Canta Per Me

Canta Per Me

Episode 12: Mission in Japan

Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own either Gundam Wing or Noir. I wish I did.

Author's Note: I've been taking a break since Fanfiction.net has gone down, but I'll continue this now. The last part was very sad. It's like a game of chicken; how far is far enough for Relena and Meia? Who do they draw the line at? Heero is starting to have suspicions about Relena's behavior. There is a whole lot of stuff that is going to happen before this story ends. Noir's true purpose has been revealed, and Meia's past is coming up. I've also been playing around with an original story of my own, but it's going to be a comedy. ^_^ I've also been working on a new Fushigi Yuugi story, but this one is my primary concern right now. I am also pleased to announce that a representative from Viz visited our (my roommate and my) website. It seems that the link is now being around Viz. ^_^ Who would have thought that professionals were looking at our website?

* * *

"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.

Paris, France

~*Five Years Ago*~

"You must do better than that," said Gustave in a grim tone as he narrowed his blue-violet eyes at Relena. She was on her knees near a dead body with her hands clutched around the handle of her gun.

"What did you expect?" whispered Relena as she wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks with the inside of her upper arm, not letting go of her gun. They were in a warehouse with dead bodies laying on the ground; it was the first initiation to the world of Noir for Relena. She had just shot a man at point blank range, and something had broken inside her. It was the first time she had ever killed anyone.

"I expected you to get better. Just as there is no room for error, there is no room for emotions, Lena," answered back Gustave as his features softened. "Don't disappoint me, Lena," he added as he turned his back and walked away from her.

"Lena," called Meia softly from behind Relena who looked like she was in a trance. She blinked twice and finally turned away from the flowers that a vendor was selling to look at Meia. Meia looked at her worriedly, but Relena turned away, and kept walking. It was a week ago since she shot and killed her Uncle Gustave. The pair had gone out shopping for food during the morning, and they were returning to the flat. They put away the food in silence, and afterwards, Relena checked the computer for jobs.

"There is a contract," announced Relena in a monotone.

"Where to?" asked Meia looking up from a Sherlock Homles novel by Doyle.

"To Tokyo, Japan," answered Relena as she read the details of the contract. Noir usual accepted the contracts after doing some research, so Relena got down to work.

* * *

The Gundam pilots were all summoned to Paris at the orders of Lady Une. Zechs and Noin were early, and so they were waiting for everyone else to arrive. Everyone arrived on time, and Lady Une finally made her appearance.

"You all have been summoned here because there was a recent murder," said Lady Une as she showed a picture of a man who had honey blonde hair and violet eyes. He was in his mid-thirties, but there was a resemblance between him and Zechs.

"Gustave Reinheart," interrupted Zechs. He didn't usually do that, but he felt he had a right to.

"Relena's uncle. Your uncle," said Heero quietly as he recalled the way Relena talked about Gustave Reinheart at the cemetery. It was like she barely knew him, but Zechs acted differently. Zechs nodded when Heero mentioned Relena.

"We have reason to believe that Relena is in danger. Until the murderer is found, we can't leave Relena without any protection," said Zechs. Lady Une didn't say anything. It was as if the entire room knew that it was Zechs who had called the meeting and not Lady Une.

"Is she really in danger?" asked Quatre with concern.

"We don't know for certain, but it is a safe assumption to make," in toned Noin.

"The person who killed Mr. Reinheart was a professional, but there was definitely something different about the crime scene. We found guns and two other dead bodies. They were armed, but they never had a chance against the person who shot them. That same person probably shot Mr. Reinheart. The Paris Police found no other clues. He was shot at point blank range with a .35 caliber. The bullet entered his chest straight through the breast bone and into his heart. However, Mr. Reinheart had a gun in his hand as well. There were three guns used total. One gun took out his two employees in the foray of his house, another gun was used to kill him, and his gun was fired once. Apparently, he missed the person who shot him because a bullet was recovered in the wall just across from the doorway of his indoor greenhouse. The person who killed him was obviously someone he knew because there wasn't another signs of a struggle," Lady Une read off the report that the Preventers received from the Paris Police.

"What is the plan of action?" asked Heero quietly.

"Trowa and Quatre will investigate the murder of Mr. Reinheart. We should be able to find information about Mr. Reinheart while the trail is still hot. Be careful, you two, you'll be dealing with a professional killer," instructed Lady Une. Trowa and Quatre nodded as they received folders with information about the Reinheart murder. They hoped not to hit a dead end like all the other professional hits they've been investigating.

"Duo, I know that you will probably want to stay close to home, so you'll be following leads on Gustave Reinheart in England. He ran some sort of business down there, but I have no information as to what. You should be relatively safe, so Hilde should be happy," said Lady Une. Hilde was also a Preventer agent, but she was now on maternity leave.

"Why do I get the feeling that all the women around here get what they want every time?" asked Wufei in a low tone. Lady Une smirked slightly at his comment and handed folders to Heero and him. Heero opened his and read the first part.

"I see. We'll be keeping an eye on Relena directly," said Heero.

"Yes, I've assign you two as her main protection. It's been a while since you had to do this, but I don't think you two would mind. Go with her wherever she goes and make sure nothing happens to here," ordered Lady Une. Zechs wanted to do the job himself, but he was still labeled as deceased. Noin and Sally would be working together, while Zechs was left to do whatever he wanted for the case.

"Very well, I suppose we shouldn't leave her unguarded," agreed Wufei.

"Mission accepted," said Heero simply.

* * *

Relena was starting to make agreements for the trip to Tokyo, while Meia was doing the packing for the both of them. She was surprised to hear the phone ring suddenly. Meia looked at her, but she never answered the phone unless Relena couldn't. Relena reluctantly picked it up, and answered, "Hello, Relena Darlian speaking."

"Miss Darlian, this is Lady Une," said Lady Une on the other line. Relena didn't turn on the video picture just in case, so she nodded, and Meia moved away, so that she wouldn't be seen. Relena turned on the video output.

"What is it?" asked Relena cautiously. She never really liked Lady Une. How could she after what Lady Une had done to her foster father? Lady Une knew it as well. There was always a cold hostility from Relena whenever Lady Une talked to her. That was why she only called when something was important.

"You know what happened to your uncle. It's been decided that you need added protection," said Lady Une without hesitation. She had found in her dealings with Relena, that it was best not to beat around the bush. Despite a cool façade, Relena didn't want to talk to her for too long.

"Yes. He was killed. But, I don't see why I would need extra protection," said Relena in a tone that was beside herself. She didn't want to talk about her uncle. Not after what she had to do to him.

"Heero and Wufei are going to be with you for the time being. The decision is final," said Lady Une as she hang up the phone immediately. Relena stared at the blank screen with a frown. 'Great. Dammit,' thought Relena as she looked at Meia.

"What are we going to do?" asked Meia quietly.

"I'll deal with this. Keep packing, and I'll be back shortly," said Relena as she stood up, went to the closet and picked up her coat. She left the flat and hailed a cab to go to the Preventers offices in Paris to have a direct talk with Lady Une.

* * *

"Are you sure this is wise, Zechs?" asked Noin quietly as she sat across from his desk in his office.

"What's wise?" asked Zechs as he looked at the computer screen at the who arranged the funeral for his uncle. He wasn't surprised to know that Relena had done all the arrangements. She had made them shortly after the police had called her.

"Butting into Relena's life indirectly. She's not going to be happy about this," said Noin.

"As long as she safe and alive, happiness is something that can be forgone temporarily," said Zechs without looking at her from his computer screen. 'He's so tense,' thought Noin. The door was slightly opened to his office, but he was behind a computer monitor, but that didn't stop Noin from seeing Relena come through the door. She stood up suddenly to shut the door before Relena could see anything.

"Why did you just do that?" asked Zechs, who had noticed Noin's quick actions.

"Relena's here, and she's headed for Lady Une's office," said Noin. Zechs stood up from his chair and went to the door. "You shouldn't do that, Zechs," chided Noin gently to stop him. He clutched his jaw and let his hand fall to his side away from the door knob.

They weren't the only ones to notice Relena's arrival at the office. All the former Gundam pilots saw her walk passed them as if they weren't even there. She was headed straight for Lady Une's office. She even ignored Lady Une's secretary's protests as she pushed the doors opened to Lady Une's office. The former Gundam pilots and Sally came to the office.

"Please don't. You need an appointment," said the secretary feebly.

"I don't need any more protection. I can take care of myself," said Relena in what others would have thought was uncharacteristically cold and rude. Her blue-violet eyes narrowed as she glared at Lady Une who was rather surprised at how quickly Relena came to the office. Everyone was now gathered at the doorway.

"Please try and understand, Miss Relena. This is for your own good. We can't risk letting anything happen to you," said Lady Une as she quickly regained some of her usually calm composure.

"How am I suppose to work, if there's protection around? I get my way by being not as intimidating as possible. How can I do that if I have guards?" demanded Relena calmly.

"Don't worry. Heero and Wufei will be as discreet as possible," reassured Lady Une. 'Things have just gotten from bad to worse,' thought Relena as she finally turned around to acknowledged everyone else's presence. Her eyes settled on Heero who looked at her calmly. 'I know when I'm licked, but the contract was already accepted in Japan. I can't back down now,' she thought as she nodded numbly.

"Fine. We're going to Japan tomorrow," said Relena as she shook her head slightly and walked out of the Preventers office without another word.

* * *

The Next Day…

Relena and Meia came to the airport early in the morning only to find Heero and Wufei were already waiting for them. Relena had to do some last minute changes to the travel plans because of the unexpected travel companions. Relena clutched her jaw slightly when she saw them. Meia stood there expressionlessly.

"Hello, Heero. Wufei," said Relena calmly, "I would like you both to meet my assistant, Meia Krane."

Wufei and Heero just nodded towards Meia, but said nothing more. 'Great. There's more people now, but now it's even more quiet now. How is that possible?' thought Relena. Meia got a window seat, so Relena sat next to Heero, while Wufei got the aisle seat. Relena saw the way that Heero and Wufei regarded Meia. Wufei studied Meia strangely as if he was going to comment on how young Meia was, and Heero acted like she didn't exist except for that earlier nod he gave to her. Relena shifted uncomfortably as she looked back and forth between Meia and Heero. They both wore looks that were devoid of any emotion. Meia turned to look out the window when the plane was already up in the air. Heero looked at Relena rather wryly as she stared back at, hiding her annoyance at his presence. He knew that she resented his being there.

"She seems awfully young to be your assistant," said Wufei finally when the flight was half way to Japan.

"Meia?" asked Relena as she turned to see Meia was asleep.

"How old is she?" asked Wufei. Heero turned to look at Relena.

"She's fourteen, but a very good 'assistant'," commented Relena with shrug of her shoulder. "I have to go use the restroom. Excuse me," she added as she stood up to get away from them for a while. Heero and Wufei shifted to allow her to leave her seat. Heero looked at Meia who was still sleeping soundly. He didn't know what to make of her, so he just looked straight forward and pondered about his mission to protect Relena. 'I'll get to see what she really does for a living,' he thought.

Meanwhile, Relena was at the restroom of the plane. She was washing her hands; she really didn't go to the restroom to use it. But, it seemed like a good idea to wash her hands. She stared at the reflection of herself in the mirror. 'What are we going to do about them?' she asked herself as she decided to go back to her seat. They would be landing in Japan soon, and there was no way of knowing how and if the contract was going to be carried out.

* * *

Tokyo, Japan

"Moshi, moshi. No, she hasn't arrived yet," said a man in a black business suit on the phone without turning on the video link. He looked up to see a woman dressed in a black workout suit used in the martial arts. Her straight, jet black hair hung just above her shoulders in a uniformed sheen. She was a very lithe Japanese woman. The man took one look at her and hung up the phone immediately. "You," he whispered.

She looked at him coldly and sat down. "When does Noir arrive in Japan?" she asked.

"Today," said the man. "The Yukuza need you to meet her when she arrives," he instructed the woman.

"She? I didn't know that Noir was female," said the woman with a slightly arched eyebrow.

"This time around Noir is female. I don't know who she is or how she looks like. No one has survived a face to face encounter with her, and if they do, they're foolish enough to think that they can kill her. She always takes out her targets," the man in the black suit remarked.

"We'll have to wait and see, shall we?" asked the woman with a serene smile. He turned his head slightly, and then turned back to see the seat that she was occupying was now empty. A chill crept down his spine as he stumble back into his chair. He swallowed slowly as he tired to calm back down; he was never comfortable meeting with Kurai. She was the number one assassin for the Yakuza, but she lack the distinction of the history that Noir held in the world. Her name like Noir relates to darkness and blackness. For, Kurai means dark.

* * *

Relena was registered under her known name, Relena Darlian, so she was registered at the inn officially. She had reserved a suite that had four rooms total for all four of them. Heero stayed close to her surveying the scene for her safety. Wufei also looked around, while Meia calmly stared off into space. Relena was relieved that there was nothing strange going on.

"Are you sure this is a safe place?" asked Heero softly as he stood next to her whispered into her ear. She nodded calmly and stepped forward slightly ahead of him.

"Let's go to our rooms," said Relena as she looked at Meia who followed her. Heero and Wufei just followed them. Relena had come up with a plan to take out the target. They had to move fast because they only had twenty-four hours to do the job. Relena looked at Meia who nodded slightly. Heero knew that there was something strange. 'It's like they're communicating telepathically,' thought Heero as he watched them from behind. They seem to be closely bonded together. It was almost like the same bond that Relena and Heero once shared, but this was different. Meia and Relena seemed to share a special kinship that only they knew and understood. Relena was Meia's protector, but Meia also seemed to watch over Relena as well. It wasn't a one sided protection like Heero and Relena. Meia seemed more like an equal rather than Relena being above her. Heero sensed that they were partners, not boss and assistant.

Heero and Wufei secured the room, while Relena and Meia went to unpack. Relena specifically asked for the suite where the rooms were linked. Relena and Meia took the rooms that were linked to each other. Meia studied the window with interest as she turned to look at Relena. Relena was on the computer. She had to find their target's location, Akuma. The devil.

* * *

Relena woke up early the next morning to find Meia already awake in her room. Relena carefully checked to see if Heero and Wufei were up, and they were in the living room of the suite. "He's going to be at one of the Shinto temples today. These people are Yakuza. They've been around for as long as Noir, even longer than the Sicilian Mafia," whispered Relena. Meia nodded, and they finally got ready for the day. Heero and Wufei were waiting for them, and they were quiet. Relena emerged from her room wearing a mock turtle neck that was black and pair of boots with tan pants. She put on a formal coat, while Meia was wearing shorts and a baby blue shirt with a hunter green fleece vest. Meia was carrying Relena's laptop.

"Did everyone sleep well?" asked Relena calmly as she took a seat on the armchair next to Heero.

"Fine," answered Heero in his usually monotone. He observed Meia place the laptop on a table and turned it on. She was getting to work.

"How do you feel about Shinto temples?" asked Relena with a slight smirk.

"What?" asked Wufei.

"The client is going to be there. I was going to meet him there," said Relena as she took a sip of green tea.

"Very well," said Heero.

"You two should come with me. Meia has to stay here and take care of the paper work," said Relena as she turned to look at Meia who looked up slightly at her and went back to work.

"Fine, we'll go with you," said Heero. He didn't think that Meia was the target, so she would be safer staying at the hotel. So, in about another hour, Relena, Heero, and Wufei ventured out into the city of Tokyo.

* * *

Meia waited for another hour after they had left for the temple. She finally shut down the computer, and she went back to her room. The window was open in her room with the breeze coming in and rustling the sheer curtains. She turned back to her bag. She picked up her gun and three clips of bullets. She went back to the window and climbed out. She took off running for the Shinto temple. Where they would met the Yakuza.

She waited until a man in a black clad suit emerged from an unmarked car. Relena and the two Preventers arrived earlier. The temple was conspicuously empty. She hid herself in the shadows and behind pillar. The man came with guards, all of whom were male. She took the first shot and took out the man standing right next to the man known as Akuma. The gun battle began.

* * *

Heero heard the shots and was pulled into attention. He took out his gun and looked at Wufei who also had his gun out ready. Relena had her hand in her coat pocket, but she didn't take out her gun. "Go," said Heero to Wufei. Wufei nodded and took off to investigate. Heero grabbed Relena's hand, the one that was on her gun, out of her coat pocket. She was careful not to accidental pull out her gun. They took off running for the outside of the temple which was near the park with cherry blossoms. "Stay here. Wait for me to come back," said Heero. Relena sat down in front of one of the cherry blossom trees and nodded. Heero nodded and ran back to the temple.

Relena waited until he was out of sight and went back to the temple, taking another entrance. All the while, Kurai watched as Relena as she took off for the temple to look for Akuma.

Wufei saw Heero come back. There were gunshots heard everywhere. Wufei returned fire, and then all was silent. "Let's go," said Wufei, and they took off for the front. They froze in place when they saw six dead bodies on the floor. Some of the bodies were missing fingers. "The Yakuza," whispered Wufei.

"Someone took out all these people," said Heero as he looked around. When he saw no evidence, his Prussian blue eyes narrowed.

Meia was already gone from the temple because her part of the job was over. It was now up to Relena to finish Akuma.

Akuma waited for Noir to come to him. He knew full well that those men were killed because it was his fault. He knew that he was Noir's target. The only thing that made him happy was that he would either see the face of Noir or Kurai would kill her before she had the chance to kill him. He turned around when he felt a sudden drift in the part of the temple that he was at.

"Kurai. What are you doing here? Where's Noir?" asked Akuma as he stumbled back away from her. She took out her steel chopsticks that were like a pair of daggers with tassels. Her hair fell, framing her face. She moved with deathly speed and slashed him across the chest. He fell on the floor in a silent heap. His eyes were wide with pain and betrayal.

"I never swore my allegiance to the Yakuza. They may have trained me, but I don't work for them. I work for a higher cause," she whispered and left the room because she could hear the sound of Relena's quiet footsteps approaching. Akuma closed his eyes. He would never live to see who Noir was, and he wouldn't see Kurai kill Noir. 'What a waste,' he thought as he breathed his last.

Relena stopped at the entrance and walked up to the body of Akuma, the head of one of the branches of the very intricate Yakuza. She looked at him expressionlessly and left because she knew that Heero and Wufei could come in at any time. She went back to the cherry blossom tree. Looking at the sky, she took in the lovely scent of the blossoms. Heero's arrival disrupted her reverie.

"What happened?" asked Relena with curiosity.

"I don't know," answered Heero. He studied Relena as she stood up and dusted off her pants.

"Let's go back to the inn. I know that you two probably want to report this back to Lady Une," she said. Heero and Wufei followed her out.

Kurai watched from the distance. 'She's Noir, but there's someone else. How intriguing,' she thought as she disappeared from the temple with almost inhuman speed.

* * *

"We're back," announced Relena as she opened the door to find Meia working at the laptop.

"Did it go well?" asked Meia.

"No, something happened. It was a trap," said Relena as calmly as possible, but for Heero and Wufei's benefit, she added hint of mild trauma in her voice. Meia looked at her in surprise because she could sense that Relena was talking about something else. Heero and Wufei wore sullen expressions.

"I'll report this to Lady Une," said Heero.

"At least we now know that Relena's a target," said Wufei. When he turned to look at Relena, he found that she was going to her room and shutting the door. Meia looked blankly at the computer screen with her hands on the table. There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room. Heero was now in the other room calling Lady Une. Wufei glared at Meia. "That girl knows something, so does Relena,' he thought.

'There's someone against us. But, who? Who killed Akuma before I got there? It wasn't Meia,' thought Relena as she closed her eyes in frustration. Relena could feel that she was someone was after Noir. What in the world was happening?

Next Episode, Episode Thirteen: Dr. J's Reckoning…