The butterfly led them to the Agreste mansion.
It silently flew through a stained-glass window.
"This is it?" Chat whispered. "Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth?"
She drew a breath; slowly.
"We don't know that yet," she whispered as well. "Maybe Gabriel... is being held captive?" she offered, knowing full well that was a lie.
Her heart pounded in her ears. It was too much to take in. It didn't even make sense! Gabriel had been akumatized before. There's no way he could be...
Chat jumped, catching himself with the baton.
"Chat wait!" she yelled, but he was already headed towards the mansion.
She groaned following behind.
He activated his cataclysm and flew right through the window.
"Chat!"
When had he become so reckless?
She swung in as well, landing behind him.
Hawkmoth stood before them. The room swarming with white butterflies.
"How could you do this!" Chat yelled, running towards him with a raised fist.
"Chat stop!"
Hawkmoth stood still. His mouth twisted.
He caught Chat's punch easily. When he swung with his other arm, he caught it as well.
"Pathetic," He spat.
Chat pulled on his arms vainly.
"What a waste, to give these miraculouses to children imbecilic children."
He reached for Chat's curled hand. The one with his miraculous.
"Let him go!" she yelled, swinging her yoyo forwards.
Hawkmoth dodged it with ease, but let go of Chat nonetheless.
"Leave him to me Ladybug," Chat growled, his focus still on Hawkmoth.
"Chat! What's gotten into you! We're supposed to be a team!"
He paid her no mind and ran towards Hawkmoth again. Baton extended.
Hawkmoth dodged and fended him off with his cane.
"I can't believe I looked up to you!"
They clashed together.
"I can't believe I ever loved you!"
Chat swung.
"I can't believe I ever called you, my father!"
Hawkmoth didn't dodge, instead he let Chat's baton hit him full force. He stood silent, mouth gaped open, as Chat continued.
"You put my friends in danger, you've put me in danger, hell you've put the whole city of Paris in danger! Now I know why you never had time for me. You were too busy terrorizing and manipulating people into doing your bidding. All for what? A stupid wish!" He fell to his knees, pulling on his hair and screamed. I hate you! I hate you so much! I can't believe you've done this! Argh! I hate you!"
The words reverberated through the room.
Chat howled, before falling on his hands, silent.
Hawkmoth fell to his knees as well, and slowly crawled over to him.
"Adrien?" He whispered, almost too quiet to hear.
She stared in horror. Chat... was Adrien?
Chat–Adrien backed away from him.
"Leave me alone!"
"Adrien!" Hawkmoth begged, "I did this for you! For us! Don't you miss your mother?"
Adrien opened his eyes, glaring at his father.
"Don't you dare bring my mother into this! She probably left because of you! And I don't blame her! Who would want to live with a monster like you!"
"Adrien! Your mother is still in this house! She's still alive!"
"What?" he breathed.
X
Of all the things she had expected when they found Hawkmoth; she had not expected to be in the Agreste mansion, standing next to him in an elevator, that droned out quiet jazz music. The three of them remained quiet. A silent agreement to never mention this to anyone.
Once they reached the lower floor, he led them through a bridge. Looking back like a child at them occasionally.
They reached the center, that was illuminated by some rafts in the ceiling.
The center was the only place that held flowers and grass. Water surrounded them everywhere. And the place vaguely reminded her of a mausoleum.
But what unnerved her the most was in the very cent or it all. Lay a blond woman, incased in a white coffin. This was undoubtedly a gravesite, it had to be.
"Mother!"
At some point, Chat's time had run out. Revealing him to be Adrien. It came as a surprise to no one.
Adrien rushed to his mother; Hawkmoth followed close behind.
"What's going on? Why is she here? "Adrien turned to his father.
"She's in a comatose state," he explained. "Not even the best medic teams could help her."
"What's wrong with her!"
"This was caused by a broken miraculous," Hawkmoth sighed, and grabbed the bridge of his nose. "I told her not to use it, but she had to. Now only the wish can save her."
"That's why you need my ring," Adrien said, still staring at his mom.
"Yes exactly," Hawkmoth held his hand out. "Now that you understand, will you help me help your mother?"
"You know full well!" She finally spoke, walking up to them. "That using the wish has an equal exchange rate! A life for a life!"
"I'm willing to pay any price!" Hawkmoth spat.
"Even at the price of your life?" She ran in between Adrien and him. "Even... even at the price of your son's life?"
"My son won't have to pay the price for my own mistakes. Adrien give me the ring."
"Adrien don't listen to him!"
Hawkmoth detransofrmed. Gabriel stood before them hand outstretched.
"Adrien. Give. Me. The. Ring."
When that didn't work, he shoved her to the side, coming up to his son.
"Chat!" She cried.
Adrien turned to look at her, guilt evident in his eye.
"Chat please! No!"
Slowly he tugged out the ring.
"No!" She yelled knocking it out of his hands with her yoyo.
Gabriel glared at her.
"I won't let you!"
They both scramble for the ring.
She reached it first.
He pulled on her leg and threw her backwards.
Aiming blindly, she swung her yoyo again. It wrapped around his torso and pulled him back.
She reached for the ring again, grasping it in her hand.
She flew backwards. It took her a second to realize Gabriel had punched her.
The moth Miraculous was no longer in his hands, but he probably didn't care.
"Give it to me!"
She stretched her arm out, over the rail of the bridge.
"I'll drop it!"
"Like hell you will!"
He ran up and throttled her by the neck.
She kicked blindly at his legs. She fisted her hands and punched his stomach.
With no response, she threw her wait forward. Slamming him into the railing on the other side. He cried out but refused to let go of her neck.
This time he threw his own wait forward. They fell back down to the grassy area.
Her vision was clouding. She had to do something, fast
Think Marinette Think!
Her eyes rolled back as he tightened his hold and she tried desperately to remain conscious. The ring still painfully enveloped in her hand.
A glance at Adrien. He still remained by his mother's side, unaware of the fight behind him.
She would have to do this by herself.
Slipping the ring, onto a finger, she grabbed onto his arms and rolled them both to the side.
Gabriel's head made contact with the railing.
His hold loosened, enough for her to roll away.
She ran towards the bridge, intent on going back up the elevator.
He caught back up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder.
Again, she threw her weight backwards. She felt them lean against the railing.
It creaked under their weight.
Her foot twisted painfully, and she lost her balance, falling completely against Gabriel.
The railing snapped, and together they fell into the water.
The struggled underwater. She was running out of air. She couldn't breathe!
Out of instinct, she pushed Gabriel down, and used him as a spring to propel herself upwards.
She managed to take one gulp before getting pulled back down by her leg.
He slammed her against the side of something, and her lungs released what little air she had gotten.
He reached for her ears.
She kneed his groin. Or at least what she thought was his groin. The water slowing her movements.
Her vision fading, she could feel the earring loosening with each tug he pulled.
She had to get out. And now!
She clenched her eyes shut, trying to formulate a plan.
There was no way she could call on Tikki right now to activate aqua powers.
Chat or Adrien still wasn't in the best mindset to fight right now.
And it's not like she could yell for a lucky charm at this moment.
She was all on her own.
What could she do on her own?
Nothing.
She felt an earring finally come loose. And her suit started disappearing.
Snapping her eyes open.
No. She could still do something.
She kicked her legs beneath her and pushed off the wall.
She grabbed onto the loose earring before it could fall out. And tightened the backing.
They slammed into something. It was enough of a force for Gabriel to let go. She kicked her legs back, aiming to reach the small island in the center.
She made it out of the water without issue.
Taking huge gulps, she whipped around, expecting another attack.
Gabriel was nowhere.
Slowly she kneeled, and eventually she stood, still gasping for air.
The waters had long since stilled.
"Hawkmoth?"
His name sounded weird in her lips with the tone of worry they carried.
She paid it no mind and called his name again.
Still no answer.
She called his name again. His birth name.
Nothing.
She jumped back into the water.
No man could hold their breath that long.
She saw him, slowly sinking down to the bottom. Unconscious.
Grabbing him by the armpits, she pulled him up.
They made it back on the island.
Adrien met her eyes with concern. Still standing from his spot next to his mother.
She turned back to Gabriel, and laid her ear on his chest, she wasn't sure if it was her own heart she hear in her ears or his. Nonetheless she ripped his shirt open. And she frantically tried to remember her lifeguard training from middle school. What was it, twenty or sixty compressions per minute. Or was it thirty?
She shook her head.
There was an American song you had to sing. What was it?
She pulled on her pigtails, uncertain of the answer.
Screw it! She'd go songless.
She pressed down on his chest.
She went with twenty-five compressions and went to pinch his nose.
That's when she realized it.
His head was bent at an odd angle.
To the point where she could see a bit of bone peeking out of his skin.
How had she not seen that before?
Hesitantly, she reached out under his jaw.
She searched around for a while.
No pulse.
She tried picking up his head, but as she did, bone grinded with bone sickenly.
She pulled her hands back. Something heavy lowering itself in her throat.
Her lucky charm!
Scrambling up she ran to her you, that lay on the ground. She threw it up yelling the infamous catchphrase.
A small compact fell. No smaller than her hand.
Opening it, it revealed to hold a small mirror inside.
She stared back at herself.
"What am I supposed to do with this!" she yelled.
There had to be a way, there always was!
She glanced around but nothing stood out in her field of vision.
Come one come on!
Hastily she threw the contact back in the air, praying it would work.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
There were no flashing lights.
No sparkles.
No ladybugs.
The compact dropped down.
She tried again.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
Again, the compact flopped on the ground. It landed open, on its side. Several cracks ran through it.
Gabriel's open eyes lay distorted in its reflection.
Breathing heavily, she ran towards the insulting object.
Grabbing it, she chucked it into the water. Landing on her knees.
She crawled over to Gabriel. Hitting his chest.
"Wake up! Wake up"
She punched the ground, praying for a miracle, anything.
This couldn't be happening.
She was going to throw up.
She pushed away from him; his grey eyes stare lifelessly back at her.
She crawled unit she felt the metal of the bridge beneath her hand.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
Garbiel Agreste was dead.
Not like this.
And Ladybug had killed him.
Next Update: 08-07-21