"What is this mess? Marinette! Come down here right now!"
Marinette was showing off her bedroom to Tikki when she heard her mother call down from the storefront. "Oh no!" Marinette thought in terror as she raced down the stairs. "I forgot to clean up the mess Tikki made downstairs! Maman is going to kill me!"
"Who's that?" Tikki asked, bouncing up and down in Marinette's dress pocket.
"My parents are back," Marinette explained. She facepalmed and let out a loud groan. "And they don't sound too happy either. I guess you'll finally get to meet them, but promise to keep hidden. They'll freak out if they catch you!" Tikki winked and sunk deep into the pocket until she was completely out of sight.
Marinette entered the bakery nonchalantly, her arms innocently behind her back. "Maman! Papa! You're back early!" she exclaimed, feigning ignorance. "Is something wrong? You look upset."
Her mother raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Marinette, just what is this mess and why is the shop closed? We left you in charge for a few hours. I thought we could trust with this kind of responsibility."
"Let me explain!" Marinette begged, bowing her head. "I had to close the shop earlier when the memorial service for Prince Adrien came through. Alya came over and the two of us went out to pay our respects. I was pretty emotional, so Alya stayed with me until I was feeling better. Once she left, I planned on reopening, but there was a giant bug!" Marinette held out her arms to prove her point.
Her mom's eyes widened in disgust. "A b-bug?" Sabine asked nervously.
"Yep! It was the biggest bug I've ever seen! I tried to shoo it out with a pan, but it just wouldn't budge. It got into the pastries and made a huge mess. It knocked over a bunch of the trays and trailed crumbs all over the floor. I wanted to clean up, but it was so gross! I ended up hiding in my bedroom until you came home so that Papa could take care of it. But it looks like it already escaped."
Sabine looked at her husband, her face as white as a sheet. "Tom! There was a bug in here! A bug!"
"Now, now... Calm down," Tom said, rubbing his wife's back. "You know we keep this place spick and span. It seems unlikely that there would be a bug in here especially one of that size, but I'll take a look anyways. It's not worth the risk. You should go lay down for a little while. You don't look well."
Sabine held her head in her hand and sighed. "You're right," she agreed while she headed towards her bedroom. "It's been a long day. I don't know how much more stress I can take."
As Sabine disappeared into the house, Marinette gave her father a confused expression. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happen while you were out?"
"It was nothing. Your mother just had a bit of a scare. They installed a trolley line near the square and the sound of the bells sent her into a tizzy. While I had my back turned buying groceries, she nearly was hit by one. As much as I love your mother, I must admit she has trouble keeping up with the times. She can be... forgetful. You'll have to keep an eye on her. But you know what would make your mother feel better? If you helped me clean up this mess."
"Okay Papa," Marinette giggled. She grabbed a broom and dustpan from the closet and began to sweep up the crumbs. Her father picked up the remaining chunks of cookies and placed them in the trash. Together they gathered all the fallen trays and washed them with soap and hot water. After a few minutes, the bakery was finally clean again. It looked like Tikki had never been there in the first place.
"So be honest with me, Marinette," Tom began, giving his daughter a curious glance. "You don't have to lie to me. I'm not like your mother. These things don't really bother me. Was there really a bug?" Marinette peaked down at her pocket and saw Tikki watching her with big eyes. The kwami put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh..."
"There really was a bug, Papa!" Marinette exclaimed. "I might have exaggerated a tiny bit, but it was really there and it scared me! It was pretty big too!"
Her father laughedloudly and said, "Guess I'm on the extermination squad now! If you see anything, let me know right away. A creature like that won't sit well with your mother or our customers, so we'll keep it our secret, okay?"
Marinette nodded her head. "It's a secret all right..." she thought.
Marinette left her father, who began reorganizing the displays, and headed back up to her bedroom and shut the door tight. Tikki came flying out of Marinette's pocket with a cheery smile. "You're parents are really nice!" she exclaimed. "And your dad is super silly! I like him a lot!"
"He'd probably like you too, but definitely not my mom. She despises bugs! You'll have to be extra careful to stay out of sight when she's around otherwise there'll be no more Ladybug for the both of us. In fact, you should keep away from my dad too. He can really swing a pan and that would be bad news."
"Oops! I almost forgot I swiped a present for you!" Marinette announced as she pulled a silver tin out from beneath her dress. She opened the cover to reveal a wide array of cookies. "My treat! Dig in!"
Tikki dove into the cookies, letting herself become coated in their sugary goodness. She was amazed at how delicious they were. There was chocolate chip, sugar, gingerbread, and even strawberry jam! It was like a dream come true. She hadn't had a meal this good in years.
Marinette set the tin on her desk, leaving Tikki to enjoy herself. It was surprisingly entertaining to watch her chow down on cookies twice her size. Marinette admired her little friend and wished that she still felt that same innocent excitement sometimes. She used to be like that. Seeing her friends or basking in the sunshine instantly brightened her mood. She could spend all day outside, laughing in the streets and talking to strangers. In the past she had been naive, but when Prince Adrien passed she learned how cruel the world really could be. Her usual spark never truly returned.
Knock! Knock!
Both Marinette and Tikki's heads perked up at the sudden racket. "What's that?" Tikki asked as she crammed another cookie into her mouth. Marinette stood up and walked over to her trapdoor. She opened it up a crack, but saw nobody there.
"That's odd..." she thought as she returned her sitting on her bed. "Both Tikki and I heard something. Where could that sound be coming from?"
Knock! Knock!
Her vision traveled towards the window and saw a black cat knocking its paw against the glass. Its vibrant green eyes startled Marinette. They were unlike anything she had ever seen. There was an unnatural energy to them. They seemed almost... human. The cat made eye contact with her and Marinette felt like it was staring directly into her soul. The cat glanced down at the window's lock as if it was saying, "Hey! Open up!" She could hears its quiet mews beyond the glass.
"What should I do?" Marinette asked, wondering why a random cat was knocking at her window. She had never had a problem with strays before.
"Let him in!" Tikki replied, disregarding her tin of cookies. "The poor thing looks starved! He probably smelled all the cookies we're hiding in here and wanted a bite to eat." Marinette took another look at the cat and realized he was abnormally skinny. If he was stray, he probably wasn't getting enough food to eat. Marinette's heart went out to the animal so she quickly ran over to the window and unlocked it.
The windows swung open and the cat jumped inside. It rubbed its body against Marinette's legs as a sign of thanks. "His fur is so soft," Marinette thought as she bent down to pick up the cat. "I expected an alley cat to be dirty, but he's so clean and fluffy! Not to mention absolutely adorable!" The cat didn't seem to reject Marinette holding him, so Marinette began to rub his tummy. The cat purred happily, enjoying the attention.
"Look how cute he is!" Tikki gushed, taking her turn at petting the feline. "I could pet him all day long! Marinette, can we keep him? Please?"
"Hold on! I've already gained one new house guest today. I'm not sure there's space for another."
"But look at him! He doesn't have a collar, so he's probably living on the streets with no place to call his own. We can't abandon him! He looks like a nice kitty. I don't think he'll cause any trouble."
Marinette considered Tikki's request. "He is pretty cute and I've never had a pet before. I'd feel bad if I sent him back outside in this condition. He might get sick easily. I kinda want to keep him too, but I'll have to ask Maman and Papa first."
"We can keep him," Marinette sighed. Tikki did a somersault in joy. "But we have to ask my parents first," she continued. "I can hide you, but that's a lot harder to do for a cat. I'll have to get their permission, but I think I have a way to persuade them. It's also up to the cat. If he wants to leave, we have to let him. Since he's been living on the streets, he might not like being cooped up in a house. He knows what's best for himself."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Let's go ask your parents right now! I want to play with him and we need to get him some food."
Marinette gently carried the cat downstairs to where her father was working. She noticed the cat had an unusually smug expression as if he was pleased with himself. "I didn't think cats could be so expressive," Marinette thought. "Maybe Tikki and I have stumbled upon an extra special cat." Then the cat proceeded let out a cute, little cat sneeze. His head shot back and he rubbed its paw against his nose in confusion. "Or maybe he's just a normal cat."
"Marinette, what's that?" Tom stopped kneading dough and found his daughter cradling an unfamiliar black cat. "I don't think I've ever seen this little fella before." Tom approached the cat and patted his head. Tom was a long time animal lover, so Marinette knew he would be an easy sell.
"He wandered into my room earlier," Marinette told her father. "He looks starved and I'm afraid if he goes back outside he'll get sick. Can we keep him? He'll be completely my responsibility. I'll keep him in my bedroom and make sure he has plenty of food and water. I can't abandon him, Papa! Please let me keep him!" Marinette gave her father the puppy dog eyes and Tom felt his willpower immediately dissolve. He was the type of father that had a hard time saying no to his little girl.
"While I trust you, I don't know how your mother would feel about having an animal in the house. This is also so sudden..."
"You didn't find that bug from before, right? If we keep him, we have a natural exterminator! He'll get rid of any pest the bakery could possibly have. Wouldn't that make Maman happy? Having a cat is certainly better than having bugs or mice! He's much cleaner and cuter!"
"You have a point there..."
"Thanks, Papa! You're the best!"
Marinette rose to her tiptoes and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. Tom blushed as his daughter skipped back upstairs to her bedroom. He crossed his arms and shook his head with a sigh. "She's definitely my daughter. It'll be nice to have a fresh face around the house, but how am I going to explain this to Sabine?" Tom returned to kneading dough, awaiting his future scolding with a chuckle.
Back in her bedroom, Marinette set the cat down on her bed. He curled up into a ball on her pillow, making himself comfortable. He let out a soft "meow", causing Marinette and Tikki to giggle. "He looks like a prince sitting on his throne!" Marinette joked as she sat beside the cat. She began to delicately stroke his fur which he seemed to enjoy it.
"We have to give him a name!" Tikki said.
"A name?" Marinette repeated, taking another look at the cat. His fur was a deep black like the shadows of the night. He had a strange, mysterious aura. Marinette snapped her finger and announced, "I've got it! We'll name him Shadow since his fur is so black!"
"That's perfect!" Tikki squeaked. "He looks like a Shadow. Good thinking!"
Unfortunately, "Shadow" didn't agree. He scrunched up his nose in disgust, but neither Tikki nor Marinette seemed to notice. He had a name and one he greatly liked since he came up with it himself, but he didn't have a way to tell them that. He would have to deal with "Shadow" for now.
Shadow's stomach let out a loud growl. "We should get him something to eat," Marinette decided, standing up. "I have some bowls downstairs we can fill with water, but what should we feed him? I don't know what cats eat. I don't want to accidentally give him something that'll make him sick."
"You're right. I don't know what cats eat either. I knew a cat once that ate cheese, but he was pretty abnormal... Wait! Cats like fish, don't they?"
"That sounds about right. I think there's a fish vendor not far from here and I have some extra pocket money from working at the bakery. Let's go get him something to eat! I can also give you a tour of Paris while we're out. There's so many cool things I want to show you!"
"That's a great plan! Let's go then before it gets dark outside!" Tikki flew into Marinette's pocket as the girl grabbed her purse. Before leaving the room, she turned back to Shadow and gave him a stern warning. "You stay right here," she commanded, wagging her finger at him. "We're going to get you dinner, but only good kitties get to eat, got it? See you in a bit!" She happily jaunted down the steps, letting the trapdoor slam shut behind her.
"That girl is the one I'm looking for," the cat thought as Marinette left. "That strange bug must be some kind of magical spirit. By lending her magic to that girl, she can transform into Ladybug. What was her name again? Oh yeah, Marinette. She's a strange girl. I don't think I've ever seen anyone smile that much. It's definitely a change from the people on the streets who only scowl at me."
"I don't have time to play pet though. I need to know what kind of information she has. She might be able to tell me who I am. She's the only lead I've got, but how could I be connected to a girl with magic powers? I'm beginning to have more questions than answers. Maybe there's something that could help me in this room."
The cat jumped down from his pillow and began to look around. He stuck his head under the bed and only found dust bunnies. The closest was filled with handmade dresses, but no clues. He had already been up on the roof and there was nothing there. He didn't dare venture downstairs and chance getting caught by Marinette's parents. He checked every nook and cranny except for one place. His eyes landed on a desk situated in the corner.
Using the desk chair, he leaped on to the desk and examined its contents. There were some papers and pencils sitting out. The papers had designs for dresses on them. Someone highly skilled had made them and the cat wondered if they belonged to Marinette. He took extra care not to step on them and leave paw prints. Next to one of the designs was a flipped over piece of paper. Curious, the cat tried to flip it over using its nose and teeth. After a bit of a struggle, he was able to turn it over and was surprised with what he found.
Instead of another dress design, the image was a pencil portrait of a young boy. He looked about Marinette's age. His hair was brushed neatly to the side and he had soft, kind eyes. He was smiling, almost laughing. The picture looked like a snapshot of real life. The amount of detail was incredible and the sketch captured his semblance quite well. The cat felt strangely drawn to the picture. Something about it felt familiar. "Who is this boy? Is he a friend of Marinette's?" he wondered, touching his paw to the boy's smile. "Maybe I've passed him on the street before. I'm sure he's not important though."
He dragged the portrait back to its original position in an attempt to cover his tracks and hopped off the desk. He returned his pillow and laid his head against his tail in despair. "No luck yet," he sighed. "I can't give up though. This girl has to know something. I'm sure of it!"
"Shadow! Look what we brought you!"
The cat's ears perked up at the sound of Marinette's voice. The sweetness of her voice was oddly pleasing to him. The trapdoor popped open and Marinette emerged holding a brown paper bag and a bowl of water. She ran over to him and set the water bowl down. Then she opened the bag and pulled out something covered in newspaper. She unwrapped it to reveal a large fish.
"We got it just for you, so you'd better enjoy," Marinette smiled as she patted his head. "Tikki helped me pick it out. She said this type of fish was especially delicious!" Marinette set the fish down next to the bowl and gestured for the cat to come down at eat. He hesitantly got up from his pillow and approached his meal. Tikki watched him eagerly, excited to see his reaction.
He lapped up some of the water since he had been feeling rather thirsty after exploring Marinette's bedroom. He turned to the fish and took a bite with his tiny fangs. "Surprisingly delicious!" he thought as he went in for another bite. "I've never had a meal this good before. I only ever gets scraps and it's usually just the fish bones."
"He likes it!" Tikki exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I'm so glad! I could watch him eat for the rest of the night. He's so cute!"
"Knock yourself out," Marinette yawned, stretching out her arms. "But I think I'm going to head to bed. It's been a crazy day. I've met a kwami, gained magic Ladybug powers, and adopted a cat. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow and discovered it was all a dream. I'm going to need a good night's sleep to let this all process."
She walked over to her closet and pulled out a white nightgown. She removed her dress to which Shadow quickly looked away. He made sure to keep his eyes on the fish and not Marinette. Even as a cat, it was embarrassing. Marinette changed into the nightgown and untied her pigtails, letting her hair hang loose. It went down to her shoulders and was wavy from being in pigtails all day.
"Let's clean up before you go to bed." Marinette grabbed Shadow's water bowl and set it on the balcony to dry. She wrapped the fish bones in the newspaper and put it back in the bag. She threw the remains into the trash, then put her hands on her hips with a satisfied grin. "All clean!" she smiled, heading back to her bed.
"Tikki, you can sleep right here." Marinette pointed at a small pillow that she set in the corner of the bed. A piece of fabric was lying on top of it. She hoped it would function as a big enough blanket.
"It's perfect! Thank you!" Tikki smiled gratefully.
"I can't let my friend sleep on the floor, now can I? And for Shadow, you can sleep up here next to me." Marinette patted the empty space next to her on the bed.
Shadow raised an eyebrow, thinking, "She's inviting me to sleep next to her? Normally I would decline, but I can't say no to that smile." He curled up next to her stomach, sharing her warmth. Being this close to her made his heart beat fast. He had never been this close to a human before.
Marinette stroked his back and whispered, "You're such a good boy. If you hadn't come in off the streets, I would've thought you were a house cat. Good night then, Shadow. Sleep tight." The cat responded with a meow and nuzzled his face against her side. He let her blankets fall over him, acting as a type of protection. They smelled distinctly like her, giving him a warm, fuzzy feeling. For once, he felt like he had somewhere where he belonged.
"There's something special about this girl," he thought as he began to close down for the night. "I can't put my paw on it yet, but she has something. I've never met someone this kind. To cared for like this... it feels good. Even if I can't find any clues about who I am, I might just stick around anyways."
"Good night, Tikki!" Marinette said, expecting a good night in response, but only heard the sounds of quiet snoring. "She must've already fallen asleep," Marinette thought with a silent giggle. "I can't blame her. It's been a busy day for the both of us. I should get some sleep too..." With that, Marinette closed her eyes, surrounded by friends. Since Prince Adrien's death, she had never felt happier.
The three slept in silence aside from the chirping of the bugs outside. They were in peace, unaware of the future awaiting them tomorrow.
