08/14/23

10 Reviews, 1 Fav, 4 Follows

I still don't understand how Lila/Cerise was able to not get captured by a truancy officer. I don't know if it exists in Paris but it does in America. Students skipping school is very much illegal to me. If teachers see that students are skipping school or have very bad attendance, truant officers can arrest students the same way as arresting criminals. Lila could really flunk a grade. It all makes sense to why she doesn't do gym class is because she's afraid if her wig falls off.


Alya and Argos were doing a lot of investigation about Cerise and so far, no records of getting punished by law. Not even any truant officer captured her from skipping school. Not even a call to her parents for skipping classes, flunking gym class, and no multiple absences. Skipping school frequently is called "truancy" and can get a student suspended from school. They may have to go before a judge who can order mandatory counseling, extra school, detention, or probation. Skipping school can lead to truancy, which will remain on their permanent record. So far, Cerise and her fake identities never had suspensions or punishments.

"This is bad. How many times has she pretended to travel half around the world to skip school?" Argos asked.

"Quite often I suppose," Alya said.

"That would trigger a truancy," Argos said.

"What's a truancy," Alya asked.

"When you skip school illegally" Argos explained.

"English, turkey bird," Alya said for him to be specific with his words.

"It's intentional, unjustified, unauthorized, or illegal absence from school. Which Cerise often does in each identity to plot her schemes" Argos said.

"They can arrest students like that?" Alya asked.

"Yes, in the United States for example," Argos said.

"Sounds like this psycho really likes to be a liar to get what she wants. I can't believe I was so gullible to think she's a nice girl. I just thought Marinette was jealous of her" Alya said.

"A real best friend would trust a best friend, not a liar. Alya, I've seen liars like my uncle who tried to fool me before and it never worked. That's another reason why I hated oppressors all my life because I've been abused, unloved, and mentally broken by my heartless father. I hated adults controlling their kids like that" Argos explained his experience.

"I understand, I should have checked her sources long ago but I didn't. I'm just glad Marinette forgave me. But with Kagami's help, you became a better person" Alya said.

"Yes. Speaking of which, have you tried calling Marinette?" Argos asked.

"I have, she has followed Cat Noir's advice to move on," Alya said.

Argos raised a brow on how did Adrien manage to transform into Cat Noir. That was something he didn't figure out. Unless his powers gave him the ability to talk and move properly. It didn't make sense since his normal self is a walking corpse with memory loss.

"Anyways, we can't let that bitch escape. Even if we send her to the police, she'll have ways to make a lie to them. I can't believe your school of idiotic teachers did not check their facts about her. And seriously? Your idiotic buffoon of a principal expelled your best friend without listening to two sides of the story? That school needs security staff" Argos scoffed.

"Yeah, clearly" Alya agreed.

Adrien was in a corner looking at a picture of Marinette. He misses her so much as much as she misses him too. Their love was so strong that his father had to ruin it and take it away.

"Turkey bird, I'm gonna try to help Adrien get his memories back. I can see he's a little conscience now but still hungry for flesh" Alya said.

"Very well. But can you please stop calling me a turkey bird?" Argos said with annoyance.

"Fine then. You are a chicken. If Cat Noir was here, he would eat a delicious bird like you. Cats eat birds. Or better yet, maybe Adrien would eat you since you look good enough to eat like roasted turkey" Alya snickered while walking past him.

"Oh boy. I'd rather be with my queen" Argos said, but suddenly lets out a peacock call and quickly covers his mouth.

"Did you just make a mating call of a peacock?" Alya turned.

Adrien heard it too and laughed between his growls.

"Uhhhh…. No way" Argos blushed.

Alya shook her head and shows Adrien some pictures, "I'm gonna see your reactions to the pictures, Adrien. Life is not like those zombie movies and you better not eat me" Alya said.

Adrien raised his head up. Alya then starts showing pictures of him and Nino.

"Nino…." He smiled at the times he and Nino would hang out like best friends along with Alya and Marinette.

"Yes, That's your bestie, Nino. He was like a brother to you" Alya said.

Alya then scrolls to more images. Chloe wasn't the best but Alya needed a reaction from him. He looks at the picture and growls at what a jerk she was.

In the beginning, they were friends when they were young but Adrien was uncomfortable with her 'utterly ridiculous' behavior. It wasn't his fault that he didn't have friends but her and now he can see that she's really out of control with power. During his first date with Marinette at the pool, he learned why Marinette was afraid to fall in love again because of her first heartbreak with Kim for pranking her badly which gave her trauma. Everything pointed to Chloe for tormenting Marinette badly. And that's when he ended his friendship with her for good.

"Yeah, I can see that you hate her, right?" Alya asked.

"Rrrrgh" Adrien nods.

Then Alya showed footage of Adrien singing. He remembers his first love song for Marinette. Even though she chickened out but he never gave up on her.

"Marinette" He managed to say her name right.

"Whoa, you spoke! Say it again with feeling!" Alya squealed.

"Marinette!" Adrien stood up.

"Say you love her! Say it from the heart!" Alya gives him determination.

"I…..love…Marinette!" He spoke a little slowly.

"You're doing it, Adrien!" Alya gasps happily.

It took him 15 minutes to speak properly but the only problem is his movements.

"Can you run?" Alya asked.

"Somewhat" Adrien spoke.

"That's one problem," Alya said.

"We gotta get you to dance to help your body move properly," Alya said and it made Adrien tilt his head in confusion.

"Remember this?" Alya showed the video of doing awesome dance moves for the Nightingale's song.

Adrien watched as everyone in the video moved their arms in circles and to the sides at times even up pointing, they all had Ladybug and Cat Noir masks on while Marinette simply had a Cat Noir mask on. Unaware that she didn't want anyone to recognize that she's the real Ladybug.

"Try to dance like that. Our girl loved this" Alya said.

Adrien carefully tries the same dance moves, starting with raising his hands and then jumping up with a fist into the air then moving the hands until the right touched the chin and the other on his hip.

"You're doing it, Adrien. Feel the love that you once had with dancing my girl" Alya said.

Adrien thought about the day they danced for the video and repeated it all, "Marinette" Adrien imagines himself waltzing with his princess.

He imagined her in a red dress while he in a black tuxedo. Alya can see that he's having a fantasy imagination, realizing that his brain is functioning a little.

"First time I've seen a zombie dance," Alya said.

Adrien grabbed her hand to waltz with her, hoping that he can get his memories back of dancing with the girl he loves. Ignoring the smell of decay, Alya went along and held his right hand out and had one hand on his back.

"Are you remembering?" Alya asked.

"Yes….my dance…..with Mari" Adrien waltzed with her.

"Nino would kill you if he saw me dancing with you but you're undead right now" Alya chuckled.

"Yeah, he...would," Adrien said.

"Get your stiffness out, Adrien. If Marinette saw you, she would be in so much pain but happy to see you. You gotta find the alive Adrien deep within" Alya said as she was dipped.

"Got...it" Adrien pulls her back up.

"Hmmm….I think I got it. When you thought of Marinette what did you feel?" Alya asked.

"I felt...warmth," Adrien said.

Alya puts her ear on his chest and she heard a very weak heartbeat, "Of course. Emotions are what keep living things alive. You, however, you're feeling the love that is pulsing in your heart"

"Yeah...I miss her" Adrien said.

"And she misses you too, Adrien. She was grieving so much. She loved you too much but she's not herself without you. She blames Monarch and your father for taking it away" Alya said.

x

Marinette was still grieving too much with anger that she went straight towards the gate of the Agreste mansion, wanting to confront the man that took her love away.

"Who is it?" Gabriel rudely said through the spycam on the gate.

"It's me, murderer. We need to talk. Now" Marinette said with anger.

Gabriel sighs, and then pressed the button, "Come in" He let her in.

The gate opens up and Marinette went inside with a little insanity in her eyes. As she heads to the mansion, she went into the office to speak with him.

"Hmph, you look like crap" She took her seat.

"By being all alone in the mansion. All of Paris hates me for claiming the life of Adrien" Gabriel said and had grown some stubble.

Marinette had dark circles underneath her eyes and she lost a bit of weight too, "Why would you do this? Adrien explained about his life to me and he was desperate for a father to care for him. Everyone knows you never leave the mansion but sometimes you do"

"My wife's death changed me into what I am today, Dupain-Cheng. It's not easy to raise someone alone" Gabriel said.

"But you went too far taking his freedom from him. You were the real bad influence on him. Adrien couldn't handle being isolated and he made new friends. Friendship is not a bad influence, it's to have someone that accepts a person for who they are and what they are. Ever since you did not let him have his first birthday party, he was sad to believe you never remembered his birthday. Skipping meals with him so much made him very lonely in the mansion, Mr. Agreste. He's not some trophy for your brand, he's a boy with feelings and you did not see how he was feeling" Marinette explained everything about what Gabriel truly missed when Adrien died, "Adrien has the right to be in love with someone that cares for him, loves him, and gives him happiness. That's what teenage life is for him, including his friends and myself" Marinette then wipes the tears from her eyes.

"I just wanted what's best for him. I didn't mean for this to happen" Gabriel said.

"You can't simply choose what's best for him, Mr. Agreste. It won't bring him happiness but misery. I've seen how he felt when he expressed his feelings to me when he told me that he didn't want to travel the world with Lila. You had no idea what he went through with her to model with her. You don't pay attention to how he feels" Marinette glared.

"I fired Lila because I started to doubt her. And it took me too long to realize that when I accidentally killed my boy" Gabriel said.

"As they always say. You have no idea what you have until it's gone, Mr. Agreste. Adrien was the love of my life. He developed feelings for me as I did too. You didn't see what his real true happiness is. He loves freedom. Your actions only drove him away from you before he quit modeling, but the strictness you caused that contributed to the end of the father and son relationship. I'm not the one to blame, it's you" Marinette said with tears as she continues, "What good was getting him to come back to you if you couldn't learn to be faithful to him or let him live his life? What good was getting respect from anyone when you couldn't even learn to respect yourself? From what it's worth, you damaged our relationship because you can't accept the fact that he's learning to grow and experience love in his life" Marinette sobs and takes her leave, "You may have let horrible people like the mayor's wife, the worst producer Bob Roth, and Lila into your life but you never let good and innocent people into your heart. Your wife would have wanted you to care for Adrien but you failed. She would feel disappointed in you" She leaves the office and out the door.

"That Dupain-Cheng has really become a thorn in my side, much like Ladybug and Cat Noir," Gabriel said and headed to his secret lair.

He then goes to check his condition, "I only have days left"

x

The teens were still keeping an eye on Cerise from escaping. Kagami used the peacock brooch to create an emotion judgment of a sentimonster cage that keeps a prisoner from escaping. Nothing can get in or out.

Felix was very impressed with his queen for having a clever way to trap an enemy from escaping their punishment.

"What is this?! I'm innocent and I haven't done anything to upset you!" Cerise said but the sentimonster cage electrified her if she tries to lie, "Ow!"

"Careful, liar. This sentimonster can also detect your lies, whenever you come up with them. It is cruel but your actions were very cruel and evil like Monarch. Especially my mother's strictness" Kagami glared.

"Kagami, Im truly sorry for being a bad friend. Please give me a chance! Ow!" Cerise made another lie again that she truly isn't sincere.

"Lila may have been my friend but Lila did not exist when Cerise showed her true colors," Kagami said.

"Damn you, Kagami!" Cerise cursed.

"Shut up you psycho!" Felix shouted at Cerise.

"Urgh!" Cerise sat down.

Adrien so wanted to eat her but he doesn't want his friends to see him as a monster. It wouldn't be right if Marinette sees that.

"Here you go" Alya brought some chicken meat to feed Adrien.

Adrien munched on it ravenously.

"Now, I better go check on Marinette," Alya said.

"That baker will suffer more, blogger. She'll never be open to anyone with her miserable state!" Cerise yelled.

"We'll see about that, Liar!" Alya glared at her before heading to Marinette's home.