Earlier in Marinette's House...
Marinette watched the sun rise from her family room, feeling a bit antsy from sitting around all night. She almost fell asleep, but her mom came down at one point to check up on her. She's never had a mild concussion before, so she got a little annoyed at one point that she couldn't even got out to do a night patrol. She ended up asking some of her friends from school to do it for her. They did it with no hesitation, which she was very much appreciative of.
Ember fell asleep on the couch as they watched a movie together. She ended up picking the movie, and Marinette was surprised that she enjoyed it. She was pretty quiet during the whole movie. Ember didn't seem to ask her any sort of questions about why she was suppose to stay home all day long yesterday. She didn't even ask if Alya was going to come over at any point.
Marinette appreciated it, but it was weird to her that she wasn't even the least bit curious. Whatever was going on with her, she hoped that she was just tired from school. She noticed that she hadn't seemed that shy with her when they sat down together. Something about her seemed less nervous based on her shoulders relaxing a bit.
She was at least glad that she was able to settle down easier than she expected.
Marinette noticed Ember stir in her sleep and opened her eyes to see the sun rising. She smiled at her and noticed her hair was a mess.
"Good morning Ember. It's looks like you had a good night's sleep," Marinette said to her.
Ember's face turned red the moment she realized that her hair was a mess. She tried to fix it, but wound up making it much worse. Marinette stood up, surprised that she didn't feel dizzy at all. She sat closer to Ember and grabbed a brush and some hairbands.
"Come on. Why don't I brush your hair for you?" Marinette asked her.
"I'm not five you know," Ember said with a slight blush around her face.
Marinette grabbed a bit of makeup as well, which seemed to scare Ember a little. She stiffened up once Marinette got closer to her.
"Don't worry. I won't bite," Marinette told her, "Besides, it might be fun to do something like this."
Ember hesitated to but gave in to Marinette's smile. She faced the other way, allowing Marinette to brush her hair.
"Fine, but your idea of fun isn't exactly my style," Ember said back.
Marinette couldn't help but smile at her as she brushed her hair gently. Something about her hair felt much softer than she was expecting. It felt really silky for someone who hadn't been taking care of herself for very long. She was stuck here after all for six months. Marinette brushed it pretty straight and noticed how there were no curls to her hair. Just straight and silky. The color of her hair was so red and a beautiful shade that she had only seen on magazines.
"Your hair is really pretty. You know, your hair would look so pretty in a braid," Marinette said to her as she grabbed a hairband, "Do you mind?"
She could tell that Ember was hesitant, but soon let out a sigh. Something about it felt really good to do something like this for her. Her and Alya have done this before during their sleepovers, but not in a long time. She already missed her best friend, but she knew that she was helping out her friends back in Japan.
"Fine. I just don't think it's going to do anything," Ember said to her.
Marinette started braiding her hair and felt bad for her. She could tell that wasn't exactly a confident person for the most part. Something about her did seem like she had a hard time making friends and talking to others. If anything, this is probably why she had such a hard time talking to Ladybug in the first place. She played with her ever so gently so that she wouldn't tug too hard. She made it slightly loose as she went down her back. She never realized how long her hair was until just now.
Ember always had her hair up in two messy buns, so she didn't even notice that it went down her lower back. It was so long that she kind of felt jealous that she could grow her hair out so long like that. Once she finished, she tied it back with a hairband.
"There. All done," Marinette said to her, "You looks great."
Marinette noticed Ember's face, and she looked little embarrassed.
"I feel like a little girl," Ember said under her breath.
Marinette then looked at the makeup on the coffee table for her to use in the morning. She smiled and leaned towards it. Ember noticed and got a little nervous around Marinette.
"Then why don't we make you feel older?" Marinette asked her as she opened up her makeup bag.
"On second thought, I feel more like myself again with a braid like this," Ember said to her as she tried to get up.
Marinette stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She felt bad that Ember felt this way about herself. She wanted to make her feel good, and Marinette wondered if there really wasn't anything going on with her. She could just be a shy and nervous girl who needs a boost of confidence. She could kind of relate to her and remembered how good it felt when she finally broke out of that shell.
"Ember. It's okay if you're scared of stuff like this," Marinette said to her, "I just... I just thought we could do something fun together. We haven't really done much since you got here. I want to be your friend, and it's not just because you're staying here."
Ember hesitated to look at her, but slumped her shoulders. She looked back at Marinette with a slight blemish across her face. Marinette could tell that she was getting through to her as she settled down in front of her. Something about her still seemed a little nervous, but Marinette smiled at her sweetly.
"Just... makeup tends to bother my skin. My quirk doesn't respond well to putting stuff like this on my face," Ember explained to her, "But... I guess since it's just us two... You could put a little bit of makeup on..."
Marinette smiled and grabbed some blush and a brush. Ember looked at it like it was going to hurt her. Marinette wondered if she should even be doing this if it bothered her quirk. She didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"Are you sure Ember? We don't have to if you're too uncomfortable," Marinette asked her, "If it really bothers your quirk that much, we could just play some video games."
Ember looked at the brush and blush that Marinette held in her hands and tried to loosen up. She sat up straighter, and Marinette could tell that she was trying to suck it up.
"N-No. Just do it before I change my mind," Ember said to her as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Okay. If you say so," Marinette said to her.
Marinette gently put some blush on her face, making her twitch from the tickling sensation. She couldn't help but smile as she applied the makeup onto her face. Ember didn't dare open her eyes as she added a tiny bit of blush onto her cheeks. Marinette listened to her and only put a tiny bit on. As she placed the blush down, she noticed that it suddenly got a little hot in the family room.
Marinette knew that it was Ember getting a little nervous. She placed her hand on Ember's, which felt even warmer. Something about it seemed to relax Ember a little. The heat died down a little as she relaxed her shoulders. Marinette smiled, feeling like she could actually get through to her. She felt like someone that she understood more than she first realized. Marinette soon grabbed some eyeshadow and told her what she was doing. She didn't want to surprise her as she soon applied makeup to her eyelids.
She decided to go for a more neutral color that would help make her eye color pop out more. She only added a little bit, but knew that it would look really nice on her. She then told her to open her eyes so she could add some mascara. Marinette decided to skip the eyeliner since she thought she wouldn't like her being so close to her eyes. Once she put the mascara on, she seemed to be relaxing a bit more however.
"There. That's it," Marinette said to her.
Ember seemed surprised since they just got started.
"Really? That's it?" Ember pointed out.
"Well. I didn't want to add any foundation since I figured it would bother your skin," Marinette explained to her, "I kind of like it. It makes your eyes stand out."
Ember looked a little curious, but also nervous at the same time. Marinette grabbed a mirror and smiled at her as she gave it to her. She looked into the mirror and was surprised as to what she was looking at. Ember looked completely different with her hair down in a long braid and simple makeup. Something about made Marinette feel good that she did this for her. For a while, Ember just kept staring at herself and played with her hair.
"I-I... I look..." Ember trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"You look beautiful Ember," Marinette said back with a smile.
Ember put down the mirror, not sure what to say to Marinette. Clearly she didn't have a lot of friends back in Japan. Whatever she went through, Marinette could tell that she wasn't use to this. She even seemed like someone that didn't usually put any makeup on or nice clothes. She even puts her hair up in messy buns and didn't take care of it very much.
"M-Marinette... I-I... I don't what to say..." Ember said back, "I feel like I owe you..."
Marinette's eyes widened and thought about what she was keeping from her. She felt bad for keeping her in the dark about her being Ladybug. Even Alya leaving to go to Japan felt weird now. She kind of hoped that Alya would come back soon so she can finally get Ember home. She didn't have to tell her anything about what was actually going on and why she was here. If anything, she knew that this was because of an accidental wish.
For now, Ember couldn't know about it.
Marinette placed her hand on her shoulder, feeling bad for her.
"You don't owe me anything Ember. I'm just here to help."
Earlier in the shadows...
The doctor had found something in U.A. It took him forever to find it, but there was a weird signal coming from the inside of the school building. Something about it seemed different from the rest of their softwares and internet connections. It felt like there was something else going on that seemed to be powering it up from somewhere else.
Somewhere that he couldn't quite reach through his computer.
He knew that it was what he had been looking for this entire time. He tried to connect to it through his computer, but there was a password needed. He didn't quite know you would've put this password together, so he knew that it would probably lock him out of it right away. If the principal was involved with creating a password, it'd be easier to guess and figure it out.
He put in their school motto, plusultra! but no luck. That seemed like the obvious guess, and he had to keep going if he wanted to figure out what this was. He put in another password, but it didn't work. He got a little frustrated at this password barrier since what he was looking for was right there. He could already tell that this is what he's been looking for the past six months.
He tried to calm down, but then he put in another password. It didn't go through again.
He slammed his fists onto the keyboard, almost breaking it. He gritted his teeth as he stared at it with intense eyes.
"Come on! Why now?!" The doctor cried out, "I've finally found what I've been looking for this whole time, and now this password barrier is what's going to stump me?!"
Before he could put in another password, the barrier to get into whatever it was went up. It wasn't going to allow him through for another few hours. He got so frustrated and angry that he felt like tossing his keyboard at his computer screen. He couldn't believe that it was even happening to him. Just when things were looking up for him and the League of Villains, this stupid password barrier stumped him.
He knew that he could try again later, but now he knew that someone was going to find out about him breaking into it. Whoever would find out, they were going to put up more passwords and locks so he was definitely not getting into it anytime soon. He would have to get someone from the inside to do it for him. There was no way he could do it himself.
Then it clicked for him, and he smiled widely as he thought about what he was planning on doing.
He straightened up and collected himself to face the computer.
"It looks like things are still in motion. My plans are still underway and soon I will find out what U.A. is hiding," The doctor said to himself.
The doctor turned to the Nomus in the containers and knew that some of them almost ready. He took out his phone and dialed a certain number. Once they answered the call, the doctor knew what had to be done.
"Things have come up," The doctor said to them, "You're going to have to find whatever U.A. is hiding yourself. Whatever it is, I can't do it myself. You're going to have to find it yourself. Do whatever it takes to get to it without blowing your cover."
After they agreed from the other side of the phone, the doctor smiled from ear to ear.
"Oh. And there's something else that you want to do. Keep an eye on Izuku Midoriya. He's getting close to figuring out what's going on," the doctor told them, "This kid might know more than he's letting on."
They agreed and soon he hung up the phone.
The doctor walked over to the Nomus and stood in front of the one that has been catching his eye for a while now. Ever since he found out about Midoriya being one of the kids that he met in that hospital, he knew right away what to do about him. He placed his hand on the container, wondering how things might play out with this Nomu in particular. He was even more fascinated with how someone like him even had a quirk in the first place.
If he was meant to be quirkless, then how did he have one in the first place?
"This just got more interesting..."
In U.A. Academy...
Rena Rouge stepped through the portal and entered U.A., feeling so excited to finally be here. She'd been wanting to come here ever since Ladybug and Cat Noir ended up here six months ago. Even most of her teammates got to go here, but not her. She just couldn't imagine what it was like here, and now she was finally coming over to see her friends.
Not only that, but she was also here to help them uncover some things.
She stood in front of Midoriya as he smiled widely. Something about his smile made her so happy and couldn't help but hug him.
"Izuku! It's so good to see you!" Rena Rouge exclaimed to him, "I can't believe that I'm actually here!"
"I can't believe it either! You've always wanted to come here, right?" Midoriya said back as he let go of her, "I know how much you love superheroes. I'm sorry that you couldn't come over last time."
"That's okay. I'm here now," Rena Rouge said back with a smile.
She looked around the room to see that she wasn't alone. There was someone working on the portal, but then she spotted Bakugo nearby. He still there awkwardly with his hands in his pockets as he walked up to her.
"Hey Mole Face. It's been awhile," Bakugo said in a teasing manner.
Rena Rouge gave him a knowing look, but soon gave him a hug. He seemed to be thrown off by her hugging him, but Midoriya could tell that she missed everyone. He let her hugged him, and she soon let go of him. Then she lightly punched him in the ribs in a teasing manner.
"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but it's good to see you Katsuki," Rena Rouge said to him.
Bakugo could barely look at her as a blush formed across his face. She couldn't help but chuckle at his embarrassment, which made him blush even more. She spotted the girl working on the portal and had a feeling she knew who she was. Rena Rouge remembered Marinette mentioning someone that worked on the portal. Based on her descriptions, she could tell that she was Melissa. Rena Rouge couldn't help but smile at her and walked up to her.
"Hey! I'm Alya Cesaire," Rena Rouge told her, "It's nice to finally meet you! You must Melissa Shield."
Melissa seemed surprised by her knowing who she was, and they shook hands.
"Y-You know who I am?" Melissa pointed out.
"Of course. Marinette couldn't stop talking about you when she got back home," Rena Rouge explained to her, "She really looks up to you. She's been inspired to create some more hero costumes and make some inventions because of you."
Melissa blushed from embarrassment and could barely look at her. She adjusted her glasses, and Rena Rouge smiled at her. She then turned around to look at the portal. She had never seen it from this side before, so it was impressive to see what powered it up. Something about it looked like it came out of a scifi comic book. She walked up to it and touched the machine part of it.
"This is so crazy. You made this?" Rena Rouge asked her, "This doesn't seem like something that anyone could make. It's still pretty crazy that this is even possible."
"Well, I kind of had help making this portal," Melissa explained to her, "Mei Hatsume was my partner making this thing while everyone was here taking care of Chrysalis. We got it finished up a little further along than we expected, but luckily it works really well..."
Rena Rouge noticed her trail off and knew that something was wrong here.
"Something's going on here," Rena Rouge said to them, "Marinette told me that you need help with some things. What exactly do you need help with?"
Melissa looked at Midoriya and Bakugo, and Rena Rouge could tell that they were already wondering where to start. She adjusted her grip on her backpack, ready to get started.
"Well, someone apparently tried to break through to the portal just now," Melissa explained to her, "Whoever it was, clearly they were aware of what they were doing. I have a password barrier on it, and they used up all three of the limits. It locked up for a few hours on them, but that doesn't they won't try again."
Rena Rouge looked at Melissa, and she was going through the portal's computer to see if she could do anything to stop this from happening again.
"I'm going to put up more barriers if I can, but that might effect the portal's connection to your Paris," Melissa explained to her, "I don't want to risk it while you're still here."
Rena Rouge watched her go through some things on the portal and remembered that this is what leaked all of that information about Class 2-A. All of that information was now in that machine back in Paris. Somehow it got through from this portal to the machine. She wanted to understand why it happened to them specifically.
"May I have a look?" Rena Rouge asked her.
Melissa didn't hesitate to stepped away from it for Rena Rouge to take a look at it. She noticed that Melissa was on a file about how this portal works. Rena Rouge gave it a closer look and made sure not to delete anything important. She didn't know exactly how this complex thing worked, but she could tell that it somehow connected to that machine.
"Have you guys used this since everyone got back home at all?" Rena Rouge asked her as she looked at it some more.
"No. I mean, we've turned it on here and there, but never used it to go through the portal," Midoriya explained to her.
"He's right. I've been checking it every day just to keep an eye on it and clean it up," Melissa explained to her, "There should be on problem with it."
"What exactly are you using to connect to the interenet? I'm assuming U.A.'s wifi," Rena Rouge asked them.
"Of course. What else would it be connected to?" Bakugo pointed out.
"Yes. It's connected to U.A.'s wifi. I had to get permission from the Principal to use it," Melissa explained to her, "He was more than welcome to help out. He even helped come up with a password to make sure that it was strong enough to protect it."
Rena Rouge looked at Midoriya and Bakugo and then looked back at the portal. She wondered if there was any way that she could use their computer here in this school. Just to make sure that their files and information was protected.
"What is it Rena Rouge?" Midoriya asked her.
"I'm just wondering... If you're connected to the school's wifi, I'm wondering if it somehow got information leaked from the school's computers. That information could've gotten through to the portal and through to the machine back in Paris. Which makes me wonder if someone hacked U.A.'s systems. Now that I'm thinking about it, all of that information on the machine was of Class 2-A specifically. It makes me wonder if someone was trying to get information about you guys."
Midoriya and Bakugo were shocked to find this out so quickly. Rena Rouge knew that she was getting somewhere just based on their reactions. Midoriya was going to speak up, but he stopped himself and thought about it some more.
"You can't be serious, right?" Midoriya asked back, "I mean, no one should know about this outside of U.A. Yes, there are a few pro heroes that know about it, but no one would just try to break through to use the portal. No pro hero would ever do that."
"Unless it's someone that got akumatized or is involved with those akumatizations," Bakugo pointed out as he shared knowing look with Midoriya.
His eyes widened in shock, and Rena Rouge noticed him getting very pale. She worried what this meant for them, but stood tall. Midoriya turned to face Rena Rouge, and she knew that she was in for a bumpy ride here in Japan.
"The League of Villains..."
Another amazing chapter!
I really like where this is going. I know that it's been awhile since Ember has been in the story, but I just wanted to get this out of the way. I think that this will benefit the character since she's more on the down low. It's completely opposite from Skylar, and I always wanted that from them. So I think it will work out in the end. I really like Alya finally coming over! I wanted something like this to happen without so many people coming over at once. I thought that it might make things more interesting since Marinette isn't feeling so good. I think it will also help things move along with Ember and Marinette. Also, I love the thought of Alya sleuthing around U.A. It's just so satisfying to have her here doing stuff like this.
The doctor seems to be planning something with someone...
What's going to happen next??
More to come soon!