Editor's comments and actions are denoted by [brackets]. Sound effects are written {like this}. (Parenthesis) indicate side notes in the dialogue bubble or the mangaka's note. And finally, italics are thoughts.

{sound f/x pan: gunshot}

Blood flies from Florian's arm.

Noel: FLORIAN!

Florian: [wincing] Ku...~ --Quickly... Quickly, go through that tunnel. I'll follow after you!

Noel: Florian!

Man: [drawing gun] Do you think we'll let you!

Florian turns and kicks the guns away from the men.

{sound f/x baki: whacking sound}

Men: UWA~

Florian: [sliding into the tunnel] Noel and his father?

Solomon: They went on ahead. Are you okay?

Florian: Somehow.

Solomon: You're more unbelievable than you look!

Above them, Louise screams at her subordinates.

Louise: Why're you being so slow!? Get after them!

Man 1: [crawling] It... it's dark and we can't see anything, boss.

Man 2: [crawling] My gun... where's my gun?

Louise: [steaming] Ahh~ geez~~!

Down in the catacombs, Solomon, Florian, Noel and his father wander through the walls.

Florian: Somehow it looks different from how we came in.

Solomon: Yeah. In order to confuse them a bit, we're taking a branch road.

Tassel: You say "branch road", but there's isn't a whole lot "road"-like about this. it's so narrow.

Solomon: That's why I said it was a branch road.

Mssr. Tassel suddenly steps on the edge of a cliff. A single pebble falls.

{sound f/x garan: clatter}

Tassel: [looking rather green] Excuse me---- Ahead it seems to drop down rather strangely...

Florian: [look] It seems we're lost...

Solomon: Ah~ don't look at me so suspiciously!

Voice: They're not over there! Check over here!

Solomon: [gasp] This's bad...

Man: Ah~! They're over here... HUH!?

Florian and Solomon simultaneously kick the man in the face.

Noel: (Wo-w~)

Tassel: (Good work.)

Florian: Monsieur Tassel! Noel! Hurry up right now!

Louise: [cocking a gun] Stop right there, darling.

Tassel: Louise!

Florian breaks out into a run.

Solomon: Florian!

Florian grabs Louise.

Louise: What are you doing~!?

Florian: Hurry, run!

Louise: What are you doing? Hurry up and follow them~!

Man: [drawing gun] Yes, ma'am~!

Solomon: Can't be helped. Jump!

Noel: No, Florian! Florian has to come, too!

{sound f/x ga: Florian getting struck on the head}

Noel: FLORIAN!

Solomon, Mssr. Tassel, and Noel jump off of the cliff, leaving Florian behind.

Louise: Morons! Stupid fools! They were right in front of you and you let them escape!

Man: It's not like we could tell what they were going to do. They had the advantage on us there.

Louise: This is bad. We have to evacuate the hideout.

Man: [holding a gun to Florian] What about him? Kill him?

Louise: Idiot. We don't have to kill this boy. There are many things that I'd like to ask him. Treat him gently.

Back at Noir's mansion, Solomon, Mssr. Tassel, and Noel have shown up.

Noir: And? What am I supposed to do? He went off and left and then went off and got himself captured. I didn't know anything about it!

Solomon: That's true, but Florian is at least under your care, isn't he. Isn't saying something like that a bit too much?

Noir: Florian got captured because you put useless thoughts in his head, didn't you! Solomon Sugar. And now my nuisances have increased by one. I don't remember turning into a philanthropist!

Solomon: A transformation from a corrupt loan shark into a philanthropist! That's wonderful, isn't it! I truly respect you, Rei Balzac Courland-kun!

Noir: [sweatdrop] When you're around, you drive me up the wall. That's enough, so get out of here!

Solomon: (How cold.) It can't be helped. I'll go and rescue Florian alone. I'm sorry to have taken up your time.

Noel: W-wait, Solomon-san. Me, too... I'll go, too...! If we don't hurry, Florian will die!

Solomon: Kid. That's why you still need to stay here, Kiddo. It's okay, I'll do something. [What Solomon really calls Noel is Chibisuke, which combines chibi (little) with -suke, a stereotypically ending for male names.]

Noir: Don't make promises you can't keep.

Solomon: Rei!

Noir: They've probably fled from their hideout. How do you expect to find them?

Solomon: W... well...

Noir: Laila.

{sound f/x dokin: strong thud of Laila's heartbeat}

Laila: Yes... what?

Noir: Free those fellows who we captured. Let them swim free and they'll return to the nest.

Laila: Right. Right, gotcha. It's all---- normal. I gotta be normal. I'll have George and Terry shadow them. Okay... It's nothing. Because to Noir, it means nothing----

Laila recalls her near kiss with Noir and flees from the room. Noir watches her go.

Tassel: ----But, I really can't trouble you any further. I'm so terribly sorry for involving inoccents like you. I just let that woman talk me into this... I am ready to take responsibility for my own crimes. I'll report to the police right away----

Noir: It's useless. Before the "Black Hand", the Paris Police are untrustworthy. Even though you're rich and powerful, you've been trapped as well, Mssr. Tassel.

Tassel: But---- Then Florian...-kun will be.

Noir: Florian will be fine. He won't let anyone kill him. Hans, bring "it" here.

Hans: Right.

Tassel: "It"...

Hans brings out Noel's teddy bear.

Tassel: Betty... Deux! I thought that they took it, so why...?

Noir: I wanted to research it's eyes a bit. Sorry Noel, but I switched yours. They believe that the jewels are in the real teddy bear---- in other words, the one that you have. As long as they think that, they won't kill Florian.

Noel: ----But... but the jewels inside... I threw them away in the river! Those pretty stones are bad stones. They were there because Papa changed. If those stones went away somewhere, Papa would go back to normal...! That's what I thought...

Tassel: Noel.

Noel: So, I stuffed Betty Deux with normal pebbles...! If they say that they want to trade Florian for the jewels......!

Noir: ---- Watch, Noel!

Noel: ------!?

Noir tears the head off of Betty Deux and pulls out a handful of jewels.

{sound f/x jara: jingling of jewels}

Noir: I'm an usurer by profession---- but I don't always just loan money. Just as long as interest piles up.

Tassel: You want me to pay for that?

Noir: With you guys, I'll never get it back. Hey, add this to Florian's debt! He really screwed up to be the only one caught!

Man: R...right!

Noir: Absolutely, I'll bring you back alive...! He's my priceless living amethyst jewel. If he's destroyed, it'll be by my hands----

Part 2c | Part 2d | Part 2e

Manga belongs to Higuri You, Eyes Comics, and Shuueisha, taken from the Gorgeous Carat -Kurayami no Bitoku- manga, ISBN4-8342-6139-5. Not like the story makes sense if you haven't read the manga anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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