Happy New Year! Here is my gift! (I'm kidding but I wish I could know if I make somebody happy with the updates of this story 😅) thank you for the time and support. Let's start!

"I AM CAUCHEMAR!" The akumatized villain proclaimed. "And I promise you little slags that will be a nightmare to you both…"

And she sure was a nightmare.

They watched in horror as the woman's body twitched and contorted in agony as she kneeled on the floor, a black substance slipping from her lips, dripping on her chin and falling down the marble floor.

The black liquid continued slithering on the floor and began to rise as it waved violently, a figure forming through the deformation.

A giant, hairy tarantula was revealed as the dark substance dripped from its anatomy. Its eight shiny violet eyes focusing their entire attention at Ladybug.

Ladybug shrieked in panic.

The horrific creature launched itself at Ladybug. She watched in shock as the tarantula came ascending towards her, sharp fangs soaked in venom, threatening to pierce her pale skin.

Her arachnophobia caused her to forget how her brain should send her body instructions.

"Look out!" Chat yelled as he launched himself and pushed Ladybug out of the way, just in time as the colossal insect landed on the spot they were standing seconds ago.

They rolled several times across the floor until they finally stopped, limbs and fabric dress all over the place.

He stood up taking Ladybug's hand, leading the way. They left the ballroom, legs running quickly as Ladybug used her yo-yo as a shield against the spells Cauchemar was launching at them frantically.

The gigantic insect crawled to their direction in a haste, leaving a trail of lethal liquid behind its path. The creature launched itself in the air as it tried to capture the two heroes as prey. They dodged the pressure of the tarantula's body by jumping out of the way in a matter of milliseconds.

They sprinted through the corridor until they hid behind a concrete pillar in a different room while trying to buy some time to analyze their predicament.

Their outfits were surely making things worse too.

They had reasoned that the akuma's constant casting spells and the monster following them were making it almost impossible to approach. Their stamina was quickly wearing out; the shock and fear of the situation were overwhelming.

He looked at her, as a panicked expression stared back at him.

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to block myself like that." A flash of guilt and shame crossed her face. "It's just…I h-have something against spiders." She said hugging herself while her eyes watered slightly, looking away. The sight of the creature as it launched in the air to capture her crossed her thoughts. The unrelenting beating of her heart against her chest was suffocating. The cold sweat glistened against her skin.

She was enveloped in strong and assuring arms. The soft scent of cologne and the warmth of his embrace reminded her she was not alone.

He had never seen her like that, and he didn't want to see that terrified expression in his Lady ever again. "There's no need to be ashamed Bugaboo. We need to do this fast. Focus on the akuma while I'll distract Spidey, sounds good?" He suggested, rubbing her upper arms in a way to soothe her.

A rush of gratitude and love caused her to return the recently given embrace with as much force as he had done and said, "Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

Cauchemar's laugh resonated powerfully across the room leaving haunting echoes behind it, causing unnerving shivers to flow down their backs.

Chat felt something inside of him. His chest felt slowly constricted, his lungs unable to provide the needed oxygen to breathe. The room seemed smaller now, darkness menacing him. His heart sped up painfully, as the world was closing around him.

Panic started to envelop his entire being.

He tried to focus on the task at hand, but the constricting and overwhelming feeling was hard to ignore. He clutched his chest, his breathing coming in short gasps. His legs relinquished, as his body came down after, gasping for breath, eyes shut tightly.

He couldn't focus. His heart pumping unceasingly as the sound overpowered his senses. His vision disfigured as moisture gathered. He shut his eyes tightly. His trembling hand reaching for his chest as the other remained on the floor in a desperate attempt to hold onto something, the knuckles turning white.

Not again.

"Chat! It's okay, I'm here. Open your eyes for me please" he heard his Lady whisper desperately. Why does she sound so distant?

The soft and soothing caress of hands on his cheeks somewhat brought him to reality. He opened his eyes slowly, meeting concerned blue eyes. "Follow my breathing." She instructed, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. He focused on her eyes and began mimicking her actions.

But it was extremely difficult. Something was pushing against his ribcage, trapping his oxygen provider. He desperately tried to follow her instructions, but the room kept moving around him and how closed and limited the place felt was agonizing.

"I-I c-can't. I'm s-sorry" Chat stammered through his short and rapid intakes of breath. He couldn't take it. His tears were gathered in his eyes but they wouldn't fall.

"It's okay kitty, it's okay. Just breathe. Don't apologize. Just try to follow me." She replied, continuing to breathe exaggeratedly, her chest rising and falling constantly. He closed his eyes focusing his attention on the sound of her breathing pattern.

"You're doing it great, don't worry, I'm here." Ladybug appeased, one of her hands caressing his cheek, while the other supported his chin.

Taking slow, deep breaths, his breathing steadily slowed down. But his panicked state increased considerably once again as black entities were entering the room they were currently hidden, trying to locate them.

Great.

A bone-chilling sensation ran through their limbs as they heard a soft music box melody playing from afar.

"Come out and play with Cauchemar" The old woman sang out in a mocking tone, her voice was getting nearer. Both teens squeezed each other's hands, in a way to calm their selves.

Chat Noir sluggishly pulled his head out slightly and narrowed his cat-like eyes, and observed as Cauchemar entered the room floating, as he tried to find a clue of where the akuma could be located.

Thanking his night vision, he spotted something wrapped on her right wrist and realized what it was.

"She's using a bracelet with a locket attached to it" he mumbled, his breathing labored, "I think…that's where the akuma could be."

"Alright. You distract the monsters, that'll give me time to summon Lucky Charm." She planned urgently. "Are you sure you'll be able to do it?"

"Don't worry, Chat's on the job", Chat said standing up shakily, feeling his limbs waver while grabbing his baton from the spot on his back. He took a deep breath, gaining strength from his Lady as he prepared himself for battle once again.

He came out of their hiding place and exclaimed teasingly, "Hey, guys! Want a cat for your gang? What a grave mistake!" waving his arms in the air, hastily receiving the attention of their persecutors.

The monsters launched at him, predators hunting down their prey.

He scurried as he was being followed by the floating dark creatures out of the room. The tarantula released repulsive green venom from its pointed fangs, while Chat used his baton, shielding himself from the substance as he ran. But his suit was starting to be an annoying burden at the moment.

Freaking suit.

Ladybug took this opportunity and summoned her special power. Her voice echoed in the room, as her yo-yo irradiated magic, sending her the item she needed for battle.

A small, fragile artifact laid in her hands, consisting of feathers and web-like designs, with its lower part made with red strips and black dots of cloth. She instantly recognized what it was.

"A dreamcatcher!" She whispered excitedly, feeling more confident, as her mind realized how she could use it to her advantage.

Her happiness was snatched when Cauchemar tossed a nightmare spell at her, barely missing her as it left a black stain on the spot she had been currently standing.

The battle continued in a repetitive pattern with Ladybug trying to approach Cauchemar, while Cauchemar kept casting spells at her in a frenzied way, leaving black smears on the process.

The akuma had taught her it wasn't an easy foe, draining her body by the minute. Her swiftness was really impressing. And it's not like she had the best outfit and vision at the current moment, to make things worse.

Through all the chase she was receiving from Cauchemar, she managed with extreme difficulty to get out of her sight, momentarily. Her back was supported against a luxurious piece of furniture as she remained hidden from the villains.

The dreamcatcher is not working with Cauchemar. But why? Think Ladybug.

In all her under pressure thoughts, her yo-yo started vibrating.

"Chat, where are you? Are you ok?" Ladybug whispered worriedly, clutching her yo-yo tightly.

"Don't worry my Lady…I'm okay. They lost track of me, so I hid inside a vase." Chat replied softly, his rapid breathing audible through the call.

"Oh, okay….wait- what?" She asked taken aback. "Inside a vase? Chat, how did you get in there?"

"…Cats are very flexible…Bugaboo." He whispered proudly, out of breath. She rolled her eyes, a small smile forming in her face.

"Look, I called you because...I have an idea. Since Cauchemar's powers are based on nightmares…her powers function in the darkness, so I guess her weakness is light, right? I can use Cataclysm to bring back the light…and maybe this would buy us some time…while you decide what to do with the Lucky Charm." Chat whispered, inhaling short intakes of breath.

Ladybug nodded liking the idea but stopped when she remembered he couldn't see her. "Chat that's a great idea. I have a dreamcatcher, I can eliminate the nightmares. But I still don't know what to do with Cauchemar. It doesn't seem to work with her."

He didn't reply for a few seconds as he pondered but Ladybug felt like hours as both tried to achieve a conclusion.

"…Could it be because she is not a nightmare, but the one that forms them?" He suggested unsure. That made some sense. "But she must have a weakness."

"…Do you think she might be affected by her spells if she received one? Maybe we can cause her some nightmares of her own!" Ladybug whispered determined, feeling slightly better now that they were getting somewhere.

"Yes! But how? It must be at the moment she casts the spell at us but- oh wait! The Hall of Mirrors!" He whispered loudly, realizing they had formed a plan.

Ladybug couldn't contain the pride she felt for having him as a partner. How much he had changed over the years by being more analytical and less impulsive. The natural way the two of them formed plans and contributed with ideas and moral support was something she was grateful for. "Great thinking kitty."

The music box was heard again, interrupting their discussion echoing from afar, supporting the gloomy and dark atmosphere. Goosebumps appeared on her skin.

Music boxes are not going to feel the same anymore.

She heard a shuddering breath coming from the other end of the line. "Time…for action."

"Please, try to remain calm, we'll end this soon." She responded worryingly. She had never seen him so affected. She didn't want to see him like that anymore.

"Your cat is prrrsistent Bugaboo." He managed to say. She was sure he was smiling already with his silly goofy smile, despite the current chaos around them.

"Really? At a time like this?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, "I know you are. See you there kitty." She shut the call down and threw herself back into battle.

She met with Cauchemar and made the akuma follow her through the hallways. Leaping, dodging, and spinning as she made her way to the Hall of Mirrors.

"Catch me if you can!" She provoked the akuma as she opened the portals and ran to the middle of the hall. She noticed through the darkness that her partner was already at his place, his hand inches apart from the electric switch, waiting for her cue.

The specters and the arachnid joined them shortly, bursting through the doors as chunks of the refined entrance flew away by their forced welcome. The nightmares surrounded the perimeter cautiously, gradually cornering the young heroes.

"Chat, now!" Ladybug exclaimed as she dodged an army of thick arachnid hairs that the creature had released to pierce her. The hairs flew across the hall as they landed violently against the floor, leaving cracks around the place of landing. The struggle to control her sight so she could avoid the tarantula was almost impossible. She wanted to cry. She needed to concentrate on the plan.

"CATACLYSM!" Chat exclaimed, the energy of his special energy flowing out of him, black energy materializing on his right hand. The destructing power came into contact with the electric switch, the magic running through the machine, making the lights go on and off uncontrollably.

The monsters were disturbed with the lights as they tried to concentrate on attacking their targets. While trying to do so, they trashed around, demolishing the statues and chandeliers on their way. Cauchemar began releasing spells everywhere, desperate to strike the heroes, as the spells were ricocheting hastily against the crystal of the mirrors. The spells didn't seem to affect the monsters at all Ladybug realized as she dodged every hazardous blow. Chat distracted the troubled monsters by leaping around expertly, confusing them even more.

Ladybug hoisted her arm up with the dreamcatcher in her hand. A white blinding glow emanated from it. The arachnid monster and black entities were pulled by the absorption of the mystic item. Piercing roars rang in the entire building as the nightmares were taken away by the dreamcatcher.

They were left alone with Cauchemar.

She released a displeased scream, cutting the silence.

The frail and emaciated frame of Cauchemar vanished and emerged in a set of fleeting apparitions across the room, confusing the young heroes as they tried to locate her through the flashes of light she caused with her movements. She stopped for a matter of seconds behind them as her hands created another spell, throwing it at Ladybug's direction, the fire of revenge showing through her eyes.

Realizing the spell's existence too late, Ladybug turned around. Her eyes widened. The glow of white blinded her vision.

Strong arms enveloped around her form as she was thrown aside, rolling a few times on the floor as her head landed on a firm chest.

She widened her eyes and glanced up.

Chat Noir's eyelids were closed as he laid limply on the floor, his head hanging on the side, his arms still circling her back protectively.

Black substance began crawling through his suit, flowing through his entire frame until it evaporated on his skin and suit as if nothing had happened.

Anger rose from her as a quizzical laugh entered her ears. She laid Chat's arms gently on the floor and rose from the floor. Narrowed blue-bell eyes looked back at the culprit of her partner's situation.

"I'm afraid he decided to take a cat nap." Cauchemar mocked cynically. One of her hands raised with a remaining sphere-shaped spell still floating on her disgusting palm. The fragility of her was even more prominent as the lights flickered on and off against her hunched form.

"Come for me then. You need both of us anyway, right?" Ladybug challenged through a tense jaw, her knuckles turning white as her yo-yo was firmly clutched in her hand.

"Gladly." The akuma accepted while the corners of her mouth raised disturbingly. The lights glowing against the perverse expression troubled Ladybug's strength.

Cauchemar threw spells all around the room as Ladybug leaped around the room wit difficulty, avoiding every single blow with the persistent akuma following her close. The lights assaulting her eyesight and the fabrics of the outfit that was once her nightgown were not making it easier for the young heroine.

Freaking dress.

The room looked nothing to the lovely place it once was. The chandeliers long separated from the ceiling they were supposed to be hanging, chunks of statues were scattered along with tiny crystals of glass shattered into millions of pieces dispersed on the now tarnished floor. Traces of the spells were plastered on every inch of the room, the dark and filthy liquid exponentially minimizing the glory of the room.

More physical exertion strained Ladybug's body as she had to avoid the blows she had dodged previously now that the spells ricocheted against the crystal of the glass that was left in the hall.

The chance to approach Cauchemar came as the akuma was also dodging the spells bouncing back at her due to the mirrors. In a moment of distraction, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo, the item fastening around the akuma's lean frame.

Ladybug pulled the akuma forcefully, hitting the monster against a mirror that broke into thousands of pieces as the figure came crushing against it. Cauchemar's eyes raged in fury as she struggled to rise from the shattered particles. She launched a spell that Ladybug dodged, the spell ricocheting against the mirror of the opposite wall. Cauchemar's wrinkled face widened in shock as she began to move. Her breath left her as she was yanked by Ladybug's pull. The cord of the yo-yo painfully tight against her marred skin as the blow of her own spell stabbed her stomach.

The akuma's body was absorbed with black, slippery liquid enveloping her as her anatomy's pain was shown by gut-wrenching screams. The substance disappeared gradually, leaving her neglected body in the air. A loud thud interrupted the silence as she landed on the marble floor. The terrified creature was desperately crawling away from Ladybug. A futile attempt since the resistant cord of the weapon had her firmly trapped as her own nightmares were appearing on her subconscious, upsetting her terribly.

Ladybug approached her. The glass and statues' portions making contact with her feet as she continued to approach her. She forgot how much her feet were hurting due to the action and fear of the moment. She kneeled beside the akuma guardedly. Despite all the trouble it caused them, the feeling of sympathy emerged as she watched how the akuma trashed around, pulling strands of hair from her scalp as she tried to evaporate the torments from her head.

This was just another poor soul tormented by Hawk Moth. It is part of humanity to be able to feel sadness or anger, but it was terrible to think that people needed to control themselves every time, otherwise Hawk Moth would take advantage and use the troubled emotions to make a puppet of his liking. Every single day was a challenge.

How can you live under the fear that by unleashing your emotions you can become a monster?

She sighed crestfallen as she grabbed the bracelet from the bony wrist of its owner and placed it on the floor. Her foot collided with the accessory, a crashing sound created by the movement.

A small black butterfly with purple tones flowing through its wings was released.

She encased the corrupted creature on her yo-yo while the magic of creation released the curse from it, revealing a white butterfly in the process.

She called on her special cure. Rays of pink and red undoing the calamity that the battle had brought. All of the black disgusting liquid disappeared, the chandeliers were once again hanging beautifully at the ceiling, and the glass, statues, and light were restored. The regal glory of the Palace was once again demonstrated as it was never gone.

She awaited as the akuma had yet to change itself back into its civilian form but instead of that, the all too well-known black magic of the akumatization surrounded Cauchemar. Black light overpowered the akuma's body and as if nothing happened, Cauchemar disappeared out of the scene.

A startled gasp left Ladybug's lips. The nature of the event frightened her to a never-ending degree as she finished the battle by watching the tormented expression of Cauchemar with blood flowing through her head as the darkness surrounded her.

She faltered, approaching the place Cauchemar had left seconds ago. She extended a hesitating arm where the akuma once was and moved it repeatedly, trying to feel if the akuma was still there. The only presence was that of the air created by the swift movements her arm made.

She realized then that her dress still looked a lamentable deformity. Ripped pieces of fabric hanging and dirty, and the stinging pain of cuts and bruises from the long fighting could still be felt.

Her shocked state was soon interrupted by an almost inaudible whimper coming from a few meters away from her.

She looked around the large room frantically until she located her partner still laying on the floor at the other end of the hall, his eyes still closed to the outside world.

Her eyes fixed themselves on Chat's contorted expression.

Chat.

Thank you for reading and for your patience. Let's hope 2020 has many wonderful things for everyone!