Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
It was around six in the morning when Chiba received the news of an akuma via the Ladyblog. He always kept his phone near his bed, so if any akuma attacks happened while he was sleeping, the notifications would wake him up.
Chiba rubbed his eyes, then poked Plagg. "Get up, you floating stomach. We've got another akuma."
Plagg idly opened his eyes. "Ugghhh. It's early," he complained in his usual manner. "Lemme rest-"
"Plagg, claws out!" Chiba ordered, and the sleepy kwami was sucked into his ring without another word of protest. Black Cat took out his baton and tracked the akuma, who was apparently in one of the richer suburbs. Maybe the akumatized person had been offended by one of the rich people, and was seeking revenge.
Just yesterday, he and Ladybug had finally learned the reason for the moon's explosion. Now, Kochou had sent out another akuma. Their troubles were never ending, and it was their duty to take care of them.
Black Cat leapt out of his house into the cool morning air. Even in his hurry to defeat the akuma, Black Cat had to admit the view was nice. Wisps of mist lazily flew past him, giving the town a hazy, dreamlike texture. Black Cat spun to look at the pale pink clusters of sakura trees by the riverside. They were just starting to bloom. He wondered if he could view the flowers with Sugaya and Okajima.
He saw Ladybug a few blocks away, the redness of her suit standing out in her misty surroundings. Black Cat caught up to her. "Good morning, Ladybug."
"Good morning," Ladybug replied, and quickly stifled a yawn. "According to the blog, the akuma calls himself 'the Collector'. His most notable feature is his English-style top hat."
"Do you know what he can do?"
"No, but," Ladybug scrolled through her newsfeed, "Some people speculate the white gloves he wears has special powers. It's best if we avoid them."
"Got that," Black Cat replied.
Both Black Cat and Ladybug were nervous as they approached the suburb. They had only visited that place during their night patrols, and they were a bit afraid of the rich people living there.
Black Cat had always felt a bit weird when visiting the suburb. It didn't really fit his ideals of a modern, spacious living area. The position of the houses and the gardens felt a little odd to him. Maybe he should study urban design when he grew up.
Black Cat shook his head, frustrated at himself for his short attention span. First were the sakura trees, and now the design of the suburb. He really needed more sleep.
Ladybug was comparatively more attentive than her partner. Her eyes swept over the area. So far, nothing seemed out of place. Ladybug's attention was grasped by a big, beautiful house. However, once she read the nameplate, chills went down her spine, and her knees shook with fear.
"What's wrong?" Black Cat whispered, concerned by Ladybug's unusual behavior. He looked at the nameplate, and blood too drained from his face.
The two wide-eyed teenagers stared at the nameplate, with similar expressions of unadulterated fear.
The nameplate read Asano.
Asano!
As in Asano Gakuho, the dreaded, terrifying chairman of his school! As in Asano Gakushuu, the supreme, ridiculously talented leader of his year!
It made perfect sense for the Asanos to live there in the rich suburbs. And suddenly, Ladybug and Black Cat wanted to disappear.
As if on cue, a crash sounded inside in the house. The heroes shared a look and deemed it worth investigating.
The moment Ladybug stepped on the perfectly paved stone path, alarms went off and metal shutters covered the windows. "Intruder, intruder," a cool female voice blasted from all sides. Ladybug retreated and instinctively grabbed Black Cat's arm. She had never seen such a high technology security system for a house. Even the lock on the door was a fingerprint one.
"What happens now?" Ladybug whispered as the neighbours of the Asanos began to stir due to the loud noise. She looked up at Black Cat, then down at his arm, and let his arm go. "Sorry for that," she muttered quickly.
The door opened and even at the distance, the heroes could feel the fear-inducing, suffocating aura. They mentally braced themselves for what was about to come-
"Good morning," Asano Gakuho greeted them, well dressed and his hair well combed despite the time. Even though the words were polite and simple, they felt like heavy weights crushing Ladybug and Black Cat.
"Good morning," the heroes chorsed in unison and gave stiff bows.
"The akuma isn't here," Gakuho said as if knew what the heroes were thinking. "That crash you heard was an unfortunate accident during breakfast that Asano-kun had caused." At that, Gakuho's purple eyes seemed to glow. "He still has a lot to learn."
What kind of dad calls his son using his surname?! Black Cat exclaimed internally.
"S-sir, we're sorry for bothering you," Ladybug bowed again, suddenly feeling very small despite her superhero identity. She suddenly caught sight of a mysterious someone lurking around the house, and her hand slid to her yoyo-
She watched in horror and amazement as Gakuho grabbed the someone's chin without even looking back. That someone was evidently the akuma, with a top hat and suit that made him look like a walking anachronism. True to the Ladyblog's information, he wore pristine white gloves. The akuma struggled but Gakuho had a stronger grip.
Black Cat thought there was something familiar with the akuma's face. With a jolt, he realized the akuma was actually his classmate Takebayashi, only he hadn't worn any glasses and he'd changed his hairstyles. The vibe he gave off was also different, less gloomy and more… charismatic, if that was possible. When he wrenched free from Gakuho's grasp, his top hat fell off, revealing two hair antennae which suspiciously resembled Isogai's. Black Cat narrowed his eyes.
On first glance, the superhero duo couldn't see where the akumatized item was. Spinning their respective weapons, they pounced towards the Collector.
Another blur of orange joined in the fight. It was Gakushuu. While Gakuho was standing there as if he was lazily waiting for the akuma to attack, Gakushuu took the offensive side. He aimed a punch at the Collector and the Collector managed to intercept Gakushuu's fist with both hands. The instant they made contact, Gakushuu's eyes went wide and the life seemed to go out of him. He collapsed on the ground and his body went limp, although he was still vaguely conscious.
"Gakushuu!" Gakuho's voice was quiet and quick as he held up his son's neck.
Black Cat was focused on the Collector. While Gakushuu was weakened, the akuma seemed to grow stronger. The hair antennae on the Collector's head vanished and his hairstyle and bangs changed to look like Gakushuu's. The Collector's expression also began to look like Gakushuu's, cold green eyes narrowing and lips pressed into a smug smirk.
"I think he 'collects' other peoples' powers by touching them, and his appearance alters to match those of his victims!" Black Cat said out loud for the benefit of Ladybug and Gakuho.
The Collector's eyes snapped to him.
Oh no.
Before the Collector could move, Gakuho launched at him, holding him in a firm grip. Gakuho's eyes were practically glowing with fury and bloodlust.
For a split second, Ladybug and Black Cat actually felt sorry for the Collector.
What happened next was a flurry of hair, skin and clothes and Gakuho somehow dragged the akuma inside his house. Ladybug and Black Cat couldn't process Gakuho's complex fighting methods and they could just stand there. Once the akuma and Gakuho vanished inside the house, the door clanged shut.
Seeing the windows were covered by metal plates and the door used a fingerprint lock, Black Cat decided to destroy the door to create an entrance. "Cataclysm!" he cried and the door broke down into black dust. A warning beep came from his ring. "We'd better finish this quickly."
Inside the house, Gakuho and his wife (who would be called Mama Asano for clarity) were engaging in close combat with the akuma. Gakuho was clearly the more skilled one when it came to fighting, but Mama Asano wasn't bad either, as she aimed blows at the akuma using a frying pan.
Now that the Collector had absorbed Gakushuu's powers, he'd become way more powerful. A purple mask appeared on his face as Kochou communicated with him. A smirk appeared on the Collector's face and his target abruptly switched from Gakuho to Ladybug. Kochou probably had enough of the Collector playing around instead of stealing the miraculouses.
And Ladybug knew why she was being targeted. She alone had the ability to cleanse akumas. If that power was taken from her, the situation would be high complicated. Ladybug wouldn't say it was impossible for her and Black Cat to win, but it would be tough.
Black Cat's eyes met Ladybug's and during that second, he somehow knew what she was thinking. And she knew he would protect her at all costs.
"Can you see the akumatized item?" Ladybug shouted to her partner, leaping from furniture to furniture to avoid the Collector.
"No, I believe it's hidden in his suit!" Black Cat yelled as he dashed towards to Ladybug to protect her. "We have to do a full body search." A chill ran down his spine and Black Cat automatically jumped to the side. Gakuho, as swift as the wind, sped past him, Black Cat's hair fluttering from the movement. His wide green eyes stared at the superhuman monster that was the chairman of his school.
What was even more terrifying than the thought of Ladybug losing her powers was Gakuho himself. There was a certain elegance and dignity to his fighting as Gakuho duled with the Collector. It was almost captivating to watch him fight, each of his moves executed perfectly and fluidly. Gakuho wasn't a person who knew a few random moves. He was a master at fighting. A professional. He was powerful and everyone knew it.
Gakuho jumped in front of Ladybug to face the akuma. He seemed to have made it his personal goal to defeat the Collector himself. "Takebayashi-kun, why do you desire power and strength?" His voice was rich and smooth, but Black Cat and Ladybug knew there was a knife hidden in it.
Ladybug spied Mama Asano behind the Collector, her hands clutching at her pan. It's a trap, she realized. He's distracting the akuma by making him talk. She sent Black Cat a quick look, then quickly gestured at Mama Asano. He understood in a flash.
That was why Ladybug loved to work with Black Cat. In times of battle, they could communicate with each other wordlessly and effectively with eye contact.
The superhero duo flanked Gakuho and spun their weapons. The glint in Gakuho's eyes was downright terrifying the two teenagers, and they vowed to save Takebayashi as soon as they could.
"Because I don't have any strength! I wasn't born with any!" The Collector yelled, charging towards Gakuho. Gakuho flipped a table and the wooden structure crashed on the ground with an ugly bang. "I'm not smart! I'm not athletic! I'm not talented enough to impress my family! That's why I have the collect everyone else's powers! Because I'll never be enough on my own!" Anguish and emotion flickered in the Collector's eyes, but Gakuho was as cool and unemotional as ever.
The Collector leapt over the table and right into a checkered tablecloth. Ladybug yanked on her yoyo and bound the tablecloth to the Collector's arms and hands. The Collector immediately tore the cloth on his right hand with his teeth. Before he could touch Gakuho, Black Cat's baton struck his hand. The Collector grabbed Ladybug's yoyo, which was conveniently at his wrist, and untangled himself. The Collector's left hand was still covered by the cloth, and Gakuho took advantage of that. He grabbed the akuma's clothed fist tightly and sent him flying across the room as if he was a paper airplane. The akuma crashed into an expensive-looking display of exquisite dishes, and Black Cat winced at the noise.
Hmm, so if there's something covering the akuma's hands, his powers don't work. Black Cat kept that bit of information in his brain. He watched as Ladybug sprang into action, pigtails flying as she tried to hit the akuma. They were aiming to knock the Collector out. If the akuma was unconscious, they could search his body for the akumatized item. Mama Asano, who wore a paper bag to cover her head, leapt out from her hiding place and smacked the akuma's head with a frying pan. Gakuho pushed the wreckage of the table to the side as if it was nothing. The man's head was held high as he silently observed the situation, an almost amused smirk on his face. Black Cat was afraid of being too close to Gakuho, so he decided to join Ladybug and Mama Asano.
Ladybug's yoyo managed to go around the Collector's leg, and she yanked hard at it, the akuma's center of gravity suddenly shifting. The Collector regained his balance spectacularly, and he also managed to rip Mama Asano's paper bag, his hand reaching inside it. Mama Asano's knees shook as the Collector absorbed her powers, and his hairstyle changed again. Black Cat scooped the powerless Mama Asano up and placed her gently on a couch. He was too busy to see whatever reaction Gakuho had.
A beep sounded from his ring, and Black Cat dipped his head to see that he only had two minutes left. "I'm almost out of time!" he yelled at his partner. Ladybug decided it was high time she tried her Lucky Charm.
"Cover me!" Ladybug cried from the other side of the room. Black Cat immediately rushed back, only to see Gakuho expertly swinging a broomstick at the Collector as it was a natural extension of his arm. He felt like a three-year-old upon seeing Gakuho. Gakuho could do everything he could do and better.
(Secretly, secretly, Black Cat liked being a superhero because it proved that he could do something useful too, but now he seemed to be standing in Gakuho's shadow.)
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug tossed her yoyo in the air and a pair of oven mittens dropped into her hands. "Hmm."
Ladybug observed her surroundings and saw that the mittens, the Collector's hands, and her yoyo flashing. A plan crystallized in her mind. "Kitty, catch!"
The polka dotted mittens fell into Black Cat's hands and he instantly knew what Ladybug was up to. A grin lit up his face and he sped off.
He dashed around the area and in a few clever moves, he managed to pop up right besides the Collector. Before the akuma could react, Black Cat stuffed the mittens on the Collector's hands, removing the akuma's power stealing ability. At the same time, Ladybug's yoyo flew past and wrapped itself around the akuma's hands, securing the mittens. The Collector tried to free his hands by biting them again, but this time, the fabric of the mittens was too thick.
"Gotcha," Ladybug whispered, a smirk on her face. She tied the Collector up using her yoyo. He became unable to move and Black Cat patted his suit, searching for the akumatized item. He eventually came upon a little pocket with a folded piece of purple paper inside. With a sickening jolt, Black Cat realized the paper was the notice that told them they would be sent to 3-E. Poor Takebayashi. Black Cat ripped the paper in half and watched as the akuma fluttered into the air.
Ladybug immediately cleansed the akuma. After that, she and Black Cat each took one of the mittens and flung them in the air, their synchronized cry of "Miraculous Ladybug!" filling the room.
"Did you just call me 'kitty' again?" Black Cat asked Ladybug, looking mildly annoyed by the pet name.
Ladybug flushed. "It was a slip of mouth," she defended herself. To change the topic, she held up her hand for a fistbump.
Glowing ladybugs surrounded the Collector, and when they vanished, a very confused and distraught Takebayashi was left behind. His hairstyle was back in his usual 7:3 part, and he nervously adjusted his eyeglasses. Once he saw Gakuho's eerily calm face (which probably had a raging storm under the exterior), Takebayashi went pale and his lips quivered.
Reminded of whose house they were in, the heroes chose to make a quick exit.
"We are deeply sorry for bothering you and your household," Ladybug bowed towards Gakuho.
"You have our utmost gratitude for helping us deal with the akuma. Without you, defeating it would not have been possible," Black Cat also bowed.
They stood up in unison, fetched Takebayashi, and practically ran out from the house. Black Cat's ring gave another beep, indicating his transformation would wear away in one minute.
Takebayashi's head was bowed down humbly. "I am very sorry for the trouble," he murmured, ashamed of himself. He had wanted to be stronger, to be more talented, so his family would finally treat him as an equal, but he had screwed up in a disastrous way and had even tainted his family name. They would never forgive him after this incident.
"It's not your fault," Ladybug replied automatically. "It's-"
"Kochou's fault, I know," Takebayashi finished quietly. "But you don't understand. If I had better control of my emotions, I would not have caused this mess for my family to clean up."
Everybody in Kunigigaoka Town knew of the Takebayashi General Hospital, and those who knew Takebayashi were aware of the expectations he had to carry. Takebayashi once again carried a gloomy aura with him.
"It's alright, Ladybug, Black Cat." A faint smile appeared on his face. "I know how to go back from here. Thank you very much for your assistance."
The heroes noted how he used the term "go back" instead of "go home".
After they said goodbye to Takebayashi, Black Cat looked nervously at his surroundings. Frantic, hurried beeps blared from his ring and he knew he only had seconds to act. He leapt into a dark alley and detransformed. Chiba was embarrassed to find himself still in his pyjamas, and quickly crouched behind a garbage container.
Ladybug peered into the alley and glimpsed black hair peeking out. That must be him. She slowly walked towards him and sat down, her back facing whoever that was her partner, that garbage container between them.
"Hey, let's go back together," Ladybug suggested. The morning excitement finally settled down and she just wanted to go home and sleep.
Chiba yawned. "I can use a coffee now," he muttered. He held up a cube of cheese in his palm and Plagg gobbled it up. "Don't look until I tell you."
The corners of Ladybug's lips quirked up. He sounds cute even when he's sleepy. Ladybug knew better than to spy on Black Cat. It was unthinkable due to the trust and respect between them. But a little bit of her wanted to push the garbage container away and see him for who he really was. Of course, it was an illogical and incredibly wrong thought, and she probably didn't even know Black Cat's civilian self, but after her daydream about Black Cat (and his real identity) being in 3-E with her, Ladybug thought more about the boy under the mask. Who really was he?
"I'm going to detransform too," Ladybug announced. "Spots off."
There was a pregnant pause between them, the only sound being their kwamis munching food. There they were, the superheroes unmasked, sitting back to back in their pyjamas, with only a garbage container separating them.
So close, yet so far.
After they had transformed again, Black Cat's head appeared, green eyes staring almost shyly at Ladybug.
"Can we really get a coffee? I know a good place."
Several minutes later, Ladybug and Black Cat sat on the roof of a building, sipping paper cups of coffee. In his hurry to go up, Black Cat had accidentally spilled some scalding coffee on his hand. Due to the qualities of his suit, he didn't feel any pain, but when he shook his hand to get the coffee off, some of it splattered on his uncovered face, which caused quite a reaction.
"Ow!" Black Cat barked, and wiped at his cheek. The droplets of coffee went away, but the searing sensation remained.
"Silly kitty," Ladybug muttered under her breath. She held her cool yoyo to his cheek, which helped to soothe the pain. "Any better?"
"Yeah, thank you," Black Cat croaked. Despite the circumstances, Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at him.
Now, their legs dangled over the edge of the building, and they watched the colourful cars speed by under them.
"I didn't think you would be the type to drink dark coffee without any sugar or milk," Ladybug remarked.
"I like intense things," Black Cat admitted. "Besides, I'm so sleepy, I need that pure essence of caffeine."
"Is that so." Ladybug curiously peered at him over her coffee cup.
"We got busy even during the holidays," Black Cat mused after he had taken a long, luxurious sip of his coffee. Ladybug was amused to see his cat ears twitch. She instinctively reached over to pat his head.
"That's how our life is. At least we now know what happened to the moon."
"That's a small relief."
And indeed it was a small relief. Kochou was still sending akumas out there, and to top it off, a superhuman creature would destroy the Earth in a year.
Black Cat finally allowed his mind to relax and wander. He thought of the blooming sakura trees he had seen that morning. "Hey, do you want to view the flowers some time? Not now, but a few days later, when they're fully blooming."
"Ah?" Ladybug blinked, surprised. Black Cat took that was a bad sign.
"If you don't want to, it's okay, I was just asking," Black Cat quickly said.
"I was just thinking that there's going to be a crowd at the sakura trees. We will get a lot of attention."
"Not if we do that at night before patrol or something. For a short while."
A pause.
Ladybug allowed a smile to spread across her face. "That's manageable. Why do you want to see the flowers, anyway?"
Black Cat purposely drank his coffee to buy him some time to prepare an answer. "It's because… we're friends, right? And we worked hard for the moon incident, so I think we deserve a break."
Ladybug nodded. There was another silence, but it didn't feel awkward. They were just quietly enjoying their coffee.
Black Cat's comment on how they were "friends" triggered another memory in Ladybug's brain. More specifically, the time more than a month ago, at Valentine's Day, when Black Cat said she was important to him.
"Hey, did you have friends when we first met?" Ladybug asked her partner bluntly. Maybe too bluntly. She immediately added, "I'm sorry if it sounded rude."
"... Well, you are kind of my first real friend," Black Cat confessed, a soft look on his face. "I had friends before but I'm not close with them. Shortly before I met you, the new school year started and I also met a few friends, but I…" a pink hue tinted his cheeks. "I don't want to play favourites, but I like you the most."
"Oh." Ladybug's face was a brilliant red, and she felt like she had imploded with happiness. "... Thanks."
"I'm not good with making friends," Black Cat muttered. "In real life, people don't like me."
Ladybug wondered why people would dislike Black Cat. He was so honest to her, so she assumed his civilian form had the same personality as Black Cat. Sure, he might not stand out, but he was polite and respectful and responsible and nice-
"But you have a lot of fangirls when you're a superhero."
"Yeah," Black Cat distractedly put his coffee down. "I appreciate it, but it's a bit… unsettling because this isn't the real me."
Ladybug felt her heart sink, because she also had a crush on Black Cat. Did that mean she was also fooled by what he seemed like?
"Anyways, what are we going to do about 3-E's assassination mission?" Black Cat hastily changed the topic.
"I think we should help them," Ladybug said. "Our superpowers can be useful even if we don't want to be assassins. After all, this creature is threatening the world, and we are responsible for protecting people. We should do our best to stop the creature from destroying the world, so we have to help to kill him."
"Well, I think we should let the class try it out themselves. We only interfere if the safety of citizens are threatened, whether by the creature or by assassinations gone wrong. After all, it's not our job to be killers."
There was a pause as the heroes absorbed what the other had said. It wasn't often they disagreed with each other, but they could work it out.
"First thing: does our duty as superheroes include killing the creature?" Black Cat voiced out.
"Our duty is to protect the innocent. The creature will destroy the Earth and many innocent people along with it, so we should eliminate that threat," Ladybug said in a steely voice.
"That is true," Black Cat replied in a diplomatic way. Even when they argued (it was more like voicing their different thoughts and coming to a compromise peacefully), they did it a civil way. They tried to understand the other's points, so usually their arguments didn't end messily. "Our powers are indeed useful. But, as we established earlier, we are not killers. And we don't want to enroll ourselves in that class, so we won't receive proper training unlike the student assassins." At least, you won't receive training, Black Cat thought. I'm secretly a part of 3-E, and I don't want to mix my superhero life with my assassin/ student life.
Ladybug stared off into the distance, thinking. "How about we only help them if the class asks us to? They are assassins, so maybe they can come with a plan that involves us and our powers. Other than that, unless innocent people are threatened, we stay out of the assassination."
Ladybug felt weird talking about 3-E and its students from a third person's point of view. After all, she was a student of 3-E, but she could not reveal that to Black Cat.
Black Cat nodded, then realized Ladybug wasn't looking in his direction. I have to be more vocal. "Yes, that's okay with me. Additionally, if the creature turns out to be working for Kochou, we will join in the assassination. Other than protecting citizens, our other major goal is to defeat Kochou."
"Good plan. Let's follow it."
It was four days before school would start, but the 3-E chat group was already bursting with activity. Everyone was talking about being called back to school three days before the term officially started. Most people were convinced it would be extra study sessions, but Chiba believed it was to prepare them for assassination. He wasn't very active online, but he still read the messages. Chiba, Sugaya, Okajima, and Sugaya's new friend Mimura had a chat group of their own. Chiba was slightly more active there, but the most he did was sending stickers.
Okajima: Why do we have to go back… now I have less time to finish my homework…
Sugaya: I would say you have to stop procrastinating, but I'm a big procrastinator too
Mimura: It's too bad… Sugaya and I were planning to visit a museum tomorrow, but now we can't
Sugaya: :( Don't worry Mimura, we'll find another time
Okajima: Hmph, Sugaya's forgetting me…
And then he sent a sticker of a pouting character.
Okajima: Hey Chiba, I know you're reading this, so send something please
Okajima was obviously frustrated that Sugaya and Mimura became best bros in such a short period of time, so he tried to talk to Chiba.
Chiba sent a sticker of a hand doing the "okay" sign.
Mimura: …
Okajima: behold, the class mute
Sugaya: Hayami's the other class mute
Okajima: they are truly soulmates
As usual, no one replied to Okajima's talk about ships.
Mimura: Hey Sugaya, let's meet at the stairs tomorrow :)
Sugaya: ok :))
Okajima: ughhhhh third wheel me
While Chiba was looking at his phone, Plagg flew around his room in a frenzy, probably searching for some cheese. Plagg sped past Chiba's calendar, and nearly hit a flat white box on Chiba's desk.
"Oy!" Chiba barked sharply. "Be careful!"
An infuriating smirk appeared on Plagg's face. "Aww, sorry for disrupting the special VIP section for Ladybug's gifts."
"Not that. That!" Chiba gestured to the box. "Don't break it."
Plagg's smirk only widened. "Oooooh, kid, that protectiveness is interesting…"
Chiba grabbed a sock and flung it at Plagg's head. Plagg's small hands grabbed it and breathed in the sock as if it was a paper bag. "Eww! It's clean! Where are your dirty socks?!"
"I actually do laundry," Chiba mentioned, a strange sort of satisfaction rising inside him when he saw Plagg's disgusted look. Great, he now took pleasure from others' pain due to Plagg.
"Do girls like clean boys?"
"Can you please stop attributing everything I do to impressing females? It's getting annoying."
Plagg tossed the sock back at Chiba, who caught it with ease. "Alright. Sorry."
"It's pretty."
Ladybug looked up at sakura trees, now illuminated by the warm glow of lanterns. Stray sakura petals fluttered and danced in the wind. The flowers seemed to look even better with the lighting. The sky was a clear inky black, and everything was so quiet, so tranquil, but with the movement of the petals, a little liveliness was injected.
Ladybug was reminded of when she viewed the flowers with Nakamura, Yada, and Kurahashi earlier that day. They kept on chattering about how romantic falling sakura petals were. Nakamura in particular had mentioned a shojo anime with a lot of sakura petals. Hayami personally thought that anime had a weird storyline. What kind of girl breaks a vase and then gets recruited into a host club with a lot of hot boys?
Now, without the chatter and bustle of people, Ladybug could fully enjoy the beauty of the sakura trees. Sure, it was fun being with her friends, but now at nighttime, she had a different experience.
Ladybug spun and saw her partner admiring the flowers under a tree. He didn't have an expressive face, but she could see the look of delight and enjoyment in his eyes. Eyes were truly windows to the soul. Then her eyes wandered down to the slim box Black Cat had in his hands.
"Hello," she greeted him.
"Hello, Ladybug," he replied, tearing his eyes away from the sakura. Ladybug saw a couple of sakura petals on his head.
"You've got something there," she said, and brushed the petals off. Ladybug chuckled when she saw Black Cat's ears move. "You're just like a real cat."
"You really like cats, huh?" Black Cat allowed Ladybug to scratch his chin. He didn't know why, but it felt really good.
"Cats are cute," Ladybug replied automatically. Her face flushed. Because he's like a cat, did I just indirectly say he's cute? She withdrew her hand.
"Ah." Black Cat held up a white box with a blue ribbon, and passed it to his friend. "Happy White Day! I know it was some time ago and we were busy, but I didn't forget."
"... Thank you." To be honest, Ladybug herself had forgotten about White Day. After the moon fiasco and all that followed, White Day became the least of her concerns. But it warmed her heart to see that he returned her chocolates from Valentine's Day. Ladybug didn't mind he viewed her in a platonic way, she was already thankful for such a great friend and partner. She flashed him a grin. "I like it."
Black Cat remembered it had been incredibly awkward at the convenience store. He had stood in front of the White Day display for seven minutes. A nice, young, female staff had tried to help him, but she just made Chiba want to die of embarrassment. He idly wondered if it had been the same for Ladybug when she bought him chocolates for Valentine's Day.
"I'm making a quick trip back to put them down. I'll be back in five," she said shortly.
"Alright."
Ladybug ran swiftly across the rooftops, channeling her bursting feelings using physical movement. The lights in the buildings twinkled as she flew past them.
It's a beautiful sight.
What if the world really would end? And no matter how hard she and her class tried, they would all die?
She would have to treasure her precious moments until the end.
Patrols with Black Cat. Booping noses with Tikki. Hanging out with Nakamura. She wasn't vocal about it, but she liked spending time with her close friends. She hoped more moments would be made.
Let's make this a good year.
A/N: The akuma is Takebayashi! Kudos to Fumiko Matsubara for the correct guess :D
(Yes, the anime Nakamura mentioned is indeed Ouran High School Host Club. Kiss kiss fall in love!)
I kind of realized the superhero duo had never had different opinions before, and that's unhealthy, so I added that little scene.
Chiba and Hayami WILL appear next chapter, so please don't worry about the lack of them this chapter.
Alright, it's been a year (!) since I started this fic, and I want to sincerely thank every one of you reading this. When I first posted this, I honestly thought no one would read this. I thought this would most likely end up as a snippet of an AU that I would never continue. But then the first reviews came, favs and follows poured in, and I wrote more and more. I know this is cheesy, but if no one had supported this fic at the beginning, Which Partner?, as it is now, won't exist.
(Side note: This is by far my most popular fanfiction. Weirdly enough, this fic has humble beginnings. I wrote the first chapter on holiday while pacing around an eleven mat tatami room, and posted it while desperately clinging to my dad's WiFi.)
Thank you so much for the reads, follows, favourites, reviews, and even the lovely fanarts (you know who you are XD I won't stop stanning you)! It makes my day to see your reviews, it really does :D
I LOVE YOU ALL! If I could hug you all I would!
As a special treat for you, I'm gonna give you a little spoiler.
Something important will happen during the face-off with Takaoka during the Island Arc. ;)
Now replies to reviews!
foxchick1: Thank you! My first thought about Korosensei in this AU was "hey, he would totally be a fan and ship them and cosplay as them".
Autistic-Grizzly: 1. Well, they're going to have to kill him no matter what happens. 2. I think I mentioned that Korosensei wouldn't be an akuma on one of the earlier A/Ns. 3. This chapter contains the answer :) They're good guesses though, I suppose the clue was rather ambiguous. 4. Thanks and sorry, not going to say a word about Kochou's identity now ;) 5. Thank you for always reading and reviewing! XD
Fumiko Matsubara: AHAHA THANKS SO MUCH! Asdfghjkl I'm super glad to see that my fics help you develop your OC :D
Guest: Thank you! Yay fellow LadyBlack fan. As for your comment on a possible identity reveal, all I can say is I have a lot planned out :)))))))))))
DreamDuelist: Thanks! I like how your review elaborates on stuff that I haven't thought of, like the government and Korosensei's online merch market. It makes the universe more diverse, so thank you :D As for your comment on Karasuma, everyone's gotta be stupid here- Ladybug is basically Hayami with a mask on. But interesting thought.
Kudos to you for going through this long A/N! ≧∇≦ Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!
Again, thank you for reading!