Part Eighteen

~~~~~~

"Shinpu Maxwell, where should I put these boxes? The village women have made us more candles for mass, candles of every single color!"

Father Duo Maxwell turned from his sweeping of the aisle to face the young altar boy who had just entered the church from his walk through the village. He laughed, watching as the boy set down his many boxes of candles and frowned down at them, exasperated with the village women's overbearing hospitality.

"Don't worry, Alexander, they are only trying to be nice," the priest replied. "And what would we do without candles anyways?" The boy shrugged, his expression turning thoughtful, and Duo laughed again. "Just place them downstairs in the supply room for now. After that, I need you to come back and help me wash windows."

Alexander looked up at the spacious church windows, the massive panes of stained glass enclosing the altar and side walls, and groaned in protest. Duo shrugged this time, mocking the boy's helpless expression at the candles, and Alexander quickly nodded and hurried off to help his master.

Duo stared after him, smiling, grateful for the boy's help. The church was not an easy place to clean, he thought, looking up at the windows that still needed to be washed and then back down to the aisle spread before him, unfinished in his sweeping. He sighed heavily, shaking his head, and returned to his broom.

The doors to the church swung open just then, thudding closed loudly as the three figures who stepped through entered. Duo turned around once again, hoping to see the beautiful courtesan. /His/ courtesan. A familiar male voice spoke then, crushing his hopes.

"Father Maxwell, I am glad that I caught you unoccupied," the smooth, melodious voice said, his tone friendly. "I have some important news for you."

Duo watched as the tall French commander walked gracefully down the aisle, his long black cape sweeping the floor behind him and touching the feet of the man who followed him. The commander came to a stop before the young priest, the other man and another small, slender figure stopping beside him. The other man was Asian, slim and tautly muscular beneath his iridiscent white jacket and trousers, with black hair slicked back into a short ponytail and intense dark eyes in an equally intense, pale face. The figure standing respectfully apart from him was decidedly a female, Asian as well, her gentle curves slightly visible beneath her green-gold jacket and trousers, long black hair elaborately twisted up and laced with sprigs of green leaves, eyes lowered, her makeup flawless. Duo waited for Treize to introduce them.

"Forgive me, Father Maxwell," the commander finally spoke, noticing the awkward silence. "I have forgotten my manners. I would like you to meet Chang Wufei. He has travelled here from China, Shanghai, to claim this port."

Duo nodded, extending his hand in greeting to the Chinese man. The other man declined the gesture, inclining his head in acknowledgement instead. Duo turned to the girl then.

"This is Mr. Chang's wife, Chang Meiran," Treize continued. "She has travelled with him to aid in the conquest."

The girl looked up, her beautiful onyx eyes fixing on the priest. She bowed her head politely, a small smile curving her candied red lips, the emeralds dangling from her ears tinkling at the movement. Duo smiled back and returned the gesture, his gaze remaining on the girl even as Treize continued to speak. There was something about her that reminded him so much of Hilde- the sincerity of her smile, her delicate beauty, the mischeivious glint in her eyes. She seemed so familiar to him somehow...

"... so I have come to tell you that we are no longer needed here." Treize's voice cut through Duo's thoughts then, bringing him back to the present. He turned to the commander, confusion clouding his violet eyes.

"No longer needed?" he asked. "The Spanish are defeated?"

Treize smiled and shook his head. "No," he replied. "Even though I have not been able to reach an agreement with Lord Yuy, we are not yet defeated. I have turned the port over to Mr. Chang. It is his to govern now, and we shall return to Spain."

Duo stared at the French man silently, not understanding what he meant. "But, Commander, I thought the Spanish sought to capture this port for Spain... and you would command it, yes?"

Treize sighed and lowered his eyes, nodding slowly. "Yes," he replied. "Yes, that is what the government has wished for me to accomplish." He looked up then, his deep azure eyes hard and darkened, almost angry. "But I have more personal matters to attend to here. I will be leaving with those matters solved."

Duo nodded, understanding the commander's unspoken reasons. "Then I suppose the church will be leaving as well?"

Treize's eyes refocused, fixing on Duo as if just noticing he were standing there. "That is what I came here to tell you," he said. "Bishop Andrade from the Osaka Church is coming here to take over operations and have an audience with Mr. Chang, since it is now his decision to keep the Jesuit missionaries here or not. You will be free to leave or stay, whatever the decision comes to, Father Maxwell."

Leave... He would be able to leave. With Hilde. He would have to find a way to take her from here, before Lord Yuy found out about Treize's trade of the port to Chang, before the battle that he knew was bound to come would. Before Bishop Andrade came and found out that one of his Jesuit priests was sleeping with a courtesan, Duo thought, wry amusement lifting the corners of his mouth slightly. He would have to renounce his priesthood first and then take Hilde. Tonight.

"Thank you for sharing this news with me, Commander Treize," Duo finally spoke, stepping down from the altar to take the hand the commander offered him and shaking it firmly. "I have already made my decision. When will you plan to leave here?"

Treize arched an eyebrow at the priest's abrupt declaration. So he would be leaving as well. "Tomorrow, if God is willing," he replied. "Do you wish to depart with us once again?"

Duo nodded. "Yes, if it won't be too much trouble."

Treize shook his head and smiled. "No, not at all," he said. "Then I shall see you tomorrow." He bowed his head slightly and turned back towards the church doors. "I will come here to meet you myself."

Duo nodded once again and walked with the trio to the doors. "Thank you once again, Commander," he said as the French man opened one door and stepped out into the quickly darkening twilight. "And thank you as well, Mr. Chang, for allowing me to leave." Chang inclined his head in silent acknowledgement of the priest's gratitude and took his wife's arm.

"You are welcome, Father Maxwell," Treize replied for both men. "Or should I now call you... Duo?" He smiled and the priest grinned, almost shyly. "We shall see you tomorrow."

Duo watched the three walk slowly back to the commander's waiting carriage, waiting until they disappeared inside the dark depths before returning inside the church for his last night.

Only when he turned back to close the doors behind him did he see the girl Meiran's pale, pretty face staring at him from behind the filmy blue curtains of the carriage window, the same secret, knowing smile curving her full red lips.

Again he thought of Hilde.

~*~

Lord Heero Yuy ran the small white cloth down his sword's length once more, leaving the intricately engraved steel a smooth, glimmering silver as he finished the night's polishing. The bright moonlight glinted sharply off the shiny surface, sending shards of pale light piercing through the hazy darkness of his unlit chamber. The day had been unusually springlike, the warm sunshine melting away the thick blanket of snow that had formerly covered the landscape, and the night had retained some of the day's warmth, melding with the cool darkness and creating an almost dreamlike mist.

Lord Yuy knelt in the middle of the haziness, slowly, methodically cleansing his blade of the day's practice and polishing it to a menacing perfection. Hilde lay in her own chamber across the hallway, safely and obediently. A small smile of satisfaction tugged at the corner of the lord's mouth as he thought of her, his beautiful possession, awaiting the night's visit. She had been perfectly submissive all day, not worthy of the whip tonight. But perhaps he would use it anyway, he thought with another smile, turning his wrist, moving the shiny blade in a slow arc through the thick air. Or perhaps even the sword. His Relena enjoyed the sword...

The shoji screen to the lord's chamber slid open then, almost imperceptibly, but the lord's instinctive reflexes found the intruder before she had even stepped inside, the tip of his sharp blade poised against her neck, under her chin.

"Hilde?" Lord Yuy asked, his tone flat, a statement more than a question. A long lock of straight, golden hair covered half of the girl's face, and as she raised her chin, the long-lashed aquamarine eye that met his finally made her identity clear to him. He lowered the sword.

"Relena."

Lady Relena stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the lord, her long hair falling over her shoulders and stopping just below her rib bones. She had cut it, Lord Yuy noticed appreciatively, her body no longer hidden as much beneath the thick curtain of hair. She wore a single, sheer dark blue robe, her pale skin and rich curves clearly visible under the thin material. The same robe she had worn beneath her wedding kimono.

The lady stopped just before her lord and placed two fingers against his lips. "There is no Hilde tonight," she whispered silkily, moving her fingers up from his lips to caress his face, the sharply sculpted features, and the long dark hair that always fell across his forehead and between his dark, intense eyes. She turned her hand then, so her palm faced outwards, and ran it sideways across the lower half of Lord Yuy's face, covering him so only the beautiful Prussian eyes were visible through her splayed fingers: An imitation of the gesture he had greeted her with on their first meeting, so long ago, when he had desperately tried to keep her from glimpsing his entire face, as no woman had ever gazed upon him fully as she had that first time. She gazed at him fully now.

Lord Yuy stared back at his wife, feeling his body begin to crawl with fire beneath his skin, flames coursing through his veins and culminating in a fierce, almost painful blaze in his loins. His breath grew harder, as did his sex, his wife's gesture returning to him distant memories of their past, their first meeting, when he had first felt the desire of a man. But more than the simple placement of her hand across his face reminded him of the past, Lord Yuy realized. She had cut her hair just the same as she had worn it in the Cinq Kingdom, he knew now, and something about her face called forth memories as well...

Lady Relena tilted her head to the side then, and something glittered upon her face. Lord Yuy drew in his breath sharply: The sapphire stud in her nose. She was pierced, as she had been on their wedding night. He reached up then, forcing her hand back down, and moved to untie the sash of her robe, baring her naked body. A small smile curved his lips as she was revealed, her hard pink nipples dangling with tiny gold rings and lower, her navel bearing a gold and sapphire ring as well. Her beautiful shape had been retained through her pregnancy, only slightly more voluptuous than he remembered, and her smooth, perfumed skin shone with golden glitter. She was beautiful, his Relena.

Lady Relena smiled softly as she watched delighted recognition cross her lord's handsome face, his hand stretching forth unconsciously to brush his fingertips against her skin, playing with the rings at her breasts, her navel, and lower, to tickle her soft wetness. She closed her eyes then, sighing girlishly, pleasurably, as Lord Yuy's finger pushed inside, insinuating. She moved forward to rub her cheek against his chest.

"Hisakataburi, Hee-kun," the lady whispered. Her tongue snaked out then and licked the hard, exposed bronze flesh of Lord Yuy's chest, seductively. He closed his eyes. He could feel the gold stud in her tongue now as she travelled it upwards to suckle his neck and he cried out, an anguished, guttural moan.

A hard, smooth, curved piece of wood touched the lord's inner thigh and began an agonizing descent upward, probing against his scrotum. Lord Yuy opened his eyes and looked down, past his wife's beautiful, glistening breasts to her arm, resting upon the long object she held in her delicate hand: His whip.

Lady Relena looked up as a large, male hand covered hers and smiled back at her husband's pleased, amused smirk. He brought her hand with the whip up slowly and kissed her knuckles, letting his tongue travel over her skin to lick the smooth wooden handle.

It had been a long time.

~*~

Hilde hid a smile behind her hand as Lady Relena's cries of ecstasy grew louder, until finally she uttered Lord Yuy's name in a girlish scream of orgasmic bliss and the courtesan knew she had reached perfect satisfaction. There was no chance that Lord Yuy would call for her tonight. He was with his wife and it was where he belonged.

Hilde wrapped a gossamer black scarf over her head, covering her long, carefully twisted hair and pulling the end across the lower half of her face, hiding her identity. She waited until she could hear Lord Yuy's voice, murmuring softly to his Relena, soothing her tortured cries as the whip snapped down across her flesh, over and over again, before she slid open her shoji screen and stepped quickly out onto the veranda. The night was surprisingly warm, the thick forest hidden in a lacy blanket of mist. She would be able to make her escape almost completely unseen.

Carrying with her only a small bundle of kimonos and undergarments, Hilde whispered a prayer of good-bye and good wishes for her former master and mistress, and blew a quick kiss in the direction of their hot, dark chamber before running lightly down the veranda steps and out into the garden. She ran silently and quickly through the forest then, the hidden path beneath her socked feet engraved in her mind, the way to the village memorized from her many night trips into the village to see both Duo and Lady Dorothy. Soon Hilde could see the small, low houses of the village and beyond them the towering stone face of the church, and she hurried faster through the trees to her destination.

The slowly waning full moon had reached its pinnacle in the hazy night sky when Hilde finally reached the steps of the church. She paused before the doors, one hand poised on the handle, and looked back towards the road leading to Lord Yuy's estate. This was the end, she thought, almost sadly. Once she stepped through the church doors she would no longer be a possession. But she would be Duo's, she realized with a small smile.

With a final whispered good-bye to her former master, Hilde pushed open the doors and stepped inside. The church was dark but for the light from a small table of white candles sitting before the altar, and empty. She walked down the aisle, past the altar, and up the small flight of stairs hidden against the far left wall beside the altar. The door that met her at the end of the hallway was closed, a dim orange light emanating from the opening under it. She could hear the priest's slow, even breathing. He was asleep.

Carefully, Hilde opened the door and slid inside, staying with her back pressed against the wall as she shut the door softly behind her. She drew in her breath slowly at the vision before her: Duo lay sprawled across the bed, clad only in his close-fitting black trousers, his bare chest glowing with a soft sheen of sweat in the diffuse candlelight, the muscles contracting as he took each breath. His long braid was beginning to come undone, his chestnut hair splayed across the black sheets behind him, his bangs a wild tangle falling into his face. The violet eyes, so expressive when he was awake, were still in sleep, closed, his long lashes curling slightly upwards. A small black Bible was clutched in one large hand, laying against his firm stomach. He looked even more like an angel in sleep.

Hilde dropped her bundle to the floor beside her, her eyes remaining fixed on the beautiful man before her, and slowly reached for the sash binding her kimono around her waist. She undid the elaborate ribbon and let the thin material fall to the floor, followed by her hakama trousers. Her angel stirred slightly as she moved forward, the Bible slipping from his hand. Hilde caught it before it fell and placed it carefully on the small table beside the bed.

Naked, Hilde crawled slowly onto the sheets. She placed her hands on Duo's clothed thighs, moving them upwards as her body moved upwards, a deep, firm caress. Her angel woke then, his head turning towards her, the violet eyes opening.

Duo stared at the girl hovering over him, her body completely unclothed, perfect in its ivory smoothness. Small, perkily tipped breasts touched his bare chest as the girl bent her head to kiss his lips, her long, night-dark hair falling between their bodies in a silky, straight curtain. Large, incredible blue eyes met his as she ended the kiss, and the full, shining carmine lips moved slowly, a sensual whisper.

"I am yours, Duo Maxwell."

Part Nineteen

~~~~~~

"So you are free."

Hilde watched as a slow, pleased smile crossed her angel's handsome face, the realization of her words finally becoming clear to him. She was his now, no longer the possession of Lord Yuy. She smiled back at her lover and nodded her affirmation, bending her head to kiss his sweet, full lips once again.

Duo wrapped his arms around the beautiful girl kneeling above him, pulling her body closer to his as his tongue delved into her mouth, finding hers and leading it in a passionate, erotic dance. Her hands were on his chest, running light fingertips over the ridges of muscle, making their way lower. She found the buttons to his trousers and began to work them loose, her eager hand crawling past the immuring fabric to clasp his naked erection, feeling him come to life at her touch. Duo cried out as the courtesan began to stroke him gently, up and down, and he broke the kiss, gasping for breath.

"Hilde," he grunted, a ragged, breathless sound. The unusually blue eyes met his once again, wide with curiousity and clouded with confusion at his abrupt interruption of their passion. The delicate hand continued to play on his cock, caressing the hard length and massaging his scrotum in turn. Duo closed his eyes and moaned, fighting for control to speak and not to take her right then. He forced his eyes open then and tried again. "Hilde, before I say or do anything else, I have to know something."

Hilde gazed down at her angel, his amethyst eyes serious, hardened with concern. She eased her hand from his trousers, running it slowly up his stomach to rest on his chest once again, and nodded for him to continue.

Duo took the hand that lay upon his chest and brought it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "Hilde," he whispered again. "Are you sure that this is what you want? Your life... with me?" The violet eyes remained fixed on the courtesan's cerulean ones, urging her to answer. She sighed.

"Hai... Yes. I want to be yours, Duo Maxwell. I want my life with you. I want to stay with you forever." One long, slender leg wrapped around the priest's hip then, drawing him closer to her nakedness, her wetness. The azure eyes closed and a soft, girlish moan escaped the petulant red lips, emphasizing her desire and the finality of her decision. She began to move, a slow, up and down movement, against his hip bone, riding him. "Matsudai, Duo-san," she whispered. Forever.

Duo pushed himself up, turning his body so that he faced her completely now. He leaned on one elbow, switching positions with the courtesan so that she now lay below him and he hovered above her. Hilde's eyes fluttered open slowly, her movements ceasing. Duo placed a hand on her thigh, pushing her into his hip once again, and nodded, silently giving her permission to ride him once more. She obeyed, grinding her lower body into him, the sensation of her distended clitoris rubbing against the rough material of his trousers almost sending her over the edge. She moaned once again, insistently. Duo reached down to caress her cheek, soothing her and returning her to earth.

"I have to be sure that this is what you want," he continued, his fingertips tracing invisible patterns over her smooth alabaster skin. "You are free to do whatever you want now... You could return to your tribe in Germany, never be under the power of a man again..." Duo lowered his eyes then, hoping she wouldn't see the pain in their colorful depths as he thought about her leaving him. He knew that if she decided to go back to Germany, he would never see her again. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stand it. But still, it had to be her decision, he thought. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he forced her to come with him and live a lie, the way he himself had been living a lie as a priest, as she had been as a courtesan.

Hilde ceased her movements once again and reached up to grasp Duo's chin, forcing her angel to face her. "I know that," she replied, a small smile curving her lips. "You are not forcing me into anything, Duo. I know that I could always go back, find my tribe." She sighed then, shaking her head. "But I could never be truly happy if I did that. My life belongs with you." She rose up on her own elbows then to kiss him, her tongue snaking out to lick his lips before she pulled away again. "I want to be your possession, Duo."

Duo shook his head. "No," he said, brushing her long bangs back behind one jeweled ear. "Not my possession, Hilde." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the confused expression that crossed her face then, such pure innocence for such a sensual creature. He shook his head again and bent his head to face her evenly, his mouth poised inches from her own.

"Not my possession, Hilde," Duo repeated, his voice low, husky with emotion. "My wife."

Hilde gazed up at her angel, her eyes widening in disbelief. His wife... He wanted to marry her. Marry her, the way Lord Yuy was married to Lady Relena. The way it should be...

Dizziness suddenly overcame her and she lay back down, sinking into the soft pillows, her eyes dazed as she stared up at the ceiling. Waves of happiness, of pure joy, coursed through her veins, but something else tugged at her stomach, overriding the happiness and creating a dull, sick feeling. Something Lady Dorothy had said, long ago...

Forbidden. Priests were forbidden from marrying.

"Hilde, are you alright?" Duo's voice cut through the haze in her mind, bringing her back to the present. The blue eyes refocused then and Hilde could see her angel, the concern and hurt filling his violet eyes. "Are you not happy?" he asked again.

Hilde shook her head slowly, reaching up with one hand to stroke his face, smoothing his furrowed brows. "No," she finally replied. "No, I am very happy, Duo. But I had always thought..." She faltered, lowering her eyes. "... I had always thought that priests could not be married because-"

Duo placed a finger to her lips then, silencing her. "You are right," he said. "Priests are forbidden from marriage. But I am not a priest any longer."

Hilde stayed silent for a long moment, the meaning of what he was saying slowly becoming clear to her. She looked back up. "But I thought that you loved the Church and-"

Duo smiled as she abruptly closed her mouth, seeing his hand rise to stop her once again. He laughed softly. "I do love the Church," he replied. "It has been very good to me. But it is not my life. I have always known that." He sighed.

"I came on the Jesuit mission because I was looking for something. My destination, I suppose. I have always known that I belong somewhere, as everyone does, and that when I found it, I would know it. I have found my destination, Hilde." He reached down then to cup her chin, raising her face to his. A small smile played across his sensual mouth as he spoke again, his voice silky, deep.

"You are my religion now, Hilde- My faith, my salvation, my sustenance. I love you." He bent down and kissed her, passionately, promising. One large hand travelled down the length of her body and she caught it in one of her own, breaking the kiss to stop him. Her hips moved against his, pushing insistently. "Kudasai, mitsukai..." she whispered.

Duo smiled again and shook his head, bringing his hand with hers down to rest upon her chest, feeling the wild beating of her heart beneath the soft skin. "Patience, koi," he said, his gaze loving, amused, as his eyes caressed her. He remembered the first time he had seen her body completely, when she made love to herself in the cherry tree, and now she was in his arms, naked to his gaze, her perfection defined in the soft orange glow of the candlelight. He wanted to remember every part of her forever. "Let me touch you."

Duo's hand, still covered with the courtesan's, began a slow descent down her body, moving from her chest to cup one tiny breast. He bent his head to kiss the sweet tip before continuing with his hand lower, over her stomach, her abdomen, and finally stopping at her femininity. He tickled her sensitive clitoris with one finger, a pleased smile spreading across his beautiful face at her cry of pleasure, her back arching up, her breasts straining forward, tempting him. He slipped another finger inside her, insinuating in her soft wetness. He touched her the way he had watched her touch herself in the cherry tree, so long ago, when he had wished it was his hand giving her so much pleasure rather than her own.

"Duo, please..." Hilde drew in her breath sharply as another finger pushed into her slick channel and threw her head back against the pillows, a cry escaping her lips. "Please... Love me now, Duo..." Her hands worked below, sliding his tight black trousers down, past his hips.

Suddenly the fingers were gone, replaced by a soft, wet probing between her legs, deep inside her sex: His tongue. Hilde pushed herself up on her elbows, finding her angel's face buried deep within her, his chestnut hair falling from its braid, the candlelight catching the reddish highlights in it, making him glow. She groaned as he began to lap at her hungrily, catching her clitoris in his teeth from time to time, and closed her eyes.

Soon Duo felt her thighs begin to tremble beneath his hands, her body nearing perfect satisfaction, and he pulled away. His long bangs brushed against her abdomen as he lifted his face, tickling her and making her giggle, and he smiled, his full, sensual lips glistening with her fluid. He bent to kiss her, filling her mouth with her own taste, and moved his body over hers, his erection poised above her sex.

Hilde kissed her angel deeply, licking her sweetness from his lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The long legs entwined around his slender hips then and she broke the kiss, her eyes finding his.

"I am your wife, Duo Maxwell."

Duo gazed back down at his lover, unable to keep the grin from curving his lips, and in one swift motion, he entered her, eliciting a cry of ecstasy from the beautiful girl below him. They made love slowly, deliberately, as if the night would never end. His thrusts were passionate yet gentle, his long, thick chestnut hair falling over one broad shoulder as he bore down on her, over and over again, his handsome features contorted in concentration and raw desire, sweat running in rivulets down his face and body.

Hilde's eyes remained fixed on her angel throughout their passion, watching as he made love to her. The act itself was a sheer release for them both, she thought as Duo grunted in his exertion, his cock pushing deeper into her body as he came down once again. Release from their previous lives, from the pain and lonliness of the past. Her angel had come to her on his black wings and would remove her from that lonliness forever. -Never again- was her last thought as Duo's sex suddenly filled her completely and she felt herself tighten around him, his name escaping her lips as he moaned her own in pleasure.

Perfect satisfaction.

~*~

Lady Relena Peacecraft opened her eyes to pale violet emptiness, the filmy blue curtains at the large window by the beddings opened to allow the faint morning light into the chamber. A surprisingly balmy breeze wafted through the room, none of winter's chill present in its soft caress. The long golden strands of hair falling across her forehead riffled slightly in the breeze, catching in her long eyelashes as she pushed herself to a sitting position on the still-damp sheets.

"Heero?" Lady Relena called softly, pulling the satin coverlet up to her chest to cover her naked breasts. The space beside her was empty, a slight indentation in the beddings where her husband's slender form had slept.

Wrapping the smooth blue satin over her body, Lady Relena crawled delicately to the foot of the beddings, placing her feet on the cold bare floor before standing up. The shoji screen leading out to the veranda slid open then and her lord entered, dressed in a loose white robe, the top folds opened to reveal the hard, muscled flesh of his chest. His sword was clasped firmly in one hand, his wrist turning as he carved smooth arcs through the warm air. The Prussian blue eyes were lowered, his gaze hidden beneath a veil of long, dark lashes.

Lady Relena watched him, the satin coverlet slipping from her curves. "Heero?" she repeated, taking a tentative step closer to him. The breeze grew stronger, blowing the golden tangles of her hair back behind her shoulders, tugging at the coverlet.

His eyes snapped up then, fixing on the beautiful woman before him. The Prussian orbs traversed her body slowly, up and down, before coming to rest on her face: The aquamarine eyes were wide, filled with concern under furrowed brows, and her lips, soft and pink, were parted slightly, as if she were about to call his name once more. He loved her, his Relena.

Lord Yuy crossed the space between him and his wife quickly, lowering his sword as he reached forward to grasp her arm, pulling her elegant body to him. He bent his head, grazing his lips across her cheek before stopping near her ear, his mouth hot on her cool skin.

"I must leave you now, Relena." His hot breath tickled her and the lady shivered, moving her body closer to his. Long fingers tangled in her hair, a rough, loving caress.

"But, why, Heero?" Lady Relena breathed as the handsome lord began to nip at her earlobe, his hand grasping her hair harder, tilting her head back to expose her neck.

Lord Yuy moved his mouth down to kiss the soft hollow of his wife's neck. Her scent, lilacs mixed with their sex, filled him, intoxicated him. /Her/ scent was like that as well, he thought. Only spicier, more exotic. Tangy, like the taste of blood.

"Lady Hilde Schbeiker is missing."

~*~

Commander Treize Khushrenada adjusted his sword holster across his chest, smoothing the bright red ribbon of the Spanish army across his blue uniform: The uniform of the French army, the royal color of the Cinq Kingdom. His Relena's kingdom.

Taking one last look in the mirror near the shoji screen leading out into the hallway, Treize swept his cape over his right shoulder and ran a hand back through his hair. He smiled, sheathing his sword in the holster with a satisfied finality.

"I am coming to return you to your destiny, Relena."

Part Twenty

~~~~~~

Bishop Felix Andrade took the hand offered to him from outside of the cramped carriage and allowed the servant to pull him down to the ground. The day was unusually warm for mid-winter, a balmy, wet breeze blowing through the bare branches of the oak trees lining the walkway to the Catholic church. It was little relief from the stuffy hotness of the carriage to the bishop and he quickly distanced himself from the four laymen who had travelled with him, the stench of their unbathed bodies wafting slightly away in the fresh, if humid, air. He looked around him, appraising the area that would be his new property if the Chinese man, Chang, allowed him.

The church was a beautiful, if not terribly impressive, structure, standing not quite as tall as most of the churches Bishop Andrade was used to in Osaka, but still elegant in its soft gray stone and intricately designed stained glass. The bishop tilted his head back to look up at the bell tower topping the church then and he smiled, the light breeze that had been blowing beginning to turn slightly cool. He would be able to turn this place into one of the most renowned churches in Japan, he thought. Its beauty would attract the people and his advanced instruction would make them stay. But first, the amateur had to be dismissed. The blasphemer, he corrected himself bitterly.

"Dario, let us go inside now and meet with this Padre Maxwell," Bishop Andrade suddenly spoke, motioning for one of the laymen to follow him inside. "I would like this to be over as soon as possible."

"Si, Obispo Andrade," Dario, a tall man of impressive size dressed in green trousers and a white shirt, replied. A long sword was strapped to his side and a rifle lay encased in a leather holster at his back. He turned to his comrades and whistled, motioning for them to follow with his arm as he joined the bishop on the church steps. He smiled to himself as Bishop Andrade pushed open the doors then and the group entered, his hand moving unconsciously down to his waist to rest on the hilt of his sword. This would be easy.

The church was empty but for a small dark-haired child kneeling on a ladder above the altar, washing the immense stained glass window with a long white cloth. Bishop Andrade arched an eyebrow at the convenience of the priest's absence; it would be even easier to prove the rumors right now. He cleared his throat loudly then and approached the altar. The boy turned around, dropping his cloth and the pail of water he had been using to clean the window in startled surprise. Bishop Andrade smiled.

"Buenos dias, mi nino," he spoke, stopping just before the steps to the altar. "Can you tell me where your Padre is?"

The boy climbed quickly down the ladder and picked up the pail and cloth, dropping to his knees to begin wiping up the water that had spilled onto the thick carpeting. He shook his head vehemently, keeping his eyes down as he rubbed at the floor with his cloth. "No, sir," he replied. "I have not seen Shinpu Maxwell this morning. I think he is still sleeping."

Bishop Andrade's eyebrow arched once again and the man named Dario stifled an amused laugh. "Can you tell me where he sleeps then? It is very important that I speak with him," the bishop continued.

The boy paused for a long moment, his eyes still fixed on the wet floor before him. When he finally looked up, his dark eyes were guarded, suspicious. "He sleeps up those stairs," he replied slowly, pointing to the hidden flight of steps to the left of the altar. "I can go wake him up and tell him you are here first." The boy jumped to his feet then and hurried over to the entrance to the stairs.

Suddenly, a large, meaty hand grabbed the boy's shirt, pulling him with almost bruising force back towards the altar. The boy cried out in surprise, falling to the floor. The bishop walked over to him and bent down, shaking his head in disapproval.

"That will not be necessary, mi nino," he said, his voice smooth, kind. "You have already helped us quite enough. God shall reward you for this, yes." He gave one last smile and straightened up, turning to follow Dario and the other men up the dark stairs towards the young priest's chamber.

Dario waited only until the bishop joined the group of men outside of the chamber door before giving the signal to his men and kicking open the door, weapons drawn. The wood splintered under the heavy man's forceful kick, sending shards of oak flying through the air as the men entered and surrounded the startled couple in the room. Bishop Andrade stepped inside carefully, his robe trailing over the broken door half-blocking the entrance, and appraised the two young people inside.

The male, the so-called Father Duo Maxwell, stood by the window, dressed simply in tight black trousers and a loose, dark blue shirt, his right foot resting on top of a chair as he bent to lace up his boots. His long hair fell in a single braid down his back, loose strands falling into his eyes with his bangs. The large violet eyes met the bishop's as he entered, darkened with confusion and anger. Bishop Andrade only nodded at him before turning his gaze on the girl.

She was beautiful, this courtesan, he thought, his eyes travelling slowly up and down her scantily clad body. He could see why and how she had seduced this young priest: She was small and slender, her curves gentle yet deliciously feminine, her breasts small and round, perfect, as were her legs, shapely and beautifully crafted, bare as they peeked out from the front slit of her thin black kimono, crossed demurely. Her waist-length black hair was half-twisted up, the rest cascading in tangles over her shoulders. Long bangs fell across her forehead and she brushed them away as she looked up, revealing incredibly blue eyes, striking in her pale, pretty face and against her dark hair. Her full, unnaturally red lips were parted, shaped in a delicate pout. The bishop could imagine those lips wrapped around Maxwell's sex, sucking him with lustful passion, then kissing him to taste himself... She was beautiful, this slut.

Dario kept his gaze fixed on the girl sitting primly on the edge of the bed, ignoring the priest at the window. He was slightly disappointed that they had not been in sexual passion when they found them, but the girl more than made up for that loss. His eyes travelled hungrily up her long legs, resting on the shadows concealing her naked sex at the opening where the kimono fell open over her legs. After the girl noticed his intense gaze between her legs and crossed them tighter together, Dario moved his gaze up, concentrating on the tantalizing bit of cleavage showing between the top folds of her robe as she bent down shyly to sweep the skirt of her kimono over her legs further. His sex strained against the front of his trousers as he watched her breasts rise and fall with each breath, the movement of her arms making the small, perfect mounds rub sensually against the fabric of her robe, hardening the nipples. He would have her when this was over, he promised himself with a smile. His eyes met the girl's then and she flinched outwardly, shrinking back under his predatory smile. The bishop spoke then.

"Buenos dias, Padre Maxwell," he said, his tone light, conversational. "I am sure Senor Khushrenada told you that I would be coming to see you, yes?" He arched an eyebrow, awaiting the young priest's answer.

Duo finished tightening the laces on his boot with an angry tug and straightened, his icy violet gaze fixed on the bishop. Picking up a small bag from the floor, he walked over to the bed and stood beside the courtesan protectively, his eyes challenging the men.

"Yes, he did tell me," Duo finally replied. "I have been expecting you, believe it or not. I have something I think you and the rest of the Church should know."

Dario stifled another sarcastic laugh and a smile tugged at the corner of Bishop Andrade's mouth. Clearing his throat, he spoke again. "No, Padre Maxwell, I believe there is something you should know." At Duo's confused expression, the bishop continued.

"We have already heard about you and this... courtesan." He motioned to Hilde with a disinterested gesture, his eyes still focused solely on the priest. "This is grounds for excommunication, as I am sure you know, Padre Maxwell."

Duo stood silent for a long moment before his lips quirked derisively, his eyes lightening slightly in amusement. "I am very aware of that, Bishop," he replied. "But I am afraid that does not apply to me anymore. I am renouncing the priesthood."

Bishop Andrade nodded slowly and lowered his eyes, trying his best to keep from laughing. "Si, I suppose you would be right then," he said. "But unfortunately we are in a foreign country, under foreign rule, and that does not apply here. At least not in this situation." He raised his eyes then, a mock sympathetic smile curving his lips.

Hilde tensed inwardly at the man's words and lowered her eyes, her hands clasping and unclasping nervously in her lap. Lord Yuy, she thought, a heavy, sick feeling rising in her stomach. Lord Yuy was why the situation did not allow Duo to renounce his priesthood and leave with her quietly. She was still bound by contract to him, a contract that could not be broken unless she died.

A thousand thoughts raced through Hilde's mind then: The death vow, so long ago, before she had even known Duo... "I will be yours, Heero-sama, even if it means death...", and Lord Yuy's words... "If you force me... Omae o korosu." She dug her nails into the palms of her hands to distract herself from the memories now, feeling tears sting her eyes, and forced herself to keep from sobbing aloud. Duo would die now because of her.

"This courtesan belongs to a Lord Heero Yuy, in case you were not informed," Bishop Andrade continued. "He, too, has been notified of your... liasions with this girl, and he has demanded three things: First, her return and your capture, and then her execution, before your own."

Dario laughed aloud then, a sadistic smile spreading across his wide, hideous face. "Si! That means that you shall watch your precious whore die before the sword is turned on you, esteemed Padre," he said, laughing once again.

Duo turned to stare at the other man, his eyes hardened with carefully controlled rage, the violet irises flaming with hatred and anger. Dario's smile widened at the priest's reaction and turned his attention to the courtesan, sitting with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her head bowed in shame. He took a step closer to the bed.

"Yes, your beautiful slut..." he whispered, his voice thick with lust, reflected in his small brown eyes. He approached the girl, causing her to look up quickly and recoil back against the bed, her hand reaching for Duo's. Dario smiled once again, licking his lips, and lunged forward, hands grabbing for the courtesan, gripping on her thighs with bruising ferocity, forcing them apart. Hilde cried out, closing her eyes in expectation of the humiliation to come.

Suddenly, a hard, strong fist crashed into Dario's jaw, crushing the bone there into the flesh with almost deathly force, throwing the heavier man back onto the floor with a loud thud. Duo stepped in front of Hilde swiftly, pushing her back behind him with one hand. He stared down at the fallen man with amethyst eyes burning with death, his jaw set angrily behind clenched teeth.

"Stay the hell away from her," he said, his tone low, menacing. He turned his gaze on the bishop then and nodded towards the door. "The rest of you can leave as well. I have already made my decision and I am leaving. /With/ Lady Schbeiker. If this Lord Heero Yuy wants her back, you can tell him where to find me." He turned around then and took Hilde's hands gently, lifting her to her feet.

A man suddenly leaped onto Duo's back then, breaking his grip on Hilde's hands and forcing him back. Duo growled in surprise and anger and reached behind him to throw the man off his back, catching the side of the other man's face with his fist. Hilde lay sprawled back against the bed, the skirt of her kimono pushed up to her hips. She held her legs closed as tightly as she could and watched as another man joined the one who had attacked Duo on the floor, the two finally managing to restrain the younger man. A hand grabbed her roughly to her feet then and she cried out once again, struggling against the iron grip.

"Do not fight us or it will be worse," a harsh male voice whispered in her ear. She turned her face away, lowering her eyes and letting her tension melt slightly away. Perhaps if she made it alive to Lord Yuy, he would have mercy on her.

Duo fought against the men gripping his arms behind his back, pulling with all his strength to break free and reach his lover. "Hilde!" he cried desperately. "Hilde, don't let them touch you!"

Bishop Andrade watched the scene before him with cool disinterest, his eyebrow arched in disapproval at the laymen's lack of grace and tact. He waited until another man pulled Dario to his feet before he finally spoke.

"I want you to take Padre Maxwell to the holding area at the port and have him imprisoned there until I return. Dario, you will lead the others back to Lord Yuy's estate with the girl and return her to her master. She is not to be harmed, much less /touched./ If one hair on her head is so much as disturbed, I shall pray for your soul when Lord Yuy deals with you. You will escort her to the estate and that is all. Is that understood, Senor Vasquez?"

Dario wiped the blood pouring from his nose with his sleeve angrily, his lips curled in a sneer as he watched the other men drag Duo out of the room. "Si, Obispo," he replied, turning back towards his group of men and the lovely courtesan.

Bishop Andrade nodded and turned, stepping back over the broken door and out into the hallway. Dario approached the man holding the girl and pushed him away, taking her arm in his own hand instead. She grimaced noticably and he smiled.

Bending his head to face her evenly, his mouth poised inches from her own, he said, "Do not worry, mi dulce. You are lucky I have been forbidden to touch you.

"But it shall be much worse when Lord Yuy has you."

~*~

Lady Relena Peacecraft sat in front of her mirrored dressing table, watching in the shiny panes of glass as her servant girl Michiko brushed out her long blonde hair until it was smooth and then parted the silky strands into sections to be braided and twisted up together. Michiko's long, deft fingers pinned each braided section delicately on top of the lady's head, lacing occasional strands with blue-tinged white lilies, winter flowers. Another girl sat on the floor beside Lady Relena, dabbing at her full, pretty lips with soft pink rouge while another smoothed foundation over her white skin and accentuated her eyes with azure and ebony. Takashi lay resting quietly in her arms, his mouth poised at her bared breast in case he should stir and be hungry.

"Your hair is so beautiful, Mistress Relena," Michiko breathed softly as she wound another thick blonde strand around her finger, twisting it into a perfect braid. "Such a pretty color and so soft... I love how you've cut it again, it makes you seem even younger, like you were when you first came to Japan."

Lady Relena smiled gently, careful not to disturb the girl adding gloss to her lips now. "Hai," she replied. "It does seem so long ago, doesn't it?"

Michiko realized her words then and one small hand flew to her mouth in shock, her deep brown eyes widening in fear. "Oh, Mistress Relena! I did not mean to say it was so long ago... You are still as beautiful as you were then, and it has only been three years, hai?" She shook her head as if to rid herself of any silliness and returned to her mistress's hair.

Lady Relena laughed and shook her head as well. "It is alright, Michiko-san," she replied. "I knew what you meant. But I am glad you like how I have cut my hair. I like it, too." They shared a friendly smile through the mirror.

The shoji screen leading inside from the hallway was suddenly pushed open and the attendants screamed softly, putting down their tools and rushing to find fans and a screen to protect the lady from the intruder. The figure that entered was not male, though, tall and icily blonde, dressed in a red-and-blue striped kimono and carrying a paper parasol painted with red and blue roses in one jeweled hand. Lady Relena rose gently from her seat, careful not to stir Takashi, and pulled the top folds of her own azure kimono closed.

"Lady Dorothy, is something the matter?" she asked, confusion and concern clouding her aquamarine eyes. "You do not look well, please sit down."

Lady Dorothy Catalonia bowed her head in deference and crossed the room quickly, giving the other blonde woman a quick kiss on the cheek before taking a seat on the edge of the chaise lounge tensely, her hands clapsed tightly in her lap. "I am surprised you have not heard yet," she finally spoke, keeping her eyes lowered, her voice shaking uncharacteristically. "Oh, it is so dreadful, Lady Relena!"

Lady Relena shook her head slowly, her brows furrowing as she struggled to discern the meaning of Lady Dorothy's words. She walked carefully back to her dressing table chair and sat down, shifting Takashi to her other arm. He stirred slightly, a small groan escaping his lips. She quickly covered his soft brown head with more of the blue blanket he was wrapped him and shushed him gently. "What is it, Lady Dorothy?" she continued. "What has happened?" Hilde, she thought to herself, panic tugging at her abdomen. Please, God, do not let it be Hilde.

Lady Dorothy looked up then, her pale violet-blue eyes glistening with unshed tears, her pale face almost completely colorless. Her red lips quivered as she spoke, matching the wracking of her shoulders as she fought to control a sob from tearing from her throat.

"It is Lady Hilde," she finally replied. "And Father Maxwell as well. The Church has found out about their relations... They contacted Lord Yuy, I am sure you know he has gone... Oh, Lady Relena, they are both going to be executed today, here, in the front courtyard!" The sob escaped her lips then and she covered her face in shame at her tears, her long, pale blonde hair falling over her shoulders, creating a protective curtain over her face.

Lady Relena continued to shake her head slowly, unbelieving of what her friend had just told her. "No," she whispered. "No... Heero would never do a thing like that, he knows that Lady Hilde is free to do as she wishes... She was only to stay here until Takashi was born, she is free now!" Her own arms began to shake and Takashi wriggled, another small cry eliciting from his open mouth. She quickly began to rock him, fighting to stop her own trembling. "We must go warn Hilde before they reach the church."

Lady Dorothy shook her head, wiping delicately at her eyes with one hand, careful not to mar her makeup. The tears were beginning to dry on her cheeks. "No, Lady Relena," she replied, her voice louder, stronger this time. "A group of men from the Spanish fleet have already been sent to fetch Lady Hilde here and the bishop of the Osaka church has already taken Father Maxwell to prison at the port. Lord Yuy has gone to consent with some of the other daimyos and then he will meet Lady Hilde's party here. The others will bring Father Maxwell here shortly for the execution. I am sorry, my lady, but there is nothing we can do."

Lady Relena felt a tear trickle down her cheek, thick with mascara, and she shook her head once again, biting down hard on her lower lip to keep from quavering. Takashi's hazel eyes opened, staring up at his mother with infantile worry. "There /must/ be something..." she said. "We must stop this, Lady Dorothy!"

Lady Dorothy stood up then, tilting her head to the side in a gesture of almost pity as she gazed down at the other woman, and shook her own head once more in disagreement. "There is nothing we can do but pray that Lord Yuy will change his mind," she replied. "I will do everything in my power to help that happen, but we must go now and ready ourselves." She offered a hand, her eyes filled with sadness, her glistening red lips tremoring on the verge of fresh tears. "Come, Lady Relena."

Lady Relena bent her head, the tears flowing freely now, and took her friend's hand, allowing her to pull her to her feet and lead her towards the shoji screen leading outside, to the execution plot.

Michiko hurried to her mistress to take the baby, watching with tear-filled eyes as the blonde women exited the chamber, Lady Relena's grief-stricked cries echoing down the hallway. I will pray for you, my Lady Hilde, the younger girl thought silently, closing her eyes in reverence.

In her arms, the baby began to cry.

~*~

Lady Hilde Schbeiker knelt on the cold stone floor of her temporary holding "cell" in the garden supply shed of Lord Yuy's estate, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, hands running up and down her bare arms to give her some warmth. Despite the warm sunshine outside, the shed seemed to have retained all of winter's cold in its dark depths and now she had been forced to stay here, dressed in barely anything, to await her master's arrival.

A tear slid slowly down Hilde's cheek as she remembered everything that had happened before she was brought here: Dario and his men had ridden in a carriage to the estate but forced her to walk before them, her hands bound tightly with rope and lashed to the horse's bridle, her socked feet punctured with rocks and sharp pine needles on the path every other step. Finally they had reached the estate and Dario had untied her and thrown her carelessly to the group of girl servants awaiting her at the house. The worst had been yet to come.

The girls were not the same ones Hilde had been used to, but rather strange village girls who had most likely taken the job for a small wage. They led her inside the house and into a cramped closet with a single cracked mirror placed haphazardly on the back of the door. She was stripped then, the girls' rough, calloused hands ungraceful as they tore the delicate black georgette from her body, leaving her naked and shivering in the cool darkness of the closet.

Next, just as ungracefully, the girls ripped the pins from her long hair, letting it flow loose down her back. Hilde had been grateful for the fleeting protection of her hair over her nakedness, but then one girl, with a pair of scissors glimmering in her hand, had cruelly taken away that protection, swiftly shearing Hilde's long, silky hair to only a few inches below her shoulders, baring her breasts and the rest of her body to the other girls' jealous, almost lustful gazes.

The rest of the preparation was a blur to Hilde as the girls had then clothed her in scraps of rough gray fabric: A simple piece that barely covered her breasts and an unbearably short loincloth that stopped where her thighs began, meant to bare her very soul should she tip over just slightly. Her navel was pierced with a simple silver ring and a high, heavily gilded silver collar was clamped around her neck, marks of Lord Yuy's possession.

She was then rubbed in a shiny, glittering oil, meant to make her exposed skin even more noticable, drawing attention to her midriff, the top curves of her breasts, and her legs especially. This, coupled with her shorter hair, left her with completely no humility, her entire being about to be exposed to the public. The girls had then done her makeup, dramatizing her blue eyes in black liner and shadow, and shining her red lips with shimmering black rouge. She would be an exhibit, her execution a show.

Hilde hugged herself tighter, pulling her long legs further under the tiny skirt of her loincloth. Her eyelashes were thick with mascara, hardening from the wetness of her tears, and her hair clung in damp strands to her face and shoulders. The girls would be coming back soon to fetch her out to the courtyard, where she would first meet her death at Lord Yuy's hands as her lover helplessly watched. She closed her eyes, whispering a prayer of strength as the door to the shed was suddenly yanked open and a strong female hand pulled her roughly to her feet.

She only hoped Duo would be able to escape before they took him as well.

~*~

Duo Maxwell shut his eyes tighter and steeled his body for the next painful blow, every muscle tensing in preparation of the whip's cruel lash across his back and shoulders. He heard the sharp sound the whip made as it cut through the air before the strap struck his skin, slicing cleanly through his hard, tanned flesh, drawing blood, and he clenched his teeth, stifling his grunt of pain behind his set jaw. He was almost glad then that he had forced himself to endure the ordeal of self-flaggelation before this; he was able to take it now and bore the punishment well.

Bishop Felix Andrade watched the trial before him with growing impatience, his arms crossed over the front of his bright red bishop's robe in clear illustration of his disapproval. The layman who had been administering the punishment brought his whip back up and glanced over at the bishop with a shrug, a look of confusion written across his face.

"Padre Maxwell... /Senor/ Maxwell... I think this would be much easier if you simply admit that you have wronged the Church and wronged yourself in this matter of the... /courtesan/." Bishop Andrade flinched inwardly at the use of such a gentle term when speaking of the slut who had led one of his own Jesuit priests on the path of damnation. "Por favor, Senor Maxwell, it can be very simple, yes."

Duo opened his eyes and bit down on his lower lip to keep from screaming in pain at the bloody welts on his back as he moved his shoulders back and lifted his head to face the bishop evenly. His handsome face was contorted in anger, glowing with sweat, his eyes radiating pure hatred as he finally spoke.

"No," he said, his voice low, deep, choked with emotion. "I will not admit to something I do not believe I have done. I have already explained to you that I have never felt the true calling of a priest, I have never felt I am meant to be one of God's messengers. I have finally found what I want, what I was meant to be, and I am leaving the priesthood. I have not wronged the Church because I am not a part of it anymore, and I have not wronged myself because I am living my life the way it was meant to be lived now."

The layman with the whip raised the long weapon, readying to strike the bound man once again, but Bishop Andrade held up his hand in silent command to wait and shook his head. The layman lowered the whip, nodding in assent, and stepped back as the bishop approached Duo and bent down to face him.

"How can you say this, Senor Maxwell?" he asked, his tone saddened, reflecting in his furrowed brows. "What would your Padre Maxwell say about this? How do you think he would feel, knowing that one of his sons has decided to turn his back on the Church in order to sleep with a lovely whore?" Bishop Andrade waited for the younger man to answer, his pleading gaze fixed on the other man's violet one.

Duo lowered his eyes, gritting his teeth. It was true that the elder Father Maxwell had been good to him. He had been the one who had helped Duo find some kind of path in life, the path that had eventually led to Hilde. It was true also that Father Maxwell had been an extremely devout priest, giving his entire being over to the Church, and that he would probably have something to say about Duo's decision now had he still been alive. But then...

Slowly, Duo raised his eyes back to the waiting bishop, a mischeivious smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I know exactly how he would feel, Bishop," he replied, his eyes darkening with derisive joy. "He would be damn proud. Because I finally found my place in life."

Bishop Andrade stood staring at the younger man for a long moment, silent as his mind processed the other man's words. Defeated, the bishop nodded, his mouth tightening into a firm, straight line as he stood up, giving the signal to the other laymen to untie Duo.

"Very well then, Senor Maxwell," he finally replied. "I shall pray for your soul after your death.

"Take him to the Yuy estate now."

~*~

Hilde kept her eyes lowered demurely as the servant girls pushed her forcefully up onto the small platform in the center of the front courtyard, her hands bound in front of her with rope. She straightened her shoulders as they walked her across the platform to the stake positioned in the center of the wooden dais; she promised herself she would not die without dignity. They couldn't take that away- She would always be a warrior deep in her heart.

Hilde allowed the girls to position her with her back to the X-shaped stake, facing the crowd that had assembled in front of the platform. It seemed the entire village had turned out for her execution, she thought with an almost bitter smile. She could even glimpse the young male courtesan, Quatre, hovering at the edge of the throng with an older man, most likely his master. He gazed up at Hilde sadly, his large blue-green eyes glimmering with tears.

The girls then untied her hands and roughly lifted her arms above her head, binding her wrists to each wooden pole with silver chains. Two other girls worked below her, forcing her legs apart and binding her ankles to their respective poles as well. She stood spread-eagled now in front of the people, their voices a low hum in the background of her mind, their gazes penetrating into her skin. After a long moment she finally raised her eyes.

Lady Relena sat on a small cushioned dais off to the left of the main platform, kneeling delicately with the long skirt of her kimono spread across the white cushions. Two girl attendants stood at her sides, holding matching silk-screened parasols over her pale, flawless form. The lady herself was hidden behind her own pale blue paper fan, only the sparkling brilliance of her aquamarine eyes and visible over the top of the fan. A light breeze blew through the still, humid air, tugging a long golden strand loose from her carefully braided twist and she reached up with a small pale hand to tuck it back behind her sapphire-jeweled ear. The aquamarine eyes shimmered with unshed tears as they rested upon Hilde and she hid her face further behind her fan, her shoulders shaking slightly with quiet sobs.

Lady Dorothy Catalonia knelt primly beside Lady Relena, her hands folded in her lap, her face not at all concealed by a fan or veil. Her long, pale blonde hair was fastened in a loose ponytail behind her, trailing down her back to her hips. The wan violet-blue eyes gazed at Hilde emptily, her red mouth drawn downwards in a pitying pout. She made the sign of the cross over her chest then and bowed her head in deference as a male shout across the courtyard captured the crowd's attention and the conversation silenced. Hilde turned her head in the direction of the shout.

Lord Heero Yuy walked briskly across the yard, his gaze fixed intensely on the platform as he approached, his face devoid of emotion. He wore an immaculate white robe, the top folds opened slightly to reveal the tanned, muscled flesh of his chest underneath and his hands were encased in white fingerless gloves, his beautiful sword drawn. His wild dark hair ruffled in the breeze, falling further into his dark Prussian eyes. He walked up the small steps to the platform, stopping inches from Hilde. She lowered her eyes quickly, feeling her breath catch in her throat at his nearness and the tip of his blade, circling in the air before her.

Lord Yuy's procession was quickly followed by the laymen, dragging a silent, angry Duo on a rope leash behind them. He was pulled forward roughly then and ordered harshly to stand at the foot of the platform and face upwards. Duo obeyed silently, his gaze coming to rest slowly on his beautiful lover, cruelly, garishly made up like some sort of sexual doll, a silver collar around her neck, her body spread and chained to the stake as if in sacrificial offering to the dark, handsome lord hovering before her. He finally found his voice.

"Hilde!"

Hilde's eyes snapped up at her lover's call and she saw him below her, his hands bound tightly in front of him with rope, his shirt ripped and stained with dark blood, his braid loose, the dirty strands whipping into his face, his eyes. His strong body trembled on the verge of tears, the amethyst eyes clouded with sadness and anger at his own helplessness. Hilde shook her head slowly, silently trying her best to reassure him. She would find a way to get out of this, she thought. To get them /both/ out of this.

Lord Yuy's gaze followed Hilde's, coming to rest on the wretched braided man standing below them, his face contorted in anguish. Lord Yuy turned slowly back to his courtesan, studying the sadness and pain in her own beautiful face, his anger growing. He should have known a girl like her could not be trusted, he thought bitterly. So beautiful, so free, coming from the wild and never having learned obedience. She would deserve this.

Lord Yuy closed the space between himself and the lovely girl then, lowering his sword. He reached out to stroke her cheek with the back of his gloved hand, moving his body against hers, making sure she felt the hardness growing in his loins.

Hilde felt her sex melt at his touch, her scanty loincloth dampening with her wetness, and she closed her eyes, willing her body not to react to her master's seduction. Not in front of Duo, she told herself. Please, not in front of Duo. She gasped then in surprise as the hand that had been gently stroking her cheek moved down, following the familiar line of her body down to her breast. Her sex ached.

Lord Yuy allowed a small smirk to play at the corner of his mouth at Hilde's unwilling defeat. Her humiliation, her complete submission to him in front of so many people, including her lover, only aroused him more. He squeezed her breast then, his thumb circling the hardened nipple languidly, sensually. His hand continued the descent down her body, playing with the ring dangling from her navel for a bit before slipping up under her loincloth. He insinuated one finger inside her soft wetness, feeling her begin to drip onto his hand. Her head fell back then, a groan of absolute ecstasy issuing from her beautiful lips.

Duo watched the scene before him, his body crawling with angry fire, his muscles tightening with readiness to break free from the grips of the men holding him back. Death smoldered in his eyes as Lord Yuy bent his head to suckle his Hilde's bared neck, his finger continuing to work inside her sprawled body, her moans soft and sensual, her breasts heaving with each labored breath.

Lord Yuy tongued his courtesan's neck lovingly before moving his mouth up to her ear to whisper softly, "Omae o korosu, Hilde-chan." He drew his sword back up then, tracing a line up Hilde's leg, her thigh, and touching the tip of the blade to her sex. She drew in her breath sharply, her eyes fluttering open, the sensual haze in her mind quickly clearing.

"You broke our vow, Hilde-chan," Lord Yuy continued in a whisper. "Do you not remember?" His mouth moved back down then and his tongue flicked out to lick the tiny scar on Hilde's neck where he had punctured her so long ago: Their blood vow. "Until death would you part from me. But you have broken it and now I must kill you."

The blade moved away from her sex then, taking with it Lord Yuy's finger, and travelled up to her stomach, the sharp tip hovering over her abdomen, making invisible patterns over the skin. Hilde closed her eyes, tears catching in her eyeslashes, and shook her head slowly.

"Gomen nasai, my master," she whispered. "I never meant to hurt you. You can dismiss me, or punish me, but please-"

Hilde cried out then, her words interrupted by the sudden pushing of the blade against her skin: A warning. Long fingers covered her mouth, splayed over her lips. Prussian blue eyes met hers.

"You will committ seppuku for me now, Hilde-chan," Lord Yuy said, his voice remaining low, emotionless. "It is normally the samurai code of honor, to die for dishonoring oneself or one's family or group. But you have dishonored me just the same, koishii. It will be a fitting death for you." He turned the blade then, pushing the sharp, flat edge into her abdomen. His gaze was soft, loving. The splayed fingers moved to caress her cheek once again.

"Hilde!" Duo.

"Aishiteru, Hilde-chan," Lord Yuy whispered huskily. His hand moved to slice the blade across her abdomen. Hilde closed her eyes, sighing Duo's name in silent good-bye. Lady Relena hid her face behind her fan once more. Lady Dorothy's lips curved in a pleased smile.

"Stop!"

The blade was swiftly removed. The release of pressure against her skin caused Hilde to open her eyes, just in time to see the joyful smile fade from Lady Dorothy's icily beautiful face. Lady Relena's eyes appeared above her fan once again. Duo and Lord Yuy turned at the same time to face the direction the voice had come from, the men holding Duo's arms pulling him forcefully back into place.

Across the courtyard, a carriage stopped. A tall, impressively handsome man in a blue French military uniform jumped from inside it, followed quickly by a younger man wearing the red Spanish uniform, half of his beautiful face concealed by a curtain of straight, shiny chestnut hair. The two soldiers crossed the space between the carriage and the platform swiftly, the taller one drawing a long, curved sword from the holster strapped across his chest while the other moved up onto the platform and approached Hilde's stake.

More soldiers in red uniforms suddenly issued from another carriage behind the one which had held the first two soldiers and they ran quickly up onto the platform, seizing a surprised Lord Yuy. Two other figures emerged from the first carriage then, a male and a female, both slender and Asian, the male dressed all in white and the female in bright crimson, her hair and makeup flawless. They followed the man in the blue uniform up to the foot of the platform where Duo was held, the Asian male swiftly freeing Duo from the laymen's grasp and seizing one arm himself. The female took Duo's other arm, casting him a small smile of reassurance at his confused expression.

"Do not worry, it will be over now," she whispered in a beautifully accented voice: Chinese. Duo recognized them now. He smiled back and then turned his gaze back up to the platform.

Hilde suddenly felt strong, deft fingers behind her, quickly undoing the chains from her wrists and ankles, freeing her. Once completely unbound, she stepped forward, turning around to face her savior. One deep emerald eye met hers, the other concealed behind the silky curtain of hair. The young man smiled kindly. "Are you alright, senorita?" he asked, his voice soft, sincere.

Hilde continued to stare at the man silently; she knew his smile. He was the dancer, the Spanish dancer the courtesan Quatre was in love with. She smiled back then and nodded. "Hai," she replied, and the man nodded and stepped back down off the platform to take Duo's arm from the Asian girl who had been helping to hold him. Hilde met the girl's eye then and she smiled, her large onyx eyes lighting up in happiness. Did she know her?

Hilde's question to the Asian girl was interrupted then as the soldier in the blue French uniform suddenly spoke. His men brought Lord Yuy down from the platform to face him and the Japanese lord met him evenly, his face as blank and empty as it had been earlier but his eyes smoldering with silent rage.

"This is unnecessary, Lord Yuy," the man said. "We both know that the dilemma here is between you and I." He cast his eyes up to Lady Relena's dais then and bowed his head. "I have come here to retrieve my lady, Relena Peacecraft." He blew a kiss in her direction and the lady colored, embarassed, hiding her face once again.

Commander Treize Khushrenada raised his sword then, challenging Lord Yuy. "Come now, Heero-san, and fight an honorable battle for your wife."

Suddenly, Lady Relena cried out, drawing the stunned crowd's attention away from Treize and Lord Yuy and towards the platform once again. Lady Dorothy had climbed onto the wooden dais, a long sword drawn in one jeweled hand, her face twisted in a look of anger and hatred. She approached Hilde with swift, angry steps and held the blade up against the other girl's neck.

Down below, Duo struggled against his captors. "Hilde!" he shouted, pulling against Chang and the other soldier's grips. "Hilde! Damn it, let me go!"

Beside him, the girl Meiran whispered, "Hilde."

"Wait," Chang said in a low voice to his wife. He motioned with his head to the curved blade strapped to his own side. Meiran nodded in silent agreement and turned back towards the platform.

Hilde stood still, facing her former mistress with blue eyes wide with confusion and shock. The tip of the blonde woman's blade lay poised against her neck, ready to slice through at any moment. A pleased, amused smile curved Lady Dorothy's lips once again.

"You /will/ die today, Hilde." Hilde stood completely still, her arms half-raised in defeat, as Lady Dorothy Catalonia pushed the tip of her blade further into her neck, her pale violet-blue eyes narrowed in a look of pure hatred. Below them, Duo continued to fight against his captors while the Asian girl stood beside him, gazing up at the two women on the platform in fearful apprehension.

"Hilde!" Duo shouted once again, his arms straining against the other men's grips. The beautiful green-eyed soldier pulled him back gently, bending his head to whisper something in his ear. Duo finally quieted, nodding slowly, and relaxed his body. Sad, angry violet eyes met Hilde's on the platform above and she shook her head, silently telling him not to worry. It was then that Lady Dorothy began a slow approach towards her.

"I had hoped it would not come to this," the blonde woman said, her voice low, breathy. Menacing. "You have left me no choice, though, prediletta mia."

Hilde shrank back from the other woman's approach unconsciously, her bare back hitting the wooden stake, stopping her retreat. She met her former mistress's gaze as evenly as she could manage, her blue eyes wide, shimmering with tears of confusion and hurt. She cleared her throat then, finally finding her voice.

"Mistress Dorothy, I do not understand," she began, fighting to keep her voice from quavering as the sword inched further into her skin, almost breaking through and drawing blood. "I have never meant to harm you in any way. Please tell me what I have done, so I may do my best to make it up to you."

Lady Dorothy's lips curved in a bitter smile then and she laughed, a harsh, equally bitter sound. "What you have done? As if you do not know! What you have done cannot be 'made up to me', as you have so eloquently put it." She took a step closer, thrusting her hand with the sword forward in a teasing attack, causing Hilde to cry out. She laughed again. "After everything I have taught you, Hilde... You are still a slut."

Hilde gazed at her former mistress, brows furrowed in sincere confusion. Lady Dorothy stared back at her, awaiting her response. She watched the younger girl's small, perfect breasts rise and fall with each shallow breath with lustful hatred, letting her eyes travel further down to her smooth, flat midriff, covered in a sensual sheen of sweat, making her seem even more appealing than she already was. She couldn't stand it. She took another step forward.

"Yes, you must die today, Hilde," the lady continued in a whisper, her eyes lowered, as if she were speaking to herself. "You must die for taking Lord Yuy away from me. He loved /me/ before you came here. I should have known I was making a dreadful mistake sending you to him." She paused, her lifeless eyes snapping up to face Hilde once again.

"But I had thought I had taught you better than that," she went on, pulling her sword back to ready herself for actual combat. "I had thought you knew better than to fall in love... to let /him/ fall in love. But now he will have nothing to lust after but me, because you will die."

Hilde watched helplessly as Lady Dorothy stepped back, her sword circling around behind her, preparing to snap her arm forward and plunge the long blade deep into her heart. She understood everything now: Lady Dorothy had been the one to reveal Duo to Lord Yuy. She had also been the one to reveal Duo to the Church and the bishop. She was the one who had orchestrated her execution so that she would selfishly have Lord Yuy as her own. She would have Lord Yuy as she had had him before Hilde, before even Lady Relena. She would be his courtesan once again. Hilde couldn't imagine what she planned to do Lady Relena after this.

There is nothing, she thought, closing her eyes. There is nothing but death now...

"Hilde!"

Hilde's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the strangely familiar, lightly accented female voice and she looked down to see the pretty, crimson-clad Asian girl standing on the steps leading up to the platform, an ivory-handled saber poised in one hand. The girl's dark eyes met hers and she understood the silent communication.

Stepping forth suddenly, Hilde whirled around to face the Asian girl, swiftly catching the saber in one hand as the other girl tossed it to her. Caught off guard, Lady Dorothy's attack faltered and she moved back, watching with wide eyes as Hilde turned back towards her, her face an expressionless mask, the azure eyes pools of darkness and knowing, the saber twirling in her hand. A smile pulled at the corner of Lady Dorothy's mouth.

"So you wish to challenge me, prediletta mia?" she asked, arching one wild eyebrow in amusement. She straightened herself and raised her own sword once again, her free arm stretched forth in a graceful beckoning motion. "You have no end to making mistakes."

Hilde straightened her own shoulders proudly and mimicked her former mistress's attack position, equally graceful and well-practiced. The ivory handle of the saber felt cool and comforting in her hand, familiar, as if she had handled weaponry all her life. She met the blonde woman's gaze evenly then, allowing a small smile to play across her own lips.

"You forget that my mistress taught me more than just sexual games," Hilde replied, her voice sharp, almost harsh. Lady Dorothy's eyes widened in surprise at the other girl's tone and she smiled once more.

"Then let us battle!" she cried, pulling her arm holding the sword back and lunging forth in attack. Her blade swung down, almost catching Hilde's arm, but the younger girl moved back in one swift motion, her lithe body darting gracefully behind the blonde woman, leaving her to attack an empty space.

Lady Dorothy whirled around, her face contorted in anger, and stepped back, readying to attack once again. "Very clever, Hilde," she said. "But I should warn you that I will not be so foolish again. You might want to watch that I do not scratch that pretty face." Her lips curled in a sadistic smile then and she lunged forward once again, her blade clashing with Hilde's this time as the other girl brought her saber up in a blocking motion.

Hilde stared up at her former mistress through the crossed swords, her blue eyes narrowed in concentration. Lady Dorothy met her gaze for a long moment before removing her blade and stepping back to thrust forward once more. Hilde recovered herself quickly, pulling her sword back up, and readied her body to attack again as well.

The two women battled across the stage as the crowd watched in awestruck silence, the Spanish soldiers keeping a firm grip on Lord Yuy while the Asian man and the green-eyed soldier kept Duo down. Lady Relena sat in stunned confusion on her dais, her face still concealed behind her fan, her mind whirling over the conversation that had just passed between Lady Dorothy and Lady Hilde. If Lady Dorothy had gone to such great lengths to have Lady Hilde murdered, to what lengths would she go to do the same to her? she thought, a sick feeling beginning to rise in her stomach. And Treize... What would happen if he won against her husband?

Lady Relena's thoughts were suddenly interrupted then as up on the platform, Hilde thrusted her saber forth, slicing past Lady Dorothy's feeble blocking attempt and into the smooth, unprotected skin of the blonde woman's cheek, leaving a long red trail across the pale flesh up to her jeweled ear. Lady Dorothy screamed, a mad, bestial sound, and Hilde stepped backwards, her gaze remaining even, unaffected.

"It seems that I have scratched /your/ pretty face, Mistress Dorothy," she said, her voice an emotionless monotone. She watched as a stunned Lady Dorothy reached one shaking hand up to her cheek, wiping the bright red blood from it, and then brought her hand back down to stare at the glistening fluid in disbelief.

A low growl began at the back of Lady Dorothy's throat then as she slowly raised her eyes back to a disinterested Hilde, and she raised her sword once again, the growl growing into a strangled battle cry as she rushed forth, catching Hilde by surprise and knocking the smaller girl to the wooden floor, a small cry of shock escaping her lips as her saber was knocked across the platform.

Lady Dorothy straddled the beautiful courtesan's hips then, holding her down with her weight, while she held the girl's wrists above her head with her free hand, rendering her completely defenseless. She watched with mad delight as Hilde struggled beneath her, small moans and cries eliciting from her throat, her glistening breasts heaving beneath the small scrap of fabric that concealed them. Her loincloth was pushed cruelly up to her hips, exposing her entire naked legs to the eager crowd, and her cheeks colored in enraged embarassment.

Smiling benevolently, Lady Dorothy brought her blade back up to Hilde's neck, pushing the sharp, flat edge into the soft hollow of pale flesh, taunting against the delicate pulse that throbbed there. Hilde stared up at her, unable to speak against the sword's choking pressure against her neck, her blue eyes wide and shimmering with tears of defeat. Lady Dorothy shook her head in mock pity.

"What a shame," she said. "To die so young, and so beautiful." Her lips curled in a derisive sneer then and she readied her wrist to twist the blade into Hilde's throat and end her life. She bent her head down to face the younger girl as if in one last kiss and whispered, "At least you will die beautiful, as I have taught you." Hilde's eyes fluttered closed in submission; Lady Dorothy turned her wrist.

"Hilde!"

Duo broke free from his captor's grasps, knocking both the Asian man and the soldier back in bewildered shock, and ran up onto the platform, reaching the blonde woman just as the blade was poised to enter Hilde's unprotected flesh. Meiran ran to her husband, placing an assuring hand on his shoulder, and shook her head. The green-eyed soldier unsheathed his own sword from the holster strapped to his side and rushed onto the dais behind Duo.

Lady Dorothy cried out in surprised anguish as strong male hands suddenly ripped her from the smaller girl, her sword flying from her hand and clattering onto the wooden floor. She stood up quickly and whirled around to face her attacker. Duo met her gaze with dark violet eyes, his hand clenching into a fist at his side, ready to strike.

Hilde lay back on the floor as if paralyzed, stunned at the sudden turn of events. Only when soft, comforting hands pulled her gently to her feet did she return to the present, allowing her saviors to lead her carefully to the edge of the platform.

"It is over now," a gentle female voice whispered, and Hilde turned to meet the soft smile of her eternal friend, Meiran. Beside her, a delicately beautiful blonde male stroked her hair comfortingly, his smile of agreement at Meiran's declaration reflected in his large blue-green eyes: Quatre. She returned their smiles half-heartedly and turned back to the scene unfolding on the platform before her, her lover hovering before a wildly smiling Lady Dorothy, readying himself to attack her.

"So you are the noble hero," the blonde woman finally spoke, reaching up absently to wipe away the blood still flowing from her wound. "It is a shame that you are here defending a worthless bitch, a slut who has given her body to practically every man in this entire village." She laughed delightedly then, an almost flirtatious giggle.

"And I suppose she has you believe she is an innocent virgin, yes? A helpless little waif, /desperately/ in need of the Church's help," she continued, her smile turning poisonous. "And I am sure you were /more/ than happy to give, am I right?" She stepped forward then, reaching out to push a strand of long chestnut hair back behind Duo's ear, and licked her lips seductively, thrusting her body towards him. "/More/ than happy..." she repeated in a whisper, her hand snaking up his thigh to fondle his crotch roughly.

"You bitch!" Duo cried, throwing her off him, his handsome face contorted in disgust. "Stay the hell away from me, and stay the hell away from Hilde!"

Lady Dorothy screamed angrily as the braided man pushed her disgustedly away, falling back onto the floor on her knees. Her sword lay inches from her hand...

With a pleased smile, she reached over in one swift motion and grabbed the sword, pushing herself back to her feet in the same movement. A choked scream escaped her throat then as she raised the blade and rushed towards Duo, the tip aimed directly at his abdomen.

Suddenly, Lady Dorothy stopped in her advance, her red mouth frozen open in a silent scream of pain, blood beginning to trickle down the sides. Duo stared at her in shocked horror, his eyes wide, as the green-eyed soldier stepped slowly out from behind her, holding a blood-stained blade in one hand. He nodded to Duo, who quickly turned and ran to the edge of the platform, sweeping a stunned, grief-stricked Hilde into his arms. Lady Dorothy collapsed onto the platform then, her death swift. Lady Relena closed her eyes, warm tears flowing slowly down her carefully made up cheeks. Lord Yuy watched in silent horror; Treize stood stunned. The crowd was completely motionless.

Feeling her lover's strong, warm embrace circle her cold, scantily clad body, Hilde allowed her knees to give way, sobs tearing through her throat as she stared at her former mistress, lying dead in a pool of dark blood, shimmering garishly in the bright, warm sunshine.

"It was not supposed to be like this," she cried, burying her face in Duo's hard, well-muscled chest. "Not like this, not like this..." Her tears soaked through his torn shirt, burning his skin. He closed his eyes.

"I love you, Hilde," he whispered into her silky black hair, kissing her gently. "I love you... It's over." He lifted her face to his then and kissed her softly, then passionately, covering her beautiful face and neck with kisses. She kissed back, allowing him to cradle her in his arms as if she were an infant. Meiran stepped back down off the platform to join her husband, while Quatre joined his handsome lover at the other end of the dais. The crowd slowly began to murmur once again.

Treize watched the two young lovers on the platform kiss and caress each other lovingly for a long moment before he finally regained his composure, turning back towards a stunned Lord Yuy. He drew his sword up once again and motioned for the soldiers to release the Japanese lord. Lady Relena sat up straighter on her dais at their movements, straining forward behind her fan to see them through the throng better. Please, God, no more, she prayed silently.

"Heero-san," Treize spoke, tossing his long black cape over his shoulder. "I give you a simple choice: Your wife or your land." He arched an eyebrow, as if challenging the other man, and stepped back, readying his body to attack. Lady Relena closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

Lord Yuy gazed at the French soldier emptily, his gloved hand snaking unconsciously down to his own sword, sheathed at his waist. "There is no choice," he replied simply, and suddenly, his blade was unsheathed and he rushed towards Treize.

The other man caught Lord Yuy's attack expertly and they began their battle, the crowd of villagers moving quickly out of their way as their swords clashed, over and over again, making a heated trail across the courtyard. Finally, the last blow was struck, followed by a choked cry of surprise and then a heavy thud as the defeated man dropped to the ground. Lady Relena's fan fluttered from her hand. She bent her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of honeyed hair that had blown loose in the wind, allowing the tears to fall freely now. Hilde lay against Duo's chest, watching as the man on the ground's breath slowly left his body for eternity. She closed her eyes.

Lord Yuy threw down his sword angrily, lowering his eyes away from the bleeding French commander: His wife's first true love. The crowd remained silent as he turned away from the dead man and began a slow approach towards Lady Relena's dais, his Prussian eyes fixed on her beautiful, tear-stained face. He walked up the steps, facing her evenly. A strong breeze began to blow, blowing her long golden hair into her face once again. One delicate hand smoothed it back; the soft, petulant pink lips were parted, awaiting her husband's words. The sunlight danced around her, lightening her delicate complexion, kissing the pale blonde highlights in her long silky hair. She was beautiful. His Relena. His love. He finally spoke.

"Forgive me, Relena."

With a low groan, Lord Heero Yuy fell to his knees on the white cushions surrounding his lovely wife, his head catching in her lap as Lady Relena suddenly moved forward to cradle her husband, tears streaming from her aquamarine eyes, glistening in her long eyelashes. She held him to her chest, her jeweled fingers tangling in his wild hair, stroking him comfortingly. She had let Treize go a long time ago.

"Heero, my Heero," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Aishiteru..."

Chang Wufei stepped forward then, bowing his head in reverence to the beautiful lady. "I give up my ownership of this land," he spoke, his voice deep, low. "It should belong to its rightful owner." He looked up then, casting his gaze towards his wife, Meiran, who nodded slowly. Lady Relena stared down at the handsome Chinese man, awaiting his next words.

"I only ask that your Lady Hilde Schbeiker and her partner, Duo Maxwell, be dismissed from your authority," Chang finished. Meiran smiled gently, resting a hand lovingly on her husband's arm. On the platform, Duo and Hilde waited, holding one another tightly.

Lady Relena looked over towards the other dais, meeting her friend's gaze over the throng of village people, and smiled softly through her tears. Hilde nodded, understanding her mistress's silent words. The lady turned back to Chang then and nodded herself, holding her husband closer against her breasts, his breathing beginning to slow. Lord Yuy reached up one white-gloved hand, clasping hers tightly. He agreed. She smiled down at him.

"Hai," Lady Relena finally replied, emphasizing her nod. "They are free to leave. And thank you... for returning the land."

Chang nodded in return of the lady's gratitude and turned back towards the platform. He met Duo's amethyst eyes, a friendly smile beginning to spread across the other man's face. He nodded once again and finally spoke, taking Meiran's arm.

"Come, we will leave from the port now."

Epilogue

~~~~~~

The port at Shanghai was as busy as Hilde remembered it, bustling with people and merchants in colorful stalls, selling beautiful fabrics and delicious, exotic foods. She walked leisurely through the bustle with her friend, Meiran, her arm linked through the other girl's, a feeling of happiness that she had now known for years now coming over her as they made their way towards the boat docks.

"So what will you do now that you are free?" Meiran asked, pushing a loose strand of short black hair behind her ear. "And married?" She cast a teasing look at her friend then and giggled at the German girl's playful shove.

"It is so hard to believe, isn't it?" Hilde replied, raising a hand up to shield her eyes from the bright sun as the boats began to come into view in the distance. "I am married... We both are." She smiled at Meiran's embarassed blush.

"Yes, we both are," Meiran repeated. "And to think, we had vowed we would never be under the power of /any/ man. Do you remember?"

Hilde nodded, laughing at the memory of her childish foolishness. She had learned so much since then, and even though she often hated to admit it, Lady Dorothy Catalonia had had much to do with her knowledge now. She felt a wave sadness at her former friend and mistress begin to tug at her abdomen and she quickly pushed it away as she saw Chang and Duo standing beside a great ship, talking quietly to each other. She smiled then, remembering how the two men had fought on the boat trip back to China, Chang complaining about Duo's energetic personality and Duo complaining about Chang's boring one. Now they seemed to be getting along well; at least the fights had been kept to a minimum, Hilde thought with a giggle.

"So," Meiran continued, bumping her hip against Hilde's. "You still have not told me what you and Duo plan to do now."

"That's right," Hilde replied, a smile beginning to play across her lips. "I have not told you..." She turned to her friend then, her smile widening into a mischeivious grin, and placed a hand on her abdomen. Her blue eyes sparkled with secret happiness, and suddenly Meiran knew what she meant to say.

"Oh, Hilde!" she cried, squeezing her friend's arm excitedly. "When will you tell him?"

Hilde paused for a long moment, casting her eyes to the sky, pretending to think. Only when Meiran shoved against her once again did she look back down with a girlish laugh. "Soon," she replied. "Perhaps when we get to London. I cannot wait to see London!"

The two girls finally reached their husbands and parted ways to greet their respective men. Duo kissed his lovely wife gently, gazing at her with eyes filled with love when they finally parted. She had kept her hair shorter now, the ends brushing the tops of her breasts, and had traded her kimonos for a pair of brown leather trousers that hugged the curves of her slender body and a loose white shirt that tied just above her breasts. Her face was made up beautifully still, her incredible cerulean eyes shaded in natural tones of brown and gold, lined with deep black kohl, and her pale complexion was made slightly rosier with a light blush. Duo touched a finger to her full, shiny red lips lovingly and smiled down at her.

"Are you ready to go home now, koi?" he asked, watching her face light up delightedly.

Home. She would finally have a place to call home.

Resting her hand on her abdomen once again, feeling the life beginning to grow inside her there, Hilde cast a secretive smile at her husband and nodded.

"Hai."

~Owari~

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