Faith, Crime, Lust, Love
Noir fanfiction by LeeT911 (LeeT911@hotmail.com)
* * * * *
She fled across the rooftops, her green cape flapping in the night. The moonlight cast an eerie glow on her already strangely coloured hair. Black boots touched down softly, only to lift again, without a sound. She made her way across Paris at a swift pace, thankful for the light breeze cooling the exposed skin of her arms and legs.
The solitary figure ran for many minutes, her passage undetected. She flitted from building to building, agile and quick. Her strides slowed as she neared her destination: a small, nondescript building in the outskirts of the city. Atop her objective stood a lone man, watchful eyes directed to the street below. She stalked closer, a flip of the wrists calling forth her blades.
As she came up behind him, she noted the gun tucked into his waistband. He was not expecting trouble. She smiled inwardly, and struck with both hands. Her first blade caught him at the back of the neck, slipping between the vertebrae and incapacitating him instantly. The knife in her other hand sought out his throat, silencing his cry preemptively. Slowly, she let his dead weight slide down to the roof, careful not to make any noise. It wouldn't do to alert those inside.
She glanced down in time to see three men leave the building, two in dark suits flanking another dressed entirely in white. Without hesitation, she jumped.
Twin blades left her hands as she began her descent, and the bodyguards died, clutching their throats, before she was halfway down. She landed on the back of her target, her powerful legs driving the man to the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of him. Using her knees, she pinned his shoulders, and when he started to struggle, the touch of steel to his jaw stilled him.
"What do you want?" He demanded, his voice overly loud and confident.
She did not reply. Only her blade drifted lower, to the soft spot in his neck. She watched him swallow convulsively.
"Who are you?" A slight waver in his voice now, desperation beginning to show.
"Watashi wa shin no Noir."
He spoke not a word of Japanese, but at the mention of Noir, his eyes widened in fear. She saw then, that he was about to scream, and her hands moved like lightning.
Justice was swift and brutal.
Mission accomplished, the assassin disappeared down the dark street, but there was no sense of triumph in her gait, only apprehensiveness, and sadness at having completed this task alone. Her steady walk gradually turned to an all-out dash, exertion clouding her mind. She ran aimlessly, her feet carrying her deeper into the city.
When she stopped, it was miles later, and she found herself in front of a plain apartment building. Her eyes trailed up the wall, counting off windows in her head. Without hesitation, she leapt up and scaled the building.
The climb wasn't difficult, her practiced fingers finding handholds easily. Twice, she had to stop and flatten herself against the wall, immobile, as headlights swept through the street below. Despite the interruptions though, progress was swift, and within minutes, she was at the apartment she had identified from the ground. A quick peek revealed the interior was dark and still, devoid of all motion. And even though the window stood slightly ajar, not a sound emanated from the apartment, its occupants deathly quiet in their slumber.
She opened the window completely and swung into the room, landing with the softest of sounds, a scrape of boots across the hardwood floor. Still, she froze at the noise, her ears attuned to the muffled breathing coming from the bed and her eyes dancing back and forth.
It was several long seconds before she moved again, standing slowly to close the window. She didn't need a draft blowing in and waking her quarry. Carefully, she stalked over to the sleeping area, stopping just behind the low wall to observe the two people in the bed.
There was a marked contrast between them, one blonde and smiling lightly in her sleep, the other dark-haired and younger, her face clouded with an impenetrable mask of apathy, even in slumber. They slept as they fought, back to back, facing the world together. She felt an incredible pang of jealousy at the sight. It would be so easy, to end it here. She looked down at her hands to find her weapons already drawn, fingers clenched tightly over the blades. With deliberate effort, she stilled her nerves and let out a hiss of breath.
No. There would be no more blood this night. She had faith. In time, the prophecy would come to pass. Fate was on her side after all.
She lost sense of time as she sat there, watching, waiting for the dawn to come. In fact, it wasn't until the sun peeked its first rays into the window that she realized it was time to go. Still, she was reluctant to leave. Her other half lay there, asleep, so vulnerable. And even though she knew there was nothing but a brutal killer underneath that exterior, the sight touched her in a way she didn't understand.
The girl truly was beautiful, with her elegant nose and ragged mop of dark hair. The graceful line of her jaw faded into a slender neck, which in turn flowed into thin shoulders. She was... delicate, like a grapevine at the coming of winter.
Risking her luck, the violet-haired assassin stepped towards the bed. Almost unconsciously, her fingers reached out, straining to touch the other girl. But more than anything, what she really wanted, was to be touched in return. As her hand hovered nearer though, there was a stirring beneath the sheet, and she jumped back, her training suddenly reasserting control.
She stole away with the night, fading like the shadows and silently closing the door behind her. And as she stepped out into the street once more, she found she was already running again.
* * * * *