PRINCESS JUSTICE

6.CHAPTER 6

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN SOME VIOLENCE! I MAY BE OVERREACTING, BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Adrien raced down the street, his feet pounding into the ground. His breath became more labored with each step. He wanted to slow for a single moment to rest but couldn't. He had been spotted. And she was gaining on him.

As he turned a corner, his destination within sight, his foot slipped out from under him. His descent to the ground was quick, his left knee slammed against it. A scream was perched on the edge of his throat, desperate to escape. But he didn't want to alert any more akumas that might have been in the area. One akuma was already too much for him to handle.

As he attempted to stand, a sharp pain shot through his leg, bringing him back down. Realizing he couldn't get up, he crawled into an alleyway. He did his best to hide amongst the trash littered in the alley, hoping the shadows would help conceal him. All he could really do was pray that she wouldn't notice him.

He froze as a bright, pale face appeared at the entranceway. When Refleckta walked into the alley, Adrien held his breath. The sound of her red heels tapping against the ground rang in his ears. It bounced off the walls and took over the silence that had once ruled. He could feel his nerves on edge, the sweat dripping down his face. Of all the days he could have been caught, this was by far the worst yet.

"Whatever," Reflectka scoffed. She turned and left, giving up her pursuit of the boy.

Even as she grew further away, he still couldn't be sure she had indeed left. When her shadow hadn't reappeared in the last few moments, the blonde finally moved. His body quivered, adrenaline still rushing through his veins. A sigh escaped from his lungs, he wasn't out of the clear yet. He needed to get back to his friends.

Using the wall as support, he got off the ground and hobbled out of the alleyway. While the walk would only take a few minutes, it felt like an eternity due to his knee. He had never felt a pain more excruciating in his civilian form. With each slight step came the thousand needles jabbing into his leg. He could hardly bear it. But he had to press on. He couldn't allow Marinette to suffer any longer.

Eventually, he reached the school and was making his way up to the second floor. However, he hadn't even made it halfway up the stairs before his left knee caved in. He rolled down the stairs, the booms from his crashing body filled the courtyard. His back hit the floor in an unceremonious bump. He was just lucky that his head hadn't bashed into one of the steps.

It was ironic that the akuma battle hadn't even begun, yet Adrien's body already felt too battered to continue. He could feel his muscles starting to go numb. He didn't even attempt to get up this time. Instead, he continued to lie on the cold, stone floor.

Plagg zoomed out of the boy's shirt, a worried expression controlling his face. The cat spoke, "Adrien?" his voice dripped with panic, "Adrien!?". He wanted to respond, to calm the kwami down, but the aching of his body silenced him. The agony was sucking up all his energy, leaving only the shell of the boy for all to see.

Just as his eyes were shutting, the kwami zoomed to the next floor and into the locker room. It wasn't long before he could hear the opening of a door, quickly followed by the hushed tones from several voices. Then came the shuffling of feet as they descended the stairs. As someone started to call out his name, the last of his consciousness began to drift away. He didn't fight it, allowing the world to go dark.

—

Chat Noir strolled through the city, the streets void of any life. There was not a sound to be heard, his own footsteps noiseless as he moved. There were no gusts of wind nor a single cloud in the sky. The world was all grey or white, not a single vibrant color within sight. A sense of isolation crept throughout his body, one he had felt many times before. However, this time was different. When Paris was barren of all its attributes, the joyful city became an eerie desert.