Dead

Ladybug?

  "L-Ladybug?" Rena stammered. Everyone's eyes were wide as M'Lady stood up straight with her head bowed. When she looked up, she turned around and looked at me first.

  "Are you alright, Kitty?" She asked, holding a closed hand to her chest, looking worried. She must have thought Rena was an akumatized victim. I nodded, overjoyed to see her when I remembered why I was about to fight my friends in the first place.

  "I am, M'Lady, but I must be honest. I would have thought you'd choose their side." I watched my Lady frown.

  "Their side on what?" She asked, looking towards the heroes she herself had chosen to help us defend Paris.

  "Ladybug..." Queen Bee said, coming forward as Carapace raced to help Rena up. Ladybug turned to Queen Bee for an explanation and seemed to notice the hostility of the group.

  "Marinette Dupain-Cheng is dead, Ladybug." Viperion cut in, stepping forward. He pointed at me. "Chat Noir was trying to kill Hawk Moth, accusing him of killing her without any proof."

  "What?!" I demanded, releasing my claws. He got down in a ready stance, preparing himself but we were interrupted when M'Lady stepped in between us.

  "Time out!" Ladybug cried, making a gesture with her hands for time out. She turned to me, confused. "What do you mean, 'dead'? Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn't dead."

  A shocked silence filled the room as everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Ladybug. Rena walked up with Carapace then, with a startled look on her face.

  "W-what?! How do you know?" I knew better than to question M'Lady but I was curious too. Ladybug hesitates for a second then brightened.

"I took Marinette away with me to help me on a mission." She piped up. I was so relieved to find out Marinette was safe. After all, why would Ladybug lie about that? But then I scowled.

  "Why didn't you ask me?" I said, frowning slightly. "We're partners, aren't we, M'Lady?" She smiled at me fondly.

  "Of course we are, Kitty. Always, but I needed Marinette specifically with this job."

  "Wait." Queen Bee interrupted. "Du-... I mean, Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a Miraculous?" Ladybug chuckled.

  "Yes, Queen Bee. I can't tell you which one in case I need her help again but now you all know." 

  "Why didn't she tell anyone?" Viperion asked, looking down at his lyre, plucking at the strings, seeming hurt. I wondered who Marinette was to him in his civilian form. "She could have at least told her parents." Ladybug looked away and I tilted my head at her behavior.

  "I'm sorry for making you all worry. I needed Marinette right away and I didn't even think to let her write a note at least before we left. I made a mistake and I hope she can fix it." Not being able to contain myself, I wrapped her into a tight hug, holding her tightly to myself.

  "Thank you, M'Lady. If it weren't for you, I might have done something I would have regret." I whispered to her, thinking of how I almost fought my own friends. I felt her arms go around me and hug me back.

  "Of course, Kitty. Meet me on the Montparnasse Tower later." She whispered. "I have something to tell you." I pulled away and nodded. We pulled apart and Ladybug turned to Rena. I took out my stick again but, this time, the only thing I did with it was put it behind my neck and hold it. I stood at my Lady's side as she faced Rena, who looked ashamed.

  "I left Chat Noir in charge, Rena. Now, I'm grateful you tried keeping him in check but you should trust him, like I trust him. That goes for all of you." She said, looking at Carapace, then Queen Bee, Viperion, Ryuko and the others before turning back to Rena Rouge. "Chat Noir and I have worked side by side for a long time. I trust him with my life and I know you can too."

  "I'm sorry, Ladybug." Rena apologized. "I... I was upset." Rena said, turning away. Ladybug with a sympathetic look on her face, stepped forward and placed her hands on Rena's shoulders, making her look up.

  "I understand. The loss of someone so important is hard to deal with and it couldn't be easy with this kitten acting silly." That's how I knew everything was going to be okay.

  "Hey!" I protested, putting my hands on my hips. Now that the trouble was all over, I felt it was safe to joke, especially if she was going to. Rena chuckled and nodded to Ladybug, wiping away her tears.

  Ladybug went to each hero in turn, making sure they were all okay before coming back to me to make sure I apologized for going off the deep end for a second. They all accepted my apology with a smile, except Carapace and Viperion, who looked a little ticked.

  I frowned but Ladybug came up and placed her hand on my shoulder, calming me down. She turned to Carapace and Viperion, frowning slightly.

  "Just because he made a mistake doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the respect you gave him before. He and I are of equal standing and Paris would have been destroyed long ago if it hadn't been for him. He acted a little crazy but nothing happened and it was fixed."

  "And what if you didn't show up in time, Ladybug?" To my surprise, it was Carapace who spoke so bitterly, crossing his arms. "Maybe he would have been the one who destroyed the city this time." I heard Ladybug suck in a pained breath and I turned to her in concern as her eyes grew glassy, as if remembering another time.

  "M'Lady?" I asked, stepping in front of her and placing my hands on her shoulders, shaking them gently. When she snapped back down to earth, her eyes widened in fear for a second before looking around and sighing.

  "I'm okay. Carapace, if that is how you treat others, I'm sorry but I'll need your Miraculous back. I will not have anyone on my team that does not respect my partner." Ladybug told him, sternly. He looked chagrined and turned away.

  Beep beep.

  Ladybug and I both glanced down at my ring at the same time and saw it flashing. Ladybug turned to the other heroes and sighed.

  "I don't feel comfortable with this but I'm going to need you all to separate before I take back your Miraculous. After all, your identities must remain secret."

  They all nodded.

  "Go to different locations then send me your location and wait until I can collect your Miraculous. Don't try anything. I've been all over this city and know where every single one of you live. I'll start with Ryuko. Bug out."

  Extending my stick, I vaulted out the direction Ladybug came in and exited through the window. I kept going until I came across my house and let myself fall in through the window. Landing safely on the floor, I called out the detransformation words and Plagg flew out of my ring. I reached into my jacket and pulled out some Camembert that I tossed to him before heading to my bathroom to take a shower.

  It was around six in the morning and I'd have just enough time to meet Ladybug before school. I took a quick shower and got dressed before retransforming into Chat Noir. I yawned, having been up all night fighting Hawk Moth. I was lucky I had gotten back home before anyone found me missing.

  I made it to the Montparnasse tower and found Ladybug already there waiting for me. She smiled when she saw me and jumped up. I prepared a joke but before I could use it, she threw her arms around me.

  "Woah! What's this for?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her back.

  "I really missed you, Kitty." She said into my shoulder. I felt her shake and realized that she was crying.

  "Woah! Are you alright?" I asked, holding her at arms length. She smiled slightly and wiped away her tears.

  "Yeah. I just didn't like being away from you for so long. It put things in perspective for me and I wanted to thank you for defending me back there." I dismissed her thanks and nodded my head, not catching on at first.

  "Of course. I'll always be ready to- wait. What do you mean?" I asked, looking her in the eyes. She smiled and then did something I never would have expected.

  "Spots off."