The Princess and Her Cat

Twelve

I was swinging my yo-yo, screaming for Chat like my life depended on it. Though that didn't mean much anymore. No, like Adrien's life depended on it. And it probably did.

I spent a week looking. Searching, screaming, crying, begging, but to no avail. He was dead.

My throat was sore by the time I stopped at the Eiffel tower, sitting in my usual spot under the observation deck. I had given up on finding him. I had failed. I felt tears against my face, dripping from my red mask and onto my legs. I had failed him. Desperately, I called for him one last time, my voice cracking and shaking.

This time I heard a soft whimper. Jumping up, I called him again, and heard another groan, so I flew to the observation deck. Adrien was bound to the railing, bruises practically glowing on his face and blood dried to his nose. A sob escaped my throat and I rushed to him, frantically untying the knots that secured his wrists to the pole. When he was finally free I kissed him desperately, my hands grabbing his hair and pulling him toward me. He, too, seemed desperate, his lips needy and demanding, but I didn't mind.

He wasn't dead. He was here, a little bruised, but no worse for the wear. And he was alive.

"My Lady," he breathed on my lips, "we have company." I didn't want to pull away, but I did, giving him a concerned look before tucking him behind me protectively.

"So the ladybug came to defend the kitten," a voice growled, sending a chill down my spine. This was the voice that had cut away at my flesh like I was a slab of meat for his pleasure. He spun a knife between his fingers and I could feel myself shutting down, my vision darkening and my brain beginning to blur into nightmares. I couldn't have this happen now. No. I refused. I was safe, Adrien was safe, and now was my moment to show him what I was really made of. "But I thought the kitten had a different lady friend who was certainly not a Ladybug." His words were said to cut me deeper, but he had already scarred me. He couldn't do it again.

"You see, Mister, I don't really care. My secrets are mine, Adrien's his, and it's not your place to know them. Now, before I beat you to a bloody pulp, do you have anything to say? Anything at all? To Marinette, to Adrien?" I approached slowly, willing all the rage, desperation, and loss from the past month into my stride and pulling confidence from it. "Any final words?" I spat, venom dripping from my voice.

He didn't even start to look scared. The rage I felt and had channeled suddenly spun out of control, my yo-yo darting out to smack him in the face. It wound around his neck, the magical string tightening as I approached.

"This..." I started, letting my anger seep into my words, "this is for everything you've done wrong. You hurt Adrien, you almost killed Marinette, and you don't need to do anything else, ever again. Have any last words NOW, coward?"

He smiled. He had the audacity to smile. His teeth were perfectly straight and shone far too brightly for the person he was, his eyes were bright and intelligent, so what had gone wrong? Akumas weren't a problem anymore, we had defeated Hawkmoth a year ago. So what had driven this man to do what he did?

His face was turning purple, and despite my curiosity of his twisted mind, I did not feel the slightest regret in choking him to death. Let him experience the terror, the suffering; I wanted him to die in fear.

"Marinette!" Adrien screamed. "Marinette, what are you doing?!" The bloodlust faded from my veins, the red retreated from my vision. What WAS I doing? I was no better than him, treating him like this, wanting him to suffer for my own selfish purposes.

"I... I..." I released my hold on my yo-yo, letting it swing from my fingertips like the pendulum of a clock. The color returned to his face, and he choked out one breath, then another.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance," he snarled, then threw the knife. Not at me, but somewhere behind me. Somewhere where...

"Chat!" I screamed, my voice tearing from my vocal chords and creating a dissonant shout that echoed through the city. Everything happened underwater after that. Hurtling through the air, the knife sailed end over end, glinting as it spun. I lunged to grab it, but I missed, my hand grasping nothing but air. It landed with a dull thud in Adrien's gut, a short cry erupting from his mouth like a bird that's been shot from the sky. His face... His face only showed surprise, his green eyes wide and alarmed as he stumbled back. Then he stared at the knife, at the blood running down his stomach. He even reached out and touched it. The blood stained his shaking fingertips just like it stained my memory. I rushed to him, holding his waist in my hands, trying to decide if I should pull the knife out or not. Adrien decided for me. He pulled it out with a sickening wet noise that made me gag.

"I'm fine, Mari," he coughed, giving me a weak smile. "Go take care of him." He gestured to the man behind me, thinking of my safety over his own. Haphazardly tossing my yo-yo, it wrapped around our villain's arms and torso, causing him to fall to the ground, trapped. While I had been catching the perpetrator, Adrien had slid to the ground, leaning against the railing. Kneeling in front of him, I peeled his once white shirt from his abdomen, the blood still pulsing from the cut.

"God, Princess, always trying to get my clothes off," he teased, despite the fact that he was probably going to die. The realisation shot through me as an arrow to the heart. He was going to die. Internally I was screaming, sobbing. Externally I was still, staring at the blood. The blood was everywhere. "Mari, look at me," he pleaded, his voice tearing my eyes to his. He held his arms open, just like he did at night while he waited for me in bed. Despite the tears sliding from his face, a ghost of a smile was haunting his lips. I went to him as I always did, his arms tightening around me just like they always have.

"L-Listen, P-Princess," he stuttered and gasped, wincing occasionally. "I l-love you s-so much. I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry I couldn't be there for you. I let you down."

"No! No, you didn't. You didn't do anything wrong." He shifted slightly.

"I d-did though. I'm l-leaving before I g-got to say 'I-I do.' I h-had such b-big dreams for us, M-Mari. I al-always have, e-ever since I ga-gave you that um-umbrella. I'm s-sorry." Tears were trickling down both of our faces now, splashing and mixing with red.

"Don't be sorry, Adrien. Please," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "Just know I love you, okay?"

"I al-already do," he whispered, burying his face in my shoulder. He kissed my neck a couple of times, then looked up at me and kissed my forehead. "N-Name one of y-your kids a-after me, w-will you?" he grinned, then closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face. Then his arms loosened from around my shoulders and fell limp to the ground.

Dead.

Death was cruel. It took everything from you, even if you weren't the one dying. That's what I learned that day; death was terrible and merciless. It took Adrien from me. Later it would take me too. I almost wanted it to take me now.

But I couldn't do that to Adrien. I still had to remember him, and cherish him, even if he wasn't alive. That was my job now. Remembering.

Remembering the end of Paris's greatest heroes, and the end of a boy who didn't deserve to die.

Remember him, will you? For me?