The Finding

Chapter Five

Marinette

  "This has only happened once before and it seems to be happening again. Unlike the stone beings though people are being covered in vines. They are unable to move just as the stone beings were. We do not yet know why this is, but we do believe it might have something to do with the recent failure of our Parisian heroes."

  Hearing those words, Marinette pulled her blanket tighter around herself. Her frown deepened and she had to fight back the tears that threatened to spill. Every time she left the house she was reminded of her failure by random people on the streets. Her parents couldn't seem to look at her the same way after finding out the truth and she hated it. She hated how everyone was treating her differently, whether it be anger or pity. So she had been in her room all day, refusing to talk to anyone. She just couldn't face anyone knowing she let them down.

  "Marinette, sweetie?" Marinette heard her mother at the bottom of the stairs to her room. She couldn't bring herself to reply. So instead she pulled the blanket up over her head, and put her face in her pillows. She could almost hear her mother sigh when she didn't reply before saying something to someone down the stairs.

  Staying where she was, Marinette didn't react to the sound of her trap door opening. Maybe if she didn't move they would think she wasn't there. They would leave then, right? Marinette found herself wishing that whoever was in her room would leave, which wasn't very normal for the raven haired girl. She usually loved it when people came to visit her.

  "Marinette?" Marinette could swear that in that moment her heard stopped. It was the last voice she wanted to hear. The voice that she should have known belonged to her crush as well as her partner. "Marinette, please. We need to talk."

  "What is there to talk about?" Marinette asked, sitting up to look over at the model. She couldn't help it as tears slipped down her face. "Tikki is gone, the akuma is affecting others, our miraculouses are gone, we lost... We let the whole city down." Marinette couldn't help it as her last words came out just barely above a whisper. But yet, Adrien was able to hear it all.

  "I know we did. All those things you say are true. We failed. But in a time like this, the city needs Ladybug and ChatNoir the most." Adrien sounded almost desperate. Like he was implying something and begging Marinette to understand.

  "But we don't have our miraculouses anymore Adrien. They're gone. You were there, HawkMoth won. He has them." Marinette said. It was the truth and he knew that.

  "But you're still Ladybug, with or without the mask and the super powers." Adrien insisted. "You must have been or else the Ladybug miraculous wouldn't have been given to you. Don't you see Marinette, you were chosen for a reason. Because you showed the world you were Ladybug even before Paris needed her."

  Marinette was about to open her mouth, tell Adrien that what he said was wrong when she paused. She let the words fully process in her mind. He did have a point. She would have never been given the Ladybug Miraculous if she didn't deserve it. That information would have helped her on any other day, just not that day. Not when she was so filled with guilt after letting the akuma get away and her miraculous taken.

  Looking over at Adrien, she couldn't help but wonder, how was it that her partner was still so confident? He was trying to convince her of something without fully explaining what he was talking about. She furled her eyebrows, trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about. When she had an idea, her eyes widened.

  "No. You can't be serious." Marinette said, shaking her head as if to get rid of the idea. "We couldn't even take down the akuma with our powers, how do you expect us to do it without them? I'll be nearly impossible."

  "I already explained that Marinette. You are Ladybug with or without the mask. You helped take down Evilustrator without the mask. You stand up to Chloe and she can kind of be a mask-less villain at times. What makes this time any different?" Adrien asked.

  He frantically searched her eyes, looking for any sign as to the fact he was breaking through to her. But all he could make out was the pain in her eyes. It broke his heart to see her like this and it made him that much more determined to lift her spirits about the whole situation. He didn't nessicssarly mean they had to go after the akuma, although beating it would defiantly help improve Marinette's mood, he just wanted to help her feel better. That was the main goal he had in mind.

  "Say we did go and defeat the akuma, how would we cleanse it, Adrien? I don't exactly have the Ladybug yoyo." Marinette said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she could tell by the look on Adrien's face that he knew she was right.

  "Then we go after the source." Adrien said, a look of determination on his face. "After all we can find HawkMoth easier now that he has our miraculouses."

  Marinette looked at him, with a slightly pained expression. She felt so conflicted at the idea. She could see where he was coming from, they knew what their miraculouses looked like when not activated. But the idea of it made Marinette feel a bit weird. Even if it was the right thing to do.

  "But if we even find him, we don't stand a chance. He has three miraculouses now. It'll only end badly for us." As Marinette spoke, her voice slowly slid down in volume, ending just above a whisper.

  "The least we can do is try!" Adrien said, still as determined as ever. "If you don't want to though, that's fine. I'll go after him myself."

  Marinette couldn't help it as she physically flinched at the words. Adrien had struck a nerve. But instead of making her angry, it filled her with guilt. She couldn't let Adrien do that on his own. She couldn't stand the idea of him going to fight HawkMoth by himself, let alone without superpowers.

  "No. I'll go with you. We'll track down HawkMoth together." Marinette said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Marinette paused. She waited for the doubt to come over her, but all she could feel was determination. In that moment she knew, going after HawkMoth was the right thing to do. Not only for Paris, but for herself as well.