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Ladybug's P.O.V
I had to stop when my earrings start to beep. After feeding Tikki, I retransformed and meet back up with Chat Noir.
The cat hero seems a little off when I return, looking around for something.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"The teapot is gone. It must have disappeared when you de-transformed," Chat Noir replied.
"Oh," I said in surprise, "I suppose my power resets itself. We will have to use a different Lucky Charm."
Chat Noir hummed in acknowledgment, "It seems that is so. Let us return and stop the Akuma from causing more damage."
I nodded and we resumed our path back to the victim.
Chat Noir and I returned to the snail Akuma. It is still paralyzed from Vesperia's Venom but the purple monster continues to shoot goop from every which direction. The city in this area is becoming a melting mess the longer the Akuma wrecks havoc.
I feel somewhat guilty for taking so long in defeating the Akuma. But I highly doubt the rich are trembling in their shoes. They are all probably hiding in the safety of their bunkers and waiting for me to fix the damages.
"Here," Chat Noir said, handing over a vial, "Do you remember what to put it on?"
"Yes," I assured him, pouring the substance over my head. The blonde hero seems more reluctant about pouring the potion on himself but does so. A slight hot pink glow illuminates our bodies like the bioluminescent fish I saw at a grand aquarium once. I assume it is a sign that the potion is activated.
I look at my arms, mesmerized by the glow. I was about to tell Chat Noir how extravagant this is when noticing him approaching some of the purple goop. He paused in front of it and reached out his hand toward it.
"Chat Noir! Do not touch that, you imbecile! It might melt your hand off!" I shouted, "We do not know if this will even work!"
"This is the quickest way to know if this will work," he argued, "We do not know how long it will last if it is successful so we need to move quickly."
Without further delay, Chat touched the acid-like substance. Nothing happened. His hand is not melting nor is he making any pain-filled noises.
"Incredible," I thought in amazement, looking at my hands, "This potion is extravagant."
"Chat Noir, are you and Ladybug there? We have not heard from you two in a while."
Chat Noir detached his baton from his belt and opened his communications. I stand beside the blonde hero to see Carspace and Vesperia on the tiny rectangular film thing.
"Oh my! You both are glowing! In a literal sense," Vesperia exclaimed, "Why are you both glowing hot pink?"
"It is a potion we obtained from Master Fu. It will protect us from the goop. I apologize. We should have informed you we were going there," I answered.
"This will help us stop the Akuma," Chat Noir continued the explanation before asking, "Where are you two anyway?"
"We are still here and protecting anyone that is still in the area," Vesperia informed. Chat Noir nodded in approval.
"Alright, continue doing so. Ladybug and I will vanquish the threat," Chat Noir said. He stopped the call and gestured for me to follow. The two of us quietly made our way through the melting part of the city and toward the ginormous, monstrous snail.
"What are we going to do when we get inside?" I asked my partner, "We do not know what threat is awaiting within the confines of the Akuma or how to get in?"
"It should be easy to get in. I assume we can just slip in through the "skin" of the body," Chat Noir explained, "Yet, I am hoping you have a solution of how to deal with whatever is in the snail."
"It is quite difficult to defeat an enemy if I do not know what enemy I am dealing with. Who knows how many enemies are lurking around within the Akuma's body," I said.
We finally arrived at the Akuma and stepped up next to it. Chat Noir approached the creature and carefully began to step through the snail's slimy-skinned structure. He disappeared through the wall of goop, leaving me to wonder what happened to him. Could he be stuck?
I slowly grow closer, reaching out toward the spot where Chat Noir disappeared through.
Suddenly, a gloved hand burst through the goop and grabbed my wrist. I shrieked before being pulled into the snail's body. I had to close my eyes and plug my nose to not inhale to non-breathable substance.
I soon arrived on the other side of the wall and unplug my nose. The area we are in is pitch black but Chat Noir has some kind of light built within his weapon. It looks like a hallway of sorts but is extremely small than what I am used to. Luckily, I am not claustrophobic.
I can feel the purple goop covering most of my frame and sticking to my hair. Chat Noir didn't look much better either. I began to wipe off some of the muck from my body.
"You know, a little warning would have been nice-"
"Sh," the blonde hero cut me off, covering my mouth. He silently pointed his light down the tiny hallway we are in. Now that it is quiet, I can hear some kind of clicking noise. The floor beneath our feet quakes a little with every shot fired.
I decide to communicate with Chat Noir with sign language. It was a necessary requirement in learning different languages during my lady's teachings. Yet, it seems to only confuse Chat Noir.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"Sorry, I thought we could communicate through sign language," I replied.
"You know sign language?" He said, sounding kind of impressed. I was about to answer when realizing I probably should not have done that. I need to fix my mistake.
"Oh, yes. I have a...uh—friend who is unable to speak," I lied. I am so glad he does not have Rena Rouge's power but he might still be able to see through my fib. I am terrible at lying.
Chat Noir's eyes narrow suspiciously but do not linger on my lie. I am relieved until hearing something running in our direction. I grab my yoyo while Chat Noir extends his baton. Something screeches before turning the corner and starts clicking again.
I freeze when seeing what looks like a mixture of a bug and alien.
The creature is around the same height as the hallway which is around eight or nine feet tall (I assume). It has a medium-sized, egg-shaped head and a mouth with no lips. The horrifying thing has no eyes and is colored the same purple as the snail. Mandibles are attached to its cheeks, clicking together in front of its thick, needle-like teeth menacingly.
It has arms and an abdomen like a praying mantis. Two long, skimpy legs are what make it so tall and bent back like a horse's back legs.
This thing...whatever it is. This creature is truly horrific.
Its mandibles continued to click and twist its head around, trying to search for something.
"It does not know of our presence," I thought. I curiously study the creature. It stands in front of us but it does not seem to notice that we are standing a few feet away. Obviously, it cannot see us since it has no eyes. Even if it did have eyes, it would be too dark without a light.
"Why is that?" I thought, "How does this demon see?"
My eyes are drawn to its clicking mandibles then a theory occurs to me.
"Sound. It uses sound to see! That is pretty extraordinary!" I thought, impressed.
Suddenly, the creature backs up down the hall it came from and then reappears. The thing jumps and hits the goop wall with its feet. The floor shakes but I managed to keep my balance. Light shoots in only for a few seconds until goop covers the place the creature hit back up. That must be how the goop is being shot.
The bug-alien thing turns in our direction.
I wave my hands, gaining Chat Noir's attention. I place my pointer finger over my lips as a gesture to keep quiet. The cat hero blinks in confusion but gives a nod.
The thing clicks and screeches. Then, it runs right at us. I jump at the sudden charging but I know it is not aware of our presence. Yet, it does not seem Chat Noir understands that. His body tenses and ready to attack.
Without thinking, I push Char Noir against the wall.
The creature swiftly sprinted past us at an unimaginable speed. My hair whipped from the breeze it made while passing and left us. I sighed in relief. It was a close call but luckily, our position was not compromised
"You can move away now."
I jerk away, realizing that my body was smushed against Chat's in an attempt to keep close to the wall. My face flushes in total embarrassment and sheepishly smile.
"I apologize, I did not know how to signal you in time that the creature...bug-alien...thing...did not know of our presence. I did not want you to attack and-"
"Ladybug, it is okay," Chat Noir reassured, placing a hand on my shoulder. I was taken aback by the touch, not expecting Chat Noir to be a comforting man. Yet, he is somewhat changing into a whole new person the more I get to know him.
My first impression of him was his cold exterior and grumpiness. He spoke harsh and cruel words. Yelled at me for no reason. He did not hide the fact that he wanted me gone from the team and called me a replacement—a fake.
Little by little, I have watched him grow more caring under his tough exterior.
"People can change," I thought, never getting the chance to see it for myself. It is a remarkable thing.
"Ladybug, come out of your trance. We have a mission to do before our protective potion wears off," Chat Noir said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. My train of thought fell off the rails and returned to reality.
"Oh, yes. The mission," I recalled why we are here, pointing at the corner the bug-alien thing came from, "Let us head down this hallway and keep our ears open. We do not want to involve ourselves in a fight. It will take up too much time. And these halls are much too small for combat."
"Alright," Chat Noir agreed, perking his cat ears up. We quickly begin to make our way through the maze of purple, goopy halls. Chat Noir leads the way (since he has better hearing and a light). Our footsteps are the only sound echoing off the walls, making the place eerier with how quiet it is.
That thing could come out of nowhere. It could charge us from behind or burst through a wall. At times, we would hear it screeching loudly. I would jump and cover my mouth to not make any sound. What I find odd is that we have not run into anything. We only ran into that creature one time.
"Could there only be one roaming these hallways?" I thought, "It is speedy to get around and strong enough to shoot the goop. It just seemed like there would be more to deal with on the outside."
The creature screeched, sounding very close. I gasped a little and shrink behind Chat Noir. He continues to bravely stand tall, without any fear in his eyes. It should not surprise me Chat Noir is fearless. He has gone through a terrible war (and still sort of is) at such a young age. I can only imagine how scary it must have been as a fairly new teenager.
But it does surprise me for some peculiar reason. I do not know why though. Chat has a layered mask on hiding all his trauma, scars, and inner demons underneath. It is kind of sad he conceals his feelings.
But he shouldn't. I am envious of him for that. There are people who care for Chat Noir. While I...I do not. I guess I cannot complain too much. I am starting to create a deep bond with the rebels so it is not all bad.
"I still need to earn their trust and prove that my skills have improved. I will not sit on the sidelines anymore and let others take the blow for my sake," I thought.
I will stand beside them.
Taking a deep breath in, I move from behind the male to walking beside him. Chat Noir merely glances over at me but does not say anything about it. Fortunately, he cannot argue with me since we cannot create any sound.
Chat Noir perked up and then pointed at the wall. I nodded in understanding, quickly placing my back on the wall. Chat Noir did the same on the opposite wall.
I can hear quick and light feet running toward us. In the blink of an eye, the thing flies right by and brings along another gusty breeze once it is gone. We continue through the halls again without much difficulty.
Chat Noir and I turned another corner, spotting a soft light ahead. Chat Noir turned off his illumination as we traveled through the dark hall toward the light. We arrived at a big area with multiple entryways to other hallways circling the room. Instead of purple, the room is a magenta color.
A giant thing in the middle of the room is attached to the ceiling and floor. It gives off a soft glow and a beating sound like a heart.
"Incredible," I whispered under my breath in amazement. Many would think of this experience as "too out of the ordinary" or "really odd and disgusting." I find it both odd and peculiar the longer I look at it. I know this is my third time battling an Akuma but this one fascinates me unlike the other two.
"We do not have time to gawk. We need to defeat the Akuma," Chat Noir said, scanning the room, "This must be the place where the Akuma is residing."
I nodded and began to search around. If I were a tainted butterfly, where would I hide? My eyes are drawn to the "heart" thing again. Could it be within the beating organ thing? Before I can relay my suggestion, Chat Noir swiftly slapped his hand over my mouth.
Just seconds later, the creature appears through a different entranceway in the snap of a finger. It began to stalk around the area as if it were trying to find something—something like us. Somehow, this creature knows we are here.
How does it know? I theorize it could be some kind of instinct. This Akuma does not want us in this room so it sends, what I assume is its singular, bodyguard to get rid of any unwanted intruders.
It is like this Akuma has some type of symbiotic relationship or controls this monster. This would truly be a remarkable study. But I have a job to do and that is to get rid of these destructive monsters.
My gaze is drawn to Chat Noir's, hoping he might have any ideas. Yet, he looks over at me with the same questioning eyes.
Well, that is not helpful.
"Okay, think. This creature is attracted to sound. If one of us can distract it for long enough, the other can get cure the tainted butterfly. Yet, how do we match its speed-" I paused my thoughts, mentally hitting myself in the head, "Right, Chat Noir has super hearing. He can fend off the creature while I get the butterfly."
I look down at my body, seeing the glow starting to dim. We are going to need to do this fast or else we will meet an unsettling fate."
The bug-alien creature started moving closer to us so we quietly moved away. I tapped Chat Noir to gain his attention and tried my best to gesture out the plan to him. Chat Noir gives me a wary look, seeming unsure if he understood anything I just showed him. He gives a nod, unlatching his baton from his belt and extending it.
"Hey, imbecile! Can you not see we are over here?" Chat Noir snarked, aggravating the thing. The creature screeched before it was practically in front of us in milliseconds. The bug-alien slashed its pray mantis-like arms. Chat Noir blocked each attack while I quickly made my way over to the "heart."
I scanned the somewhat translucent column of goop before touching it. I need to figure out how to break through this barrier. It seems too thick and tough for me to break. Maybe, I will have Chat Noir cataclysm this pillar.
The "heart" beat became erratic the moment my fingers grazed it. I heard a screech and whipped my head around to see how Chat Noir is holding up.
Yet, I gasp and freeze.
The monster and I are face to face.
It looks at me as if is staring me down, drool cascading down its jaw and dripping onto the floor. My breathing has become as irregular as the "heart's" beating. I find myself trapped. Any moment now, my shaking legs will give out under me.
It screeches.
I scream.
The bug-alien raises its arm and slashed at me.
"NO!" I heard Chat Noir yell. A jolt is sent through my veins and causes my muscles to react. I finally unfreeze and duck just in the nick of time. The demon is about to slash at me again but is stopped by Chat Noir hitting it with his weapon. I manage to slip away from the monster and stand by my partner.
"That was a little too close," Chat Noir commented.
"I do not disagree with you there," I agreed, spinning my yoyo. The creature regained its composure and turned toward us. For a split second, my eyes catch something very odd. While the monster turned, its head became translucent at a certain angle in the light. Within the larger part of its head, a shadowy blur moved.
"Did you see that?" I asked, making sure I did not just imagine that.
"See what? The giant ugly thing standing in front of us. That is sort of hard to miss," Chat sarcastically replied. I rolled my eyes.
"No, I believe I saw something in its head," I answered.
"What does that have to do with anything?" The blonde asked, blocking an attack. I leaped away and wrapped my yoyo around the beast. I just need a few seconds to explain real quick.
"I do not believe the Akuma is in the heart. It is in the head of this creature. I need you to cataclysm it while I have it tied up," I explained. Yet, Chat Noir did not move.
"What is he doing?" I questioned.
"What?" Chat Noir questioned, "It would make more sense for an Akuma to be held in the giant pillar-thing than this monstrosity-thing. Why do you believe it is in the head of this monster when you merely had a glimpse?"
"It...It just is," I feebly answered, not really knowing how to explain myself and struggling to hold this creature. I notice the glow is dimming more and realize it is growing warmer on the bottom of my feet.
"Ladybug, you understand that I can only use my power once. If I destroy the wrong thing, it will mean game over," he spoke, words heavily weighed.
"Chat Noir, please," I begged.
"I need you to trust me."
I know what I saw even though I could not make out what it was exactly. The "heart" is only a trick from the true target—the target we would least expect.
Chat Noir went quiet for a minute, trying to figure out what choice to make. Trusting me or trusting the logical choice.
"Chat!" I yelled. My yo-yo's string suddenly goes loose and the creature is free. I fall back onto the floor. The ground grows hotter, feeling it start to burn. Yet, it is hard to notice with my adrenaline running high.
The bug-alien thing stands onto its feet and charges at me. Instinctively, I throw my arms up to shield myself.
"Cataclysm!"
A loud, horrid screech fills the room. I slowly lower my arms, seeing Chat Noir standing protectively in front of me. The monster starts to turn into a big pile of ashes on the floor. Not too long after, a purple butterfly appears from the pile and starts to fly away.
I catch the Akuma in my yoyo and stand up from the burning floor. Everything around us disappears, leaving me and Chat Noir to fall toward the road. Chat has no troubles landing. Yet, I instantly fall onto all fours when a surge of pain shoots through my legs.
"Ladybug! Are you okay?" Chat Noir asked, kneeling nearby.
I carefully sit down, wincing at the stinging pain in my legs. I notice the potion has completely worn off. If we had been any longer...
I did not sit on those thoughts for very long.
Oddly, I did not have to use my power in this fight. Is it possible not having to use it every fight? I shrug it off and release the cleansed butterfly.
"Yes, I think I may have been burned a little is all but I can fix that," I reassured.
Chat Noir just stares at me with a blank face. I could not tell what he was thinking or feeling. Although, I am getting uncomfortable.
"Are you okay? You did not get hurt too badly, did you?" I asked.
He opens his mouth but immediately shuts it, deciding something in his head.
Suddenly, he pulls me into a hug. I gasp in surprise (and somewhat in pain) at his embrace. I definitely was not expecting this reaction.
"I am sorry. I should have been a better partner," he apologizes, taking me aback.
"What?" I questioned, "What in the name of Paris are you talking about?"
He pulls back, looking me in the eyes with a guilty look.
"If I would have distracted that creature better, it would not have almost hurt you. Then, I questioned you for too long that I nearly had us both killed," Chat dejected, letting out a sigh after. He sat down, covering his face in shame.
I have never seen Chat Noir look so defeated and crushed. His exterior is usually the strong leader of the rebellion. But he is not that man at the moment. He is only a kid in a catsuit like I am only a girl under this mask.
My heart aches. I do not blame Chat Noir for anything. He did not do anything wrong and still made the right choices in the end. He should not beat himself up for that. We are still working out our trust issues. I am sure it was a difficult choice to trust an inexperienced hero's judgment with a job he has been doing for years.
I decided to try and cleanse Paris of its destruction. I look at my yoyo and throw it into the air, string still looped around my finger.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" I yelled out. Much to my relief, it works. Magical insects fly all over the melted, gooey buildings and fix them. Me and Chat Noir's wounds heal up in a pinch, with no troubles. I know I have seen it done many times from my younger days watching from the window and witnessing it firsthand, but it continues to amaze me.
I return my gaze onto Chat after everything is fixed. He is still sitting in the same position. I perk up catching a murmur I do not think I was meant to hear come from Chat's lips.
"I cannot believe I nearly got another Ladybug killed."
Suddenly, everything made sense.
Sympathy gnaws at my heart. I have to swallow the lump crawling up my throat. Without any hesitation, I move over to Chat Noir. Once I am close enough, I wrap my arms around his abdomen (considering that is the only open place I could hug him).
"It is not your fault," I told Chat Noir, genuinely, "None of it was your fault. You did everything you could and you will not change my mind, no matter how much you argue with my statement."
He did not say a word nor did he move. I honestly cannot tell if he was even listening since I am unable to see his face.
It did not matter. We can just sit here and be in each other's presence.
We are a team—partners, after all.
We will always have each other to lean on in any situation we are needed in.
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