4
Past Lessons and Future Preparations
History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
-Mark Twain
Several kilometers away within the confines of the Agreste mansion, Gabriel Agreste and Natalie Sancouer sat in the sitting room with only the light of the moon illuminating the space. They sat across from each other, Natalie hunched over and staring at the floor while Gabriel sat up straight with a glass of cognac in his hand. It was his third of the evening, and more than likely not his last. Nooroo floated near his master's arm rest, appearing timid and withdrawn. The only creature in the room that moved was the Peacock kwami Duusu, who was perched on Natalie's shoulder. She bobbed her head up and down cheerfully and whistled a tune to herself, blissfully ignorant of the somber atmosphere of the room. M. Agreste took another sip of his drink and closed his eyes for a moment.
"This is an…unexpected development," he finally said, breaking the silence.
"What are we to do?" Natalie asked as she clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "We have a new enemy, one far more ruthless than Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"We must adapt," Gabriel answered, his expression as cold and unyielding as stone, "that is the only solution. My goal has not changed. But there is now a new contender we have to deal with."
"Even with what Nooroo and Duusu told us, we still have questions about what this Shouwang is capable of," Natalie reminded him as she became noticeably pale. "Moreover, we are targets. We are miraculous holders, and therefore vulnerable."
"Yes, we are," he agreed as he downed the glass. For a brief moment a devious smile crossed his lips. "But so are Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the rest of the heroes. This threat to us may be a blessing in disguise."
"What do you propose we do?"
Gabriel rose to his feet and slowly made his way to a small bookshelf on the wall. They were mostly books on ancient history and philosophy. He ran his index finger over several titles until he stopped at a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. He opened it and flipped through, using the light from the window to read the pages.
"A work colleague gave this text to me recently," he explained as he read, "'Know your enemy, know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.'"
He sat back down and closed the book, letting it rest on the arm rest near Nooroo. "I've lost constantly to Ladybug and Chat Noir, and I've relied on the law of averages to eventually bring me success. After all, I only need to win once. But the stakes are too high now. I must win…quickly."
Natalie briefly turned to Duusu, who was stuffing her beak inside a bag of pistachios and noisily consuming them. She maintained her professional demeanor amidst the loud crunching noise and faced M. Agreste again. "How?"
"As this book says, I must understand Ladybug, and anticipate what she plans to do," he responded as he clutched the miraculous at his lapel. "She's consistently proven that she has a highly strategic and creative mind, but she is still young. Young and more than likely frightened. I would wager that she is afraid for her own safety, but more importantly, the safety of her allies."
"Carapace, Rena Rogue, Viperion, Pegasus, and Queen Bee," Natalie said, listing the heroes, "we know they are only given their miraculouses on a temporary basis."
"But Ladybug can't afford to do that anymore," Gabriel surmised as the wheels of his mind began to turn, "not if she doesn't want to leave her friends helpless against Shouwang for him to hunt them down at his leisure. And there is an opportunity there."
Natalie placed a fist under her chin and nodded. "I see. More miraculouses will be out in the open, and unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, they will not be used to protecting their identities full time. They could make mistakes."
M. Agreste went to refill his cognac glass, slowly pouring the drink as his other hand drummed his fingers on the bar table in thought. "Not to mention Chloé Bourgeois."
"Do you think Ladybug would take that kind of obvious risk, giving the Bee Miraculous to her full time?" she asked.
Gabriel twirled the glass in his hands and slowly walked back to his chair. He remained standing as he stared at the wall. "Ladybug is clever and cautious, but she is not heartless. And they cannot be there to protect her all the time. If Shouwang will go after anyone previously exposed to a miraculous, then her conscience will force her to hand over the Bee Miraculous again. That is a weakness we can exploit."
"So, we have more opportunities to seize miraculouses for ourselves," Natalie concluded as she silenced Duusu's noisy chewing with an icy stare, "but what are you going to do about akumas? If Shouwang can feed off of them, we could be unwillingly helping him grow stronger."
"I don't know yet," Gabriel admitted as he sat back down. He folded one leg over the other. "I need to know if this demon will make a regular appearance for every akuma attack. Until then we must remain observant and see what our new enemy does. And I must be ready to test my theory about Ladybug's allies."
Natalie nodded. "In that case, might I propose that the next time you send out an akuma, you make sure Chloé Bourgeois is close by."
Gabriel's face brightened in eager delight as he contemplated the possibilities. "Yes, of course. Chloé has always been rash. If she is given the Bee Miraculous, she won't hesitate to transform into Queen Bee, regardless of Ladybug's instructions."
"And I can watch her while you send out the akuma, to see if Ladybug has already given the miraculous to her," Natalie added.
M. Agreste clasped his hands and tapped his thumbs together, his expression eager and devious. "I like it. Chloé is clearly the weakest link for Ladybug. It won't be hard taking the miraculous from her."
The room became quiet for a moment as Natalie studied the pattern of the rug below her. She raised her head and grimaced. "I should note, sir, that you would be leaving Chloé helpless against that monster. Are you…prepared to do that?"
Gabriel paused and tapped his fingers on the arm rests. He could see Nooroo out of the corner of his eye. There was a silent plea in the kwami's eyes. Hawk Moth's alter ego met Natalie's gaze, his visage unchanged.
"I will give her an opportunity to work with me, like we have last time," he explained as he took a drink, "if she refuses, then…that's her choice."
He placed the glass on the table between them and rose to his feet again, holding his hands together behind his back. "In fact, I'm willing to be magnanimous toward Ladybug and Chat Noir as well. I will offer them a choice: Surrender your miraculouses and I will fulfill my wish, rewriting reality so that Shouwang is never able to return. It may not be what they want, but at least they will live. Considering the fear they must be feeling right now, they just might accept."
"And…if they do not accept your terms?" Natalie asked, her expression once again cold and unreadable.
The fingers on his right hand slowly curled into a fist. Something sinister sparked in his eyes as his mouth twisted into a snarl. "Then I will go after them with everything I have. I will force them out into the open with my akumas and keep Shouwang's attention on them instead of us. Dead or alive, I will have their miraculouses. And it will not be my fault if they become…dinner."
Ψ
The first thing Marinette heard was the roar of a furious wind that reverberated at a near deafening volume in her eardrums. She opened her eyes to see a black circular mass of clouds churning violently around her and Chat, as if they were in the eye of a hurricane. Her body then became aware that she was falling in a rapid nosedive toward a yet unknown destination below them. Powerless to slow her descent, she closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind. She could her Chat's increasingly panicked thoughts as he looked down towards the hazy bottom of the swirling chasm.
I really hope there is a soft landing waiting for us. Otherwise…
Do me a favor and don't finish that sentence, she quipped as her eyebrows furrowed in agitation.
As they fell further into the raging whirlwind, Chat took hold of her hand and forced a smile. Marinette gave him a slight nod of gratitude and tightened her grip on his hand. Together they shut their eyes and braced themselves for the impending impact.
That impact did not come. Instead, a sudden updraft of air caught them and slowed their fall, gently carrying them down. The rotation of the funnel cloud surrounding them weakened and gradually started to disappear. For a moment the pair were holding hands in total darkness. Then light steadily manifested around them, and the two heard several low rumbling noises, like a series of distant explosions. The rumbles were soon joined by indistinct shouting and the clash of metal. The explosive noises now resounded as clear as thunder.
Adrien listened closely and cocked his head in the direction of the sound. It sounds like…
A battle, Marinette concluded, finishing his sentence.
As their descent slowed and the two hovered a meter or so off the ground, the light coalesced into the image of two figures standing in front of two large metal doors. Their black and red outfits were immediately recognizable to the heroes, but there were noticeable differences. Instead of a leather cat suit, this Chat Noir sported a changshan tunic and pants decorated with several repeating silver images of a cat's paw. He was a muscular young man, appearing to be in his early twenties. His facial features and skin tone indicated his Chinese ethnicity. Unlike his current successor, this Black Cat hero betrayed no hint of goofy behavior in his stone-faced expression. He gripped his staff tightly and stared at the doors with his eyes radiating an intense, unbreakable focus.
The red and black polka-dotted Ladybug standing before him likewise had a different interpretation of her heroine outfit. The form-fitting body suit was replaced by an elegant bodice with a swan neckline coupled with a skirt that ended well above her ankles, giving her much more freedom of movement. The lady behind the mask had pale European skin and chestnut hair that was pulled up in a pompadour bun, a style typical of the Edwardian era. Several strands of curly hair draped down close to her shoulders. With one hand on her hip and the other twirling a yo-yo she eyed her partner, her face eager and determined.
An unprompted name quickly entered Marinette's thoughts. Elizabeth.
A split second later, a second name appeared in Adrien's mind. Shen.
"Alright love," the Ladybug said in a refined British accent, "Fu and the others have the cult occupied. This is it. Any final thoughts before we go in to face the beast?"
His countenance remained unchanged as he slightly expanded his baton. "We must end him."
The vintage Ladybug tilted her head to the side in slight amusement. "A gentleman of few words to the last I see. Very well then."
Her light-hearted expression immediately switched gears to one of aggression as she forcibly kicked open the doors. The two stormed in with Marinette and Adrien floating close behind them. They entered the broad open space of an abandoned warehouse with a single throne placed in the middle of the floor. Occupying that throne was a lean young man wearing a Guardian monk's red robes. His hair was much longer and wilder than before, but his sickly face and sinister, unhinged stare were all too familiar to the Parisian heroes.
Marinette's heart instantly went into panic-mode and her grip on her partner's hand tightened. Chat…it's him.
Adrien looked on in alarm, unable to react for a few seconds. He finally nodded. Shouwang, he confirmed.
Shouwang appeared significantly bored as his enemies entered his chamber. He slouched in his seat and used an object to pick his teeth. Upon closer inspection, Marinette recognized said object as the Fox Miraculous. Their historical counterparts seemed to notice that detail as well, which made them momentarily stop in their tracks. The Black Cat hero's stoic look quickly devolved into anger as he gritted his teeth in disgust.
"Monster," he growled with his polearm at the ready, "you dare taunt us by flaunting Mei's miraculous in front of us?!"
"You brute," Elizabeth hissed. "You will suffer for what you did to her."
"And on top of that, you have the gall to wear a monk's robes as your own?" Shen added.
"Hei Mao," Shouwang muttered at the black cat as he stared absentmindedly at the Fox Miraculous, "are you capable of any other emotion aside from rage?"
"With you there is no other emotion," he replied.
"Stop stalling you demon," the British Ladybug ordered as she took a step forward. "Where are those people you captured?"
Shouwang said nothing and merely pointed above him. Marinette and Adrien looked up…and immediately regretted it. Hanging from the ceiling in heavy black chains were at least two dozen corpses, all stripped bare and with their throats cut and dried blood coating their mangled bodies. They were both male and female, Chinese and European, but every one of them had apparently been subjected to the same level of brutality. Marinette covered her mouth and Adrien's ethereal form shook in horror.
Comme c'est barbarie…Marinette's mind whispered.
Look away! Look away! He told her as he temporarily let go of her hand and wrapped a protective hand around her shoulder.
Hei Mao and Ladybug likewise looked on in disgust, but quickly recovered. The two said nothing but quietly separated and circled their enemy, attempting to flank him from both the left and right. Shouwang, for his part, never dropped his confident and slightly bored persona.
"I was going to eat them, but your friend Mei and that Guardian monk ruined my appetite," he explained. A long grey tongue then licked his lips and his eyes widened in anticipation. "Of course, now I believe I'm starting to hunger again."
Hei Mao uttered a curse in Cantonese while Ladybug spun her yo-yo as a shield in front of her, ready for anything.
"You will not be feasting on anyone again!" she declared. "It's over. The other heroes are dealing with your twisted followers as we speak. His Majesty's navy is in the harbor, blocking your exit. You are not leaving Hong Kong alive."
Shouwang flicked the Fox Miraculous onto the floor and flexed his left hand. His nails began growing and transforming into claws. He snarled, showing off his teeth which were becoming steadily less human and more canine in appearance. The color of his eyes went from brown to a sickly yellow.
"I will simply go to the mainland if I can't stay here," he countered. "China is ripe for me to inflict havoc. Revolution is brewing, and there will soon be a deluge of blood. Can you feel it? The time of the Qing Dynasty is ending."
He rose to his feet, glaring at his opponents with murderous intent. "As is yours."
A pitch-black mist enveloped Shouwang's body, and his form began to change. He instantly grew taller, easily up to two and a half meters in height. Dozens of large, writhing appendages emerged from his back as his arms and legs expanded in size and thickness. His face morphed as well, with his mouth growing wider and his mouth and nose jutting forward into a much larger jaw. When the mist cleared, what stood before them was no longer human. From the waist up the beast took the shape of a tiger, though instead of orange fur with black stripes, the monster possessed solidly black fur with stripes the color of human blood. The chest and abdominal muscles covered by that fur were massive and his bulging arms appeared to rival the width of tree trunks. His elongated white teeth glistened like sabers in the faint moonlight coming through the warehouse windows. Massive reptilian legs covered in green scales took a few steps forward towards the heroes, sending a minor tremor through the ground. Behind his back a small army of black snakes hissed and appeared poised to strike, their fangs dripping in venom. In the middle of the pack a pair of pale white snakes stood out among the rest, remaining completely, unnaturally still. An overpowering, sickening odor wafted through the barren space, making the British Ladybug and Hei Mao wince and gag in disgust. His yellow, predatory eyes homed in on his enemies with carnivorous intent. An aura of bloodlust permeated through his irises, one strong enough to make anyone under his gaze feel the certain sentence of death.
Adrien and Marinette could only watch in wide-eyed terror as the giant flesh-eating monster got on all fours and roared at the past version of themselves. Their transparent bodies trembled from the terrible noise and the glow emanating from them dimmed in the awful presence of the Beast King. They gripped each other's hand again, holding on for dear life as every fiber of their being told them to flee.
Marinette clenched her teeth and shut her eyes, suppressing the urge to whimper. That…that is our new enemy? That's his true form?
Adrien stared blankly at Shouwang, unable to look away. His inner voice squeaked as he timidly asked, Is it possible for our ghost avatars to pee themselves? Because I think I just did…
Fear. Pure, unbridled fear took hold of the Parisian heroes. They already knew that Shouwang was a terrifying ancient demon, the bane of all Miraculous holders. But nothing that Master Fu had explained had prepared them for the frightful sight in front of them. Now seeing the true form of their enemy with their own eyes, Marinette and Adrien began to lose their nerve as the full scope of this new threat came crashing down on them. Their thoughts became clouded with panic as a primal part of their minds commanded them to run, just run. As their terror grew, their minds flooded with the fearful thoughts the other was going through. Aware that they were both equally terrified, the pair turned away from the monster and faced each other, attempting to preserve some level of measure of courage with the other's support.
Despite Chat's presence, Marinette's resolve was fading fast. Under Shouwang's chilling gaze, her will to fight seemed to evaporate into nothing, only to replaced by the timid spirit of a child afraid of the monster under her bed. A monster which was now undeniably real. She shook as the nightmarish mental image of the demon entered her thoughts. Against her will she imagined the snakes pulling her into his waiting mouth as she vainly tried to claw away and escape. She could see the drooling white teeth come closer in her mind's eye while she remained petrified, unable to do anything to prevent the inevitable.
NO! Chat suddenly shouted at her, knocking her out of that hellish scenario. His glowing face, only a moment ago just as panic stricken as she was, now appeared deadly serious as he declared, I won't let that happen! I won't let him eat you! I swear it!
She felt momentarily stunned by Chat's declaration and stared at her partner for a moment. The hand holding hers trembled, but the steeled expression on his face remained unmoved. She could sense his fear. She could feel that it had not gone anywhere. Yet she could also sense no wavering in the statement he had just given. He had promised to defend her, and he meant it. Even in the face of this monster, he meant every word. Marinette felt a certain level of heat rise to her face.
While the current Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared to falter in Shouwang's presence, their historical counterparts showed little hesitation. Elizabeth swung her yo-yo in the air and vanished into the rafters above. Hei Mao took a few determined steps forward with his staff at the ready and took a deep breath. Without warning a terrible noise, one resembling the cry of a wild beast, tore from his mouth. The sonic attack momentarily knocked Shouwang off balance.
The present-day heroic duo stared slack-jawed for a few seconds, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Neither one expected such a powerful intimidation attack from the Black Cat Miraculous. That was no normal cat purr. That was a roar. The roar of a ferocious big cat.
Adrien pointed at Shen and gazed at his partner in disbelief. D-Did you just see that? That power…he mused as he redirected his index finger toward himself…I'm capable of doing that?!
Before their enemy could respond, the British Ladybug descended from the ceiling in a free fall. She kept her focus centered on the demon's back and wrapped her yo-yo around half of the snake heads. As Shouwang recovered and opened his tiger jaw to swallow her, she spring boarded off of his snout and landed behind him. She sprinted behind a metal support beam, wrapping around the pole and then pulling with all her might. The yo-yo string went taught, pulling the snakes and the rest of the ancient demon backwards. As he approached the ground, Hei Mao leapt into the air and attempted to land a solid blow on his head. But the Beast King reacted quickly and swatted at his attacker with his massive paw. Shen rapidly adjusted in midair to block the enemy's outstretched claws. He managed to avoid any penetrative damage but was still violently tossed against the warehouse wall.
With the Black Cat hero temporarily out of the way, Shouwang turned to face Elizabeth. The snakes that were free of her yo-yo string pounced, attempting to bite. Marinette covered her eyes as they closed in.
Oh no! Without her yo-yo she's helple-
Wait! No she isn't! Adrien interrupted, pulling her hands down from her face. Look!
The British Ladybug reached to her left side where a pink flash of light manifested. The light coalesced into a circular object which she then spun in a circle, forming a protective shield which successfully parried the snakes, forcing them back. Elizabeth then retracted her first yo-yo and spun both that one and the secondary one at her sides.
A second yo-yo, Marinette stated, before repeating herself in sudden excitement. She has a second yo-yo! And she didn't even need Lucky Charm to do it!
The Hong-Kong heroes then regrouped, circling Shouwang on opposite sides and never once dropping their guard on him. The beast watched both heroes intermittently and growled, unable to look at one hero without taking his gaze off another. For several seconds all three combatants kept their distance, refusing to make the first move. Elizabeth stole a split-second glance at her partner and winked. Their enemy noted her slight lapse in attention and pounced. Nearly two tons of pure monster leaped into the air and attempted to slaughter her in one blow. The Ladybug facing him merely smirked and ascended back up to the rafters with one of her yo-yos. She used the other to wrap the creature's paws together and then wrapped the cord around the crossbeams, firmly ensnaring the beast. Shouwang growled and struggled in a chaotic circle, attempting to free his arms. But the yo-yo string held firm. Meanwhile Hei Mao drove his staff into the ground and twisted it. The weapon suddenly grew and became curved, forming a bladed Chinese polearm known as the guandao. While the monster was distracted by his predicament, Shen drove the spear into his right leg, making the Beast King howl in pain. Before the snakes on Shouwang's back could retaliate, Hei Mao flipped to the other side and skewered his left leg for good measure.
Adrien marveled at the sight as the beast flailed in rage with his maimed legs at his attacker. Absolutely pawesome! I'm going to get a bladed…spear…thing? he remarked with uncertainty before letting it go with a shrug. I have no idea what that's called but it looks cool.
"You're finished Shouwang!" Elizabeth called out from above. "My yo-yo is unbreakable and Hei Mao will continue bleeding you until you give in. We're going to wrap you chains and drop you in the deepest trench in the Pacific we can find!"
Shouwang bared his teeth and glowered at the British hero with unrestrained malice before turning his attention to his restraints. Instead of trying to pull his paws apart and break the string, he heaved downward with all of his might. His arm muscles swelled and strained against the ceiling. The girders began to shake and bend in a sickening groan. Ladybug's expression of confidence quickly soured as she felt the rafters sink and give way beneath her.
"Oh bugger," she said under her breath.
Ladybug jumped off the rafters right as they buckled and snapped. Hei Mao looked up in alarm and immediately somersaulted backwards as a large section of the roof came down and landed on the floor in a loud crash. Shouwang snarled as he untangled the yo-yo string from the downed girder and then freed his paws, hurling the yo-yo behind him. With one of her weapons out of reach, Elizabeth stood on the second-floor railing while Shen remained at ground level and in front of her. The Beast King crouched down on all fours, pacing slowly as he glared at his black cat opponent in hunger and rage. He pounced with claws ready to strike, but Shen's reflexes were just as fast. He continuously pivoted and dodged, staying just out of reach with his guandao extended forwarded for protection.
With Shouwang's attention focused on Hei Mao, Elizabeth looked down at her remaining yo-yo. She clutched it tightly in her hand and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Tikki," she said quietly, "I'm counting on you."
As she called out her Lucky Charm power, the snakes on the monster's back turned in her direction. Shouwang attempted to wheel around and attack Ladybug, but Hei Mao quickly took advantage of his lapse in attention and drove his blade into his right foot. A high-pitched animal scream filled the air, prompting Marinette and Adrien to cover their ears. As black gore filled the floor around the demon's feet, Shouwang faced the black cat hero with bloodlust in his eyes. He formed his tiger paw into a fist and punched downwards with Shen only barely escaping the blow.
Meanwhile a red and black polka-dotted matchbox appeared in Elizabeth's hands. She immediately surveyed the warehouse surroundings. On the ground level near Hei Mao she spotted several oil drums near the back exit. Her eyes widened and she sprinted across the second-floor railing, running towards the containers as she monitored the battle below. Her partner was viciously thrown into the pile of oil drums and struggled to get back to his feet.
Ladybug swung up to the rafters above him and called out "Hei Mao!"
He looked up to see Elizabeth wink at him while she shook the Lucky Charm matchbox for him to see. Glancing behind him, his eyes widened in understanding. As soon as he looked forward, his face paled to see Shouwang's predatory jaws ready to swallow him whole. Instinct took over and Hei Mao elongated his staff in front of him. The beast's jaws clamped down only for him to recoil as the blade of the guandao penetrated the roof of his mouth. The black cat hero then somersaulted backwards, landing in the middle of the cluster of oil drums with his right paw at the ready.
"Cataclysm!" he called out.
With his destructive power activated, Hei Mao went to work on the oil drums, disintegrating all that were in his reach. In an instant, pools of oil spilled out in every general direction, coating the ground around him and the monster. The slick black liquid washed over their feet, mixing with the dark blood of the still bleeding Shouwang. The Beast King, his eyes brimming over with hate and hunger, barely even registered the oil spill below him. A group of snakes attacked the black cat from his left side, causing Hei Mao to instinctively pivot in that direction. Only out of the corner of his right eye did he realize it was a feint as Shouwang's left paw closed in. The monster wasted no time and pinned Shen to the inky black floor.
As the weight of the demon's paw pressed against Hei Mao's chest, Shouwang leaned in close and let out a low growl. His acrid breath made Shen's eyes water as the monster muttered a single word: "Die…"
Without warning two feet slammed into the beast's face, knocking him off of Shen. Elizabeth picked up Hei Mao and supported him on her shoulder. Several strands of brunette hair hung over her face in front of eyes that radiated with fury. She pulled a match from the Lucky Charm matchbox and lit it. She tossed her yo-yo up towards the rafters and spat into the oil spill around them.
"You first," she hissed.
With that, she pulled Shen out of the growing puddle of oil and tossed the match behind her. In an instant the area exploded into flame. Another primal scream, much louder than before, pierced the air and nearly deafened Adrien and Marinette. As the horrid noise lessened somewhat and the pain in their ears subsided, the pair cautiously opened their eyes. They watched in a combination of horror and awe as the figure of Shouwang struggled and writhed in the flames. Gradually his body went limp as the fire totally engulfed him. For a moment, the only sound in the warehouse was the roar of the flames.
Adrien drew in a deep, nervous breath and glanced at Marinette. Is…it over?
Marinette turned her attention to the Hong Kong heroes, who were closely monitoring the blaze from the second-floor railing. The British Ladybug, having recovered her second yo-yo, spun them both at half-speed at her sides. Hei Mao kept a firm grip on his guandao, and barely blinked as he watched the lifeless figure in the fire. Neither one seemed to have dropped their defensive stance.
Marinette watched the fire with trepidation and grimly shook her head. No.
Inside the oil conflagration, something snarled. The bodies of the two past heroes immediately tensed. Elizabeth rotated her wrists in an outward angle and sharpened blades appeared on the edges of the twirling yo-yos. Shen jumped up to the rafters and crawled along close to the ceiling while still remaining close to her partner.
"Be ready," Elizabeth instructed as the five spots on her earrings flashed at once in a low beep. "We have five minutes before we can do that again."
"That's an eternity…" Shen protested.
They're old enough to not need to de-transform, Marinette surmised.
Good, Adrien stated as he pointed towards the fire, because it doesn't look like they're going to get a break.
A sickening crack split the air. Two abnormally long and grotesquely skinny black arms reached out of the flames. Claws larger than butcher's knives landed on the cement floor and dragged its charred body forward. The fire around him gradually died down, revealing a form even more horrifying than the one before. His legs were gone, replaced by a centipede-like lower half that crawled along the ground. At the upper part of this black insect body, a giant vertical mouth opened, displaying row upon row of gnashing teeth. Above the mouth two long serpentine necks emerged. From their ends sprouted two heads that resembled the skulls of pigs with two curved horns on top each of them. Black flames ignited in the empty sockets of each skull. A voice, one deeper and more demonic than the one before, came out of the skeleton mouths in unison.
"You will all die IN AGONY!" he declared before letting out a twisted hog scream.
What followed was a blur of fighting that Marinette and Adrien could barely follow. Elizabeth and Shen kept constant pressure on the monster, closing in and quickly retreating while trying to score as many hits on him as possible. Shouwang bellowed a steady stream of green fire from both of his mouths at the heroes who constantly moved just out of reach of the attack. More than once, Ladybug and Hei Mao had to come to each other's aid. Elizabeth once found herself pinned by the spindly arms, forcing Shen to free her with a guandao strike to the monsters' wrist. She quickly returned the favor and yanked him away from being swallowed hole by the centipede mouth.
At this point the repeated fire blasts had set the entire warehouse on fire. The mutilated bodies hanging from the ceiling caught flame and began falling as the roof started to give way more. Several of the victims fell straight toward Marinette and Adrien, who held on to each other and braced for impact. The corpses fell harmlessly through their transparent bodies, though the psychological impact was hardly benign. Marinette took several desperate calming breaths as she held on to Chat's shoulders, attempting not to think about how utterly sick it was for a dead body to pass right through her. Adrien tried to keep his attention on the fight, though the shakiness in his mental voice confirmed that he was hardly unaffected by the experience.
Fire…of course. Of course he can breathe fire, Adrien muttered. Is there anything else this monster can do?!
The minutes passed and the battle raged on. With a large part of the roof and second floor on fire, Hei Mao and Ladybug's room to maneuver slowly closed in around them. The smoke in the air grew thick and the Hong Kong heroes began to cough. But Shouwang showed no sign of slowing down. Two rivers of green fire were launched at them, passing harmlessly through Marinette and Adrien. Unable to retreat outward from the fire, Elizabeth and Shen retreated inward closer to the monster. As the jets of flame followed them, they found themselves pivoting dangerously close to the Beast King's ghastly mouth. Two vicious strikes from the bladed spinning yo-yos cut deep into the insect body, but the monster merely screeched in rage. Hei Mao extended his guandao, planning to force the mouth open and prevent it from swallowing them.
Shouwang had other plans. Instead of outright swallowing them, the two white snakes from his previous tiger form emerged from the centipede's mouth. They lashed out at both of them with fangs wide open. Hei Mao's catlike reflexes allowed him to pivot out of the way and chop off the snake's head. But as he turned to his partner, he noticed to his horror that Elizabeth's yo-yos had missed in targeting her white snake, who was now closing in for a lethal bite to Ladybug's neck. In a decision that lasted a fraction of a second, he extended the butt end of his guandao into his partner's abdomen, pushing her out of the way at the last possible moment.
His heroic act came at a cost. With his staff extended and exposed, one of Shouwang's arm slammed down on the weapon, knocking it out of his hands. The remaining white snake whirled around and struck at him. Hei Mao, disarmed and unable to escape in time, felt the fangs tear into his right shoulder, filling it with an icy, fatal venom. He gasped as the black venom entered his veins and stole the air out of his lungs. He struggled for breath, desperately reaching for his guandao and pointing the bladed edge at the monster. The Beast King slithered closer to his prostrate opponent with the carnivorous teeth of his insect mouth shining brightly in the fire light. For a brief moment, the color drained from Hei Mao's face and genuine fear manifested in his eyes.
One of Elizabeth's yo-yos, whose blades had been retracted, wrapped around Shen and pulled him towards her in the last corner of the building that had not yet caught fire. She twirled a protective shield in front of them as she clenched her teeth with rage and a growing sense of panic. Shouwang cackled as he opened his skeleton mouths to roast the heroes alive.
"And so it ends," he boasted.
"NOT YET!" came an unexpected voice from behind.
Before Shouwang could react, a round shield cut through the flames and nailed one of the monster's horned heads. While the demon hissed and looked around in confusion, a short but muscular man with jet black hair appeared in front of Ladybug. He was dressed in green plated armor and dark, loose-fitting pants. Behind his green mask were brown eyes that stared at the monster with pure hatred. As he caught his shield in midair, Marinette caught a better view of his face and goatee. Her mouth opened as recognition struck her all at once.
It's…Master Fu! He's here! her mind stated in amazement.
No way, Adrien responded. He looks so much younger. He must be in his prime.
As if to prove Adrien's point, Shouwang's next fire blasts hammered in vain against the energy-projected turtle shell that Fu called up from his miraculous. The shield protecting the three heroes was at least twice as large as the ones they had seen Carapace create. The future guardian glanced behind him at Elizabeth, who was at Shen's side.
"I know this is not according to plan," he explained apologetically, "but seeing the burning warehouse made me think things weren't going well."
"Not…really," Shen admitted as he struggled to sit up.
Hei Mao reached for his guandao and slowly wrapped his fingers around it. His right arm started to tremble as another agonizing spasm from the poison passed through him. Elizabeth lowered her eyebrows and stripped the weapon from his grasp.
"Don't even think about it you halfwit!" she shouted. "You need to let Plagg heal you. You're in no condition to fight!"
Shen grabbed hold of his staff. His expression, while pained, remained firm and unyielding. "If I let him heal me now, I won't be able to fight at all. We have to finish this."
Elizabeth gritted her teeth and glared at him. Tears started to well up in her eyes and leak onto her mask. She pulled his weapon closer to her chest, resisting his pull.
"If you think," she said as her voice started breaking, "that I'm going to let you throw away your life, then you've lost your senses!"
"What other choice do we have?!" he retorted. "I won't let you face him without me!"
Fu held out his hands and strained as Shouwang continued to rain fire down on them. The monster then put his centipede mouth over the shield and tried to break it. When that didn't work, he returned to his tiger form and began clawing the barrier. The turtle hero grimaced as cracks started to form in the energy shell.
"Can you two have this lover's quarrel some other time?" he asked.
Marinette raised an eyebrow at the last statement. Did Fu just say 'lover's quarrel'?
Adrien cocked his head to the side, his interest suddenly piqued. I believe he did.
More cracks started to form in Fu's energy sphere. Hei Mao's hardened expression began to wither under Elizabeth's angry and heartbroken stare. He looked down, avoiding her gaze, and glanced at his ring. There were two cat paws remaining. His body was shaking, and his vision was getting blurry. Every now and then a freezing sensation tore the breath out of his lungs. Nevertheless, his grip on his weapon did not waver.
"Please my love," he said in a softer tone. "Two minutes. That's all we need."
"This shield won't hold two minutes!" Fu protested in gritted teeth.
For a moment Elizabeth remained frozen, her visage unchanged. Then without a word, she let go of his weapon. She then looked up at the monster, her fists trembling with rage. Facing in Fu's direction, she sat down and clapped her palms together in front of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Fine," she answered, her voice still shaking, "then let's at least buy him some time."
Shen quickly gathered his partner's intention and slowly and painfully sat next to her and mirrored her meditative stance. A second went by without incident, save for Shouwang's ferocious attacks outside the turtle shield. Then the pair began to glow a bright red and golden yellow color that matched their respective color schemes. Outside the shield two disembodied astral projections appeared on both sides of the monster. As they took shape, Adrien and Marinette's eyes widened. One took the shape of a massive black cat resembling a panther with yellow eyes that instantly locked onto the Beast King. The other was a magenta-colored mix between a butterfly and an angel dressed in red battle armor. In her right hand was a single silver spear. Despite her angelic appearance, the feminine figure appeared fierce and determined, more akin to the High Middle Ages depictions of warrior angels fighting demons than a renaissance cherub. Marinette's mouth opened in shock as she noticed the distinctive single black dot on her forehead as well as her deep blue eyes.
Tikki?! she voiced in disbelief.
The panther growled and bared its fangs as it circled around Shouwang. A deep and ferocious, yet somewhat familiar voice came out of its mouth.
"Stay away from my chosen!"
Adrien blinked several times in stunned silence. Plagg?
The black cat leapt onto the Beast King and drove his teeth into his shoulder. As Shouwang roared, Tikki made several thrusts with the spear in the direction of the monster's chest, forcing him to parry with his paw and pivot away from the relentless assault.
WHAT?! Their thoughts screamed in unison.
The Beast King grabbed this big cat version of Plagg and hurled him in Tikki's direction. The creation kwami dodged and threw her spear like a javelin, narrowly missing the monster's neck. The spear then returned to her hand and she swung at Shouwang as he attempted to strike her with his paw. A deep gash formed in his chest, causing black blood to seep out onto his fur. Though bloodied and winded, his wounds only seemed to increase his rage and savagery. He grabbed her spear and shoved her to the floor, pinning her with the butt of her own weapon. Plagg pounced on him again, managing to land a nasty bite on the demon's shoulder. Snarling, Shouwang pulled him off and held him by the neck in midair. He smiled in amusement as the black cat clawed at his arm, unsuccessfully trying to free himself. Without even looking he stopped another Tikki spear thrust with his free hand. His expression remained sinister and smug as he struggled with his kwami opponent in close quarters.
"What's the matter?" he asked, turning his attention to Plagg, "too afraid to use your cataclysm here? The centuries have made you soft."
"You won't be saying that when I BITE YOUR NECK OFF!" Plagg answered with a roar.
"You will NOT take these chosens away from us!" Tikki hissed with a vehemence Marinette didn't think was possible from her little kwami. "They. Will. Live!"
Shouwang laughed. "You're already close to failing on that one!"
At this point the fire had caused enough structural damage to trigger a partial collapse of the warehouse. Rubble came down in droves, passing harmlessly through Marinette and Adrien to unveil a partly cloudy moonlit night in Hong Kong. Fu's shield withstood the collapsing roof, but as the debris gathered around them, he fell to the ground from exhaustion. As the turtle shell disappeared, Shouwang turned to see Hei Mao and Ladybug still locked in a meditative trance. His mouth watered as he observed their helpless and vulnerable state. The two kwamis instantly noticed and looked back in alarm. Thinking quickly, Tikki dislodged her spear from the monster's grasp and stuck it into his arm, forcing him to free Plagg. The monster seemed to hardly notice the pain as he sprinted on all fours to the early twentieth century heroes while Plagg and Tikki raced after him.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a black and white striped staff that was curved on its end extended forwarded towards the back of the monster. That curve hooked around one of Shouwang's back legs, tripping him up and allowing Plagg and Tikki's spectral forms to return to their chosens in time. He glanced over his shoulder, glowering in rage at the hero that stopped him. Standing a top a pile of smoldering rubble was another Chinese male hero with horns on the side of his head whose shape resembled that of a ram. The part of the uniform that covered the torso was solid white in color while his legs and arms were a solid black. He retracted his weapon which appeared to be a shepherd's crook, a curved stick often used by pastoralists to herd sheep. Behind this goat miraculous hero were three others standing among a group of defeated warriors dressed in black lying at their feet. Marinette recognized them as individuals wielding the bee, monkey, and pig miraculous. They stood at the ready as Shouwang stalked towards them on all fours as the snakes on his back hissed in hatred.
"Insects," he mouthed in disgust, "did you really think defeating my followers would matter?"
His yellow eyes brightened in sudden ecstasy as his long gray tongue lapped over his canines. He cackled like a hyena, unleashing a sound so unnerving that the group of four took a step back. The pig hero pointed her weapon, which resembled a rake, defensively at the enemy.
"You are merely appetizers," he declared with a snarl.
Without even looking back, Shouwang swatted an attacking yo-yo out of the air. He then glanced over his shoulder to see the two main heroes on their feet. Hei Mao supported himself on his staff, barely able to keep himself standing. His counterpart's hands trembled as her gaze locked onto the Beast King with unshakable focus. Seeing this, the demon took a few steps toward the pair.
"Though I haven't forgotten the main course."
At that moment a hero dressed in a dark brown body suit and sunglasses appeared from behind the rubble and approached Shouwang from his flanks. A halo of blue energy manifested around his wrist.
"Voyage!" he shouted.
As soon as those words left his lips, Shouwang wheeled around as if his body was on fire. A portal emerged behind him, displaying an image resembling molten lava. Before this new hero could react, the monster grabbed him and hurled him into his own portal. Elizabeth covered her mouth and screamed as he was thrown in. She fell to her knees and began to sob. Hei Mao temporarily lost his balance and appeared crestfallen and lost while he struggled to keep himself upright. The demon looked over his shoulder to see the other heroes speechless and heartbroken as well.
Shouwang couldn't help but smile to see his enemies so broken at the loss of their comrade. He shook his head. "Did you really think you'd be the first hero to have the idea to use the horse miraculous to send me to…oh let me guess…the center of the earth? A volcano? The sun? My dear child, I have centuries of experience fighting heroes. I know your games."
The British Ladybug wept bitterly, seemingly unaware that Shouwang was drawing closer. "Though I admit," the demon said as he raised his claws to strike, "using yourselves as distractions was fairly clever."
Elizabeth then removed her hands from her face. Her eyes were full of tears but instead of sorrow, a gleeful smirk materialized on her face. She wiped her eyes and began to laugh.
"But, unfortunately for you, he was the distraction," she replied.
Shouwang's eyes widened as he heard something come out of the open portal behind him. The horse hero emerged from the other side, completely unharmed. At his side were two more heroes who possessed the snake and rabbit miraculous. The snake hero appeared to be a Chinese woman while the rabbit hero possessed a fair European complexion. His red hair made him bear a striking resemblance to Bunnyx, something Marinette noted with discomfort. Without letting time for the villain to react, the rabbit hero made a portal. The snake hero then stuck her hand into the white circle and activated her own power.
"Second chance!" she cried out.
As the two time-traveling miraculous powers merged, the portal turned a sickly green. A burst of energy erupted, knocking both Shouwang and the heroes off their feet. The initial outward explosion was replaced by a violent whirlwind that sucked everything towards the portal entrance. The goat hero wrapped his extendable staff around his comrades and drove his weapon into the earth, keeping them from being drawn into the vortex. The Beast King, sensing the danger, went prone and dug his claws into the ground. He held on for dear life, managing to avoid the portal but unable to mount a counterattack.
At the same time, the five-minute time delay on the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses expired. As he clung tightly to a collapsed pillar, Hei Mao activated his Cataclysm. The second his hand lit up with destructive energy, he did something Adrien did not expect. After a brief moment of concentration, Shen's eyes glowed a radiant golden yellow. The energy in his hand then exploded, emanating chaotically in several directions as bursts of black lightning. Ladybug followed suit, summoning her lucky charm. The object that landed in her hands was a single nail, but to Marinette's surprise she had little interest in it. Instead she instantly discarded the item and activated the Miraculous Ladybug power. Elizabeth's eyes burned a bright magenta color, and she performed several elegant pirouettes. Rather than dispersing in all directions, the swarm of red and black restorative energy descended on her, mirroring her movements.
Though both displays of power were equally spectacular in their own right, it wasn't until they joined hands that Marinette and Adrien understood the full scope of what was about to be unleashed. The black cataclysm lightning and Miraculous Ladybug flurry merged, forming an explosive storm cloud of raw thunderous energy that swirled over them like a hurricane. Static electricity rippled through the air, causing the hair of the two heroes to stand on end. On the ground below them, a purple taijitu formed, the Chinese symbol for yin and yang. Elizabeth, her eyes and body alit with the power of the Ladybug miraculous, pulled Shen closer to her. She placed her hand on his feverish cheek and leaned forward to brush her forehead against his. She then backed up and spun around, pulling him into a sort of lovers' dance. At one point she landed in his arms, only to rise up and continue to lead him with in this strange miraculous ballet. As their movements gained momentum, the taijitu below them and the storm above them spun faster. Once both revolutions had reached a fever pitch, the two heroes stopped their dance and pointed at the enemy.
Shouwang could only watch helplessly as the wave of force from the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses crashed into him. Lifting him off his feet, the blast carried him into the violent vortex left by the snake and rabbit miraculouses. The Beast King released one last hateful snarl of defiance as he disappeared into the portal. Then he disappeared, and a moment later the green gateway followed suit, disappearing into nothing. The demon was gone, leaving nothing but a smoking battlefield in his wake.
Once the monster was gone, the taijitsu vanished, and Hei Mao immediately collapsed. Elizabeth caught him and begged him to de-transform. Shen obeyed and his hero suit vanished in a green flash, revealing a Chinese man wearing a black hotel uniform. His skin was remarkably pale, and several black scars were forming on his face. As soon as Plagg emerged, he rushed to his chosen's right shoulder and began chanting. Adrien winced and felt his hand move to his thigh as he heard Shen scream. He howled in agony and Marinette could do little but put a hand on her chaton's shoulder as her partner trembled from the terrible sound coming from Hei Mao.
At last his screams began to die down. He appeared deathly ill, but his chest still moved with consistent, albeit feeble breaths. He opened his eyes, staring weakly at Elizabeth as some of her tears landed on his chest. She tenderly ran her fingers over his face.
"Do you remember," she asked as she choked back a sob, "when you served me tea in the lobby of the Red Lion Hotel?"
Shen took a deep breath and nodded. "You saw the scars on my wrists from our battle the day before, and you knew who I was."
She pulled him closer into an embrace. "I knew I had found the mysterious man who had fought at my side. The man I had come to love…"
Meanwhile the younger Fu had regained consciousness and now walked around the wreckage of the warehouse in a daze. He passed by the two Hong Kong heroes and bumped into the goat hero, who presented him with the Fox Miraculous. His expression immediately became pained as he held the object close to his chest. A few tears leaked from the future Guardian's eyes.
"Mei," he said softly, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
Marinette watched Fu's reaction intently, suddenly intrigued. She turned to say something to her partner, but at that moment the vision suddenly darkened. The images of the past faded to black and the two began to ascend, unable to communicate as they were lifted up out of the dream space they were in. Though they could no longer hear each other's thoughts, they continued to hold hands as they departed their surreal vision.
Ψ
The weight on Marinette's eyelids gradually lifted and she blinked, groaning as sleep slowly drifted away from her. The room came into focus and she pushed herself upright. She immediately regretted that decision as the sudden movement made her see spots. She rubbed her head and muttered under her breath, looking around in a confused daze. Tikki floated up to greet her and placed an affectionate hand on her forehead.
"Welcome back sleepy-head," she said.
On the other side of the divider, Adrien shifted on the mat and reluctantly opened his eyes. Almost instantly he was greeted with a powerful ache in his muscles, causing him to wince in discomfort. Plagg hovered above his head and watched him in feigned disinterest. He folded his arms and flicked his tail from side to side.
"Oh good. He's finally awake," he remarked with an obvious roll of the eyes.
Adrien lifted his head and shot his kwami an annoyed look. "Nice to see you too Plagg," he muttered as he slowly sat up.
Master Fu sat in front of them both near the front door, waiting patiently as the two heroes overcame their grogginess and became fully awake. Wayzz floated above his master's left shoulder, speaking softly into his ear. Neither hero could hear what the turtle kwami was saying, but Fu replied by merely shaking his head no. He closed his eyes and took deep, calming breaths. His hands trembled as he rested on his knees.
When he opened his eyes, any noticeable discomfort was gone. He smiled and asked, "Well, did it work? What did you see?"
Marinette lifted herself off the mat and slowly explained what they saw. She paused a few times while she recounted the horrifying sight of Shouwang as well as his victims. A sudden pang of anguish passed over the Guardian's face as she mentioned the sight of the Fox Miraculous. Finally, she ended the story with the final touching moment with Shen and Elizabeth. She did not mention witnessing Fu's apology to Mei.
"It…was a success then," he replied as he rubbed his beard in thought.
"Sure," Adrien replied as he scratched his head and chuckled nervously, "if you count seeing our new enemy's monster form and power as a success. Personally, I don't see it that way."
"It was necessary for you to see what Shouwang is and what he is capable of."
"That I understand," Adrien replied as he lowered his eyebrows, "what I don't understand is why you never mentioned him until now."
Fu averted Adrien's gaze and paused. "That…that would not be wise. To mention his name invites terrible misfortune. The Guardians would never speak his name except in a hushed whisper. I thought it best to follow their example and keep that bit of Miraculous history from you."
"A lot of good that did!" Adrien fired back. "He's back and now he wants to eat us. I repeat…eat us!"
"I am well aware of that," Fu answered, his tone stern and resolute.
Adrien grinded his teeth together and clenched his fists. An unexpected wave of animosity inundated his mind, making his thoughts reverberate in anger. He pointed to his ring and sneered.
"Then why the hell would you give us these objects in the first place?!" he thundered. "Were you trying to get us killed?!"
"Chat!" Marinette admonished from the other side of the divider.
"What? That's a reasonable question to ask."
Fu sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I did not think it was possible for him to return."
"Why not?" Adrien pressed as he threw up his hands. "Didn't you say that he's escaped before?"
"This time was different," the Guardian countered, his voice somewhat elevated in volume. "The previous times he was sealed in a physical location. But in that last battle you saw he was cast into a void outside of time and space."
Marinette scratched her head and pondered over the events of her dream. She pointed her index fingers in different directions, forming an x shape with them. "So…the snake miraculous and the rabbit miraculous were combined to make that portal that sucked Shouwang in?"
Fu nodded. "Yes. The rabbit miraculous pulled him back in time and the snake miraculous made him repeat the moment he was defeated over and over again."
"I didn't even know it was possible for two miraculous powers to combine," she replied.
"It is," Fu answered, "But it is incredibly dangerous and unpredictable. The two heroes need to possess a strong, special bond in order for it to work. And even then, there are risks. When Elizabeth first tested this plan to defeat Shouwang, Hien, the snake hero, was nearly sucked into the vortex. The rabbit hero Darragh managed to snag her foot with his parasol before she disappeared into the portal completely, but it took all of our strength to pull her out. In those harrowing thirty seconds, Hien was forced to relive the moment she was dragged into the void again and again without end. When we finally pulled her out, she was trembling and whimpering. Hien was no coward, but the thought of her being stuck in that timeless hell chilled her to the very bone."
The heroes fell silent for several moments. Marinette swallowed nervously as she contemplated such an awful fate. Adrien's face remained largely expressionless. He merely stared intently at Master Fu. When he spoke, his tone was lower than usual.
"Ok, so you thought he couldn't get out, but he did," he said, "so let's cut the crap and get to the point. Will Shouwang hunt us only when we are transformed, or are we still vulnerable when we are not in costume?"
Fu appeared momentarily frozen, unable to answer. Then he lowered his head and placed his hands on his knees. Wayzz patted his shoulder as the old master averted their gaze.
"You…are vulnerable as civilians as well," he reluctantly explained, "if you were just vulnerable as heroes, I would take your miraculouses and flee the city to keep you safe. But it's too late. Once you use a miraculous, it doesn't matter if you are in your hero form or not. You are automatically on his radar and he will hunt you until he finds you."
Color appeared to drain from their faces upon hearing this information. Marinette felt an icy pit grow in her stomach, sending a nauseating and panicked sensation throughout her body. She covered her mouth and inhaled deeply through her nose. Tikki floated to her shoulder and attempted to comfort her chosen with her presence. Adrien clenched his fists to keep his hands from shaking. As he looked down at them, his heart rate briefly skyrocketed with fear. Then that feeling abruptly switched back to anger, and he clenched his fists even tighter.
Master Fu got on his knees and bowed his head almost to the floor. "Forgive me."
Adrien spoke up first, his words slow and methodical in their harsh delivery. "You have put us and our friends and family in danger."
"I know," Fu replied with his head still low to the ground. "And for that I beg your forgiveness."
Something snapped in Adrien's mind. The trickle of negative, aggressive thoughts became a torrent. His expression darkened and he found himself slamming his fist against the mat.
"Forgiveness won't matter if we're DEAD!" he yelled.
Plagg, who had merely observed his chosen's reactions until now, sighed. "Oh boy, here we go."
On the other side of the divider, Marinette immediately rebuked her partner. "Chat! That was uncalled for!"
Adrien stood up and glared at her silhouette through the white fabric of the Chinese furniture piece. "How was that NOT called for?! Do you not see the situation we're in?"
Marinette stood up and met his gaze, staring at the shadowy outline of her partner. Her expression and body language remained firm, refusing to give ground.
"Yes, I do," she answered, her voice harsher than before, "but continuing to blame Master Fu is not going to solve anything. We should be focusing on what to do next."
The growing rage in Adrien's mind continued to build. He threw up his hands and escalated his voice nearly to the point of yelling. "So, we're just going to ignore the fact that he has given us objects that have made us the main entrees of an ancient demon's dinner?!"
"At least let us hear him out first!" she retorted.
"Hear him out first," Adrien replied sarcastically as his poisonous thoughts boiled over. He turned to Master Fu and gave him a spiteful look. "Yes, let's hear why he thought it was a good idea to give these magical death traps to two kids."
Marinette growled and grinded her teeth. She pointed her right index finger at Chat's outline. "Do not make me come over there!"
At this moment Adrien merely laughed. He leaned against the divider and continued laughing for several seconds. Plagg raised an eyebrow as his chosen continued to aggravate his partner with abandon.
"'Do not make me come over there!'" Adrien repeated, mocking her voice. He wiped away a tear from his eye. "What's your plan my lady? Waltz over here and spill both of our identities? I thought we weren't supposed to do that. I mean, you keep reminding me of that very thing over and over again."
Marinette's left eyelid twitched in outrage. She stomped her foot on the mat, drawing an invisible line in her mind. A line that Chat had just crossed. She turned to Tikki and gave her a nod, signaling her intentions. Her kwami nodded back in understanding.
"Tikki, spots on!"
Marinette transformed, creating a flash of light behind the divider. The smug smile on Adrien's face instantly faded. A red and black polka-dotted hand grabbed the divider and flung it to the side in one fluid motion, letting it clatter on the floor. The young Agreste scion flinched as Ladybug stomped towards him. For a terrifying moment he feared his identity would be revealed, but when he reluctantly met her gaze, he noted that her eyes were sealed shut. Her fists were clenched, her eyebrows were lowered, and her mouth was curled in a half-snarl that let him know full well that she was pissed off. The aggressive negativity in his mind dissipated and he swallowed with sudden anxiety.
Fu looked away from the confrontation and eyed the divider on the floor. He sighed. "That was an antique."
Adrien bit his lip. The last minute had been an unexpected surge of anger he couldn't fully explain, and now he that he felt calmer, he was left to deal with the aftermath. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and took a step back as Ladybug continued to blindly stare him down.
"Um…I'm sorr-" he said, clearing his throat.
"Transform so I can glare at you," his partner cut him off through clenched teeth.
Adrien cast a nervous glance to Plagg. The floating black cat just shook his head as if to say: You got yourself into this one kid. You're going to have to dig your way out.
He groaned and spoke in almost a whisper. "Plagg, claws out."
After the flash of green and yellow disappeared, Ladybug opened her eyes and got even closer to Chat's face. Ordinarily he would have greatly enjoyed this closeness, but the unyielding look of angry tenacity directed towards him made it far less enjoyable. She raised her right hand and Chat instinctively braced himself for a slap. Instead her hand clasped his shoulder.
"Chat," she said calmly but firmly. "Stop. I'm upset too and I'm scared. But yelling at Master Fu won't solve anything. We have a new dangerous enemy and there's no getting around that. So knock it off."
"Besides," she added, turning to Fu. "He's in the same boat we are. Aren't you Master Fu?"
Fu took a moment to collect himself and nodded. His hands trembled slightly, but he clenched them tightly. He looked up and smiled. "Yes. I am a target as well. But do not worry about me. I have plenty of miraculous at my disposal and I have already lived a long time. We need to focus on keeping you alive."
"Easier said than done," Chat replied. He looked down towards the mat, avoiding eye contact with his partner. "You saw how powerful Hei Mao and the Ladybug from back then were, and even then, they barely defeated Shouwang. We're nowhere close to their level. We didn't learn anything from that dream except how unprepared we are."
"That's not true," Ladybug replied, shaking her head, "There was a lot of information we can use now."
She held a finger up from her left hand as she noted her first observation. "Number one: keep your distance and circle him constantly. He's mostly a close-ranged fighter, so if we counterattack from a distance, we have a better advantage. If he attacks one of us from the front, then the other should hit from behind to keep him constantly off balance. And if he has to eat heroes to gain more power, than he may not be able to do things like breathe fire yet."
Chat nodded, his eyes widening. "That would certainly be preferable."
Ladybug continued. "Number two: The two white snakes on his back have the deadlier black venom. We should avoid getting bitten at all, but we definitely need to steer clear of those two. Number three: He can be trapped using a combination of miraculous powers. We may not be able to use the snake and rabbit miraculous like they did back then, but there could be some other combo we could use against him."
She held up a fourth finger and a tremor of disgust appeared in her voice. "Number four: he's arrogant. He wants to become a god, so we're obviously dealing with an ego that makes Hawk Moth's look minor in comparison. We have seen that he can be tricked, so with enough teamwork and strategy he can be defeated."
Chat placed a paw on his head and grabbed hold of his blonde hair. He groaned, his mind still reeling from the outburst earlier. He scratched his scalp and then lowered his hand, glancing down at his black ring. A chill went down his spine as the object he considered to be a source of freedom took on a much more ominous significance in his mind.
"You sound so sure," he said.
Ladybug's bottom lip twitched slightly. She inhaled sharply through her nose and exhaled sharply. "I'm not. But we have no choice but to try. Besides, ladybugs are good luck, remember?"
Chat raised an eyebrow and held up his ring for her to see. "Uh yeah, and I'm bad luck in case you forgot. There's a reason why the past Ladybug survived and Hei Mao didn't."
Fu cleared his throat and interrupted. "Actually, Shen did survive. I wasn't sure how long your vision lasted so I thought you knew. Though he did suffer from debilitating injuries and significant facial scarring that lasted the rest of his life."
Chat's shoulders dropped as he gave the Guardian an obvious grumpy cat look. "Right. That's definitely more encouraging," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"Chat…" Ladybug warned, raising her voice again.
He turned back to her, expecting another lecture. It never came. Instead she lowered her hand and placed it in his, then lifted both of them up near shoulder height. Her face softened as she stared intently at him.
"You told me that no matter what happens, you won't leave my side," she reminded him. "Now I'm telling you that I won't leave yours. So get a hold of yourself and let's face it like we always have. Together."
The tension in Chat's facial muscles relaxed in the sight of Ladybug's gentle and caring smile. His tormented thoughts faded as she held his hand. The feeling didn't surpass the sensation of holding her bare hand from earlier that day, but it brought him a sudden peace of mind. He nodded slightly, barely blinking as he took in every detail of her compassionate expression. The fearful thoughts were brushed aside at the moment, almost as if his lady was the calming eye of the storm in the middle of a hurricane.
Even after all these years, I turn into a puddle of goo inside when she looks at me like that, he thought. She's given me no reason to doubt her before, so why should I start now?
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," he said, slowly withdrawing his hand from her grasp. He looked to the side and rubbed his neck. "But no matter how you look at it, we are in deep kitty litter with this new development, if you know what I mean. I presume you have a plan."
"The beginnings of one," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. "And I intend to start it right now."
She turned to Master Fu, her appearance suddenly hardening. There was no anger in her expression, but her face radiated an ironclad resolve. She held out her hand and announced, "Master Fu, I am going to need some miraculouses."
Fu tilted his head slightly, taken aback at the sudden request. "Which ones and why right now?"
"Every single miraculous I have lent out up till now, and I think you know why," she answered.
The Guardian raised his eyebrows and stroked his beard in thought. Wayzz, suddenly alarmed, floated up to Ladybug and shook his head.
"That is unwise Ladybug," he warned, "Hawk Moth is still out there and having more miraculous out in the open-"
Ladybug abruptly silenced him with a savage stare that made the turtle kwami float away in sudden retreat. Chat, a little slower to the punch as usual, furrowed his eyebrows in thought before grasping his head with both hands as the realization hit home.
"Oh….my God," Chat breathed. "Rena Rogue, Carapace, Viperion, Pegasus, and Chl0-I mean Queen Bee. They would be…"
"Exactly," Ladybug affirmed before he could finish. "And what's unwise is allowing my allies, temporary or not, to be hunted by Shouwang without any protection. I'm the one who gave them their miraculouses and I have now put them in grave danger. The least I can do is give them a chance to fight back and support Chat and me."
Master Fu remained silent for several moments. He nodded his head several times and opened his mouth to speak. He unexpectedly cut himself off and thought some more, hesitation creeping into his features. Finally, he stood up and let out a deep breath before slowly walking to the record player with his hands behind his back.
"I understand your reasoning Ladybug," he said as he punched in the code to get to the miraculous box. "But it is still very risky. Hawk Moth might anticipate that you will do this. And if you give the Bee Miraculous to Chloé again, you will leave the door right open for him to strike."
Ladybug made a face, biting her lip for a moment. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples and muttered some of her racing thoughts under her breath. Chat watched as she paced the mat for a few seconds.
"I know and I'm working on a way around that," she replied as she scratched her chin in thought. "Do you have some pens and paper that we could borrow?"
"There should be some in the desk in my bedroom."
Ladybug went to collect the materials needed and told Chat to collect the miraculouses of their allies. When Fu placed the box down and opened it, the young Parisian hero marveled at the various objects of magical power. A touch of childish delight emerged in his voice.
"Cool, I've never seen the inside of this before," he said before placing a fist under his chin in thought. After a moment he started collecting the necessary miraculouses, listing them out loud.
"Okay let's see. The fox for Rena Rogue, the Snake for Viperion, the Bee for Queen Bee, and for Carapace…"
His voice trailed off as he noticed the turtle wasn't there. His eyes then wandered to Master Fu's wrist, which currently held the silver and green bracelet. Chat looked at the Guardian awkwardly and cleared his throat. Fu grimaced and shook his head.
"I'm assuming you will be needing this as well," he admitted as he touched his old miraculous with a reluctant look in his eyes.
Chat turned his head toward the hallway and loudly asked, "Hey Ladybug, are we taking the turtle from Master Fu as well?"
"Yes," she answered bluntly as she emerged from the bedroom, carrying the stack of paper and pens close to her chest. "Carapace needs the miraculous he is used to."
Chat turned to Fu again and shrugged before holding out his hand and smiling mischievously. The old Guardian acquiesced and reached for his wrist. Wayzz flew up to Fu's face and held his tiny hands together as a form of protest.
"Master please," he begged. "I don't mind working with-"
Wayzz suddenly choked and several green bubbles popped out of his mouth, preventing him from accidentally revealing his new charge's identity. As soon as that episode passed, he continued his appeal as if nothing happened.
"But I cannot leave your side during this crisis. You know Shouwang will hunt all holders of miraculouses, past or present. And if he figures out you're still alive, he will no doubt seek vengeance."
Fu's face became serene as he looked at his old companion's anxious expression. He patted Wayzz lightly on the head and smiled. He then bowed slightly as a form of thanks and respect.
"My dear friend, you've been at my side for so many years," he reminded him, "and I can never repay you for your kindness and loyalty. But my time has long passed. If worse comes to worse, I have the other miraculouses here for support. But it's time for you to move on and empower a much younger hero. Forgive me, but with Shouwang's return, we have no choice but to part. Goodbye Wayzz."
For a moment the turtle kwami seemed at a loss for words. Crestfallen, he hung his tiny head and sighed deeply. He flew closer to his master and reluctantly bowed, acquiescing to the Guardian's will.
"Goodbye master," he said.
Master Fu took off the bracelet and Wayzz disappeared into the miraculous with a flash of green light. Chat put the miraculous in its box and handed it to Ladybug, who organized that box as well as the three others in front of four separate letters that she was furiously writing to her allies. She paused for a moment and tapped her cheek with the pen as she thought about her messages.
"Let's see," she mused out loud, "I should be able to catch Rena Rogue and Carapace at home, so I don't think I need to write much for them. Viperion's out of town, so he's going to need a much longer explanation. Chloé's going to need very specific instructions to only use this for emergencies."
"Isn't it kind of risky just going to the hotel and dropping the Bee Miraculous off?" Chat asked. "Hawk Moth would easily be able to predict that."
"We're not taking it to the hotel," Ladybug explained as she put the finishing touches on her letter to Chloé. She handed it and the box to Chat. "You're going to take this to her butler Jean's address, and he will give it to Chloe. Hawk Moth won't suspect anything out of the ordinary if he sees him show up for work as normal."
"Ahh," Chat replied as he tapped the side of his head, "good thinking. Give it to her covertly. I like it. But…how do I figure out his address?"
Ladybug paused her writing for a moment and lifted her head. She blinked several times, seemingly stumped on the answer. After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers and went back to the letters.
"Go online and see if there's a hotel directory you can access," she replied. "He has to live close to the hotel."
Chat shrugged and opened up his baton to access his cat phone. After a few minutes of silent typing, he bit his lip and groaned in frustration.
"There is a directory, but it's password protected," he lamented.
Ladybug rubbed her forehead upon hearing this news. She tapped the mat and tried to think. "Great, just great. Now I have to come up with a plan B."
"Wait, maybe I can guess the password," the feline hero said, sounding suddenly hopeful. "Let's see, the mayor owns the hotel and Chloé is his daughter so what about 'Chloé is the best'?"
His partner rolled her eyes. "Chat, there's now way that's going to work. You can't just randomly g-"
"I got in!" he announced triumphantly.
Ladybug's mouth fell agape for a moment before she shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Unbelievable."
With the address successfully retrieved, Ladybug finished her letters and tied them with string to their respective miraculous boxes. She paused for a moment and did a roll call.
"Ok let's see, we have Carapace, Rena Rogue, Viperion, and Queen Bee. Is there anyone I'm missing?"
"What about Pegasus?" Chat pointed out.
"I think we can skip Max," she replied. "I…have received information that he is attending a special school in Japan this year for talented students in advanced robotics and AI. He should already be in Tokyo and I doubt Shouwang intends to go all the way to Japan."
Chat nodded his head as he suddenly recalled that Max Kanté had told him at the end of their last school year that he would not be moving on to lycée in Paris with the rest of Collège Françoise Dupont. Instead he had accepted an offer from an elite Japanese school that was dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence. Apparently, the invention of his robot buddy Markov was finally getting noticed.
"Oh right," he mentioned without thinking.
"What?" Ladybug asked, suddenly perplexed.
"What do you mean, what? What did I say?"
"You said 'oh right' like you already knew that Max wouldn't be in France. How would you know that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
The black cat averted his lady's eyes for a moment before forcing a laugh. "Did I say 'oh right'? I meant to just say 'Oh' as in I had no idea. Don't know why I said that. I guess I'm just tired and saying things. I mean this day has been…well you know."
Ladybug gave him a strange look but then shrugged it off and returned to the task at hand. She counted the boxes again to make sure they were all accounted for.
"That should be it," she said aloud, "I don't think I gave anyone else a miraculous. We don't have any other hero alli-"
With absolutely no warning the look on Ladybug's face turned to pure horror and she let out a high-pitched scream. "OH MY GOD! ADRIEN!"
Chat nearly fell over backwards after hearing the name of his secret identity called out at such high volume. Fu stared at the two of them with his mouth wide open, completely stunned at the sudden outburst. He stole a glance at Chat Noir as his confusion mounted. Ladybug for her part, put her hands in her hair as her expression neared full panic-mode.
Finally, the Guardian cleared his throat and broke the silence. "Ladybug, what are you talking about? Did you give someone named Adrien a miraculous?"
"Yes!" she admitted before placing her head in her hands, covering her face. "It was when we fought Desperada. I initially gave the snake miraculous to Adrien Agreste and he used it a bunch, but our plan kept failing. So he gave it back and then I gave it to Viperion."
She talked even faster as the full weight of the dire meaning of this act hit home. "And now he's going to need a miraculous for his own protection. But it will have to a different one because the snake's going to Viperion. But even with a miraculous there's no getting around the fact that he's going to be hunted by Shouwang and it's all my fault!"
She let out a deep breath as her rant ended and bit her fingers as she contemplated this horrific realization. Meanwhile Master Fu slowly processed the news that Ladybug had rapidly delivered. Slowly but surely, he turned his head toward Chat and levelled an unpleasant and knowing glare in his direction. The feline hero swallowed nervously as the Guardian stared daggers at him.
Oh...I'm in trouble, aren't I?…he thought to himself.
Fu quickly masked his anger and put on a smile. He reached into the chest and said, "Well I guess it can't be helped. I suppose I can part with one more."
He held up a small thumb ring. "How about the cock…I mean the rooster miraculous. I'm sure that one would be suitable for him."
Ah…well played old man, well played, Chat thought as he quickly understood the not so subtle insult directed at him.
Fortunately, Ladybug seemed too engrossed in her shock to notice the unspoken exchange between Master Fu and Chat Noir. She covered her mouth for a moment as if she was about to become physically sick. She swallowed the feeling down and took some calming breaths through her nose. As she gradually calmed down, she eyed the rooster miraculous held in Fu's hand. She stared at it blankly for a while before shaking her head.
"No," she finally replied, "he struggled to use a complicated power like time travel. It would be best to give him something straightforward and easy to use, one that could give him an advantage if we can't protect him on our own."
She looked at the remaining open miraculouses in the chest before her. Her hand reached out and briefly hesitated over the objects. She then picked up a collar necklace and held it up for all of them to see.
"Loyalty, perseverance, honesty, and kindness," Ladybug said with a noticeable amount of tenderness in her voice. "Those are the qualities I would associate with Adrien Agreste. I think the Dog Miraculous would work well for him."
Okay, Adrien thought to himself as his partner unknowingly complimented him to his face, I suppose a dog is better than a cock.
"If…that is what you think is best," Fu chimed in.
"It is," she replied as she clenched the miraculous in her hand, "I will have to give this to him right away."
Chat's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered he forgot to stuff pillows under his blanket at home to give the impression that he was sleeping. Noticeably alarmed, he began to carefully reach for the miraculous in her hand.
"Why don't you let me take the Dog Miraculous to Adrien?" Chat offered. "I already know where the Agreste Mansion is since we've already fought there before."
Ladybug instinctively pulled her hand away from Chat without even looking at him. "No. I messed up and put him in danger. I should be the one to give it to him."
A bead of sweat ran down Chat's face as his mind scrambled for a plan B. He briefly looked to Master Fu for support, but the unamused expression the Guardian greeted him with offered no sympathy: You dug yourself into this mess, you can dig yourself out, he seemed to be silently telling him.
Ladybug then lowered her head with dejection and guilt written on her face. She sighed. "On second thought, I don't think I want to see the look on his face when he learns I made him the target of a horrible monster. I will already have to do that for the others tonight, but to someone who has virtually no experience as a superhero…?"
She wordlessly handed the miraculous and its box to Chat. Her face remained pointed in the direction of the floor as she told him, "You take it to him Chat. But please…be sensitive about it. He will be scared enough as it is, so don't make it worse than it has to be."
Chat held up his right hand to confirm his oath. "I promise I will deliver the message to Adrien as best as I possibly can. You have my word."
Fu coughed and loudly cleared his throat. Ladybug looked at the Guardian with some concern. The look in Chat's face was a tad more hostile.
"Forgive me," Fu said as he hit his chest a few times, "I think the drywall in the air is irritating my throat."
With the extra miraculous selected, the two prepared to set out to visit their other allies. Chat put the dog miraculous and the envelope containing the bee miraculous and letter to Chloé Bourgeois in his pocket. Ladybug opened up her yo-yo and stuffed the Fox and Snake Miraculouses beneath its aura of pink light. As they stood up to leave, Master Fu rose to his feet as well.
"Well," she said as she took in a deep breath, "I guess we're really doing this."
"Indeed," Fu responded, "you two are making some grave decisions, ones that definitely carry significant risks. But never before have you faced a threat such as this. You will need to prepare yourselves and your allies for an enormous challenge ahead. Ladybug, as my heir, I trust that you will continue to make the right calls in the weeks and months ahead."
Chat turned to Ladybug and raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "Heir?" he asked. "What's this about being an heir?"
His partner cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I'll explain later. But…Master Fu, I do have one more question. We saw incredible powers from Hei Mao and the Hong Kong Ladybug. If the current Shouwang is anything like the monster we saw, we're definitely going to need them as well. Is there anything we can do to get that strong?"
Chat nodded in agreement and placed his palms together as a desperate plea. "Yes, please tell me we don't have to be adults to do that. We definitely don't have that kind of time."
"Not necessarily," the Guardian answered. "Using your special ability without needing to transform is likely something you won't be able to do until you reach adulthood. However, your two miraculouses are special and they do have the capacity to manifest secondary powers. The two exist in a balance, yin and yang. They strengthen and empower the other, but the users must be in sync so that they may grow together."
Ladybug moved her right hand in a circle to elicit a clearer response. "Meaning what exactly?"
"Meaning the black cat and ladybug hero have to strengthen their bond in order to become stronger," he explained. "You two must become closer and be able to rely on each other without question. You must trust each other completely and get to know each other on an intimate level. Even if that might mean trusting each other with your greatest secret."
The breath was suddenly stolen from Chat's lungs and he took a few steps back. "Whoa…are you seriously talking about…our identities?"
Fu nodded, though there was some noticeable discomfort in his face. "If necessary, yes. Typically speaking, that level of trust has been necessary for the ladybug and black cat heroes to reach their full potential. Elizabeth and Shen knew who each other were when they fought Shouwang. But Hawk Moth is still out there, which complicates things. I will not tell you the right answer, because I don't know myself. But if you decide to reveal your identities to each other, you will have my support."
Chat's mouth hung open as he replayed that final sentence from the Guardian in his head. He felt a tingling sensation in his chest that quickly spread throughout his entire body. For a moment a part of his brain rejected the statement, thinking his ears must be playing a trick on him. A different part of the brain responsible for hearing countered that, yes, he had in fact heard the master correctly. His heartrate increased and his mouth suddenly felt dry as he turned to gage his partner's reaction. Her face initially appeared unmoved. But a closer examination revealed that Labybug was staring at the floor and biting half of her lip while several of the fingers on her left hand twitched erratically.
Finally, she lifted her head and spoke. "We will…think about it. I want to see how we do in the first few weeks before we take any significant step like that."
Chat exhaled and nodded his head with some reluctance. He tried not to sound disappointed as he stated, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. We now have two major threats we have to deal with, which means we have to be even more cautious."
Fu smiled, clearly pleased with their answer. "A wise response. Take care young heroes. And do not worry. I don't plan on abandoning you. I will be there to give you more counsel soon."
He leveled a subtle but stern gaze in Chat's direction and added, "Perhaps sooner than you realize."
Oh…I'm still in trouble…Chat told himself as he swallowed nervously.
"Thank you Master. Any guidance you can provide may mean the difference between life or death. We will get through this together," Ladybug replied.
A momentary pang of discomfort passed over Fu's face. He winced and then stared off into space, apparently lost in thought. He turned and slowly walked toward his window. His eyes became transfixed on the image of the moon peeking out of the clouds and shining down on Paris below.
"Indeed," he answered as he continued to gaze out the window.
The young heroes exchanged a look. Chat rubbed his arm and cleared his throat. He took a step toward the Guardian.
"In our dream, we heard about someone you-" Chat began.
The rest of his sentence was quickly cut off as Ladybug made an insistent slashing motion in front of her throat, imploring her partner to drop the subject. Chat bit his tongue and complied. Fu took a deep breath.
"Another time perhaps," he said with a solemn air as he kept looking up at the sky. "I'd rather not go into such things right now."
Sensing the mood, Ladybug motioned for them to leave. The two bade their goodbyes and promised to be careful in their nightly mission. Fu wished them good luck and listened as the sound of their footsteps echoed down the hall and then disappeared. An uncomfortable silence followed, one that was no longer filled by Wayzz's constant presence. He continued looking at the shape of the moon, recalling a moonlit night so long ago with someone that was very dear to his heart. A moonlit night in which his grave mistake cost him and that someone so dearly.
Ψ
Getting the snake miraculous to Luka was easy enough. Since the Couffaines had been out of town for a large part of the summer, it was a simple matter of getting to the boat house on the Seine, going through his window and leaving the miraculous on his bed, and hoping that he wouldn't hate her later. That last one seemed an unfortunate possibility as she noticed the framed photo near his bedside of her and Luka at the amusement park several months ago. The couple photo they had taken holding ice cream with the Ferris wheel in the background shot several guilty daggers into her heart.
"Oh Luka," she lamented as she rubbed her forehead. "As if I hadn't caused you enough pain."
She looked around the room, recalling the multiple times he had serenaded her with his guitar as they sat on his bed. The sweet melodic chords replayed in her mind, soft memories that twisted those daggers of guilt even more. Shaking her head, she went out the window and swung her yo-yo to the nearest building, escaping the scene as quickly as possible. Once she was airborne again, she turned in the direction of Alya Cesaire's apartment. Within a few minutes she made it to the building across the street from her residence. She did a quick check of her surroundings, listening carefully for any suspicious sounds nearby.
If Mayura or an akuma tried to follow me, she thought, that would be really bad.
Once she was satisfied that no one was watching her, she quickly and quietly slipped onto Alya's balcony. She peeked through the screen window to get a view of the living room. As she suspected, Nino Lahiffe was there with Alya on the couch, resting an arm on her shoulder. Ladybug could hear they were listening to the news which was recounting their frightening battle from earlier that day. Alya frowned and said something to Nino which she couldn't hear over the noise of the TV. She took a deep breath and got ready to knock on the window but hesitated when she saw Alya's two younger sisters run into the room.
The twins giggled incessantly as they ran around the kitchen island, prompting a groan from their older sister. "What are you two doing? It's bedtime," Alya reminded them.
Ella and Etta ran in front of the TV, triumphantly holding up a few pieces of deflated white latex. The former proudly declared, "But look Alya, we found those cool balloons under your bed!"
Etta blew into one, enlarging it into its natural shape. The teenage couple stared in shock for a moment before both of their faces turned beet red. Alya immediately got on her feet and tried to rip them out of their hands.
"THOSE ARE NOT BALLOONS! GIVE THEM BACK!" she screamed.
The twins took off, prompting a desperate chase around the kitchen. Nino joined the chase, trying to cut them off. But the little girls managed to dodge him.
"No little dudes!" Nino pleaded with them. "Those are not toys!"
As the pursuit continued, Ladybug retreated to the brick wall to the right of the window, her eyes widened from the unexpected surprise she had just witnessed. Her face turned red and her heart rate doubled in intensity as she rapidly understood its implications. She swallowed saliva, stymying the growing dryness in her throat.
Alya and Nino have been….oh my…she thought as she remembered how closely the two had paid attention to their sexual wellness class in their last year of collège.
As Marinette internally processed this rather intimate information from her close friends, Alya and Nino continued the chase. They managed to get some, but not all of the "balloons" before Ella and Etta retreated to their room and locked the door. Their older sister pounded on said door, demanding that they give up the stolen objects.
"I'm going to give you to the count of three to open this door!" Alya announced as she puffed out her arms and stomped on the ground. "One, two…"
Ladybug, either sensing an opportunity or eager to put an end to the embarrassing fiasco, knocked on the screen door window. Nino turned his head to see her beckoning toward the balcony. He nodded and touched his girlfriend's shoulder, stopping her from sounding the final number. Alya turned her head and quickly understood the message.
"Never mind," she told her sisters in a much calmer tone, "Just throw them away after your done and don't tell mom and dad!"
The pair quietly moved to the balcony and shut the screen door behind them. Ladybug stayed out of sight of the window, remaining in the shadows. She clutched her yo-yo in her hands as she made eye contact with her friends. She tried to resist the growing nauseating feeling in her gut as she cleared her throat.
"Sorry to jump in announced like this," she apologized, "but this is urgent."
Alya didn't skip a beat. "It's about the new villain we saw on TV, isn't it?"
Typical Alya, Marinette mused, Way too smart for her own good.
"Yes," Ladybug confirmed, "this new enemy…changes things. I'll be brief but essentially I have good news and very…very bad news."
Nino shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, let's have the good news first."
Ladybug drew in a deep breath. She opened up her yo-yo and pulled out the two miraculous boxes from the glow of pink light the object emitted. She handed them to her allies.
"The good news is from now on, you both will be keeping your miraculouses full time. You will no longer have to give them back to me after a mission."
Nino stared at the closed box, his eyes widened in disbelief. "For real? That's awesome."
For a moment, Alya's face matched the excited expression of her boyfriend. But it quickly dissipated.
"But this has to do with the very, very bad news, doesn't it?"
Labybug bit her lip, closed her eyes, and nodded. The nauseating feeling worsened and her stomach twisted into knots. A few tears came to her eyes and she turned away. She walked to the railing and held onto it, refusing to look the other two in the eye.
You can do this, just breathe and be honest, she told herself.
"The new villain you saw on the news," Ladybug began, her voice cracking, "his name is Shouwang. He is an ancient and dangerous Chinese demon. One that hunts and…eats miraculous heroes. He has escaped from a timeless void and is now after Chat and me."
She wiped her eyes and cautiously looked in their direction, adding, "…And anyone who has been a hero with us before."
The couple stared blankly at Ladybug with their faces frozen in shock. Shock gradually gave way to horror as the gears in their heads began turning. Alya dropped her miraculous box on the floor. Nino swallowed and leaned against the screen door, trying to get his bearings.
"I'm sorry," he said weakly, "but just to confirm, did you say a demon?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Who eats miraculous heroes?" Nino continued.
"Yes."
"Which means us," Alya concluded. She folded her arms across her chest and shuddered. "Shouwang said anyone who's touched a miraculous. We're…we're a target."
Nino turned noticeably pale as he looked down at the miraculous box in his hands. His expression quickly changed from excitement to overwhelming dread.
"Not awesome," he said weakly.
An uncomfortable silence ensued. Alya and Nino appeared shellshocked, staring off into nothing as the full significance of the danger made itself known in their minds. Ladybug opened her mouth to speak, but her voice faltered as she observed their faces. She recognized their expressions all too well. They possessed the same level of primal fear that she and Chat had come to experience in the past eight hours. She covered her mouth for a moment as the guilt nearly made her physically sick.
She took a few deep breaths before speaking. "The Guardian never told me about this threat until now," she explained. "But that does not change the fact that by giving you the Turtle and Fox Miraculouses, I have put you both in terrible danger. The least I can do is give you the ability to defend yourselves at all times in case he finds you."
Nino grimaced as he contemplated that horrific possibility. He took off his hat and wiped the growing nervous sweat off his brow. Meanwhile Alya refocused her attention on the miraculous box in her hands. She ran her fingers over the top of the object as the initial look of shock dissipated from her face.
"I remember when you first gave me this miraculous," Alya replied as she pulled the box close to her chest, "I remember how incredible it felt to leap over the rooftops of Paris as its power flowed through me. I have thought of that night as the best moment in my life, the moment you let me become a superhero."
She took a few steps forward and laid a hand on Ladybug's shoulder. She smiled as she told her, "Even now I still think that it was the best moment of my life."
Ladybug clenched her eyes shut for a moment as she felt a wave of tears rush to her eyelids. Alya, she thought, even now after what I've done to you, you still show how you are a much worthier hero than me.
"Tell me how I can help," Alya said as she clenched her right hand into a fist, "if this new villain is going to a big threat, we should do our part to help."
Nino turned to his girlfriend with his eyes widened in utter disbelief. "Um…hold on. We?" he asked. "Babe, are you sure about that? She just told us we are dealing with an ancient demon. Not Hawk Moth. A demon."
"It's in our best interest to help," Alya retorted, her expression deadly serious. "Think about it. If we hold on to our miraculouses and just hide, and something happens to Ladybug and Chat Noir, what are the odds of us surviving on our own?"
Nino wiped his brow again, shivering at the thought. "I would say negative five percent."
"Exactly," Alya replied as she turned back to face Ladybug. "If you ask me, not doing anything is much more dangerous than helping you face this monster. Ladybug, you have my complete support. I will help you any way I can."
The tears became harder to hold back as Ladybug clenched the railing of the balcony tightly. A certain weight lifted from her chest in response to Alya's words, but the queasiness in her gut remained. A few tears leaked on to her mask which she promptly wiped away. Her lip trembled as she smiled and laid her hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Thank you," she told her in a quiet voice as she lowered her head. "Thank you. I don't deserve your help after putting you in danger, even if it was on accident. But I know that Chat and I are going to need it."
She lifted her head and glanced at Nino, who was still looking at the Turtle Miraculous box with foreboding. "What about you? Are you sure you're up for this?"
Nino straightened up and inhaled deeply. He briefly looked at Alya and then back at the box. He closed his eyes and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. When he opened them, his expression became resolute.
"I know my girl. I know she's not going to be swayed from helping you fight this battle, no matter how much I'll try to convince her otherwise."
He placed a firm hand on Alya's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "But if she thinks I am going to let her run off and do this insane thing without me, she's got any thing coming. I'm trying not to freak the hell out right now, but I will fight for you Ladybug. At the very least, I will do it for her sake."
Ladybug smiled as she recalled the time Nino fought an akuma to save Alya with nothing but Chat Noir's staff and pure audacity. "Thank you. I know now that I made the right decision trusting you with a miraculous."
"But what happens now?" Alya asked. "Are we going to fight every time an akuma shows up? How do you want us to respond?"
Ladybug scratched her head as she pondered Alya's question. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't know when Shouwang will show up again and I don't know for sure how Hawk Moth will react. I would say to hold back for now unless Chat Noir and I are overwhelmed. I don't want Hawk Moth to know right away that there are more miraculouses out in the open."
Her eyes suddenly widened as another thought occurred to her. "Which reminds me, please be extra careful from now on. Having a miraculous full time may seem like a great thing, but it means you have to protect your secret identity around the clock, even from your friends and family. It may literally mean the difference between life and death."
Alya and Nino exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. The former replied, "You can count us Ladybug. We will do our best to keep our secret and be heroes you can count on."
"I couldn't ask for anything else," Ladybug said as she swung her yo-yo to the building across the street. "I won't waste any more of your time. Try to be calm and go back to whatever you were doing before I interrupted."
The couple blushed as they recalled the unfortunate incident with the Césaire twins. Nino cleared his throat.
"Just out of curiosity, how much did you see before you knocked on the window?" he asked.
Ladybug's face turned slightly red as she stood on the balcony railing, ready to head off. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"So…you didn't see us running after her sisters trying to get the-?"
"NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" she interjected before swinging away and disappearing into the night.
The teenage couple watched as her image faded into the Parisian skyline. Nino rubbed the back of his neck and let out a breath.
"I think she saw it," he concluded.
"I would normally be mortified right now," Alya replied as she clutched her arms together and shivered, "but considering the situation I think that is the least of our concerns."
Ψ
Jean André placed his recently dry-cleaned suit in his closet and yawned. It had been a long day. With classes not starting until September, his summer days were a constant back and forth trying to keep up with Chloé Bourgeois's random and ever shifting demands. Just today she had again role played as Ladybug against an imaginary ice villain. It took some time for Jean to explain to her that he couldn't just ship multiple tons of ice from Antarctica for said roleplay, although he was happy to see that her geography skills were improving. In the end, he managed to convince her to settle for whatever available ice they had in the hotel kitchen.
He turned around, nearly bumping into his bed for the umpteenth time. The small four by four space that he called his room barely had enough room to fit his dresser and bed. His mademoiselle's closet was twice the size of his own bedroom. It was a reality that he had to face every day. Parisian apartments near the Grand Paris Hotel were not cheap, and he had to make do with what he had.
As he prepared to turn off the lights in his bedroom, he noticed a small light on in his kitchen.
That's odd, he thought, I could have sworn I turned that off earlier.
He tiptoed down hallway in his pajamas, trying not to make the creaking sound on the old wooden floors that he frequently annoyed him. As he passed his bathroom, the tail of a black cat appeared in front of the kitchen entrance before disappearing again. Several meowing sounds soon followed. Jean André sighed and shook his head.
"Monsieur Fluffy," he called to his cat, "now is not the time for a late-night snack. It is time for bed."
He went into the kitchen and turned on the main light, only to be greeted with the sight of Chat Noir standing in the opposite corner, calmly eating a piece of cheesecake with Monsieur Fluffy walking around his feet and meowing. Jean clutched his chest and backed up against the wall, his heart nearly stopping from shock.
"Sacré bleu!" he cried out. "Chat Noir?! What…what are you-?"
"Hmm, this cheesecake is delightful," Chat replied, ignoring the obvious question. "Sorry for raiding your fridge. I've had a rough day. I can get you some more if you want."
That was not Jean's chief concern at the moment. "How did you get into my apartment?!" he asked, still struggling to breathe.
Chat shrugged. "The window. You have a great cat by the way. Some say black cats are bad luck, but I disagree for obvious reasons."
Jean André rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath as the initial surprise wore off. "Yes, but why are you in my apartment tonight eating my cheesecake?"
Chat raised a finger silently asking for his flabbergasted host to wait as he swallowed his food. He placed the plate on the counter and fetched the envelope from his pocket. His expression quickly became serious.
"I am here," he explained as he handed Jean the miraculous package, "so you can give this to Chloé Bourgeois. It's very important that she gets this envelope and that no one else knows that you have it."
Jean André felt the envelope. He could tell there was paper inside, but there was clearly a solid object in there as well. His eyes widened in realization.
"Is this her miracul-?" he tried to ask before Chat motioned for him to be quiet.
"Yes," the black cat answered quietly. "Take this to Grand Paris Hotel tomorrow. Walk in like it's just a normal day at work. You must be discreet when you give it to her. It is imperative that Hawk Moth doesn't know that Chloé has the bee miraculous. Can you do that for us? Chloé's safety depends on it."
The veteran butler stared at the message and object trusted into his care. After a brief moment of uncertainty, he straightened up and nodded.
"Yes, Chat Noir, you have my word," he affirmed as his face hardened with sudden resolve. "I will give the envelope to Mademoiselle and make sure no villain is any wiser."
"Thank you," Chat told him as he again opened the window above the sink. As he prepared to make his exit, he suddenly snapped his fingers and turned back around. "Oh and make sure she follows all of the instructions Ladybug left for her. I can't tell you much, but this new villain we have is no joke. She has to be extremely careful with that."
Jean André looked off to the side, his expression now somewhat uncertain. There were many terms he could use to describe his mademoiselle. "Extremely careful" was not one of them.
"I will…do my best," he replied.
The feline superhero exited and closed the window before departing into the night. The apartment was suddenly quiet with only the dirty plate on the counter serving as evidence of Jean's surprise visitor. He looked down at the envelope again and swallowed nervously. Due to his hectic day, he hadn't seen much of the news. But the little he had briefly caught on the hotel lobby's TV was certainly enough to alarm him.
Chloé, he thought as he held the package close to his chest, I hope you are ready for whatever is coming.
Ψ
Chat Noir arrived at the agreed meeting point at the top of the South Tower of Notre-Dame. This time Ladybug was waiting for him. She had been pacing back and forth, biting her fingers until he landed behind her. She then whirled around, clasping her hands together with a clear sense of urgency radiating from her eyes.
"Did you give the dog miraculous to Adrien?" she immediately asked.
"Of course, my lady," he responded.
And by that, I mean I stuffed it in the cabinet beneath my bathroom sink, he thought with a slight smirk on his face.
Ladybug rubbed her right arm with discomfort. "How…how did he react? Was he terrified? Does he hate me for all of this?"
Chat scratched the back of his neck and adeptly avoided his lady's imploring gaze. "Um…he was certainly a bit freaked out," he cautiously answered, "but he doesn't hate you. He did say he didn't intend to join our fight against Shouwang, but that he would keep the miraculous safe until this whole thing is over."
His partner turned and walked a few steps away. Her head angled upward as she turned her gaze toward the full moon above them. Though the August air was still warm, she shuddered and hugged her shoulders.
"That's a relief. I was worried he might try to join us and risk his life against Shouwang."
Chat raised an eyebrow at that statement. He titled his head to the side and frowned. "So you're okay with us and the other heroes fighting Shouwang, but not Adrien Agreste? Why is that?"
Some heat rushed to Ladybug's face in response to her partner's probing question. She continued facing away from Chat as she tried to consciously make her blush go away. She cleared her throat and cautiously looked over her shoulder, silently hoping he couldn't see the growing redness in her cheeks at this time of night.
"It's…nothing really," she lied, "he just has much less experience than the others. I'm reluctant to let him fight against a monster like this when he's not used to fighting."
Chat scratched his chin and looked off to the side before slowly nodding in agreement. "Fair enough. We wouldn't want him to get hurt."
Though it's a bit too late for that, he privately noted as he touched the side of his hip where the demon's fangs had struck a few hours ago.
The two stood apart for a while saying nothing. Chat fiddled with his baton for a few moments, feeling antsy. He waited for his partner to say something, but she merely hugged her arms close to her chest and remained facing away from him. As she stared up at the moon, he took a few cautious steps forward and cleared his throat.
"What about Rena Rouge and Carapace?" he asked as he scratched the back of his neck. "How did they handle it?"
"They are…very scared," Ladybug quietly replied, "but they're ready to help us. Despite the danger. Considering the circumstances, they handled it pretty well."
She sat down at the edge of the tower and stared at the ground below. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands.
"Much better than I deserve," she added with a sigh.
Chat sat down next to her and shook his head. "No. Come on. Don't blame yourself. You had no idea that giving out those miraculouses would mean this. Even if Fu had his reasons, this mess is on him, not you."
Her downcast expression and tone did not change as she muttered: "Thank you Chat."
She then handed him a small piece of paper. Curious, he quickly opened it to find a single phrase: tâchenoire15.
"What's this?" he asked. "Some kind of code?"
Ladybug slightly tilted her head in Chat's direction. "Are you aware of the new app that came out called Anonyme?"
"Vaguely," he responded as he scratched his head, "isn't that the one where you can send encrypted messages under a made-up username? Why do you ask?"
Ladybug sat up and took a deep breath. "Because in a half hour or so, that will be my username on the app."
Chat stared at the paper in confusion for a brief second. In the following second, his eyes quickly widened with sudden understanding.
"You mean, this is how we…communicate? Out of costume?" he asked.
Ladybug nodded and stood up. "Correct. I am not comfortable with the idea of revealing my identity to you just yet with Hawk Moth around, but neither am I willing to put you or myself at unnecessary risk. This way we can contact each other in case of emergency, like Shouwang stalking us for example. Pick a username that clearly identifies you to me without being obvious."
Chat saluted his lady with sudden excitement as he eagerly clutched the paper in his hand. "You got it!"
"And by obvious, I mean nothing blatant like 'I am the cat's meow' or anything stupid like that," she clarified with a harsh stare.
He stood up and bowed towards her. "Understood. I will be sure to pick something only my lady would know."
"And by emergencies, I mean emergencies only," she explained as she poked his chest, "not something you can use just to flirt with me or because you're bored."
Chat expanded his baton and leaned on it while scratching his chin. "So…I guess this means no cat gifs?" he asked.
Ladybug's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Especially no cat gifs."
Damn it. Adrien thought as his superhero persona forced a smile. Well it was worth a shot. Still, the ability to communicate with an unmasked Ladybug is incredible. I only wish it wasn't a ravenous demon that allowed me to get to this point.
The black cat hero reluctantly nodded. He held up his hand as a sign of his sincerity: "I understand. Emergencies only."
The two stood apart for several moments, saying nothing. Ladybug glanced over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact with her partner. She twirled her yo-yo in her hand, preparing to set off.
"Well I better get going. I need my sleep," she said as she wandered to the edge of the South Tower, "assuming I will be able to sleep tonight."
"My Lady," Chat said as he took a few steps toward her.
As Ladybug turned around, she suddenly felt her partner wrap his arms around her. He held her close to his chest. Her eyes widened and a slight blush appeared on her face.
"We'll get through this," he assured her, "I don't know how, but we will."
Ladybug choked back a sob and nodded her head. "Thank you. I really hope that you're right."
Slowly and reluctantly Chat removed his arms from his partner. Ladybug gave him a half-smile and took his hand in hers. She briefly squeezed it before separating and walking to the edge of the tower.
"Stay safe," she told him as she swung her yo-yo and prepared to leave.
"Likewise," he replied with a smile.
Marinette could not recall any details of the journey back home. Her body moved mechanically through the Parisian night. She briefly looked down at a city that had no idea the horror that awaited them. Before she knew it, she arrived at her balcony and slipped through the roof entrance to collapse on her bed. She quietly moaned as she released her transformation and returned to her civilian appearance. Tikki clutched on to her for dear life, whispering words of encouragement into her ear.
She downloaded the Anonyme app and made her account with the username she had already shared with Chat. For the next ten minutes she stared at the ceiling, not moving and barely responding to any remark from Tikki. Then, after a long moment of silence, her phone lit up with a notification from the newly downloaded app. It read that the user gardezlarose wanted to connect with her.
"'Keep the rose?'" Marinette asked as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Is that what Chat picked?"
"It's not cat-related, which I suppose is a good thing" Tikki observed, "is there anything you've done together that reminds you of the name he picked?"
At first, she shook her head, unable to think of any moment with Chat that applied to that username. Then her eyes widened, and she let out a slight gasp. A slight blush appeared on her face as she remembered their encounter after their fight with Glaciator. At that time, Ladybug was forced to tell him that she couldn't return his feelings because someone else had captured her heart. While his face clearly displayed disappointment, he had departed with an assurance that her friendship meant everything to him. His final sentence then replayed in her head as he laid a slight kiss on her cheek.
You can keep the rose. It goes with your costume.
Almost subconsciously, Marinette's eyes wandered to the bulletin board above her computer. Beneath the multiple photos of Adrien hung the rose that Chat had given her. It was now very much dead, having wilted long ago. Yet every time she looked at the gift and thought about throwing it away, a part of her hesitated. She had told herself that she would toss it at some point, but that 'some point' never came.
She smiled as she accepted Chat's request and pulled the covers up to her neck. Her peaceful look remained as her body began to give in to exhaustion. One last conscious thought resonated in her mind before she succumbed to sleep.
Well done Chat, she thought, well done.
