Criminal!Multimouse

Nine

Marinette grunted.

She carefully placed down Jason on the elongated couch. Two other versions of herself helped with the task, as they settled the man's legs and arms along the surface of the furniture.

After finishing, the three Multimice sent each other nods before they stepped into each other's space. Immediately, their bodies began to meld with one another - in a light flash - until a taller woman was left.

"Mullo, quiet down," the heroine said.

Swirls of baby pink enveloped her from the chest down, but soon spread to her whole form. The clasp of the purse wrapped around her shoulder opened up on its own, and a kwami flew out.

"Marinette, you're okay!" Tikki exclaimed, zipping to said girl's cheek.

Longg, Trixx and Mullo watched from the side as they hovered in the air.

"Yeah, I am!" she enthused whilst hugging the bug to her skin. "Thank you so much, guys. I don't know what I would've done without you."

Several of the creatures cuddled into her, and two more joined in when they fizzled into existence from jewellery she adorned.

Marinette giggled happily, though the sound abruptly paused when her gaze caught on the unconscious male to the side. She narrowed her eyes when she sensed something in particular.

Oh no...not you too, Jay-Jay...

Taking hesitant steps, the young woman silently made her way to Jason with pursed lips. Her hand shakily reached up to push away the streaked strands of hair from his forehead.

She could feel the sickening aura dormant around him, that was exactly the same as the one that had previously been at her studio. The vigilante's soul was trapped within an encasing of a leeching energy.

"Tikki..." Marinette called in a mutter. "What kind of magic is this?"

Tone sombre, the kwami responded, "It's from the Lazarus Pits - something me and Plagg created millennia ago - that brings a person in contact with it back to life. It came with a dangerous side-effect, though."

"W-What would it be?"

"The person gains excessive anger and periods of blood-lust and violence. That was a factor as to why we removed the Pits from existence," the explanation was. "I guess we must have missed one out."

"Yeah," Plagg agreed, suddenly in the same room.

Marinette faintly realised that the other kwami must have informed him of what was happening.

"I'm so sorry," Tikki apologised. "I never expected that your own sibling would have used the Lazarus Pits. If me and Plagg had checked better, we could have prevented it."

Letting out a deep sigh, the designer held her palms out together. The two gods settled on them.

"I don't blame you, neither of you," she admitted, voice filled to the brim with truth. "So don't worry. And- the thing is..."

Her head turned to Jason nearby.

"He must have died if he used the Pits. That means that I wouldn't have been able to see him again."

A smile spread across Marinette's lips, as she brought the beings close and nuzzled them affectionately. They did the same in accordance, as well as more than a dozen other kwami that had already exited the Miracle Box.

"So," Trixx chuckled, breaking the Guardian's attention away from the miniature cuddle fest. "You wanna help your brother out?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"As the Guardian and a Creation vessel, you can even out the destruction latched onto him!" Tikki revealed, spinning and twirling in the air excitedly.

"Wait, what?"

"You were able to sense my Bad Luck in his soul, right?" Plagg rhetorically asked. "You can use your Good Luck to balance out the Lazarus within him."

"She's smart, Stinky Sock - there's no need to simplify the concept," the ladybug kwami remarked, paws folded.

"Of course I know that, Sugar Cube!" the cat retorted. "My Kit is the best Guardian in my opinion!"

"Aaaaww..." Marinette laughed.

"My Monarch," Pollen said softly. "His soul - it's calling out for you."

The woman let out a soft gasp, walking to his limp form. "W-What? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Plagg quizzed, whizzing atop Jason's head of onyx hair. "You're soulmates, Bug. Platonic, specifically, and the true holders of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous."

~*~*~

"We have to get him back," Nightwing quietly decided, though his voice echoed in the Bat Cave. He peeled off the mask stuck to his face.

"I agree, but we have to be careful. We don't know what Multimouse - or Multifox - is capable of."

"Well we have to find out where she took him first," Dick mused, walking up to the computer at the side of the area.

There, Red Robin was already situated, typing at a keyboard. He didn't seem bothered by the recent events, rather he sat with relaxed shoulders and a casual expression.

"Come on, Tim. At least act worried for Jaybird," Nightwing teased, hitting his brother's shoulder lightly.

"Worried?" the CEO snorted. "As if I am."

"Wow, okay."

Sighing, Tim turned to Dick. He spoke, "He's in the hands of his own sister, you realise that, right? Just 'cause she stole something from a Museum it doesn't make her a bad person."

There was a small period of silence, which was broken by the eldest.

"...You know something, don't you?"

Red Robin simply smirked.

~*~*~

Marinette's eyes were closed tightly, and her brows were furrowed in concentration. She could feel the presence of a multitude of kwami surrounding her, as they watched the scene intently.

The destructive magic within Jason's soul threatened to escape, and it twitched at regular intervals. However the woman didn't falter.

The hand pressed against her brother's chest tightened, and suddenly changed into the shape of a claw. Her fingers dug into his suit as a faint tickle was felt on her palm.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. An ominous red glow made its way into Red Hood's body, whilst a sickly green escaped his and entered her arm.

At the same time Plagg was sat on it, holding a paw out. The lime flowed out of her appendage almost fluidly and was immediately attracted to the cat's chaos and power.

After what seemed to be at least five minutes, the vibrant colours in the room started to dull, until they became practically nonexistent.

When the young one opened her eyes, she found that a mixture of the shades were swirling at the centre of her palms. Magic pulsated within her arm, reaching so far as to the top of her shoulder blade.

Quiet rung all around.

"What the heck..." a familiar voice groaned, their breathing picking up as they sat.

"J-Jay-Jay?"

The man's eyes snapped open.

He took in the female mere centimetres from him.

"Nettie?"