The Unseen Pathway- Ch.1 (TB x HS)

[Silent Moon Sphinx]

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

AN: Story occurs 2 years after Endless Waltz, making the pilots' ages roughly 18 or 19 throughout the majority of the fic. It is in third person POV, but mainly dives into the thoughts of Hilde. This is a Hilde x Trowa fic, but **WARNING**: that's going to be a long development. This fic really focuses on college life, and I started it while in my first year of college. Some scenes are based on actual events and most are complete fiction. BTW, other pairings that switch throughout are going to be (takes a breath): HY x RP, QW x OC, and a tad bit 'o DM x HS, DM x RP, QW x HS! Whoa! I'm not going crazy, I'm just going to make things a bit?interesting. **evil smile**

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?Behind all seen things lies something vaster; everything is but a path, a portal, or a window opening on something other than itself.?
~Antoine de Saint-Exepery
The Wisdom of the Sands

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The Unseen Pathway: a college story
~starring Hilde Schbeiker~



First Semester

Chapter One
It?s better this way?


~*~*~*~

It was interesting how they had all ended up. Quite interesting, in fact. She hadn't expected connections made during the wars to spawn romantic attachments, but then again, she had always been easily surprised.

She was surprised when she had made it off Libra alive, surprised when Duo returned to her after Mariemeia's coup, and equally surprised when he left her again.

Reflecting on the whereabouts of her wartime friends, Hilde Schbeiker paused to take a moment to remember how far they had traveled together, and where their paths seemed to end, allowing new ones to begin.

~~flashback~~

Mariemara's rebellion had now quieted. Duo had returned, working with the Sweepers, and now shared an apartment with Hilde. She had been making a cup of coffee in their small kitchen when Duo walked into the room.

"Heero's disappeared again," he announced.

She looked up at his grave expression, and her eyes caught his hands gripped tightly around two bursting luggage bags. Everyone knew Heero did what he pleased. Why, this time, was her companion so concerned?

Spooning pure, white sugar into her coffee, Hilde stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. She seemed entranced by the way the waterfall of tiny crystals flowing from her spoon crashed into the blackness, immediately becoming saturated and swallowed by the dark depths.

"Relena's not doing so well," Duo continued. He paused for her reaction.

Hilde stopped mid-stir at Duo's reference to Relena and blinked, then simply continued mixing the sugar into the steaming black liquid.

When the subject of Heero and Relena came up, everyone admitted there had always been an affection on her part. More than likely, the Perfect Soldier cared for Relena as well, but without the presence of a strong protector, it was evident to anyone that the Vice Foreign Minister had grown more fragile, weary, and pale.

"I have to leave," the braided boy spoke up again. "Duty calls, but it's not just that. Heero was always my friend. He would expect me to look after her. He likes her, maybe not in the same way she feels for him, but he likes her nonetheless. I never know why he leaves, but I know he'll be angry if Relena isn't taken care of. He's funny like that."

Hilde took the little pitcher of cream and watched the liquid flow into her sugar-filled concoction, slowly surrounding the darkness in a creamy flush. She slowly stirred again, created a whirlpool of mixed extremes?black?white, melding into each other, until finally she was left with a warm, comforting, pale brownish color.

"Then go. It's not like you have to ask my permission," she told him, or rather, she spoke directly to her coffee.

"Aw, Hil," Duo murmured.

She looked up. He had that on that sheepish grin, with a tug of a frown, but there was a defined sadness in his face.

She could already tell from the look of guilt in his eyes that he was chasing a bigger dream. On more than one occasion, she had caught him with an infatuated look in his eye as he was watching a broadcast of the Vice Foreign Minister delivering a speech. It was hard not to love Relena, Hilde supposed, especially when you had actually met the girl. Many a man obsessed over the former Queen without a single encounter, but Duo had been able to cherish much more than that. He had her friendship?but it just wasn't enough.

Her beauty, her charm, the way a blush started in her eyes and rose to her cheeks?it was a little too much to compete with, Hilde decided. And the amazing thing about the girl was that she was genuine and kind. Hilde had witnessed that on Libra and during other brief meetings. There was no way around it, Relena Darlian was?almost perfect. But her one imperfection was perhaps the greatest of all. Her heart was already taken by a captor who didn?t have a clue. The chance of another gaining Relena's love was like finding the Fountain of Youth. It just wouldn't happen, ever. But still, some seemed just fine to settle on gaining her half-hearted admiration. Hilde never understood that stance. She wanted her partner to love her with his whole heart, just as she would give all of her heart to him. But perhaps love isn?t the fairytale that it's cracked up to be.

Completely engulfed in her revere, Hilde hadn't even noticed Duo's soft touch on her cheek. She flinched, tearing her eyes away from the endless oblivion of her coffee cup and looked at him.

They were companions, pure, simple and true. That was not to say at times she would have admitted she viewed Duo in a different light, as something more. He had his share of those times too. But when one got right down to it, they were only friends. Probably even best friends, but still, just friends.

Hilde had been sharing an apartment with Duo, working for the Sweepers as well. She worked part time while trying to take classes. It was her goal to go to college. She was now eighteen, almost nineteen, and had finally completed the equivalent of a high school education. It looked to be about that time for her to move on to the next level, but she just couldn't bear to leave Duo all alone.

Again, Duo?s voice, now gentle, brought Hilde back into reality.

"I was contacted by the Preventers," Duo explained. He had agreed to help the organization if something ever came up. "I'm assigned to be Relena's bodyguard. But I think I'm just needed for comic relief."

Hilde smiled weakly. Duo's happy-go-lucky countenance was infectious. He was always the most effective in brightening Relena's moods.

"It's better this way," Duo told her softly, a tone he did not use often. "I know you've been working on that application for forever, but you would've stayed because of me. I put it in the mail this morning."

Hilde's eyes widened, but then saddened again. He was referring to her application to the prestigious European University, one of the oldest academic institutions on Earth. She had filled out the application for fun, planning to stay with Duo a little longer. EU was the best of the best, especially in the area of technology, and Hilde was always up for a challenge in her area of interest. It would be a long shot to get in, but trying never hurt anyone. Hilde had always figured she could just go to a local college at night, while she lived out her days with Duo and the Sweepers. How quickly things change.

"Now how 'bout that smile?" Duo said as he gave her a friendly 'hey there tiger' punch on the arm.

'He never could be too serious for long,' Hilde thought as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at the boyish grin of the man in front of her.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," Duo sighed and batted his eyelashes jokingly. "But you know you'll see me again, who am I kidding? Gotta go, babe. Death's never late for a date," Duo cooed as he gave Hilde a peck on the cheek, picked up his bags, and headed out the door.

As she watched his braid disappear from sight, Hilde absent mindedly knocked her carefully prepared coffee off the counter, shattering the mug and releasing its contents all over the floor. Her sad smile slowly faded as she bent down to pick up the pieces, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's funny," Hilde thought to herself, "nothing Duo said got a reaction out of me, but look at me now?" and she wiped away a tear, "?crying over my coffee."

~~end flashback~~

Hilde had stayed by herself after that, receiving weekly visits from Sally Po to make sure she was still alive. After all, it was the Preventers that had taken away her roommate, and she was still only eighteen. Sally's mothering instincts knew how lonely it could be.

Hilde wondered why such a reflection of her past could have resurfaced from one tiny letter. Yes, today was the day she had received a package from the University! Calling Sally right away--she wasn't too sure of who else to call--Hilde stood in front of the vidphone, shaking.

"Is it a thick letter or thin one?" Sally questioned.

Hilde held up the envelope. "Well, it's not really thick or thin. It's kind of medium, actually?"

"Just open it!" Sally shouted with glee, and Hilde tore at the defenseless letter.

With jaw hanging open, Hilde mouthed out some words, but Sally couldn't quite make them out.

"Speak up, girl! What's the news?"

"I--I got in!"

[Kanya Barton]

Cute! I love it!

[Cinthya_Dee]

Well what can I say? One chapter and I'm hooked. I've been checking out au fics lately but it never occured to me Trowa and Hilde. But I'm Here and Hopefully I'll stay with it.

Cinthya_Dee