"Adrien?!" Ladybug shrieked, her voicing rising in pitch.
"Yup, it's me, m'lady," Adrien smiled sheepishly.
AdrienisCatNoirAdrienisCatNoirAdrienisCatNoirAdrienis… No! Ladybug gave herself a shake, trying to refocus her thoughts on the one thing in this situation that still made sense to her: the akuma.
"I don't have time for this right now," her voice was shaky, still speaking in high-pitched tones, but she tried to calm herself. There was time for conversations later, right now there was a villain on the loose. Ladybug casually flicked out her yoyo to smash the chains, then turned and jumped out the window.
"I got his chain for you, m'lady!" Adrien called after her.
Ladybug used her yoyo to swing skillfully through the air, landing on the roof gracefully. Binder was still up there, away from the edge now and studying something small and black in his hand. The miraculous.
Adrien is Cat Noir. Despite her trying to focus, Ladybug couldn't shake that thought from her head. Suddenly everything made sense to her. It felt like she's been provided a mess of puzzle pieces and only just found the one that connects them all. Now that she knew it, it was so obvious she was surprised she didn't see it before.
Of course he is, she told herself, charging at Binder, that's why he was trying to get me back together with Adrien, because he is Adrien!
Binder was slow, incredibly slow. He hardly realized what was going on before Ladybug had reached him, kicking him in the gut. He stumbled back from the force of the blow, reacting so slowly, as if moving through molasses.
Of course he is, her mind was reeling now, putting everything together, Adrien said he was in love with someone else. It was with me, with Ladybug!
Ladybug realized that Binder wasn't moving slowly, she was moving faster. Her body seemed to move instinctively, with a passion behind it that surprised her. She dropped to ground and swept Binder's leg, knocking him on his back with a loud thump.
Of course he is. Every time Cat Noir didn't show up, I was with Adrien! Simon Says, Riposte, Gorizilla… And lost his miraculous? Ha! He was a glitter statue, that's why Cat Noir never showed up!
Almost at the same instant he hit the ground, Ladybug's hand shot out to grab the miraculous from Binder's giant mitt. Her superhero instincts were driving her forward, pushing her beyond her normal limits, but there was more than that. As her head swam with this new epiphany, her heart was filled with an outpouring of love that she had never felt before, and that gave her a strength she never could have imagined.
I love him! she realized, I love Adrien, but I've also come to love Cat Noir! And he loves me, both as Ladybug and as Marinette!
Binder rolled away and onto his feet, looking desperate as he tried to get into a defensive stance. Ladybug put the miraculous in the safest place she could think: on her finger. She clenched her fist tight, making sure it was securely in place before pressing the attack once again.
We're in love! She felt so elated, she could hardly describe the feeling. After so many months of unrequited love, finally she realized he did feel the same way about her that she did about him. Now, together, they could be stronger, and they could defeat Hawk Moth once and for all.
Binder was driven back by the onslaught, unable to hold a candle to this new, empowered Ladybug. Within moments he was knocked flat on his back again. Ladybug expertly jumped over, did a flip, and pulled his helmet off as she landed. Before she could attempt to break it, a cloud of dark energy materialized in front of her.
With unparalleled glee, Hawk Moth watched through Binder's eyes as Cat Noir dropped into the alleyway, his miraculous left behind.
"Finally! Cat Noir's power of destruction is mine!" he declared, his voice echoing throughout the empty chamber. "Binder," he turned his attention back to his villain, "Look into the alley. I want to see that Cat Noir is gone for good."
"Yes, Hawk Moth," the deep voice rumbled in response. He stepped closer to the edge, peering down, but there was no sign of anyone.
"Hmm, Ladybug must've saved him before he hit the ground," Hawk Moth reasoned, "but that doesn't matter. Without Cat Noir, she'll be no match for you. You've already won, Binder!"
Binder stepped back from the edge, now lifting up the ring to inspect it more closely. "It's real this time," Hawk Moth spoke to himself, as he often did, "No salt dough this time. I've already won half the battle, and soon Ladybug's earrings will be mine as well!"
As he said this, Ladybug reappeared, flipping over the edge of the roof and landing not too far away. Before he had a chance to bark out any orders, or before Binder had even had an opportunity to realize what happened, Ladybug was charging him, rapidly closing the distance. Her foot connected with Binder's gut, winding him.
"Get me her miraculous!" Hawk Moth ordered harshly. Binder was stumbling back from the blow, stunned not just from the hit, but the speed at which it came. He tried turning on his attacker, but then his feet were swept out from under him, sending him sprawling on his back. The moment he fell, his prize was lost to him. Ladybug's hand shot out swiftly, grabbing the miraculous.
"No!" Hawk Moth yelled, suddenly feeling his victory slipping away, "Get it back!"
Binder rolled away into a crouching position, quickly getting to his feet. He was shocked by the initial speed and strength of her attack, but now he seemed to have recovered. Hawk Moth watched through his eyes as Ladybug slipped the ring onto her finger.
That was when Hawk Moth saw the expression on her face. There was determination, that persistence in fighting to the very end. He had seen that look on her face plenty of times, but there was more to it than that, something that had allowed her to move with such speed and strength that even Hawk Moth saw hardly more than a blur.
Love.
He gasped at the realization, suddenly fearful at this epiphany. He saw love in her eyes, an intense love and a need to protect that love. He knew the feeling well. It was love that drove his campaign of terror throughout the city. It was love that pushed him forward, and that made him unstoppable. Now he saw that same look on Ladybug's face, and it scared him.
Where did this come from? Hawk Moth found himself wondering, watching hopelessly as his villain, who only moments ago had reached his greatest success, was now being beaten back without a hope. He kept focus on her eyes, seeing in them that same, ferocious determination to protect someone she loved that he felt, and realized immediately that this battle was over.
Hawk Moth watched dejectedly as his champion was knocked to the ground and his akumatized helmet was pulled off. Hawk Moth's shoulders slumped with abject defeat. Before Ladybug could destroy the helmet, though, something happened. Hawk Moth looked up in shock as dark energy materialized in front of Ladybug, causing her to drop the helmet in shock. With a gasp, Hawk Moth knew exactly what had happened.
Mayura!