Chapter 7 - Trust (Ranma's POV)
I stumbled through the streets back to my apartment. This really had to rank up there as one of the longest days in my life. Ok, I'd been up for a while, and I was probably still having problems with jetlag, but that wasn't really what had done it.
"Aw man..." I mumbled, my hands going up behind my neck as I walked. If I was a smoker, I'd be lighting up right now. Hell, I woulda been chain smoking all day. I mean, seeing her in the park just sixteen hours ago or something with the sun shining behind her, throwing that thigh holster into sharp relief.
I figured later it was probably some sort of ceramic knives, and the gun was in her bag. But anyway, those alarm bells ringing in my head had been telling me that this mousey little girl was probably one of the members of Noir. It was that damn gut instinct thing again.
Watching her for the day just confirmed it for me. She was a killer, no doubt about it. All the signs of it just screamed at me when I was looking for them; the total paranoia about where she sat, where her bag was, what she'd eat and drink, where she stood so I wouldn't have been able to pull a gun and shoot her easily.
Reminded me a bit of the stuff I did usually, come to think of it.
So I'd spent the whole day totally on edge. Maybe. Ok, I should have been, but I wasn't. For some reason, it was so damn easy just to relax and let it go. From that little smile she'd given me in the park in the morning onwards, I just couldn't bring myself to believe she was going to try and splatter my brain all over the scenery any second.
I got back into the apartment and flopped back on my bed.
"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck."
I just didn't know. I mean, had I done the right thing that evening? Saying what I had when we were standing next to the river? I mean, I still wasn't one hundred percent sure about who she was, but her reaction to what I'd said almost got me there. How could I interpret it any other way?
Maybe she was a hardened killer after all? Maybe she and her partner were going to burst into this place at four in the morning and try and off me?
How the hell was I supposed to do my job? I was supposed to be looking for these girls, but I'd already found them. I just didn't want anyone else to know that. So what was I supposed to do tomorrow? Head into work? Be like "Oh yeah, I spent the day sight seeing with this Japanese girl I met in the morning. I think she's part of Noir but don't hold it against her because I think she's trying to change. In fact, she's quite nice, even if she has killed hundreds of people."
"Fuck." Come to think of it, she'd probably personally offed some of the guys in the group I'm supposed to be working with. They'd probably want to kill her, and her partner. For that matter, I should probably be wanting to do it as well.
I got changed and did a few katas just to cool down a bit. I actually changed into a girl as well. Maybe if they came to kill me, that would hold them up for a bit.
Of course, the whole 'people want to kill her' issue was why I'd said what I did. I mean, how like my life was that? She probably didn't have anything against the police at all, she just ended up in these situations where she didn't have a choice. Just like me.
I'd found the whole day a bit unreal, in a way. Here I was in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar country, surrounded by unfamiliar people. Then this girl stumbles into this totally alien setting. Sure I've never met her before, but I know her. Standing on the bank of the Seine that evening with the city lights turning the water into a shimmering multi-hued mirror I'd felt like only the two of us were real. We were just floating there on the surface of the illusion. Who knows, I'm not a poet. I'm not real good at describing that sort of thing, but the feeling sure was strange.
I really had no idea whether I'd see her in the morning at all. Maybe she'd run and I'd never see her again, maybe she'd be back with a sniper rifle. Maybe she'd be back to do some Tai Chi. Maybe spar a bit. Who knew?
If it was either of the first two, I thought as I got into bed, I'd just made a big mistake. I'd just reached out to a professional killer for some sorta selfish, personal reasons. Reached out because there was something really familiar in her eyes.
"Fuck," I murmured as I shut my eyes. Even if she was there, had I made a mistake after all? How was someone who was a professional killer supposed to move on from that?
I didn't sleep well.
The morning arrived way too soon. My eyes really, really didn't want to be open at all, but see, I had to get ready and head out to the park. One way or the other, I really needed to find out what was up. I got dressed in a hurry, grabbed my food, and headed out.
Ok, I got to the park early, and paced back and forwards like some sorta... ummm... animal in a cage. Best not think about that really. I checked my watch for the tenth time.
I felt her coming this time before I could see her. She was a bit early. I checked my watch again. She'd actually come a bit early. That meant something, just like the fact that she was here at all. Maybe this wasn't such a bad morning after all.
The sets we did were way more relaxed than I thought they'd be. I sat down on the grass after I'd cooled off a bit, and she sat down near me. I hadn't actually said anything at all up to now.
"I wasn't sure I'd see you here this morning," I sorta blurted out.
"I wasn't sure I would come," she said quietly.
"I'm really glad you did," I said, shocking the hell outa myself. I looked over at her.
"I'm glad I did too," she said, and I could see that tiny smile of hers, even though she wasn't looking at me. We sat there for a while as the rest of Paris woke up around us.
"I gotta get ready for work now," I told her after a while. I heard this little noise from her, and realised that she was fully aware of the irony of the situation.
"I should get home as well," she said. "Even if I'm not working right now." She said it really seriously, and I got her message.
She wasn't working, so I probably wouldn't end up in an armed face off with her on the other side. At least not today.
"Ok... ummm, I'll see you tomorrow then," I said, getting to my feet and brushing myself off.
"Yeah," she said.
So we walked out of the park. I didn't look back at her, and I figure she wasn't looking either. It was all part of this weird tightrope act we'd just started. At least she was trying real hard to stay on the rope, the way I was.
That meant something. I still wasn't quite sure why we were both walking on that rope in the first place but for some reason I was reminded of Akane asking me if I wanted to be friends all those years ago back in Nerima.
A little while later I was sitting on the subway, heading off to work. She'd really stuck her neck out as well, just like I had this morning. I mean, whatever worries I had, I guess she had the same sort of thing going on with her as well.
My mind wandered about, looking for something to grab onto. Kirika. Not a bad name really. Wonder what her family name was? Not really up to Nerima calibre when it came to looks of course. Nice smile though. She had something about her under all the paranoia and fatigue that shone through with that smile. She was actually really... cute.
My brain froze up when I realised just what it was that I was thinking. I guess it's real lucky the old lady next to me didn't understand Japanese, 'cause it meant she didn't get real shocked when I buried my face in my hands and started to swear.
"Saotome," I said to myself, "you are such an idiot."
Elsewhere...
A young woman walking out of a park is met by another, older, taller woman. A blond.
"So Kirika... you should have told me that you'd met a guy."
"Mirelle! I didn't expect you here."
"So is this the senior Matsui you were talking about?"
A pause.
"Mirelle! No! No! Ummm, he's just someone who's helping with my martial arts, that's all."
"So you didn't spend yesterday with him?"
"Well yes..."
"You sure you didn't mean 'marital arts'?"
"Mirelle!"
Much uncomfortable blushing ensues. But when she's absolutely, totally sure nobody is watching, the young woman surprises herself with a tiny smile.
Chapter 7 Author's Notes
- sorry about the change of scene thing, but I thought I needed to show Kirika's side of things as well, and also drag Mirelle kicking and screaming into this thing.
- I've been trying to keep people in character as much as I can. Dunno how I'm doing, but comments and suggestions are welcome.
- by the way, sorry to the reviewers who'd prefer longer chapters. I write at a truly glacial pace, and keeping them short is the only way I can actually try to update in a semi-regular fashion. Next chapter is already longer than this one though, so…
- also for those who haven't seen Noir, I can't recommend it enough. If you want to take a look, you might be able to find some / all of the DVD's at a Blockbuster video store… at least you can at the one nearest where I am.
I stumbled through the streets back to my apartment. This really had to rank up there as one of the longest days in my life. Ok, I'd been up for a while, and I was probably still having problems with jetlag, but that wasn't really what had done it.
"Aw man..." I mumbled, my hands going up behind my neck as I walked. If I was a smoker, I'd be lighting up right now. Hell, I woulda been chain smoking all day. I mean, seeing her in the park just sixteen hours ago or something with the sun shining behind her, throwing that thigh holster into sharp relief.
I figured later it was probably some sort of ceramic knives, and the gun was in her bag. But anyway, those alarm bells ringing in my head had been telling me that this mousey little girl was probably one of the members of Noir. It was that damn gut instinct thing again.
Watching her for the day just confirmed it for me. She was a killer, no doubt about it. All the signs of it just screamed at me when I was looking for them; the total paranoia about where she sat, where her bag was, what she'd eat and drink, where she stood so I wouldn't have been able to pull a gun and shoot her easily.
Reminded me a bit of the stuff I did usually, come to think of it.
So I'd spent the whole day totally on edge. Maybe. Ok, I should have been, but I wasn't. For some reason, it was so damn easy just to relax and let it go. From that little smile she'd given me in the park in the morning onwards, I just couldn't bring myself to believe she was going to try and splatter my brain all over the scenery any second.
I got back into the apartment and flopped back on my bed.
"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck."
I just didn't know. I mean, had I done the right thing that evening? Saying what I had when we were standing next to the river? I mean, I still wasn't one hundred percent sure about who she was, but her reaction to what I'd said almost got me there. How could I interpret it any other way?
Maybe she was a hardened killer after all? Maybe she and her partner were going to burst into this place at four in the morning and try and off me?
How the hell was I supposed to do my job? I was supposed to be looking for these girls, but I'd already found them. I just didn't want anyone else to know that. So what was I supposed to do tomorrow? Head into work? Be like "Oh yeah, I spent the day sight seeing with this Japanese girl I met in the morning. I think she's part of Noir but don't hold it against her because I think she's trying to change. In fact, she's quite nice, even if she has killed hundreds of people."
"Fuck." Come to think of it, she'd probably personally offed some of the guys in the group I'm supposed to be working with. They'd probably want to kill her, and her partner. For that matter, I should probably be wanting to do it as well.
I got changed and did a few katas just to cool down a bit. I actually changed into a girl as well. Maybe if they came to kill me, that would hold them up for a bit.
Of course, the whole 'people want to kill her' issue was why I'd said what I did. I mean, how like my life was that? She probably didn't have anything against the police at all, she just ended up in these situations where she didn't have a choice. Just like me.
I'd found the whole day a bit unreal, in a way. Here I was in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar country, surrounded by unfamiliar people. Then this girl stumbles into this totally alien setting. Sure I've never met her before, but I know her. Standing on the bank of the Seine that evening with the city lights turning the water into a shimmering multi-hued mirror I'd felt like only the two of us were real. We were just floating there on the surface of the illusion. Who knows, I'm not a poet. I'm not real good at describing that sort of thing, but the feeling sure was strange.
I really had no idea whether I'd see her in the morning at all. Maybe she'd run and I'd never see her again, maybe she'd be back with a sniper rifle. Maybe she'd be back to do some Tai Chi. Maybe spar a bit. Who knew?
If it was either of the first two, I thought as I got into bed, I'd just made a big mistake. I'd just reached out to a professional killer for some sorta selfish, personal reasons. Reached out because there was something really familiar in her eyes.
"Fuck," I murmured as I shut my eyes. Even if she was there, had I made a mistake after all? How was someone who was a professional killer supposed to move on from that?
I didn't sleep well.
The morning arrived way too soon. My eyes really, really didn't want to be open at all, but see, I had to get ready and head out to the park. One way or the other, I really needed to find out what was up. I got dressed in a hurry, grabbed my food, and headed out.
Ok, I got to the park early, and paced back and forwards like some sorta... ummm... animal in a cage. Best not think about that really. I checked my watch for the tenth time.
I felt her coming this time before I could see her. She was a bit early. I checked my watch again. She'd actually come a bit early. That meant something, just like the fact that she was here at all. Maybe this wasn't such a bad morning after all.
The sets we did were way more relaxed than I thought they'd be. I sat down on the grass after I'd cooled off a bit, and she sat down near me. I hadn't actually said anything at all up to now.
"I wasn't sure I'd see you here this morning," I sorta blurted out.
"I wasn't sure I would come," she said quietly.
"I'm really glad you did," I said, shocking the hell outa myself. I looked over at her.
"I'm glad I did too," she said, and I could see that tiny smile of hers, even though she wasn't looking at me. We sat there for a while as the rest of Paris woke up around us.
"I gotta get ready for work now," I told her after a while. I heard this little noise from her, and realised that she was fully aware of the irony of the situation.
"I should get home as well," she said. "Even if I'm not working right now." She said it really seriously, and I got her message.
She wasn't working, so I probably wouldn't end up in an armed face off with her on the other side. At least not today.
"Ok... ummm, I'll see you tomorrow then," I said, getting to my feet and brushing myself off.
"Yeah," she said.
So we walked out of the park. I didn't look back at her, and I figure she wasn't looking either. It was all part of this weird tightrope act we'd just started. At least she was trying real hard to stay on the rope, the way I was.
That meant something. I still wasn't quite sure why we were both walking on that rope in the first place but for some reason I was reminded of Akane asking me if I wanted to be friends all those years ago back in Nerima.
A little while later I was sitting on the subway, heading off to work. She'd really stuck her neck out as well, just like I had this morning. I mean, whatever worries I had, I guess she had the same sort of thing going on with her as well.
My mind wandered about, looking for something to grab onto. Kirika. Not a bad name really. Wonder what her family name was? Not really up to Nerima calibre when it came to looks of course. Nice smile though. She had something about her under all the paranoia and fatigue that shone through with that smile. She was actually really... cute.
My brain froze up when I realised just what it was that I was thinking. I guess it's real lucky the old lady next to me didn't understand Japanese, 'cause it meant she didn't get real shocked when I buried my face in my hands and started to swear.
"Saotome," I said to myself, "you are such an idiot."
Elsewhere...
A young woman walking out of a park is met by another, older, taller woman. A blond.
"So Kirika... you should have told me that you'd met a guy."
"Mirelle! I didn't expect you here."
"So is this the senior Matsui you were talking about?"
A pause.
"Mirelle! No! No! Ummm, he's just someone who's helping with my martial arts, that's all."
"So you didn't spend yesterday with him?"
"Well yes..."
"You sure you didn't mean 'marital arts'?"
"Mirelle!"
Much uncomfortable blushing ensues. But when she's absolutely, totally sure nobody is watching, the young woman surprises herself with a tiny smile.
Chapter 7 Author's Notes
- sorry about the change of scene thing, but I thought I needed to show Kirika's side of things as well, and also drag Mirelle kicking and screaming into this thing.
- I've been trying to keep people in character as much as I can. Dunno how I'm doing, but comments and suggestions are welcome.
- by the way, sorry to the reviewers who'd prefer longer chapters. I write at a truly glacial pace, and keeping them short is the only way I can actually try to update in a semi-regular fashion. Next chapter is already longer than this one though, so…
- also for those who haven't seen Noir, I can't recommend it enough. If you want to take a look, you might be able to find some / all of the DVD's at a Blockbuster video store… at least you can at the one nearest where I am.