Seven: A lucky break

Duo watched Ralph make his way past him brushing against his shoulder for a brief moment giving the young man a glimpse into his brown eyes for only a second in the corner of his eye, before he vanished from sight muttering an uncomfortable 'excuse me' in the process. Duo placed a hand on his side glancing at the fear-stricken Hilde for a moment his brow furrowed in confusion; from what he gathered, when he battled with invisible giants Hilde was unconscious throughout most of the battle but knew she was conscious long enough to steal a glance at the monstrous Gymelefs in all their glorified horror. So why was it that the girl across from him now held a expression of curiousity, the fear he had once seen was vanishing before his very eyes.

Needless to say it didn't bother Duo, he was surprised to find a woman in his presence that was able to control her fears. But the more Duo thought about Hilde, the more unsure hecome about how long he would be able keep looking after her in such a dangerous time. She was truly a mystery in his eyes. He shifted his eyes towards the floating fortress that was now retreating from the base then down at the ugly Gymelefs that had parked themselves in Ralph's camp as if they owned the place. Stepping forward he grabbed the handle of his sword and put it back into its place.

Hilde let her arms fall back to her side as the feeling of fear subsided, she turned her head to look at the bedroom Ralph had exited through wondering why the giants were here. Had they followed them? Hilde stepped forward leaning over the railing a little to get a better look at the three figures following one of Ralph's men into the building she resided outside of, her curiosity gnawing at her mind despite the slight fear that lingered in her heart Hilde stepped away from the railing and headed back inside leaving Duo behind. The braided young man watched Hilde vanish as she exited Ralph's bedroom he was beginning to think she was stranger than he had originally thought.

Hilde made her way down the stairs quietly so her presence was not detected, her ears picked up on a conversation while her eyes scanned the moderately large room full of all of the men and most of the men she had seen when she awoke from her unconscious state. She was curious to know what Ralph was going to do with the pilots of the giants while they were in his domain, she hoped the older man believed her and Duo's story because she wanted those people to pay for attacking Fanelia without warning or mercy, her heart ached with pity when she thought back on the devastation she saw with her own two eyes. Hilde stepped off the last stair and took a cautious look about her; no one seemed to have noticed her yet so it was safe to assume she could manage to at least peer over the band of men to eavesdrop on Ralph and the other person's conversation.

Just as she moved toward the crowd her path was blocked by none other than Gaddes himself, she almost whined aloud like a ten-year-old child because he was standing in front of her like a parent would. "Miss, you should be upstairs resting. The commander says that you aren't to leave the room until you're well," Gaddes' straight face reminded her of an android. She allowed her cheeks to inflate with air in a way to express her annoyance of his presence. Exhaling the German 15-year-old said; "Oh, come on, please, I'll be a minute," Hilde pleaded putting on her best 'innocent' face. Gaddes face faltered at the sight of Hilde's expression torn between listening to his leader's instructions or being generous to the young girl that stood in front of him, he hated making decisions of this kind.

He groaned placing his hand behind his head to scratch it. "Oh from cryin' out loud...," He uttered hopelessly. "Look, don't tell the commander about this." A smile graced the girl's face at this; Hilde would've hugged Gaddes but a shove in her back from a rapidly moving Duo prevented this, she watched Duo push his way through the crowd out of men without excusing himself at all. Gaddes looked as though he was going to faint as Hilde headed for the path Duo had made for himself, she hoped he (Gaddes) was all right.

Ralph stood in front of the commander, Lady Une with a look of uncertainty in his brown eyes as the woman spoke in feminine but gruff voice. "...I'd like some assistance for my fleet, we have just returned from a battle and are low on supplies," There was an air of confidence radiating off the woman before, a sort of confidence Ralph would've considered arrogance or vanity most of the time, but the steely look in her eyes said otherwise. Putting a small smile, he gripped his sword tighter as he swallowed hard. "We'll do everything we can to help, Une," He said.

Une gave a nod having no wish to express her thanks to the young man as her mind drifted else where, paying no attention to the commotion coming from Ralph's band of soldiers. Placing a hand upon her chin she stared squarely at Ralph getting the feeling he was hiding something from her. "By the way, have you seen a strange Gymelef anywhere in this area ?" Ralph was taken aback by the question, to the point where he almost swallowed his tongue to prevent himself from blurting the answer yes to Une. "No, not that I know of. This by chance doesn't happen to with maneuvers that require even a floating fortress, would it?" Ralph asked, hiding a smirk.

"Possibly," Une replied. She blinked lowering her head in a mysterious way staring up a the young knight through her glasses putting on a smile of her own, disturbing Ralph to some extent. He hated to sound like a busybody but he could hold the question back no longer. "Would it have anything to do with Fanelia to the West being attacked?" He said, cringing mentally. Une raised her head in an inquiring way unsure at what Ralph was getting at asking her these questions in such a way it sounded as though he knew more than he was letting on. But he couldn't possibly had seen whatever happened in Fanelia, the thought of it was unthinkable and absurd to her.

"There is no relation Ralph. Perhaps its leaders were eaten by the dragons that wander that valley. Its a fitting end for such a backwater country, don't you think? At any rate, it was a country of cowards, led by a king who's gone into hiding. I wouldn't waste my manpower on such a plac...," Une was unable to finish her sentence, the sound of a sword being slid back into its sheathe rather roughly brought her attention to the tall braided young man standing in the crowd of men sticking out like a sore thumb. "Not showing yourself during a battle is a lot more cowardly, than being eaten by dragons wouldn't you say?" The young man sneered. Une turned herself around to get a better look at the raggedy dressed young man before her brown eyes spotted a strangely dressed girl standing behind him looking uncomfortable standing the crowd of men.

Curious, the 19-year-old woman removed herself from her place and walked over to the young man. Duo's eyes widened thinking she was coming after him for the comment he made but instead found himself being shoved aside as if he no concern to her, Hilde shrank back when the intimidating woman came up to her. She could feel a sort of negative energy from the tall woman, Hilde didn't bother hiding her nervousness from Une. "My, what strange clothing you have. Where might you be from?" Lady Une asked grabbing her chin. Hilde tensed at the feeling of the woman's long nails scraping at her skin as she looked her over. Hilde wondered if she expected to find something out of place on her besides just her clothes.

What was she going to tell her? That she was from the mystic moon and needed a way to get home? Une's penetrating brown eyes examined her for a moment longer before Ralph stepped in to save her. "She's my new lover," Ralph lied, stepping behind Hilde, placing his hands on both her shoulders. "I found her in the East, her name is Hilde. As I said, Lady Une." He leaned over to plant a kiss on Hilde's cheek but the German teenager ducked away automatically uncomfortable with how close he was to her. Howls of surprise erupted from the band of men while Duo made a disgusted face turning away from the scene, Lady Une cracked a smile, amused by the almost bewildered expression on Kurt's face. Ralph quickly recovered plastering a smile on his face, acting quickly he planted a kiss on Hilde's cheek.

The girl was frozen in her place in that lingering moment feeling her cheeks burning red with embarrassment before she felt him walking away from her. "You live up to your reputation, Ralph Kurt," Stated the woman, turning away. Duo watched with narrowed eyes as Lady Une and two of her soldiers exited the building, knowing for sure they were returning to that floating fortress. He moved forward having gathered the courage to go after the people responsible for the destruction of his homeland but he was stopped dead in his tracks when Gaddes and Kio grabbed him by the forearms, he looked at both of them remembering now he was still placed under arrest until further notice. With a smirk he raised his arms up in defeat letting the two men lead him back upstairs to the room he was confined in.

Hilde remained downstairs for a moment longer wide-eyed her placed upon the side of her cheek that Ralph had kissed her upon, against her wishes despite the fact that she did little to prevent it. Her head began to throbb indicating she was going to have another vision but she paid little attention to it. The overwhelming feeling she had in her heart was all too much for her to even acknowledge her gift although she had taken notice that everyone in the room had vanished behind a black background excluding Ralph. She stared straight ahead at his retreating back, her aquamarine blue eyes widened when she saw two pale white angel's wing's sprout from behind his clothing stretching out, the black background causing her to focus all her attention the impressive size and beauty of the wings. Feathers fluttered all around him as he turned to look at her sending a smile in her direction before she was shaken back into reality by someone beside her, Hilde allowed them to escort to the room all the while thinking; Could ... could he be the one?

Upon the floating fortress Lady Une stood in the center of the floor where she usually met Solo to brief him on current situations. It had been only several minutes since she had returned to the fortress and Solo was running later than he usually did. Resting her first upon her hip, her right arm hanging at her side Lady Une shifted her eyes behind her spying on the two rigid young soldiers behind her. "There's no hurry, they'll give us want we want in due time," She spoke strongly, her aura confidence was evident.

Just then another solider came barreling through the automatic doors looking as though he had something important to tell her. Une turned around acknowledging his presence hoping he had important information to give her otherwise he might end up on the wrong end of her sword. "What is it?" She bellowed. The older man saluted her briefly before speaking. "Ma'am, the scouts are in position," He announced firmly.

Une smiled upon hearing that part of her plan had gone off without a single hitch. "Good. I want everyone on standby to go into battle," Une ordered. "Your all dismissed." All three soldiers saluted her then turning one their heels left the room. Une stood in the room looking straight into the darkness a smile gracing her face. Ralph Kurt, your luck ran out the day you made an enemy of me and Master Treize, She though maliciously.

Heero stood at the departure's gate of the Colony spaceport staring into the saddest blue eyes he had ever seen, next to his own. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and the girls had said their goodbyes before going their own way, back to their own lives, leaving him alone with a very upset Relena who had yet to speak to him. There was a few more minutes before his plane was ready to leave. He hoped Relena would say something to him before her time ran out. The two of them stood face to face several feet away from each other, Heero looked down at his watch for a moment before looking to find Relena coming toward him. He blinked, surprised to say the least. Relena made her way through the crowd until she reached her desired destination. Heero's face carried the same impassive expression he always had despite the closeness of Relena, she bowed her head giving it a quick shake, he could see the smile on her lips growing.

"I've got to be going," He stated. "I know," She whispered quietly. Another moment of silence washed over the two before Relena finally looked up at Heero with a confident look on her face. "You'll write to me won't you? I'd hate to loose touch with you," She said wagging her finger playfully at him. Heero nodded, stating that he would write or E-mail her every chance he got, if he didn't it meant he was busy with his studies. Relena nodded as well, understanding, perhaps not completely, but enough to get a small smile out of the Japanese teenager in front of her. "Don't worry about Hilde, Heero, wherever she went, the police is sure to find her," Relena spoke softly. Heero's mind was filled with guilt at the thought of Hilde, whom had been missing for three weeks now. Looking down at his watch again, Heero placed his bags down and embraced Relena in quick heartwarming hug causing the girl to blush. When he pulled away, Heero placed a small kiss on her cheek before picking up his bags and heading off toward the docking area. He glanced behind him to find Relena waving to him...

Heero groaned rubbing his stiff neck, he looked around his confined surroundings before staring out into the void that was space through the small window beside his seat. His feet tapped rhythmically on the carpeted ground beneath them to the music playing in his headset, the only thing besides his laptop the school he was heading to would allow on their campus. The Japanese teenager sighed as the planet earth came into view, he wondered what Relena was doing to bide her time now that he would be away for at least a year or more. Aside from her trips to earth with her father, the current Vice foreign minister, this would count as the first time they were actually going be apart for such a long period of time, he hoped she wasn't going to be angry with him during their separation. He nearly had a panic attack when he found out from Trowa that Relena was angry at him not telling her sooner that he was going to be leaving to study abroad.

He grinned leaning his head against the headrest upon his chair his tired Prussian blue eyes continued to gaze outside the window just the hostess announced that all passengers should put on their seatbelts, he was finally going to earth for the first time in his entire life! Heero couldn't hold back the childish grin of excitement that graced his stony features, buckling in he made himself comfortable knowing the remaining flight of the trip was going to be a bumpy one. He looked down at his lap staring at his CD player with an inquiring look; he had just noticed the CD had stopped playing and it wasn't even on the last track, grasping both sides of the device he pressed the open button causing the top of the player to lift away from the rest of the machine. Heero peered inside and could not believe what he was seeing. The CD wasn't inside the player. "Nani?" He whispered aloud as the shuttle enter the earth's atmosphere.

Hilde on her legs upon the hardwood floor, her hands placed on her lap, her thoughts focused solely on the knight Ralph. Her eyes were cast downward before looking up at Duo. He resided on the bed with his feet propped up on the edge of it his sword resting against his shoulder. His wild bangs hung over his face obscuring some of it. The look in his eyes told her he had something on his mind that was bugging him, to her, he looked more sad than annoyed. Duo... oh?! The German teenager stared down at her chest before reaching inside her school jacket revealing a whistle. "I totally forgot I left this there," She said aloud.

Duo's ears perked up making Hilde realize she had spoken, she looked up at his now curious face. Thinking it was the perfect way draw his attention away from whatever was bothering him she gestured to the flower embroidered silver whistle, the braided young man removed himself from the present posture he was in laying his sword upon the bed. He climbed off the bed and walked over to the girl on setting on the ground, he sat down Indian style; his arms in front of him and his gloved hands placed firmly on the ground.

"Do you like it? It's called a whistle," Hilde explained briefly when he leaned in to get a better look. Duo blinked all the more curious taking the object from her hands and into his own, he examined it for a moment longer before shifting his eyes toward the smiling Hilde. "What's it do?" He asked. "Well... you blow on it. You place it between your lips and blow on it," She explained removing it from his grasp. Hilde placed the whistle between her lips and blew onto it, Duo practically jumped away from her when the high-pitched noise emitted from the whistle, she watched him grab his sword from off the bed ready to use it. "Witch!" He cried. Hilde spit the whistle out of her mouth raising her hands in front of her waving them frantically, Duo paused momentarily.

"No, I'm no witch Duo, its' a whistle! It makes noises like that!" Hilde exclaimed reaching up to grasp his hand. Her breath was caught in her throat when her hand gripped his, Hilde's grew wide when the same feeling came over her again. No! Not again! She thought frantically. Hilde screamed when the world turned dark again she was attacked by a creature dressed in a maroon robe carrying a scythe. She threw her arms up in front of her face when the creature brought its' scythe down onto her. Hilde was, next, bombarded by an image of the Gymelef's that had attacked Fanelia surrounded in fire. The vision seemed to double as the giants became closer with ever step they took. Hilde was rendered still with fear when the image of Lady Une's face appeared looking very pleased for some strange reason. The smoke from the fire was so strong, Hilde thought she was going to choke to death.

-- "Hilde, what's wrong!?" Duo's voice hung heavy with panic bringing the girl out of her trancelike state of mind, she stared into his cobalt eyes wincing at the vice-grip he had on her forearms. "D-Duo?" She stammered looking around. "I...I-- what happ..!" Hilde was silenced when Duo pressed his finger onto his lips his eyes shifting toward the floor, Hilde followed his line of sight toward the ground just as shovel came up through it. Hilde jumped back in fear not caring if Duo's hand was still on her forearm, the young man pulled them up off the ground unsheathed his sword, pushing Hilde behind him.

The girl watched cautiously as the shovel was tossed up landing on the ground with a thunk and a bald head pop up from the ground, Duo felt Hilde tense up behind him. The mole-man looked about him realizing he had dug into another room, he groaned rubbing a whisker between his fingers before taking notice of two young children across from him. The mole man almost immediately recognized Hilde and swore he was going to have a heart attack, Hilde clasped her hands upon Duo's shoulder's. "Wa! It's that pervert!" Hilde cried angrily. "Eh? Pervert?" Duo's eyebrows raised in question as he looked at Hilde then at the mole man before an idea came to him. Lowering his sword the king walked over to the mole man and kneeled front of him ignoring Hilde's protests.

The mole-man looked suspicious but made no move to escape. "Oi, do you know a way out of here?" Duo asked. "What?!" Hilde proclaimed running up to where the two men were. "Hai-hai..., I'll show you," The mole man said without hesitation. Duo grinned placing his sword back into his sheathe, he watched the mole man vanish from sight as he rose to his feet and began to search for something to place up against the door. Hilde watched him grab a chair residing next to the bed then walked over to the door and propped it up against the door knob, she had a feeling this idea of his was going to end badly.

"What are you thinking Duo?! Your gonna get us in trouble!!" Hilde hissed at him as he climbed into the hole. "Stay if you want, I'm getting out of here. I've better things to, than wait around for Mr. prissy pants Knight," Duo responded, he bent over and began to navigate his way through the dark listening to the grumbling of the mole-man. He'd give her five seconds at most to follow him. Hilde stood alone in the bedroom for the longest time knowing if she went with them she was going to get into trouble, but if she didn't she'd probably get into more trouble for not stopping Duo from going into the hole, the German girl huffed in annoyance. Hilde walked over to the hole and jumped inside quickly following after the inquiring voice of Duo's. She was beginning to hate him.

Gaddes walked up to the door with a tray of enough food to stuff the two youngsters inside the room until supper time, he hummed a tune he made up in his mind as he reached for the door knob. "Lunch time!" He announced, turning the knob. Gaddes pushed forward but the door did not open, he tried again and still no luck. "What the tha--?" He whispered stepping away from the door. Placing the tray down on the side he stepped a great distance back from the door before he ran at it.

Gaddes rammed the door with his shoulder causing the chair to fall from its place, the door swung open Gaddes fell over the chair onto the ground with a loud thud. "Damn," He moaned looking around the room expecting to find Duo on the bed and Hilde sitting on the ground, but instead he was greeted by the silence of an empty bedroom. He turned his head to the right and spotted the hole they had gone through. "Hell no, you've gotta be kidding me! They're gone!!" He shouted alerting everyone in the building.

(TBC...)

Next: Chapter Eight: The shadow that follows he who is king...