*Buckles seatbelt* o.o I feel like this is going to be another Thread of Fates ride…*swallows…here you go…

Chapter Eleven: Intertwined

The ever creeping sensation of a foreign entity invading his body made Chat's movements falter in mid-vault, stumbling over the uneven surface of the crumbling structure well outside the Parisian city. He had needed to find solace beyond the walls of his prison even as the air in his body compacted, making it impossible to usher in more.

He hadn't always viewed the familiar landmarks the way he perceived them now, but along every pulsating instinct, the city was now a trap waiting to dominate what little was left of his emotional state. He craved comfort beyond the smile and presence of his Lady. After all, it was her heart he'd fractured into splinters not even big enough to pass through the eye of the smallest needle.

After all…it was her pain that echoed fervently, and on loop, through the caverns of his thoughts. It coursed to the forefront, and with each repetitive pass, it gained momentum to ignite renewed intensity…scoring an unfamiliar pathway within the walls of his mind that wouldn't easily be broken.

The pain rippling over her familiar face with his seemingly passing rejection ignited a series of miniature explosive charges along the inside of his being. The caustic reaction made his heart falter, and Chat could barely catch his breath. It seethed his lungs as it drew inwards, and on the exhale….he was dying. He was nothing without Ladybug. However, a large portion of his heart…had somehow been claimed by his beautiful classmate, Marinette.

All the properties of her personality coalesced into a mountainous form, pressing further against him. It was tangible each time he was in her presence. He felt the weight of her. Even as true as Ladybug, Mari's qualities rivaled those of heroes. She looked out for her friends. She looked out for strangers. She gave her heart to everything. She even…helped Chloe in her nastiest moments. The bluenette was hopelessly selfless and kind.

He shook his head to clear the almost intrusive thoughts and spun his baton free, swirling it violently above his head with both hands, his teeth pressing together firmly. "PLAGG!"

Emerald energy burst, violently, from the staff, flaking in streaking lines outwards with his movements. The power rippled, and as it moved, just the heat of it tempered the air, altering it. The charged current cascaded along the barren ground where he'd temporarily found respite.

The crackling metaphysical chaos scathed an angry path along the already decayed and dry dirt, spraying particles into the air.

A film of dust remained seconds later, leaving Chat squinting through the tangible barrier. However, as it dissipated, an entity approached with languid, graceful movements. The form jerked, retrieving something from its hip before bursting through the thin wall just as swiftly.

The figure donned loose onyx clothing, a cat-like mask covering from his nose upwards. A green material wrapped around his waist in a make-shift belt, mimicking the look around each of his wrists as the glint of his sword captured the waning sun. It flashed brilliantly enough to give Chat enough warning before the curved end of the blade bit into the dead earth where the hero had just been standing.

Chat bore his teeth, a resounding hiss emanating from between his firmly clenched maw as his boots skid unevenly across the ground, threatening to upend him. However, the blonde expertly balanced his gait, sliding, staff spinning in anticipation of the next attack even before he spied his opponent's next move, and the feline's toes curled, haunches tensing.

Now!

Chat leapt, watching the flat of the blade sweep just by his cheek as he somersaulted through the air. The Parisian hero split his baton into halves just as quickly before he landed, swatting at the offending instrument, taking an immediate opportunity to use the other to strike at his target's legs in a preemptive endeavor to surprise the attacker.

However, just as he moved with deft ease, the stranger calculated his intentions just as skillfully, dodging the first jab, and used his sword to block the attempted leg sweep. Both of their arms strained, vibrating with retained strength and energy as metaphysical eyes locked, and Chat frowned.

"Plagg," he whispered softly. The utterance carried more weight and accusation than it should have, but it gave his sparring partner a certain amount of pause.

He tilted his head slowly. "Plagg?"

The man's accent was decidedly French, which surprised the hero…since his garb suggested something far more...Asian.

The blonde swallowed, despite the fact his Kwami tugged at him inwardly to withdraw. He felt compelled to push onwards. He felt compelled to question further. He just felt….compelled. "Do you speak French?"

The enemy wavered, blinking several times in languid motion before jerking his head, once, in a confirming nod. He refused to speak again, but it was a definitive yes to the feline's question. So, he spoke French despite his more…Asian warrior style clothing.

The teenager drew in a hesitant breath, and Plagg screamed persistently in his ear, but the sound fell away, disappearing into the confines of his mind. Instead, something far more imperative echoed outwards, demanding he close the gap between him and this foe. He needed to close the distance. He needed to reach out. He needed to make amends. He needed to mend…whatever he had done to this…person he had never even met.

He put his weapon back together, nestling the item in its sheath before outstretching a single leather clad palm. "I don't want to hurt you," he said honestly, splaying his digits. "Trust me?" Chat poured every ounce of sincerity into those two words, his eyes earnest as he begged the man in front of him to comply.

The drawn sword lowered several fractions, but didn't deviate from an offensive position as the stranger gazed upon him. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and his mouth opened not once, but three times before he offered a reply, and the French that spilled free sounded…odd to the blonde, but he could still make out what the man was saying.

"I should not trust you. Against all better judgment, however, I find myself unable todeny trusting you."

A small grin curled Adrien's mouth as he stepped forward, but something inside stopped him, fighting every molecule in his body. Each nerve along his skin was ablaze, and his mind screamed in agony, his lips parting to emit a gasp of displeasure before a whimper of pain released, unabated.

Plagg?

S-Sorry…kid. I can't let you! His Kwami's tone bordered on conflicted, the sharp edge of it slicing deep into the crevices of their joined souls.

Obsidian electricity encompassed his entire body, and Chat's knees wobbled, threatening to give way under the intensity of the excruciation now coursing through his veins.

A whirlwind of toxic virtue and justified consumption spindled along his skull, creating a gossamer web. The structure was delicate, but the threads reinforced with each passage, confusing each quality until Adrien drowned amidst the entanglement.

Tiny pinpricks of scathing torture marched along his flesh, biting at every miniscule portion of his being. Each sensation offered a renewed agony, congregating into a pool of suffering that fueled a primitive entity inside. It also hurt.

The onyx lightning sizzled outwards, scraping the hard carpet between them, creating a small crater before the intruder jumped over without provocation. Adrien's body had already begun to convulse, and a hand grabbed his still outstretched fingers, linking the digits firmly.

The instant their palms collided, his transformation disappeared, and Plagg was torn from his body with a violent thrust, bowing the model's back in a complete arch. His normally vibrant eyes widened, staring up into the twilight sky in a mixture of horror and disbelief; stunned.

Silence…pure silence ensued. It was the barest of milliseconds, but it was…overwhelming. It was….breathtaking. Unwelcome tears streamed down his cheeks in a wrathful path of marked wonderment and terror before the cacophony rose again.

The enriched destructive energy coated his form, and two tiny beings appeared high above his paralyzed body. They both looked like his camembert loving friend, but his vision slanted, and as he inhaled, the darkness around him exploded, joined by bright emerald energy emanating….from the stranger he was clinging to. Or at least, that's what it seemed like.

The two powers merged, forming a vortex, swallowing all four of them, until his mind disappeared, and he knew nothing but the call of Marinette screaming. That…and the phantom voice….voices.

Chat!

Adrien!

Māo!

My knight!

My prince!

Nicolas!

MY LOVE!

PRINCESS!

***POV CHANGE***

The inside of her mouth felt like a desert. Each pass of her tongue did little to soothe what had become a dry, cavernous wasteland. The small appendage stuck with every swipe, clinging to the inside of her cheeks. As it was, Mari could barely get her throat to clutch enough to swallow, pooling minute fractions of panic in the epicenter of her core. It created microscopic cracks within her resolve, but she inhaled slowly, stilling her quaking form.

"Water," she whimpered without thinking, unable to open her eyes. The delicate orbs felt glued closed by outside forces, and when she endeavored to move her cement filled limbs, they refused to obey the simple commands. Instead, her spine creaked a few pops resounding before she managed to still again, a groan piercing the otherwise silent chamber.

It echoed, in an odd repercussive harmony before narrowing back at its point of origin, wrapping around her entire body, embracing her like a jilted lover. It scathed, it prickled, and it was uncomfortable as each personified sound rippled along the bluenette, and she hissed, adding to the never-ending string of seemingly pleasant, yet oh-so painful sound emanating around her until it was a just a symphony of brutal noise.

A feminine voice offered a seemingly curt response, slicing through the chorus with ease. The overall tone was brusque and one of command, but despite the fact the words sounded vaguely Mandarin, Marinette couldn't decipher the overall meaning. However, upon her foreign utterance, tranquility reigned again, and every fiber of Marinette's body eased with a gradual sense of peace.

The heroine's brows knit together in the deepest of frowns as her head lulled, unabated, to the side. She angled her face towards where she thought the noise had originated from. "I don't understand you," she breathed roughly, tasting the first stirrings of copper as she worked her jaw repeatedly. She tried several times to get her hands and knees beneath her on the unyielding, damp surface, but it was proving to be more difficult than it should have been.

A veil of hopelessness settled deep in the pit of her existence with each attempt, weighing on the entirety of her existence. The sensation developed rapidly, overcoming all of her senses, dulling her ability to make the simplest decisions delegated solely by her basic instincts. Instead, her limbs quivered with indecisiveness and barely restrained resolve. Something was at war inside of her. Something was wrong.

Marinette.

The voice sounded distant, and honestly, meager compared to the commanding tone ushering her attention just feet away. However, something about it gave the spotted heroine pause, just enough to let a familiar sensation wash over her form. It enveloped her until the warmth chased away the stirrings of trepidations, however; the turmoil pushed back with forceful purpose, fraying the edges of light. It trembled against the resistance.

Moments gave way to her paused inhale, the scales of time tempered with every minute wave of motion introduced to the seemingly charged atmosphere. Prickling sensations marched inside her body, and the bluenette touched her face, gradually, feeling the magically adhered crimson mask. Ladybug.

She was not Marinette. She was the savior of Paris. She held no room for error. She could not afford to be weak. A sliver of the despair dissipated, but the outlines of the abyss fractured outwards, webbing further. They lashed out angrily, launching anchors along the confines of her spirit, infecting the purity she once held dear…and part of her….succumbed.

The vibrant aqua of her eyes flickered, faltered, giving way to the faintest shade of navy, molding the overall hue into a steel blue. Bright rose infused energy alighted along her suit, but it was tinged with strands of obsidian before the gentlest underlying jade joined the chorus of color.

At first, it replicated pure light, but as she tipped her head back against the slow burn coiling amidst the tightening knot within her stomach, it burst into tangible flame, erupting violently around her body. The hungry fire licked along her suit, vying for every inch as she screamed, back curving enough to leave the floor where she'd been lying.

The stern female voice echoed out once more, quelling the inferno. It pressed the destruction backwards a few fractions, but as the reverberating sound calmed….the power burst outwards, stronger…with far more anger...as if it was a living entity. It pulsated along the damp floors, charring a path along the ceiling as it hurried outwards from her.

Somebody screamed. Ladybug wasn't sure if it dripped from her own lips, but soon, a disjointed trail of syllables echoed powerfully in their darkened chamber. "F—f-fff-I—t!"

What? Her mind slammed between the confines of her skull, but the fractured word dominated, drowning her own thoughts out. It buzzed along the lines of her cognition until it felt like the word had been hers to begin with.

"F—I-t!"

"Fight," she whispered, her tone haggard as her morphed eyes squeezed closed. A shriek tore from her lips as a spray of copper dusted the air, evaporating just as quickly along the impossible currents of metaphysical heat.

Something solid snagged her forearm, jolting cold electricity through her skin, making her eyes throw open instantly. She stared into a pair of sky blue eyes, encompassed by a single piece of crimson fabric.

Something broke inside of the bluenette, and her transformation dissipated, Tikki spiraling violently from her body. The other female's mask and clothing shimmered, bursting into a sprinkle of glimmering dust before a girl, slightly younger than Marinette appeared, surprised, in front of her. Both mirrored expressions of panic and horror, but their instincts interlocked, pulling one another close as the fire raged…

"I won't let you go," Marinette assured, even as the feel of the heat ate away along her flesh.

The girl, whose hair was raven colored, glinting with blue hue, nodded slowly, bright aqua eyes wide with what she interpreted to be uncertainty. "Tikki….ffff-I—t.."

Mari frowned. "Tikki wants a fight?"

The stranger tilted her head, but as her mouth opened, the magical force imploded, swallowing them as the echo of four feminine voices became one. True to yourself. Fight. Fight. Fight….fight…for…you….

Author Notes:

AquilaVetors, Thank you, so very much for the kind words you've provided. That…makes me feel like each moment is worth the amount of energy I put into things like this. I don't know if people realize/care how much research I put into even the TINY details. I try to be as true as possible…whether it be…the time period…the clothing type…or even a constellation they might see 300 years ago in a certain position. I research…a lot…even for fanfiction. I enjoy…being as close to the truth as possible…and then being as creative as I can with where I have liberty. I hope you truly enjoy and stick around. Stay safe.

Kazza2182, who are you again? *scratches head* :P :P :P J/K of course! Thank you, so much! Missed you, and hope you enjoy/enjoyed! Please, stay safe!

Mayuralover, o.o is it a past ladybug and Chat? *looks through notes that seem to be in a foreign language written by my three kids* maybe…I have NO clue :P Hope you're enjoying though ;) Stay safe!

Faefolk11, aww…my dear Fae…I have missed you and your notes. I am staying well (despite being in retail) and I hope you're doing the same! I'd hate to lose you. I love you so much ^_^ I hope I haven't disappointed in ANY way…and I promise this is another epic adventure like Threads…so strap in :P. Be well, and please, stay safe.

Guest, dude, where have you been? Oh, wait, it was me who disappeared a bit. Lol. Thanks for sticking about :). I guess as we go you'll find out! Please, be safe !