"M'lady, I was wondering. . . you seem rather. . . off?" It was not a statement, but a question, and I understood what this strange-boy-with-cat-ears meant. The skies cried on, drenching the two of us.

What was actually strange was the sticky onesie I was wearing. . .like, who the hell walked around in a spotted onesie, wearing twin-tails and a mask? I could seldom open my eyes without worrying about them getting stretched. Not to mention, this weird boy was looking at me, looking at myself, oddly; if it makes sense-

"Ahem?" He cleared his throat, not so secretly, and I hurried to blabber a response.

"Uh, no, obviously. I mean, yeah! No, wait. . . Your question was not phrased to this answer, so negative."

His ears drooped, and something told me he was sad. "I realize that we lost the miraculous to Monarch, but—" They turned sharply to the skies again. "—we'll get them back. You, the greatest holder of the Ladybug, and me, your loyal Chat Noir. I'll support you in every way possible, physical or mental. Okay?"

I simply gave a nod, and hoped it would suffice. Whatever this famous superhero was on about was beyond me. My mind felt fuzzy, and I seldom identified him when he offered me his hand. It seemed like, I was in a dream. . .

"Chat, do you know where I live?" The question came out unexpectedly, and I found myself being looked at in a very concerned way.

However, when he spoke, his voice was steady and calm, as if I had just asked about the weather. "No, I do not. It is a secret, remember? Yours and your kwami's little secret."

I wanted to ask what a kwami — or whatever that was called — was, but decided against it when his grip tightened around my shoulders. A strange tickle went down my arm. "It's us. Just us, from now on."

With whatever intent he meant it, I clearly did not catch the meaning. For all I know, I was diabolical. Either he was crushing on me, or there was something even serious about everything. After all, superheroes, in my dictionary, were the ones who flew around and lifted mountains to showcase their strength. None of them cared about the people under their wing. If that were the case, why would he care about me, or whatever that miraculous thing was.

A beep sounded thrice, forcing me out of my train of thoughts. "M'lady, you're about to transform back!" Chat pointed at my ear. "Hurry! Leave the rest for tomorrow." Suddenly, he was guiding me down the buildings and beyond the shops. The baton that he was spinning served like a parachute.

"Hey!" I protested, frowning at his hand around my waist. For some bizarre reason, that elicited a smirk from him.

"Here I was thinking we were done with that phrase of partnership."

Partnership?

"I am not going to prod you, M'lady. You need a night of rest. I'll drop you off at our regular meeting spot. Hope you'll remember your home by then."

Who knew the girl with my mind met that insane cat boy at the top of the Eiffel Tower?!

After letting me down on the steel bars of the monument, the boy fled, parachuting his way down with an exclamation of 'don't fret!', but I cannot help but fret. Where did the girl live?

I racked my brains for a glimpse of memory, and squinted my eyes at the strange bug-mouse floating in front of me. "You mean you don't remember me?" the thing asked.

"I'm sorry," I tried in hopes to be polite to creatures. That was the one thing I learned from my dad, I guess. Everything was still quite unclear. "But what are you? And most importantly, who am I?"

The thing sighed.

"I am Tikki, the kwami of creation." Ah, yes, the strange word that I haven't known as an English one. "I give my holders the superpowers to create stuff. And you are Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the daughter of bakers, Tom and Sabine. Or at least, you were. I don't feel Marinette in you."

This was getting over my head. I wanted to bang myself on my bench, but it was back in my school at . . . Well, wherever I lived.

"I'm not that Marinette you're talking about. I am Colette, if I remember right?"

It was the thing's turn to be confused. "How do you look like her, then?"

I snorted. "I wish I knew."

"Then—" Its little blue eyes lit up. "It is time we consult somebody with a good intuition."

There ends the first chapter. I know that it is quite short, but as the story progresses, they'll be longer and better, so trust me!

Did any of you expect Colette to take Marinette's place? Where do you think the real Marinette went? Hehe. :p

What are your thoughts on this one? I'd love to hear them. Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x