Dear readers:

I really don't know if this might have more chapters or stay as a one-shot. English isn't my mother language, but I consider I've got a pretty decent grammar... at least I think so. Review and tell me what you'd like. All constructive criticism welcomed. I warn right now, all impolite or hateful reviews can go f*ck themselves;3

Enjoy your reading.

"Do you hate me?"

Owning a bakery wasn't as easy as everyone would think, it was tiring. However, Marinette liked to help her parents, be it on helping her father in baking bread or frosting the cakes very early in the morning. Or washing the dirty dishes clean with her mother and putting everything away in their respective places at night.

Tonight, was no different. Her parents had gone into a late grocery shopping and she was alone with Tikki sleeping upstairs. A vanilla cupcake sat on the counter. Marinette planned to eat it after she was done with her night chores. Her father had made an entire tray for the family earlier, but she hasn't had a bite because of school and the battle with Simon Says.

Marinette frowned at remembering him. It's not like she was angry at him, she just disliked the idea of Hawk Moth giving stronger powers to his akumatized warriors every time. Simon says was a difficult opponent, and seemed to have murderous intents with his new-found power just like villains before him. Was that some trick caused by the Akumas? Or was it the fact that they gained power over the others that triggered the hidden murderer inside of every human?

She completely hated to think her best friend Alya may have had the desire to kill both Ladybug and Chat Noir once she had gotten her hands on their miraculouses.

'If we don't play this right, the next akumatized victim may turn into a serial killer,' she sighed as she wiped the counter and sink. 'I'm afraid we will reach the point where we will have to kill in order to stop them.'

She knew that day was inevitable and seeing how things were turning out, closer than she had thought.

Marinette was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard noises coming from the streets. Hisses, murmurs, and low growls. She tip-toed to the front window and peeked from under the cream-colored curtain. Just a calm, illuminated street. Nothing out of the ordinary.

She grew slightly stiff at that. She quickly checked the wall clock, it was 10 pm. It wasn't that late for the streets to go completely empty, no soul passing by. The eerie calmness irked her more and more and it didn't help that footsteps were added too. It was as if there were actually people walking in the streets, in front of the bakery, but they had all turned invisible.

"Another Akuma?" she was confused, but then it clicked into her mind those noises sounded too strange to be human.

Marinette made a dash to her bedroom and found Tikki asleep on her pillow.

"Wake up, Tikki. We're in trouble," she poked awake the Kwami.

"What? What's wrong, Marinette?" Tikki tensed as she sensed the presences surrounding them. They were dark and heavy. Demonic. Memories flooded the Kwami's mind. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead and her eyes widened in fear. For the first time since Tikki had made Marinette her chosen, she truly feared for the dark-haired sweet girl's life.

"Tikki?" Marinette's voice brought her to reality.

"Marinette, the opponent we are facing is incredibly strong. I do not think it'd be wise to fight," she said. "You must feel them around us, those presences. They aren't human. They are all over Paris and growing stronger every minute. We can't…" she struggled to find the right words. "We can't win this time."

"We have to do something. The citizens might be in danger as we are talking," Marinette tried to reason with her. "As Ladybug, I must protect them. Besides, we aren't fighting alone, Chat Noir will be there too."

"But-"

Tikki's retort was cut short by the loud sound of windows shattering and doors flying out of their hinges.

"Tikki, transform me!"

Adrien groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. His head hurt like hell and he was confused about last night's events.

"What happened?" he stood up and walked to the large windows of his bedroom. The sky was dark. It was midnight, he thought. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down the unread messages. The last message was from Nino a little past one in the morning. He immediately checked the hour.

"It's ten in the morning? What?" He opened the message. It was empty.

He walked toward the light switch and turned it on, but it stayed dark as outside.

"A blackout?" he frowned. "It must be a very heavy storm coming our way," Adrien sat on his bed and looked at Plagg who was sprawled over the bedcover in a not such graceful way, fast asleep. "Plagg, wake up. It's morning already."

"My sweet camembert," the cat-like Kwami muttered but woke up when Adrien poked his stomach. He eyed the blond boy before he smiled sleepily. "Where's my cheese?"

Adrien's eyebrows raised at Kwami's antics. He was already used to them, but Plagg never failed to humor him.

"C'mon, breakfast must be done by now and I'm sure father will not be pleased if I miss the photoshoot."

Plagg perched himself on his shoulder and they walked out of his room down the corridor. That was when Adrien noted something was off. The Agreste Mansion was dead silent.

Normally there would be at least one maid cleaning the porcelain vases or the frames of the paintings. He would greet them good morning and they would greet back. But the hallways were empty.

"Nathalie?" he called out. "Nathalie?" Louder this time, but only silence met him. Now he was worried. He ran to his father's office and knocked twice, loud enough for it to seem he was punching the door. When no answer came, he entered to find no one was there.

"Perhaps they went out?" Plagg suggested, trying to soothe his nerves.

"All of them?" the Kwami shrugged at him.

Adrien raced toward the mansion's gates and gazed the street. Just like his home, the streets were deserted. He noticed some stores were open but there was no one inside. No movement at all. It was like time had frozen.

Chills ran down his back as the wind suddenly turned frigid and fierce, hitting him full force.

"Something's wrong."

Out of nowhere, the building's windows exploded, sending glass shards in all directions. He barely had time to hid behind a car to avoid them, but a small shard had incrusted itself in his hand when he had tried to shield his face with them. He groaned as he pulled it out. It wasn't a serious wound. He ripped a piece of the white t-shirt he wore and wrapped it around his hand.

He let out a gasp when the sky became a dark red and the sun hid behind the heavy, black clouds, barely giving any light to the world. He decided he had enough.

"Plagg! Transform me!"

Now in his Chat Noir form, he could perfectly see his surroundings. The cat vision sure helped a lot. He began jumping from building to building, searching for any clue that might lead him to either understand what was happening or the source of all of this.

But his mind and thoughts were only in one person, Ladybug. Where was his Lady?

After a few more minutes, he came near the Eiffel Tower. The place around him was a complete chaos. Some buildings were nothing but falling debris and some were on fire, smoke flooded the sky, cars upside down or smashed against the walls, trees torn from the ground and thrown all over the place. His green eyes narrowed at seeing that the Eiffel Tower had been sliced clean in half, the upper part resting on the grass beside it.

'What made this? Who?' he thought. Was this Hawk Moth's doing? It sure is. But doubt still assaulted his mind- Hawk Moth had never been this destructive before.

"Quick, Adrien! The building to your right!" Plagg's voice resonated in his head.

Chat Noir dashed to the falling building, inspecting all places.

"What is it?" he asked the Kwami but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a small red and black dotted hand coming out from under the rubble.

"Ladybug!" he pushed aside the rubble and took her in his arms. Her spandex bodysuit was covered in a darker shade of red, a deep, stab wound on the center of her stomach. Thin trails of blood dripped from the corners of her mouth down to her chin and neck. Her body was cold and sickly pale.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" he cursed under his breath. "Please wake up!"

Chat Noir checked her pulse but there was nothing. He cradled her to his chest and broke down. He sobbed desperately as he called her non-stop. In the mid of his crying, her body glowed, and the Ladybug outfit disappeared, revealing his sweet, shy schoolmate Marinette.

"Ma-marinette?" he stuttered. Then he heard small coughs on the floor.

Chat Noir lifted the small red and black dotted miraculous and laid her in his hand. "Are you okay?"

"We couldn't-" a cough. "She was too strong-" coughs. "I'm sorry, Chat Noir," the small Kwami said before passing out.

Adrien's heart was filled with grief and agony. She?

He picked up Marinette's body and clutched her safely in his arms. He was about to leave when his eyes caught a glimpse of white. There, in the tallest part of the fallen Eiffel Tower sat a pale-skinned girl around his age. Her hair was extremely long and white and she wore a black kimono which faded into black flames at the sleeves and edges of the gown.

She turned to him and he was met with red crimson eyes. The distance between them and her was pretty big, but he could perfectly hear the words as he watched her mouth them.

"Do you hate me?"

A small smile appeared on her face, and then she was gone.

Chat Noir gritted his teeth in pain and anger. His family, his friends, his Lady were dead because of that girl. Gone. He was alone.

Adrien's heart flooded with hatred.

Flashback (China)

"You cannot win this time."

"I know."

"Then why you keep going after it? You aren't near as strong as that thing. If you go, you will surely die!"

"Do you remember the day we met? You had told me I was your chosen. As Ladybug, it is my duty to protect the defenseless, the innocent. I was given the strength to protect those whom I cherish, so I will do it."

"Just like him! Just like Chat Noir! Both of you have death wishes!"

"I may be the only one left, but I sure as hell won't go down without a fight. Their sacrifices shall not go waste."

"You can't! I forbid you!"

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Tikki."

Did you like it? Disliked? Should I make the chapters longer or leave them like that? Any ideas?

Review. u.u