That was it. This was the moment everybody in Paris was hoping for, for the past four years. The reign of terror and akumatisation was about to end.
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The final battle was almost over, after 6 hours straight of fighting, dodging, detransforming, kwami feeding, retransforming, running and using their magic powers.
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Ladybug and Cat Noir were exhausted, even if they had the precious help of all the other kwami holders. Hawkmoth and Mayura got really powerful, and were also older, more experienced and desperate to reach their ultimate goal.
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Mayura now down and guarded by their friends, Ladybug was able to use her third lucky charm (having to hide and detransform twice already) and finally Hawkmoth was unable to move for a few seconds.
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That was the moment of truth. All Chat had to do was to launch himself on the villain and aim for the butterfly brooch with his cataclysm, and everything would be over. He and Ladybug would celebrate their victory, and finally, FINALLY get some rest. Hawkmoth was growing more desperate each day, and the akumas were stronger each time, which meant longer, harder and more frequent fights.
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"CHAT!" yelled Ladybug.
"On it! CATACLYSM!"
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Time seemed to slow down while Ladybug watched her partner launched mid-air, right arm stretched in front of him, his green eyes locked on his target, ready to give everything he had to finish what they started when they were only fourteen.
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His hand covered in black magic griped the butterfly miraculous and ripped it from Hawkmoth's vest. They both fell down, the man screaming, Ladybug's lucky charm giving up under Chat's incredible momentum.
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They tumbled on the ground, rolling and still fighting, Hawkmoth trying to get back his miraculous, even if he knew that it was over. Chat's hand was still firmly closed on the remains of the brooch when he was finally able to pin the villain on the ground, holding him down with his knees and his left hand. He looked down to see the face that was hidden behind the mask, now that his transformation wore off, to see who has been terrorizing his dear city for almost five years now.
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When his green eyes met grey ones, too real, too familiar, he stepped back and fell on his rear, fear spreading on his traits.
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"No... No no no no no no... No! NO!"
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He was now crawling backwards, his legs giving out under him a few times while he tried to get up.
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Ladybug, who couldn't see Hawkmoth's face from where she was, ran as fast as she could to get to her distressed partner.
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"Chat! What's wrong?"
"N-no this... this can't be! Not him!"
"Chat! Chaton... Look at me!"
"T-this can't be real! This can't be..."
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Ladybug didn't have time to look at Hawkmoth's face. Cat noir was already running away and she couldn't leave him alone right now. Carapace had already cast a shield around their enemy, so it was impossible for him to flee. Fully trusting her friends, she ran after he partner.
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"Chat! Wait!"
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He was so fast! She swung herself between the buildings, trying to find a shortcut to reach him faster. She heard her earrings beep once, and at the same time, she saw her best friend missing his jump and about to fall down in an alley.
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She lunched herself towards him and her body collided with his. All she could do was to brace herself as they landed violently on the nearest rooftop. They rolled a few meters on the tiles of the roof, their body tangled, before she could raise her head and look at him.
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"C-Chat! What the hell! Are you ok?! Look at me! Please!"
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He slowly turned his head to look at her, tears streaking down his cheeks. Suddenly, his transformation wore off in a bright flash of green light. A little black creature fell down from his ring, unconscious.
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Ladybug's eyes grew wide, as she recognized her friend.
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"A... Adrien! You... You are..."
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She noticed that his whole body was shaking, that his eyes were wide and his hands were roughly pulling on his hair. Without thinking twice, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him in a tight hug.
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"Adrien... Chat... please, tell me what's wrong... What did you see?..."
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He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm down, and wispered: "My... f-father..."
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Ladybug gasped and put her hand on her mouth, shocked. She immediately held Adrien tighter against her, while he started to sob. He was clearly in shock, and so was she. But she had to stay strong, for Adrien, for her kitty. He would need her support, her friendship.
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She was slowly rubbing his back in circles, trying her best to comfort him when her transformation also ended. Neither of them moved for the next ten minutes. When she felt that he was a bit calmer, she pulled back a little so she could look at him. His eyes were shut, as he wanted to preserve her secret identity.
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"Don't worry, kitty. It's over now. If it's not too much for you right now, I want to show you who I am. If you want to know, of course..."
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He kept his eyes closed, unsure if he was ready for this. He always dreamed of knowing who his lady was, but never in those circumstances.
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"But... what if... what if he gets back the butterfly miraculous? And what about Mayura? It would be too dangerous..."
"Queen Bee sent me a message to let us know that the police was there and they were both taken care of. And for the butterfly miraculous, you're still holding the remains in your hand..."
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Adrien then opened his right hand, revealing a very damaged butterfly brooch. Ladybug covered his hand with hers.
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"I'm sure I can find a way to fix it in the miracle book, and bring Nooroo back. Don't worry. We had no other choice."
"I... I know but still..."
"I want to be there for you chaton, with and without the mask. You can count on me, I will never, NEVER you hear me, never let you down."
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Adrien slowly opened his eyes, to finally look at his lady's face.
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"M-Marinette?!"
"Hey kitty..."
"All... all this time... you... you were in front of me... and I never knew..."
"Neither did I..."
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Adrien pulled her in a tight hug, so glad Ladybug happened to be one of his best friends in his civilian life. They stayed like this for a moment and suddenly, the reality hit him, hard.
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"Oh god... How... How could he do this... and I... I can't to go back to the mansion... I... I have no place to go... I... lost everything..."