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Marinette's P.O.V
"Good morning, Lady Dupain-Cheng," Alya greeted with a sunny smile. I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep away from my eyes.
"Good morning as well, Alya. What is on the schedule for today?" I asked while untangling myself from my sheets and leaving my comfortable mattress.
While Alya was searching for (bloody knows why) my specific outfit to wear today, she listed off today's schedule. Ever since the day I had awoken from unconsciousness, my days grew less packed with things to do and given more breaks throughout the day.
This is fortunate for me to sneak away as Ladybug during the day. Most of the Akumas are usually roaming during the nighttime but there will be an occasional one in the middle of the day. Also, I can visit the poor section a little more.
Yet, I have to be extremely careful. It feels as though the staff and my parents are keeping a closer eye on me nowadays. Plus, with Alya as my personal servant will be a difficult matter to escape from when she is around me the most.
"Your fiancé shall be visiting today to go over your wedding's design with the planner," Alya informed, catching my attention.
Luka is coming today. Another thing to worry over since the last time we saw each other. He was definitely acting strange but I cannot put my finger on what his deal is. I just get an ominous feeling every time he and his cousin visit.
From the way it sounds, Lila might not make an appearance. That is good. I was getting utterly tired of hearing her distasteful voice.
"Marinette, are you feeling alright?" Alya asked, snapping me out of my thoughts, "Should I tell Lady and Lord Dupain-Cheng you are not feeling well?"
"Yes, I am alright. Why would I not be?" I questioned.
"You had a nauseated look on your face," she answered, "Is there something wrong with your fiancé? I hear rumors from the household staff that he is a looker unless it is his personality that is revolting. I would not blame you on that one."
I snorted from Alya's perspective observation. She is a very intelligent woman. It is either that, or I am an open book. That might be an issue.
I waved my hand in dismissal, "No no no. Luka is...well, not a terribly bad man, unlike the other rich bachelors. It is his cousin, Lila, who really steams my kettle."
"Ah, Lady Rossi," Alya said, placing out my outfit.
"Correct," I confirmed, "She is more of a deviant monster than the most threatening Akuma that ever existed."
"She sounds like a handful," Alya commented.
"Ha! It would take more than a hand with how unbearable she is," I huffed, sitting down at my vanity. Alya began brushing my hair.
I let out a sigh.
"I apologize for my angry fit," I spoke.
"There is no need for an apology. If you would like the ramble my ear off. I shall be here to listen," Alya replied.
"Still..." I trailed off, a bit guilty for releasing my grumpy behavior onto Alya.
"Marinette, we are friends. When I say I do not mind, I truly mean it," Alya genuinely said with a smile. I looked up at her through the mirror's reflection.
"We are friends?" I questioned, hope bubbling in my stomach.
"Of course, we are! Unless you would like to stay professional?" Alya questioned.
"No!" I quickly replied, "I would absolutely love to be friends with you!"
My face flushed in embarrassment from my excessiveness, sounding almost desperate for a friend. I do have my teammates I consider my friends.
...maybe, even a family I have longed for.
Yet, it is nice to have a friend in my civilian life too. A friend that I can talk with without needing a filter or pretending or flexing "my perfect name" too.
Someone who is not forced to be here for the sake of money. Someone who wants to be here because they enjoy my company.
I had Rosemary by my side as a personal servant and now she is scrubbing dishes in the kitchen. I need to find a way to meet up with her without arousing suspicion.
"Then, it is settled," Alya confidently stated with an ecstatic smirk, "We shall be the best of friends."
I stared at her in amazement for a moment before letting a big smile cross my face.
Of course, our bonding moment was interrupted when the room suddenly shook. A few items had fallen or rolled off of a surface. I immediately searched for the danger and nearly transformed out of instinct.
Yet, Alya was still present.
Alya rushed over to my windowsill and pushed back the curtains. A little bit of illumination flowed into the room. The world outside was cloudy and making it a gloomy day.
That was not the main concern though.
"There is an Akuma a few blocks down!" Alya quickly informed me. She rushed back to my side and guided me out of my bedroom.
"I have to get you to a safe place!" She added, "Where is a safe place to go during an attack?"
"Uh," was all I could say at that moment. My mind scrambled for a way of escape to go transform and fight the infected villain. There had to be some sort of excuse.
That is when my eyes landed on a storage closet we were passing by.
"This closet will do!" I told her, pointing at the storage room, "It will keep me safe!"
Alya paused. She skeptically glanced between the closet and me. Although, she seemed to be in a rush too (possibly to go make sure everyone else was alright). She growled in frustration and then went over to the closet.
"If you insist," Alya said, opening the door, "I shall return once the Akuma is defeated. Until then, by any means, do not leave this closet unless it is for an emergency. Understood?"
"Yes," I agreed with a firm nod.
"Very well," she said with reluctance.
I entered the closet and watched the ombré-haired woman close it. I gave her one last reassuring smile before the door fully closed. Once her footsteps could no longer be heard, Tikki flew out of my hair.
"Are you ready, little one?" I asked.
"Whenever you are, Marinette!" Tikki responded, enthusiastically.
"Tikki spots on!"
I transformed into my suit I have become familiar with. Then, I clutched the knob. An apologetic blanket wrapped around my mind.
"I apologize, Alya, but I have to leave the closet," I thought in my head, "Although, I suppose this does count as an emergency."
I left the room and jumped out the nearest window.
"I shall quickly return to the closet once the battle is over. That way, Alya will find me there. What she does not know will not hurt her," I assured myself.
"You seem to be in deep thought."
I gasped in fright and nearly missed the roof. The fox heroine winced at this and apologized for scaring me. How did she even get here so fast? It usually takes a little while for Rena to arrive.
"You arrived very speedily," I commented, raising an eyebrow.
"I just so happen to be in the area when my Akuma alert went off," Rena replied, "Quite an odd coincidence. Your luck must be rubbing off on me."
"Yes, quite," I chirped in delight. I honestly am not sure if she is lying to me or not. Rena's power allows her to not only detect lies but also conceal her own. It is for the best of keeping her identity secret though. So, I do not have a problem with it.
"Hello, ladies!" Carapace greeted, coming in from the west, "Have you spotted the Akuma yet?"
"I believe it is that ominous walking house onward," Chat Noir pointed out, appearing out of nowhere. How are these rebels so sneaky? I am unable to sense their presence. There is another part of my training I need to learn.
All of our gazes followed Chat Noir's gesture. There was a creepy, wooden house stalking along the rooftops. It had eight pipes for legs produced out of its sides like a giant spider.
It was the usual dark purple color just like all the other Akuma's before. Its window-paned eyes glowed ghostly white. The chimney stack upon its head puffed out smoke.
The four of us stopped on a roof and watched to see what it does.
I watched the house Akuma open its door and a flying rug shot out. It disappeared behind the buildings before a scream could be heard.
The rug returned with a victim wrapped in the material and returned in through the door. The door shut. The Akuma continued to venture.
"Does it...eat them or is it collecting rich civilians for some purpose?" Carapace theorized.
"I do not believe so. If the Akuma's source of negativity was hunger, I would not expect the Akuma to be a house," Rena Rouge explained, "There must be another purpose."
The house Akuma grew larger until its growth stopped. Its alternation had not bothered it from ongoing in its course.
"Then, what do you propose we should do to figure out its purpose and find its Akuma?" Carapace asked the fox heroine. Rena hummed unknowingly and shrugged.
"There is only one way to find out," I finally spoke up, earning my teammates' attention.
"What is your plan?" Chat Noir asked. There was innocent curiosity etched on his face and a tilt of his head. This sight made my heart skip a beat for a second and my cheeks slightly warm.
For a moment, I did not see the infamous rebel leader, Chat Noir. I saw a different side of him. An innocent, child-like one. It made him look cute.
I cursed my brain for such nonsense at a time like this. I cannot wrap my mind around feelings I had never had before and do not quite understand. This is not the time nor the place to be thinking about them or even getting involved with them.
I need to stay focused. My team and Paris are counting on me to defend them.
"Ladybug, are you alright?" Chat asked, waving his hand in front of my face and snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Oh! Yes! I apologize, I was just...thinking over the plan once more!" I lied, pathetically. Chat Noir raised an eyebrow at me but did not do anything to point out my oddness.
However, I could feel Rena Rouge's stare trying to sort out why I am lying. She was definitely going to want to talk to me later on this topic.
"In that case, may you share your idea of how to stop the house monster?" Chat Noir asked, politely. I gave him a cheeky smile and a look of worry crossed his face.
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"I despise this plan," Chat Noir simply stated. He had a very annoyed and grumpy tone. I gave him a cheeky smile again as the rug wrapped around the both of us. Our limbs were tightly trapped in the material's confines and squished us together.
The rug lifted us into the air and through the house's door into total darkness.
I could not see what was going on but I could feel the rug unraveling, making us fall to the floor.
The area we are in is pitch black. The air was eerily silent. It was surprisingly still too. I could not even feel the tremors of the house's movements outside.
"Ladybug? Are you still with me?" I heard Chat Noir ask.
"Yes," I answered before listening for anyone else, "Strange. Did not the others follow us in here?"
I was getting very uneasy about this place. My soul can even feel the nipping chill of the harrowing building's inside.
"I do not believe so but they were behind us," Chat Noir informed me, sounding just as confused.
I stood up from the floor and held my hands out to feel for anything. There was a creaking echo of a door ahead. A shiver ran down my spine. An unsettling feeling was placed in the pit of my stomach.
"Ladybug, where are you?" Chat Noir asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin from his sudden question before releasing a breath. I need to calm myself down even if this house gives me the willies.
"I am right here," I informed him, reaching out for Chat Noir wherever his voice came from in the darkness. Eventually, we came in contact with each other. I relaxed, feeling Chat's presence and a nice reminder that I am not alone in this.
"Wait..." I paused in realization, "Are you not a cat? Can you not see in the dark?"
"Oh, so you know what a feline's abilities are but you did not know what a chicken was?" Chat Noir spoke, bemused. I glared at him through the cover of ebony.
"I should be able to but my night vision is being nullified," Chat explained.
"That is not reassuring," I thought.
"We should not let this spoil our spirits. We have to continue blindly," Chat said, "Take my hand so we do not get separated."
My heartbeat skipped once again as I took his hand into mine. I never thought much about hand-holding. I have done it a few times but none have ever felt so warm and soothing. I did not know that grasping Chat's hand could be different from others.
Luck is truly on my side with Chat's night vision out of commission. I bet all my jewels that my face is as red as strawberries in red wine syrup dessert.
Although, that is the only good thing about the dark phenomenon (aside from the hand-holding).
Yet, I would rather be able to see the dangers that lie ahead rather than be blind to them. Being embarrassed is nothing compared to our lives.
"You are being very quiet back there," Chat noted, guiding the way to somewhere with me following him, "Is everything okay?"
"My apologies! I did not mean to space out," I quickly replied.
"You really should not be spacing out in the middle of a mission," Chat Noir said, "We need to figure out how to get some light."
"Should I use my powers?" I asked, groping for the yoyo at my hip.
"I would rather you save it. I do not want you to detransform in this house. I cannot explain it but this place feels menacing. It would be very unsafe to lose the one thing protecting you," he explained.
He does have a point. My identity may still be safe since he would not be able to see me. Yet, who knows what lurks in this house and could pop out at any moment if we let our guard down. This could be the snail Akuma all over again.
Suddenly, lights flickered on out of nowhere along the walls. I stood on guard in fright and squeezed Chat's hand slightly tighter.
Candles were lining both sides of the hallway we are currently in. In between the flickering lights, there were body-length mirrors with golden-colored framing.
"Mirrors?" Chat Noir questioned under his breath. We looked at each other as if searching for the answer in the other. Then, we looked down and noticed that our hands are still latched together. We both quickly broke apart our hold like it was burning us.
"I-I did not realize...I would have—um...we were...you know?" I stumbled over my words, attempting to say sorry. Yet, only gibberish is all that came out.
Chat was scratching the back of his neck and staring at the floor.
"You do not need to explain yourself or apologize. It was my idea, after all," he said. I could have sworn I saw his cheeks swell a rosy color. Unfortunately, he shook his head before I could get a good look.
I glanced away and focused on what really mattered now. We are in the middle of a mission. There is no time to be thinking about...stuff!
To get my mind off of things, I approached a mirror and scanned it for anything suspicious. There was nothing out of the ordinary as far as I could tell. It was just a regular mirror.
I looked over my shoulder at Chat Noir to inform him. As I opened my mouth, Chat Noir's face swiftly changed from the usual calm to alert.
"Ladybug! Watch out!" my blonde partner warned, shooting his hand out and grabbing my arm. He yanked me away from the mirror. I felt something brush my shoulder. I twisted my attention back onto the mirror to see an arm producing out of it.
The arm sunk back into the glass and the image morphed into a person standing in it.
The devil woman herself, Lila Rossi.
My eyes expanded in shock at the sight of my nemesis. She wore her usual sly smirk and had deviousness drawn all over her face.
"What a putrid sight for sore eyes," Lila said.
I glared at her.
"I believe you would look far more appealing as my servant, little girl. It is quite difficult to think you could be anything more," she continued, her insulting.
My hands clenched into fists and gritted my teeth. I let out a growl with blistering anger.
"So, why do you not just quit now and save everyone the trouble? They all know how much of a failure and disgrace you are," she paused to let out a sigh, "I suppose you are just too naive to realize how much you are denying it. But...I think we both know that you do realize how much you are in denial."
At this point, I was seething with rage.
"Everyone already thinks you are weird and unfit. Even the men stay as far away as possible from an atrocious thing like you. Your parents absolutely hate your guts. At some point, you will end up just like Rosemary."
My eye twitched before raised my fist.
"Face it, you do not belong and you never will."
I punched the mirror as hard as I could. The mirror did not break.
Lila obnoxiously laughed before fading away until she was gone.
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