Discordant Sonata

Chapter 9: Agitato (Part 1 of 2)

Music glossary:

Agitato:
To perform in a hurried, restless and agitated manner

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(Mood Music: The Lightning Sonata, Op. 1: III - Dr. Tony Cicoria)

"TIKKI!!!!!!" Marinette whisper-screamed as she held the body of an unconscious Chat Noir. "WHAT DO I DO?!"

"Stay calm, Marinette!" the tiny god zipped out of her hiding spot. "We need to take him to Master Fu. He'll know what to do."

Unsure, Marinette bit her lip, looking back and forth between Tikki and Chat. "But he's about to transform back. Shouldn't we just take him to the hospital once he does?" she asked, wiping a droplet of water that landed on her nose. She frowned. Of all the times for it to start raining, why now?!

Tikki shook her head. "Chat Noir is in very bad shape. I can sense Plagg, his kwami. At this point, Plagg's magic is the only thing keeping him alive." Tikki gulped. "If he detransforms, it's very likely that he won't survive."

"He WHAT?!" Marinette exclaimed, on the verge of panic. She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes as a chill crept down her spine, spreading through her shoulders. "No, no, no, this can't be happening!!!" she cried, terrified, clutching Chat's body even closer and resting her head on top of his.

Tikki flew in front of her face, trying to get her to focus. "Don't panic, Marinette! Fu has knowledge that we need in order to help Chat Noir. But we need to hurry. We don't know how long we have until his transformation drops. Now that you're older, we know that you can remain transformed for about twenty minutes after using your Lucky Charm. But we've never figured out how long Chat Noir can stay transformed after summoning his Cataclysm. It could be minutes; it could be hours. The point is, we need to go right now."

Marinette squared her shoulders, taking in a few breaths to clear her head. "You're right. Tikki, spots on."

This was agony.

Marinette sat in the parlor room of Master Wang Fu's house, hair damp from the sudden downpour, restlessly fidgeting, legs never sitting still; occasionally getting up to pace, only to sit back down a minute later. Repeat times infinity. Or, at least, that's how it felt to her.

A literal eternity later (or close to it, surely), Fu emerged from the back room, wiping his red-stained hands on a short apron.

Marinette leaped out of her seat and rushed to her mentor, words tumbling out of her mouth like a dam that had just burst. "Master Fu, is he alright?! Is he alive? Is he going to be okay? Is there anything I can do? Can I see him? Do you need anythi-"

"Marinette, calm yourself. I've only been gone for five minutes," Fu said evenly. "One question at a time."

Marinette's mouth snapped closed and she did her best to rein in her nervousness. More quietly, she tried again, "How is he?"

Fu rubbed the back of his head, exhaling long and slow. "He is in precarious condition; there's a significant amount of internal damage." He paused thoughtfully. "It will be difficult, but I believe we can help him."

Marinette's eyebrows raised in astonishment, eyes glimmering with hope.

"But I will need Tikki's assistance," Fu added.

"Tikki's?" Marinette looked back at her kwami, who flew over to him. "You can use her powers to help him?"

"Yes," he replied. "Tikki has many healing powers that you haven't been able to harness yet, since you are still so young. But she can perform them alone, to a certain degree, under the right conditions."