Partners in Crime (Miraculous Ladybug)

• C h a p t e r S e v e n •

It was a while of waiting with deadly patience for her old partner to come back, but Hawk Moth was right; he did several hours later. This time, instead of leaping valiantly across the rooftops, he was slowly dragging himself along, his posture slumped wretchedly and his head down. When he finally came close enough for her to see him clearly, she saw his eyes were red from crying.

Good, she thought giddily. Perfect for the plan.

"Why hello there, Kitty," she greeted him sweetly, then pretended to check the time. "Back so soon?"

Gradually, he lifted his chin defiantly and straightened. "Ladybug," he said quietly, "this isn't you. I know you. I know the girl I fell in love with, and you're not her."

Coldly, she narrowed her eyes. "I'm surprised you still have the nerve to call me that," she snarled softly. "I said, my name is Miss Fortune!"

"No, it's not," he shot back immediately. "Miss Fortune isn't the one who sacrifices herself daily to save her city. Miss Fortune isn't the one who permanently challenged a supervillain three times her age just for the sake of the greater good. And Miss Fortune certainly isn't the one I love more than anything. Ladybug is."

"Shut up, will you?!" Miss Fortune yelled back, flying to her feet. "Ladybug is gone! Get used to it!"

"Easy," a deep voice behind her murmured, and she instantly relaxed, lowering her gaze. Chat Noir's green eyes widened in horror when Hawk Moth himself walked coolly to his villainess' side. He glanced at the feline hero casually, and Chat Noir tensed.

"I like this one," the supervillain commented, gesturing to Miss Fortune. "She's strong-willed, yet mature. Unlike anyone I've ever encountered. She is my perfect ally. You could be too, Chat Noir."

"Yeah, right." Chat clenched his fists and retrieved his baton, obviously preparing for a fight. "You really thought I'd agree just like that?"

Hawk Moth raised his closed fist and Chat Noir stiffened again, but all the villain did was open his fingers, allowing a black and purple butterfly to flutter out and start heading for the remaining superhero. "Yes," he replied. "Yes, I do."

Chat's eyes grew round with shock as the akuma flew towards him. He started quickly backing away, while Hawk Moth and Miss Fortune watched in amusement. "Chat Noir," the clever, deep voice whispered, "whatever is the matter? You've spent the last six hours crying. Heroes shouldn't cry. They must be a role model to their city. But we can fix that. All we—"

"No!" Chat yelled, grabbing his temples and covering his eyes with his arms as the black butterfly drew ever closer. "S-stop talking! Lies. All l-lies. Right." A strangely relaxed expression came across his face, followed by a tiny smile. The two villains couldn't see his eyes, but they grinned as well. He was going delirious from emotional stress.

"Come on," Hawk Moth coaxed. "You know you want to join us. It's the only way your Lady will ever love you."

"No . . . it's not." He lowered his arms, then gasped and staggered backwards when he saw the akuma right in front of him. Hitting the railing of the Eiffel Tower, he stopped, glanced wildly back at the evil creature, and shouted, "CATACLYSM!"

The pair of villains continued to smile expectantly.

The feline superhero stared desperately at the akuma, his emerald cat eyes anxious and exhausted. He raised his right hand and swiped at the creature in a vain effort to kill it with his destructive energy, but immediately fell to his knees. His forehead hit the metal ground in front of him, his claws scraping the floor in his mental battle.

"Everything will be okay now," the villain adorned in purple whispered. "We'll take good care of you, Chat Blanc."

"No . . ." he groaned, his struggles weakening by the second. "I'll never . . ."

Silence reigned as the last hero of Paris lost the battle of emotions. Hawk Moth stepped up in front of him and touched his shoulder, to which Chat responded by grabbing the much larger hand. A moment later, he was engulfed by the familiar black and purple mists that transformed his suit into a snowy white color. When he stood up again and opened his eyes, they now glowed an eerie violet color. His playful bell was gone.

All signs of sadness gone, he smirked at his new ally. "Thank you," he said with a disturbing grin. "Thank you, Father."