In a dark place somewhere unknown, a tiny pink creature only a few inches long with butterfly-shaped wings and a spiral on his large head stared up at a figure wreathed in shadows. "This isn't right," the tiny creature insisted. "This isn't how the Butterfly Miraculous was meant to be used!"

"But the power is there, Nooroo," someone in the shadows responded, her voice soft. "It can be used this way. And if it works…don't you see how wonderful it could be? You told me how much you hated what life had done to me…"

"But is this the only solution?" Nooroo pleaded softly. "It will hurt so many people-"

A dark chuckle interrupted the tiny glowing creature. "You've seen this place. Trust me, that's the last thing it will do. Let me spin you how it will happen. Either I will succeed in luring out and claiming the Ladybug and the Black Cat and none of it will have happened once that combined power is unleashed…or I will fail each time because the Ladybug's power undoes yours, and no one will be hurt. No damage will be done."

"But turning people into Akuma…" Nooroo insisted, though his vehemence was starting to wane.

"Drawing out their darkest emotions at the moment they are the strongest," the shadowed figure corrected. "Showing everyone around them what they are doing to them. They will learn from this, interact differently with each other, and be better people because of it…or there will be no change, because tomorrow will start just like today. This is Nerima, Nooroo. Either this will actually help people…or no one will even notice that it happened the following day. No harm is done…and this is the only way to lure them out."

Nooroo stared up at the shadowed figure, then sighed sadly. "I…I still don't like it," he offered reluctantly. "Dark power like this…just because I can do it doesn't mean I should. There's a reason I wasn't meant to do this…and I'm afraid it's you who will pay the price."

"If I succeed, it won't have happened," the shadowed figure replied. "And if I fail…that price is the gamble I'm making."

Nooroo's wings slumped. "I don't want to see this destroy you…" he whispered sadly.

"I care about you too, Nooroo," the voice responded gently. "That's why I won't demand this. It's why I'm asking…will you help me?"

Nooroo stared up at the figure in the shadows…and let out one last sigh. "I'm your partner," he said softly. "What choice do I have? I'll help you."

"Then Nooroo…become my wings of night!"

Nooroo was sucked into a brooch, and light flared. When the light faded, the shadowed figure was shadowed no longer…but any resemblance to an ordinary human was gone. Her skin had gained a faint blue tint, and her hair turned black as night, billowing behind her head like a miasma, stars visible within as reflections of the swarms of white butterflies fluttering around her. A dark purple dress patterned like an insectoid carapace clung to her figure, the neckline just above what would be indecent with her shoulders and the top of her breasts left bare. A slit up one side of the dress left her long legs exposed, ending in sparkling purple high heels. Matching gloves stretched from just below her shoulders down to her fingertips. A butterfly mask in silver molded to her face before spreading wings to either side.

A wicked chuckle escaped her as she took in her appearance. "It seems Monarch Butterfly is in need of servants," she purred throatily. Lifting her hands, she gathered many of the butterflies together until they became a window, looking out onto the city of Tokyo, in the Nerima district. "Now…where is the rage, the sorrow, the envy, the greed…the need? This is Nerima, after all. I'm sure to have my pick."

Ranma Saotome was not having a good day. Morning sparring with his father had ended with being knocked into the koi pond, activating his Jusenkyo curse and turning the black-haired, blue-eyed Japanese teenage boy into a red-haired, blue-eyed, Japanese teenage girl. This was hardly a new occurrence for him, and by now he was used to having his physical gender changed on a daily – if not hourly – basis due to the random whims of water temperature. The day didn't get really bad until he came back inside and learned that the water heater of the Tendo Dojo was broken, meaning no hot water to change back into a boy. He was going to have to spend the day as Ranko, much as he hated the idea.

Then his uncute fiancé Akane had tried to poison him with the unrecognizable sludge she called her cooking. Left with the choice of eating it and being left sick as a dog for the entire day while she wasn't punished at all, or refusing and getting yelled at by everyone over it, he'd taken the sensible option and ran out of the house for school as fast as he could.

Of course, this meant that Ranma would have to deal with an angry Akane all day…not that this was unusual for the pig-tailed boy/girl. Still, she was the smallest of his problems. There would also be Ukyo – his childhood friend turned fiancé okonomiyaki chef – wanting to feed him, Shampoo – the purple haired Chinese Amazon – wanting to feed him, and several of his rivals trying to kill or kiss him depending on their mental faculties. And it would happen that every single one of them – save Ryoga, who could be expected to disappear for weeks on end given his sense of direction – showed up on his way to school.

Unwilling to face all of that for the entire day, Ranma decided to do something he'd rarely even considered, let alone done…he ditched school. Hopping along rooftops, he kept his bag close to his back as he looked for somewhere he could avoid too much attention. He was already feeling guilty about ditching school, and planned to assuage his conscience by finding somewhere to plop down and study.

As he hopped along the rooftops, he noticed something that gave him pause. An old Chinese man in a Hawaiian shirt was crossing a street into traffic. While several things about the situation put the hair on the back of Ranma's neck up – an old man, a Hawaiian shirt – he found he couldn't sense anything special about the old man. There was no threat from him…but there was one to him. A truck was barreling down the road, plainly having trouble with its brakes and heading straight for the old man…who was staggering through the crosswalk at a snail's pace.

"Watch out!" Ranma called out, leaping down off the roof and dashing forward. Grabbing the old man, he dragged him across the road with no thought to his own safety or the fact he was clutching the old man to his presently female body. As the truck zoomed by, he set the old man down. "Are you alright?"

The old man smiled up with kind dark brown eyes. "I am now. Thank you, young lady. I will be more careful in the future."

Ranma smiled. "That's a good idea." With that, he turned and raced off, still seeking that quiet spot no one would think to look for him.

He didn't notice the old man staring after him with a speculative expression on his face.

Ryoga Hibiki was not having a good day. This was nothing new for 'the eternal lost boy', as he was known to some. He had what was certain to be the world's worst sense of direction, guaranteed to get him hopelessly lost at a moment's notice. For example, today the black haired boy had shouldered his massive pack and umbrella and set off in search of the bathroom, which he knew to be only one door away from his bedroom. He was currently in what he was certain was a deep forest somewhere, surely unexplored by anyone but him and hopelessly lost.

The people just outside the one-block park kept giving him odd looks as he wandered from tree to tree in search of the way out.

Finally, unwilling to keep searching fruitlessly, Ryoga sat down and dug around in his pack for his food and cooking utensils. He'd cook himself up a quick meal, that always helped raise his spirits…and invariably resulted in someone showing up, which would help him get his bearings.

Much as he'd expected, just as he finished cooking his meal and was ready to eat, an old Chinese man wearing a Hawaiian shirt hobbled up, leaning on a cane. "What are you doing cooking in this park, young man?" he asked curiously.

Ryoga blinked in surprise. "Park?" Seeing the old man pointing, he followed the line of the finger to the nearby street. "Oh, fancy that. I don't suppose you know the way to Furinkan High School?" he asked hopefully. That was always a safe place to start his search for whatever he was looking for…even if it took a few weeks to get there.

The old man shook his head. "I only just arrived here in Okinawa. I do not know this school."

"…the way to Tokyo, then?" Ryoga asked hopefully.

The old man pointed off in a specific direction. "That way."

"Thanks," Ryoga replied gratefully as he began eating.

Right at that moment, the old man's stomach rumbled. "I had best see to my own meal-"

"Here," Ryoga spoke up, pushing half the meal into another bowl and offering it to the old man.

The old man smiled at him. "My thanks," he offered warmly, happily digging in.

Once both had finished their meals, Ryoga stood up and turned to go. "Thanks for the directions, old man!" he spoke up warmly.

The old man suddenly took hold of Ryoga's pack, turning him around. "That way," he instructed firmly.

Ryoga chuckled nervously. "Thanks…" Turning, he ran off.

The old man sighed softly. The boy was good, no doubt about that. He hoped he'd picked right on this one, since he'd already slipped the box into the boy's bag. He doubted he'd ever be able to find the boy again otherwise.