Chapter 3: Possibilities…

~Marinette~

Walking back to school doesn't make it easy, thought Marinette. She sighed heavily as she climbed the stairs to her classroom. Her heart did a little flip when she caught sight of Adrien. Then she looked at Alya, and her friend gave her a knowing smirk. Shaking her head, she made her way to her seat. Class began and all seemed well for the first couple of hours of the day. Things seemed to fall back into routine since her last adventure with Cat Noir.

When classes ended, there was a huge mass of dark clouds approaching the school. Marinette gave it one guess: Rainey! Soon enough, said person arrived with her violent rain pouring down on everyone close to her. There was an old woman across from her school and she was struggling to stand, but it was obvious the rain was wearing her down. Seemed like it was beating her down with a thousand punches. When the woman finally cried out and started to fall, Marinette had enough.

"Tikki, spots on!" and like that she transformed into Lady Bug. Swiftly, she reached the old woman in time and helped her to a safe place away from the rain.

"Lady Bug, give me your miraculous and I'll stop this rain!" threatened Rainey.

Lady Bug looked towards her and her temper flared. Before she did something she would regret, Cat Noir appeared by her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ease up, milady. You know how Hawk Moth motivates his lackeys."

"I know, it's just hard. What if she's doing this to children or people that aren't strong? Its too cruel." She mumbled.

"I know. Which is why we need to defeat her. Any plans milady?"

"Hmm…follow my lead." and off she went with her yo-yo, Cat Noir not far behind.

She swept past Rainey and made some zigzag motions with her yo-yo. When Rainey went for Lady Bug, Cat Noir made his staff go long and threw it low just when she took her third step and fell. As she fell, the zigzag patterns of the yo-yo trapped her momentarily. However, Rainey seemed to become a puddle of water and escaped the trap. "Oookay…" Cat Noir spoke with wide eyes. Suddenly a gush of water descended upon them and made Cat Noir a very wet kitty.

"Not. A. Word." He muttered.

"If you say so, kitty." Lady Bug responded with a smirk. She looked at the form of the akumatized Nathalie become human-like again. So she rolled her yo-yo upwards and spoke, "Lucky Charm!"

Magic swirled around her yo-yo and produced a big glass jar. She put it on the floor and knew exactly what to do. All she had to do was look at Cat Noir, and he knew also what to do this time. He swiveled towards Rainey and said; "Cataclysm!" and darkness surrounded his sharp claws as he swiped it on the floor making it shatter into a thousand pieces.

Rainey stepped backwards and tripped. Lady Bug made a type of net with her yo-yo and caught her just in time. However, when she melted, Lady Bug used the jar to capture her liquid form. The only thing that wasn't in that jar was the little doll she kept holding all the time. It was a rain doll, which supposedly made rain fall down. Lady Bug stepped on it and the dark butterfly emerged from it.

She made a gesture on her yo-yo and swung it around as it glowed white. She caught the akuma and swiveled it. "No more evil doing for you little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" with that, the akuma was de-evilized. "Good-bye little butterfly!" she waved at the butterfly as it fluttered away into the clear sky. She looked at the jar to the woman it formed inside and spoke, "Miraculous Lady Bug!" and magic spread throughout all the places that were damaged by Rainey. Soon, Rainey became Nathalie again. She was sitting on the floor holding the rain doll close to her with a sad expression.

After Lady Bug pounded her fist with Cat Noir, she went over to Nathalie and asked her what was wrong. Cat Noir joined them. Nathalie looked at them and sighed heavily, "The days seem longer than they actually are. I yearn for the day in which my boss and his son rejoice and become a real family. I know what it means to lose a family and I wouldn't want anyone to experience that pain."

"I wish I could say I understand what you're feeling. I cannot imagine that type of pain, and hope never to experience it. Have you thought of sitting both together and talk to them about it? Or maybe just lock them together in a place where they would have no way to escape for a while and would eventually force them to talk to each other about their issues as a family." Lady Bug suggested. She smiled gently and sympathetically to Nathalie.

"Actually, that might be a good idea." Nathalie looked up surprised, while Cat Noir winced internally.

"I'm sorry you experienced that type of pain and truly wish you good luck! I've got to go! Bug out!" she was gone in a matter of seconds, swinging her yo-yo from building to building.

~Adrien~

Cat Noir grinned awkwardly at Nathalie. A beep in his ring told him he had to leave. "I have to go as well. Good luck and have a good day!" he told her as he used his staff to leave the scene before he transformed back to Adrien. When he did, in a secluded part of a park, he looked back and sighed heavily.

I had no idea Nathalie lost her family, nor that she felt strongly about me and my dad, thought Adrien. He wandered a bit before he asked his driver to pick him up. When he arrived at his home, he met with Nathalie. She looked just like she always did, professional and cold. However, he saw the rain doll hang from her belt.

"Nathalie, what is that doll?" he asked innocently.

Surprised, Nathalie looked at her doll wide eyed and answered, "It's a rain doll. I made it when I was a child."

"Why am I only seeing you with it now? I never noticed it before."

"Well, I only use it during these times." she mentioned uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?"

"The days my parents died. I use these days because when I was younger, I would make these, sometimes with my family. They always made me feel safe, and they still do. That's why I use them this week." she explained, a little red on the cheeks.

"I'm sorry about that. My condolences."

"No worries, Adrien. If you'll excuse me." She bowed slightly and left to see his father.

Adrien looked at her until she left his sight and sighed. I hope she's all right, he thought to himself. He went to his room and thought on the last couple of days. His mind seemed to revert back to Lady Bug and how awesome she was. He wondered if one day he should confess to her, however, he doubted that she would ever like the clumsy Cat Noir, much less him. The pretty boy locked in the ivory castle by his father and always obedient to his father's bidding. He sat down on his bed and hung his head low. Plagg came out from his sweater and faced him.

"What's wrong Adrien? Why so down?"

"Do you think Lady Bug likes me? Or could ever like me?" he looked up at him.

"Hmm, hard to say. That girl doesn't seem to fall for your charms, but she doesn't say she hates you or anything." was the vague response.

"Gee, thanks. Like I haven't thought of that."

"Hmm, how about Marinette? She seems to like you, even though she completely disliked you at first." Plagg ended with a mischievous laugh.

"Marinette is a friend. I don't see her as more than that." Adrien responded.

"Are you sure? Both of you seem to get along well and your best friends are dating each other. It would be a nice couple of couples."

"I'm sure." He responded with a slight blush on his cheeks as he wondered about Marinette. She was also someone he looked up to, a great and loyal friend. Yet he looked back and tried to see her as someone he could be more than friends with like Lady Bug.

"Hey, do you think it's far fetched to think Marinette might be Lady Bug?" he asked his secretive friend.

Plagg twirled in front of him and responded, "I think you look fine. Now, how about that Camembert?" he smiled sweetly, showing off his sharp teeth.

"Ok, ok. I'll get it for you." replied Adrien as he shook his head and headed to the kitchen to get his Camembert. At that moment, he also discarded the possibility of Marinette being Lady Bug. They were similar, yet different somehow. One thing Adrien was sure, both changed his life when he started going to school.