Touché
The rain stopped, but the clouds were still heavy when Adrien and Nino walked out from the building. The blonde model carried his fencing gear, the DJ had his phones around his neck and his red cap. They had their time to reach the school, Nino's mother returned from shopping a while ago.
"Honestly, dude, I was wondering if it was worth the trouble to go out this morning." Nino looked at the skies that were still severely grey. "I mean, it was worse and it looks better now, but I guess nothing is stopping you now." He grinned.
"The rain had stopped, we can hope the skies are going to clear up, but we can all still go to Juleka's as long as it is not raining." Adrien shrugged. He was going to hang out with his friends, it was allowed, nobody needed files on his classmates three generations back to allow him.
"Hey girl!" Alya greeted as she burst into the bakery. "Your first fencing tournament and you are still covered in flour!" She was quickly behind the counter, greeted Sabine then Tom and dragged her best friend upstairs.
Marinette was not overly excited, she was mostly tired and her mind was somewhere else the whole morning. She showered and cleaned and dressed herself in record time, probably because she wasn't overthinking it, or not thinking about that at all.
"Girl, are you still in those mountains with Adrien? Because I can for sure see that you're not here!" Alya snickered. "Nino tells me Adrien is like that all the time too. You two are such dorks in love." The journalist fiddled with her phone while she waited for her friend.
Marinette brushed her hair quickly and tied them into her usual pigtails. Yeah, she blushed too at the mention of Adrien as her boyfriend, she had to get used to that label, and somehow that was completely different than what she already got used to – sharing anything to sleep on.
"The rest of the girls are waiting in front of school. Alix spray painted a banner on her bed sheet." Alya announced. "Come on, hurry up or you'll be late. And please act surprised when you see the sheet because it was supposed to be a surprise."
It was unusually crowded in front of the school, and noisy, the whole class was there, plus a few friends, and then there were other students, teachers, parents, reporters … reporters? Yes right, they were not allowed on school days, but this was a sporting event.
"Ugh." Marinette muttered her dissatisfaction quietly, she had no energy for that, but she smiled widely at the sight of the banner made by Alix. It was so big that it was held by Ivan and Kim and the two girls joined the rest of the group quickly.
"Someone said that the heroes are going to watch you in this tournament so there are journalists." Rose spoke softly as if it was a big secret. "Will Ladybug and Chat Noir come over to watch?"
"No, I don't think so." Marinette shook her head. Right, the two heroes were long overdue for some public events and interviews, they made only a brief appearance and were busy with the investigation that they completely forgot how hungry the public was for anything from them.
Adrien and Nino joined in. The boy studied the message on the banner made by Alix and laughed, it looked loud in that graffiti choice of colours and font, he liked it. It was a simple and generic message, but the colours gave it power.
A familiar car approached, the silver limousine that used to take Adrien around, driven by the same driver. Adrien stepped forward to greet the man and they exchanged smiles and nods before the man opened the door for Amelie and Felix.
The boy carried his duffel bag and acknowledged his classmates with a greeting, but his eyes searched the crowds for someone else. Amelie, walked all the way to Adrien and hugged him and wished him all the best before she studied the banner and laughed sincerely from the heart.
Felix's eyes searched and searched, but she wasn't there, he was in his usual shirt, vest and tie outfit and stood out from the crowds in his calm manners and posture as well as the grey clothing, and then a familiar red car slowly approached up the street.
The boy focused so much on the red car he did not see anything around him, not even a white limo nor a blonde girl in flashy clothes who walked out from it, he did not smile, nor grin nor reveal any emotion about the girl in that red car, but he also did not see anything else.
"Felix." Chloe exclaimed and pulled him closer to exchange kisses in the cheek, well bisou usually meant to kiss the air but plenty of people kissed the cheek, and she aimed straight at that.
The crowd was big and Felix was not able to see the car, he turned his attention towards Chloe and greeted her polite, although he was annoyed by her straightforward approach. In fact he was not annoyed by the approach, it was just the fact that she did it just then.
"Hello Chloe." A smile escaped his lips while he greeted. The girl was determined to latch onto his arm, but he expertly sneaked out from her clutch. Slightly disappointed, she stepped slightly closer and that was when she noticed the banner.
"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" She sputtered, you should mention all the fencers from our school, not just Adrien and Marinette. I'm sure Felix is much better fencer." She pouted, but she wasn't joined by Felix in her antics, he turned his focus entirely towards another girl.
Kagami got out of the car surprised by the number of people there, but she never showed it. She stepped out from the car and waited for her mother, first there was a white stick, then a foot and then a head wearing the dark glasses and finally a whole woman.
Tomoe always looked like she observed her surroundings. Kagami offered a hand and lead her mother through the crowd straight towards the banner and her friends as she explained to her mother about the banner and what was on it.
"Hello Kagami." Felix greeted first as he stepped straight in front of the mother and the daughter. He demanded attention, but in subtle way, the three of them at a safe distance although the steps were crowded.
"Hello Felix." Kagami greeted respectfully, the way you greeted your potential opponents before a tournament. "Mother, this is a new fencer form the academy, Adrien's cousin Felix I was telling you about. Felix, this is my mother, Tomoe Tsurugi."
"Pleased to meet you Mme Tsurugi." The boy knew that the woman should be blind because of the glasses and the stick, but he felt like she had some different sense that scanned straight through him and into his very soul, he felt cold shivers down his spine at her expressionless face.
"Pleased to meet you Felix." Tomoe added curtly, her face turned towards the boy, but then she moved slightly as if she felt another person approached them. Felix glanced to the side and noticed his mother.
"And this is my mother, Amelie Graham de Vanily." The boy continued with the introductions slightly nervous from the whole thing, but he hid it well inside, he buried it, because he was never nervous about being introduced to people, annoyed or exasperated yes, but nervous … never.
They continued with the introductions and Felix made it all run smoothly, but his eyes flicked over to Kagami all the time, weather or not she was talking (which was only once) or a subject of the conversation (which was twice) between their mothers.
"It is time for us to go and prepare." Kagami noted and took a step to the side with her mother.
"Oh, I can help your mother, Kagami, we will find a nice spot to sit and talk while you two can go and prepare for the tournament." Amelie offered with a smile. It was a polite smile that did not reach her tired eyes.
"Thank you Mme Graham de Vanily, I believe we have a lot to talk about." Tomoe relied and accepted a hand, it was much easier in crowded places than using just her stick. Felix felt as if he was still being scanned from behind by Tomoe.
Felix walked into school beside Kagami in companionable silence, he was glad she wasn't asking stupid questions about him being excited or ready and did not ask her anything in return, but it did not last for long.
"Hello Kagami." Chloe greeted coldly and pushed herself between the two fencers. Then she rambled about such events being dull and how Felix chose dull and boring clothes again and how she hoped he really intended to change his style into something more appropriate.
"There is nothing wrong with your clothes if you feel comfortable." Kagami cut in while the blode girl continued her rant, the fencer felt like she was pushed away from Felix, like Chloe wanted to interfere with something whatever that was.
The problem was, Kagami did not have a new target yet. She met Luka by accident once and the two of them had a brief conversation, but that was all, she liked his calm demeanour and she found him … interesting? Different? But it wasn't the same feeling as with Adrien.
Then she also met Felix, who was an exact copy of Adrien when he felt like it, and yet he was more determined, never hesitated in a duel, but maybe he looked like Adrien a bit too much, maybe it was too much and too soon to actually pick a target.
Then why did she want to push Chloe away when she pushed herself between them and then straight on ignored Kagami and talked on and on about totally irrelevant things. Besides, she found Felix's clothing style acceptable.
Felix noticed a glimpse of something in Kagami's eyes before they became neutral. Was that jealousy? And why did it make him happy? They stopped in front of a door and waited for Chloe to stop talking but ignored the meaning of her words (if there was any) and waited for her to finish.
"Chloe, would you mind?" Kagami interfered first, she lost her patience and refused to be late for her fencing tournament.
"What?" Chloe screeched and flipped around so quickly that her pony tail almost hit Felix by her side. She acted as if she was surprised that the other girl was still there, and indeed she was, Chloe forgot about Kagami being there.
"Only fencers go behind this door." Kagami pointed towards the door, calm and composed, her voice did not betray how she felt.
"Oh, yes, right, well have a good fight, I'm off to a prior engagement before the tournament finishes, my hair is a mess in this wet weather and I really need to have it styled by a professional and … " Chloe rambled long after the two fencers disappeared behind the door.
"You and Chloe?" Kagami inquired from Felix. If the boy was taken or even interested in the mayor's daughter, she was not going to entertain her thoughts about him, or at least try not to, his likeness to Adrien attracted her weather or not she wanted to admit that.
"My mother and me are staying at Le Grand Paris and we are seat mates now." No, he was not looking for excuses for excessive attention between him and Chloe, he was just listing the facts as they were, and he omitted the fact that he asked to be seated next to Chloe by chance, okay.
"Okay, I find her unusually annoying." Kagami stated calmly, there was not a hint of annoyance in her voice. She still revealed no emotions in front of him, although she was always willing to do that with Adrien and Marinette, maybe that was because he was hiding his emotions too?
"Me too." Felix smiled, he actually smiled. "Ever since we were little. And it is not the fact that she orders everyone around, because I'm used to that." Because him and his mother ordered people around, but in a different way.
Then Kagami smiled back and they started to exchange stories about how annoying the mayor's daughter was in different situations until Marinette nervously reminded them it was time to change and prepare.
The pigtailed girl was suddenly really nervous, she just entered the fencing academy, it was pure chance and even more luck that allowed her to be there and now she had to justify her spot in the academy and she did not trust her abilities no, not really.
"Stop doing that to yourself, Marinette." Kagami smiled. "Do not hesitate and go for an attack!"
"It's easy for you to say." Marinette winced at her own words. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I'm just not that good as you."
"You are not that bad either!" Kagami protested. "Come on, you can do it! You fought Hawk Moth and Mayura, of course you can face any fencer."
On the other side of the locker room, Adrien had different issues. Felix was rather overconfident in his abilities, which was not a problem per se, just difficult to listen, but then, Adrien was used to listen to ego trips, so he just let the boy be.
The first round was one on one with a member from another fencing academy. Weather it was luck, a weak opponent or some skill, Marinette won her first duel, but when she raised her mask, the girl who lost to her switched her expression from defeated to joy.
"Mother, father, I lost to the girl who defeated Hawk Moth." She shouted while she ran towards towards her parents in the group of spectators. Marinette deflated, well, it looks like the girl did not know in advance so she did not let her win …
However, the next round brought her against Felix.
"Come on, I know you can do this my Lady." Adrien whispered and put his hands on her shoulders.
Kagami stepped over in her red gear, passed by Felix and patted Marinette on one shoulder before she proceeded to her own second duel.
Felix was determined to win, and impatient, he lunged first, he ticked he jumped he tried to trip her he tried every trick he knew, but Marinette continued to evade his attack, she barely tried to score a point of her own too busy evading him, but of course, once she got him, it was more of an accident than a real attempt of a counter attack, but it was a point.
That was it, Felix unleashed something he was not aware he had in him, he attacked with such speed and agility that Marinette did not stand a chance, he won a point and then he won another one, but the second time he pushed her, she fell and he landed on top of her.
Marinette felt her heart in her throat, suddenly she was acutely aware that she was facing a sentimonster, and she was Ladybug, although untransformed. Was the sentimonster able to feel the threat from her? Was that why he attacked her?
Felix felt anger and it grew into rage but he focused he directed it into agility and speed, he had to win over that girl, he had to score points, as many as he could, he had to defeat her. And then he stood up out of breath and asked himself why for the first time.
Far away, in Chinese prison, Gabriel Agreste played with his wedding ring while he stared at the picture of Ladybug on the screen of his tablet. That girl stole his book a few nights ago and he was going to have his revenge one way or another.
Then he swiped to the images of the last battle in the temple, his son and that other girl that took the miraculous from him and Nathalie, he was going to have his revenge, and the interview that Lila girl made and he just saw gave him an idea just what he had to do.