SO here is Part two! I forgot to mention that I am sticking with using Chat even though they have released it here in the US. Writing Cat Noir is just odd for me though I do realize Chat is literally cat in French… Bah whatever. We get to the good action stuff this chapter. Any comments and questions are welcome!

A plant akuma attacks Paris drawing the superhero duo into a battle that will change their lives forever. Rated T just to be safe.

Oh yeah I forgot this last time... I dont own this show.

The Meaning of Marigolds

(Part Two)

Ladybug was waiting for him by the final barrier and together they peeked up over the half wall that separated the incline they were on and the main street. There was complete silence in the street beyond and it wasn't hard to see why. Green covered the walls and sidewalks trees randomly sprouting in every other available space. A riot of color from flowers of all species dotted the landscape making Ladybugs breath catch in wonder.

"Wow it's too bad the city can't look like this all the time." Ladybug whispered

"Yeah but where are all the people?" Chat asked his voice just as soft as they hopped over the wall and started to make their way down the street. They were both nervous surrounded on all sides by greenery that they knew could come to life at any time. Spying a strange looking pod Ladybug investigated as Chat moved to look at something that caught his own attention. Gently sweeping some dirt from its membranous surface she barely withheld a shriek as she spied a face peering back from within the pod. She stumbled back into Chats arms who seeing the alarm on her face pulled her back further behind him.

"What is it?" He hissed sweeping his staff before him wanting to poke the pod and see for himself what had alarmed his Lady so badly.

Ladybug pressed a hand to her racing heart and gripped his shoulder with the other. "S-sorry I just wasn't expecting that. It's a person in that thing but I-I just wasn't expecting that."

Chat flashed a grin over his shoulder his stance relaxing immediately "Not one for horror films are we My Lady?"

Ladybug shoved him roughly "Hush you rotten cat."

Slipping his baton back into place at the small of his back he moved forward pressing a claw to the membranous surface. The person inside appeared asleep and he felt a creepy chill run up his spine even though he had know what to expect.

"Should I try to get them out?" Chat asked curiously. "I could use cataclysm if we can't pull them out."

Ladybug shook her head "We need to find this Marigolds main body before we can get anyone out. Plus I don't think you can use your cataclysm enough times to free everyone."

She pointed up the street where more pods showed through the greenery and Chat grinned helplessly rubbing the back of his head.

"After you then My Lady." Chat said gallantly bowing one hand spread towards the green covered street.

Ladybug snorted fainting displeasure but as she passed him whispered "Stay close."

Chat could hear the nervousness in her voice. They had never faced an opponent like this before. They didn't know what to expect and unlike all other times they were surrounded. "Always." Chat whispered back eliciting a slight blush from his Lady.

They picked a random path doing their best to avoid touching the larger vines that hung and draped across random parts of the street. They had found by accident when Ladybug had brushed one oversized vine the thing had begun to move sending out tendrils toward where her position was. Chat had yanked her out of the tendrils path and they had moved as far as they could from the vine ducking under a bus until it had settled back into place. They had been walking for a while in silence when Ladybug finally spoke up. "I don't know if we are making any progress or not Chat. Maybe we should try for higher ground and see what we find?"

"What a pur-fact suggestion." Chat answered unable to resist

Ladybug rolled her eyes and started looking for a good wall to scale that wasn't covered in vines when Chat grabbed her arm and slung it around his shoulders before pulling her close and elongating his staff.

Once they were above rooftop level he sat her on his knee clinging to his staff with his feet and one hand. "Didn't we talk about this once before?" Ladybug asked ignoring her fluttering heart.

Chat grinned at her and winked "Yes but…what?" he asked seeing the strange look cross her features. She pointed and following her finger swallowed hard at what he saw.

It was obvious where the akumasized person was at this point. A large tree like structure was growing near the Eiffel tower. Pods hung from branches and Chat bet that each pod held a captive human.

"Well at least we know where we are going now." Chat said his voice awed by what he saw.

"Yeah but how are we supposed to fight that?" Ladybug asked feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the problem before them.

To her surprise Chat pressed his face to her neck in a nuzzle pulling her tight against him. "Chat!" she squeaked unable to pull away due to the precarious position they were in.

"You will think of something My Lady. For now lets just get a closer look." Chan said his voice slightly muffled.

"F-fine." Ladybug stuttered "But first put me down."

Chat huffed containing his laughter and leaned forward so they fell onto a roof. They hit the roofs running finally having a decent target to aim for. Even up on the rooftops they had to avoid vines and several times they had to go out of their way even crossing back down to street level to get through certain areas. At one point they wondered if they could simply cut through the vines but since they didn't want to alert Marigold to their presence they didn't want to chance it. They had just made it to the end of the rooftops before the large tree when both of their miraculous beeped signifying they didn't have a lot of time left. They glanced at each other nervously neither one wanting to have to de-transform in such a hostile environment.

"Do you have enough for cataclysm?" Ladybug asked and Chat nodded "Yeah what about Lucky Charm?"

Instinctively she brushed her fingers across her earrings then nodded. "I should. If something goes wrong though we book it to the river agreed?"

Chat sighed not liking the idea of another dip but nodded anyways to make her feel better. "Is there any other place we could run to?" he asked simply because she didn't look as if she wanted another dip in the river either. After all the sun was starting to go down and the river wasn't the cleanest water around.

Nibbling on a lip Ladybug shrugged "I really don't know. Hopefully we can wrap this up and it wont be an issue. By the way does that look like a person sleeping to you?" she asked and Chat realized that as he had been staring at her she had been eyeing the tree and field before them trying to find the akumasized person. Berating himself and following the petite finger he soon spotted what appeared to be a small human form curled into a ball near the roots of the tree.

"Huh. I half expected them to be underground." Chat commented

"What? Why?" Ladybug asked curiously.

Chat shrugged as they made their way down off the roof careful not to disturb the greenery around them. "I don't know the whole plant thing just made me think underground."

There was no real cover once they got away from the buildings and nervously they moved forward feeling as though they were walking quite helplessly into a trap. Passing into the shade of the giant tree they approached the sleeping child on nearly silent feet. The little girl looked completely normal to both of them and Ladybug gripped her yoyo tight a feeling of apprehension nearly swallowing her whole. Something wasn't right. They were in the right place she knew. She could practically feel the akuma slinking around but the person before them didn't seem right almost as if…

"It's a decoy!" She hissed a moment too late as Chat reached out to the child.

The child dissolved turning into a mass of writhing vines that had thorn like projections for teeth. Chat cried out as two of them managed to land solid blows their thorny fangs sinking into the soft flesh of his arm.

"Chat!" Ladybug choked out spinning her yoyo slicing the vines as she simultaneously pulled him up and back.

Vines sprang from the earth around them turning the once grassy open space into a living writhing mass of green. "Use your charm! I'll keep them busy!" Chat yelled careful to keep his bitten arm out of sight. He didn't give her a chance to reply charging straight at the main root invoking "Cataclysm!" as he threw himself forward. He had never used his power on something so massive before and so far he had never used it on anything living either. He didn't know what would happen, all he could think about was giving Ladybug enough time to invoke her own special power.

Ladybug could only watch in horror as the appearance of the child dissolved into mass of vines that attacked her partner biting into him and making him cry out. She had cut him free but then instead of running like they had agreed the fool had charged for the trunk invoking his secret power cataclysm. Ladybug knew what she had to do and she refused to allow his distraction to go to waste. Dodging a vine that sliced her way she cried "Lucky charm!" sending her yoyo high into the air. There was a brief flash of light and a small square piece of paper floated from the sky to land in her hands. "A picture?! What in the world…" she didn't get to finish her sentence for in the next instance a loud shriek forced her to cover her ears. Instantly she saw the reason why. Chats Cataclysm had scored a direct hit on a main root of the tree and it was quite clearly dying. Vines sprang from the tree smashing him away from the root and Ladybug sprinted forward catching him with her body before they slammed into the hard ground.

Ladybug pulled herself out from under him swallowing hard as she realized the bite marks from the vines were turning green under his torn suit. He groaned as her movement forced him to roll forward but she could tell he was still conscious though barely and he stared up at her dazed.

"Run Ladybug." He managed seeming to come more to his senses as she slashed at some vines that were coming far to close. Wincing he tried to sit up. "I'll keep it distracted."

He didn't say it but she knew what he meant. 'Run save yourself. This thing is too big for us to fight.'

For a moment the world seemed to disappear from around her and tears welled into her eyes. He was hurt. Really hurt and he was going to sacrifice himself so that she could get away. She didn't know what she looked like as he gazed up at her but it must have been one heck of a sight because he reached for her an incredibly worried look on his face. Her hand moved on its and the world slammed back into focus as it connected sharply with his cheek. Chat jerked back shocked and Ladybug grabbed his arms swinging him like a child up onto her back. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she dodged a volley of vines sprinting away from the great dying tree.

"I will not run, and I will never leave you behind! Never ask that of me again!" She practically screamed at him as he wrapped his good arm around her clinging with his legs as she sprinted towards the buildings. If he answered her it was lost in a second earsplitting wail echoing once more up from underground.

Ladybug used her yoyo and every trick she knew to get away over the rooftops and she didn't stop running even when the vines stopped chasing them momentarily. The only thing that cut through her single minded idea of FLEE was when her miraculous beeped signifying her transformation was going to wear off very soon. At the very next rooftop balcony Ladybug practically collapsed dropping to her knees and allowing Chat to finally let go of her. He flopped back with a groan and Ladybug twisted around helping him to sit slightly more comfortably against the rough brick.

"Chat…oh Chat I'm so sorry…" she murmured still gasping for air as she reached towards his injured arm.

"Not to worry My Lady. I deserved that slap. I never should have asked that of you." Chat answered and Ladybug felt that same feeling of hopelessness hit her causing her eyes to tear up again. Both of their miraculous beeped again and she could see on his ring that he only had the single piece of pad and one toe left. Her hands brushed his shoulder ready to tear the sleeve to get a better look at the injury but he stopped her from touching his arm instead curling the injured limb around his chest. "There isn't anything you can do Ladybug." He said softly and she sat back surprised at his reluctance.

"What are we…" she started only to be cut off by a furious voice.

"How dare the nasty little kitty hurt mommys Tree! Now I'm going to find you little kitty and take your miraculous!" it screamed and the two of them winced instinctively moving towards each other.

"Did you use Lucky Charm?" Chat asked and Ladybug nodded pulling the red and black spotted paper from her compact. Flipping it over the two of them eyed the photo which was of a little girl about 6 years old and her mother. The two of them were smiling joyfully waving at the camera gardening trowels in hand. "Ok so we know the kids name is Mary at least." He said head falling against the bricks as he let out a sigh.

"Huh?" Ladybug asked and he gently tapped a claw to the photo where she could make out a name tag pinned to the child's shirt front.

"Ok but that still doesn't tell us how to defeat this Marigold." She whispered as their miraculous beeped again.

"Ladybug." Chat whispered catching her attention immediately the seriousness of his tone not lost on her. "Listen to me and please don't slap me again. You need to leave me here."

"No." Ladybug snapped. "I don't care if you see who I am. I am not leaving you here alone."

Chat grinned up at her weakly "I'm sorry My Lady but you may not have much of a choice. Once my transformation wears off the venom from those plants will take over and I'll be cocooned like those other folk we found on the street."

Ladybug froze the horror of what he had just explained hitting her at once. "I…I cant do this without you. Please Chat…" she begged her eyes welling with tears again. She felt useless, helpless, and what was worse there was nothing she could do except watch time run out.

"You wont be alone. Plagg will help you." In the next moment he pulled his ring off reverting to his civilian form. Adrien sat before her and Ladybug felt her jaw come unhinged falling open, her heart breaking in two at the level of trust he had just displayed. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, and without another word he placed his miraculous ring into her palm forcing her fingers to curl around it. That motion brought her back a little and she managed to splutter "A-Adrien?!"

He eyed her strangely a very Chat like grin flitting across his face even as he flinched in pain. "So you do know me. I don't know who you are but I know you can do this. Take care of her for me Plagg."

A small black kitten kwami floated out to hover before him. "I will. We will come back for you."

"I know you will. I'll be waiting paw-tiently." Adrien managed his gaze moving to focus on her.

Ladybug swallowed hard barely registering the terrible pun. Her gaze was fixed on his arm, his now green arm to be exact. As she watched green tendrils sprang from it slowly starting to spread up his arm moving away from the bite wounds. The sight was making her feel distinctly ill and she tore her gaze away from it forcing herself to look directly into Adrien's eyes. He slumped against the wall his eyes half open as he tried to fight what was happening. Finally voice cracking she managed to speak "I will fix this and I will come back for you. So hold on because… because I love you."

His eyes flew wide open and he gaped at her even as the tendrils swept across his chest. Gently she pressed her lips to his and pulled back as the vines made their way across his neck. His eyes fluttered and he grinned at her "Best goodnight kiss ever…" he managed before slumping back unconscious.

Marinette wasn't anywhere near ready to leave him but she pulled back not wanting to get entangled in the vines as they finished cocooning him and began secreting a gel that she assumed would become the strange membranous layer she had seen and felt on the earlier pod. A moment later her own miraculous gave a final warning beep then her transformation undid itself leaving her feeling very vulnerable and alone on a random rooftop.