"I've made a mess." Marinette stared at her quivering hands. "I've made a mess of everything."

Tikki flew around her in worry, for once, not having any words to say. Whatever comfort or advice the kwami would give her would only be rejected and ignored. She couldn't say it's okay because it wasn't okay. And Chat Noir had taken the brunt of the attack.

Tikki floated to the box where her counterpart lay sleeping. Resting on top of it, she closed her eyes, listening to the purr of his slumber. Once again, they were reunited, but still separated from each other.

So many of them, the ancient being thought to herself as she remembered the generations of superheroes. So many times.

She opened her eyes and looked at the crying figure of her charge.

She is still a child. Tikki turned her eyes towards the blazing sunset. They are still children.

The room darkened, the last of the sun's rays disappearing into the horizon.

"Tikki."

She lifted up her head.

"Transform me."

That night would be the first of many lonesome nights in desperate search for her partner.

...

The lights glittered prettily in the dark, but Ladybug didn't join in its merriment. With practiced ease, she jumped on the rooftops, zipping across balconies, peeking in parted curtains. A messy set of blonde hair, a slightly built frame, green emerald eyes glinting with mischief - a sign, a clue, a hint. But she had yet to find him.

The church bells rang, indicating the late hours of midnight. As she stood on the gates of the park, she noticed a green pair of eyes watching her through the high windows.

Ladybug zipped towards him and landed silently on the open window. The sliver of moonlight casted a soft light upon the green irises, causing the illusion of glowing cat eyes. But this wasn't who she was seeking.

"Why are you still up, Monsieur Agreste?" Ladybug asked, a smirk on her lips, "Doesn't a model need their beauty sleep?"

His gaze never wavered and Ladybug's smirk fell. She looked away.

Adrien finally spoke up. "It's too late, Ladybug."

"It's not too late." She said quietly, her grip tightening on the string of her yoyo. "If I know him by now, he'd stay up just to see me fly around the rooftops. I have to find him. I have to."

"But he's not showing up, is he?"

"Maybe not in these parts. He could be on the other side of town." Ladybug said logically, ticking off the list with her fingers. "Or maybe by the west end, I haven't searched there yet."

She could feel his stare seeing past her facade, but that was ridiculous. Adrien didn't know she was Marinette underneath the mask. What did he even know about Ladybug, aside from her being Paris's superhero?

Adrien's eyes roamed her face. "What if he doesn't want to be found?"

Hurt filled her eyes as she said in an uncharacteristically small voice, "He can't. He can't do that. I need -"

"You don't need him, Ladybug." Adrien chuckled hollowly as he glared down at his shadow. "You're always the one saving the day. He's just a sidekick-"

"How can you say that?"

Adrien stopped. Red-spotted soles landed in front of him and he looked up, only to be met with blue eyes bright with fury.

"He saved my life more than I can count." She hissed. "He sacrificed himself just so I didn't have to. Every action that he made was never for himself, but for the safety of Paris. For the safety of each and every citizen in this city, including you. And yet you-"

She held back a sob as she grabbed the front of his shirt, "And yet you turned your back on him."

And without a second look behind her, she swung away. Adrien watched her go until she disappeared from sight. With a sigh, he rested his head on the glass and watched the water droplets stain the floor.

...

Adrien picked up his bag and checked inside to make sure all his fencing gear was there. Just as he was about to leave, he said, "Plagg, where are you? We have to go."

There was no reply.

Adrien frowned. Was his kwami playing hide and seek with him again? He strode back inside his bedroom and crouched on his knees to the mini cubbyhole for his kwami's makeshift bed. "Okay, time to get up."

But then he spotted the unopened camembert cheese inside. He picked it up. "Funny. This would've been gone right now."

Gone.

Plagg was gone.

He suddenly remembered. His breathing came in shallow gasps as he looked at his finger where his miraculous once resided. The bedroom walls closed in around him. Dropping the package on the floor, he ran out of his room.

...

Right as he had walked past the school doors, Alya dragged Adrien once more in an empty classroom before anyone else.

"We gotta do something." Alya insisted. "We're the only ones who know that Ladybug isn't one to do something like that."

Adrien frowned. "You too, huh."

"What do you mean? You saw what happened!" Alya pointed out.

"I know. She isn't one to do something like that." Adrien said, strangely cold for some reason. "But Chat Noir-"

"Hey, you and I both know he's innocent," Alya said. "It's already bad as it is with people blaming Chat Noir and Ladybug having to deal with all the chaos. Chat Noir should've-"

"Should have what, Alya? Stayed? And be accused of being something he's not just because he looks the part?" Adrien snapped. She took a step back in surprise at the raise of his voice.

Adrien's grip tightened. He continued, "What do you think will happen? Ladybug would defend him. All hell would break loose. They'd accuse Ladybug of defending a murderer, a supervillain - the very hero everyone looked up to - they'd be betrayed that she'd defend someone who made such an error not knowing that it was her all along."

Alya stared at him. Stared hard. "Adrien. What's going on?"

Adrien's breath hitched. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder as he looked away. "It's nothing. It's over."

"What d'you mean it's over? It's not over until we get to the bottom of this." Alya insisted.

"Let it go, Alya," Adrien said tiredly. "The first priority of the superheroes is to keep the citizens safe and calm, and if that means the disappearing act of someone who instills fear, then so be it. Ladybug can do much better with someone else anyway."

Alya gaped at him in disbelief and stormed away, shoving him aside. She looked over her shoulder and said with spite, "Some friend you are!"

She slammed the door.

...

The tension was running high inside the classroom of Madame Bustier. Everyone was still talking about the incident and how Ladybug was coping without Chat Noir.

"Honestly, good riddance," Chloe said obnoxiously. "Ladybug doesn't need anyone to help her. She's a strong, independent superhero who needs no man to be her knight in shining armor."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the class. Only two students were uncomfortable with the situation - Marinette, who was glaring at Chloe with mixed feelings of strange gratitude that her arch-nemesis complimented her, along with anger at her obliviousness to the importance of her partner; and Adrien who stared glumly at his physics notebook.

Madame Bustier clapped her hands in attention. "Alright class, we can discuss that at a later time. Right now, we need to focus."

As the class settled down, she pulled out a list. "This will be a partnered project" -the class grew abuzz- "and I have already assigned the partners."

As the class groaned, she began pairing off the names.

"Nathanael and Chloe."

"What?!"

"No!"

"Nino and Ivan."

Nino and Adrien exchanged disappointed looks, but Adrien gave him a reassuring grin, saying, "Too bad we can't choose. But it's fine."

They exchanged fistbumps.

"Max and Alya."

Max adjusted his glasses. "The highest grade in this project is already decided."

"I wanted to be partners with you, Marinette," Alya said in disappointment, which brightened a second after as she added, "but I'm getting that A."

Marinette rolled her eyes, but a playful smile graced her lips.

"Adrien and Marinette."

Both the teens froze in shock. They barely heard the rest of the names, too caught up in their thoughts of having to sit with each other right after the fight the night before.

"Hey, Marinette."

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Adrien stood by her desk. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you want to check out the library for a project topic?"

She could only nod. Alya was glaring at Adrien, but he refused to look in her direction. Alya whispered in Marinette's ear, who in turn, looked at Adrien with a reflective thought on her face. She whispered right back in Alya's ear before gathering her things and walking to the library with him. Adrien could still feel the burning gaze of the reporter even after closing the door.

…

They sat opposite each other at the library table, neither finding the courage to be the first one to speak up. But like her Ladybug persona, Marinette took the bull by the horns.

"I thought we were done about this thing of Chat Noir being useless," Marinette finally said as she broke the silence.

"We are done with it," he said.

Marinette leaned forward. "Then why were you still bringing it up?"

Adrien winced. And here he thought Alya was going to just keep their conversation between themselves. Apparently not.

"Chat Noir is actually a pretty cool guy," Adrien said carefully. "As one who does fencing, he has good skills."

Marinette beamed.

"But with the whole thing going on with Foxface," Adrien trailed off and Marinette dropped her smile. He shrugged, "Maybe he thought it was best to just leave the scene so no one else would get hurt."

Marinette looked down at her hands. "Did he never think about what Ladybug would feel?"

Adrien watched her downcasted figure, unable to reach out to comfort her. He did this. He left her. He said, "It's for her own good. Paris needs someone to lean on and that is Ladybug. Everyone distrusts Chat Noir now."

"I don't!" Marinette protested. "He's the nicest person ever! He would never do anything to harm someone else!"

"He wouldn't." Now it was his turn to look away. "But you can't deny what happened. Chat Noir cataclysmed a person."

Both of them sat in silence. Students bustled around them, but they took no notice, too wrapped up in their own thoughts and feelings.

"You keep saying Ladybug this, Ladybug that, but what about Chat Noir?" Marinette said quietly, "Why doesn't anyone ask what he wants for once?"

"He's doing what's best for-"

"He doesn't get to decide what's best for Ladybug!" Marinette shoved back her chair as she abruptly stood up. "Ladybug's the only one who can decide what's best for her - and what's best for her is to have Chat Noir by her side!"

Warmth welled up inside Adrien as he looked up at his fierce, protective lady. The truth of his identity fought to surface up, but he swallowed it down with his next words. "But Paris thinks differently. You and I know that."

Marinette stared at him in disbelief, but as his words registered in her brain, she deflated and sat back down. Resting her cheek on the textbook, she mumbled, "Superheroes are people too. Why can't anyone see that?"

Adrien gave no answer.

…

A week had passed since the disappearance of Chat Noir. A tiresome week filled with akuma attacks almost one after the other. Marinette was hanging through her sheer will alone to not go under. Many times, she had expected a black cat to distract the villain while she brought her Lucky Charm out. Many times, she expected him to have her back while she fought. But there was no such thing happening ever again. Her partner was gone.

"Marinette, you have to take a rest," Tikki said with concern. Marinette crashed on her bed, bones weary and heart heavy. She shook her head.

"Chat Noir." She mumbled. "I have to find Chat Noir."

"You don't know his civilian form," Tikki said. "It'll be almost impossible for you to find him."

A tear slipped down the young girl's cheek. She picked up the red miraculous box. For a week, she had been battling with wanting to open it and meet his kwami. But her other side feared that if she opened it, she would know the full reason why he left, and she wasn't sure if she was really ready for that.

Tikki watched her charge. Aside from being tired from saving Paris without Chat Noir, she was mentally scarred from her accidental murder of an akuma victim.

"I think we have to go to the Guardian."

Marinette paused and she looked at her kwami. "Master Fu?"

The quantic god nodded. "He will know what to do."

Marinette looked back at the box in her hands. Putting it inside her pouch, she let Tikki settle inside before going back to the man who gave her the ladybug miraculous.

…

"Ahh, Ladybug. I was wondering if you were ever going to come."

Marinette peeked through the door and into the kind eyes of Master Fu. He beckoned her to come in and she did. There was a low table in the middle of the room with a set of tea and small Chinese sweet buns on a platter. Marinette knelt in front of him.

"So your Chat Noir is gone." Master Fu said, sipping his herbal green tea. Marinette stared at her reflection. He put his cup down. "May I see it?"

She took out Chat Noir's miraculous box and slid it on the table. Tikki settled on the table beside Wayzz. Master Fu opened it and Plagg floated out.

The cat kwami blinked its eyes slowly. His gaze traveled to Marinette and suddenly he was clawing at her face. Marinette jerked away as he swiped his tiny, but sharp claws at her, hissing and growling. "You! You could have saved him!"

"Plagg! Plagg, please!" Tikki grabbed her counterpart away from her charge. "Plagg, calm down!"

He turned to Tikki, his pupils in thin slits. He snarled, "My kitten is gone! I told him it was a bad idea! I told him everything would go broke if he let his miraculous go without Ladybug! But did he actually follow my advice?! NO! He wanted to keep her safe! He wanted to keep his friend safe from harm because he loved her!"

He turned to Marinette with utter contempt."And this is why I hate Ladybugs."

Plagg sank down on the table, his large head nestling on his hands. "I've lost too many kittens…too many…"

Marinette watched in muted silence as Tikki and Wayzz comforted Plagg. Her lower lip trembled. Plagg grew startled at the teardrops falling on the wooden surface. He looked up at her. She said softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. If only I had been a better partner, a better Ladybug, this wouldn't have had to happen."

"Of course it wouldn't have happened." Plagg snapped. But then the burning rage in him melted at her desolate figure. He sighed. "Ladybug, this isn't just about me losing my charge. This is about a strong connection with another being's soul. And when that is ripped out, nothing can bring it back until one of us is willing to connect again. And that goes for a Ladybug's Chat Noir as well."

"But Chat -" Marinette asked hesitantly. "He doesn't want to be Chat anymore?"

"'As long as Paris will be rest assured and Ladybug is safe, Chat Noir will never appear again.'" Plagg quoted from Adrien. He shook his head. "But he's an idiot. A lovesick idiot."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

Wayzz answered her this time. "A Ladybug cannot function without a Chat Noir. That is how it always was and will always be."

"So if Chat Noir is gone…" Marinette's eyes widened. "Ladybug must disappear too?"

"Not necessarily." Master Fu said. "There are two ways to deal with this situation. First, you give up your miraculous and a new duo will appear."

Marinette's eyes shot to Tikki. The kwami had been with her through everything, be it her awkward phase with Adrien or the dangers with akuma attacks. She was her other half. Ladybug was already a part of her. Marinette shook her head. "I don't want to give up being Ladybug just yet."

A smile flickered on Master Fu's mouth. "Even if your partner has given up on being Chat Noir?"

"I know my partner." Marinette declared. "He wouldn't give up his miraculous so easily! If he truly loved Ladybug – If he truly loved Paris - then he would come back."

The Guardian looked at the bad luck kwami. Plagg rolled his eyes. "He's a lovesick kitten. You don't even need to feed him catnip."

"Then there's only one way left." Master Fu said. "Find Chat Noir and bring him back."

…

"Alya, I need your help."

The young reporter knew where this was going to go. She had already seen it coming from a mile away. Alya picked up her bag and walked out of her house. "I'll be there in 5."

When she got to Marinette's bakery in less than three minutes flat, she saw her best friend pacing around in the middle of her bedroom. Marinette looked at her and bit her lip. Alya set her bag on a chair and crossed her arms.

"Alya, before anything else, there's something I have to tell you," Marinette said slowly. "Please don't freak out-"

"Is this about you being Ladybug?" Alya interrupted. "Because I already know."

Marinette gawked at her. "You - you already – how – when?!"

"During that debate between you and Adrien. You weren't really discreet about hiding your protectiveness." Alya smirked. But then it fell away. "Are you holding up okay?"

An overwhelming feeling of relief from pent-up secrets burst out of Marinette. Tears fell from her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Alya. "I messed up! I messed up so badly! Chat Noir's gone! The akuma victim is dead! It's all because of me! I – I don't -"

"Marinette, relax. That's why I'm here, aren't I?" Alya said gently. She wiped away the tears from her best friend's cheeks. "We're here to set things straight. We're here to bring back Chat Noir. It's all about him, isn't it? I've noticed how you always seem tired every day and the akuma attacks have grown stronger."

"Is that why you gave me honey lemon tea every morning at school?" Alya grinned. Marinette smiled gratefully. "Alya, you're the best."

"I know," Alya said smugly. Then she put her reporter face on. "So now, what do you have in mind, Ladybug?"

Marinette called out to her kwami. "Tikki, you can come out now."

The small creature shot out of the corner of the room and floated in front of Alya. "Hello, Alya. I've always wanted to meet you. My name is Tikki and I'm a kwami. I help transform Marinette into Ladybug."

Alya stared. "Oh."

"Oh?" Marinette echoed. Alya turned towards her and grinned sheepishly. "I thought you were hiding some kind of Ladybug costume in your closets, so sometimes, I tried to do a bit of snooping around."

"Alya!"

"Sorry!" The reporter apologized. "I didn't know that you transformed with a kwami."

Marinette grinned. "You want to see my transformation?"

Alya nodded and positioned her camera in front of her, but Marinette shook her head. With a pout, Alya put it away.

"Tikki, transforme moi!"

She watched, entranced, as Marinette did her sequence as pink energy traveled throughout her body, ladybug spots replacing her ordinary clothes. Once her sequence ended, Paris's superhero stood in front of her.

"Wow." Alya breathed out. "This is better than I could have imagined. So what now?"

Ladybug looked at her with a determined expression.

"I want to send a message to all of Paris."

Whew. This is pretty long. I've been gone for quite awhile, but I hope this chapter makes up for it!

Also, I've graduated! I'm done with school! FREEDOM! Sad truth is, it's hard to get a job in this economy right now :\ I hope you guys are staying safe and social distancing! Always wear a mask and hand sanitize always!

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Do tell me what you think! Should Chat Noir come back? Will he?

See ya'll next time!