A/N: Hello everyone, Francis Booker here! I know we're waiting on Season 5, but I wanted to take a stab at my own version of what happens after Season 4, because I feel like there's so much setup for so many things. This story picks up immediately after the season finale. I hope you guys enjoy.
Chat Noir didn't look away from Shadow Moth's image, surrounded by the symbols of the miraculous. As the people of Paris gathered beneath them, he refused to let Shadow Moth's display disturb him, if not for the people's sake, then for his lady's sake. The people continued to chant Ladybug's name, even as Chat felt another presence land on the roof behind them.
"What have you done?" a deep voice grumbled behind them. Ladybug and Chat Noir turned towards it.
"Su-Han," Ladybug started, a tremble in her voice as the Celestial Guardian approached. "I—"
"It was your job as Guardian to protect the miraculous," he said, his voice eerily calm, betraying no anger. "Now, Shadow Moth has them all."
"Not all of them," Chat jumped in, holding his ring in the air. "He still doesn't have the only two he's after."
"A small consolation," Su-Han whispered. His eyes took in Shadow Moth's face. Chat wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a tear in the man's eyes.
"We'll get them back," Chat said, putting his hand on Ladybug's shoulder. She looked over at him, a sad smile on her lips. It encouraged Chat to keep going. "This doesn't change anything. We'll track down Shadow Moth and—"
"No," Su-Han said, turning away from Shadow Moth's display. "This requires emergency interventions by the Order of Guardians."
"What kind of emergency interventions?" Ladybug asked.
"The deactivation of all the miraculous," he responded. "Until they can be recovered, the miraculous will cause more harm than good in Shadow Moth's possession."
"You can do that?" Chat asked.
"It is drastic," Su-Han said gravely. "Rarely used, in all the history of the miraculous." That made Ladybug's shoulders sag even more. Su-Han turned to Ladybug. "As Celestial Guardian, I will enact it as soon as you renounce your role as Guardian."
"Wait, she can't just stop being Guardian," Chat said taking an angry step towards Su-Han.
"Chat," Ladybug whispered, pulling him back. "It's okay. Maybe…. Maybe this is for the best."
"I refuse to believe that, my lady," he said through gritted teeth. "You did everything you could as Guardian. It's not your fault Felix tricked you and stole them."
"Unfortunately the decision is out of my hands," Su-Han said, his eyes cold. "The miraculous deactivation cannot happen unless the Guardian has resigned. I did not design it that way, but it is an ancient punishment to remove the Guardian responsible for requiring it."
"But…" Chat struggled to find the right words. "But she'll lose her memories. She won't remember all the great things she did as Ladybug."
"A price that must be paid."
"I won't let—"
"I renounce my position as Guardian of the Miraculous," Ladybug said, handing the miracle box to Su-Han.
"My lady!"
Before he could get another word out, Ladybug threw herself towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you for being the best partner I could have ever asked for. You stood beside me, even when I didn't ask you to. Maybe if I realized how great you were sooner, things would have turned out differently."
"It's not too late," Chat said, holding on to her, even as her grip loosened. As much as he wanted to believe that, he knew that it was done.
"I'm not going to let other people suffer for my mistakes," Ladybug said, her voice becoming dreamier with each words. By the end of it, she was taking a step backwards, blinking her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, although the tone of her voice was totally different now. "I'm… not sure where I am. What's going on?"
Su-Han raised his staff and let it collide with the miracle box. There was a flash of colored lights, covering the full range of the color spectrum, each one corresponding to the color of a miraculous. The final colors were a bright black and red, which lingered a little longer. When he finished, the colors dimmed, shifting to black and white before returning to the box.
Shadow Moth's display faded at the same time Chat Noir's and Ladybug's miraculous beeped. "You only have a few minutes before your miraculous deactivate," Su-Han said, taking the miracle box in his arms.
"For how long?" Chat asked, gripping his ring.
"Five years," Su-Han responded. "I will find Shadow Moth by then," he added, although there wasn't nearly as much confidence as there should be. "Now get her out of here. The Guardians have work to do."
Chat wanted to argue, but another beep from his ring brought his attention back to the present. He turned towards the edge of the roof before looking back at Ladybug. She subconsciously reached for her yoyo, but paused, and Chat realized she didn't know how to use it anymore. He offered his hand to her.
Ladybug looked at him for a moment before nodding and grabbing his hand. With a leap, he carried the two of them off the roof and brought her to an abandoned area. As soon as he was sure they were alone, he placed her down. There was another beep from their miraculous, this time more urgent. "What happens now?" she asked, a lingering confusion in her eyes.
"I'm not sure," Chat admitted sadly. "Protect the earrings," he told her. "And… And… Do you remember your civilian identity?" he asked.
"I… think so," she said carefully. "I remember—"
"Don't tell me," Chat said, surprised by his own refusal. After dreaming about finding out Ladybug's identity for so long, he thought that he would jump at the chance, but this didn't feel right. "Before you lost your memories, you were adamant about not sharing who we really are. And even if Shadow Moth can't do anything now, if he still has the miraculous in five years, we'll be safer not knowing each other's identities."
"But what should I—" Ladybug started, but was interrupted by her earrings beeping again, more frantically than ever.
"I'm afraid we're out of time, my lady," Chat said, raising her hand and kissing it. "We'll meet again. I'm sure of it." She started to protest, but Chat leapt up and moved quickly, afraid that he never would if he stayed another second. Tears blurred in his eyes as his ring frantically beeped.
It was only by a second that Adrien managed to land in his bedroom, the green light of his transformation flashing weaker than ever before. As the energy was sucked into his ring, Adrien felt an exhaustion creep into his bones. He slumped forward, barely catching himself on his windowsill. Looking out, he wondered how his lady was doing. Leaving her alone wasn't ideal, but he didn't know where to take her.
"I'm sure I'll see her soon, right, Plagg?" His voice echoed through the empty room, but there was no response. He turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the black kwami, but there was no one. Taking one last look at his ring, he smiled sadly at it. "See you in five years, Plagg."
Thanks for reading again! Please remember to review and let me know what you like and don't like. It really helps me out and helps other people find this story. Francis Booker out!
