Chapter 4: Catastrophe

The cold air stung her face as she flew from roof to roof. She could barely even remember how she escaped her burning house, but she knew that she had barely gotten out without being ripped to shreds or set ablaze.

She tried to remain emotionless through all of this, knowing that getting upset would only make this harder for her. She knew that it wasn't truly him. It was the akuma that was making him this way.

But the fact that he, Chat and Adrien, still got akumatized still nipped at the back of her thoughts. They both didn't deserve to feel this way, and the thought of her possibly being the cause made tears spring from her eyes as she ran.

She glanced quickly behind her and saw the flash of white staying close behind. Behind him was the trails of fire he was leaving on the rooftops. She wondered quickly if he had been doing that the entire time, and tried not to think about the people inside those buildings.

"You can't run forever," she heard Chat shout, and cringed when she realized he was right. The more she ran, the more she let him spread the fire. And maybe the Miraculous power could heal wounds and fix damaged property, but she was certain it couldn't bring people back to life. If there was going to be a casualty tonight, she would only let it be her own.

Ladybug turned direction quickly, which set her in the right path for where she decided to go, but gave Chat an advantage on getting a few meters closer. She could hear the crackle of the flames over her heavy breathing, and could feel the heat of it at her back.

Fortunately, she saw her destination come into view. Unfortunately, she found herself at the wrong side of the ornate structure, and was running out of time to try and find the entrance.

She stopped at the edge of the building, and turned around to find that he had stopped as well. She sighed with relief, but still watched him carefully. He stood perfectly still aside from his tail swishing back and forth, and grinned terribly at her as though she was nothing but a bug under his boot.

Plagg was suddenly at her side again. She had forgotten he was following her. "Ladybug, what are you doing?" She only shushed him in response.

"What's wrong Ladybug," Chat sneered. She cringed at the way he said her name. He always filled her name and nicknames with affection and kindness, but now his voice twisted it into something full of loathing. "Giving up already?"

Ladybug was still trying to catch her breath from the run. How did he have so much energy? He looked as though it was nothing but a quick jog for him. "No," Ladybug stated firmly. "I won't give up until you are back to yourself."

That only seemed to annoy him. He balled his hands into fists at his sides and the purple flames were extinguished. "Back to the wimp that stood in the shadows of the girl he pined over?" He laughed sarcastically and began to saunter over to her. "No way. I'm much stronger now. Unstoppable."

She quickly looked behind her at the dance studio and wondered if her plan would work. When she turned back to Chat, he was much closer. "That's what you think, Chat. But I thought you knew more than anyone that evil never wins. I will be able to take you down."

Chat smirked again, causing Ladybug's stomach to churn. "Try me, Ladybug," he spat, and then pounced on her. Instead of dodging him this time, she prepared herself for the blow and hoped that once he slammed into her, the plan would work.

He didn't seem to expect her to stay where she was, so he clumsily crashed into her. The force of the collision caused the both of them to fly back towards the dance studio behind them.

Ladybug felt the cold wind on her back as the two of them flew through the air. She took a deep breath as time began to slow down, and wished for some of Tikki's luck. After she exhaled, she closed her eyes, and braced for impact.

The two figures went crashing through the window of the studio, and landed with a crash against the dark wood floors. Ladybug's ears rang from the shattering of the glass and the impact, but she didn't let that stop her. She shook her head slowly and then looked quickly to her surroundings.

"Are you alright?" Plagg hissed somewhere by her ear.

"I'll be fine," she replied quickly, and pushed herself up. The floor was stained black by the darkness, but the moonlight left bleached tiles on the floor, and lit up the pieces of glass that were scattered across the empty room like a spilled box of diamonds.

Chat groaned and rolled over onto his back beside her. "You'll regret that," he grumbled, and began to get back up.

Ladybug stood up and felt her energy start to come back to her. She knew that she would be able to keep her luck, energy, and health up until she used her lucky charm, so she hoped that tonight she could win without it.

Chat Noir stood up next, and then it was just the two of them facing each other in the empty room. Mirrors along the walls gave her a view of him from every angle, and she knew that it would make it easier to fight him.

Instead of making another move, he froze. She watched curiously as a pink butterfly glowed around his face. It illuminated his features with a purple glow. His eyes darted back and forth as he listened to something she couldn't hear. Instead, she heard his responses.

"Yes, Hawkmoth. Her earrings? But what if I- Yes. I can do that."

"Don't listen to him," Ladybug stated finally. Chat looked to her and frowned. "I thought you were better than that."

The pink butterfly faded and Chat rolled his glowing magenta eyes. He sighed and then held his hands behind his back. "Look, Ladybug, you don't have to fight me. You could just make this easy, and join me."

"Join you?" Ladybug asked incredulously. "I made a promise to protect the city I love. As did you."

Chat scoffed. "Hawkmoth has an akuma waiting for you. If you agree to join us, he will give you power. More than you already have." Chat paused and slowly walked towards his old partner and new enemy. "I, of course, will be the leader, but we can dominate Paris - and even the World - together."

"Unlike you," Ladybug started. "I don't need the help of a villain to be strong. I do that all on my own."

Chat stopped about a foot away from her. She saw herself reflected in the white of his mask and tried to swallow down her fear quietly. His gaze dug into her skin, and his devilish smirk revealed his pointed teeth.

"I was strong, but now I'm much stronger." He lifted his hands and looked at them for a few moments before glancing back up to her. "Now, I have unlimited power. In both hands. I'm much faster. I'm so much stronger." His tail swung around quickly and stopped with the point centimeters from her neck. "Everything about me is … deadlier."

"But how reliable is Hawkmoth," Ladybug stammered, finally being able to look away from the glinting spear at the end of his tail. "How long will you have these powers before he betrays you and takes your miraculous completely away."

Chat looked taken aback for a moment before becoming frustrated. "No," he said simply. "We made a deal. Now it's your turn. What will it be?"

Chat leaned in towards ladybug. His nose brushed up against hers, and she couldn't help but shudder. A couple of days ago, she would have found the gesture normal with a hint of playfulness. But now, she didn't want to be near him. This wasn't the Chat she knew. This wasn't the Chat she loved.

In a fit of frustration, she fired her fist straight towards his head. Right before colliding with his temple, he reached up and caught her hand. He was right when he said that he was stronger. He made it seem that it took no effort at all to hold her hand back.

She sucked in a breath as he turned his head to look at her fist. His fingers tightened around hers, and she felt his long claws break the skin on her hand. When he turned back to look her in the eyes, he only looked disappointed.

"Oh, ladybug," He whispered. The sound was a mix between a purr and a growl. "You chose wrong."