In a small room hidden out of sight, there stood a man, cursing himself. He had cold eyes and pale skin, making him seem ghostly and frail. His grip on his cane was tight. He needed it to get around now since his body was growing older from age and sorrows. Clasped onto his shirt was a brooch shaped like a butterfly. It was his most prized possession. It was the only thing that gave him hope anymore.
In his other hand was a newspaper. On the front page was an illustration of two heroes that had saved Paris from destruction the day prior. The article was written by a teenage girl and was the talk of the city. Rumors of these new magicians escaped no one's ears including the man's. Each mention of their names made his blood boil. He ripped up the newspaper and let the pieces flutter to the ground.
"Damn them!" the man shouted, slamming his cane against the floor. "I didn't think they'd be so powerful already. I need those miraculouses now!" He hobbled towards the room's lone window and pushed the shutters open. Light flooded in, revealing that man wasn't completely alone.
The room was filled with hundreds of white butterflies. The light reflected off their wings, giving the room an unusual glow. The man leaned on the windowsill and looked at the city in the distance. "I won't give up," he growled. "Ladybug, your miraculous will be mine. And I will have my revenge on that feral black cat. Just wait..."
It was another normal day at the bakery. Marinette had been asked to work the front counter while her father baked in the back. Chat Noir hid up in her bedroom, playing with whatever he could find. Marinette had given him permission to leave the house and explore if he promised not to get into trouble. But he never took her up on this offer. He had no desire to leave her presence.
Chat Noir was starting to learn more about Marinette. He discovered her favorite color was pink and she loved sweets. She was homeschooled growing up, but now attended supplementary lessons. Despite her not having what most would consider a proper education, Chat Noir thought she was extremely intelligent. She showed him her vast collection of books. Clearly, she was well-educated on all subjects.
The more she told him, the guiltier he felt about telling her nothing. Chat Noir didn't have much to tell. He didn't have a family or any friends. All his stories about life in the alleys were morbid and depressing. He didn't have anything he particularly liked aside from camembert. There was really nothing he could offer her aside from the one truth he kept a secret.
"I should tell her," he sighed as he rolled a ball of yarn back and forth with his paws. "There's no reason to keep it a secret and Marinette might be able to help me. I don't know why I'm so hesitant. It's not like she'd be upset or anything..."
Chat Noir felt a certain uneasiness about the whole thing. He always worried that the men from before would come back and find him. As a cat, he hadn't thought much of it. There were hundreds of black cats in Paris and they couldn't search each one. But now that he spent time in his human form, the search wouldn't be as hard. If anyone saw him, he could be in danger. Worse, he could put Marinette in danger.
Transforming into his human form, he opened the trapdoor to balcony and went outside, greeted by the fresh air. Outside were various plants that Marinette was trying to take care of. She normally forgot to water them, so Chat Noir did it in her stead. He picked up the watering can and began to water a lily that was just beginning to bloom. It's unconditional beauty reminded him of Marinette.
"I can't get her out of my head..." Chat Noir sighed dreamily, letting the water spill over the pot. "This was what Tikki was talking about before. A crush... Ever since she appeared as Ladybug, she's taken my heart and hasn't let go. Do humans normally fall in love this easily? I wonder if Marinette has someone she loves..."
Chat Noir paused. He never stopped to think about it. Marinette only seemed to talk to Nino and Alya, but Nino wasn't a threat since he clearly love Alya. She didn't talk about anyone else and she told him everything. Chat Noir felt a little calmer. He didn't want to have any competition. It would already be difficult to win Marinette's affections. He was a cat and he knew she probably wouldn't be interested. He would have to be content with loving her from afar.
After noticing that he had flooded one of Marinette's poor plants, Chat Noir moved on to another. He hummed to himself while watering, his tail swaying along to the tune. He didn't mind chores like this. They made him feel important. He wanted to contribute to the household as much as he could. He didn't want to be a freeloader.
All of a sudden, a huge shadow blocked the sun from overhead. Chat Noir dropped the watering can, spilling water all over the balcony. He looked up and saw a giant flock of pigeons painting the sky. There had to be at least a thousand of them. They were flying in unison in the same direction. A feather floated down and brushed past Chat's nose. He let out a loud sneeze, nearly falling over. He rubbed his nose with a frown. Something wasn't right.
He sprinted back into Marinette's room and planned to rush down to the bakery. He was in the middle of opening the back door when he remembered he was still in human form. "Almost forgot!" he thought. "I can't go downstairs like this. I'd better change back." With a green glow of light, Chat Noir returned to his cat form and ran down the stairs as fast as his tiny cat legs could take him.
He wandered into the bakery and saw Marinette working at the counter. She was helping a customer count change. Hopefully, she wouldn't be upset if he bothered her. Chat Noir trotted up and pawed at her dress, meowing to get her attention. She glanced down at him, confused.
"Not now," she whispered. "I'm working." She returned to the customer and wished her a nice day. Marinette didn't have time to play around with Chat Noir. She was working and needed to a good job. Her parents had been watching her closely to make sure she was properly fulfilling her duties. Marinette knew Chat got lonely easily, but she couldn't obey his every need.
Chat Noir pawed at her again, this time being more aggressive. "Come on!" he thought. "Figure it out! I wish I could tell her in words, but I can't be a human here! This is so frustrating!" Marinette continued to ignore him, so he resorted to desperate measures. He would be as annoying as possible.
He walked in circles, bobbing his head to make his bell ring. The bakery was filled with the sound, drawing the eyes of many confused customers. Marinette gave him an angry glare and scooped him up with her arms. "Papa!" she called to the back. "Can you take the register for a moment? I need to let Chat Noir out."
Marinette carried him towards the back door where no one could see them. She put him on the ground and crossed her arms. "What's so important?" she sighed. "You know you aren't suppose to bother me when I'm working."
There was a green flash and Chat Noir turned into a human. "Sorry, princess," he apologized, bowing his head. "But this is an emergency. Come outside with me." He pulled her out the door and pointed at the sky. Marinette looked up in awe at the giant flock of pigeons. They were headed in the same direction which meant they were headed to the same place.
"This can't be normal," Marinette shouted, clenching her fists. "This has to be the work of an akuma. Tikki, are you ready?" Tikki poked her head out of Marinette's pockets and nodded. "Okay then. Spots on!"
With a pink swirl of light, she transformed into Ladybug, ready for action. She pulled out her yo-yo and pointed at Chat Noir's baton. "We need to follow those birds," she explained. "They must be heading towards the akuma. Get ready to fly!" She threw her yo-yo up towards the roof, hoisting herself. Chat Noir followed suit with his baton.
"What kind of monster uses pigeons to do his bidding?" Ladybug asked as she followed the group of birds. It was eerie the way their wings all flapped in unison. Their eyes were glazed over and not a single one made a noise aside from the sound of their wings. It shouldn't have been scary, but it was downright terrifying. Ladybug never thought she'd ever say she was scared of a bird.
"One that can't do his own work," Chat Noir snorted. "You could say he's a... chicken." He laughed to himself while Ladybug just rolled her eyes. She noticed that Chat Noir had a knack for bad puns and she didn't appreciate. That kind of humor was usually lost on her.
She was shocked from her thoughts by a loud sneeze from Chat Noir. "Achoo!" he sneezed, nearly letting go of his baton and tumbling to the ground. He rubbed his irritated nose and frowned. Ladybug noticed his eyes were getting red and puffy.
"Are you allergic to birds?" she giggled, rubbing up beside Chat Noir. Finding great satisfaction in his misfortune, she smiled and said, "I thoughts cats were supposed to eat birds."
"Not this cat, my lady," Chat Noir coughed. "I didn't know I was allergic to birds. I've never gotten close to one before though. Just my luck..." He was about to let out another loud sneeze when Ladybug stuck her finger under his nose, stopping it.
"You're welcome," she laughed, giving his nose an extra tickle. He was so stunned that he couldn't say anything before Ladybug lept away to another building. He followed her in hot pursuit. Though she didn't seem like it at first, Ladybug could be the flirty type and wasn't ashamed of it.
Chat Noir chased after her and yelled, "Don't think you can get away with-"
"Shh!" Ladybug hushed, signaling for him to keep quiet. She pointed ahead at a large building covered in pigeons. She recognized the building. It was normally used to hold city wide events, so it was huge and mostly empty. A place like that was the perfect bad guy hideout, but unfortunately, a bad place for her and Chat Noir to hide. Pigeons sat at the front entrance, looking prepared to attack. If they managed to sneak inside the buildings, they would definitely be caught. There was no place to sneak around.
She hid on the other side of a chimney and pulled Chat Noir close. Their proximity put him on edge. "We need to find a way to get in there," Ladybug whispered. "Those pigeons will peck us to death if they get the chance, so we can't go through the front. There has to be another way."
Suddenly, an idea came to mind. She gave Chat Noir a clever smile. "Oh no!" he stammered, shaking his head. "I'm not going to be birdseed. If we go in, we're going in together."
"I'm offended you think I would do that to you," Ladybug gasped, pretending to be shocked. "I had another plan, but I might like yours better."
"Hey!"
"I'm kidding. We'll stick with my plan. We're not the only ones who can mount an aerial attack. The pigeons only seem to be guarding the front, so we just won't go in that way. See that skylight on the roof?" She pointed up at panes of glass that formed to make a pyramid on the roof. An interesting architectural choice, but it would suit her purpose well.
Chat Noir nodded warily. "Those should swing right open," Ladybug explained. "If we head around the back of the building, we can avoid the pigeons. And we can get direct access to the center of the building through the skylight. The akuma has to be in there, so we'll stage an ambush. We have to be stealthy though. Keep quiet."
"My lady, I'm a cat. We're known for being stealthy."
"Let's see how long that lasts. We both know you're a bit of a chatterbox."
Ladybug took off on an alternate route, heading behind the building, while Chat Noir sat for a minute, flabbergasted. "Was that an insult?" he frowned. "Someone sure is sassy today. Good thing I don't mind." He extended his baton and chased after her.
The duo took a wide curve around the building, making sure they were completely out of the pigeons' sight. The entire area was void of people. Everyone had hide inside after seeing the massive flock of birds. Ladybug and Chat Noir had to be extra quiet or they would attract unwanted attention. They managed to make their way to the back and found it, thankfully, abandoned. All the pigeons seemed to be stationed in the front.
"Let's head up," Ladybug whispered, slowly pulling herself to the roof with her yo-yo. Chat Noir followed and soon they were on the building's roof. The roof was large with the skylight in the middle. Chimneys and other ventilation shafts offered multiple hiding spots to avoid the gazes of their feathered foes. So far, so good.
They tiptoed towards the skylight and pressed their faces against the glass window, hoping to see something. Inside, there was a man dressed in a strange, tight-fitting outfit. He was surrounded by pigeons and seemed to be talking to them. He didn't look capable of much evil. Certainly not like Stoneheart. This akuma was much less menacing and more... pathetic.
"That's him?" Chat Noir asked, pointing down at the man. "That's disappointing," he thought. "I was starting to get excited about kicking another giant monster's butt, not some birdbrain. The person creating these akuma must be trying out all options. I'm gonna say this one's a fail."
Ladybug nodded while she took out the screws that held one of the glass panes in place. She slowly opened it. The gap was wide enough for her and Chat Noir to move in at once. "Perfect..." she grinned, gripping her yo-yo as she prepared for action.
"We're going in," Ladybug directed. "On my count. 1...2..."
"ACHOO!"
Chat Noir let out a ginormous sneeze and fell over, accidentally dragging Ladybug down with him. They fell over the opening in the skylight and plummeted toward the ground. Amidst the chaos, Ladybug managed to grab her yo-yo and hook it on to one of the metal beams that supported the building's roof. She grabbed Chat Noir and the two of them dangled from the ceiling like sitting ducks.
"So much for being stealthy," she huffed.
"Sorry," Chat Noir shrugged. "Allergies."
"So you've finally arrived!" a shrill voice called from down belong. The akuma had stood up and was walking towards them. He clapped his hands sarcastically though it didn't do much for his image. Getting a closer look at him, it was obvious he was utterly ridiculous.
His face was long and angular. His attire was pigeon themed and around his neck a wooden, bird whistle. "What a weirdo..." Ladybug thought, not feeling any bit of fear like she did before. "Who could be that obsessed with birds?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ladybug and Chat Noir," the akuma laughed. Even his laugh was disappointing. "Hawk Moth told me you would be coming."
Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped to the floor and poised themselves in fighting position, but neither moved. The akuma was offering valuable information. If they fought him now, they might lose their chance on learning more about the wielder of the butterfly miraculous.
"Who's Hawk Moth?" Ladybug asked, making her fists visible just in case.
"Did he not introduce himself? ROO! ROO! How ROO-de of him. Consider him my associate. He's held up his end of the deal, so I must hold up mine. Give me your miraculouses or face the wrath of Mr. Pigeon!"
"Hawk Moth must be the person behind these akumas!" Ladybug thought. "And he wants our miraculouses, but why? There's no way Chat Noir and I will give them up!"
"I'm afraid we can't oblige," Ladybug bowed, giving Mr. Pigeon a brash smile. "They belong to us and nobody else, not even the pigeons." Chat Noir nodded in agreement.
Mr. Pigeon frowned and shook his head. "That's too bad. I'm afraid things are going to have to get a little messy. My pigeons, now!"
All of a sudden, a large group of birds swarmed in through the windows. Ladybug and Chat Noir moved, back to back, ready to attack. Neither knew what to do though. They couldn't take out each pigeon one by one. The sheer number of birds was overwhelming. Not to mention, Chat Noir couldn't stop sneezing.
CLANG!
A metal cage fell on top of the heroes, trapping them inside. "Where did this come from?" Ladybug shouted, banging against the bars. "This... this is impossible!"
"The birds must have brought it!" Chat Noir sneered. He whacked the bars with his baton, but it barely even left a dent. The cage was solid and sturdy. No amount of banging would free them.
"That was easier than I thought," Mr. Pigeon cooed. "I heard you two were great magicians, but it appears that information was false. I'll ask nicely one more time. Give me your miraculouses."
"Never!" Ladybug shouted back, covering her ears with her hands. She wouldn't give these up for anything. Tikki trusted her with them and she wouldn't betray that trust. She was positive Chat Noir felt the same way.
"Have it your way then, but you'll face the consequences. Ready fire!"
A circle of pigeons formed around the cage and raised their tail feathers in the air. "I don't like where this is going," Chat Noir whimpered. He held his baton up as a meager shield and braced himself for impact. Ladybug prepared for the same when a sudden thought crossed her mind.
"Chat Noir! Use your cataclysm on the bars!"
"Huh? Oh! Good idea, LB!" Chat Noir clenched his fists and yelled, "Cataclysm!" A black glow emitted from his paws. He quickly dragged his paw across the bars, watching each one crumble to dust as his fingers slid past. A large hole opened from where the bars had decayed. He confidently stepped out, offering his hand to Ladybug. She graciously took it and left the cage. Once they were out, they gave Mr. Pigeon angry glares.
"Nice try!" Ladybug smirked. "Let's see how you like it when the tables are turned. Lucky Charm!"
A red and black spotted bag fell from the sky and landed in her hands. "What's this?" she thought, opening the bag. The aroma of corn filled the air. "Corn? I'm feeling a little peckish, but now isn't the time. What am I supposed to do with this?"
As Ladybug tried to think, Chat Noir stood in front of her, trying to hold off the pigeons in between sneezes. They would lunge at him, but he knocked them away with his baton. Too bad that for each pigeon down, two more filled its place. The barrage was endless and he couldn't hold them off for long. Ladybug need a plan ASAP.
"Think, Marinette, think!" Ladybug chanted, beating her hand against her hand. "There has to be something I can do with this! I have to get that weird bird whistle away from him. The akuma must be in there, but it's on his neck! I can't even get close like this!" She looked up at Mr. Pigeon who was standing, arms crossed, behind a wall of pigeons. He sent his pigeons to do his bidding and sat back to relax. If he were suddenly attacked, there's no way he'd be prepared...
"That's it!" Ladybug shouted, throwing her yo-yo to the ceiling. It hooked around a metal beam and pulled her up. Chat Noir watched her in awe, but continued to fight off the pigeons. He had no idea what she was planning, but like before, he'd trust her.
Ladybug ran along the metal beams until she was directly over Mr. Pigeon. The akuma looked up at her and pointed mockingly, "Running won't get you anywhere. A pigeon's first home is the sky!" He blew into his whistle and the pigeons abandoned Chat Noir and charged straight at Ladybug.
"NO!" Chat Noir screamed, helpless and unable to do anything. Ladybug was too far out of reach. He couldn't do anything to stop the pigeons. His ring let out a beep, a grim reminder that he didn't have much time left to help either.
Instead of looking scared, Ladybug smirked and turned the bag of corn upside down, shaking out its contents onto Mr. Pigeon. "Oops," she giggled, covering her mouth. "What a mess I've made!"
The pigeons diverted course and headed towards Mr. Pigeon for their next meal. Pigeons covered his entire body, pecking at him for a bite of corn. His muffled cries were drowned out against the sound of flapping wings. Even he, master of pigeons, was no match for food.
Ladybug jumped down and approached the mass of pigeons. Chat Noir ran up beside her and grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?" he asked nervously. "None of them hurt you, right?"
"I'm fine, Chat. You're so overprotective. You're my pet. I should be protective of you, not the other way around," Ladybug smiled, ruffling his hair. "Now let's get rid of this oversized pigeon. I think I've had enough birds for today."
She pushed aside some of the pigeons and yanked the bird whistle off Mr. Pigeons neck. With a hard toss, she threw it at the ground and stepped on it, shattering it into pieces. A black butterfly emerged and was quickly caught by Ladybug's yo-yo.
"Not so fast," she scolded the insect. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." The butterfly flew out of its captivity with pure, white wings and flew out a nearby window. Then, Ladybug threw the empty corn bag into the air and watched it dissolve into red light, returning all to normal. The pigeons disappeared and a confused man lay in Mr. Pigeon's place.
"Where am I?" the man asked, holding his head. "The last thing I remember is being yelled at for feeding the pigeons and the rest is a blur."
"Don't worry," Ladybug smiled. "Everything's okay now. There's nothing to worry about, but you should go home and get some sleep."
"You're that magician from the papers, aren't you?"
"That's a secret." She held her finger to her lips and winked. The man fell back on his knees in awe.
A beep came from both Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses. "That's our cue to leave," Chat Noir said, putting his hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "We need to go. This guy will be fine. Not to mention, your dad is probably freaking out that you've been missing for almost an hour."
"You're right!" Ladybug shouted, her expression turning to one of horror. "I told him I'd be right back. I'm gonna be in so much trouble! Let's hurry!" She sprinted towards the door with Chat Noir at her heels. She ran outside and grappled onto the nearest chimney, up to the skyline. Chat Noir was struggling to keep up. She was speedy especially when she knew she was in trouble.
The duo arrived back at home in two minutes which was just enough time before Chat Noir's transformation wore off. He returned to his kitty form and felt his stomach growl. "I'm so hungry now," he pouted. "That's the only downside of transforming. I need food now!" He was about to ask Marinette, but noticed that she had already detransformed and was running back into her bedroom.
"Wait!" Chat Noir meowed, trotting after her. "What about food?"
Marinette tossed Tikki onto her bed and said, "Wait here! I'll be back soon with cookies or something, but Papa's waiting for me. And Chat, same for you. Wish me luck! Hopefully I won't get grounded for too long!" She disappeared leaving Tikki, Chat Noir, and two growling stomachs.
Downstairs, Tom was still at the register, happily taking orders. Marinette walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. "Thank you," she apologized. "I'm sorry that took so long. Chat Noir had some... trouble." She braced herself for scolding, but her father only laughed.
"Don't worry, dear," he chuckled. "I had a dog once and he could be a handful. I'm just glad to see you taking responsibility for your pet. You've impressed me. I didn't think you could handle it, but you proved me wrong."
"Thanks, Papa."
"Here's the register again. It shouldn't be too much longer before your mother gets back and she can take over."
Tom headed towards the back room and Marinette pressed a key on the register. "I'm a terrible daughter," she moaned. "I lied to Papa and he said he was proud of me!" The guilt was starting to build up. "Keeping this Ladybug thing a secret is harder than I thought!"
"And if I have to stay here at the register, I won't be able to bring Tikki and Chat Noir something to eat. Eh... I'm sure they'll be fine. They tend to overexaggerate."
Back in Marinette's room, Chat Noir was rolling across the floor in agony while Tikki laid on Marinette's bed, limbs spread out. "So hungry..." she said in a fading voice. "Where's Marinette?"
Chat Noir weakly meowed and put his paws on his stomach. "Marinette... hurry up! I'm going to die!"
An hour later, Marinette came running upstairs, her arms filled with various types of cookies and cheeses. "I'm back!" she smiled, laying the tasty treats across the floor. "Sorry for the wait! I brought you guys a lot, so dig in!"
"Finally!" Tikki shouted, shoving cookies into her mouth. Chat Noir bit into the gooey cheese and felt his hunger be satiated. He legitimately thought he was going to starve to death. He had never been so hungry even while living on the streets. There was something about using his miraculous powers that really took it out of him.
"While you both are eating, I want to talk about something," Marinette said, taking a seat on her bed. "We know who are enemy is now. It's someone named Hawk Moth and he's not just out to destroy Paris, but to steal our miraculouses too. Why would he want those?"
"To have more power!" Tikki exclaimed between bites of cookie. "Each miraculous has a different set of powers. Hawk Moth's isn't good for combat, but yours and Chat Noir's are."
"I see... I feel still feel like those aren't his only aims though. There's something more sinister behind this. He has to have some kind of goal, but I have no idea what it could be. I wish I knew more about all these miraculouses too. Tikki, do you know anything else?"
"I only know about the Ladybug, Chat Noir, and butterfly miraculouses. There are others out there, but I know very little. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Marinette sighed. "We'll just have to do some research on our own then. Time to investigate!"
