Not Alone: A Miraculous Ladybug Story

Chapter 17

 Adrien, startled by the sudden outpouring of emotion from this unfamiliar kwami, froze. Darting his eyes to Plagg, his kwami had his usual look of amusement twinged with just a hint of what Adrien thought was possessiveness. After a minute of Duusu crying into his cheek though, Plagg started to become more visibly irritated. Tikki, after centuries of practice reading Plagg's moods, moved in to intervene and tried and extract the distraught kwami from the uncomfortable boy.

"Duusu, dear, come here," she pulled Duusu away from Adrien, wiping her eyes, and led her back to the mat. She looked back at Plagg, and after a moment he sighed and floated over too.

"Duusu, what happened?"

The kwami became visible distraught again, wringing her hands in an anxious manner, and looking around the room to avoid making direct eye contact. Her eyes landed on Adrien. As tears threatened to overflow again, she turned her gaze to Tikki.

"They took my Adela," she sobbed, but continued in a barely intelligible slur that Adrien barely puzzled out. "Nooro and I had a bad feeling about him. For years, there was just something...off with that boy. And when Gabriel and Dela got married it just got worse. When Dela had Adrien, that was the last straw..."

From what Duusu remembered, this man always acted...peculiarly around Adrien. Adela mentioned it to Gabriel, but he was Gabriel's best friend from childhood, so he was reluctant to think ill of him. Everything came to a head when one day, they were all at the park. Gabriel got up to get something they'd forgotten in the car, and the man made a move on Adela. When she refused, he became violent. She didn't want to transform and scare Adrien, but when he shoved Adrien, only a toddler at the time, Adela became livid. Gabriel, who had been walking back up the hill was close enough to see this violence and transformed immediately. It was the first time he used his powers in anger, and Duusu refused to say exactly what happened next, but whatever it was it was enough to terrify this man.

"He was jealous of what you all had," Duusu directed this at Adrien. "I know what you remember of your childhood wasn't always great, but your first few years of life were full of love and family. Then the threats began, and Adela became paranoid that something would happen to you. Your father worked relentlessly in creating an empire that would make you all untouchable. Fame takes away privacy, but it did offer you all some protection, for a time. The notes stopped." She sighed, looking to Fu now. "How long has Adela been gone?"

"15 months," Adrien answered instead, a shake in his voice. They'd been truly happy? He couldn't remember a time when his family hadn't been strained. There would be moments, but nothing like what Duusu was describing.

Duusu floated over to him, her small hand resting on the tip of his nose as she looked him directly in the eye.

"She is alive, my boy. I would feel it if she were not." She stared at him to make sure he understood, and he nodded. They had known this, of course, from the photos, but still a small part of Adrien was unconvinced. Duusu said it with so much certainty though, he felt this knot loosen, and he took a deeper breath.

"The letters started up again two years ago now. He was back, and from what it sounded like, he had a following now. It wasn't just angry letters anymore, he'd found a purpose. He couldn't steal the miraculous himself, but he could use the secret his old friend had trusted him with to achieve his new goal. Destroying the perfect Agreste family in the process was just a fringe benefit."

"What was he planning," Alya asked, leaning forward in rapt attention.

Duusu shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure what his end is, but some kind of coup. He craves power more than anything else. He sees the power the miraculous gave your father, and the fashion empire he created for himself making himself a very respected person in the community. It had always been a competition between them, and your father always the one on top. When he felt like he had been rejected from their inner circle, he found love and admiration somewhere else." Duusu paused, contemplating for a moment. "It's some kind of fringe political movement. He made mentions of the corruption of the mayor a few times and how his new 'friends' understood that Paris needed to be destroyed before it could be saved."

"But what does that have to do with the Agrestes?" Alya pushed aside her own emotions and was in full journalist mode. Adrien was extremely grateful, because his mind was spinning so fast he didn't think he'd be able to dig through all the thoughts to piece together the questions he needed answered.

"He wanted their help," Duusu shrugged. "At first the notes were apologies for his actions towards them previously, and brochures on this 'new way', but Adela saw right through it. What they were talking about was mayhem, and he wanted their powers and Gabriel's status to back him. After multiple rejections again, that's when the letters became violent. Until one day it wasn't just letters. Someone started following Adela, and when we went out for groceries they backed her into a corner and didn't give her a choice." She stopped, trying to control herself.

"Please, Duusu," Adrien whispered. "I need to know. I need to find her."

"Oh Adrien, they found a blonde boy, about your height, and they must have had a recording of your voice. They dragged your doppleganger into an alley and threatened to kill him unless she came willingly, so she did. Just before they knocked her out, the boy turned his head enough that she saw it wasn't your face. Giving herself away at that point would have been futile, and she couldn't risk someone getting their hands on the miraculous, so she ripped off the scarf the miraculous broach was on and dropped it to the ground. Discreetly covering me with the scarf in the process, she kicked it all under a nearby dumpster."

"And you don't know anything else because you were in a suspended stupor?" Alya asked, and Duusu nodded. Alya hummed, and Adrien noticed she had a notepad out and was writing this all down. She looked towards him.

"That must be where your father found Duusu and the broach. It's a classic kidnapper scheme," she continued. "They tell the family some bit of information or evidence that the person has actually been kidnapped. Someone must have seen her drop the scarf and thought it would look like proof enough. What they didn't know was that she actually wanted the scarf to be found."

"Wait, Duusu," Marinette spoke up. "What is this guy's name?"

"Germain. Germain Bourgeois."