When Adrien entered the room he saw his friends already inside.
Alya's arms were crossed against her chest, she was frowning and her lips were pursed. Nino was in front of her, only a foot away, but while Alya was frowning, he wore an amused smile.
Adrien always seemed to find them in that position, nothing on their dynamic had changed after all these years.
"What are you fighting about?" Adrien asked, sharing an amused smile with his best friend.
"Nothing," They said at the unison. Alya turned around and walked in Adrien's direction.
"She is okay, a little dizzy, but she is fine. I promise," He said before Alya was able to ask about Marinette.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. It was strange" Adrien rubbed the back of his head "She had been acting weird, but nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would swing a flag. Then she spaced out, like that time at lunch, her eyes were dead and she was somewhere else, but Marceline brought her back, asked her if she was okay. Marinette said she was fine and since I had seen this happened before I didn't worry, maybe I should have because not only a minute happened and Marinette screamed—"
"What? Did she say something or—
"She yelled like someone was chasing her or hurting her, she screamed… so loud. Then she dropped to the floor, pulled her hair, mumbled words that I couldn't understand. Marceline told me you talk to her so I started describing our clothes…
"She remembered something," Alya whispered, mostly to herself but the others heard her too "Anything else?"
Adrien nodded vigorously "Her eyes" He swallowed "Her eyes were purple, just like last night but she was still Marinette" Adrien answered, avoiding Alya's sight, too worried about what she could say to him, he focused on his father. It's when he realized that he hadn't informed him about last night events, and he was probably confused "Yesterday we found out that Marinette is Ladybug"
"Miss Césaire already filled me up in the details, Adrien" However Gabriel nodded to him as he had heard it first from him.
Not sure of how to answer Adrien nodded back.
"I don't think I have ever seen her with purple eyes as Marinette, it is always as Ladybug," Alya chewed her lip "I should go and check how she is doing, I think is better if—
Nino took Alya by her arm, pulling her closer to him and stopping her from running away out of the room.
"'Nette has no idea you are her, it's gonna freak her out more if you appear out of nowhere"
Alya pursed her lips. Shaking her arm out of Nino's grip, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I don't like this"
"I know you don't, but right now the best way to help Marinette is talking and sharing what each of us knows so we can come to common ground and figure it out what's wrong with her"
"I hate when you're right," Alya crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned, her nose puckering in the process, making Nino poked it softly as he chuckled.
"I know, it makes me love being right even more" Alya rolled her eyes exasperated.
"Should we begin with our conversation?" Gabriel interrupted "I got a tight agenda"
"Sure, Mon. Agreste" Nino nodded and changed his position, looking more serious than he did before leaning close to Alya. "Should we resume the essentials first?"
"Please" Alya agreed.
"Okay. So let's start from the very beginning, I'll be quick, stop me if you get lost," Nino cleared his throat "Monsieur Agreste has studied the miraculous because Adrien's mother was holder of the peacock stone, and he has discovered relevant information of the miraculous that had been secret for a while. He has found more strange information across the years because Madam Agreste disappeared and he thinks is tied to the miraculous." The three nodded at Nino, who stopped for a second to get feedback "From my side, we know what Wayzz has taught me—will you like to say it, Wayzz? No? Well, what we know is that Wayzz felt a strange change of energy one night six years ago, energies that involved the butterfly and ladybug miraculous. Since then he hasn't been able to track them and we haven't found an answer to that yet. That change of energy is something that Plagg felt too, he felt Tikki –that's the name of Ladybug's kwami, Alya –disappeared. He didn't give it much thought because they had never been so far apart, but he did worry when Ladybug stopped messaging Adrien, but Adrien was so worried that Plagg decided to not say anything and just wait"
"Which we all know was the worst call," Adrien said, side-eyeing the kwami at his side.
"No time to scold," Nino frowned "Continuing: Adrien was worried but never did a thing about it, neither did I because I was just starting my training so there was not much that I could have done even if I had wanted to do something; and of course Mr. Agreste had no way to know all of this and no reasons to suspect that anything could be wrong with Ladybug. Difference to Alya—" He pointed at his ex-girlfriend "Alya discovered that Marinette was Ladybug, a fact that we all know now, but that I would like Alya to repeat so we can be in the same channel"
Alya nodded and began to talk. She explained every detail she had explained the night before to his friends, being extra-careful to not forget anything in front of Gabriel Agreste.
She explained Marinette's strange behavior and her sudden trip. She told them about the clues she had left behind and how they led her to find her in a strange abandoned place in Tibet. That's when Gabriel stopped her.
"Have I heard you right, Mademoiselle Césaire? Did you just say the Tibet?"
"Yes, I found Marinette there" Alya took her phone, opening the maps app, and looking for a marked location "See? Close to this point"
She passed the phone to Adrien's father, who examined it before giving it to his son.
"Tibet has always been an interesting place to me. I've been studying the stones for a long time and every clue always seems to lead me back to it," Gabriel walked to his desk. Opening a drawer and pulling objects out of it until he took a big
"What's that?" Adrien followed him, trying to peek something as Gabriel flipped through the pages.
"Haven't I taught you to be patient, Adrien?"
"It has to do with my mother and Marinette, sorry if I'm impatient" Adrien huffed.
"As I search for the exact page, it would be wonderful if you could inform me about yesterday's incident with more detail" He did not look up.
"Mari's, right?" Alya asked looking confused.
"Yes. Miss Césaire, you explained that Marinette has turned into Ladybug a few times before. Is that a recurrent phenomenon?
"I don't think so, they shouldn't be more than a dozen times that it has happened," Alya counted with her fingers to make sure she wasn't forgetting any occasion. "And it always happens when she is mad," She remarked. "Or anxious, but in a different way, it's more intense and chaotic than her normal reactions. And she gets aggressive but… not like yesterday—
"We are still not sure she hit that man" Adrien interrupted.
"It was her Adrien. There was akuma energy all over him"
"Akuma? You hadn't mentioned that before" Gabriel lifted his sight to watch them.
"It's only a theory, no, not even that, it's more like a confusing clue in the board," Adrien said between clenched teeth.
"But still is one of the biggest clues we have," Nino put a hand on top of Adrien's shoulder "She certainly showed the characteristics of an akuma last night. Aggressive and ready to fight anyone who crossed her way, distorted mind and she didn't remember anything once she woke up. And her eyes were purple, which I think is our biggest clue"
"Her purple eyes? She had purple eyes just now and she wasn't Ladybug, there's no connection there. I think is just a side effect of whatever it's going on with Mari,"
"Maybe, that's a possibility too" Nino nodded "But we have to keep theorizing until we reach the truth so any little detail is important" Adrien didn't disagree.
"So, do we think Marinette is an akuma or not?" Alya asked.
"To be one, she should have been close to the butterfly miraculous and someone should have had to akumatize her" Gabriel cut her.
"Maybe someone did?"
"Not possible, Miss Alya, I would have felt it. And the corruption I felt is too close in time of the dormant energy" Wayzz joined the conversation, floating close to Alya's curls.
"You guys think Marinette used it," She said winning an approval nod from Nino and the two kwamis. Alya's mouth hung wide open in surprise.
"It makes sense, she has a strange aura around her," Plagg said, mostly to Adrien. The superhero remembered the times Plagg had pointed it out, and all those times he had brushed it off, too enamored by her to see anything wrong.
"Why would she have it? It doesn't make any sense"
"Marinette is a smart young woman, very intuitive and brave," Gabriel said before anyone could answer. He extended his arm and placed the book open in front of them, showing a page filled with a code none of them understood, with weird drawings and swirling lines all around, "I think she figured it out something I've been trying to understand for years"
"We can't read a word of what that says, father," Adrien took the book on his hands "Master Fu taught me a few codes used in a miraculous book but this one doesn't look anything like them."
"These codes are more complex –and older- than the other books Master Fu showed to you. And I wouldn't say they are codes, these books are written in different antique alphabets fused together"
"Like the Japanese language?" Adrien asked, "As if they were written in katakana, hiragana,andkanji, for example?"
"Exactly," Gabriel nodded, an amused and proud smile showing off. "And we have only been able to translate katakana, a few of hiragana and the kanji has been impossible to decode. The grammar and the composition of the sentences is similar to old Chinese, the decoding of the first codes was easier thanks to my knowledge of that language"
"And what does it say?" Alya asked exasperated, which didn't make Mr. Agreste really happy, but he answered anyways.
"It talks about an old powerful source of energy, magical energy," Adrien and Alya looked down to the book as he spoke "it was written for old wise Chinese masters, that I can tell, they name, in numerous opportunities, the elements chart"
"The Chinese chart of elements?" Adrien asked. The forgotten memory of a study session years ago popped up in front of his eyes.
Nino moved closer to the desk and took a lonely piece of paper, big enough to draw the chart on it.
"Oh, I've heard of it a few times" Alya smiled "It has something to do with the miraculous? Your face tells me it might," Alya poked Adrien's nose, making him giggle.
"Yes, it does. Master Fu explained it to Mari and me. Basically, that's how the miraculous work" Nino nodded, supporting the explanation.
"I'm not sure if I'll say that it is how they work," Gabriel said "After years of research I'll say that the Chinese elements are an explanation of the miraculous and how the world kept their balance thanks to them"
"Fancy words for the same thing," Plagg whispered at Adrien's ear. Adrien had to keep his laugh to himself.
Nino, who had just finished a messy but understandable drawing of the chart, placed the paper in the middle of the desk so everyone could get a better look of it.
In blue ink, Nino had done his best effort at representing the chart with every element, how they balanced each other, how they created and conquered one and another. At the side of every element, he had added the name of every miraculous.
Adrien started reading from the top and then in the sense of the clock.
Fire –Butterfly
Earth-Fox
Metal-Bee
Water-Turtle
Wood-Peacock
In the middle of the chart, a messy drawing of the yin-yang had the wordsladybug and cat.
"Every stone on the set is connected to one of these elements. For example, mine, the turtle, is associated with water" Nino pointed out at the drawing and then to his bracelet "You haven't watched me do anything with water yet, but Alya did"
"Yeah, it was cool" Alya smiled "Like a bender of that TV show you and Alix talked all the time, Adrien. Avatar! I had forgotten the name for a second" She giggled.
"Okay, no Avatar talk" Nino cut "I had had enough of it for three lifetimes"
"Yes, I would also prefer if we focused on what's important," Gabriel looked down over his glasses "I'm certain that Master Fu explained to you how the miraculous preserve their harmony"
"Balance,"He answered "They create each other. For example if we start from here" Adrien took the pen from Nino's hand and draw a circle around the peacock "The element of the peacock is wood, wood creates fire, fire creates earth, earth creates metal and so it goes if you follow the circle" He stopped completing the arrows around the circle, just to draw lines in the middle that crossed over each other " But not only they create and make each other stronger, they can defeat the other in case of corruption" He placed the pen on top of the peacock one more time "Peacock defeats fox, fox suppresses turtle, turtle conquers butterfly, butterfly defeats bee, and then it comes full circle when bee conquers peacock"
"That's amazing," Alya took the drawing on her hands "How old are the miraculous? This theory has been around for god knows how long"
"So have been we," Plagg grinned.
"The chart comes after us, not the other way around" Wayzz pointed out. "If Mr. Agreste says that his book names it, we should've known about this energy"
"But we do not," Plagg said between his teeth.
"Isn't that strange?" Alya looked up to Adrien.
"Completely," Gabriel answered instead "Duusuu –Céline's kwami- had never heard of it either. We realized then that we were dealing with a potent power, I would risk to call it omnipotent"
"Something bigger than the miraculous stones?" Nino asked, sharing a confused look with Wayzz.
Gabriel gave a nod "At first we thought it would be the power of all the box sets together,"
"Another miraculous holder?" Adrien asked, moving closer to his father "Like from another miraculous set of stones? Why was I never informed about that?"
"It wasn't necessary for your mission, Master Fu did well at not telling you, it would have confused you," Gabriel turned to the bookshelf at his right, Adrien followed. "It is in one of the books your mother and I could decode. We spoke about it with Master Fu a few times, too"
"Wayzz says there are three sets of miraculous in different parts of the world. He can't feel them because he can only feel the stones of his own set, but he knows about their existence," Nino added. "You remember where they are, right, buddy?"
"One of them, I'm sure it's safely in South America, close to the pacific shore and the dessert, and the other one is also here in Europe, right, Monsieur Agreste?"
Gabriel nodded at the creature "Yes. We were in need to find more holders, to see if they could help us with the mysteries of the books and their codes. Céline found the owner of the dragonfly miraculous, and they became best friends. She and her husband helped us and became a fundamental part of our investigation" He cleared his throat "You may not remember her, Adrien, but Naomi loved to play with you"
"Aunt Naomi?!" Adrien choked on air "Are everyone around me fucking magical?"
"Language" Gabriel warned him.
"You say that as you weren't magical yourself, I think that line suits me better.
"Aunt Naomi" Adrien gasped and Gabriel nodded, confirming it one more time "What about uncle Willem? He helped but was he like you or—
"Your uncle Willem is the holder of the raven miraculous"
"This is ridiculous," Adrien pulled his bangs "I gotta look into that—
"No! You do not! We gotta look into Marinette first," Alya shouted "We are not going anywhere, we just keep and keep adding information but we are not going anywhere! All this information is marvelous, and believe me I'm incredibly curious but it's not the moment. Please, let's focus on Marinette"
"Miss Césaire, I understand you're worried but nothing I say it's told without a solid background to support it, " He said, "You say you found Marinette in Tibet, if my instincts are right, then Marinette were looking for a powerful energy. I believe they could help us to figure it out what was Marinette looking for"
"Oh, well that makes…sense" Alya hid her face behind a curtain of hair. Nino crossed one arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. Alya was not going to break in front of them, he knew that, but she needed someone to comfort her anyways.
"That's useful, you should contact them as soon as possible," Adrien said, "You really believe it exists, father?"
"Absolutely,"
"It isn't impossible and it gives us a solid theory" Nino looked at Adrien "It also makes sense, with an energy so strong and powerful her miraculous alone wouldn't have been enough
"So she needed more power" Adrien completed his sentence.
"But the ladybug and the butterfly are not compatible!" Plagg incorporated himself into the conversation again, letting the piece of decoration, he was playing with, drop to the ground.
"Tikki should know that. She would have never let Marinette use both of them," Wayzz said "It would explain Tikki's disappearance. It makes sense"
"It makes sense, indeed. The butterfly stone is one of the most powerful ones in our set she couldn't use them together but she still needed power, so she probably figured it out something out," Nino rubbed the back of his neck, calling Adrien's attention to his purplish scar.
"Marinette's scar," He said under his breath
"What was that?"
"Marinette has a scar" He explained and touched his chest, on top of his sternum "It's a perfect oval and it's the same color yours has Nino. I saw it the other day but I hadn't connected the dots before, it seemed strange but I didn't go beyond it but it would make sense, right?"
"Did she have that scar before going missing?" Nino looked down at the girl ion his arms.
"No, she had it when I found her, looking exactly like it does today, but it was new I can assure you that," Alya nodded repeatedly "I found it odd too, but not anymore. It's been so long and Marinette always hides it, sometimes I completely forget about it"
"We gotta look more into that" Nino said, writing down a list in the note app on his phone.
"We gotta look more into everything" Alya huffed "This reunion has only made me realize that we know nothing about Marinette's situation. We have half of the facts and horrible incomplete theories"
So she was still mad, understandable.
"I agree, we gotta look for more, but I don't think this reunion was as useless as you make it sound," Adrien said "Now we know what to look for"
"Okay, your parents' friends, I admit that it's a step, but we don't know if it's the right step. We still walking on air" Alya pointed an accusative finger at Adrien.
Adrien didn't answer, and no one else did because there was nothing left to say. Well, Adrien did have something to say, it was an idea that had popped into his head as the conversation rolled but he hadn't been brave enough to bring to the table.
He knew it was a great idea, but it was a crazy idea. He couldn't do it, but it had to be done. He believed it would be an enriching conversation filled with information, and he needed someone who was witty and brave enough to do it.
He needed Alya.
"There's someone we haven't talked to. I believe the information he has will be important to our investigation," Adrien sighed "I need you to do it Alya, but—no, forget it, I can't send you. It was insane" Adrien felt a cold sensation drop through his limbs, he was starting to feel numb.
Alya took a step away from Nino and took Adrien's hand between hers.
Adrien found her sight midway, it was soft and it irradiated trust and confidence.
"Tell me, I'll do it, I bet it is not insane"
"I need you to go talk to Papillon," He said fast, driving over his words but all of them were able to hear him clearly.
"What?!"Adrien and Alya kept quiet while the other's freaked out.
"Adrien" Gabriel squeezed his son's shoulder.
"It's necessary," Adrien sighed "Nino has all the information and Wayzz and Plagg can understand how the bond and powers work, but they don't have the real experience. He has it, he was with Nooroo, he worked with his powers, he is our answer to understand how Marinette could have used it"
"Sadly, and it hurts to say it, my banana head is in the right" Plagg said before anyone else could talk "That abominable bastard will give us the human experience of working with Nooroo. You are gonna have a disgusting job, Miss Ladyblog"
"It's gonna be fun, that bastard will have no idea what hits him, "Alya winked at the kwami.
After the initial shock passed, they started planning out their strategy.
Gabriel, who only had a few minutes left, promised his son to call his old friends and inform him about it as soon as he could do it.
Nino and Wayzz said they were going to study and do more research, that they will go beyond the writings and old scrolls to find any mentions of the mysterious energy.
Alya began to plan the visit, thinking that the smartest option would be to go the first day she could find, to recollect the information as soon as possible. It's true that thousands of people had tried to have a visit to known the infamous Papillon, but each and every single one of them had received a letter where their requests had been denied. Even Alya had gotten one three years ago. But this time she counted with something she hadn't counted before: Chat Noir. Adrien only had to transform and convince the guards and staff of the jail to let Alya in.
The plan was easy but effective.
Still, Alya and Adrien would've liked to stay longer speaking about it, to make a clean strategy and finish the plan, but time wasn't on their side. Not only Gabriel had to go back to work, Nino had been call three times already for a producer that waited for him at the studio and Alya had texts messages of a really worried Charlene.
The three friends left the office together, walking carefully across the halls to not stumble into Marinette.
Once outside, a car was waiting for Nino, leaving Alya and Adrien alone.
"You need a ride?" Adrien asked her.
"Got my motorcycle parked a few blocks down. I'm okay, blondie" Alya began to walk but Adrien didn't follow her. She stopped halfway and looked back to him, asking him what was wrong without speaking.
He walked to her, head down, hands in his pockets. Too nervous to speak loud he whispered her name.
"'Lya"
"What's eating you out?"
He didn't think it twice, he just let it out "I'm gonna tell Marinette that I'm Chat Noir"
