CHAPTER 20: TIKKI AND PLAGG'S REPORTS
Notes:
Here's something a little different: it's from the guardian's POV but there are parts told in 3rd Person POV. Why is that? It's cause Tikki and Plagg are telling her what happened but since this isn't their POV, I decided to give 3rd Person POV a shot. I only delve into 3rd Person POV whenever I need to depict something important that's not within the POV person's perspective. Plus, I thought it would be boring to have an entire chapter with just Tikki, Plagg and the Guardian chatting about what Shizuke and Blair are up to. Show don't tell, right?
0-0-0-0-0
???
What I'm doing isn't exactly against my master's teachings… Ladybug and Chat Noire should be left alone to develop their teamwork. Wait for them to be ready and reveal all when the time is right. Do that tried and true old master routine the Great Founder herself practiced and preached around me back when I was a mere apprentice. It built character she said. They need the challenge to get stronger she said. It'll train them to be independent when the time comes she said…
Well, forget that! If she wants to justify her old mentor's poor guidance, fine by me. But I refuse to leave it all to my chosens! I feel bad enough for choosing children for this… I have look out for them! It's the least I can do. No, it's the most I can do.
This is why I'm here. I've taken measures to keep track of them through their kwamis as I help them figure out the best ways to help their wielders. Speaking of…
"You're late."
"We came as soon as we can," Tikki said.
"Suck up," Plagg said. "Where's the cheese?"
"Plagg! Show some respect!" Tikki scolded.
"What? Unlike you, I had to fly all the way from the other side of Zodiac District just to get here! I deserve some cheese!"
And off the two went, chasing each other around my room, mercifully without knocking down any of my artefacts. Is this how he feels whenever his two best friends bicker with each other?
"That was a risky gambit you pulled! What if she actually took Ladybug's Miraculous?!"
"She wouldn't. I told you it was just her jealousy talking!"
Right, last meeting I approved of Plagg's proposed gambit out of desperation. We needed to make Chat Noire crack before Ladybug falls for good…
I pulled out the tray full of treats for the little kwamis: one tin of Camembert for Plagg and a plate of freshly baked cookies for Tikki. Noticing the snacks, the kwamis stopped arguing and fluttered down to my table as I prepared my tea.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Plagg immediately dove into the cheese. "Let's get this PTA meeting on the road!"
Tikki didn't dignify his antics with a response as she primly nibbled on a cookie.
The two kwamis went on to tell me how today's akumas went. When I first chose them, I knew I signed them up for a bumpy partnership. These two were going to be the death of me, that's a fact of life… but I didn't expect they'll start this early!
I'm going to need more than one pot of tea tonight.
0-0-0-0-0
Shizuke was diligently cutting out all articles he could find on the model Blair Crawford. The information was carefully sorted out and pinned on a cork board. Red yarn was used to highlight and connect details that seemed important or related.
"Perhaps you shouldn't focus too much on one suspect," Tikki weakly attempted to dissuade the stubborn boy. "She might not even be Hawkmoth."
"I can't let my guard down around her now, Tikki! I'm so close to piecing together her moti-"
The door opened to reveal Fuyu waving around a book.
"Yo, Shizu! I found this book full of interesting stuff for our repo –" what Fuyu saw made her jaw drop along with her book.
"THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!!"
Too late. Of all the pictures scattered around to catch Fuyu's eye, it just had to be the rather risqué picture of Blair in the Summer Swimsuit Collection. Shizuke uselessly tried to shove his pictures of Blair under his bed, face going red in embarrassment – which only made him look more suspicious. Eyes full of judgement, Fuyu shut the door without another word.
"FUYU!!!"
0-0-0-0-0
Every once in a while, I have these two report to me about their wielders. I've learned some interesting things about my new chosens… Like how Ladybug believes Chat Noire's civilian identity is Hawkmoth. Plagg nearly choked on his cheese when he first heard about that.
"You sure your bug doesn't need his glasses anymore?"
"It's not his fault," Tikki huffed at the slight to her wielder. "He noticed your kitten's absences and she let slip a few things around him that he found suspicious."
"Not like she could help her absences. She's a model after all," Plagg justified.
"The Glamour Magic probably didn't help," I took a sip of my tea, wondering when will the calming and medicinal effects kick in. "He sees the hints that she could be Chat Noire… But the magic forces him to latch on to any excuse he could come up with to prove she's NOT Chat Noire."
"Not to mention his crush on my wielder only made his fixation on her worse.~"
"Don't remind me," Tikki deadpanned. "What about your wielder? Does she have any suspects?"
All mirth left Plagg's face.
"There was Erin Liung."
Tension surged up in the room. Please no…
"But I searched her. I don't sense any magic around her. She's clean."
A sigh of relief escaped me. Good. History didn't repeat itself down to this particular detail.
Tikki wasn't convinced. "You sure you didn't overlook something this time?"
"Gimme a break! That was a long time ago. How was I supposed to know that fashion designer didn't just happen to make pins that just happen to look like the broken Peacock Miraculous?"
I remember the history lessons for that particular event. A man known as Gabriel Agreste became Hawkmoth… And Plagg's chosen at the time was Adrien Agreste, Gabriel's only son. No matter how you slice it, that confrontation did not end well for either.
"I swore I won't let another kitten suffer the way he did. I won't make that mistake again."
Plagg doesn't act like it but he loves each and every one of his kittens deeply… That's why it hurt him just as much as it hurt Adrien when they found out who Hawkmoth was.
"And my current wielder's different from Adrien," Plagg smirked full of pride. "This kitten won't hesitate to scratch."
0-0-0-0-0
"Shizu! Get over here! Quick!"
Kaji was waving his bespectacled friend over with a manic grin on his face. Fuyu sat by his side, jamming her earphones as deep into her ears as possible, eyes fixed on a catalogue for headphones. Warily, Shizuke carefully placed his tray of lunch on the table and slid on the bench across the giddy brunet.
"What is it this time?"
"You know how Jake got turned into Slumber yesterday?"
"Yes," Shizuke continued to look at his best guy friend with caution. "How's he doing by the way?"
While Shizuke could've checked on the sleepyhead himself, his mind was elsewhere – or rather, on someone else – all morning. He honestly didn't think about Jake much until Kaji mentioned him. Thankfully, Kaji didn't mind filling him in, chalking up Shizuke's lack of observation to his lack of sleep lately.
"He's doing fine. Uncle Ross is handling his detention and letting him sleep through it."
Shizuke sweatdropped. "Let's hope he doesn't make a habit of getting detention just so he could slack off."
Kaji nervously laughed. "That's why Uncle Ross told him next time he gets detention he'll be helping the school's cleaning drive."
"Is it over yet?" Fuyu asked, pulling out an earphone.
"Oh! But that's not important," Kaji pulled out his phone and shoved it into Shizuke's hands.
"Not over yet," Fuyu put her earphone back on and went back to her catalogue.
Shizuke looked at the picture Kaji's phone is displaying and his face instantly went red.
"What do you think?" Kaji said with that same manic grin.
Shizuke averted his eyes from the phone where a picture of Ladybug lying face first on Chat Noire's chest was displayed.
While the bug hero wasn't completely conscious when it happened, he still had the faintest memories of his face cushioned between two soft leather-clothed mounds before he blacked out. It was both a blessing and a curse last night, replacing his nightmares with a different kind of torture. Such are the trials of a hormonal teenage boy hero.
"W-w-what should I think?"
"Shizu, what have I taught you about shipping?"
"I don't know what you're talking about! Don't assume things about other people's relationships!"
Kaji eyed his flustered friend knowingly. "I'm calling it now, LadyNoire is gonna be a thing."
"LadyNoire?"
"It'll be their ship name," Kaji let out a dreamy sigh. "I always thought there was some romantic tension going on between them."
"Since when?!"
Kaji went on to tell Shizuke about his shipping theory, unintentionally helping Shizuke open his eyes to his attraction to his feline crime fighting partner. In Kaji's eyes, Ladybug and Chat Noire's spat was all Belligerent Sexual Tension. Well, he's not completely wrong on one half of the ship.
Two tables behind Kaji sat a pair of model twins. One of them happens to have enhanced hearing and is secretly plotting to assassinate Kaji's phone.
0-0-0-0-0
"Cartwheeling through a window and Cataclysm-ing her classmate's phone! I've never seen such irresponsible use of a Miraculous in my life!" I said, slamming a fist on the table.
Plagg rolled his eyes. "Please, you've seen more irresponsible stunts than this."
"I hate to say this, but Plagg's got a point," Tikki said with a grimace.
Plagg evilly smirked. "Like that Butterfly who made a champion to deliver his groceries to him just 'cause he didn't wanna leave his house."
"Or that little Peacock boy who made his sentimonsters steal jewelry."
"And that goody-two-shoes Bee once pulled an Aladdin and took his girlfriend on a Miraculous bee-hero ride across the endless diamond sky.~"
"There was that Fox who pretended to be the harvest god, Inari…"
For that one, I had to cut in. "That wasn't irresponsible! There was a famine at the time and he did what he had to do to get help for his starving village!"
"Then he developed a bit of a god complex after that," Tikki added sternly.
"He got better…"
"Whatever," Plagg cut in. "The point is my wielder's stunt is laughably small compared to some of the other wielders' screw ups. It's not like she didn't warn the boy before destroying his phone."
"That doesn't mean we should be lenient!"
"A hero needs to keep their words. Otherwise, who would take them seriously?"
"… She bribed you to defend her honor, didn't she?"
Plagg shrugged noncommittally.
I narrowed my eyes at the gluttonous cat kwami. "She spoils you too much."
"Agreed," Tikki said.
0-0-0-0-0
"Can't you stop the akuma attacks?"
"When are you gonna find Hawkmoth?!"
"The citizens need you to protect-"
"CITIZENS OF HELIOS!"
Ladybug took the mike from a stunned Keagan, who stepped back and let the bug hero take center stage.
"Our promise hasn't changed! We will still protect you from Hawkmoth and save anyone she's akumatized! We will stop Hawkmoth!"
Hearing agreeable murmurs, Ladybug continued.
"But please understand that Hawkmoth is an elusive enemy! We're just two people and we can't be everywhere all at once at all times!"
Uproar erupted from the people full of doubts and demands. It was enough to make Ladybug falter. Chat Noire thrust her arm to cover for the anxious bug and stole the spotlight from him.
"ENOUGH!!!"
The crowd went quiet as the cat heroine commanded their attention.
"If any one of you can find Hawkmoth, please step up the stage and tell us where she is! We'll be more than happy to hunt her down and put an end to things if you can point out where she is!"
No one can answer the smug cat heroine.
"Why so quiet?~"
Chat Noire carried on ignoring the glares she's receiving for mocking the crowd.
"Nobody knows where Hawkmoth is. Until then, I respectfully suggest you all cooperate."
Outrage was bubbling beneath the surface but only a few voiced it out. Most realize Chat Noire is right. Chat Noire handed over the mike back to Ladybug.
"Hawkmoth is everyone's problem! We come here today to ask you to fight her with us! You too can be heroes!"
At this, the crowd's spirits were lifted.
"Everyone has a part to play in flushing out this menace plaguing our beautiful city!"
Loud cheers spread out and soon the heroes informed them of their plans and how the common people can help, such as evacuation protocols (so Ladybug wouldn't worry about people getting caught up in an akuma's rampage and Chat Noire can use Cataclysm freely), reinforcing anti-bullying policies (to make it harder for Hawkmoth to akumatize people), and general assistance (from police and medical personnel).
All of it carefully worded to sound more like a rallying speech rather than a cry for help.
0-0-0-0-0
"That level of manipulation reminds me of someone I'd rather forget," Tikki grumpily said.
"She's nothing like her," Plagg said with exasperation. "Hasn't my kitten proven herself enough for you?"
"She has, and I've forgiven her… I'm just… Marinette was a highly optimistic girl. One of my strongest bugs… Then this girl came along and nearly broke her more than once. Even without a Miraculous, an akuma or a sentimonster, she was among Marinette's most formidable enemies. She did all that by swaying people to her side and knowing the right words to hurt Marinette," a dark look came over the motherly bug kwami. "Your kitten nearly did the same to my current bug. I won't forget that."
The history books never mentioned anything about such an adversary. To think Marinette Dupain-Cheng, arguably the best Ladybug that ever existed, THE Great Founder of the New Order of the Guardians, was nearly taken down by some girl… Just as Plagg is protective of his kittens, Tikki is the same with her bugs. She can sure hold a grudge.
"Nearly. My charge may be clever as a fox, but she doesn't have the same intelligence-draining charisma nor the sociopathic mindset that other girl possessed. My kitten has standards."
Whoever that girl is, I'm glad she's no longer here. As interesting as this history lesson is, I'd rather we get back to talking about the present Ladybug and Chat Noire.
"Basically, those two are playing 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' with the citizens of Helios," Plagg explained.
"Ladybug does his best to encourage and reassure while Chat Noire eggs them on and keep them in line," Tikki smiles wryly. "They make quite a team."
"It's thanks to Chat Noire's coaching that Ladybug was able to handle the crowd's harsh words and rally them into cooperating," Plagg bragged.
"Yeah, but this was Ladybug's idea," said Tikki. "And he's the one with the influence they needed to compel the people to follow."
"Psh. He wouldn't have thought this if it weren't for Chat Noire."
Tikki begrudgingly agreed with Plagg. "Knowing my wielder, he would've tried to shoulder everything on his own."
"Yep. He's got major inferiority issues."
"Your kitten just had to rub salt in his wounds."
"She already said 'sorry' for that! Now it's more like she's passing him the disinfectant," in a quieter voice, Plagg said, "Besides, your boy isn't the only one with issues."
0-0-0-0-0
"Sis, it's the Day of the Dead. You coming?" Blake asked from behind the door.
Blair didn't even turn to him from where she sat by the window. A pen was idly twirled around her fingers. Books and notebooks were scattered over her duvet. None of them were open.
"Sorry bro, I'm busy with homework."
There was silence beyond the door, then footsteps growing fainter and fainter by the second.
"It's not too late. You can still go after them," Plagg suggested.
Blair crossed her arms. Based on where his voice is coming from, Blair could tell Plagg was floating next to her family portrait. Facing his way and seeing the portrait is the last thing she wants to do, so she kept her gaze to the cityscape.
"So I could do what? Stare pitifully at a bunch of rocks with their names carved on it? No thanks."
"It's the Day of the Dead. Everyone's doing that among other things. There's nothing pitiful about that."
Down below, Blair could spy her twin standing by the porch with their foster brother as the Liung matriarch locks the door. Both of the young men were carrying baskets of flowers and candles. Once Mrs. Liung was done, the three hailed a taxi. Blair watched until the taxi took a turn and disappeared from her sight.
"Well, I'm a very mixed European. I don't celebrate it."
"That didn't stop your just-as-European twin and the Chinese Liungs. You don't need a holiday to visit them."
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She didn't need to look to know it was probably them wishing her well. She didn't want to hear it.
"Leave it," Blair ordered.
The two remained quiet for the rest of the day as the cityscape outside glowed with festivities of remembrance.
0-0-0-0-0
"Chat Noire isn't the sort who'd bare her heart to anyone," Tikki said, placing a sympathetic paw on Plagg's back. "Until she says anything, there isn't much anyone could do to help her."
"At this rate, it might take some kind of inner-self-exposing akuma to get her to open up," Plagg said.
Just imagining that morbid scenario made me chug the rest of my tea.
"I'm getting too old for this."
A few months later, that's exactly what happened with an akuma named Ego Split. There is not enough tea in this world to ease my stress. Just how many close calls will these two go through before they give me a heart attack?!
The good news is Ladybug held himself well during that attack. He's definitely improving.
0-0-0-0-0
It was one of those rare days Hawkmoth didn't attack the city. Taking this opportunity, the heroes decided to spar. After losing for the nth time, Ladybug decided to call for a break and they ended up discussing fighting styles.
"I don't understand what fighting style you use. You wield a staff and a baton quite well, but you tend to throw it at your enemies when they least expect it. You move like an acrobat, have good balance, throw good punches and kicks, but your movements are too flashy to be practical. You attack from various angles with both your weapon and your limbs as well as dodge most attacks, but you have no form. I don't think I've seen anything like it," Ladybug said.
"Ahahaha," Chat Noire nervously scratched the back of her head. "Well, you see Ladybug, I'm not really formally trained at anything."
Ladybug's eyes widened like saucers. "How in the world are you this good?"
"Imagination?" Chat Noire waved her hands in an arc like a rainbow.
Ladybug shot her an unimpressed look. "That's it?"
"That's it," Chat Noire shrugged. "I imagine what I want to do, and the Miraculous makes it possible. Watching so many hero movies help enrich that imagination. Oh! And I keep in mind some self defense tips my dad taught me."
That perked up the skeptical bug. "And they are?"
"Aiming for the guts will wind them, the head will knock them out, and the groin for maximum pain," Chat Noire finished with a cheeky grin.
"That doesn't sound like self-defense."
"Well, they say the best defense is the best offense.~"
"That would be true in a street brawl."
"Have you ever been in a street brawl?"
"No!"
Chat Noire raised a brow at her too-squirmy-to-be-honest partner but decided against pursuing this line of questioning. After everything she's gone through just to keep this bug's secret identity safe, she's not about to throw it all away out of curiosity, no matter how tempting it is to ask how Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes over here got into a street brawl. She opts for the safer more relevant topic of interest instead.
"You seem to know what you're talking about when you're trying to describe my fighting style. Do you know how to fight?"
Ladybug went from panicky denial to meek admittance.
"I tried out various martial arts until I eventually discovered Judo."
"Judo, huh..."
A certain classmate came to Chat Noire's mind when Ladybug mentioned Judo. Isn't that the club Shizuke attends once a week? She remembers seeing him stopping a bunch of bullies from harassing their quiet class deputy once. Lots of grappling, counterattacks, and throwing people around.
"… That explains a lot," Chat Noire said, eyeing up Ladybug with her analytic gaze. Ladybug does look like the sort who would practice that.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
A sudden squeeze on his arm caused him to jump away from the Black Cat.
"So your arm muscles aren't just for show?" Chat Noire said with a smirk.
Ladybug blushed and self-consciously crossed his arms. No, he does not feel happy she complimented him nor did he feel a pleasant jolt when she touched him.
Oblivious to Ladybug's internal denials, Chat Noire shifted into a fighting stance.
"Care for a spar? Let's do this hand-to-hand," Chat Noire bounced on the balls of her feet and threw a few practice punches. "I wanna see how good you are."
Ladybug reluctantly agreed.
Fifteen seconds later, Chat Noire is flat on her back staring at the ceiling.
"Whoa."
"I'M SORRY!"
Ladybug flailed and pulled up the dazed cat heroine.
"I didn't mean to – I mean, I did want to win but I wasn't expecting…" he paused as he thought of a possibility that made him frown sternly. "Did you let me win?"
Snapping out of her daze, Chat Noire scrunched her nose in disgust at the suggestion.
"Nope," Chat Noire bopped Ladybug on the nose. "That was all you."
"How in the world…"
"This is the difference between my improvised moves and your technical skill," Chat Noire walked around Ladybug, examining the bug hero with her knuckles on her chin. "The akumas we've faced so far aren't trained in fights like you are and tend to over rely on their powers. Between that and the way they let their feelings rule their judgement, it's easy to find an opening. That's how I always win."
Ladybug stared at her like she just told him the secret to winning at life. Then he furrowed his brows when another thought occurred to him.
"Then how come I always lose to you?"
Instead of telling him, Chat Noire chose to demonstrate: by tripping him with her staff.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
Chat Noire rested her staff across her shoulders.
"Fights outside your sparring ring-"
"Mats."
"Whatever," Chat Noire rolled her eyes. "Fights outside of Judo practice have no rules. You take too long to switch between using your yoyo and your limbs, following a different set of rules for each when you could use both."
"But-"
"You've got skill, Bugsy. But this isn't Judo practice. Your yoyo isn't just a weapon for defense and swinging around town a la Spider-Man. It can be anything you need it to be," Chat Noire held out a hand to help Ladybug up. "Just use your imagination."
This time, Ladybug accepted her help.
0-0-0-0-0
The two heroes have been working hard to improve themselves. There's a subtle difference in how they fought before and after Slumber. The most noticeable is how they communicate more. They're helping each other up instead of tearing each other down. Slowly but surely, they're reaching their full potential together.
"Any updates on Ladybug's Akuma Chart?"
Tikki nodded and recited all the information Ladybug had on the latest akumas. This was another loaded week. Ladybug's in better shape than he had been before Slumber's attack. Chat Noire has managed to talk him out of his rigorous schedule and got him to ease up on it. While they still patrol and train, they no longer do it every night until the wee hours of the morning. Whenever there's an akuma attack that lasts more than an hour, Ladybug has agreed to take the rest of the night off. Slowly, he's recovering with some much needed rest… Hmm… Wait a second…
I slammed my teacup down so hard, it nearly broke and spilled its contents all over my records.
"Master?" Tikki worriedly asked.
"This Hawkmoth is craftier than I thought."
"What do you mean?" Tikki asked.
My finger traced along the line graph of akuma attacks.
"Notice how a week after your wielders got into a fight with each other, she bombards them with one akuma attack after another. That week, Ladybug was motivated more than ever to outdo Chat Noire. He spent so much time training and patrolling to close their gap that he dominated the Ladyblog's content. All of that chipped away at his energy…"
Tikki gasped, her shock slowly shifting into anger as she came to the same realization.
"She noticed my weakened charge and took advantage of his condition!"
Plagg put his paws together as he caught on.
"That explains Slumber. Even though her grasp on him was weak, she still forced Slumber to stay under her power because he had the perfect ability to finish Ladybug off."
"Forcing control over an unwilling champion costs a lot of energy from a Butterfly," I added. "Which is why she didn't follow up with another akuma immediately even though Ladybug was vulnerable."
"She made a gamble," Plagg said. "She put all her money on Slumber. It's a good thing Chat Noire wasn't as out of it as Ladybug… But Ladybug isn't completely back to his usual chipper self."
"Her current barrage of akuma attacks is meant to keep Ladybug from fully recovering," Tikki growled.
"This isn't a coincidence," I said. "All this time she's been trying to wear them down."
"What do we do?" Tikki asked, full of worry.
"Hawkmoth can't keep this up forever," I point at the chart, this time at the estimated time. "Whoever she is, she's not free during most of the day. Most of her attacks happen during early mornings, lunch breaks and late afternoons to nightfall – common free periods as any working class citizen could tell you."
"So she has a day job outside being a terrorist. Big deal," Plagg said.
"It is a big deal! Like the rest of us Miraculous Wielders, she's balancing two lives. She can't keep sacrificing her time and energy to send akumas after your wielders," on the latest week's record of the akuma chart, there's a slight decline in their frequency. "If she keeps this up, she'll end up like Ladybug."
My knuckles went white as I curled my hands into fists.
"When that happens, I'll do whatever it takes to stop her."
That scenario didn't come to pass. Hawkmoth eventually relented and went back to her usual frequency of sending out akuma. The heroes better prepare for when she comes up with another plan to get their Miraculous.
As much as I want to help them, I can't guarantee it. I'll do whatever it takes… even if it meant giving away my Miraculous.
Taking down Hawkmoth will ultimately fall onto their shoulders.
0-0-0-0-0
The kwamis eventually ran out of things to report and returned to their respective wielders. Plagg once again complained about his distant flight on his way out. I paid him no mind.
Not for the first time, I felt the tug of the jade turtle bracelet within the Miracle Box beckoning me. Carefully, I put it around my bun, just like how I used to back in the day. With my eyes closed to focus my senses on the power emanating within, the gentle weight of it made me feel like I'm whole again… When I opened my eyes, the illusion ended. I'm still alone.
"I hope your next wielder takes good care of you, Wayzz," I touched the jade turtle, wishing my words can reach my old friend.
If it were up to me, I'd be the one fighting Hawkmoth.
I removed the Turtle Miraculous and put it back into the box. As I cleaned up my office, putting things back where they belong until all that's left is the group photo of the four heroes, my last set of chosens. It's been seven years since they had that picture taken. On the back of the picture was a letter full of gratitude, apologies, and final farewells. My eyes lingered on the last line:
"I wish you the best, Master Hisui."
Sometimes, I think it would be easier if they hated me in the end. Four people with bright futures… All ruined because they were chosen. Because they were all inherently good people that can be trusted with the power to protect everyone else.
If I'd passed on my Miraculous sooner… Given them a younger, stronger turtle capable of following them into battle… Given them a shield to protect them too… Things could've ended differently.
Perhaps those two children could've lived a normal life. Go to school and pick up a hobby or two of their choosing… Be whoever they wanted to be rather than be who everyone needs them to be. They could grow up with parents who love them rather than be forced to grow up so fast. They could stay safe without worry rather than fighting demons in and out of their dreams. Perhaps they'd never meet…
No. They would've met anyway if that vixen had anything to say about it.
0-0-0-0-0
"Who's that kid with the glasses?! He's so cute!"
The excitable green eyed blonde pointed at a postcard I pinned on my fridge with electric magnets. I should've made extra sure I've put this away before I let her in! Foxes do have a tendency to stick their noses where it doesn't belong, after all.
Standing by my fridge is the Fox Miraculous' Wielder, Bianca. When we first met, she was an aspiring photographer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to help out what she assumed was a helpless old lady. Since then, she's proven herself worthy of being a hero…
"That is of no importance to our meeting," I slammed a tea set onto the tabletop I've pulled out from within the counter.
Bianca's smile dimmed at the reminder of her visit. Soon, the others will be here too.
"I know there's a serious threat lurking within the shadows... That's why it's even more important to talk about the people we fight for," as soon as she pulled out her wallet, her smile brightened a hundred fold as she showed off a picture I've seen a million times. "Like my twins! Aren't they adorable?!"
Then there are days like today when I question my decision to let her keep Trixx.
"You shouldn't let your guard down, young lady."
"And you shouldn't keep your blood pressure up, old lady."
A quick jab on her arm made her yelp in pain.
"You should respect your elders," I said with my hands on my hips.
"With all due respect, Master Hisui, you really do need to chill."
I glared at the fox's smart mouth but she wasn't deterred. Her emerald green eyes were lit with determination. Picking up the picture, she got a closer look before pointing out the boy to me.
"Up close, this boy has the same brown eyes as you. What's your relation to him?"
Why must she feel the need to know everything? With a resigned sigh, I gave in.
"He's my grandson. His name is Shizuke."
"How old is he?"
"Seven. Turning eight real soon."
"He's around my twins' age! We should totally set up a play date!"
I gave her a wry stare. Her twins. Blake and Blair. The troublesome pair of redheads who made it a habit to get into places where they shouldn't out of curiosity while donning matching fox onesies. This is what happens when a fox and a detective have children and have the kwami of illusions act as a babysitter.
"He's meek, obedient and well-behaved. I'm not sure he'll get along with your twins."
"Hey, the twins aren't that bad!" Trixx said, setting aside the sunflower seed they were nibbling on. "Sure, they get into a little mischief, but they can be sweet too."
Bianca eyed the sunflower seed and smiled fondly. "So they've moved on to seeds now?"
"They're getting warmer," Trixx said. "They've narrowed it down to Go foods."
"Well. That's one way to learn the food pyramid."
"What's this about?" I asked.
"Oh, just the twins trying to figure out my favorite food," Trixx grinned as they swallowed the last bit of sunflower seed. "They've been trying to figure it out for days now. I think it's cute how they're eager to please."
"Yep!" Bianca nodded eagerly in agreement. "My twins are nice kids. I'm sure they can get along with your grandson."
Trixx grinned mischievously. "And maybe your grandson needs to get in trouble from time to time. Learn to live a little."
My wry stare intensified.
Bianca raised her hands in mock surrender… Until she opened her mouth and restarted our argument.
"But really, how bad can one play date be?"
"He knows nothing about the Miraculous!" I slammed hands on the table and glared at the fox. In a calmer voice, I added, "I'd rather keep it that way."
"What's so wrong about him learning about the Miraculous? You can't protect him from the truth forever."
I gave her an incredulous look. "You're a wielder. You should know."
I poured myself a cup of tea, staring down at my reflection in the steamy drink. I'm not as young as I used to be. My prime has long past and I'll only get weaker as time goes on… I tightened my hold on my cup until my knuckles turned white. I can't afford to think like that now. They need me to be strong.
"Danger follows us who wield the Miraculous. I want him to stay safe, even if it's the last thing I do as Guardian..."
It's the same reason I had to leave my daughter behind as soon as she was old enough to take care of herself. All I wanted was a safe peaceful life for her and the family she makes for herself. I never wanted to drag her into this if I could help it.
Sensing my mood, Wayzz flew over to my side. They nudged my cheek in silent comfort. No words were need to be said. Wayzz and I have talked about this many times before. Our time together is drawing to a close.
"I understand," Bianca shot me a sympathetic look. "I wish I could turn back time and do the same for my twins… But knowing them, they would've found out eventually."
"Kids these days are too smart for their own good," Trixx nodded sagely.
"You just weren't careful," Wayzz piped in an admonishing tone.
Bianca crossed her arms over her well-endowed chest. "Yeah yeah, I learned my lesson. Always get enough rest so I don't do anything stupid in a half-asleep daze."
I gave her an unimpressed look. "Like transforming for patrol, but then remembering to tuck your children in for bedtime while forgetting to detransform."
"Will you ever let me live that down?"
I continued to give her an unimpressed look. Sometimes, I wonder what I was drinking when I decided to make this woman the Fox Miraculous Wielder.
"Ugh, fine! Don't trust me to keep a secret. But give my kids a chance! They understand the golden rule of secret identities."
"Probably got that from your husband."
"We're lucky he's on our side," Wayzz said. "If he wasn't, he would've caught you at the very least."
Noir Crawford is a man of few words. He took on the assignment to investigate the city's 'mysterious vigilantes' so he can purposely obscure evidence that can directly expose everyone's identities while using his connections to further investigate our own hidden enemies. With his sharp wits and meticulous nature, there's no question he's the best at his job. Even without a Miraculous, his help has been invaluable to us. The rest of the team consider him to be an honorary member.
"You say that like he hasn't already caught me,~" she said with a wiggle of her brows and a dreamy lovesick smile.
Ugh. I downed the cup of tea in one go, fervently wishing it'll keep any incoming migraines away. In the middle of my drink, the fox duo just had to throw in a few more words.
"Well you know what they say, opposites attract,~" Trixx said.
"Maybe the same could happen between my daughter and your grandson.~"
The shock made me choke and spit my drink all over the counter. Wayzz quickly flew over to pat my back in a soothing motion. As soon as I cleared my wind pipes, I glared at Bianca.
"IT'S TOO EARLY TO THINK ABOUT THAT!!!"
"I was just joking!"
I shot her a disbelieving look.
"… Mostly," she grinned, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.
Not content with downing a whole cup in one go, I poured myself another one. This hopeless romantic vixen better not try to matchmake my grandson behind my back…
Bianca poked at my tea set. "This tea isn't spiked with magic potions, right?"
I almost spat out my tea again.
"Sorry!" said Bianca.
It was then that someone knocked on the door. I opened it to reveal an unexpected guest.
"Noir!" Bianca excitedly pounced over to the door.
Once the red haired detective was within Bianca's reach, she was quick to embrace him and give him a quick peck on the lips. Like magic, his stone-cold poker face melts away for a more tender look to take over.
"So, how's your day?" Bianca asked.
It was like a bubble popped and the detective was back to being all business. Noir pulled out an envelope from his trench coat, his lips a grim line.
"I've got some new intel. You're not gonna like this."
Her emerald gaze hardened as she let Noir report his findings. Things aren't looking good. The enemy is bigger and more organized than we thought. But Bianca doesn't look deterred. She's got a plan. Despite her lack of discipline, this fox is as clever as they come. More importantly, she has the heart for it.
Out of all my chosens, she's the only one I would trust to lead in my stead…
0-0-0-0-0
When I woke up from my coma, my daughter and her family were by my side. The worst has passed. The plan succeeded even without me. The city of Helios was safe once again… At the cost of my chosens.
My fingers traced her name carved on the cold marble tiles.
Bianca Crawford.
Loving wife. Caring mother. Seeker of truth.
All that's left of them are their Miraculous. Only half of them made it back to me. One of them remains lost while the other is being used to terrorize the very city they sacrificed so much to protect. Out of shame, I couldn't muster the will to use the Turtle Miraculous and put a stop to it myself… I have to rely on one of her beloved children and my own grandson to retrieve the Butterfly Miraculous for me.
Some Master Guardian I turned out to be.
"I'm sorry I took so long."
A bouquet of calla lilies was placed on her grave. They symbolize purity and honesty. A flower of choice for both weddings and funerals. I couldn't help but notice how ironically fitting it is for this fox to like those flowers. I took a few of the flowers to place over her husband's grave right next to hers. They were together 'til the end. Heroes no one recognized.
"We've got a lot to talk about, but you'd be pleased to hear…"
While I'd still rather be the one defending the city my chosens died for, I'm rather proud of those two. They've grown so much in just a matter of months. At first I thought their differences would be a huge hurdle between them. Instead they've managed to overcome them.
"… You were right about them."
0-0-0-0-0
Notes:
There's a lot of stuff in this episode that didn't quite go according to my original plans. It all started with little changes… Then it all just snowballed until what happened is far from my initial draft. It was supposed to be much shorter than how it turned out to be honest. My chapters are getting longer and longer... This episode was hell to edit back at AO3 hahaha. I blame the montage episode format. It's too easy to come up with random scenes but hard to string them together in an order that makes sense. Scenes got shuffled a lot or randomly added. People reading from here are lucky to get the fully edited version. So much didn't go according to plan.
Originally, there wasn't gonna be much of a fight with Slumber. He was supposed to be so lazy he just gave up on the spot. Ladybug was already dead tired by then so the scene where he falls on Chat Noire still would've happened… But because there was originally no fight scene, he was also originally not supposed to be on the brink of detransforming from having to use Lucky Charm and Chat Noire wouldn't need to drag him out of the school. That talk with Tikki just happened because why the heck not? Blair almost stealing his Miraculous but not going through with it was still within my plans but how it happened didn't pan out as I originally planned. Plagg was originally going to dissuade her, not goad her LOL... But it does feel more like a Plagg thing to do (even if the guardian is instructing the kwamis behind the scene to explain away why they seem more forthcoming with useful advice here than in canon).
One scene that didn't make it at all was Chat Noire telling Ladybug about her mother being the former Fox Miraculous Wielder. It would've come a long way in explaining to Ladybug why Chat Noire was so against their rigorous schedule: she'd seen what that kind of workload would do to a superhero. It would've vastly improved their relationship but I ultimately decided against it because as shown here and in Ego Split, getting Blair to open up is as hard as pulling teeth. She and Ladybug just had a fight, so now doesn't feel like a good place for her to confide to him about something as personal as her mother. He hasn't earned it yet. They're in for a really slow burn.
But I still wanted to introduce Blair's mother here so I added that little flashback with the Guardian. I always planned to have a scene like this but I originally planned on having this flashback shown much much later… But it happened cause I figured it felt right to reveal Blair's mother alongside the Guardian's identity. Besides, by the time the flashback started, I feel like I've dropped way too many hints on the Guardian's identity based on her behavior which is uncannily similar to Shizuke. Oh! And before anyone questions their eyes because here, she's called Hisui while 2 chapters ago she's referred to as Haruji, let's just say Hisui is like, her hero name (Hisui Kame = Jade Turtle). Her chosens refer to her as that but family calls her Grandma Haruji.
Oh well, I'm happy with the result.
Marinette being a legendary founder of a new order is something of a last-minute addition. It happened like, six or so generations ago… Let's just say, Marinette in this time line is old enough to be Haruji's great grandma. I couldn't explain much of the lore behind this in-story as it'll just weigh down the story with exposition that probably won't contribute much to the current plot.
So I imagine post-canon, Marinette will remain as guardian in Paris, but the old Order of the Guardians were like, 'No, you must join us in Tibet and train by starving yourself like Fu did'. Then Marinette would be like, 'Nuh uh, Imma build my own Order here instead and find new ways on how to guardian cause I'm a genius like that'. Conflict happens and escalates to a global level… yadda yadda… Miraculous turf wars reshaped the world… blah blah blah… Marinette became a legend and taught Haruji's generation how to guardian… etcetera etcetera… If I were to actually write this, there'd be liberal amounts of angst with the occassional humor. But I'm burning enough brain cells over this story as it is. Maybe someday I'll explore this plot bunny but I don't want to half-ass it.
Overall, this episode has been kind of like an experiment with episode formats. This one is one of those montage episodes, more character-centric than plot. One does have to wonder how an uptight guy like Ladybug would fall for someone like Chat Noire. As Fuyu once said in Bully Hunter, prim and proper is his type and Chat Noire is as far as you can get from that. This episode shows how Ladybug started to see Chat Noire in a different light. Next episode will further explain how he's come to fall for Chat Noire.
I know this is a weird place to add a flashback episode, but I feel the need to flesh out LadyNoire's relationship before I do something that'll shake up the Love Square. That's right, next episode is the Valentines' Day episode. You guys know what that means, right? It'll be a while though. In the meantime, Happy Holidays!