Canta Per Me
Episode 11: Gardenias for Relena
Disclaimer: I don't own Noir or Gundam Wing. How many times have I said that?
Author's Note: The last part was fun, but we go back to
something more serious. This reveals
Relena's past as Noir, and how she became Noir. I want to show how Relena became strong. Heero is probably good and ticked at this
point. ^_^ Actually, Heero is probably having problems suspecting Relena of
doing anything wrong…especially that whole thing about her being a contract
killer. Meia is slowly coming out of
her shell. That girl's got some layers
on her. I've also found the name of Relena
and Millardo's mother, Katernia from the website dedicated to the women of
Gundam Wing. I'll provide the address
later. I came up with a name for their
father, Augustus Peacecraft. Even the
most informative websites don't have his name, just King Peacecraft. So, if anyone know please tell 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.
London, England
Heero was
done turning in his report to Lady Une about the mission in Gibraltar,
Spain. She appeared to be rather amused
by what had happened to the top Preventer agents. There was another thing that was bothering Heero. He knew that Relena was in Spain because
Quatre said that Dorothy had seen her.
However, he had to handle the whole Murrieta case, so he didn't have
time to check up on her. There were
several things about Relena that bothered him.
He had chosen earlier not to pry, but he decided do it anyway.
Heero was
on his laptop to check which hotels within a five-mile radius in Gibraltar did
Relena stay in. He found no
reservations on any of hotels' registers for Relena Darlian. He tried for Relena Peacecraft, but found
nothing again. Of course, Heero wasn't
the type to just give up, and his curiosity was peaked, so he decided to dig
further. He recalled Relena saying that
she was in the French Rivera during the week that he was in St. Tropes working
on the Perkins case. It took a few
hours, but still nothing. There were no
hotel reservations for Relena Peacecraft or Darlian. He folded his hands over each other as he looked at the computer
screen. Then he decided to check
something else, he checked to see if Relena had used her passport or if there
were any plane tickets under her name.
Nothing. No information about
Relena could be found in the net, and in all the computers Heero had hacked
into. The only information he could
find was the old stuff, when she was still the vice minister.
'Nothing. No names of clients. No registration for a business license. Nothing.
What is Relena doing?' thought Heero.
* * *
Paris, France
Today was
another sunny day in the beautiful city of Paris. Relena was happily walking down the street doing some
window-shopping. Meia was back at the
flat reading a book that she had found laying around; it was Les Miserables
by Victor Hugo. Relena loved to walk
around the city, especially when a job was over. She found out that the Preventers didn't leak anything to the
press about Gibraltar. She smiled at
the thought of what had happened.
However, Relena took care not to be over confident. 'If I know Heero, he'll want to find
whomever the assassin is now. I may
have made things worse,' thought Relena.
She was so deep in thought that she couldn't hear a tall, blonde haired
man call her name.
"Relena! Relena!
LENA!" called the man. He was a
handsome man with violet eyes and short wavy blonde hair. He was only in his mid thirties. He smiled at her when she finally turned around.
"Uh? Uncle Gustave?" said Relena with a smile on
her face.
"How's my
niece?" he asked her. He gave her a
hug, and Relena hugged him back with all her might. He looked at her as he gently pulled a loose strand of hair away
from her face.
"I'm fine,
Uncle Gustave," answered Relena.
"Come to
let's get something to eat while we catch up.
I haven't eaten all day. I just
arrived last week in Paris, but you weren't in town," said Gustave.
"I was in
Spain," said Relena as they crossed the street to a sidewalk café.
"Ah. I heard about it," said Gustave. The waiter showed them to their seats, and
her uncle pulled a chair out for her.
They began to take about business because they were in the same line of
work.
* * *
London, England
"Hilde
is still laughing about Spain," complained Duo.
"I would
like to think that one day we'll all look back at this and laugh," said Quatre.
"That is
highly unlikely, Winner," said Wufei with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't
think we were even close to catching the assassin," said Trowa.
"That's
because the assassin knows all our moves before we make them," said Quatre
quietly.
"What do
you mean?" asked a female voice from behind them.
"Oh, hi
Sally," said Quatre.
"Hi everyone. Are you talking about that trap in Spain?"
asked Sally in her typical frank manner.
"Yes,"
answered Duo.
"I've been
thinking that there's a leak somewhere in the system," mused Sally out loud.
"No. Zechs and I have ruled that theory out,"
said Noin as she came in.
"I think
it's worse than that. It's someone who
knows us," said Quatre with a sigh.
Everyone looked at him because of the statement he had made. Was it possible that the assassins knew the
Preventers?
* * *
Paris, France
Relena and
her uncle were enjoying a stroll through park after they had lunch. She was so happy to be with him because she
missed him very much. She had not seen
him in three years, and they didn't communicate with each other. It was not a very wise to have attachments
to anyone, especially in their line of work.
They sat down at a park bench near the pond in the park.
"It looks
like the pond we used to go too when you were little," said Gustave with a
content smile.
"Uh-huh, I was just thinking that, Uncle Gustave,"
said Relena.
"We should
go back for a visit some day," said Gustave softly.
"Are you
here for work, Uncle?" asked Relena out of curiosity.
"Yes, how's
work for you?" asked Gustave.
"Fine. Nothing much has changed," answered Relena.
"Do you
still work alone?" asked Gustave.
Relena thought about her answer for a less than a second, but for some
strange reason she decided to lie to him.
"Yes,"
answered Relena.
"I see,"
murmured Gustave. 'She's gotten better
at lying,' he noted. "You look more and
more like her everyday, Lena," he said.
"Oh," said
Relena as she looked down at her small delicate hands. "Millardo looked like Father," she added in
softly.
Gustave
placed his arm around her in a comforting embrace. "We are all that is left of our family, my dear, sweet Lena," he
said as he placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. Relena smiled again as she looked at the pond.
"We should
go and visit the pond. I wonder if
anything has changed there," said Relena.
* * *
Relena
returned back to the flat at around four in the afternoon. She could hear the shower running, so she
placed her keys on the small table next to the door and hung up her coat. She went to the billiard table and turned on
the computer. Soon, the shower was
turned off, and Meia emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a white tank top and blue gym shorts, but her
hair was still wet from the shower, so she was drying it off with a towel.
"Are there
any jobs today?" asked Meia as she took a seat at the window seat next to a
houseplant.
"No. Not today, but I have wonderful news. I ran into my uncle in the street, Gustave
Reinheart. My mother's younger
brother," said Relena as she beamed with a smile.
"Oh," said
Meia.
"He's the
one who got my brother and me out of the palace the night that the Sank Kingdom
fell. He was only sixteen at the
time. When I got older, he trained me. He was a very strict teacher, but I truly
appreciate what he did for me. He
taught me how to be strong and in charge of my own destiny. I'll introduce you to him. Hmm…maybe, tomorrow," said Relena
excitedly.
"There were
hits done in Paris while we were gone in Spain, Lena," said Meia as she
finished off drying her short, red hair.
"I know. That was probably Uncle Gustave. He's been in Paris for a week now, since we
were in Spain," said Relena.
"Is he a
nice person?" asked Meia.
"Of course,
he's my uncle. He's wonderful. I know my mother through him. My eyes are the same color as his, and it
feels like having a father. Almost, of
course, he's too young to be my father.
Well, maybe not. I'll go and
take a shower," said Relena as she stood up from the table to go take a
shower. Something about the question he
had asked her bothered her.
Relena
stripped off her clothes and got into the shower. The water came down her head as she faced the showerhead. Relena was thinking about it,' What did
Uncle Gustave mean by asking me if I was still working alone? Why did I lie to him? I should have just told him that I had a
partner,' thought Relena.
Meia was
looking out the window, and there came a knock at the door. She got up to answer it; a deliveryman gave
her a bouquet of white delicate blossoms, nodded to her, and left. Meia shut the door, and she noticed that
there was a card addressed in hand writing to Relena. Actually, it said "To Lena."
By this time, Relena was out of the shower and wearing a light blue,
terry cloth bathrobe. "Who was at the
door?" asked Relena.
"These came
for you," said Meia as she handed the flowers to Relena.
"It's from
my Uncle Gustave. I could recognize
that handwriting from anywhere," said Relena as she smelled the flowers.
"What kind
are they?" asked Meia.
"They are
called gardenias. My uncle grows them
himself because they were my mother's favorite flowers. He said that in the palace, my mother begged
for him to plant flowers there when she first married my father because she was
homesick. These smell heavenly," said
Relena as she smiled when she smelled the flowers.
"There's a
card," stated Meia. Relena put the card
on the table and went to go get a vase for the gardenias. She came back and put the vase in the center
of the billiard table. She finally got
a chance to read the card. He had
invited her to his townhouse in Paris, so that she could look at his
greenhouse. Relena called him to accept
his invitation, but he was out, so she left a message.
* * *
Gustave
Reinheart watched as the two men scrambled away from him, and he wasn't about
to let them get away. He jumped onto a
rooftop and ran until he intercepted them.
When he jumped down, the two men were surprised. He simply shot them without saying a
word. His two loyal henchmen caught up
with him.
"We must go
now to the next one on the list," said Gustave without looking at the bodies,
they left for the next hit. The people
on the list were members of the French underworld. Gustave was ordered to take them out by someone. He honored all his contracts. He was one of the best assassins in the
world, and he trained his older sister's daughter how to be one as well. Gustave was born in Corsica with the rest of
his family. His sister, Katernia, was
arranged to marry Augustus Peacecraft twenty-seven years ago. Katernia adored her younger brother, so she
invited him to stay with her in the Sank Kingdom. The young man at the age of ten didn't know what to make of her
husband, the King of the Sank Kingdom.
Gustave thought that he was too stubborn and foolish. He was validated about Augustus Peacecraft
when the kingdom was destroyed. Gustave
Reinheart had some secrets that his sister never knew about, and if she did she
never said them out loud. The marriage
between Augustus Peacecraft and Katernia Reinheart was arranged by a group that
was came from all corners of Europe, and sought to establish themselves in the
last part of Europe where peace could flourish. This group was known as the Society of Night, and Gustave
Reinheart had been a member of this group since the day he was born. Only certain individuals were selected to be
in this group. Relena was even more
special than he was. He was ordered to
train her by the Society.
The Society
of Night suffered many losses during the war.
Many of its older members were dying off, and electing new members was
very difficult. The Society survived
the fall of the Rome Empire, but the latest wars were devastating for the
Society. For the true mission of the
Society was to maintain the peace of Earth.
* * *
Relena came
to the house that belonged to her uncle.
Two men lead her to a greenhouse that was the center of the entire
house. He was standing among some of
the most beautiful flowers she had ever since as she remembered what he told
her about growing flowers.
"Hello
Uncle Gustave," said Relena with a smile.
"Hello, my
darling Lena," said Gustave as he planted a kiss on her cheek. He always thought of his wonderful,
beautiful sister whenever he saw his niece.
Her eyes were a lovely shade of violet like her mother's and his. He was as tall as his nephew, Millardo. Relena thought that he looked like her
brother. They sure acted alike, well
Millardo was never as openly affectionate as Uncle Gustave. The two men were affected by the war
differently. Millardo became colder and
harsher because of the losses he had in the war. Uncle Gustave became warmer and more loving because he had
learned to appreciate what he had left when the war was over.
"So, this
is your garden. It's beautiful," said
Relena with delight as she delicately touched the soft petals on a daisy.
"That's not
the only reason why you were called here, Lena," said Gustave as his eyes
changed to reflect the seriousness in his voice.
"What?"
asked Relena.
"She is the
next target," said Gustave as he took out photograph and threw it on the
table. It was a picture of Meia Krane.
"Meia?"
whispered Relena as she looked at her uncle.
His eyes had narrowed, and they were cold and emotionless just like when
he was training her.
"You do
know her, don't you? She's your
partner," said Gustave. Relena nodded
slowly and swallowed.
"But, why?"
asked Relena.
"Does it
matter? It was ordered," said Gustave.
"I can't do
that…she trusts me," stammered Relena.
"Do what
you are ordered to do, Lena. That was
the first rule I taught you. We always
do things we have to do. There is no
choice in this. Don't be foolish like
your father," said Gustave. When he mentioned her father his tone became
bitter.
"My father
wasn't a fool," whispered Relena in shock because Gustave had never said
anything bad about Augustus Peacecraft until now.
"Both of
your fathers were fools, Lena. God, I
should have known better than trusting Darlian to raise you with such foolish
ideals. You know what the mission of
Noir is. Recite it to me now," he
ordered her.
"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," whispered Relena as she pulled away from him.
"You know
your oath Lena, but the time has expired when Noir needed a partner. The girl must be eliminated as ordered. Noir is the dark hand of peace. We protect the peace by doing the things that
most men and women could never imagine.
We sacrifice ourselves for the greater good of everyone else. The world doesn't want to acknowledge our
existence. Augustus was a fool that
caused his own death. I was the one who
let the soldiers into the palace that night because I was ordered to," spat
Gustave. Relena's eyes widened in
horror as she pulled further away from him.
"You…you
were the one who showed the soldiers how to get to the private chambers of the
palace? I was there…I saw everything,"
stammered Relena in a bare whisper. Her
throat contracted.
"I did my
duty. As Noir, you must do yours. I taught you better than that," said Gustave
coldly.
"My
father…my mother. Your own sister. You killed her," whispered Relena.
"I LOVED MY
SISTER! I didn't come to the room when
they were killed. If I had I would have
stopped them from killing my sister. I
didn't kill her. They did," he finished
in a harsh whisper.
"What have
you done to your own family? My
brother? Me?" asked Relena desperately.
"Your
father destroyed the Sank Kingdom.
Standing by his beliefs is what got his wife and son killed. The damage he did to your brother caused
Millardo to continue that war. Millardo
was trying to live up to his damn ideals!
He ruined him even after he was dead," said Gustave angrily. Relena was now gasping as she held back her
tears. She wasn't about to cry in front
of him. There was a burning pain in her
chest as the anger rose up from her gut.
"Me? What the Hell did you do to me? What have I become? You've molded me after your own image! You made me into you! Why?!" fired back Relena in anger. She shut her eyes tightly as she clutched
her hands over her ears, refusing to listen to him.
"I gave you
back what belongs to you. What is
rightfully yours. Your destiny. You were destined to be Noir. I taught you how to survive in this world
and treated you like you were my own daughter.
I gave you life. Your brother
was destined to be the King of the Sank Kingdom. That was what was supposed to happen, but your brother tried and
failed to live up to Augustus' image.
You were born to be Noir. Just
like I was born to be part of the Society.
Augustus wanted to deny you what you were supposed to be. I corrected that," said Gustave because he
couldn't stand the hateful look that Relena was giving him. He was still human after all. His hands came up to her hands and pulled
them back down to her sides.
"You're
just trying to justify your sins. You
dragged me down to Hell with you," whispered Relena as she narrowed her violet
eyes, wretched her arms free, and folded her arms over her chest.
"I am the
one who will go to Hell. Not you. You are Noir. You are first my niece, then you are Noir. You are all I have left in this world, my
dear Lena. Just bring your partner
here. When this is all over, we'll go
to the pond just like when you were little," he said gently as he embraced
her. Relena recalled the last time one
of her kinsmen had hugged her like that.
It was her brother on broad the Libra when he was the leader of White
Fang. He had hugged her and told her
his ideals. Just like what her Uncle
Gustave was doing. She let him embrace
her as another feeling came over her.
Betrayal.
* * *
Zechs
and Noin were investigating a case because they were the Preventers assigned to
the offices in Paris. They were looking
at a body in the middle of the alley.
It was clean kill with two bullets in the chest. There was no other piece of evidence other
than the body.
"What do
you make of this, Zechs?" asked Noin.
"This is
one of the men from the French underworld.
He's not the first one to die this week. There's been a string of murders according to other reports. This was done by a professional. I'll have to use my contacts to find out,"
said Zechs.
"These days
there are just so many professional assassins out there. We were in Spain chasing after one, and here
we are back in Paris chasing another one," said Noin.
"More
people are killed by professional assassins during peace time than during a
war, Noin. Or maybe, it's more
noticeable because there's nothing else to focus on," said Zechs quietly.
"I wonder
what goes through their heads when they kill someone. I would like to think that they are like soldiers, but they
aren't. Heero Yuy probably has the best
chance out of all of us trying to figure out what they think. I still don't know how he thinks," said
Noin.
"I do, but
these people are different from him.
Heero was working for the colonies.
These people are working for money," said Zechs.
* * *
London, England
Heero
couldn't believe it. He couldn't find
any information on Relena's occupation.
She might as well not exist at all, and as far as the world was
concerned she was just living in Paris.
What was she up to? Heero
thought back to when all of this had started.
Relena began to distance herself away from the others long before she
had quit being the vice minister. Heero
tried to remember when it started, but he couldn't come up with when it
started. How long did he not notice
that she was doing something wrong?
Surveillance
had long since been pulled off her, so that she could have the added privacy
that she wanted. Heero knew for certain
that Relena was up to something, but what was she doing that required so much
secrecy? He had to find out what she was
doing out of sheer human curiosity even Heero was capable of that. He wondered what she was doing. The way that she was hiding her secrets was
even more enticing as if she was inviting him to play.
Heero just
wanted to know what game Relena was playing, even if he didn't know the
rules.
* * *
Paris, France
Relena was
quiet ever since she returned from her visit with her uncle noticed Meia. She looked like she was angry about
something. Not that Relena ever openly
displayed her anger in front of Meia, but she could feel the undercurrent of
anger from her. She looked at her
worriedly. The time was now twenty
minutes to seven in the evening. They
had a quiet dinner, and Relena stood up and cleaned up without speaking. Meia did the dishes when Relena left to do
something. She saw the way Relena was
eyeing the gardenias. There was a
mixture of sadness and contempt when she looked at the delicate, white
blossoms. Relena came back dressed in a
pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt with her black coat over it. She was loading her gun with bullets and
preparing to go out for some unknown reason.
"Where are
you going, Lena?" asked Meia quietly.
"Out. I'll return soon," answered Relena as she
pinned her shoulder length blonde hair in a messy bun.
"Can I come
with you?" asked Meia.
"If you
want to," replied Relena as she stopped at the door and turned around to face
Meia. "It's your choice." Meia nodded and put on her black hooded
sweatshirt over her white button up blouse and zipped up the sweatshirt. In her right pocket, she had her gun. They finally ventured outside, despite
wearing jean shorts, Meia didn't feel cold.
Relena wore a pair of calf length boots with heels that quietly tapped
as they walked along, while Meia's footsteps were inaudible because of her
black ballet slipper like slip on shoes.
They walked for the next eighteen minutes until they reached a townhouse
that looked like it was built during the 1880's A.D. Relena stopped to look at the house. She knocked on the door, and a man promptly answered it.
"Mademoiselle
Lena, please come inside, Monsieur Gustave is waiting for you in the
greenhouse," said the man as he shifted his eyes past her to look at Meia.
"I know my
way," said Relena as she went to the archway that led to the indoor greenhouse
that was center of the house. She
walked passed another man who looked at her, then at Meia.
* * *
Gustave was
busying pruning his rose bushes. He
liked roses, but he preferred the gardenias that his sister had cherished. The only gardenia plant in the greenhouse
came from the backyard where he had planted it out of many in the Sank Kingdom
for her. He was young when she was
married to Augustus, and Gustave felt bad because he couldn't give her a real
gift for her wedding. That was why he
was so happy to hear that she wanted gardenias planted in the royal
garden. Gustave took the smallest
sapling from the garden, so that it would survive. Gardenias were delicate flowers that required care, so he didn't
think that the gardenias left behind survived without him.
He thought back
to the days at the pond. His little
niece was flourishing and happy.
Gustave didn't like the way Relena looked at him today. She was so small and delicate just like when
she was little, but her anger towards him was real. Gustave loved her very much, and he couldn't stand the thought of
her hating him. The way she looked at
him coldly wasn't like his sister, but rather like Augustus Peacecraft,
especially when he was defending his beliefs.
Gustave had hoped to purge such foolishness, but he was mistaken. "Uncle Gustave…" he heard the voice of his niece when she was
little. Gustave looked up to see a
younger version of his Lena standing in the doorway of the greenhouse.
"Uncle
Gustave," Relena called again. He
finally saw her as she was. A grown
woman with a gun in her hand pointed directly at him. "I can't come to the pond with you anymore," she whispered
quietly.
* * *
Meia stood
in the entryway of the house. One of
the men took out a coin and threw it on the floor causing it to roll slightly,
while she was distracted by this, he took out his gun. Meia shot him right away without
hesitation. The man who stood in the
archway that Relena had gone through took out his gun too late because Meia was
able to shot him already. She stomped
on the coin to stop it from rolling.
There was a
hole in the pocket of her sweatshirt because she never bother to take her gun
out of the pocket when she shot the men.
She decided
to follow Relena.
* * *
Gustave
looked down at the barrel of her gun and smirked at her. He should have known better. "You truly are Augustus Peacecraft's
daughter," he stated without malice in his voice. They looked at each other without another word he took out his
gun. They were now pointing their guns
at each other.
They took
their shots at the same time.
Meia
watched from outside of the greenhouse.
Her eyes remained emotionless as she watched Gustave Reinheart fell to
the ground knocking over a nearby gardenia plant. Relena lowered her gun.
Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she stepped forward to
him. He was lying on the ground face
up, and her bullet had killed him instantly.
She took his massive hand into her much smaller hands and pressed his
hand to her cheek. After that, she
place his hand back on the ground. She
stood up and without looking at Meia and walked out of the house. Meia simply followed her without speaking.
* * *
Zechs
Marquise was looking at the reports on his desk. They were investigating the killings of various underworld
members. He looked at the newspaper on
his desk. Something caught his eye, an
article about a mysterious killing that happened in Paris the night before. He closed his eyes after he read the article
and set it aside. "Uncle Gustave," he
whispered. He couldn't believe his
uncle was murdered by someone.
According to the reports, it was a single bullet to the chest that broke
through the breastbone, hitting his heart.
Zechs couldn't believe it because he remembered his uncle as the man who
taught him how to fence, and as the man who grew flowers for his mother. 'I swear…I'll find out who did this,' he
promised without saying it out loud.
* * *
Heero
finally found out where Relena was, but he didn't expect to find her
there. He saw her standing over a new
grave in the cemetery that was further from the others, but closer to beautiful
flowers. She was looking at the grave,
but sunglasses obscured her eyes.
Heero watched as she threw down a bunch of fresh gardenias on the grave
and left.
Heero read
the tombstone out loud in a whisper as he watched her walk away, "Gustave
Reinheart. 161 – 201 After Colony. REST IN PEACE." He followed Relena and watched as she finally took off her
sunglasses.
"Heero,"
she whispered when she turned to look at him.
Her eyes were devoid of any emotion.
"Who was
he?" asked Heero.
"A distant
relative. Someone I barely knew,"
answered Relena in a whisper. He let
her leave without stopping her.
Next Episode, Episode Twelve: Mission in Japan
