The next morning they arrived at the Hangang Citizen's Park. The trees blossoms were all in bloom, draping down both sides of the Yunjuro Road. They kept walking till they reached a grassy clearing in the park beyond the outreaching branches.
Still carrying their bundle of sticks, they wondered what they could possibly be for. Justice was already waiting for them. "I hope you slept well," she said as she heard them approach.
"Thank you so much for letting us stay in your house!" Adrien said sincerely.
"We noticed some of your photos," Ladybug added.
"You are welcome...but although I have a number of places I call home around the world, the place you stayed last night actually used to belong to the previous Ladybug and Chat Noir," she revealed. "They left it in my care for future weilders."
"So they were a couple?"'Ladybug asked curiously.
"Of course," Justice stated matter of factly.
Ladybug and Chat Noir looked over at each other, locking eyes at the same time.
"But Ladybugs and Chat Noirs don't always end up together do they?" Chat Noir asked.
"Not always," she confirmed. "There is something to be said for destiny bringing the two most powerful forces together, but love requires more than that. Individuals all make choices, and although you can reach a destination from a number of paths, the journey is up to you."
That was when a magpie kwami arrived, clutching two long spools of string, and some sheets of paper in its feet. Dropping these next to Justice it hovered next to Justice' shoulder.
"Welcome Weilders, today we will start with some fun," the clever black and white bird cawed cheerfully. "You will construct, fly, and fight traditional Bangpae yeon Korean kites." He then carefully showed them how to assemble the sticks as braces across the rectangular body of the kite, cut a hole at the center of the handmade mulberry paper, and securely attach the silk string. Finally Justice produced paint to add finishing touches.
While they worked, Ladybug glanced over at Justice, thinking about what she had said about Ladybugs and Chat Noirs from the past. Then she stopped to watch Chat Noir, who leaned over his kite busy concentrating, tying pieces together.
Ladybug looked thoughtful. She liked the idea that she wasn't drawn to Chat Noir just because he was the chosen cat miraculous weilder. It might be easier if everyone just had a designated soulmate, but discovering a person and experiencing the excitement of desire...and having the chance they could feel the same way...was so much more powerful.
On the other hand it meant she had to be careful not to miss out on the opportunity to be with someone amazing, they weren't just going to fall into her lap.
At that moment Chat Noir held up his finished kite triumphantly, but backed into the scattered tins of paint behind him. Stumbling on the obstacles, he fell backwards with as much grace as a rhino on roller-skates, and literally landed in Ladybug's lap.
"Thanks for the save LB!" Chat Noir chuckled, then threw his arms around her neck dramatically, calling out "my hero!"
His laughter died on his lips though when her blush was replaced by a confident smirk. Ladybug wrapped her own arms around his chest. "Keep falling for me Kitty, and I might not let you go!" she whispered smoothly into his ear, which sent electrifying shivers down his spine.
With a much more nervous laugh, he struggled to get out of her grasp, and back onto his own feet. "Yeah right Ladybug! Very funny!" he brushed it off, and retreated to the other side of the kites, keeping an eye on Ladybug.
She just smiled to herself (probably pleased with herself that she had gotten a rise out of me, Chat Noir told himself), and busied herself finishing her kite. Then she took her kite and came up beside him again, reaching across to steal one of his paint brushes. When he glanced over at her, she bit the corner of her blush pink lips.
"Don't look at me like that!" Chat Noir protested, turning his face away, feeling the all to familiar tug on his heart that set off warnings in his head.
Like what?!" Ladybug laughed.
"Jus...just like that!" Chat Noir threw up his hands.
"This is how I always look at you!" Ladybug leaned her chin on his shoulder and brushed her index finger lightly across his cat ear.
"Ahha!" Chat Noir jumped back with a accusing finger pointing back at her. "Is this some new akuma that has possessed you again?! Whatever it is...well...is different!"
"Chat, you're being silly! Just relax! I was only teasing!" Ladybug laughed nervously.
"Were you? Because you know I'm with Marinette..."
"You are?!" Ladybug couldn't help the giddy smirk plastered across her face. "So you two are a sure thing? It all worked out?"
"Well...yeah...I mean...I hope so," Chat Noir stumbled.
"How could she resist this cute kitty?!" Ladybug cooed, moving to scratch him under the chin.
"Stop! That's what I mean!" He retracted away from her wearily, "Where did all this cute kitty talk come from! When it comes to Marinette I'm all in. I can't just give half my heart when I love someone."
"You are?!" she whispered in awe.
"Of course!" he responded matter of factly.
"Well, now that I know how you feel about Marinette, it is so hard not to flirt with you. I mean, you knew I was in to someone else, and you always flirted with me," Ladybug pointed out.
"At least when I flirted with you it was because I was in love with you," And he spun on his heel, put his kite under his arm, and stalked away to the water front by Ember.
Ladybug's face went bright red, and she stuttered, "Well I..." But he was already out of ear shot.
Chat Noir grumbled to himself, and kicked a loose pebble into the water. Where was all this when he was trying to flirt with Ladybug before?! Ladybug just found more ways to confuse and fluster him more everyday. Maybe telling her about Marinette made her feel like she didn't have to put up a guard around him any more...or...and he hardly even dared to consider the possibility..that maybe Ladybug felt a bit competitive with another girl for his attention now. Was she just returning his playful banter, or was there something else behind it?!
Whatever this new Ladybug was about he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He was used to being the one that left her speechless! Then another thought popped into his head. What if she was trying to give him a taste of his own medicine!
Chat Noir didn't have any longer to stew over the mysterious intentions of the flirty Ladybug, because if was time to get their kites airborne.
"A Bangpae yeon has five straight bambo sticks that suspend the paper and give it strength," the magpie kwami explained, drawing a wing along the kite, seemingly oblivious to the two emotionally charged teens who had assembled quietly before him. "For a weilder your task in maintaining balance is often challenging. The honor in which you uphold yourself, like these bamboo braces, gives you strength; Respect, dedication, honesty, compassion, and mercy.
The two weilders took turns looking up at each other, but their continued silence gave the magpie leeway to chatter on.
"Korean kite fighting is a traditional activity that is often played during festivals,"'the magpie kwami made flying motions in the air, "The goal is to cut the sting of your opponents kite sending it to the ground, while still keeping your own kite in the air."
"Seems simple enough," said Ladybug said hopefully, focusing on releasing a length of string from her spool.
"I think I might have you beat on this one!" Chat Noir bragged, cutting the tension between them, and drawing out his own length of string, "I made quite the man-powered kite when we beat Reverser."
"Don't forget I was the one pulling the strings!" Ladybug shot back, successfully catching the wind and getting her kite off the ground.
"Actually, I think Alex was behind that!" Chat Noir countered getting his own kite to rise further up in the currents of air.
Ladybug just rolled her eyes, and Chat Noir gave her a satisfied smile. There, he thought to himself, that is more like the Ladybug I know!
But what he didn't see is that she had pulled at her silken string to make her kite dive. He pulled his just in time, to avoid hers.
The wind would die down, and they'd have to run to catch the next gust of wind. The kites weaved higher and higher in the air. It was more challenging than Ladybug had thought. Just when she thought she was getting it, Chat's kite would try to cut hers off!
A strong wing blew against their kites, and the two of them spiraled together, wrapping their strings together, and pulling tight against Ladybug and Chat Noir's grasp. The gust off the water strained the string so much that it broke, and the intertwined kites blew away out of sight.
"Hmmm..." the magpie kwami watched in the direction the kites had disappeared.
Ladybug held her empty string up in both hands, "uh...do we need to try again?"
The Magpie kwami chuckled to himself, "a freed kite is not something to grieve. It is a symbol of releasing bad luck."
"Maybe I should free a few more kites then," Chat Noir looked up in the air. "I've got a lot more bad luck to get rid of!"
The Magpie laughed outright at that, then cocked his head towards Chat Noir. "It is wise not to hold on to things, but it doesn't have to happen all at once. Sometimes water flows in a flood, but it all starts with a single drop."
The Magpie flew to each of them and dropped a polished stone into each of their hands. Good luck weilders! Remember the five points of strength, and you will live your life honorably," it said before departing into the sky.
This is where I leave you too, Justice patted their shoulders. I have received word that there is suspicious magic to the west. Maat believes Nooroo has been claimed by another, and they are secretly practicing with the miraculous growing stronger.
"What!" Chat Noir gasped horrified. "A new Hawkmoth?!"
"We don't know that quite yet, but kwami can often sense each other's energy. If Nooroo is no longer dormant you both need to be on your guard.
"That's why you came!" Ladybug realized, "to get us ready?!"
Justice nodded. It is hard when we don't know what we will be facing, but we need to have you both complete your training to have the best fighting chance.
"We beat Hawkmoth before though," Chat Noir said hopefully. "Surely, someone inexperienced with a miraculous will be much easier to defeat!"
"Let us hope so," Justice nodded, then paused, "but in my experience, it's best to prepare for the worst anyway." Justice turned to go, but Chat Noir touched her arm.
"Justice, back in Paris...well...there was an attack on a high school where the thief was dressed like me. At the time it felt strange, almost like the time we faced the Copy Cat akuma. Do you think there might be a connection?" Chat asked.
Justice's forehead creased in concern, and she pierced her lips as if considering how much to reveal. "It is hard to say," she eventually said quietly. "...but it is wise to trust your intuition concerning such things. I will find out what I can."
With a final bow, she headed off towards the city, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Chat Noir was quiet. Once more the weight of his guilt in not recognizing Hawkmoth earlier fell down upon his shoulders. Maybe if he had picked up on the signs he could have prevented the Butterfly miraculous from slipping through their fingers yet again.
Ladybug softly came alongside him sending her partners distress. "Come on Kitty," she said kindly. "Let's do one more thing in Seoul before Ember takes us to the next Honor trial."
Together they made their way to the N Seoul tower. They rode the elevator to the very top of the observation deck, and stepped out a clear Spring sky overlooking the city.
It reminded Chat Noir of the days that he and Ladybug would just perch up on the Eiffel tower to spend time decompressing after a particularly difficult akuma.
"Here, I got you something," Ladybug said passing Chat Noir a padlock in the shape of a smiling black cat face.
"What's this?" Chat Noir looked from the lock to Ladybug perplexed.
She shrugged, shyly, "I bought it at the market last night and thought it was pretty cute."
"Soo..." Chat Noir held the lock still confused.
"It's just like a tradition here in Seoul the lady at the market was telling me about. "Ladybug waved at the banister of the lookout where countless colorful padlocks were locked to each other.
"Oh...OH!"Chat Noir looked from the hodgepodge of locks to ladybug, "like the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris," he connected.
"Yeah something like that," she blushed slightly, figetting with one of the locks along the railing. "I mean we don't have to if you don't want..." Ladybug stammered.
"No, no, I think it's great...actually I'd always kinda thought we'd leave a lock on the Paris bridge one day, so it's cool you thought of it," he flipped the lock open and looped it through the railing before closing it.
After the lock clicked shut, Ladybug turned away, feeling that Chat Noir had missed what she was trying to say with the lock. She thought he would have understood. Silently, she slipped on Kaalki's glasses and spun the portal. Ember flew from his quill and looked over her shoulder back at Chat Noir.
Giving the lock a thoughtful flick before he planned to follow Ladybug, Chat Noir noticed something written in white curved script in the back. He turned it over in his hands and it said: 'You and me against the world-Forever.' He held the padlock in his hands a moment longer, letting the words sink in deeper. Ladybug couldn't mean it as a confession of love. It was what he had said to her as partners, fighting akumas, taking down criminals, day to day hero stuff...but the locks...Chat Noir scanned the padlocks theirs was linked to. Surely these were symbols of love?
"Chat Noir," Ember called back to him. "Busan awaits."
"Coming," ChatNoir responded. Whatever the lock meant or didn't mean to Ladybug, it was too late. He would have waited if he thought she would one day change her mind, but it was never going to happen. He wanted someone who needed him as much as he needed them.
Thank you to all readers, and especially to KoalaWho, No One, Vanilla123catnezzer, GuenZhenXuan2020, and others for the encouraging reviews! Each time I hear people are enjoying this story I get inspired to keep writing new chapters:)
This story is a slow-burn up to seeing these two discover each other. Both our heres are feeling torn, but something is about to happen that is a total 'gamechanger! Dont forget to follow/favorite!
fun fact: Magpies are considered lucky in South Korea, and are also the national bird.