Song Recommendation: Atlantis - Seafret
{No POV}
After the battle was over and they got far enough away the two adults detransformed back into Marianne and Jason with a sigh bent down holding their chests in pain.
"I told you we shouldn't be fighting like that..."
"I know, but we had to help. We can't let things come to the worse..." Jason said after a few moments.
"Let's just get to Master Fu..." Marianne groaned out righting herself.
Once standing straight she panted once before putting on her sunglasses.
"Put your sunglasses on Jacob we have to go out into public and we can't risk being recognized by someone we know. We've risked plenty so far..." Marianne said softly before exiting the alley.
They then nonchalantly left the alley that was surprisingly beyond the Dupain-Cheng home and made their way to the home of one Wang Fu.
Once there, Marianne knocked on the door.
"I knew you two would stop by. Come on in, I've made tea, and hot chocolate as well as snacks." Fu said to the two adults.
The two adults sighed and went inside with awkward smiles.
-Minutes Later-
"We can't fight like we used to Master, we don't have that kind of strength anymore." Marianne said after finishing her burger.
"You used the forbidden technique didn't you?" Fu questioned knowingly.
The adults nodded guiltily.
"Even knowing it would sap quite a bit of your life away to do so?"
"Yes... / Yeah..." The two answered guiltily.
"That is most grave indeed, but the problem remains that these kids need your help." Fu said solemnly.
Marianne sighed.
"I thought about it, and I wouldn't mind helping them with the final fight. But until then, I can't fight anymore." Marianne said sadly looking down at her cup of hot chocolate.
Jason sighed.
"I've made my peace with our fate, i'm willing to help them in the final fight as well. But I can't fight anymore until then either."
"You two are already slowly dying aren't you?!" Questioned Fu upset.
Marianne and Jason shared a look with each other before nodding.
"How long do you think you have without fighting at all as of right now?"
"A year." They answered.
Fu sighed sadly and put a reassuring hand on their shoulders.
"If you are sure, than I will not stop you. But will you tell them?" Fu answered.
Marianne looked down and Jason looked away.
"I see... You will have to tell them eventually..."
"We know... But we figured it best to first let them digest everything that has happened so far."
"Did you two finally get together?" Fu asked amused.
The two shared a smile and nodded.
"Yes, we've been married for 8 years. But we've kept both apartments just incase of anything happening here." Jason answered with a small smile.
"Any children?"
"No... As much as we would love to have a child or two we can't in good conscience bring a child into this world only for it to be left alone once we die. We don't have 18 years. We barely have one left as is..." Marianne said sadly.
"I'm certain your family would be more than glad to take care of your child should you die." Fu said hopeful for them.
"No. I can't do that to them either." Marianne.
Fu nodded in understanding.
Then they noticed the time.
"So what will you two do now?" Asked Fu.
"We made sure to buy up the house that belonged to my mother and younger brother ten years ago before we left just in case and even had it furnished and prepared just in case. We've also had someone hired to go clean it up until now. We'll be alright. Tomorrow we will have Marinette give us a make over and head to a record label here to sign a contract we were offered once our last contract ended a week ago." Jason explainedhelpined helping Marianne stand up seeing as she was still fairly drained.
"Very well I shall see you two around. Just make sure to hang onto those miraculouses." Fu said before seeing them off.
"Master... Are you certain this is wise? They will die more quickly if they fight!" Questioned Wayzz concerned.
Fu sighed.
"I am certain. They have made their choice... We must have faith in them all." Fu said reassuringly.
Wayzz hummed still concerned but relented.
-The Next Day-
When lunch time came around Lila tried to steal away Adrien from Marinette but Adrien curved her claiming to have to get a head start to his fencing lesson. Which wasn't exactly a lie, but it managed to get her to back off.
So he slipped away into a safe hidden spot and transformed quickly escaping into a rooftop.
Marinette had been walking with Alya and Nino when it rolled around so she made her move.
"Sorry guys, I have to go to the bathroom, you guys go on without me okay?" Marinette said calmly and sweetly as always.
"Um.. Okay.." They said confused.
So she left towards the bathroom and after triple checking the coast was clear she transformed into Ladybug and left onto the rooftops soon locating Chat Noir on top of an abandoned building on the outskirts of town.
"Figured this place could make a good hideout for us heroes to meet up and talk." Said Adrien leading her inside where there was couches and other things set up to make it feel more like a hideout.
"Nice touches but how did you manage this?"
"I got a little help from Jason and Marianne. They had some interior designer they know fix this place up on the inside into this and made sure they wouldn't tell a soul." Said Adrien relaxedly.
"But why?"
"That's one of the MANY things we need to talk about."
"Where should we start?"
"Lila."
"Why her?"
"I talked the situation with her from my stand point with Jason eearlier today when I met up with him in secret and he told me it reminded him of something peculiarly exactly like our Lila situation to Marianne and himself when they were teens. The ending for them as heroes was tied to it rather strongly and he would rather that it didn't end the same way for us." Adrien explained seriously.
Marinette gulped nervously but nodded.
"Mari has Lila declared war on you because you've called her out on her lying?" Adrien asked her seriously holding her hands in his and loking her in her eyes.
Marinette looked away with a sigh and nodded.
"Yes, but I didn't think she'd go as far as she's gone so far. I'm actually a bit worried about what she might try next." Marinette said carefully.
"I was afraid of that."
"Why?" Asked Marinette now concerned.
"This girl they had this same situation with before had declared war on Marianne too. But their war was because the girl was in love with Jason. It got very bad. I was told by Jason that Marianne ended up getting shot during their final boss battle and the girl ended up dying in the fire that broke out during their final fight with the person who used to use the peacock miraculous years ago. That girl was the reason they had to leave for the safety of the city." Adrien explained grimly.
"What?! What happened exactly?"
"I don't know and honestly don't want to know... What i do know is we need to stop Lila once and for all. Things are getting out of hand if that situation recently is anything to go by." Adrien said.
"But how? If we try anything now, the blame will fall on me and I'll be the one that will be taken out of the equation." Marinette responded.
"We will need to bring the entire team together here outside of costume to come up with something. But we need to fix this, and fast. She seems to be plotting something." Adrien said.
"Alright. I'm sure we can do that."
"So what do we need to talk about now?" Marinette said.
"We need to talk about Hawk Moth."
"Hawk Moth?"
"Yes... Jason also told me something that has me very disturbed. Something about the last peacock miraculous holder." Said Adrien.
"What did he say?"
"The last holder of the Peacock Miraculous was my mother. Emilie Agreste." Said Adrien grimly.
Marinette was shocked.
"But what does that have to do with-"
"Mayura is working for Hawk Moth. Hawk Moth is the one holding onto the Peacock Miraculous and lending it to Mayura. Therefore Hawk Moth is most likely as we suspected before, my father Gabriel Agreste. No doubts about it..."
"But he was akumatized!"
"Hawk Moth can control his akuma even without being in his supersuit. So the question that remains is the one that I have already found out the answer to. Mayura's identity is obviously Natalie my dad's secretary." Said Adrien grimly.
"So you're surrounded by enemies at all times. Meaning you have to be extra careful now."
"Not exactly. I have to be as careful as I normally am. My father already suspected me before when he caused Gorizilla to happen. Hence why the target was me and why i had to send a decoy in my place in order to appear as Chat Noir last minute."
"Fair enough. But what should we do with all this information?"
"Nothing for now. We have to keep things as normal as possible while we take down Lila first. I have a feeling my Father is working with her on whatever she's plotting. Once Lila is out of the way we just have to lay low for a while longer while of course secretly meeting up with the others and Master Fu to come up with a strategy. In that time, I can work with Max to secretly hack into the mansion's cybernetic security and find out where his hideout is exactly within the mansion for his Hawk Moth activities. Once we have that we can come up with a surprise attack where we can take him down once and for all."
"Are you sure about all of this? I think that's a perfect plan, but this is your father after all. Are you sure you can fight your father like this?" Marinette questioned sadly.
Adrien smiled moved by her concern.
"I am sure Marinette. He may be my father, but from the get go he has hurt, manipulated and abused so many people for what? A stupid wish that could cause something horrible. I have a feeling my dad might be trying to get the wish so he can bring back my mother. But if he does that someone else could lose their mother. Or something even worse than that could happen. Besides, by what Jason has explained to me alone, my mother was worse than my father. If she were to come back, my mother and father could end up working together and destroy the world for all they care." Adrien said reassuringly.
"My mother is gone, she is dead. She died by trying to kill Dragoness and Tiger King 10 years ago because they were trying to stop her from stealing all of the Miraculous for some reason. Probably to save what would have been my twin brother by means of the wish. It's best she isnt brought back. My fathere abandoned me emotionally when my mother died so I'm not actually close to him. I never have been. Even when I was very little my father rarely ever spent time with me. I don't even know him very well." Adrien explained.
Her turned to Marinette to find her crying.
He then promptly began to freak out as he honestly does not know how to soothe a crying girl.
- After One Half Hour -
"So with everything settled for now Princess I better get to my Fencing Lesson and you have to meet up with one Marianne. After you, My Lady." Adrien said with a cheshire grin and a bow.
Marinette giggled and kissed his cheek before standing apart from him.
"Why thank you kitty."
"Tikki, time to go!" Marinette called.
"Goodbye for now my sugarcube..." Said Plagg to Tikki sadly.
Tikki giggled and flew in a circle around him before saying goodbye for now to Plagg.
"Ready Marinette?" Asked Tikki cheerfully.
"Always." Marinette said pausing. "Tikki, Spots On!"
After she transformed Adrien swooned.
"My Lady you are just so awesome." Adrien said swooning a bit.
Ladybug laughed a bit.
"Your turn Kitty." She said.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien said punching the air.
Once transformed they kissed and left the building in separate directions.
-With Marinette-
After detransforming in an Alley near the school that was abandoned Marinette began to walk to the cafe that she and Marianne were going to meet up at.
As she waited at an intersection to cross the street to the cafe where Marianne was watching her paitently waiting for her to join her she was suddenly shoved into the intersection in front of a truck.
Marianne rushed over but couldn't make it in time, no one could.
TBC...