Ladybug and Cat Noir were exhausted. Fires had broken out in an apartment building, and had spread quickly in the dense urban landscape. They had been at it for several hours now, whisking back and forth, in and out of buildings. As the fire fighters battled the blaze, they maneuvered about, ensuring everyone was out of harm's way, often just in the nick of time. It had been several hours, a situation only made possible by the fact that it was now well past two in the morning, and that the fire blazed far from their homes, as their parents slept blissfully unaware. Ladybug thought about how lucky the timing was, however unfortunate the event. It isn't so hard "disappearing" from a villain for a short time, but several hours would have been sure to raise suspicions. Fortunately, simply whisking about didn't take much from the kwamis, allowing them to say in their superhero forms much longer than if they had needed to use Lucky Charm or Cataclysm. Finally, the blaze was controlled, and no one had been hurt, although many homes were destroyed. Emergency vehicle lights bathed the street, the golden glow mirrored in thousands of water puddles now accumulated on the pavement. Ladybug was sitting cross-legged on the ground, while her counterpart slumped against a streetlight.
"That's about all the fun I can handle for one night. It's awful what happened to all those people. At least no one was hurt" she remarked.
"You know milady, I've been wanting to share a candlelit Parisian evening with you for a while, although this isn't exactly what I had in mind" Cat Noir quipped back.
"No offense Kitty, but I'm glad it's over. There's only so many fire puns one bug can handle" she replied.
He responded quickly, "Don't worry milady, you were still the hottest thing in Paris tonight!"
Ladybug scoffed and laboriously rose to her feet. It was time for her to go. She had been lucky to be out this long. She might be missed soon.
"See you next time, Kitty Cat!" she yelled at she flicked her yo-yo; in an instant, she vaulted off into the dark.
Cat Noir stood silently and watched her disappear into the night. There may be millions of girls out there, he thought, but I bet none are as perfect as her. He smirked to himself. If only I could know who she really was. He clicked his staff and launched up to the rooftops. Another good days (or nights) work was done.
Marinette eased in through the hatch in her bedroom roof and plopped gently onto the floor. She wished to fall into bed, but she knew her soot covered face and smoke-laced hair would raise suspicions. She trudged to the bathroom and showered, careful to be quiet as possible. She donned her pajamas and wrapped her dark hair in a towel.
"I can't tell you how great these clean clothes feel!" she remarked to Tikki, her exhausted Kwami. She was just about to slide into bed when her door creaked open. On the other side stood her mother, half asleep.
"Sweetie, is everything alright?" she asked through a yawn.
"Oh, um, yes, I'm fine Mom!" Marinette stammered in reply.
Her mother gazed at her through half open, glassy eyes. "Have you been up this whole time? Why are you showering?"
Marinette grinned awkwardly. "I woke up and didn't feel well, so I thought I'd take a shower. I feel much better now!" she remarked.
Marinette's mother, clearly wanting to return to the solace of sleep, seemed satisfied with this response. "Ok dear, I hope you get feeling better." she slurred, stifling another yawn. "See you in the morning!"
"Good night mom!" Marinette called in reply.
She waited for her mother to close the door. "Tikki, I love being Ladybug, but I hate how I have to lie all the time. I know it's for a good cause, but I still feel guilty."
Tikki looked at Marinette with understanding eyes. "I know Marinette, but I don't know any other way. The fact that it bothers you just shows what an honest person you are!"
Marinette shrugged, unconvinced. "Yeah I guess so. Good night Tikki." Tikki responded, but Marinette didn't even hear. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.
Morning came much too soon. Marinette blinked with tired eyes at the intrusive light of morning. She felt as if she had just fallen asleep, robbed of her rest. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor. She knew she should move, but motivation eluded her. Eventually, she arose and trudged through her morning routine as she prepared for school. Suddenly her blood ran cold.
She had a test today.
In the excitement of last night, she had completely forgotten about it, not that she would have had time to study anyway, around all of the rescuing. Marinette grunted with frustration. She loathed poor test grades, especially due to insufficient preparation. It's too late now, she thought dejectedly. With that, she was off to school.
Adrien fared somewhat better. He had become accustomed to late nights, occasionally binging on nocturnal video game sprees with his online friends. However, he wasn't used to late nights with physical exertion, and he was indeed tired as well. He simply didn't show as badly. He rounded a corner to see Marinette, her forehead leaning against the locker, her eyes closed.
"Hey Marinette!" he greeted.
Marinette's eyes shot open as her cheeks reddened. "Hey Adrien!" she responded, much more energetically than she felt. "I was just seeing if, um, looking for, uh, something" she stammered awkwardly.
"Late night, huh?" he asked with a grin. She smiled sheepishly, knowing her bluff had been called.
"Yeah, I didn't sleep much last night" she said.
Adrien replied, "I didn't either; video games" he shrugged. "That was some crazy fire last night, huh? Hey, we better get going. Care to walk with me?"
Marinette's cheeks reddened again, a not-uncommon occurrence with her. "Sure, that would be great!" she grinned. "Let me grab my books." She opened her locker, and books streamed out. "Oh my!" she exclaimed. She bent down and attempted to quickly pick them up, tingling with embarrassment.
Suddenly, Nino turned the corner, walking briskly toward Adrien. He failed to see Marinette's crouched form grabbing books, and tripped over her. He feel directly into Adrien's legs, bringing him down on both of them. His nose smacked the back of Marinette's head.
"Oh my gosh! Adrien are you okay!" she asked hurriedly. Her single-minded focus on Adrien's wellbeing at Nino's expense surprised no one.
Adrien rose to his feet. "Yeah, I'm okay. I hit my face on the back of your head, Marinette. You have a hard head!" He chuckled and rubbed his nose, continuing, "It'll be fine. No big deal. If it makes you feel better, your hair smells amazing!"
Marinette blushed, yet again. "Thanks. New shampoo!"
The friends strolled into class to numerous conversations of the previous night's fire.
"I heard a bunch of apartments were destroyed. Total loss!" quipped Rose.
"Yeah, it was crazy!" added Ivan.
"It's a good thing Ladybug and Cat Noir were there." offered another. Marinette grinned to herself. If only they knew, she thought.
Ms. Bustier strolled in. "I got a close up view of the fire last night" she said. "It nearly reached our apartment building! I knew several people who lost their homes and possessions last night. Some even were personally saved by Ladybug or Cat Noir. Often just in the nick of time."
The students began chattering busily about Paris' young heroes.
"I heard Ladybug and Cat Noir were there for two and a half hours!" Alya exclaimed. "That's the longest anyone has ever seen them in one place! And, with all of the cameras and news crews around, they are supposed to have a lot of good pictures and footage! Maybe we'll finally get to figure out who they are."
Marinette shuddered. The thought of cameras and news crews focused on her made her uneasy. She was already amazed no one had figured her out yet. It wasn't as if that small mask well hid her face and hair. The last thing she wanted was more scrutiny. At least Cat Noir's eyes changed color! At least she hoped they did. A person with completely green eyes like his would be hard to miss.
Adrien felt differently. He knew that the identities of the chosen holders of the Miraculous must remain a secret, but he longed to know who Ladybug was. He loved spending time with her as they did what they do, but he wished they could meet more when there wasn't some sort of crisis threatening. He gazed around. Adrien's eyes caught Marinette's looking his way. He knew the poor girl was very sweet on him. He thought she was great; kind, genuine, and caring. She was a wonderful friend and person on all accounts, and was certainly someone deserving of his affection. He wasn't so sure he didn't feel something at least for her, although he couldn't describe what. There was also the slight pang of guilt; he thought himself as Ladybug's guy, whether she had accepted it yet or not. Still, Marinette was, if nothing else, a great person and friend. He gave her a little wave. Predictably, she blushed.
Marinette's joy was short lived. Ms. Bustier began walking around handing out the test. She hung her head in her hands, her elbows on the desk. She couldn't even maintain this position of despair, as she nearly feel asleep.
This is going to go poorly, she thought to herself.
Several miles away, another teenager was not attending school. Claude's family's apartment had been one of many victimized by the fire. While no one was hurt, the apartment and its contents were completely destroyed. Claude sat on his grandfather's couch, upon which he had slept the night before. The first many hours after the blaze were characterized by abject disbelief, but that disbelief had devolved into bitterness, followed by spiteful rage. He couldn't understand why his family had to endure this struggle. Why did his father, who worked so hard for everything they had, have to start over now? Why did his mother have to sift through one small box of saved possessions and consider all those that were lost? Most of all, why did others get to continue with their lives as if a tragedy had not just struck? Claude ran his tongue over a silver tooth which he had gotten a few years ago after having one of his teeth knocked out in a bicycle accident. It was the only thing of value he still had, other than the clothes on his back.
"Yes, a young man taken by rage, bitterness, and jealousy. Watching your parents suffer is not something anyone should have to endure. Why should everyone else have when you have not? Fire took from you, so I will give you the power to use fire to take from others." Claude opened his mouth for a yawn, closing his eyes and not seeing the akuma in the process. Suddenly, he heard in his mind, and quite clearly, a sinister voice. He knew what was happening; Hawk Moth was well known to everyone by now. However, he was powerless to stop it; the anger and bitterness were far too strong.
Marinette rose slowly from her chair, dejected. The test had been as bad as she feared, if not worse. Her mind had been mush, ruined by the lack of sleep. She headed to the hallway, head turned to the ground, her characteristic optimistic smile replaced by a frown. Alya ran up to her.
"Girl, how did you do on your test?" she asked.
Marinette's unpleasant glare was all the answer she needed. Alya tried to comfort her friend.
"Come on girl, you know you did great. You always do better than me. If you bombed it, I'm in real trouble!" she quipped.
Marinette gave Alya a tired smile. She wasn't convinced, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless. Soon, Adrien, Nino, Ivan, Mylene, and Kim joined them. The group began conversing about their impressions of the test. Everyone tried to comfort Marinette, to no avail.
"Come on, Marinette. I'm sure you did better than any of us" said Kim.
"You always beat me on tests. You're probably one of those irritating people that stress about a test and get a better grade than everyone, aren't you?" Nino added.
The reinforcement continued as several of Marinette's friends attempted to offer support.
Adrien walked up and put his hand on Marinette's shoulder, causing her to melt. "You're a great student, Marinette. I know you have nothing to worry about."
While not encouraged about her test grade, Adrien's gesture was sufficient to distract her from it. The group walked in to the next class and took their seats, still chatting away. Suddenly, a great explosion was heard in the hallway, followed by the sound of falling debris. Soon after was a distant cackle.
"What was that?" exclaimed Alya with concern in her voice.
Smoke began to pour into the room from the doorway, and additional explosions were heard. Students and teachers ran screaming for the doors. Marinette immediately began looking for a way to bail, so she might transform. She spotted a doorway in the back of the classroom, but just as she began to move, she was jerked in the other direction by Alya.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" yelled Adrian. He ran to the door and motioned the others to follow. Marinette had no choice. The crew burst into the hallway and was greeted by a thick wall of smoke. They began quickly but cautiously navigating the smoky hallway to the front exit. Alya let go of Marinette, and she saw her chance. Obscured by the smoke, she ducked away and traced her way back to the bathroom. The others continued on, thinking she was right behind.
"Tikki, it's time to transform. Spots on!" she said, coughing through the smoke.
Ladybug stayed low, and began working her way down the hallway. She needed to get out of the building so she could see what exactly was going on. As she moved, she saw a stream of sunlight coming through the ruptured ceiling."That's it!" she exclaimed, as she leapt upwards to the roof. As she landed lightly on the roof, she looked all around. The sight horrified her. Columns of smoke were rising from all over the city. There was no rhyme or reason to the pattern. It was as if someone was setting fires all over town! Suddenly, it dawned on her.
"This has to be another akumatized victim!" Ladybug exclaimed. She scanned around at the damage; she didn't even know where to begin. She decided her friends would be as good a place as any. She swung down towards the front of the school to check on them. She distantly saw them congregated in the front. Ms. Bustier was taking role to make sure everyone was there. Everyone was already in a panic. Marinette was missing. Unfortunately, she couldn't offer any clues as to her whereabouts. A giant fireball struck her in the side and sent her flying through the air.
Adrien was coughing furiously, trying to clear the smoke from his lungs. He grunted weakly and raised his hand when Ms. Bustier called his name.
"Marinette? Marinette, are you here? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Has anyone seen Marinette?" Ms. Bustier asked fervently.
"She left the classroom with us" Alya replied. "I know she was with us."
Nino added "Yeah, she was definitely with us, wasn't she Adrien?"
Adrien quickly looked around. He was pretty sure that Marinette had been with him, but with the excitement and the smoke, he had no way of knowing that she made it out. If she wasn't here, that meant she was trapped inside the burning school building. He began to panic, as did everyone else.
"Mr. Damocles, I think we have a student inside!" yelled Ms. Bustier to her superior.
"Who?! Who are you missing?!" he asked as he grabbed her shoulders.
The teacher was beginning to tear up. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. No one saw her come out. She's still in there!"
Adrien looked back at the building. He knew Cat Noir was the man for the job, but he had to get away to become Cat Noir. He couldn't do that, as presently there was nowhere to go, and it might send his teacher in classmates into further panic if he disappeared. He had seen the smoke rising all around Paris and knew that Ladybug was surely already out there dealing with whatever it was that was happening, and she probably needed help. Still he couldn't stop thinking of Marinette. She probably could be saved. She probably was just disoriented, he figured. Adrien paced back and forth, torn. Suddenly, he couldn't stand it any longer. He tore off towards the smoking building.
"Adrien! Dude what are you doing!?" yelled Nino.
"I have to go look for Marinette! She's in trouble!" Adrien replied, without stopping.
Ms. Bustier called out "No Adrien! Don't go in there!" Adrien kept running. He darted through the open doors and into the smoke.
Ladybug crashed to the ground. She had no idea what just happened, but she knew it felt like being hit with a giant hammer. She slowly rose to her feet.
"Ah, Ladybug. Here, just as expected. I need something from you. Why don't you just be a doll and give it to me, and I can spare you the trouble".
Ladybug looked upward. Floating above her, silhouetted in the sun, was a mysterious figure. He was clutching what appeared to be a fireball, and his hair waved and licked like flames as well. She knew this was the culprit.
"I'm guessing you're doing the dirty work for Hawk Moth?" she questioned, with attitude in her voice.
"I'm working for me, Ladybug. You can call me Arson. Hawk Moth just made me a little deal to get me what I wanted. Now you'll all know what it's like to lose everything to fire!" he replied.
This must be a victim of the fire, she thought. Hawk Moth always preyed on negative emotions, and what better way to find negative emotions than to lose your home in a fire? Ladybug wasted no time; she flung her yo-yo at the villain, but he dodged it and blasted her with another fireball. The heat was intense but very brief. However, being struck by one was like being hit with the force of a car. She darted upright again, only to be hit with a follow on shot. Arson was fast, and she was still tired. Her Ladybug transformation damped the fatigue somewhat, but she was feeling the effects nonetheless. She darted up and behind a building's chimney to gain her composure. Ladybug glanced back down to Arson, who was floating by slowly, calling to her.
"That's fine, Ladybug. Go ahead and hide. All just light us a few candles while I wait!" He blasted a nearby building with fire, knocking a hole in the side and setting it ablaze.
"Where's your little pussy cat, Ladybug. Is he scared to fight?" he taunted. Ladybug was secretly wondering the same thing. Where was Cat Noir?
Adrien was trying to sort his way through the smoky school, but was disoriented by the thick haze. He needed help.
"Plagg, claws out!" he yelled. Unfortunately, Cat Noir was only slightly better equipped to handle the smoke and heat. He darted in out and out of every single room, searching for Marinette. Still, he found no trace of her. He combed every nook and cranny he could, but to no avail. Only two rooms eluded him; they were totally engulfed. Even if he could go in, there wouldn't be much to find by now. The thought made him shudder. He repeated his search again, still with no sign of Marinette.
"Cat Noir, where are you? I need your help!" It was Ladybug calling him with her device.
"I'll be there soon. I have to help someone. I'm sorry!" he replied.
"Ok, just hurry!" she called back, and disappeared.
He knew Ladybug could handle herself for a bit. Marinette, however, could not. He was beginning to lose hope. He had another problem; if he didn't come back out soon, everyone would be convinced both of them were lost. He had to get back out and get some fresh air, but as Adrien, not as Cat Noir. Suddenly, there was crackling and a huge crash as walls and roof collapsed near where he stood. He was trapped, and flames were closing in. He knew there was only one way out.
"Cataclysm!" he yelled. He rested his hand on the largest chuck of block wall obstructing his path, and it crumbled before him. He continued, navigating to the door. It took him several minutes, but finally, he glimpsed the door. He transformed back, and struggled out the door. He was still fighting fatigue from the night before, and now that was coupled with the effort he had just exerted, with smoke inhalation to boot. He moved slowly, head turned down, coughing heavily. He looked up to see his friends moving toward him. Behind them stood Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Even with everything going on, with all of the roadblocks and emergency vehicles and damage, they had still found a way to get to the school when they heard there was a problem. Now they were looking to him for salvation, and he couldn't deliver.
"Adrien, where is she?" asked Alya. He couldn't answer. He just shook his head as he looked at the ground. Soon, he regained some composure and clarified. "I didn't find her. I don't know what happened". Marinette's mother buried her face into her husband's body as he tightened his grip around her.
Adrien knew Ladybug needed him, but he had to use his Cataclysm to get out of the building. Unfortunately his bag, along with an odorous wedge of Camembert, was still in the school and likely ashes by now. He had no way to get Plagg ready for another bout, and more so, didn't know how to get away from this crowd. Time to get desperate, he thought to himself. He took off down the street.
"Adrien, where are you going?!" Ms. Bustier and several other called out.
"I've got to get home!" he exclaimed. He knew if he got home, and his father knew he was safe, he could work from there. Sneaking out of his house unnoticed was no challenge. But first, if he could find it, he needed Camembert.
"I think he's snapped over Marinette" offered Nino. They all stared, confused, as Adrien ran down the street.
Ladybug couldn't take much more of this. She didn't know what Cat Noir was doing that was taking so long, but she trusted that her partner was doing something important. Still, she was starting to suffer. She was exhausted, and didn't know how long she would hold out. She just wanted to stop, to rest, to lie down. The fight with Arson had resorted to guerilla warfare. She would hid among the rooftops, and he would prowl for her. She would take the occasional unsuccessful shot at him, and would disappear again. He was just too strong and quick and she too tired to face him constantly. Her Lucky Charm was even out of the question; she might need Cat Noir to use whatever it gave her, and he still wasn't here. She had to put space between them, if just for a short while. He would ravage the city, but there was no choice. Ladybug vaulted back towards the school. She soared overhead, and as she neared the building, she could see the small crowd out front, along with-her parents? Realization struck her. She had never been seen leaving the building! Surely they did a roll call, as was rehearsed every fire drill. They thought she was missing! A fire truck was out front as well. They were going to be looking for her!
"How could I have been so stupid?" she questioned herself with a palm to the forehead. There was only one way to fix this. Walking up as Ladybug to say that Marinette was safe would be too risky; clearly her parents knew she never made it home or they wouldn't have come. It could also expose her identity as Ladybug. No, there was only one thing to do. She jumped through an open window and looked around. She had to find a room that wasn't on fire, and that the firefighters could access quickly. She didn't want to put anyone in more danger than needed. She settled for the bathroom in which she originally transformed. "Spots off" she said quietly. Tikki appeared before her.
"What are you doing Marinette? Arson and Cat Noir are still out there!" she asked fervently.
"I know Tikki, but I made a mistake and I have to fix it. They think I'm trapped in here, so they have to find me. Hide, quickly!" Marinette responded. She hid her kwami in her jacket, and lied down in the middle of the floor. The room was full of smoke, and it was getting thicker by the second.
"I hope they don't waste any time" she said out loud to herself.
Adrien ran down the road in a panic. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to get Plagg battle ready to do whatever it was. Several buildings were smoking or burning. The firemen only seemed to be concerned with buildings in which people may be trapped. There were just too many fires to worry about extinguishing them now. Still, many buildings were untouched, and soon he saw what he needed. A small store stood among several buildings, as of yet untouched. He ran up and tried the door, but it was locked. Likely, the owner had closed up shop and fled in the face of the ongoing catastrophe. He found a brick, still warm from the burning building from which it came and launched it through the window. The glass shattered, and he gingerly crept inside.
"Adrien, what are you doing? You're stealing?!" asked Plagg accusingly.
"I know Plagg, there is nothing else I can do. Ah, here, take this!" Adrien handed Plagg a piece of Camembert from a display of cheeses.
His kwami objected "I can't eat this! It's stolen goods!"
"Plagg, this is an emergency. Eat it and eat it fast" Adrien retorted. Plagg looked at him inquisitively for a moment and saw the desperation on his face. He swallowed hard and gulped the food down.
"Are you ready Plagg?" Adrien asked.
"Ready" he responded.
Just as he prepared to command his transformation, a beam of light flashed across his face. A figure stood on the stairs, although Adrien couldn't quite make what due to the blinding light.
"So you think you'll take advantage and rob me eh?!" a man's voice roared. He dashed toward Adrien, who quickly darted out the window. The man wasn't far behind.
"Looter! You think you can steal from me! I saw you, and I'm going to have you arrested!" he screamed.
"Yeah, like the police have time for that" joked Plagg.
"Hush, Plagg!" Adrien sprinted away and lost him. He rounded the corner of a building and Plagg appeared again. "What now?" he asked.
"I don't know, but I'll figure it out. Plagg, claws out!" he yelled. Now, he had a decision to make: Marinette, or Ladybug?