#idk how much He cares about it (concerns for Hero's safety aside)--BUT I CARE. I CARE A LOT THAT HE WAS ALONE THROUGH THIS.

[cozybells]

Only I--

[imthepunchlord]

Do you have any thoughts on how the guardian role is handled lore wise? Would you change much about being the guardian?

Oh yes I do and there's so much that I would change up.

The more we see of the Guardians, the dumber they are and the more pointless they are. To a point it's a wonder if they were worth the inclusion as they don't amount to much and are just useless. I'm putting this undercut as I just go off.

- Lore wise, they set it up that adults are naturally more powerful, so why did Fu pick two kids to fight his battles for him? Why not adults? Why did he leave them on their own instead of offering them some means to have an edge over HM?

- Of the Ladybug and Cat, we have yet to see anything unique that the Cat brings to these fights that the other 15 miraculi that Fu has with him couldn't do. You need a distraction that's going to mess up the akuma? Monkey and Fox. You need a protector/aggressor? Bee, Turtle, or Dragon. Ladybug is a must as its the only cleanser so far and has ML to boot, but Cat doesn't need to be out there, and as soon as HM had quite publicly stated that he wants LB and Cat, Fu should've reclaimed the Cat immediately to secure its safety and that HM won't get both. Another or two could go out to replace it.

- Why was picking Adrien a good idea? If Fu had just arrived in Paris, ok, but Backwarder reveals he's been living in Paris for a while. And with that, he's seen Adrien's face everywhere.s Adrien is potentially the most well known kid in Pari. Technically, for Fu's want of secrecy, why pick the most iconic face in Paris to get a miraculous? That sets up one of your heroes to always have attention on him. Fu picking Adrien doesn't make any logical sense.

- Why is Fu ok with endangering one kid but not the other? Why does Marinette get a test set up that risks her life and Fu's if it hadn't gone well and Adrien just helps an old man up, a common decency that most would do. It's like two extreme differences that don't work well in comparison as Marinette gets the risky test and Adrien it looks like he got his miraculous on a silver platter as he got the far easier one that takes the least effort to be a decent human being.

- Fu being a terrible mentor and hero picker in general and the whole shebang with Syren. If Adrien is not meeting his standards or if he doesn't trust Adrien at all, why is Adrien being allowed to continue as a hero? Or if he really wants Adrien to stay, why isn't he doing anything about Adrien? Why isn't he telling Plagg to encourage Adrien to step up and get serious? If he can take on the role of being Adrien's Chinese teacher, why not do that to try and guide Adrien to improvement so he can also be trusted with Guardian secrets too and truly help Marinette out. He's got two options when he doesn't trust Adrien or finds that he's meeting his standards: he takes the miraculous back or he addresses this issue himself.

- I also call big BS about him not doing anything at all when he comes upon Adrien detransformed on the roof with Plagg. Cause he's risking himself going out to find Chat Noir only to find him detransformed. That realistically should raise some brows and concern him. Adrien at least should've gotten a lecture or warning.

- Also the reveal that kwamis aren't allowed to know about their own power. that to me is off putting. It really stresses that kwamis are beneath them, these very ancient and powerful beings that have probably seen a lot. And canon validates it by making them children (which to me is the writers being lazy so they don't have to do complex characters).

- The whole thing with Fu's backstory. Dumbest backstory I've ever heard and it just paints Guardians in a really bad light, and by extension, real life monks. Monks didn't go to people's homes to take children. If they did take kids with them, those kids had nowhere else to go and offered them a place to stay until old enough to be on their own. And that test, omg, wtf. Ok, I can get the idea of a test of temptation, but there are other ways to perform it without starving a kid. Especially leaving said kid alone unsupervised with 19 powerful miraculi two of which have wish granting abilities. How would the Guardians even know if Fu used a miraculous as they left him alone with mriaculi. If Fu wanted to, he could've made a wish to never be picked.

- Fu didn't even do shit when he finally had a chance to face off against HM. He just sat in his damb ball and allowed himself to get knocked around. At least try and roll over him! Be a ping-pong ball! DO SOMETHING. Like, why did you even pick Turtle??? Turtle wasn't able to do anything against Butterfly! I thought it could as Fu had been ready to go in Origins, plus the 5 are based off Wu Xing, by set up, Fox and Turtle should have some sort of an edge over the Butterfly. But I guess that means there could be other options aside form LB and we can't have that, Marinette's miraculous needs to be the only thing to take on the Butterfly to really stress on the fact that it comes down to only her.

- The memory wipe thing that's an apparently must when you retire from being the Guardian. Honestly I think that should've been saved as a last resort if you're ever captured and could be forced to leak info, not when you retire. Doing so removes a valid source of advisement that a new Guardian can rely on. History is there to learn from it and this tradition removes a source of history to learn from, either from having guidance or seeing what the old did and how you want to change things. This also makes me concerned as I see Adrien taking advantage of an amnesiac Marinette.

- I went off about the NY Special revealing there's more Orders here.

- And lastly, Su-Han, the other Guardian to see aside from Fu. And with him, it solidifies how stupid they all are. When the Butterfly is being misused in Paris, why is someone aggressive and judgmental coming to Paris? Why is this guy even working with kids when he doesn't like kids? And the reveal that Guardians don't use miraculi at all. That just makes that test all the dumber with testers being unsupervised. And for Guardians not meant to use miraculi, how come Marinette gets a nice perk as LB that she can pull a miraculous out of her yo-yo? They're probably playing that she's "the first" to do so but realistically, I'm pressing x to doubt. In the long history of miraculi and when Guardians were around, you expect me to believe that Guardians never used miraculi themselves? What if there was no one to turn to, do they just the disaster happen? ...Well, based on how terrible canon is setting them up, I wouldn't be surprised.

SO.

There is a lot I would change up about the Guardians and for this, I'll adjust canon.

- Adrien gets the ring another way, maybe a gift from his mom or aunt or grandparents. Realistically, there's no logical reason for Fu to pick Adrien. He just has too much attention on him and Chat being an unexpected miraculous user can make him wary, adding to him only trusting Marinette.

- I'd have Fu be more present in Marinette's life, a customer who comes in a lot. This way he can offer advise when needed but not take away from Tikki. And this has him more closely keeping an eye on things.

- I'd change up Fu's backstory. He got separated from his family in a flood, the previous Turtle saved him, tried to help him find his family and with no luck, took him to the Temple, but only the section where other orphans are where they work to help take care of it, oblivious to the miraculous near them. After a year, Fu is one of the few selected to be entrusted with miraculous knowledge. He's surprised but not all that for it as he'd rather go find his family still. Idk how Temple falls but its not that. That was just dumb and avoidable.

- I wouldn't have Adrien meet Fu at all. In truth, it actually could've been cut out entirely as Adrien meeting Fu didn't amount to anything. He doesn't help with Guardian duties, doesn't help pick heroes, hasn't stepped up at all in his role as a partner. And he's not as torn up about Fu's loss as Marinette is. Adrien meeting Fu was pointless in the grand scheme of things. Nothing was progressed or changed from Adrien meeting Fu.

- I'd have HM ONLY getting an edge on Fu because Mayura was there to help him, catching Fu off guard. I want to see the Turtle truly in action, to see what else it can do cause sitting there to be smacked around was just unimpressive. And if Asstruck even did as much research as he could, he'd know that in Chinese mythology, the Turtle is a boss. It's the keeper of history and symbol of immortality, and it's up there with Tiger as an animal that can go toe to toe with the Dragon. And of the Four Symbols (associated with 4 seasons), the Black Turtle is also known as the Black Warrior. There should've been a lot more to Turtle than just sitting in your shell and allowing yourself to be knocked around.

- Su-Han I'd drastically change up. I'd keep in him being critical and stern, but he approaches things smartly and patiently. Before he dives into aggression and accusations, he wants to know what's going on. Why does this 14 yo have the Miracle Box? How was the Butterfly obtained and misused? And what the hell is going on??? How are these people so small and how did they get into this thin glass box?? Computer? What's a computer??? Essentially, have fun with the fact that Su-Han is essentially a time traveler and one great bonding experience to have with Marinette while also offering some good comedy is him learning about the modern time and her acting as his guide. Su-Han can give her guidance that Fu hadn't been able to give, and Marinette can offer her own in a way that Su-Han will need. Which by extension could remove Marinette having a near mental breaking point and revealing herself to Alya, and could avoid some of that drama of what's coming.

- Speaking of which, Adrien. I'd use Su-Han to finally address the issues with Adrien as a hero and partner. Su-Han prioritized Marinette as she has the Miracle Box, but Adrien is someone he'd take the miraculous away from. Adrien would get a very clear warning and call out for his actions and role.

[codenamesazanka]

As much as AFO is responsible for Shigaraki Tomura, Shigaraki is still his own person; more than that, he is the symbol, the accumulation, the nexus of all the problems Hero Society has brought. To defeat him and make sure there’s not another ‘Shigaraki Tomura’ is to make sure all those issues are reckoned with and solved, else there will be another toss-away child left to grow up in bitter shadows, becoming another ‘symbol of fear’.

Shigaraki’s not just some Villain out to conquer the world, nor is he being evil for the sake of evil, even if his goal is to ‘destroy everything’ - there’s a reason to his madness, and that reason is the pain, grief, disappointment he - and others - have experienced due to being unfortunate enough to be born in bad circumstances in the bnha world with no safety net. Shigaraki isn’t unique in his hated and villainy - it’s why we have each member of his League joining up out of their free will to fuck shit up, why we had Overhaul’s desire to ‘cure the world’, why the MLA exists - all he is unique in is being given the resources and encouragement to pursue that darkness.

It’s why I think, for the manga to be thematically consistent, AFO had to have little or nothing to do with the the death of the Shimura family and little Tenko’s fugue walk, as unbelievable as it seems (though, is it any more unbelievable than how one quirkless kid would just so happen to come across and impress the one great hero that could also give him a quirk (a quirk that could be passed on!) and help get him onto the path of a hero, purely by chance? How incredibly lucky!).

Instead, as Shigaraki himself tells us, his damage is from a bunch of tiny things that built up: from the way Kotaro’s trauma about Heroes passed itself onto the the rest of the family, to the way he feared his son’s power instead of reaching out a hand to help because he didn’t know how to help, to the way passerbys saw Tenko and ignored him, believing a Hero will take care of it. The way Tenko can go for walks alone at age seven-ish and get beaten up by drunken thugs and still no one helps - he’s allowed by AFO to leave his room and roam free, because AFO knows no one will bother to help.

AFO is no doubt cruel and manipulative and by his own words, had cultivated Shigaraki Tomura - but he’s always been the type of person to not get his hands dirty if he didn’t have to. The guy who technically didn’t break laws and has too much reasonable doubt to get convicted, even tho he’s the damn crime boss. That is because he rarely gives direct orders - he offers people a chance, a choice; he suggests, he makes his desire known; he ‘helps’ and then depends on people’s goodwill to honor a debt. (It’s only with his brother and stuff concerning OFA that he loses it, I feel?) Just like he made use of the chaos and desperation at the beginning of the age of superpowers, AFO uses the cracks that already existed in Hero Society, the latent darkness people had inside, to ensure Shimura Tenko would become Shigaraki Tomura.

And these cracks didn’t just happen to Shigaraki - it’s the same cracks that failed the League. No one helped the homeless teenaged Jin and Toga; no one helped with Toga’s quirk issues or the heteromorphic-quirk-type discrimination Spinner faced; no one bothered to consider that Heroes can cause damage and hurt people, hence we have Dabi and now the death of Twice. No one reached out an hand to the ‘trash’ Overhaul picked up - that he was able to pick up because these people were considered trash and tossed aside. No one, not even AFO, had interfered with these cases - and that’s the issue.

All that said, these are my own musings and opinions about the story, and I’ve got no idea how it’s gonna be handled from here on out, especially with the weird quirk ghosts (tho I do very much enjoy the concept and dynamics it’s brought!) popping up. I hope this is the way the story is progressing from what Horikoshi has story-told me, but idk! tl;dr: bnha has got bigger problems than just defeating AFO or Shigaraki or any ‘boss Villain’ will solve.

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

Dead Man’s Deal

Pairing: Ehh I mean, Alfonse x reader, Lif x reader but. well you’ll see.

Description: There wasn’t enough time. There was nothing you could do to stop Hel’s onslaught. Hel, Lif, Thrasir-- all of them were far too powerful. Everyone you loved, everyone you cared for. Heroes, allies, friends... all gone. Yet you remain. For what?

Rating: sfw

Tags: Mention of death (a lot, this is Hel), major character death, mentions of blood

Word Count: 1385

Notes: So I was trying to open a different Lif wip because like I always have one of these fuckers floating around (can’t help myself, I guess?) and I saw this and I was like, what the hell is that? So I opened it and read it and I was like fuck did I never post this? So I checked, and looks like I didn’t lmao. So if I remember correctly I wrote this... probably around this time last year? And had the intentions to make it multichaptered but like... ehh, idk about that now. Still, it is a finished piece, so I fixed it up and figured I would share it with everyone!

~*~

You wanted to say he was merciless yet here you were, life spared. You daresay in even perfect health but the sights before you beg to differ, tearing at your sanity. Perhaps even, there was kindness left in him, letting you mourn before he did… whatever it was he planned. Why was it that only you were left alive? Currently, if there was anything to think about, you wouldn’t be able to do so anyways; your mind in too much chaos to do much else but cry.

“Alfonse...” You whispered his name oh so carefully, the word hardly able to pass your lips as they curled back in utter despair. Still, despite the tears falling down your face, and the sobs threatening to rack your body, the words were soft. So soft, in fact, Alfonse could barely hear them. But when it came to his dear Summoner, his ears were always open.

“Don’t… cry...” Somehow, he raised a bloodied hand to cup your cheek, thumb moving to wipe away tears in a fruitless endeavor. “I promise, I’ll always be with you _____...” His words were whispers as well but not on purpose. Even now his breathing was shallow. You both knew the inevitable was going to happen. You went on pretending it wouldn’t.

“I’m so sorry...” You choked out the words. “I should have been there to help you, to stop him, do anything…!” Your words grew more loud and desperate until at the end you were crying into his chest, uncaring about the blood on him. “Alfonse, what will I do without you all? I’m alone in this world now…” Even as he lay dying in your arms, words hesitated on your lips.

“You’re never alone if you have Breidablik….” The weapon you had carelessly cast aside was now put into your shaking hand, and your fingers curled around its patterns. “We may be gone… but this isn’t over.” You were crying harder now. How could you do this now? How would you do this without him?

“I love you...” Your words tumbled out of your mouth, sad, desperate, pleading, as if the phrase could somehow save Alfonse.

“I love you too.” Somehow, Alfonse manged to smile, hiding any pain he was feeling in his low voice. “But I need you…. To be strong, okay…?” He looked up at you for the last time he ever would, trying to cast that image to memory. Even covered in his blood, and your face tear stained, you mustered a smile for him. He was glad for it. As he closed his eyes for the last time, he felt your lips gingerly touch his. He was thankful for the comfort you brought him as he passed-- only regretting he couldn’t do more for you as well.

You didn’t know for how you long remained there, crying on to the corpse of the man you loved. Was it mere seconds, minutes? Did you remain here for hours, cursing Hel for what she brought upon Askr and crying tears that could not bring back the lives of the dead? You knew not. Eventually, your tears dried not because you had no more to cry but because you lacked the energy to do so. Blankly now, you looked to Alfonse-- only still warm because you refused to let him go. You dare not even think to look of the corpses of your allies all around you.

In the encroaching silence threatening to take over now, you heard foot steps; they weren’t bothering to try and hide themselves, you noted, but whoever was coming this way was naturally light on their feet.

“Have you finally come to kill me too?” Your words were weak, barely above a murmur. You didn’t bother to look up from Alfonse, hand even coming up to brush some strands of hair away from his eyes.

“No… not you. Not ever.” Lif watched you cling to the corpse of another Alfonse so gingerly; his heart ached, longing for a touch he had long been denied. “You, my own Summoner… You’re different. Hel can’t bring you back.” Lif moved and slowly, you raised your head, looking up at him with hooded eyes to see his still very much dead hand offered before you. He dare offer you his hand, when it was he who brought this ruin upon everyone you love?

“You think I would ever go with you? After all you’ve done?” You could tell your words stung him, as surprising as it was to admit but the evidence was clear in his eyes.

“Hel wants you dead. Currently, you’re the only one alive who can kill her.” Lif didn’t mince his words, hand still waiting in the air between you. “As far as she’s concerned you are dead.” Eyes narrowing a bit, he continued. “You’ll only be safe with me _____.” He said your name as if he had so many times before. He likely had, knowing how you and Alfonse felt for one another… Lif likely felt the same for his Summoner, perhaps had been the one to die once and be held much like this… It wasn’t enough to gain your sympathy though.

You wanted to spit the words you were thinking at him, but you hesitated. Looking up at him, you knew he was right; by yourself, you didn’t stand a chance against Hel. But you doubted you could count Lif among your allies… “Why… should I trust you? After all this?” You swore you saw that wicked mask he wore turn a crooked smile.

“You don’t really have another choice.” His hand remained in the air between you, unwavering. “It’s either you come with me, willing or not, or you stay here, left at Hel’s mercy… And I know neither of us want that.” You didn’t want to leave Alfonse. It felt wrong to stand and leave with the man who took his last breath… but what choice did you have?

Your eyes left Lif, and returned to Alfonse, hoping that the would snap open and you would see his blue gaze you missed so much. “I… can’t leave him like this.” Your voice was soft, your hand cupping his cooling cheek. You didn’t know what else to do, what else to say, helplessly looking to a man who could no longer give you an answer. Lif couldn’t tell you how strange it felt, to be jealous of a lifeless corpse. To be so jealous of a version on himself that lost…

“You must.” If Lif we’re being honest, he would have liked a proper burial, for everyone here… Alfonse included. But Hel wouldn’t have that. Soon enough they would all be part of her army. Lif had little time to get you out of here and to safety. Voice softer now, he spoke again “_____ I know just as well how hard it is to move on when you’ve lost everyone you love and I know even better how vile it feels to side with the person with brought that defeat. But you are left with no other choice.” He moved his hand a little closer to you now, urging you silently to take it.

You didn’t speak but you gaze did turn to him; to his face, as impasse as always, to his outstretched hand, unwavering as he waited for you to take it with your own. “What do you know of my loss? These people were all I had-- all I’ve ever known in this world. You? You had your chance to get them back, and you won. What do I have to cling to, then?” Lif was left with no answer and surprise yet as you got up slowly, sure to rest Alfonse carefully on the ground, and slapped his hand away. “I’ll tell you what-- I’ll have my own revenge.” Your eyes were burning now, an anger Lif was sure he had never seen in you before. “So take me away if you desire, Lif; know that I have my own agenda, though.” Lif nodded, barely acknowledging you but surprised to see you so firey already. Wordlessly, he began to walk away. You followed with little hesitation.

Even if it was for all the wrong reasons, Lif was happy to finally have you at his side again.

[hunterxassasin]

A Fox in Ladybug's Clothing part 2

Idk how I feel about this chapter it's kinda all over the place I guess? I knew how I wanted to end it but I just couldn't seem to get there in a consistent manner. I'll probably revise it at some point but I wanted to get it out for you guys so with no further ado!

-----

Harlequin Harmony raced down the hallway, towards the sounds of the fight. It wasn't hard to find it, especially not with Chat Noir shouting puns trying to be witty every five seconds. Harlequin rolled her eyes as she neared the battle, unlatching her yoyo from where it was hooked on the side of her suit. As she approached, Chat Noir gave her a questioning and defensive look. "You're not Ladybug!" He huffed out, dodging a blow from Lady Amity a second before he was hit.

Harlequin flicked the loose strands for her hair, hands on her hips. "Ladybug is tied up right now. I'm her replacement, Harlequin Harmony." The hero said, puffing out her chest as she swung her yoyo at Chat, pulling him away from another blow from the villain. "I know where her Akuma is hiding, follow my lead." The girl looked up at Lady Amity, eyes narrowed. She slowly stalked forward, yoyo swinging in front of her like a makeshift shield.

"Do not take another step forward." Lady Amity's voice boomed, and Harlequin stopped. Chat Noir was close behind, giving her a concerned look. 

"Don't you think you should use your lucky charm?" Harlequin shot him a look, she didn't intend on using the lucky charm at all during this fight. She had watched Marinette enough to know that she likely wouldn't destroy anything during her time as an Akuma, in fact Lady Amity seemed to only be out for one thing, to have her friends notice her again. This didn't faze Harlequin, in fact, it made her whole plan a whole lot easier.

She shook her head, and pointed to the bag that was tied around Lady Amity's waist, giving her dress a more regal look. "We don't need it, she isn't going to cause any damage. In fact, all I need you to do is distract her for a while. Find some of the kids from Ms.Bustier's class, they'll be good bait for her, distract her long enough so I can grab the bag."

Without another word, Harlequin swung off, using the school's rafters to propel her. Chat Noir was on edge, he didn't enjoy the way this girl was going about getting rid of this Akuma, especially not with her using civilians as bait, but. . .if it got the job done, why not give it a shot. He knew a certain reporter was probably lingering around, and she'd be more than happy to help out.

 

Alya was easy to spot, as she wasn't very hidden in the first place. The girl was on her knees, phone out, recording the action, or lack thereof. She glanced up when Chat Noir walked up to her. "Shouldn't you be helping the new ladybug get that Akuma?"

"Actually, that's what I'm here for. I need your help. Harlequin Harmony wants us to distract Lady Amity. So far she seems peaceful, aside from trying to find and force people to like her. Can you help me?" The hero asked, and received an enthusiastic nod from Alya. He grinned and dashed off, the girl fast on his heels. 

---

The Akuma was taken care of swiftly and efficiently. Harlequin Harmony had cleansed and released the Akuma. She called the lucky charm, which was a pair of black studs. The hero ignored this and threw them in the air, calling out "Miraculous Harmony!" And a swarm of ladybugs fixed the little damage Lady Amity had caused. Harlequin bent down next to Marinette and helped her up, a fake smile on her face. "Are you alright, Marinette?" 

Marinette looked at the hero in confusion, and then seemed to remember the events moments prior to her akumatization. "I'm fine. . . Uh -" 

"My name is Harlequin Harmony, it's a pleasure to meet you." She glanced back as she heard the telltale chirp of her miraculous, giving Chat a look."I've got to go, will you help her home?" She once again didn't wait for an answer, rushing up the stairs and into an empty classroom. 

Lila let her transformation fall, catching Tikki in her hands. The little red kwami looked exhausted, and more than a little bit surprised. Lila had moved with such grace and efficiency when she was transformed, something Tikki was not expecting. The kwami shook her head,glaring up at Lila. "Give the earring back to Marinette, you did your job, its time." She said,crossing her arms over her chest. 

Lila let out a snicker, shaking her head. Did this little thing really think she was going to give up the miraculous so easily? Tikki was stupider than she had originally thought. "Why would I do that? I've got a miraculous now, and the whole of Paris needs to know how much better Harlequin Harmony is than Ladybug. Soon the whole city will forget her and be fans of me!" She held Tikki a bit tighter in her hands, before dropping the Kwami into her bag. "There's food in there if you get hungry, we have a long day ahead of us."

Tikki opened her mouth to say something, but the bag was zipped up too quickly. She thought about phasing out of it, but it would be no use if she couldn't get the earrings from Lila, Tikki hoped Marinette was right in thinking being a miraculous holder would change Lila for the better, because if not, Paris was in for a world of hurt.

---

A few months had passed since the first appearance of Harlequin Harmony, which meant a few more Akumas had come and gone. Harlequin and Chat made a good team, swiftly taking down Akumas, about half the time without the help of a lucky charm. Harlequin was a good manipulator, and found it quite easy to just get an Akuma to get distracted long enough for she or Chat to break the object the Akuma was hiding in. Paris was still fretting over the disappearance of Ladybug, but they still had two saviors of Paris so it wasn't too big on their radar. 

Lila was sitting in the back of class, seething with anger. Her attempt at making Marinette out to be a selfish fool had backfired, their classmates had seemingly come to their senses for the most part after the Lady Amity event. They hadn't exactly ditched Lila, but she was upset they were speaking to Marinette again, as if nothing had changed. Things have changed, Lila knew Marinette was Ladybug, and she had refused to give the miraculous back. Lila knew Marinette was just as much a liar as she was, if only because she lied everytime she had to make an excuse to go be Ladybug. She shook her head, balling her fists on the desk. There wasn't any time for these kind of thoughts. 

Lila stood up and made her way over to Alya and Marinette, who were chatting with Adrien and Nino about hanging out together this afternoon. "Oh! You're going to the park! How nice! Do you mind if I tag along?" She asked, giving Alya a smile. She had been spending more time with the group, in hopes of distancing them from Marinette once more, but if anything she seemed to be slowly becoming a friend to them, at least, that's what Marinette hoped. 

Lila had noticed Marinette was being oddly nice to her, especially since she hadn't given the earrings back. Marinette hadn't even requested them back once, this made Lila slightly uneasy. One would have thought Marinette would have tried to get her miraculous back more than once, but she hadn't even asked about it, not once. It seemed as if Lila was craving out a place for herself, though her lies continued. "I don't mind if you come along." Alya piped up, putting her arm around Lila with a grin. 

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by a scream coming from outside. The four teens ran to the window, spotting the citizens of Paris running into buildings, away from a giant stone monster. "Ivan. . ." Marinette said quickly, and glanced at Lila. She was the only one who knew Lila held the Ladybug miraculous now, and Marinette was the only one outside of Chat Noir who had an insight on how to beat Stoneheart. It wasn't a surprise that Hawkmoth had akumatized the boy once again, he'd already akumatized some people into a villain more than once, such as Mr.Pigeon or Stormy Weather. Harlequin Harmony and Chat Noir had taken them down easily enough, Mr.Pigeon more so than Stormy Weather but that's besides the point. 

"I better get home! My mom is going to be worried sick once she finds out there's an Akuma running around" she fished her phone out of her pocket, pretending it was vibrating. "Oh here she is now!" Lila said and scurried out of the classroom. She ducked into an empty classroom and called on her transformation. After the bright pink light died down, Harlequin Harmony raced out into the streets, spotting the Akuma she used her yoyo to get closer, eventually slamming it into the monster. To her surprise, Stoneheart grew bigger. Harlequin backed up, stumbling into Chat Noir. 

"You can't attack him head on, he'll just grow in size." The boy explained, pulling Harlequin to safety as Stoneheart began to advance. "Call your lucky charm, last time Ladybug and I-" 

Harlequin yanked her hand away from Chat, seething. "Don't bring up that wretched bug in my presence! I don't care what she did last time, I'm not her! I'm better than her in every way!" She snapped, and used her yoyo to fling across the city after the Akuma. Usually she and Chat Noir worked well together, but anytime he brought up Ladybug and how she did things, Harlequin would get on the defense side, become angry and lash out. She stopped on the roof of a building, watching as Stoneheart continued turning others to stone wherever he went. 

Harlequin was confused and wasn't quite sure what to do. She fidgeted for a minute before trying to attack the monster with her Yoyo once more. He just grew bigger. This went on for what seemed like forever, she thought she could finish him off without using the lucky charm, without Chat's help, but after a few hours of her struggling to keep out of Stoneheart's grasp and trying to figure out a plan, and also making sure chat stayed out of her way, she had no choice. Harlequin through her yoyo into the air. "Lucky charm!" She called, and a gong fell into her hands.  Chat looked at her curiously. 

"Aren't you going to go to the guardian's place and get another miraculous to help? That's what that means." He asked, only to receive an irritated look from Harlequin.

"Stop pulling my leg, I don't even know what or who you're talking about!" Glancing around the area didn't help her figure out what to do with the gong. She hissed, and threw it aside, ignoring the beeping of her miraculous. Chat Noir pinned his faux ears to the side of his head and bounded off. If Harlequin didn't know of the guardian or where he was at, then he'd have to get them help. 

--- 

Adrien entered the small massage parlor wearily, Plagg floating out of his pocket once they were safe inside. "I know Harlequin Harmony said Ladybug gave her the miraculous but if she doesn't even know who the guardian is, I'm not sure we can trust her. Now might be the time to get that miraculous back, Adrien." Plagg said, shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth. 

Adrien stopped in the doorway, shaking his head as he waited for Master Fu to come see them. "I'm sure Tikki just hasn't deemed her ready yet. Everything will be fine Plagg, I have faith in her." His eyes light up when he saw Master Fu hobble out of what seemed to be the kitchen with two cups of tea. "Master Fu! It's good to see you again."

Fu gave a small smile, and handed the tea to Adrien. "I had a feeling you'd be showing up today, Chat Noir." The man headed for the miracle box, bringing it over to Adrien, he opened it. "Adrien Agreste, pick an ally you can trust to aid you in this fight, once the job is done, you will return the miraculous back to me. Do you understand?" The man went through the procedural words, letting Adrien look over the miraculous in front of him.

"Actually master, I have someone in mind, and the perfect miraculous for her is the one on your wrist. . . May I?" Fu nodded, putting the turtle miraculous in one of the boxes. He handed it over to Adrien. The two big farewell, and once in the alley way again, Adrien transformed back into Chat Noir. 

---

Chat Noir bounded over the roofs of Paris, headed towards the school. He slipped in through a window, and glanced around. She should be here somewhere. . . He slowly began to prowl through the seemingly empty hallways, that is until he heard someone smack into the floor. "Alya! We're trying to be quiet!" Marinette's voice echoed towards him, as she seemed to pick herself up off the ground.

"Sorry girl, I didn't mean to run into you." The other voice responded. Chat grinned, just who he was looking for. But he needed a way to separate them. 

He approached the two girls,giving them a smile. "Hey ladies, found a safe place to hide yet?" He leaned on his baton, causing Marinette to roll her eyes.

"We have one spot, but it won't fit both of us -" she was cut off as Chat Noir lifted her off the ground. Alya blinked for a moment before pulling out her phone, ready to record this. Chat held his hand up, shaking his head.

"Go hide Alya, I'll get Marinette somewhere safe." With that he gripped Marinette a bit tighter and bounded off out of the school. He skirted to a halt on a secluded roof, setting Marinette down. Grabbing the box of the turtle miraculous, Chat held it out to her. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, this is the miraculous of the turtle. It grants the power of protection. You will use it for the greater good, and return it to me once the job is over." Chat held the box a little closer to her. "Do you accept?" Marinette blinked for a moment before giving a nod. 

She opened the box,flinching a bit as Wayzz flew out in a ball of green light. The kwami played pretend well enough, acting as if he didn't know who Marinette was. "Hello, I am Wayzz, and I'll be your kwami. To transform just say 'shell on'."

With a nod, the girl slipped the bracelet on, it turned into what seemed to be a simple leather cord bracelet. "Wayzz! Shell on!" She called, and a green light washed over her.