Author's Note: Due to a number of requests asking me to continue this fic, I have finally done it! Thank you so much for your reviews/favs/follows – they made me extremely happy!
Important Note: Just in case you are confused about the timeline - the first chapter took place between episode 6 and 7 while this chapter took place some time after episode 7.
It was hard to talk to Adrien after that incident. They worked well as partners during Chemistry class however, things had became awkward between them. Although he had denied being Chat Noir when Alya asked him, Adrien seemed more reserved and careful around their classmates, especially around her and Alya.
Marinette let out a deep sigh and closed her Grade 9 History book – the same one that she lost just a couple days ago when she was dragged across Paris by a helicopter. It was when she was about to study for her History test that she realized her textbook was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, she was horrified to know that Alya had her textbook when she checked up on Alya's blog.
Tikki's suggestion to bring Alya to the museum was brilliant. Not only was she able to learn about Ladybug's history, she was able to get her textbook back. Marinette was almost grateful that an akuma appeared that day.
"Tikki," Marinette called her kwami who was happily snacking away on some chocolate chip cookies her mother baked. "Can we take a trip to the museum? I… I want to look at the papyrus again. Something is bothering me."
Tikki looked up at her but continued chewing on her cookie. "Sure! Is there something else you are looking for on the papyrus?"
Marinette nodded, grabbing her pink pouch and throwing a couple of cookies in it just in case an akuma appeared and Tikki needed her energy.
Marinette had deduced that her textbook was not detailed enough; it showed only part of the papyrus. She was able to identify an Egyptian Ladybug and Tikki, although the presence of Tikki was not explained in the description at all. She could also make up the image of an Egyptian Chat Noir on the top right of the figure in her textbook. Does it mean that Chat has a kwami as well? It's not in the textbook but it does make a lot of sense that he should have one because I have one too.
Marinette nearly broke out in laughter when she examined the papyrus. Of course his kwami has to be a cat. Figures!
"Tikki, do you know Chat Noir's kwami?" Marinette asked, pointing to a small cat figure on the papyrus.
"Of course I know him! It has been a long time since I last saw him which was centuries ago," said Tikki, her head peeking out of Marinette's pouch. "He's called Plagg. P-L-A-G-G."
"Plagg?" Marinette mused aloud. "You guys have really cute names. Is there a reason why you haven't seen him in a long time?"
Tikki gave a tiny smile. "Well… We appear only when akumas appear. The world isn't constantly in danger, Marinette. And… not many of the previous Ladybugs and Chat Noirs revealed their identities to each other so Plagg and I haven't seen each other for quite a while."
"Wait, Tikki. You said you appear only when akumas appear… Does that mean you'll disappear if there aren't any more akumas?" Marinette bit her lip and looked at the kwami. She could already feel her eyes tearing up. No, please. Please don't…
Tikki, sensing her distress, immediately replied, "No, Mari, you silly girl! That's not what I meant! We serve as guardians until our chosen ones pass on from the world. We go into hiding and only appear the next time akumas appear."
Marinette heaved a sigh of relief but tensed up quickly afterwards. "But… won't you be lonely when I'm gone…?"
Tikki gave her a knowing smile. "Don't you worry about me, Marinette. I've been through this many times."
Marinette stared at Tikki for a few long moments. "Oh, Tikki…" Bringing her pouch close to her face, she gave Tikki a peck on her forehead.
"Why are we at the museum on a holiday? We could have been at home watching TV and eating Camembert."
"Not everyone's as lazy as you, Plagg," retorted Adrien. "Since you've forgotten about your own history, I have to come down here on my own to find more information on Ladybug and Chat Noir."
Plagg rolled his eyes. "It's not that I've forgotten about history. It's a long story, is all. And you were just too busy for me to explain everything to you."
"Well, we're here now. And since there is a papyrus that talks about Ladybug, you can explain to me once we're there."
"Tikki, I have another question. Since there are many Ladybugs and Chat Noirs in the past, does that mean there are Hawkmoths all throughout history too?" One look at Tikki was all Marinette needed. "No way… How did he get his powers? From a kwami?"
Tikki gave her a puzzled look. "I'm confused about that too. A kwami exists as a means to help humanity, not to wreak havoc on Earth. I have no idea where he got his powers. However, considering that Hawkmoth reappears throughout history, there's a high chance that something – a kwami, maybe – is giving him powers to produce akumas."
"The previous Ladybugs and Chat Noirs weren't able to track him down?" Marinette asked. At this point she was sitting in front of the papyrus with a pencil in her hand and her sketchbook laid opened on her lap. She had already taken a several pictures of the papyrus with her phone but as of now, she was copying down some of the symbols while thinking of questions to ask Tikki.
"Unfortunately… No. He has been chasing after our Miraculous too but it was all in vain."
Marinette nodded knowingly and then suddenly a thought occurred to her. "What is Plagg like? Do you miss him?"
Both Tikki and Marinette had been conversing in hushed tones because there were people around them however, Tikki could not help but burst out laughing at her questions. In a state of panic, Marinette reminded Tikki to keep her voice down. "Me? Miss him? Hah! That cheese-loving kwami is nothing but lazy."
"Plagg likes cheese?" Marinette eyebrows shot up, clearly amused. "Well, you like chocolate chip cookies!"
Tikki huffed. "We're clearly different."
Marinette giggled and drew what she imagined Plagg to be, adding a cheese on the side with the caption 'I love cheese!'. "Is this what he looks like, Tikki?"
"Not even close! Except for the cheese. You have to add some feelers, like mine."
Adrien walked through the hallways towards the place he fought against Pharaoh a few days ago. "If I remember, it's this way… Oh, there it is!"
He found himself walking a little faster but stopped abruptly when he saw a familiar figure in front of the papyrus he was looking for. "Marinette? What is she doing here?"
"I think that's the best representation of him so far, Marinette!"
"Thanks! Oh! And of course, I can't forget about the cheese," Marinette grinned. After she had drawn in a Swiss cheese below Plagg, she drew a speech bubble and wrote, 'I love cheese!' Then, she drew another speech bubble and wrote 'Hello! My name is Plag—'
She was in the midst of writing the second "g" when someone tapped her shoulder and called her name. "Marinette? What are you doing here?"
Startled by the familiar voice, Marinette stood up quickly and dropped her sketchbook on the floor. As a reflex, Marinette snapped her pouch shut so that nobody could see Tikki.
"A-Adrien?!" Marinette exclaimed. "Oh! Um…" She scratched her head. "I was just here, examining the papyrus! You see, I am very interested in Ladybug as well."
"Sorry if I've scared you," Adrien apologized, bending down to pick up her sketchbook. Marinette shook her head wildly.
"No, no! It's not a problem."
Just when Adrien was picking up Marinette's sketchbook, he caught a glimpse of her sketch and almost froze on the spot. Is… Is that Plagg? What…? Gathering his wits, he got up and handed Marinette the sketchbook, his eyes never leaving the sketch.
"Thank you," Marinette said, taking her sketchbook. Adrien had to try his hardest to keep a straight face. So many questions were going through his mind.
"That… is a really cute picture, Marinette. What is it?"
Marinette stared at him and then at her sketch. "Well… Um… It's… an imaginary creature that I thought up! It's a cat but it has feelers and um, it likes cheese! Isn't that weird?"
Adrien found that really hard to believe as Marinette continued to laugh nervously. Cats don't have feelers! And don't cats usually eat fish instead of cheese? That sketch looked way too similar to Plagg. And if I'm not mistaken was she trying to write "Plagg"? That last "g" is incomplete. This is too much of a coincidence. How does she know about Plagg? Unless…
Just before he could ask the question, Marinette took out her phone and exclaimed, "Oh! Would you look at the time? I have to go back to the patisserie to help my parents prepare for opening tomorrow! I'll see you in class. Bye, Adrien!"
If he was Chat Noir, he could had held her hand and stopped her from running away but Adrien was too dumbfounded to do anything. He could not even bid farewell to her as he watched her leave the area.
"Plagg, did you see that?"
Plagg materialized from his shirt pocket. "Uh-huh. I saw it all. I don't even like Swiss cheese. She should have drawn a Camembert instead."
Author's Notes: Sorry for the cliffhanger! I couldn't resist. I have always imagined Plagg as being lazy so I couldn't help but write him in that way. Haha! The above are just my own speculations about Ladybug's/Chat Noir's/Hawkmoth's history and they are written in Tikki's and Ladybug's perspectives. Pardon me if any of the above is wrong in the Miraculous Ladybug universe. The next chapter will be up as soon as I am done writing it. Thanks for reading!