"You can never proclaim that you have never loved, because at some point in time, you once loved yourself."

— Forbidden Love

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

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Chat Noir's nose twitched - his eyelids squeezed together tightly to prevent the sun's rays from penetrating through his orbs. His consciousness began to return to him, and the feline soon began to acknowledge his current predicament. His limbs ached, and when he rolled on his side, his ribs burned. Hissing, Chat clenched his side, mewling when the pain only seemed to intensify. He had never felt such an intense amount of pain in his life before.

"What is that?"

A voice broke out into the silence that was not his own, nor was it one that he recognized. In an instant, Chat Noir tried to open his eyes, to identify who the stranger was, but he was met with only white. Everything was white.

"Emily stay back. It looks like a wild animal."

Chat Noir groaned, his brows furrowing deeply together as realization struck him. A human had spotted him for sure. And not just one, but it seemed to have an acquaintance. Fantastic. There was no way for him to escape either, for he had already been noticed.

This looked to be the end of his road for sure, and he hadn't even rescued Marinette yet.

"It looks like a kitty." The younger, chirpier voice replied.

In response, Chat mewled. Not intentionally, but his pain wasn't subsiding. 

"A mutant kitty," The older one scowled, probably after getting a closer look. "Let's get away from it, Emily. It looks dangerous."

"But what about Marinette-?" At the mention of his love's name, Chat Noir's ears perked up. Were the two simply human, female children looking for Marinette as well? Did they personally know her like he did?

"Marinette could be anywhere."

Only one way for him to find out.

Wincing, Chat Noir rolled on his other side, greatly irritating his ribs, which in return, intensified the burning sensation. But he ignored his body's warning and bit his tongue; for Marinette's life mattered more to him than pain. "H-help," he croaked out, hoping the children would have some sort of sympathy for him.

And one of them seemed to. "Krissy-! Did you hear him? The kitty called for help!"

He listened as the elder female scoffed, clearly unamused with her companion's imagination. "Cats cannot speak, Emily."

"But I swear I heard him!" Defends the younger child.

Again, he groaned, hoping that his moans of pain would coax the child into coming to his aid. Despite the odd scenario he was in, Chat greatly needed their help, for he was rapidly running out of time.

Instantly, he felt the warmth of a child's hand caress his cheek. "It will be alright, kitty."

And for the first time in his life, Chat Noir realized just how compassionate the human race could be - despite whatever age, and however willing a person was in putting others needs before their own.

He peeked an eye open, appreciative when his eyes began to cooperate with him, allowing him to get a clearer view of the child who stood above him. A pair of turquoise eyes met his own, and a small smile spread across the child's lips. Immediately, he was reminded of Marinette. "I will help you, kitty, do not worry."

He couldn't help but weakly return the smile.

They looked quite similar.

"Emily! What did I say?!" suddenly, the elder child came running towards him, kneeling beside her sister. "I told you to stay away from it-! And now you are petting him?"

"He's hurt."

"Yes, I am aware, but... but..."

Emily raises an eyebrow towards her sister, intrigued. "But what?"

"But... but... it's a wild animal!" Exclaimed Krissy. "It could bite you!"

In response, Emily simply narrowed a brow, unamused. "Do not be ridiculous, sister. He needs our help." Looking down to meet Chat Noir's eyes once more, Emily adds. "Just look at him."

Following her sister's gaze, Krissy looked down to meet Chat Noir's eyes, uncertainty crossing her features at the sight of a creature she had never seen before. Sighing deeply in defeat, Krissy crosses her arms. "Fine, you win. What can we do?"

"Wrap his wounds." Emily, who was surprisingly observant, points down where Chat Noir was clutching his ribs. "It looks like he is in a lot of pain there."

"Aha," Krissy raises a brow. "And how do you plan to do that without any medical materials?"

"Um...well....I-I am not quite sure..."

Rolling her eyes, Krissy rises to her feet. "Listen, Emily, this is usually something Marinette would tell you, but sometimes when animals get sick—"

"Marinette," Chat Noir murmurs, his ears perked on end at the mention of his lover's name once more. Using whatever remaining strength he had left, Chat noir peeked his eyes open, his gaze shifting between the two, young females who were staring back down at him in shock.

"Um, did he just say Marinette?" Questioned Krissy, bewildered.

Emily, surprised by the mention of her sister's name, scooted closer towards the feline. "Yes, Marinette. She is my second eldest sister and has been missing for several weeks. Do you know her?"

In response, Chat Noir weakly nodded.

"Wait- he knows Marinette?" In an instant, Krissy was once again kneeled by her younger sister's side. "But how? How is that possible?"

"How do you know our sister, Marinette?" asks Emily, concerned, placing gentle touch to Chat Noir's upper arm. In reaction to her touch, Chat flinched. He was not entirely used to human touches unless that physical contact came from his love, Marinette, and having been taught since he was little that humankind was nothing but dangerous, he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But he had to continually remind himself that this was for Marinette.

"She-she's my friend." Groaned Chat, tilting his head to the side. "I met her a few months ago. We met at the wall."

Sighing, Krissy scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Of course, she met you at the wall. Marinette is a sucker for breaking rules, testing limits, and getting herself into trouble."

Emily ignored her sister's unnecessary comment. "Marinette has been missing for a few months after she ran away... we are not sure where she has run off to. Do you know where she has gone?"

Breathing heavily, Chat mewls. "She c-came to m-me, and she stayed in my cottage."

Tilting her head to the side and raising an eyebrow confusingly, Emily asks. "She was staying with you? On the other side of the wall?"

Chat nodded in response.

"Was," Seethes Krissy. "So, she no longer stays with you?"

Again, Chat nodded.

Krissy narrowed a brow, arms still crossed. "Then where has she gone? And why on earth were you two living under the same roof together, alone? I do not approve, nor do I feel uncomfortable with that thought in mind. If you so much as touched my sister—"

"You must know what has happened to her." Pouts Emily, interrupting her sister's slight rant.

Wincing as a sudden immense of pain rose in his ribs, Chat hissed, clutching his side tighter. "S-she was taken. Kidnapped by a red-headed man, who wore a ridiculous hat topped with a feather. She had told me a few days prior that the man wanted to marry her, and that she wished not to marry."

"Ah yes, Nathaniel Logharth." muses Krissy, "Not the most attractive man, must I say. Well, he's not very attractive at all actually...."

"Yes, he had asked our aunt for Marinette's hand in marriage." explains Emily, "Marinette really had no say in the matter."

"Which is why she ran away." Krissy adds sadly.

"But wait—!" suddenly, Emily seemed terribly frightened, as if his words had suddenly clicked in her mind. "Did you just say that Sir Nathaniel kidnapped Marinette?"

To confirm her horror, Chat slowly, but sadly, nodded.

"Well, why on earth are we still here?" exclaims Krissy, once again rising to her feet. "We need to rescue Marinette right away!"

"Indeed." meeting Chat's gaze once again, Emily quietly asks. "Do you have any slightest ideas on where he might have taken her?"

Chat nods slowly, "I...I can find her, so as long as I have her scent."

"Brilliant!" Beamed Krissy, "Do you need a piece of her garment to sniff? Perhaps a sock?" suddenly, however, Krissy's features mixed with a look of horror, and she narrowed a brow at him defensively. "Please do not say you would like an undergarment to sniff, because that is where I would draw the line."

Chat Noir, horrified by her suggestion, almost choked on his own saliva. "Heavens no!" Eyes widened, he shook his head rapidly. "I would never!"

Giggling, Emily stood to her feet and extended her hand to the feline. "As amusing as this is, we have no time to waste. Krissy!" She turned to her sister. "Help me lift the kitty up!"

Surprised by her younger sister's demanding behavior, Krissy rushed to help pull Chat Noir to his feet. With unsteady feet, Chat Noir struggled to obtain his balance once more - especially when the female children were not very strong and did not provide very helpful aid. However, the kindness from their hearts was enough to motivate Chat Noir.

"What about your side?" questions Emily, once he had stood and could withhold his own stance. "Does it not still hurt?"

Grinning somewhat sheepishly to hide his pain, Chat Noir nodded. "Oh, greatly much so."

"Then, maybe we should consider taking you to a doctor." suggests Krissy, and with an eyebrow raised skeptically, she adds. "Or maybe the veterinarian's office."

"Modern medicine will not heal my wounds." Chat explains, wincing. "The longer I stay on this side of the wall, the quicker my body will disintegrate until I am nothing but dust. The magic upon the other side is what not only keeps me, but my people alive."

Krissy could only gape at him in horror. "What the hell—?! Then hop back on over, you fool! What are you trying to do—get yourself killed?"

"Good heavens, you must go back!" Insists Emily. "We appreciate your help, but we do not want you to die, and I am sure Marinette would not want you to die either."

Frantically, Chat Noir shook his head. "My life is not nearly as important as Marinette's. If she is in danger, I am going to rescue her—whatever the risks may be, because... well, because I love her."

The two sisters could only gape at Chat Noir in response, and exchange bewildered looks between one another.

"You love Marinette?" Asked Krissy, shocked. "As in, romantically?"

Chat Noir nods slowly, confused, as if her question was meant to have him second guessing his response. "Well, yes, I do..."

"Does... does Marinette feel the same way?" Questioned Krissy carefully.

In response to her second question, Chat Noir hung his head, deflated. Still to this day, and after everything he and Marinette had shared and gone through, he could not determine if Marinette had similar attractions for him, as he did for her. If anything, Marinette had repeatedly explained that she never wanted romance with anyone, and that marriage would never be an option. In fact, when Chat Noir had finally admitted the way he felt, Marinette had proclaimed that he was never real, and in fact, only a figment of the imagination and nothing more. A terrible fight had blown up between them prior to her disappearance, and Chat Noir hated to think that his last words to her could have possibly been those from their fight.

"I-I... I am not sure." He admits, regrettably allowing her previous words from their fight weeks ago to sink into his mind.

"For god's sake Chat Noir, you are not even real, but only a figment of the imagination!"

He cringed as her words cut sharply through his heart once more, reopening a wound he thought had healed merely weeks ago.

He missed her terribly, despite whatever cruel things she had said to him, he missed her.

Attentively, Krissy reaches to touch Chat's arm, snatching him back into reality. "Are you the one who gave Marinette that arrowhead?"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, "You saw it?"

She laughed lightly, "I may have accidentally come across it. We share a room, so unfortunately, it is kind of difficult to hide things from each other."

In response, Chat Noir chuckled.

"Let us waste no more time." Interjects Emily. Pulling a handkerchief form her dress pocket, she hands it to Chat Noir. "This is Marinette's. I found it while scavenging through her wardrobe. You say you can track her scent, can you not? I hope this is enough."

Taking it from her fingertips, Chat grins. "Actually, this will do perfectly."

Krissy, confused, exchanged a look between her younger sister and the handkerchief now clutched between Chat Noir's claws. "Wait just a moment, Emily, why were you even going through Marinette's drawers to begin with?"

Emily, smiling sheepishly, simply shrugged. "Sometimes I like to play dress up, and a girl has to get her clothes from somewhere. Besides, have you seen Elizabeth's wardrobe? No thank you."

Krissy could only laugh loudly in response.

Shaking his head towards the two silly girls, Chat Noir took a whiff of Marinette's handkerchief. Almost instantly, it was as if a trail of her footsteps had suddenly appeared right before him, leading him in the direction she had gone - or, more accurately, in a direction she had been forced to trek. 

"I'm coming for you, Marinette." He told himself, internally. With determination spread across his features, and her handkerchief clutched between his claws, he recited to himself. "That red-headed fool will not know what hit him."

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