Miraculous... Gone

Chapter 4

Adrien's POV- I promise Mari's POV will be soon!!!

My eyes fluttered open as I awoke to a painful aching in my head. Slowly, I raised my hand to my head in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain, but all I found was a bloody gash running across the top of my head that dyed my hair a dark, bloody shade of red rather than its usual blonde.

I sat up and looked around. My vision came into focus and I discovered that I was sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower. I saw that the moon was out, but the last thing I remembered was leaving the school to fight an Akuma. With a grunt, I started to get up when I realized I didn't know where Plagg was. "Plagg? Where are you?" I quickly stood up and ignored the faint feeling in my head before searching for my kwami. A groan from behind me caused me to turn around. "Plagg!" I rushed over to my friend who was laying behind me.

"You okay?" I asked Plagg as I carefully picked him up.

Plagg sighed in response. "I'm fine kid. Just tired... and hungry! Got any Camembert?"

I laughed. Of course Plagg was thinking about Camembert. "Here, Plagg." I reached inside my jacket and pulled out a piece of that smelly cheese. Why couldn't I get a kwami that liked cake or something?

While Plagg happily munched on his cheese, I started to sort through my thoughts about the events that happened earlier that day. I couldn't remember what happened to me or why I woke up at the top of the Eiffel Tower, so I decided to try looking back and going through the day from start to finish. I remembered waking up, eating breakfast, and walking to school. Then I sat next to Nino in class like usual-- wait! No, today I sat next to Mari. Now I remembered! Mari and I talked and talked and I think I fell for her. I remembered asking her out and then... what happened next? I thought long and hard before I suddenly remembered the Akuma attack! I got Mari to safety and then I fought the Akuma with Ladybug. During the fight, I got captured and Hawkmoth demanded Ladybug's Miraculous in exchange for my safety. I protested. I told Ladybug not to give them away, but she didn't listen. She took her earrings off one by one and she de-transformed into.... I gasped. Marinette. Ladybug is Marinette. I remembered everything now.

Plagg heard me gasp and asked me, "What's wrong?"

I stared right at him. "Marinette. I just remembered Ladybug is Marinette."

"Aren't you surprised?" I expected Plagg to be as shocked as I was at this revelation, but he just looked at me calmly.

"No. I already figured it out. It's kind of obvious..." Plagg flew up to me. "I mean... just look at them both! They both have the same hair, the same voices, the same everything!"

I realized how oblivious I was. Plagg was right. They were identical in every way. The only difference was their confidence levels. Mari was always shy and flustered around me, but LB was confident in herself and never stuttered when she talked to me.

Marinette's POV

I didn't know what to do. Hawkmoth had snuck into the battle and captured Chat Noir and I was powerless to stop him from hurting my kitty. I had two options: give him my Miraculous or watch him hurt my partner. Option two made the most logical sense, but I knew I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my kitty. My emotions got the best of me and against my better judgment and Chat's protests, I reached up to take off my earrings one at a time. With a flurry of red swirling around me, my transformation fell and I became Marinette. I looked at my partner with wide eyes that were quickly filling with tears. He knew who I was now and all I could do was hope he was okay with my identity. He stared at me and opened his mouth in shock.

"Chat? Chat, are you okay?"

But I was too late. He had fainted and became limp in Hawkmoth's grasp. I gasped. Did he know me in real life? Is that why he was surprised? My thoughts were interrupted by a gravelly voice. "Give me the earrings Ladybug. Then I'll release your precious kitty." I glared at him, but in my heart, I knew he had finally won. My identity was revealed and I was about to give him the ultimate power of the Miraculous.

In a last-ditch effort to save Paris, I began a heartfelt monologue. "Hawkmoth. I'm going to give you the earrings, but hear me out." I sighed. "You don't want to do this. Whatever your wish is, there is something you should know. It isn't really a wish because it comes with a price. For example, wishing for money might cause everyone you know and love to become completely broke. It's the universe's way of balancing everything out. And the bigger the wish, the bigger the price. Just ask yourself: is it worth it?"

There it was. My small, but hopefully powerful speech. Hawkmoth paused for a second, which I took as a good sign, but promptly resumed his former demeanor. "I need to do this Ladybug. Give me your Miraculous." He held out the hand that wasn't dangling my partner hundreds of feet in the air.

"Fine." I didn't know what else to say. I had truly lost. Worse, I had failed. I dropped the earrings into his hand. "Now hold up your end of the bargain. Release Chat Noir." The second the words came out of my mouth I regretted them. An evil villain like Hawkmoth would take those words too literally.

With a low chuckle, Hawkmoth said, "Okay. I'll release him." He let go of Chat's tail and sent him flying towards the ground. I scowled at Hawkmoth and jumped off the building when I suddenly remembered I wasn't Ladybug any more. I was falling to my death along with Chat Noir.