Hawk Moth wants to meet Ladybug and Cat Noir… IN PERSON? Uh-oh! Author's Note: I've changed the title of this story from "And All is Revealed" to "Masked and Unmasked." The old title just didn't sound right to me.
Chapter 2: The Challenge
Cat Noir was crouched upon a rooftop, using his staff to look inside Lila's bedroom.
"Find anything?" a voice said.
Cat Noir looked up to see Ladybug standing next to him. "My lady," he arose, grabbing Ladybug's hand for a kiss.
Ladybug pulled away just as Cat Noir's lips made contact. "Where's the akuma?"
"It flew into Lila Rosa's bedroom," Cat Noir frowned. "I saw it go in through the window, but by the time I found a good spying spot, Lila had vanished."
"Did she turn into Volpina again?" Ladybug asked, alarmed.
"Don't know," Cat Noir shrugged.
Ladybug's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you looking through her window?" she asked.
"I can't just barge in to look for clues, not without permission!"
Ladybug sighed. She was just about to suggest looking for Lila's parents- maybe they could get them in- when a tremendous boom shook the rooftops.
Ladybug scanned the area. But other than the sound, nothing seemed out of place. None of the buildings were shaking. There was no dust or debris to indicate an explosion. Ladybug whirled toward Cat Noir, only to see him come to the exact came conclusion.
"Volpina," they said.
"Somebody call me?"
The two heroes turned to find Volpina standing in behind them.
"What do you want?" Ladybug snapped. Cat Noir tightened his grip on his staff.
"It's not what I want," Volpina smirked. "It's what Hawk Moth wants."
"Stop your lies!" Cat Noir cried, swinging his staff at the akumatized villain. The staff swung uselessly in the air, causing the Volpina illusion to vanish.
"I have a proposal for you two, courtesy of Hawk Moth," Volpina reappeared on the roof of her building. Volpina coughed, and a single akuma flew out of her mouth. It landed on Ladybug's hand just as Volpina collapsed onto the rooftop.
"Ladybug, Cat Noir," Hawk Moth's voice amplified from the akuma. "I have a proposition for you."
"Nice try," Ladybug told the akuma. "But you're just another illusion. Right, Cat Noir?"
"Um, I don't think this is an illusion, my lady," Cat Noir called. He had leaped to Lila's rooftop, and was patting her arm. Unlike the previous Volpina, this one didn't disappear.
Ladybug swallowed. Looking down at the akuma on her hand, she asked "How do you know I won't capture this akuma before you can tell us about your proposal?"
"I'm sure you would refrain from capturing this akuma… if you knew this proposal may give you the chance to defeat me, once and for all?"
Ladybug looked at Cat Noir, then back at the akuma. "What are you proposing?" Ladybug sighed.
"A simple game of Hide and Seek," Hawk Moth's voice announced. "You must find my lair here in Paris within the hour. I will be there, awaiting you. If you find me within the hour, I will surrender my Miraculous to you. However, if you do not find me in the allotted amount of time, I will take Miraculous of the first one to enter my lair. If you cheat in any form, I will take both your Miraculous'. Do we have a deal?"
Ladybug didn't know what to do. This may be the only way to stop Hawk Moth once and for all. But risk the Miraculous'?
"We agree," Ladybug heard herself say. "Cat Noir and I will play your little game." Cat Noir looked up, alarm showing on his face.
"Excellent," Hawk Moth announced. "The game shall begin the moment Volpina revives." With that said, the akuma flew from Ladybug's hand and back down Volpina's throat.
"Ladybug, I love you, but are you insane?" Cat Noir cried as he leaped back onto the other rooftop. "We can't risk our Miraculous' for Hawk Moth's!"
Silence rose between the two heroes.
"I don't know why I agreed to his demands," Ladybug finally said. "I just felt that it was the only way to rid ourselves of Hawk Moth, once and for all."
"But what if…" Cat Noir began. He gulped. "What if we lose?"
"Then he gets only one Miraculous, not both," Ladybug reminded Cat Noir. "The only way Hawk Moth can get both is if one of us cheats, and that's highly unlikely."
"Good point, my lady," Cat Noir murmured.
Ladybug stared at Cat Noir for a moment. She had a feeling that Cat Noir wasn't really worried about losing. Could it be that he didn't want to win?
Could Cat Noir actually want to continue to fight Hawk Moth?
"Being Cat Noir really matters to you, doesn't it?" asked Ladybug.
"What do you mean?" Cat Noir replied.
"You don't want the battles to end, because being Cat Noir is important to you," Ladybug guessed.
Cat Noir hesitated then nodded. "Being Cat Noir has been the greatest adventure of my life," he admitted.
Ladybug took Cat Noir's hand. "Tell you what. If the impossible happens, and we lose… I'll be the one to give up my Miraculous."
Cat Noir looked at Ladybug fiercely. "I can't let you do that. We may never see each other again if you do!"
"We will!" Ladybug exclaimed. "Because if I have to give up my Miraculous, I will reveal to you my true identity."
Cat Noir was quiet for a moment. "You would do that, for me?"
Ladybug shrugs. "Sometimes I doubt my ability to be a hero. But you never do. And if that happens, I'll find a way to continue helping you."
Cat Noir grinned. "Thank you, my lady."
"How sweet," a voice deadpanned. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned to see that Volpina had regained consciousness. "But you cannot win. All you know is that Hawk Moth's lair is in Paris. You cannot search all of Paris within the hour!" Laughing, Volpina began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving Ladybug and Cat Noir behind.
Ladybug's heart sank. Volpina was right. It was impossible.
"I wonder where Volpina is going?" Cat Noir chattered. "It's not like she has a reason to leave. She was here just to give us Hawk Moth's message."
Ladybug gasped. "That's it!" she cried.
"What's it, my lady?"
"We don't have to search all of Paris! Volpina will lead us right to the villain's lair."