Trust Takes Moments to Break, But Time to Create

8-Felix

It's her parents. I don't know their first names, but it doesn't matter now. With a foul taste penetrating my throat and into my mouth, I join the battle, noticing how silent Ladybug is. Her eyes are hardened, and I know that she's had another rough day. I feel my heart sink as the fight progresses. Hawkmoth is not playing around with the same akumatized victims. These two have never been akumatized, and they are powerful, their emotions running crazily, I can tell that much. Once I use up my cataclysm, Ladybug takes her lucky charm and gets to her plan. 

Once she is distracted however, the Shadows take charge and shoot some sort of a shadow bullet at Ladybug that hit her before I could warn her. I kick myself mentally for not being ready for my partner before rushing over just in time for her to crumple into my grasp. It had hit her torso and I can tell she's in pain. A large amount of pain, as if she was actually shot. The impact has left her with a purple mark, and I can tell it's bleeding out. 

"C-Cat. D-Do it." She hands me the rope that she had gotten for her Lucky Charm then points it at the Eiffel Tower, the area in between the Shadows. I nod, silently hoping she'll be alright, and rush in. Once it is pulled in between our targets, Ladybug uses it as a whip and it cracks in between them causing the akumatized object to break. Ladybug catches the akuma with her yoyo and cleanses both the butterfly and the city. But I can tell from her grimace and hardened eyes that the miraculous didn't heal her. I feel dread sinking in as I go to help out the couple reluctantly. 

"W-What happened?" Ladybug gives the couple a thoughtful look. 

"What is the last thing you can remember Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?"

"We were going to interview the school of Doue des Arts to see if our daughter would be able to join their fashion program in a couple days. We got upset because of rumors being spread about our daughter and we were confused on whether they were true or not. There have been some suspicious things happening with our daughter. Why?" My eyes widen. I am about to speak but Ladybug beats me to it. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, you have been under the akuma's control for two weeks. Your daughter is already at the school, on our patrols I have noticed her moving to that boarding school. I would recommend going back to the bakery. Are you able to go on your own?" Their eyes are wide but they nod silently and leave towards the popular bakery. I turn to see Ladybug trying not to crumble out of pain, tears welling up in her eyes. Walking over to her, I pick her up bridle style. I ignore the beeping of three minutes and leap away to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

"Cat, y-you need to g-go. I-I need to go. Our timing is going to be up soon." 

"No! Not with you injured. Why didn't your miraculous cleanse and heal you?" Ladybug laughs dryly. 

"The secret of the ladybug miraculous. The price is that the cleansing energy doesn't reach me. I'm f-fine." I dryly chuckle. "No you're not. There's no way in hell you're not." 

"Take me to the alleyway at the east farthest side of Paris. Please Cat Noir." I gulp and nod. She usually calls me Chaton, but calling me Cat Noir tells me she means business. Quickly I take her, feeling a gnarled place in my stomach once I leave to and rush to my dormitory before detransforming. The dread is just continuing to course through me and I don't realize I'm sitting in the corner of the room hidden away until I am risen from my thoughts when I heard a pained groan and a slight wince from Marinette's dormitory. There's indistinct chatter. I can tell its Marinette, but I cannot tell what she is saying before a crash sound comes from her room. 

I jump, my mind still reeling from the battle. "Are you alright Marinette? I heard a crash." I can hear her, but its strained, like she's in pain. 

"Yes, yes I'm fine! I just tripped over a little. Don't worry about me!" I narrow my eyes. "May I come in? I need to discuss something with you." I hear a few shuffles and some indistinct mumbles that sound suspiciously like a string of curse words. I raise my eyebrows before hearing her tell me it's alright to come in. When I do, I'm quite shocked. Her skin is quite pale, like she's lost blood. "What the hell happened to you?" Marinette looks at me surprised before I decide to experiment some. Looking over, I notice medical scissors, thread, a needle, and a blood soaked rag. I walk over to it, my stomach churning before picking it up, quickly taking her hand and walking to the adjacent bathroom that connects our dormitories. 

"What is this for Marinette? Don't lie to me." She sighs before lifting her shirt slightly to reveal stitches on a fresh wound on her lower stomach. My eyes widen. How the hell did she get that?

"During the akuma attack, I ended up in an alleyway where an armed thug was hiding unfortunately. The bullet just grazed me thankfully, but I was shot before I could get away. I didn't want anyone else to know so I did the stitches myself." I feel myself gulp, looking back at her eyes, as I was raised to be a gentleman, and she deserves respect. "Do you get shot often?" She laughs before wincing and giving a slight shake of her head. She wobbles a little so I steady her, my hands on her shoulders. "You need medical attention, you seem to have lost a lot of blood." 

"I'm fine Felix, I just need rest. Not ripping my stitches might be helpful as well. Heh. Anyway, goodnight Felix." I give the girl an incredulous look as she goes to her dormitory to sleep. She needs rest no doubt, but there is no way that this is her first time, she's too experienced. 

This girl is a mystery. 

I need to figure her out, as the unknown makes me wary. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

What the hell are you hiding?