Lost

I don't own Miraculous Ladybug

Inspired by new chat au by gale-of-nomads on Tumble (until the part of akumazation)

Adrien was tired of everything. Of the chaos in the classroom. Of the other classes' hatred and isolation. Of being criticized for his behavior as Chat Noir. Of being called inferior to Chloe. Of Ladybug's rejection. Of not knowing Ladybug's identity when it was clear she and Chloe know each other's.

The next time he saw them, after an akuma battle which he didn't participate (Why can't Ladybug see she only need him!?), Queen Bee snark "Finally here? But wouldn't you look at that, the akuma is already defeated." The surrounding crowd glare at him or snicker at Chloe's comment. "Why don't you stay wherever you were hiding instead of coming here?"

"I want to talk to the Guardian," he firmly state to Ladybug. His tone make it clear he won't take no for an answer. He was all ready to argue until he got his way.

"Finally," Ladybug said with a roll of her eyes.

"Huh?"

"He has been trying to contact you for days. The messages should be in your baton," Ladybug drawl. Then she and Queen Bee left over the roofs. Chat Noir growl and left before the reporters could ask him more mean questions. It wasn't his fault, damn it! What he didn't heard was Queen Bee saying, "it's be the end of Chat Noir." She laughs while Ladybug smile.

That night, Adrien complain about everything that was wrong to Master Fu. "And why does she get to hand out the Miraculous and choose new holders?" He ends complaining.

Master Fu merely said "Ladybug is to be the next Guardian. This is her training."

"What!? Why!?"

"Because she has earned it with her abilities."

"What about me?" Doesn't he deserve it too? After all he put in as much work as Ladybug.

"Your compatibility with the Cat miraculous and recent behavior have made you less than ideal. To put it bluntly, Ladybug does the burden of the work and so she is rewarded for it with more knowledge. You ae complaining about not knowing anything when you have not earned the right to it. I had expected better of you."

Adrien's face darkens "Then, you can do better without me." He takes the ring and all but throws it at Fu.

Three days later, a student was akumatized because of Ms. Bustier's class again. Adrien feel vindicated when Ladybug and Chloe struggle. They did need him! The feeling was passing when a black blur saves them. The new Black Cat had wrist gauntlet and leg guards. His chest was covered in a hard material that was also layered like armor. All in all, he looks like a modern knight. After he save the two female Holders, he asks Ladybug for a plan. He follows her directions perfectly, ending the battle within a matter of minutes. None of the Holders even needed to use their special move.

Nadja hurriedly raise a microphone to the Black Cat Holder. It was obvious he wasn't Chat Noir since he had black hair and blue eyes. "Who are you?" She asks.

"I am Feline Knight, the new Black Cat Holder. I will be protecting Paris alongside Ladybug and Queen Bee from now on."

Ladybug cut in citing class was about to begin. She made the arrangements (after consulting with Queen Bee and Feline Knight about when they will be available) for an in-depth interview on Nadja's show in a week.

Adrien watch the interview. Everyone loves the new Black Cat. In the days before the interview there have been three more attacks. Feline Knight have been just as efficient as in his first fight. When he helps people, he was polite and friendly, but always serious about his task. He only jokes after the battle is over and if he isn't in danger of detransforming. The first part of the interview was all about Feline Knight's battles and how well he did. No one ever mentions him! It was like he never existed.

Nadja comments "I must say you are a much more focused person than Chat Noir ever was."

Feline Knight smiles charmingly "My parents raise me to put work before fun. When that work involves human lives, of course I will be focused."

Queen Bee laughs "Well said. You got your priories right, unlike a certain Allay Cat."

Feline Knight frowns "I hope to erase the legacy that Chat Noir have left behind. He is a disgrace to not only heroes, but all men."

Ladybug pats him on the shoulder "Don't worry. You are doing a great job." She assures him.

"Of course, he is. After all, he is the Chosen for the Black Cat miraculous like you are for the Ladybug. Unlike Chat Noir, who was just the best choice at the time." Chloe states

Nadja said "what does Queen Bee mean by that?"

Ladybug answers "At the time Hawkmoth appears, the person who give us our Miraculous rush to find Holders to fight him. Unfortunately, since Feline Knight wasn't here at the time"

"I only recently moved to Paris a few months ago" Feline Knight cut in.

"He gives it to Chat Noir, who was the best choice. That was why he didn't take it back even with Chat Noir's behavior. The Miraculous needs a holder to be on. It is similar to why how you put a computer on sleep instead of shutting it down. It would take a while to "reboot" and we don't want to risk the loss of power with Hawkmoth growing stronger."

Nadja nod in understanding "What does Queen Bee mean by "Chosen?"

Queen Bee explains "It has to do with reincarnation. Every time a soul is reborn and uses the Miraculous, they adapt to it. After a certain amount of time, their souls synched perfectly with the Miraculous, enabling them to use the power with ease. That is when they are "Chosen." Ladybug and Feline Knight are the Chosen for their Miraculous. I will become the Chosen for the Bee sometimes in this life or in my next."

Nadja blinks "That was a fascinating piece of magic lore. So, the more a soul use a Miraculous the better suited they are?"

Queen Bee nodded.

"Is that also the reason behind the costume changes? Your powers upgraded your suits?" After Feline Knight's first appearance, Ladybug and Queen Bee have joined the battles in new more elaborate costumes.

Queen Bee was now wearing a black and yellow elaborate top over black and yellow leggings and boots. She looks like a warrior queen, especially since her comb forms an armored headband which almost looks like a crown. Ladybug was now wearing a red hooded jacket with black sections on the front. She had wings which she can use to glide making her look she was wearing a cloak when she had them folded against her back.

"Yes. But that isn't the only reason. Chat Noir was right about one thing. Creation and Destruction does go together. We must always be in balance. His actions cause the balance to skew. As a result, my abilities were hindered. With Feline Knight, the balance was restored. It is also to symbolize a change for the better."

"Why are you capturing the butterflies instead of purifying them?"

Ladybug smile "The butterflies have a connection to Hawkmoth. We are trying to reverse engineer the connection to find him. So far we narrow down an area where he is."

The audience brim with excitement.

"I know that you don't like to talk about your private life. But would you and Feline Knight be dating after you get to know each other better?"

Ladybug grimace "Sadly after Chat Noir's behavior, I am just turned off dating anyone."

Nadja grimace in sympathy "I understand."

"That mangy cat really did a number on us. Honestly if I ever found out his identity, I would press charges of harassment against him," Chloe states.

The interview finish with Chloe saying "I am a queen. You are a lady and he's a knight. We are a fairytale. A Black cat has no place with us unless it's with an evil witch."

"Or Hawkmoth," Feline Knight comment.

The next day everyone in school was praising Feline Knight and talking about how awful Chat Noir was. Adrien could feel his anger building. What really break his heart and control was on Marc's birthday a few days after the interview. Marinette had come into the school courtyard and given him a handmade present. Everyone crowds around them as Marc unwrap it to reveal four dolls. One was a Queen Bee doll wearing a gown that makes it look like queen. The Ladybug doll had the costume modified into an elegant dress. Feline Knight hold a shield and sword. The last doll was of Chat Noir. Marinette had sewed X's on its eyes, and it had a bit of red thread on its mouth making it look like it was bleeding. The thing that draw everyone's eyes was the sword through its heart, an exact duplicate of the one Feline Knight hold.

"To symbolize Feline Knight destroying Chat Noir's legacy," Marinette explained. "I got the idea from Chloe's comment about them being a fairytale team." Marc hug her in thanks.

Everyone admires the dolls and rush to ask Marinette to make them ones too. Marinette set up a table and start taking commissions. Adrien rush away. Then he saw a purple butterfly coming to him. Without thinking, he grabs it.

"Hello, Chat Blanc. I am Hawkmoth. Paris and Ladybug don't appreciate all you have done for them. I am giving you the chance to take revenge on them. All I ask in revenge is the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous."

"Yes." Let's see how strong Feline Knight really was.

The next thing he know Queen Bee, Ladybug and Feline Knight was standing in front of them with frowns and disapproving looks on their faces.

Chloe sneer at him "I should have expected this of you, Adrien. Expected a call from my lawyers about harnessing Ladybug."

"W-w-what are you talking about?" Adrien stammer.

"Don't play dumb with us, Chat Blanc or should I say Chat Noir," Feline Knight sneer. He holds up the screen on his baton. On it, the battle he fought against the three Holders play. He screamed at Feline Knight for stealing his Miraculous. He attacked Ladybug for not returning his feelings. He fought Queen Bee for betraying him.

Adrien pale. If this got out, his reputation would be ruined.

"Look like the media is here." Ladybug said. "Let's go." She took off over the rooftops. Feline Knight and Queen Bee follow.

The reporters swarm him asking questions. They also throw insults at him. He ran back to school. But there was an even larger crowd waiting for him. They throw insults and things at him. Gorilla took him home. There his father lectured him about his behavior and what a disgrace he was. He was then grounded. He sulked in his room.

To make it worse late that night, the police swarm his house. Apparently that butterfly was the last one they needed to found Hawkmoth's precise location. Ryujin have been watching his house for a while now and seeing an akuma butterfly fly from it. She tracked its location and found his father transformed. She had recorded him detransforming, before sending it to the others. The Miraculous team wait for Gabriel to go to sleep. Then, in the middle of the night, they steal his miraculous, the Peacock Miraculous, and the Miraculous grimoire back. Then they call the police and show them the video. His father and Nathalie were arrested. He was also arrested on charges of harassment and aiding in terrorism. Chloe had apparently persuaded her father to look at the school's security footage and the video of him taking the akuma was sent to the police. He was sent to 20 years in jail with chance for patrol in 10 years. His father and Nathalie were sentenced to jail for life.

A few days in his jail cell, a guard slips him a newspaper. He was surprised because he wasn't allowed news of the outside world. Then he saw the headline "Miraculous Holders leaving Paris." Nadja had another interview with the Miraculous Holders. She had asked why there wasn't a final battle like most had expected (We thought Paris would appreciate not having to go through another akuma attack.) She had asked about their plans for their future. Apparently, all of them were planning on leaving Paris to pursue opportunities abroad. The thing that really broke his heart was Ladybug and Feline Knight were dating each other as civilians. An anguished cry tear itself from his throat, ringing throughout the jail.

The guard smirks when he heard it and thought about what treats he could buy for his family with the money Chloe had given him in exchange for him giving Hawkmoth's son the newspaper. He would have done it without the money, but it was nice to treat his loved ones, especially with Hawkmoth gone. Perhaps some of his wife's favorite cake from the Dupain-Cheng bakery and a set of the Miraculous fairytale dolls that the bakers' daughter was selling for his son and daughter.

After Feline Knight join Ladybug has 15 minutes and he had 10 minutes before detransforming. Queen Bee has 12 minutes.

Adrien feel Chloe betray him by letting Feline Knight replace him and turning her back on him as civilains.

Master Fu feel that was time for the Miraculous to fade back into the shadows. As the new guardian, Marinette would take the box and hide it.

Marinette and Charles are dating. I thought it best both to rub it to Adrien and also because this way they don't have to worry about what the other think when they rush off to fight.