Broken - M. Dupain-Cheng

Chapter 9 - Hawkmoth

Hawkmoth raised his fist and unlaced his fingers, two red glowing earring floating out. The charm on his butterfly pendant liquified and sucked the jewels in, before hardening again.

In victory, Hawkmoth let out a gleeful shout and a misty ring of purple flutters.

It swooped all around Paris, pushing car doors the opposite way, and sending umbrellas open and up into the sky.

"Marinette!" Tikki spoke. Marinette's eyelids flickered open. "Get back on your feet." Marinette groaned in protest. "Stand up! Don't let your fears win." Her voice turned sad.

Hawkmoth hovered over closer to the weakened Chatón Noir.

Marinette tried to push herself up but fell back down to the metal. "He's too strong. I need Ladybug." She whimpered. "I'm nothing without her."

Hawkmoth picked up the cat heroin by her chin holding her about a foot away from himself. He reached out his hand and began to magnetically pull her ring towards himself with little zaps of purple lightning.

Her eyes began to open as the ring grew closer to coming off. She winced and called back her ring with a silent call. Larger, brighter zaps of yellow this time, far bigger that Hawkmoth's surrounded her fist, crackling.

She swung at his face landing a firm punch on his cheekbone. He threw her back in pain and hunched over. Chatón Noir's ring cut a long gash across his face starting on his cheek going threw his eye, onto his forehead.

He gasped and snarled. Hawkmoth levitated the girl upwards and she was to tired to fight him off. Her head lolled to the side and she glanced at Marinette, her eyes squinted tight. She softly reached out her hand a small amount and mumbled weakly. "Help me, Ladybug."

Hawkmoth sent his fastest and strongest moths at the teenager, slicing through her suit and onto her skin on each side of her body multiple times.

Marinette shifted on the floor. "Ladybug doesn't exist without you." Tikki corrected. "And as long as love will reign over fear in your heart, you don't need a mask to be who you already are."

She got a flashback of her night on the rooftops with Chatón Noir. "You save teh world everyday with your mask, but the girl behind it saved my heart."

Marinette looked down at her reflection in a pool of water near her face. She sighed and pounded the floor with her right hand once. She pulled herself up on weak knees and sctteredly walked forwards.

The butterflies kept attacking Chatón Noir. Half her mask had come of and she had nine wide slices and cuts along her sides. Hawkmoth's hand filled with power and he sent out a jet of purple wings heading straight towards the girl.

Marinette leaped up and took the blast of the shot, wrapping her arms around her partners neck and pushing her out of the way. On instinct and in a need for comfort, Chatón Noir wrapped her arms around Marinette waist and held her close.

Unfortunately, Marinette landed on a chunk seperate form the rest and Chatón Noir landed right in front of Hawkmoth again. Marinette raised her head barely high enough to watch.

Hawkmoth stopped floating and stepped forward picking up the girl dressed in black entirely. He held her by her collar and her head rolled back. Hawkmoth shook his hand and he head rolled over her shoulder flat giving the villain. good look an her now half nmasked face.

"Eruela?" He shuddered, realising what he had done. He used his powers to clear the rubble and the dark clouds in the sky but all of the destruction remained.

Marinette stood, a tight hand on her injured elbow as she watched Hawkmoth hold his head in his hands. When he stood again he had returned the butterflies clean and detransformed. Marinette gasped at what she saw. A sore injured Edward Mainire, dirt on his normally pristine clothes and his hair a mess.

He opened his eyes in realisation. "Eruela!"

Eruela got off flat on the floor, still crouched on her knees. "Dad, you?" She was out of breath taking deep gasps during her sentences. "All of this because of you?"

Edward sobbed, looking at his daughter. "Look at you. What have i done? My little girl."

"But why?" Eruela didn't understand. Her father had everything. Money, fame, a job he enjoys. A big house. A daughter who would do whatever he said because even though he's never around she loves him.

"I tried everything to bring her back, dear. From the moment your mother and i met, we felt we had know each other forever. Two halves finally made one. We were each others everything. And then the greatest gift was given to us. You came into the world. We were a family. It was all we needed. But fate... decided otherwise. I should have been the one to go. You needed your mother more than you need me. After she was gone i was... i was helpless. I couldn't face the sadness in your eyes, Eruela. When i heard about The Miraculous, i would have done anything to bring your mother back. To bring her back to you. I lost myself. I understand now. The only power stronger than death.. is love. I failed you, my dear. And i don't know if you'll every forgive me." He broke down to the floor with deep heavy sobs.

Eruela walked forwards and rested her clawed hand on his shoulder. "You have to let her go Dad. I lost her too. And then i lost you. You can't bring her back, but you can bring yourself. I needed you. I still do. But you weren't there."

"I know, but i will be now." Eruela nodded, giving her father a tight hug.

Tikki and the Ladybug earrings came flying out fo his pocket over to Marinette. They smiled at each other and then Ladybug emerged.

"The famous Edward Mainire turned out to be the one behind all the chaos in Paris." A newscaster reported.

Marinette looked around herself saddened. She turned. "A spark is all you need to ignite hope. Now that love has conquered the fear in your heart, let it shine through for you are Ladybug, Miraculous of creation." Master Fu called from nearby.

"I don't know what to do."

"Remember, who saves a life saves the world. Your insticts one saved my life."

"It was you."

He held out his hand and she dropped the butterfly miraculous into it before swinging away.

She landed on a rooftop and overlooked many of the Paris citizens. "Paris!" She yelled. "You don't have to be afraid anymore! Peace has been restored! if darkness ever falls on us again, the power of love will always protect you."

A young girl, no older than seven, called out and raised her hands, "Ladybug!"

Everyone laughed and started to chant, "Ladybug! Ladybug! Ladybug!"

Ladybug bent down and hovered her hand on the concrete before pulling it into her chest, red wrapping around her fingers. He raised her hands to the sky and a red mist began returning everything to its former glory.

-x-x-x-

Marinette opened the door to her family's bakery, interrupting her parents embrace. She ran forward and joined them and they all hugged.