And we're back!
As always, thank you to Khanofallorcs for being the beta! ^^
Chapter Twenty-One
"Your father already gave his answer, Adrien," Nathalie said, blue eyes betraying just the smallest amount of pity. "He does not feel comfortable with you freely wandering about, with the akuma attacks taking place."
"But this will be giving me a chance to practice my piano," Adrien replied, chest feeling tight. "Different types of music, in a different environment, needing to keep time with other musicians–"
She peered at him from over her glasses. "Joining a band– giving you more obligations on top of what you already have?"
Adrien looked away.
"Your father's word is final," Nathalie said, and her gaze softened slightly. "I am really sorry about this, Adrien. But he just doesn't want you getting hurt."
A part of Adrien wanted to snap back, but he already knew too well how to keep those words buried. He just looked away, muttering something that was barely agreement– because he knew that the verdict wasn't going to change. He turned to head back up the stairs towards his room, and he could feel Nathalie's gaze on the back of his head, and he couldn't help but shut the door with a bit more force than necessary.
His mood didn't improve when he saw the brand new keyboard he had ordered sitting in its box in the middle of the room, silently mocking him. He turned his head away, swift steps moving towards the bed as he sat down, running his hands through his hair.
"Stupid akumas," he growled under his breath. "Things were just starting to get better, he was letting me go places."
The tryouts for the video game tournament, going to Marinette's house to practice– it had all been so wonderful to just go out, have his leash extended without Nathalie telling him to pass something off as a school project. Granted, he had given his place back to Max, but that had been something he had chosen to do... but now he was wondering if he would have been forced to back out of the tournament by his father if he hadn't.
When Juleka and Rose had spread word that they wanted to start a band, it had instantly piqued his interest. Both he and Nino had a love for music, and though his best friend hadn't shown too much interest in joining a rock band, the others had been excited when Adrien had wanted to join. Granted, the only thing he could play was a piano which wasn't exactly rock... but Ivan had then suggested a keyboard and everything had seemed to start working out from there.
The only thing he had needed was his father's approval, but the most he had gotten was a 'maybe' until today– where the 'no' had finally been set in stone.
"Adrien?" Tikki asked, drifting in front of him.
"Maybe Nathalie's right," Adrien muttered. "Between Crimson Beetle and all my other commitments, I probably couldn't have kept up anyways."
"Is that you just trying to reassure yourself?" Tikki asked, and he glanced at her. "You say 'commitments', but how many of them are something you actually enjoy, and how many are you doing just because you were asked to?"
"I– I don't dislike them!" Adrien protested. "I love the piano– and fencing is a lot of fun! Mandarin is interesting, I don't hate modeling or anything..." he hesitated. "It's not like I'm being forced to do them, Father let me drop basketball when I started going to public school!"
"Then why can't he let you drop another activity in favor of joining this band?" Tikki asked. "Or let it overlap with your piano?"
He bit his lip, because there was no other activity to drop. Fencing was an event where Adrien could establish himself at the top, as the best, and he knew that individualism made his father proud. As for modeling, he had quickly become the face of his father's company, and he couldn't just back down from that. Father said Mandarin would be important for future business opportunities, there was no way he would give up public school, piano was one of the last few connections he had with his mother, and he couldn't just walk away from being Crimson Beetle.
"...This is fine," Adrien finally said instead. "It's not like I can't be with them or anything, I'll see them all at school."
"Adrien–"
"This is okay," Adrien insisted, but despite the way he was looking at Tikki it seemed he was only reassuring himself.
If there was such a thing as organized chaos, it was on the Liberty.
The boat always looked like it had just been hit by a tornado, boxes scattered about the upper deck– practically a walking hazard for anyone who wasn't familiar with the layout. But for Juleka, it was home, and she had no trouble finding the microphone that was buried under a collection of old Jagged Stone records.
"Oh, look at ye," Anarka said, beaming at her two children as they gathered everything they would need near the exit. "Starting your own band, the both of you. Seems like yesterday you were just stumbling around the deck, trying to work both of yer feet."
"It's honestly thanks to Rose that we're able to do all this," Luka said, his eyes flickering towards his sister. "We wouldn't have a drummer if she hadn't told us that Ivan was one."
"He never talks about it," Juleka replied softly, carefully placing her bass guitar in its case.
"Reminds me of someone else," Luka said, a smile tugging at his lips, picking up his own guitar case, swinging it over his back.
"We're almost to shore, children," Anarka declared, the houseboat drifting up towards one of the docks scattered throughout the city. "Yer friends should be meeting ye here, correct?"
Their mother had jumped through a web of loopholes in order to freely sail their home on the river, their boat registered with a touring company that routinely took tourists out of the river. There was more to it, though Juleka didn't understand all the finer details– but she knew that it frustrated Officer Roger to no end. Their mother was always smug with each new loophole she discovered, and was more than happy to throw back in the officer's face that they weren't technically breaking any laws, while he'd try to find the smallest citation to throw back at them. Anarka's solution to this had been simple– by making the Liberty faster so he couldn't catch up to them.
"Yeah," Juleka said, turning to grab the last item she planned to bring. She stared at it for a moment, her heart thumping in her chest, and she turned away as she adjusted her bass. She could worry about this another time... besides, they were going to be starting their band today, so now wasn't the time...
"Here you go!" Anarka said proudly as they pulled up. "Stay out as late as you need– sometimes the best inspiration comes in the late waking hours!"
"We probably won't be too late," Luka said with a smile, while Juleka climbed ashore. It was always strange going from being on the swaying houseboat to the stable shore, but she had been doing it for her whole life that she didn't pay much heed to it anymore.
Luka took a moment longer to join her, grabbing one more thing before coming on land as well. The moment they were off the boat, their mother guided it away, letting out a laugh as the sound of sirens filled the air. Moments later a patrol car was speeding by them, but their mother was already in the middle of the river. The police car came to a halt, the window rolling down as Roger glared out at the Seine in frustration.
"Couffaine!" He snarled.
"Sorry, Officer!" Anarka sang back. "I'm afraid I can't hear you over the wailing of those sirens!"
By the time he turned them off to keep her from the excuse she had already made decent headway down the river, where there were no roads along the banks for him to follow. Roger let out a snarl, before turning towards the two siblings.
"Do you know where she's heading?"
"Mom never has a destination in mind," Luka replied with a shrug.
"...Not even where she'll pick you up?"
"We'll call her when it's time," Luka replied evenly. "Now if you'd excuse us, Officer, we don't want to be late to meet up with our friends."
Roger rolled up the window, muttering something about 'next time', before pulling the car out of park, turning about to head off towards the mainroad. Juleka relaxed as he left, feeling much better without someone she barely knew hovering about. She was about to turn to head to the meet up spot, when Luka stopped her.
"You left this on the boat," he said, holding out a red rose to her.
Juleka's eyes widened. "I, um, er... I was thinking aboutdoingitnexttime."
Her words blurred together, quiet and rushed, and she closed her eyes. Luka's gaze softened, pressing the rose into her hands. She looked up at her brother, who gave her an encouraging smile.
"You said that last time," he reminded her gently. "You said you were going to give it to her today, so why hesitate now?"
"I– I'm just not ready!" Juleka said swiftly. "I– I never told her that I'm– and it might be too much to confess– and besides it's stupid– I know she likes guys and–"
"Has she ever said she's not interested in girls?" Luka asked, and Juleka shook her head. "Then you don't know if she's not." A playful smirk pulled on his lips. "Because, unlike you, some of us don't limit ourselves to one gender."
Juleka let out a small laugh, relaxing slightly. Her brother always knew how to calm her down, and despite her nerves still being on edge, her heart was no longer pounding quite as hard. She took in a deep breath, letting him guide her along the banks as they moved forward. She was fine, she could relax, soon they'd be at the park with Ivan and Rose, starting their band, and all would be well–
Everything came crashing down again– she still had the rose in her hand! She couldn't walk into the park and see Rose while holding a rose! She'd ask who it was for, and she wasn't ready to tell her. She needed to get rid of it, then that way they would only focus on their band and practicing and not on her stupid emotions–
"Are you about to throw it in the river?" Luka asked, raising an eyebrow.
Juleka slowly lowered the rose she was about to chuck in the river. "I'm– I'm not ready to tell her."
"Then you're not ready," Luka replied. "Do what you feel now; you might have said that you were ready yesterday, but if that changed, then it changed." He smiled at her. "Just don't let your doubts get to you, Jules. You're amazing, and the world deserves to see that."
Juleka held the rose close. "Thanks, Luka... I... I'll try to tell her when I see her. And if I don't, then I don't. And th-that's fine."
"Exactly," Luka agreed.
"It's a shame that Adrien couldn't join," Mylene said, helping Ivan set up what appeared to be a portable drum set. "With as much time as he says he spends practicing the piano, he could probably do a lot with the keyboard."
"Well, if this Adrien can ever join in the future, we'd be glad to have him," Luka said with a smile, looking about. "I think we picked a fairly good spot to practice, nice and open, but far enough away as to not bother anyone. Good weather today as well, not too cold out."
Juleka doubted that Adrien would be allowed to join any time soon– the time they had been able to see him out of class had seemed to be decreasing lately, and Juleka wasn't sure if it was due to a more busy schedule, or simply the nature of his father, and a combination of both could be possible.
"Hello, everyone!" A warm voice called out, and Juleka felt her heart skip a beat. She turned, a flash of pink catching her gaze as sunshine incarnate skipped up to their small group. "Sorry I'm late!"
"Hey, Rose," Mylene said warmly.
"Mylene, you came!" Rose said excitedly. "Are you going to officially join us?"
Mylene let out a small laugh. "You know I can't do anything musical to save my life."
"That's not true," Rose said, pulling out a few papers from her bag. "You helped me with this song!"
"I just narrowed down a topic..." Mylene muttered, scratching the back of her head, while Ivan smiled fondly at her. Luka gave a nod, not too familiar with the group, but he didn't seem uncomfortable. He slung his guitar case off of his back, while a pair of stunning blue eyes shifted over to Juleka.
"Hi, Juleka!" Rose chirped, immediately bounding over towards you. "We're finally doing it– isn't this exciting?"
Her arms tightened around her own guitar case, where tucked inside was a certain flower, and she gave a small smile at her closest friend. "It's awesome."
Rose let out a giggle, beaming, and Juleka knew she was a goner. She wasn't quite sure when her feelings for her best friend had become something more, but every time she was around Rose she was startled just how much she cared for her. She made her feel warm, like she could just relax and be herself when she wanted to shrink back. As Rose flashed her a smile she felt her face heating up, and she looked away.
"You got the lyrics down?" Juleka asked, careful to keep the red rose out of sight as she knelt down and opened the guitar case, pulling out the bass guitar. "Me and Luka have been practicing the music all week."
"Yep~" Rose said, holding up her papers. "I made a few changes since last time I showed you, I cut out the part about cats. I mean, I know we were thinking about calling ourselves Kitty Section, but the words just weren't flowing otherwise, it felt forced." She clutched the papers to her chest, letting out an excited squeal. "I'm so excited! We finally get to perform all together– this is going to be amazing!"
"Here's the microphone," Luka said, pulling the device from his backpack. "Nothing high tech, but good enough for a simple practice. Won't project anything, but it will record your voice just fine."
"Eee!" Rose said excitedly, shoving the lyric papers into Juleka's hands so she could take the wireless microphone. "Let me get this connected, and then we can start practicing," her eyes flickered over to Juleka. "Let me know if the words look okay!"
Juleka smiled as Rose bolted off, Luka turning to help Ivan and Mylene set up the drums. While it did look to be a portable set up, it wasn't simple. Juleka sank down into the grass, slinging her bass guitar across the back, looking over the papers Rose had printed off– covered with notes in her loopy handwriting, and a few doodles. A smile flickered over her face, and her eyes flickered over to the guitar case. The red rose looked back at her mockingly.
You know I love unicorns
And that they make me feel better!
I see their faces everywhere I go
Dreaming about them in the night!
Juleka hummed the melody under her breath as she read over the papers, the tune much different than one would expect from the lyrics. As her eyes scanned the words she could faintly hear them, brown eyes looking up to see that Rose was now singing. A soft smile spread across Juleka's face, just watching the blonde as she made her way across the park.
Her eyes turned back towards the rose in her guitar case, and her heart pounded in her chest. She could wait until she was 'ready', but when would that truly be? She wanted to tell Rose how she felt– and that was what was important.
Juleka grabbed the rose, holding it firmly in her hands as she pushed herself to her feet. She looked out at Rose, her legs feeling weak, but the new resolve in her heart made her take a step forward. Her eyes flickered about, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Luka give her an encouraging nod. Mind made up, she pressed forward, Rose's melodic voice filling the air as she headed towards her.
"You can do this," Juleka muttered softly to herself. "This is Rose– there is nothing to worry about."
Rose didn't notice her approach, bobbing her head as she sang. "You know I love unicorns~ And nothing makes me feel better~!"
Her newfound courage gave out just a few steps away, though, her heart pattering in her chest. Yes, she wanted to do this, but would Rose want this? What if she was happy with just their friendship, and she made things awkward between them? This wasn't just about her, this was about Rose as well. Perhaps she should do something small, not in front of so many people–
"Would you please shut up?" A voice snap, causing Juleka to jump. For a half second she thought the words were directed at her, and she felt another wave of panic run through her. "What are you even doing?"
"We're practicing our new song," Rose replied happily, beaming at the two boys that had been passing by her.
"Song? Was that supposed to be singing?" The second one asked, softing. "Sounded more like screeching."
Rose didn't seem fazed by this. "It's going to be a rock song," she replied with a laugh. "Not supposed to sound like a lullaby or anything."
"Who knows," the first boy muttered. "With a voice like that you might lure a monster to sleep, I don't know what else would like something like that."
"Well, um..." Rose hesitated, voice uncertain, yet somehow her tone managed to remain upbeat. "Everyone does have different tastes."
Juleka felt her heart sputter in her chest, knowing that she needed to say something. Step forward and tell these people off, or at least provide a chance for her and Rose to leave. But in the moment she just stood there petrified, her mind not wanting to risk the attention being drawn to her. She clutched the flower tighter in her hand, screaming at herself to just step forward and do something.
Then both boys were on their way, carrying down on the path. Rose stood there for a moment, and Juleka silently willed her to say something. For her to brush things off like she often did with Chloe, and just go on her way without a care. A wave of relief washed over her as Rose turned, probably to head back towards their group, but that quickly vanished as she saw the tears in her blue eyes.
"O-oh," Rose said, looking slightly surprised, quickly wiping them away. "H-hey, Juleka, are we ready to start practice?"
"Rose–" She began softly, but Rose just gave her a forced smile as she walked by.
"Let's go, don't want to keep the others waiting," Rose said, and despite her voice sounding cheery, Juleka knew that it was being faked. There were no more tears in her eyes, but her eyes lacked a spark as she smiled. "Come on."
Then she was gone, heading back towards where Luka and the others were, the microphone hanging loosely in her hand. Juleka's eyes flashed towards the boys as they carried on, a burning anger rushing through her. They didn't have to say a word! It wasn't like they had even planned on staying in the area! Yet they had felt the need to throw such hurtful words at Rose!
That anger was swift to turn to guilt, sticky and heavy as it settled into her heart. She couldn't blame others when she had just stood there– doing nothing as they had insulted her. Juleka's arms wrapped around herself, tears stinging her eyes, eyes flickering down towards the rose in her hand, before pressing them shut.
"You're a coward," she muttered, eyes stinging. "You should have said something. You should have said something."
How could she even think she deserved the chance to say her feelings if she couldn't even protect Rose's?
"Yes, you should have some something," a soft voice mused, causing Juleka to let out a small gasp. Her surprise was only there for a moment– before quickly giving way to the churning emotions burning through her: guilt, fear, anger. They seemed to course through her very blood, her sole focus immediately turning towards Rose's tear filled-eyes.
"I'm a coward," Juleka told the voice, feeling disgusted with herself. "I don't even deserve to be her friend."
"Well, perhaps that's just a bit extreme," the voice told her, it's tone comforting, despite the heavy feelings she felt. "Perhaps you messed up this time, but you can right your wrongs– and I can help you."
Juleka blinked, a ray of hope forming within her at these words, though it was quickly quashed by her guilt. "You can? How?"
She could imagine the speaker smiling. "I am Monarch, and I can give you powers. Powers to protect your friend, courage to act, but I will need something in return."
"Anything to help Rose," Juleka said firmly.
"I will need the Miraculouses of Crimson Beetle and Lady Noire," Monarch replied. "In return, Knight Skies, I will give you the power to protect Rose and to seek revenge on those who have wronged her."
A dark light bubbled up from Juleka's hands, but she felt no fear as it enveloped her.
Rose fiddled with her phone, making sure the microphone was connected to the app they'd be recording with. It wasn't too hard to brush aside the words that had been said to her– but the desire to sing itself was gone. She had never really considered herself musically inclined, though she never hesitated to sing along to her favorite songs, so when Juleka had first proposed the idea of her being the singer for their band she had been surprised, but had been happy to accept the role.
Now she was having a few doubts.
She couldn't let the doubts control her thoughts, though! Who cared what a few people thought; this wasn't about them, this was about Kitty Section! And if her songs couldn't make those boys happy, then she could just hope that they would find some music that would. With these thoughts in mind she took in a deep breath, glancing towards where Mylene and the others were, before turning to wait for Juleka.
However she didn't find her best friend waiting for her– but instead a tall and elegant figure coming towards her. Rose blinked in startled surprise, taking a step back as she stared. She was beautiful– there was no denying that– but there was something unearthly about her presence. Almost a glide to her walk, long raven black hair swaying behind her without a breeze.
"Oh my," Rose said as the figure came to a stop in front of her– where it was quite clear there was magic surrounding her. Her hair seemed to have no care for gravity, instead drifting through the air as if it were underwater, the ends wavering like a mirage. It was the deepest black she had ever seen, and flecked through her hair were flecks of gold and silver, like stars had been scattered through her hair. A lavender mask shaped like a crescent moon covered half of her face, and where her eyes should be were orbs that seemed to reflect the cosmos itself.
"Rose," the figure said, skin as pale as the moon as she clasped Rose's hand with one of her own. Her voice was musical, and very familiar. Rose carefully studied the girl, lavender dress highlighted with a violet tone she knew too well, the hem flickering as if mere wisps of energy.
"Juleka?" Rose asked, blinking, though surprised quickly gave way to worry. "Oh no, you were akumatized! What happened, who hurt you?"
Akumatized-Juleka tilted her head slightly, the ends of her hair having the same wisp-like appearance as her dress. Pinned to the collar of the cloth was a bright red rose– the most contrasting aspect of her appearance– and slung across her back was a silver axe, handle looking suspiciously like a guitar's.
"Who hurt me?" She asked in disbelief. "They hurt you, Rose. And while Juleka may have stood by and have done nothing..." Her expression tightened, her emotionless face briefly showing something, though it was hidden by the mask– she shook her head. "But I am Knight Skies now, and this time I will protect you."
Rose blinked, before stepping forward and wrapping Knight Skies into a hug. The akuma seemed surprised by this, going still, but that didn't stop Rose. She was used to hugging someone taller than her– but Knight Skies was even taller than she was as Juleka!
"You were akumatized for me?" Rose asked, looking up into her void-like gaze. "Oh Juleka, you're so sweet– but you don't have to worry about me! I'm fine, really, you shouldn't have been akumatized because of me!"
Skies blinked, before cupping Rose's face with one hand, fingers like ice against her skin. "Of course I had to," she replied, and no matter how expressionless she looked, her voice was filled with nothing but softness. "I should have protected you, and this time I will."
Rose smiled. "You don't have to do that for me, I'm okay now."
"Of course I need to do this for you, I love you," Skies said.
Rose paused at this, blinking. She didn't have time to reply, though, because Skies was already kneeling down in front of her, putting them on eye level. The ethereal akuma carefully pulled the red rose from her collar, before carefully pressing it into Rose's hands. She stared down at the flower, which seemed to unfurl in her hands, each petal unblemished. Blue eyes flickered back up towards Skies, who leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Her lips were cold against her skin, just like the touch of Knight Skies' hands.
"I love you so much, Rose," Skies whispered softly. "I've wanted to tell you for so long, but the old me... was too afraid."
"I–"
An icy finger was pressed against her lips. "Shh," Skies said. "You do not have to reply– it does not matter if you feel the same. I have been selfish for too long, all that matters is you. I must protect you."
"Jule–"
But Knight Skies didn't give her a chance to reply, instead pushing herself to her feet, looking out at the park around them. Those nearby seemed to have left, as Knight Skies' presence was not a natural one– but unlike most akumas, she had yet to make herself known. What powers she had, Rose didn't even know, and Skies unhooked the double bladed axe from her back, the entire weapon pure silver. The handle was like that of her bass guitar, silver thorns running down its sides. The blade itself seemed to be etched with constellations, like a star map.
Rose let out a small gasp as the ground around her began to shift. She took a step back, but the trembling caused her to fall. But instead of crashing back against the ground she fell upon something soft, and she looked down in time to see what looked like a soft pink cloth, before she was lifted up into the air.
She quickly realized that what she saw was not in fact a cloth, but rather a giant rose petal. Rose looked around her as bright green walls encased her, the thick fibrous structure rapidly growing up into the air. Rose stayed laying in the bed of petals as she rose into the air, knowing she could not stand with how everything was shaking.
But soon it all came to a stop, and Rose let out a shaky sigh of relief. She pushed herself to her feet, and found that she had been laying on a giant rose. She might have giggled at the irony any other time– but right now her worry was for Juleka. With the gifted rose still clutched in her hands she made her way across... the room? She wasn't sure what it was– but all four sides seemed to be made of giant green logs.
As she found her way towards the opening in the wall though, and found herself able to look out the window to see the thorny structure that surrounded the walls, she realized she was encased in what seemed to be a giant rose plant– towering up what must have been hundreds of feet in the air!
...Maybe not quite that high, but she could see the park in its full entirety from here. She could see other giant rose-like structures forming off in the middle of the park, riddled with thorns, woven tightly compared to the spacious room she found herself in. It seemed like something out of a story, the bright greens clashing with the dead winter grass of the park.
Rose looked down at the rose she had been given, heart twisting.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a ringing, and after a moment she found her phone in her pocket. She carefully answered it, pulling the device to her ear. "Hello?"
"Rose?" Luka's voice echoed through the other end. "Is Juleka okay? Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine, I'm just up in this... tower?" Rose peered down, once more, not looking fazed by the height. "Juleka..." her throat tightened slightly. "I'm sorry, Luka, she was akumatized because of me, I should have been more careful."
"Don't feel guilty, you're allowed to feel how you feel," Luka said, though she wasn't quite sure what he meant. "I just need to know what happened, she was heading down the path before I could even try to talk to her!"
"Oh no!" Rose cried. "She must be going after those boys!"
"Boys?"
"There were some people that asked me to stop singing," Rose said, pacing the small area with worry. "Juleka said that she was going to protect me this time, oh, I should have told her that I was okay sooner!"
She looked down at the rose one more time. She couldn't help but wonder if it had been Knight Skies speaking when it had been given to her, or if deep down it had been Juleka– and Rose hoped that it had been the latter.
"Hold on tight," Luka said. "I'm going after Juleka."
"What a prickly akuma," Crimson muttered. "I wonder what sprouted up to get her akumatized."
"Crimson!"
"Yeah?"
"Focus!"
Crimson grinned, throwing his yoyo up towards one of the large roses that had sprouted up in the park, the weapon wrapping around a thorn, and he pulled himself up. The thorns were so large that he could comfortably land on one, scoping out the situation. Lady Noire was on another of the giant plants, using her baton to wedge open the vine-like growths that Knight Skies had trapped others within.
The boy inside didn't look too excited to find Lady Noire peering back, but didn't have any complaints as she vaulted them down towards the ground, letting him race off as they turned back towards where the akuma was making her way through the park.
"How dare you," Knight Skies' voice was never raised to a shout– but her voice managed to carry through the air with ease. Soft spoken, but never drowned out. "You let him go, after he hurt Rose."
Crimson paused as he heard the name, wondering if the akuma was referring to the Rose he knew. He hoped that she wasn't; Rose didn't deserve anything to happen to her, but if it was... well, then he had no doubts that the akuma was Juleka.
His stomach churned at the idea of another one of his friends being targeted.
There was no time to think, though– Knight Skies rushed towards Lady Noire, battle axe raised overhead. The hero barely had time to raise her baton up to block the blow that came swinging down onto her– the swish of the axe through the air sounding like the electric strum of a bass.
Lady parried the blow, before dividing her baton in half– one half long enough to be used as an effective weapon against the axe, the other still being able to be expanded to help her maneuver about. She slashed with the smaller half, before vaulting away as Knight Skies pressed closer.
Crimson wanted to go and help, but his focus was on getting the second civilian out from their woven prison. It was impossible for him to pry apart the stem-like walls, so instead he laced his yoyo through and back out, the wire wrapping around the plant, pulling tight to slice through the plant. He then did the same a few more feet down as he cut through the stem, allowing him to remove a section of the wall, seeing a teenage boy within.
The boy clung tightly to Crimson Beetle as he pulled him out, breathing heavily and looking slightly pale. Crimson did not blame him– being enclosed in such a tight space... it made him shudder. Crimson lowered them to the ground with his yoyo, not even needing to tell the kid to run, bolting as soon as the hero let go of him. He let out a small sigh, eyes glancing around, looking at the giant roses that had sprouted out across the park– the largest one being in the center of it all. He wasn't sure if any of the others held captives, but none of them did look like what the two boys had been found in.
Of course, once they got the akuma this would all be over– which is what their main focus should be. He spun his yoyo about, ready to send it flying and to join Lady in battle– when a voice called out to him.
"Crimson Beetle! Crimson Beetle, over here!"
His eyes flickered down the path, where a figure was running straight into the growing forest of giant roses. He was about to tell the civilian to go back and not get into trouble, but he couldn't help but pause. The stranger had dark hair, the ends dyed teal, with blazing blue eyes of nearly the same shade, and a guitar strung across his back.
"It's not safe here," Crimson said, blinking as he snapped himself back into focus. "There's an akuma–"
"The akuma is my sister, Juleka," the boy said, panting as he came to a stop in front of Crimson.
His gut tightened– realizing that this was indeed Juleka and Rose from his class that had been caught up in Monarch's plan this time. He had to rack his mind for a moment to remember what Juleka's brother's name was– Luka. He was going to be a part of the band that the girls and Ivan were starting.
"There's no guarantee that she will leave family alone," Crimson said. "I know you're worried, but when controlled by Monarch there's no way of knowing how she will react. You will be safer hidden, let me and Lady handle this."
"She has Rose," Luka said, pointing up at the tallest rose that had sprouted in the sky. Crimson followed his finger, and found that at the base of the giant flower the stem parted– creating a similar, although larger, chamber to where the boys had been found in. "Rose, are you still there? I'm with Crimson Beetle right now."
"Yeah," Rose's voice came through Luka's phone. "It's actually pretty nice in here– everything soft is made of flower petals! It's so pretty~"
Good old Rose, not even fazed. Crimson hesitated, though, eyeing the giant rose above. He did not like the idea of leaving Lady to fight on her own, and it would be quite a dangerous climb down with Rose from such a height– especially since he had no doubt that Knight Skies would go on the offensive once she realized that they had Rose.
"Would you be alright if we focused our attention on destroying the akumatized object?" Crimson asked. If she wasn't in direct danger or afraid...
"Sure," Rose replied. "I don't want Juleka to be akumatized for any longer than she has to."
"We'll have this taken care of in no time," Crimson promised, then he glanced at Luka, the two holding each other's gazes for a moment. "Thank you for telling me about Rose– but you need to get yourself to safety."
"I'm not leaving Juleka," Luka said firmly.
He could stay and argue with the boy– who he had the feeling wasn't going to be forced to leave– or he could go and join Lady in the fight. The choice was easy, because he had left his partner on her own for long enough. He spun his yoyo about to get some momentum as he turned, spotting the duo leaping from leaf to leaf, axe and baton clashing with a musical echo.
Crimson let the yoyo fly, the weapon wrapping around a thorn just above them, and he pulled himself up into the air.
He came swinging at Knight Skies– landing a kick right in the center of her back– sending her flying off of the leaf. Lady flashed him a grateful smile as Knight Skies fell, and from the ground below her another rose sprouted up, the large petals cushioning the akuma's fall. She rolled over onto her back, empty gaze staring up at the two heroes in what seemed to be frustration.
"I'm thinking either the axe or the mask for the akumatized object," Lady reported.
"Let's go for the axe," Crimson said. "It's an easier target, and if it isn't the akuma at least she'll be disarmed."
That was all of the plan they were able to discuss– as they had to get moving as Knight Skies summoned a giant thorny stem right between them.
Rose leaned out of the window of the... room? Chamber? She wasn't sure what to call it. But she was able to watch the battle taking place below. The window was just big enough that she could comfortably look out, but small enough that there wasn't a risk of her falling. The sight was beautiful, the forest of giant roses below were even more stunning– but Rose could only watch the fight with worry.
She didn't want Knight Skies to get hurt, knowing that it was Juleka underneath, but she of course wanted the heroes to win so they could free Juleka from Monarch's influence. So the blonde found herself flinching each time a blow was landed, not liking to see either side take a hit.
The fight was gradually climbing higher into the sky as Knight Skies summoned more thorns and roses up into the air, giving all three of them a large battleground to use with their acrobatic skills. Neither side seemed to have a clear advantage– the heroes having the numbers, and Skies having her roses.
But soon a yoyo was able to wrap around the wrist that held the silver battle axe, and Lady Noire took her chance to leap forward, raising her ringed hand up into the air as she brought it down onto the gleaming weapon.
"Cataclysm!"
Rose couldn't help but flinch slightly as the destructive energy washed across the axe, turning from silver to a rusted tarnish as it crumbled beneath the hero's touch. She did not like the idea of the dangerous energy being used so close to Juleka– but the Cataclysm did not reach beyond the axe's blade and handle, the weapon becoming mere dust.
No butterfly came from it.
"Go for the mask!" Crimson cried as Lady landed on the same leaf as Skies. The feline-hero turned, lunging towards Skies' face, who simply jerked her hand back, bringing the wire of the yoyo between them. It caught Lady Noire on the stomach, sending her staggering back, and Crimson was quick to release his hold on Skies' wrist, who leapt down to a lower leaf.
"Cut her off, don't let her climb higher!" Lady called back, eyes locking on Skies' face.
Rose frowned slightly, fingering the rose in her hands as she watched the fight continue. With no akuma hiding in the axe, it seemed that their next guess was the mask. It did make sense, as it was really the only part of Knight Skies' appearance that stood out– only her otherworldly hair and dress being what remained otherwise. But even then the mask did not truly stick out, seemingly to flawlessly merge with her pale skin and perfectly match her dress.
"Rose? You still there?" Luka asked from the phone tucked in her pocket.
"Yes," Rose said softly. "Where are you?"
"At the bottom of your rose," Luka replied. "If I could just talk to Juleka I'm sure I could–"
"I don't think it's possible," Rose said sadly, wincing as Crimson's yoyo slammed into Skies' stomach. "I tried to convince her I was fine, but she was just insistent on protecting me." Her stomach churned. "This is my fault, if I would have just kept myself together she wouldn't have blamed herself..."
"This was not your fault, Rose," Luka said. "Juleka cares so much about you– and it was Monarch that took advantage of those emotions."
Her fingers brushed against the red rose petals. "Luka? Right after Juleka was akumatized, she... she told me that she–"
"Any questions you might have for me would be best to be answered by Juleka," Luka said, cutting her off.
Rose couldn't help but nod in agreement, even though he couldn't see her. "Y-yeah, true– I'd rather hear about it right from her."
She winced as Lady Noire's baton caught Skies' right in the ribs, slamming her back against the stem of the giant rose they were currently on. Crimson was quick to yoyo himself up to where the girls were, lunging for the mask on Knight Skies' face. The crescent-shaped mask at first didn't budge, but with a grunt he was able to pull the lavender mask free- leaping away from a lashing Skies to snap it in half.
The only sound they could hear was the wind– no butterfly coming from the broken mask.
Crimson and Lady shared a worried glance, while a ghost of a smirk crossed Knight Skies' face. Despite how soft her voice was, it seemed to echo, allowing Rose to hear her words with ease.
"My my," Skies mused. "You heroes seem unable to do your job– perhaps it would be for the best for you to hand your Miraculouses over to me."
"Dozens of akumas have said the exact same thing!" Crimson called back. "Our answer for you is no different!"
"Very well then," Skies said– and both Crimson and Lady had to abandon their current perches as the thorns of the roses swelled up to a dangerously large size. The heroes moved across the large leaves and climbed the stems, but were panting as they did so. They kept sharing glances which each other, gazes uncertain, and Rose felt her gut turning. It seemed that like her, they had no idea of where the akumatized object could be.
"There might be something in her hair!" Lady Noire called. "A clip or a tie of some kind!"
No, Juleka rarely wore anything in her hair. She did have a variety of accessories, but none of them had been visible on her akumatized form. The only thing that had stood out among the purples and silvers on her had been...
Rose looked down at the rose in her hand. "...Luka?"
"Don't worry, I'm still here," he said, reassuringly.
"What am I supposed to do if I have the akumatized object?"
Lady Noire really did not like this.
Sometimes it was a challenge to locate the akumatized object, when it was hidden in a pocket, or just a small bracelet or necklace tucked away that was hard to spot until they got close– but Knight Skies wasn't wearing any accessories, and her dress was lacking any pockets. There seemed to be nothing left on her that would make a logical akuma– she had even been considering the possibility of shoes, but when her claws had dug into boots there had been no butterfly as well.
Nothing about this akuma was making sense– her powers didn't even seem to coordinate with her appearance or name!
"Crimson Beetle!" A voice called from above. "Crimson Beetle!"
They all looked up, Knight Skies included, to Rose in her rose tower, who they were getting closer to as they chased Knight Skies up the leaves and thorns of the rose stem. She was looking out a small window-like opening, waving a red object in her hand, which she was waving back and forth. Lady heard Knight Skies take in a sharp breath, the ears on her head flicking towards the akuma.
"Stay hidden until we take care of the akuma!" Crimson replied, taking the slight pause to catch his breath.
"I– I think I have the akumatized object!" Rose called down hesitantly, and immediately Knight Skies lunged forward, forcing Lady Noire to turn and intercept the akuma with her baton.
"Don't!" Skies cried up towards Rose, her voice laced with the most emotion Lady Noire had heard since the fight had begun. "Don't, Rose– this is the only way I can protect you!"
There was a desperation to her actions, and even without her weapon, Lady Noire was struggling to keep her back. She had attempted to pin Skies down to the leaf they were standing on, the baton laid across her shoulders, but still Skies had managed to fight her way into sitting up. Her hands were locked around the baton, trying to push it up as Lady fought to keep her pinned.
"What do you mean?" Crimson called, eyes flickering between Lady and Rose.
"She gave me a rose from her costume!" Rose called back. "I... I think it might be..."
Her voice seemed to break off as she watched Knight Skies' desperate struggles below Lady.
"Don't, Rose, don't!" Skies pleaded. "Hide it, you need to hide it!"
Crimson began to climb the tower, up towards where Rose resided. Knight Skies began thrashing, throwing Lady and the baton off of her and the leaf, but the fall was of no fright to Lady Noire. Her braid flicked out, righting herself in the air, claws sinking into the stem as she climbed back up, hooking her baton to her side in a single fluid motion.
Thorny vines were now sprouting out from the stems, desperately lashing out at Crimson as he tried to climb. One intercepted his yoyo, forcing him to drop down onto a lower leaf as he retracted it. He then sprung to another, trying to avoid the spike-like thorns that were beginning to form on the leaves he tried to stand on. He had to keep moving, but was given no opportunity to climb higher. Lady soon reached Skies once more, tackling her to try to break her focus.
The akuma let out a snarl, but already vines were starting to close around the window where Rose was.
"Break it, Rose!" Crimson cried. "You need to break it now!"
"NO!" Skies screamed. "It's a gift, it's a gift for you Rose, please! Please!"
The vines coiled around the window, choking off any access they might have had to Rose and the akuma. Lady reached for her baton once more– only needing to leap away as the thorns began to spread more rapidly. They sprouted out from the tower Rose was locked away in, and the beeping from her ring only tauntingly reminded her that she had no Cataclysm to use.
Knight Skies' akumatization remained in place.
She grinned triumphantly, turning towards the two heroes as they were forced onto a lower leaf. They stood side by side, panting as they watched more vines sprout out from the stem. Their weapons were drawn, Lady preparing to vault away as Crimson threw his yoyo, swinging them out of the way.
"Try a Lucky Charm!" Lady cried to Crimson as they soared through the air, and Crimson Beetle landed, ready to call out the words– when a dark energy surrounded Knight Skies, the energy of the akumatization melting away from her.
Juleka stood on a leaf, swaying slightly as if dizzy, looking around in confusion. Brown eyes went wide as she realized just how high up she was, stumbling back towards the stem– and Lady Noire didn't hesitate hurrying towards her, leaping from thorns to leaves to reach her level.
"Let's get you down," Lady said, offering her friend a soft smile. Juleka stared at her for a moment, clearly trying to take everything in, but she showed no hesitation as she moved towards her. She made sure Juleka was secure in her arm, before looking up towards Crimson, who had been making his way up towards the higher levels– yoyo flying out at the butterfly that was climbing up into the sky.
Normally, Lady Noire would have done a slower descent with a civilian in hand, but with the beeping of her ring reminding her that she only had a couple of minutes left, she decided to be quick. Juleka didn't seem to mind however– a huge smile on her face as they landed, though eyes were wide.
"Awesome," she muttered as Lady Noire set her on the ground.
"Juleka!" A voice called, and Lady looked up to see a tall boy racing towards them. He immediately engulfed the girl into a tight hug, clutching her to his chest. "You had no idea how worried I was."
"Sorry, Luka," Juleka muttered, returning the hug. After a moment she pulled back, eyes flickering from her brother, to Lady Noire, to the towering roses around them. "I... I was akumatized?" She muttered. "And I did all this?"
"Not your fault," Luka insisted.
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my–" A high voice chanted, and they looked up to see Crimson descending the rose tower with Rose in his arms, who was clutching him tightly as he went from leaf to leaf, before gracefully landing on the ground.
"Rose!" Juleka cried, eyes going wide.
Rose was clutching a rose stem in her arms, only a few remains of ripped petals clinging to the top. As she looked at Juleka, a look of guilt seemed to cross her face, and she clutched the rose closer. It must have been the rose she had been talking about– and the akumatized object. Ripping it to free Juleka from Monarch's hold– but also destroying the gift she had been given.
However, it didn't take her long to put a small smile on her face instead. "I'm glad to see you're back to yourself."
"Please don't tell me I hurt you," Juleka whispered.
Rose smiled. "You were nothing but sweet– not even Monarch could take that from you!"
"Well, let's put everything back to normal, shall we?" Crimson Beetle asked, smiling at them. He tossed his yoyo up into the air– releasing the white butterfly within at the same moment he summoned his Cure. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
A flood of pink light flared out from the yoyo, instantly spreading out across the park. The light wound up the stems of the giant roses, whisking the forest of flowers away in seconds. Soon what had looked to be from a fairytale was merely a park once more. Juleka took a startled step back as her bass guitar materialized in her hands– it having been the battle axe that had been Cataclysmed.
Rose let out a happy gasp as she found a perfect red rose in her hands once more.
Lady turned towards Crimson, holding up her fist, even as her ring urgently chirped at her. "Pound it."
"Pound it," he replied, bumping fists. "Heh, quite the interesting akuma fight."
"Hey, Lady Noire?" A voice called before she could offer her partner a reply– and Lady found herself turning around in surprise. When it came to the end of akuma fights it was usually Crimson's name being called, not hers.
She saw Luka stepping closer, an arm around Juleka, who was staring down at her bass. At her side Crimson sat up a bit straighter, turning to face the civilians as well. "Y-yeah?"
"I was wondering if you would be willing to sign my sister's bass," Luka said with a smile, looking back at Juleka– who was staring down at her feet as she held her bass guitar. "She's a huge fan of yours, and after being akumatized... I think this would make her day."
Juleka flashed a look up at Lady Noire– who didn't quite know how to react. She was used to seeing Juleka's shyness with others, but it had also been years since it had been directed towards her. It actually took her a moment to remember that Juleka did not know her as Marinette right now– and as such the admiration in her eyes was even stranger.
"Fan?" Lady couldn't help but echo. She had remembered Adrien mentioning something along those lines, but still... "Autograph?"
"Lady would be more than happy to!" Crimson beamed, not hesitating to push her forward. She looked back at him, and could see the smile on his face. When it came to fans she had never seen Crimson pause for anyone older than ten– but clearly he was excited by the fact that someone was asking for her autograph, a proud gleam in his eyes.
"I– um– don't have anything to sign with?" Lady questioned. Autograph? She had never given an autograph before! What was she supposed to do? What if she accidently signed her civilian name? Or what if they hated her hand writing–?
Crimson solved that problem with two words: "Lucky Charm!"
He pressed the red spotted marker he hand summoned into her hands, smiling at her encouragingly. Not knowing what else to do, she turned back towards Juleka, who was holding out her bass. She had yet to say a word directly to her, but it was enough to see the bright look in her eyes. She uncapped the Lucky Charm marker, carefully writing 'Lady Noire' below the strings.
Despite the marker being red and spotted, the ink that came out was a neon green, and took to the bass with ease. Juleka was grinning as she took the bass back. "Thank you."
"Heh... anytime?" Lady offered– what was she supposed to say?
"Did you know that Juleka named our band after you?" Rose asked. "We're going to be called Kitty Section!"
"R-rose!"
Lady Noire ran a hand across the marker, watching the small group as Juleka retreated among Luka and Rose once more– and neither of them seemed hesitant or wary of Lady's presence. In fact, they were barely paying her any heed, their focus being on Juleka. As Lady watched them she felt a smile spread across her face, a tension in her shoulders fading.
"You better get going," Crimson said, nodding to her ring. "I think you've only got a minute left."
"Oh! Crap!" Lady cried, eyes wide. "I, um– I'll see you next patrol! Bye, Crimson!"
"See you, Lady!"
She took off racing across the park, eyes scanning for somewhere safe to detransform. She silently pleaded with Plagg to try to keep her transformed a bit longer, and she felt a wave of frustration run through her. She bit back a laugh, but ran faster.
Thankfully, the park was basically empty thanks to the fact that there had just been an attack– meaning that all Lady Noire had to do was make sure that Crimson and the others were out of sight, before ducking behind some bushes as her transformation fell away.
"Gah, the beeping means to leave, you know, not wait till the last second," Plagg grumbled as he came out of the ring, tail swishing. "You owe me some camembert for that– no excuses!"
"I don't have any on me, but as soon as we get home, I promise," Marinette said, sinking down the ground. Even with the magic helping energize her, akuma fights were nothing but tiring.
"I'll hold you to that!" Plagg said, hovering next to her, and Mariette found herself frowning as she thought back on the akuma.
"Plagg?" She asked. "I thought the akumatized object had to be with the akuma."
"Yeah, that's how it's supposed to be. The akuma is the source of the power– being separated from it weakens them." He frowned in frustration. "I don't know all the details, the Butterfly is supposed to create allies, not enemies!"
Marinette was not feeling reassured by Plagg's words. If Monarch could just have the akuma hide the akumatized object... that would make their job a whole lot more difficult. Plagg rolled his eyes as he saw her expression, the small feline drifting up so he was in front of her.
"Look, kid," Plagg said. "This ain't about to turn into a game of hide and seek. Butterfly works with emotions, yeah? Purple girl had feelings for pink girl, and entrusted the akuma to pink girl. The empathic link must have been enough to keep a proper connected channel open for the akuma to be at full power."
She gave him a questioning look, and his face twisted.
"Gah, look at you, making me have to think this through," Plagg muttered. "I've seen champions without their objects before– and they're always very weak. Monarch isn't about to go having them hiding their akumatized objects when it's safest on them– that's when they're at their strongest, and they have the powers to best protect it."
"So Knight Skies and Rose then?"
"Pink girl accepted the object willingly, that probably had something to do with it, and the fact that they were in the same area definitely mattered too," his tail lashed. "Having the girl locked away in the flower tower? It was both to protect her and so she wouldn't wander too far if I had to guess. And even then... the purple girl's reason for accepting the akuma mattered as well. It was to protect pink girl, and if her emotional state wasn't so focused on her I doubt a link could have been maintained without direct contact with her object."
Marinette nodded slowly. "That... that makes sense, I suppose." She glanced at Plagg, he definitely didn't seem too content with this conversation, but she still had questions. "So... what happens if Crimson doesn't catch the akuma? I mean, he kinda had to chase that one down."
Plagg shrugged, eyes not quite focusing on her. "Meh, corrupted energy isn't too safe to just be floating about freely. Especially one that's been enhanced by negative emotions."
She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting much more information from Plagg– usually he would either just brush off her inquiries, or he would have a minute or two of a serious discussion before he would drop the topic. She recognized that the latter was now happening, and that time was almost up.
She dug through her purse for some cheese, and Plagg let out a happy cry– zipping forward to snatch it from her hand.
Juleka hadn't seemed to notice the fact that Rose was holding the rose in her hand.
She was staring at her guitar as they made their way back towards where they had met up, looking at the bright green words that had been signed there. She let out a happy sigh, grinning at them. "I can't believe she actually signed it. No one has gotten even a proper interview with the heroes– but she still signed my bass!"
Rose was glad to see that Juleka wasn't being hard on herself for being akumatized. The heroes were gone, and the park looked like it hadn't been touched– though not quite as beautiful as it had been with the rose forest. It was mid winter, after all– the grass not quite green, and a chill in the air.
Rose touched the flower in her hands, fingers brushing against soft petals– remembering how she had ripped them apart. It had been hard to do, between hearing Juleka's voice begging her not to, and with the words she had said when it had been given to her... she was glad that it was now in one piece again.
However, it had been Knight Skies speaking– and Rose wanted to hear Juleka.
"Juleka?" She asked, causing her friend to pause. She looked towards her, and for the first time her eyes locked on the flower in her hands. Juleka's eyes flickered back towards Rose, who took in a deep breath. "You gave this to me while you were akumatized."
"O-oh," Juleka whispered, looking away. Luka had drifted some ways from them– leaving the two of them alone as they came to a stop. "I... I was–"
She laid a hand on Juleka's shoulder. "Juleka?"
"What did I say to you?"
"...Skies told me that she loved me," Rose said softly, smiling. "But I don't want to know what Skies said– and I want to know what you were going to say."
Juleka swallowed, rocking back and forth. For a moment it looked like she wouldn't say a word, before she took in a deep breath, sitting up straight. "I... I got that rose for you, I wasn't sure if I could tell you today, but..." she took in a deep breath. "I love you, Rose, and I think I have for a long time. You've been my best friend for years... and I'm not sure when that turned into something more, but I– but I–"
She trailed off, swallowing, and her eyes started flickering about.
"Thank goodness," Rose said, letting out a long sigh. "I thought it was just me that was feeling like that!"
Juleka stiffened up– staring at Rose with wide eyes.
"Does this mean we can go on a date?" Rose asked, eyes lighting up. "Ooo– we could go to that one smoothie shop Ivan and Mylene were talking about the other day! Could we– please?"
"D-date?" Juleka whispered.
"Yeah!" Rose said, beaming up at her.
Juleka smiled softly. "I would like that. A lot."
I have a personal vendetta against Refleka (What is that design? Why was that chosen for Juleka? Why?), so a whole new akumatized form for Juleka.
