MIRACULOUS

Chapter 21

Behind The Mask

Hopping the rooftops of Paris from her point of view as she usually did. Sensing a usual presence at her side, having an idea who it was she didn't bother looking. However, once she looked down her physique, she realized she wasn't wearing her usual black-spotted red suit but black leather and rather heavy metal boots. She looked at the other presence and realized that it was Ladybug. Marinette finally realized she was watching through Cat Noir's eyes. She felt her lips move but heard nothing nor she could tell what Cat was saying. Ladybug also talked but again, nothing came.

Ladybug turned away and took a few steps before looking up. She was about to whip out her yoyo but Cat came up to her and held her hand stopping her. Ladybug looked back at him exhaustingly, but before she could say a word and a flash of green light blinded her for a second before she saw Ladybug's expression change in a millisecond to wide-eyed and speechless. Her mouth opened but not jaw dropped but more out of an unwelcome shock. The look on her eyes seems that her world was shattered and everything she knew about life was called into question. Plagg emerged into now civilian form Cat, with an uncertain look on his face as Cat focused back on Ladybug.

She began to step back but she was stopped again by Cat. She immediately snatched her hand away as she backed away further, shaking her head. A small tear fell down her cheek as she shook her head furiously and swung away from him. Cat broke down to his knees and his hands on the pavement, as teardrops hit the rooftop payment, and before he could realize it, an Akuma entered his black cat ring.

The scene flashed and showed a sword made of ice stabbing through Ladybug. Tears were cascading down her cheeks and coughed blood as she desperately tried to free herself from the attacker's group. The scene then panned away from Cat's point of view and showed Cat in all white with blue eyes and silver hair. Just then showed that the sword didn't stab Ladybug from the front but behind and stabbed the white Cat as well. Hugging her close to him as he plunged the icy blade down even deeper while Ladybug desperately tried to break away but soon her efforts weakened as Cat began to comfort her. Ladybug eventually stopped struggling and let out her final gasp as she slowly closed her eyes. The two lay on their sides and perished together…

Tiger's Layer… The Himalayas…

Marinette's eyes shot open as Pinyin's power wore off again. Marinette was once again on her knees as she gasped for air.

"Give her a moment, Pinyin," Akane commanded as she approached her.

"Wha…" Marinette gasped. "What was that? That didn't…"

"That was a possible past," Akane revealed.

"Huh? You mean that could've happened?"

"Once again, what you must consider is the person you are and how you view people as well as how others have viewed you. You must also understand that your actions, regardless of your intentions, will have consequences. It was pure serendipity that you face those consequences yourself while it was other paying for your mistakes. Did you see who he was?" Akane asked. Marinette shook her head, still looking down.

"No, I saw everything through his eyes. I couldn't even see what kind of clothes he was wearing. Pinyin probably did that deliberately," She paused for a second. "I…" she stammered. "I couldn't hear what they were saying; I didn't even know what was going on in his head, but, I felt what he felt… It was…*sniff* Just how I felt that night…" Marinette started to tear up again. "I saw who he was, the other me, I mean, and I… I broke his heart…" she said as she then covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

She suddenly felt the older lady's warm embrace. Ever since her arrival she hardly had any intimate affection from anyone. Sure there were her friends Serah and Snow but just distant friends as they haven't talked too much since Marinette was focused on her training as well as her "sessions" with Pinyin. Marinette responded in kind.

"What does all mean?" Marinette asked tearfully.

"Cat Noir was ready to know your identity but you are not," Akane replied bluntly. "Witness how far he was willing to go for your affection and your safety…"

"But… I couldn't *sniff* I couldn't love him back… I wanted Adrien… I wanted him so much… But now that he's gone… I just don't know anymore…" Marinette began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shhh… Please, do not dwell on it too much, my dear," Akane comforted. "I may have not known you too long. But what I am certain of is that you are a person, and you will be treated as such, neither as a goddess nor as an abomination but as a human being. You are what you do, remember that, always." She prompted. Marinette smiled and with a sniff, she gently broke the hug and wiped her tears.

"Thank you," she said weakly.

"I believe it is time to take a nap, it is nearly seven in the morning." She said, causing Marinette to finally look up at her wide-eyed.

"Huh? We were here all night?" she asked, swiftly looking both sides.

"I believe I have lost myself in time as well," Akane admitted. "Why not retire to your room?"

With that, she entered her room. There wasn't much she had to decorate. A couple of her plushy animals around her sleeping mat. There were of course her backpack and her tablet recharging on the side. Before she could approach her mat, there was a knock behind her when she answered it was Serah.

"Oh, Serah," Marinette greeted. "Good… Morning?" she said, now realized she was up all night.

"No sleep, huh?"

"It's been rough…" Marinette admitted, scratching her head.

"Well, I would like you to know that your bath it's ready. Why not get it out of the way before you go to sleep?" Serah asked. Marinette shrugged.

"Sure why not," she accepted. "Hey, why wouldn't you join me? We haven't talked in a while." She offered.

"Oh," Serah pondered. "Um, sure."

Later, Marinette sat on the large tub in warm water as she allowed the bubbles to massage her. She lay on her back and let her thoughts wander. Marinette opened her eyes as she lay on her warm bathtub, thinking back to what Akane had put her through that evening. The more she saw of her past the more she realized that things weren't what they seem. Despite her mistakes, she never paid the price and it was actually the Ladybug miraculous that she managed to luck out the way she did. Especially the kind of scolding she got from Akane of the way she stalked Adrien. Maybe 'stalk' was a strong word but the way she was doing it wasn't exactly healthy…

"What you must understand, young Marinette is that your approach towards that boy may have had dire consequences…"

Throughout her training, she saw herself through the eyes of her parents, her friends, the adults in her life, her classmates. While none have realized it, she was the cause for a lot of the misfortune they had gone through. The more she realized this the guiltier she felt when she realized how much she got away with. She could only imagine how Adrien would've reacted if he found out of her predatory approach to get near him. All her stupid decisions, her mistakes, it's always someone else who took the consequences but never her. Cat Noir gave himself up time and time again just so she could keep going. Now he's the only one left, he was the last person he was going to dig deep into. Akane said that the reason she's showing herself from these different perspectives was to show her that people never saw her differently, despite how she came to be. So she won't be haunted by the circumstances of her 'birth.' She saw flashed of everyone as she thought of these things but most of all, she saw Adrien in those flashes and all those moments she spent with him.

"He was so pure… He never should've been dragged into this… He deserved better… Better than me… Knowing what I am… Our relationship would've never last…"

"Marinette, you there?" she heard Serah's voice. She covered her chest out of instinct, despite that bathing together was her idea. "Whew, didn't think I was gonna finish on time to catch you." She said as she let her towel drop from her bare body like Marinette's and got on the tub.

"Actually, I just got here myself," Marinette revealed.

"So, how are things with Akane?" she asked.

"Oh, well," Marinette began, hugging her knees. "It's been… trippy to say the least…" She replied. "I had made so many mistakes and so many times that I should've taken responsibility for what I've done…"

"Yeah," Serah said while stroking the back of her neck. "I actually heard a little bit from Akane about while you were in Paris."

"I just… I always screwed up and it was always someone else paying the price and after seeing what Cat Noir actually went through… I always thought things would go one way but then things went another way and I feel that…" Marinette paused for a moment as she looked up. "I should've been more responsible for everything that has happened. I wanted to believe that I could choose my path but… I will never have that life…"

"Marinette…" Serah began.

"I wanted to someday leave the days of Ladybug behind and live my life with Adrien… But, I can't escape my destiny… So it's not gonna happen…" Marinette said resigned. Serah was quiet for a moment before speaking out.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend what it's like but I still say that you can still have a happy life. You can still shine the light in the world as a person as well as Ladybug," she encouraged.

"You mean, Cat noir?"

"Whoever it may be, your origin doesn't have to be what defines you. After all, isn't that why you're here?"

"I want to believe that but… It's in my blood… it's how I was born… I will always be Ladybug. So, my fate has been sealed, I just don't see myself having a family, anymore…" she concluded resting her head on her knees. Serah was silent for a second before speaking out again.

"I actually saw some of your exploits on my tablet," She began, getting Marinette's attention. "That speech you gave at the Eiffel tower, you were so confident back then. It's actually fascinating for you to be here in this time of weakness," she concluded, Marinette lowered her head back down giving a nervous giggle.

"To be honest, I don't know what came over me at that point. I'm usually not that confident. At the time I thought it was the Ladybug miraculous that somehow helped me."

"Knowing you now I would've never guessed you were Ladybug," Serah admitted. Marinette chuckled, slightly turning her head towards her. "I have to say, it is rather tough to see you like this…" she trailed off. Marinette looked down again with a sigh.

"Some much has happened in so little time…" Marinette said then quickly turned back at her. "Have you ever felt your legs being chopped off by what life threw at you?"

"I never knew my parents and my sister had to bring me up on her own," Serah said. "At least you had a mom and a dad who loved you and raised you, especially since you were not born with parents…"

"I guess…" Marinette admitted.

"Look, Snow may not look like it but he taught me some great things too."

"Did he know?" Marinette asked raising an eyebrow.

"Have you ever heard of the poem about the fool in the bar?"

"Can't say I have," Marinette admitted.

"I don't remember the exact words of the poem itself but basically it's about this apparent buffoon who hangs out in a bar in this backwater town. Whenever some bullies offer him to choose between two coins. A smaller one and a large one. He would always pick the bigger one and of course, everyone laughs at him behind his back because the smaller coin has more value. It happens constantly and one day when someone asked why he always picked the less valuable coin as he pointed out that the smaller coin was the more valuable."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he knew that. But if he ever picked the smaller coin then they wouldn't offer him any more coins now, do they? You see?" Serah asked. Marinette wondered for a second.

"No?" she answered.

"The point is things aren't always what they seem, there's nothing more elusive than the most obvious. Just when you thought you have something figured out, you may not be further from the truth or the other way around. Maybe the answer is right in front of you," Serah explained.

Marinette then thought back and once again reevaluated her mistakes, if she knew what Serah told her back then she probably would've handled her jealousy towards Lila differently… Heck, a million other ways keep popping in her head over how she would've handled her lying rather than lashing out as she did… Once again she was trapped in her cycle of thought of how she wished she let Adrien stop her and maybe he and her parents would still be here…

"Marinette…" she heard. "Marinette!"

"Huh?" Marinette snapped out of her trance.

"You're drifting off again," Serah pointed out. "Your parents?" she asked. Marinette sighed and nodded.

"I'll spare you the hindsight of what I should've done," Marinette said. "Over and over again I keep going back to it. I keep going back to that moment and imagine myself doing what I should've done at that moment and convince myself that that is what I did and then hoping that it would somehow change things…"

"Be careful what you wish for!" another voice interjected abruptly. Marinette was caught by surprise as she and Serah saw behind them and saw the latter's sister, Claire. "Changing the past will not give you what you want!" she continued sternly as she approached the bathtub. "Hindsight may be helpful in moderation but you must not dwell in the past too much, it'll make you weaker. Any change in the past can alter the future in ways you cannot even imagine."

"Claire…"

"What I'm trying to say is that one thing you may want may not be the best path for you. Maybe… maybe you're in the best path that was laid out for you… The best thing that can happen to you is here right now…" Claire said as she sat on the tub.

"Claire!" Serah sneered. Marinette lowered her eyes and got up. She stood for a moment of contemplation, ignoring the light breeze going through her bare body and the view she was giving the Farron sisters. A million other images flashed through her hear.

"If you'll excuse me," she said half-heartedly as she grabbed her towel and walked out.

"Did you have to be so blunt?" Serah asked her sister, who just closed her eyes and enjoy her bath.

"Only that way she'll learn," Clair said nonchalantly. "I expect you to be the same as your son as well. Serah blushed as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"How do you know it's a boy?" Serah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Karma," Claire replied plainly. "It's only natural for Snow to father a bow who raised all kinds of trouble like him," Claire replied, and then Serah looked back where Marinette just walked off.

"Do you think she'll be a mother?"

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"Mostly about the boy she lost, and how much she imagined. A house with kids. Pretty much every girl's fantasy…"

"I wonder…"

Marinette's room…

TVi

"Nadja Chamack reporting from the official Paris distribution warehouse where mere minutes ago Cat Noir and his team had finally caught the enigmatic figure known as The Coon. By Cat noir's request, the authorities are keeping his identity a secret as he is being escorted to the police station medical bay. While Ladybug's whereabouts remain unknown, we have Cat Noir and his team to thank."

On the screen, there was Cat and the others. Queen Bee seemed to savor the attention. Ryuko simply bowed at the camera while Carapace, Pegasus, and Rena are seen to be just waving at the audience. Marinette thought that they may not know how to respond to this attention. Cat then spoke to the interviewer.

"All I can say is that I did what I had to do stop the Coon. Right now he's too weak to question him, but we will as soon as he's conscious enough to give some actual answers. I just wish I could update Ladybug about this right now," he stated. Queen Bee then stepped in.

"Hey yeah," she said, resting her hands on her hips. "Where is Ladybug, anyway?" she asked. Cat simply facepalmed with a sigh.

"We're having a moment here, don't ruin it," he countered.

"Queen Bee?" Marinette sputtered as she watched her tablet. "I thought I told the master that we shouldn't let Chloe be Queen Bee anymore."

"Do you have anything to say to the people watching from their homes?" Nadja approached Ryuko.

"I simply accomplished my duty… Nothing more," she replied. Of course, you already know Carapace and Rena Rouge.

Marinette watched the news feed, wishing she was there to aid them. She turned off her tablet she set eyes on her backpack. She whipped out her mother's letter and the small box.

Later…

"You have seen what is to happen with this Bourgeois girl in one of your previous visions did you not?" Akane asked. Marinette then remembered when she was seeing herself from Chloe's perspective.

"I did but I thought it was the past…"

"A past," Akane corrected. "You have made it clear that you would not allow her to fight alongside you again. She becomes a villain and she would live the rest of her life in deep resentment against you," she observed.

"I have thought about it, especially her potential as a miraculous holder. But I ultimately decided that it would be best not to pursue further into that path… She would at least be safe."

"Your partner does not believe so," Akane intervened.

"Yeah, I saw that Cat Noir gave her the bee miraculous," she said. "Did Cat really thought about the risks with everyone knowing who he is? Why do I get the feeling he may not?" she asked herself.

"He's an unpredictable one indeed," Akane admitted. "Even I cannot predict his next move," she said. Marinette scoffed playfully.

"Hey, I'm the one who has to deal with him," Marinette countered with a grin. Akane could only smile back.

"You may go through the recent information after this session, however, your decision to negate Chloe to become Queen Bee would've led her to a darker path." Akane took a sip of her tea then looked up. Marinette then rubbed her arm.

"So, did Cat do the right thing?" Marinette asked. "Was he the one who made the right call?" she asked, questioning herself even more. Akane closed her eyes.

"Her future is very uncertain," Akane admitted. "Her fate is much more clouted, with Cat Noir's intervention… When he gave her the opportunity to become Queen Bee again, he has set her to a path not even Pinyin could predict," she concluded. Marinette rubbed her neck.

"'All's well that ends well,'" she said. "That's what he would say…"

"You want to know who he is, don't you?" Akane asked. Marinette just nodded. "Back in simpler times, this may have been manageable." She concluded.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, looking back at her.

"Without revealing too much, they're current circumstances that will make the knowledge difficult for you to handle," Akane warned. "No matter when you finally know his identity, a massive wave of confusion and emotions will come to you. I can only pray for to be ready when the time inevitably comes," She concluded, closing her eyes. Marinette was visibly shaken by this.

"He wasn't created by Chinese alchemy like me, wasn't he?"

"No, he is not," Akane confirmed. "However, he too has been affected by the miraculous, though in a more indirect way."

"Good, I wouldn't want him to carry that same burden like me…"

"They're more actually," Akane revealed.

"Huh?" Marinette blurted out.

"Your mother did save you but the others were scattered around the world by former members of the Blue Mustang."

"Why? Wouldn't they raise them themselves?"

"When your mother struck in your rescue they knew that plan was compromised and they chose to dispose of the clones," Akane revealed and Marinette immediately covered her mouth.

"They… killed the others?"

"That was the order but those with the task were unable to do it… One couple adopted one of them for themselves while the others were given to other members who also abandoned the cause. I suppose Sabine's betrayal damaged them more than anticipated."

"Was it really that big of a setback?" Marinette was impressed. "Maybe that's why they took so long to act."

"Indeed, Master Fu told me everything which is how I know of Cat Noir's identity as well as the Agreste family's involvement."

"No need to remind me of the latter," Marinette said with disgust. "I just can't believe it! Both of his parents were in on this, not to mention Gabriel's secretary who's still out there!" Marinette snapped, banging on the ground. "He didn't deserve this… He didn't deserve any of it!"

"And you don't deserve that kind of guilt," Akane responded. Marinette looked up at her again. "You may have regrets, it's only natural. But you must see the bigger picture and know when you must be held accountable and when not to," she concluded.

"But everything that has happened…"

"Your parents were aware of the responsibility they had carried the minute they decided to lay low in Paris."

"…And that's why they died…"

"Once again, you should not be held accountable for their decision, you were but a mere infant," Akane urged. Marinette merely sighed.

"Then there's Chloe," Marinette brought up.

"What about her?"

"I specifically told the master to tell Cat that Chloe shouldn't be Queen Bee anymore. Now she on a path that we can't predict…"

"Isn't that preferable? I believe Cat noir would've done it again if he knew," Akane prompted while Marinette scoffed.

"Yeah, if he would try to make Chloe good and not to a path of villainy he would've taken the chance," she admitted then rubbed her arm. "Still, I'm worried about her, her destiny…"

"You have your own uncertain fate as Ladybug, she has her own destiny she will carry which will also be in her fate as Queen Bee. It is the path Cat Noir has set her in, whether he's aware of it or not," Akane explained.

"All this about inevitable fates is rather scary…"

"You will still have choices of how we live that certain life," Akane assured. "You are fated for a long time as Ladybug, it's true, but the choice you do have is how you live that life," she inquired. "Do not let your destiny interfere with your pursuit of happiness." She finished.

Marinette looked up and smiled, but then looked down again.

"Still, I may not have the security of the path I would've given her… Chloe…"

"Do you still prefer her to become a villain and live a bitterer existence for the rest of her days as long as you knew where she was? Isn't it the better alternative to leaving her fate more to chance, especially since there's now the possibility of a better destiny for her?"

"But what if she strays to a darker path? My choice would've at least be sure she would be safe in Paris," Marinette urged.

"Though that would have taken the living out of her life," Akane countered.

"What do you mean?"

"A life should never be foretold but created their own. Cat noir allowed her to choose. Whatever it is will be ultimately up to her… And that is the most beautiful thing. I believe it's enough chatter, the sooner we complete your trials the sooner you'll return to Paris."

"Home, huh?" Marinette wondered. "I'm still not convinced that Gabriel would take me into his mansion."

"I suppose you need to ask him yourself."

Meanwhile… in London…

Gabriel and Amelie were typing away in Amalie's laptop where she recorded her family's secrets rather than a huge hidden library where it would one day collapse. It's still preserved there but her laptop still more accessible.

"Are you sure you have everything here?" Gabriel asked.

"If anything is missing we can always look back at the old library, I would know where to look," Amelie reassured. He looked through the encyclopedia until he found the file he was looking for… "The White Plague…"

"The white plague, over half of Europe was killed by it…" Gabriel said based on what he read. "Amelie, all those times she's visited you after that day… She was looking for the miraculous from the start."

"Ever since we were little girls, we were never allowed in the library. We were told that the secrets of the world that we shouldn't know because there were things our family believed should never be revealed to the public."

"It was right after Adrien was born, it rather annoyed me that she would leave me on my own with him. He was but a mere infant…"

"I suppose she didn't tell you about what he had we had here or what she came to do," Amelie said.

"At the time, no she didn't and I believe this is where she found out about the miraculous as well as the guardian."

"Yes, she was clearly distraught about Emma…"

"We all were," Gabriel agreed. "But at that point, I had never imagined the lengths she would have gone to reverse what has happened. Years went on, she neglected Adrien and I. And now I have made the same mistake when I wanted to bring her back to us. I convinced myself to be justified, that I was doing it for all of us. But I had lost him, I have neglected him too much as well. Nooroo warned me, but I didn't want to hear it…"

"So, it's true… You were Hawk Moth," Amelie said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He's with Emma now…" she comforted.

"I suppose Emilie told you," Gabriel asked, ignoring Amelie's consolation.

"She did, in fact, she gave me a few details of her plan on how she plans to lure the guardian out by summoning Ladybug and Cat Noir, thus pinpointing the location of the miraculous."

"Where is she now?" Gabriel was afraid to ask.

"Last time she visited me she said she would be in a smaller town in France but she didn't tell me the name," Amelie replied.

Gabriel hummed as he typed away until he saw an old newspaper article, chronicling the damage the white plague caused. One article actually expressed their belief that it was actually provoked by man. That assumption was of course correct but it appears this journalist never got to the bottom of it. He then got to the next article which almost made Gabriel's heart stop… That journalist that wrote that article was found dead for hours after the article was published. Upon further searching, he found an image of a familiar place. A town he and Emilie had visited during their travels, Gabriel got off his seat.

"Let's go," he commanded.

"Where?"

"We're going to Gordes," he said. "A month of investigating has to have paid off somehow."

Gordes France… 16 years ago…

"Are you filming again, Gabriel?" Emile asked playfully, struggling to move a little due to her pregnant belly. She sat down by a window and looked out. "My family has a history here, actually. Apparently, an ancestor of mine was once a magical warrior with powers that were once considered from another world and was adored by the people around. But one day discovered something terrible…"

"Emilie?" Gabriel asked. She shook her head.

"Never mind, it's just another one of those tales I keep hearing from that stupid closed off library," Emilie shrugged. As if on cue, she suddenly felt her belly and giggled. "They'll be the biggest blessing we ever have, Gabriel, you'll see," she insisted and looked back out the window. "Whatever happened, I will make sure nothing affects them," she said, rubbing her belly again.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriel asked behind the camera.

"What do you think?"Emilie asked with a giggle. "You, me, Adrien, and Emma. What more can I ask for?" she got up from her seat and spoke with her fists in her chest as if it somehow contained her excitement. "Let's make a pact, no matter what we will protect our children and whatever happens, they will have the happiness that they deserve," she boasted. Gabriel smiled at his wife and stopped recording.

Three months later…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Emilie screamed as she as excessive blood was all over the hospital bed as she tried to give birth.

"This is bad!" The doctor said. "The baby does not appear to be responding!"

"Why? Why is this happening?" Emilie wailed with tears cascading through her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gabriel asked panicked as he held a newborn Adrien wailing in his arms. As if on cue, the baby heart monitor went flat line…

One week later…

"We made a pact!" Emilie yelled after she slapped Gabriel. "And if you say 'there is nothing we can do' I will slap you until tomorrow!" she threatened.

"What do you want me to say?" Gabriel asked angrily. "We should be grateful for what we have!"

"Grateful?" she asked, insulted. "Have you forgotten what we had?" she then shook her head. "No… I can't accept this," she was then storming off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gabriel asked, following her.

"I'm going to London!"

"Do you really think you're going to find something in that library?" he asked, knowing what she was thinking. "You said it yourself; it was nothing but fairy tales and rambling of an old man. Your words, not mine," he said. Emilie walked out without another word. "Don't even think about leaving me alone with Adrien!"

Author's Note: Another wordy chapter but I feel that we need quieter chapters in any story don't you think? I know the actual show does. This is why I need your feedback to know if I'm handled the action and story progression correctly. Next chapter I'll try to combine the two as things heat up back in Paris.

There may be some things that may feel hammered in but I really need to take into account the narrative problems with explanation and deconstructions of these problems before starting from there and go forward. Particularly, seasons 1 and 2 as well as the handful of season 3 that made into this story. I have planted a ton of seeds throughout the story that have yet to be addressed again. But don't worry, I have each and every one of them noted and I haven't forgotten them.

Next chapter MAYURA RETURNS!

Please, comment and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated.