Last Night at the Park

a Gundam Wing fanfiction by Chibicharm

The scent of cigarette smoke filled her senses as she tried to look 
through slitted eyes at her annoying parents in front of her. She was 
sick of them. She was sick of the nagging. She was sick of the daily 
dinner rants. She was sick of these talks about college courses and 
what was good for her and all. Infuriated, she got up from her seat 
and walked away from them, stomped up to her room and locked the door. 
To hell with them! She tried to find some of her college application 
forms and ripped them into shredded pieces, no longer caring what her 
parents wanted her to take. They wanted her to take up medicine but 
all she ever wanted was to be a soldier! To fight for the colonies! To 
fight for peace! To end this damned war! Holding her tears back, she 
grabbed a pen and filled her college application form for military 
school. 

Several minutes later, the phone rang. Hilde answered the phone, quite 
dreading the fact that it might be another prank caller trying to 
annoy her in the wee hours of the night. 

“Yeah?” 

“Hilde-chan? It’s me. Cathrine.” 

Hilde almost dropped the receiver. It wasn’t a prank caller, alright. 
Hilde tapped her cheek for a second there. ‘Am I dreaming?’ It wasn’t 
everyday that her school crush called her and this was definitely 
shocking to her, at least. “Hey, wh-what’s up? You need anything for 
school tomorrow or something?” 

There was a moment of silence then the person named Cathrine spoke up. 
“Actually, I need you now. Is it possible for you to come outside?” 

Hilde practically fell off her bed. ‘Oh my God, she’s asking ME to go 
out to meet HER?! Heaven does exist!’ “Of course! Uh, where do you 
want me to meet you?” 

“Well, we could meet at the park if you want ‘cause it’s nearer your 
house.” 

“Sure! You need me to bring you something?” 

“No.” Came the sweet voice. 

“Then, why do you want me to meet you?” Silence from the other end. 
“Forget what I said, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” 

“Thank you, Hilde-chan.” 

“No problem.” Hilde smiled. 'God, I just love that voice'! 

Hilde scrambled about, pacing here and there in her room, looking for 
something to bring with her as she met up with Cathrine. She brought 
herself a jacket and an extra one. She snickered at herself. Not this 
game of earning cutie points again! Hilde sighed. Not like Cathrine 
would learn about her secret admiration for her. She just couldn’t 
help herself from falling in-love for the acrobat. A girl who’s a few 
years older than her... ‘And not to mention that she’s beautiful, 
talented, kind, nice, sexy…’ 

The heavy banged girl shook her head and blushed. Hilde was kinda 
frustrated at the girl. She’s perfect and all. ‘Yeah, and someday, 
she’s going to meet some guy and marry him… yadda, yadda, yadda…’ 

Hilde looked outside, below her room’s window. ‘Now how am I going to 
sneak out of here? I’m already fifteen years old and I’m going to get 
out of here by… climbing down a tree from my room? Forget it!’ She 
paused. ‘Ah well, it’s for _Catherine_, Hilde! Don’t be such a bona!’ 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


It was exactly after nine minutes and forty-five seconds when Hilde 
arrived at the park. She did a quick look at herself in her 
ever-present mirror and arranged her hair. It absolutely did *not* 
exactly look like that when she wakes up in the morning. After a few 
breaths, she caught a glimpse of a brunette from the corner. 

‘She’s here!!! Calm yourself, Hilde… just… just calm down.’ Hilde 
waved at Catherine. 

The curly-haired brunette waved back with a smile that almost melted 
Hilde’s knees into puddles of goo but controlled herself nonetheless. 

“Hi.” 

“Hey.” Hilde blushed. 

“It kind of surprised me that you agreed to accompany me tonight. 
Aren’t you supposed to be tucked in bed early, Ms. Schbeiker? You are 
supposed to be getting ready for an college entrance exam tomorrow.” 

“Oh yeah, that.” Hilde coughed. “I’m not going to _that_ college if 
you’re thinking I’m going to Cutter University. 

“Really. From what I know, most of the population would be taking an 
exam for that university.” 

“Well, count me out. I never wanted to take up medicine, anyway.” 

Sensing the tension in Hilde’s voice, Cathrine tried to change the 
subject. She thought of something that would lighten up the mood. 

“Do you know anything about daggers?” Cathrine asked with a smile that 
nearly sent Hilde off the edge. 

“Daggers? Yeah. I keep three daggers at home. Y’know, for protection. 
You’ll never know when one would go after my blood.” 'Yeah, and it 
kinda reminds me of your knives when you perform at the circus.' Hilde 
added mentally. 

Cathrine giggled at her friend. “Silly. No one would want you hurt! 
You’re such a good person.” 

Hilde blushed. “Yeah but I do want to protect the ones closest to me. 
Like you, right?” 'Sheesh, lame line! Courtesy of Hilde Schbeiker...' 

“Well, whatever you say. Hmm, I’m asking because I collect daggers, 
you see and—“ 

“You _collect_ them?! Cool!” 

Cathrine smiled. Hilde is just full of life and she’s really fun to be 
around. It’s not really surprising that Cathrine admired the other 
girl. ‘She’s really cute, actually. I just wish…, nevermind…' 

“Yes, I do.” 

“I used to think you only used those knives for your unibanged 
target.” Hilde chuckled. 

Cathrine laughed with Hilde. “You really enjoy humoring me, don’t you? 
Well, I also have my own collection. I got into it and started 
collecting some for my own… when I’m lucky.” 

“Lucky? Huh? What do you mean?” 

“Yes. Usually when it’s the circus’ season. Sometimes when we go off 
on tours and the crowd loves us. Some instances when much money comes 
in.” 

“Is that why you always move from place to place?” 

“Yes.” 

Hilde frowned. That was the reason why her friend was left behind by 
two years in school. She always moved from place to place and barely 
had time to finish high school. She often wondered how the acrobat 
even managed performing and studying at the same time. 

“I often wondered how great it is to travel and to be known,” Hilde 
said, walking towards a tree and sat under it, with Cathrine following 
suit. “To see the world and the colonies and to appreciate the beauty 
of both sides.” 

“Yes. And in my case, to bring smiles to people's faces even for only 
a moment in their lives through my performance despite the war that is 
occurring right now.” Cathrine added, looking at her hands. Cathrine 
closed her eyes, recalling the pain of having to lose her family 
because of this... war... She shivered. 

Hilde stiffened and rummaged for the extra jacket she brought with 
her. Without a second thought, she covered Cathrine's shoulders with 
her jacket. 

"Merci[3], Hilde. You always carry an extra jacket with you?" 

Hilde blushed. 'Uh-oh... busted!' 

Cathrine giggled, putting on the jacket. "You really keep on 
surprising me, Hilde Schbeiker. What more is going on in that brain of 
yours? I'm so curious!" 

Hilde blushed harder and turned her head away from the curly-haired 
girl. 'No, you _really_ don't wanna know, Cathrine Bloom!' 

Cathrine sighed. She can sense something in the air. Actually, she had 
_always_ sensed this kind of tension in the air whenever she's with 
the other girl and she couldn't understand what it was and why. 
Perhaps it was because she knew in her heart that she felt something 
for Hilde. So strong and she couldn't supress it. And now, the 
feelings she had locked inside a cave in her heart must somehow be 
voiced out... before she leaves the said person behind. 

Hilde on the other hand was struggling with something to block out the 
tension. Instead, she cleared her throat and brought up the almost 
forgotten topic. “Well, um,... anyway... Is that why you called for 
me? You want me to accompany you buy a new dagger?” Hilde said as she 
turned to face Cathrine again. 

Cathrine just stared at her for a few seconds, before tearing her eyes 
away and got something from her pocket. She handed a little 
leather-cased gadget to Hilde. Hilde accepted the gift with a curious 
frown settling between her eyebrows. 

"It was given to me by Madame CM, our Circus fortune teller, for my 
birthday five years ago." 

It was a little, shiny dagger. The handle part had little carved stars 
on it. But that wasn't the decor which captured Hilde's attention. It 
was the engraved name on the blade. 

Princess Cathrine of the Circus 

Hilde's eyes widened in shock as the realization had hit her. Cathrine 
is entrusting this dagger to her?! Impossible! 

"Cathrine... I... I... wha--?" 

If Hilde's eyes could widen even more, it would have already. It was a 
good thing she had been able to slip the dagger into its leather case 
right away just before Cathrine held her in a tight embrace. 

"Goodbye, Hilde-chan. The whole circus is moving and I have no choice 
but to move again and leave this place once more." 

"What?! I don't believe this. You're kidding, right?" There was a 
tremor in Hilde's voice. Too much is happening in one night! She 
couldn't handle this all at once! Somebody please tell her this is NOT 
true. 

Cathrine on the other hand, is struggling with her own emotions for 
the other girl. Another look into Hilde's innocent eyes and she might 
not be able to control herself much longer. A large part of her was 
urging on to at least tell Hilde her feelings and how happy she was to 
be able to meet her... but that was not all. It was telling her to at 
least tell Hilde what big part of her life she was in it and she won't 
forget her for that. This is a struggle she was fast losing into. 

She looked at Hilde and smiled, tears forming in her eyes but refusing 
to fall. "I'm sorry, Hilde. Thank you for making my stay here on L2 
special. It has been hard for me to make friends but you were the only 
one who've became mine whom I will never ever forget. I hope you won't 
forget me as well. I need to go now." Cathrine smiled and stood, 
letting the tears drop to the ground as she bowed farewell to Hilde. 
She was startled as she felt her arm fiercely tugged and met Hilde's 
anger filled eyes... and... was that pain in those dark blue depths? 

"Sorry? YOU'RE SORRY?! Is that all you have to say? HAH! Here we are, 
probably sharing our last night together in this park, and you just 
have to LEAVE me a precious dagger and a few words of farewell... and 
YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE _ME_... without knowing how much I care for you! 
How much it would HURT me to see you go. How much I love you and how 
true it is that it would KILL me if you left!" 

Cathrine's jaw dropped at Hilde's sudden outburst. 

"........." 

And if Cathrine had the time to kid around, she'd think she and her 
brother Trowa had SO much in common. 

Besides, would she have TIME to kid around right now while Hilde's 
lips is pressed against hers? 

Then again, maybe not because she's too busy kissing Hilde back. 

After Hilde broke the kiss, both women stared at each other in 
complete shock. 

"Oh God. I did that?" Hilde touched her lips and her eyes widened. 
"Go--gomen nasai, Cathrine-san! I... I..." 

"Hilde," Cathrine advanced, circling her arms around Hilde's 
shoulders. 

"I shouldn't have done that. You might think I'm such a ditz right now 
for doing such a... a..." 

"A stupid thing? Since when was Hilde Schbeiker discouraged of her 
stupid acts? Isn't it when she realizes her mistakes, she goes on and 
try to make her way out of the falsehood? Make her own stand to fight 
against it? To make things straight? To make things better?" 

"Did I make a mistake?" Hilde asked the older girl with pleading eyes. 

"Yes." 

Hilde's face fell. "Oh." 

"You didn't voice it out earlier, silly!" Cathrine embraced her human 
plushie. 

Hilde embraced her back and they held each other like that for some 
time. The dark blue-haired girl wiped Cathrine's tears away with the 
back of her hand and offered her a soft smile. "I'm gonna miss you." 

"Me too." Cathrine said, entwining her own fingers with the ones on 
her cheek. 

Hilde looked into Cathrine's eyes and felt herself drowning into those 
depths. 'If I let myself drown, then I don't wanna get out of it. I 
don't want to lose you. I've been looking for you all my life.' 

"I'm coming with you then." 

"What?" 

"You heard me. I may not know much about cleaning cages or feeding 
animals or walking on a tight rope but I would like to be with you. I 
want to fight for the colonies but I want to be with you all my life." 

Concern lingering in her heart, Cathrine turned away. "If you do that, 
how will your parents feel? Have you ever thought about the people who 
care about you? Don't act like a spoiled child. The people who live... 
who will live without you won't be able to do anything but cry." 

With Hilde's soft hands, she turned Cathrine's head to make her eyes 
meet hers. "I don't have anyone but you." With that, she pulled 
Cathrine into another sweet kiss. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Cathrine Bloom sat in front of a mirror, removing her star earrings. 
Smiling to herself, she recalled the events that happened earlier that 
day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Aw c'mon, Trowa! What do you mean I have to be your substitute?! I 
already covered for your turn on feeding the lions! Oi, one of them 
almost ate my left hand, you unibanged cur!" 

". . . . ." 

"Trowa! I can't be your sister's target for her knife-throwing act! 
I'll be chopped to pieces before the day ends!" 

". . . . ." 

"TROWA!" 

"Oniisan said she'd give you a _surprise_ tonight if you would do the 
honor of being her target for tonight's act." 

". . . . ." 

"It's settled then. Here's your costume." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


"Why are you smiling to yourself? Come to bed already." Hilde 
grumbled, still blushing. 

Joining her lover on the bed, Cathrine aimed Hilde a sexy smile. 
"Excellent performance today, _target_." 

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