The day Ladybug and Chat Noir disappeared, a boy lost his parents. In a cemetery, five year old Hugo Agreste stood before two newly furnished tombstones. He was the few people still left after the funeral, they hadn't even started cleaning up the service from earlier that day. He didn't remember much from the ceremony, he did remember several family members and friends of his parents speaking of their lives, their accomplishments, but he wasn't paying attention. The little boy just stared at the two tombstones, almost expecting them to come out at any moment, but they didn't. He recalled the pianist with teal dyed hair, how his melody touched the souls of everyone there. The many uncles and aunts that he sure weren't related yet still treated him like family. One by one, they left until he was the only one left.

Well, almost everyone.

"Are you sure this is wise, Gabriel?" Natalie said to the aged Agreste, "Would he not be better off with the Dupain-Chengs?"

"The Dupain-Chengs may be the better parents, but they can not take care of him financially." Gabriel recalled the custody war that he fought against several groups of interest. The Dupain-Chengs, the Stones, and even Chloe Bourgeois had gone to court to be his guardian. In the end, it was decided that Gabriel Agreste would be his guardian. To Gabriel, it felt like some cruel joke from the universe or karmic backlash. He was the reason his parents were six feet under, buried in the ground. The supervillain thought the heroes could survive a building collapsing on top of them. The miraculouses did make them invulnerable, but not immortal. Only Gabriel and Natalie knew that his son and his daughter in law, the had actually been the heroes of Paris. The miraculouses were never found and the kwamis could not sense them either. When Marinette and Adrien died, so did Gaberil's desire to bring back his wife. He had nearly lost everything to get everything back. He would not let his grief and selfishness blind him to his family again. Gabriel already lost his wife, his son, and his daughter in law. He would not lose his grandson.

"Make sure to have Gorilla pull the car around, we've been here long enough." Gabriel sighed and walked over to Hugo.

"Hugo?" The boy didn't respond.

"Hugo?" This time Gabriel was close enough that he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Are they okay?" The boy spoke, his bottom lip quivering.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are my parents alright up there?" He points to the sky.

"I don't know, but I'm sure that they are smiling down on you."

"What's going to happen to me?"

"You will stay with me and live in the Agreste Manor." Gabriel looked at the boy in his green eyes. Hugo and Adrien's eyes were so similar, it frightened him. If it wasn't for his black blue hair, he almost thought he was talking to his son.

"I will take care of you, teach you, and make sure you feel the same love you did with your parents."

"Okay, Papa." He smiled a small grin, yet he still had a somber look in his eyes.

Gabriel would not make the same mistake he did with his son. Even if it took him a lifetime, Hawkmoth would not make another appearance in Paris ever again.

~Ten Years Later~

Hugo Agreste never knew his parents, he had seen pictures of his father everywhere, he was the top model for his grandfather's company. But as far as photos of his mother, there wasn't as much of her. He tried asking his grandfather, but he didn't say much about them.

"Your parents were great people, they would've loved to see how much you've grown." He always had a sad, guilty look in his eyes whenever he talked about them. As he grew up, he learned not to push him on the subject, as he wouldn't come out of his office for hours whenever he asked about them. According to Natalie, he felt extremely guilty about their deaths. Hugo didn't understand why though, they died during an akuma attack.

If it's anyone's fault, it was Hawkmoths.

Perhaps that's why his grandfather was so protective of him, he didn't want the terrorist to come after him like he hurt his parents. A person wouldn't be able to tell he was an Agreste at a glance. Sure he had his father's green eyes and fair skin, but everything else was from his mother. He didn't have the sunshine blonde hair of his father or grandmother, it was black blue, more akin to that of a storm filled sky.

He was currently seated on the bed, reading a book that was assigned by one of his tutors. It had been his father's as well as the entire room had been his. He found out by the etching of his father's name, Adrien Agreste, on the bottom of the foosball table. There had been another etch next to it, it was too small to read, maybe the one who put him up to it? Perhaps his father had done it in an act of rebellion, anyone could get stir crazy in a big empty mansion such as Agreste Manor. Sure, his grandfather, his assistant, and the rest of the staff treated him with love and friendliness, but he hadn't had a single kid in here for what felt like forever. Most of the day, his grandfather would be busy running the company, Natalie would be by his side, and the servants were all adults so they weren't any fun. Chloe Bourgeois and her son, Leon Bourgeois, used to come around when he was younger, but ever since...the incident, he hasn't seen them ever since.

"Hugo?" Natalie's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Natalie?" He opened the door for her.

"Your grandfather is going to be joining you for breakfast."

For Hugo, that was unexpected, he usually takes his meals in his office, "Thank you Natalie."

"Wait!"

Before she shut the door completely, Hugo spoke up.

"Were you able to put the paper on his desk? Did he read it? What did he say? Did he not like it? I've never been good with words, but I put a lot of effort into it and-"

"You're going to have to ask him yourself, Hugo." She stopped him before he continued, "But yes, I did put it on his desk like you asked, he did see it and read it."

"Thank you, you're a good friend, Natalie."

The woman smiled at the young boy. "Of course, anything for you, Hugo."

As soon as she left, Hugo started celebrating and dancing in his room. The paper in question had cost him a few days and nights to obtain, but it was worth it if his grandfather read it. If everything went well, he could go to public school and finally, finally make some friends of his own. Now all he has to do is get through breakfast. He quickly pulled together an outfit from his extensive closet. He may not be a model, but he knew good fashion when he saw it. He made his way to the dining hall, he had to keep himself from smiling a ginormous grin as he walked so his grandfather wouldn't notice his excitement. Even as he ate the meal the chef had prepared, he had to control himself from blurting out the question with his mouth full. His grandfather sat next to him at the head of it while he sat to the right of him.

"I noticed a peculiar piece of paper on my desk several days ago." Gabriel finally spoke and looked at Hugo.

"Really? What did it say?" He feigned ignorance.

"It was a pamphlet for Collège Françoise Dupont as well as an article on the benefits of public school."

"One of the servants must've put it there."

Gabriel smirked, "You don't have to play coy with me, I know of your desire to go to public school."

"Papa, before you object, I-"

"I agree it's about time you entered Collège."

Hugo couldn't believe his ears, this had to be a dream, "R-really? You'll let me go there?"

"Of course, you've been stuffed in this old bird cage for too long. I can't keep you locked away here your whole life, it's about time you mingled with kids your age."

"Oh thank you, papa!" Hugo pulled Gabriel into a tight hug. Gabriel was still not used to the boy's open acts of affection, but he slowly wrapped his arms around Hugo.

"When do I start?"

"Tomorrow, it will be the first day of the new school year."

"I have already obtained all the materials and textbooks you will need for your classes. They are all packaged in your room." Natalie chimed in.

"Thank papa. Thank you Natalie." He beamed with an eager smile as he rushed back to his room.

He sighed as he leaned back into his chair, "Did I do the right thing, Natalie?"

"About school? Absolutely yes."

"I've been so afraid that new, vengeful holders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous would appear, that I kept him from enjoying life. I wanted to keep Adrien's wishes, but when the press got a hold of him during Primarie..."

"It did not go well." He still remembers those days all too well. Putting a traumatized kid like Hugo in a room filled with nosy kids with even nosier parents did not go well for Hugo or Gabriel.

"At least now he'll be among peers who understand the pressures of the limelight."

"Let's hope that no one ever finds the Ladybug or Black Cat Miraculous. Or least let someone who is as heroic as my son or Marinette finds them."

"Unlikely, not everyone is a paragon of virtue like they were."

Across Paris, in a smaller apartment, a young man grasped a pair of earrings in the palm of his hands. He looked over himself in the mirror from his hair, his clothes, to his polished shoes.

"It's a new year, Tikki. Do you know what that means?" He asked the red and black kwami as she floated around him.

The kwami didn't respond, she just watched as the boy put on the earrings. At first she had been happy to be found by such a smart boy, but while he had plenty of creativity, he lacked empathy. He only cared for himself and his own goals. He didn't care if anyone got in his way, he just stomp over them like ants.

"It's finally time for my debut as a hero." He dramatically bowed in front of the mirror, then raised his head back up. He had a smirk on his face as he imagined adoring fans falling for him, going on stage during talk shows, and, of course, being admired by everyone in Paris. He would love to have his own little kitty partner, the Chat Noir to his Ladybug, but there hasn't been an appearance of the black cat in years. Oh well, it just meant more of the spotlight for him.

"Remind me again what my power is, Tikki."

"The Ladybug miraculous has the power of Lucky Charm which can provide you with an object that will help you solve a problem or provide you with a victory." Tikki looked at him with a stern stare, "But it is up to the user to figure out how to use said item."

"Ah, yes now I remember. There's also Miraculous Ladybug which can purify any corrupt object caused by an akuma. It can also heal any and all damages done by an akuma." He chuckled, "But, of course, we won't need it since there hasn't been any sighting of an akuma or Hawkmoth in years."

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news." A blonde haired woman smiled hesitantly at the tv camera as she spoke. "A robbery has occurred at the Louvre and a car chase has begun on the streets between the criminals and the police."

Then the screen changed to a drone recording live a speeding car running through red lights through the streets of Paris. The red and blue lights and sirens of several police vehicles followed behind them at a close distance, but not close enough.

"Perfect timing." He wore an arrogant smirk as he watched the broadcast. "It's time for my grand entrance."

"Tikki, spots on!"

With those three words, Paris' self appointed hero and its worst nightmare was born.

Plagg had a handful of holders, all with different personalities. He had thieves, barbarians, even killers. He didn't like to talk about those times, it still made his fur crawl whenever he read up on their dastardly deeds in history books.

But this girl, this spoiled pampered house pet, definitely took the cake.

"I swear if she didn't have her daddy's money, I would drop her in a heartbeat." She scoffed as she talked to someone, probably one of her cronies, on the phone, "I know! She has the fashion sense of a raccoon! Where does she find that stuff, the dumpster?!"

Plagg just ate his cheese in his little corner as the girl went on and on with that shrill voice of hers. It wasn't even good camembert, how does someone mess up camembert?! It was a disgrace to cheese!

"What? Check out the news?" The girl hung up the phone and turned on the television.

"We go live to the scene of the crime where a new hero has captured and apprehended the criminals involved in the robbery."

"People of Paris, you have nothing to fear." A red cladded young man was surrounded by a crowd of press and citizens, "I am Crimson Chevalier and I will clean crime in this city for good!"

The girl was completely mesmerised by the hero known as Crimson Chevalier. He definitely had the image of a chivalrous knight. His red costume resembled armor, though he had a few black padded spots along his chest, arms, and legs. He had a yoyo strapped to his hip with a belt. Instead of a mask, he had a medieval yet futuristic helmet that concealed most of his face except for his radiant smile. A two red ribbons could be seen picking out of the helmet, flowing in the wind as he spoke.

The girl wanted that, she wanted everyone looking at her just like they were looking at him.

"Hey Plaid?"

"It's Plagg."

"Whatever, didn't you mention something about a bug hero being my partner?"

"I don't quite remember." Plagg hummed and turned back to his cheese. The small black kwami had lied, at first when he thought she had potential, he had told her about the miraculous and its power as well as the ladybug partner she is meant to have. At the time, she didn't even look like she was paying attention, but apparently she retained some things.

"And he's like me, a superhero? I can do that too, right?"

"Maybe."

"Tell me now."

"I already told you once." He huffed, "You just weren't paying attention."

"Seriously?! Fine, I'll figure it out myself!" She stormed off and slammed the door behind her, leaving Plagg in an empty silent room.

"Ahhh, peace at last." The kwami then returned to his piece of cheese. No matter how disgusting it was, he wouldn't waste camembert.