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Dangerous Games	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 11603 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
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‘Come on, guys,’ whined Nino. ‘Adrien told us to stay out of it.’
Alya snorted. ‘As if we’d do that and miss all the action.’
‘Besides,’ Marinette added, ‘he’s going to need us.’
Using Alya’s phone, they tracked Chat Noir’s movements via the Ladyblog, as people excitedly reported sightings of him. Alya had put the request out, asking people to document what they could see of his progress, and timestamping it to make sure they could accurately follow his path. She’d posted her appeal immediately after Chat Noir’s departure, and so far, they had made it to the centre of the city, and to the Eiffel Tower.
‘What are they saying now?’ Marinette asked, looking around.
Alya peered at her phone, bringing close to her face. ‘That way,’ she pointed.
They set off again, keeping a cautious look out for Chat Noir, as well as Evillustrator.
‘What if Nathaniel finds us?’ Nino asked. ‘I am not prepared to fight a super powered lunatic.’
‘None of us are, Genius,’ retorted Alya, still staring at her phone. ‘That way,’ she repeated, altering their direction.
Marinette lightly grasped her elbow, steering her around people and objects alike. Slowly, they followed Chat Noir’s progress past the bakery, and beyond their old school.
They paused on the corner, waiting for another update. However, no more information was forthcoming.
‘Ugh, what’re they doing?’ Alya growled.
‘Give them a moment,’ advised Marinette. ‘Chat Noir can go entire blocks without being seen, we know that now.’
‘Guys,’ Nino said.
Something in his tone made Marinette look up. Nino was pointing to something up high the next block over. Directing her gaze upward, the unmistakeable form of Evillustrator was flying away from Agreste manor.
Nino turned back to her, his face ashen.
‘You don’t think,’ he muttered, letting the sentence go unfinished.
Alya’s gaze turned sharp. ‘I don’t think he saw us. It’s all right.’
Marinette didn’t want to consider the implications of Evillustrator’s presence. ‘No, he couldn’t be here already.’
‘Come on, Marinette. We know what a demanding dick Gabriel Agreste is,’ Nino told her.
‘There’s only one way to know anything for sure,’ declared Alya.
She strode forward, shoving her phone in her pocket as her eyes glinted. Nino and Marinette had to jog to catch up, drawing strength from her as they approached the gates.
Nino stared at the wrought iron. ‘How do we get in?’
‘Like this,’ Alya grinned.
She set one foot atop the solid metal panel at the base of the gates, and gripped the iron works curling decoratively above it. With a grunt, she hoisted herself up, and slithered feet first through the large, circular gap in the centre made by the curlicue designs.
She dropped down on the other side with a triumphant smile. ‘Now, you guys.’
Marinette and Nino followed her example, though with less grace.
Nino stumbled on landing. ‘Man, the security here is not as tight as you’d expect.’
‘Just because the gates have a massive design flaw doesn’t mean there’s no security at all,’ Alya cautioned them.
Marinette nodded. ‘She’s right. There might be cameras, security guards, dogs. We need to move quickly.’
Keeping as low as possible, they darted to the front doors. An experimental push proved them unlocked, so they let themselves in.
‘Nino, you’ve been here before. Which way?’ Alya hissed.
Nino turned to her. ‘How would I know? I haven’t been here in years.’
‘If you’re after the Ladybug Miraculous,’ interrupted a new voice, ‘it’s this way.’
They jumped, then spun to the left. Nathalie stood in a wrecked doorway, looking tired and sad.
‘Madame Sancœur,’ Marinette gasped.
Alya stared hard at her. ‘What do you know of it?’
‘I know that Monsieur Agreste put it in his safe. It’s this way,’ she replied.
‘You’re helping us?’ asked Nino, sceptically. ‘Why?’
Nathalie sighed, her head bowing. ‘I’ve known what Gabriel was doing almost from the beginning. At first, I believed in his dream, but over the years, I’ve seen the toll his mission has taken on him, and the people around us. He threatened to turn me into one of his monsters when I questioned him. Now I’m tired, and heartsore. I just want all of this to end.’
Marinette met Nathalie’s eyes. ‘Show me.’
With a nod, Nathalie led them into Gabriel’s office and opened the safe.
Marinette approached cautiously, but gasped and sprinted forward when she saw her Miraculous sitting on a shelf.
Nathalie stood aside, politely looking away, while Marinette placed the studs back in her ears, Tikki appearing in a burst of pink light.
‘Marinette,’ she squealed, speeding up to her to hug her cheek.
Marinette cupped her hands around her, letting out a deep sigh of relief. ‘Oh, Tikki, thank goodness you’re safe.’
Tikki hummed her pleasure, then pulled back, her eyes wide. ‘Marinette, in the safe. Look.’
She turned to where Tikki pointed. ‘Yeah?’
Tikki flew back inside, and hugged a small blue fan next to a familiar old book.
‘This is the Peacock Miraculous; I felt her presence as soon as the earring were placed here. We can’t leave Duusu here, Marinette. She, and the book, need to be returned to the Guardian.’
‘Holy shit,’ muttered Alya.
‘He was sitting on another Miraculous this whole time?’ Nino burst out.
Marinette picked both items up, tucking the book under her arm, and cradling the Peacock Miraculous in both hands. ‘We’ll get her back to Fu, promise. Alya, can you look after these? Take the utmost care, understand?’
Alya stepped forward, and accepted the items reverently, her expression uncharacteristically serious. ‘You can count on me.’
‘I must warn you,’ Tikki added, flying up to Alya’s face. ‘Do not succumb to curiosity or your desire to help. Duusu is weak and unlikely to be willing to lend her powers to someone not appointed by the Guardian. An improperly acquired Miraculous can have a negative impact on the would-be wielder, as evidenced by Gabriel Agreste. Furthermore, it would be cruel to expect Duusu to fight, after being separated from the rest of us for so long. Do you understand?’
Alya nodded, her lips pressed into a firm line, though her complexion looked waxy. ‘Got it.’
‘Good. Thank you for taking care of her,’ Tikki finished. She then flew back to Marinette with an expectant grin.
Marinette smiled back. ‘Tikki, transformè moi.’
Just as the transforming light washed up Marinette’s body, the office windows smashed.
All of them turned to see Evillustrator standing in the wreckage, his shoulders hunched and hand poised over his tablet as if he were about to draw something.
‘I’m afraid I can’t let you interfere, Ladybug,’ he said. ‘Papillon’s orders.’
‘Where the hell did you come from?’ Nino yelped, as he took a cautious step back, one arm across Alya’s chest.
Evillustrator ignored him. Focussed solely on Ladybug, he began to scribble furiously.
Spinning sawblades popped into existence, flying forward with incredible speed.
Nathalie ducked under Gabriel’s desk, while Nino dragged Alya into the sunken floor with Gabriel’s conference table, out of the projectiles’ line of fire.
Ladybug ran toward the wall opposite the door, the saws embedded in the stonework behind her. She raced up the sheer surface to leap at Evillustrator from an unexpectedly higher angle.
He followed her progress, but couldn’t draw fast enough to stop her. She tackled him, the force of her momentum propelling them out of the broken window.
Evillustrator landed on his back with an agonised oomph. Ladybug rolled with the impact, springing to her feet and turning to face him as he pushed up from the ground.
‘I suppose you think yourself very clever,’ he drawled, leaning heavily on his knees.
‘I know I’m clever,’ she corrected him.
‘We’ll see,’ he replied, bending over his tablet once more.
Large darts materialised, and shot toward her. Ladybug jumped, avoiding them easily, but failed to notice the oversized boxing glove hidden behind them.
The glove struck her cheek, snapping her head sharply around. The dual pain in her face and neck forced her to re-evaluate her opponent. When they had fought as children, he’d been dangerous, but limited in ideas. That had made him easy to predict and outmanoeuvre.
Now, he knew how to play dirty. He concealed attacks within attacks, using her preoccupation with his first assault to continue with a second, and a third.
Ladybug bent her knees, putting most of her weight on her back foot. She spun her yoyo before her, creating a shield, and waited for his next attack.
A plethora of blades appeared, hanging in the air between them. Ladybug gulped, charging forward as the blades shot toward her, one after another, in rapid succession.
She ducked and weaved, using her shield the deflect the ones she couldn’t dodge. There were a few, however, she couldn’t avoid. They grazed her shoulders, elbows, and legs, one slicing dangerously close to her left eye. She pushed the pain and panic aside, pressing onward.
Evillustrator’s own eyes widened at her progress. He increased his attacks, mixing up his weapons and their flight patterns. Some flew wide, but not enough.
They’re too densely concentrated the closer I get, she noticed.
With a huff, she retreated.
Ladybug scaled the side of the mansion to the roof. She heard Evillustrator follow, his taunting preceding him as she looked for a place to hide.
‘Scared, Ladybug?’ he called. ‘If you surrender now, I promise to be merciful.’
Ladybug pressed into a heavily shadowed recess, then used her yoyo to locate Chat Noir. With its x-ray ability, she found him engaged in a fight at the rear of the mansion. She crawled out, once Evillustrator passed her hiding place, and crept along until she found a way into the room where Chat Noir fought Papillon.
Concealed in a discreet nook, a large circular shutter hid the presence of a window from the casual observer. Ladybug squinted at it, then lowered herself to dangle before the middle of the shutter.
She swung closer, gripping the tiny opening in the centre with her fingertips, and pulled the gap wider. She struggled until the iris was the size of a watermelon, then braced her foot against the far side to force it open even more.
Once it was big enough to accommodate her, she peered through the glass, cupping her hands around her eyes to see inside. Chat Noir and Papillon danced back and forth, in and out of the shaft of faint light she’d created, intent only on each other.
‘Hang on, Kitty,’ she muttered.
Ladybug shoved away from the window, then swung in, aiming her heels at a wide pane to the side of the tiny middle one. It took a couple of attempts, but finally the glass shattered, falling into the room with an echoing tinkle.
‘There you are,’ crowed a voice from above.
Evillustrator stood at the edge of the roof, looking down with a malicious glint in his eyes. Then, he knelt and plucked at her yoyo, where it was anchored on the guttering.
Realising what he was about to do, Ladybug swung forward, through the broken window, and retracted her yoyo.
Papillon and Chat Noir paused as she landed beside them, momentarily distracted.
Evillustrator followed her inside, his jetpack vanishing once he landed.
‘You can’t run away from me, Ladybug,’ he sang.
‘Wasn’t planning on it,’ she retorted.
Papillon snarled. ‘You fool. How could you let her get the earrings?’
‘She already had them when I came back,’ Evillustrator replied, defensively. ‘You might ask your assistant what she was doing at the time.’
‘That weak-willed woman,’ he sneered.
Chat Noir was glaring pointedly at Ladybug.
I thought I told you to stay behind, his expressions said.
She matched his look. I’m not letting you fight this battle alone.
Then, she sprang toward Papillon, spinning her yoyo at his face. Simultaneously, Chat Noir lunged at Evillustrator.
Their opponents staggered back at the unanticipated change. Papillon stumbled, his arms windmilling in an effort to stay upright. Ladybug used his poor balance against him, and rammed him with her shoulder. He fell back, but tumbled into a backward roll, and landed on his knee and the ball of his other foot, sword in hand.
Papillon returned in a rush, thrusting his sabre at her. She jumped back and to the side, throwing out her yoyo, and letting him run past her to tangle himself in the string.
To her dismay, he sliced through the wire as if it were nothing. Quickly, before he could disentangle himself completely, she scooped up her weapon, and looked around.
Chat Noir was not faring any better. Evillustrator kept a wary distance, using his drawn creations to keep Chat Noir at bay. Projectiles of every variety hurtled towards Chat Noir, forcing him back each time he gained ground, just as he’d done with Ladybug.
Chat Noir was visibly exhausted and frustrated. His lips pulled back in a snarl, he attacked recklessly, suffering hits he should have been easily able to avoid.
With a vexed shout through gritted teeth, Ladybug hooked Chat Noir by the elbow, and swung him around until they were faced with their original opponents.
Papillon fought with a sword, a weapon she was woefully ill equipped to deal with, and Evillustrator used tactics Chat Noir was in no state to fight effectively.
Chat Noir was better at close quarter combat, and she was the strategic thinker of the two of them. Playing to their strengths, she faced Evillustrator again, while Chat Noir faced Papillon, his baton held at the ready.
‘Hello there,’ she greeted Evillustrator, with a sharp smile.
Before he could begin drawing again, she struck, throwing out her ruined yoyo and hit him hard between the eyes, followed by a punch to his jaw.
Evillustrator careened back, throwing his arms out to try to catch himself on something before he fell. However, he was too far away from the walls, and landed gracelessly on his backside. His stylus skittered across the floor, coming to rest deep in the shadows at the other end of the room.
He gulped as Ladybug stood over him, staring up at her fearfully.
She grinned savagely, pulled her leg back, and kicked him in the face before stomping hard on his tablet. Evillustrator screamed, and lost consciousness as the bones in his forearm snapped.
Unlike last time, the akuma had not been held in his pen, but in the tablet. It fluttered out in an attempt to escape and multiply, but Ladybug unravelled what was left of her yoyo string, and caught it before it flew out the window.
She purified the butterfly, sending it on its way without her usual farewell. Then, she gathered Nathaniel up, and carried him outside, dumping him just beyond the property’s fence where someone would find him.
She had no time to linger, or wonder where Alya and Nino were. She spun around, using her own enhanced strength to get her back to the fight.
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