Its hard swinging through the trees with my yo-yo, but its not like we have much of a choice. Two things are worrying me as we race through the trees, its not like we can just hide in some random tree, and I can hear the swishing and swooping of her wings behind us.
"Any hiding places spotted, Kitty?" I talk into the earpiece. It crackles a little, but I can still hear his voice warm and clear. "Up ahead, a tree house. Do you see it, M'lady?" My eyes scan the treeline, but its all leaves, branches and now snow as we scale up the mountain. "No, but I trust you. Lead the way, Cat."
As if she hears us or sees us coming, a lady steps out onto her balcony porch, ushering inside quickly. "Quickly, quickly now!" she guides us.
No wonder I didn't see her home until I landed the balcony. Her home is camouflaged, hidden between snow and branches. Cat's eyes are way sharper then mine however, no wonder he spotted it before me.
"Thank you," I gasp, hands on hips, trying to regain my breath. When I straighten up, I get a good look at her. She's short like me, hair the color of sliver frost, and gray eyes. Her dress is the iciest blue I've ever seen, and besides Emile Agreste, she's the most pretty woman I've ever seen. "You'll be needing food and something warm to drink," she says, gesturing for us to follow her into the kitchen. "My name is Icicle, by the way."
"I'm Cat Noir, and M'lady here her name is Ladybug," Cat speaks for both us. I'm grateful. I still have a habit about being shy with people I've just met. "Nice to meet you both. Who was that chasing you?" She takes down a kettle hanging from the rafters. "The girl who got akumatized, her name is Ivy, though right now she calls herself Wrath." "Ah."
Icicle pours us tea, and it has a spicy and smoky taste, plus pulls a cake from her cupboard. "You know, maybe if we just would have listened to Ivy for five minutes in music class, maybe this wouldn't have happened!" Cat sighs, taking a sip of tea. "Maybe there's a deeper meaning for her wanting to sing," he muses. "That might be true, but we have to get her back to normal before that happens." I take a bite of cake, and its the best cake I've ever tasted.
"Your right, Cat. We all have hidden secrets and we sometimes clam up until we're ready to share. Even you two have secrets from each other you haven't shared. I've just met you, but I can tell your closer then close." "At times, we can read each others minds," I confess.
For awhile, it was awful when we kept things from each other, and our nearly flawless communication skills took a nosedive. I still take most of the blame, though Cat doesn't like it when I do that.
Icicle watches us eat, then says, "When your finished, I'd like to show you something, one at a time." I go first, as Cat seems to be enjoying his tea. With a quick kiss, I follow Icicle.
"My tree house bumps up against a small cave, and between you and your partner, I think its a magic cave." "Magic?" I echo.
It seems to be grower darker, and I soon find out why. We've entered the cave, but suddenly the room is illuminated once more by hundreds of stagliments, looking like giant icicles. We walk a bit further to a large glass-like sheet of ice, so much so I can see my reflection.
"You and the Reflection wall have things to discuss, so I will leave you for a time, but I'll be close by."
I sit down, placing my hand on smooth surface, listening to the sound of water plopping from somewhere far above.
Then I see myself split into two girls, one is still wearing a mask. She longs for adventure, to settle and raise a family, while the other slogs away at schoolwork, an unhappy look in her eyes. The scene blurs and then I see myself just as Marinette, holding a baby in my arms, my face is the picture of utter contentment. Didn't I know this already, or was I struggling, thinking I could do both? Does that mean when my enemy is defeated, I won't be going back to school? Is this a vision of my future?
The images fade and goes back to the glass reflection of myself once more, just a girl in a ladybug suit, bluebell eyes staring back. Its Cat's turn when I return, sipping more tea and eating a thin slice of cake as I wait for them to return. When they do, a rapping comes at the door, and an idea soon comes to mind.
"I'm going to let Wrath in here," I tell my friends, and Cat's mouth drops open. "Bugaboo, she'll tear us apart!" "No, you were right, Cat. Like us, Ivy has secrets that she needs to see. If we take her to the Reflection Wall, maybe she won't want to be evil anymore."
"Ladybug's right," Icicle confirms. "But lead her with this flute, enchanting her with song." Incredible, even her flute is made of ice, and Cat being the musical one I let him be the Piped Piper.
I was right, and I didn't even need a lucky charm. When Wrath returns with Cat and Icicle, she's no longer Wrath, but Ivy once again.
"Cat, Ladybug," she whispers, looking at us. "I do have secrets that I shared at the Reflection Wall, but I can't hold it in, I need to tell someone. I'm all alone in this world."
Cat and I look at each other. What does she mean by that? "We're not following," Cat tells her gently, and when she looks back up at us, her eyes are swimming with tears. "I'm an orphan."