Anything But Miraculous:
Chapter 6: Operation Miraculous
The forest was quiet, birds were chirping their songs, and the weather was warm and inviting. The sound of cicadas cut through the silence, buzzing loudly in his ears as he walked. It was almost a surreal feeling, he mused, as he kept moving forward. The light scent of dirt filled his lungs, making him sigh with relief. He felt a lot better than he had in recent years.
But he couldn't continue taking in the sights for long. He was a man on a mission, and he needed to ensure that mission was completed. Though he knew he was alone, he couldn't be sure he was entirely alone. His yukata helped him to blend in, but he knew a single mistake could end up unraveling everything for him.
The sounds of rushing water slowly overtook the chirping of the cicadas, letting him know he was close to his final destination. A crystalline blue waterfall peeked beyond the tree line, rushing over the edge of a beautiful cliff, which spanned outward into a lush green forest. There, he found exactly who he was looking for.
A tall man, who was currently training with a wooden sword. He was shirtless, his toned and muscular upper body soaked with sweat and stray water droplets. His slacks were tied around his waist with thick haori cords, his feet bare. Soft grunts came from him as he continued swinging his sword in all directions, practicing swings, jabs, parries, counter strikes and swift movements. The wooden blade moved so fast he could hardly track it.
"If you are trying to hide, you are doing a horrible job," the man said, not bothering to turn to the young man. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he walked out from behind the tree he had been using as cover. The man finally lowered his wooden sword, turning to face the young man. "Did someone send you out here to kill me? You don't look like much."
"I wasn't sent here to kill you, I sought you of my own accord," the young man said, kneeling before him, his head bowed. "I have to come to you because I have heard of your exploits, Miyamoto-san. I too wish to master the sword, and I wish to learn from the best of the best,"
The man quirked a brow, his lips curving slightly. "Oh? A little sprig like you wishes to learn the secrets of the sword?"
"Yes sir, I do."
The man let out a laugh. "You wish to learn to use a sword and yet you do not carry one with you? You are foolish."
He darted forward, turning his bokken with great speed, swinging it at the young man, who's eyes widened in surprise. He jumped to the right, avoiding the strike. The man shifted his body around, swinging his sword one handedly, throwing slashes and quick thrusts. The young man looked around for a moment, finding a discarded branch, which he quickly turned to deflect the man's bokken. He only grinned, reaching behind his back for a wakizashi, which he drew, pressing it to the teenager's throat.
"Your reaction time is great, but your footwork needs to be refined. Always trust in your instincts boy, they may save your life,"
He sheathed his wakizashi, holding his hand out for the boy, helping him up to his feet. "So you know what my name is, might I have yours?"
"Of course… my name is Fujisaki Sora," the boy said, giving the man a polite bow. The swordsman nodded, giving him a firm look. "Is something the matter, Sensei?"
"You are hiding something aren't you? I sense you are far more powerful than you claim to be," the master swordsmen said, resting his bokken on his shoulder. He shrugged, turning around for a moment. "Come, if you wish to take this seriously, then we must begin with your footwork."
"Understood, I shall do what you ask of me, Sensei."
xxx
"Come on kid, this is nothing. You need to have good arm strength if you want to swing your sword around," Musashi said, as he pushed Sora on. The young man was soaked in sweat, his arms quivering as he continued doing pushups. "You almost got it, give me 5 more,"
"Haah… haah… haah… this sucks." he muttered, finally finishing his set. "Oh man, that was terrible."
"Pfft, no it wasn't. I start counting when it hurts, kid, you did 300, not too bad. You certainly improved from the 3 you could do when we first started," Musashi said, tossing a towel at the boy. He wiped his sweat down, breathing raggedly as he slowly regained his breath. "You look better than before,"
"We've been training for 6 months now, of course I would have improved," Sora admitted, sitting down on the ground. "Do you think we can begin my sword training now, Sensei?"
Musashi hummed, giving the young man a nod. "I suppose we can begin. But it's as I said when I first met you. You are hiding your true power aren't you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Sensei."
The man remained silent, reaching into his shirt for a moment, tugging on what looked like a necklace. Sora looked at it closely, only for his eyes to grow wide. "I-Is that the Yasakani no Magatama? O-one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan?"
"Indeed it is, it is a sacred jewel that has been kept close to the Emperor since it's discovery during the early years of this nation. A replica sits in the Imperial Palace. It is given to strong warriors with good relations to the Emperor. The Shogunate has been trying to get their hands on it for years, but by giving it to people like me, it keeps it out of unworthy hands,"
Musashi merely grinned while he stood before his student. "Do you know why I chose to show you this?"
"Because you trust me?"
"Because I sense something similar on you," he admitted, tugging on his yukata for a brief moment. "Come on out Mitsuu,"
"Ugh, finally, it's about time!" an annoyed voice cried out. A small creature darted from the man's yukata, floating in front of Sora. "Hiya, my name is Mitsuu, it's great to meet you!"
"What the…" he muttered, his eyes shifting briefly to Musashi before going back to the small floating creature. It was a small, frog-like creature with tiny little markings on its body. It had a comma shaped marking on its forehead, along with webbed hands and feet. "You're a kwami aren't you? Then that means that is a…"
"A miraculous." Musashi confirmed, turning way from the young man. "I'll be honest with you. Though I am a master swordsman, I was trained by a master, just like you. He was the one who allowed me to keep Mitsuu here. The Shogunate is starting to change, and a lot of Lords are beginning petty wars for territories. It is making it harder to find worthy men and women capable of holding onto such jewels."
"I see… I have to ask, are the sword and sacred mirror also Miraculouses?" Sora asked, causing the man to shake his head.
"No, only the Magatama here is a Miraculous. It is one that grants the wearer an endless source of wisdom, of things past, present and future. However, I cannot speak what I learn. The wisdom I carry can only be used for certain things, mostly for tactics and logistics. It has been worn by various tacticians in the past."
"That's right! I can show you whatever you want, and even help you make really great battle plans. But if you wanna know how to forge something from the future like said a handheld cannon that fires small cannon balls… well I can't allow you to share something like that can I? It changes the future and that is a messy road I do not want to tread," Mitsuu said, scrounging her nose a bit.
"I see," he said, glancing back at his master. "I wouldn't have guessed you were a Miraculous holder, Sensei."
"Not many do, I only use Mitsuu's power when I truly need it. But what about you, what truly is your purpose here?" the man questioned, crossing his arms. "You've been vague with your origins and asked me to train you. Why is that?"
"I needed someone strong who could guide my blade," Sora said, forcing himself to stand up, a firm look on his face. "I cannot explain how or why, but there are a lot of people who are bound to be hurt, by a Miraculous wielder who has taken something that doesn't belong to him,"
"Hm…"
He remained silent for a moment, tapping his chin for a moment before giving the young man a nod. "I believe you are ready to start your sword training in earnest. But I must first see what I am working with. So come on, show me what you got."
Sora nodded, reaching into his pocket for a moment. He clipped the watch to the outer edge of his yukata, a bright blue glow emerging from it. He followed this by donning his glasses, and finally putting on his collar. Kaalki, Baark and Fluff all floated in front of him, looking confused for a moment, but relieved to see another kwami.
"Three? My how impressive… and how is it that you are able to use all three of them so easily?"
"The truth is, I can't. Whenever I use them I get very tired. But I know that if I don't, someone might end up stumbling upon them. I have to keep them safe," he said firmly.
"Well… that makes this a lot more fun for me. Go on, show me what you got and I promise to turn you into a fine swordsman." the master said, a grin on his face. Sora nodded, glancing at his kwamis for a brief moment before speaking.
"Kaalki, Fluff, Baark, unify!"
Like the many times he had done it before, Sora had transformed himself into Blue Bunny, the difference being he felt far stronger than before. The fatigue that ebbed at him at the beginning of his transformation was gone, and he felt far more in control than before. He opened and closed his hands, willing his fingers for a moment before looking himself over.
"I don't feel as tired as before… could it be that all the training I did with Musashi until this point has given me more stamina? It's a shame that I'm gonna have to give this up when I go home,"
"Not bad, not bad at all. And tell me, what exactly can you do in this form?"
"I'd rather keep that to myself. I will explain what one of my powers is," he said, pulling the ball from his collar. He pressed it before throwing it as hard as he could at a nearby fruit bearing tree, striking the fruit at the highest branch. "Fetch!"
Musashi watched in awe as the ball not only returned to the boy, but brought with it the fruit it had struck. He clapped loudly, a grin on his face. "Now that is impressive!"
"Heh… so says you. I am far more impressive than that," Mitsuu said, clearly offended by the man, who rolled his eyes.
"So, Sensei… what else would you have me do?"
"I promised I would train you… but first we must see what you can do, so prepare yourself. Now is when the real training begins!" the man said firmly, giving his kwami a nod. "Mitsuu, Let's Tip the Scales!"
The frog kwami shot into the necklace, making it glow bright jade green as thin lines arched through the gem. The energy spread across the man's chest and down his arms, covering him in a thin, yet durable outfit. The energy swirled around his arms, covering him in thick, black and green arm guards. As it traveled down to his legs, covering him in thick durable pants, along with matching armor. Finally, a helm appeared over his head, making him look like a full blown Samurai. Clapping his hands, he summoned a bright green katana, which he slid through a ring at his hip.
"Wow, he looks like an honest to goodness Samurai. How freaking cool is that?" Sora thought, admiring his Master's outfit.
"Draw your weapon, Sora. Today we train until it starts to hurt!" the man said cheerfully, drawing both his katana and his backup wakizashi. Sora cried inwardly, perhaps coming here wasn't such a good idea after all.
xxx
A year had passed since Sora had decided to come to this time period. He had been traveling the countryside with Musashi, taking on stronger opponents and bettering his technique. Though he was far from mastering it, Musashi had deemed him ready for his final test. He would be named master of Musashi's art, the Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu only if he could defeat a strong opponent, a fellow practitioner of the sword.
"Are you sure I'm ready to take this guy?"
"Of course you are, we haven't spent this entire year training you in order for you to cower in defeat. You must take this challenge onward, and when you bring this person down, you will be deemed worthy of the title of master." the man said with a grin. "You have inspired me to do the same. After traveling the countryside, I have ventured far and wide, and have decided to create my own school, so that I too may pass my teachings onto others. I have full confidence that you, as my first student, will become one of my greatest."
"I'm still nervous, I'm not sure if I am ready for something like this."
"Sora, you have to believe in yourself. You came here in order to become a stronger fighter, did you not?" Kaalki said, making the young man glance down at his fanny pack, where his kwamis were hiding.
"Yes, you are right about that, Kaalki. But you can't blame me for being nervous,"
"It is alright to be nervous, Sora. But you have taken to my training as well as you can, you have mastered many techniques and have become a practiced warrior. You have brought down fighters stronger and older than you. This will be child's play," his master said, glancing up the road. "Ah, here he comes now."
A tall, unassuming man was walking up the dirt path. He was wearing a fancy looking yukata, with a tight fitting sash, decorated with birds and clouds. He had on a pair of getas, along with a large kabuto on his head, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. Attached to his hip was a katana, as he had grown accustomed to seeing over the last few months. The second he looked up from his feet, he came to a stop, resting his hand on his sword.
"What is this?"
"We had heard a traveling swordsman was coming along this way, so we decided to wait on this path. This here is my student, Sora. I wish for him to test his skills against a stronger opponent. What say you to a duel?"
The man glanced at Sora with a firm gaze. Sora himself had remained calm but on the inside he grew even more nervous than before. When the man took off his kabuto, he knew the duel would begin. "I'm not going easy on you boy. Just know that I will not be sorry if you lose your head,"
"I'll try not to," the young man replied, lowering himself into his stance. Seconds passed, before the larger man raced forward, drawing his sword and aiming for his neck, but Sora was quick to move, drawing his wakizashi to parry the sword.
He easily pushed the man back, throwing several swipes at the man who deflected every hit with ease. Quickly moving to the side, Sora reached for his katana, drawing it in time to parry the man's larger sword. They clashed for a few seconds, pushing each other back before taking a few steps, circling around each other for a moment.
"Well, you are far better than I thought you'd be. No doubt your teacher has taught you well, but that is about to change," the man said, darting forward, aiming for a downward slash. Sora crossed his swords, catching the blade with his own. He separated them quickly, pushing the man back while aiming rapid crossing slashes at the man, all of which he managed to parry.
"If you want to defeat me, you'll have to work for it." Sora said, having gained the upper hand.
The older swordsman kept calm, attempting to cleave the teenager in half, but was met with resistance every chance he got. Sora's practiced swings allowed him to parry every hit and land small strikes of his own, making sure not to wound the man too deeply. All the while, Musashi kept watching, studying his technique, his footwork and his swordplay, a small smile appearing on his lips.
"He learned quite well, everything I taught him has been ingrained in him. No matter where he goes, I am certain he will carry this technique with him," he thought, glancing at his student's opponent. "All he has to do is claim victory and he'll be ready."
Steel met steel in a flurry of swift strikes, sparks raining around the pair. Sora kept his calm facade, keeping his gaze firmly locked on his opponent. The older man however was growing annoyed, being bested by a teenager half his age was beginning to anger him. He let out a furious growl, squeezing his sword tightly as he brought it down on the boy. But Sora was quick to recover, turning his wakizashi in time to parry the attack. He delivered a swift kick to the man's knee, causing him to drop down a bit. With a few more strikes, the man had been knocked to the ground, disarmed and with a blade at his throat.
"You did well to parry my attacks, but your technique was sloppy at the end." he said, withdrawing his blade, sheathing both at his waist before bowing politely to the man. "Thank you for the battle, I have learned much during it and will carry it forward within my training."
"Grr… how dare you? A boy like you cannot defeat me!" he shouted, scrambling for his sword. As he aimed for Sora's neck, the boy remained calm, not at all bothered by the fact his life was at risk. In a blinding flash, the man was swiftly disarmed, his sword broke into pieces with a single strike.
"I should cut your hand off for that insolent attack," Musashi said, glaring at the man while he kept his sword at his throat. "You are lucky I am feeling charitable today, were it another day, I would not hesitate to separate your head from your shoulders."
"S-spare me, Miyamoto-san… I have heard of your exploits, I do not want to face the end of your sword, please," the man said, pleading for his life. He glanced at Sora briefly before sheathing his sword, gesturing for him to leave.
"Go on, get out of here. And be careful, next time you might not be so lucky," he said firmly. The man grabbed his broken sword, dashing up the road like his life depended on it. Musashi sighed, turning back to the boy, his frown turning into a grin. "You did it, Sora. I am proud of you!"
"Thank you, Sensei. Though I wasn't confident in myself at first, I quickly learned I had to stomp down those inhibitions. This was a real fight, I needed to be ready for that."
"Indeed, and you succeeded against your opponent. The fight was quick, but that is how they tend to be. Defend yourself, get a read your opponent, and strike. You will not always have the time to make a sound decision, so always trust your instincts. Though there is much I still wish to teach you, for now you have passed." the man said, giving the teenager a grin. "I name you, Master of Nin-Ten Ichi Ryu."
Sora shook his head, giving the man a respectful bow. "I cannot accept the title of Master yet, Sensei. I am not ready, as you said. I wish to learn everything I can, sadly, time is of the essence, and it is something I cannot afford to waste."
Musashi frowned, but nodded. "I understand. Should you find yourself in these parts again, seek me out. I shall continue your training, and make a fine swordsman out of you yet."
"I appreciate it, Sensei. For now I must return to my home, there are people who are waiting for me." he said, giving the man a polite bow. "Thank you for everything!"
The man nodded, giving Sora a bow in return, beginning his trek up the path. Sora meanwhile stepped away from the main path into the woods, frowning as he left his teacher behind. A year had passed since he had come to this time period, and it had gone by faster than he had expected it to be. It was honestly weird for him to be feeling this. Shaking his head, he opened his pocket, allowing his kwamis to fly out of it.
"Alright girls, it's time we head back to our own time."
"Were you careful while you were here? You didn't speak too much about the future, correct?" Fluff asked, a look of worry on her face. "We cannot change too many things or it could have a drastic effect on the timeline. Then yesterday's tomorrow's yesterday's day after will be topsy turvy and we can't have that!"
He blinked a few times, glancing at Kaalki and Baark who also seemed confused. He sighed, spinning his watch on his fingertip. "I'm sure we did nothing that would change the timeline, Fluff. Besides, we're going right back to the checkpoint I made. This timeline will be its own thing anyway, so what's it matter?"
"Oh boy… oh boy, oh boy! You aren't regarding the changes you are making, that is dangerous, Sora! Very very dangerous! Why, we could throw the whole-"
"Fluff, Clockwise!" he chanted, holding the watch out. The rabbit let out a screech as she was sucked into the device, transforming him into Blanc de Hotot. He stuffed the object in his pocket before taking aim with his finger. "Burrow!"
Just like that, he hopped into the temporal portal, finding himself surrounded by vast vestiges into the throws of time. "Kaalki, Baark, I have a question for the two of you, if you'd be capable of answering it, that is."
"Sure thing! What do you need?" Baark amicably asked, a grin on her face.
"I was wondering, are there other abilities I can perform with the Miraculous? Like say, for Kaalki, could I perhaps open portals into other dimensions? Or with Baark, could I warp things from the past into the present?"
The two shared a look, with Kaalki deciding to speak. "I should apologize Sora, while I do have the ability to open portals, I can only open portals within our current spacial plane. I cannot open portals into alternate dimensions. I fear the logistics of such an action could throw the entire universe out of whack."
"It's different for me. If you use my ball in the past to touch an item you lost in the present, then it will fetch it for you in the present. It could prove useful in the future," Baark replied.
"Hm… what about Fluff… would it be possible to Pause, Fast Forward and Rewind time rather than opening a Burrow and entering the timeline from a previous checkpoint?"
"We're not sure about that. If there's a Miraculous that has been used the least in our existence, it's hers, mostly because it was missing for a very long time," Kaalki said, shaking her head. "Fluff is someone that can exist and not exist at the same time. For instance, while you have her, that doesn't mean someone else in the past, or future doesn't have her. It could be that you might run into another Rabbit Miraculous holder in the future, someone who isn't you."
"I see," he replied, having found the portal he needed. He rewinded time to just before he leaped through time the first time, pausing the scene before him. "Well, that's certainly going to make things interesting going forward. I'll have to make sure not to abuse this power. I've learned a lot from Musashi and honed my skills with the Miraculous. I'm stepping back into my original body, so I'll lose all of my stamina… a real shame. I don't look forward to being fatigued when I use you again."
"That should be encouragement enough for you to begin again! It took you six months to get enough endurance to handle all three of us. Maybe in two you can handle two of us!" Baark said cheerfully.
"I already told you, I am not giving one of you up. End of discussion, now let's get ready. We still have to meet up with Ladybug and I do not want to be tired for when that happens," Sora said stubbornly, stepping back into his checkpoint. He shook his head a bit, seeing himself still in his hero outfit. He took a deep breath. "Fluff, Counter-Clockwise!"
"Whoa-ho!" she cried, as she returned from the Miraculous. Sora held the half eaten carrot she had left behind, which she immediately started munching. "You know Sora, you are going to get into a lot of trouble if you mess up anything."
"Yeah yeah, I'll fix my mistakes. That's what I have a cutie like you for." he said, tapping her nose with a grin. She giggled as she continued munching on her carrot. They all heard the sound of the door opening, and hastily flew into his fanny pack, just as Annabelle stepped in.
"Hello, Sora? I just came back from the market. I heard school let out early." she said, shifting her gaze toward the kitchen, giving her nephew a smile. "There you are, how was your first day?"
"Oh um… it sure was something, hehe. Everyone welcomed me practically with open arms, and they even threw a party for me."
"Aw, how sweet of them. Did you make any new friends?"
"Tons! I have a full contact list now. Some of them even invited me to hang out, but I was dog tired after today. Dealing with that Nurse lady was a pain in the tuckus." he said, rubbing his neck. "Oh I was meaning to ask, you wouldn't happen to know someone who sources video game console parts, would you?"
"Hmm… sorry, I don't. Why? Is something the matter?"
"Ah… one of my new friends ended up getting her 3DS broken and I told her I would fix it. I was hoping to get some extra parts to do that, but it's gonna take me a while to source them. I really don't wanna wait for import fees and shit." he said, leaning back against the counter. "I'm gonna have to tell her it'll take a bit longer."
"I'm sure she'll understand. Now then, I have a few minutes before I have to open my store again. How about I make some snacks and you head to your room and do your homework. Sound good?" the brunette said, earning a nod from the boy. "Excellent, I'll get started right away."
Sora's eyes shifted to the clock in the kitchen which read 3:45 PM. He nodded to himself as he headed to his room. "I'm gonna head to my room for a bit, unpack my stuff from school and see what homework I got. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Take your time," she said, turning back to the stove. Sora swiftly took his leave, entering his room and locking his door. The kwamis flew out of his fanny pack, looking back at him with worry.
"Okay, I need to keep practicing my technique. I can't let what Musashi-Sensei taught me go to waste. Thankfully, I have something in the closet that can simulate a wooden sword. It'll have to do for now."
"Be careful, little pony. We wouldn't want you to get hurt after everything that's happened."
Sora rolled his eyes. "You worry too much, Kaalki."
"With good reason!" she snapped, whinnying loudly. He decided to ignore her as he took his jacket, fanny pack and shirt off. He had over an hour left before he had to meet with Ladybug, and he was going to use it to the fullest.
xxx
Ladybug let out a sigh as she landed behind "Le Grand Paris" the largest hotel in the city. It was a property owned by the Mayor of Paris, Andre Bourgeois. It was also the home of someone she wasn't too friendly with. It hadn't been that long since her childhood enemy, Chloe Bourgeois, had stumbled onto the Bee Miraculous. It had been her mistake after all, her mother had gotten akumatized, and while trying to give it to Alya, she had accidentally dropped it. That had led to Chloe finding it, using it for her own goals, which ended in her causing more damage than anyone expected.
But surprisingly, Chloe had learned to use it quickly, and adapted to the life of a heroine. She had followed Ladybug's orders to a T, and she had even participated in the battle against Hawk Moth on Hero's Day. She had earned the right to use a Miraculous. But thanks to her own mistake of using it on live television, Queen Bee had been placed on the back burner. After all, it was difficult to rely on someone who had broadcasted who she was on live television. Hawk Moth had targeted her already, and Master Fu had deemed it risky to have her use the Bee Miraculous.
Today was an exception. After all, there were much more important things at risk, and Queen Bee's identity was not one of them.
"Do you want me to wait here, Ladybug?" Purple Tigress asked, causing the blue haired girl to turn around. She had forgotten about her. Ladybug gave her a nod, forcing a smile onto her face.
"Keep an eye out. Hawk Moth may not be attacking right now, but you never know. He made two akumas yesterday after all. He might end up summoning another one." she said. The tiger themed heroine gave her a thumbs up, jumping toward the railing, squatting down like a cat. Even her bolas moved around as if it were tail, much to Ladybug's surprise. "Must be because of her Miraculous. Chat Noir does that all the time too,"
She pulled herself from her thoughts, she was on a mission after all. She swung down onto the pool deck, taking a few measured steps toward the plate glass doors that led into Chloe's room. She peered inside, seeing the blonde girl sitting on her bed, a look of boredom on her face as she flipped through the television channels. Her backpack had been tossed aside, several worksheets spilled out of it. Ladybug sighed audibly.
"She's gonna make Sabrina do all of those isn't she? Ugh… I'm starting to wonder why I'm even here… no, focus, Ladybug. Capturing Blue Bunny and taking his Miraculouses is far more important than Chloe's behavior. She's promised to change, I'm sure she'll be just fine."
Ladybug raised her hand, knocking on the glass rather loudly, causing Chloe to drop her remote, having been startled out of her channel surfing. She glanced to where Ladybug stood, the look of annoyance vanishing as she let out a scream, which was thankfully blocked by the thick glass door. It only took seconds for her to run over, throwing the door open.
"Ladybug, hi!" she greeted, pulling the girl inside, and into a tight hug. Ladybug squeaked from the tightness, only to be released right after. "What's up? Are you out on patrol?"
"Something like that." she said, taking a deep breath, closing the door behind her. "Chloe, I'm going to be honest with you, there's a bit of trouble."
"Oh? Is Hawk Moth attacking? Are we going to pick up where we left off during Hero's Day?" she asked, a hint of seriousness in her voice. She looked around for a moment, taking Ladybug's hand and pulling her along, opening her closet door.
"Uh… why are you bringing me here?"
"Shush." she said, pressing a button on the back wall behind a purse. A compartment opened up, much to Ladybug's surprise. The blonde pulled a chord, shedding light into the room. "Welcome to the Bee Hive."
"The Bee Hive?"
"Yeah, you know…. my secret lair?" the girl said, nose scrounging up. "Ugh… it isn't cringey is it? I tried sticking with the theme."
Ladybug looked around, seeing the walls had been painted black and yellow, following the theme of Queen Bee. There was a small desk tucked at the corner, along with several monitors, all hooked up to various cameras, which Ladybug had noticed were actual city cameras. There was a large corkboard near the back, with several pictures all pinned to it. Hawk Moth, or rather, a badly drawn caricature of Hawk Moth, was in the center, with various pictures of "Potential" identities.
It was cute… in an oddly weird way.
"Um… Chloe.. don't take this the wrong way but… well it's kind tight in here. Also isn't it illegal to have actual surveillance cameras hooked up here?"
"Pfft… no. My daddy is the mayor. He had this built in a couple of weeks and paid an exuberant amount to keep it a secret. The carpet was imported from Egypt, and the money we spent went to the raising and protection of Honey Bees all over the world," she said, a look of pride on her face. "Now then, since we are in the Bee Hive, we can talk… what's the problem?"
Ladybug took a deep breath, a firm look on her face. "The Guardian had a break in two days ago and someone stole three Miraculouses. Very powerful and potentially destructive in the wrong hands. I have been tasked with retrieving them from the person who currently has them."
"Blue Bunny?" she asked, her cerulean eyes widening in surprise. "But he's been helping you! Did he seriously attack the Guardian?"
"No, it wasn't him. I can confirm without a shadow of a doubt, the person who stole them from the Guardian was an adult. He was likely looking for expensive things to pawn off, but bumped into Blue Bunny who's bag got switched. The fact of the matter is, Blue Bunny can't just act on his own, especially with such dangerous items."
Chloe nodded, eyes narrowed slightly. "I watched some videos of your fights… he has a teleportation power. Anything else I should be aware of?"
"Yes, he has the Rabbit Miraculous, which allows him to travel in time. He might try to use it in order to escape. We can't let him do that. So we need to aim for the watch as soon as we can, which brings me to my next request." she said, reaching for her yo-yo. She swiped her finger across it, reaching inside for the wooden box. "Chloe Bourgeois, here is the Miraculous of the Bee, as you know, it grants you the power of Subjection. You will use it in order to assist me in detaining Blue Bunny, may I count on you?"
The blonde girl looked at the offered object, taking it from her hands and holding it close to her heart. "Ladybug, I would be honored to assist you."
"Good, then we have to get going. It won't be long before we're due to meet with Blue Bunny." she said. Chloe nodded, opening the box, the familiar yellow glow of her Miraculous leaving her at a loss for words.
"Good afternoon, My Queen. Are you ready to transform?" Pollen asked, giving the girl a polite bow. She placed the comb in her hair, making sure it was secured in place.
"I'm totally prepared. Pollen, Buzz On!"
In a flash of yellow and black, Queen Bee appeared, ready for action. She followed Ladybug out of her lair, making sure to close it behind herself as she exited the closet. It didn't take long for the two to reach the edge of the patio, where Purple Tigress had been waiting. She rose to her feet, stretching almost like a cat as she locked eyes with Queen Bee.
"Whoa, who's this? You didn't tell me you were bringing company!" Queen Bee said, sounding almost annoyed.
"Sorry, I thought it would be best to leave Purple Tigress out here while we talked. Don't worry, I brought her along because we needed someone with her specific skill set. With Purple Tigress' Clout and your Venom, we'll be able to overpower Blue Bunny."
The two girls shared a look, with Queen Bee extending her hand, much to Ladybug and Purple Tigress' surprise. "I suppose it would be best if we got along. I'm still trying this 'being nice' thing so forgive me if I sound a bit mean. I… want to earn my stripes properly, and fix my past mistakes."
"Wow…" the violet clad girl spoke, glancing at Ladybug. The girl gave her a nod, urging her silently to shake hands. Purple Tigress smiled, shaking hands with her fellow heroine. "You're right, we should get along. I'm willing to give anyone a chance so long as they respect me. I hope we have a good strong relationship working together, Queen Bee."
"Right back at ya, Purple Tigress."
"Well well well, the gang's all here. All the cat's are in town but you guys are forgetting the handsomest one of them all," a peppy voice said, making the three girl's look at the roof of the hotel. Chat Noir was standing at the edge of it, leaning back on his baton, a catty grin on his face. "You should have told me you were getting back up, Ladybug, I would have finished my homework sooner."
"I didn't have time, Kitty. I needed to pick Purple Tigress up and get Queen Bee up to speed. It's almost time, we need to come up with a solid plan. Here's what I got." Ladybug said, opening her yo-yo. "I'm going to go in there alone, to try and lull him into a sense of false security."
"Where is this meeting going down?"
"Notre Dame Cathedral, in the belfry," Chat Noir said, jumping down from the roof. "Ladybug wanted a place that was away from others, and secluded. It's a perfect place if I do say so myself."
"It is. It's also high up and gives us places to set up. While I keep him distracted, I want Queen Bee to make her way to the top of the tower and get up on top of the bells. You'll be responsible for stunning and paralyzing him if he tries to escape."
"Got it," she said with a nod.
"Purple Tigress, he's likely going to try and escape. I want you to hit him hard and hit him fast. The goal is to stun him long enough to remove his Miraculouses. If Queen Bee misses her strike, you go in for the hit." Ladybug said, earning a silent nod from the violet clad girl.
"What should I do, Ladybug?"
"It's likely that he's going to fight back, and that means he'll try to use either his Boomerang or his Umbrella. I want you to use your Cataclysm to destroy both of his weapons, that way he has no means to defend himself. Once we do that, he should be a lot easier to wrangle in."
"Yes ma'am, I'll do my best," Chat Noir said with a wink. Ladybug smiled, reaching into her yo-yo for a set of communication devices, all of them in a different color. She held them out, earning curious glances from the three.
"I want you to take these. These will allow you not only to communicate with me without needing to use your weapons but also listen in on our conversation. I can handle myself but if something starts to go south, do not hesitate to act, understood?" she said, causing the three to share looks. They said nothing as they took their respective communicators, with Ladybug inserting hers last. "Alright guys, let's go. As of now, Operation Miraculous is a go!"
"Right!" they cried in unison. Ladybug swung her yo-yo outward, and with a wave, the four split up, with Notre Dame Cathedral as their final destination.
xxx
Having finished his exercise regimen, Sora decided to take a quick shower, washing the sweat off of himself. He had convinced his aunt that he was doing homework, so she hadn't bothered him. Since her store closed at 8PM, he wasn't going to be bothered for a while. Now that it was nearing the time that he was meant to meet with Ladybug, he had started weighing his options.
Though he wanted to go with the route of diplomacy, he knew she was going to attempt to retrieve what he had. Who wouldn't? Items as precious as that needed to be taken back as soon as possible. But Sora wasn't going to hand them over. He needed them in order to bring down Hawk Moth. He had to. There was a burning sense of justice within him now. From the moment the man had attacked New York, he knew he wanted to do something about it, but he was powerless to stop him. Now, he had the power to do some good. If that meant going against Paris's Heroes in order to ensure he didn't lose that power, so be it.
Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was 5:20, he had ten minutes before he was due to arrive at Notre Dame. Though with teleportation, he could easily go there a minute before and he wouldn't have wasted any time. He was far more concerned with his actions for what he was going to do.
Over the year he spent with his Sensei, he had learned to watch his opponents carefully. He needed to make sure to remain calm and collected, in order to act accordingly. He was beginning to remember everything he had experienced. Though to him it was essentially a rip in time, that year he spent in a different era really changed his views on things.
"It's crazy to think I spent an entire year in Feudal Japan, studying under one of the greatest swordsmen to have ever lived, experienced so many things, and it was just a blink in time. I would never have experienced any of that if Skyla hadn't signed me up for this." he thought, glancing at his picture of Skyla. "Maybe… maybe this next year won't be so bad."
"Sora, it's almost time." Fluff said, causing him to return to reality. He glanced at the three kwamis, who had become his close friends in the last 48 hours, or rather, in the last year. "What will you do?"
"I can't wear all three of you, that much is certain. Despite my training with Miyamoto-Sensei, all of the physical aspects I gained are gone. But I still retained every bit of his sword techniques." he said, rising to his feet, a frown on his face. "I've decided to leave one of you here, just in case something happens. I know myself well, but you can't be too sure."
"Alright then, that is quite a mature decision. We will do whatever it is you ask of us, little pony," Kaalki said firmly. "Which of us have you decided to leave behind?"
The three looked at him expectantly, likely wondering who it was who would be put away. None of them wanted to be picked but they knew in order to win this battle, it was necessary. Though they didn't want to go up against Ladybug or against the Guardian, they had become attached to Sora, and didn't want to be stored away again.
"Baark, I've chosen to put you away for now. I do hope you understand,"
"Aw… that's fine. I figured it would be me, I doubt I would be useful in this fight." she said, sounding dejected. She quickly spun around, having bounced back rather fast. "It doesn't matter though! I'll be here for you whenever you need me!"
"Great, I was hoping you wouldn't take it too hard," he said, sighing with relief. He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. "So… do I just take the Miraculous off or…"
"All you have to say is: Baark, I renounce you. And I'll return to the collar, then you can store it away in the box." she said firmly. Sora took the Miraculous off, giving the kwami a soft pat before uttering the phrase she had told him.
"Baark, I renounce you." he said. She was sucked back into the Miraculous, which retained its original aspects, looking almost as if it was activated. He opened his drawer, pulling out one of the three wooden boxes. He slid the collar back inside, returning it to the drawer.
"Sora, I don't want to hound you, but we don't have much time," Fluff said, glancing at the wall clock. It read 5:25, only five minutes left. He rolled his eyes.
"I think she's forgetting we can teleport, Kaalki,"
"Yes, she tends to behave like that. Don't blame her, Little Pony. Being able to keep time for so long will also make you rather forgetful." the horse kwami said. "We're ready whenever you are, Sora."
"Kaalki, Fluff, unify!" he cried, holding his arms out. Both kwamis flew into their respective Miraculouses, transforming him into a brand new looking hero.
His outfit retained most of its light blue colors, his shoulders and upper arms were a soft baby blue, while the arms had turned a dark brown. His chest, and inner thighs were white, with the outline of his pockets having turned brown. His boots had turned a dark brown, with glowing light blue accents, along with the wings he normally had. Rabbit ears appeared from his head, but now a pair of wing shaped hair clips had appeared at either side of his head, holding down his bangs, his hair having grown to the length of a ponytail, with soft blowing light blue wisps. Finally, a belt had appeared around his waist that had taken the shape of a horse tail, with light blue accents. A silver colored horse shoe appeared on his chest, just below a white ball of fluff which was attached to his collar.
Overall, he looked vastly different than he had before. Sora checked himself over, nodding to himself. "I kind of like this look. I should get going, I got a long afternoon ahead of me."
Holding his hand out, he opened a portal to Notre Dame's belfry, stepping into the old room. All around him he could see the large bells that woke Paris up in the morning. The old structure and bronze bells made him feel as if he was in another time. He could hear birds all around him, seeing a few flying around the bronze bells, likely having made their nests high in the rafters. He almost expected to see Quasimodo swinging around high above him.
"Wow… what pretty bells,"
"They're gorgeous actually, and they sound so much better,"
Sora hardly moved, a small smirk flashing onto his face as he slowly turned around. Ladybug was standing behind him, looking rather relaxed, though he knew she was poised and ready to attack. He could sense it. He kept his hand close to the edge of his boomerang, ready to draw it if necessary. It was then that he noticed it had moved down to his waist, right where his wakizashi would have been.
"Hello, Ladybug," he calmly greeted.
"You aren't wearing the Dog Miraculous. Any particular reason why?"
"Not really," the boy replied. "So, you wanted to talk?"
"Mhmm… first and foremost I wanted to thank you for your help. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to bring down Nurse Redheart or Money Maker," she said, making him chuckle.
"Well, if I recall, I was injured for the latter half of Nurse Redheart's fight. I couldn't exactly fight with one hand," he admitted, rubbing his neck. "I must admit, if I want to become a better hero, I'm gonna have to get serious about my training,"
"Right, of course." she said, coughing into her fist. "There was something I wanted to discuss, adding you to the team. Given how helpful your skills are, I was consulting it with Chat Noir and we decided to let you stay active. You never know when you might need an extra set of hands,"
"No you didn't,"
"I'm… sorry?" the blue haired girl said, clearly confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's as I've said, Ladybug. You haven't consulted anything with Chat Noir. I know I haven't been in possession of these Miraculouses for too long, but I'm not dumb. I don't pretend to know what they are fully capable of, and I know I have limits. But I don't pretend like I know everything." he said, his hand hovering over his boomerang.
"Um… I uh,"
He started circling around Ladybug, keeping his eyes locked on her for a moment, his ear twitching slightly. The good thing about his Miraculous, they gave him the ability to gain the hearing of the animal he was representing. In his case, the hearing of a horse combined with the hearing of a rabbit. He already knew what was going on, but wasn't going to act until the right moment.
"I know why it is that you are here. Let me preface this by saying I'm a huge fan," he admitted, keeping his voice calm and firm. "I think it's great that someone as young as you is capable of handling the life of a superhero. It certainly isn't easy, and in my short tenure, I've discovered why."
"You don't know anything, Blue Bunny."
"Ferghana." he said, his lips curving into a smile. "I'm not a fan of 'Blue Bunny', too generic for my taste. So I decided to change it. And you assume correctly, I don't know anything. But I do know one thing, Hawk Moth is a danger, not just to the citizens of Paris, but to the world. What is doing is setting a precedent for others to do the same. I am quite certain our Miraculous aren't the only ones in the world. Who's to say his actions haven't inspired people to do the same?"
"I can't say for certain, but I do know one thing. We can't have people like you running around with Miraculouses they don't know how to use." Ladybug said firmly, reaching for her yo-yo. "It's true, when Chat Noir and I started we didn't know what we were doing. At times we still don't know. We are rookies but steadily realizing what we can do and what we can't do."
"You can't capture Hawk Moth, that's for sure. How is it that you have him in front of you and you don't even attack?"
"Mayura stepped in before we could! We would have struck him down if we could have, but we couldn't. Besides, who are you to comment on an event you weren't a part of?" she snapped, making the young man frown.
"You're right, I shouldn't comment on something I had no control over. But you can't deny the fact that a lot of innocents got hurt. People constantly get hurt by him. They are used as tools, as shields and thrown into the fray when they shouldn't. Just today, we dealt with a sociopath of a woman who had no issue in attacking innocents and children," he said, glancing away from the woman. "What about what happened in New York? Who's to say that isn't going to repeat somewhere else? It's clear Hawk Moth went there for one thing, and that is the Miraculous."
"You can't know that for sure." Ladybug said. "He could have been in the city for something else."
"Well it certainly wasn't for the Shwarma on MacDougal Street." He said with an eyeroll. "Every single video I've seen, he clearly states he wants your Miraculous, who's to say he isn't looking for more? He directly commanded Nurse Redheart to take mine as well. A man like that just wants power, so why shouldn't we focus on him instead?"
"Grr… you wouldn't understand, Ferghana." the young woman snapped angrily. "I have been fighting against him for the better half of a year, dealing with my own personal life. I have homework that I have to do. I have people I don't like that I have to deal with. I have to lie to my loved ones just to do what I do. I get hurt, I get tired, and I get stressed. But at the end of the day, I have to be ready for anything, because someone has to."
The young man nodded, his hands wrapped around his boomerang, as he came to a stop at his original spot. "You're right, someone does have to be ready. I know exactly why you are here, and it isn't to ask me to join your motley crew of temporary heroes. You dragged me here so you could take Kaalki, Baark and Fluff from me. But I won't let you do that. I've grown far too attached to them already. I am not planning on doing evil with these Miraculouses, in fact, I want to use them to protect the people, not just fight the akumas."
"You can do that by returning them to me, so that I can take them back to the Guardian. You know it's wrong to take possession of something that doesn't belong to you," Ladybug said firmly.
"Well, they do technically belong to me. I mean, I did find them. They were stolen from the Guardian, and my bag was taken from me. I had expensive things in that bag, very very expensive figures and important tools. You could say, some of the figures I had in there are priceless, just like the Miraculouses. So in a sense, these three are like uh… what's the word? Reparations?" he said, pausing for a bit. "Yes, that's what it is. reparations. Should someone return to me what was taken then I would be more lenient in returning them."
Ladybug just looked at him with an expression of exasperation. "How are we supposed to recover what was stolen from you? We don't even know what it is, and I doubt you'd be willing to just let us know."
"You're right, that would compromise my identity, and that is something I wanna keep primarily to myself. You see, I want to continue helping the city of Paris, and whatever other city around the world needs me. Kaalki offers me that unique chance to do that." he said, glancing at the wooden floorboards. "Ever since my si… someone close to me was gravely injured, I realized how powerless I was to help them. I just sat there, watching them suffer, while the city around me was being destroyed by a criminal. I wanted so much to stop him, to make him pay for what he had done, but I couldn't. I had to rely on someone else. For a long time, I had to rely on people who took too long to actually do something, on people who can't even arrest someone well enough and prevent them from breaking out of prison!"
He paused his monologue, glaring at Ladybug. "I wasn't kidding when I said I admire you. I do. Ever since last year, I've followed your exploits, I think you are strong, kindhearted, and beautiful to boot. But I also think you aren't taking your job seriously. You save the people, sure, but you don't fight the source. You want to stop Hawk Moth? Then be more proactive, have you even started patrolling the city?"
"I'm a student, I can hardly go out on the weekends without getting swamped by homework."
"Then someone else should handle that, don't you think? Just because the akuma gets purified and Hawk Moth stops what he's doing, it doesn't mean crime doesn't happen. You and Chat Noir are meant to be the heroes of Paris, yet I'm certain there are still criminals running around this city, I can't blame you for that. But I can help you, even if you don't want that help,"
"I'd rather not have help from someone who thinks they can do whatever they want. That's how Hawk Moth and Mayura rose to power. Who's to say you aren't going to turn out like that?" Ladybug asked, causing the boy to laugh.
"Oh that's a good one. You may wound me but you may never insult me, Ladybug. I might be young, and I might be stubborn. Hell, I might be doing something foolish right now, but I am not going to give up just because you ask me to. I plan on helping the people of Paris in my own way, and along the way I'll help anyone else who needs a hero. A true hero. Not someone who relies on bureaucracy or a damn akuma to act." he said firmly, his ear perking up.
"Then I guess we have to do this the hard way, huh?"
"Guess so,"
Without a second thought, Ferghana spun on his heel, simultaneously grabbing his boomerang. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the weapon outward, banking it off one of the bells. It bounced between them before finding its target, a yellow and black themed girl who was currently aiming to stab him with her venomous stinger.
He felt something wrap around his body, pulling him tight, but he only smirked, wiggling his finger loose. "Voyage!"
Ladybug gave a cry as she fell through the portal, pulling her yo-yo with her and setting him free. She appeared several feet away from him, falling onto the ground stunned. He drew his umbrella in time to deflect Chat Noir's baton, pushing the cat themed hero with ease.
"You've got fast reflexes!" he said, spinning his baton around. "But I'm not going to let you attack Ladybug like that."
"She was the one who decided to attack me." he said, catching his boomerang in his free hand. "I don't wanna fight either, Chat Noir, but you've left me no choice."
"We'll see about that, haah!"
Ferghana raised his boomerang in time to deflect Chat Noir's baton, easily pushing him back, swinging his umbrella for extra coverage. He flicked it open just in time to stun Queen Bee who had tried to go in for a venom, the girl fell onto her back, almost hitting one of the bells within the belfry. He rapidly turned around, throwing his boomerang at Ladybug's yo-yo, deflecting the strike that likely would have stunned him. He darted forward, swinging his weapon to and fro, hoping to nail the girl, but she was far too fast.
"Grr… even with the training I got from Miyamoto-Sensei, I'm too slow. I had a year of training and conditioning on my body back then. But since I returned to my old time, I returned to my old body. God, why the hell did I have to eat so much junk food? Why couldn't I be the damn healthy kid in class?" he thought, as he tried to land a strike on Ladybug. She was far too fast for him.
He turned around in time to catch his boomerang, crossing it with his umbrella to catch Chat Noir's baton. He looked to his left, seeing Ladybug spinning her yo-yo, while Queen Bee ran at him from the right, a bright grin on her face.
"You aren't getting away this time you thief! Venom!"
Ferghana merely smirked, letting himself fall onto his back while mentally opening a Burrow. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked around, only for him to flash behind them. He spun his umbrella around, hooking the handle around Queen Bee's ankle, pulling her off her feet. She gave a surprise cry as she fell to the ground. He summoned a portal beneath her, earning a cry of surprise from her.
Before she could even react, the blue and brown themed hero opened a portal to his right, catching Queen Bee and spinning her arm around behind her back, stabbing her with her own Venom. She instantly froze, eyes wide in surprise. He set her down, pulling the Bee Comb from her hair, forcing her to detransform almost instantly.
"Wow… that was a lot easier than I thought it would be." he admitted, glancing down at the still frozen Queen Bee, or rather Chloe. He looked the comb over for a moment before dropping it by her feet, glancing back at Ladybug and Chat Noir, who were stunned by his actions. "Now then, I could have easily taken that comb and used it myself. I could very easily use that Venom to freeze you and take your Miraculouses, but I won't. This fight is completely unnecessary."
"You say that but you didn't hesitate to take Queen Bee's miraculous off. Just what is wrong with you? You said you wanted to protect the people yet this is what you do?"
"Don't get mad at me for defending myself, Kitty-Cat." Ferghana snapped, glaring at the crime fighting duo. "I came here to talk peacefully, hell I might've even been willing to give two of the Miraculouses back, but you decided to lure me into a trap. Do you know how unfair that is? My stuff gets stolen, I find something cool, I decide to help with an akuma, three times, three fucking times, and then I get treated like a criminal? When all I wanted to do was make a difference?"
"It doesn't matter what your aim is, it doesn't change the fact that you have two very dangerous Miraculouses in your ownership." Ladybug snapped angrily.
"Dangerous? Why? Because I can use them to do practically whatever I want? Who's to say I already haven't used the Rabbit Miraculous to look at your futures? Hm? Who's to say I don't already know who you are," he said firmly. It was a bluff of course, but the pair were frightened nonetheless. "Is that what you are really scared of? That I could expose your identities to Hawk Moth?"
"Well alright then, Mr. Smarty-Pants. If you can look into the future, then why don't you tell us who Hawk Moth is so we can get him? Why haven't you already stopped him if you claim to know so much?" Chat Noir said, making him sigh.
"I haven't attacked Hawk Moth directly because I have no idea who he is or what he looks like. I can look into the future, sure, but the future isn't set in stone. There could be a myriad of other Hawk Moths and taking one of them down doesn't guarantee I took down the right one. Take down someone I suspect is Hawk Moth today and tomorrow I could be dealing with a powerful akuma. You have to be careful when messing with time."
"Well, he's right about that. Any one of our actions in the present could definitely change the future. Not to mention if he does figure out who the man is and stops in the past, all of us would cease to exist. Without Hawk Moth, there wouldn't be a need for Ladybug and Chat Noir," the blue haired girl stated.
"Correct, and without Ladybug and Chat Noir, Paris wouldn't have heroes. Not to mention I wouldn't have a need to do what I am doing. Heck, some of us might not even be born because of it," he said with a shrug. "Like it or not, Hawk Moth has to be defeated in the present, and as long as he's active, I am not going to sit idly by and let him hurt people."
"You do bring up a good point, but that is neither here nor there. We're gonna have to do this the hard way," Ladybug said firmly. "Now!"
Ferghana looked around for a moment only to hear movement from one of the bells, he turned around just in time to see a violet blur moving toward him. He ducked just in time to avoid Purple Tigress's outstretched fist, having aimed for his face. She moved toward him, swinging her bolas with great skill, much to his surprise. He crossed his weapons in an attempt to deflect her attacks, but he was swiftly overwhelmed. He felt a strong kick to his chest, sending him flying into one of the bells with a loud oof.
"Holy shit!" he cried in his mind, the air having been knocked out of his lungs. He clutched his chest for a moment, eyes widening when he saw Chat Noir lunge at him. He rolled out of the way, his eyes locking with the discarded Bee Miraculous. He started moving toward it, only for Ladybug to grab a hold of it, throwing it to Chloe who had recovered from the venom.
"I am going to beat the living hell out of you for hitting me with my own attack." she said, pinning the comb to her head, handing her kwami a chocolate chip cookie. "Do you have any idea who you are messing with?"
"Uh… no actually, I only know your name, I don't know a lick about you." he admitted, a sheepish grin on his face. He jumped out of the way of Purple Tigress's attack, the tiger themed girl keeping up her assault. "She's far faster than I gave her credit for. Dammit, my fat ass can't keep up with all of them! I'm gonna have to bail before I get too overwhelmed!"
Ferghana was pushed to the edge of the belfry, almost falling through one of the large windows. He glanced back in time to see Queen Bee retransform, spinning her trompo around, a look of anger on her face. He opened his mouth to speak only for a loud crash to make them all stop. The brown haired lad glanced over his shoulder, noticing an overturned car across from the Seine, which was already burning. Before anyone could react, he jumped from the building, opening a portal beneath himself, reappearing right next to the overturned car.
He ignored the screams of the people, telling him to stay away. Without thinking, he formed a portal on the side door, crawling inside, seeing an unconscious man still strapped to the driver's seat. He pulled him free, cringing a bit from the heat of the burning flames. He pulled the man out through the portal, dragging him as far from the wreckage as he could, just as the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
"Holy shit!" someone cried, kneeling down next to the man, whose face was covered in blood. "You saved this man's life,"
Ferghana coughed loudly, about to speak only for someone else to point to the river. "Hey, the other car fell into the river, there are people still inside it!"
Without a word, he raced toward the edge of the river, spotting the half submerged car quickly sinking into the water. He saw what looked like a woman banging on the rear window, trying and failing to break it open.
"Ferghana!"
He glanced to his right, seeing Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and Purple Tigress on the edge of the bank, looks of concern on their faces. "We wanna help."
Though he wanted to say something, he shook his head, pointing at the car. "Throw your yo-yo down there and prevent the car from sinking further in. You do the same with your trompo, Queen Bee."
"Got it." the bee themed heroine said, flicking her weapon down at the car, wrapping it around the axle. The young man turned to Chat Noir and Purple Tigress.
"You two get ready, I'm gonna make a portal right there, I want you to help the passengers of that car when I pull them out," he said, earning nods from the two. Without missing a beat, he dove into the river, ignoring the fact the water was cold.
He swam down toward the bottom, locking eyes with the frightened passenger within, who was screaming and begging for him to get her out. He gave her a thumbs up before moving onto the roof of the car, kneeling down right on the back window. He placed his hands on the glass, taking a deep breath. "Voyage!"
The portal crackled to life, an instant gateway opening into the cabin of the car. He reached his hand inside, pulling the scared and wet woman from within. "Forget about me, you have to get my baby!"
"What?" he cried, looking down into the portal, seeing the unconscious child strapped into the car seat. He didn't hesitate to dive in, tugging on the seatbelt, but failing to pull it out. "I can't get to it, I need a knife!"
"Ferghana, we're starting to slip!" Ladybug cried, her feet dragging toward the edge of the river as the car continued to sink. He grit his teeth, slipping through the portal once more. He hastily unbuckled the child from the seat, just as the top of the carseat was swallowed by the water.
Holding the infant tightly against his chest, he created another portal right next to the woman, urging her to step in, followed by himself. They landed on the road moments after, safe and sound. Ladybug and Queen Bee released their hold on the car, which sank beneath the water within seconds.
"Miss," Ferghana said, holding the infant out to its mother. She took a hold of the baby, looking it over for injury, only for it to start crying. She hugged it close to herself, wrapping her other arm around the young man who had saved her.
"T-thank you! You s-saved me and my little b-boy!"
"It's uh… all in a day's work, miss. You should get away from the river," he said, pointing toward the ambulance that had just arrived. "There, get some medical help and make sure your baby is fine."
She gave him a nod, quickly moving toward the ambulance. He noticed then that several people had their phones out, filming the whole ordeal. He didn't know how long it had been, but he hadn't even noticed them.
"Nice work Blue Bunny! You saved three lives today!" someone cried out.
"Actually, my name is-"
"Great job! You came in to help Ladybug and Chat Noir and are already pulling your weight around. Thank you so much for protecting the people!" a woman added, clapping loudly. "And let's not forget Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and the new girl, Purple Tigress! They helped too!"
"Oh um… this is all Blue Bunny's show, we just came to assist him," Ladybug said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.
"Hey, I thought I said to call me-"
"Yeah, we were out on patrol, making sure things were going smoothly when we heard the accident. Blue Bunny acted swiftly, before anyone could react, he was already here pulling that injured man out of his car." Chat Noir said happily. "He was a real hero."
"He did a better job than I would have, that's for sure." Queen Bee added, glancing at the car, which had it's fire finally put out. She looked around for a moment, frowning when she didn't see a Stop Light or a Sign. "You know what, I'm going to speak with my father, this accident happened because there wasn't a sign here. This needs to be addressed immediately."
"You're going to be a great addition to the team, Blue Bunny, I can already tell how much akuma butt you are going to kick in the future!" a young man said, making the boy sigh.
"Seriously, I said my name was-"
"Forget it, everyone knows you as Blue Bunny, that's what they are calling you. Even if you try to change it, no one is going to adapt. You are stuck with that name now," the blonde bee themed girl said. "Guess you'll have to get used to it Bun-Bun."
The young man tightened his fist in anger, breathing a deep sigh. "You know what… I am just gonna head home." he said firmly, opening a portal behind himself. This one of course, led somewhere else, just in case someone wanted to peek inside.
"Blue Bunny… our conversation from before isn't over," Ladybug said, her gaze shifting back toward the cathedral. "But… thanks for saving these people, it was noble of you."
"That's what I'm here for, Ladybug. Want it or not, I just want to help people," he said, giving her a bow before stepping into the portal. Ladybug gestured for the others to follow before the News arrived, not wanting to get stuck in an interview.
They landed on a nearby rooftop, far away from the accident. Ladybug turned around to face the others, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, I thought I had planned everything out well, but he managed to slip through."
"You don't have to apologize. We went in there thinking we could do something, but he held his own. Figures, he's got a Miraculous that let's him travel through time and see the outcome of everything. He probably knew how that conversation was gonna go down,"
"It sure didn't feel that way," Purple Tigress said. "It felt genuine, and he didn't look too stiff either. He knew Ladybug was planning something, but he didn't know what. He reacted quickly, and his fighting style was really good, but he was still fairly slow,"
"Would it be possible to assume he used the Rabbit Miraculous to travel in time? And like, ask someone to teach him how to fight?" Queen Bee asked curiously.
"It's possible." the blue haired girl said, sighing. "Great, just what we needed, someone who figured out the endless possibilities of Time Travel and is actively using it against us. There's no way we'll be able to get those Miraculouses back now."
"Never say never, milady. We'll get him sure enough, when he isn't paying attention. Though I have to admit, he did react quickly. I can sense a genuine sense of empathy from him. He didn't hesitate to save those people, anyone else would have let the proper authorities handle it, but he got his hands dirty."
"Just because he did a heroic act doesn't mean he won't do something worse down the line. Look at what I did when I got my Miraculous. It was a horrible thing what I did. I manifested my own prophecy and I regret it to this day," Queen Bee said, glancing back at her idol and friend. "I understand now why you were so angry with me when I used the Bee Miraculous so foolishly."
"At least you learned your lesson, Queen Bee. You are still far from being the perfect hero, but I have full confidence that you will become one. Sadly, this operation is over, I'll take you both home and bring the Miraculous back to the Guardian. We're gonna have to come up with something else to get Blue Bunny to hand his over,"
Chat Noir adopted a pensive look, glancing briefly at the sky. "Hm… let me talk to him, milady, maybe I can convince him to hand them over. Or at the very least, figure out what his motivation is. I know he mentioned someone close to him being hurt, but there has to be more than that,"
Ladybug remained silent for a moment before giving him a nod. "Fine, Kitty. I'll let you speak to him, though I doubt he's going to return today. Let's just break for tonight and focus on our regular lives. There's no doubt Hawk Moth will attack again soon, and we need to be ready for anything,"
Chat Noir nodded, briefly waving at the two girls before leaping off the building, heading back to wherever he had been before. Queen Bee and Purple Tigress however returned their gazes to Ladybug, who had a look of concern on her face.
"Are you okay, Ladybug?"
"I'm not… I'm gonna have to go back to the Guardian empty handed, and it hurts having to do that. He's done so much for me already, for Chat and for Paris. He shouldn't have to deal with something like this." she said with a sigh. "We can worry about that later. Let's go, I gotta get you two home,"
Their operation finished, the three girls started heading to "Le Grand Paris" where Ladybug would retrieve Chloe's Miraculous. She would escort Juleka to a secluded place and do the same with hers before heading toward Master Fu's home. Little did she know, she had a follower keeping an eye on her. A follower who would eventually become one of the greatest heroes to have ever lived.
A/N: It's been a long day, I don't have much to say right now lol. Hope you liked this slightly longer chapter. See ya!