MIRACULOUS PRETTY CURE!
Chapter 5
A Storm is Brewing? Trouble at the TV Station!
- o - 0 - o -
"G-good morning!"
"Good morning, Felice!"
"Mornin'…"
Marinette watched as Felice greeted Rose and Juleka. The three girls were starting a conversation and Felice's voice hadn't quivered since. Marinette smiled as she opened her locker, musing that by the end of the week, Felice had assimilated somehow in class and she had begun talking not only to the cheerful petite blonde and the quiet goth girl, but also to Mylene and Alix. She hadn't seen her conversing with the boys though.
Tikki's voice cut through Marinette's thoughts as the fairy whispered from her backpack. "Marinette, it's Friday already. We need to speak with Felice about the Pretty Cures."
"I know, Tikki," said Marinette with a sigh. She had been trying all week, but Felice had a busy schedule - aside from ballet, she had violin, gymnastics, etiquette and Chinese lessons. Marinette was half-Chinese, but she was never forced to learn the language. And whenever Felice was in school, Chloé tend to stick to her like gum. She had been doing it quite frequently, especially if Felice was showing interest on what Marinette and Alya were saying. And Alya too was a bit of a headache - she kept talking about the new blue Pretty Cure and it was taking all her efforts to stop her from pursuing the dangerous kind of journalism she was prone to. It was a bit lucky that the forces of Hawk Moth haven't made a move since the ballerina incident on Monday, but Marinette was not going to count on it for long.
"I wished we could invite her and Duusu over at the weekend," said Tikki glumly.
"Yeah," replied Marinette, equally glumly. "But Felice will be going out with her brother tomorrow and her father will be home on Sunday." The blonde was looking forward to it too - poor girl was missing quality family time. "And Madame Chamack asked me to chaperone her daughter Manon tomorrow on the Search for the Next Weather Girl finals. Apparently Manon is a die-hard Mireille supporter and wants to see the show live."
"Who's a die-hard Mireille supporter?"
Marinette squeaked as Alya suddenly popped out from behind her. She heard Tikki shuffle and hide deeper inside her bag as she faced the new arrival. "Erm, it's Manon, a girl I usually babysit."
"Kid got good taste," agreed Alya as she moved towards her locker. "By the way, who were you talking to?"
"Um, myself?" Marinette tried not to look crazy, but she was failing big time. "More of complaining to myself? I got roped into taking Manon to the TV studio tomorrow. Her mother was supposed to take her, but got a last minute job she couldn't cancel."
"And knowing you, you just couldn't refuse eh?" Marinette looked put out so Alya changed track and gave her a bright smile. "That's a great thing about you, you know. No wonder people have crushes on you."
Marinette thought she misheard the redhead. "Who has a crush on what?"
"Oh, it's nothing." But Alya's face clearly meant that it was something.
"Alya!" Marinette did her best pout as Felice approached them. The blonde greeted the two girls, who immediately responded. But Marinette was not letting go of the subject. "What're you talking about, Alya? And how do you know?"
"I'm a reporter," replied Alya. "I'm good at observing people and finding stuff out." Not the Pretty Cure identities though, thought Marinette with her and Felice in the vicinity, but she didn't need to say it out loud just to vex Alya. "It's not so hard to see if someone is making goo-goo eyes on my best friend."
"What's goo-goo eyes?" asked Felice innocently, catching the other two girls' attention. If it wasn't her who asked that, Marinette and Alya would have laughed.
Alya looked amused as she tapped a finger on her lip. "How do I explain it? Hmmm…" Marinette could easily imagine a light bulb popping on her head. "Well, have you ever had a crush on someone, Felice?"
"Well, no," confessed Felice. "But I do know of the concept. It's when you have a romantic interest on someone of the opposite gender right?"
"Well, it doesn't have to be someone of the opposite gender," mused Alya, but backtracked at Felice's confused look. "Never mind, that's not something you should hear. Anyway…" She opened her palm towards Marinette's direction. "Miss Oblivious here doesn't know that at least two people have a crush on her."
"What? Two people?" Marinette's tone was disbelieving and she almost snorted. She wasn't that oblivious - she would know, right? Right?
Felice looked as puzzled as Marinette. "But how do you know this, Alya?"
Alya shook her head, looking at the two girls pointedly. "Really, you two need to catch up on your lessons about teenage romance."
This time, Marinette actually snorted. "I know all about romance, thank you very much."
"Oh?" Alya had a teasing smirk, which was a huge red flag for Marinette. "You have someone you like?"
But two can play at Alya's game. "Why don't you figure it out, Miss Intrepid Reporter?"
Alya was visibly put out but was quick to change topics, which surprised Marinette. She waved at someone behind her. "Oh, hey there Nino!"
"Hi Alya," replied the dark-skinned boy wearing a red hat, eyeglasses and headphones over his neck. "Hey Marinette."
"Good morning, Nino," greeted Marinette before turning back to Alya and Felice. She missed the growing blush on the boy though. She was about to open her mouth once more, but Felice caught her attention.
"So your name is Nino?" asked the blonde, directing it to the new arrival. Marinette was overcome with shock - they've been sitting together for four days in a row now. Surely Nino had already introduced himself?
Alya looked like she had the same conclusion as Marinette, but was more willing to call Nino out on it. "Seriously, Nino, I thought you were better than that."
Nino looked sheepish. "I thought she was the same as Chloé, seeing that they're friends." His lame excuse earned him angry stares from the two girls, so he turned to Felice. "Sorry 'bout that. Name's Nino, nice to meet you, Felice."
"The pleasure is mine," replied Felice good-naturedly and Marinette was astounded at the bottomless kindness the girl possessed. All the more reason to pry her away from Chloé's negative influence and have everyone in class accept her.
Alya looked like she hadn't forgiven Nino yet, with the way she was angrily glaring at him. But she did not utter a word as Nino offered Felice a hand, which the girl happily accepted. The two newly-introduced acquaintances then had small talk, culminating with Felice asking if Nino's hat and headphones were part of the male student's attire. Marinette had to hastily rectify the situation and explain to Nino that Felice had little trouble grasping things.
When the bell rang, the four teens rushed to the classroom. Unbeknownst to Marinette, Nino kept glancing at her while Alya gave him a knowing stare. He tried to ignore it, but the red in his cheeks were unmistakable.
- o - 0 - o -
"Manon, please wait!"
Marinette's wail was lost on the young girl with tanned skin and brown hair tied into two messy ponytails. Manon nimbly evaded the crowding people in the television station, but Marinette had no such luck. She kept apologizing and excusing herself, until she finally caught up with the young girl, who was jumping up and down like an overexcited rabbit.
"Manon…" Marinette started with what could be her imitation of a stern tone. "Didn't you promise to listen to me when we're inside the station?"
"But I'm so excited!" It wasn't hard for Marinette to notice, as Manon was bouncing around like she was on springs. "I finally get to meet Mireille! She's totally gonna win and be the next Weather Girl!"
"I know you're excited, but make sure to be careful and try not to inconvenience anyone, okay?"
"You sound like Mommy," said Manon with distaste in her voice.
"I may not be your mother, but I'm responsible for your well-being."
"What's 'responsible'?" asked Manon with rounded, curious eyes.
"It means that I will be the one to take care of you," answered Marinette. "And make sure you're safe."
"Just like Cure Ladybug!" quipped Manon.
Marinette squeaked, but fortunately the hubbub of the busy station covered the sound. She tried to look innocent as she answered the girl. "Y-yes, like Cure Ladybug! Only me, much more normal than a Pretty Cure! Of course, I'm no Pretty Cure, therefore I'm not Cure Ladybug!"
"You're funny, Marinette," observed Manon with a giggle. Marinette sighed - even children saw her antics as a source of amusement.
From the new, larger pouch she used as a sling bag, a soft voice could be heard giggling. "You're not fooling anyone, Marinette."
"Shush," whispered Marinette back, looking down on the cottony container that kept her kwami. When she turned back to Manon, it was to see that the young girl had already moved to the studio.
"Manon! Wait for me!" Marinette chased after the capricious child, getting exhausted already even though the day had just begun.
- o - 0 - o -
"I'm really, really sorry about this, Felice."
Felice tried not to feel disappointed, seeing as Adrien looked miserable enough for the two of them. What was supposed to be a morning out between siblings turned into an emergency trip to the TV station, since Adrien's photo shoot had been moved up from the afternoon due to some reason or other that Felice didn't quite hear. Nor did she want to hear it, if truth be told. Being the gentleman that he is, Adrien relented to the sudden change in schedule, not that he and Felice weren't used to it, given the ever-changing moods of their father.
"It's alright Adrien, really," said Felice, appeasing her brother as much as she could, though she thought she wasn't doing a great job. She was still unable to convince herself of the same, for one. "I can wait until the photo shoot is done."
"Are you sure?" Adrien looked worried. "I know you really don't like to see me modeling…"
"I'm fine, that was when we were kids." Felice was no good at lying, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Worrying her brother over unnecessary things - such as her biases - did not sit well with her. "I can tour the station while I'm waiting."
"Well, if you think you'll be fine." Adrien went to the waiting staff, but not before calling out. "And don't wander too far, alright?"
"I'm not a child anymore, Adrien!" replied Felice, earning some snickers from the staff, who went to make fun of Adrien over his overprotectiveness. Adrien good-naturedly talked back and everyone was in a bright mood as all the work started. Felice couldn't help but admire her brother's ability to get along with virtually anyone.
"Your brother's a good egg," commented Duusu from her tote bag, as if able to read her thoughts.
"He is, but I worry that he's working too hard."
"You're being too stiff, too," added Duusu. Felice didn't know what to feel about that, so she decided not to comment further. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go see the sights!"
Felice contemplated the thought. "I'm not sure where we should go, though…"
"Who cares? Let the wind take you wherever it might lead you!"
Felice giggled at Duusu's free spirit. Once again, she felt a little bit envious at the kwami's impeccable straightforwardness. "Aye-aye, captain," she quipped with another giggle, feeling a little bit less lonely with the company of a blue peacock fairy.
- o - 0 - o -
"Welcome to the Search for the Next Weather Girl Finals!" Cheers bellowed upon the entire hall as a bald brown-skinned man came out from backstage. "My name is Alec Cataldi and I'm bringing you today's show, live from the studio!"
"Yaaaaaaay!" cheered Manon with the crowd, Marinette clapping beside her. The two girls were now seated inside a spacious hall, alongside hundreds of other fans. Despite all the ruckus Manon was making as the show started, Marinette was glad to finally be able to sit and take a break after running around tailing the rambunctious girl and making sure she wasn't causing trouble for anyone.
"And now, let's welcome the two weather girls who stirred up quite the storm in the hearts of the masses," announced Alec, waving a hand to the two young women appearing on stage. "Ladies and gents, here are Mireille Caquet and Aurore Beauréal!"
Marinette watched as the two girls found their way to the stage. She couldn't help but notice the deep contrast between the two finalists – dark-haired Mireille looked cute and approachable with a pleasant smile while the blonde Aurore had a haughty air within her that reminded Marinette strongly of Chloé. It wouldn't take a genius to know which one she would root for.
"Mireille is awesome!" said Manon and Marinette would have to agree to her later on, especially as the show continued and the two girls presented their reporting abilities. Mirielle's was concise, straight to the point and she even had put an advice or two on how to tackle the specific weather forecast. Aurore was no slouch either, with her confident stride and speaking, but she had the tendency to show off too much. Not to mention, Mireille was just that charming.
Mireille was definitely going to win by a large margin.
- o - 0 - o –
Aurore was definitely going to win by a large margin.
Aurore waved her hands as elegantly as possible, flashing her picture perfect smile to the audience while holding her trusty parasol. Mireille waved beside her, smiling shyly, but Aurore knew it was all in vain. Still, she was taught to be kind to the losers, so she gave her an encouraging grin. Mireille returned with one of her modest ones. Aurore couldn't help but feel sorry for Mireille – after all, Aurore had the looks and the talent and she never had to work hard to win anything.
"And now, it's time to announce our winner!" Alec enthusiastically got a rise from the audience, as the drum roll picked up as everyone waited with bated breath.
Really, what was the tension all about? Everyone knew Aurore will definitely win!
"And our next Weather Girl is no other than…"
Please, just read the results. No need to put a cliffhanger on everything when it was so painfully obvious who it would be.
"Mireille Caquet!"
The crowd cheered as Aurore's mouth hung open in shock. "What?! This is impossible!"
Aurore's protests were deafened out by roars of merriment and she found herself being pushed away as people flocked to Mireille to congratulate her. She tumbled backstage, hitting people as she moved away, not caring how livid she looked. She needed to get answers!
"There must be some mistake!" Aurore almost spat the words at Alec, who looked so dumb with all his cheerfulness, even though the cameras were no longer running.
"Oh no, no mistake there," replied Alec with a smile so repugnant that Aurore's nerves flared. If she didn't know better, she would have believed he was looking down on her! If he kept this up, she would stuff her parasol in his face. "And what's the big deal anyway? You only lost by half a million votes."
"H-half a million votes?" Aurore's angry voice softened down to a disbelieving whisper.
"Yeah, Mireille totally crushed you!" Alec patted her back. "But no hard feelings, alright? There's still next time and you can still do better!"
Do better? But Aurore did her best! But she still managed to lose! Ugh!
"How annoying, right?" A sly voice cooed into her ear. "People saying someone else is better than you."
"W-what? Who?" Aurore looked around for the source of the voice, wondering how it was possible to rise over the din of the show's aftermath. A shadow moved from behind her and Aurore turned to it, facing a pair of cold purple eyes.
"No hard feelings, he says, hah!" The owner of the voice and the eyes did a twirl in her orange trumpet-style gown, her brown curls spinning with her. The spite in her voice was unmistakable and a cold fury was rising up on Aurore's body, egged on by the woman's convincing words. "What about your feelings? Surely they don't know how losing to an inferior person grates the nerves!" The purple eyes shone once more. "Now, won't you offer your innermost thoughts to Hawk Moth? Why don't you tell him the extent of your envy?"
"Yes…" Aurore's mind was turning hazy by each passing moment. "I should be the winner, I'm prettier, more talented, more deserving! But why did they chose her, it's so unfair!"
"Then I shall make you the winner, my dear!" The woman took her butterfly pin, which pulsated with a dimming orange light. "Akuma, Akuma, hear her plea! The butterfly covet, release her..." She blew on the butterfly, which came to life and headed for Aurore's parasol. "It's showtime!"
As the butterfly entered the small canopy, Aurore was consumed by a purple light, imprisoning her inside a cocoon. Screams erupted right after then, as a huge yet slim black monster appeared out of the blue, wearing an orange butterfly mask and holding a large purple parasol.
"Time to show who's the best weather girl, Akuma!"
- o - 0 - o -
"That was so much fun! I'm sooo glad Mireille won!"
Manon was holding hands with Marinette, looking cheerful and satisfied. Her other hand was clamped on the string of a balloon with Mireille's face and name on it. On her side, Marinette was content on the fact that Manon was placated enough to behave and listen to her. Now that they were heading towards the exit, Marinette was confident enough to say that she had handled the entire babysitting and chaperoning thing quite well. If she can just hurry, go straight to her house and call the child's mother so that she can pick her up, Marinette will spend the rest of the day in peace.
"Marinette? Is that you?"
Marinette turned at the familiar voice and met the surprised eyes of Felice Agreste. "Felice! I thought you were out with your brother?"
"Well…" Felice looked uncomfortable and a little lonely. "He had a sudden job he couldn't refuse, so we went here and I was waiting for him to finish…"
Marinette's heart ached for the blonde; it was pretty obvious that Felice wasn't okay with the whole thing, but she was too kind to say anything that might upset her brother. She knew the transfer student well enough now to pick up when she was being sensitive of other people's feelings. "If you're not doing anything," said Marinette. "Maybe you can hang out with us? If you don't mind helping me babysit Manon."
Marinette turned to the young girl beside her and she could feel Felice follow her gaze. "Felice, this is Manon, she's the daughter of one of my mother's friends. Manon, meet Felice, she's a classmate of mine."
"Hello, Manon," said Felice, bending down to smile at the girl.
"Hi," said Manon shyly, which was new to Marinette. The kid was never timid, even when meeting new people. But her question was soon answered when Manon asked. "Are you a unicorn princess?"
Felice's eyes widened and Marinette couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "It's this cartoon she's watching…" Marinette explained, stopping after getting a good look at Felice while considering Manon's words. "Come to think of it, you do look like that unicorn princess in that show she's watching…"
"Really?" Felice looked amused as she stood up. "Then you can be a unicorn princess, too, Manon. Then we'd be princess friends!"
"Yay! Princess friends!" Manon looked so happy that even Marinette grinned at the way she was doing a jumping march as she turned on the spot, pumping her hands up in the air. Then, she suddenly turned and spoke out loud. "Marinette, I want to have some ice cream!"
"But your mother told me not to buy you sweets before lunch time," replied Marinette. Manon pouted and looked like she would cry, her eyes turning into huge and pitiful yet alarmingly adorable orbs. "Oh no, not the puppy eyes!"
Felice giggled as Marinette looked like she would cave in any minute now. "Why don't we all get ice cream? I can pay for everyone."
"Oh no, I couldn't let you do that," said Marinette, as she took hold of Manon, who was back to her rambunctious self now that the prospect of ice cream was back in the discussion.
"I don't mind," replied Felice, smiling at Manon. "It could be our initiation as princess friends!"
"Yay, princess friends!" said Manon with a huge grin on her face, showing her two missing front teeth. "Marinette can be a princess friend, too!"
"Me? A princess?" Marinette laughed at the idea; somehow, she couldn't imagine herself wearing a puffy dress, sipping tea and not having a care in the world.
"Why not?" Felice's serious and calm voice startled Marinette. "My brother said any girl could be a princess."
Marinette laughed at that, wondering what kind of goof Felice's brother was. Felice looked at her funny so she commented, "Your brother sounds like a good person." This put a smile on the other girl's face. Manon, however, was tugging her arm insistently. "We better get that ice cream, lest this princess will have an arm missing."
Felice laughed at her tone. She offered a hand to Manon and the child grabbed it, finally relieving Marinette of a future of arm-related pains. But as Marinette turned to follow them, she caught sight of a familiar young man dressed in a suspicious blend of fedora, black glasses and dark jacket.
Marinette's teeth gritted as the guy glanced around, as if looking for someone in particular - someone who had just met with Marinette and was about to get some ice cream. This stalker was stupidly persistent and Marinette felt like it was time for him to get a piece of her mind. Now that she was in a station full of people instead of being alone in a street like last time, she was feeling braver than ever. Plus, this was for Felice, one of the sweetest people she ever knew.
"Marinette, is everything okay?" Felice looked worried at the way Marinette suddenly stopped.
"I…" There was no need to involve Felice in this matter, so Marinette decided to trust her instincts. "I need to go take a quick stop in the bathroom. You guys can go ahead and I'll catch up with you."
Ever the generous person, Felice smiled and nodded. "I'll take care of Manon while you're away, so take all the time you need."
"Thanks Felice," said Marinette with an apologetic grin. Then she turned to her charge. "Listen to Felice, okay, Manon?"
"A princess knows how to behave!" recited Manon and Marinette fought the urge to pinch her cheeks and squeal how cute the young girl is. She satisfied herself with a wave as the two girls – princesses – went on their way to enjoy some frozen treats.
As soon as Felice and Manon were out of sight, Marinette marched to the stalker and gave him the most piercing glare she could muster. It took some time for the guy to notice, but he looked startled when he met her gaze. The shifty – and guilty - way his body moved told Marinette that he remembered her from their encounter last time.
"You…" he whispered but he didn't get another word out after that.
"You!" began Marinette. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Stalking a poor girl like that, don't you have any sense of decency? Do you know much trouble you've caused her?!"
The guy looked shocked as onlookers began to gather after Marinette's outburst. Well, she was counting on people to see, just in case the stalker pulled a stunt. "Wh-what are you talking about? And please, keep your voice down…"
"I'm not keeping my voice down, especially if my friends are concerned!" Marinette looked at him with a defiant expression on her face, unwilling to back down. Her days of being a cowardly little girl were over, thanks to the lucky charm that hung on her ears. It never failed to give her the courage she needed. "So stop stalking Felice or else I'll sick the police on you!"
"Felice?" To Marinette's shock, the guy looked relieved. "You're a friend of Felice's?"
The change in attitude caught Marinette off guard and she found her voice faltering. "S-so what? What does that have to do with anything?"
To Marinette's immense shock, the guy gave a very disarming smile. She had to step back at the dazzling gleam, was it possible for a smile to have this much effect on her? "I think you're misunderstanding something," he said. "You see, I'm Felice's-"
The words were cut off by high-pitched screams as people started fleeing to the exits. To her discomfort, Marinette realized that the running people came from the direction of the station's cafeteria, where Felice and Manon we're going to have some ice cream!
The guy caught Marinette's paling face. "Felice is over there?" he said before quickly running towards the cafeteria. She caught his determined face as he ran and wondered what kind of stalker rushes to the scene, unafraid that his cover might be blown.
"H-hey wait, it might be dangerous!" called out Marinette but the guy already sped out of her reach. She quickly readied herself to follow, but a tiny voice from her purse called out to her.
"Marinette, there's an Akuma over in that direction," said Tikki. "You've got to transform first."
"Right," agreed Marinette, thankful that the Miraculous came with helpful support from the kwamis. "Felice might be in trouble and can't transform, so I might need to give her a hand first."
Tikki flashed Marinette a proud smile as she quickly found a place to hide. "Pretty Cure Miraculous Metamorphosis!"
- o - 0 - o -
"Don't worry, Manon, we will be alright," whispered Felice as she huddled the girl close. The two were hiding behind the ice cream cart as the Akuma trampled around, bringing with it harsh winds, crackling thunder and frigid snow. Manon was shivering at both the cold and of fear, but Felice was trying to soothe her as much as she could. This was, she thought, quite the problem, since she really couldn't transform in front of the girl. She hoped Marinette caught wind of the Akuma attack, though she had no doubt Cure Ladybug would come to the rescue soon.
To her surprise, Manon shared the sentiment. "D-don't worry, unicorn princess! C-Cure Ladybug and C-c-cure Plume will be here to s-save the d-day."
Felice smiled as energetically as possible. "I'm sure they will."
"I'm the best weather girl there is!" shrieked the Akuma. Felice knew these were the victim's innermost thoughts and she felt a little bit of fury at the villains manipulating them, blowing those feelings out of proportion. After all, they also did it to Brent, who was generally kind and understanding.
Felice was too deep in her thoughts she didn't notice the Akuma came close and slapped the ice cream cart away, revealing the pair. She stepped back, bringing Manon with her, closed in on a protective embrace. Though she didn't have any powers right now, she bravely glared at the Akuma, which was dressed in a purple blouse and skirt with black thunder-like and raindrop markings. The orange butterfly mask in its head was recognizable and she wished she could throw her fan out to break it in half. She was careful not to be on the path of the parasol it was wielding, as the monster was swinging it like a baseball bat.
The Akuma turned to look at them and caught sight of Manon's balloon. "You support that Mireille upstart?" The monster screamed angrily as it trashed about. "I'm going to show you I'm the better weather girl!"
Felice's breath hitched as the Akuma opened her parasol and spun it with its hands. A fierce cold wind blew into their direction and she could hear Manon squirm in pain. Marinette had trusted her with the child's safety and she was putting her at risk. "No, please stop!"
The Akuma did not have the slightest hint of stopping. "What's the weather for today? Cold and unforgiving!"
"Felice!" Felice gasped as she saw Adrien in his disguised clothes running towards them.
"No, Adrien! Stay back!" Felice called out but her brother was not deterred, slamming into the monster hard. The Akuma lost its balance and fell, halting the terrible blizzard it was making. Felice quickly took advantage of the situation and went to her brother, who looked dazed after the full-body tackle. She quickly thrust Manon to his arms. "This child is dangerously cold. You've got to take her somewhere warm."
"What? But…" Adrien was still too stunned to do anything and at that moment of hesitation, the Akuma was back on its feet.
"How dare you interrupt my weather forecast!" The Akuma opened its parasol once more. "If snow isn't enough, then how about some lightning?!"
There was a flash of electricity and Felice knew it was headed for them. But the lightning bolt didn't hit its targets, as a familiar string pulled the three of them out of the way. They stopped in front of a girl clad in red-and-black magical clothes.
It was Adrien who put the recognition into words. "Cure Ladybug?"
Cure Ladybug pointedly ignored him, which was rare in Felice's opinion. She had always been civil to anyone, even at the most annoying bystanders. She was, however, alarmed at the state of Manon. "Ma – I mean this girl – what happened to her?"
"She was exposed to too much cold," explained Felice helplessly. She turned to her brother. "Adrien, you've got to bring her somewhere warm and safe. You know the place like the back of your hand, surely you can help?"
Adrien nodded firmly as he carried the shivering girl on his arms. "But Felice, what about you?"
"Um I-" Lying to her brother was more difficult if she had to do it in a split-second. She looked inside her tote bag and saw Duusu pointing at Cure Ladybug. She gave the fairy a blank stare, until the bird-kwami formed a name in its mouth. "Marinette? O-oh yeah, m-my friend Marinette is still out there somewhere! I have to go and look for her. And then I'll call you so we can go to where you are."
Adrien looked like he would say something, but Cure Ladybug came to her rescue. "You really should hurry and get the girl taken care of," she added hurriedly. "Felice – er, that's your name, right?" Adrien didn't seem to notice her mistake as his eyes were still on his little sister, but Felice caught the Pretty Cure's blunder and tried not to look amused by it. "I think Felice can take care of herself and I'll make sure to keep her out of the way."
"Well, okay, fine but be careful." Adrien finally yielded, but he still looked like he would argue further. He sighed, planted a kiss on Felice's head – much to Cure Ladybug's shock and annoyance, which confused the blonde girl – and quickly went outside, holding Manon tight.
Cure Ladybug looked at Felice with a gaping mouth. "He's a pretty bold stalker, huh?"
"Stalker? Who's the stalker?"
"Really, you were just going to ignore me?!" The voice behind the Akuma shrilly screamed, flinging around the parasol in anger. "I'm the best weather girl, how could you ignore me!"
Marinette sighed and shook her head. "I'm willing to bet we're facing that Next Weather Girl contest runner-up. Seriously, you can do better than being a sore loser."
"I. AM. NOT. A. LOSER!" The Akuma went in a full-fledged tantrum before sending a lightning strike towards the two. Cure Ladybug quickly dodged while Felice leaped out of the way.
Duusu was unceremoniously lodged out of the tote bag. "This Akuma's an impatient one," she noted as she flew to Felice's side. "Let's finish this up so you can spend some time with your brother."
"You took the words out of my mouth, Duusu," proclaimed Felice as the fairy glowed and went inside the peacock pin she was wearing. She touched the pin, formed a three-feathered wing with the blue light in her fingertip and opened up her arms. "Pretty Cure Miraculous Metamorphosis!"
A blast of wind erupted from Felice's body – warm and refreshing compared to the cold and forbidding breeze that came from the Akuma. Shining blue lights whirled around her body – her feet, her hips, her hands and her breast, turning into a feathery magical outfit. Her beautiful peacock pin was surrounded by an aquamarine ribbon, turning it into something resembling a corsage. Her face was covered by a blue mask with white feathers in the edges while her hair lengthened and puffed out in elegant golden curls, with red highlights on her bangs. The last of the lights turned into a pair of white wing-like earrings, a two-feathered hair pin and a blue fan folded into the links of the golden chain on her waist. As the last of the wind died out, Felice performed her pose.
"The light of compassion that shimmers in the wind, Cure Plume!"
- o - 0 - o -
Cure Ladybug watched as her partner appeared before her, looking calm and graceful as always. With a nod and a smile, the two wordlessly communicated and sprang into action. They ran on opposite sides, encircling the monster as it lost its focus on trying to follow both of them. The Akuma once again shot lightning bolts from its parasol, but the two super heroines deftly dodged each attack. Pulling off a combination that only they could make, the two leaped out towards the Akuma, landing a punch each. The monster staggered back, just in time for a lady in an orange gown to materialize.
"What are you doing, Akuma?" demanded Mariposa. "If you want to be the best weather girl there is, you have to get rid of the competition! And right now, these Pretty Cures are stealing your thunder!"
"I think you're due for a rain check, Mariposa," declared Cure Ladybug, spinning her yo-yo. "Just because someone is better than you doesn't mean it's the end of the world."
"That's just a loser's excuse," Mariposa spat back. "Come on, Akuma, let's bury these Pretty Fools into a wintery grave!"
The Akuma opened its parasol and started spinning it. A gust of frigid wind came out and Cure Ladybug shivered at how easily the temperature dropped. Then she thought of Manon enduring the same treatment and her rising anger was enough for her to brave the cold. She jumped towards the monster, but realized it's a big mistake, as the current suddenly accelerated! She yelled as she was blown away by the speeding squall, right towards Cure Plume, who was vainly trying to stay in place. The two Pretty Cures were slammed hard into a wall, eliciting beeps from their respective Miraculouses. Despite that, the harsh winds kept on coming, bringing with it the sting of biting snow.
Cure Ladybug felt her muscles stiffen and gasped as how ice was steadily forming on her body. Cure Plume was also in the same predicament. "We've got to get rid of this snowstorm," said Cure Ladybug. "And quickly!"
Cure Plume nodded solemnly. "She's producing the blizzard with that parasol. If we could somehow disable it…"
"I like the way you think, Cure Plume. Think you can fight wind with wind?"
Cure Plume's eyes widened but she soon smiled and giggled. "You never cease to amaze me with these incredulous ideas of yours, Cure Ladybug."
"Well, I've got luck on my side," said Cure Ladybug nonchalantly, earning another laugh from her partner. "Ready when you are, Cure Plume!"
Cure Plume nodded and stood up, facing the onslaught of the blizzard head-on. She took out her fan and began her incantation. "This refreshing breeze shall show you true compassion. Pretty Cure…" As a bright teal-colored light enveloped her fan, she gave one big swipe. "Feather Storm!"
A strong blast of wind burst through her body, carrying teal feathers with it. It easily broke through the Akuma's blizzard and propelled towards the monster, halting its parasol's spinning motions and consequently, the snowstorm it was brewing. Cure Ladybug quickly made her way to the monster, grabbed her yo-yo and threw it. The round weapon's string wrapped around the opened canopy and the heroine pulled, pushing the parasol close. "She's all yours, Cure Plume!"
"This is for Manon!" yelled Cure Plume as she leaped from behind her partner, flinging her fan towards the Akuma's mask. It hit its target right at the center and its ugly mask split into two. "Finish this, Cure Ladybug."
"Time to end your evil-doing, Akuma!" Cure Ladybug snatched her yo-yo back and started spinning it in the air. "This purifying light shall grant you good fortune. Pretty Cure…" She threw the yo-yo back, launching a large orb of pink light. "Lucky Charm!"
The orb encased the Akuma, dissipating the darkness manipulating the monster. Only a blue parasol remained of the abomination and right on cue, a white butterfly came out of the object. Flashes of jeweled ladybugs soon flew all over the area, repairing all the damage made to the building. Backstage, a confused Aurore was released from her purple prison.
"Ugh, losing is always a frustrating feeling!" cried Mariposa, disappearing in a shower of orange butterflies.
"Great job!" Cure Ladybug and Cure Plume high-fived, as the purified butterfly passed them and headed to the sunshine of the nearest window. The storm was finally over.
In an instant, their transformations faded and Marinette and Felice was back, alongside Tikki and Duusu. "I better go and find my brother," said Felice. "He's probably not happy about leaving me behind. And we have to see how Manon is doing, too."
Marinette felt guilty about what happened. "It was all my fault – I should have stayed by her side."
"It's not, Marinette," said Felice gently. "You had to go to the restroom."
"Well, actually about that…" The guilt was eating out on Marinette more than ever. "I didn't go to the restroom. I went to tell off that stalker instead."
"Stalker?"
"You know, that suspicious blonde guy in the fedora," said Marinette, thinking how Felice could be so oblivious about it. Not that she could speak, especially if Alya's hunch about the crushing thing was right on the money. "The same one who followed you to the boulangerie when we first met? The one who brought Manon out of here?"
"You mean Adrien?" Felice's eyes were like light bulbs, but a puzzled look soon replaced it. "But, Adrien's my brother, Marinette."
"Wait, you mean that guy…" Marinette's brain was turning to mush with every passing moment. Embarrassment started creeping into her face as she realized she might have made a mistake – a BIG mistake. "But you looked like you were in trouble that time…"
It was Felice's turn to go red in embarrassment. "I haven't told you but I might have run away from home that time. I mean, I didn't mean to, but that was the implication seeing as I was gone without a proper reason…"
Marinette was starting to have a really bad headache. "So that's why he was looking for you…"
"Yes..." Felice had a faint, guilty smile on her lips.
"And he was looking for you this time, too…"
"Really?"
Duusu then pulled out a cellphone from Felice's tote bag, facing the confused blonde. "I was trying to tell you all the time, but you were busy playing princesses with the kid."
"Oh no," said Felice, looking at the phone. "I've got four miss calls and a dozen texts from Adrien."
"'Oh no' quite sums it all up," said Marinette with a depressed sigh. She just managed to call her brother a stalker, not to mention that person would be the prodigal son of his all-time favorite fashion icon Gabriel Agreste. Wait a minute… "Um, Felice, your brother couldn't be that popular male model from the Agreste line, right?"
Felice had a perfectly innocent look as she replied, unaware of the internal turmoil that was happening right inside Marinette's head. "That would be Adrien, yes."
"Great," mumbled Marinette, wondering just how deep the grave she just dug for herself. But things couldn't get worse now, would it?
But surprise, destiny had different plans for her. "Felice, there you are!" The fairies quickly flew back to their hiding places as a young man and a small girl entered the vicinity. Marinette wished she could hide like the kwamis; she wasn't ready to face the music yet.
"Adrien!" called Felice, not noticing the panicking girl beside her.
"Marinette!" Manon tackled the older girl and Marinette forgot her panic now that it was replaced with utter relief. Manon looked warm, happy and perfectly healthy; the Miraculous have done its magic and undid all the chaos and harm the Akuma inflicted.
"Manon, you're alright!" Marinette hugged the girl as tight as she could while Manon laughed cheerfully. Wishing she'd rather not - but knew that she really had to - Marinette faced the guy who brought the child back safely to them. "Th-thank you for taking care of Manon."
Adrien smiled and Marinette wondered if it could kill, since she felt like she was being unceremoniously taken to heaven. "It's the least I could do for a friend of Felice's. So you're the one named Marinette, right?"
"Y-yes," stammered Marinette, wondering why she was suddenly losing the ability to form words right out of her mouth. "A-and I'm really sorry about calling you a stalker. I really didn't know you were Felice's brother!" And then the words suddenly kept bursting out like an avalanche. "I mean I should have known, since you're a popular model. And the son of Gabriel Agreste. But you were wearing the hat and the glasses and you were acting suspicious and…"
Marinette abruptly stopped, realizing she might have said too much. "I really should shut up right now…"
Adrien chuckled good-naturedly while Felice looked entirely amused. Redness welled up in Marinette's cheeks and wondered if it was possible for a human face to mimic a tomato.
"Don't worry about it, Marinette," said Adrien. "And also, I really need to thank you."
"Th-thank me, but w-why?"
"Well, seeing as my awkward sister was able to make a friend…" Adrien continued even though his sister gave a rather inelegant pout. "And better yet, it's a friend who's willing to stand up and fight for her sake." He looked grateful as he gave Marinette a gentle gaze. "I hope you'll continue to take care of Felice. So, thank you for being such a good friend to her."
Marinette didn't know how to respond to this, so naturally she mumbled a few incomprehensible words.
"But, I have to say," said Adrien, looking a bit disapproving as he faced Felice, though Marinette could see that he was exaggerating it. "You really had me worried there, Felice! And why didn't you answer my calls?"
"I'm sorry Adrien, I was just um, distracted."
"Really, you'd think I'd accept an excuse as lousy as that?"
"I'm really, really sorry! I'd make it up to you somehow."
"Then I sentence you to accompanying me the whole afternoon."
"Not to another photo shoot, I hope?"
"H-hey, don't jinx it!"
Marinette giggled at the brother-sister banter, temporarily overcoming the fluttery feeling inside her stomach. Manon, however, looked a little put out. "Can we go home now, Marinette?"
Nothing could make Marinette happier. As much as she "loved" babysitting Manon, a lot of things happened and she felt like she needed to sit down to absorb it all. It was a very eventful day, to say the least. "Yep, let's go home, Manon."
- o - 0 - o -
Author's Note:
It took me six months to update and I'm really sorry about that. Adult life came and demanded my attention, so I really needed to take a um short (?) break. I don't want to bore you with my private life anyway, so sufficed to say I'm back and will be doing regular updates.
Anyway... The plot moves and finally the misunderstanding gets cleared up. As you might have noticed, I'm trying to integrate the ML episodes my own way, putting a little creative license to make it more suitable in the Pretty Cure universe.
A lot happened in the past six months, what with ML's Season 2 airing and the new Pretty Cure series debuting just this month. I have to say, Hawkmoth's identity was blatantly obvious but I'll digress from commenting further. To my utter surprise, the new Cure Ange eerily resembles Cure Plume's design, minus the hair color. And her powers being nurse-like is also quite a shock, since I was planning to give Cure Plume some kind of healing powers as an upgrade. Seriously, did Toei stole my idea book? If this keeps up, I'd ran out of ideas!
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Give me your thoughts on the chapter and I'll see you guys in the next update! Ciao~