The Bug Bites

9- Murderous

Nodding gently, Marinette pointed towards the words on the cover of the lady's book. "I was wondering what that language was? My left sentence is written in it, and I don't know what it says..."

The lady smiled wider and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Here; why don't you write it down, and I can try to translate it?"

She did. It took her a while, what with being extra careful as she looked back and forth, but it was done within a minute or so. When she handed it to the lady, she watched her eyes widen slowly in surprise.

Marinette feared the worst, but then... then the lady smiled. She smiled softly and giggled behind her hand, writing something beneath the sentence.

"My goodness! Your soulmate must certainly have a way with words, hmm? You are very lucky, you know? It is not often people will have a soulmate feel so strongly for them at first sight, and yet also so genuinely~" She finished writing the translation and tore out the page, handing it to Marinette.

When she read it for herself, it was like clouds being parted and flowers blooming together in the blink of an eye.

No longer did her right sentence bother her so- she now knew how her soulmate truly felt, and Marinette couldn't help but laugh giddily as she returned to her party.

The next day, her parents were in shock. They watched their daughter return to the joyful state she had been before her fifth birthday, unable to keep herself from smiling all the while.

She never wore long sleeves unless the weather forced her to. She showed her sentence proudly, uncaring from the looks of shock or pity she received. They couldn't fathom what had changed, up until she was eight years old and they found her gently rubbing her left arm, where her sentence sat for only her to see.

Tom and Sabine were beyond relieved and ecstatic. Perhaps her left sentence wasn't like the one on her other arm. Perhaps her soulmate's first words to her would be a large misunderstanding and his thoughts proved the idea? Either way, they were simply glad to see that her left sentence had ridden her of her pain and now brought her such joy.

While they didn't know what it said, they had an idea of what it meant when Marinette once told Nino, when they were thirteen, about how she would try her best to love her soulmate as much as he would her.

Damian had grown up in a place where soulmates were one of two things; they were either tools, or obstacles.

His grandfather had set a rule, stating you must either convert or kill your soulmate. Damian hadn't understood much of it, with the rule having been the main one he silently questioned.

He was told that soulmates could be used against you, and that they could be the reason you died if you didn't kill them first. He had almost believed the backwards teaching, but even as a child, Damian had more common sense then most of the assassins there in his grandfather's private little army.

"I forgive you." Was the sentence on his right arm, laid bare for anyone to see. Well- for his mother and grandfather to see. He only ever wore long sleeves usually.

His grandfather felt a mix of resentment and pride at the words, saying it was a sign that Damian would do his duty of killing his soulmate. Talia had remained silent, never one to speak back at her father. But when Damian went to his bedroom that night, his mother told him to pay the idea no mind.

"It could be for anything, love. Besides, you might choose to convert her to our ways instead. Father simply doesn't care for such things, but you should give it a chance..."

Damian had heard the story before; his grandfather had forced Talia to kill her soulmate when she was eight. Her sentences had been nothing but kindness, and yet she had to kill the person who said and thought them.