"The biggest form of love can be shown in one, sole word: Sacrifice."

— Forbidden Love

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

"Chat Noir!"

At the sound of his name being called, Chat Noir's ears twitched, and weakly, he lifted his head. There, down the alter, Marinette came running towards him; his love; the one woman he was never meant to fall in love with, and yet, he could never get enough of her. Their love was forbidden — a human and a creature like himself were never meant to love each other. They were never meant to even know of each other, and yet here he was, breaking every known law to both humans and his kind alike by crossing over to the other side of the wall and risking his very own existence.

But love makes one do insane things.

Chat had never understood that saying at first, because he had never felt love for anything, or anyone before. But now, now Chat understood. He understood clearly.

Because he was in love.

But being in love also brought danger along with his reckless decisions. Now that he was exposing his existence to the humankind, he would most likely die — and he did not fear death because of what the humankind may to do him.

Chat Noir feared death because it would mean he would never get to see Marinette again.

If only he would have followed his instincts, and she as well. Neither of them should have crossed that damn wall.

And he could have prevented all of this too. They both could have prevented this. If only Marinette had listened to him on the first day they met, when he insisted she return home immediately. Had they never met, Marinette would be safe and away from Nathaniel's clutches. She would have never been taken and forced to marry such a man. She would not be standing at the alter right now, had it not been for him.

And he could die peacefully. Had Chat Noir never met Marinette, he would have never feared death.

However, to say that Chat wished his path had never crossed with Marinette's would have been a lie. He wasn't sure where he would be today, had it not been for her stubbornness to return to his world. Despite their hardships, circumstances, limitations, and culture, he loved her.

And with nothing else to live for except Marinette, Chat realized that his love for her was worth the risk.

As soon as Marinette hurriedly reached him, she fell to her knees, and her hands—her soft, angelic hands—came to cup his cheeks, lifting his face to look up at her. His vision was slightly blurred, and when he met her gaze, all Chat could focus on were her bluebell eyes.

Those very eyes that he could never forget.

Those eyes that he loved.

"Chat Noir," She stroked the side of his face softly, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Despite her concern, he could not help but wearily smile up at her.

She was here.

With him.

And she was safe.

"Marinette," He whispered, weakly. "You're okay."

Marinette sniffled, and for the first time in her life, she involuntarily shed a genuine tear for a man. A man whom she loved, dearly. "I am. I am okay." She confirmed softly.

Chat Noir could only widen his weary smile in return, grateful that he had at least one more chance to be in the arms of his lover before he passed. His body was already decaying. He could feel his insides twisting in uncomfortable ways, and his skin was cracking all over his body. More prominently, on his face under his eyes, and he even felt his sockets sinking into his cheekbones. And with the horrid look on Marinette's face, Chat Noir could tell she had caught onto his horrible situation.

"Chat Noir! My love, your face—"

"What is going on?!"

Chat Noir could barely register the new voice, for he was too busy fantasying over the fact that Marinette—the woman he so graciously loved—had addressed him as 'love'. If he had a longer advantage to live, Chat Noir would have acknowledged her affection verbally. But unfortunately, there was no point in dwelling over something that he would never get to hear again.

But Chat Noir could also feel the thundering footsteps that trotted across the chapel's wooden flooring. The man who had spoken—who was also terribly angry—approached them from the alter, and Chat Noir could sense the anger practically radiating off of the familiar man. As the man towered over them, Chat Noir realized the red head was the one responsible for ruining the divine moment between him and his love.

Chat Noir could not help but allow a growl to rumble through his chest, despite that he was too weak to do anything to back up his low warning. Marinette, sensing his distress, placed a hand to his chest, and Chat Noir responded to her touch immediately, wearily reaching up to place his furred hand on top of hers.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Nathaniel demands. He looks down at his soon-to-be bride with a hard glare—the one Marinette understood as a warning for her behavior. "Step aside, woman."

However, Marinette was far from afraid in that moment.

"I will not!" Marinette replied with a shout.

Nathaniel's glare only hardens, and through gritted teeth, he sneers, "Move."

"I will not!" She denies his demand again, this time moving protectively across the floor to block her lover from Nathaniel's view. Despite Marinette's attempts to protect Chat, she knew that the odds were highly against her. Nathaniel was much stronger than her, and if she hadn't learned her lesson from before, than she would surely learn today.

"Marinette! What is the meaning of this?!" Aunt stood to her feet as well, clearly outraged with her niece's behavior. "This is not appropriate at all! Stand to your feet as once!"

"I will not stand!"

"You do not defy my command young lady!" Aunt retorted, hands to her hips.

"Oh yes I can! In fact, I will shove it up your ass!"

"That is not appropriate lady adequate!" Someone — who was clearly a man — from one of the pews interjected harshly, raising a finger.

Well, Marinette could raise a finger as well if she wanted to. Unfortunately, that would not make matters any better for anyone.

Marinette's head turned to shoot the stranger a glare. "To hell with appropriate adequacy!"

The man seemed genuinely shocked by Marinette's behavior, placing his hand to his chest in complete bewilderment. But Marinette could care less on what kind of an opinion he may have had on her. The amount of people that filled the pews began to murmur lowly with one another, and even Nathaniel's parents seemed disgusted with the scene—making direct eye contact with their son to shoot him disapproving glares, while they shook their heads. Nathaniel's jaw seemed to twitch at that, and Marinette felt somewhat triumphant over the sight.

But her happiness was short lived.

Chat Noir's hand shifted over hers, and she turned back to look at him. His smile had vanished, and instead it was replaced with a thin line, and she felt as his grip around her hand tightened. "You must know something before I die..." he says, ever so softly—his eyes struggling to remain open, but for her sake, he kept them wide.

Marinette shook her head harshly, reaching up to brush his bangs away from his eyes again. She found, that despite trying to remain strong, that a stray tear had fallen down her cheek. "No, no," She choked back a sob, caressing his cheek gently. "You are not going to die."

Chat Noir let out an airy laugh to that.

"You are not going to die, you hear?" Marinette says more firmly; though, she wasn't sure if it was for her own reassurance or for his. "I am going to get you back to the forest, and you will live. And everything will go back to the way it once was."

Despite what she continued to say, her words sounded nothing but a fantasy. Marinette had yet to figure out how she would bring him back to his side of the wall when he could barely move, and, she had yet to believe that everything would go back to normal; that everything would be okay.

Chat Noir shook his head slowly, caressing the top of her hand with his thumb. "Marinette... I do not believe I will live much longer. Please, just listen to my last words."

Marinette choked back a sob, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She did not want to believe that Chat Noir's last words would be here, in her lap, inside of a chapel where she was meant to be wed into another man. If God truly did exist, and this truly was a sacred place, then she needed some sort of miracle. Chat Noir couldn't die. She needed him.

She would not let him go.

"Marinette, you have given me a reason to live again." Chat Noir tells her, so soft that she almost swore he had whispered it. "But you have also given me a reason to die. If I am to perish so that you can flourish, then so be it."

"No!" Marinette whispers. "No, I cannot flourish without you, Chat Noir. I need you!"

He smiled weakly. "It feels nice to be needed."

"I mean it." She tells him seriously, threading her fingers through his soft, blonde locks. "I should have told you this sooner, when you were well, how much I need you... but... but I—"

"I understand." Chat Noir tightens his hold on her hand. "You were afraid. I too, was somewhat frightened."

Marinette sniffles, letting out a watery laugh. "Somewhat?"

"Okay, maybe a lot." He admits jokingly, and she laughs softly in return. Still threading her fingers through his hair, Marinette pulls his other hand up closer to her lips, pressing a delicate kiss to his skin. Chat Noir's weak smile returns, and his hand tightens around hers—if he could even squeeze any harder without cutting off her blood circulation.

But in truth, he did not want to let go of her either.

"I love you, Marinette."

His words were so soft, barely over a whisper, but Marinette had no trouble hearing them clearly. Even if the whole chapel had been oblivious to his words, she had heard them. And that was all that mattered.

Marinette choked back a sob. "I—I... I love you too."

However, Marinette's words were not as subtle, and although they had meant to be in a hushed tone, Nathaniel had heard them clearly. Outraged, he leaned closer and outstretched his hand, grasping Marinette's upper arm and forcefully tugging her backwards. "You what?!"

Marinette shrieked as she was practically yanked away from Chat Noir's embrace and dragged a few inches across the floor. A few people from the pews gasped, clearly unprepared for Nathaniel's physical action. But before anyone could make any protest against it, Chat Noir sprang into action.

The moment Chat Noir heard Marinette yelp in pain, he jumped to rescue her — despite that he was no longer in any kind of position to fight. But nonetheless, Chat twisted his body and pounced at Nathaniel, using his remaining strength to tackle the man to the ground. Having the advantage of being on top, Chat Noir balled his first and rammed it into the red-head's nose; then another into his lip. Still overpowered, Chat Noir punched him again in the eye.

That was when Nathaniel rolled them over, twisting the odds. He copied Chat's actions and balled his own fist, ramming it first into Chat Noir's eye. Marinette screamed as she watched Nathaniel harm her love, and Chat Noir could barely defend himself, due to not having enough strength left in him to fight back.

About four or five men rushed from the pews to pull Nathaniel away from Chat — despite that they had no idea who, or what, Chat Noir was. The sight startled Marinette, because in all truth, she had not expected people to actually want to help someone from the other side of the wall.

Or maybe, they simply didn't know that.

Not yet at least.

"Get your hands off of me!" Nathaniel growled, trying to break out of the hold the other men had on him. Gratefully, he was unsuccessful. "Did you not hear what he just said? He told my fiancé that he loves her! That is punishable by law!"

"Save it." Chat Noir growled from the floor, wiping away the blood that had trickled from his nose. "Do not pretend that you are not at fault. Do you think that I do not know what you have done to her? I can smell it, you sick son of a bitch."

Everyone in the pews seemed confused by Chat Noir's choice of words, and more or less, gasped at his choice of foul language. But Marinette understood clearly.

Chat Noir could smell Nathaniel...

...inside of her.

"What did you just call me?!" Nathaniel sneers, jerking forward to only be stopped by the men who still had ahold of him. "First you try and steal my woman away from me, and then you insult me?! You have got quite the nerve to fight when you have no strength left in you!"

"I would fight until the death." Chat Noir growls in return, and although he was too weak to stand, he does not hesitate to look up and meet the red-head's daring glare. "And Marinette is not yours! She belongs to no man! She is her own person and if you cannot respect her, then you sure as hell do not deserve her!"

Marinette can only watch—horrified and bewildered—as Chat Noir speaks for her behalf, defending her against Nathaniel's sick mentality. However, when Chat Noir suddenly slumps his head forward and begins to breathe heavily, as if struggling to gasp for breath, Marinette rushes to his side again — completely disregarding that her wedding dress ripped with every move she made.

But she could care less about the damn dress.

"Chat Noir!" She caught his head in her palms before his forehead could be met with the floor, and with little strength, she rolled him onto his back. Chat suddenly began coughing, and what he coughed up was not a pleasant sight—red blood spluttered from his lips and dripped down his chin, and Marinette willed not to mourn in front of him as he struggled to remain alive.

He was dying.

God, he was dying.

And there was nothing she could do.

"Chat Noir, please." She begs him. "Please. Stay with me."

But he was too weak to verbally respond. Instead, Marinette painfully watched as Chat reluctantly gave into his body's silent plea, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, pulling him into a state of unconsciousness. Frightened, Marinette tried to violently shake him awake, in an attempt to keep him with her.

But it seemed as if she had truly lost him.

Unwilling to simply give up, Marinette turned to the men who had pulled Nathaniel away and had kept him back during the fight between him and Chat. They were all still clearly in shock, looking down at her with sympathy in their eyes. If these men had been willing to protect Chat then, she prayed that they would be willing to help him now.

"P-Please," Marinette sobbed out, her tears burning hot as they fell down her cheeks. "Help me bring him home before it's too late."

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