More German in this story, translated as usual. Don't let it confuse you. :)
I'm so pleased with all the reviews, and I'm taking all the
suggestions. Since I've had more than one person comment on my
first chapter, I intend to modify it soon. There is one thing that
I'm afraid I'll have to keep up with though, and that is putting
in some dialogue from the show. My goal is to prove to people that
their relationship fits in and develops with the time-line. Maybe
it'll even help us all catch a few details we missed before and
get a fresh understanding on the show. I'll try to lighten up on
it, though, since you've all probably heard it a million times
before. Till then, enjoy!
Chapter Eight: The Never Ending Story
The Effects of War and Treachery...
Darkness cascaded in strange silent waves against the shores of Hilde's
consciousness. It was this very stillness she deliberated now; as it was a foreigner to
the pandemonium she was accustomed to. How could this placid menace manage
to so simply and savagely prick the most elusive crevices in the bottomless gorge of
worries within Hilde's unconscious mind? The silence aimlessly plucked her dreams
with the vexing sound of absolutely nothing!! . . . . . .Yet there was something! It was
the calm before the storm, the eye of the hurricane. . . Frustration worked through
Hilde's restless system as she recalled the events that led to this aggravation.
Right now it was 3:00 a.m. She had been awakened about four hours ago at
around 11 o'clock by the foreboding hush that saturated the home. The neighbor's
dog wasn't barking, the old tree wasn't swaying, the air conditioner wasn't
sputtering, . . . and Duo wasn't snoring.
So she got up to check on him. After all, that encounter with the Zero
System was getting to him more than he'd let her know. He was acting so strange. .
. strange enough to not eat that steak tonight and simply head straight for bed. . .
without his ceremonial shower. Besides that, when she couldn't hear that snoring
signifying his peaceful slumber, it made her think something was terribly wrong.
It's true that she use to suffer from his snoring. . . but now she needed that sound to
help her feel safer . . . and remind her that she wasn't alone.
Unfortunately, when Hilde opened the door she saw that she was alone.
Duo's body was missing, poorly substituted with pillows thrown under the covers.
This disturbing discovery was soon followed by a house search- revealing a missing
gundam and 'junk haulers'.
So just what was he doing?!
She sat sprawled on the couch, a bit angry at Duo for making her worry so
much, despite his intentions- whatever they were! She knew he'd leave her some
day. She'd accepted that when she first started hiding her infatuation in the closet.
But that infatuation was blooming into something far more than a crush. Hilde
couldn't say for sure- wouldn't let herself say for certain- if she loved Duo or not.
One thing that was for sure though. Whenever she thought of living in a peaceful
world without him, it was a stab to the heart. A pain she could not bear and
wouldn't let herself think about. All of her family was gone. To think that Duo
could fall victim to his namesake and simply remain in her life as an unseen ghastly
form was a thought that eluded and stranded her in the dark as alone and
bewildered as she was now. He could be out there now, victim to another
hallucination and needing her help! Calling for her...
Hilde clicks on the T.V. quickly to defy her wandering mind. The screen
flashes to a certain interview with the current distinguished political figure,
Princess Relena Peacecraft of the Sank Kingdom. As of lately she was causing a big
commotion with her pacifist ideals, a concept Hilde didn't quite fully understand
or agree with. Never-the -less, the german girl began to listen to her words as
welcome relief from the undiluted concern she had for Duo.
"Peace," Relena states, " Is only thought of as an idealistic value rather than a
valid solution to our problems today because no one has fully experienced it. It
seems so strange to us in this turbulent world we continue to tolerate and adapt to
that the serenity of silence is actually what our heart yearns for. Peace isn't the hush
before a storm. It's the quiet voice of hope that lingers within all our lives . . . Do
not cast this hope away as a fruitless ideal! Once we recall our faith for this peace, I
truly believe that it is possible to fully eliminate war from our lives. I fully
encourage all of you to open your hearts and minds to the total pacifism the Sank
Kingdom is striving to promote. Let us make a better world for ourselves by setting
armistice and serenity up as more than a goal to be obtained by more bloodshed.
Vengeance begets only more vengeance and sorrow. . . We have, after all, no need to
fear the delicate nature of peace. . . Let us make this our path to happiness."
'How strange,' Hilde thought , turning the T.V. off again as she began to
doze, 'that she should mention the silence I was meditating upon earlier. . .'
* * *
The old door rasps nastily as the expert of stealth, Duo Maxwell, sneaks in.
He winces at the tell-tale racket and almost stops to shush the door as if it were an
actual person. He is delayed from scolding the snitch by the sound of a rousing
sleepy figure on the couch. . . Hilde.
"Shit," Duo mutters angrily, "and I'm supposed to be the sneaky pilot."
He freezes like a deer caught in the headlights of a huge eighteen wheeler as
Hilde's sleepy gaze locks on to his shadowed form.
"Duo! Where have you been-??" she stammers as the interrogation process
begins. . .
"Hey babe. . ." Duo stutters as casually as he can. "What are you doing up this
late. . ." As soon as her utters that last sentence, he knows he has sealed his fate. It is
obvious to any moron that she has been up waiting for him. . .
"Me?!" Hilde practically shouts, just the reaction Duo was expecting, "What
about you- I've been worried sick!. . ."
'Of all the things that could have come out of my mouth, I had to pick that line...'
Duo continues to lament mentally as Hilde continues fuming. . .
". . . First you don't eat your steak, then you skip your shower, next thing I
know I'm waking up because for once out of your entire stay here I actually don't
hear you snoring!!. . ."
'I snore?!?' Duo sulks in disbelief, 'No way! Not me! I'm too pretty to snore.'
". . . and there are pillows under your blankets, and the gundam and junk
haulers are gone and-"
'She's rambling now. I'd better butt in with something intelligent this time. . .'
" Hilde, I'm sorry I upset ya' but. . ."
"I was so worried Duo!" she interrupts, "You've been acting oddly ever since
Trant made you pilot Zero. . ."
"Yeah I know, Hilde, but-"
"How was I supposed to know you weren't in trouble. . ."
"But Hilde-"
" having a deadly hallucination. . ."
"Hil-"
"You still haven't explained everything that happened, you know! I think I
deserve-"
"Hilde!" Duo exclaims grabbing the German girls' shoulders and finally
getting her attention, "I'm sorry I worried ya' Hilde, but I've got a really really
really good excuse. . ."
"Well, what is it Duo?"
'Good question. . .' the braided pilot thinks to himself lowering his eyes as he
tries to figure out exactly how to explain what he was doing. He was certainly in a
pickle now, that was for damn sure. He had a secret to protect, a task much harder
for him than other men. For the God of Death could not tell a lie nor resort to
running and hiding at this moment. . . And -say wait a second!!! Was that
cleavage?!?!"
"Come on Duo!" Hilde exclaims impatiently, "what is it?!"
Yup, that was cleavage. She was wearing a simple pajama style black tank top
and lose dark blue pants. Duo could swear that his heart may have just skipped a few
beats after that dramatic glimpse a flesh . . . something he hadn't seen since they
fixed her leg up.
"I'm waiting!" Hilde cries out stubbornly.
"Isn't that a new shirt?" Duo questions- ignoring the boring subject on hand
for the one he was more interested in.
Hilde began to turn a bright flaming red. Duo was unsure as to whether it
was from embarrassment or anger but he kicks his sex drive in the ass to silence it
for a bit just in case and broadens his grin as he thinks about which facts to omit and
which facts to relay. . .
"Don't worry, babe. I went on out without telling you because I've already
worried you enough. I didn't mean to worry you even more. . . I was just cleaning
space up a bit. I thought it might be a nice surprise for you if I went ahead and
gathered the junk myself. I even dropped it off with Stan. You were supposed to
stay asleep and then I'd wake ya' up in the morning and surprise you!"
The mallet clobbering look in Hilde's eyes slowly dissipated as she calmed
down. . . a most relieving sight to the God of Death.
'Man, that was smooth,' Duo complimented himself happily, 'And the best
part is that it's 33% true, like most fruit juices!'
Duo suddenly realizes that the thoughtful look in Hilde's eyes has turned
quizzical as she gazes at his preachers outfit . . .
"Space isn't the only filthy thing. " she murmurs as she eyes the streaks of
fertilizer and weeds caking his suit.
'Fuck! I'm screwed! She's gonna find out about-!!'
"You don't get that dirty in space. . ."
Duo, at a loss for words (for once!), simply grins sheepishly at Hilde as he
scratches the back of his head nervously. It was a gesture Hilde was familiar with, in
fact, it was the same thing he always did whenever she confronted him with such
crimes as leaving the toilet seat up , trying to fix the plumbing himself, rewiring
the remote to work from the bathroom (as if he could see the T.V. from there
anyway), making prank phone calls, pulling some of the petals off her flowers in his
so-called 'graveyard'. . .
Hilde takes one more look at the dirt caking Duo as a look of utter disbelief
crosses her face. . .
"You didn't!!!!" she exclaims incredulously, realizing the significance of the
fertilizer and weeds on his outfit as she bolted for the front door (Duo pursuing
closely behind). . .
'Shit! She knows!' Duo panics mentally, fearing the nights in the doghouse
that awaited him. . .
The morning light was soft at five o' clock, giving the world a watercolor
wash of yellow color as the artificial sunlight slowly began to generate from the
colonies mechanical system. The brightly colored flowers peeped their heads
steadfastly forth to greet it, paying no mind to the motherly concerns of Hilde,
who wipes the sweat from her brow with a great heaving sigh of relief. The flowers
were fine, she wasn't certain how the fertilizer got so scattered along the base . . .
But Duo probably just tripped on the way in-
"I'm sorry, Duo." Hilde apologizes with a yawn, "I thought that you went
into space to find Trant's body and bury it in my garden. . . I should have known
better than that, it's just that I'm so tired. . ."
"That's fine, babe." Duo exclaims as he wipes the sweat from his own brow.
He laughs as he walks a bit further into the yard while Hilde retreats inside, "Can't
say I blame you. That was rather suspicious since I had all this dirt on me. . .not to
say that I wouldn't bury his body or anything. . . ," he commented slyly as he kicked
that slightly exposed shovel further under the bush.
"Oh, stop kidding Duo!" Hilde laughs, "I'm tired!"
"Who's kiddin'? " Duo replies, "I'm just warning you that I'm not denying
anything. . ."
"Was auch immer, Duo." Hilde replies in drowsy German. (::Whatever::)
"What was that? What'd ya' say?"
"Nichts. . ." (::Nothing.::)
"Hey! Hiiilldeee!" Duo whined, sprinting into the house after her. He sees
that she has wasted no time in collapsing on the couch. He kinda smiles as he locks
the door behind them.
"Look at the time," Hilde exclaims, "I can't believe I've been up all night."
" Five fifteen," Duo comments, "Can't say it's the latest I've been up. . ."
"I should fix breakfast. . ." Hilde moans as she starts to force her exhausted
body off the comforting cushions of the couch. Duo pushes her gently back down as
he takes a seat next to her.
"Who's hungry?" he laughs as he stretches out, " I'm beat. What work do we
have to do today? I took care of that last night. Let's get some shut-eye."
"Well, you do have that secret meeting at Stan's around 3:00 . . . And I've still
got-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for later Hilde. Stop worrying so much. You're
tired, I'm tired, let's get some sleep." Duo states in a matter-of-fact fashion as
Hilde's concerns travel in one ear and out the other.
"Is the door locked. . ."
"Yeah, babe. I took care of it. Go to bed."
"I'm too comfy," Hilde murmurs.
"No kiddin'?" Duo comments, amused by Hilde's ability to fall asleep
anywhere. In this way she was a lot like him. When the opportunity came to sleep
who cared if you were standing , sitting, or laying down? Duo himself had been
getting some pretty decent sleep lately. It was nice to have a place to stay, a home to
come back to, a friend to kid around with. . . He looked around at this place that he
had become so familiar with and down at the dozy german girl that he feared he
was really becoming too acquainted with. Hilde was like a kindred spirit to Duo. He
wouldn't deny that he'd like to take her away and be the best man he could be for
her, provide for her, protect her. . . She didn't have anyone else to turn to. No more
family, no more friends- just like him. Everytime they watched the death and chaos
on the news they got the same look in their eyes. . .
Some people say that the eyes are the mirrors to the soul. It was a statement
Duo believed whole-heartily. He'd noticed that all of his fellow gundam pilots had
identical bloody streaks sketched pensively in their eyes by the same veiled hand of
fate. Who knew what directed her pen forward to chalk in the destiny of every
human being? Who knew what gave her that priveiledge? All Duo knew was that
regardless of whatever happened to the other pilots they were all the same in this
way. A tragic past that forever tarnished their life. Much like the stained glass
windows in churches, it was impossible to see anything outside of those textured
effigies and hard to picture things getting better with them there.
In so many words, Duo knew that Hilde felt the same way. She also felt the
pressure of that numb hand pushing her into combat, despite how unnecessary that
was. In this way, Duo fought fate. That shrouded figure had taken everyone dear to
him away to make him the God of Death. He'd had enough of that bullshit and
was going to keep Hilde. He'd do everything in his power to keep her and everyone
else from fighting anymore, even if that meant leaving. Despite the deep feeling
of grief that he felt churning in his heart, he felt that time coming soon. He just
couldn't afford to involve her in this too much more. . . He wanted to insure that
she'd still be back here, safe and alive after the war. Then if he lived he'd finally
have a place to come home to and a living friend to welcome and help him live in a
real future without war. . .
Duo gazes down at Hilde, who's fast asleep beside him. He grins as he grabs
the throw blanket behind him and spreads it over her.
"There ya' go, babe," he whispers, preparing to retire to his room.
"Don't go, Duo. . ." Hilde whispers.
"Huh?" the braided boy questions curiously.
"That's. . .so lonely-"
Duo is puzzled by Hilde's slurred speech, unsure as to what exactly she is
talking about.
"Don't. . ." she moans sadly, her words as blurred and vague as Duo's restless
vision.
"I'll be right in my room, Hilde. . ."
"It's so lonely . . . to fight . . . . . . alone. . ."
'She's asleep,' Duo realizes, 'Just sleep talking-'
"Don't. . . Duo- don't go... . . ."
"It's O.K., Hilde," he whispers, settling back down again and spreading the
blanket over both of them. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving yet."
The pilot strokes the hair from her eyes and lays her head on his shoulder,
ignoring that nagging feeling he always got when he got so close to her. For now,
he just concentrated on his brief victory. Finding Trant's body hadn't been easy. . .
Duo wasn't even certain it could be called a whole body. . . Nevertheless, a head
would suffice and it was plant food now. The first victim in his graveyard. . .
>:)
* * *
Hilde awoke to the sound of sleepy shuffling as her pillow began to quiver in
a vexing manner to the sound of the alarm clock. The pillow's reaction disturbed
her greatly, after all- why hadn't she noticed that her pillow could move before?
"Hello?" she hears Duo's tired voice grunt.
'Who is he talking to?' she thinks to herself, opening her eyes to investigate
the area. As soon as her eyes focus to the light she recalls that she fell asleep on the
couch and realizes that her pillow wasn't actually a pillow at all, just Duo's
shoulder. . .
'How embarrassing. . .!!!!' Hilde laments as her face begins to flush a bright
red.
"Hi ya', Stan. . . Thanks for the wake up call." Duo yawns, working the
grogginess out of his voice. "Don't fret, I'll be there on time. . . No worries. Yeah,
Hilde's fine. I got caught last night, though."
'I still can't believe he actually thought he could get away with that. . . though it
was kinda sweet. . .'
". . .Ah shud' up!" Duo's voice rings out quite a bit louder than before,
obviously perturbed by Stan's teasing, "I still am the stealth expert. You'd better
pull your foot out of your mouth before I tell everyone about that time that you. .
.. Uh huh, that's what I thought. Better back down."
Duo glances at Hilde as she stands and stretches the sleepiness from her
limbs, "Listen, we gotta get ready and eat. Kinda pressed for time. Yeah, I'll see ya'
later. . ."
"What time is it?" Hilde inquires as Duo hangs up the phone.
Duo simply whistles as he eyes the clock, "We'll have to make it quick, Hil.
Two o' clock already."
"I'll start up some sandwiches so that you can take a quick bath, and I suppose
you can help me vacumn the dirt off of everything when we get back. . ."
"Opps-sie!" Duo laughs, "Yup, I made a bigger mess than a wet dog."
" You sure did, but at least it doesn't have that smell." Hilde smiles wryly,
"Just don't take too long in the bathroom, Duo. I'd like to freshen up, too."
"What's wrong with what you're wearin' now?" her friend comments as he
makes his way to the bathroom.
"Duo!" Hilde exclaims, turning bright red all over again as his laughter
erupts from the restroom.
*** * *
It's a rather quiet day, despite the fact that it's afternoon. Duo and Hilde are
strolling the streets of L-2, heading for the meeting. It wasn't particularly
something Duo was looking forward to. In fact, he already knew what it was about
and what they were going to say and what he was going to do. . . The problem with
people sometimes was that they got too predictable.
"You know I heard something interesting on the T.V. while I was up waiting
for you . . ." Hilde commented breaking the silence. Not that Duo minded. He
rather appreciated the break in thought.
"Really?" he remarks, his curiosity halfway pricked, "Ya' don't say?"
"Yes, it was a speech by Relena Peacecraft . . ."
"That girl always has something interesting to say, though I'm not so sure as
to the credibility of her words."
"Hm?" Hilde questions.
"What'd she have to say?"
"Well," the german girl started, "She said that we should think of peace as a
valid solution to our problems today, rather than a fruitless ideal or the calm before
a storm."
Duo broadens his grin, although on the inside his stomach churns violently
as he digests these words. He himself wasn't certain what peace was . . . A weary
warrior by now, Duo had stopped seeing the world in black and white when the
colonists betrayed them. Pure good and evil no longer existed. There were simply
shades of grey, everything was diluted. Peace was simply a tool of war, a shield with
an elaborate and over exaggerated coat of arms meant to rally the people to a
certain cause. It was like all the other legendary beasts in most fables and only
existed in the imagination of children . . .
Suddenly the braided pilot stops cold - what in the hell was he just thinking!
He couldn't think like this! Not Duo Maxwell!
He nervously picked a few apples from a tree and juggled them
apprehensively as they walked. He couldn't lose faith in the future that they were
all fighting for . . . He had to stop visualizing peace as an impossible dream.
"Wow, Duo!" Hilde exclaimed, "You're really good at that!"
"Huh?" Duo stutters as Hilde knocks him out of his thoughts.
"You're just as good as the clowns as the circus!"
"Correction, Hilde. They're just as good as me."
"Yeah, I guess you are the king of clowns."
"The God of clowns." Duo joked, stopping just long enough to contemplate
the double meaning behind that. . .
"You know the circus is in town right now." Hilde mused.
The two stop by a park bench just outside of the garage. Things are quiet
right now with the exception of a single Golden Retriever scurrying about the
grassy turf for bones.
"I'll wait here for you." Hilde smiled as she took a seat, "let me know how
everything goes."
"Sure thing, babe." Duo waved as he started off toward the garage.
* * *
"Our enemy isn't OZ . . ." John explains calmly, "It's the Romefeller
Foundation, a ruling class on earth."
'Yeah, real smart comment, man. You say that as if OZ isn't and never had been a
ruling class on earth when it had complete control. Why do I always have to be the one to
throw these people a bone?!' Duo agonizes mentally as he leans against the far wall.
He hopes to disappear into the darkness and get away from this meeting before the
lack of intellect kills him.
The lamplight throbs softly on the table in the dark storage room. Seven
other men besides Duo congregated around the light as they contemplated the
possibilities of action that might be taken.
"But would you seriously consider teaming up with the Trieze Faction?"Bob
muses.
'This is when John is going to suggest taking in soldiers from the former alliance . . .' Duo yawns, 'and everyone's going to throw a big fit before they decide that it seems like
it's a good idea.'
"Our first priority is to regain control of outer space. We'll need to take in
soldiers of the former alliance. . ."
'Yup,' Duo groans,'I hate being right all the time.'
"Absurd!" Bob exclaims, "There's no way we could team up with them!"
"Unless those of us that consider Romefeller an enemy all team up, there's
no way we can break their control." John reasons.
'Yeah, that's what they all say. But they're all forgetting one big detail . . .'
"Maybe . . ." Nick trails off, "What do you think, Duo?"
'Oh my. I'm so honored that someone remembered I was here and thinks that my
input is vital. I can hardly wait to tell Heero and Wufei that some people in this world
actually ask for me to speak my opinion. . .' With the conclusion of that thought,
Duo begins to rely his cherished point of view . . .
"Well, it's true that Romefeller is an enemy to us, the Trieze Faction, and
the Former Alliance. But still- it's just as important to think about what happens
once we defeat them." With that comment, Duo turned around and started to
walk away, "Get in touch with me again once you figure that out."
"Hey there!" John calls out, "Duo!"
"Until then I'll continue fighting alone - to defeat Romefeller."
* * *
The children frolicked back and forth, faster than the beams of light hit
those rumpled blades of grass that their young feet tousled. Their smiles knew no
bounds and their imagination had no limits. The hearts within those kids chests did
not beat to the tune of the drum set by the Trieze Faction, Oz, or even Romefeller.
Exactly what kind of future those children were going to live for was undecided . . .
Whether or not they would even live to enjoy any future was unknown. Despite
the sunny atmosphere those kids relished, Hilde sensed the presence of clouds.
Looking up, she notices that the golden retriever that cavorted about the
field earlier has settled down near her, his eyes tanned to a honey-like bronze by the
sunlight. He gazes at her with that typical dog-like curiosity with one ear raised and
his head cutely tilted. Hilde could never resist a dog's charm and leaned over to
scratch the vagabond's head.
"What's your name, girl?" she questions the retriever, who answers with a
simple worried whimper.
"Don't worry." Hilde responds, "You don't need a name to live life. You just
need a purpose. What's yours?"
The dog wags it's tail, a perfect answer to Hilde's question. The dog's goal in life was a simple one- she simply wanted attention. Ironically enough it was a
purpose that the retriever shared with most of humanity. Whether or not they
gained that attention by power, throwing fits, creating works of art, and whatever
else . . . It was craved and achieved by one form or another. Even Hilde to some
extent shared this goal, though she was ashamed to admit that it had sunken down
from respect from the Oz military and colonies as a soldier who gave her all on the
battlefield to simply wanting attention from one man, Duo Maxwell. Sure- she
still wanted to fight, but now to help him help the colonies. She was certain that
this man could attain peace- true peace! Because Duo didn't fight to receive
recognition from anyone. He didn't fight to be a hero. He didn't want that kind of
attention. He even seemed reluctant for her attention sometimes. . .
She sees him approaching now from the corner of her eye and stops petting
the dog to give him her full attention.
"Hey, how'd it go?"
Duo simply collapses next to her on the bench, a gesture that did more than
enough alone to answer Hilde's question.
"That meeting wasn't going anywhere . . ."
The two seem to turn their attention to the field as the children continue
their game though in actuality both might as well be staring at space. Hilde
couldn't help but to wonder how to help raise Duo's spirits. They had sunk so low
since that episode with the zero system. Duo just couldn't lose faith in what he was
fighting for because that was what gave him his strength. She just knew it . . .
"Yeah, I wonder what true peace means anyway . . ." Duo thinks out loud.
As soon as those words escape from his mouth they both jump, startled as to
the meaning.
"Huh?!" Hilde inquires, as she knows that drastic action must be taken to
raise Duo's spirit. An idea enters her head suddenly and she kicks herself for not
thinking of it sooner . . .
"Nothing!" the pilot laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his neck,
"Just delete that! Whoa, was that totally out of character or what?!"
"Hey, Duo!" Hilde exclaims as she clasps her hands together, "Let's go
somewhere that's really fun."
"Somewhere fun?" Duo stammers, a bit curious to this rather sudden
suggestion. He was expecting a slurry of speeches about what they were fighting for
and several questions to the condition of his sanity. Not this . . . Had she seen a
closeout sale or something?
"Yeah- let's go!" Hilde exclaims as she raises him to his feet and drags him
away by his sweaty sleeve faster than the speed of light, "Hurry, let's go!"
"Ok, ok!"
* * *
He finds that Hilde has ended her mad dash at a bright cheery landmark
with merry music and an appalling aroma that could only be the combination of
yummy corn dogs and nasty elephant dung.
"The circus?" Duo questions, still confused. No close-out sell or suck-ass
movie starring some new Hollywood heart-throb and not even a boring speech
about the meaning of battle . . .
"Yeah!" Hilde confirms cheerily, barely containing her excitement, "nothing
like a family reunion to cheer a clown up!"
"Right!" Duo laughs, "Though I don't think any members of my family are
here."
"Yeah, but you should still relate to these clowns pretty well anyway." Hilde
giggles, "You can teach them a few things."
Duo just laughs. He had to give Hilde credit, he hadn't expected this. Not a
bit.
The two began a brief journey around the tent speckled landscape as they
purchased a few yummy treats and tickets to the show.
"Come on, Duo!" Hilde urges eagerly, "The show's about to start! I can
hardly wait to see the elephants and ponies and tigers and liontamers and . . ."
"No more cotton candy for you!" Duo exclaims, "you're getting just a little
too much sugar. That stuff'll kill you!"
"Duo, you're just being silly." Hilde remarked, taking one of her caramel
apples and stuffing it in his mouth like a roast pig. The pilot just shrugs his
shoulders has he munches on the sweet skinned apple.
Hilde got her wish as she watched in child-like fascination as the circus ponies
pranced and the trapeze artists twirled. It was all just a bunch of pointless antics to
Duo- who'd seen bigger stars and explosive acts in space. His personal favorite had
been the human cannon because that was about how he felt right now. A lost
should hurtling through the air propelled by the sheer explosive force of a single
cannon, he could see where he was going and knew why he was flying. After his
head hit that wall though he was left stumbling about.
"Amazing!" Hilde exclaims, "See, isn't this fun?!" She asks for the tenth
time that day.
"You said it." Duo agrees wholeheartedly, also for the tenth time to appease
his pal.
The light on the floor suddenly focuses on the ringmaster.
"Next up," he announces dramatically, "a performance with a lion- king of
the animals- and a young clown."
Without further distraction, a spritely clown leaps from a nearby curtain and
takes a dramatic stance as a lion is let lose without chain or cage to vent his
aggressions on the poor brightly clothed entertainer . . .
"Oh! Watch out!" Hilde gasps.
The clown leaps and twirls high in the air when the lion is a mere snap of the
jaw away. The crowd watches in awe as they witness the miraculous and seemingly
impossible landing . . . Not on the circus floor but on the lions back, with one hand
as the beast continued to run circles around the ring . . .
'O.K.,' Duo thinks to himself, ' that wasn't too shabby.'
"Excellent." Hilde breathes, "I could fall for that clown . . ."
"Sure," Duo shrugs, not quite giving Hilde the reaction he was sure she
expected to get from that comment. "Whatever."
He takes a closer look at that clown, or at least at the right side of the clown's
face left exposed by the slit of a mask. . . and suddenly it seems that he can hardly
believe his eyes.
"It's him . . .Trowa!"
* * *
It was a hard process to elude Hilde and find Trowa. Fortunately his best
attributes just so happened to be deception. Now he didn't necessarily lie to Hilde
when he told her that he needed to go to the bathroom. He did need to go to the
bathroom. But he didn't say he was going to the bathroom.
No harm there.
And sneaking to the performer's tent was a breeze.
It was just finding what part of that tent Trowa was at that was the
challenge.
Duo hears the muffled voice of a cheery female . . .
"The crowd loved you."
"Hope so." A male voice utters quietly in a tone so dry that it's owner
couldn't possibly care about what the crowd thought of his performance.
Duo stops dead cold by the curtain and thrusts his head through the fabric.
"Hey, Trowa!" he exclaims happily, thrilled to see his suspicions confirmed,
"It is you- Trowa! Hey-"
"Scuse me!" the woman tries to interrupt. But Duo is oblivious to her and
the blank and somewhat frightened glare of utter confusion the former-pilot is
giving him. He continues to hurl question after question toward Trowa . . .
"So you were here! Where are the others? How is Heero? Isn't he with you?"
"Huh?" Trowa trembles, looking away from Duo's eyes as if he could avoid
the braided pilot's questions so easily.
Duo pauses now to note Trowa's dazed expression. It actually looked like
Duo had hit him on the head with a ton of bricks. Had the God of Death just
gotten revenge for the time Trowa belched him in the stomach on the Lunar base, . . . and more importantly for completely annihilating Deathscythe on live T.V. . . ,
not to mention that time when Heavyarms shot an assload of missiles at him and
Heero when they all first met . . . ( wait a minute- just why was he friends with this
guy anyway?!)?
"Trowa?"Duo questions, uneased by his pal's lack of memory.
"Get out!" The woman demands suddenly, shoving Duo away from Trowa.
It is the first time Duo has actually paid attention to her presence, and since she
seemed to be more talkative than the pilot she protectively clutched with her
embrace, he turned to her for answers. . . Though the only question that came out
was a simple, "Huh?"
"You must be an old acquaintance from his past." She states flatly, "But
Trowa's not going to be doing anymore fighting!"
Duo stares at Trowa in disbelief. Did this woman know what she was talking
about?! That was all a gundam pilot really knew how to do! They all seemed so lost
when they couldn't fight . . . and now Trowa willingly gave up his battles?
Blasphemy!
"Trowa, what's gotten into you anyway!?"
"Get out of here!" She demands loudly, her glare throwing daggers in his
direction. Her voice softens suddenly as her demand turns to a plea, "Just leave us."
"Trowa . . ." Duo whispers, suddenly realizing with horror the true reason
that she gathered the shaky human into her arms. He had lived after that suit
exploded and must have somehow survived drifting in space . . . Duo recalled
bitterly the anxiety of his own hallucinations of drifting between life and death in
space. Somehow Trowa's body survived- but his mind was lost. He had no memory
and now this woman gathered him into her arms as a mother cradles her own child.
Trowa was a newborn baby living within the shell of a man's body. . . and now he was
expected to live in the image of that man . . . A terrible testament to the effects of
war and treachery.
Now Trowa, one of the allies in the fight for peace with Duo had become
one of the innocents that needed to be protected. Instead of revitalizing Duo's
desire and purpose in fighting it only further weakened his hope for peace. He left
the two in silence and hoped for the strength to be able to provide these living
casualties of war with the peace they deserved.
He stepped out the same way he came in and saw Hilde waiting there for
him, an eavesdropper caught in action with a heart as heavy as his own.
She speaks to him now without words or even a glare. Rather his friend
communicates with him by a simple friendly gesture as she takes his hand within
her own and leads him home.