A/N: So...I discovered that I forgot to upload the final part to my FFnet and AO3 account and only published it on Tumblr. I got so confused after reading reviews to the previous chapter and I was like:"Huh? Cliffhanger? But I didn't write one in this final chapter!"...I APAWLOGIZE FELLOW MIRACULOUS FANS! I'm sorry T_T
ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:
Sir Cottonball: (serves final chapter on a silver platter) Of course, kind sir.
BDemon1995: Thank you for the compliment! Hope you'll enjoy this one too.
MidnightWriter44678: Heh, I never expected any slowness when it involves a battle between a cat and a snake ;)
Mysticminou: Oh, um, thank you so much! (hides face) I've read some of your work too, so I feel flattered getting a compliment from a talented writer themselves! :3
Enjoy!
A Choice
Chat Noir had jumped over the fallen beam, body moving forward into the darkened river when a force suddenly grabbed him and shoved him aside back onto the ship.
He heard a vaguely familiar muttered, "Sorry, Chat Noir!" before shaking his head and looking up.
There stood Rena Rouge, flute in hand, protective stance in front of him facing Ophio, who looked distraught.
Chat Noir scrambled to get up until Rena stepped on his belt, preventing him from diving back toward the river, Chat's eyes were blown wide open and dilated in panic, "Rena Rouge, let me go, Marinette fell into the river, we-"
Rena's calm demeanour pulled further at his nerves, his whole body tingling with nervous energy, "Relax kitty, Marinette's safe and sound,"
Chat's eyes hardened and he quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed his baton when Rena handed it to him, "How do you know, fox?" his voice was dead serious and Rena's more serious face met his own seriousness.
"Because she's the one that called me," Rena's knowing look made Chat Noir oddly flustered and defensive and before he could try and defend Marinette's identity, Rena winked.
Chat hadn't even noticed Ophio approaching, until Rena pushed him back with a solid kick, with her shouting over her shoulder while spinning her flute towards him, "No time to daydream kitty, we got a snake to snatch!" she did a backflip to avoid Ophio's downward slash, lunging for him again.
Chat Noir shook himself, extending his staff and breaking it easily into the two halves, spinning both in his hands as he stalked toward Ophio with renewed intent. With a big grin, Chat jumped and spun once in the air, slamming his staff down to loudly connect with Ophio's, the harsh vibrations travelled from his staff all the way through his body and the akumatized boy fell to his knees.
Chat's eyes widened in realization, Rena seeming to come to the same conclusion, "Chat Noir!" she motioned towards Ophio's staff, thankfully out of Ophio's view as the boy still tried recovering from the impact from earlier. Moving forward, Chat dived for the staff, but Ophio recovered enough to grab his staff and strike at Chat Noir.
Dropping his weapon, Chat held the snake staff within his grasp, both boys trying to overpower each-other in a battle of strength and will, "What did Adrien do to you? To Marinette?" Chat's words caused Luka's eyes to widen in fury, the slit pupils appearing even more menacing.
He pushed Chat Noir away with a harsh shove, forcefully kicking Rena Rouge's back as she fell to the ground, "Rena!" Chat's cry got silenced when Ophio threateningly placed his staff, the snake head, near his neck.
The butterfly masked glowed brighter than ever over Ophio's face, it seemed Hawkmoth was getting impatient.
Chat struggled, trying to get the boy off himself, but his legs burned from the blow before and Ophio's own weight on them caused Chat Noir to hiss in pain.
Ophio moved the staff even closer, leaning down to grab at his hand, until a red blur struck the limb and forced Ophio to spring away from Chat Noir hastily.
"Hands off my kitten, snake!" Chat's eyes flew open in shock, body freezing momentarily on the floorboards of the ship, the voice echoing in his head like a song over and over again.
It was her.
And then, his vision was filled with the familiar red, black and blue. Her colours.
"Need a hand kitty?" Ladybug smiled down at him and Chat Noir grabbed her hand, pulling himself up and immediately enveloping her in a hug tightly.
His voice was just a mere whisper but he was close enough to her ear for her to hear it clearly, "You're…okay," his arms tightened their hold around her and Ladybug smiled, hugging him back.
She paused before she whispered back with a smile, "Of course I am kitty,"
They broke apart and Chat scanned her from head to toe, seeing no injuries, "But…the crow's nest…it toppled over…I saw you fall into the water," his eyes worriedly swept over the splintered beam.
Ladybug smiled reassuringly, squeezing his shoulder, "I called Rena Rouge for help, she created an illusion of…me still up in the crow's nest, so that Ophio wouldn't know I was gone." She turned around, seeing Rena and Ophio struggling against each-other, "No time to talk more Chat Noir, let's get Luka back!"
The name left a slightly sour taste in his mouth, but Chat Noir nodded nevertheless, following right after his lady.
Rena was overwhelmed from Luka's strength and agility, his movements even quicker than her own, slithering easily out of her range and avoiding attacks, "Luka! Can you hear me?! Try to not listen to Hawkmoth!" Rena held her flute in front of her defensively, "I know what it feels like when he's in your head, please try to escape," her eyes were filled with understanding, but the yellow-green tint in Luka's eyes was still there.
Then, a yoyo wrapped around his wrist, removing most of the weight and power behind the force of his staff and Rena pushed back finally.
Ophio staggered backwards from the force of Rena Rouge's push and Ladybug's mighty pull.
Ophio tried pivoting on one foot to release his wrist from the yoyo string, but Chat Noir swooped in to strike at his lower legs causing the older male to fall hard on his back.
Chat was immediately on him, pinning his wrists on either side of him, "Give it up Ophio, you're outnumbered." Chat saw the anger ignite in the boy, his struggles intensifying and Chat Noir used all his strength to hold him down, "Any time now m'lady!"
From the corner of his eyes, Ophio saw Ladybug walking towards him, then he heard Hawkmoth's voice again in his head, a dark, sinuous trap, "Your powers Ophio, use them!"
Feeling the power he called upon rise, Ophio closed his eyes in concentration, sensing the vibrations of Rena Rouge recovering from her crouching position after pushing him away, Ladybug walking towards him, now only a few feet apart, the sound of Chat Noir's erratic heartbeat as the boy held him down.
Ophio opened his eyes and they flashed bright yellow briefly, "Snake Eyes!" Chat Noir reflexively shut his eyes closed, suddenly sailing through the air from the force of Luka pushing him off.
Chat Noir, eyes to the floor, quickly moved to his feet, stopping his partner before she could charge at Ophio, "Ladybug, wait!" he didn't dare raise his eyes further than Ophio's feet, "Don't look him in the eyes!" he saw Rena Rouge quickly avert her gaze, "I don't know what is it, but since he's a snake themed akuma, I think he can either daze or control you if you look him in the eyes,"
Ladybug took a defensive stance next to her partner, swinging her yoyo in a circle, "Good thinking Chat Noir, still, there has to be a way we can defeat him," Ladybug quickly called upon her own power, Chat Noir watching her for a split second.
A second the snake took advantage of, "Eyes on me kitty!" Ophio taunted, Chat Noir grunting at the staff hitting his midsection.
"Chat Noir!" Rena and Ladybug immediately shouted in concern, Rena Rouge springing forward to aid the superhero, trying to snatch away Ophio's staff while not looking him in the eyes.
"Tough luck, fox!" Ophio spun and kicked her away roughly, her flute falling from her grasp and Chat Noir immediately lunged at him again, too focused on the fight to see what Lucky Charm had produced.
It was staff against staff, Ophio's actions growing more wild and uncoordinated, charging straight at the hero. Chat Noir parried, instincts honed from fencing lessons and akuma fights kicking in naturally all the while noticing a detail in Ophio's attacks.
They were weak.
Not that they weren't powerful, but in a moment where the staff grazed his flank, the blow didn't hurt as much as the previous ones did. Chat Noir's gaze shot to Luka's sword arm, the arm holding the staff.
It was trembling violently, "He's still fighting it, Hawkmoth's control." Chat resisted the urge to look him in the eyes, watching how his steps grew more and more rigid and shaky, "He doesn't want this. He doesn't want to hurt anybody," Chat sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a collision with the staff, calling over his shoulder quickly, "Any time you're ready m'lady!"
"Chat Noir, fetch!" thinking quickly, Chat dodged the next attack, turning around in time to catch a small rectangular box in his hand.
Was that an amplifier?
"What-"
"Brace yourselves!" Ladybug warned right before she launched her attack.
Chat Noir had held out the tool in Ophio's direction, thinking it would blast off loud music, but instead, heavy vibrations travelled through the air, causing Chat's whole body to shake.
It was uncomfortable and he felt slightly numb and disorientated, but when he saw what effects it had on Ophio, he smiled.
The boy was kneeling on the ground, covering his head with his arms and shaking from the vibrations and Adrien remembered a lesson in biology where they learned about natural predators.
Snakes don't have ears, they perceive their surroundings through their tongue by tasting scent particles and pick up on vibrations through the ground.
Of course!
He could see Ladybug point towards Ophio's fallen form, "Chat Noir, the akuma is in the guitar pick around his neck!"
Moving quickly, Chat Noir quickly grabbed and ripped the leather cord from around Luka's neck, crushing the small guitar pick in two with his fingers and the familiar black butterfly flew out of it.
"No more evildoing for you little akuma! Miraculous Ladybug!" he could hear his lady's words,
The soothing power washed over him and their surroundings, cleansing and repairing everything that was damaged.
Except one thing.
Chat Noir turned around to look at Luka Couffaine, still kneeling on the ground, helplessly, sadly.
Chat's ears drooped in sympathy, after all, it wasn't Luka's fault for wanting to protect Marinette.
"Sorry guys, gotta run! Time's almost up!" he heard Rena Rouge call out distantly before sprinting to the edge of the repaired ship.
Ladybug ran too, "Me too!" she glanced at the boys a final time before helping Rena cross the river to detransform.
Chat Noir approached Luka slowly, kneeling down next to him, "Hey…are you alright?" he knew it was a stupid question, but he had to ask.
Luka shook his head, sighing heavily, heavy regret shining in his blue eyes, "I'm so sorry Chat Noir, for everything. I didn't mean to fight you or Ladybug, I also never meant to-" something changed in his whole demeanor, a wave of panic caused his pupils to dilate, "Marinette!"
Chat quickly grabbed his arm before the older boy could scramble towards the river, "She's safe!" Luka froze at the hero's words, gazing back at him in worry, "Marinette's safe."
"How do you know?" the crease in his forehead and the deep frown on his face spoke volumes of how much he regretted his actions. Actions that had hurt Marinette.
"Luka! Chat Noir!"
Both boys turned their heads, spotting a breathless Marinette running towards them, "Marinette!" Luka immediately walked over to her, checking her over for injuries, "But…but how?" he looked up at the restored crow's nest, "You were up there! I saw Chat Noir carry you up and the beam fell down and I saw you fall into the water!" Marinette's hands settled on his shoulders, his eyes looking lost and panicked.
"Luka," finally, the older boy looked down at her, "I'm fine, I promise. I managed to climb down while you were fighting Chat Noir," she smiled up at him, "I don't blame you for what happened, it's not your fault, it's Hawkmoth's for tricking you." She grew shy, smiling warmly and looking down at their feet, "And…thank you for comforting me, you're a good friend Luka." Marinette hugged the taller boy tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. Luka returned her hug, holding her close in fear of letting her go.
When Marinette turned her head and opened her eyes, Chat Noir was gone.
His heart was still beating fast when he settled on her balcony, looking at the plants and flowers as he tried to calm down from the battle.
Marinette was safe.
It was all he kept telling himself in his head, all he tried to think of, but thoughts started coming back, questions.
Why did Adrean do to you? To Marinette?
It's not his fault that he can't accept my feelings!
Chat Noir's fist shook on his knee and he shut his eyes closed.
"There you are kitty," he abruptly stood up at the familiar voice and came face to face with Marinette, a red creature, no, a kwami, beside her.
He stared at the red kwami, he had had his suspicions for a while, but seeing the actual evidence still overwhelmed him, especially after the emotional battle.
The creature smiled and bowed, "Thank you for saving Marinette, you're a good Chat Noir," Adrien didn't know what to say except smile slightly and watch the kwami fly into Marinette's bedroom, no doubt giving them much needed privacy.
Why couldn't Plagg be so considerate…
Marinette cleared her throat, stepping towards him hesitantly, "Chat Noir…I…" she fidgeted, playing with her fingers before finally looking at him, "Thank you for saving me today kitty."
He felt his heart constrict painfully and he swallowed, "Marinette…"
She found herself in his arms, how, she didn't know.
Not that she minded.
Closing her eyes, Marinette hugged him back tightly, clutching at him like a lifeline, "I'm sorry kitty, I couldn't help you sooner in the fight."
He snorted softly, rubbing her back soothingly, "Silly bug, I'm the one that's supposed to apawlogize for not saving you sooner."
Marinette continued, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my plan, it wouldn't have worked had you hadn't tried to save me too."
Chat's whispered words made her freeze in shock, "I would have saved you regardless, my lady."
"Chat-"
He broke away, looking down at her seriously, "Listen, whatever Adrien did to you, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's a model, right? You mentioned he didn't go to school until this year, right? Maybe he just doesn't really know how to interact with people, you know? Or he doesn't understand girls? Whatever the case, give him a chance, try to talk honestly with him Marinette, I'm sure he won't hurt you again."
"I'm sure of it." He silently vowed to himself.
Marinette stared up at the boy in wonder, as if seeing him for the first time, before she smiled and nodded, "I will…thanks for your help Chat Noir, I was really in a tight spot…even though I knew Luka wouldn't hurt me, I didn't know to what lengths Hawkmoth would go to get your Miraculous, so I expected the worst." She scratched her neck, shrugging.
Chat frowned, taking her hands in his.
She looked at him expectantly and he gathered his fragile courage, "If you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, you know how to reach me." He gazed meaningfully down at her, willing her to understand his offer.
Marinette smiled, shaking her head softly, squeezing his hands, "Yes, chaton, I know…thank you." She hugged him again.
Chat Noir hugged her back tightly, "Always, princess."
A soft tune was the only melody the gentle waves of the river allowed to be heard, the melody of a broken heart trying to piece itself back together.
Luka sat in one of the chairs on deck, his eyes gazing up at the sky but his thoughts elsewhere as his fingers gently glided along the strings of his guitar.
He replayed the scene in his head, right before Marinette left.
The last thoughts that had entered his mind then.
"She was his before she could ever be mine."
With the song in his heart and the strings as his voice, Luka played a slower, sadder tune.
Thanks for reading! I may write more Akumatized!Luka fics.