Chapter 21: Good To Be A Girl

The light from the tv cast the room in ever-changing patterns of shadow and light as his cousin snored softly on the couch next to him.

"…Citizens are advised to follow all steps of the 'Akuma Attack Safety Guidelines', the most important of which is to stay indoors and away from the area of the attack. Currently, the akuma is following the path of the Seine…"

Nino sighed heavily and looked away from the tv's glow. The news anchor droned on, but he wasn't listening. His gaze was fixed on his phone, which was currently displaying a series of unanswered texts he'd sent to Alya.

Frowning, he tried calling her again. On the sixth ring she picked up.

"Babe," Alya whispered, suppressed excitement clear in her tone. "I can't talk. I'm getting the best footage of this akuma."

Nino groaned and closed his eyes.

"Where are you?"

"By the Seine, of course. I'm two blocks from the akuma. I've been hiding in alleys and stalking it."

"Alya, that's dangerous!" Nino said, eyes popping open. What did she think she was doing, getting that close to an active akuma? "I know you won't go home, but will you at least back off another couple of blocks?"

She snorted.

"No way! I haven't gotten such good video in ages. The LadyBlog needs this update!"

"And I need you alive," he retorted.

"You're sweet," she replied, but he could tell she was distracted. "Ooh, gotta go. The akuma's on the move. Love you!"

"Alya—!"

But she'd already hung up. Nino frowned down at his phone for a long moment before he shook his head and sighed. Pocketing the phone, he stood and made his way to the door. Guess he was going to have to go track down his story-seeking girlfriend before she got herself into trouble.

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The brick was cold on Chat's back as he pressed himself against the chimney, chest heaving.

"My Lady," he panted. "What are we going to do?"

Ladybug shook her head and peered around the chimney to see the akuma floating away from them down the street, calling for the superheroes to come out and play as the nightmares he'd brought to life ranged around him. It was a little boy who'd been akumatized this time, calling himself Night Myriad. They hadn't been able to get close to him yet, because every time they did, he pulled another nightmare from them and made it a reality. Retreat had been the only option.

"Nothing else for it," she said, pulling back so that she was hidden again, too. "Lucky Charm!"

A fist-sized, octagonal box fell into her hands. With a frown, she looked around, but nothing stood out. What in the world was she supposed to do with this? A tiny box like this wasn't going to help getting rid of the akuma.

"I think we're going to need a bigger box if we're going to pack this up," Chat said with a grin.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"I don't think that's what this box is for, kitty."

"Alright, m'lady, I give. What's it for then?"

Ladybug shook her head and frowned down at the box in her hand.

"Not sure. I don't see anything, but…"

Something was tugging at the back of her mind and furrowing her brow. What was it?

Then it hit her. Miraculous. This box was the same size and shape as the one she'd discovered the Ladybug miraculous in. Master Fu.

"Chat."

He stood up straighter at her tone and Ladybug closed her fist around the box with a determined nod.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything drastic," she ordered, gesturing to the akuma. "Distract him if you have to, but don't get yourself killed. I have to go see someone."

"What?" Chat said, sounding alarmed. "You're leaving?"

She gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'll be back as quick as I can, but I think I know what my Lucky Charm is trying to tell me."

Chat looked dubious, but finally nodded.

"Alright. I'll do what I can until you get back. Just don't be too long?"

She smiled.

"I'll do my best."

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Marinette burst into Master Fu's place, panting, and had to pause for a moment to put her hands on her knees, her lungs making a valiant attempt to catch up with the rest of her. She'd run as fast as she physically could, not wanting to leave Chat facing the akuma by himself for longer than she absolutely had to.

"Ah, Marinette," Fu said before she got her breath back "I take it you're here for the help I promised?"

The bluenette nodded, touching the stitch in her side, and Master Fu smiled understandingly at her as he motioned her forward. She followed him over to his old record player and watched as he hit several buttons under a hidden panel. A large box with red designs over the top popped out and Marinette couldn't help her mouth falling open. Fu picked up the box and led her back to the center of the room. Carefully, he opened the box and Marinette watched as compartment after compartment popped out of the sides, showing well over a dozen different miraculouses or the places where they should be. The place for hers and Chat's were empty, of course, as well as the one she guessed was for Master Fu's miraculous, but there were two others in the top center section that were empty as well. The Moth and…

"Which is this one?" She asked, pointing to the empty space.

Fu frowned.

"That is where the Peacock miraculous should be. Unfortunately, it was lost many years ago, along with the Moth miraculous. But that is a discussion for another time."

Marinette looked back up at Master Fu and nodded, mentally chiding herself for losing focus.

"Right. Chat and I can't beat this akuma. What do we need to do?"

Master Fu gestured to all of the miraculouses between them.

"I want you to think very carefully. Is there someone you would trust above all others? Who would be able to keep the secret of the miraculous? Someone who would be worthy to fight beside yourself and Chat Noir?"

Marinette pursed her lips, slowly reaching out a hand to hover over the two other miraculouses in the top center section. The Bee and the Fox. She knew exactly who she wanted fighting by her side, other than Chat, and plucked the Fox miraculous from it's place with a determined smile.

"You know then?"

She looked up and nodded.

"I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All my girls
In the world
It's time for a little chat

Alya, in all her pajama'd glory, was doing her utmost to be stealthy as she tracked the akuma through the streets of Paris, filming. Ladybug and Chat Noir had gone to ground a while ago and the reporter was beginning to wonder what they were playing at. It didn't seem as though they were trying to stop the akuma any more. Where were the heroes of Paris?

"Alya."

The girl squeaked and spun around, nearly falling over as she realized who was standing behind her in the alley where she'd taken temporary refuge.

"Ladybug?! What are you doing here? Why aren't you out there?"

Alya gestured over her shoulder to the akuma and the superhero smiled at her.

"Because I need your help first."

"My help?" Alya nearly squeed. "Oh my gosh I can't wait to get this!"

Ladybug put a hand on the phone the blogger was raising to begin recording again and shook her head.

"Sorry, but I can't let you record this part. What I'm about to ask of you has to stay an absolute secret. You can't tell anyone. Can you do that?"

Alya's eyes had gone wide at the serious tone of her idol and she nodded.

"Yes. Of course. I won't say a word to anyone. Promise."

She held up one hand and put the other on her heart, which made Ladybug smile.

"Good. Here." The superhero held out a fist-sized black box with strange red designs on the top. "Alya Cesaire, this is the Fox miraculous. It bestows the power of illusion on it's wielder. You will use it for the greater good."

All my girls
Make some noise
It's time for us to talk back

The blogger reached out and took the box reverently, smiling as big as Ladybug had ever seen. Alya opened the box and a ball of yellow light flew out and zipped around her.

"What is that thing?" She said, holding up a hand to ward off the light until the ball stopped and hovered in front of her.

The light died away to reveal a little orange fox, who's big violet eyes danced with merriment.

"I'm not a thing," he said. "I'm Trixx, your kwami!"

Alya leaned forward with a grin.

"Are you what gives the powers?"

"Yep!"

"That's so awesome!"

Trixx grinned over at Ladybug.

"I like her."

The spotted superhero returned his grin.

"So do I."

Alya slipped the foxtail necklace on and looked to her new kwami, exhilaration making her feel suddenly eight feet tall.

"Alright, what do I do?"

"Just say, 'Trixx, let's pounce!'" The kwami said, twirling in the air.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

We can change the way you think
An army dressed up all in pink

Ladybug was grinning at her as the transformation died away. Alya inspected herself, giddy as she saw her tail and felt the ears on top of her head. She also realized that her hair had gone two-tone and there was a flute strapped to her waist.

"This is so cool!" She said, turning in a circle as she inspected herself.

Ladybug chuckled.

"You ready?"

"You bet!"

Back by the river, Chat had followed the akuma quite a ways and he was seriously beginning to wonder where Ladybug had gotten to. So far, the akuma had only destroyed some cars and a couple of boats he'd passed. No people were out on the streets at this time of night with an akuma attack going on, which Chat was thankful for, but where was Ladybug?

Suddenly, the akuma turned, his black eyes apparently spotting something, and he grinned maliciously. The teddy bear swung in the akuma's grasp as he darted around a corner and Chat hissed as he took off after him. There was a yell and Chat rounded the corner of the roof just in time to see Night Myriad descending on… Nino?! What was he doing here?

Before Chat could move to save his best friend, a streak of orange darted down into the street and whisked Nino away from the akuma and out of sight over the rooftops. Chat made to run after him, but his tail dragged him back and he looked over his shoulder to see that Ladybug had landed behind him and was holding the offending appendage.

"Ladybug! Did you see that thing? What was it?"

His lady grinned.

"Our help."

And just in case you haven't heard
It's good to be a girl, woah
It's good to be a girl

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Nino had just been trying to find Alya. He'd thought he was still pretty far from the akuma yet, but just as he'd tried to dart across the street to check the alleys on the other side, the akuma had floated into view and spotted him. He'd tried to run, but one of the nightmare creatures had gotten in his way and he'd ended up sprawled in the middle of the street, starring up at the akuma and knowing he had no time to get out of the way.

Then, someone in white and orange had grabbed him up and he found himself flying across the roofs of Paris. It took him a moment to gather his wits enough to speak.

"Hey! Wait! We have to go back!"

The person carrying him paused on a roof a good distance from where the akuma was, set him down, and Nino finally got a good look at her. She was clearly a fox-themed superhero, complete with ears and a bushy tail, and she was watching him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

He grabbed her shoulders.

"Take me back! I was looking for my girlfriend. She's down there alone, trying to get footage of the akuma!"

"Oh, um, sorry but you should stay here where it's safe," the fox-girl said, holding her hands up with a nervous smile. "I'm sure she's fine. In fact, I saw a girl heading away from the akuma just a little bit ago. That was probably her."

Nino frowned at his rescuer and released her.

"Not likely. You don't know my girl. Who are you, anyway?"

"Who, me? Oh, I'm, um, Rena… Rouge! Rena Rouge, yep, that's me! Now, you stay here and be safe, okay? I'll keep a eye out for your girlfriend."

With a wave, Rena Rouge dashed away and Nino watched her leap from roof to roof, back toward the akuma. Then he started looking around. There had to be a way down. He had to find Alya.

I can be wonder woman one day
A damsel in distress
Fighting off the bad guys in heels and a dress

Rena landed next to Ladybug and straightened. She wanted to impress her hero and realized that she needed to take this seriously, especially now that she was more than a blogger stalking a story.

"The civilian is out of harms way, safe and sound," she said, putting her hands on her hips with a confident smile. "So, what's the plan?"

Chat Noir crossed his arms and looked her over.

"And you are?"

"Rena Rouge," she responded, glad that Nino had already asked her the question so she didn't stutter over it. "Fox Miraculous. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Chat Noir."

Chat grinned suddenly.

"Nice to have you on the team." He turned to look at Ladybug. "So, do we have a plan then, my lady?"

"I want to try a three-pronged attack," the spotted hero said. "Rena, take the left, Chat, you go right, and I'll take the center. Aim for that teddy bear."

The other two nodded and leapt away.

There's more to me than what it seems
I am complex
Yeah
It's good to be a girl

The three-pronged attack had no effect other than getting all three superheroes thrown unceremoniously into objects far less mobile than they were. It hurt, but not as much as Rena would have expected, and she wondered at that. Was she less susceptible to damage because of the kwami? How did that work exactly?

She squeaked and lost her train of thought as one of the gorilla-looking nightmares came at her faster than she had thought it could move. Rolling more athletically than she'd ever done in her life, she popped up several feet away from the nightmare, dodged a lunge from a faceless man nightmare, and scaled the nearest building.

The other two superheroes landed near her moments later.

"You alright?" Ladybug asked. "I saw that close call."

Rena gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm good. What's next?"

Ladybug sighed and moved to peek over the edge of the building at the akuma victim. Then she shrugged.

"Lucky Charm!"

So put on
Your make up
Cause we're gonna change it up

A book fell into Ladybug's outstretched hands. The other two superheroes moved closer to see it.

"A book?" Rena said, looking to her idol.

"We'd better get a move on," Chat said from where he was peeking over the room. He jerked a thumb at the akuma and added, "We're booked for the night."

Ladybug sighed and Rena snorted a laugh. The red-suited superhero moved back to looking over the roof edge and frowned as she glanced around. Then, she nodded decisively.

"Chat, I need your belt."

As he handed it over, she continued.

"Give us a couple of minutes to get a head start and then go get the akuma's attention and draw him toward the Eiffel Tower."

"Roger that, bugaboo. And what are you lovely ladies going to be up to?"

Ladybug grinned.

Impossible is not a dream
Cause you can be anything

Rena looked up at the Eiffel Tower, looming above she and Ladybug, before she looked back at the other superhero.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to do this? Like, where do I even start?"

Ladybug smiled gently.

"Just close your eyes and concentrate on what you're trying to create. Then play and keep that image firmly in your mind. You remember the description his mom gave us?"

Rena took a deep breath and nodded before closing her eyes and thinking hard. She pictured the boy's mom first, soft curly hair and sweet-faced, then she carefully went through each bit of the description the woman had given them, putting each piece carefully in place. She had to get everything just right. The dark might help cover up some more minor mistakes, but she had to get everything as close as possible.

When she thought she had it, she took another deep breath and raised the flute to her lips.

"Mirage!"

The message coming from my lips
Is step out with red lipstick
And just in case you haven't heard

It's good to be a girl, woah

"Hey, kid!" Chat called.

The akuma turned with an ugly scowl.

"You're really no dream come true, you know that?"

Night Myriad growled and darted forward suddenly. Chat leapt backwards with a yelp, cartwheeling out of the immediate line of fire as the akuma clutched the teddy bear with one arm and pointed at the superhero. A thin cloud of mist shot from the boy's hand and straight at Chat, who barely managed to dodge.

Then he was jumping over giant nightmare snakes and spiders, playing leap frog over the heads of the nightmare gorillas and faceless men, and rolling out of the reach of a many-armed creature with a squirrel face.

It's good to be a girl
I can be wonder woman one day
A damsel in distress
Fighting off the bad guys in heels and a dress

Chat bounced up, laughing.

"Can't catch me that easily. You really think they're fast enough? Not a chance. Why not come at me yourself, you little terror?"

The look the akuma gave Chat at that moment could have killed. The next moment, he was coming straight at the superhero, much faster than Chat had expected, and the blonde took off toward the Eiffel Tower, hoping he'd be able to outpace his pursuer.

"Come on then, slow-poke! Come get me!"

It's more to me than what it seems
I am complex
Yeah
It's good to be a girl

Rena opened her eyes and grinned.

"So cool!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Ladybug, who now looked like the boy's mom. She matched Rena's grin. "This is perfect. Now, where did Chat get to?"

"Heads up!" Came Chat's distant voice.

Both girls turned to see the superhero pelting full-tilt toward them, the akuma close on his heels. Ladybug darted away to take her place and Rena ran forward to help Chat. She ran straight at the closest of the nightmares and, when she was almost right on top of it, she skidded around, tripping it up and bolting back the way she'd come, Chat right beside her.

He gave her a grateful grin before he darted left and she went right, getting out of the way. A moment later, Night Myriad and his nightmares stopped cold as the akuma stared at the house in front of him. It was his house, just as his mother had described it to Rena Rouge and Ladybug, complete with the tilted knocker and blue-framed windows.

All the girls in the house
If you're with me
Shout it loud

Slowly, the akuma walked forward, clearly confused as to why his house was here of all places. As he got close enough, Ladybug called out gently.

"Auguste? Come here, mon chou*."

"M… maman?" Said the akuma, hesitantly.

"Come here, mon amour**. It's time for your bedtime story."

Slowly, the akuma pushed open the door and made his way through the house to his bedroom, where Ladybug sat with the book of nursery rhymes. She held out a hand and smiled.

The akuma grinned and ran to her, cuddling right in as she began reading.

Outside, Rena waited for the boy to become engrossed before she slowly let the illusion fall.

Are you with me?
Yeah!
Are you with me?
Yeah!

So engrossed was the boy that he didn't even notice when Chat came up behind him and touched the bear with his Cataclysm to release the akuma. It was only when the butterfly began fluttering away that he sat up in surprise and realized that it was Ladybug reading to him. She stood and caught the butterfly and as the transformation melted away, the little boy looked around in confusion.

"Maman?"

"Auguste!"

His mother raced forward and swept him up in her arms, hugging him tight and thanking the superheroes as her little boy hugged her back just as fiercely.

All the boys in the crowd
If you get it
Say it loud

Three sets of beeps broke into the mother's thanks and the superheroes made their escapes, Chat going in the opposite direction of Ladybug and Rena Rouge.

The two girls landed in an alley some distance from the Eiffel Tower and Alya dropped the transformation. Ladybug held out her hand and Alya put a hand over the necklace.

"Let me keep it? Please? I swear, I won't tell anyone! And I'll be able to help you in the future too!"

Ladybug shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Alya, but I have to take it back. It's too dangerous to leave it with you."

"But—"

"Alya, you promised."

Reluctantly, Alya took the necklace off and put it back in the box, handing it over to the other superhero. Ladybug gave her an understanding smile and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't look so upset. This is hardly the only time we'll need your help. I'm sure I'll be calling on you again."

Alya looked up, hope in her eyes.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Are you with me?
Yeah!
Are you with me?
Yeah!

Master Fu stood unobtrusively on the street corner, nodding to himself as he watched the dark-haired young man spot Alya and dash across the street to her, sweeping her up in a bear hug. The young man pulled away from his girlfriend just enough that he could look at her face before he clearly began worriedly berating her and demanding to know where she'd been, because he'd been looking everywhere and had thought something had happened to her.

Fu smiled to himself as the young man hugged Alya again without even giving her a chance to reply.

"Master?" Whispered his kwami as he watched the two young people as well. "Are you thinking…?"

"Yes, Wayzz," replied Fu with a smile. "I am indeed thinking."

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A/N: Well hi there. It's been a few months. Sorry about that guys. I did mean to get this chapter done waaaaay sooner.

A heads up for my readers: I won't be updating on a weekly basis any longer, but I will continue to write and update this story, so don't give up on me! I just can't keep it up. Sorry guys.

The song is "Good to Be A Girl" by Tricia, who for many years was the lead singer of the group Superchick. I highly recommend looking them up if you like girl power songs. :)

Also, I ship DJWifi in all it's forms.

*Mon chou- literally 'my cabbage'. It's an actual thing French parents call their kids. We in America have the stork, the French have the cabbage patch. Go figure. Lol.

**Mon amour – my love

Don't forget to let me know what you thought! Till next chapter!