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- Chimera of Life -
Story One: Mutual Conquest
~*~
“Are you sure you’ve got
everything? Your pain killers… passport…”
“Yes. Everything’s with me.”
Hilde nodded as she looked at Duo’s inquiring face. Not that she needs those painkillers.
“I’ve traveled before, you know.”
“Okay… okay… that’s good…
And you’re coming back at 12:45 pm on the 3Oth, right?”
“Right.” She nodded once
again and inserted her hands into her coat pockets. “And your schedule is,” She
started listing it. “Flight out, day after tomorrow and return flight on the 29th
at 6 pm.”
“Right. Right…” Duo nodded…
Why was it so awkward?! He told her not to go, but she insisted… He didn’t want
her to go… but she got her way… He’s gonna miss those backrubs… He had actually
given her a massage every single night until last night just because when he
asked her if she was all right, if her back was fine, he hoped that it still
felt cramped so that he would be able to touch her, and he had been in a plane
of bliss every time she shook her head and told him- ‘It still aches a bit’…
Hilde felt the ring with her
thumb and bit her inner cheek. They’re going to be official unmarried in about
six days… funny… she never realized that everything happened at the beginning
of this month… Oh, she doesn’t want to let go of the ring but… She faked a
surprised look. “Oh! Oh Duo, here. I almost forgot!” Hilde took out her left
hand and pulled out the ring.
What could he do but to hold
out his hand while she dropped the ring into his cupped palm?! He closed his
fingers over the ring while a detached sensation filled his heart… This was so
wrong… the ring was for her.
“So… You knock ‘em dead,
Hilde.” It was a miracle he could still talk… the way a lump had somehow gotten
in his throat…
“Of course. And you told me
to… to remind you that…” She breathed in deeply to calm her suddenly
constricting chest. “You’re going to pass by that office after Taggert’s
meeting.”
“Yep. Just to make sure that
she filed our papers correctly.” Duo nodded. He checked behind her and saw the
people start to move. “Your shuttle is leaving.”
“Hmm…” She turned slightly
and grimaced before she faced Duo. “Right. I guess that’s my cue to leave.” She
shifted her weight to her other foot then straightened her back. They’ve done this
before… what’s so different?! “Good bye, Duo.”
“See you in six days,
Hilde.” Duo whispered while he tried a smile that came out lopsided.
With a nod, Hilde turned
away and started to walk to the entrance.
“Hey! Don’t forget to get
someone to carry your bags for you! I already told the attendants about your
back!” Duo cried out just as she reached the entrance.
With a quick glance over her
shoulder, Hilde nodded and flashed him a smile. “I won’t!” It really was nice
to have someone you love be so concerned about your safety…
He watched her enter the
gate and then disappear into the crowd… He never opened his lips to say those
three words even if he had wanted to… He opened his hand and the golden ring
glinted at him brazenly… Well, at least he knows that she’s going to come home
to him.
With a sigh, Duo pushed his
hands into his trouser pockets, slumped his shoulders and walked out of the
airport with a heavy heart…
…
She’s lost… She’s so lost!
Oh it would be so much more easier if she would call for a cab and just give
driver the address, but no… she wanted to experience treasure hunting- and the
treasure? Boutiques that her friends told her would have great deals.
“‘Hartwater has a lot of
great deals! You should go here.’” Hilde mimicked her friend’s voice in
frustration. It was just a good thing that she had already checked in and the
first meeting would not be for another four hours! Ah! To have everything paid
for in a first class hotel… The only one missing was someone to hold to-
Hilde stopped when she saw a
young boy aggressively knocked down a child on the street who was just staring
at the back shop’s glass, and then ran away.
“THIEF! STOP! STOP HIM!”
The shouts from the corner
of the street caught her attention. Men in dark business suits pointed at the
little boy, the same height, and almost the same clothes, as the one who had
pushed him! She could see terror and so much fright on the pale boy’s face as
he scrambled to stand up and start to run… run to her direction.
She was always a sucker for
a lost cause. Probably because she had seen enough, and had helped enough at
the junkyard… Hilde held out her hand the moment the little boy was close
enough and grabbed his collar. “Hey. Stop.”
“Lemme go! I didn’t do
anything! Lemme go!”
Hilde placed both her hands
on the little boy’s shoulders and felt how thin he was. Pity flowed out of her
heart. “Shhh! It’s okay. I saw. Stop struggling and I’ll help you!”
The little boy stopped and
looked up, his face hopeful. “You saw?”
“BOY! YOU!”
The little boy instantly
went behind Hilde and grabbed her legs while Hilde looked up and glared at the
well-dressed men. “He’s not the one you want.”
“Get out of the way, lady.”
The four, tall and burly men stopped in front of her.
Their high, commanding
voices made her blood boil. The way they looked down on their noses… “I won’t.
You’re not going to lay a finger on him.”
“I said get out of the way.”
The one in the middle took a menacing step forward.
Hilde’s eyes slanted while
the little boy held on to one of her legs tighter than before. “Make me.” It
gave her a good feeling when the four looked at each other at a loss, but they
wanted something bad and they were going to get it.
She positioned her legs to
get ready to fight, not that she was that good, she’d rather be in a mobile
suit but… she had enough training with the boys back home.
“Have you caught him?”
A clear, resonant voice that
spoke of power came from behind the four men and they instantly parted. Hilde’s
eyes fell upon a man… her age…. Tall, good looking, and well dressed- like the
others… but the look of smugness in his eyes pulled the wrong strings in her.
“Sir. Just about.”
“No they didn’t. They let
the boy escape.” Hilde retorted while her hand went around the little boy’s
shoulder.
The man took in Hilde’s appearance.
Either she was a bystander, or she’s the boy’s mother… then again, the quality
of her clothing was ten times that of the little boy. Why wasn’t she hesitant
to hug that urchin when his clothes would ruin her white, designer pants and
shirt? He looked into rare, defiant, midnight blue eyes and found an appealing
face… beautiful, actually… So much passion and fire…
“What happened?”
Before either of his men
could react, Hilde spoke. “Your men- I am assuming that these blockheads are
your men- mistook this little boy as their thief.”
“I did not ask for your
answer, miss.” Her eyes flared once again… Dark blue flames that brought a hint
of fiery rose on her cheeks…
“I made it my point to
answer because your men will obviously feed you a lie.”
“Can you prove your point?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and challenged her with a look.
“Fine.” Hilde turned away
from those disgusting, power consumed men and faced the shaking boy. “Hey there
little fella…”
He was surprised at how soft
her voice could be…
“What’s your name?”
The little boy looked from
Hilde’s encouraging smile, to the poker faced men, then back at her. “R-Rob…”
“Rob. That’s a nice name.”
He could see it… She was
wielding a web of comfort around this boy… ‘Very good…’
“Would you mind if you take
off your coat and pull out your pockets, just to show these men that you’re not
the one they’re looking for?”
Rob shook his head and
slowly did as he was told. Hilde took the ragged coat into her hands, faced the
men and shook it in front of them. Then she turned out the obviously hand sewn
pockets. “Nothing here, or in his pant’s pockets. I’m pretty sure that, given
how thin his clothes are, you can see for yourselves that there are no bulks to
hide evidence of a wallet.”
The man slowly nodded, intrigued
and fascinated by this woman, but at the moment- he pushed the two nearest to
him in front. “Go after the right boy!”
Hilde gave a satisfied smile
while she helped Rob into his thin coat. She saw how he had looked at that
bakery just a little while ago. “You’ve been a good boy, Rob. How about I buy
you a small treat from the bakery?”
The thankful glimmer in the
child’s brown eyes was enough for Hilde as she took the boy’s hand into her
own, stood, and then started to walk past the last three guys-
“Excuse me.”
Hilde stopped as she felt
that man’s hand grab her upper arm. She looked from his hand to his face and
knew that he didn’t even know she resented that he had touched her.
“What is your name?”
She shook her arm away from
his and took a step away. “My name is for me to give away. But I’ll give you
something else.” She gave a withering look to each of them. “An advice. Your
men needs to learn discipline and how to respect people…” Her eyes settled on
the man who had touched her. “So do you.” Men like these make her blood boil!
“Come on, Rob.”
The man’s eyes followed her.
Nobody… no one had ever treated him in such a… a… disrespectful way before… But
coming from this fragile looking lady, it didn’t matter to him… “Follow her. I
want to know who she is, where she lives, what she’s doing here in Hartwater,
and everything else.”
“Yes sir.”
That woman had pricked his
interest more than anyone had ever done before… They followed the cab she
hailed with Rob, carrying an overflowing bag of treats, stopped a street away
when the cab pulled up at one of Hartwater’s- in his opinion - disgusting
streets and watched when she gave- possibly Rob’s grandmother or mother- money…
“She’s an intriguing woman…”
…
“Oh! Stop! Stop over here,
please. Thank you!” Hilde paid the man, got out of the taxi, and stood in front
of one of the boutiques on the street. The dress at the window had caught her
attention. It looked exotic… Midnight blue… two piece dress… the skirt hung low
on the waist…
“Perfect!” Perfect for
Relena! It was just the right size… the color would make Relena’s eyes more
mysterious… They had teased each other about which dresses they would like to
wear to seduce their man, and she promised her friend that she would buy her
one very, very alluring dress… ‘Heero will go mad when he sees her in this
outfit… Let’s see him try to take his hands off her with this… that is… if he’s
ever going to show up.’
…
With the box under her arm,
she entered her hotel, instantly sauntered to the counter for messages, and
smiled happily when the man gave her a slip of paper.
“I’m glad you got there
safely… I’ll call you later around- Nine, Hartwater time.
-
Duo”
She nearly kissed the paper! He didn’t have to call her… but he’s going to! “Thank you!” She needs to get ready for that meeting! With a joyous wave to the clerk, she walked to the elevator, too happy to notice the man with bodyguards who took her previous position by the counter.
“Good afternoon Mr. Morley!”
Lawrence Morley nodded. “That woman you just talked to. Who is she?”
“Ms. Schebecker? She’s one of your guests, sir.”
‘Schebecker… Schebecker…’ He snapped his fingers and the one on his right moved forward.
“MS Industries, sir.”
Lawrence nodded, his face a mask of interest. He took a bill from his pocket and passed it on to the clerk. “Send two dozen red roses to Ms. Schebecker’s room.”
The clerk nodded. “Er… yes sir.”
He turned away. “Maybe its time I revisit MS Industries’ records.”
…
She just got out of the bathroom when her bell rang. With a frown, Hilde made sure her robe was tightly tied, then walked to the door. She blinked in bewilderment when her eyes fell on a vase full of red roses.
“From Mr. Morley, Ms. Schebecker.”
The voice came from behind, a face she couldn’t see. “Well… uh… thank you. Come on in.” She opened the door wider for the teen to come in. “What a wonderful host! Imagine! Sending a dozen roses to his guests.”
“This is two dozen, Ma’am.”
“Two?!” Her gaze riveted back to the roses and she shook her head. Arche must have an endless supply of money… She walked to her purse and pulled out a bill but when she tried to offer it to the teen, he shook his head.
“No ma’am. Mr. Morley had asked the staff not to accept any tips from his guests.”
“Er… how about a thank you?” Hilde suggested with a small smile.
The young man grinned back. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
She closed the door behind the teen then back at the roses. Why does she have this distinct feeling that… she’s missing a point… somewhere…?
…
Butterflies flew circles in her stomach… endless… millions of fluttering wings…
‘I don’t want to go in…’
She could hear the murmur of conversations from within the double doors… Forty of the best companies both from Earth and the colonies… All to compete just for Arche… ‘I don’t think I can do this…’
Her body did a full one hundred eighty degree turn then she stopped… She didn’t even give it a try… It would be total humiliation for MS Industries… She wouldn’t be able to live with herself… What would Duo think of her?!
With a groan, Hilde faced the double white doors once again and slowly entered. A mass of people met her eyes… They were all in classy, starched business wears… ‘Thank God I got a new wardrobe!’ She tried to look as if she was supposed to be there, it was the only way to look confident enough.
What she didn’t know was she did her act beautifully that she caught an appreciative brown-eyed man’s interest as soon as he laid eyes on her… She was wearing black sandals and a black, one-piece pantsuit with a fashionable cream blouse… light make up… Her hair looked sporty but combed back in a way that was just as classy as long, waist length hair…
Her eyes took in the decorations inside the huge room. There were enough chairs on the other side, a glass wall that was obviously not part of the room… a fireplace in one wall, and swords in an x just above an emblem shield of- probably- Arche’s, and by the door’s wall, a large buffet table.
‘Drink… have a drink in your hand…’ Tips from classes in business etiquette, proper manners, confidence, and etcetera zoomed through her mind. ‘I’m going to be just fine… Oh Duo! Why aren’t you here?!’
“It’s time.” Lawrence whispered just loud enough for his men to hear and they dispersed to guard the doors. “May I have everyone’s attention, please.”
His voice was clear and strong, and rang above the merry conversation. Everyone turned to face him, the man behind the podium, and Hilde nearly dropped her glass. ‘Him?! What is he doing…’ Her eyes quickly glanced around and she saw the previous men she met, along with a few others.
“Welcome, honored guests. My name is Lawrence Morley of the Arche government…”
‘Lawrence Morley…’ Hilde tried her best not to show her surprise. ‘I went head-to-head with Lawrence Morley?!’ The event that afternoon flashed in front of her eyes. ‘Dear Lord! It’s going to take a miracle to make him listen to me now!’ With a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach, and a heavy heart, she followed the milling crowd to the chairs. She did the right thing… but who wouldn’t feel even the slightest embarrassment at this situation?! She raised her voice at him, insulted him, and his men… what else? ‘Schebecker, you did it now…’
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that when she stood up after the long speech, she didn’t notice Mr. Morley, himself, had reached her and was walking beside her.
“Have you received the flowers, Ms. Schebecker?”
She nearly jumped! How she was able to calmly turn to him, she did not know! “Mr. Morley.”
He smiled his best. “Lawrence, please.”
Why did it feel as if a snake was about to strike? Hilde swallowed and checked the thin, leaving crowd. She’s going to be alone with this creep, who makes her skin crawl if she doesn’t get out of this room soon! “I received the flowers this afternoon. It was very hospitable of you to send flowers to your guests on their first day of stay.”
Lawrence stilled in mid step at what she said then he shook his head and laughed. “That is very funny, Hilde. Very funny indeed.” Brains, humor and looks… does he need to look somewhere else?
‘I didn’t even give you permission to use my name, buster…’ Her train of thought stopped and Hilde frowned and she tried to understand… Her eyes widened. ‘Oh dear…’
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
He was suddenly in front of her, blocking her way to the door… his face so near to her own…
“Excuse me?!” She quickly stepped back before he could get any nearer.
“Dinner… your suite or mine?”
Her jaw nearly fell in shock! Anger threatened to snap her patience… yet, she must keep in mind that this was Morley… Though hell will freeze first before she goes out with this… jerk! To even suggest dinner…! “No one’s. Thank you for the flowers, but no thanks to dinner.” Before he could stop her again, Hilde side stepped him and walked out of the door as fast as her feet could carry her!
Lawrence followed her graceful walk with a possessive look in his eyes. He finally hand picked the woman he wants, and he will get her… “I always get what I want.”
…
Her hands grasped the phone as soon as she heard that wonderful ringing sound. It’s just so sad that this hotel chose antique phones… She wouldn’t be able to see Duo’s face… “Duo?”
“Hey, Angel.” From the other side of the receiver, Duo smiled like a silly boy. “How are you doin’? Is your back fine?”
Hilde sat down beside the table and brought her feet up to the couch’s backrest. “The day has been… fine... I saw a dress for Relena! I’m betting that any man who’ll see her in it, wouldn’t be able to look away.”
Duo nodded absently. Whatever it was she said, he didn’t care, just so long as he could hear her voice. “Really… that’s good. Your back?”
“Uhmmm… aching a bit…” Not really… she just misses his massage… The cramping pains stopped four days earlier, but she couldn’t help but play as if it still hurt just so he would touch her and do his magic over her back.
Concern zinged through Duo and he grabbed the cord. “Are you okay? Did you take your pills?”
“I’m fine, Duo. Just fine.”
“Okay… if you say so…” His voice sounded doubtful. He was just worried. “Anything else happened?”
Her thoughts went to Morley and she grimaced. Now she’s happy he wouldn’t be able to see her face. “Er… nothing too exciting. Say, how’s Melly coming along? Isn’t her baby due this week or… was it next?”
“Next.” Duo placed his hand under his head and burrowed deeper into the sofa. “You are going to make it, right? I mean, she wants you to be little Nora’s godmother.”
“I’ll make it. Make sure you do, too, godfather.”
They talked for hours over the phone… Morley forgotten… factory problems at the back of Duo’s head… and by the time they hung up… Duo pulled a throw pillow over his chest and hugged it while Hilde curled on the couch to sleep, with a smile on her face.