The White Cat

Chapter 18: Cat Noir

I could feel a smile curl the corner of my mouth as I pranced away from Copycat's staff. He glared at me when it slammed into the ground. I flashed him a toothy smile, watching Hawkmoth from the corner of my eye.

He was watching us with an amused smile. I ignored Ladybug as her unseeing gazed burned into me. This was my fight and I didn't want her getting involved. Plagg had told me once that Ladybug was here to balance out the darkness within if it ever got out of control. There have been a few times where it almost had. Like when I first met Copycat and when Jack-a-day threatened my Father.

I snorted at the memory before dancing away from Copycat's staff. He was preventing me from getting closer to Hawkmoth. Whenever I did, his staff got in the way. I could feel Plagg's pleas to control my temper.

Soft laughter bubbled from my lips as I melted into the shadows. Copycat growled; his tail lashing back and forth as he stepped closer to Hawkmoth. I ducked, a silver staff flying overhead when he spotted me. I may not be Cat Noir right now, but I still have enough of the side effects from my miraculous to give me a fighting chance.

I slinked closer to Hawkmoth, watching him from the corner of my eye as he ignored me and looked my miraculous stone. I grit my teeth and clenched my jaw, a soft growl rumbling my chest.

I smiled as Hawkmoth scowled, glaring the ring when it refused to follow his demands. My smile grew into a smirk at his incompetence. The stones didn't grant you the power, the Kwami inside it did. Hawkmoth never took the time to learn about the miraculous stones.

I snorted and ducked, looking at Copycat. He was glaring at me while panting. I glanced around the large cavern, searching for the darker shadow of Plagg. He was hovering by the dazed Ladybug while watching me with worried eyes.

My smirk grew. I knew why he was worried. Since Hawkmoth had his 'genie lamp' and I still want him to remain by my side, he was stuck in some sort of limbo. He was unable to do anything to assist me; but, the good thing was that he couldn't obey Hawkmoth either.

I took a step forward as Copycat's staff came swinging down. My smirk turned into a sly smile as I snaked my right hand behind my back. I calmly caught the weapon. Copycat stilled with surprise as I spun around, facing him. I yanked his staff free from his grasp then twirling it in mine.

I purred as I tossed the weapon up into a three-hundred-sixty degree before catching it in my left hand, a dark smile curling my lips. A growl ripped from my throat while I slammed it into his gut. He stumbled back, gasping for air. He looked at me through his blond lashes.

I grinned as I leapt into the air, feeling Plagg's eyes follow me as I slammed the staff behind Copycat, sliding down it as he whirled around. I dug my fingers into the pressure point at the base of the neck and above the collar bone, forcing him to his knees. He grabbed my arm as I frowned at him. "Night night." I hissed darkly as I snatched my hand away and brought the silver staff down on his head, rendering him unconscious.

I could feel Ladybug's surprised gaze on me as I turned my attention to Hawkmoth. He was watching me with a calm expression while the surprise in his eyes gave him away. He didn't expect to things like this without the Akuma. I smiled darkly. I can be darker than the Akuma if I let it go too far.

"I can't do much without you having the ring but I can give you some power." A familiar voice rang in my ear as I slightly tilted my head in the direction the voice came from.

"Found a loop hole in the rules, eh Plagg?" I chuckled as I looked at him from the corner of my eye before returning my attention to the man before me. Hawkmoth opened his glowing purple wings.