Sibling rivalry escalates between the Kubdel's after the end of The Pharaoh. A.K.A. Alix doesn't like to lose even the silliest argument.
.o.O.o.
Most everyone in Paris would agree that the Ladyblog was the best source for all things Ladybug and Chat Noir. Although no one was sure how the blogger managed to get more information than the press, it wasn't questioned, but simply accepted with gratitude. Those who had been akumatized would often check the site once they had calmed down. It wasn't that they were excited for the publicity; the victims often felt discombobulated and wanted to fill in the gaps in their memory, no matter how difficult it was to watch.
Due to this, it was no surprise that Hawkmoth's most recent victim had pulled up the blog on his laptop a few hours after his recovery. He had been watching the highlights reel that was at the top of the page. The footage showed several mummies walking in circles around a tall, dark figure with a golden head. Off camera, a young feminine voice started speaking. "Uh, excuse me, Pharaoh, but, uh, what exactly is going on?"
The figure turned, revealing a face straight from Egyptian hieroglyphics. "I'm going to carry out the secret spell, to bring Nefertiti back!"
"Ahh, hmmm. Gotcha! You're talking about the spell on the papyrus, right?" Alya replied with equal parts sarcasm and curiosity.
"Correct! The one hundred mummies and the offering!"
"Offering. What offering?"
"To persuade the sun god Ra to give me my sweet princess, I must give him something in return. A pure soul!"
Before he finished speaking, Alya cut in. "Dude, that's hard to come by."
Pharaoh replied with excitement, "But I've already found her! You look so much like her!"
"Say what?!" she gasped, her tone dropping to horror.
The speakers filled with Pharaoh's villainous laugh when another cackle started from the doorway.
Shutting the laptop revealed Alix doubled over in laughter. "What's so funny?" Jalil asked his younger sister, quite unamused.
"I can't believe you got akumatized by looking at papyrus scrolls in Dad's exhibit! And you were trying to bring Nefertiti back from the dead?! I mean, I knew you were crazy, but you reached a whole new level!"
"Alix, that's enough! Get out of here!" Jalil rose from his chair with a scowl and stormed towards the pink haired tomboy.
"Ahhh! What are you gonna do? Sacrifice me to the sun god?" She stuck out her tongue at her brother.
Red faced, Jalil shouted back, "At least it would be for a worthy goal and not for fixing some stupid watch!"
Immediately Alix's demeanor turned stubborn. "You're just jealous because the watch goes to the youngest kid in the family!"
"Why would I be jealous of some trinket like that when Dad lets me help at the Louvre with real artifacts? Besides, if it wasn't for Ladybug you wouldn't even have that watch anymore!"
"At least my watch got fixed, unlike that thing inside your skull, M. Awaken-Nefertiti!"
"It's called a brain, I know because I actually use it! Why do you care so much anyway?"
The question brought a smirk back to Alix's face. "Well, we can't have the Kubdel name brought down by lame akumas like you, can we?"
Rolling his eyes with a sigh, Jalil muttered under his breath, "You're just mad because I had better powers than you."
"What did you say?" Alix snarled.
"I know you heard me," he smugly replied.
"As Timebreaker I literally went back in time! Being a 'Pharaoh' isn't better than that!" she gestured mockingly.
"One of my powers slowed down time, and I didn't need to stock up on energy to do it! Face it, you're jealous," he stated, finally returning to his chair and leaning back.
Alix knit her brows and glowered. To an outside observer she simply looked angry, but her brother saw something that most would not. The gleam in her cobalt eyes flickered just for a moment, but it betrayed an emotion stronger than anger: competitiveness.
She began in a low voice, "Jalil, I am not jealous of you. I could race circles around you, even if you were flying and I was wearing my normal blades," gradually she grew louder. "I might not know about all this mummy mumbo-jumbo, but I'm not stupid either. My powers as an akuma were much better than yours. In fact, my powers were doubled when I went back in time! If Ladybug hadn't shown up I could've went back in time to fix my watch all by myself! I was unstop-"
"Now, now, what is going on here?"
The two teens turned toward their father standing in the doorway, his surprise at the situation written on his face. Alix slowly loosened the grip she had developed on Jalil's collar halfway through her argument.
"Funny story, Dad..." she chuckled nervously.
"It certainly didn't sound like anyone was laughing. Care to explain?" Mr. Kubdel raised an eyebrow to both his children.
Simultaneously, the two began:
"He started it!"
"She started it!"
With a sigh, the elder Kubdel closed his eyes, mentally praying for patience. "Nevermind, I don't want to know how you two started fighting... again. However, I never, and I mean never, want this argument repeated. I am glad to have both of you home safely and we are all indebted to Ladybug for her actions. I don't want to imagine what could have happened to either of you if she hadn't intervened." He stepped closer to his children and bent to their level. "You are both very precious to me." The siblings thought they may have seen a tear fall from his eye, but before either could confirm it they were enveloped in a warm hug.
They glanced toward each other from over their father's shoulders and shared a smile to convey the same message. No matter how different they are, they are still a family, and they wouldn't change a thing about it.
.o.O.o.
Next time: "Well... with a mask and a costume, don't you think he looks a little bit like Chat Noir?" Alya investigates her hunch, not having learned her lesson, after the end of Lady Wifi.
.o.O.o.
A/N: To be honest, I had no idea where to go with this episode. When I wrote the prompt on Tuesday it was extremely spur of the moment and I didn't have a clue what the plan was. The only thing I knew was I really wanted to write Alix and I decided to go with a different route after Timebreaker. I hope I did her justice.
On another note, are any of you Fullmetal Alchemist fans? (No? Check it out, it's fantastic! However, I recommend watching Brotherhood first. Personal preference.) If so, you probably recognized Jalil's voice, as he shares it with Edward Elric, courtesy Vic Mignogna! I always wondered why they went out of their way to cast such a legend as a minor character. When I was rewatching (and rewatching... and rewatching) this episode, I couldn't help but notice near the beginning of the episode when Jalil says, "Come on, dad! We have to try out the spell! What if Tutankhamun had found out how to bring people back to life?" After I finished laughing out loud, I became totally convinced that Vic was cast strictly for this line. Fight me.
As always, thank you all for your support! I appreciate the new comments, favorites, and follows since my last chapter, they always bring a smile to my face. Also, I don't have anything planned right now, but if I did a short Christmas story, would you guys be interested in reading? If so, are there any prompts that you would like to see? I'm considering doing a two- or three-shot, just to challenge myself. I really value your opinions though, so if you have one I would love to hear it! Thank you!