Under the Effiel Tower...

Ladybug waited for only a few minutes and was already getting antsy. She didn't want to wait for so long or else Ember might take off again. For a moment, she thought about calling someone else just in case Pegasus couldn't make it. She looked around the Effiel Tower, wondering how Alya was doing. She never called her, which made he wonder about it even more. If anything, she knew that Alya could handle things over there. She just wished that she could go over there herself without needing to contact anyone.

That would definitely make things easier.

Before she could take out her yo-yo, Pegasus came flying towards Ladybug and landed very swiftly.

"Hey Ladybug! Sorry I'm late," Pegasus exclaimed, "I was trying to figure out some things about those gauntlets. You see, I found out that--"

"Yeah yeah. I know it's important, but right now we need to find Ember," Ladybug said back, "I need your help finding her. She could anywhere, but I don't know where to look at this point."

"Did you try the park? Or the hotel? She might've been looking for a place to stay," Pegasus explained to her.

Ladybug felt that, but knew that Pegasus didn't mean anything by it.

"No. I've looked everywhere at this point," Ladybug told him, "I don't understand where else she could've gone."

Pegasus thought about it for a moment, and then Ladybug noticed him light up. He had thought of where she might be, and Ladybug just hoped that it was an easy place to get to.

"Did you check Chrysalis's old lair? Didn't you say that she use to stay there overnight?" Pegasus asked her, "I mean, she could've went back there for answers or something."

Ladybug's eyes widened, shocked that she never thought about that. She remembered reading Ember diary and realized that he was probably right. Ladybug got out her yo-yo, ready to take off. Pegasus too got ready, knowing full well that he was going to help her out. She launched across the night sky, feeling a bit of that familiar energy flowing through her. For a moment, she thought she felt One for All.

She tried to ignore it for now and concentrate on what was going on with Ember. She had to find her and finally tell her the truth. She trusted Marinette more than Ladybug right now, so she hoped that things wouldn't go according to plan.

Once Ladybug spotted the old lair, she felt chills go up and down her back. Something about seeing it again made her feel a bit off about coming here again. This time however, it was to help a friend. Ladybug and Pegasus landed nearby, but far enough to not spook just in case she was nearby.

"If Ember's here, let me do the talking," Ladybug said to him, "She might not want to listen to us right away."

Pegasus looked confused, but listened to her. She headed towards the front door, ready to open it. Before she could open it, she thought she heard a loud crash. Her heart stopped for a moment, hoping that Ember was just mad or something. Pegasus heard it as well, and they shared a look. Ladybug didn't say a word, worried that something or someone else was in there. Ladybug turned around and went for a window that was damaged from a long time ago. She jumped up there to get a better look, and her eyes widened in shock seeing Ember on the floor.

She had tossed to the floor by someone in the room. Ladybug noticed that this guy was slightly older she expected. Something about him seemed familar and yet had never seen him before. His dark brown hair with grey streaks was slicked back with hair gel in a way that made him look intimidating. He wore a suit that was similar to HawkMoth, but had his own style to it. They looked like they were here for a reason as they walked up to Ember.

"You can't just run away from this, Ember," They growled at her, "You sold us information about these foreign exchange heroes. I need more information so we can help you find a way back home. Back to Japan. You made a deal and now you will help us again."

Ladybug's eyes widened in shock, realizing what this was about. Ember had helped someone make those gauntlets. Not only that, but they might have more inventions on others as well based on what they just said.

"You can't help me... You never could," Ember said under her breath, "You were just using me to get what you wanted. All you wanted was information about these heroes in training. You know nothing about them or how to get back to Japan. It's impossible."

Ladybug felt that and worried that she might still be on their side. But by the looks of it, she seemed to regret helping them.

For a moment, Ember looked like she could handle herself as she used her quirk to stop them. Before she could however, they wiped out some gauntlets that caught Ladybug's attention. In a split second, the right gauntlet bursted out with an icy blast. Ember wasn't expected it and was getting covered in ice. She tried to use her quirk, but she was already shaking from how absolutely freezing it was.

Ladybug's heart dropped, seeing this person use another gauntlet. Not only that, but she was right. They were using a gauntlet based off of Todoroki's ice and fire quirk. She didn't know what to do other than run in there and help Ember. She was freezing cold and could barely use her quirk to get out of there.

Ladybug got down from the window, catching Pegasus's attention.

"What's going on Ladybug? Do we need backup?" Pegasus asked her.

Ladybug was still shocked by what she found out. She didn't even find anything about this in her diary. She must've tried to keep it a secret and didn't want to write it down. Ladybug for a moment felt like One for All was still in her reach. She couldn't deal with that right now and focused on Ember. She looked back at the old lair, ready to help her friend. Ladybug took out her yo-yo, and Pegasus followed her lead.

"I'm going to need your help with this one Pegasus. There's someone in there with another gauntlet," Ladybug explained to him.

"What?" Pegasus almost yelled.

"Be careful. They can freeze and create fire just like Shouto," Ladybug explained to him, "There may be way more different kinds of gauntlets than we initially thought."

"This is crazy!" Pegasus whisper yelled, "How is this even possible?!"

"I'll explain later. Just... Please follow my lead," Ladybug said back.

Ladybug ran over to the front door, about to burst through it. In a split second, she launched forward and swung her yo-yo towards the guy with the gauntlets. They didn't expect to see Ladybug standing there, and she got the upper hand. Her yo-yo flew around him and was about to tie him up. Before she could tighten it, he grabbed the yo-yo string with his gauntlet. Ice crawled its way up her string and towards her. Ladybug tried to get it away from him and broke the ice into pieces.

She pulling back her yo-yo, she waited for the right opportunity to strike. Then she got a good look at the guy, which made her heart drop. Something inside of her instantly felt the need to activate One for All. His eyes were a striking blue color that reminded her of HawkMoth. She knew that it wasn't him, but something about him felt very similar to HawkMoth and even Gabriel himself. She couldn't leave now, not when Ember needed help.

The guy held the gauntlets out, ready to strike. He stood with confidence in a way that reminded Ladybug of HawkMoth.

Pegasus stood by her side, waiting for her to take the lead. Ember's eyes widened in shock, seeing Ladybug standing there. She was still freezing cold, but was able to melt the ice. Ladybug faced this guy, ready to take Ember away from him. But first, she swung her yo-yo around like a lasso. She had to know who this guy was.

"Leave Ember alone! Who are you?" Ladybug asked the guy.

The guy stood tall and didn't waver from Ladybug's determination. His smile grew wide, finally seeing Ladybug face to face for the first time. The gauntlets looked like they were ready for the powers to be released out. Then he pulled back and gave them a proper bow.

"It's nice to finally meet you Ladybug. I'm Sebastien Baudelaire."

In Kagami's bedroom...

Kagami was getting ready for bed, not realizing what time it was. She had been so busy with school work and other things that she completely lost track of time. Once she was ready for bed, she sat on her bed and grabbed her phone. She checked on her messages and phone calls only to find out that she never got any.

She was suspicious, especially Marinette never got back to her about what was going on recently. She thought something might've been going on considering the way things have been lately with Ember. She wanted to help out, but didn't know how. Something Ember reminded her of herself, the way she awkwardly tried to make friends.

Kagami hoped that things were going well for them both. She didn't understand why no one called or texted her. Something must've been going on, and she wasn't aware of it. She felt like she had to call someone and make sure that Marinette wasn't in trouble. After all, Ember wasn't exactly someone that Kagami could trust fully.

She scrolled through her contacts, realizing that she finally had some friends to call. She couldn't help but smile at seeing everyone there on her contacts list. Eventually she came across Alya and hit Call.

The phone rang as Kagami sat there waiting for her to answer.

No one ever answered, and it went to voicemail.

Kagami looked at it and was confused as to why Alya didn't answer.

"That's weird..." Kagami said to herself, "Alya always answers her phone."

Kagami gave her phone a suspicious look and went to someone else on her contact list. She wondered about Alya's boyfriend, Nino but he didn't usually call or talk to her. She called him anyway, but he didn't pick up either. If anything, it went straight to voicemail. She figured that they were both together and were busy or something.

She kept going and called somehow called Max. No one answered.

She started getting frustrated, wondering why no one was answering. Even if it was late, someone should've picked up by now.

Then Kagami tried to call Luka, but even he didn't answer. She almost chucked her phone across her room, frustrated with everyone.

"Seriously? How hard is it to answer your phone?" Kagami asked herself.

Then she decided to put down her phone for a moment and just take a deep breath in and out. Whatever was happening, clearly there was something going on that she wasn't aware of. She even considered going out and transforming as Ryuko just to get some answers. Before she could however, her Kwami Longg floated in front of her to check on her.

"Kagami. Is something the matter?" Longg asked her.

"Yeah. Something is wrong. Alya and the others aren't picking up their phones," Kagami said to her Kwami, "If something's going on behind my back, then there's going to be trouble."

"Kagami. They're probably just sleeping," Longg reminded her, "Please try to stay calm. There's nothing that you can do right now. Maybe you should just let it go and see them in the morning. I'm sure everything's okay."

Kagami thought about it for a minute and considered just going to bed. Then she looked at her phone and knew that something was still up. Something about Alya not answering her phone seemed off to her, no matter time it was. She wasn't someone that would just let a phone call go to voicemail.

Kagami then took her phone and called someone else. If this person didn't pick up, then she would go to bed.

She decided to call Zoe this time around.

Kagami heard her phone ringing for a minute, hoping that she would answer. Then she heard someone over the phone clearly half asleep.

"K-Kagami...? Why are you calling so late at night?" Zoe asked her.

"Sorry Zoe, but I just had to call someone. No one is answering my calls," Kagami told her.

"I'm sure that they're all just asleep just like you should be doing," Zoe said back, "Can't we just ask them in the morning?"

"Alya didn't answer phone," Kagami said straight forward.

Zoe was clearly stunned and didn't say anything for a moment.

"What? She always answers her phone," Zoe said back, "So, no one answered their phone? Max, Sabrina?"

"I did call Max, and even he didn't answer," Kagami explained to her, "Something's going on Zoe. Why would they keep quiet about this? It doesn't make any sense."

"Okay. Have you called Marinette?" Zoe asked her.

"No. I figured that she was tired from being Ladybug all the time," Kagami told her, "But maybe she's doing something with them."

Kagami waited for Zoe to say something, but was already up and ready to transform.

"Okay. Let's see what's going on with Marinette. Maybe she can make sense of all this.I'm going to try to call anyone that I can and see if we can go after Marinette. Maybe she's busy being Ladybug tonight for some reason," Zoe explained to her.

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

Kagami hung up her phone. Whatever was going on, Kagami was already transformed before Longg could say anything.

After a few minutes of running along the buildings, Ryuko could spot Marinette's house in the distance. She picked up the pace, hoping that Marinette was still in her house. She didn't spot Mariposa yet and knew that she going to come by with other teammates. She just hoped that everything was okay and that she was just overthinking about this.

Once she landed on top of Marinette's balcony, she noticed how quiet it was in her house. She kneeled down to the balcony door and slowly opened it. Her eyes widened in shock when she spotted the bed empty.

"Marinette?" Ryuko said to her.

Ryuko didn't get an answer as she scanned her room for any sign of Marinette. Something about it felt a bit off seeing her room empty with no one in it. She felt weird entering her room without permission, but she had to make sure that Marinette was okay. Ryuko entered her room, ready to help her out if she had to. Ryuko leaped down off of her bed and looked around her bedroom.

Marinette wasn't there.

Ryuko then spotted something on her desk. It was the Miracle Box.

Ever since HawkMoth and Chrysalis were defeated, Marinette didn't have to worry about anyone getting the Miracle Box. Even her parents knew about it, there was no sense in hiding it. Ryuko disagreed with this, but it looked like it didn't matter right now. She had to figure out what was going on with Marinette and their teammates.

Then she realized that Ember wasn't in here either. That made her a little nervous as she instinctively grabbed the Miracle Box. Then someone came down behind her, which caused her to draw out her sword.

It was Mariposa.

"Whoa Ryuko! It's me!" Mariposa cried out.

"Mariposa? Don't sneak up on me like that," Ryuko said back.

As they looked around together, other teammates showed up. They looked worried for Marinette and their other friends that didn't show up. Whatever was going on, clearly no one told them about any of this.

Ryuko didn't understand why they would even lie about this. Felix was known to do this, but not Marinette. She didn't understand why she would even keep any of this a secret.

"Marinette's not here," Mariposa said to her.

"Yeah, and neither is Ember," Ryuko told them, "Something's going on and no one told us about it. Marinette's been planning something and didn't tell us anything about it."

"Maybe she's busy," Miss Hound said to her, "After all, she is the Guardian of the Miraculous."

Ryuko held out the Miracle Box, shocking everyone in the process.

"She's keeping this on her desk because of the defeat of HawkMoth and Chrysalis. Marinette doesn't think it's neccessary to hide it any longer in her room. I think she should be more careful because you never know when some other villain might show up," Ryuko told them.

"Do you think that she's... you know... over there in Japan?" Pigella asked them.

Ryuko's eyes widened in shock, not even considering that for a second. She looked down at the Miracle Box, even more confused.

"No. There's no way that she would ever do that to us without telling anyone else," Mariposa told them, "She's the leader. She would never just up and leave us like this without some kind of note or even a plan."

Ryuko spotted something in the corner of her eye. It was a letter that was sitting on her desk for anyone to find. She grabbed it and realized that this was Alya's handwriting. It was some kind of letter to Marinette.

Marinette,

I don't know when I'll back, but I know that I can handle things over there. Izuku needs my help, and I know that you'll be okay without me for a while. I want you to know that you can do this. You've been an amazing friend to everyone, and you do much for your team. Don't sell yourself short, and I'll try my best to get home before you know it!

Japan might be different, but I know how to handle things. Besides, I've never been over there before! I can't wait to meet everyone and see how U.A. is!

I can't wait to tell you all about it :)

Alya xoxo

P.S. Whatever Ember is going through, I know that you can get her home to Japan soon ;)

Ryuko's eyes widened in shock, realizing how much that she had been left out of. She could barely look away from the letter, causing everyone to worry.

"Ryuko? What's wrong?" Mariposa asked her.

Ryuko felt like crumbling up the letter, furious that Marinette wouldn't let her about this. She was part of the team and knew that she could handle stuff like this. She couldn't even say anything to show them how angry she was, so she just gave them the letter. Mariposa read the letter, shocked to read it.

"What is it Mariposa?" Polymouse asked her.

"It's Alya... She went to Japan..." Mariposa told her, "She went to Japan and never told any of us."

"What? That's crazy. Why would Marinette not tell us about this?" Caprikid asked them, "It doesn't make any sense."

"She could just be busy. It could just be blown out of proportion," Rooster Bold explained to them.

Ryuko stepped back, confused as to why Marinette wouldn't say anything to her. Ever since she got the Dragon Miraculous, she felt like she had been more involved with this team. But now after this, she didn't know if Marinette was trusting her enough to tell her what was going on.

Then she remembered what it said at the end of the letter.

Her eyes widened for a moment and whipped around to grab it.

"Let me see that for a minute," Ryuko said before taking it from her teammate.

Ryuko looked closer at it, shocked to read what it said. Ember was from their Japan.

"What is it Ryuko? What did you find?" Mariposa asked her.

"It's Ember. I think she's from their Japan," Ryuko told them, "This letter. It's says that Marinette is trying to find her a way to get back home."

Everyone was shocked to hear this, which meant that no one else knew about this.

"Ember is from their Japan?! B-But... but how?" Rooster Bold asked her.

Before they could even say anything, they heard someone coming up from the bedroom door. They all headed out ot the balcony, hoping that none of them were caught. Ryuko hesitated to put the Miracle Box back and took it since someone was by the door. They all ran away from Marinette's bedroom, wondering where Marinette was.

Ryuko held onto the Miracle Box, worried that she had just made a terrible mistake.

"Ryuko, why do you have the Miracle Box?" Mariposa asked her, "You shouldn't have done that."

"I know, but Marinette wasn't there. I couldn't just leave it unguarded," Ryuko said back, "We'll protect until we find her."

"First things first, where is Marinette? Or Ladybug I should say?" Caprikid asked them.

Ryuko thought about for a minute along with everyone else. She looked down at the Miracle Box, confused as to where Ladybug was. She couldn't have left without telling them. There was no way that she went to Japan. She couldn't think of where else she would've gone to.

Then she remembered something that her and the girls did together that one night.

Ladybug had to be there.

Ryuko turned to Mariposa, ready to help her.

"I think I know where she is..."

Another amazing chapter!

I love the way things are turning out with this story! I know it's a little messy, but I kind of like where it's heading. I love that things are picking up a bit, especially with Ladybug! I even got Ryuko and her teammates finally more involved. I really wanted them to find out that things are going on behind their backs. They can finally be more involved, and Ryuko's involvement will definitely be interesting. I love Ryuko, and I find her fun to write when it comes to the team. I want them involved, but it will still be more about Ladybug and Ember in some ways. Ryuko took the Miracle Box, and I find that interesting.

What's going to happen next??

More to come soon!