A/N: Thanks to Katherine.


This is a disaster. Everything is a disaster.

They hate us more every day. More censorship of like-minded views, except for Shrill Snooper's blog, and that's because it's too famous to do so. They would need to have a very good excuse.

Alix doesn't know why this is happening, she just had a bit of information. I guess it's Hawk Moth payments, but the media have to be very willing. As Kagami says, they betray their own moral values.

On the other hand, why have we told each other our identities? It hasn't given us anything other than being able to speak a little more directly about what we think, the awkwardness, and the fact that I won't get along with Bunnyx again.

Well, actually there is a positive point. Three days ago, Kagami was almost akumatized for being locked in the basement storage room, not the gym one. Luckily, her kwami was able to warn Alix and prevent the catastrophe. I'm sure that's got Hawk Moth's attention.

What definitely stood out was the way Kagami showed up to the class the day after the incident, or more specifically, to Marionette. She's much more direct and forceful than me, so she was very scary. Of course, that has caused the entire class, except for two or three people, to hate her deeply.

Once again, Marionette has succeeded. She just had to make a sad puppy face. She didn't need to shed a tear.

"Chloe, focus."

Alix's hand squeezes my left.

"I still think this is stupid. How is holding hands in a circle with a candle in the middle supposed to do anything? We look like a film cliché."

"Hey, look. All three of us are supposed to have magic. If we concentrate it on an object, we'd do something with the accumulated energy."

Kagami gives my right hand a light squeeze. She wants me to shut up.

"It still seems like a very silly idea to me."

"It was you who said that I was very smart. Deal with it. Now shut up and focus."

I never should have said anything. That put her ego through the roof. Although, considering the situation, our relationship is pretty good. She hasn't told me to my face that I'm a piece of shit and she has invited me to her house to do this, whatever this is.

It's because of what happened the other day. Alix wants us to protect ourselves from the possible attempt to akumatize one of the three of us. But it's still stupid.

Besides, I'm sure she hasn't just called us for this. She wants to talk about Hawk Moth's possible akumatization strategy. At first it was "teenagers from our high school." Later, with Darkblade we removed the "teenagers" and after the akuma one last week, we also removed the "our high school". The girl was from another school.

"Kagami, same thing. You'll think about whatever later."

It's true, the sooner I give my energy to that stupid candle, the sooner I can let go their hands.

I focus on the object. I imagine it in my head. It is a simple white candle, about eight inches high and one inch wide. I've never used magic of my own, but Alix said that imagining something might help, so I draw an imaginary line out of me and into the object.

I feel like I'm starting to get sleepy.

"Oh! I think it is ready! I feel a tickle." says the shorty.

"I am getting hungry." Kagami answers.

We release our hands and I open my eyes. Alix takes out a piece of very thin black rope for each one.

"We make a bracelet with the pieces and seal the knots with the flame of the candle."

"It's not lit." I point. Unless the flame is also lit with magic.

In response to that, she takes out a lighter. I move away from her a bit and approach Kagami, who protects me from the madwoman with fire. I look at my friend, who is looking at her rope.

"It is black." she says. "It is not the right color."

Of course it is suitable. It combines with everything. Although that may not be what she means.

"It's the one I had. And with these things there are no rules. We can do whatever we want."

She sighs and ties the knot on her left wrist. I imitate her, just in case.

"When you are sealing the knot, think about what you want to protect you. Magic works with energy and will. My brother told me."

His brother, loving and magical support. It looks something like Jean, but with magic, no secrets and no money involved.

We are silent as we burn the knots. The resulting bracelet is very ugly, although if it protects me from Hawk Moth, welcome.

"And a little miracle magic?" I ask the kwamis, who are at Alix's desk.

At least, that it doesn't all depend on us.

"We cannot." says Longg.

"That would be up to the Wa… the kwami of protection." Fluff continues.

Why doesn't she want to say their name? I know the one of the three.

The shorty shakes her head. She's going to change the subject. She gets up and sits on her bed. I go for the glass of honey that she put on her desk when I arrived. I demanded it.

"Now that we have finished with this, it's time to talk about the latest akuma." And there we go. "I found out that the girl moved from our school."

Eh? How does she know? Kagami also gets up and sits next to her.

"That means he's been keeping track of who was at Françoise Dupont last year all summer. That's why he's made few akumas: he had to be sure that they were from our school."

Or it could be coincidence.

"And do you know why they have to be from there?" Kagami asks.

So far we haven't gotten very far with the theory that they're from our school. But Alix wouldn't admit that she was wrong.

"I think it's because your mother found me after class. He doesn't know how I look and he hasn't heard my voice, but I do study there."

Were the akumas out to find her? No, that doesn't make sense. No one looked for her.

I shake my head.

"The girls were possible candidates to be me." She explains to me.

If that were so, she would have akumatized first-year girls, who are the ones of her height. I decide not to state it out loud. I don't want to like her even worse than I already do.

"I can understand about the girls," I concede. "but there would have been no point in akumatizing Lahiffe or any other boy. And much less teacher D'Argencourt."

"Yes it does. Nino's motive was to have a party, where there would be people from our school. The other boys and the teacher were near the building, where we could have been. Even D'Argencourt, since there were extracurricular activities every day and he was next to the school."

But not all the akumas were right at the school when there were people.

"And the nocturnal akumas? Like our fan." I continue. Still not convincing me.

"We were already transformed. He just wanted to attract us. At that moment we had just suffered a humiliation. We were mentally weak."

"I do not know. There is something..." Kagami intervenes.

Missing. Yes, it seems so to me too. She has focused on a theory and is not going to let it go even if it has flaws.

"I know, I know. But it fits. Hawk Moth is clever. On vacation he doesn't know who is from our school and who isn't. He assumed that people would wanna flee, so he has investigated."

My friend and I look at each other. We don't have anything better for now.

I remember that a moment ago, Alix scolded her.

"Why were you distracted before?" I ask him.

She squares her shoulders as if she wants to feel very safe, but what she says isn't safe at all.

"Everybody hates me. It is incomprehensible. How can everyone get carried away with whining?" She confesses.

Because they are easily manipulated idiots and Marionette is a false victimizing liar.

Alix shrugs.

"It's not like you provided much evidence."

She never leaves.

She puts her hand to her chest.

"I feel it here." Yeah, I don't think that's going to do much for the bossy.

"I know, but no matter how much magical intuition you have, it's still not proof. Although, if I have to choose between her and you, I choose you. You are my friend."

I think I wish Adrien had been like that. And then I shudder. I just wished that Alix, the obnoxious shorty, was my friend.

"I'm sure Rose will say something if we press her. She is weak." I suggest her.

"She hasn't said anything."

"That's because we haven't pressured her. Didn't you hear me? She is now protected by her group of friends. We just have to isolate her and attack."


Just finished geography class, my new favorite class. Not just because it's interesting, combined with economics, but Nathanael sits next to me. Alix is her only friend and she told her that I would help him. He doesn't seem very happy, but he will change. He will, I'm sure.

The aforementioned comes from her class. She doesn't smile, not when she comes back from PE. I don't know why, but it's not like we're friends either, we just share a team of superheroines. I wait for the girl who is my friend to arrive.

"Are you OK?" he asks concerned.

I pretend I'm not listening, even though I have nothing else to do. I can't help but think that his voice is changing. I love it.

"Yes…" I don't even believe it. "Hey, redhead, you want to rob a bank?"

What? What is she talking about? Is she crezy?

"Can't. I have to... kill a family."

Alix laughs. Is it some kind of joke?

"What if we eat worms tomorrow?"

It's a joke.

"Ten and a quarter light-years away."

And she now she laughs even more. Why does she laugh so much? Is she... is she flirting? No, she can't be. She likes retard Kim, right?

"Light years are a measure of distance, not time."

Stupid laugh. Stupid tinkerbell laugh. Why can't she have an ugly laugh? She snores when she sleeps.

"Hey, I was able to follow you. That already gives me points, right?"

I don't like the way she talks to him.

There's a loud bang as Kagami suddenly puts her bag down on the table. People shut up and look at her. After a few seconds, they start talking again.

"If you want them to stop seeing you as a violent person, that is not the way." advises the shorty.

She sits down and I put one hand on her forearm.

"Don't mind her. Being liked is overrated."

In response, she gives me a cold look and says:

"Do not touch me."

I remove my hand. She's not in the mood. Well, it's not like it's usual for her either. She looks like she notices how she's reacted and adds a "please". Almost.

Something tells me her elective class didn't go very well. And surely her problem has a name that begins with M.

There is another hit. This time it is a slam. Our math teacher is not the friendliest, although his slam is effective: everyone has shut up.

His classes are a bit overwhelming and this one is no different. You have to take a lot of notes because he explains each part of the equation in detail. Afterwards, he waits for all of us to write the explanation and makes an example. During the example, we have to attend. The one who doesn't attend is thrown out of class. Strict, but fair.

Right now, he is explaining. He occasionally looks around the class to make sure we pay attention.

One of the times, he stops explaining. He has seen someone.

"Kurtzberg!"

We all look in the direction of Nathanael, who has frozen.

"Out! You will enter when I say. And take your notebook. Try to understand how to do this type of problem just by copying from the board, you'll see how you need me."

The boy nods. What was he thinking?

To be even more humiliated than he already is, he goes and trips. Once again, why am I noticing him so much on? His notebook goes flying and ends up on my table. Open.

It's a drawing. A drawing of him in which he is a superhero and he is with us. How cute! It's a comic.

On the next page is... Marionette? Why her? He rescues her. I turn the page and... She tells him that she is in love with him. What is this?

Does he like Marionette? He wasn't in love with me, with Queen Bee?

No, it cannot be. I can't be that pathetic. I have been kind and attentive to him, more than anyone. And he likes Marionette.

I squeeze the notebook. I'm hot, very hot. I know my face is getting hot and I'm probably blushing. This is humiliating and ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I am ridiculous.

"Chloe, can I have my notebook?"

It makes me want to tear up this stupid notebook. No, that's not fair.

He should feel ashamed, like me. No one has noticed that I feel humiliated, but they will.

I look up. They all look at me, so I smile. Yes, exactly. I have the power here. I look at Marionette and then at him. His eyes widen in panic as he realizes what I'm going to do and he takes the notebook from me. It doesn't matter.

"Oh! Dupain-Cheng, it seems that someone is in love with you."

Lots of people laugh. I don't know where they find it funny, but I can't stop smiling. Anyone would think I'm having fun.

Kagami, Adrien, and Marionette yell at me, trying to make their voices carry over the laughter.

"Silence!" exclaims the teacher. "What does she mean? Bring that."

The people fall silent again as Mr. Berger opens the notebook. His expression goes from his usual seriousness to anger.

"To the director's office."

Nathanael leaves, avoiding everyone's gaze. By the time he walks out the door, a murmur runs through the classroom. They tense up.

A boy in the front row raises his hand.

"Mr. Berger, can we go home? He's going to be an akuma and I don't want to be around her when he gets there."

"Or you can kick her out too." Says the girl sitting next to her, one of Marionette's most recent ass-kisser.

Some people agree with her. I'm not surprised, they hate me. I also hate them.

"Tranquillity. There will be no akuma. Let's continue with the class."

I can't concentrate on what he says. Nathanael likes Marionette. He is a liar, a fake. So much that he adored me, so many drawings of me... I shouldn't care. I may find him cute and I like to visit him. But that doesn't mean I like him. I hate being humiliated.

There's only one more class left after math, and that doesn't stop some of my classmates from skipping it. Bustier is surprised at how empty it is as she walks in, though she doesn't say anything when the brat in the front row explains why.

I attend better than before, however, something in the back of my mind won't leave me alone. I grip my pen harder than necessary, resulting in horrible handwriting on my notes.

Nathanael has never been especially mean to me, but he did like me. Anyway, what he's done to me as Queen Bee has been horrible. I have returned it to him and my other identity will also. Although it may have just been Chloe's random evil for him.

Is it possible that I caused an akuma? No, if it was like that, he would have already appeared.

School ends without incident and I'm a little calmer by then. My fellow superheroes aren't.

"What's wrong with you?!" Alix yells at me as we leave the last ones.

It's no surprise. She isn't as fair as Kagami, but she is protective of her friends.

"What was that for?" asks my friend in a lower tone and arms crossed.

"I don't know."

We stop for a moment and people look at us as we leave, but they don't stop.

"That you don't know? Well I do know! Do you think you are the only one who suffers for love in a high school? Wake up, we're surrounded by teenagers! But you're the only one that causes akumas."

Love? Alix lives in a parallel world. And she is bothering.

"Akuma? You think Nathanael will be akumatized." Kagami intervenes.

"Yes, if he isn't already. If it weren't for the fact that it would leave a mark on you and they would recognize you, I would have already hit you."

"Try it and this time I will get you expelled forever."

I may be a little afraid of Alix, but I can hold my own. The shorty pounces and my friend gets between the two, stopping her.

"That will not be necessary." We go back to the main entrance. "Chloe, you will apologize to him and tell him why you did it. Let the wronged be the one to decide."

The girl takes a deep breath and nods.

"You better do something so that when Nathanael attacks you it looks like we didn't know it all along." She whispers. "Do a live on Instagram or something."

The bossy leaves and Kagami looks between the two before speaking one last time.

"Peaceful. Alix will not let anything happen to you. Although you should take her advice."

It was not advice. It was an order.

My limo and Jerzy are near the entrance.

I go down the stairs to them. Now I'm scared. I look everywhere before entering and the bodyguard notices it, alert. It's lucky they were able to come today. My father has a lot of money and he should buy a limousine for me.

Inside the vehicle, I pay no attention to Jerzy's gaze and think about what I should do. A direct on Instagram needs a reason. I recently bought a dress, which I haven't worn for the first time because it's summer and it's very cold, but it could be useful. There's no time to buy anything else and I would never let pictures of me without makeup hit the net.

I make him separate from me as soon as I get to the hotel and go up to my suite thinking of going directly to my closet. I don't even take three steps.

There he is: a Nathanael in tacky clothes and purple skin whose hair doesn't cover half his face for the first time.

The first option is ruled out, so I'm going to go with the second, which is to shout. Loud so everyone in this hotel can hear it.

He doesn't wait around for people to come in. He draws something on a kind of tablet that he has on his arm and that something appears in front of him.

He throws me to the ground as a huge knife plunges into the wall behind me at head height.

A loud crash tells me that someone has opened the door to my suite. Nathanael goes to check who is and I crawl under my bed.

I open my bag. Pollen is scared. Now we can't transform and we are helpless. "What are you going to do?" it seems that she asks. I take out my mobile. I'm going to write a tweet. I have to go public, although that will also attract all the journalists in Paris.

"Akuma in my suite. TS, come now!"

Now, I must find a place to hide and transform. I look up from my phone and there's the akuma, peeking out.

"Are you not even able to put your phone down even now? Pathetic."

Raise the bed like a feather. He has given him more strength and, surely, better reflexes as well.

I get up and run towards the entrance of the suite.

Something wraps around my wrist and pulls me hard. I fall on my back and it hurts a lot. In this form I can't do anything.

Nathanael walks up to stand next to me.

"You can't run away. There is no door anymore."

"But there are windows." Says a voice too sweet to be threatening.

I hear quick footsteps and see Nathanael move back, just in time to dodge Kagami's blade.

I roll across the floor in the opposite direction. Alix crouches down next to me.

"Come on, get up." she pulls me, opening a portal and pushes me into herburrow.

Saved. I am already safe. Deep breath. Now I am fine.

"Where is Pollen?" Alix asks.

I focus on her, rather than the hideous black circles.

"In my bag." she put her hands on her hips. "She is in the suite, in the place that should be under my bed."

She goes to one of the black circles and starts to do something with it, I don't know what.

"Do you realize what you have messed up because of your stupid jealousy?"

She again is going to scold me. I don't mind. I don't care what she thinks. I know she won't hurt me, Kagami won't leave her.

"I bet you saw Nath's comic. You have no idea what was going on and yet you decided you knew."

How did I not know? He did a story where Marionette was in love with him. There is no more to know.

"I was the one who told him to put it on." She explains. "I told him that he couldn't make Queen Bee her girlfriend because he didn't know her civil aspect and that she should be the girl he had drawn the most times to make it look better: his old crush, Marinette"

One moment. Does that mean that he hasn't cheated on me, that he really likes me and I've been stupid?

"And besides, it's his birthday." I have made a big mistake. "I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, but to fix it, okay?" Her tone is softer, almost as if she is trying to be nicer.

She keeps looking at her circle. When is she going to bring Polen?

"What are you watching?"

"Nath defeating your guards. He's too good... Okay, I have an idea."

Already? She is the hen of the golden eggs of ideas.

"Actually, I have two."

She keeps doing things with her black circle and sticks her arm out. Despite the times I've been here and seen her, it's sinister how her arm disappears into that void.

She brings Pollen, who now that we're safe, she looks at me like she's going to scold me.

"Actually, one of them was already given to me: it is how we are going to make Hawk Moth not suspect you. You will be in your suite twice at the same time, without your past self seeing you. I've already seen you, so I know that's what we'll do. You'll be a little older, but don't worry, I'll take you back to your time."

What? Is she talking about... a trip to the past?

"I will leave you in a nearby alley and you will go to your suite as if you had nothing to do with yourself. You will meet me from the past, but don't say anything as you might hear yourself."

I couldn't even if I wanted to.

"The other idea is that Nath has a crush on you. If we make part of his true self make his akuma doubt, we can beat him. It happened to me once, and the situation was more difficult."

What akuma is she referring to? I don't remember something like that.

She looks at me for a moment, waiting for my confirmation. Yes, I think I have.

We make the plan: I transform, she leaves me in an alley and I go to my hotel. When she and Kagami see me, they are surprised.

I do it too when I see myself. It's so strange. I'm there, lying on the ground, with Nathanael drawing something next to me. He hadn't noticed me.

Kagami steps forward as Alix goes for my other self. She turned me to the opposite side, and I try to help her with the akuma. She is managing too well.

Alix appears behind him and tries to hit him.

I spin my spinning top like a lasso and wrap his arm around him like he did me before. Right at the moment when it touches him, an object appears above our heads: a giant pair of scissors.

I crouch down as the scissors spin like crazy, finally cutting the cord on my top. How? It's not possible, it's supposed to be magical metal, like Kagami's sword. I see how I am left with only a piece of useless cable. I look up and find that she's crouched, too, though her weapon is fine.

On the other hand, there are Nathanael and Alix. The akuma has my spinning top still attached to his arm, he has also trapped my partner with a metal net and she can't move.

We react quickly and attack again. The akuma does too and starts drawing something else on his tablet.

I let Kagami go first and reach for my spinning top. She doesn't get very far, however, as Nathanael creates a huge contraption that prevents her from continuing.

I don't stop, until he creates a large weight and straps it to my ankle. Also, he erases the ground under my feet, which makes me feel like I'm about to fall off a cliff. I didn't know he could delete things.

I hang from the part of the ground that still remains. The weight pulls on me a lot, which makes my ankle hurt and I can't feel my foot. I hear a noise, like a vacuum cleaner, coming from above. I don't see anything, so I pull myself up a bit so I can get to the ground again.

My arms are shaking and my muscles feel like they are on fire. Why? It is assumed that as Queen Bee I have increased strength and I am a gymnast, I already have a lot of strength usually. Is it because the weight is also magical?

"Bee." Alix says brokenly.

Is she losing oxygen? I have to rush. This dumbbell is not stronger than me. Or maybe... She's referring to the plan.

"Nathanael. I'm still here. Are you going to put me aside? Do you see me so weak just because we are friends?"

That last one is a lie, but I'm sure saying it will make him pay attention to me. I don't wait for his reaction and continue to push myself.

When I get to ground level I see some feet and look up. He's here, I've managed to get his attention.

He kneels down and looks at me almost excited.

"Do you think we are friends?"

"Of course. You are special. Do you think I visit anyone?"

He widens his eyes and smiles. He is so pretty, even with purple skin. A butterfly appears on his face. Before he can react, I snatch his pencil from him and drop downstairs. I hope that's the akuma item.

I break the pencil and the butterfly comes out of it. I have succeeded.

Everything goes back to normal. The weight disappears and the floor and door are rebuilt, allowing me to return to the suite. Both Alix and Kagami (whom he had trapped in a vacuum when she was in wind form) are freed and they both stays with the press, who have surrounded the hotel, while I take Nathanael home.


This drawing of me is very detailed. It is hyper-realistic and in color. Anyone would think it's a photo if it weren't for the smile. It's a kind of smile I've never done, too sweet and loving, much kinder than the ones I show to the public.

I don't know how long we've been in his room. He has sat quietly in his chair and I don't feel like leaving him alone.

"I'm sorry."

For something that is my fault?

"Don't be sorry, we are all human."

And I also make mistakes. I'll apologize to him tomorrow.

"Killing is not human, it is monstrous."

He hasn't killed anyone. Where did he get that idea? Unless that was what he intended to do to me.

Today I was about to die and I didn't even know it.

"Do you remember anything?" I ask, hiding my momentary fear.

"Humiliation, pain and anger. I remember wanting to hurt Chloe Bourgeois, that girl in my class who makes so many akumas. And after you. You said my name and it was almost like regained consciousness. It is not weird?"

He's turning his back to me, staring at his computer, but when he's done speaking he turns to look at me. It's a bit intense.

I don't like. I don't like it when people are intense and want things from me. It's happened to me before, with Kagami, with Adrien. But this time it's different, this guy has a crush on me. And I don't know if I like him.

"Isn't it strange how I almost killed a person and only stopped because you were there? That doesn't say anything good about me." He runs his hand over his face. I think he is crying.

I'm the one who should feel bad for what he did to him.

Maybe I should rub his back or something. Don't know. When I cry I don't want anyone to tell me anything. Except Pollen, of course. She gives me hugs and kisses. I should try something else.

He's looking down, so I kneel in front of him and push him hands away from him face.

"Yes, it says so. You have been able to gain consciousness in there. That's more than any other akuma has ever done. You're a good person. Better than me."

He denies with the head.

"That's impossible. Nobody is a better person than you. You are a hero. The one I always wanted to exist, since I was a child."

Those words are so nice to hear, even if he knew who I am, he wouldn't say them.

"You are a better person than me. Like Ryuko. That's why I wanted to come see you more times."

He smiles a little and it's beautiful. I'm glad I made him feel a little better.

"Can I draw you?"

"Sure"


The bell rings indicating the end of class. This time, Nathanael has sat away from me. I have to apologize. I have to, so I follow him and stop him in the hallway.

His expression tightens when he sees me. He narrows his eyes, clenches his jaw, and draws in a sharp breath. I try to go his way.

"I..."

"No!" He stops and turns in my direction. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want to know anything you can say. You are..."

He looks at me hatefully. As if the thing he hated most in the world was seeing me.

"I thought you changed. That you would try to get along with others. I was the first to hand you an olive branch.

And that's how you pay me. Stay with Kagami, she's the only one thar can stand you. I've had enough of being the good guy." He is silent for a moment and he turns to leave, but he turns to face me again. "You have made me akumatized. Nothing can fix that. Nobody. All I want is for you to lose control of your body like I did. May your mind be clouded and you come to think that killing is a desirable option."

People stop and look at us. I hear them whisper. I don't know how to react. Normally I would defend myself, but I don't want to hurt him anymore.

"I want what you have done to me to happen to you."

Though he want to me.

He walks away with a determined step. Much more determined than ever. He has changed it.

The sea of students surrounds me and he continues on his way, now that the fight is over. I don't move, I stay still, like an islet, standing out.

Fixing it won't be as easy as being Queen Bee.


A/N:

1 I don't remember where I read it, but gymnasts and ballet dancers are very strong.

If you wonder why the scissors were able to cut the cable, it's because they have a diamond edge, Nathanael is no fool.