Part XV

"Will you hear my confession?"

Maxwell continued to stare down at the beautiful girl before him, willing himself to realize that she was not just another dream; Hilde had not been back to the church since the day they had almost kissed. But she was real now: The startlingly blue eyes gazed imploringly into his, the lush crimson lips touched his skin in gentle kisses, and the bangs that fell across her forehead tickled his hand where she kissed him. The top of her kimono had slipped down slightly to reveal one smooth, creamy shoulder; the violet material clung wetly to her body where the snow melted through. The full, red mouth was dangerously close to Maxwell's nether regions. He prayed to God she wouldn't notice his hardness, impossibly distended and erect beneath his robes.

Pulling his hands away from her lips abruptly, Maxwell cleared his throat. "Hilde," he finally managed to choke out. "I did not think I would see you here."

Hilde rose on her knees, reaching forward to touch the handsome priest and silencing him. "Kudasai, Maxwell-san," she whispered breathlessly, her body taking control of her mind as her hand began a slow ascent up Maxwell's leg. "You must hear what I have to tell you..." The hand reached mid-thigh, parting the heavy robes to reveal the tight black trousers beneath and the hot sex that strained against them.

"Hilde-" Maxwell began, but was immediately cut off by a sharp upward glance from the smoky blue eyes as the courtesan bent her head forward, pressing her cheek to his inner thigh and rubbing tenderly.

He watched, frozen in a paroxysm of lust and better judgement, as the girl closed her eyes and moved her cheek up to fondle his crotch. Her kimono slipped down further, exposing the rich curve of one beautifully crafted breast. The hand, which had still been resting against his other leg, moved forward now to unbutton his trousers. A groan of both pleasure and defeat escaped Maxwell's lips as she undid the first button. "I love..." she whispered.

Suddenly, the church doors creaked open and an old woman covered in a green shawl entered. Maxwell quickly grabbed Hilde's arm, pulling her to her feet while he re-adjusted his robes over the open trousers. Hilde pushed her kimono back up and smoothed a long strand of hair behind her ear.

The woman smiled at the two, seeming not to notice their flustered nervousness as she quietly genuflected and then sat down in one of the back pews to begin her prayers. Maxwell cleared his throat once again.

"Come, Lady Schbeiker," he said, taking the courtesan's arm gently this time. "I will hear your confession now." He spoke loudly, making sure the old woman heard. She continued to pray silently. Maxwell himself asked a silent blessing as he led the courtesan into one of the small confession cubicles to the right of the altar, hoping for forgiveness for any sin he might committ.

Hilde allowed the young priest to pull her into the tiny cubicle, sliding the heavy wooden door closed behind him. A single chair sat by the wall where a black wire-mesh separator divided the confessor's area from the priest's chamber on the other side. Candles were lit behind the separator, filtering gently through the wire-mesh and casting the room in a warm, deep orange glow.

"Sit down, Hilde." Maxwell's deep, husky voice brought Hilde back to the present, her eyes unfocusing from the hypnotic, sensual light and turning back towards Maxwell. His face was hidden beneath the wild tangle of his long bangs, masked by the deep shadows the flickering luminescence caused, although she could still see his eyes, glimmering dark violet in the haze. He immediately cast them downwards as he caught her staring at him.

"Sit down," he repeated, turning towards the door leading back out to the church once again. "I will talk to you once I get to the other chamber." He placed his hand on the door, preparing to slide it open when suddenly, a small hand shot out and grasped his arm firmly.

"No!" Hilde cried desperately, positioning her body quickly between the priest and the door. "Kudasai... I need you here, Maxwell-san." She drew closer to him as she spoke, touching her forehead to his chest. The cerulean eyes, bright with unshed tears, met his slowly.

Maxwell gazed down at the girl tenderly at first, wanting with all of his being to take her in his arms and give in to the demons that had been torturing him relentlessly since he first saw her in the cherry tree. But the urge faded and the amethyst eyes hardened. He pushed her gently away, prying her hand from his arm.

"Gomen nasai, Hilde," Maxwell finally replied, his tone flat and harsh. "I cannot do this." He watched, feeling more and more like a bastard, as Hilde's pretty face contorted in a look of utter pain and sadness, her eyes shimmering pools of tears.

"Please," the beautiful girl said, pushing Maxwell back into the room. "You /must/ hear what I have to tell you!"

Maxwell sighed heavily, his mind and body raging with conflicting emotions. She wouldn't give up without a fight, and he could not bring himself to force her away. She was so beautiful, Maxwell thought as he gazed at her silently. The dim light settled on her body, lending her pale skin an ethereal glow, seeping through the thin fabric of her kimono and outlining the sweet young body underneath. He closed his eyes.

"I was wrong," Hilde finally spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Maxwell opened his eyes slowly and looked up. Hilde stepped closer to him.

"I was wrong," she repeated, her voice losing some of its tremulousness this time. "When I told you I was happy. I was wrong, Maxwell-san." She lowered her eyes then, clasping and unclasping her hands nervously.

Maxwell stood silent for a long moment, the meaning of what she had said sinking into his mind. So she didn't love Lord Yuy, he thought. Was she saying...

"I never wanted to be a courtesan," Hilde continued, keeping her eyes downcast. "Even though I admit that I enjoy it at times, I know that it is not a life I wish to keep. And Lord Yuy is not the man I love." She looked up then, the tears still glistening in the azure depths as she waited for him to speak.

Maxwell stared back at the courtesan with stormy violet eyes, the flickering shadows from the candles defining the sharp pain behind the colorful irises. He looked away quickly, his head beginning to ache with suppressed emotions, emotions he had not allowed himself to feel for a long time. Solo had been the last person he had ever dared to give his love to; Hilde threatened to reawaken that love now and take it for herself, and hers was far more dangerous. Hers meant damnation.

"I am a priest," Maxwell said, fighting to keep his tone even. "I am forbidden to break my vow of celibacy. I am bound by the Church and by my own word. I would suffer a thousand deaths if I were ever to break that vow."

"Do you truly believe that?" Hilde asked, her voice rising slightly at the frustration she felt at his words. Just as Lady Dorothy had said, a tiny voice reminded her. Hilde shook her head, more to clear her thoughts than to convince Maxwell that he was wrong- she knew that he understood that already. That was why it frustrated her so.

"Did you really grow up believing that you should become a priest? That you should give up a part of your humanity so that your soul could be saved? Would God really condemn love?"

Maxwell turned away then. She had voiced his own thoughts, put them into stark reality. He was forced to confront them now; he wasn't sure if he was able to. His head throbbed harder.

"We are the same, Maxwell-san," Hilde continued, her voice softer now. She moved closer to the beautiful priest; his body trembled slightly. She reached out a hand tentatively to touch his back.

"We are both bound by our circumstances," she went on, placing her other hand on him when he didn't recoil from her touch. She began to massage his back gently, feeling the sinewy muscles ripples beneath her hands. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips; Hilde continued.

"We are denied love, both of us. Your church forbids it; my master desires it only for himself. And yet..." Hilde pushed Maxwell's long braid over his shoulder, exposing the nape of his neck. She bent forward then, pressing her body into his, and kissed the smooth honeyed flesh softly, eliciting a barely audible moan from the priest.

"...Yet we are given a chance to free ourselves," Hilde finished, a whisper next to Maxwell's ear. Her hands continued to massage him, surprisingly careful not to knead too hard into the sore flesh of his back and shoulders; her hot breath tickled him, her warm breasts rubbing agonizingly against his back. Everything so tempting, so hot, he thought. Like Hell...

Free ourselves...

Would God condemn love...

Maxwell whirled around then, the pain in his head suddenly gone, replaced with only clear recognition: This was not wrong.

~*~

Hilde gasped as Maxwell grabbed her with desperate force, crushing her body to his. "What was your sin, Hilde?" His hands were careless in their urgency, assaulting her body with unpracticed caresses. Hilde gazed up at him, struggling for breath as the sensation of his hands on her clothed flesh set in, exciting her beyond anything she had ever felt. It was just as Lady Relena had described her first encounter with Treize: Frightening and arousing all at once.

Maxwell held her closer, his eyes burning into hers with a fierce intensity. "Make your confession to me, Hilde..." Their lips finally met then, tongues touching and tangling as they had the day out by the lake before moving into each other's mouths to explore the hot, moist interiors.

After a long moment, Hilde broke the ardent kiss, her breath coming in labored gasps as she turned her face away to catch her breath once again. Maxwell's mouth followed her motion, his tongue sweeping across her cheek and down to claim her neck.

Large hands suddenly pushed Hilde's cashmere kimono back from her shoulders to hang from her elbows, baring her long, slender white throat to his questing mouth and the inner curves of her small firm breasts. The hands moved up then to stroke the soft, flushed breasts as the mouth continued to suckle ivory flesh. A tiny cry caught in Hilde's throat, high-pitched and sensual. Maxwell splayed the long fingers of one hand across her mouth to silence her, reminding her of the old woman in the church just beyond the single wooden door.

Hilde bit her lower lip to keep from crying once again as Maxwell's other hand moved down, inside the skirt of her kimono, and untied the tiny hakama trousers laced at her hips, letting them slide past the delicate hipbones and puddle at her feet. Her scent was overpowering now; smoldering amethyst eyes met hers under the long bangs.

"Make your confession to me, Hilde. Your sin..." Maxwell's voice was heavy, silky, as he touched her nether lips gently, already wet and swollen. Hilde bit her lip harder, drawing blood this time, her hands on Maxwell's forearms digging into the thick material and grazing bare flesh with sharp, perfect fingernails.

"My sin," Hilde moaned, barely a breath in his ear. "My sin was only impure thoughts, Father." She parted her legs then, allowing Maxwell access to her aching clitoris, pushing her hips into his hand.

Maxwell looked down at her with a small, lazy smile, watching her writhe beneath his inexperienced touch. Her hands grasped his then and she began to move his fingers against her jewel, showing him silently how to stimulate her. Maxwell continued to let the courtesan work herself with his fingers until her pretty features twisted with oncoming orgasm. He pulled away then, moving around behind her to sit in the chair by the separator and pulling her with him.

"You must ask for His forgiveness first, koi," Maxwell whispered teasingly against her ear, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile. He pushed her long curtain of night-blue hair over one shoulder, letting it fall in a straight, shimmering waterfall over the side of her face. Only her profile was visible now: Perfect, eyes lowered, long black lashes brushing her cheeks. The red lips parted in a silent moan as Maxwell moved beneath her, pushing his robes aside and freeing himself from the confines of his trousers. The hard tip of his sex sat poised at her open entrance.

"I want you to say three 'Hail Marys' and one 'Our Father' for your repentance," Maxwell continued, pulling the nubile girl close until her back was to him. "You may begin now."

With one powerful thrust, Maxwell raised her hips and pulled her down onto his erection. Hilde stifled a cry of ecstasy by knifing his forearms with her fingernails once again, breaking skin this time. Maxwell's breath snagged in his throat at the pain.

"Begin!" he cried hoarsely, closing his eyes and banging his head back against the wall to bring the pain to a different part of his body, one that he was familiar with. He clenched his teeth then as the hot, wet folds parted further, taking his full length until she was seated in his lap, her back pressed to his chest, her face twisted to his neck.

"Hai... Hail Mary, Mother of Grace..." Hilde began in a whisper. Her prayer was soon lost as her mind gave in to her body's passion, taking Maxwell's ministerial collar in her teeth and ripping it free. She worked the top three buttons of his robe open with her teeth as well, finding the smooth flesh of his throat and claiming it with her mouth, suckling passionately, his male scent intoxicating. Lord Yuy was a distant memory.

Maxwell surrendered himself as well as he felt the courtesan gasp against his throat, her breast heaving under his hand as she raised and lowered onto him, over and over again. He toyed with her nipple, pulling it between his fingers until it was as hard and red as the bud of a cherry blossom. Her soft scream of pain and intense pleasure urged him to dare further, taking her entire breast in his hand and squeezing fiercely. He reached down quickly with his other hand to find hers and clasp it tightly to stifle any louder cries.

Hilde moved on him, sliding the incredible length of him. Her muscles knotted and loosened with her movements, mimicking the intermittent squeezing of his hand in hers.

Maxwell felt his body go numb to sensation, feeling only pressure, heat, friction: /Her./ His most sinful dream come true. The muscles of Hilde's abdomen began to snake under his hand then, perfect satisfaction drawing near. His other hand was crushed in her own. Maxwell bit his lower lip savagely, banging his head back against the wall once more. He seeped, throbbing, a tantalizing taste of full release. His juices mixed with hers, pushed down by her smooth downward thrusts. Perfect sin... The torture of waiting was punishment enough.

Hilde felt herself on the verge of orgasm once again, her muscles clenching in preparation of the massive spasming they would soon endure. In desperation, she reached down, taking Maxwell's hand and pulling it down between her sticky thighs to rub her distended clitoris furiously, ending the torture and punishment alike.

Twisting further into his neck and biting the soft flesh hard to silence the scream of ecstasy building in her throat, Hilde released. At her sudden liquefying and the shudders that wracked her petite body, Maxwell matched her, masking his own grunt of perfect satisfaction behind painfully clenched teeth, the pain from Hilde's bite only a small distraction from the pleasure.

The pressure churned out; the candles continued to flicker behind the separator, bathing their slick, shiny bodies in a sensual glow. They stayed joined, holding each other as the trembling died down. Their hands remained clasped.

Hilde turned her face to bury it in the deep hollow of Maxwell's neck, kissing him gently there. Her breath stirred long strands of chestnut hair that had fallen loose from his braid.

"Love me, Maxwell-san," she whispered, rubbing her cheek against the smooth hardness of his chest. "Love the me the way I love you."

Maxwell stayed silent for a long moment, watching the candles' shadows play across the wall. He could hear distant voices out in the church; more people had arrived for mass. He smiled. It didn't matter anymore. He had chosen his fate: He would burn in Hell for this.

"Aishiteru, Hilde. Matsudai." Forever.

He was willing to suffer a thousand deaths for her. ~*~

Lord Yuy waited by the firelight in his chambers, watching as the pale, full moon rose in the dark, wintry night sky. Lady Hilde still had not returned from her walk to the village; Lady Dorothy, who sat now with his wife in her own chambers, had not seen her, either. His wife herself lay in the throes of labor that moment, her screams of pain echoing down the hallway.

Lord Yuy tested the sharpness of his sword on his forearm, cutting in a straight, vertical line from his wrist to his elbow. The thick carmine blood flowed down, staining his robes and the wood of the floor beneath him. Lady Relena cried his name.

Soon, he thought, wrapping the wound in a scrap of blue silk and rising to check on his wife.

Soon there would be Hell to pay.

Part XVI

Lady Hilde Schbeiker hurried back down the dirt path to Lord Yuy's estate, taking the twisted route behind the cover of the oak trees lining the main road, the branches stretching across the path to meet the branches of the trees on the other side, forming a canopy of stark black, lightly dusted with snow, against the clear night-blue sky. The pale face of the moon shone brightly, providing a bright, almost daylight-like luminescence to the forest as the courtesan ran lightly through the trees; it was already past her time to have been back.

It hadn't been easy to break away, though, she thought, feeling an emptiness beginning to well in her stomach, spreading throughout her body. Never had she felt as safe and at home as in Father Duo Maxwell's arms, never had she felt so right.

Duo. Hilde smiled at the thought of his name; he had only told her his real name that night, before she left the church after mass. They had stood at the doors, holding one another tightly, as if if one should let go, the other would disappear. The church was empty, silent but for the faint sounds of the wind blowing through the willow trees in the courtyard outside. It had gotten colder since Hilde had arrived earlier that afternoon, the snow ending and giving way to a still, frigid iciness. She had shivered then in Duo's long, muscular arms, thinking of her walk home and with only the paper parasol and her thin kimono to shield her from the cold.

Duo had broken their kiss then, smiling down at her gently, as if he knew what she had been thinking. "Stay with me tonight," he had said softly, bending his head to brush his lips against her cheek, her ear. He had never noticed how much shorter she was than him before, how tiny and fragile she was in his arms, like a beautiful doll. He wanted to protect her more than ever now, to keep her with him always. "Please stay, Hilde," he had whispered once more, his mouth close to her ear now, hot breath tantalizing her, drawing her closer.

Hilde had sighed heavily, leaning her forehead against his chest. "I want to so badly," she had begun, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered that she still belonged to Lord Yuy. She was on contract, bound to him forever. "But I cannot," she had finally finished, moving her face away to gaze up at the handsome priest. "Lord Yuy needs me."

Duo had nodded silently, his eyes darkening slightly at her master's name, and looked away. "I understand," he had replied in a low voice. "I have duties myself, things that I am bound to." Hilde had looked at him then, her blue eyes filled with sadness and understanding as well: He was the same as her, as she had told him earlier. There had to be some way, though...

Duo had kissed her then, stopping her thoughts, and reached down to caress her cheek gently one last time. "You must go now," he had said, his voice stronger now. "But I will see you again. I /will/." The violet eyes filled with determination. Hilde had nodded, smiling a little, and caressed his own face in a return gesture of devotion before turning and leaving the church. He had stood on the steps outside, watching her until she finally disappeared behind the trees. Only when her small pale form was gone did he go back inside.

He had to think.

~*~

Hilde reached the house just as one of Lady Relena's attendant girls, a tiny thirteen-year-old named Michiko, stepped out onto the veranda, holding a bundle of dirty cloths in her arms. She was surprised to see that all the lanterns were still lit throughout the house despite the late hour; everyone was awake now, and there was no chance at all that her tardiness would go unnoticed. Hilde hurried her step, running delicately up the steps of the veranda to meet the attendant.

Michiko watched the other girl approach, having noticed her shape moving through the garden as she slid the shoji screen closed behind her. "Lady Hilde!" she cried, dropping her bundle on the wooden slats of the veranda floor and hurrying over to meet the courtesan. She took one of the other girl's arms in her own and began to lead her inside the house. "We have been so worried about you! You have taken no attendant with you once again, and to the village! Anything could have happened there!"

Hilde allowed the servant to walk her inside and down the long hallway, her eyes taking in the sight before her. Every servant in the household was crowded around Lady Relena's chamber screen, talking nervously, excitedly. The lights in the house were bright, giving the impression of daylight, and Hilde's eyes ached against them. There was an aura of danger and excitement in the air. She wondered if she were the cause of it, or Lady Relena... Hilde stopped abruptly, taking Michiko's arms and turning the girl towards her.

"Michiko-san, is Mistress Relena alright?" she asked frantically, her blue eyes widening in concern, her brows furrowing. She knew she would die if she had been the cause of any harm to Lady Relena, her only friend.

Michiko shook her head fervently, staring back at the courtesan with mirrored concern. She reached up one hand to smooth Hilde's makeup across one cheek; it had smeared slightly, as if she had been kissed or touched passionately there. Michiko's brown eyes lit up in silent realization of what Hilde had been doing and she immediately looked away, embarassed at her knowledge. Hilde dismissed the servant girl's reaction and continued to gaze at her steadily, her eyes silently pleading for answers. Michiko shook her head again, keeping her eyes down.

"No, Lady Hilde, Mistress Relena is fine," she replied softly. "She had the baby tonight-"

Hilde gasped softly and straightened up, one small hand flying to her mouth as if she had forgotten something. "Oh, no," she whispered, the light blush of her cheeks draining. "It was too early... The baby..." She wavered where she stood and Michiko hurried to help her stay upright.

"Yes, a month early," Michiko replied. "But the baby is fine, Lady Hilde, I reassure you! And Mistress Relena is just a bit tired, that is all. The baby is very small, but very healthy, hai, and beautiful." The girl looked up then, a small smile playing across her lips. "Would you like to see him?"

Hilde stood silent, leaning on the smaller girl for support, taking in everything she had said. The baby was healthy. And it was a boy, just as Lady Relena had predicted. The color slowly returned to her face, her strength coming back. She straightened once again, brushing a strand of hair absently behind her ear, and turned back to the servant girl.

"Arigatou, Michiko-san," Hilde whispered, lowering her eyes, embarassed at her loss of control, the slight feelings of guilt that gnawed at the back of the mind and showed in her voice and actions. She should have been at her mistress's side that night. She should have been where she belonged, and not filling her own selfish desires. She closed her eyes. "I want to go see Mistress Relena," she said softly.

Michiko nodded silently and began to lead Hilde down the hallway towards the crowded chambers. Before they reached the open screen, the girl suddenly pulled Hilde close and brought her mouth close to the other girl's ear. "Lady Hilde," she whispered. "I promise not to tell anything." She looked up with sincere brown eyes, her furrowed brows slightly hidden behind the thin black strands of her bangs.

Hilde stared down at the younger girl, confused at first as to what she was saying, then realizing: She knew Hilde had been with another man. The makeup, smeared across her cheek, on her neck. She prayed silently that they could not still smell the scent of sex upon her and reached down to take the servant girl's hands in her own, giving them a gentle, friendly squeeze. "Arigatou, Michiko-san," Hilde said again. "I owe you so much."

Michiko smiled softly and shook her head. "No," she replied. "I do not ever want you to leave here. No one does. Now, go see Mistress Relena, she has been so worried about you as well. Kudasai." She bowed slightly and leaned up to kiss Hilde's cheek tenderly, smiling once more before hurrying off.

Hilde smiled after her and then pushed past the throng of servants crowded at the open screen, entering the brightly lit chamber. Lady Relena lay back on her white silk beddings, a single sheet wrapped about her lower body, her long golden hair splayed behind her on the pillows she was propped on, her pale face freshly made up with soft blue shadow lining her eyes and dusted over her eyelids, and a light pink shimmer coating her lips. She wore a single, misted white robe that hinted at the fullness of her breasts beneath, her soft pink nipples barely visible through the filmy fabric. She was still radiantly beautiful, even in her exhaustion.

Lady Dorothy knelt on a tiny woven mat on the floor next to her, dressed in a simple black-and-white patterned kimono, one black-gloved hand stretched forth, holding one of Lady Relena's tightly, comfortingly. She spoke in soft tones to the other blonde woman, her lightly accented Italian voice lilting in her French. Lord Yuy stood against the wall nearby, arms crossed over his chest, his head down, eyes hidden by the long bangs. One arm was bandaged tightly in blue fabric stained with dark red fluid: Blood. He didn't look up as Hilde entered the room, but continued to tap the sharp tip of his sword against the floor, over and over. Hilde felt her body go numb with fear, knowing that she would soon pay for her disobedience.

Lady Relena's aquamarine eyes suddenly shifted from Lady Dorothy, coming to rest on Hilde, and she smiled, her face brightening. "Lady Hilde," she said, gesturing with one hand. "Please come here, I have been so worried about you!" Lady Dorothy looked up then, turning to watch her courtesan cross the room and fall to her knees beside her new mistress. She watched her with a guarded suspiciousness, hidden well in the icy depths of her pale blue-lavender eyes, but expressed clearly in the arch of one wild, dark eyebrow. Hilde bowed slightly to her, keeping her eyes downcast, and then took Lady Relena's other hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it with sincere apologeticness.

"Gomen nasai, Mistress Relena," Hilde said softly, the tears she had not allowed herself to shed for Duo falling freely now for her mistress, catching in her eyelashes and sparkling in the brilliant light of the room. "I went to pray at the church this afternoon, and then I stayed for the mass... I never meant to stay so long, Mistress Relena. Please, forgive me." She bent her head, continuing to rain kisses on the soft, delicate hand.

Lady Relena laughed softly, kindly, and took Hilde's chin in her other hand, lifting it gently, making the courtesan look up at her. "There is no need for forgiveness, Lady Hilde," she said, shaking her head. "You have not upset me. I am sorry that you missed the baby, but there is no harm in going to church." She smiled. "You are completely forgiven, my sweet little one."

Hilde smiled back, halfheartedly, through her tears, wiping them away carefully. "Arigatou, Mistress Relena," she said, kissing the other woman's hand once more. "I know I shall never forgive myself, though. Where is the baby?"

"The other attendants are taking care of him in the adjoining chamber," Lady Dorothy suddenly spoke up, answering for Lady Relena. She regarded Hilde with a cool expression, her eyes silently taunting: She knew the truth of why Hilde had gone to the church. "Perhaps you will be able to see him tomorrow; he must be cared for diligently tonight. I myself will be taking my leave now." She bent to kiss Lady Relena's lips gently before turning to the courtesan and giving her her own kiss, this one vigorous, almost angry, her tongue stabbing at Hilde's, silently telling her of her imminent punishment. Hilde kissed back tentatively, her eyes shifting towards Lord Yuy, still positioned against the wall, although he looked up now, watching the two women with dark Prussian blue eyes rife with emotions.

Lady Dorothy pulled away then, breaking the unaffectionate kiss abruptly and standing up. She nodded slightly to Lord Yuy in recognition and gave Hilde one last, warning look before saying her good-byes and well-wishes to Lady Relena and turning towards the open screen, disappearing through it. Lady Relena turned back to Hilde then, her hand still firmly clasped in the other girl's.

"I think I shall sleep now," she said as the crowd of servants began to filter away from the screen and back to their own occupations. She reached over to turn down the oil lantern by her beddings; Hilde quickly turned the small handle for her. The room was suddenly bathed in the pale, diffuse light of the full moon, everything basked in hues of blue and cloudy white. "Please come visit me tomorrow," the lady continued, her eyes holding a secret confidence: She wanted Hilde to tell her of what had happened today. Hilde nodded silently.

"Hai, Mistress Relena," she replied. "Tomorrow." The lady's hand fell from her own then and the aquamarine eyes closed. In the next chamber, the soft whimpering of the newborn baby wafted through the thin screens. Hilde rose slowly to her feet. Lord Yuy approached her then, taking her arm firmly.

"Come."

~*~

Hilde felt the deadened weight of fear settle in her stomach once again, her body slick with a sheen of cold sweat, as she allowed her master to lead her quickly down the hallway towards his own chambers. He slid the screen open with one hand, tugging Hilde inside the room, the windows covered with long drapes of heavy dark material, keeping the light out and closing in the darkness. A sense of dread came over Hilde then; the gloom promised depravity, penalization. Punishment.

Lord Yuy slid the screen closed behind them, turning to the courtesan with a blank, indifferent expression etched across his darkly handsome features. "You did not obey me," he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest once again. He stepped forward, beginning a slow walk around the girl, circling her like a predator stalking its prey. The Prussian eyes bored into her, searing her; he could see into her soul. Hilde felt her knees go weak.

"Heero-sama-" she began, but was immediately cut off as a sharp slap hit her across the face, stinging her cheek and bringing tears to her eyes. She reached up, feeling the flesh grow hot, and instinctively kept her eyes down, fearing another blow if she looked up at him.

"Do not call me that," Lord Yuy continued, his voice still even, unaffected. "You are not to use my name, not until I have given you that privilege once again." He stopped his menacing circling and reached out a hand to gently caress her cheek where he had struck her, lovingly. Light fingertips brushed against the growing welt and she flinched.

"From now on, you will call me Master," Lord Yuy finished, continuing to stroke her tenderly. "And you will not disobey me again. I had thought we had made it clear that you would not leave these premises without the proper protection." The hand on her face trailed lower, playing across her delicate collarbone, moving the fabric of her kimono away to bare pale skin.

So he hadn't found out about Duo, she thought, allowing herself to breathe a silent sigh of relief. So Lady Dorothy hadn't shared her secret. Hilde stayed silent, her breathing growing ragged as his touch soothed her, aroused her. She still belonged to him; he still held the power over her, forcing her to give. And she wanted to give, she realized as his hand drifted to the sash of her kimono, pulling it loose. She wanted to give with pleasure. Duo could understand that much.

Lord Yuy tore the scant violet material from the courtesan's body then, making her gasp as the cold night air hit her exposed flesh, his eyes taking her in thoroughly. He saw her with new eyes tonight, possessively. She was his, and his alone. He stared at her, scrutinizing his lovely possession.

The courtesan stood before him, her azure eyes, so expressive, so trusting, dutifully downcast, almost shyly. But she was not shy, Lord Yuy noted with a small smirk, her body straight, arms hanging languidly at her sides, her shoulders thrust back. Displaying herself, proud of her beautiful young flesh. Her hair fell loose, tumbling down to her tiny waist in black, silky tangles. His eyes travelled lower, taking in the perkiness of her small young breasts, her smooth flat stomach, the soft short hairs modestly covering her most secret places. She was all gentle curves and soft malleable flesh, innocent and naive. He drank her in hungrily, imagining the Spanish commander Treize looking at her this way, or one of his men. She wouldn't know better; she would yield to their touches, their kisses, their lusty thrusts into her small, slender body. She would give, as she had been taught to. He couldn't stand it.

Grabbing the girl roughly by her arms, Lord Yuy turned her around so her back was faced to him and pushed her down to the floor on the dark blue beddings, making sure she landed on all fours, her knees spread. He followed the spread of her hips, the curve of her heart-shaped bottom, soft and amply fleshed, begging to be touched, kissed. Whipped. Another small smile curved his lips.

"You will wait here," Lord Yuy finally spoke, placing a hand on the small of her back and pressing down to emphasize his words. "And you will stay like this until I return. Do not move or try to run; I promise it will only be worse if you do." He turned away from her then, taking a long white bathing cloth from a hook on the wall, and proceeded outside to the bath house.

Hilde remained still, rooted in her submissive position upon the soft beddings, until she heard the shoji screen slide closed behind him and then his footsteps thudding softly down the veranda steps. Only then did she allow herself to tremble in her nakedness against the cold, her cheek still aflame from her master's anger. She realized she would have to do whatever Lord Yuy commanded of her in order to keep his wrath at bay, despite everything she now knew she felt for Duo.

Duo would gladly suffer more than this for her, Hilde thought, knowing that he, too, shared the difficult journey ahead. This was her sacrifice. Still, it was a sacrifice not without pleasure; the handsome Japanese lord would forever hold a part of her. Hilde gave herself completely over to that part now, the part that still craved her master's love, just as she heard the screen slide open again and the lord entered.

The corner of Lord Yuy's mouth quirked slightly at the sight of his beautiful slave, still perfectly positioned as he had left her. Naked, crystalline droplets of water still clinging to his body and dampening the long, dark peaks of hair that fell between his eyes from his bath, he crossed the room to stand behind the supplicant girl.

Hilde felt his prescence behind her and closed her eyes, willing her breath to slow and her body to cease its trembling. A droplet of sweat trickled slowly down the valley between her breasts. Lord Yuy was moving now, the heavy lid of his private oak chest thrown back loudly. He rummaged through it until he found what he had been looking for: Four tiny, black leather cuffs attatched to long silver chains. Hilde heard the familiar tinkling as he approached her and her mouth went dry with fear, her palms turning clammy where she rested upon them. And yet, erotic anticipation tugged at her abdomen, wetting her inner thighs. She sighed, raggedly, pleasurably. This would be the last time.

Lord Yuy came around then to stand in front of her, grabbing her arms and yanking them forward to cuff her wrists, winding the long chains around the wooden posts of the beddings and securing them there with a metal clip, much as she had tied him down with her silk scarves the night before. His face was blank, the eyes dark and hardened in concentration as he fitted the second clip onto the chain binding her right wrist.

Hilde watched him beneath the feathery veil of her eyelashes, her eyes sweeping over his beautiful face, the wild peaks of dark hair falling across his forehead, and then lower, taking in the hard-packed muscles of his chest and lower still, to his long, thick sex, semierect. A hot flush ran through her as she gazed at it, remembering the first time she had felt him within her, so large and hot, and wanting him more.

Lord Yuy's eyes snapped up then, sensing Hilde's gaze, and he smiled lightly, reaching up to brush her bangs back from her forehead. "Soon, koishii," he whispered, almost teasingly. "I am not through with you yet. Now stay still, and do not turn around."

He stood up then and walked back behind her, taking her ankles roughly and cuffing them quickly, looping the chains around the posts and clipping them tightly. Soon she was fully bound, held securely in her servile stance, on hands and knees. Hilde closed her eyes again, waited for the punishment to begin, her back and palms beginning to ache from staying still for so long.

A warm, soft wetness touched the flesh of her rear then and Hilde gasped in both surprise and pleasure, her muscles relaxing from their tension of expectant pain. Lord Yuy continued to kiss every space of the soft, pale flesh, his hands massaging the thighs below. After a long moment, the hands travelled upwards, spreading Hilde's rear. His tongue delved in then, running slowly down the crack in the middle, and then, equally as slowly, back up again. Hilde whimpered softly, releasing her breath in a lust-felt sigh at his intensely intimate touch. Her sex was soaked, aching.

"Tell me about the priest," Lord Yuy murmured, his voice remaining flat, emotionless. Once more his tongue made the descent down the divide. Hilde tensed inwardly, her eyes fluttering open, the erotic haze in her mind gone. So he did know...

"Tell me about him, Hilde-chan," Lord Yuy repeated, moving a hand back up to caress her rear. "Tell me about Duo Maxwell." He pinched the softness then, hard. Hilde cried out softly.

"He is only a priest," she finally managed to choke out, struggling to keep her tone even, nonchalant. "He is only a friend. He hears my confession sometimes."

Lord Yuy was silent, his hand continuing to stroke Hilde's rear slowly, lovingly. His sex hardened; she was lying. Lady Dorothy had told him that much.

Suddenly, Lord Yuy was on his feet, grabbing his whip from the open chest- two feet long, a short wooden handle to grip, many black leather straps. He shook out the straps, turning his wrist in preparation. He stepped back then with his right foot, drawing back his arm as if he were readying to throw something.

"You lie to me."

Lord Yuy snapped his arm forth hard, the straps striking Hilde's flesh with brutal force. She cried out, her arms pulling against the chains, tears springing to her eyes. Her cry, wet and sensual, even in its pain, aroused him. Lord Yuy struck her again.

"Please, Master," Hilde cried, a sob tearing her throat. "I am not lying, I swear it!"

Another blow cut into her then, making her scream in pain. The smooth, once-pale flesh of her lush bottom was a bright scarlet now, swollen with growing welts. The sight was provocative, beautiful. Lord Yuy felt himself grow harder at the vision before him, his anger giving way to pure lust. He lashed out at her once more.

"You would be wise not to speak," he finally replied. "Your denials only anger me more." He continued to whip her then, over and over, her girlish cries and screams only driving him onward.

Hilde let the tears flow freely now, her body wracking with both sobs and the force of the blows Lord Yuy continued to bestow upon her. But although her voice spoke otherwise, she felt herself enjoying this, enjoying the pain. She had suffered this punishment many times before at the hands of Lady Dorothy and her body had learned to bear it well.

Her thoughts turned to Duo, reminding herself that this exquisite pain was for him, that he was the cause of it. She surrendered her body to the sensation of the whip then, her mind rife with conflicting emotions, wanting Lord Yuy to love her, to take her, and yet only wanting Duo.

Lord Yuy smiled as Hilde's body relaxed, her tortured cries turning into moans of extreme pleasure, her back arching to his blows, lifting her beautiful heart-shaped bottom in offering. He stopped then, dropping to his knees to lick the abraded flesh thoroughly before moving his mouth next to her ear and whispering, "You do not love him."

Hilde whimpered, a wet, pleading sound, and twisted her face to his, her long hair tangled and damp, clinging to her cheek and back. Her tongue snaked out, licked Lord Yuy's lips.

"Take me, Master," she pleaded, straining against the chains. "Give me your sex..." She bumped her forehead against his cheek then, insistently. One large, male hand slid down between her legs.

"You are dripping," Lord Yuy said, his monotonous voice holding a hint of amusement. He moved a finger inside, insinuating. "Hn." Hilde groaned against his neck and he smirked, twisted his finger around languidly. Another finger moved to rub her clitoris. Hilde felt herself ready to fall over the edge.

"Master!" she cried, throwing her head back.

"Only I can give you this, Hilde-chan, this pleasure..." Lord Yuy continued in a whisper, his voice silky, husky against her ear as he continued to rub her. "I gave you freedom; I can take it away. I gave you my respect..." He pulled his fingers out then, shoved them into Hilde's mouth to taste. She sucked eagerly, taking her mind off the absence of his fingers.

"...I can take that away, too," the lord went on, reaching up to stroke Hilde's long blue-black hair. Her makeup was ruinously smeared now, mascara clinging to her cheeks in thick black rivulets from her tears, her red mouth an almost garish contrast to her pale skin and an imitation of the redness of her rear: The marks of his love. Lord Yuy thought she had never looked so beautiful, completely under his power as she begged him to take her, to place his cock inside her.

"Please, my master..." she whispered.

"I never want to hurt you, Hilde-chan," Lord Yuy said softly, silencing her and moving his hands down to snap off the clips holding the chains that bound his lovely slave. "I am in love with you."

Hilde pulled herself to a sitting position before her master, freed now. She turned to face him then, the cuffs still attatched to her wrists and ankles, the chains dangling from them. They tinkled as she moved. The Prussian blue eyes continued to stare at her; she knew his words were true.

"Master-" Hilde began, but was immediately cut off as Lord Yuy grabbed her arms, pulling her to him, into his lap. He held a finger to her lips; the tip of his maleness poised inside her entrance.

"...But if you force me..." The dark cerulean eyes fixed on Hilde, searching, as he continued. "...Omae o korosu," he finished, and in one violent thrust, he plunged his throbbing, erect cock deep inside the courtesan, making her cry with both surprise and ecstasy.

They made love madly, brutally, reaching perfect satisfaction over and over, until Hilde's inner places ached with the pleasure and pain of Lord Yuy's relentless thrusts, and the lord himself was drained of passion, his bronzed flesh covered in sweat and their combined fluids, his sex growing limp and flaccid.

Finally, Lord Yuy pulled out, kissing the beautiful young girl's lips tenderly, raising her chin with his knuckles to face him. "Say that you belong to me, Hilde-chan," he said in a low, toneless voice, bereft of emotion but clearly expressed in his incredible blue eyes.

Hilde gazed back at him, devoid of any urges to resist him: She knew she would always belong to him, somehow. "I belong to you," she finally replied, burying her face against the lord's neck. "I belong to you, my master." They kissed.

His words echoed through her mind then, emotionless, yet still menacing: "But if you force me, I will kill you." She shuddered inwardly even as his powerful arms embraced her lovingly, as his lips and tongue caressed her with sincere tenderness, as he whispered erotic promises into her hair, her ear.

She would have to make her escape soon.

Part XVII

Hilde awoke in the thick darkness that had blanketed the room when she first entered last night, all light from both inside and outside the house completely blocked out by the long, dark drapes. So her punishment- the whip, the screams, the sex- could be hidden from the world, she thought, forcing her eyes open wider despite the throbbing pain that resounded in her head. The memory of last night still aroused her, though, and Hilde could feel the familiar damp stickiness coating her inner thighs.

Suddenly, a bright whiteness filled her vision, its brilliance causing her to close her eyes and cry out softly in surprise. "Gomen nasai, Lady Hilde, it is only me," a young female voice replied hurriedly.

The servant girl Michiko appeared before the courtesan then, carrying a fresh kimono and a small jar of green herbs in her arms. She knelt down with a small smile of greeting and smoothed a long black tangle behind Hilde's ear. "How are you this morning, my lady?" she asked.

Hilde smiled back, grateful for the other girl's prescence, and moved to push herself to a sitting position on the still-damp beddings. The sore flesh of her rear rubbed against the sheets at her movement then and she flinched. Michiko leaned forward to help her settle in more comfortably, worry etched across her features. Hilde cast her another smile.

"Do not worry, Michiko-san," she replied. "I am fine."

Michiko shook her head. "Kudasai, my lady," she said. "Please allow me to help." She reached forward then to grasp Hilde's shoulders, gently turning the elder girl so her back was to her and she now faced the beddings. "Lie down," the servant girl commanded softly.

Hilde obeyed silently, grateful for the release of painful pressure on her rear as she laid back on the soft coverings on her stomach, closing her eyes. Michiko's hands were upon her soon after, removing the sheet that had been covering her nakedness and revealing her flesh to the cold once more. Hilde drew in her breath sharply at the exposure and a hand came to rest on her back, stroking gently.

"Shh, it is alright, Lady Hilde," Michiko whispered comfortingly. "I promise this will not hurt." She opened the jar of herbs then and selected two long, green leaves. With her fingertips, she smoothed the moisture that had collected in the shiny top layer of each leaf off, and began to carefully work it into Hilde's soft, abraded flesh.

Hilde let her breath out slowly, relaxing under Michiko's gentle touch. The sensation of the younger girl's practiced fingers on her rear was pleasurable, almost subtly erotic. She allowed her to work the salve completely in, the pain ebbing away to only a dull ache now.

Afterwards, two other girls entered Lord Yuy's chamber to sponge bathe and clothe the courtesan, leaving Michiko free to attend to her other duties within the house. She left with another smile, whispering, "Mistress Relena will see you in her chambers when you are ready" before she disappeared through the shoji screen and out into the hallway.

"Arigatou, Michiko-san," Hilde replied. For everything, she added silently as one of the other attendants drew her gently to her feet and slipped a beautiful, black georgette kimono over her naked body, the other lacing her hakama trousers up at her hips. But still it could not be saved, Hilde finished sadly, staring vacantly out the large window as the servants finished tying the sash on her kimono and began on her makeup. The sun shone brightly today, its luminescence glinting fiercely off the snow that still lay heavily upon the ground, creating the blinding whiteness that had greeted Hilde when she awoke.

Finally- skin silky smooth and flawlessly white, eyes deeply shadowed and lined in an ebony-sapphire shade, lips a shiny, bright candied red, and clothed in the clinging, shimmering black georgette- Hilde was escorted down the hallway to the Lady Relena's chambers, prepared to meet her mistress. The lady herself still lay on her beddings upon the floor, propped up on white lace pillows, when the courtesan entered the room. She had changed into a deep aquamarine cashmere robe that sought to imitate the color of her eyes, the top folds opened slightly to bare one ample breast from which a tiny infant suckled hungrily: The baby. Her and Lord Yuy's son. She smiled as Hilde slid the screen closed behind her and motioned for her to come sit beside her.

"Good morning, Lady Hilde," Lady Relena said as the girl approached, bowing respectfully. "Come, I want you to meet little Takashi." She gently removed her nipple from the baby's mouth, closing the top of her robe over her chest once again and presenting the swaddled child to the other girl as she knelt down on a simple straw mat by the beddings with a proud smile.

Hilde smiled softly back and reached for the tiny child, taking the blue bundle from her mistress's arms and holding him against her chest. He was even smaller than she had imagined, his little pink face scrunched in an expression of protest at being taken away from his mother, hands balled into tiny fists. Hilde smiled down at him and reached down with one hand to stroke one cheek with her fingertips.

"Mistress Relena, he is beautiful," she said. Suddenly, Takashi moved in her arms, tilting his head back, his eyes opening. Hilde drew in her breath; his eyes were gorgeous, big and sparkling, a mixture of Prussian and aquamarine that was almost hazel. Beautiful, hypnotic eyes...

"His eyes are just like Master Yuy's," Hilde breathed, remembering his eyes last night, as he made love to her. She closed her own eyes then, willing her heart to slow its racing at the memory. Lady Relena watched her silently, thoughtfully.

Two attendant girls entered the chamber then, taking Takashi gently from Hilde's arms and bringing him back to his nursery in the next chamber, leaving the two women alone. Lady Relena finally spoke, jarring Hilde from her thoughts.

"Did he hurt you very badly?" She sat up straighter on her beddings then and leaned forward, reaching up to caress Hilde's face, brushing back her long bangs and then letting her fingertips trail down her cheek to her sensuously pouty lips. "He says you are even more beautiful when you are in pain."

Hilde opened her eyes then and stared silently at her mistress, wondering why Lord Yuy had told his wife of their passions last night. Perhaps Lady Relena, too, wished to see her downfall, as did Lady Dorothy...

"Did you and Lady Dorothy plan this?" Hilde asked, lowering her eyes, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, anger and sadness at her sisters' betrayal threatening to cloud her judgement. "Did you wish for Master Yuy to dismiss me?"

Lady Relena shook her head fervently, reaching forward to take the courtesan's hand, lifting her chin with the other, forcing the girl to face her. "No! No, of course not!" she replied hurriedly, her brows furrowing in concern, the aquamarine eyes filling with genuine sincerity. "I would never do anything to hurt you. Lady Dorothy and I have nothing but love for you, Lady Hilde. You must know that." Hilde nodded slowly, silently. Lady Relena sighed heavily, sitting back, her hand still firmly holding Hilde's.

"Lord Yuy came back from the Kitakyushu estate yesterday and you were gone," she explained. "I did not want to reveal where you had truly went, so I told him you had gone for a walk to the village. Lord Yuy went to fetch Lady Dorothy... They have always been very close friends." She paused for breath before continuing.

"He asked her if she had seen you, and so she told him of Father Maxwell, that perhaps you might be there. They did not go to search the church because I went into labor then." Lady Relena lowered her eyes then and brought Hilde's hand up to her lips, kissing it gently. "Gomen nasai, Lady Hilde," she said softly. "I never meant for him to hurt you. And Lady Dorothy did not wish for any harm to come upon you, either."

Hilde accepted her mistress's kiss and returned the gesture, shaking her head and casting a small smile at the blonde woman. "No, Mistress Relena, you should not be sorry," she said. "It is I who should apologize for placing you in a position where you felt you had to lie for me. You did not have to, although I am eternally grateful. And the pain was not so bad, really. Angering my master was far worse punishment."

Lady Relena looked up then, her eyes shifting to gaze out of the long window across the room, pensively. "He has shared his pain with me as well," she said, her voice distant, almost dreamy. "You are not alone."

Hilde gazed at her mistress, her blue eyes widening with curiousity and incredulity. "He has..." she began, her cheeks coloring at the image forming in her mind. "... He has whipped you before, my mistress?"

Lady Relena nodded slowly, her own cheeks flushing, lending her smooth, pale complexion a sweet, pink glow. "Hai," she breathed, her eyes lowering once again, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. Hilde moved forward, coming to kneel on the beddings beside the lady, taking her hand in her own once more, wanting to know more.

"The first time was the night of our wedding," Lady Relena finally spoke, encouraged by the courtesan's awestruck silence. "We had made love many times before then, but that night he decided to bring out the whip." She paused, opening her eyes and casting them towards the ceiling, as if searching for the right way to share her most private memory with her new friend.

"Hee-kun has always been a man of fantasies," she continued. "Dark fantasies... And war. War arouses him. I suppose that is why he is a samurai, ne?" She looked down quickly again, giggling girlishly. Hilde smiled, her blush deepening.

"What happened, Mistress Relena?" she asked.

"First he had me pierced- my nose, nipples, navel, and tongue- because he loved the way it looked on me and the way it felt when I took his sex into my mouth, the way the gold stud in my tongue felt on him," Lady Relena began, keeping her eyes down, concentrating on the memory. "Then he had me lie down naked upon the beddings, facing upward, binding my wrists and ankles with leather and chaining them to the posts. My legs were spread; I was open, defenseless. He knelt down then and kissed me, kissed my entire body, his fingers playing with the gold ring dangling from my navel, while his tongue played over the rings on my nipples... I will never forget the way he looked at me, his eyes. Arrogant, pleased, as if he had captured me and I were his prey, for him to do what he wanted with."

Her ebon-shadowed eyelids fluttered closed then, her breath growing shallow. Hilde watched her, remembering her own night with the handsome lord, knowing what she was now feeling, remembering. She continued.

"He stood up afterwards... drew his arm with the whip back..." Her hand fluttered at the top folds of her robe, opening them slightly to cool her flushed body. "... And then he whipped me, over and over, especially across my breasts and sex," Lady Relena finished breathlessly, her skin glowing with a soft sheen of sweat. "It hurt so much, hai, but soon I began to feel the pleasure of it, and I understood why he enjoyed giving me this pain." The aquamarine eyes opened once again, fixing on Hilde. The courtesan continued to kneel silently, listening.

"Do you know why I tell you this now, Lady Hilde?" the lady asked. Hilde shook her head.

"I tell you this now because I want you to know you are free." Lady Relena leaned forward then, her eyes searching the girl's blue ones, so innocent and trusting. "You do not have to stay here anymore. Now that Takashi has been born, I am able to fill Lord Yuy's needs once again, as I did before, as I have told you. You are free to love as you wish."

Hilde gazed at her mistress, unbelieving of what she was hearing. Free... She would be able to fill Lord Yuy's needs once again... Free to love as she wished. Free to love Duo Maxwell. Hilde shook her head slowly, unable to understand what the lady meant.

"Mistress Relena, you do not mean that-" she began, but was immediately cut off by one slim finger placed against her lips, silencing her. "No, I do mean this," Lady Relena replied firmly. "And although it pains me to see my dearest sister leave, and although Lord Yuy will also mourn your departure, I truly believe this is best for you.

"You have led a life of servitude ever since you came to Lady Dorothy. I have had the chance to meet you, talk to you, share things with you that I have never shared with any other woman, or man, even. I love you as my sister, Lady Hilde, and so much more. And I know that you deserve more than a servant's life." She paused for breath once again before continuing, her hand still firmly grasping the courtesan's.

"Even though my husband is a wonderful man, he is very demanding and sometimes difficult to please. And you, you are so young, not yet having experienced love. /Real/ love..." Lady Relena reached forward then to caress the beautiful girl's delicate face once more, her eyes clear, sincere. "I know that you deserve that much, Lady Hilde."

Hilde continued to gaze at her mistress, slowly taking in what she was saying. She was free, as she had been in Germany... Free to love Duo. Lord Yuy's words came back to her again, echoing in her mind: "Aishiteru, Hilde-chan... I am in love with you." His love would not be so easy to break.

"We are supposed to leave tomorrow," Lady Relena's voice suddenly cut through the silence, bringing Hilde back to the present. "To the Kitakyushu estate," she continued. "Lord Yuy wants to move us and Takashi from here for the battle. It begins tomorrow."

Move... The battle. Duo. Hilde closed her eyes. "I cannot-" she began, but was interrupted by Lady Relena's hand squeezing her own, hard. Urging her to leave.

"You must go now, Lady Hilde."

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