42. Day 3 Part 14

Chloe continued to clutch her kwami close for quite some time, it's soothing rhymatic buzzing providing a great deal of relief for the distraught teenager in her current emotional state. Unwittingly, despite the indisputable lunacy of the very idea, she'd somehow accepted this magical creature as a substitute parent, in lieu of her deceased mother and often aloof father.

Despite conceiving the idea for the new terms of their relationship herself, Zzubo had been unsure at first of the wisdom of trying out such a unique dynamic between human and kwami, after all such a thing had never been attempted in the history of the two races. But, in seeing the gaping hole in her new wielder's life where a loving, responsible parental figure should be, and the huge improvement in the heiress's behaviour since they embarked on this new adventure together, made Zzubo all the more determined to pursue it further. After all, she had began to grow very attached to the child herself, especially after hearing her impassioned plea to the perplexed mayor about her sudden change of heart, which of course fell on deaf ears.

And now, her newly adopted charge needed her guidance more than ever. Shaken after her intense argument, unsure of the correct path to take to continue her redemption, and most of all, terrified that whatever awful thing her father had in store for Alya's mother would halt her laudable plan to make lots of new friends permanently, it was essential that Zzubo perform her duties, both as a parent and a partner, and help calm the nerves of this incessantly weeping girl. Besides, her neck fuzz was beginning to get soggy.

She decided to begin with an inspiring pep talk. "I'm so proud of you, Chloe Bourgeois-Marigold..." She cooed, gently stroking the heiress's cheek with a hairy arm. "You stood up for yourself in front of your own father, and told him what you want to do with your life. He seems like a very intimidating man, and you could have quite easily buckled at any stage... but, no. You refused to budge, even at the loss of your own privileges. I now truly know that you are my chosen one, and though there's still plenty of work to do, I can foresee a dramatic transformation in your very near future, and no, I'm not just talking about your new clothes and lack of make-up. By the way, I love the new hair... even though, I would have preferred you to go with yellow and black. Let's just say, it's kind of my thing..."

Zzubo's attempt at a joke seemed to work, and for the first time since the mayor's harsh words, Chloe cracked a ghost of a smile. "T-thanks, Z-Zzubo..." she stammered, gently patting the top of the kwami's head. "I knew there was nothing wrong with it. My Daddy has just always been resistent to change, that's all. It's the same for him at work... he always appoints the same old bunch of advisors and politicians every year, who only care about the needs of the rich, with the least well-off being little more than an afterthought. It never really bothered me before, but now I'm trying to think about others besides myself, it does seem totally unfair, doesn't it?"

"One day, my child, you'll be in a position to do something about that..." Zzubo noted, continuing to marvel at just how different her user sounded from when they'd first met. "But for now, our training must continue. You've made a fantastic start after a rough beginning, but over the next few days I believe you have other people to try and make things up to, haven't you? If you can show me the same willingness of spirit to change as you demonstrated just now, I have no doubts in my mind that justice will have a new name flying through the skies of Paris, and Hawk Moth will have a new formidible foe to face... as well as one less conduit for his evil creations to be made."

The old Chloe would have taken umbrage at such a ridiculous insinuation, after all everyone loved her and only complained about her because they were jealous. The new Chloe, who was far more honest with her feelings, knew that what her kwami had said rang with the sound of truth, and readily acknowledged her inadvertant contribution to the supervillain's plans for world domination.

"Y-yes, I know...", she blushed slightly, recalling with shame all the petty little nasty things she'd done over the past year, which had almost caused disaster on more than a few occasions. "At the time, I don't think I was even aware of what I was saying. I was so full of myself I thought I could get away with anything, and my ego even refused to own up to my mistakes. I might even have generated some of the infections on purpose, due to the fact that everyone in class ignored me, and my Daddy was never around. I-I just wanted the attention, as pathetic as it may be. I do feel ashamed of my behaviour now though, and I do want to try and make up for it the best I can..."

"Well, you'll have most of the rest of your life to do that, with a little input from me along the way, of course..." Zzubo nodded, encouraged by the heiress's commitment to the cause. "But I must admit, sometimes even I make mistakes. It occurred to me, just after Lila confronted you in the bathroom and before I went into my little nougat coma, that her being able to blackmail you so audaciously might have something to do with me not keeping my big mouth shut. If I hadn't kept you talking while she was at the door, she wouldn't have been able to reach the conclusion that you were talking to your 'stuffed toy' and pull you into her web of lies. So Chloe, I'm truly sorry about that. If only there was some way I could fix it..."

"Yeah, if only..." Chloe sighed deeply, at being reminded of yet another troubling matter, before picking up on something else the kwami said. "Wait... nougat coma?"

"It happens when I stuff my face with too many delectables at once. It doesn't usually effect me a lot, but those sweet treats your head chef prepares are just too tempting. We've got to save her job, by the way..." Zzubo told her, the orange glow that lit up in her cheeks showing that she indeed, could blush too. "I become incapacitated for a while, and unable to function at all. Isn't it lucky though, that it happened today, and not just after we met? I'd probably be on the bottom of the Seine now, tied to a rock, if you'd caught me in that state before we bonded..."

"Y-yeah..." Chloe nervously chuckled, realising Zzubo was absolutely right. She didn't really want to dwell on the past though, but concentrate on the future, which would almost certainly involve the bee creature in a big way. "So, how long did you say you were out for?"

"I lost conciousness just after your run-in with Lila, before lunch..." Zzubo informed the heiress. "And I was stirred by the ding of the lift later, as we reached your floor. You'll have to bring me up to speed on events between now and then, if you'd be so kind. For instance: Who's Juleka? Why is your father so infatuated with Lila? And what's this about you almost being taken away by the Social Services?!"

Realising she had no choice but to start the whole sorry tale from the beginning, Chloe shook her head in exasperation. "Zzubo, my tiny pal, get comfy... this is gonna to take a while. I'll order you up some more nougats, seeing as how you've run out. But this time, please... take them slow."

...

"Hmm... sounds like yet another thing I have to apologise for..." Zzubo pondered, as he nibbled on her favourite confectionary. "Sometimes, I don't know my own strength, so my touch can leave a few marks behind. That may have alerted the authorities to possible child abuse at your home... and, combined with your new appearance and demeanor, I can see why they might sense there was something bad going on. Perhaps, I have been taking things a little fast with you..."

"No, no, no!" Chloe insisted, as she waved her hand vehemently in the air. "If it hadn't been for your uncompromising discipline, I wouldn't have seen the light as quickly as I did. The whole nightmare was the by-product of the wicked schemes of that ex-friend of mine, Sabrina. She plotted to humiliate me, just because I was becoming more popular than her, and now she's even allied herself with my other arch enemies, Marinette and Adrien. In fact... that reminds me. Where did I put that old friendship brooch I gave her? I picked it up after our last fight, and promised myself I'd destroy it as soon as I got home, but other events got in the way. Nothing's stopping me now, though..."

Zzubo looked up with concern, as the heiress reached into her pocket and pulled out a flowery brooch, ready to toss it off the edge of her bedroom and see it shatter into a million tiny pieces on the ground below. The kwami quickly flew over to her hand, and held her arm mid-swing.

"H-hey, what do you think you're doing?" Chloe growled, struggling in vain to free herself from the clutches of the powerful bee creature. "I thought you just said you were going to try and be less interfering from now on. This doesn't involve you, you know..."

"Actually, it does, in terms of me watching you making a hasty decision that you might deeply regret..." Zzubo told her, with piercing eyes. "This girl has been your friend for years, yes? Well, how about you delay destroying your final link to her for a little while longer, and give yourself time to carefully assess the situation? It might have just been a simple misunderstanding, or she could have a good reason for saying that. My point is: don't do anything now, that you can't take back later on. Trust me, I've had more than my fair share of users who've been guilty of impulsive urges they subsequently rue ..."

Chloe's embittered expression seemed to change slightly upon hearing Zzubo's wise words, and with a degree of hesitation she deposited the brooch back in her pocket. "I'm only doing this for you, Zzubo. I don't see any possible reason I should keep in contact with that treacherous snake... and if I don't find one by the end of the week, I'm taking a hammer to that sucker."

"As you wish, Chloe..." Zzubo smirked, as if she were quite confident that wouldn't happen. "You'd be surprised at how things can work out. Who knows, you might even find common ground with Marinette one day..."

"Ha! Now I know you're joking..." Chloe let out a derisory snort at the mere mention of the name. "I certainly plan to expand my social circle in the near future, but I'd sooner gargle razor blades than spend one second with that freak show..."

"Chloe! What was it you said to your father about you no longer wanting to insult others?!" Zzubo frowned, looking at the heiress accusingly.

"S-sorry..." Chloe looked a little embarrassed at herself, realising that old habits would indeed die hard. "But I still don't like her, and I never will. Do I really have to go into all the reasons why, again?"

"No, you don't. Not that I'm affirming their validity by saying that..." Zzubo sighed, wondering how big the scream would be if the heiress ever found out her biggest idol and biggest nemesis were one and the same person. "I just think you shouldn't automatically discount the possibility..."

"Look, Zzubo..." Chloe at this point edged closer to the bee kwami, speaking in a deadly serious voice. "I've been making a lot of good progress, correct? You've been impressed with how I'm doing, yes? Well, all I'm asking for is a little wriggle room on the whole 'friendship' thing. I'm keeping the brooch in case hell freezes over and Sabrina and I make up, but read my lips: There is no way me and Marinette Dupain-Chang will ever be anymore than the best of enemies. Are we clear on that?!"

Even though the kwami clearly wasn't, considering the pair might be working together very soon, Zzubo reluctantly gave in for now, just to preserve the peace."As you wish, Chloe..." She sighed, finishing off the last of her nougat.

"Good!" Chloe suddenly felt a little perkier all of a sudden. "If I can get you to listen to me, than maybe, just maybe, I have a chance to work things out with my father. Who does he think he is... sending me to go and see a psychiatrist?! I'm nearly a young woman for goodness sake, he can't tell me what to do with my life! Lila, though... she could be a much trickier problem. She's got some dirt on me that she won't be afraid to spit out at a moment's notice, and I'm afraid I have no choice but to obey her commands. If I don't, then Hawk Moth might find out about your existence Zzubo, and I don't want to lose you too. Y-you're the first real comfort I've had since, m-my m-mother..."

At this juncture, Chloe began to involuntarily turn on the waterworks again, and a quietly observing Zzubo began to feel a little guilty. After all, it was partially her fault that Chloe had been foisted into this predicament... and besides, the heiress's anguish about Lila and the stress of following the Italian's every command would only prove to be an unwelcome distraction from her future duties, both as a student and a superhero.

That's when the bee kwami came up with a 'miraculous' plan. She was going to sort it all out tonight... and she was going to need the help of some old friends.

The sound of the curtain blowing open interrupted Chloe's sobbing. "Z-Zzubo?"

However, the kwami was nowhere to be seen. Just an open window, and a few nougat crumbs remained in her stead

"So, she's gone on yet another of her late night jaunts, I see. Fine.." Chloe grumbled, as she closed the window, cleared away the crumbs, and realised this would be the perfect time to take a shower without being disturbed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: An early update for you all, because I love you so much. My focus is now almost entirely on this fic, so hopefully new chapters should appear like buses now, and I hope to get it finished by the time the new season airs (On Netflix, which I'm gonna have to get. More expense... DARN IT!). Also, I hope to have a new front cover soon... Look out for it!

Today's question is: Who's your favourite Miraculous character? Answers to the usual address... ;)