Disclaimer--I don't own Noir. If I did, the shoujo-ai would be a lot more blatant and there'd be a lot more Mireille and Chloe fighting over Kirika. Instead it's owned by Ryoe Tsukimura, Bee Train (the guys who like to toy with our heads), and Victor Entertainment.

Confessions

by: Bulmafox

Chapter Five

"Kirika?!"

Kirika flew to her feet like a shot. "Mireille?"

Chloe got up and dressed in her toga. She glared daggers at Mireille and 
prepared to fight.

"Kirika," Mireille asked again, not quite believing what she saw. 
"W-what's going on?"

"It was an impulse."

"An impulse?! What, were the two of you swimming or whatever, and out of 
the blue you just say 'let's do it'?"

"Um...yes?"

"'Um yes?' What kind of answer is that!? I thought you loved me, 
Kirika."

"Do I sense *jealousy* in your voice?" Chloe sneered.

"You shut up!" Mireille shouted at the smirking purple-haired assassin. 
"Well, Kirika?"

"I do love you, but..." Kirika shifted her eyes and looked down, "...I 
love Chloe, too."

"When did that happ--" Mireille paused as she remembered something. 
"Right. In Corsica. Chloe told me you two were special. So how long have 
you been 'special' together for?"

Chloe drew a knife. "None of your business. You had your chance and you 
blew it." She narrowed her eyes. "She's mine."

Mireille drew her gun. "Oh really? Says who?" She said gently to Kirika, 
"Come on. Let's get out of here. Forget about *her*"--she glared at 
Chloe for a moment--"We'll go someplace private and talk."

Tears welled up in Kirika's eyes. "I...I can't. I can't go with you."

"Why not?"

"I killed your family, Mireille. It was me. I did it," she whispered.

"Who told you that? Chloe?"

Kirika started crying. "I remembered."

Mireille looked away painfully.

"Mireille, please kill me."

Chloe did a double take.

Mireille looked at Kirika in shock. "Kirika, our promise is over. You 
know that."

"I don't care! I killed your family! Your family, Mireille!"

"I know that, Kirika! Look, I'm furious you slept with Chloe and killed 
my parents, but I'm not going to kill you over it!" Then, almost in a 
hushed whisper, she asked, "Remember when you told me you loved me and I 
pushed you away?"

Kirika nodded.

"I told you to leave before I did something I'd regret. That 'something' 
was killing you. Back there, at the bistro..." Mireille paused, trying to 
will herself to say the words, "I...already loved you."

Chloe threw her knife at Mireille's hand, disarming her. "Enough of your 
drivel! This ends now." She chuckled and muttered, "This'll be fun," 
before tackling her.

Kirika stood on the sidelines and watched as the women took their 
pent-up anger out on each other.

"You know," Chloe said as she grabbed Mireille in a chokehold, "I never 
liked you. Then she told me of your promise." She released Mireille and 
kicked her down. "Now I hate you."

Mireille flipped over and tackled Chloe. "The feeling's...mutual!" She 
emphasized 'mutual' as she punched Chloe in the face. "In fact, I think 
I'll kill you myself." She ran for her gun, only to be brought back down 
by Chloe.

Kirika kept watching as the two wrestled, neither gaining an advantage 
for long...until they reached Mireille's gun. Mireille grabbed her gun, 
Chloe drew a knife, and both were poised to kill.

Kirika's eyes widened as she screamed. "Chloe! Mireille!" She ran toward 
them and threw herself in the middle just in time to get shot on one 
side of the shoulder and stabbed in the other. Time stopped for an 
instant and both women recoiled as Kirika collapsed.

"No!" Both of them shouted. Mireille told Kirika she'd be right back and 
ran for the first aid kit in her Jeep. Chloe grabbed Kirika's 
toga--still by the spring--sliced it, and hastily bandaged up Kirika.

"Why?" Chloe asked. "I was about to be rid of her."

"I..know," Kirika winced as Chloe tightened the cloth a little too 
tightly.

Mireille came back with the first aid kit, frowned at Chloe's rush job, 
and removed the makeshift bandages.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Chloe scolded, "She needs that!"

"Obviously you don't know how to treat a wound," Mireille bit back. "You 
idiot," she told Kirika as she cleaned her wounds. "You could've gotten 
yourself killed."

"I know, Mireille." Kirika winced again as Mireille bandaged her 
properly. "And I'll do it again, I swear." She looked at Chloe, to show 
the threat applied to her, too.

"But--" Chloe protested.

"I mean it. If either of you try to kill each other...I'll do it again. 
And I might not be so lucky next time."

Chloe asked, "Why would you--"

"--For her?" Mireille finished.

"Because," Kirika looked up at them. "I love both of you. I'll die 
before I let you kill each other."

Mireille and Chloe sighed and sat down. "So what do we do now?" Mireille 
asked.

*************************************

The sun was setting when the three of them decided to leave. They had 
discussed the matter at length and came to an arrangement: Kirika would 
be with both of them and share her time between them equally. In return, 
Mireille and Chloe grudgingly promised not to kill each other. It was a 
fragile arrangement, vulnerable to Mirielle and Chloe's jealousy, but it 
was a start.

As for Noir...Chloe decided to ask Altena for advice. Mireille was no 
problem; she was the one left to the wind and wanted no part of it 
anyway. The problem was Kirika was as firmly against becioming Noir as 
Chloe was for it, and for Chloe, becoming Noir without Kirika would be 
meaningless.

Mireille and Chloe helped Kirika up and, with no idea what to expect, 
started toward the manor.