Realms Against Us, We Chose This Destiny

Part III: Chapter 3

THIS IS A TRIGGER WARNING. 

This chapter is immensely sad. It is about suicide and miscarriage which, if it is something which triggers you, I suggest not to read this chapter. I will put an explanation/summary in the notes at the end of the chapter so if you do not want the detail but still want to know the premise of this chapter, please go to the end notes.

Also hi. I'm a bit late. Cuz I woke up late and had some stuff to do and when I remembered I had to do this, I was a bit reluctant to because this chapter is sad.

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"Alya? Nino?" It was the first thing she said when they had reached the portal that Luka had directed them to.  

When her and Adrien had gotten there, they had expected to be met with a few guards who they would have to deal with, not the sight of a rather distraught Alya being held by Nino- who, just like his lover, had tears streaming down their face.

When Alya heard her best friend's voice, she became tense against Nino's shoulders and whispered, barely audible, "It can't be."

Marinette let go of Adrien's hand and ran to where her friends were. As soon as she was within arms distance of them, she gathered the both of them into her own arms and hurriedly smothered them with the longing she had for her friends. She had missed them dearly. She had wished to see them badly. 

Before the war, she would admit, she hadn't had too many friends. Sure there had been people she worked with, and she had cared for so many of them. After all, that was the nature of Creation, to care for all that was created, for life was her very essence. But she had rarely had people who had done the same for her. Who wholeheartedly cared about her wellbeing, her life, her own wishes. In all honesty, the only one who had done that back then (other than her parents) had been Adrien.

Alya and Nino had been a breath of fresh air that Marinette didn't even know she had taken. 

She had never expected to miss them as much as she did, but when she hugged them, she squeezed them tightly, not wanting them to slip out her grasp ever again. 

Missing these two felt different to missing Adrien. With Adrien, there was never a passing second where she didn't miss him, for he had always consumed her every thought even when he was barely a centimetre away from her. With Adrien, missing him was like an intense hunger which could never be satiated. She craved his feeling and his touch, even when his touch edged deep into her, reaching her very soul and even further. 

With Alya and Nino she missed the way they had been so warm to her. For a long time, even before the war, Marinette had forgotten what the warmth of parents had felt like. It was like an emptiness within her which she had felt even when she hadn't had her memories. Only, when she had met Alya and Nino, they had managed to fill the void and nestle themselves into her heart. She had found herself caring for them more than her usual responsibility towards all of creation. She had found herself becoming part of not only a meaningful friendship, but a loving family. 

She had felt devastated back when, even when she was supposed to be the traitor, they had been so willing to be on her side. But she had also felt a warmth in the way that they hadn't completely abandoned her- like she had expected them to.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," she choked out, a sudden aching feeling of guilt passed through her. She moved away to look at them and placed a hand on both of their wet faces whilst shaking her head sadly, "I- what happened to you?"

The couple shared a solemn look as Alya placed a hand on her stomach. She bit her lip, distressed at the thoughts that plagued her. A dreading feeling hit the pit of Marinette's own stomach but she steeled her nerves and looked at Nino to answer.