A Masked Game

Side Mission: Treating Old Wounds

Flashback Cutscene: Ending on Bad Terms

9 months and 5 months ago...

It was over. Lila's reign as the 'New Hawkmoth' may have only lasted three months, but it had been in many ways far more terrifying than Gabriel's tenure. She had been more vicious with her Akumas, and seemed to revel in the collateral damage.

Looking into her hand, Ladybug marvelled at the simple beauty of the Butterfly Miraculous. Four slender, delicate looking wings, centred around a dark gemstone. How could something so beautiful be used to commit such hideous acts of terror?

Lila's last stand had been brutal. Over half the city had been destroyed. The Eiffel Tower had been cut down, Notre Dame was left a hollowed out shell, and the Louvre Museum left blazing. The heroes didn't fare much better either.

Almost all of them were involved. Some were directly included in the fighting, however most were simply trying to protect the citizens of Paris as best they could. Everyone was injured in some way, more than a few quite severely. Even Ladybug herself had suffered a broken arm during the battle.

Ultimately, it was the combination of Pigella's 'Gift' and Vesperia's 'Venom' that finally overpowered Lila. The heroes managed to fight their way close enough to her for Pigella to distract her, which allowed Vesperia to sneak in that one lucky strike. After that it was all over.

Ladybug took a moment to chuckle to herself. She had seen Lila's 'heart's desire'. It was to defeat Ladybug and unmask her as Marinette to all of Paris. Oh, the irony.

Now, Ladybug was relishing the feeling of escorting a struggling, handcuffed Lila to the back seat of a police cruiser. Placing her in the car, she may have neglected her due diligence and let Lila's head hit the roof. Oops.

Feeling better than she had in months, she looked across the square to where Chat Noir was escorting the 'other' detainee into a different police cruiser. It was unbelievable, Gabriel Agreste was back. How was that even possible? She had seen him make the wish. She had seen him disappear. It should not have been possible. She was definitely going to have to speak with Su-Han and the Guardians about this.

Gabriel was back, though not unscathed. He looked haggard, with a filthy beard and his clothes were rotting rags. But the most telling sign of his 'ordeal' was the fact that his entire left arm was missing. Ladybug remembered that was the arm that Chat had hit with his cataclysm, all those months ago.

As she watched, Gabriel and Chat Noir reached the cruiser, Gabriel turning to sit in the car and Chat grabbing his shoulder. They appeared to exchange several words with each other, none of which seemed to please Gabriel. Good. With a final nod, Gabriel sat in the car and Chat Noir slammed the door shut behind him.

Chat turned around and his eyes locked with Ladybugs. Her good feelings evaporated instantly. Chat Noir was staring at her with such fire in his eyes, she could practically feel the heat blistering her skin. If looks could kill, she'd just been hit with a Tsar Bomba. She had some explaining to do, she knew that. She would take Chat Noir to their spot and explain everything to him. She just hoped he would understand.

Taking a few steps in his direction, Ladybug stopped when she saw her partner shake his head at her. She gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head again. Peering closely, she had just about made out his tears, when Chat Noir turned and leapt onto a nearby building and raced off. She launched herself after him, but by the time she reached the rooftops he was gone. Checking her yo-yo's locator, Chat Noir's signal was missing.

Panicking now, Ladybug set off in what she hoped was the right direction. She had to make this right. She had to find her Chaton, her partner, her best friend. She had to find him. She had to.