Anything But Miraculous:
Chapter 5: Nurse Redheart
Racing across the rooftops was a feeling Sora was starting to get used to. The sheer adrenaline of moving around, on places he normally couldn't access was incredible. The tiredness he had felt during the day had melted away, replaced by the strength, stamina and endurance granted to him by his mystical magical jewels. He slid to a stop near the edge of a house, looking around the city. He hadn't gotten far from the school, but he could see injured people all over the place. Without missing a beat, he dropped down, using a portal to flash before a pair of kids who were clutching their ankles tightly. He knelt down beside them, giving them a smile.
"It'll be okay, tell me what happened?"
"M-me and my brother were walking up the street with our momma, and this red lady came and hit us with something. Now my leg hurts!" the little girl cried, tears running down her face. "I want it to stop!"
"You have to be brave sis, just like mommy told us," the older boy said. Though he tried to be brave, he was clutching his own ankle tightly, tears streaking down his cheeks. Sora scooped both of them up, bringing them onto the sidewalk, and away from traffic. He spotted an injured woman on the side, having passed out from the pain. When the two saw her, they started crying harder than before.
"Is this your mother?"
"Yes, is she gonna be okay?"
Sora gave the little girl a nod, taking her hand and wrapping it around her mother's. He turned to the boy, who was still putting on a brave face. "Listen, it'll take a while before we can fix your mom, but once we find that akuma, she'll be as good as new. I know you're hurt, but you have to be brave. Take care of your sister and your mother, okay?"
"O-okay, Mister… um… What's your name?"
"My name?" he asked, tilting his head a bit. He knew he had called himself Blue Bunny before, but he was beginning to wonder if that was a proper name for himself. He slowly stood up, giving the boy a peace sign. "Just call me Blue Bunny, that name is subject to change though. Take care!"
With that, he darted up the street, keeping his eyes peeled for the akumatized nurse. All he saw was the wake of her destruction. Injured people doing their best to help each other out. Crashed cars filled with victims, and even an overturned bus that still had passengers inside, he came to a stop with that one, pressing his hand onto the roof of the vehicle, forming a portal.
"Quick, get in and get them out of there!" he commanded. Three uninjured police officers quickly raced in, pulling the injured people out, all while he kept the portal open. Once they were out, Blue Bunny checked them over for injury. "It seems like they'll be fine, just an effect from the akuma."
"She came out of nowhere. We were supposed to help direct traffic for a construction job, one of the boy's ended up getting hurt on the job and she tripled his pain. She started blasting everyone in sight!" a construction worker cried, looking around at some of his men who were writhing in agony. "I don't know who you are, but you gotta help."
"Don't worry sir, I am. Could you tell me which way she went? The faster I find her the faster we can get your friends some relief."
He pointed up the street. "Over that way, I'm sure she was heading toward Champs-Elysees. Be careful… uh… Blue Bunny, right?"
"Mhmm, don't worry sir, I'll be careful. Officers I'll leave them in your hands," he said, disappearing through a portal. He appeared on top of the Arc de Triomphe, placing his hand over his eyes for a moment. "Shit, I don't see her anywhere…"
"Blue Bunny!"
He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Ladybug land in front of him. It didn't take long for Chat Noir to make his entrance as well, both of them having concerned looks on their faces. "Have you seen the Akuma?"
"No, I haven't, but some men pointed me in this direction, said she had come here after injuring some construction workers. Any idea why someone would piss off a nurse?"
"I couldn't tell ya, all I know is that she's very angry. Everywhere I looked, there were injured people begging for help. Seems like a single hit from her prescription and you're toast." Chat Noir said, resting his baton on his shoulder. "What's the plan then, My Lady?"
"I can't say for sure but we're gonna have to lure her out. It seems she can hone in on injuries. If one of us pretends to be injured, she'll appear and then we can trap her."
"Yeah, I'm not sure that'll work," Blue Bunny said, causing the pair to look in his direction. "We might get here to appear, sure, but we also might get her to attack innocents. We can't risk that."
"Well if we don't try this then she's definitely gonna keep attacking innocents."
"Okay, look, I know this is different from how you do things, but you can't ignore the people. I saw two kids crying their eyes out because not only did their ankles hurt, but they saw their unconscious mother. Oh and there was an accident on a street corner where a tipped over bus was filled with injured people. Sorry, Ladybug but we can't just do something that would risk people like that," he snapped, glaring at the red glad heroine.
"Grr… listen here, I have been doing this for far longer than you, and we need to do things accordingly or else-"
"Ladybug, can we not do this?" Chat said, stepping between the two. The young woman stiffened a bit, a look of surprise on her face. "Look, I know both of you want to get this akuma and there are different ways of doing it, but we shouldn't argue about how we'll get it done. Instead, we should focus on finding the nurse and taking her down."
Blue Bunny and Ladybug shared a look, with the former sighing, holding his hand out. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. I know you are the senior hero here and have experience doing this. I just don't want to see innocent people getting hurt."
"I know, I'm sorry too. I'm just… getting used to all of this," she said, shaking his hand. She gave him a nod, glancing back at Chat Noir. "Right, we need to come up with a plan that allows us to trap this Nurse."
Blue Bunny tapped his chin in thought, suddenly snapping his fingers. "Why don't we consult the future?"
"Huh?"
"It's simple. Last time with Money Maker, I did a whole trial and error thing. I ended up going back in time to a checkpoint. Rather than try that again, we can figure out where the Nurse is and strike her before she strikes someone else." Bunny said with a grin. "It's foolproof!"
"Except we shouldn't be using the Rabbit Miraculous like that. The Guardian told me it was only meant to be used as a last resort. It's a risk using something so strong like that." Ladybug said firmly.
"Well what other option do we have? Do you see the Nurse anywhere?" he asked firmly. She sighed, but decided to relent. "Alright then, just stick close and do not touch anything."
With a deep breath, he channeled magic through his fingertip, holding his hand out like a gun before firing. "Burrow!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir watched in awe as the portal fizzled into existence. He hastily stepped inside, pausing briefly to glance back at the pair. "Well come on, don't just stand there."
Chat shared a look with Ladybug who merely nodded, the pair entering the burrow. The portal closed behind them shortly after. They adopted looks of surprise and wonder the second they saw all of the glowing screens around them. Chat Noir was the one that darted forward first, pressing his hand on one, only to see Apollo 11 taking off.
"Whoa, cool!"
"Check this one out, there are dinosaurs on the other side!" Ladybug said cheerfully.
"I wouldn't touch anything if I were you. Everything around you is a portal to a different point in time. You can fast forward and rewind things to specific eras, but you'd also see lots of things about your lives that you might wanna keep secret. Your identities for example?" Blue Bunny said. At this, the pair stopped what they were doing, walking a bit closer to the young man. "Now then, let's see here… ah, here we go. March of 2017… and… aha, today."
The pair looked on as he swiped his finger across the portal, fast forwarding the image on it. Ladybug, Chat Noir and Blue Bunny could be seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding crimson blasts of light from the akumatized nurse. He frowned, reversing the feed for a moment before coming to a stop. "Oh, there we go. Looks like she's gonna pop out near the Louvre Museum."
"Well that helps us a bit but, when exactly is that gonna happen?"
"Not sure, but I know for a fact she will be there at some point. Now we can set a trap, I don't see anyone in the area, so we can go with Chat Noir's plan. Cry uncle and wait for her to show up."
"Do you think we could see what the Akumatized item is?" Chat Noir asked, earning a nod from Blue Bunny. He fast forwarded the feed for a moment, to the point where Ladybug broke a clipboard over her knee, a butterfly floating out of it.
"Seems to me like it's the clipboard. Makes sense, she's writing prescriptions on it and sending them out at people. Now that we have this information we can act. Let's backtrack for a moment…. and here we go." he said, gesturing to the pair. "After you."
Chat Noir was the first one to step out, finding himself west of the Louvre's main entrance. Ladybug appeared next with Bunny stepping out last, the burrow closing behind him. Ladybug turned to him, a look of concern on her face. "Wouldn't we interfere with time if we see our future selves?"
"Nope, what you saw is a video of the future, but one that happened in another timeline. Timelines are similar unless a checkpoint or something of the sort has been created. Since we haven't actually faced off against the nurse here, it hasn't happened yet, so no risk of seeing ourselves, because we don't exist in this point in time yet…" Bunny said, tapping his chin in thought. "I think."
"Oh great, how reassuring," Chat Noir deadpanned, his eyes moving toward the museum. "We're here now, what do we do?"
"We advertise ourselves, come on," Ladybug said, flicking her yo-yo outward. Chat Noir followed after her, with Blue Bunny being more careful. He stayed out of sight, using a portal to teleport to the top of the Palace.
"Alright then, while they do that, I'll wait for the right moment and attack her from behind. That shouldn't be too difficult." he thought, reaching for his boomerang. He flicked it outward, extending it into its battle mode.
"Do you think this is gonna work, My Lady? We are relying on someone who doesn't know a thing about his Miraculous." Chat Noir said, earning a sigh from the red clad heroine.
"We don't have a choice, we have to trust him for now. I'm already forming a plan in order to get those Miraculous back. We're gonna need a bit of extra help but I'm sure we can manage," she said firmly. "Let's focus on the here and now. Once we have the akuma, we can figure out what to do then."
"Yes ma'am. I'll leave this all in your capable hands," he said cheerfully. Ladybug gave him a small smile before slugging him hard on the bicep, making him cry in pain. "Ow, what was that for?"
"We needed some bait." she said nonchalantly. It only took a few seconds but the evil laughter of the dark nurse filled their ears. The woman practically flashed into existence, a sneer on her face as she clutched her clipboard tightly.
"Is that a cry of anguish I hear? Ah… well if it isn't Ladybug and Chat Noir… what's wrong? Did you get a boo-boo while fighting crime?" she cackled, licking her lips. "If you'd like, I can take a look at it."
"Sorry, Nurse. But I would rather visit a coroner before I get my wounds checked by you," the blond boy said, spinning his staff around. "Now sit still will you?"
"Oh we have some fighters? I'll have you writhing in no time!" she said, spinning her pen around her fingers. She hastily wrote a note on her clipboard, firing it at the two who quickly dashed away.
"Time to make my entrance," Blue Bunny thought, waiting for the right moment before throwing his boomerang. He watched the metallic object flying down at his target, striking her in the back seconds after. She swiftly turned around, a look of anger on her face.
"Who threw that?"
"That would be me," the boy cheekily said, as he darted out of a portal, right in front of her. He delivered a strike to her face, taking her by surprise. He caught his boomerang with ease, aiming a strike at her clipboard. She ducked out of the way, just in time to avoid it. Spinning around, she hastily wrote down on a note, flicking it out at the hero.
With speed he didn't know he had, Blue Bunny drew his umbrella, opening it just in time to use it as a shield. He caught his boomerang, preparing to throw it only for Chat Noir to sweep in, knocking the woman onto her back with his baton.
"Excellent work, you might be a lot better with those than I gave you credit for!"
"She isn't down yet, you can congratulate me afterward!"
"Grr, insolent little brats!" The nurse shouted, forcing herself to her feet, a violet mask flashing onto her face.
"Don't let them get you down, Nurse Redheart, they are right in front of you. Take their Miraculous or I'll take away your powers forever!"
"Don't hound me, Hawk Moth, I know exactly what I'm doing!" the nurse shouted back, reclaiming her clipboard. "I'm gonna have to send you naughty boys to the infirmary, it seems like broken legs will teach you not to mess with me!"
"Forgetting someone?" a feminine voice cried, causing the woman to turn, only to receive a drop kick to the chest, sending her tumbling back. Ladybug landed before the pair, recalling her yo-yo. "We need to get her quick!"
"But she isn't dropping her clipboard, and there's no way I could even nail it with my ball with her moving around so much," Blue Bunny said firmly. The red clad hero sighed, winding her yo-yo.
"Then I guess it's time for my Lucky Charm!" she cried, as she flicked her wrist upward. A swirl of red bathed her weapon, taking the shape of something that looked rather heavy. She let out a cry the moment she saw what it was. "Get back!"
With a loud metallic thump, a large anvil fell to the ground, shattering the concrete around them. Blue Bunny looked at it wide eyed, turning back to Ladybug with an incredulous look on his face. "What the hell are we gonna use an Anvil for?"
"I don't know! I'm thinking!" she shouted, her eyes widening. "Of course! I got it, you two keep her distracted, I gotta make a quick pick up!"
With that, the young woman dashed away, leaving Chat Noir and Blue Bunny to face off against Nurse Redheart, who licked her lips as she looked between the two. "Oh… I am gonna have so much fun with the two of you."
"You wanna know something?" Blue Bunny asked, glancing at Chat Noir. "It's my fantasy to have my way with a sexy nurse, but this is not what I had in mind."
"You and me both,"
xxx
"Spots off!"
In a flash, Marinette returned to normal, panting a bit from the sprint. Tikki flew from her earrings, looking equally tired. She looked up at her master, who held a pink polka-dotted macaroon out to her. "Eat quick, Tikki, we need to return to the Louvre as soon as we can."
"What are you going to do now, Marinette? This villain is a lot stronger than I thought she'd be. I wasn't expecting the school nurse to become like that."
"Me neither, I have no idea what made her turn out like that, but we need to make sure she's stopped. Someone like her, dishing out pain like no tomorrow… just what kind of person does Hawk Moth think he is?"
"The Butterfly was never intended to be used like this, I feel bad for Nooroo. Having to deal with someone so evil… I can't stand it!"
"Well we won't have to deal with him much longer. I promise I'll do my best to bring him to justice. Are you ready, Tikki?"
The kwami finished the last bite of her snack, giving her a nod. "I'm ready, Marinette!"
"Tikki, Spots on!"
Just like that, Ladybug had returned. She looked around for a moment before flicking her yo-yo outward snagging a chimney. Pulling herself up, she continued racing across the rooftops in the direction of her high school. Entering through an open window, she landed in the library, where she had seen several students take refuge. She looked around for a moment, spotting exactly who she was looking for.
"Juleka Couffaine?"
"Huh? Whoa… Ladybug?" the girl in question asked, slowly turning to face her. The red-clad hero looked down, seeing several students groaning in pain, among them Rose, Juleka's best friend. She seemed to be sleeping, though the look on her face told her everything she needed to know. "What's going on?"
"I need your help with something, this villain we're dealing with is a lot trickier than I expected. I know you are busy helping your friends but I need your help." she said, holding her hand out. "Do you trust me?"
Juleka glanced down at Rose for a moment, before giving the heroine a nod. "I trust you."
"Then come with me," she said simply, wrapping an arm around her. With a flick of her wrist, the two were outside, nestled between two chimneys on the school's roof. Ladybug swiped her finger across her yo-yo, opening the secret compartment within.
"Juleka Couffaine, here is the Miraculous of the Tiger, which grants the power of Exaltation. You will use it for the greater good. After the battle is over you will return it to me, may I count on you?"
"I um… are you sure? I don't know if I'm suited for what you need me for."
"I am 100% sure. Chat Noir and Blue Bunny are doing their best, but my Lucky Charm won't work without someone strong enough to lift it. That someone is you. I know you might be shy and I know you think you aren't strong enough, but trust me and yourself. You are plenty strong, I know it."
She sighed, giving the blue haired girl a nod, taking the box. She covered her eyes for a moment as light erupted from within, circling around her before taking the shape of a small, floating purple tiger.
"Hello there! My name is Roaar, pleasure to meet ya."
"H-hello."
"No no no, say it with your chest girl, I won't help someone who doesn't know how to ROAR!" he cried, making the girl back away slightly.
"Hello!"
"There you go!" the tiger said cheerfully. "Now then, in order to transform, all you have to say is Roaar Stripes On, and say it like you mean it!"
Juleka slipped the bracelet onto her hand, watching the center jewel glow for a second before turning into a beautiful dark violet amethyst. She took a deep breath, holding her hand high above her head. "Roaar! Stripes On!"
The kwami cried cheerfully as he was sucked into the gem, making it change colors as it became active. With a swipe of her hand, Juleka's face became covered in a mask, her hair was tied back into a ponytail, her lips glowing with violet lipstick. The energy traveled downward, covering her in a thin yet durable material, light pinkish purple in color, with bright purple stripes on her back. Clapping her hands together, a thin whip like weapon took shape, turning into a pair of bolas at the end that wrapped around her waist acting like a tail. Clawing the air in front of her, her gloves became sharp with pointed claws, which glowed with magical energy.
She closed her hand a few times, looking herself over for a moment. "Wow… I feel different."
"You look different, and a lot more confident. Are you ready to help your friends and stop this nurse from inflicting pain wherever she goes?"
"Yes, I am. I don't want to see my friends, especially Rose, keep suffering like that." She said firmly. Ladybug held her hand out, a bright smile on her face.
"Then let's go catch us an akuma!"
xxx
"You know Chat, I am starting to think Ladybug ditched us." Blue Bunny said, hiding behind the glass pyramid of the Louvre, watching as Nurse Redheart continued blasting the glass with red pain inducing prescriptions. "Does she normally do this?"
"If she's taking this long it means she's recharging or getting some backup, probably both." he said, glancing over his shoulder for a moment, only to lock eyes with Nurse Redheart. "Oh crap!"
"Go, I'll hold her off, when you can try and attack her!" Blue Bunny said, opening a portal for the leather-clad hero. He turned to face the evil nurse, drawing his umbrella from his hip. "Well miss, I don't suppose you take bribes do you? Or did you swear the Hippocratic Oath already?"
"Grr.. I'll show you for thinking you can bribe me!"
"Nurse Redheart, take his Miraculouses from him and bring them back to me. If you do I will ensure you have endless power!" Hawk Moth cried, the violet mask having disappeared from the woman's face.
"Well you heard the boss, why don't you play nice and hand over your Miraculouses?"
"Yeah I'm gonna have to pass, unless a doctor orders me to do it, I won't be taking medical advice from you! Ha!" he cried, swinging his umbrella at the woman. She ducked and weaved dodging every single one of his strikes. She jumped back, kicking the object out of his grasp. He grit his teeth, pulling his ball from his collar, throwing it at his umbrella. "Fetch!"
"Oh no you don't!" Nurse Redheart cried, flicking a red prescription at the glowing ball, striking it dead on. When it returned to Blue Bunny's hand, the pain transferred to it, causing him to fall to the ground, howling in pain. "What's wrong? Can't come up with any quips? Why don't you hand over your Miraculouses? I'll make sure the pain goes away!"
"I'll never bow to the likes of you! Now Chat!"
"Cataclysm!" the boy cried, jumping from the pyramid, aiming his glowing claws at the woman's clipboard. She gasped, snapping her fingers as she disappeared from sight. The boy fumbled a bit, his hand planting hard on the ground. "Uh-oh!"
"Crap nuggets," Blue Bunny mumbled as the courtyard around them caved in, dumping them into the museum. The pair groaned in pain, with Blue Bunny's intensifying. "Oh…god this hurts so much!"
"Hey Bunny, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't think she could teleport away!" Chat Noir said, holding his hand out to the bunny themed hero.
"Don't worry about it man, I thought she floated around, didn't think she could teleport either. She's stealing all my tricks. Guess she isn't a one trick pony like I thought."
"Hey! Horse puns, nice!" Chat said, giving the boy a grin. Bunny rolled his eyes, holding his injured wrist closer to himself. "Does it still hurt?"
"Only when I move it, I guess I'll have to rely on my boomerang. I don't even know where my umbrella went." he said, glancing around at the destroyed artifacts. "I really hope Ladybug can fix all this, I'd hate to be the cause of so much destruction."
"You're telling me." the blond boy said, only for a beep to fill his ears. He glanced down at his ring, seeing four segments instead of three. "Oh… hurry, My Lady, I don't have much time here."
"Oh boys~ Forget about little ol me?" Nurse Redheart cried, flashing into existence before the pair. Bunny grit his teeth, reaching for his boomerang.
"Here I thought you had left us for good. Guess people like you are just attracted to the misery of others, huh?"
"Misery? I am not attracted to misery, I didn't bust my ass for 8 years straight learning medicine and first aid for kids like you to badmouth me. I mean come on! I told that insolent twerpette that her damn ankle was fine and what does she do? She insults me. Every day I have to deal with you snot nosed brats and I don't even get a goddamn thank you. None of you even say hi to me or ask me how my day is, or hell bring me a damn coffee for those long shifts!" she shouted, summoning her clipboard, scrawling on it with her pen. "I am going to make sure you both learn your lesson. After I am done with you, you are going to wish you were nicer to me!"
The boys closed their eyes, expecting a world of hurt, only to hear the sound of wire winding. When Blue Bunny opened his eyes, he saw the red prescriptions turning into dust several feet away from him. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the smiling face of Paris's heroine, spinning her yo-yo around.
"You know, if you want people to thank you for your work, you have to be nicer to people. Threatening them with pain isn't right."
"Oh what would you know? Clearly you don't know how the real world works!"
"We don't need to know how the real world works to know you are inflicting pain on innocent people. Attacking school children is one thing, but attacking a pregnant woman? And defenseless children? That is too low, even for an akuma like you!" a new voice cried, causing Bunny and Chat to look behind them, seeing someone else walking into the fray.
"Wow… cute tiger lady!" Bunny cheerfully cried, making the young woman flush crimson.
"You got another cat to replace me? How totally unfair!" Chat Noir said, feigning a look of annoyance. Though he was quick to warm up to the new arrival, going as far as to press himself against her. "Although I don't mind. Tigers and Cats are still technically felines. I'm Chat Noir, charmed I'm sure."
"Alright lover boy, now isn't the time to ogle… um…"
"Purple Tigress,"
"Right, Purple Tigress." Ladybug continued, glancing back at Nurse Redheart. "We have to do whatever it takes to bring her down. So let's think of a strategy quickly."
"As if I would give you all time to think of anything, I'm going to stop you right here! Sit still for me!"
"Voyage!" Blue Bunny cried, forming a giant portal beneath their feet. The four heroes landed outside of the museum just in time to avoid being hit. He cried in pain, clutching his wrist tightly. "Dammit, I'm totally useless with this injury."
"You aren't, you got us out of there and that's what matters. Right now we need to think of a better plan that isn't hide and seek." Ladybug said, winding her yo-yo before flicking it high into the air. "Lucky Charm!"
Surprised to see her use her power for a second time, Bunny, along with Purple Tigress and Chat Noir watched as the new object turned into a large bundle of rope, which Ladybug was quick to catch. "Rope?"
"Unless you know how to lassoe, I doubt that'll be useful," Chat said, glancing at his ring. The second segment had disappeared, leaving him with three. "We're gonna have to hurry."
Ladybug looked around for a moment, her eyes locking onto Nurse Redheart, who was looking around for her quarry with anger in her eyes. She shifted her gaze toward the abandoned anvil she had summoned before, before finally glancing at Blue Bunny and Purple Tigress, along with the rope in her grasp. "I think I have an idea, it'll be a bit difficult to set up. Blue Bunny, Purple Tigress, I'm gonna need both of you for this."
"Sure, I'm at your service," the brown haired lad said firmly.
"As am I."
"Good, here's the plan," she began, bringing them in close.
xxx
"Haah… where the hell did they go?" Nurse Redheart shouted, looking around the area angrily. "I almost had them!"
"If you had grabbed Blue Bunny's Miraculouses when you had the chance, this wouldn't have happened. Hurry up and track them down!"
"Don't hound me, Hawk Moth! I know what I'm doing, you'll get those Miraculouses when I can find them. Until then you keep your mouth shut!" she snapped back, only to hear a whistle behind her. She turned around, locking eyes with Chat Noir, who was looking at her with a sneer on his face.
"Well I'll be damned, looks like you and Hawky Poo aren't having the best of days, huh?" he asked, as he leaned on his baton. "Maybe I can take care of that."
"Enough! Sit still so I can make you hurt!"
"I don't think so," he said, jumping into a portal behind himself.
Nurse Redheart looked around for a moment only for a portal to open above her. She expected Chat Noir to come from it but was instead greeted by Purple Tigress. The girl let out a growl as she swiped the woman's face, swinging her bolas around with all her strength. She sent her flying back, making the nurse shout angrily.
"You insolent little! Take this!"
"Hm… nope," Purple Tigress said with a wink, disappearing into a portal. The angry nurse looked to the skies, firing several prescriptions outward.
"You aren't gonna get me now, idiots!"
"Are you sure about that?" Blue Bunny cried, appearing from below, driving his foot into her back, she let out a cry of pain as the boy grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, throwing her into the portal. "All yours!"
"Perfect!" Ladybug cried, spinning the rope around over her head. The moment the portal opened she flung it outward, tying the villain up with the rope. "Okay, Purple Tigress, its on you!"
Blue Bunny snapped his fingers, opening a portal beneath the anvil, and directing it straight toward his waiting cohort. Ladybug threw the other end of the rope to Chat Noir, who grabbed a hold of it and flicked at the now falling anvil, tying it around the base.
Purple Tigress clenched her first, energy swirling around it as she leaped into the air, throwing the glowing punch forward with all her strength. "Clout!"
Striking the bottom of the anvil, she sent it flying backward toward the solid outer wall of the Louvre palace, pulling Nurse Redheart with it, the woman screamed as she flew through the air, the anvil slamming into the back, embedding itself into the rock. The nurse herself flew through one of the glass windows, landing on some displays within. Blue Bunny meanwhile opened a portal right beneath her hand, her clipboard falling into it and in his grasp.
"Haha, checkmate, Hawk Moth. All yours Chat!"
"With pleasure, Cataclysm!" the young man cried, destroying the clipboard and freeing the trapped butterfly. They all let out a sigh of relief when Ladybug activated her yo-yo, capturing the butterfly within.
"No more evil-doing for you little akuma, it's time to de-evilize!" the crimson themed girl cried happily. "Bye-bye little butterfly!"
"So uh… who's gonna retrieve that anvil?" Blue Bunny said, glancing at the others with a look of curiosity on his face. "I mean, you'll have to throw it up in order to summon your ladybugs right?"
"I'll just make it easier on all of us and throw the rope," Ladybug said with a giggle. Holding her hand out, she recalled the rope they had used to tie up Nurse Redheart, throwing it into the air with ease. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
And just like magic, the little red bugs flew all over the city, healing everyone who was sick and fixing all of the destruction that was caused. Blue Bunny watched as they flew around his wrist, fixing it up good as new. He sighed with relief the second the pain vanished.
"Haah, good as new!" he said cheerfully. "I owe ya one, Ladybug, that pain was becoming unbearable."
"It's no problem at all, you were a big help, and so were you, Purple Tigress. I am very happy to have invited you along," the girl said.
"Oh um… well thank you for having me, it was… fun." Purple Tigress replied, shifting her gaze toward Blue Bunny. "Although I must admit, your powers are pretty cool, being able to teleport around like that… you reminded me a lot about Jumper."
His eyes widened in surprise, a smile appearing on his face. "You know about Jumper? That's one of my favorite movies!"
"I read the book, the movie was pretty meh but the power overall is really neat."
"Excuse me… would anyone care to explain how I got to the Louvre?" a confused sounding voice asked, causing the four to look behind them, finding the former Nurse Redheart standing behind them. Ladybug gave her a soft smile.
"It's alright, Nurse Esme. Something happened and you ended up here, we'll make sure you return to the school so you don't get into trouble."
"Oh… was there an akuma attack? Are there any hurt students? Oh I have to go. Sorry kids, thanks for helping everyone out."
"No.. Thank you for taking care of everyone. Not a lot of nurses and doctors get thanked by their patients. You deserve to know your work matters, especially when helping the sick and the injured," Bunny said happily. "So thanks! I hope you have a lovely day, Nurse Esme."
The woman's features brightened up a bit as she gave the boy a wave. "You too, Blue Bunny, right? Thank you for helping Chat Noir and Ladybug keep all of us safe. I'm happy to know they've got a good friend like you looking out for them."
With that, the woman left, though Bunny's smile shifted into a frown. "Friend? I would hardly consider myself their friend, especially with me arguing with them like I did."
"We should probably get going, it won't be long until we transform back," Ladybug said, making Chat Noir and Purple Tigress look at their Miraculouses, seeing the missing segment from theirs. Blue Bunny wondered if he had been younger, if he had been worried like they were about detransforming. He shook those thoughts away when Ladybug held her fist out, followed by Chat Noir. He sighed inwardly, donning a smile before adding his to the mix, glancing at Purple Tigress.
"Well?"
"Oh right," she replied, finally adding hers.
"Pound it!"
Blue Bunny gave the three a wave before opening a portal for himself, about to step through it when Ladybug called out to him. "Before you go, I want to talk to you about something. It's very important."
"Oh?" he asked, brow raised in curiosity. "What about?"
"Adding you to the team, seeing as you've been helping us and all. You'd be a great asset to have around, hehe." she said, sounding rather nervous. "Would you mind meeting me at the Notre Dame Belfry at say… 5:30PM today?"
He narrowed his eyes but gave her a nod. "Sure, I don't mind."
"Great, see you then. Bug out!"
Bunny stepped through the portal, sighing as he entered the empty classroom he had stepped into when all of this had begun. Thankfully, the door was still locked and no one had come into it, evident by how everything was still in place. He took a deep breath, relaxing his limbs as he spoke: "Detransform."
The three kwamis erupted from their Miraculouses, and into his waiting hands. He reached into his fanny pack for their snacks, sliding down the door to his knees, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him. "Oh man… I'm so freaking tired."
"Sora… I can't help but notice you are a lot more fatigued than last night. Are you feeling alright?" Kaalki asked, a look of concern on her face. "Perhaps overusing us isn't wise. You should stop unifying us to fight akumas."
"She's right, if you keep straining yourself while using all three of us, then you are going to die." Baark said firmly, making him go wide eyed.
"Die? That can happen?"
"If you overuse several Miraculouses, yes. Using one isn't too bad since the person using it can get accustomed to it. Using two isn't too dangerous either, but using three? Even four? Especially without training could be detrimental." Fluff said.
"You've never used a Miraculous before, it's only your second day after all. For someone like Ladybug or Chat Noir, using three Miraculouses would be child's play. They are accustomed to fighting and have settled in. But you are still fresh off the assembly line as they say." the little horse said. "I believe it's time for you to decide who you are going to use permanently and put away the others for later."
"Absolutely not! What if I need you?"
"Then you can retrieve us." Baark said, making him shake his head.
"No, that isn't how it's gonna work. I opened all three of you and now I will use all three of you. I'll just have to train my body. I'll admit, I didn't exercise a lot when I was back home. But now it's the perfect time to start. I'll start doing push ups and going for runs, building myself up so that I can use you." he said firmly, looking at the three. "I have already gotten a taste of your power, of the good I can do with you. I cannot stand there and watch Hawk Moth attack innocents!"
"We understand that but…" Kaalki said, glancing at the others. "Sometimes, you have to make a tough decision, Sora. We just hope you'll make one that will help you out in the long run, and not hurt you."
The three kwamis flew back into his fanny pack, munching silently on their snacks. He forced himself to stand up, a wave of dizziness falling over him. He took several deep breaths before unlocking the door, clearing his throat. "Ladybug asked me to meet her at 5:30 today, at Notre Dame Cathedral… I'm pretty sure she's planning on taking you from me."
"Are you sure?" Fluff asked, earning a nod from him.
"Yeah… call it a gut feeling. Ever since I started using the Rabbit Miraculous, I've been getting these odd feelings… as if I can innately predict what's gonna happen. That's probably an effect from you, isn't it?"
"Mhmm… eventually you'll be able to see miniscule changes that could result in checkpoints and timelines forming. It all begins with a choice after all, you'll be able to sense those choices and plan accordingly. Be sure to watch everything, stay calm and collected and I'm sure you'll make the right decision."
"Hm…" he mumbled, opening the door. Feeling slightly better, he started walking toward his classroom. "I'll have to make sure they don't one up me. Take my Miraculous? Hah, you wish. I don't mind working alongside you, Ladybug, but I am not letting Hawk Moth win."
xxx
"It seems Nurse Redheart let her emotions get the better of her, how tragic, I was beginning to have a little fun." Hawk Moth said, a smirk on his face as his panoramic window slowly closed. "Next time, there won't be time for emotions. I will get your Miraculous, Ladybug, Chat Noir. Not just yours, but Blue Bunny's as well… and this Purple Tigress, she certainly seems interesting. You are all on my radar now, I can't wait to see what you bring to the table."
xxx
"Thanks for letting me help out today, Ladybug… it was fun being able to do something like this," Juleka said, handing the Miraculous back to the red-clad girl.
"It was great having you there as well…" she said, slipping the magical jewel back into her yo-yo. "I have to ask you for another favor. That boy that helped us, Blue Bunny… though he helped us out, he's actually in possession of three stolen Miraculouses."
Juleka let out a gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. "Are you serious? He stole those? But he seems so nice."
"He is nice, don't get me wrong. Those Miraculouses he has were stolen but not by him. He told us what happened during our fight with Stoneheart. Even if he didn't steal them, the Miraculouses he has are very dangerous. Teleportation and Time Control are things he cannot possess. So I must ask, will you help me retrieve those Miraculouses?"
The raven haired girl swallowed the lump in her throat, looking around for a moment. She almost wished Rose was there with her. She'd likely give Ladybug an answer. But this time, she wasn't, this was a question for her, and she needed to be a big girl and answer her. "I… I will, so long as we get those Miraculouses back. We can't have someone else like Hawk Moth running around."
"Great. Meet me right here after school lets out, I've already told Chat Noir the details of our plan. I need to speak with someone else who will assist us. I just hope she isn't going to be a giant pain in my a-" the blue haired girl paused, giving Juleka a smile. "Gotta go, get to class and make sure your friends are okay, see ya!''
Juleka merely waved, a content smile on her face as she exited the library. The moment she did, she was tackled into a hug by Rose, who almost knocked her to the ground. "There you are! I was so worried something had happened to you!"
"Oh um… nothing happened to me. But what about you? Nurse Redheart hit you point blank with her attack. Are you okay?"
"Mhmm…everything is a-okay." she said cheerfully. Juleka sighed, giving her best friend a hug.
"I'm glad. How about we go back to class? I can help you write that love letter you wanted to send to Prince Ali."
"Oh… how about we leave that for another time?"
"Rosie, if you want him to like you, you need to write him letters. Be a big girl and express yourself, I'm sure he'll love whatever you send him. Now let's go, before Ms. Bustier comes looking for us." she said, pulling her friend along.
xxx
"Alright students, due to the akuma attack earlier, Mr. Damocles has decided to end school an hour early. I know these things aren't planned but make sure to do the assigned homework. I'll email what you need for tomorrow," Ms. Bustier said cheerfully.
"I wonder what the hell happened to Lila," Sora thought, having realized his seatmate was nowhere to be found. He rubbed his eyes, keeping his gaze on the board. "She didn't leave a good impression on me. I really do hope she isn't as mean as she seems."
"Sora?"
"Huh?" he said, pulling himself out of his thoughts. He realized everyone was staring at him, making him flush in embarrassment. "Is uh… something wrong?"
"Not particularly, I asked what you thought of your first day here, minus the akuma attack that is," the teacher said, making him sit up a bit.
"I had a great time. All of you have been so kind and welcoming, and I really like all of my classes. I think I'm going to have a great time here. Though I do apologize if I seem a little tired. I'm uh… getting over my jet lag," he said, holding back the urge to chuckle.
"That's understandable. Don't really blame ya for being a bit tired… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, seeing as we have an extra hour. But it's clear you have a date with your bed," Nino said, earning a nod from the brown haired boy.
"Yes sir, my bed is waiting for me," he jokingly said, waking himself up a bit more. "Maybe we can hang out another day. I'm gonna be busy for a bit, I promised Juleka I would fix her 3DS so I'm gonna get to work on it as soon as I can."
"You don't have to do that, you know, I can wait."
"No ma'am. A promise is a promise and I live to honor my word, it's my policy. Whenever I fixed consoles for my friends in New York I gave them my guarantee. If I can't honor my word then it holds no value."
"Heh… how honorable." Chloe said with an eyeroll.
The bell rang loudly, causing everyone to get up from their seats. "Remember your homework everyone, we'll be discussing it in class tomorrow. I also have a new project lined up for you that requires this material, so don't slack off,"
Ms. Bustier's words fell on deaf ears to most as they started heading out the door and to the freedom of after school. As Sora passed a few others, he caught Alya and Marinette talking about the fight against Nurse Redheart.
"Did you see? Not only was Blue Bunny with them again, but there was a new girl, a Tiger I think!" Alya said excitedly. "Oh I can't wait to interview them both. Do you think they're partners? Do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir are gonna expand the team a bit?"
Marinette looked overwhelmed but tried to calmly answer her friend's questions. He caught Chloe and Sabrina badmouthing Lila, with the former complaining about how she had faked ill and had been picked up by her mother after Nurse Redheart's attack. The word 'liar' was thrown around by the blonde, while Sabrina calmly and patiently listened to her friend's tirade. Having heard enough of his classmates' conversations, Sora decided it was time to head out.
"The fatigue from today's battle still hasn't worn off. I seriously have to be careful with how I use the Miraculous… but I simply can't leave two of them behind." he thought, frowning as he reached for his neck, running his fingers over his choker. "I should try using only two Miraculouses and see how I feel. If I can handle them, then I'll give one of them up. Kaalki and Fluff are very useful, and regretful as it may seem, I haven't really made use of Baark's power… in fact, that power was the direct cause of my injury… I'll have to think this through carefully,"
"Hey, Sora!"
The boy paused, glancing over his shoulder at the sound of his name. He noticed it was Marinette who had called him. She gave him a wave, the ever present smile still on her face. "Something the matter, Marinette?"
"I just thought… Since we live in the same direction, we could walk together. Hope you don't mind Alya tagging along,"
"Nah it's fine, I figured I could make some more friends while I'm here," he said.
"I'm gonna apologize beforehand, I have a lot of questions so I hope you don't mind me asking them. First things first, you have a Japanese last name, does that mean you're part Japanese? Do you speak it?"
"She didn't even give me a chance to answer her first question." he thought, holding back a laugh. "I'm actually half Japanese. My father is from Tokyo, my mother is half French, half American, but my grandparents on her side of the family are from Spain so I'm also technically a quarter Spanish."
"So that makes you Half Japanese, part French, part Spanish and part American?"
"I'm a melting pot," he jokingly said, answering Marinette's question. "As for me speaking Japanese… Watashi wa Garcia Fujisaki, Sora desu. O ai dekite ureshii desu, Alya-chan."
"That's so cool!" the girl said cheerfully, despite the fact she didn't know what he had even said. "You speak so fluently."
"Me and my sister spent our first few years in Japan. We were born in New York City, but my father felt the need to ingrain Japanese culture into us young. So from when we were born to the age of 10, we studied in Japan, learning how to speak, write and generally learning the culture. We moved back to the States where I started learning English, and when we were twelve, we spent some time with my mother's side of the family in France, perfecting our French."
"So it isn't the first time you've been here?"
"Nope, not at all. First time in Paris, second time in France," Sora replied, reaching for his pocket watch. He flicked it open, taking a look at the time, seeing it was only 3:10 PM. He still had over an hour before his meeting with Ladybug. "Hey, this is a shot in the dark but, would you girls happen to know a place that sells old consoles?"
"Not that I know of, sorry, Sora. I'm not too into video games, you'd have to ask Max. He's the one who's into technology," Alya replied.
"I can ask around but I doubt there's one near here," Marinette added with a frown. "Paris is huge though, I'm certain there is one… somewhere,"
"I'll have to take a look online. I really wanna fix Juleka's 3DS, it made me sad seeing her frowning so much," he admitted, rubbing his neck. Alya and Marinette shared a look, the former grinning. "Ah well… Amazon is a thing, I'm sure I can get something through them."
"Soo… you don't like seeing Juleka frown huh?"
"Well… no not really, I wouldn't want to see anyone looking like she did after my console with sentimental value, gets shattered on the concrete." he replied with a shrug. "I've seen lots of kids break theirs, DS's, Gameboys, PSPs, it's a shame really. Consoles like that aren't being made anymore so we gotta preserve them. Which is why I took up the mission of fixing Juleka's, not just because it's sentimental, but because one day, they won't be made again. And when that happens, finding one is going to be harder than figuring out Hawk Moth's identity."
"You really care about games, huh?"
"I do, but not just that, I just want to make sure people are happy, you know? Especially kids. I've seen a lot of evil shit go down in New York, a lot of disgusting stuff with kids involved. That's the last thing I wanna see. Which is why it also annoys me that Hawk Moth so readily akumatized people that put not just civilians in danger, but kids as well," he said, sighing. "Nothing I can do about that though."
"Don't worry, Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the case, I'm sure. Especially now with Blue Bunny and Tiger Girl with them." Alya said.
"It's uh… Purple Tigress actually," the young man said, causing Alya to type away on her phone.
"Purple Tigress… not a bad name, I like it. I'll add her name to the list of heroes I wanna interview. I still need to get Rena Rouge and Carapace down so I can chat them up," she excitedly said. Sora remained silent, mentally wondering what her obsession with heroes was. Marinette however was looking closely at the boy, eyes narrowed in thought.
"No one knows about Juleka's hero name yet and Nadja Chamack wasn't there filming either… how did he learn about it so quickly?" she thought, shaking her head. "I'm probably overthinking things. It's possible someone else was filming and I didn't notice. I have more important things to focus on."
Not long after bidding farewell to the two girls, Sora finally made it home. Annabelle's flower shop was closed, a large "Back in 25 Minutes" sign was visible on the door, confirming he was completely alone for the time being. He headed straight to the kitchen, cutting up some snacks for his kwamis, who hungry tore into them. He leaned back against the counter, taking an apple slice for himself.
"You three eat more than a starving bear after hibernation. I'm gonna have to make sure to get more Carrots, Apples and Scooby Snacks before we run out."
"I do apologize, little pony. I wasn't expecting for Hawk Moth to attack so repeatedly. One akuma was the norm, not two a day or even three in the same week. It seems he is getting desperate." Kaalki said, between bites of her apple.
"Which is why you need to decide who you are going to keep using. We can't have you getting sick or fatigued whenever an akuma attacks," Fluff added.
"And I told you, I can't give you up. I just have to train and get used to using all of you. But first we need to focus on this meeting with Ladybug. It's clear that she's gonna try and take you by force, and I can't have her do that. So I've decided on something a little drastic." he said firmly.
"Which is?" Baark queried, earning a grin from the young man.
"It's simple really, I have to learn to fight. I have no direction, heck, even my punches against Nurse Redheart hardly did a thing. Not to mention my lack of coordination dealing with Money Maker. I can make all the portals I want but if I can't hold the akuma back while Ladybug and Chat Noir attack it, then I'm useless. I gotta hold my own."
"How exactly do you plan to do that?" the rabbit kwami asked, having finished her carrot. Sora reached into his pocket pulling out the watch, spinning it on his finger tip before catching it in his palm.
"By seeking out a master swordsman of course. I might not have a sword but that doesn't mean I can't use my umbrella as one. There's only one swordmaster who can teach me what I need and for that we need to head to Feudal Japan!" he said cheerfully, holding the watch out. "Fluff, Clockwise!"
"Huh? No wait, whoa!" she cried, as she was sucked into the object. In a flash of white and blue light, Sora had transformed.
"Excellent!" he said, looking himself over. "You know, I never gave myself a name while using just Fluff. Blue Bunny doesn't exactly fit a unification with all three of you, but I can't just go back on that now since everyone knows me by that."
"What about a bunny name?" Baark suggested, gasping happily. "I know, you can call yourself Holland Lop!"
"That is absolutely dreadful, not to mention his outfit is blue and white, not brown." Kaalki said, looking the teenager over. "Hm… white… blue, I've got it. You need a strong empowering name, but one that fits your theme and is also French, since we are in France. I've got just the one! Blanc de Hotot."
"Blanc de Hotot?" Sora questioned, tilting his head a bit. "It is the name of a bunny breed if I remember correctly, it's French and Blanc means white in French. I like it! While using Fluff, my name shall be Blanc de Hotot."
"Excellent, that is all well and good, yes, but now what about this training? You are aware that if you make a checkpoint and travel back in time, all the training you put your body through will be null and void, correct?" Kaalki asked, making him nod.
"I know that. I might not be able to train my body, but that doesn't mean I can't train to use a sword. I'll be swinging around an umbrella, which is lighter than a traditional katana. I'm sure even I can handle that," he said, placing his pocket watch in his pocket, making sure the pocket was zipped. He held the other one open for the two kwamis to enter. "Now come on, we need to move before my aunt arrives. This point in time shall be our checkpoint."
"Oh brother… I don't like where this is going," Baark mumbled as she finished her Scooby Snack. Sora held his hand out, fingertip glowing brightly.
"Burrow! Take me back to Feudal Japan, ha!" he cheerfully said, diving into the glowing portal just as his aunt entered the apartment. She looked around for a moment, holding her hand over her mouth.
"Sora? You home? Yoohoo! I'm back from the shop, I was told school let out early because of the Akuma attack. You wanna help me down at the store for a bit before dinner? I'll take you to a fancy French restaurant after~" she said happily, only to get silence in return. "Sora? Huh… he must have gone out with some friends… oh well… good for him. He needs better acquaintances than those idiots back in New York."
She turned around, noticing the plate on the counter, which had a slice of apple left, along with a half eaten Scooby Snack and half of a peeled carrot. Her brows furrowed as she picked the Scooby Snack up. "Huh… What an odd selection for a snack. Oh well, who am I to question his food choices?"
Tossing the snack into her mouth, she started humming a song, pulling her groceries from the bag. She had lots of groceries to unpack and not a lot of time before she had to return to her shop.
A/N: It is April 1st, My Dudes...
I don't have much to say other than I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. See ya!