Yes it was such a long time ago. Oh how many years was it? To many to count actually... I gaze at the moon as I stand on my balcony as a million stars glitter above me. Yes it was a night like this when I first met him... Tall dark and handsome with deep dark past... The kind of man you don't expect to have fallen in love with. Oh let's see I think it was over fifty years ago. I remember every fragment... Every little detail... This is a story of forbidden love. A love that should never happen or never was meant to be. I was a beautiful aristocrat and he was the most wanted man in France. Here is how I fell in love with the man whom I never was supposed to be with...
:::Miki's POV:::
I sat on the balcony as I gazed up at the stars. Brown hair flowed past my shoulders as the fur coat over my body protected me from the chilly night air... It was mid-November and the year was 1920... Tonight was the night I was supposed to pick a husband... I was now eighteen and my father wanted me married off to have his grand-children before he died. Could this night get any worse? I wasn't ready to find love just yet. I wanted to live life... I wanted adventure not romance. So a thought crossed my mind I never thought would... I was going to run away and no one was going to stop me... Maybe when the party had ended I would leave... Suddenly a male stranger wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Isn't the moon beautiful Miki darling?" asked the tall dark-haired man. I knew who this was... This was Kei. Me and Kei had grown up together ,but I never considered him more than a brother. I have no clue why he was here. Daddy had probably invited him. He was always doing that. He could never stay out of my past. He was always trying to dig up dirt that just didn't need to be dug up. Kei clung to me for a few moments until I finally snatched myself away.
"What do you want Kei?" I questioned him.
"I want you to marry Miki-darling... " he replied as he etched closer embracing me in his arms.
"Why do you want me to marry you?" I asked a bit puzzled.
"Why else would I marry you?" he asked as curled a smile at me making me feel very uncomfortable as he pulled me closer to him.
"Je t'aime."( I love you) he whispered into my ear and I found myself blushing madly.
"I'm sorry Kei but I just can't return those feelings." I replied as I pulled away and I seen the hurt look on his face I felt very ashamed and a bit upset that I had hurt him but soon his hurt expression faded into a smile and I couldn't understand why his facial expressions had changed so fast. He then began to laugh madly like he was mocking me or something.
"Why are you laughing like that for!?" I questioned him.
"Oh my ma'ch`erie...(lady) To bad you shall marry me anyway." he proclaimed with a nasty grin.
"Umm excuse me no I won't!" I stammered.
"I'm afraid you have no choice my darling... Your father and I have already arranged it." he said as he gave me a dirty look.
"So that doesn't mean I'm going to... All I have to do is refuse you." I chimed in.
He then shook his head and then pulled out the marriage papers. Suddenly I saw his signature and my own!
"Hey you can't do that! You forged my signature you dirty rat!" I yelled at him.
"Hey don't blame me ma'ch`erie blame your daddy." he said as he smirked.
"Oh and another thing I'm not your ma'ch`erie either ,nor will I ever be!" I yelled at him as I stomped off my cheeks hot and my temper was now like a raging fire blazing out of control. Suddenly he tried to grab my arm but I slapped him hard across the face and he fell to his knees holding his cheek. He cried out in pain ,but I didn't care. He deserved it thinking I was going just up and marry him like that. I was going to see my father he was to blame for all of this! How dare he think he can just up and marry me off like that! Especially without my say so.
I pushed through the large crowd of people as I tried to find my father. Soon I did. You could never miss my father. He was a tall man with very little hair and now it was a faded gray ,and the other thing about my father you couldn't miss was he always had a large black cigar in his mouth or a glass of wine in his hand.
He then seen me and waved to me.
"Ah good to see you Miki dear! What can daddy do for you?" he asked in a kind tone. To be respectful I tried to be as polite as possible even though every kind of emotion of anger was blowing up inside of me.
"Daddy can we talk a moment I said as I pulled him through the crowd into a private room.
"Miki why are you disturbing the party like this for?" he asked only thinking of himself.
"Aren't you having a good time?" he asked in a petty tone.
"No I'm not! Why are you making me marry Kei daddy!?" I asked in a hurt tone.
"Oh is this all this is over?" he asked like it was nothing.
"Father! I don't love Kei! I can't marry someone I don't love!" I yelled at him.
He kept a serious calm look as he discarded the excess ashes of his cigar on the evening table.
"Well then you'll learn to love him." he replied.
"But Da-" I was about to cut in but he interrupted me very quickly like he didn't want me to say anything.
"Look darling you won't find another worthy man out there than Kei." he proclaimed as he looked at me gently.
"He's charming, good looking, respectful, young..." he replied until I burst in.
"I don't want to marry him!" I cried.
"Well sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do."he replied as he took a long puff on his cigar.
He acted like this was just your everyday conversation.
"You know something Miki? I didn't meet your mother until our wedding day. I was scared to death and very confused like you... ,but you know what? Soon that turned into love... I learned to love your mother and her me..." he replied.
"It took years and time... ,but just give Kei a chance... Will you for me? I picked the best man for my daughter to marry. You'll find no better than Kei my dear." he proclaimed.
"You can't just marry anyone... You're an aristocrat and an aristocrat is whom you shall marry." he replied.
"You can't just marry anybody... He has to be able to support you." he replied.
I mean you can't just marry anyone... I mean you might end up marrying a criminal if your not careful..." he laughed.
I sighed.
"Alright daddy I'll try." I replied.
"Ah that's a good doll." he laughed and walked out of the room. I knew what had to be done... I had to run away and it had to be tonight.
:::Yuu's POV:::
I stayed low as I walked into the dark alley way. I couldn't have them coppers finding me. It'd be the end of my days if they did. I had a rep in this town and I had to be very alert. I suddenly took out the bronze key from my pocket and I slid it in the keyhole and unlocked into walking into the darkness I shut the door behind me and I locked it back very quickly. I pulled the draw cord to let the light come on. Then I seen my comrade standing there grinning with a cigar in his mouth. He puffed on it and gazed at with an agile eye.
"What do you want Miwa?" I asked as I walked towards him.
He then slid a half torn picture across the table of a brown haired girl. A wealthy brown haired girl that was.
"Get me that." he replied as he dotted the table with ashes.
"The girl?" I replied in a bit of a cautious tone.
"Well yes the girl ,but that's not all..." he proclaimed.
"You get the girl ,and we get the doe..." he replied.
"This girls daddy is the one of the richest men in France..." he exclaimed.
I rubbed my chin a bit.
"What's in it for me?" I asked eyeing him suspiciously.
"You get the girl... We hold a ransom and if he don't pay we kill her." he said in a very plain tone.
"Were thieves Miwa not killers..." I chimed in a serious tone.
"Well don't worry if you won't do it then I will." he replied. Suddenly I felt a lump begin to form in my throat.
"How would you like to own three billion euro?" he added.
"Three bill- bill-" I added.
"Yes billion." he smirked biting on the end of his cigar a bit more.
"If we had that much money... We could practically rule this country." he chirped.
"Well I du-" I was about to say something but Miwa cut in.
"Oh come on it's just one chick..." he replied.
"There are many more in France. Who's gonna miss her anyway?" he added.
"Alright I guess I can do it." I replied.
"I knew you would old chap...You strike at midnight." he replied as he handed me a bag.
"Bring her back here..." he instructed.
"I will." I replied as he handed me an old bag.
"What's this for?" I added.
"To carry her in..." he replied with a smirk.
"Oh yeah right..." I added not so sure about this...
The clock struck ten.
'I only had two hours to this. I might as well get started' I thought faintly to myself.
Then I looked at her picture one last time. She looked so beautiful in her photograph. I could easily fall for a girl like that ,but what kind of chance did I have with a chick like that? She was a wealthy aristocrat and I was a bandit. A mixture that would never go together. Yet I didn't know she'd be the one I'd fall for... I walked out the door into the night as the wind lashed at my cheeks and a mask covered my face.
