Summary:
It's a tenporary loss that will go on to shape both sides.
I apologize for any typos, mistakes, ect.
Chapter: Regret's Will
It's odd, strange.
"Your time is running out, quicker than it should."
Marinette presses her lips into a tight line, swallowing thickly, she remains on the ground, shifting only to bring her knees to her chest, she falls silent, unsure of what to say, if she should say anything.
"I don't know if the magic ladybugs will save us this time.", Ladybug says.
There's something in Ladybug's voice, something that Marinette doesn't feel like deciphering, she merely frowns heavily, lips pressed tightly. She remains silent, staring ahead of herself, but not exactly focused on Ladybug's form, her other form. She stares ahead, but only to face the direction. She feels a heaviness beginning to suddenly come over her, weighing down on her shoulders.
Ladybug sighs deeply, unamused by Marinette's stubborn silence to acknowledge anything further. She moves, standing straight up before suddenly stepping forwards, drawing closer, she rounds the teen, circling her for a moment before eventually getting beside her and slowly dropping to a knee.
They both now looked forwards, taking in the sight of the dreamy landscape, golden wheat, a sunset like no other and the soft breeze that pushed past them and between them.
"You're going to give up, just like that?", Ladybug sighs again, she sounded tired, her lips remained slightly parted, eyes narrowed, she didn't face her this time.
Maybe Ladybug would get through to her like this.
"You can't do this.", Ladybug breathes, her voice beginning to shake, "You must will yourself to stay if you want to...live."
Marinette's eyebrows twitched up for a second.
"You want to live, you want to go home, you want to see your friends again, you...you want to see Chloé again.", Ladybug's breathing became slightly ragged, an urgency began to set in, in her tone, she turned to her, staring at the side of Marinette's face, taking in her forced stoney expression. "You must let go of the past, allow yourself a chance to begin again, begin anew. You can, you should. This...lonely path you've chosen for yourself will only get you killed."
Marinette hugs her knees closer to her chest, she feels the corner of her lips twitch.
"Say something."
"What do you want me to say?", Marinette snaps slightly. "I've done everything right- did everything right, and I still lost, I lost Chat Noir, I lost my friends, I lost myself, what's the point anymore? I don't...I don't think I'm cut out for this anymore, Chloé and Kagami would make a great Ladybug and Black Cat team, they don't need me, no one does."
"You're wrong, they need you, they care for you, if you give up now, Hawkmoth will win and everything you've been through will have been for nothing."
She wants to live, she does, but she's afraid, afraid of all the hurt that comes with living, physically and emotionally. She was afraid she wasn't strong enough to resist Hawkmoth's akumas should he send more for her. She can't help it, masking her emotions and pushing them down was the only reason why she hasn't been akumatized again; she was angry, she was bitter and sad and scared, her fear only growing as each day new cracks presented themselves on her mask of emotional deflection. She wasn't strong enough to move forwards, to let go of everything that's happened to her. Every time she saw her old ex-friends walking in the hallways of the school, she was reminded of the hurt and as she remembered, she felt angrier and angrier.
"I can't", Marinette breathes shakily now.
"You can, you just have to let go."
Marinette swallows thickly, she turns to Ladybug.
"Every Ladybug has had their trial, not all of them made it, but you, you can. You just have to stop pushing me away.", Ladybug said softly, her gaze softening. "Adapting to new situations, situations that are out of your control have never been your forte. You've always been in control of your feelings, you had a routine, you never expected change to come."
Marinette feels her eyes begin to burn with that familiar prickling sensation, her vision begins to blur and her lips began to pull into a pout.
"Life is change, it is unexpected, it is constant.", Ladybug sighed deeply, "You got scared when Chat Noir confessed to you, you got scared when Alya began to choose Lila over you. For the first time in your life, you lost control of everything, you were forced out of your comfort zone, you were forced to do things differently, but most of all, you were forced to change, to adapt the best way you could."
Warmth, Marinette felt warmth escape her eyes and roll down her rosy cheeks.
It's true, Marinette couldn't help but think, accept. She was afraid of a lot of things, but nothing scared her more than change, the unexpected, the obstacles that required her to adapt. Trying new things was always hard for her, the uncertainty of doing something different, scared her.
"You lost your friends, along with the ability to let people in.", Ladybug pauses, shifting, now sitting, she begins to search Marinette's eyes, deeply and after what seems like forever, she speaks again. "I know it hurts, i know you're afraid, I know. But, maybe some people, some things, are worth it, you don't know what's waiting for you at the end of all this, it might just be worth all the sweat, blood and tears."
Marinette swallows thickly, a shaky breath escapes past her quivering lips, she breaks her gaze off from Ladybug's own and turns to face forwards again, she feels it then, feels...all of her feelings at once. It's odd, it's like a filter had been removed somehow, like all of the walls she had spent her time building had been breached, she feels her heart aching.
"I'm not...I'm not going to force you to stay, I'm not going to force you to be Ladybug.", Marinette can hear the defeat in Ladybug's tone, she can hear it building and then setting itself in, it makes her heart clench. "I know staying here rather than going back...there, seems really appealing. I know that, But if you have any will left, any strength left, please...please think this through."
Marinette sucks in a shaky breath and closes her eyes, screwing them shut, she brings her knees up to her chest tightly again. Change was her greatest enemy, it was what held her back so many times, she was unwilling to do something different if she could help it, unwilling to take a chance.
If Marinette stayed here, it would be over, but if she went back, she would have to deal with the unexpected hurdles thrown her way, she would have to take chances, have to change and deal with the change.
It was a very hard decision.
And Marinette was truly conflicted, she was actually considering staying here...in this place.
It's a shriek, loud, raw, it's-
"Oh God!", Tom bolts up from beside his now hysterical wife, his eyes glued to the screen, not leaving the zoomed in footage of Noir- his daughter's body. He felt his heart leap to his throat, the moment the hero lost her transformation, revealing who she was.
Gina stood up as well, mouth agape, eyes wide in shock.
"Oh- Shi- God- Oh God!", The News Reporter who was getting the coverage gasped out, nearly cursing, the look on her face had changed to horror upon recognizing Noir's civilian form. After all, the woman covering from the helicopter was none other than Nadja. "Oh my god.", was seemingly all she was able to muster at the moment, still in shock at the turn of events
"Tom, she's- She's not moving!", Sabine practically sobs out, her hands now covering her mouth, her whole body shook. She's never felt so helpless, never.
Tom's shoulders trembled, he was speechless, unable to speak further, unsure of what to do, if he could even do anything. This whole thing was far beyond his control, his daughter was out of reach. He could do nothing.
That was all they could do, nothing.
"Marinette.", Chloé's lips part, quivering, tears burning her eyes, she feels her whole body shaking. She's focused on Marinette's still form, too focused to notice the rushed footing coming from behind her.
"Who drops their guard during a fight?", Volpina says with a snicker as she jumps on Ladybug's back and wraps her arms around the distracted Blonde's neck, pulling her from the ledge.
"Oh no, Ladybug's in trouble!", the reporter says as the camera now pans to the struggle on the roof.
Chloé grunts, gritting her teeth, "Get off me!", she yells and begins to step back, wanting to get her attacker off of her. Her hands grabbing onto the girl's arms, arms that were tightening around her neck. She shoots her gaze to a grimacing Peacock holder, she couldn't help but wonder why the woman wasn't helping Volpina in subduing her.
"Be still, this'll be-", Volpina grunted, pausing before beginning the ending of Chloé's time as Ladybug, one of her hands making it to Ladybug's ear, she quickly took the earring off, "-quick."
And Chloé felt it, felt the magic that was granted to her, leaving.
She panicked.
"NO!", Chloé screamed, she suddenly tilted her head forwards and snapped her head back, delivering a brutal headbutt to her attacker with the back of her head.
"Fuck!", the girl cursed and released the hero, stumbling back.
Chloé grit her teeth and stumbled forwards, she turned and delivered a kick to Volpina's ribs, sending her flying back into the brick wall Marinette had sent her to, this time knocking her out. She brings a shaky hand up to her face and touched her face, she quickly noticed that half of her mask and glove was fading away. Her identity would no doubt be exposed at this point, it was inevitable. Before she could sink further into thoughts, she heard the Peacock holder finally coming at her, she lifted her head, no longer trying to hide her surely exposed face. She moves to fight back, deciding that she might as well go down fighting.
Chloé lunges towards the woman, in the split second before she engages her, she sees recognition igniting in her eyes, sees the way her expression changed drastically.
The sun is slowly setting, dusk was upon her now, slowly, but surely, the sun would set and her fate would be sealed.
Marinette sighs softly, seeming resigned to her fate, a fate she decided for herself.
Ladybug had left, fading away from her side, leaving her alone, seems she had finally given up.
The teen swallows thickly, she hugs her knees against her chest, her gaze was fixated on the sinking sun, unwavering. A half-hearted smile curls her lips, tears spill from her eyes as they glistened her lashes, it's bittersweet she can't help but think. Truly. She blows a heavy sigh out from between her lips and closes her eyes for a moment.
"I love you.", a voice speaks softly, tenderly, it's familiar, she recognizes it immediately.
And suddenly it's like she's been jolted awake, sapphire eyes snap open, and as they do, she catches a gaze catching her own. Her eyes widened slightly, taking in the sight before her. "Chloé.", the name escapes her lips, softy, it's carried by the gentle breeze of air. She breaks her gaze off from those teary blue eyes, she looks around and finds that she isn't in the golden field anymore, sitting under the darkening sky. She's on her balcony, standing across from Chloé. She blinks, and the sight changes once she opens her eyes again. This time, Chloé was Noir, standing just an arms reach away from her, they stood on a street, one oh so very familiar.
"I love you", Noir says softly, her expression was tender and sincere. "I'm here, I promise."
Pink lips part, quivering, her chest tightens for a moment before her heart begins to thump quickly and hard, it's pounding. Her heart pounds in her chest, in her throat and in her ears, she can't escape it suddenly, just like how she can't escape the sensation of warmth suddenly crawling it's way up her body, it starts off as tingling in her toes before it quickly makes it's way up her legs and beyond, consuming her body, engulfing it like a heavy thick blanket. She gasps softly, finding it hard to breathe suddenly, her vision blurs as tears once again gather and dominate, they roll down her cheeks, she huffs and puffs unevenly and finally, she blinks again, and another change presented itself, her surroundings didn't change much, but the way she saw it did, much like a filtered lense being lifted, everything suddenly looked better, lively, the colors around her all stuck out.
But it isn't her surroundings that further bring her to tears, but it's the person that stood in front of her that does.
She had regrets, but one bothered her the most.
"-UNGH!", Kagami takes a whip of Hawkmoth's cane to her leg, causing her to momentarily stumble.
King Monkey growls and charges Hawkmoth's, trying to get him off his feet. Him and Kagami both knew time was ticking, neither knew how Marinette was doing and neither wished to dwell on it, they both knew that Ladybug would fix everything, like always.
"Look at what's happened! Does your friend not need help?!", Hawkmoth says through his teeth.
Both teens sneered at the man.
"This is all your fault!", King Monkey yells, eyes slightly watery.
"Ladybug will save her, but you, no one's gonna save you.", Kagami growled, flashing her teeth to the man, much like a caged animal.
Hawkmoth growls, looking between the two, they were truly starting to wear him down. He couldn't help but wonder what was taking Nathalie and Lila so long up on the roof, they were so close now, Marinette's fall was her own doing.
"Chloé?!", the surprised voice came from a surprised Fox holder, the real fox holder.
"Yes, now get off your ass and help me!", Chloé says not so kindly, her mask was gone and slowly the rest of her transformation was wearing off.
Aurore shook her head and nodded, standing up quickly and blindly running towards the Peacock holder, charging in.
The woman clicked her tongue and turned to try to counter the girl, but as she does, Chloé takes the opportunity to also charge in. As the woman manages to get her arms around the Fox, Chloé manages to get on her back, wrapping her arms and legs around the woman's body.
"My other earring! She has it, get it!", Chloé yells out to the Fox. Hawkmoth's and Mayura's accomplice was still down.
The Fox wiggles out from the woman's arms and falls onto her bottom, she follows Chloé's gaze, darting for the hunched over girl that was slowly coming to, the earring laying a few inches from her fist.
Aurore dives for the jewel and grabs it. She knows her time is just about up and her transformation would end and her kwami would need to rest and recharge.
Chloé grits her teeth, her arms wrapped tightly around the woman, she resisted the burning in her forearms, resisted the urge to release the struggling woman from her grasp.
"You little-!", Mayura growled and turned quickly and suddenly threw herself into a brick chimney, back first.
"UNGH!", Chloé released a pained grunt through her teeth, she screwed her eyes shut, she refused to release the woman. Her transformation was nearly gone, the top half of her body was merely her civilian form.
The Fox makes a quick decision, one that was hardly thought out, she cocks a hand back and throws the earring at Chloé and flees.
Chloé's caught off guard by the lack of warning, but thankfully, she catches it with a hand, she releases the woman and falls onto her back, she hastily puts the earring back on and her full transformation returns once more. She gets to her feet once again, but just as she does, Mayura jumps away from her, turning and suddenly breaking into a run. Chloé is definitely at a loss for words, but she doesn't give chase, she had to purify the Akuma that akumatized Hawkmoth's and Mayura's accomplice, she would then have to find what she knew was an Amok and also deal with that too, fighting Mayura and Hawkmoth was no longer her priority, fixing everything and bringing Marinette back to consciousness was.
She releases a heavy sigh and turns her head, looking up, she sees the news crew in the helicopter, camera pointed at her. She was done for that was for sure, she swallows thickly and looks away from the helicopter, she brings her gaze to the unconscious false fox, she sneers and makes her way to the girl, she takes her yoyo from her hip and launches it to the charm on the necklace around the girl's neck, the charm breaks and an akuma tries to escape from the broken charm, she captures it.
"Chloé's Ladybug?!", Everyone in the room gasps out.
"No way!-"
"What!?-"
Everyone was crowded in her living room. Even her family. Everyone sat on the couch or on the floor, eyes locked on the TV screen.
Alya didn't expect this, seeing coverage like this, finding out who was playing Ladybug and Noir for Paris these past few weeks.
"Marinette was Noir.", Nino whispered to Alya.
Alya doesn't say anything, she remains silent, eyes locked on the screen, anything Nino said to her wasn't registering, she was lost in thought. Marinette was Noir, Noir wasn't kind to her or anyone from their class, everyone had a terrible experience with her when she saved them. Alya knows now, the why. Understands that they betrayed Marinette, they earned Marinette's anger when she was Noir. She feels a prickling sensation in her eyes, feels the guilt washing in all over again.
"Marinette's not moving, she hasn't moved since she hit the car.", Alya's older sister is the first to bring up Marinette's name. Concern in her voice.
Alix, Mylene, Nino and herself remained silent, neither willing to comment.
"Oh God, I hope she's okay, I mean, Ladybug will fix this, she always does.", Alya's father now says.
Alya swallows thickly, her eyes were on Marinette's still body, Nadja was concerned for Marinette's state, she couldn't seem to grasp her usual professionalism. The camera panned around only to return and zoom in to Marinette's still form.
A what if suddenly presented itself inside her head.
What if Marinette...died?
Neither of them know what to make of it and neither of them decide to stop them, Hawkmoth and Mayura both stopped fighting, it seems that they figured that this fight was a loss, they retreated. Chloé finally calls upon her lucky charm, they all focus their attention on their initial problem, only to find that it is no longer problem of sorts, the villain was still, as if it'd been from in time, Chloé's lucky is unfortunately summoned for no reason because just as they step towards it, it dissolves away, right down to what the Amok was, an object, it snaps in half and a small feather escapes from the item. With a throw of her yoyo, she captures the amok.
"That was-"
"This was-"
Both King Monkey and Kagami begin but stop themselves.
"-What happened!?", The Fox resurfaces, huffing and puffing, panting as she drops behind the group, running towards them.
Chloé's keeps her back to the group, she stares at her yoyo, unsure of what to make of the situation, Mayura, the Peacock holder seemed strong, they had the advantage and yet, it was clear that the woman changed her tune, immediately holding back once she saw her face. Mayura recognized her, knew her and by the way Mayura acted, it seemed as though the woman didn't want to fight her.
There was a lot to think about, but first thing was first, fixing everything.
Chloé, with a deep breath, purifies the Akuma and Amok, releasing them once they were purified, she then calls upon the miraculous ladybugs.
It felt odd, anticlimactic even, they felt as if nothing was accomplished.
Chloé has a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, it settles and weighs heavily, she's quick to move once she summons the ladybugs, she quickly jogs over to Marinette, her body now next to the newly restored car on the asphalt street ground, Plagg was merely sitting beside her head. She's the first to make it to her, she kneels down and looks over Marinette's face, waiting.
"Is she okay?", King Monkey is second to make it to them, Kagami and Aurore soon make it to them too.
Chloé's sighs softly, her transformation's soon to wear off, the short beeps of her earrings remind her of such.
"Plagg?", Kagami speaks up, stepping to the other side of Marinette's form, she kneels, "Plagg?", she repeated herself, concern begins to grow inside of her, she observes the kwami.
Plagg's ears flatten on the sides of his head, he slowly looks up to look between them all before settling his watery gaze onto Chloé's own. "It- it's too late.", he says softly.
The Kwami's words, although coming out as softly as a whisper, practically give the group whiplash, their expressions fell, they all looked as though they'd been slapped across the face.
"Wha-"
"No-"
"The Ladybugs-"
They all began to speak over each other, it's composed at first, composed before they all begin to sink into despair, they all become less and less coherent before the crying begins. The gravity of Plaggs soft words fall onto their shoulders, it crushes them.
"The ladybugs were supposed to fix everything!", Chloé yells at Plagg, "I did everything I was supposed to do!", tears run down her cheeks, her voice shaking, her chest aching. 'No please, no-', she begins to chant in her head. Her hands immediately reach out, one placing itself over Marinette's chest, the other over Marinette's shoulder, she releases a whimper when she doesn't feel Marinette's heart beating or her chest rising and falling, she sucks in a shaky breath and shifts, bending down to place her ear over where Marinette's heart should be thumping.
She hears nothing.
Kagami looks on, reaching out and taking one of Marinette's hands into her own, she cries softly, clenching her jaw, wanting to keep the sobs at bay.
King Monkey and Aurore were both crying as well, the boy slapped a hand over his mouth as he whimpered brokenly, his head tilting down, he stared at the asphalt, his other hand placed itself onto Marinette's knee, his thumb gently caressing it.
Aurore stepped closer to Chloé, dropping to her knees when she got beside her, she placed a gentle hand over Chloé's shoulder, she swallowed thickly, tears running down her own cheeks.
Chloé's transformation suddenly wears off and Tikki appears.
The kwami appears and is caught off guard immediately, she sees everyone crying, sees Plagg silently...grieving. her eyes move, her gaze dropping to Marinette's still face, tears well up in her eyes. "Marinette!", Tikki yells out, she floats down, landing on the other side of Marinette's head. "No, no, how? Why?", The kwami says frantically. Her paws touching Marinette's cheek.
Chloé grips the fabric of Marinette's clothing, she buries her face into Marinette's chest, she's full on sobbing, whimpering. "Please, Marinette, don't go, please-", Chloé begged desperately, her voice breaking.
"Why isn't she waking up?", Alya says, her voice comes out raspy and shaky, her eyes grow watery.
The home is silent for a moment, everyone is on edge, everyone is trying to rationalize what just happened.
The News crew had finally touched down, but remained at a distance, the camera panned around, zooming in every now and then.
The crew seemed to understand what had just happened.
Nadja turns away from the camera, falling silent, she takes her small wired mic off from her blazer and gives the cameraman her other mic, she walks off and pulls out a phone, making a call off camera.
Everyone's breath catches in their throats when the heroes all break down, when Chloé's sobbing and the group's incoherent whimpers echoed in the street.
It feels like an eternity till the feed suddenly cuts and a 'sorry we're suffering technical difficulties' bar pops up on the TV screen.
Marinette's parents have a breakdown, barely holding it together, Sabine and Tom curl into each other's arms, sobbing and weeping.
Gina wraps her arms around herself, staring at TV despite a technical difficulties bar popping up on the screen, cutting the feed.
"Please, please, please-", Chloé continued to whisper brokenly.
Tikki and Plagg were both silently crying.
All felt lost.
Chloé shifts, screwing her eyes shut, finally lifting her head from the Dupain-Cheng's chest, her hand gripping the front of the shirt tightly. "God, please, please-"
Suddenly, softly, a small breath escapes past pink lips. A small breath that quickly turned into a small fit of coughs.
Chloé's eyes snap open, she feels Marinette's shoulder shaking in her grasp, the teen was coughing.
The group all gasped, hope and relief filled them. Everyone fell silent.
Kagami felt Marinette giving her hand a squeeze, she lifted Marinette's hand up to her chest, hugging her arm, as new tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
It took Marinette a good moment to stop coughing and slowly but surely, sapphire eyes opened, tears escaping the corners of her eyes.
Once Marinette catches her breath, she swallowed thickly, she locked eyes with Chloé first. She feels warmth washing in immediately. So many unsaid words began to swirl around in her head, she wanted to say a lot of things, but knew she couldn't say them all at once, there was a time and a place for what she had to say, so for now, she'd settle with something simple and hoarse-
"Hi."
Here's an update.feel free to let me know what you guys think so far.