Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
A/N: The akuma for this chapter is the lovely Fumiko Matsubara's OC, Yamazaki "Miki" Jenny! Miki is the main character of her fanfiction, TARGET ON! (link: https:*/www*fan*fiction*net/s/13272428/1/TARGET-ON [remove asterisks]) Please give it a go, it's sooooo good and I love Miki's dynamics with the class :D and she'll yeet Okajima away lol.
(By the way Fumiko I'm sorry if I botched her character aaaaaa)
"Hey guys, let's get going!"
A small gang of teenagers were huddled together on the street, the blinding sun shining down on them. Cars zoomed past, sputtering out warm air, contributing to the heat. Two out of four of them were loudly discussing sports, while one of them was yelling into her phone. The remaining teenager, a girl with a copper-blonde ponytail, glanced at her clipboard, then at her group mates. To a passerby, she might seem poker-faced, but if you look closer, you could see exasperation in her red irises.
"Guys?" The girl tapped her pen against her clipboard. When everyone ignored her, she took a deep breath and continued, "Did you all forget we're going to visit the elderly today?"
The other girl tore away from her phone to say, "Ugh, Miki, can you just give me a second?" She then proceeded to holler profanities into her phone, presumably arguing with her soon-to-be ex.
Miki snuck a glimpse at her watch. They were behind schedule, which was never good. "You've been on the phone for at least half an hour, Onodera-san," she informed her. "Even during the briefing session. I think you've been given enough time-"
Onodera impatiently raised a hand to stop Miki from talking. Then she continued to speak rapidly to the phone, her voice increasing in pitch and volume by the second. Onodera reminded Miki of a terribly off-key violin. A bossy, off-key violin.
A burst of obnoxious laughter. Miki spun to see two boys, her remaining groupmates, discussing football with unparalleled enthusiasm. In other circumstances, Miki wouldn't have minded them, but they were her group mates. They had work to do.
Miki cleared her throat. "Yokokawa-kun, Katsuda-kun, it's time to go."
Miki reached forward and snapped her fingers in front of them. The boys blinked and finally turned to face Miki. They looked at her with the same blank expression as if they just realized she existed.
Miki's crimson eyes sliced through them, but her tone was as calm and collected as usual. She raised her voice slightly to prevent Onodera's increasingly loud screeches from covering her voice. "Listen, I know football is really interesting, and you can talk as much as you like when we're finished with this visit, but just for the moment, please cooperate."
Then there was a deafening roar of an obscene word next to them, which attracted quite a few looks from the pedestrian. Unfortunately for them, they were on a busy road with a number of people. Miki gave them apologetic smiles, and veered sharply to Onodera. Onodera pressed the "end call" button with vigor.
"Uh, you done with the call?"
"That JERK!" Onodera practically screamed. "Who the heck does he think he is, saying those stuff to me-"
Miki put an arm around Onodera to try to pacify her. Due to Miki's height, she achieved this rather easily. "There there, I knew he was trouble the moment he walked in. He's such a self-entitled ass."
Onodera huffed and shoved her phone away with unnecessary force. "I'm so done with him. By the way, I'm tired of holding this." Onodera shoved a bag of towels and crackers at Miki, which were the gifts for the elderly. Miki disliked how she practically just dumped stuff in her arms, but Miki didn't want to get on Onodera's nerves. Therefore, she kept silent.
Familiar chuckles made their way to Miki's ears. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the boys chatting- again. Miki's heart sank, believing her efforts to pull the group together were useless. But as futile as they may be, Miki knew she still had to try.
Miki was feeling the pressure of handling so many things at the same time. Onodera with her break up, the boys with their football, the visit to the elderly, how she was the only sane one, everything. But she knew she had to remain calm, as lashing out would only make things worse.
Miki took a deep breath. In, out, in, out. Her footsteps- left, right, left, right. She could get past this.
The four of them walked to a residential complex. It looked like a bleak place, with identical buildings and windows that seemed to stretch out for miles and plain, eggshell-white walls. Miki knew this complex was neither new nor old, with quite a number of elderly living there. Their school had made visiting the elderly a compulsory service for their year.
Miki peered at her clipboard as she walked, long ponytail swishing behind her. On it was the information of the elderly person they were about to visit. Hmm. Hayashi-san. Room 11C. Lives alone in a small apartment. Miki recited the details in her head, mentally preparing for the visit. She hoped she (and her group) could somehow brighten his day, as she'd heard that elderly people in Japan were rather lonely.
Her group mates couldn't have cared less. Yokokawa was sniggering about something, his eyes glued to his phone. A can noisily bounced along the road, propelled by Onodera's angry feet. Meanwhile, a feather flew past Katsuda's face and his nose twitched. That triggered a violent sneeze and the others turned to look.
"Sorry," Katsuda said, rubbing his sniffling nose. "I have allergies."
"You need a tissue?" Miki offered.
"I'm fine-"
Mucus erupted from his nose and ended up all over Katsuda's hands.
Naturally, everyone's reaction was a loud, disgusted "ewww!".
"You're gross, dude!" Yokokawa took a rare glance away from his phone to stare at Katsuda.
Miki tossed a tissue at Katsuda. "Just take it," she said simply. "You better clean yourself up."
"Thanks," Katsuda replied in a nasally voice.
Onodera frowned at Katsuda, eyebrows furrowed in disdain. "Can't you, like, keep it in?"
Miki privately thought it really wasn't Katsuda's fault, as he couldn't help it if he was allergic to feathers. But she could also understand Onodera's reaction as the mucus was awful. And if Katsuda had allergies, he should be prepared for them by keeping tissues at hand.
Yokokawa still had his eyes on his phone. He rounded a corner, and he nearly bumped into a wheelchair user.
In fact, he would've bumped into the wheelchair if Miki hadn't grabbed Yokokawa and yanked him away.
Miki felt her face was scorching with second hand embarrassment. She turned to the wheelchair user, a woman in her young twenties. "Miss, I'm deeply sorry for his actions." Miki then nudged Yokokawa in the ribs.
"Sorry," Yokokawa mumbled under his breath.
"No sweat," the wheelchair user said and went away.
Miki wanted to facepalm herself. How many times had she apologized for someone else's mistakes today? How many times had she silently provided help to these ignorant people? Why did she have the misfortune to be stuck up with such misbehaved, irresponsible people? Anger and frustration steadily built up inside her, and Miki felt like a taut rubber band- about to snap.
Miki longed for time to speed past, and fortunately for her, the entrance of the complex came into view.
The group walked up to the apartment. Or at least, they tried to. Somewhere along the way, the boys wandered away and the group was separated. Although irritated as hell, Miki called them, found them, and practically ushered them to the correct apartment as if they were toddlers or something. Finally, when Miki gathered them in front of the door, they were seven minutes late. Seven!
Miki's frustration was bubbling, but forced it down. Be nice to the elderly. She knocked on the door and it opened.
Hayashi-san, the elderly man, had greying hair. He used a cane, although he didn't seem to be heavily relying on it. He was polite and welcoming and invited the group in. He insisted he would make some tea for them despite the protests.
"Ooh, look at all those ink paintings," Onodera said loudly, gesturing to the paintings on the wall.
"They look abstract." Yokokawa wrinkled his nose at the blotches of black ink. "What is that, poop?"
Miki rolled her eyes. "Why are you so immature?"
Hayashi-san returned with the tea and began to exchange pleasantries with Miki (who was the only one who bothered to interact with him). As they chattered about topics such as the weather and their daily lives, the other three were distracted and isolated themselves from the conversation.
Onodera was furiously texting on her phone. The boys were not-so-quietly discussing the ink paintings ("What sort of kanji is that? Never seen it before." "Hmm, maybe an old version of a kanji?"). Miki gave them pointed looks to tell them to behave, but again, they just ignored her.
Onodera had the audacity to tell Miki to deal with Hayashi-san for her because she was "busy". Busy doing what, exactly? Couldn't her petty argument wait for like half an hour?
After making small talk, Hayashi-san went on to do what elderly people usually did- talk about their glorious past. Other than the usual "I was at the top of my class" "I was quite a good fighter back then", he also mentioned a lost love who had died decades ago, and why he never married, how he could never understand people nowadays, the environment he grew up with… Miki nodded at the appropriate times. She hoped Hayashi-san could feel some release upon sharing his life experiences.
Miki was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the visit dragged on. The other kids were so obnoxiously impolite! She wished it would just end, so she could just drag them all out and toss them into the trash bin. All three of them basically ignored the poor elderly person and did their own thing. Fury and embarrassment was boiling in her heart, but she forced a smile for Hayashi-san. She just wanted to be done with everything. She clenched her trembling hands into fists.
The moment they left Hayashi-san and was out of hearing distance, Miki could not contain her emotions anymore. Everything she had attempted to stuff deep inside her erupted like a volcano, words and fury tumbling out of her. Her fist swung and she punched her group mates. It wasn't a light punch. As they recoiled in pain, Miki snapped, "Why do you always create trouble? Why can't you be well-mannered and behave for ONCE?"
The three had the decency to look slightly apologetic (keyword: slightly). Miki felt a hot flash of satisfaction upon seeing their faces, and continued. "Do you know how much of your messes have I cleaned up? I tried to be nice, and helpful, and you guys just- ARGH! Just take advantage of that." Miki paced furiously, still holding her clipboard and pen in hand. She threw her clipboard to the ground, and her companions jumped at the loud clattering sound. Miki clenched her pen in her fist, almost as if it were a sword. "I'm so- so DONE!" Miki seethed.
Red clouded over her face and she gritted her teeth, lips pressed into a thin line. Blood pounded in her ears and her eyes swept over the clipboard on the ground. When she looked up at her group, however, they weren't staring at her. In fact, they were staring beyond her.
Katsuda reacted first. "Miki-san, run!"
"Wha-"
A violet butterfly fluttered in view, glistening with dark veins of energy. They helplessly watched as it flew into Miki's pen and dissipated-
And then Miki's red thoughts all drowned into deep, deep purple.
"Ugh, it's sooo hot outside."
"Sugaya, I regret to inform you that global warming, in fact, exists."
A trio of boys were taking shelter under a veranda sticking out of a roadside café. Sugaya squinted at the too-bright sunlight outside. Mimura was pressing a cold can of peach soda to his cheek. Chiba nonchalantly adjusted his (unfortunately woolen) beanie, trying to ignore the rivulets of sweat practically running down his back.
"Chiba, aren't you feeling hot with that beanie?"
Chiba tilted his head slightly in Sugaya's direction. "A bit," he replied, knowing he would never take it off no matter how hot he was. He was too used to it protecting his eyes. And Sugaya, knowing Chiba, didn't pry.
"Well, I guess this weather ruins our plans to go outside," Mimura remarked.
Sugaya cursed. "Damn, and I wanted to sketch some plants today… I guess we can go to the museum, but we've been there too many times."
"Chiba, you haven't been there, right?" Mimura asked.
"... No…"
"Great!" Sugaya declared. "Let's go together! I think they have a couple of sculptures on display," he said, remembering Chiba once stated he carved wood as a hobby.
Chiba was about to say "sure", but then felt a vibration from his phone. He received a notification from the Ladyblog, with the words "NEW AKUMA ATTACK AT RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX" and the subheading "calls themselves Troublemaker, can turn intangible". The muscles in Chiba's tensed up, and he knew this was his call to go. But first, he needed an excuse.
"Sorry, my mom just texted me and asked me to buy some groceries." Chiba pressed the notification and scrolled through the details quickly. "I-I have to leave."
"Aww, that sucks," Mimura said sympathetically.
"Uh, so bye for now!" Chiba gave his friends a quick wave and hurried away. He found an empty street and rapidly transformed.
Black Cat leapt out into the sky, feeling the intensity of the sun's rays on his suit. He opened his map and went to the site of the akuma attack. On the way, he was joined by Ladybug. Ladybug was usually rather collected, but today he could see a bit of her frenzied side from her jerky movements.
"This Troublemaker lives up to her name and is now wreaking havoc in the apartments. Apparently, she can turn intangible and travel through solids."
"Sounds tough," Black Cat commented. He watched as Ladybug's fingers twitched around her yoyo, obviously uneasy. Seeing her act like that also made him on edge.
"Yeah, I know. We've got to watch out," said Ladybug seriously. "And to make matters worse, there are a lot of elderly people living there."
Black Cat tensed. "We need to lure her out."
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking of. But the problem is," Ladybug scanned the numerous blocks of buildings. "We can't lure her if we don't know where she is."
"Uhh, we can follow the trial of damage?" Black Cat suggested with a hesitant tone in his voice. His eyes roamed over the area. Many residents were being evacuated, with the healthy adults helping the elderly.
The duo dived into the hectic mess. Flour laid over the floor and furniture were overturned. Broken shards of plates and glass littered the ground, with tattered curtains blowing lifelessly in the wind. Black Cat and Ladybug broke open doors to inspect the scene inside, but there was no akuma to be seen.
Amidst the chaos, there was a distinct scream of "begone akuma!". The duo watched as a girl threw a pillow against something in the corridor, and it exploded into white feathers. They saw a flash of pink and black among the swirling feathers, and a faintly humanoid figure.
"Guess we found her," Ladybug said. Then in unison, they pounced towards the figure.
The first thing they saw was the akuma's eye-catching hair, which was a striking pink and swept on one side. Black markings were painted under her eyes. Black Cat privately thought they looked sort of like running mascara. Upon seeing the heroes, Troublemaker's magenta lips quirked into a smirk. She clicked her pen and her body became translucent. Ladybug went to tackle the akuma, but she just passed through the akuma as though she was a ghost.
"My my, do I see some trouble over here," Troublemaker drawled. With a mischievous grin, she sank into the floor, white boots and tattered black pants passing easily through the concrete. "Catch me if you can!"
"Let's split up!" Ladybug announced loudly. Then she dropped her voice and muttered to Black Cat, "Follow her. I'll be bait."
Ladybug jumped out of the building and landed outside. Her alert eyes scanned the area, while Black Cat searched the complex. He took out his baton and crept around, moving quickly to avoid potential ambushes. He leaned over a balcony and caught sight a lurking figure underneath. It was the akuma. Black Cat separated his baton and threw one half of it outside. The clanging noise attracted the attention of the akuma and when she looked out of the balcony, she saw a solidarity Ladybug, seemingly off guard. Naturally, the akuma wasn't going to let that opportunity slip away. Still intangible, Troublemaker leapt out and Ladybug ran. Ladybug grabbed the half of Black Cat's baton and flung it back to him. Black Cat also jumped, caught it in mid air and followed his partner and the akuma.
Ladybug had apparently wanted to change the battlefield to the main roads. The police had evacuated the people on the roads, leaving their vehicles in the sun. The shiny surface of cars glinted in the hot afternoon, and Black Cat found himself being blinded by some of the light reflecting off the surfaces.
Panting and footsteps caused him to turn. Black Cat saw a trio of students crouching behind a car, visibly tense. When his focus returned to the fight, Troublemaker had vanished. Damn. His heart clenched.
Ladybug was standing on top of a car to get a better view. Black Cat climbed up the car said apologetically, "Sorry, I lost track of the akuma."
Just as he said that, Troublemaker loomed out right behind Ladybug. She clicked her pen and her gloved hands reached out for the earrings. Instinctively, Black Cat swept Ladybug off her feet. He shoved Troublemaker with his elbow. Troublemaker did a somersault off the car and landed perfectly, pink hair whipping with the movement.
Black Cat knew Ladybug had quick reflexes and would recover quickly, so he didn't check on her and went for the akuma instead. Due to the significance the pen had on the akuma's powers, he believed the pen was the akumatized item. He launched himself at her, knowing close combat would work better than throwing things. Troublemaker grabbed his arm and Black Cat inwardly marveled at her strength. She attempted to throw him off, but Black Cat kicked her exposed midriff and they both stumbled back, losing their balances.
Black Cat felt a whoosh of air above his head, and watched as the bright red yoyo zoomed towards Troublemaker. The akuma clicked her pen and the yoyo went through her uselessly. He pushed himself back up and backed away from the akuma, as he knew they couldn't fight her in this form.
At least he now knew she had to be tangible to get their miraculouses. Their apparent disadvantage might be their greatest advantage.
A shuffling and bumped sound caught their attention. Ladybug, Black Cat, and Troublemaker all spun to see a foot vanishing behind a car.
The akuma reacted first. She chuckled, then made a beeline for the unfortunate person. The heroes followed suit. Troublemaker sprinted and passed through cars on her path, then turned herself tangible again. She tore a wheel off a nearby truck and hurled it through the air to the heroes. As they swerved to avoid it, Troublemaker grabbed a car and held it up, revealing three teenagers, all frozen with shock and unadulterated terror.
"Oh, there you are. Onodera, Yokokawa, and Katsuda," Troublemaker drawled with simpering sweetness, punctuating the last three words with bitter venom. With every name dropped, more blood drained from their faces. "Thought you were maybe smart enough to follow the police's orders to take another route, but I guess you never do what the authorities tell you."
Without even looking back, Troublemaker threw the car behind her, the heavy vehicle sailing towards the heroes' faces. Ladybug spun her yoyo and Black Cat crouched behind her. His powerless eyes followed the car as it crashed on Ladybug's shield, glass splintering out.
Ladybug's hands shook from the pressure, but she didn't falter. If looks could kill, the car would've been sliced into half by her laser eyes. That murderous look quickly softened when she looked at her partner. "You okay?"
"I would ask the same for you!" Black Cat yelled, and she took that as a "yes". Thanking the gods for his tough suit, an unharmed Black Cat scampered out of the wreckage. He squinted through the sunlight and his eyes widened-
Troublemaker held up another car, about to throw it on the defenseless teenagers. Black Cat swore his blood froze for a second, then rapidly boiled with gushing adrenaline. His legs propelled him forward, faster and faster until he reached the teenagers, determined arms reaching out-
"Cataclysm!" he screeched.
Black Cat stretched out his hand heroically, the black energy in his hand dissolving the car. He had successfully saved the teenagers. The trio, who were huddled at his feet, gawked up at him.
"I think I'm in love," someone said.
Through the vanishing cloud of black dust, Black Cat could see the akuma's shocked expression. Her lip twitched, and the shock sharpened into anger. Black Cat grabbed his baton and spun it, preparing to attack.
Troublemaker's arm jerked and she slapped her hand over her eyes. It was as if her eyes hurt from something. Puzzled, Black Cat looked around, then quickly realized sunlight was reflecting off his metal baton. Accompanied by his spinning action, he was sending light straight into the akuma's face, effectively blinding her. Judging from her reaction, her eyes were more sensitive than the average person's.
"Her weakness is light! Just like a vampire!" Black Cat announced, knowing Ladybug could hear him. He snatched a phone from the three teenagers, activated the torch function and shone it into her eyes.
Troublemaker gritted her teeth, hand still over her eyes. Ladybug's yoyo went around her waist, but before she could yank her away, Troublemaker wrenched another wheel and thrust it at Black Cat and the teenagers. Black Cat intercepted the wheel and knew she could do serious harm to the teenagers. They needed to leave right now.
"Go." Black Cat gestured to where he knew the police were. The teenagers all looked similarly confused to what he wanted them to do. He heard clashes and bangs- sounds that indicated Ladybug was facing the akuma.
Black Cat absolutely hated to leave Ladybug alone in a fight, but it was also his duty to protect civilians. Clearly, these teenagers had no idea what to do.
"Follow me. I'll take you someplace safe."
Slash. Jab. Retreat. Go forward.
After Ladybug had successfully pulled Troublemaker away from the teenagers, Troublemaker escaped from her yoyo. Not letting her have a chance to turn intangible, Ladybug's yoyo hit the akuma's hand. She then advanced, keeping the akuma's hands busy.
Troublemaker was rather strong for someone her age. She easily blocked some of Ladybug's attacks, and Ladybug could feel pain sprouting from where she was hit. Ladybug wasn't as strong, but she was faster. Her yoyo went left right left right- distracting the akuma. Her nimble feet practically danced on the battlefield, cleverly avoiding punches while striking the akuma with her yoyo at the same time.
She had heard what Black Cat had said about Troublemaker's weakness. Unfortunately, her yoyo was not as shiny as his baton, and she couldn't achieve the desirable effect. Ladybug hoped to tire Troublemaker out.
Suddenly, Ladybug felt Troublemaker had changed her tactic. Instead of turning intangible and dodging attacks, the akuma went for the offensive. Ladybug had a sneaking suspicion that the akuma discovered she could fare well against one of the heroes, and decided to take her chances. Every muscle in Ladybug's body tensed in preparation for the onslaught she would face.
Where's Black Cat? I hope he's doing fine. Ladybug couldn't help but feel worried for her partner, even though she should be worried for her current situation.
Troublemaker grabbed a shard of glass and surged forwards. Sensing danger, Ladybug grabbed Troublemaker's arm to stop her, and they both struggled for a moment. The shard was too close to Ladybug, and she could practically feel Troublemaker's hot breath on her skin. Troublemaker crunched her heel on Ladybug's foot and Ladybug ducked her head. The shard slid past her left cheek, creating a shallow slash. Ladybug winced at the pain, but didn't hesitate and hurled her yoyo.
Troublemaker seized the yoyo and swung it around. Ladybug was spun around and when Troublemaker released the yoyo, Ladybug shot through the air. She crash-landed on top of a car, the hard impact echoing in her body. Droplets of blood seeped from the wound onto her hand, and she carelessly swiped it away. She slowly pushed herself up, hands slightly trembling from the effort.
A pair of steady arms helped her up. Ladybug looked up to see Black Cat, green eyes vibrant with concern. Upon seeing him, it felt like a great stone was removed from her chest. She was so happy to have him nearby.
"Does that hurt?" he asked, referring to her cheek gash. He reached out a hand to her cheek, inspecting the wound. Ladybug's skin tinged at the warm touch, and she had to remind herself to be capable of coherent speech.
"Yes, it does a bit. Are those civilians safe?"
Black Cat was about to reply, but held up his baton as if he was warding a vampire with a cross. An intangible Troublemaker was sneaking up on them. Unfortunately for him, Troublemaker was not affected by light when she was intangible. Due to this danger, Black Cat picked up Ladybug and they retreated to formulate a plan.
Ladybug decided it was prime time to use her Lucky Charm. A mirror landed in her hands. She took one look at Troublemaker and her shiny surroundings, and knew what she had to do.
"Oh no, physics isn't my strong point," she muttered.
Black Cat winked at her and took the mirror from her hands. "No problem, I got this."
Ladybug stared as Black Cat leapt away, her heart drumming a thousand beats per minute. Did he just wink? He had the audacity to wink? In this situation- Her thoughts were interrupted when Troublemaker stepped into view. Ladybug then forced herself not to think about him, and stared hard at Troublemaker. Neither of them moved an inch.
I just need her to be tangible for one second. One second. Ladybug kept on repeating to herself. Black Cat was waiting for her next move. She would not fail him.
Ladybug made her legs tremble, making it appear that she was still shaken from her fall. She dashed towards Troublemaker, but tripped and fell spectacularly.
"Oh no! Black Cat, where are you?" Ladybug cried loudly, deliberately seeming more powerless than she really was.
Troublemaker smirked and pounced on Ladybug, quickly becoming tangible. At the same time, Black Cat used the mirror and his baton to reflect light straight into Troublemaker's eyes. Due to Black Cat reflecting the light from a specific beam of sunlight, the intensity of the light was much stronger than before. Troublemaker yelped and used both hands to cover her eyes. The crucial pen clattered to the ground.
Yes! Ladybug cheered. She took the pen and neatly broke it in half. The purple akuma fluttered away, and Ladybug immediately cleansed it. Black Cat went towards her and she stood up. They both grabbed the mirror and threw it upwards. "Miraculous Ladybug!" they chanted.
Swarms of glowing ladybugs surrounded them and healed them. The superhero duo did their customary fistbump. Ladybug touched her cheek and was delighted to find the gash gone.
A beep sounded from her earrings. "Four dots left," Black Cat informed her.
Ladybug noted that Black Cat's ring was not beeping. "I thought you used your Cataclysm?"
"Yeah, but I nearly ran out of power when I saved the teenagers. That took a really long time. So I just transformed again."
The purple magic melted off Miki and she blinked as if she was newly born. "Darn it. I got akumatized," she groaned.
"Yeah, you did," Ladybug said. Wow, this girl is super tall even when she's not akumatized!
Miki sighed. "What sort of weird thing did Kochou name me?"
"Troublemaker," Ladybug replied.
Miki wrinkled her nose. "It could be worse. At least I'm not some sort of monstrosity like Beach Babe."
"Miki-san!"
Black Cat's eyes nearly popped out when he saw those three teenagers return to the scene again. Judging from his face, it looked like he had been Cataclysmed in the ribs. Ladybug could understand his frustration but his expression was honestly so amusing.
"I thought the police kept you?" Black Cat groaned, half-angry, half-exasperated.
"Yeah, but we wormed our way out," Yokokawa said.
"They can't stop us," Katsuda supplied.
"We feel sorta responsible. Only sorta," Onodera added.
Black Cat shook his head and looked away. He was very much done with these three foolish teenagers that couldn't take orders to save their lives.
"Oh hey," Miki greeted cooly. She arched one eyebrow, clearly showing her dislike for them. "Did I kill you guys?"
"Almost did," Katsuda said. He shuffled on his feet nervously. "So… uhhh…"
"We're sorry for what we did." Onodera bowed. The other two followed suit. "We shouldn't have bothered you."
Miki snorted. "Huh, like any words of yours have weight anyway. Prove that you're sorry with actions."
Ladybug watched their little spat and nudged Black Cat. "I think it's time to go."
They hopped away, and on the way, they saw a frantic Kimura dashing among the cars.
"That's one fast guy," Black Cat commented under his breath.
Ladybug agreed, but Black Cat couldn't possibly know how fast Kimura could be in assassinations. His speed had always impressed the class.
"Yo! Ladybug! Black Cat!" Kimura gasped. He put his hands on his knees, visibly panting with effort. "Have you see those three teenagers Troublemaker was targeting? My dad sent me to find them."
"Yeah, they're over there." Black Cat jabbed a figure in the direction.
"Thanks!" Kimura then cheerily shot off.
Ladybug felt a bit bad for Kimura. After all, the police force had basically sent a teenager to do their work. And those three teenagers appeared to be notoriously hard to track down.
They found a vending machine tucked into a corner and immediately bought cold drinks. They were both thirsty and tired after the fight.
"It's just spring but it's already this hot…" Ladybug sighed. She then took a long, luxurious sip of her green tea, enjoying the coolness.
"I kind of want to stick my head in a swimming pool," Black Cat chimed in. "Y'know, this reminds me of last summer. Remember when we ate ice cream?"
Ladybug's grip on her drink tightened momentarily, as though a thought struck her. "I never paid you back for that ice cream!" she exclaimed. She rummaged in her wallet for a few coins, and slipped them into Black Cat's pocket. "Here. I'm paying for your drink."
"Thanks, Ladybug."
There was a serene silence as they both recovered from the battle.
"Sorry that I wasn't able to protect you." Black Cat murmured.
Ladybug's eyes widened, taken aback. "Wha-"
Black Cat now refused to look at her, and he stubbornly stared at the ground. "Troublemaker scratched your cheek and I wasn't there to stop it. Like if circumstances had been a little bit different, you could've gotten a deeper cut, or worse…"
Ladybug smacked his shoulder. She made sure the force was light enough for him not to feel serious pain.
"There's no need to beat yourself up over that," Ladybug said rather harshly. "Black Cat, you were just abiding by your duties. Besides, I'm not a kid. I can handle myself." Under her breath, Ladybug muttered "silly kitty", albeit in an affectionate way.
There was another pause.
"You know what? You're right." Black Cat met Ladybug's eyes, and he gave her a brief smile. "I should stop blaming myself for everything. You should too, Ladybug."
A beep barged into their conversation. "One dot left," Black Cat told her.
Ladybug instinctively raised a hand to her earring. "Ah, I better go." She turned away, then stopped, as if hesitating.
"It was nice spending time with you, Black Cat."
Then she quickly escaped before he could make a remark.
Ladybug soared through the air and landed in a remote street. With a red flash, she detransformed, and Tikki flew out of her miraculous.
"Black Cat is so stupid," Hayami hissed, cheeks pink with agitation. "Like- it's not even his fault. And he thinks he should- should protect me. Without ever caring for his own safety."
"Hmm, aren't you like that too, Rinka-chi?" Tikki commented teasingly. "You two are way too similar. You think the same, act the same, and say the same things!"
Hayami recalled when she thought of him during the akuma battle, even when she was in a tough spot herself. "Well, you're not wrong," Hayami admitted.
She dug into her bag and took out a plastic baggie with two cookies. "Which one will it be?" Hayami looked at Tikki expectantly. "Chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin?"
"I'll take the oatmeal. I'm trying to be healthier nowadays." Tikki clutched the oatmeal raisin cookie with tiny hands and began to munch on it.
Hayami snorted. "You're a deity. It doesn't matter if you eat healthy or not. You can't die, Tikki."
Tikki wagged her hand. "It makes me feel less guilty when I eat sweets," she informed her holder.
A light laugh escaped Hayami's lips. "Whatever you say, Tikki. Whatever you say."
Miki trod back to her room and took out her piles of schoolwork. She was already dead tired from today's events (nearly throwing Onodera off a building, the visit to the elderly, being akumatized), and she still had work to do. Even in the night. Well, 'tis the life of a poor student in Japan.
Miki began to scribble on papers with a furious pace, ink flowing free from her pen. The house was quiet, as her family members had gone to sleep long ago. It was just her.
She glimpsed the permanent crescent moon outside the window. Miki suddenly remembered that the superheroes of Kunugigaoka would patrol at around this time. Tired of staring at lined paper, Miki looked out of the window, trying to see if she could spot the heroes.
She knew the heroes were both serious and responsible. Rather like Miki herself, actually.
Miki's sleep deprived mind began to wander. What if she was a superhero like them? What sort of animal would her alter ego be based after? A snake? A bunny? Or a fox? Miki rather liked foxes. Would she get along with the superheroes, with their similar personalities?
But Miki knew she might not be able to handle the responsibilities. The everlasting pressure of being a student, coupled with the burden of protecting the town, might just crush her. Knowing that the heroes looked about her age, Miki admired their ability to handle so many things at once.
Two distant silhouettes leapt against the dark sky, quickly moving on the rooftops. Miki allowed a small smile to slip on her face, and watched until they disappeared from view.
She really wanted to know how would it feel, to be out there, patrolling with them.
But it was probably an impractical thought, and Miki knew she could only dream.
But that happy thought was enough to keep her going through the night.
Under the moonlight, in a different place, another plan was brewing.
"Remember your positions…" a sultry voice spoke into her phone. "I'll pay you handsomely… yes, make sure to look out for that yellow octopus…" Her fingers drummed on a mahogany desk, showing off her immaculate nails. "Don't go overboard, though…"
The young woman ended the call, and casually scrolled through her messages. "Hmph, another car gifted to me… free cosmetics from this one… too bad they're not of high quality…"
She paused when she reached a certain old message. It was from the Ministry of Defense, requesting her help in a special… mission.
As she reread the message, the woman's eyes glinted, and the corners of her plump lips quirked up.
"An unkillable creature… interesting, very interesting."
A/N: BOOYEAH 100K BABEY! This brainbaby has reached 100k words! Wow! I can't believe I actually wrote this much! And we're just roughly a third through… lmao. Thank you thank you for all of your support! I will do my best to finish this rather ambitious project :D
I don't know why but this chapter sort of feels… incomplete. Maybe it's because its my shortest chapter recently. Ehehehe, or maybe I just wrote this quicker than usual. And I'd just been gone for two months! Yay… I guess?
Good news: my exams are done, summer holidays are approaching! The second anniversary of this fic, 25/7/2019, is coming soon! :D And I promise there will be a 3-E akuma next chapter :)
Bad news: still haven't received my grades (they're probably bad lol), and I will probably focus on writing for Assassination Classroom Femslash Week 2019 instead of Which Partner.
Yes, you heard that. Femslash Week. For Assassination Classroom. And I'm organizing it :D Like ChibaHaya Week 2018, but femslash. More information can be found on my tumblr blog, assclass-conspiracies (don't question the name, I also don't know what happened). I also post and reblog Which Partner stuff on my tumblr blog! Go and check it out XD
Assassination Classroom Femslash Week 2019:
Duration: 29/7/2019 (Monday) to 4/8/2019 (Sunday)
Prompts are as follows:
Day 1: Comfort / Sweets
Day 2: Study Time / Assassination Time
Day 3: Letter / Flower
Day 4: First Date / Frenemies
Day 5: Secret / Umbrella
Day 6: Kiss / Wish
Day 7: Free day
You're more than welcome to join with fanfiction or fanart :D
Replies to reviews:
foxchick1: Thank you! You know, I always see you randomly pop into my inbox with similar comments! Thanks for being so consistent!
Autistic-Grizzly: Thanks! Sorry to disappoint, it's a OC akuma this time. As for your question about Ritsu, have you seen any akumatized AI in Miraculous Ladybug? ;)
ToadetteIsMyCaptain: I believe we're all done with Karma's crap, lol. Especially Chiba :P Lmao, has this akuma been quite a swerve, considering that you do know Fumiko and Miki?
Guest: Aww thank you so much! Yeah, I also liked writing about Nakamura in that scene. As for your comment on Chiba intervening in Takaoka and Nagisa's fight, I did mention something about the Island arc ;) ehehe
DreamDuelist: Aaa thanks! Ughhh I know I made Chiba and Hayami so dumb, but I can't help but make fun of them :P Love how you commented what parts you liked the most and what you think might happen :D As for Bitch-sensei… hmm… she should be out any moment… :P
Greengargouille: Hi! Nice to see you here! Yeah I have to agree, my old writing is kinda choppy. But thankfully, I think I've improved (?). As for that part with Hayami feeling isolated… I think I had a similar experience before :0 so yeah maybe I put myself into her… But thank you for your comments and constructive criticism! I really appreciate it :D
iYunchan: yeeee the next update is hereee. Hope this satisfies your questions!
Thanks for your support! You guys are what motivates me! Thanks for reading and please consider dropping a review if you have free time! :)