Ladybug watched the city-scape for she didn't know how long. An hour? Two hours? Three? It didn't really matter one way or the other. Her thoughts had her totally occupied, about Chat. About the Miraculouses. About Spite. About... Everything.
She knew it was all true. She knew it. Chat Noir had never lied to her before, and he wouldn't make up something so convoluted just to trick her. She knew him far better than that, and she knew for a fact, he was an amazingly honest person.
But when she had tried to tell him that... She wasn't herself. It was like she wasn't Marinette anymore. Like seeing him was... Like flipping a switch that made her a different parson altogether. Someone filled with hatred... Filled with contempt for Chat Noir... For Adrien.
Yes, she knew who Chat Noir was behind that mask... Whatever she become whenever she saw him. She couldn't even begin to explain it, but she had never felt more alone in her entire life. It was like... Like someone else was driving a car, and she was the passenger, she thought was the best way to describe it. She could scream, she could protest, she could try to wrestle control back... But she never could. Not even Tikki was able to figure out that she was like a prisoner inside her own body, even when merged.
She missed Chat... She missed Adrien... Those horrible things she had said to him... They hadn't even been words she had wanted to say... Words she never would have dreamed of saying. Not to Adrien. Not to him. Not after everything they had gone through to get to where they were... She would have cried were her body really hers to command. Stood here like this, she thought about all those horrible things she had said... And how much she desperately wanted to take them back.
"Marinette."
Hearing that voice, that familiar voice... Her body turned, though not really part of her own will, but she would have turned anyway. When she saw Chat Noir, that feeling in her heart, that aching and love for him was right there, and were she able to, she would have run up to him, hugged him as tightly as she could have done, and repeated she is so, so, so freaking sorry for everything she had said, even though it wasn't her fault.
"I thought I told you to stay away from me."
'Nooo...' She internally cried at the words that weren't her own. That was the last thing she wanted...
"If that's what you really want, I'll stay away from you, but only when you're actually you, Marinette."
For the first time in the last few days... Marinette felt a real sense of hope. Had Chat figured out what was happening to her? That he knew?
"Is that your ego talking? The pretty girl doesn't like the alley cat, so you got the idea in your head that it's because she's cursed, because god forbid, someone doesn't like the alley cat."
"That's not... I'm trying to help you, Marinette. I don't want a fight."
"What if I do?"
'No, I don't!'
"What if I've been wanting to fight you for years now?"
She'd never wanted to fight Chat... Even before she knew he was Adrien, he had been her friend. Never - Never - Had she wanted to ever fight Chat Noir.
"You haven't."
"Well, I do now!" Her body moved on its own, moving the strike the cat-themed Hero, with serious deadly intent.
'Chat!'
Backflipping off the roof, across the street, and onto another roof, Chat Noir managed to dodge the swing of Ladybug's yo-yo, aimed for his jugular vein. He didn't want to think about what would happen to him should that manage to catch him. He could only imagine it would be less than fun.
He knew that she really was trying to kill him now. He'd had the tiniest bit of hope, but no, she was coming at him with murderous intent. He didn't have a choice left. He had to fight her like he meant it.
Skidding backwards on the roof of the next building, he reached extended his baton, and firmly gripped hold of it with his right hand. Across the street from him stood his love, spinning her weapon at light-quick speeds. It quickly expanded, and suddenly Chat found himself having to duck, dodge and weave incoming high-speed attacks coming in from both sides. He remembered that she mentioned her yo-yo's string would grow as long as she willed it, meaning it was far, far more effective at medium-to-long ranges. Chat gritted his teeth. He'd jumped back without thinking, leaving himself at the worst possible position and range for Ladybug to attack him. Using his own close-range combat piece of equipment, he defended himself against each attack with speed and impressive reflexes, though his heart wasn't in his movements at all. He lacked the strength, the discipline, the commitment to each of these attacks. He knew he'd have to get in close to actually stand a chance against his better half, but he wanted to avoid hurting her at all costs. But he knew it was impossible... The internal conflict weakened his body, but steeled his resolve to save her.
He took a running jump across the gap between the building, his weapon raised above his head, ready to strike. He swung it down, Ladybug jumping backwards just before it made contact with her, leaving a centimeter for her to work with. She quickly jumped forwards, and threw a roundhouse kick to the head with impressive power behind it despite her having to raise her leg s good half-head above the rest of her body.
Bringing in both his arms to firmly defend his head, Chat was able to block the attack, but the force went through his body when the impact came hit him like a ton of bricks, giving him a headache. He forced himself to shake it off, before yelling through gritted teeth, "Marinette, I know you're in there! I need you to fight whatever this is!"
'You think I haven't been trying, you stupid cat?!' Marinette internally yelled, but she knew he was right. Then again, she couldn't do anything. She just couldn't. She was trying, she was trying as hard as she could, but whatever this was, it had its guard up twenty four hours a day.
"Why don't you just shut up!" Ladybug yelled, slamming a first into the side of Chat's face, the force pushing him backwards.
Regaining his footing, Chat saw something he'd never thought he'd see.
A dark, purple mist around Ladybug's body, enveloping her. Like that of an Akumatized victim. While Chat's heart almost stopped for a brief second, there was something he noticed - This was a light purple, not the normal dark purple that encased any other victims. Not only that, there was little to no sign of that typical butterfly purple outline that seemed to be how Hawkmoth would see who his servants were attacking...
Was this... Some sort of half Akumatization? Had Spite's actions managed to have somehow transferred a part of his infection to Marinette?
Had that been the plan? To corrupt the link, to allow one half of the Parisian duo to become influenced by him, despite doing nothing about it himself? Had he... Planned all this?
"Marinette..." Chat whispered to himself, silently sending a prayer that she was doing okay. He didn't even want to imagine what sort of hell being Akumatized was, never mind what this must be like.
"Stop calling me that!" Ladybug yelled, throwing her yo-yo, this time, targeting the center of his skull. Try as Marinette might, she couldn't stop herself from doing it. It was like going against an elephant in a game of tug of war. She tried the best she could, but there was nothing she could do, not even anything she could say.
While Chat managed to block this attack, the cord managed to wrap itself around his silver weapon, and yanked it right out of his hands. Defenseless, Chat backed away, attempting to find some way to get around, his teeth gritted in his frustration at not being able to do anything.
"Oh, no you don't!" Before he could even finish registering the words, Chat suddenly found himself smacked around the back of the bead with both his own baton, and Ladybug's yo-yo, still wrapped around his weapon, swinging it around along with it.
Suddenly falling, Chat found himself clinging to the side of the closest building, hoping to slow himself down, or catch a ledge or something to stop him from ending up a pool of red liquid on the streets below. He was fortunate enough to manage to slow down his gravitational energy, but he still landed badly, falling flat on his back when he eventually collided with the ground. Civilians looked at him with surprise and confusion, unaware of the battle going on around them.
Chat dashed onto his feet quickly, managing to avoid the incoming attack by Ladybug, which would have been a direct stomp to the throat. She quickly bounced back, launching another kick from the same leg, which Chat managed to dodge also, along with the next swing of her yo-yo-staff combination.
"Sorry, LB." Chat apologized, so full of genuine sorrow, before launching a strike underneath her rib-cage. Weakened, Chat then lunged for Ladybug's hand, ripping the girl's weapon from her hand, and unraveling his own signature baton, reclaiming his trusted equipment.
One thing he had to give to Ladybug, was she got over injuries freaking quickly. No sooner had she recovered than she was launching a flurry of punches and kicks at him, taking full advantage of her impressive flexibility. Such was it that Chat was having a hard time dodging, even taking a few hits that he could normally have avoided with ease. He threw a few punched of his own, but they didn't seem to do anything, or maybe that was because Chat was holding back so he didn't hurt her. Whatever the reason, he wasn't doing well.
A kick sent him, head first, into the side of a nearby car. He barely had time to react to the attack before he found himself rolling to the side to avoid getting tangled up in Ladybug's yo-yo. During this brief moment of escape he could see the downright confusion and fear in the average bystander around them and he couldn't blame them either. Not only was this a brutal fight, it was between two of the cities beloved defenders. What on earth were the civilians supposed to think? Chat was just glad the Miraculouses nullified any pain that they suffered from during combat.
And then he mentally slapped himself stupid for forgetting that little fact.
Marinette wasn't feeling any pain either! So, there wasn't really a reason for him to be holding back.
"Urgh... Damn it, this feels unethical." He muttered to himself quietly, before remembering, this was to help her. In this particular situation, that made this all feel even more unethical, but damn it, he didn't have the choice to be picky anymore! "Sorry, Mari."
After his quiet apology, Chat managed to duck underneath a left hook thrown his way, and retaliated with a startlingly strong uppercut to her jaw, which seemed to catch her off guard, and he could hear the gasps from the public behind him. He spun around rapidly, launching a hook kick to her side, before quickly using his baton, extending it, and slamming the girl into the side of the nearby building.
She didn't have any issues breaking free though, managing to knock aside the metallic pole pinning her to the building with lots of ease. Tossing her yo-yo, and grappling onto something in some undisclosed location, Ladybug began to swing away as fast as she could, trying to get away from Chat long enough to plot a retaliation strategy.
"Not this time!" Chat yelled, leaping after the possessed super-heroine like a cheetah, determined to capture her and free her. He was able to grab hold of her, and within a second, found him and her high above the city, and falling quickly.
"Damn it cat!" Ladybug yelled, kicking him away, and then throwing her yo-yo towards him. In spite of valiant efforts, Chat found himself enwrapped within the cord of the magical weapon, unable to move, or break free.
He gritted his teeth, trying to get out of the hold of the weapon in any way that he could. He squirmed, he struggled, he attempted to use Cataclysm, all to no avail whatsoever. The cord was from a miraculous item, it would take a hell of a lot more than what Chat could muster out to break it.
He'd lost.
Ladybug had a smooth and successful landing. Chat certainly didn't. He body was tossed and slammed into the ground like a rag-doll, the roof's uneven and rocky surface not at all helping his current discomfort. He had to do something! He couldn't let this end like this!
Beep beep beep beep beep...
Caught unaware, and temporarily blinded, Chat de-transformed. Shock swiftly followed. He'd only just used Cataclysm! Had he been low on time anyway? Adrien had to stifle a groan. Along with his miraculous transformation, so went his immunity to pain. Adrien was basically helpless. He couldn't even squirm anymore, the cord dug into his arms far too deep to allow it.
A sinister smile came into Ladybug's lips, putting one foot in front of the other slowly, taking her time to reach the currently captive Agreste model. While Marinette screamed for Adrien to somehow escape from the inside, the body of the girl was anything but concerned for Adrien's fate.
"Great work, Adrien Agreste." The possessed girl snickered. She grabbed him by his collar, and brought her face close to his. She gave an ugly sneer. Adrien hadn't even been sure if it was possible to make Marinette's face look anything less than perfect, yet here it was. Gloating, she asked, "So, Chat, what's the plan now?"
'Stop it!'
Adrien couldn't do anything anymore, tied up like this, his body responding to the tight grip, forcing him to react how Ladybug wanted him to. He couldn't even force himself to glare back Ladybug.
This was how it ended?
She was going to take his miraculous, and take it back to Hawkmoth? Was this how this ended?
Was there nothing he could do?
Well... He had one idea. One very stupid, stupid, fairy tale reliant plan. What were the serious chances of this working, quite honestly? Then again...
What else could he do?
"This." Adrien responded quietly, steeling his nerve, and fully prepared to get thrown off the side of the building for doing this.
Closing the gap between them, he kissed Ladybug, with as much love and passion he could possibly fit in to one clash of the lips.
For the duration of the kiss, Ladybug's eyes were wide open, whereas Adrien's were closed. For the longest time, she felt a compulsive urge to straight up kill Adrien, preparing to throw him off the roof and letting him splatter on the pavement.
But after a few seconds, she returned the kiss, and now Adrien's eyes shot wide open.
Once they separated, they stared at one another for what felt like an eternity, whereas in reality, it was maybe five seconds, if that. The cord enwrapping Adrien suddenly just fell down around him, releasing him from his horrid constricting imprisonment, bruises staining his arms, but that didn't matter. A second later, Ladybug de-transformed, and before Adrien stood Marinette, looking right back at him, with the same expression he was wearing on her face. Shock. Surprise. Amazement... And hope.
"Marinette?..." Was this her? Was this really her? Marinette?
She didn't respond to him. Not verbally.
She just hugged him, and cried.
So, what had happened?
They never really got a full explanation, but they came to agree upon a theory - That the possession persona, whatever it had been, had been caught totally off guard by Adrien's kiss, allowing Marinette to retake her body. It was a simple explanation, but the two of them didn't really need anything more than that.
That, and each other, that was.
Cliche, I know, but it was suggested by a few of you guys, and I'll be honest, I didn't have a better way of her overcoming this. This is sort of based on how I imagine being possessed would go - See Chat Noir in Dark Cupid, and Midoriya Versus Shinsou in My Hero Academia. Combine those two, and that's sort of what I was going for. VERY difficult to write, far easier to be represented in a manga, I feel, so if this was crap, sorry ^_^'.
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