Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.
Here's the second chapter!
Enjoy!
"What happened back there, Tikki?" Marinette asked as she looked down at her hands for what was the thirtieth time that night. She de-transformed just as she had dropped down into her room, immediately dragging herself over to her chaise and promptly collapsing on it. She had stayed there ever since, trying to comprehend the unexpected events that had occurred during the fight.
Her Kwami could only watch in concern as she sat up and wrung her hands together nervously. "Somehow, I was able to keep it together back there, but I'm really freaking out here. I-I don't even— I'm still trying to figure out what— what was that, Tikki? What did I just do?"
Marinette's hands moved from wringing her wrists to rubbing her forearms, as if trying to ward off an imaginary chill in the air. "I nearly took her hand! I was crushing the metal around her hand like it was paper! And it's like my body had a mind of its own! I-I was just—I felt so angry that I didn't think, I-I just… did…"
A chilling thought came to mind, and Marinette shuddered. "Would… would I have stopped if she hadn't called out to me?"
"Of course you would have!" Tikki finally responded, zooming up to her face. "You were powered by your anger, Marinette, but it didn't take over completely. That prevented you from truly harming the victim."
"Then what just happened?" Marinette looked at her Kwami pleadingly. "How did I get that strong all of a sudden? Did I always have that kind of power? Ever since I received the Miraculous?"
A pensive look crossed Tikki's face for a moment before she settled on Marinette's knee.
"It has been a while…" she began, "… a long time, in fact, since that kind of power manifested in Ladybug."
Marinette eyes widened at her as the Kwami continued, "Actually, the only other time in which that power surfaced was during the time of the first Ladybug, and she was pretty in touch with her emotions too."
"W-What does that mean?" Marinette asked, still trying to understand.
"It means you're the second one who's proven to have a particularly strong connection with your emotional state," Tikki replied. "So strong that it allowed another aspect of Creation to surface."
What? Marinette briskly shook her head, not grasping any of it. "I just don't understand! Why me? Why now? What do you mean by 'another aspect of Creation'?"
Tikki shook her head apologetically. "Unfortunately, I can't answer your first two questions, Marinette. It just… is. You just are. And the inner workings of time are mysterious even to us Kwami. As for your last question, however… whenever the ladybug's earrings were entrusted to a new holder, there was a chance that that holder possessed certain qualities that allowed them to access a secondary aspect of Creation. Although, this doesn't hold true for every holder. After all, creation comes in many different forms, which varies for each holder that has those qualities."
She took to the air again as Marinette listened intently, trying to keep up. "The primary aspect of Creation is the one that all Ladybugs share: Material Creation. Lucky Charm. Objects produced to help aid you in reaching your goal, as you've used to your advantage many times, Marinette."
Tikki hovered close and nuzzled her forehead against the girl's. "I'm sorry for not telling you any of this firsthand. Honestly, I didn't expect you to manifest a secondary aspect, and I'm still not even sure what kind of aspect had surfaced after tonight's battle, but I promise you it's a good thing. More than good. You don't have to truly understand it in order to actually grasp it. But once you adjust and wholeheartedly accept it, it'll be as natural as breathing."
Marinette, who had been silently processing everything, reached up and took the Kwami into her hands.
"I'm not angry at you for not telling me, Tikki. I'm just… scared. What if… what if I go too far next time? What if I end up hurting someone close to me?" Marinette hunched over as she shivered. "My parents, Alya, Nino… Adrien… Chat Noir…"
"That won't happen!" Tikki reassured, patting her holder's thumb comfortingly before floating out of her palms. "I guarantee it, Marinette. Once you had time to adapt, that will be the last thing you'll have to worry about."
With a small sigh, the girl finally smiled and let herself fall back onto the chaise.
"I hope you're right, Tikki," Marinette whispered as she closed her eyes. "I really hope you're right."
The next morning…
"Marinette! Are you coming down for breakfast, dear? You're going to be late for school again!"
Marinette's eyes snapped open, and in a desperate scramble of panic to sit up, she fell unceremoniously off the chaise with a loud thud.
"C-Coming, Mom!" she called back as she rubbed her sore hip, Tikki giggling good-naturedly in the background.
A quick shower, change of fresh clothes, and family breakfast later, Marinette bid her parents a farewell as she left the bakery.
"Hey, Tikki," Marinette began as they waited at the crosswalk for the signal to turn green, nervousness lining her voice. Tikki poked her head out of the girl's purse, attentive. "Am I… the only one going through these changes? I mean, is the ladybug Miraculous the only one capable of these… aspects?"
"Well…" Tikki thought for a moment. "I do believe the black cat's ring behaves similarly, but instead of aspects, there are degrees of Destruction. However, the last time I witnessed that was in a partnership in the colonial era with that period's Chat Noir. And in that time, both Ladybug and Chat Noir had access to secondary abilities of their respective Miraculous. But I'm not quite sure about the others."
"And these secondary aspects are triggered by emotions?" Marinette verified to which Tikki nodded. "What… which emotions would trigger them?"
"That also varies," Tikki replied. "For those with the strong emotional connection, like you and the first Ladybug, it could be intense emotions like fear or anger."
Instant worry clenched at Marinette's heart, and it was clearly shown on her face.
"Marinette, don't worry! I don't think your secondary aspect was triggered by your anger alone. Maybe a mixture of anger and something else, but not just anger."
The girl let out a breath. The signal turned green. "I hope so. The last thing I need is something to peeve me off so bad that I blow up and start tossing cars around as well as other stuff that's twice my size. The last time I was that angry, someone got akumatized."
"Maybe not to that extent," Tikki amended as they walked across the street, earning a questioning gaze from her holder. "But during the period of adjustment, it's really important that you keep your emotions under control. Or else bursts of power will escape with every spike in emotion you feel."
"Huh? What do you mean, Tikki?" Marinette asked, even more confused now. However, the Kwami ducked back into the purse before she could answer, just as another voice spoke.
"Good morning, Marinette!"
The girl instantly froze, recognizing the voice. The voice she heard in her dreams every night.
She looked up, seeing Adrien step out of the sleek car that he was always driven around in. His golden hair bounced as he closed the door behind him, green eyes lighting up as they locked with hers. His bright smile never failed to make her legs feel like jello.
"A-A-Adrien!" she spluttered, her hands flailing around her face. "I-uh— g-good morrow— no, I-I mean, uh, g-good night— gah! I mean—"
Marinette yelped as she was suddenly forced aside, a certain blonde ponytail barreling past her towards the boy.
"Adrihoney!" Chloé cried as she practically jumped into the model's arms. "You're here! I've been waiting all morning for you!"
"Oh, er, you have?" Adrien gently pried himself away from her tight hold, taking a small step back without being offensive. Chloé just reattached herself to his arm.
"Oh, yes! And now that you're here, there's something I want to show you!"
Marinette could only watch with a pang of jealousy, as Adrien was dragged off by the mayor's daughter. Tikki popped her head back out of the purse, looking after them before looking up at her holder.
Her large blue eyes widened as she could practically see the air vibrate around her person, power escaping in waves. "Marinette…!"
The blue-eyed girl stared after the two blondes a minute longer before letting out a sigh, anger deflating immediately. And with it, Tikki could see the air settle back down as the waves disappeared.
"Tikki?" Marinette addressed her Kwami, who looked back at her in concern. "About that stuff you said about my emotions? I'm afraid that's going to be a lot easier said than done."
"Hey, girl! You're actually here today!" Alya greeted as Marinette took her seat beside the blogger.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Marinette replied with a nervous chuckle as she took out her tablet and books. "Nothing's keeping me away today."
And hopefully it would stay that way. At least, until after lunch.
A few minutes later, Chloé and Adrien — with the former still hanging on to his arm — walked into the classroom, the blonde girl giggling incessantly.
"Hey, did you notice Chloé's being a lot more clingy with Adrien today?" Alya asked in a low voice.
Marinette gave a small groan. "Yup. I had the pleasure of witnessing it firsthand when I arrived."
"Not surprising. After all—" The blogger turned her head behind them. "— you two got competition now."
Marinette followed her gaze up at Lila, who had also watched the two students walk into the classroom with a piercing glint in her eyes.
Competition, huh?
Guilt suddenly washed over Marinette like a tidal wave, reminding her of their rocky start.
"You were right. We'll never be friends!" It echoed off the walls of her mind unceasingly, bringing the consequences of her mistakes to the forefront.
Gentle prodding from her purse prompted the girl to snap out of her thoughts and look down. Her eyes widened and she gasped silently. Part of the seat on which her hand rested was cracking, a spiderweb pattern splaying out beneath her fingers.
Alarmed, Marinette quickly pulled her hand into her lap to clench her other hand, subtly scooting over to cover the damage. She then turned back to Alya and was surprised to see a look of scrutiny on her best friend's face.
"What's wrong, Alya?" she asked, confused, remembering the last time in which the Ladyblog founder looked at the new student with admiration.
"Looking back at that interview I got from her, some of the things she said didn't add up," Alya replied, turning to look at her. "Actually, some of her claims didn't match up with the facts I had at all. I think she made some of them up."
"Maybe" was all Marinette replied, wringing her hands. However, she let out a silent sigh of relief, glad that someone else was seeing through the deception. But she couldn't help but wonder why the brunette had to lie so much.
Her thoughts were disturbed once again as Chloé's laughter echoed in her ears. Irritation flaring, Marinette turned to glare at the haughty blonde, who was hogging Adrien at her desk. Her hands instinctively clenched tighter together underneath the table.
Power escaped with her agitation.
The whole desk bounced up, startling everyone in the classroom. Marinette and Alya both flinched and recoiled in surprise as their desk landed back on the floor in front of them with a loud clatter, their books and papers scattered along the floor.
It was dead silence for a moment or two. No one moved as their eyes never left the table, until Alya cautiously reached out and poked its surface.
"That… doesn't usually happen. Right?" she asked, her question hanging in the air.
No, it didn't, Marinette agreed. But it's not like she could admit to her best friend why.
At that moment, Madame Bustier walked in at the perfect time, her instructive teacher's voice reverting the classroom back to normal.
"Is this what you meant, Tikki?" Marinette asked in lament, voice echoing throughout the empty bathroom, as she looked down at her hands fearfully.
Tikki could only look at her holder empathetically, having seen this type of reaction many times before. "Yes, Marinette. Every time you express a particular emotion at a high level, it serves as a temporary outlet for your secondary aspect. A small burst of power. Like how you felt towards Chloé before class started."
"So that was me," Marinette sighed. "At least it was taken out on the desk."
"Because you really didn't want to hurt anybody," Tikki replied. "The secondary aspect does respond to emotions, but internal feelings influence its direction. If you really wanted to hurt somebody, you would have."
Marinette gave another sigh and let her head fall into her hands.
"Don't worry, Marinette!" Tikki reassured. "This is good! It means you're adjusting properly!"
"It certainly doesn't feel good," the girl grumbled. "How long does this period of adjustment last for, exactly?"
"A day or two, at most."
"Yay."
"… It's okay, Marinette. You can do this. You'll get through this, I promise."
"… I believe you, Tikki. And I really hope so."
"Good! Now, isn't it time to meet back up with Alya before lunch is over?"
"Right!" Marinette straightened up and gently patted the sides of her own face in renewed confidence.
As she walked out of the bathroom and into the courtyard, another sight caught her attention.
Across the courtyard, Chloé Bourgeois was holding the phone of another student out of reach, a smug smile on her face.
"Uh-oh. What's going on?" Tikki asked, peering out of her purse.
"Nothing good," Marinette replied gravely as she stalked over toward them. She could hear more of the conversation as she drew closer.
"…realize that if my father hears about this, you can be expelled from this school in the blink of an eye?" Chloé dangled the phone in her fingers tauntingly. "Now delete the pictures from your phone or consider this the last day you stand in this very courtyard."
Marinette fumed silently, swiftly reaching out and plucking the phone from the blonde's grasp.
"That's enough, Chloé," Marinette reprimanded, handing the phone out to its rightful owner. "Can't you act like a decent human being for once without bringing your 'power' as mayor's daughter into it?"
Chloé scoffed in indignation before her hand shot out and wrapped her fingers around the phone again, trying to wrench it from Marinette's grasp.
"No one asked you, numbskull," Chloé sneered, giving a hard jerk on the phone. "And if you don't butt out, I can have you expelled too."
"You do nothing but bully others to get your way," Marinette retorted, yanking the phone back in her direction. "Compared to being on the receiving end of your antics, being expelled is a merciful punishment."
A growl tore from Chloé's throat. "Let go of the phone!"
"It's not yours!"
The girls were suddenly in a tug-of-war, trying to rip the phone out of the other's grasp. In that moment, something responded to Marinette's heightened emotions. Flecks of pink energy flickered around her fingers.
As Marinette gave another hard tug, the phone flew out of both their hands, leaving both of them to tumble to the ground. They both looked up in surprise as the phone sped towards an unintended target like a bullet.
Marinette's eyes widened in horror as it slammed into the cheek of Adrien Agreste with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.
O_O
More Kwami interactions in Season 2, please!