The Missing Purrincess

Chapter 14: A Tangled Mess Of A Battle

She didn't want to talk to her, or even see her, but Ladybug was a hero. She had a job to do.

(A/N lets attempt to write an akuma battle shall we? Apologies in advance.)

---Marinette's POV---

It wasn't hard to figure out that the akuma was in Tearlip's flower. It was the source of her powers, giving her control over the plants around her. The only problem now, was how to get it out of her hands.

"Took your THYME didn't you Bugaboo?" 

"That may have been your worst pun ever Kitty."

"I got more."

Tearlip continued throwing vines at us from every direction with a few connecting every once and a while, sending on of us flying and the other chasing after. It didn't take long before Tearlip started getting bored of throwing us around before she started taunting us.

"Maybe you should take some self defense classes? I bet MARINETTE would have LOVED to teach you some moves!"

Okay that hurt more than the vines hitting me. It was common knowledge in class that I was fairly strong, having seen me as Marinette a few times helping with akumas. It was just something that nobody talked about. Especially because Adrien actually took classes like fencing, I just wasn't the first person that most people would think about.

Still, there were a few times where Rose or Mylene would ask me to help them with self defense so they wouldn't be as scared of akumas. Not sure how much I actually helped, since I was careful not to do anything too "Ladybuggy" but apparently those memories stuck with who I assumed to be Rose.

"For now let's ROMAINE calm please. This Marinette sounds like a CATch, but we can talk about her later when you're FELINE more PURRself Tearlip."

Not that I didn't like to joke around from time to time, but now really wasn't the time for puns. Apparently, Tearlip agreed with me, as a new wave of vines came our way and slammed me flying back. 

"LADYBUG!"

I turned to see Alya running up to me. Great. I haden't seen her since the fight in her room and I definetly did NOT want to see her in the middle of a battle with a dangerous akuma.

"Get somewhere safe Alya." I growled at her, starting charging back into the action, but Alya grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Are you okay Ladybug? You're crying."

I reached my hand up to my face. Sure enough there were tear stains running down my cheeks. I wiped my face with my arm and looked back at Alya. 

"Ladybug, talk to me?"

Dang it. I had thought that I had gotten rid of my guilt over the thing at school the other day, but seeing her face brought up a whole new wave of emotions. Not guilt to say, but a bad, uncomfortable feeling of betrayal. At that moment, all I could see in Alya's face was the moment that she had screamed at me about bulling Lila. Her face while accusing me of being just as bad as her. Her face while saying that I was Lila's friend.

 I didn't want to talk to her, or even see her. She was a horrible friend and I had left that behind me. But Ladybug was a hero. I had a job to do. Both as a protector, and as a public servant. Even if I wanted nothing to do with her, she needed me. I wasn't just A hero, I was HER hero.

" We can talk later. I got a fight to finish."

She clearly didn't want to let this go, but she nodded and let go of my arm, and I flew back into action. 

---Adrien's POV---

Something was wrong. Ladybug was very clearly distracted and Tearlip and Hawkmoth could sense it. Her reaction time was slower than normal, and she didn't even recognize half of my jokes.

Not that I had time to make many, there was so much green everywhere that I could barely see. Still, I noticed that Tearlip was very clearly targeting Ladybug.

"You got a plan Bugaboo?"

Yeah she came up with the plans most of the time. I wasn't incapable of it, but she was just better. She thought more logically than I did and her brain could figure things out a mile a minute. 

"I don't know Cat." She dodged another branch to land next to me. She started swinging her yoyo in a circle to act as a shield and circled with me back to back. I twirled by baton in sync.

"Now might PAWssibly be a good time to grant us some luck?" 

"Yeah, but not here. Too much of a possibility of getting hit. Cover me!"

We ran together, me helping her by hitting the vines and branches away while she tried to find a quiet enough spot to use her a Lucky Charm. She stopped for a second and looked around, pointing to the Eiffel Tower that had been turned into a cage for those who tried to run away from Tearlip earlier. 

Without a word she darted toward the skyscraper that was once the thing that Paris was known for, (Now it was the Akuma City) whilst dodging vines being thrown at her with amazing precision and accuracy. Every leap and twist narrowly avoiding a collision that could have cost us and reminding me of the day I fell in love with her.

Unfortunately, she was still distracted. Her reaction times slower than usual and slowing the longer she went. I had to hit away way too many vines that got too close to her.

We had to finish this quickly.