The Importance of a Kwami [Book 1] | Miraculous Fanfiction [#MLWattyAwards]

3: Outnumbered

Ladybug whipped her spotted yo-yo around until it became a circular blur. "Get them!" Homenemy shrieked. "And get their miraculouses!" Chat Noir extended his stick and hit a few of his small army. Ladybug flipped over the people and tried to entangle Homenemy, but was unsuccessful as some of his soldiers blocked the way. He continued to zap houses, leaving a vast empty space where they should have been. Ladybug pulled her yo-yo back, but she felt she didn't want to hurt the innocent people. The soldiers who were tangled fell onto the floor, injured. 

"Chat," Ladybug shouted over the noise of the soldiers, "I think we're outnumbered! I know we always are ... But this army, even though it's really small, it's ..." Homenemy was zapping countless buildings, adding people to his army, and there were at least fifty of them by now. Lightning came out from his tall staff. Chat fought through the wave of soldiers but they held together like a brick wall, and three of them finally grabbed and restrained him. He tried to resist, kicking them, but it did nothing. It was hopeless. He couldn't do anything.

Ladybug ran from Homenemy's army, hoping to reach safer grounds where she could launch a better attack, but she failed; one particularly strong soldier grabbed her and shoved her in a cage that was thin but almost twice her height. To her horror, she realised that Chat was being restrained.

"I have won!" Homenemy shouted gleefully. "Now the whole of Paris shall fall under my command and -" He was interrupted by a dark, cruel voice laced with evil inside his head.

Hawkmoth clenched his fists and Homenemy gagged, holding his hands against his neck in protection. "Take their miraculouses now, you fool! While you have the chance! Or I will take away your powers for good!"

"But of course," Homenemy said, much quieter, but in a way that seemed more frightening, "I can't forget your miraculouses." He took a step towards Ladybug, and reached out, his hands opening to grab her miraculous. Ladybug stepped backwards, grabbing the back bars of the cage and trying to be as far away from the villian as possible. But the hands of the soldiers pushed her out towards Homenemy, towards her doom. He was so close, a few centimetres away from her ears. If he could just grab those earrings, those precious earrings that he needed most ...

"Not so fast," Ladybug said. "Don't assume you've won yet; this is only just beginning! Lucky Charm!" Out of thin air, a baseball fell into her open palms. "A baseball?" She muttered, glancing nervously at Homenemy, who was cruelly laughing.

"Looks like you've failed, Ladybug. It seems that your lucky charm isn't as 'lucky' as it's supposed to be. You were wrong - I have already won. And soon you will be but a mere servant, and you will understand what it's like to live without a home." But Ladybug pushed on. She scanned the surroundings for anything she could do, using her Lucky Vision. Suddenly, she knew what to do. But she had to surprise Homenemy and his army. 

Ladybug caught Chat Noir's eye. He looked desperate, still trying to fight through the soldiers' grasps, but it held firm. Realising what Ladybug's plan was, he stopped moving and the grasps loosened slightly every few seconds.

"We'll always find a way," Ladybug said, "we always do. Every single time you've tried, Hawkmoth, you've failed. And that isn't going to change. We are the one and only Ladybug and Chat Noir, and you will never win! Chat Noir!" She abruptly yelled, rolling the baseball out of the cage (the bars were wide enough for it to roll through) and next to Chat Noir. Surprising the three soldiers restraining him, he extended his staff sending them flying along the street and sliding down the pavement, eventually coming to a stop. He picked up the baseball and hit it with his stick, straight into Homenemy's face. There he was dazed, for a few seconds, and Chat seized his chance. With his cataclysm, he broke down the bars that trapped Ladybug. She grinned, and free from the cage, she lunged forward and her yo-yo wrapped itself around Homenemy, and he tumbled to the floor.

"Pretty im-purr-essive, my lady," Chat raised an eyebrow. Ladybug laughed, and how much he loved that laugh. "The akuma, where is it?" He asked.

"I gav - I mean I saw a girl give him a paper note earlier this morning. He was holding that when he left, I'm sure that's where the akuma went." She quickly knelt down beside the struggling man, and searched through his pocket, where she pulled out a crumpled note. With her two hands, she ripped it open, and the akuma fluttered out.

"Time to de-evilise!" She said, and flung her yo-yo, catching the akuma. Then she swiped the front, and it opened up. A beautiful butterfly flew out into the open sky. "Bye-bye, little butterfly," she smiled gently. Throwing up the baseball, a colourful pink dispersed into the air and everything was set back to normal. The army vanished; returned to their homes where they awoke, confused. The pink wave vanished, and all was quiet and well. A bubbly substance went through the man's body, and he sat up.

"Wh-where am I?" He muttered, rubbing his head in confusion. The money note went back to normal, and he smiled, putting it back into his pocket. "That kind girl ..." He thought to himself. "I will never forget her."

"Pound it!" Chat Noir and Ladybug did a quick fist bump. Ladybug felt her earrings flash. "I - I gotta go." Before she could run, however, Chat Noir held  Ladybug's wrist, desperately. 

"Look, Ladybug - I - I really want to find out who you are. I can't - I can't live like this, not knowing who you really are, who I'm working with ... Would you just ... Stay ...? I won't tell anyone. Cat's honour." Chat Noir pleaded. Ladybug sighed.

"It's not our destiny to find out who we are." Ladybug said sadly. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir, but ... I can't." Then she darted away, out of sight. Chat Noir sighed, turned, and walked away, his head hanging low.