27: Inner Emotions

"I never knew an illusion could act that way." mumbled Marinette watching Adrien and her mirage from a distance, standing beside Wayzz behind the pillar.

"If the creator's feelings are strong enough, even the main body's emotions can be duplicated even in an illusion." replied Wayzz.

Marinette did not know what to say. She kept thinking how amazing it is that the words she couldn't say had suddenly been expressed through her mirage. Like what they say, the harder you try to douse the flames with the same flames of reason, the more it will want to come out. Marinette had witnessed her reason backfire at her. But thankfully, her illusion is still as rational as the main body is.

Multimouse drew in a sharp breath then exhaled walking to the opposite direction, "Let's go," she prompted, making Wayzz turn to her, "We have to regroup with Multifox and Multihorse on the other side."

While the two sneaked off to the shadows, Chat Noir raked his fingers through his hair flabbergasted of the information he just heard.

"Wait...hold up...summing that up, you're telling me Hawkmoth is powering up?" he leaned to the railing behind him.

Ladybug nods, "Tikki and Plagg figured that Hawkmoth had the translated copy of the book and had been using it to study our weakness."

Chat rubs his nape in frustration, "That is something to be worried of." he chuckles, "But.." he glances back at her, making her eyes jolt, "You could have asked my help in tracking down Hawkmoth. That itself was dangerous. Sure, Plagg is strong but you can't transform with him unless you have the ring, right?" he said showing her the thing on his finger.

Ladybug lightly scoffs, half smiling, "Truth is...Tikki was the one who found Hawkmoth's lair." her sad eyes glued to his.

Chat didn't respond, and just stared at her making her continue what she was saying.

"I- I can't really say much, but...when she was supposed to go and meet with Plagg to tell you guys of the news, she accidentally got caught."

Hearing those words froze Multifox and Multihorse. They realized how the mirage was talking too much and how this could jeopardize everything. Multifox was about to grab her flute to stop fake Ladybug, but Multimouse caught her wrist and shook her head, stopping her.

"Don't. Let her." said Multimouse glancing at Ladybug and Chat Noir, "At some point, I knew I wanted to tell him, but I didn't know how."

"Are you sure, Marinette?" said Wayzz, "I trust your plan but..."

"If anything happens, I'll let Multifox handle it." she said glancing to her other transformations beside her.

Multifox nods.

Multimouse smiles back, exhaling, "For now, we watch how Chat reacts to this."

"Got caught? By who?" said Chat, standing up on his knees.

Ladybug's eyebrows furrow, carefully mustering everything in her to say it,

"H-Hawkmoth." the name stumbles under her breath.

Chat falls back with his legs over his feet, eyes locked at his sullen partner, "You saved Tikki all on your own?" his voice was weak and hoarse from the shock. Chat couldn't picture in his head the intensity of what could have happened.

Ladybug smiled painfully, "If only I knew how to save her."

"What?"

"I couldn't save her Chat." Ladybug whimpers, "I was careless. I didn't anticipate Hawkmoth's moves. I didn't know he was...." and she chokes on the thought that Gabriel was Hawkmoth and how Adrien was Chat Noir.

Chat Noir didn't know what to do. He was completely stupefied at the sight of Ladybug breaking down and stopping on her broken sentences that he couldn't connect the dots with.

On an impulse, he grabs her shoulders and shook her back to reality, "Calm down, m'lady."

Her face looked stunned. She nods, snapping herself back, wiping the tears with her arms, "You're right, I could get akumatized for this."

Chat sighs filled with confusion, "Now, I know you're still messed up from all the emotion running all over but let me get this straight, there was one thing that I needed to ask you from the very beginning."

Ladybug blinks, "Go on."

"What were you and Plagg trying to do even though you know you can't transform without the ring?"

Ladybug draws in some air, "We were trying to find a way in saving Tikki while keeping you away from harm."

Wayzz wanted to fly in and stop the conversation, but Multimouse pulls him.

"She'll reveal the truth at this rate." Wayzz strongly whispers.

"Not yet." Multimouse bites into her thumb.

"Uhh, Multimouse, I think this conversation has to end soon." Multifox said showing the pendant with only two bars left.

Multimouse stares at the pendant thinking of a solution.

"Multihorse," called Multimouse, making her other self step forward, "If anything happens, get ready to send us back to my room."

She then glances at Wayzz, eyes softened, "I'll count on you to tell Adrien the rest."

Wayzz nods with a serious face, "You can count on it."

"So what you said earlier...." he gasps, "Then how are you Ladybug now?" Chat tries to reach out for her hand. Ladybug gives him a grin stopping him from touching her.

"I'm not really here, Chat." she said in a soft voice.

The pendant blinks in one bar, alarming Multifox. "Multimouse..." her voice shaking.

"Wayzz, fly in there the moment Ladybug runs back here in the shadows." Multimouse instructed.

"Got it."

"Multihorse, prepare for our take off."

Multihorse nods and runs to the further back to initiate a black hole for teleportation.

With everything set, Marinette decides to call off the operation.

"Tell Plagg to I'll pick him up at school. I'll let them spend the night for now." whispered Marinette to Wayzz.

Wayzz gives her a thumbs up, getting ready for a sprint towards Chat.

"Now, Multifox!"

Multifox then pulls out her flute, blowing on it to call for Ladybug.

Ladybug blanks out, bolting up from her sitting position suddenly facing towards the shadows.

"Ladybug? What's wrong?" he stands up, waving his hand to her face.

"We will meet again." she replies in an almost robotic way, sprinting to the back of the deck with all the beams crisscrossing each other. Chat was about to run after her but Wayzz crashes on his face, making him unable to see where she went.

"Wayzz...why'd you have to crash on me?" he said pulling the little turtle off his nose.

"Sorry Chat Noir, I couldn't control my speed." he chuckles.

A bright light suddenly glows behind the beams then dies out in a second, making Chat curious if it had been Ladybug's detransformation. "What was that?" he glances at the back but Wayzz tried his best to block him.

"Chat Noir do not worry."

Chat frowns at Wayzz, leaning his face forward to him, "Not to worry? Do you have any idea what I just learned of tonight? She finds out who Hawkmoth is but won't tell me. She drags Plagg knowing she can't even transform with him. And did you see that? Ladybug broke down in front of me and then she tells me that she's not real. How am I supposed to comprehend everything? And what was that light? Was she okay? I had so many things I wanted to ask her."

Wayzz keeps a straight face on, "The master gave me permission in continuing the explanation in her stead."

"Why?"

"Because she cannot meet you in her current state. You must understand that what she had told you earlier through that mirage is true."

"Mirage?"

Wayzz nods, "The master is unable to transform into Ladybug as of the moment due to some circumstances. Thus, she used the fox miraculous so she could be able to speak with you in an illusion."

"W-Hold on. I have a gut feel of what's going on but...can you please speak in simpler terms?"

Wayzz sighs, "To put it simply, Hawkmoth has captured Tikki and is making things harder for the master."

Chat fell silent. His eyes traveled to a distance even when he was just standing there above the city.

"Now, the master wishes for us to go back to your place first before I discuss to you the facts along with Plagg." Wayzz initiates floating to the edge and Chat clicks his tongue before extending his stick.

"What the hell is going on?" he grunts to himself, jumping off the tower.