Canta Per Me
Episode Twenty-Four: What the Future Holds
Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Noir or Gundam Wing. No, I have plans for world domination that I've been working on. ^_~
Author's Note: Well, that last part was very emotion, but Meia is waking up, so to speak and having real human emotions. I've been watching a new anime called Fruits Basket. I've only seen ten episodes, mostly raw. Can't understand 99% of the Japanese I heard, but it's pretty funny. The guy who plays one of the character's voice played Treize in Gundam Wing, oh you wouldn't believe what he plays on Fruits Basket. Also, twenty-one episodes subbed of Noir has been released, and 22 is raw. I'll just wait until it gets subbed. I'll probably post a preview of the new Gundam Wing fic that I'm working on at my website, but I haven't decided yet. I've decided to finish this before school starts. I will be taking a creative writing class. I need the fine arts credits, and it should be fun. ^_^ Also, all quotes are from episode 20 of Noir and as always italicized. Meia gives a lot of information. Yes, she is quiet, but she is observant of all the actions around her, and she does a lot of talking. But, we need a review of some and clarification of the events that will lead up to the end, so enjoy.
* * * * * *
"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
Meia was sitting in a interrogation room with a one way, mirror panel window. She was looking at nothing in particular. Duo and Quatre made sure that she got dried up and had a change of clothes that they took from the flat. They left it sealed off like a crime scene. She was dressed in shorts and a white loose tank top that covered most of the shorts. She looked so much younger. Her hair had bobby pins in it to keep the hair out of her face. Duo and Quatre studied her delicate and vulnerable form. She looked like a child. With the white tank top she looked like a lost, little angel. "Looks really are deceiving aren't they, Quatre?" asked Duo.
"Yes, they are," agreed Quatre. They heard Heero, Trowa, Wufei, Noin, Sally, and Zechs come into the room. They finally arrived, but they had trouble because of the storm that had hit Paris.
"How is she?" asked Heero as he looked at her. He didn't know why he was really asking.
"She's fine. Relena just left her. She kept asking Relena to shoot her, but Relena didn't. Just walked away. It was weird," reported Duo in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, but Meia couldn't hear them from where she was anyway.
"I'll talk to her," said Heero without waiting for anyone else's objections, he opened the door and went into the interrogation room. He took a seat in front of her. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever before neither one blinked. Everyone else looked back and forth between Heero and Meia. Neither one was willing to back down.
"Well, this is productive," commented Sally.
"I think this is strange. I don't like this," said Quatre.
"I don't know the difference," said Duo in a worried tone.
It started to look like they were blinking in unison. They continued like this for only God knows how long. It was like a mental tennis match, and everyone else was tired just watching them. "Are you Noir?" asked Heero finally. Everyone in the other room almost collapse.
"Well, he's not wasting any time," said Trowa quietly.
"No," answered Meia promptly.
"Do you know if Relena is Noir?" asked Heero. Everyone couldn't believe the frankness of his questions.
"Yes, she's been designated from birth to be Noir," answered Meia. Heero looked startled by the answer that Meia had given him. "Designated from birth?" he whispered. Meia nodded. Heero settled back into his chair without saying another word. Meia was telling him the truth because of what he was to her. She felt like he deserved some answers. Relena wasn't there to stop her from speaking, and it wasn't disloyalty on Meia's part. Relena needed someone to speak for her. That was why she separated Meia. Who better to speak for her than her shadow? "Relena was born to one of the most powerful families in the world. Not the Peacecrafts, but the Reinhearts. They were part of a powerful society," said Meia softly, barely above a whisper.
"What was this society?" asked Heero, who was now intrigued.
"The Society of Night. As far as I know they've been around for years. Hundreds and hundreds of years. They play with the world as if it were a game. They are everywhere. They are the world," said Meia.
"And Relena's mother's side was part of this society?" asked Heero, recalling Gustave Reinheart was her uncle. Meia nodded. "The Society had members within the council and senate of the Sank Kingdom. They were the ones who arranged for Augustus Peacecraft to marry Katernia Reinheart. They had a vision of how the world should be. They believe in pacifism, but it is a pacifism that established through balance. The Society either helps or hinders a people. The Society thought that the ideals of the Sank Kingdom were sound, except for King Augustus' idea of 'absolute.' They thought that was too extreme. The Society is also responsible for hiring Odin Lowe to assassinate the real Heero Yuy," she went on.
Heero's eyes widened at the things that Meia just revealed. Zechs watched with quiet surprise at the mention of his parents. The Society of Night? What in heavens were they? "When Lena was born, two days after King Augustus received the oath that designated Lena as Noir. When she was two years old, they sent orders that King Augustus surrender his daughter for training. He refused. As a result, the Society lowered it's protection over the Sank Kingdom. Within a week, the Federation attacked taking the capital city in less than twenty-four hours. They took the rest of the country in less than a week. Lena saw something that she shouldn't have: she saw the Knights of Shadows kill her parents right in front of her. They even turned their guns on her. She was two years old. That isn't the only thing that the Society can. You know that Noir was ordered to assassinate Zechs Marquise. Lena only took the contract to protect her brother because they probably would have hired another assassin anyway. By taking the job, she saved his life. But, she had no idea the price she had to pay in exchange for his life. The Society punished her," Meia told Heero.
"They had Mrs. Darlian killed," said Heero quietly. Meia nodded again, and she continued, "The Society had a vision. They hoped that Queen Katernia would survive the attack on the Sank Kingdom. She was willing to obey their rules. She would have made sure that the Prince and Princess would have followed the paths that the Society had laid out for them. The Prince would become a King and present and promote peace. The Princess would become Noir and enforce the ideals by taking out people who didn't follow them and threatened to harm others. Millardo Peacecraft was supposed to be the light hand of peace, while Relena Peacecraft was supposed to be the dark hand of peace. The only one who followed that was Lena."
"Who trained Relena?" Heero couldn't help, but ask.
"Gustave Reinheart. He was one of the best assassins in the Society at the time, and Lena was his niece. He was a very strict teacher according to Lena. He demanded the best out of her. It was his training that built the foundation of her skills. As Noir, she learned to be faster and better than anyone else. However, Gustave betrayed her. He was the one who carried out the orders of the Society. They wanted the King dead, so he was the one who told the Knights where to find the King during that day. In the process, Lena's mother was also murdered. Her mother saw her in the doorway and ran for her, but the Knights opened fire. Her father ran in front of her mother to shield her with his body, but the bullets went through his body and killed her anyway. Later on, Gustave executed them himself for killing his sister, but not his brother-in-law. Gustave despised him," said Meia. Zechs' closed in sorrow. He couldn't believe it. Everything that happened was a lie. His uncle was the one who had his parents murdered, and he also took Relena down with him. If only Zechs had been around during that time, there would have been no way of Gustave getting to Relena. The feeling of betrayal burned through his chest; the same way it did for Relena before.
"She was the one who killed her uncle," stated Heero.
"She had no choice. He would have killed her, and he expected it. He expected nothing less than excellence from her. Gustave loved Lena more than anything else. Even in the end. I saw it happened. I think he pulled back in the last second because he could kill his own creation. It is the burden that she carries as Noir," said Meia, waiting for the most important question to be asked. He still hadn't asked it.
"Burden?" whispered Heero. Noir was an intricate part of the world's history. Why would anyone want to be Noir in the first place? "What is Noir really?" he asked finally, causing Meia to smile slightly.
"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," Meia said the oath in a clear voice as she mimicked it the same way that Relena and Kurai had pronounced it at The Ruins. Heero took out one of the watches that had the seal of the Society on them. He slid it over to Meia who looked at it passively. "Yes, that's Noir. Two women who reign over death. They have been designated from birth. I'm not Noir. The other person that Zechs met was. She's the other half of Noir. Kurai. I don't know much about her. She is from Japan. I believe. You shouldn't concern yourselves with me. I'm not a real threat. The ones who are designated are," said Meia.
"Where do you think Relena went?" asked Heero.
"I don't know. Only she knows that. I may know a lot, but Relena still keeps some of her secrets from me," answered Meia. Everyone had more than enough answers. They never knew the pain that Relena was in and what drove her, but they understood now. "Who are you?" asked Heero as his final question.
"I don't know anymore. I don't want to know," whispered Meia softly as a tear came down her cheek. Everyone in the room was surprised at this. They were even more surprised at the next thing that happened. Heero stood up from his chair and walked over to her. He gently placed his hand flat on her upper back, for some unknown reason, it steadied her. Heero didn't know why he was even doing it or how he knew that it would work. At this point it didn't matter.
It was decided after that that Meia would remain under Heero's protective custody, but he had no intention of being so tight. "I'll at least try to appear tight, but we need her to lead us to Relena. She still might know where to go," said Heero as the finally word. Lady Une approved the decision, so all they could do was wait.
* * *
Unknown Location
Relena didn't exactly know where she was in France at this point. She was told by her uncle that there would be a place to meet someone who was a very important member of the Society of Night. It looked like old ruins with a vineyard in front of it. She walked until she saw a woman dressed in regal robes that made her look like a priestess. Her hair hung in a one layer sheen down her back it was as black as ebony. She looked timeless and graceful. Her eyes were a serene and violet. She stood up and smiled at Relena. "Welcome Lena," she said in a very pleasant voice that sounded as calm as her eyes were. It was the same soft voice that Relena heard before when her uncle spoke with her.
"Athena?" asked Relena.
"Yes, my name is Athena Angeleno. Welcome home, Lena. It's good to see you," she said. The way she looked at Relena was unnerving. This woman didn't look that much older than Relena, but she looked about her uncle's age. Athena looked at her with a certain amount of familiarity, but not the same way that Kurai did. Kurai looked at her as if they had a sisterhood; no, Athena looked at her like she was her child. "Come let me show you around, my lamb," she said. Relena nodded numbly.
Athena and Relena walked around the old grounds. She explained to Relena that the vineyard was actually the ruins of an old convent where the sisters were cloistered and had no contact with the outside world really. The nuns were the ones who made the sacred wine and bread for Roman Catholic masses. The convent was destroyed long ago and the sisters were moved elsewhere. Athena had settled herself there because she also like to make wine, and the vines never stopped producing. "Do you know why you are here?" asked Athena.
"Yes," answered Relena as she took out the letter that was in the envelope before with the Sank Kingdom's seal that she gave to her brother, "This is the original designation." It had the seal from the Society of Night on it that her father, King Peacecraft, had broke before.
"What is it you seek? The truth?" asked Athena.
"No. This is my truth. This has always been my truth. I thought that was a Darlian and that was a lie. I can't even be a Peacecraft because I don't even remember being one and I can't possibly be one. Not after all the things that I've done. I pretended for a while that I could be a vice minister. But that was also a lie. This is the only truth that has ever been constant in my life. I've been Noir even before I was born," said Relena. She threw the letter down in front of Athena who was sitting down in front of an old table that was curved out of stone. Athena looked at the letter than at her.
"Do you regret what you've become?" asked Athena calmly. Relena looked at her for a moment and shook her head.
"No, I maybe ashamed, but I don't really regret it. It is a honor to be Noir. I sacrificed my peace for everyone's else. I am the one who is tainted with the blood and the sins, so that no else has to suffer. I have given my soul for this work. I have nothing left but my duty. People commit sins, they cannot escape its grasp because that is human nature then at least allow my hands to be soiled for the people," answered Relena after much silence.
"The Earth is filled with sadness, while people commit malicious deeds. The Heavens remain silent during all of it. In the end, someone has to carry the burden of the sins. And that is why Noir's blood and title have been passed down generation to generation," said Athena wisely. Relena looked at this woman. Who was she really? "I am the one of many women who have been given the title of Kind Mother. I know that the Society of Night is out of control, my duty is to bring balance to the Society itself. I am above the leader of the Society in my duties. The original sins the Society received from others that was the atonement for human nature. Noir adds to the sins, and history repeats itself. Repeating…forever."
Relena looked around her again. Never had she been given so much understand and explained to so succinctly what it meant to be Noir. "What is it that you want, Lena?" she asked. Relena looked at her strangely. Throughout her entire time as Noir, no one had ever asked her that question. Thinking for a long time, she finally answered:
"I want peace for myself. I want to save what's left of my soul. Even if I die soon, I don't care. Perhaps that the only why I can have some peace."
"Never lose you compassion and your mercy, Lena. It is the best part of your humanity. Do not allow your darkness to consume that. You've almost allowed to happen more than once," warned Athena. Relena nodded solemnly and they sat together in silence.
* * *
Paris, France
Meia knew that she was being watched by everyone. She was not in cell, but she was still being detained at Preventers' Headquarters. She was in the medical bay of the Headquarters under the guise of being there under medical treatment from Dr. Sally Po. There were Preventers everywhere because it was the Headquarters. There was no place for escape or was there? Heero Yuy kept a closer eye on her more than anyone.
She felt alone without Relena. She wondered what was happening to Relena. Where did she go? Meia didn't know the first place to look. What was going to happen to her now? She sighed and closed her eyes.
* * *
Unknown Location
Relena and Kurai had dinner with Athena that night. It was a good meal, but there was tension between Relena and Kurai that Athena was well aware of. The two young assassins didn't open express anything, so there was no trouble during the dinner. As soon as Relena was still into her room, she knew that she had to come to the old abbey that was one the grounds. Relena and Kurai met each other at the entrance and walked through the double doors. They found Kurai kneeling in prayer in front of the alter. She looked so serene that the two of them didn't want to interrupt her mediation. She turned around. The two of them stepped forward and walked to two circles that were traced with different colors of marble and overlapped each other. Kurai stepped down from the altar and revealed that there were two swords on the alter.
"In the past, many centuries ago, there were those who had a vision of the world. At the end of the tenth century…it was carried out. Nefarious conspiracies of power. Many people were murdered. The old…the young. The worst atrocities that people can do to each other. Such chaos was seen by the people's own eyes. Few survived that Hell. They finally realized that the world is always filled with evil ones and hopelessness. The ones who survived swore an oath that we will exact revenge upon this world. By saving those who are weak or abused. To spread justice across this world. Absolute secrecy and an oath of loyalty. That was when the Society of Night was born. The blood of Society of Night will spread in the desert and flow into the great river. Those who swore the other spread throughout the world, and hid in the shadows of society," said Athena. Relena and Kurai looked straight forward at her. She went on, "Two maidens were chosen for the task. Two maidens who weren't stained by the blood that they draw. Led by two maidens who are not afraid of disgust. Carefully selected by the black thread that ties the two. While they still believed in God's Word, the two maidens held on to their swords. Their courage is above valor. That bravery would not be defeated by tens of thousands of knights, and possesses both the Holy Mother's Love and Death's Cruelty. Are you ready for your final duty?" asked Atena.
"I do," said both Kurai and Relena in unison.
"The Society of Night is endanger from within. The chaos within the Society will bleed through to the rest of the world and the colonies as we know it. This is the supreme duty of Noir. No member of the Society is above the Society itself. Not even its leader. One either side the two maidens, one from the East," she give one of the swords to Kurai, "As well as one from the West." She gave the other sword to Relena. Both women were facing each and both brought the tips of the swords, which were in sheaths, to the marble floor. They had their hands on the sword handles.
"These are the swords that were forged for only Noir. Two swords that represent the users," said Athena. The tops of the swords had the one woman from the sword etched into the handles of the swords. The two women from the watches, but only one maiden on each handle. Each sword was personalized for each member of Noir. The swords were over two hundred years old, but Noir was still older than that. "Your most sacred duty to maintain the balance of power is to purge the Society of Night's leader. He is bring chaos to the order and another war could rise at any moment due to his actions. Restore the order and balance. Protect the peace. Assassinate Dekim Barton," finished off Athena.
"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."
Relena and Kurai said the oath. They turned and walked off from the abbey. Relena and Kurai didn't look at each other. Athena came to them after she did her final prayer. "Tomorrow at dawn, you must carry out your orders. Go to a castle in Germany. It is off in the distance with a small waterfall that was man made decades ago. There you will find Dekim Barton," said Athena. The pair of assassins nodded and went off in separate directions to prepare for tomorrow's contract.
Next Episode, Episode Twenty-Five: Final Contract…