Noir is owned by Ryoe Tsukimura, Bee Train Entertainment and Victor Entertainment. To the best of my knowledge, the English language version is owned by AEsir Holdings, LLC.
Embarking on a Pilgrimage
A Noir story
"Please lend me your help, Mireille. I need your help to find out what I am. I need your help until... until... I find that answer."
Mireille Bouquet stopped as she passed the girl seated at the table on her way to the door, her eyes closed in thought as she considered her position. She knew what it was like to want answers to an unanswered question. One such question had been plaguing her for ten years. Ten years without an answer to the question that had arisen from the event that changed her life forever. So from that perspective, she understood Kirika Yuumura's situation.
Mireille opened her eyes. But why her, of all people? Out of the blue, this girl had emailed her with an odd request, which led to her coming all the way to Japan to meet her. Apparently, as was stated rather cryptically in that first email, she wanted Mireille to help her find out about her past.
It was ludicrous. As she'd more or less just stated, she wasn't in the business of helping people. Yes, she was trustworthy – she kept her clients' confidence – but she worked alone. No partner to get in her way or give her away.
Her motivation in coming to Japan to meet this girl was curiosity, and the prospect of finding answers for herself, not a desire to embark on a 'pilgrimage for the past' or to help her. She would have ignored the email proposing a 'pilgrimage' altogether, had that email not included the chime from that old pocketwatch. Her father's old pocketwatch.
The promise of a lead, a clue that could help solve that ten year old mystery, was too tempting to pass up, and she suspected Kirika knew it. How else would she know that the watch would bring her here, if she didn't know about her family? For that matter, how did she get it?
Before leaving to meet Kirika, she emailed a contact in Japan, asking him to check the girl's official records. Mireille researched her assignments, and this would be no different.
He told her that the Yuumura family moved into their current residence about six months ago, but within three months both parents left for America, leaving their daughter behind to finish school. As a result, she currently lived alone.
He also told her that he strongly suspected that her records as held by the school and various government departments were forgeries. Her parents were never heard from once they left for America – an attempt to find their address online yielded nothing. The company they worked for never existed. Their bank accounts were emptied and closed as soon as they 'left' Japan. It was entirely possible, therefore, that the name Kirika Yuumura was, in fact, an alias. So, she really had little idea who this person was until she actually met her.
And then Mireille found out that Kirika was good – very good – at killing, and that she had no memory of her past, hence the 'pilgrimage' she was proposing. Kirika knew or suspected that her past life was a lie, and she wanted to find out about herself, but still, again, Mireille found herself coming back to those three questions: why did she single out her to ask for help, how did Kirika know that the pocketwatch would bring her here, and how did she get the pocketwatch in the first place?
There was another possibility, Mireille thought, as she stood there. It was all an act, in which case, Kirika was trying to get close to her for whatever reason, and had dangled the watch in her face as bait, knowing that it would bring her out. How much did she really know?
Then again... perhaps she shouldn't be so quick to come to conclusions. It was possible that Kirika was, in fact, telling the truth. Her expressions, her voice, seemed genuine enough.
Which brought her back to where she was now – in either case, she would have to investigate further, if only to find out how she got her hands on that pocketwatch, but that left open the question of whether or not she would agree to help her. Here she was, in another country with a girl whose real name she didn't know, whose documented history was a forgery, who had a pocketwatch identical to her father's, who claimed to have no memories that went back more than a few months, who apparently had hitmen after her, and who was an alarmingly proficient killer, asking her for help to find out the truth about her past? Allowing this girl into her confidence was unacceptable. She was simply too dangerous.
And yet...
Mireille looked down at Kirika, who was still seated at the table. She looked up at her, her large brown eyes pleading. Puppy-dog eyes.
As dangerous as Kirika was, this was the best lead she had had in ten years. It was a long shot, but she had to take it if she was to find out what happened to her family. And if Kirika could benefit as well, then maybe it would be worth it for both of them. If she was trustworthy, she might even make a good partner; she was clearly a capable killer.
Still, the road ahead – should she take that road – was long and fraught with danger. Starting with Kirika, Mireille reminded herself. Then again, if Kirika's goal was simply to kill her, she would have done it by now. That was her only reassurance, that she wasn't already dead and Kirika wanted something else. Hopefully if that was the case and Kirika wanted something else, her pursuit of that goal would buy Mireille enough time to find out what else Kirika knew.
So, this was it, the big decision. One of the biggest, riskiest decisions she would ever make. It was a gamble, and the stakes were high: if things went her way, she could get closer than ever to finding out what happened to her family, but if things were to go bad...
Mireille sighed. She hoped that she wouldn't regret this.
She sat down at the table, next to Kirika. The odds were against them – Kirika had to know that – but she wanted to hear her say it anyway. "You know that we have no leads? And that this will take a very long time?"
Kirika nodded.
"There are people after our blood, you know. We may not live long enough to find our answers."
Kirika nodded again.
"There's no guarantees that we'll find anything at all."
Kirika nodded a third time.
Mireille nodded in reply. This is it. No turning back now. "I suppose... someone with your skills could be useful, as well." She paused for a second, then nodded. "All right, you can come with me. We'll go back to my apartment in Paris."
Kirika's face seemed almost to light up. Her eyes widened and a smile formed at the corners of her mouth, which opened slightly. She was clearly happy with Mireille's response.
Mireille wouldn't deny that she had partially acted out of pity for Kirika. However, she decided she needed to assert herself before they went any further. "But let me make this very clear: we play by my rules. If you step out of line, I will kill you without a second thought. Got it?"
Kirika's smile faded, replaced by shock, her mouth slightly hanging open with mild surprise. The shock on her face promptly gave way to what looked like neutrality, with a hint of determination showed by slightly narrowed eyes. She closed her mouth and nodded a fourth time.
Mireille nodded, still looking evenly at Kirika. Don't make me regret this. "Ok, then. You'd better start making arrangements to leave Japan. I'll get some papers together for you when I get back to the hotel."
Kirika nodded a fifth time. "All right."
From the author: One can only wonder what happened to make Mireille change her mind, or what she was thinking to make her accept Kirika after her initial resistance to her proposal to go on a 'pilgrimage for the past'. I've tried to write Mireille as being sceptical, with a hint of paranoia/suspicion/cynicism.
Kirika's change in expression, her face 'lighting up' with happiness at Mireille's acceptance, could potentially be interpreted as being out of character, as she outwardly or directly expresses her thoughts or emotions through varied tone or expression on far fewer occasions than Mireille throughout the series, and she seldom smiles. It isn't meant to be out of character: she gambled by asking (on what was probably, to Kirika, a compulsion or a hunch) Mireille, a complete stranger who was dangerous and rightfully suspicious and hesitant, to embark on a 'pilgrimage' with her, and the gamble has just paid off, so it would be natural for her to feel and express relief and joy at the prospect of having a partner (especially since she considered herself to be 'alone' prior to meeting Mireille) and hopefully finding some answers after months of not knowing who she is.
I'm guessing that several days, possibly even a couple of weeks, would have gone by between that first night at Kirika's apartment and her eventual departure from Japan – this time would have been for Mireille to arrange Kirika's flight and to arrange some false documents for her.
Thanks for reading. Please leave reviews!