Queen Sunstar: I hemmed and hawed over posting this story. Characters are likely a little OC. I apologize for that, but I think I did okay. My OC and the Vocaloid Kaito Shion are not the same character. My OC, Kaito Chauncey, is based very loosely on him. Kaito has a Miraculous of his own, Bast, whom takes the form of a long tailed small black house cat named Sundae. Her actual fairy form is unknown. Kaito is blind. His alter form is called Cyber Neko. Bast gives her eyes to allow him to see. In his alter form, he is an adult.
Summary: Paris is struck by a series of murders. With both Chat Noir and Ladybug missing, it falls to the Cyber Neko to solve the crimes and deal with the threat of Hawk Moth.
I'm going to shut up now and let you read. Reviews are nice, and ?I accept everything, even flames. Just make sure you explain what you don't like. I listen to my readers and will make changes at their request, within reason, that is. Enjoy!
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School was out for the day. Spring break was two weeks away. The recent spate of murders were on everyone's minds, and it had left everyone subdued as one of the victims was a fellow classmate, a quiet girl named Jayla Harper. Marinette Dupain- Cheng stood just outside of the school.
"They are saying she bled to death from a chest wound, same as all the others." Marinette's best friend, Alya Cesaire, was saying.
"Jayla worked in the bakery with us. Her sweet treats were amazing. It is hard to believe she was murdered." Marinette thought about the silent yet hard worker she'd only known for a short week, "Who would hate Jayla enough to kill her?"
"Guys! They are now saying Cyber Neko is a suspect!" Nino Lahiffe ran up to them, Adrien Agreste not far behind him.
"But he's a hero!" Alya protested, "What reason would he have to kill those people?"
"I said he's a suspect, not the killer." Nino said, "You are right. What reason would he have to kill them?"
"Jayla kept to herself. I'm not even sure she had friends. Why her?" Adrien asked.
"Cyber Neko might have a reason." The four friends looked up to see Kaito Chauncey, his eyes hidden by a black band, carefully coming down the stairs. "He may not have a way to save them if they were akumatized." Kaito was blind. His seeing eye cat, a pure black female cat named Sundae, purred from her perch on his right shoulder. Her unusually long tail lay around his neck. She used her tail to direct Kaito, who refused to use a stick.
"But still, why kill?" Alya asked.
"They may have been a danger to Paris. I worry about Ladybug and Chat Noir. What if one or both of them end up akumatized, and Cyber Neko has to kill them to stop them?" Kaito asked.
"Can they even be akumatized?" Nino asked.
"Who knows? Chat Noir won't go down without a fight." Adrien said, "Ladybug too."
"The school doesn't want students walking home alone. Adrien, you said you were going to the Dupain Bakery to pick up your dads order. I know! Why don't you two walk together?" Nino replied. He winked at Alya.
"That's a great idea!" Alya enthused, "How about it, Marinette? Marinette?" She waved a hand in front of the now beet red Marinette's face. Nino did the same with Adrien, whom also had gone beat red.
"Alya, I think we broke them!" Nino said, "Adrien, you in there somewhere? Snap out of it!"
"Desperate times call for drastic measures!" Alya grinned at Nino, and shoved Marinette at Adrien, whom was shoved at Marinette by Nino. They both ended up in each other's arms. This woke them up, and they jumped away from each other.
"W-walk Marinette h-home? O-of course!" Adrien's voice went high as he stuttered.
"Adrien walking me home? I don't need-" Alya covered Marinette's mouth.
"She says yes!" She made Marinette nod.
"Alya!" Marinette protested once she got free, "I live two streets over! I'm perfectly capable of walking home alone!"
"There is that new rule." Kaito pointed out, "I'll walk with you two part way. I live in that direction myself."
Both Nino and Alya stifled groans. So close!
"Fine." Marinette gave in.
"I'll be with them part way!" Kaito hissed to Nino and Alya, "They won't go otherwise!"
Nino and Alya both brightened. The plan was still on! This did not go unnoticed by Adrien and Marinette, who gave them both odd looks.
"Chop chop, you two!" Nino smiled brightly.
"Yes, you two don't want to be late now!" Alya waved.
"Come on now!" Kaito matched their tone perfectly.
"They are up to something." Adrien said.
"If you three are attempting once again to play matchmaker with us, I won't be happy, and maybe I might ask Ladybug to shut off the power!" Marinette hissed.
"If Cyber Neko doesn't talk her out of it." Kaito added.
"Don't worry. Chat Noir will beat them both to it!" Adrien finished. All three knew how important the Internet was to Alya.
"You wouldn't dare!" Alya protested.
"I hear you are dying to interview Cyber Neko. Maybe I'll talk to him and see if he is willing to be interviewed." Kaito cut in.
"Really?" Alya squealed, "Do it!"
"You should tell him the police are looking for him. He might need to lay low for a while." Nino elbowed Alya, "I'll walk you home!" He dragged her away. The other three began to walk.
"I'm curious. A seeing eye cat?" Adrien turned to Kaito, "Why do you hide your eyes?"
"I am not comfortable around dogs." Kaito looked away, "Sundae here, I have had her since she was a two week old kitten. She was a year and a half when the explosion that took my sight happened. She already loved to sit on my shoulder. It didn't take long for her to teach me her tail signs. We got her certified and she has done her duty to me since." Kaito answered, "A tap on my left shoulder means turn left. A tap on my right shoulder is right. A tap on my back means walk forward. A tap on my chest means stop. It's better that my eyes stay covered. You see, I don't have any eyeballs."
"I'm curious now." Adrien said.
"I'm not." Marinette looked away.
Kaito reached up and carefully removed his band.
"That doesn't look bad. Your eyelids are sewed shu-wait don't open them! Oh god, I'm going to have nightmares!" Adrien quickly looked away.
"Are those wires?" Marinette looked closer at Kaito's empty eye sockets.
"Yes. In a few days, the next step will happen. The plan is to restore my vision with bio based cybernetics. Recently, I had a tooth extracted and a lens attached to it. It currently resides within my cheek. A frame crafted of my own cells is currently being sculpted. In a few days, the frame and the lens will be put together and attached to those tiny wires. If all goes well, I will be able to see again. Right now the focus is my left eye. My right eye will be done months down the road after I adapt to my new eye and being able to see." Kaito felt Sundae tapping his right shoulder, "My turn has come up."
"That's a highly experimental treatment. My dad recently made a huge donation for the research into it." Adrien said, "It is based upon Tooth in Eye surgery done in the U.S.A." He watched as Kaito entered the alley near them. Kaito lived in an apartment below street level with his Governess, Deka. Adrien and Marinette resumed walking.
"He handles being blind quite well." Marinette responded.
"And I thought Laryngitis was bad." Adrien said, "I couldn't talk for a week."
In the alley, instead of going to his apartment door, Kaito turned left. "Suit up!" A swirl of blue light later, he stood as Cyber Neko, his body that of a lanky well muscled adult. It felt good to see, the eyes provided by his Kwami, Bast. Bast hid as Sundae. As Cyber Neko, he wore a black bodysuit with a white and blue crop jacket. Long black sleeves began from the middle of his upper arms to flare open at his wrists. On the back of his right hand was what resembled a disk player. Slung at his left hip was a pouch of disks. Each disk provided a weapon. A white tail and ears gave him a feline look. A pair of white boots completed his look.
'You didn't actually need to walk with them, you know.' Bast replied within his mind.
'I know! I couldn't resist!' "Claw program run." Cyber Neko scrambled neatly up the building using his newly acquired claws. Distantly, he heard the scream of failing brakes. The sound was getting closer. He ran lightly across the roof, and horror flooded his body. There was no way he would reach them in time!
Adrien suddenly froze. Marinette turned to look at him. The sound of failing brakes filled the air. She turned again and this time screamed in horror. A bus slammed into a parked car that was now flying toward them. She saw her reflection in the front window. Suddenly the world went sideways. She felt the ground embrace her, pain shooting through her shoulder as her head made contact with the cement. She lay completely still, her mind hovering between sleep and awake. She came to after a minute, her head throbbing.
Gingerly she felt the newly formed bump above her right ear and winced, her hand feeling something wet and sticky. She knew at once it was blood. A wave of dizziness flooded her, forcing her to brace herself against the ground. Nausea welled up. After a few minutes she sat up. Her right arm wasn't working. Her right knee was burning. Adrien! Shock got her to her feet. She blinked.
"Adrien!" Her voice came out as a weak whisper. She staggered as the dizziness struck again, and shook it off. "Adrien!" Her voice was much stronger. She looked around. Acrid smoke rose from an overturned car and from the engine of the bus. Her vision wavered. She blinked again. "Adrien!" The force of her scream surprised her. Over there, the car! Marinette broke into a limping run. Reaching the car, she paused to fight against the urge to vomit. A hand closed around her ankle. She shrieked, jumping away from the hand. A minute later, she realized the hand belonged to Adrien. Cold fingers of fear crawled down her spine, bringing clarity to her dazed mind. She knelt.
The car rested on top of the blond boy. His eyes were open but they were glazed over. Blood seeped around him, oil and gas mixing into it. His head looked wrong. His blond hair was drenched with blood. What she could see of his arm looked okay. She blinked. Her brain was clouding up and her vision was wavering. No. Focus! Marinette threw herself against the car. She heard a strangled mewl of pain, and winced.
"Marinette!" Tiki rushed to her, "We have to save Adrien!"
Marinette nodded. Why was it getting so hard to focus? Save Adrien now, pass out later! "Tiki." She swayed on her feet. "I don't feel good…" The ground greeted her again.
"Marinette! Snap out of it!" Tiki slapped her repeatedly.
"I…" Marinette closed her eyes. Sleep would feel so good right now. "Adrien…" Yes, sleep. No! Must save Adrien! Sleep later! She got to her feet and struggled to the car. Again she threw her shoulder against it. Again came the strangled mewl.
"Marinette!" A new voice jerked her back to full wakefulness, "Oh God! You are hurt! Adrien!" The voice belonged to Cyber Neko, "This is bad! Marinette, I'm going to lift! You pull Adrien!"
Woozily, she bent down and took Adrien's hand. She pulled. Slowly Adrien was dragged out from under the car. His agonized cries ended as unconsciousness finally brought relief to what must have been torture. Marinette sank groundward once more. Her body had enough.
Cyber Neko made a quick decision. He hated using the program, but he needed to get them to the hospital quickly. "Cat program run!" and winced as his body rearranged itself to a white furred cat with blue markings and wheels for paws. "Marinette, I need you to get yourself and Adrien onto my back. I need to get you both to the hospital as fast as I can. Adrien is dying. There is no time to wait for an ambulance. He'll be dead by then." He crouched, "Hurry!"
Marinette rose and managed to get Adrien and herself onto Neko's back. He felt her beginning to pass out. "Stay awake, Marinette!" He broke into a run, "Hang on, you guys!" The trip to the hospital was thankfully quick. He burst through the doors. "I need help! He's dying, and she just passed out!" Doctors swarmed around him and he felt Marinette and Adrien get removed from his back. Quickly, he shifted back to his normal form.
"He's lost too much blood!" A doctor cried out.
"I want a CT of her neck and head! Bring the bedside X-Ray machine!" Another doctor ordered.
Neko promptly held out his arm. "Take blood from me! I'm O-!"
"Get a Surgeon here now! We need to operate! There's no time to get to the OR!"
Doctors shouted orders as a surgeon arrived. Blood from Neko was pushed quickly into Adrien's body. The surgeon went to work.
"Code blue!"
Queen Sunstar: This chapter is just the prologue. Chapter 1 will be out in January.