The Greatest Limit is Yourself

Author's Note: Thank you so much to the wonderful RoseySparrow for volunteering as tribute to be my awesome Beta for this story. I am terrible with grammatical and tense errors.

I am so touched by all your kind words and favorites!

Enjoy, my lovely readers!

Two

I Don't Want To Fight

Silence rang in his ear like white noise but the echo of Chloe's words ricocheted off his skull.

Her crush on you.

Her crush on you .

Crush.

On.

You.

"Marientte has a crush on me?" he squeaked.

Nino sighed next to him, heavy and sad. "That wasn't the way it should've happened."

Adrien's cheeks tinged darker. " Me ?"

"Dude," he gave his friend a weak smile. "You're kinda oblivious."

His brain felt like a muddled mess as it tried to process this information. Random girls had come up to him in school and at shoots, but Chloe just had to bare her teeth or Nathalie just stared at them coldly to shoo them away. They were only interested because of who he was. . . Gabriel's son and a model.

But Marinette was his friend! Of course, things didn't start off that way and after the disastrous gum incident, he totally thought she still didn't like him with all of her stuttering. . .

Then he realized that was just a part of her adorable charm. . .

But his Lady! His heart sank into his chest. . . His Lady had occupied his heart long ago. Marinette was wonderful, beautiful, brave, talented. . . but. . .

He mentally shook himself out of his musings. This was not the time!

"I—I—I've got to make sure she's okay!" he leaped up from his seat, Nino quickly following.

"I'm coming too, bro. That was harsh."

"M. Agreste and M. Lahiffe! Class is not dismissed." Mlle. Bustier barked, the class already in disarray from Chloe's verbal bomb. The students were arguing with her and Sabrina, the teacher unable to hold it together. "You will not leave this room."

Nino just turn to look at the poor woman forced to face the chaos of the classroom. "We'll just take the detention," and then fled the room.

"You think she's really gonna give us detention?" Adrien asked as they sprinted down the hall. If his father knew that he got in trouble in school. . .

But he would do it all over again if it meant helping a friend.

A friend who had a crush on him.

How was I so blind?

"Nah," Nino huffed, keeping up with him. "It just makes her feel better that we're not completely disregarding her."

They came to a halt where the hallway split three ways. Adrien couldn't imagine where Marinette could have gone if she didn't go home yet.

"How about we split up," he suggested.

Nino nodded eagerly. "Yeah, let's find her before. . ." his voice trailed off. . . the bitter word akuma on his lips but never breathed.

Because it was Marinette . . . Sweet and kind and always helping anyone in need.

"Yeah," Adrien said somberly. The boys split up, one down each hall.

When Nino was far down the hall and Adrien was making his way through another, Plagg wiggled free out from Adrien's pocket.

"Well that was a disaster," his kwami sighed, floating effortlessly on his back alongside him. "Who knew you'd be a heartbreaker. First Kagami and now Marinette."

Adrien sputtered, his steps faltered to a slower pace.

"I—I—I— Plagg ! I didn't know !"

"Oh suuure~" the kwami sang. "Like you didn't know why Marinette wanted to go with you to the ice skating rink."

Adrien's feet stopped so abruptly he nearly toppled over. "What?" he squawked, face even deeper than before.

Plagg laughed maniacally, waving his tiny little paws. "Y-your face!" he managed between snickers.

If he turned any redder, he could pass as Ladybug. " Plagg!" he hiss. "Did you know and not tell me—?"

A scream cut them off. It tore right through Adrien's heart and Plagg's cackling suddenly stopped.

Marinette! Please don't tell me I'm too late!

Adrien took off running, following the awful sound. Screaming always meant akumas. Screaming meant an akuma was attacking . . . He. . . he really didn't want to face Marinette. She was just hurt and embarrassed. . .

His instincts as Chat Noir did not fail him, choosing the right hallway. It lead to a dead end where he could see Alya's reddish hair as she sat on her knees. . .

"Alya!" Adrien shouted, hoping his panic didn't tint his tone. "Did you find her—"

The words died in his throat.

Alya had turned to him, her eyes red and cheeks blotchy. Behind her was Marinette. . .

Only. . .

She wasn't .

His heart seized.

He couldn't tell exactly what she was. . . Marinette's body was practically vibrating, curled into herself so he couldn't get a good look at her.

But there was no mistake.

She was an akuma .

But. . . something didn't feel right. . . Even though Adrien couldn't see what she transformed into, something inside of his chest squeezed painfully and a cold shiver went down his spine. Marinette was hisfriend . . . But when he fought Nino, he never felt like this.

Something was wrong.

He could feel Plagg stirring restlessly in his pocket.

Alya'a face was pale, etched in fear and panic. He wasn't that surprised she didn't have her phone out. . . but she also wasn't running away .

"Is. . . Alya. . . is she. . .?" He choked. He had never seen an akuma like that.

Alya's head jerked in a stiff nod and Adrien felt chilled to the bone.

It hurt to push the words out of his mouth, but Chat Noir inside of him started to speak, each syllable feeling like tiny shards piercing his throat. "Alya. . . I know she is your best friend. . . but you need to move away. . . W-we don't know what she is capable of right now."

"Her—" Alya started to say. She sniffed, roughly rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "Her tra-transformation isn't complete."

What?

Adrien stared at her incredulously. . .

"What do you mean isn't complete? "

Alya spared a glance over her shoulder to the girl who had yet to move. "I think she is fighting against it—against him ."

His jaw was unhinged and he started to move closer to them. But then Alya's eyes widen and waved her hand to silently plead him to stay put. Plagg jerked roughly in his pocket as if to stop him and he wondered if the kwami knew what exactly was happening.

"Wait Adrien! No offense, but you're probably the last person she would want to see. . . especially like this."

He frowned at that. . . maybe Chloe would be the last person. . . but . . . he just wanted to help.

At the sound of his name, Marinette stirred from her curled position.

Adrien could only stare with his mouth agape.

It was the most freakish akuma he had ever seen.

Marinette lifted her head slowly, her eyes wide and blue and striking and the same but he could see it. He could see the crude darkness form of the akuma's power, already covering her jaw. Her body quivered like she was fighting a battle on the inside. . . like she was holding herself back so she wouldn't attack her best friend.

He could truly see the akuma wasn't formed all the way. The transformation was blotchy, a black inkiness consuming her skin, but there were patches of Marinette peeking through, her strong will and sheer determination fighting off the akuma all on her own.

If anyone could hold off something so heinous, it would be Marinette.

Come on Princess.

However, instead of encouraging her like he had wanted to, her eyes snapped to him and flinched just like she had this morning. Only this time it hurt so much more. She pushed her legs, scrambling backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. Her shoulders were haunched together, her arms folding in front of her body as if to hide. . .

A purple butterfly bloomed over her face. Ariden growled at the sight, a hatred festering in his stomach.

Then Marinette started to scream.

Adrien flinched, his brain idly registered that Marinette was the one to scream the first time and not Alya.

Alya scrambled forward, her hands gripping at Marinette's, which were tangled in her hair and pulling .

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

Her voice was the akuma. . . it echoed like they were underwater, her voice coming from all around them. It sounded lonely. . . full of despair. . .

Then her body began to flickered; literally shuttering in and out of their vision before she faded and disappeared right in front of them, completely out of sight.

"Marinette?" Alya's voice was quiet and small and her hands looked like she was still holding onto something solid. Marinette. But then Alya scrambled up to her feet, her hands still latched onto air or an invisible arm, following like Marinette was standing up. "Wait! Marinette! Don't move! If you stay, Ladybug and Chat Noir can fix you!"

The words must not have been comforting because Marinette shouted once more. "No!"

Then a force like an invisible tidal wave pushed Alya back several feet, her sneakers squeaking painfully against the floors. It made Adrien's heart constrict more painfully because even as an akuma, she didn't use enough of her strength to knock Alya down.

"Stay away from me," Marinette's sorrowful voice echoed and Adrien shivered, an eerie silence settling in the hallway.

Just as he thought she really did disappear, there was a wave of cold air, a sadness that overwhelmed him as Marinette slipped past them.

Adrien's breath was rushing in and out of his mouth in fast bursts, like he was hyperventilating. Alya numbly turned back to him and didn't look like a fraction of the excited reporter she usually did whenever an akuma struck.

"Is she gone?" he croaked. But he already knew the answer.

Alya looked back to the spot where Marinette was crouched just moments before.

"Woah. . ." A familiar voice startled them and they turned to see Nino staring at the spot Marinette was last visible, his brows knitted together in worry. He shivered, rubbing his bare arms. "Is. . . is Marinette. . .?"

Alya's lower lip trembled, her own war inside of her to keep it together for the sake of her best friend and the pain it caused her to see Marinette like that.

Nino rushed over, opening his arms and Alya wasted no time tucking herself against him.

Adrien smiled sadly at the sight. The last thing he wanted to do was leave. He wanted to comfort them, for them to comfort him, to bask in their friendship and feel just a bit of warmth where he felt was just so cold. . .

Plagg nipped him through his clothes and Adrien jerked. It forced him to spring into action. "I uh. . . I'm going to find help!"

Nino spared him a look and nodded as he whispered tenderly to Alya.

.

`.

.

Plagg burst out of his pocket as soon as they were alone, the most serious expression on his face.

"We've got a problem, kid."

Adrien's face was creased with worry and distress."I know. . . Have you seen anything like that before? The akuma was half formed!"

Plagg sighed tiredly. "Nooroo makes Champions. . . Being wield by someone who is abusing that power feeds off of negative emotions. There isn't anyone able to fend an akuma off like that. . . not someonenormal. "

"Normal? Plagg, Marinette is normal !" he sounded hysterically offended.

Plagg rolled his eyes. "That isn't what I meant, kid. Focus! We've got a serious problem. Ladyb—"

A shrill scream cut through the silence once more and Adrien whirled to his kwami with desperate, wild eyes. Just knowing it was only one scream. . . one person rather than hundreds in distress did nothing to ease Adrien's shot nerves.

"I can't just leave her! Plagg, Claws out!"

A burst of magic swept over him. Adrien would never tire of such a feeling of power, but more importantly, the feeling of freedom and made him feel complete. It gave him a sense of comfort over the anxiety coursing through him.

At that moment, his leather cat ears twitched as he heard the patter of footsteps.

"Chat Noir!" Alya called out, Nino right behind her. Looking at her through the eyes of Chat Noir made him flinch just a bit. He could see more clearly, her rimmed eyes with tears clinging to her lower lashes, like she was stubbornly trying not to cry and rosy nose and cheeks looked permanente on her skin.

The two skidded to a stop in front of the hero. Alya stared at him, forcibly gulping down the traitorously forming tears.

"Ch-Chat Noir," she stammered before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. "There is an akuma. . . Her name is Marinette." She started, her jaw snapping shut as she took a deep breath.

Nino placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"You have to help her!" Alya blurted out. "I. . . I've never seen anything like that. Her transformation isn't complete! She was screaming!" Alya wasn't looking at him anymore, rubbing her temples as if the memory of it physically hurt her. She then turned to him swiftly, a scathing glint in her eyes.

She grabbing hold of Chat Noir's bell, pulling him towards her with a fierce glare, nose to nose. "If you hurt her, I will skin you alive, " she threatened.

Chat smiled despite of the threat. He gently placed his hand over Alya's still clutching him. "I would never hurt her. . . I. . . I promise to do my best. I hear Marinette can be strong."

Alya chin wobbled again as the ferocity left her. Her fingers slowly uncurled around his bell, letting him go. "She's strongest person I've ever met. . . Besides you and Ladybug, of course." She managed a weak smile and Chat returned it meekly.

"So what happened to her?"

Nino and Alya shared a look and she signed.

"We're not sure," Nino started and Chat raised an eyebrow because he knew what had happened. But Alya was the one to clarify.

"She's been off all morning. I don't know if something happened at home last night or this morning. . . But she was fine yesterday but today. . ."

"And then Chloe was being her usual self," Nino added, which caused Alya to growl.

"I think what she said was just what pushed her over the edge. . . I'm not even an akuma and I'm going to throttle her."

Chat raised his hands slightly as anger steamed off of the blogger's skin. "No one is throttling anyone but me and Ladybug." At Alya's murderous glint, his gulped, correcting himself immediately. "I-I mean, you know. . . Hawk Moth. If anyone should be throttled, it should be him.

Alya breathed out forcibly through her nose. "I'm sorry," she said numbly. Chat flinched. Seeing the feisty reporter wilted down like a flower only made his throat tighten up. He gave a stiff nod in acceptance. "Let's get you two safe. I don't know what her abilities are yet."

Nino took hold of Alya's hand and his eyes shone up towards the hero. "Good luck and be safe, bro."

Chat almost cried. . .

Almost .

.

.

.

The screams of Marinette's internal battle must have alerted the school that there was an akuma. Through the windows of the classrooms, he could see students crouched under their seats. The doors were locked and they stared at him with wide, fretful eyes.

He wasn't sure if Marinette's abilities would hurt the students. . . but he decided to leave them in the safety of the classrooms. He traipsed through the halls, skidding to a halt at a familiar door.

Marinette—he refused to see her as an akuma—was standing at the shut door to their class, her whole body quivering. More and more black covered her body this time and his ears pinned down at the sight. Her normally bright blue eyes were duller, a little narrowed, and her black lips trembled.

"Marinette," he said gently— Adrien said gently—hoping she was still able to hear him. . . and not just the akuma.

She did not jerk this time. No, she turned slowly to him, a fluid motion and it made his throat tighten. There was less Mari and more of the akuma shining through. She pinned him with a cold, empty stare.

In his peripheral, he could see his classmates inside of the room stirring at the sight of the akuma and Chat Noir.

"My name is not Marinette." She stated not out of rage like nearly every single akuma had done before. But desolate. Frigid.

Chat gripped his staff and forced himself to calm down. Things will be alright. Just like when Nino was akumatized. . . Or Alya, Chloe. . . Kim, Max, Nathaniel, Rose. . . each and every one of his classmates had unfortunately met the fate of being manipulated and created into a monster by Hawk Moth. And everytime he and Ladybug were able to defeat the akuma, set the plagued butterfly free and purify it of its evil intent. The victim would be disoriented with a migraine and sent to the hospital just as a precaution. Then his lady called her Miraculous Cure and everything would be right again.

Marinette will be fine.

Everything will be fine.

He just had to get it together and try to hold her off from wrecking whatever havoc this akuma wanted. All they needed right now was Ladybug.

A grin—small, but he forced his lips to curl upwards—graced Chat's face. "My a paw logies, Miss. . .?"

The akuma only stared at him though cheek twitched at the pun and blue eyes sparked.

Hope bloomed in his chest at the small reaction.

She parted her tainted black lips. "Miss Illusion."

Chat tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. He twirled his baton, hoping to dispel his discomfort. "I'm a furr aid that class is already in session. You'll just have to come back tomorrow."

Come on Princess!

Something warm glinted in Miss Illusion's eyes. . .

But the purple butterfly mask suddenly struck across her cheeks her eyes grew cold once more. Hope never sunk so heavily into his stomach so fast before in his life.

Though he should be used to it with how many times disappointment was the only thing left in his father's wake.

Her dimmed gaze glanced down once to his hand and then flitted back up to his face. "Give me the ring."

"Not a chance," Chat shot back automatically, his hands tightening up to prepare to fight.

Her face still remained stoic but she lifted her hand and Chat bent his knees, ready to pounce into action. With a wave of her hand, Chat was smacked with the same force Mari had used on Alya. . . only this time it felt like a sledgehammer and he was sent flying. His body slammed into the wall with a crack and the hero let out a pained grunt.

"Let's try again. . ." Miss Illusion said, voice monotone. "I do not want to fight you."

Chat coughed once and stood up, cracking his neck as he did. " Meow uch! Are you sure about that? I think you just took one of my nine lives."

Miss Illusion frowned. "The Miraculous, Chat Noir. . ." she demanded, holding out her palm.

Chat stepped closer to her and her dull eyes narrowed and her dark lips pursed. "How about you give me your akuma, Princess?"

Something must have lodge something in her head because those eyes widen again, blue and bright and strong and. . .

Marinette jerked away from him, the butterfly mask burning bright against her face.

"No no no no NO!"

Chat stepped closer, his claw outstretched.

"Marinette?"

Her whole body went rigid.

She then quickly reached out with her hand and Chat was expecting to be swept back again. Instead the air seemed to rush past him, red sparkling into black, literally forming a spear out of thin air.

The good news, Chat Noir assumed, that she wasn't able to force him back while she was wielding the weapon.

Her eyes were steel, lips firm. Black crawled further up her face, her nose now covered and stopping just below her eyes in a jagged pattern.

That was the bad news.

He was losing Marinette.

Her weapon shook in her grasp, her jaw set firmly as she practically growled at him. It took Chat a moment to realize she was shaking.

Or. . .

She hissed, "St-stay away. . . Chat. . ."

His ear perked straight up, watching as Marinette fought with herself, an internal war with the akuma. The butterfly mask appeared over her face again and she screamed.

Chat recoiled from the sound, his heart breaking. It sounded like Marinette was in pain .

Silence crept in and the akuma lifted her weapon again. Chat managed a half hearted grin. "I'm not a fraidy-cat, purri ncess."

The akuma seemed to stall at this and Chat's heart swelled. . . only for it to drop when she suddenly charged at him. Chat extended his staff as she leaped and two weapons clashed with a might bang . The force of it sent the two apart, but not for very long. Miss Illusion twisted, the momentum keeping her from falling as she pushed herself against the opposite wall, charging back at Chat.

The hero ducked out of her attack, tripping the akuma with his staff.

She twirled and landed on her feet, her eyes becoming stone cold as her rage subsided.

Chat Noir didn't know if he liked that or not.

The akuma moved with so much grace. It would be enchanting, if she wasn't trying to take his miraculous.

And it was eerily familiar, something he couldn't quite place.

"Here, kitty kitty," she said, void of any emotion. It grated on his ears painfully. Someone like Marinette. . . Sweet, kind, and brave, now swallowed whole by Hawk Moth and used as a pawn for the miraculouses.

There was still no sign of Ladybug.

Miss Illusion landed just in front of Chat, and instead of spearing him with the weapon like he anticipated, she struck the ground at his feet. The weapon immediately disappeared in an explosion of black and red sparkles, the force of it breaking all of the windows around them and he was sent backwards. The students shouted in alarm as their rooms were showered in glass.

Chat was blasted out of one of the broken windows. He gritted his teeth, ears ringing painfully and as disoriented as he was, his instincts still tried to catch himself on his feet. He managed to catch his left foot on the ground, but tumbled over the other and skidded painfully across the asphalt. Pedestrians around them gasped, some were already fleeing the scene while others grabbed their phones.

Miss Illusion stepped through the same window, ignoring the shards of glass. She simply took a step out, not minding the two story descent as she landed in a couch with some loose glass falling in her wake.

Green eyes turned to the sky as he used his staff to push himself up.

There was not a speck of red in the clouds.

"My Lady, where are you?"

But his question remained unanswered as it drifted off into the cold wind.

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