If a character or idea would’ve been helpful to Marinette or made her life easier, it’ll be used to benefit Adrien in some way. (Or if it’s something that negatively affected Marinette, it’ll positively affect Adrien.)

- Kaalki would’ve enabled Marinette to escape off the train and back to Paris in “Hack-San” and thus no replacement Ladybug would be necessary and thus there would be no Adrichat shilling scene where she promises to never abandon him. (Also could’ve avoided Scarabella being nearly cataclysmed or Marinette could’ve showed up with the Horse to catch him in the act of doing so).

Meanwhile Kaalki and the use of voyage is immediately remembered in “Strike Back” to retrieve and recruit “Adrien” for the fight, and Maribug was going to use it to bring him back to Paris before Strike Back showed up anyways.

- Completely changing the name and look for a hero to pretend they’re a different person entirely/that they got replaced would’ve been SO helpful for literally ANY of the compromised temp heroes to avoid being targeted (Optygami), especially Alya (especially since she still chose to go by Rena and got only a recolor for a design change) and maybe with their safety insured Marinette would’ve potentially let them keep their miraculous instead (which would lessen the blow of the finale).

The idea however IS used for Adrien in “Kuro Neko”, but instead of doing so to deceive Shadow Moth, he’s deceiving Ladybug to keep the miraculous even after he impulsively quit.

- Risk’s powers affecting Marinette leads to her ‘making a mistake’ (that she would’ve had to be psychic to avoid) which ends up with Gabriel getting ALL the other miraculous.

Risk’s powers affecting Adrien got him to vent to Marinette about his feelings and got him to go along with the plan to switch places with Felix, keeping him in Paris completely (the trip gets cancelled anyways after Strike Back is defeated, and since Chat Noir was not neededin the fight, Adrien would’ve gotten to stay in Paris regardless even if he sat out the fight on the train).

- Su-Han and Alya’s absence in “Kuro Neko” prevent Marinette from having someone that could find a replacement for the cat instead, or at the very least call out Plagg’s blatant lies (Su-Han in particular would have), instead of having her stress out over it and be manipulated.

On the flip side, their absence means there’s nobody to find a replacement or call out Plagg’s lies, meaning there’s no one to stop Plagg’s plan to give the ring back to Adrien (since Tikki just goes along with it), meaning Adrien gets the ring back, no issue.

- Marinette is lamenting her breakup with Luka in “Gang of Secrets”, is at an emotional rock bottom, her upset is directly tied to her duties as Ladybug/Guardian and her identity. She can’t ask anyone for help without compromising herself, she directly asks for help and receives nothing from Tikki/the Kwami. Her friends then barge into her room and mess with her things, giving her no room to breathe or process.

Adrien is at an emotional low in “Glaciator 2” after a firm rejection from Ladybug, but his problems are about his heartbreak, it isn’t a problem completely hinged on his identity and it’s something that could be talked about without compromising himself/his identity as Chat. Kagami offers him help directly without him even asking for it, and unlike Marinette who’s despair was made worse by her friends trying to pry and force her to talk with little regard to her feelings, Adrien is instantly comforted by Marinette attempting to give him a gift and Gabriel calling off the akuma and bringing him home with an offer to talk about it, no invasive attempts to get him to talk are made and his feelings aren’t disregarded.

- Luka finding out Marinette’s identity in Truth would’ve not only given her a more reliable confidant than Alya, but Lukanette’s relationship would’ve stayed intact and thereby avoided a lot of the things that went wrong for Marinette throughout the season. (Truth could’ve been avoided altogether, GOS wouldn’t have happened, Sentibubbler wouldn’t have happened, etc). See this post for a full breakdown: here.

Luka finding out Adrien’s identity (along with Marinette’s) makes it so not only can Luka be used to support the square (as well as a writing excuse to keep him away since his presence would break the paper thin plots the writers present us with), but him finding out the way he did and not telling Marinette about it ONLY serves to protect Adrien (if Luka was made to divulge how he found out their identities, Chat would be painted in a bad light to Maribug, Luka keeping quiet effectively shields Adrien from consequences).

- Speaking of Luka, him specifically being in the finale would’ve probably saved the miraculous from getting taken, as well as minimizing any collateral damage from Strike Back. There’s little-to-no chance SB could absorb his Second Chance ability (especially since doing so seems to require direct contact going by the other times it absorbed any abilities) so he could reverse damage as well as be able to warn the other heroes about Strike Back. Then he would’ve immediately caught onto the fact that Flairmidable was an imposter, with how Maribug was fawning over him Luka would likely put two and two together and realize she thinks it’s Adrien when he knows it can’t be. He’d have to come clean to her about his knowledge of their identities, but that would enable them to put a stop to Felix before he pulled what he did with the Dog miraculous. Meaning Gabriel doesn’t get all the miraculous.

Luka not being present in the finale makes the fight more dire, more collateral damage happens, and with no one to call out Felix, Felix runs off, hands Gabriel all the miraculous, and gives Adrien exactly what he wants: Ladybug having him and only him to rely on, with no backup. No more having to “feel replaced” and no more sharing her with the others. He is made her “most important partner” by being made her ONLY OPTION.

This is alljustfrom season 4, and even then I’m sure there’s ones I’ve forgotten.

If we don’t get a mid-battle scene in the beginning of Evolution where Su-Han shows up and starts screaming at Ladybug and Bunnyx just straight up yeets him into another timeline and continues the battle as if nothing happened while others stare in shock what’s even the point

I know better

Really annoyed with our main characters in the episode Ephemeral. Adrien pretty much overdoes the cat puns, a dead giveaway to his identity. And what happened to Ladybug’s declaration that it would be better if chat did not know her identity? Also annoying? the mere words “my lady” giving away Chat’s identity. It would have been better if Gabriel had also heard the cat puns too. At least the epiphany would have been more believable.

This is a draft

When Su Han demands Ladybug knows Chat Noir’s identity, she refuses as she already knows what will happen should that occur. Chat Noir becomes Chat Blanc and the world blows up.

Su Han refuses and argues that the future is not set in stone. All it takes is a single choice to change the course.

Viperion finally defends ladybug and admits he knows their identities. He understands Chat’s reasons. And he knows for sure Chat saw the akuma.

Su Han is furious since Luka has been akumatized before. This time Ladybug defends Luka and promises to give him more charms to protect him from akumas.

The fact is, since Chat would have been unable to make it even if she knew him, nothing would have changed.

Besides, he already has the akuma alert app.

Ladybug’s decision is final. Chat Noir’s identity will stay secret.

Su Han is not happy but relents since it is alright that at least someone knows Chat’s identity. He asks for Chat’s identity. Viperion refuses as Su Han’s appearance would be disruptive. Chat Noir’s life is heavily guarded and Su Han’s appearance will raise awkward questions.

Later, Marinette asks Luka how long he had known.

Luka: since Wishmaker.

Marinette: why didn’t you tell me then?

Luka: I wanted you to tell me your secret. Not because I had discovered it by accident.

Marinette: you should have told me.

Luka: I’m sorry.

Marinette: it’s ok. At least your knowledge came in handy. Now about that protective charm I promised you….

Luka lugged home a new ladybug-themed guitar case, and backpack, and sneakers, and waterproof watch.

Ok firstly, I can’t stand how Chat Blanc is! Urg, the whole episode made me mad with the way everything is bad on Marinette! and Rose! She disappointed me! I don’t like how the Girl Squad is. Anyway, I finally finished up my version. I hope you guys enjoy it and sorry if there is any mistakes. I’ve gone through it for now but it’s 6am here and I’m tired so I’ve probably missed some. I’ll go through it again at a later date to find them. Anyway, I’m pretty happy with how this came out and while at the ending, Luka seems happy. I can say that he is not, he is going to be dealing with this for a long time. Right now, he is simply putting on a brave face so to speak. Anyway, enjoy. Oh also this is going to be rough from the start. You’ve been warned.

——————————————————————————-

Chapter Seventy- Lady Blanche

~Sometime in the Near Future~

“Lady Blanche, I’m giving you to the infinite power of destruction!” Hawkmoth declared as Lady Noir gripped her hair, trying to resist his deal. Anatis pushed himself up as he gripped his ribs. He was already weakened from his battle with Hawkmoth and Simme’s influence wasn’t helping. However, he wasn’t about to give up. He went to rush over but Su Han roughly grabbed him, allowing shadows to wrap around him as he struggled. The other heroes were also trapped, unable to get away from Su Han’s forces. “You and I will seize Anatis’ miraculous and finally I can have my wish!”

“Lady Noir! Fight h- hmm!” Anatis shouted as Su Han covered his mouth.

“Silence, child,” He growled, tightening his grip. “You will watch your lover fall to our dark influence and then once she has pried the earrings from you, I will take your power and grant my true destiny!”

Finally, Finni and his pet human will fall… Simme’s voice echoed as Lady Noir screamed, trying to resist Hawkmoth. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at her before moving his hand to assert more control over her.

“Obey!” He growled as she trembled before her arms fell to her side and she looked down, causing Anatis’ eyes to widen.

“I’m so-sorry, Annie,” She whispered as the purple smog consumed her, causing the heroes to gasp in shock and fear. Hawkmoth and Su Han smirked as the smog lifted, revealing their latest akuma. She looked the same as Lady Noir, apart from the colours she wore. In place of the black was white. Even her hair was as white as snow. In place of the green was an icy blue and her once healthy skin was a sickly white, almost as pale as a corpse. Her eyes were now a cold icy blue, matching the details on her suit and her belt buckle had changed to white with a blue circle around it. Inside it had changed too. Instead of been a black paw print, it was a purple butterfly. The hairband that tied her braid had the same symbol on it. Before Anatis could react, Su Han shoved him in front of her, causing him to land on the ground as Hawkmoth smirked. He shakily looked up at her as the two villains looked on the scene before them. The rest of their team were either frozen with fear or trying to break from the minions holding them back.

“Seize his miraculous!” Hawkmoth declared, smirking. Both him and Su Han would get what they wanted. Lady Blanche created a ball of white energy and pointed it towards Anatis as he pushed himself up and looked at her with a sorrowful expression. Her lip trembled and tears rolled down her face as she stared back with a matching one. 

“Kitten, it’s ok,” He stated in a calm voice as he held out his hand. Su Han smirked as he watched, thinking that even he couldn’t bring her back from the edge. “You can resist this,”

“I… I…” She gasped, conflicted. “I don’t want to do this!”

“I know,” Anatis gasped, still focusing on her. “You don’t have to,”

She trembled again before moving her hair towards Hawkmoth and Su Han, making the two gasp.

“Get better control of her!” Su Han declared as Anatis saw the chance to try and get over to her. However, a shadow stopped him and knocked him back down, draining him of his energy. While Anatis was on the floor, Hawkmoth moved his hand and used his power to try and gain control over Lady Blanche, making her cry out in pain. The other heroes continued to try and break free, wanting to help their leaders but the minions of Su Han were stronger then them and once again overpowered them, forcing them to watch the scene helplessly. Anatis, however, wasn’t about to give up. Despite been drastically weakened from Simme, the battle and his injuries, he pushed himself up and glared at Hawkmoth and Su Han.

“L-Leave her alone!” He gasped, making Su Han walk over and backhand him, causing him to fall onto the ground again as blood dripped from his mouth. Seeing the younger on the ground, Su Han slammed his foot into his ribs, causing him to cry out.

“Stop it!” Culpeo cried out, trying to get free from the minion who had held off her as the others did the same. She managed to get out of their grip and ran over, trying to stop Su Han as he continued to kick Anatis. She grabbed his arm but he turned around and hit her, knocking her back and allowing her captor to hold her back again.

“Insolate brats!” He snarled before he turned back to Anatis and roughly grab his hair, force him on his knees so he could see her as she struggled and tried to resist. Anatis tried to pull free but Su Han had a tight grip on his hair. He reached for the earrings but hissed and yanked back his free hand as his skin burnt. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “That little trick might stop me and Hawkmoth from taking them but we have other ways. I will admit that I will enjoy watching your lover become your executioner, Mage. Now,”

He looked over at Lady Blanche, who was still pointing her ball of energy at Hawkmoth.

“Take his miraculous!” He growled, yanking Anatis’ hair so she could easily grab his earrings. Hawkmoth clenched his hand and ordered her to grab them, making her look more fearful and panicked. Anatis’ eyes widened as the energy ball in her hand began to get more shaky as she shook. More tears rolled down her face as she pointed it towards him under Hawkmoth’s control. Su Han smirked and shoved him forward, causing him to land on the ground in front of her as she shook but she didn’t attack. “What are you waiting for?!”

“Take his miraculous!” Hawkmoth growled as her hand shook. Anatis’ eyes widened as the energy ball began to get bigger.

“I… I don’t want to hurt him!” She cried, making Anatis want to reach out and hug her. She didn’t deserve to suffer like this. “I won’t hurt him!”

“What?!” Hawkmoth gasped, glaring. “I order you-”

“I WON’T HURT HIM!” She screamed, lifting her hand and allowing the ball to consume her. Only it didn’t destroy her. It began to grow bigger, causing Anatis to crawl back as Hawkmoth and Su Han stepped back in fear. The minions let go of the heroes, causing them to rush over and help Anatis to his feet as Lady Blanche screamed. Anatis and the heroes stepped back as Su Han turned on his tail and ran out. Hawkmoth stared in fear as the ball began to get closer to them.

“Hawkmoth! Undo it!” Anatis called out, making Hawkmoth blink and snap his fingers, recalling the akuma. Only it didn’t work. Fear entered his eyes as he realized this would be his last moments. He stepped back and dropped his cane as he turned, running off. Left with not many choices, Anatis closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them as they turned silver. “Alpheus! Lead me your strength!”

Holding out his hands, Anatis summoned a gust of air, trapping Lady Blanche inside it but he could feel the power behind it and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it back for long.

“Valkyrie! Get everyone out of here now!” He ordered, using his strength to hold it back but they could see he was struggling to contain it. Valkyrie nodded and opened a portal, causing the other heroes to rush in it. Anatis looked over at Bunnyx, who was staring at the ball of energy with fear. “Bunnyx! Listen to me! Get in your burrow and find me in the past! You’re our last chance! Help me save her!”

She nodded as he faltered before he pushed back the energy again but he was fighting a losing battle and they both knew it. She closed her eyes and summoned a burrow before jumping it in as Culpeo and Abeille rushed through Valkyrie’s portal, leaving just Anatis left. Valkyrie held it open for him to come through but he didn’t move.

“Anatis! Let’s go!” She called but he looked back and shook his head. “Anatis! You have to come now! I can’t keep it open for much longer!”

“If I let go now, it will explode!” He called out, looking back over as he felt the air bubble weakening more. He wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. “Close the portal now!”

“But you’ll be trapped here!” She gasped.

“I know,” He replied, giving her a soft smile before his expression turned serious. “Get as far as you can. I don’t know what the blast radius will be,”

“Anatis, you-” She started but then a bit of the energy escaped, hitting a nearby building to explode. Valkyrie screamed but before she could do anything else, Anatis redirected a bit of the wind he had summoned and used it to push her back, causing the portal to close. With the portal closed and the last of his energy gone, Anatis lost the wind, causing it to disappear and for the ball of energy to begin to expand again.

“Just me and you now,” He whispered with tears in his eyes. “I love you, Princess,”

“I-I love you too, my prince,” She whispered back before she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She let out a painful scream, causing the ball to explode. Anatis finally let his tears fall as it consumed him.

Luka! Finni’s voice echoed as it began to turn him into stone. He could feel Finni trying to resist it and stop him from being consumed by it but he knew it was impossible. He felt himself lose consciousness as the transformation into stone completely. As he turned to stone, the explosion itself rippled through Paris, striking anyone who stood in it’s way including Su Han, Hawkmoth and the remaining heroes. Abeille and Culpeo held each other as it hit them. Leatherback threw up his shield and summoned his power, trying to protect them. Valkyrie huddled inside the shelter with Apollo and Sabertooth as Ryuko and Aspik held hands. Regardless of their attempts, they were all turned into stone, along with anyone else that the destructive energy touched. The explosion continued to rip through Paris, destroying all in it’s path before it exploded again, sending a beam of destruction through the atmosphere and straight into the moon, causing it to break and split in half before disappearing. As the destructive energy disappeared, Lady Blanche slowly opened her eyes and found herself met with a horrifying sight. All of Paris had been destroyed and there were a number of statues scattered around. One of them appeared to a statue of Hawkmoth that seemed to be fleeing and right in front of her was a statue of Luka, reaching out for her with tears on his cheek but the statue looked different to what he normally looked like as Anatis, which was strange to her. She was sure he was wearing the miraculous. His costume looked very similar to his Anatis outfit but the belt was different and strangely enough, he seemed to have a tail coat on. His hair appeared the same and his mask was slightly different in patterns. There were several cracks on the statue that seemed to be filled with gold, making it look beautiful but what really made it stunning was the huge wings, stretched out from his back and the crown that resembled a halo. Despite his sorrowful expression, he looked angelic. However, the statue also freaked her out. It was so detailed that it unnerved her. Feeling afraid, she looked around for the real Luka, hoping to see him but all she saw was destruction and statues everywhere. Gradually, she looked up at the sky and gasped as she saw the moon. Not only had it been cracked in half but it had also been knocked out of its usual place, bringing it close to the planet. Realization washed over her as she realized she had done it but then she looked back at the statue in front of her. Pure horror filled her as she realized Luka hadn’t left her side, regardless of being in the blast radius. She covered her mouth as a sob escaped her mouth and tears rolled down from her cheeks. In front of her wasn’t a statue of Luka but Luka himself. Her akuma powers had turned him and everyone else into the statues around her.

“No… kwami no!” She screamed as she cupped his face. Tears continuously rolled down her face as she stared at his stone eyes. The once ocean blue eyes that were filled with kindness, mystery and wisdom were gone and replaced with stone gray ones that were void of any life and emotions.“Luka, please… Come back to me! Please, don’t leave me!!”

She let out a scream of anguish as she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Part of her wanted to wake up from this nightmare and have Luka hold her, telling her that it was nothing more than a bad dream but part of her knew that wasn’t going to happen. A loud cracking noise echoed in the distance but she was too caught up in her grief to notice. She covered her face with her hands as she sobbed in front of him, wishing that somehow she could go back in time but she didn’t have the Rabbit Miraculous. Alix had that and she did remember hearing Anatis shout at her to go to her burrow so maybe she would fix it but right now, she had lost her best friend, her partner and her boyfriend. However, a loud whooshing sound got her attention but before she could react, a tidal wave of water rushed over her and Luka, almost washing her away from him. She fought against the current and waters, using her strength to swim over to him as the city continued to flood. She managed to get close enough to him to place her hand on his cheek but grief rippled through her once more as he felt cold to touch. She cupped both of his cheeks and leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. In her mind, she was hoping that maybe it would revive him, like in a fairytale. It doesn’t work. She pulls away with more tears in her eyes before a cracking sound and an echo wave got her attention, causing her to look behind him. The water instantly changes, feeling colder and darker then before as a wave of fear flooded over her, taking over her mind and emotions as a dark laugh echoed through the waves. She looked back at Luka before letting go of him and swimming away, knowing that something was in the water with her. She felt the water ripple as she swam through it before a tentacle wrapped itself around her leg and yanked her downwards. 

“Going somewhere, Pretty Kitty?” Simme stated as he appeared in full form. Lady Blanche looked at him terrified, making the demon smirk. “Come with me and I’ll let you be with your precious boyfriend,”

An angry hiss escaped her lips as bubbles appeared before she summoned a ball of energy and threw it at him, causing him to let go of her leg to dodge it. He turned around and went to hit her but she used her powers to block it, injuring him before she swam off.

“Fine but you’ll never get him back!” He screamed before laughing. “He’ll be my prisoner forever!”

Lady Blanche ignored him as she reached the surface before breaking through it and swimming over to the TVi studio building as it was one of the only ones left standing. She climbed up it and onto the roof, falling back on her knees as she hugged herself. She hated herself. She had killed Luka, destroyed all of Paris and unleashed Simme in his full form. Now she had no choice but to leave Luka’s corpse with him. She sobbed to herself as she continued to hug herself.

“I-I’m so s-sorry, Luka…” She whispered. “I r-really hope Bunnyx can fix this…”

~Current Time, Hawkmoth’s Lair~

“Emile, I miss every moment,” Gabriel sighed as he looked at his wife in her eternal sleep. She looked so peaceful, just like how she did when they shared a bed together. He would watch her for a few minutes after he had woken up, amazed with the fact that he had married such an amazing and beautiful woman before she would wake up and smile up at him. He longed for those days again but sometimes his mind drifted to Nathalie. She was his rock right now. Always so brave and determined to help him. He knew she loved him and he saw it as an opportunity to have support in his mission. However, the more they worked together, the more he found himself getting closer to her. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman and maybe if the situation was different, he would pursue her. He shook his head off such thoughts. Things weren’t different and he was too loyal to Emile to even consider another woman, let alone Nathalie. In the end, she was just another piece on the chessboard and as such she could be sacrificed if necessary. It was best not to get attached. He sighed and placed his hand on the coffin. “But one day, I will get the miraculous of Anatis and Lady Noir, repair the mistakes of the past and make sure you’re returned to us,”

He removed his hand and walked over to the lift, heading up back to the manor to continue with his normal life. After all, he had to keep up appearances. 

~Current Time, The Liberty~

“Ok, I’m gonna tell her,” Luka stated, turning to face Tikki. For the last half an hour, he had been pacing up and down his room. He had been meditating to connect with Feng for the time before his pacing began but hadn’t gotten any real answers from the older mage. Instead, he had received an overly complicated answer that went simplified basically meant that Feng couldn’t actually tell him the outcome of him telling Marinette. He had been disappointed and asked why but Feng simply replied that he is bound by cosmic rules that meant he couldn’t always reveal the outcome of a situation. In other words, Luka had to find out on his own. “I mean he didn’t say anything bad would happen right?”

“He didn’t say anything,” Tikki pointed out, making him frown. “Meaning it could be good or it could be bad,”

“I know!” Luka sighed, groaning. “I wish he could just tell me! Are the comic rules an actual thing?”

“Yep,” Tikki nodded. “All who can see the future, past and present are bound by the rules of the universe to not reveal any information that can drastically change fate. They can however give hints and arrange help if it’s needed,”

“Hence why he got me to go to Shanghai,” Luka nodded. “He couldn’t tell me about Meishi so he left hints,”

“Exactly!”

“But there’s no hints about this choice so it’s not bad right?” Luka asked, glancing over to his journals. All of them were filled with the same words. ‘It’s coming’. Written over all of the pages. Luka frowned before shaking his head. Surely, that wasn’t a hint to do with him telling Marinette. It was something to do with his nightmare, not his choice to tell his girlfriend that he was a superhero. A cold shiver traveled down his back as he thought about it but he shook it off. He was clearly overthinking things. “Right! No more hesitation! I’m gonna tell her!”

“Are you sure?” Tikki asked, making Luka look at her. “I know it was Master Han who came up with the rule but in this case, it might be a good thing,”

“Telling her will be a good thing too,” He smiled, gently cupping her in his hands. “I’m sure if it’s not meant to be then something will happen. Anyway, I’m supposed to meet Marinette for lunch with the rest of our friends. If I text and ask her to meet a little earlier, I can tell her in private. I hope she won’t be disappointed though,”

“While I don’t think telling her will be a good idea, I don’t think she’ll be disappointed,” Tikki replied, making Luka nod. “But if you think it’s the right thing to do then you should tell her,”

“Thank you, Tikki,” He smiled, gently kissing her forehead. “Oh, I should let Lady Noir know that I’m going to tell someone. That way she can choose someone too,”

“Well, at least you’re considerate towards her,” Tikki mused. She had seen a number of Ladybugs who weren’t. She had also seen a number of Black cats who were too destructive but both sides needed to be balanced. She figured that’s why Luka worked as Anatis. He had plenty of creativity, making him compatible with her but he had enough chaos in his blood to be able to work with Plagg both as a holder and an ally. Marinette was similar too. She felt it when she was Ladybug. She frowned to herself as she thought about it. If only she could tell Luka that Marinette was Lady Noir but sadly, she couldn’t. Despite the fact that it would be a lot easier, she had been bound by the spell placed on the kwamis to ensure their obedience. She did count herself lucky that she had gotten Luka as a holder though. Despite knowing of the spell, he never took advantage of it. He had asked her the details of it but sadly she could only say so much. That didn’t stop Luka from trying to find a way to undo it and he never treated her badly. He always made sure she had a good supply of cookies and tried to include her in his plans by asking what she thought and if she approved of it. She had a lot of holders who hadn’t, especially before Luka. She didn’t question it at the time but now she had discovered that Master Toutai had been murdered and that Master Su Han had stole his title via the wish, she wondered if that had directly affected who was choose as the Ladybug. One that stuck out in her mind was Tentomushi. She was her holder during the feudal period of Japan. She wasn’t a bad person per say but she was trained to kill from an early age and quickly became one of the shogun’s secret weapon. Even after she was freed from his service, she still killed for a living. It was all she knew so when she was given the miraculous, she became one of the most violent Ladybugs Tikki had been with. She was never considerate towards her black cat and didn’t care who got hurt while she was working. She would sacrifice anyone as long as her goal was completed, even when she wasn’t sure if she would be able to bring them back and often ignored Tikki’s advice. She actually clashed and ended up being taken down by that time period’s monkey holder Sarutobi Sasuke when she went too far with her plans. It had been a long and grueling battle but with trickery and clever use of Uproar, Sasuke defeated her and took back the Ladybug miraculous. She was then dishonorably discharged from the order of the guardians by Su Han, despite the fact that he had been the one to choose her in the first place. It made Tikki sad when she thought about it. Feng or one of the other celestial guardians would have tried to help her, even after she had lost the miraculous but as soon as she became useless to him, Su Han dropped her faster then you can say 'goodbye’. She let out a little sigh, causing Luka to look over at her.

“You ok?” He asked, making her look at him. “You look sad,”

“I was just thinking about the past,” She replied, making him give her a look. “Just remembering how lucky I am to have you as my holder,”

“I’m the lucky one, Tikki,” He smiled, gently placing a kiss on her head. “Ready to get going? I’m gonna send a text to Lady Noire to let her know that I’m going through with it then we’ll go find Marinette,”

“If you’re sure about this then I’m with you,” She replied, making him smile.

“Thank you, Tikki,” He replied before swiping his earrings. “Tikki, spots on!”

He transformed before taking out his yoyo and climbing out of the boat, swinging off into the heart of the city. Once he landed on the rooftops, he opened his yoyo and looked for Lady Noir’s contact info. Seeing she was online, he decided to call her instead off texting. After the first ring, she answered.

“Hey, Annie,” She grinned, making him smile. She appeared to be laying on a rooftop in the sun like a typical cat. “I can’t chat for long since I have plans to do soon but I’ve got a few minutes. Everything ok?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to do what we discussed,” He stated, making her look at him. “Is that ok?”

“What? Yes, of course,” She replied, making him let out a sigh. “I’m glad you let me know though,”

“Of course I would,” He stated, making her smile. “You’re my partner and this is a big thing that could affect both of us so naturally I’m going to tell you,”

“Thank you,” She smiled shyly, looking away before returning her gaze to the camera. “I want to tell my boyfriend,”

“I encourage it,” He smiled, making her smile back. “Feng said nothing bad… but then again he didn’t say anything. He kind of gave me 'I can’t say because rules say I can’t’ kind of speech,”

“Really?” She asked, frowning before shaking her head. “Well, if it’s not meant to be then maybe Bunnyx or someone will reset the timeline?”

“Yeah, that’s a good point,” He nodded, making her nod. “Ok, I say we go tell the people we want to tell then meet at our usual spot at sundown. Sounds good?”

“Yup!” She grinned, making him nod. “Wish me luck, Annie,”

“Good luck, Kitten,” He replied before they both hung up. He took a deep breath before going to throw his yoyo to swing off but before he could, his yoyo vibrated. Figuring it was Lady Noir, he opened it but it wasn’t from her.

Lepus: Anatis, I hope this finds you. If it does, come to the place beneath history. It is of great urgency that we speak. Godspeed. Lepus.

“Lepus?” He asked, frowning before using the yoyo to detect this user’s location. Anatis rose an eyebrow as he saw that this Lepus was located in the Louvre. He really hoped they weren’t actually inside it but then again, they said underneath history. Maybe they were in the catacombs underneath it. He frowned and closed his yoyo, throwing it and swinging to the location before finding one of the entrances to the catacombs and climbing down into them. He took out his yoyo and followed the map to Lepus’ location. He made it close by before the signal disappeared. He frowned but upon hearing chatter, he held out his yoyo in defense and stepped out. Leaning against the wall and chatting to none other then Fluff was Sir Rene. He wasn’t wearing his usual armor but a blue tunic, brown breeches and leather shoes. “Sir Rene?”

“Anatis, my message found you!” He declared, facing him. Anatis lowered his weapon and walked over. “I really must apologize for the sudden visit and the location but I couldn’t risk been seen. A medieval knight walking around might have made people panic,”

“Agreed but why are you here?” He asked, frowning as Fluff fluttered over, eating a carrot. “You used the rabbit miraculous? Why didn’t you just contact me in the spirit realm?”

“Yes,” He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “If I could I would have but I can only access certain areas of the spirit realm and Feng’s hut requires a much more powerful magic then I have access too,”

“I thought you had magic?” Anatis asked, frowning.

“I mean I do but I had to repress a lot of it during my life due to Uther’s rule and I’m afraid I’m not very academic when it comes to the study of magic. Merlin is helping me learn but there is still a lot I can’t do so needs must,”

“I see,” Anatis replied, nodding. “But what’s so important that you would travel to the future to talk to me? I mean you could have asked Feng to send a message right?”

“Oh not for this,” He replied, straightening up. “We have rules and one of them is when it comes to our test, we deal with it ourselves. I did the same for Toutai as well. I would have talked to you in the spirit realm but you haven’t been there in a while plus Feng is fairly strict about who gets to go into his hut. He only let Toutai in that time because he knew Toutai could help you better when dealing with Miracle Queen then the rest of us could,”

“I see,” Anatis nodded, holding his chin when he thought about it. He did wonder why Feng was a little strict about his hut but maybe because it had been his home in his lifetime. If Luka moved the Liberty into the spirit world, he would be strict about who could be on it as he would consider it his space away from the others. Sure, he wouldn’t mind them coming on it every now and then but only on his terms. Maybe Feng thought similarly about his hut. “So this test… is it like Feast?”

“Similar but I don’t know the details about it per say,” He explained, making Anatis frown. “Like you, I can channel Feng’s magic but as you know as well as I do that it isn’t as potent to us as it is with him,”

“Yes, I noticed that,” Anatis admitted, frowning a little. It was something he hadn’t told Tikki but when he channeled Feng’s magic to find out the outcome of him leaving Paris, it felt like he was watching an old film where certain parts in the film were damaged. However, it was still clear what would happen if he did leave. “So what do you know about the test?”

“Well, it’s the test of courage as that’s my trait as a spirit,” He explained, making Anatis nod. “I’m not sure what exactly it will intel for you but if it was anything like Toutai’s, you will be facing your fears and nightmares,”

“N-Nightmares?” Anatis asked, his voice breaking slightly. “I.. is there a different way to pass it? Like rescuing someone from a burning building?”

“No,” He stated, making Anatis frown even more. “I’m sorry but that’s not how it works. Rescuing someone from a burning building is fairly normal for you. Yes, it can count as an act of courage but true courage comes from facing what scares us the most and working through it. To past my test, you must face your biggest fear and prevail regardless of how scared you felt or how scary it is,”

“I… see…” Anatis frowned, looking down before taking a deep breath. “Then I guess I have to face it. Any idea when this will happen?”

“It could be from the next minute to three days’ time,” Rene stated, making Luka frown. “I don’t know the exact time but it is soon. Very soon,”

“Great,” Anatis sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Well, at least you warned me,”

“Of course,” Rene nodded before turning to Fluff. “We should get back to our time. You’ll know when you’ve passed it,”

“Will I see you afterwards?” He asked, making Rene pull a thinking face. “Rene?”

“Possibly,” He answered, making Anatis nod. “I can’t make a promise but I will try to return here or at least get Feng to let me talk to you in the hut,”

“Ok,” Anatis replied, nodding as Rene transformed into Lapus. It was very similar to his Wyvern outfit but more blue, white and silver with rabbit ears instead of horns. “Goodbye,”

“Farewell and good luck, Luka,” He replied, taking out the umbrella. “Burrow!”

One appeared and he stepped through it, causing it to close after he did.

“Tikki, spots off,” Anatis declared, catching Tikki as he frowned. She glanced around as he took out a cookie and gave it to her. “We have a problem,”

“What is it?” She asked, frowning. Luka bit his lip. “Luka?”

“Rene just met with me,” He stated, making her look at him. “He told me his test is coming up and that I’ll have to face my fears and nightmares to pass it,”

“But you already faced Mob Boss and Miracle Queen already so maybe you’ve passed it?” Tikki asked, making Luka frown and glance down. “You think… that nightmare is the test?”

“It has to be,” He replied, frowning. “Rene would have told me if I passed the test already and it’s the only one out of my usual nightmares that has happened yet,”

“Didn’t Dr Lang say that it was just been overwhelmed?” She asked, not wanting it to be real. She had seen how Luka reacted to those dreams. How he woke up screaming and crying. He sighed and sat down as she bit into her cookie.

“Yes but only because I told her about the flood part,” He replied, frowning before he looked up at her. “But that wasn’t the full dream. I didn’t mention about that sea monster or Lady Noir been different or the moon or the fact that I’m trapped beneath the waves and unable to move,”

He hugged his knees as he frowned, looking afraid.

“I don’t think it’s just a dream, Tikki,” He replied, frowning. “And I think that I might be what caused it,”

“What do you mean?” Tikki asked, frowning as Luka sighed, running his fingers through his hair again. “Luka?”

“What if me telling Marinette causes it or not telling her?” He asked, looking at her. “I.. I don’t know what to do. If I tell her and it causes that dream to come true then I’ll never forgive myself but if I don’t tell her, not only will I be lying to her but if it comes true because I don’t tell her…”

“Maybe we should head to Marinette and you can make your mind up as you go?” Tikki suggested, making Luka nod before he checked his phone. Marinette sent him a text to say that she was going to be running a little late but she’d message him when she was on her way. He got up and opened his jacket for Tikki before she flew inside and he walked over to the ladder that lead back to the streets. He began to head to where he was suppose to meet Marinette but before he could, a cold shiver made him stop before he glanced over at the rooftops. His eyes widened as he saw Bunnyx looking around but he knew he hadn’t given Alix the miraculous permanently so the fact that she was there concerned him. He quickly ducked into an alleyway and opened his jacket, causing Tikki to fly out. “Bunnyx is on the roof,”

“Really?” She asked, frowning. “Then we should see what she needs or why she’s here,”

“Agreed. Luckily, Marinette is running a little late so we should be ok,” He replied, making Tikki nod before he transformed and threw his yoyo up, pulling himself onto the building. As soon as he landed on the roof, a wave of fear and sorrow washed over him, causing him to be even more concerned then before. The worst part is it was coming from Bunnyx. However, it wasn’t an older version of her. By the looks of it, she was only a little older then what she was now. Her hair was slightly longer and she was a tiny bit taller but other then that, there was no difference between this Bunnyx and present day Alix. “Bunnyx?”

“Anatis!” She gasped, jumping and turning around but before he could ask her what was wrong, she glomped him in a hug. He frowned but moved his arms around her as she shook. The aura of fear was stronger now that she was close. She pulled back and wiped her eyes free from the tears that had been in them, worrying Anatis even more. “Sorry but it’s just…”

She sniffed as tears filled her eyes again.

“Hey, it’s ok. Take a breath and take your time,” He stated, making her nod before she did as told. “There we go. Now what are you doing here? Not that I’m unhappy to see you but I’m guessing you’re from the future?”

“Y-Yeah… we… I need your help,” She stated, making him blink. “Something happened today that will cause a major disaster in the future. I managed to escape it and have pinpointed the event to today but I’m not sure what it was or when it happened exactly. Is there anything you can think of that caused it?”

Anatis bit his lip before looking at her with an almost guilty expression.

“Anatis?” She asked, concerned.

“Let’s go into your burrow,” He stated, making her blink. “You never know who’s listening,”

She nodded and stepped into her burrow. Anatis raised an eyebrow before she waved her hand, closing it behind them. As soon as she did, she detransformed and took out a carrot for Fluff, who began eating it.

“How come you were able to keep your burrow open?” Anatis asked as she turned to him. “I thought it closed automatically,”

“I’ve been practicing,” She replied, making him blink. “I’m not quite as cool as older me but I’m getting there. Now, what was with the guilty expression? Do you know what might have caused this disaster?”

“I have a rough idea but I’m not sure which route creates this outcome,” He replied, making her frown. “I… I intended to tell my girlfriend that I’m Anatis today but I’m not sure if telling her is what leads to the disaster you’re talking about or keeping it from her… I don’t know…”

“Well, it’s a start at least,” She muttered before looking at him. “But why were you planning to tell someone? Isn’t it a rule not to?”

“Well… um…” He mumbled, looking to the side before he glanced back at her. “I take it at this point you know who I am under the mask,”

“Of course, I do. Admittedly I’m not the first person you tell but you know I can keep a secret,” She grinned, making him nod. “So what’s that gotta do with it?”

“Last week was the scarlet moth attack,” He stated, making her eyes widen. “You know what happened to me during that time…”

“I see,” She muttered, frowning. “That explains why you want to tell her. Code Black is what you called it aka the plan to get the earrings in case you ever got akumatized,”

“Yeah…” He nodded, making her frown. “So in your future do I tell her… or…?”

“I don’t know,” She replied, frowning before the room shook. Anatis frowned as well as Alix ran over to one of their portals and looked in it. To both of their horrors, it went fuzzy. “That is not good. Fluff, Clockwise!”

She retransformed before checking on the rest of the portals, making Anatis frown. He walked over to the one that fuzzed out before going to touch it. However, Bunnyx suddenly pulled him back and glared at him.

“You don’t want to do that,” She stated, placing a bowl over his head before dragging him over to another portal. “Normally we have to avoid interfering but this is worse then I realized. Our future is in danger so I’m gonna need your help,”

“Ok,” Anatis replied, frowning as she pressed the portal, fast forwarding it to a point. Thanks to the bowl covering his eyes, he couldn’t see anything that happened but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. She gently nudged him through it and followed him, making him step through the portal. Instantly, he shivered at the air. It was extremely cold, making him frown even more. She took off the bowl, revealing the Paris of his nightmares in front of him. “Oh god… what happened?”

“The less you know the better,” She stated, making him frown. “Just do your thing. Capture the akuma and restore order. Then hopefully this nightmare will be over,”

“Ok,” He nodded, glancing around as the sinking feeling of fear formed at the pit of his stomach. It was exactly the same as in his nightmare and he really didn’t want to be here. What freaked him out more was that he couldn’t feel the song of the city. No matter what he had gone through in the past, he could feel and hear the song of the city even during Heroes day but in this version of Paris, there wasn’t a song. It was just empty and that scared him. Just what exactly happened here? He went to ask but Bunnyx had turned back to her burrow, making him frown. “You’re not staying?”

“I can’t,” She stated, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. “I have to work out what caused this. I have a rough idea where to start from what you’ve told but you’re right. We don’t know which one caused it so I need to find out then find a way to avoid plus I have to be on standby to find another way if you fail,”

“I see,” He muttered, frowning. He didn’t want to do this alone but it looked like he had no choice.

“Good luck, Anatis,” She stated, frowning before she looked up at him with a seemingly hopeful look. “I really hope you can fix this,”

“Yeah… me too,” He muttered as she disappeared back into the burrow, making him frown as a shiver passed over him. He glanced around as he heard a melody on the wind, making him glance in the direction it was coming from. Taking out his yoyo, he walked over to the edge of the building and swung to one of the others that had survived whatever had happened here. He landed on it as the voice got louder, making him glance around before he saw it’s source. Sat on one of the shelters was a girl that resembled Lady Noir. Like his partner, she was dressed in a cat based outfit but instead of it been black, it appeared to be white. In fact, even her hair was white. His eyes widened as he looked at her. “Lady… Noir?”

“Little Kitten sat on a roof all alone without her,” She sang in a sorrowful voice that made Anatis’ heart ache. “ Annie. Little Kitten sat on a roof singing someone save me,”

“Lady Noir…” He stated as he walked forward, getting her attention as she stopped singing.

“Annie?!” She gasped, jumping and turning around. As soon as she saw him, she broke into a smile and jumped down from the roof, walking towards him. Anatis instinctively took a step back as she stalked over. The way she walked wasn’t how his Lady Noir walked. “I thought I lost you! Oh, I was so sad that you were gone!”

“What happened to you?” He asked, concerned before he remembered what Bunnyx had said. He shook his head. “No, don’t tell me. We’ll fix everything… I promise,”

“Of course, we will. We’re gonna fix everything!” She smiled, stalking over before she moved around him, actually crawling like a cat. He froze up as she stood back up. “Especially now that you’re back and going to give me your miraculous!”

She grabbed at his ears, trying to rip off the earrings but he grabbed her arms and used his feet to push her off him, causing her to fall to the floor as he jumped away and took out his yoyo.

“My miraculous?!” He asked, spinning it. “What is wrong with you, Lady Noir?”

“I’m sorry,” She stated, getting up and looking over at him. “I didn’t mean to be rude, Annie. Could you please hand me your miraculous? Lady Blanche has gotten into some mischief,”

“Lady Blanche?” He asked, frowning as it all clicked into place. The difference in her look, the want for a miraculous and of course the Paris they were standing in. Somehow, this had all been caused because she had been akumatized. She looked to the side as she held her arm with a sorrowful expression on her face, making his heart ache again before he lowered his yoyo and put it away. Slowly, he walked over to her as she kept looking down. “You’ve been akumatized, Lady Noir. You don’t want or need my miraculous. You need my help. I need to deevilze you so please… let me help you…”

“Annie…” She whispered, looking at him with tears in her icy blue eyes. He stepped closer and wiped away a tear as it trailed down her cheek. “S-Save me… please,”

“My poor kitten,” He whispered. “Tell me… do you remember where the akuma went?”

He gently picked up her hand and looked at her ring before she glanced up at him and smirked at him as she placed his hand on her heart.

“It landed in my heart but it’s already broken!” She replied, making him jump back as she went to grab at his miraculous. This wasn’t going to be an easy task. He knew that the real Lady Noir wasn’t in control but the akuma was. Given that she hadn’t talked to Hawkmoth yet, he could assume that he wasn’t around meaning she was a rogue akuma. That made her more dangerous then the normal kind. She growled as he jumped back and charged at him, trying to grab his earrings. He dodged and ducked down, using his legs to bring her down before jumping up and running to the edge of the building. He needed to evaluate what he was going to do. She jumped up and gave chase as he jumped on the edge before diving off the building. “No! Don’t jump down there, Luka!”

“What?!” He gasped, losing his concentration as she dived after him. He landed on a bus and stumbled as she landed near him. He quickly scrambled up. “W-what did you say?!”

“Your name, Luka,” She answered, making him shake his head.

“No, you’ve got it wrong,” He gasped, shocked. “I’m not Luka,”

“Don’t lie to me!” She screamed, charging at him. He dodged and ran off, jumping across to other places as she chased after him. “I know you’re Luka!”

“But how?!” He shouted back as he tried to escape her. “I didn’t tell you who I am! You know my rule about identities and what Mulan advised!!”

“No but you told someone!” She replied, making him stop as he looked at her. She stopped as well as she glared at him. “And so did I. That is where it all began,”

~Bunnyx’s Burrow~

“But how?!” Anatis shouted as he tried to escape Lady Blanche. Bunnyx frowned as she watched the scene, crossing her arms as she did. She had detransformed and charged up Fluff as soon as she had entered her burrow. Now she was trying to work out what had happened. She had also re transformed in case this Anatis failed. She had to be ready to grab someone else. Hopefully, he wouldn’t and this interaction would reveal what happened. “I didn’t tell you who I am! You know my rule about identities and what Mulan advised!!”

“No but you told someone!” Lady Blanche shouted back, making Bunnyx look at the scene in surprise. Anatis came to a stop as he faced her, causing her to stop as well. “And so did I. That is where it all began,”

“Hmm,” Bunnyx muttered to herself before she changed the screen to the day she picked up Anatis and let it play out, watching it as she did.

~Alternative Timeline~

“Good luck, Kitten,” Anatis stated, finishing the conversation he had with Lady Noir about telling a person before they both hung up. He took a deep breathe before throwing his yoyo and swinging off into the city. He landed in an alleyway, near where he was going to meet Marinette detransformed before walking over to their meeting point. At exactly the same time in the other direction, Lady Noir landed in another alleyway and also detransformed, leaving it to meet with Luka. A smile appeared on her face as she saw him waiting. He had sent her a text saying that he had something important to tell her and she had replied that she also had something important to tell him. As if sensing she was there, he looked up and gave her a beautiful smile before walking over to her. “Hey,”

“Hey back,” She giggled, making him smile. “So this thing I want to tell you… um… can we go somewhere more private for it?”

“I was about to suggest the same thing,” He replied, making her smile before he took her hand in his. The two of them walked off towards the Seine and farther from prying ears, heading towards the Canal Saint-Martin. Once there, they came to a stop and Luka smiled as he leaned on the bridge. “I like it here. It’s peaceful and quiet, meaning I can hear the music of the city,”

He turned to face Marinette as she looked around.

“The best part is hardly anyone comes here,” He explained, making her smile as she walked over to him. “So we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing us,”

“That’s good,” She smiled, making him smile back. “So.. Do you want to go first or should I?”

“I’m kind of nervous,” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. She giggled a little. “But if it’s ok with you, I would like to go first,”

“That’s fine with me,” She smiled, making him smile back before he bit his lip. “Hey, whatever it is… I’m still gonna love you,”

“Y-Yeah… it’s just…” He took a deep breath before looking at her. “It’s big, Marinette and I’m not sure how to say it so I’m just gonna go for it,”

“Alright,” She nodded, gently taking his hand in hers.

“Ok,” He replied, closing his eyes and taking another deep breath. “I’m… I’m Anatis,”

Marinette blinked as she looked at him in shock, causing him to open his eyes. Fearing the worst, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him.

“M-Marinette? Please say something?” He asked, concerned. What if she now hated him? Or was disappointed? She must be so disappointed. Oh, kwami, maybe this was a bad idea. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… I can use the Rabbit and-”

“I’m Lady Noir,” She stated, making him look at her in just as much shock. “A-And I don’t want to forget this. My boyfriend is my best friend too,”

“Y-You’re not disappointed?” He asked, making her give him a look that screamed Lady Noir. He wondered how he didn’t see it before.

“Far from it… Annie,” She giggled, making him smile too before she cupped his cheek, making a blush come across his cheeks. “I’m happy that the two boys I’ve admired for a long time are the same person and that I’m lucky enough to be with you,”

“Kitten,” He whispered, closing his eyes. “I’m so happy to know you’re my girlfriend and my partner but we should be careful,”

“I know,” She replied. “We’ll keep this between us,”

“Hmm sounds like a good idea,” He replied, opening his eyes to reveal a soft expression. “I love you,”

“I love you too,” She replied, leaning up and gently pressing her lips to his. He kissed back, snaking his arm around her waist as she moved her arms around his neck…

~Bunnyx’s Burrow~

“It’s worse than I thought,” Bunnyx gasped, pausing the screen before rushing over to another one to see what was happening with Anatis and Lady Blanche. “Come on, Anatis. Quick!”

She pressed the screen in front of her, causing it to come to life as Anatis landed on another bus. She frowned as he glanced up to Lady Blanche who was walking over to him. 

“Give me your miraculous so I can make everything go back to the way it was!” She shouted, making Anatis glance up at her. “I just want to fix this,”

“I know but you know I can’t do that,” He replied, making her narrow her eyes. “I’m sorry, Kitten… I am but-”

She suddenly tackled him, making him grunt before she jumped up and charged up a ball of white energy in her hands. He watched as a huge tentacle came out of the water, making him stare in fear before she hissed as she narrowed her eyes, directing the ball of energy into the tentacle.

“Mega cataclysm!” She declared, throwing it out. It hit the tentacle, causing a wave of energy to blast from it and for the tentacle to hit into a building, knocking it down and into the water as Anatis stared in horror. Lady Blanche breathed out heavily as she glared at the tentacle retreating back into the water. “I won’t let you take him. I won’t lose him again,”

“… What was that?” He asked, slowly getting up and causing her to turn around. “Lady Noir?”

“It’s Lady Blanche and that was Simme,” She answered, confirming his worst fears. “He escaped after the calamity,”

“T-The Calamity?” He asked, making her glance up. He followed her gaze and saw the moon split in half, confirming that it really was the Paris he had dreamt about. “Lady Noir-”

“Lady Blanche,” She corrected, making him frown.

“What happened?” He asked, glancing at her. “Kitten, what happened to you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” She replied, switching back to her akuma personality before she tried to hit him again. Anatis jumped back and swung off, making her growl. “You can’t run from me, Luka!”

“Oh no!” Bunnyx gasped as her burrow shook from Lady Blanche’s attack on Simme. She paused her screen and rushed over to another one, fast-forwarding it to one of Luka’s and Marinette’s dates. She frowned to herself as she watched them sharing ice cream together. She moved it forward again. This time they danced together. She kept searching but they seemed happy with each other. Both sides of them just got stronger so where did it go wrong? She frowned as she came to a battle between an akuma and Anatis. She pursed her lips as she watched them battle it out. The akuma almost won but before he could harm Anatis, Lady Noir inferred and distracted him, giving Anatis enough time to summon a lucky charm before the two of them defeated them. She frowned as she watched Anatis throw the cure before the two of them went off. However in the shadows, Su Han lingered, giving her a shiver. She paused it and turned to the current scene on the screen. “You have to succeed, Anatis! Forget about everything and capture his akuma now!”

~Apocalyptic Paris~

“Things were perfect until Hawkmoth found out about us,” Lady Blanche stated as she landed on the Eiffel tower. “Somehow he found out and… well, you can see for yourself what happened. All because of us. Our love did this to the world,”

“No,” Anatis stated in a firm voice, making her turn around as he stood above. “Love did not do this… I don’t know how we got involved with each other but our love didn’t destroy the world. We’ve always used it to save it. Hawkmoth is what caused it. He was the one who akumatized you. He was the one who caused the 'Calamity’ as you put it and freed Simme. All of this can be directly linked to Hawkmoth’s actions. Not ours. I know we would have done our best to stop this from happening. I know I would have tried to reach out to you and save you. So don’t blame us, Kitten. We didn’t destroy the world. Hawkmoth did!”

He glanced to the side a little.

“I know you don’t really think that, Kitten,” He muttered, meaning her words. “It’s just the akuma speaking but it doesn’t matter because I’m going to fix it!”

“That optimism and determination,” She growled, summoning a small ball of white light and firing it at him. He jumped away from it. “It’s so annoying! How do you even remain like that even when faced with this?!”

She gestured to everything as Anatis landed in front of her.

“I have to,” He stated, making her grit her teeth. “I can’t afford to give up. Not only would it give Hawkmoth an advantage but it’s just not in my personality to do so. I can’t give up not after what we’ve gone through and I’m not giving up on you. You’re one of the most important people to me, Kitten,”

“A-Anatis,” She gasped, a light blush danced across her face as her eyes flickered green for a brief moment. She lowered her hand as he stepped over to her. “E-Even like this?”

“I never judged you for been akumatized before… and I’m not going to judge you for it now,” He stated, taking his hand in hers. Her eyes flickered green for a little longer this time “Give me your akuma, Kitten. I can fre-”

“No!” A deep voice roared out as a number of tentacles burst free from the water and slammed towards them. Lady Blanche suddenly pulled Anatis out of the way and fired her mega-cataclysm at it as Anatis landed on the ground. “I have worked too hard for this! I am not about to let you undo it!”

“You will not touch him!” She screamed, firing another large ball at it as the tentacles attempted to hit her and try to get to him. However, neither of them noticed a seperate one moving behind Anatis as he got up, staring at the scene in front of him. It suddenly wrapped around his ankle and pulled, causing him to fall before it began to drag him to the edge, making him cry out. Lady Blanche turned around and grabbed his hand, her eyes full of fear as more of them wrapped around his torso as it tried to drag him to the watery deep. Her eyes widened as she could feel his hand been pulled out of hers before he was suddenly yanked back, causing their hands to break free from each other. He tried to reach out for her as he was dragged into the water, his eyes wide and full of fear as he disappeared into the depths. “Luka!”

~Bunnyx’s Burrow~

“Luka!” Lady Blanche screamed as he was dragged into the water by Simme, causing Bunnyx to stare in horror. The fear in Lady Blanche’s voice was clear as she called for him and she was clearly frightened of going into the water but he had been so close to freeing her. Her eyes were starting to turn back into her normal color. Simme must have sensed it and that’s why he interfered. He didn’t want her to be saved and given what he was, it made sense. Lady Blanche was a perfect power source for him. All of her despair and guilt acted like a battery for him and he had finally defeated the 'mage’ and Finni. If Anatis succeed then this would all be undone, meaning Simme wouldn’t escape, Finni wouldn’t be killed and Lady Noir wouldn’t be in this state. It would all be undone. Bunnyx paused the screen and turned to another. If she could work out exactly how it came to this then she could work the exact moment and change the course of history. She pressed the scene in front of her and watched the scene play out.

~Alternative Paris~

“I want you to break him,” Hawkmoth stated to Lila who was sitting in her usual spot in the park, reading her book as he talked to her. “I was so cool to succeeding last time and this time I want to succeed and you will help me,”

“But he really did have a seizure,” Lila replied back, frowning as she closed her book. “And it was too close last time. The timing of the scarlet akumas, the fact that everyone was willing to defend him. I’m lucky that my father dotes on me but if I do something again, I might not be so lucky and I know when to cut my losses. You’re playing a losing game when it comes to Luka-”

“Are you planning to give up my work?” He growled, making Lila smirk a little.

“Of course not… I just think going after Luka is a losing game,” She replied, placing her book on her lap. “Now going after Marinette. Now that would be worth it,”

“Excuse me?” Hawkmoth asked, frowning.

“Think about it,” Lila stated. “She was Princess Justice, your most powerful akuma to date and she is close to both Luka and Anatis. Target her and you can take out more then one bird. If you’re so determined to break Luka then that’s the way to do it and plus Luka is careful and has a restraining order on me. Marinette on the other hand doesn’t. She would be a much better target,”

“That isn’t a bad idea,” Hawkmoth stated, smirking. “Do your usual thing at school and torment her,”

“Not hard to do,” Lila stated, smirking. “Am I ok to leave now?”

“Yes,” He replied, making her get up. “Do this well and I’ll reward you immensely,”

“I promise you won’t be disappointed,” She stated, walking off as Hawkmoth’s smirk disappeared.

“Sir?” Nathalie asked from the driver’s seat. “Are we going after Marinette?”

“No,” He replied, making her blink. “Miss Rossi can but I will be focus my energy on Mr Couffaine,”

“I see,”

“But Miss Rossi did have a point,” Hawkmoth replied, smirking. “Miss Dupain-Cheng is the secret to akumatizing Luka,”

~At the Liberty~

“I intend to invite her to join Gabriel as my apprentice but your relationship with Miss Dupain-Cheng would

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.

————————————————————————————

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Anatis (½)

~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 myinterviews!”

“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,”