The New Guardian

Chapter 7: Battle of Emotions

"Can you believe that?" Marinette stirred a pot of soup. "This guardian council or something sent another team to deal with us? Why can't they leave us be?"

"I'm assuming they have unfinished business with Master Fu and wish to fix everything from before his time as guardian." Wayzz said.

"Well I am not going back there again unless it's an emergency." Marinette began to cut a carrot. "Chat Noir and I aren't a match for them and they're just using signals to draw us out into the open. We're better off not engaging with them. I can't risk you guys or the Miracle Box."

"But Marinette, you can't turn your back on Paris." Tikki said, sprinkling some salt in the pot. "You must protect the city.

"I am by protecting all of you." Marinette replied. "If I give them a chance at that much power . . . Paris will fall and many other places could too."

"Do you really think they'd hurt innocent people?" Duusu asked.

Marinette emptied her cutting board into the pot. "If revenge and power is on their minds, they might do anything out of anger, even if that means going against their own laws; whatever those are."

. . .

"Can you believe it?" Duusu squealed. "Chat Noir still loves her."

"I always knew it." Pollen smiled. "Those two were meant for each other."

"Master did choose them himself." Wayzz added.

"Marinette has no reason not to tell him now." Nooroo chimed.

"What do you think, Tikki, will she do it? Will she reveal her feelings?" Trixx asked.

"Marinette is . . . stubborn." Tikki admitted. "As long as she feels guilt from her past, she'll bundle all of her emotions up until it's too much to bare. It took years for Marinette to tell Adrien and years more to get over him. We can encourage and support her, but Marinette's feelings can't be rushed."

"We've got to give her some confidence!" Mullo shouted. "If she's going to use her energy to keep us out of the Miracle Box then we're going to use it to her advantage."

"Yeah!" The kwamis cheered.

. . .

Marinette sat at her dinner table, eating a bowl of soup. Each kwami had a small teacup of soup in front of them as they happily ate. Right as Marinette lifted her spoon to her mouth, her phone vibrated. She closed her eyes and breathed. She tapped her phone.

"A news update." Marinette announced.

"Those two have probably returned." Tikki said, flying over to her. "You should open it.

Marinette set her spoon down and picked up her phone, clicking on the story. "This is Nadja Chamack reporting to you from the Channel 11 news chopper. The two new villains with miraculous powers have returned again this week to attack the city. There is a blind miraculous holder who just launched a peculiar mist around a crowd of bystanders at the Louvre museum. Citizens reported loss of sight, smell, and taste." The mist is shown spreading. "Citizens scream in terror as the attack continues. Paramedics cannot reach the people as long as the mist is there. It seems to go through gas masks so at this point, there is nothing we can do. Will Ladybug and Chat Noir show up to help us in this desperate time?"

Marinette set her phone down and pushed her bangs up, sighing. She took a deep breath before standing up and pushing her chair in. "Tikki, Spots On!"

Ladybug quickly locked her front door before moving to her window. She pushed it open, jumping out and swinging through the city. Ladybug landed on a row of buildings and ran towards the Louvre. Chat Noir headed towards her from another direction and joined her sprint from the side.