A/N: So... we'll see over these next two weeks if I manage to post on time! I'm in the middle of moving, and I have a few events for my book, Danarko, in the middle of it all...

In the meantime, enjoy the last part of Episode 7: Render World!

Edit: I just realized I hit 100 reviews! In celebration, PM me ONE question you REALLY are dying to have answered, and I will answer it to the best of my knowledge! I will post all questions and answers on the next update. :)

Render World: Part Five

Song Bird saw Gentlebug stagger to his feet. Faster than even he could react, the boy had vaulted himself straight over the bridge and deep into the depths of the Seine, resurfacing with Kitty Noir in his arms. The moment he laid her down, though, her transformation wore off and a little black kwami shot from the ring on her hand.

Yes! Song Bird thought, stepping forward in triumph. Plagg's out of the -

"No," he whispered, staggering backwards. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

Marinette.

Song Bird sank to his knees, horror at his actions slowly sinking in. All this time, he had been fighting to protect Marinette's smile and positive outlook on life. Yet all this time, it was Marinette he had been fighting against.

His head sank forward until he was staring at the ground. The purple-blue clouds gathering above let out an ominous rumble as blue-grey rain began to fall.

A red-armored black boot hit the ground in front of him. "Song Bird."

Looking up slowly, surprise broke through Song Bird's shock at what he had done to Marinette. Gentlebug looked more like the pictures of Chat Noir around the city; however, his suit was drastically different. Red-spotted black armor covered the main parts of him, making him look more like an assassin than a Miraculous wielder. Two black cat ears and a tail flicker in pent-up rage. In his right hand, the baton twirled slowly while his left hand grasped the yo-yo tightly.

He… activated the second Miraculous on himself?! Song thought, stunned.

Suddenly, he was soaring backwards, his face screaming from the kick he hadn't seen.

Adrien was beyond angry. Song Bird had hurt his precious Marinette; he had tossed her over the bridge like an unwanted kitten.

Wiping the blood from his bitten lip, Adrien murmured the one word that sprang to mind: "Sunder." He gripped his baton with his bloody hand, and the weapon glowed a sickly green.

Song Bird staggered to his feet, snapping his fan open. His cloak floated about him, truly looking like the plume of a peacock. "If you think you can dodge all of these, you're wrong," he sang, a crazed look in his eyes.

Adrien remained silent.

Song Bird whipped his fan through the air, and several feathers streaked towards Adrien. He watched them, amazed at how slowly they were moving; he barely had to move his baton to stop all of them. They clattered to the ground, utterly harmless as he continued walking towards Song Bird.

Song Bird gritted his teeth, staggering a few paces away. His back hit a wall. Pulling out a rather large feather from his side, Song Bird held it up in front of him. Adrien saw the glint of red along the edge, and his vision reddened in response.

That was the blade that had hurt Marinette.

Adrien flicked his left wrist, sending the red-spotted black yo-yo flying at Song Bird. The boy managed to dodge it.

"Why are you running, birdie?" Adrien crooned, a wild grin spreading across his face. "This is a purr-fect opportunity for a fight."

Song Bird gritted his teeth together. "You knew Kitty Noir was Marinette, didn't you?"

"Well, of course," he said casually, examining his baton in feigned interest. "You don't really think I would hang all over a girl other than my girlfriend, do you?"

With these two last words, he swung the baton at the feather-clad boy. He leapt out of the way, but the baton caught the edge of the cloak. An area the size of a volleyball disintegrated off of his cloak.

Balance. He needed to maintain that. Needed to maintain Plagg's thirst for chaos and havoc with Tikki's need for calm and serenity; his despair and her hope; his destruction and her creation. His yin to her yang.

Marinette's life depended on it.

"Song Bird," he sang out, his voice oddly calm. Even as Gentlebug, his voice had never been this calm.

Song Bird crouched on the bridge, ready to leap out of the way of another attack. "... What?" he finally asked, his red eyes flickering slightly. There seemed to be some blue edging into it from the inside.

"Do you really think you can run?" he whispered, allowing his baton to tap against the bridge. A large crack formed, and the bridge rumbled as part of it crashed into the Siene.

Song Bird streaked by him, racing to get off the section of the bridge crumbling into the water. However, by doing that, he was closer to Marinette. He stared at her with wide eyes, and the hand holding the feather-knife trembled.

Adrien struck.

Slamming his fist against Song Bird's abdomen, he delivered another blow across his face before pinning his neck with a hand. He slammed the blue-clad wielder against the viaduct's arches, his control momentarily slipping more towards Plagg. "Don't you dare get near her," he snarled, his voice almost unrecognizable behind the growl emanating from his chest.

Song Bird's feathers trembled as he gasped for air. A faint mist exuded from them, enveloping him.

"Adrien! What are you doing?"

It was his father, Gabriel Agreste. He looked disapproving - ashamed, even. He shook his head in disappointment. "I cannot accept you as my son anymore."

Adrien snorted. "After the hell you just put me through," he hissed in Song Bird's face, "You really think that illusions will work?"

"H-how did you wake up from that?" Song Bird demanded, his arms flailing behind him.

"I saw through it," Adrien replied grimly. "Just like I can see through you down to your corrupted heart."

Just as he said this, he baton's Sunder power ran out. He clipped it to his back as he casually contemplated what to do with the bird trapped between his claws. He could feel a sneeze coming on, but he pushed it back; this was too important for his allergy to get the best of him.

"Adrien, I - urgh!" Song Bird winced as if his head was hurting. A broken, flickering butterfly symbol appeared around his face. He squeezed his eyes shut. "No. No! I won't!"

Adrien frowned. Was he… fighting Hawkmoth?

Song Bird opened his eyes. The iris was a deep crimson on the outside, bleeding over into the brilliant kaleidoscope of blue. It didn't intermingle, simply overtook. "Stop… me…"

"Purify," Adrien whispered, a calmness settling over him as his hand around Song's neck loosened enough so the boy could breath. He placed his left palm against Song's chest and pulled, digging his claws into something invisible.

"U-urgh," Song Bird gasped, wincing as some of Hawkmoth's power was forcefully pulled out of him. It formed into a writhing orb of purple-black energy between them; however, in Adrien's hand, it turned a pretty milky-white.

"Here; have it back." Adrien shoved the orb back into Song Bird's chest, watching in grim satisfaction as his eyes widened in pain.

When Chat Noir - no longer just Gentlebug anymore - had ripped part of the darkness out of him, he thought he was going to collapse like a puppet that had its strings cut.

But then he slammed that raw magic back into him.

He couldn't scream; his lungs and throat wouldn't work. His entire body was in shock as purified magic rushed through him, replacing the corrupt magic that had been within him up until just then.

Tears prickled his eyes. What had he done? Marinette was dead on the end of the bridge. The spells he had released over the city - Render World and Alter Mind - must have certainly already caused many casualties.

Chat pulled away, letting him slump to the ground. "No…" he sobbed, looking up at the hero. "Please… stop it…"

He was burning inside. There was still darkness, writhing in the back of his mind, trying to take over. It was relentless, whispering to him to get angry again, to go on a rampage. To destroy everything here and make them all feel as he had felt for the past five years.

Chat ignored him, snatching the fan and popping the purple stone out of its setting. He opened his yo-yo, revealing a glowing white interior where he dropped the marble; within a few seconds, a sparkling marble resurfaced, and he pocketed it.

Chat's clawed hand wrapped around Song Bird's throat, tipping the Persian's head back so he was staring into green slitted eyes. "Tell me," he snarled, "where Hawkmoth is."

"He's…" Song Bird's eyes shut involuntarily at the sudden spasm around his esophagus; it wasn't Chat's hand, though. The darkness still within seemed to have come up and choked him momentarily. He fought through it; he didn't want to listen to this man anymore. "Tower… dome… I - help…"

Chat released him, frowning. Song Bird sucked in one huge gulp of air after the next, feeling as if he couldn't get enough air no matter how much he breathed. "What's wrong with you?"

Song Bird jabbed a finger at himself. "Hawkmoth's power," he gasped, "It's… controlling me." Tears streamed down his face now. "I… never wanted… to hurt Marinette…" he moaned, desolate. "You have… to believe me."

Chat grabbed Song's silver hair, yanking his head back to glare into his red eyes. "Listen up," Chat growled, "I'll do this again only if you agree to help us find and defeat Hawkmoth."

All Song Bird could do was nod. He wanted the crushing pain to end; it felt like his mother had died all over again.

Chat Noir's claws dug into his chest, digging out even more of the pulsing energy corrupting his very thoughts. He yanked free another orb of purple, this one even bigger than the last. Song Bird collapsed against the side of the viaduct, gasping as he clutched his chest. Why did it hurt even more? Suddenly, it dawned on him what this was.

Crushing guilt.

He knew anytime his Render World or Alter Mind touched someone; he could feel them sinking into their worst fears, some even ending their own lives or ending the lives of others. While that evil force had been in him, he had fed off of it, getting stronger with every suffering soul.

"Break… illusion," he sobbed, covering his mouth with a hand.

The world regained color; all the illusions he had placed, all the Altered Minds, anyone touched by his Rendered World, suddenly were no longer affected. However, that didn't change the fact that he had caused the chaos and mayhem in the city.

"Hold still," Chat Noir said, his voice flat. Before Song Bird could ask him why, he was slammed in the gut with another orb of pure magic.

His breath whooshed out of him. Coughing, he curled in on his side, clutching his midsection.

"Get up." Chat's toed boot nudged him. "We need to find Hawkmoth."

"But Marinette - "

He found himself slammed against the wall, the air knocked out of him yet again as he was pinned to the stone with one clawed hand around his throat. He stared into furious green eyes. "Don't you dare speak her name."

Chat dropped him just as fast as he had picked him up. Song Bird wheezed, watching Chat Noir walk over to Marinette's limp body.

Chat whispered something, and his left hand glowed a soft white. He pressed it to her side as he knelt down, cradling her head in the other hand. He closed his eyes, bumping her forehead with his. A single tear slipped from his eye, splashing onto her face. "Time to wake up, princess…"

He kissed her.

Her eyelids fluttered open. "Chat…" she rasped. Her breathing, much more noticeable now, was even and steady. When he moved his hand from her side, her abdomen no longer had that nasty gouge within it.

He stroked her hair back. "It will all be over soon," he whispered. "So just - "

"No. I'm coming with you." She smiled at him; she was obviously still in pain, but she was stubborn. Her fingers ran along his jaw, and he leaned into her palm. "We're partners, after all."

"You… don't have your Miraculous anymore, though," he whispered, pressing his hand against hers to flatten her fingers against his face.

"Did you use Lucky Charm?" she asked, her voice still sounding rough. He shook his head. "Try that."

He laughed, pressing his forehead against hers again. "Your ideas always amaze me, mi'lady." He tossed his yo-yo straight up. "Lucky Charm!"

A red feather dusted with fine black dots drifted down, landing on Marinette's stomach. Chat immediately sneezed, unable to hold it back anymore. She picked it up delicately, examining it with a frown. "What's this supposed to mean?"

"Marinette…" Song Bird choked, his eyes wide. Several tears slipped down his cheeks, blurring his vision. "You're… alive. Thank goodness."

She frowned, staring at him. "Who are you, Song Bird?" she finally asked. "Why did you attack us?"

"I…" Song Bird rubbed his head; it was still throbbing. He felt the feathers extending from his mask, and as he pulled his hand away, he finally noticed his silvery hair. "Iraami, settle."

Nothing happened.

Panic shot through him. The last time Iraami hadn't been able to release the transformation was when he had killed his mother's torturers; he had been stuck as Song Bird for nearly a whole day and night, having to run and hide from anyone and everyone because of his blood-soaked appearance.

"Iraami, settle," he repeated, panic making his voice tremble. "No…"

Chat Noir glanced at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

Song Bird shook his head. "I-I can't transform back. This has happened once before… my kwami got really sick…" He bit his lip. He had never wanted to hurt his kwami like that again. "I keep messing up…"

Marinette slowly sat up with Chat's help. She examined his new suit, marveling over the new contours. "Chat… maybe… we should just release the feather?"

Chat Noir blinked, and then nodded. He let go of the feather, whispering a phrase that Song Bird couldn't quite pick up.

A tsunami of pinkish-white magic rolled out in a ring, washing over the entire city like a huge wave. It swirled around the two heroes the most; there was a muffled groan before the swirling magic disappeared.

Marinette was now in the Ladybug suit, her hair blue-black and her eyes back to normal. Chat Noir was sprawled on the ground next to her, moaning in pain. His suit no longer had the red armor attached to it.

"Oh, kitty…" Ladybug crooned, running her fingers through Chat's hair. He slowly relaxed underneath her touch. "I'm sorry."

"I'm… okay," he huffed, sitting up. He gave her a tight-lipped smile. "How's your side?"

"It… still hurts." She frowned, touching her abdomen gently. "Maybe we didn't get everything…"

Song Bird paled. "It's me…"

The heroes looked at him, startled. "What do you mean?" Chat asked, looking alarmed.

Song slowly began shaking his head. "Your power… it's supposed to put everything back to normal after you've purified the corrupted magic, right? What happens… when not all of it is purified?"

Chat Noir and Ladybug exchanged a look. "Not everything reverts back," Ladybug whispered, touching her side.

Chat stared at him. "Didn't I get it all?"

Song Bird scoured his mind. He had always buried that nasty streak within himself ever since he had delivered karma onto his mother's killers, but now it had resurfaced. It almost seemed fresh, as if waiting for him to get angry again. It was as if something else was feeding it. He shook his head at the heroes. "I don't think so."

Chat exhaled slowly. "We'll deal with that later. You said you would help us find Hawkmoth?"

Song Bird nodded, rising to his feet. His legs trembled but supported him. Ladybug and Chat Noir leaned on one another. "Are you sure you should be fighting like that?" he asked, concerned for the young heroes.

"Hawkmoth is also weak right now, right?" Chat asked, smiling grimly. "We'll get him now while he can't fight."

Song Bird laughed darkly. "That was his plan with both of you. I guess… I was his trump card." He fisted his hands, trying to control the rage building up in him - no longer directed at the heroes, but at Hawkmoth. "I don't appreciate being someone's puppet."

A/N: You all seriously thought I could kill our precious Marinette?! Pfft...

If I wanted her dead, she would be dead. No, Adrien brought her back before she reached the gates of Eleth. (Danarko reference here, guys. You should totally check out my Facebook page.)

Not only that, but I would feel weird killing the main character of a series that isn't even my own. Rest assured that Marinette (or Adrien, for that matter) will not die in this series...

Maybe.

Just ask my beta reader. I'm an "evil writer." Hehehe. Enjoy!