Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Chapter 5: "Better," Part II

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Don't own, etc.

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Marinette felt a chill run up her spine. Chloe had a point, darn her. She couldn't deny that the being they met in the bistro the other day just simply had not been Kagami. Not the Kagami they knew, anyway. "I thought we agreed Adrien wasn't her target."

"Misdirection, oldest trick in the book. Guard Damien, the obvious one-and while nobody's watching, Adrien gets zapped. And remember: it's not those who Kagami's emotionally involved with who are in danger, it's those who know her best."

"Wellllll, okay, then," said Marinette, privately trying to gauge whether or not Chloe was setting her up, involving her in one of her schemes, like she had before. But every signal she was getting from the blond girl seemed to be on the up-and-up. Could the eudaemon have changed her so much, in so short a time? But who knew? The eudaemons were a totally new phenomenon, for everyone. She wished Master Fu were here; maybe he'd have some counsel to give. But privately, she suspected not. Too new a phenomenon. "What will you be doing?"

"Calling in sick, going home, and then…well, I'll see. Tell Ladybug that I'm in on this, and I'll probably need some backup. Or she will, one of the two." Chloe's "secret identity" was perhaps the most poorly kept secret on the face of the Earth. Probably the only reason she hadn't already been targeted by Monarch was, until now, nobody had ever even heard of a eudaemon, or knew what to do with one. "We'll…see." Something about the way she said that last part set off yellow "caution" warnings in Marinette's mind, but right then, she was too focused on the possible danger to the boy she loved to really devote much brain-power to it.

"I'll leave it in your hands, then. Later." And with that, Chloe was gone.

…

But not home. She wasn't done yet. She managed to ditch Sabrina the same way she had Marinette, and, as Red Wasp, made her way, as stealthily as she could, to the Tsurugi townhouse.

Now that she had Marinette's buddy, Ladybug, on her side, she herself was free from guarding Adrien. And he would need guarding, she thought; rich kid like that had probably never been in a real throw-down fight. Oh, sure, he'd had, like all the others, some martial arts training, fencing, savate, ju-jitsu, karate, but no experience in the real world.

If what looked like Kagami showed up at his door, he'd be emotionally and psychologically defenseless.

But now she had some slack. Time to be more proactive.

That had been a really interesting site she'd found on the dark web. Not that she had dared commit her own computer to such an endeavor; no, she'd bought-well, had daddy buy-a standalone unit specifically for use in this case.

Building hacking: plans on the web detailing the ins and outs of even the most private, most modern constructions. In so many cases, there were often hidden or forgotten entranceways, crawl spaces, and ventilation shafts that were-barely-navigable by someone of her size. No doubt even in a home as modern and well-kept as the Tsurugi's, such places would be infested with vermin, cockroaches, spiders and other things that made her go ick! just to think about, but having a legion of magical wasps at your disposal came in real handy there. Not that she'd send a buzzing horde into the place, that would be a dead giveaway. Just a few to clear out her route and do a little recon…

Perhaps it was a measure of her exhaustion that, while infiltrating the building, her mind flashed back to the day when she'd accepted the eudaemon from the strange man. The man who wasn't a man.

It had all begun with her so-called friends, of course. No, they just couldn't take her advice on the project, and put her in charge, the way she should be. No, they had to go and form a committee, of all things…since when do things ever get done by committee?

It had probably been that stupid little Marinette's idea. Yeah, just get Chloe out of the way…and then maybe she could cozy up to Adri-kens.

Why didn't Adrien see who really loved him? But no; he'd been just as brainwashed as the others, even going so far as to suggest that she, Chloe Bourgeois, actually apologize to those backstabbers. Like she ever would, in a million years.

She'd been crying tears of rage and frustration in the limousine. Those fools! Didn't they see how important this project was, how important she was to the project? Well, one quick call to Daddy and-

-and then she realized she wasn't alone there, in the limousine. Sitting beside her was a stranger, wearing what looked like an expensive black suit. "Such pain," he'd said, "So angry."

"Who-who are you?" She hitched away from him as far as she could. He must be some crazy who'd managed to get into the limo. But that didn't explain the suit… "Get out!"

"Who am I? Let's just say I'm a repairman, of a sort." He turned to face her, there on the back seat. "And I see where some repairs are needed."

"What are you talking about? Get out!"

"Oh, I'll go, if you wish. But then you'll never know what I have to offer you. And what I have to offer you will go to someone else."

"'What you have to offer me'? What do you mean?"

Rather than replying directly, he gestured towards the window. "Your friends. They didn't understand. They can't understand…about how important this project was to you. They can't understand…because they don't know you."

"What do you mean? Of course they know me. And don't call them my 'friends.'" She hrrmmphed, crossing her arms, turning away from the stranger…

…and discovered that wasn't a good idea at all. Seen from her peripheral vision, what sat beside her in what she presumed to be the limo looked…

…terrifying.

All the more so because she couldn't say, for certain, exactly what it did look like.

"Oh, they know your name, who your father is, superficial things like that. But they don't know you. They don't know the person behind those tears. All they know is all you've shown them: an angry girl accustomed to getting her way."

She made no reply. He was right, damn him.

"There are," he said, sitting back, "other, more productive, ways to be."

"What are you, some kind of self-help guru?"

"Oh, far from it. As I said, I'm a repairman of sorts. I'm just here to…do my job. After this day, no matter how it goes, you'll never see me again." Another sly glance at her. "You feel slighted because Ladybug won't give you your kwami back. You feel rejected." She said nothing. What was there to say? Again, he was right. "You want power. Not power stemming from your father. Personal power. You want to be famous, like Ladybug, to receive the adulation of the masses.

"What if I told you that was possible? Right here, right now?"

"I'd say that sounds like something too good to be true."

"And ordinarily you'd be exactly right. But remember, I'm a repairman. I repair what's broken. And…I'm sensing a few things broken…very close by." He brought up his hand (it hadn't looked like a hand at all, when she'd turned her head away, no, not at all. What had it looked like? She couldn't seem to remember), and held it out towards her. There was something in the palm, something red that seemed to buzz and vibrate. "Here, Chloe Bourgeois. This is a eudaemon. It will convey upon you the powers of the Red Wasp."

She shrank back. It was curious that she hadn't heard from the driver, and it seemed like the two of them were surrounded by a pink fog. Was she even in the limo anymore? "A yu-what now? I've never heard of anything like that."

"Let's just say it's new."

"Let me guess. I'm supposed to use it for the 'greater good,' right? And return it to you when I'm done?" Sarcasm dripped off her tongue.

"Wrong. It's yours to keep, and to use in any way you see fit."

Her thoughts raced. In the past, she'd willingly accepted akumatization, in order to get power to get revenge on her enemies, of which she seemed to have so many these days. Was this really any different? She reached for the buzzing, vibrating object…

He pulled his hand back. "Two things you should know, before you accept. One, once you are bonded with the eudaemon, it can never be taken away from you. You can give it up, but it cannot be taken from you.

"And two: You may notice some changes in yourself. Whether they'll be for good or ill, there's no way to say.

"But you would get power. That I promise you." Again, he offered the object in what now looked like a hand.

"What, you mean I wouldn't be me anymore?"

"Oh, you'd still be you. Just…more so. Oh, three things: as long as you hold the power of the Red Wasp, you cannot be akumatized."

She thought some more. Truthfully, being akumatized really hadn't worked out all that well for her anyway, in the past.

And she would get power…power that could never be taken away… Somehow she knew he was telling the truth, there, about that. "What th' hell. Gimme." And her hand closed over the red buzzing object…

How to explain the change that had come over her, that was still coming over her? She was still herself, but somehow, in a weird sort of way, she was…Chloe-plus. It was like her new self was an overlay to her old self. She perceived things differently than she used to. That was one way she'd known that the being they'd met at the bistro wasn't Kagami.

And she could sense that she could, if she so chose, relinquish the power of the Red Wasp. Give it to someone else. But…she couldn't imagine doing so. Simply put, she was an improved version of herself.

She would never go back to being the way she had been.

And, while she'd thought of Damien as being a "nothing," that was not entirely true. True, he was a loner, and simply not on anyone's social radar, and this by his own choice, but... She'd never, in a million years, be able to explain the difference between him and everyone else, but it was almost like he was…something else. Something…fundamentally different. It was like he was a number that didn't fit into any equation, a square peg in an ocean of round holes, a letter from a language nobody could read, or perhaps a strange colour from the void beyond space. And like a magnet of immense strength, forces swirled around him that were a complete mystery to her.

How do you explain the color green to someone born blind? You couldn't. There was no basis for reference.

But in a way, now that she was coming to accept her new self, it made perfect sense: That which was Not-Kagami had been drawn to another being who was also not as he seemed.

If they lived, she'd have to devote some time to unraveling their duel mysteries. If they lived.

If any of them lived. Lately, she'd had a weird feeling, almost a premonition, that few, if any of them, would.

Even with the magical boost of the eudaemon, she had to fight to keep from dropping off to sleep from sheer exhaustion. She had a suspicion-no more than a hunch, really-as to what they'd encountered at the bistro, one that would-sort of-account for its interest in Damien (if she was right about him to any degree), but if she was right, that just meant Adrien-and maybe everyone else-was in even more danger than she'd let on. And where her future husband was concerned, Chloe Bourgeois had no intention of stopping at half measures.

Plus it was important that she get there before Ladybug or one of her deputies-if there still were any left, after the Monarch fiasco-did. She could easily need rescue herself. In fact, she planned on it. Or, more accurately, planned against it.

She had to move quickly. The weather report had mentioned a strong cold front coming in, with torrential rains. Wasps, magickal or otherwise, don't like rain.

There; one of her recon wasps reported something odd in an upper bedroom, one that was accessible by a good-sized air vent. Cautiously, she crept up to it, taking care to keep far enough back from the grill so as not to be seen…assuming anyone inside was capable of seeing, that was.

There was a massive king-sized bed in the center of the room, the covers rolled up in the middle. As she watched, they moved, twisting, writhing, as though what was within was trying desperately to escape.

…..

Ladybug leaped high over the city, from one roof to another, heading for the Tsurugi's household. So focused was she that she was completely taken by surprise when, nearly a city block from the townhouse, she heard her name being called. "Ladybug! Down here!"

Red Wasp-Chloe-was in an alleyway, holding what looked like a bundle of blankets. "Down here!" She glanced around nervously. "Hurry!"

"What is it?" Ladybug-Marinette-was surprised to see Chloe here, but she couldn't let on that she knew about their previous conversation.

"I had a hunch." And she pulled back the blankets to reveal…

…Tomoe Tsurugi's blind, agonized face.

…

They carried the semiconscious woman back to Hotel Bourgeois, placed her in one of the rooms. "But what happened? What's wrong with her?" asked Ladybug, after a brief recap of Chloe's extraction of Kagami's mother.

"I've no idea." Chloe pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. She was actually wobbling to and fro, her eyes closing and opening, sitting there on the bed by Ms. Tsurugi. "I, I had a hunch. I didn't look any further, but I bet the servants are in a similar state. Kagami may be in there, but I don't know. I kinda doubt it.

"You're gonna have to take over. Not only am I out on my feet, but it's starting to pour down rain, and that limits my powers." She shared her fears with Ladybug, who listened with the attitude of one receiving new information. "So Kagami-if you see her-probably isn't Kagami. Just so's you know."

"Okay. Go on to bed, hero. Get some sleep." She actually smiled. Chloe a genuine superhero? Who'd have ever guessed it? She turned her attention to the supine woman, whom they'd been unable to completely rouse. Bent over her ear. "Ms. Tsurugi? What happened here? Who did this?" Red Wasp had been in the act of exiting the room, but turned when she heard the question. "Who did this?"

Tomoe Tsurugi was clearly in pain but seemed curiously unable or unwilling to even try to get up. The few times they'd tried to remove the bedclothes, she'd pulled them back over her with surprising strength; it didn't seem to be a voluntary gesture. "Who did this, Ms. Tsurugi?"

"Ka-gami. It-it was Kagami."

To be continued…