The last chapter was heartbreaking. This chapter is tense. Next chapter...will be something else ;)
Wings
by thepeacockandthebutterfly
A hissing sound pervaded her mind.
A dark silhouette of a person stepped forward until she could see a wicked grin on their face. They must have opened their eyes then, for two rings of purple began to flow brightly, visible even in the suffocating darkness.
The eerie appearance of the strange person was only heightened when they spoke. Somehow the eerie smoothness of their words just added to the overall apprehensive feeling filling her chest. "So you are the famed Lady of the Skies...how...disappointing," the unknown figure purred.
Something akin to anger in her reared its head at the words, roaring indignantly. "And you are?" she asked, frost seeping from her tone.
To her frustration, the smile on the shadowy person's face only widened at her question. And in a syrupy voice, they answered her question, "I am a creature of darkness, born from the warring conflict that resides within each and every living creature," it's voice crescendo-ed to a rattling cry that promised pain and splendor, "I am Hei and, my dear Lady of the Skies, I hope to meet you soon. Albeit not in this form." He spoke his name as if he were the very entity of glory, a thought that sent shivers down her spine.
The figure stepped forward once more and she realized that the shadows were not part of the night, darkness was born of the figure. It reached for her hand and lifted it to its lips. Those horrible glowing eyes sought out her own sky blue orbs, sending a twinge of fear through her. "It was so very nice to meet you."
Marinette woke up suddenly, clutching her chest and gasping. She clutched at her blankets for several heart-pounding moment, catching her breath. What was that? she thought, the faint remnants of her dream slipping out of her mind, leaving behind only a sickening trace of fear behind. She could still feel chills running down her spine, but the dream itself had escaped her memory.
And then a faint tingling sensation crawled along her earlobes, up the shell of her ear, and then across her face. At the same time, the faintest pink light began to glow from her face in the darkness of her room. Marinette reached up a hand to brush against the Ladybug earrings, jumping when her fingers made contact. The moment they touched the earrings, the tingling increased until it felt like tiny bees were stinging her jaw and the pink glow brightened. She leapt out of bed to look in her mirror, stunned when she saw the glowing earrings in her ears.
The transformation twisted around her with a pink light that echoed the faint pink glow from her ears. And as soon as she was garbed in her Ladybug outfit, her yoyo began to vibrate. She split the yoyo into two pieces, seeing Vulpin's pale face show up.
"We've got a problem, guys!" he called, the wind ripping at his face as he ran across the rooftops.
His eyes looked directly at the screen, a hollow sort of terror filling the cerulean pools. "I found the dark butterfly."
Ladybug snapped shut the yoyo, and with a swift movement, jumped out of her window. Her wings slid out with a quiet whirring sound, carrying her up to meet with Vulpin.
She landed on the typical meeting place at the same time as the rest of the heroes arrived, all of them in similar states of disarray. Ladybug took a deep breath and cleared her throat, taking command. "What's this, Vulpin?"
He looked up at her and she saw the fear clouding his eyes in person. "I...I talked with the butterfly." His voice was solemn and too quiet, bordering on shell-shocked..."It," and then he froze, true horror crossing his face, "we need to help her!"
"Who?" Paon asked, stepping forward. He didn't like the boy all that much, but it was obvious he had been through a lot that night.
Vulpin sank to his knees, the words springing from his lips unbidden, "The dark butterfly has her. Chloe...it has her." He broke into rasping sobs, the emotion of the day leaving him in tears.
Ladybug knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him. The gesture was meant to be comforting, but Ladybug knew she was trembling inside. For one of them to be corrupted...she knew how close they had come to destruction last time. "Are you sure?"
He only nodded, burying his face in his hands.
"We have to find her," Fonce said, walking over to place a comforting hand on Ladybug's shoulder. When she looked at his face, she saw the underlying question: Does she need to be terminated?
Ladybug shook her head lightly at him, hoping that there might be a way to save the new holder of the bee miraculous. But she did stand up. "Chat, go with Paon to scout around the Bourgeois mansion. We need to find her before she can cause any destruction. Fonce, take Vulpin to Guardian. He might be able to use his unique abilities to draw details from Vulpin's memory." The heroes nodded in agreement, getting ready to take off. "And I will be paying a visit to someone who may need to join our fight now...he has delayed long enough."
Chat shot his girlfriend a look, but even he knew better than to disagree. It was time for Nino to make his choice. He didn't have any more time left to decide.
And with that they all split up, nerves running rampant and fearful for the future. For yet another battle was steadily approaching. And they didn't know if they were really ready for it.
Fonce, supporting Vulpin, rapidly left the roof. Glancing around for any watchful eyes, he unfolded beautiful purple butterfly wings from his back. They were dark on the outer edges, a deep plum shade that gradually lightened to a lilac center.
"Don't tell anyone about this," he muttered to Vulpin.
Vulpin, still dazed from his encounter with Chloe, nodded and smiled. "They're pretty."
Fonce found a tiny grin pulling at the corners of his mouth at the boy's frank words, but he pushed down the happy feeling to focus on the task ahead. Going to Master Fu's house.
Should be easy enough to get there. Heaven knows I've tried to rob him enough times.
Shaking off the stray thoughts, he landed right in front of the little shop the old man owned. With a cautious look behind him, he detransformed. Vulpin followed suit, not really knowing why, but at least he knew to copy Felix.
They opened the door slowly, the faint tinkling of a bell alerting Master Fu that they had arrived. The old man hobbled out as quickly as he could, his face set in grim lines. "Where's the fox?"
Felix thrust Nathanael forward before disappearing into the depths of the shop. Master Fu shook his head, slightly amused by the boy's actions, but not worried seeing as Felix knew his way around quite well by now. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing he had yet to find out.
Focusing all his attention on Nathanael, he made sure to speak in a soothing tone. Ladybug had sent a message about what the hero had been through, and Fu was worried about Nathanael's mental state. "How are you feeling?"
Nathanael visibly relaxed some at the lilting East Asian accent that escaped the man's mouth. "I'm..." he struggled with the words, not knowing how to describe it, "I feel 绝望." He slipped into the Mandarin dialect he had learned as a way to impress Marinette...it seemed like such a long time ago now. He blushed faintly, embarrassed about his previous bordering on obsession with the Wasian girl. "我担心她. 我想我可能会爱她..." He shook his head abruptly. He didn't want to finish his sentence, not with the way it was headed.
Master Fu, recognizing the turmoil in the boy's eyes, prompted him gently, "你害怕她吗?"
"恐怕她会死的," a glassy look filled his eyes, "恐怕我可能需要杀了她." And just as quickly as it had come, the glaze over his eyes dissapeared, leaving behing an almost uncanny perceptiveness. "I am afraid of her." He switched back to English with practiced ease, his last words ringing with a hollow dishonesty. He was afraid. But more of what loving her was doing to him than of her herself.
Master Fu nodded, understanding his need to lie. His tone switched from comforting to a more brisk manner, finally asking the questions Ladybug had asked him to ask.
"What did she act like?"
Nathanael shuddered at the memory that rushed into his mind. "She was like a puppet," he said haltingly, "the dark butterfly...it was-it was speaking through her. As if she was only an akuma...and yet she was also more powerful. There was something about her, a menacing feel."
The wizened old man sighed deeply. "Miss Chloe has been corrupted. Except instead of possessing an item, the dark butterfly has possessed her."
"Does she need to die in order to free it so that Ladybug can purify it?" Nathanael asked, his voice colored with a sadness that came from already knowing the answer to his own question.
Master Fu only nodded once again.
"I see." But he didn't.
Ladybug sat on the floor of Nino's room while he watched her in awe.
"I can't believe that Ladybug is sitting in my room...actually I can. But Alya would freak!" Nino was fangirling as only a fanboy could, and Ladybug took it with a bemused smile.
"Nino," she interrupted his ramblings, "I'm sorry that Adrien and I didn't share our identities with you and Alya sooner." "Although we only just found out who each other is quite recently," Ladybug added, grumbling under her breath.
Nino was struck by a sudden realization. "I should have known that you were Ladybug, Marinette." He smiled sheepishly, awkwardly recalling the newfound confident side of Marinette that had initially drawn him to like her...until Alya came along, at least.
Ladybug shrugged, oddly brisk in her movements. Her detransformation was like falling cherry blossoms, the soft pink descending off her in gentle waves. Nino found himself mentally comparing it to the sharp electric green that burned a fiery trail as it ripped the transformation off of Adrien, forceful and ferocious. It was perhaps the first time that he understood the balance between the ladybug and the cat.
"We need you to decide. Now," she said abruptly, Marinette's sharp eyes reading his uncertainty easily, seeing right through his attempts at diverting the conversation.
Although it was a comfort to deal with his dear friend instead of the unattainable heroine, Nino gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry, Mari."
Marinette tightened her jaw. She didn't want to get testy with Nino, he was one of her best friends after all. But he was being unreasonable. "I don't understand...what's preventing you from accepting it?"
Nino looked down at his laced fingers, contemplating how to explain it so that Marinette would understand. "Have you ever felt like the miraculous wasn't worth everything that came along with it?"
Marinette winced. She knew exactly what he meant. Especially right now with the threat of the dark butterfly looming over her.
"So you have," Nino said drily, able to understand Marinette's little mannerisms with ease, "so then you understand why this is hard for me!"
She swallowed hard, about to respond when her earrings began to tingle just as they had earlier. Marinette grimaced at the interruption before retransforming into Ladybug. "Yes?" she asked, staring down at the screen in the interior of her yoyo.
"We need backup!" Chat cried out, obviously trying to fight something off while calling her.
Paon flashed into view before he activated his own communication link. "Preferably now rather than later," he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice despite the strain that was also present as he too was doing battle.
A horrible scream sounded from the screen, accompanied by Paon shouting, "NOW!" before the image fizzled out, leaving no clues as to what had just happened. Ladybug looked up at Nino, face draining of color quickly. "I need to help them," she choked out.
"This is why I can't decide, Mari," Nino had to add in, well aware of his poor timing.
Ladybug rose up on the balls of her feet before relaxing them down to the floor, a nervous tic. Her sky blue eyes met Nino's tawny brown evenly, but he could see the flashes of panic swirling in them. "We might need you, Nino. If we do, I will send a message through your bracelet, it should start glowing and vibrating."
Nino, recognizing that this was not the time to argue, breathed out a quick, "Yes," before watching Ladybug soar away. And with all his heart he hoped that they wouldn't need him. Not for his sake, but for theirs.
"Please be okay," Ladybug whispered to the air as she flew away from Nino's house, wings beating the air.
Please don't let me lose any of you.
绝望=despair.
我担心她. 我想我可能会爱她=I'm worried about her. And I think I might love her.
你害怕她吗?=Are you afraid of her?
恐怕她会死的=I'm afraid she will die.
恐怕我可能需要杀了她=I'm afraid I might need to kill her.
Reviews:
Izzy: Hahahahahahaha! It wasn't the strongest cliffhanger, but I'm quite pleased with it.
Firstiwilleatthesebeans: Thank you! I really appreciate your praise of my story!
ChocPretzelYT: Omg I only just read your review, but I LOVE IT. Cannot wait for your next review. ;)
GenderbentDragonRider: I love how enthusiastic you are about reading my story! Honestly, it's very flattering to know that you enjoy my work!
LadyNoirAdrienette: I've planned out about 30 chapters(but maybe a bit more). I did take a look at your first chapter (and I left a review). It was a very good start and I would mostly just suggest fleshing it out as it doesn't really have a lot of content. Other than that, your spelling and grammar was pretty good! I can really see myself being a follower if it had a bit more plot to it! Keep writing!
And now, drum roll please...only a week before the most awaited chapter arrives! Chapter 27! I included a slightly fleshed out version of the snippet that appeared in Chapter 27 just for your viewing pleasure(and to hopefully get you all amped up and anxious for next week's chapter) ;P
Sneak Peek:
Marinette stood defiantly before the twisted girl that had once been her best friend. She held her arm tightly, refusing to wince at the feeling of blood dripping from an open wound on her arm to the ground below. They had suffered so many losses that day, she thought, her heart twisting at the memory of the one who sacrificed himself to ultimately defeat Sombre. And now Sombre...no...Chloe lay on the ground, Nathanael cradling her despite his broken arm. She knew that she would never forget the role she had played in Chloe's corruption, just as she would never forget the screams of her friends. The rest of her partners were de-transformed and wounded, most barely even able to move. Only Nino was still trying to move, his hands shaking with the effort of trying to pull himself up, trying to reach the girl he had once loved. The battle had taken its toll on them all...and Marinette did not dare to hope for victory.
"You have lost, Ladybug," Fenwa snarled, teeth bared in a vicious grin of triumph.