Secrets Uncovered

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Ladybug heard Jackady shout that his main target was no other than Adrien's father Gabriel Agreste. Of course, Ladybug's main priority was to protect every Parisian citizen. Although, she really wanted to impress Adrien by protecting his father from harm. She gathered up both Nino and Adrien.

To reach the Agreste Mansion, Nino suggested walking, or rather running. Ladybug knew traveling by foot would take much too long, though. She mentioned her idea of carrying the two boys as she used her yo-yo to travel faster. Both Adrien and Nino looked confused as she was simply a tiny little thing. Somehow, though, they managed. Nino hung on to her shoulders in a piggyback form. Ladybug held on tightly to Adrien with her left arm, for she was using her right arm to throw her yo-yo. Adrien's eyes gleamed as he looked up at the love of his life.

As soon as the three reached the mansion, Nathalie escorted Adrien and Nino to Adrien's room for safety, whereas Mr. Agreste himself escorted Ladybug into a separate room. After a short conversation about Adrien, Gabriel glared at Ladybug's magical accessory. "I never noticed your earrings before, they're fascinating. May I?" His smile was genuine as he reached his hand toward the girl's jewelry.

Ladybug looked puzzled and quickly stepped back. "Excuse me." Ladybug opened up her yo-yo so that she could contact Chat Noir, her partner in crime.

Gabriel reached over and closed her yo-yo. "Please, forgive me. I haven't officially introduced myself." He smiled deviously. Ladybug examined the windows and doors before noticing that every entrance into the current room was locked. With his hands behind his back, Gabriel walked over to where the windows were and shut the curtains. He then began walking back to Ladybug.

Ladybug was at a loss for words. She was confused and was unable to comprehend what was going on. "Mr. Agreste?" Desperate knocking came from the window. Chat's muffled voice could be heard from outside of it. "Mr. Agreste, it's only Chat Noir! He's in danger, let him in!"

"I'm not going to do that, Ladybug. I wish to speak to you...alone." Gabriel maintained a calm tone.

"Mr. Agreste, it can wait. Right now, Chat needs my help!" Ladybug attempted to rush to the window, but Gabriel held his hand out in front of her.

"I fear that you require more assistance than he does currently." Gabriel's smile now looked quite devilish.

"What are you-" Ladybug felt slightly frightened.

"Nooroo, let the night's wings unfold!" Ladybug watched in pure horror as her crush's father transformed into a magical being. A saddened kwami entered a butterfly brooch that was worn under a formal tie. Normally, she would just assume he looked like a typical superhero. However, she knew better. She knew too much about the being standing in front of her to mistaken the horrid creature for anything more than a dreadful villain.

"H-HAWK MOTH?!" Ladybug screeched in alarm.

"I believe we have some unfinished business, Ladybug

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"I believe we have some unfinished business, Ladybug. That is, of course, unless you hand over your Miraculous to me now." Hawk Moth's voice, still calm, changed to a more wicked tone.

"You can forget it, Hawk Moth!" Ladybug knew that she couldn't take on Hawk Moth alone. She tried to sprint to the window to escape, but he grabbed her by the ankle. She smacked against the floor, hitting her head quite hard. "Chat..." Ladybug's voice was merely a whisper. She stumbled as she attempted to pick herself up from the floor. She managed to stabilize her feet and quickly turned around, only to end up facing her enemy. Hawk Moth used merely one hand to lift Ladybug up off of the ground by her throat. She held both her hands up under his, allowing for her to breath slightly. The small amounts of oxygen reaching her lungs weren't near enough, though.

"I will obtain you and Chat Noir's Miraculous." With his free hand, Hawk Moth reached for Ladybug's earrings.

Just in time, Chat Noir busted through one of the windows, shattering it completely. He looked at the mess he just caused. "I had no other choice, right?" He mumbled quietly to himself. Chat Noir then noticed the current situation and became worried. Hawk Moth did not seemed distracted by the presence of the second hero in the room, though. "Hey! Paws off, Hawk Moth!"

Rather than feeling intimidated, Hawk Moth was only annoyed. "As you wish." With a sly grin, he heaved Ladybug across the room.

To weak to save herself, Chat Noir caught her and held her bridal style. Ladybug herself was rubbing on her neck, providing a feeling of comfort. A look of worry appeared on his face. "Are you alright, m'lady? I'm so sorry that I wasn't here sooner."

Ladybug gasped for more air, feeling better each second. "I'm fine...thanks to you." She placed her hands on either side of his face and smiled genuinely, grateful that Chat arrived when he did.

"I'll make him regret this." Chat began to place Ladybug down on the ground, but she had him stop. Chat looked at her with a puzzled look.

"I'm not saying that you couldn't win the fight alone, Chat. I just don't want to risk it. This is your life we are talking about." Hawk Moth began throwing various things at the two. Ladybug wrapped her arms around his neck for a feeling of safety. Chat Noir continued to hold Ladybug, but switched to using single hand. He used his other arm in order to use his staff as a shield. Ladybug continued, "We need to do this as a team, Chat. I'm not exactly in the greatest condition to fight." Chat Noir had a facial expression that told Ladybug that her idea was insane. After all, they finally had the villain right in front of them! Noticing his look, Ladybug reassured him, "Don't worry, I know who is hiding behind that costume. We'll get him, Chat. I promise. Just not today."

Chat looked down at his weakened partner, over to the now furious, then back to Ladybug. He realized that the two didn't stand a chance with Hawk Moth unless they were both in an outstanding condition. "You're right. Hang on tight, m'lady." Ladybug tightened her grip around Chat's neck as he jumped out the window and from building to building by rooftop.

Chat waited until the two were a good distance away before finding them a place to rest. Minutes later, he set Ladybug down gently against a wall on a rooftop. He sat down right next to her. They both sat in silence, Ladybug trying to avoid discussing her failure and Chat Noir trying to avoid embarrassing her by not bringing up the fight. The two simply just hugged their own legs as they stared off out at the city, admiring the beauty of it. After a long moment of silence, Ladybug addressed a new issue. "Chat? We need to make an effort to protect this boy by the name of Adrien Agreste."

Chat Noir's eyes went wide at the mention of his alter ego's name. "Uh, isn't he like a model or something? Wouldn't he have his own bodyguards?"

"I'm not sure bodyguards would be enough." Ladybug lowered her head to look at her feet. She felt terrible for Adrien. It was bad enough that his father paid him little attention, but a super villain?

"Why wouldn't they be? I'm sure his father spends a great amount for his protection." Chat tried to play it off as if he hardly knew the boy.

Ladybug looked up from the ground and stared back out at the city. "Whereas that may be true, that doesn't help too much when his father is Hawk Moth."

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