Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. This chapter is loosely inspired by The Cat Goes Meow? by InuChimera7410, a Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction. The link is /s/11656101/1/The-Cat-Goes-Meow

Kurahashi was walking down the streets on one fine Sunday morning. Humming a cheerful tone, the energetic girl skipped across the pavement, holding a book about animals she had borrowed from the library. One the way back to her home, she suddenly heard a distressed meow, and cold, taunting laughter. A bit anxious, Kurahashi ran to where to where their voices were, and her eyes widened.

There were a few younger boys kicking a small, scrawny kitten. The kitten whimpered softly, and when one of the boys came close enough, it scratched the boy's leg.

"Ouch!" he yelped, looking at the red lines on his leg, but then Kurahashi stepped forward, an unusually furious look in her peridot eyes.

"Stop kicking that poor kitten!" she yelled at the boys. "It did nothing wrong! Please show some care for animals!"

As the teenage girl scolded the boys, Kochou frowned in his lair. "Is that anger and misery I sense? And what noble intentions too! She certainly deserves a chance to protect the innocent animals."

He caught a white butterfly in his hands and infused it with energy, so it turned black. Kochou let the akuma flutter out of the window, commanding, "Fly away, my butterfly, and akumatize her!"

Meanwhile, Kurahashi was thinking about the cruelty animals had faced because of mistreat from humans, and that made her furious and upset. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn't notice a certain purple butterfly flying towards her until the last second.

Kurahashi gulped when she caught sight of the akuma. If there was one bug she hated, it was the akuma, sent by Kochou to take advantage of people. Letting out a small squeal, the girl backed away, trying to use her book to swat the akuma away.

Which was, in fact, a bad decision.

The akuma came in contact with the book and instantly, the book became black and purple. A purple mask appeared over Kurahashi's face. A deep, unfamiliar male voice began to speak.

"Kemono, I am Kochou. I can give you the power to take revenge on those who had hurt your precious animal friends. They can get what they deserve. All you have to do is to bring me the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses. Fair deal, or no?"

Kurahashi knew deep, deep inside, she should refuse, but the offer was too tempting. In the end, her love for animals won.

Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "Deal."

"Oniisan? Oniisan!"

Chiba pulled his headphones down and looked down at his sister. "Hmm?"

His nine-year-old sister Fumiko peered up at him, trying to see the eyes her brother hid behind his bangs. Chiba automatically shifted away, conscious of that.

Fumiko pointed at the headphones. "What were you listening to?"

"Umm…" Chiba wasn't sure if his sister would appreciate punk music, as his eldest sister disapproved of it. Not to mention, it didn't seem like Fumiko's style. The girl was a very determined and focused person, and was never afraid to voice out her opinions. Which was unlike an "emo" (as Plagg had said) like Chiba.

A sigh came from the other end of the room, where a tall, black-haired girl stood, arms crossed. "Fumiko, don't get into that trash."

"Watch what you're calling trash," Chiba shot back quickly at his older sister, Shiho. Shiho was sixteen, loved classical music, and was learning the cello, a stark contrast to Chiba's music taste.

Shiho sighed. "At least you don't blast it at full volume in your room, Ryuu." The girl sat on the sofa and idly flipped through a magazine.

"Ooh, those clothes are cute!" Fumiko gasped, and joined her sister in reading the magazine. Chiba turned away to the window, unable to relate to their "girl stuff". Just as he was about to put on his headphones, he caught sight of something outside on the streets.

He leaned closer to the window until his nose was touching it. A frown appeared on Chiba's face.

There was no mistake. Initially, Chiba might have thought that the girl was one of those weird cosplayers or something, but once he saw her use her powers, she definitely had to be an akuma.

He sped into his room, changed his clothes and then dashed back out. He yanked his beanie on his head and kicked off his slippers.

"Going out?" Shiho called to her brother.

"Mmm." Chiba put on his shoes.

"Take care!" Fumiko waved her hand. Chiba stepped out of the door and ran downstairs.

An akuma! I saw her! Chiba panted as he reached the streets. He glanced frantically to the left and to the right, but nothing. He sighed and was about to contact Ladybug, but that was when he saw a furry tail disappearing behind a street corner.

Plagg peeked out of Chiba's pocket and sniffed the air. "No Camembert," he muttered disappointedly.

"And that's the only thing you care about?" Chiba hissed. Taking cautious steps, he ran to where he saw the furry tail. Unfortunately, he was momentarily distracted by a big cockroach scuttling by his feet.

Chiba shuddered, and the cockroach darted between his legs and ran away. Trying to ignore the chills on his spine, the boy continued to chase the furry tail, which was waving at him almost mockingly.

Chiba was scared that if he transformed, people would see him and the akuma would know about his whereabouts. So he stayed in his civilian form.

Finally, finally, Chiba caught sight of the akuma. She had short, curvy orange hair and wore a fluffy white dress. However, what made her stood out the most were he cat ears on her head, and the cat tail protruding behind her. She held up a purplish book and zapped a finger at a boy. The boy let out a small scream and in a bright flash, he changed into a tortoise.

"Well, enjoy your new, slow form!" the girl said cheerfully, but her eyes were dark and had a twisted look in them. Chiba immediately recognized her voice.

His assumptions were correct. His classmate Kurahashi Hinano had been akumatized, and her akumatized form could change people into animals. That cockroach from earlier was probably her doing. And also the human-turned-sparrow he saw from his home.

Good, I've located her. Chiba thought as he hid behind a tree (which was conveniently beside him). "Plagg, claws out!"

The cat themed superhero leapt on the rooftops and zoomed to where the akuma was. He wondered if Ladybug knew about the akuma. She probably didn't, as the akuma hadn't appeared for long, and this one didn't make a big scene.

"Oh, the cat has come out to play," a sugary sweet voice said behind Black Cat. He turned around, and saw the akuma standing on the rooftop.

"Wow, you have cat ears too!" the akuma exclaimed in a false excited tone. Her green eyes glittered, and she continued to say, "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Kemono, and I will bring justice to all animals!"

Black Cat didn't want to waste time and words talking with Kemono, so he leapt forward to engage in combat with the akuma. Kemono smiled and hid her book in a hidden pocket on her dress.

The superhero used his baton to swipe at the akuma, who dodged. The girl panted, and a purple mask appeared on her face.

"Get his ring!" Kochou urged the akuma. Immediately, Kemono changed from a defensive pose to an attacking pose. Her hands were in mittens in shape of paws, and she threw punches at Black Cat, who blocked them with his silver baton.

"Is this a cat fight?" Black Cat said out loud, and quickly shut his mouth. Trust Plagg (whom Chiba was sure was the origin of his terrible puns and sarcasm) to come up with that. The moment he let his guard down, Kemono kicked him between his legs.

"Ouch!" Black Cat groaned and retreated, biting his lower lip in pain. Before he could attack, Kemono quickly took her book out and pointed a finger at Black Cat. The pages of the book flipped until the open page had a picture of a certain animal.

"Perfect," Kemono declared, and light burst out from her finger. Black Cat tried to duck by leaping off the roof, but unfortunately, the light ray hit him, knocking him straight towards the streets.

The boy felt his entire body go hot and molding itself into something else. However, he didn't scream, and landed on the cold, hard floor with a thump. He looked up, his head feeling fuzzy. Then, the cling of metal hitting a surface caught his attention, and he saw a glowing something roll pass him.

The ring! He thought in alarm. That means I'm detransformed! He tried to yell out his kwami's name, but it came out as a meow. He looked down at his hands, which became furry, black paws.

The realization dawned on Chiba. He had been turned into a cat. His miraculous was currently rolling away, his kwami nowhere to be seen, and he was a cat.

He leapt towards his ring, but he missed it by millimeters and instead sent it moving somewhere else. On closer inspection, he saw that his kwami was still in his ring, so technically, he wasn't detransformed.

However, technically, he wasn't either Black Cat or Chiba. He was a cat. A literal black cat.

Kemono did a backflip and landed on the street, searching for Black Cat. Unfortunately for her, the cat had already ran away, in hot pursuit of his ring which seemed it would never stop rolling away.

"No matter, he'll show up sooner or later." Kemono smiled innocently. "Now to get revenge on more people!"

Being in cat form was very awkward for Chiba.

First, he suddenly became very short.

Then, he had to walk on four legs, which was kind of embarrassing.

Not to mention he wasn't wearing anything, which made him want to cringe, roll into a ball, and die.

With no kwami to help him (Chiba had to admit, Plagg was useful sometimes), a lost miraculous, and no Ladybug, things seemed pretty terrible for him. Also, did he mention his akumatized classmate hunting for him? What a day.

Chiba slunk in the shadows, sharp eyes darting around for the ring. A flash of neon green caught his eye, and without thinking, he dashed towards it on the other side of the street. He knew that the ring in its transformed state had a green paw print on it.

He was so caught up and stressed over his current state, he didn't realized a truck was coming towards him.

As he heard the screeching of tires, Chiba tried to run, but was unfortunately hit.

In an instant, the cat was flung away and crash-landed on the ground. Chiba yowled as he felt pain jolt through his cat body, one of his legs throbbing. He tried to stand up, but he collapsed in pain. It felt like it was ripping his leg apart. Chiba could barely think, the unfamiliar sensations overwhelming him.

The truck had fully stopped, and the owner opened the door and got down in a hurry. Fear was evident in his face. Chiba's agonized green eyes trained on him, wanting the driver to help him, but instead, he was focusing on talking to someone behind the cat.

"I'm deeply sorry, miss. Is that your cat?"

"No, but I'll take care of him from now on. Drive carefully," a stern, familiar voice commanded, and Chiba's ears shot up. Twisting his head, he saw a teenage girl with peach hair and sharp green eyes, and Chiba felt his heart pound. In his pain, he never noticed that a certain female classmate of his coming to his rescue.

Hayami...san?

Two grocery bags strung on her arms, Hayami walked from the supermarket to her home. The girl had noticed that a lot of her pocket money was used on buying cookies for Tikki, so she decided to bake some cookies to save money. Being the good girl she was, she also wanted to cook dinner for her mother that night.

The crisp autumn wind blew through her hair. Hayami was thankful she had decided to wear long pants outside, or else her legs would be cold.

Hayami reached a traffic light, so she stopped and waited for it to turn green. A blur of black suddenly sped across the road, crossing the path of an incoming truck. Mouth open, she knew the thing (was it a cat?) couldn't avoid the impact.

The girl dropped her bags with a clatter and rushed to the cat's aid. It was sprawled on the ground, a bit of blood next to its leg. Hayami could see the cat was breathing, and was glad it was alive.

If there was one thing Hayami loved, it was cats (including Black Cat but that was another matter).

And so if there was one thing Hayami despised, it was cats being hurt.

After quickly talking with the truck driver, Hayami decided to take the cat to the vet. There was no collar on his neck, so she assumed he was a stray (yes, she knew the cat was a he). The cat kept trying to walk, but after limping around for a few seconds, he fell down again.

Crap! The ring! Chiba thought as he tried and tried again with no results. He had lost sight of it. He had to go. He had to search for it, because if Kochou or the akuma found it, he would lose his power, and Ladybug had to fight on her own. He couldn't let her down.

He unintentionally let out a meow (which sounded rather pitiful) and Hayami knelt down beside him.

"Geez, you shouldn't move around too much," she said with a smile, and Chiba felt his heart melt slightly. Hayami was usually so cool and dare he say, hid her emotions, but opened up to a cat.

"I'm a friend, okay?" she continued to say. "I'll help you, kitty. Come here."

Chiba knew there was something different in her tone. It was the kind of cutesy voice one might use when they see something adorable, not Hayami's usual serious voice. Seeing that side of his classmate was endearing. If he was in human form, Chiba knew he would have blushed.

Chiba realized he was rather useless, being in cat form and hurt, so he relented and let Hayami pick him up. Hayami was careful not to disturb his injured leg, and as she searched for the directions to the vet, she talked absentmindedly to the cat.

"You're a cute kitty, aren't you?" she muttered, stroking his head. Chiba stiffened, unused to the touch. Sure, Ladybug petted his head sometimes (to his mild confusion), but this was Hayami. Chiba wasn't sure if he had ever heard her describe something as "cute". But he was rather comfortable, snuggled up in her arms. With his enhanced sense of smell, Chiba thought Hayami smelled rather nicely, although he couldn't describe the smell. The cat let out a contented meow.

This stray cat is rather docile, Hayami thought, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile. Maybe he used to be domesticated… and then abandoned. It felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over her heart as Hayami wondered if the cat was abandoned. She knew cases like that happened often, when the owners got tired of looking after their pets.

Chiba was enjoying being petted by Hayami when his original mission came back to him in a flash. He wasn't supposed to frolic. His miraculous was gone! How could he be so distracted?

Well, because you like her- Chiba immediately cut off his thoughts. He began to wriggle, which caught Hayami's attention.

"Hmm? What do you want, kitty?" Hayami peered down at him curiously.

Now, Chiba had two options.

One: to escape from Hayami and hunt for the miraculous by himself, and wait for Ladybug.

Two: hope that Hayami could recognize him as Black Cat and seek for her help.

The first choice didn't seem very possible, and Hayami was a trustworthy person, so Chiba went for the second option.

He looked straight into the girl's eyes, wishing with all his might that she could know who he really was. Hayami was slightly taken aback at those bright, green eyes which vaguely reminded her of something- someone.

"Hmm, you actually kind of look like Black Cat. You know, the superhero," Hayami thought out loud as she stroked the cat's fur. He let out a somewhat strangled purr. Gosh, why do I like this so much? Hayami scratched under his chin and he meowed happily.

"I mean, your fur is the same colour as his hair…"

And? Chiba thought hopefully, sending Hayami an expectant look. Hayami smiled back at him peacefully, her soft expression a stark contrast from her usual one. She's kinda cute. I didn't know she likes cats. Wait, focus on the mission!

"Your eyes are the same colour as his too…" Hayami paused and stared at the cat in her arms. He looked up innocently at her and purred.

A mental picture of Black Cat purring entered Hayami's mind. Shoving that embarrassing thought away, she compared her cat partner to the animal, studying the animal.

She leaned down until her lips were close to the cat's ears. "Are you Black Cat?" she whispered.

Yes! Chiba nodded his cat head, delighted that she got it.

However, Hayami had a different reaction. She stared blankly at the cat- which was in fact her partner, her best friend and crush all rolled into one. Basically Hayami's favourite things had all collided to make one huge, mega cutie.

There was an akuma who turned him into a cat. And she didn't know about said akuma.

Now she thought about it, he didn't have his miraculous either!

Great, now Hayami felt terrible for deserting Black Cat. At least she could help him in civilian form while she found a way to escape and transform and defeat the akuma.

She quickly walked away until she came to a quiet, hidden spot while keeping her eyes open for any strange happenings (which might indicate an akuma nearby). She sat down, back pressed against the wall and gently lowered the cat, who had been obediently sitting in her arms for the past few minutes.

"Do you want me to help you find your ring?" she muttered lowly. Chiba nodded.

"Or, I dunno, contact Ladybug somehow?" Hayami asked, remembering that normal civilians didn't know Ladybug and Black Cat had a way to text each other.

I have to tell Ladybug first, Chiba decided. I'll tell her about my cat state and about the akuma. He nodded again and poked his head in Hayami's bag, attempting to use his sense of smell to locate her phone. Chiba didn't want to be rude, but time was the essence. He had a job to do.

"Ah!" Hayami quickly snatched her bag, remembering her kwami was in it. "You want my phone, right? I'll get it." Hayami quickly unlocked her phone and logged out of her Ladyblog account. She pressed the home screen button and slid the phone in front of the cat. That was a close call, Hayami sighed. She let out a quiet chuckle as she watched the cat struggle to press buttons with his paws.

Not… fun… Chiba let out a frustrated meow as his too-big and furry paws made him unable to type easily. After what felt like years and help from auto-correct, he finally managed to type his username.

And that was just the username.

He gave the phone a death glare, before resuming slamming his paws on the screen. If he wasn't so anxious and pressured, he might have found his predicament hilarious.

On the side, Hayami was watching the cat with a grin on her face. As the case that usually happened with every cat, Hayami wanted to cuddle and squish her cheeks against the fluffy kitty. And his actions were strangely adorable, although the girl knew she shouldn't mention that when the superhero-turned-cat was trying so hard.

After a long and difficult struggle, Chiba managed to log in successfully. He hoped his bad luck for the day had been used up, because he really needed some of Ladybug's signature luck. He wondered if she spent all her days walking on the streets finding money, getting all multiple choice questions correct when she answered them at random, and everything went in her way. Because of his bad luck, the opposite seemed to happen to him.

Because he was a human trapped inside the body of a cat, Chiba used his superb intelligence to select a few choice words to send to Ladybug. He looked up and saw that Hayami had stopped looking at him. Good. She isn't supposed to know about the texting.

Chiba began to type, and for the first time in his life, he appreciated autocorrect. He struggled to convey his words quickly and efficiently, and hoped Ladybug (wherever she was) would understand.

It was terribly funny how he had to depend on others so much once he became a cat. Chiba liked to take care of things himself instead of shoving the burden on someone else. His green, cat eyes were gazing intently at the screen as he sent a message, followed by another. His tail flicked left and right.

Help. I am cat

Akuma town center

Lost ring

Sbd helping me

He decided it was enough. Boy, Chiba felt so embarrassed by typing such cringe-worthy and crappy sentences. Now he had to search for his miraculous.

And his leg was still hurting. It would probably still be hurt if he transformed. He wasn't even sure if Ladybug's Miraculous Ladybug could heal it.

He dragged his injured limb as he walked, and winced at the pain. He used his nose to bop Hayami's leg, and that caught her attention. She cooed softly and petted his head.

Chiba could never understand why people liked to pet his head. First it was Ladybug, then his classmate. To be fair, his sisters or his mom had never petted his head, and Ladybug was the first. He knew he was in cat form, and cats were cute (he wasn't trying to brag that he was cute), but still he felt slightly weird and happy, which was not like when Ladybug petted his head. When she did so, he would always be a bit amused but confused. When Hayami petted his head, he felt really happy, a pleasant feeling settling in his heart.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Hayami said as she pulled her hand away. "So, are we finding the ring now?"

Chiba nodded, let Hayami pick him up, and they went to the place where Chiba had last seen the ring (also known as the site of the truck crash).

Hayami had told the cat that she would tell him if Ladybug replied, but of course she couldn't tell him Ladybug couldn't reply because she was Ladybug and was busy taking care of the cat. So, guiltily, Hayami had to pretend that Ladybug hadn't received the messages yet so she would have an excuse.

Because an akuma was on loose, Hayami hid the cat partially in one of her bags (Tikki was in the other) as to conceal him. Hayami didn't know who had been akumatized or their powers, so she walked in constant anxiety. However, she couldn't look too suspicious, so she just did her best to observe without looking like it.

Chiba was a bit, and mind you, just a bit disappointed that Hayami wouldn't be carrying him. He knew it was for his, and for her safety, but a teeny part of his heart sank when she placed him in her bag.

He knew he sounded creepy.

Scratch that, he was kind of creepy.

Hayami ran through the streets and after rounding a corner, she saw a black something kicked to the side. Her heart lifted. The ring!

Hayami wasn't sure if the public had a clear idea of how Black Cat's ring looked like, as nobody had ever asked to look at it. But as Ladybug, she could recognize his ring in its transformed state (she assumed it looked different when his kwami wasn't in it). But to hell with that! If Kochou got his hands on the ring, chaos would ensure.

The girl dashed to the ring, but before she could pick it up, a bird swooped down, caught the ring and flew away.

Wha-? Hayami stared at the bird for a second, and then broke into a run, chasing after the bird. Could it be the akuma's minions?

Chiba had been spying from his spot in the bag. When Hayami surged forward suddenly, his body slammed on the side of the bag, a searing pain shot through his leg. Previously, it had just been throbbing, but once it made contact in something, the pain came alive again, like a raging fire.

Hayami kept her eye on the bird as she ran and ran. However, she did try to notice her surroundings, so she would have a less chance of being hit by a truck like the cat did.

The bag swung back and forth unsteadily as Hayami's footsteps pounded on the ground. Chiba was beginning to get seasick and lost track of the bird and his ring. He ducked his head inside the bag and closed his eyes, hoping that would stop the motion sickness.

Hayami watched as the bird flew on a tree and stopped there. The girl stopped running and approached the tree cautiously, only to realize it was in someone's backyard.

She knew she couldn't barge into someone's home and climb up their tree, which meant she had to see if someone was home. And ask for their permission.

Chiba meowed and gestured at the hanging nameplate. Hayami turned and to her dread, she recognized the surname. It said "Okajima".

Oh.

Hayami didn't know whether there were more than one family that had the surname "Okajima" in the town, but she had to mentally prepare herself in case it was really the perverted Okajima she knew.

A rustle from the trees reminded her that she had to act quickly in case the bird flew away again. Hayami breathed in and out, and sent the door a steely look.

You got this. Do it for Black Cat. Hayami told herself that, and rang the doorbell. She cringed inwardly when she heard it ring, announcing her presence.

Footsteps sounded from the other side, and the door was opened by a bald man that was not Okajima.

Before Hayami could breathe in relief, an annoying, familiar voice sounded inside the house, "Hey Dad, is Mom back?"

Dammit, Okajima.

"No," Okajima's dad replied, looking at Hayami with a somewhat perplexed expression on his face. "Umm…"

Hayami wanted to speak, to explain why she was there, but Okajima beat her to it as he ran to the door. Hayami could feel dread washing over her body, and she dearly wanted to run away, but she had to get the ring.

"Hayami-san? What are you doing here?"

"Taiga, you know her?"

"Yeah, she's my classmate… what are you doing here?"

"I apologize for intruding your household. A bird has one of my possessions and it's stuck on the tree in your background. I want to ask your permission to retrieve it."

Father and son stared at her. Hayami was vaguely aware that they were both bald, which meant Okajima inherited that certain trait from his father.

"Wow, you're using formal language," Okajima muttered. His dad blinked, and came back to life.

"Oh! Sure. Do you want me to do it for you?"

"No, I can do it myself."

Hayami walked purposely to the tree and set her bags down. Tikki quickly flew from her hiding place and hid in Hayami's hair. The Okajimas were watching her, interested in how this would turn out.

Hayami had climbed trees when she was little. She studied the tree and determined that it wouldn't be a hard tree to climb. The cat, with his unblinking green eyes, observed her movements.

Hayami began to climb, and when she reached the top, she stretched out a hand for the ring. Apparently, the bird had grown attached to the ring, and wasn't willing to give it up without a fight. Hayami tried to swipe the bird away, but it clucked and pecked her hand.

Under the tree, Okajima was watching Hayami, a dazed expression on his face. An unusual fire of protectiveness raged in Chiba when he saw Okajima's face, which could only mean one, impure thing.

STOP LOOKING, he tried to send a mental message to Okajima. It didn't work.

YOU PERVERT, he tried again.

DON'T YOU DARE THINK ABOUT HAYAMI-SAN LIKE THAT! Angry and protective,Chiba managed to turn his body so his eyes were now fixated on Okajima. He did his best to send him his signature death glare, hoping it would still work in cat form.

Okajima was imagining a happy fantasy when he felt someone's eyes on him. He looked around, attempting to rid of the chills he felt, and eventually found a pair of cat eyes glaring at him. They were bright and green, and was watching him silently without moving.

Okajima found that quite creepy.

So Hayami has a cat? A cat that likes glaring at me? A cat guardian? Okajima glared back at the cat, but to his humiliation, after a few seconds, he lost a staring match with a mere cat.

A human losing to a cat.

Ha ha ha, Chiba gloated, unsure why he felt so triumphant. His cat form gave a smirk (or as close a cat to get to a smirk), and his fur raised. His tail stood up as Chiba felt himself unconsciously shift to a fighting stance. His pupils constricted and he uttered a low growl.

Whoops. Aggressive cat. Learning his lesson, Okajima shivered and stopped looking at Hayami.

Meanwhile, on the tree, Hayami was unaware of the silent fight between Chiba and Okajima, She tried to shoo the bird away, but it was annoyingly stubborn. A bit of blood seeped out from where the bird had pecked her, and it looked like the bird was about to attack again. Luckily for Hayami, Tikki had been watching the whole thing. She waited for the right moment, pounced, and got the ring.

"Thanks," Hayami mouthed to her kwami and pocketed the ring. She slid down the tree as if she was liquid, said goodbye to the Okajimas, and went away. Okajima was still feeling spooked and aggravated by the "cat guardian" Hayami had with her.

Hayami noticed that the cat was behaving aggressively. She scratched under his chin, which immediately relaxed him. "Hmm, so you don't like the Okajimas much?" she murmured, and passed him his ring. Chiba meowed in appreciation (he had no idea how to express his gratitude).

"Ladybug hasn't replied," Hayami told the cat, feeling more and more guilt with every passing second. A flash of bright light caught their attention, and seemingly out of nowhere, a person appeared, who fell to the ground, confused.

Alarms blared in both Chiba and Hayami's brain. Akuma alert! Akuma alert! Hayami spun around hurriedly, but she could see nothing special.

That was when Chiba knew he recognized the boy. It was the same one he had seen Kemono turn into a tortoise.

Which meant…

His body grew hot, and the alarms in his brain sounded louder. In panic, Chiba leapt out from the bag, landing awkwardly on his bad leg. His miraculous rolled out again, but as Hayami turned to see the commotion, light blinded her eyes. She shielded her eyes automatically.

Ouch… Chiba opened his eyes and saw his usual bangs covering his vision. He looked at himself and immediately flung himself over a street corner, breathing heavily. He was truly detransformed, and his leg was still injured. But he couldn't risk Hayami knowing who he was. He turned around and snatched his miraculous, and in a flash, Plagg was released.

After the light, Hayami slowly put down her hand, but a sharp command of "Don't look!" made her stop.

It was Black Cat.

It was his voice.

He was back to human, and neither of them knew why.

That day was a strange day for them both.

Obediently, Hayami put her hand over her eyes, and she heard some hushed whispering and shuffling. After a while, she heard, "You can open your eyes now."

Hayami did, and saw the cat themed superhero in all his glory, right in front of her. The duo stared at each other, blushes rising on their cheeks.

"Uh…" Hayami didn't know what to say.

"Thanks for- look out!" Black Cat cried as a punch was thrown at Hayami. He spun his baton and blocked the punch. He winced when his weight was placed on his bad leg.

"Oh look, a friend of Black Cat. You must be removed," a horribly familiar voice said, as a figure descended. Hayami felt her blood turn to ice. Kurahashi! The akuma raised her hand and-

"Hold on!" Black Cat yelled, and before Hayami could think, he put an arm around her waist and using his baton, he propelled them up on the rooftops. Then, he scooped her up princess-style and ran, darting behind objects while keeping an eye out for the akuma.

Hayami noticed that he was limping, and felt sorry that he had to take care of her while he was hurt. She hid her face behind her bag in shame, embarrassment, while being flattered at the same time.

So this is happening… again… Black Cat remembered last time at the Pool Incident, he had to save the same girl using the same method (carrying). His heart fluttered when he thought of the girl in his arms. He turned to Hayami and gave her a comforting smile (which melted the girl's cold, stone heart).

After running for a while, Black Cat put Hayami down gently, and told her to hide herself.

"Stay safe yourself," Hayami reminded him.

"I will, and thanks for your help." Still limping, he leapt up and vanished from her vision. Hayami's heart ached when she was once again reminded that he was hurt. Once he disappeared, Tikki popped up and said, "Ready when you are!"

"Alright! Tikki, spots on!"

The akuma wasn't a particularly difficult one, but Black Cat's leg made the situation worse. Ladybug found out that Kemono could only turn a certain number of people into animals, and once that limit was used up and she continued to use her powers, the people-turned-animals could turn back to humans.

That explained the Black-Cat-Is-A-Cat situation.

Black Cat told Ladybug everything, from his transformation to a cat, his injured leg, to how a kind girl had helped him. Ladybug felt extra bad that she had kind of abandoned her partner, so she put in more effort to cover for Black Cat and fight the akuma.

"Time to devilize!" Ladybug cleansed the akuma and used Miraculous Ladybug, returning the animals to their human forms. Unfortunately for Black Cat, her powers had not completely healed his leg.

"Is your leg okay?" Ladybug asked her partner.

Black Cat sighed. "I think it's healed halfway."

Ladybug crossed her arms. "Hmm, that's going to cause trouble for your civilian self."

"I know." Black Cat huffed and blew his bangs away from his eyes (sometimes they liked to poke him in the eye). "Well, I have to see someone. Bye."

"Okay," Ladybug said, and her eyes widened at the sudden realization that he was going to check on her civilian self. If she hurried, she could make it (with his hurt leg and all that), but poor Kurahashi was sitting there, looking very confused and hurt.

Ladybug decided Black Cat could wait.

She walked over Kurahashi, her friend, and put a hand on her shoulder. The girl was close to tears because she had been akumatized, but Ladybug gave her an encouraging smile and said, "Don't worry. It's all over now."

"I-I'm very sorry!" Kurahashi bowed towards Ladybug.

"It's okay!" Ladybug said, showing her softer, more caring side. "Everyone has their bad days. Tomorrow will be a new one."

Kurahashi finally smiled, the tears dissipating. "Thank you, Ladybug."

Ladybug was rather proud that she had opened up to let down her professional side a little. She waved and swung herself away, and Kurahashi waved back.

Anxiously, Black Cat searched for Hayami, wanting to repay her kindness. She couldn't have possibly been hurt, because Miraculous Ladybug would repair everything.

A beep sounded from his ring, and Black Cat hopped on his good leg, continuing to look for Hayami.

Meanwhile, Ladybug leapt behind a lamppost and detransformed. She picked up the bags she had left and saw Black Cat hopping around. She approached him nervously.

"...Hey…"

He turned around, cat ears twitching ("Awww," Hayami thought) and his eyes lit up. "Hi."

Silence.

"Thanks for helping me back then."

"No problem. Thanks for saving me too."

"It was nothing."

The silence intensified and they refused to look at each other in the eye. A light blush grew on Black Cat's cheeks, and his heart began to thump louder than usual.

Another beep from his ring broke the moment. The boy glanced at the ring on his finger and knew he had two minutes left.

"Umm, bye!" the boy said awkwardly, propelled himself away, and detransformed. Plagg zoomed out and grinned lazily when he saw his holder's face. "Someone's in loooooveeee."

Chiba didn't even have the energy to deny that.

At nighttime, Black Cat slowly climbed on top of a roof. When he had returned home, his family had naturally been worried, but somehow Chiba managed to conceal his hurt leg. In his room, he bandaged it up and spent the rest of the day there, under the pretext of studying (it was a white lie, he actually had to study).

He received a text out of the blue from Ladybug. She apologized for not being at the akuma scene earlier, and that she might have a way to heal his leg. Chiba was intrigued, but she said she was still figuring things out, and would meet him for patrol that night.

Black Cat spun his baton so it allowed him to float briefly (like a helicopter's blades), and landed on the roof next to Ladybug. He waved a hand in greeting.

"So," Ladybug said, business-like. "I asked my kwami, and she said that the Miraculous Ladybug not only repairs things that have been destroyed by the akuma, but can also grant slight luck to those around it. Because you were physically the closest to me when I used my powers, you probably got a ton of that luck."

Black Cat nodded, wishing his own kwami was that informative.

"I was wondering, I can try to use my Lucky Charm power, and after that I can use my Miraculous Ladybug power, and see if I can completely heal your leg." Ladybug continued.

Black Cat thought the idea sounded a bit absurd, but it was worth a try.

Ladybug hissed, "Lucky Charm!", tossed her yoyo, and a red and black crutch fell down. They both looked at it. "Seems useful," Black Cat offered.

Ladybug stood as close to Black Cat as possible, their arms pressing against each other. Ladybug was a bit flustered that she was so close to him, but Black Cat only felt awkward because he generally liked to keep his distance.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug whispered as not to wake the whole town up with her yell. Black Cat closed his eyes and felt a breeze blow past him.

"Feel better yet?" Ladybug asked.

Black Cat stretched his leg and put his weight on it. He was pleasantly surprised when he could no longer feel pain. "It's healed. Thanks, Ladybug."

Ladybug gave him a smile, but didn't reply. "Let's continue our patrol."

"Sure." Black Cat said, and the duo bounded and moved casually across the rooftops, as Black Cat retold the day's events to Ladybug. After a while, Ladybug dared to slyly ask, "So what do you think of that girl?"

"Her? She's nice." Black Cat looked ahead, thinking of Hayami and her cute smile and voice. "Yeah… very nice."

"I see," Ladybug said, secret delight blooming in her chest.

But after Ladybug's question, Black Cat began to realize maybe he had a crush on Hayami. After all, it made sense how he liked Hayami petting his head more than Ladybug petting his head.

And so in the night, after Chiba had gone to sleep, Plagg chuckled to himself, green eyes shining in the dark.

The good ole classic square's set into motion.

A/N: I had to seriously research about cats being hit by cars/ trucks. And aggressive cat behavior (lol protective Chiba).

Black cats? Being hit by a truck? Yeah, recently got into Kagerou Project. Not to mention Chiba has red eyes ooooh.

Ch 1: Chiba's leg gets crushed in akuma attack

Ch 6: Chiba's leg gets broken by a truck while he was a cat

I like to make them suffer lol and this is just the beginning. *evil cackle*

AND OH MY GOSH MIRACULOUS LADYBUG SEASON 2 WOWOWOW! LOVE SQUARE AHHHH.

By the way, some of the stuff here are inspired by the *coughcoughSPOILERS* Marichat scene in Episode 3. I won't say much here, because there might be people who don't want spoilers.

To EJ17, they're not the main trio. In fact, I don't think they'll appear much until they all land in 3-E, because I don't think Chiba and Hayami were friendly with Nagisa or Karma (Kayano's not in their school) prior 3-E. They might make some cameos though.

Akuma suggestions are open!

I noticed that some more people had followed this. Thanks!

And as always, please read and review! :)