A/N: I know that I should be focusing on my other fanfic "Hiro Complex", but I'm suffering from writer's block on that one (I can't decide what I want to happen). Plus, I just had to take a break from it for a little bit and work on a new idea to get my creativeness going. I haven't abandoned "Hiro Complex", I just don't want to rush it, I want the ending to be great. Until I figure out what I want to do with that, I'll work on this one. I just recently got into Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir and I highly recommend it.
Also, please follow me on Wattpad! It would mean a lot to me if you did! My username is RenegadeDrummer. This story is also published on Wattpad, so you can leave feedback there as well and keep up with when I'm going to update.
Enough with the author's note. I hope you enjoy this story! Feedback would be amazing!
Summary: When a new akuma appears after weeks with no attacks, people begin to disappear and destruction is left by the akumatized victim. When Ladybug disappears, Chat is considered to be an incompetent hero and useless without Ladybug, even though he tried to protect Paris on his own. It's revealed that the missing people will be returned in exchange for Chat Noir's ring, so the city betrays the hero. Meanwhile, Ladybug is trapped with the missing civilians, her Miraculous warning her that she will de-transform soon. "Without Ladybug, I'm just a lone cat. I can't do this, Plagg."
Ladybug and Chat Noir. Two halves of a whole. The superhero duo. Partners.
At least, they used to be.
Chat Noir ran as fast as he could toward his lady, his arm outstretched in an attempt to save her. "Ladybug!" Time seemed to slow down around him as the light around the girl began to grow brighter with each millisecond.
Ladybug reached out with her own hand, the fear of the unknown shining in her blue eyes. He was only a few feet away from her now and he lunged toward his partner in a desperate attempt to grab her hand. The light grew brighter, nearly blinding the cat-like superhero and he squinted his eyes in an attempt to block out the light. He finally made it to the girl. However, his right hand simply went through Ladybug's left one, making Chat Noir fall to the ground on his knees and left arm.
Seeing what happened, Ladybug retracted her hand and smiled sadly, her smile seeming to shine due to the light. "Everything will be okay, Chat. Everybody has faith in you. I have faith in you."
"No, Lady..." Chat's voice cracked. "I can't. I can't do this without you! We're a team! We're partners, so don't-" With a bright flash of light, the girl he loved was gone, simply disappearing into thin air. Chat Noir's eyes widened and tears involuntarily filled his eyes. "No... no, no, no..." The teen superhero bowed his head, teardrops falling onto his paw-like hands and his claws digging into the pavement beneath him as he lifted his head to the sky and screamed, the sound echoing in the quiet atmosphere. "LADYBUG!"
(A Day Before)
"Marinette, you have to go to school! Alya is already waiting on you!" Tikki called out to the sleeping girl, her words making Marinette panic as she ran around her room to get ready. In five minutes, she managed to put on a good pair of clothes and fix her hair in it's normal style. Tikki flew into Marinette's purse to remain hidden throughout the day as the young girl walked downstairs. "Bye, mama, papa."
"Have a good day, sweetie." Tom called out after his daughter.
Sabine laughed as Marinette and Alya began to walk down the street toward the school. "Oh dear, what are we going to do with her?"
Meanwhile, Adrien Agreste stood in front of the school with his best friend, Nino, as they waited for Nino's girlfriend. While waiting, Nino was talking about how people hadn't seen Ladybug and Cat Noir since the akuma attacks died down. Unknown to Nino, this was exactly what was bothering Adrien and the very topic of the superhero duo and lack of akuma activity made the teen become more anxious. What is Hawk Moth planning? When will the next akuma attack be? Today, tomorrow, when?
He came back to reality once he saw Nino waving a hand in front of the teen model's face. "Dude, you totally spaced out on me. Is everything okay?"
Adrien smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had been unable to control. "Sorry, Nino. I'm okay, just didn't get enough sleep last night."
"Hey, boys." Alya, Nino's girlfriend, greeted as her and Marinette walked toward them.
Nino wrapped an arm around Alya's waist and held her close to his side. "Hey."
Adrien smiled at the sight, glad that his best friend was happy with the young girl. "Hey, Alya." Then he turned toward the blunette standing a few feet away from him. "Hey, Marinette. You're here early."
Immediately, the girl began to blush. "H-hey, A-Adrien...Oh, um, yeah. I- Early." She laughed nervously, her face red.
Adrien laughed lightly at his friend's attitude. He never could figure out why she was always so nervous around him. Even the times he's been around her as Chat Noir, she was calm and even slightly sarcastic around the superhero part of him. What is so different about Adrien and Chat Noir to her?
Alya began talking about her Ladyblog and how fans were worried about the lack of action. Nino agreed and the two soon launched into a long conversation about it that Adrien knew would last until they made it to the classroom. Once again, Adrien felt the anxiety growing and he shook his head slightly, trying to rid himself of the feeling. He turned toward Marinette to try to start a conversation, but noticed the worried expression on her face. Is she okay? Is she worried about the lack of akuma attacks, like I am?
"Marinette?" Adrien questioned, but she didn't answer, lost in her own world.
Marinette wondered, what will happen next? Hawk Moth hasn't sent any akuma out in a while now. What is he planning? Whatever it is, it must be something bad. If it is, will Chat and I be able to stop him? We've been fighting for nearly a year now, but it seems like nothing has come from it. We still don't know who Hawk Moth is or where we can even find him...
The girl felt something rest against her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. However, her face reddened for the second time that day when she realized Adrien's hand was resting on her shoulder.
His green eyes were filled with concern, "Marinette, are you okay?"
Marinette smiled quickly, "Yeah. I-I'm okay." She went on to rambling something about not getting enough sleep and working in the bakery yesterday.
Not entirely convinced, Adrien still smiled. "Okay, if you say so. Just try to get some rest later."
Before Marinette could even stutter out a reply, they walked into the classroom and took their seats. The teacher walked into the room and began teaching once it was time for class to start. However, two people didn't get anything from the lessons, worried about the events that they knew would eventually unfold.
It was just a matter of time.
Once class was over, Alya stretched and rose to her feet, noticing her friend hadn't registered that class was over. "Hey, Marinette." Still no reply, so Alya gently snapped her fingers to get the young girl's attention. "Marinette, class is over."
Slightly stunned that time had went by so fast, Marinette blinked a few times before rising to her feet. "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About a certain somebody?" Alya teased, waiting for Marinette before walking out of class.
Marinette chuckled lightly, "No, nothing like that. I just have a lot of things to do and it's just stressing me a little. Nothing to worry about."
"Okay, then." Alya kept walking, "By the way, Nino and I are going to watch a movie later. Do you want to come along? We can set you up with Adrien."
Marinette blushed a bit before shaking her head, "No, thanks. I promised mama and papa I'd help them in the bakery after school. We've been getting more customers recently. You two go have fun and you can tell me all about it later tonight when you get home."
"Okay, girl. If you're sure." Alya checked the time on her phone. "I have to go. I told Nino I'd meet up with him after school." Alya began to walk away and called over her shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Marinette waved at her friend as she left before running out of the building herself. I have to talk to Chat Noir. Something isn't right about all this.
Marinette called her mother and asked if it was okay if she went out with friends or if she was needed at the bakery. Of course, Sabine told her to have fun. Running to an alleyway, Marinette looked around to make sure nobody was around. "I have to find Chat."
She opened her side purse and the ladybug kwami emerged. "Do you think you can find Chat Noir? He doesn't know you want to meet with him."
"I have to try something. Hopefully, he'll see me or maybe he even has the same idea." Marinette replied. "Tikki, spots on!"
The kwami went into the red earrings the girl had in her ears, making spots appear on the surface of the jewelry. Marinette ran her hands over her eyes and stretched out her arms, a red light traveling down her body. The purse changed into a ladybug printed yo-yo and the red light changed her clothes to a ladybug printed disguise.
Marinette, now Ladybug, used her yo-yo to run along the roofs of Paris, scanning the streets for the familiar black cat. However, after fifteen minutes, she still hadn't found him. With a sigh, she paused on a rooftop and simply looked toward the Eiffel Tower, a sight she would never find boring. She sat down on the rooftop, noticing a storm brewing in the distance. The young woman sighed, "I don't know what to do about this. I feel like something bad is going to happen and there's nothing I can do about it."
A familiar voice chimed in behind her, "Yeah, I feel like Hawk Moth is planning something catastrophic. At least we're on the same page."
She ignored the cat pun and turned to face her partner, "Yeah..."
Chat Noir knew the female superhero was worried and sat down next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Look, there's not much we can do until an akuma shows up. We don't have any leads on Hawk Moth, we don't even know where to start. All we can do is wait."
Ladybug sighed, "What if Hawk Moth is saving his strength to make a stronger akuma, though? What if we can't handle it? What if the people of Paris are hurt or killed because we weren't strong enough to protect them?"
Chat Noir sat in shocked silence for a moment, "That's what you're worried about, m'lady? You're Ladybug! Everybody respects you for everything you do and they trust you. If an akuma stronger than us does show up, we'll do everything we can. We could evacuate the citizens from Paris until we capture the akuma if it came down to that."
"What if that's not enough?" Ladybug asked, a shadow of gloom seeming to appear on her face. She turned toward Chat Noir, who tilted his head slightly in a questioning gesture. "What if one of us gets hurt or even dies, Chat? What would happen then? Would the akuma disappear after taking our miraculous or would it keep storming through France?"
The cat-like superhero rose slightly, turning on his knee until he was kneeling in front of Ladybug. He rested both hands on her shoulders now, his piercing green eyes meeting hers. "I won't let anything like that happen. I won't let an akuma take you away from me, I won't let you die. If a strong akuma does appear, then we'll defeat it. It's what we've been doing for over a year now and we won't stop. I'll help you protect Paris and I'll protect you, m'lady. I swear it."
"Chat..." Ladybug didn't know what to say. Chat's bright eyes were serious as they gazed into hers. For a moment, she wondered when her partner had matured so much. Sure, he would throw puns at enemies they were fighting, but he was always serious about protecting those around him. Something he had vowed to do, a vow Ladybug knew he would keep. She smiled, "Chances are, I'll be the one protecting you, Chat. After all, you seem to get yourself into some clawful situations."
She watched as a grin spread across his face, "Oh, now who appreciates the cat puns? That was pretty pawsome, m'lady." Chat Noir returned to his former spot and looked at the incoming storm. He chose to ignore the remark Ladybug made about saving him, knowing she was being sarcastic. However, he prided himself in seemingly cheering her up.
Chat rose to his feet, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have a schedule to keep." He stood on the edge of the building, smiling at his friend. "Until next time, m'lady." He bowed slightly before stepping off the building, extending the baton to the ground below to ensure a safe landing on the building next to the two.
Ladybug watched her partner disappear in the distance before standing herself. Feeling slightly better after talking to Chat Noir, she used her magical yo-yo to travel to an alley nearby her family's bakery. After transforming back into her civilian form, Marinette walked to the bakery and through the door.
She greeted her parents before going up to her room and laying down on her bed, Tikki settling down beside her head. "Tikki, do you think Chat was right? Will we be able to handle anything that comes our way?"
"Stay positive, Marinette." Tikki stated, flying around in the air a bit. "You and Chat have done well so far."
"I guess." Marinette stated and closed her eyes, her exhaustion eventually overcoming her as she fell asleep.
"Adrien, you should really take your own advice. You're so gloomy! Eat some camembert, that'll cheer anybody up." Plagg remarked, the black cat-like kwami bringing a small wedge of the cheese toward the teen.
Immediately, Adrien pinched his nose. "Ugh, Plagg, get that nasty smelling cheese away from me."
Plagg ate the cheese in one bite. "It's not my fault you don't have good tastes in food."
Adrien ignored the kwami and went to his computer, browsing the Parisian news channels, a foreboding feeling settling in his stomach. However, the only thing that was on the news was the description of a man who had went missing nearly two days ago and interviews with the family members.
Adrien sighed, turned off the computer, then walked over to the window, leaning against it slightly. "I should be glad we haven't had any attacks, but... I just know something is wrong."
Plagg sighed loudly and flew over to the teen, "Whatever happens, we'll get through it." Plagg settled on the teen's shoulder and the teen scratched the kwami behind his ear, a loud pur breaking the tension Adrien held. "Who knows, maybe Hawk Moth is on vacation or something."
Adrien smiled lightly, "You may have a point there. Maybe we'll have some peace and quiet for a little while."
How wrong he was.
About three hours later, Adrien's phone began to vibrate against the small table in his room. The teen rose from his bed, where he was studying French history, and went to see who was calling him. Looking at the caller ID, Adrien answered the phone. "Hey, Nino."
"Adrien, dude, you have to see the news!" Nino yelled. "Alya, this is a terrible idea! You're going to get us killed one day!" In the background, Adrien could hear people screaming and the sound of footsteps as they ran.
Adrien grew concerned and went to his computer monitor, pulling up a live news website. "Nino, what's happening? Are you and Alya okay?"
Then, Adrien saw the news.
"It's an akuma, man!" Nino cursed a bit, "Alya is dragging me along with her in case Ladybug comes but this is crazy! Adrien, this thing is making people disappear in thin air. It's like- Alya, watch out!" There was a loud explosion and then Adrien couldn't hear nothing but static through the phone.
"Nino?" Adrien looked at his phone to make sure he still had service. "Nino!" Adrien cursed and hit the end call button. "We have to hurry. Plagg, claws out!"
The cat-like kwami went into the white ring, making it turn black with a green paw print in the center. Immediately, Adrien ran his hand over his eyes, a black mask covering part of his face. Then, his hand passed over his head and a pair of black cat ears appeared. A green light washed over Adrien as his clothes became a black almost leather-like material. Finally, a belt-like tail emerged from the suit, completing the transformation.
Adrien Agreste was no longer the perfect, rich model that most people adored.
Instead, he was now Chat Noir, the feline-like superhero of Paris.
The teen snuck out of the mansion through the window and used his baton to head toward the battle, jumping and running along the rooftops. He followed the sound of police sirens and, upon arrival, his eyes widened at the destruction. "No way..."
Parts of buildings, now rubble, littered the streets and fires surrounded him. He could hear people screaming and crying, some begging for help while some yelled for their deceased loved ones to return to them.
Chat Noir's blood ran cold at the scene, his eyes wide as he took it all in.
He could hear more screaming off in the distance and knew it was the akuma, but there were people here who needed help, too. Torn, Chat looked from the people below him to off in the distance.
Somebody spoke behind him, "Stay here and help as many people as you can, Chat. You can use Cataclysm here to help people that are trapped. I'll go on ahead. Join me when you can."
Chat Noir stared at his partner as she wrapped her yo-yo around a statue on the opposite building. "Ladybug." She turned to him and saw the serious expression in Chat's eyes. "Be careful, I'll come as soon as I can."
Any other time, Char would've called her his lady. However, he knew it wasn't the time to be joking around. There were people hurt, some dead, and they had an akuma to catch. He jumped off the side of the building and saw Ladybug swinging over the buildings when he safely landed. Not wasting another second, he ran to where he saw some people were trapped under a collapsed wall from one of the destroyed buildings.
A woman cried as he tried to lift the portion of the wall off her and family. "Please, save my children! Please! They hit their head, help them, please! And my husband! He tried to push us out of the way. Help my family, please!"
Chat done his best to comfort the woman, "I'm getting you all out of here, okay. Just hang on." He grabbed some of the brick and prepared to lift. "If you can move, I want you to grab the kids and your husband. Pull them out while I hold this wall up. Can you do that?"
The woman nodded, her determination cutting through the pain. Chat gritted his teeth and began to lift the heavy mass of bricks, his muscles screaming from the strain. As soon as she could, the woman began to move and pulled her family from the rubble.
Once the family was safe, Chat dropped the wall, slightly out of breath from the exertion. He glanced behind him and saw the woman checking her family. Chat knew the two children were still alive, he could see them breathing.
However, his heart seemed to drop in his gut when he saw the pipe protruding through the husband's chest. The man's eyes gazed sightlessly at the sky. He was dead.
The woman cradled her husband's head in her lap and let out a bone-chilling wail that Chat Noir knew would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.
He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, "I'm so sorry..." Tears formed in his eyes, but he reminded himself of the situation and willed them away. He saw some bystanders helping dig through the rubble and helping others to their feet.
Chat Noir looked around, then to the grieving woman, then back to a group of seemingly unharmed people. "Can you help this woman and children to the hospital, please?"
The group of civilians nodded and Chat moved to help more people, his heart weighing heavily in his chest. He heard familiar voices crying for help and ran toward the noise. Nino! Alya!
Chat Noir ran over to where a beam and other debris trapped his friends. He tried lifting the beam but found it wouldn't budge. "Hey, are you guys okay?" He yelled to his classmates.
Alya yelled, "Yeah, but we can't get out!"
Chat tried to lift the beam again, but it still refused to move. I have to use my power. Chat Noir held his right hand in the air, "Cataclysm!" He touched the beam and the black-colored power made it rust until it dissolved completely into ash.
He moved away more of the debris until his friends were free. He held out a hand and helped them to their feet, his eyes checking them for injuries. Nino had a few cuts and a deep gash on his shoulder, but looked okay. Alya was only slightly bruised.
"Thank you, Chat Noir." Alya stated, her voice filled with gratitude. She knew he was too busy for an interview and wouldn't ask him for anything of the sort. Right now, there were people that needed him.
Chat Noir only nodded, "Go somewhere safe and get checked out for any injuries. Especially you, that gash will probably need stitches."
"No way. We're going to help." Nino stated, ripping a part of his shirt and wrapping it tightly around the gash to stop the bleeding, tightening it with one hand and his teeth. "It can wait a while longer. There's people here hurt worse than me and you need all the help you can get."
The teen superhero smiled gently, proud of his best friend for being so selfless. "I appreciate it, I really do, but that wound will become a problem if it gets infected." Nino didn't look convinced so Chat Noir placed a hand on the teen's uninjured shoulder. "Please."
Something flashed in Nino's eyes and the teen stared at the hero in front of him. This is like déjà vu. When, though? Nino nodded, "Okay."
Chat watched his friends leave and Ladybug landed beside him. He turned toward her, "Ladybug, what happened? Did you catch the akuma?"
"No, it disappeared before I got there, but that's not our only problem." She replied, "There were people at the scene of the second attack and they claimed some of the adults have vanished, too."
"I had somebody tell me that, too. It must have something to do with the akuma." Chat Noir remarked, then looked around at the damage. "What are we going to do?"
Ladybug sighed, "Right now, we have to help anybody injured."
Chat Noir's ring began to beep, warning that he would be de-transforming soon. Ladybug glanced at his ring, "I'll be okay for a while. Go get recharged and meet up with me once you can transform again."
Chat Noir nodded and used his baton to leave the scene of destruction. He landed in an alley as his transformation faded and he pulled some Camembert cheese from his pocket to give to Plagg, the kwami eating it quickly without complaints.
Adrien felt his stomach churn and he leaned against the wall, the smell of blood and smoke lingering in his nose. His small lunch threatened to make its appearance as the catastrophic images raced through his mind.
"Adrien?" Plagg questioned, worried even though he would never admit it. However, the cat-like kwami also knew they had a job to do.
The teen took a deep breath, "I know. We have to go back. Are you recharged enough?" When the kwami nodded, Adrien prepared himself for the chaos he would be going into. Rain began to fall and thunder began to crash, matching the teen's mood.
His voice slightly cracked for the first time since he was given his Miraculous as he transformed, the sadness making it nearly impossible to even speak. "Plagg. Claws out."
He knew as Chat Noir he had to stay strong for the people of Paris, for Ladybug. However, the part of him that was Adrien was shocked by what happened, fearful of events to come, and had images of his mother lying in a casket coursing through his mind. The death of the woman's husband and seeing bodies scattered throughout the streets had surfaced memories of his mother's death, something he still hadn't come to terms with.
However, he knew he had to leave that part of him, the Adrien side of him, in that alley way.
Now, he was Chat Noir. He would put on a brave face and help those who were in need.
And he did just that.