An: Disclaimer, blah blah blah. Also a final warning for spoilers to zoe-onesama comic Scarlet Lady, highly recommend reading that first. I thought of this story when I first saw the Wishmaker episode, and her comic had reached Puppeteer at that point, so that's as far as where her characters are in this story.
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Chapter 6: Same Difference
The way back felt strange. Ladybug never had someone follow behind her back to her home after an akuma fight. Often she would have to double back for a bit to make sure that none of the media was following her. So having to do it intentionally made her feel uneasy, never mind the fact that they were two clones of herself.
They swung and jumped onto her balcony, gave a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, and then finally slipped through the skylight window into the safety of Marinette's room. Ladybug allowed her transformation to drop, but Ebony Mao and Marigold kept theirs up for the time being. All three were net with several kwamis shooting out of the miracle box.
"Oh no, so it's true!" little Mullo said, trembling.
"Someone unified Sass and Fluff!" Daizzi nearly squealed.
"This is most unfortunate." Longg started mumbling to himself. Some of the other kwamis started rambling in worry.
"Where are they at now?" Marinette spoke out above them all.
"They are resting in the box, guardian." Wayzz answered. "It would be best for them to stay near it, and keep them fed so they don't lose too much strength."
"Alright, we'll have to keep giving them food, hopefully they can give us a clue on how we can stop the akuma." Marinette headed for the sewing box, then noticed that the other two heroes hadn't moved from their spot. "You guys can detransform, you know."
"Oh, right, Plagg claws in." the girl wearing braids turned to the bee holder, and saw that she stayed in her costume. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I know you're good because your partner is the cat, but I'm a little worried about my kwami." Marigold said, twiddling her fingers nervously.
"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.
"Well, wouldn't having your Pollen and mine in the same place be kind of bad, like I don't know, cause and atomic explosion?" Marigold hoped she was exaggerating.
"Ummm, I don't know, I didn't think about that." she turned back to the kwamis, "Guys, could something like that happen?"
Her Pollen chose to fly up to her. "You don't have to worry Guardian, the only thing that would make it dangerous would be if someone unified two of the exact same kwamis."
"Okay, so otherwise it should be pretty safe, Marigold." she reassured her.
"Alright, Pollen buzz off."
So, while all the other kwamis were surrounding the new guests, Marinette turned back to the miracle box to find Sass and Fluff sleeping in their open compartments. She gently lifted them up, and placed them on the small cushions she set up for her little friends next to the snacks. They weren't very responsive; Sass was just snoozing away while Fluff was snoring softly with his little foot twitching. She gave a poke at their cheeks trying to stir them, so far nothing.
"Sass, can you hear me? Wake up." Marinette took out some apple slices, and held it up to his mouth. He didn't respond at first, but once he started to smell his treat, he woke up enough to open his mouth and eat the sweet fruit. Satisfied with this, she did the same thing with Fluff. It took a few tries of this before they seemed coherent enough to talk, but they still looked very tired. "Guys, I need your help."
"Hmmm, what issss it Guardian?" Sass was the first to reply, giving her a big yawn with his split tongue sticking out.
There was no easy was to say it, so she blurted out in one breath. "Someone from a parallel universe unified you two together, and now several versions of me and Chat Noir are out there in Paris, including akuma versions, and I'm pretty sure the akuma me used the two miraculous, and were not sure how to stop them!"
That seemed to wake up the two kwamis even further. Both of them just blink their big eyes in disbelief. Then they turned to the two extra girls who could do nothing but give them a simple wave hello. Little Fluff started twitching and muttering to nothing, while Sass sat himself into a lotus position to contemplate the situaion.
"Well, that would exxxplain why we were feeling ssso weak recently." Sass said more to himself.
Fluff then snapped himself out of his trance, and looked Marinette straight in the eye. "Which one of the akuma yous was it?"
"She called herself... wait, what do you mean which one?! Has this happened before?!" Marinette asked, feeling her panic start to rise.
"Well, it may have happened before, or maybe not yet. If we're dealing with parallel worlds here, there would be several situations where you were an akuma. You did have some close calls here, after all." the bunny kwami stated.
That was true. From the time that Chloe ruined her birthday gift to Madame Bustier, to when Lila got her expelled, she had come too close to become an akuma herself. Then when she lost Master Fu and became the guardian, it was a wonder no akuma came by with how overwhelmed she felt then. Luckily she had friends like Luka and Alya at the time to help her through it. If not for her partner as well, she was sure it would be much worse. That made her think harder about the two akumas she met today. How bad did things truly get for them to fall victim to Shadowmoth? If that's even how it happened.
"Well, the akuma me called herself Miracle, and it seems that she can use all of the kwamis powers as many times as she wants. Although, I didn't see any of the jewels on her, so I'm not sure how it works." Marinette answered him finally.
"I see, and there's an akuma of the black cat as well?" Fluff didn't look at her, but kept flicking his ears to listen, and twitch his nose in deep thought.
"Yeah, Chat Blanc... he's back." her body shuddered at the old memory of when she first saw those sad, icy blue eyes. "The only difference was that Miracle seemed to be controlling him, not just because of him being an akuma, but that he had no free will of his own. Why would she do that to her kitty?" she asked more to herself.
"Well depending on the world she's from, there could be any number of reasons." Fluff added. "I would have to know a few more details to be certain."
"To think, I worked so hard to never see him like that again. I tried to make things easier for him with extra teammates, and have Rena Rouge as a spy of sorts. But really, I was making things harder for him by pushing him away. What if I just make the same mistakes, and it happens all over again?!" she didn't want to cry, not in front of the other two.
"You did what you thought was right, Guardian, and you ressscently managed to sssettle things with the black cat, ssssso don't worry too much about it." Sass reasurred her.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. "You're right, we need to focus on the here and now."
"So, Chat Blanc, that's happened before?" Bee Marinette spoke up, a very apprehensive look growing on her face. She hated the thought of something so horrible happening to her Chat Noir, or Tigre Mauve for the time being.
"Yeah, because I made a stupid mistake. I used my powers as Ladybug to give a gift to Adrien, next thing I know Bunnix showed up saying I had to save the future, and that's when I fought him." she answered.
"Why were you giving something to Adrien, was it his birthday?" Bee Marinette guessed.
"His fifth name day, actually, I stitched him a beret to match his shirt." she smiled at the thought. She never found out if he liked that gift or not, and she couldn't tell him she made it in case it would make him connect the dots again, pun intended.
"That's kind of a random reason to give someone a gift." Cat Marinette commented.
Marinette couldn't help the reddening of her cheeks. "Yeah, I'm always making different gifts for Adrien, hoping the right opportunity for them will come along."
"Really, how come?" Bee Marinette asked innocently, which confused the ladybug Marinette. Did they not do the same thing? Was she that different?
"Well, why wouldn't I want to give stuff to the boy I'm in love with?" she asked plainly.
She wasn't expecting the shocked look on the bee holder's face. "Wait, you're in love with Adrien Agreste!?" she nearly screamed.
"Umm, yeah, you're not?" Marinette asked as if it was something everyone should have known, which technically it was. Her whole class practically knew, save for Adrien of course.
"Well, uh, n-not really... I mean, I l-love Chat..." she stuttered.
"What!?" now it was Marinette's turn to be shocked.
"Wait, Adrien Agreste as in the famous son of fashion icon, Gabriel Agreste?" Cat Marinette spoke up in disbelief.
"Yeah, he's in our class, and one of my best friends. He started school about the same time the akumas started." Bee Marinette replied.
"Mine too."
"Not me." Cat Marinette said.
"He's not!?" the other two said at the same time.
"Well, I mean I've met him a few times, like when I did this bowler hat contest and a few other things, but he doesn't go to my school or anything." the black cat explained, her face blushing at the thought of meeting someone famous.
"Oh, poor Adrien, he never got to go to school with us and our friends." Marinette felt so bad for the one in Ebony Mao's world.
"Soooo, you're really in love with that celebrity?" Cat Marinette said it like she wasn't really believing her question, and Marinette could take an easy guess as to why.
"I don't love him because he's a celebrity. Sure, he's handsome and all that, but he's also kind and caring. He's always willing to help a friend, and even when someone is being awful, he never goes beyond scolding and is able to keep his cool. He's a wonderful person, and even if I would like to have more, I'm happy to have him as a friend." Marinette stated proudly.
"I'll admit he is pretty great." The bee holder agreed. "I've had several moments where I thought there could be something between us. But I also have feelings for Chat - er Tigre Mauve, and I only wanted to help him since Scarlet Lady isn't a good partner to him. He's really great and sweet, makes me laugh and calls me princess." she held her hands to her cheeks to try to contain her embarrassment.
Marinette couldn't help but smile at the bee holder. Was this how she looked when she thought about Adrien? "I'll admit, if I hadn't fallen for Adrien first, it would have been easy for me to love Chat. I hate to turn him down all the time." she didn't want to bring up the certain detail about what their love did to the world, as Chat Blanc had told her.
"Do you think you getting the bug miraculous had something to do with it?" Bee Marinette pondered.
"It's hard to say, but I don't think it matters much, we're both just young girls in love with a boy." she reasoned. She then turned to the Cat Marinette. "So what about you? Do you have someone or...?"
Cat Marinette's cheek went cherry red at the question, and she turned away from the other two. "Wasn't it obvious?" she mumbled.
"So you're with Red Beetle. That makes sense, seeing as how he's the same boy and Chat Noir and Tigre Mauve, which under normal circumstances is still my Chat Noir." the bee holder said cheerfully.
"Well, we're not really together, not yet anyway." she corrected.
"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.
"We made a promise that when the fighting was over, and we could reveal ourselves and be together. It's not always easy, and sometimes we steal a moment together, but we do our best to focus on the akumas first. Sometimes we would share vague clues about our lives; get a hint about what our partners are like as civilians." she explained with a gentle smile at the thought of her dear beetle.
"Aww, that's so romantic." Bee Marinette gushed some more.
"Yeah." Marinette just sighed at the thought. Then she remembered what Wayzz had told her earlier, and turned back to the snake and rabbit kwamis. "Wayzz said we need to find out what we have in common for Miracle to make this happen with the miraculous."
"Yesss, it would be best for us to compare notessss." Sass agreed.
"Good, you guys must be hungry. I'll get some snacks, and we can get started." Marinette headed for the trap door, and went down to the bakery. Hopefully, learning more about each other could give a clue to Miracle, and what she's planning.
.*~*~*~*~*
Adrien had expected the harsh scolding, he knew it was unavoidable. With the akumas being so dangerous this time, and him not meeting up with his bodyguard, how could his father not be cross with him. He barely made it through the front door before his father's voice was booming through the empty hallway.
"Adrien! Where have you been!?" Gabriel's voice echoed.
Adrien tried to keep his voice from trembling, but he couldn't help it. He always felt so small when trying to talk to his father. Why he couldn't let more of his Chat Noir side out when he wanted to, when it would really matter. "I- I'm sorry father. I tried to meet up with my driver, but things seemed real dangerous, and I couldn't find him-"
"He had barely dropped you off ten minutes before the akuma showed up, so he should have been right on route to your school. Even then it should have been an easy route for you to reach the house! Now tell me where you were!" he demanded.
"I - I just stayed near some friends, I waited to make sure they were safe." It wasn't a lie, Ladybug was his friend and she needed him. He would always be there for her, consequences be damned.
"So you disobeyed me for the sake of your friends..." Gabriel sounded even more disappointed at his answer.
"I'm sorry father." What else could he say?
"Go to your room, Adrien." his father ordered.
"Yes, sir." he hurried up the stairs, not giving his father another glance.
When he made it through the doors of his bedroom, he found the two other Adriens looking at him very solemnly. No doubt they heard all of that. He wondered if things were the same for them in their worlds. What were their fathers like? At least Gabriel didn't use the threat of taking him out of school this time.
"Sorry about that." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Don't worry about it, I know how much of a hard head our father can be." Tiger Adrien gave him a sad smile.
"At least he talks to you." Bug Adrien mumbled, but they still heard him.
"Ahh, who needs him anyway, where's my cheese?" Plagg flew out of Adriens pocket, and headed for the cheese plater.
"It's where it always is Plagg." Adrien sighed, his kwami would never change. He then turned to the other two. "There's some other snacks your kwamis are welcome to."
"Thanks." Bug Adrien said. "So we should discuss some of the things that happened earlier. About Miracle and Chat Blanc being akumas, and what their goal might be."
"Yeah, and the fact that Miracle has all the powers of the miraculous." Adrien added. "I wonder how..."
"Actually, before we start all that," Tiger Adrien interrupted. "Would you mind if I have a word with your Plagg, it's important?"
"Ummm, sure."
"Great, Plagg come with me." he didn't give the black cat kwami a chance to respond before grabbing hold of him, and hurrying into the bathroom. Roarr followed and phased through the door to join them.
"What was that all about?" Bug Adrien asked.
"I don't know." Adrien shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps since Plagg is his usual partner, there was something he had to discuss." Tikki suggested.
"But why, my Plagg wouldn't be the same as his. He won't have the same information in his world." he countered.
"Well, that's not necessarily true, Adrien. While some events in his world may differ from yours, there are many facts that could be the same. Like how each of you are superhero partners with the same girl." Tikki explained.
Adrien thought about it for a moment, and she was right. But what would he have to talk to his Plagg about that he could say in front of them? "I wonder what else we have in common?" he thought out loud.
"That's what we have to find out. If we can find something specific that we have in common, it may be something that we share with the akuma version of us." Bug Adrien said.
It was another minute before the tiger holder came out of the bathroom with Plagg and Roarr.
"Everything alright?" Adrien asked.
"Yeah, there was just something I needed to confirm." Tiger Adrien said, feeling a little uneasy.
"Would you care to share with us?" Bug Adrien asked.
"Umm, sorry but I can't. I don't want to compromise anything." He rubbed the back of his neck in apprehension, hoping they would understand.
"Fair enough, now why don't we sit down, and try to go over everything that happened this morning." Adrien moved over to the couch with the other two right behind him.
"For starters, I would like to know more about your enemy that has the butterfly miraculous." Bug Adrien began.
"Yeah, he said his name was Shadowmoth. In my world, his name's Hawkmoth." Tiger Adrien said.
"He used to be Hawkmoth here too, but then he unified the butterfly and peacock miraculous, and became Shadowmoth. It's gotten more difficult dealing with akumas and sentimonsters at the same time." Adrien explained.
"So, the peacock makes people out of magic?" Tigre Mauve tried to understand.
This told Adrien that he hadn't encountered Mayura yet, so he gave a quick explanation on how the peacock miraculous worked. He even gave a few examples he and Ladybug came across, from the Senti-Ladybug to the Megaleech.
"I'm glad I don't have to deal with sentimonsters. Although I don't know if my Hawkmoth had the peacock miraculous or not." he then turned to Bug Adrien, "What about you, what's your Hawkmoth like?"
"Our enemy isn't Hawkmoth." Bug Adrien answered simply.
"What? Oh wait, is it the one with the peacock instead of the butterfly?" Adrien guessed that maybe his world was switched in supervillains since the bug and cat were opposite.
"No, what I mean is Hawkmoth isn't the name of the one we fight akumas with. It's Lunamoth, and that holder is a woman." he explained.
"What!?" the other two Adriens nearly shouted at the third.
"That's right, when Stoneheart first happened Lunamoth tried to pass it off like we were the ones that stole the miraculous. For a while the people of Paris believed that, and considered us the enemy. But then when we finally defeated Stoneheart, and used the miraculous cure, they were leaning more to the fact we were on their side. It took a few more akumas to completely convince them, though. Lunamoth is very calculative, but she can't outsmart my kitten and me when we work together." Bug Adrien couldn't help the goofy smile spreading across his face thinking of his partner.
"Yeah, we are a perfect team. I did get worried for a while when Ladybug became the guardian, and she started to beat the akumas without me, but she always reminds me how I'm her partner." Adrien added, thinking about when Sentibubbler happened.
Ladybug had left him out of the loop for several akumas in between that , and when he confronted her about it, she explained how she thought giving Rena Rouge her miraculous permanently would be an advantage. But then with such a close call with Sentibubbler, she decided to take the fox miraculous back for a while until things calmed down, and she worked on things between them. It wasn't easy, but they were a team, and he would do anything for his lady.
"You guys are lucky." Tiger Adrien interrupted his thoughts. "The one that holds the bug miraculous in my world is a selfish brat that doesn't do anything but complain about having to do her job. She doesn't even fight the akumas that much, it's always me and Marigold. Then when she actually pulls her weight to use the miraculous cure, she gets all the credit, and says I'm the one that Gets In Her Way!" he went into a rant.
Only one thing came into Adrien's mind in the middle of all that. "Why would Master Fu give the miraculous of creation to someone like that?"
Tiger Adrien let himself calm down a bit before answering. "Well according to him it was some kind of misunderstanding, and he doesn't even know the person that does have Tikki. And whether I like it or not, we do need her power. Maybe if my luck changes, she'll quit and I can give it to someone worthy, like Marinette."
"Huh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Adrien was surprised that the tiger holder would suggest the bug earrings for his classmate. Not that it was a bad idea, he does call her his Everyday Ladybug after all, but still. "Wouldn't you just give it to Marigold, since she's the same girl that's my Ladybug?"
Tiger Adrien shifted in his seat nervously, looking unsure about what to say next, "Oh, well uh... yeah that would be a good i-idea... but I... I think Marinette would be great too... She's really smart and helpful with everyone... Was great with the mouse miraculous until she revealed herself on accident... but... You know what, yourrightIwouldn'twanttoputherinanydanger." he said that last part really quickly.
His reaction confused Adrien. So, he didn't want Marinette as his partner? Were they not friends? No, that didn't seem right, quite the opposite actually. Marinette seemed to mean a great deal to this one, which he could understand, she was a wonderful girl. But did that mean... "Are you in love with Marinette?"
Tiger Adrien cheeks went as red as the ladybug suit. "Well yeah, she's awesome, beautiful, kind. I haven't told her anything yet, because I worry about what she thinks of me as a model, and with my father..."
"Hey, I get it." Adrien reassured him. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel anything for the Marinette in my world."
"But you love Ladybug." it wasn't a question.
"Yeah." Adrien sighed hopelessly.
"I guess different circumstances can change what the heart wants." Bug Adrien commented.
"Well that's easy for you to say. Your partner clearly likes you!" Adrien shot back. "Ladybug doesn't even want to give me a chance. Always saying there was this other boy she's in love with." he slumped forward, resting his chin on his hands in a pout.
"How did that happen with you and Ebony Mao?" Tiger Mauve asked.
"Things are a little rough for Kitten and me. Though we can't reveal our identities, we've given small hints about each other so we can talk about it. Ebony Mao has trouble in school, saying how there's always someone bullying her, and even though she has several friends, she still struggles. I wish that I could be there for her in her civilian life, if no where else."
"What do you mean by that?" Adrien asked.
"Father keeps me on a pretty short leash. Ever since I tried to go to a public school, he's acted more harshly about keeping me home. If it wasn't for my fencing lessons, I don't think I'd ever be outside."
"So your not a model for the Gabriel brand?" Tiger Adrien guessed.
"That would explain your clothes." Adrien commented. It would also explain how this Adrien got away with wearing the ladybug earrings, which he just now looked for the first time seeing that they were disguised as simple silver studs, and he wore them both on his left ear. "So then you don't go to Francois-Dupont?" he recalled what else he said.
"No, father forbade me no matter what I said. Not that we ever talked much, but things got more... cold between us... when mother..." he didn't finish, and there was no need to.
"Yeah," Adrien sighed. "I try to do what he wants of me, and give him his space to mourn... It's just, there's so many times where I wish we could just be there for each other, but he just wants to bury himself in work."
"The only time I can even get him to pay attention to me is when I make a threat like dying my hair green, or wear a crazy cat pun tshirt to a fashion show." Tiger Adrien would have laughed at the memory, but the fact that he had to take such a dramatic measure with his father made him sad.
Adrien found it funny though, "Seriously? I think my father would have a stroke if I tried something like that."
"There are moments I just want do it to see the look on his stone cold face." they both laughed at that, then went sad again. "So, your mother, too?"
Adrien nodded. "Yeah, but I never learned what happened."
"Same, I never understood how she could just disappear like that-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DISAPPEAR!?" Bug Adrien bolted from his seat, starring at the other two in shock and confusion.
"J- just what he said. Mother disappeared one day over a year ago, and there hasn't been any sign of her yet." Tiger Adrien answered nervously.
"It's been nearly two for me. Father tried hiring investigators, but they still weren't able to find anything. By now, we've been checking on any Jane Doe cases that might be her." Adrien added sadly.
"That, that can't be..." Bug Adrien felt weak in the knees, and forced himself to sit back down. "Disappeared... she just disappeared... to you..."
"It's alright, Adrien. Remember that different things happen in different worlds." Tikki flew up to her holder, and rubber her tiny cheek against his. Though grateful to his kwami, he hid his face in his hands, trying to keep himself from crying.
Adrien was almost too afraid to ask, but he had to know. "Did she.. I mean, what happened to your mom? She didn't leave you, did she?"
Bug Adrien exposed his mouth to speak, but kept his eyes behind his interlaced fingers. "No she... she died... right in front of me." he finally said weakly.
"H-how?" they both asked.
"She hadn't been feeling well for a while, but the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then one day, she said she felt fine and wanted some fresh air in the garden... And in the middle of our walk, she collapsed and never woke up." he couldn't fight the tears anymore. "Sometimes I wonder if father blames me for it, taking her outside. If it wasn't for Natalie being there for me, and then gaining Tikki when I did, I don't know what I would have done..."
Adrien wasn't sure what he should do, or if he should do anything. If it were him, what would he have wanted? To be comforted? Is it weird to basically comfort yourself? Deciding not to think on it too much, he reached over and rubbed a hand up and down his back. Tiger Adrien got up, and placed a strong hold on his forearm for support.
"Oh Adrien, you know it wasn't your fault." Tikki spoke out again. "And just think about all the work you put into your creations for her memory, and for your own sake."
"What work is that?" Tiger Adrien asked. He knew that he, himself, wasn't the creative type other than when it came to the piano. What did this Adrien do?
"I started studying more in mathematics, engineering, and architecture. I even took to some science and biology on the side. I'm hoping to get a degree so that I can one day build a hospital, and help those that might suffer from the same thing that happened to mom." he sniffed, trying to calm down.
"Wow, I never would have thought of something like that. Mostly I just focus on how I live my life now with my friends, and with Ladybug." Adrien said.
"Your life does sound pretty different from ours." Tiger Adrien said.
"Taking steps that inspired creativity is probably what granted him the miraculous of creation in the first place. While you two had different, but difficult surroundings, it did nothing to effect your good hearts, and have great respect for the power of destruction." Plagg explained, and in such a wise way that surprised Adrien. It was rare for his kwami to be so serious about something that wasn't cheese.
"You pretty much described Ebony Mao there." Bug Adrien sniffed, a smile spread on his lips, but he didn't move his hands yet.
"I could say the same thing about Ladybug having her miraculous." Adrien said.
"Even though it's a different one, Marigold works perfectly with the bee miraculous." Tiger Adrien added.
"So what about Miracle, then?" Bug Adrien spoke up, his face in full view and serious again. "How did she become an akuma? Why did she seem to have all the miraculouses? Did she steal them?"
"No way, Ladybug would never do that." Adrien said.
"But she's not your Ladybug," Bug Adrien countered. "the same way she's not his Marigold or my Ebony Mao. We don't know what it is that makes her different, or what could have occurred in her world. Why would she unify the snake and rabbit in the first place?"
"Then there's the matter of Chat Blanc." Tiger Adrien joined in. "He was full prepared to kill Ladybug, calling her an imposter and all that, but he never seemed angry or sad in the middle of it all. It was like he had no emotion."
"Miracle was the opposite." Adrien recalled his battle. "She acted like most do when they're akumatized. All they can think about is what their goal is, and the anger and hurt behind it."
"So, we need to think about the events in our lives that we have in common, and maybe we can find a link to it that brought us together in the first place." Bug Adrien guessed.
"But do we just focus on akuma battles, or stuff in our civilian lives?" Tiger Adrien asked.
"Well since we don't know personal things about our partners, lets focus on akumas for right now." Adrien answered. "I'll get a dry erase board to help us out." he stepped away for a minute, and came back with his white board and a few markers. He started by writing the name Stoneheart in the top corner. "So I take it this was the first akuma you both fought as well?"
Both Adriens nodded, Tiger Adrien gave a quick briefing about his experience since the bug holder already explained his.
"All right, so what was your next one?"
.*~*~*~*~*
Gabriel Agreste watched his son go up to his room, then made a quick dash for his office. He didn't want to leave Miracle and Chat Blanc out of his sights for too long in case they might try any doublecross. Closing the doors behind him, he found the white cat sitting quietly in one of the lounge chairs, while Miracle stood in the middle of the room, giving a heated glare at Gabriel.
"Do you have something to say to me, girl?" he asked, straightening himself to show that she didn't intimidate him in the least.
"Do you always treat your son in such a way?" she growled.
"What happens between me and my son is none of your concern." he stated plainly.
Miracle turned away from him, and said quietly, "I suppose some things are always meant to remain the same."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he took a few quick strides, and towered over her, but Miracle didn't flench.
"Tell me, Agreste, you want the bug and cat miraculous to bring your wife back, correct?" she asked, though she didn't seem to be too interested in his answer.
"That's correct. I'm assuming the Shadowmoth in your world was after the same thing?"
"He was. However, he was much more harsh when it came to his akumas. He didn't care what would happen to those involved, or what the consequences would be. He was reckless." she looked up at him with eyes that held nothing but hate.
"Now don't go judging my actions when you're clearly prepared to take just as much of a risk with your powers. You and I may have different goals, Miracle, but we are clearly the same." he didn't try to hide the smirk spreading across his face.
Miracle held his gaze for a moment, not saying a word. Then she pulled her hood up over her head, and walked over to her partner. "You're right, I will do whatever it takes. I'll meet you back here later to prepare for the plan. Have yourself ready when I arrive. Kaalki, Voyage."
Gabriel was angered at the little girl for thinking she could order him around. "Listen you little brat, I don't care how many of the miraculous you have- "
"I would like to give you some food for thought before leaving." she interrupted.
"And what is that?" he grumbled.
"While Shadowmoth is the same as you in my world, the difference with him was that he lost more that just Emilie..." with that she stepped through the portal, with Chat Blanc following behind her, leaving a shocked Gabriel where he stood.
What!? Lost more than Emilie? What could that possibly mean? Surely not... Adrien? No, that wasn't possible. Emilie's condition happened because of the peacock miraculous, it had nothing to do with Adrien. Miracle was obviously trying to trick him. Make him think she could hold something over him. But Gabriel Agreste will not be swayed. He will obtain Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous one way or another. And when he does, he will rewrite this reality to create a better one. A perfect one for him, Emilie, and Adrien together.
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An: Annnnd Done! Got some nice background info going on there. Can anyone take a guess on who Lunamoth is? What about what might've happened in Miracle's world? What will we learn next? This chapter also demonstrates why I didn't want to have to write about two Chat Noirs. Can you imagine that: Adrien said to Chat Adrien... uh uh.
It took me a while to come up with how things would be different for Red Beetle and Ebony Mao. What was a challenge was coming up with something creative for Adrien. I tried to think of some sort of hobby he could have and I didn't want to just give him designing like Marinette. And you know it is so hard not to think Peter Parker/Spiderman when Mister Bug first appeared (seriously if you just change the spots with webs, and I guarantee someone made a design just like that at some point). Like an idiot, I almost gave him photography without realizing it. Then I thought about how Tikki's power involves healing as well. So, I felt that was a good for him to have an interest in science and look into architecture.
Anyway, hope everyone's still having fun, leave a review if you like. Look forward to the next chapter. ;);)