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John stares blankly at the swarm of kwami now in front of him. He feared that this day would come but he hoped it would never truly would.
“Bring me to her. I need to see her.”
John breathes a heavy breath. It lingers as he tries to inhale, almost mimicking a drag from a cigarette.
He keeps his face away from the kwami, not to hide any anger toward them. No, it was not the tears. He would not let himself cry; he knew it would not be worth it. After all, it was his fault. It was always his fault.
It takes the kwami nearly a half hour to get John to Marinette. It was not because the kwami wanted to avoid showing John the state of her body. Rather, it was from how complex it was to get to her.
Marinette was a remarkably smart woman. It does not surprise John one bit that she decided to hide away so far that only the individuals that went alongside her would be able to find it. After all, Marinette was always looking for a place to hide.
It had started with Gabriel Agreste. Before he became Hawkmoth, he was rough on Marinette. She had gained the opportunity to work under Mr. Agreste when her and John were on their last year of high school. Oh, how that would be a dark reflection of the experience that Marinette hoped for.
John slows his pace as him and the kwami get closer. He knew what he would be walking into by the auras surrounding the place. It was a small cave hidden beneath the foliage of a temple; one abandoned many centuries ago.
“I warn you sir. This is something none of us kwami have ever seen before. Ms. Marinette is the one who gave us what little information we know of the phenomenon. I’m sorry we cannot do more to help.”
“It is not your fault, Nooroo. The world was bloody unfair to Marinette. It was only a matter of time I’m afraid.”
John reassures the kwami of emotion alongside Nooroo. Duusu had been Marinette’s signature kwami. They were experiencing the worst of the weight. To prepare himself, he places the miraculous of the Butterfly and Peacock on his person alongside the Black Cat that he had already been wearing.
“Are you all ready?”
The pack of kwami settle into the various pockets of John’s trench coat as well as rest on his shoulders and in his hair. He lets out one last bittersweet smile before entering in the dankness of the cave.
Despite it being light out, no sun light enters the cave. John takes out some chalk, writes on the walls and ground, then releases his writing utensil. Light speeds alongside the lines of chalk, illuminating the cave.
Marinette is revealed in the unnatural spotlight. John and the kwami, whom were not with Marinette when she left, all freeze. Whether it be shock, horror, pain, heartbreak, or the sharp shard from reality broken, they could not fathom the scene in front of them.
With John’s permission, which came in the form of a nod, Plagg floats down to Marinette’s body, gently closing her eyes. Duusu and Nooroo nuzzle closer to John as he watches with no movement.
All John can do is stare at her lifeless body. Coming from her mouth is a thick clump of butterfly weed. It fills her face, so her eyes are hidden. It tappers down her arms and legs. Unless you knew about Marinette coming here, there would be no way to identify who it was, if you ever found it, that is.
“I always loved you Marinette. It seems you did not believe it. I cannot blame you. I am a lying bastard. I am glad to have had you as a partner all these years. I hope you are in peace. We shall never forget you.”
John sits down beside Marinette’s body. He originally tried to fight it but willingly gives in. The tears start rolling down his face. Heavy, salt filled tears.
When John’s river stops flowing down his face, he pops himself up and wipes off the wetness. He calls upon Nooroo and Duusu. They each nod then the transformation takes over him.
Did he need to transform? No, but for what he was about to do he figured that they would like to be alongside him.
John places his hands together, then recites broken and backwards Latin, something way out of his comfort zone but that was not what was important. As he does, the flowers start to wither and recede from Marinette. Once again, is the beautiful young woman before their eyes as if nothing had happened.
How John wished that it was more than that. However, she was gone. Stolen away by a disease so rare it was believed only the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat could contract it.
With touch as light as a feather, John picks up Marinette after placing his coat on top of her. He summons a portal with his own magic, then walks through, leaving the cave behind. Now, they stand on top of a hill with no sign of life for miles.
On this hill, is a tombstone, already engraved. It bears a single name, surrounded by the symbols of all the miraculous with the Peacock directly next to the name. That name is Marinette.
John lets out a bittersweet sigh. In front of the gravestone is a casket, one created by John himself. He places Marinette inside of it. Before he closes it, he leans in, giving Marinette a kiss. He also leaves his trench coat on top of her.
Once all the kwami have said their goodbyes, the casket is closed. Even Nooroo and Duusu were released from their transform to give Marinette a gift. Combined, the two kwami summon a bluebell that shares the shade of her eyes, which they lay gently in her hands.
John and the kwamis together use a spell that buries the casket without disturbing the site. Now all that was visible was the tombstone with fresh writing.
John walks to the edge of the hill, sitting down on it. He looks out to the endless fields surrounding them. He takes it all in.
“This chapter may have finished.”
“But there are many more to be written.”
John turns to see his companion and what used to be Marinette’s. He nods to them. A smile creeps onto his face as an idea formulates.
He lets out a slight chuckle then springs to his feet. John smirks a mischievous grin.
A part of him that he locked away was finally being set free once more.
“You’re right mates. We have a ladybug to catch.”
John whips around, heading straight toward the House of Mystery that appeared for him. He spares a passing glance at the stone, this time smiling with joy and energy.
He runs up the stairs, the door closing behind him as the kwami enter. The house pops away.
It only cost his acceptance, but John knew it was worth it.
Marinette finally got the solitude she longed for.