3

Floating Down this Miraculous River with You

Meditate on what attaches you to this world.

Guru Pathik- Avatar the Last Airbender

Ladybug arrived on the roof of Master Fu's building with Chat still holding onto her. As soon as they landed, he went down on his knees and clutched his stomach. He heaved and tried to vomit, but nothing came out. For a few moments his mouth remained open as he prepared for the nausea to reach its natural conclusion, but eventually the feeling passed. His body trembled as he remained in that position, staring at the bare cement below him. A few beads of cold sweat fell from his cheek. Everything inside him hurt. Everything inside him burned. He almost didn't notice the familiar hand of his partner touching his back.

"How…how bad is it?" she asked hesitantly.

"I feel hot," Chat answered as he turned and forced a smile, "and not in the sexy way."

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. He's still making bad jokes, she thought, there's still hope.

She gingerly helped him back to his feet and together they inched their way to the roof access door. Chat let himself be guided down the steps, not trusting himself to walk normally. It was only one flight of stairs, but his mind was in such a fog he wasn't sure if the walk took ten seconds or ten minutes. His vision was spotty and even faded to black for a moment or two. Before he knew it, he was staring at small wooden door. A wooden door that his partner opened without knocking.

"Master Fu!" she cried, carrying him inside a small room with a traditional Chinese aesthetic. "Chat Noir, he's…the monster poisoned him!"

The Guardian of the Miraculous sat cross-legged on the mat in the center of the room with the turtle kwami Wayzz floating at his side. Sprawled out haphazardly on the mat in front of him was a collection of scrolls and various books that had clearly seen better days. When Ladybug burst through the door, Master Fu dropped the ancient parchment he was reading and immediately rose to his feet. His mouth dropped slightly as he looked at Chat and quickly assessed the situation. He quickly turned to Ladybug, his face full of concern.

"Ladybug," he said slowly, "were…were you bitten as well?"

She shook her head. "No. These snakes were going to bite me and he," she paused as she looked down at Chat and lost her voice for a moment, "he…pushed me out of the way."

The panicked look on Master Fu's face relaxed a little. "I see. We are very lucky it was Chat and not you."

Chat Noir, who had been absentmindedly staring at the floor, lifted his head up upon hearing this. But even that amount of physical effort made his head spin. Another wave of paralyzing nausea gripped him, and he shut his eyes, praying it would pass soon. The Guardian's words reverberated through his feverish mind. They confirmed that he had made the right call. Even in his dire state, he managed a small smile.

I did my job, he thought, I protected Ladybug. Even if I don't make it through this, I wasn't useless.

Ladybug, on the other hand, was livid.

"How can you say that?!" she demanded as she stared down Master Fu in indignation. "Chat is NOT expendable! If anything, I need him now more than-"

Master Fu raised his hand and cut her off. "You misunderstand. The owner of the Black Cat miraculous is unique in that he can survive any type of poison from Shouwang. I do not mean that Chat is expendable. He is merely better equipped to deal with this attack in ways that you could not."

"W-what does that mean?" she asked.

Master Fu fetched a pillow and handed it to Ladybug. "Here, take him into the bathroom and let him lie down in the tub," he said before heading off to his kitchen, "all will be explained in due time, but first we need to heal him."

Fu disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ladybug to slowly move Chat down the hallway to the right of his dragon-themed record player. She opened the door to a small bathroom with golden wallpaper depicting repeating images of a traditional Confucian temple. After placing the pillow on the end opposite the faucet, she gingerly lowered her partner down and into the tub. He wheezed painfully and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes spinning in confusion. His throat burned.

"Water," he croaked at her, "Please."

Ladybug looked around frantically, immediately relieved to see a discarded cup on the sink. She washed it out and filled it to the brim with cold tap water. Kneeling next to Chat, she eased the cup toward his lips. His body trembled as he drank, and the liquid provided a cooling reprieve to the pain in his throat. He closed his eyes briefly and glanced at Ladybug in gratitude as he drained the glass.

"Oh chaton," she said as she touched his forehead again, "I know you've taken the bullet for me before but this…"

Ladybug lost her voice for a moment. She took a breath and whispered, "this is too much. Too much to see you like this."

Chat raised his eyebrows to see two small streams of tears coming out of his partner's eyes. His face lit up with sudden energy as he watched as Ladybug slowly break down and cry. She buried her head in his shoulder, wincing as she felt the fever burning from beneath his suit. She placed her hand on his chest and continued to sob.

"Master Fu, he can…he will save you. He said so, right? Because otherwise…"

She didn't finish her sentence. She bit her lip and grimaced before touching his cheek. In a hushed tone she said, "Don't leave me. Please. I can't lose you."

For a few seconds Chat wondered if the fever had gotten into his brain. He blinked several times as he watched his lady stifle back a sob. Her words bounced around his head, gaining momentum as he had time to process them. He leaned his head against the shower wall and stared back at her. His breathing was labored, his body ached, and the burning sensation in his torso and extremities was getting worse. Yet he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of warmth blossom in his chest. It was a pleasant, comforting feeling. For too long he had known little outside the cold confines of the Agreste mansion, where his father controlled him with a possessive, detached love. There was no affection there, not since his mother disappeared. To see his lady cry for him, to remind him that someone truly did love him, was enough to make his agony a little more bearable.

"My lady," he said as his voice grew hoarse, "I promised not to leave your side. I won't break my promise."

Ladybug managed a smile and touched Chat's hand, which was resting on the tub. "I'm holding you to that promise."

At that moment Master Fu opened the bathroom door, carrying a test tube full of a pink liquid in his left hand and various other objects tucked under his right arm.

"I'm ready now. Chat will need to de-transform for the healing process to occur," he explained. "Please wait in the hallway."

Ladybug took one last look at her ailing kitty and sighed. Slowly and reluctantly, she rose to her feet and left the room. Fu closed the door behind her and knelt down at the foot of the tub. Chat opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by an intense burning in his thigh that quickly spread to his torso and neck. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying out.

"We must do this quickly," Fu said, his expression grave. "De-transform. Now."

Chat nodded in agreement. "Plagg. Claws in."

A greenish light enveloped him as Chat Noir evaporated into Adrien Agreste. He looked down and gasped to see that the cold sweat from the venom had soaked his chest. His heart skipped a beat as he glanced down at his arms, horrified at the unnatural paleness of his skin. Above him Plagg circled, looking down at his chosen. Adrien made eye contact with his kwami, who met his gaze with a dispassionate and possibly troubled stare. The tiny black cat quickly turned away and folded his arms against his chest. He muttered something under his breath that Adrien couldn't hear.

Fu gently handed him the test tube. "Drink this. It will help alleviate the burning."

Adrien obeyed, sucking down the thick pink liquid as fast as he reasonably could. It tasted bitter and sour like a grapefruit that wasn't ripe yet. But any lingering distaste he experienced disappeared as the elixir quickly started to ease the inferno raging in his throat and chest. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was that the cure?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not" Master Fu replied. "That potion merely takes the edge off and makes the actual healing a little easier. Where did Shouwang bite you?"

"In the thigh," he said, pointing to the area slightly above his hip.

"You will have to remove your pants then."

Adrien acquiesced, removing his jeans and tossing them to the other side of the tub. Given his feverish state of mind and the urgency of the situation, modesty was the least of his concerns. Plus, he was a teenage model. It wasn't the first time he had to strip down in front of people.

Once his pants were off, he rolled up his boxers to see the wound…and immediately regretted it. Two deep puncture wounds the color of dark crimson marked the area of the bite. Radiating out from the bite marks were scarlet lines that traced his veins and pulsed with venom like a sickly heartbeat. Even worse, the lines were already spreading down his calf muscle. Adrien swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to suppress his increasingly panicked thoughts.

"It's red," Master Fu observed as he stroked his beard, "Good. It seems Shouwang didn't intend to kill you this time. Only make you suffer."

How the hell is that good news?! Adrien's mind shouted in protest.

"The recovery period from the red venom is much shorter than the black," Fu answered, as if he anticipated Adrien's question.

Plagg floated closer to the wound, examining it without any visible emotion in his face. He sighed and turned to the Guardian. "Yeah I can fix this one no problem."

"Then let's not waste any time," Master Fu said before handing Adrien a small rolled-up piece of hard leather. "Here. Bite down on this."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Um…why?"

"I don't want to alarm my neighbors."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I said I could heal you," Plagg stated with a visible eye roll. "I didn't say it wouldn't hurt. Trust me, you're going to want to bite down on that."

Adrien's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait hold on, what exactly are you about to-?"

He was cut off by another spasm of burning agony that ripped violently through his abdomen and up to his head. He whimpered as he opened his eyes and saw that his vision was spinning again. The pink elixir he drank was doing little to stop it.

Screw it, he thought in resignation, it can't be as bad as this.

He stuffed the leather in his mouth and motioned for Plagg to go ahead. His kwami took a deep breath and clasped his paws together. He shut his eyes and began chanting in a language Adrien didn't recognize. Fu rubbed a green herbal paste over the wound and lit a sage smudge stick. He then flicked his wrist to all four corners of the room, spreading the burning sage's pungent aroma everywhere. The kwami's chanting intensified and Adrien winced as he felt the muscles in his thigh tingle strangely. Plagg opened his mouth wide and a stream of scarlet red energy began escaping from his chosen's thigh.

At the same time Adrien's face went taut from shock as something akin to a red-hot iron seared into the exposed flesh of his thigh. That shock lasted only a split second before he screamed against his leather gag as the pain overwhelmed him. His eyes watered and he clawed the shower wall, thrashing in the tub like a rabid animal. The hellish stream of venom continued to exit his thigh and Plagg continued to consume it, appearing totally immersed in the ritual. Adrien inhaled sharply through his nose before screaming again. Outside the bathroom, Ladybug covered her mouth as she heard her partner's muffled cries of anguish. Unable to listen any longer, she covered her ears and silently prayed that Chat's suffering would be over soon.

Fortunately, she soon got her wish. The screaming from the bathroom started to gradually die down. Inside, Plagg finished off the last of the venom before exhaling. That exhale was shortly followed by a loud belch. Adrien slumped in the tub, sweating, exhausted, and relieved that it was done. He laid his head against the shower wall, taking in slow and deep breaths. As he slowly came back to himself, he noted that the monstrous fever and the severe symptoms associated with it were gone. In its place was a growing wave of fatigue which dulled his elation of being liberated from the poison.

Master Fu placed a full glass of water by the foot of the tub. "Transform again when you are ready."

Adrien nodded half-heartedly as Fu exited the room, closing the door behind him. He encountered Ladybug in the hallway, who was pacing back and forth. As soon as he appeared, she looked at the Guardian, eyes full of concern.

"He will be okay, but he will be quite weary after that ordeal," he explained, "please sit on the mat. I've moved the scrolls and ancient texts aside. Chat Noir will join you in a moment. I will make tea."

Ladybug took another glance at the closed bathroom door. She unconsciously took a step toward it.

"Chat Noir is not transformed yet," Fu cautioned, "please give him a moment to recover for now. I promise that he is no longer in danger."

"But his…screaming," she said quietly.

"Unfortunately, that was unavoidable. The black cat miraculous can absorb Shouwang's venom, but the power of destruction is not something that can heal cleanly and painlessly. I will go into more detail soon, but right now I have a pot of tea to attend to."

The Guardian excused himself to the kitchen, leaving Ladybug in the hallway. She paused for a moment before walking to the mat and sitting down. Shortly after she did so, she heard the familiar noise of transformation coming from behind her. She turned her neck to see Chat slowly walking to the main room. Without a word he stepped onto the mat and laid down, groaning and muttering something under his breath.

"Chat," she said as she laid a hand on his shoulder, "you're okay."

"'Okay' is a strong word my lady. Plagg definitely did his job but I really don't want to go through that again."

Ladybug lowered her head. "That sounded so awful."

"It was," Chat answered, "but if what he's saying is true, then I made the right call. If I can recover from this monster's poison and you can't, then I'm glad I pushed you out of the way."

Ladybug's face fell and she stared down at the mat. She wiped a tear off her mask and sighed softly. His words were no doubt meant to cheer her up, to reaffirm what she meant to him. But they didn't. The sight of Chat convulsing and trembling in the alleyway was still fresh in her mind. So too was the fear that she might lose him. And yet here he was, affirming that he did the right thing without a trace of regret on his face. It was unsettling, but a part of her knew she shouldn't be surprised. Time and time again he had taken hits for her, absorbing the brunt of an akuma attack to give her time to save the day. It had become accepted practice, just part of the routine. He couldn't cleanse the akumas, so sometimes he had to be the punching bag, and Ladybug had just accepted that. Perhaps the Miraculous Ladybug power had subconsciously convinced her that it was a necessary part of their teamwork. If she could reverse the damage, she reasoned, then his sacrifices would only be temporary.

She could no longer tolerate that excuse. Not after tonight. This enemy was far too power, far too dangerous for Chat to be so reckless for her sake. His feelings toward her, feelings she could not return, could quite literally be the death of him. And if he could survive Shouwang's poison, then it was likely he would strive to be her shield even more. Even if the venom didn't kill him, the damage to Bunnyx's body was more than enough evidence that their enemy could kill him in other ways. Chat had to be aware of this fact, but his prior statement showed no wavering in his determination to protect her.

Does he really see himself as expendable? she asked herself.

"I meant what I said earlier," she told him, still facing the floor, "about it being too much to see you in that much pain. So I beg you, don't carelessly throw yourself in front of me just because you might live through it. You are not expendable. Got it?"

Chat blinked several times, taken aback by her command. She faced him, her expression firm and resolute. The proverbial cat caught his tongue and he struggled to form words. He had assumed she would appreciate that he was willing to go through that hell for her, but she had suddenly turned the tables on him. He may have saved her from the snakes' poison but in so doing caused her a different kind of pain. One that she did not want to go through again. A guilty weight pressed against his chest, and he tried to sit up to face her at eye level. He immediately felt dizzy and laid back down, choosing instead to tilt his head toward her.

"Ladybug," he began, "I-"

He was quickly cut off as Master Fu entered the room and placed a tray containing a tea pot and three porcelain cups on the floor. The Guardian carefully poured the tea into each one and offered two of them to the heroes. Chat took a deep breath and slowly managed to sit up with much more caution than before.

"On to business then," Fu said as he set the teapot down, "I'm sure you have many questions."

"I could think of a few," Ladybug admitted.

Fu picked up his cup and stared down at the reddish-orange liquid. "To be brief, Shouwang is the enemy of the original Ladybug and Chat Noir and the reason the Miraculouses were created in the first place."

He took a sip before continuing. "Much of the story has been lost to time, despite the best efforts of the Order of the Guardians to uncover it. But we do know that thousands of years ago, in ancient China, a cruel trick was played on a goddess. A shape-shifting demon approached her in the form of her divine husband, and they made love."

This bit of information made the two heroes share an uncomfortable look. Fu went on.

"Nine months late the monstrous child was born, and the ruse was discovered. Disgusted, the gods cast him down to Earth to perish. But the god-demon hybrid did not die. Somehow, he survived to become a legendary warrior, whose supernatural power earned him the favor of the lords of Southern China. Eventually he discovered his true origins and demanded that he be allowed back into heaven as an equal. The Jade Emperor flatly refused."

Fu placed his teacup back on the tray and closed his eyes for a moment. "Enraged at the gods, his true demonic origins began to manifest in the form of a monstrous hunger. He began to eat the flesh of his fallen enemies in battle. When that was no longer enough, the southern warlords offered him the bodies of ordinary people to quench his cannibalistic craving. As the number of human sacrifices grew, so too did his power. Divine warriors were sent to eliminate him, but at that point even the gods couldn't stop him. At the same time his barbaric crimes morphed him into a truly terrifying animal monstrosity, which earned him the name Shouwang."

"The Beast King," Chat translated, catching Ladybug by surprise.

"Correct," Fu replied. "The situation only worsened when the Jade Emperor discovered that Shouwang had infiltrated heaven in a disguised form and stolen the gourds of heavenly wine, which made the demon immortal. His other options exhausted, the ruler of heaven commissioned a human mage to create objects of great power for worthy mortals which would be bound to the kwamis, the sprite creatures of heaven."

"Our miraculouses," Ladybug said as she touched her earrings.

Fu nodded and picked up his teacup again. "Together the first heroes and the gods defeated Shouwang. But unable to kill an immortal being, they were forced to seal him in a mountain for millennia."

"Except he didn't say there," Chat concluded.

Fu nodded gravely and sipped on his tea. "No magic has been able to bury him permanently. Multiple Ladybugs and Chat Noirs throughout human history have faced him and sealed him away, only for him to escape again after several centuries and start the battle all over again. It has been a vicious cycle for miraculous holders, one that I thought was broken after the last time a past version of yourselves battled him."

"Plagg mentioned something about how he thought they had gotten rid of him last time," Chat said as he tapped his teacup. "What happened last time?"

Master Fu held up his hand as a gesture asking for patience. "I will get to that in a minute. First I must be honest with you and explain the true threat Shouwang poses to you both."

Ladybug glanced over nervously at Chat, who met her look with an uneasy expression of his own. Reluctantly she turned back to Master Fu and said, "He wants to kill us."

"More specifically, he wants to eat you."

The room became deathly quiet. His throat suddenly dry, Chat drank his tea and tried to steady his breathing. Ladybug stared down blankly at her tea as her hands shook slightly. She took a deep breath.

Keep it together Marinette, she told herself, keep it together.

Taking a moment to calm her nerves, she asked, "Why? Why would this monster want to do…that to us?"

"He wants what he has always wanted," Fu replied, "to become a god and to be worshipped as such. But he also wants vengeance on the miraculous heroes, you two in particular, for thwarting that goal repeatedly. Many centuries ago, he found a way to accomplish both goals at the same time. With every hero he consumed, his power grew, elevating him closer to godhood. We do not know exactly how many he needs to reach his goal, but the Guardians have always theorized that he needs to consume the holders of all seven of the most powerful miraculouses to become a god. Fortunately, he has never managed to get all seven at once, and it appears every time he is sealed away or buried, he must start over again."

"What about the Zodiac miraculouses?" Ladybug asked.

"This is just speculation, but it was commonly believed that eating two Zodiac heroes could count for one of the seven main miraculouses."

"Bunnyx," Ladybug said softly as she lowered her head.

"You mentioned her on the phone," Fu stated as he scratched his beard in thought. "We should get in contact with her as soon as possible. She could be a vital ally."

Ladybug bit her lip and winced as the Guardian looked at her expectantly. Chat placed his hand on her shoulder. She gave him a half-smile of gratitude and raised her left hand to touch his. Sighing, she calmly explained the sequence of events that made them late and had resulted in Chat's violent poisoning at the hands of Shouwang.

Fu listened in silence until Ladybug finished. Wayzz, who had been lingering in the kitchen up till now, suddenly emerged and hovered near his master. The little green kwami lowered his head and whispered something to the Guardian that the other heroes didn't hear. Fu hardly reacted to the gesture. His troubled gaze remained distant, detached from his surroundings. His hands trembled slightly as they rested on his knees.

"I see," he said quietly, finally breaking the silence, "then Shouwang has already claimed his first victim."

He stood up and immediately headed toward the kitchen. "No time to lose then. We must perform the ritual."

"Ritual? What ritual?" Ladybug asked.

The clattering of pots and other miscellaneous items in the kitchen was the only response she received. The bug themed hero turned to Chat, who merely shrugged in confusion. Moments later Fu reemerged, carrying a black cauldron full of herbs and various bottles of spices. He walked to the back of the room and carefully removed the antique record player from the table, setting it down on the floor. Placing the cauldron in its place, Fu went to work concocting the recipe. He periodically glanced at his phone, studying the photo of ancient instructions intently.

"Master Fu?" Ladybug pressed, "what is this ritual going to do?"

"And please tell me it's a lot less painful than the last one," Chat added nervously.

The Guardian waved his hand in slight annoyance as he tried to concentrate. "Memory navigation spell. Your miraculouses contain fragments, traces of memory from the previous owners. If I do this correctly, you will be able to see the last battle a Chat Noir and Ladybug had with Shouwang. And…" he said before looking over his shoulder to face them, "and gain insight on how he may be defeated in the present."

Ladybug blinked several times, appearing momentarily stunned. "That…that's great news!" she exclaimed as she clenched her fists in excitement. "That's just what we need!"

"Agreed. That sounds a lot better than screaming bloody murder in a bathtub," Chat said before staring at his hand with a puzzled expression on his face. "Though I have to ask, can't I just use my Cataclysm on him and be done with it? My power can destroy anything."

"Yes and no," Fu replied as he continued adding the ingredients.

"Come again?"

The Guardian sighed and glanced at Wayzz, who nodded in understanding. The kwami floated toward them and said, "Shouwang is a creature of destruction, much like your kwami. Pure destruction cannot annihilate what is also pure destruction. If you used Cataclysm on him, it would destroy him, but only temporarily. At best, you would have a week or two before he reformed. The fact that he is an immortal being now does not help either."

Chat furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his teeth. "So he has an infinite respawn ability? You've got to be kidding me!"

"But," Wayzz added, "that also works in your favor. His venom can hurt you, but as long as Plagg heals you, it won't be able to kill you."

"I'm assuming that doesn't work for me though," Ladybug guessed.

Wayzz solemnly shook his head. "Only the holder of the black cat miraculous can endure all of Shouwang's poison. If you got infected with the red venom, Plagg could cure you, but you would be terribly sick for a while. But if you are exposed to the black venom, you would not be able to survive, even with Plagg's help."

Ladybug swallowed uncomfortably and lowered her head. "Good to know."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Fu said, still focused on the task at hand, "you will have to de-transform for the spell to work."

Ladybug's eyes grew as wide as saucers and Chat felt a twinge of sudden excitement pulse through his mind. His partner's hands reached toward her mask defensively.

"Master!" she protested, "you of all people know we can't reveal our secret identities to each other. You've said so yourself."

Chat cleared his throat and placed his right hand over his chest. "And while I would love to know my lady's identity, now is neither the time nor the place."

"How…surprisingly mature of you Chat," Ladybug said as she folded her arms and eyed her partner suspiciously.

"But of course," Chat purred as he craned his neck and shot Ladybug a devious grin. "If we are going to reveal our identities, it has to be done right. You know, a moonlit dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower, a few candles scattered about, some music to set the mood, a bottle of wine-"

"A bottle of wine?" Ladybug repeated incredulously.

"What? I can snag one," he said as he winked at her. "No one knows how old we are. And besides, this is France after all."

His partner groaned and rolled her eyes. One end of her lip curled upwards, betraying a slight smile. "I'll give you one thing Chat; you have a very active imagination."

"And I would advise you to use yours Ladybug," Fu chimed in as he pounded some herbs together and added them to the cauldron, "I never said you had to reveal your identities to each other, just that you needed to be de-transformed."

Ladybug looked around, scratching her head. "So how are we supposed to…oh that's it!"

"What's it?" Chat asked.

She pointed to a wooden room divider that was folded up in one corner of the room near the front door. Chat quickly gathered her intention as she drew an imaginary line across the mat. He scratched the back of his head as he felt his heart rate increase again.

"Uh sure," he voiced in agreement as shrugged his shoulders, "second time in one day. Why not?"

The pair rose to their feet, Chat far more slowly than Ladybug, and gently carried the room divider to the mat. They carefully extended it until the mat was evenly split with both heroes now having a space for privacy. The top and bottom part of the furniture piece was made of solid Chinese rosewood, but the middle section contained a tightly woven layer of white fabric decorated with repeating images of cherry blossoms. They took a moment to look at each other through the partially translucent material.

"Can you see me?" Ladybug asked.

"Just your shadow, nothing more," Chat assured her, "which is a shame because you won't be able to see me in my full handsome glory."

Ladybug snorted in laughter. "I think I'll live minou."

The two sat back down in their respective spots. Ladybug took a deep breath.

"Spots off," she said.

"Claws in," Chat said a second later.

As their transformations gave way, Adrien felt overwhelmed by a sudden wave of exhaustion. Before he knew what was happening, his face collided with the mat.

"Chat?" Marinette asked as she pressed her hand against the white fabric of the divider. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…fine," he mumbled into the mat. "Apparently I feel the side effects of Plagg's delightful cure more as my normal self."

His kwami grumbled in annoyance. "You're welcome you ungrateful piece of-"

"Plagg! Hush!" a high-pitched voice interrupted from above Adrien's head.

Adrien titled his head up to see a floating red creature with black spots glaring daggers at his kwami. For a brief moment he thought his weary mind was playing tricks on him, until realization kicked in and he suddenly felt wide awake. He pushed himself off the mat and stared at Plagg's new companion.

"You," he stated in surprise, "you're her kwami."

The little sprite smiled awkwardly and extended her tiny arm toward him in a gesture of greeting. "I don't think we've formally met. My name is Tikki and yes, I am Ladybug's kwami."

Unable to shake her hand (arm?) Adrien lightly touched the kwami's outstretched limb. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Ladybug wanted me to check to make sure you were okay. And don't worry. Just like Plagg hasn't told you about her, I haven't told her your identity."

"Um…thank you," he said, rubbing his arm as he looked away.

But again, she's the one that wants to keep our identities hidden from each other, he thought, and of course Plagg hasn't told me anything, the little asshole.

Plagg moved in between Adrien and Tikki to get the latter's attention. "Sucrette," he said with a solemn expression, "may I have a word with you?"

Tikki momentarily blinked in confusion but ultimately nodded in understanding. They flew towards one of the back rooms. As they passed by Master Fu, Wayzz attempted to follow, but Plagg wheeled around and gave him a spiteful look that stopped the green kwami in his tracks.

"In private," Plagg clarified with a hiss.

Wayzz floated several paces backwards, recoiling from Plagg's aggressive rejection of his presence. Tikki glanced at the black cat in disapproval but he ignored it and disappeared into Fu's bedroom. She shook her head for a moment before joining him.

With their kwamis gone, Adrien and Marinette sat in silence for several minutes while the Guardian continued to work. He added a healthy amount of ginseng to the concoction and appeared pleased as the cauldron started to bubble.

"We should be able to proceed with the spell in two minutes," he declared with confidence.

Without warning a red mushroom cloud emerged from the top of the pot and erupted in a thunderous explosion, knocking a small hole in the ceiling. Adrien clutched his chest with his right hand and wheezed out a strangled breath of shock while Marinette dug her fingers into the mat with her face frozen in panic from the sudden jolt. The room divider wobbled precariously, and she had to catch it before it fell on her. Master Fu stared dumbstruck as he rubbed some soot from off his bald scalp and glanced up at the hole in his ceiling.

"Ten minutes," he corrected himself with a cough, before muttering something about too much ginseng.

Sacre bleu, Marinette thought as she pushed the divider back up and tried to control her breathing, haven't I gone through enough moments of terror for one day?!

"Master," Adrien gasped, his face still pale from fright, "are you sure this spell is not going to hurt?"

Fu cleared his throat and rubbed his neck. "O-Of course not. This was just a minor hiccup," he assured them as some small fragments of dry wall fell on top of him, "it is not supposed to explode."

"'Not supposed to' doesn't exactly fill us with confidence right now," Marinette replied as she turned to face him.

After more assurances that his second attempt would more than likely not explode, the pair fell quiet again. A few minutes later Tikki and Plagg returned to their respective chosens. Tikki affectionately nuzzled against Marinette's face. Though the red kwami smiled, there was a nervous twitch in her antennas that did not escape her confidant's attention. Plagg merely tapped Adrien with his tail and grunted.

"Cheese," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Cheese," he repeated in a fouler tone than before.

Adrien rolled his eyes and gave him a piece of Camembert from inside his jacket. Plagg greedily devoured the morsel and then continued to glare at his chosen.

"Cheese," he demanded again.

"I just gave you cheese!" Adrien protested.

"More cheese," Plagg specified, his voice lowering in impatience.

Adrien muttered a few choice words under his breath and fetched another piece for his kwami, who promptly consumed it with the same speed as before. On the other side of the divider Marinette put a hand to her mouth and snickered.

"Plagg, you're going to bankrupt my partner if you keep demanding that much expensive cheese from him."

The black cat chuckled as he rubbed his tiny gut in satisfaction. "Bankrupt him…that's a good one."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Why is that so funny?"

Plagg thought over her question for a moment and then gave Adrien a mischievous look. A look that quickly made the blonde teenager's eyes widen in alarm.

"Oh…nothing," the cat purred in fake innocence.

"Plagg," Adrien warned.

"Just that my boy here is rich," Plagg announced without hesitation.

"PLAGG!" he practically shouted in outrage.

The kwami hummed to himself shamelessly while Adrien lowered his eyebrows, attempting to resist the urge to strangle him. Fu turned around and likewise scowled at the pint-sized harbinger of destruction in annoyance. Marinette on the other hand, appeared genuinely surprised.

"Chat, I always pictured you as more of an alley cat, not an aristocat."

Adrien took a deep breath and folded his hands together in thought. "Okay, first of all, fantastic pun. I've taught you well. Second, there are lots of things you don't know about me. I'm full of surprises. Surprises that I would be more than happy to share with you personally someday," he went on as he aimed another spiteful gaze towards Plagg, "and not have them revealed prematurely from my blabbermouth of a kwami."

Marinette scratched underneath Tikki's chin. "Well, we can't always be so lucky with the kwamis we get. But you really are wealthy?"

Adrien coughed and rubbed the back of his neck as he pondered his words. "We're…comfortable."

Plagg immediately burst out laughing, much to the young model's chagrin. "Comfortable? More like mansion level rich. His room is practically the size of a gymnasium!"

Adrien pulled his kwami downward by the tail. Through clenched teeth he delivered a simple command: "Shut. Up."

Tikki's head phased through the divider. In echo of Adrien's prior statement, she motioned for the cat to zip his loose lips. Plagg remained unfazed as he slowly floated towards the red bug. After making sure Adrien couldn't see his lips moving, he mouthed the words, "What? I'm doing them a favor."

"We talked about this!" she shouted back at him silently, "We cannot interfere! If it's going to happen, it has to happen naturally."

At the back of the room a smaller and much tamer mushroom cloud appeared above Fu's bubbling cauldron. The Guardian beamed in excitement and inhaled the brew's aroma. Satisfied with the smell, he took three small droppers from the table and filled them with the liquid. He then put on a gauze mask over his mouth and nose.

"I'm ready to begin," he announced

He lit four pairs of incense sticks and placed each one of them in one of the four cardinal directions of the room. The air soon began to fill with a pleasant and deeply soothing aroma. A small cloud of pinkish-purple smoke diffused around them. As Marinette and Adrien breathed in the smoke, an unnatural calmness overtook them. A peaceful, almost dazed look manifested on their faces. They swayed slightly and found themselves lying contentedly on the mat.

Marinette giggled as her eyelids began to feel heavy, "He he…minou…I feel…a little sleepy."

"So do I," Adrien responded as his body almost went catatonically still, "Very tired. Too much poison, too much screaming. Gonna sleep now."

He quickly achieved that objective as he fell limp on the mat and descended into a deep slumber. Master Fu approached him and released a few drops on his ring. Passing to the other side, he put a little of the same liquid onto Marinette's earrings. The owner of the Ladybug Miraculous still teetered on the edge of consciousness and sleep. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she attempted to remember something.

"What…what are we going to see again?" she asked in a dispassionate yawn.

"The last battle between a Ladybug and a Chat Noir and the demon Shouwang," he answered as he stood up from placing the drops on her earrings. "Relax and let the river of memories carry you there."

Marinette rolled over to her side as her eyes closed with sudden fatigue. Tikki patted her head as her breathing grew deeper. Her consciousness faded to black as sleep soon claimed her.

Ψ

For a while Marinette neither felt nor heard anything. Her eyes could see nothing but inky blackness in all directions. It made no difference whether she closed her eyes or opened them; either way she was blind to the abyss that engulfed her. Then she realized she was moving, being carried by some sort of current. She stretched her hand out and encountered a non-solid surface that was cool and wet on her fingertips.

Water, she reasoned, I'm floating.

As she drifted along through the void toward an unknown destination, a slight shimmer of light manifested around her. She turned to her right and left to find its source, only to realize that she was the source. She watched in astonishment as her arms lit up with a reddish, pulsating glow. Looking down, Marinette could see the light spread until it filled the physical outline of her body. Black spots emerged on her translucent skin and began to move about her body, following the flow of the crimson light within her. She attempted to touch one of them, only to discover that her fingers fazed through her skin. Perplexed, she attempted to touch her face and felt a pang of unease as her hand passed through her own cheek.

My body's…not solid, she concluded in speechless amazement, is this supposed to happen? Am I a ghost? Oh God, am I dead?!

She sat up, unsure how she could do so and still be floating. She attempted to call out to Tikki, only to find that no sound would come out of her throat. Her thoughts raced in alarm as she tried to speak, only to find that she had been rendered totally mute. Now terribly anxious, Marinette desperately looked in all directions for her kwami. But it was a fruitless search. There was nothing and no one in sight. Nothing but seemingly infinite blackness and the faint sound of water below her. A second, more troubling thought entered her thoughts.

Am I…all alone? She asked herself as her mind started to panic.

Not alone…a voice answered from far away.

Marinette turned and peered in the direction of the sound. Far in the distance a faint green light materialized and slightly illuminated the thick blackness of the void. At first the light appeared impossibly far away. Then, something akin to an invisible tether grabbed hold and pulled her closer. She moved forward along the current while steadily closing the distance between her and the only other light in the abyss. Gradually the glow coalesced into a human shape. That's when she saw him. He was a majestic swirl of green and golden yellow. He wore no mask, but the illumination of his body obscured any attempt to discern facial features. But he still possessed the wild, unkept hair and devilish grin she was all too familiar with.

Chat? her thoughts asked.

The one and only, he replied. Looks like I can't speak either, but luckily for you my thoughts are loud and clear.

She looked down at what he was wearing, which it turned out wasn't much. Even with his somewhat blinding aura, she could tell he was shirtless with some sort of cloth towel tied around his waist. Marinette cleared her throat and looked away.

You're uh…not wearing much…clothing, her mind reluctantly informed him.

I'm aware, he replied before glancing to the side away from her, and I'm not sure how to tell you this but…

He pointed and Marinette looked down to get a closer look at her outfit. In a similar vein to Chat, she had a cloth wrapped around her chest and a skirt-like garment that ended midway down her thighs. The important parts were covered, but her apparel left very little to the imagination. She yelped in surprise and covered her chest and groin area with her arms. She groaned in embarrassment and knew with certainty that she would have turned as red as a tomato if she wasn't already that color.

Dah! I'm half-naked! What is with this skimpy getup?!

Adrien gazed upward, attempting to respect her modesty, and shrugged. I mean, it's really no different from a swimsuit, he argued. Not that big of a deal.

I feel exposed, she whined. How is me being in this state a necessary part of the ritual?

I'm in the same boat as you, he reminded her.

Then why aren't you embarrassed?! You're barely wearing more than a loincloth! she observed.

Adrien paused for a moment and considered his next response carefully. He quickly realized he needed a good excuse for his lack of discomfort. 'Because I'm a teen model and I've posed semi-nude before' didn't seem like a good explanation secret identity-wise. His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to stall for time.

Well…you see…I

Oh, I see, Marinette cut him off as she folded her arms across her chest (which was slightly problematic given her intangible body), you wanted to show off to try to impress me didn't you?

Adrien waved his hands in front of him. No, no! That's not it at all!

Marinette leaned forward and pointed an accusatory index finger at him. You listen here Chat. Just because you're shirtless and glowing, don't expect me to swoon over your…your…

Her sentence trailed off as she looked down and her mouth went slightly agape. Her eyes widened as they focused on his well-toned chest and arms. His athletic physique drew the attention of her gaze like a moth to a flame. She swallowed nervously as she noticed how well his glowing blonde hair complemented his muscular shoulders and torso. A jittery sensation spread through her gut and down to her knees as her focus shifted downward toward his abdominal muscles. Heat rose to her face as she attempted not to gawk at his abs which seemed to rival classical Greek statues in their level of perfection. Marinette's face stiffened and she forced herself to look away. She had certainly expected Chat to be in good shape from their routine battle with akumas. She even thought it was possible for him to be generally attractive outside of his cat suit. But she certainly did not expect him to look so…

Beautiful…she admitted in embarrassment.

Said embarrassment turned to outright horror when she noticed Chat staring at her dumbfounded and quickly realized that thought was not kept to herself. Her hands latched on to her head as she desperately tried to think of a way out of that unfortunate blunder. Meanwhile, Adrien shook his head, trying to make sure he had heard her correctly.

Did…you just call me…?

It was the lighting! Marinette's thoughts suddenly blared as she turned to face him again. The light, your light…playing tricks with me…nothing more. And whatever crazy kind of incense Master Fu used. Must have messed with my mind.

Marinette braced herself for Chat's victorious boasting over her unfortunate slip. She groaned internally as she imagined the deluge of awful cat puns that would assail her. But none came. She cautiously glanced in his direction, expecting to be greeted with a merde-eating grin. Instead what she found was her golden glowing partner opening his mouth several times but failing to form words.

Truth be told, Adrien did want to dive into a flurry of triumphant flirting and puns, but he was distracted by the sudden pounding in his chest. A tingling sensation passed through his ethereal body that he could neither explain nor suppress. What he did know with certainty was that one word from his lady had rendered him speechless. The fact that she was quite literally radiating a beautiful shade of red while self-consciously averting his gaze didn't help either. The brave and bold Ladybug he had always known now appeared adorably bashful, and his brain was now overheating from the shock. That in combination with her somewhat revealing outfit made it hard for him to breathe, much less speak.

Incense…his brain finally uttered as he tried not to stare…yes that's it. Must have messed with my head too.

For a moment the two heroes merely stared at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say next. Nothing they had done before, no enemy they had faced before, had prepared them for this scenario. An akuma tearing apart Paris? They could handle that in their sleep. Finding themselves half-naked, glowing, lost in some otherworldly abyss, and able to read each other's thoughts? There was no protocol for that.

Adrien was the first to break the silence. Your hair is down…

What?

No um…pigtails…this time, he responded, scratching the top of his head as he tried not to marvel at her beautiful shoulder-length dark hair.

Marinette attempted to touch the back of her head, only for her hand to pass through hair. She grunted in frustration and sighed. I'll have to take your word for it.

Adrien, having recovered partial control over his senses, managed a slight chuckle. It looks nice, he assured her. And while I can't really tell who you are, he stated before performing a dramatic bow, it is a privilege to finally meet you unmasked my lady.

Marinette put a hand over her mouth to suppress a snicker. Likewise.

As Chat prepared to finish his bow, a small object in the water brushed up against his forehead. He opened his eyes to see a small shining red orb with black dots bobbing up and down near his feet. Curiosity piqued, he picked up the object which fit perfectly into his palm.

What's this?

It matches my earrings, Marinette observed. She looked around and drew in a surprised breath before pointing behind them. Look! There's more of them.

Adrien turned to see dozens of small orbs following the current at a slightly faster pace than them. Half of them resembled the red orb he was holding, while the other half were black and displayed a golden yellow paw print. He recognized it instantly.

The symbol on my ring, he concluded. It's my miraculous.

Both of our miraculouses, Marinette added as she eyed the red orb in Chat's hand.

What do you think it means?

Master Fu mentioned something about memory fragments of previous owners, she recalled as she cautiously reached toward the Ladybug-colored orb…Maybe if I

As soon as Marinette's finger touched the object, both she and the sphere lit up like a Christmas tree. Her eyes glowed intensely, causing Adrien to shield his vision from the blinding light. In an instant she was mentally transported somewhere else. She found herself in a small medieval French village, walking around and doing chores in a body that was not her own. She walked in this girl's footsteps, conscious that she was still Marinette but unable to change or affect her new body's actions in any way. Her vision shifted to a small church, where voices called her to uncover a small box hidden below an altar. A box which opened to reveal a small red and black bug with a new calling for her life. The scene moved to a private audience with the Dauphin, in which the girl promised in a voice not belonging to Marinette that the young man was destined to be king and gave him a black ring with a cat's paw as a sign of God's favor. The setting once again changed, this time to a furious battle in which French troops desperately tried to storm a castle controlled by the English. This Ladybug, clad in red and black armor, summoned a sword from Lucky Charm and rallied her compatriots to fight harder. The mayhem of bloodshed and the clash of metal against metal dissolved into the image of a solemn courtroom, where a bishop hammered her with questions regarding her visions and the nature of her private conversation with King Charles VII, formerly the Dauphin. The medieval Ladybug deftly combatted and evaded the questions, while Tikki whispered advice to her while hidden behind her shoulder and inside her shirt. Finally, she was tied up to a wooden stake in front of a large crowd while an executioner in a black hood lit a torch to seal her fate. As the death sentence for heresy was read out, this Ladybug witnessed a cloaked figure in the crowd, holding her earrings and Tikki. The red kwami stifled her tears and looked away as the executioner ignited the wood around her doomed chosen.

Do not be afraid Tikki, Marinette spoke in this foreign voice while the flames rose up around her. She glared at the group of murderous clergymen in defiance. Do your worst. I dine with the saints and angels in paradise tonight!

The flames consumed her, searing Marinette's skin for a brief moment. Before she could cry out, the vision ended, and she was back in the black void with Chat. Her partner cried out to her, shaking her to get her attention. She could hear his panicked thoughts in her head but they sounded like a distant, unintelligible vibration as if she was hearing him speak while underwater. It took several seconds for her to make sense of his words.

…La…Ladybug what happened? Are you okay? he asked urgently. What was all that about saints and angels?

Marinette stared at Chat in stunned silence for a moment, the gears in her mind slowly processing what had transpired. As she slowly made sense of her out of body experience, a single word escaped her lips. Joan

Chat removed his hand from her shoulder and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Joan? What do you mean? Who's Joan?

Joan of Arc, she clarified as she continued to look of into space in wonder.

My lady, this is no time for a history lesson. Tell me what you…He paused as his face lit up with sudden understanding. Oh…Ohhhh…you mean

I was Joan of Arc. Or more accurately, Joan of Arc was Ladybug.

She motioned to the orb. A certain sadness mixed with awe appeared on her face as she continued. This was her life. I saw everything. Her beginning, her moments of glory, her execution. It's all right there.

She then pointed to the rest of the spheres around them. These orbs must represent the lives of every Ladybug and Chat Noir before us.

Her mouth opened in excitement as she suddenly remembered something from earlier. Of course! Before I passed out, Master Fu said something about the "river of memories". This is that river. The memories of these miraculous holders.

Upon hearing this revelation, Adrien peered at the closest Chat orb with insatiable curiosity. Before Ladybug could caution him otherwise, he placed his palm on top of it.

I want to see it, he told her as his eyes radiated a brilliant shade of gold.

In an instant he got his wish. He was in a much taller body on a wooden deck as heavy waves pounded the ship he was on. Despite Adrien's lack of familiarity with the ocean, the body he occupied had confident sea legs. He ordered his crew in a rough Scottish accent for port cannons to fire at their foe. They complied with a fiery roar. It was then that their much larger opponent, a fifty-gun frigate waving a British flag, fired a thunderous reply that caused the ship to quake and part of the mast to splinter. Fires broke out on deck and his crew raced to put them out in a cacophony of desperate shouting.

We're taking on water Captain Jones! one of them declared.

Full speed ahead lads! Adrien's new form commanded them, We've got to lock with her if we have any chance of surviving today!

The smaller vessel defiantly pursued a direct course toward their foe amidst the deadly accuracy of its cannons. Adrien looked up at his ship's colors to make sure the flag was still waving. He recognized it as the United States' flag, though with far fewer stars than he remembered. It occurred to him that he was fighting on behalf of a much younger nation, one that was fighting for its life against the most formidable naval power of the time.

Unable to match the cannon fire of the heavy frigate, this Scottish Chat attempted to get close enough to hook onto and board the vessel. Unfortunately, with his ship bristling from the enemy's onslaught and now sinking, his bow inadvertently rammed into the opponent's stern, causing everyone on deck to fall to their feet. As Adrien slowly stood back up at the helm, the British captain of the other ship jeeringly asked if the great pirate Commodore John Paul Jones was ready to surrender.

Before he replied, Adrien's sea captain eyes looked around to survey the damage. His mast was barely hanging on, the fires on deck were not yet contained, his cannons were about spent, and even the American flag had been lost in the confusion. Things were certainly looking grim. Any sane man would have waved the white flag of surrender by now.

At that moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his first mate standing at his side. Unlike most of his crew who were bearded and burly, this Frenchman was lean and had a boyish face devoid of any facial hair. His dark black hair was long and wild, reaching down to his shoulders and obscuring his ears. Wrapped around his neck was a red bandana with black dots which his shipmates routinely jeered him for wearing. Though not physically impressive by any means, he carried his pistol and cutlass with confidence and had earned his place as the Bonhomme Richard's first mate. This trusted confidant nodded in encouragement and Adrien felt his courage renewed, knowing that he had his support.

Of course, unbeknownst to everyone save the captain, this confidant was not actually a he.

With his secret lady of war at his side ready to transform, this swashbuckling Chat glowered at the enemy captain in defiance. He was no sane man. No sane man would cross the sea and challenge the world's most powerful navy with a small group of converted merchant ships. It didn't matter that his ship was still sinking and on fire. Now was not the time to start using common sense. He balled his hand into a fist and eyed his silver ring as his battle blood rose to a boil.

I have not yet begun to fight! he announced as his activated his transformation in a shimmer of light.

In a flash, Adrien returned to reality with Ladybug leaning in close to him and trying to get his attention. His thoughts and hearing remained in a fog for several seconds before returning to normal.

you okay? she asked. What did you see?

I…was an American sea captain, Adrien responded as he blinked several times in a post-vision haze, or a pirate. Maybe a little of both. Does the name John Paul Jones ring a bell to you?

Marinette stared at him blankly and shook her head. No, not at all. Outside of France, my knowledge of history is limited.

I don't know anything about him either, Adrien admitted before his face lit up with excitement, but he had a Ladybug on his ship. A woman who was disguised as a man. They were ready to jump into battle together against impossible odds.

Sounds familiar, Marinette replied before glancing down at the water and frowning, Unfortunately, it doesn't seem Joan had the same support from her Chat, the king of France at the time. Otherwise…

Adrien's smile melted away and his eyebrows lowered in instant disapproval. I am not that Chat. I would never abandon you like that…

I know, Marinette assured him as she made eye contact with him again, it just breaks my heart that a past Ladybug was left without a Chat Noir to help her. And seeing you near death not too long ago…I'm afraid of that happening to me.

Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in closer to her. I told you I'm not going anywhere. You're not facing Shouwang without me.

Thank you, she mentally told him as she took a deep breath. She placed a hand over the one resting on her shoulder. For a brief moment she appeared at ease before glancing at her shoulder quizzically. Hey, how come you can touch me, and I can touch you, but I can't touch myself?

Adrien's face froze in shock for a moment before he uncomfortably cleared his throat. Marinette looked at him confused for a second until she pondered her words a second time. She made a slight squeaking noise and unsuccessfully attempted to give herself a face palm that ended up briefly phasing into her head. Not what I meant, she groaned.

Yes of course it's just…

Poor choice of words, she replied, finishing his sentence.

Exactly, Adrien replied with a nod of his head. He then shrugged his shoulders. Not that I would judge of course. It's perfectly natural.

Definitely. Natural and healthy.

We all need a release now and again, Adrien's brain rambled on without thinking.

Agreed, she concurred before her face contorted in horror. Adrien followed close behind. They stared at each other for a moment, both too embarrassed and stunned to speak. Marinette looked down at the water and considered sinking below it, never to come up again.

Um…Adrien stammered as his eyes darted back and forth…can we just pretend the last ten seconds didn't happen?

YES! We gotta find the orbs that show the last battle with Shouwang! Marinette proclaimed as she looked around and laughed nervously. There are so many here. It will take us forever to go through them. Isn't that funny? Haha…

Adrien's face twitched as he witnessed his lady red-faced (both figuratively and literally) for the second time today. Words failed him as his brain tried to process this intimate knowledge from his partner. He might have remained in that catatonic stupor had he not caught sight of a Ladybug and Chat orb that were brighter than the rest and pulsating with a white glow.

What about those?

Marinette turned to see where he was pointing and quickly noted how they stood out among the rest. Without hesitating she picked up the Chat orb and offered it to him.

With any luck, she thought, he'll forget all about this when he wakes up.

You…know I can still read your thoughts, right? Adrien reminded her.

OH SHUT UP AND TAKE THE ORB! She mentally shouted as she shoved it into his hands. Once again, his eyes shimmered a brilliant gold. Ladybug grabbed hold of hers and the two of them descended together into a dark swirling vortex.