Lol yep I was right, I got so many reviews on both here and deviantart about that last cliffhanger, so sorry for leaving you guys hanging like that, but be thankful there's only a couple day's break between these two chapters. :D This does mean that you could expect the next chapter on Wednesday but that does depend on whether I can get most of my homework done by then...
Anyways, I was thinking of drawing Adrien in his peacock design so you guys get a visual concept on how he really looks like using the peacock miraculous, hehe I've even heard some people say they want to see fanart of Adrien dressed like that. Well, I might just make that happen! ^^
So without any further delay, here's Chapter 29 of Revelations! :)
Miraculous Ladybug (C) Thomas Astruc/ Zagtoon
Chapter 29 – A Ray of Hope
The swarm of akumas whirled upwards, Adrien's footsteps no longer visible as Ladybug quickly scanned for his feet on the ground but could not see them, as the akumas travelled upwards towards the sky, she saw that Adrien had disappeared within the swarm of demon butterflies, her tears drenching her mask as her lips trembled in fear and her hands shook, Ladybug's body became weak with the sudden feeling of loss.
"Adrien…." She mumbled, her knees dropping to the ground.
Hawkmoth sensed the opportunity for Ladybug's miraculous to be taken in that very moment, but he had others plans in store for her. He ordered the gorilla monster to leave as the akumas flew back to the Agreste Mansion. Ladybug sat there on the ground, feeling like she had failed at her one true purpose. She wanted to do nothing more than to cry her heart out, desperately wanting to wake up from this horrible nightmare.
She had no idea what happened to him but she knew it wasn't good at all, her anger started to rise, but knew she had to keep her cool. Ladybug stood back up, wiping away her tears before staring off into the distance with an angered expression before she turned away and swung from building to building. She didn't say a word until her transformation was undone and Tikki was doing all she could to help Marinette feel better.
"Marinette...please say something." Tikki begged, her eyes full of sorrow.
Marinette had her face completely covered by her hands, self conscious about how puffed up and red she looked when she was upset. As soon as she got home and released her transformation she exploded with tears of regret and loss. She felt like she failed as Ladybug, she was on the urge of giving up, but for some reason she was still hanging onto her miraculous.
She was strong, and she was willing to fight back to save Adrien, but at the moment she felt weak, she needed time to figure this out. Her mind raced as thousands of possible ways to have saved Adrien flooded her mind, if only she had gotten there sooner, if only she and Adrien stayed side by side, if only she de-evilised the gorilla from the beginning.
All the problems led to her, thought full of deep regret she knew she wasn't going to give in to her guilt for what she done as Ladybug, she knew it was exactly what Hawkmoth wanted and there was no way she was letting that happen. Marinette just needed some time to herself to readjust her thoughts and think of a way to save Adrien and stop Hawkmoth.
Marinette felt like she and Adrien were being tricked from that very morning, why would Hawkmoth leave so much valuable information at home when he wasn't around? Why did he allow Adrien to grab that miraculous and the two escaped with it. Hawkmoth had won so far, but Marinette was nowhere near giving up. He was winning the battle, but she would win the war.
"I just...need some time to myself." She breathed through her sobs, revealing half of her face as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I think it would be best that I stay home tomorrow..."
Tikki nodded, knowing the state that Marinette was in; there was no way she could keep a straight face while Adrien was now back with his father, who was also hers and Adrien's archenemy Hawkmoth. If Alya or Nino breathed a word about Adrien she'd break down in tears and then some explaining would be happening.
Later on, Marinette texted Alya to tell her that she wasn't feeling well, Alya responded with a tease but then saw the seriousness that Marinette responded with through her next text. Alya wished her well and promised to pass the message onto their teachers.
After she had taken out most of her guilt and sadness, she straightened herself up, put on a clean shirt and went downstairs for dinner. It was then that she told her parents she would be staying home tomorrow.
"What's wrong Marinette? Are you sick?" Sabine questioned with concern, rising from her seat to check Marinette's forehead.
Marinette gently pushed her mother's hand back towards her. "I just don't feel well that's all, I think it would be best that I stay home tomorrow and rest." She assured, looking down at her plate, giving a saddened, depressed look at her food as she thought about Adrien.
Sabine glanced at Tom with concern; Tom took a bite of his food before turning to his daughter. "Are you sure? Maybe you've just had a long day at school. Perhaps go straight to bed after dinner and see how you feel in the morning." Tom suggested, his expression brightening a little, hoping it was just a case of middle school fever.
"I'll stay home." Marinette answered firmly, straightening her posture slightly as she continued to eat.
So her parents agreed to let her stay home, this gave Marinette a chance to flesh out her emotions in greater detail and work out an exact plan to save Adrien and defeat Hawkmoth. She unfortunately had one huge problem though...and not knowing part of Hawkmoth's plan was the half of it. She didn't know if she could a get a grip on her emotions if Hawkmoth put them to the test, she didn't want her emotions to be her downfall.
Marinette loved Adrien more than anything else, she cared about so many people, but Adrien was number one on her list, she imagined her being first on Adrien's list too. They both loved each other, and she knew Adrien would fight back against Hawkmoth, but Marinette didn't know what to think now that Adrien had been taken by his father.
Tikki rested by Marinette's side as Marinette laid sprawled on her bed staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. Her eyes were slightly soaked from the tears earlier and her nose still sniffled, but she was able to concentrate as she thought into the future instead of her mistakes in the past. She knew she wouldn't get much thinking done tonight because of how huge a day it had been, but having tomorrow at home was the perfect opportunity. Marinette was determined to get Adrien back as soon as possible.
"We have to save Adrien tomorrow." Marinette stated with determination, her eyes never leaving the ceiling. "But I don't know the half of Hawkmoth's plan, I don't want my emotions to get the best of me and then he wins!" She cried, fearing the worst would happen as guilt flooded her body.
Marinette's kwami rested on the pillow beside her with a worried expression, wanting her miraculous holder to think positive about herself. "Marinette, you were chosen for a reason, and that reason was to help defeat Hawkmoth alongside Cat Noir. You and Adrien balance everything out." Tikki explained, trying to give her confidence.
The thoughts of Adrien and him being Cat Noir crashed into her mind, she was still trying to grasp that concept of her flirtatious and overconfident partner was the friendly and respectful Adrien. In a way she knew her kwami was helping, but also at the same time she was making her feel worse.
Marinette rolled to her side as she thought deeply about Tikki's words; she knew she was chosen for a reason, she had all the amazing qualities that suited being a superhero. She was brave, confident, strong, and unique. A small smile of happiness and hope crept against Marinette's lips as she turned her head to face Tikki.
"Thanks Tikki, I know I'm the right choice for this." She thanked, her words lingering towards negativity. "But how do I get control over my emotions? How will I defeat Hawkmoth without Adrien? We can't balance each other out..." Marinette explained, before realising the cause of the entire problem. "That's why we failed at defeating an akuma!" She cried, realising why Hawkmoth let them take the peacock miraculous.
Tikki knew in a way Marinette was right, but deep down whether Adrien was wearing the Cat Noir miraculous or not, he was chosen to be Cat Noir for a reason. Just like Ladybug, he was still the same person with or without the mask.
"It's not your fault." The kwami assured. "Hawkmoth caught you both by surprise, and there was no time for either of you to react." She explained, seeing Marinette bury her face into her pillow with guilt. "Marinette...Adrien's Cat Noir whether he's wearing the ring or not."
The facts were slowly becoming clearer, but yet Marinette still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Adrien could help in some way even when he wasn't Cat Noir, she felt like she was lost and that she should know the answer, but with all the guilt from before and only new realising what Hawkmoth's intentions were, only made her think less about answers and more about guilt and actions that she should've taken.
But at the same time, she thought of what would've really happened in those case scenarios that she was regretful and guilty as hell for. Thinking logically, she would've saved Adrien then and there anyway, but if she had cleansed the akuma, it was obvious what would happen next.
"Maybe Hawkmoth would've akumatised the bodyguard again..." She stated, seeing that there was some good coming out of her presumably wrong actions. "Perhaps this was fate..." Marinette breathed, lifting her head up slightly to look at her kwami.
"It was fate, it happened and it wasn't your fault, even if in some way it was everyone makes mistakes Marinette...even superheroes. I remember a certain Cat telling you that right before you cleansed your first akuma." She informed with a wink.
Marinette's eyes widened and her lips parted in a gasp of realisation that Tikki could sense things even when she wasn't physically there. "I didn't know you could do that." Marinette exclaimed.
Her kwami floated back a little in reluctance, but admitted to the secret she had kept from Marinette since the first time Ladybug met Cat Noir. "I have been able to, I can sense other kwami's too when they're being used for negative energy, and who they're in possession with." She explained, before looking down with a saddened expression. "Unfortunately I had no idea who had taken possession of the butterfly miraculous up until you and Adrien found out together."
During Tikki's long explanation, Marinette felt shock, sadness, betrayal and hope.
"All this time...you knew who Cat Noir really was? Why didn't you tell me!?" Marinette cried, her feelings of betrayal becoming more apparent than the other emotions she felt in response to her kwami's explanation.
"Marinette, I couldn't tell for the same reason why you can't tell anyone you're Ladybug. It's to keep you safe and protected." Tikki explained, giving an assuring yet serious expression.
Marinette knew in some way that Tikki was right, it was for her own safety, and Adrien's too. But now that the truth was out Adrien's safety was at risk, Marinette's was at risk too. It was all Hawkmoth's fault, if neither of them had found out who each other truly were; Hawkmoth wouldn't know how to find Ladybug. But now Marinette knew that somehow Hawkmoth knew where Marinette lived and sent his pawn out to capture Adrien and set her up.
She knew the half of Hawkmoth's plan, but she didn't know the rest or how he was truly going to win. Marinette sincerely hoped that her emotions wouldn't get the best of her during their next encounter, but at the same time she didn't truly know what happened to Adrien. All that happened was that he vanished as the swarm of purple butterflies engulfed his body and he vanished into thin air as the butterflies flew away in a swarm.
Worst case scenario was that he was gone for good, but Marinette had confidence Hawkmoth wouldn't do that to his only son. The more likely case scenario was that the akumas took Adrien back to the Agreste mansion into Hawkmoth's lair or somewhere where Adrien couldn't escape.
She decided to sleep on it; hopefully her dreams would accumulate some ideas to help her fight against Hawkmoth the next day. It was definitely going to be a long day for her tomorrow, but she sincerely hoped that by the end of the day, everything would be okay. Adrien and her would be together, Hawkmoth would be defeated and Adrien would have his miraculous back.
Meanwhile in the Agreste mansion, Adrien was in a state of anger and depression, he was locked away, exactly like Marinette assumed. The peacock miraculous was taken away from him and there was nothing he could do but cry in silence as he whispered Marinette's name and her alter ego repeatedly.
He missed her so badly, he wished she was there. He didn't expect this to happen, but in a way he should've seen it coming. He didn't think when he fought without Ladybug, he knew he should've just called her as soon as he saw the gorilla out the window glaring at him, he shouldn't have waited, and he was beating himself up over it.
Adrien felt powerless, he had no one with him. Plagg was under his father's control, his mother was taken away by his father, and he only knew that Marinette would be deeply broken by what she saw. He wanted to wake up, no matter how many times he pinched himself he still wanted to believe this was a huge nightmare, he didn't know what he was going to do on his own, he had no powers, and no Ladybug and he couldn't even fence against his own father plus whatever other enemies Hawkmoth threw at him.
It felt impossible, but he had hope that Ladybug would come to save the day, and although the balance was broken, he knew Ladybug was strong, he trusted Marinette with his life, and he loved her, almost more than he loved his mother. He felt the confidence within him grow as he knew that very soon Ladybug would find a way to stop all of this.
The Agreste mansion was set to lockdown mode, and Nathalie who was now under Hawkmoth's full control was keeping an eye on the security systems at all times while Hawkmoth was up in his lair with Plagg by his side, eagerly and impatiently trying to persuade Plagg to use the bad luck powers for evil.
"I need this power Plagg...there's nothing you can do about it!" Hawkmoth snapped, almost slapping Plagg across the room. "You must give in, you belong to me now, and soon so will the Ladybug miraculous, and I will have ultimate power!"
Plagg glared angrily at what he certainly didn't call his new master, all he wanted was for the balance to be fixed and to have Nooroo safely returned back to Master Fu. The black cat kwami could see Hawkmoth with the peacock miraculous in hand, the kwami that possessed it now back into the jewel where it once came from. Hawkmoth's lips curled into an evil smile before he walked off, his mind developing an idea.
Nathalie looked up as she saw Hawkmoth enter the room; she remained monotone as he approached her with the peacock miraculous in hand. Hawkmoth undid he transformation and then placed the hair clip into a small section of his hair, after a small wave of embarrassment from wearing women's jewellery, he smiled cunningly at the peacock kwami that appeared before him.
Neera looked up and saw her original miraculous holder in front of her, but was startled by a cackle of evil laughter; she turned to see her miraculous being in the possession of someone else that wasn't Adrien. She panicked and quickly tried to make a fly for it, realising who was in possession of the miraculous, Plagg gasped as he realised that he had seen that miraculous before.
"You're not going anywhere!" Gabriel exclaimed, reaching out with his hand and snatching Neera into his strong firm hands.
The peacock kwami struggled to break free, but then felt the familiar touch out a miraculous around one of Gabriel's fingers, she then remembered what Adrien and Marinette told her about Adrien's true miraculous. She looked up at a worried yet shocked Plagg and had an idea.
"You will listen to me and only me. From now on you shall only be used for power. Someday I'll have all seven of the miraculouses and I will have ultimate power over the world!" Gabriel declared, reaching his hands up before he proceeded to take off the peacock miraculous.
Neera glanced at Plagg with a nod, before biting Gabriel's clenched hand, causing the evil man to yelp in pain as he shook off the kwami. But Neera held on tight to his right hand, grasping the miraculous on his finger and pulling at it hard before with a few more violent shakes Neera flung the miraculous at Plagg right before Gabriel took the peacock miraculous off his hair.
Plagg quickly grabbed it and flew as fast as he could away from Gabriel, he knew he couldn't save Neera now; he needed to get to Adrien and fast. He knew Gabriel would be on his tail but he knew Gabriel couldn't do much with his own butterfly miraculous.
But as he flew out of the room, he heard Gabriel crack with evil laughter before the sounds of the peacock miraculous being activated again were heard. Plagg grew intensely worried that Gabriel was somehow was going to use Neera's powers for evil.
Adrien was locked in his room, most of his belongings had been destroyed so he had nothing to do more than mope around on his bed, and the gorilla was guarding his room just outside. Not long later Plagg came zooming and caught the gorilla almost off guard, the monster gorilla swooped at him several times, however failing to catch Plagg with every swoop. Adrien lifted his head in confusion and hope from the sounds he was hearing outside his door, he assumed Ladybug had come to the rescue.
His smile widened before he heard no door opening, he hung his head low before he jumped at the sudden touch of something light in the palm of his hand. His emerald eyes widened as he realised what was in his hand and who was floating right in front of him.
"You ready to fight back?" Plagg asked, knowing the answer already.
Adrien smiled as his face grew with determination, extremely grateful that his miraculous was back in his possession and that Plagg was back. The blonde teen slipped the miraculous back onto his finger and stood up with pride, nodding in reply to Plagg.
"Plagg, claws out!"
Aha I actually ended a chapter like this near the beginning of this story, oh well it's just to keep you guys on your toes that's all ^^ So again, there's still a fair way to go until this story is officially over, but oh boy is there big stuff that's going to happen soon, the epic showdown is just around the corner!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, next chapter you can expect on either Wednesday or Thursday depending if I have the time, see you then! ;)