Chapter 14:

Marinette reached out and picked up the distorted silver ring, examining it carefully. "It's… broken."

Adrien's attention turned to Plagg, his eyebrows pulling together with concern. "So, does that mean…? Am I not….?"

Plagg shrugged with his usual nonchalance. "I'm still here, aren't I? If I didn't have a host, I'd be back in stasis. There must be a secondary miraculous or something." The cat-god reclined in midair, as if to ascertain his self-assuredness.

Tikki glanced between Plagg and his chosen with interest. This was certainly a new situation, and she didn't know what to make of it either. She wondered…

"Maybe give it a shot, Adrien?" she suggested meekly.

Plagg's attention piqued at this, and he sat up. In truth, he wasn't certain that the kid could transform. He still felt connected to the young man, just as he had when he was his chosen, but without the ring…

Glancing at the broken ring in Marinette's open palm, Adrien stood from the floor and took a few steps away from his beautiful partner. They were still partners, right? Staring at his empty fingers as he turned his hands palm-up, then palm down, he shrugged. "What do you say, Plagg?" Adrien felt awkward standing in the middle of the small room, unsure of what to do with his hands, as he caught the eyes of his kwami. With a quizzical perk of his eyebrow, he questioned: "Claws out?"

Tikki and Marinette watching in astonishment as the cat-god swirled through the air toward Adrien before plunging directly into his chest. Adrien's hands flew to his chest in surprise, clutching together in front of his heart, his eyelids falling shut as if in prayer. A beat passed. Then, in a pulse of green, the form of Adrien flashed, his borrowed t-shirt replaced with the familiar black leather of Chat Noir. His arms fell gracefully to his sides as the green energy spread down his extremities, covering his skin in black leather and tipping his fingers with sharp claws that shone like polished obsidian. Marinette, with her natural eye for detail, noted that his suit had changed somewhat. For one, the oversized bell was missing from around his neck, replaced by an open belted collar resembling what might be seen on a leather biker jacket. Also, the familiar seams tracing his muscular shoulders now continued onto his chest where they were met with two more seams running in parallel, the three lines angling diagonally toward his sternum, resembling scratch marks raking across his chest.

Adrien's eyes flashed open, his emerald irises replaced by Chat's luminescent, lime-green sclera. His mask spread across his face, materializing first at the bridge of his nose and expanding outward. As it completed, he winked at Marinette, his lopsided grin revealing the sharp point of an exaggerated canine.

Running his hands through this disheveled blond hair, two black peaks popped up from under his hands, while a long belted tail simultaneously unfurled behind him. Completing the transformation, Adrien blinked in surprise, as he and Marinette said in unison: "…. Whoa."

Marinette took a few steps toward him, closing the gap between them. "Chat, you're… different." Her eyes were wide with awe.

He took a deep breath, shuddering slightly. "I feel different. Stronger. A lot stronger. Like… all my senses are in overdrive." He was staring at his hands again, as he balled them into fists and released them. "I can hear the water rushing through the pipes. I can smell the bread baking downstairs. I can feel…" He glanced up, catching her stare. "I can feel… the heat of your body…" His released a shaky breath, trying to process all the new sensations that relentlessly bombarded him. What would it feel like to kiss her like this? To touch her? For her to touch him? Even the thought was overwhelming.

She smiled widely, reaching a hand toward him. "That's not all that's different!" As her fingertips brushed one of the cat ears, it flicked reflexively. He gasped in surprise, both ears perking up and angling forward in full attention. No longer the leather triangles they were, these ears we soft and warm, covered with a fine black fur, and emerged directly from his head. She stroked one timidly, fascinated.

He blushed, for some reason feeling that her touching his ears was an intensively intimate act. Her hand dropping to his head, she scratched lightly around the base of the ear, causing a deep rumble to pick up in his chest.

She giggled at his purr, causing his blush to deepen.

"S-Sorry…" he stammered. "That's… uhh… new."

"Ugh gross, don't make me part of your lovey-dovey flirtations!" Plagg's voice echoed in Adrien's head, clear as can be.

"Plagg?!" Adrien glanced around the room. But how can he be here while I'm Chat?

Marinette and Tikki exchanged confused looks.

"You can hear me?" Plagg sounded just as surprised to Adrien as he himself felt.

"Yes! We can talk when I'm transformed?" Adrien posed the question to the air.

Tikki's eyes widened. "Adrien, are you…. Are you talking to Plagg?"

Marinette gasped as Adrien grinned.

Tikki mulled the situation over in her head, trying to make sense of it all. Something tickled at the edge of her memory. A piece of the puzzle was missing, some key to unlock the mystery of the whole situation. Suddenly, Marinette's voice from the night before whispered in her head: "Rings and earrings be damned, his love, his will, his heart…" The little red kwami's eyes shown with excitement. That's it!

"I think I understand what's happening!" the bug-god exclaimed.

"Well at least someone does!" both (or to Adrien, all three) voices replied.

Tikki smiled mischievously, teasing them with hints of some secret knowledge that she would not fully reveal. "It's because the new miraculous connects you and Plagg… more closely than before." Turning to her chosen with a knowing grin, she added, "Marinette, I think you should transform too."

Marinette had no idea where she was going with this, but she had learned (after staring at an Egyptian parchment for almost an hour with no hints beyond encouraging nods) that when her kwami was being cryptic, it was best to just do what she said. She shrugged. "Ok…? Tikki, spots on!"

After Tikki swirled into her earrings, Marinette's transformation went off without a hitch, the red spotted suit engulfing her form with a flash of pink. She didn't notice Chat wince slightly as her transformation pulled at him, draining some of his energy away.

Fully transformed, Marinette blinked. She did feel different. She felt a power surging through her, pulsing and crackling, as if itching to be released. Glancing down at her suit, she was somewhat disappointed that her costume looked the same.

Catching Chat's gaze, his eyes were wide with astonishment.

"Mari…" his voice was buzzing with excitement. "Ladybug, you… you have wings!"

Sure enough, hanging from her shoulders like a gossamer cape, two large, silvery, translucent wings graced her back, extending to just below her hips. OK, so her costume wasn't exactly the same!

She lifted an arm, peering around her side, while simultaneously the wings raised, stretching wide with a slightly upward angle.

Chat was frozen in his spot, gaping at her. "Can you….fly?"

As naturally as taking a step, Ladybug set her wings into a hum of activity. She lifted herself a few feet off the ground, suspending herself in midair.

Chat leapt into the air. "YOU CAN FLY!" He laughed giddily, overcome with amazement.

Lowering herself gently to the ground, Ladybug reached her right hand to her hip for her yo-yo, only to find it missing.

"My yo-yo is gone!" She exclaimed, tension mounting. "How am I supposed to fight in this form without my yo-yo?" She felt the unfamiliar power surge again, seeking release. But what am I supposed to do with it? she pondered.

Stepping toward her and taking her hands in his, Chat lifted both of her hands into view. Her left hand, still balled into a fist around the destroyed miraculous, was glowing softly. "Maybe you're not supposed to fight…" he posited, as he gently urged her fingers open.

There, resting in her palm, was the miraculous of Chat Noir, perfectly restored and shining as if freshly polished.

Marinette released her transformation in shock, the peculiar energy rushing from her like a crashing wave that was now receding from the shore, leaving her feeling a bit dazed. She stared at the ring in her hands as if it was an illusion that would vanish with her transformation. It did not. Emerging from her earrings, Tikki giggled lightly at her bewilderment.

Chat reached for the familiar ring, turning it over in his hands, puzzled.

"It's back. It's back to normal, I can feel it. You can go back to the old Chat Noir, if you prefer." Plagg offered from inside his head.

"But…." Chat began.

"….how?" Marinette finished his thought.

With a wide smile, Tikki hugged the cheek of her chosen with affection. "Oh Marinette, don't you see? The powers of destruction and creation, the ability to remake the world and everything in it… This is the combined power of the Ladybug and Chat miraculouses! The earrings of the Ladybug, and the heart of Chat Noir… they both belong to you."

Author's Note: Well friends, that's a wrap! I really can't thank you all enough for reading, favoriting, following, and especially the reviews! Your feedback and encouragement makes writing so much fun, I never expected this little endeavor to be so enjoyable! I may just write a sequel exploring the powers of LadyNoir 2.0, if there's interest :) I truly hope you enjoyed the story, and THANK YOU again for reading! -Floof