#flaff

A small baby was found abandoned on the streets of Tibet.  She lay there in a box covered in a blanket only to be discovered by a 156 year old man on his way back to an ancient monastery.  The man was on his way back after helping to restore balance to parts of Europe after the events of WWII.  It took him over five decades to do so, but he left the places he had traveled to feeling better now that balance was restored.

He was now headed back to the guardian temple to report back what he had done before going on his next assignment.  The soft sounds of a crying child stopped him in his path as he felt the pull of fate pull him to the noise.  When he arrived he gently picked up the small baby girl and knew she would play a vital role.  Making sure the blankets around her were secure he started his assent up the mountain to the ancient guardian temple.

Once he arrived he went straight to the Grand Guardians and presented the child.  They too could feel that this child was of great importance and worth, so they grabbed the oldest of the miracle boxes and opened it.  They removed a pair of red and black spotted earrings from the box and watched as the great goddess Tikki emerged in a glowing ball of pinkish-red light.

“Tikki, we have found a soul that we believe resonates with you.  Please, tell us if she is the one.”

Tikki nodded and flew towards the small baby girl held in Grand Master Fu’s arms.  She watched the child and softened when the small girl giggled when she touched her tiny nose.

“She is indeed a creation child.  She resonates with me well.  We must train her in the ways of creation and life.”

The guardians felt pride within for pleasing the small goddess and finding the perfect soul for her to be wielded with.  That day, Marianne Fu was raised and taught in the ways of truth, creation, balance, and light.

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She was five when the attack happened.  The League of Shadows attacked the temple trying to eliminate who they saw as a threat.  The war went on for many months before the guardians decided that the only way to end this was through negotiation.  One of the guardians was able to relay the message of a treaty in which Ra’s Al Ghul happily agreed to.

In the end, they agreed that the only way for the two organizations to coexist was for each of their heirs to be sealed together.

So here Marianne was, a small 5-year-old, sitting next to Master Fu across from a small black haired green eyed boy glaring intently at her with his mother next to him and across from Fu.  It was here she learned that she would now be living here in the League’s base, but would continue to learn how to wield the miraculous with Grand Master Fu as her mentor.  She would train with Damian, her betrothed, and when ready, go on missions with him.  She didn’t really understand what any of it meant, but she understood that it wasn’t good.

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Damian didn’t like her, not at the beginning at least.  They were forced to be with each other for a good 85% of the day except for when Damian went on missions or Marianne was having her guardian training with Master Fu.  He would always shoot insults at her and she would fire back with angrily flushed cheeks.  When they spared one another, it was frightening as it wasn’t a hidden secret that he had tried to end her to get out of his fate many times.  He was punished for such acts, but that only fueled his rage and hatred.  His only joy was being able to defeat her in duels as she had no prior battle experience.  It wasn’t very satisfying though as it was always too easy and he had to hold back.

When they were six Marianne had a better understanding and grasp of combat, especially with weapons.  Now she was a much harder target to knock down.  She was faster, more observant, she knew how to properly use her weapons and how to properly fight.  He wasn’t too happy about that, but at least now he had a bit of a challenge which would make defeating her more enjoyable.  She was a defensive fighter and often used bladed fans or senbon throwing needles as her weapon of choice daggers were a close second because of their size and weight.

Damian learned soon enough that he had to be more on guard with her now, as she had won one of their spars and held the tips of the blades attached to the fan to his throat.  The smirk she wore was infuriating!  He looked over and saw his mother amusedly smirking at them.  Marianne stepped back and closed the fans before bowing to Talia.  Her hands were shaking ever so slightly, something must be about to happen.  Her intuition is amazing adequate, and she only shakes when she feels something big or terrible will happen.  Quickly he stood up and bowed too.

“Congratulations Marianne, you have grown stronger.”

“Thank you, Lady Talia.”

She said in a monotone voice still bowing.

“Rise, I have news from The Demon Head.”

Quickly they rose, Marianne was stiff with nerves.  She could feel it, something was going to happen, but she couldn’t tell if it was good or bad yet.

“Both of you will go to Mumbai.  There you will retrieve a file from Ādityas Patel.  Then you will eliminate the heads of his organization.  Both of you leave tomorrow at 13:00, and both of you will train as partners from 5:00 until it is time to leave.  Understood?”

“Of course, Lady Talia.”

“Very well, Mother.”

Then Talia disappeared as if she wasn’t even there in the first place.  They turned and glared at the other.

“You better not mess this up.”

Damian snarled as he grabbed his katana and went back into a fighting stance.

“I won’t.  In fact you better not slow me down.”

Marianne smirked as she gracefully opened her fan and held it in a defensive pose.

Damian growled and attacked first.  Marianne easily dodged and blocked the attacks with her fan.  She jumped back grabbing a few needles from a secret pocket on her uniform and grabbed a few needles.  She jumped away to get some distance before she lifted her hand and threw a needle at a pressure point on the Boy’s arm causing him to drop his weapon.  She smiled as she then jumped in front of him as he pulled out the needles blades at his neck once again.  He glared at her victorious smirk and pushed her away.  He picked up his katana and sheathed his katana as Master Fu called Marianne for her guardian lesson.

He grumbled angrily hating how had lost to such a pathetic girl.  As he stared at her retreating figure he let out a small smirk.  At least she wasn’t dead weight anymore, and maybe the little fights would be more fun now that she could finally fight.  Maybe this fight would be just quicker with her, and maybe just maybe it would be fun for once.

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Complications and blood.  That’s all there was in Marianne’s mind as she finally finished downloading the files on the small drive and ran to where Damian said he’d be.  As she turned she saw him pinned to the wall.  His katana was on the ground and someone else held his hands.  She couldn’t think, it was an impulse at this point.  It was beaten into her, she went to her room bloody and bruised because she could never do it.  She didn’t want to get hurt again, she didn’t want Damian to get hurt.  They held a knife to his throat as he struggled.  She pulled a kuhni from her sleeve and the next thing she knew the man was on the floor and the other guy in his shock was left wide open.

She doesn’t remember what happened but what she did remember was the new blood that stained her hands.  She quickly looked up and ran to Damian making sure he was ok.  She didn’t want to lose him.  He was the only one who understood her.  He was the only one who tried to make her better without beating her nearly to death.  He was the only one truly cared, even if he had an odd way of showing it.  He might hate her, but at least he was there.

He stared at her shock in his eyes before they quickly narrowed.  He quickly grabbed his own kuhni and raised his hand.  She knew she spoke too soon, he did hate her and just wanted her dead.  Her people were going to die, weren’t they?  This would be the perfect scenario after all.  He could say she died during combat and was too far away from him to help.  The sound of the small knife flying past her ear, then the grunt and choking of another person before the sound of their collapse sounded behind her.  Quickly putting his hands on her shoulders and making her look into his eyes he asked,

“Are you alright, Zanbaq?”

She didn’t respond.  There was blood on her hands.  All she could register was the deep scarlet red covering her.  She….. she had…..quickly stood up.  She didn’t even notice the name he called her.

“W-we have to go now or else we will be late and we will be punished for our tardiness.  Neither of us want that.”

His eyes were focused again and back into his normal scowl.

“Right.  Let's go.  Do you have the drive we came for?”

She merely nodded and began to quickly run to the pick up spot with Damian right next to her.  Silence followed, deep forbording silence.  She knew Tikki would be disappointed.  She would probably hate her now.  She wasn’t worthy to wield her anymore, she took two lives tonight, and for what?  To save the boy who’s been trying to kill her since they started training together?  Then again, he had saved her tonight.  That was probably out of honor or duty since she saved him. Yea, he didn’t actually care for her, it’s just in her head.

Damian took quick glances at her.  Her eyes were no longer the bright blue they had been.  They were darker and glazed over.  The first death is the worst one, but she’ll get used to it.  She has to if she’s going to make it.  He’ll make sure she’ll make it.  He’s not letting the only person who understands him and his situation go that easily.  He’ll need her to lead both his and her people after all.  That’s it.  Nothing else.  He just wants to rule her people.

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She hated herself, she was disgusted with herself.  After everything Tikki and the guardians had taught her, and yet she still…… she didn’t want to, but he was about to hurt Damian.  She could still see and feel the blood on her hands no matter how much she scrubbed.  Damian didn't seem fazed by it.  He had done it many times before, it didn’t matter to him.  Tikki stared into her soul and knew that the young girl had not wanted to do it, she knew she was forced to, but her soul was now tainted.  That didn’t stop her from being able to wield her though, she was a soul that emanated creation after all.

Damian seemed to be a little more gentle during training for a few days, but he still made sure that they fought hard enough that the instructors couldn’t tell.  A week later they were back at it full force, neither holding back.  One week was too long already for her to recover here, she had to be strong and get used to it.

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She was 8 when she was shoved down to her knees on the floor in front of Ra’s Al Ghul.  She stayed still, she knew never to show weakness, it was beaten into her, literally.  Though her body was currently in so much pain she feared moving would only cause more damage.  She had failed, she had failed her assignment, failed her duty, and that was why she was here and in so much pain.

She was tasked with protecting Damian while on their last mission, she was to be his guard.  They were eight, they were expected to assassinate traitors and escapees from the League that they had found congregated together underground.  They had taken out most of them, but she tripped up.  She had fallen and before she could be stabbed Damian had pushed her away taking the hit.  There was a dagger in his stomach, she stared in horror before she got up and quickly ended the fight taking the ones who had not fled out quickly and efficiently while pressing an emergency button she had been given.  Tears fell down her face as she quickly picked up Damian and ran out of the underground bunker they had fought in.  She couldn’t lose him, she refused to let him die!  They had been joined at the hip for nearly three years and even if they had an ongoing rivalry it didn’t mean she didn’t care for him.  She cared for him way too much for it to be acceptable in the League of Assassins.  She had hated him in the beginning, but she had learned that it was just his nature.  He was stubborn and prideful, but he also cared about what others thought.  He will never show it, never say anything, but she could see it in his eyes when Talia or Ra’s praised him vs. when they scold him.  All he wanted was acceptance, and she did accept him, every annoying and stupid bit.  He was loyal, faithful, and always kept his word, and that’s what she liked most about him.

As she brought him out of the bunker she saw all of the ex-leaguers that tried to escape scattered along the ground, pools of red blotting and dancing everywhere like paint on a canvas.  Talia stood staring at her as she rushed to the plane where medics awaited.  She handed him to the medics when Talia called,

“What happened, Marianne?”

Talia said in a stern voice that was short and cold.  Marianne froze, she knew this would not be good.  She turned with a face and voice void of all emotion.  Her eyes were still red from tears though.

“I tripped when I was about to take out a target, Damian pushed me away and took the blow I was to receive for my failure.  I quickly ended the traitor's life along with his comrades that stayed to help him.”

There was a glint in her eyes that quickly disappeared, but she saw it and knew what it was.  Talia was furious that she had failed her job, and now Damian was greatly injured.  It was a forewarning that she would not go unpunished for this grievous mistake.

So here she was, on her knees in front of Ra’s Al Ghul ready to beg for her life.  She had already been beaten by Talia and other high ranking assassins for her error, she had been denied food and given little water.  She was bruised and bloodied, she knew some bones were broken, she was hungry, and she was deeply afraid.  She would never show it though, she would never show that she was weak, especially in front of Ra’s.

Ra’s bent down and lifted her head up to look at him and spoke with a deep thunderous voice,

“I hope you have learned your lesson.  I never want this mistake repeated or else your people will be destroyed.  Understand?”

“Yes, Demon Head.”

She said strongly, staring into his sharp deadly eyes even though all she wanted to do was look away.  He nodded before he pushed her aside silently telling her she was dismissed.

“Excellent.  Return to your quarters.  I expect you to be ready for your training tomorrow on time.”

“Yes, Demon Head.”

She repeated as she slowly picked herself up and walked to her chamber, which was next door to Damian’s.  She looked over at his door, guilt and self loathing gnawing at her as she failed her task and almost got the boy she deeply cared for killed.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Damian sitting up on her bed sharpening his katana in his traditional arabic night robes.  He quickly looked up when the door opened and saw the battered state Marianne was in.  Slowly he got up and walked toward her.  She closed her eyes and readied herself for more hits from him and insults on how useless she was.  How she failed to protect him and wasn’t worthy of him.  What she wasn’t expecting however was for the awkward hug that Damian initiated.  She was completely shocked that the heir to the Demon Head was doing such a thing.

“What did they do to you?”

He whispered, pulling away and gently touched a bruise on her head.  She did her best not to flinch away, but he felt her flinch and quickly moved his hand away from her and gently onto her shoulders.

“I was taught never to fail you again.”

Was her quiet response as she stared into his deep green eyes.  His eyes darkened and his jaw tensed in silent rage.  She looked so small and innocent, but her eyes held too much for her to ever truly be innocent again.  She was just 8-years-old, she shouldn’t be like this.

“I’m sorry Damian, I should have been more careful.  I should have been the one to take the hit, not you.”

Damian silently stared at her.  She waited for a retort, an agreement, even a scolding.  Her eyes started to tear up at the images, the memories of Damian lying there in his blood with a dagger protruding from his abdomen.

“I’m sorry.”

She said again, voice weak and fragile.  She knew that he would probably mock her, but she just couldn’t help it.  She was scared that the boy that she has grown so fond of had been so close to death, and it was her fault for failing him.

“Shhh, don’t cry Malak.  It wasn’t your fault.  I thought he was going to kill you, so I had to stop them.  I’m the one who pushed you, if it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine.”

He muttered as he gently wiped a tear from her face.  She was shocked.  He didn’t blame her?  Why didn’t he, it was her fault for failing, everyone said it was.  For two days all anyone said was that it was her fault that the Demon’s Heir’s wound were her fault and no one else’s.  She was about to voice her opinion when he covered her mouth with his hand.

“Don’t argue, it was I who leaped in.  Do not fault yourself.”

She just nodded knowing arguing would get them nowhere.

“Where is Tikki or Master Fu, they should be able to help heal you, correct?”

She nodded slowly limping walking to her dresser and grabbing a pair of earrings before putting them in.  When she did, the small kwamii flew out and gave each of them a sorrowful smile.

“Let's get you both healed up.”

Tikki said flying around them and with gentle touches slowly healing most of their wounds.  Not all of them could be completely healed, many had to heal on their own but they would be boosted by the magic.  After both thanked her Tikki flew to her little spot in the room and stayed there away from sight.

“W-will you stay tonight?”

Marianne asked cautiously.  Damian gave her a calculating look before nodding and sitting on the bed.  Slowly she joined him and sat next to him.  She gently leaned her head against his shoulder while both sat up on the bed, feet hanging off the side, unable to touch the ground.  They didn’t do this often as it was frowned upon to be this close in the league.  But these were their quiet moments.  Their little time to finally relax and let themselves be.  Their rivalry wasn’t as violent as it was before, they watched each other’s back, but it was still there.

“I think I care for you too much.”

Marianne whispered.  She felt his arm gently wrap around her shoulders as he leaned his head atop hers.

“I think I fret about you too much as well, Malak.”

She smiled gently, it may have been a weird and awkward way to say they liked each other, but they did it, and things would be fine.

“If you keep calling me that, I'll call you Gēzi.”

She said jokingly.  He gave her a small minuscule smile and replied,

“It is suitable.”

They stayed in silence and just enjoyed the other's presence while they leaned on the other.  She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she closed her eyes and all she saw was darkness.  When Tikki awoke her she was tucked into her bed with no one else around.  Training started soon, she would need to get ready now.

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They were 9-years-old when the ceremony took place.  They were supposed to be sealed together at the age of twelve, but the guardians felt that they needed to have it as soon as possible.  The Guardians and League members waited in eager anticipation for the betrothal to finally come to pass.

{Thank you CyberGeist the CD (Character Design) Deity for the outfits!!!}

She wore a scarlet dress that was cut like a Chinese dress, but fell like an Arabian one. The top was two layers tucked over one another held in place on the right by two dragon shaped clasps. The skirt fell to the ground and trailed several feet behind her, the entire edge and train embroidered with gold Chinese dragons highlighted in blue and silver twined around Arabic lettering, the swirling symbols spelling out the word for ‘Dragon's Head’. That is what she and Damien were after all the son of the demon, and the daughter of the dragon.  The dress was high collared, but clasped over it was a tight gold choker style necklace hiding the red collar from view. The necklace was thick stretching from her collarbone to just below her chin, and etched along the bottom of it were more dragons in black. Her hair was tied up in a complicated braid knot at the base of her neck, held in place by the Al Ghul's Gift to the dragons. A dragon comb forged from rose gold and embedded by milky clouded white jade. She wore simple gold studs in her ears and her face was shrouded by a sheer red veil. The gold embroidered sleeves fell from her shoulders and hung loose and long over her hands.  She wore a bracelet of roses made of iron for strength, steel for wit, silver for speed, and gold for elegance across her wrist. They slid against one another as she stepped forward a high ringing sound like ancient bells rising with every step she took.

Damian’s robes were also a mix of Chinese and Arab culture.  His robes were a high collared mid thigh length tunic in scarlet red with gold and blue dragons spiraling across the back, down the sleeves, and stopping at the armpits giving the tunic the look of a robin red breast though the chest was in black instead of red. Loose black pants that cinched at the ankle peeked from beneath the tunic, the ankles embroidered with gold and red scales.  Symbols in the language of the guardians danced across the tunic and wrapped in the dragon detailing spelled out ‘Demon’s Head’ in golden thread.

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Before the official ceremony Grand Guardian Chen and Grand Master Fu sat with Talia and Ra’s Al Ghul on one side of the table.  Damian stood on the right while Marinette stood on the left on the opposite side of the table preparing the ceremonial tea.  Together they kneeled down and poured the Tsao Chün into the delicate cups.  First Damian poured the tea into Talia’s cup then Marinette poured the tea.  Marinette gently took the saucer the cup was on and bowed as she handed it to Talia while both quietly and respectfully said,

“Please drink the tea.”

The same actions were taken in order, Ra’s, Grand Master Fu, and finally Grand Guardian Chen.  All sat quietly as they drank their tea until they had all finished.  When all were done the guardians pulled out a red envelope and handed it to the young couple.  When they opened it there were a pair of red and black spotted earrings and a jade ring that had been enchanted to strengthen and heal the wearer.

“It is time for the ceremony, follow your mother Damian, and follow Master Fu, Marianne.”

Ra’s said as he stood and made his way out of the room.  Each silently nodded and followed who they were told to to where the ceremony was to be held.  Both followed with neutral expressions as they walked towards the altar from opposite sides.  Ra’s and Grand Guardian Chen were the ones to conduct the ceremony.  They each gave a speech about the alliance of the two organizations and the honor and glory it would bring to each of them.  There was a piece of parchment paper that laid on the altar with a fountain pen, but no ink.

When Ra’s and Grand Guardian Chen had finished their speeches Damian and Marianne were told to lift their right hands and make a cut.  They then picked up the fountain pen dipping it into the blood on their hands and signed the contract.  They were then told to let their blood drop into the goblet which held water from the Lazarus Pits.  They both gripped the goblet with their cut hands and let the Grand Guardian wrap a braided cloth around their bloodied hands and the goblet as the guardian spoke the vows of unity and sealing.  The Grand Guardian then explained the symbolism of the bindings before telling both of them to drink from the cup.  Damian let her go first letting her sip the magically binding waters.  It was a strange sensation really.  At first her body burned with pain, but it soon felt strengthened and she felt better than she had before.  After she had taken a sip their hands moved towards him as he sipped the water, the same effect overcoming him except it didn’t affect him as much as he had been fed the water of the pits since he was a younger child.

There was a bright green glow that came from the goblet and a burning feeling in their chest where their hearts were when it was placed back on the altar.  Both Damian and Marianne felt the new bond form and knew they were now eternally connected.  There was a sense of forbidding that came with the comfort of connection.  It only grew worse with the next words spoken but they weren’t too worried,

“Now sealed, if one were to betray the other, they shall die.  Their souls now bound will bring peace to our people and will strengthen our resolve!”

Cheers sounded throughout the room as their hands were untied and their wounds wrapped before they turned and faced the crowd.  The Order of the Guardians and The League of Shadows would be enemies no more.  They were now a powerful alliance that would always aid the other when asked to.  They shared a small glance and smile with the other, now they were together and no one could ever separate them.

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They were 10 when Slade attacked.  Ra’s was showing Damian what he would one day inherit while she stayed behind him by Ra’s command.  They were ten when they fought as hard as they could trying to stay as close as they could to the other.  They were ten when they were separated during battle and unable to get to the other.  They were ten when Talia told Damian she was dead and he now had to live with his father until Slade was taken care of because he refused to leave without her.  He was silent after the news and followed his mother silently as his eyes glazed over void of any emotion just like he was trained.

They were ten when Master Fu told Marianne that Damian was dead and she had to flee for her own safety when she refused to leave without her betrothed.  She was devastated by the news and blamed herself for not protecting him.  She felt like she was 7 again.  She was miserable, scared, and full of self loathing.  She ran as fast as she could knowing that she would be killed for her failure to protect him.  She had killed for him, and now it didn’t matter, because she would never see him again.  At least, not in this life.  She couldn’t cry, not yet.  She would get frostbite if she cried while running through the mountains.  She had to get to a safe space first, but what even was a safe space if Damian wouldn’t be there?

She clutched the fist with the ring Damian had given to her while they were in private.  He said it was a dowry gift from him to her.  It was a black band with small thin vines and leaves that curved throughout the ring and was spaced out leaving small holes that thinned out on the edges of the ring until it was solid around the bottom.  In the middle was a small red ruby with thin outlines of petals that surrounded and held the jem in place. She often wore it around her neck for training, but she had worn it on her finger while she watched him or others train.  As she descended the mountain she swore she would never go anywhere without it.  It was her last physical reminder of him, not including the scars from their time sparring together.

Marianne now lived in Paris, France under the guise of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  Master Fu had given her to a relative of his under the story of how he is not able to financially support her, but still wanted to be in her life.  It had worked, and she had been told to act shy, clumsy, and sweet to everyone.  To her this was all just another game of pretend.  Pretend to be happy, pretend she liked pink, pretend her name was something else; though it was similar it wasn’t hers, pretend she wasn’t a weapon of precision and perfection, pretend she was bubbly, pretend she didn’t have the blood of hundreds on her hands, pretend she was ok just another dumb child who didn’t know anything, and pretend that the love of her life was not dead.  She hated it, but she would not disobey her orders, she would not dishonor her master with disobedience because she was in an unappealing predicament that would only be temporary until the League or Guardians called upon her once again.  And it worked, no one ever questioned her, well almost no one.

Tom and Sabine had sent her to school after about two weeks of living with them.  Her école élémentaire wasn’t terrible, she was at least able to move up a grade.  While she was supposed to be in fifth grade they had moved her up into sixth grade.  She had already learned and mastered everything that they were teaching her, but no one could know that.  So, while it grated on her nerves she purposely made mistakes to make it look like she was still learning a concept.  During recess she would watch the other children play and she had met a rich girl named Chloe.  Chloe had been studying the new girl curiously, she couldn’t understand her.  Her eyes screamed fiercely and annoyed when a teacher talked to her when she got something wrong, but they always seemed to change to embarrassed and shy when the teacher looked up at her.  Then there was the way she spoke, her every word was perfect as was her accent, but then she would stutter or “forget” a word as if she hadn’t been speaking exquisitely before.  Finally, it was the tripping.  She walked with practiced grace, sometimes it looked as if she were walking on air, but then she would just fall.  It looked almost practiced, of course to anyone who hasn’t been studying people since the day they were born it looked as if she were just shy, clumsy, and forgetful with great determination.  But Chloe was the daughter of a famous fashion designer and a politician.

She had been watching, studying, and learning about people since she could walk.  She knew this girl was not what others made her out to be and could either be her greatest ally or her worst enemy.  She decided allie would be the best option, that way if something ever happened to her she might just have the best defense.  So she approached the blue-black haired girl with a gift.  A set of special colored pencils, because all that girl did was draw in class.

“Chloe Bourgeois.”

Was all she said as she held out the 15 set and stared her in the eye with an intense gaze that showed she would not run or turn back.  Marinanne stared back just as intensely.  It looked as if the girl were staring into her soul, but she would not back down and lose this ally.  After about a minute of just staring the girl smiled and took the gift.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

The blonde smiled as she retracted her hand and motioned for her other friend to step forward next to her.  Though others may think she just uses Sabrina, she felt as if she was protecting her from people like Kim who often made fun of her glasses or her sweater vests.  She would pull the girl aside and call her name when she noticed her feeling uncomfortable.  After all she wore the vest because she wanted to be like her mom and that’s who she wanted to be like.  Chloe could respect that as she dressed like her mom and wore her mother’s sunglasses everyday.

“This is Sabrina Raincomprix.”

“Hello!”

Sabrina chirped happily as she stuck her hand out.  Dupain-Cheng smiled and shook her hand giving a small ‘nice to meet you.’  Chloe continued to watch their interaction and how the new girl acted around the excited redhead.  After a few minutes of watching watched as the ravenette became more and more genuine, but never let her guard down for even a second.  It was interesting really, how relaxed she looked as if this was a natural occurrence.  But if you looked close enough you could see the tension in her shoulders even if it was barely visible, you could hear the slight pauses as if she didn’t know what she was doing, and you could see the ever so slight hesitation in her eyes instead of the bright sure eyes she tried to put on.  It was as if she was waiting for something to happen, something neither of them could understand or know of.  After a few more minutes of watching Chloe interrupted them,

“Sabrina and I were going to go get our nails painted today after school, would you like to join us?”

“Yea you should totally come, Marinette!  It would be so much fun!”

Sabrina said, taking her hand and bouncing excitedly.  Chloe continued to observe and saw how Marinette slightly stiffened at the physical touch but only smiled and didn’t remove her hand.  So she doesn’t like physical touch, but she won’t stop it if it seems friendly, Chloe found that interesting.

“Sure, I’ll have to ask my parents first though.”

Was her answer with a bright smile.  The bell rang and they followed their teacher back to class as Sabrina talked about how happy she was she agreed and told about designs she had gotten before.  The more Sabrina talked about designs the more Dupain-Cheng's smile grew.  She liked the design, Chloe stored it away for information she would review later.  She felt she had started to gain a very important ally, and she was proud of it.

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Two years later

Neither the League or the Guardians had called her back yet.  Master Fu said it was because something was about to happen here in Paris and that she had to be ready.  She had started wearing the Ladybug miraculous and was able to continue learning from Tikki.  She felt Tikki’s luck course through her, but she did have to take them off as the black cat had not been activated yet and balance must be maintained.  She was starting her first year of Collegé, and while she was excited to spend time with Chloe and Sabrina, she really didn't want to go through the pain of relearning everything she already knows for another year.  Chloe and Sabrina were the only good part of her school days, Sabrina was fiercely loyal to a fault and also very deceptive when needed to be.  Chloe was an analyzer, she studied her oop aunts and found ways to neutralize them.  She was blunt, sassy, and if you got under the snob she was very fun and dramatic.  The rest of the class, while most smart, were just too much and just didn’t understand.  She had met another person through Chloe, a blonde named Adrien.

They were friends, but she didn’t trust them as much as Chloe and Sabrina because of the way he acted when he was in public or around his father.  Call her a hypocrite, but he acts too much for her to completely trust him.  In the public eye he is sweet, shy, and a perfect model who never does anything wrong.  In front of his father he is silent, he is a pleaser and a follower, he seeks after what he’ll never have and refuses to believe the truth.  When it’s just the four of them he is mischievous, he makes terrible puns, he acts the complete opposite as the last two.  Though she does trust him to a degree, she can’t not trust him to stand up for himself or fight for others when in public.  Chloe had said he was supposed to join them at school this year, so maybe he’ll learn to grow a backbone this year.  Though as the bell rang and Chloe stared sadly at the empty spot she could tell he wasn’t coming.

She had wanted to sit with Chloe but Sabrina had asked if she could sit with Chloe this year because Marinette had last year.  Though she didn’t want to, she smiled brightly and agreed, moving to sit with the new girl in the desk above and diagonal to Chloe and Sabrina’s desk.

“Hi, I’m Alya!”

“Marinette!”

Marianne replied with a fake bright smile.  She held out a hand and let Alya shake it.

“Why do you hang out with her?  She seemed like one of those rude blondes you see in movies.”

Marianne wanted to roll her eyes.  The girl was a stereotyper.  She judged before she got to know someone.  While this would be annoying it would also make it easier to get others to believe her act because she was also someone who was able to gather people.

“She’s nicer than she looks once you get to know her.”

“Huh.  Well, what are your hobbies? I want to be a reporter and be just like Louis Lane!”

She said pointing to herself with a confident smile.  She was assertive, she could easily convince people and was far too trusting.  Must be part of the higher middle class.

“Really?  Have you written any blogs or reports?”

Marianne asked deflecting, giving out any personal information while gaining more about the new girl to see whether or not she was a threat or not.  The girl then went on about the things she’s written and was about to pull out her phone when the teacher finally walked into the class.  The girl was very näive and one-sided, she looked at the world through rose filtered lenses.  Marianne sighed and looked at the clock and noticed the teacher was about ten minutes late which showed how prudent this year would be.

The incompetent teacher prattled on throughout class about what she expected and about the things that they would do and learn throughout the year.  Though she obviously didn’t care that people were already breaking her “rules” because some of the students wouldn’t stop talking and they didn’t even try to be quiet.  As soon as class ended an angry gruff voice shouted at another student.  She didn’t bother to turn and look, she really didn’t care too much about the class even if she had to pretend to.  The teacher yelled and accused one of the students without asking for the full story from both sides and just sent the one she thought was the main problem to the principal’s office.

She had felt the active power of a lost miraculous in the hands of evil for a few days now and was tapping her finger anxiously against her earrings as the dreadful feeling grew stronger by the minute meaning that it was active and something bad was soon to happen.

She knew that Slade had tried to attack the monastery after a report that one of the guardians had sent to Master Fu, but they had said that he hadn’t been able to gain access to anything inside because of all of the enchantments and protection spells it was surrounded in.  She was now worried that he had somehow broken through the barriers and had found out where she was hiding and was coming to end her and finish what he started by killing Damian and Ra’s.  It wasn’t until her second period that everything connected as a giant rock monster burst into the classroom looking for a student named Kim.

When she saw the monster and who it was after she breathed a sigh of relief knowing this was a sign of Slade’s failure and that he had not taken or found a miraculous.  DeathStroke would have made something much worse and deadly if he had access to the Butterfly miraculous and it would not be after Kim, it would be searching for her or whoever he was currently after if it wasn’t her.  But still, the order had lost two miraculi if she remembered correctly.   Master Fu said he had lent two of them out during WWII, but the people he had lent them to had disappeared and the jewels disappeared with them.  Someone must have found them and decided that it would be a great idea to abuse ancient magic.  Great.  She internally groaned as the girl she had sat next to raced out of her seat to follow the giant monster without any care for her personal safety.  Knowing her duties as Tikki’s chosen, she finally called on her transformation and became Lady Rouge, soon to be protector and savior of Paris.

{CyberGeist the CD (Character Design) Deity}

Her hair was pulled back in a half crown braid intertwined with red ribbons that trailed through the rest of her dark blue tresses and down her back. She wore a red crop top with slit puffed sleeves that tapered at her elbows where black bandages were wrapped down her forearms and around her palms leaving her fingers free, but protected her knuckles from particularly hard punches. The crop top had a black hood that she would pull up to further disguise her masked face. She wore a black domino mask across her eyes, and beneath the crop top she wore a skin tight black suit with veins of red running in neat clinical rows up the inside and outside of her leg and forming a sort of square around her knees. Red boots with twin red blades carefully embedded in their sides by magic and paired with a red yo-yo round her waist like a belt completed the outfit. Her ladybug outfit had changed much from the simple design every ladybug started with, and Tikki admitted her design was much more fierce than most ladybugs. Still it reminded Marianne of both her homelands and it was HER suit not anyone else's, so it should fit her needs not those of another.

————————-

She ran across the rooftops skillfully as she assessed the damage and followed it to the stadium.  She noticed another figure hopping over the roofs, they were sloppy and clearly untrained.  She didn’t have time for him to catch up as the sounds of gunshots sounded in the distance.  She grabbed her yo-yo from her side and threw it towards the large structure before tugging on the yo-yo and swinging there quickly.  As she landed on the top she noticed that she had made it before the monster and quickly cleared out the field as the stone-being broke the walls and stormed in.  She crouched down into a fighting stance glancing around the stadium to quickly observe and take note of her surroundings when her counterpart dropped in.  She gave him a side look taking him into account as they began to dodge attacks.  She quickly noticed that the monster never opened one of its hands and knew that’s where the Akuma must be.  She landed on one of the stands and observed the cat as he fought.  He didn’t have the greatest training, but she could tell that he had some.  The way he fought showed that he was a fencer, he was not a great strategist, more of a showsman, he had potential though.  If she trained him then he would be able to fight and hold himself better in a fight like this.

She looked over and sighed as she saw Alya peak out with her phone out recording the scene.  Quickly calling for her Lucky Charms, she was able to find the fastest solution.  The cat had been hit back after he hit the stone-being, only for it to grow bigger and stronger.  He called upon his Cataclysm and touched the soccer net turning it to ash.  How stupid was this person?  Did he even listen to Plagg?!  Silently landing behind the boy she picked him up, throwing him into the monster’s hand.  He yelled and screamed in protest.  She then threw Alya at the monster making it open it’s hand to catch her.  Then quick as a shadow she grabbed the object and crushed it under her foot releasing the corrupted butterfly.  In the books the guardian’s had made her read the butterfly was always golden and beautiful, but this butterfly was corrupted in evil and malice and was a sickly purple-black.  She quickly caught the creature in her yo-yo, purifying it before releasing it back into the world.  She then picked up the object she had been given and threw it into the air calling out ‘miraculous ladybug’ as she did so watching as it reversed all of the damage.

The boy stood up and walked towards her.  Now that the fight was over she could properly observe him and take note of what he wore.  His suit was strange and seemed to be made of pure black leather with a tail belt, cat ears, and a large useless gold bell around his neck.  The bell showed that he was not free, he was held back by something, and until he found a way to rid himself of whatever it was it would stay there.  His mask was made of the same black material and it covered past his eyebrows to the top of his nose with dark green feline slitted pupils.  It was nothing like Damian’s suit when he had dawned it a few times to keep balance when she trained since his soul and Plagg’s bonded together nicely.  Before he could say anything the reporter girl shoved her way up to them phone out and in their faces.  Chat smiled politely obviously used to this while Lady Rouge pushed the phone away.

“Hello, I’m Alya!  Ahhhh wow, I can’t believe I’m meeting real heros!”

Alya squealed.  Marianne had to resist the urge to cover her ears in annoyance.

“What are your names?  How did you get your powers?  What just happened?  What was with all of the ladybugs that flew around?  Do you know each other outside the masks?  Do you know what caused this?!”

Alya continued excitedly with her never ending questions.  Marianne heard her earrings beep and scowled.

“Enough!”

She demanded silencing the girl.

“I’m Lady Rouge, and that’s it.  Don’t bother us while we work and leave our personal lives alone.  It’s called a secret identity for a reason, let’s keep them that way.”

Was all she said before pulling out her yo-yo and zipping away.  Chat stared after her nervously, he was pretty scared of that girl.  Though as Alya stared all she saw was Chat Noir watching after in a love sick manner. He turned back to the camera and smiled.

“I’m Chat Noir.”

Was all he was able to get out before his ring beeped out that he only had two minutes left.  He gave a quick salute before leaving.  Alya looked over at Ivan as he sorrowfully clutched a piece of paper in his hand and went over to go check on him.  She looked at it and tried to reassure and encourage him, helping him to feel better.  School had been canceled for the day, so they simply went home after the event.

————————-

The next day Adrien came rushing into school and booked it to the classroom Chloe told him he would be in.  He looked like he had just run from the devil himself.  He had a victorious smile on his face as he panted bent down with his hands on his knees.

“You look winded Adrien.  What did you do?”

She asked with a raised brow.  He smile grew into a smirk as he said,

“Disobeyed father and ran to school.”

Marinette gasped in mock shock, placing a hand to her chest.

“Adrien, you didn’t!  That would mean that you could get in trouble.”

She began playing the concerned friend.  Horror danced in her eyes with concern lacing her voice.  While internally she was relieved he finally retaliated against the man, she had to pretend to be scared of.

“He might say I’m a bad influence and not let me visit anymore.”

Adrien gave her a small smile and said,

“Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen.  Besides, Chloe would find a way to sneak you in anyways.”

Just as he said that Chloe glided into the classroom and when her eyes landed upon the blonde she jumped on him giving him a big hug.  As the two began to talk Alya elbowed Marinette in the side and it took everything in her not to grab and painfully twist her arm.  She jumped and turned to look at her with wide startled eyes.  The girl had a giant smirk on her face as she wiggle her brows.

“What?”

She asked innocently.

“You totally have a crush on him, don’t you girl?”

“What?!  No, he really isn’t my type.”

“Uuuhuu.”

Alya said, her smirk growing wider as her eyes twinkled in delight.

“Don’t worry gurl, I’ll find a way to set you two up.”

“That really won’t be necessary.”

She began only to be cut off by the teacher who again came in late, by about five minutes this time.  Class began and went on for about thirty minutes when the stone-being came in once again but instead of grabbing Kim went for Chloe and Mylene.  Alya once again jumped out of her seat and ran straight after the Akuma.  She sighed and ran out after her, only going in a different direction.  She had also noticed Adrien sneaking off into the locker rooms.  As she ran she noticed that the monster was now able to shoot lasers from its eyes and turn people into a stone army.  She hid in an alleyway and made sure no one was around her before she transformed.

Once in her suit she shot out and went towards the scene.  She noticed that Chat had already been captured by one of the beings and Alya was trapped behind a car.  She sighed in exhaustion as she jumped down and picked up Chat’s staff.l that had been left in the road.  She used her yo-yo to pull back the car and let Alya out.  Before Alya could reach for her fallen phone again Lady Rouge kicked it away and demanded,

“Get to safety, and don’t follow if you want to stay alive.”

She then ran after the rock monster that held Chat captive and ducked under the hand extending the staff through its fist for Chat to grab.  Chat was able to get a hold of it and shrink it so that he could turn and extend it sideways, opening the being’s hand so he could escape.

“Thanks for the save Rouge.”

“Don’t mention it Chat, let’s go I saw the main one was headed for the Eiffel Tower.”

He nodded and both started their run.  She watched as he extended the staff and used the momentum to push himself off the ground so he could soar before he re-extended it and repeated the motion.  He also wore a more serious face as he looked around and saw all of the destruction surrounding them.  If you looked close enough at one of the buildings where rubble lay blocking buildings and streets there was a hand sticking out.  She looked back at the cat and saw the burning determination in his green eyes.  Maybe she had misjudged him, it seems he’s a fast learner, and maybe he talked with his Kwami so he realized the seriousness of the situation.  Maybe he would be a good partner after all.  She would have to take a better look at his aura first.  She should have done that at the beginning but she had to focus on the mission.  The mission is the most important thing and if she fails she will bring dishonor to both the League and the Order, and she would rather die than dishonor her teachers and Master.

She threw her yo-yo harder and faster, quickly swinging away towards the Eiffel Tower just in time to catch Chloe who was flying in the air towards the ground.  The police were saying something condescending, she couldn’t tell what it was though too focused on the large monster spasming on the tower, it was probably something about how they failed and weren’t actually needed when they clearly were.  Chat soon landed beside her as the giant stone-being fell backwards and thousands of purple butterflies filled the sky above as they molded themselves into a face.  She quickly pulled out her yo-yo and started recording as he spoke in hopes of matching his voice with the ones around Paris for evidence.

“I am Hawkmoth, and it is because of you Lady Rouge and Chat Noir that this misfortune has befallen this city.  Give me your miraculi and all the misfortune you have caused will no longer exist and all will be well.”

While he continued his villain monologue and guilt trip she climbed up the tower and stopped him in the middle.  Why do all villains start speeches?  She couldn’t tell you how many people she had been able to kill because instead of fighting they started monologuing.  It was a weakness and it gave their opening an opening to strike.

“Look, I don’t understand the whole villain monologue thing or how it’s even necessary, but I guess it’s my turn.”

She began exasperated,

“So listen here whatever your name is.”

“It’s Ha-“

She glared at the face quickly shutting it up.

“I’ve dealt with worse things than you.  I’ve done things you don’t want to think about.  You think you scare me?  You think you can guilt me into submission?  You think you're all powerful?  Well guess what, you are just another power hungry, stupid, cowered that holds power you don’t even understand.  Be warned, there will be backlash, and when it’s time, I will watch you suffer and feel nothing.”

There was a long silence where nothing happened because everyone was in shock.  She used this to her advantage and quickly caught all of the akumas in her yo-yo before calling out a promise to the city.

“Chat Noir and I will protect you.  We will not fail the trust you will put in us.  I swear it on my honor and life.”

Before releasing the now pure white butterflies into the sky.  Chat stared at the girl in awe and horror.  Her eyes showed that they knew more than any normal person ever should.  They were dangerous and could scare death himself.  He felt the urge to protect her, not in a romantic sense, but in a more brotherly sense.  She had gone through things he couldn’t and he didn’t want to fathom, so he would protect her so she wouldn’t have to go through more of that pain. He didn’t know what she went through, but he wanted to be there for her and help her through it.

The monster rose up from where it had fallen and let out a loud roar.  Chat quickly shot his staff up and rose to where Lady Rouge stood ready to fight by her side.  Lady Rouge called on her Lucky Charm and after it appeared in her hands she looked around and saw what she needed to do.  She wrapped her yo-yo around the wrist that held both the object and the civilian then wrapped it around a beam and jumped down having the two kiss.  She didn’t like the plan, it was dumb and weird, but it worked.

The being dropped both the girl and paper in shock.  She unwound her yo-yo and placed the parachute on her back and caught the girl lowering them safely to the ground as Chat grabbed the corrupted object as the stone-being panicked.  He quickly threw it to Lady Rouge who tore it and purified the last Akuma.  The monster then fell on its knees and a cloud of purple washed over him leaving a teenage boy.  She took the parachute off her bag and quickly threw it in the air yelling out ‘miraculous ladybug’.  All the damage was fixed and Chat went to retrieve the boy.

Before any reporter could come up to her she grabbed her yo-yo and swung away.

————————-

“Chloe, why did that stone being try to kill you?”

Marinette said exasperated as she stared at her friend as she casually filed her nails with Sabrina holding her backpack the next day while they were in the halls like she hadn’t almost just died yesterday.

“He was upset over something Kim had said and I, as the amazing and glorious person I am, told him to ignore the idiot and do something that they both enjoyed that would help her understand whatever he felt.  Guess it didn’t work. Yet, it looks like it did.”

She said looking over to the side.  Marinette looked over too and saw Iven and Mylene hugging.  It made her glad that Chloe had somehow helped them.

“Glad you aren’t dead.”

Marianne said gently nudging the girl only to get a scoff and shove back.

“I know you are.  Now, what do you want to tell me?  You look dead yourself, it’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

Marinette let out a small chuckle,

“First, I don’t sleep and you know this.  Second, the new girl is so draining.  All she does is talk about supers, Louis Lane, and how I supposedly have a crush on Adrien.”

Chloe’s brow raised as Sabrina hid a laugh behind her hand.

“That’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!  You always keep at least three feet away from him when you can, and he thinks of you like an older protective sister!  I mean seriously, where did she even get that idea!”

“I don’t know Chlo, I really don’t know.  I just hope it doesn’t spread.”

They started climbing up the stairs and to make sure she stayed in character she made her foot get caught on one of the stairs.  Instead of falling on the metal she felt someone catch her.  She looked up and saw Adrien with a bright smile on his face.

“Thanks.”

“No problem!  Still clumsy as ever, huh Mar?”

She rolled her eyes as Chloe scoffed.  She knew Marinette did this on purpose, she knew it wasn’t for attention, the girl always hid before someone could spotlight her.  She never understood why she did this, but she never really pushed it either.  Adrien carefully put her back on her feet before Marinette responded,

“Yea, sorry about that.  You know me, I just trip over everything.”

Marinette said in a sweet awkward way as she rubbed the back of her neck.

He just smiled and laughed while he ruffled her hair.  She swatted his hand away, annoyed at the action.  Chloe just rolled her eyes and pushed passed them

“Class is about to start, let’s go.”

She said in her annoyed queen voice as she sashayed away towards the class with Sabrina in toe.  They laughed and made their way to the class.  Adrien’s aura felt different, it felt lighter and more welcome than it used to.  Something had changed in his life, and she felt that she could start to trust him a little more.  But she would wait and observe to make sure she was right before she acted.

————————-

Today was the day that she hoped would never come.  It was the day the league had fallen and the day that she had failed to protect her beloved.  She did everything in her power to make it up to the souls she had stolen away, that she failed to save.  It never felt like enough though, she would never be able to do enough for the permanent damage she had done.  So, today she said nothing, talked to no one, and tried to just keep to herself.  She would sketch her love in his wedding robes trying and failing to capture his beauty every time.  (She had even thought of recreating them herself.)  She would never let anyone see the sketches, they were hers and hers alone to see.

“Hey Marinette!”

Adrien called out to her, but she ignored him and kept drawing.  Adrien stared at her with concern filled eyes.  Alya was just confused.  Why would she brush off her crush, she thought in wonder.

“Don’t worry about it, Adrakins.”

Chloe said in an uncharacteristically soft voice,

“She always gets like this today.  She won’t tell me why, the only thing she said is it was the day she failed.  Failed what, I can’t say.”

He gave her a small sad glance and nodded.  In understanding.  He could see it in her eyes, she had lost someone just like he had.  During lunch he quickly took her hand before she left the classroom and said,

“Hey, you don’t have to talk or say anything, I just want you to know you’re not alone.  I lost my mom only two years ago.  I hope you know that if you need a shoulder to lean on, cry on, or just be there; I’m here.  Ok?”

She looked up with a small watery smile and nodded before going emotionless again.  Now that the miraculous of transmutation was in the hands of evil, she couldn’t feel sad or sorry for herself.  She had to be strong.  She wouldn’t let someone take advantage of her again.  Adrien could see how she buried her emotions, it seemed like it was a habit, but from where she would have acquired it he’s not sure.

————————-

She grabbed her bag with the essentials, two white candles, two candle holders, a box of matches, a picture she had drawn of him, a dagger, and some white lilies.  She wore a long black dress with a hood and left out the skylight towards the graveyard.  She had a designated spot for Damian, even if his body wasn’t really there.  It was under a large cherry willow with branches that dropped enough to cover her from the brow of anyone there.  Carefully, almost holely she laid the picture against the tree.  She grabbed the candles and placed the candles in their holders and placed them on both sides of the picture before lighting them.  She placed the dagger against the bottom of the picture where she bowed as she laid the lilies on the ground in front of her makeshift altar.

Silent tears fell and watered the earth around her as she bowed and mourned her beloved.  Throughout the night she would talk to him, telling him about everything that had happened that year like she had done every year after she was told of his death.  She told him that she was trying her best to repent for the wrongs she had done, and that she would make it up to him as well.  She would work as hard as she could in civilian and hero form to make up for everything they were forced to do.

————————-

She hated her classmates.  And yes, all excluding Chloe, Sabrina, and Adrien.  It really wasn’t his fault.  If anything it was Alya’s.  I mean seriously, how rose colored were her lenses, because her plans were absolutely ridiculous.  She is one of the most obsessive people she’s ever met, and that’s saying something because when she is tasked with something she will do everything she is able until it is done, that includes sacrificing her sanity.  Which is currently what she is doing as she is forced to another of the girl’s idea-rants about how she can “confess her feelings for him”.

The girl even took pictures of Agreste and “gifted” them to her along with his freaking schedule!  She feels bad for the guy, people have no sense of privacy nowadays.  She even got the rest of the girls in the class in on it.  It was creepy and highly annoying that no one listened to Marinette and believed she was, “just in denial”.  Marinette always found ways to subtly ruin the plans the other girls made, and sometimes she had to thank Hawkmoth for akumas he sent when she knew she wouldn’t be able to sabotage it without someone noticing, which was rare, but still too often for her tastes.  Chloe and Sabrina were lifesavers too.  It got to the point where she programmed a button on her phone to notify the girls she needed saving and the address she was at.  Chloe and or Sabrina would quickly get her and make up an excuse for why they needed her and drag, literally drag her, away effectively ending her torment.

Adrien had seen some of these events happen and was very confused.  The other girls in the class would talk about it too, they weren’t as quiet as they thought they were.  So when he saw Marinette walking in with a giant coffee cup in hand he asked what it was all about.  Now if Marinette was in the right state of mind he would tell him not to worry about it.  But she was not in a good state of mind as she was running off 6 hours of sleep in the last two weeks and was running purely off of fumes and caffeine.  She had been going over everything she had on Hawkmoth and listening to the voice matches that she had been given.  So, she promised that she’d tell him during movie night.  Adrien knew that she always kept her promises and rarely made them, so she was probably dead on her feet if she promised it.

————————-

“Wait, they really think that you’re in love with me?!”

Adrien said while they were in Chloe’s room watching movies with Kagami, Adrien's girlfriend from fencing.

Adrien had introduced them a few weeks ago and she really liked the girl.  Kagami had challenged her to a duel and she quickly agreed.  It had been awhile since she had had a good spar.  She had kept up on her training never letting herself fall out of practice, she even dueled with Chat, but he was too easy and predictable at times.  She knew Chat was Adrien by their auras, so she wasn’t surprised why Chat had gotten better after Adrien had told her about the new girl in his fencing class.  She enjoyed fighting with Kagami, she was a fun challenge, and she never fought the same way twice.  She was vicious with her attacks, never hesitating in the way she moved.  She was a tactician and a quick thinker.  She studied her opponent and changed her style mid battle to outwit them.  She was a breath of fresh air and she knew that she would be a very valuable ally in the near future.

Marinette sighed in annoyance while drinking a highly caffeinated beverage,

“Yes, and it’s stupid!  You’re more like a younger brother than anything else.  Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?!”

“I don’t know, sorry for all the trouble Mari.”

He said rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“You’re fine, it’s not your fault.”

She said, simply moving her hand in a placating manner.

“I mean seriously though, you told them you have a girlfriend, but they won’t stop scheming on how to get me to out woo her and it’s creepy!”

“It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!  Not to mention they keep dragging you away from me while we’re talking.  They call me a bad influence, but they’re the ones with stalker tendencies.”

Chloe yelled out annoyedly.  Sabrina nodded quickly as she carefully applied nail polish to Chloe’s outstretched hand.

“I can put them in their place if you want Mari-Hime.”

Marinette gave a small sad smile.

“Nah, it’ll be fine.  There’s a change in the air.  Things will be different soon, I can feel it.”

They all nodded, Marinette was a wise soul, so they didn’t question it.  Honestly it scared them how accurate she was sometimes.  For example the month before Hawkmoth came Chloe had noticed Marinette had been more on edge than normal and was more hyper aware.  She had asked what was wrong and Mari had responded that a large evil was coming.  And when asked what it was she answered she didn’t know, but it was of a possessive nature.

“Hey, do you guys mind if I bring a friend to our next meet up?”

Adrien asked out of the blue.  Chloe and Marinette eyed him wearily.  Chloe was the one to ask,

“Depends, who is it?”

“Don’t worry, Kagami has met them with me a few times.  His name is Luka, he’s in M. Arnaud’s class.  He’s a really nice person and really cool!”

Adrien said happily.  Kagami nodded adding,

“He is a very calm and a very nice person.”

They nodded trusting Kagami’s judgement more than Adrien’s when it came to other people.

“If Kagami likes him then I’m sure it's fine.”

Marinette said.  She felt like whoever this Luka was he would be important.

————————-

Lady Honey, Renard Enflammé, Ryuko, Chat Noir, and Lady Rouge sat atop the Eiffel Tower to relax after patrol.  Chat’s ears perked up hearing something in the distance when he sighed in annoyance.

“Why do people not understand that we don’t like each other like couples, m’lady?”

“Probably because you call me that.”

“But it’s just banter!  Honestly, you're like a sister to me, a scary one, but one nonetheless.”

“I don’t know kitty, people are weird and just don’t see us as normal people.  We have suits, training in something, and a mask, so thus we are invincible and not people with normal lives under the mask.  Some see us as weapons, some see us as angels of hope, some see us as something completely different.  But how we see ourselves and us already knowing what we are is what matters.”

“What do you think you are?”

Lady Honey asked with a calm curious voice as she gazed out at the barely visible stars.

“Someone who is trying to make things right and repent.”

Was all Lady Rouge replied.  They looked at her with soft curious eyes, but didn’t question it.  They all had their reasons, they all understood in some way.  The breeze passed over the top of the tower, but it didn’t really affect them.

“The winds of change.  Something big will come soon, so be ready.”

They all nodded and stayed there a little longer enjoying each other's presence before Lady Rouge broke the silence calmly saying,

“We should reveal our identities.”

“What?!”

Everyone basically yelled as they turned their heads to stare at her.  She didn’t move though and just continued to look to the horizon.

“I talked with the Master, he said that I should follow my instincts.  My instincts say it’s time.  You don’t have to if you're not comfortable, but I do know who all of you are.  Yes, even you Chat.”

It was quiet again for a few minutes as they slowly turned to look back at the night sky and shining lights of the city.  After a few minutes of silence quiet murmurs sounded and colorful bright glowing lights fell.  Everyone continued to stare out at the sky not looking at anyone else until Lady Rouge called off hers.  When hers was down they all stared at one another and smiled at each other satisfied with who everyone was.  They didn’t need an explanation, they didn’t need to make a big deal over it, they knew who they were and were proud of each other.  They could now help one another out better and cover for each other, they were family, and they were happy.

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The next year of Collegé Lila Rossi sauntered into the picture.  Her aura radiated deception, a corrupted fox of sorts.  She could tell she had never used the miraculous before, nor was she a match for Trixx if her lies had anything to say about it.  In order to properly wield the fox you must know the truth in order to properly decisive.  Her lies were full of holes, stupid little fairytales that brought people running towards her.  Marinette could have respected her for it, but she didn’t think any of it through.  Her stories were half baked and there wasn’t a reason for what she was doing other than popularity.  If anyone knew the people she talked about and thought to research it, they would find the truth soon enough.  Only problem was no one did, not even Alya who always talked about fact checking after the whole Lady WiFi incidents. She, as Lady Rouge, had told her to back off and stop following her around because she didn’t talk to reporters or do interviews.  She then posted her theory about how one of their other schoolmates in their art period must be Lady Rouge.  The person was not happy about this as people kept spamming them with questions and threatened to sue Alya if she didn’t take it down.  Alya got upset and long story short, she was an annoying Akuma.

She always knew Alya was a follower.  She stared at the annoying girl with glasses as she ate up every word the Rossi girl spoke.  The only thing she thanked Rossi for was taking those weird girls in her class away from her.  They all thought Marinette was jealous of Lila because of all of her amazing adventures and connections.  Funny thing was, she was actually the one with the connections because, you know, she works and designs for the famous people that Lila claims to know.  Funny thing is that they know she designs for a few of them, but it seems they just forgot, which made her wonder if Lila was a meta or not.  The way everyone believed her, even if they knew the person, but didn’t exactly KNOW them.  She also lied about knowing her hero ID, and that was a big no in her book.  First it made her a target in many different ways, not just by Hawkmoth.  Second she refused to let the name she worked so hard for be tarnished by a liar just to impress Adrien!  So yes, maybe she was a little rash and harsh when she publicly confronted the brat, but that’s how she was to everyone else in mask too, so really it wasn’t that strange.  She had also thrown away an ancient grimoire, a lost ancient grimoire that apparently belonged to Gabriel Agreste.  So yea, she felt she had the right to be spiteful towards the idiotic ignorant sausage-haired harlot.  She couldn’t care less about what Lila thought of her, now she would know not to mess with or lie about her.

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Lila left and sadly all the weird girls flocked back to her dragging her back into their crazy schemes.  Thankfully she now had Luka and Kagami to help bale her out as well, and when Adrien would notice her and she gave the ‘I don’t want to be here’ sign, he quickly “checked his phone” and ran and hid so the others thought he had left and they gave up for the day.  Kwamii she loved her team.

Lila had been gone for about three months with video chats from “different places around the world” every other week.  She did really well setting things up to make it look real, but she could tell that it was fake as she was “in front of famous landmarks” and absolutely no noise or visitors were there other than Rossi herself. Then she came back to school and once again the girls left her for Lila.  She smiled and sighed in relief.  She was kicked out to the back of the classroom because Lila had a “hearing problem”, but Marianne didn’t mind.  It was easier to tune everything out and easier not to get caught not paying attention.  She was actually thankful for Rossi, she missed the back and was happy to be back there and have peace by herself.

It interested her that Lila was akumatized so often, especially during school hours when everyone treated her like a princess and did every little thing for her.  It felt almost as if she was working with Hawkmoth, which wouldn’t surprise her.  The girl was a psychopath with no remorse or moral code.  She had watched and studied her, she even hacked cameras to be absolutely sure.  And sure enough, as she studied Rossi from the shadows she saw many Akumas get snatched out of the air and saw Lila willingly place them on an object that she currently had on her person.  It thoroughly disgusted her, and it made her interested in her personal file.  So, through less than legal means she hacked into Lila’s file and saw that she had attended many school, many of which had a suicide just before her departure.  Oh, and there’s something about her father in prison for drug smuggling.  Hmmm.

She watched the camera footage from many of the schools and saw Lila corner and bully a certain student, usually it was the smart-popular student. She watched recordings from her forth school and watched her go after a small brunette with lightly tanned skin and hazel eyes.  She watched as the student would be isolated from all of her friends and if the person didn’t join her then they would be bullied and slandered.  She looked up the names of the students and saw a majority of them were no longer living.  It angered her that she felt no remorse or sympathy for what she had done and did it everywhere she went.  Marianne vowed that she would get justice for all of the souls that were taken.

The isolation she got earlier when Lila first arrived changed into something else.  This was a sign that she was supposed to be Rossi’s next victim.  The people in the school around her would glare at her, glance at her then gossip, they would try to trip her in the halls and in the classroom too.  This was too perfect, Rossi thought that she could push Marianne over the edge!  It was hilarious, it was one of the best jokes she had ever heard.  What made it better was when she hacked into Rossi’s phone and saw the texts between her and Hawky.  Apparently they were trying to get poor sweet Marinette to break so he could Akumatize her, because she would be “the most powerful one yet”.  He wasn’t wrong, but it was funny that they thought that this would break her.

She had been put in isolation for two weeks for refusing to kill a fellow student.  She was trapped in a silent cell, no lights, barely any food and water, no noise, no bed or any comfort.  It was just her, the floor, and darkness, not even an animal was there.  She felt as if she had almost gone mad, but she had made it.  She had always hated long silences after that, it made her nervous, but she would never show it.  She had never been more happy to see Damian and hear his rude and annoying comments.

The more she studied the more proof she got, Lila Rossi was her key to victory.  She just needed a bit more, she just needed a little bit of physical evidence that Gabriel Agreste was indeed Hawkmoth.

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It was nearing the third year of Hawkmoth’s reign.  It was interesting seeing how people changed and adapted because of it.  It was horrifying to watch though.  She had met Luka about a year again now when Adrien had brought them over for a picnic they had planned with the rest of the group.  He was calm, he adapted well, and he was very wise.  As she studied his aura and studied his behavior the more they met she knew he was the perfect snake and addition to the family team.

She had felt a little guilty giving him the snake, afterall he had seen far more terror than the rest of them.  She always knew when he used it during battle if the way his eyes glazed over and darkened had anything to say about it.  She had almost enough proof to blame Gabriel Agreste, but she was willing to play the long game.  He had the grimoire and if he did have the broach it was under his hideous tie.  And Adrien had reported that when he had seen the book there was also a peacock brooch.  Nathile had also started to become more sick and faint and before she was perfectly healthy which were signs the peacock was broken which wasn’t good for anyone.

Each battle was becoming increasingly difficult as Hawkmoth grasped and better understood his powers more and more, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.  She wasn’t the one murdering people this time.  This time she was saving them, and when they died, they were brought back to life with no memory of their death.  But people who witnessed the deaths, they never forgot.  They never forgot, they could never forget, Chloe had complained how Marinette had made her an insomniac just like her.  It was just a joke, but there was a hidden weight to it that no one around them could pick up.  She hoped that they would never understand, she hoped, even if she disliked the people, that they would never see or be part of what they, of what she had made them go through.  Everytime their eyes darkened, everytime they refused to talk to people because of the burden, every relationship that was strained because of their secrets was her fault.  She would end this as soon as she could.

Talia would be very disappointed that it had taken her this long, she thought to herself as she stared at the Agreste mansion.  When the doors opened she saw Lila emerge and quickly started to hit record while taking pictures.  It would be over soon, then she would return to the temple.

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Chloe and Marinette had been tasked with putting together a class trip together because Bustier was once again pushing her responsibilities onto them in order to teach them how to be “good examples''.  As president Chloe had chosen Gotham.  There apparently was this competition to go and intern in this company there.  Apparently Wayne Enterprises had their hands in nearly everything and would benefit all of their classmates in some way as they could all intern in things that did interest them.  So with that settled Mari was to start the essay, while Sabrina worked on some of their homework, and Chloe gathered their information on Hawkmoth.  She had shared the dock with everyone so that they could all add and edit together which would make it faster and more interesting.  She was so thankful to finally be able to have the reveal.  It made working and gathering information that much easier.

After about 2 weeks of the group of friends, editing, re-writing sections, and making sure it was perfect, they were finally able to submit the essay.  So it was of no surprise to any of them when they had gotten the email saying they had won.  Of course Lila took credit, but they let her, her downfall would come soon enough, and they would have front seat rows to the aftermath.  Especially when they finished off Hawkmoth.  They planned to go back to Paris during one of their free days and finish things while his little spy was away.  He wouldn’t have his little helper or illusionist to help him, and Paris would finally be free.  She almost didn’t want to go through with it knowing that she would be leaving soon after the heels were secure.  But she had to, she had a duty to the Order and the League, and she would rather die than dishonor them.

So here everyone was, flying on a plane 8 hours away from Gotham.  The students all thought that it was a vacation and a way to relax because Lila had said so.  While it was true that the first week they would be touring around some of the sights, they would all be working in different sectors if WE.  Of course they had been told this, that they would be working, but no one listened because Lila was talking and what she said was fact.  Which only led her to believe that her theory that Lila was an unregistered meta was true, but it wasn’t fact, yet.

She stared out the window of the plane with her sketch book in her lap.  She was going to miss being able to use her skills in an honest way to make her own money.  She would probably give all her money to charity or to the Order.  She would have to get rid of everything about herself, which wouldn’t be very hard.  Just a few hacks here and there and a fake death and everything would be in place for her to return.  Plus she would have to kill anyone, and if the League said she had to get rid of the other holders, well, she had contingencies in place.  As she stared at the ocean above her she looked back at her empty book and began to sketch out a wavy dress shading in places with her pencil and drawing small designs and patterns throughout the dress.  When she was done she looked around the dimly lit plane and saw almost everyone asleep with a few other scattered insomniacs.

They had boarded the buses at 5:00 in the morning and had taken to the sky at 8:30-ish.  They had been flying for about 3 hours.  Marinette would have tried to sleep, but she was too hyper aware and just couldn’t get herself to properly relax.  She could see things like the chairs, other people, the aisle light, and sometimes the flight attendants.  She could hear things like the footsteps of people walking, the snoring of her sleeping friends, and the hum of the plane engine.  It did little to keep her mind at ease, even with these little noises the silence was becoming too much and though there was light the darkness felt suffocating.  She didn’t do anything though and just sat there.  If she reacted and tried to avoid it she would be weak.  She could live with the silence, it wouldn’t be the thing to overwhelm her.  She wasn’t a child, there wasn’t anything in the dark here, not here, so why couldn’t she just relax.  She closed her eyes tightly and imagined fierce yet gentle green eyes.  She let out a long breath, turned the page of her sketchbook and began to sketch eyes.  None of them were specific to a certain person, drawing eyes was always just comforting.  She could do whatever she wanted with them, add different details to them, shade them however she wanted, they didn’t even have to be human.  Eyes were the window to the soul, and she could only imagine what the souls who owned these eyes would have.

When Chloe awoke she yawned and looked over at her friend.  She sighed and checked the time for how much longer they would be on the flight.  About 4 more hours, and her friend hadn’t slept a wink.  She was tense, and hyper aware.  She sighed as she watched her friend draw, never lifting her face once as she focused on the page.  It looked as if she had already gone through most of the book.  The plane was mostly silent, and was dimmed down, most of the windows down except for a select few.  There were a few noises, but it was mostly silent.  She looked back at her friend as she realized that her sister friend must be unnerved.  Marinette had confided in her that she did like being in dark and quiet places for a long time, she never said why she didn’t like it, but Chloe understood.  She gently tapped the girl's shoulder causing the girl to look up quickly and turn to her.  There was a glint of danger in her eyes before they calmed down when they landed on Chloe and softened.

“You didn’t even sleep did you?  Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!  Well, if you won’t sleep you might as well watch a movie with me.”

Chloe began as she turned on the movie selection on her miniature tv.  Marinette smiled and closed her book and put it in the seat pocket before clicking on her screen.  After some debate the girls decided on a movie and after the count of three played it at the same time on both of their screens.  About an hour into the movie Sabrina had woken up.  The girls paused their movie and the three of them began to talk, filling the quiet with laughter and scoffs.  Adrien had been on the opposite side of them with some of his other friends and couldn’t be part of their conversation.  It was fine though, the girls had a great rest of the flight and Mari got to show off some of the eyes she drew.  Chloe and Sabrina had been very impressed, the realistic style of the eyes was scarily accurate, even if it was just black and white.

When they had landed it was about 4:30 PM Paris Time, but as they were now in Gotham it was now 10:30 AM.  Today they would be able to work if the jet lag, then they would tour WE tomorrow and learn what they would be doing in their respective roles.  Chloe along with Sabrina were going to be in the law department, Adrien would be in the business department; as his father demanded, while Mari would be in the graphic designs.  Lila had said she would be PAing for Bruce since he had missed her and wanted to be around her again, she would actually have a desk job in HR.  They didn’t trust her with anything else, and even though they wanted to give her a janitorial job, they were afraid Lila would “accidentally” kill someone because one of her “illnesses acted up”.

It took about two hours to get through baggage and check out before they could load the awaiting bus and check into the hotel they would be staying at for the two months they would be staying in Gotham for the summer.  She had gotten her own room because everyone else already had a partner.  She was fine though, Chloe and Sabrina were right next door, so she would be just fine.  She collapsed face first on the bed then turned and looked at the standard electric alarm clock that read 1:27 PM.  She sighed and buried her face in the sheet of the blanket.  Tomorrow was a new day, and hopefully she wouldn’t have to face an Akuma during the tour.  Three weeks of little to no sleep finally caught up to her along with the stress and tension she had been carrying weighed down on her as she turned to her back and stared up at the white ceiling.  Slowly her eyes shut as her body finally shut down.

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