Story: Left and Right (chapter 2)

Left and Right

by: Bulmafox

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.

Epilogue

Three years later...

Mireille and Kirika sat at a favorite bistro of theirs and ordered their favorite lunch together. Kirika had finally tracked down Mireille, and they had a lot of catching up to do.

"So, you're here. I take it you finally got over me?" Mireille kidded.

"Actually, yes. It's the strangest thing, but do you know what finally helped?"

"A new girlfriend?"

"No. A kitten."

Mireille almost spit out her tea. "A kitten?!"

"Yes. I was grocery shopping one day and I saw a scraggly kitten wandering the streets. Of course I snuck him into a bag and carried him home, where he wasn't allowed. The super had a fit when he found him and took him to the pound."

"And?"

"And he languished in the system. Nobody wanted him. Finally I heard they were going to kill him. I adopted him and got myself kicked out. We were both homeless, but I didn't care. Something about being killed for being unwanted struck a nerve with me and I had to rescue him."

"So...then what?"

"I eventually found an apartment where cats were allowed. It struck me one night while I was petting Lenin--"

"Wait, Lenin?"

"I don't know much Russian literature or history, okay? While I was petting him, an idea occured to me: I would rescue all the cats that were being euthanized for being unwanted. Of course my apartment was too small to fit all them in, so I planned to buy a house. Another tenant, Nami, saw me with all the cats and asked what I was doing, and I told her. She said there was a better way, and we opened up Kawasaki's only no-kill shelter."

"Wow. I guess that would keep you busy. So how's it going?"

"Well. We opened up a couple more in Tokyo and Osaka. It's ironic; I've gone from taking life to saving it. Oh Mireille!" Kirika said excitedly, "I found someone!"

Mireille's eyes widened. "Really? What's her name?"

"Keiko. She's a volunteer at the shelter."

"And how's it going?"

"We're taking it one step at a time; I've never been in a relationship before. I haven't told her anything of my past."

"Good. What happened to that Andrea chick you were with?"

"I was never 'with her', and she still travels. We keep in touch. She even visited me in Japan a while back." Kirika sipped her tea and ate some food. "Sorry for being self-absorbed. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, too. Pierre and I got married."

"I noticed. I couldn't find you under 'Bouquet' anywhere."

"And we have a child; a daughter, named Celine."

Now Kirika's eyes widened. "A child? You?"

"What? It's not as impossible as you might think. I never thought I'd be a mother either, until I became one."

"What about your pride?"

"Oh, my pride? Pierre spoils me; it's not like he makes me do anything I don't want to do. He's pretty well-to-do, and well, you know me...so we spend our time out or with our daughter, doing whatever."

"I noticed you moved, too."

"Yeah. We got a house in the suburbs after I became pregnant. We realized neither of our apartments were big enough to hold the three of us. You should see it sometime."

"Does he know?"

"He 'knows' I was a freelance courier, and that I made enough money to retire.' Then Mireille answered Kirika's unspoken question. "He doesn't know about you. He thinks you left to finish your education in your homeland. We can tell him if you want."

Kirika smiled and shook her head. "Maybe."

"Moving to Japan changed you, Kirika. For the better. You're happier now, less introverted."

"Well you kind of have to be to open a shelter."

"I've missed you. Are you moving back? You can have my old apartment; I kept paying rent so no one would take it."

Kirika shook her head. "No. I've built a life for myself in Kawasaki now, what with the shelter and all. And I have a girlfriend to consider."

Mireille looked visibly deflated. "Fine. But promise to visit me. Often. And I want to come to Japan to visit this shelter of yours."

Kirika smiled again. "I promise. And you can visit me anytime."

The two women paid their bill and stood on the edge of the sidewalk. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," Mireille started.

"Silly," Kirika said. "No one said I had to leave right now. Come on, let's visit your place. You can tell me all about it and introduce me to your daughter..."