The next morning, Marinette was up before Tikki or her alarm clock rudely awakened her. That was not the most restful sleep. I wonder who Lila's going to turn against me today? Maybe she will be sick. Maybe *I* will be sick. No… I have to show up.
She turned to Tikki. "Maybe things won't be so bad today!"
"That's the spirit, Marinette! I believe in you!" Tikki nuzzled Marinette's cheek.
Marinette got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen.
"You're up bright and early this morning, darling!" Sabine smiled, handing her daughter a mug of hot chocolate.
Marinette took the mug and returned the smile. "Thanks, Mom. I didn't really sleep the greatest, so I've actually been up a while now." She sipped the cocoa. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, honey! What are mothers for?"
"Did you have any… social problems in school when you were my age?"
"Ohh… let me think. You know, I wasn't the most popular person in school growing up. I didn't fit in with any of the right groups! I didn't play sports, I wasn't much of an artist, and I wasn't smart enough to be with the nerds." She hummed in reflection. "I guess you could say I was lucky that I had a friend in each of those groups, but I didn't hang out much as a group with those people. Are you telling me that Class Representative Marinette Dupain-Cheng is having social issues? You've got such a strong group of friends; I can't imagine them not being there for you."
You'd be surprised. "I feel bad that… well… it's hard to explain. You know?"
"Boy issues?" Sabine said with a twinkle in her eye. "Adrien?"
"Ummm… well, that's part of it, and that will always be part of it, I think… but this is more complicated than that. I just feel like… I'm having a hard time keeping my friends. Does that make sense?"
"You're a teenager, honey. People grow apart a bit at that age as they figure out who they truly are. Friendships and relationships coil, knot, and loosen over time. It's a natural occurrence. The trick is to value the friendships that you have when you have them, and not wish for anything more than what others are willing to give you. Live your life and stick to your guns, and you'll find that the people who want to be your friend will naturally come to you."
"Thanks, Mom." Marinette drained her mug and gave her mom a quick hug, before shouldering her backpack and heading downstairs. Those people may naturally come to me, but what about the people who are being led away?
Marinette was already seated at her desk when Alya and Nino came in, hand in hand. Nino plopped his bag down on his front-row desk while Alya sat next to Marinette, directly behind him.
"Hey, girl, everything OK? You looked really down yesterday when we left. Sorry I didn't text you, Nino and I were kind of… wrapped up." Alya winked and nudged Marinette with her elbow. "Seriously, girl, not even a smile for that one? I thought for sure that was going to at least get something out of you. You haven't been yourself for a couple of weeks now, and I swear on my job as your best friend, you are going to SPILL. IT."
"Thanks, Alya… you know I can't lie to you. I've been better, so maybe we can talk later today about it?" If Lila doesn't get to you first. She leaned forward and tapped Nino on the shoulder. "Have you heard from Adrien this morning? It's not like him to be late."
Without turning around or looking up from his phone, Nino replied "I haven't heard anything. Maybe he had something last-minute come up."
Not Nino too! Marinette anguished. This day is starting off to be a disaster.
Just then, Adrien wandered into the classroom.
Marinette gasped at his appearance. He looks like death warmed over… no, that's not it. He's not sick - he's scared. Pale... dark circles under his eyes... jumpy... vacant stare… something must have really spooked him. Her train of thought was interrupted by Lila entering the room, stopping briefly to look at Adrien and smile, then continuing to her seat.
Kim, Max, Rose, Juleka, and Mylène all gathered around her. Kim piped up, "Last night was so rad, but we missed you, Lila! Will you be able to make it over tonight?"
"Oh, I'm sorry… I think I have another lesson with my… private tutor tonight." Lila smiled. "I'll let you know if that changes, but I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time with him catching up. Something he was working with me on finally clicked, so we'll be moving forward a lot faster!"
Adrien shuddered visibly. Nino leaned over and stage-whispered "Dude, do you need a coat or something? You look awful."
"Tactful as always, Nino," Alya admonished him.
"Huh? Sorry," Adrien looked around at his friends. "I'm fine. Just… just got a lot on my mind is all." He glanced over Marinette's shoulder at the crowd of classmates.
Just then, Ms. Bustier walked into the classroom carrying a hat. "Good morning, class! Settle down, please, and take your seats. I'm glad to see that we're all in attendance today, as the project I'm assigning will make up one-third of your final grade in this class." Raising her voice slightly to speak over the groans of her students, she continued, "You'll be working in randomly assigned pairs, which I will be drawing out of this hat right now. Please listen up."
The teacher reached into the hat and began pulling out slips of paper, reading off names as she went.
Marinette crossed her fingers underneath her desk for good luck. Please please please let Adrien be my partner!
"Chloé Bourgeois… you'll be partnered with… Ivan. And before you ask, no, you may not trade. These pairings are final."
Chloé opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it.
"Kim… you'll be partnered with… Nathaniel."
"Nino… your partner is Alix."
Marinette watched Nino turn around and whisper, "Dude, so close!" to his girlfriend. Alya rolled her eyes in response and reached out to pull his hat down over his eyes. "Ow! Dude, my glasses! Not cool!"
"Sabrina, your partner is… Max."
"Mylène, you'll be working with Rose."
Marinette crossed more fingers, if that were even possible. Five people left, come on...
"Juleka, you'll be with Alya."
Marinette's heart started thudding. Not Lila, not Lila, not Lila...
"Marinette, your partner is…" Ms. Bustier fumbled with the two slips of paper left in the hat.
Marinette squeaked.
Ms. Bustier drew one of the slips, unfolded it, and read off the name. "Adrien."
Alya and Marinette shared a fist-bump underneath the table. Marinette barely suppressed a squeal.
"We have an odd number of students this year, so there will have to be one group of three. Who would like Lila to join their group?"
Lila immediately spoke up, "I want to work with Adrien."
Adrien shuddered again and started stammering, a panicked look on his face.
Most of the class missed it, though, since Kim, Max, Rose, Juleka, Mylène, and Nino all offered to have Lila join their group.
"Very well, class, since Rose and Mylène are in the same group and both offered, we'll have Lila join them. Thank you, girls, for being so generous in volunteering. Class, please move seats to be next to your partner or partners."
Marinette thought she saw a shadow of a frown cross Lila's face. Lila smiled and said, "Thank you, girls! I really appreciate it."
She's lying, Marinette thought. Why does she want to be Adrien's partner so bad?
Alya squeezed Marinette on the arm and whispered "Good luck!" as she moved to take the seat that Nino vacated. Adrien was staring at a piece of paper, idly doodling, while bouncing his knee rapidly.
"Hi, Adrien! Looks like we're partners," Marinette began.
Adrien glanced over at her. Without meeting her eyes, he responded, "Yeah… partners."
What on earth is this all about? Marinette wondered. Is he ashamed of being my partner? Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with that boy, too! "At least Lila's not in our group, right? I can't imagine having to work with her."
"Working with Lila…" Adrien trailed off, and looked over his shoulder at the girl, an unreadable expression on his face.
Marinette's jaw hung open. Him, too! But we just talked about her! "As long as we both know the truth, does it really matter?" What has gotten into him? "Well, um… OK. Let's get our assignment and strategize."
"Oh, uh, yeah… about that, um… take notes? Please? I've gotta… do something." With a grimace, he picked up his bag and ran out of the room, leaving Marinette to stare at the door.
What is going ON here? Marinette wondered to herself.
Adrien rounded the corner of the school and opened his shirt to talk to Plagg. "Take me to Master Fu. Now," he commanded.
"I'm not sure that's a smart idea, Adrien. It's bad enough that Ladybug knows where he is. The Guardian's location must be kept as secret as possible, otherwise Hawk Moth can compromise him!"
"PLAGG! I know you know where he is. I need to talk with him. This is important, the most important thing we have right now. More important than Camembert. I don't want to force you, but I will."
"Kid… this is a bad idea. Let me go and tell the Guardian that you need him, or we can send Ladybug to get him, and he can meet you and - ack!" Plagg choked on his last word.
"Plagg, it's an even worse idea that you leave my side right now. And we have no idea when the next time we see Ladybug will be. This is the most important thing in the world to me. Take me to Master Fu. That's an order," Adrien whispered, closing his eyes.
The black cat kwami sighed. "Very well… master." He whispered an address in his holder's ear and flew silently into Adrien's shirt.
Adrien pulled out his phone, punched the address into his map application, and hit Start.
What was that all about? I hope that Lila didn't get to him, too. Please say it isn't so, say it isn't so! I thought we were on the same side! What on earth could she have possibly done to get him? Just the other day he told me that as long as he and I knew the truth, nothing else mattered. Well, he didn't seem to want to be my partner, and he kept looking back at Lila… who said she wanted to be HIS partner! Something's fishy here. I wonder if something happened at home with his father. But why would Lila be involved with that? Ohhh… this doesn't make any SENSE! Marinette turned behind her to face Alya and Juleka. They were deep in conversation over the project, so Marinette scribbled the words TALK LATER on a piece of paper and shoved it under Alya's nose.
The brunette blinked, read it, looked at Marinette, and nodded.
Knowing that at least someone was still on her side, Marinette took the project sheet and attempted to fill out as many details as she could. Might as well get started on this. If Adrien's in trouble, he'll need as much help as possible so he doesn't fail the class and get in deeper.
Once Adrien got his bearings, he switched his phone off. Can't afford to be tracked right now, this is too important. He found his way to the apartment, located on the right bank of the Seine. Climbing the stairs, he knocked on the door with trepidation.
"Come in, please," came a voice from the other side of the door.
Adrien entered the apartment and looked around. The furnishings were simple, almost spartan. There was a sleeping mat on the floor, a small credenza with a record player on top of it, a bookcase, some plants, and a screen. The man who had bade him entry sat cross-legged on the mat.
"Hello, Cat Noir. It is an… unexpected surprise that you are here today. How may I help you?"
Plagg flew out from Adrien's shirt. "I'm sorry, Master Fu. He ordered me to bring him here! This one really isn't my fault!"
Master Fu stroked his beard. "Ordered, eh? That is unlike you, Adrien. Please, sit down and unburden yourself."
"Master, I don't agree with him being here. He's in a tough place right now but he is endangering you, the Miraculous, the kwamis…"
"That is enough, Plagg. Go wait in the other room with Wayzz, please." He motioned to Adrien. "Please, sit down."
Adrien sat down across from Fu and mumbled, "Did you know?"
"Pardon?"
"Did you know? When you gave me my Miraculous?"
"Adrien, I do not understand what you are talking about. What is troubling you?"
"Why did you give me my Miraculous?"
"Adrien… I gave you your Miraculous for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that even though you were experiencing a time of great personal distress, you put all of that on hold in order to help an old man in trouble. You have proven time and time again over the past few months that you are always willing to drop whatever you are doing to help someone in need. In short, I gave you your Miraculous because you are a true hero."
"I don't feel like a hero all the time, Master."
Fu chuckled. "Well, young Adrien, that is to be expected. You are a teenage boy with emotions and mood swings common in adolescents."
"No, it's not that!" Adrien blushed. "I mean… heroes are supposed to be selfless and always self-sacrificing, and I get that… but something happened. And part of me doesn't want to be selfless right now."
"Adrien, what happened? I'm not sure if I can help you if you're not being open with me."
"I have an opportunity… to do something that will help me get something I've wanted for a long time now. But if I take that opportunity, I feel like I'll be betraying everything I've done since I became Cat Noir. And I'm worried about that for a couple of reasons, Master."
"Go on, Adrien. I am listening."
"The person who is offering this opportunity is someone I always thought was a good person. But over the past couple of years, he's been getting slowly…" Evil. "...not as good as I thought. And… I know that the Miraculous you gave me is about destruction and bad luck. Does this mean that, because I want this so bad, that I'm giving in to some sort of influence that the Miraculous has over me?" Sorry, Plagg, but I have to ask.
"Adrien, the Miraculous itself does not affect its holder. The Miraculous is just an instrument through which the kwami can interact with people. This means that your kwami can influence you, but the Miraculous is just an object. A very powerful one, to be sure, but just an object all the same."
"Can kwamis influence for good and evil, then, Master?"
"Kwamis are created whenever an idea, concept, or emotion is discovered. For example, your kwami was created when the concept of destruction came about. Ladybug's kwami was created with the concept of creation. My kwami, Wayzz, is the kwami of protection."
"What about Hawk Moth's kwami, Master?"
"Nooroo is the kwami of transmission. This is what allows Hawk Moth to create akuma, by transmitting negative energy into his vessels. Normally, the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous imbues his vessels with positive energy."
"So Hawk Moth's kwami isn't evil, then…"
"No, kwamis themselves are neither good nor evil. Since what they embody are strictly concepts without an absolute moral value, it is up to the Miraculous wearer to decide how they are used. That said, kwamis are highly intelligent and are able to discern the hearts of their holders. If their holder is a good person, then you will find the kwami to be much more personable and willing to help out. If the holder is a bad person, the kwami will be more reluctant, although they will still be magically bound to the Miraculous wearer."
"I… understand, Master. I think."
"That is one of the reasons why I chose you to be Cat Noir, Adrien. You are a good person who has earned the trust of the people of Paris many times over. Even though you may be troubled now, you will always choose the right path. Even though he may not appear it, your kwami is very wise and has thousands of years of experience. Listen to and learn from him."
Adrien looked at the floor and nodded.
"Is there anything else I can help you with today, Adrien?"
"I don't think so, Master." Adrien paused. "Do you know who my father is?"
"Your father is a famous man, Adrien. Aside from what has been said in the media about him, I know nothing. Why do you ask?"
Adrien drew a deep breath. Tell him. TELL HIM!
"...No reason. Thanks, Master."
Adrien stood and opened his shirt. Plagg silently flew to his regular hiding place. The pair exited the apartment and began the long walk home, neither feeling any better than when they arrived.
Master Fu turned to Wayzz. "We are in great danger here, Wayzz. It is time for us to find a new home for the Miraculous, and quickly. There is no time to waste!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Wayzz responded, floating after Fu as he began to gather his things.
Marinette waited as long as she could outside the school while Alya and Nino said the sort of goodbyes that teenagers in their first romance could say. When she felt like she was about to burst, she shot Alya a Look and began walking home. As she began to cross the street, her best friend's footfalls caught up to her. "Sorry, girl, you know how insecure boys are. Gotta tell them and tell them again that I'm only leaving for a little bit and they think it's the end of the world." She laughed, then turned serious. "Do you know what was going on with Adrien earlier? He left all of a sudden, and hasn't responded to any of Nino's texts."
They entered the bakery, waved hello to Tom and Sabine, and helped themselves to a pastry each. "Girl talk," Marinette said to her mother, then kissed her on the cheek and led Alya through the back of the bakery and up the stairs to their apartment.
Once they got settled in Marinette's room, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "Alya, what have I done? First, I'm losing all of my friends one by one. Now Adrien can't even stand to be on the same team with me? I swear, that Lila has gone through and is taking my friends away, one at a time."
"Whoa, slow down! I think you're Marinette-overthinking-things again. First of all, I can't believe how jealous you are of Lila. That's not like you at all. In fact, the only other time I can remember you doing anything like this was when you took the Ladybug role away from Chloé for the Clara Nightingale video. Look… I'm not saying you're crazy or over-reacting, but give it some time. Lila's new. She's traveled the world. Look at the last time someone new joined the class. I made friends with you, and then made friends with everybody by association. Adrien was already friends with Chloe, and he got a bad rap right off the bat. Maybe everyone else in the class knows they screwed up by treating Adrien badly at the beginning, and they want to make sure they get it right with Lila. It doesn't mean that you're losing friends, it just means that not everyone in the class can be *only* your friend. Does that make sense?"
"You may be right, Alya, but… there are things I know about Lila that you don't." Things I can't tell you, because I found them out when I was Ladybug and before you were Rena Rouge.
"Like what, that she was akumatized? Like everyone else in the class and our teacher?"
"No, it's not that. Her first day back, she cornered me in the bathroom, and threatened to take my friends away from me if I wouldn't be on her side."
"What? OK, girl, you have got to be kidding me. I know that girls can be vicious, but it's all bark and no bite. Did you ever look at it from her perspective? Even before she came back to Paris, you were all over her when she was video chatting. Trying to disprove her stories, poking at her words… just digging and digging at her. She probably thinks that you're her biggest threat to a normal social life. My sister Nora went to military school before she got into martial arts, and some of the people she met there were scary. She says that the social hierarchy in military school is strange. Since a lot of kids move around a lot or come from broken homes, they don't get a chance to learn how to make friends. They tend to distrust popular kids because they're jealous of them. They act out. They might even say some really stupid things because they don't know how to deal with their emotions. Maybe Lila's jealous of you. She wants you to be her friend? Then be her friend, Marinette. You've managed to visit Chloé freaking Bourgeois at her place on more than one occasion, girl. I'm sure you can try to be pleasant to Lila."
Marinette blew her nose and sniffled. She said quietly, "Lila told me that she would make sure I never got close to Adrien... in class or anywhere. You heard her today, she said she wanted to work with Adrien, and Adrien kept looking at her after the partnerships were finalized. It's like he couldn't wait to be around her! And then he wouldn't say more than two words at a time to me, and just up and left! I don't know what's going on. This is worse than the time he asked me about asking Kagami out on a date. At least then, he was talking to me. Now, he can't even look me in the eye. Am I that bad of a person? I thought we had a real connection at the Heroes Day picnic. I thought I had a connection with everybody at that picnic… and Adrien gave that speech about how wonderful he thinks I am… and I finally worked up the courage to give him a kiss on the cheek… is that all gone now?" The tears started flowing again.
"Oh, honey… you have got it bad. Tell you what… just lie down and try to de-stress for a bit. Things will work out. If it was meant to be, it will be. Just keep being the Marinette you've always been and Adrien won't be able to resist you." Alya led Marinette over to her lounge and draped a blanket over her friend.
Meanwhile, in an apartment near the west side of the city… a family photo fell off the wall. Again.
"UGH! That's the third time today that truck has come rumbling through here! I'm going to call city hall and complain about this excessive road work."
But before our writer friend could pick up the phone, the loud beeping of construction equipment reversing echoed through the house, waking up a sleeping 5-year-old.
Fists slammed down on the keyboard as a few blocks away, a circular window opened, releasing a butterfly into the wind…
"I SWEAR! If I can just sit down for FIVE MINUTES without being interrupted, this would be the greatest day of my life! I've plotted, I've outlined, I've revised… and now that it's time for me to get this story out of my head and onto paper, the city decides to do emergency road work! How will my faithful readers ever be able to read this, my finest work…!"
His rant was interrupted by a magical butterfly, flitting through the window and landing on his ring. The writer's eyes darkened and an energy signature appeared over his face...
Marinette lay face down on her lounge, with Alya slowly rubbing circles on her back. Her soothing motions were interrupted by a frantic buzzing coming from the cell phone in her pocket.
"Oh, shoot, girl… my Ladyblog followers are messaging me about an akuma. I've gotta go cover it."
"Hmm? Oh… akuma. Yeah." This is a thing I'll have to do, I guess.
"I'll check in with you afterwards, okay? Stay safe," Alya finished before bounding down the stairs and out the bedroom door.
"You too," Marinette called after her. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and summoned her transformation.
Seconds later, Ladybug left the bakery rooftop towards a vantage point where she could track and find the akuma. As she got closer to the Trocadero, she noticed that people were encased in transparent bubbles. Checking for anyone that looked like an akuma, she swung down to the closest bubble to talk to the person trapped inside. Lucky me! I recognize him...
"Mr. Ramier? Are you OK?" Ladybug shouted into the bubble.
Mr. Ramier looked at her and nodded, but then covered his ears and shook his head. He pointed in the direction of the Trocadero Gardens, then gave the young superheroine a thumbs-up.
Ladybug smiled and waved. She swung to the top of the Musée de l'Homme, where she was shortly joined by Cat Noir. "Hey, Kitty," she greeted.
"My Lady," he said in response. "Any idea what's going on?"
"I swung down and talked to Mr. Ramier… he's in one of the bubbles. He motioned that he was doing fine, but he couldn't hear anything. So it looks like the bubbles block out sound, but not light or air."
One of these days, I'm going to ask Hawk Moth what the point of him giving out all these useless powers was. He hit the nail on the head exactly once when he was Scarlet Moth, but we never found out exactly how he managed that. Why hasn't he done anything like that again? "OK, so we just need to find who the akuma is and put a stop to this!" He scanned the ground intently and saw a tall figure pointing to people and casting bubbles over them. "Found him!"
The two heroes jumped down, spinning their weapons. "Oh, there you are, Ladybug and Cat Noir! My name is Writer's Block! The world is too loud, and you just contribute to the noise! Give me your Miraculous, and then there will be peace… and quiet."
"You think you're going to get away with our Miraculous that easy, huh? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not going to happen today!" Cat Noir jumped out of the way of Writer's Block's attack, but there was a civilian behind him who took the brunt and wound up encased in the bubble. "Crap! Sorry!" This is the first time someone's gotten hurt because of me… I'm really not on my game.
"He can't hear you, Cat Noir! You can apologize afterward. Let's get this guy taken care of! Lucky Charm!" She tossed her yo-yo in the air. The Lucky Charm magic caused a red-and-black-spotted megaphone to appear. If this guy wants quiet, then he must be really distracted by noise. Let's try to throw him off of his game. She dodged an attack and circled back next to her partner. "Hey, Kitty - let's use this to… whaaaagh!"
Cat Noir tackled her out of the way of the akuma's attack, causing her to drop the megaphone! They both ran to pick it up, but Ladybug was caught in the barrage and was swallowed up in a bubble! "CAT NOIRRRRRRRR!" she yelled. Ohcrapohcrapohcrap! Her eyes traced outside the bubble to the megaphone, then to her partner, who was face to face with Writer's Block, right hand bubbling with black energy!
"Cat-ch me if you can," Cat Noir hissed. Baton spinning, he advanced slowly on the akuma.
Hawk Moth's energy signature flared over the akuma's eyes. "Simmer down, Cat Noir," the akuma said. "Hawk Moth has a message for you. He says, Your inexperience is starting to cost you. Don't let others get hurt any more. Do what you know is right. You know where to meet me." The energy signature faded, and black magic engulfed the akuma, leaving a very confused struggling writer behind. A white butterfly flew off into the distance.
The bubbles holding the akuma victims prisoner disappeared. Cat Noir heard a call of "Miraculous Ladybug!" from behind him, and felt his spirits lift slightly as Ladybug's magic washed over the city. I'll never get tired of that. I wish her magic could take away the last 24 hours. He sighed.
"Pound it?" Ladybug offered. "Kitty?" she prodded when Cat Noir didn't respond. She gasped when Cat Noir turned around and she saw the look on his face. Oh my goodness, he looks terrible. She grabbed his left hand and pulled him out of the plaza and into a secluded corner. "Cat Noir… what's going on? What was the akuma saying to you? Why did Hawk Moth just release the victim like that?" He was really out of it during that fight. Maybe he's been having as rough a time of it as I have been, recently. "If you're upset about that civilian that got hit… it's OK, he's better now. Accidents happen," she attempted to reassure him.
"Oh yeah, they happen alright," he whispered. Tears welled up in his eyes. How can I tell her? Oh, hi, Ladybug, my dad's Hawk Moth, and he knows who I am, too! And it was because his assistant - who I used to think was a pain because she kept on my about my schedule - was actually evil just like him and told him after she found my kwami. Let's not forget that I wasn't able to keep an eye on my kwami long enough to keep him from being discovered, so I failed you and the Guardian. The worst part of it is that I know why Hawk Moth wants our Miraculous. And I'm not sure if you know this or not, but he wants to make a wish, and the wish he wants to make is something that I've wanted for a very long time, now. I said I would give anything to have Mother back. But giving up my life, my freedom, my Lady, my friends… everything I hold dear and valuable? Almost everything I cherish… except Mother, who I would be getting back in the deal.
This is my fault. My burden. My opportunity. I have to fix this myself. We can't share our secret identities until Hawk Moth is vanquished, or stops altogether. And if he stops because I get the Miraculous? Then I can tell my Lady who I am. But I won't know who *she* is… and there's no guarantee that she'll want anything to do with me if I get the Miraculous from her and use it selfishly.
All my life, I've done what others have wanted me to do. Isn't it right, just once, to do something for myself?
He didn't notice her hand on his shoulder. He put his left hand on top of it and asked, gently, "You remember how, when we were fighting Scarlet Moth's army, I said it was you and me against the world?"
"Of course I do, Kitty. We'll always have each other's backs."
"...Ever feel like the world was going to win?"
Ladybug stepped back, eyes wide. This isn't the playful, teasing, positive Kitty I know. Something big has happened to him. As she opened her mouth, a loud, insistent beeping came from her earrings. "Oh no, Cat Noir! I'm about to transform back! I'll contact you… we'll talk! Bug out!" She threw her yo-yo as hard as she could and zipped off before Cat Noir could respond.
Great, he thought. Last time she left me like this she sent the Guardian to talk to me. I've already spoken with him, and it hasn't been any help. Looks like what I have to do is crystal clear, now. He checked to make sure nobody was looking, detransformed, and started toward home.
Ladybug landed high on a nearby rooftop as her transformation expired. Catching Tikki, Marinette opened up her purse and got a large chocolate chip cookie out for the tired kwami. Tikki accepted it gratefully, took a bit, and said around a mouthful of cookie, "Do you want to talk about it, Marinette?"
"What I need to do is hurry up and get back to Cat Noir. Or figure out how to get in touch with him. I hope he's not in trouble, Tikki! He looked really bad."
"I'm eating as fast as I can, Marinette… give me a few more minutes!"
"I'm so worried about him, Tikki! He dropped a couple of puns, which was good to hear, but he looked… like his world was crumbling around him. Kind of like how I've felt over the past few weeks. He even said that he felt like the world was winning, Tikki! That's not Cat Noir. He's the most positive person I know. Something got to him, big time." Marinette bounced her leg restlessly while waiting for Tikki to finish her cookie.
"OK, Marinette, I'm ready to go-o-o-oooo!" Tikki could barely get her sentence out before Marinette transformed to Ladybug and took off, swinging from rooftop to rooftop, looking for any sign of her distressed partner.
She paused and took out her yo-yo, checking the tracking app. Nothing. He's not transformed… of course, he summoned Cataclysm, even though he didn't use it. I'll just leave him a message for when he transforms back. She switched over to the communicator. "Kitty? It's Ladybug. Let me know when you can meet me so we can talk. I'm worried about you."
Adrien stumbled through the door of his mansion. "Your father is glad to see you got his message, Adrien." Nathalie said by way of greeting. "Where did you go? You weren't at school this afternoon."
Whoops. "Ah, I, um, had to get my phone battery replaced. It died on me all of a sudden, and it took longer than I thought it would. I would have called you, but… yeah, dead phone. That's it."
"And it's fixed now?" she said without looking up from her clipboard.
"Yes, it's fixed. See?" Adrien held up his phone, powering it on.
"Excellent. Of course, regardless of your participation in other… activities… you are still expected to keep up with your other responsibilities. Today it is piano practice for your upcoming recital. Your father will meet with you at seven tonight to discuss… other arrangements."
Adrien sighed and went up to his room. When the door was closed, Plagg flew out of his shirt and over to the other side of the room.
"Plagg…" Adrien started.
"You should probably practice the piano, Adrien," the kwami whispered.
"I have three hours to practice the piano before Father wants to see me. Can we talk?" Adrien pleaded.
"I said all I had to say back at the Guardian's apartment. I'm willing to listen to you, and to answer any of your questions, and I'm obligated to transform you as long as you wear that Miraculous, but nobody says I have to like it or even agree with what you are doing. And I don't." Plagg flew back to Adrien. "You are pushing people away, Adrien. People who love you. I can't objectively help you with this. If anything happens to the Miraculous, I'm magically bound to it. If the Miraculous is damaged, I can be damaged. If the Miraculous is destroyed, I won't be able to interact with you. Therefore, while there is a rogue Miraculous holder on the loose, my first obligation is to protect the Miraculous. I am biased. Find a friend. Talk to them. You know who you can trust. Please. Before anything rash happens." He flew back to the corner of the room. "Now hurry up and practice your piano. No - don't argue. I just heard someone outside the door."
Adrien sat down at the piano, put his phone on top of it, and began playing. The sweet melancholy of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" rang out through the bedroom.
Adrien was on the couch. He checked his phone. Six fifty-eight. It feels like I've looked at the clock a million times in the past five minutes, and ten million times in the last twenty. What would happen if I didn't show up? I could call Cat Noir and slip through the window and nobody would know the difference… until Hawk Moth came after me and wrecked half of Paris in the process. Plus, that would put Ladybug in unnecessary danger. And, it's the coward's way out. People can say what they want about Adrien Agreste being a pretty boy, or Cat Noir being a sidekick, but nobody can say that either of us is a coward.
The sound of his door opening snapped him to attention. Nathalie announced, "Your father will see you now, Adrien."
Adrien stood up and followed Nathalie to his father's office, Plagg floating behind him. Once there, Nathalie directed Adrien to stand at a certain spot in front of the portrait of his mother. She fiddled with the portrait and suddenly Adrien found himself descending through the floor into a dimly-lit, cavernous room. Once his eyes adjusted, he was met with the sinister grin of Hawk Moth.
"Welcome, Adrien. I take it you have decided to accept my offer?"
Adrien closed his eyes. Ladybug, forgive me. "Yes, Hawk Moth," he whispered.
"Excellent," Hawk Moth purred. He gestured behind him. "Volpina, please welcome our new student. Adrien will be joining us for our nightly tutoring sessions."
Volpina stepped forward from the shadows and joined Hawk Moth at his side.
"It's time for your first training session, Adrien," Hawk Moth continued. "Please transform. We will be working on extending the time you'll be able to be transformed after you use Cataclysm. Once you master that, you'll be able to use multiple Cataclysms when you're transformed."
"Plagg, claws out." With no fanfare at all, Plagg entered the ring, and a flash of green light left Cat Noir standing in Adrien's place. He ignored the quiet vibrating of the baton at his back. Ladybug. "What will you be working with Volpina for? Can't you give her whatever powers you want to?"
"I see that you forget your manners too easily behind that mask of yours, Adrien. Not that it makes any difference to you, but Volpina and I are working on strengthening the psychic bond that I have with each of my akuma. She will be able to bend to my will quicker, be more flexible in battle, and be able to be the public face of Hawk Moth. I'll be able to appear without having to go outside or wait for an akuma to multiply. I'll give Volpina the words, and she will make Hawk Moth speak them to all of Paris!"
"I thought you wanted to get Ladybug's Miraculous. Why would you need to address all of Paris?" There's something here I'm missing.
"Why, Adrien, you don't understand. What use is having all of the power of the Miraculous without using it for the greater good? Once I've made my wish, then people all over Paris - or even the world! - will come to me to have their wishes made true too! Imagine, Adrien: No more war, or death, or heartache… or poverty, sickness, or even bad feelings! Everyone will bow down to Hawk Moth and Cat Noir, benevolent rulers for life!"
There it is. I knew Father would let the power go to his head. He's too much of a control freak at heart to really let go. I'm going to guess the plan he hasn't told me is to get the rest of the Miraculous and figure out how to be the Guardian for eternity. Master Fu's pretty old; I wonder if he's immortal? Father seems like the kind of person who would want that for himself.
I've just scratched the surface here. If I bide my time and wait for the right moment, I can upend Father and his plans, and be the conquering hero of Paris myself! With Ladybug's help, of course. Plus, if I am helping Father, then I can also make sure that Ladybug doesn't get hurt too badly in the process. I'd hate myself forever if she were to be injured or die. This way… this is a calculated risk. And it's one I'm going to have to be willing to take. Standing up to Father… finally, for once in my life. And I'll be truly free.
But… Mother...
"Let's get to work, Adrien," Hawk Moth intoned. "The first thing you must work on is strengthening your connection to your kwami. Once you do that, you will be able to exert your will over it and better control your transformations. Volpina, fetch that block of wood from the pile over there; he'll need something to use his power on."
"With pleasure, Hawk Moth." Volpina went to an area of the room and returned with some lumber.
"Adrien, you know what to do," Hawk Moth said with a smile.
"Cataclysm," rasped Cat Noir. Black energy bubbled in his right hand as he reached out toward Volpina.
Next time:
* Will Adrien follow Plagg's advice?
* How does Cat Noir take to his training?
* What does Ladybug think of all this?