Author's Notes: Sorry it's a short chapter, but I wanted to stop at Marinette transforming so I could switch back to her without it getting too confusing.

P.S. I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any of its characters… yet.

- Chapter 4 -

Marinette

I freeze. As the transformation fades, a bright green light washes over me and… Adrien Agreste is left in Chat Noir's place. "YOU!" the Akuma screeches. "You're the one who took her from me! I am going to destroy you, and everything you love!"

I can't move, I can't think. Adrien is Chat Noir, Chat Noir is Adrien. Adrien is Chat Noir. CHAT NOIR IS ADRIEN! I'm yanked back to reality is Chat , uhhhh, Adrien tackles me to the ground to avoid a blast from the Akuma. Who is also Luka. And apparently loves me. What-is-happening-did-I-knock-myself-out-AM-I-OK?!

I quickly realize that no, no I'm not ok, because Adrien Agreste grabs my arm and pulls me away from the Akuma. I recover my wits quickly though, as beams shoot around us, some very nearly hitting me. We dash around a corner, slightly out of breath. Suddenly, the shooting stops. Curious, I peak out, half expecting a blast to the face, instead greeted with a perplexed Akuma who's visibly arguing with a glowing purple moth hovering around his face. I don't think twice. I grab Adrien's hand, and run for the door, not daring to look back.

I hear an angry shout, and then something hits me in the back, forcefully enough for me to stumble forward a bit. I keep going, trying to brush it off when suddenly, my legs give out. I can't move. I can't think. I don't understand. I feel… tired. As though… as though if I sleep everything will be ok. The… the beams… I need… stay awake… I hear another shout, angry voices clashing above me, and then real clashing.

My head is pounding. I feel as though a truck just slammed into me, as though I was just run over. Somewhere along the way, I am aware of strong arms picking me up and carrying me. I don't know where. I don't know if I really care at this point. Eventually, I just can't hold on to reality anymore, and as I fade away I'm aware of someone calling my name in pure, utter, despera…

My world fades to inky darkness, and the voice is muffled into the calm sound of waves.

Adrien

This can't be happening. This can't be happening! I feel tears slip down my cheeks as I look at the pale form in my arms, and I let out a gut-wrenching sob. I can't lose you… I love you… Please… I feel despair build inside me, but I must brush it off. After all, I have no doubt in my mind that Luka is still following us. I got lucky in the warehouse, but I doubt it'll happen again. I have to get out of here, and fast. Marinette is counting on me. I reach into my pocket and pull out a small slice of camembert. "Plagg, hurry. Luka is coming, and Marinette… Marinette needs help. Please, we have to get to Master Fu's."

Plagg swallows his cheese without complaint, and I immediately transform. Tenderly picking up Marinette, I make my way towards Master Fu's house, looking carefully for Luka all the while. As soon as we arrive, I run inside, not bothering with dropping my transformation, before desperately calling for Master Fu. He appears in front of me within seconds, and I am taken aback slightly, surprised by how fast he arrived. "Set her down here," Fu says without blinking. I oblige, and hover close to him as he looks over her. "What happened?" he asks.

"She… she was hit by a beam from an Akuma - Luka - I think it drains someone's energy or life force. I'm not quite sure. She was also hit once as Ladybug, but when she de-transformed into Marinette the effects seemed to wear off," I say quickly.

"I see. Pass me the herbs next to you."

We continue like this for awhile, him asking questions then for ingredients, before he leans back, apparently satisfied. "Alright. She should regain full health by the time she wakes, but she'll sleep for quite awhile before then. Now that she's out of immediate danger… where is her miraculous?"

My breath hitches. "I… I… I was too late," I stammer before my miraculous beeps furiously and Plagg tumbles out. "Save it - gimme the chee… oh. No… no no no NO! Where's Tikki? Marinette?" Plagg dashes towards the girl, shaking her furiously before I rush over to stop him. "Marinette! Wake up! WHERE IS TIKKI?! Please… I… I can't do this without her… please…" Plagg trails off, looking so heartbroken at the thought of his lost partner I can't help but pity him. He looks just like I feel right now.

"Tell me what happened," Plagg demands.

I spend the next half hour carefully explaining what happened, before quietly admitting that there's nothing we can do. "That's not necessarily true," Master Fu says. "There are still other miraculouses. You'll need all the help you can get. Chat Noir, take these, the fox, turtle, and bee miraculous to their owners."

"Who are the owners of the other miraculouses?" I ask, though I already knew Queen Bee was Chloe.

"Your friend Nino is Carapace, owner of the turtle miraculous, while Alya is Rena Rouge, owner of the fox miraculous. I trust you already know who Queen Bee is."

"NINO IS CARAPACE?!" I shout. I can't help it. I feel so stupid, I should have known by the way Carapace acted just like him! And Rena Rogue… I'm impressed Alya was able to keep this to herself seeing as one of her life goals is to unmask Ladybug for all of the world to see. "Ok… ok… alright. What do I do?"

Master Fu hands me three boxes with the miraculouses in them, before saying, "You must deliver their miraculouses to them, and soon. Hawkmoth already knows yours and Ladybug's identities, so be careful. Be sure to not be followed or watched - we cannot have any more miraculous holders identified."

"Wait, can I please stay until Marinette wakes up? I… Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to focus let alone watch out for enemies until I know she's alright. Please," I beg.

"Yes, yes. You may stay. However, you must help me in the meantime," Master Fu says.

"Deal!" I immediately respond.

2 hours later and Mari has yet to wake up, while I now very thoroughly smell of herbs and other various spices. Plagg watches disinterestedly from the side, mostly staying near Marinette in case she wakes and he can ask about Tikki. I was surprised by the amount of concern he has shown for his counterpart, for I've never seen this level of care about anything besides his rotten cheese. As I'm helping Master Fu with a new mixture, I hear a ruffling of fabric from behind and I see Plagg immediately bolt in Marinette's direction. She's awake. I turn, and she gasps as she yawns sleepily before blinking heavily. She looks up at me for a moment, confused, before looking around. "Where am I? What… what happened?" She says tiredly.

"I… uh… well…" I'm at a complete loss for words. How do you tell someone that their biggest secret was revealed to their arch enemy, and on top of that they lost their powers and one of their friends along the way. Not to mention Luka running around at large.

Suddenly her eyes widen with realization, and a lone tear trickles down her cheek. I'm instantly by her side, holding her close. "Hey… hey don't cry. It's ok. It'll be alright. Don't worry, we'll get your kwami back, I promise. It'll be ok," I say, gently rubbing her back with soothing motions. "It'll be alright," I repeat.

Marinette just starts crying even more, and I continue to hold her close until it finally dies down. "Wha-what are we going to do?" she chokes out.

"Get your kwami back! But, first things first, we'll need help. I have to run some errands, and give Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee their miraculouses. I'll be back soon - so stay put, alright? It hurts enough to leave you like this, but I'll lose my mind if I think you're in danger, so promise me you'll stay here, ok?"

"...ok," Marinette agrees reluctantly. "But I want to fight with you!"

"What? No way, you're staying here. I already lost you once, I'm not doing it again," I protest.

"Please! I need this! I can't just stay here and live with myself knowing you're off fighting Hawkmoth without me. After all, I'm Ladybug, with or without the mask. Besides, he knows my identity now, so it's not like I'm safe here. He'll find me soon enough, so wouldn't it just be better if I'm with you?" she argues.

"I… alright. Fine. But only because it's the best way I can think of to keep you safe. Just, promise me you won't do anything stupid like try to fight, alright?"

"What? No way!" I can't help but smile as her old, stubborn self shines through. "It would kill me to just sit there and be nothing but a burden-"

I cut her off, grabbing her hand. "Marinette, you are never a burden, ok? Do you hear me? Never. You never have been, and never will be, a burden," I say sincerely.

She looks up at me carefully, before turning away. "Ok," she says quietly. "So what do I do then? Sit to the side and pray I don't get caught in the crossfire?"

"There is one other way," Master Fu cuts in. "You could always use another miraculous," he suggests quietly.

Marinette just stares at him. "Use… another miraculous? But… what about TIkki? Wouldn't that be, I don't know, betraying her? I can't help but feel this isn't the right way to go about it," she argues.

"It's just for this one battle, and like you said, just sitting to the side won't really help much. Besides, they could really use your skill in this final showdown. This is where we put in our all - this is the final push. The last thing we can do, before Hawkmoth inevitably takes advantage of knowing your civilian selves and comes after you," Master Fu retorts.

"I… alright. So… which one should I use?" Marinette asks.

…

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I present you with the miraculous of the tiger. You will use it for the greater good," Master Fu says, holding out the miraculous box to Marinette. She blinks in wonder, before accepting the small package and opening it. Immediately, a bright magenta light flares to life, before dialing down and revealing a small pinkish-purple tiger kwami. "Hi! I'm Roaar, your kwami!" the small tiger says. Marinette sniffles at this, thinking of Tikki. "To transform, all you have to say is 'Roaar, Stripes On!'" Marinette nods, and slips on the miraculous.

"Your power is called 'Hunter'. It lets you track anything through any condition, uncovering what even Chat Noir cannot, while also increasing your speed until you catch your desired subject."

I watch as Marinette takes a deep breath, before steeling herself. "Alright. Roaar, Stripes On!"

Chapter 4 End