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Ladybug's P.O.V
I landed on the roof of our hideout and entered through the skylight. I did not think I would be back so soon. Yet, another Akuma has awakened. I am afraid that my and the team's emotions may be the cause of this monster.
I shall deliver this little girl to a haven and then hurry back to battle.
I moved the mat out of the way, finding the very bunker for emergencies. It is not the greatest protection but it was the best I have to use. Opening up the trapdoor, I found the elder lady from earlier sitting on the floor with a candle for light.
"Ladybug!" she exclaimed before spotting the baby in my arms. Without a moment to waste, she held out her arms as a gesture to hand over the baby.
"Give me the child. You need to hurry back to the battle and save the poor section," the elder woman said.
I glanced between the woman and the baby. I was very hesitant and protective of this child. I felt that I now must protect this small girl and nobody else. But I could not let this feeling overbear me or control my thoughts.
I know I can trust this woman to watch the baby.
"Very well," I agreed, handing over the baby girl to the woman, "Just...please take care of her."
"I will," she declared, "Now, hurry along."
With that, I closed the trapdoor and recovered it with the mat. I leaped out of the skylight and headed for the destruction once again.
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Eight years ago...
Master Fu's P.O.V
"Master, are you sure she is to be chosen to bear the earring of creation?" Wayzz asked, floating nearby, "You heard what Lady Olympia had said."
"Yes, I am aware," I responded, taking a sip of my tea. There was a knock on my door as I expected there to be soon.
"You may enter," I called. My door opened, revealing a young female with a ladybug-themed suit.
"Well, hello," I greeted, giving Kagami a kind smile.
"It was you, was it not? You are the one who gave me these earrings," Kagami said, pointing to the jewelry, "Why did you give a street rat these magical jewels? Were you unaware that I could have sold these on the market or used them for my own benefit? That was a foolish decision you made."
"Have you?" I questioned. Kagami blinked in befuddlement, unknowing of what I am getting at.
"Have I what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Have you done any of those things?" I specified. Kagami thinned her lips and shifted on her spot.
"Well...no..." the young female answered.
"Ah, then it seems that I did make a good choice," I stated. Kagami kept quiet, still thinking that I have lost all of my marbles.
"I believe you are curious by nature but a warrior at heart. Once you found out about your earrings, your Kwami told you to come here to see me so you could find out more."
"Indeed," Kagami confirmed.
I gestured for her to sit on the empty seat and poured another cup of tea. Kagami wearily approached and sat down. I offered the cup of tea but she did not seem very trustworthy of anything that I was doing.
I pushed the cup in front of her, just in case she changed her mind.
"Tell me, elder man. Is not magic outlawed? Why did you trust a street rat with such power? In the wrong hands, there could have been major consequences," Kagami questioned.
She wondered why I took such a leap of faith in trusting her. Someone who has been looked down upon, mistreated, misunderstood, and untrustworthy. While most people would see a dirty thief, I see only what could be greatness.
Kagami has proved it to me by successfully passing my, as Wayzz would call it, "old man" test. She saved someone she did not know without thought. Either that or she only helped me because I helped her. Yet, she has shown honor in handling the earrings of creation instead of misuse.
"Yes, it is outlawed," I started, "Yet, the only way to fight fire is with fire. There is an extremely evil presence here in Paris as you may know. One who creates monsters by tainting wisps with negative emotions, Hawkmoth."
"I am aware of the villain. What are these wisps you speak of? I have never heard of such a thing," Kagami questioned.
"Wisps make up all of creation and life. They are the very essence of all things good and light in the world. They are like angels. And as there are angels, there will be demons," I explained, "For there has to be balance."
"Who are the demons?" Kagami asked.
"It is us, of course," I answered.
"Mankind has been corrupted since the beginning of time. It does not matter how many people with good intentions act, we are sinful by nature. However, Hawkmoth is harming the balance between the light and the darkness. If light falls, darkness prevails and the world as we know it will be thrown into chaos."
"Is it not already?" Kagami said, bluntly.
"It will be far worse and Hawkmoth would be the least of our concerns," I replied, earning an uncomfortable look from Kagami, "I do not mean to scare you, child. Yet, I do not want to hide anything either. These are trying times and high stakes with the oncoming threat of Hawkmoth."
I stood up and walked over to my grimoire. My hands flipped through the pages in search of a certain page as I continued.
"That is why we require a certain hero. The hero of the ladybug earrings which grants you the power of creation. That power can heal the tainted wisps from Hawkmoth's power of corruption."
I found the page I was looking for and returned to the table. I pushed the book in front of her so that she may see the page with the ladybug miraculous.
"And you would like me to be that hero?" Kagami questioned in surprise, "Why me? I am no good to wield such power and taking up this responsibility. I am lower than dirt—a miscreant."
"Is that what everybody tells you?" I asked, "They tell you it so often that you start believing that that is what you are and who you are supposed to be."
Kagami gapedat me before shutting her mouth. She bowed her head in embarrassment. I gave her a sad smile, receiving my answer as clear as day.
"You do not have to be what they say you are. You can be so much more. You may not show it but I know you have a good heart, Kagami. I know that you would make an excellent hero as well if you would like to start believing that you can be too."
Kagami pursed her lips in thought glancing from me to my grimoire. She stared at the page thoughtfully before looking back at me.
"Are you sure you have made the right decision?" She asked.
I let out a sigh, "Truthfully, I do not know that you are truly the rightful owner of the ladybug miraculous. But I do not know who it is exactly and there is no time to dally with searching. We need a holder of the ladybug earrings now than later."
"So...I am a fake," Kagami said with a grain of salt in her voice.
"No," I replied.
"Just because you are not the rightful owner of the ladybug miraculous, it does not make you any less of a true hero. Magic does not make a hero only that you have power. That is sometimes a terrible thing. In the wrong hands, power can consume you and make you do awful things. Your spirit and heart are what make you a great hero."
"My spirit and heart?" she questioned, placing a hand over the beating organ, "Why do those two things matter in a hero?"
"They matter the most. The spirit is the will and the heart cares. It can become your greatest weapon or your greatest downfall. You may have to use your brain sometimes to think logically. But you will know when the moment arrives what you need to do," I explained.
"I understand and will do my best to not prove your judgment wrong," Kagami said, placing her hand down. She still seemed doubtful but was at least willing to give it a try.
I smiled at the ten-year-old, "Very good. We will start your training tomorrow. For now, we shall let you meet your teammates before setting upyour quarters."
Kagami did a double take, blinking in disbelief, "My...quarters?"
I chuckled, "Yes, my child. You shall stay here in the hideout from now on. This will be your home and I, your caretaker."
Kagami was completely stunned by this earth-shattering news. Her jaw was left open as if stuck and trying to get the words out. I could see her eyes misting, filling with tears and gratitude.
"It is alright. I understand," I told her. Kagami closed her mouth and sniffled, wiping her face. A sob escaped but no more did once her face returned from her hands.
"Truly, I am extremely thankful," she shakily said. A smile appeared on her face. This was the first one I have ever seen on her and hoped to see more in the future.
"It is a pleasure..." I trailed off once realizing something, "...and to whom shall I call you, miss hero?"
Kagami looked down at her suit before giving her answer.
"You may call me Ladybug."
I hummed in acknowledgment, "Very well, Ladybug. Shall we go meet the rest of your teammates?"
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Chat Noir's P.O.V
"Chat Noir, there you are!"
I perked up at the familiar voice, catching sight of Carapace. He was currently protecting a small family from a hoard of angry civilians. Their fists pounded on Carapace's shield, trying to break it.
"Oh my, you seem to have quite a conundrum," I bantered, barreling into the fight. As carefully as I could, I fought off the fire-filled civilians.
"My friend, this is not a conundrum. It is merely a...uh...minor setback of a rescuing to which I would have handled," Carapace responded, joining in the fight.
"Go and find a haven," he told the people he was protecting. The small group thanked us before quickly scurrying off.
"Have you found where the Akuma is located?" I asked, holding off a rampant teen.
"I have not," Carapace answered.
I let out an irritated growl and shoved the teen away.
"Then, where is the vile creature?" I thought, "Every rebel should be out fighting at this moment in different parts of the poor section. How has no one found the Akuma yet?"
I leaped into the air to dodge an attack. Yet, something hard hit the back of my head. My head pounded for a moment, seeing that the victims of hatred grew wiser. They started throwing any object they found.
Carapace and I stood back to back, shielding each other as the hoard of victims surrounded us.
"Any ideas?" Carapace asked as the victims drew closer.
"Just one," I said, grabbing him around the waist.
"What in the name of Paris are you doing?" he asked.
"Escaping, of course," I simply explained. I placed one end of the baton on the ground and extended my weapon. Carapace yelped as we flew into the air.
We not-so-gracefully landed on the other side of the row of flaming huts. We rolled on the ground to slow our momentum before getting onto our feet.
"Next time, do warn me when you are about to do something unexpected," Carapace grumbled. We leaped across the rooftops, continuing to hunt down the Akuma.
"Now, what fun would that be if I told you what was going to happen?" I bantered.
"I see your terrible sense of humor has returned," Carapace noted, not so pleased with me.
"The only thing that is terrible is your sour attitude," I retorted.
"Says the king of sour pusses," Carapace shot back.
"Settle down, ladies," Rena Rouge appeared, joining us in running across the rooftops, "You are both very pretty but we have a major issue that is afoot at this moment. So, do not bicker no more."
"Rena is correct, aside from the demeaning ladies' comment," I said.
"Whatever do you mean, that was a compliment," Rena sassily replied.
"We have a major problem and should not lose sight of what is important," I concluded, ignoring Rena Rouge. We have to stay focused. The entire poor section is depending on us. If we do not stop this chaos, everything will be destroyed overnight and many lives will be lost.
"Rena, have you seen the Akuma?" I asked.
"I have not," she answered.
"Then...where could it be?" I thought.
A thought accrued to me, making me stop in my tracks. Carapace and Rena paused as well, eyeing me in confusion.
"Is something the matter?" Rena asked. I looked between the two heroes before ordering them.
"I need the two of you to continue helping people. There is somewhere else I need to be."
"Why do you not want us to come along? Where are you going?" Carapace questioned.
"We need as many rebels out here serving the civilians. Do not worry, I will contact Ladybug so I will not be alone. I have an idea on how to stop this Akuma," I explained.
Carapace and Rena looked at each other for a moment then returned to me. They had a determined seriousness burning in their gazes, ready to serve however they can.
"Very well," Rena agreed, "Stay safe, Chat."
"The both of you as well," I replied before I parted ways with the two. I slipped out my baton and opened my communication option.
"Ladybug, do you read me?" I called for the heroine. I have tried to ignore the worry settling in the pit of my stomach for the entire battle. I have yet to see or hear from Ladybug. I had no way of knowing whether she was okay or not.
This was the first battle we have ever been apart, after all. I have been trying to ignore the anxiety filling my heart and the ever-wondering questions about how Ladybug is holding up. It had taken all my willpower to not contact her when the crisis began.
"I read you, Kitty," Ladybug responded, "Did you need something?"
I released a sigh of relief. There seemed to be a weight that lifted off of my shoulders when hearing her voice.
"Yes, I need you to meet me at the hideout as quickly as possible," I told her, "I know how we can stop all of this madness for good."
I felt dumb for not thinking of it earlier...although I had other things on my mind at the time. Everything was happening all at once...but that should not be an excuse for my failure in protecting the poor section. My emotions blinded me from logical reasoning.
I should have known that the team's despair would lead to an Akuma.
I should have known that it would spawn in the poor section.
Not only is this area the heart of despair but now Hawkmoth resides behind bars in the hideaway.
What I do not understand is how he used his powers. We placed Gabriel in a magic-canceling cell. He should be unable to use any sort of power...unless he somehow escaped.
"Another illogical move," I thought, "Why had I not made sure someone was watching over our prisoners?"
In my state of mind, I am unsure how I will react or if Ladybug will be able to stop me. I could blackout again and wildly attack just like I had in that house Akuma. The things I now know that I had not before Fu's final letter...
This may be a bad idea with how unhinged I am at the moment. Yet, I have to stop Hawkmoth from his reign of terror.
I arrived at the hideaway and entered through the skylight. Ladybug was waiting for me inside.
"Chat, why are we here? Should we not be searching for the Akuma?" Ladybug questioned.
"If we are to find the Akuma, then we will ask the source of the issue," I explained, walking down the hallway. I opened a door on the left side of the hallway, meeting a room with six cages inside. Three of them had a person each, one being the person who I came to see.
Just as I walked in, I spotted something blue from the side of my eye and jumped back. I readied to fight until seeing Bunnyx sitting in a fetal position in the corner.
"Bunnyx, what are you doing here?" I asked, a little ticked off, "You should be out there helping the people."
I could not tell what she was thinking. Her head was bowed to the point I could not read her face. But I do not have time to deal with her. I have to stop Hawkmoth. I do not understand how he can use his power while he is still locked away. It should not be possible.
I approached Gabriel and slammed a fist into his cell. He was not startled in the slightest. He merely raised his head and opened his eyes. An evident frown cast along his face and a cold look that could freeze water. Yet, he looked more pathetic all beaten and sitting within a cage.
This man is the cause of all our pain and misery. Not just the miraculous heroes, but the entirety of the poor section. While Ladybug can fix broken objects, she cannot bring back the dead or erase the trauma from the destruction. He has spread so much fear over the years.
Hawkmoth.
Gabriel Agreste.
My father.
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