An explosive villain, that's definitely what Ladybug needed tonight. Though he was now deakumatized and no longer wreaking havoc on the city; fires still burned, buildings lay in ruin, civilians were injured.
The city held its breath as they waited for Ladybug to throw up her luck charm - a pair of oversized pliers - and repair everything.
Said superheroine stood breathing heavily, hands on her knees. Her suit was covered in ash and soot, her cheek burned from an explosion that was a little too close for comfort.
The battle was tough, and thankfully, the akuma was alone tonight. With Cat Noir MIA she was able to focus all her attention on the villain and saving civilians. Sirens ringing in the distance told her that she wasn't entirely successful on the latter, leaving her with guilt.
Whether she was prejudging Cat Noir or not, Hawk Moth was definitely evil.
In the distance the Eiffel Tower let out a low groan. It had taken a beating, barely managing to stay standing.
Ladybug slapped her uninjured cheek. That was enough of a breather, she would feel better in a moment anyways.
She took a deep breath. "Miraculous-"
Footsteps tapped down behind her, moving quickly. Ladybug whipped around raising her fist defensively.
She turned just in time to see a black gloved hand on a course toward her face. Her heightened reflexes allowed her to twist the top half of her body around. A sharp pain stung as three long and deep scratches appeared across her cheek.
Ladybug cried out in pain, nearly falling to the ground but caught herself. Taking hits taught her ending up on the ground was a death sentence. She used the momentum of the blow to dive into a twisted roll and tried to land on her feet, but only managed a low crouch.
She glared up at her assailant, Cat Noir. He did not look happy to have missed. Taking out his baton he charged her again.
Ladybug sprung up and backflipped away from him, taking out her yoyo at the same time. As she landed, a pressure on her abdomen forced her backwards, creating distance between her and the cat.
Cat Noir had extended his staff straight into her stomach. She held her ground and let go of the spotted pliers, they clattered on the rooftop. Inwardly she growled, she needed to throw them in order to stand a chance.
With both of her hands now free, she grasped the ends of the silver staff, but right as she was about to push it away from her, it retracted. Ladybug stumbled forward, letting go of the staff a little too late. It dragged her forward a few feet, causing her to stumble.
She glared at Cat Noir again, who had retracted his staff into the size of a quarterstaff. He held it at the ready, the front end angled downwards as he stood with his right foot forward. His stance light, ready to spring forward at any moment.
"Give up." He growled.
Ladybug's glare sharpened.
She summoned her strength and threw her yoyo forward. Cat Noir brought his staff up to block the attack, but right as the yoyo was about to deflect off his staff, Ladybug flicked her wrist and the yoyo responded by wrapping around the staff until it was tight.
Not wasting any time, Ladybug grasped the sting with both her hands, planted her feet, and using all her body weight, threw herself backward. It was executed in a matter of moments. The silver staff was ripped from Cat Noir's gloved hands.
As soon as it was free, Ladybug planted her feet again, and let the string slacken. The yoyo unwrapped itself and the staff clattered to the rooftop between them.
Cat Noir hissed and brandished his claws, but didn't charge her.
Ladybug's earrings let out a shrill beeping, singling only three minutes left. No time to lose, she thought, as she threw her yoyo toward Cat Noir again, intending to wrap him up.
Quick as a cat, he rushed forward to meet her yoyo head on, momentarily shocking Ladybug, but the quick second of hesitation was all the villain needed.
"Cataclysm!" He shouted, and held his right hand out toward her yoyo.
She barely saw the purplish black sparks from his hand as he touched her yoyo. Her magical weapon crumbled to dust immediately, string and all.
Cat Noir gaped at the dust, then back up at her, and down again. If Ladybug wasn't so pissed, she would have laughed at the way his pupils dilated.
Then Cat Noir grinned. "Give me your miraculous."
Ladybug backed up slowly, and Cat Noir took a step forward for every step she took back. She stopped when her foot bumped the pliers.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked, hoping to distract him.
Cat Noir froze, then leveled a gaze at her, eyes blazing intensely. "Oh so now you ask. After all these years."
That gave Ladybug pause. Had she never asked him why he wanted her miraculous? After all this time fighting each other, she never once asked?
"Why do you want my miraculous?" This time she was genuinely curious.
His gaze hardened in a way she didn't like. Her fingers twitched toward the spotted pliers. A shrill beeping came from Cat Noir's ring. Four minutes to her two.
"For freedom."
He charged her on all fours. Ladybug twisted around, scooping up the pliers at the same time, and sprinted. The edge of the roof was only a few feet away. With not a lot of distance to speed up, the jump to the roof across the way was just too far.
Ladybug ran and made to jump, just as her feet lifted off the ground, she let out a shriek of pain. Her back burned as she felt claws rip through her suit and her skin. That was one unpleasant discovery she had made a year ago. Although her suit was nearly indestructible, the miraculous of destruction's claws could pierce through.
She managed to leap over the gap between roughtops, her momentum getting her less than halfway before she began to fall.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" She cried out, tossing the pliers above her as she plummeted toward the pavement.
The magical ladybug's washed over her, healing her wounds, knitting her suit and wounds back together, and replacing her yoyo. The unfortunate part about that was that the magical ladybugs momentarily obscured her vision.
When they disappeared she had barely a second to process the metal railing in her line of vision, her head slammed against it, a resounding clang ringing out. She cried out in pain as stars filled her vision.
Ladybug grit her teeth as her head pounded, she had only a few moments. The fall wasn't likely to end her, but it would wound her. She twisted around and threw her hand out, just managing to slam her fist into the bricked building.
The bricks caved as she slid down the wall, Ladybug succeeded in slowing her momentum enough to safely land on the ground. Her wrist ached with the strain, but not as badly as her head pounded.
As soon as her feet touched the ground she fell to one knee. Her vision dizzied, her head felt like it was on fire. She barely perceived the thump of someone landing behind her. She swayed on her feet as she tried to stand, a hand on her head and the other bracing against the wall.
A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump backward, and the sudden adrenaline spike cleaned her head enough for her to take action. She reached for her yoyo and pulled on the string. Falling into a defensive stance, albeit shaky.
Cat Noir stood in front of her, tense, brandishing his staff, but keeping his distance, a strange expression on his face. If Ladybug didn't think she was concussed at the moment, she would've sworn it was one of concern.
The expression disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He leveled his staff at her. "I'll ask one last time. Hand them over."
Ladybug's grip tightened over her yoyo. "Never."
A duel beeping shrieked through the air. Ladybug's for one minute, and Cat Noir for three. A quick glance behind her told her she was backed into a corner. A dead end alleyway.
Here they were once again, she was trapped in an alleyway with Cat Noir, but this time she was suited up, and this time she would take care of herself.
Cat Noir charged her, Ladybug planted her feet, watching for the opening she needed.
He swung his baton at a downward angle. Using the yoyo string between her hands she parried his blow. The move didn't slow his approach. He swung over and over again, each one blocked or parried.
Every step forward was a step back for Ladybug, until her back hit the wall and she faltered. Cat Noir took advantage and launched forward, striking her arm and shoulder in precise points. Ladybug cried out in pain. The blow wasn't enough to break bones, but it certainly felt like it.
Using the other end of his staff, Cat Noir swung upward and smacked her yoyo out of her hand. It clattered a few feet behind the man. After a twirl of his staff he brought it down, aiming for her head.
Being in pain taught her to always keep her guard up, no matter how many times she'd been hit. Despite the stinging pain in her hand and her bruised arm, she twisted out of the way, barely. The staff hit the wall behind her with a resounding crack.
Ladybug kicked toward his legs, landing a blow to his knee. The desperation of the blow only caused him to stumble backward. It was enough for her to launch from her crouched position, into a punch.
Her fist connected with his jaw, which earned her a comical smack. Cat Noir stumbled back further into the side of the alleyway. Ladybug used that opportunity to make a run for her yoyo.
Just as she was going to crouch down, something clamped over her ankle and she fell to the ground with a shout. She threw her hands out desperately, feeling for the string. Her fingers barely grasped it before she was pulled away.
Her earrings started to beep as rapidly as her heartbeat. Panic began to rise up in her chest.
Cat Noir jabbed his knee into her back, pinning her to the ground. Ladybug pulled the yoyo toward her and blind swung backward. It must've connected because the blonde man howled in pain, his weight disappeared.
Ladybug scrambled to get up, but in her panic she fumbled to stand. The pain in her shoulder felt like his claws were in them. Her right arm was useless, which meant using her non-dominant hand.
Finally she stood up and began to run, she heard Cat Noir's steps behind her. She threw her yoyo, and pulled it taunt. As her feet left the ground, she felt two sets of claws digging into her ankles.
"No!" She screamed as she was yanked to the ground, her head smacking the concrete, reigniting the piercing pain.
With a yell, Cat Noir threw her further back into the alley and her body crashed into the already cracked wall, cracking it further. She crumbled to the ground, brick falling with her. Her head was pounding, her ankles burned.
Ladybug tried to push herself off the ground, sharp pains forced her to the ground again. All the while her earrings shrieked.
Footsteps quickly rushed over to her. Sharp claws stabbed her shoulders as she was forced to stand, then shoved against the wall. The claws tore through her suit, leaving a few long gashes across her already injured arm.
She bit back a shriek.
Cat Noir forced her against the wall, just holding her there. "You aren't going anywhere." His voice was dark.
She stared up at him, willing the pain and panic out of her gaze. There was no way she was going to allow him to see that.
Ladybug glared up at him as her earrings gave her final warning beeps. There was a nasty bruise forming on his jawline, and a cut that was leaking blood down into his right eye. He held it shut, but returned her glare with his other eye.
He squeezed her shoulders painfully. "You should've just given them to me." He sounded almost remorseful, but she knew better than to think he had a heart under that suit.
The earrings gave one last beep, and a pink glow washed over her. Marinette had to bite her cheek as the pain intensified, no longer was she protected by the magical suit, but that was only the least of her issues.
Using every bit of Ladybug, she glared up at Cat Noir in defiance. Though she is now Marinette, that doesn't mean she will stop fighting.
Cat Noir's eyes widened and his grip loosened on her shoulders. Claws were no longer digging into her skin, but he did not let go of her. Several emotions flashed across his face, something like shock filled his eyes, confusion, then anguish.
Her fire remained, dampened only a little. The familiar confusion she had the past few days returned. Cat Noir, saving her from being mugged and quite possibly something worse. Cat Noir, stopping her, her, from being akumatized. The confusion wasn't enough to completely dampen the fire burning inside of her.
Marinette snorted. "What are you going to do now kitty cat? All this time you've wanted these earrings. You saved me twice, only to attack me again." She let out a humorless laugh
He gaped, like words were going to spill out, but nothing came.
Marinette shook her head, which caused her to wince in pain, then laughed again. She didn't know why she was laughing. The irony perhaps. Perhaps getting hit in the head one too many times is causing her to go nuts.
"Why save me Cat Noir? Huh? Why?" She asked, voiced filled with mirth.
His touch tightened once again, but not painfully. He clung to her shoulders like she was going to disappear. "Marinette?"
The brokenness in his voice took her aback. Like he couldn't believe it could be her. But why? He was a villain, someone who was trying to steal her miraculous.
The day he first asked for it came to mind.
Cat Noir showed up to a battle, one of their earlier ones. He helped of course, but half-heartedly. Not like when they had fought stoneheart together. After the battle he came to her, and asked if she could lend him her miraculous.
Of course she refused, she even got angry. Assumed that he must be working for Hawk Moth. Confusion and fire filled her then as it did now. Marinette recalled the desperation in his voice at the request, similar anguish was evident on his face.
That memory caused her brow to furrow, but that didn't stop her. "Now that you know it's weak ol' Marinette, why don't you just take them." She growled.
Cat Noir recoiled, like she had stabbed him. Marinette immediately felt for her purse. A tiny paw poked hers. Tikki was there, eating the spare macaroons.
"I'm sorry Marinette." Cat Noir choked out suddenly, his eyes narrowing in on her injuries, he covered a sob with the back of his hand. "Oh God, I- I hurt you."
Cat Noir fell to his knees, the fire began to fall in Marinette. He was remorseful. She took a step forward, and fell to her knees across from him. She hissed, her ankles burned too much to stand properly.
A touch to her shoulder caused her to peer up at him. Tears were streaming down Cat Noir's face, as was blood. Anguish was radiating from the person in front of her.
A tiny touch to her side told her that Tikki was done eating. The Ladybug part of her wanted to transform and run, but the Marinette part of her felt for the crying boy in front of her. That part of her, the part that always wanted to help others, to soothe pain, to fix everything.
It's possible she prejudged this boy.
Marinette scooted forward and carefully placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to tense.
"Why?" She asked softly, her eyes searching his.
A few moments of silence passed before a shrill beeping rang through the air. He was about to transform back. Cat Noir didn't move, his shoulders slumped with defeat.
He took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes. "Because you're my friend."
The final beep rang out, and a green light passed over Cat Noir. Marinette's heart stopped.
Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think of chapter 3, along with how I did for my first Miraculous fight scene!
Follow me on Instagram for updates and announcements, and other silly things!
silverfury23
silverfury23/