My name is Nezumi. I am a simple man living in the stinky, dirty slums of Edo, Japan. In the daytime, I am just your normal poor boy just like everyone else. Not much to look at. Ragged clothes that scratch my skin. Messy black hair covered with dirt. No topknot that those snobby, rich nobles and samurais wear. All I have is a smile that makes ladies fall to their knees. Really, I do. But I have to be careful when I use it.

However, once the Land of the Rising Sun is covered in the darkness of night, I slip on this ring, call upon my kwami, Plagg, and become Neko Black, the cat thief. When I say, "Claws Out!", my body is wrapped in a ninja's shozoku, a black body fitting outfit that covers me from head to toe. My mouth is covered in a black mask, and my head is wrapped in a hood with cat ears. Basically, I look like those ninjas you see on tv.

Silently prowling through the shadows, I, Neko Black, sneak into the rich people's fortified estates. Their defenses are useless against Neko Black. Wall too high? Neko Black's bo staff will extend above it. Guards patrolling the area? Neko Black's ears and night-vision will detect them. Nothing can stop Neko Black. But don't worry. I don't harm them. I just take some of their food and maybe some coins. They have so much anyway. Why do I do this? Shouldn't Neko Black be a good guy? Well, I am. This food and coins will go to the poor in the slums. Those people need it.

One night, I, Neko Black, was on my nightly prowl. I just picked up some bags of rice and dropped it off at a neighbor's house when I heard a crash far away followed by a sea of screams. It was an Akuma attack. Edo has been troubled by Akumas, trouble-making evil spirits who usually possess objects. Sometimes an umbrella or a doll would come to life and attack. Sometimes, a person would touch an akuma-possessed object and transform to a monster.

Arriving at the town square, I saw people running about screaming, "Samurai Honda has returned to life! Honda Tadakatsu-sama has surpassed death!" Then, I found the akuma monster. It was an undead samurai burning with a dark aura of evil and despair. His pale, bony body was clad in armor and a helmet ornamented with large deer antlers. Yup! That's the famous samurai, Honda, all right. To top it off, he was swinging the legendary spear, Dragonfly Cutter. Tales say that Honda's spear was so sharp that a dragonfly would be cut if it foolishly landed on it.

Swish! Slash!

With each heavy swing, the Dragonfly Cutter stirred up a whirlwind as it cleaved through brick walls, stone pavements, and bronze statues leaving rubble and panic in its wake. As the spear's wind push against me and debris crashed around me, I, Neko Black, knew I had to stop this ghost of a samurai before Edo becomes a ghost town. I told you I was a good guy.

"I gotta Honda to you. Your spear is good. But my claws are better." Am I punny or what?

The spear's metal tip gave a clang as the samurai pointed it at me and charged. It was a flurry of blades as the spear's sharp edge came at me from every direction. Fortunately, I had Neko Black's cat-like agility as I dashed, ducked, and flipped around the blade before it could slash me. Time to return the favor! I, Neko Black, took out my bo staff and whacked the samurai's body with all my might.

Clang!

The metal staff gave a nice sound as it slammed against the samurai's torso. Unfortunately, it did not seem to do anything because Samurai Honda continued attacking with great fury.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

I hit him in the back. I smacked him in the shin. I bonked him in the face. I pounded my staff on him over and over again. But the samurai's spear storm continued with the same intensity as before. It's like Neko Black didn't hurt him at all.

Then, the samurai swung his spear at a pile of rubble and sent a shower of stones at me. This move caught me by surprise as some flying pieces of hard rock landed and knocked me down. As I laid with my back on the ground, I saw Samurai Honda come up to me with his spear raised ready to execute me. Not good! This cat did not have nine lives.

Zip!

Just as sharp blade was about to come down to slice me, it was snagged by the strings of a red yo-yo. Awesome! That yo-yo can only belong to one person. Sure enough, hiding in the shadows of a dark alley was her. The mysterious Tentomushi, the ladybug of Japan, the hidden red shinobi, and my girlfriend. ... Well, she will be someday. Her face was hidden under a red mask and hood, and her body was wrapped in a red shozoku with black dots. Her identity is unknown. Not even I know who she really is. Despite her bright red theme color, she managed to hide in the shadows so well that hardly anybody saw her. In fact, people think the tales of a red ninja that fights akumas are only myths. But I know she's real. I've seen her swing her magic yo-yo. I even got close enough to gaze into her lovely, black, almond-shaped eyes sitting behind a few strands of silky, black-as-night hair.

Got to look good in front of her! While Samurai Honda's spear was held back, I swiftly swept his legs with my bo staff. With the tables turned and the monster lying on the ground, I hopped back up and leaped to my red ninja. Tentomushi motioned with her hands to follow her, and together, we dashed away from the populated town square to an empty bridge.

As we stood together over the calm, rippling river, I, Neko Black, greeted her with a bow and said, "Ten-chan, my lady, always appearing out of nowhere and vanishing in the same manner. But you could never disappear from my heart. I even wrote a haiku just for you.

Black of mystery

Dotting the rosy bright red

of your shrouded being"

Convinced that my lady was impressed by this verbal piece of art, I gave my lady-killer smile and said, "A purr-fect haiku that fit you to a tee. I, Neko Black, even got the number of syllables spot on.

First, 5.

Then, 7.

Then, 5."

Rolling her eyes, Tentomushi whispered, "Ehh, that's one too many syllables there, Neko-san." Most of the time, she whispers when she speaks.

HAIYAH!

The undead samurai screamed as he charged at us towards the bridge. I couldn't help but quip, "Hi ya, Honda!" As my lady and I assumed our fighting stance, Tentomushi whispered to me, "Honda Tadakatsu was known as the general who never got wounded even after fighting over 100 battles. The akuma must be making him invincible." Oh great! How can we defeat an enemy who never gets hurt?

Samurai Honda charged at us and swung his legendary spear. We narrowly flipped away as the Dragonfly Cutter almost chopped our heads off. Keeping her distance, Tentomushi's yo-yo whistled as she swung it round and round. Spotting an opening, she lassoed the samurai's arm and pulled to make him stumble. As the wobbling monster struggled to regain his balance, the red ninja leaped and delivered a flying kick.

Clang!

Unfortunately, Honda blocked her foot with the handle of his spear and managed to stay on his feet. However, that contact must have allowed Tentomushi to feel the akuma's energy, because when she landed behind the samurai, she shouted, "Neko-san! The akuma is inside the spear!" Perfect!

"Cataclysm!" I cried out as I gathered Plagg's dark destruction energy in my hand. Time for me to save the day. One touch and that spear is hiss-tory.

I charged at Honda as fast as I can. However, the samurai saw me coming and swung his sharp spear to intercept me. Whoa! I slid between his legs as the Dragonfly Cutter came a hair's width away from my handsome face. Good thing I, Neko Black, had cat-like agility. Unfortunately, as I slid, I touched the floor of the bridge with my Cataclysm, and the wooden floor started breaking instead of the spear. Sadly, I can only use Cataclysm once per transformation. We would have to think of another way to break the spear.

The akuma monster turned around to face us. But then, the floor underneath him fully disintegrated, and the invincible samurai fell wedging his chest in the hole. Now, he could not move. *Cough* *Cough* That was my plan all along. However, before we could go and grab the spear, his free moving arms spun it creating a slicing whirlwind that kept us away. How were we going to get past it?

Then, Tentomushi whispered, "lucky charm," as she threw her yo-yo up. Sparkles of magic emerged and formed ... an empty gourd container. Her lucky charm was always unpredictable. The red ninja looked around and spotted a lantern near the bridge. She went up and poured lantern oil into the gourd. Then, she threw the filled gourd at the attacking samurai. Inevitably, the Dragonfly Cutter sliced the gourd like a hot knife on butter. But when the gourd opened, the oil rained past the storm of blades and showered the samurai. With his hands slippery with oil, the spinning spear flew out of his hand. Isn't Ten-chan so clever?

Zip!

Tentomushi lassoed the spear, caught it in her hands, and snapped the handle on her knee. Then, the smoky, ghostly akuma emerged from the spear. It wailed and moaned as it tried to fly away.

The red ninja activated her yo-yo as she silently whispered, "No more evil doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize." I don't know why she keeps whispering. Nobody is around. With a spin and a swing, she threw the shining yo-yo at the akuma spirit and the yo-yo shut it in. When she reopened the yo-yo shell, all that was left was a few sparkles of white magic.

What? You wanted her to say, "Bye-bye, little butterfly"? This akuma was not a butterfly.

"Miraculous ladybug," Tentomushi whispered as the gourd was tossed up and transformed into magical streams of glowing ladybugs. I could not help but watch as the ninja's magic restored everything. Then, my green eyes landed on the split spear before the ladybugs swarmed around and repaired it as well.

With the battle won, I, Neko Black, charmingly asked, "You know, Ten-chan. The night is still young. How about you spear a moment and join me for a -"

Gone!

When I turned my head, the red shinobi already vanished without a trace. Sigh! She did it again. She slipped through my claws like a shadow. A shadow of red with black polka dots. Worst of all, I was left with the job of bringing the formerly possessed object to Edo's shrine for purification ... AGAIN!

"I can't understand why you are obsessed with that girl? Just get some cheese and your life is complete," my cat kwami partner said as he rode in my pocket. I ignored him as I walked to the shrine. Sweeping at the top of the steps was Hana Tsurugi, the shrine girl. She's a good friend. We use to play together when we were kids. Her long, black, ponytailed hair swung back and forth as she turned and brought her almond-shaped eyes to me. "Good to see you again, Nezumi-kun," Hana smiled. After I explained that I was delivering a possessed spear that "Neko Black dropped at my door", the red hakama trousers and the white haori jacket flapped as she walked up and picked up the spear with her smooth white hands. With my delivery completed, I bowed and went on my way.

Tentomushi. Who is that girl under that red mask? Nobody knows. To the public, she is just a rumor. But I know she is real, and I will not stop pursuing her.

I am Neko Black, the cat thief, and one day, I will steal my lady's heart.

Author's Note: If you read my other Ladybug story, you are probably wondering why I wrote this one. Well, after I saw Tentomushi on the Wiki page, I was struck with inspiration. I could not help it. I don't know when I will write again. Perhaps after I watch Season 2. We'll see.