ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 86: Unity!
The next day, Lila was in her hospital bed being visited by Lorenzo. They were reminiscing about their time in Italy and having a generally fun time. Their giggles were interrupted when someone else opened the door. Lila was expecting a nurse, a doctor, or maybe one of those miraculous experts she met the day before after Gabriel left, but was surprised to see that it was none of the above. âAlix?â
Alix walked in, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to Lorenzo in front of Lila. âHey.â
âHiâŠâ Lila replied awkwardly.
After a bit of silence, Alix asked âWell, how are you doing?â
âOh, um, Iâm feeling alright,â Lila answered. âWell, I guess as alright as I can be.â
âRightâŠâ Alix responded. An awkward silence permeated.
âWhy are you here?â Lila asked, breaking the silence like a plate crashing to the floor. âIâve done nothing but manipulate you and your friends.â She sunk into herself. âI donât deserve your friendship.â
Lorenzo was shook. Alix simply smiled and said âYeah. You probably donât.â Lila looked up. âBut whether it be kindness or foolishness, I think weâre willing to give it to you anyway.â
âWhy?â Lila demanded.
âWell, I donât know about anyone else for certain,â Alix explained, âbut for me, itâs a case of I can spend time disliking you, or I can see that youâre trying and at least move on, if not help you try. And I donât have the time to waste hating someone who is trying.â
Lila was stunned. She looked at Lorenzo who smiled and chuckled. She looked back at Alix and started crying. âLila, are you OK?â Lorenzo asked.
âYeahâ Lila sniffed. She wiped her eyes, although tears kept coming. âIâm alright.â For so long, Lila was trapped in the darkness of trying to make herself seem like an amazing, untouchable, Goddess. She was pushing other people away to push herself upwards. However, it felt lonely, which is what she was trying to avoid in the first place. Yet she had a hard time realizing it until it swallowed her whole.
So when someone was reaching out to her honestly and earnestly, and she was fully committed to doing the same, it all hit her at once. She hadnât felt like this in a long time, and she liked it. Lila looked up and smiled at Alix. Alix reciprocated the smile. Nathalie looked on, assured that things will be alright.
Meanwhile, Adrien came into Marinette and Emilieâs room. âHeyâ he said upon entering. He looked and saw Marinette was alone. âWhereâs my mother?â
âSheâs beginning physical therapy,â Marinette explained.
âOhâ Adrien said, surprised and delighted by the news.
âSome of the doctors were worried, but she insisted she get a startâ Marinette continued.
Adrien chuckled. âThatâs mother alright.â The couple shared a giggle. âIt might be better this way.â Marinette seemed puzzled. Adrienâs smile widened. âSomeoneâs been missing you.â He took out a box and opened it.
As the box opened, Tikki appeared. Marinette was overcome with delight. âTIKKI!â she gasped.
Tikki flew up to Marinette as fast as she could and hugged her cheek. âMarinette!â The two snuggled each other. Once the little hug was over, Tikki said âIâm glad youâre OK.â
âMe too,â Marinette responded. She averted her gaze for a bit. âI feel like I should have asked you.â Tikki was curious. âAbout the ultimate move thing. I mean, after what happened with you and the previous holder of the wolf miraculousâŠâ
âMarinette, itâs fine,â Tikki said. âThe lucky charm gave you the idea for a reason. In spite of needing to perform that move, both you and her are amazing Ladybugs, and nothing can change that.â
Marinette smiled and blushed. âThanks Tikki.â Adrien stood there, observing but not interrupting.
As the days went by, the recovery process progressed for the patients, as well as Paris itself. While the city had seen a great deal of damage from Hawk Moth, the Nurushwa attack was on a whole other level. While the miraculous cure did its job, the city was still in shock, and it needed some time to readjust.
During this time, Gabriel was meeting constantly with lawyers to figure out the details of his case. He was making certain arrangements to make sure everything goes smoothly. Meanwhile, Marinette and Lila were getting visits from their classmates to make sure they were doing well, and in Lilaâs case, assuring them that they could bury the hatchet.
One of the processes of Parisâs recovery was a self-imposed quarantine. This was an effort to maintain order, get accounts from everyone involved, and maybe trap this Nurushwa figure. However, this was a temporary process, and nearing its end. Among those set to leave Paris once this quarantine was over, Travis and Cassandra were some of the most anxious.
Vlad was meeting with them in their hotel room. âIt sucks that we gotta leave soon,â Travis lamented. âI was getting used to having you being in the same neighborhood as us, just like old times.â
âHm,â Vlad grunted. âIâm going to miss it too. But weâll never be too far apart. We have cellphones and such.â
âRightâŠâ Travis reluctantly agreed. âItâs just not the same, you know?â
âWe can come visit whenever, you know,â Cassandra said.
âI guess thatâs trueâ Travis said, cheering up slightly. He sighed. âPart of me wishes we could just move here, you know? Not only are you here, but the friends youâve made are amazing.â
âWell, what can I say?â Vlad asked. âOnly the best for me.â
Meanwhile, Cassandra chuckled. âAre you sure this isnât about one friend in particular?â she insinuated.
Travis was caught off-guard. âWell,â he blushed, âI canât say she isnât one of the BIGGER reasons⊠But you must feel it too, you know? The general presence of Vladâs friends here.â
âOf course,â Cassandra said. âI just canât miss an opportunity to tease you.â Travis rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, Kagami was doing some fencing training. Longg was watching her. She was working aggressively, and losing focus. Longg imagined it had something to do with the conversation they had when they got home after the attack and the incident with Katelyn.
Flashing back, Kagami walked into her room. She sat in front of her tv and started playing video games. Longg floated out beside her. âSo, um, why did you tell Travis and Cassandra youâre Ryuko?â
Kagami shrugged. âI guess I felt like it.â
âItâs a little unorthodox,â Longg informed her.
âI knowâŠâ Kagami replied. She had just been defeated in her game. âUgh. Fine.â
âFine what? Longg asked.
Kagami sighed. âI think Iâve made my decision.â
ââDecisionâ?â Longg inquired.
âYeah,â Kagami answered. âAnd as amazing as Luka is, I think I actually like Travis more.â
âOhâ Longg said, realizing what Kagami was talking about. âSo thatâs why?â
Kagami nodded. âI figured if we were going to end up going out, heâd have to know the truth at some point or another.â
âSo, if you donât mind,â Longg began, âwhat was the deciding factor in all of this?â
Kagami smiled. âLike I said, Lukaâs great...but Travis has this air about him. Heâs just so passionate and free, and I feel like I want that out of a potential boyfriend, you know?â
âI seeâ Longg said. âSo, when are you going to tell him?â
âThat, Iâm not sure,â Kagami said. âThis whole time has been crazy...I want to wait until things settle down a bit before I go jumping into this.â
âThat sounds fair,â Longg replied.
Back in the present, Kagami was making mistake after mistake in her training. She threw off her helmet and said âI canât take it anymore!â She went to go change. Once she was finished, she stormed out of the house.
She started out walking, but then sped up into a run. She was on her way to Le Grand Paris, hoping that heâd be there. When she arrived, she stopped, caught her breath, and composed herself. She walked in, and calmly took the elevator up.
When she got to the floor they were staying in, she left and hurried down the hall. She arrived at their room. She hesitated at first, but she shook herself out of it and knocked. The knock was gentle, but forceful.
Vlad opened the door. âKagami? Whatâs up?â Kagami brushed past Vlad. âOK?â
Kagami walked up to Travis. âYou!â
Travis seemed confused over this confrontational Kagami. He pointed to himself and said âMe?â
âYou!â Kagami repeated. She sighed and loosened her tension. âWhen I first came to Paris, I thought I was the best there ever was, the best there ever is, and the best there ever will be.â
âO...KâŠ?â Travis said, confused. Vlad and Cassandra were looking on equally confused.
âBut right away, I was made apparent of my flaws,â Kagami went on. âAs time went on, Iâve slowly learned to overcome those flaws, or at least work towards that. Yet when we first interacted, you seemed to fall in love with me almost instantly. At a time where I kind of hated myself, and I took my anger out on you.â Kagami intensely stared at Travis. âDo you think Iâm perfect when Iâm not?â
Travis was puzzled. He looked at Vlad and Cassandra, neither of whom were able to help. He turned back to Kagami. âWell...thatâs...umâŠâ He sighed. âTo be honest, being perfect is overrated.â Kagami was confused. âI didnât say any of what I said because I thought you were perfect. I said what I said because I thought you were amazing. You still are. But perfect is a bit much to expect, you know?â
Kagami smiled. âYeah. I do. Hm. Today, while I was practicing fencing, I started to lose focus.â Travis was stunned. âThis was the first time since the battle against that Nurushwa thing that I did.â
âIâm sorryâŠâ Travis said, unsure of what else to say.
âDonât be,â Kagami said. âBecause it was the first time since the attack that I had a focus to lose. That I can let my mind think about other things. That I donât have to worry about a monster peering over my shoulder.â
âOhâ Travis said.
Kagami closed in on him. âI was thinking about you. I think youâre amazing too. So...um...will, uh, will you go out with me?â
Travisâs face was now beat red. Kagami was also blushing, but she looked a little more composed. Still, blushing, Triavis laughed a little. âHah. Of course.â
Kagami grabbed the lapels of Travisâs jacket. âOh yeah?â She pulled herself in closer, pressing her body against his. âProve it.â She gave him a kiss. Travis was taken aback for a second, but wrapped his head around what was happening and focused. He wrapped his arms around Kagami, squeezing her tenderly.
Once the kiss was over, the two looked at each other. They noticed the other was blushing, and started giggling amongst themselves. Travis then said âNow THAT was truly amazing.â
âCongratulations you two,â Cassandra said.
They looked at Cassandra and Vlad, who were smirking, but supportive all the same. âHm hm. Thanksâ Kagami said.
The following day, Mylene and Ivan went to visit Lila, who was also getting a visit from Lorenzo, because of course. âHi Lila. Lorenzoâ Mylene said upon entering.
âHey,â Ivan said. âHow are you all doing?â
Lila giggled. âWell, Iâm doing better with all of the visitors Iâm getting.â She looked down. âIt is nice. After all this time, all of this double-dealing, it is nice that there are people who are willing to give me another shot.â
âIt happens to the best of us,â Ivan explained. âIf youâre willing to change, people will be there to help.â
âSpeaking of helping people,â Mylene said, âthe food pantryâs been missing you for the past couple of days Lorenzo.â
âAh ha haâ Lorenzo laughed. âWell, uhâŠâ
âItâs fine,â Lila said. âIâm in good hands. Youâve been here enough to know that.â
âRightâŠâ Lorenzo said. âItâs just...Iâve missed you...a wholeâŠâ
âI knowâŠâ Lila said. âIâve missed you too. And I also missed me as well.â Lorenzo smiled, as did Ivan and Mylene.
Meanwhile, Adrien, Vlad, Travis, Cassandra, and Kagami were visiting Marinette. âAre you two really leaving tomorrow?â Adrien asked.
âYeah,â Cassandra answered. âWe figured we should visit before weâre off.â
âWell, itâs always a pleasure,â Marinette said. âWhenever you come here next, we should hang out more.â
âHopefully youâre not laid up in a hospitalâ Cassandra replied.
âOf course,â Marinette responded.
âLetâs hope things arenât as hectic eitherâ Vlad noted.
âYeah, there sure were a lot of ups and downs this time around,â Travis added. He looked over at Kagami. âBut I will say, this trip went out on top.â
Kagami walked over and embraced him. âWe have something to tell you.â Adrien and Marinette were curious.
Travis wrapped his arm around her. âHeh. Weâre kind of going out.â Adrien and Marinette were stunned. Kagami gave him a kiss on the cheek to highlight that.
Marinette smiled. âCongratulations you two.â
Kagami turned to Adrien. âYouâre not jealous, are you?â
Adrien smiled. âOf course not. I have a wonderful girlfriend, and you have a wonderful boyfriend.â
Kagami smiled back. âThanks Adrien.â
After they left the hospital, Vlad looked at his cohorts. âYou go on ahead. Iâve got something to do.â
âYou sure?â Travis said.
âYeahâ Vlad answered. âIf I donât catch back up to you today, Iâll definitely be there to see you off tomorrow.â
âWell, if youâre so determined, then I guess weâll seeyaâ Cassandra said. âAnd good luck.â
âYeah,â Kagami added. She nodded. Vlad nodded back and left.
While Vlad was walking, Beyyo popped out. âUm, just out of curiosity, what are you doing?â
Vlad sighed. âMr. Agreste, Lila, Kagami⊠heck, practically everyone. Theyâre all starting to move forward. And I need to do the same.â
At the Liberty, there was a knock. Juleka answered. âVlad?â
âHeyâ Vlad said with little emotion. âCan I speak with Luka?â
âOh. Sureâ Juleka said. She left to get Luka.
Luka arrived. âVlad?â
Vlad tensed up. âListen.â He stood silent. Luka waited patiently. âGAH!â Vlad vented. Luka flinched. âSorryâ Vlad said, calming down. Luka readjusted himself. âI just have to say it. I..sort of have a thing for youâŠâ
âIâve noticed,â Luka said nonchalantly.
Vladâs face grew a little red, but he pressed on. âBut I canât keep holding out for a light that isnât going to come. So, I need to know now: Is it possible that the two of us could go out? Or are you straight?â
Luka chuckled. Vlad was stunned. âIâm sorry. But that whole speech just now was incredibly adorable.â
Vladâs face grew redder. âYou-Youâre not answering the question.â
âIsnât he?â Beyyo asked.
âLetâsssss wait and ssssseeâ Sass responded.
Luka grabbed Vladâs hand. âIâd say itâs more than possible.â He moved in and gave Vlad a kiss on the cheek.
Vladâs face was entirely red. âWh-Where did this come from?â
Luka rubbed the back of his head. âWell, Iâve been thinking a lot. About me, and what I want out of someone. I mean, I was a bit down when Marinette started going out with Adrien, but you canât hang on to one person like that forever. Otherwise, youâre just a one-hit wonder, you know.â
Vlad was taken aback by Lukaâs explanation. âI...was sort of thinking the same thing...I needed an answer, otherwise I couldnât move onâŠâ
âAnd itâs things like that that made me realize, youâre someone Iâd want to go out withâ Luka said. âPlus, your impassioned speech was, again, adorable.â Vlad turned his head, a little embarrassed. Luka smirked. âCâmon.â He grabbed Vladâs head, turned it towards him, and gave him a kiss, this time on the lips. Vlad was surprised, but followed through almost instantly. A few minutes later, all of Vlad and Lukaâs friends got a picture of the two of them announcing their new relationship.
The day after, Kagami, Vlad, and Luka were there to see Travis and Cassandra off. âSeeya!â Vlad said.
âOf course!â Travis exclaimed. âAnd congratulations yourself!â Vlad blushed, but Luka took his hand, and he calmed down. The two started to wave.
âDonât have too much fun with us!â Cassandra said. The two started getting on the train.
Kagami called out. âHey!â Travis looked at her. âPromise youâll call when you get back.â
âHehâ Travis laughed. âWhat do you take me for?â They both smiled at each other. Travis and Cassandra got on the train, and it started going.
Meanwhile, Alya and Nino were visiting Lila. Of course, they also forgave Lila after Lila apologized. They were having a good time. But then Lilaâs face went from happy to somber. âWhatâs wrong?â Nino asked.
Lila looked at the two of them. âDo you know if Marinetteâs coming?â
âMarinette?â Alya wandered.
âYeahâ Lila said. âSheâs the one I want to apologize to the most.â
âOh, um, wellâŠâ Nino sputtered.
Lila sighed. âSheâs not coming, is she?â
âNo no, sheâll come,â Alya replied. âItâs justâŠâ
âItâs fine,â Lila said. âI know a lie when I hear it. I canât say Iâm surprised. Marinette is the one I was the worst to. I canât imagine sheâll forgive me.â Alya and Nino were awestruck. Lila turned back to them and smiled again. âBut thank you two for coming. Honestly.â Alya and Nino nervously laughed.
A little later, Alya and Nino entered Marinetteâs room. âHey guys,â Marinette said.
âUmâŠâ Nino pondered. âWhat are we telling people who ARENâT in the know?â
Marinette was confused. âUghâ Alya groaned. âLila wants to know if youâll come and visit.â
âLila?â Marinette wondered.
âYeah, sheâs upstairs,â Nino said. âRoom 303.â
âAnd sheâs resigning herself to thinking you wonât forgive herâ Alya added. âUm, you will forgive her, right?â
âHuh? Oh, of courseâ Marinette said.
Alya said. âGood. Because I know you girl, and you got SUPER worked up about her.â
âYeahâŠâ Marinette said, embarrassed. âWhen I think of something, Iâll let you know.â
âGreat!â Nino said. The three of them had a little visit, but Alya and Nino had to leave. Adrien hung around a little bit, but also left eventually.
That night, Marinetteâs mind drifted towards Lila. From what everyone who visited her told her, she really was ready to turn over a new leaf. When she was through apologizing, she was pleasant and fun to be around.
She thought about what Alya told her. Lila really believed that she wouldnât forgive her. Of course, Marinette had every right not to and then some, but darn it, that just wasnât who she was. If she can forgive Hawk Moth on some level, she can forgive Lila.
Marinette looked around. Mrs. Agreste had already fallen asleep after another exhausting day of physical therapy. She decided to follow her lead and give it a go. She moved herself to hang her legs off of her bed. âNow or never.â
She gently flung herself downwards. She landed on her feet. She had only done so to use the in-room bathroom, and even that was a bit strenuous, since previously she had been unconscious for a week. She started moving to the door.
By the time she reached it, she was already breathing heavily. She proceeded to open the door. She had been in plenty of situations where she needed to move something heavy when she was Ladybug, and it felt like that. Still, she opened the door and continued to walk.
She had to lean on the wall for support. She was feeling the strain of every step. Yet she was determined all the same.
She made it to the elevator. She got in, pressed the buttons to head up, and leaned back against the wall. The elevator granted her a small reprieve. âYou can do this.â The elevator opened. She lifted herself back up and headed out.
She didnât have to go very far to find room 303, but it felt like a struggle all the way. She arrived at the door. She placed her hands on the handle, and began opening it, calling upon the same strength she used to open her own door.
When she slid the door open, there was a loud sound, which woke up both patrons of the room. Nathalie turned the light on. As soon as she saw a fatigued Marinette wandering into the room, she immediately pressed the âCall Nurseâ button. Lila just looked at her in shock and said, âMarinette?â
Marinette looked up at Lila. âLilaâŠâ That was all she could muster before passing out.
Marinette woke up back in her own bed. She was greeted by a doctor. âYou gave us quite a scare, Miss Dupain-Cheng,â the doctor said.
Marinette looked down. âIâm sorry.â
âItâs alrightâ the doctor noted. âFrankly, I admire your drive, but we should work on baby steps.â
Marinette looked up and smiled. âYouâre right.â
âIâm sure with your adventure last night, youâll do great, '' Emilie said from her bed.
Marinette looked over at her. âThank you Mrs. Agreste.â
The door opened up.It was Lila. She rushed over to Marinetteâs bed. âMarinette! Iâm so sorry.â
âLila? What are you doing here? Marinette asked.
âWell, um, you did come to my room last night,â Lila said.
âRightâŠâ Marinette replied. âI came because Nino and Alya told me that you were asking why I hadnât visited yet.â
âOh. That makes senseâ Lila realized. âWell, donât worry, Mr. Agreste explained everything.â
Marinette was confused. âHe did?â
âHe was here this morning,â Emilie jumped in. âAfter he heard about what happened, he came to make sure you were OK. When the doctors told him you were stable, he was relieved. He would have stayed, but he said he was busy with the upcoming case.â
âI seeâŠâ Marinette said.
âMarinette,â Lila began, âhad I known heâd attacked you like that, I wouldâve understood.â
Marinette was confused. Before she could say anything, Emilie said âRemember? You were offered the butterfly miraculous to continue Hawk Mothâs mission. And when you said no, he attacked you. Thankfully, Cat Noir, Judgement Wolf, and Ladybug figured him out just then and saved you.â Emilie winked.
âOhâ Marinette said. âYeah.â She looked downward. âLila. I donât want you to think I wouldnât forgive you. I mean, from what everyone has told me about their visits with you, you sound so sincere about wanting to make it up to everyone. I canât be mad at that.â
âBut you were the person I was the worst to,â Lila admitted.
âI know,â Marinette said. âAnd trust me, there were days where there was nothing more that I wanted than your complete humiliation.â Lila was stunned with this honesty, but understood it. âBut I canât live in that animosity. I just canât. Ladybug is working so hard to fight for peace, and I want to be able to live up to that.â
Lilaâs face was filled with mixed emotions. âIâve been living in that animosity for so long. And I thought I enjoyed it, but it all came crashing down on me, and I realized I didnât want that anymore. But I thought it was too late, so I kept running because that was all I was good at.â
Lila smiled. âBut when Ladybug said she wanted to save me, I was overjoyed. She could have left me for dead, and I would have understood it. But she wanted to save me. So now I want to live up to Ladybugâs light too.â
Marinette smiled and reached out her hand. âFriends?â
Lila was about to shake her hand, but instead dove in for a hug. Lila started crying tears of joy. âFriends.â Marinette was startled by this hug, but returned it once the suddenness wore off.









