Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. I own only my OCs for the purpose of this FanFiction.

"New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings."

Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher

The next morning was a Saturday. Luckily, there wasn't an Akuma in sight so Paris' resident superheroes can rest.

And its new superheroes could get to know their kwamis.

One kwami was in the park with their new holder.

Sabrina had just sat down on a bench when she opened her shopping bag, took out a box of dog biscuits, opened it and took out one.

"Here you go, little guy." She said, handing the biscuit to her pocket.

Barkk immediately popped out, tongue wagging. She took the biscuit in her mouth at once.

"I love these!" Barkk squealed in between bites.

"I'm glad you liked them. Happy Bites were Luron's favourite brand."

"Who's Luron?"

Sabrina fell silent in sad remembrance and stroked the box of dog biscuits.

"…My dog."

"You didn't have any other dog back at your home."

"He died two years ago. He was 15. That's really old in dog years. My family had him since I was a baby."

Sabrina begun to have flashbacks of a basset hound decked in white, cream, brown and black, licking her baby face, playing catch with her as a child, her as a preteen rubbing his head as he kicked in his sleep.

Sabrina then felt a tongue licking her hand, almost making her believe it was her old beloved dog. She looked down and saw Barkk with her little tongue out. The redhead smiled and stroked Barkk's little head.

"Darling!"

Barkk immediately hid back in Sabrina's pocket as the girl's father approached her. Roger would've noticed Barkk if it wasn't for the Happy Bites.

"Oh, dog biscuits! I know that brand, I'd used to get boxes of them."

"I, uh, just bought them out of impulse." Sabrina made up on the spot. Her acting quickly turned to genuine sadness. "I miss him."

Roger sat down beside his daughter, placing a big arm around her. "I miss him too, sweetie. He was the best guard dog we ever had. Nose like a bloodhound! We can always get another dog, if you want."

Sabrina could hear Barkk's soft whining. "No thank you, daddy. I'm fine. Besides, I have enough on my plate at school."

"I know school was rough recently, but you'll get through. You're a Raincomprix after all!"

And soon, a superhero. She thought.

"OFFICER RAINCOMPRIX!"

Xavier Ramier, better known as the Pigeon Man, came running and screaming out of the blue, arms flapping wildly, looking as frantic as one of his pigeons.

"Officer! Officer!"

Roger sat up, placing his cuffed hands on his hips. "Coming to me about a crime? That's a change. What is it this time? Feeding the pigeons again?"

Xavier shouted in a rush. "It's a friend of mine! Marianne! She's not moving! I don't think she's breathing! I think she's..."

Roger dropped his teasing. "Show me."

Xavier turned and ran, pursued by the police officer and his daughter (and her new puppy.) He led them to a bench where a couple were sleeping in a loving stance, surrounded by pigeons.

Except they weren't sleeping.

Roger checked their pluses. He shook his head.

Xavier put his arms around Sabrina, shielding the girl from the horrible scene. He didn't shield the puppy kwami.

"Master!" Barkk, well, barked.

"Shush, dear." Xavier said softly, thinking it was Sabrina who spoke. "Look away."

Sabrina wordlessly patted her pocket where Barkk was whimpering inside, wondering how her kwami knew one of the old people in this tragedy.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. Nadja Chamack reporting here from the Place des Vosges. An elderly couple was founded this morning on a bench, frozen to death. Even in early March, the winter air is still evident in the evenings and last night was the harshest cold evening yet before spring comes. The police has begun an investigate into this tragedy. The woman has been identified as Marianne Lenoir, unmarried and spent her time in this very park. The man is a Chinese national, but his name is unknown. The man has severe bruising evident of a fight. Given his age and fragile body, that fight could've killed him if the cold hadn't. Despite his injuries, the man has not been to any clinic or hospital in Paris. If you have any information about this horrible tragedy, please contact the police. This is Nadja Chamack, signing out."

"How did you get all these bruises, sir?"

"I punched a wall in the amidst of my frustrations of a block in my work."

"Fashion designing is tougher than I assumed." The nurse giggled as she finished bandaged his knuckles. "Here you go. All done. Just avoid punching walls for a while."

Gabriel stood up and walked out of the emergency room, carrying a silver briefcase containing his frightened butterfly kwami. He walked straight pass Natalie's room without a passing glance. She was wearing a gas mask and a monitor keeping check of her dwindling heart rate.

The only good thing about this ordeal was that he couldn't akumatize anyone which allowed the superheroes a rare day off.

"WAKE UP!"

Adrien groggily rose his head from his pillow, still wearing yesterday's clothes without a chance to change them and bags under his eyes.

"Plagg! What is it?"

"LOOK!"

Adrien glanced to his massive TV showing Nadja's news. The picture of a dead Master Fu woke him up right away. He glanced to Plagg, shocked to witness the lazy, impish, cheese-loving cat weeping. Crying. Plagg lowered to the ground, succumbing to his cries.

Adrien swooped up his kwami, both saddened and confused. "I'm so sorry, Plagg. Should we call the cops about Master Fu?"

Plagg took a deep breath, his throat croaking hoarsely before he spoke clearly. "No. The police will find out about the Miraculous and Master would want that secret to be secret among us."

"But-"

"Kid, I knew him. Better than you. It's best to keep his secret in his honour."

Adrien shut his mouth and brought Plagg close to his face, basking in his warmth for comfort.

Likewise, other Kwamis mourned their master and their holders comforted them.

"WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Wow! You make glitter! Pretty!"

"Manon, Duusu is crying glitter because she's sad!"

"Oh…sad is bad."

Chloe groaned as she clutched a whimpering bee-kwami. Ever since Nadja broke the news of Master Fu, Duusu and Pollen broke into different reactions expressing the same grief.

"Chloe!"

Duusu hid in Manon's pocket on the front of her overalls and Pollen dove for cover in Chloe's expensive Gucci white handbag just as Mayor Andre Bourgeois and Nadja entered the former's daughter's imperial suite.

"Are you alright? We heard you crying!" Andre said worried for his only child.

"It…was..Manon! The news upset her!" Chloe covered up, pointing at Manon with a narrowed look in her eye.

Manon blinked. Then her eyes widened with understanding and she burst out crying. Nadja immediately picked her up and hugged her. Inside Manon's pocket, Duusu was sandwiched between mother and child's beating hearts and radiating warmth.

And she liked it. It calmed her.

"So, daddy, what's gonna to happen to the dead couple?" Chloe asked.

"Well, according to Officer Raincomprix, Marianne had no family to claim her, and they still don't know who the man is." Her father answered.

"And…?"

The mayor bit his lip, not wanting to tell more to his precious little girl.

"Daddy, I want to know."

"...With no choice, the bodies had to be cremated and stored in the evidence locker."

"What?"

Gasping, Chloe glanced to her handbag, knowing that Pollen was inside, shaking with grief and fear. Chloe was suddenly overwhelmed with a foreign yet powerful need to help her little friend.

"Why don't we give them a proper burial?"

Andre blinked. "What?"

"We'll pay for their funeral! The coffin, the service, everything!"

"Honey, I don't think you're thinking straight! The cost of a funeral-"

"Daddy, paying for a funeral is 10 euros compared to our wealth. And while we're at that, we'll have a memorial of them in the park! We can hire that sculptor guy who did the statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir! What was his name? Oh, Theo!"

"Darling, I'm not sure if doing that would be good. The people will think I've cheapening a-"

"This isn't about good publicity! It's about giving that poor couple a proper funeral! The only people that matters is that couple!"

Andre dropped his jaw, staring blanking at his daughter.

"That's great news!" Nadja exclaimed happily. But then she frowned. "News I have to cover. Looks like I have to do another all-nighter." She glanced to her own daughter. "Sabine and Tom are too busy to have a child running around their bakery and Marinette can't mind her anymore…"

"I'll look after Manon overnight! Leave her with me!"

Nadja beamed. "Wonderful, Chloe!"

"Yay! Sleepover!" Manon cheered.

Andre slowly hovered his hands over Chloe's shoulders before settling on them. Tears swelled up in his eyes. "Chloe...that is the most mature thing I ever heard you say. The funeral arrangements, taking in Manon for the night…You're learning to be responsible! I am so proud of you!"

He swooped her up in a bone-crushing hug, making her grimace. But upon seeing Pollen peeking out, her big blue still tear-filled but sparkling touched, Chloe smiled and signed lovingly, relaxing her head against her father's shoulder.

"Feeling better?"

Marinette yawned, stretching her arms and smiled. "Much better."

At last, Marinette finally got out of isolation. And like she said, she felt stronger and more active. She was wearing a nice set of pyjamas made of fine satin in flawless, blinding white, a long-sleeved top held together by black buttons and long pants. Fluffy pink socks donned her feet. Her hair was messy from sleep, so she simply had it tied in a loose low ponytail by a thick white ribbon tied in a bow.

"Oh my God!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Marinette jumped from her bed. "What?"

Vanessa stared at her phone, shocked. "Some poor old couple froze to death in the park!"

"Which one?"

"The place, uh, the Voyage?"

"You mean the Place des Vosges."

"Yeah! Poor mates…"

Tikki hovered over Vanessa's shoulder, merely taking a curious glance at her phone when she suddenly screamed and dropped down.

"Tikki!"

Marinette jumped off her bed and caught her falling kwami. She looked at Vanessa's phone and gasped in horror.

"You know them?" Vanessa asked.

Marinette kept her eyes on the tiny screen. More specifically, on the old man. "He was the one who gave me the Ladybug Miraculous. He was Tikki's previous owner."

Marinette's good mood took a downpour. Her shoulders slouched, her smile dropped, even her hair fell limp.

"Maybe this is what Chat Noir wanted to talk to you about." Vanessa said quietly.

Marinette numbly nodded. Her hands caged around her crying little bug.

On that Saturday, Adrien was once again free so he was able to meet his fellow Miraculous holders (except for a certain two) at the nearest alley in the nearest street they can get to. A place so busy no one will hear the kids' secrets.

After what happened today, Adrien made a decision he stand firmly by.

"Tonight?"

Adrien's friends stared at him. Unlike yesterday, he stood with his hands propped on his hips, keeping a straight face.

"We're gonna meet Ladybug tonight? Face to face?" Nino questioned.

Adrien nodded, making everyone excited.

Well, except for Alya. She was frightened of Ladybug's reaction, knowing it won't be friendly.

"Adrien, you were there when Ladybug fired me. When she sees me again, as Rena Rouge, she's gonna rip my head off and kick it out of Paris like a football!"

"No backing out now. We'll meet up on the roof of the Centre Pompidou at 10.30."

Kagami raised a brow. "10.30?"

"Yah! I get to stay up late!" Manon cheered.

"Just this once!" Chloe scorned.

"But that's past my curfew!" Sabrina protested.

"You sleep at 10pm?" Kim gawked.

"Some of us have things to do in the morning, like be awake for school!"

"Why are you complaining, Kim? Didn't you say that you jog at 5 every morning or is that a lie?" Alix teased. "Is Lila rubbing off of you again?"

"Just be there!" Adrien snapped, scaring everyone into silence.

"Kid, I think the power has gone to your head." Plagg remarked.

Adrien groaned from his overwhelming frustration.

When night fell, it usually meant bedtime for the people.

Not for restless youngsters ready to embrace their new lives.

"Ready, kid?"

"No. Plagg, claws out!"

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

"Wayzz, shell on!"

"Power Broochy Thingy Makeup!"

"No, Manon, you have to say Duusu, spread my feathers."

"Okie dokie! Duusu, spread my feathers!"

"Oh, for the love of Prada…Pollen, buzz on!"

"Daizzi, squeal!"

"Roarr, attack!"

"Stompp, charge!"

"Ziggy, lock horns!"

"Orikko, sing!"

"Longg, bring the storm!"

"Sass, scales slither!"

"Kaalki, full gallop!"

Xuppu, show time!"

"Mullo, get squeaky!"

"Barkk, paws up!"

"Fluff, clockwise!"

"Tikki…spots on!"

"What is it you want to tell me, Chat?" Ladybug asked.

She easily found Chat on the roof of one of Paris's most renowned art museums. Tonight, Chat was behaving odd. Granted, they hadn't spent much time together lately, but the guy was downright nervous like a child inches away for confessing his mother he broke her favourite vase. Twiddling his fingers and feet, even sweat was sliding down his mask.

"Ladybug…did you see the news? About the old man?"

Ladybug blinked. "You knew him?"

Her partner nodded. "I saw him. Before he died. Yesterday. He…"

"He what?"

"I…"

Ladybug quickly got impatient. "You what?"

"There they are!"

"How are you use these things?"

"A little early warning about our superhuman strength would be helpful, A-"

"LOOK OUT!"

"COMING IN HOT!"

Figures shrouded in shadows dove for the roof like a flock of crows out of the darkness and, quite painfully, crash-landing into a pile.

"Ow!"

"My head!"

"My back…"

"Watch where you're landing!"

"You're squishing me!"

"Get your foot out of my face!"

"Get your butt off my head!"

"I would if you get off of me!"

"Dude, you weigh a ton!"

"It's the horns! They add the extra weight!"

"Hey, get your tuba off my leg!"

"It's not a tube, it's a French horn! Careful! You'll scratch it!"

As the figures straightened up and faced the famed heroes of Paris, Ladybug froze.

Before her was Rena Rouge and Carapace and Queen Bee.

Alya, Nino and Chloé.

Her blood ran cold. Her eyes enlarged, her pupils shrunk. Even her heart skipped a few beats.

The others, she didn't know.

The first one she noticed was a girl in a pure white and baby-blue suit, the two colours separated with curvy black lines that also had a blue dot on the white sides. Her throat was covered by a black turtleneck with a big, white, puffy cotton ball attached and she had black lined pockets were on the sides of her slim stomach. Her mask was half baby-blue, half white, and lined with black with blue dots near her cheek, the colours bringing out her equally baby-blue eyes. White rabbit ears with baby-blue insides were propped on her head, nestled in reddish-pink hair in a neat yet spiky-layered bob. A white umbrella was strapped to her back.

The second was another girl with soft orange hair in a short-long ponytail and long bangs loose at the front, framing her green-eyed face that was well hidden behind a light-brown mask with a white diamond-shaped middle. On her head sat a pair of light-brown floppy dog ears with white insides. She wore a skin-tight suit, light-brown with a white muzzle from the top to her chest to her feet, and brown soles. Around her throat was a black black with five light-brown beads. Around her waist was a white leather belt with a white dog collar with a bronze bone-shaped dog tag on the front and a white diamond-tipped dog tail of strong leather at the back, and a light-brown short and thick stick settled on her left hip under her belt.

The third was yet another girl who appeared as cat-like as Chat Noir. She had cat eyes with yellow-green sclerae, warm reddish-coloured irises and oval pupils, brought out by a magenta mask with black stripe stripes. Her hair was luxuriously full, thick as a tree trunk, gathered up in a high ponytail, stylishly cut in spiky layers tipped with magenta, no fringe hiding her pretty face. on her head sat a pair of black tiger ears with magenta insides and white circles on the back. Her magenta suit clung to her body, bringing out a slender, alluring figure. Her neck was black, running around her chest, making a triangle-shaped section and there was black running up her legs like sexy thigh-high boots. At the back was a magenta tail with black stinger stripes attached, rounder and fuller than Chat Noir's. In her right hand, she held a black cat whip and on her left hand, she wore a dark-purple Panjas Bracelet that has a centre spherical object with a light yellow-green tiger paw print on it.

The fourth was another girl but different in appearance. Her body was short, running with plump curves that were brought out by the grey suit, white on the front, black on the hands and legs, each with a pink trim, black on the collarbone and a pink band around her waist. A mask concealed her true identity, grey at the top and pink with a black border at the bottom. She had a voluminous mass of platinum-blonde curls pushed back by a grey banana, twin bun hiding behind grey mouse ears with pink insides and two braids hanging by the sides of her face, interwoven with pink streaks and held together at the end with black ties. Around her neck hung a black necklace with a round dark-grey pendant with lighter grey markings and five pink rats running in a circle on the front. She was clutching a pink jump rope in her hands.

The fifth was a boy, correction, a giant of a bulky stature, his muscles barely contained in a navy suit. Like Chat, his suit was made of shiny leathery material, and a small gold bell of a zipper shone at his neck. Lighter-blue pads on his shoulders, emphasising his greatness by giving him board shoulders. Apart from his mouth, his head was covered with a deep navy helmet with big grey horns that belonged to an ox, a tuff of blonde hair on his forehead. He also had a dark-blue nose ring with five yellow spikes in his nose. He gripped a blue ox goad with a silver tip in his left hand, his right hand protectively on the shoulder of the mouselike girl.

The sixth was a girl again, with short black hair and narrowed brown eyes. Ladybug could've sworn she saw that look of determination from before...anyway, this girl was wearing more red and black than her. However, her suit had a black design of a dragon tail outlined with yellow curling from her left leg up to her chest, black on her collar, arms and legs, all with yellow outlining. She had four red dragon-like horns with yellow tips with black outlining on her back, a long and thin red sword on her back, and on her face was a red mask around her eyes with yellow and black outlining at the base of the sides, bringing out her golden eyes with yellow scleras.

The seventh was a second boy that made Ladybug almost drool. The green and teal leathery suit enhanced the muscles out of his slender figure, shining with a snake-like texture and a small slit on his turtleneck and yellow diamond-shaped symbol on his chest. A cool expression of tranquillity masked his face, along with an actual mask as snake like as his suit, a teal top half and a cyan bottom with a snake's h underbelly pattern, two yellow fangs sticking out at the bottom over his cherub cheeks and golden-tanned skin, highlighting his green eyes. His hair was full and soft, shining green, cyan and teal. On his left wrist was a sea-green bracelet in the seductive shape of a snake with a yellow forked tongue and under his arm he held onto a green lyre with yellow spots on the sides.

The eighth was another girl clad in a light-pink suit with black spots like Ladybug in a bigger size and dotted on her leg, right ankle, left chest, right shoulder, left arm, and right elbow. Aside from the pink, the first think Ladybug noticed was the big smile on her face, understand a pink mask with black spot on the right of her big sapphire eyes and two black dots over her nose in a 'stout'. Short sunny-blonde barely were contained in stubby pigtails. Because of the pink, it was hard to see the light-pink chain with matching pearls on her right ankle. She gripped on a black broom with a pink staff.

The ninth was a rather cool guy, looking suave with stylish black glasses with silver rims, smooth dark skin and ivory-coloured hair styled in multiple braided locks tied back in a short ponytail. His rather petite body wore a trendy dark-brown outfit with red-brown straps on his shoulders, torso, and thighs, a small silver horseshoe on his zip and dark-brown resembling high-tops with light-yellow lines on the bottom and two wings sporting at the back that the Greek God Hermes had on his helmet. On his back was a grey-brown horseshoe with six teal buttons.

The tenth was another boy with a built almost as big as the ox boy with longer, skinner man hidden inside a light-brown suit that wasn't skin-tight like the others. Rather, it puffs out like a tracksuit. His suit had a tanned covering on his stomach and chest, a puffy tanned collar hiding his neck, a golden zipper with a small gold banana tag, black shoulder pads with gold boarders and the same pads on his calves. A belt of gold embellished with a dark-brown buckle and two gold brown-rimmed motifs clung to his waist, a long light-brown rope for a monkey tail with a golden tip running down his legs. His gloves and boots extended off his suit, coloured in gold, black, brown and tan. A dark-brown head mask covered his ears, chin and forehead while a mask of shiny golden was across his fair-skinned cockily-smirking clear-greyish-eyed face with orange curly eyebrows. His burning red hair stuck up in one prominent spike, bordered by a gold circlet with curves and curly ends around his head. He twirled a long black staff with gold on either end around.

The eleventh was…Well, Ladybug wasn't sure if the person was a boy or a girl. The athletic built of their body and board shoulders said 'masculine' but the long black slender arms, black lipstick and even the thigh-high hiking boots of thick black leather screamed 'feminine'. Along with these features, they had on a grey suit with a hood attached that had fluffy white wool on the lining and a silver bell hanging off the front. Their hair was half black and half grey, intertwined with streaks of each. On top was black goat horns striped with grey and grey goat ears with black insides. His light skin glowed a soft orange like a peach and his eyes gleamed vivid teal behind a mask that was grey on the right and black on the left. A grey quiver was draped over his shoulder, carrying 5 silver arrows with black tips and a silver bow.

The twelfth was definitely a guy with red hair brighter than the monkey boy, brushed back in a cool blown back style. His body was wrapped in a vibrant bright orange suit, fading to yellow at the feet and red at the shoulders, resembling a fancy tuxedo suit with a red 'coat' and attached 'coattails' of three red tail feathers, along with yellow stripes in between his toes like talons. Across his fair face was an orange mask with yellow lining at the bottom forming a 'beak' over his nose, highlighting the yellow scleras in his memorising opal eyes. In both of his hands he held a gloriously shining golden French horn.

The thirteenth and final figure was a little girl, standing at the height of everyone's waist, holding Queen Bee's hand with a big smile. She had big pink eyes with purple scleras, white bucked teeth ticking out of her smile and tanned skin darkened by her brilliant blue hair tied up in high, neat pigtails with a small triangular part in her fringe on her forehead and two blue peacock feathers with light-pink spots on the insides arranged in a style like a bow at the back of her head. On her little body she wore a blue suit with a wide pink stripe across her belly, a blue wrap-skirt attached to her waist with rounded ends and light-pink spots resembling a peacock's tail feathers, pale-blue legs and aqua-Green soles with a matching band around the foot so it looked like Mary Janes shoes. There was a plain dark-blue brooch with five pink crystals in the style of a peacock. In her right hand, she held a blue hand fan.

"Ta-da!" Chat Noir cried, thrusting his arms out, flashing an uneasy grin at a still frozen Ladybug.

The girl who looked like a tigress shyly waved, flashing fangs. "Hi."

Ladybug remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

"Guys…I think Ladybug's broken." The goat boy whispered. "The akumas have got to her."

A small sound slowly squeaked out of Ladybug's mouth. "Chat…"

"Finally, she speaks!" Monkey boy exclaimed.

"Shush, man!" Bull boy snapped.

"What…did…you…do?" As Ladybug spoke more, her face creased in a glower.

Chat Noir dwindled his fingers.

"It was the Stir of the moment." He said sheepishly.

All he got was blank looks.

"Dude, your puns are weak." Carapace deadpanned.

Ladybug balled up her hands. "You…gave…the…Miraculouses…away?"

"We need more backup?"

"HOW COULD YOU!?"

"I can't wait around for you forever!"

Ladybug jerked, hurt, immediately hitting Chat with guilt.

"I didn't mean it like that! I mean I had to act fast!"

"Well, you acted foolish! You're such an idiot!"

"Now, now, I know you're upset-"

"Upset? Oh, no. I'm not upset. I'M FURIOUS!"

The newcomers watched with bewilderment as Paris's tightly-knit duo, who always worked in perfect harmony, were encased in a rare heated argument. They moved their heads like a ping pong ball, going back and forth multiple times as each hero argued.

"What is wrong with you? How could you do that? Why didn't you at least talk to him?"

"There wasn't any time to talk! Besides, I didn't know he was the master til then! You never told me there was a master!"

"Why wasn't I given the Miraculous boxes then?"

"Because he probably doesn't even know your secret identity! Or he couldn't get to you! He was dying! It was on the news. He froze to death in the park with a woman at his side. And He didn't give me the box. He just took out small boxes for the rest of Miraculous items from the box itself."

"That doesn't help your case!"

"If you were given the Miraculouses boxes, you would hide them away, buried on a remote island or in a locked box under your bed!"

"Of course I would! It's would be the best option! Not to distribute powerful magical items to kids like candy! For God's sake, there's a child here!"

"We're all children!"

"Not helping at all! You are so irresponsible! Since we're giving away free magical items, how about we give Lila a Miraculous?"

"I'm desperate but not that desperate!"

"How does she know Lila?" Horse boy whispered.

"Everyone knows Lila, duh." Bunny girl hissed.

"Its bad enough that one person knows my identity by accident, so you purposely let 20 people know yours!"

"Technically, it's 17."

"That doesn't make it better!"

"Ladybug, you're acting like you have something against Queen Bee, Carapace and Rena Rouge. What have they done to you?"

"EVERYTHING!"

"You know them?"

"I KNOW THEM ENOUGH TO KNOW THEY ARE NOT HERO-WORTHY!"

The three mentioned heroes winced. Renga Rouge looked even more so pained.

"Look, Chat, I just know they are not superhero material anymore!"

"What makes you say that?"

"For one thing, they couldn't recognise a real villain if Hawkmoth was sipping tea on their school desk! I told you that Alya is no longer worthy to be Rena Rouge! She is too gullible, selfish and reckless! She actually believed I had a 'friend' who would go public with our relationship! She never once thought of the consequences! Same goes for Queen Bee and Carapace! They don't know the danger they put me and others in because of their actions and they obviously don't care!"

Rena Rouge whimpered. Carapace took her hand and squeezed to comfort her.

"I know what she did was wrong, but I had no choice. Master Fu wanted her back."

"Some actions cannot be forgiven! I won't allow it!"

"That's not your choice!"

"You have no idea what it's like to be the leader, the one in charge of everything!"

"Milady, We're a team."

"Every team needs a leader!"

"I thought we were partners!

"We are! But one of us have to make the decision regrading our ability to protect Paris from Akuma since the other just goofs off!"

"I did not goof off! I am more than capable of handling on my own while you were sleeping it off!"

"I was sleeping because I was sick! You think I slept during Akuma attacks on purpose? How dare you accuse me of slacking off?"

"Wait, so Ladybug was sick from lack of sleep?" Dog girl wondered.

"No wonder she's so cranky." Queen Bee decided.

"Oh, really? I though it was because she saw me after she fired me." Rena Rouge remarked sarcastically.

"Adr- uh Chat did said the amount of akumas raining on them is affecting their health." Snake boy mentioned.

Carapace furrowed his eyes, spotting the purple bags barely hidden under Ladybug's mask.

Without thinking of the dangers, only thinking of Ladybug's wellbeing, he took a brave step forward.

"Excuse me."

Ladybug and Chat Noir halted their feuding to stare at Carapace.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have one question for Ladybug."

Ladybug glowered. "What is it?"

"When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"Superheroes don't sleep! Superheroes sacrifice sleep to protect their homes at all hours and-"

Carapace managed to miraculously silence her at last by holding up a slim finger. He then moved his digit in a slow, circular motion. Ladybug could not resist her eyes from following the moving finger.

"What are you playing at, Carapace? I don't have time for this nosce-"

Then Ladybug pulled a face and promptly dropped into Carapace's awaiting arms, snoozing like a baby against his shoulder.

Everyone stared at him for performing such a miracle.

"How..did...you..."

Carapace smirked, still waving his finger around. "Just a little trick passed down through the generations of the Lahiffe family. Works every time with my lil bro at his bedtime."

The pig girl squinted her big blue eyes at Ladybug who was still knocked out, smiling peacefully in her sleep against the boy's shoulder. Then she forced more on Ladybug's pink lips smiling sweetly.

"Hey, she smiles kinda like Ma-"

Suddenly, Ladybug woke straight up and, when she realised who she was sleeping on, pushed Carapace away quite harshly.

"Don't do that! Don't even touch me! See, Chat? He's playing tricks on me when we're in the middle fo a crisis! That proves he's not capable of taking anything seriously!"

Carapace held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean to. I just want to know how sleepy you are. Without proper rest, you won't be able to fight the akumas anymore."

"My sleeping patterns has nothing to do with you! You're not even supposed to be here!"

Chat Noir swanned in between them, protecting Carapace from Ladybug's fury. "Look, Ladybug. I know you have disagreements about Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee coming back but face it, even the master knew we need them. We need the extra help! We are not sacrificing our duty to protect Paris from Hawkmoth and his akumas because you don't like them anymore! At this point, we'll take anyone!"

"ANYONE BUT THEM!"

When Ladybug screamed, she pointed at Carapace, Queen Bee and Rena Rouge.

"Ouch." The trio chorused.

"I'm not asking you to trust them. I'm telling you we need them."

"Well, I need them to give up their Miraculous and leave right n-"

BOOM!

"I AM THE NIGHTCASTOR! WHEN I SAY YOU GO ASLEEP, YOU DO IT!"

The high-powered kids ran to the side of the roof, watching the ambulance cause havoc on the streets.

"Here is an example of Hawkmoth taking advantage of the vulnerable people of Paris!" Chat Noir loudly exclaimed, still determined to ask his case. "This time, he has targeted a mother who's kids don't understand bedtime!"

Ladybug glared at him. He glared back, challenging her. She snarled, then groaned and then sighed in ultimate defeat.

"Fine. They can stay." She said reluctantly.

The new kids cheered until Ladybug shut them up with a fierce glower.

"On one condition. I need to see if you lot are hero material. After Chat and I did this tired mama, we'll having a training session. I'm not wasting my time picking up your mess. But for now…stay away from me."

Then she leapt off the roof. Chat Noir gave thumbs up and too-blinding grin before jumping after his partner, leaving the rest in shock.

"…wow." Horse boy said at last, breathless. "That was…."

"Intense?" Rooster boy suggested.

"I was gonna say weird."

"Is it me or was Ladybug a bit…?" Mouse girl trailed off.

"Bitchy?" Monkey boy added. Almost immediately, he got slapped hard on the head twice, one by a hand and one with a whip. "Ow!"

"Watch your tongue, you fool!" Dragon girl told him almost as harshly as Ladybug.

"Don't say the b-word, there's a kid here, you idiot!" Tiger girl scolded.

"What is bitchy?" The little peacock girl asked innocently.

With that, Queen Bee slap Monkey boy across the face.

"A word you're not allowed to hear or say until you're 16, sweetie." Rena Rouge said in a too-cheery tone.

Queen Bee shot monkey boy a glare. "I better get miss potty month home before banana-brain says the dreaded f-word." She strutted pass him and picked up her charge. "Come on, time for bedtime for you."

"I wanna stay!" The little girl whined.

"Wait, Chlo- Queen Bee, we have to stay!" Dog girl pleaded.

"Tell Ladybug I rather have her yell at me than getting killed by a mother for letting her daughter learn the b-word! I have first-hand experience in dealing with angry people!" Queen Bee said as she disappeared into the night, carrying a wailing child home. "Yeah, since you make them angry!" Rooster boy called after her.

"We should help them." Mouse girl suggested, eyes fixed on the raging battle below.

"Do you want Ladybug to tear you apart?" Pig girl exclaimed, shaking in real fear.

"We should just do what she said. Just watch and listen to her." Tiger girl advised.

"Seriously? She doesn't even want us here!" Carapace pointed out.

"Guys, we can't give up now." Snake boy proclaimed. "We promised our friend we will help him. We know the responsibilities and dangers that comes with it but we took anyway. If Ladybug gives us crap, we give it back. We'll prove to her we're hero material. We're here to stay and that's final."

His words planted confidence and comfort to his friends, especially Dragon girl. She was impressed.

"Anyone want popcorn?"

All heads turned to Monkey boy holding a red/white-striped box of popcorn.

"Where did you get that?" Bull guy asked.

"Cinema down the street."

"You stole it?!"

"That's not very superhero-y." Rooster boy commented.

Bunny girl reached for the popcorn. "Neither is not sharing. Gimme some!"

Akuma of the Day: A poor mother who was struggling to get her kids to go to sleep.

Akuma- Nightcastor; 'Night' for the time people got to sleep (unless they're high-powered superheroes) and 'castor' for casting the night.

Sabrina's old dog, Luron, is named after a French comics series about a melancholic basset hound, Gai-Luron.

Marinette's pyjamas are white which is the Chinese colour of mourning.

Centre Pompidou is an art museum in the 4th district of Paris. It is a unique building, wonderfully designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers in the 1970s, futuristic with outdoor escalators and pipes.

Mnaon's attempt to use the Peacock Miraculous, Power Broochy Thingy Makeup, is a reference to Sailor Moon, the legendary Anime and Manga. The holy grail of magical girls.

Nathaniel's superhero hair is based on Riven from Winx Club.

Manon's superhero form is loosely based on the Powerpuff Girls.

Stir of the moment was Chat Noir's pun on 'spur of the moment.'