Chapter Twelve

"I prefer jaguars when they're behind the glass," Abeille muttered, spinning her trompo about as if it were a shield. It was something she had seen Ladybug do with her yoyo many times, but she couldn't get quite the same spin on it as Ladybug could, only able to maintain the shield for a short stretch of time.

"Purrhaps you should give her that little comb in your hair," a voice almost sang from above her, and Abeille gritted her teeth.

"I thought you wanted the earrings," Abeille grumbled, eyeing the jaguar avatar for a moment, before letting her gaze flick up towards the roof above her, where Blue Wing had landed, his wings flicked out for balance.

He shrugged, causing his feathers to ruffle. "That's the main goal, but we're not going to say no to anything that can help." A smile flicked up onto his face, and his smile seemed just a bit too perfect– too faked. As if he had practiced it a thousand times. "So if you're feline up to it, we'll take the Miraculous out of your claws– and you won't have to deal with us again."

Abeille snarled, lashing out with her trompo– willing the top to separate from the string, sending it flying through the air. Blue Wing whipped his fan out, letting it flare open to knock the top away. It skittered across the rooftops, and with another flick of the string the spinning top reconnected, winding up as Abeille withdrew it into her hand.

"Oh, you make it sound like such a good idea," Abeille said sarcastically, jumping back as the jaguar leapt down at where she had been perched. "And once you know my identity all my friends and family will be in danger– fantastic plan!"

She may have been on a roof herself, but the neighboring one Blue Wing was on was higher up in the air, and with wings and numbers in his favor she didn't want to risk being cornered. She expected a sneer or a laugh as a reply– but instead his bright green eyes widened behind his mask at her words. Even the jaguar he controlled paused, standing still on where it had pounced.

"Wh-what?" Blue Wing stuttered out instead, and she didn't waste the moment, sending her trompo spinning across the roof, this time keeping it attached to the string, letting it entangle the jaguar's legs. She gave a sharp tug, forcing the avatar to fall to the ground. "Bella!"

'Bella' didn't get a chance to reply, Abeille sending her off of the edge of the roof with a yank and a slight grunt of effort. "There we go," She panted, loosening the string so the cat could fall. As her trompo flew back to her hand she aimed the pointed end at Blue Wing. "Now we're one on one– a fair fight, don't you think?"

"L-look," Blue Wing said uncertainly– was he really that unconfident without his little avatar by his side? "I just need the Miraculouses– I'm not going to go after anyone."

Abeille sneered, running forward, taking a bounding leap up towards where he was perched. "Like I'd believe that!"

His wings flared open to their full length, leaping off of the building and catching himself in the air as he fled from her pounce. She growled, whipping about to watch as he zipped through the air.

"Stop running you coward!" Abeille cried at him– but that didn't stop the Peacock holder from fleeing.

Abeille let out a snarl of frustration as she watched him turn, flying off towards another part of the city. Unlike her, his timer wouldn't start until his avatar was out of commission– either by them destroying the object that hosted the feather from his fan, or a Venom hitting his avatar also seemed to trigger his timer– but it started hers as well.

"Stupid Peacock," Abeille muttered under her breath. "Stupid wings. Ladybugs and bees have wings– why can't we fly as well?" She kicked at the roof, glowering at the fleeing villain– when her eyes widened as she watched where Blue Wing was flying. "Ladybug!"

They had split up early on in the flight– Ladybug going after the akuma since she had to purify the butterfly, and Abeille heading after Blue Wing and his avatar jaguar because her Venom was effective when dealing with them. But Blue Wing was now heading back towards where Ladybug and the akuma were fighting– meaning her one on one fight was about to turn into a one on three if she didn't get there soon.

Abeille sped across rooftops, scrambling over chimneys and eaves as she rushed after the much faster flyer. She had her teeth gritted, throwing her trompo when she could to help her gain just a bit more speed.

"Where is he?!" A voice thundered as Abeille at last reached the main fight– where Ladybug was using a Lucky Charm to clash with the akuma– a fierce swordswoman who called herself Riposte.

She was silvery in color, her whole body cloaked in a reflective armor, making her hard to look at in the sun. One of her arms seemed to be merged with a fencing saber, which she kept slashing at Ladybug with– whose spotted bo staff Lucky Charm was barely enough to keep the akuma's fierce blows at bay.

"You don't get the right to attack a civilian!" Ladybug snarled, and a shadow fell over her. She glanced up to see Blue Wing flying above, and she gritted her teeth, taking on a more offensive stance.

That momentary glance could have been enough for Riposte to land another strike– but she noticed the Peacock holder as well, and sneered. "This is my fight– you stay out of it!"

Blue Wing veered slightly away, landing on a nearby roof. "I'm supposed to help you."

"If you want to help me then find me Adrien Agreste!" Riposte roared.

"Heh..." Blue Wing said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"What do you even have against some model?" Ladybug snarled, using Riposte's moment of distraction to lash out with the staff at her feet, sending the akuma staggering towards the roof's edge. Her eyes flickered towards Abeille– clearly wanting her focus to stay on Blue Wing.

Abeille had just barely caught up, panting slightly, but she gave a sharp nod. Ladybug was definitely handling the more difficult of the two, and she turned her gaze towards Blue Wing once more. His gaze seemed focused on Ladybug and Riposte, looking hesitant, and she scanned the streets below for any sign of his avatar. She may have gotten the jaguar off of the roofs before, but she knew it wasn't out of the game yet.

"...Venom," Abeille muttered, holding her trompo tightly as a flare of energy rushed from her hand and into the weapon, the aura pulsing about it.

One strike, that's all they needed– and then one of the missing Miraculouses would be theirs.

For once those stupid wings were working in her favor as she moved forward, Blue Wing having them out for balance– and limiting his peripheral vision in the process. She carefully crept towards the villain, something that seemed natural with Trixx, but with the Bee Miraculous it wasn't quite the same. Still she moved forward as swift and quietly as she could, the paralyzing Venom pulsing through the top.

"Rwror!"

Abeille was slammed into from the side– a blur of rosettes and claws knocking her off her feet and onto the roof, fighting to pin her down. Large fangs flashed, and she raised her arm as the jaguar snapped its jaws, her suit protecting her as they latched down onto her wrist. She grunted, fighting what would have been a hopeless match without a Miraculous, now made even as she struggled against the jaguar.

At this point she didn't have any choice– her element of surprise was gone, and if the cat managed to pin her for a second then Blue Wing could snatch the comb from her hair– and so she jabbed the Venom into the avatar's stomach– forcing the creature to go rigid the moment the trompo made contact.

She threw the jaguar off of her, panting as she rolled to her feet. She found Blue Wing looking down at his brooch as his timer began beeping, then looking up at the angry Bee as she charged towards him. He took a step back, before lashing out with a kick as she charged at him. The blow landed on her stomach, knocking her across the roofs, and she rolled to her feet, coughing slightly.

She lashed out with her trompo, letting it fly off of the edge of the string. The top soared through the air, and Blue Wing soared up towards the sky with several flaps of his wings, swooping towards her as he avoided the attack with ease. Abeille stumbled back, left with nothing but a string as he came at her with his fan raised.

"Abeille, catch!" A voice cried from somewhere out to her right, and she raised her hand without hesitation. She saw something flying towards her, and she caught it, whipping it about to block Blue Wing's bladed fan as it came down at her.

It was the Lucky Charm bo staff, red covered with black spots, and Abeille held it out as her eyes locked on the enemy above. She let her trompo string fall to the ground, the bo staff feeling much more balanced in her hand than the trompo had, reminding her of the flute she had as Rena Rouge.

Abeille charged forward as Blue Wing swooped down at her again, using the staff to vault herself up into the air to meet him. She swung the bo staff up above her head, swinging it straight down onto Blue Wing's wing with all her might, causing him to let out a cry of pain. The wing instantly crumpled under the blow, Blue Wing being knocked from his flight and crashing onto the roof.

She landed aways from him, panting slightly, glancing over towards Ladybug. Even without her Lucky Charm she was still holding Riposte back with her yoyo, so she turned her focus back to the Peacock. He was stumbling to his feet, one wing open held stiffly, the other pressed against his back. She smirked, knowing that he was grounded, and she raised the bo staff once more as she ran at him, the beeping from her comb reminding her they were on limited time.

Blue Wing's gaze widened, his fan flicking open to parry her first strike. He stepped back, and she kept swinging, and as much as she hated the villain he clearly had skill. Even with an injured wing it was clear that flying wasn't his only advantage, swift footwork allowing him to stay back just far enough to keep blocking her strikes.

She was pressing him though, and the rooftops only provided so much room. It was only a matter of time before Blue Wing found himself on the roof's edge, a foot stepping back onto nothing, forcing him to stumble forward to stay standing. His wings seemed to flare open instinctively, causing him to let out a cry of pain, and Abeille found herself hesitating.

He wasn't an akuma. He wasn't being forced to do this– he was doing this willingly. Attacking the city, hurting innocents, and it was her job to protect it. Abeille raised the bo staff once more, ready to knock him off the roof and pounce for the brooch– when a flicker of movement caught her attention.

She turned, a gray figure racing right towards her. She barely had time to bring her bo staff up into a defensive position to block the sudden strike, and turned to face Riposte, except for this gray opponent wasn't the silvery akuma.

His entire outfit was a deep charcoal gray, a hood drawn up and over his head, and from what could be seen from his face a black and white mask fell over his eyes, his amber gaze locked right on Abeille. He wore long black gloves and combat boots of the same color. A long pitch black flute was clutched in his hands, which he held out towards her.

Abeille's mouth went dry as she took in the features on his costume– a pair of gray fox ears peering up from his hood, and a long tail-coat that flared out from his outfit, flicking about as if it had a mind of its own, the very tip of it white just like a fox tail. The only patch of color on him could be seen tucked under the hood and around his neck– a very familiar orange pendant.

"...Stay away from him," the Fox holder said quietly, his flute held out towards Abeille, and she took a step back. Not from the threat, but from the fact that he had a Miraculous.

Her Miraculous.

"Wh-who are you?" Abeille whispered, hands tightening around her bo staff.

"I'm... Silver Paw," he said after a moment, gritting his teeth. "Yeah. And don't you dare come a step closer to him."

Him, he said, while standing defensively in front of her enemy. Protectively standing between her and Blue Wing– who was staring at the newcomer with wide and confused eyes. Abeille gritted her teeth, confused herself, but this Silver Paw's actions were quite clear– he was another enemy.

"You!" A strangled voice cried, and Abeille heard the sound of Ladybug landing next to her. She turned, expecting to see a righteous anger lit in the hero's eyes... but Abeille was startled to see that her bright blue gaze was full of fear. "Thief!"

Silver Paw swallowed, and behind him Blue Wing was just watching, gaze still wide, holding his injured wing close. The sound of beeping filled the air– three Miraculouses reminding their holders that time was starting to run down.

"...Finders keepers?" Silver Paw said, but he didn't sound too sure, and it was now that Ladybug's gaze hardened with anger.

"You dare–!" She began, and Silver Paw took a slight step back.

"Hey," he said, his flute shifting slightly. "This wasn't exactly what I expected to buy at the pawn shop– but it's not something I'm going to say no to."

Pawn shop? A stranger with the Fox Miraculous? What was happening?

Ladybug gritted her teeth. "That Miraculous is not yours to keep."

"Well, Trixx says they want to stay with me, so–"

"Liar!" Ladybug roared, but she fell silent when an eerie chuckle echoed around them.

Riposte was watching the exchange, leaning against her sword-arm for balance. A purple glowing mask rested over her face, and unlike before her eyes were glowing purple. She seemed unnaturally calm for an akuma, and as they spoke it wasn't Riposte's voice that echoed about them, but one much more deeper and humored, being carried through the air with more than just sound, like magic was laced into it.

"Now, this is interesting," Hawk Moth's voice mused, speaking from Riposte's form. "A lost Miraculous? That is a story I would like to hear more about. I was wondering why you stopped bringing the Fox Miraculous to these last few fights."

"Hawk Moth," Ladybug growled.

"An unexpected twist, with an unexpected ally," Hawk Moth mused with a hum. "And just what are you after, little Fox?"

"...No," Silver Paw growled.

"Hmm?"

"I am not your ally!" Silver Paw snarled, his gaze still looked uncertain, but his voice carried an anger that hadn't been there before, his flute pointing towards the akuma. "I am not helping you, I am not on your side!" The flute then whipped towards the two heroines. "Nor am I on your side!" He glanced over his shoulder once more, looking at Blue Wing, before returning his gaze towards them. "I am on his side, and only his."

"...Who are you?" Blue Wing asked, still gawking at his rescuer.

"You need to get out of here, Blue Wing," Silver Paw said, holding out his flute towards Abeille and Ladybug once more. "Your timer is going to run out!"

"He's not going anywhere!" Abeille said, raising her staff, and at her side Ladybug started swinging her yoyo.

"But–" Blue Wing began, but Silver Paw cut him off.

"Run, Papillon!" He cried, raising his flute above his head. "Mirage!"

A golden glow formed from the tip of his flute, flaring out with a flash of light. Suddenly they were surrounded by what appeared to be dozens of Blue Wings, all scrambling to their feet as they darted off in different directions. Abeille's eyes flickered to where the real one had been– but the roof behind Silver Paw was empty, leaving them no way to know which Blue Wing rushing away was the true one.

So Abeille instead charged right at the fake Fox, bo staff raised, and he swung his flute around to block her strike. He scampered back, lacking the grace that Blue Wing had in their fight, but unlike the Peacock he wasn't hurt.

However, his Miraculouses had started to beep.

Silver Paw's eyes suddenly widened. "Ladybug, behind you!"

Abeille knew she shouldn't look at what was obviously a trap, but still she turned, eyes widening when she saw Riposte charging straight at Ladybug with her sword raised, clearly no longer under the direct control of Hawk Moth.

Abeille didn't hesitate to abandon the chase with Silver Paw, rushing forward to parry the strike with her staff as quickly as possible. She staggered back at the force of Riposte's slash, clearly a powerful opponent. The akuma regarded her, before charging forward with slashes and jabs, forcing Abeille to scramble back.

The zip of a yoyo echoed through the air, Ladybug's weapon wrapping around Riposte's sword, a sharp tug keeping her from moving. Abeille lifted the Lucky Charm bo staff overhead, bringing it down onto the forte of the sword with all her strength– snapping it in half.

A black butterfly came flying out from it, and energy bubbled around Riposte as the akumatization fell away, leaving a girl kneeling on the roof, a broken fencing saber resting in front of her. She looked up, glancing about in confusion.

"Where... Where am I?" She asked, and Ladybug's yoyo snatched up the butterfly before it could escape.

Abeille turned, eyes desperately flickering about the roof– but all signs of Silver Paw and his illusions were gone.

"I can't believe him!" Trixx screamed the moment they were released from the Miraculous, the transformation falling away from Nino as he climbed into his room. "The Bee?! After all this he gives her the Bee?"

Nino swiftly shut his window, pulling the curtains shut, before peering out in worry that he had been seen. Fortunately his room didn't face the streets, leaving it a more secluded place than most. "What do you mean?"

"Abeille is Rena Rouge!" Trixx cried, throwing their paws up, golden eyes lit with frustration. "Out of all the Miraculouses to give to her they give her the Bee?! I thought this would be a wake up call to the old man, but apparently not! There are so many other Miraculouses in the box that would have been a better match! The Bee, the Bee..."

"Um... do you not like bees?" Nino asked uncertainly, and Trixx rolled their eyes.

"Imagine if someone took away your violin and gave you a trumpet and expected you to play it perfectly," Trixx said, pointing to the violin case over in the corner. "With no practice, but wanting you to perform it right away."

"...Kind of like being handed a flute out of nowhere?" Nino asked, raising an eyebrow.

Trixx's tail curled. "That's... that's different! You don't actually have to play the flute, it's just a weapon!"

"The most fearsome weapon of all."

"That doesn't matter!" Trixx yipped. "What matters is that we got Rena running around with a Miraculous that isn't a proper fit for her!" They took in a deep breath, tail swaying. "This messes up my plans, but I suppose it could be worse..."

"Like Rena with the Wasp Miraculous?" Nino asked, smiling slightly.

"This is a serious matter!" Trixx cried.

"...Rena Rouge with the Hornet Miraculous."

Trixx glowered at him, before swiping up a notebook from off his desk, chucking it at Nino. He yelped, ducking, causing the notebook to hit the wall with a thud. Nino shot a glare at the Fox, who was looking away with crossed paws.

"Well sorry for trying to lighten the mood," Nino muttered, slowly sitting up. "But don't take this out on me– I'm the one going along with your little plan. Like... Like telling Ladybug I got you from a pawn shop! What is that even about!"

"To make sure she doesn't think that you could even know her identity," Trixx replied, zipping closer. "She knows the Miraculous was stolen off of her, and there's always the risk that the person could know who she was– especially if they were to discover that they had a Miraculous. So we simply remove that possibility entirely."

"By lying."

"Now she thinks the thief ran off and sold the Miraculous off for some cash, and never realized what it was," Trixx replied, crossing their paws. "You're now a third party that has no link or connection to her– one less threat she has to worry about, especially in regards to her identity, allowing her to fully focus on Hawk Moth without that fear in the back of her mind."

"It... it just feels so wrong though," Nino muttered.

"Says the one that helped one of Paris' villains escape capture today."

"I had too!" Nino cried. "An illusion wouldn't have been enough this time, I had to show myself!"

"Exactly," Trixx said, zipping closer. "It was something we had to do. That doesn't mean it's ideal, but it is the best solution we got. Right now we can't over analyze every single choice we make, instead we need to focus on what these choices will amount to in the end– stopping Hawk Moth and saving our friends."

Nino swallowed, he still didn't like this– but he gave a short nod.

"Good. Now I need something to eat," Trixx said, drifting down to sag onto the desk. "That fight was our most exhausting one yet."

"Probably because it was the only one that involved fighting," Nino said softly, pulling out a bag of dried mangos for the little kwami, opening it up and setting it on the desk for the little dude.

Trixx happily slunk inside, stuffing the dried fruit into their mouth with no hesitation. Nino sighed, sitting on his bed, trying to let everything that had happened catch up to him. This was happening... but it felt like he still hadn't fully processed it. He had just casually went up onto the roofs and attacked one of the city's heroes with little hesitation.

But she had been doing the same to Blue Wing.

It probably helped that he didn't know who was under Abeille's mask– or Rena's– whoever she was. Trixx had seemed slightly surprised when they had first realized this, though he didn't know why. Only Ladybug had detransformed in that alleyway, Rena having been nowhere nearby in that moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his window.

Both he and Trixx jumped at the sound, Nino turning about to look at the curtain-covered window, while Trixx stuck their head out of the package of fruit. The two shared a glance, and Trixx said nothing, merely phasing through the bag and desk, slinking out of sight. Nino looked back towards the window, before pushing himself to his feet and slowly walking over, carefully pulling the curtains aside.

A pair of bright green eyes stared back.

"...You're probably disappointed in me."

Those were not the words Alya expected to hear as Ladybug landed in the alleyway she had detransformed in.

With both of their timers counting down, Ladybug's the closest to running out, they had been forced to part ways. Ladybug to find a place to recharge her kwami so she could come and take the Miraculous back from Alya, while she had taken Kagami down to the safety of the streets, before running off to find a place to hide herself.

"Wha-what?" Alya stuttered out, staring at Ladybug– who wasn't looking at her. The hero was staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact with Alya. "Why, why would you say that–?"

"Because I lost a Miraculous!" Ladybug blurted out, tears pricking her eyes. "The very thing I'm not supposed to let happen! I lost Trixx! I... I lost your Miraculous, and then I didn't tell you, just gave you another one and... and..."

It was a sight many would have called impossible, Paris' fearless hero having tears run down her face, a waver in her voice. She looked so ashamed and shaken, but it was a sight that Alya had seen before. When she had first seen the same hero come to encounter the very first akuma in their city, standing on top of the stadium as she looked down at Stoneheart's rampage– appearing shakened and absolutely terrified as she watched the villain she was so clearly meant to fight.

Alya had run after the monster-like creature in hopes of finding a hero like she read about in her comic books, and she had found one that day. But instead of some invincible force, she had seen someone who couldn't be much different than her– looking at the unknown with no idea of what could happen– but Ladybug had to be the only one that could make a difference.

And Ladybug had. Despite her clear fear, she had stepped up to fight Stoneheart. All on her own she had fought the giant, and had saved the city.

Alya didn't know if anyone else had been able to see the hero's hesitation, she had been the only one in the stadium, and despite her recording the whole thing she had never posted that part of the video online– only the fight and victory that followed afterwards.

Seeing how scared Ladybug had been had been a wake up call for Alya– realizing that whatever hero came to fight was a person under that mask. They weren't like those in the movies, unstoppable with a plot written that would guarantee their win– but just a person facing a true and dangerous reality.

That was what really made her respect Ladybug.

Alya didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Ladybug, pulling her into a hug. The girl tensed up for a moment– before returning the embrace with a sob. Ladybug did her best to put on a flawless face to the public, but if her identity had to stay hidden, then that meant that there was no one she could turn to as a hero or civilian.

"I would never be disappointed in you," Alya said softly as Ladybug buried her head in her shoulder. "You have done so much, and for the longest time you were on your own." Alya closed her eyes. "I wish there was more I could do for you. I wish this city would do more for you."

"I messed up," Ladybug muttered. "The one thing I'm not allowed to do."

"You're human," Alya whispered. "Mistakes are natural. Unavoidable."

Ladybug choked back a sob, holding her tighter. "No one treats me like I am." She whispered. "They treat me like I'm something more, like I have to be greater."

"Screw what everyone else thinks," Alya muttered. "You're the one putting yourself at risk– it doesn't matter what they want or expect."

Alya wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob that came from Ladybug. "Thank you, Alya," she whispered softly. "Thank you."