Miraculous:
Origins of Ladybug and Cat Noir
The hallways of Collège Françoise Dupont were clogged with various students, their individual conversations melding together in a cacophony that surrounded the teen that held her backpack in a death grip. Standing at a little over one and a third meters tall, the girl was already shorter than most of the students surrounding her, but with her hunching over, she seemed positively tiny in comparison. Black hair was pulled back into a pair of ponytails at the lower curve of her head, grazing her shoulders as she turned to look at the bank of lockers.
Dressed in a light pink shirt with cherry blossoms across the top, a charcoal colored blazer with pink spots on a white background inside, the sleeves rolled up to expose her forearms, a pair of pink jeans, the bottoms rolled up to just below her calves, and ballet flats covering her dainty feet. Her soft bluebell eyes finally spotted the number on one, so she pulled out a slip of paper from a pocket, and started to turn the dial.
Glancing around with her bluebell eyes as the locker swung open, she proceeded to place her small lunch box inside, but kept her folder and collection of pencils and pens in her bag while closing the door. "Dupain-Cheng!" she heard as the locker revealed a blonde girl standing right behind where the door had been, causing the smaller teen to nearly jump out of her skin. "What do you think you're doing here?!"
"I-I'm going... t-to school, Chloé~" The blonde in question glared at her with cobalt blue eyes, her pale pink lips twisted into a sneer, while her light honey blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail behind her head with a white holder. Even from a cursory glance at the slightly taller girl's attire, she could tell that it was perfectly tailored to her slender, yet curved body. Everything from the white shirt with the black stripes at the bottom, the yellow cardigan, and the white capris styled jeans that held onto her hips and thighs like a second skin. 'Clearly being the mayor's daughter, and the daughter of the foremost expert in fashion has its perks!'
Whatever she expected of that answer, it seemed unsatisfactory for the heiress of Paris. "Oh, nonononononono, you misunderstand" Chloé then pressed her finger into her nose each time she said the teen's name, "Marinette. Dupain. Cheng. My question wasn't what you're doing here, it's what are you doing here?!"
With her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe, the words caught in her throat "I-I don't~"
Her question clearly flew over the girl's head, so Chloé felt inclined to add "Collège Françoise Dupont is the premiere school for those with money," she did a little flourish with her arms to indicate herself, "connections" she then motioned to a tall, dark haired female with purple bangs covering half of her face, so that only a single copper eye watched with mild interest, "skill," she then motioned to a tall boy with obvious muscles under his red pull-over, "or talent." She then motioned to a shorter boy with medium-brown complexion, and a pair of thick black rimmed glasses.
You could hear a pin drop, the hallway had turned silent at Chloé's statements. "I was~" she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Chloé invaded her space.
"What is the daughter of a baker with no skills, talent, or future doing in my school?!" Chloé looked about ready to tear the smaller girl apart, and not just verbally. Marinette felt tears welling up in her eyes at being humiliated on her first day.
"There you are!" everyone heard the male call out from the corner of the hallway. Chloé's entire demeanor changed the moment she saw him as he approached the group. "I've been looking all over for you. Marinette, right?" The first thing she saw was the emerald green eyes, and the kind smile, his blond hair brushed back and swept to the right. "I was hoping to give you a tour of~"
"Adri-kins?! H-How do you know this girl?!" Chloé asked, her voice cracking.
Turning to look at Chloé, he offered her that same smile. "I thought I told you a month ago about the winner of my father's design contest." Adrien motioned to Marinette, as if it had been obvious. "Over the summer, Miss Dupain-Cheng submitted a bowler hat for the next time I'm on the catwalk. The design impressed my father so much that he paid for her scholarship to Collège Françoise Dupont." When he turned to regard the smaller teen, she felt her heart leap into her throat. "If you want, I'll show you around, and we can figure out which classrooms you have at which times."
Marinette didn't trust her voice at that moment, so she simply nodded dumbly at the teen model. When they were nearly halfway down the hallway, she finally managed a "Thank you. Chloé is a~"
"Chloé is the first friend I've ever had, but I'm hoping to change that by coming to school." he then turned to Marinette. "My name is Adrien."
Smiling, she nodded "I-I'm Marinette~"
"Um, yes. I know." That caused her ears to burn in embarrassment as her cheeks warmed up. "How about we figure out where you have to go for your classes?" He watched as she pulled out her classroom itinerary, and the pair continued on their way.
If she was angry before, Chloé was absolutely livid now! Not only did Marinette Dupain-Cheng have a reason to be here, but she was now in the company of her Adri-kins! Clenching her hands into fists, she could practically feel her perfect teeth crack from the pressure exerted on her molars. "Sabrina!" she shouted, only for the redhead to step out from behind her.
"Yes, Chloé?"
"Dupain-Cheng!"
"Already formulating plans to get her away from Adrien~"
"In truth, today is my first day ever of school." Adrien commented as he and Marinette walked into their shared homeroom. "Until this summer, I was home-schooled by my mother, an then by my father's assistant, Nathalie, when my mom~" The teen heartthrob went quiet. "Sorry, painful memory." His smile wasn't nearly as bright, nor did it reach his eyes as easily, but she could tell it was genuine. "My mother had in her will that if anything happened to her, I would be permitted to go to public school."
Marinette smiled at the taller boy "I'm just glad you were there to save me from Chloé, and I have no doubt you're going to make friends easily."
Adrien nodded with his smile extending a little more. "I'm a little more thankful that we seem to have a majority of classes together, and I sure hope so~"
"No way!" The pair barely had time to react before another tall, slender teen showed up in front of them, his short dark brown hair covered by a red cap, while he wore a pair of black rimmed glasses around his orange eyes. His dark skin brightening as he called out "Marinette?!"
"Nino?!" Marinette's eyes widened.
"How did you~?!" they asked in unison "When did you~?!"
"Come here, dude!" Nino then scooped her up in a hug, practically popping her back, before he set her back on her feet. "I thought you were going to~"
"I was, but then I won that contest!"
"The bowler hat?! No way!"
"Yup!" Marinette laughed before looking at their blonde witness. "Adrien, this is Nino Lahiffe."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." the two males shook hands.
"Dude, the pleasure is mine!" Nino smiled as he looked at the male model. "You look familiar."
"He should, his father is the reason why I'm here." Marinette beamed. "Gabriel Agreste was the one who held the contest. The prize was a full scholarship for Collège Françoise Dupont." She then glanced at Nino "How did you get placement here?"
"Mom."
"Oh~! That makes sense."
It didn't take Adrien glancing between the two for Nino to clarify. "My mom's a judge in the Cour de Cassation~"
He watched as Marinette nudged Nino's shoulder with hers "A bit more than that. She sits in the center chair."
"Whoa! That's cool." Adrien then looked at the pair "How do you two know each other?"
Nino laughed a little, and wrapped an arm around Marinette's shoulders. "We've been friends since we were in diapers." At that, Marinette giggled nudging him with her elbow, causing the teen to drop his arm from around her shoulders and hold his abdomen.
"My papa and his mama were in Collège Françoise Dupont together twenty years ago, so when they each got married, both were at each other's weddings, and when they had children we went everywhere together." Marinette clarified. "Been like brother and sister ever since."
"Then you literally have been in diapers together." Adrien chuckled, "I wish I had a friend like that."
Looking at Adrien caused Marinette to cock her head to the side "What about Chloé?"
Adrien shook his head "I met Chloé a month after her mother left for New York, when I was about eight." He shrugged "Just playing in my room, and my mom opens the door, introduces her to me as the daughter of a friend, and from there we just sort of played together, becoming friends."
"Dude~!" Nino shook his head. "I have a newfound respect for you, bro! Anyone who considers Chloé a friend, and can make friends with Marinette on their first day, is someone I respect." With that said, the two males made to sit in the front while the raven-haired teen took a seat behind Adrien. She enjoyed the fact that one of her oldest friends could connect with someone so easily. Of course, the teen in question just happened to be one of the kindest males she'd ever met, so it wasn't that surprising.
The classroom started to fill with students, leading to several girls glancing at the blonde male, whispering to each other and giggling. Marinette was in the process of rolling her eyes at them when Chloé stormed into the room, around the front row, and straight up to her. "What do you think you're doing, Dupain-Cheng?! That is my seat!"
"Really?" another girl asked, walking up the steps on the opposite side until she was looking at the seat in question. "I don't see your name anywhere on it?" She then proceeded to sit down and run her hand over the wood bench. "Nope. There's no "Property of" anywhere on this seat, so I guess you are out of luck." The dark skinned girl crossed her arms under her prodigious bosom with a smirk, her wavy reddish-brown hair stopping just slightly past her shoulders.
Chloé gripped the desk with her perfectly manicured fingernails, curling them into claws. "You do not want to test me, new girl! I can have your entire family ran out of Paris faster than you could say my last name!" the blonde snarled.
Leaning forward, those heart-shaped lips quirked up into a smile. "Do it! I would love to see what would happen to that hotel of yours when your father can't serve dinner to his guests, and you have no animals in the zoo, all because his daughter was throwing a tantrum!"
"Yeah, right!" Chloé scoffed "You would have to be~"
"Alya Césaire." holding out her hand, her lips were still spread in a smile, her eyes however were anything but friendly. "Marlena Césaire, you know the Chef de Cuisine at Le Grand Paris, is my mother." That caused Chloé to step back, blinking at the girl. "Oh, please say something, because I would love to have my mother return to her old job in Marseilles."
Only then did Adrien speak, softly "Chloé, sit down before you embarrass yourself further." The blonde looked down at the male, seeing his emerald gaze hardening. "Don't think either of you have won this one." Turning around with her hand fluffing out her ponytail, she sat down across the aisle from Adrien and Nino, while Sabrina sat down next to her.
"That was intense!" Marinette let out the breath she'd been holding.
"Oh please, she's just your typical bully." Alya commented with a wave of her hand. "Most are cowards with no real fight in them, and will usually back down if you show them you aren't afraid."
Marinette shook her head "Chloé's been a bully of mine for four years now~"
Placing her hand on Marinette's shoulder allowed Alya to offer her support as she continued "Only because you let her. You have no confidence because nobody has ever had your back, but I will, and so did he." The teen motioned to Adrien, who glanced back at the pair, making Marinette's cheeks grow warm.
The truth of her words were still resonating in Marinette's mind when her teacher, a woman named Caline Bustier entered the room. "Okay, everyone, settle down and find your seats."
As his son was meeting up with Marinette at school, Gabriel Agreste stood in his atelier looking upon the portrait of his wife, accepting the ache deep in his chest, the longing for her return, as his penance for taking her from his son. Reaching out, he pulled the portrait open to reveal the safe behind the canvas and paint. Typing in the numerical date of his marriage to Emilie, he turned the handle, opening the door. Looking into the triple tiered safe, on the bottom he saw the small stack of property binders both he and his wife had together, a collection of Chinese scrolls from his time in Shanghai, and a leather folder of his first designs.
The shelf in the center, however, drew his attention the most. Inside was the map of Tibet he, Emilie, and Nathalie had used to locate the destroyed temple, a personal portrait of his wife with the very broach that took her life against the frame, a receipt from the hotel they stayed in with a purple jewel on top, and a book with a Chinese design in gold leaf against the maroon leather. For several seconds his gaze lingered upon the broach, while the pain in his chest grew.
Reaching into the safe, he lightly touched the lone jewel on the receipt, a flash of light grew out of the jewel, coalescing into a four inch tall light purple butterfly looking creature with a head the same height as it's body, a dark purple spiral on the creature's forehead. "You summoned me, Master?"
"I have tried to translate the Grimoire, Nooroo, using every translation matrix from Chinese to Korean, Mongolian, and Indian, and I still can't make heads or tails of what the book says." Gabriel removed his glasses as he reached up, rubbing at his eyes. "Surely the people who created your Miraculous would have fail-safes in place should one be damaged."
Nooroo nodded "They did, Master, but the problem is that you weren't trained as a Guardian of the Miraculous, and we Kwami were never permitted to know the secrets within the Grimoire."
"Could a Guardian still be alive?" Gabriel asked, grasping at straws.
He watched as Nooroo closed his eyes, bowing his head. "No, Master. The last Guardian died a quarter century ago."
Gabriel blinked "How could you know that if you've been locked in the jewel?"
"Kwami are connected by the song." Nooroo looked up at the male. "When one of us sings, the others will feel the chords, even if locked in their jewelry. The last Guardian must've had a Kwami as a companion, because I felt the chords of mourning. I doubt he was able to pass down the traditions of the Guardians since he was still in his first week of training when the temple fell."
Tears slid down his face as Gabriel came to the final realization "Then there is no way to bring Emilie back?"
"I'm sorry, Master, but I know of no other way than the wish." Nooroo clamped his paws over his mouth a moment later.
"Wish? What wish?"
Somewhere in Paris, in the dark interior of a disused store a red light flashed from inside of a display case, while a green light did the same across the room. In a matter of seconds a red streak flew across the space, sending dust flying up while a similarly sized streak of green flew out and around. The lights inside sparked, barely illuminating anything outside as the closed wooden shutters kept any onlookers from peering inside.
Over the course of a minute, the light dissipated so that a few minor cracks of illumination cut through the gloom. "Did you feel that?" a high-pitched, feminine voice called out. One figure, turned to look at the other, the deep blue eyes practically glowing in the darkness.
"Nooroo." the nasally, harsher voice of the other answered, acid green eyes with slits down the center peered back. "He's much stronger now, which can only mean one thing~"
"Convergence." the feminine voice countered, "He hasn't been active in centuries."
The other figure turned around, floating over to the window, where cracks in the wooden slats permitted at least a cursory view of the alley leading to the street. "None of us have, which means he's most likely in trouble, or in the hands of someone who will abuse his power."
"What are we going to do?"
In the gloom of the shop, they saw how little had been done in the previous decades. "We have no Guardian, nobody to hand out our Miraculous." The pair returned to the center of the room. "The only chance we have, is to either go out and find our new wielders, or-"
"-the song." It was several seconds before the feminine voice added. "Nooroo will hear the song and by extensions, his wielder will be able to track us."
"Do we really have any other choice?" Silence reigned for several seconds. "I know it's a risk, but it's one we know we have to take if someone is going to abuse Nooroo's power."
"I know."
Another pregnant pause grew between the pair. "I have an idea," the nasally voice suggested, "I will find my wielder after I have their image placed in my mind, while you summon yours here. That way, at least with your song, you can keep off of Nooroo's radar."
Those blue eyes narrowed in mirth, "I'm impressed. That actually sounded like a really good idea, Plagg."
"Oh, sugarcube, when are you going to realize that all of my ideas are good ideas?" the nasally voice chuckled in response.
"You mean like your insistence that a grilled cheese sandwich should just be melted cheese between two slabs of cheese, instead of bread?" A second later, the feminine voice added "and don't call me sugarcube!"
Plagg's chuckle followed him as the figure floated around the other. "Yeah, you're right, those aren't nearly as sweet as you are, Tikki."
"Take this seriously, Plagg!" Tikki spat. "We need to get this over with so that we know who our new wielders are-"
The figure flying around her slowed to a stop in front of Tikki, his voice somber "You're right. I just-" Plagg's eyes gazed through the gloom at those perfect blue pools, "I just wanted to have a little more time with you before we separated again."
"We'll see each other again, and it may be sooner than you think." A second later, the pair hugged before floating apart, only for their paws to barely touch. Tikki closed her eyes so that her mouth opened in the song of the Kwami, seconds before Plagg did the same.
Energy swirled around the pair, flowing out like a wind storm while the black spot on Tikki's forehead started to glow. It was at that moment Plagg opened his eyes to see his wielder appearing on an invisible circular disk in front of him. When her eyes opened, the ladybug Kwami saw the teenage girl that would be her wielder only seconds before the disk dissipated in a momentary flash. Those blue eyes watched as the dark form flew down to where his Miraculous lay. "I-" she started to say, only to give the cat a smile as he returned with a black ring with a green paw print. "See you soon."
"Not soon enough for me," Plagg muttered, "sugarcube." He then flew upward, through an inactive vent that would lead him outside before Tikki had a chance to berate him.
When he was gone, Tikki looked down "Me either, stinky sock."
When the lunch bell rang after their third class, Adrien headed a different direction than the cafeteria. Alya, however, poked the raven-haired teen on the shoulder as she watched him leave "Earth to Marinette."
"Huh? Oh, hey Alya."
She turned to see where Marinette was looking, and smirked. "Got your sights set on a certain model?"
Marinette could feel her face warming at the prospects of her and Adrien together, and shook her head. "No, I just~" she let out a breath "Earlier he told me this was the first time he's been in school, and even with him being here, he's still not allowed to get the full experience." Walking over to the bank of lockers in the hallway, the raven-haired teen opened hers, took out her lunch, and closed it again. "I guess I was just hoping he would be able to eat lunch with all of us."
"Perhaps you could talk to his father about that?" Nino suggested as he sidled up to the two girls. "I mean, you did win that contest, right?"
That caused Marinette to sigh and shake her head "I'm not exactly in his inner circle, Nino." she started heading for the cafeteria with the pair flanking her. "Besides, maybe he likes eating at home?"
Adrien hated eating at home!
It wasn't the food, what little he was allowed on a model's diet of yogurt, fruit, juice and a few crackers, it was the solitude. Looking down the eight seats on either side of the long dining room table, he absentmindedly ran his finger along the rim of his glass. The crystal started to hum, then sing under his ministrations, a trick he learned from his mother when she was bored at family dinners. A smile crept up to his face seconds before the door opened to reveal the statuesque countenance of his father's assistant. "Adrien, if you're done with lunch you have roughly twenty minutes of free time before you are required back at school." she announced while bringing up her tablet.
"Thanks, Nathalie." standing up, he started for the door.
He was just about to pass her when the woman's hand lightly touched his shoulder. "I know you miss your mother," she started softly, "everyone here does. She had a rare gift for bringing out the best in people, and so do you." A slight smile spread Nathalie's lips. "Just know that we are all here for you, day or night." Feeling his arms wrap around her, she ran her fingers through his silky hair before the pair broke apart. "Oh, before I forget," she then tapped on her tablet, "jewelry for your next photo-shoot was set out for you to choose on what to wear later today."
"What about my Chinese class?"
"Rescheduled since your tutor came down sick." Nathalie's fingers worked her tablet screen like the seasoned professional she was. "We were informed it's just a bit of food poisoning from improperly prepared shell-fish by his wife, but he will be out of commission for the following week." She then saw what his father had added to fill those few hours. "Your father has added a photo-shoot today, but says that if you perform well, he will give you Wednesday and Friday afternoon for any personal activities."
That one statement alone caused Adrien's heart to leap. "I'll do my best, Nathalie."
Offering the teen a smile, she nodded "I know you will."
Seconds before the door to Adrien's bedroom opened, a four inch tall black cat flew into his slightly opened bathroom window, and out the doorway to find a sprawling room with a collection of rings on a desk. Placing the black cat Miraculous at the end, he watched as it transformed into a solid silver ring with a circular top. The ring was barely on the table before the door opened to reveal the blonde teen entering his room. Closing the door behind him, he went over to the collection of rings, and rolled his eyes at much of the selection.
It wasn't that the rings weren't nice, in truth they were all beautiful, but one was a gold ring with a diamond flanked by sapphires, which seemed a little ostentatious to him. The next was a thick men's ring with gemstones in various colors to represent the French flag. Even if he wanted that one, it was much too big for his slender fingers. The next four looked like engagement rings with ever growing diamond sizes, but the last two intrigued him. One was a simple band, similar to the wedding rings his father and mother wore, while the other seemed to pull at his very being.
Picking up the ring at the end, he slid it onto his right ring finger. What happened next could only be the most important thing to happen to Adrien Agreste in his entire life. "Hello~" The blonde turned to see a floating black cat staring at him only inches from his face. "My name is Plagg, and I'm the Kwami of the Black Cat Miraculous."
Hello everyone, I'd love to say "I'm back" but my future is uncertain, and I'm really just trying to find ways to pass the time. Even so, this idea has been kicking around in my head (giving me headaches) for the past few months, and I decided to write it out. Having finished, edited, and found that I love what I've done here, I decided to share with all of you.
Please feel free to review as I really enjoy reading all the reviews I get (both critical and complimentary)
