VW: Lila has been turned into the second most hated character in Miraculous, but I still love her to pieces (fight me!) I'm sure that she will change, just wait.
Anyway, this is just after Volpina, along with spoilers of the Origins and minor spoilers for later episodes in the season. Read at your own risk, in case you haven't watched those episodes yet.
Note: some parts may seem confusing language-wise, so read at the bottom to be relieved of confusion.
Saying that Lila had made a little white lie would be a lie.
She had only lied to fit in with the others. Back in Italy, when she announced to her old friends that she had to move to France immediately, they had told her that the French were fancy, that she had to make a good impression, even if it meant lying. Lila had even researched the famous French superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, by using the most reliable source know to Ladybugkind: the Ladyblog. But aside from that, the Italian girl just wanted a friend or two in France, and she had taken the advice about lying.
However, things took a turn when she finally saw Adrien Agreste.
When she had laid eyes on him, she knew she had to raise the bar for the other Agreste-loving fans, and she had two choices: lie, or tell the truth. After noticing his book of heroes and his love for Ladybug, she knew what she had to do to get Adrien to love her. All she needed to do was buy that fox necklace, tell Adrien that she was also a superhero, and Adrien would fall in love with her, right? It worked for Ladybug, so it could totally work out for her, right? What could possibly go wrong? The questions pondered in Lila's head, but she tossed them aside. She knew that Adrien would adore her once he believed her. Sure, she was being too cocky, and that this event would be something she'd look back on and say, "Ah, Lila, you were so young, so immature!" But all that aside, she'd be completely fine, no interruptions whatsoever, right?
Oh boy, how wrong Lila had been.
So yes, she had lied about her friendship with Ladybug, but who wouldn't? That Alya girl had been all over her, saying, "If you want, I can post this to my Ladyblog! Ladybug fans will be dying for your attention! Everyone loves Ladybug, and to hear she's got a cool insider best friend is awesome! I'd die for another interview with Ladybug!" (This chatter, however, had spawned into a very long lecture about Ladybug's history, from the day Ladybug had showed up in Paris, to her meeting Chat Noir, to her and Chat Noir's most recent villain, or akuma, that they had beaten, per usual.) Lila had seen the blog's views, so she was bound to make new friends. However, one of those viewers must've been Ladybug, seeing as the superhero clad in red and black polka dots had swung by to ruin any possible chances for the brunette to be with Adrien.
If it had been literally anyone else, even Chat Noir, Lila would've stood her ground and told the truth, that she just wanted friends. Plus, she was just starting to get to know more about Ladybug and Chat Noir, and had begun to admire them for their heroic acts aimed at protecting Paris. However, when the insults of flying colors came bursting in Lila's face from the one and only Ladybug, it had stung a lot. Who had known about Ladybug's secret sour side? Sure, the Italian girl had lied about being a superhero, but she hadn't done anything too majorly dangerous or concerning yet. Unless, of course, the bug-themed superhero had a thing for Adrien and wanted to have him for herself. Of course, Lila thought to herself, 'Who wouldn't like Adrien? He's certainly handsome, and he models, and he's infatuated with Ladybug. And Ladybug? She's popular, kind, heroic, and most likely infatuated with Adrien.' Lila slumped down in her seat, sighing. 'They're perfect for each other, aren't they?'
She was in the park, watching the fountain spray water through the air. She was alone, or so it seemed. There was something in the air, suspense. Suddenly, there was a loud crash.
Lila spun around, hair whipping to her side. Someone had driven into a small parlor near the park, and the place had been set on fire. A cloud of smoke started rushing out, rising up, and bright orange flames lit the evening air up. Shouts of help filled the air, and without thinking, the brunette sprinted inside. She could finally redeem herself. Inside was an old man, searching for his cane and shouting, or as much as he could as smoke infiltrated his lungs. Lila stood him up urgently, grabbed him cane, and started guiding him out.
"Wait! The phonograph!" he told her, pointing to it.
"But sir, there isn't time!" she coughed, starting to panicked.
"It's the only thing that matters to me!" he explained hurriedly.
"Alright, alright!" she shouted back, rushing over to his cabinet. While the phonograph was heavy, she used all her strength to carry it. As Lila and the older man rushed out of the building, the entrance was engulfed with flames, and they quickly dove to the ground.
By that time, there were police officers, fire men, and local shopkeepers were arriving. Lila looked at herself and the old man. Their clothes were dirty, covered in dirt, dust, and ash. She looked at the singed ends of her hair, and the man's torn clothes.
"Thank you, miss." the old man said, bowing.
"You're welcome, sir." she replied, giving him a sad smile. "I'm sorry about your studio, and I would be more than happy to help you again, whether it be with costs or a helping hand."
"It's alright, miss. The important thing is your courage." he told her, smiling. "You did not hesitate to help me, and when I asked you to grab the phonograph, you complied. Both tasks risked your life, yet you accepted them. All I need to do is thank you. I appreciate your help." He stood up, keeping his cane underneath himself.
Lila raised an eyebrow. "How'd you…?"
"I have my ways, young lady. Now, you should probably go home. The news reporters are here, and your parents will be hysterical if they see you here." he said. "Wait. What is your name, miss?" Her eyes widened.
"Lila." she told him. "My name is Lila Moretti."
"Thank you, Miss Lila." The man bowed once more, and reporters rushed over to them, blasting them with questions.
The brunette saw Ladybug and Chat Noir swing down, coming to "save the day." They ran to the old man. "Is there anything that you need help with?" Ladybug asked, then noticed the Italian girl. The heroes gagged.
"I'm afraid not. Miss Lila has helped me out of the building and gathered my needed possessions." he answered, motioning towards Lila. The reporters looked in Lila's direction, then shoved microphones in her face.
"What's your name?"
"How did you save this old man?"
"Where were you when this happened?"
"Why'd you do it?"
Lila turned to the last reporter, shocked. "Wh-what do you mean, why did I do it?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"Why did you save that man?" she asked, microphone nearly touching Lila's lips. "You're young, he's old, yet you risked your life to save him. Why'd you do it?"
"B-because, he still has lots to live for." the brunette began. "Sure, he is an older man, but he has a family, hobbies, and a routine, just like I do. If my death meant he lives, then I'd be happy to be a casualty. I…I may not be the best person at times, but I'm not heartless."
"Wait a second, aren't you that akuma victim from earlier?" the reporter asked, and Lila froze in shock. "Volpina, right?" The others looked shocked, and many of the other reporters started to corner the Italian girl.
"I-I've got to go," she said, "and goodbye, sir! I'm glad to have helped!" The brunette sprinted down the street, waving back at the older man. Reporters tried chasing her, and the supers quickly tracked her down. However, she kept running and running, not stopping.
The old man smiled, walking into the park with his phonograph, catching a quick breath of fresh air before he'd be questioned. A small green creature flew into sight.
"Master, that was close." it said, concerned.
"Wayzz, I want her to be the next Volpina." Master Fu told it, smiling. It gasped.
"But Shifu, she's been akumatized!" Wayzz told Fu, shocked. "It's bad enough she was an akuma named Volpina, but now she'll have full control over Zorro? We can't risk it! What if they end up like Lillian and Abella, or Gabriel and Paaon, or Aurélie and Nooroo, or worse, Nooroo and his current holder?"
"Wayzz, you saw her yourself." Fu said. "She came over with no hesitation whatsoever, she was determined. Despite her being akumatized, she became a hero. Past holders have had flaws as well. Do you still remember Lillian? A Queen Bee with attitude, but she got the job done and worked well with her teammates."
"Yes, but Lillian went missing." Wayzz countered.
"Then look at Aurélie. She was careless at times, but she was a perfect Butterfly Miraculous holder."
"She also went missing."
"Gabriel was cold-hearted, but he took advantage of his good eyes as Peacock."
"Gabriel gave up his Miraculous."
Fu sighed. "Okay, the last generation of holders wasn't the best. However, this generation needs help. I'm not ready to let go of the Bee Miraculous, and we have yet to figure out where Gabriel out his, but still, Miss Lila has potential. Hawk Moth turned her into Volpina, and she chose Volpina to fake. Yes, not so good, but I think she wants to help."
"Okay, Shifu, but if this goes terribly wrong like last time, you're to blame."
Lila dropped to her knees, her legs tired of running. Ladybug and Chat Noir were relentlessly chasing her down, and she was starting get scared. She was cornered by the heroes in an alleyway, menacing looks on their faces. Ladybug frowned.
"So Lila, how much?" she asked, swinging her yo-yo.
"H-how much what?" Lila asked.
"Oh please," the bug hero said, rolling her eyes, "how much did you pay him to set all that up?"
"I didn't pay him anything!" Lila cried. "I heard him shouting and I heard the car! I just happened to be there, and I ran to help him! Maybe I lied to others, but I was not lying when I said that I would die in that man's place. I shoved been consumed in though flames, but we got lucky. I'm genuinely glad that I could save him. Please, just leave me alone!"
Her legs picked her back up, and she ran once more.
The brunette entered her empty home, locking the door behind her. There was a note for her on the coat rack.
"Sorry Sweetie, your father and I had to attend to some matters back in Florence. We should be back within a few days. We have food for you that should last for a few weeks in case we're gone longer than usual. Comportati bene, mia dolce figlia.
Love, Mamma e Papà"
Lila sighed. "I should've expected it." She went into her room, turned on the TV, and sat on her bed. A small, black box with red designs that sat on her dresser caught her eye. "What in the world is this?"
She opened the box, a bright light blinding her. A small fox-esque creature appeared, saying, "Hello there! My name is Zorro!"
"What are you?!" Lila screamed, dropping the box.
"I'm a kwami. Look at the box!" Zorro said, pointing towards the box. The brunette picked it up, then stared down the kwami.
"Haha, very funny. You must be some prank." Lila said in a serious tone. "I already have this necklace."
"A copy of it, yes. This is the real deal." Zorro told her, then asked, "Do have any butterscotch that I could eat? I'm starving, literally!"
As the Italian girl rushed to get the small fox some butterscotch, she questioned the kwami. "So, what exactly is all of this?"
"You are the holder of the Fox Miraculous, which turns you into a fox-themed superhero named Volpina. I understand that the current holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, who goes by Hawk Moth, akumatized you into Volpina. However, you'll have the full power of the real Volpina." Zorro explained. "You wield a flute as a weapon, but it can easily be used as a baton. Your special power is Disillusion, which allows you to change form into anything else and change back, but you only have five minutes after that until your transformation wears off.
"It's important to conceal you identity, even to those close to you. While you may think that people will recognize you, let's just say that a mask can really change your look. Anyway, as you know, Hawk Moth's akumas will try taking your Miraculous. You must defend it, no matter what. We cannot allow another Miraculous to fall into the wrong hands again, because God knows what would happen if one did.
"To transform, you say, 'Zorro, transform me!' However, if you want to add style and flair, you can say, 'Zorro, attach tails!'"
"But why did I get this?" Lila asked the kwami, and she smiled.
"You're not a bad person, whether you think it or not." Zorro said logically, twirling her tail. "Sure, you got akumatized, but you're new to whole hero concept. Plus, you saved a man's life today. You're worthy of a Miraculous because you can bounce back."
She took a deep breath. "Okay, Zorro, I think I'm ready." Lila said after giving the small kwami butterscotch. She smiled up at her new Miraculous holder as she said, "Zorro, attach tails!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir ran on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral, laughing as they chased each other. They were having fun, until the cat paused. "Milady, you must see this," he said, barely above a whisper. The bug stopped next to him, gaping.
On the other side of the cathedral stood a figure clad in orange, white, and black, their long, brown, white and orange hair whipping in the wind. Their bright orange ears flapped in the wind, and their tail followed suit. Their back was turned to the duo, until they turned around.
"Hello there." she stated, smiling. "I'm Volpina. The real Volpina."
VW: here's the notes!
· The phonograph is the thing that has the main Miraculous Box inside.
· "Moretti" is a common Italian surname, meaning "dark-skinned"
· Aurélie is my headcanon name for Mama Agreste. Aurélie and Lillian are the Butterfly and Bee Miraculous holders respectively in a fanfiction I'm making for ML. While it shares base characters, such as Lillian and Aurélie, this fanfic is the base of a three part series, whereas that fic will be separate.
· If you remember "Kung Food" well, "shifu" is Chinese for "master," which makes Fu's title Fu Shifu. (And if you ever watched Kung Fu Panda, you'd known the master is called Master Shifu, which translates to Shifu Shifu.)
· Zorro means "fox" in Spanish.
· Abella means "bee" in Catalan.
· "Paaon" derives from the French term paon, or peacock.
· "Comportati bene, mia dolce figlia" is Italian; a rough translation being "Behave yourself, my sweet daughter."
· "Mamma e Papà" is also Italian, and they're nicknames for Mother and Father.
· "Attach tails" is a reference to the Japanese kitsune; they are mythical fox yokai who can have up to nine tails, and they can transform into beautiful young women to trick men into having children with them. Also, a celestial kitsune can fly, which explains Volpina's flying in her akuma's episode.
So, that's it. The second part of this trilogy should be roughly twenty-five chapters, and it will focus on Lila and another character, who has yet to be named. The chapters should be around 1K words or more.
Fun fact: I wrote the beginning few paragraphs around two months ago. The rest I wrote in one day, two sittings.
If you're interested in hearing about my next fanfic, then please follow this story, even though it says complete, and I will post an A/N announcing Part Two.
See you guys soon!