AN: That last chapter was fun, wasn't it? Ready for some more? Alright, then! Let's go!

Chapter 4: Forming A Plan She Never Wanted To Ever Create

The realization played back over and over again in Ladybug's mind. Cat Noir has been akumatized. Cat Noir has been akumatized. Cat Noir has been akumatized. This did not set her mind at ease.

Ladybug knew that she would have to tread carefully. The power of destruction that Cat Noir wielded could be disastrous if not properly controlled. She definitely did not want a repeat of the last time that she had to fight an akumatized Cat Noir (even though that time technically no longer existed). That last time when Cat Noir had been akumatized, Paris had been drowned and Cat Blanc had almost ended the entire universe with a massive Mega Cataclysm!

One relief, Ladybug noted, was that Cat Noir still looked like himself. He was not completely white with ice-blue eyes. Hopefully that meant he did not have the power to create multiple Cataclysm attacks without detransforming and recharging.

Unfortunately, though, Ladybug was also saddened that Cat Noir still looked like, well, himself. There was nothing amiss about Cat Noir, no visual indication at all that he had been akumatized. Nothing stood out to say that Cat Noir was anything more than her usual goofy superhero partner. This just made Ladybug's heart hurt even more. She could try to fool herself, believe that Cat Noir was just messing around and pranking her. However, Cat Noir would have to be an excellent actor to pull off such an elaborate prank as that. Besides, Cat Noir knew the seriousness of akumas. He would never pretend to be akumatized, even if such a prank would temporarily grant him the attention from Ladybug that he so coveted.

With her yo-yo clasped safely in her hand, ready to snap it out in defense if needed, Ladybug lowered herself into a fighting stance. After what had happened with Cat Blanc, she was not about to take any chances. However, she hoped not to have to fight Cat Noir. It already hurt enough when he would take hits for her or when he would fall under the power of an akuma and be forced, against his will, to temporarily join their side and fight against Ladybug. This was going to be much harder because Cat Noir had willingly chosen to accept the akuma and fight to take Ladybug's Miraculous. Why, though? That was what Ladybug didn't understand. What could possibly have broken Cat Noir enough that he would choose to try taking the Miraculous, the jewels that he had sworn to protect? That was what Ladybug needed to find out!

Ladybug had no plan. She hated to admit it, but it was true. How could she come up with a plan to fight against her superhero partner, her friend, when she didn't want to do that at all? Still, she had to fight Cat Noir because Ladybug would not let him stay akumatized; she needed to save him from Hawk Moth!

"Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked, tentatively. "I can help you, but you need to tell me some things. How did this happen?" That was a stupid way to phrase this question, Ladybug knew. If he gave her a response at all, Cat Noir would likely not tell her anything she did not already know. Of course, the dark butterfly entered some object and Hawk Moth persuaded Cat Noir to give in to his negative emotions. Ladybug really needed to know what those negative emotions were, though. "Why did this happen?" Ladybug tried again. "What was it that led to you becoming akumatized, Cat Noir?"

Finally, Cat Noir spoke and Ladybug was relieved to hear his voice, even if it was filled with anger and bitterness. "Soon, Ladybug, we won't need to be 'just teammates'. Once I have your Miraculous and am rid of mine, we can finally be together."

While it might have seemed that Cat Noir had dodged the question, his response told Ladybug everything that she needed to know. She recognized those words as her own, ones that she herself had told him just a few days ago. It was true, then. Ladybug knew now that she was indirectly responsible for Cat Noir becoming akumatized.

Something bothered Ladybug about all of this, though. Hawk Moth had somehow convinced Cat Noir that them both giving up their Miraculous would be enough for them to begin a relationship together. However, that was only one thing that was standing in their way, just as Ladybug had told Cat Noir a couple days ago when he had asked if things would be different if they weren't superheroes. Like she had told him then, they would not have met otherwise. Besides, this all didn't change the fact that Ladybug (or, rather, Marinette) was already in love with Adrien! Miraculous or not, Ladybug's heart would always belong to Adrien Agreste, not Cat Noir.

Okay, so, let me see what I know about this already! Ladybug's thoughts were racing, trying to formulate a plan before Cat Noir decided to try making another grab for her earrings. Cat Noir had been more upset than usual (and definitely much more than he had seemed to let on) by Ladybug's rejection a few days ago. Hawk Moth had taken advantage of this hurt and akumatized Cat Noir, which had led to the lull in akumas and the feline's absence from patrols. Cat Noir had been seduced by the persuasion from Hawk Moth of the fake belief that giving up being a superhero and passing off the two most powerful jewels in history to a crazy supervillain would successfully get him the girl of his dreams. Now the only way to save Paris (and maybe even the world) was to fight her superhero partner and rid him of his akuma. Well, it wasn't much to go on, but it was a start. There were still so many missing pieces that Ladybug didn't understand. This wasn't the first time that Ladybug had rejected Cat Noir. He had been flirting with her since the very first day that they'd met and Ladybug had never budged in her stance; she didn't hold the same romantic feelings for him that he seemed to have for her. What made this time so different? Why had Cat Noir become so upset that he would allow himself to be akumatized and enticed by false hope? Though she didn't quite know the answer yet, Ladybug vowed that she would rid Cat Noir of his akuma and figure out what had gone wrong this time.

Yeah, another lull in the action, but Ladybug needed to think logically about this. I mean, it's not going to be easy to fight against her former partner! Hope you enjoyed this slower chapter, though, because soon those will be memories of the past!

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