Chapter Text
The bell rang for the fifth time. She knew that her time was running out. Soon it would be morning and all the people would come out to the streets for their daily activities, being exposed to danger. She looked up and saw the tall tower with the bell on top, as if begging for it to give her more time, even a minute longer. But nothing was easy. Not for Ladybug.
- Chat, careful! - She yelled when she saw a clock hand being thrown against her partner like a spear.
The villain had been presented with the name of Clockgic. After a few minutes of fighting, Ladybug and Chat Noir had discovered that the akumatizes citizen was a man who had dedicated 30 years of his life tolling the bell tower of the church until his work began to be done by an automatic timer and he was fired.
Chat Noir easily dodged the bullet, and Ladybug sighed in relief. It looked like she was worrying for no reason. The clock hand pinned to the ground and disappeared as if it had turned to dust. Seizing the moment of Clockgic distraction who was materializing another pointer to shoot, Chat divided the bat in his hands in two and threw them against the villain. One of them hit the vest he was wearing, ripping a button and dropping a black pocket watch in a long chain.
- Ladybug, there! - The cat cried, pointing, and the girl threw her head in the direction shown. A wide smile confirmed that she had seen the object.
- Lucky Charm! - Ladybug threw the yoyo into the air and a red stone with black spots fell on her hands. She raised an eyebrow, instantly knowing what to do.
She joined the yoyo wire between two fingers, improvising a sling, positioned the stone there and took aim at the pocket watch hanging from Clockgic vest, who was still distracted trying to hit Chat Noir. It was a direct hit and the clock fell apart in the air, releasing the black butterfly.
- It's time to de-evilize! - The butterfly was captured inside the yoyo thrown by Ladybug - Bye bye, little butterfly - and released as a harmless white butterfly - Miraculous Ladybug! - The girl then said, throwing the yoyo into the air and recovering everything that had been destroyed by akuma, including the watchmaker himself, who was kneeling on the floor with the pocket watch in hand.
- Pound it! - With a meeting of fists, Ladybug and Chat Noir celebrated the victory.
- My father gave me this watch. He was a great watchmaker. Maybe I'll try to open my own store instead of getting depressed by the job I lost. - Said the man who had once been possessed by the akuma.
- That's a great idea! - Ladybug smiled and heard the first beep from her earring, warning that her time as a heroin was coming to an end, and then she exchanged a look with her partner.
- Time to go, my lady! - Chat winked at her and both of them ran away without saying goodbye.
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Ladybug jumped over the roof of the bakery of her parents and entered the skylight, but who came out on the other side was Marinette, falling on the bed already positioned there for her tiresome return of days and nights of fighting. Tikki fell beside her on the pillow.
- Today was hard, right Marinette? - The kwami said more like a statement than a question.
- Yeah, it was- sighed Marinette - I don't know if the akumas are getting stronger or if they have showed up so often that I'm not having a proper time to recover.
Mari lifted the t-shirt she was wearing and her eyes fell on a large bruise that formed over her skin, on the left side, over her ribs. One more for the collection. And they were taking longer and longer to disappear. She frowned and lowered the shirt, throwing her head on the pillow and staring at the ceiling.
- Tikki, why does my wounds don't heal like all the buildings and people affected by akuma?
Tikki closed her eyes in a mix of weariness and sadness. Sooner or later Marinette would gather the pieces and realize what was happening.
- Marinette, being Ladybug has a price higher than just losing sleep and being late for class - Tikki looked up for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, and looked at the girl whom she chose to be a carrier of the Miraculous.
- What do you mean? - Marinette opened her eyes and sat up to look better at the kwami.
- Your life energy. - Tikki lowered the head and stared at her own hands. The silence was deafening - Most of the energy for you to be Ladybug and fight your enemies comes from my powers, but with my powers alone I can't do anything - the Kwami timidly looked up and stared at Marinette - Only a human can be the Ladybug.
- I remember you told me this the first time we met, Tikki. But I don't understand what this has to do with my life energy. Isn't it just my body you need to express the powers?
- Exactly - Tikki began, her gaze turning from shy to serious - The Miraculous can't cleanse the Akuma alone. Each bit of evil inside those butterflies you capture - Tikki frowned - gets stuck inside you.
- What!? - Marinette got up from bed quickly, with fists closed - What are you talking about, Tikki!?
- The akuma uses your life force to be neutralized. - Tikki flew to look Marinette on the same eye level - and in return you absorb the evil in it.
- But what about the yoyo? And the Miraculous? What's the good of the powers then!? - Girl heart's was almost out of her mouth.
- The powers allow you to see the Akuma, carry the Miraculous and neutralize the Akuma. You are connected. It's not a Miraculous without you. And you're not Ladybug without it.
Marinette slowly sat up and put her hand over her own chest. Fast beats under trembling fingers. How much evil had she inside herself? How many Akuma had she neutralized without realizing what was happening? How long could she endure it?
- Tikki, why didn't you tell me this before? - She looked at her own legs, running the fingers on her pants as if she could feel each one of the scars and marks that were already tattooed on her body - What will happen to me?
Tikki flew to Marinette's lap and put her little hand on one of Marinette's finger, and when she lifted her head to look into the girl's eyes, Mari saw Kwami's glare filled with tears that she was struggling not to drop.
- Sorry for not telling you before, Mari. I couldn't. It's forbidden. If I had told you, I would lose all my powers and the world would be at the mercy of Hawmoth without a Ladybug for who knows how long - Tikki lowered her voice and it beacame almost a whisper - But you asked, and we can't deny answers to Miraculous' holders.
- Then tell me what will happen to me. - Marinette asked firmly and Tikki held her breath for a second before start talking.
- Your life force is the energy required to neutralize the Akuma. For each neutralized akuma, you lose some of it. Your body weakens. Recovery takes longer - Tikki stopped, interrupted by a hiccup, but Marinette knew it wasn't over. More than that. She knew that the worse was yet to come.
- And at some time my life force will end - finished Marinette.
Tikki nods in agreement.
- And I'll die - Marinette whispers.
Tikki didn't nod. She didn't need to. Marinette didn't need to see it. They both know that her words were the truth.
The girl leaned her body forward, put her elbows on her knees and supported her forehead in her hands. It was as if the whole world was spinning too fast. As if she was aware of every single degree of Earth's rotation.
The alarm clock rang on the desk. 7:30 am. Time to wake up. Time to get up, get dressed, have breakfast and go to school. But Marinette had not even slept, and on a single minute, she felt exhausted. Absurdly exhausted, as she hadn't slept for a week, and not for a day. At that moment, nothing else seemed important. Nothing else seemed to have value. She wanted to lie down and sleep for several days in a row. She didn't want to see anyone else.
- How long? - Marinette's voice sounded in the room.
- It depends on how many Akuma you need to neutralize - The Kwami spoke so low that Marinette had to bend down to hear her better - We estimate that danger isn't too high as long as Hawmoth is defeated soon.
- How long? - Marinette asked again, seriously.
- We don't know.
- We don't know? As in plural?
- Yes.
- Who else doesn't know?
- The other kwamis.
Marinette felt her heart skip a beat.
- How many more people are at risk?
- No one else - Tikki spoke so low that Marinette had to ask her to repeat.
- Just me? - The girl didn't know whether to be angry or relieved, but the latter was stronger inside her heart now. Chat Noir was safe.
- It's the price to be Ladybug, and it's one of the reasons ...
- ... I have a partner. - Completed Mari - In case something happens.
Tikki was silent. Everything was silent. Things made so much sense that Marinette didn't know how it took her so long to realize.
- Who else knows about this? - She asked the Kwami.
- Only the kwamis, and now you.
Marinette took a deep breath. It would be much easier if she wouldn't have to deal with a worried Chat Noir all the time. Impulsive as he was, who knows what he would do when he found out the whole story.
The girl got up and set her hair loose, walking to the wardrobe.
- So what we have to do now is to find Hawmoth soon and beat him so that nothing worse happens? - Marinette asked as she chose a change of clean clothes to shower and get ready for class.
- Yes. Only neutralizing Akuma will not change anything. And time is running against you, Marinette - Mari could hear the sadness in Tikki's voice. All the distress she must have gone through. And for the first time, she noticed how the kwami was small and frail, and for how long was she suffering, bearing this whole story by herself.
- Time always runs against me, Tikki. And it always loses. - Marinette smiled at Tikki, tenderly caressing the kwami's pink little head, and walked towards the bathroom with a look that would send shivers down the spine of anyone who saw her.