Here is a new piece that is actually going to end up being my final exam for oneof my classes.Any and all constructive criticism here would be greatly appreciated and welcomed with greedybrain cells!If you have read any older Noir novels, such asThe Big Sleep, andRed Harvest, then you will have an idea of where I'm going with this. I will warn you now, there is much violence and such, and it is very AU. The characters will almost all be OOC, but therewill be a few times where their natures will shine through. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to discourage you from this story,i'm just here to let you know to read with an open mind and don't expect anything! I'll get on with it now!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but theoverall plot, and maybe the setting. Oh, and maybe a few names here and there. And also the occational sarcastic remark.Uh,I forgot some things, but when I remeber them, they will be mentioned!
Hit or Mistress
An original Sailor Moon Noir
By
AidanPryde001
Ch 1, Drowning
The coffee just didn't do it for me for some reason today. Maybe it was the changing in the weather, or maybe it was the fact that I drank it more than water and had finally developed immunity to it. Whatever it was, I know that not even the bitter black liquid in front of me could prepare me for what I was to face over the next week.
The bar that I frequented was a normally cheerful and bright place, run by an equally cheerful and bright barkeep. Andrew, or Andy to his friends, was a tall well-built youngster who looked fit to be in the movies than behind a bar. Blonde hair and green eyes, Lord knows he could have had the job if he'd just ask for it. I knew what kept him from leaving though. It was that woman, Reika-whatshername. I just protect 'em, I'm not supposed to fall in love with 'em.
That was a big difference between me and Andy. Yeah, I guess you could call him a friend. He was tied down. I knew what freedom tasted like, and there was no way I was going to give that up.
I just got back in town after a two week vacation to the country. Trying to clear my head, or that's what I told my secretary. I just needed some space after that last job.
Being in my line of work, you tend to either stick your neck out into dangerous business, or the dangerous business comes to you.
Little did I know, the moment I opened my trap, my whole world turned upside down.
The jingle of the bells over the door to the bar announced a newcomer. I didn't look up, instead contemplated the now half-empty mug in front of me. I faintly heard Andy ask the newbie what they'd have and then I heard something that made me stop and look up.
The voice was so light, like the sound of angels singing and bells ringing all at once. My attention violently grabbed, I conjured up a grumble while trying to crane my neck to look down the bar without trying to look down it.
It's harder than it sounds, but I managed, and I immediately regretted it.
There she was all wrapped up like a Christmas gift that had my name written all over it. I couldn't help but stare. A very pretty thing, short with incredibly long blonde locks that could pass as sunbeams. What caught my eye in the end, were her eyes.
Beautiful, blue crystalline orbs that reflected an intense innocence that could swallow even the most hardened of sailors. I knew that I was asking for trouble, but I couldn't bear to bring myself to look away, and before I knew it, I was sitting in the stool next to her.
Her body posture gave off a frightened aura, and she shook all the way to her toes. Her eyes said more than a whole book when she looked up at me.
"Can I help you with something, miss?" When had I told my mouth to open? I knew that I had more control over myself than that! When I spoke to her, her lithe frame shook almost uncontrollably and she flung herself into my arms. Unknowingly, I moved my arms up to her shoulders enveloping her athletic frame in my embrace.
Not knowing what else to do, I began to rock her and tell her that it was going to be okay, and that everything was going to be alright. After a bit of comforting, she managed to calm down enough to ask her a few questions.
"Well now, what's got such a pretty thing to feel so bad?" I asked, trying to sound very concerned. I knew how well it works with the rest of my clients. She seemed to take it.
"I know too much," was all of her reply. This bit of information pricked my ears. She knew too much, huh? Sounds pretty interesting. And rich.
"Well, might I be so forward as to ask who knows too much?" Her face brightened a bit at the attempt, and she settled back on her own stool to answer.
"Mina LaSalle. I'm sorry to cause so much trouble. I was just having a really bad day," she said. The blonde already had her emotions in check. She nodded once, after her tears all dried up, and looked at me with those eyes again.
"Might I enquire the name of my good sir knight?" I had to suppress a chuckle at the thought of someone like me being a knight. Instead, I just reached in my jacket pocket and fished out a business card.
"Darien Shields, miss LaSalle. Glad to be of service." Miss LaSalle shook her head at my statement.
"Just Mina, Mr. Shields. I see that you are a private investigator? Would you also happen to be in the bodyguard business?" Her tone completely changed to one of a cool professional, and I had to check myself before plunging into this one.
"I am, Mina, and Darien will be just fine. Normally, I do what I can with what I'm given." She caught my meaning and her face clouded over with determination.
"Trust me, Darien. I can make it very profitable for you." Her tone suggested nothing immoral, purely business with this woman. Clearly, she was in some sort of problem that was urgent. I looked at my watch, noticed that it was already 1:20 in the morning. She caught my movement, and spoke up.
"Well, Darien, I know that it is very late, but I was wondering if you would mind meeting with me tomorrow about a potential job offer." She voiced it as a question, but I knew that this woman wouldn't take no for an answer.
"I'll have to check with my secretary, but I guess it couldn't hurt. Would you like a ride home?" Having turned the conversation to a safer topic, Mina's face returned to its original cheery red.
"Thank you, Darien. That would be most kind." She got up, I laid a few bills on the bar for Andy, and we strolled out of the bar to my car. She led me to a hotel a few blocks from my apartment, a place called Heaven's Gates, and she left a room number on me where I could reach her. Having said our pleasant evenings to each other, I drove back to my apartment with only one thing on my mind; a good long sleep. Reaching my flat, I opened the room and threw my jacket on the sofa on the right wall of the living room. I knew that I had little to know aesthetic taste, so I settled for the bare necessities.
A sofa with a coffee table in the living room with an entertainment center formed the core of my home. The kitchenette off the left side of the room held a fridge, a stove and a sink. A hall in between the kitchen the T.V. led to my one sanctuary. My bedroom held a king size bed in the center, flanked by the dresser and a night table. The bathroom was located through a door on the opposite wall than the entry, and I headed there. The closet in the opposite wall held all of my prized possessions. Passing by it, I grabbed my robe from the rack and proceeded to cleanse myself.
Looking in the mirror always haunts me. What I see and what I feel are always contrasting. I see a 28 year old man, athletic build, about six feet two, with lines already forming around his forehead and eyes. Midnight black hair ruffled to look like it just came out of a windstorm, but still seemed to shine despite the age. Finally, I see blue eyes that could drown a man in sorrow if he dared to stare into them for too long.
I dared. And I was immediately sucked into the void of sorrow that threatened to take control of me once again. I did the only thing I could do; I turned off the light. Plunging my world into darkness so as not to wallow in my pain, I returned to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, forgetting to change and not really caring.
I had a feeling that I better enjoy this rest. Soon, I knew nothing for a blissful ten hours.
The morning sun was usually enough to wake me at a decent hour, but not today. The phone ringing off the hook woke me and I managed to scramble over to the nightstand before the party on the other end gave up.
Fumbling with the receiver, I got the situation under control, and barked a, "What?"
Raye was on the other end. "Well, if you're done napping, you've got a potential job waiting for you." The fiery raven-haired woman was one of the reasons for my recent vacation, and I was tempted to tell her so, until the word job registered and last night's events swam in my mind.
"Right. Tell her that I'll be there shortly." I was about to hang up, but I heard the screech of a banshee and thought better of it.
"That's better sourpuss. She requested you pick her up from her hotel. She didn't want to take a cab."
I shook my head, thought about all the times that I got myself into trouble, and finally said, "Alright Raye. I'll phone her and pick her up. Have some coffee on, will you?"
Raye gave her famous, "hummpfff!" before hanging up. That brought a smile to my face. She really wasn't that bad. More like a little sister I never had.
The screech of tires outside on the street below shook me out of my musing. Moving to the living room, I fished out Mina's number. Dialing, I moved to the kitchen to fix myself a glass of scotch. I only drink when I'm on the job. It helps dull the emotions.
"Hello?" Her voice held more fear in it this morning.
"Miss LaSalle? It's Darien."
"Oh, right, Darien. I am really glad you decided to take my case."
I nodded to no one, before realizing that I was on the phone. "Right. Anyway, should I come get you now?"
"Yes, and if you could, please hurry. I think that things might be happing earlier than I thought."
I frowned at this news. I kept my own schedule, and I was the only one who could make changes or fix things. Well, Raye too, but I didn't advertise it. It might give my clients something extra to go on. I needed all the leverage I could get in this job.
"Sure thing. Just let me get freshened up, and I'll be right over."
My mouth was acting up again. I let it pass, 'cause there might be a great payoff to this. Besides, having to protect and serve beautiful women was a perk in my line of work.
We finished our chat and I went to the garage to my car. The entire ride there, I was thinking about green bills, but behind those green bills were a pair of frightened blue eyes. I couldn't seem to shake them from my mind, and before I knew it, I was in front of the Heaven's Gates Hotel.
I pulled in a parking spot across the street and made my way to the four-star joint. There were cop cars out front, and one ambulance.
My mind in overdrive, I ran the rest of the way to the doors and up to the front desk.
"What happened here?" I asked the stout little man behind the counter.
"One of our tenants was just killed." He said with a sob. "She was such a pretty thing." I didn't give the man much thought about his last statement. Instead, I turned and made my way down the halls to the room Mina left for me.
When I reached the room, instinct took over. I hardly needed it, because the caution tape around the door alerted me to what happened as soon as I could see it.
A few policemen were walking around, some taking notes and others questioning witnesses. I approached one with sergeant's chevrons on his shoulder.
"What happened here, Sergeant?"
The man looked in his mid forties, thick build and a moustache completing the cop motif. "Who's asking?" His voice was gruff and spoke with a roughness that bespoke age and experience.
"Darien Shields, P.I. I was hired this morning by Miss LaSalle. She gave me her room number. This is it. I suppose then, that she is dead?"
He looked at me with a calculated gaze before finally answering. "Frank O'Neil. Yeah. Looks like you won't be working for her anymore. She's over here." He gestured for me to follow, and we made our way into the room past the other beat cops to the windows.
There she was, pretty blonde hair all tangled in the string of the blinds. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, and I couldn't tear my gaze from hers. I knew that she was going to win that staring contest anyway, so I spoke with the sergeant once again.
"She didn't hire me to investigate, she wanted a bodyguard. This is the first job that I've failed, and I won't let it end this way." Feeling resolute, I took one last look at the bombshell and strode out of the room. The sergeant called after me, "Check the front desk. I think she might have left something for you."
I heard him but kept on walking. This was not supposed to happen to me. I always finished a job. With that in mind, I returned to the little stout man behind the counter.
"I believe that the victim left me something. I'm not sure what it is, but it should be for a Darien Shields."
The stout man looked up at me with wide eyes for a moment, and then shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but a Darien Shields has already been by here to pick it up. Unless you have proper identification, then I'm going to have to report you to the police!"
Let me know what you think, and expect a new chapter sometime soon.