Miraculous (Angel-Demon AU)

Chapter 6

Why? Was... was it inevitable? Was it really in my nature to... "to trick people"... to trick them into believing that, no matter what, "solitude is always the best option"... because love is always "selfish and fleeting". Those words. Those words were engraved somewhere deep inside me.

I was to blame for this.

And "this" was turning Marinette's heart, the person whom I praised for being soft and kind and sincere, into a heart of stone.

"It's okay." She feigned a smile. My heart, or whatever it was I had, crumbled. "We'd better go and find Alya and Nino to see if they're still alive, shouldn't we?"

Her smile remained, though her eyes didn't glow.

"Mari..."

A single light flashed through her eyes in hearing my voice, and they watered. She blinked quickly and looked away before a single teardrop could betray her.

'I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me', I longed to say. I opened my mouth... but shut it again. I couldn't say that out loud. Not to this Mari. She wouldn't have accepted it.

----

MARINETTE

It was 3 am. I had tried to sleep, but it was useless. Instead, I went out. "To patrol", I told myself, but I was actually searching for oblivion, or for some kind of magic which would finally sweep me away from Earth.

"Are you sure you still want to do this, Marinette?"

"Of course, Tikki. We haven't been practicing all morning for nothing."

She pulled a grimace in disapproval. "I thought you didn't want to go anyway. Besides, you shouldn't transform when you're not in control of your emotions, Mari. You know what could happen..."

Not again. "Volpina. Bad image for Ladybug. And I'm an angel and am not supposed to do such kind of things. Got it." I answered in an angrier tone than I'd meant to.

Tikki seemed hurt. "I'm just trying to help, Marinette..."

Only she could soften my heart with such little amount of words. I wondered whether Tikki was sort of my guardian angel, just for me – and what kind of angel did that turn me into, needing her support.

"I know, Tikki, it's just..." I sighed. I wasn't going to start crying. I certainly wasn't. "I'm sorry. But I just need some fresh air, and being Ladybug (or half Ladybug) will help keeping certain thoughts away, as well as being prepared to act in case I needed to."

"Maybe you shouldn't ignore such thoughts and, instead, take your time to-"

"Please..." I cut her off.

My pitiful look finally convinced her. I knew she only meant good, and that she was right about needing to stop to analyze my feelings, but maybe it was the fact that I was stuck to a human body that made me unable to think clearly in such a foolish situation. "Tikki, spots on!" I cried.

And so I ended up here, sitting on a tilted roof, staring out at the Eiffel Tower and noticing not one thing about whatever was going on on the streets below, as I was too immersed in my thoughts, until...

"M'lady?" I heard behind me.

My heart flipped and an unexpected smile flooded my face as I happily lost my train of thought. I turned my head in order to face Chat Noir, and realized that I had unconsciously been waiting for him to appear, even though it had actually been me who had promised not to show up that night.

"How dare you appear like that?" I asked, forcing my smile into a scowl.

The happiness I had spread onto him was substituted by a puzzled look which forced him to stop short, remaining behind my back. I tried my best not to laugh.