Between Sunrise and Sunset... Chapter Two [DMxHS]

[Loyce]

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

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Between Sunrise and Sunset
Part Two: Little White Lies
By Loyce
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Looking out into the western sky, Duo guessed that it had to be sometime around six o'clock, not based on the angle of the sun, but on the growling sounds coming from his stomach. He wrapped one arm around his abs, trying not to alert his companion to his hunger. Duo reached into the saddlebag behind him and pulled out a small piece of jerky. Placing the salty treat between his lips, he ripped off a small chunk with his teeth and stuffed the rest in his duster pocket.

Duo's eyes fell on his companion. The entire trip had been shrouded in silence; the only time Barton spoke up was to call a halt to rest the horses. During those breaks, Barton would move away from him and sit on a nearby rock for a few minutes before moving off and wandering the nearby area. It was while they were on the last break that Barton reminded him of Solo.

He had chuckled has he watched the youth bend over and cut through the tough skin of a cactus, placing an extra bandana over the hole, filtering the plant's water as it flowed into an extra canteen. Just like Solo, Barton knew how to use the land. The New Mexico Territory was so much different from where he grew up in Texas. Duo sighed as imagines of Solo came to mind. Though his people had been relocated numerous times, the Coushatta Indians remained true to their friendly and peaceful nature.

He could still remember the day that the ten-year-old mistake of a saloon girl and the town mayor stared into the dark wide eyes of a young Indian brave through the general store window. Using some of the money he had stolen from the customers at the saloon, he purchased an extra stick of peppermint and headed out of the store. He stepped up to the young Indian, who was still gawking through the window at the various things cluttering the store's shelves, and tapped on his shoulder. Holding out the peppermint stick, toward the boy with the long dark braid, he had introduced himself. The young brave said his name was 'Solo' and in return for the sweet treat, he lifted the leather strap with a bear claw attached over his head and placed in on Duo's head.

From that moment on, they had been inseparable. Solo's family took him in, allowing him a refuge from the small cot in the saloon that was his own. His mother didn't seem to notice that he had all but practically taken up with his adoptive Indian family. He even adopted the long braid, which Solo continually laughed about while it was still growing out. For five years, he 'lived' with Solo's family, learning the ways of the Coushatta Indians. The entire tribe was the closest thing to a family that he had ever had.

Then one night in April of '83, everything was ripped away from him. A bunch of the local drunks were raising hell at the saloon. His mother was dying and had called for him; as he sat by her side and listened to her apologize for neglecting him, the group of drunks headed out of the saloon and toward the Coushatta's camp. After his mother drew her final breath, he packed up the rest of his things and started making his way towards the river. The smell of smoke burned at his nose and fear washed over his body. He ran, as fast as he could, but when he reached the edge of the village, he knew it had been too late.

Everything had been burned. The cattle and horses had been taken. He made his way towards Solo's wigwam, stepping over the slain bodies of the people he had grown to love. Men, women, children, and the elders; no one was spared from the icy touch of death. He found Solo lying over the dead body of his sister. His dark eyes were dull and lifeless; his braid had been cut off at the base of his neck and laid beside his cold body.

Duo couldn't remember if he screamed or if it was the screams of the dead Coushatta echoing through the clearing. He did remember racing back to the town, sneaking into the empty saloon and grabbing the spare gun out from underneath the bar. The sound of angered voices came from the direction of the sheriff's office and he followed them, to find the people of the town dragging the drunks behind them. As the sheriff stood outside the jail, talking about how they would receive a fair trial, he lifted the gun and took aim at one of the tied up men.

The strong grip on his shoulder caused him to drop the gun and swing around with a closed fist. He looked up into the blue eyes of a tall man, wearing a sliver star and circle badge. The man asked him if he wanted to know the true meaning of justice and Duo shook his head. Three years later, he found himself accepting his own US Marshal's badge. And to this day, he didn't have any regrets about the path he had chosen. Protecting innocent people became his tribute to his fallen friend and family.

The rising hackles on the back of his neck pulled him from his wayward memories. Duo grabbed his reins and slapped them against Bandit's neck. It didn't take him very long to catch up with his partner. Barton had slowly brought Renegade to a stop and continued to keep his eyes forward.

"How long have they been following us?"

"Nearly an hour."

"Apache or Navajo?" Duo's hand moved from the reins and pushed the edge of his long duster behind his gun belt, letting the metal of the guns shine in the dying light of the day. Both tribes were known for being aggressive and he had no intention of becoming a target for a raiding party.

Barton closed his eyes and it was a couple of seconds before he answered. "Navajo."

Duo sighed, running his index finger along the hilt of his gun. "Well if they haven't attacked us by now, what are they doing still following us?"

"Scouting. Come on." Barton motioned his horse forward and Duo found himself following, but not without looking over his shoulder first. He didn't want to take an arrow in the back.


****************

Hilde sighed with relief as she felt the Navajo party head off in the opposite direction. She didn't need their constant watch, but she knew that Fallen Waters wouldn't let her roam around in his territory without keeping a watchful eye on her. Running her hand across the back of her neck, she tried to rub the tiredness out of her muscles.

It wasn't that she minded the extra protection, but the Indian Chief was just as bad as Trowa, trying to fill in the empty space where her father should have been. She had met Fallen Waters on her second assignment as a bounty hunter, when she stumbled across his land and came across a young Indian girl lost in the desert. Seeing the young girl lost and bewildered brought back too many memories to the surface. She knew the territory fairly well to know that there was a nearby Navajo tribe. Hoping the girl belonged to them, she lifted the child onto her horse and took her to the camp.

She was met with drawn bows and arrows as she entered the camp. An older woman noticed the young girl slumped forward in her arms and ran over to her, pulling the child off the horse. Hilde stared as the chieftain walked forward and grabbed hold of Renegade's reins. Normally, the horse would rear up, but he remained perfectly calm. He called himself Fallen Waters, bowed his head in silent words of thanks, and had one of the braves provide her with some deer stomachs full of fresh water and some dried meat. Releasing the horse, he dismissed her. Since then, when she would enter the border of his lands, he would send a party to look out for her.

Hilde closed her eyes and listened for the faint sound of the Rio. Whenever she came this way, she would always set up camp in the same location. It was close to the river, but also was hidden from view by the extra amounts of cacti and other desert plants that grew along the banks.

The sun had already set behind the Ladron Mountains, casting the sky into a rainbow made of different shades of red, pink and orange. Clearing the last little hill, Hilde smiled, noting that everything was still the same as she left it. The two stones rings for the fires sat undisturbed; and the make shift tethering post hadn't rotted any further in the desert heat. Holding on to the saddle horn, she slipped off the horse, grabbed his reins and looped them around the post. As she was loosing the saddle to allow Renegade a chance to relax, Duo came up behind her.

"Nice. I take it you use this place quite often." It was more a statement then a question.

The whole idea of traveling with him still annoyed her and she couldn't help the exasperated sigh that escaped from between her lips. Rolling her eyes, she moved away from him and strode over to one of the huge rocks scattered about the camp. Hilde put all of her weight, not to mention her frustration, into the effort to move the rock. She saw Duo move forward to help her, but she waved him off.

Instead, he walked back over to the hitching post and dragged his shotgun off the back of his saddle. Hilde ignored him as he set off out of the camp. From underneath the rock, she pulled out some spare wood that she had left behind from her last outing. Forming the wood in the correct way, like Quatre had showed her all those years ago, she grabbed some of the dry underbrush, placing in the middle of the wood. She took the flint out of her saddlebag, and with a few strikes against a small stone, the underbrush fueled the fire.

The sound of a shotgun blast brought her up to her feet, both weapons drawn. All of her senses went alert at the thought of someone else in the area. She relaxed as she vaguely remembered Duo walking off, putting the guns back in her holsters but never letting her guard down. Hilde sat with her back pushed up against the same rock she had moved before, her hand never straying from the hilt of her guns. A few moments later, Duo came striding into the camp with a skinned rabbit in one hand, and his duster and shotgun thrown carelessly over his other shoulder.

He smiled. "I hope you're hungry."

She wanted to give him hell for using the shotgun when there were quieter methods to catch dinner, but before she could open her mouth, her stomach made its presence known.

"I'll take that as a yes." Duo chuckled as he moved over toward the small cooking fire.

Hilde pushed herself off the ground and took out the small metal spit that she used to cook her game. Handing it to Duo, she then retrieved a small pot and began to boil the water she collected from the cactus earlier in the day. Once the water had finished boiling, she poured some of it into her canteen and the rest into a cup, which she handed to Duo. Skipping lunch hadn't been in her original plans, but thanks to the fool traveling with her, all she had gotten for her meal was a few sips of beer. Hilde decided to raid her rations for a can of beans. After finding it, she sat down next to the fire, pulled her knife from the inside of her boot, and rammed it into the top of the can. Pouring the contents into the small pot, she stirred them until steam rose into the night air.

She turned her head up to the sky and noticed a blanket of stars had fallen over the desert. Leaving the beans on the fire, Hilde walked over to Renegade and removed her bedroll and blanket. Aware that Duo was watching her ever move, she made sure to place her bedroll on the opposite side of the non-cooking fire, between the fire and a rock. She wrapped the blanket over her shoulders and sat back down at the cooking fire, watching Duo as pulled the spit out of the fire and placed it on the only plate she had.

They ate in silence, or whenever Duo was stuffing his mouth with some of the small dinner that sat on the fire in front on them. Though he was continually speaking to her, she wasn't paying any attention to the words that passed his lips, just the movement of his mouth. He had removed his hat and placed it on the log next to him, his chestnut bangs falling against his face, limp from the weight of the day's sweat. Hilde had trouble swallowing the tiny bits of food as she continued to watch him under the brim of her hat. The black duster had been tossed to the side when he had begun skinning the wild rabbit. His sleeves were still rolled up around his elbows, revealing tanned muscled arms. 'I wonder...' Mentally shaking herself, Hilde was happy that fire and a layer of dirt hid the blush that crept up her face.

"Where exactly are you from, Barton?"

Hilde shrugged. "Everywhere."

Duo rubbed his hands against his jeans to clean his hands. "How'd you get involved in bounty hunting?"

"You ask too many questions, Maxwell."

She couldn't stand the way he was looking at her any longer. Pushing off the ground, she moved over to her bedroll and lay down. Normally, she would remove her hat and brush the knots out of her hair, but with Duo with her, she would have to keep up the charade even at night. Hilde reached up and jammed the hat further down on her head. She turned her back toward the fire and listen to Duo as he put out the small cooking fire. The sound of his boots moving across the sand echoed in her ears, followed by his loud sigh as he settled on his own bedroll.

"Good night, kid."

Pulling the blanket over her head, she tired to will herself to sleep. His gentle breathing could be heard in the stillness of the night. Hilde squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out the imagine of the firelight dancing along his face and the fact that she was stuck out in the middle of the desert, with a man that made her heart beat a little faster than it had ever done before.

****************

Fingers of the early morning light had spread across the sky when he heard the faint noise. On instinct, his hand flexed around the gun lying under the worn duster he was using as a pillow. Looking through his long lashes, he watched as the kid's boots skirted around the dying embers of the campfire, heading off in the direction of the river. Closing his eyes, Duo fought to fall back into his light sleep, but after a few minutes he gave up the battle with a disgruntled groan. Pushing himself into a seated position, he glanced over to the place where Barton had bedded down.

The bedroll and the blanket had already been picked up. Duo turned toward the hitching post and found everthing that wasn't needed had already been loaded onto her horse. Renegade pawed at the ground, restless to continue their journey. Placing his feet underneath of him, he stood, raising his arms over his head, working out the kinks in his neck. The heavenly smell of coffee drifted along the slight morning breeze. Duo turned to find a small cooking fire, heating up coffee and some of the wild hare they had caught the previous night. Running his hands threw his messy bangs, Duo thought about his companion.

The kid was a complete mystery to him. Barton was regarded as the best bounty hunter in the surrounding area, even considering his young age. He preferred to keep to himself, not talking for hours and when he finally did, it was maybe a three-word sentence, at the most. Though he had to give Barton credit, he either had nerves of steel or was able to mask his emotions very well. 'Better than most.' Duo looked east and noticed the sun was just about to crest the horizon. 'Barton's been gone a while.' Curiosity got the best of him, so grabbing his guns, Duo headed in the direction of the river.

He didn't have to walk very far; the sounds of flowing water could be heard as he crested the second hill. There was just enough light that he was able to avoid the cacti and a couple of rattlers out looking for breakfast. Barton's clothing was lying on one of the bigger rocks on shore, but no sign of the kid whatsoever. Duo's senses went on alert as he continued to search along the bank of the river, looking for any sign of the tracker. He was just about to dive in after the youth when Barton broke through the surface of the river.

In the early dawn light, Duo could see that it the youth's back was completely scared. Long, thin white scars ran in diagonal patterns down the entire length of the kid's back. Anger welled up inside of him as he wondered what kind of monster could do something like that to a helpless kid. As Barton quickly spun around, Duo received the shock of his life.

Swallowing hard, Duo wondered how he could have ever thought of her as a boy. She had curves in all the right places; her face showed no hints of any masculine features. The girl standing in the water before him was breath taking. The corners of his mouth turned upward in admiration. By using oversized clothing and covering her face with the brim of her hat and a thin film of dirt, she had done a fairly good job of hiding the fact that 'Barton' was a woman.

Hilde's cornflower blue eyes grew from narrow slits to wide with shock. All she had wanted to do was take a simple bath, since posing as a man didn't mean that she had to smell like one. Giving herself a mental shake, she realized that nothing in her life was ever simple. This was not the way he was suppose to find out about her...hell, he was never to know that the bounty hunter known as Barton was a woman. Breathing became a problem as panic washed over her, freezing her on the spot. Her arms seemed to have turned to lead, unable to cover her chest from his stunned, assessing eyes. And she couldn't seem to sink down into the waist deep water to hide from his accusing gaze. Hilde felt her entire body, from head to toe, turn pink as he continued to stare at her.

Anger spread through her like a wildfire as she watched the faint smile play across his face. Taking a deep breath, she tried to keep her voice cold and even as she said, "Would you kindly turn around so I can retrieve my clothes?"

A small blush crept up his cheeks as he snapped out of his stupor. Hilde watched with a murderous glint in her eyes, as his face hardened with rage and the muscles in his cheeks strained with the deadly look he cast in her direction. She let loose a string of curses as she watched his form fade in the distance the closer he made it to camp.

As soon as he was out of sight, Hilde dashed toward the shore. Not bothering to dry off, she threw her clothes on as quickly as she could, hoping to catch up with him before he headed out, taking away any hope of helping her catch Oz Blackburn. Hilde came running into camp, still trying to fasten the belt to hold her pants in place. She came to an abrupt halt when Duo whipped around to face her.

"How dare you be a woman!" Duo yelled, as he picked up his duster and threw it behind the saddle on his horse. Making his way around the camp, he made quick work of picking up his belongings, tossing them into the leather saddlebags.

Hilde placed her hands on her hips and returned his glare. "I really didn't have a say in the matter."

Throwing his hands up in the air, Duo screamed, "You deceived me!" Anger lead his feet across the space between them. He stopped only inches from her, staring down into her small face. She looked back at him, matching his hard stare with her blue eyes, and Duo felt part of his anger ebb.

Mentally counting to ten, Hilde tried to regain a hold on her temper. Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention back on the man standing directly in front of her. "I never once deceived you. Never once did I actually come out and say I was a man. The only thing I am guilty of is not correcting any assumptions you made based on my appearance." She shrugged and turned away from him, desperate to put some distance between them. "It's the same assumption that most people make. Since I dress like a man, shoot better than a man and the fact that I'm a better tracker than the entire population of this territory, then I must be a man."

The sun had finally crested, spilling golden hues of light across the barren landscape. Turning toward the sunrise, she closed her eyes and allowed the morning sun to warm her face.

Duo watched her bathe in the sunlight. There was no mistaking the fact she was a woman. The light tan doeskin pants tightly hugged her hips and flared down around her ankles. Her dark brown boots were small, no signs of spurs. The top three buttons on her white shirt were undone, her pale skin peeking out from between the parted fabric. The vest she wore matched her pants, plain and simple. Without her duster and bandana to hide behind, she was purely a woman.

He mentally smacked his head for being so dense as to not notice. Sighing, he lowered his head. 'Another fine mess I've gotten myself into. What am I suppose to do with...' It dawned on him that he only knew her as Barton. "What's your real name?"

"Hilde." She answered him as she continued to stare of into the eastern sky.

"Hilde, what?"

"Hilde Schb...Barton."

'So, she's hiding something. Well, who isn't in this god forsaken place.' Duo pulled his hat on adjusting the brim over his eyes. "Look, Hilde, the problem is that you're out running across the prairie with a man, completely unsupervised..."

She quickly turned her head in his direction and gazed at him with a stone-faced expression. "You need not worry about my reputation, Maxwell. That was destroyed long ago."

Dismissing him, she walked over to the small camping fire, poured two cups of coffee and placed the left over meat on a plate. While handing him the plate, she grabbed a hunk of meat and a cup of coffee headed over to a nearby rock. She leaned against its cool surface and reigned in her emotions. It had been a while since she had lost complete control of her feelings, letting them play across her face. Quietly, she rebuilt the holes that had appeared in her tough facade.

He took his breakfast in silence; every once in a while casting curious looks in her general direction. 'What had she meant when she said her reputation had already been ruined?' Downing the last bit of his coffee, he started to walk over toward her.

Sensing him, Hilde pushed away from the rock and pulled the dirty dishes out of his hands before he had a chance to open his mouth and headed back towards the river. Having nothing better to do, he decided to help break camp. By the time she strolled back into the small clearing, Duo had already buried both of the fires and all of the gear from breakfast had been stowed away. Hilde kept her eyes averted from his as she walked over to her stallion, setting the dishes inside of her saddlebag.

An awkward stillness rang through the air. Sighing, Hilde turned from her horse and faced Duo. She was surprised when she spun around to find him standing less than two feet from her. It unnerved her to no end that he had been able to get so close to her without her hearing him. Clearing her throat, she broke the silence. "You hired me to help you track Oz Blackburn and I've never quit or been fired from a job. And I don't plan on starting that habit. Though I'm a woman, my track record still holds true. In the past year, I have tracked and brought down 8 of the territory's biggest low-lives." Grabbing her hair, twisting it into a bun and placing it under her hat, she continued. "Besides, you won't find a better bounty hunter in the territory." Extending her hand toward him, she asked, "Do we still have a deal?"

Duo pushed the brim of his hat out of the way with his thumb and looked down at her. It was hard to believe that this tiny spitfire in front of him was a bounty hunter, but she handled the scene in the bar like a seasoned pro. Clasping her hand in his, he sealed the bargain.

Hilde nodded in acknowledgement before she slipped on her duster. Grabbing the saddle horn with both hands, she pulled herself up onto her horse. "If we continue to follow the river, we should remain on his trail. The Rio is the only water source for about 50 or so miles, so he won't deviate from this trail too much. The river splits further down, and that's when it will get tricky, depending on which way he goes. Blackburn will most likely continue to head toward Socorro to get supplies before following the El Camino Real Trail into Mexico, but that slippery snake won't get away from me again." Her smile died when she mentioned Blackburn.

Duo placed his left foot into the stirrup and swung his other leg over the horse's back. His brows came together in a puzzled frown as he noticed the look in her eyes. It was the look of revenge. He'd seem it plenty of times before, even in his own eyes. 'But why would she be after Blackburn?' The image of her scarred back appeared in his mind. He brought his horse next to hers and grabbed hold of the reins.

"Hilde, how did you end up with those scars on your back?"

Her face grew pale and her stance in the saddle became stiff. The emotionless mask of 'Barton' came back over her face as she ripped the reins out of his hands. "Let's ride." Digging her heels into the sides of her horse, she took off out of camp like a bat out of hell.

Duo watched her ride off, knowing he had gotten the answer to his question. Somehow, Oz Blackburn was responsible for the scars on her back. As he spurred his horse after her, he wondered how deep those scars ran and why he seemed to care.

TBC...

[miyuchan]

WHOA! I really liked this fic. Very well written and authentic. Love the "old west" feel, too. I was wondering how he'd discover 'Barton' was really a woman after reading part 1. *giggle* Great story! Can't wait for part 3.

[PeRiDoTs13]

very very nice. i'm liking gundam more and more by the minute. now i must actually see the anime.