[Y/F/N] = Your First Name

I was soaring over wide expanses of fertile ground, a wide blue river shimmering below me. I circled higher and higher, borne upwards by warm thermal updrafts, then I suddenly tucked my wings into my sides and dove with a triumphant cry, reveling in the feeling of the wind rushing past my face and the joy of being alive.

Then, the scene before my eyes changed, I was in the Egyptian tomb again, the walls and ceiling crumbling around me.

"Y/F/N] run!!" my Dad shouted as he disappeared under an avalanche of rock and sand. I ran blindly, the amulet I had found seeming to grow warmer and warmer, when unexpectedly, the floor gave way and I was falling, falling, into utter blackness.

"Help me!!" I screamed as I flailed away at the smothering...blankets?

I punched and kicked my way free of the suffocating sheets and comforters, and sat up, gulping in air.

For a second, I couldn't remember where I was, then I recognized the guest room through a shaft of moonlight. I had fallen asleep in the lake-sized bed after dinner, too tired to take Adrian up on his extremely tempting offer to play video games in his room.

The digital clock on the bedside table read 2 AM but the nightmare still haunted me, there was no way I was going to be able to sleep now. I climbed out of bed and pushed open the French doors that led to the balcony. A light breeze caressed my face and I filled my lungs with the sweet Parisian night air.

Down below, the streets were softly lit with street lamps, but with most of the city asleep, the night sounds were hushed and quiet.

I leaned on the railing and closed my eyes. It was so peaceful. If only I could just be me, and forget all about the Agent and Sphinx stuff that had turned my life upside down. Just be a normal kid going to school and hanging with friends and –I thought of Adrian – talking to cute boys. Of course, there were some perks to the job, I told myself. If I'd never been an agent, I'd never have met him in the first place. Or experience what it was like to fly as Sphinx...But no matter what I did, there was no way to get my Dad back.

I reached for Adrian's handkerchief, which I had put in my pocket, but no tears fell this time. And after a moment I shook myself. I didn't have time to grieve, there was work to be done, I reminded myself. My mission was to locate Ladybug and Chat Noir, and uncover their secret identities... Wait, what was I thinking? I had to find them first, and given how large Paris was, I had a billion to one chance of-

"Hello."

I stiffened and turned slowly towards the sound. A boy dressed in a black catsuit and mask couched on the railing, watching me intently. I stumbled back towards my room and Chat Noir held out a hand.

"Please don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you." A nervous smile crossed his face. "I'm just a harmless pussycat."

"Yeah?" I asked as calmly as possible, "kinda hard to believe considering what you did to my plane. While I was in it. While it was flying!" I added for emphasis.

"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but I couldn't control myself while I was akumatized," Chat Noir protested. "One minute I was avoiding getting chomped by a T-Rex and then next second I'm stranded inside a giant nest. Almost had to call the fire department to get me down," he added with another smile. When I didn't react he continued, "get it? Cuz when cats get stuck in high places..."

"I get it," I say, cutting him off. "It's just not funny." I was getting angry now.

"Did you honestly think you could come here with your lame jokes and lamer explanation and make me forgive you?" I was feeling around behind me now, my hand searching for anything that could potentially be used as a weapon. Sooner or later, when he realized talking wouldn't work, Chat Noir would show his true colors.

"Well guess what, Chat Noir, there's going to come a time when people are going to get sick of you blaming everything on Hawkmoth and his akumas..." my hand closed around a small potted plant behind me, "and start demanding you take responsibility for your actions!"

I hurl the pot with that last line, aiming for his head. Unfortunately for me, Chat Noir saw it and jumped gracefully up into the air, executing a backflip and landing lightly back on the rail where he began. The pot smashed harmlessly on the ground below, the sound like a shot in the evening quiet.

"Hey!" Chat Noir protested, "I told you, I'm here to a'paw'logize!"

I snatch another plant and hurl it at him.

"And I told you, I'm not buying it!" I retort. Chat Noir does a barrel roll in the air, catching the potted plant and landing lightly on the balcony floor in a crouch.

We both freeze and look up as a light turns on in the room above us. The window rattles as someone tries to open it, and in that instant Chat Noir leaps forward, pushing me up against the wall and out of the pool of light from the window above. I try to scream but his gloved hand clamps firmly across my mouth.

I glare at him, his green eyes only inches away from mine. Well, they could be a different color, I remind myself, it was hard to tell with the green lenses in his mask.

" qui est là ? " calls a voice, and I recognize it as Natalie's.

I struggle to break free but Chat Noir only pushes me more firmly up against the wall. I tried to ignore the fact he felt like he was all lean muscle. Were all guys in Paris super hot?

"Be quiet!" He hissed, "she'll hear us!"

That's kinda the point, I thought, as I continued to struggle – with no success. He's stronger than he looks, I think to myself. Or that suit enhances his strength in some ways. If I was Sphinx, I'd give him a fairer fight, but there was no way to change without blowing my cover.

We were so close I could feel the rapid beat of his heart against my chest. He's afraid, I realized with surprise. But why would a supervillain who could do what he wanted in this city, be afraid of some rich guy's secretary?

Seconds seemed to stretch into hours with his body pressed against mine in the darkness, the only sound his quiet breath in my ear. Then, abruptly, the window above us was closed with a click, and shortly afterwards the light turned off.

Chat Noir let out a sigh of relief and inadvertently relaxed his grip. I took the opportunity to stomp as hard as I could on Chat's foot, which caused him to grab his foot in pain, releasing me.

"Natalie! Adrian! Help!" I scream, swinging a punch at Chat Noir which he barely managed to avoid. I whirl around as the bedroom door crashes open and a giant gorilla-sized man rushes through like a defensive linebacker, Natalie on his heels with a baseball bat.

"Stop him, he's getting away!" Natalie yells, pointing. I turn just in time to see Chat Noir leap from the railing, diving towards the street like an Olympic swimmer.

"No!" I shout, rushing to the railing. But instead of seeing his crumpled body on the ground all I see is...nothing.

"He's gone!" I say in disbelief as Natalie rushes to the railing and looks down. She turns to the gorilla man.

"Go outside and check to make sure. He could be lying injured in an alley nearby." The man grunts and runs out of the room. Natalie turns to me.

"Well, what are you waiting for? He'll search for Chat Noir on the ground. You search from the sky."

I gape at her.

"Don't look so surprised," she snaps impatiently. "Mr. Agreste has me informed of the situation. Now go!"

"Someone needs to explain to Mr. Agreste what secret identity means," I mutter as I climb up on the railing. I clutch the amulet to my chest.

"Guardian of the Gate, awake." I whisper so Natalie can't hear, and let myself fall. The transformation was quicker this time, maybe because it was my second metamorphosis in one day. A hundred feet before I was to hit the ground, my wings unfurled and I turned the dive into an upward spiral that shot me straight into the clouds.

"Wahoo!" I screamed in exhilaration as I soared up, the Agreste Mansion growing smaller and smaller below me.

I threw myself into a barrel roll, then flapped my wings harder to gain more altitude, reveling in their strength and power, the freedom of the night sky. The city of Paris glittered below me, tiny gold lights like a beautiful necklace.

"Focus," I reminded myself and dipped lower of the buildings. I couldn't be distracted, I had a quarry to find.

I began to scan the city below, surveying each street and rooftop while flying in wide circles. My eyes were eagle-sharp now, and I could see in the dark like a cat.

I had finished one section and was about to search another area when I saw a flicker of movement on a nearby rooftop. A shadow - or something that looked like a shadow, - leaping gracefully from rooftop to rooftop like...well a cat.

A small purr of satisfaction rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. And now, I thought, the hunted will become the hunter.

I tucked my wings against my body and dove, as silent and deadly as an arrow from a bow.