Chapter 7:

Night fell upon Snowdin Town. Marinette watched out the window as snow began to fall and the city lights slowly went out. In the back, she heard Tikki turning off lights in the kitchen. Without looking, she could hear Tikki make her way toward her.

"Are you ready to go to sleep?" she asked, sitting on the couch next to Marinette.

Marinette shook her head. "No, I'm not tired, but thank you for asking."

"Of course. You're welcome to sleep here on the couch for the time being."

Marinette turned and gave her a smile. "Thank you, that means a lot to me."

Tikki returned the smile, then nudged her. "Be good, okay? I'm heading off to bed. Plagg is still awake and in the shed, I believe, so if you need anything, just ask him."

She shook her head. "After pissing him off, I'm not sure he wants to talk to me."

The red monster laughed. "He played a prank on you. I think it's a sign that he has forgiven you. Just... don't do it again."

"I won't," Marinette reassured.

Tikki gave her one last pat before standing and making her way to the stairs. After a sweet goodnight, she went into her room and closed the door.

Once she was gone, the house was left quiet. Marinette looked around, then at the couch. Could she really sleep here?

There was too much that was going on. Her mind was racing with all of the new things that had happened. She had been judged by Master Furiel, trained by Tikki, and shown an entire town that she'd never heard of before.

And yet, she was still no closer to home.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and got to her feet. She was going home. People were counting on her, and she couldn't let them down. Despite the kindness she had been shown, it was time to go.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette got to her feet and walked over to the door. She took a step outside into the cold. Though there was snow on the ground and there was a chilly breeze blowing the dustings of snowflakes, she wasn't bothered by the weather. She took in a deep breath, then stared up above her. She couldn't see too far, though she wasn't expecting to. It wasn't like she was going to see the top of the Underground like it was a cave.

There was so much that had to happen. Not even a couple days had passed and she still had no idea what she was going to do. She had to get back to her family, but that meant trekking her way across the entire Underground, or so Tikki had told her.

Was she up for such a journey?

She didn't want to drag Tikki with her; it wouldn't have been fair. Despite Master Furiel assigning her to Marinette, she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of being babysat. Sure, a guide would have been nice, but Tikki didn't deserve to be brought into this mess.

Besides, she couldn't start making attachments.

She let out a sigh, her breath turning to steam in the cold air. "What am I going to do?" she muttered to herself.

Just then, there was a rustling in the trees behind her. She froze on the spot, listening very closely in case she heard more movement. And, indeed she did.

CRUNCH. CRUSH. SQUISH.

Someone was behind her. That was the only explanation.

Turning slowly, Marinette peered into the woods. There wasn't much there to see, only snow-covered trees and logs.

"Hello?" she called out.

No one responded.

"Heeeelllloooo?" she called again.

"What are you doing?"

Marinette screamed and spun around. Plagg was standing next to the shed, giving her a concerned look. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's just you Plagg."

He tilted his head, examining the human in the snow. His green eyes were narrowed like he didn't trust any of her movements. Or he was about to pounce on her. Marinette couldn't tell.

"What are you doing outside in the cold at this time of night?" Plagg asked, though it sounded more like a demand. "You're going to catch a cold."

Marinette turned her back on him, glaring at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Plagg, but I have to go."

Despite looking away, she could practically feel his eyebrows go up.

"Oh?"

"Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I need to go. Something... someone is waiting for me, and I can't have them wait any longer." She clenched her fists. "I need to get back to my home. My family and my friends are counting on me."

There was a long pause before Plagg sighed.

"I understand. Get out of here, human. Tikki doesn't need to deal with a punk like you, and neither do I."

Though the words stung, Marinette refused to let them change her decision. She lifted her chin and opened her eyes. She turned and gave Plagg a single nod. He didn't seem to notice; his gaze was focused on the window. Then, it briefly slipped to her. They were the sharp purple once more.

"Get out of here before Tikki finds out that you've left," he hissed.

The hairs on the back of Marinette's neck bristled. Fear clutched her windpipe, and though she wanted to say goodbye, she knew she had to leave before she was blown into bits. With nothing more exchanged the two, she turned on her heel and took off along the road.

As she passed a sign that read 'To King's Palace', the fear finally faded. She glanced back, expecting to see Plagg glaring at her, but he was long gone. By now, the snow that was lightly falling early was now coming down in sheets. Holding up her arm, Marinette slowed to a walk as she made her way through the chilly storm. She hadn't been expecting a storm, but she couldn't go back now.

She made her way down the path, and the trees were slowly starting to disappear. She pressed forward, and though her body was shivering, she knew that she could make it to shelter. There had to be somewhere she could stop.

"...anette...!"

Marinette stopped. What was that?

"Mar...nette...!"

Marinette turned, and although the snow storm was strong, she could see a figure forcing their way through the weather. By the color of their arms, wings, and outfit, Marinette could instantly tell that it was Tikki.

"Tikki?" she called out.

The pink monster seemed to stop, then take off faster than she had been going before. She seemed to have spotted Marinette from afar.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted. "Are you okay?!"

Wrapping her arms around herself, Marinette forced herself to lie. "I'm fine!"

Soon enough, Tikki was less than 20 feet away. She held up her arm to shield her face from a blast of snow. "Let's go back to the house! It's practically a blizzard out here!"

Marinette looked away, her whole body trembling. Not only from the cold but from the tears that were brimming in her eyes.

"No, Tikki, I'm not going back."

That seemed to take the monster off guard.

"You're... what? Why not?"

Marinette shut her eyes tightly. "Tikki, I can't stay here. Like I told Plagg, I have people counting on me. I need to continue my journey."

"But you need to rest! You need to make sure you're in peak condition in case anything happens," Tikki argued.

"No," Mari insisted. "I can't stay. I have to keep going."

By now, she could tell that Tikki was getting exasperated. "You're being ridiculous! You're going to make yourself sick if you continue like this!"

"NO!" Marinette shouted. She turned her glaring gaze on Tikki. "I can't stay! I can't make any connections with Plagg, you, or anyone else! People are counting on me!"

Tikki threw her paws in the air. "What is so important that you'll sacrifice your well-being?!"

"I have someone waiting for me!"

"Would they want you in this condition?"

That made Marinette pause. Would he... no, he wouldn't. He would do the same thing for her. She couldn't act like a baby. The clock was ticking.

"No, he wouldn't, but I need to continue. There's no way I can stop now!"

"What about me?" Tikki pleaded. "Would you please come with me home, just so I can follow Master Furiel's instructions?"

Marinette shook her head. "No."

That was the final straw for Tikki. She let out a cry and threw out her arms. The ground rubbled. With her body already suffering from the cold, Marinette lost her balance and landed butt-first in the snow. All around her, arrows shot up out of the ground. They weren't normal arrows, though. They weren't ones that you could shoot from a bow. They were constructed out of rock, ice, and snow. And, to top off the detail, they were colored an odd shade of pink.

"You are not going any further until you take care of yourself!" Tikki roared.

After rubbing the snow out of her face, Marinette could barely see Tikki through the storm. She had completely changed, though. She knew that for a fact. The usually cute and precious face that Tikki had was now twisted into one of absolute rage. Her red body was now a deeper shade and her paws glowed with pink light. She stalked toward Marinette, like a mother about to spank their child for being naughty.

"You're coming with me. Do you understand?" she growled.

Marinette scrambled back through the snow. After a moment of sprawling out in the snow, she pushed herself to her feet. The arrows cut off her way of escape.

"Tikki," Marinette pleaded, "I can't have you stop me. Luka is waiting for me!"

"What, is he looking for you?" Tikki mocked. "If you don't do anything, you're going to kill yourself before he would find out you're missing!"

She rapidly shook her head. "No, that's not it at all!"

"Then why do you care so much?!" Tikki stopped in front of Marinette and dropped to one knee in front of her. "What is it about this Luka that makes you want to risk your life for him?"

Marinette clenched her teeth to keep the tears from spilling over. "H-he's been akumatized, Tikki! If I don't do anything, he'll become permanently changed! And I can't have that happen!"

Tikki froze, looking at her in confusion. "He's been... what?"

"Akuma-atized," Marinette said as she choked on a sob. "He is... he was... one of my closest friends. My parents are already under constant threat of becoming akumatized too, and I can't have Luka hurt them or himself!" She looked up and locked eyes with Tikki, her tears freezing to her face as they trailed her cheeks. She pleaded with the monster, "Tikki, I need to go!"

The red monster stared at the human girl in front of her, her face slack and her mouth hanging open. Then, after a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away. She waved her hand and the arrows surrounding Marinette sucked themselves back into the ground. All that was left of them were holes in the snow.

"I can't say I know exactly what you're going through," Tikki muttered. Her voice was quiet and Marinette could barely hear it over the storm. "I've been through my own hardships, and I know how desperate one can become." She looked back at Marinette, her pink scarf fluttering in the wind. Her eyes were piercing, but just as caring and understanding as ever. "Promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

After a moment, Marinette nodded. "I promise."

The snow continued to swirl around them, but it was as if it didn't exist. The air between the girl and the monster was warm. Not the real, tangible type of warm. It was full of understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness. It was the type of heat that warmed the soul and not the body.

Tikki pulled away and got to her feet. She gave Marinette a small smirk. "I hope you know that you haven't gotten rid of me forever."

Marinette couldn't help but grin. "Of course not. See you around, Tikki."

The red monster gave her a beaming smile before waving and dashing back toward Snowdin Town. As she ran away, it was almost like the snow storm was starting to calm. No longer was it a blizzard.

It was just a simple storm of frosty snowflakes.

---

Wow. It's been forever since I've been able to write this many words...

Hi there, everybody! Long time, no see. I honestly can't believe I was able to pump out a MiraculousTale update. That's a miracle in of itself. 

For some clarification, I PROMISE that this is a LOVE SQUARE fanfic. This is NOT a Lukanette story. However, he plays a key character in the journey, so please stick with me. It was like Nathanael in Miraculous Games. He progressed the story, not stole the show. 

So, now that that's cleared up, let's get to my favorite comment.

Favorite Comment: 

By: Thefractale

[The man gave her a small smile. "I am Master Furiel. And you are?"]

*facepalms in times new roman*

And, as always, Stay Determined! 

(And Miraculous)