Miraculous Ladybug: The New Holders

Chat Noir and Ladybug: Part Forty

Adrian walked back into his room, exhausted. Even though it was the middle of the day, he had spent most of it and the night before active and running around Paris.

Plagg popped out of his jacket. "Jeez, you look tired. Can I at least have some Camembert before you pass out?"

"I think I left some on my desk." Adrian mumbled before plopping down on his couch.

"Sweet! I'm starved!" Plagg munched on the cheese as he landed on the top of the blue couch. "Mmm... I haven't had anything to eat since Renard came here from out of nowhere last night."

Adrian's eyes widened. "Hey, that reminds me, I was gonna ask you something." He sat up. "What happened in Tibet?"

Plagg froze. "I don't want to talk about Tibet, Adrian."

Adrian noticed how tense Plagg had become all of a sudden. "Why not?"

To Adrian's shock, Plagg put his cheese down and looked him dead in the eyes. "Because it was a massacre. People died, Adrian. People lost any and every ounce of their sanity before bringing upon their own deaths. Heroes died at that battle. It was bloody and gruesome. All of the Kwamis mourned for what we had brought upon the innocents. Tikki, Abeille, Renard, Jada, Wayzz, even me. But no one mourned more than Nuru. I don't talk about Tibet because we lost, Adrian. The heroes lost in those 4 days. And while our enemy walked away with what he wanted, I'd like to think he had the humanity to feel like he didn't win, either." Plagg paused. "I don't talk about Tibet because I still have nightmares about all those bodies soaked in not just their blood, but the blood of all who they murdered."

Adrian didn't want to believe it, but it seemed as though Plagg was dead serious about everything he said. "I'm sorry I pressed on."

"For your sake, Adrian, I wouldn't ask again. I hope you never have to hear what happened all those years ago." Plagg flew away slowly, ears drooping.

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"Hey Tikki, what do you think of this design?" Marinette showed her spotted kwami the raincoat she had designed.

"Huh?" Tikki looked up and saw the design. "Um, yeah. It looks nice, Marinette."

Marinette put her sketchbook down. "Tikki, are you okay? Did you get sick again?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, just lost in thought."

"About what?"

Tikki sighed. "About Volpina."

Marinette raised an eyebrow, confused. "What about Volpina?"

Tikki looked reluctant to answer.

"Tikki, what about Volpina?"

Tikki sighed. "I'm worried about her."

Marinette remained silent.

"She's not one of the chosen. Bad things tend to happen to those who are not chosen."

"What do you mean?"

"Master Fu didn't give her the miraculous, the last Volpina did. And while I'm not saying she was a bad choice, it doesn't change the fact that she wasn't chosen by the Keeper of Miraculouses."

"Keeper of Miraculouses? Is that what Master Fu is?"

"Yes. Master Fu has been the Keeper of Miraculouses for just over 150 years. And I know personally that very bad things tend to happen to those who wield a Miraculous that was not given to them by the current Keeper of Miraculouses."

"Wait, you know personally? Like it happened to one of your holders?"

Tikki let out a sad sigh. "Yes. I think it was actually the holder before you. Before her, her sister was the Ladybug of that time, and she had told her sister everything. When Ladybug got very sick and was unable to carry on as a hero, she gave the miraculous to her sister. The new Ladybug was a good person, someone who always tried to do the right thing, but eventually fate came around."

Marinette hesitated. "Did she die?"

Tikki choked out the words. "She died, yes, and worse. Her mutilated body was left to rot in a foreign land, far away from her home and family. To this day I don't think even they know what happened to her. She died alone, scared, and abandoned."

"You... You think that could happen to Volpina?"

"I hope it doesn't, Marinette." Tikki trembled. "Renard would be destroyed if another one of his holders died, and I don't want Volpina to die as my holder did."