A/N: Good day everyone! Sorry for the delay. There was a lot of love and car that went into this chapter. I wanted it to be really great, and my Beta, Kiracles did a fantastic job helping me edit it and fix it up. We looked it over twice each and found a lot of mistakes, but fixed it up nicely. We are also still working on the past chapters too. It's a busy time of year for students though, so it might take some time. I am going on a long train ride tomorrow and Monday, so I will write away! Get at least 3 chapters done if possible.
Terms:
Papyrus scroll: It's an instruction manual to the journey to the afterlife. These had to be buried with a person once they were mummified or the Egyptians believed that one couldn't pass the trials to the next life. These were extremely expensive, and only the super rich could afford both it and mummification. Thus, only the rich were mummified or had this scroll.
Sistrum: It's a rattle like object used for cats mostly, but it was a lot like the modern day rattles typically used for children.
Chapter 9
He wasn't far behind her, and this made Mazel panic. Why was he following her? He had never followed her before. There was a pain in the pit of her stomach that had formed the moment she realized that he was behind her. She was barely ahead of him by just one-hundred yards, but that just wasn't enough. She was running as fast as she could, jumping from roof to roof, and was hoping and praying for some sort of escape from him. He was determined to talk to her, and determined to discover her identity, and she couldn't have that.
He was expecting a fine Egyptian lady. That was everything she wasn't. The shame filled her. It had always bothered her that she was a slave. She had yearned for her freedom. She had lived with it because she didn't have a choice. She had been taken from her parents and forced to work for little money to pay off a debt she wouldn't have had if they hadn't stolen her away. She had almost accepted this life, and then he had come along. Her slave masters son, who she has seen hundreds of times through the years and had never paid any mind too. However, one day, he just took an interest in her and decided to take her under his wing. To make things all the more complicated, he turned out to be her partner, Chat Noir.
Chat Noir constantly flirted with her, and clearly had an interest in her. She could have lived with all the flirting and teasing, until she found out he had been Ammon all along. Now she felt every ounce of shame and disgust fill her. She was nobody. She was just a slave girl who would never earn her freedom. If he ever discovered her identity, he would be disappointed. Who wouldn't be? Everyone thought of her as a goddess.
So she had to run, but even as she did, he was right behind her. She tried to use an extra burst of energy, but it was too late, he grabbed her and twisted her around so both his arms were grasping her tightly. She cried out as his arms pressed up against her wounded back. They came to a stop on a roof, and she fell to her knees. His arms were still around her, and she tried to pull free, if only to ease the pain.
"Ladybug, what is wrong?" he asked. She looked at him and could see the concern in his eyes. She looked down at his arms.
"You're hurting me," she said.
He released her instantly. She still felt the pain, but she felt some of the pressure ease up. Ammon looked at her with concern. "Were you hurt with the battle with the Akuma?"
Mazel didn't want to lie, but she knew it was for the best. She nodded. "While you were possessed, she clawed up my back."
"C-Can I see?" he asked.
Her eyes went wide, and she panicked. "N-No, its fine. I had a doctor look at it. He says they will heal just fine."
He lightly nodded, seemingly understanding. He still knelt beside her. There was an awkward silence between them, and she looked down. He did the same, and after several moments he spoke. "Why don't you want me to know who you are?"
She couldn't speak. She didn't dare. Fear filled every inch of her as her heart raced. She clenched her hands into fists as she continued to look down. "I'm not what everyone thinks I am. I'm not what you think I am. I know that everyone thinks I'm a goddess. You think I'm some daughter of a noblemen, but I'm not. I'm a nobody. I can't reveal who I am, for a million reasons. The safety of my loved ones being the most important."
She could sense his body tense up, and she knew that he was going to try and say something else, but their attentions were suddenly drawn elsewhere. The sounds of screaming echoed through the streets. The very sound of screams had become the sound of battle horn, telling soldiers to prepare for battle.
Mazel climbed to her feet, and turned to the direction of the closest screams. Ammon stood with her and looked around. "We got to go check on them," Mazel stated.
"Wait!" Ammon stated. "Can you handle it? You're injured!"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. The city needs both of us."
Mazel was already jumping from roof to roof, heading towards the closest scream. Her partner followed close behind. They landed on a street and Mazel centered on one of the houses. They found a woman huddled over, clenching her visibly pregnant belly. Her husband held her and was attempting to comfort the woman. A child was nearby, crying and scared. They looked up when the two entered.
"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" the man cried. "Please! What is wrong with my wife?!"
Being that the city thought of them as a god and goddess, Mazel wasn't surprised that this man thought they knew what was going on. She chose to be honest with the man. "We are just investigating, but we will do what we can for your wife. How far along is she?"
"She is only five months along," the man explained.
Mazel didn't know much about being pregnant. Just how it happened and that labor happened around eight or nine months. She hadn't helped out with any of the slaves who were pregnant. She had been considered far too young. She was only just of age now. She honestly didn't know what was going on.
Chat Noir had shifted over to the woman and knelt down beside her. He didn't seem too thrilled as he examined her. In fact, he looked rather distressed. "You need to get a doctor here now," Chat Noir explained. "She's having a miscarriage. She is going to lose this baby, but you can save her."
The man's eyes went wide, and the woman began to sob loudly. Mazel didn't know how Ammon knew this, but she didn't question it. He had hundreds of scrolls around the house, and seemed interested in many subjects. Perhaps some of them were filled with medical knowledge. She didn't know, but he stood quickly. "There are hundreds more women calling out around the city, I fear they may be more woman like this right now."
Mazel climbed to her feet, and looked down at the woman sadly. There was nothing they could do. She knew nothing about this sort of stuff. And if there were many more women like this, then this was no doubt the work of some higher power. Not the work of a god, but rather another false one.
They slipped out, and the two began to explore and investigate the screams. Mazel's heart raced in her chest as she moved about the city. There were more and more screams. Every one that they investigated was the same story. A pregnant woman beginning to have a miscarriage. All of them were at different stages of pregnancy. Some weren't even showing yet. Some were ready to give birth at any moment.
It was at this point that Ammon began to panic a little. He began to insist that they had to get to the palace at that very moment. She didn't understand why. He was pretty upset, and when she questioned this, he let her know. "I know you claim you don't know who I really am, and that's fine, but I am related to the Pharaoh. His wife is eight months pregnant and is very ill. It's very probable that birthing this child will kill her."
Mazel hadn't expected him to be so honest about this answer, but she didn't question him anymore. They took off in the direction of the palace at the edge of the northern part of the city. They easily climbed over the walls into the garden. A few of the guards were surprised to see them, but they decided not to pursue when they noticed the intruders were the city guardians. The two heroes wasted no time and ran into the palace. Ammon knew the way, and easily lead Ladybug to the royal chamber where his aunt had been recovering.
Ammon threw open the door and found several doctors inside, as well as a few priests, the queen, and the very panicked Pharaoh. Mazel knew how unusual it was for any male to be in the birthing room, but she suspected that Pharaoh Tutankhamun wasn't exactly an average man and obviously deeply cared for his wife. Seeing how concerned the Pharaoh was, Mazel remembered hearing her master speak in a grave tone about the queen's chances of survival.
Pharaoh Tutankhamun was surprised to see the two in the doorway, but he quickly recovered and brushed past the doctors and the priests to meet them. He bowed low to the ground, making Mazel instantly feel even more uncomfortable with this situation than she already was. "Ladybug, Chat Noir, you have my thanks for coming. My prayers were answered!" He stated. He looked up at the two, smiling. "You are here to save my wife and child, bless it be to the gods!"
Before Mazel could explain to him that they didn't have the direct power, Ammon did. "Pharaoh, we have come to investigate. We fear that there could be another false god in the city. We heard of the queen's situation and wished to check on her."
The Pharaoh looked confused. "But surely Ladybug could do something about this?" he asked. "Ladybug creates miracles, and if we ever needed one, saving my queen would be the most worthy."
Mazel tried to cut in now. "I'm sorry, Pharaoh. I cannot heal the sick. I can fix damage that has been caused by the false gods. I am not capable of healing. If I could, I would."
"I don't understand. You're refusing to help me?" Pharaoh Tutankhamun stated. "I am the human incarnation the god Ra, why are you two not helping me?"
Ammon stepped up. "We do not have the power to heal people, but we will stop the false gods who have done this," Ammon explained to his uncle. "We are guardians of the city. We can fight, and that is it."
"How dare yo-" the Pharaoh was cut off by the sound of his wife calling out to him. The three looked over to the queen who was covered in sweat and looked like a mess. She called out to her husband again. He returned to her side and grasped her outstretched hand.
"Tutankhamun, please do not put blame in the wrong place," she begged of him. "These two have saved the city many times. They saved everyone when possible. You know that I am not fearful to leave this place. You shouldn't be either. Death is only the beginning."
He kissed his wife's hand, and held her hand in his tightly. She looked at the two and smiled. "Do not mind my husband. He simply doesn't wish to lose me. He thinks we should leave to the other realm together. I'm sure you two understand how he feels perfectly."
Mazel was thankful that half her face was covered in her red paint like a mask, because she felt a red heat cover her cheeks at the queen's comments. Clearly the people thought of them as a lot more than just partners. Mazel imagined priests and storytellers making up stories about how they believed the two married, and what gods were their parents or children. Mazel immediately wanted to nip this one in the bud, but she knew this wasn't the time or place. She and Ammon knew the truth, and she supposed that was all that really mattered.
"We will figure this out," Ammon stated. "The false god behind this will pay."
He motioned for Ladybug to follow him. That it was time for them to leave. She agreed. She followed him back out into the hallway, and he took off running. She ran after him as he began to head out into the garden. He looked angry, but not at her. The situation rather. Once they were out in the garden he looked around and began to sniff at the air.
"What is it? You sense something?" she asked.
He nodded. And he turned to look around. He was glaring around him. "It's here. Watching us."
She looked around, but she couldn't see as well in the darkness as he could. She couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but Ammon began to growl, just loud enough for Mazel to hear. "Come out you coward," she heard him say. "Face me before I force you out."
Ammon was glaring at a lump of soil nearby, covered in a local brush. He didn't stop, even as the lump of soil cracked open, and the brush broke free and fell over from the spoil. Rising out of the ground was a tall and thin male form. He looked every bit like a god. He wore the same beautiful jewellery, except for his headdress, and his head was covered in large tall feathers.
"Shu," Mazel whispered. The god of the wind and air. This didn't make sense to her. How was the god of wind and air causing miscarriages? Then she noticed what he was holding. Two tiny babies. One in each arm. They looked like dolls, but it seemed they were real. In his left hand was what looked like a normal baby, but dressed in the same way that all the male gods dressed. Fine cotton clothes, jewelry from the finest materials, but he wore a headband. He was the god of earth.
"Geb," Ammon stated.
The baby in Shu's right hand was dressed like a female goddess. Though instead of a headdress, there was a round clay pot on her head. Mazel couldn't believe her eyes. "Nut," she heard Ammon continue. She was the goddess of the sky and heaven. There were three gods. Though neither seemed to understand why Nut and Geb were baby like. It clearly had to do with the pregnant women.
Shu looked at them, though the babies eyes were closed and they remained still. It was Ammon who noticed how closely he held the babies together. "Oh no," she heard him mutter.
"W-what?" she asked. She was scared to know the answer, despite knowing that it was vital to them right now.
"Shu lives in the air to keep Geb and Nut apart. Though they exist, they cannot be kept together," he explained. "The closer they are held together, the less life can exist."
"The babies!" Mazel gasped. "Geb and Nut are making the women miscarry!"
"We got to get those babies as far away as possible from him," Ammon explained.
She nodded. She was thankful that he knew more about the stories than she did. She knew of the more commonly worshipped, but these three weren't as well known in this part of Egypt. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took her yo-yo off of her hip. He pulled out his sceptre and extended it. Shu frowned and then looked down at his son, Geb. The infant began to giggle, and the sound of a baby's laugher filled the air. At first, Mazel didn't understand, but then the ground began to shake. Her eyes went wide as she realized that they were experiencing an earthquake. The ground below Mazel's feet began to crack apart, and split. She nearly lost her balance, but shifted to one side of the crack and looked at Ammon who was just as stunned as her. Though he recovered quickly and brought his spectre up, beginning to spin it. He readied to attack, but suddenly he froze. Mazel's own eyes went wide as she realized that Shu's eyes were now glowing white. Another glance at Ammon made her realize that his face was turning pale, and slightly blue. Shu had sucked the air right out of Ammon's lungs.
Mazel quickly recovered from her shock over the earthquake, and she spun her yo-yo around, throwing it at Shu. It struck him directly on his head. His eyes turned back to brown, and he turned to glare at her. She was his target now. This gave Ammon time to recover as he was now on his knees now gasping for air.
She used her yo-yo again, and aimed for Shu's legs. It began to wrap around him, but the wind suddenly picked up and threw the yo-yo back at her. One glance showed Nut, whose tiny mouth was now open, was blowing out air, causing the strong wind. She wasn't sure what to do. This Akuma had more abilities than the others. She bit her lip nervously. How were they supposed to get close enough?
The wind picked up, and the sand began to mix in with the wind. This caused both Ammon and Mazel to protectively cover their eyes. Now they were blinded by the mini sandstorm. She stumbled as she almost fell into the open crack from Geb's earlier earthquake. She fell to her knees. She tried to look through the sand to the Akumas. She saw a faint outline of pink. It looked like it was the same shape as the Akuma butterflies. She didn't understand what she was seeing. The pink glow approached her, and as she fought to cover her eyes as she saw the glow get close enough to see Shu's face. It was covered by this butterfly shape. She didn't understand what it was, as she hadn't seen it before. She tried to understand what it was, but Shu quickly tried to use his hand to grab her choker. It was an awkward grab because he was holding a baby in each arm, so she was able to quickly pull away.
Shu finally spoke. "Hand over your miraculous and you will live."
"I will never hand it over," she hissed. She looked over to her partner, though she couldn't see him in the storm. "Whatever has caused you so much pain, I can help. Just please stop this."
He glared at her. The sandstorm eased away to nothing, but his eyes began to glow white again. This time he drew the oxygen out of her, choking her. She gasped, but there was nothing. She reached up around her neck and felt herself begin to panic. She looked over at Ammon, who was charging at the Akuma. He easily struck him with his sceptre and this brought the Shu's eyes back to brown.
Mazel began to take in air once again. She coughed and began to wheeze. Ammon stood by protectively as she began to catch her breath again. "He can…one power…time."
Ammon nodded, telling her that he understood what she had been trying to tell him through her wheezes. He could only use one power at a time. Shu glared at the two, and he began to bring the babies closer together. There was a loud scream from the palace, and Mazel looked at Ammon with worry. He looked furious. "You're going to pay for that."
Ammon charged at the Akuma with his staff in hand. Mazel knew that she had to take the chance to use her lucky charm. She knew that would help. She threw her yo-yo into the air and called out for a lucky charm. The charm fell into her hands. She tilted her head in surprise. It was a sistrum. She looked over at Chat Noir to see him fighting, trying to strike at Shu. Shu chuckled when he saw the sistrum. "What do you plan to do with that?"
Ammon struck him again. "Keep your eyes on me," Ammon demanded. He was angry, and didn't like the fact that his opponent was ignoring him. Ammon had a personal score to settle with this Akuma.
Shu glared and began to bring the babies together once again. Ammon cut in and took a swing at one of the infants. Shu leapt back. "Don't you dare! Never touch my children!"
The sandstorm started up again and both heroes were forced to cover their eyes. Still, Ammon was angry, clearly protective of his aunt and unborn cousin. "You can't be too concerned with your actions. You're killing the unborn of the city!"
Ammon's comment obviously bothered Shu. The sandstorm stopped, and Geb began to laugh once again. This triggered yet another earthquake, this one being stronger than the last. Buildings in the distance began to crumble and fall apart. Pieces of the palace began to break off. Ammon hissed while Shu laughed along with his son. "If I can't have my child, then no one will!"
Mazel's eyes went wide. That was it. One of the babies was dead. She turned to Ammon, whose expression read the same surprise as hers. Her heart raced. Could the Akuma be inside the dead baby? And if so, which one? She glanced down at the sistrum again. What was she supposed to do? Mazel shifted as another large crack appeared in the garden, splitting the ground open. As she shifted, the sistrum rattled. Mazel froze when she heard the sound of Geb giggle harder. Mazel glanced up, but she was surprised to find Baby Geb's eyes were opened now as he giggled. The other baby remained silent. She got an idea. "Chat, make him change his attacks!"
Ammon didn't understand, but he knew that Ladybug was extremely clever. Trusting her, he charged at the Akuma once again. Geb quickly stopped his giggles and Nut once again started up another sandstorm. Though the wind was howling, Mazel began to shake the sistrum. She began to move through the storm, heading in the direction of Shu. She continued to shake the sistrum. She heard Geb giggling as she moved towards the sound. No sound escaped from Nut. "Chat!" she called.
"It's Nut!" Ammon cried. "I know!"
"Stay away from my children!" Shu cried out.
She could barely see Ammon through the storm, but she somewhat make out his blurry form. He was following the sound of laughter through the sandstorm. She saw him freeze for a moment, but he held his staff up, and she saw him swing it. There was the sound of his staff hitting something, and then there was a thud. The sandstorm disappeared instantly.
What was left was Shu standing there, holding his still giggling son. His other arm now free of Nut. Ammon was still standing in his swinging position and looked down at the still form of Nut on the ground. It took Mazel a moment to notice the little black Akuma beginning to float away. There was silence, except for the sounds of Mazel capturing the black butterfly, purifying it, and releasing it.
She then used her miraculous cure, and everything in the city was fixed. All the damage, and the man was cured. This left a very young man, holding onto a now crying infant. The child looked much younger than its form as Geb. A new born. Barely a few hours old. On the ground nearby was the form of a dead baby.
Mazel walked towards the man. He was holding his son to his body, but looked at his dead daughter and was sobbing. Mazel knelt down by the baby and lifted the small, frail, body up. She held it and looked at the man with great sympathy. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said, barely above a whisper.
"M-my wife," he stated. "She died. I lost my daughter…I don't know if I can do this myself."
Mazel cradled the little body in her arms like it was a living child. She nodded. "I understand. I raised a child on my own when I was but a child myself. It's scary, but I know you can do it. That child will need his father more than ever."
The man nodded lightly. He knew that she was right. Ammon had shrunk his spectre and knelt down beside Mazel. He reached for the baby, and Mazel handed it over to him. He looked very sadly at the infant. He turned to the young man in front of him. The man looked was barely two years older than them. "I will get your daughter prepped properly for the afterlife."
"W-would you?" he gasped.
Ammon nodded. "Tomorrow, go to the temple. I will have someone help you collect your wife. They will be prepared together and they will leave for the afterlife together."
The man bowed now. "T-thank you Chat Noir! You both have my eternal thanks!"
Mazel smiled at Ammon. Though the situation was tragic in every sense of the word, his was going above and beyond. Ammon stood, still holding the infant's body. He turned to Mazel and passed her the little body. "Can you bring her to the priests in the temple? I will meet you there shortly. I must see the Pharaoh."
She nodded. "Of course."
Though her power was going to run out, she knew that she had to do this. This child had to be put to rest somehow. Even if she didn't believe in anything the Egyptians believed, she knew it helped the living cope with the loss. And with a loss such as this, she was sure that this was needed for that young man.
She turned away, and ran in the direction of the temple, holding on dearly to the precious bundle.
8 8 8
Ammon landed back into his aunt's chamber. He was expecting the worst, but he was wrong. He was thankful to every god he knew that he was wrong. Before him was his aunt, holding onto her baby, smiling as she looked down at the newborn. His eyes went wide as relief fell over him. They were both alright.
And standing by the bed was his uncle, smiling and full of pride. They looked up when they noticed him. Ammon moved past the doctors, guards and priests. He stopped by his aunt's bedside. She smiled at him. "Thank you."
At first he could only nod, but finally he spoke. "So you both came out of it safely?"
His uncle spoke up. "The doctor says that she is still at risk, but our son is safe."
Ammon was glad that at least the worst was over. At least the heir had been born, and was alright. It was all he had cared about. He nodded. "I'm very relieved to hear it."
His aunt, Queen Ankhesenmum smiled at him. He was surprised at how she smiled at him. Just like she did for him every time he visited her. His heart raced nervously, but right now, he didn't care. He was just relieved. He knelt down beside the bed and bowed. "Praise be to the future Pharaoh."
Ankhesenmum smiled at him, and nodded. He stood, and looked at his uncle. "Ladybug is waiting for me, I must go."
His uncle bowed to him, and so Ammon turned and ran out of the palace, and began to head towards the temple. He quickly landed nearby. He stared at the front of the temple, where he could see Ladybug talking to one of the priests. She had handed him over the bundle, and he was looking at the baby with a very saddened expression. Ladybug didn't look that happy either. He moved from his place, and moved out to meet Ladybug. Both the priest and Ladybug glanced over to him. The priest bowed quickly.
"He knows that the father will come tomorrow. They will send for a few men to help bring his wife here," Ladybug explained to him.
Ammon nodded and pulled out his change purse and handed it over to the priest. The priest took it but looked rather confuse but looked inside. The priest's eyes went wide as he saw the gold pieces. "I believe this will be enough for mummification, the Papyrus scroll and everything else the mother and child will need."
The priest nodded. "Y-yes, of course."
Ladybug looked at him with surprise, though he didn't look back at her, and just nodded at the priest. Ladybug's choker began to beep, warning her that she was about to turn back. She panicked. The priest seemed confused, but she turned away and ran off. Ammon was still very concerned because he knew that Ladybug had to have known who he was now because he admitted he was related to the Pharaoh. He watched as she ran around a corner, but he still wasn't going to let her get away that easily.
When she ran around the corner, he saw a flash of light. He ran and stopped just before the corner. He could hear voices. Two voices. One he knew as Ladybug's. The other, he didn't know. It was a high pitched voice, and seemed very friendly.
"Ladybug?" he asked from around the corner. Both gasped and he heard them shift and move. "I'm not peeking," he tried to assure. He could sense that his words didn't comfort. She seemed even more panicked now. "Ladybug, we need to talk about this. Just tell me, you're not ready to reveal yourself. Don't run. I'm your partner, do I not deserve that?"
There was silence for but a moment but then there was a very quiet answer. "…Yes." She sounded scared, exposed, and rather embarrassed. "And yes…"
"Then, that's enough," he stated. "That's all I wanted to know. You're my equal, no matter what."
He didn't hear her voice, but he could hear the other voice giving comforting words to the civilian form of Ladybug. He assumed that the voice was that of her Kwami. "Chat…?" Ladybug asked in a soft voice.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I need to get home. I have someone waiting for me," she stated. It was more like a question. Like she was asking him permission to go home. He nodded lightly but continued to stare at the corner, still not daring to actually look around it, despite how much he wanted too. "I understand. I'll leave now. Wait a few minutes and head home yourself. Be safe…okay?"
"Thank you, kitten," he heard her say.
He smiled and leaned against the wall, even if it was just for a moment. "Good night, Lady Goddess."
He then left, just as promised. This left Mazel around her corner. She peeked out with Tikki, watching him leave the scene, jumping onto a roof and then disappearing. She bit her bottom lip nervously, and turned to Tikki. Her heart was pounding in her chest like crazy. She thought for sure her identity would have been revealed to him. And then she had no idea what she would do. She knew he would hardly think of her as an equal if he knew the truth. The words Tikki had whispered to her echoed in her mind.
'He's just worried. He cares about you. No matter what you think, he will always care.'
She sighed and looked away as her words echoed in her mind for the millionth time. "Tikki, let's go home."
A/N: I toned this chapter down more than it was originally going to be. Too dark and I felt like it would have been too much. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and that it was worth the wait. I am sorry for it again. Thank you all again for taking the time to read this story.