PATHS OF LIFE
Chapter Four

Written by Ice Dragoness

Unfortunately for him, the first thing that came out of Duo's mouth was "What are you DOING HERE?!?!"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?? What are you doing here?!" Hilde demanded, her fists clenching at her sides.

"I fight!"

"And so do I!!" Hilde exclaimed angrily as she stepped forward, ignoring the blackish-blue lock of hair that fell into her eye. She pointed her index finger at his chest, poking him. "I have just as much of a right to fight as you!"

"No you don't!" shouted Duo, but was cut off by Relena.

"It's not her fault," Relena said sharply. "I invited her here."

"And what are you doing here?" asked Duo, turning on Relena. "You don't fight!"

Hilde slipped out of the hangar as Relena and Duo started arguing. Only Relena saw her leave. Hilde mouthed the words "my room", and Relena nodded almost imperceptibly.

Duo noticed that her gaze, which had been centered on him, slid over his shoulder and rested for a moment, then settled back on him. In a flash of suspicion, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Where did Hilde go?!" he asked Relena, who glared firmly back at him without flinching.

"Like I'd tell you," Relena snapped.

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Duo demanded.

"All you'll do is hurt her more. You may be the most important person in the world to her," Relena shot back. "But she doesn't need you breathing down her neck every second of the day!!"

"I worry about her!!" Duo cried.

Relena's face softened slightly, but Duo noticed that anyway. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "Will you please tell me where Hilde is now?"

"Do you promise you won't try to get her to stop fighting?" Relena returned, her voice firm.

Duo paused thoughtfully, tugging slightly on his long brown braid. He bit his lip. "Yes." I feel like an idiot. She's not my mother.

Relena sighed, glanced upwards, and told him how to get to Hilde's room. Duo nodded his thanks, left, and Relena rolled her eyes. What an idiot! she thought, but smiled slightly anyways.

Duo was stock-still as he nervously knocked on Hilde's closed door. "Hilde? Are you in there?" he asked.

"Go away!" was the abrupt response. Yup, Hilde's in there, Duo thought, slightly amused, but more morose.

"I just want to talk to you . . ." he said as he leaned on the door.

Duo nearly fell over as Hilde opened her door abruptly. "What?" she demanded. Duo, to his chagrin, noticed that she had been crying, but it was not very noticeable.

"Um, can I talk to you?" he asked tentatively.

Hilde nodded sharply and gestured for him to come in. "Yes?" she asked in a quieter tone.

"I'm sorry about what I said before, I just got really angry," he apologized, tugging on his braid again.

"I am, too, but I don't understand why you won't let me fight," said Hilde. "I want to fight for the people, but I also want to fight because . . ." Hilde trailed off, embarrassed.

Duo looked at her. "Because . . .?" he questioned.

Hilde looked away and blushed slightly. "Because - because I want to prove to you that I'm capable of taking care of myself when I fight. Prove to you that I'm not a little girl who needs to be taken care of."

Duo sighed. "I just worry about you. Because I love you."

Hilde smiled. "Then you wouldn't mind if I do . . . this?" she asked right before she kissed him, full on the lips.

After some "French lessons", Duo grinned. "Of course not. You think I'd mind if a beautiful girl kissed me?" he asked in mock surprise as Hilde laughed.

"I can't believe it!" Zechs Merquise shouted in the general direction of his fiancee, Lucrezia Noin. "I can't do a thing about this Clan because all we're relying on are the Gundams! My rivals!"

"Zechs -" Noin tried to intervene, but he ignored her.

"I hate being helpless! No more mobile suit production, so we can't fight back!"

"Why don't you -"

"What do you think, Noin!? You're just being silent over there!!"

"SHUT UP, ZECHS!!!" Noin screamed, finally getting fed up. "I've been trying to talk to you! Why don't you restart the abandoned mobile suit factories - they're still standing. We could form the Earth Defensive Task Force, and call it the EDTF for short," she suggested, slightly calmer now. "We could use people we know and trust to recruit soldiers. We could fight back!"

Zechs stared at her long and hard for a few moments. "I'll think about it," he said grudgingly.

Noin rolled her eyes.

"Noin, I thought a lot during the night, and I've got an idea. Why don't we restart the abandoned mobile suit factories - they're still standing. We could form the Earth Defensive Task Force, and call it the EDTF for short. We could use people we know and trust to recruit soldiers. We could fight back!"

Noin stared at him, mouth hanging open. She stared at him for a few minutes in astonishment, then sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Do whatever you want," she said through gritted teeth. "Give me some say on the MS's and their pilots, though." He's using the exact same words as I did! she thought indignantly.

What's her problem? Zechs wondered vaguely as he left to look at the MS factories. The closest one was nearby, and he wanted to see if it still worked.

Men, thought Noin darkly. They're all alike.

"Relena, your mission now is to destroy a small Viper Clan outpost. It's fairly far away, and you're going solo," Doctor J confided, and Relena nodded. "Here are the coordinates," he instructed, handing her a piece of paper.

Relena nodded again and studied the paper. Not too far away, but it would take some time. "I'll get right on it," she promised and he nodded approvingly.

Relena activated Draco's thrusters as she exited the hangar. I wonder if Duo's going to tell the others? she wondered as she sped across the desert sand. And what will he say? No need to worry about that, I need to focus on the mission, she reminded herself.

It took about three quarters of an hour to get there. The building itself looked ordinary, but Doctor J had informed her that there was an underground mobile suit factory there. There should be a hangar entrance somewhere around here, she thought as she scanned the area.

"Got it!" Relena exclaimed out loud as she noticed a slight dip in the sand near the building. Ingenious, she thought admiringly. They had fixed the sand with a chemical that would allow something very heavy to sink down under the sand and to an underground lair. Underground lair? she thought amusedly to herself as she started to enter the compound. I sound like a video game.

Something's not right here, she thought instantly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the area around her. Her instincts were setting off alarm bells in her head. There's no one here at all that I can see!! Not even a few guards! she thought. Y'know, she thought suddenly, This would be the plot in a movie where the enemy would ambush me - Her thinking was cut off by a sudden beam saber slash from her right. The beam managed to pierce the Gundanium/Titanium armor around Draco and melted part of a wall around the cockpit. Her shoulder got caught slightly in the blow and she was injured with a deep cut on her shoulder blade.

"Aaah!" she cried out involuntarily. Did they know I was here? she asked herself in a frenzy. I've got to get out of here!! she thought desperately as she was hurt again - this time a deep gash in her leg. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she willed them away and took a deep breath. It didn't help. It feels like a hatchet's lodged into my leg all the way down to my bone! she thought.

I can't give up, she thought, but it was a weak and unwilling thought. But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, she amended hastily as she was attacked again and almost got knocked out from a blow to the head.

Relena backed up and flew out of the Viper outpost. Great! she thought sarcastically as the mobile suits, which in the light were revealed as Tauruses, followed her. I've got to get out of here! she thought. Draco was much faster than the Tauruses, so she outstripped them easily on her way back to base.

Relena stumbled out of Draco's cockpit when she was in the hangar, and the pain caught up with her full force. While she was in the fight and being chased, the adrenaline flooding her body blocked most of the pain, but the rush was over. Gratefully offering the kami a thankful prayer, she noticed that Hilde and Duo were in the hangar working on Phantasm.

"Hilde," she called out weakly. Her companion's head turned toward her and her mouth opened in surprise as she noted Relena's injuries. Hilde pulled Duo down the long staircase quickly as she rushed to her friend. "What happened?" Duo asked, wrench still in hand, amazed that she had such major injuries and was still concious, much less standing.

"P-pain," Relena stammered. "L-like fire." Her strength spent, her turquoise eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.