The Missing Purrincess

Chapter 34: A Fight Between Her Friends

This was awkward. Her two best friends were arguing about her without the knowledge that she was right there.

---Adrien's POV---

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked.

The mood was horrible, and I was uncomfortable just standing there for a few seconds. Alya looked like she was  having some sort of argument in her head, and Ladybug was completely silent, not saying a word and just sitting there in what should be unbearable pain.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug wiped her tears away quickly before turning to look at me. Her face was red and her eyes were a little puffy. 

"YOU!" Alya's attention went from a spot on the wall directly at me, like I had personally offended her. 

"Alya?"

"What is wrong with you? Maybe Ladybug has a good reason to take the stance she has with Marinette!"

Alya glared daggers at me, her hand in fists, and for a moment I was glad she couldn't stand because she would definitely come over here and hit me. 

"You sweet talk her with Bugaboo and Milady then immediately turn around and insult her! And what's this about not liking Marinette? Did you even ask her WHY she did the things you think she did or did you just assume?" 

I had no idea what Alya was talking about. Ladybug was still sitting there, so I just walked over to her and opened the first aid kit that Chloe and Ivan gave me so I could hopefully help her a bit. Her leg looked pretty bad.

"One of the biggest mistakes I made was not fact checking when it came to be best friends Kitty Cat. I let Lila slip through my fingers and hurt Marinette right under my nose. You have no idea what this poor woman has gone through, because YOU are too focused on what YOU think is the truth."

I grabbed some stuff from the kit on the floor next to me and started wrapping Ladybug's leg. She wouldn't look directly at me, seeming embarrassed that I caught her in whatever was happening with Alya. She definitely wasn't defending me though.

"I'm confused. What's this about?" I asked, not looking up from what I was doing.

"THE MESSAGE YOU SENT HER!"

I paused for a moment, finally realizing what Alya was referencing, but confused as to why it was such a big deal.

"The one about Marinette? What about it?"

"THE ONE WHERE YOU INSULTED LADYBUG AND THREW HER WORRIES ASIDE! The one where you basically call her stupid for worrying about her identity! Do you even know WHY Marinette ran away? Because people weren't listening to her and were ignoring her pleas and worries!"

I thought back to the day Lila was akumatized into Chameleon. How the light in Marinette's bright eyes was dimmed whenever Lila spun a new tall tale. How I told her to take the high road because I thought that Lila wasn't hurting anyone. How I hurt her in the process of trying not to have to fight Lila again.

"Marinette is an innocent citizen who went missing. As hero's, it's our duty to..."

"DON'T try it. You want Marinette back because you want to see her. You want her back with you so that you can tell her all about your worries and get support right? So you can tell her all the horrible things in your life?"

Ladybug was visibly tense, her body shaking slightly and her staring hard at a spot on the floor, the same way that Alya was when I got here. 

"How do you know what I want Alya? I want her safe!"

---Marinette's POV---

This was awkward. My two best friends were arguing about me without the knowledge that I was right here. Speaking about what they though I was thinking and making assumptions. The scary part, was that Alya was pretty close. 

"Marinette is smart! She wouldn't leave unless she felt there was no other choice!" Cat defended his way of thinking, abandoning the wrap he was, admittedly rather painfully, administering to my foot.

"And why do you think she felt like that you stupid ally cat?! I know what you're thinking because I thought the same way! I wanted MY best friend back! I wanted to stop feeling guilty for what I did to her! I wanted everything to be okay for my sake! You said that she was the only person you could talk to as a civilian, or as Cat Noir!? Well you often did you let her talk to you?"

"She talked! WE talked about a lot of stuff!"

"What kind of stuff? Do you even know the name of the guy she likes?" Alya demanded, looking Cat Noir straight in the eye as he visibly tensed and though hard about it.

"NO! Of course you don't! Because you don't really know her! You just want her back so you can stop feeling guilty about it!"

"I WANT HER BACK SO I KNOW SHE'S OKAY!"

"SHE WASNT OKAY HERE THOUGH! SHE'S BETTER OFF WITHOUT US!"

"ENOUGH!" I screamed, getting the attention of both of the two.

"We can talk this all through later. Right now, me and Cat Noir have an akuma to fight, and you need to stay safe. 

---Alya's POV---

Cat Noir picked up Ladybug, and carried her off to fight Karma. Her familiar and classic pigtails blowing on the wind, the ribbons from the pinned down so they looked like elastics. Her yoyo hanging off her in a similar fashion to the way a small bag would. 

She couldn't be... Could she?