Miraculous Devilman: Chapter 7
Disclaimer: We Do Not Own MLB or Devilman. Those belong to their respective owners. Also this fic contains some mature themes and mild language.
Chapter 7
(In Hawkmoth's Chambers)
The blue light glows in eminence throughout the dark dome. It's circular window lets in only enough light for the suited villain, his loyal second in command, and his demon all to see. Silene, who had been disguised as a human, unveils her true form of white feathers and yellow scales. She grins arrogantly at Hawkmoth, anticipating his speech.
"I sense two strong potential vessels." Hawkmoth spoke up, turning to Natalie with a sinister smile. "And I will be needing your help at this time, Mayura."
Natalie nodded. "Your wish is my command, Hawkmoth." She pulled out a peacock tail-shaped brooch from her pocket and clipped it to her suit. In a bright flash of indigo sparkles, Duusu, the peacock kwami appeared, it's scarlet red eyes peering around in curiosity.
"What is going on?" The peacock kwami questioned.
Natalie took off her glasses and responded with, "Duusu, spread my feathers!"
In another flash of indigo sparkles, Natalie's work suit is replaced with a dark purple, feathery dress. A fan made of blue feathers appeared in her hand, which she covered half of her face with, an azure-lipped smile curling up on her face. The peacock symbol appeared behind Natalie, now Mayura, as she stood tall holding the feather fan near her face, her transformation now complete.
"My, what a fine ally you have." Silene eyed the Miraculous, striding up to Hawkmoth next to Mayura.
"I take it you plan to use the ones Lila left vulnerable for your plan?"
"Indeed, your featherness." Hawkmoth replied with a grin. "Soon, the tides will be in our favor, and the miraculous will be mine."
(Insert Miraculous Ladybug theme music)
"In the daytime, we're Marinette, Adrien, and Akira,
Just normal teenagers with normal lives.
There is something about us no one knows yet,
Because we have a secret,"
"Miraculous and Devilman,
Fight till the end to stop Hawkmoth!
Miraculous and Devilman,
Together as one they'll save us all!
Miraculous Devilman!"
Miraculous Devilman
The sky had brightened with morning once again in the apartment Ryo shared with Akira and Miki. Ryo sat at his desk, trying to decipher more on the Miraculous Book. Akira was heating up breakfast for the three of them with a low-power devilbeam. Miki was tidying up the room, looking over at Akira's "cooking" with amusement.
"So you're telling me the 'guardian' you've been looking for was that old guy we ran into that one day?" Akira asked as he laid their breakfast on their table. Ryo nodded, "If I had to guess, that's how he recruited Ladybug and Chat Noir."
Miki sat at the table, "Oh, so it's like a test of character? That's really neat."
The three ate their breakfast and got ready to go for the day.
"We should drop by Marinette's later and see how she's doing." Miki told Akira on the way to school. "You should have told me you were going there yesterday." The Devilman scratched his head, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll tell you next time."
(At Francoise Dupont High School)
The situation at school seemed to have tension. The other students had overheard whispers about Alya and Marinette having a fallout.
"There's no way their friendship is over." Rose insisted. "Those two are inseparable. This must be a misunderstanding."
"I don't know, Alya seems pretty mad," Juleka remarked.
"Perhaps they just need time." Mylene suggested. "After all, Ivan and I have had our arguments, but we always made up afterwards."
Lila had taken her new place at Alya's side, and was trying to be more subtle in this next phase. This would require her being careful, so as to steer clear of any blame when things blew up further.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday, Alya. I didn't mean to barge in on you two…" Lila rubs her neck with a nervous face.
Alya shook her head. "It's okay. We were pretty much done anyway." she squeezed her fists. "It's still hard to grasp. She really had me fooled." Her glare returns. "And Nino now has to spill his secrets."
Lila looked around, genuinely confused. "Speaking of which, where is he? Class is starting?"
As if on cue, Madame Bustier walked into the room, a briefcase in one hand and a paper copy of Macbeth in the other.
"Alright class, everyone in your seats."
The students hurried to their seats as Madame Bustier checked her attendance list. "Today you will be assigned partners for your Macbeth projects." A small frown appeared on her face. "Hmm, it seems like we're missing Marinette again, as well as Adrien and Nino."
Just then, the classroom door opened, revealing a smiling Adrien, followed by a chill Nino.
"Bonjour, everyone." Adrien said with a wave.
Madame Bustier offered a kind smile. "Adrien. Good to have you back." she gestured to the seats the boys usually sat in. "Take your seats, please."
"Yes, Madame." The boys said simultaneously as they made their way to their seats. Akira scooted over to the corner of the table as Nino and Adrien sat down, with Nino now in the middle and Adrien on the left. Alya glared daggers at Nino from across the room, with Nino giving a confused shrug.
Madame Bustier cleared her throat. "Now, as I was saying, I will pair you up at random for your Macbeth projects and hand out rubrics afterwards." She pulled out a jar with several pieces of paper out of her briefcase and picked two out at random.
"Rose and Juleka."
The two girls smiled and hugged, happy to be paired together.
"Mylene and Ivan."
The couple nodded and put an arm around each other, satisfied with this pairing.
"Kim and Alex."
Kim gave her a cocky grin, while Alex rolled her eyes.
"Alya and Lila."
Alya simply gave Lila a nod, with Lila giving a bright smile.
Akira looked at her with disgust. He had finally recognized why his hairs raised when she was near. Her presence…it reminded him of Silene. The auras were too close to be coincidental, yet she still had her own soul. ('Hm, Lila's got to have some connection to Silene, but what?') He would have to investigate this later.
"Akira and Adrien."
To Adrien's confusion, he looked over at his friend and ally, giving a shrug and a smile. The Devilman returned with a wink and finger gun.
"Miki, you and Marinette will be partners when she returns." Madame Bustier clarified.
Miki nodded and pulled out her spiral notebook to take notes.
"Nino and Max."
Nino turned to look at the nerd, giving him a nod. Max replied with a thumbs up.
"Sabrina and Chloe."
Chloe gave Sabrina a knowing look, with Sabrina smiling in agreement.
With the pairs all assigned, Madame gave them their instructions and let them do what work they could before class was over.
(Lunchtime)
Eventually, it was lunchtime again, and the students all went to the courtyard. As Alya was making her way towards Nino, who was watching Kim and Akira do a plank contest, Miki and Lila walked over to her, with Miki gently stopping her by the shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?" Miki asked with concern.
Alya shook her head. "No. My boyfriend has been cheating on me, and I'm going to confront him about it."
Lila takes a step in front of her, taking an uneasy stance. "Now, Alya. We don't know that. Maybe you should think about this…" Lila moves up to Alya as if she will try and hold her back, but Alya pushes forward. Lila gives way all too easy, turning to Miki now.
"Alya, wait." Miki gently grips her friend's shoulder. "You don't if it's completely true. You shouldn't accuse him without knowing the truth first."
Alya shook her head firmly, removing Miki's hand from her shoulder. "He should have come clean to me when he had the chance. Now I'm gonna make him come clean." With that, Alya continues forward and pulls Nino around, making him face her.
"Eh? Oh hey Alya. What's up?" Nino greeted, oblivious to Alya's upset expression.
"We need to talk. Alone." She said, her hands on her hips.
Nino shrugged. "Sure."
Alya gave Miki and Lila a knowing look before pulling Nino away by the wrist. A sinister smile curled on Lila's face. The plan was working,
(In an empty classroom)
Alya dragged Nino inside and closed the door.
"So, what's this about?" Nino asked casually.
"Don't play dumb." Alya glared at him. "I know your secret."
"Huh?" Nino raised an eyebrow. "I really don't know what you're talking about, dudette."
"Don't "dudette" me!" Alya raised her voice, pointing a finger at him. "Lila told me all about how you have a crush on Marinette! If you're going to cheat on me, just say it to my face!"
"What!?" Nino put his hands up. "Alya, it's not like that-"
"Oh, spare me!" Alya crossed her arms, her eyebrows glaring. "You should have come clean to me from the start!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Jagged Stone CD that Nino gifted her. "We are over!" She shoved the CD back at Nino. "And take your dumb gift with you!" She stomped towards the door.
"Alya wait-!" Alya slammed the door shut behind her before Nino could stop her. He fell to his knees, gazing sadly at the CD in his hands.
(In Hawkmoth's Chambers)
The large, circular basement window opened, light pouring into the dark room as moths flew around.
"Ah, a breakup. So much negative emotion from a misunderstanding." Hawkmoth cupped a moth in his hands and transferred dark power into it, the moth turning dark purple. "Fly away, my little akuma, and akumatize this angry soul." The akuma flew out the window.
At the same time, Mayura silently cupped a feather in her palm and transferred sapphire blue energy into it. She gently blew it, the feather flying out the window and following the akuma towards it's vessel.
(Back at school)
Alya stomped towards the girls locker room, the door slamming shut with a bang as she made her way to her locker. As she rearranged her things in her locker, the akuma flew into the locker room and into Alya's glasses, her glasses turning black and the Hawkmoth symbol appearing over her face.
"Asundere, I am Hawkmoth. So your boyfriend was cheating you. How unfortunate. If you can't have a loving relationship, then no one else should. I'm giving you the power to separate couples and tear friendships apart. All I ask for in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses." Hawkmoth explained.
"My pleasure, Hawkmoth." Alya agreed. Dark purple engulfed her, transforming her to the dark side.
(In the empty classroom)
The feather phased into the classroom and towards Nino, inserting into the CD in Nino's hands. The CD turned black and the peacock mask symbol appeared over Nino's glaring face.
"Assembler, I am Mayura. You wonder why your girlfriend broke up with you without hearing you out. Well, no relationship shall ever separate. I'm giving you the power to bind people together. Friends will stick together, lovers will stay close. The only favor I ask for in return is to bring me the earrings of Ladybug and ring of Chat Noir. Do we have a deal?"
"It's a deal, Mayura," Nino accepted. Dark blue mist surrounded him, transforming him into a villain.
(Back on the courtyard)
Lila and Miki found themselves together on the second floor looking down at the others. Akira and Kim were out competing at something as had become usual. Miki spoke up as she and Lila sat down to begin eating.
"I think you might have pushed Alya too far. I don't know what you said to start this, but we should have waited before jumping to conclusions."
Lila gave a shrug. She seemed more loose than was common. "Alya always jumps to wild ideas. I was only raising a concern, what with everything going on, and Alya suddenly decides it's the worst case scenario." Miki gave her an odd look. She seemed to at least be telling a half-truth. "Then it would have been better to address both of them. Who knows what trouble they're getting into?" Miki gives a sternness, but maintains a friendly tone in her voice.
Lila is taken aback at this. She had only heard talk like this from Adrien, yet Miki here was…different somehow. "I…you make a good point. But now it's between those two. I've done enough already, if the worst comes to worst." Lila turns away from Miki, who doesn't relent.
Miki places a hand on Lila. "Lila, we can always make an effort to…"
A large crash is heard, and the two girls jump from their seats. Miki's eyes close with a deep sigh as screams can be heard.
('Wow, that was fast') she thinks.
Miki and Lila turn to the courtyard as students back away from the center, one side of the wall having a hole blown out of it.
A blue-skinned figure stood in front of the hole in the wall in a fighting stance. She wore a long, black and white dress with yellow frills along the edges. In the part of the dress where the chest is supposed to be, there was a red rip in the shape of an X. A gold belt tucked with various knives sat around her waist. A ripped, white veil covered her face, though it was clear enough to see her glowing amber eyes glaring through. Messy, navy blue hair stuck around her neck like seaweed. She carried a bouquet of red roses in one hand, and a black staff with a crystal orb on the top in the other hand. Her red high heels clanked loudly on the ground as she stared coldly at the frightened students. Her eyes fell on Juleka and Rose, who hugged each other tightly.
"Your affection towards each other makes me sick!" The villain pointed her staff at the two girls, the orb glowing a ghostly green light. "Separate!"
A shot of green magic hit the two girls, forcefully moving them around five feet apart. Both fell backwards, dumbfounded at the situation.
"Really?" Lila stared at this new akuma with an eye of confusion. ('This is what Hawkmoth is making out of my work?')
Miki tries to get closer to Lila, but is forced back like a magnet after struggling to make it within four feet of Lila.
"Well that's just swell," Miki grumbles.
The female figure laughed at the success of her powers. "I am Asundere, and before dusk, all couples and friendships will be no more!" She proceeded to toss the bouquet of roses in the air, the flowers ripping apart and falling down like a flower shower, raining the students with petals and thorns. As the flowers came down on them, an invisible force tears them all asunder. The students began to scream and panic as they ran into the school for cover. Just as Miki was getting up, Lila ran off in the opposite direction. At the same time, Akira had rushed over to her. To Miki's surprise, Akira was able to help her up.
"Didn't you..?"
"Yeah, I got pelted earlier. Knocked someone else over…" Akira's voice dragged.
Miki snapped her fingers, "So the power just separates you from a specific person, great, we know that much."
Another rumble is heard, and the two run for cover as a section of the building collapses. Out of the rubble walks an armored figure. A jet black tuxedo and bow tie can be seen under a large metal chest plate with metal shoulder pads. A silver helmet with a symbol of a wilted flower sat around the figure's head, covering all but the eyes, which glowed with a blue aura. Heavy, metal loafers clanged the ground, making the courtyard shake violently.
"You two!" The figure pulled a broadsword out of a pocket and pointed it at Kim and Max. "May only death do you part! Assemble!"
A beam of silverlight was shot at the two boys, binding their wrists to each other.
Kim and Max tried to pull away, but a force that felt like an electric shock made them stop, seeing as they were stuck together now whether they liked it or not.
"With this, no bond shall be broken. I will reap my payment, then have my reward!" With that, the armored figure leaped up and landed on the second floor, a few feet away from where Miki and Akira stood.
Akira and Miki walked backwards as this akuma-like villain approached them.
Akira stood between the armored villain and Miki, "Hey now, watch yourself. Nino, right?"
"Oh goodness, what happened?" Miki peers over from behind Akira.
"It's Assembler to you, fool!"
The two try to calm themselves down and approach Assembler.
"Okay, Ass-embler. What's your deal?" Akira gets a light elbow from Miki, who now pleads to the non-akuma. "Listen, Assembler, maybe we can sort this out. I understand what yo…"
The villain pulls out his sword and swipes at her, only for Akira to pull Miki out of range.
"Okay, that tears it!" Akira growls, and he rushes at Assembler, who only leaps back.
"Then you know why I can't let you stop me! Back, both of you!" Assembler fires a beam, and it's energy courses through Akira, then snags onto Miki, the two are smashed into each other and fall over as Assembler jumps away and out into the city.
What follows is a chaos rather uncommon as of late for the citizens. When the people saw two new akumas making their way across town, they first expected destruction and panicked. Asundere forces people apart, which leads to some mild chaos as cars screech to halt, their passengers kicked out respectively. As if that weren't enough, Assembler made his way in the opposite direction, bonding people together. Random citizens on their way to different jobs found themselves stuck to one another. Panic set in like wildfire as no one knew where to go, with some not even being able to go anywhere due to their new bondmates. It was now a rampage of destruction, but it was indeed a true form of pandemonium.
(Meanwhile at the Dupain-Cheng Residence)
Marinette stood on her balcony, cup of coffee in one hand and resting her other hand on the railing. Ticki floated beside her, eating a macaroon.
"You know, maybe I should get sick more often." Marinette said with a wink. "It gives me an excuse to cool off from everything."
Ticki giggled. "You are clearly better if you're making jokes like that." she added with a smile, "Though you do have a good point, Marinette. You should give yourself a break more often."
Suddenly, a loud crash can be heard, followed by a blaring car alarm. Marinette looked down at the streets below and to her shock, saw a couple cars crashed into each other, with the drivers now seemingly bound by the wrists.
"What the…?" as Marinette was taking in the situation, an armored figure landed on top of one of the crashed cars, laughing maniacally. "Now you will be together forever!" the villain announces.
"Looks like I spoke too soon." Ticki mumbled.
Marinette sighed. "Evil never rests, I guess. Ticki, Spots On!"
A pink aura surrounded Marinette as Ticki got sucked into Marinette's earrings. A red suit and mask with black polka dots appeared on her, red ribbons wrapped around her pigtails, and a yoyo with the same color scheme appeared around her waist. Marinette, now Ladybug, spun around, lifting her leg up high, and struck a pose, the ladybug symbol appearing behind her as her transformation was now complete.
(Meanwhile)
As this was all happening, Adrien and Kagami had been sitting together on a bench. Ryo stood a good distance off but still within sight. Adrien had learned to somewhat ignore Ryo as he did his "scouting", though to Kagami this was more of a relief. Kagami hated when Lila would be their "security". She would try to pass a "move" of some sort, only for Lila to come and interrupt them under the guise of "checking up." However, this time she did manage to place her hand on his as they sat on the bench.
"I'm glad we can meet up like this now. It seems our parents are giving us more time to spend, and…I like it." She said with a relaxed voice.
This caught Adrien off guard for a few reasons. He was still new to thinking of Kagami as a "girlfriend", and wasn't used to these kinds of words from her. What struck him the most was all the new things he began to notice about her. Kagami was always so serious at practice, and even at informal meetups. But since they had talked a bit more, she seemed to have loosened up a bit more whenever it was just the two of them. "I…like this too," Adrien replied with a light blush. "This is so much different than everything else that's been this past year. Everything felt so…still."
Kagami turned to him, a curious expression on her face. "That's a nice way of putting it."
The past year had been stale for the both of them. They were each locked into their own lives, feeling alone in being tied to their families' future. But now, they had someone who could truly understand them. Adrien decided he was liking this change, and decided to be a little bold out of the costume just a little. He leaned over to Kagami and gave her a peck on the cheek. They both quickly looked away, feeling flustered yet…happy.
Then, a surge of energy struck them both, yeeting them off the bench away from each other. Ryo ran towards them only to jump backwards, avoiding another blast from Asundere.
"There will be no more of this couple stuff!'' The akuma villainess rages at the two on the ground, who jump out of the way as she grounds-pounds where Adrien and Kagami had been. No sooner has Asundere stood up, then a loud shotgun blast strikes her in the chest, launching her backwards and into a nearby tree. Adrien and Kagami stare in shock at Ryo, who unloads the shells from his smoking gun with an arm motion and loads more bullets in.
"I can't kill you, but I can make you hurt." Ryo's eyes widen with excitement as he walks towards the downed akuma. Asundere fires a neon shot from her staff, the crystal orb glowing with a witchy green aura. Ryo gets hit by the blast, unable to move far since he's closer, and he finds himself tossed back with his shotgun opposite to him. Asundere sneers as Ryo stares distraughtly at the shotgun he can no longer use. Satisfied, she takes off to sow more chaos.
"We need to get out of here." Ryo turns back to Adrien and Kagami. "Kagami, I'll escort you back home. Adrien, you know where to go?" Ryo affords him a slight grin.
Adrien nodded. "Right." As he turns to go the opposite direction, Kagami stops him with a "Where are you going?"
Adrien turns back for a minute and says, "I have some...business to take care of with my father."
"How does that…" as Kagami protests, some more screams are heard.
Ryo takes her by the arm. "I'll get you back to your mother, Adrien has his own place." As Adrien runs off without looking back, she feels a strong disdain. Ultimately, she decides to follow Ryo with a huff.
Adrien ran and ducked in an alley, looking left and right to make sure there was nobody around.
Plagg flew out of Adrien's pocket with a sly grin. "She's gonna bust you out if you don't pull your act together."
Adrien rolled his eyes. "Not helping. Plagg, Claws Out!"
A green aura surrounds Adrien as Plagg is sucked into his ring. A black suit and mask appear on Adrien and a silver staff in hands. He slashed his claw-like hands before striking a pose, the black cat paw symbol appearing behind him, his transformation complete.
(Back at school)
Akira and Miki grumble a bit at their new situation. The two are bonded back to back and sitting on the floor. They try to stand each other up, but just stumble back down to their bottoms.
"Akira," Miki sighs in a very annoyed voice.
"Yeah?" The Devilman asks.
"Sometimes I really miss those demon spiders." Miki groans, which actually gets a chuckle from Akira.
Mullo appears from Miki's bag nearby and rubs his head, "Wow, this is just…well, let's get you both up." The mouse kwami now tries to direct Akira and Miki into standing up together. After a few attempts that result in them falling back down, they manage to stand by rising at the same time slowly.
"Seems we are quite literally in a bind for now." Miki remarked.
"Let's hope this doesn't keep us from transforming." Akira sighed.
"I mean, all the fanfare technically isn't necessary," Mullo offered, "I just need the verbal command to transform."
Miki gave a grin of confidence, "Alrighty then. Mullo, Get Squeaky!" In a surge of pink light, Mullo entered the pendant on Miki's neck, and Multi-Mouse was formed. However, she was still stuck to Akira.
"Okay, guess that's not too surprising. Let's rumble." Akira's wings sprout from his shoulder plates, and soon Akira grows and forms into Devilman. With his new size and strength, Miki finds herself hanging on Akira's back between his wings.
"Huh, well this isn't the worst…" The two try to look at each other, but cannot do so.
"Just fly us over there or something," Multi-Mouse shrugs.
Devilman nods and flies out into the city.
(Near the Eiffel Tower)
"Come back, you insolent insect!" the voice of Assembler bellowed. "I will seek your bondmate, if it's the last thing I do!"
Ladybug ran left and right, dodging the consistent shots of light being fired at her by this new villain.
"Nino, whatever this is about, we can work this out-" She is cut short as a different blast whizzes past her from the opposite direction. Ladybug paused and turned to see a female figure jumping towards her, holding a glowing staff in one hand.
"What do you think you're doing, being so close to that traitor!?" Asundere shouted.
"Alya?" Ladybug questioned. ("You have got to be kidding me!") she thought. Now she has to fight her ex-best friend and Alya's apparent ex-boyfriend.
"It's Asundere, Ladybug, and you are getting too close for comfort! Separate!" The villainess shot another blast of green light, to which Ladybug deflected with her yo-yo.
"Assemble!" She turned around quickly to block Assembler's shot, the two villains surrounding the spotted hero like vultures.
"Hey, save some room for me!" A familiar kitty boy called out as he jumped in between the villains and beside Ladybug.
"Perfect timing, Chaton," Ladybug remarked with a smile.
"Don't you mean "purrfect" timing, M'Lady?" He replied with a wink.
"Well well, aren't you two meant to be together!?" Assembler stated. "Let's make that a reality! Assemble!"
"Like a sickly duo like you two could ever work!" Asundere shot back. "Separate!"
The blasts of magic clashed, causing a big shockwave that blew the heroes a few feet away. As they got up, the two villains squared up and drew out their weapons.
"Come at me, you widowed Cox-Comb!" Assembler shouted.
"You best keep your distance, you flute-eyed buffoon!" Asundere shouted back.
Assembler dashed at her with his sword, to which Asundere blocked with her staff, another blast fire forcing the armored akuma back.
The duel was cut short as Devil-beams were fired upon both of the akumas.
The villains flew backwards from each other by the force of the beans. They turned to see Devilman and Multi-Mouse nearby, their backs still stuck together.
"No worries, partners. The cavalry's here!" Multi-Mouse declared as she swung her sword at Asundere, giving the heroes all some space.
"What ha…" Ladybug started, but jumped away as the two akumas fired two blasts, each now in a scramble. The heroes found themselves getting caught up in trying to keep the akumas away from the civilians while trying not to get hit themselves.
"Mouse-Multiply!" called Multi-Mouse, and a dozen copies of herself magically appeared. The copies were not bound to Devilman as the primary Miki was, so one of them eventually got closer to Ladybug.
"I take it you got stuck to him on the way here?" Ladybug asked.
"Hehe, yeah. We got caught by surprise and ended up back to back." The Mouse copy chuckled. "How about we split up and take them down separately?"
Chat Noir managed to join the two in the scramble. "Yeah, it's hard enough trying to fight them together. I'll go with Devilman and fight Assembler."
Ladybug nodded. "You go do that, the rest of the mice clones and I will deal with Asundere. Good luck." With a grin, Chat Noir vaulted away and joined up with Devilman.
The two teams now aimed their shots at their chosen villains. Not being too bright, that was enough to goad the akumas in separate directions. Ladybug and the Mouse-copies lead Asundere on a chase while Devilman and Chat Noir direct their fight with Assembler into a more open street.
(With Chat and Devilman)
More people ran away as Assembler fired at random, trying to get Devilman and Chat Noir off him. Chat Noir did his best to try and deflect the shots away from people, but Devilman only focused on the Akuma. Eventually, as Devilman grabbed him by the leg, he pulled the akuma behind him so Multi-Mouse could give him a firm kick in the gut. This knocked all the wind out of Assembler, and he fell to the ground.
"Not bad, Devilman," Multi-Mouse called as Devilman touched down on the ground. Chat Noir strolled on up to the fallen Assembler, having gotten the civilians out of harm's way. "I guess you really do have each other's backs."
The other two withheld a sigh, "You were waiting for that one, weren't you?" They said in unison.
Chat Noir chuckled with his while grin, "guilty." He then pulled back his right hand as Assembler was coming too, trying to get air back into his chest. "Cataclysm!" The power of destruction coursed through Chat's palm, and he swiped the Assembler's sword faster than the akuma could react. The possessed object fell to dust, a glowing feather emerging from the ash.
The Akuma was surrounded by a dark cloud and reverted back to Nino, on his knees with a confused look. Chat Noir grabbed the feather as it swayed downwards in the air towards him.
"Hm, it feels a little insulting that a feather gives us this much trouble," Devilman grumbled.
"Hey, why are we still stuck together?" Multi-mouse began flailing her arms around, still bound to Devilman. Chat Noir snapped his fingers. "Ladybug must still be fighting Asundere. Once she purifies the akuma, she should be able to revert that. Hey, the rest of you are helping her, right?"
Multi-Mouse gave a nod, relaxing her body to focus on the other battle she was acting in.
Nino sat on the ground, sighing as he could only rub his head.
"Well that just tops it all off, doesn't it?" Chat Noir sat beside him. "Hey, Nino, was it? What happened?" He tried his best to not give himself away, but Adrien was still concerned for his friend.
"It's just…my girlfriend dumped me all of a sudden." "Alya?" Chat Noir tilted his head, "Why?"
Nino looked up for a few moments, as if trying to remember. "I…I don't remember why. She went off about me cheating or something, but I didn't. Honest." He looked to Chat Noir, seeking recognition, which the hero gave with a nod. "Maybe she was just upset at everything, or something. Maybe I didn't act like I cared enough for her liking. She's…hard to keep up with sometimes. I hate to admit it, but I'm a lot slower than her in a lot of ways." Nino stopped himself there, shaking his head.
Devilman stood back, figuring he should give Chat Noir and his friend some privacy this time.
Chat Noir put a hand on Nino's shoulder. "You do love her, right?"
"Of course," Nino quickly responded, "I…I just don't know how I'm going to clear this up with her. I'm just…not sure what to do." Nino took off his cap and scratched his hair, as if trying to dig out an answer to his problem.
"Well, I'm not sure what you could do either, but asking a friend for help would be a good start." Chat Noir offered, to which Nino gave him a thankful look then a nod. "Thanks, all of you. And sorry for all of…this." Nino gestured his arms out.
"Just take care of what you can," Chat Noir gave him an encouraging thumbs up. Nino gave a thankful nod and ran off back to school.
"So what do we do with the feather?" Devilman asked. Chat Noir decided to experiment. He once again called on his power of destruction. "Cataclysm!" At first, nothing happened, but Chat Noir focused all of his will into the feather in his hand. He felt an intense strain on his mind and body, but then it happened. The power of destruction once again channeled through his body and into his hand. The feather was enveloped, and was reduced to atoms. Chat Noir panted, feeling tired. Then, his ring begins ringing rapidly. "Oh no!" His power is going down faster than usual.
"Get somewhere safe, buddy. We got this from here!" Devilman urges Chat Noir, who vaults away quickly over the rooftops.
(With Ladybug and Multi-Mouse)
Ladybug and a few Multi-Mice chased after Asundere, dodging and weaving past streetlamps and cars that the akumatized villainess tossed at them.
"Several vs one? Now that's unfair." Asunder taunted. "Let's even up the odds. Separate!"
A shot of neon magic flew past Ladybug, but managed to force a few Multi-Mouse clones away from the others.
"I think now would be a good time for you special power, Ladybug," One Multi-Mouse clone suggested.
"Agreed." Ladybug tossed her yo-yo in the air. "Lucky Charm!"
Bright pink and red sparkles surrounds the yo-yo, and
A pair of handcuffs fell in Ladybug's hands. "Handcuffs?" Ladybug scratched her head.
"Are you gonna bind Asundere with those?" The Multi Mouse clone asked.
Ladybug looked around. Her Ladybug vision spotted Asundere, the multi-mice clones, herself, and the handcuffs. She grinned as a plan formed in her mind.
"Not Asundere, but us." Ladybug proceeded to cuff one of her wrists.
The multi-mouse clone raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Just trust me." Ladybug assured as she cuffed the other end to Multi-Mouse's wrist. "Hey, Asundere!"
Asundere turned towards the spotted hero, glaring at the new profound handcuffs binding her and the mouse clone.
"No close proximity on my watch!" The akuma raised her staff. "Separate!" With another shot of neon magic, Ladybug and Multi-Mouse dodge the attack, jumping and landing in simultaneous formation.
"Make us, Bluehead!" Multi-Mouse challenged.
Ausundere's eyebrows flare in rage as she points her staff that the binded duo, a large ball of magic growing from her staff. "You will disconnect if it's the last thing I do!" She shot the large ball of magic, which whizzed past Ladybug and Multi-Mouse as they evaded the attack again, running together towards the raging villainess.
"Multi-Mice, surround Asundere!" Ladybug commanded.
"Aye aye, captain!" The remaining mouse clones gather around the blue villainess, overwhelming Asundere at how close she was surrounded. In that moment, Ladybug and Mutli-Mouse snuck behind her and at the same time, Multi-Mouse grabbed Asundere from behind and covered her eyes, making her stumble around blindly, which Ladybug uses the opportunity to snatch the staff from her hands and using her knee, break it into two, the akuma flying out.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug opened her yo-yo and swung it around. "De-evilise!"
The yo-yo snapped around the akuma, trapping it.
"Gotcha!" After a mere minute, Ladybug opened her yo-yo, releasing the now purified moth. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" The moth flies away.
A dark purple mist briefly sour rounds the akuma, and Alya reappears in its place.
"Yay, we did it!" The multi-mice clones cheer, jumping and high-fiving each other.
"Great job!" Ladybug smiled, holding out a fist bump.
"Back at you, captain." Multi-Mouse returned from he fist bump.
Alya held her head as she came back to her senses. "What happened? Where am I?"
As annoyed as Ladybug was with Alya at the moment, she had to stay professional as a hero. With that, she walked up to her and replied, "You were akumatized. Can you tell me what led to this?"
Alya bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. "I..broke up with Nino since I've been told he was cheating on me."
Multi-Mouse folded her arms. "Do you know for sure that he did?" She asks this in a polite manner, wanting her friend to realize her mistake without pressuring her. "I…" Alya rubbed her arms, a guilty look on her face. "No. I was really upset in that moment and called us off
before hearing him out."
With a small nod, Multi-Mouse put a hand on Alya's shoulder. "Communication is important. You should go talk to him and clear up any misunderstandings."
"And remember to listen carefully before jumping into conclusions." Ladybug added.
Alya nodded and offered a small smile. "I will. Thanks."
Just then, Ladybug heard her earrings beep, the familiar signal that it was time for her to go.
"That's my que," Ladybug said, turning to Multi-Mouse. "Can you take her back to school?"
Multi-Mouse nodded. "Sure thing."
"Oh, and before I forget," Ladybug tossed her yo-yo into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Red and pink sparkles swept all over Paris, reverting everything back to normal. Binded people were released from each other, separated couples could get close again, and all collateral damage was cleaned up.
"Bug out!" With a wave, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo to a nearby building and swung away.
Multi-Mouse turned to Alya. "Ready to go?"
Alya stood up and nodded. "Sure."
With that, Multi-Mouse picked her up and jumped away towards the direction of the school.
(Later, back at the school)
Miki had gotten Alya back to school before disappearing back into her base form with Akira, who had flown back there with the original Miki. The two had reverted back and walked up to here from a distance. At the same time, Ryo pulled up to the curb, dropping Adrien off with Lila behind him. Ryo pulled down his shades, staying in the car.
"Miki! There you are." Lila ran up to the Mouse hero, taking her hand. "I'm sorry I left you back there. I tried to go back but couldn't find you."
Miki smiles, but takes a stern voice. "Well I'm glad to see you alright. Now you can help clean up this mess we have here."
Lila gives a visible discomfort. It was the same feeling she felt when Adrien had spoken to her long ago about atoning. Adrien. She looked over to him with an unsure face.
The blond boy gave her an encouraging nod and grin. "Of course. It's only fair."
Lila relented. If she wanted to stay on good terms with Miki and Adrien, she'd need to keep herself on the high ground.
Nino ran up to the three of them, panting as he paused to catch his breath. "Hey..Adrien..I..need..your help." He said between breaths.
Adrien smiled. "Actually, we were just about to find you," he placed a supporting hand on his shoulder. "I've got your back."
Nino blinked in confusion. "Wait, how do you know what this is about?"
"A little birdie told me," Adrien replied, gesturing to Miki. "Now come on, let's get you back your girlfriend."
(In an empty classroom)
Alya paced back and forth around the classroom, wondering whether it was a good idea to talk to Nino right now. Surely he was angry with her for doing him without hearing him out first, which she deserved.
"I can't believe how stupid I am," Alya slapped her forehead. " He's never done anything unfaithful from what I recall, yet I impulsively dumped him." She sighed.
Just then, the classroom door opened, and Nino stepped inside.
Alya bit her lip. How does she proceed with this?
"Hey." Nino greeted her.
"Hey." Alya replied back.
A moment of silence fell between them.
"I'm sorry-"
"I can explain-"
They both stopped again and looked at each other.
"No, you go first." Alya said.
"Okay." Nino cleared his throat. "Look, I don't know who told you or what led you to believe that I was cheating on you, but I swear that I didn't and never will do that to you. I care about you a lot Alya, and I will do what I can to be the best boyfriend I can be." He paused for a minute, then added. "Yes, I did have a crush on Marinette, but that was before I met you." He smiled slightly as he continued, "It was Adrien's attempt at helping me get with Marinette that led me to you," he cautiously stepped towards her. "And I'm glad that happened, or I wouldn't have gotten to know the coolest gal ever."
Alya couldn't help but laugh a little. There he was, the Nino that always knew how to make a situation better. She couldn't express in words how grateful she was towards him.
"I must admit, if it weren't for Marinette, I wouldn't have met you either," Alya smiled with a scratch to her head. "Guess we both owe it to our friends for us."
Nino chuckled. "Guess we do."
Alya looked at Nino in the eye and with a sincere tone, said, "Nino, I'm really sorry."
Nino placed a hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you, dudette. Can you forgive me?"
Alya rolled her eyes with a smile. "Of course."
With that, the two embraced in a hug, the misunderstanding cleared up.
From outside the classroom, Adrien and Miki exchanged high-fives. Mission accomplished.
Lila got pulled in with Adrien and Miki, who went into the room to congratulate the couple.
Miki nudged Lila forward, and the two stepped up.
"What's up?" Nino tilted his head.
Lila scratched the back of her head. "Well, this was partially my fault. I guess I didn't know the whole story myself, and worried a bit more than I should have about what might be happening. I'm sorry for getting you worried, Alya. And I'm sorry for getting you both…well, akumatized." Lila hung her head, feigning regret. Miki looked at Alya and Nino.
Alya folded her arms. "I suppose you were just trying to look out for me," she exhaled. "I forgive you."
Nino seemed more reluctant, shifting uncomfortably as he contemplated the situation.
"I can't say I like that you tried to imply I wasn't faithful to Alya," Nino started.
Lila hung her head in shame.
"But, things work out in the end, so I'll let it slide," he concluded. "This time."
Lila put up her hands, waving them defensively. "Again, really sorry, but I wasn't trying to imply anything about you." Miki turned to Lila with a raised eyebrow. "I was only trying to say that Marinette might end up trying something…taking advantage of an opportunity since Adrien is…" Lila stammers a bit before Miki pulls her into a noogie. "I think you're worrying to much. Ease off a bit, eh, Lila?" Lila yelps a bit, trying to get out of her friend's vice, but Miki is far stronger than her. "I'm sorry! Really!" Miki lets Lila go, and makes her way out. "Well, have a nice day. I gotta go take Marinette her homework."
(At the Dupain-Cheng residence)
Ladybug jumped and landed onto the balcony, taking a minute to catch her breath. It has been one chaotic fight. Granted, all their fights have been chaotic lately, but having to fight both Alya and Nino after everything that has transpired recently made things more difficult.
Well, enough lingering. Now a school project to do.
Ladybug climbed down to her bedroom.
"Spots off!" She detransformed in a swirl of red and pink sparkles, and Ticki reappeared.
"I hope Alya and Nino can make up after clearing up the misunderstanding." Ticki said with concern in her voice.
Marinette folded her arms. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. She huffed. "After all, they believe Lila over their ex-best friend."
"They will come around, Marinette." Ticki reassured her. "Time heals everything. Eventually."
Marinette couldn't help but smile at her kwami. "I hope you're right."
She turned towards her bed and froze. There, sitting on the bed, was Miki, a notebook in her lap and a shocked expression on her face.
"Miki!?" Marinette exclaimed, panic beginning to rise in her throat. "I..I promise I can explain…"
Miki's surprise was soon replaced with a sigh. "Well, didn't think I'd see this today…" she looks to her side with a sly grin, "Mullo?"
Marinette stares dumbfounded as the mouse kwami appears behind Miki, landing gently on her head.
"Mullo!?" Ticki's eyes widened in surprise.
"Good to see you, Ticki." Mullo flies over excitedly. "It's been too long."
"It sure has." Ticki hugged her kwami friend. "Still polite as ever I see." She offered a small smirk. "Plagg could certainly learn something from you."
"I just saw him a few days ago, his master go…" Mullo stops, clearing their throat. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're trying to keep that a secret."
"So, you're the new mouse wielder." Marinette realized as she recovered from her shock. "Master really did choose well."
Miki got up and punched her fists with a chuckle, "Thanks, and now I have a good reason to train with Akira. Say, I don't suppose Akira knows about...this?" Miki gestures in Marinette's direction.
Marinette nodded. "He figured me out. He stopped by my balcony a few days back and we negotiated an alliance." She then frowned. "Do you know…that he's Devilman?" She leaned into it carefully, for she knew Akira was probably gonna be pissed for breaking her promise.
Miki scratched her head. "Yeah, that was...a big thing. Remember when I drained myself trying to keep the suit on? I'm lucky he stuck around." She looks out the window with a soft smile, "You know, I'm glad that Akira and I know about each other now. I don't have to worry as much about where he runs off to, and he seems...able to relax a little now." Miki's face flushes a bit, "That was a big moment for the both of us, but now I think we're even closer."
"That's…good to know." Marinette replied in relief. "He was really worried about you finding out, and for good reason I see, so hopefully he won't be too mad about…all this." She sighed with a hand to her forehead. "What a day. First Alya dumping Nino over a misunderstanding, then having to fight them simultaneously, and now this…" she offered a tired smile. "At least I can do the project with someone I don't have issues with."
With that, Miki took out her backpack and pulled out some materials. "Well, we got Alya and Nino back together. I had Lila apologize to them and explain what was happening." She takes a seat on a nearby chair.
Marinette frowned. "Really?" She folded her arms. "Lila isn't the apologizing type."
"What can I say? I was insistent, and so was Adrien." Miki chuckled, "nothing a good noogie won't solve."
Marinette sighed. "I guess." She pulled a spare chair and sat down near Miki. She looked over to the kwamis and added, "Help yourself to anything downstairs. Just don't let my parents see you."
Ticki nodded. "Will do, Marinette." She gestured Mullo to follow and the kwamis phased through the floor.
"So, I'm gonna assume Ryo knows as well?" Marinette said questioningly.
Miki laughs, "As if you need to ask."
Marinette put a finger to her chin. "Anyone else know?"
"Not Chat Noir," Miki answers smugly.
Marinette nodded. "Good. Let's keep it that way." She proceeds to grab her copy of Macbeth and a pencil. "So, where were we?"
End of Chapter 7
Author's Notes:
Dancecat25: Bonjour, beautiful readers. Quite the assembling and separating in this chapter, am I right? I admit, writing Alya and Nino as polar opposite villains was fun. Sure opened a lot of "I've got your back" joke opportunities. Hope you enjoyed Alya and Nino clearing the misunderstanding and getting back together, as well as the reveal between Marinette/Ladybug and Miki/Multi-Mouse.
Aladar Caval: Yo there, buckos. Hope you liked our return to form. This took a little longer than expected, but hey. School has started back up, so it takes a little more fuel to get this machine going. I'm glad to have another installment out for you all.
Dancecat25: I can feel some of you Adrienette fans with your knives ready, but I swear Marinette will get the happiness that she deserves. As a matter of fact, a certain blue-headed musician will drop by soon in Marinette's support, if you catch my drift:). Until then, Bug Out!
Aladar Caval: hehe, you heard it here. Soon we'll have a "better option" in the fray. (Blue gang rules) and of course I have a few Silene plans in the works, as well as some Ryo investigations. If you have something to say, leave a comment. We like reading those. 'Til all are one!"