The handcuffs hurt. Hurt enough to draw blood. While it wasn't a lot, the drops left room to wonder how much would need to be out of his system for him to be counted as a free person. His imagination was boundless, but his cage was a little less bright. He couldn't remember how he ended up in such a dreadful situation, only that he was trapped here until someone let him go. Strangely enough, there was no light in this room, but he could still see perfectly fine, albeit slightly hazy on the edges.
"I see you're finally awake," spoke a mischievous voice from somewhere he couldn't see. Glowing green flickered into view, two fresh dots of light that floated closer to him. With his altered vision, he almost could make out a tiny, sprite-like and shadowy creature with pointed ears. He could tell this cat had a much more devious intent from its snickers. "I'm Plagg, and you must be here to make a deal."
"A deal?" The boy raised an eyebrow, similarly green but not as bright eyes widening at the suggestion. Was this puny kitten some kind of demon? He leaned back when the tricky animal flew closer to his face.
"Yeah," the cat drawled, "A deal. I haven't seen a human in a long time. Your being here means you want a wish granted and I'm here to grant it for you. At a price, of course." He could see thin whiskers twitch on the black cat's face and the sly grin that curled from one side to the other, puny fangs gleaming in the strange darkness.
He thought to a time before being here, when he had begged for one thing in particular. After his mother disappeared, his father grew distant and cold, and all the boy wanted was for his mother to return and his father to be happy again. Things could be brighter. He could have the one thing his wealthy father couldn't bring back with money; joy.
"It's in your blood."
"My blood?" She questioned with a frightened whimper to follow.
The sparkling, bright red and ladybug-like fairy thing circled around in front of her, giggling as it went. "Yes. You want him, don't you? For your crush to not be sad anymore and finally fall for you. You want to make him happy, as much as you can. I can see it there, all perfectly pictured. You'd save the world just to see him smile. You have a kind heart for a human."
She blinked a few times in awe, peering down at the shackles around her ankles. The pain was deep, but she knew then it was there for a reason. Whatever this magical bug was offering, it had to be with good intentions, right? She could trust it, Tikki, with her wish. "Thank you," she said with an innocent smile.
Tikki landed back in her awaiting hands, radiance making the whole cell visible. "My offer is simple. The power I give you lets you create whatever object you might need but sometimes might not want. You must understand how to use this magic and the items to your advantage, in order to stop the evil going after you. You have as many lives as you do spots and only evil magic can harm you." Tikki paused, turning to look outside the bars of the cell.
Following along, she couldn't quite tell what to see out there. The glow was only so bright and cast its shine only so far. She couldn't hear anything moving or speaking besides the two of them. For all she knew, they were alone in this dark place. Was it the evil Tikki spoke of?
When the ladybug sprite turned back, the explanation continued, though she could see some hesitance in those bright eyes. "You have to be careful and clever if you want your wish to come true, though I'm sure you can handle it, Marinette."
The girl furrowed her brows, absolutely unsure of those words. In fact, there was something about the way Tikki phrased that sentence that worried her. "What about my end of the deal? You haven't mentioned what I have to do to get my wish granted."
"Oh..." It was almost like the ladybug sprite had purposefully forgotten that bit of information. Marinette couldn't help pondering why. "Well that's easy," said the suddenly happy Tikki, floating up to poke the human's head, "You have to prove yourself a hero by saving someone."
"That's all?" She asked in disbelief. If that was the case, then she'd have her wish granted by the end of the week. If there was an evil after her, then she'd be able to save the day and have the one person she could ever ask for at her side. It shouldn't be that hard. She could be a hero if she tried hard enough. Her friend Alya always talked to her about admirable superheroes in comic books and movies, with powers that helped them stop the bad guys and save the day.
"Only one person will do. Then you'll have Adrien's heart and happiness."
Confidence bloomed within her. "Then it's a deal," she declared, pumping her fists into the air and laughing with her newfound friend.