Adrien's POV

I was stupid. I had hurt her and because of that Hawkmoth was going to win. My back hurt as I was dragged roughly across the ground, the wire form the yo-yo cutting into my skin. Adalia's were eyes hard, the blue no longer wavering like they were a moment ago. Her mouth was set into a thin line, her eye brows drawn together as she heaved me towards her. I wasn't exactly making it easy for her, I was thrashing around like a fish out of water.

She smiled when I was finally below her feet, a purple butterfly appearing over her face, and I griminced. I could only guess what Hawkmoth was saying to her. Exploiting her, using her, making sure she came through with her end of the bargain. I knew that if something didn't happen and fast I was gone for. I couldn't do anything, my arms were strapped to my sides so calling upon cataclysm would be useless. I had only one thing I could do.

"Please Marinette, stop this isn't you. Don't listen to him. Remember who you are!" My increasingly desperate crys fell deaf ears as her hand slowly reached out towards my ring. My struggling intensified and just as I thought she was going to pluck it from my finger, a blur of auburn hair and glasses flew past me, dive tackling Marinette to the ground.

"Alya!" I gasped my voice rough and stupefied with surprised. As the two rolled on the ash felt with Alya eventually landing on top, I stood shakily up as the Yo-yo retracted and Adalia shoved Alya off her and roughly hauled her over her shoulder and ran away with her, flinging her yo-yo and landing on a roof top before continuing her running, her footsteps considerably heavier from the weight she was carrying. Not that lay was heavy or anything. GAH this was getting me nowhere.

I sighed rubbing my arm from where the wire had been cutting me, and grabbing my baton before hurdling away after her, seeing a yellow blur in the distance suddenly stop and shove Alya into a stair well and closing the door before jamming it stuck.

She turned to face me, smirking.

"What, tired of this cat and bug game already?"

She swung her yo-yo towards me and I only just managed to avoid it, my breath coming in harsh pants and my tired muscles wobbling form the stress, my wrists cramping from swinging my baton to hit the yo-yo away and my eyebrows drawn together in severe concentration, scrunching up my mask.

The akuma turned around and ran jumping across roof tops and in sighting a chase, is paused only long enough to call upon cataclysm and yell at down the stair to where Alya could hopefully hear me, "Get out of there and go get help, preferably in the form of a spotted super heroine, though I'm not picky." I rushed away after that, not waiting to hear the reply, if I ever even got one.

If ladybug was here I knew she would be chastising me on the stupid use of cataclysm, but she wasn't here, and I knew desperate times called for desperate measures so I followed Adalia over the roof tops keeping up with her. I stopped when she reached the end of the last building on the street, the cars busily rushing by underneath her and the police in the area quickly evacuating the civilians. She turned to face me.

My legs were shaking from the extra exertion, my ring giving it's first warning beep, and my breath coming in short shallow gasps. I knew that if we were to engage in any sort of combat I would be at a disadvantage. There was a limit to the physical abilities my miraculous could bestow upon them, and I was at the limit.

I knew I was beaten when I saw it, I wasn't so naive as to think I could beat this akuma by myself. I wasn't going to give up though, I owed to Alya who had just been shoved down a stair case for my sake that much. I owed Marinette that much, because I knew she wouldn't want to me give up, even if she was the one currently fighting me.

So I fought on and when I ducked to late and the yo-yo wrapped itself around my throat strangling me, I didn't ask for mercy, no I looked at the akuma right in the eyes, the blue of them hard and watery from unshed tears and did the only thing that I could think of to make her loose her grip on her weapon.

I backed up to the edge of the roof, and I stepped over the edge, it was a quick fall, though it seemed like an eternity, and as I saw the akuma fumble and realise what was happening she didn't even flinch when she landed on top of me. Didn't look at me as she saw my last plan fail. She got up an tightened the yo-yo around my neck so that it was chocking my air ways.

I knew I was done. The akuma couldn't release me and get the ring as I would bound away and she couldn't pry it off me without letting go of her yo-yo, also releasing me. The only way for her to get my ring was for her to let me choke.

So I accepted it. I knew that once I was gone and she bought the ring to Hawkmoth he would release her from the state she was in, and with no miraculous cure in sight, as Ladybug had disappeared, she would have to live forever knowing what she had done.

So I vowed to try and make it easier for her. If my last act as a hero was to lessen the pain that I will undoubtedly cause, then I would die a hero, and there were worse ways to die.

So I held her gaze and I stopped struggling. I looked her in the eyes as I opened my mouth to speak.

"It's okay," I managed to rasp out. "I forgive you." and when lining of silver in her eyes spilled over, I smiled gently.

There were certainly worse ways to die.

Marinette's POV

No.

it doesn't matter if her dies, what are you waiting for?

No

The pain that came with refusing him, he would take away my powers.

No.

Why do you care about him? He doesn't care about you.

No.

What does being a hero accomplish, nobody will care about you.

No.

He's a liar, he may act like a hero but deep down he's selfish, if he wants to play at being a hero let him die a martyr.

No.

The whispers grew insistent and soon pain was racking through my body, but all I could see were green slitted eyes forgiving me even when I was causing his death. Believing in me even when no one else did.

No.

Your family and friends don't appreciate you, if you go back now you are just condemning yourself to a fate of nothingness.

No.

Lies. My friends and family cared. I was just too blind to see it.

No.

The pain became intensified and I cried out out sinking to my knees, the yo-yo slackening dropping.

No.

I would not be disillusioned. Not again, I would no longer believe in his lies.

If this is how you wish to play it miss Dupain-Cheng, then we will see each other again.

Then the pain disappeared, and I became aware of someone sitting beside me as my shoulders shook, whispering words of comfort as the transformation disappeared.

But I didn't care, I was blind to it all, blind to the little Kwamii that flew discreetly inside my shirt jacket and nuzzled up to me.

I was blinded with the knowledge that I could've killed my partner, blinded with the knowledge that I would've killed my partner. So when the darkness came and claimed me, I welcomed it.

Arien's POV

I watched as the purple butterfly appeared over her face, watched as she shrunk to her knees, crying out in pain. I could do nothing until the yo-yo released me, and i rushed towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder as tears silently made there way down her flushed cheeks. I watched as the transformation released her, leaving Marinette there. I held onto her trembling shoulder whispering words of comfort into her ear that she only half heard.

I caught her as she blacked out, the light fading from her eyes as she crumpled in on her self. I caught her and carried her away from the prying eyes, away from the news reporters that were setting up there cameras, trying to find the identity of the girl in my arms. I wasn't going to let that happen. I shielded her from view, picking her up in my arms and carrying her bridal style, turning her face towards me so they could look at it.

I ignored the question that were yelled at me as I hurtled over the top of them, my ring flashing as I barged through eh bakery door, ignoring the surprised looks of customers as I walked straight past them and handed Marinette to her father who had come in form the bakery when he heard the commotion, his eyes immediately turning to Marinette, before turning back and pausing at the door.

"Be gentle with her, she's been through a lot."

And with that I ran out the door running behind a nearby advertisement pole, (which coincidentally had my face on it), and detransforming, catching Plagg in my hand before fishing camembert out of my pocket and giving it to him, waiting for him to swallow it whole before speaking.

"Where was Ladybug?"

He snickered.

"What makes you think i i know?"

"Plagg!" I reprimanded grabbing him by the tail and dangling him in front of my face.

"Alright i'll tell you," he snickered again, "she was extremely busy."

"Busy! that's no excuse, I almost died, and thanks to her, Marinette is going to remember every painful second of what happend."

Plagg snorted at me.

"You really are dense aren't you."

With that he flew into my jacket leaving me grumbling at him.

How was I dense?