Heartstring ✅

Chapter 9

"Where is Marinette?" Heartstring bellowed as he chased after Chat Noir. The two had been sprinting for well over five minutes, with Chat's legs beginning to ache while Luka seemed to not even break a single sweat.

In an exasperated tone of voice the hero answered, "I told you, she's safe from you!" The reply only seemed to make Heartstring angrier as he shouted, "She needs to be protected from all the lies!"

The akuma unsheathed his metal sword, and swung it at Chat whenever he got too close. Thanks to his enhanced reflexes, he managed to barely dodge the strikes, still running to the Arc de Triomphe.

When it came into sight, he plastered a strained grin on his face before leaping onto the monument and taunting, "Well, Heartstring. I for one believe that Lila was telling the truth!"

This seemed to stop him in his tracks, as he began to comprehend what Chat had just claimed. Before anyone could react, the sword in his hand whistled past the hero's head, missing his face by an inch.

He gulped, getting into a battle stance as Heartstring landed in front of him. "Hand over you ring, cat," he spat out, obviously angry because of his earlier words. "Don't make me want to fight you more than I already want too."

"Too late," he grinned, before pulling out his baton and charging. Without the sword, the akuma seemed weaponless as Chat began to swipe at him. However, as Heartstring stepped back at a particular strike, he held his hands out, two daggers with a broken heart at the hilt forming.

"Again?" Chat Noir exclaimed. "Sorry, my Lady! Looks like we can't disarm him like we wanted to!"

"Indeed you can't," the villain hissed, throwing the daggers in the other male's direction. Thankfully, a zipping sound reached their ears as a yo-yo slammed into the weapons, changing their course.

Ladybug swung from a lamppost, performed a flip, and stood beside her partner in a defensive pose. "We don't have to fight, Heartstring!" she claimed. "You've already helped Marinette!"

His hands clenched into fists as he hollered back, "Who's to say it won't happen again? If her best friend betrayed her, then who else can she trust? Certainly not the classmates who abandoned her for that liar!"

Marinette was taken aback, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything as he continued, "Taking her somewhere physically safe doesn't mean she's fine emotionally! So, Ladybug and mangy alley cat, we do have to fight if I want to keep protecting my Melody." His voice took a darker tone at the end, a shiver rolling down Marinette's spine because of it.

"I'll try not to take that insult to heart," Chat joked. "Though that really plucked at my heartstrings." He placed a clawed hand against his chest in mock hurt, Ladybug groaning inwardly at his puns.

The infamous akuma symbol flashed over his eyes again, a scowl growing on his face at Hawk Moth's encouragement. He held his hands in front of him, thin spikes appearing in each one.

He launched an assault with them at the duo, the spikes continuously forming from his fingertips and palms every time he let go of one. The heroes dodged every incoming object, flipping and spinning their weapons to create a shield for themselves.

Ladybug's eyes roamed her surroundings, taking in how there seemed to be no civilians in sight - probably having evacuated earlier. She breathed a sigh of relief, rushing forward with her yo-yo spinning in a shield to block the spikes.

Marinette swiped the yo-yo sideways, hitting Heartstring's hands, giving them a break from the relentless attack. Ladybug attempted to make a swipe for the pick around his neck, only for Luka to grab the incoming hand and twist it around.

She let out a yelp, roughly taking her arm out of his hold and shouting, "Chat, distract!"

Almost immediately, he extended his baton outwards, it slamming into the akuma's chest, pushing him back. They males both began to fight on the ground, parrying each other's attacks in an intense match of fencing.

Weighing out her options, Ladybug only had a split second of thought as she shouted, "Lucky Charm!"

She threw her yo-yo up, it twirling around in the air before a swarm of magical ladybugs formed a fishing net from thin air, landing it in her hands. Her eyebrow furrowed in confusion as she glanced around, letting out a thoughtful hum.

When her eyes caught sight of the structure of the Arc de Triomphe and the ground beneath the arch, a smile made it's way onto her lips.

"Chat, get ready!" she commanded, landing on the ground where Heartstring and her partner were throwing punches at each other.