Chapter One - The World Seemed to Burn

Heyyyy folks, it's Dagger back with another fanfiction for you guys. Now I know I shouldn't be posting another one, but I've really been wanting to write this one while it's still fresh inspiration-wise and while it's still hopefully unique. I'm super hyped to write this, especially because I'm aiming for it to be shorter than my typical stories, but we'll have to see. :p

Anyways, if you've read any of my other stuff (one-shot or otherwise), this will be my typical fashion of first-person perspective. I figure I'll continue to throw my warning for that out there since it's not the most popular writing style! c; Anyways, let's get on with this story!


Adrien's Point of View


Even as we touch down in front of the building, I can tell that we are going to have arrived too late to do anything.

Ladybug's confident, controlled demeanor is shattered as she tries to push through the whole host of people before us and reach the building burning to the ground before us. "Let me through. Let me through!" The desperation in her voice is unlike any I've ever heard before.

I grab her hand, pulling her backwards towards me so that she won't just go blindly running into the fire. "Ladybug, we can't help them. It's too late."

"No!" She's practically howling, although I'm not sure whether it's in grief or fury. "We have to go in. We have to help. There are people inside!"

"We don't know that." I argue, somewhat terrified to see the girl I love break before my eyes.

"We have to help!" She cries out, trying to thrash out of my grip and rush towards the building again.

To stop her, I pull her back towards me and this time wrap my arms around her to keep her in place. For a moment, she tries to struggle out of my grip. Then she releases a choked sob as she unexpectedly presses her head into my chest. I hold her tighter at this in an attempt to be comforting, but also as if that will somehow keep her from completely shattering. I've never seen her in such a state. Why has this impacted her so badly?

I move one head to stroke her hair, not sure if that's soothing or not but having seen enough people do it to hope that it is. "Bugaboo, it's going to be okay. I promise it'll be okay." Spotting Officer Raincomprix, I give my lady a gentle squeeze before releasing her, almost worried that she'll run away the moment my arms let go. "Stay right here, alright, LB? I'm going to ask if they know why the bakery caught fire. Maybe they'll have news. Things could be better than we think."

Ladybug nods her her head, but her eyes have a glassy and distant look them, suggesting that she's not really listening or even here anymore. Worried, I continue to glance back at her and make sure she stays rooted to that spot as I make my way over to Sabrina's father. Thankfully, she doesn't try to go rushing into the burning bakery again, instead just staring past all the news reporters, spectators, and emergency units into the flames as tears stream down her cheeks. The sight is like a stab wound to the heart, and I'm not sure if seeing her like that is better or worse than seeing her screaming out and desperate. Finally, I reach Officer Raincomprix, and glance back one more time to check on Ladybug before focusing my attention on him.

He's standing at the edge of the security tape that has been crudely erected to keep civilians out of harm's way, and so I tap his shoulder and get a startled look in response. "Chat Noir! What are you doing here?"

Slightly caught off guard by the question, I give my gut-reaction answer. "The Miraculous Team doesn't just handle akumas. You know that; we've handled robberies and the like before." When I get a nod, which I think is the closest I'll get to an apology from the policeman, I tack on, "Ladybug and I were on patrol when we caught sight of this mess unfolding. Do you guys have any clue as to what happened?" Even as I hope and pray that the fire was merely accidental, I have a feeling that this place wouldn't be crawling with police officers if it was.

"It appears that this was a movement by the AMU." This time his words catch me completely off guard, leaving me feeling like I just got socked in the stomach.

"The AMU?" I ask, hoping that I misheard. "As in the Anti Miraculous Users?"

"The very same." He nods, obviously not pleased to be the one to give me the news.

I'm dumbfounded as to what that two month old group would achieve with this fire, especially since they've been quite passive. "Lighting a fire doesn't seem to have anything to do with saying we should turn our Miraculous over to Hawkmoth to stop the akuma attacks if we really care about Paris and its people."

"You would think so." Officer Raincomprix looks conflicted, as if he isn't sure if he should say more, but before I can do any prodding to make him he decides to spill on his own. "The whole group is very anonymous. No one has blatantly admitted that they support their ideals, in fact most people don't and adore you all, but there are always some haters. Besides, even if people agree with what the AMU wants, they aren't necessarily in the group. For the most part they've been very civil, posting online about their thoughts and sending emails to people in charge about it among other things. Again, it's all very anonymous, and we didn't even think we had to track those sort of things to find out who it was. Not that we've had much luck the few times we've tried, as the whole group is incredibly careful with their business."

Again, he hesitates, and this time I decided to prompt him. "What evidence do you guys have that it was them that lit this? How do we know it wasn't an accident?"

He answers, and I'm relieved that I'm getting so many answers in this mess. "There was a man still here when we all arrived, just standing here and watching the building burn down. Flat out admitted to lighting the fire when we questioned him about it. We're pulling him for further interrogation of course, but he refused to say if he was acting alone or not, just that this was the 'first of many AMU demonstrations.'" Sabrina's father sighs. "Of course we can't prove that he was actually a part of the group or just following its ideals, and we certainly can't prove whether or not it was an organized AMU move. But it still makes us wary."

There's one thing that doesn't make sense in all of this. "Why the Dupain-Cheng bakery, of all places?"

Officer Raincomprix scratches the back of his neck. "We haven't gotten confirmation on the subject yet, but we have a working theory that we think the man we took into custody will confirm. Tom and Sabine's daughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" I nod, even though it was a rhetorical question. "She seemed to have contact and friendship with you and Ladybug, and we think that the AMU targeted her to make a statement towards anyone else who might be in that position. Could you confirm whether Marinette was in contact with you both?"

"I know that we had talked a few times, after she helped in stopping Evillustrator." I say, horror filling me as I begin to realize the implications of Officer Raincomprix theory. Could Ladybug and I have have brought this on the Dupain-Cheng. "And in that case, Ladybug said Marinette was her friend. She's seemed to have been in contact with her a few other times as well. But surely..." I trail off at Officer Raincomprix expression, and decide to jump tracks. "Do you have any theory on where they'd target next?"

"The author of the Ladyblog. Her name is Alya. Heard of her?" Sabrina's father asks, and before I can respond, he says, "Another rhetorical question. I know you and Ladybug both do, seeing as you both have done interviews for her and saved her during Pharaoh. Anyways, someone is now stationed at her house, and there will be a rotation of people doing that."

"And as for the bakery," I say, glancing at the fire that doesn't seem to be at all under control, despite the firefighters swarming it, "Have they found anyone inside?"

He shakes his head and folds his arm. "We found Tom and Sabine, but it's not good news, Chat Noir."

My heart stops in my chest. "Dead?"

"I'm afraid so." The poor officer looks devastated to be the one giving me the news.

"And Marinette? Have they found here? Is she alive?" Suddenly I'm desperate to know what has happened to my classmate, the sweet girl who doesn't deserve this sort of devastation in her life.

"There's been no sign of her in the house, although we're not sure if we missed her. So far, we have high hopes that she's not in the house and alive." As the news reaches my ears, I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I take a deep breath. "Thank you, Officer Raincomprix."

He nods. "Of course, Chat Noir. Thank you for everything you do. We'll handle this, so you and Ladybug are free to go."

I nod, beginning to head back. However, as my gaze flits over the area, I realize a horrifying fact. Ladybug is gone. Wide-eyed, I glance around, afraid to find out where she has gone. There's no sign of her near the fire. Someone would've stopped her if she rushed towards it, right? So she can't have made it in there. As I glance around, my eyes land on a blur of red ducking into a nearby alley. That has to be her.

Determinedly I shove through the crowd, racing towards where the blur ducked in. It takes longer than I want. Everyone seems to be holding me back, hindering me from helping my lady and making sure she doesn't do something foolish. Finally I escape, making it past the last bystander. From there I rush to the alley I saw Ladybug duck into, about to turn the corner.

However, I hear Ladybug's broken voice hitch as she says, "Tikki, spots off," and I can't stop in time as I go barreling around the corner and come face to face with an unmasked Ladybug.

The sight before my eyes makes the entire situation ten times more devastating for so many reasons. The girl that turns to meet my gaze looks even more broken now without her red suit, and her tiny kwami dives into her bag, as if that will somehow do us any good now that Ladybug has been exposed. I can only stare though, trying to comprehend how I missed it. How did I not realize that Ladybug was right in front of me the entire time? The pieces seem to fly together in my head as the two girls I've known mesh together in my head. No wonder I've never seen Ladybug and Marinette at the same time. That secret mission Ladybug had with Evillustrator? It was helping me as her civilian self. Heck, they even have the same hair style. How did I not see it sooner? How blind am I?

I stand there in shock, waiting to see if Marinette will reprimand me for following her and having her accidentally reveal herself to me, but instead she just attempts to barrel past me. "I have to go back. I have to find them. They're in there!"

And as I grab her to hold her back again, suddenly her desperation to claw her way into that burning building makes so much more sense. "Mari, they're gone."

"No!" She howls, thrashing about like a rabid animal. "They're not gone. They're inside! I have to get to them. I have to help them!"

"They're dead. Officer Raincomprix confirmed it. They already found their bodies." I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell her, but I have to do it if it means stopping her from rushing back in.

"No, they can't be dead." And then the poor girl melts in my arms into a sobbing mess. "They can't be dead. It's not possible!"

I squeeze her close, devastated that these are the circumstances that led to me finding out Ladybug's identity. "I'm so sorry, Mari."

Slowly, Marinette pulls herself from my arms, eyes darker than I've ever seen them before as concern mounts up within me. "Who did this?"

I reach out to quell her fury that seems to just be flaring brighter and brighter, but she jerks away from me before I can touch her. "LB, please, if you'd just listen to me-"

"Who did this?" Mari's voice shakes as she snaps at me, hands balled up into fists as her angry gaze meets mine, eyes still leaking tears. "You talked to Officer Raincomprix. I know he must have told you who did it, because it can't have been an accident. So tell me! I deserve to know!"

For a moment, I consider lying, but I can't do that to my lady, not when I consider how enraged I felt about my mother and how much angrier I'd be if someone had caused it and no one told me who did it. "It appears that the AMU was behind it, or at least someone who supported their ideals."

If it's even possible, Mari's gaze darkens further. "Because Marinette Dupain-Cheng seemed to have contact with both Chat Noir and Ladybug. A perfect lesson to teach people." She wraps her arms around herself, staring down at the ground as the tears seem to come down harder once more. "They think that we're monsters and are ready to make us pay. Why do they think that we're monsters?"

It's terrifying to see her in this state, and to see how easily she deduces what Officer Raincomprix told me. "I don't know why, but they're wrong."

Her gaze meets mine again, and there's something there that I can't deduce, but certainly do not like. "How many more innocent people are going to be hurt, are going to lose their lives, over this? My parents are dead now!" Perhaps that is why she has not reacted to being revealed to me, and perhaps that's why I haven't been able to be truly shocked at the revelation. It's certainly why I have not been able to be overjoyed that two of the most important girls in my life are the same.

"Well we can't just give up our Miraculous. What do you want us to do?" I ask, confused by this line of thinking.

"I don't know," The bluenette snaps, tugging at her pigtails in frustration, "But I want them to pay!"

I cringe at the words, so unexpected from my fashion designer friend. "I understand why you want revenge, but it's not healthy. It'll consume you, Marinette. I don't want to see that happen." And I certainly don't want to see her akumatized. "I know it's hard, Marinette, but I swear it'll be alright. You can make it through."

"You don't know that!" She's so angry, and I don't know how to help her. How do I help the girl that seems broken beyond repair? What is going to happen her now that her parents are dead? "How can you say that when you have no idea what I'm going through?"

"But I do know. I've lost a parent before too." A plan starts to develop in my mind, but I'm not sure if it will actually help.

"You didn't lose both!" Marinette argues, and I'm not sure why she's trying to isolate herself like this.

"I basically did." I say, trying to keep my patience under check. "My father stopped caring about me the moment my mother died. He isolated himself away."

"But he's alive." There's a bitterness in Marinette's voice that's both startling and depressing, especially due to how peppy and perky she normally is. This moment has destroyed her, and I can't say I blame her. "Besides, how do I even know you're telling the truth? You could be making this up to try and make me feel better!"

I take a deep breath. "You know I'm telling the truth because you already know all of this about me." She makes eye contact again, obviously about to argue with me again, but I cut her off. "Plagg, claws in."

Just waiting for the transformation to drop completely is one of the most agonizing moments of my life. Plagg spins out in front of my face, takes one look at the situation, and dives into my coat pocket. So much for getting help from him, not that I was expecting any.

After a few moments of Marinette staring back at me, tears seeming to have almost stopped trailing down her cheeks from shock, I decide to finally break the silence, unable to take it anymore. "Tada?" I'm not really sure what else to say.

"You're Adrien Agreste." She says quietly, almost as if she's afraid to voice the words. "Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste."

"Yes..." I trail off, nervous, "Is that a bad thing?"

"I just..." She looks so startled, and I have to wonder if I broke her even more by doing this, "You're the same person." I nod, still scared, and then she finally squeaks, "I have to go. I'm so sorry, I have to go!"

Then she runs away before I can grab her. Terrified, I begin to rush after her, but she doesn't go stumbling back towards the fire. Instead she goes rushing clear in the opposite direction, and I'm left in the dust, terrified to find out what is going to happen.

Even once I've returned home and tried to sleep, my mind stays focused on the events that have occurred. There is no school on Sunday, so there is nothing for me to do as I sit in my room expect to dwell on what happened. I skip breakfast and lunch out of worry, and no amount of pestering from Plagg can get me out. Finally spotting the time, I manage to pull myself together, finally acknowledging that I've really just walked in circles in my thoughts on Marinette and Ladybug, still unable to be excited about the revelation due to our circumstances.

"Plagg," I call, causing the black kwami to come bobbing out. He seems to think that this means I'm ready to eat, "It's time for patrol."

"What? Adrien, no you can't go out for patrol like thi-" The greedy cat exclaims, seeming actually concerned for once in his life, but I brush it off.

"Plagg, claws out." It's more tired than I expected, and certainly not excited in any fashion.

Despite the kwami's grumbling, Plagg goes flying into the ring. I suppose he really doesn't have a choice. In a heartbeat the transformation is over, and I go rushing out the window and to our typical patrol spot. I'm slower than I expected, probably due to not eating or sleeping, but I still make it in time. As I approach, I see that for once I'm not the first one there.

Queen Bee is already seated on the chimney, fiddling with her blond ponytail only to leap up when she sees I'm approaching. "Chat Noir, thank goodness someone is finally here. I thought patrol hadn't gotten cancelled or something and I'd just missed the memo, which is a ridiculous thought since how would everyone else be in the loop except for me, but still."

I shake my head. "Nope, you didn't miss a memo, unless I did too."

"Guess us blondes will have to stick it out till we see where everyone else is." She offers me a fist bump, and I accept, deciding that I can't let on to just how out of sorts I am right now as I try to guess whether Ladybug - or should I refer to her as Marinette now? - will make an appearance at all.

Suddenly familiar arguing fills the air as a girl snaps, "Well at least my name isn't stupid."

That comment gets a swift retort from someone else, who sounds less than pleased. "How is Le Paon any cooler than Jade Turtle?"

"Mine sounds far more official." She sounds quite proud of herself, something I'm sure Jade Turtle is boiling at. "You need to get a different route to patrol so that we stop bumping into each other."

"That's not how it works, dude!" Jade grumbles, dropping down onto the roof with his hood up, looking far more fearsome than he actually is.

Le Paon quickly follows him, brushing her reddish brown hair out of her eyes upon her graceful landing. "I say that it is."

"Ladies, ladies, please. You're both pretty." Queen Bee pipes up, and we chuckle as the two heroes' eyes land on us, both of them narrowing into glares in unison.

"Where's Vulpin and Ladybug?" Jade asks, glancing around.

"Ladybug is normally already here by the time I get here." Le Paon comments, frowning. "The fact that she isn't seems odd."

"Isn't it?" Queen Bee asks, all three's gazes turning to look at me.

"I'm sure she'll be here." I say with a shrug, nervous. Why do they expect me to know? "As for Vulpin, well, we never know when he's going to show up."

"Wait, Vulpin?" Queen Bee asks, a frown dawning her face. "I thought he wa-"

A voice echoes from behind us, giving us all a heart attack as the reddish orange wielder comes creeping out of the shadows. "I heard my name?"

Jade pipes up first, hand over his heart. "Geez, dude, do you have to do that all the time?

Le Paon jumps on the opportunity. "Don't go having a heart attack on us just because you're old, Gramps. We don't have a life alert handy, but I'll make sure to bring one next time."

Jade begins to argue with her all over again, all thoughts about the rest of us completely disregarded. "Just because I'm slow does not make me old! I bet you're probably older than me!"

As they continue to argue, Queen Bee says to Vulpin, "Why do you always have to do that? It gives me the creeps."

"No kidding." I mutter, causing the fox hero to just smirk and raise one eyebrow, turquoise eyes brimming with challenge.

"I would've thought you guys would be used to me napping while invisible by my illusions while I wait for you guys to all show up by now." He says with a shrug, and the fact that his expression feels far too close to the smirk Volpina wore while she wreaked havoc on Paris disturbs me to no end.

Before I can say anything towards the fox, still displeased that he ever joined our team, our last team member joins the party. "Sorry I'm late."


And there we have our first chapter! I considered putting more, but I decided to hold off till next chapter on the part where we actually see the team torn apart at the seams. What do you guys think of the story so far though? Was it good? Bad? What are your thoughts on AMU? I know it might seem far-fetched to some, but based on some of the things that people think are a good idea, I don't think it's that far-fetched at all. How do you feel about Tom and Sabine dying? How about the reveals? I know there wasn't too much reacting to those, but based on the circumstances I thought it was realistic to have them not focus or react too much to it, and Marinette running away just made sense in my head. How do you feel about each hero? I'm assuming most people will figure out who everyone is, but feel free to guess who is who in the reviews! It'll be revealed next chapter for anyone who isn't sure. c: Also, how do you think sides will be drawn in this, and what do you think will cause the split? I've been sowing seeds the best I can, and of course it will all be revealed eventually, but I'll be interested to see what you guys think is going to happen. c; :Let me know any thoughts you have in a review!

Thanks for reading if you got this far. :D Hopefully you'll continue to follow this story's progress if you enjoyed it. Anyways, I'll see you guys next time I update a story you read of mine, wherever that might be!

~ Dagger