Past

This was a new dream. Adrien knew that because he didn't recognise his surroundings at all. It wasn't an alien location, nor a disturbing void – it was a wide-open meadow. One onside there was a thick treeline that seemed to stretch into the horizon, while the other held a dirt footpath retreating into a vibrant green hillside.

He'd go as far as to describe the rolling field he'd been plopped down in, under a soft glow of the moon, as quite refreshing. It was a new place, and Adrien never had enough creativity to dreamed outside the confines of the world he knew.

And yet, this foreign place felt familiar, it felt like home.

"Hyah!" A cry of effort summoned the galloping of hooves behind him.

He turned, facing the hills where he saw a lone horse emerge from the trail. As it came more into focus, he could gleam two figures riding atop it, a man and a woman both shrouded in cloaks.

Adrein was focused on trying to peer under the figure's hoods, to discern some sort of crucial detail about them. In his heart, he knew there was something more to this dream than mere neurons firing in his subconscious, that there was something important here, something he needed to remember when he awoke.

However, that focus meant that he didn't notice how close they had gotten until the horse was a few inches away from a head-on collision.

With a loud yelp, Adrien stumbled back, falling on his just as the horse reared back at the behest of it's rider. The woman slipped off the horse, throwing her hand back at the man to gesture him to stay. "Stop here." She muttered, pulling back her hood to reveal short, dark curls framing hardened brown eyes.

She's Japanese. Adrien noted. This thought prompted him to look over his surroundings with that framing in mind, the landscape, the style of buildings he could just glimpse in the distance, and some of the clothing he could catch under the sway of her cloak; they matched depictions he'd seen of feudal Japan. Why am I dreaming about past Japan? I figured I'd be dreaming about more recent history…

"Are you sure?" The man said uncertainly, with a pronounced refinement to his accent. He removed his hood as well to peer down at his companion, revealing longer hair, fairer skin and richer looking material for his clothes. Adrien pondered if he was looking upon a noble and his servant. "We are not safe out here in the open. We should at least make for the cover of the forest."

She didn't return his gaze, instead turning her eyes to the lush land at her feet, searching intently for something. "If we cross that threshold without announcing our intentions, we will be long dead before your father's troops find us."

Both Adrien and the man seemed to share similar confusion, following her gaze downwards only to see nothing of interest. Unlike the man, Adrien had the benefit of further inward. Though, first he had to dust himself off because, despite no one being able to see him, he apparently could still feel the effects of mud splashing onto him.

And a good thing too, he soon found out as he pushed one foot past the woman, only for that foot to immediately sink under the grass.

From this perspective, he could see the trap. The grass was tall, tall enough to lash out at his kneecaps, but strung so close together that it easily looked shorter than it was, giving the impression of being closer to the ground. In actuality, there was a good few feet of water flowing through the grass, as deep as a pool, with a thin layer of mud over the top to cover it.

Squinting, Adrien could just barely discern an outline for this hidden lake, seeing it twist around the perimeter of the forest, lying in wait for any unwanted visitors. As he did so, he also picked up on small hills that seemed to form over the surface of the water; hills that had eyes peering out from under them.

"I see." The man took the words right out of Adrien's mouth, his gaze following the same trajectory. "The disciples of the Black Claw are as skilful as you said."

The woman nodded as he too slipped off the horse, pulling it just a bit further back to keep a safe distance. She spread her arms out wide, calling out to the men hiding in the grass. "I am Shimizu Ling" She declared.

She received no response, but this didn't deter her. Instead, she grabbed a fistful of the material of her cloak, pulling it aside until her neck was made visible. Her other hand dipped into the satchel at her side, procuring a wooden vial and holding it up to the base of her throat. The vial's lid was popped open and whatever liquid was contained within splattered against her neck.

Before Adrien could wonder what was going on, a sharp hiss like steam escaping a kettle came from the spot she splashed. The spot that now had green, glowing slashes cut across the skin like claw marks. "I bare the mark of the Claw, and the flesh of a human."

Flesh of a human? Adrien frowned at this, the awkward wording making him fear this woman was about to reveal she was a cannibal who just brought the next feast.

A flash of green, a glow so familiar to Adrien that he looked down at his own hands to check he wasn't the one who made it, tore across the centre of the hidden river. The guards rose from their mud shelters, stepping away to avoid the reach of the light as it carved a hole in the ground.

From the hole there was revealed a tunnel with a staircase leading down it, and at the foot of those stairs, with fresh water rush down to trickle past his feet, was another man. This one wore dark clothing, robes that Adrien's inner-weeb could instantly clock as the garb of a samurai, complete with large circular hat made of straw that perfectly hid the man's face.

He silently ascended the stairs, the length of his robs hiding his feet so that it was if he floated up to them. No one talked, no one dared breath, all stood and witnessed the samurai's arrival.

Soon enough, he stood before Ling, the bright blow of the moonlight powerless before the shelter of his hat. The silence gave way to a thick, agitated tension as the man looked from Ling to her companion and, for a moment, seemed to look straight at Adrien. Despite knowing that this was a dream, Adrien couldn't help but feel like he was prey being sized up by a predator on the prowl, just waiting for the samurai to bear his fangs.

And then, all at once, that tension popped in a gaggle of laughter as the samurai wrapped his arms around Ling and pulled her up off the ground in a sweeping hug.

"Come now, Ling." He roars with laughter, the hat swinging upwards to reveal a toothy grin and dark spikes in sharp contrast to Ling's withering gaze. "I know you don't think highly of my attention span, but just because you've been gone a month doesn't mean I'd forget my own sister's voice."

"Kenzo, be serious! We have protocols for a reason." She growled, fruitlessly beating her fist against the man's chest. "You never know who could be using my voice."

Kenzo, as she called him, dropped her to the ground with a shrug. "I don't think any mere imposter could match your scowl." He wiggled his finger, going so far as to even tap her nose, completely unphased by the glare he got in return. "Also, I thought you said it was 'Shadow Paw' in front of guests."

At that final remark, Ling's companion gasped, eyes going wide as he looked between Ling and Kenzo, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. "Y-You're Shadow Paw, the blind samurai?"

Adrien blinked, experiencing some confusion of his own for a moment. He inched forward, leaning down to look further under Kenzo's hat and, lo and behold, two layers of bandages wrapped around the man's eyes like a misplaced bandana. Holy crap, is he really blind?

Kenzo tilted his head back, getting a good look at his sister's companion, almost looking like he had taken offense. But instead of pouncing on the poor man, he just chuckled again, reaching forward and shamelessly grasping the man by the shoulder. "I know, right? I wanted to go with 'The Katana Kitty', but everybody hated it."

Ling's cold exterior broke away under the weight of a loud groan that was quickly followed by an eye roll. "You are insufferable."

"I still think you should've gone with 'Shadow Claw'." Came an awfully familiar, high-pitched voice.

Adrien jumped back, throwing his head in the direction of the voice, desperately scanning the area until-

"What? No! That's far too serious, Plagg."

Nope, his eyes weren't deceiving him, the dark cheese-addicted kitten himself was lounging atop the rim of Kenzo's hat, a cheese wedge in hand.

That green glow, Adrien's eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him, it was a cataclysm. At that revelation his eyes widened, turning his attention back to Kenzo, looking over the samurai through a new lens. That means… This guy is one of the previous Chat Noirs? And he's blind?! God, I gotta step up my game.

The still unnamed man steeled his posture, pushing his arms behind his back as he dipped his head in a low bow. "You're, uh… Not what I expected, Sir."

"Well, ideally, I try not to be. Hard to fight the empire of your homeland without the advantage of surprise." Kenzo said, waving his hand dismissively. "And you must be the younger Hoshino."

"Yes, my Lord!" The man cried, still keeping his head bowed. "I am Hikari, son of Hiroshi."

"It's an honour." Kenzo briefly looked to Ling for confirmation before nodding, taking on a ponderous look. "How's Lord Hoshino these days?"

"Complacent, I fear." Hikari sighed, raising his head to let his frown be clearly seen. "He and the Shogan refuse to lift a finger to combat these invaders."

A grumbling noise that sounded like a mix of a snort and a sad hum escaped Kenzo's throat. "Many people have yet to be convinced that we are even being invaded." For a moment, his sunny disposition flickered, before he clapped his hands together and pushed that hopeful smile back on. "But we'll convince them yet."

Hikari nods with a weary smile of his own, sinking to his knees to complete his bow even in the thick of the mud. "I am eternally grateful for your assistance."

Kenzo looks more weirded out than anything, reaching down to tug the boy back to his feet with a grunt. "Oh, get off the ground, Boy. Don't waste your familiarities on this old cat, it's my job to keep all the strays safe."

Plagg let out an impish giggle. "He hasn't been a lord since they took his eyes." Kenzo didn't correct the little gremlin, but he did reach up to swatch the latest cheese wedge out of Plagg's paws as retribution.

Hikari awkwardly returned to a standing pose, stumbling over his words as he reached into the depths of his robes and pulled out a scroll. "E-Even so, I can only… Only hope that this offering will aid you in your campaign."

Kenzo gratefully took the scroll in his hands, raising a curious brow when his gaze fell upon the seal proudly displayed on the knot binding the scroll together. "These are classified documents." He whistled, "How ever did you manage to get your hands on them?"

Hikari's gaze turned to Ling with soft, yet passionate undertones that she, in turn, returned. "Me and Ling make for a pretty good team, Sir."

Now, Adrien may be oblivious when it came to love, but he knew for damn sure that those were the same looks he'd give Marinette when they officially started dating.

"That so?" Kenzo asked, looking between the two curiously, examining the clear affection in how they looked at each other, a scandalous label on the tip of his tongue. Whatever he saw there, he didn't disapprove of it, but there was a subtle shift in the tension as those big brother instincts kicked in.

Ultimately, Kenzo didn't give a voice to those instincts, instead nodding in understanding and directing a teasing smile towards the now blushing Ling. He passed the scroll back to her before stepping aside, ushering the two into the tunnel. "Go up ahead, my people will get you settled in with your fellow strays – Ling, you can glare at me all you want, that's what we're calling them – You'll be safe here."

With one last confident nod, the two led their horse down into the tunnel and, Adrien assumed, deeper into Kenzo's hidden base.

Now, what exactly was Kenzo hiding from? The fact that Ling had to specify that she was human, and the warning that something else could be pretending to be her, made it clear that this was more than a mundane, mortal conflict Adrien would see in the history books.

And if that particular note didn't hit close to home, Adrien wouldn't focus on it so much.

With a snap of his fingers, Kenzo summoned another spark of emerald energy. Only, instead of erasing something else from existence, it instead swept over the hole that formed the tunnel's entrance, knitting the ground back together until there was only green.

That sealed it, this man was a previous Chat Noir, and was apparently advanced enough that he was able to reverse the effects of his cataclysm. Adrien never thought such an idea could even be possible. Why did Plagg never tell him about these variations of his powers?

After the entrance was sealed, Kenzo froze for a moment, hit by a sudden thought that Adrien wasn't privy to. A moment of tension passed before Kenzo's face relaxed, shooting a nod the way of his guards before taking off up the hillside. Adrien had no choice but to hurry after him.

This was more than a dream, Adrien mused, it was a memory of sorts. Ladybug had once told him how all holders leave some sort of imprint on their miraculous, that even when they've renounced their mantle, a part of them still lives within it, within the next holder. It made sense then that Adrien could potentially catch glimpses of past cat miraculous holders.

But why now? He'd never had such visions before, certainly none that felt as raw, as real as reliving a memory. There had to be a reason, something he needed to understand; and the familiar elements of this Chat Noir's conflict made that conclusion all the more true in his mind.

Kenzo and Plagg soon enough reached the top of the hill, taking shelter from the night under the pink-spotted branches of titanic cherry blossom tree. They sat down, Plagg settling on Kenzo's knee as the man rifled through his bag, pulling out a blanket, bread, a teapot, cups and, of course, Plagg's cheese.

He laid it all out like his own private picnic. Adrien had a sneaking suspicion that the man had been putting off his dinner until his sister returned. Oddly enough, Adrien noticed, Kenzo had set out an extra plate and an extra cup; as if he were setting up dinner for two.

And then, Adrien realized a moment too late, Kenzo's missing gaze met his own.

"I know you're watching me."

Adrien's scream of surprise was caught in his throat, leaving a guttural, strangled cry as he jumped back. H-He can see me?! Oh no. Oh no. Does this mean this isn't a vision? Have I been thrown back in time? Did I screw everything up? I screwed everything up! Oh god, I'm sounding like Marinette.

The sound of rustling above was easily lost under the onslaught of distracting thoughts, but not the sight of a figure wrapped in crimson dropping down from the branches and landing just mere inches in front of him.

"For a blind man, you are quite perceptive." The figure, a woman, said in amusement, cocking her hip to the side to rest against the tree.

Aaaand I just completely made a fool of myself. Adrien grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow. At least I know for sure that no one can see me.

Adrien turned his focus to examining the new stranger, observing the red-dyed ninja garb, splattered with dark spots, that she was clad in – complete with a cloth mask obscuring the lower half of her face. If Kenzo was this time's Chat Noir, then this woman had to be this time period's Ladybug.

"You give me too much credit." Kenzo bowed his head in greeting, gesturing to the empty cup on the other side of his picnic, inviting her to sit down. "I get the impression that the famed Scarlet Lady could evade even my senses if that was her intent."

Scarlet Lady, huh?

Of what Adrien could make out, this Ladybug's features were soft, but strained. As if her skin was pulled just a tad to tight, enough to show off the flow of her cheek bones framing thin, amber eyes. From a certain angle, it made her head seem longer than it was, almost like a snake.

Her eyes widened slightly, surprised. "How could you-"

Kenzo raised his free hand, once more gesturing her to sit down. This time she relented, dropping down to her knees on the edge of the blanket and picking up the cup. "We've crossed paths before, my lady." He said as he grasped a tea pot, holding it out to fill her cup with a fresh brew. "And you have a unique… Presence."

A moment of silent passed between them, Scarlet's eyes narrowing in consideration, trying to figure out if that sounded more like an insult or a compliment. In the end she seemed to decide it didn't matter, mirth flooding into her eyes. She found herself confident enough to pull her face mask down, exposing an amused smile. "Have we? Now I'm offended that you didn't try and introduce yourself."

Adrien's gaze went back to Kenzo, studying the man's reaction, only to notice that Kenzo's hand had dropped to his side, to where his sheaved blade lay partly hidden in the tall grass. The sight was somewhat nauseating for Adrien. Obviously, finding out that a super powered ninja has been spying on you right outside your super secret base would set anyone on high alert, but that didn't make such a dynamic come off as any more unnatural for Adrien.

It felt odd to witness a Chat Noir, even if only as a formality, display an air of fear of a Ladybug. The two miraculouses were bound together from their inception, their holders were born to be partners, not enemies. Adrien had never considered the idea of either of the two being against one another. He was certainly sure that, no matter the circumstance, he'd never be able to fight his Lady.

"You know as well as I do that the guardians forbid the miraculous holders from speaking with one another." While Kenzo kept his voice calm, there was an immediate, underlying tension to his voice at speaking the guardians' name into existence.

Forbidden? Adrien's eyes widened. The miraculous holders of the past weren't allowed to work together at all? The idea of not being able to fight by Ladybug's side wasn't just ludicrous in Adrien's head, but painful to consider.

Ignorant to Adrien's thoughts, Kenzo continued with a heavy tone, peering over the rim of his cup. With such natural head movements, it was hard to remember the man was blind. "Which makes it quite worrying that you're here."

"Worrying for them." She said, her tongue lashing out the words like a whip. Bitterness flash across her face for a moment, before she restored her tranquillity with a relieved sigh. "For us, it is an opportunity for greater things."

"Oh? Are we to be scheming now?" The tone Kenzo used was hard to decipher, it was almost joking, but also almost threatening. As if he himself was unsure of how he felt, or, perhaps feared that he felt the wrong way. "I may not always agree with the Guardians, but I hesitate to go behind their backs."

Her eyes roam over Kenzo for a moment, seeing the tension hiding under his cheerful energy struggling to stay hidden under his tattered robes and bruised skin. She gives him time, seemingly seeking to help ease the tension, focusing her efforts instead on enjoying his tea, even ending her sip with a overly-loud refreshed sigh.

"Even for someone as beautiful as me?" She asked sweetly, her lips pursing into a pout.

It seemed to be enough to get Kenzo's shoulders to relax, though his thumb still idly tapped against the hilt of his blade. "Alas, if I still had my eyes…" He replied with a more teasing tone.

Scarlet takes another sip, taking a moment to slosh her next words around her tongue before she let them loose. "Oh, I've heard many a proper lady tell tall tales of your eyes, my Kitten."

Kenzo cocked an amused eyebrow at the affectionate nick name. "Perish the thought of gossip amongst refined ladies."

"They were quite certain, and this particular woman was the wife of a jeweller, so she knows her stuff, that your eyes shone brighter than diamonds." She tilted her head forward, lips curling under the pressure of a restrained giggle. "Is that true?"

Kenzo grin glinted in the moonlight, his hand final pulling away from his weapon and resting in his lap. "Why of course. Why else do you think the Shogan wanted them for himself?"

Her eyes hardened, a harsh edge outlining a hidden passion. "Because he fears how easily you draw people to you," Without much reason, her arm stretches out, pushing her fingers to cross the distance between them until her fingertips brush against the bandage hiding his wound. "And the eyes of a hero shine as bright as a beacon in the night, drawing all who cry out for peace."

Kenzo reaches up to grasp her hand. He doesn't push it away, but he stops it from moving further. "There's no need for flattery, my Lady."

She sighed, "I understand that it is not the best of circumstances for trust right now, but I assure you I come to you because we fight the same evil." Leaning her head back until her dark brown locks tumble in a mess down her back, she looked through the cherry blossoms and into the moon. "I have watched your work for years now."

Scarlet twisted her hand in his grip, turning it flat to hold his hand in return. Kenzo offered no resistance, he just sat there and let her work. "I've heard tales of your great deeds, my own family has been saved from the executioner's blade by your hand, and I witnessed the Shogan's barbaric punishment when you were banished."

Her fingers intertwine in his own, pulling his hand to meet her half-way and squeezing tight. Without the aid of sight to let him peer into her heart through her eyes, instead she allowed the electricity of their touch to reveal the truth between them. "When I say that I come from a place of respect, and know the direness of my words, know that I speak with no exaggeration."

Kenzo was silent, content to just let his fingers squeeze hers for a straight minute. Eventually, he nodded, his grin faltering into a neutral, harsh line. "Speak."

"We've been fighting this civil war for years; you from the front lines, and me from the shadows." Putting her tea cup down, she allowed her other hand to come around and rest on top of Kenzo's. "Our home has been invaded by monsters that walk like men and have seated themselves as our lords. But recently, I have learned of an even darker truth."

The sweetness in her voice shrivelled up, replaced with a quiet fury and bitter betrayal that welled up in her throat. "I always thought these monsters were the work of dark spirits, of forbidden magic we dare not touch."

Suddenly, she broke their connection, her eyes now on Plagg as she reached into the depths of her robes and retrieved a piece of parchment. It's jagged edges implied it had been ripped from a book. She held it in front of Plagg, letting the kwami whisper the contents of the page in Kenzo's ear. "When in actuality, these creatures were born from a miraculous. One currently wielded by the great Khan."

Adrien couldn't read the foreign writings, but he could easily recognise the picture dominating the page. A painting of the peacock miraculous.

Sentimonsters. Adrien realized with a gasp. They're being infiltrated by sentimonsters, just like us. If he had any doubt before about this vision having a purpose, that just about sealed the deal. Kenzo, or at least a piece of his essence held within the cat miraculous, was reaching out. He was telling Adrien that this has happened before and, hopefully, was stopped before too.

Kenzo's limited expression was clouded, "Where did you get this?"

"A gift," Scarlet's expression was guarded, drawing out her words, unsure on if she should really be saying them. "Courtesy of the Butterfly."

Chat Noir. Ladybug. And now Feudal Japan Hawkmoth, huh? So much for the guardians' rules to isolate the holders. Despite himself, Adrien found himself smirking. They may be a different Chat Noir and Ladybug, but they still found their way to each other in the end.

Kenzo paused, letting Plagg whisper something else in his ear before hesitantly replying. "I'm afraid I fail to see how the origin of the magic changes the nature of our conflict, my Lady."

Adrien wasn't convinced by Kenzo's voice, and neither was Scarlet.

A flash of irritation crossed Scarlet's face. "Don't be obtuse, Paw. You're thinking it too." She snapped, annoyance at Kenzo's avoidance seeping into her tone. "Why wouldn't the Guardians inform us of a rogue miraculous holder attacking our country from within? Why would they urge us to stay out of this conflict? Why would they let us remain ignorant of our enemy?"

She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a harsh, hissing whisper. A dark, dreadful truth that only Kenzo could learn. "Unless the peacock is no rogue but is acting exactly as has been ordained by our Guardian overlords."

Kenzo didn't respond. He stayed silent with his face trained on his lap, the only message communicated through the tense grip of his fingers on his knees, an ever-darkening cloud hanging over him. Adrien himself couldn't bring himself to move, the full implication of her words sinking in like heavy weights attaching themselves to his bones.

Soon enough, the moonlight began to dim as the moon sunk into the horizon. Scarlet seemingly took this as a warning to move, downing the last of her tea and rising to her feet.

"I'll take my leave for now. Think on what I've revealed, Paw." She said softly, reaching over again to briefly cup his cheek. "Our home is under attack, and we may lose it if we do not act swiftly."

Slowly, the edge of Adrien's vision began to blur and the image in front of him darkened, allowing the two figures to fade away from this world. The message was clear to him; the demonstration is over, time to wake up. He had so many new questions on his mind, but he supposed they were better left for Su-Han.

He turned away, ready to squeeze his eyes shut and embrace the return of reality. However, he almost immediately found such an idea utterly impossible the moment his eyes met another pair of eyes. Beautiful twins of the brightest smouldering diamonds staring back into his own eyes. The most beautiful he'd ever see in fact, he knew that because they were eyes he'd spent a good few months staring into well into the night.

Marinette stood there, just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Only she didn't look how he remembered her. She looked aged, haggard, and dishevelled. Dirt and grime dulled her once vibrant image, her normal loud clothes now silenced with rips, tears and stains. Worst of all, she looked hurt. His eyes immediately fell on the bandages wrapped around her, and the dried blood that stained her.

For a moment, he allowed himself to believe she was real, that she was really there. He reached out to touch her, their hands meeting in the middle, allowing him to pull her body into his.

And, oh god, for a dream her body felt so real, so warm as it naturally curled up against his chest. Her chin perched itself on his torso, letting her gaze up into his eyes once more, the shimmer of joyful tears wetting the rim of her eyes.

"Adrien?" She said quietly, hopefully, and Adrien so desperately wanted to hold her there forever. To hear her say his name for the rest of time.

But the dream only gave him that split-second more before ripping him away.

Present

Marinette awoke in pain, a throbbing ache bellowing inside her head like the world's worst drum solo. She'd have mistaken it for a hangover if she wasn't damn sure that there was nothing to drink in this house but water. Then again, considering the state of the world, maybe she should have second thoughts about any possible water supply.

It took her a few seconds to adjust to the light and bring her brain back up to speed, her vision pushing out the blurry spots until the walls of Max's workshop was as clear as they were dusty. She'd set herself up on one of the tables with a lumpy pillow and a thin blanket she'd snatched from what remained of Adrien's room. Something about the low hum of the generators soothed her enough to sooth her restless heart long enough to sleep.

She and Gabriel agreed on taking a little time to accumulate to their surroundings. Explore the mansion, scavenge for anything they can use, scour the area for more information and give Marinette time to recover before they got into anything physically demanding. But with every direction meeting a cutoff and a steep drop into the unknown, the two quickly found that the only option was the sewer below.

Marinette was not looking forward to how exactly they were going to get down there, especially when it was likely going to be a one-way trip.

Outside, she could hear Gabriel's hastened footsteps accompanied by something heavy being dragged across the platform, as well as a strained swear in several languages every few seconds. That man was always up to something, either working with random junk or fiddling with everything in the kitchen – she hadn't seen the man rest once this entire time. It would explain why he always looked like he was ready to collapse.

Slipping off her make-shift bed, she found something warm and soft placed between her feet and the cold floor panels. Looking down curiously, she found a folded pile of clothes before her. She pulled them up to her chest, letting them hang loose from her fingers and unfurl to their full height.

Marinette recognised them as clothes she often saw Nathalie wearing, a simple, but practical, set of office shirt and dress pants combo with a red tinge to them. However, the clothes had clearly been cut down and altered to fit Marinette better.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Marinette gladly traded her technically-two-year-old rags for the, mostly, fresh replacements. They actually fit pretty well, which made Marinette cringe at the instinctual question of how Gabriel knew her measurements.

She made her way through the garage shutter, peering out onto the main platform while stifling a yawn. "What time is it?" She groaned.

Gabriel stood by the far-off wall, fiddling with a large circular arch that seemed built into the wall. Around him, the heaps of rubble and broken junk had been cleared away while she slept, piled over in a corner to make room for furniture from upstairs.

He didn't look at her, keeping his head stuck down behind the mystery ring, but she did see his body come to pause to ponder her question. "It was slightly less moody outside the last time I checked," He hummed, "So… I'm assuming sometime early."

He wasn't so much as phased by her sudden appearance, moving back behind the ring, where she could hear the clang of a panel being peeled open and slapping against another surface. Drawing closer, she caught a glimpse of his fingers probing the inside of the ring, pulling on wires while his other hand nursed a raggedy looking book with Max's name written all over it.

For a moment, she just stood there and watched Gabriel work. It was one of the few times he almost looked tolerable, and normal, just shuffling around the place on autopilot, and no time to make any condescending cracks at her. Of course, there was also the benefit of watching him rip his hand back to his chest with a yelp when one of the loose wires zapped him.

Marinette stretched her arms out as she propped herself up on one of the many chairs they'd moved down into the basement, quickly finding her eyes drawn to the Chat Noir statue again. She'd been thinking a lot about Chat Noir lately, so much so that her interest followed her into her dreams. Only, this time it wasn't her Chat that appeared in her mind this time.

It had taken a moment to come to her senses when she first found herself envisioned as standing under a cherry blossom tree, looking up at some hooded figure staring off into the distance. She'd recognised the woman easily enough, the very same Ladybug whose weapon she'd taken from Gabriel's little trophy room. And, after a few minutes of patience, she soon recognised a Chat Noir she'd once read about in the grimoire as the target of that Ladybug's watchful eye.

"I had the weirdest dream." She blurted out without thinking, the words coming out like she was stumbling through a lisp. It wasn't the most natural way to try and get Gabriel to hear her out.

'Course, what was there for Gabriel to hear? She had a dream about another Ladybug getting invited to tea by another Chat Noir? And she didn't actually hear anything they talked about because she'd ran for a hiding place when Samauri Chat came up the hill?

Oh, he'd love to hear about Adrien just being there. For some reason.

It was just a dumb dream, but some part of her, a wriggling little maggot in the back of her mind, insisted she place some importance on it. "I was following Ladybug, but she was a ninja or something." She spoke without thinking, hoping just airing out all the thoughts would push back that niggling feeling, "She was spying on her Chat Noir, but I never got close enough to-"

"My silence was not an invitation to tell me about your pedantic imagination." He said bluntly, turning his cold, annoyed eyes on her. "I do not care."

She rolled her eyes, pulling her legs up onto her seat, physically curling herself away from him. "So sorry, my brain's still rebooting. I almost forgot what an unlikable jerk you are."

He didn't miss a beat, sending her a wolfish grin in return. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to remind you every morning."

Of course he didn't care. Why would he care?

And really, why the hell was Adrien there?

Don't get Marinette wrong, she was more than used to dreaming of Adrien in all manner of ways. But he was so out of place in that dream at the end there. Why would her mind go through the effort of creating this fantasy set in feudal Japan and, not only focus on two completely different miraculous holders, but also have Adrien there as just himself?

She knew how her brain worked – she'd have put Adrien in a loose fitting kimono, have him dragging her down to that tree and leave those two old timers to talk about whatever. Why would she dream of him just showing up and wondering why she was there?

Marinette shook her head. Why was she putting so much thought into this? It was just a stupid dream.

"I admire your dedication, Hawky." She continued, pushing her thoughts to the side as she approached the ring. "What are you working on?" Her question came with a suspicious edge. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to give Hawkmoth all the tools he needs to tinker around with dangerous looking tech; what's to stop him from making some dangerous weapon? Apart from being an utter screw up, of course.

Gabriel paused his work to pull the manual back into focus, slapping it against the metal frame for emphasis. "If what this surprisingly accessible manual says is true, your friend, Mr. Kante, is quite the genius."

"Max developed an AI controlled robot assistant that was advanced enough that you could akumatize it." She snorted, leaning in to peer over the open manual. "He is a genius."

"Point taken." Gabriel mused, tilting the book forward to give Marinette a better view of the page – showcasing a depiction of the ring with the horse miraculous pictured inside of it. "Apparently he figured out how to replicate his miraculous' power in a limited format."

Her eyes narrowed in a curious squint. She was nowhere close to a tech girl, so Max's scribbles weren't that enlightening for her, but her time as guardian did force her to expand her understanding of magic. "Is it like how you transferred miraculous powers across those alliance rings?"

"I believe there's a similar principle at work, but I'm not an engineer." He said in a hasty rasp, speaking faster than he had time to breathe. Dare she say that he almost sounded passionate. "Instead of transferring power from a source, the kwami's in my instance, it seems to store a fraction of the kwami's essence."

Marinette cocked an amused brow. Max had managed to get a reaction from the ice demon; she didn't know whether she was amazed or insulted by this revelation. "God, I never thought I'd see the day that you looked impressed by something."

Four years of my life spent kicking your bony butt, and I get nothing.

Gabriel shrugged, "Maybe you shoulder try being impressive sometime."

She didn't give him the honour of a comeback, simply crossing her arms and pursing her lips for a sour look.

Gabriel apparently took this as a sign that she needed a more in-depth explanation, continuing.

"What I achieved was with the backing and technological genius of one of the world's leading minds in technological advancements." He explained, wiggling his fingers to mime the rings he once wielded against her. "I doubt Mr. Kante would have received any aid from Tomoe, so yes, being able to create this is quite the feat."

"Well, I guess I'll ju-" Marinette started, only to come to a dead, frozen stop when she replayed Gabriel's response in her head. "Wait. Wait!"

Gabriel looked her over, mildly bemused by the sudden outburst. "What?" He asked with a hint of exasperation.

Suddenly, Marinette flung her arms at him, grabbing a firm hold of his collar and hoisting him closer to her now sneering, enflamed face. "Kagami's mom was helping you?!"

Gabriel physically recoiled at the sudden surge of aggressive emotion, as if he could physically see her rising anger lashing out at him, knocking his glasses down to hang on one side of his nose just to complete how much of a mess he suddenly looked.

He opened his mouth, letting a few seconds of dead air pass between them before he slowly squeaked, "…Did you not know?"

"No, I didn't!" Marinette cried through gritted teeth. "Because somebody didn't mention it, Gabe!"

Gabriel almost seemed to shrink under Marinette's glare, throwing up his hands in surrender. "In my defence, I was literally about to die. And I assumed Nathalie would have told you."

"Well, she didn't!" Marinette spat, "I was denied critical, need-to-know, information."

Marinette pulled herself away, her aggression draining out her mouth as low growls. She was angry at herself more than anything as, of course, hindsight smacked her across the jaw with the ferocity of a professional boxer.

Of course, Kagami's mom was in on it. Her inner critic spat. It was obvious that Monarch had expanded his operation considerably, that he couldn't have just been a two-person operation before, that the rings had to use technical know-how that was far above Gabriel or Nathalie's experience. How the hell had she never so much as suspected that Gabriel's contractual ally, who would have had to have insider knowledge on the rings and Gabriel's activities, could have been involved?

Tikki would tell her to calm down. Alya would say she was overthinking it. Adrien would tell her that he'd never have suspected it either. But they weren't here. Nobody was here. All she had was the worst person in the world, which just further confirmed how stupid she felt.

Marinette pushed herself against the nearest wall and grounded her forehead against the rough surface, resisting the temptation to just start headbutting the concrete in an attempt to knock all the bad thoughts out. Fortunately for her skull, the eternal shame of doing such a thing in front of Hawkmoth was far more frightening an incentive than anything else.

So, instead, she took a deep breath, wiped the dirt from her brow and asked "Do you think she'd work with Lila?"

Tikki once said that Marinette focused too much on where she went wrong rather than focusing on how she can make things right. Let's… Focus on what we can learn from this. Right?

Gabriel's face was hidden behind the ring by the time she turned back, telling her that he at least didn't bother watching her entire freak out. "I can't say for certainty, but I'd doubt it." He said thoughtfully, "Tomoe worked with me because of favours I'd done for her, as well as the standing I already had. I can't see someone of Tomoe's rigid discipline trusting such power in the hands of a virtual nobody who snatched the miraculous from me."

His body fell back against the wall, Max's manual now being used to tap his chin. "Though, I suppose Miss Rossi, assuming she's as well informed as you say, could potentially hold some powerful blackmail." His brows knitted together, examining his own words before shaking his head in dismissal. "But to cause all this? I'd like to think Tomoe would be above that."

"Right." Marinette nodded her head, knowing there was nothing else she could add with how little she knew about Kagami's mom. She pushed off the wall, coming in close enough to knock her knuckles against the ring. "Anyway, what does this thing do?"

At this, the corners of Gabriel's lips stretched outward. Not a smile, but a devilish promise of his inner theatre kid about to get flashy. "If you'll give me a moment…"

He adjusted one more wire before slamming the panel shut, moving around to the front of the ring where he fiddled with some switches, punched in some nonsense numbers on a keyboard and-

BOOM!

The gentle hum of power within the contraption rocketed to an explosive roar, and Marinette almost thought for a moment that it had been struck by lightning. Electricity surged out of every gap and every socket, a flash of blue engulfing it and expanding outwards, soon enough drowning Marinette's vision in its mesmerizing glow.

When the displayed ended, the energy restraining itself to a stable flicker that darted around the ring, Marinette was treated to the sight of the energy now completely filling the inside of the ring. Her eyes widened at the immediate recognition of the portal in front of her, the same sort created by the horse miraculous. Hawky wasn't kidding!

She turned to Gabriel to express her shock, and dare she saw awe. However, Gabriel wasn't there. No, she had to tilt her head down to see him a few feet away, flung on to his back with the front of his shirt in tatters and his face stuck in a wide-eyed, glassy look of horror.

Seems like he was a little too close to the machine for comfort, Marinette giggled to herself. She couldn't help but imagine him as a cartoon character with soot all over them after their dynamite plan literally exploded in their face.

"Vola." He said weakly, coughing. "Or should I say 'voyage'?"

Marinette couldn't stop herself from laughing, having only enough human decency to cover her mouth as she watched him stumble to his feet. "This is amazing," She managed to get out between giggling fits, "we can use voyage to get back to civilisation."

Gabriel shook his head, only making it to his knees before glaring up at her. "Unfortunately, as I said earlier, this is only a fraction of the horse miraculous' power."

Marinette sighed, "Of course, I guess this couldn't be too convenient." She just wanted a win button, was that too much to ask for?

"That's not to say it isn't a major asset still." He assured her, finally making it to his feet. For a moment, his hand reaches out, hovering over her shoulder. But in two seconds, two pairs of eyes lock, both parties squirm uncomfortably inside, and both of them decide that they did not want to make such a gesture and back away from each other.

Gabriel stuffed the offending hand in his pocket, pushing past the issue to focus on the marvellous machinery before him. "This portal here is- Well, think of it as an anchor. With this 'receiver' in my palm-"

He snatched a small device, one that resembled a tv remote, off the table. Gabriel reared the device up and pointed it over Marinette's shoulder and, with the press of the big red button, fired a small blue beam that shot past Marinette and then expanded into another portal.

With a starting and ending point now existing, the two portals' interiors morphed to reflect each other's view. The main portal showing Marinette's bewildered face staring into it, while the other portal showed her back while Gabriel approached the metaphorical camera.

Gabriel retrieved a pebble from his rubble pile and, with no warning, tossed it into the main portal. From Marinette's point of view, the stone struck the centre of the screen, came out and bounced roughly off her nose.

She heard Gabriel stifle a laugh, causing her to spin around with a glare prepared just for him. He covered up his laughter with an awkward cough. "We can make a portal, and that portal will always lead back to the anchor."

In leu of an actual insult, Marinette let out an exasperated groan. She took the remote from Gabriel, looking over it curiously. "As long as we have one of these doohickies on us, we can always teleport between where we are and here?"

"Exactly." Gabriel said with a snap of his fingers, sounding damn pleased with himself, as if this was somehow his work. "We have, in a manner of speaking, a fully portal-able base of operations."

Marinette's gaze snapped up to meet his, a powerful, deep-seated scowl written across her face.

Gabriel's eyes looked from side-to-side hastily, spluttering out a "…What?"

"You know what you said."

Next Time - Conspiracy Board:

Once more, there was little more to go on and, after a minute of silent, awkward glances, Alya pulled out her next note. "And then we have Argos, of cou-"

Suddenly, Chloe was out of her chair, violently pointing at Alya like she was about to accuse her of murder. "No, no, you have to use the green sticker, Cesaire."

Alya's face went still while her eyes roamed the rest of the group for anyone who could make what she was hearing make sense. "What?" She asked, holding back an awkward chuckle.

"Green for ambiguous." Chloe said with the most 'duh' voice, "We don't know Argos' side in this, so he's on the mystery colour." She said it simply and with irritation as she glanced over her nails, like Alya was missing the most obvious factoid in existence. "I didn't put together all these stickers just so we could ignore the colour coding scheme."

Nino squinted up at Chloe, "Who cares about the colour?"

Chloe turned around with a scoff, tapping Nino on the nose. "Organisation is key to any good conspiracy board; it helps the brain remember things better." She crouched down by her bag, pulling out a bedazzled trapper keeper with hundreds of little post-it notes sticking out of the side. "And it also makes my schedule look super fun!"

Adrien had never seen Alya look so dumbfounded, forcing her hand over her eyes in a desperate effort to focus on the moment. "You know, if you put this much effort into your studies, you wouldn't have had to cheat off of Sabrina all these years." She mused.

Chloe didn't even look offended by the remark, she just sunk back into her chair with a satisfied smirk.