Chapter 2: Heart of Stone

"I'm glad you are." Plagg opened a more honest grin. Everything was going just fine, but he still needed to wrap things up if he wanted to make it in time. "I would love to talk the day away, and I'm sure you're itching to ask a million questions, but I need to give you something real quick."

"Give me something?" And he was on guard again, great. Well, at least he was careful.

"Don't start. I can't get one-upped by these guys." He gestured at the collection of souls in the room, stopping a second more in the Toshinori kid. "They gave you a weapon to survive in their war, I can at least do the same."

"You can transfer your quirk too?!"

Plagg rolled his eyes, "Not a 'quirk' and no. But there is something that will give you access to a fraction of my power, just enough for you to do your usual hero routine." He floated to the box containing his Miraculous, snickering at the reminder of his new kitten's paranoia with how cautious he was to open the box. "See this ring? It will channel some of my power to you."

The boy looked warily at the silver band, the blank facet glinting in the light, "I don't think I need this, thank you."

Huh. In any other case, Plagg would have thought the kid conceited, but no. The Kwami knew very well what the kitten was capable of, which was why he had chosen him in the first place.

His plan would make sure everything would get back as it should. One way or another.

"At least hear him out first, Ninth."

"Thanks, Shimura Nana."

"Nana is fine."

Plagg shrugged, not like it mattered to him. "If you put this on and say the phrase Plagg, Claws Out, the Miraculous, what this thing is called, will synchronize us to let you use my power. Not only that, it will take a portion of it to create a hero costume for you, and as an added bonus, the mask will have a special magic that will make you impossible to recognize. To go back to normal just say Plagg, Claws In."

Ah, there was the notebook. Plagg was wondering when it would pop up. While his kitten muttered a storm and wrote his thoughts down, En inched closer and gave the ring a once over.

"How does this do all that?"

"Magic."

"Yeah, right."

"Well, Third." Plagg didn't particularly like those two, but only because they had been mean to his kitten for a little too long, in his opinion. He gave the two soldiers a flat look and gestured to the Miraculous, "If you remember, before your precious superpowers became the norm, they were also thought impossible. And even before that, magic was very present in the world, even if what you humans think it is and what it actually is are two very different things."

"How so?" The boy's earnest question made Plagg crack a smile. He quite enjoyed the faded but still alive spark of curiosity in his kitten's eye.

Plagg picked the Miraculous and handed it to the boy, not caring for the rules of how Kwamis shouldn't touch the Miraculous without permission. Or most rules in general. "The things your smarty scientists on their fancy island discovered about how conceptual powers work, how they rewrite a point of reality and said point rippled out? Magic is like that, but you don't need any fancy genetics for it." Plagg floated beside the kid's head as he took every detail of the bland ring, once more gesturing to it, "Have the right materials, do the right actions, make the right items, and anyone can do magic. You'll be cutting that and going to the source, in this case, me."

"And what else can you do? Destruction seems like… Let's say, a very vague and broad concept."

"That's only because the humans who made this didn't know what they were talking about." Plagg was still somewhat salty about his friends and him getting such small terms slapped to them, but what else could he expect of an infant race who still knew so little? "I'm the Yin side of the wheel, kitten. Destruction. Death. Bad Luck. I'm the whole thing."

"So, the cat god comment was on point." Yoichi (Plagg would admit having a soft spot for him, but only to himself), also examining the ring with his last successor, pointed at Plagg with wary eyes, "You're some Lovecraftian outer god, aren't you?"

"Oh, that guy was a riot. Really missed the mark, but me and the others got a laugh from it." Plagg remembered when they messed with the author that one time, giving him a nightmare of the Kwamis' true form. Not enough to break his mind, but enough to inspire the wacky stories he produced.

"Wasn't he an asshole?"

"That too, Fifth." Yoichi gave Plagg a side glance, "So, Ninth helps you save your friend, you give him magic powers, with no sanity or metaphysical damage to his person. That's it?"

"For now, yes." Plagg would have time for the rest later. "Now, put it on, and let's go."

"Wait, what happens if someone takes the ring off my finger?"

"You revert back to normal." Plagg had a front-row seat of the boy's mind deconstructing a problem and making a solution to it.

His kitten dashed to his work table, then the closet. Back to the work table, and then he had the Miraculous firmly secured on a chain on his neck when he walked back to the group.

Ah, if his past kittens had been half as creative. Or paranoid. Either or.

"Now, no one will pull a fast one on us."

"Perfect! But you might want to be fast and transform already."

Second (Plagg wasn't calling those two by name any time soon), still watching the Kwami's every movement, growled, "And why's that?"

Plagg didn't need to answer, as in that moment, the whole room shook. The Vestiges traded concerned looks while the kid dashed to the far wall and turned on the TV.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Was his scalding reaction to what he saw. On the screen, a helicopter gave a nice view of a rock monster, like a golem, rampaging through Paris streets.

Plagg hissed, "That's his power. Whoever has my friend, whoever stole Nooroo from us, is abusing his power to cause that."

"What is his, Nooroo's, power?"

"He's the Kwami of Transmission. Whoever has him is using his ability to control a person and force on them a power to fight for them." Plagg chose his words carefully to get the reaction he needed, which was all the members of the little brotherhood around him prickling in anger.

"It's just like my brother all over again."

"No, All For One at least didn't strip people of their control, leaving them prisoners in their own bodies while they sought chaos. The Nomus were at least braindead, and whoever followed him could still think for themselves." The kid's words were as sharp as a blade and as scathing as a volcano. He was out for blood. "How do we help them?"

"There's an item that works like a pseudo-Miraculous, destroy it, and the person will be freed."

"Got it." He grasped the ring dangling from his neck tightly, then put it under his shirt, "Let's go."

"Let's." Plagg perched himself on the kid's shoulder, knowing what was coming. He opened the large window beside his bed, gave himself distance, and then with a running start- He leaped, green lighting consuming his form.

"Plagg, Claws Out!"

The green was taken by black, the darker color spreading and overtaking everything, but then, the green grew brighter. In the end, both found balance.

Up in the Parisienne skyline, zipping through the air, was a new figure. Or it was better to say, an old figure that finally found a reason to come back.

Deku took a deep breath, and he felt alive for the first time in a long while.

He checked himself quickly, a surprised look flashing through his face. He was wearing his hero costume or at least an approximation of it.

The suit reminded him of the stealth suit he wore during his mission for the World Heroes Association. Jumpsuit, utility belt full of pouches, his modified boots/greaves/leg bracers, and respirator, all in pitch-black with dark green accents. Those were the familiar if slightly different, parts. The completely new ones were the sleek silver gauntlets that covered everything from his biceps down, with the wrists and hands being protected by a more streamlined form of his old Air Force Gloves. The domino mask resembled Gran Torino's and made his eyes look like a cat's, with the irises occupying the whole orbs and the pupils being a sharp slit. To top it all off, his hood had its protrusions (they aren't bunny ears!), which were usually long and thin, now broad and short, looking like a cat's ears when they were flatted back.

A loud crash reached his ears. Now wasn't the time to admire his new look, he had people to save!

Deku pulled his hood up and flared Full Cowling to 25% for a split second to kick the air, the lightning covering his body a perfect mix of black and green. In a second, he was barreling toward the source of the chaos.

He had a job to do, and he would not fail this time. Never again.

—

"Marinette, breathe." Tikki tried to help her little bug to calm down. The imperative word being 'tried' in this case.

"There's a giant monster wreaking havoc out there!" The girl paced from side to side, pulling at her pigtails.

Tikki knew this would happen, thankfully she had explained everything before things got heated. Still, they were losing time, time they didn't have. "Marinette, I know you're scared, you have every right to be but right now there are people out there that need your help."

"Why me?!" Ah, there was the self-doubt. "Why choose me? I can barely walk in a straight line without tripping, and you want me to go out there and fight a monster?!"

"No." Tikki sighed, knowing very well patience wouldn't be enough here. She had to spell clearly to her little bug if they were to make things work. "I'm the Kwami of Creation, but that doesn't say it all. I'm the Yang side of the wheel, Marinette. Creation. Life. Good Luck. I'm the one that, when things are the bleakest, brings hope that they will get better." Tikki floated closer to the girl and touched her forehead, "That is what I, what everyone, needs you to be. Don't go out there to fight, go out there to save. I know when the moment comes, you will reach out to the people needing your help."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know that you won't think, your legs will move on their own." The Kwami watched the glint of memory passing through her eyes, reminding her of a person who said something similar that very day.

Marinette's balled hands shook, but still, she had that fire in her eyes again. "Why me?" She repeated the question.

"Because you are worthy. Now let's go, your partner is probably already out there and he also will need your help."

That was what finally made the girl move, to Tikki's immense pride. Her little bug was terrified, but she still chose to face her fears rather than leave someone helpless.

Marinette clipped the Miraculous to her ears, the earnings still black and bland. "Okay. Okay. I can do this. I can do this."

Tikki patted her little bug's cheek, "I know you can."

"Tikki, Spots On!"

A blinding red flash of light filled Marinette's room. When it finally died out, the girl was now in a red bodysuit with black dots splattered onto it haphazardly.

Checking herself, Marinette frowned at the bland outfit, a one-piece thing with no real defining feature. The belt almost blended with the fabric, and the domino mask covering her eyes was also so simple it became unremarkable, color pallet aside. The only slightly eye-catching thing was the earnings, now sporting ladybug patterns and slightly glowing.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this. I can do this." She climbed out of the trapdoor that led to her balcony, almost losing her footing when her room shook again.

Marinette unclipped the small disk from her belt, which revealed itself a yo-yo.

"I still can't believe this is my weapon." It was the most familiar option, and Marinette had that…incident where she learned how dangerous a yo-yo could be in apt hands, she just didn't feel hers were.

"Okay. Okay. Tikki said I could use this to move around fast, but how-?" Her question was cut off when the yo-yo zipped away from her hand on its own and hooked itself to another building's chimney. "Oh, oh wait up- AAAHHHH!" The string went taunt, rocketing Marinette into the air. The girl screamed as she got dragged closer and closer to the sounds of conflict.

—

"That's a horrible idea."

"Oh, shut your trap!"

"Guys!" Yoichi stopped the argument currently going on inside the barren void where he and the other Vestiges presently occupied. "I know that magic accessories and chibi gods weren't what we expected for today's itinerary, but can we please stop squabbling like children?!"

The outburst silenced the others, giving Yoichi time to look at the situation at hand. The void was different, the ruined ground being reduced to beaten dirt instead of broken concrete. Not only that, the darkness at the distance, usually like a moonless city night, was closer, much closer, and a complete blackout which cut vision a short few meters away from the core.

And there was the core. Yoichi glanced up at the constellation of nine colorful stars that shone what little light that realm now had.

One For All was mutating again. What that would spell for the world, and them, remained to be seen.

"What is going on?"

"I'm glad you asked!"

Yoichi, and the others behind him, bristled at the voice. It had the same something to it that his brother's had, that unidentifiable little thing that made people know it came from something they should get away from, and fast. The First's eye shot to the source of the voice.

Two large, slitted green orbs met his. They were the size of floodlights, and the only thing visible in the blackness.

"Shit."

Plagg, because it had to be, laughed at the curse uttered in English, "A fair response, Yagi Toshinori."

"How are you here?!" Nana asked, hiding behind En. The sight was so comical it got another bark (meow?) of laughter from Plagg.

"Oh, you see, a Miraculous synchronizes a Kwami with the holder. The holder in question had a nice, cozy space for me to lounge in while he went to do his hero thing."

"So you just decided to chill here?" Fifth, with no fear of the possibly eldritch horror standing a couple of meters away, went to the front of the group and shook his fist at Plagg, "At least give us a warning, punk!"

"Ha! And where's the fun in that?" The eyes shifted from one Vestige to the other, "I'll be staying here while the kitten is out and about. Don't mind me."

"How the fuck do you expect to not mind the damn glowing eyes in the dark?!"

"By paying attention to what the kitten is doing. Things are about to go down any second now."

Well, that was ominous.

—

Deku zipped from building to building, nothing but a black and green blur that approached the source of the conflict transpiring in Paris streets. He had already passed many flipped-over vehicles and ravaged roads, indicating the seriousness of the situation. Thankfully, he hadn't seen any signs of casualties until now.

Here was hoping his luck would keep up.

As if hearing his thoughts, the universe threw him a curveball. More accurately, it threw him a girl in a red bodysuit, who collided directly with his side. Danger Sense hadn't given a blip of warning.

The world had a sick sense of humor, and Deku usually was the punchline. With an exasperated sigh, he grabbed the girl in one arm while using the other to shoot out a strand of Blackwhip that latched on a nearby lamppost.

Biting back a groan from the pain the Fifth's quirk caused, as if his skin and muscles were stabbed open to clear the way for it, Deku launched them in a pendulum movement that let him land safely in a sign further ahead.

He finally looked down at the girl who had been screaming in his ear. Basic costume. No apparent mutation. Blue hair disheveled, blue eyes wide. "Who are you?"

Marinette gulped, gaze locked with the glowing stare of the superhero, the proper superhero, over her. Her tongue refused to work from fear of how high they were, embarrassment from being held bridal style, and just awkwardness from talking to someone she just crashed into.

The ground shook again. Deku remained balanced on the thin metal bar under his boots, but he had to lower himself to compensate for their weight. Ah, if only he could use Float consistently with the amount of One For All he could handle.

While the tremor scared Marinette, it at least shook her back to her senses. The girl collected herself somewhat while the person holding her (don't think about it) grumbled under his breath. "I'm your partner. My Kwami told me about…all this and gave me the rundown of how the Cat and Ladybug have to work together to balance each other. I know you have more experience with it, but I promise I'll…try my best?" Wow, that sounds weak even to Marinette.

"There's a counterpart to the Cat Miraculous?" Deku's question made the girl blink at him dumbly. He shook his head, "No time for that. You want to help, right?"

"Yes?" Why did that sound like a question? "Wait, your Kwami didn't explain things to you?"

"Just got it, and we had some other business to go through first." Deku would need to sit down and grill Plagg for info later. Now, he had to stop wasting time and get a move on. "Follow behind me, take people away from the line of fire, and let me handle the fighting." It was clear the girl was completely green to that, but if she had the courage to suit up and stand up, Deku would respect her will. He had to.

He wasn't that much of a hypocrite to stomp on a person's desire to help.

"O-okay. I'll, uh, follow your lead…?"

"Deku." For the first time in years, introducing himself didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth. "Call me Deku."

Another quake, this one closer. No time to chat, they had to act.

Deku leaped from his perch, releasing the girl but holding her hand to drag her along his arc. "How do you move around?"

"W-what?!"

"Answer the question!"

"My yo-yo! It had been pulling me along and flinging me around!"

Deku could work with that. He took advantage of being at the apex of their trajectory to point out places she could use, chimneys, balconies, lampposts, "Focus on simple spots to hook your yo-yo. Map a route in your head and imagine how you can switch from one point to the next. Don't be afraid to land and think if you need to." Deku knew from experience it was worse to crash than to take a break and breathe while moving at extremely high speeds throughout an urban environment.

"R-right!" While Marinette's heart was in her throat, Deku's commanding voice had something to it that just made her listen. His level tone and punctual instructions stuck to her and made the girl focus on something besides her panic.

Deku was so over his fucking head it wasn't even funny, but that was how he usually flew, blind and clueless. He still made things work, so Plus Ultra. "Tree up ahead, sturdy branch horizontal to the street. Latch onto it and swing to the next traffic light!"

Marinette felt her body moving to follow the commands, Deku's hand still holding hers in case she messed up helping smooth the edges of panic. She threw her yo-yo with her right hand just as Deku shot his left fist forward and from his gauntlet something came out, black and tinted with green, like the lightning over him (yeah, she noticed that and she had questions) but more solid? Marinette couldn't find the right word to describe it. The black thing also shot out and latched on the branch.

They got dragged by momentum down, then back up and forward. In sync, they let go of the tree and repeated the same at the traffic light. Then Marinette aimed for a balcony to turn a corner, then a gargoyle, a water tower, an outdoor; at each maneuver, she got more confident.

Deku, who had matched her every movement while tightly holding her hand, suddenly let go and pulled ahead.

Marinette felt a rush of panic, but her body continued the rhythmic movement almost on its own. She gulped and focused, keeping her pace and slowly approaching Deku.

The boy looked back and nodded, that was all he could offer for now. Taking an untrained, unprepared, unknown, and a lot of other things that started with 'un' person to a battlefield was a horrible idea, but his short-lived but somehow successful-ish career was made of awful ideas that somehow ended up paying off.

What the fuck was he doing?

He shoved the part of his mind that sounded like Kacchan, and Second, and Gran Torino down into the dark recesses of his mind. Deku was doing what he believed was right before he could think better, that's how he got this far.

Second guessing could be saved for later when he had time to scream at himself.

"Keep moving, I'm going ahead." Before the girl (Deku had to get her hero name later) could say anything, he pushed One For All past his soft limit again for a burst of speed.

He trusted the girl to catch up on her own. With spikes of acceleration, while tearing through streets like a demented pinball, Deku quickly reached the source of all the chaos he had been hearing.

Honestly, he saw worse. Police vehicles were parked haphazardly to provide cover, with officers taking shots when they could, to minimal to no effect. People caught in the war zone that suddenly broke out, trying to flee in panic or hiding in fear; the braver ones helped who and where they could while trying to stay clear, which was half the reason no one died yet if Deku was to take a guess.

All in all, nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

The part that got a slightly raised eyebrow was the rock colossus at the center of it all. With a build that would put it close to the more physically powerful Nomus, thick arms and chest made of rough boulders which formed humanoid features, and a simplified head with basic characteristics that composed its face.

Glowing eyes focused on a car where a particularly brave cop fired at it. The golem ripped a part of the street (that explained all the craters on the way over), took aim, and flung it at the pesky fly annoying it.

Not on his watch.

Black and green energy exploded from his form as Deku bolted at the rock sailing through the air like a missile. He winded his leg back, adrenaline and power coursing through his veins.

The shocked and fearful people of Paris witnessed the fantastic sight of a person cloaked in lightning like a wrathful god pulverizing a stone the size of a bus with a single kick.

At the moment of collision, old habits buried deep inside took over and Deku found himself shouting from the bottom of his heart.

"SMASH!"

His reinforced shoe impacted the boulder with such force it came undone, with the energy jumping to it and ripping the surviving chunks into tiny pebbles that broke down into dust. The boom of displaced air blew away the dust before it could accumulate.

Flipping over, Deku readjusted himself in the air and landed on top of a police car. Everyone was staring at him, perfect, "Everyone! Get clear, I'll hold the villain back, get to safety!"

"Who are you?!" The officer he just saved from being flattened was the one to shout. The man had fallen over, but the grip on his pistol was firm and it was trailed onto the dark figure that just showed out of nowhere.

"I'm Deku, the hero who came to save you!"

Damn, he was so nervous that morning cartoon quotes started to spill out. Deku really needed to get his head in the game.

At the thought, Danger Sense flared. The hero leaped back, just as stone hands burst from the ground and reached to grab him.

Time to see if his magical costume was functional. Deku extended his right arm forward and braced it with his left hand, fingers positioned to flick. The wrist bracer snapped forward, cupping his right hand perfectly. "Delaware Smash!" Compressed bullets of air were fired out from each flick of his fingers.

Thanks to the pressure and speed, the masses of air destroyed the earthen hands before they could reach him.

With a focused glare, Deku locked on his next target. More bullets flew at the rock monster but were caught by pillars of earth that sprung out of the ground.

"Geokinesis. Moderate speed, precise control, can't reinforce controlled matter." Deku could handle that. He threw strands of Blackwhip at some mostly intact pillars to slingshot himself forward.

"You!" The earthen being's voice was like boulders grinding against each other. "You have it. Give me your Miraculous!"

"How about you let the person you're puppeteering go first?!" Deku's roar was followed up by his metal soles driving into the golem's arm which was put up in a hasty block, cracking it.

That was bad, this thing handled a 25% strike. No. The cracks were deep, and chunks fell out from the point of impact. Deku could break it and hopefully reach the person underneath.

For that was the thing, from the way the rocks were connected, the person that whoever had Plagg's friend hostage possessed was inside the golem's torso somewhere.

Before Deku could try anything else, the monster threw its arm wide, flinging him away.

That was the moment the red girl arrived. She caught him and brought Deku to solid ground.

"You okay?"

Deku nodded at her, "Yes. Get people away quickly, that thing can go for anyone with its Geokinesis." He sprung back up and threw himself back into the fray. "Stay away from the ground!" He shouted that last bit of advice over his shoulder before focusing again on the combat.

For a moment, Marinette could only stare as those two forces of nature collided in the middle of Paris. When the gust of wind from the fight almost threw her on her back, the girl realized she had more important things to do than gawk.

Her yo-yo zipped away, almost from thought alone, and pulled Marinette away. She swung in and grabbed anyone too close to the localized disaster currently ongoing, noticing how light people who were heads, shoulders, and some of their torsos over her (Marinette was short, okay?), not to mention almost two times her weight felt like plumes in her hands.

Everything blurred in another rhythm, like when she was swinging with Deku. Throw, jump, pull, land, grab. Throw, jump, land, release. Again and again and again.

When Marinette broke from the trance and started hearing more than the sound of her heart drumming in her ears, she noticed the police personnel staring at her.

While swinging around and rescuing people, Marinette's organization tick kicked in and she put all the uniformed people behind a police armored car that matched the color of their bulletproof vests.

"U-uh, you guys o-okay?" Her answer was mostly pointed stares. Thankfully, an older man wasn't too dumbfounded to answer.

"Yes, thanks to you kids. We were barely holding the line against that thing." He peaked over the vehicle's protection to see Deku and the monster trading blows, the hero landing five for every hit that grazed him. "Didn't expect that when I got up today."

"You can say that again," Marinette muttered under her breath, also watching the battle while half-hiding.

"Aren't you going to help him?"

The girl was startled, "Me?! I barely got here in time, and Deku looks like he knows what he's doing. Unlike me."

The older officer reloaded his firearm, giving Marinette a meaningful look, "We are all over our heads here, that doesn't mean we can't do something." He looked back at the others behind him, a set frown on his face, "Make a perimeter, don't let anyone get close, and make sure that thing doesn't leave. If the kid clears the line of fire, fill that bastard with lead!"

"Yes, chief!"

Marinette gasped, her face slack in surprise. "You guys can't! You're gonna get hurt if that monster comes at you!"

"So what? It's our job to stand up and protect people." The chief gave the girl a hard stare while the cops Marinette just saved rushed to block the street entrances. "We fight for the people, girly. I thought someone who put on a colorful suit and went to be a superhero, and I can't believe I just said that, would understand."

Marinette tightened her hands into fists. Those people didn't have magic powers given to them, and while Marinette hadn't asked for those, she still had them while they didn't. Still, she was the most useless person there.

Her eyes went back to the fight. Deku, with the same powers but doing much more with them, using them without fear, being able to accomplish something with them, kept the colossus back on his own.

The hero dodged one of the bulky hands trying to swat him like a fly. He ducked and went for the legs, smashing a sizable part of them into dust.

The monster roared, more in anger than pain. It brought its hands up for a hammer strike.

Deku braced, blocking the linked stone hands with crossed arms. The energy over him sparked erratically as the street under his feet crumpled and cratered at the force.

He roared and pushed the golem back, taking advantage of unbalancing his enemy to deliver a thunderous punch to its chest.

Marinette's knuckles cracked from how hard she squeezed her hands shut. She didn't want to be useless.

"So, girly, what are you waiting for?"

"Thanks, officer."

"Just doing my duty and helping the people I swore to protect."

"And I think it's time I do that too." Marinette was scared, yes, but more than that, she was angry. Angry at the thought of being useless. Angry at the thought of standing by and watching as someone got hurt.

She would have time to cry later when everyone was safe.

Deku was making headway on cracking the stone shell the monster had, unfortunately, most of the damage was focused on the arms. He needed an opening to truly make damage to where it counted.

Something red at the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. The girl was circling around, trying to remain out of sight. Did anyone need help, were they stuck? Dammit, he could only keep the golem's eyes on him and hope for the best.

He needed something loud and aggravating, so nothing better than harnessing his inner Kacchan, "Getting tired, rocks for brains?!"

The monster roared, "Stop running away!"

"Stop missing!" Deku avoided another clunky fist and threw out a punch, blowing away another chunk of earth from the arm attached to it. "At this rate, you'll be a pebble before this is over!"

"NO! I am Stoneheart! No one can hurt me!"

"Keep telling yourself that." He had Stoneheart's full attention and a name to the rocky face, perfect.

A mad charge was Deku's reward for his troubles. Thanks to Danger Sense stabbing his brain with a warning for each strike several seconds before they even started, the boy kept avoiding harm with little difficulty. He only needed an opportunity, then he could finish it.

Something flew out from behind, the girl's yo-yo, and lassoed Stoneheart's head. Deku used that second of surprise to snatch its legs with Blackwhip, a grunt escaping his mouth.

Both pulled, and the two points being dragged in opposite directions tripped the golem.

Deku ignored the pain and the blood escaping the gauntlets' openings on the back of his hands and leaped up. With Stoneheart flat on its back, Deku had the perfect shot.

He flipped, leg stretched straight up, boot crackling with his quirk's energy, "St. Louis Smash!" The axe kick fell like a guillotine.

Stoneheart ended up buried into the street, chunks of it flying from the force of the impact along parts of the giant's chest. Cracks on the asphalt spread away from the crater, some even reaching the sidewalks. The closest vehicles were upturned, ending on their sides.

In the center of such a scenario of destruction, Deku stood atop Stoneheart. The hero pushed through the pulsing pain in his leg and started to rip off the surviving parts of the stone shell, trying to literally dig the person trapped inside the golem out.

A hand, a human hand, reached out, a crumpled paper between its fingers. Danger Sense abruptly spiked at the sight of it, and Deku remembered Plagg's tip. He reached for it and ripped the page away from the hand, tearing it in the process.

Marinette, arms throbbing from her stunt and backside hurting from falling on it after being pushed away by the shockwave, rushed to try helping Deku when suddenly the monster was gone, fading away in black smoke.

A black butterfly fluttered by her.

"Huh?" She approached the crater carefully, yo-yo in hand, only to see Deku and… "Ivan?!"

The large boy took hasty breaths, his buzzed black hair was dripping with sweat and the blond tuff on the front was clinging to his forehead. He looked at them with blown-wide eyes. "W-wha, I-I didn't mean-!"

"Hey, it's okay." Deku's voice turned so soft, nothing of the sharp strictness he issued commands or the heated anger he shouted warcries present in it, only care for the person that had been trying to kill him a moment earlier. "It's okay, it wasn't your fault."

"I-I couldn't move, I couldn't!" Ivan drew into himself, hugging his chest as shaking. Marinette had never seen the stoic boy so distressed before.

Deku kneeled before Ivan, hands raised and visible to show he meant no harm, "You're free now. It's okay, breathe. In. Out. In. Out." He made the motions, which Ivan followed, and both stabilized their respiration from their haggard states, Deku being winded from the fight and Ivan at the edge of a panic attack. "Good. Can you tell us what happened?"

The larger boy frowned, struggling with something, "I don't remember. One moment I was by myself in the park, the next… It was like I was bound to a chair in a dark room. Still, I had- I had these flashes of what was going on. I… Did I hurt anyone?"

"No. It wasn't you, someone made you do all that, and even then, we got here before anything bad could happen." Deku put a hand on Ivan's shoulder, opening a reassuring smile, "Everyone is safe, including you, that's all that matters."

"Yeah!" Marinette approached them, more confident now that the familiar territory of supporting her friends was before her. "Whatever got broken can be rebuilt, and I made sure everyone got away safely while Deku held you-, no, Stoneheart back and saved you. Everything is alright now."

Deku glanced at her, "You also helped trip Stoneheart, I only got a clear shot because of you." He stood up, helping Ivan to his feet, "I think all of us did a good job holding out, right?"

Both Marinette and Ivan gave the hero shy nods. While yes, the situation had been a nightmare, they were all standing in the end and that was what mattered.

"Freeze!" One of the cops she rescued shouted from the edge of the crater, his gun quickly switching targets between them.

While Ivan gasped and Marinette yelped, Deku snapped his hand forward, the black thing shooting out of his gauntlet again and snatching the weapon, reeling it back to his hand. He grabbed it with a wet clap, which made Marinette notice the blood dripping down his arm.

"Stand down, officer, we dealt with the villain and rescued the victim being controlled." The steely and professional tone was back. Deku's face revealed nothing, but the red rivulets flowing down his gauntlet guaranteed he was hurt. How was he so calm?!

Deku gently pushed Ivan, who was shocked silent, retreating into himself like he usually did when overwhelmed, to Marinette. "Get him medical attention, we don't want any lingering effects from the transformation or the fight."

Marinette nodded quickly, "What about you? You're bleeding." She weakly pointed to his hand.

"I had worse." With those concerning parting words, Deku went to talk to the police and clear things up.

In another blur, Marinette grabbed Ivan and left him by an ambulance that had been called somewhere in the middle of all that, the paramedics quickly pulling the boy inside to check on him. That dealt with, Marinette now had freedom of mind to feel numb.

The girl looked at the warzone all around her and felt cold. It was too much, way too much. Marinette had woken up to another peaceful day in Paris, but instead that, all that, just ran her over with a shock of reality. Peace was fragile, one thing going wrong was all it took for it to fall apart. What if she hadn't been quick enough? What if Deku hadn't been there to fight Stoneheart? Marinette would have to deal with it, or the police, or even the military.

She glanced blankly at the sight of desolation before her, how worse would it be? If that disaster that ended as suddenly as it started had gone on for hours, days, with normal people using what they could to deal with a threat like Stoneheart. Would there be anything left of Paris in the end?

"Hey."

Marinette yelped, startled out of her spiral so hard by the mere word she jumped. She turned to look at Deku, who had once again his hands clearly in sight to show he meant no harm. One of them was still bleeding, but the tiny streams were only sporadic drips now.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"You're hurt."

The hero sighed, "I'm fine. There are people who need help more than me." He jabbed a thumb to a close building which looked mostly intact, "We have to talk."

"Y-yes." Would she even be able to swing up the building, everything Marinette did looked like a fever dream now, all of it did. She pulled her yo-yo from her belt with shaky hands, only to have Deku stop her.

He put his clean hand over hers and shook his head, "You're gonna hurt yourself like that. Stop, breathe, and ground yourself. The danger is gone, there's no rush."

Marinette held her weapon close to her chest, feeling her drumming heart and focusing on slowing it down. She had to thank Chloe for showing her breathing exercises to calm down panic and anxiety when she saw her friend again. Some minutes later, she nodded and showed her steady hands.

Deku nodded and lit up. Literally. Red lines appeared on his body, so bright it was visible over his clothes, when they completely spread his skin became glowy and the green and black lightning was back over his form. He let out a sigh and leaped away, crossing the distance in a single bound.

Quickly shaking her head to push away the shock of what she just saw, Marinette threw her yo-yo and pulled herself to the rooftop.

She landed with a stumble, recovering at the last second and not face planting on any of the plants in the rooftop garden. Deku at least chose a nice place for their conversation.

Speaking of, the boy was fidgeting with his right gauntlet, the one stained red. He pressed some form of clasp and the bracer and wrist guard opened just enough for him to pull the whole thing off. Deku sat on the floor and put the gauntlet aside, then he pulled his jumpsuit's sleeve up.

Marinette let out a choked gasp at the sight of his arm. Patches of skin were torn and scabbing, blood still slowly dripping down from the irregular holes. How did that-? Wait, "That black thing you used, it did that to you?"

Deku nodded while pulling a bandage roll from a pouch on his belt, "Good to see these are still here." He quickly bandaged his arm, looking like he had done so many times before. "Blackwhip is volatile. While my body doesn't acclimatize to it, I have to use it sporadically."

"Your Kwami's power is hurting you?!"

He blinked, two times, "We can use more of our Kwami's power beyond the costume?" Deku looked genuinely surprised for a moment before adopting a thoughtful frown and muttering something to himself too fast for Marinette to understand. He pulled up a notebook and pen from…somewhere and started to write down frantically.

That gave Marinette enough time to recover, just to be shocked again, "Wait! All that you did, it's not because of your Miraculous? You have all those powers by yourself?!"

Deku grimaced for a moment. He locked eyes with her for a moment, then quickly glanced at something to his left. Marinette followed his eyes but saw nothing there. "I had my quir- power for a long time now." She noticed the slip of the tongue but decided to not comment. "Like I said, my Kwami and I hadn't much time to talk about things before this, so I stuck to what I knew."

That was fair, even if it still threw her for a loop. "You were, what, a superhero before?"

"Yes. Look, it's complicated."

"More complicated than magic jewelry that gives you superpowers to fight giant monsters?"

"Yes."

By his tone, Marinette was fine with not knowing it. For now. "Okay then." She approached him and sat facing him, "So what can you tell me about…all this? I don't exactly have hero-ing experience."

"I noticed." He gave her a blank stare that Marinette would admit slightly offended her. She was trying! Deku sighed, looking more tired than anything, "Can we start from the beginning? We hadn't really had time before."

"Yes, sure." That would give Marinette some much-needed answers.

"Let's start with who are you."

"We can't know each other's identities!" That was the first thing Tikki stressed. They had to remain anonymous to protect themselves and their loved ones, and each other too.

"I'm talking about your hero name. I can't keep calling you 'red girl' in my head all the time."

Fair, but she could go without the dry sass, "Like how you go by 'Deku' in costume? Are we really doing the superhero thing?" The last part was more her grumbling about it, but the boy answered anyway.

"Code names are useful to protect our identities while giving clarity to who you're referring to in dangerous situations where each second counts. We can't have confusion and ambiguity getting in the way when a mishap means someone gets hurt, or worse." Deku gestured at himself, making the lecture go back to the original topic, "Take 'Deku' by example, no one else calls themselves that, so if someone calls it, I know they're referring to me. And it also… It also carries a meaning, a reminder to myself for what I'm fighting for."

If Marinette had to put a word to Deku now, it would be melancholic. The hero who had been so sure of himself while fighting a stone monster the size of a house now looked sad, sad and tired.

That was it, Marinette wasn't chickening out again. She failed Andrien at school, she wouldn't fail another person, "Do you want to talk about it? I'm sure you have a big reason to choose the name of a Japanese god of thunder as a hero name. Beyond the obvious that is."

Deku slowly raised his head to stare at her, "What?"

"I'm serious, wasn't the legend this big god that had a sumo match with another one and crushed his arms or something?" Marinette had only tangential knowledge of it from something she thought she saw at an exposition in the museum one day. Or was it a class on other cultures?

Deku snickered, trying his best not to smile, "Do you mean Takemikazuchi?"

While she achieved her objective of shaking Deku off his funk, Marinette felt her ears heat up with embarrassment, "Yes? I think I missed the mark."

"You don't say?" Oh, look, more dry sass. Deku shook his head with an amused smile, "It's fine, I'm surprised you know something of Japanese culture. Most people in Paris wouldn't, what with the different continent and all that." The upturn of his lips quickly vanished, "If you were to translate, 'Deku' means 'empty wooden doll' which is usually a way to say 'useless' when referring to someone."

Marinette felt her brain stuttering at that. What? Just, what the heck?! "Excuse me but what?!"

Deku (that couldn't possibly be the meaning of it, right?) gave a very dry snort, "Yeah. But that's not why I call myself that, 'Deku' sounds similar to 'Dekiru', which means 'you can do it.' That's what my Deku means."

Now that she could get behind. "You sure believed I could do it if the impromptu superhero lesson was anything to go by."

"Sorry I couldn't help more, but we had an emergency going on."

"It's fine. I'll just…think about something that fits then?" Marinette had no idea what to choose as a superhero name. Who would even think about something like that?

Deku pulled out his notebook again, where did he keep that? "A tip from who was in your shoes, try to remember something that people you care about said. To you, about you, it can be anything really. Those were usually the words that stick to you the most."

Marinette took the advice to heart. Her mind went to her parents, the greatest people in her life. To her father calling her silly names and praising her passions, of him surprising her with things for her designs, from expensive silk he found a way to purchase to a needle he managed to uncrook himself. To her mother who told stories of her homeland, of a culture that was Marinette's birthright, no matter what anyone said, to her explaining that every part of her was beautiful and to never let people say otherwise.

That was something Marinette tried, even when it hurt. Even when she felt alone in a crowd.

If her partner could choose the meaning of his 'Deku' and not settle down for being useless, then Marinette could take something that weighed on her and make it mean something better too.

"Nuwa." Marinette, no, Nuwa locked eyes with Deku, "I'm Nuwa."

The smile he gave her at that moment was the most genuine she saw from Deku yet, "That's great! Nuwa is a creation goddess in Chinese mythology, right? Now only that but the color red is associated with the myth of how she repaired the heavens and is a symbol of good luck and happiness in the culture, right? It fits you well."

Nuwa was both embarrassed by the compliment and awed at how much Deku knew, "You are really informed."

He instantly retreated, acting shifty, "It's nothing. I just… There was a running theory that I tried to confirm, and that led me to learn all kinds of things." Nuwa knew when someone dodged a subject as if it was cursed, and Deku wasn't even subtle about it. "Anyway. Now that we are properly introduced, we have to talk about the problem at hand."

"Whoever has the Butterfly Miraculous." Right, they were still out there somewhere. That meant that what happened today would keep happening until they stopped the person behind it. "They sent Stoneheart after you the moment it saw you."

"Which means they know about the other Miraculous and want them." The notebook again, Nuwa hadn't even seen Deku move! "Multiple Miraculous would put a person on a level of power and versatility that would make them almost unbeatable before- well, before someone stopped them." That wasn't what he was going to say. "Still, we have the numbers advantage."

"Uh, I don't think I can be very helpful in a fight."

"I only won at that moment because you helped. Yes, you need more training and more preparation than your civilian background gave you, but we can solve that with time."

"You say that like we'll be part of the military or something."

"Technically speaking, we are vigilantes. Everything we did was highly illegal."

"What?!" No, no no no, she couldn't be a criminal!

"Nope, no spiraling!" Deku lightly chopped Nuwa's head, successfully stopping the girl from going down a probably lengthy mental tirade. "It's not as bad as it looks. With the Miraculous magic making us unrecognizable, we can't be arrested as our civilian selves, and as long as we only use our powers to help take down the Butterfly Miraculous holder and their minions, everything we do should technically fall under good samaritan laws."

Nuwa let a wary sigh escape her, calming down knowing they were more or less in the right, still, "How do you know all that?"

That glance to the side again, eyes going to something she couldn't see. Deku gritted his teeth before letting out a weary sigh, "Look, I- Let's just say this isn't my first time doing something like this and leave it at that, okay?" He didn't beg, but his unnaturally bright and slitted eyes felt a tone bleaker. Deku didn't want to talk about it, that was obvious.

"Okay." Nuwa's soft acceptance of his request made Deku relax just a tad. "What do we do now, then? Do we just, I don't know, wait for another attack?"

"We won't always be as lucky as to have an overt situation like this one." He scribed something on his notebook and tore out the page, "Here, a basic patrol meeting point and route. Both of us will meet at the starting point, I'll give you some quick 'hero one-oh-one' lessons and then we will scout the city for any sign of the Butterfly Miraculous."

The page contained various street addresses and instructions as where to where they would go and what path to take, "How did you come up with all this so fast?!"

"I didn't. I had this plan for years in case it was needed, and would you look at that? It is." Deku put back his gauntlet, it clicking shut over his arm.

She would need to talk to Tikki about a better suit, Nuwa was feeling very underdressed. "Can I ask why?"

"You just did." The sass was starting to get to her. "I learned very early that being prepared for anything and everything is not only possible but necessary in this line of work." He glared at his left, what was he looking at all the time? "Don't worry, you'll get there too."

"Sure?" Nuwa didn't think that was healthy.

"I think that's all we have time for today. I don't know you but my civilian self is going to be missed soon if I don't go back." Deku stood up hastily, and Nuwa could hear how his body creaked. It wasn't the 'joints popping' kind of creak, but the 'something is very wrong' type.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

She didn't believe him.

Deku walked to the edge of the roof, stopping just shy of the edge, "We'll talk more later, but let me give you some words of wisdom as your senp- senior. Go home, make sure you take a roundabout path by the way, then cry, hug the people you love, and cry some more."

"What, why?" Nuwa was going to do that already, she just wanted to understand why he encouraged the decision. Breaking down doesn't sound like something very heroic to her.

"Because it will make you feel a lot better. Believe me, I would know."

"That's what you are gonna do too?"

The silence that fell over them was chilling and suffocating. Nuwa felt as if she had just stepped in someone's grave, and the angry ghost had taken revenge by squeezing her insides. When Deku's voice broke the quiet, it sounded rough as if the boy had fought not one battle but a whole war.

"I haven't had it in me to cry in a long time." He powered up and crouched. About to take off he let out a mutter that Nuwa was sure she wasn't supposed to hear. "Scream at myself though, that I can do."

The girl reached out her hand, trying to say something to stop him from going. She was too late.

Nuwa watched the green and black dot against the sky, wondering if the person who was supposed to be by her side also needed someone by his. The wounded tone of his voice was all the answer she needed. If Nuwa was to be a hero, then it was her job to save everyone within her reach.

—

"That was unexpected…"

"No matter."

"Their Miraculous will be mine."

"... Then, we will…"

—

"Plagg, Claws In!" Ninth growled out the words. He waited for his suit to finish dematerializing in black particles before entering his bedroom properly, having entered through the bathroom window.

"Tikki, Spots Off." Marinette dropped bonelessly on her bed, her silly and plain costume fading away in small red lights. She was alone in her room, which was just like she left it before her whole world got flipped on its head.

Ninth pushed past his predecessors and Kwami and marched to the punching bag hanging on the side of his room.

Marinette grabbed her pillow, ignoring Tikki's concerned stare.

His abused knuckles split open when the strike connected.

Her quivering lips let out a sob on the soft cotton.

He shouted.

She cried.

It was too soon!

It was too much!

He wasn't ready!

She wasn't good enough!

If he had more time!

If it was somebody else!

Ninth needed two years. With that time, he could have mastered enough of One For All that he could have done it. He could have been the hero he promised to be this time. He could have made things right!

Marinette wanted to throw the earnings clipped to her earlobes away. To give it to someone else, someone who could be a hero and actually help instead of floundering like she did. Maybe if she had given the box to someone worthy they could have made things right!

The punching bag burst under the assault, bleeding out sand.

The pillow ripped, wet strings snapping under the pressure.

His rage was drowning.

Her grief was suffocating.

Still.

Still.

He had to keep pushing.

She had to keep up.

The future, and now the present, were counting on him.

The city, and everyone in it, was counting on her.

His partner.

Her partner.

He had to be strong for her.

She had to be strong for him.

Ninth could rage at the world when it wasn't about to collapse.

Marinette could cry about her losses when she wasn't at risk of losing even more.

Now.

Now.

The world needed Deku.

The world needed Nuwa.

The world needed them.

And another one. As you can see, I'm throwing everything I don't need or like about canon out of the window. No, I regret nothing.

As you can also see, the kids need therapy.

Either way! Silverbit edited this, so cheers!

Also, for those who want to support me, go to the P site and look for Bola8 to put some change in the tip jar, because that's basically what it is. Then you can have your name at the end of the chapter, like:

Guipa_, SilverZero90, CBN, and kennine a heartfelt thanks to you all!

Discord too, that's important, go check it out if you want: discord . gg / stAGY4V

A last tidbit, every chapter title is the name of a song that I think fits the theme. If you want to guess what's the song is, try your luck on the server and gain a virtual cookie!