Yep moving right along… I swear I will find something more interesting to say one of these days. Chapter two!
Ms McClue… Ahahaha and that is why I don't write past midnight. I tend to get loopy and things stop making sense in the real world. As for the background… you will have to wait for that is to come…eventually.
DJKatt… Simply put YES!
The-Unnamed-Artist... Thank you! Yes this is a continuation of Tandem Lies, Rising Water, and Rain Dance... Whew I never thought I was going to be running a story arc here... No so far he doesn't know Ladybug is Mari... yet.
MartialArtsDancer… That is high praise! Thank you so much!
Guest… Hehe SO far all of my longer stories titles all have something to do with the akuma they fight… I'll just leave it at that.
Yuuzhan Vong Jedi… Definitely Claw-sit… next time I stay up till three I'm coming to you for my funnies. You can never have too much pun when it comes to this sort of stuff.
LybB… Glad to be of service! It always worth it when other people can enjoy reading.
Avatar NIX… I'm sorry I am stressing you out lol! I don't think we have seen any sharp weapons in canon yet, just blunt force trauma type stuff. However it is a kids show so, yeah we might never see anything like that. As for indestructible suits… Where is the fun in that?!
After a fight with an akuma goes wrong Chat and a knocked out Ladybug hide in a closet to wait for their transformation to recharge.
I own nothing... Except my imagination.
Shattered Iron (Part 2)
Chat shifted a little in place wondering if he should say he was done or something. It felt almost awkward for some reason to change into Chat Noir like this and he wondered why since he did it all the time in front of Marinette these days.
"It's my job to be annoying by the way." Plagg said in his mind causing Adrien to let out a small growl. Then he looked up and winced as he saw Ladybugs back there were still three shards of glass sticking out of her and she couldn't reach them though she was trying. It was then he realized why he felt awkward. Ladybug had been hurt because she'd had to protect him. Guilt ate at him making him open his mouth.
"Ladybug let me get those." Chat whispered placing a gentle claw on her shoulder. Several spots of blood marked her suit making him cringe even as he swiftly pulled out the shards. New spots of blood marked their positions and her shoulders relaxed as the last one pulled free.
"Thanks Chat that feels much better." Ladybug said pressing a hand to the one on her shoulder as she turned. His eyes were down cast his face unreadable and Ladybug sighed "Its not your fault so don't even think about it. We both get hurt all the time, besides its just some glass and it didn't hit anything vital."
Chat nodded mutely. They had both been injured before scrapes, bumps, bruises, gashes, they were probably both covered with scars at this point. Chat had been injured the worst out of the two of them since he was always more than happy to take a blow meant for Ladybug.
"Yay awkward moment can we just catch the akuma so I can have my cheese?" Plagg demanded making Chat snort with laughter.
Ladybug raised an eyebrow and Chat waved her off simply saying "Plagg wants us to hurry so he can go back to eating cheese."
"Well then lets not keep him waiting." Ladybug said with a smile and the two of them launched themselves up out of the ally.
The good thing about akuma was that they for the most part were easy to find. Usually they focused on one person or thing that had pissed them off. The few akuma that were ambiguous as to what caused their transformations were still easy to find due to the insane amount of damage they caused. No akuma really ran or hid in fact it was usually the two heroes that did most of the hiding when it came right down to it. Shatterglass was no exception. Glass covered the tops of houses parts of the streets cars and to the hero's horror people. They halted for a moment next to one statue as Ladybug eyed it with apprehension.
"Do you think they are ok?" She asked tracing a finger over the surprised glassy stare the statue had.
"Well anytime someone has been transformed before they have been fine as soon as you release Miraculous Cleanse so I don't see why not." Chat answered and Ladybug nodded in agreement.
"We should be close. Lets get this fixed before he turns more people into statues." Ladybug muttered and together they ran down the street.
They caught up with Shatterglass a few minutes later terrorizing a group of three kids that were in a large plaza complete with benches and a large fountain. It was one that the duo knew well since most teenagers came here in the hotter months to hang out at the fountains edge and relax in the cool spray. This group was a school group of some sort and they were all terrified as Shatterglass approached them. Their teacher was already a statue and as the duo landed in the plaza they could see several students hiding in by one of the entrances watching with horror as Shatterglass raised the pipe to his lips. One of the girls who was probably all of ten stepped before her two friends arms spread as she glared at Shatterglass.
"We didn't do anything to you leave us alone!" The child shouted and Shatterglass paused giving them the moment they needed to attack.
"Kids Chat!" Ladybug snapped as they darted in.
Throwing her yoyo she caught Shatterglass by the waist and before he even registered the yoyo string she hauled back yanking him into the air away from the kids. Torqueing the string as she pulled back Ladybug slung Shatterglass into the nearest wall firmly placing herself between him, Chat, and the children. As delicate as he seemed Shatterglass landed on his feet with a musical tinkle even as he left a dent in the wall. He seemed unfazed and in the next instant his pipe was at his lips glass shards shooting right at her. Ladybug spun her yoyo rapidly unwilling to dodge since Chat was hauling two of the scared children into his arms as the third brave child clung to his back like a monkey. As soon as Chat met the shadows at the fringes of the plaza Ladybug threw herself sideways out of the path of the flying broken glass coming back to her feet as his attack razed the space she had been in.
"Is that all you've got?" Ladybug taunted and Shatterglass paused for a brief second as if he were contemplating something.
Ladybug watched him even as she scanned the area wondering what Chat was up to. She had expected him to jump right back into the fight but as of yet she didn't see him. After a moment of silence Shatterglass spoke.
"I was going to save this little trick for my other half to see but I suppose there is no need."
"Other half?" Ladybug questioned then spun her yoyo as Shatterglass raised the glass maker pipe to his lips without another word.
He blew into it twirling the pipe as a ball of hot glass came from the end. His other hand reached up pouring flames and Ladybug watched in awe as he molded the shape of what looked like a dragon in the span of a minute. As the tail pulled free of the pipe the dragon expanded growing almost as big as Shatterglass before it came to life letting out a roar that sounded like breaking glass.
"Go my pet!" Shatterglass called and the dragon leapt foreword at a stunned Ladybug.
The eyes were yellow while the rest of the creature was all swirled blues except for the wings, claws, and horns which were solid black. Its head was even with Ladybugs and the beast gave another cry like breaking glass before letting loose a breath attack that was entirely made up of glass shards. Thankfully even though her mind was still screaming DRAGON?! Her reflexes were wide awake and paying attention. Her yoyo spun before her wiping the shards out of existence but Ladybug didn't think it would work quite as well on the dragons main body. She tried anyways smashing the yoyo into the creatures side causing the slightest chip to appear but the blow didn't put a dent in its charge for her. The beasts head snapped forward its jaw snapping shut inches from her leg as she jumped into the air. Planting her hand on the beasts snout she flipped over its head and landed on the things shoulders. Unfortunately glass made for a very poor traction surface and her feet slipped out from under her causing her to straddle its neck. The beast roared and twisted but Ladybug clung with her legs while her hands death gripped the spike of black before her so she wasn't flung off. Letting loose one more cry the dragon creature went still for the briefest of seconds then there was a sickening lurch as the dragon flapped its wings.
"Please let me be too heavy for this thing to AHHH!" Ladybug shrieked as the beast took to the air far quicker that what should be possible. The beast shot straight up into the air and as they passed the roof of the building Ladybug caught sight of an openmouthed shocked Chat.
"Get Shatterglass!" Ladybug yelled in passing and hoped he heard her.
Shatterglass could not be allowed to make more of these creatures. Ladybug didn't even know what she was going to do with the one she was riding. Riding... she was riding a freaken glass dragon and it was so far terrifying. The dragon in question really didn't seem to like her on its back either as it shrieked and flipped upside down losing altitude as it sprayed glass shards willy-nilly into the open air. Twisting back upright it dove into the cloud of shards with a burst of sudden speed. Shards of glass fell around them forcing Ladybug to release her death grip on the spike so she could deflect the shards that seemed to be coming from every angle. The deadly cloud dispersed as they broke through to the other side and Ladybug hoped that there was no one outside below them to get caught in the deadly rain of glass. The creatures mouth opened ready to spray another barrage as it soared even higher and Ladybug felt her stomach do a flip of its own as the beast twisted in a loop.
"That's enough!" she cried and threw her yoyo so it spun around the beasts snout before coming back to her other hand.
Hauling back on the yoyo forced the dragons mouth closed and its head reared back as its wings stalled in the air. Like a ball reaching its peak they hovered in the air slowing to a stop. Ladybug held her breath time seeming to slow and then they were falling like a stone. The dragon pointed its head towards the ground its claws slashing at the yoyos string ineffectively. A high pitched shriek filled the air and Ladybug realized it was her screaming as they fell.
"Open your stupid wings!" Ladybug screamed as the ground rapidly approached
Chat was fighting with Shatterglass preventing him from making more glass creatures his claws making horrific screeching noises each time he scored a hit. Fire littered the courtyard and Ladybug realized they were diving right for the ground. An idea struck her as she remembered how she controlled the flying gator once upon a time and on a hunch she loosened the string. The dragons wings snapped back open and she cheered as their decent slowed but not by nearly enough. In the next second she jerked the string sideways and the dragons head followed directing them right at the fighting Shatterglass and Chat.
"Chat move!" Ladybug cried and jumped off the dragons body coming crashing down to the hard cobbles and rolling rapidly as she tried to kill her momentum. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chat throw himself out of the way behind a mail bin then the sound of glass smashing filled the air. Slowly with a pain filled groan Ladybug uncurled herself and looked to where Shatterglass and his pet lay. The dragon looked far worse for wear with one wing completely broken off and missing large chunks here and there. Shatterglass shifted beneath the creatures bulk and then she saw his glass making pipe lying in the space between them. Scrambling to her feet Ladybug rushed forward to scoop up the pipe when Chat yelled
"Don't touch it!"
It was already too late though and as her hand curled around the pipe searing heat bit into her palm making her drop the pipe before falling back in shock. The suit had protected her from the worst of the heat but she could feel the burns on her hand already forming.
"How am I supposed to break something I can't touch?!" Ladybug exclaimed even as she tried to smash it with her yoyo. The yoyo dented the metal but it didn't break and no akuma came out.
"NO!" Shatterglass roared as she swung the yoyo once more and in the next instant Chat slammed into her knocking them both out of the way as fire scorched the spot where they had been moments before. Once more they rolled to a halt a whimper escaping the space between them and Ladybug pulled back to find a small pair of brown eyes looking up at her.
"CHAT?!" Ladybug exclaimed as she realized she was looking into a child's eyes. "Where did this kid come from?!"
Chat winced as they both rolled to their feet and he kept a firm grip on the kid.
"I couldn't leave them behind the mail bin and you were about to become crispy!" Chat whined and the child nodded.
"I wanted to come!" the child squeaked and both superheroes looked down at the kid in surprise before shaking their heads.
"We need to get you out of harm's way so we can do our job ok kid?" Ladybug said with a grin as she ruffled their hair. "I am pretty sure the akuma is in the pipe but I couldn't break the tube and it's too hot to touch."
Chat nodded then yelped "Move!" as he snatched the child back up into his arms. They leaped away from each other in the next instant as fire and shards of glass sprayed the area. The dragon and Shatterglass were back up and Shatterglass was using the flamethrower attached to his arm to shoot fire at them. The dragon was the one spraying the glass covering its master as Shatterglass raced for his pipe. Ladybug moved towards the pipe too capturing Shatterglasses full attention. Fire scorched the air around Ladybug as she used her spinning yoyo to prevent herself from becoming crispy while Chat dodged the dragons glass breath spray all the while keeping the child tucked behind his body. The dragon lost a piece of its leg in a sound of tinkling glass as it moved forward with cracks running through the beast everywhere. It looked as if it were ready to fall apart at any second yet for some reason it rushed after Chat and the child. Ladybug watched in horror as the dragon slashed at Chat from behind its claws slicing through his suit and skin. He cried out as the child screamed in terror and Ladybug abandoned the fight to prevent Shatterglass from getting his pipe. Chat was more important to her, the child's life was more important to her, Shatterglasses pipe could wait. Twisting around Chat swung his staff forcing the dragon to back off a step as he slung the child behind him. The kid stumbled back several steps just barely managing to stay on their feet and the dragon reared its black claws flashing in the sunlight as its jaws opened once more.
"Run kid!" Chat snapped knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to stop a breath attack and its flashing claws at the same time.
The child ran and as the first shard started to come from the back of its blue swirled throat a red yoyo zipped around its jaws snapping them shut with a crash. Ladybug hauled back on the line harder pulling the dragons head sideways and pulling the beast off balance. Chat darted forward swinging his baton at a thick crack he could make out where the chest joined the neck all the while avoiding the beasts flailing claws. The loud crack of the collusion echoed across the plaza and the dragon froze mid swipe. Jumping back Chat watched a little shocked as the cracks webbed across the beasts body then with a grinding crunching sound the dragon literally fell to pieces. A grin spread across his face as he looked up into Ladybugs eyes seeing the look of relief on her face. Then in the next instant everything went to hell once more. Shatterglass had reclaimed his weapon and as soon as he had the pipe in hand he raised it to his lips. There was no way for Ladybug to avoid the blow especially one she didn't even see. Her yoyo was already retracting but it wouldn't get to her hand in time. Her eyes were still on Chat and the shattered remains of the dragon between them. Ladybug had saved him once more at the cost of not seeing the danger that lurked right behind her.
Oh boy...