One thing I want to say before we go on. The reason why Adrien hasn't just teleported to Luneith is because there is just a rule that the only way to travel between the immortal and mortal realm is through portals. It's just that the ones Alya and Nino went through are specialised for the specific punishment they got.

Ooh 80k words nice!!! Let's see if we can hit 100k by time part 3 comes. 

............

"Give me a moment. I'm going to check where he is."

She nodded at him and let him go, silently following behind him as they creeped to the entrance of the cave. The sun had already risen yet there was something across the land which dimmed the world around them. They could barely see the sun. 

"Come out Marinette. I know you're there."

Marinette raised a hand to grab onto the back of Adrien's clothes, "How can he know?" her voice was trembling, her hands, even more.

Adrien turned to face her, taking hold of that hand and pulling her close, "It's okay. I'm here."

She watched as he brought his hand forth and blasted at the entrance of the cave. Rocks and large slabs of stone crumbled, enough to cover the only light which they had been able to see. But to her it was like it didn't matter. She would rather be pelted into darkness knowing that Adrien was right there by her side, then be out in the open knowing that there was a monster whose only goal was to have her. He proceeded to move them away from the now closed entrance, quickly navigating them further into the space. Regardless of there being no light, she had him to guide the way.

"Where are we going?" She asked, as they stepped further into the darkness of the cave with no light.

He glanced back at her as, even without any light, he would always be able to see her clearly, before returning his attention to the front of them, "Do you know? Caves can have multiple exits. The one which he is on front of is just the most visible."

"And if we can't find another?"

"I didn't say we're going to find any."

"What?"

"I already checked quickly whilst you had been asleep earlier. There is no other exit."

She stopped in her tracks, dragging him to a stop also, "What- then why-"

He looked back at her before pulling her to move again, "Don't stall. I'm going to make an exit for us."

"Can you do that?" Though as soon as she said it she realised that there was no reason to ask, "Oh. Of course you can."

"Oh, I can do way more," she didn't even need to see him to know that he was grinning stupidly. She couldn't help but snort as he led her away from the other place. Why did he make it so easy for her to forget her stress? Even if it was only for a few seconds, he was good at making her feel relaxed. 

"Can't we just teleport out of here?"

"I wish we could but- but that fight..." he sighed, as if ashamed of himself, his steps felt slower than before, "I- I don't have enough energy for it."

Marinette squeezed his hand and gave him a sad smile and stopped the both of them again, "Look at me Adrien," she said but he didn't turn. She walked around so she could be in front of him, never letting go of his hand but he wouldn't meet her gaze, "Adrien. It's okay if we take the longer way sometimes. I understand why. But what isn't okay is how you feel that you have to be strong all the time. I get it. You're a God. A king. You must be the strength that holds your people. You don't want them to be disappointed or let down by you. I get that. But you don't have to do this with me. You don't always need to stay strong for me."

He finally looked at her and from the rises and falls in his chest she could tell he was trying to quench the anger from building up, "But it's you whom I wish to be strong for. I hate that right now, I can't do as much for you because he weakened me. I hate that I am so incompetent right now, that I can't even heal quickly from these God-forsaken wounds and it means that I am less able to protect you. My only wish is to protect you from everything the realms try to throw at you, but I can't even do that. The only thing in the realms which I want right now is to be your strength. To be your protection. To be the one you can rely on."

He tried to remove his hand from her own, but she held onto him firmly and stepped closer to him, "Why, Adrien? Tell me, why do you have to be the one to protect? Why do you have to be the one who is always strong?" She raised her voice a bit, but not angrily, just curious and determined to get an answer out of him.

"Because I don't want you to be hurt anymore!" The tone of his voice was quietly desperate, full of emotion.

"What?" she whispered, looking up at him.

"Is it so much to ask to be the one who takes all the hits? To be the one who has to protect? I," he hit his other hand against his chest, "I would rather be the one to take every bad thing that happens, if it means you are left unscathed. And for that, I have to be strong for you, I have to be on guard at all times to ensure that everything and everyone that comes your way can never hurt you ever again. I-"

She raised her finger to his lips, "You... Sometimes you have to let me protect you."

He grabbed her hand and held it close to her face and, to her surprise, she could feel a few teardrops which had streamed down his face and met her hand. He moved his face a bit, just for a second to place a small kiss onto the inside of her wrist, before dropping their hands together to bring her whole body closer to him. 

He took a deep breath but his voice still broke as he spoke, "I just- I don't want to lose you again."

She didn't say anything to that, just wistfully smiled at him hoping that it would be all she needed to reassure him, to comfort him. 

But she couldn't make a promise to him. 

............

They twisted and turned through the cave and it was then that Marinette realised that it was longer than she had realised.  With the rush of their steps and the way they kept on turning in different directions on a floor that was more than just rough, her feet started to hurt. She was starting to wonder when they were going to stop. Luckily for her, as she was about to complain about her feet, Adrien stopped on front of a wall of stone.

"Stand back," he demanded to her, and watched as she took a few steps back, nodding when she took enough.

He placed his hands on both sides of the wall and he didn't even need to take a breath as he sent his power straight through the wall. All of a sudden, it went from the natural greys and browns which formed it to a deep black. Cracks formed all over the walls and through the walls, green light travelled as it reached the top of the part of the cave they were in. 

But it seemed that Adrien had miscalculated and the force of his power was just a bit too much. It seemed that his power was fluctuating between using too much energy and using too little. Because the cracks didn't stop and were not only making their way across the ceiling but it was going through the ground just beneath them.

"Adrien!" Marinette screamed and ran towards him.

He cursed as he realised the problem and brought one of his hands back. He wasted no time in striking his palm hard against the wall, the strike becoming the catalyst for the wall crumbling down. 

"Go!" he urged. 

The ceiling was starting to crumble also. So much so that chunks the size of their hands and some even bigger were starting to fall. Once Marinette could see the world outside, she quickly stepped out and realised that although they found a way out, it was actually a dead end. They were at the end of a cliff. She looked down and her breath quickened at the height they were at. She shivered and closed her eyes for a few seconds but thought it might be better if she kept her eyes opened as, if they stayed closed, the fear of falling would be greater. She turned to see if they could manoeuvre safely around the side of the cave but to no avail, there was no way. Adrien was right behind her, his attention still to the ceiling, blasting the big pieces that came their way.

Neither of them realised what was happening to the ground until too late.

She acted quickly, stepping towards him and grabbing his robes with all of her might, pulling him towards her. They both moved towards the edge of the cliff, the cave behind them still crumbling, the exit Adrien had made becoming smaller and smaller. There was only a small area in which they could stand. But even that would soon fall, them with it.

Marinette pressed herself close to Adrien as he assessed the floor beneath them, his eyes widening as he realised that it too was close to disintegrating. He surveyed their surroundings, and quickly made a decision.

"What do we do now?" She murmured. And this time her eyes were closed, because regardless of her fear of falling from such a large height, snug in his arms, she felt safe and sound.

"I told you that I want to protect you. So, do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear.

She nodded, "I do. I- uh- agh- Adrien- what are you-" 

Once she answered, he moved her arms so they would wrap around his neck and he hoisted her up so her feet were off the floor, grunting out a, "Hold on tight. We're going down."

Immediately, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her face flushing as she did. Her blush became darker when he placed his hands under her legs to secure her around his body, before moving one of his arms around her hip and the other around the top of her back. She shook her head of those thoughts for the time being. Her hair tickled his hand lightly, but he wasn't bothered about it, only holding her as tight as he could whilst still making sure he wasn't crushing her.

He jumped.

She screamed.

They fell together.

............

Her eyes were squeezed shut for what felt like a long time. She couldn't focus on anything, not with the force of the earth dragging them down so quickly. Their bodies working against the air around them made it almost impossible for her to breathe. She didn't even realise the moment when they landed.

He chuckled as he caressed her hair and he said, "You can stop biting my neck now. We're on the ground."

Turns out, in order to muffle her own screams (because even in the face of danger she wouldn't want to do anything to inconvenience anyone- as if biting wasn't worse than screaming), she had hid her head and had pressed her lips firmly onto the side of his neck. However, sometime during their fall, she must have opened her mouth to scream again but he had pushed her head more into his neck in order to comfort her- or maybe to stop her from screaming into his ear. Without realising, she had used his neck as a way to silence herself. 

When she lifted her head, she could see that his skin was red, but she sighed in relief as, miraculously, she hadn't drawn any blood by biting him.

She couldn't believe she had gotten herself into such a silly situation! Especially right now!

"I- uh-I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to- uh, you can put me down-" flustered, she tried to remove her hands from around him but he quickly put them back up.

"You've opened your eyes but you have yet to see where we are," he responded as he secured her around him once again, "Do not be hasty Bug."

She looked around and she realised that Adrien was standing on a slab of stone in a body of water. There was only enough space for him to stand as the water around them gushed forward to lands unknown to her. She had never been in this area, and had never heard of water flowing through this way. When she had looked down from the cliff, she couldn't even see anything below. Her eyes refused to see too far. 

But he must have seen all the way. 

Even when his powers were slightly less efficient than usual, affected by the unnatural force that hit him, he would do what it took to get her to safety.

There was something though, that felt familiar about where they were.

"Let's find some land quickly."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to."

She tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"

His head tilted in the same direction, mimicking her movement, "There is only one way to travel through this realm to the others," his head tilted back again, "A portal must be created with the essence of this world and the magic of the others, no matter if it is Solerian or Luneith in origin."

"Are you trying to tell me we're going to travel to your realm right now?"

He nodded, "I apologise. But it is the only way. We can't go through to the one in my room because- you know- it's too far. I- I can-t-"

She shook her head with a pout, "What did I just tell you? It's fine Adrien. Anyways, what did you mean the one in your room? Do you mean the mirror? That was a portal?!"

"A very small one. Yes. Me not being able to teleport well right now though isn't the only reason. I knew if I told you to go back to the house, he would have followed you through. Not only would he be able to hurt you, but if he realised where that mirror lead, he would have wreaked havoc on my people," he sighed and looked up to the sky which, despite their situation, was as clear as day, yet it was like the clarity was glaring at them, keeping them out in the open, not wanting them to escape, "There have been too many already..."

"Too many what?" She looked up too, her eyes squinting as the sun brightened the day but hurt her eyes to see. 

He shook his head, "Anyways. The further we go forward, there will be a larger portal. It will lead to the Celestial Lands. If we go through one side, it will lead us to the border of my realm. The other side will lead us to the border of your realm."

'He means...'

"You even know that huh?"

"We made it. That portal."

"What?" Her eyes went wide.

"We made it. Over 70,000 years ago. Back in the days where we would sneak out to see this world. It was a whole different place the last time we were here. That world ended, though over here it has been closer to 10,000 years since? The difference in time between the mortal and immortal realms is a bit... anyways. Those people we whom we saw back then have been long gone."

"Like that street vendor who sold those accessories to us and told us to be happy?"

"Just how much have you remembered?" He questioned, genuinely curious about the amount of memories she had. He was hoping she would make progress in gaining her memories again.

She shrugged, "Definitely not everything. There is this one particular memory though," her head dipped to the side, "Of the two of us in a cave much like the one we were just in. It was just before the war and before everything unfortunate happened and I had apparently been informed that the date I was to wed Luka was near. So I had decided to run away and I went to look for you and that day you had been running away from home to get away from your father. So we set off to go to the mortal realm away from all of our problems but coincidentally it started to rain."

That was one memory he remembered clearly. It was one of the last times they had been able to throw away their worries and forget everything but themselves. 

But then the war had started and they had bigger problems to deal with. His parents death, his own rage, his wish to destroy Soleria. What seemed to be the crippling end of their relationship. For her it must have been hard too. Just how long had she been planning her own sacrifice? Just how long had she been suffering because of him?

He shook his thoughts and brought his attention back to that memory, "I remember. We found that cave and sat there for hours, talking about all of our problems, wishing that they could all go away. And then..." 

"And then?" She asked. She would rather they talk about their memories rather than that portal. If she was right, it meant...

"And then things became-" his eyebrows flew up,  "You-you don't remember?"

She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts, "I woke up before I could see the rest. What happened after then?"

All of a sudden, he smiled cheekily and she was glad he hadn't noticed anything off about her, "I'm not telling you. Wait until your memories fully come back and then you will know what happened after," perhaps it was because his thoughts got turned to that night, he couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit shy even with his smug attitude. He coughed and changed the subject back to the portal, "It can only be activated by the two of us. Do you want to see?"

Eagerly she nodded her head, but she then realised something, "Will your arms not tire if you carry me for so long? You are still injured," she looked at him worriedly.

He smiled at her and confessed, "Nothing will stop me from holding you in my arms M'lady. I will make sure of that."

She couldn't help but smile back hearing those words. She couldn't remember everything yet but she could understand just how much it took for him to get to where they were. Even if they still weren't out of danger just yet, those words were enough for her to know she would be protected by him. 

She wished to protect him also.

"Adrien," she moved her arms to hold his face, not fearful at all that she would fall anymore. He was holding onto her like he would never let go. And that's all she cared for in this moment. Holding him. Cherishing him. Loving him to the very end.

He hummed in response, looking at her. His hair fluttered against his face, in the direction the water was flowing. She moved a finger to brush some of his hair out of his face, even though the wind just brought it back to it's slightly unkempt look. Yet he was still able to keep the regal aura of a king as he looked at her calmly. He had injuries still but they didn't bother him in that moment as she said his name. 

It was easy, to look at him and forget everything else. To stare into the beauty of his eyes, more green than fresh blades of grass, more lively than the flowers and the small critters amongst those blades. 

But he was more than just a garden of flowers she wished to tend and grow and nurture. 

To her he was the soil which gave life to her who was the trees. He was the waves which crashed into her life like she was the sand, soaking her in his affection, never letting her forget that he was there for her. He was the the stars to her sky, the one who helped her find her path. Most importantly, he was her moon. The one who guided her, just as his moon guided his people. He was the light which she needed and he was the brightness which protected her from the darkness. His whole life had been enveloped in darkness but for her, he would make sure her path was always lit up.

She knew though that he thought of himself as that darkness, and the only light which glimmered through his void, which showed him where to go next, was her. But she believed it went both ways. Every acre of misery she could endure, as long as he was there, shining like a beacon of hope in her life.

She didn't want to lose him. 

She didn't want the world to forget him. 

She hoped he wouldn't forget her.

He observed her as she seemed to be stuck in her own thoughts, and he could feel the slight clench in her heart as she looked at him, but her gaze had become unfocused, "What's wrong?" He leaned in to take a closer look at her, "Why do you look sad?"

"Don't look! Keep your eyes closed," she cried out, moving her hand over his eyes, feeling his eyelashes tickle her as his eyes fluttered to a close, "Please. Just... until I tell you. Keep them closed," and that was when the tears started to drop.

"Marinette..." he spoke, his tone concerned for her. He couldn't see that she had already started to cry, for her tears were as silent as the night was dark. Yet, whilst most would not be able to see in the dark with their eyes closed, he was always someone more extraordinary. He didn't need to see to know the ache in her heart, "Speak to me. Tell me what it is that is hurting you."

She moved her hand to his lips, but he didn't open his eyes, not wanting to break the trust she instilled in him to heed to her every word, "Shh. I just- I-" broken, she sighed and stopped speaking.

She looked at him, the tears still streaming freely down her pace like a body of live water, never-ending. She breathed heavily, in between the small sniffles and the large urges to sob. She moved her hand from his lips, and he was just about to question her odd behaviour, but she covered his lips once more. This time though, it wasn't her hand.

His eyes opened widely when he realised she was kissing him!

He tried to move back, wanting to figure out what had gotten into her, but she relentlessly pulled him back, claiming his lips as hers, her eyes closed and her face shining wet from the endless stream coursing down her delicate skin. 

He wanted to know what the desperation in her words had been trying to shout out. He wanted to understand the feelings in her voice as she had asked him to close his eyes. He wished to know of the looks she had been giving him whilst they were closed, what had caused her to cry so copiously. What had made her demand that he shouldn't look. Shouldn't see as the pain in her heart spilled out through her eyes.

He realised- as she gently guided the connection between their mouths- that she didn't need to say anything. With every bit of feeling in her small, fragile mortal body, she was trying to tell him so many things at once without having to say a word. In an instant, he could finally understand.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be."

She kept on pressing her lips further into his, wishing to be able to give him every fibre of her love in that moment, wanting to give back every ounce of affection he had given her. Wanting him to know how much she-

"Please don't forget me."

"I would never."

He opened his mouth against her and swiped his tongue at the parting of her lips, the salty taste of her own tears lingering at it's tip. She opened her mouth willingly, letting their tongues twist together, meld with each other, never let each other leave. He didn't want to close his eyes. Didn't want to forget how she looked right know. 

Angelic. Captivating. Forlorn. Heavenly. Beautiful.

He didn't want this moment to end but at the same time, he wished for it to be different. 

He promised never to forget this moment, just as he promised he wouldn't ever forget her, to let it stay in his mind till the end of time. However, he hoped that one day, rather than the doleful ambience drowned in the anguish of their lives which embodied the anxious yet hungry kiss they had found themselves entangled in, he would be able to see the pure mirth in her eyes as the unsettling days of worry and fear would be long past them. 

He wished that only the feeling of happiness would bloom in their hearts, and as soon as that time would come, it would be then when he would tell her out loud, just as she was conveying to him right now:

"I love you."

And he would tell her confidently and without any misgiving to bite at their faces, without having to feel the weight of their destiny on their shoulders, he would tell her, "I love you too."

............

As serious as this chapter is, I couldn't stop laughing at Marinette biting his neck to stop herself from screaming. What even was I on when I wrote this?

You didn't have to wait too long for that kiss now, did you? Not going to make this too much of a huge chapter. I just want this chapter to really be about their feelings. But can Adrien just say it out loud now? Oh gosh, even I want to bang my head against my desk because I just want him to say it already! But I also have it all planned to be at the most important time. Literally it was one of the first things I planned and I'm not going to change it (Partly because it's already half written already, but also because as much as it's long, I really want it to happen the way I planned). Basically Adrien has been waiting to say it because he wants to do it when they are completely happy, when they have nothing to worry about. (Not that that is what will happen mwahahahahaha).

This chapter is very bittersweet. It makes me feel sad. 

Prepare to be even sadder.

*ominous sad organ music starts playing*

See you soon Lovelies <3