Sorry for a late update! Finals week is coming up and things are getting busy! Anyways, please enjoy this chapter even if it is a bit late :)
"How are we going to do that?" Tikki asked, finishing off her last cookie. "It's unlikely anyone still alive has even heard of a miraculous. To my knowledge, the only current miraculous holders are you, Chat Noir, and Hawk Moth. We've reached a dead end before we've even started!"
"I was thinking a little differently," Marinette smiled. "I thought we could go to the library."
"The library?"
"Yep! The royal library is open to the public. It has every type of book you can imagine, even ones that are thousands of years old. There has to be something about miraculouses or how to defeat Hawk Moth. I'm sure we'll find something."
"There might be a book on ancient forms of magic that might help us. It might not be miraculous magic, but it still could work..."
"Exactly," Marinette nodded. "It's settled then. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the library. I'll tell my parents I'm doing some extra studying for lessons."
The next morning, Marinette woke up early to ensure they could spend the entire day at the library. Tikki woke up around the same time, but Chat Noir was a little trickier. Yesterday's akuma attack exhausted him and he was more than unhappy about being woken up so early.
Marinette changed into a fresh dress and grabbed her purse for Tikki to hide inside. "Hopefully there won't be many people at the library," Marinette prayed. "I'm going to need Tikki's help, so she can't stay cooped up in my bag all day. She's not the only help I'll need either." Her eyes landed on Chat Noir who was still grumbling on the floor in his cat form. "There's thousands of books in that library to search through. I'm going to need all the hands... err... paws I can get."
She grabbed an old, black cloak from the closet and tossed it on Chat Noir. "You're coming with us," she told him. "You need to transform into a human, but keep that cloak on. I don't want anyone to see your ears or tail. People will pin you down for sure."
There was a green glow and the cloak filled with a human body. Chat Noir threw the hood over his head. His ears slightly poked through, but not enough for anyone to notice. It did a good job of hiding his tail too. The only suspicious thing about his appearance was his mask, but most people would ignore that. There were stranger things in Paris.
"Hmph! You think they'll go crazy if they see a hero like me?" Chat Noir smirked. "I'm sure I can handle it."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Marinette said in a grave tone. "We might think we're heroes, but most people won't. Magicians aren't taken kindly to even if they do save the city from stone monsters and pigeon men. Of course there's a few exceptions like Alya, but the negative stigma is still there."
"Why does everyone hate them? Having magic is pretty sweet! Think of all the incredible things you can do with it. I mean, we saved Paris twice!" Chat Noir held up two fingers. "Why should we get criticized for that?"
"Magicians in the past have... let people down. Instead of using their magic for good, their greed gets the best of them. Hawk Moth isn't the first corrupt magician. I've heard stories of magicians destroying entire towns just because they could. But it wasn't always like that. If you read old books, magicians are revered and seen as great heroes. I don't know when all that changed," Marinette sighed. "So that's why I need you to stay safe! Keep that cloak on at all times!"
"Okay, okay," Chat Noir whistled. "She's cute when she's worried," he smiled. "But I don't want her to be upset over me. I'll try to stay quiet and out of sight while we're outside."
"Let's go," Marinette said, heading towards the door. Chat Noir was about to follow her when she held up her hand and stopped him. "You can't follow me," she laughed, turning him around. "What would my parents think if a strange boy appeared out of my bedroom? You'll have to take the roof this time. I'll meet you outside."
After a few minutes and a quick chat with her parents, Marinette ran outside the bakery and expected to be greeted by Chat Noir. She looked around, but saw nobody. "Where could he be?" she groaned, facepalming. "I left him alone for five minutes and I bet he's already off causing trouble. I hope nothing happened..." Her eyes darted across the street and she saw a cloaked figure hovering around a shop window.
"Chat..." Marinette cursed under her breath as she marched across the street. "What are you doing? I told you to wait for me!" Marinette grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. The figure gasped and turned to face her. "Oh no!" Marinette panicked as she let go. Her gaze was met with an angry glare from an old man with a beard. "That wasn't Chat!"
"I'm sorry!" Marinette apologized, bowing her head. "I thought you were someone else." The man grumbled to himself and walked away. Marinette groaned and thought, "How embarrassing! I'm really going to kick that cat's butt now! Where is he?"
"What's got you on edge, princess?" a sudden voice called, causing Marinette to jump. She swerved around to see Chat Noir casually leaning against the shop window. He was smiley blissfully, unaware of the distress he had caused Marinette and of the scolding he was about to get. "Don't look so tense," he purred.
"Tense?" Marinette shouted, her face turning red. "I told you to wait outside and you weren't there. Of course I'm tense! What if something happened to you?"
"Relax, bugaboo. I've been right here the whole time. I just crossed over a couple roofs to get here so your parents didn't see me leave the house. I didn't want to get you in trouble," he smiled. He took Marinette's hand gently and kissed it. "Sorry to cause you such a fright."
"I-it's fine!" Marinette stammered, pulling her hand back. She was used to Chat Noir's flirting, but his sudden advances could still catch her off guard. "I'm just glad you're okay. Follow me. I'll show you to the library."
For Chat Noir, walking through the streets of Paris was a new experience. As a cat, he was confined to the alleys and rarely risked the busy streets. As Chat Noir, he normally traveled along the skyline and only stopped down below to fight. He was surprisingly pleased by the vibrant life on the ground. The never ending presence of people was comforting.
"Is there a store for everything?" he asked, pointing at the elaborately decorated shops. There was one that sold just fabric while another sold fruits and vegetables. There was even a store that sold only cheese! It seemed like heaven. Humans had everything at their fingertips.
"Pretty much," Marinette shrugged. "If it exists, you can find it in Paris. People come from all over the world to sell stuff."
"Wow..."
Chat Noir began to wander off the path, unable to look away from all the amazing things he was seeing. "What's that?" he thought as he sprinted away. He pressed his hands against a glass window and peered inside. It seemed to be a music shop and inside was a grand piano. "It's beautiful... I wonder what it sounds like." He desperately wanted to go in and try, but Marinette might be upset if he wandered off again. Maybe he would ask her to go another day.
"Want to try it out?"
Chat Noir turned and saw a familiar, young boy standing in the doorway. His skin was dark and his brown hair cut short. He tried to hide it with a hat. His glasses were pushed high up his nose and he had a smirk that reminded Chat Noir much of his own. The boy walked over and put his hand on Chat's shoulder.
"Don't look so surprised," the boy laughed, knocking Chat Noir in the ribs with his elbow. "I can tell by your expression. You wanna play, so I'll let you come in and try it. My pops owns this shop and he won't mind. Come on in!" The boy went inside and Chat Noir found himself following. He was intrigued by the boy. He was the first person Chat Noir had talked to who wasn't Marinette.
"Have a seat," the boy gestured, tapping the piano bench. "It's all yours. Take it for a spin. I'm sure you can't be any worse than me. Piano's the only instrument I can't seem to figure out."
Chat Noir hesitantly took a seat. He looked down at the keys. There was something oddly familiar about them though as a cat he had never touched a piano before. "What should I play?" Chat Noir asked, a bit perturbed about not having any guidance.
"I don't know. Make something up."
"Make something up?" Chat Noir thought. "Hmm... okay then!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He ran his fingers across the keys to get a feel for them. He pressed one down and a high pitched sound came from the piano. With one sound, everything clicked into place.
A beautiful melody drifted from the piano as Chat Noir began to play. Muscle memory took over and his masterpiece began. He played effortlessly like he had known to play all his life. Something about the music moved him and made him feel alive. His hands danced across the keys, filled with energy. He felt the same rush as when he fought an akuma. There was something magical about it.
"Woah!" the boy exclaimed, nearly falling over in shock. "You're basically a pro! Where'd you learn to play like that? I've been trying for years and can barely manage Chopsticks!"
Chat Noir took his hands off the keys and chuckled. "Don't know. I don't think I've ever had a lesson before. It all just kinda... came to me."
"Are you a genius then?" The boy's eyes widened. "The kind that sits down and paints a masterpiece or writes a novel when they're ten. That sorta thing."
"Nah, I'm no genius. We can just call it a tiny bit of talent."
"Well Mr. Talented, I'm Nino," the boy said, offering his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, bro."
Chat Noir looked at his hand and back at Nino. A childish grin spread across his face. Not the teasing kind, but the kind born of another's compassion. He stuck out his paw and shook Nino's hand. "Nice to meet you too. By the way, I'm Ch-"
"Get away from me!"
The sound of Marinette screaming shot through Chat Noir's head. His ears perked up and his entire body tensed. "I have to go," he shouted, pushing Nino aside as he raced to the door. Nino didn't get a chance to speak before Chat Noir was outside, searching for Marinette.
"I shouldn't have left her!" he panted, working his way through the crowded streets looking for a familiar set of pigtails. "What if an akuma got her? God damn it! Marinette, where are you?" Even with heightened cat senses, it was difficult to pinpoint her location. His nose was filled with the scents of other people and Marinette was nowhere in sight. He would have to rely on sound alone.
"Stop it!"
"There she is! I just have to follow her voice!" '
Letting sound guide him, Chat Noir sprinted through the crowd, his cloak whipping in the wind. "She has to be close!" he thought, gaining speed. "Her voice is getting louder. How far away did she go? Princess!"
"I said back off!" Marinette cried, knocking a drunk man's hand away from her. This drunken idiot had wobbled up and threw himself on top of her. In his drunken state, throwing him off was simple, but he kept coming back for more. And each time he got more aggressive. He had resorted to grabbing her and Marinette was ready to kick him in the stomach.
"What a creep," Marinette gagged. "Who gets drunk this early in the morning anyways? I have to get away from this guy and find Chat Noir. I can't believe we got separated again!"
Marinette felt a sweaty hand on her neck. "Not so fast," the drunk man slurred. "You're a pretty thing. How about we spend some time together? I know a nice place..."
Marinette's fists clenched and she gritted her teeth. "That's it! I'm going to kick his ass! No one takes advantage of me!"
"Let go of her!"
Out of nowhere, Chat Noir came flying out of the sky and kicked the drunken man right in the mouth. The man fell backwards with a grunt and landed in the street, hitting his head against the ground. The blow knocked him temporarily unconscious, freeing Marinette of her annoyance.
"Just in time!" Chat Noir smiled, hands proudly on his hips. "You should've beat that guy up, but you're too nice for that, aren't you? Marinette, you shouldn't let people take advantage of you even if it means-"
"Chat, your hood!" Marinette cried, pointing towards the top of Chat's head. With a confused expression, he touched his head and realized that his hood was no longer covering his head. It must've fallen down when he kicked that man in the face. That meant his furry ears were well exposed in all their glory.
"W-what the hell?" The drunken man had come to and was pointing a shaking hand at Chat Noir's ears. "What the hell are you?" He began to back away on his knees, cowering in fear. "M-monster!"
"Not good!" Marinette yelled as she grabbed Chat's arm. She pulled his hood back up and dragged him into an alleyway, hoping to hide from anyone curious eyes. He tried to protest, but she muffled his sounds with her hand. She wasn't in the mood for his idle chat and flirting.
Once they were safe, she took her hand off his mouth and said, "What were you thinking? First of all, you left my side again and then, you let people see your ears! What are we going to do? That man saw us. You can always turn back into a cat and escape, but what will they do if they catch me?"
"Sorry," Chat Noir frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I didn't mean any harm. I just saw that man hurting you and I got so angry that I couldn't control myself. I had to do something. I couldn't... I couldn't stand anyone treating you like that." His face was bright red and Marinette could tell his words were sincere. Truthfully, she wasn't that upset. She only wanted him to learn his lesson.
"Officer, I think they went this way. I'm tellin' ya! The guy had cat ears like some kind of magical beast!"
"It's that guy!" Chat Noir panicked, pulling his hood tighter onto his head. "If he finds us, we're really toast. What should we do?"
"Transform!" Marinette shouted suddenly. "Turn back into a cat. I'll take your cloak. I have a plan!"
"Got it!" Chat Noir nodded, not even doubting her words for a moment. There was a green glow and Chat Noir's cloak fell to the ground. A black cat stepped out of it and rubbed up against Marinette's legs. His claws were bared in case he needed to defend his lady in this form. Nothing would stop him from protecting her.
Marinette leaned down and picked up Chat Noir's cloak. She threw it on and picked up Chat Noir. She could feel the tension in his body. "Calm down," she whispered, stroking the fur on his back. "I know how to get out of this."
"They ran in here!" The drunk man entered the alley with a royal guard being dragged behind him. The man pointed at her and screamed, "She's the one he was with. She must be some kind of magician too! Or maybe even a monster!"
"Excuse me, is there a problem?" Marinette asked in a sweet tone. She batted her eyelashes and opened her eyes wide. If this was going to work, she really had to lay it on hard.
"Sorry to bother you, miss," the guard said, offering his forgiveness. "This man here says that he saw you with a man that..." He looked back at the drunk to explain the situation. In all his years working as a royal guard, he had never heard a story this absurd.
"Had cat ears and a creepy mask!" the drunk shouted, balling his fists. "I saw him! Where'd he go? I'm gonna give that creature a piece of my mind!"
"This man must be confused," Marinette replied innocently. "He must've seen my pet cat and had an episode. I'm afraid I haven't seen any strange men at all, so his story can't be true. Perhaps he should go home and sleep. He doesn't look well. I'm afraid he might fall over even as we speak."
"I'd agree, miss. Let's go. I'm dropping you off at home," the officer sighed, grabbing the man's arms. "Sorry to bother you. Thanks for your cooperation."
"No problem!" Marinette smiled, waving as the officer dragged the drunk man away. He was kicking and screaming, but was no match for the significantly stronger guard. Marinette watched them safely disappear around the corner and then sat Chat Noir back on the ground.
She took off the cloak and tossed it on top of him. "There you go," she grinned, folding her arms. "Your welcome for cleaning up your mess."
"And you have my eternal gratitude for that," Chat Noir said, appearing out of a flash of green light. "You are a surprisingly good actress, Marinette. I didn't think you had that kind of talent."
Marinette shrugged. "It's no big deal. We should probably leave, but before we go, I want to properly thank you. I know I came off as a bit harsh. I just don't want to see you get hurt. You're one of the most important people in my life and I couldn't stand to lose another one..."
"Princess?"
"Oh... sorry. Anyways, thank you for saving me. You were right. I should've beat him up as soon as I had the chance. If it wasn't for you, I might not be here right now." Marinette's expression dropped as if something was plaguing her mind. It was her previous comment that had sent her mood into a downhill spiral.
Chat Noir noticed the change and grabbed Marinette's hand. "Then we're even," he smiled. "No need to look so down. We still have business to do! On to the library! Lead the way, my lady!" Chat Noir's good attitude was infectious. Despite feeling down, Marinette couldn't help but smile too.
"Okay..." she sighed, exiting the alley. "Let's go!"
After a bit more walking, they arrived at a large castle-like structure surrounded by lush gardens. The library was an impressive structure rivaled by only the palace itself. It was one of Marinette's favorite places in Paris. Nothing could compare to its beauty or all the knowledge stored inside.
"Wow..." Chat Noir said in shock as they stepped into the library. Bookshelves went as high as the ceiling. Light shone through stained glass windows. The library seemed to exist in a plane of its own, untouched by the outside world."This place is amazing!" Chat cried. "You could fit half the city in here! And look at all these books! It would be impossible to read them all in one lifetime."
"It's the city's pride and joy," Marinette laughed, amused by Chat Noir's child-like excitement. "It was built by the late queen before she passed away. She didn't like the idea of a library this size being withheld from the public. She believed that everyone should have the chance to learn and opened this place to normal citizens like us. It was the city's final memory of her."
"How'd she die?"
"She got sick... very sick. There wasn't a doctor in Paris that could diagnose the problem either. They tried everything they could, but no medicine could save her. Some say that it was a curse or a magical disease that killed her. If only there had been a magician that came to aid her... she might have lived. She died when I was young, so I don't know much about her, but I know she was a kind and beloved queen."
"I see... Should we starting cracking open some books then? With all this, we could be here for days. What are we looking for?"
"That's a good question," Marinette sighed, biting her lip. "I'm not sure. Anything about magic might help. Tikki, got any ideas?"
The kwami stuck her head out of Marinette's pocket and said, "I don't know either. Let's see what we can find. I'll help you both search and we'll move twice as fast!"
"Got it!" Marinette nodded her head. "Let's see if they have a section about magic. I'll ask the librarian. She should be at that desk over there. Chat, start looking around and keep your head low and ears hidden." Chat Noir winked and then went off to explore the library.
Marinette walked over to the librarian who was sitting quietly at her desk, reading a book. "Sorry to bother you," Marinette said weakly. "But do you have a section on magic?"
"Magic?" the librarian asked, looking up from her book.
"Um... yes?"
"It's all the way in the back. Everyone of those shelves contains magic related books."
"Thank you so much!"
"A lot of people have been checking out books on magic after those two magicians showed up," the librarian continued. "It's good to see that people are having a change of heart. My grandfather was a magician and faced lots of scorn because of it. It warms my heart to see those heroes pave the way to a future where magic and not can coexist." The librarian gave Marinette a warm smile to which she quickly returned.
As Marinette went to find Chat Noir, she thought, "I didn't think Ladybug and Chat Noir had that much of an impact on people. I thought we were just fighting monsters, but the miraculouses stand for more than that. They symbolize hope that's lasted for centuries and I won't let that hope die out with me."
She walked past aisles of books until she saw Chat Noir in the middle of climbing up one to reach a book. "Down, kitty," Marinette laughed. "The magic books are back here. Nice try." She continued on while Chat Noir jumped to the ground. He waddled after her like a baby kitten following his mother.
They arrived at a large line of bookshelves. Even with narrowing it down this much, there was still hundreds of books. It was a lot to look through and three sets of eyes might not be enough.
"Get looking guys," Marinette said, letting Tikki out of her pocket. "If you find anything important, alert the others. I don't want to risk missing anything. Every piece of information is valuable!" Tikki and Chat Noir nodded and ran off to begin their search.
"There's so many!" Marinette thought in frustration. "Where should I even start? Some of these books look brand new, so I guess I can eliminate those. Books about the miraculous would have to be pretty old considering the magic's age. There wouldn't happen to be a book called 'A Beginner's Guide to Miraculouses', would there? That'd make my life easier."
She got onto her knees and began to search one of the shelves. "Best Potion Recipes? Nope. Magic Through the Modern Ages. Probably nothing. Bumps and Warts: A Guide to the Grossest of Magics. Definitely not!"
Marinette's stack of books grew higher as she pulled more and more off the shelf. None of them seemed have anything interesting, let alone valuable. Chat Noir and Tikki seemed to be having the same luck. Chat Noir found a book on black cats, but once he opened it, he realized it was just a science book put away in the wrong place.
"This is so frustrating!" Marinette moaned, leaning her head against the shelf. "There has to be something, but I don't know how to find it. Grr!" She banged the back of her head on the shelf in defeat. "I give up!"
Suddenly, a book fell from the shelf and onto her lap. "What's this?" Marinette wondered, picking it up. "How'd did it fall from all the way up there? It has such a strange cover. There's not a title or anything, just this strange symbol."
The book looked old and was bound in leather. On the cover was a red symbol that reminded Marinette of characters in ancient writing. Her interest piqued, she opened the book and was astonished to find all the pages were blank.
"What kind of book is this? There's nothing written here. Who would put a book with no words in a library?"
"Chat! Tikki! Take a look at this!" Marinette yelled, calling her friends over. "I found this weird book. All the pages are blank. There isn't anything written on them!"
Chat Noir took the book from her hand and flipped through the pages. "She's right," he frowned, turning the book sideways as if that would make something appear. "It's empty!"
He went to hand it back to Marinette. Both their hands overlapped across the red symbol while they exchanged it and out of nowhere, the book began to glow. "AAH!" Chat Noir and Marinette shouted, dropping the book the ground. The symbol was glowing a vibrant red and there was a strange light emitting from the pages.
"What's happening?" Marinette asked with wide eyes. "Why's it doing that?"
"It's a magic book!" Tikki pointed out. "Maybe it needed magic to activate it! Pick it up and see if anything happened!"
Marinette gulped and hesitantly picked up the book. "It feels warm..." She opened the leather cover and took in the scent of the worn, dusty pages and the old ink from the words. "Words!" Marinette gasped. "Words appeared! All the pages are filled now!"
"Look!" Marinette shouted and she ran her hand through the pages. "It's not empty anymore. Somehow Chat Noir and I both touching the book made the words appear!"
"That's a good sign, isn't it!" Chat Noir smiled. "Hurry up and read it! It could have something about Hawk Moth!"
"Or about my identity..." he had as an afterthought. "I've stopped thinking about it so much now that I have Marinette, but this might be my chance to get some answers!"
"Go on!" Tikki urged. She had never seen this book before, but wondered what secrets it could be hiding. Those words must have been hidden for some reason and they only appeared in the presence of Ladybug and Chat Noir. It was as if the book was written only for their eyes like it contained knowledge only they should know.
Marinette ran her hand across the first page and began to read. "The Legend of Ladybug and Chat Noir..."
