[Y/F/N] = Your First Name

[Y/E/C] = Your Eye Color

Darkness, crushing empty blackness surrounded me. I was back in the tomb again...or perhaps I had never left?

The amulet glowed dimly in my hands, illuminating only rocks and dirt on all sides. I jumped as there was a slight sound to my right; lifting up the amulet higher, I could see the dim shape of the Sphinx sitting in front of me.

"Am I dead?" I asked, my voice sounding weak to my ears.

"No, not quite yet." The Sphinx replied calmly, "but soon..." She cocked her head to one side, scrutinizing me. "Who knows? You mortals are such fragile creatures."

"You didn't seem to mind that when you offered me your power to escape in return for being your vessel." I replied tiredly. The Sphinx shrugged, a movement that sent her wings ruffling slightly.

"There was a lack of other candidates. Besides, if you won, we would both be free, and if you lost..." She shrugged again. "Well, you would have died soon anyway from starvation so it wouldn't have mattered if you had gone insane as well." She stood up and stretched. "As for me," she continued carelessly, "what was another few hundred years trapped underground?"

"But I won...I solved your riddle..." I recalled, and the Sphinx nodded.

"Yes, to my surprise," she said, "but then you had to go and get my amulet broken."

I looked down and saw the thin crack running through the center of the stone, where Hawkmoth had stabbed me when I was trying to escape. If it hadn't been for the amulet, I would've been dead, but since the amulet was the source of my power...

"Can it be fixed?" I asked hopefully and the Sphinx laughed.

"That amulet was forged hundreds of years ago by men with much more magic than you or I. It was meant to contain me, with my only escape being to serve as a weapon, a slave to whomever could answer my riddle correctly. I didn't think I would ever get another opportunity to be free but now..." she trailed off, her eyes gleaming with a feverish excitement I wasn't sure I liked.

"So what happens now?" I asked, backing slowly away. Sphinx smiled, showing rows of sharp canine teeth.

"Well, obviously we can use the break to be free of the amulet's enchantment and use your body as a vessel."

I gave a small breath of relief.

"So we share just like before." I said. Sphinx smiled even wider.

"We could share...but I'd rather just fight you for it. Won't it be fun to see who will win?"

Sphinx rose gracefully to her feet and moved towards me like a cat stalking a mouse. I backed away quicker now but there seemed to be nowhere to hide.

"No!" I screamed "It's my body! You can't have it!"

* * *

Chat Noir/Ladybug's P.O.V.

"It's waking up." Announced Master Fu. Chat Noir and Ladybug leapt up from the chairs they had been resting in and ran to the creature's bedside.

Chat had been ready to attack when he saw the winged, lion-like creature dive at them. After all, he remembered their last attack. But as he was placing himself in front of Ladybug, it suddenly lost all semblance of flight and crashed on the roof in front of them, not even attempting to break its fall and ripping up a swath of shingles as it did so. As he moved cautiously closer, he had seen the injuries, vicious wounds that looked like they had been made with a blade, with dried blood covering its feathers and fur.

Now it lay on the futon in Master Fu's workshop, tossing and moaning in apparent anguish.

After a moment the moaning stopped and the eyes flickered open. They were not cat-like at all, but [Y/E/C] and seemed...familiar for some reason.

"Ladybug...Chat...I guess I did find you..." the creature said weakly. It looked around, bewildered, taking in its surroundings. "Where am I?" It asked.

"A safe place." Master Fu said calmly. "That is all you need to know."

"Sorry to be rude," Ladybug interjected, "but who are you exactly?"

"And how can you suddenly speak French?" Chat chimed in, realizing that was what was bothering him. "Last time we saw you, you could only speak English. And you attacked us!" He remembered indignantly.

The creature held up a paw in a very human-like "wait" gesture.

"One at a time." It said, sounding tired. It reached up and pulled its mane away from its face. Two clunky-looking earrings, looking somewhat out of place, hung from each ear.

"Translators," it said, tapping one. "I just got them. As for the attack...I'm sorry about that." It said, looking away. "Maybe I should start from the beginning. I'm Agent Sphinx of C.L.A.W. and I was hired by Hawkmoth to stop you and take your Miraculous."

* * *

Ladybug automatically reached for her yo-yo and Chat gripped his staff tightly. Only Master Fu seemed unconcerned.

"If you work for Hawkmoth, why did you come to us for help?" He asked.

"It must be a trap." Ladybug decided grimly, and ran to the door.

"No!" Agent Sphinx protested, holding up a hand to stop her. "You have to believe me, I'm one of the good guys!"

"Why should we believe you? You've already attacked us once." Chat said suspiciously.

[Y/F/N] decided not to mention Chat destroying her plane to preserve her secret identity.

"Yeah and you both thought I was an akuma when I first contacted you and slammed me into a chimney so no one is a saint here." Agent Sphinx retorted, irritated. She stopped and took a breath. Her ribs were killing her. "Look, Hawkmoth tricked my agency into thinking you were the ones behind the akuma attacks, that's why I went after you. But after a while of ...investigating, I realized Hawkmoth was the real villain behind everything and confronted him." Agent Sphinx glanced down at her injuries. "As you can see, it didn't go well."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Ladybug demanded.

"Call my contact." Agent Sphinx replied. She patted her fur as if she was checking her pockets then stopped. "I just realized I can't access my communications device." She said, looking irritated. "Anyone have a pen and paper?"

Master Fu handed her both and she scribbled down a number, then handed it back.

"Tell #412 'Sparrows, or Swans.' She'll know-"

Her eyes glazed over for a second and she seemed to have difficulty speaking. "It's...from...me." She gasped, and collapsed on the futon, thrashing.

Her pupils slitted like cat's, the color changing to gold, and Agent Sphinx suddenly swiped at Ladybug, so she dodged back out of the way and grabbed at Chat Noir, pulling him close and holding a razor-sharp claw to his throat.

"Hey, what gives, I thought you were on our side?" He protested.

"Oh, you are cute, I see why [Y/F/N] likes you," Sphinx purred. She snarled as Ladybug threw her arm back to throw her yo-yo. "Don't move superhero, you might posses extraordinary powers, but you're still just a mortal."

"Don't listen to the oversized cat, Ladybug!" Chat Noir shouted bravely, "take her out!" He winced as Sphinx pricked him lightly with her claw, then sneezed as one of her feathers tickled his nose.

"Ugh, I hate allergies." He complained.

"What happened to being one of the good guys, Agent Sphinx?" Ladybug demanded angrily.

"Do not associate me with the weak mortal who surrendered her body to me to use as a vessel. I am THE SPHINX, daughter of Horus and Nut," she said haughtily, stroking her amulet, "and let's just say I've been given an opportunity to be free of my weak, human counterpart and I'm taking it." She gripped Chat Noir tighter as he tried to wriggled free. "Just get out of my way and I'll set him free."

Sphinx winced as she tried to get up and blood oozed out of one of her wounds.

"You are still badly injured," the master objected. "Let us treat your injuries first."

Sphinx glared at him coldly.

"I'll manage." She snapped. "But first I must get away from you humans before this mortal's-" she indicated herself, "agency can find me. It took them five years to capture me, if they succeed while I'm in this state I'll never be free." She said resentfully.

"Perhaps we can come to a compromise," Master Fu said smiling calmly. He glanced at something in the air over Sphinx and clapped his hands, "now Wayzz!"

Master Fu's Miraculous, Wayzz, who had been quietly flying into position over Sphinx, suddenly upended a pouch full of powder on top of her.

"Argh! My eyes!" Sphinx cried, releasing Chat to rub at the powder dusting her face. She froze for a second, then slumped back on the futon again, fast asleep.

"Weow! That was close!" Chat gasped, visibly shaken. "I almost lost one of my nine lives there."

His tail shot up in surprise as Ladybug grabbed him fiercely in a hug. Chat stayed frozen for a second, then relaxed slightly and wrapped his arms around her as well, laying his head on her shoulder.

Ladybug's head came up for a second.

"Are you...purring?" she asked, bewildered and Chat smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe?" Ladybug rolled her eyes and pulled away.

"You really scared me there for a second, kitty." She scolded. "Don't ever do that again."

"Don't worry about me," Chat said, attempting to make a joke, "this cat can always land on his feet."

"Your safety is not something to take lightly, young one." Master Fu said sagely, hobbling over to check on the sleeping Sphinx. "You and Ladybug are needed together, first to defeat Hawkmoth but more importantly to keep your powers in balance, for you are Yin and Yang and are part of one whole."

"I'll try and remember that Master Fu," Chat said humbly. The master turned away from Sphinx briefly. "It is alright young man, for the moment, we have another crisis on our hands, we must also deal with this Sphinx as well as Agent Sphinx who are inhabiting the same body."

"By the way Master," piped up Ladybug, "what did you give her?"

"A powerful sleeping powder," said Master Fu, filling a bowl with warm water and starting to clean Sphinx's wounds. "She should be unconscious for twenty-four hours. We must use that time wisely to find a way to help them both." He looked up from his work. "Ladybug, you and Chat Noir will research this amulet she wears, perhaps we can find a clue to how the Sphinx was trapped within the hieroglyphics. I will continue to take care of her and contact the number Agent Sphinx gave me. Perhaps this C.L.A.W. will give us more information we can use to help her."

Master Fu yawned loudly. "But for now, it is late, you two need to get some sleep. We will meet back here again tomorrow."

Hi Everyone! I apologize for taking so long to update, but Happy Blood Moon Night! We got any STARCO fans here? I was just thinking this was a good night to hop in your demon ex. boyfriend's carriage and go to a Blood Moon Ball, then be whisked off your feet by your best guy friend. :)

Back to the matter at hand, there will only be a few more chapters left of Spirit of the Sphinx (please don't hurt me) however I really appreciate everyone's support, and I want you to know that the only reason I've done so many chapters was because of you <3