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You're Lost, I'm Found

Summary:

After a dreadful Akuma attack, Adrien loses possession of his Miraculous. Now, with only a matter of time before someone else finds his ring, Adrien and Plagg are forced to try and figure out the identity of Ladybug. Meanwhile Marinette copes with losing her partner and realizing that, now that Chat Noir is gone, she might have actually loved him.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Shadow Wielder

Chapter Text

You're Lost, I'm Found.

Chapter One: Shadow Wielder

 



 

 

“I am Shadow Wielder! You all have have kept me in the shadows long enough, so now I will be sure all of you stay in the dark forever! Ahahah!” Hawkmoth's newest Akumitized victim cackles from atop one of Paris's many rooftops. “I control all darkness, all the shadows! Don't step into the dark, or else you're mine to control!” Down on the streets below, dark blobs on the ground chase civilians around. Once captured by the dark matter, people are pulled into the ground and merged with the dark blobs, leaving only their shadows to serve Shadow Wielder.

“I guess it's too bad for you that I can see in the dark!” Chat Noir called as he slammed his baton where Shadow Wielder once stood. Chat landed with a confused look however, because he had missed his target.

“Chat Noir! His shadow!” Ladybug called.

Chat looked down just in time to see a shadow grin evilly before Shadow Wielder materialized from it, only inches from the masked hero. Using his baton, Chat escapes Shadow Wielders grabbing arms, jumping backwards to the edge of the rooftop.

Ladybug swings in and lands next to her beloved partner. “Good reflexes Chatton.” She giggles a bit before a dark shadow shoots between them.

“Oh? Could you say they were, Chat like!” The blonde haired boy hummed at his own pun as he jumped away from the attack.

“Enough of this nonsense!” Shadow Wielder growled, unleashing many dark shadows from his hand. “In a world of shadows, there is no room for puns!” Immediately, the shadows launch towards Paris's hero.

Chat's first instinct was to charge and attack with his baton, but sadly, his weapon merely passed harmlessly through the shadow.

His eyes widened in shock, realizing the shadow was about to overtake him, when suddenly he was pulled back by Ladybug's yo-yo. Landing on his butt, Chat smiled like a dork at Ladybug, whom had totally just saved his skin. “Nice save M'lady.”

“Chat you have to be careful, if one of his shadows consumes you, then that's it. You become one of his dark figures to control.”

"Ohh, like a shadow puppet! Is it bad I thinks that's almost cool?” Chat said with a snicker as he jumped up onto his feet.

She threw him a disapproving look but had no time to respond for more shadows came flying after them again.

Ladybug and Chat dodge the dark blobs tactfully, but no matter how much they avoided them, the dark figures chased them from rooftop to rooftop as they jumped above the streets of Paris.

“Ladybug! You have any ideas on how the get these shadows off our tail?!” Chat called out after a few minutes. “Our weapons are useless against them and we can't keep running forever!”

“I'm thinking! I'm thinking!” She called back to him. They must have a weakness... but how does one beat a shadow? Wait... A shadow! Ladybugs eyes locked onto a well lit billboard only about a block away from them. “Chat Noir! We have to knock down that Billboard. Think you can do it?”

“Why, being the cause of catastrophic destruction? M'lady, don't you know me?”

“Good. Don't touch the electrical wires though, We'll need those lights!”

“You've got it!” Chat ran for the billboard sign and raised his hand to the sky. “ CATACLYSM! ” He called as he unleashed his powers, running his claws across the metal bars supporting it.

 It came crashing down, landing flat on rooftops next to Chat Noir and Ladybug. The light hit the shadows, and with a hiss, they faded away. “Well well M'lady, I guess you were just too bright for them!”

“Ha ha ha, Chatton.” She placed her hands on her hips and smiled at him.

“What? I'm not too much to handle now, am I?” His grin widened as he flirted, but his miraculous beeping broke the mood.

“You better go, but hurry. I can't do this without you.”

Chat look a few steps back, getting ready to propel off the roof to recover. “Don't worry, I'll always be by your side. We're a team after all.”

Ladybug smiled softly at the blonde haired boy in front of her with green cat eyes. She did have a soft spot in her heart for Chat Noir for sure. He was cocky, but still kindhearted, and he always made sure that protecting Paris was his top priority. Flirting with girl next to him in the mask was just a added thing to Chat's agenda, but it was always number two on the list. She would know, after almost a year of superhero work.

“That we are Chat, now get out of here befor-” Ladybug gasped and her eyes widened as she spotted the dark figure behind Chat Noir. Her happiness soon was replaced with terror. “Chat! RUN!!”

Chat blinked at her, confused, but before he could move, Shadow Wielder materialized around Chat Noir, covering his mouth and restraining his arms. With an evil laugh, Shadow Wielder looks at Ladybug with his deep purple eyes. “Seems that the cat is in the carrier!”

“How can you withstand the light?!”

“I'm not a shadow my dear... I can withstand light without a problem!” Shadow Wielder cackles. Chat mumbles something into his hand, and Shadow Wielder smirks. “Oh what was that, afraid I couldn't hear- ACH!”

Chat bites down on his hand, freeing his mouth to speak “Ladybug! His Akuma! I think It's in his glove!” His miraculous chimes again, going down too only two pads. “HURRY!!”

“”W-why you little!-”

“Don't you even!” She lunged forward, anger burning in her eyes. “I won't let you harm him!!”

“Harm him? No..” He shifted out of her pathway with ease. “Take his miraculous however,” He grabs the ring on his hostages finger and smiles wildly. “Yes...”

Chat's eyes widen as he shakes his head violently. “Ladybug! This cat's not ready to be out of the bag!!”

Suddenly, Ladybug collides with Shadow Wielder's body, pushing him away from Chat Noir. However, Chat fell straight off the roof and into the Alleyway with a yelp. Down down down.... Into the shadows.

“Chat Noir! No!” Ladybug called as she rushed to the edge of the roof. She looked down in hopes to find him, but there was only the darkness. She clenched her fists in both sadness and fury. “Bring him back...give me Chat Noir back!” She stood and turned around fiercely, ready to attack her opponent, but her anger quickly shifted to confusion as she gazed upon a cackling Shadow Wielder.

“Chat Noir is never coming back. I destroyed his shadow my dear.” The evil grin on the akumatized victims face ate Ladybug alive as he stepped towards her.

“You’re lying! Chat isn't gone! You still need his-”

“Miraculous?” Shadow Wielder laughs manically as he opens his left hand. Inside, Chat Noir's miraculous. His ring, now silver in color. “Afraid I already got it. After that, he was null and void!”

“How...HOW DARE YOU!” Ladybug threw her yo-yo forward, hitting Shadow Wielder's hand and sending Chat Noir's ring flying into the air. “You'll never get our miraculous! I'll be sure of it! HA!” She dashed forward, trying to grab Shadow Wielder, but was a moment too late as he fell back off the roof and into the shadows.

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug used her last resort, in hopes to defeat this Akuma before it got too much more out of hand. Out of the sky fell a pack of pink neon glow sticks. Man, why couldn't it ever be simple?

“His glove... That has to be it! That's where he creates his shadows...” Ladybug looked around, thinking for a moment. “Wait, while Shadow Wielder was in the billboard lights, he couldn't conjuror his shadows! Though he could stand in the light, he was near powerless!”

Ladybug knew she couldn't keep hiding in the billboard lights forever though, and the only way out of her current situation was if she went into the streets of Paris... all by herself. She swallowed, knowing she could not bear to think about that now. She never once had been without her partner.

Tucking the pack of glow sticks under her belt, Ladybug took a deep breath and jumped over to the next rooftop, out of her bright light safe zone.

Leaping from one too another, she knew it was only a matter of time before Shadow Wielder showed his face and summoned more of his dreadful shadows. It probably was no help that Chat Noir's voice haunted her every thought...

“Don't worry, I'll always be by your side. We're a team after all.”

Ladybug chocked to hold back tears. “I'm holding you responsible for your promise, Chat Noir...”

“Aww, how sweet!” A voice sounded, stopping Ladybug where she was on top of another rooftop. “But, don't you know?” A shadow shaped like Chat Noir formed across the way from her. “Promise's are meant to be broken!”

Ladybug growled in frustration as the figure ran towards her. A figure shaped like her partner. This Akuma was really starting to get to her, but she wasn't about to let him win! She pulls out the pack of pink glow sticks and opens them, busting only one of the sticks and shaking it till it glows.

The shadow figure quickly haults, backing up by a few steps.

“Sensitive to the light, are we?” She called, “Here, let me help you out of the dark!” Ladybug launched the glow stick like a spear, sending it through the heart of the shadow. It absorbed it, and immediately the shadow screeches, burning away as the glow sticks light erases its existence.

Ladybug felt her heart throb for her partner. Even seeing a controlled shadow shaped like him die made her feel awful... she only hoped that he had not really gone through pain like this. Chat didn't deserve it, no one did. Right now, she only loathed that Akuma, Shadow Wielder... but more than that, she felt nothing but pure hatred for the man behind it all... Hawkmoth.

A slow clapping made Ladybug spin around to face Shadow Wielder as he approached her. She takes out her yo-yo and spins in rapidly in defense. “Haven't you done enough?”

“Afraid not my dear. You're still here, after all.”

“Well, I'm afraid I'm not going anywhere!”

“That's good...because I wasn't going to let you!” Shadow Wilder grinned and Ladybug looked around, now noticing she was completely surrounded by dark figures. It was overwhelming, but Ladybug kept her focus on Shadow Wielder. “There has to be something I can do.”

Suddenly, her miraculous beeps. She had completely forgot she had used her power! Now she was running out of time.

“There's no where to hide, Ladybug...” Shadow Wielder laughed as he approached her, his arms outstretched as if to embrace her.

That's when it hit her. “You're right, there's no where to hide in the light!” Taking out the entire pack of glow sticks, Ladybug busted them all and threw them at Shadow Wielder. In defense, he reached up to catch a few. Grabbing one of them in his gloved hand...

Suddenly all the dark figures disappeared and Shadow Wielder was on his knees. He clenched his hand in pain and tossed the glove on the ground. Burn marks scarred his hand where he had caught the glow stick.

Ladybug walked over and picked up the glove, tearing it in two. “No more evil doing for you, little Akuma...” She repeated her usual lines bitterly. “Time to De-evilize!” She swung her yo-yo to capture the black butterfly with ease. “Gotcha...” She watched the butterfly as it fluttered away. Swallowing, she now pulled the pack of glow sticks out and threw them to the sky. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Just like that, magic swirled around the city of Paris. Anything that was destroyed was fixed. Ladybug turned around in time to see the Billboard her and Chat had destroyed get set back right again. Moments later the streets became flooded with the people whom had been consumed by the shadows. They all looked so dazed and confused. They probably couldn't remember what had even happened to them.

Everything was back to normal.

Except...

Chat Noir wasn't by her side.

Ladybug's miraculous beeped its final warning, and she immediately used her yo-yo to swing away from the scene. She left the civilian whom had been akumatized by himself, not wanting nor having time to help the confused man.

Ladybug landed in an unpopulated street. With an exhausted sigh, she released her transformation. Looking to the sky, she could no longer hold back her own tears as the streamed down her soft cheeks.

“Bien Joué, Chat Noir... Au revoir.”

 



 

To Be Continued...