Amnesia [MARICHAT]

6

"How about, no. Did you really think that I would just give you my earrings? Are you stupid?"

Chat Noir let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. 

The girl smirked, "Well, it doesn't hurt to try, now does it?" She pulled out one of the test tubes from her belt, and then chucked it at her.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir yelled. "They explode!"

She didn't think to use her yoyo, she only ran - and not fast enough. The explosion caught her in the back and she went flying.

She should've avoided that.

Landing hard on one leg, Ladybug stood up as fast as she could with a wince, and then said to hell with it. She had to use her yoyo to get away. 

"C'mon, Chat!"

She threw it towards the nearest building. It wrapped around a pole and she swung around it. She tried not to freak out at being up so high, but it wasn't going well. The black cat followed her, vaulting with his baton. She swung towards The Louvre, and tried to land at least a little bit gracefully, if only to avoid questions from her partner, but to no avail. 

She disembarked with a stumble and slammed face first into the doors. "Oof," she grunted.

"Ladybug? You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her forehead, "just peachy." 

"I think the akuma is in her belt - it keeps automatically generating more explosives." He opened the door and walked inside. People were running about thanks to the akuma alert blasting through the speakers. A few cheered at the sight of them - especially at her and her return. She waved bashfully. Was it usually like this? She didn't mind the appreciation. 

"What do you propose?"

"Well, she was following us so she's going to be here in-"

The doors snapped open, yellow smoke flowing inside. 

"Right now. Come on!"

Chat shouted at the few civilians remaining in the building to run and hide as he pulled her towards a long hall - near the egyptian section. "One of us needs to get close enough to snatch the belt and tear it - and I have a feeling that we should avoid breathing in that smoke."

"You're right. We should probably get her into a small area so it would be dangerous to herself if she threw any of her explosives."

"The room with the mummy of the Pharaoh - that should be small enough, especially if we drop the security bars." He pulled her around a corner, not letting go of her hand.

She didn't have any idea what he was talking about, but she let him lead, thankful he wasn't noticing her lack of suggestions. They arrived in a room with egyptian murals and a sarcophagus. They whirled, watching as the girl barreled after them, wielding another test tube with blue liquid. She threw it into the room.

The heroes shot to the sides as the sarcophagus was destroyed. "Damn it!" The girl shouted. She skidded to a stop in the middle of the room. 

"The lever, Ladybug!" Chat called.

Spying it near the entrance, Ladybug took a deep breath and threw her yoyo. It smacked off the handle and a barred gate dropped down, closing off the exit. Glaring, the girl looked towards her. "Give me your miraculous, or I'll take it from you!"

"I thought we already covered this. I won't give it to you, no matter what!" Ladybug said, and then threw her yoyo into the air as Tikki had told her. "Lucky Charm!" 

A ladybug-printed cloth fell into her hands, and she looked around. What the hell was she supposed to do with this?

Then the girl grabbed one of the beakers hanging from her belt and pulled the cork out, releasing the yellow gas. It spread into the air, and Ladybug wrapped the cloth around her face. She had no idea what the gas would do, but she wasn't eager to find out. 

But what about Chat Noir? 

She opened her mouth to say something, to warn him, maybe - she didn't know - but he was already in action, sprinting like a cat towards the girl, who was only paying attention to Ladybug.

That was her mistake.

Chat Noir called, "Cataclysm!" and swiped his hand across all of her explosives and snatched the belt off of her waist.

He raised his arm to throw it to Ladybug, but suddenly collapsed. The smoke - it had gotten to him! He groaned as if he was in pain and suddenly all Ladybug could do was panic.

What would she do? Chat Noir was unable to help her any further, and without his surveillance, Ladybug felt like anything she did was on her, alone. And it was. If she made a mistake, it was her fault, and he wouldn't be able to do anything more. 

But he had gotten the belt.

She had to - had to finish this! 

Before the girl could notice, Ladybug leapt forward, diving for the belt still in Chat's hand. But Chemicals (what Ladybug decided to call the villain) saw what she was doing before she could actually do it and kicked Ladybug away.

That hurt like a bitch.

She jumped to her feet and dove again, taking Chemicals off guard. It seemed that if the belt wasn't on her, it didn't regenerate any of her explosive liquids, or anymore gas. She tackled the girl to the ground, slamming her head into the tile.

Harsh, but effective. Chemicals was unconscious.

Lunging for the belt, she the tore it in half. Sure enough, a black butterfly flew from the pieces and into the air, escaping.

Purify, purify...how did she capture the akuma?

Wracking her brain for what Tikki had told her she scrambled to her feet and shot after the insect.

Right! Her yoyo!

She seized her weapon from where it had been strapped to her hip and hurled it at the akuma just as it flew between the bars of the security barrier.

She trapped it in her yoyo and released it, now a white butterfly. It fluttered away. The air, with the smoke now dissipated, was safe for her to breath. She pulled off the cloth and tossed it upwards.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted, and a swarm of her signature insects rushed over everything, disappearing through the halls of the museum.

She turned.

Chat Noir was still crumpled on the ground.