To Marry an Assassin

Chapter 18

Damienette arranged marriage: part 18

--------------------------------------

"I think it will be best if I tell the truth." She looked at Damian for a moment, but then returned her sight to Marinette. "It has mostly to do with your grandma. My mother had two daughters actually. Me and my sister. Her name is Sandra Wu-San, better know as Lady Shiva"

"What the fuck!?" Was Damian's reaction.

---------------------

"Judging by Damian's reaction, I guess she is not that popular..." Marinette stated, having no idea who was this 'Lady Shiva' beyond apparently her aunt.

"She is..." Her mother started, but this time it was Tom who stopped her.

"Sandra is an assassin, much like your husband." He glared daggers at the boy, who felt shiver going up his spine. Perhaps it was because they were Marinette's parents, but this two scared him on equal level as his father on bad day or angry Alfred. He'd only seen the butler in foul mood once. He could not really remember what caused it, but there was no stopping Alfred then.

"Ex-Assassin Papa. Damian is a good person." Marinette defended him. Sabine was about to say something, but the girl had none of that. "Damian is honest, caring and loyal. He was willing to give up his freedom to protect me and he tried to fight an akumatized Chat Noir to buy me time to escape."

"Wait. Chat Noir got akumatized?" Her mother asked bewildered.

"tt. Yes." Damian answered. "That moggy decided that he no longer wants Ladybug and instead went after An... Marinette" Luckily for him, neither of the parents acknowledged the nickname he started to give his wife.

"He probably got akumatized over something else and it just appeared this way..."

"As if!" Her father shouted. "I knew that boy would only bring trouble. If I get my hands on him, I..." Tom stopped himself before he said too much. HIs daughter might have been married (he still had hard time believing this was real), but she was a child nonetheless. "then I will hand him to Sabine!" He finally declared. It was not like he could invent any worse fate for Chat Noir anyway.

The mother in question turned to Damian with her cold stare. "I want you to be honest with me young man. Did that mogger do anything to my sweety?"

"He kissed her." Damian answered truthfully.

"Tom! Get me my bag!" Sabine shouted.

"Maman! It was because of the Akuma! You can't go out and try to skin him alive..." Marinette tried to defend her partner. And I just thought I dissuaded one former assassin from extracting vengeance. She thought to herself.

"Oh Sweety! It doesn't make it right."

"Maman!/Mrs. Cheng." Marinette and Damian exclaimed at the same time. Girl allowed her boyfriend/husband to speak first.

"While I would be more than eager to assist you in the hunt for the rascal, I believe the priority here is Marinette and what she wants."

"Huff. Yes. You are right boy." Sabine was not amused, but she gained some respect for the boy. He was considerate about her daughter's opinion. At least that was a plus.

"I have one question." Damian noticed that she relaxed a bit and decided to test his luck. "Sabine Wu-San was declared dead almost quarter a century ago. How is that you are here."

"Well, I think I owe Mari this story and you are not leaving any times soon." The last part held a underlain threat that he better stayed and explained himself thorough. She heard the retelling of the events from month before, but she still had more than a handful of questions for the boy. The kind that she would ask when Marinette went to bed.

"You don't need to Maman." The girl quickly sputtered.

"It's okay sweety. Given the situation you should probably know." Sabine reassured the girl and took more comfortable position on the couch. "Well... My sister and I were raised to be perfect assassins. We were practically born into the League of Assassins. By the time I was twenty, I already mastered most of the conventional martial arts and weapons. But it was not what I wanted. I wanted out. I wanted freedom. I didn't want to be just a killing machine."

"Mmmmffffmfmf" Talia gave another muffled sound. This one was even more angry, but nobody cared what she

"Oh! Shut up you murderous... " Sabine stopped herself. "Would you cover your ears sweety? I must tell Talia some words that should not be said in presence of such sweetheart." Marinette wanted to frown, but Damian took the chance and came closer to her and put his hands on either sides of her head. He scowled when Tom did the same for him. Both teens could see Sabine yelling something at the tied woman, but they didn't hear anything. It lasted for quite a bit before finally much more cheerful woman gestured Tom that she was done.

"You feeling better Maman?"

"Yes Sweety. Where was I? Right. When I was twenty I run away. I faked my own death to make sure I was left alone."

"I remember. That was the first time Lady Shiva emerged." Damian recalled what he read in his father's files when he was bored. "She was out for revenge. She was mercilessly tracking all people who had any connection with the case."

"Yes." Sabine admitted sadly. 'It was almost two years before she found me."

"So she knows you are alive?" Damian implied.

"Yes. Sandra is sweet once you get to know her. She comes on my birthday or at least send an overly expensive piece of weaponry. I keep it all in 'The bag'." Sabine chimed happily. "If she ever happens to be in Paris we make sure to go out for a coffee and catch up.

"Maman! Why didn't I ever meat Aunt Sandra then?"

"You did once. She posed as Wang's assistant, remember?"

"That was her!?" Marinette remembered hazily that about four years ago Uncle Wang was accompanied by some woman who claimed to be there to deal with the press and the likes.

"Yes."

"Miss Cheng." Damian started with a bit of a hesitation. "Are you aware that your sister had a daughter?" He asked unsure whether this was appropriate or not. His human skills were already put to the test here.

"Excuse me, but could you repeat?" Sabine asked befuddled.

"Cassandra Cain. She is the daughter of Lady Shiva and another Assassin David Cain. At the moment she lives with my father in the Manor."

"Oh..." Marinette watched as her mother was completely at the loss of words. "Excuse me why I go make a call and yell at certain family member. Damian. Be so kind and ask your father if it would be okay for me to meet her."

"Will do madam." The young Wayne actually smiled. He always respected Cass and was happy that maybe the girl would find some of her family.

The happy atmosphere was broken when suddenly Talia crashed the chair she was tied to and freed herself.

"You are all in. So. Much. Trouble!" She spat through clenched teeth.