Shatter Point
By: EDelta88
Rated M for language, violence, adult situations and concepts, and graphic imagery
[Insert disclaimer here]
Chapter 4: Red Alert
Wham!
"Master!" Adrien cried, barreling into Master Fu's most recent hiding place.
Fu whirled around in surprise. "Adrien? What in the world—"
"Marinette's been Akumatized!" Adrien gasped, struggling to catch his breath.
Fu frowned, not quite comprehending his second student's words at first. "What are you talking about? Who is…" Fu began, denying any knowledge of who Marinette was on reflex, but then he trailed off as he caught sight of something that chilled him to the bone.
Settled miserably on Adrien's shoulder was Tikki, fat tears trickling silently down her tiny cheeks as Plagg hovered beside her, ominously calm as he gently stroked Tikki's back.
Wayz gasped, rushing forward. "Oh no, Tikki! I'm so sorry," he whispered, joining Plagg in comforting the little red Kwami.
"Why didn't you break the possessed item?" Fu asked, numbly trying to come to terms with what he was seeing. Trying to understand. He had a suspicion, but he dearly hoped that he was wrong.
He was not.
"It… it was in her earring," Adrien admitted, looking pained. "I didn't know if I could use cataclysm without doing irreparable harm."
Fu observed Adrien for a moment, taking in the sheen of sweat and the pained grimace twisting his face. Whether it was from the way he was struggling to control his ragged breathing or the situation at hand, Fu couldn't tell. "A wise decision," he acknowledged, taking deep breaths as he struggled to remain calm. For now, compartmentalize. There would be time for everything else later. Now, they had a friend to save. "Next question, how did you find me?" Fu asked levelly. He had been careful, he was sure of it! How had Adrien-
"Marinette did something," Adrien explained, struggling to make sense of what had happened. "She said she gave me Guardianship of the box? Then she started glowing, but now I remember all these things I can't explain. Like lessons about being a guardian that I know we didn't get to in the couple of times you've taught me and stuff about how Ladybug's powers work that Marinette never told me about. There's also…" Adrien swallowed the sore lump that suddenly formed in his throat. "There's also these thoughts that I'm pretty sure are hers—were hers. Ideas and… things she's been thinking about recently."
"Oh my," Fu murmured looking worried as he tugged thoughtfully at his beard.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Adrien demanded.
"You said that you remember Marinette's lessons?"
Adrien scowled trying to make sense of what was in his head. "Not the lessons themselves but what she learned from them? The things you were teaching her but not memory itself." He had all these ideas, concepts, and associations with things Master Fu had said or done but he could not recall images of the events themselves.
"That is not how the transfer of Guardianship is supposed to work," Fu explained gravely. It would have been incredibly convenient if it did. "Normally it can only be performed after one has been made Guardian of the box, but I have not transferred ownership to Marinette. Gods willing, I don't plan to do so for years. So, she shouldn't have been able to perform it in the first place and the emergency transfer of Guardianship doesn't gift memories or experiences, it simply wipes them away. There are spells to assist in learning that we have been using, but nothing like what you're describing."
Adrien goggled at his elderly teacher. "So, what? She just mashed a few different spells together and hoped for…" But Adrien's voice trailed off, shaking his head in mixed awe and frustration. How many times had Marinette concocted the most bizarre plans in seconds? He'd seen it on her face when she had… when she… He swallowed past the painful lump in his throat. "Who am I kidding? Of course, she did! Of course, she would come up with some mad idea to-to what? Putain de merde, what did she even do!"
Fu sighed, shaking his head. "From the sound of it, she gave you what she thought you needed to have a fighting chance."
Adrien scrubbed furiously at his eyes. "Yeah," he breathed, steadying himself. "Yeah, that-that feels about right." Because it did. There was just something right about that thought.
Something warm and foreign rose up in Adrien, wrapping around him in a pale imitation of a hug, a memory of a memory.
Tears welled up in Adrien's eyes.
"Adrien!" Fu barked, startling the boy. "You're spiraling, take a deep breath," he ordered, doing so himself. "And out…" he said, as he demonstrated again.
Adrien followed Fu's instructions, mirroring him as the elderly man guided him through the simple exercise.
"Good," Fu told him. "Now, the mantra. Just like I taught you."
Adrien nodded. In. "My grief is my own," he breathed out. In. "But I am not my grief."
"Again," Fu ordered. "Channel your energies. Release the emotions.
In. Pull. "My grief is my own," he breathed out, pushing the negatively charged magic out as he did so. In. Pull. "But I am not my grief."
"Very good," Fu complimented him. "You've improved."
"I've had a lot of opportunities to practice," Adrien muttered sardonically, feeling gloriously empty as he started to regain his equilibrium.
Fu frowned. "This too shall pass, my young friend," he told him. "I know it does not seem that way, but it is true. These days are a very brief thing compared to the life ahead of you. Accept what you cannot change. Learn from it. Let it make you better."
Adrien nodded. Besides, shitty parenting was nothing compared to saving Marinette… and it taught him what not to do when they… 'Later,' he told himself, ruthlessly tamping down on that line of thought and the blush that came with it.
There would be time for that later.
Because he was going to make damn sure there was a later.
"Are you ready?" Fu asked him as he retrieved the Miracle Box.
Adrien offered his teacher a rye smile. "Is anyone ever ready to run into a death match against the magically corrupted love of their life?"
Fu rolled his eyes. These two were could be so dramatic. Admittedly, Adrien was not wrong, but so dramatic.
Adrien sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be," he responded in a droll tone.
The old Guardian offered his student a reassuring smile. "Adrien Agreste, you must choose who will assist you in this mission. Choose wisely. When the job is finished, you must retrieve the Miraculous and return them to me."
Adrien screwed his face up thinking back to Marinette's training.
The training that she had destroyed herself to give him. To give him a chance—
'No,' he thought, viciously shoving that thought to the side. 'Later,' he reminded himself. He could think about it later. Right now? Right now, he had to think about this, about what he needed in order to help Marinette. 'Be here now,' he told himself. He had to plan. He had to stay focused because he had made a promise and he was going to keep it or die trying.
In her memories, Marinette had always thought of their battles the way he thought about video games. The Boss had a weak point and they needed to find the right combination to hit it.
'Okay, think of it like a video game,' Chat thought, taking a deep, fortifying breath. He could do that. He did it all the time. First things first, what was obvious?
Well, the most obvious thing was that he knew absolutely nothing about the akuma he would be fighting.
Adrien frowned.
No, that wasn't quite right. He knew Marinette was… yeah. If he was being facetious, Marinette was a special brand creative. If he was being honest? Well, her imagination baffled him. Marinette designed and innovated the way other people breathed. Whatever form she took, it would be dynamic. When they had been practicing for the Mecha Strike tournament, she had never picked specialized characters, favoring ones that were balanced so that she didn't have a clear weakness and could change strategies on the fly. So, even if the akuma had a gimmick, she would have a mix of abilities to avoid being cornered. As Ladybug, she never depended on overwhelming force. She had said it herself when they had swapped miraculous during Reflecdoll, he was very straightforward while she came at things… sideways. There was always a certain level of organized chaos to the way Ladybug fought.
'Thank god she wasn't transformed already,' Adrien thought, suppressing a shudder. Anti-Bug had been annoying enough. Marinette, the OG Ladybug, with infinite Lucky Charms was a special kind of terrifying.
He almost immediately decided he would need Wayz, Trixx, and Pollen. Their powers were almost universally useful, and he absolutely needed as much experience on his side as he could get.
Sass for sure. Viperion would be indispensable for this fight.
Kalkki too. An element of surprise never hurt and nothing said surprise like a teleportation portal.
What was the monkey kwami's name again? He'd have to ask, but him as well. Marinette was creative enough that it would almost definitely be a necessity to screw up her powers.
Master Fu quirked an eyebrow at him as he watched Adrien snatch more and more miraculous from the box. "Not being shy, are you?" he chuckled. "That one doesn't even have a holder yet," he added when Adrien grabbed the Pig Miraculous.
"I know who Marinette was considering and I—" But Adrien hesitated, halfway to defending himself. "Honestly? There isn't a kwami I want to leave behind," he admitted with a little huff of frustration. "I don't know what I need and Marinette… There are just too many possibilities." Would she be a minion master or a solo powerhouse? How much influence would she have on her powers? How would the spell she used affect her powers? Adrien didn't know. He didn't know what powers Hawkmoth would give Marinette. He didn't know how she was going to behave. Worst of all? For the first time, he didn't have her lucky charm to tip the odds in their favor. He was… well, not on his own, but he felt naked without his partner to back him up.
He needed an edge.
He needed to be adaptable.
A thought came to him. An image of combinations of Miraculous. Options for Unification that Marinette had considered. Synergies and… the thought twisted becoming something new.
Adrien blinked. "Master, if I unite two Miraculous but only use one of their powers, what happens?" he asked, almost absently as his gaze raked back over the Miraculous with new eyes.
Fu frowned at Adrien, trying to decipher what his student was thinking. "You would exhaust the kwami and be forced to either release the unification or transform back completely if you use the other's energy to maintain your form."
"So… If I used Shelter but then immediately released Wayz, it wouldn't have an effect on Plagg's transformation?" he clarified.
"Correct," Fu answered.
Adrien's face split into a manic grin as he snatched Orriko's thumb ring and Longg's choker.
Fu's mouth dropped open as the boy put the two chosen miraculous on. "What are you doing?!" he demanded. "It's dangerous to wear multiple miraculous! You can't—"
"I'm not going to use them all at once," Adrien explained as he put on the two jewels.
"Greetings," Longg said, quirking a brow at Adrien as he and Orikko appeared. "Well, this is… different."
"Three?" Orikko wondered. "Haven't done that in a while."
"The Enemy managed to akumatize Tikki's Bug," Plagg told them, interjecting himself into the conversation for the first time.
Longg's face became a blank mask as Orikko's feathers fanned out in naked fury. "Unacceptable," Longg replied in a low, dangerous hiss as he turned back to Adrien. "My sword and power are at your disposal, Chat Noir."
"I prefer corn, but any grain will do," Orikko told him in a tone that clearly implied his agreement.
"Any objection to bread?" Adrien asked. Then a thought struck him. "Or flour?" Flour was corn, right? Just ground up?
Orikko frowned but nodded, nonetheless. "Not a fan of the texture, but it will do."
"And you—"
"Fruit," Longg replied in a clipped tone. "Watermelon or Dragon Fruit if you have it, but I would make do with rotten tomatoes if it meant revenging ourselves on any scoundrel that dared to make off with Tikki's chosen."
"If you need any ideas, I do remember the formula for Greek Fire," Orikko told him with a truly unsettling grin.
"I'd forgotten how much fun you are when you get angry, Orikko," Plagg chuckled.
"Yes, well, the fiend has laid claim to what is not theirs," Orikko replied, his plumage fluttering. "It… rankles."
"Orikko is the Kwami of Pretension," Plagg stage whispered. "He takes claiming things very seriously."
"Marinette isn't a thing," Adrien protested.
"No," Plagg agreed with a grin that was a bit too wide. "But she is yours."
Adrien blushed. Then he shook himself. "Plagg, how do I change the suit?" he demanded, rerouting the conversation before things could escalate.
Plagg blinked back, surprised. "Intent and self-image, mostly. Why? What did you have in mind?" It was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that he didn't tease Adrien or complain.
"You remember watching Naruto?"
Plagg's grin returned. "I'm listening…"
Not even ten minutes later, Chat Noir flew over the rooves of Paris like a man possessed. He moved so fast that he was little more than a ghost, there one moment and gone the next as he tried to cover as much ground as he possible as quickly as possible.
In hindsight, this was a mistake.
There was no warning, Chat wasn't even sure how he knew to dodge. Maybe he'd seen something out of the corner of his eye? Movement on a rooftop? Maybe a shadow on the ground or a reflection in a window. He didn't know. All he knew was one moment he was running then the next he had thrown himself into the street below.
Ching!
There was a loud noise behind him like metal on stone as dust and debris were sent flying into the air.
Thwip!
Ting!
Every hard-won instinct in his body was screaming for him to move. He threw himself sideways a fraction of a second before a shadow fell out of the sky, descending on his previous position like the angel of death.
Ching!
Chat Noir's eyes went wide as he rolled to his feet and noticed the metal spike the size of his staff stabbed deeply into the cobblestones of the street where he'd been a moment before. Unfortunately, before he had time to process that, the girl holding it had launched herself at him, a second spike already materializing in her hand. Chat brought his staff up, preparing to defend himself, only to freeze as he got his first look at the Akuma.
Hawkmoth had abandoned some of his usual theatrics and hadn't gotten creative with Marinette's makeup. For once, Chat Noir missed the tacky monochrome skin changes and gaudy, clown-like makeup. Because this? This was much worse.
Oh god, this was so much worse.
Marinette was recognizable. Other than a crimson-trimmed, black domino mask Hawkmoth had added only enough to accent Marinette's natural beauty. No more, no less and it hurt like nothing else ever had.
His distraction almost cost him his life as she very nearly buried her weapon in his eye. Luckily, he just managed to dive out of the way.
Ching!
Even as the sound of her burying her weapon in the stone of the building hummed in the air, the hairs on the back of Chat's neck stood on end and he activated his staff mid-combat roll, launching himself away.
Ching!
'How many does she have!?' Chat Noir wondered as he flipped to his feet and drew Longg's sword from his back. "Yikes!" Chat Noir cried as he bent out of the way of another vicious stab from the spike—needle, the spike was an enormous sewing needle! "No penetration on the first date, Princess!" he quipped, slapping her improvised foil away as she jabbed at him several more times.
"I'm not your princess," the Akuma argued, momentarily thrown off her rhythm.
In his defense, his usual nickname for her civilian alter ego made plenty of sense at the moment. He wasn't sure whether it was Marinette or Hawkmoth who should get the credit for her aesthetic, but he really wasn't exaggerating this time. It was hard to get a good look at her while she was trying to murder him, but between the black armor painted with her usual blossoms and berries, the flowing battle dress, and her hair done up into a ponytail by jeweled pins, she really did look like some kind of warrior princess out of one of his manga.
"I disagree, Xena," Chat Noir replied, taking advantage of her distraction to bat her needle away before pressing the tip of his staff to her sternum and activating it, launching her away from him. He needed distance. He needed to get away. He—
Fwiiip!
Despite all laws of physics and very clearly not being a flying akuma (hopefully), Marinette's akuma rolled off his staff and violently reversed direction with a sound he couldn't quite identify. "That's not my name!" she roared, flinging a needle at him as a new one materialized in her hand.
"A rose by any other name doth smell as sweet!" Chat quoted, doing his best to sound like his usual peppy self as he ducked out of the way.
Ching!
"Jokes aside, we really should at least introduce ourselves and since you're the one who asked me to dance, that's technically your job," he scolded her as they locked weapons, twisting and pushing as they tried to gain an advantage. "But hi! I'm Chat Noir, superhero extraordinaire and local heartthrob. What's your name gorgeous?" he asked, hoping to distract her as they danced around each other… but gods, did he hope that she never found any footage of this. She'd string him up by his toes!
"He calls me Tisserande," the Akuma answered, shoving him away from her.
Chat Noir blinked, bemused. 'Weaver?' he wondered, confused when the akuma—Tisserande –didn't immediately attack.
Something moved in the air between them, just the faintest glint of something catching the light.
Chat Noir's eyes flicked to track the object. 'String?' he wondered confusedly, adrenaline singing in his veins as something in him howled. Danger. Danger! Danger!
Too late.
Tisserande's deceptively delicate fingers clenched into a fist, and she pulled as if she were dragging something through the eye of her needle.
Chat Noir's eyes grew impossibly wide behind his mask as the gossamer threads floating in the air drew taut around his throat, choking him.
The violet Hawkmoth mask appeared over Marinette's features, throwing her usually kind face into stark, malevolent contrast.
"Tikki, Spots On!" the Akuma wearing Marinette's face called.
Nothing happened.
"Where is it!" Tisserande demanded, the threads around his throat loosening ever so slightly.
"W-water Dragon!" Chat Noir choked out, activating the first of Longg's abilities and dissolving into water and escaping into a nearby storm drain. "That was too close," he rasped as he reformed, already sprinting through the underground as he massaged his sore throat.
At least he had some idea of what they were facing now.
She was strong.
She was fast.
She could conjure weapons.
And she had prehensile razor wire that hurt like hell through indestructible magic armor!
"Yeah, I need backup yesterday," Chat Noir muttered hoarsely as he turned a corner. "Of all the powers, she got putain anime murder string!" If he hadn't thought to bring Longg, that might have been it.
Hell, that almost was it anyway!
"Orikko!" he called.
"Yes?"
"The miraculous, their spells work in any language, right?"
"Well… yes?" Orikko replied as he flew along beside the young hero. "It isn't so much the words as the meaning behind the words, yes? The intent."
"So, sign language would work?"
Meanwhile, above ground Tisserande was left alone, stalking away from the torn-up street where she had ambushed Chat Noir as civilians scattered. A rare few were brave enough snap blurred pictures and snippets of video, but most fled at the sight of her.
"You let him get away," Hawkmoth growled, as the glowing mask returned.
"You didn't tell me that he could dissolve into water," Tisserande argued.
"Normally, he doesn't," Hawkmoth responded, pensively.
"Where did he get more powers then?" Tisserande demanded, pacing like an angry cat as she scanned the Paris skyline.
"He's the Guardian now. So… himself, I suppose," Hawkmoth mused distractedly.
Tisserande's head canted to the side ever so slightly as if listening closely to something far away.
Guardian…
That meant… something to Tisserande.
"We need to try again, quickly," Hawkmoth decided. "We cannot allow him to gather allies. Find him again and take his miraculous before he does."
"I will need time to find him."
"Leave that to me," her patron told her. "For now, head east. That was the direction he was heading when you found him."
"Yes, Hawkmoth," Tisserande acquiesced, strange thoughts of simple words forgotten.
Meanwhile, all across Paris phones lit up, bright red letters flashing across their screens.
Akuma Alert!
Last spotted in Monnaie moving east toward Notre Dam. Seek shelter immediately.
Akuma Alert!
Remain Calm. Ladybug and Chat Noir are expected to respond shortly.
Akuma Alert!
Seek shelter immediately!
A/N
Special thanks to Tier 6 Member Zero King of Nothing for their support!
Playlist: Goodbye by Ramsey… on repeat. Trust me, it came up on one of my playlists and was just way too appropriate.
Sorry for the delay. I had to give some attention to other projects and then I got into the meat of the story and… kinda sorta had to reorganize half the plot to keep Mari from roflstomping all of creation? It's turning out to be a lot harder to balance than I had expected because her power scaling and to find synergies is patently absurd when she isn't hobbled by the Miraculous Snack Stop training wheels... but that's another fic for another day.