Chapter Thirty-One

"Happy birthday, Miss Bustier!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Bon anniversaire!"

"You are all too sweet," Miss Bustier said. Presents were piled onto Miss Bustier's desk as they entered the classroom, the woman smiling warmly. "You all didn't have to do this."

"Of course we did!" Rose exclaimed. "Nothing less for the best teacher ever!"

"Well," Miss Bustier replied, opening up a drawer at her desk. "I figured the best way to celebrate would be with the best class ever." With that she pulled out a carefully packaged cake, setting it on her desk, and excited whispers broke out across the room. "A small treat for you all to enjoy while I open up your gifts, and we can start class a bit late today."

"Or we can just party for the whole period," Kim said, leaning forward. "And maybe no homework? It would be a shame for you to have to grade anything on your birthday."

"Well, any homework you'd get today wouldn't be due until next time," Miss Bustier said with a smile as she served the cake onto small paper plates. "So I wouldn't have to grade it until after, would I?"

This was met by some chuckles, and some groans.

"Now everyone who wants some cake can come up and get some, but please line up. How about we go one row at a time, actually? Starting from the back."

Soon, everyone had a slice of cake and settled back into their seats, eating away as Miss Bustier began to open up the gifts one at a time. She didn't seem too surprised at the horror movie from Alix– she had seen plenty of Alix's gifts to her fellow classmates before. Rose had gotten her a scrapbook full of pictures of them and their class, while Alya had gotten her a certificate for a free meal for the restaurant within the Le Grand Paris hotel.

"Oh, thank you, Lila," Miss Bustier said as she picked up a tube lipstick, tied with a pink bow. "My favorite color, how thoughtful."

Marinette shifted slightly in her seat, the lipstick originally having been part of her own gift. However, Lila hadn't been aware that it was their teacher's birthday, still new to the class, and had felt horrible that she hadn't been able to get their teacher anything.

"I knew you would like it," Lila said shyly. "I know it's kind of small, but..."

"It's a wonderful gift," Miss Bustier insisted, and Marinette couldn't help but feel slightly on edge.

She knew that Lila felt guilty about having nothing to give her, so the 'small' comment really shouldn't be getting to her, but considering it had originally been what she was going to give... she couldn't help but shift. Alya looked at her in concern, and Marinette gave her a quick smile of reassurance.

"And it looks like this next one is from Marinette," Miss Bustier said, picking up the box. Marinette sat up a bit straighter, trying to shove the unease from her mind, just watching as Miss Bustier opened up the box. She peered inside, eyes widening slightly. "Oh my."

Marinette's eyes widened in horror as Miss Bustier pulled out the cosmetic bag she had carefully made– only now it was married with black ink, a marker having been taken to it. Scribbles and words covered the surface. Their teacher didn't say anything for a moment, silence in the classroom.

"Oh no– who did that?" Lila cried, gasping. "Marinette's gift didn't look like that this morning when she showed it to me!"

"Who dared ruin it?" Alya thundered, rising to her feet. "Marinette worked hard on that!"

"Everyone calm down," Miss Bustier said as murmurs broke out across the classroom.

"Marinette showed us the gift this morning," Max said. "And it did not look like that– that means someone intentionally ruined the bag that she made."

"Who was the last one in the locker room?" Alix demanded.

Lila suddenly let out a gasp, and the class turned to look at her. "I stayed behind to put my gift away this morning," she said in a shaky voice. "And the only ones in the locker room besides me were Sabrina and Ch-chloe..."

All eyes fell towards the girls in the front row, who hadn't seemed to be paying much attention to the argument. Chloe looked up upon hearing her name, looking at them all. "What?"

"Marinette worked on that gift!" Lila cried. "How could you go and ruin it like that?"

"That's low, even for you, Chloe," Ivan rumbled.

Marinette's hands curled into fists. "Don't you have anything better to do than make my life miserable, Chloe?"

Not only had her gift been ruined– but that meant Chloe had gotten into her locker, too. What was supposed to be her own private space had now been violated. She shook slightly, and everyone was glaring towards Chloe– who didn't even look ashamed. The blonde just rolled her eyes, turning away.

"Really? You're all ridiculous," Chloe snapped. "Do you really think I'd waste my time breaking into someone's locker– and the smell of a permanent marker would have messed with my perfume!"

"You probably just demanded the master key from the principal, or something," Nino muttered.

"Guys, wait–" Adrien began

"What do you have against Marinette, anyways," Nathaniel muttered.

"Class– enough!" Miss Bustier shouted, raising her voice, and silence fell across the classroom. "I thought you all knew better than to blindly accuse someone. Now, Chloe, were you the one to do this?"

Chloe snorted. "No."

"Okay, then–" Miss Bustier began.

"You just believe her like that?" Alya cried, rising to her feet. "She could be lying!"

"Chloe always has it out for me," Marinette agreed, gritting her teeth. It was a small bag, but it had still taken her a lot of time to make. And it wasn't just the time– but the money for the supplies, the pride of making it, the fact that it was supposed to be a gift for someone– all of that was now down the drain!

"I can promise you that Chloe didn't even go near Marinette's locker," Sabrina piped up. "I was with her the entire time."

"Oh, like you wouldn't cover for her–!" Marinette snapped.

"If Chloe said she didn't, then she didn't," Adrien said, rising to his feet, glowering out at the class– causing them to fall silent. "Chloe is many things, but she isn't a liar."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Adrikins," Chloe said dryly.

"If not Chloe, then who did you think did it, dude?" Nino asked, and Adrien hesitated, eyes flickering to the back of the classroom for a moment.

"Everyone, that is enough," Miss Bustier said loudly, taking in a deep breath as all eyes fell on her. "It is not the job of the student body to find out who did this, but the faculty, and I don't think we will get anywhere pointing fingers." She held the bag close. "And I know it isn't how you intended it to look, Marinette, but this is still a sign of your hard work." She picked up the lipstick, slipping it into the cosmetics bag. "See, and it still works just how it should."

"That's not the point!" Marinette cried in frustration. "It's still ruined!"

Miss Bustier inclined her head towards the door. "Come with me for a moment, would you, Marinette?"

She pulled back in surprise. "Wh-what?"

"Let's step into the hall for a moment," Miss Bustier replied, heading towards the door, and Marinette felt a pulse of anger rush through her. There was no way this was happening– how could the blame be put on her when it was her project that had been ruined? When year after year Chloe could just get away with anything she wanted?

Tears were blurring Marinette's eyes as she followed Miss Bustier out into the hall, fists clenched as the door shut behind them. Her teacher still held the bag, pink slashed with the dark ink, and Marinette felt her rage spike.

"This isn't fair!" Marinette blurted out as they headed down the hall. "I shouldn't get in trouble for defending myself, I didn't do anything–!"

"Marinette, you aren't in trouble," Miss Bustier said softly. "I brought you out here to cool down. You're upset, and you have every reason to be– but I don't want you to get akumatized because of this." She smiled. "This does not make your gift any less important to me, Marinette. I can tell you worked so hard on this, and the fact that someone did this does not remove the effort you made."

"It's ruined," Marinette whispered. "And she... she didn't even care..." She glowered up as Miss Bustier. "Why did you just dismiss her? You know it was Chloe, she always singles me out–"

"Marinette," Miss Bustier's voice was gentle, but firm. "I did not dismiss her, or anyone– I simply asked her if she did this to your gift. It is fair that everyone gets a chance to speak, don't you think? The entire class accusing someone doesn't exactly allow for that chance."

"But–"

"Seeing you and Chloe's history I understand why it's your first instinct to jump to her. But considering that no one saw this happen, don't you think it would be a bit unfair for one person to be blamed without anything being looked into or them having a chance to speak for themselves?"

"...It wouldn't be fair," Marinette agreed after a moment, and while she was still upset, she knew that Miss Bustier's argument was sound.

"Student property was destroyed on school grounds, we won't let it be ignored," Miss Bustier said. "And when we get back to the classroom, the only thing you need to tell anyone is that I wanted your side of the story– can you tell me what happened?"

"Um, well, this morning we were all showing each other our gifts, and..." Marinette trailed off when she suddenly saw Miss Bustier's eyes widen with a spark of fear.

"An akuma!" Her teacher suddenly grabbed Marinette, pulling her behind herself. Marinette wheeled about, half expecting to see a new villain charging down the hallway– but instead she saw a small black butterfly. It seemed to have been flying about aimlessly, but with Miss Bustier's cry it turned towards them. "Stay back!"

She swung the bag back and forth, trying to ward it away, but an akuma was not a true insect that could be frightened off. It was drawn to the fear Miss Bustier raditated, and with a protective arm around Marinette the teacher stumbled back, but that didn't stop the Butterfly from landing on the bag, merging with it.

A glowing purple mask surrounded Miss Bustier's face, and she grabbed the side of her head as Monarch presumably spoke within her mind. Marinette stumbled back, watching her teacher.

"I'm– I'm not going to listen to you!" She gasped, clearly trying to fight, but she was silent after she spoke, Monarch clearly not about to let her prey go.

"Miss Bustier?" Marinette asked quietly, but as Miss Bustier's sat up straight, eyes staring dead ahead, she knew that it was a lost battle, and she turned and ran from her teacher.

She needed to go and transform, but she couldn't do so without Plagg– who was still back in the classroom. She threw the door open, rushing for her desk, words pouring from her mouth as she snatched the black purse.

"Miss Bustier is getting akumatized!" Marinette said swiftly, everyone looking at her in confusion. "We need to get moving, now!"

The more chaotic the crowd, the easier it was to slip away.

While questions were thrown her way, no one just sat by. There was a shuffle of noise as everyone rose from their seats, rushing towards the door. Marinette linked her arm around Alya's, pulling them towards the door. As they burst from the classroom Marinette could see a flash of teal off to their right.

"Class!" A warm and familiar voice called, and eyes shifted to what used to be their teacher.

She still looked like their teacher, though her skin was now a pale blue. Her hair was now a bright teal, and there was a collar around her neck. Her outfit looked like Rose and Juleka had selected it together– a dark blue dress highlighted with pinks and hearts. Her sleeves and tights were ripped, and her hair was done up with two pink pins. In one hand she held the akumatized cosmetics bag, the pink now a pure black, and she reached inside to pull out some black lipstick, carefully applying it to her lips as her class bolted for the stairs.

"Akuma attack!" They shouted to the classrooms they passed, and sure enough more doors were cracked open to peer out, and 'Miss Bustier' paused at one of them, pulling the student out.

"Don't worry little one," the akuma cooed, which might have been reassuring if it was still their beloved teacher. "Soon there will be no more fear or anger, everyone will get along, thanks to me, Zombizou!"

She then placed a kiss on their forehead, leaving a faint mark of black lipstick, before she headed towards the stairs once more.

"Chloe~" Zombizou sang. "Marinette~ Once you two set aside your differences, we can have everyone in the classroom get along– won't that be wonderful~?"

"You stay away from Chloe!" Sabrina said, rushing in front of the stairs, holding her hands out.

"Sabrina– what do you think you're doing?!" Chloe shrieked. "You don't run towards akumas!"

Miss Bustier grabbed Sabrina's hand. "You're such a sweet girl, Sabrina. Always there for Chloe, defending her from students you could probably befriend if it wasn't for the rift in our classroom."

She applied some more black lipstick, before pressing a kiss to the back of Sabrina's hand, leaving yet another mark. Zombizou then carefully nudged Sabrina to the side, before strolling forward towards the class.

Other classes and teachers were lining the top balcony, looking down at the akuma. Clearly, they wanted to leave, but no one dared go downstairs towards the akuma. The first student that had been kissed by Zombizou swayed, and her fellow classmate rushed over to help her. Marinette's eyes kept flickering between them and Zombiezou– knowing that an akuma's effects wouldn't be harmless.

Suddenly, the swaying student sat straight up, grabbing the one supporting them, pressing a kiss to their cheek. They stumbled back, a smear of lipstick on their cheeks, while their classmate lumbered towards them like a zombie.

"Kissoo!" Sabrina suddenly cooed, coming towards them, her eyes now purple, arms held out towards her classmates.

More echoes of 'kissoo!' came from the upper floors– a half dozen students reaching for their classmates, who were scrambling away from them.

"They're contagious!" Adrien cried. "Don't let yourself get kissed!"

Zombizou pouted. "Now, Adrien, this is simply a way to unite us all. I know you feel divided in our class, wanting to be close to both your oldest friend and your closest ones," she carefully applied more lipstick. "Come on now, you will be perfect to help unify our class."

"Yeah– nope," Adrien said, turning and bolted away. He was surprisingly fast, and it seemed that Zombizou was surprised as well as he retreated into the crowd. Adrien looked like he wanted to bolt, but paused when Zombizou turned. "Marinette– run!"

Zombizou now waltzed towards her, while Sabrina lumbered off towards the rest of the class. She headed towards Mylene, but Ivan was quicker, standing between his girlfriend and the zombified-Sabrina.

"No one will ruin anyone's things once we're all on the same side, once we all love and care for each other," Zombizou cooed. "No more bullying, no more fights, we will all be friends and close and happy."

Marinette backed away as Zombizou came closer. Ivan, Sabrina, and Mylene were now all under the spell. The balcony up above was rapidly becoming infected, people fleeing down the stairs. Running into the crowd wouldn't be a safe escape, not when anyone could become one of Zombizou's minions and infect her as well– but she wasn't sure where to go to get the akuma's attention off of her so she could transform.

Zombizou's progress was suddenly halted as a long and thin object was brought down onto her head. She let out a yelp of pain, but thanks to the magic surrounding her it didn't seem to do much harm. She turned to face her attacker, staring down at the student with a frown.

"Don't you dare hurt Marinette," Kagami said, wielding a meter stick in her hand like it was a saber. She swung it about a few times as if that would ward the akuma off, and Marinette used the chance to retreat.

A hand grabbed her arm, and she yelped– only to find that it was Adrien, no sign of any lipstick on his face. "Come on, let's go."

"But–"

Zombizou kicked Kagami away as she came in to attack, sending her flying back against the wall. The Japanese girl groaned, sitting up with a grunt of pain, a glare on her face. Most of the upper floor seemed to have become zombified, those remaining fleeing down the stairs and towards the doors.

"Oh, Chloe~" Zombizou called, making her way towards the blonde, who was on the floor.

"St-stay away from me!" Chloe screeched, backing away swiftly, but Zombizou didn't slow her pace as she hurried towards her. "All you akumas are insane– stay back!"

"Everything will be so much better once we're happy," Zombizou continued, unconcerned by her student's panic. "We're all going to get along, and you're going to have more friends, and– ow! You are a mad little girl, aren't you? So much anger!"

"Maybe it's because you're attacking my friends," Kagami said dryly, holding the meter stick once more. She held it out towards Zombizou like a sword, shifting towards Chloe. "So unless you want to keep this up until I break your object, why don't you leave?"

"Who are you calling your friend, Tsurugi?" Chloe snapped.

Kagami lunged forward, swiping for Zombizou's legs. "Acquaintance, then," she said calmly, and Zombizou leapt back to avoid the blows, landing among her growing number of minions. Content with the akuma being back enough, Kagami turned, pulling Chloe to her feet before she could say a word. "Come on, let's go."

"Y-you–! You just can't–!" Chloe protested.

"Go, my lovelies," Zombizou called. "Go to Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, and that bitter girl, and let them feel the love!"

"And that's our cue to leave," Kagami said, Chloe's wrist in one hand, her makeshift sword in the other, and she hurried towards Adrien and Marinette, dragging the stunned blonde behind her, pulling her towards a door. They jogged alongside Kagami, pushing open the back entrance and into the sun.

"Over here!" A voice called, and they turned to see Kim, Max, Alix, Nathaniel, Lila, Alya, and Nino all waving to them, apparently their only classmates to escape the hoard of kissing zombies.

Then didn't hesitate, turning and running to join them as the zombies burst out of the school doors, ready to expand their numbers.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Kagami asked as they ran.

"Yes," Marinette was clutching Plagg's purse tightly. "Thank you, back there. Maybe... maybe I should go, since Miss Bustier is looking for me, you'll all be safer without–"

"Statistically, people tend to be safer in crowds and around others with akuma attacks," Max said, panting slightly as their group scrambled down the street. "Especially when being targeted. We will want to stay together, especially since with the power of this akuma they will be growing at an exponential rate."

"Can you say that in French!" Alix snapped.

Max rolled his eyes. "Their numbers will basically be doubling every time the current 'zombies' all find a target. Unless the heroes show up soon, the city will be outnumbered much quicker than you'd expect!"

"Basically, we're doomed," Nathaniel muttered.

"Crimson Beetle will be here soon," Alya said, phone in hand. "He'll save us– and I'll have it all on camera!"

"Yeah," Marinette muttered quietly. "Hopefully he can get here soon."

"G-guys?" Adrien suddenly croaked, slowly a bit from his run. They turned to look at him, and he was holding his head. "I don't feel too good."

"He's been infected," Kagami said.

"No!" Chloe shrieked.

"When were you kissed, dude?"

"Must have been when they all..." He groaned, stumbling back. "You guys go ahead..." He then looked straight up at them, green eyes wide and unfocused. "Kissy-boo!"

He lumbered towards them, but Kagami was faster, swinging the meter stick, striking Adrien in the chest, sending him stumbling back. He sagged against the wall, and Kagami whipped her hand behind her, signaling for them to run, but Alya had to grab Marinette's hand in order to get her moving.


Lady Noire quietly made her way through the TV5 studio, her tail braid lashing behind her as she watched her every step. One ear was back, the other pricked up, but she could only hear the low hum of electricity. She didn't like the sharp silence around her, unnatural for the middle of a work day, and she gripped her baton tightly.

She was almost to the main studio of the news station, the last place where the akuma had been seen. Lady had no idea if she would still be here, but they had no other leads. She crept down, advancing on all fours, ears now facing forward. Plagg was in her mind, both of them anticipating the hunt as she approached the large doors.

Unfortunately, she was the one being hunted.

"Kissoo!" A chorus of voices rang out the moment she pushed one of the doors open, an army of people waiting within the studio. Their eyes were a gleaming purple, a smear of black lipstick on their faces and their arms stretched out as if they wished to give her a hug. Blue eyes widened as they lumbered towards her, but she couldn't retreat yet.

She used her baton to vault above them, causing their purple gazes to follow her as they turned, landing in front of a green screen, eyes scanning the entire room as the zombies lunged at her, desperately searching.

No sign of the akuma.

She cursed under her breath, pressing a button on her baton, raising herself up into the air as the mass of zombies reached her. They pawed at the metal pole, causing it to sway, so she stepped onto one of the supporting beams near the ceiling, shrinking her weapon down once more as all the news staff below her sang.

"Kissoo! Kissy-boo! Kissoo!"

A few taps on her communicator, and the baton was ringing. She raised it up to her ear just as Crimson answered. "M'lady?"

"Zombizou isn't here," she reported. "She must have left shortly after she gave her news broadcast, leaving a bunch of her zombies as a trap."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, up in the rafters, I just need to figure out how to get out of this room without being kissed," her eyes scanned the ceiling, there was a skylight, but no clear signs of opening it, so she just flexed her claws. "I'll be there soon. Bye."

With that she hung up, dashing across beams towards the skylight, swinging her baton about to break it. Glass shattered and rained down on the zombies that were following her, hands reaching up, almost begging her to stay as they repeated the same words like a mantra. She slipped out of the dark building and onto the roof, letting out a shaky sigh of relief.

Paris was too quiet.

She shivered– it felt unnatural how quickly these zombies had 'infected' nearly the entire city. It had just been a couple of students at the school at first. Just them and Zombizou as they had run, each one only able to kiss one person at a time to spread their magic. But even that small amount, their numbers doubling each time...

No cars were moving across the street. Stores were empty. You could spot some people standing at various points, staring at nothing until she drew close– then they'd follow after her until she outpaced them and they went still once more, waiting for another non-infected human to draw near.

It didn't take her too long to meet up with where she had left Crimson and the others, up on a rooftop, huddling out of sight of those below. Probably the last few of the non-infected in the city, unless others had managed to find a place to hide somewhere in the city. They all looked up as they saw her coming across the rooftops, Crimson looking relieved, and the others looking either neutral or wary.

"It seems like she's hiding somewhere," Lady Noire said as she landed next to him, shrinking her baton and hooking it to her side. "Her whole thing is 'peace' and 'love' and all that? Makes sense she might avoid a direct fight."

"That is Miss Bustier's way," Alix muttered, crossing her arms. Lady's eyes flickered across her and the other civilians with them– Alix, Kim, Alya, Nino, Lila, Chloe, and Kagami.

She had been a part of their small group earlier, along with Nathaniel, Max, and Adrien. She had purposely gotten separated from them after Adrien had been kissed so she could transform, and the other two must have been picked off by zombies between then and when she and Crimson had arrived.

"Well, she can't stay hiding forever," Crimson replied. "The zombies on their own are, well, like zombies. They're not going to follow orders and figure out complex plans. If we stay out of reach of them long enough, Monarch will probably order Zombizou to come find us herself."

"And I'll get it up close and on camera," Alya said excitedly, holding up her phone.

Kagami glanced at her. "Our friends and city have been completely turned because of this akuma, and your first thought is your blog."

"What– no, it's for information! So people can see what is happening with the akumas and our city. I think it's even more important now that most people have been zombified– if they don't end up remembering anything, then this will let them know what happened to them while under Monarch's control!"

"I don't care about any of that!" Chloe snapped, gritting her teeth. "I just want this all to be over! I'm sick of rooftops and being dragged about– the sooner this is over, the better!"

Kim scowled at her. "Oh, shut up, this is all your fault."

"Moi?! It was Dupain-Cheng who was with Miss Bustier when the akuma got her!"

"This would have never happened if you hadn't ruined Marinette's gift for Miss Bustier!" Lila growled. "You got our teacher akumatized on her birthday and you don't even care!"

"Yeah," Nino muttered, scowling slightly.

Chloe huffed. "Oh, for the final time I did not touch that stupid bag."

"And who else would it have been?" Kim said, rolling his eyes.

Lady agreed, but stayed quiet. Both for her identity's sake, and the fact that she was sure her classmates wouldn't be too keen for her to talk while she was Lady Noire. People seemed to be more comfortable when Lady Noire was quiet and out of the way, and so that was what she would do.

"Why would Chloe do such a thing?" Kagami asked, blinking.

Kim laughed. "Do you even know Chloe? She hates Marinette."

"I doubt that," Kagami said, looking at Chloe. "Yes, Marinette does make Chloe feel insecure, but I do not see her as the type to become destructive. Especially when she seems to admire Marinette in some regards, though it often seems to manifest as jealousy."

Everyone stared at Kagami– especially Lady Noire– because she was pretty sure that was the most incorrect explanation she had heard about Chloe. It seemed that, for once, Chloe agreed with her, because she just stared at Kagami, protesting sounds coming from her mouth.

"I– I– I most certainly do not! That is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Me, jealous of lowly Dupain-Cheng? I have everything she doesn't have, thank goodness!"

Kagami nodded. "See, once again you fail to provide any direct answer in regards to why you hold your apparent grudge against Marinette. Last time we discussed her, you turned the discussion back onto me, and this time you turned it back onto yourself: deflection."

"I am not–!"

"Okay– enough!" Crimson shouted, stepping forward and standing between Chloe and Kagami. "We are going to get nowhere arguing unrelated points. Right now Lady and I need to keep all of you safe, find Zombizou, and free her from her akuma."

"Why not just hand Chloe over to the zombies?" Alix asked, crossing her hands. "Zombizou wants her, this is all her fault, and we won't have a whiner on board."

"I don't mind that idea," Alya said, scowling. "You've had it out for Marinette since day one."

"Y-yeah!" Lila added. "Do you enjoy doing this?"

"We are not throwing anyone to the akuma's minions!" Crimson snapped, a hand protectively shooting out in front of Chloe. "Especially not someone who isn't encouraging others to do so. We are going to stick together, and get the akumatized object."

"Crimson's right," Lady said, speaking up for the first time since she arrived– causing several of her classmates to jump. She leaned up against her baton as eyes turned towards her. "We can't toss Chloe over."

"Thank you, Lady Noire," Crimson said, relaxing slightly.

"Besides, Chloe would make fantastic bait," she continued, and Chloe's eyes widened, and Crimson threw a glance at her. "What better way to get the akuma to come out of hiding than for the one she's so desperately looking for?"

Kim shifted. "Well, um, I guess that's true?"

"Zombizou did say on the news that she was looking for Chloe and Marinette– and she already got Marinette."

"No one is going to be 'bait'," Crimson said. "But, it is very true that her presence could draw the akuma to us– and so we will be protecting her and all of you until we can either directly face the akuma or get you guys to safety– we need to work together from here on out– is that clear?"

There were mutters of agreements, and Chloe drifted closer to Crimson. "W-well, how are we even going to get around the city with all of us? We barely even got all of us onto the roof."

"We're all sticking together, and that's final," Crimson said. "Everyone, stay close to each other. Lady Noire and I will ferry you across rooftops– right now we need to keep moving and keep a sharp eye out."

Lady Noire could feel everyone's eyes turning towards her– no one seemed to want to be in her arms when it came time to carry them across. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"I'll go on ahead," she said, that way she wouldn't have to deal with people glancing back at her. "You guard us from behind, Crim."

He nodded in agreement, and she moved forward, baton in hand as she looked for the easiest route across rooftops, listening to the footsteps of those behind her, no one saying a word. She wanted to look back at Crimson, but knowing that would probably put the others on edge, she just kept moving forward.


"Crim– behind you!" Lady shouted somewhere to his left, and he wheeled about, spinning his yoyo to repel the zombies that were creeping up behind him.

"Kissoo!" They all called together as they reached out towards them, purple eyes desperate and empty. He and Lady kept circling about his friends as Zombizou's minions tried to plant their lips on any of the non-infected.

Clang! Crimson glanced to his side, and found a red figure standing next to him instead of black– Kagami standing ready to attack, with a metal bar in her hand. She must have found it lying on the roof, and despite the fact that it was definitely heavier than any saber, she held it as such, using familiar footwork to dart forward, knocking a zombie back, before retreating into the safety circle he and Lady were creating.

"Don't put yourself at risk!" Crimson called, not wanting to take his eyes off of the fight.

"I don't think you should be saying no to help!"

"You're a civilian– not a hero!"

He should have known that it would only be a matter of time before some zombies found their way up towards roof entrances, but still he had been caught off-guard as they had burst through the doors that lead to the patio-like roof he and the others had been taking a small rest on. Now he and Lady were desperately trying to keep them back, while knowing they couldn't afford to be hit themselves.

"Kagami!" Lady shouted. "Where did you get that bar?"

Kagami was lunging forward once more. "Small pile of them near the railings!"

"You two, keep them back!" Lady Noire cried– then suddenly she was vaulting up into the air as she expanded her baton, off towards the corner Kagami had gestured to. Crimson's panic rose as he realized he was being left alone against the zombie horde– and that Lady was content with having Kagami put herself at risk to help him? Not that he doubted Kagami's skills, but he would never forgive himself if she got hurt while trying to do his duty.

Lady Noire came crashing down, snagging a bar like Kagami's, before pushing herself up into the air again, before sinking down her baton, letting herself fall from the air. She landed on her feet in front of them all with ease, braid whipping around her as she looked up at the zombies who were now looking at her.

"Kissoo?" One cooed curiously.

"Come and get me!" She shouted, though it wasn't clear if the zombies understood the call or not. But with her rushing forward right into the midst of them all they all turned, content with chasing closer prey. Crimson took in a sharp breath as he watched, but Lady had all the grace of the feline she resembled.

She would use her baton to push herself up into the air when the zombies got too close, landing a ways off where it was clear, banging the metal bar against the cement to keep their attention. They didn't seem frustrated by her evasive skills at all, just following after her as they all chanted "Kissoo!".

Lady was leading them back towards the doors they had come from, which were still wide open, showing the stairs that lead into the building below them. As she reached the entrance she stood there for a moment, letting them draw closer, before slipping down the steps moments before one grabbed her.

Crimson flinched, knowing that she was making sure they didn't turn their attention back towards them, but that was way too close!

They all shuffled down the stairs after her, a few on the edges pausing, looking back towards Crimson and the others. In the end, though, they seemed more eager to follow after the horde, going down the stairs with the others under the spell after Lady Noire. They were all silent as they watched the last of them pour in, and for a few moments there was silence.

Then Lady Noire came rocketing out of the doorway over the heads of the stragglers, having launched herself with her baton. She landed on the cement, rolling to her feet just as the crowd of zombies all turned, slamming both doors shut as swiftly as she could. She slammed the metal bar she had gotten in between the handles, which acted as a temporary lock as the zombies rammed against it.

"Let's get going!" She shouted, turning back towards them. "They'll knock it loose at this rate!"

Crimson gave a sharp nod, before jumping up onto the railings, searching for which roof would be the best to take them to next. Something that wasn't linked to this building, and one with no windows or roof entrances nearby. He scanned the roofs, trying to ignore the banging of the zombies and the murmurs of his friends. Maybe something across the Seine–?"

"Ye– up there on the rooftops!" A sudden voice boomed, and he nearly toppled off the edge of the roof in surprise. "Are ye heroes, zombies, foes, or here to help?"

"That's Juleka's place!" Nino cried, pointing down to the river, where a houseboat could be seen drifting across the waters, in the middle of the Seine. A large speaker was on board, explaining the loud voice.

"We're zombie free up here!" Crimson called back– the water, what a perfect place to hide. "Would you be willing to take a few people aboard your boat? That way we can go after the akuma?"

"Yer more than welcome to, lad!" The voice called back, before it was cut from the speakers. However, the boat came to a stop in the middle of the river, waiting for them to come join.

"Okay, we need to get everyone over to the Liberty as quickly as possible," Crimson said, glancing at the door the zombies were still trying to get through. "Is there anyone that wants to go first?"

"Could I?" Lila asked, stepping forward, looking hesitant. Crimson glanced at her for a moment, but before he could reply there was a blur of movement– a black shape grabbing Lila as she let out a cry– rocketing them over the edge of the building.

Lady Noire held Lila around the waist, expanding her baton in the other hand down towards the street below. Lila clutched at the hero with a yelp, who was leaning forward to get the baton to start falling towards the river, expanding it at the same moment. She extended it so as they fell the top was right across the river– before shrinking it down and doing a flip to get Lila cradled into both arms.

She landed on the deck of the Liberity with ease, setting Lila down, who staggered back slightly, eyes wide. Lady then planted her baton on the deck, expanding it once more– the silver staff standing as high as the buildings as she held it steady– and Crimson saw what she was doing right away.

He pulled his yoyo back, before sending it flying so it entangled around the top of her staff, pulling it taut as he turned towards the rest of their group, hand out. "Who wants to go next?"

They had been hesitant the first few times he had ferried them across the rooftops, but by now they were confident in his yoyo. Nino stepped forward, allowing himself to be pulled up into Crimson's arm– before he jumped and swung across the streets down towards the Liberty. As they swooped down towards the deck he set Nino down, before using his momentum to loop about and go flying back towards the rooftops once more.

He grinned as he landed on the railing once more, hand out. "Okay, who's next?"

Alix, Kim, and Alya all went across next– despite Chloe's protests– but they didn't seem too keen on letting the one who was 'at fault' go so soon. Crimson wanted to defend his friend, but he knew that in order to protect his identity, he couldn't say anything. So he just swung everyone across as swiftly as he could, hurrying back so he could bring another as soon as possible. Others who had found rescue on the Liberty were coming above deck to greet the new survivors, though Crimson didn't get a chance to get a good look at them.

A scream came from the rooftop as Crimson was swinging back, Kagami and Chloe being the last ones on the roof. As he landed, he found that the zombies had managed to knock the metal bar free from the door, and they were now all clamoring out towards the two girls. Kagami had her metal bar held out as she took up a defensive position, Chloe hiding behind her, hands on her shoulders.

"Take Chloe and go, I got this," Kagami called as she heard him land.

"Yeah, no," Crimson replied, sending his yoyo out at both of them, Chloe letting out a yelp as she found herself entangled with Kagami. A sharp tug pulled them towards him, and he grabbed them both in his arms, letting out a slight grunt as he then ran straight down the side of the building.

Chloe screamed, but like the Ladybug he was named for walking up and down walls was one of the skills his suit granted– though he had to run with the extra weight his friends gave him. They were speeding towards the cement below, the zombies leaning over the edge, reaching down towards them.

"Kissyboo!"

"We're going to die!" Chloe screamed.

"No, we're not," Kagami replied as Crimson leapt, bracing himself for impact as he jumped onto the streets below. He wasn't quite as graceful as Lady, and the landing did hurt, but it was nothing compared to what it would have been if he hadn't his suit. He released Kagami and Chloe from the yoyo, before grabbing them both with an arm just as quickly, running forward before they had time to get their balance.

His magic did enhance his strength to an extent– but he would not consider it one of his powers. There was a limit even in the suit, and while he could carry Chloe and Kagami in his arms and run– it was not easy. His muscles ached as he sprinted, heart pounding and lungs gasping for oxygen. As he dashed through the streets zombies seemed to appear out of stores and buildings, heading towards him, and he leapt up onto a car– jumping from vehicle to vehicle to avoid the incoming crowd.

"Worst! Day! Ever!" Chloe shrieked as they sprang from car to car, which was even more taxing than running. Every muscle was screaming at Crimson as he ran, and he knew that if he was only holding one of them this would be so much easier– but he wasn't letting go of anyone, especially not his friends.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, looking out for any zombies approaching from the front, and what car he would leapt to next. He could see the river up ahead, the Liberty on the move once more, nearly in line with him. He could see Lady Noire on the edge, looking like she was ready to come over and help him– but he shook his head.

Instead, she laid her staff down, the pole landing on the edge of the river, stretching towards the Liberty. Crimson's eyes focused in on it as he ran; it would be a narrow road, but a guaranteed means to safety. As he approached the river he put on just a bit more speed. The baton was slick beneath his feet as he ran up towards the boat, but it only took him seconds to scramble across it, and his feet finally hit the deck.

Crimson Beetle carefully set Chloe and Kagami down, before sagging against the side of the houseboat– which had begun moving once more. Lady Noire was retracting her baton, tucking it away before approaching him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worried.

"Yeah," he flashed her a smile, now that he was resting he could feel his energy swiftly coming back, the magic enhancing his recovery. "Just need a second to catch my breath, that's all."

"That. Was. Awesome!" Alya exclaimed, bounding towards them, her camera filming them. "The way you just dodged all those zombies like it was nothing– amazing!"

Crimson gave a short nod, looking over his shoulder– but all of the zombies on shore weren't heading into the water, just stumbling along the shoreline as they tried to keep up with the increasing pace of the Liberty. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, feeling like, for the first time since Zombizou had attacked, they could truly breathe.

"Ah, I recognize ye! Yer from my daughter's class," the voice from the speakers declared, and Crimson looked up to see Anarka approaching, grinning ear to ear despite the fact that they were probably the only sane ones left in Paris. "You happened to see my Juleka in this mess, by chance?"

"She was turned into one of the zombies," Alix reported, and Anarka's face fell.

"...I see," she closed her eyes. "Well, best we get ye heroes ready– yer the only ones that can stop that land blubbering akuma, after all."

"Thank you for taking everyone on board," Crimson said, sitting up straight. "I feel a lot better looking for the akuma, knowing that they're all safe."

"I fail to see how this is an improvement," Chloe said, huffing. "This old boat stinks and the rocking is making me seasick."

Anarka chuckled. "Does take some time to get some sea legs. Luka, why don't you go find a chair for this young lady?"

Crimson's head turned towards the others that were on the ship, and with Luka and Anarka being the only ones that lived here, they must have been rescued, too. About a half dozen in total, all crammed onto the crowded deck of the ship. Crimson's gaze locked on Luka, though, who gave a small nod at the hero, who gave a hesitant smile in return.

"If anyone deserves a chair, it's Crimson Beetle," Kim said, crossing his arms. "He's the one that's been actually saving us."

"Are we really going to start this again?" Kagami said dryly. "I thought we already established that fighting would get us nowhere."

"Kagami? Is that you?"

Kagami's eyes were wide. "Mother?"

Crimson Beetle was surprised as well– but sure enough, there was Tomoe, standing out of the way, her bokken looking a bit worse for wear, clutched in her hands as she made her way forward. The Liberty wasn't the easiest place to navigate, though, the whole place a chaotic mess, and the bokken sword seemed to bump into something no matter which way Tomoe shifted it about, and Kagami stepped forward, her hand grabbing her mother's elbow.

"There you are," Tomoe snapped. "What are you doing so far from school in this mess?"

"School was the place the akuma first showed up, Mother. I left with some other students, and the heroes got us to safety," she carefully guided her mother around the boxes, bringing her to a more open space.

"Ha!" Tomoe snapped. "There's no heroes in this city– magic isn't a blessing, it's all a curse."

Kagami's expression was neutral. "Well, I would be under the akuma's influence if it wasn't for them."

"Or if you would bother improving your fencing skills, you could have handled them yourself, as I did."

Ankara snickered. "Ye mean when ye fell into the river and I had to fish ye out?"

Tomoe's nostrils flared. "You say you're speaking French– but I have heard nothing but gibberish. And if it wasn't for the lack of a proper barrier I would not have fallen– I was doing just fine until you showed up."

"More of them zombies would have shown up eventually," Anarka remarked. "Yer skills won't have saved yah, no matter how much talent you have. Ye did hold them off for a good time, though."

"I think everyone should move below deck," Crimson said, clearing his throat before the bickering could continue. "You would all be safer, sheltered and out of sight. Lady and I will take to the city– we can cover a lot more ground with just the two of us, and Monarch won't allow Zombizou to stay hidden forever. She'll have to come and face us– and we'll get the akuma then."

"What if one of the other zombies gets you?" Luka asked, having returned with a chair, looking at the heroes in worry.

"We– we can outpace them," Crimson replied. "Since, we um, are no longer in a group, we will have more agility to our advantage."

Nino rubbed the back of his head. "In other words, we were slowing you down, dude?"

"Civilians shouldn't be fighting akumas," Lady Noire said simply, sparing Crimson from replying. "Now that you are all out of harm's way, we can put our full focus on the akuma– and we should probably leave before we draw attention to where you are hiding."

"Lady's right," Crimson said, taking a step towards her. "The sooner we leave, the safer you'll all be. Anarka, thank you for letting us use your home as a place to stop. I promise we will get Zombizou taken care of as soon as possible."

"Tis nice to see some souls protecting this city that aren't controlled by pesky laws– you do what you need to and get things done."

"Excuse moi– Daddy wants the heroes here!" Chloe said. "He passed a law saying that they could fight– they aren't a bunch of vigilantes running about– Daddy wouldn't allow it."

"Ha, I'd like to see him try to stop these two!" Ankara declared, grinning at Crimson Beetle and Lady Noire. "Good luck, you two."

"Aren't black cats supposed to be unlucky?" Alix muttered.

"In Japan, black cats are seen as good luck, actually," Kagami said, her eyes flickering across the heroes. "So I think they'll do just fine."

Crimson glanced over at Lady, who hadn't said a word. She simply had her baton in hand, ready to leave. She was watching Crimson, who pulled out his yoyo, looking to shore. He didn't want to leave the safety of the boat, but until they got back out into the fray, the entire city of Paris would be in danger.

And so together, they headed to shore once more.


Never had Paris felt so huge as when they were searching empty streets for an akuma who wouldn't appear.

It didn't help with how eerily silent the whole city was– there were no cars moving on the streets, and the zombies that they could see were just mindlessly standing still until they drew near, and it was only then that they seemed to come to life– arms reaching up towards them, staggering in their direction, violet eyes empty.

"Kissoo! Kissoo!"

"How are these things just as creepy as real zombies?" Crimson muttered, looking down at the balcony, where a whole family was reaching up towards them as they passed overhead. "I mean, it's not like they want our brains."

"Because they've dismantled this entire city," Lady Noire said quietly, looking out at the unnaturally silent city– the only noises being from the zombies– who were all desperately trying to kiss them as they drew near.

She hated seeing her home this way. It... it just felt wrong. Too silent. Too empty. Everyone truly twisted under Monarch's powers, and the only ones that had escaped it that she knew of were the ones they had left back on the houseboat. She was sure there were probably others barricaded elsewhere in the city– or at least she hoped.

"Zombizou has to be somewhere," Crimson muttered, backing away from the balcony of zombies. "Monarch wants our Miraculous– so she has to come and face us, right?"

"Unless she's just waiting for the zombies to get a hold of us first," Lady mused, crossing her arms. "It would be far easier for her to get our Miraculouses that way, and would let her avoid a fight completely."

"Should... should we just find a spot to camp out?" He muttered uncertainly.

"And let this all spread beyond Paris?" Lady asked, gesturing to the city. "Not like this will just be magically contained here. I think we need to find Zombizou and flush her out."

"But if one of the zombies kisses us then it's all over, like you said that's probably what she wants us to do," Crimson countered. "The longer we wait, the stronger this army will get."

"Not too much of an army," Lady muttered, peering down at the balcony once more. The zombies were practically climbing on top of each other, desperate to reach the unaffected, but in the process they were only dragging each other down.

They stood there in silence, thinking. Lady Noire tried to focus on Plagg's presence tucked away in her mind– but she got nothing, the Black Cat as silent as he had been these last few days. She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh.

A bright burst of white light lit up the roof, momentarily blinding them, before it hovered there in the air as it pulsed with energy. Immediately, both of them were on guard, but as they watched two familiar figures step out from the light, their stances relaxed, Apex and Cottontail looking exhausted as they joined them on the roof. Apex scowled at them as she came to a stop, crossing her arms.

"...You're not as tall as I remember," Crimson said after a moment, sitting up a bit straight as he looked down at Apex, who rolled her eyes in reply.

He was right, though, because they both stood above Apex in height, and while Cottontail still had a tall and large frame, he was not the giant they had seen when Speedstar had attacked. Though their masks hid their faces, they seemed more full, more youthful. A beeping could be heard coming from Cottontail's pocket– the sound of a Miraculous before a transformation fell.

"Yeah, whatever," Apex muttered. "We don't have time for chit chat– you guys have already managed to mess everything up, like, five times, especially you." Her sharp blue eyes fell onto Crimson, glaring. "So let's keep this short."

"What did I do!" Crimson protested.

"First time around you both ended up getting kissed, but usually it ended up with you jumping in front of Lady like you have nothing to lose– leaving us with no way to get the cure unless we jump through like fifty hoops."

Crimson flushed slightly. "Oh... so this is like last time you guys showed up?"

Apex stared at him for a moment, then rubbed her temples. "'Last time'?" She muttered to herself. "Are you telling me that this is going to be a normal thing for us from here on out?"

Cottontail reached a hand into a pocket, pulling out a blue and white pocket watch. It flipped open as he did so. "Um, three minutes to go, maybe we can save the worrying for another time." He snickered. "Heh, time."

The Monkey holder took in a deep breath, before clapping her hands together. "Okay, fine, we're not going to reset again because of that stupid timer– so here's the plan, you two."

"The last reset was my fault," Cottontail said, rubbing the back of his neck. "My timer ran out and you guys figured out my identity."

"Doesn't that mean Apex figured out your identity, too?" Lady asked, glancing at Apex, who rolled her eyes. "I mean, I'm assuming you both remember these, um, resets?"

"We don't have time to worry about that!" Apex snapped. "So listen to us closely, okay? Zombizou is hiding out at the Eiffel Tower, with a bunch of zombies waiting to ambush you if you show up. Your Lucky Charm is going to be a bottle of makeup remover, use it to get the lipstick off of Miss Bu– Zombizou when you attack her so you can get close without being turned. Crimson, if you take a hit for Lady, then Monarch wins, so... don't do that– any questions?"

"Wait, I thought we weren't supposed to say too much!" Cottontail protested. "Fluff said–"

"This is our sixth time resetting this timeline!" Apex said. "Nothing else worked, so we're trying a direct approach this time around– do you want to keep this up forever? We're going to have more missions like this in the future, apparently."

"How long have you two had your Miraculous?" Lady asked– because they were clearly not the adults they had first met.

"Not long enough," Apex muttered, and another beep came from Apex's Miraculous. She stepped back towards the pulsing Burrow behind them. "Remember, Eiffel Tower, makeup remover, no jumping in front of Lady. Don't make us do this again. Please."

"Wait," Crimson said, pointing a finger at Cottontail. "Couldn't you just like... teleport us straight to the akuma with a portal?"

The Rabbit stared at him, then snorted. "Teleport? Do I look like Rahvan to you? My Burrow doesn't take you to places, it takes you to different times."

"Besides," Apex muttered. "The last thing we need is one of those zombies getting into the Burrow and ending up in another era– that is one mess I do not want to deal with."

They all shuddered at the thought.

"Anyways, I'll leave this akuma to you," Apex said, nudging Cottontail towards the Burrow. "Don't mess this up, and we won't have to see each other like this again... and yeah. Good luck!"

"...Good luck?" Crimson Beetle said uncertainly, as they both climbed into the Burrow– which flickered out of sight the moment they both passed through. They were left on the empty rooftop, the two heroes glancing at each other. "So... Eiffel Tower?"

Lady nodded. "We should probably pick up a cloth or two for, um, the Lucky Charm, I guess?"

He chuckled. "A chance to plan it out? That's new."

He threw his yoyo, and she expanded her baton– the two of them swinging and vauting from the rooftop, eyes focused on the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Like the rest of the city it looked empty, unsuspecting, but they now knew that was where their missing akuma was hiding out.

Lady thought they could have picked a better hiding spot than the city's landmark.


When Apex had told him not to take a hit in Lady's place, Crimson had taken that seriously. He had made sure to use his yoyo to pull her out of the way, or knock over something to halt the zombies' progression, instead of jumping between the two of them– even though he knew the first option would be quicker. He made sure to keep his focus on the zombies, akuma, and his partner, trying to stay aware of their surroundings at all times. Zombizou hadn't been happy about their appearance at the tower– and had immediately sprung after them, her lips stained black as she gracefully rushed towards them.

It was nice not to immediately summon his Lucky Charm, already knowing what he was going to get. It kept his timer running longer, time being precious as he and Lady worked side by side, weapons knocking away the zombies that came too close as they tried to get closer to Zombizou, a rag in each of their hands ready for when the Lucky Charm was summoned.

"Cataclysm!" Lady Noire shouted, laying a hand against a wall– allowing it to crumble down in front of a group of zombies that were coming up the stairs– more of the minions having been climbing the tower to them, which he hadn't even realized until the Cataclysm was summoned.

"How is this Charm supposed to work, anyways?" Crimson shouted as they leapt back. "Getting close is too much of a risk."

"Your yoyo!" She replied, nodding at the weapon as he flung it forward to knock a zombie away, and he instantly knew what she meant– the weapon gave them a range they lacked otherwise.

"Cover me!" Crimson said, kneeling down, and immediately his Lady took on a defensive position in front of him, baton swinging about as he tied the rag to the base of his yoyo, giving it a tug to make sure it was secure.

Lady was moving away from him, trying to keep the radius around him clear, and he pushed himself back to his feet, yoyo swinging as he was ready to join the fight. His eyes locked on Zombizou, who was perched on top of a railing– watching. Like the Miss Bustier she had been, she clearly didn't want to fight.

"Just a single kiss," she cooed as their eyes met. "And Paris can have peace– isn't that what you heroes want?"

"This isn't peace," he replied. "And once Lady and I free you from our akuma, I know you will agree with us."

Zombizou grinned. "Well, it seems like your little kitty cat will be the one agreeing with me, little bug."

Crimson's eyes widened, yoyo swinging in front of him and he looked back, and instantly he paled at the sight he saw. Lady Noire stood in front of the path that led to him and Zombizou, her baton expanded and wedged between two railings to act as a barricade as the zombies reached across the baton, hands reaching out towards them.

Their focus was no longer on Lady Noire, even as she held them back– for her face was already covered in black lipstick. She gave a grim smile up at Crimson Beetle as he stared at her, her blue eyes showing that the magic had yet to take effect.

"L-lady–" He stuttered out. He had been so focused on following Apex's instructions, making sure he didn't act recklessly to let himself get kissed, that it didn't even occur to him that Lady would do the same.

"Get the akuma," she said, and even with the echoes of 'Kisso!', he swore he heard her voice clearly. "I'll be fine."

Electric blue eyes were quickly becoming purple, and he turned away as the magic took hold. A blur of black was diving at him– Zombizou trying to attack him with his back turned– but he flung his yoyo at her with full force, knocking her back to the platform, before jumping up and out of reach.

"Lucky Charm!" He cried, throwing his yoyo skyward, the end still wrapped with a rag– and as promised, a bottle of makeup remover fell from the sky, red and spotted as all Charms were.

He caught it in one hand, dumping the contents onto the rag as he watched Zombizou make her way up towards him.

"Just me and you, akuma," he muttered– and he leapt down to meet her.


Lady Noire was dizzy, as a wave of pink light danced in front of her vision, the Miraculous Ladybug washing over her in a bright flare. She stumbled back, trying to make sense of where she was. The last thing she had remembered was looking out at Crimson as the zombies clamored about her, his eyes wide as he stared at her.

There were still many people around her, but no longer were their eyes purple or their skin stained with lipstick. Instead, they were all looking about in confusion as they stood up on top of the tower, probably with no recollection of how they had gotten there before.

Lady was able to easily spot Miss Bustier kneeling down, the woman clearly as shocked and confused as everyone else– and Lady let out a sigh of relief to see that she was no longer akumatized. They had won, and going by the beeping of her ring, it had only taken a few minutes for Crimson to get the upper hand. She looked down at her ring– two pads left– then looked about in search of her partner.

A blur of red crashed into her instead.

"Never do that to me again!" Crimson wrapped her up in a crushing grip, the hug tight and fierce. "What made you think that was okay?"

She gave a small smile. "They would have gotten through if I hadn't."

His arms coiled about her tighter, and she felt herself flushing as he held her close. "Just... just don't do that again."

"Hypocrite," she muttered in reply, returning his embrace. "Apparently you've been doing the same thing– and that's when this city needs you in one piece."

He pulled back, hands on her shoulders. "They need you too, My Lady."

She opened her mouth to reply– but her ring started beeping louder than before– only one minute left before her transformation fell. She shot a quick glance at everyone around them, and took a step back. "You should go talk to the woman who was akumatized, she looks pretty stressed."

Then, without another word she turned and jumped off of the tower, expanding her baton to catch her as she plunged towards the streets below. It was only now she could sense Plagg within her mind, clearly not happy with her pushing her luck with letting the number run low. She rolled her eyes in reply– because right now she needed to focus on getting out of sight.


"I just wanted to apologize to you, class, for letting my emotions get the better of me," Miss Bustier said as she stood in front of the class– only a few more minutes until the bell rang for them to go home. "And I'm so sorry for anything I did to you while akumatized."

"Rule number one of being akumatized, teach," Alix said, leaning back in her chair. "Anything that happens while akumatized wasn't you."

"But still," Miss Bustier said. "It was because of my fear that Monarch was able to get a hold of my emotions–"

"You were akumatized while trying to protect me," Marinette said. "You didn't do anything wrong, Miss Bustier."

"Yes, but–"

"Oh, would you quit with the apologies?" Chloe snorted, crossing her arms. "Literally no one here thinks you did anything wrong. Keep this up and everyone's going to get all mushy."

"Says the one that started this whole mess," Alya snapped.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Would it be tempting to ruin one of Dupain-Cheng's projects? Yeah. Did I do it, though? No. How shallow do you have to be to think I'd actually waste my time with all of you– I have more important things to worry about."

"Now class, not this again," Miss Bustier said. "Pointing fingers won't get us anywhere."

Chloe grinned, turning in her seat. "You heard Miss Bustier– it wasn't me."

"She didn't say that," Nathaniel muttered.

"Actually..." Miss Bustier said quietly, and all eyes returned up towards the front of the room. "Ms. Mendeleiev came to speak to me after Crimson Beetle brought me back to the school. She wanted to know what had happened... and she said saw Chloe leave the locker room right after the other students did– there wouldn't have been enough time for her to be the one to ruin the bag."

Chloe looked back at all of them smugly, before turning back to face the front of the room.

"Typical," Alya muttered next to Marinette. "She has the entire staff wrapped about her finger."

"Now, the school will keep looking into this, but I don't want to see you students putting blame based on assumptions–" Miss Bustier continued, but she was cut off as the bell rang, and she let out a sigh. "Well, today has been eventful for all of us, so I think some rest will do us all some good. I'll see you next week, class."

"We should go talk to the principal," Alya said, picking up her backpack. "Chloe just can't get away with everything."

"Maybe tomorrow," Marinette said with a tight smile. "Honestly, I just want to go home and sleep."


"Do you want some cheese danishes, Plagg?" Marinette asked as she pushed open her trapdoor, holding a small box of the leftovers from the bakery in one hand. She glanced about the room as she entered– but saw no sign of Plagg.

Marinette let the trapdoor fall shut behind her, glancing about her room. Usually anything with cheese brought the kwami zipping over, even if he had been more withdrawn as of late. She checked his usual places– his purse, his pillow by the computer, her retired pin cushion by her sewing machine, the sock under her chaise, the scraps of material on her vanity, the steps of the ladder, her pillow, his cave up in her loft– and when all turned up empty she pushed open her skylight to go up on her balcony.

She found Plagg curled up on the dark railing, soaking in the late March sun. His paws hung down off the edges, eyes closed with his back to the sky, tail curled about him. An ear flicked in her direction as she climbed up, showing that he was at least partly awake. She shifted the box in her hands, opening it slightly.

"Do you want some cheese danishes?" She offered, and a pair of green eyes slid open.

Plagg drifted off the railing, snatched one of the danishes, before zipping over to a potted plant, hiding under a leaf as he ate. The pastry was gone in just a few bites, and he stayed hidden under the plant, silent.

Marinette slowly sat on her chair, the box still in her hands, and she looked away. "...Do you want any more?"

Plagg shrugged.

"Would you like some plain cheese? We have some Neufchâtel downstairs?"

"I guess," Plagg mumbled, not rejecting the cheese– but the fact that he hadn't already zipped down to the kitchen was worrying indeed. Marinette watched him for a moment as he sat under his plant, hesitating.

"Plagg?" She asked quietly. "Do... do you hate me?"

This got his attention, those green eyes at last flickering towards her. His ears were up in surprise, pupils round and large as he stared at her. They held this gaze for a few moments, and his ears went back again, looking away.

"...No," Plagg said.

"This last week has seemed like the opposite," Marinette said quietly. "Is... is it something I said?" She asked, but she already knew what had caused this, and she swallowed. "Is it just what the Guardian said? Or– or is it because I went back to them about the book after the Protector? Or did I–?"

"Kid, you're giving yourself too much credit," Plagg said dryly, tail lashing. "It was nothing that you did."

"Then why do you–?"

"It's because of what you know!" Plagg cried, rising up into the air, fur puffed up. "You don't get it! None of you humans get it, because you just live for a mere blink and then it's all done and over for you! You don't hafta live the same thing over and over– and just when it seems like things might actually be about to change, it doesn't and it's going to be all the same again!"

Marinette was silent, just staring at the kwami, heart pounding. He was breathing heavily, and while his anger didn't seem to be directed at her, the words still hurt regardless. The Black Cat stared at her for a moment, before looking away, glowering off in the distance.

"...Because of the orders?" Marinette asked softly, and he tensed.

"No," Plagg spat sarcastically. "It's because it's springtime, I get allergies." He sneered. "Of course it's about orders! Holder after holder, kid. Do you know what's the very first thing the Guardians tell them when they hand me over? That a kwami is bound to obey the one that holds their Miraculous. Do they tell that to every holder of any Miraculous? No– but never have they ever failed with telling mine!"

She didn't know what to say, merely swallowing, and Plagg's eyes were a toxic green as he looked back at her.

"Trapped in the ring, trapped in the Miracle Box, or trapped by my holder's own words," Plagg said quietly. "That's how it's always been since the Order of the Guardians decided they should have all the Miracle Boxes. Commands and control, everything perfectly orchestrated under their fingers."

Plagg looked down at his paws, as if disgusted. Marinette didn't know what a Miracle Box was, but it definitely seemed related to the Miraculouses.

"Destruction and Order... we don't mesh. I align with Chaos. Creation is my opposite. Order... It's stiff. Sticky. Suffocating," his eyes burned. "And for the first time in hundreds of years, the Order is in shambles. Nothing left but some kid that didn't like the pressure to carry on the remains– so you think he might be different. Maybe change can come again. Sure, the first holder you're handed to knows about the magic that compels us– but she already knew that about kwamis. No big deal. Expected."

"Plagg–"

"So then the next holder comes around. One that knows nothing. She ain't told a word– she only has mine to go off of, like how it used to be. Before the Order of the Guardians and when humans and kwamis were partners instead of creature and master and Earth actually felt like a place worth staying and–"

Plagg paused, as if realizing he was rambling, and he just shook his head.

"Imagine all that, kid, things looking up again. Yet then that ignorant holder meets the Guardian, and what's the first thing he tells her? What first bit of magic is she to learn? How to compel her kwami."

He turned, eyes locked on her, and she felt frozen to the stop.

Plagg drifted back to the railing, looking out at Paris, voice bitter. "It's just the same old, kid. The usual. Nothing too interesting."

Marinette held the box of danishes tightly, and she didn't know how to respond. Plagg didn't seem to be waiting for a reply as he sat there, but staying quiet just felt so long. She swallowed hard, trying to gather words, but they just slipped through her fingers like sand, leaving nothing but a gritty feeling behind.

"...I'm sorry," Marinette finally said softly. "I'm sorry I know. If... if I could forget it, I would, I really would Plagg." She stepped forward. "I promise you, I would never force you to do anything. Just because I know about it, doesn't mean I would–"

"Heh, don't keep promises you can't keep," Plagg said with a snort. "What do you think happens every time you call for a transformation? That's the magic at work. Word things in just the right way? It takes hold. When one doesn't know it ain't too much, but there's no escaping it..."

Marinette felt sick. "You mean... every time we transform... I'm–?"

Plagg shrugged. "Transformations were meant to be like that."

"No," Marinette said, shaking her head. "No, that's wrong, that's–"

She couldn't continue, though, because she realized that she had already known this. How many times had she called for a transformation when Plagg wanted to do otherwise? Even if it was just his attempts to sleep instead of facing an akuma, or trying to barter for a snack before they left. Never once had he refused a transformation when she called for it, and never once had she considered that he couldn't.

She was snapped from her thoughts when she saw Plagg was now hovering in front of her, green eyes unreadable. Her vision blurred slightly as she stared, and again he looked away.

"...We kwamis agreed to the transformations being like that," Plagg said quietly. "The first transformations... they weren't stable. No defined form, two beings fighting for control, raw energy pouring out– it was one big mess. Someone had to be in control, someone had to guide the magic. And we chose for it to be the humans."

"So you gave up your freedom...?"

"No," Plagg said. "It was only during the transformation, from when the phrase was uttered to transform, and until we were released from the Miraculous. It was like that for thousands of years... but then the magic changed when the Order took over. They altered it so kwamis could always be compelled. That knowledge would be limited from us. And... it's been like that ever since."

Marinette swallowed. "Are Fu and Marianne someone we shouldn't trust, then?"

"...I don't like Fu much," Plagg finally said. "But he ain't an evil person. He wasn't much different than you, just a kid when all this was thrust upon him..." The kwami shook his head. "He ain't like the Order he came from. He's changed things as he's seen fit. But I guess I was too hopeful that he would change everything."

Marinette carefully held out her hand, scooping the kwami up. "Can we trust them?"

Plagg's ears went back, crinkling his nose. "...They ain't trying to do anything wrong. Don't tell the old man that I said that, though."

Marinette smiled softly. "I won't, Minou, don't you worry."

Plagg said nothing, but just drifted down to the danishes she still held, landing in the box and taking a large bite of the nearest one. He took to eating with little hesitation this time, eating through a whole danish and starting on another one in quick succession.

"...I'll become a Guardian, then," Marinette said softly, and Plagg looked up at her. "They said they wanted me and Crim to be Guardians after them, and if they changed things, then I will too."

"...Don't make promises you won't keep, kid," Plagg said softly.

"I'm going to make things better for you," Marinette promised.

Plagg just blinked at her in reply.


Minor Crocoduel Spoilers: I have made very minor edits to chapters 16, 22, and 29; removing all mentions of invisibility when it comes to the Tiger Miraculous and changed it to match canon. This does not affect anything plot wise. Like with the Fox I have changed the name of the Tiger's concept, but the powers remain the same. Roaar will be the kwami of Force from here on out.