The Unseen Pathway- Ch.4 (TB x HS)

[Silent Moon Sphinx]

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

First Semester

Chapter Four
A Gundam pilot doesn?t know everything?


~*~*~

And so, recently Hilde gave up her search for a decent guy companion, deciding to concentrate on her schoolwork so she could feel sorry for herself later.

But it?s always when you?re not looking for something that it suddenly appears. And right when Hilde had decided she was better off without a guy, someone unexpected walked straight into her pathway of life.

~*~*~

After one of Professor Johnson?s less than enthusiastic Materials Science lectures, Hilde was sluggish getting off of her feet.

?At least that?s my last class of the day,? she thought happily.

Hilde began gathering up her things and had just zipped up her backpack when the monotonous voice of her professor hit a lively note. Wondering what could have caused such emotion in the rather dull man?s voice, Hilde listened to his conversation and could hear him coming up behind her, along with another set of footsteps.

?I?m so glad you stopped by,? she heard him speak to his companion. ?This way you?ll finally have a chance to meet each other.?

?Oh, Hilde?? the Professor?s voice called to her. She was startled, but turned around to see what all the fuss was about.

?Hilde, I?d like you to meet another fine student in our Mechanical Engineering Division. You two pupils are at the top of your class! This is--?

?It?s?it?s you?? Hilde stammered at the young man, before the professor could tell her his name.

?Nice to meet you. The name?s Trowa. Trowa Barton,? the other student said in a soft, firm tone as he grabbed her hand, quickly but gently forcing the girl into a handshake.

Hilde couldn?t believe it. The shock in her face must have been evident, but gazing into the cool green eyes of the familiar boy, she calmed down instantly.

So Trowa Barton was here?at EU! Hilde shook her head slightly in disbelief. The fearless clown from her and Duo?s trip to the circus a few years ago, whom she recalled as having called a hunk, was now standing right in front of her. Duo often spoke of the other Gundam pilots, Trowa included, but she had never actually met him??met? as in the sense of shaking hands with him, as she was doing now. Trowa had lost his memory when they were at the circus, and when she was taken aboard Peacemillion towards the end of the war, Hilde was in too bad of shape to notice any other pilot besides Duo.

?Professor Johnson,? a student called, and the man that had introduced the two youths turned around at the sound of his name.

Using the distraction to his advantage, Trowa put a finger to his lips, the simple motion signaling Hilde to remain hushed about his identity.

By the time the quick movement was complete, Professor Johnson had turned back towards the pair. ?Well, I?m so glad you two were able to meet. Your schedules always seemed to prevent you from being in a class together. You are both such promising students. I hope to continue to see good work out of you. Now, if you?ll excuse me, another student needs my help.? And with that the professor turned away, leaving the Hilde and Trowa standing in an awkward silence.

Hilde had so many questions, she didn?t know where to begin. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Trowa intervened.

?Let?s go someplace quieter to talk, if you don?t have any classes,? Trowa told her.

Hilde meekly shook her head and followed Trowa?s lead.

~*~*~

After a walk in complete silence, they reached a cozy coffee shop that was a favorite of the locals, nestled in a cobblestone alleyway and hidden tightly between old stonewalls, which were overgrown by a beautiful English garden that lay beyond them. Upon receiving their coffee orders, Hilde and Trowa settled themselves in two great big chairs and began sipping their latt?s.

By this time, Hilde was bursting to speak, for she was not accustomed to such long periods of silence. She had lived with Duo, after all.

Soon, her excitement in meeting a Gundam pilot could not be contained any longer. ?Why are you here? I mean, you?re a Gundam pilot,? she fought to remain in a whisper. ?Aren?t the courses too easy for you?? Hilde asked Trowa.

?A Gundam Pilot doesn?t know everything,? he answered stoically, taking a deep sigh while studying Hilde. Deciding she was worthy of his words, Trowa kept up the conversation. ?I strive to continue to learn new things each day. Granted, these courses are not challenging at first, but perhaps they will be later. You can?t make a living on a clown?s salary. And a degree in engineering looks much better than ?Gundam Pilot: Murderer of Hundreds in the Name of Peace? on your resume.?

Was he being serious? Hilde couldn?t tell. ?You?re being too hard on yourself,? she told him gently.

?Hn,? Trowa mumbled, his face indifferent. But after another sip of coffee, his expression softened a bit. ?My sister, Catherine, was actually the one who wanted me to go to college. She wanted me to have the advantages she didn?t. And nowadays, you almost have to have a college education if you want to get a well paying job. Because myself and the other Gundam pilots chose not to be war heroes and have our identities remain a secret, I?m looking forward to a normal life, one without the Preventers, eventually. I know the circus will always be my home, but I hope to have a family of my own?someday,? he explained with a distant look in his eye.

?Ahh,? Hilde nodded thoughtfully. ?I?ve always wanted to go to college, though I wasn?t serious about applying here. Duo actually sent in an application I had completed without me knowing.? She smiled a little at the memory.

Trowa raised his eyebrow at the girl?s small smile and faint blush. ?How is Duo??

?I haven?t talked to him in a while,? Hilde sighed, the fond expression in her eyes changing to sadness. Trowa?s own eyes narrowed a bit at this confession which obviously upset her. ?I?m sure you heard he had an assignment with the Preventers,? Hilde continued.

?Vaguely, yes,? Trowa responded. Even so, he assumed Duo?s best friend and former roommate would have the latest information about the braided boy. Whatever prompted Trowa to take such a sudden interest in this girl was lost on him, but he couldn?t bear to see such sorrow cloud her beautiful blue eyes.

After a period of silence, Hilde spoke again. "What do you think of Relena Darlian?" she asked him cautiously. She didn?t want to seem to forward, she had really only just met Trowa. But she needed a male?s opinion on the subject, and Hilde was never one to be shy. She could see the amusement light up in Trowa?s eyes at her sudden choice of discussion, but he answered the question calmly.

"Probably the same as everyone else. I admire her. She is a strong woman."

"Yes," Hilde agreed absentmindedly.

Trowa studied the girl in front of him. Wanting to understand the reason behind her question, he continued on about Relena. "She loves the world and the world loves her back."

Hilde sighed. "It seems as though she's just perfect, you know? It seems everyone is in love with her."

"I'll agree to that," Trowa told her. "She is perfect. And although she has many admirers, her perfection is just enough to satisfy one man."

Hilde looked at the green-eyed pilot, stunned when his comment registered. The word ?perfection? was automatically associated with a certain brooding pilot. Had Trowa not heard about Relena and Duo? Hoping to clarify, Hilde stuttered, "You don?t mean--"

"Heero Yuy. He does have high standards. I wouldn't expect anything less from the Perfect Soldier."

"Heero l-loves Relena?" Hilde questioned, barely getting the words out. "How do you know that?"

"I just?" Trowa paused, "?know." He smiled warmly, a rarity for the Heavyarms' pilot. "I see it in his eyes."

"And when have you seen Heero? He doesn't seem to keep in touch with anyone," Hilde noted.

"True, but I have seen him now and then. I listen when he needs to talk. He usually tells me where he's going when he does his famous disappearing acts," Trowa admitted.

"Why does he go away?" Hilde asked.

"Sometimes he leaves because he has a mission, sometimes he leaves?just because. It seems to me that he's searching for something. He just doesn't realize that the thing he's searching for, he's already found," Trowa answered stoically.

"Relena," Hilde answered the pilot's riddle. "Trowa, you do know you're probably the only one he confides in?"

And Hilde knew that Heero wasn't the only one to enlist Trowa as their confidant. She had heard Duo tell stories of Trowa's good advice and profound wisdom.

Trowa simply lifted his eyebrow and cocked his head slightly at her statement--which was really more like a leading question--not giving any more information away. Hilde was actually surprised she had gotten so many words out of him.

"It seems to me that you are a keeper of secrets," she told the mysterious man in front of her.

"And I've just slipped one to you," he answered, his one visible eye constantly engaged in study. He gazed at Hilde's features, noting the way her mouth parted slightly when she was submerged in deep thought.

It was after Trowa?s comment that Hilde realized the consequences of the newly discovered truth. If Heero did love Relena, he would surely seek her love when he felt the time was right. He always had to do things his way. And Hilde knew Relena would return to Heero with open arms if he admitted his love to her. The one thing that was keeping the Vice Foreign Minister willing to love another was the fact that Heero had never actually said those three little words she longed to hear. If he told her he loved her, Duo wouldn't even stand a chance.

It's not like Relena was that cold, Hilde reminded herself. It was just that her love of Heero ran too deep. They had some sort of connection, they always had. Call it pure or supernatural. But somehow, they affected each other in a way that could hardly be explained or understood, sharing a bond found only in storybooks and legends. Relena was always given grief about her "unhealthy", as some called it, attachment to Heero, but Hilde realized it was more than that. It was true love. She was sure now that Heero was affected the same way, he just did a better job of hiding it, and probably had a harder time understanding what exactly his heart was feeling. He had been taught to be a cold and callous killer, after all.

Hilde's thoughts then went back to Duo. She was worried about him, even though it might be a long time before Heero decided to reveal his feelings to Relena.

"Poor Duo," Hilde sighed under her breath, forgetting Trowa was still near, and a very good listener, too.

"You must not worry about him. He knew what he was getting into," Trowa assured her.

So, the silent pilot had already known about the relationship between Duo and Relena! After shaking her head at her companion?s slyness, Hilde looked up at him and smiled. "Trowa, I hope you're right."

[Beck]

Its funny how sometimes when I would think back on it, I never understood or got into the 3xH pairing BUT after being told time and time again about the time Duo and Hilde went to the circus and Hilde's comment, it finally came to me. Which I think that 3xH is so much better and easy to my eyes and mind than what 1xH is *shudders*

I liked the introduction to Trowa and Hilde's shock of seeing him. In the past, I've read so many Trowa centric fics that dealt with 3x4 or him in a really bad light and I just never got into his character (plus those mentioned really made me dislike certain pairings to begin with, I love to see Trowa with a woman) And those fics always had him so quiet or being so OOC. I enjoy it when ppl take the time and make him out the way the Trowa I see on the show. He does seem like the kind to be very wise, takes in what ppl have to say, offers advice when need be, and just be there when someone needs a shoulder. I loved the conversation he had with Hilde at the coffee shop. And yes I do see Heero confiding in Trowa more than what he would with any of the other pilots, they have that bond too.

Reading Trowa fics like this makes the character more sexier I think.

[Kanya Barton]

Reading Trowa fics like this makes the character more sexier I think.

I totally agree.

[Cinthya_Dee]

And Good God!!!!!!! Trowa is in the building. Man he is so hot. Its good that you make all the characters appear to be themselves like in the show. Too much Ooc makes the fic suck. Your fic is great.

Cinthya_Dee