Miraculous one shots~

~Four~ By your side

      "One year ago today, Paris suffered a great loss." The Mayer said solemnly into the mic. "The city lost a hero. A school lost a classmate. A father lost a son. And a hero lost a partner." He continued.

      Marinette looked around at the crowd surrounding her with a numb expression as she saw people crying, frowning, and seeming not to care, and her fists clenched at her sides.

      "The pain of that day is not a wound that will quickly heal, but we will overcome it given time..." He continues, but this is where Marinette stops listening.

       This is all stupid. The girl thought to herself. A speech won't bring him back. The girl clenched her fists as a tear rolled down her cheek. I just.. want him back.

       But as the girl turned away from the crowed, the girl heard a voice of a young girl. "Who's Chat Noir?" The innocent voice asked a woman standing next to her.

       Marinette had broken down, and she felt numb, until the mother replied, and Marinette got hit in the face with emotion.

     "He was Ladybug's sidekick not long ago."

       Suddenly, the girl's head snapped up, and she nearly got whiplash when she turned around to face the woman. "Actually no." Her voice sounded strange to her, and her words were sharper then she intended. The woman looked shocked and faced the blue haired girl. "He wasn't her sidekick. He was her partner. Marinette corrected, her face red with furry.

      "Pah-leeze, if they were really partners, Paris would have taken a bigger hit last year. But did we? No. To this day, Ladybug is still zooming around on her yoyo, dealing with akumas on her own." Marinette furrowed her eyebrows and breathed deeply before looking down at the little girl with the confused expression as she looked at her.

     "Hi sweetheart," Mari said with a small smile. "Do you want to hear a story about who Chat Noir really was?" She asked, to which the girl nodded. The mother glared at her. "Chat Noir was the kindest person Paris had ever known. He loved this city so much, that he would have done anything for it. In fact, he did. He paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep you, and your friends and family safe. He also did it to keep Ladybug safe." Marinette started, her eyes starting to dampen again as guilt rushed over her.

    "Chat Noir and Ladybug had been against a very mean bad guy, and Ladybug got really hurt from it. She was left helpless as she was laid unconscious on the sidewalk. You see, the villian almost got her miraculous, and won." She continued, watching as the girl's eyebrows furrowed in fright.

     "But then Chat Noir showed up, and took Ladybug somewhere safe until she woke up... He battled the akuma all on his own until the very end, that's when Ladybug found him, and realized the akuma actually did take his ring..." Marinette trailed off as her hands shook at the memories of Chat Noir, unmasked laying at the feet of the eiffel tower with a blood stained shirt, just barely holding on. "Ladybug had to go after the akuma and get the ring back on her own, and then... She had to bury her best friend." Marinette said with tears in her eyes as the little girl looked at her worriedly. "Ladybug wouldn't be alive today, if it weren't for him." The blue haired girl said with a shaky voice. "He was, certainly, no sidekick. Not to her. No, he was her hero. He still is." She said shakily.

The little girl simply stared at the woman, before putting her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." The girl started "I know what you feel, I had a hamster a couple of weeks ago that went to heaven, too. I miss him super much... but then I look back on all the memories I had with him, like when I'd watch him roll around the house in his hamster ball, or when I first got him. It doesn't make me not miss him, but it reminds me I was blessed with getting to know him." The little girl continued.

"I know you miss him, but he must have cared a lot about you, just like he did to you, and he wouldn't want you to be sad about him." The little girl said, as Marinette let a tear fall freely down her cheek, before laying a hand over her own.

"You're a very smart little girl." Marinette said with a small smile, "and very wise. Thank you." He bluenette said before slowly standing back up, to look at he mother. "Chat Noir was anything but a sidekick, ma'am, and I can't allow you to say otherwise, please, at least not today. Not here. There are still many that are still trying to cope, and mindless opinions like that will start a war." Marinette said, before giving a last small smile at the little girl and turning around.

"I miss you, Kitty." She mumbled to herself as she started walking home.

"I never left, My Lady..." a voice replied, making the girl's eyes widen as she looked around her, to find no one but a frail black alley cat. She smiled at it as tears stung her eyes, and she slowly walked over and picked it up, hugging it to her chest and then listened to the quiet putts of the black cat until she got home, and fed it a plate of croissants, and milk, both of which he seemed much too pleased with.

Thanks so much for reading, I know it was sad but I promise I'll make it up to you. Thank you so much for the support and don't be shy to comment some feedback :)