Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir

Stranger in Town, Chapter 21: The Demon, The Black Throne, and the Maw

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Something's happened with Damien, something that will directly impact the lives of our heroes, not to mention the Earth itself. More secrets are revealed. Meanwhile, Kagami gets a surprise from her creature.

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I don't own any part of this franchise.

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The next day, at school: To Marinette's surprise, Damien was absent. That was peculiar; he was never absent. She knew enough by now to know that it would take something extraordinary for him to not make an appearance.

Deanna had also been enrolled in the Collège Françoise Dupont, more, Damien had hinted, for appearance's sake than necessity. She, too, was absent. Alarm bells were starting to go off in Marinette's mind. Could something have come up (or perhaps down?) that the pair had been recalled to Hell?

Miss Adriel was still substituting for Ms. Bustier. The rumor mill had it that Ms. Bustier would be returning to active duty next week, to the clear disappointment of several of the boys in class.

But to her surprise, Miss Adriel called both her, Ayla, and Chloe over after class. As usual, Sabrina stuck by Chloe like glue. Marinette glanced at the pair. Something had changed about their relationship, changed in a positive way. It's about time! "Have any of you heard anything from Damien?"

They looked at each other. "Uh, no, ma'am. Is…is he alright?"

"I have no way of knowing. But I feel like something is wrong. I intend to go over to his place now. Would you like to come?"

Miss Adriel's car proved to be a small, economy vehicle, which, like most modern cars, was electric in nature, though Marinette thought it looked to be rather more advanced than the standard models of its type. However, there wasn't enough room for five people. "It's okay," said Sabrina, "I can run alongside the car-*"

"You'll do no such thing," said Chloe. "Here." She got out, and activated her eudaemon, becoming Red Wasp. She didn't worry about any secret identity; half the western hemisphere knew hers. "Now. I'll just fly there. You ride." She still had to practically physically stuff a protesting Sabrina into the vehicle. "Don't fight me on this, girl friend. I'll probably beat all of you there, anyway. Go on, now."

That was definitely different, thought both Marinette and Ayla. In the past, Chloe, spoiled princess of the realm, had insisted poor Sabrina run alongside Chloe's eyesore of a pink limousine to and from wherever she went.

Different, but pleasantly different. Ever since becoming Red Wasp, Chloe had changed, and changed for the better. Not completely, perhaps; Marinette still boiled a little inside when she remembered the "bathing suit" incident, but she couldn't deny that Chloe had changed.

Poor Sabrina seemed to want to shrink into the upholstery. "I-I'm sorry," she said, to no one in particular.

Ayla, sitting beside her on the back, gave her a quick hug. "Girl…whatever for?"

Damien's apartment complex. Chloe had indeed made it there before any of the rest of them, and the group made their way to his door, with Marinette and Ayla remembering, uncomfortably, the last time they'd been here. But even before they got to the door, Miss Adriel stopped suddenly, there in the hallway. "Something's wrong," she said. Then she practically ran down the hallway to Damien's door. Rang the door chime.

"What is it?" asked Ayla. She glanced at Marinette, her thoughts plain: We might need to go to work, bestie. Be thinking of a good excuse to get away. Chloe didn't know about the pair's secret identities.

"I don't know," said Miss Adriel. "But it's something bad." Her voice dropped. "I…only hope it's not what I think it is. Let me do the talking."

Deanna opened the door. "You," she said, upon spying Miss Adriel. "I might've known." She glanced around at the assembled students. "Brought half the class with you, I see."

Miss Adriel adopted an oddly submissive stance, hands clasped in front of her. "May we please come in, Deanna?"

Deanna hesitated. She clearly wanted to say no. But finally, she grudgingly widened the door. "Yes, come on in."

The group filed in. There was no sign of Damien. "Is your brother here?"

"Yes," replied Deanna, a bit sharply, Marinette thought, "but he's in no condition to receive visitors right now." Ayla couldn't help but notice the demon girl's glance towards the bedroom…

…from which no sound, or any indication of a presence, emerged.

Deanna had turned away from them, towards the window, crossing her arms. Now Adriel went up to her. "Deanna…you might not believe this, but I've always regarded your brother as a friend. I'd like to help…if I can."

Deanna whirled around. "You can't!" she shouted. "He won't let anyone! You think I haven't tr-tried?" She sniffled, and turned away again, but not before the others saw something bright trickle down the side of her face. Something that looked like fire.

Now Marinette, the heart of the group, moved up towards the distressed demon girl. "Deanna," she asked softly, placing her hand on her shoulder, "What could be so terrible?"

Another sniffle. This must be bad, thought Marinette. Deanna was a tough little thing. She remembered the time she'd broken Lila's nose, when the latter had made a disparaging remark about an absent Damien. ("You brog by dose!" Lila had wailed, blood pouring down her face.

"I'll break more than that if you ever talk bad about my brother, ever again!" replied a completely unrepentant Deanna. For such a little person, she packed quite a punch.)

But Adriel moved to stand between Deanna and the rest. "Please, Deanna? Could I at least see him?"

Deanna sniffled again. "Oh, alright. But only you!" she said. She led Adriel into Damien's bedroom, passing Chloe, who'd just come from a foraging raid on Damien's fridge. As the door closed, Marinette and Ayla could both hear a gasp coming from the bedroom, and both looked at each other. That gasp could only have come from Miss Adriel, and they wondered at the cause of it. Never had any of them seen their substitute teacher (whom they privately suspected as being more than human, herself) get rattled by anything.

"Oh, Damien," whispered Adriel, coming over and sitting on the side of the bed by him, "What did they do to you?" Even though it was clear Damien was in no shape to respond.

Deanna was averting her gaze, standing over by the window. "So now you see. I'm afraid he won't be at school for the next few days…"

"Oh, that's the least of our concerns!" She could see, sense him healing, but it would still take time. "I'll cover for him." She brushed a strand of hair out of his face, a tear of pure golden light making its way down her face. Abruptly, she looked up at Deanna. "What…what was it? That thing with Akane?"

"Yeah. The Black Throne wants answers, and they aren't subtle about how they get them."

"Deanna…I know you're doing all you can, but…is there anything I can do? Anything at all? I do have access to…resources you don't."

Deanna sighed. "No, there's not. Even if you had the answers they seek, it's the fact that he openly defied them that's…resulted in this. It wouldn't go any better for him." She wiped her tears of fire away. "It might even make things worse. Him, friends with an angel? The Black Throne's big on punishment. As," she gestured towards her brother, "you see."

"Well," Adriel said, getting up, "you both know my offer still stands. After all this," she gestured towards Damien, on the bed, "I don't see either of you as owing the Black Throne any allegiance…"

"Thank you, Adriel, but the answer's still no."

Out in the living room: "But I wonder what could be so terrible?" asked Marinette, for the millionth time. "I mean, is he sick? Injured? What?"

"I'm afraid Damien's condition goes farther than that," replied Adriel, just then coming back into the room. "And Deanna's right: he's in no shape for visitors. We'd best go-*"

At that very moment, the door chimed. Crossing over, Adriel opened the door to reveal Kagami standing just outside. "Is Damien here?"

"Yes," replied Adriel, "but he's not well."

"Oh," replied Kagami, absently rubbing her face. The others stared; they'd never seen Kagami, of all people, exhibit what might be construed as a nervous gesture. "I tried to call him earlier, to let him know that Mother and I will be out most of the day. This is the day he usually delivers the food pellets…I only thought to keep him from making a pointless trip…"

"I'll deliver them," said Adriel. "What time would be best?"

"Anytime after five. Uhm, is Damien sick?"

"Not sick. He was…injured in an accident. It will take him a while to recover."

"Injured!" Kagami gasped. Then she recovered herself. "Is there anything I can do?" Not for the first time, her gaze swept over the girls in the room. Was that a twinge of jealousy in her eyes?

"No," said Adriel, "he'll just need some time."

After she'd left, Deanna came out of the bedroom. "Can't stand that girl." Her voice took on a higher, mocking pitch. "'Tried to call him earlier. This is the day… Is there anything I can do… She's practically stalking him, she is. What a tramp."

Chloe threw an arm over Deanna's shoulders, eliciting a frown from the demon girl, a frown she totally didn't notice. "Girl, you an' I are gonna get along famously."

….

Adriel delivered the food pellets-which actually looked like rocks, and which Kagami secretly believed were rocks, of a sort (after all, what would a creature seemingly made of rock eat, but more rocks?)-shortly after 5:30. Tomoe Tsurugi glanced suspiciously at her, but said nothing.

"One thing I need to ask," said Kagami. "And I'm not sure how to put it. But, uhm, there seems to be no clean-up needed, if you get my drift."

Adriel quirked a smile. "If you mean defecation…I'm no expert on this sort of creature, but I believe you won't have that concern. Creatures such as these tend to make one hundred percent use of their food source. So, while it still needs to eat, elimination won't be an issue. Most probably, I mean."

Well, thought Kagami, that was comforting. She glanced at her mother, to see if she'd heard. Judging from her body language, she apparently had.

But she exhibited no more trust of Adriel than she had of Damien. After all, they were both part of The World's Scheme to Corrupt Her Daughter. She'd only, and grudgingly, agreed to take the creature on when Morax had handed her the direct orders from the Black Throne, whom she seemed to respect-and fear.

She'd given the strange parchment to Kagami, instructing her to secure it in a safe place. After all, these were the orders that now plagued her life.

"It must have taken some persuasion, on somebody's part," said Adriel, as the creature crunched down its allotment of pellets, "to persuade your mother to allow you to keep this creature."

"I understand this 'Black Throne' issued her direct orders to do so. Though from what little I know of them, it seems a bit out of character."

Adriel pursed her lips. "It does to me too. Might I have a look at these orders?"

"Of course." Kagami had no secrets there. She retrieved the scroll from its lockbox and handed it to Adriel, noticing, all the while, that her mother was trying her best to appear uninterested by their discourse. "They're in a language I can't read."

Adriel's back was turned to Tomoe, and so Tomoe didn't see the sudden grin that crossed the golden woman's face. But Adriel quickly composed herself, rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to Kagami. "Yes. Most…exacting orders. I, too, have seldom heard of the Black Throne taking such an interest in the affairs of mortals. But there's a first time for everything, I suppose."

Kagami judged they were far enough away from her mother for the details of their conversation to reach her. She took the scroll back. "I know," she said, in as low a voice as she could, "that you are not of this Earth. Who are you? And…

"...what are you?"

Adriel looked at her very solemnly. "And if I tell you, will you believe?"

"I've seen too many things I previously would have found unbelievable to not believe. I know you are Damien's friend. Are you a demon, too?"

But Adriel shook her head. "No, Kagami. I am Damien's friend, but I am no demon.

"I am, in fact, an angel."

Later, Kagami would have a hard time remembering all that had transpired that day. Hell, Damien as a demon, Hell-creatures (with the almost certain possibility that she partook of their genetic structure), the demons themselves, Lord Morax, Lady Luan, the shadowy presence calling itself Ourobouros and its role in her creation…and now learning that Miss Adriel was an angel? An actual angel? This last troubled her more than she had thought it would; being familiar with the Judeo-Christian mythos, she was quite aware that, according to their own Holy Book, angels were by far more dangerous to humans than demons were.

….

She found it very difficult to sleep that night. All that she'd learned, all that she'd experienced, seemed to be crashing together in her head, a four-car pile-up that wouldn't untangle. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Damien; as a demon, he should be immune to any ordinary physical force. That only left some sort of force from his realm, from Hell itself. That bothered her immensely.

Around midnight, she yielded to the inevitable: she got up, got dressed, and went down to the expanded room where her creature ("Got to come up with a name for it; it seems only…polite…") was housed.

It seemed to be half-sleeping when she got there, but upon seeing her, immediately woke up, its expression one of joy. "Tokubetsu!" it exclaimed, happily.

Completely unafraid, she walked up to it, wrapping her arms around its neck as far as they would go, rubbing it lightly. How could it feel, with that rock-like hide? But it apparently did, tilting its head towards her and closing all of its eyes. My genetic father is a puppy dog, she thought. Then, well, perhaps that's the best kind.

But suddenly, the creature lifted its head, turning it as though sniffing the air. But that was impossible; they were in a completely enclosed environment.

It turned its head first one way, then the other. Kagami watched, her alarm rising. The creature's stance and behavior indicated "DANGER!" in red capital letters, with italics, yet. But what-*

And then Kagami saw the one thing she'd feared, ever since first meeting this creature, down in Hell: the monster's open maw, descending upon her.

To be continued…