Chapter Four - Just One of Those Days
 
"Would you watch where you're putting your feet?" came the muffled cry from
under a rumpled Hilde, where Heero was being mercilessly trampled.
 
She and Heero had taken the long route back to the church, parked in a back
alley, and cautiously returned to the window that had been Hilde's original
escape route that morning. However, they found it was a lot harder getting back
in than it had been getting out.
 
"I'm nearly there. I don't remember the window being this high..." Hilde huffed.
Her broken shoes had been discarded long ago, and suddenly feeling Heero grab
her foot, she stifled a shriek. "What are you doing!!" 
All of a sudden he gave a push, and she was propelled halfway through the small
opening. Her legs kicked helplessly outside, while her arms flailed around
inside, trying to find something to grab onto so she could pull herself in.
 
From outside, Heero allowed himself a rare smile at the spectacle, albeit a
small one. The girl looked ridiculous. He wondered if it was the first real
smile had mustered since he heard the news about Relena. Maybe it was.
"Hurry up" he said, trying to sound impatient. She didn't say anything to that,
only commented that he had better not try and look up her skirt given the
compromising position she was in. He snorted contemptuously at that. "You
discovered my hidden agenda."
 
One last wriggle, and Hilde crashed awkwardly to the floor of the room. She
jumped up, wincing as she put too much weight on her bad ankle, and her eyes
rested on the bouquet she would have carried, walking up the alter... 
Her purpose for returning forgotten, Hilde's blue eyes filled with tears. She
had ruined everything. What was Duo doing right now, she wondered. Was he
coping? What did he think of her? Did he blame himself? If she had married him,
they'd be setting off for their honeymoon about now...
 
"Hilde?"
 
Heero's faint voice coming from outside brought her back to cruel reality. She
spied her purse on the dressing table and quickly grabbed it. She was just
considering changing out of her mangled wedding dress into something less
conspicuous when she heard footsteps coming down the hall and slowing outside
the door. In a sudden burst of speed, Hilde ran to the window and threw herself
through it, landing heavily on a disgruntled Heero outside.
 
"What the-" he began angrily.
 
"Go go GO!" she whispered urgently, scrambling off of him and limping away as
fast as she could. Heero leapt up after her in hot pursuit, and upon reaching
the motorcycle they sped off to the spaceport without looking back.
 
~~~~~
 
An elderly Minister opened the door to the room where the young bride of the
wedding scheduled for today had been getting ready. Before she upped and left,
that is. He shook his head in regret. Young people today, he thought sadly, No
staying power... It was always tragic when something like this happened.
He turned, shutting the door behind him, and continued on his way.
 
~~~~~
 
"You could have at least brought a coat." Heero complained as they wove through
the crowded terminals at the South L2 Spaceport, after getting yet another
suspicious look from a burly security guard. 
Hilde, in her bare feet, tangled hair, streaky makeup and tattered wedding
dress, not to mention her limp, looked like the Bride of Frankenstein, and was
drawing way too much attention to herself. 
 
"Yeah, well, some gentleman you are. You have a coat, you know-"
 
"No."
 
Hilde tutted and crossed her arms. She had come to realize in the short time
that she had known Heero, that Duo had exaggerated his lack of humour and bad
temper beyond belief. Sure, he was irritating, antisocial and blunt to the point
of rudeness, but... he had helped her when she had no-one to turn to, so he
wasn't all bad. And he sure has perfected the use of sarcasm, she thought dryly.
 
"Wait here." Heero said evenly. "I'll be back in a minute." He strode off into
the crowd of travelers up ahead.
 
She waited, he returned, and they walked together through a strangely unattended
checkpoint. Hilde idly wondered where the attendant was, but was so eager to
leave the colony she forgot all about it as she saw the shuttle.
 
"Wow, it's nice! And big too!" She had been expecting a run down, rickety little
thing. Then again, she didn't know anything about what Heero did for a living,
did she? She glanced at him curiously. "How did you manage to afford it?"
 
He shrugged vaguely. "I'm good at what I do." There's an understatement, he
thought smugly.
 
Heero wasted no time in taking off once they had boarded the shuttle - he didn't
particularly want to risk getting caught with a stolen spacecraft today.
Hopefully it would be a while before the attendant's unconscious body was found.
It had been the only way, since it would have been discovered that he wasn't the
owner of the ship if he had legitimately checked in. 
 
Well, all had gone to plan. Apart from the ruined wedding and the taking the
bride back to L1 with me part... he thought ruefully. So technically, nothing
had gone to plan. He wasn't sure how it had happened really. Duo would probably
hunt him down and kill him if he knew. Everyone would. Or they'd at least give
it a good go. What had possessed him to help Hilde Schbeiker? He wasn't usually
the merciful type.
 
Heero set a course in the shuttle's computer for L1 and leaned back in the pilot
seat, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in his classic thinking position.
Finally, a few moments to himself. 
 
Heero had been alone since the end of the war, never content to stay in one
place or settle anywhere. He never made friends, preferring to be alone and
therefore feeling no obligation to stay anywhere for very long. His contact with
Hilde was the most he'd had with anyone in a very long time. It was new,
intriguing he supposed, but it was a shock to the system having to make so much
effort to be sociable. This quiet time Heero had now was a relief - just a few
moments to think...
 
"Heero?"
 
Or not. He didn't move. "Hn?"
 
"Is there a bathroom? ...I should get cleaned up." Hilde had decided she had no
excuse not to tidy herself up now.
 
"There should be one back there somewhere..." Heero said absently, waving a hand
in the general direction of the back of the ship. He hadn't ever got round to
having a proper look around the thing.
Hilde frowned. "I thought this was your shuttle."
 
"Oh, it is." He smirked, but was facing away from her so she didn't see.
 
Hilde gave up and went in search of the bathroom. She found it easily enough,
and promptly locked herself inside. She went straight to the sink to wash her
face, and glancing up, gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She was a mess. 
With this precious time to herself , it truly sank in what had happened that
day. What she had done, how things had changed. She realized she didn't know
Heero at all. In fact, it made her nervous being around him. Had she done the
right thing going with him? True, she was free to go wherever she wanted for as
long as she wanted, but... she had lost Duo. 
 
She had lost Duo.
 
Finally alone, Hilde didn't have to put on a brave face for anyone anymore. She
could finally let out what had been building up inside of her all day, and
wallow in the self pity and self loathing she felt for doing what she did to
such a sweet guy. She hadn't had a chance to grieve earlier, life had been a
frantic race, a blur up to this point. She had pushed her feelings aside and
followed Heero's lead. She believed now that her decision had been for the best,
for her at least. But Duo? 
 
I'm so sorry...
 
Hilde collapsed on the bathroom floor and sobbed her heart out. 
 
~~~~~
 
Back at Duo's home in the junk yard that evening, things were pretty quiet.
Without knowing where Heero could possibly decide to go, Quatre couldn't exactly
come up with any kind of plan apart from 'find out'. 
 
At that moment in time, Duo was pacing agitatedly around the kitchen, while
Quatre sat nearby at the table in silent support. Wufei was flicking lazily
through television channels in the next room, and Trowa was gazing thoughtfully
out of the window next to Wufei. 
 
They really were in an impossible situation, he mused, and seeing Heero as he
had done, Trowa didn't think the guy had kidnapped Hilde against her will - she
had gone with him, apparently without kicking up a fuss. So what the hell was
going on?
 
A spluttering Wufei stopped any further thoughts. Trowa turned to see what had
got his friend so worked up. He saw Wufei sitting straight up in his chair,
pointing at the TV screen with wide eyes. Grabbing the remote and turning up the
volume, Trowa yelled for Duo to get in there.
 
" - This is the only security footage available at this time. It shows the
unidentified young man just moments before he allegedly knocked a checkpoint
attendant unconscious and left for an unknown location in a shuttle that was
reported stolen from space colony L1 yesterday afternoon. The woman with him
seems to be wearing some kind of Halloween costume..."
 
The female reporter's voice continued while the footage played onscreen. Grainy
images could be seen of Heero and Hilde making their way through the crowded
spaceport. Hilde did indeed look a mess, and Duo's expression darkened when he
noticed her limp. And Trowa had said she wasn't hurt! Man, was Heero gonna pay
for this...
 
"He doesn't appear to be holding her captive." Wufei observed.
 
Duo scowled. That cold bastard had probably threatened her, or worse, scared or
hurt her so bad she didn't dare try anything! His blood boiled and he
unconsciously clenched his fists as he watched them on the screen. Where was
Heero taking his Hilde?
 
The picture switched to the reporter standing in the spaceport, one manicured
finger pressed to her earpiece. 
 
"...This news just in... the young man has been identified as Heero Yuy,
otherwise known as Gundam Pilot 01, famous for the various acts of violence he
committed during the Eve Wars despite receiving a full pardon three years ago,
along with his four comrades. His accomplice is yet to be identified, and if you
have any information on the dark haired young woman, please call the number at
the bottom of your screen immediately." The reporter smiled grimly as she
emphasized: "The two are to be considered dangerous. Do not attempt to approach
them, but contact the authorities as soon as possible. This is Sayuka Madaki,
reporting for channel 53, Colonial News Live."
 
Duo leapt up and ran for the vidphone. He had to let them know Hilde was an
innocent victim! There was no time to lose.
 
Quatre sighed, massaging his temples with his fingers. "This is getting out of
hand..."
 
~~~~~
 
Heero turned off the news report he had been listening to on the shuttle's radio
with a grunt of satisfaction. Life was getting interesting again. Of course, it
was impossible to go to L1 now he was a wanted man again - Earth was the only
option left. But that was fine with him.
 
He ran a hand through his wild brown hair in disturbance as he remembered his
unwanted passenger. What could he do with Hilde? She had to come to Earth with
him, there was no other option. 
 
Heero couldn't help but smirk at the poor girl's situation - it was worse than
his own! At least he had some idea what was going on. She had no clue that she
was wanted by government officials because she had been seen with him! Hell, she
thought he owned the shuttle they were in, that they were going to L1! Boy, was
she in for a surprise. 
 
Heero shook his head in amusement as he programmed a new course into the ship's
memory: they were going to Earth. It would take longer to get there than it
would have getting to L1, so he had some time to rest. Maybe now he could
finally take a look around his new shuttle.
 
~~~~~
 
AN: I know it's moving kind of slowly, but it'll speed up soon. Promise.