My Lady

Chapter 10: Can you Hear Me?

      Tikki was floating beside Black Cat as they were walking down to his house looking for signs of Marinette. The trees that were withered by Marinette prior began to sporadically shrivel and swell as if the source of their health was faltering as a whole.
"This has to do with Marinette, but I don't know what. Is it because she's far away, or hur-god, I hope not." Black Cat became increasingly worried at the plants withering then livening as he walked down the empty streets.
As if the foliage were acknowledging Tikki and Chat, it sprung upright, then pointed in their direction in a wave going down the sidewalk. Then, a strange sensation that couldn't quite be called a voice gave them what seemed to be a message.
"This seems...familiar, but so foreign," said Tikki. She looked to Cat who had also gotten the 'message'.
"It's only half familiar to me, I think. I don't really understand this, but I feel like I'm meant to."
Tikki strained herself to find and explanation for what was being sent to her and Cat. She tried to get closer to one of the bushes that was stretched toward her as if it would help, but to no avail. She then tried to touch it, and acting very cautious in the process.
She got to where she was the closest she could be to the bush without touching it. The bush remained rigid, and gave Tikki trust. She held out her little arm, and touched the smallest leaf at the tip of a branch. Once she did, an even stronger sensation than the one before flooded all five senses and then some.
"I know what this is now! Cat, this is a distress call!"
"What do you mean? Is it from Mari?"
"Well, sort of. Hawkmoth is the holder of a kwami called Nuru. You have Ancient Destruction, Marinette and I have Lucky Charm, and Nuru and Hawkmoth have akumas. Each akumized victim is just a product of Nuru's power being borrowed by Hawkmoth and then handed out as butterflies. Marinette is working with Nuru right now behind Hawkmoth's back and sending a message between kwamis. That's why you got the message, because you're transformed with Plagg right now."
"That's why I only understood half of what I sensed from that. I know Mari, but I've never met Nuru, and you had a better grasp of the message because you know both of them."
"It seems as if Marinette and Nuru have minds of their own, even under Hawkmoth's orders."
"That's great!"
"I don't know. This has never happened before. We'll just have to wait, see, and hope."
"Either way, I'm fighting like hell to get her back and take Hawkmoth down."
Black Cat's voice trailed off at the end of his last sentence as if he wasn't fully convinced of himself. Tikki looked at Cat with concerned eyes missing his. She zipped to his shoulder as if to ask permission to comfort him, but instead, he began to resume his walk to the Agreste house.
As he walked by, the plants that once pointed at him would fall limp. He noticed, but pretended like he didn't, or that it didn't concern him. Either way, he was doing a bad job, because Tikki caught on.
"Don't worry Cat. This might mean they know we got the message."
"What happened to waiting and hoping?"
"I-I—"
"I'm sorry Tikki. I'm just...you probably the stress. I know you feel it too, so I shouldn't snap at you."
      "No, no. I understand. Let's just keep going. The sooner we get to Mari the better, and I won't pester you with bothersome thoughts."
     "Tikki, I-"
      "Cat, please. Let's just go. I want to see her. Now more than ever, and I know you do too. Please understand me now."
      "D'accord. Allons y, sauver mon ange, pas mon petit soldat."