Power made you foolish. It made you think you were capable of miracles and incapable of death. It made you think you were invincible. And the Miraculous stones were powerful, no one could deny that. She'd never given thought to a worst case scenario, because in her mind there was no worst case scenario. She was Ladybug, wielder of the Miraculous of Good Luck. Nothing could ever harm her.
Those delusions were violently shattered the day Marinette found herself holding onto Chat's stiff, rapidly vanishing body.
For a moment, she wondered if Timebreaker had gotten her too. Her heart had stopped in her chest, breath frozen in her lungs, her muscles seizing up and all thoughts screeching to a halt as she tried desperately to cling to his lean frame, calling his name, as if squeezing him tighter could keep him anchored with her. But he never answered her and his outline continued to blur, fading from reality as the rest of his body followed. Soon, she could see herself through him, as if he were a mere spectral figure. A figment of her imagination, soon to be gone.
As if he'd never existed.
She stared at his face, frozen in time at the moment he'd accepted his fate in order to save hers. His eyes were shut, concealing bright green eyes, and his mouth pursed as if bracing himself to be struck. Something rose in her throat, choking her, but no sound came from her trembling lips.
Marinette clutched at Chat tighter, her despairing heart refusing to believe the truth before her eyes. Looking up over Chat's now translucent shoulder, she shot Timebreaker a glare that could rival the fires of hell itself. Resolve burned anew in her chest as she rose, stepping between the akumatised girl and her partner. She could fix this. She would fix this.
No matter what it took, she would see her kitty's bright green eyes and conniving grin again.