[Okay first of all, thank you all for being so patient with me, and second of all, credit for helping come up with the story goes to Commander Rose Kindness. I'll explain a bit on why it was so late at the end of this chapter, but for now, enjoy. :)]

Chapter 2

Alya grabbed Nino for support as she stared wide eyed at the creature floating before her. It looked like some giant red bug. And it was talking. There was a giant, talking bug in front of her, telling them that Ladybug was right there. Okay she must be dreaming. She was so dreaming. Bugs didn't talk, and Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. Wait. Maybe she was just going crazy. That was definitely a possibility...

"NINO HELP AM I DREAMING?" Nino shrunk back as the blogger screamed into his ear while still trying to keep his eye on the 'bug'.

Alya was staring wide-eyed at Nino, and she expected him to reply. To say something, anything to calm her nerves. She was cracking, she knew this would happen. Why did Chloe have to go and erase Mari's memories. That was just, just cruel. A-and mean, and…

"No, no, no, you're not dreaming!" Alya turned to see the bug holding out its, well they looked like hands but she wasn't quite sure, and shaking its head sadly.

The blogger meant to speak, and even opened her mouth to do so, but no words came out. She was clutching Nino's arms and he gently held them in return. He knew this was getting pretty hard for her. And better yet, he knew when to calm down and take charge.

"Uhh, then what even are you? You said that Ladybug is right here. Whadda you mean?"

The bug's 'antenna'...or, whatever they were, drooped slightly and its large eyes fell in a sense of defeat. Or at least that's what it looked like, neither Alya nor Nino knew if giant red bugs could feel human emotions. "Ladybu-Ladybug is your friend…" The bug floated over to the confused child, landing woefully in the girl's open palms. "M-marinette is Ladybug."

Alya reeled back at this sudden burst of information. This bug had just told her that Marinette was Ladybug. But that was absolutely impossible. She knew, oh yeah she knew Mari like the back of her hand. Nothing got past her. Marinette would never have been able to hide if from her, she was a reporter for goodness sake. Her sole purpose since Ladybug appeared had been to discover her identity. There was NO WAY she had been sitting at her side this whole time. NO WAY Ladybug was in her class, sneaking out when and akuma appeared and coming back right as the battle ended. She couldn't possibly just appear at situations the moment they occurred, she would need to already be there-But Marinette had ALWAYS been by her side! She had been there. Always. Except when Ladybug was there. When Ladybug came, Mari was gone… She just vanished… A pigtailed designer replaced by a similarly pigtailed superheroine-"OHMYGOSHWHAT?!"

She couldn't stop staring at Mari. It was SO obvious. Her hair, just look at it! Who else wore pigtails everyday, who else had black hair like that. Who else always had a lame excuse for everything. It was her. It really was. All this time, Alya's best friend had been Ladybug and she hadn't even known. Woah… Just woah...

Marinette, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded. She smiled uncomfortably, not knowing what to do, what to say, or what the strange red thing in her hand was. Earlier this girl had been calling her Marinette, so she assumed that was her name. But now they were calling her Ladybug? She didn't have two names did she? That would be weird… Right? Was having two names normal. And what were all their names again? The people that were talking about her… The girl was like Ala or something. And the boy was like Nono, or Nini? She couldn't really remember. It was a lot of information to take in at once. And the red thing, well, she had no idea what that was. It was alive, but what was it? Umm, didn't things called animals exist? Maybe it was an animal, umm whatever that was.

And now for Nino. Nino was, well, he was confused to say the least. He was doing his best to comfort Alya seeing as she was nearly in hysterics, and Marinette was off in la la land. The bug thing just sat there forlornly. It made him sad just looking at it. Maybe there was something he could do.

"Hey, umm, I don't know your name. Are you okay?"

The bug like creature looked up and Nino could see her eyes brighten a little at the acknowledgment. "My name's Tikki, and oh, I never answered your question from earlier did I?"

The DJ shook his head in response but kept all his attention on 'Tikki'.

"Okay, you might as well know." The creature paused for a moment and sighed quietly. "I'm what's called a kwami. Basically, I have magical abilities that allow me to transform Marinette into Ladybug by flying into her earrings. I'm only telling you this because I have to. And I think you know why... If there was any other way, well, you probably wouldn't be talking to me right now."

The DJ nodded in what he assumed was understanding and looked to the 'kwami' with more importance than before. Most people knew that there was something that allowed Ladybug and Cat Noir to gain their powers, but not many knew what. Hawk Moth had to be after something after all. It was still weird, but in a weird way, it made sense.

"Well, is there anything you can do now that you've told us? Anything we can do to help?"

Tikki looked down in contemplation. Then her head shot up and her face brightened with a new idea.

"Alya!"

The girl turned at the kwami's call, yet still seemed to be somewhat distant at the same time.

Tikki hovered a few inches away from the blogger's face and began explaining her plan. "Alya, you don't know this, but when Marinette first became Ladybug, she almost turned the responsibility over to you. She thought you would have what it takes to be a superhero. So why couldn't you do that now? Just for now, of course. Because right now, we need to focus on getting Marinette's memory back. And the only way to do that, is for someone to become Ladybug, cleanse the akuma, and restore everyone's memories."

The kwami waited in eager anticipation, but the answer she received was far from any she had expected. "I can't be Ladybug. She's been my idol for ages. Even though she's m-my best friend, Ladybug's someone I look up to, not someone I could emulate. She just has so much responsibility on her shoulders, I don't think I could handle it. At least, not while knowing that Marinette's completely helpless, with no memory whatsoever. I mean, what if I messed up? What if, I slipped, and messed everything up? Then Marinette would never remember, she would always be this thoughtless doll. I wouldn't be able to live with myself! I just-I can't do it."

"But, we need you to. You're our only hop-"

"I'll do it."

The kwami turned, amazement blooming in her eyes. "You'll do it? Nino, are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely sure. Alya is clearly too distraught at the moment to do this on her own. And Marinette is too... lifeless, for lack of a better word, right now. I'm the only one who can. If you'll show me what to do, I'll do it. I have to."

Cat Noir groaned as he was knocked down for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It felt like it had been hours since he'd first transformed, and to be completely honest, it probably had been. The boy was just so sore. He'd been thrown around, punched, kicked, and chucked into the river more times than he could count. The hero just couldn't keep it up for much longer. Not without his partner.

If he could, Cat would have tried to get ahold of the akuma and purify it on his own, but unfortunately, only Ladybug was capable of that. Until she showed up, there was nothing he could do. He could always try to find and get the item from Forget-Me-Not, but what then? He had definitely seen the affects of an unpurified akuma roaming freely through Paris, and he wasn't too eager to see it again.

Every minute, no, every second, Cat had been telling himself that Ladybug would show. That once she arrived, everything would be okay.

But still, she was nowhere to be found. Not too long after starting the fight, he had began to wonder if his lady was okay. Surely she would come to his aid if she could, right? If she could. If. That short little word brought dread to the hero's heart. What if she was hurt? What if she was dead? Or what if she had another, more important battle to fight, and he wasn't there to help her?! Gah! All he really wanted to know was that she was okay. He hoped she was...because he needed her.

As the hero raised his head from the cold cement he was now lying on, he saw Forget-Me-Not about to hit him with another blow. He growled in frustration and managed to roll to the side just in time.

He was still confused as to why she was hitting him with solely physical attacks. He was there when she had transformed, and he assumed she would use powers dealing with the mind. And though he had seen her doing so to other civilians and friends of his, she still had yet to hit him with a mind wipe.

Since he had the time, Adrien had been thinking it over in his head for a while now, and he had come up with two possible reasons for him still having his memory. One, the akuma inside Chloe subconsciously knew he was Adrien and refused to harm him, or two, the akuma wouldn't risk emptying his mind till Ladybug showed up. Or maybe, they needed information. What if that had been her plan all along? Spend so much time tiring him out so they could capture him and get information about the miraculous, or quite possibly their secret identities. Maybe both. Either way, if that was her plan, well, it was working.

On his feet once more, Cat dodged another volley of misty black orbs coming his way, and looked around again for any sign of his lady. But sadly, his short search was in vain. She wasn't coming was she? Something was keeping her, it had to be. But how could he help her? He head no idea where she was or what was going on. What if-no, wait a sec. Was that his baton beeping?

In rushed agitation, Cat skidded behind an empty bus and opened his stick in its phone mode. A little message in the corner simply read 'omw' signed as Ladybug. Oh thank goodness. She was on her way. He had no idea why she was using text when they almost always just called each other, but still, she was okay. If she was coming, surely she was alright. Cat sighed, she was coming. Everything would be okay now. She would make it all okay.

With renewed energy, Cat sprang into the air with an angered look passing over the akuma's face. In return, he grinned and shot his stick toward the villain while he was still in the air.

Forget-Me-Not was raging by now, so she grabbed the extended baton with her diamond clad hands and swung it to the ground with such force, that Cat was very unsure how he had managed to let go.

But let go he did, and he now floated just a few feet above the ground, ready to make a run for his baton and begin fighting back once he hit the hard earth. But regrettably, he never got the chance.

Mere milliseconds before he could hit the ground, Adrien was thrown across the street and slammed into the wall of a tall brick building with a sickening thud. He then flopped to the ground and groaned as the now grinning villain began prowling his way. The blow hadn't hurt him really, but it had surely knocked the air out of him for the time being. He needed a minute to get his breath back, but Forget-Me-Not was clearly uninterested in this.

Cat did all he could to shield himself as Chloe raised her arm in preparation for an attack, but as he did so, he caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye.

WHAM!

Forget-Me-Not went reeling backwards at the sudden blow to the head. The polka dotted yoyo swung through the air, returning somewhat gracefully to its owner who was currently blocked out by the bright sunlight.

Cat blinked in the light and looked on at who he thought was his lover.

"My lady…"

All he could bear was a whisper, but as 'his lady' turned, he realized it wasn't a lady at all. This ladybug was a man. Well, more like a boy, but still.

"Dude, did I hit her? Can't see too well in this sun, yo."

The personage whom 'he' had hit growled frighteningly and looked to the newcomer with indignation in her eyes.

"Oh, you hit her. And you're really gonna regret it!"

Cat moved. That little distraction had been what he needed to get back on his feet again, Whoever this guy was, he certainly didn't know what he was doing, He needed help now, and fast.

Forget-Me-Not prepared another volley of attacks while 'Ladybug' stood in confusion, struggling with his yoyo and attempting to get out of the way. Just as the akuma threw her next attack, Cat leapt straight towards his 'partner' and knocked him out of the way, just in time.

The bedraggled boy shook his head and turned to face Cat Noir for a second. "Thanks bro-"

"Who are you?! Where's Ladybug?"

Cat didn't know what he was expecting, but he knew this guy wasn't Ladybug. And if he had the outfit, he must know where she was. Wait was she okay? If this guy had done anything to her-! Okay Cat, calm down. Ladybug would have only given up the miraculous if it was her only choice, and only to someone she trusted. Well, either that or she wasn't given a choice! How did he know this guy was legit? Had he stolen her miraculous or been given them? And where in the world was his Ladybug?

"Yo, no need to freak out, I'm subbing in for LB today. She kinda can't fight right now. Gotta defeat this akuma or whatever if you want her fighting again."

"Wait I gotta ask, did she give you her miraculous willingly-"

"Watch out!" Just as Cat looked up, he saw another barrage of black energy heading his way. 'Ladybug' had somewhat pushed them out of the way, but Cat got the two just far enough to prevent being hit. Man, of all the days for his bad luck to act up…

The new Ladybug began talking as he stood up and began moving around. Cat followed suit.

"Not exactly willingly… Tbh, she can't really remember who she is, the bug uhh, kwami thing gave me the miraculous though. It's all good."

Wait a sec. If this guy knew about the kwami, then he must have seen Ladybug when she was detransformed! It would be a lie to say that Cat wasn't at least a bit jealous…. But on the other hand, Ladybug didn't know who she was. Not that he knew who she was either. Man, Chloe must have gotten her somehow. And not only that, but she had probably gotten Marinette too! That was what had caused her to get akumized in the first place! Crap! Ladybug had lost her memory, and if Marinette hadn't already, she probably would soon!

But at the moment, Forget-Me-Not seemed to be getting sick of their battle. She now wore a nasty expression on her face and was charging up her next volley of attacks. And that was when Cat saw it. The ring. It was pitch black, and really, it was the only thing that stood out from her outfit (well, besides the diamond claws perhaps). Now he just needed a distraction. And after looking at the new polka dotted superhero, he'd found one.

While snapping his baton to his back, the cat ran to stand behind his temporary partner. He held the boy's shoulders and stood hunched behind him as if he were a shield.

"Bro, what are you doing?"

Adrien merely grinned as he prepared for his next 'attack'. Forget-Me-Not looked somewhat bewildered, but she was already preparing to strike once again. So then he charged. Or rather, 'Ladybug' charged. With all the force he could muster, Cat Noir shoved the new hero straight towards their enemy. 'Ladybug' certainly hadn't been expecting that, but neither had Forget-Me-Not. The two crashed into each other as Cat took a step back to admire his handiwork. As soon as they were on the ground though, he sprang forward and grabbed the first hand he could find. Red. Not hers. He grabbed another. This one was diamond, but wore no ring. Not good. Just as he spotted the ring, he reached out to grab it, but this time she was ready for him. Using her pointed boots as a weapon, Forget-Me-Not shoved her feet out and Cat along with them. The shoes dug into his chest, and it hurt of course, but they didn't quite puncture his suit. He would probably have a nasty bruise later though. Dang.

Cat held his chest in pain and looked back at the two. Forget-Me-Not was getting to her feet, and 'Ladybug', well, he was rolling away, shouting something the cat couldn't qute make out. Then suddenly, it all became clear.

"Cat! I got it, I got it!"

The hero was lying on the ground, holding a small, black ring in the air. He looked triumphant and proud to have snatched it, but Cat knew the battle wasn't over yet.

Forget-Me-Not was furious by now. She stood there, holding her hand to her face and screamed at both the lack of a certain black ring, and at the new Ladybug.

They needed to act, fast.

"LB! Crush it! Step on it! Do something, and hurry!"

As the red clad hero recognized the words spoken, his eyes widened and he nodded Cat's way before throwing the ring to the ground.

Chloe, still in akuma form, rushed to get her ring back, but thankfully, 'Ladybug' smashed it just in time. Forget-Me-Not screamed as she saw her last hope being crushed before her eyes, but 'Ladybug' simply stood and watched happily as the butterfly flew away. As it flew away.

Cat couldn't help it, he began screaming at his partner. He couldn't go through that again. "Purify it! Catch it! Don't just stand there!"

But it was too late. Cat rose to his feet, still clutching his side with one hand and grabbing his stick with the other. He attempted to propel himself upwards to catch the butterfly, but just as he was within reach, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he fell to the ground with a loud thump.

'Ladybug' rushed to help him, concern and confusion covering his face, but it was too late.

"No no no no no..."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow and swatted down to face Cat.

"Hey you oka-"

"No no no we're screwed. I can't do this again. Not without her!" Cat honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. Yeah the akuma escaped and they were totally screwed, but they could fix it, right? Right?

Aaaaarrrrgghh! Okay, he needed to calm down. He knew exactly why he was freaking out, he just needed to accept it. Just... He sighed. Ladybug. And not this phony. He needed his Ladybug-

"Uhh, dude, what's wrong? We beat her right?"

Cat looked over at the now detransformed Chloe. To anyone else, it looked like everything had been fixed. That everything was okay. But Cat knew better. Oh he knew it better than them all. "No. You didn't purity the akuma. You made it worse. She'll be back."

[Real quick here, this was originally a collab with Commander Rose Kindness, but things didn't really work out so i'll be writing this on my own from now on and updates should be more regular (around weekly probably but whenever i can get to it), i hope you all understand and i also hope you'll enjoy this story as much as i do :)]