For the Sake of Maron 1/10 By Elysia [ely_chan@yahoo.com] Rated PG Not mine. "Maron! Maron!" Chiaki called her name out over and over, but it was no use. Even if he pounded on the door all night, he wouldn't get anywhere. His fist thumped against the hollow door one last time. Chiaki let his bruised hand fall to his side, resting his forehead against the wall. She could be so stubborn. Usually at all the wrong times, too. So what if he happened to be Sindbad? Why couldn't Maron see he had been helping her all along? He was no servant of the devil, no matter what lies Fin fed her. Chiaki cursed under his breath. If only he could have told her about Fin sooner... the true nature of the smiling angel was not was she thought it to be. Knowing Maron, she wouldn't have believed him anyway, but it was better than this. Reluctantly Chiaki entered his apartment. If he listened carefully enough, sometimes he could hear sounds coming from Maron's apartment. He knew when she was watching television, listening to the radio, or even when she talked to herself. Now that Fin was gone, it was much quieter than it used to be, which worried him even more. "Sindbad! Did you capture the demon?" a familiar voice called out. The black winged angel flew towards his companion. "Not now, Access," Chiaki muttered, flopping down on the couch. Access scowled. "You've got to stay focused, Sindbad. We can't let Fin succeed. It would devastate Jeanne, not to mention bring the end of the world!" "I know that. You've told me a hundred times before." Chiaki mumbled, then sat up suddenly. "Did you hear that?" Access raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?" Chiaki pointed at the wall. "Listen." Silence ensued for several moments as Access strained to hear. "I don't hear anything." "She's crying. Do you know why?" "No, but I expect you're going to tell me." Chiaki ran a shaky hand through his unruly hair. This wasn't like him. He was normally so calm and composed. "Because of me. Maron's crying because she found out the truth about me." The black angel folded his arms. "So she didn't take it as well as you hoped," he said, dodging the pillow Chiaki threw in his direction. "She called me a liar and said she never wanted to see me again. Everything had been going just fine until then." Chiaki sighed. "I have this strange feeling that Shikaidou-sensei has something to do with all of this, I don't know why." He turned towards Access. "But I'm more concerned about Maron right now. How can I make her understand?" Access's eyes widened. "You're not in love with her, are you Sindbad?" Earlier words echoed through Chiaki's mind. 'It has to be you, Maron! It has to be you! You're the only one!' "I think I am," Chiaki said slowly. "You're letting your emotions get in the way of your mission, Sindbad. You know you're supposed to-" "Will you just forget about the stupid mission for once?" Chiaki burst out. "Don't you get it, Access? Jeanne--no, Maron *is* my mission. I'm here because of her. At first I was supposed to stop her, but now I have to protect her. I know what's coming." Access hmphed. "A real man would find a way to talk to her. You've got to tell Jeanne everything. She can't go into this unprepared." "Don't give me any of that 'real man' talk. I know I have to explain this to Maron. But breaking through her walls is not as easy as you think." The black winged angel flew over to the sliding door, gazing wordlessly out into the city. "Too bad Jeanne isn't out on her balcony. It would be easy to talk to her that way." Chiaki rested his head in his hands, then suddenly looked up, a new light shining in his eyes. "You're right for once, Access. You've just given me the perfect plan." He jumped up and whizzed past Access out to the balcony. He stopped at the wall of his balcony, gazing silently towards Maron's apartment. The sobs increased when he stepped outside, and each second that Chiaki stood there, he could feel each sob tear at his heart. This wasn't supposed to happen. Feelings and emotions, as Access warned him so many times, were not part of the job. As Sindbad, he was only supposed to stop the innocent maiden--the reincarnation of the graceful Jeanne d'Arc--from putting herself into danger, not just from the demons who continued to haunt her, but from the evil that lurked unknowingly before her. Chiaki took a deep breath, then began to climb over the wall that separated him from his fate. A slow grin appeared on his face. Only he would try something like this. If Maron wouldn't let him in, he'd find his own way to make her understand. It wouldn't be the first time. 'Stubborn girl,' he thought silently. Funny how that word always came to mind when he thought about Maron. Chiaki hopped over the wall, his feet landing silently on the concrete. The sheer white curtains danced gently in the breeze, and he realized she must have left the sliding door open out of habit. 'When Fin was still here,' he mused. He did the same thing for Access, only forgetting every now and then. He slowly slipped into Maron's apartment, letting the curtains hide his shadow. Chiaki didn't want to frighten her any more than she already was, but he couldn't go on like this. He couldn't let her fall deeper into the sadness. The world needed Jeanne D'Arc, but he needed Kusakabe Maron even more. As he silently moved through the darkened room, Chiaki already had a sense of where Maron was. This was another advantage to being Sindbad. For some reason, he always picked up on her movements. And right now, he knew she wasn't in any of the nearby rooms. Then he heard it. Maron was crying again, and Chiaki had to take a deep breath for fear of losing all control. He looked up. She was up in the loft. What better place was there to get away from herself? Ever so slowly, Chiaki crept up the long flight of stairs leading to the loft. He began to imagine Maron's reactions to his sudden appearance--first fear, then surprise, then shock mixed in with anger. After all, that had been her routine when she found out the first time. But Chiaki was bound and determined to tell her the entire truth. Chiaki reached the top step, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light of the moon. Sure enough, Maron sat in the crook of the window, her knees drawn up against her chest. Though her back was to him, he could see that her thin pajamas were not enough to keep her from shivering. He took another deep breath and let it out silently. 'You have to be firm, Chiaki. Let her know the truth. Tell her how you feel.' But he couldn't keep his heart from breaking when Maron covered her face in her hands and began to cry again. "Why, God, why? Why have you cursed me to be alone? First my parents, then Fin, and now, my closest friends. Everyone has left me. I have no one. Fin said you called Jeanne d'Arc your beloved Daughter. Then why must I suffer so?" The desperation in her voice made Chiaki ache inside. This was a side of Maron he had only seen once or twice before, but never so sorrowful. The Sindbad side of him knew that if she kept this up, she would never be able to seal the demons and defeat this new enemy, but Chiaki didn't care about that. "If I was meant to walk this life alone," he heard Maron say, "then I do not want this life. My heart hurts too much. God, I cannot bear to be alone!" Chiaki's eyes widened. There was only one thing he could do now. Warn hands slipped around Maron's shoulders in a comforting embrace. "Daughter of God. Jeanne d'Arc. Kusakabe Maron. Do not despair. You were not meant to live alone. Losing the ones you love the most has been a test of your strength. You have proven yourself worthy of the power God has given you. "Even though you crave the love of others, it is difficult for you to easily accept it. These dark thoughts keep you from enjoying the love God has bestowed upon you. When close friends express their love to you, do not turn away from it so quickly. In time, you will learn to enjoy the freedom of being loved and loving another." Chiaki knew the words he spoke were not his. He happened to be in the right place at the right time, just when Maron needed to be reassured. Silently he thanked God for trusting him at that moment to deliver such a powerful message. And it was at that moment Maron realized the hands upon her shoulders were of a physical nature. She whirled around, her brown eyes staring deep into Chiaki's blue ones. "Chi...Chiaki? Is that you?" He smiled sadly. "Yes, Maron. It's me." "How did you... why are you...?" Earlier memories flashed within her mind, and she frowned. "What lies are you going to tell me now?" Chiaki scowled. "Why do you think I would ever lie to you?" Maron stood and turned away from him. "You did before." He rolled his eyes. "I planned to tell you the truth." "You knew I was Jeanne all along! That's the only reason why you approached me! You said so yourself!" Maron started to walk towards the stairs. Chiaki grabbed her wrist. "Will you just listen to me for once? If you would give me a chance to tell you my side, you might just understand! Yes, I admit I knew you were Jeanne from the beginning. I was sent after you to stop you from making a very big mistake. I thought if I made you fall in love with me, it would be easier to make you stop being a kaitou." "See? You lied to me!" "Maron!" Chiaki took hold of her other arm and pinned her against the wall. "Maron, you're going to listen to me this time. No more running away." He stared into her eyes, full of fear and uncertainty. "What I said before was true. But it's not what I believe now. I see you in a very different light. I recognize your strong spirit, and I know only you are capable of taking on the role of Kaitou Jeanne. No one else shares the same passion." He brought one hand up to caress her cheek, resisting the urge to pull away when she whimpered softly. "Don't you see it, Maron? Can't you see why I love you so much? What I love so much about you? There's a fire in you that nothing or no one can extinguish, not even the pain of loneliness." His other hand interlocked with hers. "I wish you could understand that I'm not your enemy. I'm not of the devil. But I am in love with you, Kusakabe Maron. And that will never change." Tears streaked down Maron's cheeks and her hand slowly came up to touch the one Chiaki had against her cheek. "Chi...aki..." she mumbled, her lip quivering fiercely. She looked away from his piercing gaze. So many words she wanted to say... so many feelings in her heart, it was ready to burst. "I'm... not.... alone?" Chiaki smiled, and pulled the delicate girl into a fierce embrace. "No, Maron, you aren't. You never have been, and you never will be. You heard that message from God. You are Jeanne d'Arc inside, and Kusakabe Maron outside. One is not complete without the other." Maron's eyes widened. "You heard it too?" "I delivered the message." He stared at her for a few minutes, then a sly grin suddenly crept onto Chiaki's face. "Maron?" "Hmm?" "You've been kissed before, haven't you?" Her face went bright red. "Ye...yes," she stuttered. "Two--no, three times, all within the last few months. Twice by Sindbad, and once by...by you," she finished shyly. "So really, you've kissed me three times." "Hmm," Chiaki mused. "I can't let Sindbad one-up me, so I have to even the score. That is, if you don't mind." Maron smiled impishly. "Do I have a choice?" "Nope." Chiaki leaned down and swiftly captured her lips in a sweet kiss. She let out a muffled squeak of surprise as his fierceness and gentleness all came together to prove how much he loved her. Chiaki slowly broke away, his desire far from being fulfilled. There was something else he had to do first. "Maron, as much as I want to keep doing this all night long, there's something else I need to tell you," he said gravely. She looked up at him with worry. "It's about Fin. It's time you learned the truth."