A Little Fall of Rain

In Loving Memory of Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Adrien groaned as he pulled off his tie for the third time. Why was it so hard to get it right, sitting down? He could probably ask one of the nurses to help or wait until his father arrived. But no, Adrien was determined to do this himself. Besides, he didn't want to give his father a chance to object to the color. Pink was hardly a fitting color for such a somber event.

But pink is Marinette's favorite color, Adrien thought with a smile. He looked down at his black suit. Such a gloomy color, but it was the color people wore to funerals. It was nothing like Marinette. She deserved more vibrant colors to be worn in her memory.

With a defeated sigh, Adrien threw his tie on the bed. It landed next to the folder Nathalie had given him. Inside its thick, black binding was Adrien's eulogy to Marinette. Frowning, Adrien picked it up and opened the cover. The speech was beautifully written, perfectly paced, and grammatically precise. The only problem was... Adrien didn't write it.

His father had been vehemently opposed to him speaking at Marinette's funeral. After Adrien insisted, Nathalie provided this speech as a compromise. It was very well-written but also bland and impersonal. Adrien scanned its lines over and over again, committing it to memory.

"Adrien?" A voice called from the doorway.

He looked up to see Kagami dressed in a simple black dress.

"You made it," Adrien smiled as he used his walker to stand.

A moment later, Kagami was at his side, drawing him into a warm hug. Adrien squeezed her back, happy to see his friend again. He loosened his hold on her, but she still held on tight.

Several more moments passed before Kagami let him go.

"I'm so sorry," she told him softly. "I wanted to come back right away, but mother insisted we stay."

Adrien nodded, understanding all too well. In many ways, Tomoe was even more strict than his father. Well... more strict than his father used to be.

"I've been researching everything I could about head injuries and trauma." Kagami reached down and awkwardly patted Adrien's hand. "I need you to know I don't think of you as any less for your disability."

Adrien blinked at her for a moment. "Huh? My... what?"

"My mother never let her disability hold her back," Kagami continued. "Even if you cannot fence, there are still other sports we can try. Rowing, for example, or biking with a three-wheeled recumbent cycle."

"Um... I guess so," Adrien shrugged. "I haven't thought that far yet. I've had other things on my mind."

"Of course..." Kagami replied. Her eyes fell to the pink tie crumbled on the bed. She picked it up and looped it around his neck. Then, with practiced motions, she began to tie it.

Adrien watched her closely as she stared at his neck. It had been weeks since they were together, but Adrien didn't mind her closeness. When his father had started receiving death threats, Kagami was the only friend he was allowed to see outside school. Adrien had really missed her when she went back to Japan, but a question kept nagging him in the back of his mind.

"Did you know how Marinette felt?" Adrien asked softly.

"She was obvious," Kagami responded, never looking up from her task.

"So everyone keeps saying," Adrien sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?

"It wasn't my place." Kagami made one final adjustment on his tie and then stood back. "There. A perfect knot."

"Everyone knew but me! I feel like such a fool."

"Marinette wasn't ready for you to know." Kagami crossed her arms defensively. "I wasn't going to betray her trust like that."