Chapter 12

"Chat! Chat!" Marinette called out, having her words echo throughout the darkened streets of Paris. She felt uneasy, as her words drew attention to her. She was afraid she was becoming a target for some creep or thief because of it, but she needed to call out Chat's name so that he knew she was looking for him. Luckily, people just thought that she was looking for her lost cat, which was partly true, so they let her be.

She paused in her search and checked her phone. The time was now 10:32 pm. She had been out for two and a half hours and hadn't found him yet. She knew that there was still a lot of ground to cover in her search and there wasn't enough time to do it all. She knew she will probably have to post-pone her search until the next day, but she wanted to make use of the time that was left, just in case she lucked out. She was desperately hoping she could find him that night.

"Chat! Chat!" she called out again, continuing in her search. She passed by an alleyway where something had caught her eye. She turned and saw a shadow that appeared to be human-like, but with a pair of cat-ears to be down the alley. Her spirits immediately heightened as she thought it to be the demon that she was looking for.

"Chat!" she called out as she raced down the alley way. She turned the corner to where the shadow was being casted from and saw that it was just a black cat sitting on a trash can with a shirt on its body. She found this site to be odd but just accepted it. She had seen stranger things in her times.

The cat bit the shirt and tried pulling it, as if it wanted it off. Marinette decided to help the cat out, as she didn't want it to be uncomfortable any longer.

As she helped the cat out of the garment, a new shadow began to appear behind her. It consumed her own shadow and took shape of its own. At first, it stretched out so it looked to be long and narrow, but then, what looked to be a pair of wings spread out from each side of the shadow. It slowly began to rise up from the ground and began looming over the unsuspecting woman.

All of a sudden, Marinette heard a hiss behind her, followed by a large sound that sounded like a "clomp". She quickly turned around and saw that Chat Noir was standing there with his back turned towards her. He held his baton firmly in his right hand as he stood.

"Chat!" Marinette called out with delight.

Chat didn't respond right away. He shifted his eyes about, searching the area for the shadow that was there just moments ago. When he was sure it was gone for good, he eased up and turned to Marinette, placing a large smile on his face. "Hey Marinette, what's up?"

"What's up? What's up? I've been worried sick about you, that's what's up! Where have you been?"

The casual act that Chat Noir was putting on felt like it was quickly deteriorating to him, but he tried to keep it up for the sake of his friend. "Oh, you know, around."

"Around? Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

Chat shrugged his shoulders, causing Marinette to hold her head as she shook it, unable to believe the way things were turning out. "I can't believe I was worried about you."

She sighed and began leaving the alley. She felt uneasy being in such a tight and frightening place so late at night. She looked back at Chat and smiled. "Well, it looks like you're fine at least. See you next week then Chat?"

"N- no." Chat tried to mumble but Marinette was able to hear it.

Chat didn't want to say no to Marinette and cause her to worry, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her, especially with something as important as this. He didn't want their final goodbye to be a lie. She deserved the truth.

Marinette's curiosity peaked and her concern returned to her once more. She sensed the hesitation in Chat's answer and she saw how sullen he was currently looking, which was a rare thing for him. Usually he was joyous and flirtatious but not now. This is the first time she saw him like this, and the sense that she had earlier of wanting to help her friend was stronger than it has ever been.

She turned back around and approached Chat. "Chat, what's going on."

He was reluctant to answer. Even though he wanted to give her the truth, he didn't want to reveal all the details to her. He didn't know how she'd take it.

She was right in front of him now. She leaned forward slightly and placed her hand on his and looked deep into his eyes. "You can trust me with anything Chat. Please, if there's something troubling you, I want to help."

Once again, he was reluctant, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw the same watery puppy-dog look that convinced Adrien to go out on the date with her, which was now getting to him a second time.

"I've been told to stay away from you." Chat began. "You're not the only one that knows that I've been hanging around you. There are others, and they keep reminding me of the fact that I'm a demon and you're a human and what I've been doing has been foolish."

"I see." Marinette rose up. "What do you think though Chat? Has it been foolish?"

"I don't know… Maybe it is. I didn't think it was at first but-"

"Then don't let others sway your thoughts." Marinette interrupted. "Do what you think is best. Yes, we're from two different worlds but does that matter to me? No. Does that matter to you?"

Chat didn't respond, thinking that Marinette's question was rhetorical. He answered when he realized it was a legitimate question. "… No."

"My point exactly! Don't let what those others are saying to you. I like hanging around you Chat. You're a great friend and no matter what anyone says I don't mind you hanging around me!"

Chat smiled, happy by her words. But a thought clicked into his mind which washed away that happiness. "What if you're the problem though?"

"Then that's something you need to decide for yourself." Marinette turned back around, about to leave but looked over her shoulder to the demon and said to him. "You know how I feel about you Chat and what I want. Now it's time for you to decide how you feel and what you want. If you don't want to be around me, I understand. I'll be sad that you won't be around anymore but I'm not willing to sell my soul for us to be friends. The decision's up to you now. All I'm saying is don't let others sway your thoughts but that's easier said than done. Farewell kitty."

Chat Noir let Marinette go without another word. It was the only thing he could do. He didn't know what he wanted at this point. His heart screamed to stay with her but his mind kept reminding him of what his father and Jagged Stone told him.

The butterfly shadow that appeared earlier began to form on the wall behind him. A large pair of red eyes appeared on each wing and glared at Chat Noir, but he was the first one to get in the first word. "I thought you said you'd stay away."

"I warned you Chat Noir. If I detected weakness in you then I would not hesitate to take the girl's soul myself." A long and skinny arm began to stretch out from the shadow. A jagged finger pointed at Chat's chest, right where his heart was. "I sense despair and agony deep within you, both are emotions that we instill in humans."

Chat swatted away the hand. "What do you know?"

The red eyes began to roll. "Teenagers."

"You know, I wouldn't be feeling this way if you just stayed out of things and let me handle them like I wanted! You're the one that started all of this in the first place!"

"Do not blame me for your own shortcomings!" The shadow and eyes began to flare up, but that didn't spook Chat in the slightest. "You have a job that needs to be done and I am just ensuring its success! Had you even planned to take her soul from the very start?"

Chat didn't respond to the question. He knew his father wouldn't like the answer.

The shadow sighed. "Fine. If you wish to be around her then I will not pester you any further on the topic. But a word of advice my son: stay close to her, real close. Should she be vulnerable and without your protection at any point, I will not hesitate to claim her soul as my own. And I will not be merciless."

Chat began clenching his fist and gritting his teeth. "You're too cruel."

"This is what you wanted, is it not? Her life has always been in your hands. You chose to protect it on multiple occasions. I am merely just giving you something to protect it from. Farewell Chat Noir. I will be seeing you again soon."

Chat swiped at the butterfly shadow out of anger just as it began to disappear. He knew the act was a fruitless effort but he couldn't help but do it, to let out the frustration he was feeling.

He stood in place, looking down at the ground as he thought. He got what he wanted; to be able to be with Marinette without guilt but the way he got it wasn't satisfactory to him. Her life was now in constant danger, especially if he wasn't around her and that's something he wanted to avoid.

In a way, it felt like a punishment, like he was confined to her now. His free will to be with her was now stricken from him. It didn't turn him off of her at all; he just wished that things had gone differently, so that she wouldn't be in danger if for any reason he wasn't around her. Unfortunately, this was the reality he was now stuck with.

Suddenly, a thought flashed into Chat's mind; of something Marinette said just a short while ago. "Now it's time for you to decide how you feel and what you want."

Chat huffed. He fully intended to figure out how he felt and what he wanted for himself but thanks to his Father, he felt like it was already decided for him. He had no choice but to be around her unless he wanted her to die, which he knew for sure that that isn't what he wanted.

As he thought, he began to realize something. Being around her didn't mean that he had to be "around" her, meaning that he could still watch over her from the shadows. He didn't have to be directly involved with her life at all; he could just be like her guardian angel.

The question was now: Is that what he wanted or did he want to be in her life as more than that?


Marinette had returned home with a couple of minutes to spare. After a short chat with her parents, where she reported that she had found her friend and ensured his safety, she decided to head to bed. After her long night of searching she was exhausted.

As soon as she entered her room, she found a familiar figure sitting on her bed with a large grin on his face. "I want to be around you princess!"

She smiled, having a large feeling of relief and happiness bursting throughout her. "Welcome back Chat."