Blueberry Square
It's finally complete ! 🎉
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Blueberry Square
It's finally complete ! 🎉
Blueberry Square~
Vipernette... my favourite ship out of the blue berry sqaure. What's yours?
So that's the space power ups done!! I'm very happy with how they came out 😊 now just to draw the ice upgrades. I might do them tomorrow 🤔
Blueberry square (wishmaker edition)
Lukanette
Lukabug
Viperbug
Vipernette (Knitting Fairy!Marinette edition)
Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 58
Alright! So chronologically speaking this is Pixelator's third akumation so I've made him a little more powerful, similar to how Stormy Weather's powers evolved. Anyway, that's this one done!! I'm very happy with how it turned out and I hope you all enjoy it too :D Next up is Love-Eater!
Also for anyone who's interested. Luka was using Psychometry via empathy which is how he was able to view how Vincent was akumatized. His empathy will be growing more and more throughout my season 4 and he will be learning a lot more about Hao Feng and others :D
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Chapter Fifty-Eight: Pixelator’s Photo Finish
"So how was therapy today?" Juleka asked as she walked with Luka from the building that Doctor Lang worked in. Luka looked pretty tired but gave her a small smile as they walked down the street.
"We were talking about my father issues and abandonment issues... and the akumas," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Hawkmoth had been sending akumas after him again. He seemed to be trying to be more crafty about it but it was obvious what their goal was. However, at this point he had just kind gotten use to it. Juleka nodded as they walked over to the ice cream cart. She had promised to get some with him after his therapy session. "I told her about you,"
"Oh?" She asked, looking over at him.
"I told her that you're amazing," He grinned, making her lightly punch him and call him a geek. He laughed a little as they came to a stop at Andre's ice cream and ordered two cones. Andre handed Juleka two scoops with sprinkles. One scoop was strawberry and the other was liqwish. The sprinkles were glittery. He turned to Luka next and gave him one scoop of blueberry and one scoop of strawberry with a flake. Luka smiled and took it before they paid him and walked off. They found a seat and sat down, looking over at the seine as they ate their ice creams. "Thanks for meeting me..."
"It's fine," Juleka mumbled, looking to the side shyly. "Besides, I managed to get out of class early for it,"
"Oh so that's why you agreed," Luka teased, grinning at Juleka who mumbled and lightly punched him again. "You are so mean to me,"
"Hey, you started it," She grinned before they both laughed and continued to eat their ice cream. They both sat in silence as Juleka sighed, causing Luka to look over at her. She was glancing down at her ice cream with a sad expression. He knocked his arm against hers lightly, making her look over at him. "I'm ok,"
"No, you're not," He replied, making her sigh. "Want to talk about it?"
"You just got out of a therapy session," She pointed out but he gave her a look. She sighed and looked over at the water. "I'm afraid..."
"Of what?" He asked, looking at her. She sighed and glanced down at her lap.
"Of losing you..." She mumbled, making him look at her. Tears filled her eyes. "It seems like you're always in danger right now. First, there was the akuma and the seizure then hawkmoth targeting you for ages. When it finally calmed down, you were almost kidnapped and then Lila went after you and then you were actually kidnapped, almost killed and that bastard got akumatized and tried to kill you... I was so afraid when Lady Noir told us you were in the hospital again and it was even worse when I saw you laying asleep in the bed. I knew you were asleep but I was so afraid you wouldn't wake up. And now the akumas are back and trying to hurt you. Luka, I d-don't want to lose you,"
"Jewel, I promise I am not going anywhere," He stated, wrapping his arms around her as tears slid down her cheeks. "You're stuck with me ok?"
She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder as he gently kissed the top of her head before softly humming as she slowly calmed down. She closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his waist, humming with him.
"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, looking up at him but he shook his head.
"Don't be," He replied, smiling softly at her. "And I'll be more careful. I promise,"
"It's not your fault..." Juleka mumbled as the two of them looked at the Seine. "Issac, Hawkmoth and Lila are the ones at fault,"
"Hmm, I guess you're right about that," He replied, gently smiling at her. Juleka nodded and leaned against him as he held her, gently rubbing her back as he did. She slowly looked up and wiped her eyes before sighing.
"I'm sorry," She mumbled, making him look at her.
"For what?" He asked, frowning a little.
"Crying on you," She mumbled, looking down ashamed. "I didn't mean to break down on you. You don't need it right now and I should handle my emotions better,"
"Hey, don't say that," He stated, holding her shoulders so she could look at him. "You're my little sister, Jewel and I don't care if I have to go through hell to help you. If you need my help, I'm gonna be there. If you just need me to listen while you rant then I'll do it. I don't care if I'm on the other side of the world... if you need me, I'll be there so don't think you have to bottle up your feelings, can't break down in front of me or talk to me. Just because I'm in therapy doesn't mean I can't listen to you. You're allowed to feel and all of this has been scary for you too. Your feelings are valid too, Jewel,"
"Thank you," She replied, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her again. "I just don't want to add to your stress,"
"Not telling me when you need to will add to my stress," He whispered back, rubbing her back. "You know I won't pressure you to tell me everything but please don't think you can't tell me,"
She nodded, making him smile.
"Why don't we head home, get some snacks and watch a movie?" He suggested, making her smile a little before playing with her hands.
"A-Aren't you meeting Marinette tonight?" She replied, making him blush a little. She grinned at his reaction but he shook his head. "You're not?"
"There will be other times and she'll understand. Besides, I know she has some new projects for Dad and Clara," He replied, making Juleka look over at him. "Dad kept going on about it,"
Juleka giggled before getting up.
"Alright," She replied, making him look at her. "But I get to choose the movie,"
"Are you gonna torment me with a horror movie?" Luka asked as he took out his phone and texted Marinette, asking for a rain check. She texted back almost instantly, saying sure but asking if he was ok. He smiled a little and replied.
L: Yeah, I'm fine. It's actually Jewels. She's a bit upset atm. X
M: Oh, is she ok? I can bake her some cookies. Xx
L: She'll be alright. She was just upset with all that's been going on. I suggested a movie night with just the two of us. It's been a while and it usually cheers her up but cookies would be lovely :3 xx
M: Oh, poor juleka. She's lucky to a great brother like you :) tell her I'll bring some to school tomorrow and don't stay up too late! XD We'll hang out another day :D xx
L: I will :) thanks for understanding though. You're the best xxx
M: No worries, Lu 😊
L: Thanks again 😘
M: 😳😊
He chuckled at her reply before putting his phone away and catching up to Juleka. They headed to the shop first and brought some drinks, popcorn and chocolate before heading back to the Liberty
"So is Marinette ok with it?" She asked, making him nod.
"Yeah. She also said she'll have some cookies for you tomorrow at school," He smiled, making Juleka grin. Marinette's cookies are the best.
"So when are you gonna ask her out?" She asked, making him turn bright red and cough a little. She laughed at his reaction. "She's into you you know,"
"W-We're just friends," He gasped, looking to the side. He did want more with her but he also respected that she liked him as a friend. "Besides, she probably doesn't see me in that way and she probably still likes Adrien,"
"Adrien is with Kagami,"
"I know but she might still have a thing for him and is just trying to heal..." He muttered, looking to the side again. "Besides, she hasn't said anything about my confession..."
"Hold up, you confessed to Marinette?!"
"Well... yeah..."
"Well, what did you say? And when?"
"I said 'you're the most extraordinary girl. As clear as a music note and as sincere as a melody. You're the song that's been playing in my head since I met you'.... just before our performance on TVi," Luka replied, blushing as Juleka stopped and stared at him. "Was it too much? It was, wasn't it?"
"What? No, that was really romantic," Juleka gasped, making him blush a little. "But it might have been too complicated?"
"You mean I went overboard?" He asked, making her laugh and held up her fingers to show that maybe just a bit. "Urg I'm such a geek,"
"Don't worry about that," She stated, making him look at her. "Chics dig geeks,"
"Did you just quote avengers at me?" He asked as she grinned. He shook his head and laughed as they opened the gang plank and walked onto the Liberty. "So what's your advice, o worthy one?"
"Just ask her on a date and confess to her like a normal person," She replied, making him roll his eyes a little. She smirked as they headed downstairs. "We're watching Annabelle by the way,"
"Do we have to?"
"Hey, it's not my fault you're afraid of dolls,"
"I'm not afraid of dolls," Luka gasped as he started to make popcorn. "I'm just afraid of that doll,"
Juleka laughed and put in the DVD as Luka brought the popcorn over.
~A Few Days Later~
Marinette hummed as she walked to the park where she was meeting Luka. She had chose to wear a pink and white summer dress that she had made with her ballet pumps and her hair done in a plait instead of her usual style. She had brought some snacks with her too and a blanket. She didn't think it was a date but part of her hoped it was. They had been kind of dating without actually dating. She saw him and smiled before walking over. He was sat on a bench with his guitar, tuning it.
"Hey," She smiled, making him look up and smile before he put down the guitar and stood up.
"Hey," He smiled, hugging her. She hugged back before they pulled away. "You look lovely,"
"T-Thanks," She blushed, playing with her plait. "S-So I brought some snacks... maybe we could find somewhere to sit and relax,"
"Sounds like a good plan to me," He smiled, putting the guitar in it's case and placing it over his back before offering his arm. She giggled and took it before they walked off and found a nice area on the grass. Marinette removed her arm and took out the blanket before putting it on the ground and sitting down with the basket. Luka sat down and smiled as she passed him an eclair. "Thanks,"
"How's Juleka doing?" She asked as she took out a cookie for herself.
"She's doing ok," He replied, making her smile. "She's actually thinking about going for therapy herself but she hasn't made up her mind yet,"
"It's not a choice that should be taken lightly," Marinette stated, making him nod as he ate the eclair. "And how's it going with yours?"
"It's going ok actually," He smiled, grabbing a bottle of drink. "Dr Lang is pretty cool actually. She's been teaching me breathing exercises to help with the panic attacks and nightmares,"
"That's good," She smiled as he smiled back. She shuffled a little closer, making him blush a little. She giggled and leaned her head against his arm, making him smile before he cleared his throat, making her look at him.
"Y-You know how I said about you're the song in my head..." He mumbled, making her sit up straight. She looked a little worried, hoping he wasn't gonna take it back. "I m-mean it, Marinette. You're amazing and I l-"
"Luka Couffaine!!" A voice suddenly shouted, making both Marinette and Luka jump as a man with blonde and pink hair rushed over. He was wearing a Jagged Stone shirt, blue jeans and lace gloves. He completely ignored Marinette as he rushed over and stood in front of Luka. "Oh my god!! This is so cool!! I have a huge favor to ask you!!"
"W-Who are you?!" Luka gasped, leaning away from him. Marinette frowned and moved over.
"Hey! Can't you see we're busy here?!" She gasped, making him look at her before he gasped in surprise as well.
"And Marinette Dupain-Cheng!!" He gasped, making her look at him in surprise. "Oh my gosh!! You're Jagged Stone's designer!!! I have to have your autography too!! Oh, are you two on a date?! How amazing! Jagged's designer and his son on a date!!"
"Um-" Marinette gasped, feeling really uncomfortable. She noticed Luka looked the same. "We're busy. Let's head home, Lu,"
"R-Right," He replied in a quieter then usual voice. They quickly packed up the picnic and began to walk off but the newcomer followed them.
"Wait!! Can I get a photo of you? Oh and can you ask Jagged for an autograph and photo?!" He gasped, rushing after them. Marinette turned around and glared at him. "Please! I'm Vincent, his biggest fan and I just want a photo of him!!"
"Leave us alone!" Marinette hissed like a cat as Luka and her walked off quickly. Luka had heard about Vincent before. Jagged had told him the story about how he had tried to capture a photo and became an akuma. He also told Luka that he had a restraining order against him. However, Vincent got closer and actually grabbed Luka's arm, causing him to panic.
"Please, Luka! Your father is my idol!" He gasped, ignoring Marinette as Luka tried to pull away. She shouted at him to get off but he ignored her. "I need a photo with him!!"
"Back off!!" Marinette growled. Once again, he ignored her and moved closer to Luka, causing him to panic more. He managed to slip his hand into his pocket, causing Tikki to push the pepper spray into his hand as Marinette tried to pull Vincent away from him. "Hey!!"
"You have t- Aaahhh!!!" He screamed as Luka sprayed him with the pepper spray. He stumbled back and tripped, falling onto the ground as Luka took deep breathes and calmed down. "My eyes!!"
"Leave me and Marinette alone!" He stated, grabbing her hand and running back to the bakery with her. As soon as they got inside, Marinette dropped the basket and turned to him as he leaned against the door with his eyes closed, taking slow and calm breathes.
"Are you ok, Luka?" She asked, making him open his eyes and nod. She gently moved a bit of his hair as she looked at him with a gentle but concerned look. "Why don't we go to the balcony and finish our pinick there if you want?"
"I-I'd like that," He replied. She smiled and went to pick up the basket but he gently took her hand, making her look at him. "Are you ok?"
"Yes," She nodded, leaning up and gently kissing his cheek. He smiled a little before picking up the basket and helping her upstairs. The two of them climbed up to her room before making their way to her bed. Marinette climbed on top and reached for her skylight, opening it before pulling herself through it as Luka brought the basket over. He passed it to her, causing her to pull it up onto the balcony before he climbed up and grabbed onto the edge of the skylight, hoisting himself through it. Marinette was placing the food on the little table before she pulled the two chairs together. Luka smiled as she smiled at him before they sat down. She moved the blanket around them and leaned gently against Luka. Instantly, he felt calm now that they were sat on her balcony. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah..." He muttered, looking out to the sun. "I'm alright,"
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"Another soul seeking out Luka Couffaine again?" Hawkmoth muttered to himself before smirking and holding out his hand as a butterfly flew over to him and landed on it. He covered it with his other hand, charging it up with his magic. He moved it and allowed it to fly off. "Fly away, my little akuma and akumatized him,"
The butterfly flew out of the window and into the city. A few minutes later, the connection opened, causing Hawkmoth to smile.
"Pixalator, I'm returning your powers to capture your idol forever," Hawkmoth declared as Vincent listened. "And in return-"
"I get the miraculous of Anatis and Lady Noir," He replied, making Hawkmoth smile. "I know the drill,"
"Yes, you do," Hawkmoth smirked, leaning on his cane. "But while that is part of the deal, I have something else I want... or should I say someone?"
"Go on,"
"I want you to capture and bring me a young man called Luka Couffaine," He replied, making Vincent gasp in surprise. "I believe you're familiar with him,"
"Jagged Stone's son?!" He gasped. "Do you want his designer as well?"
"Hmm... no, the girl is useless to me. Just bring me Couffaine and miraculous," He ordered, smirking. "Do we have a deal, Pixelator?"
"Let the photo shoot begin, Hawkmoth..."
~Back to Marinette and Luka~
The two of them climbed back down into her room after spending a good half an hour. They decided to head back into her room and were just chilling on her chaise lounge as she taught Luka to sew. He had his tongue stuck out and was focusing on the task. She smiled a little as she watched him before gently poking his arm, causing him to look up at her.
"What were you gonna say before that guy turned up?" She asked as he put down the material he was practicing on.
"I was going to say that I a- what the hell?" He gasped as he looked at her photos with fear in his eyes. Marinette gasped and turned around as something stepped out of one of her photos. he two of them stared in shock as Pixelator grinned at them in a creepy manner before pointing to his lens.
"Smile for the camera!" He declared, firing at them. Luckily, the two of them had already jumped up and out of the way. "Hold still, my pretty subjects! I only want a picture!!"
He jumped over and grabbed Marinette, throwing her out of the way.
"A little moth wants a word with you, boy," He smirked, cornering Luka in the corner. His eyes widen in fear and shock as he went to grab Luka's arm. "Now come wi- Ahhh!!!"
Marinette yanked a spare flour sack over him that she had in her room. She was planning to use it for an art project but it made for the perfect distraction. She grabbed Luka's hand as Pixelator tried to escape from it and pulled him over to the trap door. She opened it and pushed him towards the exit, causing him to climb down into the hallway as she followed. However, Pixelator ripped the sack in parts and shot at her, causing her to disappear in a bright light.
"Marinette!" Luka gasped as Pixelator jumped down, smirking. "What do you want?!"
"Me? I just want to immortalize Jagged Stone forever but Hawkmoth wishes to talk to you," He declared, roughly grabbing Luka's arm and began to drag him back up towards Marinette's room. Luka looked confused and horrified. "I think you sparked his interest. I'm not surprise that you're special. Just like your father! Oh, I could immortalize you as well!"
"W-Wait but Hawkmoth knows it was just ep-epilepsy!" Luka gasped, trying to get out of his grip as panic began to fill his mind. "He said he would leave me alone!"
"That was before the incident with Mob Boss," Pixelator replied but he had the purple mask over his eyes. "Once is chance, twice is coincidence but three times is a pattern and I have akumatized an epileptic before, Mr Couffaine. No one reacted the way you did,"
"I counted twice, Hawkmoth," Luka pointed out, making him chuckle.
"Two akumas and an amok," He replied, glaring at him. "I count three and I highly doubt that you're epileptic. I think Anatis is covering up something about you and I will find out what it is!"
Luka had to take a deep breathe to calm himself down as Pixelator continued to pull him back into the room and towards a photo. He glanced around, trying to work out how to break free but nothing lit up, making him feel more panicked. However, his luck vision kicked in when he looked towards Marinette's mirror, highlighting himself. He blinked with slight confusion. What could he do? He was just Luka and Luka didn't have any super powers... but he did have nature magic. Once he remembered that, it became clear of what he needed to do. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, causing Pixelator to stop and look at him.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Luka wasn't sure if it was the akuma or Hawkmoth but frankly he didn't care.
"Trying to stop myself from having a panic attack," He replied, keeping his eyes closed as he spoke calmly. "Unfortunately, I have them thanks to the actions of my asshole of a stepfather. Been kidnapped and beaten up will do that for you,"
"Well, that makes sense! It was a traumatic event," Well, it looks like Pixelator r is back in control. "But don't worry! Once Hawkmoth has talked to you, I'll immor-"
Luka suddenly slammed his hand on Pixelator's arm and projected his panic onto him, causing him to yell out and letting go. It wasn't the same level as he did to Issac but it was enough to shock the akuma and possibly cause a backlash onto Hawkmoth. Seeing his chance, he ripped his arm free and scaled the platform that led to Marinette's bed before hoisting himself up to the balcony. He slammed the skylight closed and locked it before moving the table over it. The table jumped slightly as Pixelator tried to break through the skylight. Luka rushed over to the edge and climbed over it, moving over to the edge and towards the brick wall. He ducked behind it as a bright light appeared. Tikki looked up at him, causing him to place his finger to his lip as Pixelator climbed onto the balcony. He growled when he couldn't see Luka.
"He's not here, Hawkmoth," He stated, glancing around. "He must have escaped,"
Luka peeked around the edge a little as Pixelator stood still with a purple mask over his eyes. Hawkmoth was talking to him and though Luka couldn't hear it, he could guess what he was saying. Find him and bring him to me.
"Of course," He replied before jumping off the balcony and into the city. Luka let out a sigh as Tikki flew out.
"Are you ok?" She asked, making him nod.
"But Hawkmoth has decided to hunt me down again," He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I probably haven't helped the situation but I used that trick Feng taught me to escape from Pixelator's grip,"
"You projected your emotions on him again?"
"Yeah but just enough to stun him for a couple of minutes," He replied, glancing down. "I only did what I did to Issac because it was the only way to stop him without getting violent..."
"I know, Luka," She whispered, touching his cheek. "Trust me, I'm not judging you. I'm just surprised at how quickly you mastered that trick that's all. You really are a natural mage,"
"Thanks, Tikki," He smiled before frowning. "But Pixelator captured Marinette so it's time to transform. Tikki! Spots on!"
He transformed and took out his yoyo before scrolling through his contacts. Lady Noir wasn't online, making him frown but he shook his head and sent her a quick message, explaining the akuma. With that done, he went onto the ladyblog and scrolled through it's older posts til he came to the article on Pixelator when he first turned up. He read over it as he frowned. Obsessed with Jagged Stone, tried to capture him and ended up capturing multiple victims. He remembered taking him down with Simon Says and using his power to capture many akumas and jury members during Princess Justice's attack but he had no idea who he was as a civilian. With some of the akumas, it was obvious. Either they looked like their normal selves, they revealed who they were when talking, they were famous or he actually knew them in his normal life but with some akumas, he didn't have an idea who they were and Pixelator was one of those ones. It didn't help that technically reporters and bloggers weren't allowed to name their civilian identities but even with those ones, he could usually work who they were. Anatis frowned to himself before looking back at the article and read it over again. The part that stood out to him was the obsessed with Jagged Stone. Pixelator had said it as well. How he wanted to immortalize Jagged Stone. It reminded him of that creepy guy in the park who had interrupted his time with Marinette. He frowned as he thought about it. He had sprayed him with Pepper Spray so maybe he did get akumatized afterwards. Anatis let out a sigh and closed his yoyo. He only knew a few things about this guy. His first name was Vincent and he was obsessed with Jagged. He sighed before throwing his yoyo and swinging across to the Grand Paris Hotel. He landed on the roof and put his yoyo away before he heard his name been squealed. He glanced over and saw Chloe and Sabrina looking at him.
"Oh hey," He smiled, lifting his hand to wave. Sabrina giggled and followed Chloe as she rushed over.
"Are you on patrol?" Chloe asked.
"Actually, I'm looking for Jagged Stone," He replied, making her gasp in surprise. "He stays here right?"
"Oh! Yes!! Room 36 on the fourth floor," Sabrina gasped, making him nod. "We can show you to it,"
"That would be great," He smiled, causing the two girls to pull him over to the lift. The three of them went down the lift and to the fourth floor. Once there, Anatis thanked them and headed towards Jagged's room. He knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes before the door opened, revealing Penny.
"Anatis?" She asked, surprised.
"I need to talk to Mr Stone," He stated, causing her to nod and let him in. Jagged looked up from his guitar and gasped in surprise before jumping up and rushing over to him.
"Anatis! What brings you here?"
"Um... actually I wanted to ask about Pixelator," He stated, making Jagged frown. "He's returned and I need to know who he is,"
"Oh well that's easy," Jagged stated, making Anatis nod. "He's called Vincent Asa. He's this super obsessed fan of mine. When he first became Pixelator, it was because Penny caught him trying to take a picture of me without my permission. She kicked him out and well he got akumatized and came after me. Ryuko and Aspik saved me but a lot of other people got captured. I'm not sure how they got out though as they definitely escaped before you turned up. Anyway, they stopped him by destroying his camera,"
"Hmm," Anatis frowned, nodding to himself before taking out his yoyo and typing Vincent's name, finding his address. "Ok, I'm gonna go and investigate his home. Maybe I can find a clue as to how his power works or why he got akumatized,"
"Well, he just captures people and traps them in some sort of place," Penny stated, making Anatis shake his head. "Anatis?"
"It seems his power has grown. He is now able to travel through photos as well as capture people," He replied, frowning. "I recommend not going outside. Pixelator will try and capture you if he sees you, Mr Stone,"
"R-Right..." Jagged nodded before gasping. "Wait, you don't think he'll go after my son will you?!"
"Luka?" Anatis asked, making Jagged nod. "Actually, it was him who alerted me about Pixelator but I told him to hide somewhere Pixelator wouldn't think to look,"
"Like the school?" Jagged asked, making Anatis chuckle.
"Sure," He replied before opening the window and diving out of it, swinging off into the city. He landed on the building next to the one Vincent lived in before jumping down and climbing through an open window. He glanced around, frowning at all the pictures devoted to Jagged but a shiver came up to his spine as he saw pictures of himself, Juleka, Anarka and even Marinette. There were ones of him walking home from school and a couple of him and Juleka having ice cream. There were ones of Anarka, Jagged and Penny talking as well of ones of Marinette hanging out with him and Juleka and a couple of her meetings with Penny and Jagged. "Ok, this is a whole new level of creepy and I'm pretty sure this is illegal,"
He took out his yoyo and took photos for evidence. There was no way he was going to let Vincent get away with stalking. He might be Hawkmoth's current victim but this was something that needed to be addressed. He walked over and noticed a cloth on the side by a sink. He walked over and noticed it had black on it. He recognized it was eyeliner, suggesting that Vincent had been using it to wash his face. He frowned and walked over, picking it up. Almost instantly, his vision flashed, causing him to blink. When he opened his eyes, he still stood in front of the mirror but stood next to him was Vincent. Anatis jumped back in surprise but Vincent didn't react to him at all. In fact, he was still looking in the mirror. His eyes were red and watery as he shakily held the cloth. Anatis frowned and moved his hand in front of his face yet he didn't react to him. Instead, he sighed and moved his hand.
"Stupid brat," He muttered, running it under water before dubbing his eyes. "I just want a photo of Jagged! He didn't have to spray me with damn pepper spray!"
He slammed the cloth down and walked over to his bed, picking up his camera as an akuma fluttered into the room. Anatis frowned as he saw the akuma enter the camera. Vincent growled as he listened to Hawkmoth.
"I get the miraculous of Anatis and Lady Noir," He replied, making Anatis frown as he listened. "I know the drill,"
He didn't turn into Pixelator straight away. Instead, he continued to listen to Hawkmoth.
"Go on," He stated before gasping. "Jagged Stone's son?! Do you want his designer as well?"
Anatis frowned as he watched. Is that why he captured Marinette?
"Let the photo shoot begin, Hawkmoth..." Vincent stated, making Anatis frown as he turned into Pixelator before he blinked again and looked round the room. Vincent was gone and Anatis was still stood in front of the mirror, holding the cloth.
"That was new..." He muttered, making a mental note to ask Feng about it as he put down the cloth. He went to head to the door before noticing some odd looking pictures. It took a moment but he realized they weren't pictures but in fact, people trapped. He moved over and gasped as he saw a couple of people he didn't recognized but one he did. "Marinette?"
"Anatis!" She gasped, looking up at him with relief in her eyes. "Oh thank goodness, you're here! You need to find Luka! He's in big trouble,"
"Luka is safe, Marinette. I know Pixelator is after him so I've hidden him somewhere Pixelator won't think to look," He replied, making Marinette let out a sigh of relief as new pictures appeared on the wall. A few others noticed him and began to ask for help, causing him to look at them in shock. "What happened to you?"
"We were just walking- Behind you!" One of them gasped, causing Anatis to jump out of the way as Pixelator jumped out of a picture and began to shoot at him. He jumped over the couch as Pixelator aimed at him. He went to throw his yoyo but Pixelator's beam hit his arm, causing him to drop his yoyo. He gasped and jumped across the room, grabbing his yoyo as he did. Pixelator aimed at him, causing him to knock his body into the camera lights. They began to fall on Pixelator, forcing him to take photos of them so they didn't land on him. Seeing his chance, Anatis escaped through the window and swung off through the city, landing on a rooftop and moved behind a wall. He glanced behind and saw Pixelator wasn't following him, causing him to let out a small sigh of relief before he turned his attention back to his arm to see the damage. He looked at it and frowned as he saw it was pixelated. He took a deep breathe and went to touch it with his other hand, only for it to go straight through.
"Oh dear," He gasped, wiggling his fingers. "I really hope Tikki can fix that..."
His yoyo vibrated, causing him to open it with his good hand. It was a notification from the TVi studio. He went to press play but his fingers went through, making him sigh.
"Yoyo, play the video," He ordered, causing it to make the video play. He didn't use it very often but right now, he was glad he could use voice command on his yoyo. The video played, causing him to frown as he watched the news crew film Pixelator firing at random innocent people as he strolled down the Champs-Élysées before turning to the camera.
"Anatis, if you don't bring me what I want, I'll make sure everyone in Paris is nothing but memories!" He demanded before firing at the camera man, making the film cut off. Anatis sighed before closing his yoyo and swinging off to the Champs-Élysées. He landed on a bus as Pixelator continued to shoot at people, making him sigh.
"Got a itchy trigger finger hm?" He asked, causing Pixelator to turn around and face him. He went to fire at him but Anatis held up his hand. "Hold on! If you get rid of me now, you'll never know where I hid your target but more importantly, I have an offer for you that I know you won't be able to resist?"
"What could you possibly give me?" Pixelator asked, making Anatis smirk.
"Jagged Stone," He replied, causing the akuma to gasp. "I know you're his biggest fan and if you free the people you have captured, I'll arrange a once in a lifetime opportunity for you. Your very own photoshoot with Jagged Stone himself. He'll be yours forever,"
"You're lying," Pixelator gasped, making Anatis narrow his eyes.
"I would never lie," He stated, making Pixelator look at him. "Everyone knows how much I hate liars. Just look at how I reacted to Volpina,"
"Hmm... You did expose her," He stated, frowning as he tapped his chin.
"And you're never get a chance like this again," He stated, making Pixelator smile as he brought into it. "What do you say? Free the people you've captured and immortalize your idol forever or lose your chance forever?"
"How about I free half now then the other half once you bring Jagged here?" He replied, making Anatis pull a face before sighing.
"Alright, it's a deal," He replied, making Pixelator smirk before he pressed a button on the side of his head. A shockwave of pixels appeared before people began to reappear.
"Alright, I've kept my part of the deal now you keep yours," Pixelator stated, causing Anatis to nod. He took out his yoyo and opened it before trying to use it. He sighed and began to use his nose, making Pixelator roll his eyes. "Hurry up,"
"Well, I'd be able to do this faster if you hadn't pixelated my arm!" Anatis snapped back, looking up and moving the yoyo to his ear. "Ms Rolling, it's Anatis. I need you to bring Mr Stone to the Champs-Élysées. I know but it was the only way I could free some of the people. Yes... thank you for understanding,"
He moved his yoyo and used his chin to close it before looking at Pixelator.
"He's on his way," He stated as Lady Noir silently jumped down and slowly moved towards him. "So while we're waiting, why don't I guess where your akuma is or you could release the other half?"
"I'll release them when Jagged Stone gets here," He replied, stepping forward. "Of course, I could just take your miraculous right now hm? Since you've arranged for Jagged to come here, I no longer need you,"
"Yeah but I'm the only person who knows where your other target is," Anatis replied, making Pixelator stop. "And I know that's who Hawkmoth really wants. You get rid of me and I'll never tell you where he is,"
"You drive a hard bargain, Anatis," Pixelator replied, crossing his arms before glancing around. "You better not be lying to me,"
"I'm not," Anatis replied, tilting his head to the side. "Is it in your head gear?"
Pixelator snapped his head towards him, causing Anatis to pick up on a hint of panic.
"It is, isn't it?" He smirked as Lady Noir reached for it but before she could get it, Pixelator realized and turned around, grabbing her hand. She pushed against him before he knocked her down and grabbed her legs, throwing her into Anatis. He tried to catch her but thanks to his pixelated hand, it fails and she landed on him. Pixelator laughed and fired at them, causing Anatis to grab her with his good hand and roll under the car. "You ok?"
"I'm good," She replied as they jumped up and ran from Pixelator as he fired at the car. Lady Noir frowned as she noticed Anatis cradling his right hand. "What happened to your hand?"
"Oh, Pixelator hit it with his beam and... well..." He held it up, showing her what it looked like. Pixelator fired at them again, causing them to backflip away before landing on the ground as Pixelator fired at them again. To their surprise, he missed but then Lady Noir saw that he hit a window of a car behind them, causing the beam to bounce and head towards Anatis. She pushed him out of the way, causing her to disappear in pixels as it hit her. Anatis rolled and jumped up, throwing his yoyo at Pixelator who turned to him.
"When the cat's away, the mice will play," He smirked, pointing to his lens. "Ready to be immortalized forever, Anatis?"
"Can't wait," He grinned, spinning his yoyo and dodging Pixelator's beams before jumping over him and throwing his yoyo. It wrapped around his wrist as Anatis landed. He yanked it, causing Pixelator to fall forward. He growled and yanked his hand free as Anatis jumped onto a car and threw his yoyo, swinging away from him. Pixelator fired at him, hitting his leg and causing him to fall down as he stalked over.
"You're very clever, Anatis but it's obvious that you lied to me to distract me,"
"You were the one who believed me, Pixelator," He replied, moving away from him as best as he could. "I really do hate liars but did you really think I'd actually sacrifice a civilian?"
"Well played," He replied, smirking. "But I win this game. Look into-"
"Pixelator!" Jagged's voice echoed, causing Anatis to look over in surprise as Pixelator smirked and turned to him. He called out to him, trying to tell him to run as he was in danger. However, Jagged completely ignored him. "You want me?! Well, here I am!"
"Jagged!" He gasped, completely losing interesting in Anatis. "At last, I can finally immortalize you! Look into the lens!"
He went to take his photo but Jagged stopped him and switched pose before repeating the action. He questioned if the lighting was right or if his nose looked small, keeping Pixelator distracted and annoyed. Anatis tried to stand up but fell forward. However, Penny caught him surprising him.
"We saw the news reporter and it looked like you could use a hand," She whispered as Jagged spun around again, getting on his knees and holding up his hands. "I think it might be time to use your power,"
"Good suggestion," Anatis replied, throwing his yoyo up with his good hand. "Lucky charm!"
A compact mirror appeared out of thin and fell to the ground, causing Anatis to try and grab it. However, it phased through his hand but Penny caught it.
"A compact mirror?" She asked, holding it to him. He took it from her as she frowned. "What are you gonna do with that?"
"I'm not sure yet," He replied, looking around in his luck vision as Pixelator demanded that Jagged open his eyes. To his and Penny's surprise, a bunch of pixels appeared, causing everyone who got captured to return. Anatis let out a sigh of relief as he saw Lady Noir, causing his luck vision to work. It highlighted her baton and then the compact mirror. "Of course! Batter up!!"
He lifted it in his good hand and threw it towards Lady Noir, who used her baton as a bat and hit towards Jagged and Pixelator, just as he was about to take a photo of him. Everyone held their breathe as he pressed the button but the mirror flew inbetween him and Jagged as he did. The beam bounced back towards him, turning him into pixels and causing his head gear to fall to the ground. Lady Noir rushed over and grabbed the compact mirror before running over to Anatis. She handed him the compact mirror, causing him to take it and throw it up in the air with his good hand.
"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He shouted, causing it to burst into the magical swarm that headed straight for him, flowing around him before moving through Paris, fixing all the damage and returning Pixelator in front of him. With his arm and his leg fixed, Anatis crushed his head set and captured the akuma that escaped from it. Pixelator turned back into Vincent Asa, who looked around confused as Anatis let the butterfly go. However, Anatis stepped in front of him with a stern look at him. Vincent looked up at him and gulped as his expression was grim. "Officer Roger, I think you need to take this man into police custorary,"
"But he was a victim?" He asked, walking over as relief flooded Vincent's face.
"Yes, I'm a victim!" He gasped but he shut his mouth as Anatis took out his yoyo and opened it.
"While I was trying to work out how he got akumatized and his powers, I had to search his apartment," He replied, making Vincent go pale as Anatis turned to him. "I discovered his shrine to Jagged but also these,"
He showed Officer Roger, Penny and Jagged the pictures of he took of his photos of himself, Marinette, Penny, Anarka and Juleka.
"He's been stalking Jagged and his family I'd guess since Mr Roth released that information about my friend," He stated, making Vincent gulp as everyone looked at him. "I also know that he became akumatized again because he cornered Mr Couffaine and Miss Dupain-Cheng in the park earlier today, causing Mr Couffaine to panic and react by using pepper spray on him,"
"H-He assaulted me!" Vincent gasped. "H-He shouldn't have pepper spray!! It's illegal!!"
"Actually, Mr Couffaine applied for a licence in order to be able to carry a small spray of pepper spray on his person for a form of self defense, due to recent circumstances and it was approved by a court," Penny stated, surprising everyone. "Also, Officer Roger, please arrest this man. We will be pressing charges for stalking and harassing a minor. Anatis would you mind forwarding those to the right authorities for evidence?"
"Vincent Asa, you're under arrest," Officer Roger stated as Anatis' earrings beeped and Lady Noir's ring beeped. Anatis turned to Penny and Jagged.
"I'll send them as soon as I'm charged up again... but thank you for your help today," He smiled before turning to Lady Noir. "See you soon, Kitten,"
"Bye, Annie," She grinned before jumping away.
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"Sir?" Nathalie asked as Hawkmoth frowned deeply. She walked over to him and placed his hands over his. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," He stated, turning to the window. "It's time to put Miss Rossi's skill to use again and to see how loyal she is to me,"
"What do you have planned sir?" She asked as he detransformed and led her through his garden and up to his office. He took out his calendar and opened it, scrolling through the dates before stopping on it. "Sir?"
"In two weeks time, it will be exactly one year since Anatis made his first appearance," He replied, tapping the screen. "And on that way, he will finally fall and I will finally claim his and that annoyed cat's miraculous,"
"But how will you do that?"
"With a distraction," He replied, tapping on the screen. "It just happens to be the wedding anniversary of Mr and Mrs Rossi on the same day. Emotions run high and with a little invention on Miss Rossi's part, the happy couple won't be so happy. I'll akumatize them and Anatis will fight them,"
"He'll defeat them,"
"Exactly and he won't expect a second akuma straight away," Hawkmoth smirked. "He'll be caught off guard,"
"An excellent plan," She replied, making Hawkmoth smirk. "Will you go after Mr Couffaine again?"
"I won't need to," He replied, smirking. "With the second akuma will have him come to me easily but Mr Couffaine is a secondary goal and won't matter if I get the miraculous,"
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Next Chapter: Chapter 59
Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 59
Oh damn! This has been a great chapter to write and I managed to work in Dark Bee!! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this roller coaster ride of a chapter and get ready for more. It's Miracle Queen next and things are about to get even more crazy! Just as a heads up, Lila's take down won't be in this chapter. I'm sure I've said this before but I intend to have her full take down in my adaptation of Truth which will be my 'season 4' finale so chapter 80. I know it's far away but i promise it will be worth the wait. Anyway, that doesn't mean that Anatis is going to ignore Lila's actions. He is gonna be watching her like a hawk after this and searching for solid evidence to be able to take her down once and for all. I just wanted to let you guys know that so you can read Miracle Queen without been disappointed when a lila take down doesn't occur. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it :D Oh, my miracle queen redesign will now be marked as non spoiler too since she has been revealed in this chapter
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Chapter Fifty-Nine: Loveater (1/2)
~One Week Before Princess Justice~
Marinette frowned to herself as she sat in the park alone. She had tears rolling down her face and had been crying for a good few minutes. She was so tired and hurt that she didn't even care that it was raining or that she was soaked. It didn't matter. Not anymore. Her whole life was about to be destroyed and she didn't know how to save herself. Lila had been going on and on about how successful she was and of course, Marinette had gotten annoyed and pointed out her lies. Given they were obvious ones this time, she thought her classmates would finally realize but then Lila started to cry and accused Marinette of hating her and having a grudge against her. Marinette pointed out that she wouldn't have a problem with her if she didn't lie. That only made Lila worst and she began to cry so dramatically, it made Chloe look normal when she threw her tantrums. However, it worked on the class. Almost instantly, they began to berate her and tell her not to 'bully' poor Lila. Marinette tried to argue that she wasn't bullying her. She was simply trying to disprove her lies. That's when Miss Bustier told her to go to the principal's office. Marinette did in defeat and was given detention even though she explained she was just trying to help her friends. After that, lunch time came and Adrien came up to her. She naturally blushed and stumbled her words but he told her she shouldn't accuse anyone of lying without solid proof. Of course, that hurt Marinette more then he realized. He thought he was giving her advice, telling her to collect evidence and then show it to her classmates but Marinette saw it as him telling her off and berating in the same way as the rest of the class. Alya had already told her on several occasions that she needed proof that Lila was lying yet she never once verified her source when Lila claimed to be Ryuko's best friend and Aspik's girlfriend. It was so obvious she was lying yet it felt like Marinette was the only person who saw it. After Adrien's "advice", she excused herself and headed to the bathroom to cry. Unfortunately, Lila had seen her and followed her. She tried to be nice to her and worm her way in but when Marinette didn't relent, Lila showed her true colors and threatened her, giving her til the end of the day to bow down to her. That's why Marinette ended up in the park. She ran as fast as she could out of the school and to one of the only places she felt slightly safe. It was odd that she felt safe in the park but she could hide in the merry-go round, which is what she was doing. She jumped as her phone vibrated, causing her to look at it. She opened it and saw it was the group chat that her class had. She opened it, wondering if they were trying to reach her but it was just them spamming it with memes and other crap. Marinette sniffed and wiped her eyes as she realized no one had actually texted her to see if she was ok. She didn't expect her parents to because they were busy and some of the class she knew had issues with texting or phoning people. Juleka was one of them as was Nathaniel so she didn't expect them to but she thought Nino or Alya would have. Yet they had done nothing. Looking at the time, she decided to get up and walk back to the bakery. She needed to change her clothes anyway. She wiped her eyes off her tears and walked with her shoulders slumped towards the gate, failing to notice the purple butterfly fluttering towards her. However, as she literally stepped out, a bike pulled up next to it.
"Marinette?" A familiar voice asked, making her look up as Juleka's brother, Luka, climbed off his bike. His expression was one of concern and worry. "Are you ok?"
She blinked and automatically put on a small smile. It was a mask she had gotten so use to wearing.
"Yeah, I'm fine," She lied but Luka didn't look like he believed her. His expression became even more worried as her song didn't match her expression. Seeing him look at her with worry and concern shook her and the dam broke. Her shoulders shook as she felt tears in her eyes. "A-actually, no! I'm not fine at all!"
She covered her face and turned away from him, not wanting him to see her tears. He would just ignore it anyway. That's what everyone did. She began to sob, feeling alone again as the butterfly fluttered closer but then she felt an arm move around her as Luka gently pulled her against her. He was holding his bike with his other hand and she couldn't help but cry as everything she felt came out.
"I'm so tired, Luka!" She gasped, shaking as she cried. The butterfly fluttered closer to her. "Of all these responsibilities. Of having to put up a front all of the time. Of not been allowed to be who I truly am!"
"It's alright, Marinette," He stated as he gently moved his thumb up and down on her shoulder, trying to comfort her as she cried. It slowly worked as the butterfly just hovered nearby. "You can tell everything or nothing if you prefer. You can be yourself around me you know... just yourself,"
She looked up at him as he looked back at her before leaning against his chest, causing him to let go of his bike. It crashed to the floor as he wrapped both arms around her, causing her to close her eyes. For the first time in ages, she felt... warm and safe and for a while, they just stood there. Neither noticed the butterfly fluttering away to find a new victim. Instead, it was just the two of them and the world could wait before she sniffed and wiped her eyes, looking up at him sadly before reality seemed to catch up with her. She quickly pulled away, embarrassed as she blushed.
"I-I'm so sorry, Luka," She gasped, trying to not to freak out too much. "I didn't mean to break down-"
"It's ok," Luka smiled, making her smile shyly and her heart flutter a little. "You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders but if you don't want to tell me-"
"I'm been bullied," She stated, making him blink as she looked down. "There's this girl in my class. She lies like it's second nature to her and I realized what she was doing. I tried to call her out to protect my friends because she's promising them everything but no one believes me. Alya keeps telling me to not to be jealous of her and Adrien told me to not to accuse her if I don't have proof and I don't know what to do, Luka. She threatened to destroy my life if I didn't-"
"She threatened you?!" He gasped, shocked. "Marinette, you have to tell a teacher!"
"I can't, Luka," She whispered, making him frown."They do nothing... Chloe bullies everyone but none of the teachers do anything because her father is the mayor and Lila is the daughter of the italian ambassador or so she says but the point is the school believes her and they don't bother rich parents,"
She looked down with a broken expression.
"It doesn't matter anyway," She stated, looking sad. Luka went to argue but before they could, an explosion got their attention before Ryuko and Aspik landed in front of them. They grabbed them and carried them away as a building landed where they had been standing, causing Luka to look back. His eyes widen in surprise as he saw some kind of monster in the dust but before he could question it, he was dropped off near his home and was alone. Aspik had taken Marinette back to hers. He sighed and dropped her a text, telling her that he was there for her if she needed him. She replied with a simple thank you. Neither of them expected their lives to change one week later when Princess Justice's reign began and Anatis was born...
~The Dupain-Cheng Resident, Current Time~
Marinette hummed to herself as she sew the final part of her gift to Anatis. She stopped and stretched, glancing around her room. Plagg was curled up in his bed, sleeping off his food coma. He had stuffed his face with a cheese danish while she had been working and was now snoring a little. She smiled and shook her head as she went back to her thoughts. Tomorrow was exactly one year since she had became Princess Justice and Anatis had turned up to save Paris. However, she wasn't upset about it been the anniversary of her akumatization. Quite the opposite actually. Since she had became Princess Justice, her life had changed dramatically. Most of her class knew that Lila was a liar, even if some people were still in denial. Though Alya was getting the memo now and definitely started to act carefully around the italian. She had build friendships with people she never thought she could be friends with. Kagami was one of them and so was Chloe and Sabrina. The two girls had turned out to be pretty awesome and then there was her friendship with Adrien. Since she had completely moved on from him, she no longer stumbled over her words or acted like an idiot. She was fully supportive of his relationship with Kagami as well. They made each other happy and she was happy for them. She had also befriended Kitty Section and grown so much closer to Luka. Sure, he had always been there for her before but their friendship was so much stronger now. Even the students at their school had noticed and began referring to them as the everyday Anatis and the everyday Lady Noir. The irony that she was Lady Noir made her chuckle when she heard it. However, she saw why they called them that. She generally considered him her best friend. They were quite the duo too. Luka was always willing to help others and Marinette was kind of his partner in crime so to speak. Of course, she wanted to be more then just his friend but this wasn't like how she was with Adrien. She had realized that what she felt for Adrien was a crush and an unhealthy one at that. She wasn't in love with him at all. She fallen for the person she thought he was but she had him on a pedestal and she was determined not to do the same with Luka. She wanted to truly love him for who he was, faults and all. She also intended to give him a gift for the anniversary as he had been there for her no matter what so she had made two gifts. One for the boy who had always supported her and stayed at her side and one for the hero who had stepped up and saved her from herself. Without Luka and Anatis, she wouldn't be here. She jumped a little as she heard a thump on her balcony, making her smile a little before she got up and picked up the gift she had made Anatis. It wasn't anything fancy. She had made him a scarf with a ladybug pattern as it would be getting colder soon and she didn't want her partner to get cold. She grabbed the small bag of cookies that she always kept on the side before climbing up to the balcony. Anatis was leaning against the balcony, looking out to the city as the light sparkled. He had been pretty quiet on their patrol earlier so she had a feeling he might come to visit her as her civilian self.
"Hello stranger," She stated, making him look over and smile a little. "It's been a while since you came by,"
"It has, hasn't it?" He replied, smiling a little. "I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to come back given that your father probably still hates me,"
"Don't worry. Papa has let it go," She replied, walking over to him. "It's nice to see you again though,"
"Likewise, Princess," He smiled before shaking his head. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't call you that..."
"I don't mind," She mumbled, moving a little bit of her hair behind her ear. "So what brings you to my balcony tonight?"
"I wanted to check on you," He admitted, playing with his hands. "Tomorrow is exactly a year since-"
"I became Princess Justice and you became Anatis," She stated, making him nod. "And because you're a wonderful bug, you wanted to check on me in case I'm feeling upset?"
"Y-Yeah," He muttered as his cheeks went a little red. "I-Is that ok? Or am I been too intense? I can go-"
"Stay," She replied, making him look at her in slight surprise. "I'm not in a bad mood but I like your company, Anatis... you saved me. I actually have something for you,"
She held out the scarf, making him blink and pick it up as he looked at it.
"It's a thank you gift for de-akumatizing me," She replied, looking down to the ground. "You were one of the only people who tried to save me and cared about me. I don't know how I could have come back from that place without you or Luka,"
"L-Luka?" He asked, looking at her in surprise. She nodded as a small smile appeared on her face and a light blush came across her cheeks.
"He saved me too," She replied, making him look at her with more surprise. "Not in the same way you did but... he believed me when no one else did and tried to help me. I know I failed both of you by falling prey to Hawkmoth but even after that... he was still there by my side. Without you two, I'd be lost,"
"You didn't fail us, Marinette," Anatis stated, making her look at him as he stepped closer to her. She expected him to say something else but to her surprise, he didn't. He just simply placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, making her blush as he did before he looked at her with a gentle look. "I think I can speak for both me and Luka when I say we will always been there to help you find your way home,"
"Anatis..." She whispered as tears came into her eyes. She hugged him, causing him to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Thank you,"
"Anytime, Marinette," He replied as she leaned into him. He gently pulled away and put the scarf around his neck. "Thank you for making this for me,"
"It's the least I could do," She replied, blushing a little. "I thought a scarf would be nice since it's gonna be winter again and I don't want you to get cold. Ladybugs don't do well in the winter,"
He chuckled and smiled as she gave him a small smile before she took out the bag of cookies and macarons as well.
"And these are for Tikki," She smiled, making him smile back.
"Thank you," He smiled, taking them from her. "She'll be over the moon with these,"
Marinette smiled as Anatis sat down next to her. The two of them remained in silence for a few minutes as Anatis played with his hands while looking out to the city. Marinette frowned a little as he seemed nervous before deciding to break their silence.
"Are you ok?" She asked, making him look as he stopped playing with his hands. "You seem... nervous?"
"I was invited to an award ceremony," He admitted, making her blink. "Something about the mayor wanting to give me a medal for my bravery and to name the day after me... I guess I don't really get it. I'm not brave-"
Marinette snorted at that, making him look at her.
"What?" He asked, smiling a little.
"You're not brave?" She asked, making him nod. "Anatis, you're the literal hero of Paris. You face dangers every day and fight supervillains to save us from some mad man with evil butterflies,"
"That's not bravery," He replied, surprising her. "Bravery is standing up against those who wish to harm others without mask,"
He gently tapped the side of his mask.
"I have a mask," He replied, making Marinette shake her head.
"That doesn't make you not brave," She replied, looking over to the city. "I think you're brave. When it came to getting your powers and taking the responsibility of saving Paris, you took it in your stride. You could have freaked out, turned evil or just cowarded away but you didn't. You're not just a hero to me. You're a beacon of hope and a light in the darkness. When it felt like I was drowning and no one was trying to save me, you reached in and pulled me out of that and I know I'm not the only one who thinks that way. That's why the mayor wants to give you a medal and name a day after you,"
"Marinette..." He whispered, making her look at him. He smiled softly. "Thank you..."
"Anytime," She smiled. "So are you gonna attend?"
"I don't know," He admitted, looking down. "I think if I do, Lady Noir should come with me. She deserves as much recognition as I do. I'd even say she's way braver than I am,"
"I think it's adorable how you talk about her," She smiled, making him blush a little. "It's obvious you admire her a lot,"
"I do," He nodded, leaning against his hand. "She's my best friend and I like to think I'm hers,"
"I think so," Marinette smiled, making him smile. Of course, she considered him her best friend but he didn't know that. She smiled a little again before gently leaning against his arm. He looked at her and gave her a soft smile. "Thank you for checking on me,"
"Thank you for listening to me drone on," He replied, making her chuckle a little before the two of them looked over to the city once more.
~The Next Day~
"Yes, Papa. I do know where the Grand Paris hotel is," Marinette stated as she held her mobile with her shoulder as she placed the last of the lemon and vanilla macarons into the boxes. They were part of the buffet for the Rossi's wedding anniversary. She didn't really want to be at the place, giving that it was Lila's family but her parents asked her to help bring the food to the venue then she would be free for the rest of the day. She closed the box and moved her hand to her phone as her father told her not to be late. "Me? Late? I won't be this time, Papa. For sure! I promise!!"
"Ok then," Tom replied before he hung up. Marinette put her phone away and picked up the boxes before picking up the boxes and headed to the door. She almost tripped up on the small step but caught herself and didn't drop a single box. She let out a sigh of relief as she heard Plagg snigger at her before she carefully made her way across the shop floor and out of the door. It was a bit difficult but she manages to get out without dropping a box. However, a bike bell made her jump as someone pulled up next to the shop, causing her to accidentally throw the boxes. Luckily, the person on the bike caught them as she recovered from the surprise. She blinked and saw Luka there, making her smile.
"Luka!" She asked, smiling as she walked over. "What are you doing here?"
"I was working on a new song for you actually," He replied, handing her the boxes. "One that matches you completely and I think I've found it at last. Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes please," She smiled, making him smile back before he reached for his guitar and moved it into his lap. He began to play, causing her to cheeks to flush as she listened to it. It was really beautiful and making her heart flutter as he played. He came to a stop, making her blink as he looked at her. "T-that's me?"
"Yeah," He replied, nodding as she blushed more. "What do you think?"
"Wow, it's... it's incredible!" She gasped, making him smile a little before he pulled a thoughtful face. "I-is something wrong?"
"It's still not quite right," He sighed a little, making her blink before he smiled. "I can do better. I'm gonna work on it some more,"
"Will you play it for me when you work it out?" She asked, making him smile and nod before her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it, causing her father to ask her if she was on her way. "Yeah, Papa, I'm on my way,"
She hung up and turned to Luka with a little frown.
"Sorry," She muttered, looking down a little. "I have to go,"
He put his guitar back and pulled out a second helmet, handing it out to her. She blinked in surprise.
"Are you sure?" She asked, surprised.
"I don't mind," He smiled and kicked down part of his bike so it could stand on it's own before getting off it. He walked over to Marinette and took the boxes off her, securing them onto the back of his bike as she put on the helmet before he got back onto the bike. Marinette sat behind him and held onto his waist as he kicked the rod back up and began cycling again. "Where to?"
"The Grand Paris hotel," She smiled as they did a u-turn and began to cycle there. Once there, Luka brought the bike to a stop and held it still. Marinette jumped off and took off the helmet, handing it back to him before she got the boxes and moved around to the entrance. "Thank you for the lift, Luka,"
"Anytime, Marinette," He smiled before she gave him a shy smile and gently kissed his cheek. Though she had kissed his cheek on several occasion, it took him by surprise because it felt different. Or more precisely... she felt different when she did it. Her previous kisses were gentle and the kind you expect off a friend but this one was bold and he could feel her intentions. She intended it to be romantic, completely surprising him. However, he shook his head and just put it down to his imagination before returning the smile. "I'll find the perfect melody for you,"
"I can't wait to hear it," She smiled, making him blush a little. "I better bring these up before Lila sees a chance to make me look bad again,"
"Lila?" Luka asked, making her nod.
"It's her parents' wedding anniversary and for some reason, they booked the bakery to do their food," She sighed, making him nod. "Mama and Papa told me I only have to bring the food to the venue then I could leave and have the rest of the day off,"
"Do you want me to come up with you?" He asked, surprising her. "In case Lila tries anything,"
"That would be nice if you could," She admitted, blushing a little. He smiled and moved his bike over to the parking area. He locked it up and took off his helmet before walking back over to Marinette and grabbing three of the boxes. She smiled and headed to the lifts. "You're not gonna get in trouble at work are you?"
"Oh no, I finished my shift before I came by the bakery," He replied, making her nod as they stepped inside.
"What if Lila clings to you?" She asked, making him look at her as she felt bad about accepting his offer. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable or put him in a situation that he was uncomfortable with. "You know if you want-"
"I'm not gonna leave you alone in the claws of that faker," He stated, making her smile. "And if she clings on me, I'll remove myself from her claws. Of course, if she happens to get hurt... well then that's her fault,"
"You're the best," She smiled, reaching up and kissing him on a cheek again. "A good side is that Kagami and Adrien are here since their families were invited,"
"Ah, I'm not surprised," Luka mumbled, nodding. "Isn't Lila's mother an ambassador for Italy?"
"She is and her father is the Public relations manager for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Armani and Versace," Marinette replied, making Luka look at her in surprise and shock. "I know! It turns out she wasn't lying about her mother's job and her father works with the famous,"
"So her stories might have a bit of truth," Luka muttered as the lift pinged. Marinette nodded as he frowned. "That explains why she finds it easy to tell them and make them slightly believable. Though she really shouldn't lie so much, even if her mother is part of the government and her father works with the famous,"
"Agreed," She replied as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened. "Some of her stories are so over the top,"
"That's true," Luka smiled as they walked out of it. Luka glanced around as they walked across the room. They saw Adrien and Kagami sat by Tomoe and Adrien's bodyguard and Lila herself was leaning against the lift. She noticed him and gave him her best smile but he ignored it and walked past her, causing her to frown. Marinette strolled next to him but cried out as she tripped and fell. Luka rushed over to her as Lila smirked, causing him to glare as she walked away. To his surprise, Kagami and Adrien rushed over as well.
"Are you ok, Marinette?" Kagami asked as Luka helped her to her feet and Adrien picked up the boxes she dropped.
"I am," She replied, nodding. "Lila just... urg..."
"She tripped you up, didn't she?" Adrien sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, you'd think she would lay off for her parents' wedding anniversary,"
He glanced over to the couple and the crowd, causing Luka to look over at them as well. Mrs Rossi was fairly pretty but strict looking. She had the same colored hair as Lila but it was styled in a bun. She was wearing a very beautiful dress that had a silver and gray top with gems across it and a deep green skirt. Her husband wore a matching suit. It was dark gray with deep green detail. His shirt was a light gray and his tie was green. He wasn't anything really special to look at and it was obvious he had some sort of plastic surgery to make himself look younger then he actually was. His hair was clearly dyed and he had some very expensive accessories such as his rolex watch. Seeing him in person, Luka could see that Lila took after him in looks. He had a similar face shape with a rather large forehead and his eyes were the same olive green as hers. However, what caught Luka's attention more than anything was the awkwardness between the couple. It was clear that neither wanted to be there. They were refusing to meet each other's eyes and Mrs Rossi had her arms folded. Her expression was one of annoyance and disappointment. Mr Rossi was completely ignoring her and looking far from her. However, the guests stopped chatting as an usher clapped their hands, getting their attention. It also caused Luka, Marinette, Adrien and Kagami to look over. To Luka's surprise, Mr Agreste's assistant was there, holding her tablet. Noticing his confused look, Adrien leaned over to him.
"Father has created a very special gift for their anniversary," He whispered, making Luka nod as Mr Agreste cleared his throat.
"Maria and Marco, on this most solemn day in celebration of your ten year wedding anniversary," Gabriel Agreste stated as everyone watched. "I am delighted to offer this magnificent gift I personally designed for you,"
Luka rose an eyebrow as Lila walked over to the Gorilla and Nathalie who passed her a box before she walked on stage and presented it to her parents.
"My dearest Mr and Mrs Rossi," He stated as they opened the box and took out the gift, putting it on. "I hereby present to you the Gabriel couple cloak, a symbol of eternal love and bonds of marriage,"
"Ouch!" Mr Rossi growled as his wife knocked into him. "Are you trying to trip me up?!"
Mrs Rossi ignored him as she turned to Nathalie and Mr Agreste.
"Thank you, Gabriel," She smiled falsely. "It's wonderful,"
"Yes, quite fantastic," Mr Rossi replied, smiling false as well. "Truly it's a piece of art... even on someone as strict as my wife. You know I told her to let her hair down for once but she insisted on having it up in a bun. I admire her for it though. It takes a very special person to not care what people think. I think that's part of the reason why she's so successful in her job... that and everyone's scared of her. To my wife!"
The adults held up their drinks and called out Mrs Rossi's name as if giving a toast to her, making her and Mr Rossi smile a little but it made Luka frown deeply. He knew a back compliment when he heard one and he could feel the hurt that she felt. Marinette frowned as she looked at him before gently poking his arm.
"You ok?" She asked, making him nod as Lila returned back to her original position. "You sure?"
"Yeah," He replied as the four of them walked over to Tom and Sabine, placing the boxes down. "Hi, Sabine. Hi, Tom,"
"Hello, Luka. It's good to see you," Sabine stated as Tom waved before she turned to Marinette. "Before you go home, could you just get rid of these trays for us?"
"Oh and grab us some cocktail umbrellas," Tom added in, causing her to nod as she and Luka automatically grabbed some of the trays. To her surprise, Adrien and Kagami grabbed some too.
"You guys don't have to," She stated, making them blink. "You should enjoy the ceremony,"
"We're good," Adrien smirked as they walked to the kitchen. "It's so boring and we're more then happy to help you,"
"Well... thank you," Marinette smiled as Luka placed down the first set of trays. Marinette placed hers on top and began to look for the umbrellas. She found them and smiled before heading outside as Adrien and Kagami picked up some of the utils and began to play fight. Marinette came back a few minutes later and turned to Luka. "Well, I'm free for the rest of the day-"
Adrien's bodyguard suddenly burst through the door, causing the two of them to look at him. They both noticed that Adrien and Kagami had ducked down so they couldn't be seen. He was looking around, causing Luka to blink.
"Can we help you find something?" He asked, making the Gorilla frown before he left. Marinette let out a sigh as Adrien and Kagami popped back up.
"Thanks, you two," Adrien smiled, causing them to look at him before a mischievous look came on his face. It was quickly matched by Kagami's expression. "Could we ask a favor?"
"Could you help us escape?" Kagami asked, making both Luka and Marinette blink. "We don't want to be here and it's not often we get time for ourselves... oh you could escape with us!"
"Um I mean my parents have everything covered and I don't want to be here much longer with..." She glanced at the door, making everyone understand who she meant. "But the only exit is out there. Your families will see you sneak away,"
"That's a good point," Adrien sighed before looking out the door. "The biggest issue is getting past the Gorilla. He's stood by the doors as well,"
Luka looked over, frowning before looking around the kitchen. His luck vision lit up some aprons and chef hats. He grabbed them and handed them to Adrien, Kagami and Marinette before putting one on himself, making Marinette smile before the four of them left the kitchen and walked past the guests. Luckily for them, the Gorilla was looking the other direction for them as they walked by. Just as they got halfway across the room, he looked over and began to move over, causing the four of them to run out of the exit. They ran up the stairs and dropped the disguise, causing them to land on the Gorilla as he followed. The four of them burst through the last fire escape and rushed onto the roof, running down the steps and past the ball pool. Adrien and Kagami looked around, trying to work out where to hide as they heard the fire escape door open. Luka suddenly pushed them into the ball pit before grabbing Marinette's hand and jumping in with her. Seconds later, the Gorilla rushed by and looked for them, frowning as he couldn't find them. He looked under the tables but gave up when they weren't there. He walked over to the lift and took it down, causing the four of them to look up.
"Luka, that was genius!" Marinette gasped as Kagami and Adrien nodded.
"Been disobedient is entertaining," Kagami smiled, clearly enjoying herself. "I've never had so much fun in my life,"
"Really?" Luka asked, surprised before Marinette playfully threw a ball at her, surprising her and making everyone laugh. Luka ducked and grabbed a couple as Adrien tried to aim at him before throwing them towards him and kagami. Marinette laughed and moved over to him, using his height to hide behind him as she threw them at Adrien and Kagami. Seeing a chance, Kagami drove underneath the balls and pulled Marinette under before resurfacing and laughing. Marinette resurfaced, laughing as well but her pigtails had come loose, letting her hair down. For a second, Luka was completely taken back at how beautiful she looked, allowing Adrien to him with a ball. He blinked and shook his head before looking to Marinette again. "Wow..."
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
"It's the first time I've seen you with your hair down," He smiled, making her blush and dive under to find her hair ties. Kagami giggled as she tried to find them, causing Luka to help her. Marinette luckily took the joke well and laughed as she tried to find them.
~Back to the Party~
Lila frowned as she saw all the attention of her parents. However, her phone buzzed, causing her to look at it. She smirked as she saw a text from Hawkmoth, telling her to do what needed to be done. She smirked to herself and put away her phone. For the last couple of weeks, she has been causing problems for her parents. There were just small things but she had done things like cancelled flowers, helped her father choose the wrong thing, got rid of some of her mother's work so she had to work late and had been driving a wedge between them. The worst part is it was working. Throughout the whole morning, she had been dropping snide remarks or redirecting things. The best part was when her mother told her off, she would just cry and claim that she was trying to help which in turn made her father coddle her and snap at her mother. However, she wasn't done yet. The pièce de résistance of her plan was the cake. She had already messed with it, changing flavors and icing but somehow it managed to remain the way they wanted it too. She wasn't bothered by that though. She had a plan to use it as the final nail in the coffin so to speak and all was needed was to literally topple it. She knew it would be enough to push her mother over the edge and start one of her infamous arguments. Lila glanced over as Tom began to wheel the cake over, causing her to disappear over to the cart. He walked away to go and get the knives in order to cut it, causing her to smirk and carefully move it to the edge. It was just enough not fall right now but it would the moment anyone put pressure it. With that done, she moved as close to the entrance and typed a message to Hawkmoth, telling him to get ready. Tom returned and her parents walked over. Her father was holding the cloak as they walked over. Lila smirked as they reached it and took one of the knives from Tom before he stepped back. They held it together and placed it on the side of the cake, causing it to wobble and fall. They managed to jump away so it fell onto the floor, making her mother gasp in annoyance before she turned to Tom with a glare in her eyes.
"You idiot!" She screamed, surprising everyone but Lila. She knew her mother kept a tight lid on her emotions but would explode like a volcano if the right buttons were pushed. "What the hell were you thinking putting that damn cake close to the edge like that, you useless orge?!"
"Darling, calm down," Her father gasped, making her smirk as her mother turned to him.
"Calm down?!" She screeched. "You useless imbecile! I won't calm down!! Give me that!"
"What?! No! You don't deserve this piece of art!" Mr Rossi shouted back as she yanked at it. "You're been ridiculous!"
"I'm been ridiculous?!" She screamed, making him blink. "No, you're been ridiculous! And this whole thing is ridiculous! That stupid cloak is! That dumb baker is! Why don't you just go back to Italy like you always do?! Hell, I'll paid for the seat for you!!"
"Gladly and I'll take Lila with me!"
"Oh no! You won't!" She screamed, making him growl. "You're a useless father!"
"I'm the useless parent?!" He screamed back. "You're never there for her!"
"Oh and you are!!"
Lila couldn't help but smirk as they kept on arguing, making the guests blink as they were unsure what to do. Lila smirked even more as she saw the akuma fluttering into the room and straight into the cloak as her phone vibrated. She looked at it and smirked again before disappearing through the fire exit as her parents accepted the akuma and transformed into whatever monstoriaty Hawkmoth had turned them into.
~Back to Luka, Marinette, Adrien and Kagami~
Kagami smiled as she watched Adrien play the piano while Luka sat on the edge of the ball pit. Marinette was still finding her hair ties. She managed to find them and moved over to the edge, looking to tie her hair back up. Luka looked over at her and gave her a soft smile, making her blush.
"Your hair looks beautiful," He stated, causing her cheeks to heat up even more but before anyone else can could say a thing, the lift bell rang as two girls ran out of the lift. Luka frowned as he recognized one of them as Renée Marcel. However, her song and expression was one of panic. She glanced around and knocked down a table, dragging it to the lift and blocking it, alarming Luka even more. He stood up, causing Adrien to stop playing as the girls backed away from the lift. Marinette looked over to him.
"Luka?" She asked, causing the girls to look over and gasp. They rushed over to them as he frowned.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"T-There's a monster!" The other girl gasped as Renée rubbed her arm. "I-It ate my father!"
"What?!" Adrien gasped, jumping and going to run over to the lift but Luka suddenly grabbed him as the table went flying as the creature burst from the lift.
"Under the piano!" He hissed, pushing Adrien towards it as the six of them ducked underneath. Renée gently held the other girl as she shook and Marinette looked at Luka as he frowned. They all held their breath as a snake like creature slithered by.
"Come out, children," A female voice hissed, sending shivers down their spines.
"We only want your love!" A male one replied, making Luka frown. The girl in Renée's arms shook as tears rolled down her face, causing Luka to frown. It was clearly an akuma and they needed to escape before it caught them. He glanced around before one of Marinette's hair ties lit up, along with a cake. He quickly grabbed it off her, making her blink at him before he grabbed the cake and used it as a slingshot, firing the cake across the pool and near the lift. It hit something, making a loud bang and getting the monster's attention. It hissed and moved over there. "There you are!"
Luka pointed to the fire escape, causing everyone to nod and jump out. They ran over and through the door, slamming it behind them. They ran down the stairs as fast as they could, rushing into the restaurant area. However, the creature burst through the door a few minutes later. It was truly terrifying to look at it. It resembled a snake person but it was pink. It was wearing an outfit that resembled the couple cape given to Mr and Mrs Rossi, making Luka gasp as he realized it had to be them. It had four arms but the creepiest part was it's head. It appeared to spin and switch between Mrs Rossi and her husband. Currently, it was Mrs Rossi looking around but Luka could see her husband's face on the back off it's head. Her face had a massive frown on it, framed with heart shaped lips and jagged teeth. Her eyes eyes narrowed as she stared at Luka.
"This one has so much love," She declared, licking her lips before her head twisted around to reveal her husband. Like her, he had jagged teeth but instead of a frown, he had a massive grin.
"Yes, it's making my mouth water thinking about it!" He declared as his eyes glowed.
"Luka!" Marinette screamed, pushing him out of the way as they fired a pink beam at him.
"How romantic! It makes me sick!" Mrs Rossi snarled as she took back control before firing beams at them again. However, Kagami threw a cake at them, along with Adrien. Renée and her friend were curled up, holding each other as the creature turned to them. Luka jumped onto his feet and helped Marinette up as Kagami and Adrien dodged the beam of the creature. "Stay still brats!"
"Get out of here!" He gasped, pushing her towards the exit before he rushed over to Renée and her friend. Renée jumped up, just as Kagami got hit by the beam and turned into a heart. Luka looked in horror as the creature's head spun into a male face and ate the heart. Adrien screamed and charged at it, causing it's tail to hit him. It turned on him, causing Luka to shake his head. He scooped up Renée's friend and ran out of the cafe with her. Luckily, Marinette had gone ahead but with Adrien and Kagami gone, the creature was following them. Luka ran as fast as he could while holding the sobbing girl and Renée ran with him. He ran up some stairs and into a new hall.
"Luka!" A voice shouted, making him look over. Chloe was stood in a door and Sabrina was gesturing towards him. He ran over and pushed the crying girl inside as the creature clashed through. Renée tripped and fell, causing the creature to go and fire a beam at her as it's head spun back to Mr Rossi. Luka rushed over and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the way in time. She looked at him in surprise as he pushed her into the room. He went to enter the room as well but the creature's tail crushed the door frame, causing bricks and debris to block the way. He managed to dive out of the way and backed up as the akuma turned to him, licking it's lips. It's head spun around back to Mrs Rossi as he backed away from it.
"This boy is full of so much love for his family, for his friend and for the girl who stole his heart," She gasped, licking her lips as she leaned closer to him. Her eyes began to glow as she literally drooled at the idea of eating him. He shuddered a little at the thought of it. "You will make such a delicious meal!"
Luka manage to jump out of the way before the beam hit him and rushed out of the escape door, running back up the stairs. He burst through the door and ran across the roof, making the creature follow him. Despite its size, it moved extremely fast and managed to catch up with him. It went to grab him but before it could, Lady Noir jumped down in front of them and slammed her hand onto the ground.
"Cataclysm!" She yelled, causing the floor to crack. It gave way beneath akuma's weight, causing it to fall through. Seeing her chance, Lady Noir turned to Luka and picked him up. "Hold on,"
He did as told as she ran to the edge and jumped across the roofs before landing by the bridge near the Eiffel tower. She put him down and looked at him.
"Are you hurt?" She asked, making him shake his head. "Good, please stay here. I have to go see if anyone else needs rescuing before engaging the akuma,"
"There's four girls possibly trapped in Chloe's room," He stated, making her nod. "But thank you for rescuing me,"
"No problem, Luka," She nodded before jumping off. As soon as she was out of sight, he hid under the bridge and transformed into Anatis. He ran out and threw his yoyo, returning to the hotel. He landed on the rooftop and glanced around, not seeing Lady Noir or the akuma. He did see Renée and her friend huddled under the piano but Chloe and Sabrina weren't around. He walked over and knelt down, making them look at him. Renée was holding her friend as she shook.
"Are you ok?" He asked in a gentle voice.
"T-The monster got Chloe and Sabrina," The shaking girl gasped, making him frown. "They were trying to get us out of here but the monster has destroyed anyway to get out so we headed up here and it attacked us but Chloe and Sabrina sacrificed themselves so we could escape. The creature was hunting us but it suddenly up and left..."
"I think it was talking to Hawkmoth," Renée stated, making him frown. "It jumped off the building,"
"Ok," He nodded, taking out his yoyo and checking the news report. It showed Loveater attacking people down the street but Lady Noir wasn't there. He frowned but maybe she was tailing it and decided not to engage with it until he was around. A wise choice. "Do you know who it is?"
"Mr and Mrs Rossi," The shaking girl gasped, making him frown as it confirmed what he thought. "It's their 10 year wedding anniversary today but everything went wrong then they turned into that monster when the akuma flew into the cloak Gabriel had given them,"
"Alright," He nodded. "You should stay here. Loveater isn't in the hotel anymore so you should be safe to hide here. Just be careful of the debris ok?"
"Ok," Renée nodded before gasping. "Our friend Luka-"
"He's safe," He smiled, making them both breathe out. "Lady Noir managed to rescue him,"
"Oh thank goodness," Renée sighed with relief as they crawled from under the piano. "Come on, Elise,"
Elise nodded and walked over to an area of the roof that wasn't destroyed as Anatis jumped off the roof and swung over to where Loveater was rampaging. He jumped down and noticed Lady Noir on a roof, watching it. He jumped across and landed next to her.
"What have you observed?" He asked as she looked at him.
"It's obsessed with destroying love and it moves very fast," She replied, making him nod. "I think we're gonna need help,"
"I think so too," He muttered, nodding.
"Do you want me to engage it or just keep an eye on it?" She asked, making him think.
"Keep an eye on it," He replied, pressing the dot on his yoyo. It lifted up, allowing him to take it out and put it in his ear. "And let's keep in contact too,"
"Ok," She nodded, taking one from her baton and placing it in her ear. He nodded before jumping away and swinging towards Master Fu. He jumped across the rooftops as he got closer but he suddenly fell and landed on the ground as a wave of illness came over him, making him frown and look around. On the roof opposite to him, he saw someone perched. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the blue and purple colors.
"Mayura," He muttered, throwing his yoyo up and jumping across the roofs, leading her away from Master Fu's. He managed to shake her off by hiding behind another roof. He looked over as she looked around before she lifted her fan.
"Hawkmoth, I've lost him. He was just passed the rooftops of the Arènes de Lutèce," She stated, making him frown. A few minutes later, Hawkmoth himself landed next to her, causing him to look around and smirk.
"He's here somewhere" He stated, making him frown as Hawkmoth looked around. "Come out wherever you are, Anatis,"
Hawkmoth continued to look around before he jumped down and ran over to the roof. He swung off, causing both Hawkmoth and Mayura to chase him so he pressed his ear piece.
"Kitten, can you hear me?" He asked.
"Loud and clear,"
"I need you to go to Master Fu's instead," He stated, sensing the frown as he passed the Eiffel tower. Hawkmoth and Mayura were gaining on him. "Hawkmoth and Mayura are following me,"
"Do you need back up?"
"No," He replied, landing on the very top of the tower. "I'm gonna take them keep them distracted. You head to Master Fu's and get the Bee miraculous. That's the one we need,"
"But I don't know who Abeille is," She gasped, making him frown.
"Don't worry about that right now," He stated as Hawkmoth and Mayura raced up the tower. "Get the miraculous and I'll meet you soon,"
"Ok," She replied as Hawkmoth and Mayura landed on either side of him. He glanced around and smirked at them as he took out his yoyo. It just happened to be quite the foggy day today, meaning most of the Eiffel tower was surrounded by a deep fog.
"Catch me if you can," He replied before dropping off the Eiffel, making both Mayura and Hawkmoth gasp as he disappeared into the fog. He threw his yoyo, wrapping it around part of the tower and swung underneath. He threw his yoyo up and summoned a lucky charm, getting a box of washing up soap. He glanced around as his luck vision highlighted the fire hydrant. He rushed over to it and opened it, pouring the soap in it. Within seconds, it exploded, cover the area in a high amount of soap foam that covered him. He heard Hawkmoth shouting in annoyance.
"Where is he?! I can't see him!!" He growled as the foam kept growing. Seeing his chance, Anatis carefully moved over to a manhole and opened it as he heard Mayura trying to look around.
"He must have used a lucky charm!" Mayura gasped as he climbed into the manhole and re-covered it. He ran through the sewer as quickly as he could. He frowned to himself as he heard the manhole open again, meaning one of them was following him. He came to a ladder before he climbed up and pushed open the other manhole, climbing out of it and into an alleyway. He moved over to the edge and saw nothing was around so he ran out and over to the Metro. He ran down the stairs enough to hide but to be able to spy on the alley he had come out of before detransforming. He caught Tikki and gave her a cookie as he waited for the person who had followed him. It took a few minutes but Mayura came out and glanced around, frowning. She lifted her fan to her mouth. "Hawkmoth, he's gone and I can't sense him either,"
"Damn it," He heard Hawkmoth's voice echo. "Return back to me. We just use Loveater to capture him,"
"Of course, Hawkmoth," She replied, folding up the fan and jumping up onto the roofs. Luka narrowed his eyes as he watched her run off before turning to Tikki.
"That was close," She gasped, making him nod. "It was a good thing you noticed them,"
"I know," He replied, frowning. He was deeply concerned with the fact that Hawkmoth was out and about. He sighed and turned to Tikki. "Are you fully charged?"
"Yep!"
"Good," He smiled before swiping his earrings. "Tikki, spots on!"
He re-transformed and threw his yoyo up, pulling himself onto the rooftops before running across them. He checked Lady Noir's location on his yoyo before heading to the Pont des Arts. Before he landed next to her, he made sure that Hawkmoth or Mayura had followed him.
"It's attacked almost everyone in it's path," She replied, making him frown. "Did you lose your tail?"
He glanced over, just in case before nodding.
"Did you get it?" He asked, making her nod and showing him the bee miraculous. He smiled and gently patted her head, causing her to smile and purr a little. "Good job, kitten,"
"So what's the plan?" She asked, making him frown. "Are you going to get Abeille?"
"No, it's too dangerous with Hawkmoth about," He replied, making her frown. "If I go to find her, he might try to follow me again and that would directly lead him to one of our allies. I'm afraid this time we won't be able to get help,"
"So what do we do?" She asked, frowning. "We need the bee to succeed as it will paralyse the akuma,"
Anatis bit his lip before he sighed.
"We only have one other option," He replied, making her look at him. "One of us has to merge the bee with our miraculous,"
"I'll do it," Lady Noir stated, making Anatis to look at her in surprise. "They'll expect you to be the one to do so but they don't see me as important or as intelligent as you. Sure, they want my ring but we all know they see me as the sidekick,"
"Lady Noir..." He stated as she gave him a weak smile. "I don't think of you like that. You're way more brilliant then I am and I know I've said this before but I couldn't do this without you. You're amazing and my best friend,"
"I know," She smiled, gently kissing his cheek. His cheeks flushed a little. "But I also know Hawkmoth doesn't see me as a threat so let's show him what this cat is truly capable of,"
She placed the comb in her hair, causing Pollen to manifest.
"Hello, my queen," She smiled, bowing before turning to Anatis. "Hello, my prince. How may I be of service today?"
"Pollen isn't it?" Lady Noir asked, making her look at her as she nodded. "I'm Lady Noir. We need your help to defeat Loveater,"
"Of course, my queen," She bowed again, making Lady Noir coo at how cute she was before she shook her head and looked to Anatis.
"How do I merge them?"
"You have to say the name of the kwamis and unify," He explained, causing her to nod and take a deep breathe but he gently grabbed her arms. "But if it gets too much, don't hesitate to tell me and divide them. Merging these are dangerous and I don't want to see you hurt,"
"I'll be fine," She smiled, gently placing her hand on his before she pulled away. "Ok let's do this. Plagg,"
She held out her left hand.
"Pollen," She stated as she held out her right hand before she closed them together. "Unify!"
A golden light engulfed her before disappearing, revealing her new form. Her hair was no longer in a braid but was tied up in a curly ponytail with yellow and green on the curls. She had a yellow ribbon tied around the top that resembled bug antennas. Her mask was no longer completely black but had a yellow strip below her eyes, which still had green irises but her scleas were yellow. Her full suit had changed as well. The top half of her suit was yellow with black strips on her upper arms and stomach. The second half was black with yellow stripes on her thighs. Her boots were black with yellow stripes on the calf and yellow heels. Her gloves were similar in design as they were mostly black with yellow stripes. Her spintop was hooked around her waist and her baton rested against her hip. She still had her cat ears on top of her head. She took out the spintop and opened it.
"User manual," She stated, reading through her powers as Anatis checked the news. She closed it once she had read it before looking at him. "So what's the plan?"
"Loveater is rampaging by the Arc de Triomphe," He stated, making her frown as he closed his yoyo and threw up in the air, calling for a lucky charm. He sighed as he got a rolling pin. He glanced around before sighing. "I can't see anything yet so let's focus on me luring it to you. Our best bet would be the Eiffel tower. The foam I created should still be there so it would provide a sort of smoke screen and it's still a pretty foggy day,"
"Alright so I lie in wait there and you lure it to me and then hopefully we can use the lucky charm," She stated, making him nod. "Ok! Sounds like a plan to me!"
"Alright," He smiled, nodding. "Be careful, Lady... Lady Bee?"
"What? Oh," She grinned, realizing he meant her new form's name. She grinned before placing her hands on her hips. "Call me Dark Bee,"
"Dark Bee?" He asked, making her nod. "I like it. Alright, see you soon, Dark Bee,"
He threw his yoyo and pulled himself onto the rooftops, leaving Dark Bee alone. She took out her spintop and threw it, using it to pull herself onto the roofs and swing through the city, whooping as she did. She landed on the rooftop opposite the tower before glancing around.
"Dark Bee, can you hear me?" Anatis asked in her ear.
"Loud and Clear, bug-a-boo," She stated, causing him to chuckle.
"Alright. I'm bringing our guest towards the tower," He stated, making her nod. "Oh!"
"Worked out the lucky charm?" She asked.
"Yes," He replied. "There's a small stand near the tower that sells all kind of things including rolling pins and different types of balls. I need you to cataclysm it.
"Got it," She replied, seeing it in the foam. She rushed over and summoned her power before slamming her hand on it, causing it to break and releasing all the rolling pins and sports balls across the floor but no one could see it because it was covered by the form. She threw her spintop up and pulled herself into the tower as Anatis swung near by. "Be careful. All of the stuff is on the floor,"
"Perfect," He replied, swinging by and landing on the part below her as Loveater rushed over. Almost instantly, it slipped and fell onto it's back. "Dark bee now!"
"Venom!" She cried out, twisting the spin top and grabbing it. A yellow stripped energy wrapped around her hand and she dived down, slamming it into the middle of the Mrs Rossi face, just as it got up and was about to fire at her. She backflipped away as Anatis landed next to her and threw his yoyo at them, cracking one of the brooches. The akuma fluttered out, allowing him to throw his yoyo and capture it before he pulled it back to him and released the purified butterfly. He unhooked the rolling pin on his hip and threw it up in the air.
"Miraculous ladybugs!" He called out, throwing it up into the air. It burst into the swarm and moved around Paris, restoring everything and everyone that had been destroyed or eaten by Loveater before returning to the Eiffel tower and getting rid of the foam and restoring the little stand before it burst into the sky, disappearing. Dark Bee grinned before a sudden wave of dizziness made her stumble. Anatis rushed over to her and held her as she blinked, feeling very tired. "Dark Bee, are you ok?"
"I'm f-fine," She whispered, giving him a smile. "Plagg, Pollen... divide,"
The golden light appeared again as Pollen reappeared, causing Lady Noir to catch her. She took out a chunk of cheese and gave it to her. Pollen ate it quickly before hiding into her hair. Anatis still looked worried but she gave him a smile before nodding towards Mr and Mrs Rossi.
"W-what happened?" Mrs Rossi asked as she looked around before gasping as she spotted the heroes. "Anatis? Lady Noir?"
"You were akumatized," Anatis stated as he walked over and helped her to her feet as Lady Noir did the same with Mr Rossi. "But it's ok now. We deakumatized you,"
"Do you remember why you got akumatized?" Lady Noir asked, causing Mrs Rossi to explain about all of the things that had gone wrong for the last couple of weeks. Both heroes frowned as they listened before she tearfully turned to her husband and apologized. He began to tear up himself and apologized to her as well before they embraced each other. Anatis frowned as his earrings beeped, along with Lady Noir's ring. He turned to her with a concerned expression on his face.
"Recharge and meet at Fu's," He stated before throwing his yoyo and swinging off with Lady Noir going in a different direction.
~At the Grand Paris Hotel~
Lila growled in annoyance as she watched the miracle cure spread through the city, fixing everything. That stupid bug and his mangy sidekick had managed to defeat Loveater, meaning she had failed. She kicked something in annoyance as Hawkmoth and Mayura landed near her, making her turn around.
"I was sure he wouldn't be able to defeat them," She gasped, making Hawkmoth chuckle. "I failed,"
"No, you didn't," He replied, walking over to her. "You did exactly what I asked you to. You have proven yourself to be a good ally and so I wish to reward you,"
"Oh?" Lila asked as Hawkmoth tapped his cane, releasing an akuma. Almost instantly, she grabbed it and placed it into her fake fox miraculous, making him smirk. He didn't even need to convince her. "So what powers do you have for me this time?"
"Miracle Queen, I'm giving you the power to control the entire city including our heroes with your music and of course, you'll still have your illusions," Hawkmoth smirked as Lila allowed the dark smog to over take her. When it disappeared, it revealed an upgraded version of Volpina in her place. Most of her outfit was exactly the same. However, she gained a crown on her head, golden gauntlets with orange diamonds on her forearms, matching armor on her calves and shoulder armor that was black with gold trimming. Hawkmoth smirked before doing a mock bow. "My Queen, why don't you show these heroes what true royalty can do?"
"It will be my pleasure, Hawkmoth," She smirked, taking out her flute and playing it. An orange ball appeared on the end before she threw it up into the sky. It exploded, sending the sound of her music around the city as it caused anyone who heard it to fall into a trance. "Anatis! Lady Noir! Come and serve your queen!"
~At Master Fu's~
"Is everything ok?" Master Fu asked as Lady Noir gave Pollen a little hug before she took out the clip in her hair and placed it in his hand. Anatis was pacing around, clearly worried. He frowned as he took the comb from her and returned it to the miracle box. Once it was back in the box and hidden in the phonograph, Master Fu got up and made them both some tea. He handed a cup to Lady Noir before getting Anatis to stop pacing and made him sit down, giving him a cup of tea as well. He poured one for himself before sitting down and sipping it. "Tell me what's on your mind,"
"Hawkmoth and Mayura followed me today," Anatis explained, causing Master Fu looked at him in surprise. "That's why Lady Noir came here instead of me,"
He ran his fingers through his hair as Master Fu frowned.
"I lead them on a wild goose chase but I'm concerned, Master," Anatis sighed as Lady Noir frowned. "The only time Hawkmoth has came out in public was Heroes Day and today is the one year anniversary of me becoming Anatis. I think he has something big planned,"
"This is most concerning," Master Fu frowned.
"That's not the only thing," Anatis stated. "Lady Noir asked the akumatized victims why they got akumatized and what they told us gave me a very bad feeling,"
"What did they say?"
"For the last couple of weeks, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong for Mr and Mrs Rossi," Lady Noir stated, making Fu frown. "Even things that shouldn't have gone wrong and then today... their ten year anniversary... things continued to go wrong and they end up akumatized..."
"What are you saying?"
"Hawkmoth has been planning this akuma for at least two weeks. There's no way this akumatization was just chance," Anatis stated, making Master Fu frown. "I would bet that Lila Rossi is somehow helping Hawkmoth and has been making things go bad to turn her parents into akuma bait,"
"But they're her parents?!" Master Fu gasped, surprised. "Surely, she wouldn't get them akumatized on purpose?"
"We suspect that she took an akuma on purpose and she tried to stop Lady Noir from helping me against Big Mama and Little Sister," Anatis stated. "And she is indirectly responsible for reverser as she influenced Alya into trying to claim that diary,"
"Not to mention she has caused two akumas through framing and bullying," Lady Noir added in, making Anatis nod. "I wouldn't put it past her to help Hawkmoth akumatize her parents but what could he achieve with that particular akuma?"
"That's what concerns me," Anatis sighed. "Sure, it was a difficult akuma so I had to get help but he could have just had Mayura follow me. Why is he out and about? It just seems... I don't know... maybe I'm been paranoid,"
"Maybe but your instincts have been right before," Master Fu stated, making Anatis nod. "So what do they tell you this time?"
"Honestly... this all feels too... easy and doesn't add up..." Anatis stated, frowning. "It feels like the battle isn't over yet and that this akuma wasn't Hawkmoth's master plan. I think he's trying to distract us. Even him following me feels like a distraction. I feel like he wants me to focus on that he's looking for who I get the other miraculous from because that will somehow stop me from seeing the full picture and yet at the same time, I feel like I'm missing something. Like there is something very obvious in front of me but I can't see it yet. Something doesn't feel right,"
"Then I suggest you follow your instincts, Anatis," Master Fu stated, making him. "Be on your guard,"
"Yes, Master," Both Lady Noir and Anatis stated, standing up and heading to the window. Lady Noir reached over and opened it, causing the sound of the city to echo in but among it was the sound of a flute been played. The three of them felt their minds turn blank and empty as they heard it. Their arms dropped to their side and their eyes turned a glowing orange as they stared out at the city before a voice echoed in their minds.
Anatis! Lady Noir! Come and serve your Queen!
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Next Chapter: Chapter 60








