Get repared for a lot of scrolling to get to the new chapter while I deal with...Guest Reviews!

Dark, Chapter 1; I'm the one writing it and I feel sorry for him!

Long story short; the people of Paris can sometimes suck.

Dark, Chapter 2; Thank you!

(I'm sorry, Chat.)

I feel bad for killing them.

Don't worry! One's coming up in a couple of weeks!

Well, you're in luck! Here's more! XD

Ritta, Chapter 1; Thank you!

Ritta, Chapter 2; Me, too. Only having one angst-stuffed chapter is hurting me.

CatInTheBag, Chapter 1; Oh my. It can only be the ring hand? I was honestly not aware of that. Yeaaaah, Ladybug was in trouble.

I'm not sure if I will ever write the fight; I've written one flashback chapter, but it's not from Ladybug or Chat's POV, so it doesn't talk about their fight.

I wanted to do things differently, leaving Chat Blanc to the reader's imagination instead of my own. I might one day touch on it, but I don't have anything planned.

CatInTheBag, Chapter 2; *sudden realization that his injuries disappear in the next chapters* Well, shoot.

Oh, goodness. Now, imagine if he found out and that's why he was akumatized? Not saying it is, but…goodness. Wow.

(:)

Neptune

-Sleeping at Last

"Marinette!" Rose greeted, tossing her arms around the bluenette's shoulders. "You came!"

"I did!" Marinette responded, giggling as she hugged the shorter teen back. "I came to film you guys."

"I told you she would." Luka joked, putting a hand tenderly on Marinette's shoulder. "Marinette always makes it…at some point."

"Haw-haw!" Ivan chimed, nodding his head rapidly. "Ever since grade school!"

"Okay, okay you guys." Marinette laughed, shaking her head. "I get it; I'm tardy! There's been a lot going on."

"Bunch of people around." Juleka agreed, slowly nodding. "Very noisy."

"Not as loud as we usually are, trust me." Luka sighed, shaking his head. "It's rare for people not to come up to the boat and complain about the sound."

"And what does your mother tell them?" Marinette inquired, setting down her bag of sketch supplies.

"Something about life, and liberty, and the treasure of life! And how our music was a treasure, and that the people should learn to enjoy it, or they're a bunch of scoundrels!" Rose beamed, nodding happily. "And she's right! Life and liberty and love prevail!"

"That's what Mom calls the Three-L-Fundamentals." Juleka grunted, pushing her purple locks behind her shoulder.

"Com'n!" Ivan complained, pouting. "Stop standing around and talking! My hands are itching to play something."

The other three musicians hummed in agreement, following the large boy into the lower deck, Marinette in their wake, clutching her phone tight.

The four got into position, donning the kitty-costumes, arming themselves with their instruments and microphones, and started off with a pose.

Marinette started recording, and Luka started off with a clear, melodic note. Ivan followed suit, and then Rose began singing, and Juleka played her accompanying guitar three seconds after her.

After fifteen minutes of playing song after song, Luka clapped his hands together, and Marinette stopped recording.

"Take five, everyone." Luka told them, gratefully snagging a water bottle from the nearby stand, gulping a quarter of it down in one go.

Ivan drank the whole bottle, only swallowing once the entire time.

Juleka and Rose were more delicate with their practices.

While the other three lulled into friendly talk, Marinette noticed Luka slipping to above deck with his guitar, and, naturally, followed him.

She watched as he settled into a chair and began playing a mournful, lonely tune. His eyes turned toward her, and he smiled gently, gesturing for her to come over with his head.

"Marinette, your outward appearance is serenity, but, I sense sadness within you." Luka told her, staring into her eyes gently. "Grief, perhaps. Anger is there too, and loneliness. Bitterness, as well, I see."

"How do you always know?" Marinette asked, cocking her head curiously. "It's unnatural."

Luka smiled, shaking his head gently. "We all have different gifts bestowed upon us at birth. Yours is giving and fashion, mine is music." He explained, continuing with the tune. "I understand music better than most, and I know what music represents a person best. You, I'm sure, understand what people need. What encouragement or comfort they require. You understand things about fashion that most people would hardly be able to put a hand on."

"Oh." Marinette cooed in awe, staring at his hands as they danced across the cords.

"Might I ask why you feel the way you do?" Luka asked, stringing a few more lines of the sorrow.

"I…" Marinette shrugged helplessly, struggling to find the right words. "I don't know. I've been thinking a lot, about the world. About wickedness, about Hawkmoth. How even good people are evil and can be used for evil. About poor judgement."

"About Chat Blanc." Luka guessed, pausing in the melody.

"Yeah. I was one of those lucky few who didn't effected in anyway by it, so I can't understand all the hate."

"Allow me to explain it this way…" Luka hesitated, before playing one last, soft note on the guitar, sighing drearily.

"Chat Noir's a good guy." Luka admitted, putting away his instrument. "But after all he's done…" Luka hesitated, frowning. "Marinette, my next words may cast me in a bad light, but I must be completely honest. I lean toward the mob's side."

Marinette flinched instinctively, ready to lash out in anger. She thought Luka had been like Adrien, still thoughtful toward Chat Noir, and understanding. Her eyes trailed towards her bag, which held the Snake Miraculous.

She had brought it along, intending it for him, seeing as how it would be easy to sneak it into his room.

Now, she was confused and hurt. After all, she thought he would be pro-Chat.

Turned out she was wrong. It was all for nothing.

As she readied herself to lash out, Luka timidly held out a hand.

" I have learned - from Juleka - that you are for Chat Noir. And that is understandable. It wasn't him in the wrong. As humans, we don't tend to look at what's behind it all, we look at the face that performed it, not wishing to try to figure out who was behind it. Akumas were one of the few exceptions to this rule, due to the fact that we know who's behind it already. Hawkmoth. However, when an akuma does something particularly bad, even the exceptions aren't enough. People only see the terrible crime. And that's what happened to Chat Noir. The thing is, nobody really liked Chat Noir in the first place." Luka deadpanned, his words like a slap to Marinette. "He distracts Ladybug. He breaks things, important, expensive things, with his cataclysm. And sometimes, when Ladybug doesn't use Miraculous Ladybug, the destroyed things remain. It doesn't do well for Chat Noir's name. Frankly, all of Paris regards him as an immature flirt. Nobody even knows if his words of affection for Ladybug are real or not. And when he - one of our main heroes - kills one million people within five hours, it doesn't put a lot of good light on him." Luka stopped for a moment, sipping at his water bottle. "And that's really all I have to say."

"How people treat him is totally unjust!" Marinette exploded, standing up and waving her hands around.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ivan, Rose, and Juleka peeking out from below deck, curious to what all the chaos was.

From the captain's quarters, Miss. Couffaine gazed out, a merry smile across her face as she enjoyed the show.

Marinette ignored them, continuing with her rant, voice rising louder and louder. "He protects them, goes out of his way to help them, takes care of them for - what? - months? A year? And then he has one bad day, gets taken over - like two hundred people already have been - then gets singled out and immediately had tomatoes thrown at him? Can't even show his face in public anymore? Is that it?"

"Marinette, you're one of those lucky people who didn't experience your family crumpling to dust." Luka's voice wasn't hard, or angry, but sorrowful, his blue eyes lowered. "I was not so lucky. I watched my family die before my eyes, and it hurt them. They were in agony when they died, their heart songs cried out as they wilted. Nobody has ever killed people and lasted that long. In those four hours before Ladybug defeated him, I feared that she never would. That my family would stay dead. And I'd be alone. When Chat Blanc killed them, there was a sick joy in his heart. It brought me terror, and I still have nightmares. Someone doesn't just traumatize you and then leave forever. Fear is getting to people, and that's why even people with no loses are panicking. They're afraid that he'll return and kill them and their loved ones next."

"I just…" Marinette's shoulders hunched, and she felt tears coming to her face. "I feel as if everyone is abandoning him. He doesn't deserve that."

"No, he doesn't." Luka agreed, shoulders sagging. "I see that but cannot change how I feel. However, you, Marinette, are a white flower among a field of roses. Hard to find, but worth it. You're rare, and precious to this world. I am honored to know you. Anyone would be."

Marinette bit her lip, uncertain what to say. Luka couldn't just criticize Chat Noir and then compliment her!

"I see I cannot change your mind, and I never plan to. I'm thankful you're still pure." Luka murmured, slinging the guitar around his shoulders once more. "Let's get back to practice, you three." He turned his sharp, blue eyes to stare piercingly at the three teenage onlookers, who immediately obeyed and ducked back down below.

Marinette grudgingly followed, wondering what she would do now.

She still was against enlisting Adrien; she loved the boy, but she knew he would most likely distract her from her job.

Maybe Chat Noir's concerns were right. She wouldn't have a partner after all.