" Duo just barely choked out. Hilde sighed, got out of her chair and ran away form Duo.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is stupid," Zechs said to his reflection in the mirror. He combed his hair, and sighed, "I'm not even going out with her, why do we have to call off some thing that doesn't exist?"

"Because," He thought to himself, "She thinks it exists."

Some one knocked at Zechs' bedroom door. He pulled himself away from his mirror and walked to the door. Zechs pulled the antique door open to find his butler standing in front of him.

"Master Milliardo, Miss Lucretia has arrived and is waiting for you in the parlor." The servant said.

"Thank you for informing me," Zechs told him, "I will be down momentarily. Please inform my sister that I wish to be left alone."

The servant bowed and left the hallway. Zechs closed the door with a force that shook even the stone constructed castle. The prince cursed as one of the candle holders fell over, blowing out the four candles it held. Zechs picked it up, and set it back in it's place.

"Well, I guess I'd better go break the bad news to Noin," Zechs told himself out loud. He left his room, and traveled though the cavernous Peacecraft castle.

When Zechs walked into the parlor, the first thing he noticed was how dimly lit the room was. All but two of the twenty candles had been blown out. Zechs walked right to the fire place and set fire to the kindling, the from there re-lit the other candles.

"It can get so dark in here," Zechs stated the obvious, but really knew why Noin was sitting in the dark, and was thwarting her plans. When Zechs had called Noin, she thought he was planning on seducing her, and she planned on seducing him back. Unfortunately for Noin, Zechs plans were different.

Noin looked crestfallen when Zechs re-lit the room. She watched him shut the parlor doors, and seat himself in the most uncomfortable chair in the room. The chair was a black over-stuffed peice of furniture that had belonged to Zechs' father, and happened to survive the two invasions of the Cinq Kingdom. It was fierce looking, stiff and cold. Sometimes, it could perfectly match Zechs' personality.

"We really need to put electricity in more rooms than just the library," Zechs said. Noin nodded, then shivered. She was only wearing a slinky evening gown, while Zechs was dressed elaborately in full Cinq Kingdom formal wear. The prince's wardrobe for the evening consisted of two shirts, a scarf, vest, heavy coat, pants, and boots.

"Cold?" Zechs asked.

"Yes. Maybe we should go sit by the fire," Noin said, trying to seduce Zechs.

"No thank you. I'm fine here," Zechs said, "Noin, we need to talk."

"Oh? What about?" Noin asked.

"All this formality is a waste of my time!" Zechs shouted as he got up, "Noin, I'm dumping you! We're through!"

Zechs stormed out of the parlor and went back to his room. He re-lit the candles that he had previously knocked over. Zechs sighed as he opened the french doors and walked out onto his balcony. Zechs leaned against the balcony wall and look across the lake at lights of the city. A cold breeze blew past and Zechs closed his ice blue eyes. He shivered, but not because he was cold.

Zechs walked back inside, shutting the doors behind him. He knelt beside his bed and began to pray.

"Dear Lord Almighty, I'm miserable without her. That angel. Please send her back to me," Zechs said. He then got up, stripped down to his underpants and crawled into his bed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up! Wake up!" Relena called, jumping on her brother's bed.

"Ohh..." Zechs groaned, sitting up, "I was having the most wonderful dream."

"Was it about me?" Relena asked.

"Yeah. You died," Zechs laughed. Relena glared at her brother as he rolled out of bed.

"Well, get dressed all nice today!" Relena ordered

"Why?" Zechs sleepily asked.

"It's Heero's birthday today, and I'm holding his party here," Relena practically screamed.

"Alright. What time is it now?" Zechs asked as he stumbled into his closet.

"Half past one," Relena said, "In the afternoon."

"It's one-thirty? Why'd you wake me up so early?" Zechs said, sorting through his forest of clothes. He pulled out some garments and tossed them on his un-made bed.

"Lena, get out." Zechs said.

"Why?" Relena asked, clueless.

"I'm going to get dressed. I want some privacy." Zechs told her. Relena sighed and left the room.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The phone rang for the fifth time. The ringer continually beckoned to be picked up. Finally it was answered.

"Hilde?!" Duo called into his end of the phone.

"Yes. Who is this?" Hilde sadly spoke into the telephone.

"It's Duo! What took you so long to pick up?" Duo asked.

"I... I don't know." Hilde sighed.

"Well anyway, Hilde. It's Heero's birthday today. I wanna know if you wanna come to his party with me," Duo cheerfully said.

"Duo, I told you. I don't... I don't love you anymore. I really am sorry, but no second chance," Hilde told Duo.

"Hil-da, I know that! I meant just go as friends," Duo sang in a cheerful tone.

"Oh, alright then. Where is Heero having his party?" Hilde asked.

"Relena's having the whole thing at the castle. I'll pick you up in an hour, okay?" Duo suggested.

"Alright. See you then." Hilde bid him farewell, then hung up.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By five o'clock, all the beds were made, all the candles were replaced and lit, the floors were swept, and the castle looked beautiful. Heero Yuy stood in front of the full length mirror, looking at himself dressed in the traditional Cinq Kingdom clothing.

"Why am I dressed like this?" Heero asked aloud.

"Because you let my sister walk all over you," Zechs said, walking in from the balcony.

"I do not!" Heero protested. Zechs rolled his eyes and glanced at his own appearance. Zechs had chosen to wear his white suit, the he had worn while acting as goodwill ambassador to the colonies.

"By the way, how many people will be here tonight, to honor the joyous anniversary of your birth," Zechs said.

"Well... Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Wufei. There's four. Hilde, Cathrine, Sally, Noin, Dorothy. Five. I guess that's it, nine. Twelve if you count you, me and Relena." Heero told him.

"Alright. I'm going back to my room. Send some one for me when the guests arrive." Zechs said as he left the room. Walking down the hallway, Zechs practically tripped over his sister. Relena turned at looked at her older brother.

"Zechs, some of our guests have arrived," Relena said.

"Okay. Who's here?" Zechs asked.

"Noin and Dorothy," Relena told him.

"I see." Zechs said, continued to walk toward his room.

"Brother, aren't you going to go and see Noin?" Relena asked curiously.

"Relena, Noin and I broke up last night. I have no desire to see her," Zechs said plainly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Milliardo. Do you want me to get you when the other Gundam pilots show up?" Relena asked in her sweetest voice.

"Sure. That would be fine." Zechs told her as he walked into his room.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon everyone had arrived at Heero's party. All the guests were having fun and enjoying themselves. Well, almost everyone. Hilde sat alone on the terrace outside, looking over the water.

"I bet he's looked out over the water too," Hilde sighed out loud.

"I have," The voice in her mind said. Except it was no longer merely contained in her head. Hilde looked around and saw no one, save a few swans that cruised the lake's surface.

"And every time I look at the water, the moon, anything, I think of you, my angel." The voice said again. Hilde stood up and looked around again. On one of the upper story balconies, stood Zechs Merquise. It had been nearly two years since she'd first, quite literally, run in to him aboard Libra.

"Zechs?" Hilde asked, distantly.

"For two years I've loved you, missed you, gone insane with out you," Zechs said.

"No more," Hilde said, "I've felt the same way. But no longer will we have to be apart."

Zechs leaned down on the balcony wall, and looked at the ground. He was judging the distance of a jump. It was nineteen and a half feet to the ground, nearly three times his height. The prince decided against the jump.

"I'm sorry," Zechs called down, "I don't even know your name. I am so ashamed."

"Don't be, Zechs. My name is Hilde Sphbiker," Hilde introduced herself.

"Not for much longer then," Zechs told her, a smile growing on his face.

"Why?" Hilde asked, confused.

"You will be, soon, Hilde Merquise."


The End