************
Adrien stared impassively at the water below. The Pont Neuf wasn't that high. The fall was survivable. A better, more reliable route to death would have been jumping off the Eiffel Tower. Now that would guarantee a swift death. His head was still dripping blood. Odd, oh well, head wounds bled more anyway.
Adrien opened his water bottle and eyed the bottle of painkillers in his hand.
The Eiffel tower would be a certain death, unless of course, you planned to overdose and then throw your overdosed self off a bridge, now that would be a certain death too.
He opened the bottle and began to pop the pills. . .
Two.
Six.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Eighteen.
Twenty.
Thirty-two.
********************************
Ladybug used her yoyo to swing all the way out of the airport. She was back in Paris. She was so frightened of being caught that she went straight home. If one thing was for certain, it was that she needed to brainstorm. What did José mean when he said that Chloe was blackmailing many people?
What was going on with Chloe?
She dropped onto the balcony of her new home, and cautiously entered the house as the trapdoor was not locked. It seemed the place was empty and with a sigh of relief, she dropped her transformation.
"Well done Marinette! For your first time, you were absolutely brilliant."Marinette smiled at Tikki who had just appeared.
"Thank you, but it was really weird that Chloe was the one who kidnapped me. I mean, I know we hate each other but to go as far as kidnapping me? I wonder why though…"
Tikki looked thoughtful.
A cold breeze from the open trapdoor made her shiver.
"Let me just lock the trapdoor."She said to the kwami and climbed up her loft with the key…that was when she saw the note.
"Dear Plagg… Hey…Hey, wait this is Chat's writing!"
Tikki flew over.
Slowly Marinette's eyes glided over the page and with each passing word she began to pale.
"Marinette?Marinette what's going on."
Marinette covered her mouth in horror.
"Chat's going to kill himself."She whispered. Her eyes zoned in on the name Chloe…and Nino.
Suddenly it all hit her.
The person behind all the attacks…The person who had done all of that to Chat was…was Chloe.
She…She was the one who raped him…She was the blackmailer. Marinette's mind began to spin.
Chloe was in a 'relationship' with Adrien Agreste…
That meant…That would mean that…
Marinette's eyes widened as she realised the identical features of Adrien and Chat. All the things he said about himself matched up to Adrien.
It now made sense how he easily 'kidnapped' Adrien.
She looked up at Tikki with wide eyes.
"Tikki we need to find Chat!"She gasped.
Tikki looked at Marinette's distraught face.
"Alright Marinette, let's look at what we know. He's addressed this letter to Plagg, right?So that means that Plagg isn't with him."
"Which means he's not Chat at the moment, he's Adrien…"Marinette nodded.
"And he tells Plagg to tell Nino something, so that means he's not with Nino."
Marinette nodded in agreement.
"If he was here last, I should see if he took any of my knives, maybe we can eliminate slit veins. That would leave us with jumping off something or overdose."
"Or both if he's jumping off a bridge, if he's drugged it would be harder to swim back to surface and death is imminent,"Tikki said slowly.
Marinette wasted no time running downstairs and checking her drawer. Her cutlery was all new and since she was on her own, she only had seven knives. All seven were there.
She paused and glanced at the medicine cabinet. Hoping that she wouldn't find anything missing, she walked up to it, only to find one of the new bottles of painkillers missing.
"Chat…"She half-whispered and ran back upstairs.
"He took a bottle of pills."
Tikki was looking at something on the floor.
"There's a spot of blood here…and here. It's possible that he left a trail."
Marinette nodded.
"Tikki, transform me."Marinette became ladybug in a flash of pink and jumped out the window, keeping an eye out for spots of blood on the street down below.
Chat had a set of keys, so if he was not transformed, he would have exited the house as Adrien, which meant he would have been walking on the pathways.
She jumped down and zoned in on a small spot of blood. It was in the direction opposite of the Eiffel tower.
That left her with the bridges. Or anywhere actually if he did overdose… Wherever he was, she needed to figure it out soon.
****************
Adrien's nose began to bleed again, but he bared it no mind as he slowly stepped over the railing of the bridge. He was so, so dizzy, but he would let the drugs take it's full toll before he let go.
He looked up at the sky and watched for a while. It was starry…Marinette would have liked that. He thought and smiled brokenly. Marinette was dead.
With a deep sigh, he looked down at the water, and his hands no longer had the strength to hold on…
So he let go.
*********************************
Plagg steered Berry throughout Paris and still, didn't find Adrien, but hadn't fully checked the three dozen or so bridges over the Seine.
"Just a little more Berry, I know you're tired but when we find him he will have to treat us both to Massages," Plagg said, refusing to believe that he was too late. Adrien was not dead.
He flew over the bridges before Berry chirped at something on the bridge.
Plagg realized instantly who it was.
"Go!"He said and Berry began to fly at full speed towards Adrien who had just let go of the rail.
At that moment, time stilled as Plagg jumped off Berry and fell directly onto Adrien's right hand.
They were halfway to the water as Plagg slipped the ring onto Adrien's finger. From the blood leaking out of Adrien's nose, Plagg knew Adrien had overdosed, and if he hit the water in that state, he would die…
So he did the only thing he knew he could.
"Reversal."
And they switched.
All at once Plagg felt the effects of the drugs Adrien took being drawn into him, and it made his already feverish head even dizzier.
With a start, he realized that when he was like this…
He wasn't immortal.
He smiled as he fell. It was cold, his hair whipped at his face, and he couldn't help but laugh at the irony, he would be dying because he couldn't land on his feet.
Some cat he was.
At least he lived up to the expectation of having the worst luck...
The air was still silent, and as he stared at the stars above him, and he couldn't help but feel fearless in that single moment.
It was an inevitable death, one that had been predetermined as soon as the persona of Chat Noir had first come into existence, and still, he couldn't find himself regretting anything.
He regretted neither the hardships he faced...nor the pain. If dying in the name of love was the way he'd be leaving this agonizingly cruel and selfishly obsidian-tainted world behind then he was okay with it.
He closed his eyes, refusing to let the Liar known as fear to deter his decision, he had made this choice, and he was already falling to his demise, it was too late to have a change of heart.
It was too late.
The face of his blue-eyed star-crossed lover flashed behind his lids and his throat constricted.
He loved her.
But it was too late.
He couldn't save himself.
She couldn't save him from himself this time around.
He refused to regret his choice.
For a second he opened his eyes, he would hit the water soon,and gravity would annihilate whatever was left of his tired mind and drained body.
He smiled.
Fate was a cruel,cruel lady, but in another life,he would make her pay.
In another life...
Maybe Tikki wouldn't even be too mad, he was doing this to save Adrien. He was being selfless, and maybe she would forgive him for that.
The next few moments were agonizing.
The water acted as cement as his back and head hit it and combined with the effects of the drugs, Plagg could barely move. In fact, he couldn't.
He stared upwards, he would release the reversal once he had cleaned Adrien's system of the drugs so that Adrien could make it to the surface safely.
He blinked as the drugs to their full toll on his body instead of Adrien's…
'So this is what death feels like?'
'Plagg?What are you doing?'
'Saving your ass.'
'Plagg no! You're taking in the drugs and the impact of the fall, didn't you say you can die in this form?!'
'I am dying, but I need you to live,I gave up my life for you Adrien, so…don't…let it go to…waste.'
'Plagg?!Plagg answer me!'
'Hey Kid, you're still…my kitten. So…You better listen to me okay?'
'Plagg stop it!'
Before anything else could be said, something wrapped around Plagg's arm and he was hauled up above the water and onto the bridge.
Plagg's eyes remained closed and his savior stared down at him in absolute horror.
Plagg didn't look to be breathing…
"Plagg wake up!Plagg!"
Plagg was still silent…
…
His eyes weren't opening.
…
But his tail twitched.
He didn't feel so good, but he opened his eyes to find bluebell ones looking down at him.
He was lying on his back on the bridge.
It took him a moment to focus.
Slowly, he began to smile in realization and his hazy green eyes twinkled.
"Took you long enough Princess, knew you wouldn't die, Loverboy over here had his panties up in a twist."
Ladybug laughed. "Could I speak to him?
Plagg smiled. "I get to speak to Tikki afterward, right?"
"Deal."Ladybug said.
Plagg blinked away some drowsiness. He had absorbed most of Adrien's OD, going back into the ring would help him overcome it.
"Reversal."
Plagg began to Morph into the change was over, Chat's eyes remained closed for a moment. Then, they opened and stared up at Marinette as Ladybug.
And once he did, he earned the hardest slap to his face that he had ever received in his entire life.
"You absolute MORON! Oh my Gosh Chat what is wrong with you?!"
He was then pulled in for a hug, the held at arms distance on the ground. He looked at the masked person and froze when he saw the eyes.
"I thought you died! I thought I was too late! Chat-ADRIEN, why would you do something like that?! Why? Adrien, Chat, whatever you want me to call you, I never meant those things, I was so angry-"
"Marinette?"He croaked.
"Yes it's me you jerk!"She smacked him on his chest. "I can't believe you, and you've been friends with Nino?You two lying-"
Chat grabbed her face and stared at it.
"How are you here?"
"Huh?"
"You're not dead...Marinette you're not dead!" Chat pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
The baggage that had been ripping at his heart fell away and he was able to take a proper breath without it being painful.
"Well Chloe kidnapped me but I didn't die or anything- Wait, you knew I was missing?"
"She shot you!I saw you die!"He choked into her hair.
Ladybug frowned.
Chat began to cry and Ladybug's eyes widened.
"I didn't mean what I said, you're nothing like her, and I love you so much Marinette, I love you more than anything and I didn't want to live without you, I can't live without you-"
Ladybug wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry too…Everything I said to you… Forgive me kitty."She whispered. Chat held her tighter.
If Plagg hadn't saved him then he would have died thinking Marinette was dead.
Chat's eyes shot open.
"Plagg…"He realised in horror what he had just done.
Plagg sacrificed himself to save him.
"He's alright. At least, he seems like it, but his eyes were hazy. Tikki said as long as he's alive when he gets back into the ring,he'll be okay."
Chat closed his eyes.
'That's right kid, I risked my gorgeous ass over here for you, do you have any idea how much water stings the Gluteus Maximus from a height? Like, have you forgotten vertical projectile motion?'
Chat took a calming breath and pulled Ladybug down with him.
"I love you."He said softly.
"I love you too. I figured out you're Adrien by the way."Marinette said.
Chat chuckled. "I realized that once you called me Adrien after that super-slap. I actually felt that even with the suit."
"Good, you were meant to."
Chat pouted.
"I messed up…I'm sorry."He said.
"We messed up. I'm sorry too…But if you ever try something like this again I swear-"
"I won't My lady."
Tikki floated around in the Miraculous with a smile, that is before a cold, prickly feeling ran up her spine.
Plagg watched the exchange with a smirk from inside the ring, but his ears began to pick up some strange frequencies. He floated into an upright position.
'Adrien. Adrien, I need you to come into the ring.'
"What?"
'Adrien, I'm going to do a reversal, and no matter what happens, you need to trust me.'
"What are you talking about Tikki?" Marinette said with a from, talking with her own Kwami, unaware of the conversation Plagg and Adrien were having.
'Reversal.'
Chat hissed and Ladybug squeaked as they were forced into the ring.
'Whats going on Plagg?!'
'Tikki?Tikki what's happening?'
A woman with Red hair covered in some places with round black dots and Antennae, wearing a black and red cocktail dress studded with gems appeared,She wore long red gloves and black wedge-heels with red platforms. Her lashes were long and dark and her lips were a matte red.
She looked around her cautiously. She probably had a few moments before he came so she looked at Plagg.
"Uhhh,hee hee, hiiiii…"Plagg squeaked.
Tikki raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
"What the shit, woman, OWW?!"Plagg held his face.
"What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that my dearest Tikki would be proud of my selflessness!"
Tikki slapped his other cheek.
"OWW!"
"Of all the dumb things one can say, Selflessness?! Of course I'm proud of you!"
She raised her hand to smack his other cheek.
"OWWW TIKKI!"
"But not at the expense of your life!"
"Why are you being so violent! You haven't seen me in years and all you want to do is hit me?"
"No!"
Then she was kissing him...and he wrapped his tail up her leg.
'Oh my God, I'm gonna be sick.'
'Uh Tikki…?'
'Plagg what the heck is this, you have a girlfriend?!"
'Tikki, you're with Plagg?'
'Wait so you cut off my moment with Marinette so you could make-out with this spotted insect-woman?'
'Ewwww, now I know how Plagg feel's when Chat kisses me.'
"What is even happening?Shit, ughh Plagg this is disgusting, stop!"
"Oh my gosh Tikki where is his tail travelling to?"
"Plagg I swear to God if you don't extract your tail from this creature's leg right now I will throw up in this ring."
Plagg drew back.
"These children do not know how to shut up."He said.
Tikki looked at Plagg and cleared her throat and stepped back.
"Well isn't this little display adorableeee , Plagg, Tikki... we meet again."
A man in jumped down onto the bridge. He wore a black vest, khaki pants and combat boots, and over all of that, he wore a white lab coat, a strange-looking contraption adorned his waist. He pushed his glasses up his nose.
'Again? What does he mean Again?Who's this guy?'
Plagg gritted his teeth.
"Okay Marinette, this is a double reversal. When Plagg and I do a reversal at the same time, we become immortal in these forms. Now that guy over there, he's trying to collect all the miraculous at once, and only Master Fu knows why, all we know is that he must never have all at once, as long as even one is gone, we can beat him. He is Elijah Gabriel,he used to be a Research scientist at the Solstice Labs." Tikki said out loud.
"Exactly what she said, Adrien."
"Okay, so what now Tikki?"
"Adrien isn't going to like it."Tikki said out loud.
"Plagg, what am I not going to like?"
Plagg looked at Tikki with a frown.
"She thinks we should let one of us get captured."
"Absolutely NOT!" Adrien growled.
"I don't like the idea either." Plagg said.
"Hey, aren't you guys going to acknowledge my presence?"Elijah said in annoyance.
"Hello Elijah,"Tikki said.
" 'Sup."Plagg said, saluting Elijah.
Elijah tilted his head.
"And I assume you've done a reversal to protect your chosen's from my power?" He asked.
"Pffft, nah. Our chosen's are pretty weak, you'd have much more fun fighting us." Plagg waved a hand and winked.
'Geez, thank's a lot.' Adrien said.
"But I don't want to fight you, I want-"
"We know what you want to do to them, and you're not going to lay a finger on them."Tikki said.
Elijah chuckled.
"Oh my dearest Tikki, as stubborn as always I see. Well, let me tell you something, that stubbornness of yours will ruin you."
"Is that a threat?"Plagg asked.
"It's a promise."Elijah said.
Plagg grinned.
"Well, the only way you could ruin us is if you had all of the Miraculous at once…But you haven't caught us yet!"Plagg grinned before turning around and darting. Tikki ran beside him.
Elijah cricked his neck.
"Foolish Sprites."
He began to chase them.
"Plagg, who's staying behind to fight him off?"Tikki asked as the two turned after crossing the bridge.
"Me and Adrien, you and Marinette can escape and then try to find us."
Tikki shook her head.
"Marinette and I should get captured, we'll be able to escape from Elijah and try and find the others. She and I can transform interchangeably but Adrien can't transform for long periods into Chat because you're still sick. If we go with him, you and Adrien can get healing stones from Fu's place. You know where they're hidden."
"Or Adrien and I can get captured and try to escape from Elijah and save the others and you and Marinette could get the stones and find us."
"Good idea. I think we should do that Plagg."
"Adrien's health isn't the best right now, plus he's not very good with stressful situations like being trapped." Marinette said to Tikki. "Oh." Tikki said.
A large bolt of electricity shot between Plagg and Tikki.
The two glanced behind them.
"You're not getting away from me this time!" Elijah growled.
Tikki spun around, "Who said anything about getting away?"
Plagg turned.
"Tikki-"
"GO!"She hissed.
"Plagg, we can't leave Marinette!Plagg wait we can't let her get kidnapped again!"
Plagg gritted his teeth. He knew he nor Adrien would have the energy to fight Elijah off enough to give Tikki a chance to escape, and if Elijah caught both Tikki and himself, all would be lost. He knew if Tikki fought and was caught, he would be able to escape and would be able to make a plan to get the girls and the others back. If he stayed and fought with her he would only be a hindrance.
Plagg closed his eyes.
"I'll see you later then, bug."
Tikki smiled in relief.
"Better be soon, hairball."She answered and faced Elijah who hadn't caught on as yet.
Plagg stepped back,then took another step, before turning and beginning to run.
"Plagg what are you doing?!You're just going to leave them behind?PLAGG ANSWER ME!"
'Kid, I have to, if they catch us all then they'll be worse off.'
"You're going to abandon them to save your own ass?Plagg we can't!'
"Adrien, Tikki and I have faced much worse, trust me, everything will be fine."
"I don't want to lose her twice in one day, Plagg don't do this-"
"We will get them back, I promise you that,stay calm-"
"You're lying!We have to go back!"Adriens voice was cracking and Plagg winced.
"I'm sorry Adrien…"
He continued to run.
Elijah growled, and shot a bolt of electricity from his strange contraption at Plagg. Tikki skidded in front of it.
"Disperse!" She said and the electricity shot in different directions.
Elijah growled.
"I see you've learned to overcome electricity little bug."
Tikki frowned.
"We all have." She said. "This is the 21st century after all."
Elijah hummed.
He pulled out something from his belt.
"Do you know what this is?"He asked, holding up what looked like a packet of beans.
"I'm going to assume you've met Jack or a magic bean merchant."Tikki deadpanned.
"These, are Draining stones."
Tikki's eyes widened.
"Impossible, master Fu would never make those for you."
Elijah tsked. "You're right, he wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I couldn't make it myself."
Tikki grinned. "Then they're not going to be as strong as his."
Elijah snarled.
"When I'm done with you I'm going to catch your little boyfriend and drain him of every last drop of his power, in front of you."
Tikki crossed her arms and raised a brow.
"Firstly, we're married."
"Married?!" Marinette squeaked.
"Secondly. You can only go after Plagg once you capture me with your foul play , Thirdly Plagg's power is Limitless, nobody runs out of Bad luck."Tikki said.
Elijah stared at her.
"You are right about that. Nobody runs out of bad luck… But they do run out of good luck!"He hissed pulling out what looked like a gun loaded with a slimy black substance and before Tikki could realize what it was, he shot at her leg. She dodged.
"This right here, is Anti-luck. I extracted it from an Akumatized villain myself. Imagine what it would to Lady luck if it hit her."
Tikki's eyes widened.
"You're akumatizing people?"
"Only to extract their resources."
"That's blasphemy!"
"So be it." He shot repeatedly at Tikki who expertly dodged the attacks.
Elijah began to get frustrated.
"Just stay still!" He growled as she began to run across a bridge. He took off after her.
"Marinette, we just need to keep him at bay for fifteen minutes,I'm sure they'll be safe by then. I've lost practise so this is exhausting me faster than I expected, keep count okay?"
"Talking to your chosen, are you?"
Tikki breathed heavily.
"We will defeat you. If not now, eventually..."Tikki said.
"I'll take my chances." Elijah said.
**********************************
Plagg had reached Nino's and dropped into the house. Elijah wouldn't be able to find him.
"Plagg… how could you?"
Plagg stayed silent, taking in a calming breath. He refused to let the guilt take over. Sometimes hard decisions had to be made, he and Tikki both knew that…But Adrien and Marinette were still new to this.
"Everything will be okay Adrien."
**************************************
Tikki breathed heavily. She had been hit twice by the Anti-luck, and was seeing black spots in her vision. She fell to the ground, limp.
"Where is he hiding?" Elijah snarled.
Tikki smiled.
"I have no Idea…guess you're out of luck." She said tiredly.
Elijah's nose twitched.
"So are you." He said. He pulled out a draining stone and shoved it in her mouth. Instantly it dissolved, and she began to lose consciousness.
"Tikki? What's happening? Tikki I'm scared."
"Everything will be okay Marinette." She said.
The last thing she saw was Elijah's aggravated face.
"Because I don't ever run out of luck."
Adrien growled in agitation in the constraints of the ring.
Marinette gulped as she felt Elijah pick Tikki up.
Plagg held his head as Adrien shouted at him.
To be honest…Had no idea what would happen now…
"Tikki…"He sighed. "Wait for me." He whispered.
Marinette closed her eyes and thought about Chat. He would come. It would all be okay…
******************
THE END of 'MINE' : BOOK ONE OF THE TRILOGY'
Sequel: HIS