Author's note : Aaaaa, Kirika! Kirika! (waving banners with Kirika I love you written on them). I ma pretty sure you will at least smile after seeing the previous sentence, because... well you will not be so happy afterwards. But.. well this is the next chapter. Handkerchieves and tissues ready? Don't say I don't warn you.
Kirika jumped down from the helicopter. She looked around with scary expression. Her partner also looked around, but rather of curiosity and excitement.
So this is the Manor, home for all Noir candidates... she thought inside her heart.
Kirika stepped forward, leaving the rest of people behind her. And then one thing stopped her from walking farther. Mireille and Marie and other nuns who stayed in the Manor had come out to greet them. Mireille's heart thumped hard as she saw Kirika.
Marie didn't talk bullshit. Kirika did look different. She looked just like three years ago, as Mireille met her in the Manor.
"Welcome, warriors." Marie bent down slightly. "It is a pleasure to greet you here. Please come in, your attendance is already expected."
The whole people moved to the side to please the newcomers to enter. Kirika was going in front of all. Mireille watched Kirika with mixed feelings. It was Kirika, no matter how much she changed. Mireille had missed her so much. She would really like to hug her right now. But she also had fear. Not a fear from a fight with her, but rather a fear to see her in her eyes. Perhaps it was not the right time to think about it, but Kirika's cancer was the only thing she cared about this time.
Kirika came nearer and nearer to Mireille. Mireille waited, her heart almost jumped out of her body. Then at last she was there, face to face with Mireille. Mireille could see her cold, heartless eyes. Kirika stared at her full of hatred. She had ever seen these eyes. It was three years ago, followed by a shot from Kirika. The only difference was that Kirika didn't shoot her now. She merely walked past her, which really hurt Mireille. Mireille would rather have Kirika shooting at her than her ignoring her. That simply hurt. If Mireille didn't promise herself to be strong, she would have cried...
She didn't have any idea that Marie was gazing at her the whole time. The woman then turned to see GraiPaul. The man didn't look pleased at all. But the rest of his companions did.
"Come, gentlemen." Marie asked them to come in politely, although it would be a big pkeasure for her to kick them all out of the place. But they still had to finish the whole matter. Everything should be settled tomorrow. With a fight among the three candidates to determine the two maidens of Noir, which should be a big change for the whole system in Soldats. As the door behind her closed, Marie wished she could prevent all these. But it was too late now.
Kirika didn't pay attention at Mireille at all. She treated Mireille as if she didn't exist at all. Mireille did her best to accept Kirika the way she had been, but it was just not Kirika. Not the Kirika she had been missing the whole time.
On the next day, both sides appeared in the hall. Mireille stood beside Marie, and Kirika and her partner accompanied by GraiPaul and his colleagues on the other side. Kirika's partner looked rather nervous than excited now. Kirika still maintained her cold eyes. Mireille couldn't help putting on her sad expression. She held her gun loosely in her hands. She couldn't fight against Kirika. Not in this situation. If she could only run away... if she could only run away with Kirika...
Not really aware of what happened next, three of them already stood on the place where Mireille, Kirika and Chloe once fighted each other. An incidence, in which Chloe got killed by Kirika. Mireille wondered if Kirika did remember it. If this Kirika remembered it. Would she seriously start another battle of life and death in this place? One of them should die... exactly the way how Noir was selected...
Mireille held her gun tighter. She couldn't be weak now. True, she didn't know what to do now. She wouldn't kill anyone here in order of Soldats, no matter what. But she must firstly prevent Kirika from killing her.
Mireille didn't even realize that her body moved instinctively to evade a shot from Kirika. The girl didn't change her expression at all, no matter she did hit Mireille or not. It was getting much worse as Kirika's partner decided to take part in this fight. It was one to two. How unfair.
Mireille jumped to the side to evade an attack from Kirika's partner. The red-haired girl got her sword stuck in the floor, and she was now pulling on her sword in horror. Mireille didn't want to hurt her, but... at least this girl should not disturb her and Kirika... she raised her elbow to knock her out, but...
BANG!
The bullet passed by and tore her arm deeply. Mireille glared at Kirika, who didn't seem impressed at all. Mireille was about to unleash her whole anger at Kirika. Why the hell was she protecting the girl that much? She didn't want to hurt her anyway. Mireille could feel blood flowed along her arm, and it surely hurt. But it hurt Mireille more, that Kirika didn't even care about her being wounded. Without any warning, she attacked Kirika.
Kirika started running along the broken pillars. She was fast. As fast as usual. Mireille had nearly forgotten how good Kirika was. Five minutes later she already missed her tracks. Mireille looked around, trying to find Kirika wherever she was. And at this moment, the red-haired girl showed up out of nowhere and swinged her sword dangerously at her. Mireille bent down. The sword hit the wind exactly where Mireille's head had been before. Mireille gave her a nice sidekick so that the girl fell on the ground. Mireille picked her sword a second faster than she did. The red-haired girl was now so afraid. Mireille put the sword tip at her neck. She no longer looked sad like before with her wounded arm and quite tousled hair. And at this moment something stabbed her from behind. Mireille's eyes were wide opened. It couldn't be... She turned around slowly. A short knife fell on the ground with a loud noise. It fell from Kirika's hand. The girl looked shocked. Mireille felt something soaked her clothes. It was blood. Kirika had stabbed her on her back.
A dizzy feeling forced her to go on her knees. Mireille squeezed her own arm to keep herself conscious. She wasn't going to die here. Not here. Mireille breathed quickly. She was sure that she was getting a heart attack at that time.
Then in a quick sequence things happened before her eyes. The red-haired girl grabbed after her sword and was up to take Mireile's life. In that short time Kirika went between her and Mireille in a squating position, warding off the sword with her short knife, which she had quickly picked up before. The red-haired girl was sure confused. Kirika couldn't hold the sword any longer and fell on Mireille's body. But at least the sword was not threatening anyone's life anymore. The girl decided not to attack again. Mireille was in a very bad condition and Kirika wouldn't let her attack again after all.
The fight was over. But not for Kirika.
She coughed and coughed again, This time much worsely. She placed both hands in front of her mouth, as if trying to stop the cough that way. But it didn't stop. It didn't stop at all. Kirika was forced to vomit something on her hands.She slowly put down her hands, only to see blood all over her hands.