I Do Not Own Miraculous or Avatar.
Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Runaway. Part One.
Adrien agreed wholly with Katara. That wasn't even the surprising thing that happened that day.
Adrien Agreste, contrary to what Team Avatar thought after learning about his Cat Noir persona, was not a troublemaker. He was always a person who followed the rules and did exactly as he was told. That was just how he'd been raised. He either followed the rules or risked getting in trouble. Being Cat Noir had always given him the chance to bend the rules or get away from them, but in the end, Adrien Agreste always followed the rules. When Aang, Toph, Marinette, and Sokka returned from town explaining how Toph had scammed a vendor, he had an eternal heart attack, but calmly asked if they thought it was a wise idea to steal from and cheat the residents of the Fire Nation. Toph and Sokka of course, had no problem with it. Aang, being twelve, was all for what the other two wanted to do. Marinette immediately hung her head in shame.
"Hey, I only cheated because the other guy was cheating. I cheated and cheater. What's wrong with that?" Toph asked.
"Two wrongs don't make a right, Toph." Adrien scolded.
"Adrien's right, this isn't something we should get into the habit of doing." Katara agreed.'
"Why? Because you two don't know how to have any fun?"
"I'll have you know, back in Paris, I was the fun one of the team. Tell her, Milady."
"If by fun, are you speaking or your love for dramatics or the horrible jokes you'd make in the middle of battle?" Marinette asked, "If so, then yes. You were the dramatic fun one."
"And Marinette! I wouldn't expect you to just let Toph walk up to a dealer and let her scam him! I thought you were a little more mature." Katara scolded. Marinette hung her head.
"... I know… but he was going to knowly scam a blind girl and take advantage of Toph's disabilities. I really thought the other guy deserved it for being so low. I promise, I won't be letting her do it again, honest." Marinette said, raising her right hand. Aang nodded in agreement.
"Katara, Adrien, I'll personally make you an Avatar promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams." Aang said with a bow while revealing his arrow to prove he wa serious. Adrien decided to let the matter go. Aang was a good kid. He trusted his word. Apparent;y, Katara thought so to.
"...Alright… I will let this one pass… this one time. If I hear about it again, you will all be doing extra chores tonight." Katara scolded, "Even you Marinette."
"Yes Katara." The others chimed.
"Can we go back into town Katara?" Toph asked immediately after, "There were some booths that Aang and Sokka wanted to check out. We think they have a little fair of sorts going on downtown. We really wanted to check it out."
"Oh! Can I come!" Plagg said, suddenly flying out from behind Adrien, "I hear that festivals sell the best cheeses!"
"Plagg! You have to stay close to me or I can't transform!" Adrien objected.
"You could come too. Your father never let us do fun stuff like this at home!" Plagg insisted, "Please?"
"Yeah, but Plagg, you can't just float around the town and look a cheeses. People will see you, and my idea of a fun time doesn't involve taste testing smelly cheeses all evening." Adrien argued back.
"Ah, fine. We can do something you want to do to, but once that's done, it's back to the cheeses!" Plagg offered.
"Plagg. Just, no. You can go hang out with Tiki if you want and I told them to try and get you some cheese while they were outsom I'm sure we have some here at camp if you are that hungry." Adrien countered. Plagg crossed his arms and grunted.
"Fine, but the next town we visit, we are going cheese shopping."
"Deal." Adrien replied.
"You two are weird." Toph said, "So can we go Katara?" The water bender sighed,
"I suppose, but Sokka is incharge. Don't blow our cover, and no more scamming people." Katara decided.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Sokka said excitedly, "We will be back!" He grabbed Toph and Aang and instantly dragged them back towards the town. Adrien figured the threesome would be fine as long as Sokka was there. The Water Tribe man was fairly responsible, despite common belief. Adrien, of course, was proven dead wrong when the next time they came home, they had apparently scammed several people using Toph's blindness to their advantage. Sokka was only for the whole thing because he really wanted a pet bird. Katara was understandably mad and then blamed him for their mistake because he had insisted on not going with them.
He of course, did feel like Toph wouldn't dare try to scam again if he, the oldest of their group, was present the next time they insisted on going into town. So, the next day, much to Plagg's delight and Adrien's annoyance, Adrien put on his Fire Nation cap and followed Toph, Sokka, and Aang into town to buy Sokka a messenger hawk.
Things went wrong almost instantly. It was Plagg's fault entirely. While they were making their way to the market, Plagg poked his head out of Adriens satchel and got excited when he saw a strongman competition and commented about how hilarious it would be for Toph, a blind girl nearly half everyone size, to win a competition like that.
"That would be funny." Adrien admitted with a chuckle, "But it would draw too much attention to us, so I wouldn't-" It was too late. Sokka, Aang, and Toph raced over to the contest and began placing bets on Toph. It took Adrien several moments for Adrien to realize Toph was planning on winning the contest and making money from it. Plagg's comment had inadvertently started up yet another one of Toph's wild scams.
"Wait, guys. This is wrong." Adrien immediately objected, trying to pull the three away from the contest, "Toph is an earth bender and can cheat. You guys are practically robbing these people blind. That isn't right, even if they are Fire Nation."
"Lighten up, Cat Boy." Toph said, "This is perfectly fair. There are no rules against earth bending and everyone will love it because it will put on a great show!"
"It's cheating and wrong." Adrien insisted, "And why would the say earth bending isn't permitted if there are not supposed to be any earth benders in this part of the world. It makes no sense. Plus, you could get caught, and saying we are colonies will only get you so far when they find out you've been using your powers to cheat the entire village out of their money and that I stood idly by and let you."
"Maybe Adrien is right Toph." Aang muttered, "We should probably not."
"He just doesn't know how to have any fun. Don't worry. There is nothing wrong with any of this. Come on." Toph pulled away from Adrien and continued with the scam, winning the contest without a second of hesitation. Aang and Sokka's uncertainty about the situation vanished when they saw how much money they got for it. Adrien grew instantly nervous of what Katara would do to him specifically when she found out he'd allowed them to scam on his watch.
Then of course, it got worse. Sokka had found a used Fire Nation soldier's uniform at a local shop and bought it. Then Aang joked about how he could get anyone in trouble if he put it on. That led to Toph suggesting another scam, playing it off as a harmless prank that would get them money. Adrien was against it immediately and went to stop her, but to keep him from interfering, she stole his hat and told him he would get it back when they finished their fun. That was how Adrien found himself hiding behind a local booth, hoping with all his might that no Fire Nation citizens looked in his little heading spot while his golden hair was exposed for the world to see.
"Plagg." Adrien grumbled, "This is becoming an addiction. She's got to stop. She's dragging the Avatar and Sokka down with her and the are gonna get everyone in trouble."
"Oh, you are just being a wet are young and having a good time. Remember when you wanted to have a good time with your friends in Paris?"
"Playing video games with Mari or hanging with Nino is not the same as robbing an entire village blind for fun Plagg. What they are doing is wrong. They might see it as harmless fun, but they could really get someone hurt. I know I might sound like my father right now, but stopping them is for their own safety. When we get back to camp, Toph is not going to be allowed to go into town again, and until she can prove she isn't going to do this sort of thing again, she won't be allowed into any of the other towns we visit, either." Adrien decided.
"And how, might I ask, will you enforce that? Like you, who always snuck out at night to get away from your father's nonsense, she will likely run off the second you start laying down rules for her. You two are more similar than you think, kid. I'm willing to bet the only reason she's keeping this whole thing up is to get out Katara's nerves because Katara forbid her from doing it. Plain and simple, Toph doesn't like being told what to do. She hates rules and she rather do things her way. Katara has been on her case time and time again, so Top is rebelling against her. If you try and get on Toph's case, I know you'll regret it kid. So, I say, relax and enjoy the profits of Toph's rebel phase like Sokka and Aang are doing. It is far more fun." Plagg advised. Adrien rolled his eyes.
"Plagg, you are a terrible advisor, but you do make a valid point. Toph and I are very similar. Like me, she had controlling parents and was completely cut off from the world. I get why she wouldn't like rules very much. I probably get that more than Katara or anyone on Team Avatar. But I also know that some rules are there for a reason. She needs to understand that." Adrien sighed, "I won't ban her from going into town, but she and I will need to have a serious talk when she comes back and gives me my hat back." Plagg shrugged.
"Your loss, kid. That prank they are pulling sounded super fun."
"Oh, shut up, will you?" Adrien grumbled, "You aren't helping."
"Hey, Cat Boy?" Adrien peaked out of his hiding spot reluctantly to see Toph waiting impatiently for him with his hat in hand, "We're heading off to by Sokka a dumb bird, you coming?" She threw the hat in his direction and he caught it, securing his blonde hair back under it and out of sight.
"Toph, we really need to talk." Adrien said, "It's important. We can catch up with the other two later."
"Nope. I don't do talks, not come on Cat Boy."
"Toph, you owe me for stealing my hat and forcing me to hide from the general population all evening. Stop being stubborn and come here and talk to me." Adrien growled. Toph froze, looking incredibly annoyed.
"Fine. But make it quick." Toph grunted.
"You know my father, Gabriel, right?" Adrien asked. Toph raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised with how Adrien chose to start the conversation.
"Yeah, he seems okay, other than the whole, ex-villain thing, but he was alright I guess." Toph muttered, "Why?"
"...Well, both of my parents used to be Miraculous holders, so when I was born, they became super paranoid that someone would try and take me and use me to get to their Miraculous. So, for the first thirteen years of my life, I was locked up inside my parents mansion, and the only person I was allowed to be friends with was a girl who had grown to care more about herself than she actually cared about me." Toph's expression slackened, as a realization hit her.
"I was… okay… I guess. My parents really loved me. I know that, but I had always wanted to attend school and make friends. Learn more about myself and go out into the real world to see what it was like. I had grown to desperately want to be… independent. I began trying to convince my mom of the whole thing and I was certain she was going to let me… but then, she got… really, really sick. I was scared for her. We all were. Then… one day, dad came into my room and told me I would never see her again." Adrien shook his head, "I was devastated and I felt guilty for ever wanting to leave her side. That year, everything changed. Mom was gone and I knew I was losing my father too. He became cut off, isolating himself from everything. He changed from a good man into a cold, bitter villain. And I was completely at his mercy. He stopped letting Chloe come visit and forced me to take more and more classes. He began having me work for his company and I became an employee to him, not a son. It was that year that I learnt what it truly means to be alone. It was the worst year in my life."
"So…" Toph said quietly, "What did you do?" Adrien shook his head.
"One day, I decided that I had enough. I was tired of all the rules and being alone, so I secretly contacted Chloe and had her enroll me into school. Then, I snuck out of my house, and for the first time in fourteen years, I left the Agreste Mansion for something other than my father's business. My father's servant noticed my absence immediately and I was running for my life just to get into school. I got right to it's steps when they caught up to me. I would have gotten inside to if…"
"If what?"
"Well,there was an old man. He had a cane and had tripped and fallen. As I got to the steps, I saw him and I knew it would be wrong to leave him there, no matter what I wanted for myself. So, I gave up on ever escaping my father's home and helped him up. At the time I didn't realised that the man I had helped was actually the Guardian of the Miraculous. By me sacrificing my own needs for the good of others, I had proved to him I was worthy of the Miraculous of Bad Luck and Destruction. So, when I got home, I found inside my house a little box. In the box, I found a simple black ring. The second I put on the ring, everything changed for me. Cat Noir quickly became my way of rebelling against my father. He allowed me to go to school and let me sneak out a night so I could joke around with Ladybug. He became a jokester, using all the awkward puns I knew but father never got as a way of witty banner. He became a hero that everyone adored. He was free and he was independent. Cat Noir… he was everything I ever wanted to be, but never would be." Adrien shook his head, "The point I'm trying to make is this. I get it. I seriously do. You hate being told what to do, because all your life you were told not only what to do, but who you should be and how you should act. Just like me. But what you don't seem to understand, Toph, is that it isn't just about you anymore. You're not alone anymore and you don't have to act like it or pretend to be tough because that's the mask you've formed for the rebel version of yourself. You can't run around being selfish and hurting people just because you had a rough childhood or you are upset that someone told you you aren't able to do something. That's not what heroes do. Heroes have to know when it is appropriate to be a rebel and get upset and when it is better to simply do the right thing. I know you are mad at Katara, and I get that. She can be the most controlling of the group and you don't like being told what to do. But you can't act like this just because you are mad at Katara. It's wrong and it will hurt more people than just yourself." Toph stiffened. Her composure of a tough girl that nobody could mess with vanished as she looked down in shame.
"Adrien I-" Her voice was quiet, "I'm so sorry. I'm just so frustrated with the way Katara's been acting lately and I took it out one everyone. Even you. You don't deserve that. It's just, she's been on my case more and more lately. Criticizing my methods of training Aang, correcting how I eat or sit. Scolding me about how careful I need to be about certain things and it's annoying and frustrating. I want her to stop, but I can't tell her that. It… it makes me seem like I can't handle myself."
"Oh, and running around a Fire Nation village and robbing everyone bind looks like you are handling yourself more? I get you want to keep u your image of being tough and able to handle any problem, but it's better to talk about what's bothering you thn to let it morph into whatever the heck this is. The scams stop. Some rules exist for a reason. Talk to Katara and explain to her how you feel, don't let it bottle up like that. In Paris, it's stuff like this that attracted my father's butterflies. People who think that they can just tough out a situation but in the end find themselves more hurt than they were before."
"I… understand." Toph said, "Thanks. Sorry for stealing your hat and making you hide behind a booth all afternoon."
"Apology accepted. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this little conversation." Adrien promised.
"Oh, you better not, or I will make you pay dearly, Cat." Toph vowed, punching her hand and fist together as if to prove that point. Adrien laughed.
"Come on, Rock Girl, let's go find the other two." So they did. They found Sokka had, in fact, bought himself a bird and named it Hawky. That sparked a debate between Adrien and Sokka about how the bird couldn't be Hawky since that was his nickname for Hawkmoth and the bird looked nothing like his father. When they got back to camp, Toph went and talked to Katara privately. It started out as a heated argument that most of the camp could hear, but quickly died down to whispers. Toph walked away from the conversation looking pretty annoyed, but not as much as before.
"Come on, Cat Boy, we need to talk." Toph said abruptly. Adrien sighed, but followed him.
"How'd it go?" Adrien asked.
"She's insufferable. She thought I was directly insulting her by telling her to get off my case!" Toph huffed.
"Is that exactly how you said it to her? 'Get off my case?'" Adrien asked. Toph froze, attempting to glare at him, but failing to actually meet his eyes.
"Maybe." She admitted.
"Toph, you realise you aren't helping things by yelling at her or being rude. You need to be nice, even if it's just for a second. You might be serious in what you are telling her, but how is she supposed to know that when you aren't acting like it?"
"It's not as easy as you make it look, okay? You've had a year to get use to people. All the people I associated with when I started to get out of the house were professional earthbenders who insulted each other on a daily basis. This is new for me, okay?" Toph huffed.
"...point made."
"Maybe you should talk to her." Toph grumbled, "She'll listen to you. She thinks you are actually responsible."
"Toph…" Adrien trailed. Toph fixed him with a stare that seemed to actually meet his own.
"Please, Adrien. Talk to Katara." Toph begged.
"... I will." Adrien said, giving in.
"Good. Now… there's something I needed you to see." She reached into her bag and pulled out a poster, "Sokka read it to me." Adrien took the posture and his expression slackened.
"A wanted poster… for you… the Runaway. They've figured you out. They know you've been scamming people." Adrien realised. Toph nodded.
"I personally think it's awesome, but Sokka was concerned. Could you… make sure Katara never finds out about it?" Adrien sighed.
"I'll try." He put the poster in his satchel, "But Katara is searching for anything to get you to stop scamming. She's gonna find out eventually."
"I know." Toph grumbled, "And then I'll never hear the end of it." Adrien empathised.
"Don't worry, Rock Girl. I said I'd talk to her, and I will." Adrien removed his hat and threw it onto the ground, " But there is something I need to do first. Plagg. Claws Out." Adrien transformed into Cat Noir before scooping his hat back up and forcing his cat ears and golden hair back under it and removing his belt. He shoved the belt into his bag.
"What are you doing?" Toph asked.
"I'm collecting those wanted posters and destroying them. We can't risk you getting arrested. I'm sure a lot of people have seen them already, but I still won't risk it. I'll keep the one you gave me, because we both know you think it's cool,even if you can't actually see the words or picture, but I need to keep the people in this village from finding out about you. Something tells me someone will figure out you are an earthbender and that's how you scam people, and that won't be good for any of us. I'll be right back, and then I'll talk to Katara. Until then, hang tight." Toph nodded and Adrien made his way towards town.
Adrien got halfway there when he heard someone inhale sharply with his enhanced senses. He looked up to see who was following him when there was a popping sound and a fiery explosion erupted in front of him. He was thrown back, losing his balance instantly. Sparky-Sparky Boom Man, the guy who'd attacked them several days before stood over him. Adrien let out a yelp, instantly going to stand up, but the giant man grabbed Adrien with his metal arm and snarled at him, looking Adrien over carefully. Adrien immediately struggled. Why the heck did this stuff always happen to him? He knew he was the symbol of bad luck, but it was getting to the point of ridiculous! The man's grip only tightened on Adrien and Adrien realised it was hopeless. The guy had the power to blow him up with a single thought and would likely do so if Adrien gave him a reason to. Instead, Adrien resorted to asking questions.
"Who are you. What do you want?" He grunted. The manshoven his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper with what seemed to be orders. The man was mute. Adrien realised this instantly, so the man was showing him who'd hired him and why instead. Adrien managed to look at the paper and his blood went cold.
By Order of Prince Zuko of the Royal Family,
You will receive 1000 pieces of gold if you should complete the following tasks. Find Avatar Aang and kill him, remove all evidence of him being alive and do not let anyone know he survived the Battle of Ba Sing Se. Find Cat Noir, aka. Adrien Agreste and insure he is brought to a place where he is safe, but unable to interfere with the war any longer. Remove his ring and bring it me so to insure he will not be a problem in the future. Do this, and you will receive the reward as promised upon your return to the Fire Nation capital.
Adrien paled considerably. Zuko was the one responsible for that lunatic chasing them all over the Fire Nation? Adrien couldn't even believe it. How did Zuko even know Aang was alive? He'd been there when Aang had died and he hadn't been around to witness Katara reviving him. Whatever the case, Zuko knew. Adrien had to get to safety and tell the team. It was important they knew Zuko was aware Aang was alive. Zuko not only knew Aang was alive, but apparently wanted Aang dead and Adrien far away from Team Avatar. This was not good. Unfortunately, Adrien didn't get a chance to dwell on what he knew, because the assassin grabbed Adrien's ring hand and slid the Miraculous off, forcing him to detransform. The assassin tucked the ring into his pocket before letting Adrien go. He fell to the ground with a thud. Too much in shock to do anything.
"I'll tell my friends about you. I'll get the ring back." Adrien managed. The assassin shook his head. And before Adrien could react, he slammed his normal arm down and Adrien's world went dark.