The very next second, Spite was on the receiving end of a punch thrown by Chat, that threatened to break the young heroes own arm, for all the force he had put into it. Spite hadn't even managed to do a single thing after his taunt before he was slammed in the jaw by a strike that felt like a runaway train, sending him flying backwards a few meters as the force shot throughout his body. He took his knife with him, no longer impaling Ladybug's stomach.
The villain away from his love, Chat quickly caught her as she fell down, gently lowering her to the ground.
"Marinette..." Chat didn't remember to use code-names. What difference would it make right now anyway? He couldn't bring himself to cry out her name. When he tried to, it got caught in his throat. He couldn't shout her name. He couldn't scream her name. He couldn't even raise his voice.
In spite of that however, he was panicking. He had no idea how their miraculouses worked, if they prevented something like this, or if this really was a danger-zone. Sweat ran down his face like a waterfall. Something struck out at Chat Noir, when he properly went to look at Ladybug's wound, however.
She didn't have one.
There was no wound. No cut clothing. No marks. No blood... Nothing. Her body was still warm, and her breathing... She was still breathing, albeit lightly, like she was sleeping.
Like she had never been stabbed.
She was okay?... Had it been luck?... Or had something been done to her?...
It didn't matter right now. She was okay. That was what was important. Chat laid her down gently on the floor, before he turned to a still recovering Spite. "What did you do to her?"
"Why would I tell you?" Spite asked, still grinning. Standing upright, he ran his fingers along the length of his butchers knife, taking the time to feel the blades cold, metallic, flat surface. "Keeping you guessing is a lot more entertaining."
This cocky, arrogant bastard... Chat Noir gritted his teeth and extended his baton again. "We'll see how entertaining it is when I throw you from a building!"
"Did I strike a nerve?"
"You struck the one nerve, that's connected to the one person that I'm prepared to beat you into a fine paste for!" Chat yelled, dashing straight towards Spite, his baton behind his neck, preparing to swing. Once in range, he struck with the extended metallic pole, aiming straight for the neck. The weapon moved with incomprehensible speed and precision.
Reflexes activating, Spite blocked the incoming strike with his butcher's knife. Despite such a flimsy weapon in comparison to his own, Chat noticed just how sturdy that particular weapon was. Such a strong blade, and capable, and the source of his powers, a weapon he was never seen without...
That was it.
Chat realized that knife had to be the source of the villain's powers. That changed his target. He had to destroy that knife, to stop Spite from being a threat to him, to Ladybug, to everyone in Paris. But getting that weapon away wouldn't be easy.
Using the baton as a stationary object to throw himself from, Chat used it like a pole, and swung around it, launching a solid roundhouse kick to the knife covered villain's face. It made direct contact with the cheekbone, causing Spite to stagger a bit, before he drew another serrated blade, and aimed to slash Chat's Femoral artery, located in the leg. Close proximity made it a very real threat to the teenage hero.
Chat was faster though, using the momentum of his kick to push back off of Spite's skull, and landing on the ground a few meters away from him. He used his claws to help come to a halt, digging them into the ground. As soon as he stopped sliding, he charged once again, this time with his palm outstretched, ready to slash at his target with rapid force.
Behind the weapon-crazed Akumatized individual, a dark mist appeared, and from it, hundreds of knives began to pour out, firing at the cat-themed hero. As this happened, Spite began to scream in anger and frustration at the young hero. It was his ultimate attack, acting like a knife-firing machine gun. He had pushed him this far. It took Chat Noir a few seconds to realized, he had used this ability once before, earlier, when hundreds of knives began firing at him and Ladybug not long ago.
Regardless of this, he was able to avoid each one of the deadly weapons, dashing left to right, not staying on one path for too long. His speed and reflexes that his miraculous gave him aiding him immensely here. He didn't even get scratched once by the blades. Once in range, Chat struck. While he was unable to reach the butchers knife, he was able to slam a direct reverse punch into Spite's stomach, before back-flipping out of the way of another slash towards the Subclavian artery.
He wasn't thinking anymore. He was acting on automatic.
Instinct.
'His movements are different'. Spite noticed, tossing a set of military grade knives at the hero, who effortlessly dodged them, and struck again, with a kick to the lower ribs. 'His actions are far more impulsive. Reckless. He isn't thinking about his moves anymore. He's just knocking in hits and then getting out of the way before I can retaliate. Like an animal.'
Lost was reason to Chat Noir, who was encompassed by rage and anger that Spite had dared to hurt his Lady. He wanted Spite gone. He wanted Spite defeated. And if it wasn't for the fact that Adrien knew, that Chat Noir knew, the person behind that mask wasn't doing this by choice, he would have wanted him dead.
Cockiness replaced with frustration, Spite slashed again. "Get away!"
Magical energy surged into Chat's left hand, as a dark, bubbling, corrupting power formed in the palm of the young heroes hand. "Cataclysm!"
One final lunge ended the fight.
Spite attacked, aiming to stab Chat Noir's throat, to end him once and for all. He was fast, and had the attack made contact, Chat would have bled out in a matter of seconds.
But like a cat Chat's reflexes were perfect. He ducked to the right, avoiding the deadly strike. With his right hand, he grabbed hold of the wrist Spite held the knife in, and with full force, slammed his Cataclysm into the blade, disintegrating it. "No!"
Spite watched as the source of his powers melted in his hands, and the Akuma that was bestowing these powers emerged from the ashes, and began to fly away. Chat watched, unsure of what to do. His own powers couldn't do anything to an Akuma - The Akuma could get away, unless he tried something.
There were still traces of his Cataclysm powers.
The reality was, he had no idea how those powers would interact with an Akuma. Oh, he'd theorized what could happen. It could backfire into himself. It could just destroy the Akuma. Or it could have some effect he hadn't considered. He had no real way of knowing. After all, what evidence did he have to base all of this on?
He reached his hand out, and, with what little power he had left, crushed the Akuma with his left hand. Gone. In an instant.
He had his answer. That was what his powers did to an Akuma.
As he did this, Spite began to de-transform, into his civilian self. He was like any other person - A confused citizen, who had no idea what the hell was going on, where they were, or what they had done. "What the - Where the hell am I?"
Despite knowing exactly what had happened, that it wasn't this guy's fault, Chat felt a strong urge to punch the person in front of him. Knowing, willing or otherwise, this was still the person responsible for everything... For hurting Ladybug... For hurting Marinette... For...
...His better nature got the best of him though. He still threw an unfriendly, "Get out of here."
The teenager needed no second warning, and had left the area before Chat had even turned around to warn him again.
"Urgh... Chat?..."
Turning back to her, Chat's eyes began to well with tears.
Ladybug was up. She was alright. She looked dazed slightly, rubbing her head in confusion, and mild headache, but for the most part, she was fine. The knife had had no effect on her. She was okay.
"Oh thank God..." Chat said quietly, quickly rushing over to her and hugging her tightly. During the fight, despite focusing on defeating their enemy Spite, Chat had never, not for a second, stopped worrying about her. The love of his life. Had something happened to her... He honestly had no idea what it was that he would do.
But she was okay.
"Ch - Chat?!"
"I was worried about you..."
Ladybug almost seemed hesitant, but she returned the hug after a short while. The truth was, she didn't remember anything about the fight. Chat showing this emotion just surprised her.
"Come on, LB, let's get you home."
"So you can figure out who I am?" Ladybug asked, a smirk on her face. "No dice."
Chat froze. He looked at her, like she had just revealed something terrible to him. "What... What do you mean?"
"Chat... I'm used to it by now. This is another one of your efforts to find out who I am. I'm not falling for it. I didn't fall for the last eighty, I'm not gonna fall for one so... Direct."
Horror suddenly gripped Chat's heart as he remembered what Spite could do.
Spite's power was to alter the very Links between people.
He did that by making stabbing his targets with his butchers knife. From that point, he had the ability to alter and manipulate the links between people.
And Ladybug had been stabbed.
"R-Right, right..." chat said, forcing the most painful smile of his life. He repressed everything he had just learned as hard as he could, wanting it to go away from his mind. It didn't. The truth yelled back at him.
His and Ladybug's Soul Link had been severed.
Spite had ended them.
Chat felt his heart shatter in completely unbearable and agonizing pain. It took every single pace of willpower he had left to not burst into tears right there and then. How... How had this happened?... Why did he still feel...
If the Soul Link was cut... Then shouldn't he also not love her anymore?... Maybe it was because he hadn't been attacked... But he still loved her, with everything he had.
"L-Lady... Mar - "
'Beep Beep Beep Beep.'
In that moment, Chat's miraculous began to beep. The signal that he was about to revert back to Adrien. It didn't bother him at all, since Marinette knew... But now... She didn't know, apparently. Ladybug forgot... Everything that had happened between the two of them. Was it... Did the effects of what the Soul Link being severed cause some sort of amnesia?
"You'd better go." Ladybug told him, grabbing hold of her own yo-yo, preparing to make her exit.
"Right..." She really didn't remember. She didn't remember what they had. Who Chat Noir was... And she didn't care...
How had it ended up like this?...
"Are you alright?"
"...I guess so..." The single biggest lie Adrien had ever told anyone in his life. How could he be okay? After that... How could he ever, ever be okay?
"Well... I'll see you later, Chat." Ladybug said, throwing her yo-yo skyward, and swinging away, back to her family's home once again. Chat knew exactly where she was going. She didn't need to even try hiding it. He always knew where she'd go...
Alone, reality came crashing down on Chat Noir.
Ladybug was gone.
Marinette was gone.
The person who made him happy... The person he loved oh-so much...
The person he had known...
The one person who made him happy...
She was gone.
He fell to his knees, and cried his eyes out. He didn't even stop when his miraculous wore off. He didn't stop when Plagg begged him to. He didn't stop for anything.
She was gone.
And he was alone.
Again.
I'm so sorry Adrien ;-;
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, be sure to follow my Wattpad, GamingEmpire , for more stories!
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