PA2: Guess who's back?

MP: Back again. Shady's back, tell a friend!...does anybody remember that song?

PA2: Probably, but I'm not that much of a Eminem fan. Anyway, not important. Welcome to our next Ladybug fic!

MP: This one spent a long time in production, but is actually older than our other project, Olympian Journey. By the way, read and review Olympian Journey.

PA2: Must we continue to shill? Anyway, you know the drill. Miraculous Ladybug is the property of Thomas Astruc and Zagtoon Entertainment, the only things we own are our original characters and our plot.

MP: Until the day we can sell out for cash money!

PA2: Always good to have dreams. Without further ado, enjoy!

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Fu Fu:

A Miraculous Ladybug Fic

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Chapter One

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"How's your room coming, Marinette?" Sabine called from downstairs. "Have you vacuumed everywhere? Even under the bed?"

"Yes, mom!" Marinette shouted back, wiping the sweat from her brow. She was an attractive teenaged half-Chinese girl with sparkling blue eyes and a sweet smile. The downside of having an attic bedroom was the need to carry everything up a staircase, so she always had to be extra thorough with the vacuum before she took it down. But it wasn't often that they had guests, and her mom insisted on having a clean house.

"Good! And the sheets?"

"Freshly changed!"

"That's great, Marinette! Come downstairs for some lunch, and then we'll get to work on the kitchen!"

Marinette sighed and finally allowed herself to slouch.

"Your mom sure is worked up, isn't she?" came a voice from Marinette's purse. A tiny creature flitted out, a strange mix of ladybug and fairy, with a disproportionately large head and enormous blue eyes.

"Can you blame her, Tikki?" Marinette replied. "She hasn't seen her cousin since before I was born, and we've already had two family visits ruined by - well, you know."

"It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Tikki asked.

"Yes, but not until my great uncle tried to turn Chloe into soup," Marinette said, sighing. "And then Befana turned half my class into coal. Besides, my mom had a tough time convincing her cousin to come at all."

"Why? Was there some sort of falling out?"

"No, they're as close as ever. But she has a daughter around my age, and from what I've heard, she's very fragile. She was worried about her making such a huge trip, especially when she can't really speak the language," Marinette said.

"Well, at least your mom will be able to translate for you instead of that app," Tikki replied, giggling. "But then again, maybe you were hoping that Adrien would show up to help."

"Tikki!" Marinette yelled, blushing bright red. Before she could say more than that, though, she was interrupted.

"Marinette, dear?" her mother called out again. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, mom!" she said, before turning to Tikki. "Okay Tikki, you know the drill."

Tikki nodded and flitted back into Marinette's bag, and Marinette descended downstairs, where her mom had set out sandwiches.

"Thanks, mom," Marinette said as she took a seat and grabbed some food. Her mother was seated across from her, a petite Chinese woman with Marinette's sparkling eyes.

"You're welcome, dear," Sabine replied. "Thank you for being so helpful. I'm just so excited! I haven't seen Huifang in person since my wedding!"

Marinette nodded and swallowed a mouthful of food. "Right. Now, how are we related again?"

Sabine rolled her eyes. "We've been over this, Marinette. Huifang is my cousin, on my father's side."

"And she's Cheng Shifu's daughter?"

"No, sweetie. He's her Uncle Wang, too. Anyway, since she's my cousin, she's your first cousin once removed, and her daughter's your second cousin."

"This is kinda confusing," Marinette complained, resting her chin on her hand.

"I could draw you a chart," Sabine shrugged.

"Nah. Anyway, what're they like?"

"Well, Huifang and I always had a lot in common. I used to visit her in China every summer when I was little. We were best friends. I'm afraid I don't know much about her daughter, though. I've never met her."

Their lunch was interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing in the bakery downstairs, followed by a familiar voice calling "Honey, we're here!"

Marinette and her mother simultaneously jumped out of their chairs and rushed down the stairs into the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. When they came out of the storage room that hid the staircase, they saw Tom, Marinette's big, broad-shouldered father, standing there, a smile identical to Marinette's on his mustached face. On either side of him stood two Chinese women, one an adult with a broad smile, and the other a teenager with a more subdued look.

The adult was recognizably similar to Sabine, being around the same height and with similar face and body structure. Unlike Sabine, she wore her hair long, to around the middle of her back, and wore a modest dress with floral print designs. The teenager, however, was much more distinctive in her appearance. While she had a similar facial structure to her mother's, her features were much softer, her expression much more demure, and she wore her bluish-black hair in a pixie cut. She wore a necklace with a gold pendant, in a shape Marinette couldn't quite make out. As if to contrast her features, her clothes were bright and loud, vibrant red and gold covered with images of dragons and phoenixes.

"Huifang!" Sabine laughed, launching herself into a hug at the older of the two guests. Her cousin laughed and hugged her right back.

"It's good to see you again, Sabine," she said, her French clear despite the notable accent. Looking up, she continued, "And this must be Marinette. Sabine has told me so much about you."

"All of it good, I hope," Marinette said, smiling. There was just an air of happiness about this woman that made it easy to like her. The relief of being able to communicate with her didn't hurt matters either.

"Naturally," Huifang replied. Withdrawing from the hug, she gestured at the teenaged girl. "And this is my own daughter, Huiqing. Say hello, dear."

"Nice to...meet you," she said, her French less clear than her mother's. Still, Marinette could understand her well enough. The girl smiled, showing off sparkling white teeth, before turning aside and, to everybody's surprise, grabbing a plate of four cupcakes off of the counter. Huifang, seeing this, sighed.

"Oh, uh, you're hungry?" Marinette asked. "Help yourself."

To her surprise, the girl ignored her, and moved all four of the cakes onto another plate, with four more cupcakes.

Huiqing replied with a string of Mandarin, a serious expression on her face.

"Um…" Marinette began, not understanding what just happened.

"She said, 'Never put four things on a plate. Eight is better'," Huifang said, shaking her head. "Sabine, I'm very sorry about that."

"It's no trouble. We're closed for the moment anyway," Sabine said. "But is everything okay? You seem upset."

"More resigned, to be honest," Huifang replied. "I was hoping that things would be better once we arrived, but it seems it was not to be."

Meanwhile, Huiqing reached into a small pouch tied around her waist and pulled out a pinch of powder. She lightly threw it into the air, and it scattered around the bakery.

"Um, I'm sorry?" Marinette asked. "I don't want to be rude, but I don't really understand what's going on here."

"I'm afraid I must agree," Sabine said, looking at Huifang. "You mentioned Huiqing having some 'issues', but nothing specific."

"That's because I hoped it wouldn't come up," Huifang said, looking down. "You see, ever since a few months ago, Huiqing has become very…'superstitious', I believe is the best word for it. The reason she moved the cupcakes is because the number four is bad luck in China, and she saw having four of them on a plate as a bad omen."

"We're all a little superstitious, Huifang," Tom said with a shrug. "I can't watch a game without my lucky jersey."

"If it were only that, it would be one thing," Huifang said seriously, "but it's on an unreasonable scale. She is constantly looking for import in everything, and seeks to protect herself from 'bad luck' in every way possible. When she heard a dog howling one night, she spent the next morning calling everyone she knew to see if anyone had died. And that's just one example."

"I see," Sabine said. "Well, I can certainly see why you would be concerned. But why didn't you tell me before? Also, what did she throw on my floor?"

"I'm sorry to say I was afraid," Huifang said, a somber look on her face as she shook her head. "I didn't know how you would react, and I've been trying to get her over this for a long time now. I was hoping that a change of scenery would improve her views. As for the powder, it's some sort of charm to repel bad luck. She got it from a fortune teller about a month ago. I truly am sorry for not telling you, and for causing you so much trouble."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Sabine replied, smiling widely at her cousin. "You haven't caused us any trouble at all. We'll do whatever we can to help."

"Right!" Marinette said, pumping her fist. She barely knew Huiqing, but she seemed like a sweet, earnest girl. She was happy to help out in any way she could.

"Now that that's settled," Tom said, "let's head upstairs. I'm sure you two must be hungry, and Sabine has set some food out for you."

"That sounds wonderful, Tom," Huifang said with a laugh as he escorted them out of the bakery.

Marinette was about to follow them, but Sabine tapped her on the shoulder. "Marinette, can we talk here for a second?" she said.

"Sure thing, Mom. What is it?" Marinette replied, turning back to face her mother. Surprisingly, she looked rather concerned.

"I wanted to talk to you about Huiqing. Specifically, about her 'problem', as Huifang put it," she said firmly. "I'd like for you to make her feel comfortable, but I'd much prefer it if you didn't try to 'fix' her, as it were."

"Um...okay, Mom, but why?" Marinette asked, confused.

"Because I love my cousin dearly, but I don't think she actually understands what Huiqing's going through," Sabine answered gravely. "Not fully, anyway. She wants it to be a simple phase, but it sounds quite a bit more serious than that."

Marinette nodded. Indeed, from Huifang's description, Huiqing's superstitiousness sounded like much more of an issue than Huifang made it out to be.

"Is there anything I can do?" Marinette asked.

"Just be patient with her. She may say or do things that seem strange, but try not to call attention to them. She's had a troubling change in her life, and she's coping as best she can."

"Wait, what change?' Marinette asked. "You never mentioned that."

Sabine shook her head and opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a call from upstairs.

"Sabine, Marinette, are you coming?" Tom yelled down.

"Coming!" Sabine called back up, before turning back to Marinette. "I'll tell you later," she promised. "Just don't ask any prying questions for now."

"I understand," Marinette said, nodding.

Sabine smiled. "I know you do. Now then, let's go. Wouldn't do to keep them waiting much longer!"

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Lunch was a strange affair. Though everybody enjoyed the food, Huiqing never said more than a couple of words, even with her mother's translations. Huifang and Sabine, on the other hand, were carrying on like best friends. They told stories of their summers in Shanghai, of helping their uncle Wang cook, of old friends and pets. Huifang told a story about how they tried to chase down a stray dog that got both of the women laughing hysterically.

At best, though, Huiqing gave an obliging smile. Marinette still wasn't sure how to best approach her. She had an endearing sweetness, but her brusque demeanor and reticence made it difficult to bridge the gap. The language barrier wasn't helping matters either. Still, as the meal went on, Huiqing was opening up a little bit, so there was definitely progress happening. She barely touched her food, though.

When the meal finished, Sabine turned to Marinette. "Dear, why don't you take Huiqing up to your room for a bit while your father and I help Huifang get the guest room set up?" Leaning in, she whispered, "Maybe Huiqing will be a bit more talkative when she's alone with someone her own age."

"Yes," Huifang agreed, also joining the conversation. "Besides, she needs to practice her French."

"I'll do my best," she whispered back, before turning to Huiqing. "Let me show you my room," she said slowly, hoping that the meaning would come across without the need for a translation.

Thankfully, Huiqing nodded, and the two quickly left the table and climbed up the staircase to Marinette's room. As Marinette put her head through the entrance, though, she noticed the collage on the wall and flinched. All sorts of photos of the same handsome, green-eyed boy with the feathered blonde hair and open smile lined the wall.

Frantically, she looked at Tikki, who had poked her head out of Marinette's bag, and gestured with her eyes at the wall. Nodding, Tikki flew out of the bag and grabbed a nearby poster, her usual camouflage for her shrine. As the kwami struggled to move and hang up the poster, Marinette climbed the rest of the way into the room and extended a hand to help Huiqing up, blocking Tikki from view with her body.

Huiqing didn't even look in that direction, instead making a beeline towards Marinette's bed. To Marinette's surprise, she collapsed on top of it with a smile on her face, losing much of her earlier tension.

"Nice room," Huiqing said as she stared up at the ceiling. While her French still had a noticeable accent, it was much clearer than it had been downstairs. "Very comfortable."

"I thought you had trouble speaking French!" Marinette yelled, albeit more from surprise than anything else.

"Not great, but not bad either," Huiqing replied. "Harder when around my mother. A bit…'overbearing,' I think is the word? Better when it's just you and me."

"That's good to hear," Marinette said, smiling, but filing that comment away for later. "So, how do you like Paris so far?"

"Very pretty," Huiqing replied. "Nice to visit. Haven't seen much of it yet, but I want to see more." Suddenly, her face brightened. "Oh, I have a gift for you!"

Huiqing reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small ceramic figurine. She handed it to Marinette, who took a closer look.

"Oh, what a cute turtle!" Marinette said. It was a strange gift, but thoughtful nonetheless.

Huiqing nodded. "Place it on the east side. It will protect your home."

"Thank you!" Marinette said, moving to put the turtle down on the east side of her room. As she did, she saw Huiqing visibly relax, a slight tenseness in her shoulders disappearing. These rituals really are a huge deal to her, she thought.

As she walked over, Huiqing caught a glimpse of Tikki, who after hanging up the poster had settled onto Marinette's desk and sat down, keeping perfectly still. "Very adorable doll," she said. "Ladybugs must be very popular here."

Marinette smiled to herself. "Ladybugs are our good luck charm," she said as she put the turtle down. "And that's even more true now that Ladybug and Cat Noir are here."

"Oh, Cat Noir!" Huiqing gasped. "Have you seen him? Have you met him?"

"Oh, once or twice," Marinette said. On the inside, though, she was grinning. It was nice to see Cat Noir get some appreciation. As much as he annoyed her at times, he was Ladybug's most devoted ally, and it hurt that he was so often ignored in favor of her. He deserved a fan or two. "How do you know about him? I thought he was only famous in Paris."

Huiqing shrugged. "Superheroes are big news everywhere," she answered, her French getting smoother and smoother. "Especially handsome ones. And black cats are very lucky in China."

"I see," Marinette said, deciding not to mention what most of the world thought of black cats. Even if some of her attitude downstairs was a front, her superstitious nature was still very real. She didn't want to ruin her mood with a stupid remark. "Are there a lot of lucky animals in China?"

"Lots," Huiqing replied. For the first time, she began to get animated as she listed off animals one after the other. "Turtles, black cats, pigs, deer, frogs, crickets, koi fish, lions, rabbits, butterflies-"

"Butterflies aren't so lucky here," Marinette interrupted. "Your mom warned you about akumas, right?"

"Yes, lots of times," Huiqing said with a wave of her hand. "Great uncle Wang turned into an evil chef, right? Besides, it might be cool to see a real supervillain in person. I hear it happens almost every day here. How do you handle it?"

"Oh, you know," Marinette said with a nervous smile. "One day at a time. And Ladybug and Cat Noir tend to take care of them pretty quick."

"Ah. Anyway, my luckiest animals are bats."

"Bats are lucky?" Marinette asked, tilting her head. "Why?"

"Well, in Chinese, the words for 'bat' and 'luck' sound the same," Huiqing explained. She was finally animated, talking about a subject that interested her. She almost seemed like a different person now. She also finally realized what that pendant of Huiqing's was: a sleeping bat, its wings wrapped around its body. "They're both pronounced 'fu'."

Marinette's mind flashed to a friend of hers, an old Chinese man in a Hawaiian shirt. "'Fu' means 'luck', huh?" she said thoughtfully. "Uh, just out of curiosity, what does 'Wang' mean?"

"'King'," Huiqing replied. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Marinette replied. That explains a lot. " So, uh, anything you want to do while you're here? Sightseeing? Oh, maybe I could introduce you to my friends-"

Immediately, Huiqing seemed to collapse in on herself. "Don't know if a good idea," she said, her accent getting much more pronounced.

Marinette blanched. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I just thought it might be fun. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Huiqing relaxed a bit. "Really? Mother says I should 'get out of my comfort zone' more. That's why she took me here in the first place."

Marinette smiled. "I can see why she would think that. But rushing it isn't going to do any good. If you get forced into something new when you're not ready, then it might just make things worse! You need to go at your own pace. Just know that as long as you're here, I'll be right here with you."

Huiqing smiled, then hugged Marinette fiercely. "Thank you," she said, smiling widely. "And I think I would like to meet your friends. Just...one at a time, please?"

Marinette smiled back and nodded until her second cousin released her, then picked up her phone, hitting the most-used number on the contacts list. "Hey, Alya! Can you meet me at the Champ de Mars? I'm bringing a friend."

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"So Huiqing, you're a big fan of superheroes?" Alya asked as the three girls walked through the lush greenery of the Champ de Mars. She was an attractive, dark-skinned girl with clever hazel eyes behind cat's-eye glasses.

"Yes," Huiqing answered, smiling. While Alya's exuberance had initially made her hesitant, her vibrant demeanor soon broke the ice. "They're a lot of fun to follow. Wish we had more over where I live..."

"I hear that," Alya said, chuckling. "I mean, I could do without the akumas, but the superheroes are pretty great. Anyway, you said black cats are lucky in China, right?"

Huiqing nodded as Marinette smiled at Alya. Good instinct, she thought.

"Well, what about foxes?" Alya asked, her eyes bright. "Any cool stories about them?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. Or maybe she's just trying to boost her ego, she thought. Marinette loved Alya, and she was a great help when the situation required for Rena Rouge, user of the Fox Miraculous, but sometimes it seemed like she was trying to get herself found out.

"It depends," Huiqing said, shrugging. "We have huli jing, fox spirits, and they can be both good and bad. Overall they tend to be seen as dangerous, but they're not pure evil."

"Oh," Alya said, wilting. "Guessing you don't think much of our new heroine, then?"

Huiqing laughed. "Actually, Rena Rouge is really cool! She's taking back the fox spirit and making into something heroic. Plus, illusions are just awesome."

Alya perked back up. "I know, right! Only wish I could get an interview with her. It'd really boost up my Ladyblog."

"So, Huiqing, how'd you first hear about Ladybug, anyway?" Marinette asked, cutting in before Alya started to out herself. "I know you said superheroes were big news, but they're still pretty local. And Rena Rouge hasn't even been around that long!"

Huiqing smiled. "Actually, it was Great Uncle Wang. When he came back, he told us about Ladybug and Cat Noir, and how they saved him. Started to do some research on my own and got hooked," she said, before giggling. "Plus, Cat Noir has kind of a following. Like I said, handsome superheroes always make news. I hope I get to meet him!"

"Yeah, same here. Always good to talk to our local heroes," Alya replied, before glancing back at the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly, she stopped short.

"Alya?" Marinette asked, concerned.

"You need to see this, like, now!" Alya said, pointing at the Eiffel Tower. Marinette and Huiqing quickly turned and gasped. There, just barely hanging on to the ledge of the observation deck, was a terrified man with a scraggly mustache, recognizably a tourist with his assortment of cameras, screaming and crying for help.

Ladybug needs to get there, now!, Marinette thought, before turning to Alya. "Quick, take Huiqing back to the bakery! I'm going to try to find help!" she shouted as she turned to run off. However, before she could, she felt a hand grab onto her shoulder.

"No, don't leave!" Huiqing said, her voice thick with both her accent and her tears. "Getting a bad omen about this! Don't want you to get hurt!"

"But-" Marinette began, before Huiqing basically tackled her into a hug, causing her to yelp. What am I supposed to do?, she thought as her second cousin kept on squeezing her.

"Huiqing, don't worry! I'm not going up there, I promise!" she said, trying to free herself from Huiqing's grip. But the girl wouldn't let up.

Just as Marinette was thinking about breaking free, she saw Alya start smiling. "Actually, looks like the situation's taken care of!" she said, gesturing back towards the tower. Marinette and Huiqing looked up, and Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. A new figure had arrived on the scene. Scaling the twisted metal tower with catlike grace was a familiar blonde figure in a black catsuit. With excellent agility, he leapt onto the observation deck and ripped off the belt that blew behind him like a tail, wrapping it around the dangling man's wrist and using it to pull him up to safety.

"Well, that's a relief," Marinette said as she felt Huiqing's grip slacken. Turning to face the girl, Marinette was surprised to see her smiling through her tears.

"I knew it!" she said. "I knew Cat Noir was good luck!"

"Yeah, I suppose he is," Marinette replied, smiling.

"Um, Huiqing? What made you so nervous about letting Marinette go?" Alya asked, ignoring the now completed rescue as she refocused her attention on her friend.

Instantly, Huiqing blushed bright red, letting Marinette go and lowering her face. She mumbled something under her breath.

"Huh?" Alya asked. "What did you say?"

"...Messy facial hair is bad luck," Huiqing said hesitantly, turning to look at Alya. "That's why he fell. Worried that Marinette would get caught in it."

"I...see," Alya said hesitantly. She looked like she was about to continue when she saw Marinette, standing behind Huiqing, frantically signalling her to stop. Alya blinked, then sighed softly. "Well, good thing Cat Noir was there."

Huiqing's expression brightened. "Yes! He's such good luck, he was able to cancel the man's bad luck! He's incredible!"

"Yeah, I guess he is. Still prefer Ladybug though," Alya said, smirking as Huiqing giggled. "So, now that that little interruption is over, where to next?"

Looking at Huiqing, still crying slightly, Marinette said, "Actually, I think we should probably head home. Huiqing, mind if Alya joins us?" she asked.

Huiqing hesitated, then nodded, prompting a bright smile from Marinette as the three girls started heading back to the bakery. However, before they could really get going, Huiqing caught sight of Cat Noir leaping down from the Eiffel Tower and start making his way across the rooftops.

"Huiqing?" Marinette asked, slightly concerned by her fixation on the hero. Then she yelped as Huiqing started running. "Wait, where are you going?!"

"To find Cat Noir!" she replied. "Really want to meet him!"

"Wait, Huiqing, you don't even know where you're going!" Marinette continued as she and Alya started to chase after the girl. "Hey, wait up!"

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Meanwhile, in a remarkably clean Parisian alleyway, Cat Noir landed lightly on the ground. He looked around quickly and, seeing no one, pressed himself up against a wall and held up his right hand.

"Claws in," he whispered to the black ring on his finger, decorated with a green paw print. In a flash of energy, his appearance had completely changed. The person standing there now was an exact match for the photos in Marinette's room: feathered blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a winning smile. Floating next to his head was a small creature much like Tikki, but where Tikki resembled a ladybug, this one looked like a black cat.

"So Adrien, what's the plan? I mean, you sure you don't want to head back to the mansion?" the creature said, its nasally voice almost whining.

"Plagg, you wouldn't be saying that if I hadn't interrupted your snack," Adrien said, chuckling.

"It was camembert! You can't just ditch that for a day on the town!" Plagg complained, shaking his head.

"Look, my dad and Nathalie are busy-"

"What else is new?" Plagg interrupted.

"-dealing with new modeling contracts, and the Gorilla's watching his soaps," Adrien continued, glaring at Plagg. "Take the opportunities when you can!"

"Ugh, fine," Plagg groaned. "But you owe me later! And not just regular camembert this time! I want that rare pont l'eveque that I know you've been saving to bribe me!"

Adrien sighed. "Yeah, yeah, okay," he muttered as Plagg flew into his jacket pocket. "Now then, let's see who's around…" he continued as he started reaching for his phone.

"Ah!" came a voice from the other end of the alley. "Cat Noir!"

Turning quickly, Adrien saw a young Chinese girl, one who looked around Marinette's age, dressed in bright red and gold clothing bolting down the entrance to the alley.

What? But I was sure- Adrien thought for a split second, panicked beyond anything he'd ever felt, only for the girl to race right by him and look at the other end of the alley, trying to catch a glimpse of the hero. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, she just saw me go in. Nothing to worry about, he thought as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"(I was sure he went this way)," the girl muttered in Mandarin, prompting Adrien to blink in disbelief. Suddenly, the girl looked up and turned to Adrien, gasping as she finally noticed him. "Oh, sorry!" she said in heavily accented, but overall understandable French.

"(It's no trouble at all. If I saw Ladybug rushing down the street, I'd be right there with you)," Adrien said with a chuckle, also speaking in Mandarin. The girl's eyes widened, and she smiled back.

"(I never expected to find another speaker here!)" the girl said. "(Not even my cousin knows the language.)"

"(Your cousin?)" Adrien asked, only to stop when he heard panting coming from the front of the alleyway. Turning, he saw Marinette and Alya staggering into the alley, both looking exhausted.

"Huiqing…please...stop," Marinette panted, her face flushing. "You...you can't just...run off like that!"

The girl, Huiqing, looked abashed. "Sorry Marinette, Alya," she said in French. "Guess I was…'carried away', right?"

"It's okay," Marinette said as she started to get her breath back. "I know the feeling. I just don't want you to get lost!"

"She seemed to have a good idea where she was going," Adrien said, prompting Marinette to look at him and gasp.

"Adrien! But, who, why, when-?" she stammered before Alya shoved her out of the way.

"Fancy running into you here, Adrien!" she said, grinning. "I thought your dad would be keeping you on lockdown."

"Well, what can I say?" Adrien chuckled, doing his best not to let his nerves show when it came to that subject. "Anyway, Marinette, this is your cousin?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Marinette nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Oh, are you friends?" Huiqing asked, looking between the two teenagers.

"(Classmates, friends, something like that)," Adrien replied in Mandarin. Alya's eyes lit up in realization.

"Right, almost forgot you knew the language," Alya muttered to herself. Suddenly, she grinned even wider. "Actually, Marinette and I were just taking Huiqing back to the bakery. Want to come join us?"

Marinette made a sound like steam escaping a kettle, grabbing Alya to keep from falling over. Huiqing looked at her quizzically, but Adrien ignored it with the ease of long practice.

"Sounds great! Didn't have anything in particular planned," he said, smiling. "(What about you, Huiqing? Would it be alright if I joined you three?)" he asked, turning to Huiqing. Strangely enough, the girl seemed much more hesitant than before.

But before Adrien could say anything, he heard Marinette start talking. "That sounds like fun!" she said, walking over to Huiqing. Suddenly, she stopped short, her mind flashing back to Huiqing's reaction to the four cakes. Whipping her head around, she faced Alya. "Hey, Alya, how about you invite Nino too? It'll just be the five of us!" she said, wrapping an arm around Huiqing as she said 'five'. Adrien watched as Huiqing immediately relaxed.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Huiqing said softly, looking at Marinette. As Adrien started walking over to Alya, who was busy opening her phone, she mouthed a quick 'Thank you' to her. Marinette simply nodded as the two girls rejoined their friends.

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"You know, if I knew that you were inviting my boyfriend just to pad out the numbers, I would have suggested someone else," Alya said, an aggrieved look in her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry!" Marinette apologized, looking over at the rest of their group. The two girls were sitting on the far end of a table, watching as Adrien and Huiqing had an animated discussion in Mandarin over their lunch. Nino was sitting next to them, a bemused expression on his face as he idly moved his chopsticks from the bowl to his mouth and back again. While the bespectacled, dark-skinned and music-loving boy had met them at the bakery, Adrien had managed to convince Huiqing to stay out a little longer. Hence their finding a nearby Chinese restaurant to eat lunch, which Adrien gallantly offered to pay for. The servers had looked slightly askance as Huiqing sprinkled a handful of dust on the floor, but took it in stride when she didn't do anything else. Soon the five were digging into a family-style feast of dumplings, noodles, and rice.

"Hey, free food and good company," Nino said with a shrug. "I'm not complaining."

Alya, meanwhile, caught Marinette staring and sighed. "Girl, please tell me you're not getting jealous of your own cousin."

Marinette squeaked. "No! I mean...not really. It's just...she's talking to him like it's nothing while I can barely get a complete sentence out unless you're around."

"To be fair, that's mostly on you," Nino chimed in, prompting a glare from Marinette. "Besides, if you want to get involved, you could always jump in."

"No, I shouldn't," Marinette replied, shaking her head. "Huiqing's really enjoying herself, and she needs all the fun she can have."

"Yeah, I get it," Alya said. "From what you've told us, it sounds like she's been having a hard time."

"Yeah, I think so too," Marinette said. "Hopefully this visit gives her the break she needs."

"Break from what, though?" Alya asked, pausing to spear a dumpling. "You never actually said what happened to her."

"Honestly?" Marinette told her. She had barely touched her food. Unlike Huiqing, she'd filled up at the bakery. "I don't know. Her mom and mine just said something bad happened a few months ago."

"And you haven't asked her yet?" Nino asked.

"Mom told me to leave it alone for now, and I think that's for the best. We're trying to help Huiqing have fun, not fix all her 'problems'. I'll find out when I find out."

On the other side of the table, Adrien and Huiqing were still engrossed in conversation, but the mood had taken a decided shift to the serious.

"(So you sure you want to tell me first? Not Marinette?)" Adrien asked. He'd stopped eating, leaving a piece of pork clenched tight in his chopsticks just beyond his mouth.

Huiqing nodded. "(I would have told Marinette already, but I don't think I'd be able to get through the story in French. Probably start crying too hard to find the words. Plus, you're easier to talk to. Marinette's wonderful, but I can tell she's been trying to spare my feelings since we met. It's a nice change of pace, but for this, I need someone more...neutral, I guess.)", she said, shrugging.

"(Well, I'm happy to help however I can,)" Adrien replied, finally taking a bite of the pork in garlic sauce. "(Even if it's just by listening.)"

"(Good. Well, the thing you have to realize is that my parents had something of a whirlwind relationship. They met, they kissed, they got married, all within a year. It was pretty wild, from how they used to tell it.)". Huiqing said, resting her chin on her hands.

"(Sounds like true love to me,)" Adrien said, smiling.

"(Yeah, they thought so, too. But things weren't all perfect. They didn't have much money, they were different religions, their families didn't particularly like each other, stuff like that. But they figured that their love was strong enough to pull them through,)" Huiqing continued, her expression getting downcast.

Adrien frowned. "(And I'm guessing it wasn't?)"

Huiqing nodded. "(Things were fine for the first year. Money was tight, but they made do, even when I came along. But time got the better of them. It was little things at first; an argument here, a night spent out there, but they started to add up as the years went by. They were managing, but things got worse when Dad lost his job a few years ago. He found another eventually, but the damage was done. Whatever had gotten them together couldn't withstand the stress. By the time I was ten, they were having 'strong discussions' every other night. Those turned into fights by the time I was twelve. And last year…)".

"(Full blown screaming?)" Adrien asked.

"(I could hardly sleep, they were so loud,)" Huiqing said, starting to tear up a bit. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "(By a few months ago, Dad was away on 'business' every other week, and even when he was home, the arguing was constant. They weren't even trying to fix it; they were just waiting for the other one to break. Finally, they had the mother of all fights, the worst one yet. I tried to hide in my room, but I had to come out eventually. And right as I did, I watched as Dad hit Mom in the face with a broom, looking as angry as I'd ever seen him. It was the brush end, but I could see him winding up for another swing when I walked into the room. He took one look at me, dropped it, and stormed out, swearing that he was never coming back.)

The tears were flowing in earnest now, and Huiqing's voice was getting choked up. Still, she kept talking, the words pouring out of her.

"(That night, I tried to sleep, but barely could. I woke up at nearly 5 in the morning, screaming from a nightmare. I don't remember the whole thing, just that it had teeth in it. Lots and lots of teeth)." she continued. At Adrien's confused look, she said, "(It's an omen of parental death. I ran to my mom's room, and when I saw her breathing, I curled up next to her. I think I may have fallen back to sleep; I'm not sure. Everything from the nightmare on is a blur. The next thing I remember is sitting in the kitchen the next day when the police officer knocked on our door. Mom knew it was about Dad, but she thought he'd just gotten arrested, even hoped it was the break she needed for a good alimony case. But she needn't have worried. At 4:44 that morning, Dad had been hit by a car. He never made it to the hospital)".

Adrien put a hand over Huiqing's hand, but she shook it off.

"(Credit to my mom, she didn't celebrate. She cried right along with me, sitting there in that kitchen. But by the time the funeral had rolled around, the grief had turned into relief, even catharsis)," she continued. "(I can't blame her, though. Those last few months were awful. But I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about when he died. 4:44 a.m. Right when I woke up from a nightmare. One about teeth. One about the death of my parents.)"

"(And that's when the superstitiousness started?)" Adrien asked.

Huiqing nodded. "(I'd never really cared before, but now I saw the symbols everywhere. Dad was three years older than Mom. He had hit her with a broom just before he left. He left his chopsticks standing up in the dish at dinner before he stormed out. And not only had he died at 4:44 a.m., but it was the fourth of April. One omen might have been coincidence. Two would have been concerning. But all those, one right after the other? It was too much)."

By now, Marinette and the others had noticed what was going on and had rushed over. Marinette had her arms around Huiqing's shoulders, but the girl didn't even notice. She just kept talking. She also failed to notice Adrien stuffing a cream cheese wonton into his wriggling jacket.

"(I looked up every omen I could, every symbol, every tradition. My dad was gone, but I could protect myself, my mom, everyone I cared for. My mom was fine with it at first, but as the months went on, she started losing patience. Soon it felt like every day was just another argument about how I needed to get over this, to move on, to stop driving my friends crazy with this nonsense. But I'd seen the truth; how could I stop? By the beginning of last month, I was performing ten lucky rituals before I left the house, and I lost count of how many I'd do each day)."

Huiqing reached down and stroked the pouch at her waist. "(The lucky dust helped, a little. It's a mixture of jade sand, crushed bamboo, and ground bat bones. The fortune teller who gave it to me told me it would send bad luck flying out of anywhere I sprinkled it in. I put pinches everywhere; home, stores, schools, anywhere I went. I needed to get three bags of it before I came to Paris, just to be safe)," she said, finally leaning into Marinette's arms. "(And I guess the rest is obvious)," she finished, before her words were finally replaced with sobs as Marinette just held her tighter.

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High above Paris, but not at all far away, a tall, gaunt man with a purple suit and a silver mask twirled his cane as the shielding over his huge circular window opened before him. Light spilled into the room, which was empty save for hundreds of white butterflies.

"Sorrow, despair, fear," the man said with delight. "Such wonderful catalysts for mayhem. It appears that this is my lucky day, to find a target so perfect!"

He opened his hand, and a butterfly fluttered down and landed upon it. The man smiled and held his other hand over the insect, channeling dark energy into it. When he freed the creature, it had turned a sickly black.

"Fly, my little akuma," the man laughed, twirling his cane as the butterfly flew out the window, "and evilize this child!"

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Back at the restaurant, Alya and Nino were staring open-mouthed at Adrien, while Marinette tried to calm Huiqing down.

"Wow. That is rough," Nino muttered.

"Understatement of the century," Alya added before looking back at Huiqing. "She's certainly gone through a lot, hasn't she?"

Marinette nodded. "Sure sounds like it," she said as she kept comforting her second cousin. Turning to Adrien, she continued, "Thanks for telling us."

"Of course," Adrien said, sighing. "I just hope she's not too mad at me for it."

"She was hysterically crying in the middle of a restaurant. That doesn't scream 'Keep this a secret' to me," said Alya bluntly, before wincing. "Sorry Huiqing. Open mouth, insert foot I guess."

"I...it's fine," Huiqing sniffled as she began to rub her eyes with her sleeve. "Just...sorry you had to see that."

"Don't be sorry, Huiqing," Marinette said. "But do you feel any better?"

"...Some," Huiqing replied. "Felt...good to tell the whole story. Like...a release."

"Yeah, makes sense. Keeping all that emotion bottled up can't have been good," said Nino. The others looked at him, a little surprised. Nino was a great person, but not usually that thoughtful. "I swear, I get no respect around here," he scoffed, prompting a giggle from Huiqing.

"He's right," she said, straightening up and gently extracting herself from Marinette's embrace. "Been keeping all that locked up for months now. Better to have it out in the open."

"That's good to hear," Adrien said, smiling at Huiqing as she continued to collect herself.

Just outside the restaurant, the black butterfly paused in its flight for a moment before starting to lazily flutter around in circles.

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"No!" the man in purple snarled. "The emotions are weakening! Wallow in your anguish, child! Let the tears flow!"

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"So, one thing I don't get," Adrien pointed out as Huiqing recovered. "If you're so interested in lucky charms, why were you chasing after Cat Noir? I thought black cats being bad luck was universal. Were you just hoping he'd lead you to Ladybug?"

Marinette winced, but Huiqing just shook her head, smiling. "Not in China. Over there, black cats are very good luck, and those are the omens I care about. Besides...you know...he's cute…" she trailed off, blushing.

Adrien blushed too, for an entirely different reason. Well, that's an ego booster, he thought as he felt Plagg laughing in his jacket pocket, but I'm glad I didn't run into her. I already have too many ladies in my life.

"What's the matter, bro?" Nino asked, snickering. "Jealous of Cat Noir's game?"

As the table burst into laughter, a server came by holding a check. Adrien, his face bright red, gestured at the man, who deposited the check into his hands. Adrien took one look at it, and his face went white.

"What's wrong?" Alya asked, the entire table staring at him.

"Nothing!" he shouted, slamming the bill down on the table. "Just...um-"

"If it's more than you thought, we can chip in," Alya offered.

"No, it's fine!" Adrien said, still cagey.

"Really? How much is it?" Huiqing asked, leaning over to take a closer look.

Immediately, Adrien slapped his hand over the bill, trying to hide it. "Don't worry about it! It's just-"

But it didn't matter. Huiqing had taken one glance at the check and started to shiver, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Huiqing, are you okay?" Marinette asked, looking over at her second cousin. Turning to Adrien, she asked, "What was on that bill?"

Adrien sighed, then lifted his hand up, allowing the others to see the price. It came to a total of €44.44.

"Oh," Marinette said in realization, before she started rubbing Huiqing's shoulders. "Huiqing, it's okay. We can just order something else to bump up the price a bit," she continued, looking pleadingly at Adrien.

"Oh, absolutely!" Adrien replied, before turning to the server, who was still standing nearby. "Can you bring us something else, quickly? I'm good for it!"

The server stared for a moment, presumably waiting for more specifics, before nodding and retreating back into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Huiqing was trying to take several deep breaths. "(It's okay)," she whispered to herself. "(It's fine, it's getting fixed…)"

Just when she seemed to regain control of herself, she happened to look back at the table. Immediately, she went ghost pale, beginning to hyperventilate.

"What happen-Oh come on!" Alya shouted. In Adrien's haste to try covering up the bill, he had managed to send a pair of chopsticks flying into the air. They had luckily landed in a bowl of rice, but unluckily landed point first, leaving them standing straight up.

Seeing this, Marinette began gently trying to pull Huiqing away from the table. "Huiqing, it's okay. We can leave if you want to. You're fine," she said.

Huiqing, however, didn't move. Marinette tried a more forceful pull, only for Huiqing to snap her arms out to the sides, sending a plate flying from a server's hands.

"Hey, watch it!" he cried, but Huiqing didn't notice a thing. All she saw was the dish land on the floor, miraculously not shattering. Its contents, a Sichuan-style fried carp, were similarly unharmed, even though it had done a full flip in the air from the impact.

Before anyone could say anything, Huiqing let out a blood-curdling screech and bolted from the table, running out the restaurant's front door in a matter of seconds.

The four friends sat stunned for a moment before Marinette leapt from her chair and ran toward the door. "Huiqing!" she called as she flew out of the restaurant.

As Adrien, Alya, and Nino stared at the door, the first server came back with a plate of dumplings. "For you, sir," he said, sliding the plate under Adrien's dropped jaw before walking away.

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"Yes, yes!" the man in purple gloated as he felt the butterfly refocus. "Back on track!"

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"Huiqing, wait!" Marinette called as she chased after her cousin. After a minute, she finally caught her sitting on the ground in a small alleyway. She was holding her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth.

Marinette approached her slowly. "Huiqing?" she asked.

The girl jumped like a startled rabbit and turned to look at Marinette, her eyes wide with fear. "I...I don't want to die yet….not yet!" she screamed, backing away to the far end of the alley.

"You're not going to die," Marinette said, kneeling down next to her cousin. "You're going to be fine."

"No...bill, chopsticks, fish...going to drown soon. Very soon!" Huiqing cried, her accent getting thicker and thicker.

Marinette hesitated. What am I supposed to do?, she thought. This is a full-blown panic attack!

However, as she contemplated how to help, she happened to glance upward and gasp. There, fluttering into the alleyway, was a familiar black butterfly.

"Come on, we have to go!" Marinette shouted, forcibly pulling Huiqing to her feet. Even through her tears, the girl was able to see the insect clearly.

"That's an akuma..." she whispered, staring at the creature flying towards her. "It's here...for me?"

"Yes, so we need to get out of here!" Marinette said, trying to drag Huiqing away. "If we can get you calmed down and safe, it can't hurt you!"

But Huiqing just kept staring. "Butterflies are good luck…" she whispered, before roughly tearing herself from Marinette's grip. As Marinette staggered back, Huiqing turned to her and said, "Ladybug fixes everything after villain attack, right?"

"Wha...yes, but that's not important!" Marinette said. "We need to-"

"Good," Huiqing said, choking back tears. "Then maybe she can fix me." With that, she rose higher and leapt at the insect, catching it right at her neck.

Marinette screamed and tried to tackle her, but it was too late. The second the butterfly touched her bat pendant, it dissolved into purplish-black energy which spread across it. As Huiqing landed on the ground, a butterfly-shaped mask of light appeared over her eyes.

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"Hm, interesting," the man in purple muttered as a similar mask appeared over his own eyes. "But not conducive to my purposes. Let's change things a bit, shall we?"

With a thought, his dark magic had tapped into Huiqing's mind, bringing her superstitions to the forefront and pushing her "wish" to the back.

"There we go. Not nearly as troublesome as Zombizou," he said, smiling, before turning his attention directly to his victim. "Bat Luck, I am Hawk Moth. You live in a world dominated by uncertainty and chance, where the tiniest thing can portend your doom. I can give you the power to make sure that no bad luck ever touches you again. All I need in exchange are Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses. Do we have a deal?"

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Back in the alley, Huiqing grinned. "Call me 'Fu Fu'," she said, "and it looks like it's your lucky day!"

"Of course," Hawk Moth agreed as the black energy spread over Huiqing's entire body as Marinette watched in horror.

Not again, she thought frantically as the energy started to dissipate, revealing Ladybug's newest foe. Not another family member!

Huiqing's new form was pleasant to the eyes as far as Hawk Moth's villains went. She was now dressed in a crimson bodysuit, not unlike Ladybug's, but without the spots. Her hands were clasped around straps tied to massive leathery costume wings, which she proudly flared out. Each wing, as well as her chest, was embroidered with a golden "fu" symbol. Notably, her face was now covered by a cowl with huge pointed ears, small eyes, and a big leaf-shaped nose. Her pouch of lucky dust was still clipped to her waist, and her necklace, now black, was proudly presented on her throat. Marinette watched in horror as the little pendant's wings opened up.

"Huiqing…" Marinette muttered, only to jump as the ears on the cowl twitched and the villainess turned to face her.

"It's Fu Fu, cousin," she said, her French now nearly accentless, "and don't worry about yourself. I've got bigger things to worry about right now. This city is absolutely teeming with luck, good and bad, and I aim to take full advantage of it!"

With a cackle, Fu Fu spread her wings and tried to take off. Marinette desperately clung to her leg, but Fu Fu knocked her aside with a kick to the forehead and leapt into the sky, circling overhead for a few seconds before darting into the blue. She was gone just as Adrien, Alya, and Nino ran into the alleyway.

As they reached Marinette, laying on the ground from the blow, Nino looked up at the retreating figure of Fu Fu. "Is that…?"

"Heh," Marinette chuckled weakly, "guess I'm three for three now, huh?" she finished, before collapsing into Alya's arms.

"Still less than the number of people in my family!" Alya joked halfheartedly. Hefting the girl up, she looked at Adrien and Nino. "A little help, please?"

"Uh, right!" Adrien shouted as he and Nino rushed off, Alya following close behind. As they headed back to the bakery, the three could almost hear Fu Fu cackling in the backs of their minds.

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MP: Now that's how you write a first act! Aristotle would be proud!

PA2: He'd also have no idea what we were talking about, but long-dead playwrights aren't really our target audience...yet.

MP: Well, let us know how you liked this in the form of a review. Faves and follows are also appreciated. I'm not sure how long it will be, but if I wish to honor Aristotle, I imagine that it would be three chapters. Maybe two. Either way, keep an eye out.

PA2: See you next time!