Noir Spots

Balance Has Two Sides

Um...hello?

---

Chloé's mood had significantly fallen after her and Ladybug's chat.

As had her pride.

As it turned out, Ladybug didn't believe in her.

She must have left the box in her room by accident if the questions were anything to go by.

So the second she got back to her room, the transformation dropped and Chloé flopped onto her bed.

"Kid?"

Chloé's response was a muffled groan.

She heard Plagg sigh before a small weight settled on the bed in front of her head.

"Ladybug didn't choose you." Chloé looked up to glare at the Kwami.

"You think I don't know that?"

"You screwed up your shot at being a holder when you announced your identity to the world. And then again when you willingly became Miracle Queen. So Ladybug didn't choose you."

Chloé squeezed her eyes shut and set her head back down on the bed.

She was a failure.

A villain.

And despite her success today at being Noir, at working with Ladybug to defeat an Akuma, it didn't change the fact that she had worked with Hawkmoth.

"And that's why I did."

Chloé's head shot up.

"You--what?"

Plagg gave her a look that said "shut up and listen to me".

"I chose you. I snuck out of Ladybug's house and I came here."

Chloé couldn't stop staring.

He chose her? He wanted to be her Kwami?

"Why?"

"Simple as your energy. You've got a shit ton of destructive energy in you."

Oh.

"Makes sense. I destroy shit all the time." Chloé grumbled.

"Destructive energy isn't a bad thing, kid. Can you imagine infinite creation? Destruction is part of the system that keeps people safe. Without it Creation would run wild."

Chloe frowned.

Infinite Creation sounded just as scary as infinite Destruction, if not more so.

"But what about Chat Noir? He was pretty destructive."

Plagg's toxic eyes clouded. He was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"That was the problem. Creation and Destruction are supposed to balance each other out. One without the other causes all sorts of problems. And Chat Noir was taking too much, he upset the balance between the Ladybug and the Black Cat." Plagg said finally. He sounded bitter and disappointed thinking about Chat Noir.

"And what makes you so sure that I won't upset the balance?" Chloé whispered.

"Because you aren't Chat Noir. You're so much better."

---

Apparently an Akuma attack wasn't a good enough reason to get out of school.

Marinette sat in the back of the class, observing her completely calm classmates.

After three years of Akumas, it seemed they barely considered them to be more than minor annoyances.

It bothered Marinette.