Canta Per Me
Episode Ten: The Spanish Sunset
Disclaimer: I don't own Noir or Gundam Wing. I should hope that you know that by now. ^_^
Author's Note: Things have been getting rather serious for Relena and Meia. Meia isn't who you think she is because the story is more complicated than that. I was inspired by a violin concerto by renowned violinist, Vanessa Mae. The piece is called Leyenda. It's got violins, guitars, and great rhythm in it. I was able to find a version of Endless Waltz that was complete unlike the one in Toonami, so I'm happy. Heero knows that there are two assassins, and yes, Relena was trained by someone who loved her very much. That's for a later episode. Maybe the next episode. In this episode, I've finally brought in someone else from the series. And you know that she means trouble. Remember, Endless Waltz didn't take place, so the last upgrades of the mobile suits aren't there. You'll see. By the way, who do you want to win this? Do you people like Relena outsmarting Heero? I sure do. And she pulls a real fast one over everyone here. It's the longest chapter yet, but I think it's the most fun.
* * * * * *
"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.
Gibraltar, Spain
There was a masquerade ball in Gibraltar which was along the coast of the country just at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. The guests were dressed in old fashion clothes from decades past. The men were in high collars, jackets with tails, knee high boots, and ruffles on the cuffs of their shirts. The women were dressed in corsets, gloves that reached the elbows, and long flowing skirts. Everyone wore different kinds of masks, and it was hard to tell if all the people invited came or if there were any party crashers. A honey blonde haired woman with her upswept hair wasn't invited to the ball. She wore a white dress with long black gloves as contrast. Her mask was black with peacock feathers and multi-colored, shiny sequins. Her violet eyes were shining underneath the mask. Wrapped around her right thigh was a holster which held a small firearm. She had to wait for the target to move out of the ballroom into a more secluded spot.
Another girl was waiting outside watching the party, but she was dressed in black and looking for the guards to take them out. She shot them with a silencer on her gun. Her job was done, all she had to do was wait for her partner to finish off the boss inside. The man at the center of the room was tall he had a moustache and a beard that came down to a tip at the end of his chin. He was enjoying the party very much. Then, he spotted the woman who wore white with black gloves and a black mask. Truly a striking creature. He licked his lips with some excitement because he had never seen her before. The crowd got in the way of his view, and when it parted again, the woman in white was gone. He panicked and ran to go look for the woman in white. He asked people if they saw her, but no one did. He walked through the exposed hallway of his estate, and there he saw the lovely vision of white standing in the moonlight. She was like an apparition with the seaside night breeze blowing at her long flowing skirts.
"Senorita? I hope it's Senorita," he smiled as he walked up to her. She turned around to look at him.
"I've been waiting for you almost the whole night," she said in a whisper that sent tingles down his spine.
"Then, I must apologize to such a bonita Senorita," he said with a smile.
"That's alright…I wasn't invited to the party anyway," said the women in the white dress.
"There must have been some awful mishap that didn't allow, Senorita, to come to the party," he said as he came closer to her. He placed his hand on her bare shoulder because the dress hung of her shoulders like it was supposed to. "Tell me who are you?" he asked.
"Someone who doesn't hid behind a mask," said the woman as she turned around suddenly, stripped of the mask, and shot him with her gun. She threw the mask down on the ground near his body and left the garden. Her partner was waiting for her. They had two jobs to complete in Spain. This man and then his partner.
"Are we going back to the hotel, Lena?" asked Meia when Relena came back to the little black convertible. Relena nodded.
"We have to seal that part of the contract. We'll deal with Murrieta later," said Relena as she took off the holster on her thigh and threw it in the backseat of the little car.
* * *
London, England
"There's news, a wealthy businessman was killed last night during a masquerade ball was killed along with his entire security force," said Wufei as he read the report out loud.
"What's the name of the businessman?" asked Quatre.
"According to this, his name was Miguel De La Cruz," said Wufei.
"Miguel De La Cruz? I knew him…I met him when he came to L4. He was a real gentleman," said Quatre quietly.
"A gentleman with skeletons in his closet," said Trowa as he showed Quatre a report. Apparently, De La Cruz was selling weapons to terrorists groups," read Trowa from folder. He handed it to Quatre to read after he was done.
"I don't believe…I guess you never know people," said Quatre.
"Do you think it's the assassins we're going after?" asked Duo.
"Looks like it, but we can never be sure," said Heero as he read the police report from the Spain. He could read different languages as part of his training with Dr. J. He read the report. There were a dozen bodies including De La Cruz's. According to the report it was suspected that De La Cruz was working with a partner known as Jose Murrieta. They were both upper class gentleman who were born into Spanish nobility. "The assassins are going to take out his partner next. We have to get there first," he added quietly. The rest of the former Gundam pilots nodded.
* * *
Gibraltar, Spain
Relena walked down the streets of the ancient market place of Gibraltar. Meia walked with her as they admired the shops. Someone a little far from them spotted Relena. She came up to her with a smile on her face, and when Relena turned around she was surprised to see Dorothy Catalonia. "Hello Miss Relena, how are you? I didn't expect to see you in Spain," she said with a smile still on her face.
"Hello Dorothy. Oh, this is my assistant Meia Krane. We're on business," said Relena with a calm smile on her face.
"You must be very busy, Miss Relena. Why don't you join me for some coffee? That's what the Spanish have during the afternoons," said Dorothy.
"Sure, why not? Do you want to, Meia?" asked Relena, and Meia nodded. They sat down at an outdoor café and were served café con leche. There were pastries that were semi-sweet that went great with the coffee. Meia quietly ate the pastries and drank the coffee as Relena and Dorothy talked. Meia thought that the pastries and coffee tasted delicious, so she was happy.
"What business are you here for, Miss Relena?" asked Dorothy.
"Oh, nothing major. I should be finishing by the end of the week and returning to Paris," said Relena avoiding the question all together.
"It's been so long since I've seen you, Miss Relena. It's getting so hard to track you down these days. What kind of business are you in?" asked Dorothy as she took a sip of her coffee.
"I'm a business analyst. I work strictly freelance and for private and small businesses. Nothing big like Winner Industries," answered Relena without hesitation.
"Oh my…it sounds like a very boring job, Miss Relena. Wasn't it more exciting as a diplomat?" asked Dorothy with a raised eyebrow (AN: God…I hate those eyebrows.)
"It's a living, Dorothy. It's not as stressful as being a diplomat. And I always win all my negotiations," replied Relena with a slight smile.
"You are successful in all your endeavors, Miss Relena," said Dorothy in a pleased tone. Relena could barely stand her, but she had to put up with her. She never trusted Dorothy. Not six years ago, and not now. They were civil to each other for the most part. Dorothy was educated in Cambridge University as a political science major. She wasn't planning to become a politician, but rather a professor in the subject. She believe that education was key, if anymore wars were to be avoided.
"Thank you, Dorothy. I'll see you later. My assistant and I have some negotiations tonight, and we have a time table to fill," said Relena. Meia finished off her last pastry and one last gulp of the café con leche. They left Dorothy after that. 'Miss Relena…you're hiding something,' thought Dorothy as a smile curved up her lips.
* * *
Meanwhile, Heero and Wufei met with the businessman known as Jose Murrieta. He was clean shaven, in his mid-thirties, and his hair was black as well as his eyes. He looked every bit like the gentleman he was supposed to be. Heero and Wufei sat at his office, while Trowa, Quatre, and Duo were talking to the police trying to get more detail about the death of De La Cruz.
"I was devastated when I heard the news of Miguel. I never thought that something like that would ever happen. I kept telling him to get some more security and to install a system, but he refused. He said that would have turned his home into a prison. Better a prisoner than dead, I always say," said Jose Murrieta.
"Senor Murrieta, we know about your illegal activities, but we don't have any evidence against you," said Heero quietly.
"What illegal activities?" asked Murrieta with an innocent look on his face.
"The drugs and guns," said Wufei.
"What are you talking about gentlemen?" asked Murrieta again with the innocent look still on his face.
"It doesn't matter, and it wouldn't take us very long to find evidence against you. We just came to warn you," said Heero.
"About what?" asked Murrieta as he maintained his composure.
"The assassins who killed your partner are coming for you next," answered Wufei as he narrowed his eyes. Murrieta didn't look the slightest bit shaken by the information that two Gundam pilots revealed.
"Thank you very much for that piece of information. Good day to you, gentlemen," said Murrieta. Heero and Wufei left the office. They got into the car with Heero at the driver's seat.
"We'll have to wait," said Wufei.
"The assassins are coming. We'll catch them," said Heero.
* * *
Quatre, Duo, and Trowa decided to go to lunch because they've been working for the past five hours straight without any breaks. They were gathered at a restaurant, and Heero and Wufei were supposed to meet them back at the hotel.
"What will we have?" asked Duo as he looked at the menu, but he couldn't read it because it was just in Spanish.
"Um…the paella sounds good," said Quatre because he could read the menu.
"What's that?" asked Duo suspiciously.
"Does it matter?" asked Trowa with a slight smile on his face. He knew that Duo would eat anything.
"I guess it doesn't matter. Why can't we go somewhere where I can read the menu?" asked Duo.
"Because it's fun to watch you look at menu funny," answered Quatre with a laugh.
"You guys are having fun at my troubles…I thought you were my friends," said Duo with a slight pout.
"I didn't expect to see you here. I've been running into people I haven't seen in a while all day long," said a female voice behind them. The three of them turned their heads.
"Miss Dorothy?" asked Quatre with surprise.
"Hello Quatre. Duo. Trowa," said Dorothy with a smile on her face.
"What are you doing here in Spain?" asked Quatre.
"I'm on vacation," answered Dorothy nonchalantly.
"What did you mean about running into other people all day long?" asked Trowa.
"I just saw Miss Relena and her assistant. What was her name? Oh, um…Meia something," said Dorothy as she gestured with her hand. She looked at the three of them wondering when they would offer her a seat. She shook her head and took an empty chair between Quatre and Trowa, and she was across from Duo.
"Who said that you could join us?" asked Duo with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I can," said Dorothy.
"Please stop it. We're in public place," pleaded Quatre. Trowa maintained his silence because it was best that he not say anything that would get him involved. "Wait? Relena is here?" asked Quatre. Duo and Trowa finally looked surprised.
"My, that was a delayed reaction. You guys are getting soft and slow," said Dorothy with a smirk.
"Where did you see her?" demanded Duo.
"I'm not telling you because you were rude to me," said Dorothy as she order something from the menu since the waiter had arrive. Everyone else sighed and decided to order as well. Once everyone was settled down with drinks and waiting just for the food to come, the conversation started up again. "I saw Relena walking along the marketplace looking at all the shops. I guess she wasn't working during that time. She looked rather well," said Dorothy.
"I didn't know that she was in Spain, but we've been working, so we haven't been keeping up with her," said Quatre thoughtfully.
"Well, it's hard to keep up with her, Quatre," said Duo as a matter of fact.
"Did she say that why she's here?" asked Trowa.
"She says that she's here on business. But, I really don't know about that. It looked like she decided to play hooky from work and have fun in Spain," said Dorothy rather playfully.
"Well, if she's doing that, then she's earned it. She rarely takes a vacation because she works so hard," Quatre said defending Relena.
"Tell me now, do any of you really know what the work of a 'business analyst' entails?" asked Dorothy as she gestured with her fingers making quotes at the words "business analyst." Quatre looked at Trowa and Duo, and both of them shook their heads. The term was rather ambiguous.
* * *
Relena and Meia were back at the hotel, and Relena was browsing reports on the net to look up information on the offices of Murrieta because she thought that was the best place to hit him. Her eyes widened when she found a report in the Preventers' office computer. Not one, not two, not three, not even four, but all five of the former Gundam Pilots were in Gibraltar. She shook her head because they were investigating last night's hit on De La Cruz. There was no doubt that they were going to have some kind of trap set for the hit on Murrieta. Meia was looking at the sea from the window with her chin resting in her hands and the window opened.
"The Preventers are in Spain. All five of the former Gundam pilots are here," said Relena without looking up from the computer screen.
"What's a 'Gundam'? I've been wondering what that is," said Meia turning from the window.
"There were actually five of them. The generic term is 'mobile suits.' Gundams are a special kind of mobile suits. They were used in battle during the wars like knights from the middle ages going into battles. The Gundams piloted by five pilots from the Lagrange colonies or L colonies were considered five of the six strongest mobile suits during the entire war that started in A.C. 195. The sixth suit was the Tallgesse which was my brother's suit before he upgraded to the Eypon, which was created by a friend of his. Treize Khushrenada was the one who gave him the Eypon. There are specs for all those mobile suits some where. I'll give them to you to read some time. The problem is that not just anyone can pilot those suits…um…they're very special people. The five former Gundam pilots are cunning and intelligent. They are a force to be reckoned with," finished off Relena. It was going to take some very special planning to get rid of them for the time being. She couldn't explain the detail for the five Gundam suits, and she could tell that Meia couldn't care less about it. Relena suspected that Meia didn't even remember what the war was like.
Relena had come up with a plan, but they only had an hour to carry it out from start to finish, including taking out Murrieta. They had to trap the Gundam pilots somewhere and shrewd planning it looked like it was going to work. Relena had the advantage because she knew how the Gundam pilots worked better than they knew her. She knew how Heero worked best out of the five. 'Know thy enemy, know thy self,' thought Relena. She had to be careful not to underestimate them, but she had the advantage because they underestimated her. She wasn't about to make the same mistake.
* * *
Heero was planning from a central location, a hotel across the street from the main offices of Murrieta. They were going to break into the security room of the building and wait of assassins to come there because the assassins always took out the security files and system, so Heero knew that they were going to be there. He turned around expecting one of the other pilots behind him, but it was three people instead: Zechs, Noin, and Sally.
"What are you doing here?" asked Heero gruffly.
"I heard that my sister was in Spain, so I decided to come by," said Zechs.
"Also, we heard that you guys were closing in on the assassin. We thought that you guys could use some back up," said Sally.
"We don't need your help, Onna," said Wufei who was standing at the door with the rest of the Gundam pilots.
"Oh, but you do. At least Lady Une thinks so," said Noin handing the orders to Duo because he was right next to her. He read them, and Wufei snatched the paper from him. He read them, scowled, and passed the paper to the others.
"Well, looks like were working together," said Quatre in a happy tone.
* * *
Relena and Meia waited for a little bit until they knew that the Gundam pilots were inside, but she had no idea that there were three other Preventer agents with them. It made no difference because Relena's plan would also trap them inside. She knew that Heero probably researched the techniques that Noir used, so she correctly predicted they would be at a location that Noir would definitely go to. What Heero didn't know was that Relena preferred not to tamper with security systems from the outside, so that's why she destroyed the systems from the inside rather than from outside. However, Murrieta was a real tech suave sort of man, so his system was all out, but Relena learned how to heck into the system. She broke into it from the outside. Meia watched her as she used her portable to hack into the system and disable the cameras. She also planned something else.
At the same time…
Heero was looking at the computers in the security room with seven other people. The screens went black suddenly.
"What the Hell just happened?" asked Duo. Quatre and Heero typed furiously at the computer security system. Murrieta didn't know that they were even in the building. They had knocked out the people in the control room and the security in the parking lot.
"There's no signal. The system's been cut off!" said Quatre loudly.
"I can't reestablish the connection," said Heero. Zechs and Wufei headed for the doors on either side to see if they could get outside. The doors were locked from the inside. The doors were made out of titanium and couldn't be broken down. The ventilation that led to the room was small. After trying the knobs a few times, Wufei shouted, "DAMMIT THE DOORS ARE LOCKED!"
"We're trapped. Someone's trapped us from the outside," summarized Zechs. They all looked at each other. The assassins outsmarted them again.
* * *
It was sunset when Meia and Relena took separate ways into the building after they sealed off the security room, and they took care to avoid that location all together. Relena took the stair entrance from the parking and smiled when she noticed that the guards were knocked out. 'Thanks guys. You saved me some trouble,' she thought as she raced up to Murrieta's office. Meia took the front entrance taking out two men as went inside. She killed another two men while making it up the stairs. A man came from behind her, but she turned and shot him before he even had a chance. Relena took out all the men that were in her way, and she left a trail of bodies that lead to Murrieta's location.
Relena was making excellent time getting to Murrieta. She had a timer on her watch just like Meia. Murrieta was waiting for her at the top of the fifteen story high building. He was dressed in old fashion clothes just like the clothes at the masquerade. He was wearing a vest with long sleeves, brown slacks, and knee high boots. "Well, I didn't expect this. A beautiful woman with a gun. No wonder Miguel fell so fast. A beautiful face and figure makes him weak in the knees. Actually, he's always been weak around beautiful people, but I didn't expect you Senorita Darlian. I didn't expect you to be Noir," he said with a smile playing on his lips. She held up her gun without saying anything.
"Come now, Ms. Darlian. I wanted to meet you myself. Let us duel," said Murrieta as he gestured at the swords on the table, which were thin, sharp fencing swords. Relena lowered her gun and judged him by looking at him. She was an excellent fencer because it was the first set of lessons the person who taught her how to be Noir did. The technique was purely from the Sank Kingdom, an ancient technique before the ideals changed for the country. Glancing at her watch, she gave an answer, "Sure why not? I've got half an hour to spare," with a shrug. She placed her gun on the table and looked at the sword. She picked the one on the right and handed the other sword to Murrieta. They stood apart ready to duel to the death.
* * *
Heero and Quatre tried to no avail to get the system up and running. Apparently, someone scrambled the system. Wufei was pacing around with Duo back and forth. Trowa calmly took a seat on the floor next to Sally who was next to Noin. Zechs was standing behind Heero and Quatre watching them as they struggled with the system.
"Why don't we just shot the door?" asked Duo snapping his fingers.
"That's not a good idea. Those doors are made out of solid titanium. The bullets could ricochet back at us," said Trowa quietly.
"Oh, DAMMIT! I can't stand this waiting anymore!" shouted Duo.
"Maxwell, stop that! You're making things worse!" shouted Wufei.
"Both of you calm down. Sit down and take a nap, Duo," suggested Sally because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to convince Wufei to take one. Duo shrugged his shoulder because she was right. Fighting wasn't going to get them anywhere, so Duo sat down to take a nap despite the impossibility of finding a comfortable position. Heero was gritting his teeth because he couldn't figure out how the assassins managed to out do him.
* * *
Relena waited for Murrieta to strike first which she easily counter. They started going fast and faster after that. They both were equal opponents, and Murrieta was pleasantly surprised to see that she could fence very well.
He attacked, she countered him.
She attacked, he countered her.
They went back and forth. Relena flipped up behind him. He whirled to counter her strike. They parried back and forth again. The sound of their footsteps sounded like the steps in a flamenco dance. The sounds of their footsteps created a rhythm. Relena countered a strike from him. She was letting him take as many hits as he wanted without letting him injury her. She was studying his technique.
"I read somewhere that you were the best fencer in Europe," said Relena as she parried.
"I think that's a slight exaggeration. Maybe, in Spain," he said as he blocked her.
"Impressive," said Relena when he jumped back from her in a back flip.
"You learned your technique from someone who knows the Sank Kingdom's technique. I must admit I've never seen it before," he said as he attacked forward again. Relena met him hit for hit. She finally grabbed his arm and pulled him closely at the same time she plowed her sword into his chest in between two of his ribs. The wound was fatal.
"You truly are the best…Noir," he fell back. Relena picked up her gun and left. She meet Meia at the front, and they left the building. The only regret that Relena had was that she didn't take the time to enjoy the sunset earlier over the sky before they went inside the building.
* * *
It was just after dawn when the titanium door finally opened on their own without any work from them. Zechs helped Noin up from the floor, and she stretched out her arms. Sally got up with Trowa's help. Wufei let out a sigh of relief. Heero and Quatre looked at each other.
"The doors must have been time released," said Heero in a monotone.
"I don't like this Heero. It's like the people were up against know who we are, and more importantly, how we think," said Quatre in a soft voice.
"I don't care at this point! All I care about is going back to the hotel. Calling Hilde, getting some to eat, taking a shower, and getting some sleep," said Duo as he stood between Heero and Quatre with his arms wrapped around his shoulder. They stepped aside, and Duo let his arms fall his sides. They all went outside, but there were bodies everywhere. They sighed because they were too tired to say anything about what they found, and they weren't surprised. They got to work to investiage the crime scene. Heero and Wufei found Murrieta's body, and with a sigh, Wufei said, "To think we actually warned him." He just couldn't believe the stupidity that the man had. It was fairly obvious that there was a duel with swords. Again this scene didn't match the other crime scenes exactly.
The next day, Heero filed his report. He just couldn't believe it. He failed his mission. Who was he up against, and how did they know him so well?
Next Episode, Episode Ten: Gardenias for Relena…