Circles & Cycles

by fr0stedFLAKES

Marinette had no idea her life would turn upside down from a simple trip to the bookshop. After unleashing a powerful being and Kwamis from an ancient book, she finds herself struggling as she adjusts to the lack of normalcy in her life. Will she be able to work together with her new partner & release him from the curse placed upon him? Had fate dealt its cards in the right place?

6. Coiffure

vzzzzzzt vzzzztttttt vzzzzttt

Huh? Marinette groggily came out of her slumber. She slowly reached around for her new cell phone before pressing the side button effectively turning off the vibration. A grunt passed her lips as she sat up, glaring at the time on her phone.

3:30 A.M. blared back, mocking her for waking up so early.

Marinette stood in a daze from her makeshift bed on the couch and stretched, hoping to wake up to no avail as her bones cracked in protest. Today was going to be rough, she could feel it in her bones.

Two weeks had passed since her first successful battle and she could honestly say not much had happened since then. There was no other akuma attack much to Marinette's relief as she got busier day by day. The partners had temporarily stopped eating breakfast together and switched to eating dinner with each other every night. Her job had called for her to work from seven to five at night as pressure for the winter fashion show was on. She had officially taken her phone out of its packaging weeks later now that the commotion of having a Kwami had calmed slightly. She hadn't even bothered putting a SIM card in it, only ever using it as an alarm clock to wake her. Despite it being Saturday, she was called to work at seven, so they decided to train from four in the morning until six.

Marinette walked into the bedroom and flipped on the light, not very surprised that Chat was still sound asleep with the covers tossed around on the bed. She drowsily sauntered over to him and began to shake his shoulders gently.

"Chaton," she spoke softly, "wake up." A yawn bubbled on her lips before pouring out.

Continuing his soft snores and ears twitching from unseen dreams, his sleep persisted. She lightly pinched his soft cheek with another yawn. Marinette was honestly jealous of him, he was getting a few more minutes of extra sleep than she was. The way he slept with half his body hanging off of the bed and arms thrown about was what Marinette dreamed of doing right now. She continued to pinch his cheek and she wiggled the flesh around. She had discovered he was a deep sleeper a couple of weeks ago when she had been clanking around and cooking in the kitchen while he slept. A handful of pots and pans had been dropped on the floor, but he hadn't even budged from his position on the couch. She was scared to think of what would happen if a robber were ever to come into the house.

Marinette dropped to her knees and began poking his cheeks gingerly. She swore that if he didn't wake up within the next few seconds she would end up falling asleep next to him. In this moment, she was beyond the point of caring if she went to training or not, sleeping looked too good to pass.

"Chat!" She tried with one last poke. He didn't wake right away, but after a few seconds he stirred awake. "Come on, we have to go."

Chat reached for his shirt that lay next to him before putting it on and sitting up. They both looked tiredly at each other, neither fully awake at this god forsaken hour.

Marinette offered a hand for him to take to help him out of bed, he gratefully took it and began walking to the bathroom. They crammed into the small washroom and began brushing their teeth.

"So what do you think he'll have us do?" Marinette asked as she pressed the tooth paste to her tooth brush after him.

"mhhm nahh shuuuu." He tried to mumble an answer while brushing his teeth but failed miserably. Once he had spit out the tooth paste he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before answering her. "I am not sure, but I look forward to this training session." The idea of training excited him and gave him great pleasure.

She nodded her head before spitting out her tooth paste and splashing her face with water. Marinette honestly didn't know if she would make it there without falling asleep. Both Chat and her knew they had to wake up early, but went to bed at 12 am due to starting an engaging conversation on a documentary he had watched during the day.

Marinette went to her room to change her clothes while Chat finished in the bathroom. She put on a gray sports bra with a burgundy cropped hoodie on top, paired with a pair of tight fitting black jogger pants. After changing, she went into the kitchen and pulled out two fruit juices, tangerines, and granola bars for them to eat quickly before leaving. Chat stepped out in a pair of black soccer pants that had two green stripes running down the side with a black hoodie.

Marinette tossed his tangerine at him and watched as he caught it with ease. "I'm so tired. I don't understand why you found that documentary so interesting." She said before going to put on her coat.

"How could you not find insects truly fascinating?" He said as he put on his very own coat.

Marinette yawned with a roll of her blue eyes. "I think I learned more than I wanted to about them, I did enjoy the documentary though."

She personally wouldn't have chosen to watch the old film, but Chat had practically dragged her over to watch Microcosmos, a film on insects and their lives, with him last night. Just thinking about how he watched attentively with wide eyes last night made her smile. He really seemed to like to learn, all he ever did was watch educational documentaries whenever she saw him watching TV.

The two quickly finished their mini breakfast and walked out of the apartment. She locked the door before turning to Chat with a jaw cracking yawn, she just couldn't stop them from coming. "Alright, let's get to training." Before they could walk any further Chat hunched down. "What are you doing?"

"You are tired, yes?" He questioned. "Climb on, I can take you the rest of the way." Marinette looked at him with an eyebrow cocked high on her forehead. She appreciated the kind gesture, but she felt the need to decline. Seeing the look on her face, he stood and continued. "I do feel partially responsible for you being this tired, I think an extra fifteen minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt."

She would be lying if she said she wasn't tired enough to fall asleep during the walk. It wouldn't be bad if she took the offer, right? Who would it hurt? Plus, if she was going to train, she'd need to be more alert. To perform her best she would need a little more sleep to get her there. "You won't mind?" Marinette asked.

"Not at all, milady."

"Then, I'll take you up on your offer." Marinette encouraged with a slight smile. He crouched down once more before allowing her to climb on. Once she was properly on, he stood and adjusted himself before walking.

I haven't done this since I was younger. She thought with a giggle. "I'm not too heavy?"

"As light as a feather." He voiced honestly.

Between the weight of being extremely tired and the comfort and warmth he was giving off, she was asleep in less than a few minutes. Chat smiled over his shoulder as her light snores filled the air. While he was tired, the excitement he felt towards fighting kept him going. He stopped for a few seconds to hoist her higher on his back, careful not to wake Sleeping Beauty from her slumber. She truly was lighter than a feather, he couldn't believe she had walked from the Eiffel Tower to Master Fu's parlor shop while being injured and virtually holding all of his weight on her back. The kind girl was much stronger than she looked.

It wasn't long before they reached the shop and he was gently trying to wake her.

Chat set her down once she had come to and laughed at the look on her face. At being woken, she looked absolutely grumpy and agitated, like a child that had just had their favorite toy snatched from them. The way her flushed cheeks puffed out and a pout was evident on her plump lips made it obvious she had enjoyed her nap.

"Sorry for waking you, princess." He said as he knocked on the door a few times.

Marinette shook her head with a sigh. "No, thank you for letting me sleep for a while, I feel well rested." Despite it being such a short walk, those fifteen minutes were much needed. She felt like it had been hours of extra sleep added on.

"Of course, milady."

Master Fu opened the door before allowing the two to walk in. A tired Wayzz lay sleeping on his shoulder as he allowed them to pass in front of him. Marinette looked the old man over, he was clad in a matching pajama set clearly having just woken up. Did he forget they were coming? They all walked to the main room before Mater Fu flipped on the light.

"What will we be doing today?" Marinette asked.

"You two will be training and sparring with each other. I, on the other hand, will be sleeping." He answered as he set two bamboo sticks on the floor.

"Wait-what?" Where was the guidance in that? He couldn't just leave them to figure things out on their own. "But how are you going to teach us?"

"Our dear friendly Chat will be instructing you today." Master Fu patted Chat on the back causing him to bare a toothy grin. "He has learned very quickly over the last two weeks."

"Over the last two weeks? Did I miss something?" Marinette asked, slightly confused by what he was saying.

Chat chuckled as he put a hand behind his head. "Every day you have gone to work, leaving me to my own business. During that time, I have been studying under Master Fu. He has taught me numerous techniques to better aid us in our fights and has allowed me to borrow books on the subject." Marinette had no idea Chat had been spending his free time practicing while she was at work. It explained why he was always sleeping every time she had arrived home. She figured it was from being infused with a cat Kwami or because he was tired from watching television all day. She was glad to know he had been spending his time wisely, though if she were honest with herself it felt odd to know that he had been getting extra practice without her.

"I'm afraid you know more than me about fighting at this point." Master Fu joked. "The next few times you come, I would prefer if Chat would teach you, he has learned many new things. As you know, any damage to your bodies done in battle cannot be undone by magic. So, the goal is for you to work on defense for the next few weeks. Once you both are around the same level of skill, I will interject and help you learn new information. Make as much noise as you want, this room is sound proof. Enjoy your training. " He said with a lopsided yawn before closing the double doors and going to his bedroom in the back.

Chat picked up one of the bamboo sticks and handed it to her. "So... you've been coming here to train every day?" She had heard them perfectly, but it still hadn't fully processed.

"Yes," he said happily. "I only came to get additional help because I missed the training session you had prior to my healing. After the first day, I came back each day." He turned sparkling eyes onto her with a smile. "I really think I loved to fight in my past. Training under Master Fu has been enlightening. It's exciting, exhilarating, thrilling!" He could hardly contain his excitement. Those few words couldn't even begin to describe what he felt towards the subject. He knew Marinette would be proud if she could see just how hard he was working in Master Fu's training sessions.

Seeing him this interested in fighting, Marinette smiled. He truly did like fighting, she could tell from the way his eyes lit up and the excitement she felt from his emotions weighing in on hers.

He took off his hoodie, not wanting to get hot while practicing. She turned her back to him as she put her long blue hair in a ponytail before asking, "Alright, Master Chaton. What do you have to teach me?"

Chat twirled the bamboo stick in his hand. "Let's start with meditating and then go into the basics."

xXx

A good hour had passed and Marinette could feel her frustration growing with each passing second. Saying Chat was simply good at fighting would be a restrained statement. He had been nothing but patient with her over the hour and was truly trying his best to teach her, but she had yet to fully block any attack or successfully make her own. Marinette felt like she was wasting his time and holding him back with all of her screw ups.

"Just try again." He said with encouragement as he picked up her stick and tossed it at her.

Somewhere along the line she had thrown her hoodie to the side, leaving her sports bra as a top. Yet again, she was drenched in sweat while Chat only had a thin layer of sweat coating his body. She looked at him tiredly before dropping her gaze to the bamboo stick in her red hands. She couldn't believe she had thought she was doing better than him an hour ago. The extra training he got really did help him, he was doing each move perfectly and to a T. They had only been to two training sessions together prior to today, and both times all they did was meditate rather than fight. Thinking she had the training session when Chat was still hurt under her belt, she never would've thought that they'd be learning as much new material as he was trying to cram into her head in this one go. Despite saying they'd learn the basics, he had tried to teach her so many different techniques that she just couldn't follow.

Chat eyed the young girl carefully, before letting a grin take his features. Here she goes being critical on herself again. He liked that she wore her emotions on her face, it made it easier for him to read her when he wanted to get inside her mind. He placed a hand on the small of her back.

"I apologize, I don't think my teaching methods are the best. I am not used to teaching, only learning. So, let's try this," he took the bamboo stick from her and tossed it to the side. "Remember what Master Fu taught you when I was injured? About defense. Let me see your defensive pose."

"Ummm..." Marinette stood and held her arms in front of her, not exactly sure which "pose" to do. While she had learned about defending herself, it was more so along the concepts of 'if someone is charging at you what would you do?'. It wasn't so much of a pose she was told to do, but more so methods of dodging and avoiding an attack, which she was poor at doing anyways. "Like this?"

He walked around her, nodding his head as he analyzed her posture.

"Let's try this, please stand straight, milady. The goal is to be aware of your body." He said as he stood directly in front of her. "Keep a wide stance and keep your body lowered. Your posture will give you the up most ability to move quickly and narrowly in case of attack."

Marinette did as he instructed and then looked to him, searching for confirmation on her actions. "Is this what you mean?"

"Great! You've got to keep your balance in mind when you take this stance. Keep strong and hold your ground." He placed the bamboo stick back in her hand and took the same stance in front of her. He held the stick out in front of him, challenging her. "Move your right foot back as I push forward, and then your left foot." He said as he pushed the stick towards her.

They went back and forth in an unspoken rhythm until Chat believed she had fully comprehended each step. "Now, faster." Without fumbling, they repeated the moves. Chat could feel her getting more confident in her steps as she moved without hesitation in the same sequence. "That's perfect!" He complemented. "But one word of advice," he gently tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes, "keep your eyes on me." She was doing the moves perfectly, but she would look around herself and put too much thought into each step from time to time. He figured once she had fully mastered the simple moves she would stop being so calculating.

A light sheen of red colored her cheeks as she felt them warm upon his actions. His eyes were sparkling emeralds as he taught her, it was captivating. Despite being slightly covered in sweat and a bit tired, he looked happy and like he could go on for hours. She diverted her eyes after she realized she had been staring and moved his hand from her chin.

"So um, like you said? Wide stance, lowered body, right, left foot?" She recited.

He nodded his head. "Yes, but don't think so much about it, it'll come naturally. Just give it your all and put your whole body into it. Remember, when everything is chaotic and you are under pressure, you will not have time to think and you'll have to act quickly."

Marinette sighed as she sat down, needing a few seconds to catch her breath. "You're really good at this. I know you got extra training, but this is just incredible. We've barely gone over the basics and I know you still have so much to teach me, but... I'm just not built for this kind of stuff."

She would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly discouraged. He should've been teaching her new techniques and she had yet to get past the first few steps. How bad could she really be at the whole defense aspect of it all? It wasn't even the most difficult part!

He sat next to her and smiled. "You may not be built for it," He paused, but spoke after some time, "but that doesn't mean you can't try, right? It is just luck that I am good at this, but I think that if you envision a goal in mind, anything is possible."

"A goal?" She questioned.

"Yes, a goal. Like having something to fight for. You may only be human, but you have your Kwami and you have me. As long as you have the thought that you want to fight, then you can do it and can save anyone that is akumatized. If it helps, just think of anything you can that will keep you going when you fight so that you don't feel disheartened." He said as he stood and offered her a hand.

Marinette took it and thought about his words. "What do you think about when you fight then? "

He thought about it before responding honestly. "You. During both battles, I thought about you." Even during training when he practiced with Master Fu, he could picture an imaginary battle where he'd be up against a villain. One where he needed to get to Marinette quickly to help her in the heat of battle. With that in mind, he'd punch as hard as he could and kick with all his strength until Master Fu had thought he was over exerting himself.

She was slightly taken aback by his words. She hadn't expected him to say that at all. Trying to control the flush that had broken out over the bridge of her nose, she decided he didn't know what he was saying. He must've just said that because she's the only one that can read the book, right? Right. It's not like he was the mushy type at all anyways, he just didn't realize what was implied by his words. Besides, he tended to talk oddly with being from another era anyways.

After a while, he spoke once more. "Shall we continue, milady? We'll just practice this for the duration of our time here."

Marinette nodded her head as she stood. Practice makes perfect. She'd just need a bit more practice than he would is all.

So they continued until 6am. Chat could honestly say that Marinette had improved greatly by the time they had left, he just wished she wasn't as hard on herself about it as she was being. They had gone home afterwards, hoping to take a good shower and wash after sweating so much. As Chat took his shower after her, Marinette applied her pink lip gloss while looking in the mirror. She didn't want to think it, she honestly didn't, but she was slightly envious of the fact that he could fight as well as he could. That would definitely come in handy when they were facing danger. He could protect himself just fine, but what was she to do?

Marinette examined herself in the mirror before deeming her outfit good enough for work after attaching a golden watch to her wrist. She adorned a simple army green collared shirt tucked into sleek black shorts with pantyhose underneath. She figured that if another person got akumatized while she was at work, she'd at least needed an outfit that was easy for her to move in and that could allow her to fully function. No more dresses that clung to her body until they could find each Kwami, no matter how much she loved them. As she walked out of the bedroom, she heard the shower water turn off, meaning Chat would be out of the bathroom in no time.

She walked into the kitchen and pulled out a few things for Chat to eat while she was at her internship. It wasn't long before he stepped out clad in nothing but a pair of joggers. He plopped himself down on the couch. Marinette glanced over her shoulder at him before sitting next to him.

She tsked at him before sitting his breakfast in front of him. "Chaton." Her voice was heavy with a reprimanding tone.

He gave her a sweet smile, confused by her tone. "Yes, Marinette?"

She sighed before walking to her room and then coming back with a towel and comb. She crouched down in front of him before she began drying his dripping wet hair, careful to mind the kitten ears that peaked out and twitched. She had noticed it before, but it hadn't really bothered her until now.

His hair.

Every single time he stepped out of the shower he would just walk out without tending to his hair. No combing, no brushing, no products- nothing. She wouldn't be surprised if he had millions of split ends in his golden locks.

"You need to take better care of your hair." She said as she examined his now damp hair. She slowly began brushing his blonde strands. "My mother taught me that it's extremely important to take care of your hair. It's like your temple."

He relaxed under her touch, finding comfort in her brushing his hair. It was nearly enough to put him to sleep. "Is that why your hair is long and healthy?"

"No," she said as she temporarily stopped brushing his hair, "my hair had always been short up until the very last day of high school. I decided to stop cutting it after that for a bit of a change. It just grew a lot after that. "

"Do you prefer it this way?" He asked.

She resumed brushing his hair. "Yes, I love having long hair and prefer it this way. Especially during winter since it keeps me warm." Marinette chuckled. "Alright," she examined her master piece. His hair was slightly curling at the tips even after her brushing. "Start using the hair products I have and start drying your hair after your showers- you'll get sick if you don't. I'll see you after I'm done working, okay?"

"Okay," he said with a yawn, "Have a catastic day."

Marinette lightly giggled as she walked out the door. She locked it behind her and leaned her back against it. "Did he just make a cat pun?"

xXx

The day came and went in a quick stride that Marinette was growing tired of. The fashion show couldn't come soon enough. She never would've thought that she'd be busy for a full eleven hours straight, but they had managed to keep her busy the whole time. Between going through the program, choosing music, rehearsing her script, working on lighting and dynamics, and so much more, she was slowly losing her mind. Marinette was in charge of almost everything pertaining to her collection, so there was much to do on her end. She loved having 110% free liberty for everything regarding her collection, but it was very taxing and she hadn't expected as much work to be put into it. Knowing that this would be her first debut and that this could lead to her getting scouted was enough to keep her trucking through though. It was a dream she had worked hard on for years, nothing would hold her back.

"Can you turn a little, please?" Marinette mumbled over a pin in her mouth.

She was finishing her touches on Juleka's garment. Juleka slightly turned on the miniature granite platform, careful to mind the pins that were holding part of her dress together. It was going on six at night and Marinette had been at the office all day. Between working out kinks in the show, as well as doing one rehearsal she felt she was behind schedule and had asked her main model to stay behind to make a few adjustments. Juleka Couffaine, one of Marinette's first friends in Paris, had been her model since her second week in the town. After being introduced to each other by Rose, Marinette had always asked Juleka to be her model whenever she could.

Juleka stood at a tall 5'9 with legs that ran for days. Her hair was currently dyed a faded purple and she had recently given herself bangs that she normally kept swept to the side. She had always kept her hair long, but she tended to dye it different colors almost every other month, always excited to try something new with her look. With a slender waist and porcelain doll like features, she had slowly made a name for herself in Gabriel's business. Marinette was lucky and blessed to have the pleasure of working with such a beautiful and down to earth young woman, she couldn't say that for most of the models there. Juleka was always good company to keep when eating lunch and for having a truly intellectual conversation with. Just like Marinette, being a model under the company for the fashion show had been strenuous over the last few days, she was glad that they both could relate on some level to the stress they were suffering though.

Marinette sighed as she sowed in one of her final stitches. It looks perfect, but it's missing something. She thought as she examined Juleka in her four-paneled double-sided mirrors. Everything was great, but she just couldn't put her finger on what else to add.

"You'll sigh away your happiness at this rate."

Marinette's eyes drifted to Juleka. "Pardon me?"

"That's the thousandth time you've sighed today," she said softly, "is something wrong?"

"Sorry," Marinette said as she fluffed the dress at the bottom, "it's nothing."

"You know you can always talk to me if something is wrong."

"It's just..." Marinette let out a frustrated sigh. "Have you ever felt like you can't do something? Like something was just impossible?"

She hated to say it, but she was green.

Green with envy that is.

Even after a full day's worth of work, she still couldn't get it out of her mind. She was glad that Chat was great at fighting, but in comparison she felt like she wasn't doing work up to par with him. Marinette knew she shouldn't be comparing him to her, but it just felt odd to think that he was so good with his fists and techniques while she could barely defend herself. She didn't want him feeling the need to constantly protect her in battle. Marinette needed to hold her own and protect herself. It was just that she sucked so damn bad when it came to doing that. It was hard not to think about how Chat could fight so well. Why couldn't she fight like that?

"Are there anymore pins on me?"

Marinette felt along the dress to check even though she didn't think she left any pins. "No, you're fine."

"Can you help me down?" Juleka asked as she held her hand out delicately.

Marinette had one rule while she was sewing for the fashion show.

No one could see the designs until they were actually on the runway

That included the models themselves. Each of her models, including Juleka, had been blindfolded during each fitting and fixing to ensure that they wouldn't see a single thread in her collection. Only during the fashion show would they be permitted to see the work. It was a bit extra to have them walk and practice in the garments blindfolded, but she felt it was worth it to see the surprise on their faces once they actually saw what they were walking in on the day of the show. It wasn't like Juleka, or any of the other models, minded for that matter, they looked at it as a way of spicing things up prior to the show and enjoyed the mystery from not knowing.

Marinette took Juleka's hands and guided her down the platform before sitting her in a chair.

Juleka held on to Marinette's hands as she spoke. "Tell me what's bothering you."

No matter how much Marinette wanted to elaborate, she just couldn't without leading everything back to Chat which would lead to the Kwamis, which would in turn get her back to the story of the book. It was nothing she felt she should explain, it was crazy and not exactly logical.

Though I do think Juleka is crazy enough to believe me...She shook that thought from her head as she looked at the blind folded girl. "I just...have gotten myself into a bit of a mess. I've been told that I'm doing well and I'm trying so hard, but I still feel like I'm behind and like everything I'm doing is just...impossible...Like no matter how hard I try, I just can't live up to what's being asked of me." She replied honestly with dejection heavy in her words.

There was a slight silence, before Juleka spoke. "Marinette, nothing is truly impossible. You know my story. I used to think a lot of things were impossible, but look at me now- doing the impossible." She replied with an encouraging smile.

Boy did Marinette know her story, it was truly one of beauty. Right before Juleka had met Marinette she had been going through rehab and recovery. She suffered from severe confident issues in high school which led to bulimic episodes that left her near the brink of death and in the hospital more times than she could count. She was left skinny, pale, and like a walking corpse among the living. At the time, she felt there was no control over her life and the only real thing she could control was anything pertaining to her body. It was the only thing that gave her comfort in her darkest of times. After years of bullying, taking pills, and feeling like there was no sign of her getting better, she spiraled until it got to a point where she naturally threw up any food that entered her system. It wasn't long before she was placed on permanent bed rest in the hospital until she could better herself. Everything at the time felt impossible, like she'd never amount to anything or get better after falling so hard. But then Rose walked into her life.

By chance, as she lay in bed contemplating taking her own life, little Rose Lavillant had been volunteering at the hospital and had walked into Juleka's room after seeing the beautiful young woman look as sad as she was. Rose had been the first and only person to tell Juleka that she was beautiful when she felt her ugliest. She helped her pull out of the dark hole she was in. It wasn't long before occasional visits became an everyday thing, and a friendship was able to blossom from that. Encouraging Juleka to do her absolute best, Rose had stuck by her side until the very end. After regaining perfect health, the two continued their friendship and stood by each other's side to this very day. The thought of being in front of a camera had bothered her prior to her bulimic episodes, even after getting to a healthy weight she refused to take pictures for the longest of time. It was Rose that had encouraged her to get in front of a camera and attempt to regain her confidence. With a promise to take at least one picture each day, she had worked on her self-esteem. During her first year of recovery, she had been scouted by Gabriel's company and had worked with him since then. With the goal to give other young girls the same hope that Rose had instilled in her, she had taken the opportunity.

She's right. In her heart, she felt no reason to complain after thinking back to Juleka's history. This wasn't as serious, and she could definitely train harder rather than complain about it. She smiled thinking about how Rose was like Chat to her. He genuinely seemed to be rooting for her during practice and she knew he would continue to. "You're absolutely right, I just need to keep trying and stop thinking of it as impossible." She said as she squeezed Juleka's hand.

"You're much stronger than I am, Marinette. I truly believe that anything you face you can overcome, whether it be easy or difficult."

"Thank you." Marinette couldn't thank Juleka enough for her kind words. It was really what she needed to hear to get her spirits back up. "Alright, let's get you out of this thing," she said as she unzipped the back.

After Juleka had taken off her dress, she stepped out adorning her baby Wednesday Adams black dress. "Hey, if you're up for it, Rose and I are going to The Louvre after work tomorrow. Want to come?" She suggested as a sort of pick me up.

Marinette grabbed Juleka's bag and handed it to her before grabbing the keys to lock her office door. "The Louvre? Didn't you guys go last week?" She asked as she briefly recalled Juleka mentioning something about it.

Her eyes lit up as she began to explain. "Get this, apparently people that go to the museum are disappearing."

Marinette almost dropped her keys. "What?"

Juleka could hardly contain herself. "Guards and even one visitor went missing yesterday!" She said as she followed Marinette out of the office. "Apparently it's been happening every day for the last four days. Only one guest has gone missing, but I'm hoping that we can see some action if we go at night."

Of course, she would be excited by this stuff. Marinette thought with a giggle. While Juleka was borderline aroused by people going missing, Marinette was beyond freaked out. Who was to say that there wasn't a psycho killer on the loose? She was never one for ghost stories or murder mysteries, so even hearing that people were going missing would keep her up at night. "I think I'll pass. Rose actually agreed to this?" She asked as they began walking down the corridor.

"Of course," she said with a wicked grin. "She's my partner in crime, she was a little freaked out, but the thought of something weird going on intrigued her. There's speculation that it's someone doing voodoo magic there and hexing people."

Magic? Marinette stopped in her tracks. No...it couldn't be...

She couldn't tell if she wanted it to be a killer for the sake of saving her energy and time or if she wanted it to be a Kwami so that they could be one step closer to collecting them. After seeing Juleka's questioning glance, she began walking again. It's worth checking out...

The two parted ways soon after finishing their conversation about the museum. She ran as fast as her heels could take her and practically flew through the door before she ran to Chat. He nearly jumped out of his skin as she shook him awake.

"Put on your shoes, we have to go."

xXx

The two stared at the old museum from behind a bush nearby. Chat turned to Marinette with an incredulous look. She tried to ignore his gaze on the back of her head, but even she knew that she had slightly messed up.

"So...you ran home…woke me from my nap...and brought me here without thinking about if the museum was closed? You also neglected to mention that there are thousands of cops on patrol." He just wanted to make sure he had all of his facts straight before he continued giving her the look.

Marinette rolled her eyes, not appreciating his pointing out of the obvious. "I didn't think about it, okay?" She tried to think of any plan that could get them into the museum without too much of a hassle. Yea, she hadn't really thought anything through, but it wasn't her fault. She was running on three hours of sleep and a long day at work. "I think we should be able to get in though." Marinette began rummaging through her bag. "Aha, follow me."

Chat looked at her like she was a mad woman as she strode up to one of the guards. He followed in tow, not wanting to fall behind. Marinette looked the cop over while offering him a gentle smile. Young guy around my age, clearly nervous at being approached, and seems new to the job. This should be a piece of cake. "Excuse moi." Marinette said politely.

"Y-yes?" The guard asked.

"I work for Gabriel's company, I'd like to do a bit of research for the showcase." She held out her pass for him to take as she tried to hold an authoritative, yet sweet, tone with the gentleman. She thanked God for the fashion show that was causing her so much stress. As the Winter Showcase approached, Gabriel had partnered with Mayor Bourgeois along with few select companies. Anyone under his label gained access to different locations so as to serve as a source of inspiration for those that participated in the showcase. The mayor, never being one to pass up on an opportunity to make extra money and show what Paris had to offer, gladly agreed each time. Out of several of the locations, The Louvre had been one of the partners for the last two showcases. Each person with the silver pass was permitted access to these locations for free and within reason. The guard turned a wary eye to Chat with a questioning look. "He's uh...my chauffeur...I didn't feel comfortable simply leaving him in the car."

He examined the card, before holding it out for her to take. "It's a pleasure Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but I do apologize. I know of the project, but it is passed hours."

"I know," Marinette responded quickly, she gently grasped his hands in hers, "but I just need to see one work of art and then I'll be out of your hair." She batted her eyelashes as sweetly as she could. "I work from 7am to 5pm each day and I did over time today. My boss understands that and that's why he gave us these cards. I promise I'll be done after I just look at it. I mean...I can get my boss on the phone, but I'd hate to have to put you through all that work of talking with him, dear."

Honestly, she felt bad trying to sweet talk the poor boy and she could feel herself throwing up at her term of endearment, but if it was a magical subject they were on, they'd have to stop it asap. No questions asked. She batted her long lashes a few more times for extra effect. When it all boiled down, she knew he couldn't exactly say no. Mayor Bourgeois was a huge partner, meaning that if anyone under Gabriel Agreste's label asked for someone to jump, the only answer should be how high and if they should put a pep in their step. Marinette highly doubted it would be like this if the mayor's daughter wasn't also a fellow designer working in the fashion show though. Marinette technically wasn't on the list of designers that were supposed to go to the Louvre, but she was hoping he wouldn't bother going to all of the trouble to check that.

Either way, she was getting into that museum one way or another.

He could feel himself breaking out in a sweat as he slowly took his hands back. "Of course," he cleared his throat, "right this way."

Marinette began to follow him with a smile of victory of her face. Who said a little sweet talk wouldn't get you places? She trailed behind him into the glass pyramid that was The Louvre while looking at the back of his head. She hadn't been in the Louvre in years, but it was just as beautiful as she remembered. She loved museums and loved the peaceful feeling she got from being in them. The only problem was that it was dark...and people were missing...and ghosts absolutely petrified her...

She nearly forgot Chat was with her until she heard him mumble under his breath as they walked down the stairs. "What did you say?" She whispered back.

"You hussy."

She lightly grabbed his arm and yanked him close to her so that they could keep the whispering between the two of them. "What did you call me?" She had heard him loud and clear, this was his only opportunity to change what he said before she killed him. How dare he call her outside of her name, had he lost his mind?

"I saw the way you lured him, like a siren in the ocean." He replied while jerked his arm out of her grasp.

"Well excuse me for trying to get us in here without much questioning," she fired back with reason, "Why do you care anyways? At least we got in."

"I don't," he replied quickly. "I just think it immoral."

Marinette rolled her eyes, "Just drop it okay." It's not like she had much of an argument. Sure, she had batted her eyes lashes a few times, but she did what she had to do.

"Everything okay?" The guard asked the two.

"Peachy." Marinette replied as she turned from Chat to the breathtaking art around them.

"Exactly which piece are you looking for?" He asked, hoping to get them out as soon as possible.

Marinette tried to think of what they might have there as they walked into the Denon wing. "It's a piece of jewelry. I don't know the name, but I'll know it when I see it." The guard nodded his head as he began guiding the way. Seeing the opportunity, she decided to probe him with questions to see if he could enlighten her as to what they were dealing with. She sauntered up to him, in turn leaving Chat behind her. "So, any word about the disappearances?"

The brown-haired lad seemed shocked that she had asked. "How do you know about that? That's classified information."

What the hell? How did Juleka know? Marinette knew the copper eyed woman had many friends, but how did she get information that was on the down low? "Um, people on the inside? There wasn't much said. Just that a few guards and a visitor went missing. Is that why there were so many guards outside?" She asked.

"Yes, I don't know much, but there is still no answer as to what is going on." He answered, trying to give as little as possible away. He had barely any information on the subject, but he was told to keep the topic of the disappearances out of the mouths of citizens until they could find the cause of their problem.

"That's scary, isn't it?"

"A bit." He turned to her before completely turning around and scanning the area. "Where is your chauffeur?"

Marinette prayed and begged in her mind that Chat would be behind her when she turned around. Ever so slowly, she turned on her heels with her heart beating against her chest. It nearly broke when he wasn't. "I don't know."

"This way, ma'am." He said as he began leading her back up the stairs. She could tell he was getting nervous as he looked around frantically. Marinette couldn't imagine how much trouble he would be in if another person disappeared under his watch.

"Chat!" Marinette called out. Holy crap. The feeling of fear in her stomach was growing with each ticking second. She was without a partner, meaning she'd have to do this alone. What if there really was a murderer taking people at the museum? They would be next and there was no way in hell Marinette was going to die in a place like this. She wanted to go out saving a child's life or after doing some death defying stunt that wouldn't actually be very 'death defying' if she died by its hands.

The two rounded the corner, but let out a yelp as they collided with something on the other side. Chat grabbed Marinette's forearms to steady her and prevent her from falling. The guard looked more than just annoyed at his appearance.

"I'm going to have to ask you two to leave." The guard said as he ushered them outside.

Marinette glowered at Chat the whole way out until they were actually outside and on the Pont Des Arts. "Why couldn't you just follow us to the jewelry section, you just had to pull a disappearing act, eh? That was our only chance to see the exhibit tonight." She reprimanded with a hand on her hip. Sure, she hadn't really thought of a plan upon arriving at the historical site, but any plan she could've had was ruined by Chat.

"We need to get back in there, I felt something." He replied as he watched the guards switch positions.

"Well, we can't now because of you. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow." Marinette said as she swept her hair into a low pony tail.

"We passed the room where the security cameras were, I took the opportunity to cut off the surveillance cameras using cataclysm," he explained, "by tomorrow they will be back on. We need to get into the museum tonight." Chat emphasized, meaning he was not taking no for an answer.

Marinette looked at all of the guards before turning back to him with a low sigh. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"I'm glad you asked, I have a plan." Chat smirked.

He quickly explained his plan before she agreed to doing it. Marinette thought it to be quite simple, but it was worth a shot. They had one chance and it was their best bet of getting into The Louvre for the last time.

Both held out their hands as Marinette recited the spell with conviction, "Miraculous." Their gadgets fell into their hands. Chat scoured the ground until he collected a few rocks of varying sizes.

They waited several minutes before Chat threw two of the smaller rocks and then the largest at a tree near the guards with extreme force, nearly causing it to fall.

"This way!" The guards said as they ran towards the noises.

A few guards stayed behind to guard the back side, leaving the front exposed. The two quickly ran up to the front at seeing them leave their post.

"Lucky charm." Marinette whispered with haste.

The yo-yo changed into a key in Marinette's hands. She quickly inserted it into the door before they ran inside. She swallowed a gulp she hadn't known was stuck in her throat, Marinette couldn't believe his plan had succeed. Even though she had agreed to do it, she had her doubts about whether it would work. Great, so now he wasn't just the bronze of the team, he was the brains too. Marinette sighed as they began to walk the museum, how useless was she? Once they were inside and at the center of the Louvre, the key dematerialized and vanished. She placed the yo-yo in her pocket before following Chat around the museum.

Chat eyed the statues carefully. Seeing his analyzing look over the Venus de Milo, Marinette asked, "Are you that fascinated?"

"They are white." He stated before moving onto the next piece of art. "They were pink when created?" It came out as more of a question, though she knew he was telling her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, not seeing anything wrong with the artwork.

"It must've been some time," he mumbled under his breath. "Artwork from my century was pink and was once colored, but now that years have passed they have lost their lust and tint. I watched it in a documentary."

She rolled her eyes. She hadn't known anything about that. "You really are the smart one." Marinette muttered under her breath.

"The smart one?" He asked. "Meaning?"

Marinette sighed as she began walking up the stairs. Should I tell him? She thought to herself. "Chat, you're great- truly an amazing person. You're kind, you're smart, and you can fight extremely well from the looks of it. I'm just nervous that I'm not contributing enough to our so-called team." She summarized.

As they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped her. "You know what's great about being a 'so-called team'?" He mimicked. "It's great that it's composed of two people. We're two different people. Two that pick up where one lacks. I may be able to fight a little, but I can't read spells, I can't purify akumas, and I can't cook." He listed his faults, causing Marinette to laugh. "You can do all of that, and then some more. So, don't focus on what you can't do, Marinette. Focus on all of the great things you do."

Marinette smiled and gave him a swift hug. He really was the Rose to her Juleka. "Thanks for trying to help me feel better. You're right, we both come together to make an awesome team." She looked around them. "I think we should split up. You cover the top, I'll finish the bottom, we can meet up afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan." He said before turning his back to her.

By the time Marinette was down the stairs and was looking at the vastness of it all, she could feel her skin crawling with goosebumps. Who wouldn't feel a bit nervous walking around a building where people were disappearing? She stared at where Chat had walked up the stairs, he was long gone and probably wouldn't be back until thirty minutes had passed if he walked around the second level quickly. In hind sight, this wasn't one of her best plans considering how scared she can get.

With a deep breath, she turned her cell phone's flash light onto the Pharaoh exhibit. Her heels clacked and echoed as she walked down a few more stairs to get to the display. She hadn't been to the Parisian site since The Pharaoh was built, it was like walking into a new era. She eyed the studious mau cat statues that lined the walk way, greeting her as she entered. Ancient writing she couldn't understand was scribbled on different scrolls around her, not that she cared much. She passed a few other artifacts only to stand in front of a long scroll warn down with age.

Marinette eyed the pictures carefully, it was similar to the book she had in her possession. She couldn't understand most of the things the cursed book had written in it. She liked to look at the writing and create stories and give the random hieroglyphics meaning in her mind. Marinette had been lost at thought staring at the papyrus in front of her, had it not been for her watch beeping to let her know it was seven o'clock, she might have continued to stare. With a straight face, she turned her back to the words. It was official, despite the appealing lure of this exhibit, absolutely nothing magical was happening here.

Just as quickly as she came, she left.

Well that was a bust...

Marinette walked back to the main entrance of the underground lobby and turned back to the stairs that Chat had ascended up. He had yet to come back, not that she had expected him to in such a short amount of time. Marinette spent a good thirty minutes weaving in and out of each exhibit as quickly as her Christian Louboutin heels could carry her. She figured Chat would be done by now, but he still hadn't met her at the entrance yet. Deciding to try walking into the last exhibit, the Denon, she entered and began going into each room. Though it had been years since she had walked the corridors of this exhibit, she remembered it as one of her favorites and had wanted to save the best for last. Eyeing each artwork carefully, she tried to think of a logical reason for what was going on.

Chat said he felt something and that could very well just be a Kwami here. I don't think a Kwami would be causing people to disappear though...So this could actually be a person on the loose.

She tried to silence her thoughts as they went down a dark road of a murderer on the run from the cops. She could picture the murderer sneaking up behind her, slicing her throat open and then disposing of her body in the basement along with others that had fallen victim to his hand.

Marinette nearly let out a scream as she heard a clank around the corner from where she stood. She slowly crept towards the location of the noise, her breath sounding loud in her ears as she neared the sound. She stopped in her tracks as she heard giggling. Someone else was in the museum and she knew Chat couldn't make the high-pitched squeals that were coming from around the corner. With her back pressed closely to the wall she tried to convince herself that if it was her time to die, then it was just her time to die, if not then she'd survive and have an awesome story to tell her kids.

She peeked her head around the corner and nearly passed out.

Right in front of her was the actual Mona Lisa and one of Michelangelo's very own Captif sculptures engaging in a light-hearted conversation that left them giggling each second. Marinette leaned back and stared at the ceiling trying to gather her thoughts. It was official. She had lost it. Maybe all of this was a dream? There was no such thing as Kwamis or magic, or whatever the hell was going on because never in her life had she ever expected to hear the soft and yet raspy voice of Mona Lisa.

Maybe I am dreaming.

She turned back, just to make sure that what she was seeing was true. Sure enough they were still grasping hands in a fit of bubbly laughter. As she watched the two, she felt her arm being yanked back and she almost let out a scream had her mouth not been covered immediately. She was ready to fight her perpetrator, but stopped when she saw that it was her partner.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she swatted his hands away.

Chat threw a straight face her way. "You said to meet at the entrance once we were complete. I waited for fifteen minutes and you had yet to show." He peered at her face closely. "You look wan, what's wrong?"

"That's what's wrong." She said as she pointed over the corner.

Both looked around the bend, just to see the two works of art peering lovingly into each other's eyes.

Chat pulled her back and nodded his head. "No explanation needed I see."

They heard clatter coming from another room. "Oh, I think that must be Baldassare Castiglione!" The Mona Lisa exclaimed as she stood, "We had quite the conversation yesterday and I think you'd be interested."

As in the diplomat? Marinette thought as she remembered the old painting well. "We need to leave." She whispered with haste as she grabbed his upper arm and began leading him down the corridor. "If I'm correct, these paintings and statues are all coming to life with each passing second. Meaning we need to end this now before this place is flooded with over 1,000 pieces of art coming to life." She came to an abrupt halt causing Chat to bump into her. Down not too far from them, she could hear others talking and she was 100% sure it was no guard having such a boisterous time. Marinette quickly pulled him into a room and cut the light on her phone.

"This isn't a Kwami." He said as he led her to a corner where they wouldn't be seen. "Master Fu said they were held in jewelry. Each artifact was old from the looks of it, nothing new was added."

Understanding that if there was no newly added jewelry, then that meant the Kwami couldn't be there, Marinette nodded her head. "So, it's an akuma, but who would do this?" Her eyes were glazed with confusion. "Who would want to bring paintings to life?"

"I'm not sure," he replied after some time, "Try your spell and see if anything happens."

She dug in her pockets until her nails tapped against the hard-outer shell of the yo-yo. "Lucky charm." Marinette whispered, as she held it out. She waited for a glow of light, but nothing happened. She repeated it a few more times before she turned a panicked look on Chat. "Chaton, it's not working." She commenced to repeating it a few more times.

He cut her off after the fifth time, "Forget it, it is of little to no use for us now." He turned back to where much more clatter and noise was coming from. He couldn't imagine all of the paintings coming to life. There was no way they could take them all on. "Someone is doing this and we need to find them quickly."

Marinette knew Chat was trying to keep a stable mind, but it was hard when her only power was officially out for the count and more and more paintings were coming to life. She stuffed the yo-yo back in her pocket, slightly disappointed at how useless it was. Without so much as a lead as to whom may be doing this, they were shit out of luck. Chat scowled as an idea failed to come to him.

"There is the slight chance these paintings will do no harm." He said, trying to keep a positive outlook. "Rather than starting off aggressively, why not just walk out and try talking?"

Marinette remembered the last time she tried to talk with an akumatized person and quickly shook her head. "Whether they be able to talk and reason or not, I don't want to risk it. Besides, if they really were good, people and guards wouldn't be disappearing." She tapped her foot impatiently. "For now, maybe we should try to get where there is less art, maybe the Richelieu is the best place to go. Napoleon's dining room should be safe unless they are feasting in there."

Chat nodded his head, while he believed it to be a bad plan it was a plan no less. "You know the perimeter, yes?" Both jumped as the lights in the museum cut on.

"For the most part." Even though she had a bad sense of direction, she was sure they could get to the wing without a problem. She looked out around the entrance of the room but pulled back as the two main pieces from Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss walked by hand in hand. They would definitely have to hurry. Once they had passed, she looked out once more, "We're fine, let's go."

"Wait," he grabbed her hand and placed the staff in it, "if push comes to shove use this."

She looked at the staff before pushing it back his way, "You need it, if something happens-"

"I have these." He said as he held up his fists with a smile. The Saint Mary Magdalene glowed with a golden outlining as the statue began to vibrate behind them, the two could guess what was soon to happen. "I'm afraid we're out of time, princess." He said as he made her hand clasp around the gadget.

Before the statue could completely come to life, the two ran out. Marinette ran in front to guide Chat through the museum. As they exited the Denon, Marinette stopped. Directly in front of them at the very center of the Louvre clustered most of the paintings and statues gathered together in what appeared to be a special occasion. She gasped at the amount of artwork that was currently laughing, chatting, and living up their art filled lives. It was like a social among colleagues which oddly fascinated and disturbed her.

She nearly bumped into one of the artworks she was less familiar with as she stared at all of the pieces. A woman dressed in Renaissance garbs looked down with a hmmph, annoyed at her rudeness, but turned her back and continued on her way none the less.

Chat was right...they're harmless. She thought as she tried to regain her breath. "I think we can go through without a problem..." The pieces of work were so engulfed in their conversations that they hadn't even paid any attention to the two of them.

As if to blend into the crowd, they walked in a natural pace and climbed the stairs, stopping in front of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

"Look at them." Marinette fawned in pure awe. "It's beautiful."

Michelangelo's and Di Vinci's works interacted as they pleased. Raphael's danced to a tune that wasn't heard. If Marinette didn't know any better, they would've appeared as normal as any human. She turned her gaze to Chat, he seemed just as captivated by what was transpiring in front of him. Whoever had thought of doing this must not have been that bad if they were just trying to let the paintings have fun. What other reason could anyone have for doing this?

"It's a work of art, pun intended." He said before turning to her. "How do we stop this?"

A light chuckle bubbled in her stomach despite the seriousness of the situation. "Look for the root of all evil I'm guessing." She said as she searched the people to find anyone that stood out.

"And I'd believe that to be her in all of her glory, get low." He whispered as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her lower so that they wouldn't be seen as he pointed at their villain.

As one of the Pharaoh's black mau's strode in, a woman lay happily on its back. Creamy brown skin covered in gold Egyptian hieroglyphics were scrolled upon her skin. Her long dark dreads spiraled around her until they ended with the tips of snake heads swarming about her. She was clad in nearly nothing with a skimpy midnight black woven bandeau to cover her perky breasts and a nearly see through skirt that fell to the floor with a trailing train. The slit on both sides of her hips was so high up that Marinette had a good mind to cover Chat's eyes to shield him from the indecency. She lay sensually on the cat as she strode in, gaining everyone's attention and silencing them in the process.

The mau stopped in the center of the room and the woman stood tall on the cat's head. A coy smile played on her lips as she looked at each of the master pieces. "Tonight, we feast, we love, we live, as is should be." She spoke clearly and concisely as if she were giving a speech to her commoners. "The last of the swine have been caught."

The master pieces cleared their way as another cat walked in. She patted the kitten as her smile grew, deep brown eyes watched what was placed in the center of the room. Five guards turned to nothing but mere stone were tossed non-too ceremoniously on the ground. Marinette gasped as she turned to Chat whom was staring with a clenched jaw. Inside the mixture of guards was the very guard that had guided her when they first came. The look of terror on his stone features made Marinette's heart ache.

"Now," she continued, "you are free to scour the city, to live as you please to be. The God that has granted me these powers asks for only one thing, help him find it. Leave no stone unturned, leave no blade of grass untreaded on. We owe him our lives and so much more!" She let out a hearty laugh as the master pieces around her joined in with claps of joy. "At midnight, we prowl the Parisian streets in search of what he seeks. Dance, sing, play to your hearts content for the time being. I, Angel of you all, Medusa, beg you to enjoy yourself."

Angel in all black? It was no angel Chat had ever heard of. As her speech continued, Chat turned an ear to Marinette. "We need to keep them from getting out."

"But how? There's too many of them." She looked at the staff gripped tightly in her hand. "Can you see any item on her from this angle? Anything a papillon might be stored in?"

Chat analyzed the young woman. Jade eyes searching for any answer, "I see it!" He whispered harshly. "Her crown, milady."

Marinette's eyes drifted to the black crown sitting upon the woman's head. It had to be it, right? While it wasn't black and purple like the other items every other akumatized person had, it was a deep black that had her mesmerized by its beauty.

"Let me see the staff, I believe I can hit it from here." Marinette handed him the staff. There was no doubt he could extend the staff and hit it with ease.

"Whatever you do, don't look her in the eyes. She's imaged after Medusa, one look into her eyes and you'll be turned to stone like the guards." She told him. In case he didn't know much about the creature of Medusa, she felt it wise to tell him the small tidbit.

She ducked lower. As he set the staff on the railway, he tried to get the staff just right so that it would hit the crown rather than go straight through the girl's head with its sheer force. Marinette turned her back and leaned against the backboard of the stairs. It was almost over, this was a rather easy job much to her relief. The woman moved about dancing around the mau cat while talking with her people, making it difficult for Chat to actually hit her.

While Marinette waited for him to do his deed, a crackling noise behind them drew her attention. She turned to the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The statue stood tall and with grace etched into each curve of the stone.

It wouldn't...

The same small golden light illuminated it as it crackled on.

"Chat..." Marinette tried to whisper so as to alert him without alarming him.

"I've almost got it." One eye was closed with his tongue poked out to the side as he took his aim.

"Chat." She tried once more as the wings flapped in the glass enclosure.

He turned around to see what had Marinette so worried. The wings flapped with extreme force before the glass enclosure broke in shards around them. The staff extended slightly as he dropped it before covering Marinette to shield her from the glass. All the attention was on them as the woman looked shocked by the sudden attack. The staff clanked and rolled up to the girl's feet. One of her dreads of snakes slithered around it before hissing at what had nearly hit her.

"Usurper! It seems we have more enemies. Get them." Her harsh voice broke out as she pointed a hand at them.

Marinette and Chat stood looking for anyway out as few of what they believed to be the guards of Medusa charged at them. Statues of knights and royal guards ran up the stairs in a heap in order to attack.

"Hold on!" Marinette said as she tossed her yo-yo to the upper level. Once it latched on, she yanked to pull them up. Chat was first to grab onto the glass banister before he pulled Marinette up. As they ran through out the Louvre, Marinette peered into each room looking for anything to help them out of the mess they were in. One room was full of knight enclosures and empty armor. She jerked Chat into the room and began pulling at the armor.

"We have a few seconds before they come." She rushed out as she yanked one of the daggers out and tossed it at him. Her mind was racing with thoughts, none trying to settle in her mind at once. There were hordes of guards ready to take them on and they were officially without one magical item. "We're going to go back down there into the center of it all." She said as she took a sword for herself.

"What? Have you gone mad?" His mouth had dropped to show just how appalled he was at her ludicrous idea.

"I'm questioning it." Marinette replied honestly as she kicked her heels off, deciding it would be easier to fight without them. "It's either them or us. We're going to jump over the banister to get back to the main floor. Down there we can at least fight and try to take the crown." She tucked the sword into the loop of her shorts, careful not to cut herself.

"This is about the most absurd idea you've had yet." He said with a smile finding its way to his mouth. There were millions of things that could go wrong with her flawed plan.

She returned the smile as she grabbed his hand in hers. "Aren't those the best kinds?"

Hearing the footsteps approaching quickly, they ran out. The guards were less than ten steps away. With a tight squeeze of his hand for assurance, she threw the yo-yo to the other side. Chat quickly latched onto her before they jumped off. In mere seconds, they had swooped down and were standing in the midst of hundreds of works of art. Many of the citizens of the Louvre gasped and some actually fled as if they were scared of them.

"Get them!" Medusa yelled with a wicked smile playing on her lips.

Guards that had stayed below charged at them.

"Stay safe, remember what you learned." Chat rushed out before charging at one of the statues that was coming Marinette's way.

Marinette watched as Chat used his fists to fight off the statues, dodging and punching where need be. She was so fascinated that she nearly missed avoiding a blow from Louis XIV. He had nearly taken her head. Without hesitation, she took the sword out and pointed it his way.

She stood balanced on her feet as she lowered her body, remembering the steps that Chat had taught her earlier. With the thought of Chat and the need to finish the battle, she fought. Despite her moves being sloppy, she had managed to dodge each blow. Louis XIV cried out as he attempted to stab his sword into her. Marinette tangled her sword in his before pushing up to effectively toss his sword to the side. Both watched as the sword flew to the other side of the room. With a snarl he charged at her, ready to use his fists to finish the battle. With closed eyes, she held the sword in front of her, prepared for the attack. She felt pressure in the sword before the snarling had completely stopped. Marinette slowly opened one blue eye to see that in his heated run towards her, he had run directly into her sword.

As if he were never a three-dimensional person, paper from the painting he was created on lay stuck to her sword. She ripped it off and then turned to Chat who was currently fighting off four guards at once. Before she could run to help him, she was jumped from the side. Her sword was thrown a few feet from her as she was pushed onto her back. Before she could stand, two rough hands immediately cut off her breathing. The statue of Apollo Sauroconos lay straddling her as took the breath from her. Marinette gasped for air as she clawed at his hands. His grip was so tight and the marble was so heavy that she just couldn't get him off of her.

I never thought I'd have another naked man on top of me trying to choke me. She thought back to the second time she had met Chat. She could hear Chat calling out to her in the distance, but he was much too busy fighting his own demons to come help her. Her head lolled to the side as she felt her vision slipping.

Marinette tried to use her fists to punch him but ended up with nothing but bloody knuckles as her weak punches collided with his chiseled features. If anything, his grip tightened after she tried to fight back, clearly angered by the thought of her opposing him.

This is it.

As black claimed her vision, she felt pain and stress leave her body. Before she could feel herself confined to the comfort of darkness. The pressure around her neck seized almost instantly. A few seconds passed before she came too. She sat up and grabbed her aching head as the room spun around her. Lying next to her was the very statue that had tried to choke her. Etched into his back lay the dagger Chat had been fighting with, effectively breaking the marble and in turn killing him off.

He must've thrown it to help me. I'll have to thank him later...

She quickly shook her head and took the dagger out of his back. Chat had been fighting with just his fists and his knuckles were showing the wear and tear of it all as blood dripped from the white meat of his hands. Marinette gripped the dagger tightly in her hand before standing. As she stood, her leg kicked against something on the ground. She looked down before picking it up. It was his staff. Seeing one statue trying to attack him from behind, she aimed and pressed the middle button down to let the staff extend, striking the statue and piercing through the middle. It fell to the floor and broke upon impact.

She had nearly forgot about her own weapon in the heat of battle. Quickly, she pulled it out and said a prayer.

Please work. "Lucky charm."

Unlike the last time she had tried to use it, it glowed a bright pink light before a sledgehammer appeared in the air and fell into her hands. As it fell into her palms, she nearly dropped it not expecting it to be as heavy as it was. Sticking the staff in her back pocket, she wielded the sledgehammer. It was perfect for knocking through the marble statues. Without a second thought she made her way to Chat, throwing the hammer every which way until anyone in her path was knocked down. Around her marble statues broke and people turned to paper once more. It wasn't long before she was back to back with Chat, protecting him from the other side.

"My pocket has your staff." She said as she swung and broke off the arm of the Bordhese Gladiator.

Chat punched one of the statues, causing it to crumble. In the spare second he had, he reached in her back pocket for the staff before jabbing it into one of the pieces of work. With both standing back to back, fighting off their enemies, the artwork broke before them. Marinette wasn't sure how long her stamina would persist against the art. It seemed nearly never ending. Through the corner of her eyes, she could see Medusa walking towards them.

"Chat, watch yourself!" Marinette yelled as she fended off another destructive knight.

Upon hearing his name, Chat turned to see what had Marinette concerned leaving himself open. One of the statues wielding a sword took hold of the opportunity and slashed at his side.

Chat cried out in pain as he clutched his hip, pain instantly over flooding his senses.

"Chaton!" Marinette's voice came with worry as she turned to him. Before she could completely turn to check on her partner, her pony tail was grabbed from behind and she was yanked down, hitting her head on the ground. As she tried to still her blurring vision, Chat came into sight. He lay on the floor clutching his side as blood oozed out from the wound. She tried to go to him, but found that the marble structure that had her hair in his fist had an extremely tight grip. She was stuck in place.

Before she could grab the sledgehammer that fell from her hands. Medusa swiped it from her with ease and tossed it across the room in a fit of anger.

"You dare to disrupt our festivities? People disgust me." She spat as she turned her gaze from Marinette to the young man wreathing on the floor. Her interest was clearly perked as she eyed the young lad.

Medusa grabbed the back of his hair as she yanked his head up to examine her eye candy. Chat's eyes remained squeezed tight in pain and for fear of being turned to stone. She jerked his head every which way, pleased by his prominent features. He was by far the best-looking man she had ever been graced to lay eyes on, truly the best work of art in the damned museum. She felt she could look him over for days.

"What a magnificent creature we have here. I will have your head and turn it to stone to add to my collection." She spoke with dreamy eyes. "Give me a sword." She said softly as she held out her hand. The same statue that had cut Chat bowed before placing his sword in her hand.

Marinette reached out to grasp at Chat, but failed. "No!" She cried out. "Don't lay a hand on him!"

Medusa spun the sword laced with his blood as she turned to the girl with a roll of her brown eyes, clearly annoyed by her presence. "Dispose of her, do as you please with the body."

She turned back to Chat before yanking his head back to get a clear view of his neck. Without hesitation, she readied the sword to bring down upon his neck, ready to claim her prize. As the sword came down, Marinette reacted in a split second. She propelled herself forward, ignoring the pain of having her hair ripped from her scalp. She wrapped her body around Chat as she threw them both to the floor to avoid the swords sharp touch. Between the tight grip of the marble statue and the swiftness of the sword as it had been brought down, it narrowly avoided them but managed to chop at her hair. Within seconds, her hair was cut and the sheer force of her throwing herself down had caused them to hit the floor with quite some impact.

Medusa stood shocked at the girl's action, not expecting her to risk her life. Seeing the woman stunned, Marinette kicked at her legs, causing her to fall and the crown to drift a few inches from them. Marinette scrounged as fast as she could to the crown, wasting no second to grab the head piece and snap it in two. With a cry of despair Medusa looked at the crown as a bubbling matter overcame her.

Seeing the papillon appear, Marinette tossed her yo-yo in the direction and let it be engulfed by it. Once it was captured, she snapped the yo-yo back before tapping its outer shell. With little to no strength, she waved at the papillon as it fluttered away. "Bye-bye papillon."

The sledgehammer began to shake violently before bursting into the air. The same sparkling pink light swept over the museum and paintings in order to fix the night's affairs. Once broken statues returned to their monuments in pristine condition as if they had not had their own battle. Paintings glittered as they returned to their normal composure. Marinette collapsed to the floor at seeing that everything was returning to normal. Guards that were once stone regained color to their cheeks as they turned to the regular texture of human flesh. Chat stood with a wince of pain before going to Marinette's side. She lay in the scattered feet of hair that had been chopped off. He crouched next to her and ran a hand through her now short, choppy hair. He could see the tears welling in her eyes at what had been lost.

"I'm-"

"It's fine." She said before he could apologize.

"If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened." His words were laced with an apology he had yet to say.

She clutched her lost hair in her knuckles tightly before slowly releasing the strands. "I don't mind having short hair."

"You just told me that you loved having long hair earlier today." He finished rather awkwardly, not sure of how to deal with the sad girl or his guilty conscious.

Marinette swiped at the tears that threatened to fall before standing and helping him. "I would choose losing a few feet of hair over losing you any day, so bien joué for a job well done." Marinette said with a forced smile as she made him pound his fist upon hers. She turned to the young girl that had done it all. They locked eyes, deep brown irises clashing with sweet blue eyes. Marinette turned her back to her without a word. "Now, let's go before everyone comes to."

Without a second thought, the two fled the Louvre.

xXx

The next day, Chat sat on the couch watching the news. He patted the wound on his side. Despite all of the blood that had gushed out at the museum, it was nothing more than a flesh wound and was virtually nothing more than a scab in turn. Every news station had been talking about the incident at the Louvre. There wasn't much to say on the subject mainly because the cameras were cut and had been cut each night, no doubt from Medusa not wanting anyone to know of her nightly gatherings.

He heard the door open behind him, meaning Marinette had come home after a long day of work. He could hear her rummaging behind him as she took off her coat and kicked off her shoes. He didn't dare look at her. After they had left the Louvre, the walk home had been deadly silent and no conversation had been made. Upon arriving home, she had instantly gone to the bathroom ready to cleanse the day's events from her system. By the time he had taken his shower, she was passed out on the couch, leaving no room for discussion. Even in the morning, she had left breakfast on the table and had gone about her day. Despite what she had said last night, surely she was mad. Why wouldn't she be? She had just talked about how much she loved her hair and how it was a temple. Now her years of work on it was gone because of him.

Completely disregarding that she had entered the apartment, he continued to watch the news with steady eyes. As he watched the news reporters talk, she leaned over the couch and covered his eyes with her hands. Upon having his sight cut off, he pressed one of his hands to her soft small ones.

"Guess who." She sung lightly from his left side.

"Hmmm...a certain blue-eyed female maybe?" He questioned.

"Correct, but keep your eyes closed, mister." She said as she took her hands off of his eyes.

Doing as she said, he closed his eyes and turned in the direction of her voice. "And for what reason should my eyes be closed, milady?"

She maneuvered herself so that she was directly in front of the kitten eared man. He could feel her minty breath on his face from the close proximity. "Okay, now open them, Chaton." As he opened his eyes, he was surprised at the sight in front of him. "Tada!" Her once butchered and staggered hair was now in a short bob that slightly hovered over her shoulders. As if to decorate her hair, she had a small red ribbon tied around it as a headband. With each small movement, her hair flowed in each direction dramatically, showing just how silky it was. He took his hands and gently placed it on each side of her cheeks, turning her head in every direction to examine her hair cut. She giggled once more as she placed her hands on his to keep him from moving her head. "What do you think? I got it done after work."

"It's absolutely beautiful." He answered breathlessly. It framed her face perfectly and looked lovely on her. If possible, she looked younger and better. Maybe like a sixteen year older rather than a twenty-one-year-old woman. It was like he was dealing with a child now.

She could feel her cheeks warming as he looked at her. Marinette cleared her throat as she sat next to him, not liking the heat that was making its way to her face. "Thank you."

She leaned her head on his shoulder as she turned to the TV. He commenced to playing with her hair, liking the soft texture of it being freshly washed and properly taken care of. "I truly am sorry."

With a huff, she lifted her head from its position on his shoulder and she pinched both of his cheeks. "Listen, Chaton, and you listen good. I don't care about losing a few feet of hair, I honestly don't." She spoke rather harshly to get it through his thick skull. "I regret nothing, and besides, didn't you say this hair style worked on me? You didn't lie to me, right?"

"Of course not, milady."

She released his pudgy cheeks before going back to her comfortable position. "Okay then, no more discussion of it."

Chat smiled down at her, glad that she was sparing his feelings. She truly was a kind person to forgive him. He continued to play with her hair, loving the feeling of the soft strands between his claws. As the news continued to play on, both listened tentatively to what was said. Soon the same girl that was left at the museum appeared on screen to make a statement. Both looked at each other before Chat reached for the remote and turned up the volume.

Angelica Engelis, the one they had once known as Medusa, stood with a look of shame on her face. "I don't know what happened..." She murmured as the camera zoomed in on her. "After being fired after working at the museum for over ten years, I just...I went to a dark place." That was all she could offer as a reason for what had happened. There was nothing to fault her over, everything had been returned to normal, but that didn't change the fact that what had happened had definitely transpired. They were merely going by the girl's word and what the police and fellow guests that had "disappeared" remembered before being turned to stone at this point.

"Who was it that was at the museum? Who fixed the paintings?" Nadja Chamack asked tentatively, excited to get more answers from the young girl.

"I'm not sure. It's like I can picture who was there, but I can't place a face on it. Like there's a big blurred out spot in my mind." She answered honestly.

"Well-"

Before Nadja could continue, Marinette turned off the television while looking at Chat with a look of realization. "Did you hear her?"

"Yes?" Chat asked as if it weren't obvious that they had both been watching the same exact thing.

"No," Marinette shook her head as she began to pace in front of him "I looked directly at that girl," she said while pointing at the screen, "there is no way in hell she couldn't see my face. No way. I think... our magic is Clark Kenting everyone around us. Either that or she's a liar..." Marinette brought a hand to her chin as her eye brows furrowed together. It would explain why authorities hadn't come knocking at her door to ask her about her secret hobbies.

"Clark Kenting?" He asked with eyes that spoke his confusion.

She sighed, completely forgetting he hadn't read a single comic book in his life. "It just means that even when people see us, unless we spell it out for them and tell them what we do and who we are, they won't know that we're Kwami holders. It's named after a comic book super hero that can virtually walk around looking exactly the same as his counterpart, but looks completely different to regular citizens just from wearing a suit and glasses. It works in our favor, but there's something else that's bothering me."

"And that is?"

Marinette seized her pacing and sat next to him. "When that girl was giving her speech, they had planned to go out into town last night. We stopped them around eight, but had they reached midnight, they would've left the museum."

"And?"

"Let me know if I'm thinking too much, but she said they were looking for something. To present to the God that allowed them the ability to come to life. She couldn't have meant Nooroo's owner, right?" Marinette turned to him for answers with somewhat hopeful eyes. "And if so, what were they looking for?" There was so much that they had yet to learn about the Kwamis and their gifts. She thought back to the conversation she had with Master Fu prior to going to the hair dressers. She had wanted answers about why her yo-yo had stopped working. The only answer he could give was that the Kwamis needed a break every now and then, so they couldn't just jump into battle after battle back to back like Marinette had originally thought they could. Even powerful beings had their limits. After using their special powers once, twenty or thirty minutes would be a fine limit that they should go by if they didn't want to get caught up in an impossible situation.

Chat was silent for a while before he turned serious eyes onto Marinette. "I honestly can't remember her saying any of that if she did." He was more or less focused on fighting ever since they stepped foot into that building. Anything that the Medusa child could have said went in one ear and right out the other.

Marinette smiled as she nudged him. "Then forget it, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. In the meantime, I have something for you." She said as she stood and grabbed her bag from off the counter. She plopped down next to him and pulled out a blue Polaroid camera. Marinette placed it in his hands and let him examine it as he turned it around and clicked random buttons on it. One of the buttons he clicked caused the shutter to go off and a bright light to flash off.

He nearly dropped the camera as he pulled back, seeing stars from the objects sudden attack. Marinette burst into laughter at seeing his first encounter with a camera. She gently took the camera from him as the film came out and began to develop. She held it in her hand and leaned it towards him. "It's a camera, silly." Marinette was about ready to burst into another fit of laughter at his wide-eyed expression. "It helps you capture memories. I was thinking it's about time we start getting pictures of your first times, since you'll have many of them."

She giggled at seeing the picture he had taken. It was at an off angle of part of his face. You could see the shock on his face with his eyes widened and dilated pupils, mouth agape, and face drawn back in the photograph. She couldn't have asked for a better first picture of him, it was funny in an adorable sort of way. At seeing the photo, he found himself laughing along with her. They shared a hearty laugh before she picked up the camera.

"Let's take one together. To commemorate my short hair, and you getting your first camera." Not sure how to pose, he sat still waiting for her to take the picture. She rolled her eyes and put an arm around him as she positioned the camera at the proper angle so as to get both of them in the picture. "Don't forget to smile. On three. One. Two. Three!"

Both smiled as she snapped the picture. She handed the camera back to Chat after the picture popped out. "It's yours now, use it to take pictures of anything you want."

"Thank you, Marinette." He smiled down at the camera.

"No problem." She said as she turned back to the developing picture. It made her happy to see that he was so grateful for something as simplistic as an old camera she hadn't used in years. Marinette grinned at the picture as it finished. Chat had plunging dimples that Marinette hadn't noticed when he smiled. She also loved how his pearly whites showed through and how bright his eyes were in the picture, betraying how truly happy he was. As she looked at the picture, a flash went off, signaling that he had taken a picture of her. "Chaton!" She reprimanded.

"You said of anything I want." He shrugged before taking another candid of her.

She tried to swipe it from him, but he stood and took another of her. "You better stop that!" In return, he took three more pictures of her with a snicker. She jumped for the camera, which he easily avoided as he moved to the side. "Stop, that film is expensive!"

Chat laughed as he took another photo of her from across the room. Despite her trying to get the camera back, she loved this. This was how things should be. She could get used to the laughing, the smiling, the playing. She wanted things to stay the way they were. For things to stay as perfect as they were in this moment.

---

I know, I know, I'm one week late :(

Sorry guys!

But Happy New years! Let's have a good year.

Please pray for my family, my grandfather passed away.

I will see you all next Monday.