Cat-Call 2 (Mari-Chat sequel to Cat-call)

Ch1. Bonne Nuit (Marinette)

"Who are you?" Adrien's question echoed through my ears. He looked at me bewildered, his emerald eyes were dazed and muddled. Master Fu placed his hand on Adrien's forehead, causing him to lose consciousness again.

"Adrien!?" I shouted, my heart racing.

"It's okay Marinette, he's just resting.

"Why did you...?" I trailed off as I turned to him fretfully.

"Adrien is missing pieces of his memory..." he said as he closed his eyes and placed his hands on the sides of Adrien's head. A soft white light emanated from his palms.

"W-will he ever recover?" Master Fu opened his eyes and turned to me wearily.

"I don't know..." my heart cringed as I turned to Tikki and Plagg who were hovering right beside him. Their gazes were sympathetic.

"Poor kid..." Plagg rasped as he floated over to his master. His tiny shoulders were slumped and his little arms hung loosely in front of him.

"Marinette..." Master Fu began. "I know you love Adrien, but I'm going to ask a great favor from you...." I turned to him blankly. The entirety of the situation hadn't finished setting in yet. "Don't tell him you're Ladybug..." My heart sank in my chest as he looked at me seriously. "We don't know how he could react to all of this. Let's leave it up to Plagg. We'll have Plagg teach him how to be Cat-noir again if necessary. For now, it's best he doesn't know the entire truth. Meanwhile, I will continue to study the code in the book. Perhaps we can find something to help him regain his memories. After a long period of silence, I nodded reluctantly. "Thank you Marinette..." the old man bowed gratefully just before standing up and making his way over to his teapot. "Take him home, he needs his rest" I nodded as I stood up. My head weighed heavily on my shoulders as I turned to my Kwami. Her large blue eyes were laced with worry.

"Tikki, Spots on."

The sky had gotten dark by the time we set out. The air was cool and crisp and the streetlights were beginning to flicker on. Adrien was unconscious the entire way. When we arrived at the Agreste mansion, I jumped through his open window and laid him gently on his bed.

"I'm sorry Ladybug..." Plagg whispered as he hovered beside Adrien. "If I hadn't been a hot head, none of this would've happened..." His large green eyes brimmed with guilt.

"It's not your fault Plagg..." I reassured as I petted his small head with my index finger. He nodded just before hovering over to Adrien's pillow and curling up into a ball. I was about to jump back out the window, when a small groan caught my attention.

"Ugh...w-where am I?" Adrien asked as he sat up wearily. My heart raced as I watched him rub the back of his head. He looked around for a few seconds, still confused. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest when his gaze rested on me. "W-who are you?" he asked startled by my presence.

"My name is Ladybug. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you..." I reassured.

"What are you doing here?" he asked warily.

"You got hurt during an akuma attack so I brought you home..." I fibbed as I glanced down at my boots.

"Akuma attack? What are you talking about? What's going on?" he asked bewildered. I smiled sadly.

"Never-mind, just try to get some rest..." I trailed off as I swung my yo-yo and prepared to leave.

"W-wait!" he shouted as he jumped off the bed and hurried to where I stood.

"Bonne Nuit Chaton..." I whispered just before jumping out into the night.