Miraculous (Angel-Demon AU)

Chapter 8

"Oh, come on. I don't hate you. As I've said, you're just interfering too much in my business, mine and Adrien's, to be exact, and I'm not as patient as I should be, so I'm simply going to get rid of you."

So this really was all about her and Adrien. I wondered to what extent did she really like him...

"Chloé, please, I don't want to have to..."

She burst out laughing. "To what, hurt me? Oh, I'd really love to see you try."

That was enough.

"Tikki, spots on!"

And she finally came out of her hiding place and transformed my fluffy dress into my Ladybug suit. I immediately released myself from the trap and landed safely on the floor. Chloé landed beside me in a matter of seconds. I expected her to try and grab my earrings immediately, as akuma victims always did, but she didn't. Instead, she froze on the spot, jaw dropping.

"No way. After all this time... It couldn't be you!"

How could she be this lucid? Was Hawkmoth speaking through her? Did he now know who I was?

"I don't have time for this, sorry." I cut her off. I pulled my yoyo in her direction and grabbed hers, taking advantage of her shock. I was about to smash it when I saw Chat Noir flying by and landing next to me.

"Just in time. I'm afraid I was able to handle the situation just fine." I winked in his direction as I stepped on Antibug's yoyo, breaking it and expecting the akuma to fly away from it. Neither Chat nor Chloé moved, and Chat didn't seem proud or unconcerned at all.

Neither was I when nothing happened. We all waited expectantly.

But nothing happened.

"I- I don't understand." I scrutinized Antibug, searching for any other item that could be holding her akuma, but there was none. Chloé's grin spread wide on her face. "I don't understand." I repeated, feeling stupid and helpless.

"I told you..." Chat sounded sad "Chloé is not akumatized, Ladybug."

My eyes opened wide. How could she have such strength, then? How could she feel so vengeful? And her suit... why was she dressed as Antibug? Could she... could she possibly be a demon too? As ironic as it may sound, I felt relieved. Humans weren't that horrible, after all.

"Well, he is a smart kitten, after all. Let's see if you're quick too."

Luckily enough, Chat was more concentrated than me and pushed me aside when Chloé threw herself in our direction, using her claw-like nails as weapons. I would have considered it a silly option if I hadn't seen the result: four deep scratches ran across Chat's chest, tiny drops of blood swelling on them. He stood back up whilst suppressing a moan. It hurt me more than I would have thought to seen him like that.

"God, are you okay, Chat?" I made an attempt to come closer and examine his wound. However, to my surprise, he pushed me aside.

"I'm fine" he uttered "There's no time to lose."

He didn't even give me a glance, his eyes were fixed on Chloé's and all I could read in them was... rage. Overflowing rage.

I was pretty lost, but there were two things I now knew for sure: Number one, that Chloé definitely wasn't akumatized. Had she even tried to aim at our miraculouses? She only seemed interested in getting rid of us, but in a violent way that I'd never seen in any akuma victim before. She had to be a demon. Fact number two: Chloé and Chat somehow had some unresolved business together, although she didn't seem to recognize him under the mask.

I was missing something.

"Ouch." Chloé bluffed in seeing Chat's wound as he stood up "That seems to hurt. Maybe I should have done my nails before... How are yours, kitty?"

"Chat, no, she's teasing you!"

But it was too late.

"Cataclysm!"

It was now my turn to, going against my instincts, try and protect Chloé.

Chat threw himself in Chloé's direction, who simply stood there, grinning at him, and I... I simply did what I had to do.

This was my mission.

This was what supposedly differentiated me, an angel, from an ordinary human.

Sacrifice. Forgiveness.

I ran in her direction and stood before in the exact same moment when Chat threw his paw in her direction. Chloé hadn't even flicked. She had been expecting me to save her.

I had.

"MARINETTE!"

I instantly fell to the floor. I gasped for air, but it seemed so unreachable...

A shadow was cast over me, and I thought it was raining, but when I opened my eyes I checked that it was Chat's tears falling on me. I closed them once more, suddenly feeling too tired. Yet, I could still distinguish the voices above me.

"Marinette? How- how did you know?" Chloé sounded confused, yet not for long. "You... you know each other in real life... and you knew I wasn't akumatized..."

There was a pause. Chat's arms remained firm around my body, hugging me and shaking it with his sobs.

"Go to hell." He finally spat. I could hear his miraculous give one last beep.

Chloé gasped. "You..."

Chat's hug only tightened around me.

"You're doomed, dude." She whispered.

I expected her to attack, to finally kill us both. But she didn't.

"This is no longer my business..." she mumbled, and I could have sworn that she sounded scared.

I made a considerable effort in order to open my eyes once again to see her expression... but Chloé had already disappeared. I then turned my head towards the boy whose tears had been watering me, whose green, mesmerizing eyes were desperately trying to reach into mine.

They weren't Chat's eyes, but Adrien's.

So Chat had been Adrien all along. That explained his reaction earlier before... and many more things.

I wasn't that surprised. Maybe I had simply wished too badly for Chat to become Adrien.

"Mari..."

"Well, now you are wearing your suit" I smiled.

He looked perplexed and suddenly realized that he was wearing his prom suit now that his powers had worn off. His eyes watered once again, and the saddest yet most beautiful of smiles crossed his face.

"Anything for you, m'lady."