Welcome back everyone! Keeping to my Monday updates. I usually like to update in the morning but it's Memorial Day here in the US and I've been out since the early hours of the morning.

Content warning for this chapter include: Sickness, infection, past injuries, talk of starvation, stealing, and neglect. (Our boy is not having a good time this week.)

Chapter 3

Kindness of a Stranger

Shadow Moth swore as he felt the Akuma ripped from its host and cleansed of its controlling energy. It was the same song and dance he and Ladybug had been doing for sometime now. He would get so close to achieving his goal only for it to be ripped away just like his Akuma. Something had to change, something needed to give. He kept plotting and pushing but it was never enough. The longer they played this game the longer his beloved Emily had to wait. He had been patient long enough. What he needed was something new. A new plan, a new puppet, a new…something.

His shoulders slump dejected. He would go on forever if he had to but he was just so tired, so-

"Wait…" and then he felt it. A powerful negative emotion stronger than he had felt in a long time. He concentrated trying to get a feel for his potential new Akuma, until at last he found it. It was raw pain and grief but it was also something else, something…familiar.

"Wait…" The heartbreak of losing a loved one, the agony of knowing it was your mistake that caused it.

"Wait…" The loneliness that courses through your veins as you try everything to make it right.

Wait… Becoming the villain because the ones with the power to help you refuse or do nothing. The need to have someone understand what you're going through but no one ever does.

Wait…this…this wasn't right. He transformed back into his true self, Gabriel Agreste leaving a confused Nooroo and Dussu, the Kwamis of the moth and peacock in his wake. But he just couldn't do it. He had seen and felt a lot of negative emotions during his reign as Shadow Moth but he had never felt one so…similar to him. He tended to stay away from people who were grieving and the ones whose emotions were too strong, he didn't always have the best control over them. But this one…for some reason he felt compelled to seek out this person even if he wasn't really sure why.

He knocked on Nathalie's door after seeing the lights on, she was up late again. "Nathalie may I come in?"

"Of course sir." He saw she was in the process of getting ready to retire for the evening. Her use of the broken Peacock Miraculous had made her so sick she was in need of constant bed rest. How he wished he discovered how to fix it before she got hurt. Still she helped whenever and however she could, he was thankful for that.

"This may seem like an odd request but I need you to find someone for me." If it seemed odd to her she didn't show it. She pulled up her tablet awaiting further instructions. He gave her the general area he felt those strong emotions and she pulled up the surveillance footage. They no longer had Optigami but she had left a Trojan horse in the network for them to use in their war against Ladybug. A few moments later he spotted an image of a young boy in rags, his arms shackled together. Gabriel didn't know what to expect but he didn't imagine this person was so young.

"He doesn't look too good," Nathalie observed, noting the boy's condition. "What do you need him for?" But before he could answer they watched stunned as the boy transformed before their eyes. He was a Miraculous holder!

"Quickly follow him!" he said as the boy took off. It was a little tricky but they managed to follow him. The situation grew even stranger as Ladybug appeared and started chasing him. The boy successfully escaped her using some strange glowing orb but he also disappeared from their sight as well.

While Nathalie continued the search Gabriel pulled up his own tablet, opening up the Miraculous book he had scanned in. The boy resembled a racoon, he remembered reading something about it a while ago.

"Here it is." He said, reading the translated text. "The Kwami of Innovation grants his user the power of Fusion. He is unique for he can choose who wields his power. Dire consequence will be unleashed upon anyone who tries to take his power without his approval. He tends to form a strong bond with whoever he does choose." Nathalie nodded without looking up.

"It seems he's already chosen the boy as his current holder." Gabriel read further. It seems this type of power required a smart and creative mind, not unlike Ladybug herself. More and more he seemed intrigued by this boy. The thought had crossed his mind to steal his Miraculous from him but he knew the consequences of forcing a Miraculous's power. The book didn't go into much more details though. It seems that both the Kwami and Miraculous had disappeared ages ago and were feared forever lost. But that begged the question, wear had it been all these years and why was it here now?

"Sir, I've found something I think you should see." Gabriel leaned over to see her screen. "I went back hoping to find where he lived but then I saw…this." On the screen he saw a portal opening up in the sky in an old alleyway he then saw the boy fall through it. "That's not all." She pulled up another video of Pegasus, the Miraculous holder of the Horse. using his Voyage power to open a portal and played both of them side by side. They were a match. He wasn't quite sure what it all meant but apparently Ladybug or Pegasus were the ones who brought both the boy and the Kwami here. The boy also seemed to be afraid of her. This could prove to be very useful. If they could find him first.

"Nathalie I hate to ask but-"

"It's no trouble sir. I've already altered the footage but kept a copy for you. If the boy is still in the city we'll find him." Gabriel sighed. Even if he told her to get some rest she'd just stay up anyway.

"Oh and sir?" she said with a little uncertainty. "You're no doubt thinking this boy could be a potential ally but…" she hesitated but he already knew what she was going to say.

"I also noticed he seemed unwell."

"And if he was using his miraculous to evade Ladybug-"

"He might be worse off if we find him."

"When, we find him." she corrected and Gabriel conceded.

"When we find him.

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Alya Césaire was one of the only people in the world who knew the identity of the SuperHero Ladybug. She considered herself to be very fortunate to have earned Ladybug's trust especially when she found out that her best friend Marinette had been the hero she admired all along. There were some drawbacks however. Like having a well renowned blog dedicated to said hero and not being able to report anything meaningful on it.

After Ladybug had given her the Miraculous of the fox she became known as Rena Rouge with the power of Illusions. But when Shadow Moth had discovered her identity he had attacked her family to try and draw out Ladybug forcing her to give up her Miraculous for good. Or so he thought. They wound up tricking him so she could still use the Miraculous but now only in secret. She now served as Ladybug's spy and kept Shadow moth off her tail so he couldn't discover her secret identity as well.

It was unfortunate that the latest Akuma attacked while her Kwami Trix was visiting the other Kwamis but it was defeated with no trouble so she figured the current crisis was over.

So imagine her surprise when she gets a frantic call in the middle of the night.

It wasn't the first time she's had to sneak out; she'd had a lot of practice. As soon as she landed in Marinette's room the other girl started rambling on a mile a minute too fast to make out.

"Whoa! Slow down girl. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened." Marinette did exactly that. She took a deep breath and told her about how one of Kaalki's portals had brought someone over from another dimension. That person was also a Miraculous holder who she first mistook for an Akuma and scared him off.

"And now I don't know where he went but it's my fault he got stuck here." she squeaked with a hint of despair. "I should have called you to help instead of asking the Kwamis to use their power without a holder. I keep messing up but I need to fix this. He's out there in a strange new land with no way home and now he thinks I want to lock him up or something." Alya put a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax Marinette, we'll figure this out. We just have to find him and explain the situation. Then we can send him home and there, problem solved." Miranette looked reassured for the moment but Kaalki was once again fidgeting nervously.

"Apologies my Lady but I'm not even sure how my portal went so deep or even where it went." Marinette dropped her head into her hands thinking what a disaster she had on her hands when suddenly she paused.

"Wait, what if?'' She looked around at the other Kwamis. "Maybe we can find a way with the right combination." At this Alya perked up.

"See girl, you'll figure this out. And I'll be here to help you any way I can." Marinette smiled but Tiki looked concerned.

"I know you want to help this other holder but experimenting with too many powers can be dangerous."

"I'll be careful Tiki but it would be best if he was here with us." She thought for a moment. "When he transformed he looked kind of like a raccoon or a lemur. Do you know the Kwami that could be helping him?"

"I only met him once. The Kwami of Innovation Ringlet was a raccoon but he disappeared a long time ago."

"What happened to him?"

"I heard he didn't like being cooped up in his Kwami box and used his powers without a holder to escape."

"Do you think he wound up in another dimension where he found a new holder?"

"It certainly looks like that was the case. He was known for his curiosity and not following the rules." Marinette pulled out her phone and looked at the small section that mentioned the Raccoon Kwami. That bad feeling was coming back again.

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Ruddiger didn't care much for rules. After all, the rules changed all the time and differed wherever he went. So he had no problem stealing if he was hungry or needed something to survive. And right now his boy was in trouble. Varian had woken up in the morning with a violent cough and an even higher fever. He managed to get up and find a safer hiding spot but hasn't moved since than.

Ruddiger knew he had to try and help Varian, the poor boy had been through so much already and this was also his fault. He knew Varian shouldn't have used the Miraculous while he was so sick and weak from hunger but he just wanted to share this with him. At least it took care of those nasty shackles.

Right now he needed water, food, something to keep him warm and medicine. The water was surprisingly easy to find. At first he tried finding a bucket to collect water from the nearby river but then he saw vendors selling water in nice airtight bottles on the streets. Why anyone would buy water was a mystery to him but he had no trouble snagging one and bringing it back. He got Varian to drink a bit which helped his sore throat but his cough persisted. There was a bakery nearby with fresh baked bread cooling by the window. He grabbed some and tried to get Varian to eat it.

Unfortunately he threw most of it up. He kept trying to get him to drink more water but Varian was having trouble staying awake despite his constant shivering. He was able to find a blanket someone left on a line to dry but the biggest problem was the medicine. Normally he could make some from white willow bark but there were very few trees in the city he landed in and he was afraid of going too far and leaving Varian alone. After a frantic search he found an apothecary that carried it but was guarded. He could phase through the walls but he had no way of getting the medicine out without detection. Desperate, he waited until he saw someone buy it and waited for them to leave the store.

Now Ruddiger never did have a problem stealing what he needed but he did feel a little bad since this person obviously needed it as well. But seeing as they bought two bottles it was enough to justify taking some for his boy. He didn't even know why there was a day and a night medicine but he didn't have time to waste. He took the day one since it was still morning and raced back as quickly as he could. Maybe he wasn't as careful as he should have been but Varian was only getting worse.

By the time he got back Varian was still asleep and he was having trouble waking him up. He tried forcing some of the medicine down his throat but he feared he might be too late.

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Gabriel was following a lead Nathalie found with his chauffeur Gorilla driving him around. He finally convinced Nathalie to get some rest while he tried to find the Raccoon holder. He was used to pulling all nighter especially when he had a fashion show coming up so he could easily function on just a few hours of sleep. She said she spotted someone running and then there was a flash of light. The footage was hard to make out but it was worth checking out.

Suddenly he heard Gorilla grunt in surprise. Gabriel followed his gaze and saw something small flying somewhere off to his left. He ordered him to stop the car and he tried to follow whatever it was on foot into a back alley. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. There was the young boy from the video mostly hidden by a large blanket. He reached down to pull the blanket away and was shocked by what he saw. The boy looked like he had barely eaten in weeks, there were signs of bruises in various stages of healing and his wrist…He surmised his wrists must have been damaged by the shackles he was wearing when he first came over. By the looks of it he tried to wrap them but they were still bleeding through.

He reached down to try and wake him up but drew his hand back in shock. He had never felt someone this hot before. He whipped out his phone and pressed a sequence of buttons that revealed a hidden list of numbers. He found the one he was looking for and connected it as fast as he could.

"I have a medical emergency, a juvenile. Meet me at the back entrance to this address and tell no one. You'll be briefed later." He hung up knowing the person on the other end would drop everything and be ready to receive their patient. He gently picked up the boy and hurried back to the limo noting how light he was.

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Ruddiger watched from the folds of the blanket as the man raced off with Varian. He barely heard someone coming and only had a moment to hide himself. He was afraid for his boy and was even willing to risk using his powers again if it meant protecting him. But then this strange man looked genuinely concerned. He mentioned something about a medical emergency and hoped that meant he was going to help his boy.

There wasn't much choice, Varian needed help and he needed it fast. If the man wanted to hurt him it would have been easy but instead he was getting him help. Surely he could trust him…right?

To be continued…