Hilde looked down, trying hard not to fall down and break into tears and prayers of relief as Heero pledged his involvement. She was still worried, however. Yet he seemed so determined. And she knew that there was no stopping him - nothing would make him change his mind.

She glanced at the folder he held in his right hand, wondering how much he just knew. She already had an idea on how Gundam pilots work. Just watching Duo was enough. He alone had too much of access to top secret resources, what more of Heero? Heero could help - he would do her well, too well indeed! It would be so much easier… she never wanted to face the damned problem alone. She needed someone… she needed…him. Yet, she also understood that Heero’s support would mean his end.

Please, help me…

            “Heero,” she said, still looking down as she shook her head. You are more capable, yet you are too stupid. “That was not the right decision.”

            He just stood there, smirking at her. “Are you sure?”

            She continued to look down. Heero stared at her for a long time.

            “You are wrong, Hilde. You are alone.”

            Hilde raised her head at his sparse words. She closed her eyes, Duo… “Alone, Heero. I tried to avoid it but I’ve been alone from the start.” Confusion, the desire for his support, the pain… all surfaced at once. She wanted Heero there, she didn’t want him to leave; she also didn’t want him to get hurt. Being involved as it is…

            “That is why I am here.”

            She blinked and looked up, and once again found his intimidating eyes.

Her eyes very nearly watered. Darn, she muttered in her mind as she tried to hide her reaction. She was too used to not repressing her emotions these years that she almost forgot how to do so. But his words alone meant so much, so much more to her than she supposed he could ever imagine. Suddenly, the burden feeling of desperation within her lightened with ease - and she felt redeemed. She looked down, the heard the shuffle of his feet. That was when it hit her: Heero was still waiting for an answer. She decided to tuck her thoughts away for later began to assess what she should do next.

He looked impatient… angry because it was taking her too long to decide. Yet, there was this hesitant look in his eyes, as if he truly valued her next answer. Sighing, she realized that there was no stopping him. And for that, she was truly grateful. Against her intentions, she smiled. His words were enough, and they strangely made her feel… comforted. “I guess that means I can’t stop you. You have a reason, now.”

            Silence fell between them as they both recalled their conversation of a few days ago. A purpose for meeting, she thought bemusedly. Maybe this is what I really need. It was risky, but it was his decision. She doubted if they would make things well, if he would end up being safe in the end, or if they would be succeed. But she trusted Heero to make decisions for himself.

            And then a thought hit her - she trusted Heero with this mission. She trusted him with her problems: her life.

            And then she stared at him, he was still looking at her, but there was this thoughtful expression on his face. He was also thinking, after all. She looked on wondrously, what was it that made her place her confidence in this man so easily?

            She didn’t know, but she grinned. The reason will come out soon enough. “Heero, it would be hard…”

            “I’ve been through enough hardships in this life, Hilde.” He began quietly. “Now, will you answer my questions or not? Lunch is coming soon.” He suddenly answered despite the former pondering condition. There was a half-wry note in his tone, and she frowned at his complaint, then realizing that he was actually trying to keep her calm.

            “I understand.” She then motioned him to sit down on one of the proffered computer seats. And he complied, his facial expression telling him that he needed answers, and he needed them now. ‘He’s finally comprehended the gravity of the situation,’ Hilde thought nervously.

            Fine. They had to work soon. Wondering once more about what she had gotten herself into again, she sat down and faced him, then tapped a few codes in the computer keyboard.

            “First of all, I would be needing your help in a very important aspect.” She began, her voice dry and serious.

            He nodded as he stared at the computer and the information being loaded into it. His eyes widened at the privacy of those files. So she was a very good hacker, he thought as she shrugged.

            “I need you to tell me as much as you can about how a Gundam system works and how to operate it..”

              Heero’s eyes narrowed at the word that defined his life so thoroughly. “What was that?”

            Hilde sighed from across him, her fingers tapping impatiently on the keyboard, “You heard me, Heero.”

            Heard her? Of course he had. But to talk about the Gundams - it has been years. And the very same mechas had controlled his life, had been his art and his accomplishment, as well as his failure. Why would she want to learn about that? She couldn’t - she didn’t deserve it. She didn’t have the ability.

It would be too risky and difficult to fulfill. To use a Gundam meant having your whole being controlled by it in able to gain personal authority. It demanded total use of the self. Above all, he didn’t want her to be affected by the obligations that came with being a Gundam pilot, as well as the pains and the limits. He of all people would know the liabilities and missed opportunities unheedingly provided by being one. He had lost so many, and had hidden so much he felt. Being a pilot gave his soul too many regrets and made him apathetic - resulting in confusion when Wing Zero self destructed, and painful washes of overwhelming emotions when Relena decided on an otherwise path. The extinction of its presence threw him off his carefully constructed center.  It would be too hard for her.

            But he stopped himself; this was Hilde Schbeiker he was talking about. Surely she could… physically, it was probable, given intense training yet he wasn’t sure about her will. She wasn’t a good candidate, if ever such role was true. And no, he found himself wanting to protect this girl from the effects of such a role. Yet he knew, with surprising force that this girl knew what she was doing, and that she would find all ways to get what she wanted. Even if he refused, she would definitely try through another path - and that could be so much more harmful for her.

And she knew much more than she was letting on, and he had to trust her and to believe in what she had to do. If anything, this girl knew best about the gravity of the situation more than he did.

            What she was asking of him was impossible, but workable. It was not what he wanted to do, but what he had to, in order to fix this controversy. How the heck he got into this mess was something he didn’t care for anymore. Where there were many people involved, along with Hilde, the earth, the Space Colonial Stars and even Relena, he wouldn’t accept doing nothing. Could she do it?

            He stared at her determined eyes.

            Yes?

            “Why?” he asked, all of his earlier thoughts displayed evenly in the single word. “Why is there a need to do so? The Gundams are gone, after all.”

            She gave him a grim look. “They’re not.”

            His eyes widened as he stood up, “What?”

            Hilde shook her head. “Wing Zero Custom, Deathscythe, Sandrock and Heavy Arms Custom… all of them, they still exist.”

            “…And how would you know?” He asked, but soon found the answer evident in the stillness of the room.

            Hilde stood up as well. “Black Star was a rebel group formed more than twenty-five years ago. They began, even when the colonial wars were starting. Unlike Zechs’ White Fang group, Black Star wasn’t easily authenticated, it comprised of various groups - all against the governments of those times, especially when the Earth Federation and Romefeller was formed. The assorted range of battles had indeed scarred the earth and had separated the people into various colonies. They were all discontent with the effects of the wars on the people. The best of the best, so to speak. They pooled in all of their resources, and had kept the great secret of their magnitude.

            “Their main intention was to start a universal government that was federal in terms of countries and continents. It was like the ideal of communism: a system so strong that no one would dare pose a threat against it. And despite the financial support they had, they weren’t able to build systems that could face that of the Romefeller foundation’s, as well as the other Mobile Suits. As advanced as they were, they were never able to grab a hand at these highly guarded systems. Plans were stolen and duplicated, but the parts were sparse, as well as the money to buy or create them.”

            She sighed as Heero listened on intently. “For this reason, the organization lay dormant for the past years and through the wars. But I think that during those periods, they had been secretly scavenging for fallen parts and systems. But we know how well secured every battle compound was, so I suspect that they didn’t get much of those parts, but gathered enough to analyze and start building their own artillery.

            “I didn’t realize this soon enough, but the Black Star has grown, and they had all the right affiliates, all the proper means to get what they wanted. And when the Gundams were set to demolition through the self-destruct buttons within them, I believe they have taken the opportunity. They’ve probably routed the location and recovered as much as they could find. They surely had the equipment to do that, and the money to keep it covert, as well as the force to be able to surpass security. I know about their scientists, and the extensive research on Gundam anatomy and components. I suppose it has taken years, but with their supposed knowledge and sample parts; they could have rebuilt those models, with the right amount of titanium if not pure gundanium alloy. These systems would play the greatest roles in their ploy. That would explain my suspicions… about everything, the decoys, the severing of ties with the Space Colonial Stars and destruction of the embassies, the theft of Mobile Suit parts - It’s a new threat, Heero, a dangerous one.”

            She faced him, her eyes glittering; “I didn’t expect things to happen this way. I was a part of the organization. But that was nearly four years ago. I had left the Base through AWOL*, but unfortunately, was never around too much to understand their plans. It was so long ago… and with the peace now, I thought that their plans had receded, but it seemed like they’re more determined. They’re searching for suitable pilots, I suspect. But they won’t take the former pilots - that would be too risky.”

            He didn’t move as she continued to look at him. “The government will need to gather their forces, Heero. And that is why I need to learn as much as possible about the Gundams. They will surely be the main weapons of the organization. We need to get them away from the Black Star.”

            He took note of the pleading note in her voice, as well as the now direct resolve that said that she would find out what she needed, with or without his help. He shook his head, still going over the seeming shock of her revelation. He had never heard of the Black Star before, but the organization was fairly strong against the government. The files were filled with their offenses for the past years. And Hilde Schbeiker, the person before him, a week ago only an innocent acquaintance to him, Duo’s love interest chatterbox, and the one who had set him confused and informed to no end, was a part of it. No wonder she had that skill. An inquiry then came to his mind. “Why did you leave the organization, Hilde?”

            She gasped at his question, and her eyes narrowed, faintly surprising him. So the Black Star had trained her before. Why? And here she was, living her life discretely as a girl in the scrap business. She was going against the group she had grown up with. How could that transition occur? He needed answers: answers that could very well solve the mystery to this girl’s personality - and save them as well.

            She then turned to the screen and shook her head, “I was so young that time, and was never sure of my decisions. But one thing was for sure: I never had a choice on whether to join the organization or not. I couldn’t live there any longer. And when my dummkopf Instructor had set plans for me to leave, I knew that it was my only opportunity to see the world outside.”

            His eyebrow raised at the term. Dummkopf? And then he noted that her vision had that haze in it, somewhat wistful and otherwise pained. In this picture, he remembered the scenes of the night before, where she had lost herself and cried out to him. Heero thought with fleeting panic that a repetition of that might occur.

            She crossed her arms over herself, “There was no life in the Base - only death. We were all trained, day and night, yet we never had the chance to even as much as see the outside world. I was born to that place - one so desolately corrupted, filled with deceit and lies. And I wanted life, Heero, to experience the other side of living - not that overwhelming superiority in skill, which’s main purpose is filled with plans to overthrow some authority. That was the environment back there. And I had done so much, I had even killed, yet I was so ignorant. I needed to see the outside world, to save me from the insanity of never knowing what life really is. I was fourteen, then. And maybe I could have gone insane - brainwashed, if it weren’t for my Instructor. And if I hadn’t seen those picture books…”

            He listened on with interest at her fading babble. Her life was in her confusing words, and he so wanted to make sense of the jumble her phrases had meant. Her faint explanations matched with what he saw in her eyes, earlier. And corresponded with what he had been through. Peculiarly, though her words had no definite meaning, he felt that he understood. Heero shook his head over that sudden revelation. This girl… it wasn’t supposed to be that way.

            “And when I discovered the colonies, and the beauty and sheer… normality of everything, I sought to protect it and give new meaning to my life. I wanted to put the past behind and just… be a person, a real person. And then came OZ, and one obligation followed after the other.”

            She could relate, Heero now knew. But although they had similarities, he noticed how different they actually were from each other when it came to the results now. He clutched the folder in his hand. He knew such trivial things shouldn’t bother anyone, especially not him. So Hilde had a secret, and had the key to the disturbing events of recent, that alone was his concern. He smirked.

But it immediately faded: there was one thing he noticed, she was actually telling him that much about her life, the one that she had long ago concealed.

            Hilde realized the trail of her words, and immediately snapped back to reality, her face being colored by a blush. “I’m sorry Heero… I, oh cripes, I… you heard that… You didn’t understand a thing, did you?”

            Despite himself, his mouth formed a small smile of amusement, “I didn’t. But learned much to answer my question.” He looked away as he dictated that telling statement. Hilde noticed that his lips had set in a tight line. And she immediately looked down. “I’m sorry… I don’t know. I’ve been confused, myself.”

            Heero, not listening to the heed of courtesy, asked the question that had instantaneously reached his mind. Eager to be rid of the frustration and not wanting to explain why the thought affected him so, he started. “I thought you were wary about your past.”

            She shook as she comprehended his words, and then stared at him, her eyes beseeching his face for the answer. He felt strangely comforted and looked back at her.

            “I don’t know, Heero.” She sighed, “It just… felt right to do so. Maybe it’s because I have this sudden strange feeling that told me there’s nothing left to hide. You’ve seen everything. Or perhaps because you seem to understand. And probably… I probably just trust you. Or another reason soon to be told to me.”

            He rolled his eyes at her strange philosophy, but soon realized that he was doing that because he was bent on hiding his reaction to her words. She trusted him. He suddenly took a sharp breath, then thought curiously to himself about that reaction. But when he glanced at her, his thoughts disappeared, and one particular statement was left visibly in his mind.

            There was no longer any doubt about what he wanted to say or do. That phrase alone could give reason for him and compensate for everything he had heard.

            “I’ll help you.”  

(* AWOL - Away Without Official Leave)  

            There was yet another change in atmosphere as Hilde and Heero ate during lunch. While at first, things were awkward because they were wary of each other, and at the next time more comfortable due to their resolved differences, things were soundless again due to Hilde’s quiet ponderings. Heero was staring at her, speculating in his mind about the sudden distance in the girl. Before, their discomfited situations were due to his stony silence, and Hilde had easily remedied that. Now, the situation was different, and he didn’t know what to do. Hilde could easily move from being lively and exuberant to being deathly silent. She was drawing herself away, trapped in her own thoughts. It seemed like she was scared to meet his eyes. Somewhat… ashamed.

            “What is it?” He asked, ignoring the glaring fact that it was him who first started to talk this time. He had been thinking about how he was affected by her earlier words. The sudden revelation of her past in a nutshell had him quite surprised, but not too much. He had already anticipated her involvement in an operation that required extensive training, but otherwise, he hadn’t expected something this covert and influential. He received the answers to his questions today, along with a new duty and revelation. He had accepted the responsibility she was completing on her own and he had done it with all his will (he still didn’t know what was it that caused him to do that in the first place, but had allowed it). Yet despite the knowledge of her past, he discovered that he was still nowhere near predicting her personality.

            Which was why he was in this situation now. Her refusal to look at him disturbed him, much more than what was called for. He glared at her from across the table. He was irritated by how strange it was with her - the things she made him feel. Now, it was frustration. “Well?”

            Hilde was still looking down, her face unreadable and her braided hair gathered at her left shoulder. She sat, still staring down at her meal, not wanting him to see her face. He sighed, upset over this, but waited patiently. Then, after several seconds, she finally sighed and shook her head. “I… can you bear it?”

            Heero, for all his examination, was confused. “What?”

            Hilde at last looked at him. “I mean, you know… eating here with me when you very well know that I…” she didn’t finish.

            She was having a hard time with her composure when she had first asked him. But when he asked what it was that she was talking about, she couldn’t hold on anymore. He even wanted details to express her question. It was simple enough! She knew that he would be revolted with her, now that he knew about where she’d been from and how she’d grown. The Base had certainly warned her enough about rejection instead of acceptance whenever she considered leaving, and she wanted to know if that was true. Heero was the first one to literally know about her past, and she wanted to know how he felt. And be prepared for the others.

            She shook her head. Why was she letting such a thing affect her? Darn it, she could easily hold on her own. She had been doing well on that job for the past few days - she could easily defend her actions, and with honor. She had pride, and was never humiliated by her own decisions - she trusted herself! She would never lower her dignity down to anyone, unless it was God.

            She gulped, but where it concerned her past… things were different. Much different, like she was at the moment, compared to who she had been five years ago. And when Heero was taking so long to reply, she knew that she would experience the inevitable…

            “You’ve been so determined to set me straight on self-worth and honor for the past few days, and now you’re asking me if I’m ashamed of you?” She heard Heero’s voice, “And I thought I was the one who needed help.”

            She gasped, and then she frowned. “What was that?” Though through her hissed response, there was this sudden shocked emotion. Heero’s reaction to her confession was definitely not what she had expected, too farfetched to be exact. But what did that mean?

            She looked at him as he answered steadily, “Schbeiker, your past was not any different from mine, but looking at what you’ve been compared to me, I question my own honor on my past. I know that I shouldn’t let my history affect me that much. The past is part of who we are now. And no matter how we try to, we can never change it. You yourself said that the only way is to accept it. There is no need to show embarrassment and disgrace over what you’ve done. Surely there are reasons why you’ve done them.”

            But there was no reason, Heero. I was confused, stupid and was mistaken.

            And Heero stared straight into the eyes of the astonished girl before him. “You have no reason to be ashamed. I have no business placing opinions on your past-I acknowledge it, just like I comprehend the past of others. Any person who can’t accept who you are is not worthy of you.” He felt a stress on that statement.

            A sudden quiet filled the room.

            Hilde, after watching him for what seemed the longest time, turned back to her food. Aside from Heero’s different reaction and the relief that he wasn’t upset was the fact that Heero spoke that much for her, even delving into his own past. She looked at him.

            And then he was looking back at her. They watched each other.

            Goodness, he accepted her.

            Of all things… of all the people she had expected to react differently, it was Heero who had spoken the words that had reached her the most.

            Comfort. He comforted her. And she felt strange understanding in his Prussian blue eyes. Ironic, she had been the one who was supposed to help him, not the other way around. The thought made her smile, and her soul brightened with gratitude.

            Someone she trusted - the one who had accepted her despite everything, the one who comforted her. Heero Yuy was all that, and she could never be more thankful.

            “Thank you.”

            No one had ever thanked him like that before, over the simplest thing.

            And Heero had never talked, or rather, explained with that much words, time and meaning to anyone, either. He had even compare the person’s life to his own, and that was something he’d never considered doing, ever.

            And no one had ever defeated him in personal combat. The people he had fought hadn’t even lasted for more than a few minutes.

            Ever.

            But for crying out loud, Hilde Schbeiker was different; he had learned that understatement by heart now. And for all the bizarre things she had unconsciously made him do for her, he was very much aggravated. She was an OZ leader at fifteen - how could he have forgotten that? Aside from these were the constant reprimanding to himself for thinking her that… normal. 

            He took a back flip as Hilde swept down to trip him. And when he swiveled back to hit her face with his foot, she surprised him by interrupting it with her arm and holding his leg down, thus resulting to a fall.

            “When,” he huffed as he rolled over and stood up, “did you learn that and how ever did you hold back during the war?”

            They had started training soon after a few hours from lunch. He had decided to see the measure of her skills and to see how he would train her, depending on her abilities. But no more than five minutes later, he was fighting at full strength. He had never expected to be doing that before, much less to a girl that looked like Hilde. But she was very good at physical combat, and she was heavily trained, along with her experience.

            He had easily put her down on the first round, but that was when he figured out that she was hiding the real extent of her abilities. And when she had lashed out at him after that, he was too caught by surprise on her style and sudden speed that he was given a disadvantage. He had recovered soon after that, but had eventually lost due to her unexpected kick attack. Her body gave her the advantage of speed and space. And soon, he had thrown courtesy to the wind and had started on showing her his real skill.

            And, of all things, it seemed like they were getting a draw. He might even lose. She was too darned good, but he knew that she was also having a difficult time. Her attacks comprised of a reasonable, complicated, yet actually simple combination of martial arts and western techniques. He was lucky to pull off a good fight.

            Hilde stood up and got into a fighting position. “Hold back? Heck, Heero, I was young and daring - and stupid, I’d never held back. How do you think did I easily win the leading position in the first class voluntary section? I never realized that I was risking my identity. Fortunately, I got placed in the pilots division, which I had no idea about. You can’t well place physical skill to use when you’re manually controlling a robot, or fixing some mechanical parts. There was no use, after all. I could have done better afoot.  That was when I decided about my foolishness - then I decided to lie low.

“Besides, there was no absolute need. Duo has suspected enough, and anyone who would see would wonder (I know, he grudgingly admitted). Whatever ‘talents’ I had never worked on him, anyway. My fault was underestimating Dorothy Catalonia when I went to the Libral Craft.”

            He then took off into the opposite direction, “And not learning how to properly use Mobile Suits?”

            She followed him. “Are you trying to bait me, Yuy? Well, for your information, everything I did on that Taurus was purely self-taught, and without manuals whatsoever. So there! I’ve never ridden a mobile suit before in the Base!”

            Heero launched himself on the wall and propelled himself against it, using it to jump back to her and deliver a punch, which caught her unaware. But she had, again, deflected it by moving back, though his fist grazed her face and sent it snapping back a little. She hissed as she held her cheek, “Good one.”

            He gave a satisfied smirk and followed on to attack her, sweeping down to make her fall. Hilde then countered with the same move he had used earlier when she had used the same attempt: she flipped back and tried to kick him in the neck. But he learned from her moves and caught her ankle. What surprised him was when she purposely dropped down and used her other foot to kick him.

            “Oof!”

            He fell down, gasping, and rubbed his left cheek as Hilde proceeded to stand up. A blue discoloration appeared on her cheek where he had earlier hit her. “That caught me.” He admitted as he stood up, trying to ignore the pain. It had been years since he’d last experienced the fist of a person on him, and he was still getting used to it. Rather, he was also enjoying himself.

            Hilde placed her hands on her hips, “I know how to counter my own moves, Heero. Do you? Well, I didn’t know that we would include gymnast tricks like you did in this ‘test’ fight. I decided to use a few of my own - like that.”

            So she had still been holding back? Masaka, Heero thought, this woman is very, very skilled. Very well. He went into his attack position and motioned to her with his chin. “Let’s spar.”

            True to his word, the so-called test fight to measure her skills turned out into a full out sparring session. A flurry of attacks came at high speed, some fatal, some weak, yet always deflected. The end came a ten minutes later, when both of them dropped to the ground.

            “Heero, I think you’re enjoying this too much,” Hilde wheezed out as she wiped a trickle of blood from her chin. She was on the floor, kneeling.

            “A bloody draw,” Heero muttered irately, borrowing her language as he leaned on the wall, both of his feet sprawled carelessly. He was rubbing his shoulder, the pain there was much stronger than the other parts Hilde had managed to hit. Darn it, now he had both shoulders injured.

            Hilde gave him a grin. “Draw, Mister Yuy? I don’t think so, not when this is the only advantage I can ever have over you.” She stood up and wobbled on her feet, “I can still make it.” She winked at him. “Come over here and let me whip you.”

            Heero snorted, “I doubt you can stand for even five seconds.”

            Hilde walked over to him, “Are you sure?”

            Heero gave her his harshest look, “We won’t be able to train soon enough in these conditions.”

            She stopped, then blinked. Then she gave him her sweetest smile. It was amazing, how easily they got along this time around, he thought hesitantly, if not a bit heatedly. He was starting to blurt out his opinions, useful or not, and she was starting to be ultimately at ease with him. “You’re trying to buy me, Heero? Thank you very much but I’ve seen your tricks, and who knows how many times Duo had used that very same thing on me, that pig. I will fight you until I win.”

            Heero sighed. He couldn’t believe it. No, not ever had he been defeated like this… “Fine, you win, by farce.”

            “Or force?” She laughed and fell down next to him. “I’ll have that, Heero. I won.”

            He said nothing as she praised herself proudly, apparently just to irritate him. He was amused. “That was a good technique.”

            She shrugged as she laced her shoes, “Instructor gave me a strange, yet very special technique that was a combination of his skills. It was very organized, and I also learned through his experience. Our training was rough, yet the very same hardships I endured caused me victories in lots of fights. However, I believe this is my greatest accomplishment, yet.” She gave him a deliberate look.

            She was changing the subject, Heero realized as he closed his eyes. He did not dare ask who the ever-elusive Instructor was, or what kind of battles she had faced. He knew that she was rather sensitive about her past. How ever was she able to keep up the pretense and feigned ignorance? He shot a look at her. No, she was simply afraid of being revealed. Hiding herself would be the best move for her and the people around her.

            If Heero recalled correctly, Hilde knew a lot about the Black Star, which meant that she was obviously a possible threat. If ever the group found out that she had relations with the government, or had plans to counteract them, he knew that she would be in trouble. She was correct: discretion was what they needed.

            He just sighed, “What do you mean about having an ‘only advantage’ over me?”

            Hilde looked confused, then she wrinkled her eyebrows. “You’re clearly my superior when it comes to harder levels of training. I know just enough about mechas to control the movement of a Virgo, but not enough to know its full strength. I may have an advantage over guns and I have a fairly appraisable aim, at least Duo told me. I’m curious about your skill in the control of heartbeat. I’ve had some knowledge and practice in breathing and blinking, as well as movement, but never about the heart. You’re even a greater hacker than me, and there are about a hundred more things.”

            Heero listened with fascination at her words. She knew that much, of course. Then he shook his head. “Of course.”

            Hilde looked at the man beside her. Not very expressive, and he still speaks in that strange monosyllabic language. She sighed. Heero was Heero, but this very same person was someone different, someone special: and he had her respect and trust. “Heero, please… I hope that…”

            He shook his head and gave her yet another glare. “I promised that I would help you. Don’t worry. I’ll do anything I can, given the proper equipment and cooperation.”

            She nodded and smiled as she stared off. Thank you, Heero. She said in her mind. You don’t know how much this means to me. Then she stood up. “When will we start?”

            Hilde was holding an icepack against her lip when Heero entered the living room after dinner. Their routine was about to end. After this, they would both go up to their separate rooms as they did every night. But again, she felt more comfortable, she realized as she watched him sit down on the sofa next to hers. Every time, the way about how she felt when around him changed, gradually growing more accustomed to his presence and feeling calmed by it. The feeling of having nothing much left to hide about her past from him was taking a lot of getting used to, but made her at ease. She then turned to him, “That hit on my lip was bad, really bad.”

            He snorted, “Both of my shoulders are aching.”

            “Oops,” she said sardonically, but she was smiling.

            He rolled his eyes.

            At her relaxation, she had realized that she had been jesting with him at the past few days. And he wasn’t getting really mad, just exasperated. Their living under one roof for a couple of weeks had changed a lot of things. She released her breath and gave him another grin. “I’m still licking my wounds.”

            He sighed.

            Her brow raised. No more words and just reactions, that meant he wanted to tell her something. She then edged near him and asked. “What is it?”

            Quite startled that she had predicted his thoughts, Heero took a few seconds to completely face her. He looked disgruntled about what she had done, and she almost smiled. Or sighed - whatever! Heero Yuy was the most complicated person she had ever met, next to Duo that is. He was absolutely impossible to predict, more so when she couldn’t tell whether he was serious or just acting silly. Shaking her head, she then nodded, “Well?”

            He sighed, then looked away. A serious look fell on his face. “I know it might disturb you, but why didn’t you tell anyone about this situation? It’s obviously such a difficult task, and would have so many people affected. It would be very hard to do it alone. Why ever did you keep quiet?”

            Hilde, fairly shocked by the sudden question, opened her mouth to speak, then slowly shut it again. She looked away after this and placed her arms over herself. “With what proof do I have to back everything up? It’s amazing how I got you to believe my reasoning.”

            Heero caught himself at his words. Believe her? Yes, what was it that made him believe her? Aside from the fact that her suggestions were possible and that she was well associated with the group she was analyzing as the source of all attacks, what was it that made him accept her words as true? Those facts weren’t enough to prove her words real. But of course, there was the data in the computer at the basement, and his own researching. He wasn’t so sure, it was a big gamble, yet…

            Hilde placed a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, what would make them believe me? A random girl with no files supporting me, not even a birth certificate-discharged from the controversial OZ and has nothing much to prove my sincerity but a tattoo of a black star that can very well be fake? I could search for evidence, but it wouldn’t be enough to make them bring me to an elite investigation. They would easily dismiss me. It’s just… hardly acceptable for a girl to do it. They’d think that I just have a plausible theory, and that’s that. It would take too long for them to know the truth, and in that period of time, I could easily be revealed.”

            She sighed, “You see, they just won’t do it, and it’s too risky for me.”

            Heero, who had been looking away in silent contemplation when she had started to explain, now turned to her and asked her. “The tattoo - is it a simple tattoo, or can it be authenticated to the Black Star members only?”

            She stiffened at her question, but answered, “I think it’s has other unique properties compared to normal black star tattoos, but nothing that can’t be duplicated.”

            Heero raised his eyebrow at this.

            She lifted her hands as her eyes widened, “Heero, I received this tattoo when I was a child, merely two years after my birth. I don’t remember anything about this. And I can’t very well look into the tattoos of the people around me! They’d consider it an insult. We hardly speak to each other, if not to cuss them - really. I could never ask my Instructor, heck it’s even against the rules to know his name. Everything was private. The only way I got to know the tattoo was by using two mirrors.”

            Heero’s eyes flickered at the information. She spoke so freely now, and, as always, was eager to defend her case. She was herself again in spite of their current turn of knowledge. He almost sighed at the irony. Nodding, he asked her, “What do you think is distinctive to this mark?”

            They were still wearing the outfits they used to spar, so he could still see her tattoo if he asked. Hilde moved at this and showed him her back. She gathered her hair in her hand and motioned to him. “Here, check if my observations were right.”

            He straightened at the request, but saw her serious face and realized that she was just as curious about the mark that defined her origin as much as he was. He shook his head and stood up, then sitting behind her to observe the small mark. He nodded at Hilde to begin.

            She took a deep breath, “I suppose there is a circle with a darker shade of black in coloring at the lower right triangle.” Heero squinted at this and examined the drawing. Ignoring the scar that marred the spot into half, he noticed that there was indeed a dark circle in the lower right triangle. “I see, that’s right.” And then he saw the golden lines that marked the upper side of the said region. “There is this gold coloring…”

            “Yes,” he heard Hilde acknowledge from before him. “I think it’s some special alloy that they used. It hasn’t faded a bit over the years, and I never knew that gold-bronze colors could last that long. I don’t understand it myself. I was young when I examined it.”

            Heero scrutinized the gold chrome-like material and ran a finger over it, but at the contact, he felt her freeze. He then realized that he was unmoving as well. Her skin felt soft.

            Then, once again, everything was silent, with neither of them moving, nor talking. The effect of the single touch was overwhelming, and his index lay still on her shoulder. He felt that warm pressure on his cheek again, but couldn’t move.

            That was when Hilde coughed, thus moving a little and releasing them from each other. He was caught surprised and started to scowl when what unexplainable thing happened reached his mind. What was that? He looked on angrily as he drew his hand away, as if revolted by the part that made him feel so much, it immobilized him. He was busy cursing himself when Hilde suddenly raised, “Well, anything else?”

            He could almost hear the choke in her voice. He sighed at himself and frowned. Almost.

            “Anything else, what?”

            “Didn’t you find anything else worth mentioning?” she asked quietly, but he could still hear that faint trace of urging in her voice. He then recognized her question then turned back to the tattoo again. He berated himself in his mind. What the heck was happening to him? He was jumping from once uncertain thing to another. He just shook his head as he began to once again scrutinize the image.

            There was something unusual with the gold material, but he decided to think about it later. His eyes traced intently to the center of the star-then distinguished something else. His voice raised, “Are you named in numbers?”

            She shook, alarmed, “How did you know that?”

            His mouth gave a smirk as he read out loud, “Number Twenty-Six?”

            She fell still.

            He noted this and stared at her. Why was she so tense about it? He recalled the number and wondered what it really meant. He also found himself worrying and decided to reprimand himself later. “What’s wrong?”

            Hilde finally released her breath and shook her head, “No, it’s nothing. It’s just that it has been years since someone called me that name. That number, anyway.”

            Heero decided to drop the subject. “It was visible in the center. Aside from that, there’s nothing else that can catch attention.”

            “Is it unique enough?” Hilde suddenly asked, out of the blue.

            Heero took his time in answering, thinking about something very important that he had noticed. “It is, but it can just as well be something anyone can personalize. Who knows if the number twenty-six is simply your favorite number? But the black circle and the gold material can… prove something quite different.”

            She raised her eyebrow, “A little… different?”

            He sighed, and nodded. “A little.”

            She closed her eyes over his repetition of that phrase and released her hair from her hand, thus covering the scarred mark with her ponytail again. “Well, at least there’s some distinction.” She then sighed and stood up. “I better wash up and get some sleep. You, especially - go get your rest, you’ll be having a very, very hard time,” she gave him a mischievous look as a last attempt on a joke. Or warning, he thought, somewhat nervously. “… Trying to train me.”

            Without waiting for a comeback, she smiled and turned to leave the room. Heero snorted at this, so she didn’t want to wait for his answer, too bad.

            And when he saw her disappear, he knew that she was trying to get away, too. She wanted to be alone. That, he supposed, was the reason for her sudden departure. He knew she was fairly affected when he had said the number, but he hadn’t had that intention, then. He never knew she would be slighted by it. He decided to leave the case alone.

            He stood up and went to walk to his room. But halfway on his trip, he stopped and froze, realizing the important thing that he had kept on pushing away in his mind.

            The gold material in her tattoo, it was similar to the copper that was used in computer chips. He at least took that in despite the distraction. And if he was correct, that very same mark, with its odd coordination and distribution, could possibly be used as a socket to connect the tattoo itself, and probably her body, to a computer.

            “Just what are we supposed to do with this?”

            Heero regarded Hilde’s raised eyebrow as she stared impassively at the set of red and blue rubber balls Heero held surreptitiously in his hand. He sighed as he noted her crossed arms, as if she had been insulted. “Training.”

            It was early the next day. Heero, after debating in his mind about the possible reasons for the girl’s tattoo and his so-called ‘stupid’ decision to stay and help train her, finally fell asleep dead in the middle of the night. He soon awoke after two hours, unable to rest. It was then when he started on his module for the Great Training, using his own experience as a guide. And there they were, in the basement, and he was having difficulty explaining the nature of this test to her. He then wondered if he had made the right decision, all the while knowing that in the end, he would still have done it for the same questionable reasons.

            Her night-blue eyes narrowed as she regarded the balls, “I’ve never seen that kind of training before.”

            Heero smirked.

            She glared at him, then finally stomped her foot. He had the surprising urge to smile at that reaction, and felt even more satisfied when she conceded. “Fine, fine - show me your stuff, and kindly tell me how this is related to Mobile Suits while you’re at it.”

            He just shook his head and began. “You’re good in combat, that much I’ve gathered - pure combat that is. I want to see how you coordinate your movements and your ability to stay focused. Those are the first keys to controlling Mobile Suits correctly.”

            She nodded attentively, but stopped in an effort to grimace, “And the balls?”

            “You hit them.”

            Hilde crossed her arms before her. “That’s easy enough.”

            He gave her what seemed to be was a taunting, testy look. “We’ll see.” He muttered. He lifted the sack of blue balls he had just bought. “I’ll throw these balls at you. I’ll be hitting you with the red ones too. You have to hit them or use your hands to deflect them.”

            She listened on. “And?”

            He brought out the two balls he had been holding earlier; “There’s one rule. You may hit the blue balls only with your right hands, and the red ones with your left. Any wrong moves or coordination will be disqualified. The more correct hits you have, the better. Understood?”

            She looked confused for a moment, pondering on the strange rule, but she agreed to it anyway.

            “Good. Start.”

            She looked incredulous, “Now?”

            A red ball thrown to her face answered her. Her instincts acted immediately and she used her dominant right hand to swat the ball away. “You didn’t give me time for a head start!” she complained.

            His only reply was, “You used your right hand, that’s minus one to your points.”

            She glowered at him, “Heero Yuy!”

            He returned her look, “You wanted to train, didn’t you?”

            “But -“ a blue ball headed towards her, followed immediately by a red ball. This time, she used her right hand to hit the former and her left hand to swat the other. “Good,” she heard Heero comment, and she immediately knew that all her complains would be for naught. Sighing, she fixed her stance and anticipated the next balls.

            They all came in full force, and Heero just couldn’t seem to stop throwing them at her. And she tried, really tried to hold on to the rules - she did, actually, until they came in complete brunt. She couldn’t follow the limits anymore, she just needed to use her dominant hand, but she was only gaining a few fifty points at that. The more she made mistakes with the use of her hands, the more her score decreased.

            She heard Heero’s voice from beyond the balls, “If you can’t follow the rules, it’s better you allow yourself to be hit rather than disobey the conditions - therefore you won’t lose points, or risk your life over the wrong controls.”

            She muttered a German expletive when she did just that - and a red ball promptly hit her nose. After blushing a good deal, she finally understood the initiatives behind the training. Fine, Yuy. I understand. If that’s how you want it, I’ll go with it. “More, Heero.”

            Heero nodded at his students and turned the sack to release all of the balls. There was some improvement, she was learning - that thought was enough.

            Hours later, she was sitting on the ground as he tallied her score, though she wondered how in the world he was able to do just that without the use of a tally board or a computer. He was truly the Perfect Soldier, and the perfect grudge she added as he frowned at her, his Prussian eyes glinting levelly.

            “Your first try was unsatisfactory, but quite impressive for a first timer. Fifty-eight points. Your ability with your left hand is not bad at all, but you have to learn to use it accordingly. Remember, physical ability is only second in using Mechas, you have to attain that mental level of controlling it, as well. Because in these robots, you use machines - buttons and handles, accelerators and transmitters - in order to work well, not your hands, feet and muscles. In fact, a lame person, given some training, can control a Gundam to its highest level.” He finished as he helped her to stand up.

            Her eyes widened, “Really?”

            When he turned away, she prodded even more, “And how far am I from that level?”

            She couldn’t believe it but she thought she saw a ghost of a smile on his face, “Not very far.”

            She released a deep breath and almost smiled herself, “But I’d be needing lots more of training, right?” Training - she was beginning to hate the word, but she was glad to know that she could get better, no matter how absurd his methods may seem at first.

            “A lot more.” Was all he said, exasperation and uneager notes in his voice, and her good mood immediately soured.

            Perhaps it was revenge.

            He knew Hilde wasn’t exactly pleased with him when they both clambered up from the basement. Despite all his encounters with the other Gundam pilots and other enemies, he wasn’t really used to a female scowling at him. He was almost sure she would poison their dinner. (His suddenly wry humor came from her, too - his brow raised at the thought) She kept glaring at him, maybe for putting her hopes down. But he couldn’t help it - he had to be honest, and directly blunt. Besides, it was the first time he ever taught something to someone, and he was very sure of the fact that his own trainer had been much more blunt and discouraging than he was now.

            It was strange; he realized that he felt some pleasure at seeing her glittering eyes, or her angrily red cheeks, and even the way that she impatiently brushed at her long bangs whenever she was angry. He was discovering more and more of her habits, and though he didn’t usually care, he found himself in some way affected. Like for instance, how he was worried that he hurt her feelings somehow, or how he felt like a moronic cad whenever her face crumpled or sighed when she thought he wasn’t looking. But she had asked to be trained under him, not the other way around, he concluded, she should live with that.

            He wondered why he was so affected.

            That was, until he heard the raucous, earsplitting singing.

            She was in the bathroom across his room, for goodness’s sake, and the more he asked her to tone down on her seemingly bawdy ballad, the more she sang out loud. He should have known that the little rebel would soon start on some way to annoy him, as she always did.

            He had to keep his temper in check as he knocked on the bathroom door, “Schbeiker, will you just lower your voice for awhile and let me rest?”

            The shower stopped running for a few moments and he heard her reply in a heated but cheerfully annoying voice, “By the Gundams, I’ll be singing here till the dawn if that’s what you want - you deserve it. Besides, a luxurious bath is long overdue for me, don’t you think? After all, this afternoon was so tiring, not physically, mind you, but I have me pride, ye know?” she added, slipping into an irritated German-English brogue. And then the shower continued running, and she began off key, “Just smile for me-e and let the day begiiin! On the wings of looove, up and above the clouds, the only way to flyyy! Is on the wings of love!”

            His temper flared and he stalked back to his door before he could threaten to break the bathroom door down and throttle her, but stopped when she called out, “By the way, Heero, I’m in the tub… Which means I’ll be staying much longer in this bathroom than expected!”

            “ K’so!” he cursed in Japanese before slamming the door to his own room to shut the boisterous sounds out. She didn’t take heed to it, though, and still continued, “Sorry about that Pal, ye agreed to train me, not the other vay around, so you should live vi’ it!”

He growled back another curse - the vengeful minx was turning his words back on him, and he didn’t know whether to be amused or enraged. He had never been in that predicament before and this girl dared to aggravate him. So if this were what he got for ticking her off - fine, he would play by her game.

            Hilde took a deep breath as she faced the door.

            O-okay, so it’s midnight already, let’s just hope he slept through my theatrics, or at least fainted because of my horrid screeching sounds, which so properly were dubbed ‘singing.’

            She gulped nervously as she reached for the door handle. Heero should be beyond furious by now. Heck, she already developed the sore throat herself. She smirked at this - he deserved it the irritation anyway, with the embarrassment he put her through. And though she felt quite (just a little) guilty, she knew she found some sadistic satisfaction in annoying the Great Grudge.

            She glanced at her pruned fingers, ah, but vengeance had a toll on her as well. She then turned towards the door again and then weighed the odds. She could open the door and sneak to her room, that was, if Heero wasn’t waiting on the other side already. For if he was, then she was quite sure that he would murder her halfway through. It was just a game, but Heero Yuy didn’t play games, this she knew well. Surely he had comprehended that she was no longer singing, and that she could come out any second now.

            The other choice was to just stay in the bathroom. But following that decision, she could very well stay there forever if he was on guard. If anything, Heero was very alert, more so during the day, and this night was her only opportunity to escape. After all, he wouldn’t leave the house now that her secret was out. She couldn’t try ‘singing’ again in hopes that it would somehow repel him - her voice was too scratchy. And she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing that she would have to shut up for a few days just to regain her voice.

            What to do? She sighed, then decided to brush her teeth. She was quite sure that Heero would soon face her, he wasn’t that indifferent - he had a temper to match his stubbornness too. And if anything, she wouldn’t be surprised if he had a gun pointed to her temple the moment she opened that door. She could almost picture him saying, “You’re voice is much more of a threat to peace rather than any organization. You’re better off dead,” or rather, “Maybe we should use your voice to defeat the Black Star.”

            She almost laughed at her pathetic attempts to comfort herself. Why ever did she have to do that? Why, it was years after she’d last done that, just to irritate Duo because he ate her ice cream. And I love ice cream, she sniffled, then accepting that some of her old humor and mischief was returning. Why, because she was getting at ease with Heero?

            She choked on the water she was using to wash her mouth, at ease? Well, if ever that was true, she had just broken that ease with her former opera. Why did she have to do such an irritating thing to him?

            She then ran a hand through her hair - Heero didn’t deserve her anger and revenge. He didn’t do anything wrong to her. If that was any indication, the only person to blame was herself. It was just the way he broke her hopes with the simple statement during their first day of training.

            You’re acting immature, she scolded herself in the mirror. But in defense, she reasoned in her mind -- It was our first day of training, and I really felt, well, insecure. He didn’t have to be that blunt. It really hurt, the way he said that she needed much more training. Blame it on her sensitivity, she thought resignedly. Yes, she should have expected that she was far from suitable on learning how to pilot a Mobile Suit, much less a Gundam expertly. But of course! And she had been at her wits’ end at the past few days because of her worries about creating a plan. Yet, she was really determined to work on it, and he had to perfectly ruin her confidence by giving her that infuriating glare and that arrogant half-smirk she just wanted to wipe off his face, his handsome face stating in that degrading, cold voice that she just wasn’t good enough -

            Who am I kidding? He just wanted to help, and that was his only intention when he told me that I needed much more improvement! She sighed. And then she just had to shun his efforts by doing that senseless singing stint. She wouldn’t be surprised if he left.

            Wait, no way is he going to leave! She thought frantically.

            Uh, huh. You’re scared. You just realized how you needed him. A voice said in her mind.

            No way, she shook her head. She could make it on her own. Heero Yuy did deserve an apology, but he had no right to leave after the promise he gave her. But that was just fine, she could still make it on her own. She was just getting much too used to the idea of having him and his habits around.

            You called him handsome. The voice accused out of the blue.

            “I did not!” She yelled at her reflection. Then she paled.

            Goodness of Deutschland, she was talking to herself.

            Hilde could almost puke, but kept that for later. Having declared in her mind that she couldn’t stand any second longer in the bathroom, she kicked the door open and made a mad dash to her room.

            She released her breath when she arrived at her destination and without delay shut the door with a large bang. Without much further ado, she locked it and used the metal links to double the lock, just in case. She then leaned at the door and sighed.

Well, that was easy enough, maybe Heero did find that waiting for her would be futile and just slept the night away. That was good - she couldn’t face him now, what with her singing and the sharp sentence in the bathroom. Maybe I was just getting to claustrophobic, she hopelessly tried to reason out to herself. Or Duo, yes… Duo was rubbing off on her… then guilt and remorse returned to her mind.

            She groaned. Sleep - that was just what a girl like her needed after a day of settling many things, embarrassments and voice belting. The maybe, just maybe, tomorrow she would return back to her normal, sensible self. She flicked the lights open.

            “Took you long enough to stop your darned Kabuki symphony, ne?”

            She shrieked.

            Heero strode off to the little fox as she gave an uncharacteristic scream and started tugging miserably on the metal links of her room. He could almost grin at this, cruel or not cruel. She just made him so wretched upset with her revelry that he nearly lost his slip on his impenetrable control. Heck, he was also being sarcastic - maybe because she had won over him this time. And to think he thought she was this shy, feminine woman with a harsh past who needed protecting! He never considered her temper, or her stubbornness, nor had he given attention to her moodiness at times. She was one viper when defensive, he just accepted. But he would never let that go over him. He didn’t have time for these games.

            He only had time to hear her small, somewhat astounded squeal when he grabbed a hold of her wrist and pinned it to the door behind her. He had been up waiting for her the whole night, and he was not in a good mood. He gave her his most heated glare as he raised a brow at her. “Well, Schbeiker, how was your bath?”

            She darted nervous looks behind him, her blue-black eyes glinting a nervous gray, “Um, what are you doing up at this time of the night?” she whispered with a shaky laugh, hoping against hope that…

            He gave her a smile. Goodness, she saw him really smile for the first time, and it wasn’t what she liked to see. It resembled that of a predator ready to pounce on its suitable prey - namely her. “What do you think?” he grated out.

            His temper reached its height when she shook her head innocently. “I have no idea.”

            Kisama, why was he letting her rile him over an insignificant thing? He clutched her shoulders and announced in a deadly voice. “I couldn’t sleep. And do you,” he began slowly as she turned to look at him, “know why?”

            And that was when she faced him levelly, her eyes staring straight into his. He then lost his thoughts - and his breath. She just looked a sight, with her eyes so determined and her brow raised up at him, glaring back. Her hair lay half-dried and astray around her face, almost tickling his face, and her cheeks were vividly red. He noted her fists as well. It was yet another side of Hilde Schbeiker he had never expected to discover before, and the strange thing was this warm feeling of interest and amusement within him. He frowned at the thought.

            Hilde, meanwhile, paid no heed to his distractions for her attention was elsewhere. Darn it, she didn’t expect that to happen. And here she was, cornered in her own room by Heero himself! And he was so near… she couldn’t think well. She knew he could just beat her to pieces after what she had done, but she had to let her thoughts out now.

            “Look, Heero. I’m sorry.”

            His eyes then snapped back at her, as if disbelieving. She then closed her eyes as he asked rather amusedly, “Well really?”

            She sighed. “It’s just that - Okay, I’m wrong. Don’t speak!” she added immediately, placing a finger on his lips, which promptly surprised him and thus shut him up. “It was really immature, and till now, I’m wondering why I did that.” She nodded, releasing him. “It’s just that, I felt really bad about what you said… It did hurt, you know? Though you must know I’ve had so much insults before, this was the only time I really needed to be good at something, and I was trying so hard. When you said those words, well, it just registered in my mind that this mission could be a complete failure, and I just couldn’t accept that.”

            His eyes looked at her thoughtfully, but he still hadn’t released the hard hold on her wrist. After a few moments of silence, he answered slowly, “I didn’t mean to sound like that-not that way.”

            She gave him a weary grin, “I know. But these days have been the worst in my life, and it just felt that way. I just felt so pathetic, and I needed someone to blame for my foul mood, and you were the easy scapegoat of anger, though I fully know that you don’t deserve even the least of such. You were trying to help, but I really couldn’t stop my own misery. So I started this whole ruse of singing brokenly just to get you mad as well. And I’m sorry, I really am…”

            She then relaxed and closed her eyes when she realized she was babbling. “Well, now that I’ve finished, um… You may hit me now, if you like. I know I would.”

            He just stared at her for one long minute, as if considering the possibility. She groaned, then he finally grunted and released her. He walked a step away from her, and she dared to take a look at him. But he was staring absently at the window. She then straightened herself. “Heero?”

            “What made you think I would hit you?” He asked quietly.

            She looked surprised, then shrugged, “Come on Heero, don’t deny it. I know anger when I see it, no matter how petty the fight can be.”

            He gave a small grin without looking at her, “I would rather have shot you.”

            Hilde stiffened, then crossed her arms and grumbled, “Gee, thanks.” But there was ease and relief in her tone.

            Heero then took a deep breath and went past her then unlocked her door. Staring mutely, she could only watch as he opened the door to her room and turned to go out. “Heero?” she asked when she realized that he hadn’t answered her apology.

            He stopped and ran a hand through his hair. Then continued on his way. She then watched him as he walked down the hallway. Was he no longer angry? She frowned to herself. Men like Heero were so confusing, and they made it contagious to the people around them. That was when he finally stopped by the staircase and spoke.

            “If you put it that way, I suppose I would have to apologize too,” he said finally. She nearly fell from her position on the doorway just to hear him. But after realizing his words, she smiled and approached him. “Why?”

            “For upsetting you.” Was all he said.

            “There’s no such thing!” she immediately answered to this, but realized that explanations weren’t going to get her anywhere. After all, it was also what she wanted to hear in the first place. “I guess that means we’re going to have to forgive each other to get this matter settled,” she mumbled, but was very much pleased.

            At his hesitant nod, she nearly laughed. “Heero, we keep on doing this! Fighting and apologizing to each other, I mean.”

            He muttered something as he faced her, “That wouldn’t happen if you weren’t so stubborn and boisterous.”

            She then crossed her arms and lifted her chin at the same time, “Well, if you weren’t such a grudge, we could get along famously well.”

            “-Wait, noisy? Me?” she quickly asked with great shock.

            He only raised a brow at the ‘Grudge’ comment.

            Then they realized what they were doing.

            “Sorry.” They both said at the same time. Heero snorted, as if disgusted by such a thing, but Hilde only flashed a brilliant smile. “That’s all right.”

            As Heero turned away, he then added another preoccupied question, “What were you hoping to accomplish with all that singing anyway?” he asked, curiosity clearly in his voice.

            “Aside from satisfaction?” she asked, noting the amused look that went over his face, “Hmm, let me see. Relaxation?”

            He looked astounded. “You sing that way to relax?”

            She nodded smugly, “I do it all the time back home, with Duo, sometimes with the same purpose of getting him mad.”

            She prevented herself from smiling when he said faintly, “I pity him, then.”

            She then gave him a look. “Maybe you should learn to relax, Heero.” At his incredulous look, she mumbled, “I don’t sing that badly all the time! What I’m saying is that you need relaxation just as much as I do. And maybe, while you’re at teaching me how to pilot an MS, I could give you my take on relaxing as well. Besides, you need it, with the lack of sleep I just caused you. Which brings me to tomorrow, why don’t you just have a day-off and rest-“

            “We have no time for that,” he snapped, though his face seemed satisfied by her apparent thoughtfulness. She finally gave in and smiled at him. “Very well… just get your sleep. Rest, Heero… Sleep tight.” She yawned, only to find that he had already gone to his room.

            She grinned at the turn of events. “Good night.” Then walked back to her room.

            And from the doorway to his room, Heero glanced back at the girl disappearing down the other side of the hall. The past years, he met her, the past month, she saw him again, and the past week, he had learned to live with her. The past day, he agreed to help her in her mission. Today, he was training her, was suddenly considerate of her feelings, and had been spouting apologies at her.

            What was happening to him?

            He didn’t know, but he didn’t want to accept that he was pleased by it just yet. In some way, he had many regrets, but he didn’t want to take back the whole experience as it was.

            “Goodnight,” he told her as the door to her room shut. She didn’t hear him, but that was the idea.

            He was getting used to her.

            And he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

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