Hedgehogs Dilemma

Karasu Part 3

Mayura carefully carried the boy in her arms, away from the fighting.
What surprised her, however, was the boy's absolutely absent gaze, as if he wasn't interested in what was going on here. Not even in the slightest. Just an hour ago, he was so excited. And now?
"Are you all right Adrien?" she asked him cautiously, now that they were far away enough so that neither Hawk Moth or Karasu could hear them.
"Yeah.. it's just.. you don't get buried by a bad guy every day.." he breathed at her, his gaze still fixed on the ground beneath him as Mayura carried him away over the rooftops, in Security.
".. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.."
"Hawk Moth was there..."
Mayura quickly realized that it was probably impossible for her to get through to him in the current state. It was useless. So she turned her gaze back to the landscape in front of her.
Only one question was burning on her mind, who should she give the Miraculous to?
She quickly jumped down from the roof to slide into a side street.
"Wait here," she instructed the boy before turning to jump back to Hawk Moth.
Which Adrien took as a direct approach to holding her back by the dress. "Let me try!"
"excuse me?"
"The Miraculous. Let me see if I can activate it."
"This is far too dangerous! Your father will give me hell if he ever finds out!"
Adrien didn't answer that. Much more he tried to grab the Miraculous in her hand, which Mayura was able to prevent by simply stretching out her hand further. How good that she was a grown woman and Adrien a boy, not older than fourteen.
"I would like to help!" he protested again.
"You can help us by staying safe so we can take care of the madman!"
With these words, she finally tore herself away from Adrien and rushed back to the battlefield.

Hawk Moth himself still found himself in the situation where Karasu, now with a dragon update, kept switching between wind and lightning to keep his opponent aka the Fashion King of Paris on his toes.
Doggedly, Hawk Moth continued to dodge. He hasn't been able to land an attack since Mayura left with Adrien. And that wasn't even the worst part of the situation.
Why did HIS Miraculous of all people have to fall away trying to save his son, so that he had to look into his son's face as Gabriel. How should he face Adrien from now on? How should he take this conversation again in general? What should he tell him?
With an elegant leap, he dodged another flash. What he did here would easily pass as a sports program today.
"you can't only dodge! You also have to swing back!" shouted Celine to the man who had hidden herself behind a pile of falling rocks. "Cover right, strike left!" she continued to call out to him.
"Don't you have a better place to be?!" Hawk Moth only replied back before he had to dodge to the side again.
"But the woman is right," Karasu intervened, "How are you going to do anything if you just avoid my attacks?"
"How about you stop playing the weather fairy." Hawk Moth replied with a sneer on his lips. "Then I could come at you"
"Oh? So you would prefer my sword instead?"
Skillfully, Hawk Moth then circled his staff a few times in his hand before slamming it on the ground to support himself. "I mean. I'm not unarmed," he said with a grin on his lips, which made Karasu's eyes shine. He would accept that challenge.
He quickly turned the sword in a different direction so that it was now pointing to the ground while waving his hand at him "Then show me what you've got."
Hawk Moth didn't need to be told twice. It was not for nothing that he had always taken fencing lessons as a teenager, just as Adrien does today. And it was not for nothing that he had also won countless trophies.
He now held his staff like a sword, with which he immediately attacked Karasu's sword.
But even he knew how to handle a weapon in his hand. With an ease, as graceful as a feather, he parried, only to strike purposefully. He was like a butterfly stinging like a bee.
At the same time, they banged their weapons on each other just to be able to look into each other's eyes.
"Ha, you've got more than just cracking jokes, turkey."
"And despite all your failings, you seem to have a talent, king of fashion"
A shiver ran down Hawk Moth's spine. He was glad that Celine was far enough away to hear what the two were discussing. "What did you just call me?"
"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you. Would you prefer a different title?"
"How do you know..."
"I know a lot. You would be surprised. Why do you think you got a Miraculous back then?" Karasu spoke before unrolling his sword to strike again, which Hawk Moth parried, bringing them face to face again.
"Maybe my charm was the reason?"
"Ha! More of your sense of humor. But think about it. Why should you get one of all people?"
With anger, the man now hit the sword to force him to block now. "Just tell me! You seem to be the one responsible for it after all!"
"You're right. Well maybe I just wanted to give you a chance to put things right after the death of your wife Emilie."
Hawk Moth gritted his teeth growlly "Don't say her name! And what do you even know?!"
"You and I. We have more in common than you might think. Like how my wife died the same October night as Em-your wife, for example."
The brief shock Hawk Moth felt was quickly covered with anger. "What does all this have to do with it!?" he yelled at him now, so loud. Celine would have no problem hearing it.
"You're right," he replied before knocking his staff out of Hawk Moth's hands. "Let's not dwell on the past any longer. It seem you are not in the mood for it any ways."
With one bound, he aimed his sword directly at the man's throat, who reflexively raised his arms
"You know what's interesting?" Karasu continued.
"I'm sure you'll tell me right away."
"When children wear Miraculouse, their weapons are harmless. Toys if you will. But when grown-ups carry them, their weapons can become real weapons. Because they reflect the cruelty of the owner. Your weapon is blunt. From the start you had no chance." he explained to him and for a second Hawk Moth could see the light reflecting off the blade towards him and he couldn't help but swallow for a moment.
"You would have the chance to upgrade your weapon, but not by continuing to be so weak." Karasu continued.
Hawk Moth could just see the gleam in the eyes of the man in front of him, who could easily look down at him, being a few inches taller than himself.
He could feel the fear creeping up on him bit by bit.
With a grin, Karasu lunged, only to take a few steps away from Hawk Moth as Mayura swooped down. Was she here to protect him?
"Are you unharmed?"
".. Y-Yes," he quickly assured her.
"Good!" she said before continuing her attack on Karasu. She blocked his sword with her fan so that it posed no danger to her.
"Ha! What are you trying to do with that? Better take his staff and try your luck with it, my peacock!" her opponent in raven's robes laughed mockingly.
"You know what's so great about a short weapon? You're closer to your opponent to do this!" she announced before kicking Karasu off his legs so that he was reacquainted with the ground once again.
"Tze.." he hissed before he swept everyone present away from him with another storm. Even Celine now, had problems to keep herself on her feet.
"Mayura!" shouted Hawk Moth, who had caught her in flight while both set course for the next wall.
In a single instant, Mayura could see out of the corner of her eye how the Miraculous reacted for a split second. 'That can't be true...' she thought as her gaze fixed on the women who did so. While still in flight she tossed it.
"Celine!" she shouted at her before she and Hawk Moth slammed into the nearest wall. "Catch!"
Unsteadily, the woman caught the necklace in her hands, only to be greeted with a warm glow of the most beautiful shades of orange that slowly took over the whole necklace, transforming it into a colorful necklace reminiscent of a fox.
"What..." Hawk Moth gasped in surprise.
"I knew it.." Mayura also coughed softly. Both had hit their heads against the wall and were now lying close together, leaning against the wall.
Stunned, Celine now looked into the face of the kwami who had sprung from the chains.
"Who are you?" she asked him carefully and with a soft surprised smile to take away the little kwami's fear.
"Trixx! Don't you dare!" yelled Karasu who was visibly annoyed and had now lost all patience by the fact that someone from Mayura's team had been able to awaken the Miraculous when storm and lightning combined to conjure up a thunderstorm.
Immediately, Celine stood protectively in front of the kwami so that it wouldn't fly away, which Hawk Moth did the same to protect Mayura from harm. It should be him rather than her.
You would at least cry for her.
"So you're Trixx, I'm Celine. Can you tell me how to transform?" she asked him while covering her face with her hand, whereupon the kwami nodded
"all you have to say is 'Trixx, let's pounce!'"
"Celine, hurry up!" Mayura yelled at her as Karasu got dangerously close to her.
She hastily fastened the chain around her neck and walked in the opposite direction, away from Karasu, still holding the small kwami in her protective hands.
"Trixx, Let's pounce!" she announced and while still running, she was overcome by the same orange light from the Miraculous that greeted her which is now transforming her clothes into those of a heroine.
With one leap she now jumped on the outside wall of a building to support herself from it and with one leap, she flew straight at Karasu and gave him a kick in the face that made him fall to the ground again and at least for now, the storm stopped again.
Pleased with her performance, she landed on both feet to hop up and down a bit. "Wow." she announced, "I feel so much lighter and yet so much more powerfull." 'I almost forgot'
"What a show off." commented Mayura
"I wonder who she got that from..."
"However, we can't let her steal the show!"
With a leap, Mayura jumped to her feet and offered her hand to Hawk Moth. "Thanks for catching me."
A gentle smile spread across his face before he took the hand that was extended to him. "With pleasure."
He'd just managed to get to his feet, only to collapse right back. It had hit him harder than he thought.
Mayura just managed to catch him so that he fell into her arms.
She gently leaned him back against the wall. "You are too weak..."
"I know..." the man breathed out. He wasn't used to all the fighting. "You should take the chance and just take my Miraculous from me."
Mayura could feel how her gaze slowly wandered towards the miraculous in front of her. How close it was to her. And how pretty it looked.
"... What are you talking about?"
".. I can't help anymore. You should just take my Miraculous. Then you would put an end to my tyranny... to finally save Paris from me..."
"You protected me." Mayura retorted before taking her hands off the man. "Also. It's a lot more fun if I take it off your hands after defeating you. You're Akumas aren't that good any ways." she continued before turning with a grin to rush to Celine's aid.
"Rest! We'll give you back up!" she called out to him and the man couldn't help but watch her go before he started to smile slightly.
Even more annoyed, Karasu rubbed his face before he slowly got up again, which immediately put Celine in a fighting position.
"You want more? I got more where that came from"
"That was nothing but beginner's luck. Don't think you could do it again!" he shouted at her to start his next attack on her, in which Mayura immediately intervened by fending off the sword with the fan again.
"Your weapon!" she now instructed the woman. "I think you want to use that. Nice ears, by the way," she winked, indicating the large fox-like ears that were now sticking out of Celine's hair.
"Thanks. I knew I always had a lot in common with foxes," the woman announced before drawing her weapon, a simple flute, and for a second disappointment spread across her face. Why hadn't she got a great weapon like those two?
However, she quickly got back into the fight, which prompted Karasu to parry the attacks that were now coming at him from both sides, which made him sweat a lot and kept pushing back.
Each blow from Mayura's fan was followed by a kick from Celine. And each parry from her weapon was followed by a smack with Mayura's bare fist.
They were an absolutely coordinated team in perfect synchronicity.
Suddenly he found himself with his back against the wall. Before he could do anything, Celine knocked the sword out of his hand to throw it over her shoulder so Mayura could take it and hold it to his throat this time.
"Checkmate, my dear," she announced with a smile on her lips.
"Tze.." Karasu hissed softly.
"Celine." she continued to instruct her sister without taking her eyes off her opponent. "I assume your powers summoned all the creatures in the first place. Am I right?"
"You might be right about that," Karasu simply replied
"Very nice. Now if you would be so kind as to make these disappear."
"Sure!" Celine said happily before picking up her flute. Skilfully she let it circle around her fingers a few times.
She gently lifted the flute to her lip to play a melody on her, whereupon all of Karasu's created monsters evaporated in a cloud.
Which upset him even more and he started to grind his teeth.
"Now that that's off the table." Mayura said while taking a step closer, Karasu could feel the blade on his neck. How the tip touched his throat. "I have a few questions and you will answer them for me."
The man in front of her blinked as he didn't dare to take his eyes away from her.
"What is it, my love?" he tried to bluff as coolly as possible. He was trying to act as cool as someone with a blade to their throat could act in this situation.
"Am I correct in assuming it was you who broke into the museum 10 years ago to steal the Miraculouse my father found?"
"Oh. So you did some research after all!"
"Answer the question!" she hissed before she jerked her sword once, making Karasu flinch for a split second.
"I did it, yes."
"In his files, my father spoke of a feline kwami that dwelt in a ring. Furthermore, my father spoke of many of the Miraculouses he had found. But that night, you only stole this one, along with a pair of earrings.
Why did you want this particular couple?"
Karasu had to swallow once at the cool voice the woman brought towards him together with the piercing look. It frightened him further than the sword at his neck.
"They are special.. only these two fulfill one wish, should they be united.."
"Did you use the wish?"
"...."
Silence took part between them which was all the assurance that Mayura had needed.
"Well,then it was you. It was you that my father spoke of that night. You who saw with your own eyes the cruelty of desire. You disgust me!" Mayura started, gripping the sword tighter.
Out of sheer fear, Karasu summoned the powers of both the raven and the dragon with an eye lash to unleash them all at once, which made Mayura pushed away from him to give him a chance to free himself.
With one bound he jumped at Celine to rip the chain from her neck, which turned her back into an ordinary woman, as he run past her in a high speed.
Before Mayura could even followed him, he had already disappeared over the rooftops.
Now, seething with anger, she gritted her teeth while glaring her gaze in the direction in which he had disappeared. "Shit!" she cursed loudly, making Celine look up worried.
"Nath..." she breathed softly to get the heroine's attention.
She was startled when she looked at her. Behind the beautiful magenta eyes was hate. Contempt. A strange purple shimmer that wasn't there before.
Celine couldn't help but flinch. "Nath..." she repeated again, this time with more fear.
Why was her sister giving that look. What was wrong? Why were her feelings so overwhelming again. Confused, Mayura grabbed her head before she got on her knees.
"Damn.." she breathed softly before wrapping her arms around herself.