Yeah sure… I own
Gundam Wing… OH MY GOSH! THERE GOES A FLYING PIG!!
Trowa – You do know, don’t you, that sarcasm is the lowest
form of humour?
Mel - *glares* Oh shut up….
Trowa groaned inwardly.
What was it with women and shopping? And how the HELL did he get roped
into accompanying Cathy on this escapade anyway? It was bad enough watching any
girl rifle through clothes racks and trying on a dozen different outfits,
without it being his sister. Now if it
had been Relena or Sally in a bikini store…
He shook his head with frustration and let out a loud sigh. Almost on cue, Cathy reappeared from behind
the changing room curtain.
“Ta Da! What do you think of this one?”
She gave her best twirl, causing the pale blue chiffon to swirl
about her legs. The dress was quite
becoming on her, accentuating her soft curves.
Please God, Trowa begged, let this be the one.
“Very nice. Lovely. The best so far.”
Cathy plucked at the hem, pouting thoughtfully.
“Are you sure? I mean, is it suitable for a wedding?”
“What would I know Cathy, I’m a guy.”
Trowa kicked himself self consciously, as Cathy moved to try on
something else.
“It’s gorgeous, Cathy. Lovely.
Perfect.”
She paused, doubtful.
Trowa nodded vigorously. She
smiled brightly at him.
“Okay. If you say so.”
Oh I do, Trowa muttered to himself, I do.
******
Stepping out of the dress shop, into the sunny afternoon, Trowa
allowed himself to be towed down the street in search of a new formal jacket. Cleaning dirty cages was actually beginning
to look quite appealing. Cathy was
practically skipping beside him, one of her hands clutching his elbow as the
other swung her shopping bag in a vivacious arch.
“Say, isn’t that Hilde?”
Trowa found himself yanked to a halt, as Cathy pointed in the
direction of a nearby bus stop.
“Hilde!” she called, frantically waving her arm to attract their
friends’ attention.
Hilde paused mid stride, her head appearing to tilt in their
direction. She then seemed to tug her
dark baseball cap further over her eyes, shrugging her backpack onto her
shoulder as she hurried to board the waiting bus. Trowa frowned to himself, as they watched the motor vehicle
accelerate away. He took careful notice
of the destination plaque; curious that Hilde’s trip was not potentially a
short one. Why did this not bode well?
Cathy’s expression was bewildered, perhaps even a little miffed,
but she was quick to recover her former good spirits. Spotting a well-dressed mannequin in a nearby window, she dashed
across to take a closer look.
Sauntering after her, Trowa was surprised by a shrill signal from his
mobile. Flipping it open, he was
greeted by Heero’s predictably impassive features.
“Heero.”
“Trowa. Where are you?”
Trowa raised an eyebrow at the underlying tension in his friends’
tone.
“Down town. Shopping. With Cathy.”
There was no mistaking the smirk that flashed across Heero’s
face. Trowa fought the temptation to
scowl at him.
“Can you come to Duo’s place? We have a slight… situation.”
Trowa frowned again, his gaze instinctively turning to the
direction the bus had just headed.
“Is this something to do with Hilde?”
Heero’s stare sharpened, his eyes questioning.
“I just saw her getting on a bus.”
“Can you follow her? Do you know where she was headed?”
Trowa nodded, as he explained the bus’s destination point. Heero nodded briskly.
“We’ll meet you there.
Don’t lose her.”
Then, giving no opportunity for reply, Heero terminated the
connection.
Trowa shrugged. Well, he
guessed, it was one way to get out of shopping.
******
There was a loud blaring of car horns, as Heero swung the car
through a second set of red traffic lights.
The little convertible sped through the city traffic, its’ pilot
actually appearing relaxed as he manoeuvred it through tight turns and passed
irate motorists.
His passenger was completely unaffected by their apparent reckless
endangerment, as he stared vacantly into space. Would they be able to catch up with her in time? And what the
hell was he going to say to her anyway?
Duo glanced down at the small black box that sat nestled in his
palm.
He gave his head a slight shake.
Why had she done this? Didn’t
she trust him? His mind was in turmoil, as he tried to comprehend what could be
going through her head. He knew the
grief she must be feeling because of the miscarriage, his own heart ached with
the loss, but it was nothing compared with the agony of losing her. Did she
really think that he would just move on? She was his life’s breath. He could never replace her.
“What the hell am I supposed to say to her Heero?”
His companion glanced at him briefly, before returning his eyes to
the road.
“I don’t know Duo. But
you’ve got about 30 minutes to make up your mind.”
******
Hilde snapped her book shut with a sigh, before gazing out the bus
window. Her stomach twisted with
nervous tension, and her head ached from the strain of trying not to cry. Self-consciously she began to knead her
hands, her ring finger feeling strangely naked without the precious engagement
ring.
She smiled softly as remembered his proposal, and how he had
apologised, actually apologised, for how small the diamond was. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever
seen. Hell, he could have given her a
trinket made from beads and a pipe cleaner and she would have loved it.
Unable to help herself, she rummaged in her bag until she found
the small Polaroid she had secreted away.
It had always been her favourite picture; Duo didn’t even know she had
taken it. He had fallen asleep in the
grass, after a rather competitive game of soccer with the guys. His hair was still damp with sweat, and one
hand rested across his face, shading his eyes.
He had removed his shirt, leaving him bare-chested and wearing only his
cut off denim shorts and sneakers. The
sun had seemed to kiss his skin, bathing him in its’ warmth. Sniffing slightly, she brushed at the
gathering moisture in her eyes.
She would never love another.
******
“Are you sure it stops here? Maybe we’ve missed it already.”
Heero fixed Duo with a level stare. The American was literally a ball of nervous energy, his
apprehension obvious. Heero watched him
with fascination. It was strange, when they
had first met, he would never have imagined that he would understand how Duo
could be feeling now. But since meeting
Relena…
“Duo. It’ll be okay.”
Duo stared back at him, stunned by the sympathetic expression on
his friends face.
“Thanks man. It’s just… I
don’t know how I could ever live without her.”
Heero nodded.
“I know. I understand.”
Duo stared. Yes, oh
course. Oh course he understood. Lord how times had changed.
******
Hilde waited in her seat, as the
other passengers filed off the bus. She
thought briefly of what her next step would be, how she would occupy herself
before the shuttle flight the following morning. It was hardly the time to go shopping. Noticing the last few people making their way to the exit, she
moved to follow.
Her head down as she stepped onto the footpath, she didn’t see the
person in front of her until she had literally run into them.
“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, as she felt hands grasp her arms,
steadying her. Looking up, she found
herself gazing into an all too familiar pair of violet eyes.
“Did you really think I would let you get away that easily?”
******