Amnesia [MARICHAT]

31

   It was around midnight, and Marinette was still trying to fall asleep when she heard the screams.

   She bolted upright, panic seizing her like a giant fist. The akuma.

   The first thing she thought was, why was it out there causing havoc instead of in here, using her as leverage against Chat Noir?

   The second thing she thought was, I have to transform.

   And the final thing was, what about Chat?

   Marinette shook her head and took a deep breath when Tikki awoke and flew to her side. "Are you ready?" She asked.

   Marinette nodded. "It's not like I have a choice."

   She transformed in a whirl of red and climbed up through the trapdoor to her balcony. She couldn't see any immediate danger near where she was, but she could hear screams from only a few blocks away. She swung in that direction, her nerves shaken as she thought about seeing Chat for the first time as Ladybug, knowing that he knew who she was beneath the mask.

   There were flashes of light in the dark now, much brighter then the yellow of the streetlights. She landed on a roof, and observed the scene below her.

   It was a woman. She was crying, screeching words Ladybug couldn't make out. She had on a purple gown that was decorated in swirls and flowers.

   Citizens were on the ground, screaming and clutching their heads.

   Ladybug dropped to the ground before the woman.

   The woman found her with her eyes, and then dropped to her knees.

   "Ladybug, please, save me."

//

   Chat Noir had just landed behind his lady - Marinette - when he heard what the woman said.

   "What?" Marinette asked, startled.

   Now that Chat knew who she was, it seemed so strange to him that he hadn't noticed it before. They were so much alike in their attitudes, both of them kind and brave. Her hairstyle was the same! And her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes - how could he miss it?

   He had looked into those eyes so many times. From far away as she flew through the sky, and as close as possible, when they had kissed in secret places.

   He could only think of how much time he had wasted agonizing over his divided heart.

   "I am the Dreamweaver," cried the woman. "Please end this. I want to go home to my boys. Please," she said, holding out an object. It was a small stuffed animal. "My name is Adalene Dubois.  I want to go home."

//

   This woman was the akuma that had infiltrated her dreams, Marinette realized. That had taken her memories messed with her head. She had given Chat Noir nightmares, too.

   And she was herself again. She was no longer angry about whatever she had originally been angry about. Her mind wasn't clouded anymore.

   Did Hawkmoth not have enough power to keep her any longer? Or was he simply letting her go? Ladybug didn't think it was the latter. He was willing to kill people to get their miraculouses. He would have tried to make Adalene angry again.

   But for whatever reason, here she was, hurting people and asking Ladybug to stop her. Ladybug stepped up to her slowly, hesitating. It could be a trick - the akuma could be pretending in order to get her close.

   Yet Ladybug's instincts told her that she meant no harm.

   Ladybug took the doll from Adalene and backed up a few steps, studying her closely. Then she tore the arm off and watched the familiar purple butterfly escape.

   She purified it, and the screaming in the night halted, and the woman changed back to herself.

   Ladybug felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched, startled. "What do you think this means?" Chat Noir asked softly.

   "I don't know." She turned to look at him. "Chat..."

   "Give me time," he whispered, and vaulted away.

//

   Marinette walked to school, a bounce in her step.

   Some invisible weight had been lifted off her shoulders with the defeat of the Dreamweaver. No longer would she plague them with nightmares and memory theft.

   But the question remained: Where was Hawkmoth, and what did his release of his akuma mean?

   The most likely answer was that he ran out of power. She was positive that he couldn't keep an akuma forever. Ladybug couldn't use her Lucky Charm more than once, and Chat Noir couldn't use his cataclysm whenever he wished.

    She reached the front steps when a silver car pulled up to the curb. Adrien stepped out, and when he saw her, he smiled so wide she blushed for him like she used to.

   It was if yesterday had never happened. He appeared absolutely normal today.

   "Good morning, Marinette."

   "G-good morning," she stuttered.

    What?

   "Walk to class with me?" he said, stepping next to her and nodding towards the doors to the school.

   Adrien's gorgeous green eyes were glittering in a way that was strangely familiar to her. She couldn't place it, but she knew she had seen something like that before. His eyes were clear, unclouded by whatever had plagued him yesterday.

   She wore her Chat Noir jacket again today, and she pulled a bit tighter around her as she told him yes and they began walking.

   "Where did you get that jacket?"

   She glanced over at him. "Um, I made it."

   His eyes widened. "Really? When?"

   "A few months ago. I, uh, I think Chat Noir doesn't get enough credit for what he does."

   He nodded. "Do you prefer him over Ladybug?"

   It was an odd question. No one had ever asked her that before, but she couldn't help but answer honestly. "Yeah. I guess...I guess I just like him better most of the time."

   "I like Ladybug best," Adrien said as they passed through the doors and made their way to the stairs. "But then, I guess they're pretty equal to me, too."

   The conversation seemed to dull a little, and Marinette decide to risk it and bring up his behavior from the day before. "Are you feeling better?"

   He didn't look at her, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes. I'm sorry if I came off as rude."

   "Oh - not at all," she shook her head so fast she made herself dizzy. "I'm just glad you're okay."

   He looked sideways at her, and a grin graced his lips.

   He reminded her of someone. Adrien never grinned - he smiled, softy, but he never grinned. It seemed to transform him into another person.

   "Thank you, Marinette."

   Yo, I'm starting up school again in a few days so updates may not be as frequent, but I promise I'll try to keep it up for you guys.