Chat Noir was freedom. That's all that Adrien could comprehend as he jumped with ease among the rooftops of Paris. A simple ring that he had found near his mother's willow tree days ago had given him freedom.

And a slightly annoying little companion, but he wasn't going to complain.

Plagg was a new friend, his only magical creature that dwelled within the ring provided him with the opportunity to be someone other than Adrien Agreste and the life that his father, Gabriel, carved out for him.

The transformation was startling at first, but Plagg had helped him through it. Light surrounded him as he suited up in a flexible, black material. A mask protected his identity, while fabricated ears rustled his hair and enhanced his hearing. There were perks, like night vision, a kickass baton and cataclysm, but there were flaws, like the limit on his swami's strength. Adrien learned quickly how important it was to keep cheese on hand for Plagg. There was still so much to learn about being Chat Noir, but right now, Adrien was simply enjoying the new view of Paris.

Until that view was interrupted by a scream.

Chat turned his attention toward the direction of a shrieking woman. He leaped to another rooftop, attempting to be discrete, where he watched the event unfold.

Something about seeing a poor defenseless woman held at gun point didn't sit well in Chat Noir's stomach. He growled, reaching for his baton as he dropped between the woman and the thief.

"W-what the hell are you?" the man behind the gun was stuttered in shock.

Chat grinned, something about confronting a criminal was riveting. He motioned for the woman to run away as he expanded his baton, preparing to fight.
"Your worst nightmare."

The man laughed.

"Bringing a chew stick to a gunfight, pussy cat."

Chat lunged, twisting his baton in a manor that knocked the gun right out of the thief's hand. He was thankful for his fencing lessons, an underlying Adrien skill that came in handy when he was Chat Noir.

"What gun fight?" He smirked as the thief's face contorted in anger. "I think that evened the odds a-aah!"

Clearly Chat needed to brush up on hand to hand combat, before he could finish his sentence he was met with a right hook to the face. He was able to dodge and maneuver around a few more attempted hits, he even was able to deliver a few of his own. However, he wasn't expecting a jolting kick to his stomach knocking the breath out of him completely.

Thankful that the woman had listened and ran when she could, Chat plotted his escape. He spun his baton around, knocking the thief's feet out from underneath. He quickly expanded his baton enough to jump back on to the roof. He didn't really want to be near the area when the thief finally picked his gun back up, but after hearing the whistle of a bullet passing by him it seemed he had no choice.

Adrien had never been more thankful for Plagg's enhanced reflexes than he was now. Jumping from building to building, dodging death with every step, Chat Noir's heart was pounding.

Suddenly everything was silent. He couldn't hear the man fumbling with the gun, he couldn't hear footsteps chasing after him from below, he couldn't hear anything other than the beating in his chest.

Chat slowed down, taking a deep breath and a step he soon regretted.
A panel on the roof slid out from underneath him, causing the blonde boy fall on his butt and slide off the roof. He mentally prepared himself to hit the pavement hard, but instead felt a tight tug on his arm as he was suspended in the air.

Chat looked up only to be lost in a pair of blue eyes, worryingly looking at him through a mask. It was a girl, covered in a tight red and black spotted uniform similar to his own. Her jet black hair was pulled back into pig tails by long, bright red ribbon. She had one hand securely wrapped on his arm and the other gripping on to what appeared to be a very strong string. She gave the string a tug and soon the two were launched back onto the rooftop.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her musical voice was drenched in concerned.

"I-I will be. Thanks for the save there, uh -"

"Ladybug." She giggled. "Don't I look just like one?"

Chat laughed. "I'm Chat Noir."

"I know." She smirked. "My kwami told me you'd be around sooner or later."

"W-what?"

"We're a team! Ladybug and Chat Noir, defending Paris from evil."

"Evil?"

"Y-yeah, Hawkmoth." Ladybug shifted her stance. "He uh, possesses people through akuma. Akuma are these little butterfly things that are blackened with evil. They turn people into his minions to cause chaos. I can cleanse them, but I have to break the object the akuma attach to first. I haven't really figured out what exactly he's after." She sighed, shifting her gaze downward. "His first victim was a man whose wife had left him. He tried to sabotage happy couples. Took me three days to bring that one down."

"I had no idea Paris was in danger.. you've been fighting these on your own?"

"Hawkmoth only just recently started acting up, so I'm not surprised if the news didn't reach everyone. It was a pretty discrete akuma. But I'm not alone anymore now that you're here to help!" She moved closer to him and poked him playfully in the shoulder. "Now we can really take down these nasty little akuma."

"Woah, I, uh, this is a lot to take in. I j-just found a ring, I didn't expect all of this!" Chat nervously backed away from the girl who just saved his life. He glanced off into the distance, sadly continuing, "I think you've got the wrong guy, I'm far from the hero type. I wouldn't be much help to you. I should find the ring's true owner—"

"You were chosen, Chat Noir."

"C-chosen?" The boy stuttered, shocked.

"Your kwami chose you as its charge." She stood a few inches away from him now, a confident look in her eyes. "You were chosen to be Chat Noir, you were chosen to defend Paris."

He avoided her eyes, unable to handle their intensity. A slender hand touched his check, drawing his attention back to her, back to her eyes.

"Please. I need you, Chat Noir."

Suddenly he was drowning in warmth. Her eyes, the blue, the look, the warmth, the familiarity. It was her. The girl he had met years ago in the park, the eyes that pleasantly haunted his dreams. She was here, she was Ladybug. She needed him.

But who was she?