Mayura

Holy Tears

Come the morn, after the evil night had finally faded, Marinette woke up next to Tikki in her own bed, Adrien found himself next to Plagg in his unmade bed, and Alya woke up with Trixx curled up atop her pillow. Opening his weary eyes, Master Fu rolled over in his bed to find himself alone yet again. The elderly man let out a heavy sigh before closing his eyes, turning around, and stepping down from his resting spot. Opening her eyes to find that the one she had dreamed of was not there, Sabrina Raincomprix buried her face in her pillow and cried alone.

Wincing and struggling to come out of her vivid yet forgotten dreams, Nathalie found herself in a bed that was not her own. Her body was still weak from her attack the previous night, and the very air felt as cold as the embrace of ice. Slowly, the woman rose into a semi-seated position with her arms serving as her support. As the warm, soft blankets began to slip down her arm, Nathalie found herself dressed in a white, silk nightgown, whose left shoulder strap was sliding. The gown was truly wonderful: Its fabric was soft, its form snug where it was needed but loose overall, and its interior was warm while its exterior was naturally cool.

"Please, don't try to get up," Gabriel begged of his dear friend, his voice unusually hushed and gentle. The man gently placed his hand atop the back of the woman's head and eased her onto her back. "Nathalie, you fainted last night." The silver-haired man pulled his assistant's blankets up over her chest. "Duusu called out to me, and I came. I'm sorry I was too late." Noticing the tears and dull sweat on Nathalie's face, Gabriel plunged his trembling hand into his breast pocket, removed a handkerchief, and gently dabbed and blotted along the woman's face.

"Sir…" Nathalie managed to groan, her mind still spiraling.

"Please, try to rest," Gabriel nearly whispered as he doted on his assistant. "…Nathalie," he finally said once things had settled once more. "I am so sorry…I shouldn't have let you use that Miraculous…You know it's been damaged. I had no right to allow you to carry my burden."

As the man closed his eyes in shame, he soon felt a cold, trembling hand take his. "…Gabriel," Nathalie choked out, even as her eyes struggled to remain open. "…There's nothing to forgive…You're my friend. I'm prepared to help you in your pursuits, no matter the cost."

"Are you in pain?" the withered man nervously asked as he placed his other hand around the back of Nathalie's palm.

The purple-haired woman shook her head before taking in a deep breath through her nose. "Not anymore," she answered earnestly. "I can endure any pain for you…I'll carry every cross for you, so you never have to suffer through wickedness ever again."

"Nathalie," Gabriel choked out as his tired eyes filled with burning tears. Though he had long since sealed away his heart, the man once more felt the beautiful pain of love and mercy. "Why…Why would you…"

"You're my friend, Gabriel," Nathalie whispered, her face bearing a pure smile. "…Why can't you see you're worth fighting for?" At that, Nathalie slowly closed her eyes, knowing Gabriel was taken aback. "I love Emilie too. You two are worth dying for."

The silver-haired man's mouth fell open as he tightly clenched his friend's hand, leaned over her, and cried onto her pillow. This had never been his intention, and the very thought of losing another loved one was the greatest crushing horror he had ever experienced. As hours of sunlight passed outside their window, Gabriel forced himself to accept the thought: Maybe this was fate. For now, though, Nathalie was alive, and they were together.

Though he did not intend to disturb her sleep, Gabriel wrapped his arms around his assistant and held her gently in a grip he would never allow the world to break. Opening her weak, moist eyes, Nathalie awoke in shock, only to settle into the heavenly warmth of her friend's embrace. "Nathalie," Gabriel whispered as tears continued to flow from his closed eyes. "My most precious, precious friend… How could you ever forgive me for all I've done to you…And how could I ever let you go?" The embrace continued for nearly an hour, and the mind struggled so terribly to accept the cruel destiny laid out before it.

As the sun began to set over the city of Paris, orange and crimson light flooded the sky and shined in through the windows of the Agreste mansion. Gabriel found himself seated at a counter with a piece of toast on a blue plate and a half-full glass of orange juice before him. However, his mind was too distant for him to eat, and the inevitable future twisted his stomach in terrible knots. For years, he had been willing to surrender his peace of mind, his sleep, any sum of money, and even his own life to achieve his most sacred goal, but he never once imagined someone else lifting his burden, or that the price would be so great for letting them. The matter, though, was far greater than what he wanted. This was for Adrien, for Emilie, and for the sake of the family. For that cause, he had to be willing to accept any pain, any price, and any suffering. Glancing down at his hand, Gabriel slowly extended his fingers and watched them in the light of the setting sun. Who was he in all of this?

"Dad?" Adrien's voice broke the man's silence. Gabriel pulled himself away from his thoughts and faced his son. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, yes," the silver-haired man answered without a trace of emotion or hesitation. "Adrien, would you have a seat, please?" Without a word, the young man complied by pulling up a chair and sitting down between the kitchen area and the neighboring living room. Once all movement had ceased, the father of the Agreste house slowly cupped his hands above his lap. "As you know, Nathalie isn't well today. I appreciate that you haven't disturbed her. I know you must be concerned, but she simply isn't up to visits at this time. By tomorrow, she should be fine." Adrien nodded his head, knowing better than to try to speak. "In the meantime, there is something I've been meaning to ask you." At this, the blond young man's heart began to pound. Even after all these years, the possibility of his father discovering his secret remained a source of fear, anxiety, and concern. Had he made a mistake? "…Do you remember your mother…Adrien?"

Deeply perplexed, Adrien stared at the floor for a moment as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "…Yes," he finally answered. "It's mostly bits and pieces, but I remember her face, her voice…all the good times we had together…and then all those months she was in the hospital."

"Then, have you ever doubted that she loved you?" Gabriel continued. In that instant, his strong, almost cold voice seemed to give way to something truer and more human.

Cupping his hands as his gaze became fixed on the floor, Adrien shook his head. Though there had been times when he resented his mother for leaving him, not a single day went by that he wasn't sure she loved him with all her heart and soul, even if he didn't understand why. "…No," the young man answered without doubt or fear. "Never."

"I'm glad to hear that, Adrien," the man almost warmly replied. "As you know, death is simply a part of life. Your mother fought to stay alive…" Memories of tears once distant began to flash through Gabriel's unhappy mind. Emilie's hand was so pale and cold the last time he held it. "She fought for your sake. Your mother…was what I could never be. I know I have failed you many times…" Images of Hawk Moth standing above Paris as it became flooded by darkness and hopelessness burned through all moments of peaceful sorrow. "And that I have been unable to make this house a home since your mother's passing…And, for that, I am sorry. But, I pray you will never doubt, that both Nathalie and I love you dearly…" Adrien's eyes slowly drifted toward his father as his hands began to grip one another more tightly. "And, should anything happen to one or both of us, it was neither our choice nor your fault. Please, never doubt that fact."

Swallowing the anger and disappointment his father had brought to him for so many years, Adrien steadied his trembling hands. "…I won't," he managed to choke out. Images of Emilie choking as blood began to spill from her throat onto her cold, sterile hospital bed began to flash through Adrien's mind. Though he only saw through a crack in the doorway, his mother's suffering never left his mind. Now, his mind tortured him with the notion that Nathalie may be suffering, just as his mother did.

"Everything will be alright, son," Gabriel assured his one and only child as he stood up and left his food and drink behind. "I promise you, one day…everything will be alright again." Whether I am here or not. Before he departed from the room, the man paused and turned his head back slightly. "…I love you, Adrien." Without waiting for a reply, Gabriel walked away from the room and from his son.

"…I love you too, Dad," the young man whispered as hot tears began to stream from his eyes.

Lying in the unfamiliar bed, her body having recovered enough to cast aside its chills, Nathalie felt the cool embrace of the sheets soothe her through the heat of the day. Come nightfall, her eyes truly seemed to open. The weight of reality settled soon after, rendering the pale woman paralyzed as she gazed at the ceiling. Despite the hours of restless sleep she had gotten, her eyes were still weak, bloodshot, and sensitive to light. Turning her head to her left, Nathalie found herself all alone. "…Duusu?" she whispered, her voice already hoarse. "Duusu, are you here?" Met with silence, the woman reached for her chest and clenched the peacock Miraculous. "Duusu, we're partners now…Please, don't leave me alone."

Suddenly, a small book hit the ground with a loud thud, followed by an almost feline hissing mingled with a growl. Nathalie's eyes shot towards the source of the threatening noises, where she found Duusu, standing atop a bookshelf on the tips all fours, lower-back craned upward, tail feathers flared and standing up stiffly, face reddened, eyes feral and irises small, antennae pointed forward, mouth open wide, teeth borne, and her expression locked into a furious scowl. Seeing the Kwami in this state made it nearly impossible to imagine she was the same, timid creature that once cowered and hid, only to hold and guard her new partner in times of distress and need. This creature showed no signs of fear, compassion, or even rationality.

"Duusu…what's wrong?" Nathalie coughed out as she attempted to raise her body into a seated position. "Duusu, it's me. I'm your friend, remember?"

"No!" the peacock Kwami shouted with pure, childlike rage. "You're not a friend! You were going to leave Duusu! Just like other partner!" Releasing a stream of bubbling saliva from her mouth, Duusu flared her feathers even higher and continued to hiss and bellow.

"Duusu, I'm not going anywhere," the purple-haired woman promised her suffering friend. "I'm sorry that I got sick. I won't leave you…And Emilie tried to stay with you…She was just too weak and sick to hold on any longer. Please understand."

Backing up until her bottom was against the wall, Duusu began shaking her head and splattering her drool on the shelf as she continued to hiss and snarl. Looking closer, Nathalie could see the tears streaming from the creature's eyes. She was hurt and felt betrayed. "Nathalie doesn't love Duusu!" the Kwami cried out.

"That's not true," Nathalie pleaded as she attempted to swing her legs over the side of the bed. Every movement was labored by such a great weight and strain, though. Finally, she touched her cold feet to the floor and forced herself up, only to collapse on the carpet. Duusu studied the woman but did nothing. "I love you, Duusu…You're my friend. I won't leave you…I swear it." Nathalie crawled forward, her knees burning as she dragged them across the carpeting. "The two of us…we'll never have to be alone, ever again. Please…Please, trust me." Once she was close enough to her partner, the woman held out her trembling hand for the Kwami to crawl onto. "I won't fade away…I'll always be here for you…I won't go away until Emilie comes back for you."

Hesitant at first, Duusu hissed at her so-called friend's hand, only to find it did not pull away. Gazing into Nathalie's face, the unhappy creature saw that she was crying as well. The Kwami's anger began to fade, returning her face to its natural, relaxed, blue sate, and returning the sense to her eyes. Slowly, she lowered her feathers and crawled forward. Nathalie struggled to maintain the reach of her arm, even as she struggled to remain conscious. Between the long, dark blinks of her weak eyes, the woman saw her Kwami crawl down and hold onto her hand. Soon, the two were hugging one another, and then, everything became darkness.

Waking up to the darkness of the night's sky, Nathalie found herself back in the unfamiliar bed, her arms at her sides, one of which was connected to an IV drip. Her Miraculous was still in-place, with Duusu resting inside. Though her mind felt distant from her body, the woman felt her knees burn as her arms shook from strain. "…I'll always be here for you, Duusu," she whispered as she stroked her most precious treasure. "…I'll bring her back to you…It doesn't matter what it costs me…I promise you that." Closing her eyes once more, Nathalie felt the rest of the night slip away as her cold, pale, and battered body finally took to rest in the room she stayed in, all alone.