Disclaimer: I do not own Noir. (oh well, can't have everything..) This story is rated T for violence, disturbing images, and slight shoujo-ai. This is Mireille Bouquet's POV series on things that happen to her during the series. This spoils episode 3.

"A Bouquet of Memories"

Chapter 2- 'The Assassination Play'

It was a gray and rainy day as I walked to the graveyard. I was going to pay my respects to my loved ones that I had lost. I stopped on the way to buy my favorite flower: Belladonna lilies, to lay on the grave. I was lucky I had brought my big, red umbrella as the rain poured down. Paris was having more rain than usual it seemed to me.

As I approached the entrance to the graveyard, I noticed a tall, elegant woman who had long, waist length hair, that was a unusual slate/gray color. She was standing in front of a grave not seeming to mind that she was being drenched by the pouring rain. I wondered if her pain was so great... that perhaps she didn't notice the coldness of the rain. I had also felt that way often in my short life. Nothing felt worse than losing someone you loved. I had vowed to never feel love for anyone again. I didn't want that pain. It was far easier to keep people at a distance than to risk getting hurt again. Besides in my line of work, it was best to keep yourself from feeling anything. But I couldn't help my feelings at times. I was still a human being, despite being an assassin.

The tall woman slowly turned, and walked away from the graveyard. I watched her walk away, and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. I walked into the graveyard and approached the grave she had been standing at. I noticed that she had also left Belladonna lilies at the grave. I also lay my lilies down at the grave in respect of the person who rested there, and because I couldn't forget the image of such a elegant woman getting soaked by the rain.

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I went home to my apartment and found Kirika still asleep in bed. It didn't really matter if she was awake or asleep, because she hardly ever talked. The only thing she did was look out the window, or stare at that damned pocket watch. She was such a enigma to me.

On one hand, I found I liked not being alone like I had been, but this girl could kill in ways I never thought off. Her skills were unbelievable to me. How could she shoot with perfect aim every time? And she couldn't even hand me a kitchen knife without doing some kind of funny little flip with it! I don't know if she was trying to show off on purpose, or that she is just the ultimate assassin. I can't help but feel a bit jealous of her skills. I'm older and have trained longer. I should be able to shoot better than her at least!

She looked so innocent too. But I knew she wasn't, and she knew it too. I wondered about her role in my past. That pocket watch! The fact she had it bothered me so much. Why did she have it? Where did she get it? It wasn't hers...I knew it.

I wondered about this little pilgrimage I had taken on. Would I find out what I needed to know? I wondered what the girl was really like without the loss of her memories. Was she still so quiet? I could barely hear her when she did speak, which wasn't very often. Right now, she was the only key I had to my past. Later when I found out the truth...then I would fulfill my promise to her.

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I slowly sipped my tea, and noticed that a job offer for Noir had just popped up on my email. I looked it over carefully.

"We have a job!" I called over to Kirika, who was still in bed. I had heard her moving around earlier, and figured she was awake.

"Who's the target?" she asked in her soft voice. I wondered if she even knew how to speak louder than she did.

"Alfred Dux. He seems to be quite the notorious villain." I replied, as I took another sip of tea, and clicked on the target's information.

"Dux is a star in the rising business world, a real big shot. However, when the young president of The Vanye Group died in an accident, there were questions. None of the deceased relative's think it was an accident." I told her, as I began to print out the information I needed. My whole pool table that served mainly as my desk, was covered with files and paperwork. I was always very precise in my research.

I pulled out the copy I had just finished printing. It was a picture of the young president's widow. Hmm.. She looked familiar...I thought.

As I looked at the picture closely, Kirika came over to me in her purple tank top and short set that she slept in.

"So who is that?" she asked.

I looked over at her quickly, before turning my attention back to the photo.

"It's the young president's widow. Our client." I said softly. (Who was she?)

"You've seen her before?' Kirika asked curiously, as she looked at me.

I thought hard for a moment, and then realized that she was the woman I had seen in the graveyard the other day.

"Yes.." I told Kirika, in response to her question.

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Kirika and I stopped and had lunch, then we stopped at a flower shop so I could buy some more Belladonna lilies. Kirika looked at me curiously, as I picked them out.

"You've bought those before, haven't you?" she asked me.

"Why is it you remember the strangest things, hmm?" I asked her back, teasingly.

Part of me felt glad that she had noticed and remembered something I did, even if it was as unimportant as this. At least she was taking notice of things, and that made her seem less emotionless to me.

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I saw the elegant woman in the graveyard again. I knew she'd be there. As she turned around, I greeted her. She looked surprised, but when she saw the Belladonna lilies in my arms, she smiled.

We walked away from the graveyard together.

"We've meet before, haven't we?" she asked.

"Yes, we have. A friend of mine is buried here." I replied.

"Oh. Do you come here often?" the tall woman asked.

"No, only occasionally. Actually, we weren't all that close, but at the same time I did sort of care about it." I said as lightly as I could.

"I see. And did he like Belladonna lilies?" she asked.

"Something like that.." I said rather quickly.

"You sound much like me." she said.

"Like you?" I asked surprised.

"The person I cared for also liked Belladonna Lilies." she said as we sat down on a bench.

I looked at her. She was a beautiful woman. I felt some sort of kinship with her. I guess because she was going through grief and loss. Just like I had gone through.

"I hated them at first you know, because I heard Belladonna's were poisonous. But then, one day I learned that Belladonna Lilies are a completely different species. In the end, it wouldn't have made much of a difference though, because they were always the flowers he loved the most." she told me, as I listened to her.

She was my client but didn't know it. I would do my job well to avenge this lady for her husband's death. Kirika and I as NOIR would eliminate our target, Alfred Dux.

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Kirika and I are sitting on the bed, cleaning and getting our gun's ready for the next day's assassination. Suddenly, I feel Kirika point her gun in my direction, and I immediately turn on her with my Walther p-99. We both sit there as we point our guns at each other, and dry fire them. Nice to know I can be just as fast as Kirika. She looks at me.

"So we're going to do it?" she asks, her eyes wide.

"Yes, we are!" I reply back, feeling confident.

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The next day arrives as Kirika and I get ready for this assassination. We wear combat clothes like green khaki pants, brown vests, and earth tone color t-shirts, and matching leather gloves, with combat boots. I pull my long, blonde hair into a ponytail. After we get dressed, we discuss the details.

"The assassination is at a resort hotel while Dux is supervising the remodeling before the hotel reopens. It's a golden opportunity!" I explain to Kirika.

"Dux's suite is on the top floor. There are 3 routes. You'll come in using the stairs that go to the emergency exit, alright?" I direct Kirika.

She nods. "Right." she says. At least she doesn't question me. She usually does what I tell her to do, with no questions asked. Makes it easier for me.

We run in the darkness to the hotel, as Kirika takes the stairs. I go in and find myself in what looks like to be a empty control room. I slowly get up and carefully walk around with my gun ready.

I crawl through a air conditioner vent, and come to the room where Dux is supposed to be. I press my back against the door to open it to surprise Dux. As soon as I do, I am surrounded by men who are all shining a flashlight on me. I'm standing there with my gun drawn, but there are at least three men with weapons. I see the man who is sitting at his desk swivel his chair around to face me. It's Dux, and he seems like he expected me. He looks at me and swirls his wine around in his wineglass. He's definitely not afraid. DAMN!

"Well, I must say...I never thought the great NOIR would be a young lady like you! Please drop your weapon!" Alfred Dux said to me, as he looked at me arrogantly.

I was trapped! Until Kirika came and helped me, I had no other option but to drop my gun. As I look up I see the lady from the graveyard emerge from the shadows. She looks shocked and gasps as she sees me, then gives a small smile. "So you were the one." she said.

I look at her with all the anger I feel. This was a set-up! Why? And I had really wanted to do a good job, because she had been so nice. But It was all a damn lie! And where the hell was Kirika?

Soon as I thought that, Kirika surprised everybody as she opened the door, and immediately shoots all of the men holding weapons. I grab my gun off the floor, and Kirika and I take off running down the hall.

As we are running down the hallway, I try to take out all the security cameras that I can so they can't track us so easily. We come into a room that is empty, to catch our breath. Kirika goes first to make sure no one is hiding there, and then I join her.

"I just can't believe this! This whole thing was a set-up! And Dux and our client were in it together!" I cry out in frustration to Kirika.

Suddenly, a Tv up on the wall flashes on. It shows a pink screen that flashes these words: Target: NOIR.

My blood turns cold. "It would seem that the targets name has been changed." I say.

"They were after us to start with...after Noir." Kirika replied softly.

I looked back at her over my shoulder. "But that doesn't make sense! Why would someone go to such lengths to catch us? " I ask harshly.

"They're professionals like us. Someone must be paying them..." Kirika said softly, her voice sounding like it was going to break in half.

"So you think someone else is behind this as well?" I ask.

I feel Kirika looking at me with an intense stare. "Yes...The hunter and hunted have switched places, that's all. It doesn't alter the fact that we're dealing in human lives." she says softly, but firmly.

"Allright...but who is the Mastermind?" I ask.

"The enemy". Kirika responds simply.

I look at her. "You mean, the ones who stole your memories? I ask.

(Okay. Enough!) I think. It's time for action!

"They've made their move, lets make ours!" I say firmly.

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Kirika and I stand against the door. Kirika concentrates, as soon as she hears the footsteps in the hallway, she turns and shoots her gun through the door. The door swings open to show she had killed two men with her usual skill. We run away until we come to a big room which turns out to have been used as a casino.

"Looks like we've been herded here." I say, as I walk over to the bar. It has a drink machine, and old popcorn that has spilled all over the floor. I sit down at the bar. I am so nervous, so I try to act silly to distract myself.

"Umm...Wanna a drink? Or if you prefer..we also have some popcorn!" I joke in the most fake, cheerful voice I can manage.

Suddenly all the lights go out in the casino. I look up to see the last light flicker out.

"Looks like they mean to duke it out here!" I say, as I get a fearful feeling in my stomach.

Suddenly, I see Kirika looking at me very intently. "Popcorn." she says.

(What? Is she crazy?) "Hmm?" I reply in surprise.

"Popcorn, I think I'd like to have some." Kirika says simply, as I stare at her in bewilderment.

Very soon I realize just what a good idea she had.

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Kirika and I hurry and try to set a few traps before Dux and his men come after us. We huddle together underneath the bar, and have our guns ready. Soon we hear the men entering the casino. Suddenly, I hear the crunch of the popcorn being stepped on, and instantly Kirika brings her arm back and shoots a man without even looking at him. Then as soon as I hear another crunch, Kirika brings her arm out and takes down another man. Just from the sound. She didn't even need to see them, and she still takes them out with skills I don't know how she possesses. But she does. Then she runs off, to go after these other men.

I cry out in frustration as I turn and run the other way.

I run until I find a place that seems deserted. I sit there and wait, my gun lowered but ready. I can hear machine gun fire in other parts of the hotel. I know that Kirika is probably killing a bunch of men right now.

Suddenly, a flash from above causes me to look up. I recoil in horror as I pull my gun up and aim at our so-called client- the graveyard lady who is hanging above me with a long knife ready to kill me. Luckily, I am a bit faster with my gun and I pull the trigger.

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Kirika switches the lights back on in the casino. Broken glass, popcorn, dead bodies litter the floor. Dux is dead, his night vision goggles broken off his face. The elegant, graveyard lady is in a black skintight leather cat suit. She was still alive..but not for long. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"The first time we met was coincidence." she says weakly.

"I often thought that people like us should never visit cementaries. We just seem to fall into the graves at our feet ourselves..." I begin.

"Almost as if the other side was calling us." the woman says softly.

"I also have to wonder if the dead are blinding us as well." I respond.

"Maybe..so." she agrees.

"What about that grave?" I ask her softly.

"It was my husband's." she replies.

"Who was not the young president?" I say.

"When I told you he liked those flowers, that much was true." the woman said weakly.

"Tell me one thing. Who was it who hired you to kill Noir?" I ask firmly.

"If you were me, would you tell...?" she asks.

"No way." I smile.

The graveyard lady laughs weakly.

"What's your name?" I ask, surprising myself, but even though this woman had just tried to kill me...I found I liked her. I wanted to know her name before she died.

Suddenly, she starts to cough, and gag. After a moment she says 'What's the point of asking? Neither you nor I have graves on which to carve our names. Neither you nor ..." the lady doesn't even get to finish her sentence as she dies.

I look at her sadly. I wish this didn't have to be my life. I wish you hadn't tried to kill me so I wouldn't have had to kill you. I could feel Kirika's eyes on my back. This just hadn't been a good day.

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The rain was pouring down again as Kirika looked out the window as usual, and I thought about what had just transpired. I crossed my hands behind my head and leaned back in my chair.

"I don't get it. The enemy hired Dux and his men to eliminate Noir. But Dux had never been told that Noir was you and I. Do you suppose that maybe it really was some kind of a game? And Dux, you, and I were nothing more than pieces on the board?" I asked Kirika, as I basically thought out loud.

Kirika still looked out the window as she said "I guess so.."

"Now I know the enemy is watching. Even now, they're watching us from somewhere in the shadows. And in the end we have no choice except to go on winning these games, right?" I ask harshly, feeling cold fear in my stomach.

'Yes...until someday.." Kirika responds.

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It was another rainy day as I made my way to the graveyard as I carried a bouquet of Belladonna lilies. I thought about what the graveyard lady had said. About not having a grave on which to carve my name. Well... Not having a grave isn't something that saddens me because it is the path that I chose for myself.

I look at the graves around me. Does it matter that the person you love is there or not? I think of my family, of others, and even of that lady. What does it matter? I know this is not your grave, but so what? So what if that's true? I think as I throw the flowers in the air, and watch them land on whatever grave they please.

Because what does it matter in the end? It doesn't.

Chapter 3- LES SOLDATS

A/N- I hope this was enjoyable. These are mainly a retelling of Noir with Mireille's POV and what I think could be her thoughts about things. I am trying to stay as close to anime evidence as possible. I am using the quotes and storyline from the show because that is the evidence presented. The descriptions and thoughts are mine. I am trying to see these event's through Mireille's eyes. Kirika has her own POV in "Memory Fails Me" and she is easier to do since she doesn't talk as much and I can interject more of my own thoughts into her. So let me say NOIR belongs to ADV films and Beetrain. Not me:)

I did try to add as much as I could about what Mireille may have thought. I do believe that in this episode there wasn't much warmth between Kirika and Mireille. I think the next chapter of this story which deals with Ep.5 shows a small turning point in their relationship. Especially after episode 7. I hope you like these peeks into what I think they thought. I am still working on Time Out of the World we Knew chapter 7. That is my post series story and it's not written in first person POV form. I hope to have another chapter of that soon. Please review or constructive criticism welcome. Thanks.