"Who is there?" I asked quietly, careful not to draw the attention of my parents only a floor below me.

Silence.

I wondered if Nevie could have been the one speaking to me, but her voice sounded nothing like the one that I had just felt. The mysterious voice that called to me sounded cold and disconcerting, Nevie's voice was prim and proper. I shook my head, chalking up the phenomenon to something I must have just imagined.

I was wasting time. I needed to get to Chat Noir and fast. I jumped out of my bedroom window and began to swing across Paris using a black version of the magic yo-yo I was familiar with my normal costume. As I soared through the air, I began to feel weightless, as I did when I first put on the suit. I wasn't just swinging through Paris, I was ripping through the air itself. To the pedestrians below me, I must have looked like a black blur.

This wasn't just a good day, this was Nevie allowing me to move this quickly. I began to wonder if Chat's kwami also assisted his physical ability the whole time that I knew him.

I didn't have any more time to ponder my newfound speed. I could already make out the large figure of the surfer villain squaring off with an injured Chat Noir who was clutching his right side as onlookers watched the fight in horror.

I caught the supervillain unaware as I swung directly into him, sticking my left leg out to plant it against his bare chest. I had anticipated the flying kick to merely knock him off of his feet, but my incredible velocity paired with my new strength sent the villain hurdling through the air until he crashed through a nearby building.

I wasted no time as I ran over to Chat, "I am so sorry, this is all my fault! I am such a useless partner!" I looked down to Chat's wound that he kept covered with his hand.

"Don't worry M'lady, for you I would fight a hundred villains. Also, I like the new look, is that something you're going to keep?" He asked with a smirk.

I could see the pain underneath his smile. He was trying to make me feel better but seeing him pretending nothing was wrong only fueled my guilt. "I am going to take care of this villain and then I am going to take care of you, just give me a minute Chat."

"Be careful Ladybug." Chat forewarned, "He is a lot stronger than the other akumas. I still can use cataclysm if you need me to."

Cataclysm was the power that allowed the holder of the Cat miraculous to destroy any object that they touched. It was invaluable to taking down every akuma before, but I still had no idea what my own superpower did. It would be nearly impossible to make a plan with such little information.

"Yo, that really wasn't chill broski. The name is Surfer Bro and you're really killin' my vibe." The surfer had regained his bearings enough to re-emerge from the hole he made in the building that he had just collided with. Undaunted, Surfer Bro walked straight towards Chat Noir and I.

I defensively walked towards the supervillain while I overheard the civilian spectators begin to clamor about the new suit I was wearing. I started to feel uneasy. All the people who were watching me were unaware that I didn't know what my superpower was, or that I had no plan to defeat this villain. The stress of the situation turned my mind into hot soup.

Wait. What were the magic words to use my power again?

I broke out in a small sweat. It's fine. Just have to remember those two words again. The first was the same as Tikki's… Lucky… Lucky something… What was it?

"You aren't lookin' so tough now aren'tcha'?" Surfer Bro threw his shades off of his face to size me up, "So are you the real Ladybug or what? Cuz' like, I totally need to grab that miraculous from you if you are dude."

I began to mutter to myself in an effort to jog my memory, "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky…. Lucky Strike? No, no. that's not it…"

The villain was only five feet away from me. It was easy for him to raise his trident to my chest, "So are you the real deal or what? Hurry up and answer or I'll like, you know, take your miraculous anyways…"

"Lucky break!" I raised my hand up in the air with my palm facing the super villain. I started to count down from five on my fingers. It took me a minute to realize what I was actually doing. Nevie was right, I felt like I could use this power off of instinct, as soon as I spoke the words I knew how it functioned.

The surfer was complacent, he pulled his trident away from me and folded his arms in front of his chest, "Alright, let's see what your big trick is. I bet it wasn't even worth the tro-"

I counted down to zero and once I made a fist with my hand the surfer was instantaneously changed back to normal. He shrank three feet as a business suit appeared to cover up his body. His golden locks retreated back into his scalp and muscles seemed to also fade as well. His face gave the impression he was completely oblivious to what just happened.

More importantly, the trident in his hands evaporated into thin air. From its remains flew a white butterfly, signifying the purification of the akuma. I blinked several times to make sure what I was seeing was even real. Lucky Break seemed to have completely de-evilized the villain and stopped him in his tracks only after five seconds.

"Bye-bye little butterfly." I said in quiet confusion.

The civilians gathered around and erupted into exciting cheering. They were as stunned as I was. Maybe this was why Nevie was so insistent that I used her. She must have known how easy it would have been for me to stop Surfer Bro.

With Tikki, I was able to repair any damage that I supervillain caused by speaking the magic words, 'Miraculous Ladybug!' however, it seemed that Nevie didn't share the same utility. The crowd of people around me curiously looked at me as I tried many different phrases to try to repair the damage that I had caused to the city, but to no avail.

One of the civilians spoke out to reassure me, "We can repair the building Ladybug, you don't need to worry about it."

"Thank you." I replied in the commenter's direction. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew I didn't have much time left before I needed to transform back. I pushed through the crowd of people to eventually reach a kneeling Chat Noir.

The blonde hero looked perplexed, "Ladybug, how did you just do that? That was incredible!"

I understood Chat's reaction, but I was pressed for time. I began to move Chat's left arm around my shoulder. "Come on kitty, you're still bleeding. I know where I can help you."

"Shouldn't I just go to a hospital?" Chat inquired.

"If you go there as a superhero, they will want to unmask you and if you go there in your regular form how are you going to explain a cut that big?" I didn't wait for his response. I flicked my magic yo-yo to a nearby building, getting ready to swing through the city while holding on to the injured Chat. This was my fault, and it was my responsibility to make sure he was taken care of.

We were already airborne when Chat gave his answer, "I'll just say I fell down the stairs or something! Ladybug, you don't need to do this. Especially now when you're about to transform back."

I rolled my eyes, "Chat, that's the worst and most cliché story you could possibly go with."

"You're right. I guess what I am trying to say is that you shouldn't have to feel like you need to help, but you do anyways." Chat rested his head on my shoulder, "I guess that's what makes you so wonderful M'lady." He purred.

I couldn't discern whether Chat was teasing me again or genuinely trying to make me feel better. I reminisced about a time when Adrian Agreste held an umbrella over my head during a particularly rainy day. People like him deserved Chat's praise, not me.

Chat and I landed on the familiar rooftop of my school, Collège Françoise Dupont. I knew that the building would be empty on a weekend and I would be able to take a first aid kit from the nurse's office without anyone fussing over a superhero running around the place.

"Stay here Chat, I will be right back." I instructed as I leaned him against the perimeter of the roof.

Chat gave me a nod, prompting me to begin to run into the building. As I moved through the hallways I noticed that my earrings hadn't flashed a single time yet. Several minutes had passed but I saw no signs of transforming back to normal. I wondered if Nevie was purposefully making sure I had enough time to help Chat.

I was thankful to retrieve a first aid kit undetected. I backtracked my way to the roof where Chat had waited patiently.

"Is this where you go to school Ladybug?" He asked hopefully.

I kneeled beside Chat in order to better inspect his condition. "You know I can't answer that even I wanted to Kitty. We can't know anything about each other, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Chat's green eyes moved away from mine as I rested a hand on his stomach, "Will you at least tell why you look different today? Or how you stopped that villain from earlier?"

I was comfortable with keeping Chat Noir in the dark when it came to a lot of things, but I decided to tell him all about the new kwami that approached me during Surfer Bro's attack. I kept the details vague enough so he wouldn't have any hints to my identity, but I began to lose my train of thought when I realized that this was the closest I had ever been to a boy. I only leaned over him to examine the cut on his right side but even through his leather suit I could feel Chat's abs gently rise and fall with each breath he took. I began to trace the muscles with my finger. I knew there wasn't any way that it was common for someone the same age as Chat and I would be this athletic. I began to imagine the hours of time Chat must have spent each day in order to develop his body to reach the point it was at now. He acted silly and carefree but he was completely dedicated. Master Fu was right when he told me that I should trust him.

"H-hey Ladybug?" I looked up from Chat's stomach to see that his face was now red as a fire engine, "A-are you going to do something with the first aid kit or…?"

I wasn't as subtle as I thought. I stopped explaining how I got my black suit for a while and simply sat beside Chat allowing my hands to ice skate over his abs in complete silence. I began to feel my head begin to rush with embarrassment as I frantically dug through the first aid kit.

"Oh! Sorry! You aren't still in a lot of pain are you!?" I practically yelled, trying to shove the conversation away from my bizarre behavior.

"I-I'm fine." Chat said, still settling down.

I soaked a cotton ball with disinfectant and allowed myself to touch Chat Noir's bare skin to run the ball along his deep cut. "This is going to hurt a little. I am sorry Chat."

"Don't worry about me M'lady." He said with a cool calmness to his voice.

I repeated the steps that my mom and dad had taught me when I ever got hurt. I was so clumsy that I would end up constantly pricking my finger from knitting or scraping my knees after falling off of my feet. Every time my parents would apply the Neosporin on my cuts I would squirm from the pain but Chat didn't move or make a noise as I dressed his wound.

"Where did you get so strong Chat?" I wondered out loud.

I didn't expect an answer, but after several moments Chat Noir replied, "My mother taught me how to keep a smile on my face when things started to feel rough. Without her, I probably wouldn't have ever used my miraculous in the first place."

I felt a warm feeling in my chest, "That's a sweet thing to say." I was the one in a different outfit, but for as long as Chat and I have been partners, I had never seen this side of him before. He came off as annoying when we were battling akumas, but sitting on a rooftop like this and hearing him speak so earnestly about his mom made me start to think I had the wrong idea about him this whole time.

"Are you starting to fall for me Bugaboo? I can see a look in your eyes." Chat said coyly with a stupid grin on his face.

"Not a chance kitty." I said, irritated that Chat reverted back into his old demeanor. I handed the cat a roll of gauze. "I will let you transform back to normal so you can wrap this around yourself. Make sure no one sees it, alright?"

Chat took the roll into his hand, "Got it. I bet people are starting to wonder where I am. Thanks again for everything Ladybug. I hope your old kwami gets well soon."

I nodded to Chat, "Bug out." I returned the first aid kit back to the nurse's office and still retained my black suit. I swung through the city with my enhanced speed. While the fight with Surfer Dude was quick, tending to Chat certainly slowed me down. It must had been nearly a half hour since I left my parents in the bakery and they were probably sick with worry.

I landed on my rooftop with an unintentionally loud 'thud.' I wasn't used to moving this quickly.

"Time to take the spots off Nevie." I said, presuming it would be the phrase needed to return back to normal.

Nevie flew out of my earrings as I begin to change back into my normal self. My pigtails had reverted to their short length, I looked down to see my suit replaced with a dark gray blazer and a white shirt. After the black had completely de-materialized I felt as if I gained twenty pounds all at once. I instinctively slouched over as I felt my superpowers leave me.

"You did great Ladybug! I told you everything would work out! That was awesome!" Nevie was flying in circles above my head in hyperactive excitement.

I rested my palm on my forehead for a spell to regain my bearings. When I was with Tikki there was hardly felt any difference between my two identities but after my experience with the black suit I was out of sorts.

"Hang on a second Nevie." I said as I stood up straight. "You told me you'd explain everything after we helped Chat Noir. I am really glad you helped us both but I still have so many questions."

Nevie descended down to my eye-level, "Why of course Ladybug. Anything you want to know in particular?"

I furrowed my brow. There was a storm of questions brewing in my mind but I kept them brief to not overwhelm Nevie. "Why do you look so similar to Tikki? Why has Master Fu never told me about you before?"

Nevie was collected and she answered with an almost tranquil air to her, "I am sure you're already aware that kwamis like me are born out of emotion. I may look young but I have actually been on earth for many thousands of years. I am the kwami of inspiration, I take the appearance of anyone I take inspiration from. You Ladybug, are the greatest miraculous holder I have ever seen. It makes perfect sense that I would model after you."

I couldn't hold back a smile as Nevie's posh accent gushed all over my alter-ego. No one else knew I was Ladybug besides Master Fu and Tikki. I was almost never recognized in this way for the hard work I needed to put in while I was in costume.

"As for why no one has told you about me." Nevie continued in her English accent, "There is no way that one person would be able to find all of the kwami in the world. Such a task would prove impossible. There are many kwami like me. I can understand your skepticism but I only want to help you Ladybug." Nevie finished plainly.

Master Fu being completely in the dark to Nevie's existence was incredibly unlikely. All kwami were born out of an emotion but each instance was recorded into the miraculous spellbook, which Master Fu had already read thoroughly. Master Fu must have not been aware that Nevie would be able to help me while Tikki was incapacitated. Considering that Nevie took on different appearances, Master Fu simply must have thought it was important to know about her. I decided to ask another question.

"I was wondering about transforming. Normally when I or Chat Noir use our superpower, we only have five minutes until we transform back to normal. Is there a reason you were able to keep me in that black suit for a much longer period of time?"

Nevie gave me a casual shrug, "It's something I've always been able to do. Helping people spurs me on, no snack break can stop me from making a difference. I will remain strong for as long as you need me."

The black ladybug kwami seemed to bend every rule that every other kwami needed to follow. She was an anomaly that I couldn't quite understand, even with her explanations. "Your power then. What is it exactly? Why was I able to understand how to use it immediately?"

Nevie rested her small hands behind her large head. I expected my interrogation to put her off, but on the contrary, Nevie seemed content with answering each question, "It's quite an easy power to use. Lucky Break is the power to eradicate evil. You look in someone's eyes for five seconds and after you finish counting, the akuma should leave their body. I think you're such an experienced superhero that understanding your powers is second-nature."

I was unconvinced by Nevie's reassurance but I had to face the facts. When I was in my room, I felt helpless watching the livestream of Chat Noir getting hurt. Without Nevie's help, I wasn't sure what would have happened to him. The idea of fully trusting a kwami that showed up at my doorstep made me uneasy, but I felt ungrateful to be cross-examining her like I was. I didn't want to regret pushing her too far.

"Just one more question." I conditioned, "How did you learn that I was Ladybug?"

"I am sorry Miss Ladybug… I am really not comfortable answering that question." Nevie said, her manner faltering.

"I can't let this go Nevie. Tell me, how did you find out that I am Ladybug?" I pressed.

"I am sorry… I followed you after you stopped a villain." Nevie admitted, "I was curious… I wanted to know who Paris' true hero was. To appreciate her in her entirety. Please, do not hate me."

I didn't know what I expected Nevie to say. Hearing her openly admit to violating my privacy and seeking out my greatest kept secret without even speaking to me put me on my guard. "I can understand why you'd do something like that, but please Nevie, do not do anything like that again. Chat Noir, Queen Bee and especially Rena Rouge deserve at least that much respect."

Nevie looked away sheepishly, "Yes, of course Ladybug. I am so awfully sorry." The spotted kwami seemed to be on the verge of tears, "D-does this mean you don't want to have me around anymore?" She said with a sniffle.

I bit my tongue. I couldn't trust Nevie but Master Fu said that Tikki could be sick for an entire week. Having a kwami around at least gave me the option to become Ladybug in case of an emergency. Treading carefully was the best course of action.

"No, of course I want you around." I said trying cheer Nevie up, "You helped me today, I may not like the idea of you stalking me but thanks to you Chat Noir is safe and that's what is most important. I am glad to keep you by my side, at least until Tikki feels better."

Nevie collected herself once more, "Oh thank you Ladybug! I simply know you won't regret your decision! I am overjoyed that I will get to spend more time with you!"

I nodded my head. For the time being at least, it looked like Nevie would be my replacement kwami. Suspicions still floated in my mind as to why she was so insistent on helping me. Something didn't sit right with me about my whole situation yet I was still willing to give Nevie a chance to quiet my doubts.