Threatened Love (sequel to "Heartbroken Hero")

Chapter 9

Rats scurried along the bottom of the sewer, their frantic squeaks echoing throughout.

Chat pinched his nose, wincing in disgust. "A sewer, of course," he mumbled to himself. "Where else would Serpentina go?"

Ladybug held up her yoyo and used it as a flashlight to guide their way. "Doesn't matter. Keep a look out, she could be anywhere."

They sloshed through the brown, murky sewage water. Chat covered his mouth and nose. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Less whining, more searching," Ladybug murmured, even though she winced in disgust herself. She shined her yoyo up and down then side to side to see if there were any clues. Rats fled from the light, scurrying on the slightly elevated, dry section of the sewer right in front of Chat.

"Ah!" he yelped, jumping backwards and causing some sewage to splash up in the process. "Did you see that?"

"I thought cats feasted on rats?" Ladybug asked, joking

Chat stuck his tongue out, even though his partner probably couldn't even see it. "Mice. They eat mice. But nice try, m'lady."

"Same thing," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

Chat shook his clawed finger right in front of the flashlight. "Wrong. Mice are cute and fluffy. Rats are big, disgusting creatures of the night. They have scraggly teeth and feed on the fear of their prey."

"I'm starting to think you're more afraid of rats than the akuma we are chasing after," Ladybug observed, rubbing her chin.

"I'm starting to think you're right," Chat shivered, flinching at another sight of a rat.

They continued walking down the endless stretch of sewer, hoping the akuma would show up already. Neither of the superheroes wanted to be there any longer. Their nose hairs were practically burning from the noxious fumes.

Chat, who started to lose his sanity, thought that calling out the akuma would magically make her appear. "Hey, you! Serpentina! Stop slithering around and get out here!" His voice echoed off the pipes, and only the dripping of sewage answered back.

"Fail," Chat mumbled.

After what felt like forever, the pair of superheroes encountered a split. One pipe led one way, and the adjoining pipe led the other.

"Looks like this is where we split up," Ladybug sighed, narrowing her eyes. She pointed her flashlight over each pipe. "I'll take the left, you take the right?"

"Sounds like a plan," Chat grinned. His signature grin quickly turned into a worried frown. "Be careful, okay?"

Ladybug winked, keeping a confident guise. "Of course. You stay safe too."

"Let's have snake for dinner," Chat declared, rubbing his hands together.

"Ehhh.." Ladybug mumbled. "When you put it like that..."

Chat grimaced. "You're right, you're right," he shook his head. "Anyways, good luck to you bugaboo. I trust you'll get the job done as always if you encounter Serpentina."

"Thanks. I just hope we arent making a mistake by splitting up."

*

Now alone, Ladybug was even more alert for the akuma.

It was helplessly silent, except for her footsteps that waded through the sewage below and the occasional rat squeak.

She hoped her partner would be okay on his own. He wouldn't be able to cleanse the akuma if he managed to destroy her akumatized object.