Well, this chapter was meant to but uploaded yesterday, but for some reason fanfiction wouldn't let me upload the file. *sigh* Anyway, hi again! Thank you so much for the reviews. Feedback is always much appreciated. Also thank you and welcome to everyone who has followed this story or added it to their favourites.


Chapter 4: A Whole New Side

"LADYBUG!" That was all Chat Noir could cry out in horror as he watched his lady fall through the air.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Ladybug reached for the ledge of the building across the street from where she was. He had not been too far behind her, his eyes glued to her every movement; he knew something was definitely wrong with her. Frustratingly, all he could do was remain frozen as he watched Ladybug swipe at the air, her whole body seeming to go limp mid-leap, her face confused and frightened.

The look on her face would undoubtedly haunt Chat Noir for the rest of his days. He did nothing to help her! Just watched, frozen and pathetic, as his lady plummeted down to the ground, her back coming to a sudden and painful rest on the parked car below her.

Heart lurching in his chest, Chat Noir let out an unintelligent scream as he watched the love of his life's eyes flutter closed, her face completely relaxing.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir heard another familiar voice yell, but he could not tear his eyes away from his lady.

Shaking his head and fighting back tears, he forced himself out of his frozen state of shock before using his staff to quickly jump down from the building and onto the street below. A sob got caught in his throat as his eyes once again landed on Ladybug, realising that she still hadn't moved. This time a figure was now leaning over her, yelling at her, but Chat Noir barely registered what this person was saying. He felt like he was underwater, sound muffled as it reached his ears, drowned out by the sound of the intense thudding of his heart in his chest.

Everything around him began to speed up to a normal pace again, the underwater sensation began to vanish as his superhero instincts began to kick in again. He couldn't afford to break down nor let his fear and panic consume him right now. Ladybug would kill him for doing so. He had to snap out of it and deal with the situation. Paris needed him. Ladybug needed him.

He would not let them down.

With new-found resolve, Chat Noir ran towards Ladybug's limp form, finally recognising the figure stood over his partner: Alya. Phone clutched in hand, Alya was screaming at her idol to wake up, to give her a sign that she was conscious, to squeeze her hand in reply.

Alya whipped her head around, turning to Chat Noir with tears in her eyes.

"What happened?!" She choked out, panic in her voice.

"I don't know," Chat Noir whispered in horror, delicately placing his fingers on Ladybug's neck, afraid of what he might not feel in doing so, confirming his very worst nightmare.

Chat Noir smiled shakily and let out a loud sigh of relief as he felt the unmistakable sensation of Ladybug's rapidly beating pulse.

She was alive!

Thank heavens!

"She's alive." Chat Noir's voice shook with relief, giving Ladybug's cheek a quick, tender stroke with his thumb.

"But what's wrong with her? What do we do?" Alya gasped out.

Chat Noir frowned at the sickly pale face of his partner. A layer of sweat had developed on her skin, and her breathing was shallow while the rest of her body was deathly still. What had gotten into his lady? First, she had been acting weird yesterday and now this? Was she sick? Had something happened to her that he wasn't aware of?

Lately, Ladybug was on the verge of giving Chat Noir a heart attack with her strange behaviour. This incident certainly nearly gave him one. He loved her with every fibre of his being, but he'd be damned if he didn't admit that she would likely put him in an early grave.

A sudden roar snapped Chat Noir out of his musings, and he and Alya looked up in terror as a giant man with ripped clothes and wild hair suddenly stood over them.

"Who's small now?!" he growled out, his eyes zeroing in on Chat Noir and Ladybug, a purple butterfly appearing in front of his eyes before he let out another roar.

Chat Noir looked frantically down at Ladybug, who was still showing no signs of regaining consciousness. The giant slammed his fist against the building next to them causing some rubble to fall down on top of them. Chat Noir dove on top of Ladybug shielding her with his body. He raised his staff up with one hand and began spinning it rapidly protecting him, Ladybug and Alya from the falling debris.

"I've got to get Ladybug out of here!" Chat Noir yelled over the crashing of falling bricks. "I can't stop the akuma and protect Ladybug at the same time."

Chat Noir coughed violently as a cloud of dust settled on top of them before he looked up as the dirt cloud began to clear, panicking as he saw Alya was nowhere in sight.

"Alya!" Chat called out.

"Hey shorty!" Chat heard her shout. "Bet you can't catch me!"

Chat Noir's green eyes finally settled on Alya, who had somehow managed to run to the other side of the street without him realising. She was gazing up at the giant with a grin on her face and was waving her arms around rapidly to get his attention. Chat Noir's shock turned to horror as he watched Alya bend down, pick a brick up off the ground, and throw it towards the akumatized victim.

That definitely got his attention.

"Come and get me shorty!"

What on earth was Alya thinking?! She was going to get herself killed!

The giant growled, his movements slow and clumsy as he turned around towards Alya. Alya winked at Chat Noir, before desperately gesturing for him to get Ladybug out of there. She then took off running as Chat Noir watched her with his eyes wide in panic and his mouth agape. He needed to get Ladybug out of here, but he couldn't just let Alya get herself hurt like that. She was a smart, brave girl but she was still just a civilian.

Chat Noir glanced back down at Ladybug with a new plan in mind. He needed to get her out of here quickly and then stop the akuma on his own. It would be difficult, but Ladybug wouldn't just want him to stand here conflicted.

Gently placing his hands under her body, Chat Noir began to slowly lift her up, cradling her against his chest. Her head fell against his shoulder and her arms limply hung down. The black attired hero froze as his lady let out a small cough before moaning slightly before then going back to being silent and limp. He really wasn't sure if moving her was the best idea; he had no idea if she had injured her back or head in the fall. He just knew he couldn't leave her lying there.

Being as careful as possible, Chat Noir hopped from one building to another before stopping once he realised he didn't exactly know where he was going. He had just fled, desperate to get his precious lady out of harm's way. He could no longer hear the roars of the giant, so he came to stop, believing he was a safe enough distance away from the action.

Chat looked down at Ladybug's vulnerable looking face and his heart broke. He had no idea what to do. Did he take her to the hospital? What if she de-transformed in front of the doctors and nurses, revealing her identity to the world? What would she think of him for putting her in such a position? But he didn't feel like he had a choice. Ladybug seemed really sick and most likely injured. He couldn't just ignore that fact.

Chat Noir needed advice. Divine advice.

"Claws in," Chat Noir whispered.

He knew he was taking a risk. Ladybug could wake up at any moment and see Adrien standing before her with Plagg and realise he was Chat Noir. At that moment though, Adrien couldn't bring himself to care about his secret. He needed to figure out how he was going to save Ladybug.

Plagg came spiralling out his ring before finally coming to a standstill and hovering over Ladybug's unconscious form.

"Man, she hit that car hard!" Plagg let out a light chuckle before becoming serious, something Adrien rarely saw Plagg do.

Plagg gazed down at Ladybug with a frown on his face. "Stupid girl! Tikki better be okay."

"What are you talking about, Plagg?" Adrien asked desperately, his grip tightening on Ladybug, not liking Plagg's hostility towards her.

"She obviously transformed when she was sick. A very stupid thing to do," Plagg grumbled out, his eyes narrowing at the unconscious girl in Adrien's arms. "When you transform, us kwamis become almost like a part of you, that's how we're able to give you your powers. We see everything you see, feel everything you feel. That also means if you're injured and get sick, there's nothing we can do about it. It's an aspect of your physical form that merges with us, much like how your ankle was still injured that one time you transformed. Ladybug must have transformed while she was sick and her kwami absorbed the sickness, hindering her powers and abilities. She'll be fine though…I think…"

Adrien stood there in shock at this new information. "But what do we do, do we take her to the hospital?"

Plagg shook his head. "No, but I know a place we can take her where she'll be safe until she recovers. It's not far from here. Transform so we can get down from here and then drop the transformation again, so I can show you the way."

Adrien nodded obediently. "Plagg, claws out."

Soon enough, Adrien was back as Chat Noir. He shot a worried glance down at Ladybug, wondering why his lady thought it would be a good idea to transform while ill. He shook his head, already knowing the answer: her darn stubbornness.

With a determined look on his face, Chat Noir leapt down from the building and into a quiet ally way. Doing as Plagg told him, he released his transformation as soon as he landed, still keeping a firm grip on Ladybug, carrying her bridal style through the back streets of Paris, following Plagg without a word. They soon reached just an ordinary looking building, though Adrien had no idea what he expected in the first place. He looked to Plagg for guidance, and his little black cat kwami nodded at him, encouraging him forwards.

Shifting Ladybug's weight slightly, Adrien cautiously placed his hand on the door handle and pushed it down. The door clicked, and he slowly creaked the old wooden door open. The inside was dark, although from what Adrien could see, the owner of this place certainly liked Chinese style décor. Plagg flew inside without so much as a second thought, but Adrien refused to let his guard down, despite how much he trusted Plagg's judgement. He certainly wasn't willing to gamble with Ladybug's safety.

"Hurry up!" Plagg hissed causing Adrien to frown.

He shut the door behind him and followed Plagg into the next room. Adrien jumped at the sight of an elderly man, wearing a red Hawaiian style shirt, meditating in the centre of the room. The man didn't move an inch until Plagg cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry master, I know you said I should never bring him here, but this is an emergency," Plagg explained, and Adrien shot his kwami a worried glance, not liking this situation one bit.

The old man smiled before slowly opening his eyes.

"There's no need to be afraid Chat Noir," he gently reassured.

Adrien gasped. "H-how? W-what…?"

"It's okay," the old man said before slowly struggling to stand up, wobbling slightly before he stood up straight. "Your secret is more than safe with me. My name is Master Fu. Now why don't you bring Ladybug over here so I can examine her."

Adrien frowned, taking a step back, tightening his grip on Ladybug.

Master Fu smiled. "It's alright Chat Noir, she's more than safe with me. You did the right thing bringing her here. She knows who I am, she trusts me, and I hope you can too."

"Ladybug knows you!" Adrien gasped, glancing down at his partner.

What else was she hiding from him? That thought pained him, but he pushed it aside for now; her safety and wellbeing was more important.

"Master Fu is the last remaining guardian of the miraculous," Plagg explained, "he's also a healer who can help Ladybug. He's the best doctor for her right now."

Adrien's brain couldn't handle all of this new information. His head was spinning, and his heart was pounding. All this time he thought he knew Plagg. Knew Ladybug. Why did his lady not see fit to tell him about the guardian of the miraculous? Surely that was important information? He thought they were partners, equals, best friends.

Adrien was beginning to feel like an idiot. However, he quickly shook his head, once again banishing those thoughts. The longer it took him to get Ladybug help, he risked putting Paris and innocent people in danger. The akuma was still at large after all.

Adrien sighed, stepping forwards into the room before coming to a stop in front of Master Fu. He gazed longingly down at Ladybug, his face morphing into sorrow as he realised Ladybug was now far paler than before.

Master Fu motioned for Adrien to place Ladybug down on a cushioned mat on the wooden floor. He did as he was told, gently laying Ladybug down as Master Fu placed a small pillow under her head. Ladybug groaned, but otherwise did not move nor stir. Adrien gently stoked her cheek, staring down at her sadly, wiping away a few beads of sweat on her cheek.

"If you know who I am, does that mean you know who Ladybug is?" Adrien couldn't help but inquire.

Master Fu was silent for a moment.

"Yes."

Adrien let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "What's she like?"

Master Fu smiled down at the boy. "A truly unique and amazing young lady."

Adrien smiled despite everything, his green eyes remaining glued to Ladybug's face.

Master Fu laughed. "Don't worry, you're not the first Chat Noir to fall under the spell of Ladybug."

"What?" Adrien's head snapped up to look at Master Fu who merely chuckled in response.

"Ladybug is quite safe here. She'll be okay, but I have some healing to do. If I remember correctly, there's still an akuma loose in the city?"

"Alya!" Adrien exclaimed.

He hoped that she was alright.

Adrien then turned to look back down at Ladybug.

"Take care of her," Adrien commanded, his voice possessing a threatening undertone.

Master Fu nodded, and Adrien gently leaned down, placing a delicate kiss on Ladybug's cheek before getting up and walking out of the building with Plagg in tow and a new-found determination.

.

"Marinette."

Tikki's voice echoed in Ladybug's head. The young hero continued to wonder around in the black emptiness that was laid out before her in all directions. It was cold, extremely cold, and Ladybug shivered, her skin tight red suit unable to protect her. Where was Tikki? And how could she be transformed without her?

Ladybug panicked as her eyes darted around, looking this way and that in the hopes of locating her dear kwami. Her kwami that she had so recklessly and stubbornly put in danger. Why hadn't she listened to Tikki? Why did she have to transform? Ladybug more than trusted Chat Noir to look after things, so what on earth was she thinking?

Now Tikki was lost somewhere. Lost, alone, and in pain. And it was all her fault.

"Marinette!"

"Tikki!" Ladybug called out in return. "I'm here!"

"Marinette!"

"Where are you?!" Ladybug cried out with tears in her eyes.

No response.

Without a second thought, Ladybug took off running. She didn't look nor care in which direction, all that she knew was that she had to find and protect her kwami. Ladybug ran and ran and ran, but she didn't seem to get anywhere. All she saw before her was pure pitch blackness. Ladybug screamed out in frustration, tugging at her hair in panic, her breathing laboured. Where was she? Where was Tikki? What was going on? Those questions spun around Ladybug's head at a million miles per hour.

"Ladybug!" called another voice.

Ladybug froze in panic before frowning.

That voice.

She knew that voice too.

"Ladybug!"

Ladybug took off running again, following the sound of the deep, familiar and comforting voice that was calling to her. It was Adrien. That was Adrien calling to her. She had to find him too. She had to know that he was safe in this awful place. Maybe Tikki was with him?

Ladybug soon skidded to a stop as, not Adrien, but Chat Noir stood before her.

He smiled at her, tilting his head to one side. "You came to me."

Ladybug nodded, not knowing what to say. She could've sworn that she had recognised his voice as Adrien's. Ladybug didn't make any move to walk closer to him, still cautious, afraid of what was going on.

Chat Noir frowned.

"Why do you toy with me Ladybug?" Chat asked innocently.

"Huh?"

"I thought you loved me, my lady."

"I do! I do love you!" Ladybug protested, finally taking those final steps towards him. She reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady and strong beat of his heart. The sound comforted her, and Ladybug smiled as she breathed in his intoxicating scent. That scent. Where had she smelled that delicious scent before?

Chat Noir's arms wrapped around her, pulling her tighter against him. He rested his head against the top of hers and sighed sadly.

"But do you love me, Ladybug?"

Ladybug pulled back slightly in shock. "Of course I do!"

Once again, without her permission, her body reacted. Her hands moved up and gently grabbed hold of Chat Noir's cheeks, pulling him down to her level before crashing her lips against his in an effort to prove just how much she loved him.

"GAH!" Ladybug gasped, jolting awake.

Her whole body felt weak, but she could not bring herself to think about that as she placed her head in her hands at having had another weird Chat Noir dream. When were these dreams going to stop?

"Ladybug, you're awake!"

Ladybug gasped again, looking back up to see Chat Noir sat on his knees next to her, his arms outstretched to her slightly, not knowing whether she'd appreciate a comforting hand being placed on her or not. Chat's eyes were wide, and he was watching her fearfully, as if at any second, she would disintegrate in front of his very eyes.

Ladybug then became fully aware of her surroundings. She appeared to be in Master Fu's place, though she did not know how she got there. The last thing she remembered was transforming into Ladybug in the girls' bathroom of her school. She was laid down on a comfy mat, a pillow laying where her head had just been, and a thin blanket had been placed over, though it now hung by her waist after she jolted upright from her slumber.

"What happened?" Ladybug croaked out, her voice cracking painfully as she realised just how dry her throat was.

Chat Noir gently pushed her back down, while Ladybug, not having much energy to stubbornly fight back, reluctantly followed her partner's silent order. Chat then grabbed something next to him and Ladybug felt her throat internally cry out desperately once she realised it was a large glass of water.

"Here," Chat Noir offered gently, placing his hand behind Ladybug's head to help her sit up slightly.

He placed the glass against Ladybug's lips. She cautiously took a sip before she lost all control and started gulping it down. The cold water felt wonderful on her throat, and Ladybug could feel some of her energy returning. No longer did she feel sick, just slightly weak and drained.

Chat Noir's eyes widened and he snatched the glass away from her lips in alarm.

"Whoa, take it easy there, LB." Chat Noir chuckled.

Ladybug flushed in embarrassment before Chat's face turned serious, almost angry.

"What were you thinking Ladybug?"

The young hero could tell that her partner was trying to remain calm, but his voice shook slightly, giving away his anger and betrayal.

"I-I didn't want to leave you to fight on your own," Ladybug lamely responded, panicking.

She had never seen Chat Noir angry before.

Chat Noir's eye twitched before he took a deep calming breath. "You almost got yourself killed."

"Yes, but I didn't." Ladybug pouted, beginning to feel like Chat was overreacting slightly.

Ladybug then suddenly gasped. "The akuma!"

She tried to sit up again, but Chat Noir forced her back down once again, glaring at her. Ladybug shrank back slightly, not used to seeing this side of her best friend. He was always joking around, never once had she seen him get angry, especially with her.

"Never mind that, I'm not finished," Chat snapped.

Ladybug glared at him, ready to scold him for putting a petty argument before protecting Paris, but Chat beat her to the punch.

"Why did you never tell me about Master Fu?" Chat demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at her.

"I…what?"

"Master Fu," Chat Noir repeated slowly, "why did you never tell me about him?"

"I…I don't know…" Ladybug replied, biting her lip guiltily. "I guess I always just considered it need to know only. How did you find out anyway?"

"My kwami," he answered sharply before continuing, "and don't you think that I needed to know? I thought we were supposed to be partners, Ladybug? I would have thought that something as important as a miraculous guardian was something that I needed to know."

Ladybug was speechless.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Chat asked, hurt in his eyes. "The only reason I seem to have found out was because you went and did something stupid and reckless, almost getting yourself killed and leaving me on my own. Do you think I could just continue on without you? Don't you realise how much I lo –" Chat froze before growling to himself, closing his eyes and pinching the top of his nose.

Ladybug felt tears in her eyes as Chat scolded her. The worst thing was that he was right. She was stupid to do what she did, and she was stupid to keep Master Fu a secret from him. He did have a right to know, and she had been thoughtless and careless. She had hurt her best friend. That thought pained her more than anything.

Unsure of what to do, Ladybug reached out to him, but Chat gently brushed her hand away. That stung, and Ladybug forced back the whimper that threatened to escape her mouth at Chat Noir's actions.

"I…I'm sorry…" Ladybug managed to croak out as she fought back tears.

"No…I am…I…I shouldn't have shouted." Chat Noir struggled for words as he refused to meet her eyes. "I guess I'm just…I need time to think. I'm glad you're okay."

He quickly got up and began hurrying out of the room before he paused, grabbing something off the table by the door and making his way back over to a frozen Ladybug. He placed the clear jar on the floor next to Ladybug, who had now sat up properly again, watching her partner with wide, fearful eyes, wishing with all her heart that she could make every better right this second.

Ladybug looked down at the jar and gasped at what was inside: a large, dark purple butterfly, fluttering around in a desperate attempt to escape.

"Here's the akuma you didn't trust me enough to catch on my own," Chat Noir choked out without looking at her.

He bolted out of the room without giving Ladybug a chance to respond.

A small sob escaped Ladybug's lips as she grabbed hold of the jar and held it in her lap. How could she have been so thoughtless? Hurting Chat Noir's feelings had never been her intention, but there was no denying that this was the consequence of her actions. She knew he felt like she didn't trust him. But that was never the case.

However, she knew that if she was in Chat's shoes, she would have felt the exact same way. She too would have felt betrayed, and she definitely would have shouted at him a lot more than what Chat had. After everything, he still tried to keep calm and didn't want to maliciously hurt her in return, even though it was no less than she deserved.

Her eyes were now opened to a new side of Chat Noir. She guessed it could be easy to forget that under all of those jokes, puns, and flirting, he was still a human being with feelings, and Ladybug had hurt them.

"He's just upset." A deep voice made her jump.

Ladybug calmed once she realised it was just Master Fu, before sniffing as tears began streaming down her face.

"It's all my fault."

"No." Master Fu kneeled down next to her. "I'm just as to blame. I should have searched for him after meeting with you, but I was just too paranoid about Hawkmoth finding out there was a guardian in the city."

"No," Ladybug responded, "this is my mess."

"Regardless," Master Fu sighed out, "you may want to find him and sort this out as soon as possible. There can never be imbalance between Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"I will." Ladybug shakily stood up, feeling miles better than she did that morning.

There were two people on her list that she needed to apologise to. She just needed to remain transformed long enough to find Chat Noir, and then she could get home, de-transform, and apologise to Tikki for not listening to her and potentially putting them both in very serious mortal danger.

No matter what, she would make things right again.


Angsty times are ahead. Let me know your thoughts. See you soon!