#Senti-Anatis
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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 69
And here we have my version of the Ladybug episode. Since obviously we don't have Ladybug, the sentimonster isn't here and I couldn't call them 'Bugette' so the sentimonster is known as Sentis (Senti-Anatis). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this. It was rather interesting to write and definitely sets the feeling for the next half of 'season 4'. Part of this is the build up to Truth which will be the season finale. I should warn you now though. It's gonna get worst before it gets better. There's literally gonna be one chapter that won't be too serious but chapters 70-80 will be rough for our favorite bug boy and will be a test of character for him. Anyway, the next chapter will be the long awaited Lady Blanche. I'm very excited to write this chapter and as it has been and will be with this story, it will differ slightly from canon. Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter and enjoyed how I've worked into this universe :D Also I changed Lila's reason at the end. I always hated how she claims this 'rare' disease causes her to lie so I've worked in what I hope is a more realistic chapter and hopefully in the snippets as well as some future chapters, we will learn where she learnt her lying habits and learn more about her character. For a heads up, I won't be giving her a 'tragic' background as I feel like that wouldn't work with her. Also the reason why Hawkmoth is called Sphinx in Lila’s phone is so no one realizes it’s him if they saw it. Sphinx Moths are another name for Hawkmoths.
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Chapter Sixty-Nine: Anatis (1/2)
~Lila's Household~
Lila sighed to herself as she turned the page on her magazines. She smirked as she came across a recent fashion piece with her own photos. She had done a number of photo-shoots since joining Gabriel as an official model and she had to admit, she liked it. It was such easy money. All she had to do was wear the latest designs and pose in front of a camera. She even got to keep some of the clothes as part of the contract and she earnt €4000 roughly each month. Of course, she wasn't earning the same level of paid as Adrien or the other 'faces' of Gabriel as she was fairly new to the company but for once, she certainly wasn't complaining and Ms Sancoeur had explained that as she got more experience, she would earn more money and that she was also one of the models who is paid more due to be a 'face' of Gabriel. Each 'face' had their own clothing area that they modelled. Adrien, being the most popular face, had more than one but that made sense. Lila's area was everyday clothing for teenagers but she was hoping to take over as the model for Teen Evening Wear as she would get to model with Adrien that way. She just needed the position to open up or find a way to get it open. Maybe she could convince Mr Agreste that the current model is a bad influence on Adrien. After all that is her second job. She was to make sure that Adrien didn't have any bad influences in his life, which was especially hard thanks to him dating Kagami and how the majority of the class acted around her. It wasn't that they completely ignored her. No, she would rather that because then she could focus her attention on making them feel bad for neglecting her and use it to convince others that she was been bullied by them. Oh, no... what they were doing was much worse. They just treated her as normal and took her words with a grain of salt, thanks to Anatis. Marinette and Juleka, she expected it from. She wouldn't care if it was just the two of them because she could make their lives hell by simply turning their classmates against them and she had tried but every time she accused either girl of something, everyone including Miss Bustier asked for proof or they had a way to disprove her claims, forcing her to retract her comments and either lie to cover it up or admit that she was lying for attention again. Miss Bustier had even insisted on her seeing the school therapist. Luckily, she got out of that by using the fact that her father had her seeing some crackpot for it. However, Mr Agreste didn't seem to mind so much. Besides, it didn't matter where she stood with the class because she could still easily fulfill the requirements of her third job as Hawkmoth's ally. You didn't need people to like you to sow seeds of discord. Lila was smart in her own way. Sure, she wasn't great at Maths or some Academic but she was crafty and if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was to manipulate people. She didn't need them to like her. She just needed them to listen to her and that was something even Marinette did because as much as she didn't want to, Marinette and the others in her class had good hearts, meaning they would try and prove to others that Lila was a liar. Good hearts were easy to manipulate. As the old saying goes 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' and her classmates were the type to have good intentions and wear their hearts on their sleeves. She closed the magazine and put it down before getting up to head to the fridge. She took out juice and poured herself a glass as her phone vibrated, making her cock an eyebrow and walk over to it. She unlocked it and opened the text she had received, causing her to smirk.
Sphinx: Be at the Park asap. I have a job for you.
L: I'm on my way
Lila closed the chat box as she grabbed her jacket and put it on before grabbing her keys and her favourite book. She locked the door behind her and walked to the park, taking a seat on the bench closest to the road and far from anyone in the park before opening her book and reading it as she waited. A few seconds later, a car pulled behind her.
"What's the job?" She asked, not looking up from the book.
"I need you to put your skills to use at your school," He stated, making her raise an eyebrow. "There's a target in your school who has been on my radar for some time. I have good reason to believe that this target would not only be the akuma that could defeat Anatis and Lady Noir but could be a catalyst which allow me to use my scarlet akumas again,"
"I see, Sir," She replied, smirking. "Does this mean I get to be Miracle Queen again?"
"Not this time, my dear," He replied, making her frown. "Oh, don't take it the wrong way, Miss Rossi. You are an excellent and powerful akuma but you're just as powerful without powers. Why grant you the ability to control people when you could simply bend them to your will with your actions and words?"
"Very well," She smirked. "Who's the target?"
"Luka Couffaine," He replied, making her frown. "I am more than aware of the restraining order he has against you but for this to succeed, I don't need you to actually go near him. I just need you to create a situation that will allow me to akumatized him and possibly others,"
"Doesn't he have fits when you try?" She asked, rolling her eyes. There was no way that was true. He's probably just faking them. "I mean I wouldn't want you to hu-"
"Save the pretence, Miss Rossi," He stated, making her go quiet. "It doesn't matter if he does as long as the akumatization is successful. As for what happens to him after... well, I couldn't care less about that,"
"I see," She replied, nodding. "Rest assured, Sir. It will be done,"
"Excellent. You will be well rewarded for this," He replied, causing her to hear the window being closed and the car to drive off. She closed her book and put it away before getting up and leaving.
~A Few Days Later~
Lila turned the page on her book as she sat in her usual spot in the park, waiting for the car to pull so she could report her progress. So far, she made a plan that would paint Luka in a bad light if believed, even though the chances were slim but that's was the best part. Even if it wasn't believed, it would anger him, his friend and in particular Marinette and give Hawkmoth the opportunity to akumatized Luka. In fact, it would actually be better if it wasn't believed as the emotions would be more devastating. Anger is good but righteous rage is better plus it would finally show the world that Luka Couffaine is not perfect at all. She paused as she heard a car pull up behind her.
"I thought I ordered you to put your skills to use," Hawkmoth's voice stated, making her frown a little. He sounded annoyed.
"My plan is taking a little longer than expected, Sir. The school has been taking extra precautions with their security," She replied, frowning. She was going to do exactly the same plan she used on Marinette that caused her to become Princess Justice. Only this time, Luka will be her target. The only difference is that she might not be able to claim that Luka pushed her down the stairs but if she sees a chance to do that, she will be doing so but framing him the same way she framed Marinette wouldn't just make him vulnerable to akumas but Marinette and her classmates too. However, since Anatis' appearance, the school had been working on their security and a zero tolerance on bullying. They had been making sure they investigated each case correctly as well, making it a lot hard to frame people for bullying her. Her plan to frame Luka was risky but she didn't care about that. She only cared about the reward. "Will you keep your promise if I succeed?"
"I always honour my commitments," Hawkmoth stated, making her smirk. "As long as you honour yours,"
"Of course I will," She smirked as the window closed up. She closed her book and took out her phone. It was reaching the last half an hour of break. She would have to be careful with her plan as it required her not been seen nor caught by cameras. She knew the school had to have proof so she had done her research. Mrs Mendeleiev's class been having a test on physics this afternoon so she needed to get the answer key for it. The best time to do would that would be now since the teachers would be in their lounge. The good thing was there would be no CCTV in the classroom as it was allowed to be in there without a justified reason. The difficult part would be getting it into Luka's bag but he tended to leave it in the locker room while he was in class. She glanced around as she walked through the gate. Most of the students were still on their lunch break so she made her way up the stairs and headed to Mrs Mendeleive's classroom, looking at her watch as she did. She glanced around as she did before trying the door. To her annoyance, it was locked but that wasn't as much of an issue as it would be for a normal person. She glanced around once more, making sure no one was around before taking out a couple of pins from her hair and using them to pick the lock. She smirked as she felt it click before slipping inside and closing the door behind her. She walked over to the desk and opened the draws, going through them until she found papers. She read over them, making sure they were in fact correct before she slipped them into her own bag and closed the draw. She walked over to the door and left, using her pins to re-lock the door before she headed towards Miss Bustier's classroom, satisfied that the first part of her plan had gone off without a hitch. All she had to do was plant the answers on him and plant her necklace in his locker. She would do that tomorrow morning as she had a therapy session schedule in the morning at 10am. The school was already informed about it and planting them on him tomorrow meant it gave time for Mrs Mendeleiev to become suspicious of her class. It was perfect.
"Hey, you look happy, girl," Alya smiled, making her smirk back.
"Oh, it's because of my job," She smiled, making Alya raise an eyebrow. "Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm a model at Gabriel now. It's been so busy I must of forgotten to tell you,"
"That's awesome," Alya grinned, making Lila smile. "Do you get to model with Adrien?"
"Not yet but as long as I keep up my good work, I should be able to at some point," She replied, noticing Adrien rolling his eyes. "It is so much fun,"
"I bet," Alya grinned as Marinette came in. "Oh, you could model for Marinette!"
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude," She gasped, hoping Marinette either calls her a liar or is harsh towards her. "But I could give her a few pointers,"
"That's nice of you, Lila but I already have models and modelling for a different company is probably against your contract," She stated, making Lila frown. She was expecting Marinette to call her a liar yet she hadn't. "Congratulations on the job though. I saw your photoshoot in the latest issue of Chic,"
"Oh, thank you," Lila replied in a sweet tone but both her and Marinette knew it was false. "Well, if you do need help and it doesn't break my contract, you can call me. I would love to help you,"
"I'll keep that in mind," Marinette stated, taking her seat next to Alya, who leaned over and whispered something. Lila gritted her teeth when no one was looking before turning her attention to the lesson.
~The Next Day~
Lila smirked to herself as she walked down the stairs after being excused from class. She was on her way to her 'therapist' so she would be out of school for an hour but it was the perfect chance to frame Luka. She had overheard Miss Bustier talking to Mrs Mendeleiev about the stolen papers this morning, along with the rest of the school. To ensure her plan worked and she had time to do what she needed to do, she learnt Luka's lesson plan. Right now, he was in the gym and as such had left his bag in his locker, giving her the perfect opportunity to plant the answer key. And if anyone got suspicious of her... well, she had a perfect reason to be in the locker room. The locker room itself had no cameras as it was illegal to have them in due to minors possibly changing their clothes in there for Gym or other reasons but there was a camera at the entrance so if they looked over it and saw her enter, she had a reason as to why she would be in there. It would have been better if the camera wasn't there like the last time but she'll work with what she had. She entered the room and headed to her locker before taking out her bag and moving across to Luka's locker. It was a pin coded lock but she had watched from afar and had learned his code. She glanced around before opening it and removing the lock. She smirked as she opened it and took out his bag. She unzipped it and placed the folded up answers in there, making sure to put it in the pocket inside to make it look hidden but have it visible enough for someone to notice if they looked inside. She rezipped it up and placed it back in it's exact place before closing the locker. She made sure the door was locked again. Satisfied, she left the room and headed outside to her father's parked car. She greeted her father and got in before they drove off. She took out her phone as he listened to the radio, opening up the chat between her and Hawkmoth.
L: Get ready. My plan has been set in motion.
S: Excellent
She smiled before going onto the school's website and typing a message on it before posting it.
Anonymous: Hi, I'm really concerned about something I saw yesterday. I didn't think much about it until I heard that some test answers were missing. I saw a student acting really odd on the break yesterday. He seemed to be looking in his bag a lot. Not sure of his name but he has dyed blue hair and has a guitar case. It might be nothing but I'm concerned. Hope this helps.
The best part was Luka was looking in his bag a lot yesterday, like something was in there. She knew it wasn't the answer key as she hadn't even stolen it at that point but she wasn't the only person who had seen it. It was perfect.
~After Break~
Luka hummed lightly to himself as he wrote down the notes he was taking. His bag was now next to him, having been taken out of his locker after Gym yet he remained unaware of Lila's plans. As far as he knew, his bag hadn't been tampered with and he wasn't about to be accused of cheating on the test. He hoped he had done well yesterday but that was as far as his thoughts regarding it went since it was only a small one that wouldn't really affect his grade. The class was waiting for Mrs Mendeleiev to return after she had been called out of the class by Mr Damocles. The door opened and she came back in. Luka frowned as she didn't look happy at all and weirdly enough, Mr Haprele followed.
"Class, I have to attend to a serious matter. Please do these worksheets that Mr Haprele is handing out," She stated as he began to hand them out before she looked towards Luka, making him frown. "Mr Couffaine, could you come with me please? Bring your bag please,"
"Sure..." He muttered, concerned as he grabbed it. He got up and walked over, following her out of the room. "Am I in trouble?"
"You are aware that the answer key to the test yesterday was stolen, correct?" She asked, making him nod. He heard from Aurora. "There was an anonymous comment on the school website that suggests you were the one who took it and that you may have stolen from other students,"
"What?!" He gasped, stopping. She turned and looked at him. "But I didn't. I don't steal,"
"While I'm inclined to agree, I must investigate these claims as protocol requires it," She stated as they headed into an empty classroom. They walked over to the desk, causing her to gesture towards it. "Please put your bag on the table,"
He did as told, taking it out and opening it for Mrs Mendeleiev to search it before he stepped back. He held his breath as she searched before she pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and read it, revealing the answer key. He looked at it in shock.
"I swear I didn't-"
"This is very serious, Mr Couffaine," She stated in a calm voice. "I must get the principal immediately,"
"But I'm innocent!" He gasped, making her look at him. "I didn't take the answer key I swear!"
"Mr Couffaine, I understand but we still have to investigate this," She stated, making him frown. "You've been accused of having an answer key for a test and it has been found in your bag. I have to inform Mr Damocles and we will have to call in your mother,"
"But I didn't do it!" He argued, tears in his eyes. "Please believe me,"
"I want to..." She admitted before looking down at the sheet in her hand. "But the evidence does suggest otherwise, which is why we must do this by the book,"
He looked at her with a broken expression before she led him out of the locker room. He followed her with his shoulders slumped, following her to the principal's office. Within minutes, his mother had been called and was arguing his case inside the office while he waited outside. Tikki pressed her paw against his chest, letting him know that she was there but things were about to get worse. A few minutes later, Lila walked up the stairs, heading back to Miss Bustier's class after returning from her therapy session. Unknown to him, she had put the next part of her plan in action. Since she had to return to the locker room to return her things there, she had taken the chance to slip her necklace into his locker, making sure it was well hidden so they would have to search for it. Now she just needed to get them back in the locker room.
"Oh my gosh, are you ok, Luka?" She asked, making him grit his teeth. "You look upset. Wait... why are you outside the principal's office? Are you in trouble?"
"Leave me alone," He growled, folding his arms and looking away from her as her smile turned to a smirk.
"Of course, you are," She stated, making him blink. "I heard you stole the answer key. Strange, you're normally so well behaved,"
"You..." He gasped before narrowing his eyes. "It was you who gave the anonymous tip and you who put the answers in my bag. You broke into my locker!"
"Wasn't hard," She muttered, shrugging so only he could hear it. "I swore I'd make your life a living hell. Let's see how you get out of this one,"
Luka frowned as he noticed her walk towards the edge before she smirked at him and turned to walk down the stairs. Realising what she intended to do, he jumped up as she walked down some of the stairs before she smirked at him. He gasped as she missed her footing, causing her to fall down the last three steps. She cried out as she did, causing the doors to the principal's office to open. Luka spun around as Lila cried that he had pushed her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Mrs Mendeleiev! Get the nurse!" Mr Damocles declared before turning to Luka and pointed to the door to his office. "Inside my office now!"
Luka flinched at the raised voice, instinctively stepping back.
"I didn't push her!" He gasped. "Why would I?!"
"B-Because he hates me!" She sobbed, making him blink. "I just tried to be his friend!"
"Liar!" His mother declared, causing everyone to look at him. "That child has assaulted my boy before! She is a menace and if you believe for one second he would do something like this then you are crazy! Check the CCTV for crying out loud before you condemn my lad!"
Lila had to hide her smirk as her plan was coming together nicely.
"Of course, I shall," Mr Damocles declared, turning to walk back in. The nurse came and checked on Lila, helping her to the office as Luka sat in with his mother by his side. Mr Damocles phoned Mr Rossi straight away before checking over the CCTV as they waited for her father to come in, frowning as he did. Once her father was there, he turned back to Lila. "Miss Rossi, it appears that Mr Couffaine did not push you. That you walked down the stairs and fell down three of them. Why did you declare it was Mr Couffaine when it was clear it wasn't?"
"B-Because I thought it was..." She gasped, crying as her father rubbed her back. "Luka has just been so mean to me and all I've done is try to be his friend. He even stole my necklace off me!"
"I didn't do anything!" Luka declared, getting a glare of Mr Rossi as the captain. "Ma, I swear I haven't done anything at all. I didn't steal the answer key, I didn't try to hurt Lila and I didn't steal anything from her! Why would I?! I don't want anything to do with her! That's why I have a restraining order on her!"
"My bambino wouldn't lie about something so serious," Mr Rossi declared, making Anarka roll her eyes.
"And my lad wouldn't steal or hurt anyone!" She declared before gesturing to Lila. "And why should I believe this scallywag?! She's accusing him without proof,"
"Oh, I have proof," She replied, making everyone look at her. "Check his locker,"
"Excuse me?!" Anarka gasped, as everyone looked at her. "Why would you suggest that?! That makes it seem like you put it there yourself!"
"I'm just saying if he's innocent then there would be nothing in his locker," Lila replied, looking down before she looked up at Luka. "You have nothing to hide right, Luka?"
Luka gritted his teeth as Lila stared at him, waiting for his reply. It was obvious at this point that she had planted the evidence in his locker, leaving him in a catch 22. If he turned around and refused to let them look in his locker, it would look bad for him. They had already found the test answers in his bag and it would make him look more guilty if he said no but if he said yes and they found something in his locker, he would look just as guilty. He knew that’s what she wanted. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
"Fine," He stated, making everyone look at him. "Look in my locker. I have nothing to hide,"
"Very well," Mr Damocles declared, getting up. The families and Mrs Mendeleiev followed him out of the office and to the locker room, with Mr Rossi helping Lila walk. They walked into the locker room, causing the students in there to look over. In particular, Marinette looked extremely worried, making both Mr Damocles and Mrs Mendeleiev think about how similar the situation was. The students watched as Luka came to a stop in front of his locker, looking straight at Mr Damocles, who cleared his throat. "Open your locker please,"
Luka turned and opened it, causing a white box to fall out as soon as he did. It landed on the floor, causing a fox tail pendant to fall out, making the students and the teachers looked at it in shock.
"My pendent," Lila gasped, reaching for it and picking it up as her father glared at Luka.
"This is unacceptable," He declared angrily. "I demand this boy to be arrested and expelled!"
"Wait!" Marinette gasped, rushing over. She looked at Mr Damocles with a desperate look. "Mr Damocles, you can't expel him! Luka didn't do anything! Lila is framing him, just like she framed me!"
"Marinette, how could you say that?" Lila gasped, tears in her eyes. "I know I made a mistake but that was Chloe-"
"I didn't tell you anything," Chloe replied, walking over. "Marinette is right. You legally can't expel Luka. Only the board has that kind of power and if you even think about it, I'll call my daddy,"
"Miss Bourgeois, there is no need to get the mayor involved," Mr Damocles gasped nervously. "I am not going to expel Mr Couffaine,"
"What?!" Mr Rossi shouted, making everyone glare at him. "The evidence is right there! He is a good for nothing thief!"
"Don't you dare call my son that, you stuck up bigot!"
"Mr Rossi. Ms Couffaine," Mr Damocles gasped, holding up his hands. "Please, calm down-"
"That's Captain Couffaine!" Anarka declared. "And I won't calm down while my son is wrongly accused!"
"Captain, please. We will follow the rules in this situation to find the truth," He gasped, making them both look at him. "The rules state that the accused must be suspended until the case can be fully investigated,"
"Suspended?!" Anarka gasped, clearly annoyed. The class looked just as annoyed and were shouting out in Luka's defense. Alya, on the other, looked shell shocked and devastated. Unbeknownst to anyone else, she was realising Lila was not the perfect person she thought she was. It was one thing to lie about small things but to lie that Luka had stolen from her when he came across as one of the kindest persons she had met was on a different level. Not just that but Lila had to have planted the 'evidence' in his locker to make it look that way. "How can you suspend my boy when he has done nothing wrong?!"
"Yeah!" Rose gasped, making the teachers look at her. "Luka won't hurt or steal from anyone!"
"He's a good person!" Ivan piped as Mylene nodded furiously. "He's friends with Anatis for crying out loud!"
"Students, please," Mr Damocles declared, holding his hands up as Mrs Mendeleiev frowned. "That's enough. Demeter, if you could help me,"
"I don't think Mr Couffaine did what he was accused of," She stated, making everyone blink. "But school rules are school rules and as such must be followed. I'm sorry, Mr Couffaine but we must do this by the book,"
"I... I understand," Luka sighed as Lila smirked. Marinette gasped and looked close to crying while the rest of the students had looks of disbelief and anger on their faces. Luka took a deep breath before looking at Lila. "The truth will come out one way or another,"
With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk towards the door with his head held high.
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"Ah, yes. This was worth the wait," Hawkmoth declared as his butterflies flew around him. Behind him Nathalie stood, though her expression was unsure. She had tried to convince him to go a different way but he hadn't listened. Part of her was unsure about this plan, mostly because of how the boy had reacted the previous time they had tried to get him but Hawkmoth was certain that this was the time they would succeed. "The downfall of Luka Couffaine brings about the despair of those who love him. Knowing their friend and loved one is wrong accused has opened a chasm of negativity,"
He closed his eyes, smirking as he did.
"I can feel the huge waves of negative emotions coming from this injustice and not just from the witnesses," He declared, smirking. "Luka Couffaine may be putting on a brave face but he is hurt by the turn of events nevertheless, making him perfect prey once again for my akumas,"
"Are you sure this is a good idea sir?" Nathalie asked as he held out his hand. "While I agree he could make an excellent akuma, what if he reacts the same way he did before?"
"He won't," He declared, confidently as he charged up the butterfly that had landed on his hand. "I know we'll succeed this time and he'll bring us the miraculous... Now are you ready? I can't do this without you, Nathalie. I need you,"
"O-Of course, Sir," She blushed, ignoring her previous concerns. She took a deep breath and looked up at him as he walked over to her. "More than ever,"
"Good," He smiled, placing the akuma into her tablet. "Catalyst, I'm returning to you the power to transform me into Scarlet Moth,"
She accepted the akuma, turning her back into Catalyst before placing her hand on his cane, charging it up with red energy.
"From now on, you are the almighty Scarlet Moth," She declared, causing a red light to flow up from his legs, changing his outfit into a red version. Scarlet Moth grinned, spinning his cane around.
"Thanks to you, I can release as many akumas as I desire!" He declared, tapping the butterflies with his cane. They turned into red versions of the akumas, making him smirk. He continued to change them until all of the butterflies in his lair had become Scarlet Akumas. Satisfied, he held his arms out. "Ah! Fly away, my little akumas! Find Luka Couffaine and his friends and evilize them all!!"
With that, the scarlet akumas flew out the window and made a beeline for the school.
~Back at the School~
Luka sighed as he walked over to the door and opened it but as soon as he did, the swarm of Scarlet akumas fluttered at them, causing everyone to panic. Luka instinctively covered his face with his arms, causing one of the akumas to fuse with his leather bracelet as others flew to his classmates. One entered his mother's ring while another entered Rose's shoe and Juleka's glove. Luka gripped his head as he tried to fight the influence he could feel, stepping back as the other scarlet akumas entered other people's items, turning the majority of the students into their akumatized self. In the corner of his eye, he saw one fluttering towards Marinette and entering her purse.
"N-No!" Luka gasped, gripping his head as the buzzing noise started but it wasn't as intense as the previous time. He gripped his head.
Luka, can you hear me? Finni's voice stated, making him nod in response. He just hoped Hawkmoth couldn't hear him. Listen to me. I can't just push the akuma out like I normally do. It's more powerful than the normal type and everyone is connected. If I try to expel it, I could seriously injure everyone here. You need to try and expel it yourself...
Luka nodded to show that he understood before trying to push back on the connection.
"Oh?" Hawkmoth smirked as he felt Luka mentally pushing back. The buzzing was still there and he had no idea of what Finni just told Luka but he could feel Luka's mental strength and it was a lot stronger than he originally thought. "You're trying to resist the akuma?"
"I d-don't need your help!" Luka gasped out, making Hawkmoth smirk. Only someone with a strong will could be a brilliant akuma. "I w-won't let you influence me!"
"Well, that simply won't do," Scarlet Moth stated in reply, frowning as he could feel the connection with Luka breaking. It shocked him but the boy was actually pushing the akuma from him. Not just that but it felt like the akuma had been purified, which was impossible. Luka pushed back even more, causing the akuma to be forced out of his bracelet, losing it's red and turning back into a normal butterfly. Luka sucked in a deep breath as those who hadn't been caught by the akumas stared at him in shock. Before they could celebrate this victory, one of the remaining Scarlet Akumas fluttered over to Luka and re-entered his bracelet, opening up the connection again. Luka froze in fear and exhaustion as he felt Scarlet Moth back in his mind. "Impressive, young man but you can't get rid of me that easily,"
"G-Get out of m-my head!" Luka gasped back, trying to push the akuma out of his bracelet again but he was drained from doing it already and Scarlet Moth wasn't about to lose another.
"Ah, now there's no need for that trick again," Scarlet Moth replied as some of the remaining scarlet akumas fluttered over to him. "I have waited too long to akumatized you, Couffaine! I'm not about to stop now! Now you may be able to resist one of my akumas but I doubt you can resist all of them,"
"D-Don't!" Luka gasped, realising what he intended to do but it was too late. One of the spare scarlet akumas entered his ring, strengthened the connection even more but it also caused pain, causing Luka to grip his head as he cried out in pain. "Y-You do-don't know what you're doing!"
"I'm making the most powerful akuma I've ever had," Scarlet Moth replied as another one entered his other bracelet. He let out a howl of pain as he gripped his head hard. His eyes began to flicker between silver and blue as he tightened his hands, digging his fingernails into his scalp as blood began to trickle out of his nose. He knew he needed to force the akumas out but he didn't have the strength too... but he had to. He could hear those who were not akumatized, trying to encourage him not to give in but he wasn't sure who hadn't been akumatized and who had. "Even now you're still resisting,"
"I... w-won't..." He gasped, pain numbing his senses. "I... c-can't..."
"Such stubbornness," Scarlet Moth sighed as another akuma entered his third bracelet. Almost instantly, Luka let out a scream of pain as his arms dropped to his side and his head slumped over, making those who hadn't been akumatized gasp and step back as he looked up. A cruel expression had appeared on his face, complete with a psychotic grin that didn't suit him. His nose was bleeding like he had been punched in it and he looked deranged as he stared with the butterfly mask around his eyes. The whole scene sent a shiver down everyone's spine including Lila. Even Scarlet Moth felt a chill in the air, much like when he had akumatized Meishi. Not that he heeded it. Instead he smirked in triumph. "At last! Truth, I am Scarlet Moth. Since the innocent is no longer to believed, I'm giving you the power to expose the truth,"
Luka!! Don’t give in to him!! Fin gasped as Hawkmoth addressed the others, clearly unaware of the spiritual connection he still had with Luka. Luka!!!
"As you, my desperate loyal ones, I give you to Truth to serve his loyal army in his quest for the truth. In return, all I ask is for Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous... do we have a deal?" Marinette reached for her ring and Luka instinctively reached for his earrings but before he could, the buzzing noise came back full force, cutting off the connection to Scarlet Moth. It caused him to almost gain control over himself again, though it didn't seem quite real or that he was fully in his body.
Finni? He thought in a dazed state.
I'm sorry, Luka! Finni's voice echoed. I know I said that I could hurt everyone but I can't let you fall into the hands of evil! Please forgive me!
What..? Why..?
Clean Slate!
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"Truth?" Scarlet Moth asked, wondering why his minion wasn't answering. Catalyst also looked worried but before Hawkmoth could answer again, a wave of power suddenly hit them, causing him to get a headache and Catalyst to start coughing. He gasped and dropped his transformation rushing over to her as she sunk to the floor, coughing.
"Nathalie!" He gasped, picking her up and completely abandoning his plan. In that moment, he didn't care that he was close to akumatizing Luka and nearly seizing the miraculous. Instead, he was focusing on Nathalie, bringing her upstairs and calling for a doctor to check her over. The miraculous could wait for now.
~Back at School~
Clean Slate! A burst of light and energy appeared, swiping across everyone and freeing them from the akumas, causing them to groan in pain as they felt like they had been hit over the head. A few of them even threw up. However, the wave didn't purify the akumas. The students who hadn't been akumatized moved in front of the ones who had and protected them from the scarlet akumas that were looking for a victim before they lost their red and turned back into normal butterflies, leaving the students confused. However, the situation wasn't over yet. Within seconds of the butterflies losing their red, Luka's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor as his body shook, much to the horror of everyone there.
"Luka!" Juleka screamed, rushing over with Marinette and Rose before they tried to help him as Lila stared. She hadn't believed it to be true until this second as there was no way he was faking. Blood was rushing his nose as his body shook violently. It was much more violent than the previous time Marinette had seen, causing her to panic. She stepped back in fear as she watched. "What do we do?!"
"I don't know!" Rose gasped as the Captain rushed over. Marinette took a deep breath before kneeling down and held Luka's head, trying to stop him from hitting it but everyone else seemed to be panicking. Mr Damocles looked horrified, along with the other teachers. Mrs Mendeleiev rushed over and helped Marinette hold his head still as Rose fluttered around, scared.
"Miss Lillivant, please be still," Mrs Mendeleiev stated before turning to Marinette, who was trying to remain calm. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, I need you to keep calm and help me move him into the recovery position. Can someone phone an ambulance while we do that?"
"Already on it, Miss!" Aurora gasped, looking up from her phone. Mrs Mendeleiev nodded and with Marinette's help, they moved Luka onto his side. Aurora moved over a few minutes later, now off the phone. She also had taken off her hoodie and folded it up. She knelt down and placed it under Luka's head as his movements began to slow. Marinette gave her a look. "The ambulance is on it's way and it's best to make sure he doesn't hit his head. Is his airway clear? He could choke if they're not,"
"R-Right," Marinette replied as the butterflies that were once the akumas fluttered around him, almost like they felt bad for causing this. Marinette made sure he was breathing ok as Aurora got up and tended to Rose and Juleka, helping them to calm down. Marinette hummed softly as she stroked his hair as the seizure calmed down. A few minutes later, the paramedics came in and checked over him before moving him onto a stretcher and out to the waiting ambulance. Juleka and the Captain went with him as Marinette hugged Rose, who was crying. Aurora came back over, causing Marinette to look at her. "H-How did you know about the head thing and to keep his airways clear?"
"It's basic first aid when it comes to seizures," She muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Epilepsy runs in my family so we're all trained to deal with it. I have it as does my cousin and father but I didn't know akumas could trigger it,"
"According to the doctors, they can't," Marinette frowned before hissing as her head hurt. She wanted to check on Luka but she also needed to have a word with Plagg. After all, she nearly gave up her ring. She wanted to make sure he still thought she was worthy to be Lady Noir, even if she felt for Lila's plan. Speaking of Lila, her father cleared his throat, making everyone look at him.
"Well, I hope you're still going to investigate that delinquent!" He demanded, making everyone glare at him. "That child stole-"
"He just had a seizure after almost being possessed by Hawkmoth and you still think we should care about what Lie-la said?!" Felix growled, making everyone look at him. "Anyone in their right mind would know that brat is lying through her teeth again! Or did you miss that she framed someone else in the exact same way?!"
"I didn't!" Lila cried, making everyone look at her. "I swear Chloe told me otherwise! She's the one who's lying!"
"And Luka having your necklace in his locker?" Alya asked, making everyone look at her. She looked hurt and broken. "Everyone here knows that Luka isn't a thief. He has never acted out before nor broken the rules yet he 'stole' your necklace?"
"Yes!" She gasped. "You have to believe me, Alya. I'm telling the truth,"
"Just like the time you told me that Adrien is dating you when he's been with Kagami for the majority of the year? Or better yet what about the time when you told my siblings that you invented a highly popular game or that you saved Jagged Stone's cat on an airport runway?" She asked, causing her father to look at her as Lila looked at her shocked. "Tell me, Lila... if Luka stole it and put it in his locker... how did you know it was there?"
"Because I saw him!" She gasped, thinking she had won. "He took it from my bag and placed it in his locker,"
"So you admit you stalked him and broke the terms of the restraining order?" Alya asked, making everyone gasped and Lila looked at her like a gaping fish before she denied it. "There's only two ways you could know. In one way, you stalked him and in the other, you framed him. Either way, I don't want to be friends with someone like that,"
"You can't stop being my friend!" Lila gasped, making Alya look at her. "I made you who you are! You wouldn't be half as popular as you are with my interviews!"
"Marinette and Anatis were right about you," Alya gasped as Lila's father looked at her. "You're crazy. And for the record, my blog has become more popular since I got rid of those interviews and focused on the real subject at hand,"
"What interviews?" Mr Rossi asked before Lila turned to him.
"Oh, Alya was just asking me what I think of the heroes of Paris!" She gasped, clearly not wanting her father to know. "You know-"
"She claimed to be dating Anatis and Lady Noir's best friend," Alya stated, making everyone look at her. "I removed them from the blog but I have copies if you want to see them,"
Everyone thought it would be easy like that but sadly that wasn't the case. Instead of saying yes, Mr Rossi puffed out his chest in anger.
"My little angel wouldn't do anything of the sort and those so-called lies she told you? How do I know you didn't just make them up to support that delinquent and his nuisance of a family?!" He gasped, surprising everyone. "Come, Lila,"
Lila smirked at everyone and left with her father, causing Mr Damocles to pinch his nose and sigh.
"So it's clear that Luka didn't do what she accused him of, right?" Marinette gasped, making him look at him.
"We still must investigate but yes, I would say so,"
~Agreste Manor~
"Once again, Mr Agreste, make sure she gets lots of rest," The doctor stated, following the Gorilla out of the house after Gabriel had thanked her. He frowned and walked back in the room where Nathalie was resting. He frowned as she opened her eyes.
"I'm sorry," She muttered, making him frown even more. They had been so close but something interfered. That wave of energy. Just what was it? "Perhaps you could still take advantage of the chaos Lila created,"
"No, the plan is pointless without you," He stated, causing her to agree and try to get up but he stopped her, making her look at him. "No... There will be no more Catalyst or Mayura. I warned you. Using a broken miracle ends up weakening its user. It's wounds are becoming your wounds,"
"I don't care," She gasped, looking at him. "I want to help you,"
"Not at that cost. Never at that cost again," He declared, making her look at the portrait of Emile. "Now rest. I'll just have to find a way to get that boy again. Lila can provide us with another chance at some point,"
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, heading to his office. He locked the door behind him, frowning as he did.
"Nooroo, what was that energy?" He asked, making the kwami look at him but before he could answer, a deep cough got his attention. He turned around and faced himself face to face with a bald man dressed in monk garb. Nooroo gasped and bowed to him. "Who are you?! How did you get in here?"
"Silence," He stated, turning to Nooroo. "Nooroo, formally introduce me to your master,"
"Y-Yes, Grand Mage," He muttered, making Gabriel's eyes widen. Surely, this wasn't the mage he was looking for? He seemed different to what he imagined. Somehow darker. Nooroo faced him. "Master, this is Su Han, the Celestial Guardian of the Miraculous,"
"And why are you here in my home?" He asked, turning to him. "Should you not be helping out the heroes?"
"Nooroo, leave us," He ordered instead of answering him, making Nooroo fly out. Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Order secrets. Kwamis must not know. As for the heroes, I have no interest in them for I seek someone much more powerful,"
"And who might that be?" He asked, glaring at the man.
"The next Celestial Guardian," He replied, making Gabriel raise an eyebrow. "I believe you are familiar with the legend of Hao Feng, the mage who created the miraculous?"
"Yes, I am," Gabriel stated. "It is said he is reborn and every celestial guardian is one of his new lives... but you are not, are you?"
"Very observant," He replied, making Gabriel narrow his eyes. "It is true that while I am the current one, the title did not always belong to me. It was bestowed on me when the previous guardian, Feng's last incarnation, was murdered. I have come to Paris to find his new incarnation and to do so I wish for your help,"
"And why would you want that?" Gabriel asked, crossing his arms. "I am a villain after all,"
"Oh, I'm no saint myself," He replied, only this time it was two voices. It sent a shiver down his spine as the man's eyes turned black for a second before turning back to their normal colour. "I wish to hold onto the title and if I am to do so then I must find Feng's incarnation before the Spring Festival and claim his power as my own. If I fail then I will lose the title and it will be transferred to the new incarnation. If you help me locate the mage, I will show you the secrets of the miraculous and help you acquire Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous. As a token of trust, I will teach you how to fix the broken miraculous that you have. Do we have a deal?"
Gabriel smirked and stepped forward, holding out his hand.
"It will be my pleasure to work with you, Grand Mage," He replied, shaking his hand. "So how do we fix it?"
"There is a ritual but it will require some time as I'll need to collect the material needed," He replied, turning on his heel. "Once I have collected the material, I will instruct you on how to fix it so you may use it to its full potential,"
"I look forward to it, Grand Mage," Gabriel replied as the monk headed to the window and jumped out. "An excellent turn of events. Right, Nooroo?"
"Yes, Master,"
~A Few Days Later at the Hospital~
Marinette hummed to herself as she made her way to Luka's room with a new blanket she had stress knitted. As usual, the hospital had no idea what happened other than that it was the akumas again. Herself and the other students who got possessed suffered with migraines, which was odd in itself but what made it odder is she was sure she heard a voice that wasn't Hawkmoth in her mind. She didn't remember what it said or much else really but she did remember that it sounded gentle and after she heard it, the akumas were expelled. She wanted to find out if anyone else had heard but she was also not sure if she should. Maybe she was just going mad. She had asked Plagg about it but he had no idea what she might have heard. He did suggest that she bring it up to Anatis but she decided not to as it might tip him off about who she is. Though she could ask him on Marinette's behalf. Of course, that would have to wait until she saw him again. He hadn't turned up for patrol but Tikki had come and visited her to let her know that he was on the spirit plane, doing mage training and that he would be back in a few days. Apparently, time was different in that plane and the training was unexpected. She also mentioned that Anatis was keeping an eye on things in case he was needed but so far, Hawkmoth hadn't attacked just yet. He tended not to after a failure but he didn't go by his usual pattern as he normally did when it came to a large scale attack. It could be that he's changing his tactics or that he was targeting one person but it concerned her. However, those thoughts were driven out of her head when she heard shouting, making her frown and rush to Luka's room. She knocked on the door and entered when she heard Luka say come in.
"Is everything ok?" She asked as she came in. She was happy to see Luka away but she could also see that he looked visibly stressed. She frowned and walked over to him, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. Instantly, she noticed he felt a little better but the tension was still high in the room. The Captain was stood by the window, looking upset. "Luka? Captain?"
"Ma wants me to move from Paris," Luka stated, making her look at the Captain, who sighed. "She and Jagged think I should go with him on a tour or move to one of his places in a different city,"
"Because of the akumatization?" Marinette asked, concerned. Luka pulled her over to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.
"That and because of the suspension," He replied, making her frown. Technically, he was still suspended from school. "She's got it into her head that it would be good for me,"
"Lad, things have gotten complicated," The Captain sighed, turning to them. "Not only has this Lila girl got it in for you but Hawkmoth himself has targeted you three times. I can't just sit there and do nothing!"
"Oh but sending me away is the solution?!" Luka gasped, clearly annoyed. "I've already told you the answer is no!"
"Luka, please! You'll be safer this way," The Captain begged, making Marinette surprised. She had never seen the captain beg before. "Hawkmoth won't be able to get to you if you're not in Paris. You'll be safe and I know you'll be upset about leaving Marinette and your friends behind but a fresh start could-"
"I said no already!" Luka growled and for a second, both the captain and Marinette swore they felt the air shift. Luka closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself. "You've always said that running away is for cowards and I get we've left difficult situations in the past but this is not the solution for this,"
"Luka-"
"Your argument is that it would be safer for me if I left because Hawkmoth wouldn't follow right?" He stated, looking at her. She nodded. "And what if he did? There would be no Anatis or Lady Noir to help me and no one would know that I have a strange reaction to the akumas so what if he did follow me and used one to possess me again and I have a seizure, only this time there's no heroes or people who know what the cause is. That could be the end of me and we both know that,"
"Luka, Hawkmoth isn't-"
"He was in New York and Shanghai at the exact same time I was," He pointed out, making her stop and look at him in shock. "I'm not saying that he followed me but we know he's not against travelling to get what he wants and he's not the type to give up. I mean he has tried three times. There is no solid proof that if I move away that I'll be safe. If anything, I'd say I'll be putting myself at more risk then if I stay. We have Anatis, Lady Noir and their entire team of superheroes. I trust that if I get possessed or end up as Hawkmoth's target that they'll protect me plus don't forget I need to be around for Issac's court case. I'm not moving away and that's final so please respect my wishes,"
"Luka," She replied but before he could answer, he began to cough. He groaned and leaned against the pillow, making both Marinette and the Captain frown as he breathed in, clearly drained still. The Captain bit her lip before sighing. "You're right. It would just be running away and a Couffaine doesn't run from danger. We face it head on... but I still want you to be careful. Maybe you could ask Anatis to find a way to protect you from akumas?"
"Sure, Ma," He muttered, making her nod as he opened his eyes. "I'm sorry for shouting. It just felt like you weren't listening to me and that you had already made your mind up,"
"I kind of had," She admitted, making him frown. "Both me and Jagged had but I see now that we didn't really think how it would actually affect you or if it was what you actually wanted so I'm sorry too. We'll find a way to protect you from akumas and Hawkmoth,"
She walked over and gave him a kiss on his head, making him smile before she gave them both a grin and a salute as she headed out of the room. Luka let out a sigh and turned to Marinette, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry that you had to see me arguing with ma," He muttered, looking to the side ashamed. "I hate arguing but she can just be so stubborn sometimes,"
"Hmm, looks you might have taken after her," She giggled, moving closer to him. He playfully rolled his eyes, making her grin. "Don't worry. I like that stubbornness and that roguish charm you have,"
"Hmm... well, I am kind of a pirate," He grinned, making her laugh. "So what's in the bag, Melody?"
"Oh, I ended up stress knitting and made a blanket so I thought maybe you could have it?" She mumbled, taking it out. Luka smiled brightly, looking a lot better before hugging her. "I'm glad you're ok. It was really scary seeing you like that again,"
"It was scary going through it," He admitted before sighing. "And I still need to find a way to prove I didn't do what Lila accused me off,"
"Well, the good news is we have a new ally against her," She replied as he snuggled into the blanket, making her coo at how cute he was before he looked up at her. "Alya finally saw the light and has officially disowned Lila as a friend.She said that once you come back to school, she wants to apologise and she's also trying to prove that Lila did in fact frame you but Lila has been clever with her tracks. However, what concerns me is the timing of the scarlet akumas,"
"Yeah, it was too well timed," He mumbled, making her nod before he tried to get up. "Maybe we should flag down the heroes-"
"Hey, rest," She gasped, pushing him down. "I already had that idea and I passed it onto Lady Noir. She said she would talk to Anatis about it,"
"Alright," He yawned, clearly tired. "Sorry,"
"It's ok," She smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek before she got up. "I'm gonna let you rest because you're clearly knackered so sleep and put my blanket to go use,"
"Get rest too," He stated, making her blush at how he knew. "Your song is quieter than usual, Melody so no more stress knitting. Get some sleep,"
"I will," She replied with a smile that had a promise hidden in it. "Love you, Lu,"
"Love you too, Melodie," He replied, yawning again. She waved and left, causing him to sigh a little. He missed her already but he held the blanket around him as Tikki flew out. "I manage to convince Ma not to send me away,"
"That's good," She replied, nodding as she floated over. "But maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. We could use the horse mir-"
"No, it would be bad," He replied, making her frown. "When I found out last night that Ma was going to do it, I channeled Feng's magic to see if it could work as I was considering it but what I saw was bad. In the vision, Hawkmoth got the earrings and found out I was Anatis. He then took me prisoner with the intention of luring out Lady Noir. I cut the vision short before I could see if he succeed,"
"I see," Tikki nodded, grimly. "Then we best make sure that you don't move away but what do we do about Lila?"
"I'm not sure just yet," He admitted, running his fingers through his hair. Tikki frowned a little so he gently cupped her in his hands. "Hey, don't pout. We'll work out something... but there is something else I want to run by you,"
"What is it?" She asked, looking up at him. He bit his lip in a nervous manner. "Luka?"
"I want to tell Marinette that I'm Anatis," He stated, making her look at him like he was insane. Maybe he was. "I know it's risky but I trust Marinette a lot. She's on my books to give a miraculous or at least, she would be if I could find her during the akumas,"
"Luka, it's great you trust Marinette so much but you know it's forbidden and risky," Tikki stated, making him frown. "Hawkmoth is still at large and if he found out she knew, he would use her against you so why do you want to tell her?"
Luka looked down as he frowned.
"He nearly akumatized me for real today. Finni actually had to use his full ability to push out the akumas and I nearly gave Hawkmoth the earrings," He admitted before he looked at her. "That's never happened before. Finni is normally about to cut the connection and force them to leave without using 'Clear Slate' but Hawkmoth was too strong today. He used his scarlet akumas. He nearly won, Tikki and we don't have much of a contingency plan, apart from Creation but that is supposed to be a hail mary and last resort... if we can get the earrings away from me before I'm controlled or akumatized then we don't have to use that and if we fail then we have Creation to fall back on. If Marinette knows I'm Anatis and I get akumatized then she can grab the earrings and take over as a temporary Ladybug hero,"
"Your reasons are understandable but it would still be putting Marinette at risk," Tikki sighed, making him frown. "So please reconsider,"
"Because it's forbidden?" He asked, frowning but she shook her head.
"No because I know you love Marinette and would blame yourself if she got hurt by Hawkmoth," She stated, surprising him before he sighed. He knew she was right.
"Alright, I'll reconsider," He stated, making her nod before he yawned. "I think it's also time for me to get some rest,"
"Ok," Tikki nodded, kissing his temple as he closed his eyes and curled up in Marinette's blanket. "Sleep well, Luka,"
~A Couple of Days Later~
Nathalie carefully slipped into Gabriel's office, trying to be as quiet as possible. As expected, he was asleep in his chair. She frowned to herself as she looked over at him but she wasn't surprised. This was a common occurrence, especially since Emile went missing. Gabriel might have been a supervillain but he did work hard to get where he was both as Hawkmoth and as the head designer of his company. It was due to pulling many all-nighters that he managed to keep Gabriel afloat despite his criminal activity. She carefully walked towards him and reached into his pocket, taking out the peacock miraculous and placing it in hers. He had given her the good news that their new ally would be fixing the miraculous but she didn't trust this new person. A monk of the guardian order helping them? It was insane and she had a feeling that he was trying to use them. She brought up this concern to Gabriel but he brushed her off, saying he was using the monk for his knowledge. It's why she came up with this plan. If she could capture one of the heroes and take their miraculous, she could hold them and their family hostage, forcing the remaining hero to surrender in return for their safety. While either could work, it would be a lot easier to capture Lady Noir. With her and her family taken hostage, Anatis would definitely surrender his miraculous to save them. He couldn't stand to see innocent people in danger. The only issue was how to capture Lady Noir and that's where the peacock miraculous came in. It was obvious that Lady Noir was in love with Anatis and that they were possibly in a relationship but simply were trying to keep things under wrap and professional so Paris felt safe. Well, if she could exploit those feelings and lure her into a force sense of security then she could easily capture her. It should be child's play from that point. With the miraculous in her pocket and Gabriel still asleep, she quietly left the room and the house. Adrien was still at school and Gilles would be having his usual coffee so she didn't need to worry about anyone questioning her. She headed to the Place des Vosges and glanced around before spotting a young man selling Eiffel Tower keyrings. She walked over and brought one before leaving the park. She made her way to one of the bridges and located a loose manhole cover. She glanced around before lifting it up and climbing down into the sewer. Just as she stepped off the ladder, a wave of dizziness washed over her, making her gasp and lean against the wall for support. It took a few minutes but soon it passed, allowing her to proceed with her plan. She took the miraculous out and clipped it onto her shirt, allowing Duusu to manifest.
"Woohoo! Yay!! You're feeling better already!!" She declared as she appeared but as soon as she spoke those words, Nathalie coughed, making her gasp. "Oh no! Spoken too soon!! But then..."
She flew around, looking around as Nathalie watched her. She had to admit she found Duusu endearing but a little eccentric.
"What are we doing here?" She asked, turning around to face her.
"Gabriel would never allow me to do this but I'm going to create a very powerful sentimonster," She explained, making Duusu gasp. "The most powerful one that's ever existed,"
"No! Don't do that!" Duusu gasped, making Nathalie frown. "You should be resting,"
"I know but things have changed," She stated, making Duusu frown. "Gabriel so desperately wants the miraculous and now he has a new ally. A monk who claims he can fix your miraculous and help us capture the heroes but I don't trust him and if I want to protect him then I must get the miraculous now!"
"Oh, it's so romantic!" Duusu cried, jumping from concerned to full on tears. It concerned her but she knew it was to do with the fact that her miraculous was broken. Duusu couldn't help the mood swings because of it. It made her hope that maybe this monk could fix it but she also knew not to trust everything she heard. Shaking her head, she took off her glasses and threw them to the side.
"Duusu, spread my feathers!" She declared, transforming into Mayura. She took out her fan and plucked a feather before charging it up in her hand. "Go my beautiful amok and bring my creation to life,"
She placed it in the keyring before holding out her hand and created a blog of blue smog. She began to create her monster, making sure every detail was perfect. It had to be for the plan to work. She moved her hands as she shaped it, focusing on the image she had in mind until she was satisfied. The blue smog lifted, revealing an exact clone of Anatis. He stood in front of her with his eyes closed, making her smirk.
"Anatis, I am Mayura," She declared, smirking. "You are Lady Noir's true partner and you've only one goal... to get hold off the miraculous!"
"I'm ready, Mayura," He stated, opening his eyes.
~Marinette's Room~
"So you're making another blanket for lover boy huh?" Plagg asked, causing Marinette to look up from her blanket she had been knitting. Since Scarlet Moth's attack, she had been stress knitting but he didn't blame her. He had been scared too, especially when he felt Luka's Aura. They had come so close to another akuma like Yan Woshi. Paris would have definitely burnt if Scarlet Moth had in fact succeeded. The only thing that slightly reassured him was that he wouldn't have won per say. Hawkmoth wouldn't have gotten the miraculous but they wouldn't be able to stop Luka. It would have been a Pyrrhic victory for both sides. Scarlet Moth would have finally succeeded in akumatizing Luka but at the cost of Paris and possibly the world being burnt to the ground. They needed to find a way to either protect Luka from being akumatized or put Hawkmoth off targeting him. He looked back over at her as she hadn't answered his question yet and saw she was staring at her computer. It was playing music in the background so there was nothing interesting to watch on it. "Doll face?"
"Sorry.. I was just thinking," She muttered, making him frown. "Don't worry I'm ok. I'm just worried about Luka. I'm gonna talk to Annie about finding a way to protect him from being akumatized. Maybe we can find a way to protect everyone,"
"That's a good idea," He stated, making her nod. "You do it on your-"
The computer made a ping, causing them to move over to it and saw a notification from the news channel. Marinette frowned and clicked on it, causing it to load onto a live stream.
"This is Nadja Chamack," She declared, making Marinette frown as she was crouched down, like she was trying not to be seen. The camera moved to the Arc de Triomphe, showing Anatis battling Mayura on top and it seemed he was losing. Marinette gasped and stood up, knocking the blanket off her. "I'm live at the Arc de Triomphe where Anatis is battling a new supervillain!"
Mayura slammed Anatis into the ground before she looked up at the cameras.
"I am Mayura and I'm about to annihilate Anatis!" She growled, making Marinette gasp as Anatis managed to get the upper hand but it didn't last long.
"Plagg! Claws out!" She declared, transforming. She rushed out of the skylight and leaped to the Arc de Triomphe. She landed just as Mayura slammed her fan into Anatis' stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. She roughly grabbed him by his throat, reaching for his earrings. Lady Noir threw her baton, causing her to jump out of the way as she ran over. Mayura growled and jumped away, causing Lady Noir to grab her baton and go to follow her. Under Mayura's instruction, Anatis tried to get up but cried out in 'pain', falling to the floor. As planned, Lady Noir rushed over to him. "Annie!"
~At the Liberty~
Luka took a deep breath as he calmed his breathing. He was practicing his meditation as part of his post akuma therapy. He had been out of hospital for a couple of days and while he still felt tired, he was not as weak as before. He had sent Mulan a message as Anatis last night, explaining that he wanted to meet despite their differences. He didn't expect her to agree but she messaged back straight away, saying she would like to as well as she had heard about the attack on the school. He was relieved that she had agreed. They needed to find a way to start to prevent the akumas. It might take some time but preventing them would force Hawkmoth into a corner so to speak. He also wanted to work on a way to track the akumas, which was another thing to discuss with Mulan. He took a deep breath as he focused but the atmosphere shifted, making him frown. He opened his eyes and glanced around. Nothing was wrong in his room but something didn't feel right. Tikki was dancing to the music he was listening to but it sounded distant. He got up and looked around, causing Tikki to notice and fly over.
"Luka?" She asked but her voice sounded far away. He frowned and glanced around. "Are you ok?"
"Something's wrong," He replied, making her frown. "The atmosphere... it feels wrong..."
"Wrong?" She asked, making him nod. "Maybe you're picking up on something? Try to focus on it?"
He nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and emptying his mind. Feng had taught him a technique that could allow him to see people's emotions and help identify who they belonged to. He mentioned that the stronger the connection to the person, the easier it was to find their 'song'. He opened his eyes as they turned silver, causing him to see a number of different colored notes around him. Most were black and faded out which were people he didn't know but a few had colored. The purple ones were Juleka's, the bright pink ones were Rose and the light pink ones were Marinette's. The red ones were his mothers and Ivan's were a grey colour. The bright green ones, however, belonged to Lady Noir. It was similar to Marinette's in a way but there were differences. He was certain it was because they both were creative people in their own way. After all, Rose and Juleka had similar songs to others too. He reached out and touched Lady Noir's notes, causing her song to fill his mind. It wasn't her usual one either. This one was panicked and fearful, making him frown as his eyes turned back to blue.
"It's Lady Noir. I think she's in trouble," He gasped, making Tikki frown before he swiped his earrings. "Tikki! Spots on!"
~Back at the Arc de Triomphe~
"Are you ok?" Lady Noir asked as she helped Anatis to his feet. He stumbled, causing her to catch him as she frowned with worry. "Annie?"
"I-I'm ok, Kitten," He gasped, making her look at him with disbelief. "W-We need to go after Mayura so don't worry about me,"
He cried out in pain as he gripped his ribs, falling to the ground. She gasped and caught him, lowering him to the ground as he breathed heavily.
"L-Lady Noir," He gasped, looking just as afraid as she did. "I... I d-don't feel so good..."
His eyes dropped as his breathing hitched, making her gasp.
"Annie! Stay awake!" She gasped, making him weakly open his eyes. "We'll get you some medical attention! Or we can cast the cure!"
"I d-don't know if it will work with her g-gone..." He gasped, making her frown as her eyes became full of tears. "H-Hey, d-don't cry. I'll b-be ok,"
"B-But I don't understand!" She gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks. "W-we're supposed to be nearly invincible!"
"S-She must of used- ow!" He cried out, making her gasp and cry a little more before she took a deep breathe, determined to be the strong one. Mayura admired her for that. She clearly loved him and it was hurting her to see him like this. It was almost enough to make Mayura feel guilty but then she remembered why she was doing this.
"K-Kitten... I... I need to tell you something..." She declared, narrowing her eyes. Lady Noir would fall for this. "I... I couldn't tell you before because I w-was afraid but-"
"K-Kitten... I... I need to tell you something..." Anatis gasped, repeating the words. "I... I couldn't tell you before because I w-was afraid but I... I've a-always g-gone out m-my way to hide m-my feelings for you b-but I just can't do it anymore..."
"W-What?" Lady Noir gasped, making Mayura think she was falling for it. "Annie... this isn't funny!"
"I'm n-not jo-joking, Kitty," He gasped, making her stare at him. "I k-know I sa-said I loved t-the baker g-girl but t-that wa-was in the p-past and I've r-realised th-that after all this time... you're the one who's been here for me..."
Lady Noir stared in shock as Anatis moved his hand to hers, taking it and placing it on his chest.
"Your feelings for me hav-haven't changed and mine grow stronger every day," He declared as Mayura smirked to herself. The ring was in her reach and she could taste her victory. "I... love.... you, Lady Noir..."
He leaned up to kiss her but to her surprise, Lady Noir snatched her hand back and jumped away from her, making Mayura frown in confusion as she glared at him. Anatis looked at her with hurt.
"K-Kitten?" He asked, making her hiss loudly.
"Don't you dare call me that!" She snarled, making Mayrua frown. "Only the real Annie gets to call me that and you're not him!"
"W-What?" She gasped, making the Sentimonster stay the same. "B-But I am A-Anatis... I swear,"
"Oh really?" She asked, crossing her arms. "If you're the real Anatis then tell me this! What's my favourite thing about you?"
"M-my intelligence," He replied, making her smirk. "You always say how smart I am,"
"Wrong," A new voice added as the real Anatis jumped down and landed next to Lady Noir. "Her favourite thing about me is my honesty. I've never lied to her and I never would, especially about my feelings for her. While I love Lady Noir, it is purely in a platonic way and even if it wasn't, I would never risk dating her while Hawkmoth is still active or while we couldn't know who we are under the masks,"
He turned to Lady Noir with a smile.
"I'm glad to see you didn't confuse fantasy with reality, Kitten," He smiled, making her nod. "But are you ok?"
"We'll worry about me once we've dealt with this pretender," She stated, hissing as she looked at him. Mayura frowned and moved a bit closer to them. She could still get them with the element of surprise. "Akumatized fan?"
"Hmm... Maybe but wasn't-" He suddenly gasped and coughed, making Lady Noir gasp. He held up his hand and took a deep breath before straightening up. "You might as well come out, Mayura. I know you're there,"
"That empathy of yours is a neat trick, Anatis," She stated, slipping out. She was disappointed that her illness had taken away the element of surprise. The fake Anatis frowned and stepped back towards her, spinning his yoyo as he did. Mayura hid behind him as she still felt weak. However, she was still convinced her plan could work. She gripped the keychain and smirked. "Sentimonster, time to obey your master! Whatever it takes, steal their miraculous! Don't hold back!"
"Yes, Mistress!" The sentimonster declared, charging into battle against the team heroes. They jumped out of the way as he threw his yoyo at them before they clashed and fought.
"So he isn't an akumatized person!" Lady Noir declared as she spun towards him, hitting him with her foot. He stumbled back as Anatis jumped over her and slashed his yoyo, knocking him back. "He doesn't look like any of the sentimonsters we've faced before. He's so much more elaborate than them,"
"That's the point, Kitten," Anatis replied as his clone attacked them, causing them to jump back. "He was made with the intention to lure you into a trap. He had to look human... but that doesn't mean your point doesn't stand. He is more elaborate than the others. There's nothing actually monstrous about him but we can't let him take our miraculous regardless. We need to take his amok,"
"In that case, I have a sense of where it is!" Lady Noir stated, kicking the sentimonster back. He back flipped and landed on his feet, glaring at them. "Look at what Mayura is holding,"
"A keyring?" Anatis questioned, making Lady Noir nod. "Let's get it!"
"Sentimonster, protect me!" Mayura declared as they charged at her instead of her monster. He jumped in front of them and used his yoyo to knock them back. "Stop holding back and take their miraculous!"
"Yes, Mistress!" He declared, throwing up his yoyo. "Senti-charm!"
A grenade launcher appeared out of thin air, causing the Sentimonster to catch it and point to them but Anatis smirked.
"That's the best you can do?" He declared, smirking. "Let me show you a real... Lucky Charm!"
This time, a folk appeared out of thin air, causing Anatis to catch it before the Sentimonster fired at them.
"Well, if there was any lingering doubt, it's definitely gone now!" Lady Noir declared as they jumped away from his attack, causing the attack to trap innocent bystanders. "Annie, tell me you have a plan!"
"Working on it!" Anatis replied as he jumped up and glanced around, noticing Mayura trying to catch her breath. Lady Noir was distracting the sentimonster, allowing him to work out a plan. Seeing his chance, he glanced around in his luck vision. A sheet of glass was highlighted, along with the sentimonster's gun and finally the fork. Anatis ran towards him and jumped, using the gun to backflip towards the sheet of glass. "Lady Noir, cover your ears!"
She did as told as he landed on the glass and slid down it, dragging the fork across it. The sound made the sentimonster drop his weapon and caused Mayura to drop the keyring. Seeing his chance, Anatis threw his yoyo and grabbed it, pulling it to him.
"No!" Mayura shouted, reaching out as the sentimonster stared and no longer attacked. Anatis went to snap the keyring but stopped. He turned and walked over to his clone, making Lady Noir raise an eyebrow as he did.
"Annie?" She asked as he stopped in front of him. The Sentimonster raised his eyes to his, making Anatis nod. He turned to Lady Noir as she looked confused.
"Senticreatures are alive and while some are dangerous, due to the emotions they are created from, not all of them are," He stated, turning to look back at the Sentimonster. "He wasn't created from desperation, fear anger like Reflekdoll, Feast or Guard O'War was. He was created from a need to protect. There is nothing monstrous about him,"
He looked at the keyring in his hand.
"Whoever possesses this controls him... he couldn't help but follow orders," He stated before taking the sentimonster's hand and placing the keyring in it, causing him to gasp. "Sentis, you're free now. I won't give you orders but I ask for your help. Help me and Lady Noir capture Mayura,"
"Thank you, Anatis," Sentis smiled, clutching the keyring before he took out his yoyo. "I would be honoured to help you,"
He turned to face Mayura as he spun it, causing Anatis to do the same. Lady Noir smirked and took out her baton before they stalked toward Mayura, making her stumble back in fear.
"Wait! I had to do it!" She gasped as both of the bug boys went to throw their yoyos at her but before they could, Hawkmoth appeared and used his cane to hit them back. He charged towards Anatis but before he could, Sentis threw his yoyo towards him. Hawkmoth caught it and yanked it towards him before landing a kick in his face, sending him flying, grabbing his keyring as he did.
"Sentis!" Anatis called out.
"Sentimonster, I am your master now!" He declared, smirking as Sentis looked at him in fear. "I orde-"
Before he could complete the order, Lady Noir ran at him and slammed her feet into his chest, knocking him back and grabbing the keyring, once again freeing Sentis. She landed on the ground and glared at them.
"Sentis, I only have one order for you," She stated, making the other three gasp. "And this order overrides all other orders, regardless of who has your keyring. I order you to never do what someone else tells you! I order you to be free!"
With that, she threw the keyring to him, causing him to catch it and thank her. Anatis nodded to her with a smile of approval.
"No!" Hawkmoth called out, growling. "You brat!"
"Let's get them!" Lady Noir declared but before they could, Mayura held her hand, causing Sentis to grip his chest in pain.
"I release you from existence!" She declared, snapping her fingers.
"No!" Anatis cried out as he disappeared in a blue smog. The keyring fell to the ground as the amok emerged and turned into a normal feather. His eyes flickered to silver as he glared at her. "How could you?! He was alive!"
He charged towards her but once again, Hawkmoth protected her, sending him flying into Lady Noir as he smirked. The two heroes got up and held their weapons, ready for a fight.
"Getting sentimental over a sentimonster?" Hawkmoth questioned with a smirk. "How pathetic!"
"You're the real monster here!" Anatis declared, spinning his yoyo. Hawkmoth smirked and charged at them, hitting them with his cane as they blocked his attacks and returned with their own. Meanwhile, Mayura attempted to get away. Noticing her carefully moving away from the battle, Anatis frowned. If he wanted to get a good reading on her and maybe use her to his advantage against Hawkmoth, he would have to get close to her but if he got close, her aura might affect him.
Take a deep breath and clear your mind... Feng's voice echoed, causing Anatis to do as instructed. When we do our next session, I will teach you how to fully develop a shield against negative emotions and overwhelming auras but right now, you need to focus on your goal in mind. It will help you resist her aura.
Ok. Anatis thought back before he and Lady Noir jumped back, dodging another attack from Hawkmoth.
"Lady Noir! Cover me!" He declared, getting a nod of her as they charged back towards Hawkmoth. He went to hit Anatis with his cane but he slid under it and Lady Noir attacked Hawkmoth, allowing Anatis to throw his yoyo and wrap it around Mayura. He pulled her to him but almost as soon as she did, a wave of dizziness hit him. However, he kept in mind that his focus was to grab her miraculous. He went to reach for it but before he could, Hawkmoth grabbed Lady Noir's arm and captured her, smirking at Anatis as he laughed. "No!"
"Check, Anatis," He smirked, reaching for her ring.
"Cataclysm!" She declared, making the dark energy appear around her hand. Hawkmoth couldn't touch her until it was used.
"Good move, Kitten!" Anatis called, making her grin. "All I have to do is take Mayura's miraculous and then it's all over. Once I know who she is, I'll be able to work out who you are,"
"Oh?" Hawkmoth questioned with an amused smirk. "And how do you know I didn't just hire a mercenary to help me?"
"Because you've never had help before Heroes Day. If you wanted to hire someone, you would have done so from day one," Anatis replied, surprising Hawkmoth. "And then there's the fact that she's wearing a damaged miraculous willingly. No hired help would wear that unless they personally know you and care for the man under the mask so checkmate, Hawkmoth. Time to surrender,"
"All I have to do is wait a few minutes until you and your pet transform back into regular kids," Hawkmoth replied, laughing as the first beep happened, making Anatis frown as Lady Noir struggled against Hawkmoth. "So fragile... so easy to break..."
"Then I see we're at a stalemate,"
"So it seems," Hawkmoth replied, narrowing his eyes. Anatis noticed a few of the helicopters around the area, still filming.
"Release Lady Noir and I won't take Mayura's miraculous out here where the cameras can see her identity," Anatis stated, shocking both Lady Noir and Mayura. "You wouldn't want her to be targeted for been a terrorist,"
"All I have to do is wait so your identity will be revealed live on air," Hawkmoth stated, making Anatis frown. "Release her and that won't happen,"
"Release Lady Noir!"
"Release Mayura!"
"Don't mind me," Mayura gasped, not wanting Hawkmoth to lose this chance.
"Don't listen to him, Annie!" Lady Noir gasped, thinking Hawkmoth won't honour his part. However, Hawkmoth suddenly threw her to the side of the building, literally as Anatis did the same thing to Mayura before the two of them ran after their partners respectively. They glared at each other as they did before Anatis jumped and threw his yoyo, swinging and catching Lady Noir before she fell. He landed on the ground with her in his arms and glanced up as Hawkmoth disappeared with Mayura. "Annie?"
"Are you ok?" He asked, gently putting her down. She nodded and went to say something. "I know I had Mayura but he would have taken your miraculous the moment your cataclysm ran out and if I made a grab for Mayura's... besides... there'll be other times..."
"Thank you," Lady Noir smiled, gently placing a kiss on his cheek before she lifted her hand that was still charged up. "Got anything for this?"
"Hmm," Anatis replied, glancing around before noticing a small sign in his luck. "Use it on that. My lucky charm will fix it and it's too small to do any real damage,"
"Ok!" She replied, walking over and placing her hand on it. It cracked and rusted but that was it. With a nod, Anatis threw his fork into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing the cure to wash over the area fixing everything but once it disappeared, he still looked upset. Lady Noir walked over and gently took his hand, making him look at her. "It didn't bring him back,"
"I know," She whispered, frowning before she looked at him. "But you tried to help. You could have destroyed him but you tried to set him free. In his last moments, we gave him a chance at freedom,"
"I know... but... I should have saved him," He sighed, looking down. "The peacock's power can be so cruel when wrongly used... even more so then the butterfly's one..."
"We'll get them back one day," Lady Noir stated with determination. "I know we will!"
~Gabriel's House~
"You disobeyed me again, Nathalie and you put yourself in danger for nothing," Gabriel stated as Nathalie rested on an armchair. She really had tried to help but even her plan failed. She coughed, causing her glasses to fall off. Gabriel knelt down and picked them up, placing them back on her face as he looked at her with a sorrowful expression. "Your idea was brilliant but you don't need a miraculous to help me,"
"There was something else you needed Mayura for," She stated, making him frown. "To find the guardians and the mage,"
"I'm not so sure anymore," He replied, making her close her eyes.
"The monk?" She asked, making him nod.
"He can help us find them," He stated, making her frown. "I know you distrust him but he can translate the spellbook and help us track down the guardians and the mage... but don't worry. I have no intention of letting him take him for himself. As soon as he has outlived his usefulness... we'll get rid of him,"
"Very well," Nathalie replied, taking off the brooch and placing it in his hand. "But if you ever need Mayura again, I'll be here for you,"
"I know," He replied, taking it from her as Nooroo frowned. "Thank you... now rest,"
She nodded and closed her eyes as he got up and headed to his office. He closed the door and made his way to the portrait of Emile. He pressed the secret buttons, causing the lift to work and bring him down into his lair. He exited it and walked over to the coffin before placing his hand on the glass.
"Things have taken an interesting turn, Emile," He stated as the guilty expression melted from his face before he sighed. "But it has gotten too dangerous to use Mayura again. Anatis almost won today. The boy is better than I give him credit for but fear not, my love. I will take his miraculous from him, along with that of his mangy cat friend. Sleep well, my beloved,"
He turned and walked away, heading to a different area of the lair. Since finding out about Anatis' and Lady Noir' upgrades, he had set up an area to try and recreate them as well as to try and translate the book as that is the only way he could have gotten access to the upgrades. He must have found it after Adrien lost it. Gabriel didn't think he had as it had been returned and he thought Anatis wouldn't have done that but the boy must have copied the book and gotten the current guardian or even the mage to translate it for him then found a way to get Miss Dupain-Cheng to return it for him to lift suspension from him. A clever move but it seems he's been staying away from Miss Dupain-Cheng after the Weredad incident. Honestly, Gabriel didn't blame him for that. Weredad had given him a serious beating after all. However, he also knew Anatis was still sniffing around him. He had been known to question a few of his staff and friends about Gabriel. Nothing too serious but he suspects that despite that he was 'akumatized', Anatis still considered him a suspect and was actively trying to find evidence to suggest that he is. Anatis had actually asked Nathalie on one of his patrols about Gabriel's hobbies and checked in on her after she had fainted at the museum. He wasn't surprised that Anatis had heard about it as a number of people were there and the Lady Blogger girl caught it on her camera. He had been taking extra care since then. He frowned as the air shifted, causing him to leave his thoughts.
"You know it's rude to come in uninvited," He stated, turning around as Su Han walked out of the shadows.
"I understand," He stated, making Gabriel frown before he held up a chunk of gold. "A gift for you. One of the ingredients needed to repair a miraculous,"
"Gold hm?" Gabriel asked, taking it. "Thank you,"
"Not just gold," He replied, making Gabriel look at him. "Molten gold. It must be melted down as part of the ritual. It only requires two more ingredients. Dust from the sky and the secret ingredient... the plume of the prideful,"
"Plume of pride?" Gabriel repeated, frowning. "Is all this book in riddles?"
"Yes. The author was fond of them," Su Han replied, annoyed. "The translation for the repair is 'Dust from the Sky, now precious, will repair the wings of an injured animal'. Back in the time this was written, bronze would have been used in place of gold as it was the most precious metal back then but I have learnt that these days gold has a much higher value hence why we require it,"
"I see," Gabriel replied, nodding. "And how do you intend to get the dust from the sky and the plume of the prideful?"
"I will seek the dust from the sky," He replied, making Gabriel nod. "But you must get the plume. Once these are both acquired, I can teach you the ritual to fix it,"
"Very well," Gabriel replied. "I assume the plume of the prideful is in fact the feather of a peacock?"
"Yes I believe so,"
~Gabriel Photo-shoot~
"Oh and get me a latte! Oat based milk, decaf shot with no sugar vanilla syrup, Grande size!" Lila demanded as she sat, waiting for the photographer to set up his camera. She was already changed and ready to go as Gabriel had kept his promise. She was now promoted to teens evening wear after the previous model was demoted to her previous role. She hadn't got a photoshoot with Adrien just yet but her paycheck went up and she got her reward so she couldn't complain just yet. She was looking forward to it. She hummed to herself as a car pulled up and Adrien got out, followed by Kagami as the photographer greeted him.
"Adrieno! Come stai?!" He asked, making Adrien smile before he noticed Kagami. "Oh and who is this charming young lady?"
"I'm good thank you," Adrien replied before gesturing to her. "This is my girlfriend, Kagami,"
"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you," She stated, making the photographer smile.
"Hello! It is wonderful to meet you too," He grinned before frowning as he faced Adrien again. "But why are you here? You're free for this evening,"
"Yes, I know," Adrien replied before he gestured to Lila, who hadn't noticed them yet. "But I wanted to congratulate Lila here,"
Hearing her name, Lila looked over and saw him.
"Hi Adrien!" She gasped, waving before noticing Kagami who glared at her. Lila noticed she was holding her training sword. "Hi Kagami. Are you both here for a photoshoot? Oh, could you give me some tips, Adrien? I'm not as experienced as you are,"
"Would you mind if you left us alone for a moment?" He asked the photographer and his assistant. Lila gave him a smirk, thinking they wouldn't walk away and leave her alone with him and Kagami. "I would like to talk to Lila about something,"
"Of course, Adrieno," The Photographer replied before he walked away with his assistant, saying something about getting a coffee. Lila frowned but didn't let down her guard.
"What's this about, Adrien?" She asked, pretending to be concerned. "Is everything ok?"
"No, it's not,"
"You hurt our friend Luka," Kagami stated, making her frown.
"And that is not ok," Adrien concluded, making Lila gasp.
"Me?!" She declared in false surprise. "Hurting Luka?! But he's-"
"Drop the act, Rossi," Adrien stated in a cold manner, making her go silent. "I don't know how to prove you lied, Lila-"
"Adrien!" She gasped, still trying to go with the 'I didn't lie' Route. "I swear I didn't-"
"We know you framed him, just like you did with Marinette," Kagami cut her off as she moved her sword in view. Lila gulped as it looked sharper than the usual training sword. "Now you're gonna fix it,"
"Fix it?"
"You're gonna get Luka back into school and prove that he's innocent," Adrien stated, making her frown deeply. "And without suggesting that someone else did it to you... I don't care if you have to use another lie to do it. You will get it done,"
"Why would I do that, Adrien?"
"Because your career here will end before it's even really started if you don't and we both know you don't want that," Adrien stated, making her frown. He didn't have that kind of power... did he? He was able to get the photographer and his assistant to leave them alone and he was Gabriel's son plus he had Kagami and her family on his side. If he wouldn't be able to convince his father, Kagami's mother might. She knew that woman was scary and Kagami was clearly just as fierce. She looked back over and Adrien gave her his best sunshine smile. "Besides we're friends ... aren't we?"
"Of course," Lila smiled back but she knew the truth. Adrien wasn't her friend at all and she needed to be careful.
~A Few Days Later~
"I'm so sorry. I really thought Luka had taken my necklace but I accidentally put it in his locker," Lila gasped, tears in her eyes. Luka frowned as he listened. Her father was rubbing her back and giving her tissues. She took one and wiped her eyes. "I didn't realise it at the time but I had mistaken his locker for mine as they all look very similar and I had left mine unlocked due to my terrible memory and I didn't realise it was his as it was also unlocked but then when I realised my necklace was missing, I was afraid that it had been taken as it costed a lot. I jumped to conclusions as I have been constantly bullied in my other schools-"
She sobbed for dramatic effect.
"And I thought it was Luka because he doesn't like me," She gasped, wiping her eyes. Mr Damocles and Mrs Mendeleiev frowned as they listened. "As for being pushed down the stairs because of my paranoia, I thought Luka had pushed me but I was obviously wrong. I'm so sorry, Luka,"
"And the test notes?" Mrs Mendeleiev asked, making her frown.
"I have no idea about those," She gasped, wiping her eyes again. "M-Maybe I h-had a blackout again?"
"Blackout?" Mr Damocles asked, frowning a lot with the others.
"Yes, my angel was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy when she was younger that causes blackouts where she doesn't remember what she did," Her father stated, making them frown. Luka especially as he wondered how much of that is true. Mr Rossi looked to her with a soft expression. "But you haven't had those in years,"
"If she does have a history of them then maybe ye should take her to the doctor and get her tested again instead of assuming my lad is trouble!" Anarka growled, making Mr Rossi look at her. Luka could tell that he wanted to argue with her but knew that he wouldn't win. "Speaking of which, ye owe my lad an apology too,"
"Yes... of course," He stated, clearly annoyed. "I apologise for my rash behaviour. I hope you're able to accept it and forgive my daughter as well,"
"No," Luka stated, making him gasp. "I have no interest in accepting an apology that means nothing nor do I want to forgive your daughter. What I want is for her to stay away from me,"
"Why you lit-"
"That's enough, Mr Rossi," Mrs Mendeleiev stated. "Mr Couffaine has every right to reject your apology,"
"Exactly," Mr Damocles nodded before turning back to Luka. "Mr Couffaine, your suspension will be removed from your permanent record and has been lifted. The school board had concluded that you would be allowed back in the school as the evidence that Miss Rossi provided was circumstantial at best and with her confession about mixing up the lockers and the new knowledge of her blackouts as well as the knowledge that she has a habit of lying, we can guarantee that nothing of this will stick on your permanent record. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. You may have the rest of the afternoon off as I'm sure you're still recovering from the akuma attack,"
"I am, sir," Luka replied, nodding. "But I'll be back on Monday Morning,"
"Excellent," Mr Damocles nodded. "Then you and your mother are free to leave. However, Mr Rossi and Lila, we need to discuss this matter further,"
"Excuse me?" Mr Rossi gasped as Luka and his mother got up. "Why?"
"Because this is the second time Miss Rossi has accused a student of attacking and bullying them," Mr Damocles stated as they left the room. Mr Rossi frowned deeply. "I'm afraid we must correct behaviour in order to prevent situations like this from happening again. Otherwise, we will have to take extreme action to protect our other students,"
Anarka closed the door behind her and gently patted Luka's shoulder with a smile.
"You good, Lad?" She asked as he looked over at her.
"Yeah, I'm good," He replied, noticing his friends in the courtyard. "Can I go say hi?"
"Of course, ye can," She smiled, ruffling his hair before they walked down the stairs. "I'll wait outside,"
She walked off, heading out of the school's front doors as Luka walked over to his friends. As soon as they saw him, they turned and greeted him. Marinette rushed over and hugged him, making him smile and hug her back as the others moved close.
"So are you still in trouble?" Aurora asked, crossing her arms. "Cause I will happily wrote an expose on the corrupt system of this school if you are,"
"We will go on strike to get you back in!" Mylene gasped, making Luka smile as the others added in they'd join in.
"There's no need," He stated, making them look at him. "My suspension has been reversed and removed from my permanent record. The board decided that the evidence wasn't enough and Lila confessed that she had 'mistaken' my locker for hers and assumed that I had pushed her due to paranoia. She also claimed that she had no idea how the answer key got into my bag but brought up that she used to have blackouts. Her father confirmed it but I'm not sure I believe him either,"
"So you're not leaving?" Marc asked as Felix folded his arms.
"Blackouts hm?" He asked, frowning.
"No, I'm not leaving," He smiled, making them cheer. "I will be having the afternoon off though,"
"I'll come to the liberty after school and bring you some snacks," Marinette grinned, making him smile and nod. However, Alya walked over, making him frown. She looked like she hadn't slept in a while. Marinette looked at her with concern as she stopped in front of Luka.
"Can I have a word please?" She asked, making him nod. They moved to the side and Alya bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, Luka. I shouldn't have listened to her about a number of things, posted any of her stories or even remained her friend. I didn't realise she would go that far and I should have because she did it to Marinette. God, I'm a terrible person,"
"Alya," Luka stated, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're not a terrible person. Yes, you've made mistakes but that's normal and you've realised where you went wrong. You've made so much progress since that photoshoot issue and I know you can be even better. You've taken the first steps and whatever you did wrong in the past, you can learn from it and become an even better person because of it. As for your apology, I accept it,"
"I... Thank you," She smiled, looking at him. "I will become a better person and oh when I next see Anatis, I'll have to apology to him and Lady Noir,"
"I'm sure they'll appreciate it,"
~Later That Night~
"I'm glad you came to see me," Mulan stated as she turned to the two heroes. Anatis had contacted her, saying he wanted to meet to discuss something. She guessed it was the recent akuma attack. "Please have a seat,"
The two heroes sat down as she also took one.
"So how can I help you?"
"Is there a way to protect people from akumas?" Anatis asked, jumping straight in. "We need to know,"
"I am not sure," She answered, making them frown. "While the butterfly miraculous has existed as long as the others, it has usually been on the side of good. This is the first time in over 5000 years that it has been used for evil,"
"I see," Anatis sighed, frowning. "In that case, what advice do you have for us? Where should we begin?"
"Well, I've helped Fu finish translating the grimoire," She stated, making them nod. "But there is nothing in the book about protecting others against the influence of the akumas. It's basically instructions on how to use the miraculous with their basic powers and the power up potions. Other than that, there is nothing else,"
"Is Fu settled?" Lady Noir asked, causing Mulan to frown.
"Not really," She replied, making them frown. "He's got a place and moved in but he's yet to set up a security system both in a normal sense and a magic sense,"
"I see," Anatis replied, nodding. He didn't expect him to set up quickly though. "It's good to know he has a place though,"
"Yes, it is a relief," Mulan agreed before sighing. "I'm sorry I can't help much more than that though. I'll get the translations for you,"
She got up and walked over to the safe, opening it and taking out some papers. She walked over and handed them to Anatis.
"We figured it would be best to have them printed off so they can be easily disposed of if your identity is compromised," She stated, making him nod. "As for a lead with your goal to protect people from akumas, I would recommend talking to someone who either wielded the butterfly miraculous or endured a similar situation. Your rabbit friend might be able to help with that,"
"That actually helps a lot," Anatis smiled, folding up the paper and putting it into his yoyo. "Thank you. There's something else I want to ask,"
"Oh?"
"What's your view on revealing identities?" He asked, surprising both her and Lady Noir. "Is that an actual rule or something Fu came up with due to his fears?"
"Well, it depends on the situation," She replied, making Anatis nod. "But Fu didn't make the rule. Su Han did. He believed that we should be hidden in the shadows and the power of miraculous should only be shared by the 'worthy'. Toutai and the other celestials' beliefs were different to that. They believed that we should walk in the light and if we had loved ones, they should know. However, this situation is very different to the ones we faced. Our war was against mortals not miraculous wielders. My advice is if you really want or need to tell someone, pick one person who you trust with your life but not necessarily the one who fights with you. It can cause rifts even between the closest of friends,"
"Thank you," He nodded as Lady Noir looked at him. He knew she had questions. "We should talk amongst ourselves. Excuse us,"
Mulan nodded as the two heroes left her home and closed the window behind them, leaving it unlocked should they need to return. Meanwhile, the two heroes found a good spot to sit and talk. Anatis sighed and waited for Lady Noir to sit down before he turned to her.
"Is this because Luka knows who you are?" She asked, making him sigh a little. "Cause you know he's careful and would never betray you,"
"I know. I trust Luka as much as I trust you," He replied, making her know. "But the thing is... I never told him. He knows yes but I didn't actually tell him. He found out a different way and-"
"You want to tell someone else?" She questioned, making him bite his lip. She gently placed her hand on his arm. "It's ok if you do,"
"I.. there is someone I have in mind... I haven't made up my mind yet though..." He admitted before looking at her. "But I think you should tell someone or well two people if you want to as well. It's only fair since someone already knows who I am and that I might tell someone as well. Maybe you could tell your partner. I'm sure you might have to leave them if there's an akuma attack,"
"I do but that's ok," She stated, smiling a little. "They're very understanding even if they don't know why,"
"Still," He muttered, looking at her. "I think it's only fair if you do... that's if you want to of course,"
"Of course," She nodded back before pulling a thinking face. "Hmm... I'll consider it but before you tell the person you have in mind, will you let me know?"
"Of course,"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next chapter: Coming Soon
#evil luka#kind of#luka couffaine#ladybug luka#anatis#Anatis au#lukanette#Marinette Dupain-Cheng#black cat marinette#Lady Noir#Lady Noire#Anatis Sentimonster#Senticreature#Sentis#Senti-Anatis#Mayura#Lila Rossi#Lila Rossi lies#Lila salt#Alya redemption#Alya's redemption arc begins#cat marinette dupain-cheng | lady noir#ladybug luka couffaine#ladybug luka couffaine | anatis#Scarlet Moth#Scarlet Moth strikes again#Scarlet Akumas#Strike three for hawkmoth#Su Han#Evil Lila
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