previously: kagami admitted to trusting luka, mari learned there's another necromancer, luka confessed that the previous hero was a girl, and chloé appeared.

it took over 50k but adrien is coming... next week. for now, enjoy chloé being a nuisance and kidnapping mari in the middle of the night. don't sleep in a room with strangers, kids.

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Chat Noir © Thomas Astruc

There was a lot of staring.

Marinette shifted on her feet, not meeting Chloé's gaze.

Luka looked so happy standing there, proud that they'd made it that far and had essentially found a shortcut that could cut months off of their travelling. And yet, the dynamic that the three of them had had was built on how long they'd spent together and all that was left on their long journey.

Before she'd come to terms with the fact that she'd be before the Demon King in what could've been a few hours, she was in front of his superior.

Chloé didn't have a wrinkle to her skin, of course. It was hard to come to terms that demons wouldn't show their age through their appearances unless they were young.

Her skin had a light tan to it, clad in a loose dress completed with jewellery around her forearms, and her braided hair rivalled that of Alya's for how intricate it looked. There was nothing common about her appearance—she'd stand out on the streets compared to everyone from how lightly she was dressed regardless of quality.

Chloé squinted, not saying anything.

Marinette was reassured when Kagami came to stand beside her silently, almost touching shoulders.

Chloé eyed the sword on Kagami's hip. "You planning to use that?"

Wisely, Kagami didn't say anything.

Luka stepped in front of her, obstructing them from view. "They're safe. Do you think I would have brought them otherwise?"

Chloé snorted. "Is this the one you put on the collar for?"

"That—"

"Yes or no, Luka," Chloé interrupted, leaning her body to the side to peer around him. "Did you poach one of the king's men while you were at it? Admirable."

"This is Mari," he said, stepping aside to gesture to her. "And her knight, Kagami. The king has labelled them as traitors."

Marinette nodded in acknowledgement before looking anywhere else.

She imagined that Kagami's response was much the same.

Chloé hummed, a drawn-out sound that only made her feel more on edge. "She's the one."

Luka didn't hesitate to reply, "Yes."

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

"Funny," Chloé said, looking at her with a smile that seemed borderline predatory. "I thought your hair would've been black."

And before anything could be said in return to that, an employee came and politely asked them to return to their seats. Chloé smiled, watching them leave and waved by moving her fingers only.

Marinette wasn't sure what her expression was in return.

It was enough for Luka to ask her, "Are you okay?"

"I—I'm fine," she stuttered out, feeling anything but. "Overwhelmed, I think."

Kagami was the one to touch her shoulder to prevent her from stumbling into the door.

She couldn't concentrate on the show.

The lights on the stage were either on or off; there were no fancy spotlights, no fog machine when it was a dramatic scene, though the live band that was visible made it impressive compared to what she'd imagined it could be.

She continued to overestimate how underdeveloped everything would be without properly factoring in what could be accomplished with, or without, magic.

The show was short enough that it didn't have an intermission.

Her bangs were sticking to her damp forehead.

"Mari," Luka said, offering his hand to help her up from her seat when everyone else was already standing. "Are you ready?"

The words caught in her throat.

What could she say?

There was no way that she was ready for it. When Luka had proposed going to see his leader, it seemed like a good idea to agree to it. The offer of protection seemed sincere compared to the king's attempt at keeping her and her friends a secret until they could be his chance at winning the war.

The brief fight she'd seen between Luka and multiple of the king's men had shown that the humans were not a threat to them; that they could be defeated in a matter of moments without Luka having to get himself bloody in the process.

If the Demon King had wanted, all of the countries would've been overrun in no time.

Kagami reminded, "We can go somewhere else."

"Where would we even go?" she muttered.

"Something is bothering you," Luka remarked, stating the obvious. "Do not feel pressured to continue with this offer. I am fine to travel from normal means to make it to the north."

She rubbed a hand over her face. "I don't—this is just really sudden. I'm..."

"Thinking?" a voice suggested.

Marinette stiffened.

"I wondered where you three were," Chloé mused, making her presence known as she stood at the end of the aisle, looking as put together as she did before. "You're not going to run off without telling me again, are you, Luka?"

The other guests had filtered out and left the auditorium.

"No," Luka responded obediently. "I don't think Mari is quite up to travel yet."

"That's fine," Chloé replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I can wait until she's prepared."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Kagami stayed quiet.

It seemed that when the demon in front of them wasn't Luka, Kagami didn't speak her mind. There was no threatening with her sword, though her stance was stiff.

"Adrien's worried about you," Chloé said, meeting her gaze for a moment before looking at him. "You missed check-in three months ago. He wanted to send someone else into the castle at first."

Luka scratched his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"And you're talking differently," she mused, leaning forward so her hair fell over her shoulder. "Time with a mage has been good for you, apparently. Adrien will be thrilled that you've loosened up."

Marinette had no choice but to stand there awkwardly.

"Have you told him I'm here?" he asked.

"I haven't returned yet," Chloé replied, straightening up and brushing her hair behind her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

Luka sighed. "Chloé—"

"You missed check-in," Chloé repeated sternly. "You think I want that mark on my record? Follow my orders properly in the future or I'll kill you myself."

Luka's laugh was forced. "Kill me? That is... extreme."

"So is disobeying me," Chloé said, narrowing her eyes. "Follow me, you three."

-x-

It turned out that saying that she wasn't ready to travel meant staying within Chloé's sight for the foreseeable future. The majority of their belongings had been shrunk with Kagami's idea to separate them per bag depending on what they were when neither of them could remember which colours indicated which.

They were travelling light with her magic.

Chloé had been unimpressed when she'd demanded to know where their supplies were.

Marinette avoided her gaze as Luka proudly told her about the new magic that she'd made with her friends.

It was troubling that Kagami was so quiet.

She wasn't saying a word; her mannerisms were as blunt as ever, such as swiping items from Luka's hands and doing the task instead, but there was the missing charm of her pointed comments in her bored tone of voice.

Marinette had tried to talk to her quietly, but Kagami had shook her head, cutting her off.

She wasn't going to push her.

Rather than sit beside Luka, Marinette made at effort to be beside Kagami. Chloé dragged them to a restaurant in town—also powered by magic and cared for—and the majority of the conversation was between the two demons.

It was when it was evening that it became awkward.

Luka refused to leave them, while Chloé was against letting him out of sight again.

"I got told off because of you!" Chloé exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Just—sleep in my fucking room. I'm not being demoted because I lost you again."

And when that argument continued on until she started yawning, Marinette intervened by touching Luka's shoulder and standing on her toes to whisper, "It's okay, we won't go anywhere."

He looked torn between believing her or not.

"Where would we even go?" she added on for good measure. "I barely know where I am, dude."

The double bed in the room wouldn't fit more than two of them. Luka and Kagami wouldn't sleep at the same time, and Chloé was making it obvious that she wasn't leaving him. The result was Marinette stiffly in bed beside Kagami while the two demons were on the other side of the room, conversing quietly.

She couldn't sleep.

When she heard footsteps, she wasn't surprised when her arm was grasped. And by the time she'd opened her eyes, she was somewhere entirely different.

It wasn't her own doing that time.

"In my pyjamas?" she complained, looking down at her bare feet.

Chloé demanded, "Why is your hair that ridiculous colour?"

"It's cute," Marinette defended, touching a strand from where it was straight and hanging down her back. "And it looks nice when I dress up."

"Dress up," Chloé repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Obviously not now," she muttered, her nervous heartbeat audible in her head. "Or, like, ever here. I haven't been given any make-up."

"Tell Luka to buy you some," Chloé said, tilting her head with a frown. "How old are you?"

Her smile was shaky. "Twenty!"

"Twenty," Chloé repeated, taking a step forward and hovering her hand on top of Marinette's head before moving it to her chest, comparing their heights. "Are you sure?"

And instead of answering that, Marinette inspected the room. The walls were a mixture of wooden panels at the bottom and a nice-looking wallpaper, the floor the same type of wood, and the furniture appeared to be high-quality. The bed was better than where they'd been staying.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"My room."

"Oh." Her breath caught in her throat. "Why am I here first?"

Chloé shrugged. "I can only take one at a time."

"...And you're getting the others when?" she questioned.

"Soon," was the response to that. "Luka knows the plan. I need to recharge first, anyway."

She didn't know enough about teleportation magic to argue with that. Marinette awkwardly stayed on the spot, feet feeling cold from the wooden floor, before Chloé scowled and gestured for her to sit down on a plush armchair.

It was soft.

Chloé looked at her strangely. "Are you not scared?"

She made a peace sign. "Luka promised to get me resurrected."

Chloé crossed her arms. "What else has he told you?"

"A few things," she vaguely replied.

Chloé stared.

It wasn't as intimidating as Kagami's had been.

Marinette shifted in her seat, getting comfortable and putting her feet under her to try and warm up. She hadn't been able to grab her cloak when she'd been abducted from bed.

"I thought you were going to wait until I'm ready," she mused, resting her elbow on the arm and her cheek in her palm. "Because this is kidnapping. I've experienced it before, you know. I'm a veteran at it by now."

Chloé narrowed her eyes. "Mari, was it?"

"That's me, Mari," she confirmed.

"You look familiar."

"That's racist," she blurted.

Chloé blinked. "What?"

"A lot of people look alike!" she exclaimed, perhaps a tad too loud when her voice echoed in the room. "It's offensive to assume I'm another person."

That response made Chloé snort. "All right, calm the fuck down. If you start shouting, someone will come and see what's going on."

"...I know you said this is your room, but where is that?" she questioned, unable to peer out of the windows when it was dark outside. "Are we all the way up north?"

"You'll meet our leader tomorrow," was the only answer to that.

Marinette shivered. "And Kagami will be here?"

"She'll be allowed with you, yes," Chloé confirmed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "For now, I'm going to ask you some questions."

"Right, an interview," she mused, putting her hands under her thighs. "If I pass, will I be allowed to stay here? Or what? What's the incentive for me to not lie?"

Chloé's smile showed her teeth. "Keeping your head?"

"I'm pretty good at shields," she boasted.

"Want to find out?"

"Maybe another time," she remarked. "I don't even have shoes. How do you expect that to be a fair fight?"

Chloé rolled her eyes. "You left your precious balls behind."

"Balls that you can't make," she smugly pointed out. "How does it feel to be inferior to a human? I bet you regret being racist to me now."

"I was never racist to you, you brat," Chloé retorted. "And don't think I'll hold back from hitting you forever. You're annoying already."

"Oh, I am?" she asked. "That's good to know."

Chloé clicked her tongue. "Tell me more about your power."

"I thought you were asking questions, not demands," she quipped.

"You're awfully comfortable for a prisoner," came Chloé's clipped response.

Marinette smiled. "My confidence has soared since I realised I can kill people in an instant."

"I can make shields like you," Chloé pointed out.

She tilted her head. "Yeah, but can that block death?"

"You are the one with necromancy, then," Chloé said, looking awfully smug as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Has Luka been helping you?"

She pursed her lips.

"I'm the second-in-command here."

"Yeah, I need some evidence before I believe that," Marinette replied, fiddling with the hairband around her wrist. "For all I know, you could be a fraud."

Chloé raised her eyebrows. "You trust Luka."

"Luka earned it," she countered. "I don't even know you."

"We were introduced some hours ago," Chloé answered, placing a hand over her heart with a wide smile. "I'm your trusted friend's superior. Isn't that enough?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Well," Chloé started, standing up and smoothing out her clothes. "In that case, I'll leave you to rot in here until tomorrow."

She waved.

Chloé looked pissed off at her lack of reaction, stomping out and slamming the door shut.

Marinette didn't try and open it.

-x-

Kagami was at her side when she woke up.

"When did you get here?" she questioned, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to be more alert.

"An hour or so," Kagami answered. "I have been told breakfast will be served with their leader."

"Shit," she muttered, turning her head and pressing it into the pillow. "I'm going to suffocate myself. Bye."

Kagami reached out and gripped her hair, pulling her back. "I will die without you."

"Bit too soon to announce your undying love for me, but okay," she quipped, wincing at the sudden pain in her scalp. And as she sat up, the duvet pooling by her lap, Marinette was reminded again that she'd been abducted in her pyjamas. "I'll be your shield or whatever."

The response to that was, "I can't protect you if I am dead."

"Well, yeah," Marinette agreed. "But it's weird seeing you so quiet."

"It is wise to appear meek at first," Kagami replied. "Luka has assured our safety, so there is no need to impress them."

"That doesn't help my sweaty palms, but okay," she said.

"There is a bathroom."

"Sweet!" she cheered, hopping to her feet. "You joining me or nah?"

Kagami shook her head. "I bathed before coming here."

Marinette saluted. "Guard my naked body well."

"You have no modesty to hide," Kagami said with a sigh.

She pretended to shoot her and winked. "You're the only one that's allowed to see that."

"Luka has."

"Luka thought I died because I stubbed my toe in the stream," she pointed out. "And he's denying that ever happened, so you're clearly imagining it."

Kagami rolled her eyes.

It was much better than when she was quiet.

After, Marinette made the decision to wear the dress that Luka had gotten her. She tied one of the ribbons around her high ponytail, a nervous feeling in her stomach becoming more apparent as the sun started to shine through the window.

Looking outside proved that they weren't in a castle; rather, it was a large home that was surrounded by a forest, snow covering the plants and road that led downhill into what appeared to be a dense town. It wasn't the view from afar like back at the castle, where everything had been out of reach and unable to be seen.

It was cold, though.

She happily put her boots and cloak on, feeling more put together when fully dressed.

Kagami reminded her, "We can leave."

"And march out there in the snow?" she questioned, gesturing to the window. "If it comes to it, I'm sure Luka can get Chloé to teleport us—or I can do it and see where the fuck we land."

Kagami breathed out loudly. "Let's not do that."

"Spoilsport," she muttered.

The knock on the door was Luka.

He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "You don't have to do this."

She almost laughed. "You two really think that I want to be anywhere but here, don't you?"

"You look like you're going to vomit," he replied.

"I might," she agreed, patting her stomach. "Unless you give me something good to eat. You can vouch for the food, right? Because I forgot to stock up our food supplies yesterday."

"The food is good," Luka confirmed.

She clenched a fist in victory.

Kagami scolded, "Don't think with your stomach."

"I'll focus on the food instead of my breakdown, okay," she replied, checking her ponytail was okay. "Time to march me to my death, right?"

Luka snorted. "You're not dying."

"I'll leave that up to you," she told him, patting his shoulder.

And as Luka led them through a hallway and down the stairs, she didn't see anyone else. The walls didn't have portraits, the woodwork of the banister had subtle patterns, and everything seemed to be in good condition.

Although she thought it lacked the personal touches, Nathaniel's painting of his rabbit had been the only one she'd seen in the castle.

She wondered whether he'd made any more.

And the fact that it had been over three months since she'd seen her friends made her mood sour. She wondered what they'd been told about her disappearance—and whether the princess had felt guilty that it had been partially her fault.

Marinette was reminded that no one had informed her that she'd be mistaken for a demon.

"This isn't all that grand," she remarked.

"It's a home," Luka replied, a bit amused. "Not a base of royalty that requires servants."

She questioned, "No? You telling me Mister Demon King goes around cleaning all the cobwebs?"

Luka laughed. "Of course not. He hires people to do it for him."

They stopped before two large doors with handles in the middle. The design on the wood was intricate, matching the banister of the stairs that they'd walked down, and there seemed to be a running theme throughout the home.

"Who will be in there?" Kagami asked.

Luka ran a hand through his hair. "It should be... him and Chloé."

"Right," Marinette murmured, fiddling with her cloak. "I—yes. Okay. I should thank her for letting me use her bedroom anyway."

"Last chance to run," Luka reminded her.

"I'm fine," she told him.

He didn't look convinced.

A voice told them to come in after Luka knocked twice.

Marinette was the last to enter the room.

Her palms felt sweaty.

It wasn't the grand long table that she'd sat with her friends before; it had six seats on either side with no one at the head or end, adorned with mats, cutlery, and empty glasses spread out for each person.

For the three of them, there were four places to choose from. Chloé and her leader were sat on different sides, surely to separate them.

Marinette took her cloak off as she approached, placing it on the back of the chair before she sat down and turned to face the man.

He was deceivingly young-faced and dressed in simple clothing that wasn't covered in jewellery to indicate his status. There was nothing about him that screamed he was labelled as the most evil demon in the world.

"You don't have wrinkles," was her greeting.

There was silence.

Then, he laughed.

Luka and Kagami hadn't sat down yet. Marinette didn't check over her shoulder to see if they were standing there and looking at her in disbelief from her behaviour.

The man's voice was quiet as he said, "It is you."