A New Beginning [Miraculous Ladybug AU]

Chapter 4

Marinette/Ladybug point of view

_______________________________*whispers* Marichat Fluff_______________________

As I swung back to my house, my mind raced with thoughts on this newly discovered Arachne, and most prominently, on the blue scarf hanging around my neck. I reach my rooftop and rush in, pushing aside all my designs on the table, and placed the scarf down. I started examining it, and after searching through my insurmountable heap of sketches, I found the exact sketch of the scarf. Gasping in surprise, I checked the sketch title. Adrien's Birthday Present. If I gave the scarf to Adrien, how did it get to Chat Noir's hands? Unless...

The sketch flutters down out of my hands as the final puzzle piece clicks into place. Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. There's no doubt about it, unless Chat stole the scarf from Adrien, which wouldn't be possible cause Chat isn't a thief. Or he could've found it on the road where Adrien must've dropped it? But Adrien's not clumsy. There's only one possibility, that Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste are the same person. My mouth hangs open and I am frozen on the spot as my brain continues clicking in all the pieces. Chat was allergic to bird feathers when fighting Mr Pigeon. Adrien was allergic to my derby hat with a pigeon feather. Both have green eyes and blond hair. How did I not realize that they were the same person all this time?

I'm about to call Adrien when the totem in the jar glimmering caught my eye. Calling Adrien (or Chat, or whatever) can wait, right now i have to figure out who Arachne is, how he or she can control people with these totems, and how to stop her. Taking the totem, I start to examine the intricate designs when suddenly an ear-shattering boom rattled my house. The lights went off. Shocked, I went outside the bakery to find out that the power was down. Groaning, I sat down on the sidewalk, waiting for the technicians of the neighborhood.

"Hey princess," a voice snaps me out of my reverie. I look up to see Chat Noir sitting down next to me. "H-hey, Chat?" I start. "I know who you really are, you're Adrien Agreste." I breathe out, trembling, partly from the cold, and partly because of the magnitude of the words I just uttered. I expected Chat to gasp in shock or try to deny it, but he stayed silent. Confused, I looked into his eyes and saw no recognition. "Chat, say someth-" I couldn't finish my sentence before Chat grabbed my purse, the purse I always carried Tikki inside. I gasped as he smirked and scampered away. He wasn't the real Chat. He was-

"Marinette!" a voice shouts out, and I look back to see Chat Noir sliding down his pole. "Did you see someone looking exactly like me?", "Yes! But first to make sure you're the real Chat, what is the pet name you call Ladybug?" I hastily question. Chat wrinkled his forehead, "Bugaboo? Wait how do you know i call Ladybug with-" Oops I might have said too much "Uhh, I heard you guys, on the news? (smooth, Marinette. smooth.) Anyways we have to catch that other Chat Noir! He has my pouch." I hastily change the subject. Surely I can't let the real Chat know that I know who he really is, it would endanger him. So I kept quiet. Chat Noir immediately nods his head and gets ready to lengthen his stick when I grab his stick and hold on to it too. "Now what are you doing?" He teases. I roll my eyes. "He has my purse Chat, I'm getting it back, so I'm coming with you. Now lengthen this thing of a stick!" I demand. "So stubborn." He mutters before the stick lengthens, acting as an elevator for us. From the sky, I spot the fake Chat running towards the Eiffel tower, pick pocketing and barreling into people on the way. Wherever this fake came from, he or she must've been a bully. "There Chat!" I point.

We chase after the fake, and I have a hard time keeping up cause without transforming, I don't have enhanced capabilities. Chat notices my struggle, and tells me to stay put while he goes to get my purse. I almost blush under his concerned gaze, but
I remember that I have to focus on getting my purse back. When Chat is gone, I tail after him. However, when we reach the scene, Chat blinks and looks around in confusion. The fake disappeared. I blink as well until J see a pair of pink capri pants and two pigtails I know is my signature look. Chat sees the fake Marinette too, but he relaxes and smiles as the fake gets closer and closer-

"Chat! She's fake!" I snap out of my stupor, shouting at him as the fake Marinette turns to glare at me. Chat takes this moment to grab me my purse and sends it flying in my direction. The fake Marinette morphs into Gorilla, Adrien's bodyguard and he tackles Chat Noir, sending him flying as Gorilla barrels into more people. "Greetings mortals. Allow me to introduce myself. Imitator! No one could stop me for I am everyone!" He roars. I rush into the underground subway as I open my purse, and relief floods through me as iI see Tikki in there. "Marinette! We have to transform!" She squeaks out. I nod. Chat, well Adrien, needs my help. "Tikki, spots on!" I shout through the subway I assumed was empty. Once I fully transformed, I headed out, ready to find that kitty cat, and defeat Imitator once and for all, which would lead us closer to Arachne, and put and end to this. I swing my yoyo and hoist myself out, oblivious to the person in a black-clad suit with cat ears staring from the far corner of the subway station.

-----Switch------(Adrien/Chat Noir POV)

I knew that size did matter. That throw from Frank really gave me a small time flight like a bird. But then thanks to gorilla's throw I discovered something. I thought that my head was playing games on me, but I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Her pigtails, and her dark gray jacket. Marinette is Ladybug. All this time, the girl I was searching for had been sitting behind me in the same classroom every day of my high school life. Wow. I couldn't believe it. Then I heard the sound of Imitator once again, as he threatened to kill the mayor of Paris. I knew that Ladybug needed my help. Actually, Marinette needs my help. I quickly run out of the subway station and hurried towards where Marinette and Imitator were fighting.

I arrived in the nick of time. Imitator was about to knock Marinette down but my staff was quickly extended to prevent him from hitting her.

"Not today impostor, not today," I quickly said as I charged on him once more.

This time he shifted into Hawkmoth. I was petrified. Hawkmoth was the hardest villain we have ever fought, and now we had to fight him again.

Marinette was starting to get back on her feet and I quickly went over to her.

"Are you ok princ-, m'lady?"

"I'm fine kitty, remember how we defeated him the first time?"

"We used your lucky charm remember, but Marin-, Ladybug, you don't get the same items twice. What do we do?"

"You're right, keep distracting him while I figure a way out,"

"You got it! Cataclysm!"

I scratched my class onto the ground as I run in circles around Imitator. Imitator used his staff to try and hit me, but I quickly dodged the attacks as I kept closing in on him. Eventually, as I was on point blank range, I used my staff and extended it from the ground as it hit his head. He was knocked out in an instant. Surprisingly Marinette had used her lucky charm, and she had got an elephant tranquilizer, which was absurd, as her charms usually required a lot of thinking. Slowly, Imitator shifted into another totem and Marinette picked it up in her hands.

Suddenly, as I turned around my head towards Marinette, I caught a glimpse of something white in the distance. I thought that it was just the Louvre shining under the sun, but something told me that it wasn't the Louvre. I shook my head as I try to concentrate my thoughts on asking Marinette if she was really Ladybug.

I looked at her as she held the new totem in her hands. I opened my mouth, but the I was desperately trying to let the words escape my mouth.

"Ladybug?"

"Yes Chat,"

"You're...you're Marinette, aren't you?"