Nathalie was busy in her bedroom. Since she had to limit her physical activity, she decided to work on figuring out what certain words were references to on the decoded pages.
"Let's see, where are those pages on transformations again? Oh, here they are." She picked up the page for the fire transformation. It had been translated again, not she just had to figure out what the words meant.
"Okay, let's see. A blazing fire, which rises from the ground. The remains of liquid fire from the earth. The essence of the soothing green spice. Lastly, a tear of joy to bind it all together."
Nathalie contemplated what objects would fit the ingredients. She was pretty sure the remains of liquid fire meant obsidian. Lava was molten earth that burned and transformed into obsidian.
The only spice that soothed a person's pain from a burn was aloe vera. She wasn't sure if that meant the sap of the plant or the oils on the leaves. It would be best to test both items to see which one worked.
"What could the first ingredient mean? There are a lot of plants that bloom after being burnt by fire. There are even plants with fire in their name. How do I know which is the right one?" she asked herself.
"Also, what is a tear of joy supposed to mean? Is a tear referring to a nickname for something? What items could bring joy to a person?" She needed to figure this out.
Gabriel needed these transformations if he was going to defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir. The Miraculouses wouldn't burn if they were in a fire after all. The heroes would value their lives over the Miraculouses so they wouldn't be burned to death.
"Flooding the city or turning it into a giant ice rink were natural disasters that failed. Trying to get them to the edge of space so they would lose consciousness hadn't worked. There are still lots of natural disasters Gabriel can throw at them."
"Nothing has stopped him from reaching his goals before. It's only a matter of time until those teenagers become dirt under his shoes."
She started coughing slightly. She reached for a glass of water and was surprised by Duusu handing it to you. "Duusu? What are you doing away from Gabriel?"
"Your employer is currently having a video conference with the managers of his store in Shanghai. He permitted me to come to see you," Duusu explained to her.
The kwami looked down at the page and notebook sitting on the woman's lap. Duusu felt exasperated with her other wielder. "You're supposed to be taking it easy."
"I am," Nathalie insisted. She hadn't moved at all from her bed and the heaviest thing she had picked up was a pen.
Duusu reminded her that her straining her brain could be considered exerting herself too. "I'm the Kwami of Healing, remember? I know what I'm talking about."
Nathalie ignored the peafowl and continued to focus on her work. She had two ingredients figured out. She knew she could find the answer to the other two with a little help from the internet.
She used Google to track down plants that needed fire to bloom. There weren't as many as she expected. Most of the trees on the list were passive pyrophytes.
This meant they were resistant to fire and had a better chance of surviving without being badly damaged. Because of this fact, she decided she wasn't looking for a tree.
According to her research, it was more likely she was looking for a plant that flowered after a devastating fire. Which plant was it? There was the Australian grass tree, which looked more like a bush in her opinion. There were fire poppies and different species of fire lilies.
"Okay, I need to use the process of elimination to figure this out. The book was written a long time ago in China. At that time, no one had made it to America or Australia, so those plants are out."
"Most likely it's a fire lily. The trouble is there are ninety species. Which one is it?"
Duusu let out a trill. "That's enough for now Nathalie. You need to rest! You can work on this later." The little peafowl was now glaring at the woman, daring her to defy her.
Seeing that the little god wasn't going to let her do any more research Nathalie put all of it away. Duusu helped tuck her in and turned out the light.
As Duusu returned to Gabriel, she hoped in her heart that Nathalie never figured out that the fire lily she needed was Gloriosa superba. Every part of the flower was poisonous to humans, and not for Kwamiis.
After school, Marinette hurried to Master Fu for a lesson. Adrien had Chinese and piano today so he couldn't come. Hopefully, he would be able to join them next time.
Master Fu had just finished making the tea when she arrived. "Good afternoon Marinette. How was school today?"
"It was very average. No akumas or crazy events in class. I actually enjoyed just having lessons," she replied happily. "What am I learning today?"
"Today's lessons are two-fold. The lesson can apply to a Keeper or a Wielder. I will be teaching you some self-defense moves that were designed to counter Miraculous users or rogue Guardians."
"Sounds like fun. Where do you want to practice?"
Master Fu led her out to the small backyard to practice. He reminded the teenager because of his back he wouldn't be able to complete some of the moves so she needed to pay strict attention to what he was saying.
"Many of these moves have long and complicated names. For convenience, we will skip them. Instead, we will just focus on the moves. Here in the first one, I would like to teach you."
He went through the motions of charging with clenched fists, then using his index and pointer together to rapidly strike the target in the gut. The move was finished by bringing up your dominant leg and kicking the person away. The best area to kick was the groin.
Marinette copied the moves one by one. Once she had them down she was ready to try using them all at once. The trunk of the tree in the yard would be her target.
She ran forward getting her fists into position only to slip on the grass and fell on her face. "Ouch!"
"Marinette, are you okay?" Tikki questioned.
"I'm fine, let me try that again." Marinette stood up and tried again. This time, she managed to complete the charging. However, she managed to tangle her fingers together and she careened into the tree.
Her third attempt wasn't much better. She managed to complete most of the sequence, but she didn't get her leg high enough and kicked a small birdbath instead of the tree.
Fu ran his hand down his face. "Perhaps we should try a different move?"
"Yes, please."
The next move was much easier compared to the last one. The goal was to rotate your arms over and over to protect your neck and face from a frontal assault. Marinette accomplished this one easier.
"This move was created to protect from wielders who needed to get very close to activate their powers. Your friend, Sirius is one of them. He has to make contact with a person's head to use Fateful Choice."
"So this move would deflect him. Are there any moves that I could use against the Butterfly and Peacock?"
"To combat the Butterfly, you must be at peace with yourself. Simply stand in a meditative pose," Fu explained as he stood straight and tall and clasped his hands so his index fingers stood up. "Repeat this mantra. I own my emotions. They don't own me. Say it as many times as you need until you reach inner peace."
Marinette did as asked. She repeated the mantra over and over. After a minute she spoke, "I don't know if this will be helpful. Shadowmoth has already akumatized someone by the time I'm needed. Also, we know he won't akumatize me again."
Master Fu acknowledged this. "What is important is that you know to do this to help prevent others from being akumatized. The Peacock has a different move to counter it."
He turned his back to Marinette and took two steps backward. Waiting a few seconds, then he started to spin backward and stretching out his leg until it made a full sweep.
"It is important to block yourself from feeling the full effects of the Peacock's powers. Turning your back to them helps. While they are attacking they won't notice your leg moving. So you can a sweeping motion to knock them off balance."
"What other moves do you want to teach me today?"
Master Fu said there was one more move he was going to teach her today. One that he found extremely useful. "This move was designed specifically in mind for those exiled from the Order."
He showed her that the first move was to grab the opponent's hand and squeeze the pressure point in the crease between the pinky and ring finger. This made the blood pressure go down.
The next step was to unbalance the foe so you could use the pressure point on the foot to relax the bladder. Lastly, you touched points on the back to relax tightened muscles.
The combination would cause the attacker in a weakened state. How long depended on how good someone was with pressure points. "When performing this move, you must already have a goal in mind."
"Will you be disarming your opponent, or will you be taking something from them? Do you intend to flee after using this move or continue to fight? Precision and timing are very important when using this move."
"I understand Master Fu. I will work on learning these moves."
Back across the Atlantic, Ning was in her library/office reviewing new footage from India and Pakistan. The images were similar to the ones from Nepal.
Over the last week and a half, six portals had appeared. The first one in India had opened in the city of Lucknow. A day and a half later, a portal opened in the outskirts of Jaipur.
The final portal in India appeared in New Delhi the next evening. The image was a bit clearer than the other ones. She could make a few details of the man. He was bald and wore a red and black robe.
She couldn't make out his face. All she could tell was the man didn't look friendly. She felt a twitch of fear which she shook off. She had faced off magical terrorists and threats from different nations.
One man shouldn't make her feel this way. She needed to focus and resume her research.
The fourth portal had opened up in Lahore. Two days later the same man created a portal in the capital Islamabad. The last portal opened in the border town Quetta almost five hours ago.
"Where are you trying to go?" she spoke out loud to herself. "How are you able to open so many portals without tiring too much?"
She had never seen anything like this before and it concerned her. Out of habit, she clutched Wayzz's kwami charm to calm down. Even without him nearby she always felt like he was protecting her.
"Tibet, Nepal, India, and now Pakistan. Where are you heading?" The pattern so far indicated he was trying to get somewhere in the north despite starting his journey to the south.
The reason for that might be to avoid the vast amount of Russia if the man had started going north in the first place. If he kept his current path, the next country he would be appearing in would be Afghanistan.
"I hope I can get access to their satellite images. Whoever you are, I will discover where you're going."
A few hours later another report came in. With the chaos going on, she was lucky one government officer had managed to send a file to the U.N. before it was too late.
The video took place in the capital Kabul half an hour ago. Behind a mosque, the strange man could be seen meditating. He ignored the chaos on the streets for several minutes.
He only reacted when others tried to make him move. It didn't matter who it was, his reaction was always the same. Disable them with some kind of martial art move. The gentleman got in their face and yelled something.
Right before the video ended the man formed a portal, said something, and went through. Once closed, the people he had disabled struggled to their feet to get away from the spot.
I have never seen that form of fighting before. I believed I knew all the martial arts, but it appears I'm wrong, Ning thought to herself.
She tried to boost the audio to hear what the man said. It was impossible to improve the audio or get an angle to see his mouth moving clearly. Clearly, she would need to do more research.
It was a new day in Paris and Kagami was in the locker room drawing. She had misled her mother about the time her fencing practice started. She had done this so she could have time to draw.
While she enjoyed the activities her mother selected for her, there was one she had to hide from her mother. Her father had taught her to draw when she was very little.
Kagami didn't remember her father much. The last time she had seen him was when she was three and a half. Her mother didn't like to talk about him. Whenever Kagami had inquired about him, her mother told her to forgot the man and focus on her activities.
She didn't know what had happened between her parents or if her father was still alive. All she knew was that she enjoyed drawing people and places in her notebook.
Today, she was drawing a self-portrait of herself, as her alter ego, Ryuko. Whenever she transformed she felt a connection to her father. The first thing he had taught her to draw was a Chinese dragon.
Kagami held the notebook out and looked at the mirror. The side-by-side comparison was nearly perfect. Returning to her notebook she finished the sketch.
It was a very beautiful drawing, but something was missing from it. "What am I missing?" she asked herself.
"Kagami?" a voice called out.
Quickly, she shoved her notebook into her bag. Adrien came around the corner smiling.
"I thought I might catch you here early. My father insisted I come early today."
Kagami gently pushed her bag under the bench as she asked about that. Apparently, Mr. Agreste had found Adrien's last duel lacking. So Adrien had to come in early to do better.
"I was surprised when the instructor told me you came an hour early. Is there a reason you came early?"
Kagami told Adrien she just wanted some time to herself. He didn't buy it considering his friend had a lot of time by herself. That's when he noticed something sticking out of her bag.
"What's in your bag?"
"Nothing important. We should be getting ready for our lesson," the girl said trying to distract him.
"We've got plenty of time before we need to get ready. Kagami, you can tell me if something is bothering you. I'm not going to judge you."
Kagami hesitated for a second before reaching into her bag and handed Adrien the notebook. She waited in silence to hear what he thought of it.
Adrien flipped through the pages in awe. He never knew Kagami was this talented before. Each sketch was drawn perfectly. The mix of seriousness with a hint of emotion spoke to him.
"Kagami, these are beautiful. I didn't know you like to sketch."
The teenager snatched her notebook back and put it back in the bag. "No one knows. No one can know. My mother is very against art. The only pieces we have at home are for the family achievement."
"My father loved to sketch the world around him. He taught me to draw. I don't remember him. One day he was with us and the next he was gone. I don't know what happened."
Adrien held himself back from embracing her. Kagami was still not used to physical contact. Instead, he would keep her secret. "I'm sorry that you don't know what happened to your father. I am glad that you showed me your art."
Kagami thanked him. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. There is an art gallery opening tomorrow afternoon. I was hoping to visit it before going to Prince Ali's birthday party that night."
"Mother would be angry if I went, but the gallery is doing a show on modern Japanese art. I really would like to see it, even if it's just for an hour. Since your escorting me to the party I thought…"
"No problem. I'll ask the Gorilla to pick you up early so we can visit the gallery and have enough time to change for the party."
Kagami made a small smile. "I'm so glad that you're willing to do this for me."
The next day, Adrien picked up Kagami two hours early, citing that Marinette wanted to do some last-minute adjustments to their party clothes. The Gorilla didn't mind making a detour to the gallery, as long as they went to Marinette's afterward.
The gallery was in a neighboring arrondissement. That was one of the reasons Kagami was willing to risk her mother's anger. Her mother preferred to stay in places she was most familiar with.
"This is very exciting Adrien. I must thank you for your help in this."
"It's not a problem. You should have a chance to enjoy yourself."
The Gorilla parked outside the gallery. He tapped the dash and held up a finger. They had one hour to look and not a second more.
The two entered the gallery and they were instantly transported back in time. There were ceramics, calligraphy, and beautiful silkscreens. Kagami's eyes were drawn towards the paintings.
"Look at this one Adrien," she said as she guided him over to an image of cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. "Traditional artists would spend hours watching their subjects and carefully apply brush strokes to match even the slightest movement."
It was a beautiful painting. They continued to walk through the gallery admiring the work. Adrien had never seen this side of Kagami before. A side that enjoyed the beauty in art.
They were halfway through the exhibit when they realized that people were whispering about them. That wasn't unusual considering their status. The difference was that people were paying more attention to Kagami than Adrien.
"Do you get the feeling they know something we don't?" Adrien whispered.
"I'm sure they are just surprised you are in my company instead of Marinette's. The last painting exhibit is in that room. I would like to see it and then we can go."
Entering the final exhibit it became clear why everyone had been whispering about her. The exhibit was titled, "My Daughter's Life," and the girl in the pictures matched Kagami perfectly.
The girl let go of Adrien's arm and slowly walked around the exhibit. She seemed to be in a trance as she walked to the first painting of a man with her mother holding a newborn baby.
Kagami looked at the next painting, this one showed her celebrating her first birthday and eating a rice ball. The painting for year two was of her and her mother feeding birds from a bridge in a park.
In year three, the painting was of her and the man drawing together. The man was smiling brightly as the little girl made scribbles on the paper.
The paintings from years four to fourteen made the teenager unsteady. They were moments from her life that her father had never been there, but they matched perfectly with her memory.
There was her first day of school, learning archery, and there was even one of her winning her first fencing tournament at age eleven. It was the last painting of her in the present that drew her attention.
The painting was of the school. She was surrounded by all her friends. She was even smiling in the picture and it wasn't creepy looking! What caught her attention the most was the dragons painted in the sky.
All the dragons were red with black hair. Their golden eyes sparkled as they looked down at her.
It was too much for Kagami. She took a few steps back and bumped into someone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she said as she turned around only to gasp.
"Father?" she whispered.
Indeed, the man resembled her. He had her eyes and nose. His hair had a bluish tint to it. Unlike her mother's steely presence, this man gave off a warmth that made you feel loved.
"Kagami? I am so happy to see you," her father, Isamu Hamasaki. He reached out and patted his daughter's head as a sign of affection. Kagami was too stunned to brush the hand away.
Adrien walked over to check on Kagami. He was confused about what was going on with Kagami.
"Ah, you are okay, Kagami?"
"Ah, you must be my daughter's friend Adrien Agreste. I'm pleased that you escorted my daughter to my exhibit. Tomoe would never let Kagami attend my shows without a male escort."
Hearing that jarred Kagami out of her shock. "What are you talking about?" Her father appeared to be surprised. "Your mother didn't tell you I called to see if you were interested in coming?"
"The last time I heard from you I was three and a half. One day you were there and gone the next. I didn't even know if you were dead or alive."
Isamu was shocked to hear this. He questioned if she ever received his gifts, letters, or anything he sent her. When she said no he appeared to be shaken.
He mentioned how Tomoe had told him for years that their daughter had been too busy to talk on the phone or that she was mad at him. He explained he had been told to keep his distance and never approach Kagami when she was competing.
"I did everything your mom asked. I didn't want to be so distant from you, Kagami. When your mom and I got married, we were happy. Your grandfather and mother expected me to give up my art and join their company by the time you were four."
"I had every intention of giving it up, despite the happiness it brought me. Then I got my big break. I was given a huge commission and I told them I was going to take it."
"They were not pleased with me at all. They told me that the life of an artist was never certain. I was given an ultimatum. Turn down the commission and join the company, or, I had to leave and never have direct contact with you."
He sighed and admitted he thought Tomoe would stand by him. When she didn't I at least thought she would eventually let me see you again. When I saw you tonight, I thought she had finally relented."
Kagami couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother wouldn't lie to her about being in contact with her father. She wasn't cruel enough to keep her away from him!
Yet, she was standing here in front of a man she never would have seen if she hadn't disobeyed her mother. A woman she had to hide her drawings from. Was everything about her relationship with her mother a lie?
Back in the limo, Flammer was stuck in the backseat hidden in Adrien's schoolbag. He was feeling a little upset. Why did Plagg get to go inside and he had to wait in the car?
"Ugh, I'm bored! I enjoy the passion that goes into creating art and I would have loved to see if anyone did pictures of the legendary salamanders inspired over the centuries."
"This injustice will not stand! I'm going to do what I want," Flammer whispered to himself. He phased through the bag and the floor of the limo.
Snickering, he waited for a few seconds for the sidewalk to clear, then headed in the direction of the gallery door on foot. Humans didn't question animals that were acting normally.
He had just reached the door when he spotted the akuma squeezing through the crack between the door and the frame. "Oh, this is bad. I got to do something."
He phased inside the building and zipped across the ceiling until he found the nearest sprinkler. Unlike the other Miraculous Circles, the ECMC was able to produce a tiny amount of their element without summoning their full powers.
Flamer flicked his tail hard and a tiny spark appeared under the sprinkler. It was hot enough for the system to activate. Guests were covering their heads as they ran out of the building.
He spotted Adrien dragging a man who looked similar to Kagami towards the door. The man was shouting in Japanese. That he needed to go back and help keep his daughter away from the akuma.
Making a split-second decision, Flammer went deeper into the building and found the Akuma. The girl was completely white, and her hair had formed a helmet around her head. Parts of her body were transparent.
His eyes tried to find something that wasn't white on her body. He spotted a gray mark around her wrist, possibly a bracelet.
"No one will tell me lies anymore!" Lies shouted as a white dome-shaped light started to spread from her body.
"Time to go!" Flammer exclaimed. As he flew away, he left a trail of tiny sparks that split the light for a few seconds.
Exiting the building, he spied Adrien falling from the fast-moving limo. The boy ran down an alley to transform. The little salamander followed after him.
Adrien looked up at his kwami. "This is bad Plagg. Kagami's akumatized again. This time we don't know what her powers are."
"I do," Flammer spoke up as he finally caught up. "She's white because she's tired of all the lies including white ones. She's emitting some kind of dome-shaped light. I have a bad feeling that light is meant to capture anyone who lies."
"That's the whole world! Flammer, go get Ladybug! Plagg, Claws Out!"
Marinette was busy preparing for Adrien and Kagami to arrive. She had her seam ripper, needles, and now was looking for her red thread collection. "Where is it? Oh, why didn't I start looking sooner? My friends will be here any minute! Their outfits have to be perfect!"
Swimmy was sitting on the desk with Tikki watching the teenager race around. The flying fish-like kwami put down her candy. "Your wielder is very spirited. Is she always this frantic?"
"No. She's gotten better at keeping herself from freaking out. This is very tame compared to what she used to do."
Marinette let out a triumphant cry. "I found them!" She scurried over to her desk and opened the box. "Now, which color red would work best? Burgundy or maroon?"
"I think maroon would be a good choice," Swimmy replied casually. "If you wanted an expert in red, you might want to talk with Flammer. He has a passion for red."
As if summoned by his name, Flammer popped into the room. "Akuma! There's an Akuma active," he stated before flopping on the desk exhausted.
"Who, where, what?" Marinette demanded ready to transform.
"Kagami, next neighborhood over. Her form is Lies. She's using a strange light to trap everyone who lies inside it. It's spreading fast! I think her item is a bracelet around her wrist."
"Got it. Tikki Spots on!" In a flash, Ladybug was gone.
Swimmy hovered over her "brother." "Are you alright?"
Flammer took a few deep breaths and then replied in a hoarse voice. "Can I get a little moisture?"
Swimmy nodded and swished her tiny tail back and forth. Small drops of water fell on her "brother," and his skin started to appear wet again. "Do you need more? I can fill the sink up."
He nodded, and she went over to the sink and filled it up. She then picked Flammer up and dropped him into the water. "Don't come out until you're completely moisturized."
"I won't. Do you need a quick dip?" For an answer, Swimmy darted into the basin and rocketed out rather quickly.
Now that she was fully soaked, she said goodbye and hurried out the window to see how the heroes were doing. She hoped that she didn't need to use her powers.
The dome-shaped light had already encompassed the neighborhood it started in and now was making its way into this one. People were running to get away from danger. Thanks to her having fish filters in her eyes, she saw the people trapped inside were frozen.
"Hmm, how it the mighty river, are they going to stop this? They can't go in the dome because of the Akuma's power. Who couldn't tell a lie?" She glanced at the Le Grand Hotel and remembered about the birthday party. Including a special guest musician.
Silently praying to the universe, she flew/swam in the direction of the hotel, hoping that she didn't get eaten during her little expedition.
Ladybug and Chat Noir were at a loss of what to do. "How do we stop the Akuma if we can't even get near to her? Should I try to use my power on the dome?"
"Hold off on that Chat. We don't know what would happen to the people inside if you used Cataclysm on the dome." There wasn't much they could do with their powers.
"What we need is my Lucky Charm!" The magic swirled upward and then dropped a box containing a drone inside.
"Looks like your Lucky Charm is telling us we need a sky-high view of the situation."
"Let's retreat a few blocks to give us some time!"
The duo fell back sixth blocks and activated the drone. It flew into the dome and hovered over the Akuma. They watched Lie walking briskly. She barely looked at anyone. "Where are you, Mother?"
Ladybug looked at Chat. He quickly explained what had happened at the gallery between Kagami and her father. The spotted heroine raised a slight eyebrow. She wasn't surprised that Kagami's mother would keep things from her, but to not let her ex-husband have any contact with their daughter seemed too cruel.
"So she's looking for her mom. Do you know if she's at their home or somewhere else?"
Chat just shook his head. He didn't know anything. "Is your Ladybug vision working yet?"
Ladybug looked at the camera feed and nothing was lighting up. She had the drone fly out of the dome and sent it up to get a look at the whole neighborhood. She hoped she would spot something.
A few seconds later, Chat grabbed his girlfriend by the shoulder. "I saw something! Turn the drone back around." The view changed and the hero jabbed his finger at the screen. "What is going on there?"
Zooming in the duo could barely make a piece of cake floating in the air and heading in the direction of the dome. Chasing after it was Fang. He was happily swishing his tail, and his mouth was open, ready to eat the cake piece."
It came to Ladybug in an instant. Fang couldn't lie! He could get inside the dome and still move. She bet good money that Swimmy was the one carrying the slice of cake.
She did resemble a fish, and saltwater crocs loved to eat fish. She was heading in the direction of the dome. "Come on. We need to catch that cake!
Lie continued to walk through the city and shout, "MOTHER! Where are you?!" Tears dripped from her transparent eyes. She looked at the countless liars scattered around her feet.
Not one of them was her mother so she kicked them in disgust. "Liars! All of you! I refuse to be made fun of anymore!"
She started running down the street, determined to make her mother pay for lying to her. A few blocks later, she heard a whirling sound from the sky. Looking up, she spotted a red and black spotted drone right before it dropped a slice of cake in her hand.
"What in the world is a drone doing delivering cake?" Lie asked herself.
"It's a trap! Lie get out of there!" Shadowmoth ordered. His order came too late. His connection with his Akuma was broken. A minute later he then witnessed the ladybugs flying around the city fixing it just outside his skylight.
"No! This is not the end Ladybug and Chat Noir! Your Miraculouses will be mine!"
Back with Kagami, she was being helped to her feet by Chat Noir. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
"I'm doing my best. Today has not been what I expected."
"That's understandable. You can talk to Loong about it next training session."
The two heroes left quickly after that. She felt someone standing behind her and turned around. Her father was standing behind her with relief in his eyes. She was caught by surprise when he hugged her before patting her on her head.
"I was so worried about you. I didn't mean to cause you to be akumatized. I should have talked with your privately. At the very least, talk with your mother."
Kagami suggested they could do that now. Her family was more important than a birthday party. Also, she knew Adrien would be happier escorting his girlfriend instead of her to the celebration.
When they arrived at home Tomoe was waiting for her daughter as she sat quality in her chair at the dining room table. "Kagami, I was not expecting you home. Why are you not at Prince Ali's party as requested?"
"I believe there is something more important to talk about than attending a royal birthday party, Mother."
"What could be more important than fulfilling your responsibilities?"
"Tomoe, enough of these games. You know I'm here and our daughter wants us to talk. Can you please honor her request?" Isamu asked kindly.
Tomoe's lips thinned tightly but she didn't ask the man to leave. Once everyone was seated, she asked how Isamu crossed paths with Kagami, considering she wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the gallery.
"I asked Adrien to pick me up early because I wanted to see the exhibit on Japanese art. I knew you wouldn't let me if I asked, so I planned to visit it before going to Marinette's then the party."
"Why do you continue to disobey me Kagami? First, you go and make friends when I told you they were a distraction. Then you start acting out. Kagami, why do you insist on ruining your future with unnecessary activities that have no benefit?"
"No benefits? Friendships are unnecessary? Tomoe, you told me you were being more open minded these days. You told me you were even talking with your best friend again," Isamu said in an accusing tone.
That's when he noticed a subtle tell from Tomoe indicating she was trying to avoid saying something. "Tomoe, is your father angry with Kagami?"
Kagami's head jerked up. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Her mother had high expectations for her because she was expected to meet her own father's high expectations.
Her mother looked away and that was confirmation enough. Her grandfather was disappointed with her mother because Kagami wasn't meeting his standards of a successful grandchild.
Tomoe parroted what her father had said about what it meant to be a Tsurugi. How a properly ordered life meant no distractions and perfection was looked upon with respect and honor.
Isamu waited for her to finish before speaking. He understood how much her family honor mattered. He also understood her father was a powerful man that was used to getting his way.
What he said he didn't understand was why she couldn't see that Kagami was not Tomoe. How their daughter was an individual with her own dreams. That it wasn't fair to her lie by omission about what had passed between them.
Kagami then entered the conversation. "Mother, I have always meant your expectations and strive past them. I do respect you and my grandfather. I'm sorry I disobeyed you.
"I just wanted to do something I liked. I know you think art is a waste of time. For me, it helps me relax and clear my head. I like drawing very much. I know art isn't a priority, and I'm not asking it to be."
"All I want to do is be able to draw and not have to hide it. All my father wants to do is be part of my life and not from a distance. Can we please work something out?"
At the hotel, Swimmy and Flammer were hiding under the buffet. They had swiped a piece of cake to eat while Adrien and Marinette danced together.
Flammer peeked out and gestured for his "sister" to join him. They both giggled as they watched Adrien and Prince Ali dancing off while Marinette and Rose cheered them on.
"Pollen's wielder looks like she's having a good time," Flammer whispered.
"She should be. It's not every day a girl gets to help a prince with his charity efforts for children in need," Swimmy replied. She smiled as the girls started their dance battle.
This gave her an idea for a neat birthday trick. "Are you up for making some rainbow fog?"
Flammer smiled in delight. "Let's do it!"
It was the best party trick everyone had ever seen. Right before Prince Ali opened his presents, a steamy fog filled the room. Right before their eyes, the fog turned rainbow colors and swirled around the table.
When it vanished, there was a watercolor painting of Prince Ali and Rose helping children at a hospital. The note by the painting said it was from the heroes of Paris.
This was a party worth remembering.