Chapter 6
"That's weird, she's late," Alya claimed as she stared at the clock above. She was worried she was going to end up working all day, but she knew it wouldn't kill her.
"Her working isn't going to kill her, Alya," Nino chided gently, voicing her thoughts.
"I know that! I'm just worried is all. She said she would come to class-"
"If business slows down. Who knows when it will?"
"Besides," Adrien interjected. "if she doesn't make it, we can just take her work to her."
"I suppose," Alya relented.
"I think that while we are here, and we are on break, we should brainstorm on what we think this akuma is after," Adrien suggested. "We know that everyone is dressed like they are from the medieval period, whether as servants or nobility. Is there anything else?"
"I noticed some people have strange lives compared to others," Alya mentioned, casting a meaningful look to Nino who blushed.
"What do you mean?"
"She means, that the flute I had when we all woke up? It has drawings on it," Nino said.
"Drawings?"
"Yeah. Apparently, the flute can turn certain knobs, and each knob looks like an animal. If I play the flute while the nob is on a dog, for example, dogs tend to follow me."
"Really? That's weird. I feel like that jogs a memory…"
"I also noticed that my twin sisters go around holding hands more often than normal and have an affinity to bread now. They leave crumbs everywhere."
"Crumbs, huh… twins…" Adrien contemplated.
"Hehe, have you two noticed that there's a frog that continues to follow Chloe around?" Almost right on cue, Chloe shrieks about the vile creature who keeps following her, and it seemed true enough, as it was hopping happily around the classroom with her. Suddenly, it hit Adrien all at once.
"Guys, I think I figured it out."
"Really?!" the two exclaimed in question.
"Yeah. The thing I find in common is that everyone is a fairy tale character."
"A fairy tale character?"
"Think about it. Nino is the Pied Piper, you use your flute to lure animals in any way you see fit. Alya's sisters are Hansel and Gretel, they are twins who played together and left bread crumbs to find their way back home. Chloe… well," he hesitated while looking her way with a slight smile tugging at his lips. "She's the princess who is supposed to kiss the frog prince."
"WHAT?!" they exclaimed, but reverted to giggles when Chloe turned her fury towards them.
"Yeah, everyone is a story book character. That would explain why I'm a prince, so that means I have some sort of purpose. But what?"
"To save a princess?" Alya teased.
"Ha ha. Who would said princess be, Alya?"
"Oh, I don't know. I know someone who could easily be princess material," she suggested. It took a good minute for the boys looking at her questioningly, before Nino practically jumped from his seat.
"Oh! It's Marinette!"
"Shush, Nino! Yes, I do think Marinette might be said princess."
"But Alya, she's at home with her parents. She doesn't need saving."
"Perhaps she just needs a prince then," she suggests with a waggle of her eyebrows. Adrien didn't miss the 'subtle' hint she gave, and it caused a blush to rise through his cheeks. She only winked at him. "Anyways, we need to find out about the… akuma…" she said as her eyes widened.
"Alya? What's up?"
"Nana… Sophaline. The akuma, it has to be her!"
"Why do you think that?"
"Think about it, Chloe ridiculed her in public due to her fairy tales, and that was the day before yesterday, when we woke up as characters. Everyone here is a fairy tale. Perhaps she wanted to make her fairy tales reality."
"That could be a problem, because some of the fairy tales are gruesome."
"Okay, all of this makes perfect sense. If Marinette doesn't meet us before school ends, let's head over and let her know." With that in mind, the group set about their plan. There was only another two hours of school, and Marinette didn't show up, so they decided to head over to the bakery to let her know what they discovered. When they got there though, they noticed the bakery was closed and Officer Roger was just stepping out, his face solemn. They knew something was up, but they feared what it was. It sounded terrible, but they hoped it was just a robbery. When they were passing him, he didn't dare look at them.
Alya was first into the bakery, immediately finding Tom and Sabine upstairs in their living room. The two were sitting on their couch, Tom hovering over a sobbing Sabine while rubbing her shoulders consolingly. The three felt their hearts drop into their stomachs, fearing the worst. "T-Tom, Sab-bine, where's Marinette?"
At the mention of Marinette's name, Sabine wailed and buried into herself deeper while Tom cringed slightly but didn't say anything. In the blink of an eye, Alya ran upstairs shouting Marinette's name, pleading almost. Her voice got more desperate the longer she called for her. Eventually she came downstairs with tears staining her face. "Gone. She's gone, she's not he-here," she choked up.
"No, she's not," Tom sadly confirmed. Alya joined Sabine on her side of the couch and started to cry. Nino bowed his head, extremely sad that his friend from elementary school was gone, most likely due to the akuma, if she was Nana. Adrien was frozen still from shock. Marinette, gone? No, she can't be gone, she just can't. She's too pure, she hasn't done anything wrong… it was then that he realized that she was the princess, he needed to save. His princess to save. He needed to find Ladybug immediately and ask, even beg, for her to help him. He didn't care about his identity anymore, as long as Marinette can come back safe and sound, he would sacrifice anything.
"We will find her, Tom," he found lately it's been easier to call them by their first names. "I'm not sure how, but I swear to you both that somehow I will get your daughter back."
Sabine finally looked up from her hands, sending him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Adrien. Please, bring our baby home."
"I will, I promise you." When Adrien went home, he fiercely turned to Plagg with fire in his eyes, causing Plagg to fly backwards a little with apprehension. "Plagg, I need you to transform me."
"I thought we already tried that, kid," he scoffed. "Ladybug hasn't been able to-"
"What do you know about Ladybug?!" Adrien hissed as he grabbed Plagg. Plagg seemed surprised at his holder's hostility at first, but then relaxed. He supposed he shouldn't have told Adrien, but he needed to at least hint at it.
"Nothing I can reveal right now. I know Ladybug would be extremely upset if you found out who she was without her telling you, especially if I told you. If she is upset, and I was the cause of it, Sugarcube would kill me for sure."
"Sugarcube?"
"Tikki, the kwami for the Ladybug miraculous. She was the one who said that we couldn't reveal our holders unless it was consensual, or if it was absolutely necessary."
"Okay? What does she have to do with anything?"
"I think she could be our sort of messenger to Ladybug. We just need to find her. I believe she might've followed the akuma to your princess's house, so we should see about going there and seeing if there's any clues."
"Okay, I'll see if I can check for clues during lunch tomorrow."
The next day, everyone in their class and a few people know Marinette went missing by the akuma, and the gossip was spreading like wildfire. By lunchtime, everyone in the school knew. Right when classes were dismissed, the three returned to the bakery to try to console the Dupain-Cheng's again. While lunch was being made and they talked amongst themselves, Adrien snuck away upstairs to check for clues.
Her room looked just the same as when he last came in. In fact, he was Chat Noir the last time. It was just the other day, when he was trying to be cool and jump across the buildings when she called his name. He was on his way to Marinette's anyways for his weekly visit, but her little distraction caused him to miss her balcony rails and crash land on her balcony, barely missing her flower pots. He groaned as he heard her giggle. "Well hello, kitty," she greeted with a smirk.
"Good evening, Princess. I see you took my suggestions to heart," he said as he waved noncommittally towards her pots.
"Yes, I did. After having a certain cat break them with his prior falls, I thought it would be best to move it aside and give you more landing space. It seems that, even though you have more space, you still can't have your 'perfect landing' that you've boasted about before."
"Ha ha, very funny, Princess. If it wasn't for your beautiful face and enchanting voice, I would've made the perfect landing to knock your socks off." His following wink made her laugh out loud before she made her way to him and helped him up. They talked inside her room for a while, played a couple games, and then ended out on her balcony. They talked about everything and nothing, just like normal. It was only when she was gone now that he realized that he was slowly falling for her more and more.
She was so natural and honest, and she listened to him when he wished to talk about his problems. He felt for her when she admitted a while ago that her crush didn't reveal her crush on him, as he felt the same way about Ladybug. They made a pact about a year or so ago to try to get over their crushes, and they mostly succeeded. She mentioned that it was hard because they became so close as friends, but sometimes the remnants of her crush leaked through. His own crush on Ladybug seemed easier than her own, in fact. Once he admitted his feelings for her, and talked with her about it, he got over her. He felt like a part of him still loved her, but perhaps it was her personality that he fell in love with. She was selfless and loved the people of Paris, and despite her fear of disappointment, she still stood strong. And he couldn't appreciate someone braver than her, and maybe that appreciation was confused with love, seeing how he doesn't associate with many people besides other models. That is, until his father finally let him go to school. But now that he thought about it, perhaps it wasn't Ladybug he was meant to love, it was someone much closer to him. Marinette.
They did meet on the same day, and every time he spends time with her, she changes how he sees the world. He can't even imagine a life without her now, neither without her bright smile or optimism. But as he stands in her room without her, glancing around her empty walls and cold furniture, he couldn't feel more alone. He honestly felt like she took the warmth when she was taken. But the akuma. He needs to find Ladybug and bring the akuma to justice, now.
Whirling around to look at Plagg, who was looking around the room as well, he felt he didn't need to say anything when Plagg looked at him contemplatively. "I know, kid. We need to find Ladybug. I know how badly you need her, but we need to find Tikki first."
"Sure, I get it. Well, sort of. Why do we need to find Tikki first?"
Plagg didn't answer him, but went to looking for clues around the room, just as what Adrien should be doing. A few minutes into the search he heard Plagg sigh, but it wasn't his normal tired sigh. It was one of dejection, as if he was looking for a specific type of clue but couldn't find it. Eventually, Alya and Nino came up to look for a couple minutes before the three of them had to go back to school.
They just made it to the inside steps when a cold chill ran in the air, or maybe it was just instincts that developed since he has become Chat Noir. Nevertheless, he whirled around to look at something he knew would show up any second now. He heard Alya inhale to ask a question, but it quickly cut off when a breeze flowed through the courtyard, moving towards the center of the area. In the span of a few blinks, a large figure appears in the middle of the globe, instantly giving Adrien a chill.
It was the akuma, Nana Sophaline.
