The Missing Purrincess

Chapter 51: No Time Left

No playful smiles, no jokes. We had to get out of this now.

---Marinette's POV---

Two minutes left until we transformed back, and I had no idea what to do with my lucky charm. The only thing I could come up with needed a third person, and Nino was gone. 

"Five minutes is a stupidly short amount of time." Cat sighed, backing away from Monarch's attack. "We need to get somewhere we can detransform."

I glanced around quickly. There was nothing I could do with my lucky charm at the moment, and no clear way to get out of here without little miss liar following us. 

"I'm open to suggestions kitty!"

Monarch lunged toward me as I spun to the side. 

I had to back up a considerable amount to dodge.

"You could let her borrow the marbles. She clearly lost hers a long time ago."

"This is not the time to joke around Cat Noir!" I scolded him. 

I was not losing to Lila freaking Rossi.

I made brief eye contact with Cat Noir. No playful smiles, no jokes. We had to get out of this now. Frustrations with each other didn't matter. If Hawkmoth found out who both of us were then all of Paris would be doomed. 

A faint beep came from my earrings. One minute left.

Ducking under a swing from Monarch, I tackled her to the ground and reached for my yoyo. 

Cat Noir springed forward towards us to help, but I looked at him and mouthed 'go'. We were down to seconds. 

He nodded and ran off. Good. 

There was about a 10% chance I had enough time and if I didn't then I wanted him recharging Plagg before Monarch came after him again.

50,49,48...

Counting each second, I wrestled Monarch down with one hand and felt my fingers tighten around my yoyo.

45, 44,43...

Still wrangling the stupid little liar, I glanced to the marbles I had dropped when I tackled Monarch. 

38,37,36...

I managed to twist Monarch around on her stomach.

32,31,30...

I pinned her face down with an arm over her back. 

27,26,25...

Wrapping her up with my yoyo as best I could with her wriggling around like a worm, I got up quickly and dashed for the marbles.  It wouldn't last more than a few seconds.

20,19,18...

Who needs a complicated three person plan anyway? 

15,14,13...

I opened the bag. About 20-30 marbles spilled out over the rooftop we were standing on. Enough to make Monarch fall if she tried to follow.

10,9,8...

"Stupid pest!" Monarch screamed, loosening the knots. "Get back here!"

6,5,4...

I jumped off the roof.

---Adrien's POV---

*One minute ago*

Ladybug glanced at me. While I was usually the playful one, there was usually an air of comfort and enjoyment when she looked at me. Even when fighting a particularly tough akuma, there was always a few seconds for a harmless smile. Even a joke or two to lighten the mood. Not in that look. No playful smiles, no jokes. We had to get out of this now.

Her earring beeped. That was four. Risking a second to check my own paw I saw the same. One minute. 

I took a step backwards. There really was no way for the two of us to get out of this. Then again, Milady had always had a plan. 

Monarch swung again at Ladybug, and she ducked under her arm. Barely. One of the ribbons in her hair got caught on her fist and came undone.

Wow her hair was pretty down.

I barely had look at her before Ladybug straight up threw herself on top of Monarch, throwing her off balance and onto the ground. The akumatized Lila's eyes grew wide and she tried to spin around before she got hit with the full force of Milady's  body, but only managed to turn halfway and landed on her side.

As I realized what was happening, Ladybug wrestled to keep Monarch in place while reaching for her yoyo which landed just to the side of them. Ladybug was risking her identity right now. If she didn't get off of Monarch in time...

I rushed forward, panic seeping in as time seemed to slow down slightly. Ladybug had thrown Monarch pretty far when she tackled her and I was already further away from the two of them than I would have liked. 

I barely made it forward a few feet when Ladybug turned and mouthed 'Go'. 

I hated leaving her, but this was Ladybug. She had to have known what she was doing. If she wanted me to leave, then there had to be a good reason.

While turning around and leaving felt a little like abandoning her, and every bone in my body was telling me to help, I trusted Ladybug. So I nodded and jumped off the building.

I took out my stick and used it as leverage to fling myself around the closest building to the one that the fight was happening on. 

"Claws in."

Plagg landed on my hand tiredly and I pulled a piece of cheese out of my pocket.

"Eat fast Plagg." I said and ran to the corner of the building. 

I wasn't too far. I couldn't see the battle from this angle, but I would be able to see the light if she detransformed on the roof.

"She's gonna be ok right Plagg?"

Plagg had floated closer to me so he had a similar view. 

"I don't know kid. Depends on if she got out of there in time."

"Wow great job making me feel better." I sassed the kwamii.

"Just being realistic here." Plagg took a bite of his cheese. "There's a chance she..."

A figure fell from the rooftop. 

Ladybug. 

She was completely visible, and had at some point lost her other pigtail. 

Watching Ladybug, she had one hand along the building for a few moments, then as she was close to the ground she leaped off and into a roll.

That wasn't what surprised me most however.

What surprised me more than watching her escape, was the pink glow of her detransforming in front of my eyes. I knew I should have looked away, but it happened fast. Maybe a second after the glow disappeared, was a girl just in front of the next building. A familiar black jacked and pink pants wearing girl.

Marinette.

Marinette was Ladybug.

(Bonus Nino's POV)

"What the heck do you eat dude?!"

"Dried kelp."

"WHERE DO I FIND THAT?!?!"

(A/N Well this chapter took me way too long to write. Sorry about that.)