"Straighten the main sail!"
"Aye, aye, captain!"
Kim raced to the mast and pulled at the rigging to follow Adrien's orders. With the ship repaired and seaworthy once again, he had suited up to parade about as a proper captain. Though the chances of his identity being discovered out on the seas were slim, it was important to always don the mask in case they ran into trouble.
Though, with the mermaids guiding them, Adrien noticed that they hadn't seen hide nor hair of pirates or any other vessel for that matter. Tikki wasn't kidding when she mentioned that they had a sixth sense for navigation. Nature itself seemed to favor their voyage, as the skies were clear and the waves calm while they made their way to the last known location of Master Fu.
"Max!" Adrien bellowed at his crew mate behind him. "Take the wheel for a bit!"
Max stepped in while Adrien vaulted over the banister to land lightly on the deck below. He nimbly hopped up and sprinted to the railing, grasping it as he leaned over to watch the waves rolling away from the ship. Water droplets sparkled in the brilliant sun like millions of tiny diamonds; a mesmerizing sight that he never grew tired of. As he watched, a lithe form jumped out from the water and waved up at him.
"Ahoy!" Nino called out from the crow's nest from above. "Looks like Tikki is flagging us, captain!"
Adrien gave the signal, and the boat eventually dropped to an easy coasting speed. Leaning over the railing, he quickly spotted the four small forms as they surfaced.
Tikki ducked beneath the water, so Adrien stepped away from the banister, and a short moment later, with a shower of droplets pelting the deck, she somehow landed easily on the rail in front of him. He marveled as she gripped it, twining her tail around the poles to hold her body up in order to speak with him.
"Is everything alright, Tikki?" Adrien asked, his eyes quickly darting to the side before returning to her. Though he couldn't see her from his angle, his first thought was to worry about Marinette.
Tikki tilted her head, her eyes crinkling in something akin to amusement. "Marinette is fine. I just wanted to inform you that we are close to port. From this point on, we'll be hiding in order to avoid being seen."
"Oh, okay. Good." Adrien nodded. "That would be best. I wouldn't want any of you to get caught by nefarious pirates." Strolling to the banister and leaning over next to Tikki, Adrien smiled when he caught sight of Marinette floating below. She wasn't paying him any attention, caught up in a conversation with the other two girls, but he could hear her bubbling laughter even over the distance.
"I'll make sure she stays out of trouble." Adrien turned to see Tikki watching him with a knowing smile. "Although I have a feeling she would be well protected in your care."
"I just don't want anything to happen to her... again." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.
Tikki nodded before turning her head to call out, "Coming down!" She then unwound her tail and pushed off, diving gracefully into the water as the others moved aside to give her room.
When Adrien leaned over again, Tikki waved back up at him and dipped beneath the waves while Marinette lingered. Her gaze appeared curious as she watched him, but then she twitched her hand just above the water in a quick motion. Before she could disappear as well, Adrien returned her gesture, but added his own flair by putting his hand to his lips and blowing her a kiss.
Even over the distance, he could see her wrinkle her nose and stiffen. Then, in what he thought was a dramatically large splash of water, she dove beneath the surface after her matriarch.
"Hey, captain!" Nino's voice called to him, and Adrien turned to watch his friend repel down the mast. "Don't think this Marinette's that into you."
"What do you know?" Adrien asked. "If she's fallen for me once, then she'll fall for me again."
Adrien gave the signal to set off, and in no time, as Tikki had said, the port of the large island spilling out over the horizon soon came into view. Raie Cay was a colorful town that stretched over the colorful hills and mossy cliffs, the wild scenery ending right at the beach where ships of every make floated near bone-bleached, sandy shores.
"Looks like we'll have to anchor at sea." Adrien peered through the spyglass, failing to find an open place at the docks large enough for a ship of The Cataclysm's caliber. "Those boats are packed like sardines."
"Pirate territory is always busy." Nino snorted while tying down the rigging. "I don't like it."
"They're lawless, but not without their codes," Adrien grumbled. "It's a safe-haven at least."
He stiffened when gunshots suddenly rang out in the distance.
"Err... Well, mostly safe." Adrien smiled nervously at Nino, who simply frowned back at him with a sour look. "Without any authority, there's bound to be a few bad eggs."
"It might not be good for Chat Noir to go in there." Nino gestured his head toward the town as he sidled up next to Adrien with his arms crossed. "Only other Frenchmen will welcome you."
"So I won't be going." Adrien shrugged easily and Nino gave him a surprised look. "Adrien Agreste will instead."
"Oh, yes!" Nino said, slapping his forehead. "That's a brilliant idea! Let the rich man's son walk into a town of cut-throat pirates!"
"That's a terrible idea!" Adrien turned as Alix shouted out, making her way over the deck toward them.
"Guys, c'mon, have a little faith in me." Adrien pouted. "I'll wear a disguise."
"Captain," Alix growled, stopping with her hands propped against her hips. "You watch the ship while the rest of us look for Fu. Someone has to stay behind, after all."
"But that's Kim's job," Adrien whined. "And I'm sneakier than him, so no one will see me."
Nino let out a scoff while he rolled his eyes. "I bet you get recognized the moment you set foot on that island."
"Oh yea?" Adrien grinned mischievously as he eyed Nino's hood. "Wanna make that official? Just watch me—or, don't watch me." He wriggled his fingers in the air to emphasize his point as he lowered his voice. "Because you'll neeeever see me coming."
Once the sun had set, and stars spattered the night sky like splattered paint on a canvas, Adrien took the dinghy out alone, rowing toward a secluded beach further down the shore from the bustling town. It was out of the way, and a bit of a chore to get to, but that was the point. He had to separate himself from his crew for the moment, to keep out of sight of any prying eyes.
It was nice that his friends were concerned, but after running the plan by them, they all reluctantly agreed, especially once he reminded them all that he was the captain and that they had to follow his orders anyway. Besides that, Adrien was the only one who had met Master Fu, so the old man might not even show himself if a group of strangers were suddenly looking for him.
The front of his boat eventually ground against the sand, and Adrien hopped up, intending to quickly push it further onto shore before it broke free. That was when a soft thump hit the wood, and the dinghy suddenly rocked forward. With a startled shout, he stumbled back against the seat, jarring the boat and his head when it cracked against the side.
"Oww..." Adrien groaned while rubbing at the sore spot.
"I'm so sorry!" a voice yelped behind him, and Adrien shot up to his hands and feet despite the pounding of his head. Peering over the edge of the boat, he was shocked to find Marinette floating in the water nearby.
"Marinette?" He tried to keep his voice low, but it came out as a strangled whisper, panic flooding him. "You're not supposed to be out here! What if you get seen?"
"It's alright, Tikki's keeping watch for me," Marinette assured him, motioning out into the bay. While he didn't spot anyone, he was certain she was simply hidden. "There's no one else on this beach anyway." She patted at her neck, where the dark water came up to and hid the rest of her body. "And if someone does spot me, I'm just a girl swimming in the ocean."
"In a place like this, that might make you more of a target than simply being a mermaid," Adrien groaned, stepping out of the boat and wading closer to her. "Why did you come up here?"
"I wanted to fix your wound."
"My wound?" Adrien raised a single eyebrow before looking at his stomach. He lifted his shirt to reveal the large scab. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't hurt and had stopped bleeding completely thanks to her miraculous magic. "It looks fine though. You healed it already, remember?"
Marinette shook her head, and before he could stop her, she darted forward and used the momentum to pull herself to the shallow water beside him. "I can do more than that." Her hand reached out. "May I...?"
"Oh." Unable to help his curiosity, Adrien dropped against the shore and leaned back, allowing her access to the scar. Her fingers gently touched him, warm despite the droplets of cold salt water dripping from them. It pooled within the ridges of the scab while her fingertips started to glow.
After a moment of the pleasant sensation that her touch sent across his skin, the glowing dimmed, and Adrien looked down to see nothing there when Marinette pulled her hand away.
"Wow," he breathed out. "It's gone!" He rubbed the spot where the scar had been, but his skin was completely unmarred—pristine as if it had never existed to begin with.
"There." Marinette smiled with satisfaction.
She shifted to move her hand away, but Adrien quickly caught it and pulled it gently toward him. "You really are amazing, Marinette."
His eyes didn't leave hers, and even in the blue shadows cast by the glow of the moon, he could see her face turn a light shade of pink. "You keep saying that..."
"It's true." Adrien drew her hand to his lips, and when she didn't pull away, he gently kissed it. "You're more than that," he breathed against her fingertips, then paused when her tail swished up behind her in the surf. A smirk lit his face, and he couldn't stop himself at the traitorous thought. "Because you're absolutely mer-mazing."
Her blush immediately disappeared as she groaned. "And you're absolutely terrible."
"You love me." Adrien wiggled his eyebrows and then laughed when she shook her head in answer, her hair wildly waving in her vehemence. "Meow-ch, milady. You don't have to protest so strongly."
"It's not as if I don't care about you..." She frowned and averted her gaze. "I can feel the familiarity, I just don't remember what my thoughts about you were before I lost everything."
He rubbed her palm with his thumb. "Puns aside, I really do believe all of that." He placed his other hand over the top of hers. "Thank you."
She allowed him a brief moment before she finally pulled away, mumbling a soft, "You're welcome."
He leaned back with a chuckle. "Your magic is miraculous, even if some men might like the story behind the scar." He brushed the spot lightly. "But it might have been difficult for me to explain if anyone ever saw it."
"Well... Good." She answered oddly, seeming hesitant as she drummed her fingers together. "I'm glad I could help."
"You should probably go," Adrien said softly. "I wouldn't want any pirates to notice you."
"Right!" Marinette jolted, and with a flip of her tail fin, she quickly dove back to the deeper water. "Umm... Good luck with finding Master Fu." And with that, she dipped beneath the surface, leaving him with the gentle sound of the waves on the shore.
Adrien strolled easily into town, as no one paid any attention to him with the dark green hood covering his face. Nino had simply opted to wear a different hat while Adrien borrowed his hooded cloak.
He moved toward the center of a wide plaza ringed with taverns and trading businesses that catered toward the town's particular clientele. He found his crew there—minus Kim, who was guarding the boat—milling around a fountain that was devoid of any water, chatting among themselves at a volume where no one could easily eavesdrop without it being obvious.
"If the job was so profitable, why would the geezer retire in this place?" Nino whispered while Max and Alix practically huddled together.
"I dunno, I never met the guy." Alix shrugged. "You only recruited me once all of the old crew had left."
"Most of us joined like that." Nino's gaze lifted over Alix's shoulder to land on Adrien as he approached. "Puss-in-Boots over there is the only one who met the original crew."
"Hey!" Adrien pouted as he stepped up next to Nino. "What's with the cat jokes? Weren't you the one who said to keep a low profile?"
"Relax." Nino smiled mischievously. "If anyone hears, they won't think it's cat related."
Before Adrien could ask to clarify, Alix spoke up. "C'mon! Are we meeting this guy or what?" She glanced over her shoulder at a shady looking group loitering at the entrance to a nearby pub. "I always get a bad feeling about this place."
So they quickly moved on, headed deeper into a part of town that slowly took on a more Asian feel with its architecture and influence. Buildings rose above them, decorated with intricate symbols, while shop signs squeaked in the breeze, depicting elegant brush strokes for their lettering. They eventually walked under a red and gold painted arch that served as the entrance to side street, and they moved along until they came to a small building with a sign out front painted with what looked like a bottle of medicine.
Adrien knocked on the door, and a few moments passed before a bald man answered wearing a light blue garment, the long sleeves folded at the end while a single flap draped over his pants, all the way down to his feet. "Welcome. Do you have an appointment?" he politely asked.
"Uh, sorry for the trouble." Adrien lifted his hood just enough to properly show his face, and the man's eyes widened in recognition. "We couldn't really schedule an appointment, Wayzz."
"Quickly! Quickly! Come in!" Wayzz stepped aside to allow them all inside, though in the cozy entrance parlor with its soft yellow walls, it felt crowded with all five of them. Adrien caught himself before nearly tripping over a low table with cushions settled around it.
Wayzz stuck his head out the door and peeked around before locking it behind them, shuffling past them all carefully and spreading his arms wide as he gave Adrien a warm grin. "It is good to see you again, Young Master. I hope this visit is a good one?"
"'Young Master?'" Alix raised a single brow as she looked at him.
Adrien rubbed the back of his neck while he felt his face warm. "Just 'Adrien,' is fine, Wayzz." He then dropped his arm. "But uh, the visit's not because we're in trouble. We're looking for Plagg, and we thought Master Fu might know where he went?"
"I am not sure where Plagg is." Wayzz folded his arms. "But Master Fu is available to speak, so we can quickly find out." He then moved through a sliding door into another room at the back. Wayzz must not have gone very far, as Adrien heard him calling the master's name.
It wasn't long before Wayzz returned with Master Fu in tow. The old man smiled and shuffled over to Adrien to give him a hug. "How good to see you again! I hope your need to see Plagg isn't for anything dangerous."
"It's a bit of a tale." Adrien glanced back at his friends while Master Fu ushered them all around the small table. It was a bit cramped, so Nino simply hung back by the doorway. "But, uh... The good news is, I found Marinette."
Master Fu's face brightened as he settled against a cushion. "That is wonderful news! And you wanted to tell Plagg?"
"Well..." Adrien hesitated while Wayzz appeared with a tray and set tea out for each of them. "I wish that were the case, but it's more complicated than that. Marinette's been... well…" He fiddled with the porcelain cup in front of him before finally spouting, "She's been turned into a mermaid."
"Oh." Master Fu leaned back and stroked his beard with one hand. "I suppose that could be the bad that often accompanies good news."
"That's not the worst part," Adrien sighed, picking up the tea to take a sip. It had a floral scent to it, but wasn't overpoweringly sweet and helped to ease his nerves. "There are earrings that could help to turn her back, but they've been stolen."
"Ah," Master Fu hummed quietly with a frown before lifting his own cup to his mouth and taking a sip. "So you've finally met Tikki?"
"You know Tikki?" Adrien rasped out as he nearly choked on his tea, even though it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise if he thought about it.
Master Fu nodded. "Tikki likes to meet with each Chat Noir herself to know that her magic is in good hands." His eyes moved to each of his friends in turn. "She would reveal herself to the crew in good time. That you have met her already shows that she trusts you all well."
"There's another thing," Adrien added. "Tikki told us that there's a ring?"
Master Fu looked confused, his gaze flicking down to Adrien's hands. "You don't have it?"
"That's why we need to find Plagg," Nino explained. "Dude didn't pass it along for some reason."
"What!?" Master Fu's startled voice rang out around the small room. "How could he forget to deliver the ring?" The old man struggled to get up, his bones popping softly as he grumbled heatedly, "I thought Plagg had passed it on."
"I don't remember seeing it happen," Wayzz offered as he leaned over to help Master Fu stand. "Plagg said he was going to see Adrien on his own one day, and I assumed he wanted to give it to him then."
"Why would Plagg not pass on the ring?" Master Fu continued to fume. "He knows how important it is for becoming the new Chat Noir! Pah!" He stormed over to a wardrobe and started pulling open drawers. "No need to wonder though, because he can explain himself when I meet with him!"
"So you know where he is located?" Max asked.
"I do," Master Fu answered, digging out an ornate bag to fill it with clothes and other necessities. "In fact, I will come with you. Plagg can explain directly to me why he has shirked his own duties."
"What if pirates caught him?"
"He'll be fine, Marinette." Tikki assured her with a smile. "I'm certain they know their way around a town."
Marinette flitted about in the water, Tikki's confident words not getting through to her at all. She couldn't help but worry. They told her she had been human once, so maybe at some point she might have felt comfortable with the idea, but right now she knew nothing about human civilizations other than Tikki's warnings to steer as far clear of them as possible.
"But what about your stories?" Marinette asked. "You always told us to stay away from humans because of how dangerous they are!"
Tikki swam closer and put her hands on Marinette's shoulders to still her. "I told you stories about how humans capture mermaids. While they are true, Adrien is one of them. They won't be looking to kidnap him to sell off for magical potions or trinkets."
Marinette finally relaxed a little at that, realizing that she was right. Humans wanted mermaids for their magic, not their own kind—who seemed to lack inherent abilities of any magical nature.
Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette spotted movement and caught the sound of splashing by the shore. It was soft, but enough in the quiet night to draw her attention, and she quickly darted to the surface to take a peek.
She hadn't left the bay where Adrien had stowed his boat, and back at the beach, she saw his dark figure hunched over while rummaging through a bag that he had left behind.
"He's back," Marinette sighed while Tikki surfaced beside her, squinting as she eyed the shoreline.
Marinette briefly turned to Tikki with a grin. It wasn't as if she was excited to see him... Or maybe she was? But he was the one that helped her discover, at least a little bit, what might have happened to her the night she lost her memory. It was the closest she had ever come to finding anything. And... he seemed to care for her. It felt wrong to just ignore him, even if he tended to act like a big goof when it came to talking with her.
Marinette didn't wait another second. She dove beneath the surface and practically raced back to the shore. With a flick of her powerful tail, she surged onto the sand with the next wave, sliding up far enough to land right behind him.
"Ad—" Marinette's words choked off when the man spun around, his hand shooting out to grab her shoulder. With unexpected strength, he slammed her back against the sand and pressed a knife to her throat.
Not Adrien! her mind screamed as she fearfully took in the unfamiliar human. His hair, a mixture of dark and blue like the depths of the ocean, hung about his face in messy strands as he stared down at her with wide eyes. His gaze flicked over her body, and the small motion seemed to break her out of her shock.
She flung her tail around and knocked him upside his head, tossing him into the dinghy beside them. She heard him crash against the wood, a sharp curse escaping his lips as she spun and tried to crawl away to the safety of the water.
Her fingers just barely reached the surf when strong arms roughly wrapped around her middle and lifted her away. Marinette shrieked and thrashed her tail wildly, using her free arm to beat against the monster of a human that held her.
"Bring her away from the water, Ivan!" a voice commanded as one of the man's large hands covered Marinette's mouth to stifle her shouting. "Those creatures ain't nothin' but slugs on land!"
The man holding her turned away from the waves, revealing to Marinette a group of several humans hidden back within the shadow of the trees. One in particular stood out as she sauntered forward, the make of their clothes and roguish appearance giving Marinette only one idea as to who they could possibly be.
Pirates... Marinette's struggling faltered at her horrified realization.
"Release her!" At the sharp command from the water, Marinette tried to twist her neck around to see. Rocks pelted the sand where her captor stood, but he didn't seem to care, even when Marinette heard the soft thump of one hit his back.
"Boys!" The garishly dressed woman shouted and pointed her sword at the beach. "Catch the other one!"
No! Marinette renewed her struggle, but the man only lumbered closer to the one that commanded him.
"Well, well! I'm impressed!" The woman smirked confidently up at Marinette. "Caught myself a pair of bleedin' mermaids!"
Not yet! Marinette swung her tail, but the pirate woman danced back to step out of her range.
"Oh, feisty fish-girl! You're lucky yer worth more alive than dead."
A chill ran through Marinette at those words.
"Oy!" The woman turned to the group of men scrambling around the shore, where they appeared to be struggling to follow orders. Many of them were completely drenched from getting dunked in the surf. "What's the fucking trouble, boys!?"
"She's too fast!" one of them stopped to whine. He suddenly dropped to the sand as a rock collided with his head.
The woman sighed and pulled out a small contraption from her belt. "Well, we've already got a healthy one," she mumbled, raising it in her hand and leveling its barrel at the water. "Use a bit more force."
Something itched in the back of Marinette's mind. Though she couldn't remember what it was, the object somehow filled her with a cold fear. Marinette wrenched around in the man's grasp and managed to pull her head free in time to scream, "SWIM AWAY!" before the device exploded with a flash.
The lumbering man turned to the side, possibly to watch the aftermath, and Marinette twisted to glimpse a view of Tikki's tail fin disappearing beneath the waves. Her eyes scanned the surface, but her matriarch didn't come up again. Marinette shivered as dread sank into the pit of her stomach and she found herself fighting off tears. Nothing was confirmed, but she had no idea of knowing if Tikki was safe or hurt…
A little of her despair ebbed away when she heard the echoing call of Tikki's singing moving up through the waves, and Marinette let out the breath she'd been holding. At least Tikki was alive, using her song to warn Rose and Alya of the danger.
The man spun her around to face the woman again, and Marinette tried to shrink away, but her claw-like nails dug into Marinette's skin to painfully grip her chin. "You ain't one 'a them singing sirens, are you?"
Marinette pulled in a sharp breath through her nose in surprise. Humans weren't supposed to be able to hear their songs—not when they weren't directed at them. And how would she even know about that? Unless... unless they had run into mermaids before?
"I asked you a simple question, girl! Yes or no!" The woman yanked Marinette forward in her impatience. "Don't ignore me!"
Marinette answered by swinging her tail around and thwacking the woman right in the side of her head. The pirate tumbled backward, and immediately two of her men rushed forward to catch her, but the stubborn woman shoved them away as she stomped back to her feet, gathering herself up before Marinette with her lips pulled into an angry sneer.
"You've got a pretty face… for a fish," the woman growled. "That'll change if you try that again."
Marinette didn't respond, she simply glared at her and lashed her tail.
The woman snorted and then turned to snap sharply, "Luka!"
Marinette's eyes narrowed when the man that had first ambushed her on the shore stumbled up, giving Marinette a wary glance before the woman's words took his attention. "I want the rest of you louts patrolling here to keep an eye out for more mermaids and that mangy cat." Marinette tried to keep herself from reacting to that last order while the woman jabbed a finger at the man she had called Luka. "You and Ivan tie up our mermaid and bring her back to the fort."
Marinette exploded in a rage, "You can't just kidnap someone like this!" She started thrashing, but there was too much space between her and the woman obviously in charge to hit her again.
The woman tossed back her head and barked out a laugh. "Kidnap? You're talkin' hot air, lass! Not that pirates care about heeding any briny laws, but there ain't none about pilfering mermaids! You're nothin' but the catch of the day!"
Their leader cackled, and a few of her men chortled along with her, but Marinette didn't find any humor in her joke as her gaze only narrowed further.
"Well!?" the woman suddenly shrieked, and Luka jumped, but seemed hesitant as he stole another glance at Marinette. "Hop to it before I use you two for chum!"
At that, the large man's grip around her loosened, but it was only so his friend could drag a rope around her. Marinette tried to resist, but she couldn't fight their combined strength, and together they managed to wrench her arms behind her back.
While the men were busy forcing a putrid smelling cloth into her mouth, there was a bright flare of light from far off in the sky, and Marinette craned her neck around to watch as the woman froze with a growl. "Damn! That was a signal!" She pointed in Marinette's direction and barked out, "Change of plans, we leave for base now!"
Marinette squirmed when the burly man picked her up by her waist, and her view of the night quickly disappeared beneath a dark cover of burlap as he shoved her inside a bag.
Note: Sorry—not sorry—for the cliffhanger! I didn't intentionally plan out for Marinette's part to be at the end of the chapter, but things just sometimes happen that way when bits are added and stuff gets too long.
I always liked the little part in Copycat when Adrien showed some jealousy, so don't worry if you're concerned about Luka. Not that I'm hatin' on Lukanette, but he's mostly here to make our Cat-captain a little jealous. ;3
Also, fast updates were because I already had the first few chapters uploaded over on AO3 before I decided to simultaneously upload here, so no more quick update schedule, sorry. D: