The sing-song tone in her pursuer’s voice only made Chloe more tense as she tried to push herself further against the wall she was hiding behind. But in all honesty, the girl wasn’t that afraid—she’d been an Akuma’s target more times than she could count.
Though this time felt different...because this time, she truly felt sorry.
This was her fault. And that hit her hard.
Because she really had been trying to change, but it seemed that even that couldn’t keep her from being the cause of Akumatizations.
Resignedly, Chloe accepted the situation. She’d made a mistake, and this was her punishment. The best she could do would be to try and prolong it as much as possible, hopefully altogether if Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up in time.
“There you are!”
Sadly, that possibility seemed to have vanished by this point, and the blonde quickly shot to her feet as a jet of high-pressure water blasted right where she’d just been sitting.
Sibling Rival had found her.
“Are you scared? Because you should be, you thief...” The hi-tech samurai gave a scowl as she brandished the water cannon replacing her left arm. “No one tries to take my brother from me!”
Backing away slowly, Chloe started trying to put the instincts she’d picked up as Queen Bee to good use, looking for an escape route.
“I wasn’t trying to do that!” she replied defensively, noticing that the Akuma was trying to corner her from an ineffective angle. She wasn’t proud of why she was able to tell that, but it was still a stroke of luck that she had. “If anything, you’re trying to steal him from everyone else right now!”
“He chose me!”
“Not of his own free will...” Chloe had to act now. Before Sibling Rival could even blink (not that anyone would have known with the visor in the way) the mayor’s daughter had slipped past her out into the street, running as fast as she could.
“Get back here!” she demanded, sounding furious. “You can’t stay away from me forever!”
‘But I can try,’ Chloe thought to herself, ducking around another corner—one with much more cover this time—and collapsed to her knees, out of breath. Silently, she listened as the villain walked past, ranting.
“She got away!”
“She...did?”
The blonde froze up at the other voice. Sure, the Akuma had taunted her about how she’d made him see things her way, but actually hearing Kai sounding so out of it, so dazed, made the situation hit even harder.
“Yes! Ugh, she was right there and I let her slip past me! Did you see anything, Kai?”
The last sentence seemed almost to reverb slightly.
“No...sorry, sis...”
“It’s okay Kai...I’m just really annoyed. She could be anywhere by now! Let’s keep looking.”
The sound of footsteps started to fade, and Chloe peeked around the side of the building, letting out a sigh of relief as she found the coast to be clear.
“That was close...I hope Ladybug will get here, soon, I don’t know how much longer I can last...”
“Wait, Chloe?!”
Speak of the devil—whirling around, Chloe was just in time to see the red-suited heroine in question swing down to the street, a worried expression on her face...
Ladybug’s eyes grew with shock, and the blonde knew why—she, Chloe Borguoise, had admitted to something being her fault without prompting. Which not too long ago would never have even been imaginable.
“And yes, I just admitted it, I’ve...I’ve been trying to change...”
“...What happened?”
“I...got into an argument, with Kai’s sister, Nya, and...it escalated.
The silence in the air hung heavy.
“...Which Miraculous is that?” Chloe ventured, though she had a feeling what it was.
“It’s...the...well, it’s...”
“It’s the Bee, isn’t it. And you’re giving it to someone else. Honestly, I don’t blame you...” The blonde nearly choked. “Though...I...I know I don’t deserve to get another chance...but still, I...”
The heroine urged her to keep speaking.
“I’m selfish, okay?! I want to be a hero again, I want to help fix my mistake!...I want to see Pollen again...”
Chloe felt like she was about to die. Here, in front of her, was her hero, and she was jealous of someone she didn’t even know!
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed what Ladybug said next.
“Well...I think you deserve another chance.”
No, she...she must have heard that wrong, there was no way—
“Chloe Bourgeois, this is the Miraculous of the Bee, which wields the power of Subjection. You will use it for the greater good. Once the battle is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”
Chloe was speechless. “I...I don’t...I don’t deserve this,” she countered in shock.
“The fact that you realize that is what makes you deserve it, Chloe. I can tell that you really want to be better.”
The blonde smiled. “I just...can’t believe it...yes! Yes, you can trust me this time.”
Ladybug chuckled. “Then welcome back, Queen Bee.”
“No,” she cut her off, “Not Queen Bee. That’s in the past. I’m a new person now.”
Opening the box, she was filled with delight as the Kwami she’d come to adore materialized in a globe of golden light.
“Hello, my Queen,” Pollen greeted happily.
“We don’t have much time, Chloe,” Ladybug warned. “Remember, the Akuma’s looking for you.”
Chloe smirked. “Then I won’t let them find me.” Fastening the magical comb at the base of her ponytail, she cried out,
“Pollen, Buzz On!”
In a flash, the familiar feeling of transformation engulfed her, but in a new way, a new direction.
And when it dissipated, the reason was obvious.
The blonde’s outfit had changed, not just because she had transformed, but her hero outfit was different now, as well. The top was more of a tunic, ending in a skirt coming to her thighs. Yellow fuzz lined her neck, waist, ankles, wrists, and the edge of the skirt. Her mask was replaced by a pair of black goggles with translucent blue lenses. Two halves of a short white cape gave her the illusion of having wings. And a black metal guard covered her right shoulder.
“...I did not know you could change your outfit,” Ladybug stated.
“Ninja Noir did it, didn’t he?”
“That...actually, yeah, he did, how did I forget that?...Anyways, you said you had a new name in mind?”
