Broken (a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction)

Possibility

"So you really didn't see the news yesterday? Or my blog?" Alya asked as she and Marinette strolled out of the gloomy classroom.

The latter shook her head innocently. "No, sorry."

"That's okay. I'll explain," Alya said. "Just...what were you doing? I don't understand you sometimes."

"Um, you know, just sketching some dress designs. I could show them to you later if you wanted me to. Just talk for now." Marinette said quickly. She straightened the collar of her blazer as she spoke. She was a mess. She needed Alya's view on the topic.

"Well," Alya began. "Ladybug hasn't shown up in, like, a week. Granted, there wasn't a whole lot of crime, but when there was, Chat Noir showed up to help with all of it."

"Continue," Marinette nodded. She just had to find out if she was really needed as Ladybug.

"Well, Chat Noir was on the news last night. Apparently, it was unplanned. He just sort of showed up and said he had to make an important announcement. He said he'd received a message from Ladybug and that she told him she was taking a break. No one knows how long she'll be gone for."

Marinette and Alya sat on the park bench, quiet for a moment. "Okay..." Marinette said. "I'm not sure about any of this but... we didn't have Ladybug before, and we were doing just fine. What if she never came back? Could we adjust to not having her around?"

Alya gasped. "Did you seriously just say that? Of course we need Ladybug! Sure, she wasn't here at first, but neither was Hawkmoth. Ladybug's our hero, idol, and protector! Chat Noir too, of course, but Ladybug's the only one who ca purify the akuma. She's obviously the brains of the operation."

Marinette smiled to herself. You don't know the half of it. She thought to herself, until she registered what Alya had said. That's right! Only she could capture the akuma! Mari furrowed her brow, relying on the hope that Hawkmoth would leave people alone as long as she wasn't there. Hawkmoth wanted her Miraculous, right? Well, if she wasn't there, neither was her Miraculous. There would be no point in akumatizing people.

"So hypothetically," Marinette dug the toe of her shoe into the ground. "What if Ladybug were to be replaced? A different person beneath the mask, or another hero altogether?"

Alya took a bite of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her bag, chewing as she mulled over the question. "Well," she said before swallowing. "I mean, I guess we'd have another protector. That's good. But personally, I'd really miss Ladybug. She's been with us for so long, and we all love and trust her. I wouldn't want her replaced. She's...special. There's a light in her eyes when she's doing what's right. It's clear that she loves being Ladybug. She's glad to fight for us and protect us and she's determined to do it right. That's what's throwing me off here. She obviously loves being Ladybug and fighting crime...so why would she leave?"

* * *

As Alya and Marinette were packing up their school bags, ready to head back to class, a notification popped up on Alya's phone screen.

Alya gasped. "Nino says there's been an akuma attack, and the villain is coming towards the park!"

Marinette paled, jumping up from the bench. "Which park?" she asked, hoping it was all just a false alarm.

Unfortunately, the answer to her question showed itself with a deafening honk, a massive crash, and an evil cackle.

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