This story is dedicated to a person who seems to absolutely be infatuated with Duo, Hilde, and their relationship. Thank you, Kalobuko.

Author’s note: This is a very sensitive subject for me. I have personally seen several friends, classmates, and acquaintances fight this battle, and one of them even lost. Perhaps had I been closer when it had happened, and noticed what was going on…

Anyway, this one’s for you Sara…

Duo’s Worst Nightmare

By Thomas Knapp; AKA "Chemiclord"

Even the artificial beaches of L2 colony were a most pleasant diversion from everyday life, Hilde noted as she set up the beach towel, and laid back, soaking in the rays from the immense lamps that radiated artificial sunlight several meters above. "One of these days, I’ll have to go to a REAL beach, see how different it is." Hilde promised herself.

From her left, she heard Duo scream, "BONZAI!!!", and leaned forward to see the Gundam Pilot surging forward into the mechanically generated waves, surfboard over his head in his maddened charge. Hilde couldn’t help but chuckle as he paddled about twenty feet, then the whole board flipped over, tossing poor Duo into the water.

When he didn’t immediately emerge, Hilde grew concerned. Finally, Duo burst from the depths, and waved in her direction, screaming, "I’m okay!" Hilde couldn’t help herself, erupting into laughter. As Duo began to swim farther out, Hilde then leaned back again, putting a pair of thick black sunglasses over her eyes.

After several minutes, she heard the sound of several women giggling. Opening one eye after the rude interruption, she noticed several bikini-clad women walking by, laughing obnoxiously.

As they finally passed, Hilde muttered, "God, what bimbos… I swear, all bra, no brains…"

What really got her goat was how a pack of well-tanned, well-built men were not far behind, ogling the ladies as they laid down on the beach a few feet away. Hilde wanted to move her stuff, but didn’t want anyone to think that she was being intimidated by a few beautiful women.

Once again, Hilde leaned back, trying to tone the giggles and laughs out of her mind. One of the ladies squealed hysterically, but Hilde didn’t think much of it, until the lady tripped over her.

Hilde spat out a mouthful of sand, the only thing that was preventing her from screaming out in anger. She would have instantly jumped to her feet hadn’t one of the men from the group suddenly stood over her. For an instant, Hilde was about to thank the gentleman, then watched in disbelief as the man stepped over her to help the woman up, the same girl that already had five guys helping her to her feet.

‘It’s like I don’t even exist!’ Hilde thought indignantly. Finally, she decided to speak up, and jumping to her feet shouted, "EXCUSE ME!"

The bikini-clad woman then looked over at Hilde, her eyes glancing up and down Hilde with scorn, "Pardon me, girlfriend, but you need to work on your personality. "Cause you ain’t ever gonna win a man with a body like that!"

Hilde’s jaw dropped. How dare that bimbo say something like that! The woman then started to laugh, and the entire assembly began to join her. Furious, Hilde gathered up her articles, and moved to a different part of the beach.

However, her fury quickly began to dissipate, and all that was left was humiliation. Looking over at the space she so recently vacated, she noticed the group was still looking at her, occasionally pointing, and even laughing.

Finally, one of the guys started to approach her. Hilde looked up, trying not to notice as the man stopped about a foot from where Hilde was laying. "I’m sorry about the way that those people are treating you."

Hilde smiled slightly. Now here was a TRUE gentleman. Cracking a slight smile, Hilde said, "It’s all right."

"I mean, I can only imagine what it’s like to know that most MEN have bigger boobs than you!" Suddenly, the man rushed off again to the group, nearly howling with laughter.

Hilde turned beet red in embarrassment, not sure where to go next. She couldn’t just leave, not with Duo still surfing out on the water. As if on cue, Duo finally left the water, and his toned frame nearly made her forget all about the jerks on the other end of the beach. For a second, Duo seemed confused, looking down the length of the beach, finally looking over at Hilde, and with a confused look on his face, approached her.

"I thought you had set up over there…" Duo said uncertainly, pointing over near the crowd who was still laughing at her, "Maybe I was mistaken. Are you ready to head home?"

Never had such an idea been more appealing than now. Hilde nodded, trying not to seem too anxious. As they left the beach, one of the ladies called out, "Hey, I suppose that’s your brother! It has to be, right?"

As the group began to laugh even harder, Duo looked concernedly over in their direction, "Is something going on?" He started to turn around when Hilde grabbed his arm.

With a small frown, she pleaded, "Let’s just go…"

That night, Hilde found herself having some problems sleeping. Deciding to take a walk, she threw on some clothes, and left into the semi-lighted streets. To simulate darkness, the colony would dim the lights above at regular intervals. Just like on Earth, many women were warned about walking the streets at "night".

Hilde had never had a problem, though. ‘Maybe all the stalkers think I’m a guy.’ She thought dejectedly. Entering a small 24-hour convenience store, Hilde grabbed a few midnight snacks to drown her worries in. As she proceeded to the cashier, she noticed the magazine racks filled with all sorts of various cover girls.

Stopping briefly to pick one up, Hilde glanced through its contents, when she came across one particular model’s bio. Hilde had thought of herself as thin until she noticed that the model’s weight was over 10 kilograms LESS than Hilde’s was. Not to mention three cup sizes larger.

"Is that what those women were talking about? Am I really that ugly?" Hilde asked. She knew that she wasn’t like a supermodel, but she had never thought of herself as ugly. But looking at the picture of the model, and noticing several of the other magazines carried similar stick-figures, Hilde was suddenly less sure…

Duo had been used to nightmares; he had lived with them most of his life. Duo had almost been able to count on waking up at least once in a cold sweat. In time, he had come to accept it, and it became almost normal.

However, tonight had developed a nightmare that not even Duo could handle. It went like this: Duo was in a cold, dark place, shackled to a wall. Now Duo had seen his share of prisons, but none could ever simulate the Hell he witnessed next.

Hilde would suddenly appear, a smile on her face. However, the smile soon began to fade, and Duo watched in terror as Hilde started to wither away, the skin on her body beginning to shrivel. Duo would struggle against his bonds, trying to do something, but was powerless, watching Hilde fade away to nothing…

Duo woke up, forcing himself not to scream. What sort of twisted god was playing with his mind like that? It just wasn’t cool. Duo had promised himself long ago that nothing was going to take Hilde away. Duo had experienced too much loss already; he would rather die before he lost Hilde.

The door to the house that Hilde and Duo shared suddenly opened and closed silently. Curious, Duo left his bedroom, ready to attack if need be. As he turned the corner to the living room, he saw Hilde throw her jacket on the couch. Her face turned in a deep frown.

‘She’s been like this ever since coming back from the beach.’ Duo noted to himself. "Is something wrong, Hilde?" He called out.

Hilde seemed surprised, then shook her head, "No… just wanted to get some fresh air."

"Are you sure?"

"YES!" Hilde shouted defiantly, "Can’t you ever just let it drop? I’m just in a bad mood!" From there, she stormed past Duo, and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

As day broke, Hilde awoke to the smell of breakfast. Her mouth began to water even before she had fully woken up to meet the day. However, Hilde knew that she couldn’t indulge herself, not if she wanted to meet her goal.

Quickly showering, she threw on some casual wear, and left her bedroom. As she entered the living room, the smell of eggs frying caught her nose. ‘No, Hilde. You can’t, remember?’ Hilde chastised herself. Hopefully, she could sneak to the door without Duo noticing.

Luck would not be on her side. Duo glanced over, and said cheerily, "About time! I’m just about done with breakfast, so have a seat."

Hilde declined, "I’m really not hungry, and I have a lot of things to do." Without waiting for a reply, Hilde rushed out the door, and off on her errands.

Duo frowned, contemplating Hilde’s weird actions. "That’s odd… she never turns down breakfast…"

About noon, Hilde came back, dropping off a small bag filled with assorted goodies. Duo leaned over, trying to glance in the bag, asking, "Whatcha get?"

Hilde chuckled, and replied, "None of your business!" quickly closing the bag in the process. "I won’t be here long, I’ve gotta leave again for a meeting." With that said, she walked into her bedroom.

"Are you gonna stick around for lunch?" Duo asked from the living area. The thought made Hilde’s mouth water again, but she knew she had to stick to her plan. "No… I ate while I was out." Meanwhile, she dutifully pushed two of the thick pads she had recently purchased into her new bra.

"All right." Was the reply, "I’ll probably be with Quatre. He’s coming out this way, and wants to visit. Be sure to be back by dinner."

‘Dinner.’ The word sounded almost heavenly to Hilde, but she couldn’t let herself stray, "I don’t know… I might be late getting back."

Duo poked his head around the corner, and said, "Come on, Hilde. You didn’t eat breakfast, and you ate lunch elsewhere. When do I get some time with you? You aren’t leaving until you promise to be back for dinner."

Hilde decided discretion was the better part of valor in this case. With a sigh, she said, "All right, I promise…" Hilde said, then pushed by Duo on her way back out the door. As she left, she made note to get something to help her with dinner…

Meanwhile, Duo felt a terrible pang in the back of his mind. Something was out of place, but he couldn’t figure out what…

"That was excellent." Quatre commented, gently dabbing his bottom lip with his napkin, "My compliments to the chef."

Hilde blushed at the compliment, and Duo happened to take a look at Hilde’s plate. Where Duo and Quatre had each had seconds of Hilde’s delicious meal, Hilde had eaten almost five plates worth. ‘It’s like she hasn’t eaten all day…’ Duo thought.

When Quatre finally left, the pair cleaned up the place, and realizing that it was late, decided to go to bed. As Duo dressed into his nightclothes, he heard the sound of Hilde throwing up in the bathroom. Knocking on the door, he asked, "Hilde, are you all right?"

Hilde’s pained voice replied, "Yeah, I think I’m coming down with the flu, that’s all." Then she vomited again.

"Okay, if you need anything, just ask." Duo said, somewhat worried. She hadn’t seemed sick earlier…

Once again, Duo was haunted by that terrible nightmare. Combined with Hilde’s recent actions, Duo was almost in a panic. It was like she was fading away right in front of his eyes.

Heading to the restroom, he threw some water on his face, and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The bloodshot eyes only made him look the way he felt, like hell. Then in the reflection, on the toilet, Duo recognized a strange brown bottle that he knew hadn’t been there earlier.

"Must be Hilde’s…" Duo muttered as he picked it up. As he looked on the label, he read out loud, "Syrup of Ipecac. What the hell does Hilde have this for…" Duo’s eyes suddenly opened wide in horror.

He rushed over to Hilde’s bedroom, and flipped on the light. Sleepily, Hilde groaned, "Duo, it’s late… what are you doing?"

"We need to talk." Duo replied simply.

"About wh…" Hilde began, then noticed the bottle in Duo’s hand. Suddenly, she remembered that she had forgot to put it away when she had been done with it.

"You didn’t eat lunch like you said you did, did you?" Duo accused. Caught, Hilde shook her head.

Duo nearly cried right there. What on Earth was Hilde trying to do? He knelt next to her, and asked, "What’s going on? Why aren’t you eating?"

"Duo…" Hilde moaned, on the verge of tears.

"Come on, Hilde. What’s the deal?"

Finally, she burst out in a torrent of sorrow; "I’m ugly! I’m fat, I’m ugly, and I embarrass you!"

Duo reared back in shock, "Who the hell told you this?" Then it all clicked. The beach… it all started there. "Was that the reason you also started wearing those ridiculous pads?"

"You noticed?" Hilde squeaked.

Duo paid no attention. Instead, grabbed her in a tight embrace, "Hilde… why on Earth did you listen to those shallow pieces of crap that were picking on you? I knew I should have done something."

Suddenly, he got angry, and said, "Do you realize the nightmares I’ve had these last two nights? I watched you shrivel away to nothing, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Do you realize how scared that made me?"

When Hilde shook her head sheepishly, Duo continued, "I was mortified. I… couldn’t bear it. I had to keep myself from screaming at the top of my lungs when I woke up sweating. I can’t bear to lose you, Hilde. I’d probably die from sadness."

"Duo…" Hilde groaned, "But what about…"

Duo quickly shook her, as if doing so would also shake those thoughts out of her head, "Listen to me carefully. I don’t care how fat or ugly someone thinks you are! I don’t care what anybody else thinks about you! I LOVE YOU, and I’m not going to let you do this anymore. I will always love you, no matter what happens."

Hilde suddenly began to tremble. Did he just say what she thought he said… She started to cry again, and muttered, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do, and if I have to force you to eat, I will. And the next man who even dares to comment on how ugly you are will be eating his meals through a straw for the rest of his life, you understand?"

That wasn’t the answer she was looking for, so she asked more clearly, "Do you really love me?"

Now, it was Duo’s turn to flush, "Yes… I do. I just didn’t want to risk losing you as a friend. Why?"

"I… have felt the same way for a long time. I just didn’t think that you…"

Any further communication was silenced when Duo’s lips met Hilde’s. As he kissed her, Duo made a solemn promise; that she would never have to feel inadequate ever again. He would cherish her forever, no matter what life throws their way.