A/N: Please note that this is of course Fan Fiction, therefore the events described would be slightly deviated from the orginal telling.
And nope, I in fact do not own Noir or anything else I write about.
Silencing The Guns
It's when you have those dreams that you don't want to wake up from. The dreams that give you chills and stain your sub-concious. Doesn't matter if they are good dreams or bad nightmares either. It causes you wake up prematurely early in a glaze of cold sweat. And no matter how long your life goes on afterwards, you will always remember the events of those dreams.
One such dream happened to Mireille exactly one week after their return to Paris. Everything had been unusually quiet since their attack on the Manor and short stay at a hospital before returning to Mireille's apartment. She lay on her back and was breathing heavily. She must have made some noise or rapid movement, for Kirika was propped up on her elbow and was looking over at her with a concerned look on her face. Moonlight bathed the room and casted Kirika as a silhouette in Mireille's eyes. Kirika herself was doing much better, her gunshot wound was healing nicely.
"What is it?" Kirika asked.
"It's just a dream, thats all," Mireille said.
Mireille glanced over to the clock on the wall, it read 5:05 A.M.
"I'm just going to get up now, go back to sleep, you need to rest more than I do," Mireille said.
She pulled the sheets off her body and got up onto her feet, she was not surprised that Kirika did the same thing.
"I'm fine Kirika, I'm just getting up because I know that I won't be able to go back to sleep," said Mireille.
"I won't be able to go back to sleep either," replied Kirika.
"Fine," sighed Mireille. "I'm going to make some coffee."
"I would like a cup then," Kirika said, as she walked over slowly to sit at the table.
Her wound never really hurt anyone except when she had to go from standing to sitting, and vice-versa. She winced slightly as she made herself comfortable in the chair, she was always careful to never let Mireille see this, even though she was currently in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Mireille came in with a cup of coffee in each hand and sat down. Kirika rarely drank coffee, but Mireille knew exactly how she liked it, that is with far too much sugar. They sat and sipped their coffee as the sun slowly brightened the world around them.
"Do you remember what your dream was about?" Kirika asked after a long stretch of silence.
Mireille spoke slowly and softly as she answered. "It was about quitting this, moving on and then trying to find peace. It has actually been on my mind for a while."
Kirika suddenly looked very worried as she asked Mireille. "Do you mean me?"
Mireille quickly moved her eyes away from her coffee to Kirika. "No, of course I don't mean you Kirika, I mean this type of work. It just does not seem to be worth it anymore."
"But that would mean that we would not be partners anymore," Kirika implied.
"Look Kirika," Mireille began, trying not to sound as outwardly emotional so as not to let Kirika know how much she really cared for her. "I don't want you to go and I don't want our friendship to end. But I have been thinking about a change in lifestyle where we won't risk our lives everyday. Some big changes so that we can start to enjoy our lives and not be contanstly on edge, a chance for serenity and I would like you to join me."
"But what would we do if not this? Killing is what we are best at," Kirika said.
"It does not have to be," Mireille said. "We could start our lives completely new and pursue anything. Can you imagine it?"
Kirika nodded, "If that is what you want Mireille."
"No Kirika, what do you want?" Mireille said a bit too forcefully.
"It would be nice to stop, if we can survive without having to do this type of work. At least to stop before one of us gets seriously injured or worse," Kirika said.
"Kirika, I've been in this apartment for years, and my biggest expense is clothes, but I'm getting better, and you know that! (Kirika giggled) Together we hardly spend any money except for rent, food, bills, travel and ammunition. The point is that we have more money than I can count in Swiss bank accounts, we would not be poor and homeless should we stop working," Mirelle said.
"What about the Soldats?" Kirika asked.
"Mabye they just quit trying, Altena is gone and that is what most of them wanted us to do anyway. Their organization is too big for two people to destroy. We will always be ready if they should decide to strike again," Mireille said. "But I imagine that they would be glad to see a ceasefire."
"I don't want to kill anymore, even Soldats," Mireille continued.
"I don't either," Kirika said.
"Will you join me Kirika? For a pilgrimage to peace?" Mireille said. She extended her hand out across the table for Kirika to grasp to signify the pact.
"Of course Mireille," said Kirika, as she grasped her partner's hand tightly.
In the following weeks after the pilgrimage began no further missions were accepted, though Mireille already logged off the name Noir for good. No attacks by the Soldats happened either, it seemed that they had faded back into the shadows. The pair spent alot of time out of the apartment since Kirika made a full recovery, but they always carried a gun wherever they went.
The major new topic became finding somewhere else to move to. Seeing as they were no longer bound here, they could move to anywhere on the face of the Earth. Together they traveled as tourists throughout most of the world, able to enjoy the new sights and sounds for a change. They went through India and across the East, back through Japan, then onwards to Hawaii and into California. It was there in sunny California that they spent the most time. Eventually renting a townhouse and staying for over six months, always strengthing that unspoken bond.
But as it so happened, their lives grew dull there and lacked substance, and a new change of pace was needed. They chose to drive across America instead of fly, and they visited as many roadside attractions as they could find. Lastly stopping in New York City to enjoy its mayhem before hopping a plane across the pond into England. On that island they had the desire to stay there permanently, but as always, something was missing that could keep them satisfied. Slightly dejected but yet happy to be home after over a year abroad, they came back into France and into the same apartment. Nothing had changed, even the mailbox was not completely full.
With downtrodden spirits, they sought what to do next. As no steps became clear, for there isn't a twelve step program for recovering assassins. After a few days of not-so-much they sat across from each other at the same table enjoying afternoon tea. At last Kirika said,
"Why don't we buy a house so we can have more space?" she said.
Mireille shrugged. "Yeah, a change of daily scenery would be nice and this place is getting a little bit cramped," Mireille said as she waved her hand towards the amazing mountain of things they had bought on their travels.
"Would you want to stay in France?" Mireille asked.
"Yea, I do really enjoy it here," said Kirika. "Would you like to stay?"
"I don't see why not," said Mireille as she sipped her tea.
The hunt began as the two searched all over France for the perfect home, even enlisting the help of several real estate agencies. Always and everytime they were dissapointed by what they saw. It was always too big, or too small, or too crowded of an area or too desolate an area. Nothing would just shine in their eyes and sparkle, and they were on the verge of giving up after weeks of searching. So when an agency woman called and told them about a forlorn Chateau that was in dire need of love and attention, they were apathetic at first. But seeing as they had nothing else to do, they decided to give it a look and hopped a taxi to Lorraine with anticipation at a low point.
It was a dreary day, with clouds that seemed to hang low and heavy onto the Earth. The taxi driver was having trouble finding the place through the winding roads and dense conglomeration of trees. But eventually he found the thin road that led past tall iron gates with a massive manor house coming into view. Both Mireille and Kirika stared out of the window in awe as the taxi circled around a great derelict marble fountain to reach the front of the Chateau. The woman from the real estate company was already waiting by the front steps.
Mireille asked the taxi driver to wait and she would pay double when they returned to Paris as they exited the cab. The real estate woman walked towards them, seeing her they now remembered her name.
"Miss Bouquet, Miss Yuumura, I am so glad you could come," said Mrs. Comarren.
They nodded as their eyes kept moving over the whole scene. The place looked amazing, but also extremely decrepit. The white paint that had once covered all three floors of the outside was now nearly all gone, many of the windows were broken, not to mention that the vines and mold had taken a firm hold. Mrs. Comarren was very serious when she said the place needed a lot of love.
"This place is known as the Guerison Manor, due to it's transformation to a field hospital for soldiers during the last two world wars. It has been abandoned since the end of the second war," said Mrs. Comarren. "Shall we go inside first?"
They both nodded again and walked up the long stone staircase to the wide sweeping front porch. In front of the large oaken doors, Mrs. Comarren pulled out a ring of skeleton keys and found the correct one to swing the doors open wide. The inside foyer was choked with dust and filth. Pilled up against the walls on both sides were old metal cots and a thick smell of something very very old made all three cover their mouth.
"This place needs a lot more than love," both Kirika and Mireille said together.
End of Chapter 1