Ladybug (Ladybug finishing her transformation)

Cat Noir (Cat Noir finishing his transformation)

Crystal Cygne (Crystal Cygne finishing her transformation)

Cottontail (Cottontail finishing her transformation)

We've been preparing (Ladybug, Cat Noir, Crystal Cygne and Cottontail on patrol)

Sharing (Elisa helping Sakura with her Footloose lines)

Training (Luka and Elisa meditating together, holding hands)

Studying A to Z (Elisa raising her hand in class)

Bonding (Elisa and Sakura hugging)

Battling (Cat Noir destroying Captain Hardrock's ship with Cataclysm)

Laughing (Elisa laughing at Nathaniel's drawing of Hawk Moth's defeat)

Gettin' crazy, you and me (Luka kissing Elisa)

'Cause it's coming soon (The window in Hawk Moth's lair opening)

When we all meet our destiny (Luka and Elisa standing under the moonlight in each other's arms)

Under the Parisian moon (Ladybug, Cat Noir, Crystal Cygne and Cottontail stand side by side, now joined by Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee)

Miraculous!

Lily

It was a lovely Sunday morning. I was going to stay in bed pretty much all day... Or so I thought.

"Lily, darling." My father knocked on my bedroom door. "They'll be broadcasting Fill My Shoes in a few minutes. Please get dressed and come downstairs."

"I will, Dad!" I called before getting out of bed and looking in the mirror.

Lily:

When you're a skinny child of fourteen,

Wired with braces from ear to ear

You doubt that you could ever be appealing.

Then, hallelujah, you are fifteen and the braces disappear

And your skin is smooth and clear.

And you have that happy, grown-up

Female feeling...

I ran to my dresser to change out of my nightdress and into my rainbow dress and white shrug.

Lily:

How lovely to be a woman!

The wait was well worthwhile.

How lovely to wear mascara

And smile a woman's smile.

How lovely to have a figure

That's round instead of flat.

Whenever you hear boys whistle,

You're what they're whistling at!

It's wonderful to feel

The way a woman feels.

It gives you such a glow

Just to know

You're wearing lipstick and heels.

I slipped on my purple flats.

Lily:

How lovely to be a woman

And have one job to do:

To pick out a boy and train him

And then when you are through,

You've made him the man you want him

To be!

Life's lovely when you're a woman

Like me!

I put a small part of my lilac purple hair into a bun.

Lily:

How wonderful to know

The things a woman knows.

How marvelous to wait

For a date

In simply beautiful clothes.

I then hooked my necklace around my neck.

Lily:

How lovely to be a woman

And change from boys to men!

To go to a fancy nightclub

And stay out after ten!

How lovely to be so grown up

And free!

Life's lovely when you're a woman

Like me!

I did a twirl before exiting my bedroom. As I shut the door, I heard Mom call out to me.

"Lily! Sweetheart, they're about to cut in on the Dupain-Cheng Bakery! You'd better hurry if you want to see Marinette on TV!"

I ran downstairs to join my parents, sitting in between them on the couch. Alec Cataldi was on TV, introducing a program.

"Welcome to Fill My Shoes! You're joining us live in a new episode, and our guest today is the one and only Jagged Stone!"

"Rock and Roll, yeah!" Jagged Stone sang as he appeared onscreen, playing air guitar. He looked pretty funny in a baker's apron.

"Filling the shoes of...a baker!" Alec threw a grandiose gesture to Jagged.

"Yo, Rockers!" Jagged made a gesture with both hands.

"And a big thanks to Tom Dupain for having us here in his bakery, the best in Paris, I might add."

Mr. Dupain-Cheng appeared onscreen, smiling nervously. "Uhh...hello!" He hesitantly waved at the camera.

Elisa

In my room, Suuiren and I were watching the Fill My Shoes broadcast live on my laptop.

"Remind me why were watching this again...?"

"Suuiren, they're filming this episode live at Marinette's place. I'd like to support her from afar." I explained.

"So Jagged, how does it feel to fill the baker's shoes today?" Alec Cataldi asked as Mr. Dupain-Cheng waved nervously at the camera.

"It's awesome! Check out this edible guitar I made from scratch." Jagged picked up a guitar made out of bread and mimed playing it. "This is so rock 'n' roll!" He then sang "Flour, eggs and butter!" To the tune of 'Smoke on the Water'.

I giggled sheepishly while Suuiren laughed her little head off. She was obviously enjoying this.

Mr. Dupain-Cheng joined in with Jagged. "Flour, eggs and butter! And fire in the oven... This is the baker's rock 'n' roll!"

Much to my amusement, Alec looked uncomfortable squished in between Jagged and Mr. Dupain-Cheng.

"Yo, Marinette! My favorite little lady, come over and rock out with us!"

As I caught a glimpse of a smiling Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, Marinette hesitantly walked over to stand next to Jagged, nervously waving at the camera. Jagged put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's so cool that we get to spend the day together. Marinette's really talented, Alec; she did the artwork for my latest album, and she's only in high school!"

The cover of Jagged's album Rock Giant appeared briefly at the bottom left of the screen.

Wow, Marinette designed an album cover?! Damn, I can't believe I never knew about that!

At that moment, my cell phone buzzed. It was a text from Lily!

'Hey, Elisa. I'm texting you because I don't want my parents knowing about this. Can we talk girl to girl?'

"Wow, Elisa." Suuiren hovered beside me, examining the text. "If Lily wants to say to you what she wants to say via text, then she clearly wants to keep it a secret from everyone else."

"And sometimes secrets are important." I agreed. "That is why I'm going to keep this conversation with Lily text only." I then sent a reply.

'Hey, Lily. Of course we can talk about this through text messaging. Tell me what you have to say. I'm listening.'

Within half a minute, Lily replied again.

'You see, Elisa, I'm not exactly... you know... straight. I like both boys and girls.'

I nodded before sending a reply.

'Oh, that's perfectly fine. I have no problems with people of another sexual orientation. Anyone in particular?'

'Sakura.' Lily texted back. 'I have a... fondness for Sakura, and I don't know what to say or how to talk to her about this.'

'It's ok. Take your time, and think of how you want to approach the situation.'

'Thank you, Elisa. I'm so happy that we're friends.'

'Me too, Lily.'

With that, I turned my phone off, set it down and looked back up at my laptop screen. The commercial break had come and gone, and they were now filming in... Marinette's room?

Alec Cataldi was back onscreen.

"And we're back on the air with Jagged Stone filling the shoes of a baker. Let's see how this rockstar cleans off all that flour."

At that moment, I noticed that Marinette had multiple pictures of Adrien on her wall! What?!

At the same time, ironically, Jagged also noticed them.

"Hey, there are more photos of this dude than of me! I think the baker's daughter's got a little crush." He then winked as the camera zoomed in on the pictures of Adrien. "Aw, teenage love is so sweet! Makes me wanna write a song."

"I had no idea Marinette had that many pictures of Adrien in her room. She's definitely got a crush."

"Certainly seems that way to me." Suuiren agreed.

"Heh," I snickered. "Knowing Marinette, she's seeing this, and she's probably overreacting. 'Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no, no! This is a disaster! A disaster! A disaster!'"

"Elisa, it's not nice to mock your friends." Suuiren gently chided me.

"I know, Suuiren, but Dupain-Cheng really needs to get a grip."

Little did I know that I was right, and Marinette really was overreacting right now.

Marinette

As I was cleaning up downstairs, I noticed that they were filming in my bedroom! And what's worse is that... Gasp! I forgot to take down the pictures of Adrien!

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I made a break for the stairs.

"Marinette?" Mom called after me.

I kept yelling 'no' over and over as Tikki emerged from my purse, trying to reassure me.

"Keep calm, Marinette; it's not a big deal."

"Of course it is! This is a major disaster! I told everyone in school to watch today's show, including Adrien! He's gonna see all those photos and figure out I'm in love with him!" I stopped halfway up the stairs to my room with my fists clenched.

"But isn't that what you want?" Tikki asked.

Yes, but...

"No! Not like this!" I then burst into my room. "What're you guys doing in here?!"

"I'm sorry, Marinette." Penny apologized. "I couldn't find the restroom."

"Hey Marinette, you want me to sign this poster of me?" Jagged asked, pointing to the poster and holding up one of my pink dresses.

"No! I just need everyone to leave!" I then addressed the cameraman and then Penny. "And you, stop filming! Penny, do something!"

Penny nodded. "You heard the lady." She firmly addressed everyone. With that, she herded everyone towards the door.

Elisa

Suddenly, the show was cut off, and now a car commercial was playing.

"This cannot be good, Elisa. Somebody's most definitely getting akumatized." Suuiren shook her head.

I then heard a knock on my door.

"Elisa?" It was Dad. "Are you going to start learning your Footloose songs? I got an email from Mrs. Miller saying that you guys will get your scripts and have your read-through on Friday."

"Tomorrow, Dad, first thing when I get home from school!"

"Ok, sweetie!" Dad called back. As he walked away from my bedroom door, I heard him mock the plant that had terrorized him and Mom in a high pitched voice.

"I'm just uh mean green mudda fro outah space an' I'm bad..."

I rushed to the door and opened it, calling after my father.

"Dad?"

"Yes?" My father came to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

"I've heard you mock that plant several times. It's funny when you do it, but why do you do it so much?"

Dad sighed. "I should have known from the start that the damn plant was up to no good."

"But the clues were in plain sight! When that plant started talking and demanding blood, that was your cue to get rid of it!"

Dad climbed up the stairs and put his hands on my shoulders. "Elisa, the main reason why I was so oblivious to the plant's evil scheme was because we were in the slums of Skid Row, we were poor, and I realized that I had a get rich quick opportunity. If I hadn't electrocuted that plant in time, your mother would have been doomed, and I probably would have died too. I thank myself each and every day that I was able to destroy the alien plant so your mother and I could get married and have you."

With that, Dad embraced me in a warm hug, and I hugged my father back. After nearly a minute, we separated.

"I have to go help your mother in the shop. Go hang out in your room, and we'll call you down when lunch is ready."

I nodded and watched as Dad went downstairs to help Mom.

When I returned to my room, the show was live again, and there was chaos in the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

"Elisa, you might want to come see this..." Suuiren waved me over.

I shut and locked my door before sitting down at my laptop.

"Sure your bakery ain't built on an ancient cemetery?" Questioned Bob Roth, Jagged's producer.

At that moment, a strange person in black, white and pink phased down from the ceiling and put an arm around Jagged.

"Hello, Jagged." Said the strange person. I gasped in dismay, instantly recognizing the voice. It was Penny corrupted by Hawk Moth!

"Whoa!" Jagged recoiled in shock, panicking. "Who are you?! Where's Penny?! Penny!"

"There's no more Penny to deal with all your problems, Jagged! From now on, there's only Troublemaker!" She clicked her pen twice. "And I'll make your life nothing but problems!" She laughed evilly, and I narrowed my eyes in determination.

Enough was said there. I turned off my laptop and slammed it shut.

"Oh, no!" Suuiren hovered in front of me. "I had a feeling something would go wrong."

"We need to bring Penny back to her senses." I agreed. "Suuiren, shake your feathers!"

I transformed into Crystal Cygne and made a beeline for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

Sakura

"Oh, blast..." Fluff smacked her forehead. "And Hawk Moth is at it again."

I had been watching the live broadcast of Fill My Shoes, and I had a nagging feeling something would go wrong. Penny Rolling just became Hawk Moth's latest victim. When I heard the akuma alarms going off downstairs, I knew I had to join the fray.

"Time to transform. Fluff, hop to it!"

I transformed into Cottontail and headed for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. I just hope Marinette is ok...

Elisa

By the time I arrived at the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, I crossed paths with Cottontail.

"Crystal, I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too."

"Let's take down Troublemaker and bring Penny back to normal, shall we, bestie?"

I sighed. "Stop it, Cottontail. We're not BFF's." I then spotted Cat Noir nearby. "Look, there's Cat Noir!"

He prepared his Cataclysm, only to be stopped by Troublemaker.

"So you wanna play rescue? No one's gonna be rescued today!"

She then threw Cat Noir by the arm into the side of a nearby van, but he was luckily pulled up by Ladybug's yo-yo. Cottontail and I joined our teammates on Marinette's balcony.

"Right on time, Cat Noir." Ladybug remarked, both hands on her hips.

"Yeah," Cottontail sassed. "If Ladybug showed up any later, one of us would've had to save your butt."

Now that Ladybug was on the scene, we could all plan our course of action.

"Good to see you, Bugaboo." Cat Noir said, relaxing in Marinette's lounge chair. "Looks like we're gonna break bread today, huh?"

Ladybug shook her head. "Stop calling me 'Bugaboo'!" She then jumped down from the railing. "Follow me!"

The four of us then entered Marinette's room through the skylight, and Cat Noir was the last to come in. Sitting on all fours on Marinette's bed, he noticed the pictures of the class and Adrien. Looks like these were taken before Sakura, Luka and I joined.

"Oh, wow!" Cat Noir remarked. "That's a lot of pictures!"

"We can take the grand tour later, Cat Noir." Ladybug turned Cat Noir's face, diverting his gaze from the pictures.

I saw Troublemaker enter the room with four knitting needles in her hand.

"Look out!" I cried, pointing at Troublemaker as she threw the needles at us.

Cat Noir reacted by lifting up Marinette's mattress to protect us. Underneath it was more pictures of Adrien. Ladybug immediately pushed the mattress back down, sending Cat Noir tumbling to the floor.

"Sorry!" Ladybug apologized as we jumped down to join Cat Noir.

Troublemaker threw Marinette's parasol, but Ladybug dodged and retaliated by throwing her yo-yo. Troublemaker clicked her pen and became transparent so the yo-yo went right through her before solidifying again.

The villain hurled Marinette's chaise lounge, and all four of us dodged. Cat Noir peeled off a picture of a smiling Adrien from his face.

"I said later, Cat Noir!" A very annoyed Ladybug plucked the photo from Cat Noir's hands.

Troublemaker threw a trunk at Ladybug from behind, knocking her over. Cat Noir and Cottontail took a swing with their staff and katana, but Troublemaker became transparent to avoid both blows. She then disappeared through the floor and reappeared in the room behind Ladybug, going for the earrings.

"Look out!"

After that cry from Cat Noir, he split his staff and tripped Ladybug, causing her to fall to the floor and away from Troublemaker's reach. I then hit Troublemaker with my scepter, causing her pen to go flying and land on the floor.

"She uses the pen to make herself untouchable and then solid again!" I alerted my teammates.

"I'm positive that's where the akuma is!" Ladybug agreed.

The five of us dove for the pen, but Troublemaker grabbed it first. We only had our hands over it milliseconds later.

"Touch me if you dare!" Troublemaker clicked the pen and phased through the floor, leaving the four of us on our stomachs.

"What're we gonna do?" Cat Noir asked. "I can't touch her with a ten-foot pole even if I wanted to!"

I stood up and helped Cottontail to her feet. "Her strength is also her weakness. In order to touch us, she must become touchable herself!"

Ladybug smirked. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Crystal." She and Cat Noir stood up, still grasping each other's hands from our attempt to grab the pen.

"You're holding hands!" I sing-songed.

Ladybug groaned and Cottontail stifled a laugh.

"Oh, uh, there you are." Cat Noir let go of Ladybug's hand and put her arm down at her side. "All right!" The four of us ran down the hatch and into the Dupain-Cheng living room.

Sakura

Once we made it to the living room, we were all on the lookout for Troublemaker.

"Be careful!" Ladybug warned. "She's probably hiding somewhere in this room! If she wants to take our Miraculous, she can't be untouchable."

Cat Noir narrowed his eyes. "And if we can grab her, we can also grab her pen."

"And capture the akuma!" Crystal Cygne added. "But we'll have to act fast!"

Hearing something from above, I gasped and pointed to the ceiling. "Up there!"

As if on cue, Troublemaker phased down through the ceiling and solidified, landing between us and kicking Ladybug away. She reached for Crystal Cygne's necklace, but I kicked her back before she could take it. She then lunged for Cat Noir and pinned his hand behind his back in an attempt to snatch his ring.

Ladybug reacted by wrapping her yo-yo around Cat Noir and Troublemaker, but the latter clicked her pen and became transparent, causing the string to fall away and return to the yo-yo.

Troublemaker solidified again, kicked Cat Noir away, and flung Crystal Cygne into the wall. The supervillain became transparent yet again to jump through Ladybug, clicking her pen again to bounce off the wall and pin Ladybug to the floor.

"Ladybug, no!" Crystal Cygne cried out.

I gasped in shock when I saw Troublemaker snatch one of Ladybug's earrings!

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Come on, Cottontail. Think..."

I then noticed a pink glow coming from my belt. I held up a wish card and got an idea.

Looking back to my teammates, I saw that Ladybug had gotten her earring back, Cat Noir had his Cataclysm active, and that Troublemaker was nowhere in sight.

Crystal Cygne and I ran over to check on Ladybug.

"Are you all right?" Crystal Cygne asked.

"I'm ok, Crystal."

"That was a close call." Cat Noir remarked as he joined us. "Certainly not how I dreamed we'd share our secret identity. Oh no, not like that!"

Ladybug smiled warmly. "It'll have to wait, at least until we kick Trouble's butt, and Hawk Moth!"

"That goes for us too, Cottontail." Crystal Cygne winked at me.

Ladybug called her Lucky Charm and received a broken plate.

While Ladybug and Cat Noir ran to another part of the room, Crystal Cygne pointed at the card I was holding.

"Cottontail, your wish card is glowing! What are you going to do this time?"

"I already have an idea, Crystal. Just watch!"

I chanted a Japanese incantation and changed my appearance drastically. I still had my mask and rabbit ears, but my hair turned platinum blonde and left its ponytail. My body suit changed into a poofed out pink dress, and I was now barefoot. My eyes also changed from brown to red. My weapon also changed from a katana to a staff.

"Oh, wow, Cottontail! You look amazing!"

"Crystal, as long as I am in this form, I insist that you call me Priestess Tail. And for the record, doesn't this give you Shazam vibes?"

"Shazam...?" Crystal Cygne tilted her head. "Doesn't ring a bell. So... What kind of powers do you have this time?"

"My staff can slow Troublemaker down and make it easier to capture the akuma. Also, I can now touch her, even if she is untouchable. And furthermore, my staff radiates a demon repellant aura."

"Demon? But Troublemaker isn't a demon."

"Well, akuma is Japanese for 'demon', so you catch my drift, right?"

"Oh!" Crystal Cygne's face lit up. "I get it now."

At that moment, Ladybug and Cat Noir returned to where Crystal Cygne and I were.

"I hope your plan works, Ladybug."

The spotted heroine smirked. "Oh, trust me, rabbit ears. It will."

The four of us burst through the trapdoor to Marinette's room, and Cat Noir held out his Cataclysm like a police officer would hold a gun.

"All right! We're comin' to get you!"

I then noticed that the plate Ladybug was holding was no longer broken, and it was glued together. Something tells me glue is part of the plan.

"Be careful!" Ladybug warned. "She could come from anywhere to get my Miraculous!"

Cat Noir scanned the room for a few moments. "She's nowhere to be seen. Crystal Cygne and I will check on the roof. Stay here!" He then headed up to the skylight with Crystal Cygne.

"No!" Ladybug pleaded. "Don't leave me here alone! I only have a plate to defend myself!"

"Ladybug, it's ok. You also have me." I put a hand on her shoulder.

Ladybug smiled gratefully. "I'm glad I have you three as partners."

"Look out!" I pointed at the ceiling.

As if on cue, a cackling Troublemaker phased through the ceiling and solidified. I smacked her away with my scepter, and the force sent her into the wall as if she were a baseball and the scepter was a bat. Troublemaker growled angrily and charged at us. She kicked me into the wall and Ladybug threw the plate, only for it to miss and shatter on the floor. Troublemaker then pinned Ladybug to the floor and grabbed onto both earrings.

"Stop!" I pleaded.

Troublemaker tried to take off Ladybug's earrings, but was confused to see that she couldn't take them off or pull her hands away.

"What?"

Ladybug grabbed onto Troublemaker's arms and smirked. "Having some trouble?" She asked mockingly.

I beamed, now understanding what the glue was for.

I then noticed Cat Noir and a snickering Crystal Cygne sitting on the loft railing.

"Aw, my poor Bugaboo!" Cat Noir said, faking sympathy as Crystal Cygne held up the glue bottle. "Another supervillain fan has literally glued themselves to you. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm the only one to stick to M'Lady!" He and Crystal Cygne then jumped down to the floor.

Crystal Cygne and I held Troublemaker still as Cat Noir grabbed the pen in his Cataclysm hand, destroying it and releasing the akuma.

"No!" Troublemaker cried out in dismay as she slumped to the floor, turning back into Penny.

"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma." Ladybug opened up her yo-yo to catch the akuma, swinging it. "Time to de-evilize!" She then caught the akuma with her yo-yo. "Gotcha!" Finally, she opened her yo-yo again, releasing the purified akuma. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." She then threw the plate into the air with a yell of "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The Miraculous Wave brought everything in the room back to normal, and whatever chaos that was caused downstairs was fixed too.

"Wha...?" Penny glanced around, confused. "What happened? Where's Jagged?"

"You got upset, and Hawk Moth took advantage of it." I explained.

"You're always so helpful, putting everyone before you." Ladybug knelt down and put her hands on Penny's shoulders. "Let's worry about Penny for a change. How are you feeling?"

Penny let out an exhale she seemed to be holding in for a while. "I'm fine. Thank you, Ladybug."

Ladybug was about to say something else, but her earrings beeped. "Whoops! Gotta go! Rock and roll!"

Crystal Cygne made the rocker gesture with both hands as she followed Ladybug up through the skylight.

"Rock and roll!" Cat Noir said as the two of us copied the gesture and followed our teammates up to the skylight.

Ladybug, Cat Noir and I jumped to stand on the railing, and Crystal Cygne hovered in the air.

"Whew!" Ladybug sighed in relief, twirling her yo-yo. "Well, that was a close call! Looks like you guys won't find out my true identity today!"

"I already know who you are." Cat Noir said, smiling warmly.

"Huh?!" Ladybug cried out anxiously.

Cat Noir leaned in, gazing coyly at Ladybug. "You're the girl of my dreams."

Ladybug giggled. "Silly kitty!"

"And you," I winked at Crystal Cygne. "Are my best friend forever. You just don't want to admit it yet."

Crystal Cygne rolled her eyes. "Stinker."

"Pound it!" We did our signature four-way fist bump before parting ways.

Elisa

I landed on my balcony, opening the doors and entering my room. I shut the doors just as I transformed back. I plucked a couple of petals from one of the honeysuckles from the vase by my bedroom window, feeding them to Suuiren.

"Here, Suuiren. Take a nice long rest. You deserve it."

The minute I came downstairs, I was hugged and kissed by my parents.

"Elisa, where've you been? We had your lunch ready, you weren't in your room, and there was an akuma-"

"Mom, I'm all right. Crystal Cygne took me somewhere safe."

"I'm relieved to hear that. Now come on, sweetheart. Your lunch is ready."

Sakura

When I returned to my room and transformed back, I sighed.

"Fluff, I understand why keeping my identity a secret from my friends and family is important, but why won't Crystal Cygne tell me who she is? I mean, come on! We're part of a team!"

"It's not just for her own safety, but for your own safety and the safety of your teammates as well." Fluff explained. "If Hawk Moth found out that someone knew your identity, he could use them as leverage. Just remember that not only is Crystal Cygne trying to protect herself, but she's also trying to protect you, Ladybug and Cat Noir."

I sighed. "Yeah, Fluff, you're right."

Elisa

At school the next day, I met up with Luka in the girls' locker room before first period. I ran into his arms, and he held me like I was going to disappear if he let go of me.

"Elisa! I'm so glad you're ok!"

I laughed. "Oh, Luka, you worry a little too much. I'll tell you more later."

At that moment, Adrien entered.

"Hey, Elisa. Hey, Luka." He waved to us.

"Good morning, Adrien." We both said to him.

Wait, why is Adrien in the girls' locker room? Hmm...

I leaned into Luka's ear and whispered, "Something tells me he's going to hide and wait for Marinette."

As Marinette stealthily entered, Luka and I pretended to talk to one another while watching her out of the corner of our eyes.

"Phew!" Marinette let out a huge sigh of relief as she opened her locker and put her backpack on the upper shelf. "Hopefully, he didn't see me!"

Only too bad for her, because when she shut her locker door, she was startled to see Adrien standing there and waving at her.

"Hey, Marinette!"

Marinette screamed, and Luka and I covered our mouths to stifle our laughter.

"How's it going? After what happened at your place last night, I was worried that-"

"Oh, so you watched the show, then!" Marinette interrupted Adrien, laughing nervously. "Well, uh, look...about what you saw on the show last night... the totographs, in my room-"

"You mean the photographs?" Adrien corrected.

"The grotographs, exactly! It-it's not what you think." Marinette paused. "See...I'm really into fashion, and, umm..."

I rolled my eyes. I then saw Adrien lean in close to Marinette with a piercing yet mischievous glare.

"Are you lying?"

I knew Marinette was lying as well. What the heck, Dupain-Cheng?!

"No!" Marinette pushed him back. "I'm so not into you... I mean, sure, I'm interested in you, but, um, not in that way; well, you know... " She then burst out laughing.

Adrien chuckled. "Just teasing." He then draped an arm over Marinette's shoulder. "I understand; don't worry. I've got used to having lots of fans...and, photographs of me everywhere; even in the most unlikely places."

Marinette laughed again. "As if someone would have a picture of you under her bed, right?"

Adrien took his arm from around Marinette. "Yeah. I was wondering; since you're into fashion so much, you could come watch my next photo shoot!"

I facepalmed as Marinette jumbled over her words yet again.

"Honestly, it's pretty long and boring, but if you were there, it would definitely be more fun! Whaddaya say?"

Marinette beamed. "Oh wow! Yes! Thank you, Adrien."

"I'll keep you posted, then. See you in a few minutes!" Adrien stopped to acknowledge us. "You too, Elisa and Luka." He stopped in front of the door, turning to Marinette again. "I'm glad to have you as one of my fans."

Once Adrien was out of the locker room, I gave Marinette the 'I'm watching you' gesture before leaving with Luka.

Lily

I walked to my French history class and took my seat. The bell rang, and Mr. Thompson started the class.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Mr. Thompson."

When the teacher mentioned us doing a week-long American history unit, we were confused. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Mr. Thompson, if this is a French history class, then why are we talking about American history?"

"That is a good question, Miss Robinson. You see, the French and the Americans have a long history with each other. During the French and Indian War, the French allied with Native Americans to fight against the British. To raise money for the war and and cover the expenses of administering the colonies, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. And what did the Sugar Act do?"

Shane raised his hand.

"Shane?"

"The Sugar Act taxed sugar, wine, coffee and other products that were commonly exported to the colonies."

"That is correct. Now, due to colonial depression post the French and Indian War, the colonists did not tolerate these taxes. It only got worse in 1765 when Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which required all paper items bought and sold in the colonies carry a stamp mandated by the British Crown. Now there is a term for when you are taxed and you don't get a say in the matter. What is that called?"

Anita raised her hand.

"Yes, Anita?"

"Taxation without representation."

"That is correct. Well done, Anita! Taxation without representation is basically when they tax you without allowing you a voice. Now, tensions continued to mount, one thing led to another, and eventually the Revolutionary War broke out. What was the last straw before the Revolutionary War?"

"The Intolerable Acts!" I said with the rest of the class.

"That's right. The Coercive Acts of 1774, appropriately titled the Intolerable Acts by the colonists, ultimately spelled the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Now the Revolutionary War is not a main subject for this unit, but other things will be addressed. What month, day and year was the Declaration of Independence signed?"

Valerie raised her hand.

"Valerie?"

"July 4, 1776."

"That's right. July 4 became known as Independence Day in the United States because of that very reason. Great Britain no longer controlled the colonies, and the colonies were now their own country. Can one of you tell me exactly what a republic is?"

Mia raised her hand.

"Mia?"

"A republic is a representative democracy."

"That is correct. Great job, Miss Monarrez. The ultimate goal of the Founding Fathers was to create a republic with democratic principles. After the Declaration of Independence came the Articles of Confederation. Can one of you name the weaknesses that were in the Articles of Confederation?"

"Well," I spoke up. "They didn't have a president at the time."

Mr. Thompson nodded. "That was one of the weaknesses, Miss Robinson. Any other weaknesses you guys can name?"

"The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fight the Revolutionary War and could not pay it back."

"That is correct, Mister Monarrez. Any others?"

"They didn't have a Judicial Branch either."

"Right again, Miss Mezvinsky. There are three more weaknesses. What were they?"

"Changing a law required the consent of all 13 colonies."

"Right on target, Mister Vermeer. Two more!"

"Congress didn't have the power to tax and couldn't regulate trade."

"Supreme, Miss Woodard! One more."

Olivia's hand shot into the air.

"Miss Arclight?"

"The national government couldn't support a national currency."

"Great job! Can someone tell me what led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787?"

I raised my hand.

"Lily?"

"Shays's Rebellion. Basically, Daniel Shays led a group of farmers in stopping the State court of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the veterans' farms. As a result, that got the government to recognize their own inadequacies."

"Well done, Lily! Now, at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Articles of Confederation were reviewed, and in March of that year, there was a heated debate. The Virginia and New Jersey Plans failed because of one issue. At the time, representation in Congress was a big problem. What did they use to solve that issue?"

Charles raised his hand.

"Charles?"

"The Great Compromise."

"You are correct. Representation in Congress was the subject of the Great Compromise. Even then, there was a stalemate. It wasn't until the Three-Fifths Compromise that they came up with the idea of a President of the United States. Now can someone tell me the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?"

Jack raised his hand.

"Jack?"

"The Federalists supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists did not."

"You are spot on, Mister Alvarez. Three well-known Federalists were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. They wrote what became known as the Federalist Papers, which was their support of ratifying the U.S. Constitution. The debates finally ended when a very important document was suggested. What was it?"

Sharon raised her hand.

"Yes, Sharon?"

"The Bill of Rights."

"Good job, Miss Miller. The Bill of Rights were basically the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution." Mr. Thompson then pointed to Anita. "Miss Woodard, can you explain to the class what the First and Second Amendments involve?"

"Well," Said Anita. "The First Amendment is the freedom of speech, religion, the right to assemble, and so on. The Second Amendment is the right to bear arms, basically carry a gun."

"You guys are on fire! Somebody tell me what implied powers are."

Kayla raised her hand.

"Miss Norris?"

"Implied powers are the powers of the national government derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause."

"Excellent job, Kayla! Somebody define separation of powers for me."

Olivia raised her hand.

"Olivia?"

"It divides the power between the three branches of government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. That system is called checks and balances."

"Well done." Mr. Thompson then noticed that Charles had raised his hand.

"Yes, Charles?"

"What about local government?"

"Regarding local government, there was something called Dillon's Rule enacted by Judge John F. Dillon in 1868. Dillon's Rule states that all local governments must be authorized by the state governments." Mr Thompson explained.

"Gotcha." Charles nodded.

Half an hour later, the bell rang. As we left for second period, I realized that Mr. Thompson had an interesting reason for implementing this week-long American history unit.

Sakura

There are some days in which I prefer to walk home from school, and today's one of them. I had already called my parents and let them know I didn't need our chauffeur to pick me up today.

I had arrived at the Morris mansion gate and was about to punch in the code, when I heard someone's voice address me.

"Hello, Cottontail."

I gasped, looking down to see a short elderly man in a red shirt with white flowers. How does he know my secret identity?!

"How do you know that I'm-"

"I'll tell you in private. Do you mind us talking in your room?"

"Um... Sure. Who are you anyway?"

"Don't worry." The elderly man reassured me. "For now, tell your parents that I'm Mr. Chan, and that I'll be your private meditation instructor."

I nodded. "Will do." I then entered the code and entered the mansion with the elderly man.

"Welcome home, dear." Mom greeted me.

"Sakura, who's this?" Dad asked, having come out of his meditation session.

"Mom, Dad, this is Mr. Chan. He runs a massage shop in the city. He'll be giving me a meditation lesson."

"Sakura, I can teach you. Besides, it's about time you joined me in meditation anyway."

"Dad, it's ok. I want to do it knowing what to do. Mr. Chan is going to show me the basics, and when I get the hang of it, I'll start meditating with you."

I then headed upstairs with the elderly man. We then entered my bedroom, and I shut the door, locking it.

Fluff flew out of my kimono and over to the man.

"Sakura, I'd like to officially introduce you to Master Fu, the last Guardian of the Miraculous."

My eyes widened. "Is this the same Master Fu you mentioned on the flight to Paris?"

"Yup." Fluff replied.

From his bag, Master Fu pulled out seven small glass bottles, each containing a different colored liquid.

"When a kwami is fed a certain blend of ingredients, he or she can grant special powers. For example, the blue potion can give you ice abilities, and the green potion can give you the ability to swim and breathe underwater. But kwamis are forbidden to know the recipes, should they be captured by a villain like Hawk Moth."

I nodded, taking the bottles. "A very wise precaution. If a kwami knew the recipes and the villain were to force it out of the kwami, it could spell disaster."

"Another important thing, Sakura." Master Fu went on. "You need to find a way to keep those potions with you at all times."

My face lit up. "That's it! Maybe, for the ice transformation, I can put a few drops of the blue potion in a blue piece of mochi! Same for the water transformation and the green mochi. You know how it would go."

Master Fu smiled. "You always have bright ideas, Sakura."

I nodded. "Thanks. Now, I would like to actually keep up the pretense of you giving me meditation lessons. I don't want Dad to suspect anything, and I'm sure you don't either."

Master Fu sat cross legged on the floor, and I sat down on the other side of him.

"Now, the most important thing you need to know about meditation is..."

Elisa

The minute I got home from school, I had started to watch videos of other school productions of Footloose so I could start coming up with my own interpretation of Ariel Moore.

"You know, Elisa, Adrien is modeling a special hat made by Marinette at the Gabriel Agreste fashion show this weekend. Are you going?"

Just as I was about to answer Suuiren's question, my cell phone rang. I was surprised to see who was calling.

"Melandra...?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to talk to Melandra. I just didn't expect her to call me all of a sudden.

I paused the video I was watching and answered the phone with a smile. "Hey, Melandra! What's up?"

Instead of a reply, I heard sobbing on the other end of the line.

I frowned. "Melandra?"

"Oh, Elisa..."

"Melandra? Are you ok? Why are you crying?"

"She's dead! She's dead!" Melandra screamed.

I winced, holding the phone away from my ear at the screaming. Wait, who's dead?

"Who?" I asked, putting the phone back to my ear.

"Meta... My little sister... She was... run over by a truck... while playing in the street. Mom and Dad... tried to warn her... But they... were too late!" Melandra wept uncontrollably.

I let out a choked gasp, putting my other hand to my mouth. "Oh, Melandra... I'm so sorry..."

"They found her dead body... On the lawn of the... Monarrez family home."

In the background, I could hear Melandra's mother shrieking and crying. "She's not God's little girl. She's my little girl! Let God get his own girl if he wants one. Not Meta! Not my Meta!"

Tears began to well up in my own eyes. "Oh. I can only imagine how I'd feel if I lost my parents. I may be an only child, but I understand your pain." I then got an idea. "Melandra, I'm going to call up two of my friends and my boyfriend, and we're coming over."

"Oh, Elisa, please don't..."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. We'll see you in a bit."

I hung up and called Luka, drying my face.

Luka

I was getting ready to take a nap when my cell phone rang. Seeing it was my girlfriend calling, I picked up immediately.

"Hey, love."

"Now that we're not at school, I can tell you now. Troublemaker was a bit of a doozy. Had it not been for Cottontail pulling out a wish card, we probably would've been goners."

When I saw the akuma in the Dupain-Cheng bakery, I had been worried for Marinette as well. At least everyone came out fine.

Yet when she spoke, I could tell something was up.

"My Love, did something happen to you?"

Elisa let out a sigh. "Not me. Melandra."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Melandra? Did Chloé bully her?"

"Nu-uh. It's worse. Her little sister was run over by a passing truck. She didn't survive."

I gasped in shock. Melandra's little sister died?! I cringed at the thought of losing Juleka in a circumstance like that.

"That's awful. Are you going to comfort her?"

"Yes." Elisa replied. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to need you, Adrien and Sakura to come with me to the Kinsey place. Do you know that song from that Coco movie?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Elisa

Half an hour later, Luka and I were with Melandra in her room, alongside Sakura and Adrien.

"Meta was taken from us far too soon. She won't get to grow up, she won't graduate high school..."

As Sakura talked reassuringly to Melandra, I noticed her parents in the doorway.

"I've had enough of this." Mr. Kinsey was ready to march into the room and kick us all out. "We've suffered a great loss, and I would like us all to mourn by ourselves..."

"Dave..." Mrs. Kinsey stopped her husband. "Wait."

As Adrien played the first few notes on the piano, I started singing. Sakura and Luka picked up their instruments.

Elisa:

Remember me.

Though I have to say goodbye,

Remember me.

Don't let it make you cry.

"Too late..." Melandra whimpered.

Elisa:

For even if I'm far away,

I hold you in my heart.

I sing a secret song to you

Each night we are apart.

I gave Sakura and Luka the cue to play their violin and guitar.

Elisa:

Remember me.

Though I have to travel far,

Melandra looked at me with a sad smile and sang along with me. Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey also had bittersweet smiles on their faces.

Elisa and Melandra:

Remember me

Each time you hear a sad guitar.

Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be.

Until you're in my arms again...

Remember

Me...

Melandra threw her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged my classmate back.

"That movie..." Mrs. Kinsey turned to her husband in realization. "Coco..."

"Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey, Meta is not with you physically anymore, but she will always be with you and Melandra in spirit."

Melandra's parents looked to each other and then at Sakura.

"You're right, Sakura."

"Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey, we're sorry for your loss."

"Thank you for your condolences, Elisa." Mrs. Kinsey wiped a tear from her eye.

Sakura

When school ended the next day, I offered to take Nathaniel to my mansion house and show him around. He gladly accepted, and I walked home with him

"Well, Nathaniel," I said while gesturing to the pink mansion. "This is where I live."

Nathaniel gasped in awe. "Wow..."

We walked up to the big iron gate, and I punched in the code. The gates opened, and we walked in through.

"1582?" Nathaniel questioned.

I smiled sadly. "That year has a very sad but important significance in our family."

Nathaniel nodded. "I see."

"Promise me you won't tell anyone else the code."

"I promise." Nathaniel said firmly.

I smiled. "Good."

We then opened the brass doors and entered the mansion.

The foyer was the first room in the house, and pictures from my parents' wedding were hung up on the golden walls.

"I don't believe this..." Nathaniel murmured in amazement. "Your parents must be extremely wealthy."

"They are." I replied. "My Dad usually meditates at this time, and my Mom is at the grocery store. I'll show you around!"

I led Nathaniel through the foyer and into the living room.

"Here's our living room. My father comes in here frequently to watch the news. Nadja Chamack is brilliant, isn't she? And I believe you met her little daughter, Manon?"

"I remember meeting Manon. It was when Elisa introduced you to me the day you moved here."

"Uh huh." I gestured for him to follow me, and I took him to the dining room.

"Here is the dining room. Mom preferred brown walls and pink curtains for this room."

"I guess your mother is very fond of the color pink." Nathaniel remarked as he touched one of the curtains.

"She's very fond of pink anything. Dad and I insisted that not everything in the house should be pink."

I took Nathaniel around a corner and into the training room.

"This is where I train with my father."

"Whoa... Look at all the swords!"

I giggled. "I knew you would like this room."

We then left the training room and entered the arcade.

"We even have a Japanese arcade here."

"Whoa..." Nathaniel ran over to a nearby machine. "What kind of games do you play in here?"

"Both Japanese and English versions of games like Kirby, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros, and even Splatoon!"

"That's so cool!" Nathaniel beamed. "I've never been in a mansion before."

I elbowed him. "Then you're probably going to love this next room." I took him to the anime lounge.

"Those are Hetalia posters, Sailor Moon posters, and we even have a couple of Precure posters."

Nathaniel turned to me with a smirk. "Two years ago, I used to watch Hetalia in secret when my parents weren't at home."

"Interesting. Oh, you're going to love what's next!" I took Nathaniel to the private hot spring and spread my arms out dramatically. "This is our private hot spring! There is a spring for the ladies, and a spring for the men."

Nathaniel facepalmed. "I can't believe I didn't bring my bathing suit."

I laughed sheepishly. "That's ok. Here, what's up next is going to be interesting. There are a few more rooms on the first floor, and then we're going upstairs."

I led Nathaniel out of the private hot spring and around a corner to the left.

"Here is our Tea Room. This is where Mom and Dad brew up their favorite Japanese tea."

"What kind of teas do your parents make?"

"Just green tea. They occasionally add seasonal aspects to the green tea, like pumpkin spice for fall and eggnog for winter."

"Have you ever tried asking your parents if they could try brewing other teas? Like chamomile or hibiscus?"

I shrugged. "My parents are very traditional. I don't know if I could sway them, but I can certainly try."

Nathaniel and I left the Tea Room and headed for the kitchen, passing through the dining room on the way.

"This is the kitchen. Dad insisted on everything being blue and white in here."

Nathaniel sighed. "If only my parents were as wealthy as yours are."

I smirked. "Are you jealous?"

Nathaniel threw his hands up in the air, obviously exasperated. "Of course I'm jealous! I actually envy you and your family! Well, that is, in a sense that my family isn't rich and yours is."

I giggled. "Obviously. Now this next room is going to blow your mind!"

When we made it to the ice rink, Nathaniel's jaw dropped.

"Wow! You guys have your own ice rink?! Ok, my mind is definitely blown."

"I know we have an ice rink in the city, but ours is absolutely flashy. Maybe next time I can show you exactly what I mean."

We exited the ice rink and made our way to the guest rooms on the first floor.

"With the guest bedrooms, we've set up a color theme for each. There are two on the first floor. The first is black, and the second is white."

All of the guest bedrooms looked exactly the same, except in different colors. Each of them had a king bed, a nightstand and dresser, a closet, a framed picture of the Eiffel Tower, and a window with pastel colored curtains.

Once we left the white guest bedroom, I took Nathaniel around a corner and stopped at a set of silver double doors.

"Ready for this one?"

"You bet."

I opened the double doors and gestured for him to follow me.

"Surprise! We have our very own indoor pool! Fancy, huh?"

The room was painted white and magenta, and two broad mirrors lined the magenta walls. The pool took up 70 percent of the room, and roughly 15 chairs were set up, each with a clean towel.

"It's even got a waterfall!" Nathaniel beamed. "Now I really wish I brought my bathing suit."

I laughed. "Maybe when you come back next time you could go for a dip. Anyway, there's one more area on the ground floor I'd like to show you, but I want you to see the rest of the mansion first."

We left the pool room and climbed a flight of marble stairs to reach the second floor. I opened up the nearest door and guided him in.

"Here is the sewing room. Mom and I occasionally do our sewing here whenever a situation calls for it."

Nathaniel stood in front of the fireplace and gazed into the rectangular ornate mirror on top.

"You certainly have a lot of mirrors in the house."

I giggled. "Pretty much every room in the house has a mirror. The dining room, ice rink and living room are among the few that don't."

He then approached the curved white marble table that had a lamp, a small vase of flowers, and the embellished sewing machine Mom brought to Paris with her.

"That's where Mom sits to do her sewing." I explained.

"I like the look of that sewing machine." Nathaniel remarked.

"Tell that to my Mom. She loves it when people compliment her prized sewing machine."

As Nathaniel and I left the sewing room, we noticed that the door to the meditation room was open.

"Dad just finished his meditation session. Let's check out the room."

We entered the meditation room, and Nathaniel gazed at the Buddhist statue.

"That statue was given to my father by an old Buddhist friend of his." I explained, sitting down in one of the black chairs decorated with orange and yellow pillows.

"Are the ceiling and walls made of bamboo?" Nathaniel asked, looking around the room.

"The walls, yes. The ceiling is made of mahogany."

"And what about that tall gold statue?"

"Dad's had that one forever. Grandpa Hideki gave him that one."

"Sakura," Nathaniel approached the stereo on the glass table. "Does your father use any special meditation music?"

"He prefers calm winds and rain for meditation music." I explained. "He's traumatized by ocean sound effects because it reminds him of the tsunami that destroyed our home in Japan when I was a baby."

"I see." Nathaniel nodded. "What's next?"

I took Nathaniel out of the meditation room and into the dance studio.

"We have our own dance studio here! Cool, huh?"

The dance studio looked just like any other dance studio with huge mirrors and a ballet barre.

"Do you practice ballet dancing in here?" Nathaniel asked.

"I sure do! Whenever I need to practice any traditional Japanese dances, ballroom dancing or any dancing necessary for a school dance assignment, play or musical, I do those too."

"Do you do any hip hop dancing?"

"Not really." I shook my head. "As a Japanese royal on my father's side, I am expected to uphold the Japanese side of my heritage. One such rule is that I can't do any dancing other than ballet, traditional Japanese dances and ballroom dancing, unless I am participating in a show like Footloose, or if the dancing is part of a school assignment."

Next up were the guest bathrooms. Everything in the first guest bathroom was a silver color, and the guest bathroom across the hallway was the exact same. The only differences there were that the toilet, sink, bathtub, shower and everything else was rearranged, and they were a gold color.

After the guest bathrooms was the library.

"You guys are lucky to have your own library. What kinds of books do you have in here?"

"We have books on Japanese history, French history, American and British history, books on French and Japanese traditions, and even manga. I'm definitely a die-hard manga lover. I especially like the Pokémon, Sailor Moon and Dragon Maid manga."

"Japanese history, huh? Hey, Sakura, you mentioned that the year 1582 has a sad but important significance in your family?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I dug into my past, and I found out that my father's bloodline dates all the way back to the Sengoku Era!"

"The 1500's, eh? That's very far back."

"It is. My ancestors lived by these seven virtues: rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty. My grandfather lived by these virtues, and so did my father. He encourages me to live by those virtues as well." I then wiped a tear from my cheek. "Some of my ancestors even committed Seppuku, which is a ritual suicide."

Nathaniel patted my shoulder in an effort to comfort me.

"Thankfully, my grandfather didn't believe in that, and neither does my father. They questioned that type of suicidal act and wanted to live by those seven virtues without offing yourself if push comes to shove."

We then left the library and I took him to Dad's office.

"This is my father's office. He keep tabs on current events in Japan."

"I see your dad prefers plain white for this room, huh?"

"Yeah. Pretty much everything in here is white except for the glass table, the brown chair, that miniature fake plant, the rug, the floor, the fireplace, and the picture above the mantle." I then gestured to Dad's computer. "This is where Dad gets the latest news on what's happening in France and Japan."

Nathaniel's gaze drifted to another picture from my parents' wedding. "Your mother looked lovely in that wedding dress."

I laughed. "Tell that to Mom when you see her."

After showing Nathaniel around the red, yellow and purple colored guest bedrooms, I took him to the basketball gym.

"And here's our basketball gym! Impressive, huh?"

"You know who would love this room?" Nathaniel asked as he looked around the room.

"Who?"

"Adrien Agreste."

"Oh, yeah!" My eyes widened in recognition. "I remember Adrien mentioning that he plays basketball!"

"We should tell him about this, and maybe you could invite him over for practice."

"That is, if his father lets him go."

"Yeah." Nathaniel nodded. "It's so unfair to Adrien. His father should let him go out more often."

"I agree. Anyway, we have one more floor, and then I'll show you the cherry blossom garden."

Nathaniel and I left the basketball gym and went up another flight of marble stairs.

"This floor is all bedrooms. My father doesn't like it when I show guests around his and Mom's bedroom without his permission, so we'll make this one quick."

Nathaniel tilted his head. "You're disobeying your father?"

"Just this once. He doesn't have to know about this one." I opened the door to my parents' room and entered after he did. "This is Mom and Dad's bedroom. They like their color theme green."

"Whoa..." Nathaniel gazed at the fireplace that had a small cup of forget-me-nots above it and a small wooden chair to the left. "Your parents have a fireplace in their bedroom too?"

"We have a lot of fireplaces in the house too."

My parents' bed was four-poster with a yellow ruffled canopy. The covers were white with blue and green stripes, and atop the covers were three pillows: two white and one white with blue, yellow and green flower and leaf patterns. The chair to the left of the bed had matching patterns, and the two glass lamps on both sides of the bed had white plastic coverings.

"The floor is made of wood just like that small chair by the fireplace, but Mom wanted this huge black and white rug to cover the wood floor so her fancy shoes wouldn't make any scuff marks."

"A very wise decision on your mother's part, Sakura." Nathaniel acknowledged.

After showing Nathaniel around the pink, green and blue colored guest bedrooms, we entered my room.

"And here is my bedroom!"

Nathaniel was obviously stunned at how big the bedroom was. His eyes immediately went to the portrait of myself and Elisa when we were little girls, the anime posters and the plushies of the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and Lunala on my bed.

"You like Solgaleo and Lunala?"

Nathaniel nodded. "They're my favorite Pokémon. You know, I kinda figured your room would be neon pink. Looks like something straight out of Harajuku."

"As a matter of fact, where I used to live when I was a baby wasn't all that far from Harajuku." I then opened my closet. "Surprise! I also have cosplay costumes!"

Nathaniel's jaw dropped at the sheer number of them.

"You have hundreds of those costumes! So lucky."

I brought him over to my desk and showed him my laptop and magical girl figurines.

"You really went all out with your room, eh, Sakura?"

"I sure did. Now let's go see the cherry blossom garden!"

As I walked back down to the first floor with Nathaniel, I talked about the akuma alarms.

"Another neat function we have is alarms that go off whenever there's an akumatized person in the city."

"That's incredible, Sakura! I wish my parents had one of those."

I took Nathaniel out into the backyard and around a corner.

"And this is our cherry blossom garden."

Nathaniel gasped in awe. "So... Pink!"

"Come on."

As we walked through the garden together, we decided to get to know each other better.

"So, Nathaniel, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"I usually spend my free time drawing. It's my favorite hobby. You?"

"Either training with my father, reading up on Japanese history and the role my ancestors played in shaping the country, and hanging out with my friends, mainly Elisa."

"That's good to know." Nathaniel smiled warmly. I blushed at that. As we came upon the big cherry blossom tree in the center of the garden, I made eye contact with him.

"Nathaniel, have you ever stopped to think to yourself 'what would life be like if there was only good in this world and no evil?'"

"That has come to my mind several times. Even though it's not realistic, I can't help but wonder."

"What I'm saying, Nathan, is that I don't want any negativity to come between us. I just want it to be about you and me. As a matter of fact, I've been waiting for this very moment to say this. I've liked you for a while, much more than friends."

I turned towards the big cherry blossom tree and walked towards it as I started singing.

Sakura:

I don't need you to sell me on reasons to want you.

I don't need you to search for the proof that I should.

You don't have to convince me

You don't have to be scared you're not enough

'Cause what we've got going is good.

I turned away from the tree to face Nathaniel.

Sakura:

I don't need more reminders of all that's been broken.

I don't need you to fix what I'd rather forget

Clear the slate and start over

Try to quiet the noises in your head

We can't compete with all that.

I then walked back in Nathaniel's direction and took his hands in mine, looking up at him with a tender smile.

Sakura:

So what if it's us?

What if it's us

And only us

And what came before won't count anymore or matter?

Can we try that?

What if it's you

And what if it's me

And what if that's all that we need it to be

And the rest of the world falls away?

What do you say?

Nathaniel released my hands from his, and he turned his back to me, taking a few steps forward.

Nathaniel:

I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me

"Well...?" I shrugged.

Nathaniel:

So I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go.

But if you really see me

If you like me for me and nothing else

Nathaniel turned back to face me, heading back in my direction and taking my hands in his.

Nathaniel:

Well, that's all that I've wanted for longer than you could possibly know

We then walked together until we were under the big cherry blossom tree.

Nathaniel:

So it can be us

It can be us

And only us

And what came before won't count anymore or matter

We can try that

Nathaniel and Sakura:

It's not so impossible

Nathaniel:

Nobody else but the two of us here

Nathaniel spun me into his arms from behind me.

Nathaniel and Sakura:

'Cause you're saying it's possible.

Sakura:

We can just watch the whole world disappear

Nathaniel and Sakura:

Till you're the only one

I still know how to see.

I turned around in his arms to put mine around his neck.

Nathaniel:

It's just you and me

Sakura:

It'll be us

It'll be us

And only us

And what came before won't count anymore

Nathaniel and Sakura:

We can try that

You and me

That's all that we need it to be

And the rest of the world falls away

And the rest of the world falls away

The world falls away.

The world falls away.

And it's only us.

We slowly leaned in, and our lips met in our sweet, yet passionate first kiss.

When we separated, we were both speechless for ten whole seconds. We then spoke one word at the exact same time.

"Wow..."

Elisa

"I feel so bad for Melandra." Suuiren shook her head. "I can only imagine what it's like to lose a family member."

"What does family mean to you, Suuiren?"

"We kwamis are abstract creatures, so we all view each other as family."

I nodded. "Gotcha. Can you tell me more about your past and the other kwamis' pasts?"

"Some of us kwamis, like Tikki, have existed since the beginning of time. Creation was the first concept that came into existence, and Tikki came with it."

I gasped in astonishment. "Fascinating..."

"Despite us kwamis having existed since the beginning of the universe, we weren't able to interact with humans until a mage whose name I can't remember created the Miraculouses. He's long since died."

"Can a Miraculous be damaged or destroyed?"

"Yes in both cases. If a Miraculous is destroyed, the kwami does not die, but can't be seen by humans anymore. If a Miraculous is damaged, it is dangerous to use it until it's fixed."

"Why is it dangerous to use a Miraculous if it's damaged?"

"If a Miraculous is used while it's damaged, the owner is also damaged and becomes sick. If it's used too much, the owner gets sicker and sicker, until she or he goes into a magical slumber."

"Whoa..." I breathed. "Well, guess that's a warning to myself to not transform if my Miraculous gets damaged."

Sakura

"Nathaniel, I..."

"Sakura, there's something I've wanted to say as well."

"Yes?"

"I... Sakura Morris, I love you."

"I love you too, Nathaniel Kurtzberg."

We leaned in to kiss each other again, but before our lips could touch, I heard the familiar honking of a car horn.

"Mom's home from the grocery store. Let's go back in and introduce you to her and Dad."

I started to walk away, but Nathaniel grabbed my hand.

"Sakura...?"

"Yes...?" I turned back to face him.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I beamed. "Absolutely, yes!"

I pecked him on the lips before we walked back inside together. We saw Mom and Dad bringing in groceries.

"Hello, sweetie." Mom smiled warmly as she and Dad put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. "Who's this?"

"Mom, Dad, this is Nathaniel. He's in my class at school. And... We're dating."

Dad didn't react like I thought he would. Instead, he approached Nathaniel and shook hands with him.

"It is nice to meet you, Nathaniel. I'm Tadashi Morris, Sakura's father. I give you permission to date my daughter. But if you break Sakura's heart, you're in for a world of pain."

"With all due respect, Mr. Morris, I love your daughter very much, and I would never ever do anything to break her heart."

"I'm Sakura's mother, Arabella." Mom pulled Nathaniel into a hug. "Where are your parents? We'd love to meet them."

"Well..." Nathaniel said hesitantly. "They disappeared some time ago. I don't know what happened."

"Oh..." Mom said. "Well if and when your parents return, please introduce them to us."

"I will." Nathaniel nodded.

"Young man," Dad addressed my new boyfriend. "How would you like to live with us until your parents return?"

Nathaniel's face lit up. "I would love that, Mr. Morris! Thank you very much!"

"I'll take Nathaniel to his place and he'll bring over some of his things in a suitcase."

Elisa

"There's something else I never told you about us kwamis, Elisa."

"And that is...?"

"There was a spell placed on us kwamis a long time ago by someone whose identity I can't remember. This spell forces kwamis to obey their owners, and it also blocks the kwamis from saying their owners' names to other kwamis and other Miraculous owners."

"That's a wise decision on the spell caster's part, but also a torture for a kwami if he or she is enslaved by a villain."

"It's basically a double-edged sword as you humans would put it."

My phone buzzed. It was a text message from Sakura!

'Elisa, guess what? Nathaniel and I are dating!'

I gasped and squealed before texting her back.

'Congrats, Sakura! I'm so glad you found someone. I told you this would happen one day!'

"Lily's going to be devastated." Suuiren said.

I then remembered my text conversation I had with Lily before the Troublemaker fiasco.

"Oh, yeah." I then texted Lily to let her know that Sakura had gotten together with Nathaniel. She replied within two minutes.

'Should've known this would happen. Bummer. Oh, well.'

Normal POV

Within an hour, Nathaniel took Sakura to his house, and he had packed some of his things in a suitcase.

"How have you managed to live here in spite of your parents' disappearance?"

"Mayor Bourgeois has helped me cover the bills and will continue to do so until my parents come back." Nathaniel explained.

"Oh." Sakura smiled sweetly. "I get it."

Nathaniel sighed. "Sakura, there's something I'd like to show you. Promise me you'll keep this between us."

"Of course..."

"My parents didn't actually disappear. They've been here this whole time."

"What?" Sakura gasped. "How...?"

"I'll show you. Follow me."

Nathaniel moved a portrait of the Eiffel Tower aside and pushed a button before entering a code. A secret staircase going downstairs opened up, and Nathaniel took Sakura's hand in his once more.

They descended the stairs into the secret room, and walked down a pathway illuminated by candles with artificial flames. Realizing the candle flames weren't real, Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

When they reached the end of the pathway, Nathaniel gestured to something, and Sakura was surprised at what she saw.

Lying in a pair of padded glass-covered cryogenic pods atop a circular platform were Bill and Nancy Kurtzberg, Nathaniel's missing parents.

Bill had slightly curly black hair and an unkempt beard. He wore a white shirt under a black leather jacket, black jeans and hiking boots.

Nancy had rib length red hair that curled naturally. She wore a casual red dress, white tights and white ankle boots.

"Nathan, that's your Mum and Dad?"

He nodded. "Yes. Something happened that inflicted a sleeping curse on them, and I have no clue what caused it."

Hand in hand with Sakura, Nathaniel walked up to the pods containing his parents.

Nancy and Bill had smiles on their faces as if they were having pleasant dreams. The first thing that came to Sakura's mind was Sleeping Beauty.

"They're not dead, right?"

"No, they aren't dead. They're just sleeping. There's this life support system keeping them alive."

Sakura looked from Nathaniel to his comatose parents, realizing how much he resembled his mother.

"I wish you were here, Mum, Dad. I miss you so much. A nice couple took me in so they could take care of me until you wake up. I'm dating their daughter, Sakura. Her father is Japanese, and her mother is British."

"Mr. and Mrs. Kurtzberg," Sakura put her hand on Nancy's cryo pod. "I hope we can find some way to wake you up. Nathaniel needs you." She then turned to her boyfriend. "I promise we'll keep this a secret between us, and we'll find some way to get your parents back."

Elisa

I told Mom and Dad I was going to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery to pick up some macarons as a congratulatory present for Nathaniel and Sakura. I promised them I would be home in time for dinner. Oh my way, I ran into Valerie, and she did not look happy. She was... crying?

"Elisa, I'm so glad I ran into you."

"Valerie, what's going on?"

"Elisa, it's terrible..." Valerie sobbed.

"What happened?"

"You know how Melandra lost her little sister? Well, my cousin, Riley, passed away last night. She had been dealing with epilepsy, and had a seizure in her sleep. She never woke up."

"Oh..." I put my hands to my mouth. I then wrapped Valerie in a hug. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Valerie wept bitterly, hugging me back.

"Are you staying home from school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes." Valerie sniffled.

"That's good." I patted Valerie's back soothingly. "It'll give you time to cope and grieve. And you always have your friends by your side."

"Thank you, Elisa."

D.L.

Reflecting on what life has brought to the table for me and Stella, I can rightfully say that there will always be challenges, and it won't be long before we face one of our biggest challenges yet: liars.

I hate liars with a passion, but on the other hand, I need to do something right myself for once, and that is creating a team of Power Rangers. I can barely remember the last time I saw the Guardian of the original Power Rangers. After the original Power Rangers died out, a new generation arose with a new Guardian.

I was deeply touched by young Sakura Morris acknowledging mine and Stella's legend and reading it to a couple of her friends. I have watched over her since, and it warmed my heart witnessing her and Nathaniel Kurtzberg's first kiss.

Watching Bill and Nancy falling deeper into an endless sleep has started to make me realize just how hurting and broken Nathaniel really is. I see a young man aching for his parents and longing to be understood.

I must travel to Oregon and recruit these new Power Rangers, no matter what it takes. The number of villains in Oregon has increased drastically in the last two years. I don't care if I have to get killers involved. If I'm willing to do anything for this world, I will do it.