Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews and sorry for the slight delay!

/

Something had happened at the Agreste's mansion. The news was just beginning to spread around Paris and was rather confused as a result. The news crews would be on the way soon. They scurried across the city, readying themselves and trying to get as much information beforehand as they could. An akuma attack was naturally the hypothesis which was being investigated. Given how many the French capital was suffering at the moment, many believed it to be likely. As such, the few police officers in the area who were available were setting up a perimeter, ensuring that all civilians in the nearby area were evacuated. Ladybug and Cat Noir would be here any time soon. They'd get to the bottom of matters. They always did after all. As such, some crowds of parisiens, braving the weather had gathered at the gates, hoping to get some glimpse of what was going on. There had been some assurances from Gabriel's assistant that everything was okay and there was no reason to be concerned. She'd even threatened to inform the authorities if any of those outside tried to breach the perimeter security.

Less than a minute ago, a third of the building had collapsed.

It was atop of what remained of the roof that Marinette found herself perched. She had been positioned there by her friends. It was a safe spot from which she couldn't possibly slip from or fall. One which offered a bird's eye view over the part of the mansion which had collapsed. There she sat. With one hand she rested on the edge of what remained of the timbers of the roof. Her other arm was wrapped around Rena Rouge, using the hero for support and some added safety least some more of the structure suddenly collapse. The rain continue to hammer down mercilessly on them, making the rooftop a slippery place to be. It thundered down on them, drowning out even the noise of the sirens which continued to blare in the distance, announcing the approach of the authorities.

The fact that she was back outside in the wet didn't even register with the teenage girl. To Marinette, it felt as if she had left the world and was somehow living in a different plane of reality. She was drenched to the bone by now. She remained unblinking, looking down at what remained of the building. A moment ago, it had crumbled and given way like a sandcastle. The rumbling had been deafening. The dust had made it difficult to breathe at points, forcing them to retreat as ever more of the construction had given way. The ground had shaken, wood and stone crumbled as if they were dry twigs. It had seemed like the whole place was going to become nothing more than a pile of rubble. They had run as fast as their legs would carry them, desperately trying to put some distance between themselves and where the devastation was originating from. For a few moments, they had been sure that they were going to fall and be buried along with the rest of the mansion. A pair of blue eyes however had only ever fixed the point where they had come from, unable to do even so much as blink.

Now, everything lay still.

The group had dared to travel closer to the edge so as to be able to peer over. They remained alert least the structure begin to give way again but for the time being everything remained stable. The destruction from Cat Noir's Cataclysm had been enough to bring down a sizeable portion of the building but not enough to destroy the entire thing. Perhaps he had never intended to. His actions had caused Hawk Moth to disappear. Given how calm things had begun, they dared to hope that whatever he had started had been prevented. All that lay beneath them was rubble, pieces of stone and plaster protruded from the ground. In some places, what remained of ornaments and décor were still visible. Many had been shattered and now stuck out of the ground as if they were fragments of some ancient civilisation unearthed by archaeologists three millennia later. The rain had dampened down the dust, making it rather easy to make out everything in its own sinister light.

They searched desperately for movement. Even Hawkmoth emerging from the debris would have been somewhat welcome as it would have proved that it was possible to survive what they had just witnessed. Their eyes were faced instead with a no-man's-land devoid of any trace of life. It seemed as if the apocalypse had just struck, burying all those unfortunate enough to be caught up in its merciless destruction. There was no trace of either of the miraculous holders who had seemingly disappeared into the depths when the building had come down. Whilst it wasn't impossible that both parties had somehow managed to escape, pulling some last second trick out of their respective hats, with every passing moment, it was looking increasingly less likely.

Finally, something shifted down in the what remained of the house. It was a door, creaking open on what was left of its hinges. The metal groaned once before the entire thing simply gave way, falling down and adding itself to the piles of rubble. Through it stepped the figures of Gabriel's two helpers. Nathalie wobbled slightly, her shoes unsuited for such terrain. It barely even seemed to register with the woman who continued unfazed. Behind her, Gorilla followed. Both looked to be somewhat shaken but were in good enough condition for it to be assumed that they had found some way of sheltering themselves from the worst of the destruction. They seemed lost in the devastation that they found. A drift, they stumbled through the wreckage, trying to make sense of it. It was clear that both were searching for something, someone however. Their employer was missing, making a last minute escape seem all the more unlikely. They began to shift through the debris, moving what they could and calling out.

"We need to go help them!"

Marinette's statement was enough to prompt her friends into action. They shook themselves out of their stupor. Rena Rouge was something of a comforting presence. On another day, she felt as if she might have been paralysed by what had happened. In truth, she was almost completely sure that alone, she wouldn't have made it out. Cat Noir would have died in all likelihood before she had been able to reach him (if she ever had). Any doubts which might have existed about whether it had been a mistake to bring her friends in on her secret identity were erased as she slipped her arms around Nino's shoulders so as to receive a piggy back and be guided down the side of the building. Blue eyes remained firmly fixed on the ground however as she noticed that both adults were concentrating their efforts on one point now. Whilst their movements were more coordinated, they were also somewhat more noticeably desperate. It was clear that they were worried. They were still too far away to make out much of it but they appeared to be talking, not to one another but rather to something or rather someone down in the rubble.

That meant that there was a survivor.

The group sped up, their progress made faster by the knowledge that there was now someone to save. They didn't question who or how. The fact that a life was potentially on the line overrode any other instincts or reservations that they might have had. They climbed down from the roof quickly. Their feet had barely even touched the ground before they found themselves running once more. Anxiety filled the pit of Marinette's stomach as she silently thanked Carapace for the assistance and made her own way. From where she was currently standing, she couldn't see just who had been found. The digging seemed to have lost its urgency with Gorilla discarding one last timber by tossing it to the side. A strange calm settled in as Nathalie kneeled cautiously next to whoever they had uncovered.

As the teens rushed over, they met no opposition but were given a cold glare by the woman. It was an accusation. All the same, the group rushed over. In her heart, she already knew who they would find. Marinette dared to hold on to a hope. She imagined that it was Cat Noir whom they would find there, shaken but otherwise alive. That notion was shattered in an instant when she saw the man's figure. Hawk Moth was clearly only just conscious, dazed and almost certainly out for the count. He groaned in pain. Lying there, he no longer looked like the figure of their nightmares but resembled just any other human being suffering. The group of heroes stood there, uncertain. Their enemy was vulnerable, there was no denying it. As Ladybug, she had often longed for the opportunity to see their enemy brought to his knees. This however felt somewhat less satisfying than she had imagined it would. There was no urge to celebrate and not even a feeling of victory as they lay eyes on their fallen foe. His gaze rested on them still angered but now too weak to do anything about it. In other circumstances, she imagined he would have been screaming at them for preventing his plans as opposed to simply lying there.

Slowly, the group of teens exchanged looks. Each of them knew what needed to be done. They had to ensure that they ended this once and for all. There was little sense in leaving Hawk Moth so that he could recover and try and carry out his plans further along the line. Despite this massive failure, they were all acutely aware of just how stubborn the man could be. He might not hesitate to start again with his quest for the ladybug and cat miraculouses. They couldn't afford to leave him with the ability to do that… It was Marinette who finally took the first few steps forwards, summoning what remained of her courage. She found her legs to be somewhat shaky as she made her way over to the fallen villain. They served their purpose however of carrying her. Somewhere, there was a voice which spoke of caution. Although he might be injured, it was far from impossible that their foe would fight her tooth and nail if he realized her intentions which she made no attempt to mask. His two assistants watched her but perhaps surprisingly made no attempt to intervene, allowing her to approach unhindered. She slowed somewhat as she was by her side. Her eyes flickered over the man, searching for something. She found it in the form of a small brooch. Reaching out hesitantly, she gripped the piece of jewellery. The man's eyes fell upon her, there was some clarity there. He was a fraction too slow however as she quickly pulled it away, removing the miraculous. She backed off rapidly.

In an instant, the man's disguise began to fade. His suit vanished in a matter of seconds, replaced by another. Hawk Moth disappeared, leaving room for a man whom she had met more than once. His glare was a cold one. His muscles tensed up as he attempted to sit up. His intention was obvious, his eyes fixed solely on what had just been taken from him. Their enemy let out a loud gasp, bringing his hand to the left side of his ribs. Nathalie put a hand on his shoulder, urging him to take it easy and reminding him just what he had lived through. His anger was clear but it would seem that for the moment at least pain was enough to prevent him from reacting. Marinette was quick to retreat back to her friends. Still powered-up, they would act as quite the deterrent should Gabriel or one of his allies suddenly decide to try and reclaim the moth miraculous. The shock was clear on the other's faces. None of them were about to question how it was possible. His motivations were relatively obvious. He was a clever man, he would have worked out how to fool them on more than one occasion and make himself appear to be an unlikely culprit for the crimes. Right now, it all seemed to be rather unimportant. Even the small kwami floating near her hand barely even registered as it spoke to her:

"Thank you..."

Her attention was focused both elsewhere and nowhere. Blue eyes scanned the rubble. It looked somehow different and identical from this angle. Everything was more vertical and jagged than it had appeared to be from above, stones and timber stood erect like tombstones in the rain. Their scale was dwarfing. The fact that Gorilla and Nathalie had been able to dig out Hawk Moth seemed to be something of a miracle in itself. There was a sense of desperation as much as despair as Marinette contemplated the desolation she was faced with. There wasn't the faintest sign of her friend. Had he somehow escaped, she was confident that he would have made his presence known by now. Striding in in his usual cocky manner with an arrogant grin, teasing them for worrying about him. His absence seemed to enforce her worst fears that he had been buried when the building had collapsed. For all any of them knew, he could be under their feet…

She took a few more steps forwards so as to be standing out in the centre of the destruction. Spinning around, the teen struggled to take it all in. Somehow, this amount of devastation proved to be difficult to process. The logical part of her said that it wasn't so much the damage done to the mansion which shocked her – after all, she knew that Cat Noir could have probably destroyed the Eiffel Tower with his Cataclysm if he had put his mind to it – as the notion that her partner and friend whom she had spent so many late Paris nights fighting crime with, could easily be gone… Buried under the building which he had brought down in an effort to save them and repair the damage that had been done, there was no Ladybug to rescue him this time, only Marinette and she simply didn't know where to look.

It was desperation which finally took hold, prompting her to call out at the top of her lungs:

"Cat Noir! Cat, where are you?!"

Her cries went unanswered by anything other than the rain. It continued to fall down atop them. Its never-ending downpour was almost deafening in its intensity as drops bounced off of the stones which surrounded them. Rivers of water had begun to form, working their way through and around the rubble so as to be able to rejoin some of the larger streams in the rest of the city. Marinette simply starred out at a loss, panic seeming increasingly likely as the notion of her friend being dead began to slowly sink in. It wasn't an eventuality which she had been able to prepare herself for. Anything but a fool, the teen had been aware that their "pastime" of saving Paris wasn't exactly safe. They had bounced back so many times however that she had found herself becoming somewhat complacent. Nobody could get the better of Ladybug and Cat Noir after all. She looked around, her instincts screaming at her to start doing something, namely digging to try and find him but not having any clue as to where to start.

"Marinette! Over here!"

A soft voice drew the teen's attention, it was one which she knew well. It belonged to a small and somewhat strange creature which had been her constant companion these past few months. Her eyes locked onto the ladybug kwami in the space of a few moments. The teen remained frozen in place, too surprised to move. Tikki was hovering over some timbers not all that far away. She didn't approach however, instead remaining in one place. It took Marinette a second to realize just what her friend meant. As soon as it had clicked however she began to run as quickly as her legs would allow her. Her aching muscles and the bruises which were beginning to form were forgotten in the space of an instant as she sprinted as quickly as possible. The rubble under her feet caused her to trip a few times. Each of them, she caught herself, grazing her hands even further. Barely even allowing it to slow her down, she was over in less than ten seconds. Following the gaze of the kwami, which wasn't focused on her so much as something in the rubble, she felt her heart sink abruptly.

It took a moment to spot the piece of leather-like material sticking out from a small hole visible in the debris. As soon as she had laid eyes on the somewhat unusual material, she was able to identify it. A mixture of fear and instinct took hold, prompting her to try and brush off as much of the dust as she could and remove the smaller pieces of stone. It was enough to allow her to make out at least a little more of the costume. He remained terrifyingly still. Barely even reacting as she gave him the gentlest of touches to check and see if he was still conscious. It was enough to generate some more panic, prompting her to get to her feet. With her already cut and grazed hands, the teen attempted to lift a larger piece of timber. She managed to raise it about an inch, her legs trembling, arms screaming and back informing her that she didn't have the strength required to shift it. She refused to let go however struggling with all of her might to shift the rubble. The weight was crushing as her spine threatened to give out.

A pair of hands came to her rescue, Rena Rouge was quick to offer her assistance. The superhero was far stronger than she could ever be, shoving the debris aside as if it were made out of polystyrene. They were quickly joined by both Carapace and Queen Bee. Neither hesitated. They waded in. Hands reaching for any piece of rubble they could find. It was thrown to one side, discarded as quickly as possible. There was a sense of frantic panic as the group scrambled to dig their friend out. Gradually, more and more of him was coming to light, unearthed by their efforts. Despite that, his body remained somewhat alarmingly still. If he was aware that they were in the process of freeing him, he wasn't letting on. As more of him became visible, their concern only grew. The urgency was palpable. Marinette had given up trying to move any of the debris, her efforts proved to be so ineffective that there was little point in her helping at all. Instead, she took his arms when they became visible, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling him backwards as the others cleared what remained off of his legs. He was heavy, limp as she dragged him away, finally freeing him from the rubble.

She lay him back down as soon as he was out. Cat Noir was motionless. To her horror, she realized that he wasn't even breathing. Perfectly still, his head lay on one side. His right hand rested against his chest, just above his heart. It alone was clenched into a fist. Other than that, his body was utterly limp and lifeless. She waited tentatively, desperately for even the slightest sign of movement. Anything to prove that he was still alive. Time seemed to lose its importance as she stood there. It could have been seconds or hours that she waited for proof that her friend was still with them. Frozen, she was only able to stare down at him with eyes wide with horror, still struggling to process what she was seeing. It was with shaking legs that the teen gradually descended to her knees, so as to be only a few inches away from him. It was all that she could do to avoid collapsing. Tikki hovered near to his face, contemplating it painfully.

Then he gasped.

The action was so sudden that it caused her to let out an alarmed cry, instinctively backing off a foot or so. Filling his lungs with oxygen, Cat Noir began to cough. It was weak. Despite the rain, she felt as if it was possible to see some of the dust which he was frantically trying to expel having inhaled it during the collapse of the building. His breathing was rapid, just enough to allow him to cough some more. There was a sense of panic in the way that he moved, although limply he was incoherent, trying to make out the world around him, reliving what he had imagined to be the death of him. Too startled to react, Marinette could only stare for a few moments at her friend who had seemingly come back from the dead. Shaking her head, she gathered her wits about her, making up the distance between them in a matter of seconds. He was beginning to ease back into a form of sleepy weakness by the time that she had reached his side, threatening to lose consciousness once more.

He lay there, breathing heavily. His eyes were closed. They weren't however screwed shut as if to try and block out some pain. Indeed, there was something distinctly peaceful about his appearance. If he was suffering, he wasn't letting on to it. His muscles were relaxed with the exception of his fist which he was keeping pressed over his heart as it had been when they had first dragged him out of the debris. Marinette wasn't even entirely sure if the holder of the cat miraculous was aware of her presence right next to him. She was somewhat reluctant to disturb him for fear of worsening any injuries he might have. She raised her gaze to meet those of her friends. They were simply staring at him, evidently just as lost as she was, unsure how to proceed. Instinctively, she found herself thinking that they should probably have been calling an ambulance. There could be little doubt that something was wrong…

"Cat?.."

Her words seemed to be like a slap to him. His eyes opened suddenly, as if he had suddenly been awoken from some deep sleep. His breath hitched along with it, marking a certain amount of surprise. The green orbs were dull and unfocused, drifting listlessly around. They didn't rest on anything but appeared to none-the-less be searching for something. Through them, the word was entirely blurry, only a vague mass of shapes. The word was spinning, he couldn't rest his attention on anything. The night's sky alone offered some form of uniformity as that of darkness. A part of him wanted to reach his hand out to try and grab the sky above him. His body however wouldn't obey his commands. His gaze finally drifted over to her. She froze for a moment, unsure how to react. Although his eyes were resting on her, they seemed uncertain. It was as if he wasn't quite looking at her. There was some pain there physical but also sadness, bitter regret. Finally, some recognition seemed to creep into his eyes, like a small light dawning.

He shifted abruptly. The simple and seemingly mundane action apparently required an immense amount of effort, as his neck creaked round so as to be able to face her more easily. It was as if his spirit had returned abruptly, life snapping back into him. His mouth opened. A strange and unpleasant noise came out, half-way between a cough and a choke. He gasped and spluttered, evidently struggling to breathe. The words snagged in the back of his throat, allowing him only to utter a few syllables which slurred together becoming indecipherable. She felt as if it might have been her name which was trying to say but wasn't quite confident enough to be certain. His efforts were enough to prompt her to gently ease him up so that part of his body could rest against her lap, hopefully making him more comfortable. She held him there loosely in her arms, ensuring that she didn't injure him any further. There seemed to be comparatively little to indicate that Cat Noir was suffering. The only symptoms were an evident weakness and the fact that he was struggling to speak. Astonishingly, she couldn't see any physical wounds, it gave her hope that rest was all that was required for him to recover.

"Don't try to talk…"

She spoke softly to him. His expression changed, softening slightly. For all that, he didn't relax. If nothing else, her words only seemed to unsettle him further. He tensed up, gritting his teeth, she could feel him struggle to move. His muscles and tendons trying their best to obey his silent commands. Breathing rapidly, he managed to raise his right hand, the one which he had been clutching so desperately against his chest. It was probably only lifted a foot away from the rest of his body but that single effort was costing him dearly, demanding what little remained of his strength. Already, she could see his limb begin to tremble from the strain. Teeth clenched, he somehow managed to turn his hand. Very slowly, he unclenched his fist. His fingers opened, unravelling themselves so as to present his open palm. Her eyes locked on to the two ornate specks of red in a flash. They stood out against the black of his gloves like stars in a night's sky. She gawked at them, mesmerized. Suddenly, Tikki's reappearance made more sense.

Marinette reached out, taking his hand in her right one, keeping her left wrapped around his shoulders for support. She didn't reclaim the jewels however preferring to maintain a gentle contact with her friend. His strength had abandoned him. If it hadn't been for her, his hand would almost certainly have fallen. She ensured that it didn't whilst also making sure that it wasn't a strain on him.

"Thank you..."

She didn't know how he had managed to rescue her miraculous given the way that the whole thing had collapsed. He could only have had seconds to act. Rather than protecting himself, he had used that time to retrieve what he had taken from her. Shielding the small jewels against his chest as if they were a part of his very being, his most precious of possessions. Given the state of the destruction unleashed, she wasn't too sure if she would have been able to unearth them again had they been buried. The ladybug miraculous, she reasoned, could rather easily have been lost given the size of the earrings concerned. Having them back was a relief, although with Hawk Moth gone, a part of Marinette was wondering if they would ever see as much use as they had done these past few months.

Yet, Cat Noir didn't seem to understand. He averted his eyes, shaking his head slowly from side to side or rather allowing it to roll in such a motion. She frowned, not understanding. It took him a moment to look back up, his green eyes full of sorrow and regret. The others lingered, unsure what to do. They didn't dare speak, fearing that it would violate some sort of sacred intimacy which existed between the two of them. On the other hand, it was quite clear that something was very wrong with their friend. He showed no signs of recovering. Lying there, he was in a rather similar state to the one he had been in when they had first dragged him out of the rubble. The only difference was that he was now at least conscious. His strength however wasn't coming back to him and if anything only appeared to be diminishing, something made obvious by how much trouble he was having performing even the slightest of efforts. Marinette smiled softly, desperately trying to comfort him, let the young hero know that he was safe now and that everything was going to be alright.

"Hey… Come on kitty!"

Her words were soft, with a slightly teasing edge to them trying to draw out the jovial and flirtatious side of the Cat Noir she was far more familiar with and accustomed to dealing with. His green eyes rested on her face. He looked up at her, scarcely blinking. It was as if he was trying to assure himself that she was still there, as if some part of him felt that this was all a dream of some kind. In truth, the face of Marinette Dupain-Cheng was one of the few things which he could still perceive with any clarity, the rest of the world having taken on blurry outlines and growing increasingly darker. The rest of existence had become distant, distorted by a growing sensation not unlike finding himself underwater and an impossible tiredness which had taken hold. She alone offered any familiarity and comfort, he wasn't about to turn away from it.

As he lay there heavily in her arms, Marinette found herself raising her gaze to her friends for the first time, breaking eye contact with the teen in her arms to silently plead with them. Queen Bee got the message, acting on behalf of all of them she turned around and flew off quickly intending to get some manner of help. All of them were aware that there were certain situations which they weren't equipped to deal with and others less so. This was one of the latter. With one man already too injured to stand and another in as equally bad state – perhaps even worse – it was time to call some medical professionals for assistance. Thankfully, given the nature of what had just happened, she was relatively confident that some would be in the vicinity if not outside the gates then at least on their way, ready to react to the emergency at hand. Turning back, she found the familiar gaze of Cat Noir, still fixed on her, unwavering in its attention. She offered him a smile, it was meaningless but just enough to fool hopefully fool him (and if she was honest herself as well) in to thinking that everything was alright.

The sound of his breathing and the never-ending rain continued to drown out the rest of the city's usually bustling night-life. The breaths which he took were deep but not painful or otherwise strained. If anything they sounded relaxed, the sort that someone might take if they were exceptionally comfortable and potentially trying to fall asleep. A sudden beeping drew her attention, her eyes quickly flashed over to his ring. It was odd but up until that moment, it hadn't occurred to her that following his Cataclysm, his disguise would begin to wear off. An instinctive and familiar panic began to sink in:

"You're going to change back!"

He had another few minutes yet but not much. Briefly, she found herself wondering if there might be somewhere they could take him where he could change back – if not on his own, in private, then at least some place a little more intimate than out here in the open in front of Gabriel Agreste and his two assistants. The notion was dismissed however as impractical. She might not be a medic but she suspected that they had already moved him around more than was probably on balance safe. It was best to let him be for the time being. Hawk Moth was defeated, his miraculous reclaimed. They could lie, she supposed, pretend that they had simply found him like this: a random bystander who had rushed in to help when he'd noticed the building starting to collapse and rushed in to help, only to be buried himself. It was an excuse. She anticipated a certain amount of resistance and protests from the cat hero valuing his secret identity as much as she had hers.

Instead, a strange smile was his only response. She was unable to make out its meaning or understand the reasons for its presence. There was nothing teasing about it. If anything, there was something slightly sedate about the expression. It was calm, watery belonging to an individual who was struggling to stay awake. Apologetic. He's made a mistake and was now silently requesting forgiveness or rather, was asking it for something else. Something he had failed to do or would be unable to do. There was some sadness there, she could make that much out as well. A form of pained and sick realization made itself felt in the pit of her stomach, as slowly, she felt as if she might have been able to understand just what he was trying to say without the use of words.

"No..."

The smile faded slowly, replaced by the same somewhat absent look that he had been wearing earlier. His breaths became deeper, less regular but more rapid, they no longer seemed to be quite enough for him. For all that, he remained comparatively relaxed as he lay there. His eyes still refused to leave her face. They had grown dull however and spoke of his difficulty remaining even half-conscious. She hesitated for a moment, beginning to look around somewhat more desperately in search of some assistance. Once more, the superhero inhaled deeply, trying to summon enough strength for something. His lips moved, quivering as they did so. The young woman strained her ears, struggling to make out anything. It was barely even audible. Mutterings, distorted by a dry and raspy throat, were almost impossible to make out. She could only try and guess what he was attempting to say. It wasn't much, only a couple of words. Strained, he seemed to try uttering them a couple of times, repeating desperately. Try as she might, she couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

He became calmer a moment later. The effort from attempting to speak seemed to have utterly drained what remained of his strength. What little tension there had been in his body relaxed, leaving him almost utterly limp. Another beep. He would change back in only a matter of seconds. The idea didn't seem to bother the cat miraculous holder however as he continued to look up at her face, his eyes growing duller by the second as his breathing slowed. Desperation began to take hold of Marinette. She found herself struggling to hold back tears. It might not have been the best thing to do in the situation but she shook him slightly in an attempt to get him out of the torpor which he was sinking into increasingly. The action earned a brief groan. Through foggy eyes, Cat Noir gazed at her form as the rest of the word continued to fade into darkness. He was tired. She could see and understand that much. All he wanted was to rest. His breaths drew shallow, continuing to slow as his eyes fluttered.

"No! No! No! Don't do this! Come on, Cat Noir!"

Her panicked pleas barely even seemed to register with him. His eyes shifted, giving her one last sorrowful look. She tightened her grip on him, trying to act as some sort of an anchor for her friend to hold onto. To her surprise, her action earned something of a response this time. His fingers moved ever-so-slightly, tightening so as to exert a very small but none-the-less noticeable pressure. It was enough to cause her to stop. They locked eyes. For a few seconds, life seemed to have made its way back into them somehow. Cat Noir let out a brief grunt as he made one final gesture, if words weren't going to work, he would find some other way. A small smile crept its way onto his face, gentle and understanding. It seemed out of place given the situation. A few seconds after it had appeared, his breathing became more laboured, rapid but never quite enough to fill his lungs it would seem.

The smile vanished slowly fading away. That brief spark which had entered his eyes began to dull once more, replaced with a sorrowful expression. The grip on her hand loosened so that there was barely any tension there at all. Only her own strength served to allow him to hold his hand up. Tears brimming in her eyes, she shook her head, struggling to hold back sobs. Silently begging him to stay. His mouth opened for a second as if he was going to try some more attempts at talking but closed it a moment later, apparently thinking better of it. Eyelids fluttering, his breath hitched for a moment. Marinette instinctively held him a little closer to herself, feeling his chest struggling with the effort. Cat Noir rested his head against her. Green orbs drifted down, they weren't fixing anything any longer, becoming unfocused, as if the boy behind was no longer looking out through them.

"Please..." She was reduced to a whisper, barely anything more than a terrified plea. "Stay with me."

Cat Noir took a few more breaths. He didn't respond to her words, perhaps not ignoring them but unable to fulfil her request. Tightening her grip, the teen rested her chin atop his head. It was a proximity and closeness she had seldom experienced with her friend before, usually preferring to flee such things. Right now however it was all that she felt that she could do both to provide some comfort for him. It was instinctive, an attempt to latch on to what she knew in her heart of hearts was about to leave her. She couldn't control the tears which had begun to flow down her cheeks or the sobs which caused her body to shudder from time to time. Eyelids closed about half-way, the time between each of his breaths grew increasingly longer. There was a sigh, soft and gentle from the young man.

Marinette felt her blood run cold. She knew what had just happened. It was acknowledging that much which proved to be painful and something which she simply wasn't prepared to do. Closing her eyes, she spent a few seconds still holding onto her friend as she had been for the past couple of minutes now. If anything, she held him closer as if in response to the added limpness of his body in her arms. She could feel that his chest was no longer rising. No breaths were being taken. He had become utterly still. She heard Tikki let out a soft and regretful sigh of her own. The kwami flew over to her, resting on her shoulder. She nuzzled up to the teen's cheek. The small gesture was enough to snap Marinette out of the stupor that she had been in for the past few seconds, reminding her where she was and making her perhaps more aware of what had just happened. Pain and panic caused her heart to skip a few beats. Desperation which knew no logic or reason, provoked the teen to shake the body of her friend in her arms. She earned no response, his head rolling slightly with the rest of his heavy limbs as if someone had cut all of the strings which allowed him to control his actions.

"No! No! No!" She cried out her tone mounting in its concern. "Cat Noir! Come on! Please! Wake up!"

Her actions were enough to prompt Rena Rouge and Carapace, helpless spectators of the scene up until that point to rush over. They had been standing mere feet away, keeping their distance as shock had rooted them to the spot and a sense of respect for the strange bond which had existed between Cat Noir and Ladybug caused them to hang back so as to respect their privacy. They found themselves being abruptly brought back into reality by their friend's pained cries, seemingly refusing to accept the evidence which she held so desperately in her arms. Alya approached her best friend, hesitating to hold her close and to try and drag her away from what had just happened, put some distance between the two of them. Instead, the group simply found themselves panicking. The notion that they were mortal had crossed their minds more than once. It was hard for it not to when they were faced with such dangers on a daily basis. The dull and extinguished light behind the still partially open green eyes however was something which no amount of nightmares could prepare them for.

They wanted a miracle. They wanted Cat Noir to jump back up again as part of some kind of a strange and unpleasant joke but one where his heart was still beating. If that wasn't possible, to awake from this nightmare and find themselves back in the safety of their own beds with the rain thundering down outside their windows, safe in the knowledge that such an event could never happen.

"We could try CPR!" Nino's suggestion was one of desperation, anything to try and fix the damage that had been done. "Where's Queen Bee with that help?! We need a doctor!"

"They won't be able to do anything..."

None of them had noticed Nathalie getting to her feet and coming over to them. She seemed to have practically materialized by their side. Her presence was greeted by a mixture of surprise and some cold glares. It was undesired and they didn't attempt to hide that much from the woman. Rage formed from the grief which hadn't quite reached its climax yet and might not yet for a long while yet. The woman wasn't fazed. Her gaze focused more on the three surviving teens than the body of their friend. Her face was unreadable, the make-up trickling down her cheeks as the rain continued to lash down mercilessly on them. She approached cautiously, moving carefully so as to ensure that she didn't risk startling the frazzled group. It was only after she had made her way to within less than a yard to them that she dared to lower her gaze to fix Cat Noir. Her expression was altered slightly, a twitch, pain and regret became clear for a split second. Cautiously, she attempted to reach out towards the body:

"Don't touch him!" Marinette swatted the hand away as best as she could, almost trying to shield the body from the woman.

"I'm sorry…" She muttered, managing to maintain some calmness perhaps even some compassion. "-but your friend is gone."

"He's not-"

There was a sudden flash of green light accompanied by a series of rapid beeping from the jewel around his finger. Marinette was frozen in place. She'd forgotten about the countdown, other matters having distracted her. The difference was one which she felt rather than cared to look at. The clothes had changed but the weight of the body hadn't. It was the looks of the expressions of those who surrounded her which caused fear to begin to form in the pit of her stomach. Eyes wide, terror on her face, there was a look of horror on their faces which were impossible for her to ignore. They were frozen in one place. Even the assistant, usually so hard to read and business-like had turned pale. Her eyes, pupils dilated rested on the face of the young man in the teenager's arms.

There in the rain, for the first time, Marinette got the distinct impression that she knew who she would find if she chose to look down and see the face of Cat Noir. In part, that was what prevented her from doing so. At least by fixing the others, she herself wasn't forced to look at him. She could continue to fool herself for a little longer. One loss, after all, was already tearing at her from the inside, threatening to overwhelm what little self-control she had left. All she wanted to do in those few moments was go back home. The covers of her bed would offer her some sanctuary from the outside world. She could pretend that none-of-this had happened. That this time tomorrow there would be another akuma for her to face with her partner and that things could continue on much in the same way that they had been for the past few months. Closing her eyes, she felt another sob catch in the back of her throat.

Unable to put it off any longer, she chose to look down. Her body was trembling as she stood there, fear gripping every part of her. She didn't want to look or to see, it was her mind's way of trying to postpone the inevitable. As she looked down however, she found herself laying eyes on a familiar face. The mask was gone now, she didn't know how or when it had been lost but it made his features visible to the whole world. She recognized them instantly. Only yesterday, she had been blushing as they had been graced with a friendly and amicable smile as he had asked her if she'd seen Nino that day. Now he lay there, motionless. His mouth open just slightly, he looked relatively peaceful. His eyes however had grown dull and lifeless. She couldn't think for those few moments as she found herself faced with her friend. She almost expected him to get back up and announce that he was fine. The pain originating from the lump in her throat had become almost impossible to bear, the tears had stopped however pausing momentarily as her mind struggled to process what she was currently seeing. It was impossible, she reasoned, that it could be him. These two boys simply bore a striking resemblance to one another. After all, everyone knew that Adrien had run away, didn't they?

A small black creature manifested itself. It paid little attention to anything or anyone in its surroundings. Instead, the kwami of the black cat came over so as to hover mere centimetres in front of his miraculous holder's face. He contemplated it for a few moments, ears dipped back lowly. He let out a soft and pained whimpering sound before coming in closer. Snuggling up to the spot where the teen's cheek now rested against the rest of his body, Plagg nuzzled his partner, as if expecting a response. He stayed there despite the rain.

Marinette lost track of time after that. The tears came flowing freely down her cheeks as the weight of the loss finally hit home. Nino, Alya, Plagg, Tikki, Nathalie and the now frantically screaming Gabriel kept at bay only by the injuries to his own body and Gorilla forcing him to remain lying down so that he didn't harm himself further seemed to be nothing but white noise in the scheme of things. Only the body in her arms existed. She held onto him as tightly as she could. Her hand still clutching his, the action made painful by the set of earrings still held between them. This was wrong. A part of her continued to refuse to believe that he could be gone. He would wake up, a voice in her head told her, just like in all of those movies where somehow, the hero presumed dead would awaken against all odds, joking about it before making a prompt recovery. Cats had nine lives after all… For all that, he remained sleeping soundly, unmoved by his surroundings nor the pain that those who had cared for him were in. What was likely little more than a couple of minutes felt as if it could have been a few hours.

There were some new disturbances now: flashing lights and loud cries. Whilst the grieving teen didn't look up, she did take in at least some more of what was going on around her. Her ears could make out Chloe, close to hysterics, asking what Adrien was doing here and if he was okay. Alya struggled with her own tears, attempting to explain just what had happened. Blue eyes finally managed to tear themselves up from the body of her friend. Firemen shouted, calling that a boy had been hurt and to bring appropriate supplies. Tikki floated up, looking at the strangers with concern before turning back to her human partner.

"Marinette… You need to take his ring."

The kwami's voice was soft and gentle. She understood the pain which the girl was in but was ancient enough to realize that they couldn't allow it to stop them. This wasn't the first time that a Cat Noir (or Ladybug for that matter) had been so unfortunate as to fall in battle. Somewhere along the line, the current owner of the magical earrings knew full-well that her friend was right. They couldn't afford to let the destructive power of the ring fall into the wrong hands. These people would take Adrien away, she knew that. If at some point his miraculous was removed then it could easily be misused or simply lost. After everything that had just happened, they couldn't afford to let something like that happen again. Hawk Moth and his akumas had been proof enough of the destructive powers of the jewels if used for evil.

The teen fixed the ring still orning the blonde haired boy's finger. It had changed back into the plain white one which they all knew well and had never once questioned. It would be relatively easy to remove. Cautiously, she took her own earrings out from the hand which she had been holding onto so desperately for these past few minutes. Still holding on, with her remaining hand she reached for the second miraculous. Her fingers brushed against it. She pictured Adrien toying with it, a nervous tick he had developed which hadn't quite escaped her notice. She had passed it off as simply a mindless action and had never once imagined that it could potentially be linked to the massive amount of power contained within. Closing her eyes, she felt herself begin to tremble. It felt wrong, the very notion of what she was about to do caused her to feel sick in the stomach. Gradually, she found herself recoiling away from the ring.

"I-I can't…" The teen muttered shaking her head as yet more tears fell. "It's his… I can't just take it from him."

"He would have wanted you to-" Tikki began before being cut-off by a wave of the hand.

"It- It's not right!"

She tensed up suddenly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was positioned softly there, exerting a slight but firm pressure. Turning her head, the girl found herself faced with Nathalie. The older woman looked her in the eye, sorrow clear on her face but said nothing, not even attempting to justify or explain her action. She reached out slowly, as if she was worried that her movements might somehow spook the teen. Carefully, she took the ring in her fingers, removing it relatively easily. Plagg said nothing, watching out of the corner of his peripheral vision but still refusing to abandon his partner, remaining snuggled up to him. The woman removed the jewel before taking Marinette's hand. With the gentlest of motions, she pried it away from that of her friend. It slipped away, she hadn't intended to release it but found herself incapable of holding on any longer. As a result, his hand hit the ground hard, creating a splash in the puddle. The teen glanced down sorrowfully before turning her attention back to the personal assistant. The woman placed the miraculous cautiously in the palm of her hand before forcing the teenager's fingers closed so that it formed a fist.

Gabriel Agreste's assistant wasn't quite finished however much to the baffled Ladybug's astonishment. Slowly, with a somewhat trembling hand she extended her hand once more. Taking a deep breath, she managed to soothe her nerves brought on by the emotion. The woman placed her thumb and index fingers on the eyelids of the teen she had watched grow up. Applying some pressure, she brought them down slowly so that they were closed, permanently shut off from the world surrounding them. Her job done, she placed both of her hands on her lap and knelt there in silence, her eyes closed and head hung low. She captured the girl's attention for a few more moments before once more, she turned to the body of her friend in her arms.

The sirens and anguished cries went unnoticed. They along with the tears were lost to the rain.