When Walls Crumble

Chapter 2: New Roles

Cat Noir climbed out of the river, shaking the water out of his hair and shivering. He jumped back onto the bridge. Marinette and the Evillustrator were nowhere to be found. Neither was Ladybug. She'll turn up eventually, he told himself. She always did.

He looked around again. Luka was still there, but now he was slumped over the edge of the bridge sobbing. Poor guy. Looks like he was right about Luka and Marinette: they were on some kind of date and Nathaniel was akumatized out of jealousy.

"Hey," he said, walking up to Luka and putting his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he tried to make his voice as soothing as possible, but he wasn't good at it. He was best with light-hearted quips and puns. He was usually cocky and abrasive, not soothing.

Luka turned to look at him. "It's not okay! He's got her! They flew off that way. Please, get her back safe. I would help if I could but..." his head drooped.

Cat Noir smiled. Normally Ladybug was the one to be reassuring, but in her absence, he'd do his best.

"Marinette's a smart girl. She actually helped me fight this guy last time. She got me out of a very tight spot. She'll be fine. Besides, Ladybug will show up soon and we've fought him once before. I'll have her back safe and sound in no time and you two can continue your date."

Luka looked startled at the word. "It-it isn't...we weren't..."

Cat smiled. "It looked like a date to me. And good for you. Marinette is a wonderful girl."

Luka opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, then opened it again, looking like a beached fish. Cat chuckled to himself.

"Don't worry, prince charming. Ladybug and I haven't failed yet." He turned to leave and gave a little wave to Luka over his shoulder before vaulting off.

He found them by the Eiffel Tower. It seems almost every fight took him to one of Paris' trademark locations. Maybe superpowers gave Parisians a false sense of grandeur or something. Evillustrator was standing with Marinette on the observation deck at the top. One of her wrists was tied on a long string to the railing. It seemed that he didn't want to tie her up but he also didn't want her to run away. He seemed to be pleading with her, but from the ground, Cat didn't have a good view. He debated whether to charge on in or to wait for Ladybug.

The second option seemed the wiser at the time. He ducked behind a bush and took out his baton to call her. No answer. Maybe she didn't know about the Akuma yet. Maybe he should go barrelling in and hope their fight captured her attention.

Suddenly, his ring beeped.

"What?" he asked himself. "I haven't used my cataclysm yet. There's no way!" The beeping increased frequency, almost like a time bomb. He panicked. "Claws in!"

His costume disappeared and his kwami shot out of the ring.

"Plagg, what happened?" he asked.

"Oh, boy, Adrian." the kwami sighed. "I needed to talk to you. There is a really bad situation regarding Ladybug. She can't help you now, so you need to follow me."

He flew off before Adrian had a chance to ask questions. He bolted after his kwami, following him to a small house.

"Plagg, what's going..."

"Adrian, I need you to trust me," Plagg interrupted. "Knock on the door. I'll let him explain."

Adrian shrugged and knocked. The door was answered by a small old man with a goatee who looked somewhat familiar to Adrian.

"Ah, Cat Noir! Good to see you!" the old man said. Adrian gasped in surprise. How did this old man know his identity?

"I am Master Fu, the guardian of the miraculous. I gave you yours. Your kwami has brought you here because Ladybug has been compromised. Her...her kwami has been separated from her. She cannot transform until she finds it. There is no guarantee she will show up for the fight, so you must find another partner." he walked over to the record player on the dresser and punched in a code of sorts. The top opened and an octagonal box sprang from within.

The Guardian carried the box back and opened it.

"Adrian Agreste. Choose an ally you can trust to fight alongside you for this mission."

In the box was an array of miraculous, all on a platform showing which animal they represent. He looked around until one particular one struck him. He picked it up. The Snake bracelet.

"A wise choice, Adrian. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Yes. He'll definitely help me save Marinette."

"Good. But be sure to get it back after the mission. We cannot have too many miraculous in circulation at the same time."

Adrian looked at the bracelet in his hand and then shared a smile with Plagg. "I've got it, Master!"

Cat Noir returned to the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug was still not in sight. It seemed that Nathaniel was trying to impress Marinette again. He was drawing elaborate firework displays, beautiful romantic lighting, flowers of all kinds, but Marinette didn't seem that impressed. Her wrist was still attached to the Tower and she seemed to be pleading with him. Knowing Marinette, she would try to talk him out of his akumatization. If anyone could do that, it would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng. But for now, she seemed unsuccessful.

"Cat Noir!" he heard a voice behind him hiss. "Where have you been? Ladybug hasn't shown up and she's been tied up there for too long!"

He quickly held up a hand to stop Luka's tirade. He really cared about her, didn't he?

"I need your help. Ladybug is currently compromised and may not be able to come at all. I have no idea. But I am offering you the chance to help me save Marinette."

Luka's eyes lit up. "What can I do? I'll do anything!"

Cat smiled. He knew he chose correctly. "Luka Couffaine, this is the snake miraculous. It gives you the power to grant second chances. Use it to help me save Marinette. But after we do, I will need it back. We already have four miraculous loose in Paris. Can I trust you?"

Luka stared stunned at the box in Cat's hand. He reached for it hesitantly, unsure if he could do it. Then he looked back up at Marinette and resolved himself. He smirked. "You can trust me with your life, Cat Noir. Now let's save the damsel in distress."