Author's notes: This tale, penned by me, Nachtsider, is based on the excellent anime/manga known as 'Gunslinger Girl', which is the brainchild of Yu Aida, and is a blackly humorous commentary on lost innocence, also reaffirming the fact that there is much more to our angelic, adorable heroines than meets the eye. Enjoy the story, and feel free to drop me a line at the relevant electronic mail address (nachtsider at yahoo dot com)!
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
"Marco, would it be okay if I sent somebody a Valentine?" Angelica enquired of her handler as they drove home from the rifle range one February 14th.
"Of course you can," said Marco. "Who do you have in mind?"
"The Padania terrorists," replied Angelica.
Marco barely avoided a pothole. "Why them?" he asked in astonishment.
"Well," Angelica explained, "I figured that if a little girl from the Mezzogiorno could have enough love to give Northern separatists a Valentine, they'd start to realize that people of regions apart from their own aren't really bad. And if other kids from Southern and Central Italy – including immigrants – saw what I did and followed suit, the Padania Republican Faction would have a change of heart. They'd then start going all over the place to tell everyone how much they adored others and how they didn't hate anyone anymore."
Marco was extremely touched – his heart swelled and he looked at his protégée with pride. "Angie, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard."
"I know," Angelica smiled sweetly, producing her new DSTO Advanced Infantry Combat Weapon with a flourish. "And once that gets those creeps out in the open, we can blow the stuffing out of them."
THE END