A Masked Game

Level 14: Body Count

Flashback Cutscene: Liplocked

9 years and 5 months...

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Luka sat down opposite Ladybug. He crossed his legs and grabbed a hold of his guitar.

"Yeah," she sighed, threading her fingers together and hanging them in between her knees. "I – I can't live with what I did to Adrien, and I know this will be for the best. It's been a burden since the first day I received them." She stretched up to touch her ears, stroking her thumb over the smooth stud in her ear. "It shouldn't have been me."

"You know my training at the temple isn't clear what will happen to you. Because –"

"Because Ladybug was chosen as the Guardian not Marinette which may mean Marinette might keep her memories... I know. You tell me daily."

Luka sighed, an unusual sound from someone usually so relaxed and empathetic. "I just – I don't know if I'm willing for you to do this and then leave you here all alone."

"I'm not alone. I have Alya and my parents."

"What about Chat Noir? You're not going to tell him, are you?"

She shook her head in response. "No. You know as well as I do, if I mention it to him he'll try and stop me..."

"And he'll succeed. Are you staying transformed all night?"

She nodded. "I don't feel like being 'Marinette' at the moment."

A soft melody filled the late night air as Luka began to strum a tune he'd been working on for years, the one she knew was her tune. Closing her eyes, she settled back onto his bed and allowed the melodic tune to encompass her and settle her. She was doing it... tonight.

Luka had agreed to take her role as Guardian. After all, he was currently training intensely at the Temple to become a celestial Guardian, and Marinette couldn't see anyone better suited for her job.

Alya had tried to argue with her, that if anyone should become the new Guardian of the Miraculous then it should be someone highly qualified and experienced with wielding one, and that person should be Chat Noir. Marinette mumbled her way through the conversation, making up different excuses about why Chat Noir wouldn't be suited for the job, knowing full well she was making up a load of lies.

The real reason was that she never wanted him to be stuck with this burden. She adored her partner and she wanted him to live the best life, not be stuck with all this nonsense. He deserved so much more than what had been thrown onto them. Su-Han was right. A fighting hero shouldn't be Guardian as well.

She'd agreed to meet with him later that evening, along with Luka, to reveal her identity and then hand over the Guardianship. She'd written him a letter asking him to come and find her, that Marinette wanted to be friends with him in any form — be it civilian or hero.

The music suddenly stalled as Luka stopped playing and placed his guitar down gently.

"Do you ever wonder what the root cause of all this was?" He asked, eyes full of curiosity.

She stayed silent. She didn't need to wonder. She knew exactly the reason why they were in this situation, but that wasn't to share with Luka. There were so many people in front of him on her list.

"You know, don't you?" Luka looked at her intensely and she felt herself squirm.

Holding her lips together, she kept the news tightly inside.

"Fine," Luka sighed. "If that's how you want to play it."

He picked up his guitar once again and began to link chord after chord together — the melody was different and a little... rough!