Chapter 7-Back to the Beginning

Time travel is always tricky to incorporate into a story. The best way I know to do it is to set it up as a time loop. If someone travels to the past, then their future self always went back to the past, and anything they did is already incorporated into the timeline. Based on the episode "Evolution", Miraculous seems to follow this method.

Adrien had done a lot of strange things since first becoming Cat Noir. He'd gained the ability to breathe underwater, been turned into a pigeon, traveled through time, and battled a living cartoon. But considering that he was now standing outside a chinese massage parlor to speak to an alternate universe's version of the master that had given him his miraculous, then lost his memory to protect all the miraculous, Adrien thought he might need to add a new experience to the top of his list.

He'd waited until after school had started that morning, sneaking across rooftops as Cat Noir, before approaching Master Fu's home. Adrien had figured that there would be fewer people out and about, and he was mostly right. But he'd still nearly been spotted on a rooftop by a few people out on the streets as he'd neared Master Fu. Luckily, a few pigeons had flown off the roof just as he had arrived, and the people below had moved on, likely assuming they had simply seen the birds flying by.

As Adrien (not Cat Noir) knocked on the door he wondered if he had shown up too early, but that concern faded as he heard a familiar voice from just behind the door.

"Just one moment, please."

Adrien smiled to himself. As strange as this situation was, he couldn't deny that it was good to be able to see Master Fu again.

The door opened with a short Chinese man bowing before him. "Welcome to my humble parlor, what may I interest you in tod-" He stopped speaking abruptly when he saw who was in front of him. "Adrien?" Master Fu questioned. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?" He glanced at the street behind Adrien. "Where's Marinette? Has something happened to her?"

Adrien held up his hands in a reassuring gesture. "She's absolutely fine, Master. Can we talk inside? It's a bit of a story."

"And so we need to borrow two miraculous to get me back home without anyone noticing." Adrien concluded.

The explanation with Master Fu had gone far more smoothly than Adrien had expected. As the Guardian of the miracle box, he had been able to tell Adrien's ring was a genuine miraculous, even before Plagg had come out to support Adrien's story. And he hadn't even batted an eye when Adrien had told him he was from an alternate universe.

Adrien had offered to share what he knew of his Master Fu's knowledge with this version of him, but the Guardian of the miraculous had declined. He knew that his counterparts fate did not dictate his own, and did not wish to let such knowledge influence him. Adrien even offered to reveal the ingredients for kwami transformations, although Master Fu did not reveal his reason for declining that.

The tricky part had come when Adrien had asked to borrow two miraculous to go home. Master Fu had agreed immediately to lending out the butterfly to enable Adrien's return trip, acknowledging that having a second Plagg in one universe was dangerous, but he was reluctant to lend out Fluff.

"I am not certain it is wise to use Fluff. If my Adrien and Marinette were to use the power of time travel to take you back to when you entered our universe, travel to your universe, and then return back afterward as you've suggested, that would require taking four of the most powerful miraculous to your universe. There is considerable risk in that strategy. Particularly regarding the rabbit miraculous."

"I understand that, Master." Adrien admitted. "But if both Cat Noir and Adrien Agreste disappear from my universe for the same amount of time, it's going to look really suspicious. I might even have to give back my miraculous if I can't find a good enough explanation."

"I am not suggesting that you need to return your miraculous." Master Fu replied calmly. "Merely that we need to rethink the situation. If having two Plaggs in our universe is risky, imagine what two of Fluff in the same universe could do."

The pair were sitting in a traditional chinese sitting room. Master Fu had prepared tea, which Adrien had enjoyed, while discussing the past few days and the plan to get him home.

"What exactly do you think we should do?" Adrien asked carefully.

"Well," Master Fu mused, "the powers of the ladybug and black cat miraculous help to balance each other, as they represent creation and destruction. So taking one additional miraculous beyond those two when returning to your universe would probably be safe."

"And based on what we have in mind, the butterfly miraculous is the obvious choice." Adrien said. "We'll need it to make magical charms."

"Agreed." said Master Fu. "If you and your Ladybug are able to protect yourselves from akumas, then that would be vital to protecting your Paris."

"But, then, how do we get my counterpart and his Marinette back to this time after we use the butterfly in my universe?" Adrien wondered.

"The same way you got to this time." Master Fu said, smiling. "If they simply wait out the time in your universe before returning here, that should maintain the balance, while limiting the exposure of the rabbit miraculous. Do you think you can accommodate the two of them for a few days?"

Adrien perked up. "That shouldn't be hard." He wasn't sure if the theater he had stayed at for the past two nights even existed in his universe, but it wouldn't be hard to find some alternative if it didn't. "In that case, Master, I'll return later this evening with your Cat Noir and Ladybug to borrow the miraculous. In the meantime, I'll stock up on some supplies for the two of them to use when we get to my universe." In his head, he started making a list of the things that his counterpart had gotten for him, and thinking about where he could acquire the items on the list.

Fortunately, his counterpart had thought to make a cash withdrawal when picking up supplies two days back, so Adrien would be able to make the purchases without drawing attention to himself. He finished the last of his tea and stood to leave when Master Fu called, "Just a moment Adrien."

Adrien paused, looking back at the shorter man.

"I have the sense that you are troubled by something, my young friend." Master Fu said, in a calm and reassuring manner.

Adrien didn't answer. He wasn't sure talking would do him any more good until he could confront the people back in his own universe.

Master Fu, however, was insistent. Pouring more tea, he pointed at the spot Adrien had been sitting and looked at Adrien expectantly. Sighing, Adrien took the hint.

Sipping his tea, the Guardian didn't say anything at first. The silence dragged on until it became uncomfortable and Adrien caved. "What makes you think something is troubling me, master?"

"Being the Guardian grants one certain abilities in perceiving the spiritual energies of others." Master Fu said mysteriously.

Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"I also have over one hundred years of experience in reading people." Master Fu added, matter-of-factly. "So, what's on your mind?"

The boy at the table sighed. "You know that Hawk Moth was my counterpart's father in this universe, right?"

"I do."

"My Ladybug…defeated him in our universe." Adrien admitted slowly. "Without my help."

"Not his fault." Plagg piped in, unexpectedly. "He'd been hit by an akumatized villain's spell, and wasn't in any shape to help fight."

"Anyway," Adrien continued, "She defeated him in our universe. But she didn't tell me his identity." He paused, glancing at Plagg. "Neither did he, but partly because Ladybug told him not to. And she is the Guardian in our universe."

"And you are having difficulty in forgiving all of them." It wasn't a question. "Not just your Ladybug and Plagg for concealing the truth from you, but your father for his sins, too."

Adrien closed his eyes and nodded. Plagg and Marinette had both acted at least partly out of concern for him. Even if he was angry about whether they trusted him or not, he could at least accept they had meant well. His father, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

"According to Plagg, my father said he wanted to bring my mother back, and he used me to rationalize it." Adrien confessed. "It's the same thing he tried here in your universe, but from what everyone has told me, my father went mad from what he did. Much more so than he did in this universe, anyway."

"That is entirely possible." Master Fu mused, taking another sip of tea. "But you do not believe that excuses his actions." Again, it was more of a statement than a question.

"No." Adrien admitted. "He made the choice to use the miraculous. Whatever happened afterward, it was because of his decision."

"And you find that difficult to forgive, whatever his motivations." Master Fu concluded.

"Pretty much." Adrien agreed. "If you have any sage advice to offer, I'd love to hear it."

Master Fu chuckled. "Unfortunately, in regards to your father, I must admit that this is not a situation that I have ever experienced myself, at least, not in this manner. So I do not believe I can offer much in the way of advice."

Adrien felt crestfallen, but Master Fu continued. "But I suspect that your troubles are similar to the ones that plagued your father. I would suggest that you ponder on what his mistakes were, and how you might learn from them."

Master Fu finished his own tea and stood up, taking the kettle away. And Adrien could sense that the conversation was over.

Cat Noir was perched near the Eiffel Tower, still thinking about what Master Fu had said. He'd spent the day procuring supplies for the local Cat Noir and Ladybug. It had taken most of the day, since he'd needed to go to stores that weren't as well traveled. If anyone recognized him, then there was a decent chance he'd expose the fact that there were two Adrien Aggreste's in Paris today. And he hadn't wanted to travel around as Cat Noir if he could help it. True, it could help give his counterpart more of an alibi, but it would look suspicious if he showed up too many times without Ladybug.

He'd texted his counterpart and Marinette while they were in school, and both had replied around lunch time. They agreed quite easily to the idea of waiting out the three days in his universe, particularly when he suggested it as a long weekend away for the couple. He'd even stopped by the Aggreste manor to pick up a couple of changes of clothes for his counterpart; the difference in height would be noticeable if he'd tried to borrow clothes. He'd considered doing that for Marinette, but had realized very quickly that wouldn't have gone over well. He settled for suggesting that she pack a bag with some clothes before meeting up at Master Fu's that evening, and then stashed all the supplies he'd gathered on a rooftop near Master Fu's parlor.

Again, Cat Noir's mind circled back to Master Fu's words. He wasn't sure what the Guardian had meant when he said that his problem was the same as his father's, but the fact that he couldn't get the words out of his head made him think that there was some truth in them.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Pulling out his staff to check the time, Cat Noir noted that his counterpart's fencing match began in about half an hour. As Marinette had suggested, now was the time to start working on his counterpart's alibi.

He'd decided to go with a more subtle appearance than when he first fell into this universe. Instead of a dramatic appearance in a large crowd, Cat Noir figured it would sell the act better if he could make it look like he was appearing in public by accident, or if he made it look like someone caught him when he was trying to be sneaky.

Such was that Cat Noir found himself flat on his back outside a few cafe's in a more secluded section of Paris. He'd made it appear that he'd slipped by sliding down the side of a roof, pulling a part of a smoke stack in the process, bouncing off of a canopy over the outdoor section of the cafe, and landing in the middle of the street. Luckily, no vehicles were passing through at the time, which meant that Cat Noir could take his time to sit up, appear dazed, and smile at the cafe patrons.

As he had expected, the people at the cafe were startled at his sudden appearance, but more than a few had cell phones in their hands within moments, taking pictures. Outwardly groaning, while inwardly pleased at this reaction, he pulled out his staff and used it to launch himself away.

The next hour and a half proceeded much the same as when he first arrived in this Paris. Although it was much more fun this time around, considering the crowds chasing him were happening by design.

As the evening wore on however, the game became less and less amusing, and Cat Noir found himself growing bored with it. With half an hour left until he was scheduled to meet up with the local Cat Noir and Ladybug, he found himself on a roof overlooking a very familiar building. Grinning to himself, and thinking he had just enough time to set up another group of people to see him, he pulled out the last of the money his counterpart had given him, hopped down to the street, and stepped inside the building.

A familiar bell tinkled as the door opened and closed. There were only three other people in the store at the time, due to the late hour. The woman behind the counter was busy helping the only customer at the time, a tall bald man in a nice suit, and the woman's husband, a burly man with a bushy mustache, was preoccupied with starting to put away supplies for the day. Because of this, no one noticed Cat Noir as he entered. Moving to conceal himself behind the customer in front of the counter, he wondered how long it would take them to notice him, and what their reactions would be.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long. A loud clang rang throughout the room as the man putting away supplies dropped a pan onto the floor.

"Dear, what's wrong?" the man's wife asked, looking over at him.

The large man didn't reply. His eyes were bulging, likely at what he saw as a superhero randomly appearing in his bakery. His reaction prompted his wife to peer around the tall customer and fix her eyes on what had startled her husband. The woman's reaction was comically similar to her husbands, her fixtures freezing in place as she took in her latest customer. The man in front of the register saw both of the faces of the other adults in the room and turned. His reaction was the strongest of the three, taking three steps away from the focus of attention of all three adults.

Cat Noir smiled in what he hoped was a friendly manner as he stepped up to the register. "Good evening," he said politely. "I apologize for stopping by at the end of the day. But I've heard that you have the best macarons in Paris, and I just had to try some for myself."

Nobody else in the room spoke. This was a stronger reaction than Cat Noir had expected, but he supposed that wasn't a bad thing. It would make getting in and out a lot smoother.

Glancing over to the display case of the remaining confections, Cat Noir said, "Let's see, I'll take…half a dozen macarons. Any style."

"Of, of course." The woman behind the counter stammered, trembling a little. Her husband quickly selected the pastries and placed them in a paper bag. He hadn't uttered a single word since Cat Noir had entered the building.

"Will this cover it?" Cat Noir asked, taking out the rest of the money his counterpart had given him and handing it over. The woman at the register just nodded meekly. Cat Noir noticed that the other customer had his phone out and was aiming it toward him and the register. He'd seen that exact pose dozens of times that evening, but this time made him smile genuinely. Good, he thought. That picture will be all over the internet within the hour. Good publicity for the bakery.

Placing the money on the countertop, Cat Noir took the paper bag and pulled out one of the macarons. Taking a bite, he turned to exit the building and smiled. "You don't disappoint, sir. These are delicious."

Still chuckling to himself, Cat Noir ended up on the roof by Master Fu's home a few minutes ahead of the local superheroes. Grabbing the pack of supplies on the roof next door, Cat Noir chimed "Claws In," and sat down to wait.

"I hope you're not planning on making me eat one of those overly sweet concoctions." Plagg complained.

Adrien sighed, then reached into the backpack he was leaning against, and pulled out a slice of camembert.

"Happy?"

"Happier than Pigtails will be when she hears about what you just did." Plagg commented, swallowing his cheese in one gulp.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate the publicity for her family." Adrien grinned. Then he considered for a moment. "But just to be on the safe side, don't tell her about it, ok?"

Plagg just cackled.

That made Adrien consider something. Part of him had been eagerly looking forward to returning home for days so he could finally confront the people in his life who had lied to him, but underneath that eagerness was a mountain of apprehensiveness. He had talked through the need to speak with his Ladybug, his Marinette, with the local Adrien and Marinette, but that didn't mean he knew exactly how to confront her. He knew that he'd need to keep his composure, but that wouldn't be easy.

"Plagg, this is going to be a difficult night, isn't it?"

The black kwami looked like he was about to crack a joke, but then thought better of it. "Yeah, I'd say that this isn't going to be all honey and brie for you."

Adrien nodded. "That being the case, I have a favor to ask." Plagg cocked his head. "Depending on how the conversation goes, there's a good chance I'll need to reveal myself to Ladybug. If I do, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep quiet and let me do the talking."

"What? Do you have any idea how much material I have ready for exactly this moment?" Plagg seemed genuinely surprised at this idea, but he was also trying too hard to act indignant. "I knew that sooner or later this would happen. You can't expect me not to take advantage of it!"

Adrien sighed. He knew when someone was haggling when he heard it. "What do you want?"

Plagg perked up immediately. "Well, you know how your aunt is remodeling the mansion next year?" He asked carefully.

"Yes." Adrien answered slowly.

"As it happens, I've often thought of you as one of the best holders I've ever had. In fact, there's really only one thing that could make you a better one."

"Cheese cellar?"

"Exactly!"

Adrien rolled his eyes. Should have seen that coming. "I'll ask Natalie about it. That's all I can promise. But in exchange, after I reveal myself to Ladybug, I don't want to hear a word out of you until I say so."

"Deal."

Just then, a familiar thumping sound reached Adrien's ears as Cat Noir and Ladybug landed on the rooftop.

"How was the match?" Adrien asked, turning to the arriving pair.

Cat Noir shrugged. "Our club won the match overall, but the individual winner was some Tsurugi guy on the opposing team. I didn't make it easy for him, but he won fair and square. Weird guy, though. Never took his helmet off." He bent down to grab the pack of supplies Adrien had gathered, and while he wasn't looking, Adrien shot a glance at Ladybug. She caught his eyes immediately and gave him a worried look. She clearly remembered what he had told her about Kagami. Adrien nodded his confirmation that 'Tsurugi' was who Ladybug thought she was. He wanted to say something to reassure her, but couldn't do that in front of his counterpart without having to explain about Kagami completely. That didn't seem like a good idea.

Instead, he whipped out his phone as Cat Noir jumped below to the street.

"Hurry up, you two!" Cat Noir called.

"One sec. Hey, actually, would you mind extending your staff up here for me?" Adrien called back. There was a fire escape ladder that he could have used, but Adrien was just stalling for a moment.

In the brief time of that exchange, Adrien had finished typing out a message on his phone and showed it to Ladybug. It said simply, 'She's got nothing on you'.

Ladybug smiled, seeming somewhat reassured, and Adrien put a hand on her shoulder for a moment before grabbing hold of Cat Noir's staff and sliding down to the ground. He hit the ground a little harder than he was used to, but the staff slowed him down enough that he wasn't hurt. And once he heard the sound of Ladybug landing behind him, Adrien knocked on the door to Master Fu's parlor, and stepped inside.

"I want your assurance that you will take all due care and precaution with regard to the butterfly miraculous and Nooru."

Master Fu had tea prepared and waiting for them upon their arrival, and insisted on reviewing and confirming the plan with all three teens. He had both the rabbit and butterfly miraculous ready for them, but had wanted to make certain they were all agreed to only take three miraculous to Adrien's universe, and that they would be careful with their miraculous while 'out of town'.

"I promise, master." Cat Noir said immediately. Adrien glanced at his counterpart; he recognized that tone. Cat Noir obviously respected Master Fu greatly, and showed that respect with his level of seriousness. It was the same way Adrien had spoken to his father and Natalie.

Blinking several times and trying to steer his mind away from such dangerous thoughts, Adrien said quickly, "I promise too."

"As do I." Ladybug added.

Master Fu gave all three of them an appraising look, then nodded. Moving over to the phonograph on his table, he entered the combination that opened it, revealing the miracle box.

Adrien looked at the box in surprise, it was different than it had been when he had kept the box away from Master Su-han. Could it take different forms in different universes? But then he remembered when he and his Ladybug had jumped through time to chase Monarch. When they had met the Master Fu of his universe's past, the box had looked like this.

And speaking of jumping through time. Master Fu held out two objects in his hands. A broach and a pocket watch. Cat Noir, Adrien, and Ladybug all looked at each other.

"I've used Fluff's power before." Adrien informed the other. "I'll handle the rabbit miraculous."

The others nodded in agreement as Adrien reached out to take the watch. As soon as he did, a small white kwami appeared in front of him.

"Hello Adrien." The kwami said brightly.

"Hi Fluff." Adrien answered. "I'd explain more about what we're doing, but I'm not sure there's time."

"Time is my power, Adrien. So don't worry about how much we have." Fluff replied. "And anyway, Master Fu already told me all about what's going on. I'm ready to go when you are."

"Excellent." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out! Plagg, Fluff, unify!"

A flash of light washed over Adrien, and he found himself covered in a suit that he had worn once before, a combination of his normal suit with rabbit ears and with an umbrella strapped to his back.

"Call me Rabbit Noir."

Cat Noir frowned. "I really am a little too on the nose with names, aren't I?

Ladybug glanced at Cat Noir, caught the look in his eyes, and struggled to keep her face straight. Master Fu, on the other hand, chuckled openly.

"Just hide the miraculous somewhere in here after you've gone back in time, and leave through my window." Master Fu instructed. "Then call me to tell me where it is after you've returned to this universe."

"Which should be in just a few minutes, from your perspective." Ladybug replied.

All four individuals in the room nodded. Cat Noir took the broach and placed it on his suit, just under the bell on his collar.

"Burrow!" Rabbit Noir called out.

A circle of light appeared, hovering in the air in front of them, and the three heroes charged through it.

"Whoah!"

Cat Noir and Ladybug slowed as they entered the space between time. They had both heard about what the inside of the burrow was like, but it was still surprising to them.

Rabbit Noir was more familiar with the area, and did not slow as he passed through the portal, which sealed itself behind him. Scanning the room, he quickly located what he was looking for; an image of himself as Cat Noir from just a few days before, falling through the sky by the Eiffel Tower.

"That's it. You guys ready? I'm going to take us back to just before I arrived in your universe."

Ladybug and Cat Noir both nodded. They were still a little rattled, but both followed Rabbit Noir as he called our "Burrow!" and leapt through another portal.

They landed back in Master Fu's home, but now all the lights were off, and it was clear that no one had been in the building for days.

"Plagg, Fluff, divide!"

As he reverted from Rabbit Noir to Cat Noir, the young man handed a piece of carrot to Fluff as he looked around the room for a place to hide the watch.

"Over here." Ladybug called. She was pointing to a potted plant that sat in the corner of Master Fu's parlor. Lifting the plant up by the steam, the taller Cat Noir pulled the majority of the dirt in the flower pot was lifted too, and the shorter Cat Noir placed the watch in the flower pot. Replacing the plant, both Cat Noirs and Ladybug nodded to each other and set out.

By the time the trio made it to the Eiffel Tower, the past Cat Noir was just extending his staff to catch onto the Eiffel Tower. As he fell to the ground, the trio jumped to the top of the tower, where the past Cat Noir couldn't see them.

"Okay, let's do this."

The taller Cat Noir touched the broach on his suit and a light purple kwami appeared.

"Plagg, Nooru, unify!"

The transformation as the two kwamis united changed Cat Noir into a black and purple clad hero. Mostly similar to his previous form, but with small wings poking out from his back, and a cane that appeared in his hands.

"Hmm, how about we call this one…Moth Noir?"

This time it was the Cat Noir who wasn't from this universe who shook his head. "You're right, way too on the nose." He grinned however, to know that the side effect of talking backwards from using the rabbit miraculous had worn off.

Ladybug couldn't fight it this time, her amused grin threatened to split her face.

"You ready to go home?"

"Absolutely." Cat Noir answered. His insides were still a storm of emotion, but one thing was certain. He couldn't stay in this universe any longer; people he loved were waiting for him to return. He focused as hard as he could on suppressing his worries and doubts and concentrated on that simple fact.

"Then fly, kamiko!"

The top of Moth Noir's cane opened and a butterfly charged with purple energy flew toward Cat Noir and entered his bell. A miasma of dark purple flowed over Cat Noir, and when it dissipated, a not quite Cat Noir with purple swirls all over his costume stood in his place.

"Let's call you Ubiquicat." Ladybug offered.

Moth and Noir and Ubiquicat glanced at each other and nodded. It was a good enough name. Not like he'd have it for long anyway.

"Ubiquicat, I have given you the power to open doorways between universes. Concentrate hard, and you can choose which one to go to." Moth Noir paused. Then he smiled. "You got this."

Ubiquicat concentrated, clapping his hands together, and closing his eyes. Bright energy encircled his hands, he faced the open space over the tower platform, and with a pushing motion, separated his hands away from him. The energy formed a circle in the air, with power like an electric current encircling it.

Ubiquicat looked back at Moth Noir and Ladybug and returned Cat Noir's smile. "You two ready to explore a whole new universe?"

The other two heroes just gave him a thumbs up.

"As soon as we get there," Ubiquicat instructed, "use the power of the moth to pull the kamiko from me and the akuma from Hole Spacer. Trap the kamiko in your cane. I have a plan for the akuma. Hide up here after that, I'll come get you with my Ladybug "

Internally, Ubiquicat wished he was as confident as he sounded. The entire plan to create magical charms hinged on the idea that they would be able to capture a second akuma. It would be pointless for only one magical charm to be made. Fortunately, he was being honest when he said he had a plan for catching it.

Moth Noir nodded his agreement to the plan.

"Let's go!"

Ladybug fell to the ground; her collision with Cat Noir had thrown her away from the swirling black mass, but it had also thrown her off balance, and she had struck the ground hard. Dazed, she tried to get her bearings. King Monkey was still on the ground, not having regained his footing yet. Caprikid and Rooster Bold stood on the other side of the black mass, looking unsure of what to do. Rooster bold in particular looked worried, and Ladybug could guess why. He had used his power of sublimation, which had started the timer until he de-transformed.

Ladybug looked around. There was no sign of Cat Noir.

Oh no, she panicked. Could he have fallen into the black mass? Or had he fallen into another portal and been sent someplace else? Whichever it was, they needed to de-akumatize Hole Spacer and-

"Aaaaah!"

Ladybug's focus snapped to Hole Spacer, who had inexplicably fallen to his knees. The writhing black mass above their heads stopped growing and the other portals vanished. Even the large black portal started to fade as a dark cloud of energy engulfed Hole Spacer. A moment later, there was no Hole Spacer, just a young man with a camera in his hand. Ladybug looked up to see the giant black portal completely fading away.

Seriously? She thought. He de-akumatized himself? Ladybug couldn't tell how he had done it, but there was no other explanation as the akuma appeared and started to fly away.

"Oh no you don't." Ladybug said, pulling out her yo-yo. "No more evil doing for you little akuma. Time to-"

"Wait."

Ladybug started as someone grabbed her arm. She breathed a sigh of relief, both at seeing that Cat Noir was unharmed, and that he was the one that grabbed her, not some villain.

"I'm glad you're okay, Cat Noir, but I need to take care of this."

"Ladybug, wait, don't purify it." Cat Noir said.

She looked back at her partner in confusion. "What, why not?"

"I need to capture it without you purifying it." Cat Noir explained.

Ladybug continued to stare in confusion. "Look, I don't know what you mean, but I need to purify it before it multiplies."

"Ladybug." Cat Noir said, more forcefully this time. "I need you to trust me on this. I'll explain in a minute, but trust me."

That got her attention. Twice in a row he'd called her Ladybug, not m'lady. And his tone and expression; he wasn't acting like his usual self. He was serious and commanding. All that combined was enough to make her stop and consider what was going on. Putting her yo-yo away, she nodded slowly.

Cat Noir nodded in gratitude. Then he turned and called, "Caprikid!"

"I've got it." Caprikid called. "Catch."

A small object flew through the air from Caprikid to Cat Noir. Cat Noir caught it easily, and held it up so Ladybug could see it.

"A jar?"

"Yep." Cat Noir said simply.

Unscrewing the lid off of the jar, Cat Noir leapt into the air and caught the akuma inside it. He slammed the lid back on and screwed it into place. Then he poked a few holes into the lid with his claws.

"Nice work you guys." Cat Noir told King Monkey, Rooster Bold, and Caprikid. All three of them were back on their feet now, and looked at Cat Noir as curiously as Ladybug had herself a moment ago.

"Thanks." King Monkey said, in a confused tone. "But is there a particular reason why you're not letting Ladybug purify the akuma." King Monkey nodded his head to where the young man who had been Hole Spacer was trying to leave the scene unobtrusively.

"There is." Cat Noir said simply. He was interrupted by a familiar beeping sound coming from all three heroes in front of him. "But I'd need more than five minutes to explain it. Next time, okay?"

All three of the heroes he addressed nodded their heads, although Ladybug could tell they were reluctant. As all three departed and it was just her and Cat Noir under the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug placed her full attention on Cat Noir. She tried to arrange her expression in such a way that it conveyed the message of 'Don't even think about trying that with me'. She wasn't sure she got it exactly right, but the general message must have gotten through.

Cat Noir smirked. "Don't worry. I'm going to explain everything to you. I'd never conceal something this important from you, m'lady."

That response made Ladybug pause. It was nice to hear him addressing her as 'm'lady' again. But his voice was a little cold. And she could hear something in his tone. There was something he wasn't saying. Something that he was upset about. But in the meantime, there was a lot of damage in the general area. Picking up the lucky charm from where it had been dropped earlier, she tossed it into the air and called out "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As the lucky charm dissolved into energy and the ladybugs set to work repairing the damage done to the vicinity, Ladybug turned her attention back to her partner and raised an eyebrow.

He just smirked. "I'm going to tell you everything, but first, we need to head up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. There's a surprise waiting for you there."

Ladybug raised both her eyebrows at that, but as Cat Noir, who still held the jar with the akuma in it, leapt to start climbing the tower, her curiosity overpowered everything else. Lashing out with her yo-yo, she followed Cat Noir.

As she reached the top of the tower she met quite possibly the last sight she could have expected. Not only was there another Ladybug waiting for her, but also two Cat Noirs.

"There's a lot to explain." the Cat Noir holding the akuma said to Ladybug, the Ladybug who was nearly paralyzed in shock. "But I think we should go somewhere a little more private to cover everything."

And so we're back in the main universe. How will Ladybug react to her and Cat Noir's counterparts? Will the main universe's Adrien be able to confront his lady? If so, how will that conversation go? Only one way to find out.

See you next time!

~Sneak Preview~

You probably know me better than anyone.

I'm not sure disaster is a strong enough word.

I can, and I will, unless you can persuade me otherwise.

P.S.

I haven't really mentioned this, but I love to read feedback and find out what you guys think about what I'm doing, so please, review and comment. I appreciate it.