I own nothing not even this computer. Review.
"Well this was a waste of time." Kagami said as they stood at the edge of the city. Marinette shivers rubbing her shoulders. It was freezing, but Kagami was still standing there and gazing over dramatically off into the distance as if she could actually see something.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be more help." Marinette said as Kagami turned with a sigh and placed a hand on her friends shoulder.
"As you should be."
"Hey!" Marinette protested with a growl as Kagami walked back to her automatic car. "It's not my fault that there doesn't seem to be any leads, or clues, or much of anything to go off of! I'm trying to help but this isn't like in the movies! There are no clues! And two cute quirky girls aren't going to be able to understand something that is giving the police trouble!"
Kagami paused to protest but nodded in understanding.
"You're right. I was stupid to think that the two of us could do this." Kagami closed her eyes and leaned her head against the top of her limo. Marinette paused and looked at her friends firm shoulders. Because even though she was weird and off putting and very hostile and cold, she was still a friend of hers. And Marinette would not want to hurt any of her friends. Even one like Kagami.
"Hey...I'm sorry." Marinette said touching Kagami's shoulder. Kagami stiffened as if she expected to be hit but instead only a gentle petting sensation came. She did not relax and soon Marinette pulled her hand away. Kagami pouted a little, that petting had felt...nice...
"We can only try to look for him when we have free time. We will try our best but I think that the professionals might be our best bet." Marinette said gently. Kagami nods again before opening the door and offering it to Marinette. The two climbed in and Kagami set the car to drive Marinette back to her house.
"I know that we are rivals and that we both want Adrien for ourselves." Kagami said bluntly. Marinette gulped and flinched instinctively. She had never really liked putting it into words but Kagami had a good point. The two of them were rivals and they were fighting over the same boy. It might seem dumb to stay friends with a rival but Marinette had just stumbled into it. In fact that was the story of her life.
"But I would like to go looking for him tomorrow with you. If you are available." Kagami spoke formally and Marinette felt as if she was getting asked out on a date. She felt her heart go bump bump against her rib cage and she gulps and blushes.
"I-I-I-I s-sure...we can hunt gettoher! I mean! Look together! We will find her. HIM! We will find Adrien!" She shook her head. Why was she stuttering over her words? It was just Kagami. Kagami nods and smiles gently at Marinette, a genuine smile that was rare to see on the young fencing prodigy's face.
"Thank you, I enjoy it when we are together." Kagami said as the car continued to drive down the streets. Marinette taps her foot as Kagami pulls out a few papers and starts to sort through them. She hands a small pile to Marinette expectantly.
"Go through those. You know Adrien's schedule right?" Marinette blushes and starts to flip through them, they were all there, all correct. Kagami pressed a button on the seat between the two of them and a small screen lit up in the headrest ahead of them. Marinette blinks and wonders just how expensive this car is. If she had to guess it was probably worth a lot more then her house.
She presses the screen in wonder before yelping and pulling her finger away. There was a picture of Adrien.
"What...how did you?" Marinette looks in amazement and growing anxiety as she realized that it was a recording. It showed Adrien working out and then moving through warm ups before finally getting on fencing gear.
"I have access to a few video cameras around the city. I took the liberty of mapping out Adrien's typical schedule. I think that it would be prudent for you yo go through the footage and see if you spot anything or anyone out of the ordinary." Marinette balks before she gulps and blushes. She had caught a glimpse of herself in one of the videos, looking in on him as he was busy working out in the mens locker room. She had been walking past, watching his strong muscles and powerful looking hair...And then she had proceeded to face plant right in the hallway in front of everyone. The pigtailed girl groaned and rubbed her face in time with her video recording.
"Well that was embarrassing." MArinette grumbles out before glancing over at Kagami who had snickered before regaining her composure. Marinette frowns before she scrolled through more of the videos. There really wasn't anything of interest. Just Adrien. Adrien walking to and from his limo, going from appointment to appointment. Moving from place to place.
Marinette didn't see him talk to anyone new, she didn't see him go anywhere new. He didn't even try to run off like he typically did. It was just Adrien living his average sheltered day to day life! Nothing interesting there!
"He really only saw the people from school and his immediate family. There isn't anything different-" Marinette caught something. She could feel it at the back of her mind like a fishhook. She closes her eyes and waits for it to come again.
Kagami paused in her notes ruffling and stared expectantly at Marinette. Kagami's eyes were wide and expectant and hopeful. Marinette's were tight and closed as she worked it over. She opened them again and stared at the video, she felt like it was turning into black and white or shades of gray. Then she saw Adrien and he seemed to light up a bright pink with white polka dots. Then she saw his limo and that turned into an equally bright color.
"Where are you?" Marinette said before turning to Kagami. "Do you have access to the news from here?"
Kagami nods and starts to pull out her phone before typing a few instructions and soon the screens were switched from information about Adrien to pictures of his house, to news reporters talking, to pictures of Gabriel Agreste and others. Marinette scanned every news article frantically. Her eyes narrowed, she paused for a second when she noticed Sabine and Tom in the background of one shot and Gabriel Agreste thanking the many volunteers who had showed up to assist in the search and rescue mission for Adrien.
Marinette hums and then shakes her head.
"That is really odd."
"What is?" Kagami demands her well manicured hand on Marinette's shoulder, pressing her on. Marinette could feel the callouses on the girls finger tips, it was impressive with how dainty she was.
"Well...where is his bodyguard?" Kagami did a double take before leaning back and raising an eyebrow.
"Really? You are focusing on him right now?"
"Well...yeah. I mean look at all of his pictures. Look at all of the videos. That man is Adrien's driver, he has been around Adrien for years! Every time he goes to school every time that he goes to a photo shoot, every time that he is moving anywhere it is because of the driver! He is clearly a pretty big part of his life...and now he's just...poof...gone." Marinette gestures to the news feed.
"It isn't much but it's something. I have never once seen the man speak, I have never once seen the man do anything without direct orders from Adrien or his father. So why would he just be gone? Why isn't he on the front lines right now?" Kagami considers Marinettes words before shaking her head.
"He could have been terminated since he was only hired to protect Adrien, now that Adrien is missing there would be no reason to keep him around."
"That or he was taken along with Adrien." Kagami frowns and shakes her head.
"That man is the size of an actual gorilla, who could have been able to take him on in a fair fight?"
"Unless it wasn't a fair fight." Marinette said insistently. "Look I know it might be a long shot but I think he might have something to do with this too."
Kagami frowns before tapping her chin with her finger.
"Maybe. I will think about it. We will talk more tomorrow after you get out of school and we look some more." Marinette blinks before grinning.
"Right! Oh man I totally forgot about school. Do you think I should just skip it? It would give us more time to search." Kagami shakes her head.
"In times of stress and emergency it is best to continue doing your typical routines. You should not disrupt your learning just because Adrien is missing. It is the only way we will be able to find him."
Marinette nods, she thinks that it is a little extreme and a little snooty but she understands. The limo came to a sudden stop in front of her house and Marinette climbs out before leaning back in to face Kagami.
"Hey. We will find him." Kagami looks at the small half Asian half French girl and nods. The two leave it at that as the car pulls away. Marinette walks inside and grabs a late lunch/early dinner from assorted pastry's that were left in the shop window. Her mom and Dad would scold her about proper diet and how she can't eat carbs and bread for every meal, but she needed some comfort food.
Tikki popped out of Marinette's bag with a concerned look on her face.
"Marinette are you going to be okay?" Tikki asks as Marinette walks up the stairs and sighs in distraction.
"I'm just worried. That's all. We combed this entire city! Everyone is out looking for Adrien! And we've found nothing! Not a single hair. Not a single scrap of cloth! Not a single..."Marinette did not say the words blood but she could still think them. When someone goes missing and no ransom letter is found then there is a very very low chance of ever finding them. And Marinette was worried that they wouldn't find him. Ever.
She sat down on a chair and rested her head in her hands. Breathing heavily as her face grew red from worry and anxiety. She felt tears start to prickle at the very back of her eyes and she rubbed at them with irritation. She snorts and a bit of snot bubbles up that she wipes away before pulling a disgusted face.
"God I am such a mess."
"No. You are worried about your friend." Tikki said as she sat on Marinette's outstretched palms and looked up. "And that is nothing to be ashamed of."
Marinette smiles and presses her forehead against Tikki's large bloated head.
"Thanks Tikki, I needed to hear that." Marinette said before glancing around. She reaches for her phone and quickly texts her parents.
"Going to Alya's. BRB." Marinette texted before standing up and throwing her shoulders back. "Come on Tikki, Marinette and Kagami and the entire forces of Paris might not have been able to find Adrien Agreste. But I know someone who just might be able to." Tikki nods as the room fills with a golden light and Marinette was replaced by Ladybug.
Ladybug sprints for the window and jumps out, tossing her yoyo to a nearby statue before spinning through the air. Ladybug lands on a nearby rooftop and presses a button on her yoyo phone.
"Come on kitty. We've got work to do." Ladybug mutters as she taps her foot waiting for Chat Noir to answer. She could see the lights of the carnival out in the distance. The circus had come to town a while back and had made itself comfortable at the edge of town. She purses her lips and wonders if maybe...just maybe...
Plagg hiccuped on top of Adrien's head before vibrating. He grumbles and rubs her aching eyes. Someone was trying to call Chat Noir. But unfortunately that wouldn't work if they weren't transformed which meant that Plagg was just going to be getting one hell of a headache for a while. He grumbles and tries to ignore the call and go back to sleep on top of Adrien's surprisingly warm and comfortable head.
Review. I own nothing not even this computer.