Unravel- Miraculous Ladybug AU [discontinued]

17~ Safe and Sound

Eek. I apologize in advance for this chapter, but it had to be down eventually. This was originally going to be the last chapter, but I had procrastinated so much in writing the last one that I just published it and decided to do two updates in one day.

I hope you enjoy this hastily written chapter (that's pretty much just angst) and pls don't kill me.

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"Manon and her mom are leaving?"

This set of news shocked Adrien. Sure, he knew that they'd been searching for a new place to live, but he never thought it'd be so soon.

"They found a cheap appartient near the Notre Dame. No ones been willing to move there since the murder rate rose due to recent ghoul activity. They won't stand out there," Marinette explained, flipping a page in the book she was reading for Mrs. Bustier's class, "It's not a very nice neighborhood, but it'll have to do for now."

The café was deserted, which wasn't all that surprising considering it was a Monday afternoon. Clouds filled the sky, once again hinting at the chance of rain.

"It's been dreary all week," Adrien mentioned, "like one of those tragedy romance movies Rose once made us watch."

Less than a minute later, droplets began painting the sidewalk, those passing by quickly pulling out their umbrellas or heading into nearby shops.

Marinette's eye caught on something by the door. She sighed, picking up one large, black umbrella.

"A few minutes ago those two left to the library, they couldn't've gotten far. Do you think you could bring this to them?" Marinette asked, handing Adrien the umbrella, "Manon just got a new dress, I would hate for it to get ruined in this weather."

"Yeah, no problem," Adrien said, taking the umbrella and picking up his own from where it sat by his bag, "I'll be back in a few."

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as he stepped outside, water falling over his head as he made his way down the soaked sidewalk.

While walking through the small park that was near the café, Adrien caught sight of a small merry-go-round. He smiled, making a mental note to take Manon over here before she left. It was a nice place to be when it was sunny, he was sure she'd enjoy it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of frantic running through the rain.

"Adrien!" a small voice called, one the half-ghoul immediately recognized as Manon's, "Help!"

"Manon, what-"

"Maman's in trouble!" she screamed, grabbing the blond's hand and yanking him into a run, causing him to drop the umbrellas. It was all he could do not to slip and fall as the young ghoul dragged him along.

He'd never been to this area much before, and he couldn't really tell where things were. But Manon dismissed any need to navigate. They passed the library, as well as a plastic bag that held several unidentifiable books, now soaked by the rain.

She dragged him into an alleyway, coming to a stop as she pointed around the corner. Nadja Chamack stood kneeling in the middle of a group of investigators. He quickly yanked the child back, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from running into their sight.

Manon's trembling hands hooked onto Adrien's arms, "Y-you have to save her!" she choked out, "You have to save Maman!"

"Any last words?" he heard one of them say, and Adrien hated that he recognized the investigator.

It was one of the men his father often worked with, one who's name kept slipping his mind.

He seemed to be frozen in his shoes, paralyzed, unable to do anything but simply stand there, holding Manon close as he watched the horrific scene take place.

Nadja just stood there, silently. Her kagune was out, but just laying there limply on the cement, as if they were nothing but mere decorations. It occurred to him that Nadja had never actually bothered learning how to fight, she was a nonviolent ghoul. That was why her family had relied on the Dupain-Cheng Café, so they'd never have to be in a situation of violence.

He felt Manon trembling against his chest, the seconds that followed feeling like an eternity. Adrien was soaked to the bone at this point, the only warmth being that of the girl he held, the one who was about to witness the murder of her own mother.

As if she'd sensed their presence, Nadja's head slowly turned, her eyes landing on her daughter's small, breakable form. Her eyes were a startling color of black and red, Adrien realized. It didn't suit her. Her face softened at the sight of her child, and her lips formed a small smile.

"Manon, li-"

Adrien didn't have time to cover the young ghoul's eyes, only barely managing to place a hand over her mouth to muffle the screams as she called to her mother.

A split-second later Adrien's hand was over Manon's eyes, preventing her from seeing any more of the gruesome scene before them. He moved as quickly as possible, picking her up and quickly carrying her as far away as he could as she cried into his chest.

He felt sick to his stomach. This had to be a dream. A cruel, nightmarish dream where he'd wake up to find himself back in his own bed, where none of this ever happened.

Try as he might, he couldn't get the stench of blood, or the image of Nadja's head rolling to the ground by her limp body to exit his mind. He soon found that he couldn't run anymore, so he turned into a dim alleyway, letting himself fall to the ground by a dumpster, hidden from view. Manon was clutched tightly in his arms, and her sobs only grew louder as the seconds passed.

There was a constant stream of Maman flowing from her lips.

Adrien found himself crying as well, unable to contain himself. He was safe, Manon was safe. They were okay.

But they weren't.

This girl, who couldn't've been older than a third-grader, just saw her own mother beheaded right in front of her. And he was powerless to save her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Manon's sobs slowly silenced, turning into the gentle breathing of sleep. He carefully pulled himself upright, dusting off his clothes.

He began the agonizing walk back to the café, silent words stuck in his throat as he whispered to the sleeping ghoul.

"Let's go home."