Several hours after the unexpected encounter between Marinette and Taurus Red's civilian identity, the first classes of the day had concluded and the lunch period had begun. By that point, Sabrina had apologized to Adrien for her behavior,and after that, it was just a regular day of class with nothing special happening.
Lunch was when things would go differently than usual, as Marinette planned to eat with Kenshin rather than her friends like normal. It was important for her to learn as much about the new hero as possible, and she found herself the chance to have a longer chat with him.
Naturally, this was when the universe decided to hate Marinette yhe instant she stepped in the cafeteria.
"Hey, Marinette!" Alya called out. "Want to eat with us? Room for one more."
What Alya tried to do was to get Marinette to sit at the same table, where she was sitting adjacent to Nino. The one spot where Marinette would have sat in was right next to where Adrien was sitting. Marinette would always be thrilled with any scenario where she could get close to Adrien, so when she had to turn the offer down, she ould scream internally.
"Just shoot your foot now and get it over with, Marinette." She whispered to herself before making a forced, awkward smile. "No thanks, I'm meeting a friend already."
While Adrien and Nino didn't think much of it, Alya was left speechless as she saw Marinette walk away from a chance to hang out with Adrien, especially when Alya created such a perfect opportunity.
Still, undeterred by her original plans, Marinette sat herself down with her lunch tray directly across where Kenshin had been sitting, who had been eating sandwiches from a bag he brought from home. He was focused on eating at the time, so he didn't realize right away that Marinette was with him.
"Oh, hi again. Marinette, right?"
"Yes, yes. I was hoping you still wanted to eat together."
Waving his at the seat Marinette already sat in, Kenshin didn't objected and allowed Marinette to sit with him. As Ladybug and Taurus Red were in the same room with few distractions and plenty of time to do nothing but talk, step one to teaming up was already accomplished.
The problem was that step two, which was to actually engage in conversation, was a bit tricky. Marinette recalled this from when Kenshin was at Master Fu's, but Kenshin proved to have been very quiet in nature, as he didn't say a word for about a minute after Marinette took her seat. Since he wasn't willing to open up on his own, Marinette had to speak first.
"So, are you new? I don't think I've seen you around school before." Marinette asked, who decided on to start with a blunt question.
"Actually, I recently moved to Paris. This is my first day at school here." Kenshin answered.
"Oh? What made you want to move to Paris?"
"Well, the details are a bit private,but I've got some goals in mind. I even spent a year learning your language just to be ready." Kenshin explained. "In fact, if all goes well, I hope to spend the rest of my life here."
"Oh, well welcome to your new home. I promise Paris is an amazing city to be lucky enough to live in." Marinette said with a big, happy smile, though she kept a frown deep down since she knew what he came to Paris for. She decided to continue being the one to start a topic. "So how long have you been here in Paris?"
"A about a week. Had to wait until I was settled in before I could start my classes. I should be all set now."
She was pleased that she was able to ge Kenshin to talk, but it bothered her that she could only get simple answers before he would go back to focusing on his lunch. She wasn't very good at small talk, so she wasn't sure what more to say without sounding weird. She needed a way to start a conversation that could let her dive into Kenshin's mind.
"Girl, who's your friend over here?"
Fortunately for Marinette, the perfect group of people came to do exactly what she wants. Alya, Nino, and Adrien had all picked up their lunches to move to the table Marinette and Kenshin were sharing, all of whom were eager to meet the new student. Alya was especially interested since her friend chose to meet with him over the boy she's crazy for.
"Whoa, you're a tall dude." Nino said as he sat next to Kenshin.
"Well, I am 17." Kenshin answered.
Alya raised an eyebrow as she sat next to Marinette, who made sure she was across from Nino. "17, huh? I never realized you were into older boys, Marinette."
"W-w-wh-WHAT?" Marinette stammered as she looked at Alya, then looked at Kenshin, then feared Adrien, who she just realized had taken his seat right next to he, would've gotten the wrong idea. "No, no, he's just a friend. A good friend of mine."
"We met just a few hours ago." Kenshin mentioned, much to Marinette's embarrassment.
This gave the group a good laugh, even if it was at Marinette's expense. Still, even if they were laughing at her and not with her, it still meant that Kenshin was getting along since he finally cracked a smile after hearing everyone else. In her opinion, she took one for the team. At the very least, it was all in good fun.
It also pleased Marinette to know that Kenshin was quickly making friends with her friends. Adrien even started a little chat with him, getting more out of Kenshin then she likely would've.
"So, you think you might be interested in fencing then?" Adrien asked.
"Not really interested, thank you. I might join the school's wrestling club, though." Kenshin answered.
"Oh, that's great. Our friend Kim can introduce you to it. He's in...pretty much every sports club."
"I'll think about it."
As Adrien was finding ways to get along with Kenshin, a certain someone saw from across the cafeteria that he was hanging out with Marinette and a new student, much to her displeasure. With haste, she charged from her seat to grab Adrien from behind.
"ADRIKINS! Why are you sitting with these losers?" Chloe asked. "One of them is a complete stranger."
Chloe's sudden appearance annoyed Marinette right away. "Oh God no, please don't get him akumatized on his first day." She quietly said to herself, praying Chloe wouldn't ruin everything.
"Oh, Chloe, good timing." Adrien said, as he had a more positive attitude than Marinette. "Chloe, this is Ken. Ken, meet Chloe."
"It's Kenshin." He clarified.
Chloe, being in a selfish mood, didn't particularly cared about meeting someone new and just wanted to be with Adrien for lunch. "Okay, sorry for crashing Kenny's part..."
"Kenshin!" He repeated.
"Kenford...but I already prepared a special lunch for me and my little Adrikins, so if you don't mind and excuse us..." She said as she wrapped her arms around Adrien's. "We only get so much time for lunch after all."
"Well, why don't you come and join us? You can get to know Ken with us." Adrien suggested.
While it was all fine that Adrien was staying calm and reasonable with Chloe around, it was the only reason Marinette had yet to speak up and talk back to Chloe. If Chloe had talked to her directly at any point, she likely would've snapped. Even Alya and Nino were losing their appetite as Chloe harassed. Kenshin, on the other hand, mostly ignored Chloe and continued eating a new sandwich.
"Okay, look, I'll prove to you how good I am with people." Chloe said to Adrien. She then turned her attention to Kenshin and began saying things that would likely get a normal person akumatized. "From looking at you, I can tell: You're the type of person who uses people...there's no one at this table you like anyway...and to be honest, you don't look all that happy with your life."
As Marinette feared, Chloe acted very Chloe-like at a time when she wanted to get to know the best side of Kenshin. Alya, Nino, and even Adrien thought Chloe was going too far. Marinette was ready tell Chloe off before she could upset Kenshin. However, much to everyone's surprise, Kenshin, simply smiled and shook his head.
"I'm afraid you only got one right, Miss." Kenshin said, who wanted to play Chloe's game. "Let me have a turn at this, because I think I know people very well too. I've believe: You're the kind of person who cries themselves to sleep sometimes...you may very well NOT be a natural blond...and because I could hear you praising Ladybug from all the way over here, I believe you have a major crush on her."
This was followed by complete silence, not just from Marinette's table, but from the entire cafeteria. They didn't realized it until Kenshin talked back, but the entire room was watching the entire conversation, and when anyone has the guts to stand up and talk back to Chloe with such savagery, it gets noticed.
Sabrina, who was sitting at a nearby table, spoke up. "Wow. He got two out three right."
"You be quiet!" Chloe yelled to Sabrina.
Infuriated by Kenshin's back talk, Chloe decided to save her alone time with Adrien for another time and stormed off. As she ignored everyone around her, she didn't notice that everyone but Sabrina, Adrien, and Kenshin were all giggling from what had transpired. As this made a temper tantrum that's was normal for Chloe, there was no worries for her to attract an akuma, much to Marinette's relief, but still to Adrien's concern.
"Wait for me!" Sabrina said in a panic. "Sorry again about this morning, Adrien. Bye!"
Although Adrien was upset about his friend storming off while in such a bad mood, Kenshin did at least get a positive first impression by everyone else who saw what happened. Chloe may not have been a very popular person, very few ever grow the spine needed to talk back to her like Kenshin did. Alya and Nino were at least put into a good mood because of it.
"Haha. Nice dude." Nino said as he patted Kenshin's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll make you regret making her mad later, but for now, that was great."
"I'll talk to her later when she calms down." Adrien said. "She can actually be really nice once you get to know her."
Kenshin simply shrugged at what Adrien, as he didn't care one way or another how Chloe felt. With the room quiet once again, he resumed eating his lunch like before. Still, the whole event gave Marinette something to think about, as if there wasn't already something to be concerned with.
"Will use people...likes no one here at this table...or isn't happy with his life..i" Marinette thought, repeating what Chloe said before to herself. "Which one was correct?"
As Marinette pondered about what she did and didn't know about Kenshin, Tikki took the time to wander off from Marinette by flying under the tables in the cafeteria. She was particularly cautious at the time because even though she avoided human sight like normally, she feared that she would get a run in with Kuumo and potentially reveal Ladybug's true identity.
As Tikki reached a wall, she phased through, flew up to the ceiling unnoticed, and made then flew back out to fly above a support beam, no longer phased out, but still out of people's sight. Once there, she found Plagg, who was already sitting on the beam, watching the students below.
"Hey there, Sugarcube. Came to eat with me today?" Plagg asked. "Don't have any extra camembert though. I'm down to my last three pieces."
Tikki took a seat next to her close friend, where she got a birds-eye view of the three heroes of Paris. With nothing but concerns on her mind, she went straight to the point. "I talked to Kuumo Yesterday."
In a shock, Plagg nearly dropped his cheese, having to bite and swallow an airborne slice of his camembert in a quick, yet painful gulp. After realizing what quick, yet painful experience transpired... "That's going to hurt later."
"Plagg, I'm serious. I'm really concerned about what Kuumo is up to."
"Well, you know him. He's always been more of a free spirit. He likes doing what he wants. Whatever he wants to do, we really can't do much but support him. Who knows. Maybe he'll beat us to Nooroo and Duusu like he said."
Tikki shook her head, as it was clear that Plagg didn't understand the situation. "You haven't seen him yet. He's way different from when he broke off from the rest of us. Even worse, I think his owner follows everyone of Kuumo's commands, so there's no telling what he'll do."
"Hmm...he always did want his freedom. Funny that he went ahead and found himself a owner." Plagg said as he noticed the odd detail about Kuumo.
"Most of us had to wait in the miracle box and wait until someone needs us." Tikki reminded. "Since Kuumo is free, he's taking a more proactive approach. He wants to either get our lost friends back...or for the two of us to finally combine our powers. He wants us to make a wish."
"YOU MEAN WE CAN-?"
"No, we are NOT wishing for all of the cheese in the world."
"Aww..." As disappointed Plagg was, it at least gave him a better idea as to why Tikki was as worried as she was. "What could he wish for? Wishing for our lost pals to come back would just make us lose others in exchange, right? He should know that."
"Agreed. And whatever he wants, he must've put a lot of thought into it. But I only got to speak with him for a little while...I don't understand what's been going on in his mind...I-I don't think I want to know what his wish is." Tikki explained, shivering in fear about her former friend's mind. The thought about Kuumo's behaviour gave her goosebumps that Plagg could easily see. "I haven't said this my owner yet...but I'm scared of him right now.
The whole time, Plagg was mostly inconsiderate with Tikki, as he thought very little about Kuumo's reappearance. But seeing the despair in his friend made him realize how serious the situation was and how stressful it has been for Tikki, and things had only just begun. He hadn't spoken with Kuumo yet, but Plagg decided to trust his close friend just because of her reaction
To comfort Tikki, Plagg scooted over to wrap his tiny hand around her shoulder to warm her up. He also passed one of his last two pieces of cheese to further comfort her. "Relax, Sugarcube. As long as we have Ladybug and Cat Noir as our owners, no wishes will be granted-that sounded terrible after saying it out loud."
Plagg's poor choice of words was more helpful than he expected, as it made Tikki laugh lightly. At the very least, she stopped he shaking.
"That's more like it." Plagg said with relief. "The four of us make a stronger team than Kuumo and...and...whoever the heck he's partnered with."
"Oh, that..." At first, Tikki considered sharing Taurus Red's true identity, but she quickly decided to save that information for a more appropriate time. "Nevermind. Though now that you mentioned it, it would help if all four of us were on the same page regarding about what to do. Ladybug and Cat Noir can't meet unless their transformed, after all."
"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Tikki insisted. "But you're right. We may have to find a way for all four of us to talk about this."
Feeling a sense of comfort after talking with Plagg, Tikki felt relaxed enough to finally take a bite out of the cheese she was giving, creating a moment of silence for the two kwamis to do nothing relax for a moment, something that Tikki desperately needed, although Plagg was arguably indulged with it.
But, silence isn't something that can last, and what broke it for the kwamis was the faint sound of a siren going off outside the school, which got louder and louder, but soon after got quieter and quieter. Curious about it, Plagg phased through the roof to check it out before the siren went too far. After a short absence, he returned to Tikki.
"What's going on?" Tikki asked.
Plagg sighed. "Work, probably. It was a fire truck, and it looks like there's a lot of smoke a few blocks down. Maybe we can let the firemen handle it?"
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind some heros helping. Get your butt moving."
Upon Tikki's order, Plagg reluctantly accepted it and made his way back to the ground floor with her, both making sure to not be seen by anyone on their way down. After getting to the table where Marinette and Adrien were sitting, they parted ways. After returning to their owners, they each got their owners attention and quietly urge them to leave the room.
"Uhh, be right back. I need to go to the washroom." Marinette said, which cut he time with Kenshin short.
"Me too. I need to make a phone call to my father." Adrien said, as he found it to be a reasonable excuse.
Marinette and Adrien both quickly got up and ran out of the Cafeteria, each leaving through a different exit to avoid the other so as to keep their alter-ego secret. Once they left, Kenshin decided to get up and leave as well.
"Well, it was nice meeting you guys, but I'm going to have a little walk." Kenshin said to Alya and Nino. "I still need to learn my way around here."
Leaving Alya and Nino to be the last two at their table, something they really didn't mind at all, Kenshin grabbed his lunch bag and made his way out the Cafeteria. Once outside, he looked around to make sure no one was around. Lucky for him, Adrien had already ran off to answer the hero call, leaving Kenshin all alone.
"It's clear. What did you need?" Kenshin asked as he took a ripped piece of one of his sandwiches and tossed it in the air.
Kuumo in turn flew up and grabbed the sandwich piece. "I checked on something after hearing a noise. Seems a fire has broken out nearby."
"That doesn't seem like something you're usually concerned with."
"The fire itself? Not at all." Kuumo said as he took a bite of the sandwich, as he showed no worries for the emergency. "Some dumb human probably dropped a cigarette or something, but that's not important. Since it looked bad way over here, I'm betting Ladybug and Cat Noir will answer it. If so, it will make for a good, stress-free chance to watch them in action."
"What should I do when we meet up with them?" Kenshin asked
"Help them, watch them, burn them, I really don't care. What's important is that specifically you know what they're capable of. From this point on, you have to be my lips. So make sure you make a good impression." Kuumo order, though after thinking about what he said, he added one more detail. "On second thought, don't burn them."
"Understood."
Finished with his lunch, Kenshin followed Kuumo's order without any further questions and ran to the first exit he could find, much like what Marinette and Adrien did. Although his motives for responding to the emergency wasn't noble by itself, it was still a time for the heroes to take action, and would mark for another chance for both sides to learn about the other.
Author's note: Had a bit of a writer's block on this one, but the next chapter will have some superhero stuff, which should be a bit more motivating for me. Hoping I don't get crap for it though, because what will happen in chapter 5 is something I had decided on a long time ago and I'm happy with how I plan to have it go down.
