Eclipse (part 10 of 32)
Back to Part 9"It's nice to have a more civilized visit in my office with you,
Mireille." Uncle shoves aside a few papers on his desk. "Things were a
little strained last time."
"Things are still strained. I won't have Soldats running my life." she
snaps at him. "It's been three days now and I'm tired of them in my
house."
"Then perhaps you would like to run them." he answers, and lifts an
eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" she asks, frowning.
"Take charge of your own protection. I'll give you my best men. Use them
as you will- to protect you both, and to investigate the circumstances
that have occurred." He smiles. "Or just to go fetch your lunch, if you
so desire."
"Ridiculous." She snorts. She looks sideways at me. I shrug my
shoulders.
"It sounds good to me, Mireille." I venture out my opinion.
She stands and begins to pace.
"Your best men." She goes toward the window.
"A dozen of them."
"At my complete disposal." She turns back from the window and paces back
to us.
"Until this is resolved, yes." He stands up slowly, and I see pain cross
his face.
"What is it you really want, to make me such an offer?" she stops and
puts her hands on his desk, leaning in to face him.
He looks at me and smiles. I smile back at him. I'm feeling much better,
and today was my first day back out of the house.
"Because you are not the only one who cares about Kirika." he says
softly.
----------
I watch as the glass conference room doors slide shut. Mireille stands
at the head of the table, looking over maps; her group of Soldats is
with her. From the way they are looking at her, they seem almost to fear
her. Even though they tower above her, there is no doubt as to who is
the leader in that room.
"She's in her element, and doesn't even know it." Uncle observes.
"Well she likes to be in charge." I say, and wonder why he chuckles at
my comment.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
"Funny... it's not really amusing, I suppose. To see her cast aside the
very thing that comes to her naturally, that she was born to do." He
stops in the hallway and pushes the elevator button to go down.
"What was she born to do?" I walk into the elevator with him.
"To rule amongst the overlords." he says quietly, as the elevator doors
close and carry us downward.
----------
"That ice cream was good." I wipe my mouth. "Thank you." I look around
at the eatery inside his large office building. It must be convenient,
to have everything in one place like this.
"I missed not having a treat with you. I'm glad you're feeling better."
He pushes back his chair to get up and I see the pain flash across his
face again.
"You knee is worse, isn't it?" I ask, coming around to help him.
"Well stress makes it worse. I haven't slept well the last few days." he
grunts as he moves. We walk back down the long corridor to the elevator.
"I haven't either." I confess. My dream has been getting worse each
night. The screaming, the beating- and it's always in the same room. In
my mind I've given it a name: the nightmare room.
"Well being kidnapped like that is traumatic. It will take time for that
fear to go away."
"I suppose." I shrug. I don't want to tell him about the dream- just
trying to tell Mireille has been upsetting enough.
"Excuse me sir." A young man comes up with a letter in his hand. "But I
just signed for this for you in the mail room. It's marked urgent."
"Was it checked?" Uncle asks.
"Yes sir. It appears to be an ordinary letter. From the Laciaon prison."
Uncle's eyes widen and he snatches the letter.
"A letter from there... is anything but ordinary." He rips it open. I
see him read it quickly, his frown drawing deeper with each line. When
he finishes, he stuffs it inside his vest.
"We must get Mireille and our men immediately." he growls at the young
man, who nods and runs to the front desk. He takes my hand and we head
towards the entrance doors.
"Come, Kirika. We must go to the Laciaon prison at once."
Onwards to Part 11
Back to Eclipse Index -
Back to Noir Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction