I have returned with the next installment in this half of the first "season!" I think I'm going to try and publish on Wednesdays, since that gives me enough time to get a chapter finished even with a busy weekend.

Be warned, I get into some heavier stuff in the second scene of this one. If you need to, feel free to skip it, but things will make more sense character-wise if you try and get through it.

Now, onward! This chapter was inspired by a post on the terrible-akuma-ideas blog on Tumblr, which I am absolutely going to refer to many times for inspiration when the think tank is running low. For now, our story begins with a mildly aggravating situation for Rothan which no one is going to let him get out of...

"A field trip?" Rothan glanced at the slip he had received with a hint of annoyance. "I really thought I had gotten out of these."

"Come on, spoilsport." Lyra was next to him preparing for their next class, and she bumped his shoulder affectionately. "You've got to admit, going down into the Paris Catacombs and seeing the remains of the history of Paris will be pretty neat."

"I guess." He bit his lip as he retrieved his science textbook. "If you think dead people are cool."

"Lighten up. We could be going somewhere a lot less interesting. And I'm going to be there, and Marinette and Alya and the boys. It will be fun, if you'll let it be."

Rothan rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at the aforementioned blunette, who had her head on her desk and was twitching in her sleep. "You know how I get in tight spaces."

"Which is why you'll have all your friends with you to help you relax." Lyra smiled and sat down. "Come on, Rothan. Stop worrying and let yourself have a good time."

"That would be irresponsible." But he couldn't help but crack a smile as he sat down beside her and began to steal a few minutes of writing, absently rubbing his well-hidden and bandaged stomach as he did so. "I'll think about it."

"Good." Lyra leaned over his shoulder and glanced at his work. "What is this project for?"

"Literature magazine from back in Britain. I still follow them and they're having a short story contest here in a week or two." Rothan shrugged as his hand flowed across the page. "I've only got a scene or two left to write before it's done, so I figured I would try and finish it to send in."

"That's awesome. You'll have to show me it when you finish." She watched his hasty scrawl form on the page for a bit, then retrieved her textbook to finish reading through the day's lesson. Rothan hummed to himself as he wrote, his mind buzzing with ideas for this particular piece, and he quickly lost himself in his work. He was so busy, in fact, he almost missed the quiet gasp that came from a few rows back. But Lyra did not, and she turned around with a surprised glance and elbowed her classmate. "Hey, look."

Rothan turned around and raised an eyebrow. Marinette had woken up and was trembling in her seat, while her lab partner – a red-head named Nathanial that he barely knew – was trying to calm her down. "What happened?"

"Nightmare, I guess. She looks like she saw a ghost."

"I wonder what could have been so bad to upset her like that. I mean, I know she's a little high-strung, but usually not like this."

"Could be anything. She might be overtired, or stressed, or any number of things could be on her mind. Heck, it could even be that Adrien kid – have you noticed how uncomfortable she gets around him?"

"If she was having a nightmare, I don't think it would be about Adrien." Rothan smirked as he turned back to face the front. "We can make sure everything is alright after class – which is starting, by the way."

"Oh!" Lyra turned around as well and grabbed her notebook so she could take notes, and both teens were quickly absorbed into the class period. Science wasn't Rothan's best subject, but with Lyra's help he had made a fair amount of progress. It still took all of his brain power to manage with his aching ribs, however, and he couldn't afford any distractions if he was going to keep his grades up. Thankfully, it was one of their last classes, but it still left him drained as the period came to an end.

Lyra had no such issues and even seemed more energetic than before as they wrapped up and collected their things. "I've got plenty of notes if you need them. This unit is going to be challenging, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. In fact, we should meet at my parent's café to study at some point. Last thing you want is to fail the test right as you're starting to make some headway."

"Slow down, girl!" Rothan grinned and shook his head as he tried to clear the cobwebs from it. "I won't lie, a tea latte sounds amazing right now. But we have one more period to get through, and I'm going to be busy tonight after school. But tomorrow, maybe?" He paused and glanced back at Marinette, who was quietly putting away her things. "Why don't you go ahead? I'm going to talk with Marinette for a minute."

"I can come too, if you want."

"No, I'm good. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Alright." Lyra squeezed his shoulder and grabbed her bag. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"'Kay." Rothan watched her and made sure she actually left, then grabbed his satchel and slipped out of his seat, stopping the blunette in the aisle. "Hey."

She replied by nearly tripping over her own feet. "Oh! Rothan, hey. I didn't see you there."

"Really? I like to think I'm kind of hard to miss." The brown-haired boy wiggled his eyebrows and grinned, and Marinette giggled. "I noticed you had a bit of a fright before class."

"What? Oh, I'm fine." But the blunette refused to meet his eyes, and her sudden tension told him more than words would. "Just a bad dream."

"Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything you need to talk about?" Rothan searched her face for answers but found none. "Is Lila bothering you, or Chloé? Class giving you trouble? Crazy morning at the bakery?"

"You sound like my mother."

"You would not believe how many times I've heard that. Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But if there is something bothering you –" He paused and considered his options. "This isn't about Adrien, is it?"

"What?" Marinette's voice rose about an octave as she took two steps back. "Why would it be about Adrien?"

"I don't know, because you get a dopey smile anytime you're looking at him, and stare at the back of his head half the time you're in class, and turn into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever he says anything to you –" Rothan paused and grinned, seeing that his teasing had sent her mind in an entirely different direction from whatever had been bothering her earlier. "Did I say something?"

"You – you know?" Marinette was reeling in shock and put a hand on a desk to steady herself. "How long? Did Alya tell you?"

"No, of course not. I just have an eye for detail and you're really obvious. Like, really obvious. Adrien is sweet but he's oblivious as they come." Rothan shrugged. "I asked Alya to make sure, of course, but it didn't take her saying anything to figure it out."

"This is so embarrassing." The blunette covered her face with her hands, and Rothan realized for the this might have been a bad idea. "I can't believe – You're not going to tell him, are you?"

"What? No! Marinette, it's alright." After a moment's hesitation, he sucked up his discomfort and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's for you to do, not me. I'm a lot of things, but a jerk isn't one of them – not intentionally, anyways."

"Thank you." Marinette's voice was small, but she relaxed a little and gave Rothan a shaky smile. "Sorry, you gave me a bit of a fright."

"It's my fault. I'm the one who should be apologizing." Rothan shook his head and returned her smile with one of his own. "If there is something bothering you, though, something you need to talk about, just let me know. I'd be glad to listen."

The blunette nodded. "I appreciate that. Thank you." After closing her eyes for a moment and taking a steadying breath, she nodded. "We really need to get to class."

"Right." Rothan was all business again, and he quickly removed his hand from her shoulder and turned to walk with her to their next period. As they went, however, he couldn't resist a small smile. "So how long have you been crushing on our blonde model friend?"

"Rothan!" Marinette gave him a look that was a mixture of scandal and amusement, then relented. "Alright, I guess it can't hurt. It all happened around my first week of school here. See, I guess Chloé decided to have a little fun with me, involving my seat and some gum…"

Lyra watched Rothan as he read through their science textbook, mumbling to himself as he tried to make sense of the formulae it was presenting. He absently stirred his tea with a finger as he read the same page for the fifth time, then slammed the book closed. "Gah! Sorry, Lyra, but my brain just isn't here right now. I can't focus enough for any of this to make sense."

"That's alright. Are you just tired? Or is something on your mind?"

"The latter." Rothan sighed and shook his head. "I've always got something on the mind though, even more so these days."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lyra watched his eyes as they stayed fixated on his tea. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but—"

"No, you're fine!" Rothan put a hand up to quiet her, and she smiled. "I'm just – It's a lot of words, and thoughts, and I don't really talk about it with anyone."

"Whenever you're ready. Even if it's not today."

The brunette gave her a brief nod and hummed to himself in thought. And then, after a few moments, he began. "I was on – I was running some errands after school today when I got thinking about my dad."

"Your dad? You don't talk about him much."

"For a reason. He's not really around anymore."

"What do you mean?" Lyra looked at him for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh, Rothan, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I didn't expect you to. It's not like I talk about it." He waved a dismissive hand. "A little over a year ago, we were going on a weekend trip. My aunt has a family house in Plymouth. We'd go about once every two months or so and go boating, or drive up to Dartmoor, or just hang out in town, just the three of us. It was fun. Well, we left on a Friday afternoon, just like we always did, but Dad got off work late because he had to take another guy's shift. So we left pretty late, and he was tired. Well, it had gotten pretty late, and we were having a good time and laughing and talking like families do, you know? And then, out of nowhere, this guy who had been drinking a bit too much came tearing down the road the other direction. Dad didn't even have a chance, the guy slammed right into us and was dead on impact. My dad hung on for four days before –" Rothan stopped as he realized his hands were clenched around his cup. "Shoot."

"It's okay to be upset." Lyra reached over and put a hand on his, and his grip relaxed slightly. "That's awful, Rothan. I'm so sorry."

"Mum and I got banged up pretty bad too. I had a broken arm, and Mum ended up with a pretty bad concussion. But I think the worst damage was up here." Rothan tapped the side of his head. "I was already pretty moody and depressive at times and was seeing someone about it. But we're not sure if I hit my head, or it was the shock, or what, but it got worse. I started getting really upset at small things, lashing out at people and isolating myself, and I was super protective of my mum. I was on meds for a while. And I was jumpy before, but now everything makes me anxious. Sometimes I can disarm it with bad jokes and adrenaline, but other times… Not so much." He shrugged and took a long sip of tea. "I'm much, much better than I was a year ago. I can control it better – the anger, anyways. We're still working on the anxiety, and I still fight with it the rest of it every day. And I happened to walk past a car accident today, and between that and the catacombs, it got me thinking. And I really haven't been able to stop."

"Hey." Lyra squeezed his hand and gave him a gentle smile. "I'd say you've improved by leaps and bounds. You've got me, and Marinette and Alya, and Nino and Adrien. You've gone places with us, done things that pushed the limits of your comfort zone."

"Oh, you have no idea." Rothan grinned, then became somber again. "I'm thankful for you guys and everything you've done for me. Some days are just hard. And today was one of those days."

"It will get better. And there's tomorrow and the next day, and so many more good days to have. And we're here to help you make it easier." She paused as she examined his face. "What does this mean about the field trip tomorrow?"

"My mother informed me that under no circumstances would I not be going. The alternative was sitting in the library while being supervised, so I'm not really complaining. But It's going to be an interesting day for sure. I'll manage – I always do." Rothan managed another smile and gave her a brief nod. "And it's not like I'm going to be there by myself. It will be fine."

"I'm glad you're coming." Lyra grinned back at him and gave his hand another quick squeeze. "I think this is the kind of thing that will be right up your alley."

"I don't know about that, but it should be pretty interesting. And besides. I'll have you and everyone else there – what could possibly go wrong?"

"Hey! Hands off!" Emmanuel barked at a teen who was trying to pry a loose bone fragment from the wall and hurried over. "Firstly, that's both harmful and disrespectful to the people who are buried here. Second, are you trying to bring this place down on our heads?"

The tourist sulked but removed his hands and joined the rest of the group, and the young archeologist sighed. There had been a plethora of obnoxious, rude tourists today, none of which seemed to understand the meaning of the words "Do not touch." Frankly, he was getting sick of the whole business, and was ready to go home and decompress before tomorrow. He had to come in early to prepare for a school field trip, and he was not looking forward to it at all. Field trips meant kids, which meant grubby hands and people wanting pieces of bones and a whole mess of other issues. He had been well-behaved and in awe of the years of history in these tunnels, which had lead him down the road of historian and gotten him this job interning and leading tours. He just hadn't expected the visitors to be so awful!

Finally, the tour wrapped itself up, and being the last one for the evening, he was able to head up the stairs to his small office – really just a desk in a corner, but it was his. He was still in a rather foul mood, but it was easing as he retrieved his things – a small snare drum he had to bring with him for band practice later than night, and a bag with his music and a change of clothes. He thought he was alone in the building and began to hum to himself as he collected his things. He was surprised, therefore, to hear a silky voice purr behind him. "Say, I was wondering if you all were still open."

Spinning around, Emmanuel saw a young woman maybe a year older than him with long, jet black hair and in a skinsuit to match, accented with red lines and an hourglass shape over the stomach. "Oh! My apologies, miss. Yes, we're open for a minute more, though next time I'd advise you to wait downstairs in the lobby – how did you get up here, anyways?"

"No need to worry about that. I just had a few questions. Perhaps you could help me?"

"Of course." It was perfectly fine, he reasoned, that she had come looking for him, ignoring the little vice that told him there was something unusual about the way she was dressed and the almost predatory way she smiled at him. "How can I help you?"

"I just had some basic questions about the catacombs below us. Do you lead tours often?"

"Oh, yes. I just finished one, actually."

"How wonderful! People must really love to come to these catacombs."

"Yeah, though a little more respect for history might be in order. We have a real issue with tourists not keeping their hands to themselves – darn Americans." He forced a laugh, all while wondering why he was telling this woman this? But she just gave him another sweet smile. "What a shame. I agree, a bit more awe for our national history might go a long way. Wouldn't it be nice if someone were to show them that?"

"What was your name again, ma'am?" Suddenly Emmanuel felt very tired, like he was moving through syrup rather than air, and he blinked twice to try and clear his mind. Why does everything feel like I'm seeing it through a cloud?

"That's really not important, darling." The black-dressed figure approached with a lecherous grin, and he watched her retrieve a small jar from a nearby table he hadn't noticed before. "I just have something I'd like to show you…"

"Dude? Earth to Adrien." The blond model snapped out of his reprieve on the bus and shook his head. Nino just grinned. "There you are. I was starting to wonder if you were just ignoring me."

"Never. Just been a long few days, and I've got a lot on my mind." He winced as he remembered how quiet and upset Ladybug had seemed and admitted to himself that a lot didn't even begin to cover it. "What's up?"

"We're here." Nino pointed at the line of students leaving the bus, eliciting another blush from his best friend. "You're coming, right?"

"I'd be crazy not to, after everything I did to be able to do this." Adrien's' father had balked at the idea of him coming on this school trip, just as he did with all of them, and it had taken several hours of placating and two – two! – calls to Mr. Damocles asking about the arrangements and asking for certain concessions to be made. But he had eventually allows Nathalie to sign the form – not that he would do it himself – and Adrien was free to go as long as the Gorilla was at least on the premises during the tour, in case of an emergency, and there was someone with Adrien at all times to make sure no over-eager fans tried something. It was a small concession to make, and Adrien had gladly agreed, especially considering his previous agreement with the large bodyguard. "I'm rather lucky to be here at all."

Nino just smiled and followed him out of the bus, where students were pairing off and talking about a variety of subjects. "So, who is going to be your "buddy" for this outing?"

Adrien groaned. "You make it sound like we're in sixth grade or something."

"Like you would know. Besides, this was because Mr. Damocles' agreed to have someone keeping an eye on you, which means it's technically your fault." Nino poked his best friend and elicited another groan. This was, indeed, their headmaster's translation of Mr. Agreste's request, and it "It could be worse. It could be Natalie. Or the Gorilla."

"I wouldn't mind the Gorilla so much, although he probably would." Adrien muttered, mostly to himself. His eyes lit up after a moment of thinking. "Hey, we could be together!"

"Sorry, dude, but I already have a partner. Alya claimed me on the bus, while you were lost in space."

"You're joking. Who am I supposed to partner with then?" He paused as another thought struck him, and his brow furrowed in concern. "And who is Marinette's partner going to be?"

It was at that moment that they were interrupted by the one person that Adrien had been hoping would not be able to find him. "ADRIKENS!" A high, loud croon called out over the mass of teenagers, and the blonde girl it belonged to darted to his side to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. "You did such a good job surprising me, silly boy! I'm so glad you could come with us!"

"Me too," Adrien mumbled, recalling that he had expressly not mentioned this to anyone except Nino for this particular reason. "It's nice that my dad is starting to be more lenient."

"It's so wonderful." Chloé practically gushed as she held onto his arm. "But you need a partner still, and –"

"He doesn't, actually," Nino replied, thinking fast. "He already had a buddy."

"He does?"

"I do?" Adrien looked at his best friend with mild confusion. He wasn't ungrateful for the save by any means, but he had no idea what he was talking about.

Luckily Nino was fast on his feet. "Yeah you do, come on. Did you forget that Marinette asked you?"

"WHAT?" Chloé jumped back and shrieked so loud that a few people stopped to look in surprise. They were used to her dramatics, but it still garnered attention, which she loved, and Adrien hated. "And you said yes?" When Adrien respond with a quick nod, her fists curled up with irritation. "That little good for nothing, simple little –"

Nino led Adrien away as quick as he could as the blonde's hands also began to curl. "Calm down, man. Ignore her – it's not like she knows what she's talking about anyways." He gave him a quick side smile as they walked. "Though it is kind of funny when you get so worried about Marinette."

Irritation went to scrambling for words in moments. "I wasn't – It's not – Hey!" Suddenly Adrien was interjected between Alya and Marinette, who were apparently having a similar conversation, and he blushed. "Sorry."

"Adrien?" Marinette let out a squeak and turned scarlet, and he internally sighed. "What are you doing?"

"He's your buddy, remember?" Nino grinned and elbowed his girlfriend, and the model gave him a look of confusion and exasperation. "Could we please stop calling it a buddy?"

"But that's what it is!" Alya smiled sweetly as she took the arm that her boyfriend offered her. "Nino and I are buddies, and now you and Marinette are buddies too." She waved a hand before Marinette could reply. "I've got to go talk to Nathaniel about that Ladybug art he submitted to the blog. Toodle-oo!"

The pair of them speed walked off, leaving Adrien and Marinette to stare after them. The blonde knew his mouth was hanging open in shock, but he didn't care. "Toodle-oo? Who says Toodle-oo?"

"Alya's in a mood." Marinette shook her head with a flash of annoyance, but also a small smile. "I'm sorry about that."

"You're fine." Adrien gave her a quick smile, and she turned light pink and glanced away again. There it is again. What did I do? "Come on, we should go and get a good spot." He gestured at the small line of pairs that had begun to form. "We don't want to end up in the back."

"Right." Marinette looked back at him, then nodded her head. "Let's go." She headed over before he could say anything else or offer his arm as Nino had done, and he sighed. Why is it that whenever I'm around her, her first reaction is to get away from me? Reluctantly, he followed her over and stood beside her as Miss Bustier did a quick head count. Over to one side, he could see a very uncomfortable-looking Rothan standing with Lyra, who was fluttering around him and obviously trying to calm him down. After a moment he seemed to relent enough to let her take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. The whole thing was so small and sweet and domestic that he felt his heart warm, and he smiled wistfully at the pair. They really are cute together. I wish I could have something like that.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Miss Bustier's voice cut across the commotion and quieted the class, even a still-fuming Chloé, and drew their attention. "Now, we discussed etiquette and expectations on the bus, so I'm not going to repeat all of that. Just please remember to stay with your partner and with the group." As she continued with a few final notes, a man quickly approached her and initiated a quiet discussion for a brief moment before leaving again. Their teacher sighed. "It seems that our scheduled guide was unable to come in today, but a replacement will be here in just a moment. Please be patient, and we'll get started in a moment."

Adrien shrugged and glanced at Marinette, who was watching the rest of their classmates and humming to herself. She seemed calmer now that the initial surprise had faded, and Adrien decided that maybe she would be more open to idle conversation. "So, how is your design work going?"

"What?" Marinette briefly gave him a look like a deer in headlights before collecting her thoughts. "Oh, yeah, it's going great. I've started working on a new dress for Alya that I think she's going to love, and I've got a few designs sketched out to do after that." Adrien smiled as she continued to relax and explain some of her ideas and was thankful for his experience in the modeling industry that allowed him to keep up with the conversation. And apparently talking about fashion and her designs helps her to get more comfortable. Good to know.

After a few minutes of this, Miss Bustier got their attention once more. "Alright, our tour guide has arrived." After they settled down, the class turned its attention to their tour guide, who smiled. "Hey. I'm Simon and I'm going to be walking with you through the Catacombs today. If you all will join me inside, I think we can get started."

Marinette was having a silent crisis as they walked through the half-lit tunnels of the catacombs. The boy she had an enormous crush on was next to her, hand hanging out of his pocket as he absorbed the history around him. She could barely focus on the tour as she wondered if now was a good time to reach out and grab it. How hard could it be? I've had a crush on Adrien for forever, and this is the perfect opportunity to talk to him, when no one is paying attention. I could – No, this is stupid. The las thing I want is to be publicly rejected in front of everyone while we're in the middle of the Catacombs. It would be so embarrassing. Why did I agree to this? I never should have let Alya talk me into –

The blunette's reprieve was interrupted by that very person as she was tapped in the ankle. She turned around and saw her best friend staring at her with mild irritation. "Well?"

"Well what?" Marinette hissed back, hoping that Adrien was too absorbed to notice the two girls and knowing her luck likely wasn't that good. "I'm fine. Besides, haven't you and Nino been enjoying yourselves?"

Alya blushed at the not-so-subtle implication but deigned to make a retort. "You know this isn't easy, girl. At some point you're going to have to take some initiative."

"Initiative about what?" Adrien glanced at the two, and Marinette could feel her stomach drop out of her. She tried to squeak a response, but thankfully Alya covered before she could make too much of a mess. "Marinette and I were just talking about one of our projects. She's been so tired lately that she hasn't been able to help much."

"Right!" The blunette was glad to play along. "But I know we have to meet after school today and work on it." She gave Adrien an over-eager smile, and he just chuckled. "Nothing to worry about!"

"I get it. Well, let me know if you need some help with something." Adrien turned his attention back to the front of the group, and Alya made a series of exasperated gestures towards the blonde model. Marinette rolled her eyes and tried to change the subject. "Where are Rothan and Lyra? I thought they were in front of us, but I haven't seen them."

"They stopped for a minute in the back." Alya shrugged but couldn't hide a small smirk. "Do you think that they –"

"No!" Marinette glared at the brunette, who just shrugged. "Rothan has been very clear about that to me. They're friends, that's all."

"Sure." Alya didn't seem convinced, but thankfully decided to drop the subject. "Well, I haven't seen them, but I'm sure they'll catch up. Neither one of them is the type to risk getting in trouble."

The blunette felt a twinge of worry but ignored it and nodded. "Alright. Hopefully they get here soon. But you should be with Nino and be letting me pay attention."

"Like you were doing before?"

"That's not –" But Alya had disappeared back into the crowd of students, leaving Marinette to talk to empty air. "Fair. That girl is going to be the end of me."

"That's what best friends are for, though," Adrien shot back, only half paying attention. "It looks like we're getting ready to stop again. Should we try and get a little closer to the front this time, so you can see better?"

Marinette felt a light blush rise. "T-that would be great, if you don't mind."

Adrien nodded and reached out to take her hand, gently pulling her through the small crowd of students closer to the front of the group. Marinette was too surprised to actually do anything but follow his lead, so when they finally broached the front of the class, she was pleasantly surprised when he didn't remove his hand from hers.

As their guide began to explain the significance of the large, chapel-like chamber they had entered into, however, a shriek of fright interrupted him. As the rest of the class turned around to look, there was a pounding of feet from the passage behind, and after a moment Lyra came sprinting into view. As she pushed through the crowd, Miss Bustier gave her a look of mild disapproval. "Why weren't you with the rest of the group?"

The blonde girl gasped for air and tried to talk at the same time. "Rothan stopped — said he heard something funny — and you said stay together — so I waited with him for a minute — and then there was this weird throbbing — and then hands came out of the walls and grabbed me!" The girl suddenly broke down into terrified sobs, and Marinette quickly put a protective arm around her. "He pushed me away and told me to get help. Last I saw they had grabbed him and were pulling him to the wall."

Many of the other students began talking at this with a combination of excitement and fear. Miss Bustier turned pale for a moment, and then raised a hand. "Quiet!" An immediate hush fell over the class, and in it Marinette could hear a solitary sound.

Lub-dub.

Lub-dub.

Lib-dub.

Evidently their teacher could hear it too, because she sprang into action. Turning to the terrified tour guide beside her, she grabbed his shoulder and shook it to rouse him from his fear. "I think we may need to cut this short. Where is the nearest exit?"

The man nodded hesitantly. "There's one not far from here. I know the way."

"Good. Everyone stick together, and don't panic. Once we get to the surface we'll do a quick head count." She put a hand on Lyra's trembling shoulder to comfort the girl. "Don't worry — I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir are already on their way. They have a knack for knowing where an Akuma is going to strike next. But I need to get the rest of you to safety."

Mostly because I'm always there when it happens. Of all the times for my luck to turn south. What happened to Ladybug's good luck? Marinette grimaced as she was pulled along by Adrien, who was following close behind the tour guide and teacher to the exit. I have to stay with the class until we get out, so that Miss Bustier doesn't get worried, and then I have to slip away without her or Alya noticing. This is going to be impossible.

It actually turned out to be easier than she expected. Alya was determined to get some good video of Ladybug swinging by, and Miss Bustier was too busy trying to keep students calm and deal with the crisis to notice Marinette slip away. The real problem, she discovered, was from Adrien. He insisted on staying right by her side until she forced him to remain with the group while she 'called her maman.' "Miss Bustier will want you to stay with her, that way she can ensure your father that everything is alright. I'm just going to go right over there and call her really fast. It should only take a few minutes, tops. She'll want to know what is going on anyways."

"Are you sure?" Adrien's eyes were full of concern as he looked at her, and she couldn't help but blush at the attention. But she had to focus and get down there to help. "I can come with you and make sure –"
"Adrien, that's very sweet. But I'll be fine." The blunette gave him a small push, rather unwillingly, towards the group. "Besides, you need to find your bodyguard before he freaks out."

The blonde paused and considered this. You're probably right. I'll go look for him, and you call your mom."

"Alright. I'll be right back!" Marinette hurried away and into a nearby alleyway, making sure the blonde wasn't following, then opened her bag, where Tikki was waking up from a nap. "I'm so sorry, but there's an emergency. I need to transform."

"It's alright, Marinette. Let's go take down that Akuma!" Tikki yawned and floated up to meet her, then gave her a smile. "I'm ready when you are."

"Okay – Tikki, Spots on!"

"These skeletons just keep coming!" Rothan had transformed as soon as he had heard Lyra's screaming fade and then stop, but even with his speedy change of clothes the skeleton arms that had erupted from the wall had been a significant hassle to deal with. Now he was toe-to-toe with nearly a dozen of the limbs' owners, all of them bent on taking him down, and it was not going well. Every time he knocked one down, the bones simply re-assembled themselves and continued to fight, and combined with the heartbeat-like drum that echoed through the tunnels they were a disorienting group of foes. "Stay down, numbskull!"

Name calling is going to be less than effective, I'm afraid. Staffe seemed surprisingly calm despite all of this, which was beginning to irk his partner. Although I will admit it was quite fitting.

"I'm glad you approve." Rothan growled as he parried another three or four strikes and took another step backwards. "Where are Chat and LB? I could really use a hand."

"Seems like you've gotten plenty of them!" A familiar, cocky voice echoed down the tunnel, followed by a staff that clobbered the skeletons attacking the green-clad hero. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that Chat was racing down the dimly lit catacombs to him, and he sighed in relief. "About time! I was starting to get worried you weren't going to show."

"Sorry. I, uh, was preoccupied." Rothan rolled his eyes but decided not to press as Chat took out another pair of minions. "Any sign of Bugaboo yet?"

"Nope. She'll be here soon though, I'm sure." Rothan ducked one swipe and parried another, taking up a defensive position behind Chat's back as they waded into the crowd of reanimated remains. "Let's focus on taking these guys out first."

The two of them working together were more than a match for the mindless skeletons that attacked them, even with their constant reforming, and within a few minutes there was nothing but a pile of bones and silence. Rothan rose one bladed hand and sucked in a lungful of air, a sharp throb arching through his abdominal area. "One second. I need to catch a breather."

"There's no time. There's still a kid down here apparently, we've got to find him!" Chat grabbed his arm and Rothan winced. Shoot. This is going to take some fancy tongue work to get out of. "My guess is the Akuma has got him, and is taking him deeper into the tunnels –"

"Tall, skinny guy with long brown hair?" He interrupted, knowing that he was drawing an uncomfortable parallel to himself. "I just sent him off. Would have gone all the way with him but I kind of got jumped by a boneyard."

Chat seemed to deflate slightly from relief. "That's good. Do you have any idea what's causing this?"

"Other than an Akuma, I haven't the foggiest idea. All we can do is keep pressing forward until we find our culprit." Rothan raised his blades and lit them, their dark-green glow diffusing throughout the tunnel and providing a little extra light for himself. "Let's get moving."

The two heroes backtracked through the tunnels until they came to a place where the wall had been damaged and revealed a lightless tunnel beyond, one of the blocked-off sections to keep curious people from wandering away from the tours. Reluctantly, they left the electric lights behind and were guided only by the glow of Rothan's torches as they traveled through the dark interior. At some point Ladybug joined them in the darkness, as evidenced by a thump and a shout of pain from the behind. "Hey! That's me, you mangy alley cat."

"Sorry, LB. Thought you were another skeleton squad."

Rothan chuckled into the darkness. "Hello, Ladybird. Got everything taken care of upstairs?"

"Ladybug."

"Oh, so you tolerate Bugaboo from him but that's not okay?"

"Guys, guys." Chat stepped between the two, and Rothan could hear the amusement in his voice. "While I appreciate a good banter as much as anyone, we really need to get this wrapped up. People are going to wonder where our civilian selves are if we're missing for hours looking for this Akuma victim."

"This is true." Rothan agreed, remembering that he was supposed to be at the surface already. "He can't be that far – I could hear his drums while fighting him in the tunnel. I think he has to be close to control his minions."

"Where could he have gone then?" Chat glanced around, looking into the dark for any sign of their foe. "It's not like there's a passage that he could have ducked off into."

"Don't look at me, I'm not the one with the Lucky Vision." Rothan glanced at Ladybug, who was peering into the darkness. "Do you need a little more light?"

"That would be great."

With a moment of focus, Rothan was able to strengthen the light he was emitting, leaving them all blinging as their eyes adjusted to the dark-green glow. It lent an air of spookiness to the tunnels, as the shadows seemed to dance in the eyes of the skulls that lined the walls. He watched as his heroine ally examined the tunnel and shrugged. "I don't see anything here. Let's try a little farther down."

They walked in silence a few dozen more meters before she stopped them again. "Look, up ahead. It looks like we have company."

Rothan squinted and saw two indistinct, humanoid forms standing with their backs to the wall. They seemed to remain perfectly still, and by their shape he could only assume they were more skeletons, guarding something he couldn't make out. Chat hummed to himself and readied his staff. "Looks like another fight."

"Perhaps." Rothan listened for a moment, then shook his head. "No drumbeat. They must be asleep."

"Do we really want to test that theory? I think the element of surprise would be a good idea here, and we don't know if that noise is what controls them or not." Ladybug pulled out her yoyo and spun it a few times, gauging the distance. "I think I can get the far one, Chat, if you can hit —"

Chink-chink. Rothan nodded as the marble he had thrown clattered down the passageway, and the skeletons both turned their heads down the hall away from them in sync, the familiar low drone of a drum joining them. Slowly, they both moved off and away from the trio, and Ladybug glared at him. He shrugged. "Or I can just make a distraction. Come on, no time to waste."

The blunette rolled her eyes, and Rothan grinned as he brought his blades to near darkness, providing just enough light that they could stealthily approach. When they arrived at the spot, Ladybug looked at the small hole that had been made in the wall, just large enough for a person to squeeze through. "It looks like this used to be a tunnel that was sealed off. It may not have ever been explored."

"Well, then, we'll be the first." Chat grinned and Rothan rolled his eyes. "I'll take the front."

"What happened to ladies first?"

"I'm a curious kitty."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"And satisfaction brought him back."

"Guys!" Rothan hissed, bringing them back to the task at hand. "We're a little busy at the moment." He already had one leg through the hole and was glaring impatiently at the two heroes. I swear, with their banter you'd think they were about the same age as I am.

"Sorry." Ladybug nodded in the dark. "But I really should be going first! I don't need either of you getting hurt again."

Rothan just shook his head. "I appreciate the worry, but I can handle myself. Come on." He ducked through the hole before she could respond and scrambled through, and after a moment emerged into what seemed to be a large cavern-like space. From his dimly glowing scythes, he could see the walls were lined with more skeletal figures, all of them still despite the thrumming of the drum from inside it. Ladybug was right behind him, and she looked about in shock. "There's so many of them."

"We're in a giant catacomb. What did you expect?" Rothan whispered his reply and slunk away from the hole to make room for Chat. "This looks like an old quarry that was covered over. He's in here somewhere, I can feel it."

"Well, perhaps the black cat should do some reconnaissance." Chat Noir's head poked out as he examined the room. "You two stay put. I'll scan the area with my dark vison."

He darted off into the shadows, and Rothan slipped down beneath a large rock formation to wait. Ladybug joined him and glanced out over the room. "This place is huge – he could be anywhere."

"Yeah." Rothan stayed where he was and closed his eyes. Not that he would admit it, but the burns he had received a few days ago were still bothering him pretty badly, and he hadn't changed the poultice since patrol this morning, which meant the mysterious, sticky blue substance that Knutt had brought him was losing its pain-relieving effects.

"Well, hopefully Chaton finds him soon." She slid down next to him, behind the rock, and glanced at his face. "Are you hot? You're sweating."

"I don't feel so hot." Rothan joked, then winced and groaned through gritted teeth as he shifted, trying to get more comfortable. "I'm fine."

"You're not – Mantis, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt! I'm –" He hissed as her probing fingers met his stomach and recoiled, which only made his chest ache worse. "Don't touch that!"

"There are bandages under your suit! Is this from that fight with the Stargazer?"

"I need to change them. But I'm really okay. I can fight. You should be watching for Chat."

"Why didn't you say something? You've been patrolling every morning since, and in the evenings too with us."

"A few minor burns can't get in the way of duty." Rothan's attempt to sound dignified were extinguished as he whimpered in pain. "Do you mind?"

Ladybug removed her fingers and gave him a worried look. "I was barely touching. They must be terribly painful – have you seen a doctor about it?"

"Right, because I want to explain how my entire chest area is burned to a crisp to a nurse. I'll get my identity outed for sure." Rothan shook his head. "It's just tender. The suit blocked most of the damage, and Lady Lapis sent some sort of healing salve to help the process along. I'll be okay in a few days."

"Who?" Ladybug gave him a look of confusion, and he realized his gaffe. "A friend! She's –" Rothan was interrupted by the sound of thousands of bones moving at once, and a triumphant shout from someone who was not Chat Noir. "Oh no."

Ladybug looked up again in panic, and even in Rothan's dim scythe light he could see her turn pale. "No time to discuss. Chat's in trouble!"

"And so are we!" Rothan propped himself up and prepared himself for the onslaught of skeleton creatures that were headed their way to the beat of a marching drum. "Brace yourself!"

Adrien parried another strike and cursed his bad luck as he felt his back his a wall. Not only had he been spotted somehow, he still had no idea where this mysterious Akuma victim was, and now he was trapped. "I could use a little help over here!"

"I was about to say the same thing!" He could see the Mantis' glowing blades flashing as he carved through his and Ladybug's attackers, but he seemed sluggish and the other two were only barely holding on. "Stay where you are!"

"Very funny." Using his cat-like agility, he lunged up and grabbed onto the wall, barely missing a series of skeletons slamming into the space where he had just been. Using the momentum he pushed off and jumped on several undead heads before landing next to his allies and batting away a pair of animated legs. "Apparently this guy is going to be harder to beat than we thought."

"Ha ha." Ladybug kicked away several grasping hands and glanced around. "Where is he?"

"I couldn't find them. It's so dark in here they could be hiding anywhere!" Chat glanced around in irritation as he swatted away attacks. "I'd try some more natural lighting, but I think it would be dangerous. I have no idea what's above us, and someone could get really hurt."

"I'm just trying to figure out how our opponent can see." The Mantis hissed as a skeletal hand raked across his midsection, and Ladybug gave him a wild look of worry. "I'm fine!"

"What does he mean, he's fine?" Adrien gave his Lady a look of worry. "Did he get hit?"

"We'll talk about it later!" The no-nonsense tone in his olive-clothed friend's voice left no room to argue, and Chat decided to instead focus his energies on looking around for their target, through the mass of swirling bones. After a moment of intense fighting, the brown-haired hero spoke up again. "Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Not really."

"I'm too busy protecting my hide to think of anything." Adrien bit his lip as he narrowly avoided a swinging femur. "It might be time for a Lucky Charm, M'lady."

"My thoughts exactly!" Ladybug gave him that heart-melting smile and tossed her yoyo into the air as he and the Mantis protected her from attacks. When he looked back to see the large device she had received, however, he was just as confused as she was. "What is that thing?"

"Oh! It's a white noise machine. My mom uses one to sleep." The Mantis nodded but also seemed puzzled by the device. "Why is that going to be useful?"

"I don't know!" Ladybug tossed it to Adrien who caught it as she whacked another skeleton on the head. "You figure it out."

"How do you even turn it on? Isn't it supposed to be plugged in?" He turned it in his hands while the Mantis blocked a few strikes in his direction, looking for a switch or button. After a moment, he found one and pressed it, and the device hummed to life, filling the air around them with a purring-like sound that he found oddly comforting. Maybe I should get one of these.

The skeletons, however, didn't seem to enjoy it as much – they became jerky and erratic, some of them crashing into each other rather than attacking the trio. One tripped over Mantis, making him grunt in pain before he was able to right himself. "What the heck?"

"I think it's this?" Adrien held the device up, and their foes all seemed to charge him at once, causing him to leap away in fear. "They certainly don't seem to like it!"

As Ladybug dropped in beside him to protect him and the device, she nodded. "Of course! That's how they're directing them without being able to see – they're echolocating. And the machine is interfering with the signal."

"That make sense, but how is it going to help us figure out where he is?" The Mantis batted off another wave of attacks and pressed up to them. "We can't see anything!"

"Let me take care of that! Chat, can you throw it away from you?"

"You got it." Adrien chucked the device, and Ladybug jabbed the brown-haired hero beside him. "Your turn."

"One step ahead of you – Will of the Mantis!" His arms stretched out as the skeletons followed the trajectory of the device and using his telekinesis he stopped it just out of their reach. As they rattled angrily and attempted to scramble up to it, he hissed in pain, but grinned. "That will do. Now someone find this guy, before I drop it!"

Adrien nodded and leapt out from behind his two partners. With their foes distracted, he was able to attempt another scan of the room, and this time was more successful. A figure had emerged from hiding behind a rock and was clutching his large, cup-like green ears in irritation. "What is that awful racket?"

'There you are! I've got a bone to pick with you." Wasting no time, he tackled the man, who had a large drum slung over his neck. Using his Cataclysm to dismember it, the butterfly trapped within was released, and the beings surrounding the white noise machine ground to a halt with the loss of the instrument. With a single fling of her yoyo, Ladybug was able to capture the glowing, violet insect. Once the purification process completed, and Ladybug's Miraculous power returned things to normal, the bones were returned to their spots and they were left with a rather confused looking young man in the uniform of a tour guard. Adrien helped him to his feet and glanced at the pin that identified the figure as Emmanuel. "Are you alright?"

"I think so. Where am I?"

"We're in a section of the catacombs." Without anything to hold, the Mantis dropped his hands and grunted, running a hand across his stomach. "You got Akumatized."

"That's so odd." The guide scratched his head in confusion. "The last thing I remember is getting things from my desk in the office. I wasn't upset hardly at all."

"Really?" Ladybug bit her lip in that adorable way she did when she was concerned. "That's odd. Hawkmoth's powers are only supposed to work on people with powerful negative emotions."

"Well, I wasn't feeling any," the man insisted. "I'm so sorry. Is anyone hurt?"

"We're fine." Adrien gave him a small pat on the back and a smile. "But we need to hurry and get out of here. Our suits won't last much longer after using our powers."

"Right." The Mantis was already at the hole in the wall and headed out. "In fact, I need to get going. I'll be seeing you both soon?"

"Wait!" Ladybug raised a hand, but he had already vanished, and they could hear the patter of rapid footsteps down the passage outside. "Shoot. I needed to talk to him!"

"Well, we'll see him on patrol later tonight." Chat put a comforting hand on her, and she nodded mutely. "For now, we need to focus on leaving before we transform. Are you alright, Mr. Emmanuel?"

"I can find my way out, yes. You two stay safe." The man gave them a small wave as all three left and headed back to the ossuary section of the catacombs, the other two sprinting into the darkness the other way.

"And then I took off, but I got lost," Rothan explained to Lyra as he sat on a bench just outside the emergency exit of the catacombs where they had gathered. "And it took me a while to find my way out. I was just lucky I didn't get jumped again though."

"Thank goodness." Her shaking had diminished greatly since he had erupted from the exit, much to the relief of Miss Bustier and the rest of the class, but there was still a slight tremble to her voice. "You scared the life out of me."

"Hey, I can handle my own. I wanted to make sure you were safe." He grinned as he remembered the fight, knowing that Lyra would never know, then winced as he stood up. "We should get back to the bus. It's a shame they called off the rest of the tour, but at least we'll have some time to relax back at school. Maybe you can help me with that science stuff again?"

"Sure." Lyra stood as well, hesitated, then put a hand on his face. "Hey. I would have been fine."

"I wasn't going to take that risk." Rothan grinned and shook his head. "You know that very well."

"I do. But still – I don't want you getting hurt either. You need to let other people take care of you too."

"And I will. But I'm not going to let you get hurt while I can do something about it."

Lyra fake-glowered at him. "You're impossible."

"So I've been told." Rothan chuckled and took her by the arm. "Now let's go, before Miss Bustier worries that we vanished again."

They boarded the bus, and found a place to sit, and Lyra ended up drifting off on the short ride back. Rothan glanced at her with a touch of concern. All the excitement must have worn her out. I must make sure not to let that happen again. But the nap gave him the perfect time to let Staffe out without being disturbed. "Hey, buddy. You doing okay?"

The small green Kwamii was munching on a carrot stick as he flew up to meet his eyes. "I'm tired, but alright. What about you?"

"I'm going to need to reapply the salve when we get back. How bad did it seem while you were transformed?"

"The suit is extremely resistant to most attacks, so you didn't suffer any more damage. But I'm worried you may have overexerted yourself today. You may need to take some time to rest."

"I'm actually alright. My ribs just are really tender still." Rothan stretched and winced. "I think I can manage so long as there aren't any particularly nasty Akuma."

"If you insist." Staffe settled in next to his ear and hummed to himself as he ate. Rothan almost dozed off as well but remembered something else he needed to ask just before he fell asleep. "What did you make of our opponent?"

"The fellow you nicknamed 'Deadbeat?' He seemed interesting."

"I meant the part where he wasn't upset, but still got Akumatized."

Staffe paused. "That was unusual. I need to visit Knutt pretty badly it looks like, have a long discussion about what this might entail. We've seen things that normal Akuma can't do almost regularly now."

"Do you think he got his hands on more Miraculous?"

"I'm not sure, though it is a possibility. Knutt would be more certain."

Rothan nodded. "Then you should visit him tomorrow, while I'm in class. Hawkmoth never attacks two days in a row, I assume because he needs time to regain his strength. You can at least alert Knutt and have him start puzzling things over."

"A good idea. I can do that and meet you at home after school." Staffe paused again as he finished his snack, and Rothan handed him a piece of celery which he gratefully tore into. "Lyra is right, you know. You need to be more careful, otherwise you're going to get seriously hurt."

"I will be." Rothan smiled as he settled back into his seat. "Not like I have much of a choice. All the women in my life are going to make me do it anyways, and now my partner too."

"Good. Now get some rest. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Rothan nodded as his eyes closed. The fight had drained him, he realized, and a quick chatnap – mind the pun – sounded lovely. So the boy didn't fight his tiredness as he drifted off into a light, dreamless sleep.

Hmm. Rothan is still pretty hurt, relatively speaking, and Marinette doesn't seem to be doing so hot in the sleep department. And Adrien? Well, he's as oblivious as ever :P. We're getting close to the halfway point now for season (book? Arc?) 1, which is going to be awesome! So make sure you're keeping an eye out for the next piece!
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach me on my Tumblr at james-brafin or my Twitter handle, which is jamesthedabbler. Until next time!