1. A Truce

"I won't let you close enough to hurt me, I won't ask you to just desert me, I can't give you what you think you gave me. It's time to say goodbye to turning tables." - Adele, "Turning Tables"

"Are you sure about this princess?"

"Of course, Chaton," Marinette answered offhandedly, waving off her boyfriends concern with the flick of her hand. Adrien cocked an eyebrow at her, and leaned back on his locker with a curious and worried look. Marinette (while in civilian form) was definitely the more outgoing of the two, and it often took a few words with Adrien or her best friend Alya to talk her out of what ever it was she was going to do. But it looked like nothing he said was going to fix this.

"Mari, when was the last time you willingly had a conversation with Chloe?" Adrien asked, pointing toward the blonde girl, whom was currently fixing her lip gloss in the mirror of her locker. Chloe was Marinette's sworn archrival, according to Chloe at least, and the two had a turbulent relationship to say the least. Marinette opened her mouth to say something in response, but Adrien held up his finger with a smirk, which halted her speech. "When you weren't Ladybug, that is."

Marinette's mouth closed at that specification, and she looked down at her shoes sheepishly. If one where to count Chloe and Ladybug interactions, she spoke to Chloe nearly every other week. But as they weren't counting that...

"About six months ago," she admitted with a sigh. "But Adrien, next year is the last year before we graduate. I want to come back next year and not have to worry about if Chloe is going to be on my back; I already have enough to worry about as is."

And she did. With her schoolwork, duties as one of half of a superhero duo, chores around her home, and her freelance fashion work, Marinette was already swamped as is. As was Adrien - despite his insistence that he was handling all the lessons and extra homework his father gave to him in addition to his duties as Chat Noir, Marinette could tell he was finding it hard to keep his head above water. Which was part of the reason Marinette was even doing this, if Marinette was able to mend fences with Chloe, maybe a little piece of both of their lives would be easier. Chloe hadn't taken too kindly to Marinette and Adrien getting together two months ago.

"Worry about what? Sleeping all day?" In talking to Adrien, Marinette hadn't noticed Alya and Nino come up to them. The on-and-off couple was currently on a break, signaled by their lack of holding hands, something they always did when they were together. But by the rate things were going with them now, it may be back towards "together" by later this afternoon.

"No! I mean, yes! Ugh..." Marinette mumbled off, growing anxious at the question. Adrien rolled his eyes and straightened his posture. In civilian form, Adrien was (though he loathed to admit it sometimes) by far and away the best liar. He supposed he came with the mischievous side of the Black Cat miraculous.

"Marinette has been busy with her fashion work lately. I heard Jagged Stone requested that Marinette design his back-up singer's outfits, anyone would be swamped with that," Adrien pointed out smoothly, Marinette nodding along. There was some truth in that, Jagged Stone had asked her to do that for him - although both she and Adrien knew that she had sent off the dresses about a week ago. Not that Alya and Nino needed to know that.

"Sweet, Marinette! That's so cool!" Nino said, giving the petite girl a high-five. It was hard to believe that almost a year ago that Nino had ever had a crush on her; now it was almost like having the brother she had never had.

"Why are you talking about why you're so busy?" Alya asked, pulling her shoulder bag higher up on her shoulder.

"Because," Adrien said with a sly grin, "Marinette wants to talk to Chloe, so she can make sure she doesn't have to worry about her anymore."

"You are going to talk to Chloe?" Alya asked incredously, zeroing in on her best friend. "And tell her to leave you alone? When did you get so brave?"

"Hey! I am totally brave!" Marinette retorted, crossing her arms in an almost child-like manor. Alya rolled her eyes, motioning to the tall blonde boy next Marinette with a smirk.

"Oh, really?" Alya said. "It took you a year and a half to finally tell Adrien you liked him!" Adrien covered his mouth to keep from showing his grin at that statement, watching as Marinette placed her hands on her hips and breathed through her nose, her cheeks turning a deeply colored red. Alya remained motionless, still keeping her arms crossed with a harmless grin.

"Alya!" Marinette said. "I can handle this!"

"Prove it," Alya said, motioning to the blonde behind them.

"Fine," she huffed, and turned around and marched off to her nemesis with a determined look. Her trio of friends looked on, all with baffled looks as if they couldn't believe she was actually doing it. No, scratch that - they really couldn't believe that she was doing this. Adrien knew that as Ladybug, Marinette was no stranger to intimidating things, but Chloe Bougerious had always had a way of getting underneath her skin and sticking their, always ruining Marinette's life.

"Chloe!" Marinette said in lieu of a salutations, crossing her arms as she stood before the popular girl. Slowly, Chloe turned around, looking up and down her classmate with her trademark evil smirk. Chloe was mean to everyone in the school, even Adrien, now that he had "betrayed" her trust according to Chloe, but had always been especially rude to Marinette for reasons only God knew.

"Well, well, if it isn't Maritrash," Chloe sneered, shutting her locker with a clang. "What are you doing here? Finally admitting you need my help with you dreadful fashion sense and came to moi to try and get your self back on the right path?"

"Actually, I'm here to call a truce," Marinette said, struggling to ignore the comments on her clothes. Clothes she had made herself. "We've been at each other's throats since we were little kids Chloe. I just thought maybe, we could, you know, try to get along for once. We may have more in common than you think."

"Puh-lease," Chloe enunciated, adding more sound to that word than needed, "Me and you? Have anything in common? As if!"

"Chloe, I'm trying to be nice and start over here," Marinette said, once again choosing to side-step the insult directed at her. Chloe simply rolled her eyes and pushed past her with that same evil smirk.

"Well, I'm not interested," she said as a means of parting. As she passed by Adrien, Alya, and Nino, who had watched the whole exchange but hadn't heard anything, she gave them the worst death glare she could manage and quietly stalked out of the building. With a heavy sigh, Marinette retreated back to the group.

"Guessing it didn't go so well?" Adrien asked as soon Marinette rejoined them, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder with an equally comforting smile.

"What tipped you off? Chloe's death glare or my walk of shame?" Marinette asked jokingly, Alya giggling slightly at her words.

"At least you gave it a shot," Nino said enthusiastically, fixing the rim of his red baseball cap. Save his time as the Akuma villain The Bubbler, the group had never seen Nino without his signature hat or headphones. They had almost became synmous with his physical appearance, as if he wouldn't be complete without them. "That's more than what Chloe can say."

Master Fu was tired, as any 186 year old man would be. It had been many years since he had taken his Miraculous form, and every day he grew weaker and weaker at the task. He wasn't near death - oh, God no where near that yet. But still, Fu knew that his time as The Shell was drawing to a close. It was time he passed it on to someone else.

Wayzz - the Turtle Kwami - could feel this change in his master, and he knew that it was no longer a desicion to be mused over. This was something Fu had decided, something Fu was set upon. Wayzz knew their was no way to change his mind, but still felt like they should discuss it. This was his future too. As if sensing his thoughts as well, one day Fu called Wayzz in to speak with him in the Grand Dojo he trained Miraculous users in - right now, that only consisted of Ladybug and Chat Noir, who showed up every Sunday evening and Thursday morning. Other than those times, this room was almost completely empty.

"Yes, Master Fu?" Wayzz said, flying up to his sitting Master with a warm tone.

"How long have we been a team?" Fu asked, opening his eyes to look at his millennia old friend with a nostalgic smile.

"I'd say at least 175 years," Wayzz estimated with a shrug. Fu had been a young man than, a young idealist from Taiwan that had jumped at the chance to have a Miraculous. But many years had passed since then, things had changed. Miraculous holders had faded, some had lost their abilities, others had turned to the darkness, and even one had died. Fu himself had changed since then.

"I'd say 175 years is long enough to have a Kwami, wouldn't you Wayzz?" Fu asked, although he didn't expect an answer from the green pixie. The Kwami blinked and then nodded, although solemnly and with great sorrow. Fu had been his Master for many a year, how would Wayzz adjust to being with a new human? They were so fickle after all.

"I guess you know about me giving you up, don't you then?" Fu asked with the same kind smile he always held. Once again, the Kwami nodded.

"I don't want to," Fu insisted, as though Wayzz had asked him why even though he had not. "But someone has returned, someone I thought had been lost in London many years ago. And I am not strong enough to face him, Wayzz, you know that. And Chat Noir and Ladybug can not face him alone."

"London?" Wayzz said incredously, his eyes widening with recognition. "We have to warn Tikki and Plagg, Master Fu! Especially Pl -"

"Tikki and Plagg already know," Fu interrupted gently, calming his Miraculous. "But until he appears, life must go on. New Akumas appear everyday, thanks to Hawkmoth. And the best way to prepare for this foe is to let the new heroes fight them."

"Wait, heroes?" Wayzz asked, thinking he had misheard. Heroes? As in plural? Was Fu seriously considering let more heroes patrol the streets of Paris? Ladybug and Chat Noir's presence were enough to draw him here, along with Hawkmoth and Fu. It was a miracle he hadn't shown up by now. "He will know we're here if you add more heroes. Fe-"

"He's already here, Wayzz. Bidding his time. But we have the upper hand here, we have the chance to add heroes he doesn't know the identity of. Things that will confuse him," Fu explained carefully. "The Shell. Volpina. Queen Bee. Even Hawkmoth could be a great ally against him. Don't worry, I already know who they will be. You are going to love the new Shell."

"I don't want to leave you, not at a time like this," Wayzz said, tears pulling his giant eyes and threatening to spill over. Fu and him had been together for so long; separating now felt almost alien, like a concept a child doesn't understand but needs to know to pass. "Please -"

"I will miss you, Wayzz," Fu cut off, a gentle and silent tear rolling down his own cheek. But then, the bracelet was slipped off of his wrist and Wayzz was pulled into the bracelet and Fu was left alone in that dojo.

"Wayzz, shell retract."

Chloe was loath to admit, but Marinette's words were sticking with her. A truce? A truce was something she desperately needed, something to remind her to be good. To not say mean things. Chloe knew that she shouldn't have to be reminded to say things that are nice and not be mean, and yet...here she was, once again doing just that.

Chloe huffed and threw her phone to the side with a grimace. What was she doing? The only true friend she had was Sabrina, who she always treated like dirt. Chloe tried to be nicer, but it always came out jumbled and just becomes mean again.

Chloe picked her phone back up again, and sent out one text before she could stop herself, to the one person she had never texted unless she had too.

TO: Marinette

Truce?

Marinette fell asleep at her sewing machine again, her head smooched against the hard plastic of her white desk, her arms limp at her sides and a half-finished piece of cloth still under the machine. Tikki giggled at the sight of her Master, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Marinette may have not been the strongest Ladybug in terms of physical strength - Artemis had won that a long time ago - but Marinette was most defintly the kindest and most endearing Ladybug Tikki had ever served.

"Marinette?" asked her mother, who opened the latch to Marinette's attic bedroom with a motherly smile. Tikki hurriedly zipped behind the sewing machine to hide, hoping that Marinette's mother, Sabine, hadn't seen her. Sabine was slightly smaller in height than her mother. She did inherit, however, her mother's dark hair - but also her kindness. Sabine - and Tom, as well - was always going out of her way to help those who needed her, and it was something Marinette had picked up as well. Something valuable when you were a superhero.

Sabine chuckled at the sight of her daughter and walked over to her, picking up a blanket from Marinette's corner bed. She tucked the pink comforter around the sleeping from of her daughter, making sure the blanket didn't fall off the young girl. Sabine, once satisfied with her work, kissed her forehead in the same spot Tikki had, with an equally prideful smile.

"Good night, ma fille," Sabine whispered, before leaving the room.

In the room, Marinette's phone buzzed with a text message, bathing the room in blue light.

Alya flopped onto her bed, excited to be able to rest after everything that had happened today. After her school hours, she had spent nearly three hours on the lookout for any sight of Ladybug and Chat Noir - per usual. As their number one fan and creator of the fan sight the Ladyblog it wasn't that much of stretch that she would spend all her time dedicated to the superheroes of Paris. The dark-skinned girl rolled over onto her stomach, lifting her head to lie it diagonally on her arm. She opened her eyes slowly, scanning her nightstand with a tired look. It's usual contents were on the white table: a lamb, a notebook, her phone charger, a few haphazardly places hair ties and pens, a mysterious black box with red markings, her laptop -

Mysterious box?

Alya sat up as she dawned with realization of the box, staring at it with her normal journalistic curiosity but also with a bit of genuine teen girl fear thrown in. She had never seen this before in her life - where had it come from? Who had put it here? Why was it here? She reached to pick it up; the black box fit snugly in her hand, it was barely bigger that her palm. For one moment, all she did was stare at it with a bit of wonder at first, cocking her head to the side. Finally her sense of curiosity won out her fear, and she opened it.

Cocooned in the plush velvet was a necklace, a thin brown chain with a charm in the center. It was a swirl, the top part colored a fiery orange and the bottom a snowy white, vaguely reminding Alya of a fox tail. She went to pick it up, but then suddenly something flew (yes, flew) from the small box. Alya screamed and dropped the box, looking at the creature that was not bouncing around her room in a blur of orange, white, and black.

"OhmyfairygodmotherithasbeentoolongsinceI'vebeenoutsidethatboxwowhasthehumanworldreallychangedthismuch?"the blur said in an excited voice, her voice coming out just as quickly as she moved. Alya covered her face with her arms, and curled over to the side of the bed and looked at the blur with the same mixture of curiosity and fear as before - albeit this time, the fear was winning out. The blur eventually came to rest near her lamp, floating precariously above the light blue object with a mysterious glint in the black slits that Alya assumed were the things eyes.

"What - what are you?" Alya quietly exclaimed, pulling a pillow close to her legs as if they could work as a shield. The figure was no larger than a banana, it's ears sticking up into large points on top of it's head and a long tail seemed to be attached to it. It was orange, with the inside of it's ears, bottom of it's tail, stomach, and abdomen were a snowy white, while the rest - save the tip of her ears which were black - of her were the same fiery orange as the pendant. "Wh -wh-where did you come from?"

"You are a breath of fresh air from my last master, he completely flipped out when he saw me," the figure mused to herself, not answering the teen girl's questions. "He threw a shoe at me!"

"Wait, master?" Alya asked, removing the pillow and coming closer to the fiery and energetic figure. "What are you talking about?"

Finally answering her question, the figure responded, "My name is Trixx, and I'm your Kwami."

"K-kwami?" Alya asked, coming closer to Trixx uneasily. Upon closer inspection, her eyes weren't just black slits - they were violet with black around the tip of her eyelid, and two black dots sat directly above the two.

"Exactly! I'm the protector of the Fox Miraculous, and I'm here to guide you on your way as Volpina, the new holder!" Trixx said hurriedly, nearly bursting with excitement. She - Alya assumed from the Trixx's voice and demeanor that she was a girl - flew towards, her eyes looking directly into her new master's with a near infectious energy.

"Miraculous? Like - as in Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alya asked, furrowing her eyebrows and uncurling from her side of the bed. Trixx nodded and smiled at her, proud that Alya seemed to be picking up so fast to the concept.

"Exactly like them!" Trixx giggled, flittering down to get the box from where Alya had dropped in on the edge of the bed. She nudged it closer to the dark-skinned girl, an earnest smile tugging at the Kwami's lips. "You didn't think Chat Noir and Ladybug acted all on their own, did you?"

"Well, um, yeah," Alya admitted sheepishly. Trixx laughed at that, and placed the box in Alya's hand. "I kind of did."

"Well, you were wrong!" Trixx explained helpfully. "Chat Noir and Ladybug are the oldest Miraculouses still in existence, but they aren't the only ones!"

"Their are more?" Alya asked incredously, her reporter instincts kicking in at last. "As in - not just Ladybug and Chat Noir...and you?"

"Oh, of corsue," Trixx said easily. "In fact, you'll be meeting them real soon! Tonight, actaully!"

"This. Is. So. Cool!" Alya exclaimed, jumping off of her bed with the same energy as her new Kwami had. This was awesome - now she could finally get the inside scoop on what was going on with Ladybug and Chat Noir - and what Kwami's are and how they work! The Ladyblog was going to explode after this. As if sensing her thoughts, Trixx said, "But you can't tell anyone!"

"Wait - what?" Alya said, coming to a screeching halt and staring at her Kwami with the same confusion as before. "What do you mean I can't tell anyone? My Ladyblog followers will -"

"No one can know who you are, or who any of the other Miraculous holders are as well," Trixx explained, something she was doing a lot of tonight. But this time, she was visibly less energetic than before, denoting to Alya that this was more serious than anything she had said before. "If people knew, they could target you in civilian form; go after your friends, your family, everyone you care about it. No one can know!"

"But...doesn't the public have a right to know?" Alya asked, reverting back to her justification for attempting to find out who Chat Noir and Ladybug is.

"But don't you - and they - have a right to privacy?" Trixx said back, blinking once.

"I-I guess..."Alya murmured, before looking back over at her Kwami. Holy cow, her own Kwami. The excitement from before once again bubbled up inside her, but also a sense of fear for what this could mean. But once again, curiosity and excitement won out over her fear.

"What do I have to know?"

"Adrien..." said a raspy voice into the sleeping teen's ear, waking the young man with a start. He sat straight up in his bed, his blonde hair ruffled and tangled. He had fallen asleep right after he had finished his homework a few hours ago; the blonde hadn't even had a chance to change out of his clothes yet. He grimaced at Plagg, who was floating near his ear.

"Plagg! Why did you -" he started to scold, before catching a look at the expression on the cat's face. It was serious, something almost foreign and strange on the Kwami's features. Adrien too grew more serious at this, and fell into his more serious persona.

"Plagg, what's wrong?" Adrien asked. Plagg flew to his hand and pulled the teen model up, forcibly making him stand from his bed. Plagg had never acted like this before, it was actually a but unnerving for him.

"Adrien, we have to go now!" he said in his raspy voice, rising up to eyelevel with Adrien.

"Why? Is their an Akuma? Is Ladybug in trouble?" Adrien asked, alerted by the urgency in Plagg's tone. Thousands of scenarios ran through his head, all of them involving something that had gone horribly wrong; he could barely process all of the different possibilities. Plagg shook his head no and once again spoke.

"No, no Akumas and Ladybug is fine," Plagg answered, the same urgency in his tone. "But something has happened. I thought we had more time - that Fu would wait -"

"Plagg, I don't understand, what's going on?" Adrien asked, crossing his arms across his chest in frustration. "You're speaking gibberish!"

"Fu has selected two new Miraculous holders!" Plagg said. "I can sense it, they've already transformed! We have to go find them, or else they'll be confused."

"Plagg, where are they?" Adrien asked, still not fully understanding what Plagg meant. New Miraculous holders? Were they on his and Ladybug side? Were they with Hawkmoth? Why hadn't Fu told him and Marinette this last time they went to training?

"Somewhere in Paris," was all the explanation Plagg gave. "Come on, we have to go now!"

"Ok, ok! We'll go!" Adrien relented, letting go of any questions. Tikki was more patient with Marinette, and Ladybug was probably coming along, so if he had too he could just ask her for clarification on any of the finer points of what was going on.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien cried. With a flash of green light, Plagg had diasperred and Adrien's clothes were replaced with a leather suit, a black mask, and black cat ears resting precariously on the top of his blonde hair. Adrien - Chat - smiled his mischievous smile, and unsheathed his baton and quickly swung out the open window in his room.

Landing on top of a nearby building, Chat smiled and kept running across the roof. Adrien loved the feeling he got as Chat Noir, as though he was flying and free and as though no one could stop him; the only other time he ever even felt a slither of that was when he was around Marinette and even then it was only a small part of it. Because then, he had to keep up enough of an appearance not to let the rest of the world now the secret only Marinette knew: that he was the famed superhero of Paris, Chat Noir.

He ran haphazardly across buildings for several minutes alone, searching for these new Miraculous holders, before Ladybug joined him.

"Chat!" her feminine voice called, as she swung onto the roof beside him and fell into step next to him. "Did Plagg tell you too?"

"No, I just decided to go for a late night run, mi'lady," Chat said with a slight sarcastic undertone. Ladybug grimaced and gave an apologetic look directed at her boyfriend.

"That was a stupid question, I know," Ladybug said. "Of corsue Plagg told you what was going on, why wouldn't he?"

"Did Tikki manage to tell you where to meet them?" Chat Noir asked, any joking tone from earlier now out of his voice. "Plagg wouldn't tell me anything, just told me it was time to go."

They jumped onto the next roof, a small laugh bubbled out of Ladybug's chest at the cat Kwami's antics. "Sounds like him," Ladybug mused, before she herself returned back to her more serious demeanor. "Tikki told me she sensed them at the school, so I say we go their first."

"At least we're going in the right direction," he said. They quickly made their way to their school, swinging and jumping their way through the rooftops of Paris. Behind them, an unseen figure lurked, one that narrowed it's eyes at the retreating form of Chat Noir, a feral hiss passing through his teeth. And than he was gone.

The two landed on the front steps of the school, Ladybug reseating her yoyo and Chat Noir his baton. They shared a look and stepped forward to open the door, Chat Noir resorting his usual joking grin. "Ready to meet our new paw mates, mi'lady?" he asked.

"Let's hope that they have better puns than you do," Ladybug retorted, pushing open one of the giant doors to the foyer of their school. What they expected to find were two nervous and slightly unsure beings, still not completely okay with their new transformations - maybe even a little excited like how Adrien had been the first time. Instead, they found two figures that were engaged in a near fist fight.

"You take that back!" the girl with long brown hair that thinned into white said, dressed similarly to Lila's akumatized form. This must be the real Volpina that Fu had told them about after the Lila incident a year ago. She seemed vaguely familiar to the two, registering in a sub-conscious part of their brain.

"Take what back? I didn't say anything!" the boy yelled, dressed in green trousers and long sleeved shirt, a hood pulled over his head and mask of the same color, a bow slung over his shoulder. He looked like a younger version of Master Fu's form of The Shell, alerting to them that something was off about the boy. Had Master Fu actually given up his Miraculous?

"You were thinking it! I could see it in your eyes!" the girl - Volpina - said, pointing at the boy - the Shell?-accusingly. Chat Noir and Ladybug, who had remained unseen still, shared an amused and annoyed look, mutually deciding to not interrupt the interaction in the interest of learning some more of what they were fighting about.

"How do you know what I was thinking?" The Shell asked, his eyes alighting with confusion. "Are you a telepath or something?" He seemed to be contemplating if this was a real possibility.

"No I'm not a telepath!" Volpina shouted back. "But I don't have to be to know what you're thinking! You obviously think this is overrated!"

"Where did you get that idea?" The Shell answered, furrowing his brows under his mask.

"Like I said, I can see it in your eyes!" Volpina accused, staring at him accusingly. Ladybug turned to Chat, a confused twinkle in her blue eyes. "Where we this bad when we first met?"

"As this or the first first time we met? Because in civilian life..." Chat Noir trailed off. Ladybug rolled her eyes at her partner and smiled, returning her attention to the two new superheroes. Marinette and Adrien had barely been able to stand being in the same room following the gum incident, but as far as Ladybug and Chat Noir, as far as she could remember, her and Chat had gotten along at least as if they were acquaintances.

"You want to interrupt them, or should I?" Chat Noir asked, crossing his arms and walking up to stand right beside her. Ladybug cocked her head to the side, letting the two possiilblties stew in her mind, before eventually coming to the conclusion to let Chat do it.

"I'm going to let you take the lead on this one," Ladybug eventually answered, crossing her arms with an amused smirk, reviewing the continuing fight that was escalating to near-violence at this point. Chat smirked, unsheathing his baton from his lower back.

"As you wish, mi'lady," he said, Chat raised it above his head, enlarging the end until it came to rest in the spot in-between the two heroes. The two looked up in surprise at the two heroes standing before them, Volpina's jaw noticeably dropping in surprise and excitement. Maybe she was a fan in her civilian life. Chat's smirk deepened and then motioned to himself.

"I know, I know, the two strongest, kindest, best-looking superhero duo in all of Paris, and that's before you even get to Ladybug," Chat Noir boasted in a joking tone, bowing his head as if he were in some way humble. Ladybug once again rolled her eyes at her partner's antics, placing a hand on her hip.

"OMG, it's Ladybug and Chat Noir! This is so cool!" Volpina squealed after her initial moment of shock, her lips tightening into a bright and energetic smile. This Volpina certainly was different than the Lila-imposter that had joined them, and appeared to be a lot kinder. But this Volpina appeared to be a whole lot more excitable as well, which they couldn't tell was a good or bad thing.

"This is kind of stellar, dude," The Shell spoke, walking up to the still fangirling Volpina. Chat wrinkled his nose at the statement, not out of any disgust at it, but at the sense of familiarity with the phrase. It was something that Nino would say.

"As cool as this is," Ladybug interjected into the conversation, speaking to the rookies for the first time. "Me and Chat Noir did come for a reason. Master Fu choose you two for a reason, a very special reason that he saw only in you. But don't let that confuse you, this is hard. Everyday you fight for people, against people that didn't do anything wrong except be normal people with normal emotions. Are you two ready for that?"

Volpina and The Shell shared a moment of silence as they stewed over what that meant, as they should. This wasn't something to be taken lightly; Marinette remembered how vulnerable she had been after her first Akuma attack. Who knew if these two were more vulnerable than her? Volpina nodded after a moment, shouting a quiet exclaim of "yeah!", while The Shell just nodded once with a smile.

"Good. Meet us here tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. for patrol," Chat Noir informed them, placing his hands on his hips. Ladybug mused to herself that he often did that; so much sass in one boy. "And if there's an Akuma before then...you know what to do."

"Uh...actually, we're not really sure, Wayzz didn't really tell me anything," The Shell said, and Ladybug and Char Noir both flinched at the mention of Wayzz. So Fu really had given up his Miraculous. That sorrowed them, but they still knew their new ally was trustworthy if he was entrusted with their mentors Miraculous. But that now also placed them with the duty of helping train the new Miraculous holders - something they were no where near being ready to do.

"Do you know how to transform?" Ladybug asked.

"Yes," the two answered, looking at the bluenette as if she were crazy.

"Do you know about your abilities?" Chat Noir asked.

"Some..." the Shell answered, and Volpina nodded along with him.

"Then for now, you do," Ladybug answered. "Having too much information at once can overwhelm you."

Volpina looked unsettled by this, and Ladybug knew that for now she wouldn't say anything, but that eventually Volpina was going to hit the two of them with a barrage of questions that they most likely couldn't or shouldn't answer. Hopefully not for awhile at least.

"Being a part of something special, makes you special, right?" - Rachel Berry, Glee

So...any thoughts? Reviews are very much appreciated.

I've never written fanfiction for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir before - and this is the only fic that does not feature an OC main character currently listed on my profile. It's not the first one I attempted, but those fics were short-lived and deleted. Hopefully - this one will be better. I hope everyone is in character, especially Marinette and Adrien, because they are the main characters of this story.

Chapter 2 is already written, and I should have it up soon.

Question:

What is your favorite Akumatized villian?

I'd have to say Evillustaror - he had the best design and the coolest battle sequence. Dark Cupid and Antibug both come in a close tie for second though, and The Puppeter rounds out in third place. Your thoughts?