A new day and another meeting with her sister. This time there had better not be an akuma to cut it short. She'd try her hand at an éclair today with Papa's help, Helena mentioned loving them yesterday. There was still time before she would show up.
Her phone chimed. She looked at it wary. A text from Alya thank goodness telling her she was coming over.
"Think Alya is going to be theorizing all about the akuma from yesterday?" she asked.
"It wouldn't be the first time," said Tikki.
"Guardian, please be careful. Hawkmoth seems to be growing his abilities as he watches you and Chat Noir," said Wayzz.
"Wayzz, what did we say?" said Marinette with a sigh. She had been trying to get the other kwami to call her by her name but they would only refer to her as Guardian. Wayzz kept silent as he always did whenever she brought that topic up.
It wasn't long before Alya showed up midway through her éclair making attempt.
"Marinette!" she called wrapping her into a bear hug and then whispering in her ear. "You're my best friend you know that. I will always be with you and you are incredible and kind. I don't know how you manage with everything that you do. I'm glad we became friends and you mean so much to me."
"Merci Alya, said Marinette confused, "you're the best friend I could ever ask for." They had already been through this a few months ago. "But what brought this on so suddenly?"
"The akuma yesterday," said Alya letting her go to look at her face. "It didn't say much but when I got zapped near the end I heard a monotone voice go 'I give you Remembrance, care for your loved ones before they leave your life forever, remember them always' and then I relived all my favorite memories of the people I cared for so I just had to see them all today."
Marinette's mind raced, she felt strongly for the victim to have such a powerful reaction to loss. She wished she could have seen him and reassured him. Master Fu's letter had helped her greatly when she felt adrift and lost torn away from her family and friends. It explained a little of the mystery of the man who must have been at a very low point to become akumatized. But he also had a very strong will to reject the akuma when he could. She wasn't even able to give him a magical charm and the mystery of who came to take him away still remained.
"Did you get any footage of the victim?" she asked. "I wonder if he's okay."
"No, I couldn't. Dropped my phone after I got hit," said Alya.
"Let me get this éclair finished and we'll talk," said Marinette with a look.
She woke up late, it had been a long night for them both. There was very little to go on, the only research was from an amateur journalistic blog. She looked at the time to find she needed to get ready soon. Her quickly rescheduled meeting with Marinette was not too far away. After getting ready for the day, she left her room to find her dad still awake with a copious number of notes.
"Take it the night went well?" she said while going to the kitchen to make some coffee.
A grunt came in response and the sound of papers being shuffled.
She poured two cups out and found him in a meditative stance. She gently put down his cup. His eyes opened and he gave a small nod in thanks. She waited as he got his bearings and took a sip.
"I'll leave for Tibet soon," he said.
"What? Why?" It didn't make sense for him to leave so soon. There were still so many plans that he set in motion.
"I trust you can handle the remodeling of our permanent place," he said to reassure her. "Deliveries won't be made until after the remodel is finished. I'll be back by then."
"Why so soon?"
"After yesterday, it is imperative we know more about the miraculous. Tibet is the answer; the temple's reappearance would give us insights."
Her eyes drifted to the floor.
"I will be there for no longer than a month," she heard him as he came closer and lifted her chin with his fingers to look into her eyes. "I'll have the tracker on at all times and if you ever need me. No matter how trivial it is. I'll be there."
"How will you get back fast?" she asked softly.
He gave her a genuine smile then. "It'll be a surprise."
She smiled back. A surprise from her dad was always unexpected but was always great.
"I'll be going over to Marinette's again. We were interrupted yesterday," she said with a mock scowl.
He frowned at that.
"I'll be late if I don't leave soon," she said as she quickly stuffed the rest of her croissant in her mouth. "Try and get some sleep."
"Stay safe."
"I will." She kissed his cheek and left.
"So, you have a sister," said Alya sitting beside her on the chaise longue.
"Yeah, weird how that came to be," said Marinette.
"A twin sister from another world?" asked Alya with a raised eyebrow.
"Looks to be that way," said Marinette looking at the kwami who hovered playing around in her room.
"The possibilities are endless. Different dimensions exist. Different worlds maybe even parallel universes," said Alya excited going on about the multiple theories that existed.
It was a nice reprieve to just listen to Alya. It gave her a semblance of normalcy after her mind had gone off on multiple catastrophic thoughts.
Alya stopped as she took a closer look at Marinette. She sighed as she noticed Marinette looked so similar to the Marinette who ended up telling her she was Ladybug. "And how are you dealing with this?"
"My parents are my parents, Alya. They will always hold a special place in my heart even if we are not related. My sister lived a drastically different life. I don't know the details but I think our dad was separated from both of us," she said watching as Kaalki and Sass fought for control of her mouse.
"I don't know how much to tell her," said Marinette trailing off. "The éclair I made is for her. She's coming to see me again, the akuma yesterday cut off our first meeting."
"We've only just met. I want to introduce her to everyone and everything in my life but I don't want it to be overwhelming," she said then mumbled low enough for Alya not to hear, "she will need to know soon fate depends on it."
"It's up to you what pace you want to set Marinette. This is your little sister as you said and you've just started to get to know her. Give her and yourself time," consoled Alya.
"Yeah, I think I'll do that. No need to bring up anything unless it's necessary. Stay, I'll introduce you and let's go to the gardens. She doesn't know anyone in this world and I think my best friend will be a good start," she said with a wink.
"Can't stay, I've got one more stop," said Alya with a wink.
"Who?"
"Nino!" said Alya and they both laughed.
Nathalie was lost in thought as she kept looking over the pages of the Butterfly miraculous. It was peculiar that it showed four champions powered by Nooroo. There might be a possibility that Gabriel could akumatize more than one person without using the workaround they employed of Scarlet Moth. She sent a text to Gabriel who came in minutes later.
"What have you found Nathalie?" he asked.
"Nooroo, is it possible to empower multiple champions?" she asked waiting for the kwami to reveal itself.
Nooroo slowly appeared from where he was hiding. "It is possible but very draining and even dangerous to the holder. It is only used in dire circumstances and needs a strong disposition and will power."
"The limitations of a miraculous are only dependent on the holder themselves. How many more akuma can be in use at once?" she asked.
"The most any holder has done over the centuries is four," said Nooroo. "No one has been able to do more."
"And how many more amok can be in use at once?"
"I do recall once there were eight in use. The wielder died afterwards," he said looking towards Duusu who was lost in his own thoughts.
"Excellent theories Nathalie," commented Gabriel.
"Yes, but we will need to go slow. Start increasing the number one by one to test your limitations. Limitations depend on you but we don't want the increase to become too much at once," said Nathalie coughing at the end.
"Of course, it will need to well planned. I'll leave you to rest. Don't overexert yourself."
Marinette rushed down when the doorbell rang, giving a quick hug to both her parents. She opened the door to find Helena dressed in the outfit she had made. Her heart swelled with happiness at the sight.
"Helena! I'm glad you made it," said Marinette quickly. We should have all day together. What do you want to see? Ever been in Paris before? We can do the tourist tour or we can do the Marinette's special places tour?"
"The Marinette tour. Paris was my home, we lived in an apartment not far from the Louvre my um mother in a sense used to work there among other places she had fine tastes."
"You lived alone with your mother," asked Marinette confused.
"Yeah, she kind of retired from her other career mostly after she was entrusted with me so she dabbled in arts and jewels," said Helena.
"Okay how about you show me your places and I'll show you mine," said Marinette locking arms with Helena.
"That sounds great."
Before long they made it to the Jardin des Tuileries,
"Sometimes during her breaks, she would bring me here and we'd have lunch. We did some reading and then at the end play a little game called 'catch the chaton'" said Helena.
"Catch the chaton?" asked Marinette laughing thinking about what Chat Noir would say if she ever told him that.
"Maman loved cats and she would always call me kitten or chaton. It was a play on words."
She'd get along with her partner for sure thought Marinette. But the question that remained was what miraculous would suit Helena if she were to join her in whatever fate had in store. Her mind kept drifting back to that despite how much she just wanted to get to know her sister. She chose to look over the grounds instead imagining a little girl who looked just like her being chased around. It was a nice feeling and she wished they had been together playing the same games.
"Marinette, who are they?" asked Helena.
She turned to look in the direction Helena pointed.
"That's Kagami, one of my friends, her mother is a strong proponent of sword fighting and Kagami is very good. Let's go see them. I haven't seen Kagami in a while."
"Is she good?" asked Helena beside her.
"She's one of the best. She and Adrien get paired up often in their classes. Adrien is another of my friends from school."
They paused near a bench a few feet away from where mother and daughter were in an intense bout.
"Good." A blow was parried.
"Adequate." A lunge wasn't far enough.
"Better." The lunge came closer.
Kagami circled her mother to see Marinette and Helena.
"Marinette?" she asked.
"Salut Kagami, Bonjour Madame Tsurugi, we were taking a walk and saw you both. I want to introduce you both to my uh long lost sister. We connected very recently and this is Helena…," said Marinette quickly.
"Wayne, Helena Wayne, pleasure to meet you both Madame Tsurugi and Kagami," said Helena.
"Bonjour, do you wish to pause your lesson for today Kagami?"
"Yes, mother I'd like to meet Marinette's sister," said Kagami.
"Actually, if you don't mind Kagami, want to go for a round?" asked Helena.
"Helena," said Marinette concerned," are you sure Kagami is one of the best swordswomen in the country?"
"Don't worry Marinette, I'm decent enough at it," said Helena to her before addressing Kagami. "Don't hold back because I won't."
Kagami smiled. "Mother can she borrow your bokken?"
"Of course," said Madame Tsurugi holding out her bokken.
Helena took it gently. "Ready when you are."
"Ready," said Kagami.
Marinette wasn't sure what to expect when Helena offered to duel Kagami. She definitely wasn't prepared to be blown away at the speed and ferocity displayed. Helena wasn't just decent she was incredible. Kagami and Helena exchanged multiple blows and parries rapidly. It was like the fight with Adrien and Kagami but even more intense. It went on for a long time with both breathing hard.
"Enough," said Madame Tsurugi who had been listening. "It seems you have met your match Kagami. That will be all for today's practice you can spend the day with your friend and her sister. If you wish for any other day ask and it shall be granted."
"Merci, mother," said Kagami.
"Your bokken, madame," said Helena giving it back to her.
"I look forward to your future matches with my daughter. Perhaps you should enroll in D'Argencourt's Fencing Academy."
Helena looked at Marinette. "I can't madame. I'm really only here to get to know my sister anything extra will be on hold for now."
"A travesty, you have great promise," said Madame Tsurugi shaking her head before heading to her car. "Au revoir."
"That was incredible you never mentioned you knew sword fighting. You and Kagami were amazing to watch together. I couldn't keep my eyes off you two!" exclaimed Marinette giving them both hugs.
"It was an honor, Helena," said Kagami.
"Thanks for the bout. I haven't been able to let free in a long time, I enjoyed it a lot. We should do it again maybe even with real swords. My katana is at home right now."
Kagami raised an eyebrow at this. "I'll have to ask if mother will permit it."
"Sure, no problem."
"I'd like to be your friend as well," said Kagami hesitantly. "Marinette was my first friend here."
"That'd be great!" Marinette wrapped her in another hug. "Helena is new here and she only knows me and my parents and our father. What do you think Helena?"
"I'd like that too."
Extreme disappointment at the weather not being accurate. The little children so easily swayed by powerful negative emotions made his life so much easier. He went to Nathalie's room to see if she was well enough for them to begin exercising his power's limits.
"Catalyst, are you doing well?" he asked as she sat in her chair after being akumatized.
"Well enough, where's your other akuma?" asked Nathalie.
"Almost to the target," said Shadowmoth. This akuma simply wanted snow to fall soon so he could play and make a snowman with his little brother.
It was a good test run he didn't feel much drain on his powers. However, one akuma existed without being active. He'd have to find an opportune moment to unleash two akuma at once and see how it would go. Perhaps it would be best to unleash multiple akuma soon one after another and then do to at once. Tire out Ladybug and Chat Noir. Yes, that would be good and at long last he would finally have the means to bring back his dear wife.
The snowfall had been nice while it lasted. A cup of hot chocolate and Doudou Malin by her side but still some thoughts lingered. She had liked it when people especially Adrien adored her. Especially when it was her best friend from childhood. And despite her actions that made Ladybug not want her, she still thought Ladybug was so inspirational. She had loved it when Ladybug had saif she was adorable when Le Designator had targeted her,
The best feeling she ever had was when Ladybug and her were side to side against her father when he was akumatized. She had longed for that day for ages and it finally happened. On a certain level she knew Ladybug was right to keep her and her loved ones protected but for the first time she had felt wanted and needed. Not passed by or scorned but actually appreciated. She had meant something and was with the best person who entrusted her with a miraculous.
But when Ladybug never came back for her again. It hurt all the rejection and token lip service because of who she was came back in full and she hated it. She lashed out as she always did and maybe lost the one person who had no expectations of her.
"Mademoiselle would you like another cup?" asked Jean-Luc.
"No," she said. The snow was gone now.
"Jean-Pierre why do you think Ladybug barely ever gave me my miraculous."
"Mademoiselle?"
"It's okay Jean-Claude, I can bear it," she said with a sigh hoping he would be straight with her. He often was when she asked for it but sometimes he would defer to her position like everyone else in her life did.
"It was in mademoiselle's best interest to be kept away from the miraculous," he said. "There have been times where mademoiselle's family were directly targeted because of her identity being known. Ladybug was trying to protect you and those close to you," said Jean-Luc.
"Ladybug has always given a miraculous to unknown people and ever since ahem certain events occurred there hasn't been another holder present other than herself and Chat Noir."
Chloe thought over his words, she hadn't really considered what Ladybug had said in full but now that it was all laid out in front of her she understood why. All she wanted was to feel needed and wanted and just the fact that is was Ladybug who wanted her made her revel in the knowledge.
"Do you think," she paused, "that Ladybug would like me again?"
"Only time will tell mademoiselle, and it would be best if you reached out to her in secret."
She hated this so much, Jean-Jean had always helped her when she was a kid and even now. She remembered how his suggestions were such a struggle to follow. Her natural tendencies had always been to emulate her mother and it led to this. She resolved to try better this time for Adrien and… for Ladybug.
"Merci Jean-Jacques," she said dismissing him.
Marinette woke with a start, her pulse raced and her head hurt. She hadn't had that nightmare for a while now. Chat Blanc. It was devastating to think that they had fallen in love and the result was the destruction of the world. She shuddered remembering her poor chaton alone in a destroyed world with no hope. No Ladybug to fix the damage until she arrived from the past.
When she came back to the present she had to see him again to make sure he was okay. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir, she didn't want anything to happen to her reckless partner. She hated whenever he sacrificed himself to protect her. His loss no matter how temporary it was left her so alone. Every so often she would curl up in her chair up on the terrace with a mug of hot chocolate lost in her thoughts. She had the power to fix everything but she had made mistakes. Some mistakes couldn't be fixed by the miraculous cure like when she lost Master Fu.
Still he was her partner, the one who always lifted her confidence when she had self-doubts. The one she could always trust in all occasions without any hesitation. But it hurt every time her reckless partner fell in battle with such strong confidence it her. It devastated her knowing she was alone and she couldn't afford to mess up. She had to infallible at all times to finish the job no matter what. A fallen ladybug would be a disaster to Paris. She wondered if this was her fate. Her holding the tides of magic back from the era of darkness just so the future can be bright. She felt so tired with all the responsibilities and having to hide her life from everyone. Never being sure of who she truly was. To add to all that her newfound little sister had a part in whatever fate had in store and who knew where her newfound biological father who she still hadn't met yet would fall in this.
"Marinette, are you okay?" asked Tikki.
"I don't know, Tikki, I still have no leads on Papillon and who knows what's in the future," said Marinette rubbing her eyes. She wanted another cup of cocoa on her terrace now.
"It will be fine Marinette, the future is everchanging and everything cascades from actions in the present," said Tikki coming up to rub her cheek.
"Of course, Tikki. It'd be nice to have actual answers than guess work though."
It hadn't been expressly forbidden or even discouraged so she donned her stealth suit. It was a simple black ensemble with blue accents and a hood. She took inspiration from all her siblings for it. The simple black from Cass, blue accents from Dick, mask from Tim, and the hood from Jason.
Her plan was to watch Marinette and, in the evening, and if possible catch sight of Ladybug or Chat Noir. She had missed the recent akuma that existed a few days ago occupied with seeing her dad off at the airport.
She paced the roof and soon she found an optimal place in the shadows not too far away from Marinette's terrace. She had settled in for barely a few minutes when Marinette came up to the terrace with a steaming beverage looking lost in her thoughts. She wondered if something could be troubling her and if she would want to talk.
Her indecision was broken when she noticed she was playing with her communicator and made a snap decision to dial Marinette. She watched as Marinette turned to look closely at her phone and as her face changed to a hint of a smile before picking up.
"Helena, shouldn't you be asleep?" asked Marinette.
"Couldn't sleep," said Helena. "Why're you awake anyway?"
"Same as you, can't sleep."
"I can't sleep because Papa left the country for work. Have to make a living anyway especially since his daughters will spend every cent," said Helena chuckling at the end.
Marinette let out a small laugh, she still hadn't come to terms with the fact that her biological father existed and not only that but according to Helena would give her the world and then some if she wanted it.
"Can you tell me about your life in Gotham?" she asked hoping to know more about her other family.
Bruce sighed as he navigated the complex. The best times were at night when very few guardians would be out and about. He had disguised himself quite a bit to blend in as an acolyte in training.
During one of his nightly explorations, he found a large painting of someone looked so similar to Zatanna. Later when he inquired about the painting he heard the story of the Silent Guardian who watched over the miraculous in the beginning. She was the one of the first guardians and the most highly respected. Her power was great and she was rumored to be capable of wielding multiple miraculous at once.
During a conflict thousands of years ago, she disappeared with no trace leaving all of the miraculous that were in her care in a garden she had maintained for years. No one knew what became of her and her notes were subsequently sealed only for the highest guardians to peruse. The only thing mentioned about her was the legend of her return when times were dark.
It was only a matter of time to tail one of those guardians to get access to her notes and they now resided as copies on his phone. The miraculous had become more complicated than originally thought. This is why he despised magic, too many variables that either complimented or conflicted every time he found something new. He had catalogued some grimoires and many manuscripts that would need to be parsed through and understood.
Magic. He had never needed magic often. Gotham City had purely criminal challenges. Magic existed and executed barely during his long tenure as sentinel of his city. He had experts to rely on when dealing with magic. Zatanna, Dr. Fate, John Constantine, Deadman among others. His barebones knowledge of magical functions sufficed when needed. But now it was the one thing that both of his daughters would face. This knowledge frustrated him. Of all the things he could support his daughters against it had to be magical in nature. He still remembered the day Zatanna had died. Another old friend lost in the war. It was a brutal mission and of the twelve Justice League members that left only four had returned. Helena had been devastated, she was one of her favorite aunts and loved explaining magic to her. He hoped Helena had retained the playful lessons.
A few more days was all he needed to be sure he had everything necessary. Then he could return to the place he belonged the most beside his daughters.
Another night and an everlasting desire to roam the rooftops, Helena found herself again across from Marinette's terrace. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been seen often recently. She hadn't attempted to tail them yet. She would wait for her dad to return before meeting Ladybug. If they had information and gave it freely it would be greatly beneficial for a first meeting.
She had taken to following their exploits on the Ladyblog and whenever possible made her way to the actual sightings as a civilian. She had noticed a recent trend of there only being amoks causing destruction and putting people in harms way. Not only that but the frequency of the attacks kept increasing. She wondered just how well the protectors of Paris were faring these days.
There was a rumbling noise not too far from her and she abandoned her post where she felt somewhat close to her sister despite the distance. It didn't take long to find the source. An excavator gone haywire and an operator still stuck inside. The excavator kept tossing dirt and digging everywhere. It even ripped up the pavement and destroyed storefronts and some residential areas as it moved.
Moments after she had made it, Ladybug was on the scene. She hoped Ladybug didn't notice her hiding on the rooftop. She'd have to leave prior to the defeat of the new amok. Helena was surprised to see Ladybug yawn as she opened her yo-yo to call her partner.
It was bound to happen with the frequency of attacks and she hoped her dad would be back soon so they could meet Ladybug and Chat Noir. They had had a long discussion about the miraculous and events that would center around Ladybug and Chat Noir. What stayed in the back of their mind was what part Marinette would play in the conflict? Would it be similar to Helena in their home universe or be different? Multiple thoughts that plagued her mind constantly. Her sweet older sister should never have to be burdened with war and loss.
This encounter was short lived and both Parisian protectors departed quickly afterwards. Helena frowned. It seemed they were more reactive to the threats that Paris faced. It was understandable after all where can you find a person who barely ever reveals themselves.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review, like to hear your thoughts.