Ch. 2. Your eyes meet mine
The birds sang chipper in the sunny morning of Paris. Marinette opened her eyes slowly, her still hazy mind wondering why her alarm hadn't rung yet. She blinked twice, watching the soft pink ceiling without interest, when the memories of the day before caught up with her.
She sprung up, making a still sleeping Tikki fly from where she was laying, curled against Marinette's collarbone, and land on the hard floor, startling her awake. Marinette scrambled to her feet, not seeing the tiny red god, and rushed to the living room, grabbing the remote control and switching on the TV, kneeling on the floor. The news were on, and Marinette watched them with wide eyes.
"… another victim of the serial disappearances has been notified. The victim is Alya Césaire, of 21 years old, and was a student at the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme. The details of her disappearance are still unknown, but the happenstance has been located in the 13e arrondissement. The police…"
"So it wasn't a dream…" Marinette muttered, her eyes never leaving the screen, and her hands clutching the remote to her chest.
"I'm afraid it's true, Marinette." A sweet voice called from behind, and the girl turned her head around just to spot Tikki floating nearby. "I'm sorry for letting them escape, I really am. I wish I could do something to change that, but I can't."
She shook her head, swallowing the knot in her throat. "I-It's okay. It wasn't your fault," she sighed, "I just wished things were different, somehow."
She turned her head to the TV again, and was surprised to see a picture of Juleka's face on the screen.
"… On a better note, one of the victims of the disappearances has been found. Her name is Juleka Couffaine, also 21, and she showed up in a Police Station near Maison Blanche at night. She was unharmed, and she is giving an interview right at this instant. Let's connect to our reporter."
The face of the newsreader changed to a video clip of Juleka's interview. She was smiling slightly, and Marinette was relieved to know she'd made it to the Police station safely. A short blonde girl was literally attached to the dark haired girl's left arm, looking up at Juleka with stars in her eyes every time she spoke.
"How are you feeling, Mlle Couffain?" One reporter asked.
"I am feeling well, thank you for asking."
Another reported raised his hand, and after being given permission to talk, he asked, "Where have you been all this time, Mlle Couffain?"
She frowned slightly. "As I already told the police, I can't remember. All the time I've been away is fuzzy, so it came out as a surprise when that policewoman told me it had been five weeks since I disappeared. I remember being in a dark room, and the next thing I knew was that I was crouching on the floor, and that I was out from whatever I had been held."
That caused some ruckus in the room, but soon was silenced with the next question.
"So you suppose you got out by yourself?"
"I didn't say that." Her expression hardened, a clear example of determination, and her shoulders squared a bit. "When I regained my senses, I wasn't alone. A woman was standing in front of me, and helped me to stand up. She calmed me down and showed me where the metro station was, asking me to go to the nearest police station. I believe she was the one that rescued me."
Another reporter spoke up, asking what the audience was wondering about, "What can you tell us about that woman?"
"She was wearing a polka-dotted red and black suit and wore a mask on her face… she looked a bit like a superhero, to be honest. She held herself with confidence, but treated me with care." She then looked directly at the camera. "I hope you're listening, Paris, because she wanted me to tell you something. Her name is Ladybug and she's going to be the one who will bring everyone home."
The press conference erupted into pandemonium. Reporters were asking questions simultaneously, and Juleka looked around with wide eyes, suddenly flooded with all the attention. The girl perched in Juleka's arm lost her kind look and frowned at them, and the press conference was called to an end.
Marinette turned off the TV and dropped the remote to the floor. "Okay, now I know it definitely happened."
Tikki giggled, landing on Marinette's shoulder. The girl's face fell.
"Did you see her face when she talked about Ladybug? It was shining in admiration. Was she really talking about me? I find it difficult to believe I'm the one who made her feel that confident."
"Marinette, you saved that girl from being Akumatised single-handedly, and gave her strength when she felt the most vulnerable. Of course she admires you. You're a hero, Marinette." Tikki explained, placing a tiny paw on the clenching hands on her lap.
Marinette let out her breath, unclenching her fists and relaxing her fingers. She shot the tiny god a grateful look.
"Thank you, Tikki. I really needed that."
"You're welcome." She flew up and nuzzled her cheek with hers, making her chuckle slightly. "Now, do you have any plans for today?"
She thought about it. "I was planning on returning tonight; see if I can find that entrance again, hopefully without fighting anyone. I wouldn't like to have to drop my transformation before I get some answers."
Tikki looked at her with a worried expression. "You have to be careful, Marinette. You're still new to this, and I don't want you to take unnecessary risks. You're my responsibility after all, Ladybug."
"I know. I'll be careful, I promise."
Just as her words came out of her mouth, her mobile phone began ringing. She rushed to her feet and hurried to her room, searching for the tiny device, which was hidden between her clothes from the night before. She took it out of her blazer's right pocket and answered without looking who was ringing.
"Hullo?"
"Marinette, honey, it's me," the comforting voice of her mother came from the other side of the line, "are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"
"I've heard about what's happened to Alya." Marinette winced inwardly. "And I'm so, so sorry, mon petite chou."
"Don't… don't worry. I'm okay. Well, as okay as I can be at the moment."
"Did you see her after she left the Boulangerie?"
Marinette worried her lip. She couldn't possibly tell her mother about their 'little adventure' at night and how she'd seen the kidnapping taking place. Not only she would be grounded for an eternity for following such a reckless plan (even if she lived all by herself now), but, she thought, glancing at Tikki, she had to keep her identity as Ladybug a secret as well.
"I talked to her last night. She called me when she was out," Marinette said through her teeth. The best lies are the ones based on truths, "that was the last time I heard of her. If I'd known sooner, I'd have stopped her from going out, or gone with her… I don't know, maman. Maybe if she hadn't gone by herself last night… maybe that wouldn't have happened."
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng listen to me very closely, if I hear you're going out at night looking around for her you'll hear from me, understood?" Her mother reprimanded her. Marinette flinched at that. If you only knew, maman. "And don't beat yourself over all those 'what if's. The past is set on stone; we can't change it. Now we can only pray that she makes it home safely."
"Yeah."
"Hopefully this Ladybug saves her, just like she did with the other child."
Marinette choked with her own spit. She coughed, trying to clear her throat. "Y-you heard about Ladybug too, maman?"
"Of course! It's what everyone's talking about here at the Boulangerie. The spotted superhero that has saved Mlle Juleka Couffain. All our customers are speculating about it, on how does she look like, or when she'll appear next."
"And what do they say?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Well, there isn't much to go by, only that poor child's testimony," she trailed off, "but there's something that everyone agrees with; she's reliable. Only one person has seen her face to face, but she has brought hope to all Paris. So I'm sure she'll find Alya and Nino too."
"Y-yeah, maman. Let's hope Ladybug finds them soon."
Something at the other side chimed, and Sabine's next words were rushed. "Honey, I need to leave now. Your papa needs me at the cashier. Will you be alright? I can drop by and bring you a pot with some Cheng soup; I know how much you like it."
"I'm okay, maman. You don't have to."
"Call me if you need anything."
"Yes, maman."
"And you can visit us anytime, you hear me?"
"Yes, maman." She rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.
"Okay. Talk to you soon. Love you!"
"Love you too."
She put an over-chipper voice and hung up before her mother had time to add anything else, lowering the phone to her bent knees. Marinette sighed; she loved her mother to pieces, but she could be a bit overbearing sometimes.
Tikki tapped at her hand and smiled cheekily at her. "So your mother doesn't want you to run around Paris at night so you can find Alya, huh?"
Marinette winced. "You heard that?"
"Yes. Her concern is something natural; her daughter's best friend has disappeared, so she fears something will happen to you too. In her eyes, you're still her little baby. What she doesn't know is that you have me."
"Right. And we can't leave Paris on its own, can we? We've got to purify all the Akumas and return everybody to their families. Paris depends on Ladybug, after all. I can't let them down."
Tikki nodded. "Well said. Now, rest some more. We have a long night ahead of us."
A woman wearing a red and black polka-dotted suit soared the dark skies of Paris gracefully. She hid in the shadows, looking at her surroundings before leaping from roof to roof, managing to stay unnoticed by the pedestrians at the street.
She landed on the rooftop she'd hidden herself the night before, even though it felt way longer than that. She crouched and looked down at the dark street. It seemed peaceful, but Marinette wasn't fooled by that. There might not be anyone at the entrance right now, but she knew how quickly an opponent could appear.
She narrowed her eyes, looking for the mechanism to open the secret entrance, and her mouth quirked up when she noticed the little indentation at the wall. Looking around, making sure there wasn't anyone nearby, she let herself drop down the street, landing silently on her toes.
She walked towards the switch, on guard, and when she was about to reach the switch she felt it. A little shift of the air in her right.
She threw her body backwards, just to narrowly miss an arrow shot at her direction. With one swift motion, she took out her yoyo and swirled it in front of her protectively, creating a shield.
"Who is it!? Show yourself!"
"So this is the little Ladybug, huh?" Marinette eyes widened when she recognised that voice. Moments later, the Akuma stepped out from behind some crates, confirming her suspicions. It was Dark Cupid.
The one who had taken Alya away.
She smiled wolfishly at him. "Hello, Dark Cupid. Fancy of you to drop by. I wanted to have a word with you."
"Likewise. You are the one who took Reflekta out of commission, right? I was sad to see that you didn't stay for more yesterday; I had a meeting with my boss and I really wanted to relieve some stress afterwards. But now that you're here…" He cracked his fingers, sneering darkly at her. "Now we can have some fun."
Ladybug stopped spinning her yoyo and rested a hand on her hip, her posture oozing cockiness and confidence. "Yet I don't see you making the first move, lover-boy." She secured her grip on her weapon. "Bring it on!"
Dark Cupid brought his hand to his bow and quickly shot three arrows at her direction, Ladybug avoiding them gracefully. She jumped backwards and threw the yoyo to the broken lamppost of the street, propelling herself and swinging around the Akuma, trying to find his Akumatized object while avoiding his attacks.
She untied the yoyo from the lamppost and jumped towards him, but he had to stop her fall with her yoyo as he kept on shooting arrows towards her, and she shielded herself with her weapon. She leaped backwards, thinking on another way to approach him.
"What is it, Ladybug? Don't tell me you were all talk and no action. I overestimated you."
"The fight isn't over yet!" she snarled.
Dark Cupid shot another arrow at her, and she deflected it with her yoyo. Something in his chest glinted, and her eyes were immediately drawn to it. It was a heart-shaped pendant attached to his quiver. It stood out like a sore thumb, and Ladybug smirked. Bingo.
She retracted her yoyo and threw it at him, but he jumped out of the way and shot at her again, making her retreat. She threw her yoyo to him again, but he avoided it again, and she hit a bucket full of water instead. She winced when it fell, and Dark Cupid moved his wings out of the way so the dirty water didn't hit him.
Marinette noticed that he seemed to have some problems moving on the floor. He seemed to avoid that bucket with all his might, and his huge wings were an annoying obstacle in the narrow street…
His wings…
She threw her yoyo upwards, calling for her Lucky Charm. A bottle of water fell on her hands, the sticker red with black polka-dots. She smiled, a plan already formed on her head.
She shot her yoyo upwards, propelling herself to the air. She landed softly on the nearest rooftop and grinned tauntingly at him.
"Scared of heights, overgrown baby?"
Dark Cupid growled. "I'll show you scared, bug."
He began moving his wings, and his feet lost contact with the floor. She didn't wait for him to catch up and threw her yoyo to another lamppost, swinging to the next road and then the next, avoiding his arrows.
As she'd predicted, Dark Cupid was more agile in the air, something that made her task more difficult. She did a back flip and threw a glace behind, only to see him getting closer. Then, a bright purple outline of a butterfly appeared on his face and he slowed down.
"What is this?" She muttered to herself.
It's the way Hawkmoth has to communicate with his underlings, Tikki whispered in her mind. Now it's your chance, Marinette. Put as much space as possible between you two!
She nodded and threw her yoyo with more strength, grunting when the increased tugging strained her arms. Dark Cupid snapped out of it and snarled.
"Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug! My boss Hawkmoth wants them!"
She threw a look back and taunted him. "And why should I just give them to you? That's not fun at all!"
She avoided yet another arrow and faced forward. Suddenly, her vision changed to black and white, and the park in front of her shone with red and black polka dots. She then looked down and the bottle in her hands shone, then her yoyo.
Yes, this was going to work.
The only problem of heading to the park was that she was getting short of tall objects to propel herself. Feeling him get closer, she made a decision. Taking a great impulse, she flew upwards in a perfect arch. When they were both flying above the central fountain, she turned around in mid-air so she faced him and threw the bottle to him. Once she deemed the bottle was on top of him, with a quick movement of the wrist, she made her yoyo snap forward and hit the bottle, breaking it.
Water fell on Dark Cupid, soaking his wings. The water made the cloth appendages really heavy, destabilizing Dark Cupid's flight. He tried to move them, but the extra weight made them impossible to move, and he ended falling in the middle of the fountain.
Ladybug landed with a roll, standing up when her body had slowed down. She walked to the fountain, never dropping her guard, where Dark Cupid was flailing gracelessly, trying to get his wings out of his way but failing miserably.
It was kinda sad, to be honest.
"I'm sorry, Dark Cupid. The only thing different between you and a bird is the impermeable coating of the wings, I'm afraid." She jumped inside the fountain, walking towards him. "You tried to avoid the water to damp them back at the alley, so I deduced they weren't waterproof. And they are extremely big, big enough to support a big guy like you in the air, so all this cloth must weight a lot when it's wet." She grabbed the pendant attached to his quiver. "I'll be taking this."
She vaulted to the edge of the fountain and dropped the object, stepping on it afterwards. She observed with a soft smile as a dark butterfly came out of the object, and she captured it with her yoyo.
She opened her yoyo, and a white butterfly came from inside. She waved it goodbye. "Bye, bye, little butterfly."
Ladybug then picked up what remained of the broken plastic bottle and threw it to the air. Dozens of ladybugs came from it, enveloping the wet guy and bringing him back to normal. She crouched down and helped him stand up.
She looked at his soaking wet clothes and winced. "Sorry for that. What's your name?"
"Kim. Lê Chiên Kim," he muttered, shivers running through him.
Marinette was about to speak up, but her earrings beeped warningly. "Nice to meet you, Kim, but I can't stay for long. The entrance of the park is that way; do you think you can manage to get to the nearest police station on your own?"
"Y-yeah. I know this place. I live nearby."
"Perfect, but go to the police station first, okay? You were gone for some time." He nodded. "Take care!"
She threw her yoyo to the lamppost and propelled herself to the roof, out of sight of the boy. She prepared herself to vault again, but soft clapping stopped her. She turned around and faced the neighbour building, only to see a figure sitting on the ledge, looking down at her. His belt tail swayed lazily on his side, and his ears seemed to twitch subconsciously.
"Well done, Ladybug," a very familiar voice said with a teasing tone, "I'm impressed."
She recognised that voice immediately. It had been imprinted in her mind the night before. But…
"Chat Noir?" She frowned. It was his voice, yes, but at the same time, he sounded… different.
The boy dropped down at her level and grabbed her hand, bowing and kissing it in the process.
"The very same. At your service, my Lady." He winked, his lips still on her hand.
Ladybug took her hand away from his grasp and grabbed her yoyo, prepared to attack if she deemed it necessary. He put his hands up in surrender, his bright eyes widening, but the smirk never leaving his face.
"Whoa! Relax, LB. I come in peace."
"I saw you talking to Dark Cupid yesterday." He raised an eyebrow, surprised. She glared at him. "So why should I trust you? You're clearly an enemy."
He shrugged. "Fair enough. Yep. You got me. I'm on the dark side, but only because it goes well with my suit." He smirked teasingly and winked at her, but Marinette didn't drop her guard.
He was different from the mental image she'd made of him. From what she'd seen, she'd assumed Chat Noir was a cold person with no capacity of feeling whatsoever, but the man in front of her was the total opposite, with his quirky remarks and flirty demeanour. It was something she wasn't sure if it was good or bad yet. It confused her greatly.
"What do you want, Chat Noir?" she spat, tired of his games.
"I want to play a game with you."
Ladybug raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate. Chat Noir began pacing in front of her. "You see, being on the dark side doesn't mean I share my boss' ideology. I am quite tired of him, to be honest. I have been planning on kicking his butt for months, but…" he trailed off, and his expression darkened, "never mind. I was looking for someone to help me, and then you suddenly fell from the sky, cleansing two of my boss' pawns in the process. And rather elegantly, may I add."
"So you want to defeat your boss?" she asked sceptical, "why don't you just leave, if he annoys you so?"
His whole expression darkened, and something akin to hurt seemed to shine in those big green eyes of his. He averted his gaze before he spoke up again.
"I can't." The seriousness of his voice made her shiver slightly, but he soon recovered his easy-going personality. "That's why it would be an honour if you help this stray Chat, my Lady."
He seemed genuine. His brain was screaming at her to run away and put as much distance between them as she could, but her heart churned when his cheerful mask slipped off, showing what was behind his obnoxious demeanour.
Something inside her made her want to believe in him, to agree to help him right away, no questions asked. It was something she couldn't comprehend. But putting aside that irrational feeling, but she had to agree with her brain there; there were too many factors that made him shady.
She rested one hand on her hip and stared him dead in the eye. "Say that I accept to play this… game of yours and I start helping you. How would it change my situation from now on? I'll still be cleansing Akumas as usual."
"I would aid you in your battles – secretly, of course. I don't want to be punished-" he stopped himself– "but on the other hand… I wouldn't mind being punished by you." He grinned saucily and she swung her yoyo towards his head. He avoided it, the grin still on place.
"Be serious!" she scolded him.
"I can't help it, my Lady! You distract me." She rolled her eyes. "Where was I? Oh yeah. As you've probably noticed, our organisation uses illegal passages of the Paris' catacombs to move around the city unnoticed. Our costumes tend to be a bit flashy, and our boss doesn't want to attract the attention of the public just yet."
"I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically, her mind darting back to Reflekta and Dark Cupid. Flashy was putting it mildly.
"So, if you agree to help me, I would also help you make your way around our bases – it's annoyingly difficult to make heads or tails of the multiple corridors, and we don't want little Ladybug to get lost and die. And once you clear all the catacombs…"
"What?"
"I'll tell you where headquarters is."
She pondered her options. "Why don't you tell me just now?"
"It is a… test of sorts. I want to make sure you are capable of facing Hawkmoth, and beating down some goons is hell of a practice, isn't it?"
Ladybug crossed her arms, deep in thought. It would be really good to have someone from the inside helping her around, but what told her that all of this wasn't just a plan to capture her? Dark Cupid said Hawkmoth wanted her Miraculous, so, in extension, Chat Noir could have the same objective.
She didn't want to suspect of him – and boy, didn't that confuse her – but he wasn't putting it easy.
"I don't trust you, Chat Noir," she said, and his mad grin dimmed a little, "I still think all of this is some sort of intricate plan to get me to drop my guard around you, but… your plan makes sense. I will help you, but as soon as I see anything I don't like, I'll leave. Deal?"
"Deal." He bowed. "It will be a pleasure to work with you, my Lady." Her earrings suddenly beeped repetitively in warning, telling her that her transformation was about to drop. "I guess that's your cue to go. See you soon, Ladybug."
She merely raised an eyebrow before throwing her yoyo and swinging off. Once she was out of sight, she rushed home. She had counted the number of beeps her miraculous had made, and she didn't have much time.
When her feet touched the floor of her balcony, the transformation suddenly dropped off, and an exhausted Tikki flew out of her earrings.
"I seriously thought we wouldn't make it," she panted, "but you managed to make it home safely. You've mastered Ladybug's powers in no time. I'm proud of you, Marinette."
She frowned as she opened the door of her balcony. "Never mind me mastering my powers. That was a close call. Why didn't you tell me we were so short of time?"
"I wanted you to talk to Chat noir."
That stopped Marinette in her tracks. She looked down at the tired kwami, lying on her extended hand.
"What do you mean? You wanted me to talk to him?"
She hesitated. "Can we go inside? It's a long story, and I would really like to have a cookie right now."
She nodded and stepped inside her room. She dropped her purse on the pink chaise next to the door, closing it behind her, and brought the tiny god to the table in front of it. Tikki floated from her hands to a little pink cushion extended on the wooden surface, and Marinette went to the kitchen, grabbing the glass jar full of cookies from her parents' pâtisserie, and prepared a mug of hot tea for her.
When the tea was ready, she grabbed the mug and the jar and returned to her room, Tikki watching her with attentive eyes since she stepped inside the room. She thanked her for the cookies and began munching one of them, tiredness quickly leaving her body.
"Are you okay?" Tikki asked after swallowing one bite.
"I guess… It's just- my life was completely normal just yesterday, and suddenly it becomes some kind of superhero story, and I'm still trying to get my head around it. It feels like everything is happening so quickly…"
"I know you're still confused, Marinette, and it's normal for you to feel that way. This is an unusual occurrence; my Ladybugs usually had more time to get used to their powers before they had to face such opponents, and they were never alone. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, but there's no other way."
She took a sip of her tea. "Ladybug has a partner?"
"Yes, she does." Tikki bit her lip as she saw Marinette nibbling a cookie absentmindedly. "His name is Chat Noir."
Marinette chocked and began coughing. What was with people saying things like that when she was swallowing things down? That were three times in a row!
She reached for her mug to clear her itching throat, and when she calmed her coughing fit, she looked at Tikki disbelievingly.
"C-Chat Noir is my partner!?"
"Yes, he is. He has a kwami like you, and a miraculous." She paused. "There are different kwamis in this world; I am the god of creation, but I am just a half of a whole. The creation is nothing without the destruction; the fortune and the chaos always come together. Plagg, Chat Noir's kwami, is my other half, and he's the god of chaos."
"… Like Ying and Yang?"
Tikki nodded. "Exactly like that, Marinette."
She fidgeted in her seat. "And how does that affect Ladybug and Chat Noir? Will they feel… compelled to trust one another?"
"Yes. I noticed your confusion when we were facing Chat Noir earlier, but don't worry about it. Ladybug and Chat Noir are meant to be together as partners, so there's a residual attachment that comes from Plagg and I. You're meant to be next to each other, not one against the other."
"Then why is he on the bad side? Why is he my enemy?"
Tikki frowned, crossing her tiny arms, and that allowed the dark haired girl to see how worried the kwami really was.
"Something has happened to him. I can't feel Plagg as strongly as I should, and I suspect it has something to do with Hawkmoth. If he infected Chat Noir when in costume, and the butterfly ended up in his ring…"
"What would happen then?"
Tikki raised her gaze and met Marientte's eyes. "Then Plagg would be trapped on his ring. He would be able to protect his boy to some extent, but in the end, he would be at Hawkmoth's mercy. To be honest, I can't determine how much influence he has on the poor boy. Maybe he's overcome him fully, and he's just another puppet, or maybe Chat's true colours shone through tonight."
Marinette worried her lip, thinking on her meeting with the black cat, trying to find something that could clue them on his real state. Something came up to her mind, and the frown on her face deepened at the thought.
"Tikki. He said… he said he would be punished, and I don't think it was a ruse. He tried to hide it with some flirting, but…"
"Then he must be conscious in some way." Tikki landed on her hand. "Marinette, always believe in your instincts. If they say Chat Noir's bearer still holds some self-awareness, then there's a high probability it's true."
"We have to help him, Tikki." She bit her lip. "I still can't trust him fully, but…"
"Don't worry, we'll help him, alongside all the other victims. Hawkmoth won't win."
Marinette nodded, determined. She unblocked her phone, and winced once she saw the time; it was two in the morning.
"God, it's too late, and I have classes tomorrow morning." She groaned, and threw herself to the side, laying on the chaise dramatically. "I will be dead to the world tomorrow."
Tikki shook her head. "If you're worried about your lack of sleep, why don't you go to your bed, instead of keeping on procrastinating?"
Marinette huffed, but got up. She walked to her bedside and grabbed her pyjamas, getting changed. Tikki landed on one of her cushions and made herself comfortable.
"Have you given a thought of what you'll do tomorrow?"
"Yeah," she said, her voice muffled by her cotton T-shirt. She tucked her head out and kept on talking, "Chat Noir has told me some interesting things, but I still want to know what Alya got from her investigation. He promised to tell me where headquarters was, but he didn't say anything about the catacomb entrances they controlled."
"Yeah, you're right. How are you going to go in her apartment, though?"
Marinette climbed to the bed. "I've got the keys. Alya gave them to me when she moved out, and I did the same to her. I actually used them to keep tabs on her these past weeks, when she was engrossed in her investigation."
"Are you going to go to the alley tomorrow night?"
Marinette took her time to answer, curling to her side and looking at the small god. "… Yeah. I can't risk Hawkmoth calling for reinforcements there. Once I have that entrance blocked, I'll take some time to get to the next one."
"Don't overwork yourself, please. Your security is as important as everyone's else."
She caressed her head with her fingertips. "I know. Thanks for worrying about me, Tikki." She stopped herself to yawn. "Well, now I think it's time to go to sleep. Good night."
"Sweet dreams, Marinette."
The girl closed her eyes, finally letting her strained muscles to relax. Her exhaustion caught up with her, and she soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: in this AU, some Akumas will have different strength as in the canon. In the series, the Akumas are allowed to be all-out, but in here, they have to stay out of the public eye.
That means that some of them will be somewhat "weaker" than in canon (you'll see it more clearly in next chapter), and that's what will allow Ladybug to defeat them without Chat Noir's help; even though she'll struggle and Chat will have to help her along the way.
Hope you liked this chapter. What are your thoughts on our Chaton's situation? Leave your thoughts at your reviews!
