Earlier in the streets of Paris...
Ladybug stood in front of Ember, shocked to see her needing her help. Not only did she just find out that she had a quirk, but she needed help getting home. She hoped that this had nothing to do with their Japan. But based on the fact that she had a quirk, she worried that there was more to this girl than she initially thought.
"Wh-What do you mean, Ember? Did you get lost or something?" Ladybug asked her, "I can help you get back home."
Ember didn't look convinced as Ladybug stood there with her yo-yo at the ready. She was prepared to take her home by yo-yo, but Ember wasn't tricking her or anything like that. Something about her seemed to know what was going on as she crossed her arms.
"Ladybug. You can cut the act," Ember said to her, "I know that you know about our Japan. You don't have to hide it."
Ladybug's eyes widened in shock, realizing that she was right. She had a quirk because she was from their Japan. She just said so herself right then and there. She didn't know what to do in that moment, but something about her seemed less shy or more open to talking to her. She still didn't know her and worried that she might pull something.
"How can I trust you?" Ladybug asked her, "I don't know you. This Japan that you speak of, clearly you want something."
"Seriously? I just told you that I need your help getting home. I'm from Japan, their Japan. I've been trying to get home myself, but things are more difficult than I expected. That's why I need your help. That weird warehouse had nothing that would help me get home," Ember explained to her.
Then Ladybug realized that Ember was the one that was staying in the lair all this time. That sleeping bag was hers.
"You're the one that stayed in Chrysalis's lair?" Ladybug pointed out, "But why would be stuck here? How did you even get here in the first place?"
"I have no idea," Ember explained to her, "I was in Japan six months ago with my mom and dad. I was leaving to go out with a friend, when I was suddenly here in Paris. I don't know how I got here, it just sort of happened. I remember seeing a bright pink and green flash of light, then I was here."
Ladybug was shocked to hear her say this. This new girl not only teleported here from the other Japan, but she worried that her and Cat Noir had something to do with this. That pink and green light sounded like something that came from their Miraculous. She worried that they messed their Miraculous at one point without realizing it. Something about it made her pull back and stopped her from telling her anything else.
Ladybug knew that she had to do something about this now if it was her fault that Ember was stuck here. She let out a sigh as she got ready to help her out.
"Alright Ember," Ladybug said to her, "I'll help you, but I need you to cooperate with me. This isn't something to take lightly. I need to figure out some things. In the meantime, I need you lay low for a bit. I'll keep in touch and try to find a way to get you home. Okay?"
Ember hesitated, but she soon agreed.
"Okay. If you don't mind, I would like to have your phone number," Ember said back, "Just to keep in touch."
It was Ladybug's turn to hesitate, but soon gave it to her. Luckily her phone number was different from her yo-yo. She gave it to her, and Ember smiled which shocked Ladybug. She had never seen her smile before, but it looked good on her. Something about it seemed genuine, but she still needed to be careful around her.
Before Ladybug could leave, she looked back at Ember. She looked dirty like she could really use a bath. Then she realized that she was separated from her mom and dad. She felt bad for her and didn't realize what she had been through. She couldn't imagine how terrified her parents were. She understood how weird it must feel to be separated like that. When she finally got home from Japan, her parents were worried and so happy to see her safe and home. She had to keep her close, even if Ember didn't realize it. She placed her hand on her shoulder, which seemed to surprise Ember.
"Ember. You should find a place to stay," Ladybug said to her, "I bring you to my place, but you know... secret identity and stuff. Maybe you should ask Marinette Dupain Cheng to stay at her place for a bit. I know that she would understand."
Ember seemed hesitant to even talk about Marinette, which she understood completely. After what happened, things between them might be a little awkward. She had to at least be friendly to her, but she understood now what she was going through.
"I-I don't know... She might want nothing to do with me after what happened in gym class," Ember said to her.
"I don't know. She might surprise you if you just talk to her," Ladybug said with a smile, "I've met her before, and she really isn't that bad if you get to know her some more. I think that she would understand and would want to help you. You don't have to tell her everything, just tell her what you're most comfortable with."
Ember seemed less hesitant to talk to her as Ladybug sent a smile.
"O-Okay... I'll try," Ember said to her, "B-But... m-my quirk... i-it hurt her..."
"Don't worry about that. If you just explain things, I'm sure she'll understand," Ladybug said back, "She's pretty familiar with superpowers considering where we are. Me and Cat Noir bumped into her here and there during akumatizations."
Ember felt a little better and nodded to her.
Ladybug soon launched into the air with her yo-yo, not looking back at Ember. She had to get to her house soon before she showed up. She wanted to ask her about that machine, but she didn't want to put her on the spot after what she found out. She knew that things between them were definitely much better, but she didn't expect this to happen. She swung over to her house as quick as she could, knowing that she was getting a visitor soon.
In Marinette's house...
Marinette and Alya stood there in room talking to Adrien and Class 2-A. They explained everything that happened just now. Something about it felt so weird that someone from their Japan was here in Paris without them even realizing it. Something about it felt like Marinette needed to help her now. After all, this was clearly caused by their wish somehow. Only she didn't remember ever making a wish recently.
Adrien and Class 2-A were on the other line, clearly speechless after what she told them. She had explained that not only was Ember from Japan, but also had a quirk. They hadn't said anything as she explained to them what was going on.
"What?! This new girl, Ember is from our Japan?!" Iida cried out, "B-But... How?!"
"We never made a wish milady! This can't be happening! Not now! Not when things were finally settling down," Adrien said over the phone.
"I know. I didn't either," Marinette explained to him, "It would've had to have happened around the time that we left. Six months ago. She even said that she's been stuck for that long as well."
"But we still didn't make a wish," Adrien explained to her, "This doesn't make any sense. She's gotta be tricking you or something to get her over here."
Marinette thought about it and didn't understand any of this. She knew though that she couldn't leave this girl alone, whatever was going on with her.
"I don't think so," Marinette said back, "She seemed like she was desperately trying to find a way back home. Something about it seemed like she really needed help."
"Why the hell did it take so long for her to reach out to you then?" Bakugo asked her, "This Ember girl seems a little suspicious if you ask me."
Marinette felt a little annoyed with them since they weren't here for any of it. She felt her fists clench around her phone as she thought about how good it felt to see her smile. Something about it felt so good to see her smile like that. She could tell that she didn't smile all that often.
"I'm telling you. She needs help," Marinette said back, "I can tell. There was something in her eyes that looked like she needed help. She just reach out to anyone, she reached out to me. Ladybug."
They stopped talking for a moment, and she could hear Midoriya talking to them. He sounded passionate about what she told them, which helped her relax a bit. He seemed to understand what she was going through, which helped her feel more supported in this sort of situation.
"Marinette. Do what you think is best," Midoriya said to her, "You still should be careful. Whatever is going with that machine, you don't want her anywhere near it. She could've been going through things that no one else should know about. If anything, be careful with whatever information she has on us."
Marinette understood as she talked to Midoriya. She was glad that he was supporting her during all of this. She had hoped that he would understand.
"Of course. Thank you Izuku," Marinette said back, "Everyone, just be careful with that portal. Whatever is leaking out information, clearly that portal has something to do with it. And Adrien..."
She hesitated for a moment, feeling a little awkward talking to him in front of everyone. She felt her cheeks warm up once she felt the nerve to talk to him.
"Just... be careful. You don't know what kind of villains are over there. These villains... they are different from the ones over here. I'd come over there, but... I'm busy. If I need to, I'll be over there in a flash," Marinette said to him.
"You think I didn't know that? Of course I'll be careful milady," Adrien said back, "You don't have to worry about me. You do what you have to do, and we'll make sure things are okay over here. Do you need me to look after any of the Miraculous while you're helping Ember?"
Marinette and Alya shared a look, wondering if there was anything that she had in her Miracle Box at the moment. She let everyone keep theirs on them more often than usual lately since there's been nothing going on. She was more hesitant to give Zoe the Butterfly Miraculous at times since it was a bit of a weird Miraculous, but that was about it.
"No. Not at the moment," Marinette told him, "I just have the Butterfly Miraculous on me at the moment. Everyone's been keeping theirs on them lately."
"Okay. Then, I'll leave you to it then," Adrien said back, "I'll talk to you soon. Be careful."
Marinette smiled, happy to hear from him and everyone else. But something about hearing from Adrien felt really good in that moment.
"Yeah. Talk to you soon, Adrien. Bye."
Marinette hung up. Alya stood there while Tikki floated there along with Trixx.
"Now what?" Alya asked her friend.
Before Marinette could even form a plan, her mom knocked on the door of her room. She jumped and the Kwamis flew into their owner's pockets.
"Y-Yeah mom?" Marinette called out, a little nervously.
"You have a visitor. It's Ember. She wanted to ask you if she could stay over a little while," Sabine told her, "She's kind of lost and doesn't have a place to stay."
Marinette and Alya shared a look, nervous about this situation. Marinette let out a sigh, but knew that she had to do this. Something about it felt good to help someone that needed a way back home. Marinette soon opened her door, and her mom and Ember came inside. She looked a little dirty, and Sabine came up with snacks and drinks for everyone. Marinette could tell that Ember was a little nervous being here and didn't expect Alya to be here.
Marinette let her make herself at home as she sat down on her love seat. Sabine set the snacks and drinks down on her desk with a smile.
"Ember. You and Marinette can talk things out, but we are open to you staying here a bit," Sabine told her, "I'll give you three some space. I'll go grab some sheets and pillows. I'm sure that Marinette will allow you to borrow some of her pajamas for tonight."
"...O-Okay... Th-Thank you Ms. Cheng..." Ember said under her breath.
"Please call me Sabine," Sabine said back with a smile.
Ember smiled back, but still shy with Marinette and Alya right in front of her. She soon left them alone to talk, which felt a bit awkward for all of them. Marinette noticed her getting nervous to even face her as she rubbed her arm. She avoided eye contact with her, but Marinette soon let out a sigh.
"Look Ember," Marinette said to her, "I'm sorry for what happened back there. I didn't realize that you even had a power. I just got a little carried away with gym class. I guess I didn't exactly understand what was going on with you. Believe or not, I've been through some weird things as well."
"So have I," Alya said with her hand up, "I've dealt with some pretty weird akumatizations before."
That seemed to catch Ember's attention as she soon got comfortable talking to them.
"Akumatizations...? What's that exactly? Ladybug mentioned something that earlier," Ember asked them, "Are they some type of quirk or power?"
Marinette and Alya shared a look and wondered what to keep secret and to tell her. They knew about quirks and their Japan, but she clearly didn't know how. If anything, the heroes here were the only ones that knew about these sort of things to her. But Marinette knew she had to at least let her know that she somewhat knew about it. For now, Ember clearly didn't know what went down with Class 2-A here in Paris.
"Wow. You really aren't from here, are you?" Alya pointed out, "There used to be a villain called HawkMoth here. Thankfully Ladybug and Cat Noir took care of him. He could use these purple butterflies called akumas to turn someone into a villain if were in distress or upset. He was kind of a big deal a long time ago."
Marinette noticed Ember understand and relax a bit more. She wanted to help her, but didn't know how to go about it. She at least had to know if she knew what that machine was. Maybe later once she settled down more. She couldn't let her leave until she understand why she was there for so long. Bakugo brought up a good question, and she had to why it took so long for her to reach out to Ladybug.
For now, Marinette was okay with letting her stay for the night. She got up, grabbed a drink and handed it to Ember.
"I know things were weird on the first day of school. I can't imagine what you must be going through if you're reaching out to me like this. Maybe we can start over," Marinette said to her and smiled, "Okay?"
Something about Ember's eyes seemed to open up more to Marinette being a friend. She took the drink, ready to settle down.
"Okay... Sure," Ember said back, "B-But... You should know about my quirk."
"Quirk? You mentioned that earlier. We've heard about those before it didn't know what they were exactly," Alya said back.
Marinette gave a subtly dirty look at Alya, making her back up. She couldn't bring up questions with Ember later just in case things got complicated.
"They are basically superpowers that you're born with back my Japan," Ember explained to them as she hesitated to keep going.
Ember looked down at her hands, and Marinette could tell that she was a little nervous to talk to her about this. Whatever happened in gym class, Marinette could tell that it was some sort of heat or fire quirk. Even the ball that she burnt was proof of it.
"M-My quirk... it's called Heat Manipulation. It allows me to create and/or manipulate heat. The thing is though is that it's kind of connected to my emotions, so it can be a bit messy if I get a little emotional or... riled up," Ember explained to them.
Marinette and Alya were shocked to hear her talk about her quirk. It sounded really at first, but then Marinette noticed how hard that must be for her. She could see why she was so distant and shy with her and everyone else. She just didn't want to hurt anyone. She had a feeling that she's been through this before in Japan as well.
"It's a bit strong if I get really mad or frustrated. That's why I didn't want to play dodgeball during gym class. But you kept pushing me, and... I guess you kind of got through to me back there... Again, I'm sorry about hurting you," Ember explained to her.
"Ember. It's okay," Marinette said back, "I understand now. You were just scared of hurting anyone. If anything, it's different here than it is in Japan. I can see why you'd be a little nervous coming to this school. I'd be too if I had a quirk like that."
"But it sounds so cool!" Alya said to her with lit eyes, "I bet that you could do some really cool moves with a power like that! What you did in gym class was amazing, besides Marinette getting flung across the gym of course."
Ember seemed to be surprised that they were so open to having her stay here. Marinette could tell that she was starting to relax a little once she talked to her. Something about her was less shy or more grateful to have someone helping her out. She just needed that push from Ladybug to get her over here.
"Y-You... You really think that my quirk is cool...?" Ember asked her, "Everyone in Japan always stayed away from me..."
"Yeah. I really do," Alya said back, "It's so impressive. No wonder Marinette was so hot around you all the time. You were trying to hold back your quirk. That's kind of cool that you can even do that."
Marinette's eyes widened, realizing that she was the reason why she was so hot all the time. She was trying not to hurt her, but she kept staring at her. Her quirk was targeting her because she was getting her riled up and making her feel uncomfortable.
"You did that?" Marinette pointed out, "I didn't know that was you. I've gotta say, it is kind of impressive."
Ember looked surprised that Marinette and Alya were so open to her being here. Marinette smiled at her, which made her feel so relieved. She had to let Ember know that she could talk to her about anything. She had to know if she was hiding anything else, especially with that machine around. She couldn't let anything happen to her friends back in Japan.
"Well Ember, you can stay here as long as you want. If there's anything you ever want to tell me, please feel free to share it with me," Marinette told her.
Ember smiled subtly and nodded. Marinette couldn't let anything happen while she was around.
"I'm sure Ladybug will help you find your home soon."
Another amazing chapter!
This was fun to write! I really like Ember starting to open up. I always wanted her to have some sort of heat/fire quirk, I just didn't know what yet until just now. I've decided for her to have a heat manipulation quirk. I thought that it would work out the best and be really interesting as it keeps going. I really think her quirk would be pretty powerful, which is exactly what I wanted was something that seems to have potential to be strong. I like where things are going, and I like that no one is going anywhere quite yet. They're still figuring things out, but also keeping tabs on each other. I find it refreshing.
What's going to happen next??
More to come soon!