At the airport, a young male individual, was gathering his bags from the baggage claim. There was nothing special about this guy. He looked like any white American on vacation. He hailed a cab, and was taken to Master Fu's business.
Paying the cab driver, the man got out and headed into the establishment. He knocked on the door. Master Fu opened it and looked warily at the man. "Can I help you with anything sir?"
Instead of a deep male voice, the man answered in a female tone, "May I please enter your domain Master Fu?"
The old man's eyebrows rose up high, he couldn't believe who was talking to him. He bid the man entrance, closing the door behind him. "I knew you were a master of disguise, but I never knew you could pass for a male so well."
"It comes in handy, when you visit male dominated countries," the man replied. He started to strip off his clothes, while taking off pieces of skin. Soon the Adam's apple was gone and the chest was unbound, revealing a pair of breasts. In a few seconds the disguise was completely off and Ning was standing before him in a casual blouse and slacks. She tied up her hair in a loose ponytail and slipped on a simple gold bracelet.
Wayzz eyes were still bulging. He never would have guessed that man was actually a young woman. Also he was confused. "Why did you come here as male American tourist?" It didn't make any sense.
She gave the kwami a flat look. "Because, it was the simplest way to get here, without drawing attention. I've been in this city three times, as a female. Each time, Marinette's best friend has tried to identify me. Coming here as a male, means I don't have to be on my guard, every single second."
Fu offered his pseudo granddaughter a seat, which she graciously accepted. Despite being on a plane for seven hours, the young lady appeared to be exhausted when standing up. There were bags under her eyes and her body seemed tense. Her body was really stressed out.
He didn't say anything, but Ning could feel his eyes scrolling over her. "Things have been really tense lately. My superiors said I needed to go on a retreat, to relax and clear my head. I took advantage of their offer and came here."
Fu tilted his head and smiled at her. He placed his right hand over hers, squeezing it gently. The simple act of love made some of the tension dissolve. Fu was pleased that he still could read people so well. "We, will begin your next stage of training, the day after tomorrow. I would like to wait until Marinette and Adrien have a day off. To my surprise, they have signed up to go to a fundraiser ball sponsored by, The Parisian School for Charming Young Ladies and Gentlemen."
Now it was Ning's eyes which widened. That was the charm school Chloe was attending, after the debacle of her father's akumanzation. From time to time, the secret agent had checked on Chloe's progress. The last time she had checked in, the girl had not been progressing well.
Master Fu laughed at her expression. Ah young people, always worried about what others were doing. While this wasn't the best time to add another activity into Miraculous wielders life, certainly this opportunity would have some benefits.
After a light meal, Master Fu told her what he had learned so far from the Miraculous Book. Ning was not happy to hear about the possibility, of Hawkmoth being able to control Miraculous users, through their own emotions.
"Having only recently learned about how embrace my own emotions, I would not want someone else influencing my actions. I was really hoping to relax a little before jumping into training, but it doesn't seem that's possible."
"Nonsense, we can do something relaxing and fun, Experiences help us grow and become better people." Fu stood up and stretched being careful of his back. He went to his room and came back out with a simple brown satchel.
"Shall we go out and enjoy the day?"
Wayzz clapped his little paws and Ning started putting her disguise back on. It was always a little weird going out as a man, but she knew that it was important to see and experience how people treated her, when they thought she was a man, instead of a woman.
They walked out of the building and headed to get a bite to eat and then go to a movie. Once again Master Fu, watched the disguised woman, noting the little changes in her body language.
In a male disguise; Ning walked with a strong stride and her shoulders were stiff. Her right hand was clenched while the left remained unfurled. Also, her eyes kept focusing ahead and not glancing around, like a woman would do, to check out for signs of danger.
Wayzz also noted differences in the way she talked. It wasn't just her deep voice, but her choice of words. She chose to use a lot of big words instead of simpler synonyms. She also spoke shorter sentences.
Ning knew that the kwami and Great Guardian, we're making observations of how when she was in a male disguise, acted a lot different than when she was a female. It was important that he understood her own yin and yang, to help figure out the best way to train her.
The next day at the charm school, Marinette was standing up in front of Madame Eugena, whose class was Proper Speaking, trying hard to annuciate her words clearly. "I am very delighted to greet you tonight."
Madame Eugena held up a hand and Marinette went silent. She tried to not fidget, as she waited to hear, what the teacher had to say. "You are doing a good job Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but you need to put more feeling into your words. You are greeting others at a special event. You need to sound as sincere and clearly understood, by others. Try again please."
Marinette took a deep breath and focused on sounding truly delightful. "I am very delighted to greet you tonight." This time you could hear her putting feeling into the words. Also, she properly annunciated the important part of the sentence.
Madame Eugenia clapped her hands in delight. "Yes, that was much better." She looked at the rest of the students in the class. Most of the boys looked bored and Alix wasn't paying attention at all. It wasn't unusual to have a few students not pay attention. The teacher knew she had to make this more fun to get their attention.
She knocked on her desk, getting everyone's attention. With a grin she started to talk differently. "What's up students? Are you bored to death of my talk? Girlfriends, tell me who's the highest rank on the cutie scale? Boys, you look like your cred, has taken a nose dive. No freaking way."
Alix stared at the teacher before blurting out, "Whoa, no one talks like that now. You slang is really outdated and you are making a fool of yourself." As soon as she registered her words, Alix went pale. Why did she just do that?!
Madame Eugena laughed for minute before assuring the young skater she wasn't in trouble. "What I did was demonstrate how language can change over the years. How you speak to your friends today, will not be the same as the next generation."
She went on to say that while slang had a purpose when among close friends, it was important to remember when speaking with someone important or at an event, to talk properly, to reflect their intelligence and respect for others.
"This fundraiser ball is very important to the school. Many donors will be in attendance, along with officials, and your parents. How you perform will help show why the school is worth funding," Madame Eugena reminded them.
Most of the class looked at each other with guilt. After all, except for Judekael, they had all signed up to prove once and for all, they were not inferior to Chloe. They had nearly forgotten why the school was doing this.
Noting the change in the room, Madame Eugena went behind her desk, and picked up a box. Something was chittering inside and raised a few eyebrows. The teacher walked over and placed a hamster cage on each table along with a ball for the pets to play in.
"These hamsters are my beloved pets and will help you with our next exercise. Conversation starters can be overwhelming, especially if you don't know what the other person is talking about. I find that having practice conversations, over simple topics, help in confidence building. For the rest of class, I would like partners to talk about their hamsters."
Depositing the last hamster and ball on Chloe and Judekael's table, she told the students they could take the hamsters out, as long as they were careful and kept a close eye on them inside their balls. Hamster could easily injure themselves if they weren't looked after properly.
Adrien, was a bit taken aback, by how enthusiastic Marinette was when saw the cute little hamster. The name on the cage was Jiggles. "Oh, isn't he the cutest little pet you have ever seen? His golden fur is so beautiful. Oh, look at him run!"
The model studied the small creature. He had to admit those cheek pouches would come in handy if you needed a snack. "So, you really like hamsters?"
Marinette had stars in her eyes. "I've always wanted a hamster, but my parents said no. The bakery is not a place for pets. When I was younger, I would go to the pet shop and just watch them for an hour."
Jiggles nose perked up. Hamsters were nearsighted and color blind, so they mostly got around by their noses. Smelling the new humans, he scurried to one side of the cage, where he was gently stroked a crossed his back. He loved the attention.
While Adrien and Marinette were talking about how to take care of a pet hamster, Judekael was playing with the hamster, Wiggles, that was given to him and Chloe. The little guy was red and seemed to enjoy playing in his hamster ball. "He really seems to enjoy his hamster ball doesn't he?" He grinned as he watched Wiggles do a figure eight on the table.
"How can you even touch that dirty little rodent? Those teeth are horrendous. He smells bad, has he been eating garbage?" Chloe questioned in a high pitch voice. Clearly, she wasn't an animal lover.
Wiggles stopped playing and was hunkering down a bit. Hamster hearing was very sensitive. They could hear high pitch sounds and use ultrasonic sounds to communicate with others.
Judekael wrapped the ball protectively in his arms, whispering to Chloe to be a bit quieter for Wiggles sake. Speaking in a soft tone, he answered Chloe's questions.
"Hamsters can get dirty, but they do groom themselves up. Wiggles has these sharp teeth so he can dig and eat his food. Their so big because there constantly growing and needed to be worn down. He probably smells bad, because he went to the bathroom or ate a bit of his poop, to gain a few nutrients."
"GROSS! Keep that annoying little rat away from me." She shoved the boy towards the other side of the table. The sudden movement caused the hamster ball to drop on the table and roll towards Chloe.
Freaking out, the blond used her hand to knock the ball away from her. It bounced off the table, rammed it the chair legs, before being kicked by the backside of said girl's shoe and out the slightly opened door.
Everyone looked up from their table to see what was going on. Chloe was ranting about being touched by stinky little beast while Judekael asked for permission to leave and find Wiggles.
Unbeknown to the students at the school, Wiggles was full of anger and fear. He wanted to get away from the threat or bite the person who hurt him. Now, even though he was a little animal, he had emotions which attracted Hawkmoth.
"Hmm, animalistic rage. Primary fury, yes I can make use of this," the super villain chuckled as his little akuma flew through the city and quickly landed on top of the ball infusing with it.
The little hamster eyes narrowed as he listened to the voice speaking to him. What it was saying, Wiggles wasn't sure, but he understood the meaning of the communication. Someone wanted to help him. He let out a tiny grunt accepting the help.
When Judekael entered the hallway, he was stunned stupid as he watched a purple black smoke, cover the hamster ball. The entire school shook as the creature grew to the size of semi-truck. Wiggles was no longer red, but purple with black streaks and butterfly markings around his eyes.
His teeth were super big and sharp, his cheek pouches puffed out, as if he had something in them. His ball had also grown and now had spikes on it. With a high pitched squeal as Rollopolo, (it was written on the ball), tore through the school, destroying much of the building, as he rolled away searching for his target.
The staff of the school, went into action, helping the students' get of the building by a back stair case that hadn't been destroyed. Once all the students were confirmed to be there, the staff started calling their families to tell them their kids were alright.
"I'm not sticking around here. This is big story! Hawkmoth can even turn animals into Akumas! I've got to get this on film!" Alya exclaimed already taking off, she followed the path of destruction, with Nino hot on her heels, trying to bring her back.
"I'm going home. Hopefully, pest control can get rid of that awful creature, before it ruins the best shopping districts."
"Chloe! That's Madame Eugenia's pet! I don't think she wants him killed."
"Please Marinette, no one cares about that stupid beast. I bet even Ladybug and Chat Noir want it dead. Now excuse me." Adrien held Marinette back, so she wouldn't attack Chloe. They need to transform.
Finding a safe place to transform, Ladybug and Chat Noir started heading towards the Akuma. The heroine was determined to save the pet without killing it. Chat Noir hoped she knew what she was doing.
"So what's the plan My Lady? How do we stop a rolling ball of fluffy fur?"
"We'll think of something. Right now we need to focus on how to stop that ball from destroying anything else!" As she did a flip in the air, tossing her yo-yo forward, she wondered how Hawkmoth was controlling the pet.
In his lair, Hawkmoth was having a bit of trouble controlling Rollopolo. Animal minds and emotions felt raw and uncontrollable. He needed to gain control of the akumatized animal now. "Stop rolling all over Paris and go crush Ladybug and Chat Noir. They will be very tasty to eat," the supervillain told the animal.
He leaned forward, balancing on his cane. Sweat was starting to appear on the exposed part of his face. The butterflies sat on the rafters of the room, detecting fain pheromones, coming off from the human. The pheromones communicated fear, panic, and lastly, anger. Normal butterflies wouldn't have been able to pick up on the last one, but this flitter was an extension of Nooroo, so they could detect emotions as well.
"Stop going after cars! Attack Chloe Bourgeois, the human who hurt you remember?"
Outside Rollopollo stopped in the middle of the street, having torn it up and smashing some cars and buses. Sides of buildings had been sheared off. The Akuma hamster lifted its big nose and took a huge sniff out of the balls air holes.
The sniff was powerful enough it dragged the two heroes in as they hit the ball, barely avoiding the spikes. The impact really hurt and they were dazed for a few seconds. The loud chittering cleared the minds.
"Watch out for the teeth!" Chat Noir shouted as he jumped backwards, as the Akuma pet gnashed his teeth against the air holes. The animal shoved his body weight against the left side, causing Chat Noir to fall off.
Flipping around, he managed to land on his feet. He let out moan. It really hurt landing on his feet from that height. "Guess it's true. Cats always land on the feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaakkkkk!"
The ball had just shifted to the right in an attempt to crush him. Only Ladybug's yo-yo prevented that. She had created a wire cage, pulling it closed with her strength. "Calm down little Wiggles! We can help you!"
The butterfly markings around the hamster's eyes glowed for a few seconds. Twisting about inside the ball, the spike on the wheel rotated, drilling a hole right into the subway, landing on top of the tracks.
The partners dropped down on the platform and watched in disbelief as big ball crashed through the train tunnels, heading towards whatever destination the monster pet had in mind.
"We'll have to use your night vision to find him. Hamsters love digging and creating burrow chambers for different purposes," Ladybug explained as she dropped down to the tracks. Carefully avoiding the rails, she tore through the partially destroyed tunnel.
"I should ask for overtime, this hero gig doesn't pay much," Chat Noir joked lightly. Ladybug groaned, then kept pressing on, trying to figure out where the animal was heading.
Rollopollo ignored the strange sounds in his mind, focused on the smell that irritated his nose. Yes! The female human's obnoxious smell was near. Twisting inside his ball, he managed to flip it, so now the spikes were on the right and left side, instead of the vertical he had been doing.
Screeching with excitement, the Akuma burst through to the streets. A limo carrying, Chloe, screeched to a halt. The driver went backwards, with the Akuma after them. He was gaining on them quickly.
Inside, Chloe was shouting at her driver, if he didn't protect her, she would have him fired for driving straight into the Akuma. "Why don't you just ram that creature? The plastic can't be too thick."
Trying to remain composed, the driver pulled a tight turn into an alley. "I believe you would be in more danger if that creature got out of its toy." He let out a surprise yelp as Rollopollo squeezed into the alley way after them. The critter was determined to get his teeth on Chloe.
Unfortunately the alley was a dead end. The limo became wedged in between a dumpster and awall. Seeing its prey trapped, the Akuma ran faster to crush the people inside.
That's when Chat Noir appeared, stretching his baton until it was tall enough to block the hamster ball. When it collided with the baton, it held tightly against the spikes. "Now, now, we don't want to hurt anyone here, do we?"
"Rollopollo, you will do as I command! Crush Chat Noir and bring me back his ring! Do you understand?" Hawkmoth shouted through the link. He could feel his link with the animal diminishing. He was losing control of his own akuma.
Rollopollo let out a screech as he started to furiously groom his face, tearing of the pieces of fur around his eyes. He started to scratch the sides of the ball in agitation.
Ladybug, who had dropped behind Chat Noir and rescued Chloe and her driver, was watching the poor hamster go crazy. "Poor thing, he's trying to Hawkmoth out of his head."
Chloe let out a sound of utter frustration. "Why does everyone care about that stupid little rodent! It's filthy, ugly, and smells so bad. That's why I had to protect myself when the stupid toy came towards me."
Ladybug looked at her as the answer came to her. "You scared and hurt the hamster didn't you? Those two emotions would have been enough to lure Hawkmoth in. It's been after you."
Chloe shrieked and order Ladybug to keep her safe while Chat Noir, beat the beast dead. She clung tightly to Ladybug, not letting the heroine go. As the sounds from the alley grew in intensity, the mayor's daughter kept backing up, dragging Ladybug. The spotted heroine was asking for the girl to let her go do her job.
"You need to get me to safety right now! The princess of Paris can't die as food for a dumb animal."
The heroine looked at the driver, giving him a pleading look. Understanding the situation, he removed his charge from the Miraculous user. Grateful for his help, she called out a thank you as she dove for her partner.
Chat Noir dived under the baton, before it snapped into two pieces, letting the huge pet crash into the limo. He jumped in the air, grabbing the two pieces and fit them back together.
Ladybug landed next to him asking if he was okay. "Fine, for now, but we really need to stop this not so little guy before he wrecks the entire city." He pointed to the ball saying that it was obviously the infected object.
"Agreed, but we can't destroy it with him inside. He'll take off running and block us from seeing the akuma. Time to see what I get for a Lucky Charm!"
In a flash of pink, two huge vegetable sacks fell into her arms, nearly knocking her down. Opening them, she saw one sack was full of peas and the other was full of wheat grain.
For once she didn't need to use her special vision. "I know what we need to do. All that running has used up the critter's energy. He needs a snack break. With his size, he'll bust out and come for the food."
Chat Noir snapped his fingers knowing the rest of the plan. The hamster's cheek pouches were legendary. While he would be stuffing the food into his cheeks, Chat Noir could destroy the ball and Ladybug would be able to catch the akuma and purify it.
"Hey, Rollopollo! Aren't you tired of all this exercise! I've got some yummy food for you!" Ladybug called out. She held out one hand so the critter could smell the food.
Eager for something to eat, the Akuma twisted around so he could pop the cover off. He ran towards the food, causing the ground to shake under his massive paws.
As soon as the Akuma started shoving the food into its cheek pouches, Chat Noir sprinted towards the huge toy. "Cataclysm!" Instantly the toy turned to nothing but rusted bits.
On top of Rollopolo's back, Ladybug saw the akuma flying away. "No more trouble from you little akuma. Time to devilize!" She purified the butterfly, watching as it flew away.
Reaching down she tore the sacks out of the hamster's mouth and tossed them into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" The loveliness of ladybugs flew through and under the city fixing all the damage.
Seeing how the hamster was about shrink, she jumped off and held out her hands as Wiggles returned to normal and started nuzzling with Ladybug, happy to be in her safe hands.
In Hawkmoth's lair, the villain picked himself off the floor. When the connection between him and the akuma snapped, the backlash sent him to the floor. "No, more animals. Their emotions are too complicated for me."
The next day, Ning was eating a banana as she waited for the teenagers to get out of school. The giant hamster akuma attack yesterday, had surprised both her and Master Fu. They hadn't realized that Hawkmoth would try to use empathy on animals to create new Akumas.
"I've read a book before about different types of empathy, but I didn't know the Butterfly Miraculous special ability, was compatible with animals." Pausing to take a bite of her banana, she looked at a page of the Miraculous Book.
It was a picture of a different butterfly hero and not the previous one Master Fu had been reading about. This illustration of the page showed the hero surrounded by butterflies. At the base of his feet, was a small dog, snuggling against his master's leg.
Her fingers touched the aged page, the texture felt bumpy and rough. Despite the book, being centuries old and the pages being faded, overall it was in great condition. "Master Fu? Could you take a look at this page please? There's a caption under the picture, but I can't read it."
The old man had just finished giving Wayzz some fresh baby carrots. He walked over and turned the book to face him. At least this part in code was something he knew. "I'm pretty confident on the translation. According to the writing, a Butterfly can use empathy with an animal, to make them a hero, but they must have a strong bond."
The door to the home twisted and in walked the young couple. They had heard the last part of the conversation. "So that explains about Wiggles yesterday. He could read the little guy's emotions, but he lost his connection because he wasn't close to the animal."
Adrien rolled his eyes and laughed. "The guy is trying to terrorize the city and steal the Miraculouses. I doubt he has time for a pet ha ha."
Marinette simply shook her head and sat down on her cushion. She greeted Ning who gave her a hug. After shaking Adrien's hand, the boy sat down and Master Fu started the meeting.
"We are facing a new crises. Hawkmoth has been experimenting with powers for some time now. I had hoped that when his plans failed with you Marinette, he would stop," Master Fu told the group. He took a deep breath and looked at the trio.
"Ning, you have half of Nooroo's power. Is there any way you can use it to hinder our foe?"
Ning shook her head. "The changes the power made to my suit drained a lot of it. I can communicate very rarely with Nooroo, but the connection is weak. The last time I communicated with him, was during the Prime Queen incident."
Tracing the charm, she could feel the slight hum signaling the charm's power. In her mind Ning pictured the little kwami all alone in Hawkmoth's lair crying. No one there to comfort you or even interact with you.
"I know how Nooroo feels and not because of any empathy." Ning looked out the window, her face sad. The others looked at her and sympathized because they knew what she was talking a bit. "Just like how I felt trapped, he does too. If Hawkmoth breaks his spirit, I wonder what will happen to him."
Tikki floated over and gave the young woman a tiny hug. The young woman tickled the little kwami's head. Tikki's giggles made the sadness to go away. Seeing her job done, Tikki returned to Marinette.
The bluenette raised her hand like she did at school. Fu and Adrien chuckled a little. "Yes, Marinette you have a question?"
"Yes, if Hawkmoth has a special ability, does that mean we have special abilities too?"
"Yes, you do. Ladybugs have unbelievable good luck, while Plagg's wielders can cause misfortune to others. Helpful abilities whether your transformed or not."
"Don't we already use those abilities while we're transformed?" Adrien asked. He was scratching his hair in confusion. Plagg snickered from the boy's lap, which was now covered with bits of cheese. "PLAGG!"
"What? You look great with cheese on you," the little kitty teased. Adrien swiped at him, but the kwami merely phased through his hand. "Alright, no need to get so violent. When transformed you two have the power of creation and destruction. While those powers, are connected to luck and misfortune, that's not their primary responsibility."
"Which is why their special abilities. These abilities are usually tied to symbolism of the animal the kwami looks like," Tikki explained. She clapped her paws to get Plagg to focus. "For example, ladybugs are considered lucky, so Marinette could draw on that to help her with something."
Marinette let out a huff. "If my special ability is good luck, why do I always trip or run late?"
Wayzz interjected, "It takes a great deal of practice and intense focus to use these abilities. Normally, a kwami wouldn't even tell their wielder about the special abilities until a year or two passed. We're in a situation, which forces you two to learn and master your abilities faster."
"So we're getting a power up. This is so cool!" Adrien pumped his fist. Marinette shoved her boyfriend off the pillow reminding him these abilities were to help them defeat Hawkmoth.
Master Fu went on to explain to the couple the first few steps about connecting to their abilities. That they needed to take deep breaths and achieve absolute focus to feel the connection.
As the duo worked on achieving absolute focus, Master Fu had a different exercise for Ning to work on. "I haven't gathered any new information about the Kwamii Charms yet, so I will be teaching you the beginnings of the code used in the Miraculous Book."
Wayzz added helpfully that the code was based on a mix of kwami and ancient dialects from Asia. He also warned her about how the code could be twisted around to trick her.
The language was also split between pictograms and letters, making it even harder to learn. Pronunciation and spelling was very important to learning the code. "I did my best to translate the code into an alphabet you could learn. Not everything could be changed into a letter."
"I understand. So what is the first letter in the alphabet?" she asked, eager to get started.
While the Adrien and his friends we're training, his father was up to something back at the mansion, and it didn't involve anything to do with fashion. It had to do with his "side job".
Gabriel Agreste was sitting at his desk reading passages from an old book. It was very old and the only copy of its kind. He had paid an enormous amount of money for the item, but it was worth it.
After the incident with Volpena, the designer had been curious to know if other so called heroes of myth and legend, had actually existed. More importantly, had they owned a Miraculous that had been repurposed in a story? Every story had a grain of truth to it.
The old book was a collection of ancient legends and narratives copied on to the pages as the writer listened to them through oral traditions. Many stories in the book were obscure and many didn't have important details. Still, this book was valuable research tool.
"The Legend of the White Butterfly: A Japanese Folk Story. A fascinating story. I wonder if the white butterfly could be related to Nooroo's flitter. If it's not, I'll be very disappointed."
The story itself was a reflection of Japanese culture, showing the close relationship between the people and nature. The story also reflect Eros and Psyche about the transformation of the soul. The folktale went like this.
There was once an old man named Takahama, who lived a very quiet life. Many thought it was strange that, although he had come from a distinguished family and served an apprenticeship for a powerful merchant, he chose the profession of a caretaker at a cemetery and lived in a very unpretentious house on the cemetery grounds, amid the tombs.
Since he had never married, his sister and her son frequently came to look in on him. It was a trial for them, as it was very unnerving to have an uncle who lived in a cemetery; the nephew frequently tried to make excuses to avoid visiting his uncle and always suggested that they invite the uncle to visit them instead. However, Takahama refused to leave the cemetery, even for a day.
One day his sister and nephew went to see him and found him mortally ill. As old Takahama fell asleep, a little white butterfly flew around the old man's face and rested on the pillow. The nephew was annoyed and three times tried to shoo it away; still the butterfly appeared determined to be near old Takahama. When Takahama drew his last breath, the butterfly flew out of the house.
Knowing that this might be an omen, the nephew followed the butterfly, which flew to the grave of a young woman named Akiko and then disappeared. The grave of Akiko was old and covered with moss. This Akiko had died some sixty years earlier, but still there were fresh, recently watered flowers by the grave. Seldom does one see such things on an old tomb.
The nephew came back and told his mother what had happened. The mother closed her eyes and smiled knowingly. "What was the name of the grave?" she asked. When the son said, "Akiko, she told a tale to her son.
"Many years ago old Takahama was hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl named Akiko, and they became engaged, but she died before the wedding day. Takahama could not bear to be separated from her and left his promising career to always be near her. Takahama would tend to her grave. In the spring, summer, and autumn, he always brought fresh flowers; in winter, he placed evergreen boughs on her tomb. This must be the first day that he has missed tending to her tomb in over sixty years!
That little butterfly was her soul. She probably was concerned when Takahama didn't show up today and decided that she should look in on him. And she didn't leave until his soul left to be with her."
The heart of this story was a lesson about selfless love being stronger than death. Love defines Takahama in death as in life. Like Paris and Aphrodite, Takahama chooses love over wealth and power, but it is a selfless love not lust. As he is faithful to Akiko in life, so she is faithful to him in death.
Gabriel closed the book and sat up in his chair. Grabbing a tissue he carefully wiped away the one tiny tear coming from his right eye. The story, didn't appear to have anything Miraculous related to it, but the white butterfly and the meaning of selfless love that was important to him.
"My Emilie, while our souls may be parted, we will be reunited together, just as Takahama and Akiko, only it will be in the living world instead of the afterlife."
Nooroo poked his head out of his master's shirt pocket. He knew his master would be angry with him, but he felt had to help his wielder to see the difference between the legend and the present day circumstances.
"Master," Nooroo voice squeaked. Gabriel looked down at his kwami, a slight bulge forming on his forehead. He hated it when Nooroo started asking questions. "Yes Nooroo?"
"The legend was very interesting, I just think that maybe you didn't understand the meaning. Do you know what the story is trying to tell you?"
Gabriel pinched nose in frustration. "I understand the meaning very clearly Nooroo!" the man hissed in an icy voice. "This legend is about the love a man had for his almost wife. He spent his life tending to the needs of her tomb and was rewarded for his dedication. It is sign that I'm on the right path to reclaiming my own wife.
The akumas and the destruction brings me each time closer to my goal of regaining my wife and making my family complete again. Anything that I have done wrong will be erased, so there will be now pain or hurt. How is any of this not selfless love?"
Nooroo shook violently and decided to pop down back in the pocket. He wasn't brave enough to point out to his wielder, he was being selfish. Trying to bring back his wife from death or limbo, would only cause more pain and hurt.
The departed needed to stay on their side of the cycle of love and death. To return from death, would through the cycle off balance. Creating akumas and endangering people, including his own son, wasn't love at all.
Still angry with Nooroo, the man tapped the com unit on his desk. "Nathalie?"
"Yes, Mr. Agreste. What do you need me to do?"
"Cancel my order of yogurt for the next month."
"Of course Mr. Agreste."
Satisfied that Nooroo would stop questioning him about his intention, because of withdraw from his food source, Gabriel looked forward to having some peace and quiet. He would only withhold it for a few days. He needed Nooroo at full strength to become Hawkmoth.
With a cold smile on his face, he returned to reading the book. Hopefully, he would find something extremely useful. He wouldn't let anyone stop him from getting his wish.
Two days later, Marinette was bouncing up and down in her bedroom squealing in delight. It was her birthday! The one day of the year a person could feel special and super loved. "It's my birthday! It's my birthday yeah! I can't wait for the party!"
Tikki floated in the air, her antennas twitching. "I don't believe I've ever seen you this happy before. This must be an extra special birthday."
"It is! My grandma is coming! She's always traveling so I can't wait to see her. Its been years since she visited us. She's so cool and we always have the best time together," Marinette explained as she stopped jumping.
Tikki observed her wielder daydreaming as she thought about what her grandma might have gotten her for the girl's birthday. The little kwami knew her holder had a very active imagination and was probably hoping for trip in another country with her beloved relative. Tikki though about her own family and how different they were from humans.
Human families had such complex relationships. Some had super strong bonds with each other. Then there were families where no one got along. Families that were made of blood while others were made from love.
Kwamiis had a slightly different view on family. Each Kwami was born from an abstract idea. When enough Kwamiis were born, whose purposes related to one another, they became a circle or "family" making them all brothers and sisters to one another. Other circles became "cousins".
Pushing those thoughts aside, Tikki cleared her throat. "I have a birthday present for you Marinette. It's something very special that a Kwami gives to their wielder, when they have proven themselves worthy of their power and love."
Marinette held out her hands, excited to see what Tikki had for her. She didn't expect her kwami to dance around and then spit into her hands. Marinette tried to not look disgusted. To her amazement the spit harden into a little jewel shaped like half of yin yang symbol. "What is this?"
"It's a Kwagatama. It's very special and will help you become stronger. Not right now, but soon. You should hurry up and get ready for the day. I'm sure your grandma will be here soon!"
Later in the day, feeling restless and needing a break from learning the code, Ning donned her male disguise and decided to walk to the park. She knew that today was Marinette's birthday. While she couldn't attend the party, a little walk past the celebration couldn't hurt.
When she reached the park, she paused at the gateway looking in. There were colorful streamers and lots of balloons. Nino was up on the stage doing his DJ gig. Some of the kids were dancing while others ate the wonderful food. There was a table with lots of presents. Even a rented photo booth.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except the birthday girl. Marinette had a frown on her face and looked distant. She was holding a tiny shirt in one, clutching it tightly.
"I wonder what's wrong. This is her special day and Marinette looks like she wants to be somewhere else."
The disguised female heard the sound of an engine gunning it and coming this way. The back of her head was itching and her hidden charm necklace started to vibrate. There was an akuma near!
Ning ran into the park and hid behind some trees. The Akuma looked like a witch riding on a flying motorcycle. Whoever this lady was she was very furious with Marinette.
Instead of backing away, Marinette tried to get closer. It appeared she was trying to apologize to the Akuma, but was being constantly interrupted by said being. The only clear word that got out was "grandma."
"That lowlife target Marinette's grandma? Ugh, I have to do something, but what?"
Chaos was breaking out as Befana started firing her gun turning people to coal or angels. Marinette escaped with Chat Noir, but the Akuma and her minions went chasing after them, heading for the Eiffel Tower.
Several minutes later, Peace Keeper arrived at the plaza surrounding the Eiffel Tower. Tapping the sides of her mask, one of her new filters she had gotten from Nooroo, activated. This filter allowed her to see magical energy. It had limited range, which was why she couldn't use it to track down Hawkmoth.
Through her filter, she saw Befana chasing after Ladybug and Chat Noir battling the angels. She could also tell that the heroes' magical energy was low, while the Akuma's was still running high.
"Time to test out that new feature to my suit," Pressing on a small button on her belt, she felt a tingling sensation followed by a soft hum. Walking over to one of the big lights that showcased the tower, she looked for her reflection in the glass, but it wasn't there.
"Test one on the invisibility tech, so far so good." She made her way into the tower and up to the floor Chat Noir was on. The boy was outnumbered and needed help.
Chat Noir was swinging his baton around, trying to bat away the angels. He was running of space to move. "You really think you can corner this cat? I've got more tricks up my claws then your wings."
Joking aside, he was in a precarious situation. One of the angels was flying towards him when the person was knocked out of the sky, thrown up against a beam before sticky substance glued them to the beam.
Chat Noir jumped over the angels, hoping to escape, but one caught his tail and was pulling him back to the edge. The boy thrashed around, trying to his tail loose.
Again, something forced the angel to let go of his tail. The angel appeared to be in combat with something, when the minion was thrown backwards knocking into the others.
There was sizzle and then snap, as Peace Keeper materialized right before his eyes. "Dang it, look like the tech needs to find a better power source. Well don't just stand there, go help Ladybug!"
"Yes Ma 'me!" Chat Noir saluted her as he raced to help his partner, leaving Peace Keeper to deal with the angels. She continued to fight them and preventing them from helping Befana.
Ten minutes later everything was back to normal, and Peace Keeper had vanished. The teens looked for her, but didn't find her. They assumed she went back to Master Fu's shop.
When the returned to the park, the party was in full swing. A light show was happening, and Marinette started to open all her presents. All of them were thoughtful and wonderful gifts. She really liked the lucky charm Adrien had made for her.
When she got to the bottom of the pile she noticed a small box with a ribbon around. It was addressed to her, but there was no name, just a doodle of a peace sign. Curiously, Marinette opened the box, and was surprised by what was inside.
It was stamp, with the words, "Original Design by Marinette Dupain-Cheng," carved on the bottom. It also came with a pink ink pad. Now, Marinette had to ability to personalize some of her designs.
"What a thoughtful gift. Whoever gave you that, must think highly of you," Grandma Gena told her.
Marinette smiled and hugged her grandma whispering, "Yes, she does."