Third Person
Flashing lights of red and blue were ablaze.
Blaring sirens from multiple ambulances were almost ear-splitting. Cries and weeps from helpless citizens were perceived. Helpless laments, for the reason of their most beloved's passing, or their injuries. Emergency responders took them urgently, whether they were soulless corpses or the deplorably maimed.
Aside from such misery — buildings were broken, walls were vandalized, the streets were filthy, and bodies of water were brown and contaminated. The city's peace and purity were completely disrupted.
Ladybug wasn't there to fix the turmoil Paris was in just yet.
"Miss Rossi, you are under arrest for various crimes against humanity. You have the right to remain silent. If you do or say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law," Roger Raincomprix firmly said, cuffing her and putting her inside the patrol car.
"Screw you all," Lila scoffed bitterly, her expression immediately changing once she saw her parents peek from outside. "Mom..." she quietly sobbed as the window fully closed and the car began to drive away.
She was going to have to go through a lot of processes. First and foremost, they were going to take her to the Police Station. After identifying and securing her personal data, they were going to get both the accused's statements: Lila, and witnesses: Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, Chloé, and Sabrina. Then, the police were to file a case against her.
The woman was caught redhanded and many were documenting her act. Several people who had survived were taking pictures and collecting information of those who had perished because of her — gathering evidence to present to the jury for good measure.
Furthermore, it could be possible Lila could be taken to an international court, since her main intention was to control the world. Taking account of the fact that they had no incriminating verification of that, the chances were low as well.
"My baby..." The woman covered her mouth in shame as tears stained her cheeks. Marinette, who was beside her, pitied them. She met eyes with Chat, and they both looked at the parents despondently.
The latter caressed her back to subtly comfort her. "It's not your fault, Mrs," he assured.
"I'm sorry I...I just don't like the thought of seeing her in court." She wiped her eye. "I never wanted to raise her to be like this," she spoke sadly.
"It's not you," he paused, "maybe it's the lack of you."
The only reason he knew was because he empathized with the girl. The green-eyed hero lived his whole life without his mother. As for his father, he was busy handling his business and running the Gabriel brand.
His father focused on laying his future out for him, making sure they were successful and well-known. Adrien cared for none of that. He simply wished for his father's occasional presence and love. Was that too much to ask?
Perhaps. Well, he had his classmates' friendship and his wonderful partnership with Ladybug. Above all, Marinette's affection. It was unfortunate he lost that particular love due to silly regulations.
The man regrettably agreed, immediately snapping him from his thoughts. "You're right. Lila has always craved her mother's and my attention. We barely spent time with her. So, maybe throughout that period of time, she formed this...awful mindset."
The two were appalled at that. Lila's father had a point.
"We know it's a lot to take in. If my daughter went against Hawkmoth and planned to take over the universe, just to make me proud, I'd be speechless. Not in a good way," Chat voiced his opinion, downcast.
"You mean...she did all this, simply to please us?" Miss Rossi questioned in disbelief as her palm met her chest.
"Sad to say, but yes. Although, I assure you that you shouldn't worry. Lila will realize her actions and come around. Maybe throughout the time while she's in prison, this time, she'll realize her mistakes and form new values and virtues." Marinette patted her shoulder.
"I do hope so. Thank you, the two of you," Mister Rossi bowed his head.
"But, we do sincerely apologize for the trouble, Chat Noir, and- uh, what's your name again, darling?" she shyly asked.
"No worries, Ma'am! And, it's Rena Rouge, but you can call me Marinette," the redhead introduced jovially.
"Oh, is that so? Where's Ladybug?" the mother questioned, blinking in puzzlement.
"About that, we actually don't know." He nervously rubbed his nape.
"Uhm, yeah! She's having difficulties transforming, but it's nothing serious now that Hypnosia's defeated," Marinette went along with him, "for now, we're waiting for her to do her cure," she responded, sweating due to edginess.
"I see, well, thank you to the both of you for saving our daughter from her supposedly, horrible fate," she laughed lightly.
"We'll get going now," Mister Rossi and his wife waved goodbye.
Her miraculous beeped, indicating Trixx's exhaustion. The holder allowed herself to detransform, taking off the orange miraculous and putting it back on her sling bag. "Thanks for the help Trixx," She signaled the kwami to enter her purse.
"It's not a problem!" Trixx phased into the pink bag, having the need to eat a cookie and recharge.
Marinette's eyes softened, letting out an infectious snicker of excitement as she turned to the masked hero. "We did it!!" she jumped joyously.
"Yes, yes we did," he replied, over the moon. Chat couldn't describe in words how happy he was to have saved the world with the love of his life. Not all heroes wear capes indeed, nor did they need a ladybug miraculous to become victorious.
Marinette held her knuckles up, stuttering nervously once she realized she wasn't in her Ladybug suit. It was a force of habit.
"Sorry, it's just that sometimes...I see Ladybug and you bumping your fists after defeating villains and whatnot. So I—" Chat interrupted her with a heartfelt embrace.
"Thank you," he tightened the hug further. They shared a moment of loud silence in each other's arms. The two were more than glad, to be safe, and to solve the disasters that occurred. Most importantly, Marinette and Chat were overjoyed to be together.
The lovesick boy relished in her company, appreciating her existence. The feeling of being with Marinette was truly magical.
It felt like they were alone, beside a peaceful pond as they basked in the beautiful, warm, sunshine. Both serene and placid surroundings, pleasing their ears with the sound of nature. Graceful swans swimming by, schools of fish they could feed, and colorful birds flying across the sky.
The female pulled him from his daydream. "Thank you, too." She let go, hands resting on his shoulders. "You helped me a lot out there," Marinette enthused.
"Did I?" He squinted his eyes intentionally, accompanying the gesture with a short chuckle. "But really, good job out there. You should really think of carrying the mouse miraculous again. 'Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Multimouse', you know what I mean?" he suggested.
"Chat, you know that can't happen. No one is supposed to know my identity, and you saw me detransform. You and Ladybug are a great team by yourselves! Moreover, I like 'Chat Noir and Ladybug' on its own," the blunette explained to him. "It has a great ring to it!" she added.
"Fine, I guess you're right..." Chat pouted jokingly.
"Plus, I might not even be able to use the miraculous of illusion again. Unless it's an emergency. Some people may have seen me detransform earlier," Marinette told him.
Both of them exchanged laughs until she heard a quiet, yet high-pitched voice. The petite girl looked behind her, eyes widening in surprise.
It was Tikki.
Marinette took her hands off him, knowing she still had to fix everything. "Listen, you should wait for ladybug here. Make sure the akuma doesn't escape okay? I have to go check on my parents to see if they're okay. They could be hurt," she fretted, walking away to transform.
"What? O-okay then," Chat trailed off, a bit baffled. "Why was she in such a hurry?" He made a face. His eyes examined the city, sighing. "So that's why." The male frowned at the fluttering akuma, showing sincere pity in his eyes at the same time.
"I wonder where Ladybug could be," he contemplated, tracing circles on the jar.
The girl in pigtails ran towards the subway stairs, meeting with her kwami she dearly missed. "Tikki! You're here!" she chirped.
"Marinette!" The kwami flew to its owner's cheek, hugging it affectionately. "Do you mind telling me what happened? I'm not too sure. All I remember was talking with Master Fu and suddenly it all went blank..." Tikki pondered.
"You got hypnotized, but Chat and I managed to handle it." She leaned her back against the wall.
"Tikki? Is that you?" the orange kwami piped in, her head popping out of the purse.
"Trixx? Hey!" she excitedly replied.
"Have this, you'll need it." Trixx handed the other a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie.
"Thank you, I was a little starving," Tikki agreed, happily accepting the treat.
"Anyway, we don't have much time. Paris needs us!" Marinette proclaimed in an encouraging tone. "You ready?" the strong-minded girl curved a brow. Gulping the last piece of the pastry, the kwami of creation nodded in response. "Tikki, spots on!"
She ran outside, sprinting to her partner. "M'lady! What took you so long?"
"Hi kitty. I can't explain," she responded bluntly.
"Ah, yeah. Paris is a mess right now," he commented.
The girl in red and black waited no longer, using her special power. "Lucky charm!"
A doll fell onto her hands, making the blunette wrinkle her forehead. "but I don't understand..." She looked at it in suspicion.
"A Chat Noir doll?" he peeked from behind her shoulder.
"Yeah...and it even has a scarf wrapped around it," Ladybug said doubtfully. "This is supposed to be an object to use against a specific threat," She wondered, "and now that the villain is defeated, this should somehow help me with a challenge to face in real life. It could be a symbol of something, or even a reminder."
"Then why would it be a doll...that's me? Why am I involved?" Chat knitted his eyebrows together. He had no romantic interest in Ladybug. Even if this 'challenge' she spoke of was about their friendship, it made no sense.
Their partnership was perfectly fine. They haven't fought or argued either. And what even was the significance of a scarf here? Chat Noir couldn't think of, or remember a moment that involved a scarf.
"See, I don't know either." The spotted woman shook her head. "Let's not think too much about it. It's pretty much irrelevant, and we can figure it out later." Ladybug breathed out.
Chat signified his agreement, cautiously opening the jar and letting the Akuma escape. "No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma," she asserted, capturing it, "Bye-bye little butterfly!"
The said butterfly was cleansed and it flew away in peace. "Good job Chat! You handled everything while I was hypnotized," she applauded, putting her hands on her hips.
"I helped a bit, but that was mostly my friend. Dupain-Cheng? I'm sure you know her." He did a gallic shrug, sticking out his lower lip. "I look up to her, and yet she compliments me at any chance. She's simply...miraculous," he faltered, truly in love.
A small smile of gratitude grew on her lips, a faint blush blossoming her face. "Marinette's lucky to have you, chaton," she told him gleefully. That statement made her wonder, was their separation worth it?
They promised to stay together despite adversities. It may be dangerous, but if Chat Noir and Marinette really did love each other, wouldn't they have stuck together? So what if Marinette wanted to shout it on the roofs? Who cares if she wanted to brag to everyone about their love?
Even if it meant fighting evil, being rebellious, and sacrificing their own life, couples should do anything to be together. Right? Then they should too. She was apathetic to Wang Fu's warning, and knew she wouldn't regret it.
Whenever villainy was to strike, they were to keep each other safe. Marinette should give their relationship a second chance and make it work.
"It's me that's lucky, Lb," he said bashfully, "I really am blessed to have her in my life."
She fiddled with the doll, flattered to witness her partner's attachment to her alter-ego. The flustered bug threw the object up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!!"
The enchanted charm turned into millions of tiny ladybugs, fixing the caused damages and mishaps. Dead civilians came back to life, the wounded were back to normal, and everyone was back to where they were in the first place. Paris was spotless once again, the waters were pristine and clear, just as the land was clean and green.
"Pound it?" she asked, holding her fist up in fortitude.
"Pound it!" they simultaneously spoke, wearing faces of jubilation.
Tranquillity was restored, at last.
Or was it, really?
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
Her heavy eyelids slowly opened. Looking around, she saw many other Parisians forcing themselves to get up from the cement floor, regardless of the questionable tiredness that stilled within them.
"Why am I holding a bag of cash?" She let go of it in startlement, backing up slowly as she realized she was sitting in front of a bank. "Did I...really steal this much?" Her voice died down, her head sinking low due to self-humiliation.
The girl hopped from where she sat, scampering to find a certain someone. She rubbed her elbows. It was a freezing night. By some means, the breath she took in seemed to hurt her throat — the air was prickling. Her teeth were chattering due to the chilly weather.
Her blood was rushing with tension once she saw the person she was looking for. The petite girl timidly scurried to the alleyway, meeting with her superior.
"Do you have any memory of what happened?"
"I recall standing up to her, but my companions and I fell into oblivion right afterward. The rest is a blur," she formally spoke.
He exhaled frustratingly. "I can't believe Rossi treated me that way, and after I instilled my trust in her? What a fool," the blonde snarled, "she told me to refrain from keeping any secrets, gushing on and on about her so-called devotion to me. Brainless hypocrite..."
Her chin shivered. "Sir, she knows your identity. What if—" he hushed her.
"I know. This is why I hesitated telling anyone my identity, besides Nathalie." The man fixed his glasses. "But it's unlikely. It's more probable for her to plead guilty once in court, then, they can lawfully prosecute that witch.
"And once that happens, no one would believe or hear her out." Gabriel looked keenly at the brooch he took off.
The short-haired girl fought the urge of speaking up once her eyes landed on the butterfly miraculous, reluctance re-entering her mind. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around the fact that she was working for one of the most successful men in Paris.
He was famed and prominent, yet also obscure when it came to his other persona. Despite serving him for weeks, the girl could never be used to the aching guilt that haunted her effortlessly.
"Miraculous Ladybug!!" They managed to hear, causing the grown male to scoff.
The designer noticed her hesitance. Her uneasiness somehow made him uncomfortable. "Do you have something to say? Why so restless?" he inquired in a menacing way.
Loose-lipped, she fought the temporary fear and pointed to the violet object. "This artifact is one you must not possess. When used for evil, it will bring great danger in the wrong hands." She attempted to change his motive.
"What are you trying to imply?" he folded his arms.
"Miss Rossi told me that you've failed too many times. I think it's better that you either return it to the guardian, or someone could replace you instea—"
"WELL MISS ROSSI IS LONG GONE!" the man snapped sharply.
"But sir I—" Her stutter was filled with regret.
"Eunice?" he interrupted her again. "Quiet." He demanded her silence.
"Yes sir." She bowed, following him. The elder exposed himself to the skyglow as he made his way to the Agreste residence.
"Remember this. You don't get a say in whatever it is that I do." He pressed the doorbell, standing patiently in front of the CCTV that moved up and down. "If you think you can influence my decisions, you're deceiving yourself."
The student nodded her head aggressively. "I-I understand..." she stammered, frightened by his tone.
"You think I'm giving up?" The manor's gates swung open, the metal creaking intimidatingly. In spite of being terribly weary, sadistic thoughts entered his mind.
Groggily, he made his way in, managing to plaster a sinister grin that almost petrified the younger female.
"This isn't over."
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~2844 words~