Canta Per Me
Episode Five: The Cruel Princess (Part One)
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Noir. I own very little things. I'm poor, and I'm not worth suing.
Author's Note: As
you noticed, this is part one. I like
to think of this not as a novel like my other fics, but as a running television
series. You're lucky you don't have to
wait week for each episode. So this is what
I call the "Mafia Trilogy," and there are going to be three episodes devoted to
this part. The last four episodes were
supposed to establish the characters and to give you further information that
you need if you haven't seen Noir.
These three upcoming episodes are tied together, while the other
episodes could stand on their own. Once
again, I would like to thank you guys for your reviews. I'd have to say this is my favorite Gundam
Wing fic that I've ever written. As you
may have noticed, I'm well read in mystery novels. I also like to write about places that I wish I could go to. Of course, some of the locations for this
series will be even more uncomfortable for our pair of lovely assassins. Someone said that Lena Marquise is a classy
lady, and he's right. I think that
Relena has more compassion as an assassin than Heero. Good news, I've got Noir 12…let the good times roll. ^_-
More Noir for me, means more story for you. Well, actually, even if it wasn't being continued, I'd still
write this. Is this story as addictive
as the anime Noir is for me?
* * * * * *
"NOIR.
The word
designates the name of destiny from a distant time.
The two Virgo
reign over death.
May the Black
hands over the green field…
Please protect the
newly born peace."
- opening from the
anime, Noir.
In a New York City high rise building
Four men
got on an elevator at the ground floor of one of the highest buildings in the
New York City. Two of the men wore
sunglasses despite the time being nightfall.
Two other men were dressed in fine business suits and talked between
themselves.
"Don
Antonio, we must move production on the business as order by Don Salvano," said
Don Arago.
"We don't
have to take orders from the old man anymore.
He's been off his rocker since his son died," said Don Antonio.
"No…the
Salvanos have been out of their minds since the beginning," remarked Don Arago
with a laugh. They continued talking
with their guards remaining silent as they went up the building to discuss
other "family" business.
Two women
came up from the elevator on the floor just two above the floor that the
elevator was on. They were orange work
suits, sunglasses, and black baseball caps as they went to the elevator. The taller woman programmed the elevator to
stop on the floor that they were on, and to open the doors for them. The doors opened in the elevator. The two Mafia Dons looked at the women in
surprise, and before their guards could do anything the two women shot all four
of them. The doors simply shut and went
onto the floors above the two women.
* * *
Paris, France
"Trowa. Wufei. Heero. I'm sorry I'm late," said Quatre as he finally sat down in a
chair. The four of them were meeting in
a café in Paris near one of the Preventer Offices. Hilde threatened Duo's life if he dared to leave her side, so he
wasn't there for the meeting.
"If you
were going to make us call this meeting, Winner, the least you could have done
is be here on time," said Wufei in an exasperated voice.
"I'm
sorry. There was traffic," said Quatre
apologetically.
"Why are we
here?" asked Trowa with much more patience than Heero and Wufei.
"Did you
hear about what happened in a town just a little far from Jerusalem? I went over there using my Preventer status,
and I found out that Ali Khan is dead…along with the rest of his group. When I looked around, I found out that the
security footage was wiped clean, and I can't even retrieve any data all the
computers were shot up," reported Quatre quietly.
"That
sounds like what happened in St. Tropes and the Smith château," said Heero as
he took a sip of some coffee.
"It doesn't
seem right. None of this seems right,"
said Trowa. All the Gundam pilots were getting concerned about what was
going on.
"Are you
going to see Relena?" Quatre asked Heero.
"Yes,"
answered Heero.
"That's if
she's there, Heero. You should call
first. It's like you're trying to catch
her doing something wrong," said Quatre as an observation.
"I don't understand
why you're wasting your time coming back and forth from London to Paris," said
Wufei.
"What?"
asked Heero in a mono toned voice.
Quatre and
Trowa looked back and forth between the two of them hoping that there wasn't
going to be a fight.
"I mean
can't you see that the woman wants nothing to do with us, especially you," said
Wufei a matter-of-factly.
Heero
glared at Wufei who wasn't the slightest bit disturbed by the glare.
* * *
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Relena and
Meia were staying at one of the finest hotels in New York City. They were getting ready to return to France
because they had finished their contract the night before. Meia was sleeping in one of the twin beds,
while Relena busied herself with finishing off the contract and sending a
message to the contractor. Relena
thought that the job was much too easy.
They had taken out two of the top Dons of the Italian Mafia. The true Italian Mafia originated from
Sicily, but branched out in the upper northeast of the United States. The Americanized Italian Mafia still had
ties to the original Mafia which was created many centuries ago. The Sicilian Mafia adhered to the old
traditions of family loyalty, loyalty to the greater cause, and to the
Church. Don Antonio and Don Arago were
members of the upper elite Sicilian Mafia.
They were representatives from Sicily to the American branch of the
Mafia.
Relena
wondered what in the world was going on.
She looked out the window. Their
room was on the fifteen floor and it was like being on top of the world where
she could see the sunset in the sky.
The sky was orange as it turned dark.
She had to order the plane tickets to get back to France, but she was
tired. She decided it was time to check
the messages on her phone using her portable.
There was a message from Heero:
"Relena, I
was wondering where you were. If you
get this message call me back." Click.
Relena
couldn't help but frown after she heard the message. Heero was getting more and more suspicious, and so were the rest
of the former Gundam pilots. However,
Heero was the worst one to be suspicious, and she couldn't help, but blame
herself for trying to get his attention before. His attention she could do without him breathing down her neck
every time she turned around. There was
one good thing about the Preventers following Noir without knowing it: they
were the ones who had to clean up after them.
Relena smirked at the thought of it.
She was also taking some pleasure in the fact that the Boys were probably
stumped about the whole thing. There
came a signal from the computer as she stretched her arms over her head. There was e-mail from the contractor.
"Don
Salvano is calling his granddaughter…" said the message. There was an underlying fear within the
message's tone that Relena could feel.
She had a memory that came back to her….
Fifteen years ago…
Relena
came with her adoptive father, Mr. Darlian, to meet with someone who had a
granddaughter. Relena was only six years
old at the time of this meeting, and the girl was only twelve years old. Mr. Darlian was meeting with Don Salvano
with hopes that the Sicilian Mafia could be talked into backing down because of
the changes the world had undergone, but the only Don wasn't about to do such a
thing. There were bodyguards for Mr.
Darlian's protection, and the only reason why Relena was even there was because
Don Salvano wanted her to meet his granddaughter. The girl was the cherished granddaughter of Don Salvano. Her name was Cora Salvano, the princess of
the Sicilian Mafia.
Relena
and Cora played in a field of flowers near a cliff, while the adults had tea
and talked. They played with the
flowers and making crowns with them. Relena at that age didn't know that she was
a princess. Cora was a very beautiful
girl. She had long dark brown hair that
shaded her right eye. Her eyes were the
color of clear amber. Long dresses and
capes were what she wore as if to show the world that she as a princess. Relena was dressed in a white party dress
with a sky blue sash that her mother bought for her during a shopping trip in
London. There were daisies in the field
that they were playing in, and the birds sang lovely songs. The cliff was near the ocean with rocks
below being pounded by the relentless waves from the Mediterranean Sea. Cora took Relena by her hands and gently
spun her around and around, so that Relena felt like she was floating. They were laughing in a carefree and
childlike manner…
Cora
stopped suddenly, and Relena sensed that something was about to happen. "Are you afraid, Relena?" she asked. Relena stood there looking at Cora who was
still holding her hands. "I can see
fear in your eyes. Don't worry. I'll make you brave like me," said Cora as
she dropped Relena's hands. She made a
crown of flowers and placed it on Relena's head, and said: "These are flowers
to make you brave, Relena Darlian, the daughter of the Darlians." Relena smiled and made a crown for Cora as
well; she bent down lower so that Relena could place it on her head. "These are for Cora Salvano, the daughter of
the Salvanos," said Relena. They looked
at each other as if something significant just occurred. Cora smiled and took out something…Relena's
eyes widened when she saw what it was…
Relena
looked at the laptop screen on her laptop in the time that she had been
remembering Cora Salvano, the screen saver had come on. Cora Salvano was now twenty-seven years old
and was still living in Sicily. She was
now one of the members of the upper elite of the Mafia. Relena didn't know why, but she felt a
sudden chill in the room.
* * *
Sicily, off the coast of the main island, Italy
The sound
of children playing in the green fields could be heard on any given day. The vineyards were nearby the old manor
house that was surrounded by a stone cobble fence. The children came to greet and pay respects to the woman who was
sitting on the fence. The light breeze
in the air played with her long dark brown hair, and her amber eyes lit up with
joy when she saw the children come to her.
"Miss
Salvano!" the children called to her with smiles on their faces. She smiled gently at all the children who
had come to greet her. A man came from
the house wearing sunglasses, and he delivered a message to Miss Salvano. She read the note, and her attentions
immediately returned to the children.
There was time for everything.
* * *
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
"Are we
leaving for France?" asked Meia when Relena finally woke. She also took the liberty of ordering room
service for them, so that Relena wouldn't have to. Relena got up from her bed and stretched out her limbs. Meia had set up breakfast on the table with
some tea and orange juice. They were
supposed to leave New York and return to Paris today.
"No. The contract isn't finished. The contractor contacted me…the Mafia has
sent for someone from Sicily. This
isn't over yet," said Relena as she shook her head.
"Why does
the Mafia exist?" asked Meia. She had a
genuine interest in the world because she knew almost nothing about it. Relena and Meia found out that she had all
the skills of an excellent assassin which included the ability to patch up
injuries, including gun shot wounds, and she could speak a number of
languages. There was still a void
because she lacked a personality. She
was worse than Heero Yuy in a way.
Heero was more educated about the world, but Meia had amnesia, so she
couldn't be blamed for the lack of personality.
"The Mafia was
created in Sicily many centuries ago to protect the families and the people in
the area. However, they gained too much
power, and evolved into something else entirely," answered Relena.
"Things
never turn out the way people plan them, do they, Lena?" observed Meia.
"You're
right. It's something called Murphy's
Law which is a set of sayings that puts common sense into things: 'If anything
can go wrong, it will' and 'Expect the best, but prepare for the worse,'" said
Relena as she took a sip of her orange juice.
"Who are
they sending from Sicily?" asked Meia.
"Someone
who is unstoppable. Intocabile,"
whispered Relena.
* * *
Limo pulled
up the an airplane that had just landed in the airport from Sicily. Two men with sunglasses escorted Miss
Salvano to see her grandfather the head of the Salvano Family, which was the
head family of the Mafia. There was a
little drizzle as they walked to the limo, and one of the men had an umbrella
over Miss Salvano's head to protect her from the drizzle. The black limo took off for the house in New
York City. Miss Salvano came to a large
hall where her grandfather, Don Salvano, was waiting for her.
"Your exile
has ended, my granddaughter," said Don Salvano. He was now a very old man who years had caught up with him. He was smaller than he was five years
ago. He was hunched over with age; his
hair, mustache, and beard were white.
His eyes were foggy and weren't the same deep brown color they once
were.
"You have
summoned me here to settle the contract that was taken out on members of our
family," said Miss Salvano. Another man
walked forward to Don Salvano carrying a velvet pillow with a wide blade dagger
with a pewter silver handle in a pearl inlay sheath.
"I have
failed the Family for letting this happen, Cora…you must do what you must to
recover our honor," said Don Salvano steadily as he looked at his granddaughter
straight in the end.
"I
understand," said Cora quietly.
"You were
exiled as punishment for having to take out your own father. My son.
To cleanse our honor we had to exile you for seven years…and you have
served your time. My son brought
disgrace to the Family for selling out to the police, and you brought back our
honor by executing him. My time has
ended. Your time has began," said Don
Salvano. Cora stepped up closer to him
and placed a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. With a few quick movements, she took
the dagger from the velvet pillow, pulled it out, and stabbed her grandfather
in the stomach.
"Honor has
been restored. I love you, my Cora,"
gasped Don Salvano as he died in her arms.
* * *
Relena
started to shake slightly as she thought of Cora Salvano, the Intocabile. She was the one in the Mafia who had to
carry out the hardest and most painful tasks.
The only one trained to and brave enough to do so. Meia watched Relena without any expression
on her face.
"Intocabile…I
don't know if I can beat her…" whispered Relena as she shuddered slightly. She had never meet anyone like Cora
Salvano. Never.
* * *
Paris, France
Heero had
called Relena's flat because he was already in Paris. There was no answer.
Heero decided to do something that he hadn't done in a long time. He decided to do some hacking and find out
what Relena was really up to. Relena was
up to something that she didn't want others to know about, and Heero wasn't
about to just leave it alone.
He spent a
good amount of time hacking and looking for information on Relena's occupation
as a business analyst. Her clients
couldn't be so private to the post where no information could be found on
them. Heero found nothing on Relena's
clients…nothing at all. Nothing on
Relena. It was like she wasn't even
working at all. There was no
information. Heero slumped back in his
chair as he thought about what was going on.
* * *
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Cora
Salvano, now head of the Sicilian Mafia, was waiting for answers from the man
who had contracted the assassins who took out Don Antonio and Don Arago. The man was tied up to two ropes attached to
the ceiling, while his legs were tied to posts. Cora Salvano was sitting calmly in an armchair. She was holding a piece of paper in her
right hand.
"Who are
the people you hired?" she asked in a leveled voice.
"I don't
know…I just had to get the contract," gasped the man in pain. His body had small cuts. There was blood coming out of them. A technique that Cora Salvano had devised.
"Do it,"
said Coro with a nodded to another man in a suit. He opened the door and left the room. A moment later came a horrendous scream, "NO! NO!
DON'T DO THIS! AAAAAAH!"
"NO! My family!
You took my family here!" exclaimed the man in horror when he heard his
wife's voice.
"What about
the Family? I cannot let this
transgression be ignored. Now tell me,
who are the assassins?" asked Cora in a calm voice.
"Noir," he
cried as he tears came down his face.
"Finish
them off," said Cora to the same man in a suit. He left the room again.
"DADDY! DADDY!
WHERE ARE YOU?!" came the pleading voice of a child choking on his sobs,
and then total silence from the room.
"My
family…my family…" the man stammered over and over again in a stammer. Wordlessly, Cora got up from her chair, drew
her dagger, and finished him off.
"You're
with your family now," said Cora in a cold voice as she cleaned her
dagger. She left the room after that.
* * *
"There is
no more word from the contractor," stated Meia as she read over Relena's
shoulder when they checked to see what the contractor had to say.
"That is
because the Intocabile has arrived.
He's no longer alive…God knows who else," said Relena.
"You know
who Intocabile is?" asked Meia.
"I've only
meet her once…but I'll never forget it," said Relena as she shut her eyes
tightly. There were so many bad
memories that floated in Relena's head.
So many. Cora Salvano was only
one of those memories. It was a wonder
why she didn't become the way she was right after her father, Mr. Darlain
died.
"She's too
strong. I don't know if I can beat
her…" whispered Relena as she looked out the window.
* * *
Cora
Salvano waited in a Catholic church for the men she was suppose to meet. There were four of them. It was such a beautiful church, and Cora was
devoutly Catholic. The church was dim,
and small portions of sunlight came through the stain glass widows. She was right in front of the altar without
hearing anything, she said, "Thank you for coming. All of you."
"We are
happy to be here and to serve you, Dona Salvano," said the tallest man whose
hair was dark blonde.
"Welcome,
my archangels. Michelangelo, Gabriele,
Uriel, and Rafael," said Cora with a smile.
"What have
you summoned us from Sicily for, my Dona?" asked Rafael as his shoulder length
light brown hair came over his eyes as he bowed to Cora.
"Noir. They are here. You must take them out.
They have brought dishonor to us," commanded Cora.
Next Episode, Episode Six: The Archangels (Part Two)…
