A/N:

*nervously shuffles into view*

O-oh! Hello, dear reader! How long has it been? A week? A month?

Nearly a year, yeah, I know.

I deeply apologized for this severely late addition to my story. On the bright side, however, I didn't lie to you when I said I wasn't giving up on this story. Believe me when I tell you that I've planned the entire plot out. It's really just the execution of the plot (and its organized chapters) that end up with me stuck in a rut at times.

Regardless, here is the newest chapter! I made it longer than what was originally intended because:

1. I made you wait for quite some time to get this

2. You deserve a long chapter to indulge yourself in

No more words, dear reader! Please enjoy the latest installment of TaDE!

A Picturesque Pair

Marinette had probably gone through a dozen or so cupcakes within the hour, and all that remained of those sweets were the colourful icings that stuck to the side of her lips. "Jeez, Biscuit, you eat like a horse!" she turned to see Baxter eyeing her plate – there were at least six cakes on it. She laughed. "Only if it's sweets. And hey, I'm a light eater compared to you!" she said, pointing at his own stack of sweet confections. The man rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm a baker, so of course I'm used to eating this much." Baxter said.

She clicked her tongue. "You just had an eating contest, too. Thank goodness you don't eat any of your inventory."

The brunette grinned impishly. "Who says I don't?"

"Elliot says he smacks you with a rolling pin every time you try." Came her cheeky reply.

Baxter let out a huff and bit down on a chocolate cake slice. "Hmph! He doesn't catch me every time."

From across the room, they heard Elliot's voice shout, "Yes I do!" followed by the laughter of the other employees. Marinette had to bite back her own snigger when Baxter looked at her accusingly. He took out a small kerchief and wiped the icing off her cheeks. "I let them spoil you too much. They're always taking your side." he smiled.

"You spoil me, too." She pointed out the streamers, the banner, and the table full of sweets.

Baxter wiped off the last of the icing and shrugged. "I'm your big brother; it's my right."

"Well, I appreciate it…. so thanks, Baxter." She gave him a small hug, and was rewarded with one from him. "No problem, Biscuit."

On that note, the man left to chat up with his fellow bakers, leaving Marinette to enjoy the rest of her sweets. Technically, the ones on her plate weren't for her per say. They were for Tikki, who had patiently waited in her purse the whole time. Marinette made a hasty retreat and went up to the house unit. "Sorry it took so long, Tikki! I got you the best pieces!" she said, placing the plate on the table.

Her kwami flew out of her pocket. "Oh, it's fine, Marinette! Thanks for getting me some!" The little god zoomed over to her share of treats. "There's so much to choose from! I can't decide where to start!" In the end, Tikki chose a nice red velvet cake to dig in to.

Marinette smiled at her kwami, and slumped onto the couch with a contented sigh. The enjoyment and energy from the party – and the sweets, couldn't forget those – had left her stuffed and sated. There was a small drowse that loomed in the back of her mind, one that wanted to lull her off to dreamland. "This is nice…" she mumbled. She was honestly quite tired at this point. Between running around Paris and being part of a very lively celebration, there wasn't much energy left in her.

She was drained.

And it felt good, in an odd way.

Fatigue was something she still needed to get used to. As a doll, there was an impossibility of ever feeling such a sensation. Such a thing was only acquired through a thorough use of one's body – and as a doll, Marinette never so much as twitched. This was something unique to living beings, to humans, and it made the bluenette smile because she was human now(more or less).

She leaned into the soft cushions of the sofa.

If she were to fall asleep now, she wouldn't mind. Sleep was always nicer when one was tired. It was difficult to explain, but when she'd sleep after working hard, all the ache would leave her, and she'd be left with a blissful feeling of relief.

Her eyes drooped more as she took in the tranquil sensation.

Her vision blurred for but a moment, and then her eyelids closed.

Sleep took her in its embrace.

In her dreams, Marinette was having tea alone in the middle of a great meadow. The long blades of green and blue grass swayed to the rhythm of a lazy breeze. From where she sat on a red picnic cloth, they looked like an emerald ocean, folding and bending to a steady drumbeat. It was only her lone hill with its solitary tree that stuck out in the vastness. "The weather sure is lovely today…" She looked up at the sky. There wasn't a single cloud dotting the vast expanse of twinkling blue. There was no sun shining above the girl, but instead, a cluster of stars illuminated all that she saw. She thought it was lovely.

It didn't really make sense for them to be there of course, but dreams seldom followed the rules of reality.

She took a sip then, and closed her eyes as the warm liquid ran down her throat. The sounds of bird song floated through the air in a soft melody, creating the perfect atmosphere for one enjoying tea: calm and unhurried. "The brew is really good today, too." she hummed to herself and took another sip.

She liked this dream best among all the others she had. There wasn't much to do of course, save for drinking tea and eating cakes, but she liked it nonetheless. There was a calmness to this dream. It remained constant and unchanging, undisturbed by the otherwise chaotic flow of dreamland. Once she was in it, she would have no other dream for the rest of her slumber. It was surprising how often she had this same dream. Every other night she'd find herself in the same blanketed spot, underneath the same large tree, before the same green ocean.

She had tried exploring before, tried to see what else there was in this particular dream. She wouldn't get far though. The moment she'd reach the end of her small hill, the blades of grass would rise up and tower her, and then gently push her back from the edge.

She had tried getting past several times on several occasions.

The grass responded the same every time.

She eventually gave up the idea of exploring. It was obvious her dream didn't want her to. Not yet anyway. "When it wants me to explore, it will let me," she had said, and settled down to enjoy the meal her dream had provided. Arguing with the logic of a dream was as foolish as it was futile.

That was months ago.

Now, whenever she'd have this oddball of a dream, she'd make the most of it and enjoy it to the fullest – just like she was currently.

And then something new happened.

She heard it before she saw it.

The grass, which had rippled randomly to and fro, began to trickle off in the same direction, towards the horizon. The languid beat it followed turned swift and urgent. Soon the whole ocean was pulsating, moving and waving to the same beat, the same direction. The waves spread far beyond Marinette's sight. When they were far enough away, they rose up from the ground and took flight. She watched as dozens of grass blades leaped into the blue sky. There was no strong wind that carried them and yet they were lifted higher and higher. They swirled together, fluidly dancing in fleet synchrony, weaving closer together as they did.

Then, to her astonishment, they swerved and jerked in the air. It was if the cluster of grass was in pain. Left and right it violently swayed, building in length and volume as it did. Slowly the cluster solidified into a silhouette. The blades moved and folded and bended. Together they weaved into a mighty head.

A dragon head.

"What is that?" she asked.

Her inner doll answered her. 'Trouble, that's what.'

The newly formed grass dragon slid across the sky, towards them. It was an intimidating sight. The beast was more serpentine than it was draconic, slithering to and fro through the air. Only the pair of wings it had propelled it forward. As it moved closer, the leaves that made up its body occasionally shuddered, making it sound like it was hissing at them. 'Just ignore it," said Inner Doll. 'It just wants attention.'

Marinette looked uncertain. "But…"

'Sshh! Here it comes!'

She felt a sudden gust of wind blow her down, and turned just in time to see a pair of eyes staring right at her. For a moment, their icy blue gaze captured her and she couldn't help but stare at them. The dragon was so much bigger up close. Its mere head was the size of a car, its body the length of a river. Its maw gaped at her, revealing a row of jagged teeth. If this thing wanted to, it could devour her in a gulp, but it didn't. It floated still before her. It seemed to be waiting for something.

She gulped.

'Ignore it.' Inner Doll whispered.

Had it been any other situation, Marinette would have argued, but she was facing potential danger and she had no idea what to do. Jaw clenched, eyes closed, she turned her head away. She could still hear the hissing of the grass dragon's body. A chill ran up her spine when she heard a low growl. 'Ignore it.' her inner doll whispered again. In response, the growling grew louder. A few moments passed. Marinette did not move. She could feel the dragon's head moving close to her face, and heard its growl soften after a while.

And then, with a piercing roar that had her tumbling back, she felt it fly past her. She opened her eyes and saw the length of the dragon's body rush over her. Quick as a train, it zoomed off and away, leaving only a few stray blades fluttering in the wind. She was left breathless, eyes wide in shock, and skin laced in cold sweat. She watched the dragon's body grow smaller as it went farther away. It wasn't until it had become a mere dot did she turn around. She let out the breath she had unknowingly held, which came out in a shudder.

"What was that thing?" she said aloud.

Inner Doll's voice came out grim. 'A harbinger of bad news.'

"W-what do you mean? Bad news? What bad news?"

There was a pause. 'It-'

"Marinette!" Tikki's voice echoed through the air, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked around. "Tikki? Where are you?"

"Marinette, wake up!" the Kwami's voice grew louder.

"Wake up? Why do I need to-"

Tikki's voice rang a third time. "Please wake up, Marinette!"

Her dream shuddered at once, and Marinette watched as it began to come undone. The sky crumbled and cracked, and pieces of it fell down. The green ocean rose up in a torrent and swirled, like a tornado, around her hill. Darker and darker her surroundings became. The leaves flew closer and closer, fluttering noisily with the shrieking winds. The bluenette shut her eyes tight…

And just like that, she was back in the living room. She jolted up on the couch.

"Tikki?! What is it?" she turned to the red Kwami.

"I felt something, Marinette! There is a disturbance in the air! Something negative and powerful is nearby!" Tikki floated around the room, confused. "I think it's an akuma but it doesn't feel exactly the same."

Marinette looked at her worriedly. "A-akuma? You mean those things that possess someone and make them evil?"

"Yes! But, this one feels different." Tikki said nervously.

"Different how?"

Tikki flew up to her face. "I'm not sure, but one thing is certain, Marinette. Something evil has come out of hiding, and you have to stop it!"

Her uncertainty was a perfect opposite to Tikki's confidence. "Wh-what, now? I don't know, Tikki. Am I ready for it? I… I don't think I can handle this yet." Her Kwami smiled at her. "You can do it, Marinette. Just believe in yourself!"

She chuckled nervously. "Easier said than done…"

Even though she knew it was part of the deal, Marinette just couldn't imagine herself being a superhero – or at least a competent one. Not now. She wasn't nearly ready yet. She was still clumsy at best when moving. She ran into things less often but also tripped over nothing at times. She'd surely mess up, get something wrong…..maybe fail. Oh, she was more than willing to fight, but that did not guarantee she'd be good at it. She'd hate to let Tikki down. And Master Fu. And Baxter. They were all so sure she'd be fine but…

"Hey Biscuit, what's taking you so long up here?" Baxter arrived with a plate of cake, all smiley and happy – everything she wasn't at the moment.

Tikki flew over to the man, her eyes brimming with excitement. "Guess what, Baxter? I felt the presence of an akuma nearby! Marinette's finally going to use her powers!"

Baxter's smile vanished in a second. In its place was a look of shock, and perhaps a twinge of worry. "W-what, you mean right now? Right now, right now?" he stuttered and almost lost his grip on the plate. He left his cake on the table and walked up to Marinette. "You okay, kid?"

"No. I'm nervous." She admitted with a shake of her head.

The brunette smiled at her (but there was a sadness to them, too) and patted her head. "Nothing wrong with that. You're about to do something you've never tried before."

She nodded. "What if I fail though?"

"You won't know until you try. Besides, this is part of your….of your job, remember?" Baxter said.

"I know…"

She felt his hands take hers and give it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. Just do your best, Biscuit."

She looked into his baby blue eyes and in them she saw Bernard. They were just as kind and comforting, and full of belief in her. She felt some of her unease go away. "Okay, let's do this." She turned to Tikki and saw her kwami beaming at her.

"You know what to do." Tikki said.

Marinette nodded and walked up to her partner.

"Tikki, Transform me!"

~•~•~•~•~•~

The silence of his house was deafening, evidenced by the echo of his footsteps as he walked inside. Nathalie and Gorilla followed in shortly after. "You have the rest of the afternoon to rest. Use it wisely," he heard the adviser say. He nodded absently. The sooner he got to his room, the sooner he could switch the television on, and drown out the silence with music and chatter. Adrien tried not to run, as it would be rude, and Nathalie would most likely misinterpret it and press him with more questions.

He didn't need any of that.

The hallway to his room was long and cold, and his footsteps echoed louder here than anywhere else in the house. He hated it. It was a constant reminder of his isolation, of his separation from everything else. As he walked, Adrien gritted his teeth and tried to tune out the sound. His eyes shifted here and there, jumping from painting to painting. He'd run, but that would make the echoes louder. "Almost there, Adrien…" he told himself. The door was but a few feet away. He reached out for the knob and, swinging it open, dove inside and shut the door with a soft click.

"Finally," he sighed. He shrugged off his bag and threw it on the couch, eased into the cushions of the furniture himself, and unwound.

His hand reached for the remote on the coffee table. He tuned into the news channel and let the chatter of the reporters dissipate the silence. The voices of the news folk offered him a strange form of placidity, of which he felt he needed given the awkward ride back home. He still felt guilty about poor Florence. The guy wasn't totally at fault, and certainly didn't deserve the scolding Nathalie gave.

In the back of his mind, Adrien promised to apologize to the photographer the following day.

"It's the least I can do." He hummed into the soft pillow he rested on.

All the modelling, running away, and running into someone had him quite spent. His whole body agreed that a nap was very much in order. It wouldn't hurt. He'd certainly feel much better if he had one. Best of all, he knew Nathalie would not be interrupting him anytime soon. His eyes acceded to the idea of rest and got a head start, allowing his eyelids to droop down. He adjusted his position on the couch, clutching the spare pillow close to him like a child would clutch their plush toy.

Not that he had any.

His father had thrown them all away years ago.

"All they do is gather up dust," he recalled his father say.

Adrien remembered being a snivelling mess that day. His plush toys had meant a lot to him; they were gifts from his mother. After losing her, the boy had clung to those toys as a last lifeline to the woman. Then his father went and decided he didn't "need" the plush toys anymore, and the rest was history. His fingers dug into the pillow as he reminisced. "You know what's best for me…." He muttered almost bitterly. His brows knit together in frustration and he all but buried his face into the soft fabric of the pillow.

But then he heard a thump.

Sitting up, he found a small black box before him. It sat there innocently atop the table, as if it had always been there. Adrien eyed it suspiciously. He waited a moment. Perhaps it would move again, he thought. One minute passed. Two minutes passed. He was already fidgeting by the three minute mark.

"Okay, you know what? Fine!" Adrien said, grabbing the box.

As soon as he held it, the cover snapped open and he almost dropped the darn thing in surprise. "It's…" he peered into the box's contents. "It's a ring?" It was quite plain in design. Made of some kind of black metal, there were no intricate engravings along its band, no gem set anywhere. Its prongs held onto a circular mounting occupied by a green paw print – he couldn't tell if it was painted on or some sort of gem.

Then it started glowing green.

Wait. What?

Adrien turned away as a blinding ray of light engulfed the room. He could feel the intensity of it even behind his eyelids. He wouldn't doubt that he'd have gone blind if he hadn't looked away. The light lingered for a few seconds, and then, with a low hum, dulled out. Adrien gave a safe ten seconds wait time before he opened his eyes again, but instead of seeing the ring, he came face to face with a pair of intense eyes, narrowed into slits and staring right at him. Adrien jerked back with a gasp and right into the cushions of his couch. He stared at the creature before him, a mix of shock and awe in his gaze. It seemed to be some kind of black cat, only tinier, like a mouse; it was also floating in the air like nobody's business. It was so ridiculously out of proportion. How could such a large head be supported by a tiny body? The creature reminded him of a bobble-head doll.

Adrien would have laughed were he not so confused.

"Hmph!" the creature suddenly spoke, "So this is who I'm serving? A scrawny cheese stick?"

It let out a long, loud yawn and stretched before speaking again. "The name's Plagg. Nice to meet you." Its voice was so similar to those noble lords he saw in television dramas – pompously confident, yet lazily uninterested. For a second time, Adrien had to keep himself from laughing. "U-um, hello." The boy said, uncertain.

Plagg smirked at him. "Say, I'm starving. You have anything to eat, kid?"

"I.. guess I could get something from the kitchen. The name is Adrien by the way. Are you some kind of genie?" He saw a snarl form on the tiny creature's lips.

"A genie? Pssh. I'm way better than those guys." Plagg zipped up to him in a flash of black, perching lightly on his right arm. That's when Adrien noticed the ring the creature was holding. It had changed appearance, taking on the form of a plain silver ring. The creature quickly slipped it onto his ring finger and gave it a tap.

"See this? This is a magical ring that grants whoever wears it powers – my powers."

With a swish of his paw, Plagg polished the ring to a shine. "I'm a Kwami, you see, and my powers of destruction are now yours to use."

"Powers of destruction?" Adrien echoed.

Plagg rolled his eyes. "I'm giving you the chance to become a superhero, kid. What more is there to understand?"

Adrien was drowning in the sea of questions overflowing in his mind, all of which were called for considering the ludicrousness of the whole situation. When and how did the black box get in his room? How could something like Plagg exist? Why was he, of all people chosen to receive superpowers and – hold on a minute – he was getting superpowers?! Like the main characters in his favorite action animes?! This had to be a dream, some kind of joke his dad was pulling on him.

No, father doesn't have a sense of humor…

Which only meant one thing: this was legitimately happening.

"I'm going to be a superhero." Adrien let out a breath.

Plagg nodded. "Bingo, kid. There's a bunch evil monsters – called Akuma – who'd want nothing more than to make humanity suffer. There's actually one wreaking havoc in this city right now."

The Kwami pointed at the television, smirking as the regular broadcast was interrupted with urgent news. "Right on cue."

"Unbelievable as it may be, it seems a super villain is spreading terror in Paris."

Adrien looked at the video being broadcasted, depicting a man as tall as a lamp post skulk around the streets. The man's limbs were twig-thin and covered in a robe that seemed to be made up of photos, exposing only his face and hands, which were colored a sickly gray. His eyes were hidden by a pair of round shades, which made all who looked upon him focus on his twisted smile of fangs.

His voice was cracked and high-pitched. "No, no, no! You're running away all wrong! This is how you do it!" Adrien paled at the sight of citizens being captured by the flash of the villain's shades. They screamed in terror before they were transformed into creatures that looked similar to the villain.

"That's an akuma?" he turned to Plagg worriedly.

The Kwami nodded. "Apparently. It doesn't feel quite right, but I know an akuma when I sense one." Floating up to his face, Plagg stared him down. "Let me be brief. I can transform you into a superhero. In that form, you're given a special power called 'Cataclysm' which allows you to destroy anything and everything you touch. I know this is a lot to take in, but that super villain's not going to wait around and let me tell you everything. Now let's go!"

"B-but.." Adrien looked down at the floor. "I can't even leave my house! There's no way I can escape without Nathalie or the guards catching me!"

Plagg's growled. "You wanna be a caged cat? Fine, but I'm giving you the chance to change that. You can be a hero, kid. If you want to be, of course."

Adrien met the Kwami's eyes in surprise. "I'll be a real hero…" he muttered softly.

"All you have to do is say "Transform me!" or something like that and you'll get to defeat a real bad guy." Plagg grinned slyly.

He felt his blood rushing through him; his heart was pounding fast. "What if he's too strong for me?" his voice failed to hide his excitement.

"That's where your partner comes in. Any wielder of my Cat Miraculous always gets the Ladybug wielder as their partner. We're sort of like a set, kid."

There'll be someone else to fight with me? This was sounding more and more like a dream come true. He was going to be an actual superhero, complete with a partner and a bad guy to beat. "What are they like?" he said. Plagg scoffed. "Heck if I know. You'll have to go see them yourself."

The cat kwami flew to his ring once more and patted it. "Well?" the Kwami tilted his head, expression evenly expecting. Adrien's eyes gleamed with anticipation. All his doubts seemed to fly right out the window as he nodded, heart lighter than ever before and smiling brightly.

"Plagg, Transform me!"

~•~•~•~•~•~

The transformation had taken but a moment, leaving her clad in a red skin-tight bodysuit with a black collar. Covered in black spots, the suit seemed to be made of a fabric unknown to her, but it felt cool on her skin, and she could breathe in it. A matching mask covered her eyes, held together by some invisible force – how else could a mask stay on her face without a strap?

Marinette's first reaction to the suit had been pure embarrassment. "W-w-what is with this suit?!" she flushed a deep scarlet, quickly grabbing a cushion and covering as much as she could. "This…this doesn't hide anything!" she saw Baxter staring at her, and her face deepened in color. "Don't stare, Baxter! It's rude! Look away!" she cried.

Baxter hesitated. "Biscuit, it's not that bad. Skin-tight clothing is pretty popular these days-"

"Baxter Dupain, you turn around now or I promise I'll never speak to you again!" Marinette hissed.

The brunette sighed, but turned around nonetheless.

"Trust me, Biscuit, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If it helps, your suit looks great on you." Baxter said, placating.

"I feel exposed."

Baxter chuckled at that. "That akuma's not going to stop itself, Biscuit. Better get over it and get to it."

Despite her discomfort, she knew he was right. "Fine."

She could mourn the fashion trends of the current generation later.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she took off to her room. Her rooftop balcony would be a good place to exit from. "I'm off!" she shouted.

"Good luck!" came Baxter's reply.

Before she knew it, she was standing atop the railings of the roof. She stood perfectly balanced on the narrow strip of metal, a first for a klutz like her. She scanned the horizon for signs of her quarry. She found what she needed in less than a minute, spotting trails of smoke a few blocks away.

"Okay," Marinette took a deep breath and unclasped the red yoyo from its string belt and held it firmly. "You can do this. You can do this."

She reeled her hand back. Her target was the far-off gargoyle on Notre Dame. She threw the yoyo with all the strength she had, watching as the tool zoomed like a bullet through the air. It met its target spot-on (did she just make a pun?) and wrapped around the statue's body with a clink. Now came the hard part.

"It's fine, Marinette. You're not going to fall, you're not going to crash, and you're not going to shatter into a million pieces." She muttered to herself to keep the growing unease in her chest from worsening.

It wasn't as if she was terrified of heights. She just didn't like the idea of falling to the ground – bad experiences and whatnot. Just the thought of colliding with the ground at this altitude sent shivers down her spine. She sucked in a gulp of air, closed her eyes, and pulled on her yoyo.

The reaction was instant. The wire tightened and reeled her in ferociously, ripping a small scream from her as her body was catapulted off the balcony. The bluenette held onto the wire with a vice-like grip. It took every bit of mental strength to get her eyes to open, so that she'd know where she was heading and not just crash into something – which would probably be equally painful to go through as falling.

She could feel her heartbeat drumming loudly up her throat as the imposing figure of Notre Dame grew rapidly nearer. Steady, girl. You have to time this right. When she was but a foot away from hitting stone, she twisted her body left, flinging herself upwards, higher and higher, till she landed precariously atop the transept spire. Being at the highest point, she tried to find her bearings.

"The smoke is over…that way," She pointed east. "All right. Let's do this again."

She recalled her yoyo with another jerk, and it flew straight into her waiting palm. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." She allowed herself to smile in victory. She didn't get herself killed. This was already one hundred times better than she expected. If Tikki was around, she was sure the Kwami would be congratulating her. It's too bad I can't communicate with her when she transforms with me.

She flung her yoyo towards a rooftop and leaped from her perch. She arched her way down in a loud swoop. With the initial fear dissipating, Marinette got the chance to really get a feel of swinging from rooftop to rooftop. The exhilaration of closing such impossible distances with little effort astonished her. Her wildest dreams seemed tame compared to the real thing. Decades ago she could only imagine moving and running and jumping, pretending along with Bernard's children in their make-believe plays.

Now she was living it.

Her heart was thumping again, but for a very different reason this time.

She had cried when she first became human, but now, now she wanted to sing in joy.

Oh, how the winds scratched against her! How they parted for her as she sliced through the air like a red blade! The world bent to her motion, reacted to her actions. A smile grew on the bluenette's face with every swing of her yoyo. Marinette had never, not in her entire existence, felt so much freedom and energy and power course through her. "This is incredible." She whispered in rapture. She felt like she could do anything in the world.

She could make a difference.

Now the akuma was in her sights. Down below a building, the villain creeped along on its spindly legs, followed by dozens of zombie-like look-a-likes. Silently she landed on the roof above it, crawling onto the ledge to get a peek. "Every akuma has a weak point. They always hide in something important to the victim.." she recalled Tikki's words from a previous lesson. She had to find the object and destroy it, thereby releasing the akuma spirit for purification.

Problem is, she frowned, its cloak hides too much. It wasn't the sunglasses, definitely not. It was too out in the open. Akumas always hid their possessed object. "I need to get that cloak off of him…but how?" she muttered.

"LOOK OUT!"

Startled by the shout, Marinette turned around in time to see a mass of black hurtling towards her. It turned out to be a guy upon further inspection. He was wearing a black bodysuit like her, so he was most probably her long-awaited partner. He was also heading straight for her, which would be disastrous. She took a side step and quickly grabbed her yoyo to fling it at the guy; its wire quickly wrapped him up. "There you go-" The guy flew right past her, dragging the yoyo along with him. She felt the wire jerk and she too ended up flying across several buildings with him. The wire eventually snagged on a street lamp, causing them to spin around the pole like tetherballs till they collided with a painful crash.

The bluenette felt her head throbbing in pain – specifically her forehead.

Now she had a sore back and forehead to bother her.

"Uh, hi! I'm guessing you're my partner?" she heard the guy laugh nervously.

She sighed. "It seems so."

"All things considered, I'm glad I dropped by, huh?"

She wanted to smack him on the backside of his head. A pun? Really? It was only the wire binding them together that prevented her from doing so. "Let me just…" She twisted her hand and pulled at the wire again, causing it to reel back to her and unravel around them. They both landed on the ground safely, grateful that the ordeal was done with. This gave Marinette the opportunity to take a better look at her newfound partner. He was a slim little thing, much too slender for someone who was obviously male. He carried himself tall however, and he beat her in height by some inches. There was a confidence in his gleaming eyes of green, one that matched his friendly smirk and wild blonde locks.

His bodysuit seemed to be made of some sort of leather, but it also shone with the material of her own outfit. The cat ears and belt tail suited the Cat Miraculous' theme, she admitted, noting the attention to detail with the claws on the guy's gloves. The golden bell that dangled on his neck might have been a touch on the nose – and was it actually a zipper? She traced the zipper line all the way to its end, right below the waist.

And she thought her suit was risqué.

"Thanks for saving my tail back there," the guy smiled. "I'm…I'm Chat Noir! Nice to meet you!"

He extended his hand to her, and she shook it gently. "I'm Ladybug. It's nice to finally meet my partner."

The sounds of screaming pulled them from their moment of relief. The akuma was still causing havoc; time was of the essence. "Come on! The longer we take to defeat him, the more victims he'll claim!" She threw her yoyo at a chimney and leaped, zipping up to the roof top in seconds. She spared her partner but a glance.

"Let's go, Chat Noir!"

~•~•~•~•~•~

Adrien had felt a rush of adrenaline consume him after his transformation, pulling him into a frenzy to search for a way out. A single window opened was his escape, and he was only half-conscious as he scaled up his rock climbing wall to reach it. Strength in his legs he didn't have before propelled him forwards, out onto the window's metal linings.

Before he knew it, he was jumping over rooftops, springing here and there with all the grace of a cat. All the blood in him rushed about, aiding in each powerful leap over the distances he closed. His elation was near indescribable, truly, but he found the words for it eventually.

"This is amazing!"

His laugh was lost to the winds as he ran wild across the building tops. He was actually out and about, and unrestricted, and free from his mansion. "I can't believe I'm actually a superhero! I-" As he landed onto a roof, a piercing shriek broke him from his trance. The shock made him stumble, and he rolled across the concrete before digging his clawed gloves into the ground for a screeching halt.

"W-what was that?" he said, pulling himself up.

That was when he remembered.

The akuma. I still have to fight the akuma.

He face-palmed himself with a resounding slap. "Gah, right! Rookie mistake!"

My cartoon idols would be ashamed of me…

It was time to get serious.

Looking at his outfit (leather, was it? Not exactly his first choice, but he looked quite good in it!), he found a silver baton staff attached to the back of his belt. "So, you're my weapon, huh?" It seemed no longer than an average ruler, gleaming a bright silver with a green paw print on its surface. He shook it gently.

"Come on. Work. Um, do something." The staff did nothing.

Adrien looked at it thoughtfully. "Maybe you're some kind of semi-sentient tool that reacts to what I need?"

He looked at the neighboring building. "Well, only one way to find out!"

He gripped the staff tightly and took a couple steps back.

One.

Two.

"Three!" He charged off the ledge, extending the staff forward and towards the next building. To his delight, the weapon extended in length, easily latching to the floor of the rooftop with a clink. "It worked!" he grinned. "Good call, me!"

His small triumph was short lived, unfortunately. Due to his inexperience with his weapon – this was his first time, really – he did not know how to stop his baton from growing. He went higher into the sky, carried by the momentum of his jump, before he was flung forward like a vault-jumper in the Olympics.

Adrien would never admit he had screamed as he flew out of control through the air, but he totally did.

The world rushed by him faster than he would have liked, and now actual distress was mingled with his excitement. On the bright side, it seemed he was flung in the right direction. He could see trails of smoke drawing nearer to him – a classical beacon of where trouble was. He'd probably meet the targeted akuma sooner than he'd like.

Of course, he'd need to land first.

That's when he saw a red figure crouched on one of the building roofs. "H-hey, look out!" he shouted.

The figure turned to him, eyes sharing the shock his own had, and then the stranger surprised him by taking out a yoyo.

It was flung at him with remarkable accuracy and quickly wrapped around his body. Was this stranger trying to save him? Wait a minute. Is this guy my partner? He didn't get the chance to ask though, as he flew past the stranger and right over to the next building.

And then the next.

And then the next.

He could tell by the tautness of the wire that his partner had been unfortunately dragged along with him. Adrien made a mental note to apologize as soon as they landed. He didn't even wait a minute though. A lamp post had been so kind enough to be at the right place, and it stopped them mid-air, causing them to spin around its metal pole before crashing into each other.

The collision was unbelievably painful.

Another groan escaped his lips. "Oww…" he grumbled softly.

Though disoriented, he quickly tried to shake off the dizziness. That's when he realized that he and his partner were tangled together by the yoyo wire. As he stared at the red-clad, spotted figure, he noticed something else:

His partner was a girl.

Woah. Not expecting that.

Her hair was dark blue (almost black in a way), kept together by crimson ribbons in pigtails. They framed the pair of bluebell eyes that stared at him with an intimidating intensity, narrowed in well-deserved annoyance. For some reason, he felt a sense of déjà vu pass him by, as if this had happened before. It was a ridiculous notion, seeing how this was their first meeting.

And what an impression he seemed to have made.

He tried to diffuse the tension with a pun.

The scowl the girl shot him was enough to stop him right in his tracks.

After that, however, things went a bit smoother. There was a brief introduction exchanged between the two of them. He told her he was called Chat Noir, she told him she was Ladybug. They fit perfectly with our Miraculouses, he thought happily. It was just like in the hero mangas he'd read; superheroes always had suitable names.

He wished they could have talked a bit longer (he wasn't nearly done apologizing for his lack of skill) but the screams of terrified citizens reminded them why they were here. They still had an evil villain to defeat! Adrien watched, impressed, as Ladybug gracefully maneuvered up to the rooftops. His partner seemed right at home in her superhero skin.

"Let's go, Chat Noir!" She didn't wait for his response and promptly went ahead.

Smirking to himself, he ran after her with a high leap. His baton extended out once more and gave him the extra push to make it to the rooftop. Ladybug was several feet ahead of him. A cheeky grin curved on his maw. "She's fast, but she's no Chat Noir." He crouched low, bunching the muscles in his legs together before taking off with a burst.

He caught up with her in a measly two leaps, and now they raced together in sync.

It was amazing how quickly she went along with his pace.

All it took was a look at him and Ladybug immediately adjusted.

"So," he leaped with her across a rooftop. "What's the plan, Ladybug?"

"We have to get that akuma's robe off of him! The spirit is probably hiding in something underneath it!" Confusion painted his face.

"What do you mean? What spirit?" Her blue eyes fell on him once more.

"The akuma spirit! The essence of evil that makes akumas! Didn't your kwami tell you that?" He shook his head, honestly dumbfounded.

All Plagg had told him was that he'd be a superhero and fight bad guys.

In hindsight, he should have asked more questions.

Then again, his kwami didn't really give him the opportunity to.

"I was kind of rushed into this whole thing a few minutes ago," he confessed, his cheeks tinted in the faintest red.

Ladybug considered him quietly, saying nothing for a few seconds. "We're both new at this, so don't worry," she eventually said. "I'll help you." He smiled at her, grateful for the encouragement, and followed as they drew close to the akuma. He snuck a look at her. Ladybug was so composed despite everything that was happening. It was as if she had done this countless times before, although it was most likely not the case. Was this what a real superhero looked like? In his eyes, she certainly resembled all his heroes from his comic books.

He felt his chest tighten in excitement.

No. He was a superhero now, too.

He had power to wield against the forces of evil.

He was going to save Paris with his partner.

The doubts inside him were pushed aside by his newfound determination. They were going to stop the akuma, and restore peace to the city. "There he is!" Ladybug pointed to the street underneath them. "Watch out!" He jumped aside, narrowly avoiding a torrent of photographs that rushed by and embedded deep into a building wall. They landed on the rooftop of the next building, both of them warily eyeing the villain down below.

"Ah! You must be the heroes, come to stop me!" The akuma's screechy voice cackled. "My, aren't you two just adorable in those outfits? You just have to let me take a picture of you!" Adrien grunted as the Akuma's robe stretched out for him. He batted it away with his baton, and hopped to a windowsill. "Sorry! I don't feel very photogenic right now!" he shouted at the villain.

"I can fix that! I, Picturesque, can make anyone look good in a photo! Let me just prep you up!"

Adrien braced himself as the akuma's shades gathered in light. "Say "Cheese!", hero!" Picturesque sneered. That's when a flash of red leapt from behind the villain. "Cheese!" Ladybug cried, grabbing the photograph robe away as she swung past. An unearthly scream came out of Picturesque's mouth as he stumbled to the ground.

"You horrible, wretched insect! You dare ruin my photo shoot!?" Ladybug narrowly dodged a beam of light aimed for her head, nimbly swinging away with her yoyo. Beam after beam rapidly fired after the elusive heroine, all missing her by a hair's width. Adrien sat in awe for a moment in sight of such skill. A part of him wished he could just watch her take the villain down herself.

He reacted instantly upon hearing his partner say, "Chat! Look for the possessed object!", and sprang downwards, towards Picturesque. His keen sight searched over the bony man's figure. A camera dangled haphazardly on the villain's neck. "There!" he grinned. He made a grab for the item, and almost had it in his reach, but he felt something pull his belt tail violently, and was sent crashing to the ground with a loud thud. "Wh-what the-?" He looked up to see Pictureque's mindless lookalikes growling at him. One of them had his tail held firmly in its hand, preventing him from getting away.

"Hey, let me go!" he hissed indignantly and fought back those who drew too close with his baton. His attack didn't do much to stop his attackers. They drew back as soon as he swatted them away. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his face as their sunglasses glinted in warning. They were going to shoot him to ashes.

His eyes searched frantically for a way out. There was no way he was going to turn to Chat dust on his first mission! He'd never forgive himself for such incompetence! Something around him had to be able to help him out.

And then he saw it.

Dangling above him was the tarp of a café. It was large enough to cover all the lookalikes surrounding him. "It's worth a shot!" He swung his baton forward and watched as it extended long enough and knocked the tarp off its poles. The lookalikes screamed as the fabric smothered them under its weight. Adrien took the opportunity to free his tail, and sneakily made his way out of the writhing mass of tarp. That was when he caught sight of Picturesque. The villain was still busy trying to annihilate Ladybug, leaving his back wide open. From where he was, Adrien could see the strap of the camera on the man's neck.

He crouched down on all fours before springing at Picturesque with such force that the tall villain stumbled, crashing to the ground in a fit of screams as he climbed up the man's back and plucked the camera right off.

"Got it!" he grinned happily.

He extended his baton at the ground, pole-vaulting his way safely to a far-off car roof. His partner landed next to him.

"Great job, Chat!" her smile made him swell with pride.

"No problem, Ladybug!" he chuckled, "Now to break this little thing and-"

A beam of light shot right into the car, bursting it into fiery chunks of metal and glass.

Adrien felt a sharp pain in his chest as a car door slammed into him. He was thrown back into a wall with a crash. Just as he tried to get up, the back half of the car smashed into him. It was only by using the door as a shield that he managed to avoid being impaled by the burning metal. His whole body ached though. Dozens of small cuts and scratches decorated his face. A particularly deep one on his cheek oozed a trickle of blood.

Worst of all, he was trapped.

He tried to look for a way out, but the smoke and fire blocked his vision and muddled his senses.

"Ladybug?!" he called out. "Ladybug, are you okay?!"

He had seen her being thrown away by the blast, followed by the front half of the car.

"Please be all right…" he said, grunting as an ember whizzed past him.

~•~•~•~•~•~

The explosion sent her flying ten meters away, repeatedly crashing into the hard concrete as she rolled with the force. Marinette desperately tried to stop herself. Her fingers clawed at the ground in an attempt to slow down, only to wince when the friction burned her skin. It was only the strength of her fabric that prevented her from being completely torn up. Pain danced through her body like a violent party. She had never known pain to be so intense. Her worst pain had only ever been during her first bath, when she had scalded her skin. As her head collided with the ground for the umpteenth time, she felt she could laugh at that memory now.

Eventually her body skidded to a halt, and the bluenette felt every part of her scream from the abuse of the ground. Her arms trembled as she tried to sit up.

That's when she saw the car flying right at her.

In what could have only been Ladybug's luck, her arms gave in and she fell back down; the car missed her head by just two seconds as it soared over her. It crashed a few meters away before exploding with a roar of fire.

"Oh, heavens…" she gasped. That could have been her. She would have been trapped under that pile of metal and burned to an ashy crisp.

A freezing chill ran down her spine.

She almost died.

Her limbs felt weak from the realization, causing her to tremble as she staggered back on her feet. Her breaths came out in choppy gasps. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she felt it would leap from her throat. The doll in her was shaking like a leaf. Had she been made of porcelain still, she would have been all but dusty pieces. It was only the pain in her body that kept her from fleeing like a frightened child. It was hard for her to move at all.

"N-no. I can't run away now…" she said weakly.

She knew what she was getting into when she accepted Fu's offer. She knew there would be danger. Getting injured in battles was only part and parcel to the whole thing. But gods, was this pain terrible. Marinette had no experience with it, and therefore hadn't the slightest idea of how to handle it. She couldn't make it go away. It clung viciously to her body, making her wince and hiss every time she moved.

Her jaw clenched tightly as she wrenched herself from her spot, starting a run towards Picturesque for a second round of fighting. Every step was excruciating but she pushed back her screams deep inside her.

The villain was waiting for her. His face bore a scornful sneer, showcasing the row of jagged teeth that looked ready to tear her apart. In his hand lay the camera. He waved it at her tauntingly. "Oh, I hate it when people interrupt my photo shoots!" he said in a half laugh, half snarl. The sound was disturbingly akin to a feral beast. He pointed a bony finger at her and crooked it towards himself. "Tell you what, if you hand over your Miraculous, then I'll fix you and your partner right up. I'll even take a nice picture of you two."

"As if I'd ever do a thing like that!" Marinette huffed.

"Is that so? Well, I suppose you won't mind having your partner roasted alive back there then." Picturesque pointed to a burning car wreck behind him. A dozen or so of his lookalikes surrounded it in a sort of makeshift barrier. Marinette's eyes went wide. "Chat…?" From where she was, she could just barely make out his figure squirming underneath the burning vehicle. She stifled a gasp. "No!" she shouted and made a run for him.

"Not so fast!" Picturesque laughed, sending a beam of light right at her.

Marinette wasn't fast enough to dodge this time and was squarely hit on the shoulder. Though her costume took most of the damage, she was still thrown back from the hit, and stumbled to the ground with a grunt. Her mind pounded in agony as she stumbled back up. She wouldn't make it to Chat in time. If Picturesque's light beams didn't get her, then his lookalikes would surely stall her. There had to be another way. There had to be something she could do. "If only I had a power that could-"

An idea struck her like a bolt from the blue.

"Chat!" she called her partner. "Chat, if you can hear me, use your Cataclysm! Use it on the car!" She dove away from another light beam sent by the akuma.

"But I can only use my power once! What if I need it for later?!" she heard his voice grunt.

The guy was being cooked alive in there and he was still hesitating? Good grief! "You need to use your powers now, Chat! Do it!" Marinette shouted.

She turned towards Picturesque and glared at him. "For a photographer, you're pretty lousy at timing your shots!" she spat. She needed to keep the villain occupied, buy Chat time to escape. "No wonder you could only get me once!" she forced a laugh.

Picturesque's face turned a deep red as he growled at her. "I can hit you any time I want, little insect!" he threw beam after beam of light at her. Fighting back the terrible pain in her limbs, Marinette leapt away from each shot. She took out her yoyo and threw it at a street lamp. "Sure you can!" her voice oozed with sarcasm, and she laughed as she dodged another light beam. She sat lightly atop the lamp pole. "That's seven shots and zero hits, Picturesque." She shrugged at him. "Are you even trying?"

The akuma shrieked in frustration, stamping his feet at the ground and waving his bony fists at her. "Ooh, I'm going to mangle you so badly that no one will recognize the picture I take of you!" Picturesque cried.

"Why don't you take a picture of this?" Chat's voice resounded.

Marinette watched as her partner launched the burning car piece at the akuma, his fists coated in a bubbly black light. Chat's Cataclysm spread through the car instantly and, as it neared Picturesque, exploded with a deafening blast. She gripped tightly on the lamp pole when the shock waves hit her. So this was the power of the Cat Miraculous. The power to destroy any and everything was terrifying. The Cataclysm had completely consumed the car in seconds before it made it explode.

"Chat, get the camera!" she shouted through the dusty smoke.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Adrien heard his partner and turned to where he had thrown the car. His eyes narrowed, focusing, peering through the dust that obscured everything in sight. He could make out the shape of Picturesque hobbling unsteadily from the blast. Adrien tensed up in his spot, bunching strength to his legs again, and leaped at the villain with an outstretched claw. "Gotcha!" he cried as he swiped at the akuma. His triumphant grin morphed into confusion as he phased through "Picturesque". He quickly flipped over and landed on his feet. What he saw had been an illusion. "B-but where did he-" His voice got caught as a bony hand clamped tightly round his throat.

"Gotcha!" Picturesque mockingly mimicked.

Adrien vainly flailed in the akuma's vice grip. His claws scratched furiously at the hand that held him, but Picturesque did not even flinch. He saw the akuma's shades flicker with light. "Well, cats have always been more popular than bugs. Guess I'll take your picture first." Picturesque sneered at him.

Adrien felt the hairs on his nape stand up. This guy was so much creepier up close and personal. His hand blindly grabbed his baton. "S-sorry, but I'll pass on that…" he managed to say. His baton extended and crashed painfully against the akuma's chest. Picturesque cried in pain, releasing Adrien from his grasp, before being thrown backwards by his extending baton. The blonde quickly retracted his weapon back before extending it once more and spun it quickly above his head. The clouds of dust and smoke were blown away by the force and cleared the streets of it entirely.

Ladybug rushed past him then, her body a blur as she ran towards Picturesqe. Her yoyo struck harshly against the akuma, staggering him as she lunged. Her hands made a grab for the camera but Picturesque grunted out of the way. He shot a flash of light at Ladybug, missing only by an inch as the red-clad heroine swerved away.

Adrien quickly joined in the pursuit. He leaped at Picturesque and tried to get the camera, only to have the akuma bat him away with bony limbs. "Paws off my camera, cat!" Picturesque snarled.

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug teamed together in an effort to grab the camera. When one failed to take it, the other jumped in for their chance. When Adrien was thrown back, Ladybug would leap into action. When she was thrown back, he would tackle the akuma.

Relentlessly they assaulted Picturesque, who amazingly kept the duo at bay with wild swings and shots of flashing light.

Adrien readied himself for his next attempt when he noticed that his ring was flashing and beeping. He took a moment to look at it. "What's happening?" he said, noticing that the four toe beans on the green paw print had been reduced to three. Ladybug grimaced at him. "You used your power, so now you only have five minutes before changing back. Your Miraculous helps keep track of those minutes." she gritted.

"We have till then to defeat Picturesque." Adrien paled.

Ladybug nodded. "I guess now's a good a time as any. Distract him for me. I'm going to use my power."

"You got it." he grinned, gently tapping his partner on the shoulder. Ladybug winced at the contact, jerking away as if he had burned her. "S-sorry. I'm a bit sore…all over." She managed a small smile despite her obvious discomfort.

Adrien bit back his frown and ran back to Picturesque. "She looks exhausted," he muttered under his breath. He dodged a beam of light shot by the akuma and leaped over him, vainly trying to grab at the camera. Picturesque swung an arm at him then, which connected to his shoulder painfully. Adrien withheld a pained cry as he was thrown back. It was only his cat instincts that made him land on his feet instead of his face. "Is that all you can manage? Pretty weak if you ask me," he grinned defiantly.

He dodged another beam of light just as another paw bean disappeared from his ring.

They had to end this fast.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Marinette threw her yoyo in the air, shouting the words Tikki had taught her months before. "Go, Lucky Charm!" Her yoyo was quickly wrapped by a bright light, its silhouette morphing inside briefly before bursting the light into a new item. Marinette quickly caught the item in her hand. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "You gave me... a fire extinguisher?"

And a spotted one at that.

Her mind, aching from all the pain in her body, tried to make sense of her new tool.

This extinguisher was the key to victory, but only if she could figure out how.

"Umm…" Her blue eyes looked at Picturesque, who was preoccupied with Chat Noir's taunts and japes.

The akuma was shooting a torrent of light beams at her partner. "Stop moving and just pose for me!" Picturesque shouted.

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. "And let you turn me into cat barbecue? No thanks!" he said and dodged another beam of light. Picturesque growled in frustration.

That's when it clicked together in her head.

She waved at Chat Noir. "Chat Noir!"

The blonde hero turned to her, seeing the extinguisher in her hand, and nodded in understanding. "You know what? I'm kind of bored dodging your attacks," he yawned at Picturesque. "I think I'll look for a better photographer." He scurried away from the akuma, whose face had turned scarlet.

"How dare you!" Picturesque bellowed.

Marinette hid the extinguisher behind her and pulled the pin out. She fought the painful dizziness that loomed in the back of her mind, putting on a brave face as Chat ran towards her, Picturesque charging right behind him. "Let him have it, Ladybug!" Chat grinned. As soon as her partner passed her, she raised the nozzle of the extinguisher and let loose a stream of foamy carbon, which splattered right on the akuma's face. It covered the lens of Picturesque's glasses, rendering him blind and unable to use his light beams. Marinette spun around once and launched the extinguisher smack into his head. Metal met flesh in a resounding thump, and the akuma fell back with a groan. Quickly she whipped out her yoyo and threw it at his neck, smiling as her weapon spun itself around the camera. She snapped it off with a fierce tug and swung it straight to the ground. Shards of metal, plastics and glass flew, breaking the camera into pieces. Then, with a small hiss, a small butterfly fluttered out of the rubble. Its black wings glowed purple and left a small trail of black dust as it tried to fly off. Marinette found herself eyeing the little thing.

This was an akuma spirit?

It wasn't at all like Tikki had described.

Akuma spirits were supposed to be formless balls of dark energy that glowed green or purple. Why was this one a butterfly? Perhaps it was a rare variation? If so, Tikki would have told her, would have known about it. It caught her off-guard. She would have questioned it more, but a sharp pang in her head jumbled her thoughts. She gingerly rubbed her temples in a meek attempt to soothe it.

Despite its oddness, the butterfly akuma spirit did exactly as Tikki told her. Without a vessel to possess, all of its dark magic was released. Picturesque, along with his lookalikes, reverted back to their normal selves. The once lanky, towering akuma was now just a man. Gone were his claws and jagged teeth. She heard a gasp behind her and saw her partner gape at the man. "What is it?" she tilted her head. Chat had a frown on his face and pointed at the former akuma. "I know that man. I saw him a few hours ago."

He turned his gaze to her. "Why was he turned into an akuma?"

"My kwami told me that akuma spirits target hosts that hold a deep resentment of sorts. If it's strong enough at the time, they'll use it to their advantage." she explained.

"Will…will he be okay" Chat said.

Marinette let her gaze rest on the former akuma. Though he had a look of confusion on his face, and the smallest bruise on his chin, he was likewise unscathed. "He'll be fine. A short possession won't cause any permanent harm. He won't even remember what happened."

She caught Chat's confused look and continued, "Akuma spirits take away their host's memory of the possession for themselves. Don't know why."

And then she remembered.

She hadn't purified the akuma spirit yet.

She jerked her head up, eyes searching for the black butterfly. Dread and guilt dropped on her like boulders when she couldn't find it. "Oh no.." she gasped. Without a word to her partner, she threw her yoyo at a lamp post and pulled herself up to a building roof.

"Woah! Wait for me!" Chat's protest fell on deaf ears.

She frantically looked around her.

Panic mixed with the pain she was feeling. Everything was buzzing around her, blurring into vague shapes as she tried to find the akuma spirit once more. Her heartbeat was loud and sprinting, and it made her chest tighten. She found it harder to breathe. Her breaths were coming out choppy and broken.

Where was it?

Where did the akuma spirit go?

How could she have let it get away?

Tikki would be disappointed in her. Baxter would be disappointed in her. Master Fu would be disappointed in her. She was so lost in her desperate search that she failed to see her partner land beside her. She practically jumped when he called out to her.

"Ladybug," he said, voice laced in worry.

Hesitantly, she turned to look at him. It took effort to focus on him. Everything was still so blurry. After a few seconds, his face became clearer to her. There was concern in his bright green eyes. He gently place his hands on her shoulder. His gaze captured hers in place. "Just take deep breaths. Slow and steady. Don't let this get to you." his steady voice snapped her out of her frightened stupor.

She clenched a hand around one of his arms. Trembling, she tried to steady her breathing.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

Tendrils of pain coursed through her muscles, but she tried to ignore them. Her throbbing heart began to slow, along with the pounding of her head. She grit her teeth as she fought back the stinging in her body. In and out her breaths went, slow and steady despite it all. Chat stood right by her, gently encouraging her. "That's it, Ladybug. You're doing good. Just keep a steady pace," he said.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

When at last her breathing normalized, she weakly told him, "I let it escape.. The akuma spirit. It's gone, Chat."

Her partner's eyes widened. She braced herself for a scolding from him, to hear him berate her for her failure, but instead he smiled sympathetically. Giving her shoulder the softest squeeze, he straightened up and winked at her playfully. "We're both new at this, so don't worry." He beat a hand over his chest. "I'll help you."

Despite herself, Marinette smiled gratefully at her partner. Reusing her own words now, was he? Clever cat. She was grateful for his kindness. It lessened the guilt in her ever so slightly. It was still there, yes, but it wasn't as suffocating anymore. "I suppose we can still try to find it. Akuma spirits don't just disappear. It's around here somewhere," she said softly. Her eyes moved to the ring on Chat's hand and frowned. Only one toe bean remained.

"We'll have to find it another time though. We're going to turn back into our civilian forms." She straightened up and took his hand off her shoulder. "I think it's better if we don't know our identities. Security issues and whatnot."

Chat nodded at her. "Yeah, I understand. Let's meet up tomorrow. It might be hard for us to find it at night." He looked out to the distance, and she followed him. The sky was darkening. Long had the sun lowered from its throne above, retired now at the bottom of the sky as the moon slowly took its place. The last golden-orange rays were fading, dominated by the dark blues of early evening. The fight had taken longer than they'd realized. They were so caught up in the fight, so absorbed in defeating Picturesque, that they had barely acknowledged the passing of time.

"I didn't even notice the sunset," she said.

Chat Noir ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. "We were too busy trying not to die. Don't think anyone would notice it with that happening to them."

Her partner let out a small groan and stretched. He rotated his shoulder and gently, gingerly massaged his arms. "Man, that akuma did a number on me." He touched the small cut on his face. "This won't scar, will it?"

She shook her head. "Our powers will heal most injuries. Although," At the mention of injuries, her own body seemed to protest at the abuse it had taken. The buzz in her threatened to return but she fiercely fought it back. "We'll definitely be feeling sore tomorrow," she continued with a sigh.

"Well that's super." Chat groaned.

"Fantastic." She chuckled dryly.

They broke into a laugh then. They were tired and drained (Marinette's guilt was still gnawing at her, too) but they needed some levity. It had been their first time ever using their powers. Marinette was sure that neither of them ever had to deal with such dangerous enemies prior to this. She knew, despite their laughter, that they were both shaken from the experience.

Marinette knew that she had been terrified herself.

So they laughed to ease their nerves.

Chat was the first to stop laughing after a few moments. "Well, this cat's got to scram, Ladybug. See you tomorrow." He grinned at her and offered a salute before whipping out his baton. He leaped off the building with a small whoop and leaped away into the night. Her eyes lingered on his fading form until she could longer see him. She waited a few seconds before she too left for home.

Tossing a look below, she saw that the police had gathered at the scene of the battle. Several ambulances were there, too. Medics were all scrambling to tend to the victims, Picturesque included. They were all in a daze it seemed, and weren't quite capable of answering the questions the flock of reporters were trying to throw at them. Some fire fighters were hosing down the fiery residue of the exploded car. Marinette winced. Had she caught the akuma spirit, she would have been able to use her other power, Miraculous Cleansing.

"Using the power from purified akuma spirits, this power lets you fix all the damage done during the fight. But it will only work if you've purified the akuma spirit." Tikki's words echoed in her mind.

Marinette looked away as her guilt built up again. She had to go home. It wouldn't be long before her transformation wore off, and it would be safer if she was at home when it happened. Despite her superhero form softening most of the damage to her body, she knew she was in for a world of pain when she transformed back. Even now it was horrific to deal with. She swung her yoyo at a far-off building and zipped off to the bakery.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Adrien snuck his way back into his room just in time. Mid-jump he de-transformed and fell on the couch with a loud thud. "Oww!" he said. Plagg flew up to him. Feline eyes stared sleepily at him.

"Not too bad for your first try, kid." The kwami let out a yawn and stretched in the air. "At least you didn't get anyone killed."

Adrien let himself sink into the couch. "But we let the akuma spirit get away…." he muttered. "I should have been paying more attention! I was too caught up with Florence being Picturesque, and then Ladybug almost had a panic attack because the akuma spirit was gone and…" He let out groan and took a pillow to hide his face under.

"Some partner I am." Adrien grumbled.

He felt the kwami land on his shoulder. "Yup, and you should be happy about that." Plagg meowed. "Sure you let the akuma spirit get away, but you could have just stood there dumbly and let your partner break down. You didn't." The kwami yawned and stretched himself across his shoulder.

"You calmed her down and cheered her up, kid. I'd say you did pretty well." Plagg eventually said.

Adrien lifted the pillow off his face. He eyed his kwami hopefully. "I… I did.?" he asked.

Plagg let out a dry laugh. "Things would've been way worse if you didn't calm her down. She'd have probably fainted or something. So yeah, you did good, no need to feel so bad, you'll get it right next time. Blah blah blah." The kwami swatted at his nose.

"Now give me some cheese."

Adrien gaped at Plagg. "Pardon?"

"Cheese, kid! Kwami's get tired from transforming so we eat certain things to recover. I need cheese. Camembert, if you have any." Plagg said impatiently.

Adrien got up slowly. His muscles were indeed a bit sore from the fight. "I guess we have some cheese. Why Camembert though? That stuff is disgustingly smelly," he asked Plagg.

The kwami rolled his eyes at him. "The smellier the cheese, the better the taste! Now go!" Plagg said dismissively.

The blond shook his head and went for the kitchen, leaving his kwami to roll about on the couch and rant about cheeses. His footsteps echoed as he went down the hallway again. Surprisingly, it didn't bother him as much as it did earlier. His mind was too busy remembering the fight with Picturesque to let the silence bother him this time. He relished in the memory.

It was hard to believe that this was all really happening.

He was a hero now.

He had super powers.

He had a superhero partner.

He had defeated an actual super villain.

By the time he reached the kitchen, he had a big grin on his face. Not even the awful smell of Camembert put him off his good mood as he cut a slice of the odorous cheese. "Can't wait to meet Ladybug tomorrow," he said to himself. "Next time we'll catch that akuma spirit." He placed the cheese on a small plate and headed back for his room.

His mind wandered to the animes he watched. He happily pondered over the possibility of using some of the moves anime characters had and incorporate it into his own fighting style. It would be awesome if he could do that. Perhaps, he thought, he'd watch a few episodes of some action animes. He'd write down the moves he'd like, and practice using them with Ladybug the next day. This is going to be great! Maybe I could learn them with Ladybug. She's probably a fast learner. She won't have a problem learning some new attacks with me. His grin widened at the prospect.

"Adrien?"

The boy froze at his father's voice. He slowly turned around to meet the man's gaze. "O-oh. Good evening, father. I was just…" he showed the cheese. "getting a small snack."

Gabriel raised a brow. "Camembert? I thought you disliked it."

Adrien bit back a retort. Like you'd know.

"I've actually grown to like its….unique taste. I was just getting a small piece before dinner," he calmly explained.

His father stared at him for a moment. Adrien worried he wouldn't buy his lie but visibly relaxed when Gabriel nodded. "Very well. Dinner will be in an hour. I won't be joining you tonight. I have some matters to attend to." And just like that his father left, off to his office to work for god knew how long. This wasn't new though. His father rarely ever ate with him. He had protested when he was younger, but Gabriel didn't so much as acknowledge him.

Adrien shook his head.

His dad wasn't going to spoil his good mood tonight.

When he returned to his room, Plagg jumped with an uncharacteristically energetic smile. "Camembert! I smelled you coming, my sweet!" The kwami purred. He snagged the piece of the plate and floated to the table to gobble it up. "Mmm! Now this is food." Plagg said between bites. Adrien chuckled at his kwami and settled down on the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He was wondering which anime he'd watch first when he saw a familiar sight on the screen.

It was him.

And Ladybug.

Their forms were clearly visible on his widescreen. A video of them fighting Picturesque was being reported on the news.

"This video taken by a brave bystander shows two mysterious figures fending off the super villain." The newswoman said. "It seems Paris has new guardians to protect it from harm."

Adrien watched as the video showed Ladybug being thrown across the street by the exploding car. He flinched seeing his partner skid across the asphalt. No wonder she was seemed so pained. It was a feat in itself that she even stood up after that.

The video cut to him luring Picturesque to Ladybug's trap.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called him.

It cut to him passing her by. "Let him have it, Ladybug!"

The video promptly stopped after that, minimizing into the background as the newswoman smiled. "And so it's thanks to this video that Parisians now know their saviors' identity."

After a few more words, the news cut to a live broadcast of Mayor Burgeouis. "It is my honor to announce that we will be organize a grand party to celebrate the new protectors of our fine city, Ladybug and Chat Noir. We hope that they will grace us with their presence when the time comes."

Adrien beamed at the screen. Oh, they were definitely going to that party. They had to. A public appearance would help foster faith in the citizens. If he and Ladybug were going to help keep Paris safe, the Parisians needed to feel safe under their watchful gazes. "Wow. News spread faster than I thought," he said.

"They'll have more news to report since you didn't purify that akuma spirit." Plagg said before biting down on the Camembert.

The kwami's expression remained unbothered but his voice was serious and clear. "With that thing still loose, it'll probably multiply and infect dozens of poor fools minding their own business." Plagg said.

The grin on Adrien's face turned into a deep frown. "Th-then I can just transform and find the akuma spirit now," he offered.

Plagg shook his head. "No point. It'll be easier to let it do as it wants and then purify it once it makes itself known. It won't be long, I guess. The next time its previous victim feels strong negative emotions, it will transform him into Picturesque again. That's when you'll fight it."

"And what about the others it infected?" Adrien said.

"The original Picturesque will control them like an army." Plagg gulped down the last piece of cheese. "So, yeah, there's that you'll have to deal with."

Adrien paced around his room. "I'll be meeting Florence for a shoot tomorrow, so I'll be able to keep an eye on him," the blonde muttered. "If he gets possessed again, I'll be right there to keep him from causing too much damage." Yeah, that would work. The moment Florence turned back into an akuma, he'd be there.

He grabbed the remote, satisfied with his kind-of plan. There wasn't any point in panicking. For one thing, Plagg would definitely not appreciate it. Secondly, there was little he could do if he couldn't transform. Thirdly, if Plagg wasn't too worried about this, neither should he, right? "Which anime should I watch first?" He scrolled through the library of series he had saved, eyeing each title as he passed through its contents.

"Hmm. Okay. This one."

~•~•~•~•~•~

Marinette didn't know how, but she managed to make her way back home. On trembling limbs, she pried open the small, circular window to her bedroom (thankfully it was unlocked) before collapsing onto the floor. She didn't care that colliding with the ground made her brain spin, or that it sent new waves of pain rippling through her aching body. She let out a shuddering breath and released her transformation. Tikki was immediately by her side.

"Marinette!" Her kwami flittered over her frantically. "Where does it hurt?"

The bluenette managed to grunt, "Everywhere…"

Tikki mumbled about getting Baxter before zipping downstairs, the kwami's tiny body phased through the floorboards with a faint glow. That's a good idea. Baxter would be able to put her to bed. Maybe he'd have something to get rid of this pain, too. Without the protection of her superhero skin, the injuries she'd sustained in battle rushed back to her in the form of raw pain. Not a single scratch or bruise was left on her body but the pain remained.

And mon dieu did she feel like keeling over from it.

It wasn't enough that her head felt like splitting apart, no, her body made sure every inch of her was in agony. Marinette whimpered softly. She didn't know how to make it stop. She didn't know why it wouldn't stop. Ladybug's powers should have softened the blow, but why is it still so terrible? She hissed when the pain began to pulsate, like some sick heartbeat delivering pain with every beat.

"Marinette!" She heard Baxter's voice echo from down below.

Not so loud, she thought miserably.

Even loud noises hurt.

She heard his footsteps thunder up the steps to her room. She forced an eye open, and watched as the door swung open to reveal Baxter, pale and grim-faced, and holding a bottle of water.

He was by her side in moments. "This will hurt, but bear with me. I have to put you in your bed." His voice was barely a whisper as he leaned over her. Strong arms wrapped over her small frame. She winced and squeaked against the contact. Her body instinctively tried to move away from him, but Baxter was firm and picked her up amidst her thrashing. "Just hold on a bit." Baxter said. He rushed up a small flight of stairs that led to her bed. Marinette did her best to hold up, crumpling the cloth of his shirt with a vice-like grip as the pain buzzed rabidly along her body.

"Hurry." She pleaded.

"Just a few more steps," Baxter assured.

When at last he released her and the soft blankets of her bed embraced her, Marinette let out a pained gasp. "Why?" She looked at Baxter and Tikki. "Why does it hurt so much?" Baxter tried to say something but Tikki beat him to it. The kwami floated up to the girl and gently, gingerly patted Marinette's forehead.

"Your body isn't used to physical injury." Tikki explained. "Dolls don't feel physical pain, right? Perhaps that's why the pain is so intense. You're not used to it."

Marinette would have angrily cursed her doll quirks for yet again compromising her being human, but she could only scowl. "Can you make it go away?"

Baxter answered this time.

"I have some pain-killers. It will take a few minutes but it should numb the pain." He took out a couple of small pills from his pocket to show her.

Ah, the wonders of modern medicine.

Bless human ingenuity.

"Here," He carefully propped her up on a pillow, only earning a small hiss from her as he did. She took the pills from him and tossed it in her mouth. She washed it down with the water and then, with a sigh, reclined into the soft pillows. The cool water brought some relief to her. It was almost like it was extinguishing the hot pain in her head.

"Thank you, Baxter," she hummed softly.

The baker smiled at her fondly. "You're welcome."

She turned to Tikki. "I'm sorry I let the akuma spirit escape. I don't know why I-" she tried to apologize but the kwami shook her head.

"It was your very first time, Marinette. I don't blame you." Tikki smiled.

Marinette felt her chest tighten. She didn't deserve so much mercy for her failure. "But now it's going to multiply and transform innocent people into Picturesque copies…"

Tikki's understanding gaze did not waver. "…and it will re-possess its original victim. Yes, that it true. But that also means you'll get to purify it for real next time," the kwami said.

Marinette closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to accept her failure so easily, not like Tikki could. Why wasn't she being reprimanded? Wasn't that more appropriate? She had failed, and oh so miserably at that, on her first mission. She didn't care that it was her first time. She should have done better. She thought of Chat Noir and sighed.

He had only learned about Miraculouses and Akumas today and he did way better than her.

She had an entire year to learn about her powers and enemies.

If she wasn't so oversensitive to pain, she would have been able to focus on her mission, and not forget about the akuma spirit. In the end, it was all the fault of her doll quirks. Damn it. Damn the stubbornness of her old body. Why couldn't it just leave her alone and let her be human? She could allow her doll-like memory to stay for its usefulness, but everything else had to go. It should have gone away. It-

"Marinette." Baxter's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Her eyes snapped open (the sudden flood of bright light blinded her for a moment) and she turned to her caretaker. The man relaxed when their gazes met, letting an easy smile curve on his face. "Don't be too upset. Failure is part of growing up and learning – a very human thing to do," he chuckled. "You should've seen me when Master Fu first told me about Miraculouses. Man, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I was always bragging about being his apprentice to all the kids in school."

"No." Marinette looked at him incredulously.

Baxter winked at her. "You bet. Of course, no one believed me and waved me off as a weirdo, so no harm done."

Tikki giggled at the baker. "I can only imagine how much trouble you were for Fu."

"Still am trouble, really. I just know how to get out of it now – all by myself." Baxter said shamelessly.

He turned to Marinette again and patted her softly on the head. "So don't be afraid if you make mistakes, Biscuit. Learn from 'em and get better." Marinette leaned into his touch. His warm hand on her head was oddly comforting. It was incredible how physical contact could do so much for a human. She had seen her owners hug, hold hands, and lean into each other all the time in the past. She didn't quite understand why.

At the moment, she felt she understood them a tad better.

"Thanks, Baxter. Thanks, Tikki." She smiled weakly at her companions. They returned her smile in kind, and urged her to rest for the night.

"You still have school tomorrow. I'll have my employees bake a fresh batch of sweets for you to share." Baxter smiled.

Tikki gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Plus you'll get to do your first akuma purification. Get as much sleep as you need."

Marinette nodded, her worries finally soothed – if for a while. She had to admit that she did feel drowsy. Was this a side-effect of the pain-killers? The pain in her muscles were certainly less than before. She let out a small yawn and snuggled into her pillow. "Good night…" she mumbled, already feeling dreamland beckoning for her.

"If you need anything, just call for me. I'll be in the kitchen." Baxter smiled. She hummed in appreciation when he tucked her in, and didn't protest against his chaste kiss on her forehead before he headed down. She heard a small click, and with it went the lights. She was basked in the gentle light of the moon, tinted a faint yellow by the street lamps outside. Tikki floated over her. "I'll be talking with Baxter for a bit. I won't be long," her kwami said. Marinette just nodded and watched the little god fly off.

Now it was just her.

Contrary to Baxter and Tikki's urging, Marinette stayed up for a while longer, fighting off her drowsiness simultaneously. Her bluebell eyes stared up at the ceiling, seemingly vacant but full of her thoughts. She had failed her first mission. That was a less than fantastic start to her being a superhero. She had also learned that she had a low tolerance for pain.

Also less than fantastic.

What should have been an uplifting experience had turned into a tough wake-up call. Even with Ladybug's powers, she was still a liability via her doll quirks. It seemed they remained for the sole purpose to hinder her life as a human. It baffled her as she thought about it more. Why was she still forced to deal with this? How long would it take before her body fully transitioned into her human vessel?

Maybe I messed up the contract somehow.

It wasn't entirely implausible.

Even if Tikki insisted everything had gone well.

The bluenette sighed. This was getting nowhere. If she stayed up any later, she'd end up oversleeping and inevitably be late for her first day of school. "At least there's that to look forward to," she admitted. She was more than nervous about facing Picturesque off again (being thrown across a street again was something she wasn't looking forward to) but going to school made her feel excited.

Giddy, even.

Thoughts of walking into a classroom, making new friends, creating memories to cherish, this made her heart feel light and airy. She tried to take advantage of her improved mood and closed her eyes. Sleep eventually captured her, and brought her back to dreamland for that night's escapade. Meanwhile her body finally rested, and a small smile graced itself on her face.

~•~•~•~•~•~

"Sir?"

Nathalie Sancoeur knocked twice on the door before entering. Gabriel Agreste's office was large and expansive, leaving a good distance between her and her employer. Said man was busy typing away on his computer, a sketchpad and pencil kept idly by his side. The man's steely eyes glanced at her for a moment. "What is it, Miss Sancoeur?" his annoyance was thinly hidden by his curt tone.

"I wanted to discuss about Adrien's education." She made her way to him, clasping the board tightly to her chest.

Gabriel didn't pause in his work. "Is he falling back on his studies?"

"No, sir. He is actually doing excellent in all his subjects."

Gabriel sighed. "Then what is it?"

Nathalie did not answer immediately. She took in a breath. Mentally she recalled the words she had practiced several times before. She had to word this right. "I believe I have found a way to stop his frequent sneaking off," she at last said. At this Gabriel stopped his work. He turned to her fully now, his gaze cautious but intrigued.

"Is that so?" He raised a brow at her.

She nodded. "Adrien has run off many times in the past, but only ever to that Francoise Dupont school. It is obvious he wants to attend classes there."

Gabriel's face immediately hardened. "I will not let him go," he said with finality.

Just as he did any other time the subject was brought up.

Only this time Nathalie would not bend.

"I understand your concern for his safety, sir, but I believe you are putting him in greater danger by keeping him locked up." She boldly spoke against him. "The more you tell him not to go, the more he will rebel. At some point he will refuse to listen to you completely."

She felt a nerve twitch at Gabriel's dismissive wave. "He will learn soon enough that I'm doing this for his sake."

Stubbornness seemed inherent to the Agreste bloodline.

"If you were to let him go to school there, he would be more open to following your instructions." Nathalie suggested.

Gabriel frowned. "By letting him get what he wants?"

"By giving him leniency. If you push too hard to keep him here, and at his age, he will close himself off to you. Perhaps permanently." She sounded harsher than she would have liked, but she was getting tired of this conversation already.

That seemed to do the trick though. Gabriel's frown decreased in size. He seemed to contemplate her words. A first, she thought optimistically. "And what benefits would he gain from this?" Gabriel tried to sound disinterested, but she knew she had got him to take the bait.

"The main gain would be social interaction. If he becomes well-adept at socializing, it will be easier for him to integrate into society as an adult, and would be much better at handling the company when he's older." She hastily added, "Of course, I will oversee who he keeps as friends and make sure they won't put any bad morals in him."

The fact that Gabriel wasn't shouting at her to leave his office was already a good sign. She waited patiently as he seemingly pondered over her words. She was cautiously hopeful at this point. This was the furthest she had ever gone with this conversation. For everyone's sake – and for her peace of mind – she needed Adrien to go to school.

If he went to school, he'd be less likely to run off to god knows where.

If he didn't run off as often, Gabriel would be in a better mood.

If Gabriel was in a better mood, he would be less likely to swamp her with work that was clearly not part of her job description and ergo give her less stress to deal with.

And Adrien would be happy, which was an added bonus.

She rather he not sulk so obviously when she was there. She saw right through his fake smiles. After all, she had practically watched him grow up – she knew an ample amount of his quirks and habits. His fake smiles were worse than his frowns. It made the atmosphere of the mansion gloomier on the whole.

And by gods, she did not need more of that.

"I suppose…..I can see your point." Gabriel finally said.

He sat straighter in his seat, his eyes piercing through her, studying her critically. "I trust you will handle his schedule, Miss Sancoeur?" Gabriel said in a low tone.

She gave a curt bow. "I will begin drafting it at once, sir."

Gabriel nodded and turned away from her. He focused his attention on his computer once more. Nathalie took this as a cue to leave and excused herself from the room. As she reached the door, she heard him call her. She turned and acknowledged him. "Yes, sir?"

At that moment, she felt every hair on her nape stand up as Gabriel scowled at her. Her grip on the doorknob tightened instinctively.

"If anything happens to my son because of your suggestion," Gabriel's eyes seemed ready to strike her down where she stood. "You will be held completely responsible. Is that understood?"

Nathalie swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Nodding at him once more, Nathalie quickly left the office. She let out a small breath of air, relieved yet nervous all at once. She was placing herself in a risky situation. If anything did happen to the young Agreste, the father would definitely be out for her blood.

Of course, she wouldn't let that happen.

She wasn't the Agreste Fashion Company's longest-surviving employee for nothing.

She was more than prepared to take on the enormous task she had just placed on herself.

Nathalie spared a glance at Gabriel's office before heading for her quarters. When had it become so difficult to speak to him? She could not even recall the last time he had regarded her as a friend and not an underling. Not since….

"Tonight is so chilly," Nathalie muttered. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she disappeared into one of the many hallways of the mansion.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Baxter sat stiffly on one of the kitchen chairs. His expression was unusually serious. "Are you sure she's fit to go out tomorrow?" he said in a low voice. His blue eyes locked onto Tikki's dark blue ones.

The kwami floated a couple meters away, munching on the cookies he had set out for her. "Her injuries weren't grave and the worst she'll get is a slightly sore body. My powers were able to soften the worst of the injuries." Tikki said calmly.

"I'm worried about her doll quirks though. I've never seen her in so much pain. It scared me." Baxter frowned recalling the scene.

Tikki nodded. "They don't show any signs of leaving anytime soon. She'll have to deal with them a while longer."

The baker squeezed his mug. How could Tikki be so unperturbed about this? Marinette had come home writhing in pain and distraught at failing her first mission. Surely Tikki should have been more affected by this.

"I understand your concern, Baxter, but rest assured she will be fine." Tikki said, knowingly looking at him and his worried expression.

The kwami took a bite of her cookie. "She has more to deal with than her predecessors but that will be what makes her stronger. Her handicap will force her to think more creatively, outside of the box."

"Besides," Tikki crooned, "She'll have Chat Noir to help her. This one seems more than capable of supporting her as a partner."

Baxter let out a grumble. "He'd better be."

Tikki let out a small laugh. "Being an overprotective sibling suits you, Baxter. Makes you more responsible than usual."

"Hey." Baxter snapped.

Still, it did put him at ease to know the current Chat Noir would be able to help Marinette. She would need a capable partner to help her ease into her role as Ladybug. The poor girl's first experience as a superhero didn't exactly boost her self-confidence. He could only hope she'd believe in her abilities the more she used her Miraculous. So what if he wanted to coddle her every now and then? He would stubbornly argue with anyone that he had a right to do so.

"I heard you'll be visiting Fu tomorrow." Tikki said, changing the topic.

Baxter relaxed, happy to oblige with the conversation shift. "Yup. He and Wayzz have some books for me to read. It's probably something about the supernatural, or the akuma. Or maybe both."

He took a sip of his hot chocolate. "I'll only be gone for half the day. I'll leave Marinette under your care."

"Of course," Tikki smiled.

The two talked long into the night, eating through several plates of sweets as they did. Even though Baxter still felt a thorn of worry poking at his side, he had to believe that things would go better for his pseudo sibling tomorrow. In the very least he hoped her first day in school would go smoothly. All she wanted was to be a human and do normal human things. And as long as he could do anything about it, he'd help her.

Marinette was going to need all the help she could get.

A/N:

My poor, sweet doll.

When I was planning out Marinette and Adrien's first fight, I always consulted the Origins episode and used it as a reference of sorts. I knew that Marinette couldn't be as reluctant to be Ladybug as she was in the show. After all, she had willingly agreed to be a hero in exchange for a human form. I decided to shift the focus of her lack of self-confidence elsewhere, to her doll quirks.

Adrien would obviously have a better time being a super hero. I didn't make his Chat Noir persona quite as flirty as the canon one. For now. Just this one time. He's still Adrien after all, so he was polite to his new partner (but you bet your sweet cupcakes he's gonna shoot out puns and flirtations the next time around).

Nathalie is not a bad person. I would like to believe that. She just has a different way of showing she cares. That, and she really doesn't want to deal with the extra paper work a certain blonde employer dumps on her every time a certain blonde son runs away as a way to pent out his frustrations.

This was not in her job description.

Anyways, the next chapter is already in the works. I won't get your hopes up. It might be several weeks to a month before I post it. Or maybe I'll post it in a week. I'm a bit inconsistent in uploading. I'm sorry for that, dear reader. But I WILL post the next chapter. You can take comfort in that at least.

Till then, my dear reader, please feel free to rate and review. Did you like it? What was your favorite part? I'd love to read about it.