Re: Birthed: A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction
Summary:
Wipe out all the evil. That was the purpose carved into Agent Chat Noir's heart.
But that wasn't always the case.
The real reason he joined the AKUMA's was lost, but comes back to light when he comes to face RE: BIRTHED's ultimate weapon: The Ladybug.
A beautiful dancer by day, and destructive assassin at night. But that isn't the thing that creeps into the agent's eyes. Those very blank eyes haunted him since that day.
Even this puppet once had her own story, memories, and had controlled her own strings.
But that too was lost.
He did it for her. She did it for him. And now, it was time to end it all.
Aged-up (except in prologue). Futuristic War AU. My twist on the Vocaloid Song Re: Birthed.
Prologue: Memories
"One plus one is two. Two plus three is five…"
The little boy sat by himself in the grass, trying to complete his math homework.
The bell rang, and Adrien Agreste groaned. Recess was over. He ran back to the church, with his miniature chalk board.
As usual, Madame Bustier smiled at the eager children. "Kids!" she called out. "Today we have a new friend joining our group today."
A petite girl hid behind the teacher's skirt. She sniffed, and Adrien saw that her innocent blue eyes were red from crying.
It was always bittersweet when a new person joined Madame Bustier's orphanage. There would be more kids to play with, and it was always safe in the countryside.
Adrien inspected her. Judging from the newcomer's clothes, she was from this area.
But that would mean the Mechakuma were approaching closer.
Although they were respectful, the kids wouldn't really befriend Adrien. Unlike the others, he came to the orphanage because his father disowned him. The boy had announced firmly, in front of his father's allies, that he would never serve as an Akuma. At that moment, he was deemed an enemy, and he was kicked out of the Agreste Manor the following day.
Even as a five-year-old, Adrien knew his daddy's toys had killed the parents of his classmates, and they resented him for it.
Madame Bustier smiled kindly at Adrien. She didn't feel animosity towards Adrien, despite that his father's inventions wrecked havoc across the globe. In her eyes, Adrien was another child who needed a home.
"Adrien, why don't you show her around?" she asked him. The teacher gently pushed the girl towards him. "I'll teach the rest of the kids, and you two could catch up later."
"Okay." He beamed at the shy girl. "I'm Adrien, what's your name?"
The girl stopped sniffing, and weakly smiled. "I'm Marinette."
Immediately, he grabbed he hand, making her blush. Oblivious, he started to run out of the church, and she held on tight.
It was their turn to feed the animals.
To pay off the orphanage's expenses, Madame Bustier also raised a farm. The children would help out with the daily chores, like picking and tending the crops, and feeding the animals.
"The chicks are so fluffy!" cooed Marinette. "Their feathers are as sunny as your hair, Adrien!" She tried moving towards the chicks, but they fled at the sudden noises. Pouting, the pig-tailed girl tried several more attempts, but failed.
Adrien had finished feeding hay to the two horses in the stable, and chuckled at his best friend struggling to catch the little birds.
He threw the pail to the side. "Silly Marinette, you need to coax them first. They'll only come if you bring them food."
Grabbing a cup of grain, he tossed the contents gently with his hand. The grains landed in the dirt, and the chicks scurried to the food. They waited for more expectantly. As Marinette observed in awe, the chicks came closer after each toss. Finally, Adrien seized a chick, cupping the creature with his hands.
He grinned triumphantly. "Hey Marinette, I caught you one!"
BOK! CLUCK! BOK! CLUCK!
Suddenly, an angry rooster and enraged mother hen chased after Adrien, who promptly freed their chick. He dumbly ran into the hen house, and chaos exploded from within.
"Adrien!" Marinette picked up her skirts, and approached the small building.
Before she could step in, dozens of frantic chickens flew out. The blue haired girl peaked inside.
Feathers were scattered everywhere, and Adrien laid defeated, caught in a sneezing fit. "Achoo!"
At the absurdity of the situation, Marinette laughed for the first time since she came.
Adrien pouted, brushing a few feathers off his vest. He sneezed again. "This was your fault, anyway," he muttered. Marinette giggled, shaking her head. "At least we now have more feathers to make the pillows," she offered. Adrien groaned.
As they headed back, Adrien smiled. He finally got to hear his friend laugh.
Adrien didn't know why Marinette was crying. All that happened was that Monsieur Damocles gave them two loaves of bread.
Tears continued to roll as she bit pieces. Before the green eyed boy could ask, she spoke first.
"Mama, Papa, and I used to bake bread all the time."
She swallowed.
"It tastes just like it."
Adrien's expression saddened. No doubt the Mechakuma got her family too. They were the ones responsible for the destruction of the villages south that were destroyed last year.
"I'm sorry," Adrien spoke, now about to cry.
Marinette froze, confused. "What do you mean? You didn't do anything. It's not your fault."
"But it was the Mechakuma who hurt your family, right?"
Marinette nodded furiously, tears streaming down her face. "Uh huh. They demolished Papa's bakery, and Mama and Papa were inside," she blubbered. "The village…it was on fire. It was scary…everybody was gone!"
"M-my papa made those scary machines," Adrien confessed. "They hurt everyone and everything. Papa says it's for our own good, but they're killing people." He backed away, waiting for his hostile response. Marinette stayed quiet, so he continued, sniffing. "I don't think you want to be my friend anymore, do you? It's okay, my papa is the one who hurt you. I don't deserve to be your friend anymore."
He rose to leave, but she tugged on his leg, shaking her head. She embraced him in a hug.
"No! Don't leave me, too! I still wanna be your friend. Please don't leave me alone! I don't wanna be alone anymore!"
He hugged back, sniffing. "Okay, I promise."
Adrien had a cold. Marinette blamed herself.
It was raining yesterday. Marinette forgot her umbrella, so Adrien gave her his. The only problem was that he didn't have a raincoat on.
After completing the finishing touches, Marinette slipped and went to where her friend was resting.
"Look what I made you!" she exclaimed. The aspiring designer proudly held a green sweater, with a face of a black cat at the centre.
"It's so cool!" With Marinette's help, Adrien put the sweater on. He admired the cat logo. "You even put Mr. Whiskers on!"
Mr. Whiskers was a stray feline who Adrien found injured in the field. Marinette had nursed him back to health, and now the two were trying to tame him. Currently, he only came for milk, and scampered off when they tried getting close.
"Uh huh. I'll put out some milk out for you."
"Okay, but make sure you don't get caught."
The girl shifted in her spot. "Adrien…thanks for the umbrella. I'm sorry I had to use it."
"It's fine, Marinette. Keep it. That way, you'll have two umbrellas!"
"But what about you?"
"We can always share!"
"But what if I forget it again?"
"Then you can wear my raincoat."
"But what if-"
"Marinette, we're best buddies, so we look out for each other. That's what friends do."
Marinette's eyes widened, and grinned. "I know that. Okay then, I'll look out for you too then."
"You're doing that right now. You gave me a sweater, made it, and you're gonna feed Mr. Whiskers."
"Okay. Then I'll still look out for you. Because we're friends, and that's what friends do!"
"Yup! We're friends-ACHOO!"
It was Marinette's birthday.
The little girl was turning seven, but she had already given tons of gifts to Adrien, even on non-special occasions. Right now, Adrien was cozy in the green sweater she had received from her last year.
He didn't know what to get her. Allowance came very rarely in the orphanage, since the expenses had to be paid. Adrien couldn't buy her any of the dresses she had admired. They cost a lot. Even the nice mittens were just a tad bit pricey. Then again, most of the wool apparel was made by Marinette herself. She was a protégé in sewing and designing. Adrien couldn't even sew a stitch without poking himself twice.
Wait a minute.
"That's it!" Adrien cried. He ran to Madame Bustier, asked for some supplies, and hurried off into the kitchen to work.
Marinette finally came back from mending clothes in Madame Mendeleiev's variety store, and earned some money.
"Here's some money for the orphanage, Madame," she said. Madame Bustier shook her head. "Not today Marinette, you can keep it."
The bluenette's eyes widened. "But why? What about the-"
"We've earned enough money this month, and it's all thanks to your talent. Think about it as a reward for those efforts. Besides, isn't today a special occasion? Adrien's got you something in the kitchen. Why don't you visit him?"
"Okay." Marinette headed towards the kitchen, feeling happy and a bit confused. What was Adrien doing in the kitchen?
Two white powdery hands covered her eyes. "Surprise!"
Marinette shrieked, and Adrien let go, laughing.
"Adrien! You scared me!" she scolded, but she couldn't keep the scowl on her face. Her friend's happiness was too contagious.
Adrien took out a chair, and motioned her to sit down. He reached for a covered plate, and unveiled to show what was inside.
It was a strawberry cupcake.
Marinette noticed scorch marks on his apron, and splotches of flour on his face as well.
Adrien chuckled nervously. "I didn't make the cupcake by myself. I'm sorry Marinette. I'm bad at baking, too, so Madame Bustier helped me."
Marinette laughed. "It's okay, it's the thought that counts."
Adrien nodded. "Uh huh. You told me that once that the best gifts come from the heart. So I made you, uh this, instead."
He sheepishly took out a small simple box, and gave it to her. "Happy Birthday Marinette. I hope you like it."
Curious, the birthday girl opened the present. Inside laid a beaded bracelet.
"It's so pretty! Thank you so much Adrien!" She grabbed her pal in a bear hug, which was saying a lot for her small stature. She then put on the gift, twisting her wrist to admire it.
"Okay, let's eat the cupcake!" she announced.
"But it's your cupcake!" Adrien protested.
"Food tastes better when it's shared," she said matter-of-factly.
"Uh okay." Adrien smiled.
Marinette broke the cupcake in two, and handed half to Adrien.
"This is the best birthday ever!" cheered Marinette, and the two happily ate their treat.
"I'm sorry, I don't have money to pay you," growled Madame Bustier. Marinette and Adrien quietly listened in the attic, hiding. Adrien's brow creased in worry, and Marinette soothed the other children.
It had been ten years since Marinette arrived in the orphanage. Time passed, and the other kids that they grew up with were adopted. Several times, when they were younger, she was asked to come live with some of the kind people that visited. Marinette had declined, ducking behind Madame Bustier and clutching Adrien's hand. No one ever wanted to adopt him, and none of the other kids played with him. As they grew up, he joked Marinette was their Lucky Charm, as her energy livened the orphanage. The nickname stuck.
Currently, they were the oldest members, always helping out with more chores, and tending the younger and new members.
There were always new kids coming in, now that Rebirthed was at war again with the Akuma. Right now, they had cornered Madame Bustier downstairs.
The Rebirthed (RB) surfaced five years ago, and the world was thrown into more chaos. Explosions at night neared closer. Gunshot smoke lingered in the morning air. Money was tight, and then, none came at all. There were too many mouths to feed, and more. Even with Marinette's seamstress skills, no one could afford to purchase clothing anymore, so no money could be earned for the orphanage.
Adrien and Marinette knew they all had to run, so they helped the frightened kids.
Marinette was wrapping her final gift, a blue scarf, around Adrien's neck when they heard the gunshot.
A sickening thud hit the floor below. A man's voice broke the silence. "Good, this witch is dead," he grumbled. "Now Boss can build his daughter her dream-house now." Marinette covered her mouth to muffle the sobs. Madame Bustier was dead.
"Mademoiselle, what do you want to do next?" asked the same man.
Silence.
"This place is too shabby. Tear it down, and we'll come back later."
The two friends eye contacted each other, and they nodded. They had to escape. Now.
Adrien led the way, and the kids went through the secret escape route from the attic. Luckily, none of the soldiers discovered it. Yet. Marinette lingered behind the back of the group, sticking with the slower children. Adrien took one quick glance to make sure they weren't falling behind. Unknown to her, he was planning to ask her out tonight.
The last thing he saw her do was adjust her red hairband along with her pigtails.
The sight that greeted them outside was horrifying.
Twelve enormous humanoid machines surrounded the area. All of them were armed, and prepared to fire.
The ground shook. Bombs exploded everywhere, and smoke filled the air.
Adrien wanted to wake up. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
He somehow miraculously survived, although his arm was broken. The heavy rain continued to pour down, hard.
However, it could not wash away the bloodbath.
The children laid in the broken earth, lifeless. The horror, the destruction, and pain paralyzed the blond teen so much that tears rolled down his face, but he could not cry.
Forcing himself, he trudged on the barren fields. Everything was completely destroyed, everything…
"Mari-Marinette!"
The words came out in the strangled scream. Newfound energy coursed through him, and he ran.
"Mari! Mari! Mari!"
As he neared the rubble of the church, a simple head ornament caught his eye.
A simple dirty red bow poked out, the same bow that was part of Marinette's hairband. The one she had been wearing. Surrounding the area was a pool of blood.
Purpose was lost. His mind shattered. And he collapsed onto the ground, allowing himself to grieve, screaming.
"MARINETTE!"
So yeah. Here's a new fanfiction I'm starting, inspired by the RE: BIRTHED, by Vocaloid Kagamine Rin and Len. It's actually part of a series, called the Karakuri, but I'm only using that song mainly. I also haven't read the novel. Basically this story is my own contemplation of that song, and changing it up for angsty Miraculous Ladybug drama. Those cute scenes are the only ones that are ever going to show up in the story, so you've been warned.
I'm also working on Melody of Time, another ML fanfic, and I still have to finish a One Piece fanfic too (haven't touched that in three months -.-'). As it is the March Break, I hope to get a lot done. But I can't make any promises.
Please vote, comment/review, and favourite/follow. I'd love to hear your opinion.
Thanks!
~Kurama Kaitou