"Pound…" Adrien as Chat Noir started to say, holding his fist in the air for a fist bump from his partner to only be ignored once again. It was nearing the two month anniversary of what most of the kids in his class called the incident which landed Lila in hot water with law enforcement. It had also destroyed the kingdom of lies that the girl created that Adrien believed wasn't harming anyone until it was too late. Much like the rest of the class, he hated himself for not doing something, anything at all, sooner. Instead, the students were questioning just what kind of people they were while Lila rotted in a jail cell awaiting extradition to one of two other countries who wanted her.
Ever since then the relationship between the two heroes had changed drastically, even as Chat tried his best to get some kind of friendly banter going only for it to be ignored. He wanted to blame the incident for it, but he knew deep down that it wasn't the cause. Or at least not the main one as Ladybug's whole demeanor started changing a few weeks prior to it. She started to act a little more depressed each time they met up and refused to talk to him about it claiming that with everything going on it could easily risk her identity. She promised she had others to talk to about it though she he let it drop only for it to get much worse after the incident. He was at a lost on what to do as Adrien he had no real world experience and look where his advice had gotten them. As Chat Noir, he wasn't much better as he used the mask to act out some even if it was still the same insecure and frightened child under the mask.
With a heavy sigh, he quickly found a hidden spot to feed Plagg before changing back into Chat Noir and running over rooftops to what had become his normal sulking spot across from the bakery that was Marinette's home. A home that just seemed too quiet now without the light that one girl brought to all those around her. It wasn't very late, but as usual the parents of the girl had closed up shop and turned in early as they still found it hard to deal with their grief over what had happened.
"Why Marinette?" Chat Noir asked in a strangled sounding sob, the lack of light coming from her room or roof slash balcony driving home the fact that she wasn't home and wouldn't be coming back again.
MLB&CN
A few buildings in the opposite way a figure stood in a bulky black hoodie zipped up and the hood pulled over their head, a scarf wrapped around their lower face so only their blue eyes could be seen, if barely. They also wore a pair of dark sweat pants that was also bulky and a dark pair of runners. Their clothes pretty much hid the gender of the person, but not their height marking them a young adult most likely. Their clothes looked a little worn as well as dirty as they held a backpack in their hand that they barely managed to sneak out of the room that Chat Noir was looking towards while grieving.
"Marinette, maybe its time to go back. I'm sure everyone misses you, Chat Noir sure does." Tikki sighed as she flew out of the figure's sweatshirt pocket.
"No, Tikki, they don't. You know that as well as I do." A strained yet muffled voice hitched as the figure shook their head no.
"Marinette, you saw the news, they arrested that Lila girl and there is no way she's coming back. Everyone knows everything she said was all lies now." Tikki argued.
"If they cared they would have believed me before I jumped. If it wasn't for you transforming me into Aqua Ladybug just as I hit the water, I would have been dead." Marinette sighed, "Face it Tikki, Marrinette is dead and it is best that she stays dead. Ladybug doesn't have friends, and with no way for the rest to bully a dead girl, I can't get akumatized."
"Marinette, you can't keep going like this!" Tikki cries, "You barely eat anything since you make me eat any sweets you get!"
"That reminds me, here." Marinette said as she dug around in the bag she managed to get from her old home with a few more changes of clothes and essentials, as well as a little food she was able to score by sneaking downstairs to grab a few macaroons for Tikki and a few croissants for herself. Handing Tikki a cookie, Marinette nibbled on the flaky treat. It was getting a little stale so it was obvious not fresh tasting, but there was something off about the taste that she couldn't figure out.
"Marinette, please, you are going to make yourself sick if you keep going like this. A croissant isn't a healthy meal when it is all you had in three days!" Tikki whimpered, holding her macaroon while trying to convince her holder to go home.
"I don't matter Tikki, you do. You are the one who gives me the power to fight the akumas and you are the one who needs to recharge." Marinette sighed, stuffing the partially eaten treat back into her bag as she shouldered the bookbag.
"You do matter, Marinette!" Tikki snapped out, tears flowing as she looked at the girl who was fixing the scarf back into place.
"No, Tikki, I don't. If something happens you can find another Ladybug, a better one probably. Until something happens though, I made a promise to watch over you and do my best to fight Hawkmoth." Marinette said, growing tired of the same argument they kept having lately. She loved Tikki, but Marinette honestly believed the Kwami would be much better off with someone else. If it wasn't for her drive to keep her promise to the little creature, she would have really jumped with the intent of dying instead of having Tikki change her at the last possible second. Thankfully the change didn't happen until they were under the water where nobody could see with how dark it was and the incoming storm making the water churn violently. "We need to go so hurry up and eat."
Looking at her broken holder, Tikki cried as she hurried up and finished the little snack to recharge her powers before changing Marinette back into Ladybug so they could leap away and head toward an old abandoned factory that she found before she planned her apparent death. Landing on top she snuck in through the only opening from the outside that wasn't sealed through a skylight in the roof. She hated to admit it, but Tikki was right that she needed something more than a piece of bread to eat as she was getting more and more sluggish and tired from malnutrition. Still, she trudged up the metal steps to the office where there was three rooms. In the first room, which must have been a waiting room, there was a few chairs and a couch as well as what must have been a reception desk. In the next room, which must have been the main office, their was a larger desk, a few filing cabinets that was cleaned out, and a large office chair behind the desk and two smaller ones facing the desk. The last room which was off this one was a bathroom with a small sink and surprisingly a small shower stall. Thankfully, the water worked though without gas or power, there was no way to heat it.
Dropping her transformation Tikki settled on the small pillow on the desk in the waiting room where a blanket and another pillow was on the couch where Marinette had been sleeping. "At least I can take a real shower tomorrow now that I got some soap."
"You should be more worried about food." Tikki lectured, "Look, you don't have to go home, but what if you just went to someone you trust and ask for a meal. You don't even have to do it as Marinette, do it as Ladybug at least."
"That's the thing, Tikki, you are the only one I can trust." Marinette sighed.
MLB&CN
AN: So, yeah, I had Marinette fake her death. I will show what happened a little more through flashbacks and peoples thoughts and news clips over the next few chapters. For now, only a few still have faith that she could have somehow survived the conditions of her jump into the river from high up. Nobody knows for sure, except perhaps one person maybe. And no it isn't her family or Adrien.
I actually have another story planned using the same setup, only Marinette won't be homeless as it will be even more AU and Master Fu will still have his memories. There will be a time jump though instead of being a couple months it will be years and Hawkmoth will have been defeated in it. It will be about Marinette's return home to Paris and revealing she is still alive a few chapters in into that story. It's why I didn't exactly show how Marinette supposedly died because I plan to put the actual chapter in that story while this one will be mostly flashbacks and stuff so I don't have two chapters nearly identical in two stories despite having the same faked death scenario.
If you didn't catch it though, I said Master Fu will still have his memories meaning that he doesn't in this one. Marinette has the Miracle Box that she has hidden in a safe place and can pull a Miraculous out of the YoYo if needed. Not that she trusts anyone just yet enough to give them one.
