Blacker than the Night
Disclaimer: neither Gundam Wing, nor Noir, belong to me, and I make no money from this work of fanfiction at all. This work is partially inspired by Canta Per Me, by kiriel. I liked it a great deal but there were grammatical and spelling issues… and I thought I might be able to try something along the same lines.
We'll see how it works. Its been a while since I saw Gundam Wing, but I think most of the details are accurate… and well, this is going to be AU anyways.
Noir.
It is the name of an ancient fate.
Two maidens who govern death.
The piece of the newly born,
Their black hands protect.
Heero Yuy hurriedly finished with his mission report. He had finished without incident and was waiting for his next orders… and was packing rapidly to leave St. Gabriel's. Away from that… female, and the confusing feelings she engendered.
And then there was a tiny beep.
"From Relena?" he blinked at his computer. There she was- a picture, though the email was nondescript.
"Take a pilgrimage for the past, with me. Hm." He closed his laptop. The princess had finally lost her mind.
Closing it, so he wouldn't have to look at her picture, he frowned as he waited for the rest of his orders, and the information that went along with them, to download.
Then a soft, haunting tune tripped from his laptop's speakers. The perfect soldier's back stiffened, and he slowly turned back to the computer, and opened it up once more.
The tune was coming from an embedded midi in Relena's message, and a moment Heero's eyes clouded with memory.
It was a tune he hadn't heard in years. Over a decade. The memories that came with it-
Then he shook himself free, and narrowed his eyes. He'd see what Relena wanted…
Relena stood among her drones, smiling and laughing, perfectly normal against the dying sun. Heero watched her, from the shadows, face expressionless. Her pink monster of a limo glided to a stop beside her- and her circle of admirers waved goodbye, all walking off, and Relena watched them go.
Her driver opened the door, plainly expecting her to get take a seat. She politely shook her head, smiling brightly at him, and he frowned deeply, before returning the driver's seat and leaving the girl alone.
Heero's eyebrows rose imperceptibly as the smile slid off Relena's face, and she turned to walk away. The young man's eyes narrowed- something was wrong. In the brief time he'd known her (though he wouldn't admit it) he'd studied her minutely, and something was just not right. The way she moved- her entire profile, was off by a hair.
Then it clicked in his head. The young woman slowly trod towards a new wing of the school, still skeletal in construction. She was aware. The kind of awareness that came with being prey- or predator.
This had gone on long enough. He stepped out into the open, and Relena stopped about two yards ahead.
"Relena."
She looked down.
"Heero."
"What do you-"
The sound should have been loud as a gunshot, for the effect it had, but it was just the sound of a twig snapping- but Heero wheeled about-
Only to whip back around to find Relena gone.
Cursing internally, he holstered his gun and ran to the only place she could have gone- into the labyrinthine construction site.
She led him on a merry chase- all that lead him was the sound of her flapping skirts- when he finally cornered her, perched on a beam.
How could she have gotten there? It was not so far out that he couldn't jump it- but Relena-
"This is not a pilgrimage." He took out his gun and pointed it at her- then noticed she had something in her hand. Round- and now playing music.
The same music from the email; it lilted through the brittle silence, causing the normally stoic Perfect Solider to pause, his breath quicken unnaturally. Memories he'd thought long buried reared their ugly heads…
"What's going on?" he finally demanded, though is voice was far weaker than it should have been.
"I don't know," Relena's voice was toneless, as she stared at the watch. "I don't know anything."
This was getting ridiculous. "Relena-"
"I'm not even sure if that's my name. I only know one thing for sure," her voice was hoarse.
Heero took a deep, unobtrusive breath. He'd not been this rattled- since… he couldn't remember.
"I am Noir."
Before Heero could answer, a gunshot rang out, striking next to his ear. With relief, Heero turned back to something he understood, twisting to return fire before ducking for cover- in time to see Relena jump from the beam to a lower level- and did it as effortlessly as he would have.
He didn't have time to even pretend to be surprised. More shots were fired, and he answered- hearing the satisfying thumps of their bodies as they went down.
How did Oz find me? That was the only answer he could think of- the only alternative was…
Leaping, he hit the level that Relena dropped to, eyes wary for danger- and then-
Only his training kept him from gaping in surprise.
Bodies- all of them in Oz uniforms, all with either slit throats, or throwing knives lodged in vital areas.
"Impossible."
There was only one person who could have done it- and from all accounts, it was so outside of Relena's personality-
His preoccupation with that female was making him slow- more soldiers filed out, firing at him, and he two. The last one looked at him with terrified eyes, putting his hands in the air.
What infected him, he couldn't say, but he didn't fire- and was promptly clubbed from behind.
The world went woozy and out of focus. Whom ever had hit him had intended to nearly kill him with the blow- because he could barely hang on to consciousness.
There was a brief, muttered conversation, before there was the sound of a blow, a gurgle- and a body hit the ground. It was followed by more, and Heero opened his tearing, bleary eyes to see a slit a soldier's throat, fall backwards to a handstand, cracking another man in the chin, before leaping up to grab him by his own scarf- and leap to the level below, hanging him.
Then Relena appeared again, and the man who had tried to surrender before attempted the same trick twice- before Relena reached up her sleeve, grabbed a broad bladed hunting knive, to slash his throat.
She nimbly skipped aside, avoiding the spray of blood from the man's new, wide smile, as he fell in a pool of aphixiated blood.
"Heero," she said softly, as the perfect soldier rubbed his skull for a moment, then trained his gun on her.
He swayed to his feet- and she stepped in, a slender throwing knife in one hand kissing his throat.
"I don't want to hurt you, Heero. We're on the same side." Her voice was as expressionless as his was, when he had first said he would kill her.
"I don't want to interfere with your mission. Though if you want to see which of us is faster…"
Heero replaced the safety, taking his finger off the trigger. There was no hostility in her eyes.
She moved at the same time, slowly sheathing her knife.
"I want to help you, Heero."
There was a pause, and something in his expression must have given away his thoughts…
"I've found that I can kill- easily. And…"
There were tears in her indigo eyes.
"I don't know why I don't feel bad about it."
The sun washed its light over the two killers, before disappearing entirely.
Heero followed Relena into one of the man sitting rooms of her family mansion, still a bit dizzy. He winced, realizing that the blow to the head had to have resulted in a concussion.
"I swept for bugs," she said, before walking in to what appeared to be a bathroom- and returning with a first aid kit.
She proceeded to check his head wound, and he sat there…
Then she took out a gun- and proceeded to take the weapon apart. In seconds it was pieces.
Heero's face didn't change, though part of him was impressed. Her speed was on par with his.
"I don't know where these skills came from," she started. "You heard about… my father's death?"
It had been on the news- and Dr. J. had told him about it.
"He was assassinated by Oz- by Lady Une. And… well, the resistance cell he'd been in contact with came and found us, and I went hysterical- and they gave me a sedative.
When I woke up- I acted on pure instinct. Before I knew what had happened I had broken a man's neck, and drawn a gun, shooting another. If Dr. J hadn't talked me down… I probably would have killed them all."
The lack of expression on Relena's face was more terrible than her tears.
"My father, before he died, told me that he wasn't my real father. That I was the daughter of the Peacecrafts. That…I should watch out for Oz. Then he died. And I realized, for the first time- that he had lied to me, and the past I had been told for the previous two years was nothing but a lie."
Heero felt his face twitch, involuntarily, and Relena laughed without humor.
"I have no memory beyond two years ago- my parents said I had been in an accident. I knew only one thing- and that one thing is still all I know for sure. I am Noir."
"You have something else, though, don't you?" Heero accused.
Relena was had reassembled the gun with the same speed an precision as before.
"Yes."
Heero glared. "Take it out."
Relena placed the silver pocket watch out on the table, two maidens, bearing swords, in stark relief. Heero opened it, took a deep breath, eyes distant- then shut it again.
"I would propose we work together… to stop Oz."
Heero frowned. "I work alone."
"Two can get more done."
Heero's frown deepened. She had a point.
"And someone with my skills is an asset."
Heero finally nodded.
"But- you know, don't you."
"Yes."
A half hour later, Heero Yuy left the Dorlain estate. His mind flashed back to his last words with Relena.
"I have something I need to do on my own first, before we team up," he said, before standing. "And you know… that because you know who I am, I WILL have to kill you."
Relena just smiled at him, a bare curve of the lips.
"I await the day."
That night, Heero sat in his new safe house, typing out an email to Dr. J.
I have found support personnel. I will be working with Noir.
To be continued.
