Symbiotic Whiskers

Chapter 8

With the mayor's declaration, a city shouting for answers and solutions, and the weight of a death on his head, Cat Noir had decided to take a short break from it all to see how things turned out. In no way would he abandon Ladybug if something happened, but right now there was so much on his mind he would rather focus on the smaller things.

From trying to keep tabs on Sabrina, to school, photoshoots, personal lessons and more, Adrien was living a little more to make up for the loss of someone else's. Right now, that meant fencing classes, which he might have accidentally set a new standard on himself that if he let slip his fencing instructor would not let go.

The thought occurred at times to fence without his suit hiding underneath, but if he tried to match the performance of himself with the reflexes and speed of a superhero in hiding the gap would be too large to go unnoticed.

Still, not like he had plans to live life without his silent companion, this was the new standard now. Even if that meant keeping Marinette on her toes.

"WaH!" Marinette flung herself back to avoid the lunge of the non lethal fencing sword, Adrien pulling himself back to let her regain her balance.

Tryouts were today, and who knew Marinette actually like fencing enough to tolerate him. Or maybe this was just another one of her friendship ploys to try and overcome her distaste for him by taking an interest in what he does.

Who knew why Marinette had issues with who he was?

"Don't be discouraged." Adrien took a few steps back, sword at his side and relaxed. "You actually have good reflexes."

"Only at dodging." Marinette stood back upright, keeping himself at a sword's length away as she readied herself for another attack. "I haven't landed a single hit on you."

"None of us have in months!" Another student called out, not envying Marinette's position.

"Yeah." A boy, flicking away his competition with a swish of his blade, spoke up. "The only thing he has to learn is how to not break the training swords."

"Wow." Marinette feigned obliviousness, like she hadn't spent hours of her life watching him dominate the class, wishing she was in their place. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Focus on the goal ahead of you." Adrien held up his blade in front of his body, Marinette mirroring him. "All you have to do, is try to touch me-"

She quivered to herself at the thought.

"-and even if you don't, our instructor has a keen enough eye to notice talent. You last long enough, you'll have plenty of opportunities to try and beat me."

She accepted with renewed vigor, ready to take a daring strike to secure her position as Adrien's personal touching buddy. That was the proper fencing term right?

"Which one of you is the best?"

A voice called out, Marinette pulling herself out of her fantasy as she realized that someone in red fencing gear had arrived challenging the class. More specifically-

"Adrien Agreste." The instructor called out with a point of his sword, Adrien stepping forward to accept the challenge. "Please give this potential student a lesson in humility."

"Yes sir." With an ounce of pity for the over eager fencer, Adrien stepped over towards their scoring machine and allowed one of the students to plug him in as his fiery opponent attached it in herself. One by one, they gave small taps against their suits with their blades to allow the machine to briefly calibrate itself and prove its response time.

Marinette's hopes to join fell flat as she saw the brief demonstrative swings the red fencer had to offer to taunt their opponent, but Adrien gave none. He was relaxed, his sword barely raised as his opponent seemed ready to run him through.

"En garde!" The instructor rose his hand, keeping an eye on the newcomer instead of Adrien as if his moves were already predicted.

"Pret."

The intruder was shifting their weight back and forth on each foot, keeping light and active with their nerves alive. Adrien kept his calm and relaxed demeanor, only further insulting the challenger.

"Allez!"

They charged with a quick burst of energy, lunging hard and fast as Adrien kept himself still and steady. Once the sword was only six inches away from his chest did he twirl his wrist, knocking the blade away. As they prepared to back off, get in another swing, Adrien had already brought the tip of his sword against their shoulder.

The score blared, lighting Adrien's side green as the match ended.

"Touche. Point!" The instructor motioned to Adrien, the boy never having moved his foot to gain it.

His opponent quickly realized this was not as easy as predicted, taking a much more cautious approach as they backed off.

"En garde. Pret, allez!"

With refinement and speed, they danced their sword through the air into a blur as they sped forward, keeping their guard up and ready to intercept any attack. If they were fast enough to do so, Adrien was able to locate a momentary gap and pierce through it.

The score machine blared once again, favoring Adrien.

"Yes!" Marinette shouted, interrupting the reverence held for the sport.

It didn't matter anyways, because as the duelist who arrived to seize victory unclipped themself from the machine, shook Adrien's hand, and departed without a word, utterly shamed.

"Bye then." Adrien, with a hint of passive aggressiveness spoke out. They just show up, demand to fence, and leave stomping away like a spoiled toddler? Chloe's face came to mind, and he immediately regretted his internal judgements.

Because they were a good fencer, their speed and technique is something to be feared for anyone else. But not them, the suit and Adrien as one, it was never a fair fight. He glanced down to his own sword, noticing the cink in the metal as he had lost count how many he had ruined. He still had room for improvement too.

Though as he was distracted by his internal musings, Marinette noticed something chasing after the defeated opponent. "An akuma."

Zoe's application for the local school was taking longer than expected, from her mother simply not caring to her step father locking himself away at every opportunity. Sometimes she heard yelling, and occasionally peeping out of her room to notice an officer or two coming to talk to him personally, probably about his declaration of war against Cat Noir.

She wasn't in a rush, instead she was busy with her own problems. Aka how to not get Plagg from eating the entire kitchen cheese supply.

"Come on!" The little kitty kwami whined as Zoe stood between him and the door. "You can't just let me sit here knowing there's all that neglected delicacies!"

"If you eat too much at once someone will notice and they'll start raising questions, investigating, and maybe even start importing their cheese instead of keeping it here and you can say goodbye to it entirely!"

"Oh alright." Plagg conceded, allowing himself to only eat five pounds a day on average. For now. "But we still have room service?"

"Yes." Now that this was finally resolved, Zoe let her arms down and made her way over to the couch where a notepad rested. Flipping over onto the first page, she was ready to resume their other discussion of far more importance. "So tell me more about how these powers work?"

"Ugh I thought we went over this already." Plagg hovered over to sit on the plate where he searched for a few remaining crumbs of his last meal. "You say 'Plagg, claws out'. I enter your miraculous, you get a new outfit that enhances your human body alongside some cat perks, a staff that extends as far as you want, and you can use a 'cataclysm' which will destroy anything you touch. But once you use it you have only a few minutes before you change back and I have to eat before you can super hero it up again. Happy?"

"Uh huh." Zoe made sure to get everything down, and once she had a full sheet of what she would have, she compared it with another. Cat Noir, and the several differences there are but also how some things were really similar. She had been given the opportunity of a lifetime to try and find out more about the details regarding Chloe's death and hopefully give some closure to her father.

Or, possibly bring Cat Noir to justice with or without Ladybug's help. Right now she knew so little and she needed to cover all her bases. There was also one detail she wanted to figure out before anything.

Is Adrien Cat Noir?

"So what about other holders?" Zoe questioned the small feline who didn't seem very interested in the discussion. "Can you tell me about them?"

"I could share some things, for a price." Plagg began to bargain.

"This is serious." Zoe shut the kitty down. "Can you let me spin sticky yarn?"

"That sounds gross, why would anyone want to do that?"

"Because Cat Noir does, or did." Grabbing her phone and turning on her fancy smart television with it, she pulled up a video of Cat Noir's public footage, Plagg glancing at it from the corner of his eye. "Were you helping Cat Noir, when he killed my sister?"

"WOAH WHAT?!" Plagg shooting up with full attention smacked his face against the ridiculously high definition video. "He killed your sister?!"

"I don't know!" Zoe closed tossed her notebook onto the table next to her. "That's why I'm asking you! Isn't Cat Noir your previous holder? Please, because if you are then I know who-"

"No way!" Plagg growled towards the screen, watching the news continue to cover Cat Noir and questioning whether he would return or not given the mayor's declaration and if that's good or bad. "This copy cat is a perverted version of my awesome powers! Come on Zoe, say the word and we'll go cataclysm this guys' butt!

Instead of being more angry, or filled with righteous fury, Zoe let out a relieved sigh. Adrien wasn't Cat Noir, good, but how come he still had the ring?

"I need to ask him something first, or Ladybug." Zoe uttered as she fidgeted with the magical ring on her hand. "I, want to know what happened that night."

The news channel changed, a switch in the program as breaking news erupted announcing a new akuma slicing their way through Paris.

"Well what better way to talk to find a superhero than when there's a supervillain?" Plagg's words of wisdom actually held true to her this time, Zoe moving nervously to the window as she clenched her fist tightly to reflect back on the ring.

"Plagg, claws out."

Adrien was in the back of his car, letting his bodyguard drive him home as he relaxed his head against the headrest and began to tune out the world. Being Cat Noir used to be an escape, but now he's avoiding it. He really wished he could swing freely through Paris again, no worries about police potentially shooting him down or even Ladybug deciding it would be easier to turn him in. She didn't seem like the type though, but then he thought about how Marinette would react.

She didn't question why he showed up, only making sure he was taken care of. He never wanted to betray her kindness, only to repay it somehow.

Akuma

Adrien's body lurched back of its own will, his eyes throwing themselves open as the car he was in was cut clean in half by a blade of silver.

"Adrien!" The woman of metal with her right arm shifted into a large blade kicked his half of the car away from his driver, isolating him from everyone else. "I demand a rematch, only this time I will prove myself!"

It was one thing being absurdly good at fencing, but how was he supposed to keep his identity secret if the villain went straight for him?! His salvation came in the form of a yo yo, smacking the blade to the side and giving him enough time to slip out the other side.

"Stay back from him!" Ladybug ordered in reserved fury.

The akumatized victim rushed with a barrage of stabs, Ladybug spinning her yo yo around to serve as a shield as she continued to back away. Her attacks were precise, quick, and deadly. Barely able to hold her off Ladybug needed to fallback and hope Cat Noir was still available.

"Adrien!" She yelled out as she ducked over to where she just saw the boy. "We need to-"

He was gone, nowhere to be seen. How could she lose track of him so fast? Still, if he was keeping himself hidden then good, she could focus on fighting this villain.

Just across the street, Adrien crawled up the side of a building, his suit rushing over him and letting Cat Noir make his return. He could care less what Paris thought of him, Ladybug needed help this time and no matter what she thought of him he would be at her aid.

Their fight went up to the rooftops, Ladybug running with her opponent as Cat Noir kept in hot pursuit. He went down on all fours, sprinting faster as his claws dug up the bricks and shingles underneath.

Five blocks, four, two, he was ready to pounce until something new came across his senses.

Another player entered the scene, pole vaulting with a silver rod that retracted to fit back in their hand. They spun it above, bringing it down in a solid attack onto the enemy.

Cat Noir scraped and slid to a halt, grinding his deepening claws through someone's roof. A second akumatized person? But they were attacking the person who was attacking him.

He snuck back to observe from the shadows, Cat Noir closely examining this new person. They had starch white hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, a black borderline latex outfit with a white trim around the collar, boots, and cuffs. A tail made from a leather belt, a bell tangling from a choker, some fake cat ears, and a black domino mask showing off her electric blue cat eyes.

Another copycat?

"Hey Ladybug!" The enthusiastic girl helped Ladybug with their defense, spinning her staff as a shield in a similar manner as the other heroine. "I saw what was happening and well, I figured I could help."

"Who are you? What happened to Cat Noir?"

Their swordswoman pulled away, listening to a voice no one else could hear as she scowled towards the heroes.

"You can call me, Kitty?" The new girl proposed, before dodging under a slash and lashing out with her own staff.

"No way!" Ladybug threw her yo yo out in an attempt to ensare their foe. "I already call Cat Noir that!"

"Oh, you gave him a pet name?"

"It's not a pet name! It's a nickname!"

"But he's a cat."

"Come up with something else!" Ladybug threw her yo yo up, proclaiming "Lucky charm" to summon a gallon of cooking oil.

"Ok then." Pointing her staff at the villain, she extended it in a quick burst that sent the girl backwards to smack against one of the chimneys. "What about, Black Cat?"

"That's hardly any different than Cat Noir!" Ladybug threw it straight forward, the villain slicing it cleanly and letting the contents spill all over her.

"Well I'm not going by Cat Woman or Cat Girl!" Noticing the villain slipping, unable to get a foothold and the sword waving around wildly, the yet to be named heroine activated her power of destruction and ran ahead.

Luck was on their side, because the blade fell right into the girl's palm and disintegrated. The dark akuma was released, Ladybug capturing it and cleaning it from Hawkmoth's dark influence, and let it free.

They managed to do it, work as a team right away and get the job done, all without him. Cat Noir leapt back down to the street, letting his suit shift back into his clothes as he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked out towards the road. He saw the rush of butterflies run above him, filled with many questions but one was answered.

Paris didn't need Cat Noir anymore, it hated him, so what reason did he have to go back into the hero scene? It felt off knowing there was another cat themed hero running around, especially since he wasn't aware there could be. At some point he was chosen to do this according to Ladybug, so whoever chose must have picked someone else to carry on being her partner.

"Few!" Zoe whipped her forehead, pleased with the results of her first time as a superhero. "So Ladybug, I had a few questions that-"

"I have some first." With a frightening amount of hostility, a yo yo spun around the girl's arms before Ladybug completely entangled her. "How did you get Cat Noir's miraculous?!"

"I was given it!" Zoe quickly defended herself, and the slow unsettling horror began to seep into Ladybug's heart.

Someone for some reason chose two people to wield the miraculouses, and they could take them back if one of them messed up. Or, Cat Noir gave his away. No chat, no goodbye, not even a note?

If he didn't have his miraculous anymore, then would she never see him again?

"Um, hey." Zoe spoke up form her bonds, pointing towards her flashing ring. "We're going to turn back soon, and while I do want to talk more I'm pretty sure my kwami mentioned something about us keeping our identities secret."

She could talk to her kwami right away? The one that Cat Noir worked so hard just to get a single moment with? It wasn't fair, he did everything he could, fought so hard to gain control of himself and his powers, and now that he was able to and saved her life that was the end of things?

Ladybug released her hold of Zoe, taking a couple steps away from the girl before mentally planning her route home.

Noting her quiet change, Zoe grew concerned. "Um, Ladybug?"

"If I'm going to work with you, you need to figure out a name." With a spin of her magical tool and a leap out into the road, Ladybug swung off to be alone.

Hurt, betrayed, and flooded with a new wave of guilt Ladybug got as much distance as she could before finding somewhere to be alone. He just left her, before she could make things right with him. It was hard being helpful all the time as Ladybug for him, but without his miraculous how would she get to see him when he showed up to pick up some chocolates?

Where was her lost kitty at?

Marinette didn't even make it home right after, instead she was taking the much slower route by simply walking. Walking past the people on the street that were safe that day, walking past the screens replaying the mayor's announcement of his warning to Cat Noir, walking past the news of a new hero replacing Cat Noir.

Finally, walking past the statue that was made in their honor together. Marinette contemplated visiting it, if there wasn't yellow hazard tape closing off the area.

"No, please don't do this!" The artist, the one who made it was being dragged away from the scene by police as a crew of construction workers began to approach the image of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"Sorry, mayor's orders." The officer huffed as he pushed the man outside the barrier.

"This isn't just art, it's history!" The man defiantly held his ground. "You can't just pretend it never happened!"

"It hasn't even been up a year. Besides, they're criminals now."

"Not Ladybug! She must have given someone else Cat Noir's powers!"

"She refused to bring him in and took justice into her own hands." The officer tapped the handcuffs he kept on his belt, giving the man a warning. "Don't make her mistake."

"She doesn't make mistakes, she's an icon, an inspiration to us all!"

Don't be so sure.

Marinette ducked her head down, moving past the scene and just wanting to get home. The sooner the better because as far as she was concerned her day was over. Watching only her feet, a little whisper peeped up from her bag.

"Marinette, you don't look so good."

"I thought we were partners Tikki." The teen kept her voice low. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't blame him, and that I would have his back no matter what."

"You tried your best to help him. That's what matters."

"But I haven't done everything I can for him yet. I could've publicly denounced the mayor's stupid decree, or went with him to explain how Chloe died and that she was under Hawkmoth's control and almost killed me. I shouldn't have stayed quiet about the whole thing and let him take all the blame. The worst part is I don't know if he chose to quit or his chance to redeem himself was taken from him."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes! Maybe, I don't know but I just wasn't ready for him to leave my life so suddenly."

She could only talk to herself for so long in public before someone caught on, so holding off her rants and her feelings Marinette just focused on getting home. Only when the crosswalk sign began to beep, bringing her attention to her destination, she saw an old asian man in a red and white Hawaiian floral shirt standing right outside her bakery.

"Um, sir." Double checking the road was clear, she crossed over to get his attention. "Sorry but it's closed for the day."

"Oh what a shame." He sighed as he began to hobble away. "I'll have to talk to Ladybug tomorrow"

Ladybug?! Marinette went stiff, trying to mentally play it off as just an old man's ramblings. That's when Tikki took charge.

"Master Fu!" Tikki zipped out of the bag and over towards the man's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"It concerns our newest miraculous wielder." He turned around, seeing Marinette was listening intently despite the shock of the revelation. "If Cat Noir has chosen to revoke his miraculous, Plagg should have returned it to me. So, do you have a moment to chat? Perhaps over some tea?"

Nathalie did a quick look over Adrien's room, seeing it remain neat and tidy as always. They still had a maid or two come in to dust and to do a little sanitation, but overall there wasn't much to do. Right now he was being taken to a photoshoot, one that she wouldn't be supervising this time nor Gabriel. Instead, they were reviewing some developments and gauging on the next firm act of action.

Satisfied with the cleanliness, she stepped out as her head tingled and her balance disrupted. It must have been the smell or the disinfectant, even if the smell wasn't that strong.

With her work completed here, Nathalie moved on to go and meet back up with Gabriel to see what his latest findings were. Easily the most likely place he would be is in his 'meditation' chamber.

Taking a moment to gaze upon the large portrait of his late wife, she wished she could speak to the woman even for a moment. To ask about her experience with the peacock miraculous, to understand Gabriel's needs, and how to care for Adrien as he continues to isolate himself.

Pressing her fingers into the hidden buttons, she was taken through a hidden elevator allowing her to enter Hawkmoth's lair. Gabriel was off to the side, watching the recent footage of his akuma attack as Nathalie quietly observed for a moment to catch up.

"Was Adrien in danger?" Nathalie observed the akumatized fencer trying to slice the boy apart.

"No." Gabriel answered confidently. "Riposte was well aware that her rematch against Adrien would only take place after she obtained the miraculouses. Even then I would not have allowed that."

"And what if his well being?"

Gabriel nearly lashed out at the woman, knowing that he was doing this for Adrien's well being! But as he had spent many times trying to hone in on Adrien's emotions, he felt nothing. Could it be due to his nature? Or his own personal emotions entangled with Adrien's own.

Either way, he could not decipher what was happening in his own son's mind. Emilie would know, she would help. So to satisfy Nathalie for now, he answered. "I haven't picked up on any distress from him."

She wasn't sure how to receive that news. Adrien was handling himself much better than she presumed but he was still a young boy who lost someone he considered a friend for so long. It was impossible to believe he felt apathy for the whole thing.

When the hero in black appeared on screen, Nathalie blinked as she didn't see the dangerous Cat Noir who was becoming a bigger hazard than anticipated. Instead, it was a new hero, someone who had the written abilities of the cat miraculous. No yarn, no fluid outfit, and the power of assured destruction at her fingertips.

"Did he give it to someone else?" She asked, Gabriel nodding.

"He must have given up. Something that I honestly wasn't expecting him to do. Still, this simplifies things. We now have an amateur working with a Ladybug, throwing off the habits she developed fighting alongside Cat Noir. This may be sooner, but it's finally time for the mayor to have the absolute power to gain justice for his daughter."

Sitting on top of the cushion along the floor, Marinette took another sip of the emotionally soothing tea that was provided for her. The whole place was built like a traditional room, of some kind of Asian design with the sliding paper doors and the matts. Despite her mother being Chinese she really didn't know a whole lot between the various cultural designs.

"So Cat Noir struggled with his powers?" The Great Guardian as Marinette had come to discover, refilled her cup after a rather stressful discussion.

"Yes. There was the rage he had to eat chocolate for since he was always transformed. His emotions being heightened, his kwami never talking to him, and how sometimes it….didn't seem like he was in control. Tikki said it wasn't normal."

"No." Taking it seriously, Master Fu's firm hand rested the ancient teapot on the ground. "I have never heard of anything like this before. But the new holder has none of these qualities?"

"No." Marinette slumped in place, because while this new heroine seemed to have no flaws in her powers and seemed like a competent partner….she only wanted Cat Noir back. His struggles only proved how strong he was to overcome them, and he won. Marinette wanted to see the kind of hero he would have become once he finally mastered himself.

"Then perhaps we should see if Cat Noir made the right choice." His wisdom didn't really make her feel any better. "But, as the guardian, I need to know who she is. The next time you meet with her, give her directions to here."

"And what if she doesn't show up?"

"Then we will have two miraculouses to recover instead of one."

Great, not only does she have to fight Hawkmoth, but also potentially this new girl and maybe even the mayor if he decides to put a full stop to any heroics.

"Akuma alert, Akuma alert." Her phone buzzed loudly as the public service announcement came through. Tikki and Wayzz flying up from their miniature tea set. Marinette put down her cup, grabbing her phone to read out what kind of villain was attacking now.

"Go." Master Fu ushered her out. "And make sure that you have a conversation with the new holder, but above all keep yourself safe. We cannot afford to lose track of any more holders."

Bitter and full of fluffy aggression, Plagg savagely ripped into his treat as he glared at the television. Zoe was behind him on the couch, scrolling through her phone across the 'ladyblog' to try and get some more tips on being a superhero and working with Ladybug.

"Friggin poser." Plagg grumbled as he watched the news debate on whether or not Cat Noir's leaving the scene was a good thing or not, and if because of his departure that the mayor would not pursue Ladybug as a criminal. "A disgrace to all cats across the world."

"I thought you were supposed to help me come up with a name?" Zoe piped up from her seat.

"You have one already, Black Cat right?" He tapped his paw on the remote, switching the channel to some rather poorly animated cartoons.

"That's not unique enough."

"What does it matter? The other guy ran away with his snake tail tucked between his legs."

"Then how will I ever find out what happened?"

"Ask Ladybug." Plagg was exhausted of all the talking all the questions, he just watched the silly characters on the television distract him.

Until a sudden rumble came from within the entire building, Zoe sitting up straight as she tried to sense what was happening.

"Keep it down." Plagg ordered lazily. "I'm trying to watch my Ren and Stimpy."

"Hold on." Zoe got up, muting the tv as she tried to pick up on the noises outside. "I think something is happening."

It was hard to do so in a luxury suite with soundproofing, so she went over to the door to her exterior balcony. The second she opened it she could hear screaming, Zoe rushing to the edge to look down and see people flooding out of her father's hotel that she was currently living at.

A massive man, dressed in a blue uniform and a brightly colored stash walked firmly out behind them. "By the powers vested in me, you will all search for Ladybug and her sidekick!"

He threw out a wide ball of bright energy, exploded on contact with the citizens as they suddenly stopped running before scattering in all directions, searching under every crevice and corner for the heroes.

Side kick?

"Ladybug!" Hold on, that was her step dad that was akumatized! "I will find you, and I will have vengeance for my Chloe!"

How could she have not seen this coming? He was locking himself up, grieving alone and no one seemed to care. Not even her. Wishing to correct her mistake, Zoe took a step closer to the edge. "Plagg, claws out!"

The cameras were growing more and more annoying, but so long as they kept their distance it was fine. It was only a matter of time before he had to return to the modeling scene, his father giving him more time off than he had gotten in a while. They even worked with his new appearance when he showed up, the poor guy he was supposed to be modeling with immediately dragged back to the dressing room and make-up booth for a complete redo.

Adrien was willing to change for what they previously agreed on, but the thing he never understood about artists was how impulsive they could be or how driven they were on a sudden idea that they couldn't focus on anything else.

Getting back home, going back into his room, Adrien slipped his bag onto the floor as he just stood in the dark space around him. "Hey, I'm going to take a quick shower."

His outfit crawled down his body, the super suit giving him a moment of privacy as he was able to just strip down and go into his large shower. Seriously, it was an entire room built to be a shower. Stepping under the hot water, Adrien closed his eyes and tried to find peace. No tasks to be done, no one to bother him, not even allowing a thought to cross his mind.

Just the noise of water, the warmth going over his skin, and his eyes closed.

*click*

Just the crashing of the drops top his head, going down his shoulders and-

*clickclick*

Only him, in the shower, nothing else happening.

Except for a sudden tendril clinging onto his chin and forcing his head to turn. Opening his eyes and very annoyed, Adrien saw the pile of black goo clinging to the wall over the lightswitch pulling him towards itself.

"Hey what gives? I thought we agreed on privacy in the bathroom."

His phone ejected out of its body, Adrien wet and scrambling to catch it in time. That's when he finally heard the alert on his phone. It blared at him, warning him of the emergency. Tapping a few times, he saw the current news coverage.

The new heroine, the new 'Cat Noir' was already at the fight. She seemed to be trying her best, doing an ok job while avoiding the crowd of people trying to overwhelm her.

Ladybug hadn't even shown up yet, and she was already handling herself fine.

He didn't need to be there, they didn't need him, Paris didn't need him, and Ladybug-

'You saved my life that night, and I wouldn't be here without you. I don't care what anyone might say, you were my hero.'

Her words announced themselves back in his mind. Ladybug for so many moments trusted him, even after he killed, if something happened and he wasn't there he could not forgive himself.

"You're right." Adrien stretched out his hand, the suit quickly rushing over him as he opened his full green eyes as Cat Noir. "We'll go out, keep an eye on things, just in case she needs us."

Out in the packed streets of Paris at night, a crowd was marching. Their feet following a rhythm, beating out across the city. Anyone, whether it be man, woman, or child was being pulled in by the authority of it. Within the center of it, where soldiers encircled the immediate perimeter was none other than their strict commander.

The only one defiant against his rule, was the cat themed heroine he was pursuing with his army.

"By the power vested in me, I command you to give me your miraculous!"

Zoe, Black Cat, or whatever name she was deciding on ducked under the small ball shot her way, keeping light on her feet as it turned around to pursue her again. "Da-Mayor Bourgeois! You have to stop please!"

"I am Malediktator, and you will tell me where Cat Noir is!" He demanded with pure fury, clenching his fist as he had an army all around him of officers shielding him from any attacks. "Willingly, or by my decree!"

"I told you I don't know!" Zoe extended her staff, propelling her back onto a rooftop where some citizens had managed to climb onto before hadn waiting in ambush. She flipped, dodged, and occasionally had to throw a punch. "Sorry, so sorry!"

"Then why do you have his powers?! Don't you know what he did to my daughter?!" Malediktator raged out, pointing towards her position as a few of his officers took aim with their weapons. "You are hiding a murderer!"

Zoe vaulted to hide behind one of the buildings to avoid the bullets, seeing a wave of people under his command climbing up to try and reach her. "I want to know what happened too! I really do and I'm so sorry for your loss. I can help you figure it out but you need to listen!"

"I refuse to listen to excuses!" The villain announced as Black Cat was forced to move yet again before she got captured, and once she was out in the open he summoned his power. "By the power vested in me, I command you to keep still and tell me everything!"

The orb shot out, launching its way right towards Zoe as she jumped over to avoid it. A hand managed to catch her leg, Zoe about to kick it off but saw it was a young blonde girl with just a little too much makeup on.

She looked like Chloe, distracting her enough that her momentum was halted enough for the orb to swing back towards her. A yo yo came to her rescue, smacking it away as Ladybug jumped into the fray.

"You want to know what happened that nIght?" Ladybug proclaimed, helping Zoe back onto her feet to look over the mayor's makeshift fortress of people. "Your daughter was akumatized, she was strangling me and Cat Noir was put into an impossible position. It was either he let Chloe kill me and try to fight her alone, or end the fight."

Zoe finally got an answer, at least one that Ladybug was sharing. But whether or not that was the truth was another thing. She still needed to ask Cat Noir directly wherever he was.

Malediktator, the mayor, was clenching his fist as he possibly suspected that was an option. But it didn't matter, because she was gone and they took her. Just because he knew what could have happened doesn't mean he accepted it. "Then he chose wrong! It should have been you instead of Chloe!"

While she was experienced in dealing with the exaggerated emotions of akumatized victims, it didn't lessen their words. Still, she was Ladybug, and she had someone to save.

"We're going to need to talk after this." Readying herself alongside Black Cat, Ladybug took note of how many people Malediktator had under his control. This was possibly going to be their most overwhelming fight yet.

"Yeah." Black Cat agreed as she held firmly to her staff, citizens arming themselves with whatever was around as they climbed their way up to the rooftops, leaving no place to run to. "I think we do."

"Seize them!" Malediktator commanded, the people rushing to obey his word towards the heroes. Black Cat and Ladybug jumped before they could be buried under a wave of bodies, using their tools to slip through the gaps of people in order to keep themselves in the air.

Ladybug swung around to keep an eye on the mayor, identifying the brightly colored sash around his torso. That had to be where the akuma was. Trouble was, there was no opening with all those soldiers.

"Fire!" There were also guns, lots of guns keeping him protected. Ladybug had to back off, swinging further away from the crowd to give herself space.

"Mayor Bourgeois!" Black Cat only pressed harder, twirling her staff in front of her to defend against the firing squad as she descended from above. "I can help you! But not like you are right now, you can't let yourself be under Hawkmoth's control!"

"I am the one who issues orders!" Malediktator denied her request as Black Cat kicked harshly against the wall of riot shields.

"Pull back!" Ladybug ordered as she tried to find a way to support Black Cat.

Black Cat only pushed harder, wedging her staff between the riot shields as she began to pry them open. An arm grabbed around her neck, another set of hands latching onto her ankle and pulling. She had entered the hoard, and the hoard wouldn't let her go so easily.

Ladybug couldn't leave her all alone, but there was nowhere for her to land without retreating at least half a mile away. "Get out of there!"

The warning was useless, and it felt like her enhanced strength was too when met with dozens of bodies piling onto her. Black Cat struggled to find a way to get free, her face, her legs, her arms, everything pressed under several hundreds of pounds on top of her. It was risky, but there was something she might be able to do. "Cataclysm!"

About to press her palm underneath the ground she laid on, a pen was immediately snuck into the pile by Malediktator himself. It disintegrated, leaving Black Cat helpless.

Ladybug acted fast, swinging hard to kick herself up into the air to give herself enough room to yell "Lucky Charm!" Her yo yo gave her a simple bottle of perfume, something she wasn't sure how to make a long term plan out of. With no other options she threw it down as she passed over the area again barely skimming over the gunfire aimed towards her.

The bottle cracked open, a condensed smell leaking out from it that drove every nose away. Faces recoiled, eyes watering, as the pile lessened to only a small group on top of Black Cat.

Malediktator though, had a simple ability that he targeted on the immediate area. "By the powers vested in me, I decree that no one can smell!"

"No!" Ladybug tried to swing back over, a helicopter coming down low through the streets towards her.

"It's useless Ladybug." Malediktator reached down towards the pinned Black Cat, the lucky charm rendered useless at the moment. "You cannot overrule my absolute power!"

The helicopter blades whirred over them, eliminating Ladybug's aerial vantage points to where she was cut off from the scene. Black Cat trapped, Ladybug's powers unable to intervene, and Malediktator about to take the cat miraculous straight from the girl's finger.

A shadow moved over Malediktator's head, several strings of black shooting out to latch onto the several bodies dogpiled onto Black Cat. A figure pulled at them, slipping through the bottom landing rail of the helicopter and using it as a pulley to yank the short crowd off of Black Cat.

Cat Noir had arrived.

"Cat Noir?!" Ladybug, Malediktator, and even the spectator that was Hawkmoth yelled out in surprise.

"The one and only." With a mighty heave and another glob, the dogpile was tethered to the bottom of the aircraft as Cat Noir grabbed Black Cat by the waist and threw her out of the way.

Ladybug intercepted, keeping to the sky as Cat Noir was faced against guns, riot shields, and an akumatized victim alone. She wasn't sure how he had his powers, or why there were two cat powered heroes, but seeing him back in action was all she could have ever wanted. "Go get em kitty."

"By the powers vested in me-" A thick wad of black sticky substance found itself on Malediktator's mouth, keeping him silent as he tried to pry it off.

"Can't give orders without a mouth." Cat Noir teased as several bullets began flying towards him. He kicked up, spun through the air as he narrowly dodged the lethal attacks as Malediktator hid behind his police force of riot shields to keep him protected until he could open his mouth again.

But as Cat Noir was in the air, several small tendrils lashed out from his body to cling onto the guns around him and yank them from their owners. He pulled them together into one sticky pile before swinging it around himself to launch away from the fight.

The line of shields stood confident, until Cat Noir's toxic green claws snuck out from his hands and sliced an opening through them. He pulled himself straight through his makeshift hole in their armor, straight towards Malediktator with his sharp claws primed for the slicing.

He tore open his uniform, cutting the sash in half to release the akuma. "All yours my lady!"

As Malediktator was freed from Hawkmoth's control, releasing everyone else form obeying the man's orders, Ladybug caught the magical creature with her yo yo before releasing a purified one back into the world.

With no one to try and stop them, Black Cat and Ladybug landed back into the center of the crowd as the bug themed hero picked up her lucky charm, throwing it high to undo the damage done.

Cat Noir sighed, almost wishing the fight had gone on a little longer. He had missed this so much. The hug that Ladybug pulled him into that refused to let him go, unexpected but not unwelcome.

"How?" Ladybug pulled back enough to look over him with her own eyes, still clinging to his arms. "I thought you gave the cat miraculous to Black Cat!"

"I was meaning to bring that up." The heroine stepped forward, a little embarrassed that she didn't get to mention that detail yet. "I uh, talked with my kwami and he mentioned that Cat Noir never used his powers."

"Wait wait wait." Cat Noir held his hands up, trying to wrap his head around this all. "So what about my powers? Are you saying that they're not cat based?"

"Officers!" The unakumatized mayor of Paris yelled out, seeing the hero in front of him. "Arrest Cat Noir!"

All the police, the soldiers, everyone that was in the center of Paris under Malediktator's command were still present and following the mayor's orders. Several guns were pointed towards him, Cat Noir ready to flee the scene yet again before it got too complicated for Ladybug, and company.

"Stop!" Ladybug shielded Cat Noir with her arms spread wide. "Cat Noir is not your enemy! He just helped save Paris again!"

"Then why did he run?!" The mayor was still full of so much hate, storming up to the hero uncaring that he put himself in the line of fire. "You killed my daughter!"

"He was just-"

"You're right." Cat Noir made no excuses looking the father in the eyes. "I should have stayed, explained things. But I ran off, from Ladybug too. I am responsible for the death of your daughter."

"No!" Ladybug turned Cat Noir to face her directly. "She was akumatized and she almost killed me, you saved my life."

"By taking hers!" Cat Noir shouted back in a rare display towards Ladybug. "I don't regret saving your life, but that doesn't mean what I did was still ok."

"Cat Noir." Black Cat called out to the hero, who gave her his attention for the first time up front. "When you did it, did you see any other way?"

He thought back, in the moment when he did it and looking back on it now. Given the circumstances, there might have been a way. Either breaking the bells first then going up, or securing the wood around the area to fight Chloe in close combat. But that was all just loose guesses, he didn't really see any other way to win that fight. "No."

"Um, Cat Noir sir?" A daring officer, who didn't see him flee or resist approached with a set of handcuffs. Cat Noir glanced towards the restraints, giving the man a knowing look.

"I can't let myself be arrested."

"And why is that?!" The mayor demanded. "Do you think yourself immune to the law, to getting away with murder?!"

"Not at all, but I stay because I'm needed. And maybe when there's a day that we finally beat all the villains and put an end to Hawkmoth's terror, then the superheroes can retire. Until then, chaow."

Cat Noir sent out a line to pull himself out of the situation, Ladybug following right behind him and not letting him get away so quickly. Black Cat lingered behind, looking back to her step father. His suit was sweaty, his hair a mess, skin pale and dark bags under his reddened eyes. He had been hurting for so long, and as he stared at her with distaste she felt her heart break for him.

"I'm sorry sir, please try to get some rest." With a bound and a vault with her staff, Black Cat launched herself after the two heroes to catch up for a much needed conversation.

The large circular window shutters closed, Hawkmoth reverting to Gabriel as he stood there in the silence. He was so close, Ladybug delaying the inevitable and this Black Cat nearly losing her miraculous.

But Cat Noir returned, and suddenly it all made sense. The strange sticky yarn, his unusual suit, his lack of cataclysm, and the beastly moments, this wasn't a miraculous. Cat Noir was something else entirely.

"I don't know who you are or what kind of power you have." Gabriel promised to the hero. "But I will not let you stop me from achieving my goals."

"Wow." Black Cat gazed out towards the city lights slowly shifting as cars went up and down roads, houses twinkling and street lights glowing.

Up atop the Eiffel tower, her, Ladybug, and Cat Noir met up after the girls had a quick bite to give to their kwamis. There was much to discuss, but it was impossible to ignore the view.

"Sure you can show up on a day off and out of costume." Cat Noir hung upside down by his tail, eye level with the other two heroes. "But having super powers does have its privileges of good views."

"Speaking of powers." Ladybug poked his cheek, making him spin in place as she addressed the kitty. "Why didn't you tell me you didn't have a miraculous?!"

"I didn't know!" He spun back around to face her. "You know how confusing it was to figure out that my powers weren't working like we thought they were supposed to. Now all of a sudden we're just now learning that apparently I have something completely different!"

"So what is it?" Black Cat poked the back of his head, joining in on the spin the cat. "Were you bitten by a radioactive cat?"

"You said you managed to talk to your kwami." Ladybug accused, giving another harsh jab with her finger. "Was that a lie?"

"No, but it wasn't like how you two describe a little creature floating around." Cat Noir held down his hand as small tendrils danced around his fingers. "My suit is more or less alive, and it can change shape and do things on its own. The first time I talked to it I thought I was dreaming but the second time was also in my head but I was definitely awake. We knew we were dependent on each other but we never got the chance to lay down some ground rules."

Black Cat stared at how the suit shifted around his body, a shiver running down her spine as it dawned on her that the suit was alive and probably watching her. "Is it even magic?"

"Does it matter?" Ladybug posed as all the stresses she had over Cat Noir's issues seemed to vanish. Plenty of questions and ones Cat Noir clearly couldn't answer given the unusual circumstances but now they knew it wasn't a fault of a miraculous. "Whatever his powers are, they're strong and versatile. And you have complete control over them?"

"It's a compromise, but yeah." Letting himself drop, Cat Noir caught himself with a single handstand before pushing up and landing on his feet. "Though I don't really have an OP power like you two. Delete anything you touch or completely fix all the damages of a fight."

"Um, hey." Black Cat approached the topic cautiously, unsure of how he would react."Cat Noir?"

"Yeah?

"I, wanted to know….what you two have been saying about that night. Is it true?"

A heavy air filled the space between them, Cat Noir being very quiet as the two gauged his reaction. Holding onto the bars keeping them from falling he was steady, staring off as he relived everything all over again several times.

"I didn't want to." He finally stated.

Ladybug reached out to put her hand on his, silently reaffirming her promise to him. "I know."

The newest heroine lowered her head, accepting the answer. These two seemed genuine, and given how she experienced an akuma attack first hand it took great care not to accidentally hurt someone too much. Being a hero was tougher than it seemed, but these two made it work and even after her step father made his announcement they were still here to help Paris. "So, I'm not trying to intrude or anything but since I'm one of the two miraculous holders does that make me part of the team?"

"Great." Cat Noir rolled his eyes in amusement. "Now I'm going to have to work even harder to stand out between two cats in black."

"Hey!" Black Cat played along, flicking his shoulder as his suit rippled slightly. "Technically I'm the one with actual cat powers."

"Too late." Shrugging his shoulders Cat Noir let his tail whip around to bop her nose. "I've had this gig for months and you wouldn't be the first copy cat to cash in on my image."

"Oh, kitty has claws." Black Cat began to drag her own sharp finger along his arm.

Flexing out his hand to show off his glowing green daggers running out from the tips of his fingers, Cat Noir loomed over her as the two faced off with confident smirks. "Mine are bigger than yours."

Ladybug slipped her arm under his, pulling Cat Noir away from the other girl. "Playtime is over kitty."

"See." Black Cat put her hands to her hips, deciding to tease the other heroine. "When you say it like that it's totally a pet name."

"It's just a nickname!" Ladybug defiantly countered, needing to wrap this up before the two cats decided to make her the target of their game. "Look, before we even figure out how this team up could work you need to stop by the person in charge of the miraculous."

"There's someone in charge?" This was news to Cat Noir who took it a little more seriously.

"Yes, and he needs to know who you are if you want to have a chance at keeping that miraculous, wherever you got it from." Ladybug pulled out her yo yo, sending a quick message over to Black Cat's staff with details of the address. "He might be asleep tonight but don't delay this. Otherwise-"

"I get it." Black Cat got the message, because while Adrien somehow got a hold of it and passed it on to her unknowing of its power. It was never intended for her, but if she refused to be willing to return it to the proper owner then she would be stealing super powers. Who knew what punishment would be prepared for her if she kept the ring for herself. "I'll go talk with him and, but I'm hoping I can help you two a little longer. This was kind of fun."

"It was more fun when we weren't considered illegal vigilantes." Cat Noir gave a short stretch before stepping off the side of their perch, his feet sticking to the side as he was parallel to the ground. "No more adoring fans, unless you count the cops."

"It's going to be hard." Ladybug confessed as she leaned out over the edge. "Protecting the same people that don't want us."

"I wouldn't be so sure about the people part." Black Cat perched herself next to her while keeping her staff at the ready. "A lot of people on that ladyblog seem to be on your side, well Ladybug's side. They're not sure about how to feel about us strays."

"Goody." Cat Noir mockingly cheered before turning around to stare down towards the distant ground. "Guess I should swing by Marinette's before it's too late, see if I have at least one last fan."

"You know Marinette?" Black Cat perked up, Ladybug snapping her head towards her.

"How do you know Marinette?"

"It's uh, personal?" She couldn't come up with an excuse, unsure of how the other two knew of Marinette but she should keep her mouth shut in case they somehow figured out her other identity. "Still, hope we can play again."

Black Cat leapt off, free falling before using her staff to pole vault her way through the city. Ladybug squatted down, looking towards Cat Noir as he still lingered behind.

"Hey." She gently got his attention, giving a warm smile as he looked back up to her. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." Then Cat Noir leapt away, giving a short whoop before a line shot out from his hand so he could swing off the tower. "It's good to be back!"

Ladybug watched after him, humming pleasingly as she saw how lively he had become again. Her kitty was back, and she couldn't wait to see him again as Marinette.

We have a few more reactions in store next chapter, and Adrien exploring his powers with his previous expectations thrown out the window. Zoe has taken the appearance of the Black Cat but how long will she be able to handle the hero's life on top of her father's obsession?

While things aren't getting better for our heroes, they are finding a way to manage their lives. For now. Kagami has also made her first appearance but I'm still trying to figure out how I want to integrate her into the story, or if I even will.

Brookdking: I've thought about it, but it would be hard to implement a symbiote vs symbtiote situation without neglecting the Miraculous Ladybug aspect of the crossover.

edeath756: That depends on how you look at it. If you mean only their civilian identities falling being paired up then no, but I am very likely to do some more Marichat moments.

SSJB312: Thank you much!

AlterInk: Glad you're liking the story so far! I hope the reveals I have in store will live up to your expectations.

Planar-Walking-Entertainment: I plan on having a reaction of Fu next chapter.

I considered it, but in the end I didn't.

Ruby Warrior Girl 730: I have a name for the symbiote in mind, but I'm waiting for a little bit later on that reveal.