Sorry I'm late this is why I was trying to finish this story up on October. Between work, holiday drama, and my birthday coming up soon I haven't had much time to get this finished. This chapter is full of action and skeletons! Lots of skeletons oh and some blood so yeah slight warning...
StellaBrellaLover... Some of them could have been there own stories but I wanted everything to be in one place. As for The Skeletons Dance...I had no clue this story was going to be this long.
sjsreader... Now that you say that I just realized my stupid computer has been auto correcting me this entire freaken time! OMG rawr! Once I'm finished with The Skeletons Dance I plan on going back correcting that and combining some chapters so that the story isn't thirteen chapters long. Thanks for pointing that out and yes I already know Tiki is spelled Tikki. Its going to remain Tiki for all my stories. Hehe so you caught that huh? I'm glad you are enjoying the story!
Jayla Fire Gal... Pup really is a term of endearment, at least from my point of writting. Just look up canids and you will understand.
(Sequel to Meaning of Marigolds!)When skeletons begin to rise up from the shadows it's up to Ladybug and Chat Noir to put a stop to it. Will they be able to end this new threat or be buried six feet under?
The Skeletons Dance (Part 5)
The darkness welcomed her. It was a distinctly odd sensation since she rarely felt totally at ease in the darkness as Ladybug. As Ladycat however, the darkness felt right like she was coming home after a long day. The shadows on her suit were a welcome cooling sensation and the darkness seemed to transmit every sound in the city right to her sensitive ears. The night vision gave her a clear view of her surroundings and Ladycat let her instincts guide her as she slipped from shadow to shadow. Skeletons passed her several times and Ladycat gave a buzzing growl as she witnessed one of them disappearing into a shadow on a side street. As she got close to her entry point into the underground she had to hide as a few skeletons meandered past her, obviously searching for potential victims. One skeleton almost walked into her due to not seeing her, although she was able to destroy it before it could even think of giving off a hissing rattle.
"Marinette don't waist too much time on these guys." Tiki warned when she destroyed another one that had wandered too close to her position. Moving down the edge of a roof keeping her body low, Ladycat sighed eyeing the group of skeletons that were passing by down below oblivious to her presence. Two of them held trapped people and as much as she felt obligated to save them, she wasn't completely sure how to defeat four skeletons at once without one of them giving her position away. She could do it with practice and she was itching to try but she knew her chances of success at a first try were a touch slim. That and the people she freed would be unconscious, so she would then have to get the people to a safe location. Ladycat didn't really think there was a safe location in the city at this point. Briefly her thoughts trailed to Alya and she hoped that her friend would stay put for once. It would be fairly ironic to save Adrien only to find out Alya had been taken again in her absence. Glancing around and deciding her position was too vulnerable, Ladycat checked the area to make sure it was free of skeletons then hopped off the roof. Slipping between two buildings and feeling better in the confining space, Ladycat pulled her yoyo out eyeing the map on its surface. She was almost at the entrance she and Adrien had used before. Nibbling on her lip her thoughts lost to the darkness, a scraping sound was all the warning she had before a skeleton tumbled over her. Ladycat yowled in surprise leaping to the side in an attempt to get out from under it and felt the oddest sensation passing over her suit, like passing through a thin wall of water. Bony hands continued to clutch at her and Ladycat threw herself to the ground the sound of crunching bones echoing loudly in her ears. The hands released her although more bones were wrapped around her awkwardly and in the dimness she twisted away her hand lashing out to smash in the skull before it could give off a rattling hiss. The skeleton turned to dust and Ladycat scrambled to all fours darting into a deeper patch of shadow in the tunnel she found herself in.
"What in the hell just happened?" Ladycat hissed in a sub vocal tone knowing that nothing but the kwamis would be able to pick it up.
"It would seem a skeleton opened a pathway next to you and tripped over you in the darkness." Tiki said
Plagg snickered "That's our luck kittenbug!"
Ladycat growled "Would that be the good luck or the bad luck?"
"Both!" the kwamis answered as one and Plagg continued snickering.
Ladycats lips twisted into a wry smile. "Both indeed." She murmured
For how lucky was it for a skeleton to unknowingly open a path right next to her and then trip over her. Then as she tried to leap away she had instead fallen back into the tunnels from where it had emerged. This odd turn of event had probably made her journey a lot shorter but now she was really in enemy territory far sooner than she had expected. Taking several deep breaths to calm her pounding heart Ladycat slipped her yoyo out to try and figure out where in the world the skeleton had come from. A menagerie of tunnels showed on the screen and Ladycats breath hitched in surprise. Morte had apparently been very busy.
"Better get moving. Looks like there is a lot of ground to cover." Plagg muttered darkly.
"Can you sense him yet?" Ladycat asked keeping low as she darted out into the tunnel.
"It's faint. Keep going the way you're going." Plagg answered
The tunnels were surprisingly empty and the skeletons that did move within were usually moving about alone. As she traveled a multitude of scents began drifting her way and ever curious she followed the trail. It led her to an underground room the size of a stadium and Ladycat could see the dozens of people trapped inside. She was actually above the room next to openings that were clearly only there for ventilation. The people thankfully didn't see her and Ladycats heart twisted in guilt because there was nothing she could do to help these people. Turning away Ladycat froze as a single scent seemed to spring from the others hitting her nose like a hammer blow. It was a scent she knew well, one of cologne, fresh air, and even though he wasn't transformed, leather.
"Adrien…" Ladycat hissed her eyes flicking around the room once more hoping she had missed him the first time somehow.
"He's not down there. He is somewhere ahead of us." Plagg said his voice slightly strained.
Ladycat nodded already moving towards a wide tunnel ahead of her. "He probably caused a ruckus like Alya did when she was down here and they moved him."
"He's a good kit." Plagg stated proudly and somewhere in her mind Tiki sighed.
Huffing in amusement Ladycat followed Adriens scent down the tunnels length hoping to come across him soon. Ladycat moved practically without sound and that was probably all that saved her as she turned a sharp corner in the tunnel. Three armed skeletons stood right in her path and before any of them could even twitch she was on them. The baton at her back seemed to leap into her hand elongating and smashing the middle skeletons skull to dust. Her back swing caught the left skeletons skull and as she spun she lashed out her foot striking the third skeleton with the steel toe of her boot. The head popped right off striking the wall and turning to dust, the rest of the skeleton swiftly following suit.
"They were just standing here. Why were they just standing here?" Tiki fretted
Ladycat was already on the move. "They were guards. I've played too many video games for me not to recognize a guard." She sniffed the air taking note of the changing scents around her. Adrien's was becoming stronger and so was an odd smell, one that was steadily sending the hairs up on the back of her neck. "What is that smell? I don't like it."
"It's the akuma Morte." Plagg answered making Ladycat stop in her tracks.
It was not hard to remember what Plagg had told them, that Morte smelled of blood and death. Taking another sniff she now understood. The iron tang of blood was there but it was an old smell, as if he was coated in the stuff and it had dried to his skin becoming an integral part of his new scent. The death scent was there all too strong, although there was no trace of decay. She didn't know how but some part of her mind knew the difference between the two. The knowledge of his scent did nothing to comfort her, in fact unnerved her because she had noticed that as Adrien's scent was becoming stronger so was the akuma. Morte was with Adrien somewhere up ahead and that did not bode well. She picked up her pace destroying another two skeletons that she came upon in the darkness. Several minutes passed in silence as she ran through the twisting tunnels glancing every so often at the yoyo in her hand. They were coming up on natural tunnels ones that Morte hadn't created and Ladycat wondered why Morte had left his tunnels. Then in the distance she could hear what sounded like footsteps.
"There are too many footsteps. You need to hide." Plagg warned
Her ears twitched as she glanced around the tunnel she was in. "Suggestions?!" She demanded not seeing any hole or boulder she could duck behind. She was in a decently sharp curve that hid what lay behind her as well as the next length of tunnel, but she knew that what lay before her would probably look the same as the length she was standing in now.
"Marinette look up!" Tiki squeaked and Ladycat did noticing the large growth of tree roots hanging in clumps from the ceiling. Narrowing her eyes Ladycat picked out the thickest root and leaped for it praying that it would be strong enough to hold her weight. It held just barely and she swung her legs up, her clawed shoes gripping the earthen roof easily. Some dirt fell around her as the roots shifted and Ladycat spat as some dirt managed to work its way into her mouth. Footsteps echoed nearby, the scraping tramp of bones over dirt and Ladybug went completely still, tilting her head so she could see what went on below her. A column of skeletons filled the tunnel below and Ladycat felt a thrill of fear surge through her. It wasn't because of their numbers though. It was because they were spread out their bony hands sweeping through every shadow the tunnel had. They were searching in a grid like pattern moving slowly as they inched there way along in their search.
"They know we are here." The kwami observed and Ladycat felt her heart kick up a notch. Closing her eyes she focused on remaining still and keeping her breathing at a nice quiet pace. Slowly the footsteps echoed into the distant tunnel and Ladycat opened her eyes once more. She half expected to see skeletons or even Morte staring up at her but there was nothing in the tunnel below. With a grunt she let her legs drop then released the roots, the muscles in her arms instantly complaining of the overuse. Rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms Ladycat listened to the silence around her for several beats.
"I'm continuing on. Any thoughts?" Ladycat asked her voice whisper soft.
"Keep doing what you are doing. We have plenty of juice left." Plagg answered
"Oh you mean you aren't going to start beeping at a super inopportune time and alert the akuma we are coming?" Ladycat asked amused.
Tiki giggled as Plagg growled. "I miscalculated the drain. If you want to be snippy about it I can unravel my half of the transformation now and leave you stumbling over your feet in the dark."
Ladycat shook her head with a snicker since Plagg would never actually do such a thing and continued on down the tunnel following Adrien's scent. They were getting close, super close and as they moved Ladycat picked up on something she had missed before.
"Adrien's bleeding." Ladycat moaned her brain finally detecting the fresher scent of blood.
"Not by a lot kittenbug." Plagg said comfortingly. "He probably scraped his knees doing something stupidly heroic."
"Plagg would be able to tell if he were critically injured Marinette." Tiki cooed feeling the worry cascaded through her chosen.
Ladycat moved faster determined to reach Adrien's side and as she came out of a curve her ears picked up a new sound. It almost sounded like water running and as she looked around for the source she froze in place. Skeletons were imbedded in the walls looking similar to the way ossuaries did.
"Oh dear." Tiki fussed
To her surprise the skeletons made no move towards her and for a minute Ladycat thought that maybe they were inactive. Then noting she hadn't moved one of the skeletons jaws moved.
"Please continue little shadow, you're so close. I'd love to know how you managed to get past my sentries although I think I can see how you managed it."
Mortes voice echoed from the surrounding skeletons jaws making Ladycat jump, a small squeak fleeing her lips before she could stop it. Morte laughed at her and Ladycat hissed in return feeling her hair start to poof in agitation. Thankfully it was in her signature pigtailed style otherwise she knew it would be trying to stand on end in an attempt to make herself look bigger. Hesitating for a moment longer Ladycat gave in with a sigh the kwami buzzing and hissing respectively in her mind. Morte knew they were coming and it wasn't like she could escape to anywhere right this minute anyways. Since he already knew her position and didn't seem interested in sending his minions after her Ladycat pulled out her yoyo eyeing the map on its surface. They were close to the real ossuaries, catacombs, as well as the quarry tunnels of Paris. This meant that she had a way out and that was always a wonderful thing. Studying the map and memorizing the basic layout thanks to a trick Adrien had showed her Ladycat murmured "Do you guys have access to the map in your minds? Can you lead us out of here once I grab him?"
"We can lead you." The kwami answered as one.
Usually they would make their chosen's use the weapons to guide them out while they remained silent. It was never a good thing for the children to become wholly dependent on their kwami since it often led to the stagnation of their own abilities and left them unable to make their own mind up in new situations or difficult. After all the kwami didn't want puppets that did everything they said. However this was a fight where any mistake could lead to death and the kwami were not above giving their chosen's the best chance of survival. Ladycat moved at an increased pace slipping through the shadows while avoiding the walls. There were skeletons imbedded in them wherever she looked and she didn't want one of them to suddenly reach out to grab her. None of them even tried and it was with a touch of trepidation that Ladycat realized she was leaving dozens of enemies at her back.
Finally the end of the tunnel yawned before her the open space up ahead filled with far more light than the tunnel itself. She stopped at the edge of the light looking into the open room trying to figure out where Morte was. The room had probably once been part of the quarries and at one time had been far smaller. Morte however had made the room larger so that dozens of people could fit inside easily. It was oval shaped and she stood at the narrower side with the fatter edges showing yawning tunnels that continued on to who knew where. On the opposite side of her a ledge jutted out almost 15 feet off the rooms floor. It didn't appear as if there was any one in the room before her but Ladycat could smell them.
"Here kitty kitty…" Mortes voice echoed from both in front of her and behind.
Ladycat gave an involuntary shiver as she started to ease back away from the room before her. It was a trap. An obvious trap and she needed a second to think of the best way to go about dealing with it. Scraping footsteps echoed behind her and glancing over her shoulder Ladycat could see the skeletons moving into position behind her. With a growl Ladycat pulled the baton from its position at her back.
"No Marinette, go into the room." Tiki murmured in her mind.
Ladycat growled a little louder not trusting her voice at the moment.
"Tiki is right. Adrien is ahead of us and we will have better maneuverability out there." Plagg huffed
Ladycats ears twitched her lips pulling back into a snarl. She really didn't like this but knowing she didn't have any kind of choice in the matter she turned her back on the advancing skeletons and walked out into the light.
"There is our honored guest of the evening!" Morte crowed and to Ladycats surprise he rose from the ground on the raised ledge.
"A guest implies being welcomed and being allowed to leave." Ladycat answered with a snarl her instincts screaming at her to claw his eyes out.
Morte grinned at her his eyes narrowing as he took in her different look. Hawkmoths mask flashed across his face and Mortes grin widened as she moved further into the room. His skeletons were filling the tunnel behind her and started to seep into the room around them. Ladycat eyed them warily but so far they gave no hint of attacking.
"Tell me where is your precious little partner? Did I scare him away?" Morte asked glancing behind him as an odd noise sounded out.
Thinking of the blood she smelled in the tunnel, the blood that she could still smell Ladycat bristled. "You injured him. Don't worry though as soon as I kick your sorry butt he will be fine."
"Hmmm" Morte mused donning a thoughtful look. "I guess it's a good thing I brought insurance with me then."
He snapped his finger and Ladycat crouched thinking it was a sign for attack but instead two skeletons dragged Adrien into view. She couldn't stop the hissing snarl from leaving her lips any more than she could stop herself from taking a step forwards. He looked terrible and that was being generous. His hair was a mess and with her excellent vision Ladycat could easily see the dozen or so cuts that crisscrossed his arms. There were another two on his face and he was covered in dirt, with his hands wrapped up like a boxers probably from his over shirt which she didn't see anywhere on him. Morte gestured to Adrien.
"Do you like my handy work? I wasn't allowed to kill him much to my disappointment but there are plenty of things you can do without killing a person."
Plagg snarled within her mind and Ladycat echoed the sound which filled the room making Morte flinch. He recovered almost instantly, edging his way over to Adrien while keeping an eye on her. The skeletons filling the edges of the room shifted slightly echoing their masters discomfort.
"Good you should be watching me, because I think I just might be willing to tear your throat out. After all once I cast Miraculous Cleanse your body will be repaired anyways." Ladycat snarled as Adrien opened his eyes catching sight of her.
"Easy Marinette." Tiki warned and Plagg echoed the statement. They could both feel the deadly fury that was surging through her veins. The only reason she hadn't attacked yet was simply due to the fact that one of the skeletons had a bone knife and it was pressed to Adrien's neck. Adrien shifted getting his feet under him better and while he looked uncomfortable, there was a defiance in his gaze that warmed Ladycats core.
"Ohhh so very scary my dear." Morte jibed as he grabbed Adrien by the scruff of the neck hauling him fully upright. A knife protruded forming from the bones wrapped around his wrist as the skeletons holding Adrien turned to dust. "So tell me do you know this boy?"
Ladycat cocked an eyebrow at Morte unsure of what he meant. "Really you don't know who he is? I figured that's why you took him. I mean seriously what is it with you akuma and kidnapping teenagers?"
"He's a jail bird Ladycat. It's not his fault he hasn't seen the billboards." Adrien said his voice light despite the situation he was in.
"I like that little nickname even less than the other one." Morte sneered pressing the point of the blade into his neck drawing the tiniest bead of blood. The scent of fresh blood was like a slap to the face.
"Let him go Morte." Ladycat growled her voice rough and sinister sounding. It was almost feral and Adrien's head jerked up his eyes meeting hers.
"Uh Morte I think maybe you should listen to her." Adrien said warily eyeing the skeletons around her.
Ladycats eyes had narrowed her body settling in a hunting crouch while her claws flickered in the light as her hands clenched impulsively. The ears on her head were pinned back as the belted tail twitched in dangerous jerks. He had never seen that look on her face before, it was a predators look and Adrien found himself fearing for Marinettes safety above all else. As Chat he had felt that instinctive pull to protect and that same fury when he wasn't able. However he had become used to the pull and could control it mostly due to the fact that he couldn't show what he was truly feeling around anyone but Marinette. A lifetime of hiding his feelings at home had given him a unique shield to help him buffer the instincts that had come with the Black Cat Miraculous. Marinette on the other hand didn't have the same experiences he did, and even though she was putting up a valiant effort at keeping control Adrien recognized she had nearly been pushed too far. The pinprick at his throat moved dragging up as a hair thin scratch as Morte shifted.
"Well then I propose a trade. The boy for the Miraculous and…"
"Never." Ladycat spat cutting Morte off her eyes watching his every move. Adrien's hand moved slightly in a small sign that she had flashed him may times before. It meant calm down and Ladycat gritted her teeth feeling the sharpened canines as they dug into her lip a little.
Morte frowned "You may not have noticed but you no longer have a choice." He snapped moving that deadly point away from Adrien's neck to wave at the room. Skeletons surrounded her on all sides leaving her in a fifteen foot oval near the middle of the room. There were too many for even her to fight but Morte clearly didn't know about her trump cards.
"There is always a choice." Ladycat snapped back and in one fluid movement threw her yoyo into the air calling "Lucky Charm!"
Bright light flashed catching Morte off guard and as an object formed drawing his attention, Adrien moved. Adrien's heel smashed into Mortes foot as his elbow swung back to catch him in the ribs. Morte grunted his grip on the back of Adriens neck breaking as the boy twisted away. Swinging a right hook as he turned Adrien caught sight of Ladycat streaking towards them as he did. Unfortunately Morte was ready for the punch and he bent to the side letting gravity work in his favor as he fell into the ground. Adrien leaped back away from the edge in case Morte popped out of the ground and he wanted to give Ladycat room to stand. The skeletons came to life below them the hissing rattle a terrifying sound as they reached for Ladycats lithe figure. Using his baton Ladycat launched herself into the air her eyes on Adrien as she came for him. Then time seemed to freeze as movement flickered out of the corner of Adrien's eye and pain exploded through his side as what felt like a hot poker jabbed into him.
"NO!" Ladycat roared as she watched Morte step out of the earthen wall behind Adrien and stab the bone knife into his side. The movement was quick and it was obvious Morte meant for there to be more than one blow but he had underestimated how fast Adrien and Ladycat were. Every person Morte had ever stabbed did one of two things when injured. They either froze or doubled over so that they fell further into whatever weapon he held. It never occurred to him that there could be a third reaction. Adrien jerked away his elbow flashing out to smash solidly into Mortes face as he fell to the side out of the way. An enraged Ladycat was in Adriens place almost instantly her claws slashing down Mortes mask and exposed jaw. A blow to his collarbone nearly broke it and as Morte drew a breath for air to scream a solid kick to his gut sent him off his feet to smash into the ground nearly sliding off the ledge. Blood streamed from Mortes nose and a sound like shredding paper caught his attention. Adrien was curled slightly his shirt shredded and bundled against his side. He was moving rapidly doing something to his shredded shirt and Morte realized he hadn't stabbed deep enough. Ladycat spun to face Morte her fangs bared with a terrifying sound somewhere between a growl and hiss coming from her lips. Morte was on his feet in a moment flicking the bone blade to the side dispelling Adrien's blood from the tip.
Down below the skeletons were building slowly climbing the walls coming for the two teens but suddenly they stopped. Ladycat noticed the moment they froze and looking up saw Morte was moving towards her. All at once Ladycat realized Morte was pissed and he was clearly wanting to deal with her himself. Hawkmoths mask flashed across his face but it flickered oddly as if the connection wasn't quite what it should be.
"Shut up! I will kill her and you can collect what you wish from their bones!" Morte screamed launching himself at Ladycat.
He stabbed at her the bone knife driving right for her heart and Ladycat simply moved out of the way grabbing his arm as he passed her. She refused to let him get near Adrien though and using his momentum she spun them both tossing him right into the wall. Morte didn't react in time slamming heavily into the wall but before Ladycat could grab him a second time he allowed himself to fall into the ground. Ladycat swore as her earrings beeped her eyes scanning the ground and wall beside her. She turned checking Adrien's position and it was only instinct that saved her.
A sixth sense made her twist awkwardly to the side and a bone blade slashed a line across her back instead of driving through her torso as planned. Her claws sunk into the arm as she shrieked in fury and Ladycat ripped Morte from the wall slamming him into the ground a foot away. Rolling to his feet Morte prepared himself for another attack only to be knocked back again but this time with far worse consequences. Ladycat moved the yoyo he hadn't ever noticed flashing out to slam into his ribcage. The whole yoyo wasn't quite thin enough to fit between the bony protections across his chest but the edge was. The edge of the yoyo struck hard, filled with the fury of three beings and it drove into the purple blade nestled there. The blade cracked slightly and Morte roared falling back clutching at his chest. A half dozen skeletons instantly turned to dust and for a brief moment Ladycat thought it was over. Then Morte looked her straight in the eye his hand still clutched over his heart and said "I will kill you."
Before she could attack again, Morte went over the edge backwards and was gone. The skeletons which had frozen in the brief fight came to life once more this time hissing and gnashing their teeth as they fought to overrun their position. Ladycat darted to Adrien's side her instincts telling her that Morte was gone for the moment. Adrien's face was pale his hands bloody as she pressed down on the makeshift bandage he had created.
"We need to go." Ladycat said her voice tight.
Adrien nodded his face contorting into a grimace as he tried to move. Ladycats hand stopped him.
"Just keep pressure on that Adrien. I will carry you."
Adrien didn't argue and as the first bone hand crested the top of the ledge Ladycat tossed her Lucky Charm over the edge her yoyo swiftly following. Smoke blasted away filling the room in seconds and Ladycat bundled Adrien into her arms launching herself into the void. Using the baton she flung them towards one of the open tunnels and through some miraculous luck there were no skeletons barring her way as they landed. Adrien grunted in pain as she pelted forwards using every last stitch of speed she had. They blasted past skeleton after skeleton not having the time to defeat them as the kwami relayed directions in her mind since she didn't have the time nor hands to be reading a map. The light was practically nonexistent the farther she got away from Morte and just before it was too dark to see even for Ladycat Adrien managed to pull his phone out giving her enough light to see by. Hissing filled the tunnels behind her and suddenly Plagg swore. Ladycat didn't have to ask why, the tunnel she was running down ended just ahead. The area where it was supposed to curve off at now had a rock fall in its place. A rusted gate covered a secondary tunnel entrance and Ladycat pelted towards it.
"Skeletons are coming up on our six!" Adrien grunted through gritted teeth the pain clear in his voice.
"Marinette that tunnel ends 200 feet down, there isn't a way out!" Tiki cried
Ladycat hissed but kept running. If she was going down she wanted a wall at her back, that way she could protect Adrien as long as possible.
"There is a secondary tunnel system behind it though! Cataclysm the wall just before you hit the end of the tunnel and you might be able to punch through!" Plagg snapped and determination flooded Ladycats system.
"Hang on Adrien!" She gasped throwing her yoyo. The yoyo snapped around the rusted gate and she yanked as hard as she could one handed practically feeling bony hands at their backs.
The Gate was old, so old in fact that instead of one bar breaking like she hoped the whole thing ripped right off its hinges. Seeing the frame come loose Ladycat twisted to the side flinging the whole thing past herself and Adrien to crash into the multitudes of skeletons that packed the tunnel behind them. Ladycat barely paused to see the damage making one last sprint for the end of the tunnel.
"Cataclysm!" Ladycat roared and leaped at the tunnel wall, her open hand smashing into the surface.
For a brief second the wall held, then her momentum helped speed the magic away and the wall exploded outwards. Darkness yawned before them and Ladycat twisted as they crashed to the ground making sure that Adrien was on top of her and protected from the harsh impact. Bones scraping bone echoed from the tunnel they had just blasted through and shifting out from under Adrien enough to sit up Ladycat tossed a small polka dotted paper into the air.
"Miraculous Cleanse!" she shouted.
The paper burst into two small patches with one swarming down around Adrien as the other swarmed the busted wall where the first of the skeletons had just arrived. It sealed instantly and silence fell. With a last beep two simultaneous lights flashed leaving a very exhausted Marinette and two worn out kwamis. Marinette managed to catch the kwamis and with a trembling, extremely concerned voice asked "Adrien are you?"
"I-Im ok." Adrien gasped "Healed… kinda."
Marinette shivered the cut on her back suddenly blazing with pain. "How bad?" she demanded shifting the two kwami in her hands onto Adrien so she could swing the backpack she wore around.
"Just skin deep I think. Nothing else got healed. Why is that?" Adrien asked "I mean not that I'm complaining about being half healed or anything."
"Lack of power." Tiki murmured sounding exhausted "We didn't purify his butterfly so the power of the Miraculous cure was simply the power Ladycat put into the Lucky Charm, which was actually a decent amount. It couldn't cure all the wounds you had and so it just fixed the life threatening ones."
A light clicked on and everyone flinched at the sudden brightness. "Sorry." Marinette muttered flicking the button again so the light became far dimmer. "Let me see." Her voice was all wrong and instead of following directions Adrien turned towards her. Tears were already slipping down Marinettes cheeks and Adrien lifted a hand to her face only to stop when he realized they had blood on them.
"Oh My Love, I'm so sorry." He murmured leaning forwards to press his forehead to hers. "I'm ok. He didn't hurt me until that last blow. Everything was just superficial." Adrien murmured wrapping his arms around her knowing that she needed a hug.
Marinette sobbed the dam breaking and buried her face into his shoulder, her tears slipping down his bare skin as she wrapped her arms around him. The two kwami sat off to the side each having already gotten their respective foods from the backpack. The two gave off their own faint light their eyes piercing the darkness as they kept watch for their chosen. The battle wasn't over yet but for the moment they were safe.
The first order of business when Marinette was able to breathe without sobbing was to smack Adrien in the back of the head. She didn't hit him hard but all of her annoyance was very clear when she said
"If you ever do this to me again I will ground you." Marinette snapped making Adrien freeze.
"And I'll take your ring." Plagg growled instantly backing Marinette.
Adrien glanced between the two of them recognizing the anger there. Very slowly he mumbled "I didn't exactly mean to get captured. I was just trying to save that kid."
Marinette nodded wiping at her tear streaked face leaving smears of dirt in their place. "Congratulations, you did and she is fine but so are the other two hundred odd people that Morte has taken. While I love your bravery and cherish the fact that you will do anything to help a citizen, you as a hero need to be at my side. I need you Adrien, I need you as you and Chat Noir, and it hurts so bad whenever I have had to leave you behind. You can't even imagine."
Adrien looked away a lump in his throat. He could practically feel the anguish rolling off her and he didn't know how to fix it. "Unless I'm saving you it won't happen again." He said after a moment unable to promise her without a doubt that he wouldn't act the same way to save her life.
Marinette understood and she let out a deep shuddering breath. "I will ground you though. I swear I will so don't think I won't."
Tiki the only one who hadn't spoken did so suddenly, her voice humming dangerously as an echo to Marinettes determination. "And we will let her use both of us to defeat an akuma if you have been grounded. You knew that this akuma was different and yet you practically threw yourself back into danger to save someone who almost couldn't be saved."
"I understand but we did save those people." Adrien replied feeling as if he needed to justify his actions just a little bit.
"Yes after losing nearly the same amount of people in the fighters that joined your reckless charge." Tiki agreed and Adrien had nothing to say to that.
"Yes mam." Adrien finally answered then sighed as he saw the med kit Marinette was pulling from the bag.
"At least my shirt is already off." Adrien pointed out as she turned to him and he was relieved when a small smile twitched on her lips.
"Yes and I can see you are bruised to hell and back. Let me see that stab wound." Marinette answered snarkily.
Adrien unwrapped his shirt from his side wincing as it pulled at the dried blood there. More blood welled but it was a paltry amount compared to the gusher that it had been. His destroyed shirt was practically saturated as was the side of his pants. Marinette grimaced at the sight of all the blood then reached into the backpack to pull a bottle of vitamin water as well as a high density protein bar.
"Eat and drink" she snapped shoving the items into his wrapped hands then got to work patching him up.
In truth the wound on his side was still deep enough to probably still need stiches but Marinette used some butterflies to tape it shut after she disinfected it. A thick wad of gauze went over that and she sealed it down with tape. Her hands were smeared with blood when she was done ad Adrien had a protein bar ready for her as she finally pulled back, wincing as she did.
"Your turn." Adrien said eyeing her jacket which was becoming redder by the minute.
Marinette turned with a grimace eating the bar as Adrien cleaned and bandaged her wound. Finally the two of them were patched up as best as the possibly could be and Marinette sighed pulling a shirt and shorts from the confines of the backpack.
"Here, I didn't think we would end up in more tunnels so this is all I brought." Marinette said handing over the clothes. The tattered remains of his shirt were stuffed into the side pocket of the bag since Miraculous cleanse would fix it later.
Adrien slid the shirt on over his head, wincing as the movement pulled on his side. The shorts he handed back to her. "These jeans are already messed up and they are thicker than those. I'll be fine with my jeans."
Marinette eyed the bloody side of his jeans skeptically and Adrien snorted seeming to understand her concern "Who are we going to meet down here other than skeletons?"
Marinette shrugged stuffing the shorts back into the bag and with a groan somehow managed to get to her feet.
"We should get moving since I don't know if the skeletons can still come after us. Can you walk?" Marinette asked and Adrien nodded getting to his feet with a slight wobble.
"The skeletons shouldn't be able to follow us for now. You injured Morte and damaged his possessed item. He will be out of commission until he heals himself and repairs his item." Tiki said floating up off the ground as Marinette placed the rest of the trash back into the bag.
"He can do that?" Adrien asked
Plagg flopped onto Adrien's shoulder nuzzling his neck. "Yeah kit they can if given enough time. The good news is that it gives you two a bit of time to rest so how about you get moving?"
"Right…" Marinette sighed and turned the beam on the flashlight higher so she could see more than two feet. "Which way?"
"Left." Both kwami piped as Tiki fluttered down to sit on Marinettes head.
Marinette slid the back pack on her back with a wince then turned holding her hand out for Adrien to take. Adrien took her hand with a smile and the two of them wandered down the tunnel the beam from the flashlight illuminating obstacles and sometimes graffiti. One time it illuminated a face someone had carved into the rock wall and that had for a brief moment terrified them. Once there heart rates returned to normal they had laughed about it but the darkness and silence of the tunnels was unsettling.
"I never realized there were so many tunnels under here." Adrien whispered and even then his voice seemed too loud.
"There are hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under Paris, between the ossuaries, quarry tunnels, subways, and other natural structures there is practically a whole other city under here." Tiki said brightly.
"There is a way out though right?" Marinette asked nervously
"There are lots of ways out although they are scattered and some of them are hard to get to." Tiki answered then everyone froze as a noise echoed from up ahead.
Adrien took a step forward his own flashlight in hand as he peered into the darkness. "Plagg?" he whispered
"Stay kit." Plagg hissed softly then the warm body left his shoulder darting off into the darkness.
Adrien scooted closer to Marinette and Tiki flew down between them ready to be called upon if necessary.
Less than a minute later Plagg came careening out of the dark. "There's a kid up ahead!" Plagg snapped sounding surprised.
"Should we transform? They may have escaped from a skeleton and are wandering lost down here." Adrien murmured
"No they have camping gear. Matter of fact I think they are waiting for you since they probably can hear us talking." Plagg answered
Marinette nibbled on her lip "So much for not running into anyone down here. Well worse comes to worse we can both handle normal humans and we need to tell them to get out of the tunnels anyways. Lets go."
Adrien nodded and the two kwami flew into her backpack. Taking Marinettes hand Adrien led the way slowly sweeping the area with his flashlight as them moved forwards. They passed a chink in the wall some 300 feet down and suddenly a voice from within called out to them.
"You two are just kids. What are you all doing down here, seeking an adventure?"
Marinette and Adrien jumped spinning around to face the person as they stepped out of the chink in the wall. They were a scruffy looking female with a headlamp on their head. A semi dirty shirt, tattered jeans, and a pair of well-worn boots completed the look, although compared to her clothes her skin was remarkably clean.
"No." Adrien snapped his voice betraying the agitation he felt. Marinette squeezed his hand and he took a deep breath "We were attacked by an akuma and managed to get away but somehow we ended up in here. We don't know how to get out."
The girl blinked cocking her head to the side. It didn't look as if she believed them, then she as she looked them over she noticed the blood on his pants. Her jaw fell open and she swore dropping her bag to the floor. "You're hurt!"
Adrien glanced down and realized she had seen the blood. "Hey no I'm fine! I mean not totally but my girlfriend has already patched me up. I swear I'm ok!"
The girl froze several items having already spilled from her bag as she looked between him and Marinette. "That doesn't look like a 'I'm fine' sort of wound. That's a lot of blood. Matter of fact you both have blood on you. What the hell happened to you?"
Marinette and Adrien glanced down at themselves, then at each other, realizing what the girl meant. They were both streaked with dirt and dried blood since they'd had nothing to wipe it off with. The wrappings on Adrien's knuckles were liberally covered and other than Adrien's new shirt the rest of their clothes were battered looking.
"A particularly nasty akuma is running around with skeleton minions. We have run into them a few times and it hasn't gone the best for us." Marinette said softly. "We don't have any detrimental injuries but we do need to get out of here since this is a prime place for them to be moving around. Please can you show us the way out? Quickly preferably."
The girl frowned shoving her things back into her bag. "I believe you on the skeletons. Ran past a few of them down here several hours ago, but I was able to hide and lose them. That's why I was heading up although I'm in need of new supplies again anyways."
"Yeah about that, what are you doing down here anyways?" Adrien asked glad the conversation had moved away from them for the moment.
Swinging her heavy looking bag up over her shoulder the girl smiled at him. "I am a Cataphile. We explore these tunnels although technically it's illegal to do so. In the more well known tunnels they have police roaming around and they will give you a fine if they can catch you. Call me Kat."
"I'm Marinette, he is Adrien." Marinette said
"Oh I know who he is. My sister was obsessed with you. Man she was so upset when you started dating… um Marinette was it?" Kat asked
The two of them shifted awkwardly. "Uh… Yeah…" Marinette answered and Kat chuckled.
"No worries she wasn't obsessed enough to go all akuma on you guys. Hey is that what happened this time?" She asked moving out into the tunnel
"No just bad luck this time." Adrien growled
Kat nodded "Well I will get you guys out of here. It should only take about 30 min to get to a bolt hole."
They didn't speak any further although both teens sensed that Kat was bursting with questions. About 25 minutes later they all heard a scraping sound that had Kat freezing in place. Adrien and Marinette came to a halt as well.
"I think your skeleton friends are up ahead." Kat muttered pulling out a paper
It was a fairly large map, all hand drawn with odd notations scattered across the surface.
"How far are we?" Marinette asked her voice urgent.
"The exit is just ahead but if there are skeletons we might not be able to get through and I don't know if you two can keep up with me if we gotta bolt." Kat answered honestly.
"We can keep up but lets try this exit first." Adrien said "I'll go first. Kat you stay between us and tell me when to stop."
Kat's face contorted "You wanna go towards danger?"
Marinette patted her gently on the shoulder. "We can handle ourselves and if its only one or two skeletons we will be ok. It's best to check the integrity of this exit now, than to stay underground longer."
Plus there was the fact that the when they had come through there had been dozens of skeletons coming after them. The fact that a wall was now between the two tunnels didn't make her feel any better since they would have to walk right past there if they couldn't get out here.
Kat frowned looking very wary but Adrien was already moving forwards and Marinette followed. At best Marinette figured she would come and they could get out with her guidance. At worse she would probably take off and the kwamis could lead them out. They moved slowly keeping their eyes trained forwards when a skeleton loomed out of the dark. Before it could even open its jaws to start a hiss Adrien was on it slamming his fist through the skull. Marinette darted to his side kicking the legs out from under a second skeleton and Adrien stomped its skull turning it to dust. The two of them swept the darkness with the flashlights and spied a third skeleton shambling their way. Grabbing a rock from the ground Marinette chucked it as hard as she could. The rock smashed into its skull knocking the skeleton off its feet giving Adrien enough time to crush its skull. For several moments after the skeleton turned to dust they remained in place listening to the darkness.
"I think that was it for this bunch." Marinette said softly turning to where Kat still stood in shock.
"I… think you guys have done this before…" Kat said softly her eyes huge.
Marinette and Adrien grinned sheepishly at her. "The exit?" Adrien asked when she didn't move
Kat peered around them squinting her eyes against the darkness. "Almost there, once we get past this curve we should be at the ladder." Then she started moving forwards trusting that all the skeletons had been taken out. Less than two minutes later they arrived at the base of a row of spikes that stuck out in a fairly straight line going up the wall.
"Is this it?" Adrien asked eyeing the pseudo ladder with a bit of trepidation.
Kat nodded and grabbed at the spikes. "Follow me! We will end up on street level."
She scrambled up the spiked surface surprisingly quick, shoving her bag through first as she became flush with the ceiling. A hiss echoed from the dark making Adrien and Marinette snap towards the noise.
"Go Adrien." Marinette hissed shoving him at the wall. A bit of dust rained down and they both heard Kat call. "It's open come on up!"
For once Adrien didn't argue since he could see that same dangerous look on Marinettes that had spelled trouble for many akuma. He scrambled up the wall tossing a few glances down to make sure Marinette was following. She was and on the edges of the shadows he could just see the barest hint of movement. He swallowed hard and practically flew out of the open hole into the street swiftly spinning around to grab Marinettes hand as she reached street level. He hauled her out wincing as the wound in his side pulled back open then yanked her away from the opening. They all could hear the hissing echo up out of the pitch darkness. It wasn't quite dawn and the shadows of the ally were still deep enough to support a skeleton should they choose to follow them up.
"Cover?" Adrien demanded and Kat was at his side almost instantly shoving a heavy manhole into place. Next she shifted a round cobble patterned plate into place over the manhole and the whole thing blended so well Adrien realized that if you didn't know this spot you would never find it. For several moments the three of them stood in the ally taking deep breaths and then Kat began to laugh.
"Whew! I have to say this was probably my most exciting trip down there yet! If you guys even want a tour just come to this spot in a week and I will guide you for free." Kat called dropping her bag to the ground before yanking her shirt off over her head.
Adrien twisted around his face instantly turning pink and Kat laughed as Marinette patted his back. "No worries kid I've got a sports bra on!" She called pulling a dress from her bag and slipped it over her head in place of the shirt while Marinette looked on in puzzlement.
"Why a dress?" Marinette asked curiously as Kat pulled a cloth bag from the oversized bag and dumped the shirt then the pants into it.
Kat shrugged. "The police keep a look out for grungy people with large bags walking out on the streets. Like I said they don't like us Cataphiles hanging out down in the tunnels. They can't prove we were down there of course although why else would you have the equipment I have. However, people don't stop girls in dresses. If they do stop me I can say I was coming from my friend's house or something."
"That's brilliant." Marinette giggled
Kat nodded with a smile "Thanks! Like I said though if you want a tour come to this spot in a week around ten at night. It's easier to adapt to the tunnels in the dark and Ladybug should have fixed this freaky skeleton akuma by then."
Marinette grimaced "I don't know, I'm kind of tunneled out because of all this. I have a friend that would probably love this though."
"As long as its not a crowd I don't mind. Also Adrien you can turn around now, I've been done for a bit." Kat chuckled
Adrien turned slowly as if he didn't believe her eliciting chuckles from both girls. The sun was steadily rising at this point but as Kat made her way towards the street he called. "Stay off the streets once it gets dark and stick to sunny streets for now."
Kat waved a hand not bothering to turn around and within moments she had turned the corner disappearing from view.
"What an odd human." Plagg muttered floating up out of the backpack.
"We are all odd Plagg you should have figured that out by now." Adrien said then held a hand out to Marinette "Shall we head to your house My Lady? I don't know where we are right now but I'm sure we can make it there before too many people get on the streets."
"You two should transform and go. Both of you are fairly close to exhaustion and I'm not sure you will make it under your own power." Tiki said as she flew out of the backpack.
Marinette yawned hugely and now that the adrenalin from fighting had started wearing off exhaustion was swiftly taking its place. "Will you and Plagg be ok if we do though? I used lucky charm and cataclysm down there."
Tiki nodded "Our magic has restored itself and we both have enough energy to get you kids home."
"I think they should walk. Exhaustion builds character." Plagg muttered flopping across Adrien's head.
Everyone else rolled their eyes then Adrien called "Plagg Claws Out!"
"Tiki Spots On!" Marinette echoed and a moment later the two heroes took to the rooftops.
By the time they made it to Marinettes rooftop the sun was well and truly overhead. Both teens were also completely worn out and they climbed inside nearly falling to the bed in exhaustion as soon as they slipped in. It was only when the trap door burst wide open did Ladybug remember that Alya was at her house still.
"Marinette!" Alya screeched as she flew up the stairs to her bed. Her jaw dropped as she saw the two of them still transformed and Chat glanced at Ladybug looking more than a little nervous.
"She knows, Tiki spots off." Marinette said tiredly her eyes feeling heavier by the second. The transformation ended and with it seemed to suck what little energy she had left. "Alya we are back and totally exhausted. We need sleep so can we give you the play by play later?"
Alya lunged forwards gripping Marinette in a bone crushing hug. After a long moment she released her nodding as her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah, yeah of course girl. I'm just glad you are back in one piece although you look um ragged…"
"Plagg claws in." Chat sighed from beside them and Alya jumped at his flash of light.
Alya blinked at him then gripped him a hug just as strong as the one she gave Marinette. "I'm glad you are back too and I swear if you ever scare me or Marinette like that again I will release a horribly embarrassing photo or video of you on my blog."
"Can't breathe…" Adrien gasped making Alya release him. Marinette sighed and even though she was covered in dirt she flopped back onto her bed. Alya glanced at her then noticed the blood on Adrien's pants.
"Do I want to know?" She asked worriedly pointing at the blood.
"He got stabbed, I got stabbed. We both got stabbed, although mine is more of a nasty scratch." Marinette mumbled her eyes already closing.
"Marinette you should take a shower before sleeping." Tiki buzzed worriedly as she tugged at Marinettes hair. She turned to Alya her bright blue eyes earnest. "She really should take a shower and clean all her wounds properly before sleeping. Adrien you especially should."
Alya nodded and Adrien groaned clearly not agreeing with Tiki.
"Come on kit." Plagg huffed kneading his sharp little claws into his shoulder. Adrien winced at the treatment then helped Alya get Marinette off her bed and to her parents shower since it was bigger.
Adrien almost fell asleep in the shower and then again as he was trying to tape up his wound a second time. Alya helped him when he gave up and walked out since Plagg wouldn't leave him alone till he did. To his surprise Alya actually refrained from asking questions although her eyes were distinctly misty as she tapped the gauze into place. Adrien patted her hand understanding why.
"We are safe Alya. A little more injured than normal but once we put Morte in the ground permanently everything will go back to normal ok?" He said his voice soft. Alya had already put Marinette to bed and Adrien was planning on joining her in a few minutes.
Alya sniffed. "I never really thought about you guys being injured. You are still going to fight in that condition and that… That's just stupidly amazing and…" She trailed off as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I want to help. I know I can't really but I want to."
"You already have Alya just by being here and helping Marinette. And me." He added as an afterthought. He yawned amazed that he was still conscious and Alya chucked before grabbing his arm and guiding him up the stairs to Marinettes bed.
"Good night you two. I'll wake you before it starts getting dark." Alya called softly as Adrien climbed into the bed.
"Sounds good." Adrien mumbled and the sound of sheets shifting followed. There was several moments of silence then a soft purr sounded from above followed by a happy content hum. Alya smiled and after taking the most adorable picture of them curled around each other sleeping, made her way to the door to get some rest of her own.