AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chloe was such a nice character….I wish she didn't have to die at the end. She didn't get enough screen time and was such an underrated character. Mireille wasn't completely bad…but she was no Chloe. And the best part was that Chloe knew that. Just a little introspect over what Chloe was probably thinking.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the aforementioned characters.
Dance With Me…
Dance with me.
I love your dance. Everything about it. It leaves me breathless as I stand and gaze at it from afar. Yumura-san, your dance is much more beautiful than Mireille's. I dislike using a gun…but for you, I have made…have always made an exception. You close your eyes sometimes, when the dance comes to an end, and all that stood before you have fallen.
Don't.
You have very beautiful eyes. Keep them open. Take a look back and see what you have done. You cannot regret…for you are the true Noir.
Like me.
Your dance is the other half of mine. For every rhyme I possess, you have the similar reason. Though I have chosen the way of the blade, I find even the crisp, impersonal death you bestow through a gunshot utterly fascinating. You make such a disgusting weapon seem like such a work of art. Like me, you have made death such a personal thing. Hold it against your heart…because through love you have killed. Through hate, you have saved.
Allow me to become part of your dance. For every sin you commit…allow me to share in the pain of vice. If the gun becomes too heavy a burden for you to bear, allow my knife to end the scene. Let my strength be yours. Know that although only heroes and villains die, you shall live forever…because I will not let you die. Because the title of Noir includes only two people. You. And me.
We are the true Noir.
You always seem so uncertain, Yumura-san. Why are you so uncertain? You are Noir. If you cannot understand the gravity of that meaning, take my hand and allow me to show you. Mireille does not know the way…and she is not strong enough to take you to the end. Her movements are slow and predictable. She does not appreciate the flavor…the texture that the kill provides. There is pain…always there is pain. But there is the dance. The art behind it all.
She is not Noir.
I have always known you were the other half of my being. From when I first saw you, all I could think of was how beautiful you were. How much I longed to be like you. As a child and now as a young woman…you are and have always remained my Noir. The one who dances so perfectly in the darkness. The one whose destiny is so intertwined with mine. Like Altena, you have become so intricately intertwined with my life. Like Altena, you are a cherished part of my soul.
Yumura-san, you must have sensed it as well. When we fought side by side…when our dances became one…you must have seen it. How easily you moved with me. How every time your back lay vulnerable, I was there to cover your weakness. That you never needed to look behind…that when we fought together, all our enemies fell. Your enemies are mine. I have watched you…for what seems to be an eternity.
What do you see when you see me?
You may be stronger than I am…I do not care. I have never wished to fight you. For although I have raised my blade against your blonde-haired companion…trust in the fact that I will never willingly do so to you. Take comfort in my presence. Know that although I have killed without emotion…that there is never any murderous intent directed towards you.
The mad tea party we shared…was between you and me. The night sky that shined so brilliantly that night was for us. That although three people sat at a table, only two were Noir. We exist in darkness Yumura-san…but for you, I am willing to sit under a moonlight sky as well. The fork you gave to me that evening is one of my most prized possessions. Do not mock the triviality of your gift. I cherish it with all my heart. Someday, perhaps you will feel the same towards me.
Les Soldats…let them fall. Let only Altena's will provide our vision. She is the holy mother. The one who has loved me, nurtured me, and held me when you could not. She is the one who taught me to dance when you were not by my side. Trust in her beliefs Yumura-san. I am so happy she was in my life. And I am so happy that I have found you. So that even though my place in your life was usurped, I now have a chance to catch up with the past.
I belong with you Yumura-san. I have always belonged with you. Those days you have spent in Paris…those days should have belonged to me. It was supposed to be my shoulder you rested upon and it was my blade you were supposed to come to trust. I can dance with you as no one else can. Like a perfect duet, even if you were the lead dancer, I would find your Melodie. Your rhythm.
I would not allow any mediocrity to disrupt your dance. Unlike Mireille, I would never blanch at taking the kill. I would not miss when it was imperative that the aim flies true. I would never require that you turn around to rescue me. I am Chloe…the darkness is my birthright…my namesake. Focus on your dance. Focus on the movement so that each step you take carries no fear. Only the assured fact that the mission will be accomplished. That whoever has been branded to die was sent towards the light by the mistresses of black.
Learn to love the title of Noir as much as I have come to love it. Cherish the name as much as I have come to cherish you. My Noir. My true Noir.
I saw you kill when you were but a child. There was no hesitation…no pause. You made the world run crimson…it was such a beautiful thing. The innate grace in your step brought forth the slow, sweet quality of a slow, sweet death. You have retained that beauty. Though you lost your memories, you have remembered everything that I have ever loved about you.
There is time for us to create new memories. There will always be time for us.
It physically sickens me to see you with Mireille at times. It sickens me to think that this weak woman is actually considered to be a candidate for Noir. She is dear to you…I know. But am I not dear to you as well? You must have sensed that although your friend was always so quick to raise the gun to me, your reaction was not as hasty. We are bonded, Yumura-san. We are bonded in a way Mireille cannot understand…and I refuse to allow her to try.
This world will only allow two Noir. With Altena's and my blessing, you are Noir. It is not a gift but your birthright. Your heritage. It is mine as well. If Mireille gets in the way of that, I will have few regrets sending her to the end of her mortal coil. She should know her place…as should you. Mireille cannot stand against me. I have devoted my life to the dance. I have honed my throwing knives to a razor edge. They will not miss. Just as Yumura-san's gun does not waver, my target will always fall.
That…that is my eternal promise to you. The only way you can possibly realize my feelings. My heart. Take your time if my offer surprises you. I can wait for an answer.
The grapevines of Altena's are growing ripe…they are almost ready to be harvested. Soon, they will be plucked to make the sweetest wine. Come, share a cup with me. Let us have another moment between a moonlight sky under the endless plains. I guarantee Altena's wine will make your French tea pale in comparison. And then, at that moment, perhaps I may be able to give something to you in return.
Accept it…please accept it. For my intentions towards you remain pure. There is no blanc dans noir…although I am darkness, it is a crystal black. You will not lose your way.
We are Noir, Yumura-san: You and I.
So dance with me. The steps I take…feel free to retrace them. Take my hand and allow me to begin the dance. Once you have grown accustomed to the feel…the sense…then take me anywhere you wish. I have danced alone for so long that I will not begrudge you the slightest of the spotlight.
Just…just dance with me Yumura Kirika. Allow my feelings to be reciprocated within the waltz of life and death.
For I am the true Noir.
But…
But darling, I am not the true Noir without you.