Only Half

Chapter 01

The fight started off as normally as an akumatized based fight can get. First off, the public chaos that signified the need for the two miraculous superhero to appear, followed by the appearance of the said two superheroes: Ladybug and Chat Noir. The scuffle between the two heroes and the akumatized villain will last for a good ten minutes or more. The battle usually full of puns, villainous monologue, flirty lines, lots of close contacts between the heroes, lots of close calls with dangers and not forgetting Ladybug letting out various sighs throughout. However the end can be expected to come soon when the cries of either or both 'Cataclysm!' and 'Lucky Charm!' were uttered. The blackened butterfly will be purified by Ladybug and as the fight closes to an end, the yell of 'Miraculous Ladybug!' can be heard and all is right in the city of Paris again.

As per a job well done, the two heroes' fists bump for the countless time, glad to know that city was now safe yet again. The confident smirk Chat Noir sported and the bright smile that beamed from Ladybug's face was a sight that Paris loved to see at the end of every battle. This was how it always went. The citizens of Paris and even the heroes themselves were used to the ever non-changing routine when an akumatized villain appeared.

The next time an akumatized person appeared, the routine starts to faithfully repeat itself.

At least, the routine remained faithful up until the final part of the battle.

For once, at the end of the long battle, Ladybug and Chat Noir did not manage to connect their fists for their customary fists bump routine.

This time, only one lone superhero of Paris stood amidst the aftermath of the battle, fist at the side, tears escaping from the edge of the mask.

xxxxxx

Three weeks passed.

Paris was still being kept safe from the akuma attacks.

Actually, Paris was currently in the middle of one of said attacks. A green-cladded figure laughed victoriously as plants cropped up and grew to gigantic sizes along the street and the buildings of the city.

"Appreciate my plants!" she yelled as the plants wrapped around cars and buildings, crushing the objects.

Ladybug arrived at the scene of people trying to avoid from getting caught in the middle of the carnage and tried to run away from the green monstrosities that are popping up from all over the place. Not wasting anytime, the hero dived in to help the ones caught up under some of the building debris or those who got stuck in the car. The citizens were too panicked or too worried over their own safety that the fact that their hero looked exhausted and haggard escaped their notice.

After making sure most of the people in the vicinity has moved away, Ladybug focused her attention towards the akumatized person.

Only to have to dodge to the side as a car was flung at her by one of the plants. Followed by a bunch of thorny vines sprouting from underneath where she landed which Ladybug flipped away from. The vines shot out the thorns towards the direction that the hero flipped, forcing her to duck behind a crushed piece of car.

"I can't even get near her," the dark haired hero said in frustration, "Chat! Distract-" the rest of the words died out.

Ladybug shook her head lightly as if to shake away a habit that needs to be stopped.

"Right. Guess I'll have to go straight to the root of the problem by myself," she took a deep breath before running out to the chaos once more.

xxxxxx

Marinette let out an exhausted sigh as she lied down on her bed. The battle took a lot out of her. It usually did these past few weeks and the reason was obvious. She scrunched her eyes tight, as she recalled the moment she called out for Chat Noir during the battle with the Gardener earlier. The akuma battles have gotten longer and a bit harder with only one hero in action and it is definitely taking a toll on Ladybug.

"Marinette…" a soft voice whispered to her soothingly, "it's not your fault. Chat has always fought alongside you and you need to adjust now that he's-"

"Don't worry Tikki, Ladybug will still protect this city," Marinette interuptted her kwami, her tone taking a slight defensive edge, a hint to not continue the line of conversation.

Tikki obligingly stayed quiet and merely flew on top of her miraculous's holder head and soothingly stroke the teen's hair. The soothing and calm sensation made Marinette slowly drift off to sleep but then Marinette's call ringtone echoed inside the budding designer's room. Fighting against her drowsiness, she glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"Girl! I have got tickets to the premiere movie that is airing later, get ready!" Alya's voice ranged through her phone speaker.

Marinette cringed as she thought about her sore body and the scraps and cuts she had yet to properly attend to, "That sounds great Alya, but I think I need a rest. The uh, bakery have been quite busy and I don't think I can catch up with my sleep and my homework if I go later,"

"You sure?" Alya's concern voice made Marinette feel guilty, "You seem to be exhausted lately Marinette and you haven't been much time with us even in school."

Marinette knew that was true, she did not think that a battle by only herself would take more than twice as long in terms of her time and energy. Time outside of battle was spent by doing schoolwork and helping around the bakery, cutting of her sleep time and she usually fell asleep during school breaks. With her being busy and severely exhausted outside of school and while in school, sleeping whenever she can, Marinette have not been interacting with her friends as much.

"Don't push yourself, okay," her best friend's voice brought Marinette out of her thoughts.

"I won't. Thanks for the invite Alya," she hung up and then glanced at her red kwami, "I might need to adjust but now, I think I need a rest."

"What about your injuries Marinette?" Tikki protested but her miraculous holder was too exhausted to reply back or maybe even barely heard the red kwami.

Sleep enveloped Marinette but it was plagued by that nightmare of a memory from three weeks ago.

xxxxx

The akumatized person this time was probably of an architect whose work were not appreciated enough. Her powers were causing the buildings to shift in strange ways. Ladybug was about to call out her lucky charm when she heard her partner yell out her name. Then she noticed the looming shadow over her, she only had a glance up before the small office building toppled over and darkness greeted her sight.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir's panic voice filtered through the thick concrete. "Ladybug? Are you alright?!"

The female hero grimaced as she registered pain on her left shoulder and left thigh. Chat Noir continued to call out her name from the outside.

"I-I am alright Chat!" Ladybug inwardly winced as she noticed that she made a pained stutter at the start. Chat would notice it. He would worry more.

Notice and worry Chat Noir did.

"My lady! You are hurt!" he worriedly responded, "I'll quickly get you out of there!"

Before Ladybug could say anything more, Chat Noir yelled his signature cataclysm move. She could feel the concrete wall in front of her slowly crumbling away. She could slowly see the light filtering through as the concrete disintegrated. She was met with Chat's worried face and she responded with a comforting grateful smile.

Chat was about to move towards her in an attempt to give her a relieved hug when terrified screams filled the air.

xxxxx

Marinette woke up to the scream of her nightmare that seemed to carry on to reality.

"Marinette!" Tikki called urgently as she flew into view, "An akuma has appeared!"

Quickly, Marinette tied her hair back to her usual style whilst glancing at the time. 1 am in the morning. The girl had to ponder, did Hawkmoth ever take a break from akumatizing people? Does the man not need any sleep? She didn't have to dwell on it more though as another yell of panic pierced the night of Paris.

"Tikki! Transform me!"

A flash of pink and red lights later, Ladybug was already swinging out of her room, wincing in pain as her injuries from earlier that day made themselves known. Paris was dark that night and there were not a lot of people about due to the time but chaotic noises can be heard from one of the pubs centers nearby. There were also a few adults running away from the source of the attack, Ladybug observed. Actually, now that she was closer, her tired vision got more used to the dark, she noticed that the adults were all wearing blindfolds and some of them were running straight to a large road.

A honking sounded and with a record breaking response time, Ladybug swerved towards the road and dragged off two blind folded adults who were about to be hit by a car. It was not over yet though, the driver of the car gave out a yell of surprise as another blind-folded person moved towards the road unknowingly. Ladybug frowned at her lack of attention, she was still exhausted from earlier. This was also a first in the three weeks that an akuma event happened at the dark of night, she was too careless in thinking that she had time to let her guard down and rest.

Ladybug readied her yoyo and threw it at the person about to be hit by the car. Before any sort of impact can occur, she pulled the lady away. Ladybug could only tell that the person was a female when the lady was close enough due to the darkness of the night. It was the night of a new moon and there were not a lot of natural or artificial lights around to extensively illuminate the area.

"The kitty's night vision would have been useful tonight," Ladybug mumbled before turning her attention towards the lady she just rescued. "Are you alright? Let me get the blindfold off you."

"No one can get it off! We tried!" the lady responded, still panicked at not being able to see what is going on around her, then she paused as if realizing who she was talking to, "Is that you Ladybug?"

"Yes," Ladybug responded as she tried to remove the blindfold but just like the lady said, it was not possible. Must be due to the powers of the akuma, "Listen: Don't move around. Stay here where it is safe, I will fix this,"

With that, the female superhero quickly continued towards her destination. As she landed at the street where the chaos had started, she immediately noticed that something was amiss. It was too quiet. She could understand that the civilians must have ran away and since it is in the middle of the night time, it is supposed to be quiet but not when an akumatized person is supposed to be roaming about though.

Now, more alert and cautious than before, Ladybug only managed to move a few steps forward when one of the building doors opened. Taking an aggressive stance in preparation for an attack, Ladybug was confused when a body rolled out of the door.

Her confusion increased when she realized the body was the unconscious and tied up victim of Hawkmoth. Someone had captured and fought the akumatized victim. Someone won in a battle against an akumatized victim. Ladybug knew only one person other than herself and possibly Hawkmoth (but why would he fight his own creation? So that possibility was immediately taken out) who was able to do those things.

So against her own logic that vehemently whispered at her to purify the akuma first so all the akuma victims are released from Hawkmoth's devious plan, Ladybug instead looked towards the building's door in which the body rolled out from.

The inside was dark. Again she let out a soft frustrated noise at her inability to see in the dark and the fact that her partner is all suit up in black. Her eyes strained to see anything inside, any movement or hint of emerald eyes but she could detect none.

Slowly, still ignoring the body in front of her, Ladybug moved towards the door, vainly hoping ( But she did not dare to hope for too much or she would feel even more crushed later. Once was enough ) that her partner could be in there.

"Chat Noir?" her voice, so soft and so unlike her Ladybug persona, echoed through the quiet night.

xx End of chapter xx

This is going to be a two-shot. Cause. I am lazy.