A/N: Hoo, boy. Here we are. The 3rd chapter. I consider this a massive achievement. I'd also like to thank the users that enjoyed the story so far, and the positive reviews I've been getting. I really appreciate it. Reviews are my fuel that keeps this story train going.
Choo Choo.
The cool night breeze was peaceful. It glistened on Ladybug's skin, which made her shiver. She had a pit of anxiousness deep in her stomach. Besides the note, there was also the fact that this "Tigre Blanc" had brought her to her own home, and knew her and Cat Noir's identities. It worried her. This new hero could be a threat, so she had to keep her guard up. Cat Noir slipped up behind her.
"Glad you came.", Ladybug said casually. Cat Noir shrugged modestly. "Anything for you, milady. Besides, I'm not liking this guy so far. And thanks for inviting me.", he replied. Ladybug turns to face him.
"Just remember to stay close by, and keep your distance; in case there's critical intel, or if he attacks me.", Ladybug whispers; since they were dangerously close to the Eiffel Tower, and they didn't know if this guy had Super-Hearing or not.
Cat Noir nods in response and extends his stick, boosting him upwards as he clung to a higher level of the tower, slipping into the shadows. Ladybug threw her Yo-Yo, which clung to the interior of the Eiffel Tower, and she swung inside gracefully. As beautiful as the Eiffel Tower was, it was creepy when it was pitch black and a murderer was was waiting for her. She wandered around a little, not noticing the figure dropping behind her.
The figure cleared it's throat, which made Ladybug jump and brandish her Yo-Yo. While she turned around to face the figure, Tigre Blanc stepped out of the darkness. "Nice to see you, too.", he quipped. Ladybug put down her Yo-Yo, as he stepped further into her line of sight. He removed his hood, revealing a boy about her age, with messy dark brown hair. He might've looked handsome before all this, if it weren't for the fact that he looked beaten down. As if you could tell he was in several grueling fights, with visible bruises and bags under his eyes.
He held a paper cup of coffee, which he sipped before speaking up. "You may be wondering why I asked you to come here, Spots.", he said, as if they were old friends having lunch. Ladybug folded her arms. "Well, after you snuck into my own home, I couldn't resist meeting up.", she replied sternly. He tossed the empty cup aside.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't leave you to die. I figured the city could benefit from your survival. I've watched you and the Cat for a while, as well as witnessing you guys exit your houses, so I kind of knew where you lived.", he stated. "Anyway, I think we should make a deal."
Ladybug's eyes widened in disbelief. "A deal?", she asked. "What kind of a deal?" Tigre Blanc casually retracted claws from his gloved hands and scraped the metal on the tower. "I reckon we should work together. To catch a real threat. Somebody who wronged me.", he started. "AKA, the man who gave me this Miraculous." Ladybug folded her arms. "Go on", Ladybug says, glancing to the concealed Cat Noir.
"He said his name was Abel. It was a suspicious name, but I figured strange people could give out strange objects like these.", he explained, holding up his wrist with the watch. "Abel promised me that the Miraculous was legit, and it would help me become a hero, like you and Cat Noir."
"What was wrong with it?"
"It wasn't legit.", he responded. "I lived on a different side of Paris, where we weren't lucky enough to have a Ladybug and Cat Noir to clean up our crime-ridden streets. We had only ever heard of you guys, but we had no knowledge on what your experiences were like. Now that there's a…"Ladyblog" here, info was spread from that Alya girl. My Miraculous didn't fit the description."
Ladybug stroked her chin, pondering what could have happened. "Did you have a Kwami?", she finally asked. Tigre Blanc leaned up against the railing of the Tower. "Nope. Abel simply handed me the trinket for a small fee. All I did was transform, tend to a mugging, and not be able to turn back to who I really was.", he said, with a twinge of gloom in his voice.
"Fair enough. But why do you murder people?", Ladybug demanded. Tigre Blanc's eyes narrowed. "It's the only way the bad stays down. Spare them, and they come back stronger.", he growls. Ladybug thinks about his words, remembering how Anansi was able to beat her and he partner with ease. "But how did you know to break the helmet to release the Akuma?", Ladybug asked curiously. Tigre Blanc stood up and inched closer. "I didn't.", he responded. "I was aiming for the head."
Suddenly, Cat Noir sprung from the darkness, letting out a battle cry. "Cat Noir, wait!", she yells. It was too late. Cat Noir was dashing at Tigre Blanc like he was a TV on Black Friday, and nothing was going to stop him. After a short glare, Tigre Blanc holds out the tip of his Katana, pointing at Cat Noir. His eyes widened and he quickly stopped himself, an inch away from the point. Tigre Blanc backs away and huffs in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose with shut eyes.
"Why did you bring your partner?", he hissed. Ladybug and Cat Noir exchange glances. "Sorry…I guess? But we're partners, and we just met you.", Ladybug responded with honesty. "And besides, with a costume like that you look kinda shady.", Cat Noir chimed in, smirking at his own joke. Tigre Blanc snapped his head backwards. "Shut up or I'll gut you.", he hisses.
Cat Noir scoffs in annoyance and turns his back on him. Ladybug puts her hands up in defense. "No need to fight. Let's just try not to start any more fights.", Ladybug exclaims. "Yeah, no need to watch my staff bludgeon this guys skull.", Cat Noir mutters.
Tigre Blanc snaps his fingers, remembering why they were here. "Ah, yes. The deal. I'll lay off the murdering and theft, as well as working with you guys every once in a while; maybe even helping you out with certain personal tasks. But in return, you guys are going to help me catch Abel, so I can kill that son of a bitch once and for all. All I want is vengeance." Ladybug looks at Cat Noir, who shrugged in response. "Fine, deal.", Ladybug concludes.
Tigre Blanc outstretches his hand, and Ladybug hesitantly shakes it. Once the deal was official, Tigre Blanc walks away to exit, before stopping and turning his head over his shoulder. "And don't even think of turning me in to the authorities. I know who you both are. And if you betray me, I'll make you pay.", he says bitterly. He leaps off the tower, disappearing from their line of sight. Cat Noir steps in front of Ladybug.
"Milady, I don't think this is such a good idea. This guy is dangerous. I mean, he kills people!", he says. Ladybug places a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, kitty.", she says sweetly. "Tigre only needs us for this occasion. Once we catch this "Abel", we'll work everything out just fine." Cat Noir's expression shifts into a reassuring smile. Ladybug flings her Yo-Yo onto a nearby building. "See you later, Cat Noir.", she says, as she shoots through the sky, swinging like an acrobat. Cat Noir sits down for a minute to think. What did they get themselves into?
Ladybug swings through the trap door above her home, landing gracefully and whispering "Spots Off", before immediately changing back. She plopped down on her bed, before leaning back to go to sleep. It was at that moment that Tikki flew out of her bag. "Marinette, what did you just do?", Tikki asked with a worried voice. Marinette sat up.
"What do you mean, Tikki?"
"Marinette...you agreed to work with a murderer!"
Marinette tries to answer, but her eyes widen when she realizes that Tikki is right. Tigre Blanc has probably killed several people, and he's illegal. Something like this would probably demolish the Ladybug and Cat Noir public image. People would lose hope, and that would mean more negative emotion. And now they had to deal with "Abel", so she now had THREE problems to deal with.
"Oh, god Tikki. I screwed up!", Marinette cried, as she flopped down on her bed and groaned in regret. Tikki floats up to face Marinette. "Could you...hide from him?" Marinette frowns. "He'd find me. He knows where I live. The best thing I can do is go along with the deal.", she responds. Tikki sighs and lies down next to Marinette. Marinette was so screwed.
She had woken up earlier than she wanted, 7:00 to be exact. The sun was barely climbing up the sky. Marinette didn't know why, but she felt the urge to climb out and get some air. Tikki was asleep, and it would be rather rude to awake her, so Marinette stuck quietly through her trap door to her roof. The raven haired girl breathed deeply, taking in the fresh early morning air. A smile curled up at the corners of her mouth. That was better. A voice came from behind her.
"Good morning, Spots."
Marinette yelped as she quickly turned around. Her face shifted into an annoyed expression. "You need to stop doing that.", she scolds. Tigre Blanc puts up his hands defensively. "Just figured I'd check on you. Y'know, since we're technically partners ", he reminded. Marinette sighs tiredly. Tigre Blanc sits along her railing. "About Abel…", he starts.
"What about him?"
"After your little school session, I suggest we go look for him.", he responds. Finally, a reasonable request. "Yeah, I can meet with you. I'll bring Cat Noir and we can bring Abel to justice.", she responds with confidence. Tigre Blanc lets out a low chuckle. "You think this is going to be easy?", he asks, as if he were speaking to a young child.
Marinette tries to respond, but can't think if a thing to say. "I...like your optimism. But from what I've seen, Abel looks dangerous. If he could have Miraculouses on his hands, who knows what else he has up his sleeve?", Tigre Blanc says.
"I'm sure we'll be fine."
"If you say so. And I'll be out of your hair once Abel is kebabed on the blade of my Katana. I'll disappear. Right off the map.", he concludes.
"Sounds good enough for me."
Tigre Blanc nods before standing up. "Now go enjoy your last hour or two of sleep.", he says before leaping off her roof. Marinette slipped back into her room and curled up under her covers. Interesting. She just had an encounter with Tigre Blanc and she actually felt calm after. All she had to do was survive a partnership with him. Couldn't be that hard, right?
…
At school the next day, Marinette was back on track with concentration, ready to have a proper day since homeroom. But she was dreading the end of the school day. Tigre Blanc still wasn't 100% trustworthy, maybe he'll lure her out on a quest just to execute her, or capture her. No, Cat Noir would be there to help. He always was. Luckily, she could always rely on Alya to help get her mind off things.
Alya came in quickly, holding her phone and brandishing an excited smile. She looked like she would explode at any second. "Girl, you won't believe what happened yesterday!", she exclaims. "Oh, really? What could have happened?", Marinette half-lied(for identity purposes). Alya holds up her phone and clicks the Play button. A shaky amateur filmer shows a recorded clip of the battle with Anansi. Once Tigre Blanc shows up, Alya pauses the video and zooms in on him.
"Girl, this means there's a new hero! This is soooooo cool!", Alya squeals. Marinette smiled and nodded in response, remembering the photo taken at the crime scene days ago. Hopefully, no one would realize the similarities of the figure in the photo and video. Marinette had a lot to worry about. She didn't know for sure, but this much stress couldn't be healthy for a teenage girl. It would be a long day.
Meanwhile at the Agreste Mansion…
Gabriel Agreste seemed less grumpy than usual. More curious than grumpy. He may have failed to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, but his new villain was strong enough to almost defeat the two heroes. Nathalie walked up to Gabriel and stood next to him. "Nathalie, something very strange happened earlier.", he says.
Nathalie straightens her glasses and meets his eyes. "Strange? What happened?", she asks in her blase voice. Gabriel looks back at the painting of Emile...his beloved Emile. "One of my Akumatized villains almost won. It was Anansi, to be exact.", he replies. Nathalie tilts her head in confusion. "Isn't that a near success, Gabriel?", Nathalie asks.
Gabriel turns around. "It's strange, Nathalie. None of my Akumatized victims have every shown feats of intelligence and strength like that. It was almost like...they had an advantage. I had an advantage. Someone is assisting me, Nathalie.", Gabriel concludes.
Nathalie nods and leaves to let Gabriel think. He moves his fingers to the correct spots on the painting, before pressing them with two fingers in each hand. He is then lowered like a mini-elevator into his butterfly room. AKA, Hawk Moth's lair. Nooroopops up, not saying a word to his master.
"Nooroo, Dark Wings RISE!", Gabriel exclaims as his kwami is sucked into his tie. He is then transformed into Hawk Moth. He doesn't bother to open his window yet, still thinking the situation through. He grabs a butterfly and prepares to transform it.
But in the corner of his eye, he faintly saw a red substance floating into the tip of his staff. He turned back quickly, and the hand releasing the substance recoiled into the darkness. A pair of animalistic eyes were eerily visible. Hawk Moth cautiously reached for his sword and brandished it.
Suddenly, hundreds of mangled arms and hands emerged from the dark and latched onto Hawk Moth. These rotten limbs were all over his body, pinning him up against a wall, some simply clawing at his flesh. He couldn't make out the source of the hands; they were practically lost in darkness. He was defenceless, since he had lost grip of his sword once it fell to the ground.
A red cloaked figure also emerges from the shadows, hunched over slightly and arms behind his back. "What's going on?!", Hawk Moth demanded. The hands stayed still, yet were still keeping Hawk Moth against the wall.
"Hello, Hawk Moth.", the figure rasps. He lifts his face up to meet his. Hawk Moth's eyes widened as he saw the face of this being. He looked around seventy years old, but had abnormal razor sharp teeth. He also had a large red hat covering his head. But what scared Gabriel the most was the beings demonic Blood red eyes. It was like pure evil was staring into his soul. The being opens its mouth to speak again.
"I've been expecting you."
A/N: Yup, another chapter done. Sorry if this one was a bit shorter than the others, I'll try to make the next one more lengthy. So, yeah. Abel has just been teased as the new villain, so he'll be Abel to move the story along. Ha Ha. Puns.
Until the next chapter...
