A/N: This chapter's pretty special to me. It marks the official 1K read mark of the story. I was so over the moon when I found out that this story had crossed 1K reads. Thank you so much for your love and support! ️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Don't be bemused, it's just the news. Two days after Hawkmoth's threat and the tragedy at Notre Dame, it has been discovered that the accident happened due to Hawkmoth. Many people had suspected the villain's involvement in the disintegration of Cathedral Notre Dame earlier, but now the suspicions are proven to be correct.
Apparently, Hawkmoth's trusted ally, Mayura, was spotted in the area just before the accident. It is believed that her sentimonsters aided their plan. We do not have any reports on anyone being akumatized as the villain has been dormant after his announcement.
People are frightened and are panicking. They're seeing this as a warning by Hawkmoth and Mayura and are asking Ladybug and Cat Noir to do something about this situation. We all are living in fear at the moment.
Surprisingly, we haven't heard from Ladybug for two days too. It's a matter of great concern for every citizen. People are guessing that she is a victim of the accident as well. Without our protector, Parisians lives are questioned. Luckily, no one has died in the accident. As surprising as it may seem, every victim is severely injured, but none of them has died. It leads us to believe that this is either the work of our heroes or Mayura sabotaged the area where the least number of people were present.
The people from the Kingdom of Achew, who were supposed to be the Mayor's guests for this week, have been kidnapped by Hawkmoth and are kept at a place we aren't aware of. We have no information regarding their current health status though the police force is trying their best to locate them. It would be shameful for the entire country if something bad happened to any of them, especially their youngest member of Achew Royalty, Prince Ali.
Now we must take our leave. Stay tuned to TVi for more news on the topic!
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A certain ravenette was practising dodging on a punching bag in a deserted building in the outskirts of Paris. Punches after punches were directed at the object and she dodged each with precision and technique. It was as if she was venting out her frustration and anger on the punching bag. She paused in between to rest her cramping muscles, catching her breath.
"Marinette, I think you should take a break and eat something." A high-pitched voice suggested.
"I can't, Tikki. There's no time for that. Do you remember when we battled Hawkmoth on Heroes' Day or when Mayura created a Ladybug sentimonster? I feel like we lost because our fighting skills were not up to the mark. I need to improve if I want to win against him this time."
"But you can't compromise with your health, Marinette. Besides, you didn't exactly lose."
"But we certainly did not entirely win. We were so close to getting Hawkmoth. I am not making the same mistake thrice. This time, I will be prepared." She wiped her sweat with a hand towel.
"And you think that keeping your partner in the dark will help you? Please, at least tell him about your plan even if you don't want his help." Tikki pleaded. "You're not only worrying him but also your parents and friends. They think that something terrible happened to you."
"Something would've if I didn't react in time. And have you met Cat Noir?" She argued, "He will most definitely help whether I forbid him or not. Hawkmoth has already warned me... I can't seek his help. I have to help myself, I am Ladybug."
"Being Ladybug does not mean that you can't seek others' help. We already have had this conversation." Tikki pointed out. She looked at her owner's pained expression, the realisation hit her. "You are worried about Cat's life, aren't you?"
"It's n-not just that... I am worried about Mom and Dad too. It's best to let them think that I am possibly dead or something... If my parents find out that I am Ladybug and Multimouse then their life would be in danger. And if Cat Noir finds out then he will go out of the way to help me and protect me. This mission is dangerous Tikki, he can die."
"And are you invincible?" Tikki sceptically asked.
Marinette winced. "No, but Hawkmoth wants me and no one else and I am going to give him that. Also, if I'm going to suddenly disappear after Hawkmoth's announcement, people may connect the dots and find out about my identity. It's best to let them think that I went missing at Notre Dame."
"I think you shou-" Tikki started but Marinette raised a hand to stop her.
"End of discussion, Tikki. I am not going to talk more on this topic."
Tikki sighed in defeat. Marinette was the most stubborn Ladybug in history. She wasn't convinced with her at all. It was always best for Ladybugs to work with their Cat Noirs, but she was just her kwami. Once Marinette made a decision, there wasn't anything she could do about it. So much could go wrong with Marinette's current plan. "Okay, fine. You can at least drink something to get some energy." Tikki suggested, handing over a bottle of lemonade to Marinette.
The girl smiled at her kwami gratefully and began chugging down her drink. The bottle was empty in a trice. "Thanks, Tikki." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and checked her phone. "You think they will be okay?" She asked.
"You did what you could, Marinette. It was a good thing that you were already at Notre Dame. It was clever of you to transform and get people out of death's mouth. No one really died." Tikki patted her holder's head. "I checked the news feed earlier... A little debris is still yet to be lifted. It's because of the purse they found... your purse. They think that the owner must be buried underneath the remaining part, so they are apparently being more careful. It's just--"
[Ding]
A sudden sound interrupted her, evidently scaring the poor kwami. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realised that it was just the phone.
Marinette was reading a text on her phone with a determined expression. She had gotten herself a new number so that she could contact certain people without raising any suspicions.
[M_K]: The job is done. When will you arrive here?
Marinette inhaled, taking her time as if contemplating her decision.
There is no time for backing out. I have to do this.
[Me]: Today at 6:30 pm sharp. Be ready.
It didn't take long for the person at the other end to reply.
[M_K]: Sure.
Marinette put back her phone in her bag as she prepared herself to continue her training session. Tikki did not interrupt her this time. Between her training session, her mind was distracted by a certain black cat.
Oh, how I wish you were here chaton...
I could really use your encouraging words right now. I miss your embraces, your affection and how your lips felt against mine. I hope you can forgive me after this, but I am afraid of what Hawkmoth will do. I am afraid that he might use you as a weakness against me.
"I miss you, kitty." She mumbled tiredly.
******
"Why would Master Fu write a letter to Marinette? Did he know her?" Cat Noir wondered out loud. His hands were shaking.
"More importantly, why would he sign the letter as 'Master Fu'? He could have just used Fu..." He reasoned multiple times and finally started reading the letter.
As we grow old we realise that life doesn't always give us all the gifts we hoped it would.
I would have loved to tell you all this in person, Marinette, but, if you are reading this then it means that I have already lost my memories. But, you must not be scared and you must not be sad.
As I was telling you in the beginning of this letter, experiencing loss is a part of life but, it doesn't define it because what really matters is not whether you win or lose, it's the ability to accept changes in ourselves, it's accepting that even if life doesn't always give us the gifts we were hoping for, the real gift is life itself...
Always remember Marinette: To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world.
Love,
Master Fu
Cat's ears flattened and pressed against his head. "Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng?" He called out.
"Yes?" Sabine responded from downstairs.
"I am dropping my transformation. Please don't come in."
"Sure honey." She reassured him.
Once he was sure that his girlfriend's parents were warned, he uttered the magical words.
"Claws In."
Green light illuminated the room, Adrien Agreste stood where Cat Noir earlier stood. Dark bags under his eyes were evident due to sleepless nights.
His kwami flew to the usual spot where Marinette kept the cheese. Being a regular visitor, Cat would occasionally drop his transformation while he was at Marinette's. Both him and Plagg trusted the girl and she used to give them a little privacy until Plagg had been completely refuelled. To make the process quick was one of the reasons why she kept camembert hidden in her bookshelf.
Plagg finished the cheese and burped loudly.
Adrien had more pressing problems than to be disgusted by the little god.
"Plagg..." His voice was scratchy. "Why did Master Fu leave Marinette a letter? Why did he mention his memory loss? Why did he designate himself as 'Master Fu'? What am I missing here?" He questioned, forming his words carefully as if he was afraid of the answers.
The kwami looked at him, gulping nervously. Guilt building up as he knew why Master Fu had left a letter to Marinette.
"I can't tell you. It's against the rules and I am sworn to secrecy. I-It's not my secret to tell, kid."
"Not your secret?" Adrien wasn't even trying to hide his annoyance. "Plagg! Marinette could be in danger. I haven't heard from Ladybug in two days, Hawkmoth has blackmailed us. Lives are at stake and it's not your secret to tell? What are you hiding?" His face betrayed his anger.
"I am sorry, Adrien. I really cannot tell you." The poor kwami hung his head low.
Adrien inhaled sharply. "Fine, if you won't tell me then I will find out on my own." He turned away from the flying god and sat on Marinette's chair, carefully placing down the letter on her desk.
"Okay, so Master definitely knew about her identity as Multimouse, Ladybug must have told him. But, that doesn't justify the fact that he left her a letter." He tapped his chin, pondering. "Master Fu had no associations with the civilian lives of other heroes, except me and Ladybug. It would have been too dangerous after 'Feast' anyway and Multimouse made her first appearance after that sentimonster."
"Ugh! This is so confusing." He yelled out, pulling his hair in frustration. Why is this so hard?!
"Even if I consider the possibility of him knowing her as a civilian friend, he clearly signed as 'Master'. Why would he do that? Only Miraculous holders referred to him like that and not all, just me and Ladybug. He mentioned losing his memory to her. Marinette must have been worried about him and would have wondered how did he know that he was going to lose his memory beforehand unless she knew what exactly happened to him. This brings us back to our first question... Why did she know in the first place?"
Why was he finding this so hard? He was having a rough time concentrating on the letter and figuring things out. His eyelids felt heavier than before. Maybe exhaustion was getting to him or maybe he had always been so dense. He groaned.
"Plagg, please, I could really use a little help here." The blonde batted his eyelashes and stuck out his lower lip in a sad expression, giving the kwami the best kitten eyes he could manage.
"I can't tell you anything, kid. It's against the rules. But, I can tell you one thing for sure, you are thinking way too hard."
Adrien cursed the little god of destruction and glared at the paper.
"You know, if looks could kill then you could have killed Hawkmoth with that icy glare you are giving to that letter."
Wait, Hawkmoth!
Something flipped on a light switch in the otherwise oblivious blonde's brain.
Some of his words replayed in his head from his warning. The villain was right, as much as the words left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, Ladybug would never recruit a completely new hero when both she and Cat Noir had failed and their identities had been nearly compromised, let alone her letting a newbie wear more than one Miraculous at a time. Multimouse had been way too perfect at her first mission.
Now that he really thought about it, Ladybug and Multimouse were never really present at the same place except for the first time during 'Kwami Buster', but he knew better. After working with Multimouse on several occasions, he knew that she used the Fox Miraculous really well for their benefit. Marinette AKA Multimouse had told him during those Akuma attacks that Ladybug had been injured and he had really bought it.
Could she really be...
Ladybug and Marinette were never spotted together before either. Just one time during 'Timebreaker' and that was because the other Ladybug was from the future.
Ladybug's and Marinette's appearances were eerily similar. They shared so many similarities and qualities that he kicked himself for being so dense all the time. As much as the sudden realisation made everything messier, it all made sense now.
The lame excuses for being late, getting nervous whenever compared to Ladybug, defending Cat Noir whenever someone called him a sidekick even before our friendship, the shallow acting of a fangirl during 'Evillustrator' and how she managed to think of a way out of that box on the boat...
A small smile almost tugged his lips.
She confessed to me as Ladybug!
Wait! She liked me all this time, well as Adrien, but still...
Adrien couldn't believe it. So, Marinette and him had just been caught up in a stupid love square all this time, just because they could not reveal themselves. He couldn't believe his luck either. Of course, he would fall in love with the same girl all over again!
A certain black kwami watched his holder's actions, certainly interested in what he was going to do next. "Finally figured it out, eh?"
"I hate you, Plagg."
"Love you too, kid."
"Wait a second!" Adrien's eyes widened in realisation. "If Marinette is Ladybug then, she had her Miraculous when Notre Dame collapsed, so that means that she simply transformed and saved herself and other civilians. That's why no one died. That clever, clever girl." He smiled.
"As good as it is to see you smile, you do remember that she is still missing, right?" Plagg said.
Adrien stood up and paced up and down the room. "I know that girl's brain. Keeping Hawkmoth's threat in mind, she might have thought that the disappearance of a random girl after Hawkmoth's demand could have been traced back to her. She is playing dead. She will strike when the enemy least expects it."
"Wow... You actually are sharp when you remove that layer of obliviousness."
"Not funny, Plagg." Adrien said. "Now, Hawkmoth's whereabouts were present in that code. He is no amateur, so the code wouldn't be easy to crack. Knowing Marinette, she would have asked for someone's help." He reasoned.
"So, who do you think she would have sought?"
"Someone intelligent enough to give her the required information, but someone she knew she could trust..." Adrien replied.
The kwami locked eyes with him.
"Max Kanté." They said at the same time.
******
"I was expecting you, Cat Noir." A black boy with brown hair spoke as he turned around to face the leather-clad hero.
The said person blinked. "Wait, how did you-"
Max gestured him to stop. "Ladybug warned me. She said that there's a possibility where you would try to contact me. I am sorry, Cat Noir, I'm afraid I can't be of any help to you."
The hero gaped at the boy in front of him. If he hadn't marvelled Marinette's planning in their earlier battles before, he sure did now. But, how in the world had she anticipated his move? Surely, she didn't know he was going to find out her secret identity. "How did she even know that I would be here?"
"She is a smart person, Cat Noir. She considered every single possibility. She expected this one the least, but she did take precautionary measures anyway."
Cat's shoulders slumped. He hadn't expected this. "Look, Max, I don't know what she told you. But, I know her. The whole world might see her as a sharp, brave, outgoing hero or even a goddess, but underneath that mask, she's a human, just like you and me. And trust me when I say that she can be very careless and stubborn from time to time. She is walking right into the trap right now. Please tell me where is she headed to. I care for her. I have to help her." He pleaded. "It's always been the two of us against the world."
"As much as I am touched by your concern, I really cannot tell you anything. I promised that I would never tell anyone... especially you." Max apologised.
The blonde sighed, preparing his next card. He did not want to use it but, there wasn't any choice left. He needed to know about Marinette's location for her safety and his sanity. There wasn't any backing off now. "Don't you miss her?" His tone meant business.
"Who? Ladybug?"
Cat Noir shook his head. "Your friend, Marinette. The one that has been missing since the Notre Dame collapsed. Remember her?"
Max gulped painfully, clearly uncomfortable. "What does Marinette have to do with this?" His eyes reflected pain. Of course, he cared about Marinette. She had been a great friend to him. It wasn't just Alya who was affected by her disappearance, the whole class was.
Cat Noir ignored his question and walked towards him. "You do know what they are saying about that accident, right?" He said, referring to the broadcast made by Nadja's crew early that noon regarding Hawkmoth's possible involvement in the tragedy.
"Didn't she mean anything to you at all? Aren't you worried about her well being? Don't you want to do her justice?" Cat looked at Max.
"Don't try to trick me, Cat Noir, I know what you are trying to do... It won't work. As for Marinette, yes, she is a very good friend of mine, an excellent gamer, an amazing class representative. She has stood up for numerous students including me. And yes, I am mad at Hawkmoth, but telling you something that I shouldn't, won't help. Please leave."
"No, Max," Cat put a hand on his shoulder as a reassuring gesture, "You need to tell me where Ladybug is headed so that I can help her when she is back here, she can use her 'Lucky Charm' and set everything back to normal. Whatever happened was because of Hawkmoth. I am not letting him succeed and take pleasure in killing people."
The bespeckled boy still looked unconvinced.
"If she is mad at you for telling me, I will take the blame, but I need to know." The feline looked at his classmate hopefully, "Ladybug and I have been partners for a long time now. I know that I am not the brainiest the person on Team Miraculous, but I am not dumb. She needs someone by her side right now, someone who can help her. She is a human and can make some mistakes too, but this time there would be no one to help her in the situation of peril. And that is why I am here. Please tell me."
Max inhaled sharply, eyeing the hero in front of him closely. He knew that Cat Noir was right, he was never into the idea of Ladybug facing Hawkmoth and his helper, Mayura, all alone but had promised to keep the deciphered message a secret. He had agreed to her very reluctantly. The only thing that held him back from saying anything to Cat was that promise, he didn't want to break it or Ladybug's trust. But he knew that he had to do the right thing. Whether he had promised or not didn't matter.
"Okay, Cat Noir, I will help you..."
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A/N: Hey guys!
I present to you all... THE REVEAL (Part 1)!
Adrien finally thinks like a normal human being. Surprising, right? Honestly, I was surprised to see Adrien realising that Marinette was Ladybug in Cat Blanc. I really thought that he would buy Plagg's lie.
Anywho, how do you think THE REVEAL (Part 2) is going to happen? Do let me know...
The line 'To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.' (an extra added line and wasn't mentioned in Fu's letter to Marinette in the Miracle Queen) is from the K-drama Sweet Revenge 2 that stars Samuel Kim.
Yes, I am a K-drama trash, absolutely addicted to them. This show is one of my favourites among Asian dramas. I suggest you to go watch it now. You don't need to watch season 1 for watching it (Season 1 sucks in my opinion). I've attached a YouTube video at the top that's a clip from the show. Give it a shot!
It's such a satisfying show that also includes teenage romance between protagonists, Oh Ji-na and Seo Ro-bin, which is so unique and unlike other shows. It's about Ji-na discovering an app, Revenge Note, that takes revenge on the bad guys. She uses the apps to fight injustice and bullies at her high school. She even ends up in a love triangle between the cute brothers she is friends with.
That's it for today,
Until next time...
{Edited: May 21, 2020}