{+}{+}{+}

Marinette froze for a moment, letting her mom's words sink in before slamming the door wide open. Marinette can easily say she wasn't expecting to return home to all of this, especially the scene in front of her.

Shattered dishes and cups are scattered all over the floor. Some pictures and decorations are knocked down. The coffee table in the living room is flipped onto its side like it was used as a barricade.

   Sabine stood paralyzed behind the kitchen counter, eyes as wide as the plate in her hand, looking like she is about the chuck it. Celine stood in the living room just as stunned, using two pillows as shields.

   "...Marinette..." the Chinese woman barely managed to say, the dish slipping out of her hand and shattering on the floor. She jumped, looking down at the shattered dish with a pale, aghast face and covering her mouth, stunned at the situation.

   There is only one thing Marinette could think to do at this moment.

"What the heck is going on!?" Marinette shouted, earning flinches from both women. The room went dead silent. The air is so thick with tension, not even a chainsaw would be able to cut through. The two women could only look at the teen baffled, guilt creasing their faces.

   "What is going on?" Marinette repeated not as loudly, furiously glancing between the two. Celine is the first to give in, throwing the pillows back onto the couch and looked the teen straight in the eye. This is the most serious Marinette has ever seen of her aunt.

"Marinette, there's something we need to tell you," Celine said, earnestly. Marinette felt the stiffness in her body grow and reflexively gulped in fear. Celine's never shown such raw emotions before, always seeming playful and childish. Marinette never knew her aunt had this held within her.

This whole thing with the fighting, broken dishes and now, Celine...it scared Marinette. She had to hold in the urge to escape back out the door and take Tikki along until this whole dispute is over.

   "Mama and Aunt Sabine are fighting again."

   Tikki's words echoed off the walls of Marinette's skull, remembering the day she returned home from school. Tikki sat in the stairwell playing with her dollies because the two women were fighting...again. Again...

   "But..." Marinette thought, "will this ever end until whatever it is they're hiding is revealed? Besides, I need to know what's going on. This is not only tearing the family apart, it's tearing me apart too. What are they hiding that it gets us to this point?"

   "No...I just..." Sabine stuttered out, unsurely glancing between the two.

   "Sabine, look at what this secret is doing to us!" Celine exclaimed, gesturing to the room and voice growing shaky, "We've been doing this for years. It has to stop right now. It's not only hurting me, it's hurting all of us."

   Sabine's mouth opened but no words formed, leaving it ajar. She tried to comprehend the words and weight of the situation. She tried to think of any other possible way to just forget this ever happened. She tried to figure out something so that nobody would get hurt in the end.

   Yet, they are already too deep in the waters of this secret. There is no way to avoid this any longer. Sabine's flood gates finally opened, the water beginning to gush out. She knows there is no point in continuing to keep it locked up and finally gave in.

"Alright..." Sabine quietly agreed, glossy eyes looking over at the teen, "...I'll tell you everything."

{+}{+}{+}

Adrien walked into his temporary bedroom, overjoyed by the results of tonight. It was the most fun he's had in a long time. From the way things are looking, his future is starting to unwind into a brighter one.

He doesn't have to model anymore. He can eat anything he wants without a dietitian breathing over his shoulder every meal. No more schedules (besides the one he's surely going to get at school) and being locked away. He's going to attend a school and hopefully, befriend many people.

Finally, this is the beginning of a normal teen life. By the time Gabriel gets out of jail, Adrien will be graduated and living his own life. He didn't really have a plan of what kind of life he wants to live. It's definitely not involving a bunch of camera flashes or wearing many different outfits.

"Maybe, I'll learn what I enjoy in school. I can't imagine how many different types of jobs trust are out there in the world. Maybe...Marinette can even help me find my calling too. At least...that's if she wants too," Adrien said within his mind.

He took off his mask and set it down on the nightstand next to the letter-

The blonde tilted his head, tired eyes gazing down at the white envelope in curiosity. He assumed it's from Nathalie and picked it up. Adrien studied the rectangular message holder before tearing it open.

Green orbs peeled inside before pulling out the folded paper. Before he unfolded the paper, he spotted a drawing on the back.

"Or, this is from Marinette but how would she have-" Adrien's thought came to an immediate stop, head going haywire. The blonde's body went cold and sweat laced the palm of his hands. His eyes dilated and felt like the air grew dense, getting hard to breathe.

Neatly drawn on the paper is an insignia, Hawkmoth's signature butterfly.

The paper slipped out of his grasp and fell onto the floor. Adrien stumbled back, a mixture of confusion and horrid shook his very soul. His childish side wanted to call out for Nathalie in desperate need of assistance. Yet, his teen side knew if she came and took away the letter, he would never know what's inside.

Does he really want to know though? How did it even get here when his father is still in jail? Is it some sick prank someone that hated him pulled?

   "There's only one way to find out..." Adrien said within his head, picking up the letter from off of the ground. The blonde shakily unfolded it, revealing chicken-scratched writing. There are only a few words, unsurprising to Adrien considering his father is a man of few words.

   Yet, even a few words can lead to something big and this seemed to be the case.

One more secret left unrevealed and you're the only other person who can break the seal. Return to the original grave of Emilie Agreste. From there, you'll be put up to the test.

   Adrien reread the words over and over again, trying to figure out the cryptic writing. When nothing clicked, he decided to scan the rest of the page for any other hints. He only found a singular name sitting at the bottom right corner.

Akuma

{+}{+}{+}

   Meanwhile, Nathalie stood in the small kitchenette making a snack for herself. The TV in the living room played the news, the reporters explaining the recent events of the escapee.

   "...the criminal, Akuma, had escaped nearly eight hours ago only to recently be found at the Baby Luna Sede Unica drinking alcohol in the bar area. The strangest thing happened once police arrived to arrest the man. Akuma put up no fight, telling the officers that "His job is complete..."

{+}{+}{+}

   Sabine, Celine, and Marinette sat on the couch after cleaning up the mess. The two women looked at each other, unknowing of where to begin or how to explain what all happened in the past.

   Sabine sighed, turning her gaze over to the younger bluenette. Marinette glared back but didn't look very menacing considering she looked like a hot mess at the moment. She crossed her arms, waiting for someone to say something.

   "Your uncle...the one we told you that died in a car accident many years ago...that was mostly a...mixed story..." Sabine began, clearing her throat as to not let her voice crack.

"What does that mean?" Marinette asked, irritated. Celine and Sabine both winced at the same time.

"It was actually a car crash...but your uncle was never involved with it," Celine continued, mouth nearly going dry as she said her next words, "...It was actually your father."

{+}{+}{+}

Eight-year-old, Shan Tsurugi,  fell to the ground but not on accident. Bruises littered his body and eye started to swell, turning a different color. One of his teeth was knocked out of his mouth and a few drops of blood stained his shirt. Tears rimmed his eyes, falling down his cheeks and leaving red tracks.

Three shadows looked over the poor, defenseless boy, snickering down at him like some weak prey. The three boys are a year older than Shan, always picking on the ones they deemed weak and helpless.

"Awe, the poor baby is crying," one of them teased.

"Maybe, a good kick in the ribs will shut him up. He's so annoying," another said, smirking.

Shan fearfully listened as the three were deciding on what to do next with him. He was too scared to move, frozen like a statue. The tremors throughout his body are the only movement. His mind is foggy, unable to think clearly enough to try and think of a way to escape.

   The three finally gave Shan their attention, sinister faces smiling malevolently. So, Shan bow his head and prepared himself for the abuse about to be unleashed on him.

   "Hey!"

   The three bullies and Shan both followed their gazes towards the voice. A boy around Shan's age scowled, arms crossed over his chest. He tried to make himself look menacing by standing as tall as he could, head held high.

   "Leave him alone!"

   Yet, the three bullies are not intimidated. In actuality, they laughed.

   "I'm so scared," one of the bullies sarcastically said, making the other two laugh harder. Shan didn't really know what was going on, merely watching the scene play out before him.

   "I think this punk needs to learn a lesson," another said, cracking his fingers.

   "Yeah!" the third one agreed, chuckling.

   Shan could barely process what happened next as the bullies charged at the brave boy. From what Shan could tell, the boy knew some really cool fighting moves. The three didn't stand a chance as they were punched, kneed, tossed, and kicked.

   The bullies ran away to find their moms while crying their eyes out.

   Shan gawked in awe, flinching away from the brave boy's hand held out to him.

   "Don't worry, I won't hurt you!" The boy chirped as if he didn't just fight and defeat three tough nine-year-olds. Shan glanced between the boy's bright face to his extended hand. Shan's terrified features melted into one of relief, cautiously grasping the boy's offered hand. The boy helped Shan to his feet.

   "Are you okay? Oh—wait, that was a dumb question," the boy jabbered, thoughtfully. Shan shyly blinked, unsure of what to do with himself. Could anyone blame poor Shan for still recovering from the trauma of being relentlessly abused?

   "You don't talk a lot, do you?" The boy said before perking up, happily, "My name is Slade! What's yours?"

   "Shan," Shan quietly answered, earning a glittery-eyed look from Slade.

   "I've got the most smartest idea in the world!" Slade enthusiastically said, practically jumping, "Want to be my best friend! Oh! We could do a blood oath and become brothers!"

   "Really?" Shan said in disbelief, "You want to be friends...with a weakling like me?"

   "You're not weak," Slade said, poking Shan's chest, "You just haven't found the strength within yourself to be strong. Also, of course, I want to be your friend! I bet you're ten times cooler than those stupid eggs."

Shan didn't know what to say, staring at Slade in bewilderment.

"So, what do you say?" Slade asked, holding out a hand, "Friends?"

Shan felt his face lit up, a newfound warmth circulating through his veins. He couldn't believe someone as cool as Slade would want to associate with Shan. Yet, here Slade stood with genuine intentions.

Shan's face broke out into a large smile, grasping the held out hand and shook it like the handshake is an unspoken promise.

"Friends!"

{+}{+}{+}

Shan stood on the other side of the one-sided glass, watching Slade being interrogated.

"Any luck?"

Shan turned his attention away from the interrogation and spotted the deputy walk into the room. Shan shook his head, "No, there's no point in interrogating him if he won't crack a single word."

The deputy hummed in agreement before thoughtfully pursing his lips.

"Say, were you two friends back in the day?" The deputy asked. If there is one thing Shan didn't like about the deputy, it is that he is a nosy guy. Shan stoically glanced at the deputy then walked around him to leave the room.

Though, Shan did answer the question.

"Yeah, and I regret it."

{+}{+}{+}