Work Text:
Kagami tapped her fingers rhythmically against her leg.
One, two, three, four, five.
The car was taking too long to arrive. She knew the route engraved in the vehicle's AI memory, despite the turns and twists it usually made in the Parisian traffic.
She was finally going home again.
She wasn't sure she wanted to, though.
One, two, three, four, five.
When Félix had offered her the option of escaping together, simply vanishing from the surface of Earth and retreating to his mother's place in London, making her untraceable by the media, she had said no without a doubt.
She was starting to regret it now.
If only she hadn't pulled that last stunt...
No, she stopped herself.
It had been her mother who authorized the relationship stunt with Adrien. It had been her mother who sent her to London.
It had been her mother who designed the automatic system for the chamber she and Adrien had been isolated in for days; she only caught a glance of him being led to a room next to hers.
It had been her mother who designed the material for the walls, making the pristine rooms completely isolated from the exterior.
Kagami hadn't heard a sound that wasn't her own breathing during her time there.
She usually loved a good amount of quietness. Stillness. Silence.
The room had almost made her lose her sanity.
She was going to confront her mother, and that was it. Maybe, the woman would try to apologize. But Kagami knew her mother, and she knew she wouldn't. She would try to explain herself, give some sort of reasoning for her actions.
She would not show a hint of emotion for the release of her daughter, much less any regret or sorrow.
The room itself had not bothered her.
The only trace of color inside, apart from herself and her clothes, were the books neatly organized in a shelf on a corner of the chamber.
Hoping to have something to distract her mind from the night before, she turned to the books. She wasn't sure what kind of stories her mother would have trapped her with, but she would be grateful for anything that could help her make the sound of the fluorescent lights and her own thoughts quieter.
And yet, she found every single one of them to be empty.
Streams of blank pages with the occasional line about responsibility, about honor, about respect.
The first day had been mainly consumed by sleeping. Despite the anxiety sleeping in a bed that wasn't her own brought, and the anxiety from not knowing what her mother had planned, she had been far too physically and emotionally exhausted to keep going.
The sound of the door awoke her, only for it to be a smaller door built in the main one, barely big enough to allow a tray inside.
Breakfast.
With the lack of windows, Kagami could only assume it was the morning.
The rest of the day had gone by as slowly as it could, until she found a pencil behind one of the empty books.
And then, she noticed.
The paper was far stronger than the usual one of books.
It was drawing quality.
For a second, rage blinded her. Her mother had always been very vocal about her dislike for Kagami's art, so why now indulge her?
She was pretty sure one or two days had gone by when the door finally opened.
And yet, she didn't know what she was expecting.
Kagami was a silent person by nature, often enjoying time for herself and quiet. Sometimes, she even craved it. Found herself actively searching for ways to get it.
As soon as the door opened, what she craved was interaction.
She was met with Tatsu, programmed to get her home.
She should have taken up Félix's offer when she had the chance.
Although, she wasn't sure how much better it would have been. Being a minor still by French law, and having both French and Japanese nationalities, if her mother decided to declare her missing, move her influences to have her search be a priority, not even Félix's tricks stood a chance. Maybe only the Graham de Vanily status, but she wasn't sure how much it would have really helped.
At least she had her amok.
And she was going to tell her mother about everything.
Suddenly, she wished to have Félix by her side. If there was anyone who would understand, it was him. But her phone and Alliance ring had been taken away before she was led into the chamber.
One, two, three, four, five.
She had to protect her ring. Somehow, she had been lucky enough to remember hiding it in her clothes before having her hand checked to remove her Alliance.
Kagami stood a chance.
As long as her mother didn't get ahold of the ring, she had a chance of standing up.
She was going to tell her.
Tell her how despite so many years of being brainwashed to believe friendships were weakness, affection a curse, she had found both. Experienced both.
And cherished both.
How she had found Félix. How he was now her partner. How, despite not being completely sure her feelings for him were romantic, she held him dear.
How much he had supported her. How he had offered to help her, even at his own detriment sometimes. How, despite everything her mother said about him, he had a heart of gold.
How her mother was wrong.
Kagami had had her questions ever since she met Marinette, given her mother the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she truly held her best interests at heart.
But above everything, she was going to tell her mother that she did not plan to stay with her much longer.
She couldn't bear the thought of being burnt in her fire while having to endure her coldness any longer.
One, two, three, four, five.
One, two, three, four, five.
One, two, three, four, five.
Kagami was going to be free.