Discordant Sonata

Chapter 25: Romanza (Part 4 of 4)

(Continued from part 3)

(Mood Music:  "Juliet's Dream" - Abel Korzeniowski, "Romeo and Juliet" Soundtrack)

Marinette was beginning to inwardly panic a bit. Only a little bit, of course. She had a plan, after all. She was a professional. She'd done this countless times before. Stalling, stretching the truth, and harmless white lies had all become second nature for her by this point. It was all a normal part of having to juggle a superhero job and protecting her loved ones.

Plagg unexpectedly showing up inside her purse was the first wrench thrown into her plan. Tikki had been able to get her attention to notify her, but as Alya and Nino were present, Marinette hadn't been able to do more than acknowledge his presence with a silent nod.

Plagg being away from Adrien meant he couldn't transform into Chat Noir. How had they gotten separated? This wasn't good.

Secondly, after "finding" her cell phone and making a show of calling the police, to Marinette's dismay, Nino and Alya insisted on staying with her instead of letting her wander off on her own. They'd been supportive of her subsequent plan to go find Adrien and get him to safety. After all, since he and Marinette had been nearly inseparable over the past week, it would seem only natural. She was certain that people suspected there was perhaps something more going on between the two of them, particularly Alya. She hadn't asked her about it yet, and Marinette certainly hadn't brought it up herself. Best to delay that conversation for as long as she could; at least until she and Chat/Adrien could be as transparent with each other as possible.

However, if they didn't find Adrien soon, Alya and Nino would begin to ask questions about why it was so important to find him instead of evacuating somewhere safe, like civilians were supposed to do during akuma attacks. Especially since Ladybug and Chat Noir would "fix" everything and it would go back to normal afterwards, so whatever fate had befallen poor Adrien would thankfully be reversed. Granted, Alya's reporter tendencies would keep her from wanting to leave the scene of the action, and Nino would want to stick around to keep her safe after what had just occurred between them. But even these special circumstances had limitations.

She needed to transform and find Adrien, preferably in that order. Especially if, heaven forbid, somehow Dark Cupid had already found him, and...

"THERE YOU ARE!!"

Before Marinette could even turn her head towards the sound, someone shoved and pinned her against the wall. Head spinning, she struggled to escape but her upper arms were grasped firmly in place. She grunted weakly, then raised her head up to peek at her assailant.

Oh, no.

It was just as she feared. His lips were stained black, like Alya's from before, and the smile she was so used to seeing on his beautiful face was turned into a vicious snarl.

"I've been looking all over for you, ma princesse," Adrien said mockingly, practically spitting out the nickname with disdain.

He leaned in close, as he often did when they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, but with none of the affection that she associated with this action. He whispered into her ear, but instead of giving her pleasant butterflies as it always did, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in dread.

"Did you know that you even torment me in my sleep?" he hissed. "Why won't you just leave me the hell alone?!"

Unfortunately, she did know. Usually it was Ladybug that appeared in his dreams, but sometimes it was his mother, and sometimes it was his friends. She'd seen herself as Marinette in them on occasion. To say that it was unnerving would be an understatement.