A/N - Hey, welcome back to the story! I'm really excited for you guys to read this chapter... let's just say there's an unexpected plot twist early on. I wanted to thank all of you for sticking with the story and putting up with my lack of a stable update schedule and the occasional errors in my chapters. I never expected the story to receive the amount of attention it has gotten, and it inspires me to keep writing!
Ugly-Duckling123 - Thanks for pointing it out! Every time you point out a mistake like that, I go back and fix it. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy the story despite the mistakes! :)
Marinette carefully handed one of the aliens a bowl of warm soup, as Adrien continued to help the rest emerge from their healing pods.
"So, how long were you held captive by Hawkmoth?" She asked, trying to conceal her burning curiosity.
"Some for years," He replied quietly. "Decades, maybe. It's hard to tell. Time becomes a blur."
"Then you must have been there when me, my father, and mother arrived. Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng?"
"I never knew their names," He admitted. "But I certainly remember the other three Earthlings that arrived with you, Champion."
"Three?" Adrien asked, walking over to join them. "I thought it was just you and your parents?"
"I… I thought so too, unless…" Marinette paused to think. "What did the other Earthling look like?"
The alien thought for a moment before answering.
"This Earthling was younger than you, much younger. Skin that was tan and hair that was brown, tied up into two ponytails."
"Oh god," Marinette let out a strangled cry. "No. Not Manon. It can't be."
"Who's Manon?" Adrien asked her, confused.
"Manon is a young girl I babysat, practically like a sister to me. She must be around 12 now. She always wanted to explore the stars, to be like me. She wanted to go on the trip with us so badly… she must have snuck on board. Oh, no…"
The alien placed a hand on her shoulders.
"I am sorry, Champion. I would not have known this was a friend of yours."
"Champion?" Adrien asked. "Why do you call her that?"
"She hasn't told you?" The alien looked at her in surprise.
"I… I don't remember." She confessed.
"Unbelievable," The alien exclaimed. "You were a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. You defeated an infamous Akuma gladiator known as the Gamer. That was the day you earned the name "Champion." I was there, as was the young Earthling."
Marinette's eyes widened as he continued.
"We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Hawkmoth. That day, we were set to fight the Gamer, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all. This "Manon" was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans. You were so thirsty for blood, you injured your fellow Earthling."
"You attacked Manon?" Adrien was shocked, and Marinette looked equally shaken. "Why?"
"No…" She shook her head, clearly upset. "It can't be true."
"I was there," The alien replied. "We all were."
Adrien could already see the tears beginning to form in Marinette's eyes, which was to be expected after that kind of shock. What he didn't expect was for her to throw herself in his arms, burying her head in his shoulder.
He was taken aback, but slowly wrapped his arms around her, hoping that she couldn't feel his heart beating loud and fast. The aliens looked on in pity as he rubbed her back gently.
"After… after Manon was injured, where was she taken?" Adrien asked the alien as Marinette pulled back, wiping her eyes.
"I know not."
"I don't believe it," Marinette declared. "There's got to be more to the story. I-I couldn't have hurt Manon." She paused a moment, seeming to come to a realization. "Wait. That ship we were held captive on crash-landed on this planet. They'll have logs of prisoners, some information."
Just like that, she was sprinting out of the room, leaving Adrien no choice but to run after her.
"I'm coming with you!"
Meanwhile, the other paladins found themselves in the center of the small, Arusian village, looking on in delight as the little creatures held a festival. Nino and Alya sat with a group of Arusians, eagerly partaking in their feast. Chloe stood to the side, avoiding the advances of the aliens, who were fascinated by her naturally blonde hair. A slightly larger Arusian approached Tikki and Plagg, arms outstretched.
"Oh, Animal Goddess, I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness," He greeted her. "Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."
The King clapped his hands twice, and another Arusian came sprinting over until he was in front of them, quickly striking a pose.
"Commence Dance of Apology! Hoorah!"
The paladins gathered back together as music began to play and the alien in front of them began moving in a strange manner that they assumed was supposed to be dancing.
"Please, there's no need for this." Tikki assured them. The King's eyes widened in fear.
"Moontaw, halt!" He commanded. The music cut off abruptly, and the alien froze mid-pose. "The Goddess has refused our apology! Start the sacrificial fire! We must throw ourselves in!"
Immediately, the Arusians began to panic, screaming and running in different directions as they struggled to light a torch.
"No!" Tikki called desperately as the others looked on in horror. "No sacrifices!"
The King turned back to her.
"So… we may proceed with the dance?"
"That's a better alternative."
As if nothing had happened, the music began again and Moontaw resumed his position. He did a twirl, then another, and a few more of his other strange movements, before ending with a bow that all of the others surrounding him copied.
"Please, please, rise. Thank you for that, but I am not a great being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger. It is I who should be apologizing to you."
The Arusians gasped, but didn't interrupt her.
"I am Tikki, this is Plagg, and these are the Miraculous paladins. Although we originally came from different worlds... and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."
The King rose to his feet.
"But the mighty robotic angel... has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?"
"Miraculous? No. In fact, that mighty robot is here to protect you. Let it be known that Miraculous will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!"
Plagg gazed at Tikki with a warm smile as the Arusians cheered for her. She was truly born to be a leader. The Arusians gathered around them, running around playfully with Alya and Nino as they laughed together. Chloe stood in the background, until an Arusian leaped up and grabbed her in a hug.
"I don't usually hug strangers, but, uh... well, you are cuddly." She patted the alien on the head awkwardly. It was pretty cute - so she was taken aback when it answered in a very deep, very male voice.
"Thank you."
Marinette and Adrien stood nervously outside of the crashed ship. Adrien glanced back at their mechas. The ladybug and black cat sat silently behind them, as if they were keeping watch.
"Are you ready?" He asked her. She nodded.
"Yeah, but we should probably transform. Just in case."
"You're probably right. Claws out!"
"Spots on!"
Transforming never got old, and as far as Adrien was concerned, it never would. He loved feeling the magic course through his body as his clothes were replaced with his suit.
What he loved even more, however, was getting to catch the tail end of Marinette's transformation after he finished his own.
Adrien gazed in awe as the pink light swirled around her, making her look almost angelic… even more than usual, that is. She clearly enjoyed the process too, a rare grin gracing her features as a mask appeared to cover the upper half of her face.
He must not have been quick enough at hiding his lovesick smile, because Marinette smirked at him as she finished.
"You good, kitten?"
They both froze, and Marinette's face went red as her suit. She was suddenly very grateful for the mask.
Oh god, why had she called him that?
After a moment of pause, Adrien chuckled, and Marinette's stress melted into relief.
"I'm absolutely purrr-fect," He replied cheekily, and she rolled her eyes. "How about you, m'lady? Are you ready?"
Marinette took a deep breath, before nodding.
"I'm ready," She glanced at the crashed ship towering above them. "While I was in the Ladybug I caught a glimpse of the top of the ship. Looks like there's an opening up there from when it crashed. That might be our best entrance."
Adrien simply bowed, gesturing for her to get in front of him.
"Ladybugs first."
Marinette just smiled, moving to get into position. Pulling out her yo-yo, she began to swing it rapidly in circles, eyeing the ship for something to latch on to. Her eyes finally fell upon a large hunk of metal debris that was sticking out from the side of the ship on the level they needed to get to.
Praying she knew what she was doing, she let the yo-yo fly. Just as she planned, it hooked itself around the debris. With a final wave at Adrien, she let herself be pulled into air, flying through the sky at a speed that sent her head spinning. Reaching the top, she perched nimbly on the debris, before leaping up to the top of the ship. Just as she'd seen, there was a large portion of the ship that had caved in on itself, leaving a gaping hole on the roof that plunged down into the floors below.
Marinette glanced back just in time to watch Adrien vault onto the roof next to her, his staff extending to a height she hadn't known was possible, then immediately shrinking once its owner landed on solid ground.
Strolling up beside her, Adrien eyed the interior of the ship warily. He wasn't sure how he felt about going inside a place that, last they had seen it, was swarming with Akumas.
Marinette felt no such doubts. She knew this place had the answers she was seeking. It had to. Without a second glance, she leapt into the the darkness, Adren right behind her.
They landed on the floor with a loud thunk, each miraculously managing to keep their footing on the uneven ground. Exchanging a quick look, the two approached an elevated platform, with an extensive array of equipment and a large screen that was lopsided with cracks all across it from the crash..
"This looks like the master control panel," Adrien observed. "But it looks like it needs something to activate it."
Marinette's eyes roamed over the table, until she came across an area shaped like a handprint.
"Maybe this is it?" She guessed, moving towards the table, hand outstretched.
"Maybe," Adrien started. "But you'd probably have to be an Akuma, or something like it, to get it to -" He stopped short as Marinette placed her hand over the spot, and the control board came to life. "Whoa. I can't believe it. How did you get that to work?"
Marinette was quiet for a moment, heart beating fast. How had she gotten it to work? What did that say about her? Had something been done to her as a prisoner?
She put the thoughts aside, instead pulling out her yo-yo and opening it to display a screen, beginning to sync it with the control panel.
"My parents and Manon's whereabouts must be logged in here somewhere. Once I download this information, I'll find some way to decode it back at the Castle."
Adrien simply nodded. He knew not to disturb Marinette as she worked. He was gazing nervously around the empty ship when he heard a noise.
Looking through a hole in the side of the ship, Adrien gasped at what he saw. High in the sky, something had emerged from out of nowhere, a flaming object that was headed straight towards the planet's surface… straight towards them. He couldn't make out the details, except for an Akuma insignia on its side.
"Oh no."
"What is it?" Marinette asked absently.
"Something just entered the atmosphere. I'm not sure what it is, but it's big, it's Akuma, and it's coming right for us. We gotta go!"
Adrien grabbed Marinette's arm but she yanked it free.
"I'm only 15 percent done. I'm not going anywhere."
Adrien looked back up at the sky, where the object continued on its trajectory right towards them. Then back to Marinette, who remained focused on her task.
If they left, Marinette might never find her family, or Manon. But if they stayed, she might not even be alive to do so.
He took a deep breath.
"Marinette, I'm sorry."
Darting forward, he scoped the girl up in his arms before extending his staff, vaulting them both out of the ship.
"No!" She screamed, but Adrien didn't let go.
It hurt so much to ignore her cries of pain, her demands that he bring her back, but he cared about her safety more. He wouldn't lose her. Not again.
He placed a hand to his ear, activating his coms.
"Team, come in! We need backup!"
A/N - Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really wanted Manon to be part of the story, so I decided to add that little part! And come on, I'm sure we can all imagine Manon sneaking onto a space ship - it's definitely something that would happen. She is, of course, quite a bit older in this fic than she is in the show - hope you don't mind!
As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)
