Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or elements relating to Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Miraculous: Borderline

Chapter 7: Catching Up

Ladybug swung through the air, her haste apparent in the way she snapped out her yoyo and flipped over the rooftops.

With one last swing, Ladybug managed to open up her miraculous yoyo and snag the akuma right before it phased through the wall of the bakery where Marinette lived.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug said triumphantly.

Ladybug leapt in mid-air and swung over the rooftops where she landed on a balcony rail and released the de-akumatized moth.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug whispered as she watched the moth fly away.

Ladybug swung her yoyo again and leapt clear to another rooftop, where she hid behind a chimney and sunk down into a sitting position.

"Spots off," Ladybug said softly, and her costume vanished to be replaced with Tikki, who hovered over her shoulder protectively.

"Great job, Marinette!" Tikki cheered. "You captured the akuma before it could hurt anyone else!"

Marinette knew Tikki was just trying to be supportive. "You don't have to lie to me, Tikki," Marinette said softly. "I know I messed up. It could've ended really badly for all of Paris."

Marinette looked away. "Because of my mistakes."

Marinette closed her eyes so that Tikki couldn't see the tears that gathered behind her eyes threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

Marinette felt frustrated at herself at not being able to fight the akumatization. She felt frustrated that she had let her emotions win her over.

She was Ladybug! She was the epitome of all who fought back and won against Hawk Moth's dark influence! How could she be that role model when she herself had been akumatized?

Tikki seemed to read her mind and drifted closer to Marinette. She hovered right in front of Marinette's eyes to force her to look at her.

"Marinette, anyone can get akumatized. It's not your fault," Tikki whispered, her voice pressing and truthful. "Would you blame Alya for getting akumatized? Or Nino? Or Rose?"

Marinette brushed her tears away angrily. "But they didn't have as much knowledge on how to fight back as I did! I should've known better than to just give in!"

Marinette clenched her hand and heard something crack. Looking down in surprise, Marinette saw that she was still holding the charm bracelet Adrien had given her for her birthday. She'd held it the whole day, hoping that it would be able to make her feel something. Anything. But staring at it now, all Marinette felt was pain.

"Oh, Tikki," Marinette sighed, her voice choked up with tears and frustration. "How will I ever learn if I continue to be so obsessed with—with someone who doesn't even know I exist?"

Tikki flew closer to Marinette, her eyes wide and urgent as if she wanted to communicate something immensely important to her but couldn't out-loud.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried. "Don't give up on yourself! Adrien likes you as a friend, and that's a great start! Remember what Alya said?"

Tikki's big blue eyes stared into Marinette's, huge and sincere. "You're a great person—you're caring and kind and really, really smart! He'll see that in you soon, one day—trust me!"

Tikki looked so hopeful and trustful—Marinette knew that Tikki truly believed in all the words she was saying. And that just made Marinette hurt more.

Tikki always saw the inherent good in people...maybe even when it wasn't there. She'd believed in Marinette, and she'd been wrong. So maybe, Marinette wasn't the right one to wear a miraculous.

Maybe she wasn't the right one to be Ladybug after all.

Tikki waved her hands nervously. "Come on, Marinette, cheer up!"

Marinette lifted her head, her eyes shining with a passionate determination. "Don't worry, Tikki."

Marinette brushed away her tears with the back of her hand and stood up. "I'm not going to lose control again. I learned my lesson. Let's just go home."

Marinette forced a smile and for a moment, Tikki hesitated. It was as if she could sense some kind of change in Marinette, and she was confused and nervous about it. But then Tikki smiled back, and Marinette relaxed.

Marinette allowed herself a real grin. "Tikki, spots on!"

Moments later, Ladybug swung by overhead, full-speed, and disappeared over the rooftops. Something clattered to the ground behind her and lay unnoticed on the cobblestoned streets.

A pair of black heeled shoes stepped up to the charm bracelet Ladybug had dropped.

Dressed in an immaculately-pressed black suit with her hair pinned up in a tight, flawless bun, Nathalie Sancoeur bent down and picked up the charm bracelet, examining it as if it were a specimen underneath a microscope. Her face was expressionless, her eyes bright blue and piercing even as her thoughts raced and connected the dots.

"Adrien," she called to her charge, who skulked along behind her in his fencing gear, head down. "Let's go."

End of Chapter 7: Catching Up