First of all I would just like to thank everyone for reading my story it means the absolute world to me. Your comments all fuel my muse and this is the first fanfic in a while I have actually finished. There will be two chapters left, well a chapter and an epilogue. Thanks so much for all of your support and kind words. Enjoy the chaos.

Chapter 12

She watched him, eyes narrowed. He had stopped moving and was watching her carefully. "I won't give them to you."

"I don't think you have much of a choice." she looked around, attempting to devise a plan to get out. Her heels weren't made for an escape, she'd have to transform then.

Panicked, she hurriedly rushed out the words. "Tikki, spots on." She felt the magic swarm her, and bounced out of the way right as a blade pierced the wall where she had been standing. She turned her head quickly, choking slightly as Hawkmoth, now transformed, grabbed her by the throat. Where had that sword come from and how had he moved so fast?

"Kagami dear, I think you have some things you'd like to say to Marinette here." The woman paused in surprise, turning to look at Ladybug, though anger overtook her features once again.

"You took him from me." She growled lunging forward. Ladybug kicked her leg up, shoving Hawkmoth off of her and grabbing the blade with her hand.

Kagami? She didn't look like Riposte?

Hawkmoth stumbled backwards crashing into a bookshelf and sending the items crashing to the floor. She let out a scream of pain as the blade cut into her palm. However, she was not prepared for the second blade appearing in Kagamis hand as it pierced through the side of her suit. She felt her eyes nearly bulge from her head.

She cried out, fire licking at her side as Kagami tugged the blade back. Ladybug staggered, clenching her eyes shut, she gripped the blade harder and tugged it from Kagamis hand. Still clutching the blade, she smacked Kagami back with the hilt, throwing it to the ground and grabbing her YoYo. The blood in her palms made it slippery, though she still managed to to fling it forwards and catch the two in it.

She stumbled backwards, using the wall for support when the door flew open. There stood ChatNoir, and Ladybug wanted to cry. It was all out now, there was no point in hiding it.

"I'm sorry Adrien." She heard HawkMoth make a noise of surprise, but all she was focused on was the intense look in ChatNoir's eyes.

"Marinette?"

"Guilty." He turned to look at his father, who now stared at him with wide eyes.

"Adrien? All of this time, right under my nose."

"Now you know how I felt." He growled, moving closer to Ladybug and gently propping her up. Hawkmoth gripped the Yo-Yo, and lifted Ladybug before sending her flying into ChatNoir. The two ended up in a sticky pile on the floor. Kagami now loose, charged for the two of them. She gripped ChatNoir hips and rolled the two of them out of the way as the first blade smacked into the ground. "How could you do this?" Adrien yelled, pulling himself and Ladybug up.

"I'm doing this for us Adrien! For our family!"

She watched Adrien shake his head. "No, you did this for yourself. You're selfish and vile. Don't use me as the scapegoat for your bad deeds!"

Ladybug used her yoyo to grapple Chat towards her, allowing one of the blades to miss him. She grimaced, wishing everything would stop moving. "Don't let him get to you kitty. No distractions."

He nodded, strengthening his stance. Then, she heard the screams outside.

"Mayura." ChatNoir noted, lifting his staff to block the oncoming attack.

"We need help."

"Ah yes, I suppose Mayura will be searching your room by now for the miracle box. And her little friend will be destroying everything outside. I wonder, what's more important to you?"

Ladybug didn't answer, she turned to Chat and he nodded. She trusted him.

She saw HawkMoth rush her but Chat flung his staff, ceasing his pursuit and Ladybug tumbled from the balcony. She landed, rather ungracefully, onto the floor and booked it to the closest place to her. The miracle box was well hidden, she didn't see Mayura finding it yet. But, she did have one miraculous on her. One she had a habit of keeping on her for sentimental value.

She kicked open the window and tumbled onto the familiar bed.

"Ladybug?! What on earth?"

"Spots off." She didn't have time to explain. She grunted, struggling to her feet. The wound would be worse without Tikki's help but she needed this. She knew Tikki would grab the left over cake in her bag to recharge. She snatched the miraculous from her hand and held it up pleadingly.

"Please, we need your help."

Luka, eyes wide and shaking, accepted the miraculous. "You're bleeding Marinette."

"I know, she got the jump on me. I just, I need to get home but ChatNoir needs help in the meantime. Please."

"Got it, where is he?"

"Agreste Mansion. They were in the study but I don't- I don't know if they're still there. Hurry, please. And be careful, HawkMoth is stronger, he can...he can injure us now."

Luka cast her a look, she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Understanding, sympthothy, pride, maybe love? She couldn't think about it.

"I won't let you down Ladybug."

Marinette smiled. "You never have." She watched him leave and shakily stood to her feet. Her vision was getting blurry from the few moments without Tikki's extra help. "Sorry it's so fast Tikki. Spots on!"

~ …~

"You're an idiot." Ladybug growled, dropping into her bedroom. Mayura looked up, surprise obvious .

"HawkMoth let you leave?"

"You underestimate Chat and I." She spun her YoYo and Mayura charged first. Ladybug leapt up gripping Mayuras hair, flipping over her and slamming her onto the ground.

"Not much of a fighter are you?" Ladybug taunted, foot pressing into Mayuras chest. She reached down to snatch the broach while Mayura gasped for breath but she moved faster. She lifted her leg, kicking Ladybug off who rolled under her. Pain seared from her wound, carrying throughout her limbs. She was in agony. "I don't have time for this. Lucky charm!"

Ink? Mayura moved towards her and Ladybug looked around hoping to god she could find something. She dodged another hit, the fan grazing her hair and she rolled onto the ground. The pain erupted throughout her and she wanted to cry. This was not fair.

Nothing was coming to mind, and all she could do was dodge attack after attack. Her body screamed at her to stop but she couldn't. She couldn't stop, if she let Mayura win, it was game over.

No time for a crazy plan then. She opened the bottle of ink and sprayed it into Mayuras eyes. She shrieked, rubbing furiously as Ladybug used her yoyo to grapple the Miracle box to herself, tucking it under her arm, she used her yoyo once more to launch herself out of the bedroom.

Once she landed on the roof of a nearby building she dropped to the floor and cried. She cried out of frustration, fear and pain. She lied there for a moment taking a deep breath feeling a raindrop fall onto her cheek.

"Guys." She murmured weakly. Several of the kwamis who knew their respected partners flew out. "I can't make it to all of them. I need you to take your miraculous, tell them to help ChatNoir at the agreste mansion. Please hurry."

"Marinette! Are you going to be ok?" Fluff asked.

"I'll be fine, no time to waste. Tell them to be careful, HawkMoth can injure you. Let them know that. Please."

She watched them disperse in various directions, before dropping limp herself. Just a moment. She only needed a moment to rest and then...then everything would be ok. The rain poured onto her, the cool water calming her down. It was soothing, the sound of nothing but the rain. Several of the Kwamis buzzed about her but she couldn't look at any of them. Her earrings beeped in her ear and she whimpered.

Was she going to die here? Was this the end? Her transformation dispersed and Tikki fretted over her. Marinette felt the pain worsen tenfold and she realized, she couldn't move.

"Marinette." Tikki whispered weakly. "You have to transform again." She turned her head to Tikki, unable to push herself up without the miraculous' power assisting her weak and damaged body.

"Go home, eat something and find me again." Tikki didn't hesitate. She took off, zipping towards the house.

Marinette closed her eyes, her tears mixing with the rain drops. "Longg bring the storm."

She shakily clutched the bee miraculous. "Pollen, Buzz on." The second set of power helped ease the pain but added to her fatigue.

She shoved herself to her feet, the moment the miraculous took over, her body felt able to move, if only slightly. Everything ached, and she worried she'd be more of a problem than a solution in the actual fight. She prayed their numbers would give them the upperhand. She lifted the miracle box and carried it slowly. Moving towards the mansion, her vision fogged several times, and she felt herself sway. How much blood had she lost?

Enough to incapacitate her. Enough to make her sick to her stomach. Enough to know it was too much for her to be functioning without the miraculous' help. God help her the next time she had to detransform. All she could do was pray.

It was pouring at the agreste mansion and she spotted Rena Rouge and Carapace fighting the sentimonster Mayura had created at the party. Probably to distract her from going to stop her. She noticed Bunnix helping people to safety and she dropped down next to her.

"Bunnix, it's ladybug."

"Ladybug? Why're you using the dragon...and the bee? Oh god, you look terrible."

"Long story. Take this." She handed her the box and grimaced as her vision went spotty. "This has every single miraculous in it. Go into your burrow and do not come out until this is over. We can't let Hawkmoth or Mayura get it."

"Understood. Goodluck." She waited until Bunnix disappeared into the safety of her burrow before looking up to the large mansion. Thunder clapped as the lightning flashed behind the manor, illuminating the grounds around her. This was it.

This was what everything had been leading up to. She marched towards the manor, she knew carapace and RenaRouge could handle the sentimonster. With King Monkey and Pegasus on their way, Marinette had no doubt that even if Mayura showed up, they could handle it.

She wanted to give up. Wanted to cry, but there was no way. This ended now.

She saw Viperion and Chat before she heard them. The ringing in her ears was getting louder and she wondered how much time her body had left. Her hands ached and burned with an intense fury, but when she saw her boys closer up, all thoughts of her own pain vanished. Chat was on the floor, gripping his arm. Ladybug could tell it and his leg, which seemed to be bent in an impossible direction, were bleeding profusely. Chat was out of commision. Viperion had blood trickling down his forehead and into his swollen eye. It was closed tightly, whether from the swelling or the pain she couldn't tell.

She only saw red.

She went for him, dodging Kagami and throwing a punch at Hawkmoth, he dodged but she recovered, using her momentum to power a kick which he blocked. The two battled it out, throwing punches and kicks endlessly. She saw Tikki zip in, looking around frantically.

Without missing a beat or even waiting for Tikki to understand the situation she spoke. "Spots on!" The third power overtook her and it hurt but also felt amazing. She felt unstoppable, but like every movement was agony. The pain from her wounds were gone but her body still yelled to stop. She was moving faster than she had thought she ever could, but every movement felt one step closer to blacking out. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought she had blacked out and was hallucinating.

"Water dragon." She lifted her hand, as a dome of water surrounded the five of them. "No getting out now HawkMoth." He turned, a smirk on his face. He thought he was winning. "Lucky Charm." The butterflies miraculous fell into her hand.

To stop Kagami, she needed to stop Hawkmoth.

"Welcome back you little cockroach. Here to watch your plans fail miserabl-" Ladybug cut him off mid sentence as she moved to him incredibly fast. The power of three miraculous boosting her every movement.

"Venom." She whispered, fire in her eyes as she struck him with her fist. She watched his body fall to the floor in a heap, knowing he was unable to move she reached to take the broach. Kagami, knowing what would happen attempted to attack, Viperion launched himself onto her, taking the brunt of the hit. Her eyes pricked with tears at Luka's cry of pain.

She wondered why he hadn't used his second chance to redo their injuries when she noticed. The miraculous was cracked right down the middle. How dare he. How dare Hawkmoth destroy something as precious as a miraculous.

She pushed herself up and her vision went black. She had no more fight left in her.

She snuck a glance over to Chat, who had dragged himself over to HawkMoth, and was in the process of removing the miraculous. Her heart ached for him, he had to be hurting. At least he would live though, because this would end now. She saw Kagami set her vision on Chat, lifting her blade and she rolled Viperion to safety, being mindful of the large stab wound in his shoulder, before she lifted the yoyo and flung it towards kagami pulling her into her. She felt the blade in Kagamis hand pierce her suit and blood leaked through her lips but she still smiled.

"I'm so sorry." Ladybug whispered, wrapping Kagami in her arms. "Life is not easy and you don't always get what you want. Things are confusing and feeling the weight of the world on your back makes everything a million times more confusing." Chat removed the Miraculous and Kagami's transformation faded, as well as the blade piercing her. "And I'm so sorry that you feel all of this pressure to be perfect. I get it, I really do. I resented being Ladybug for so long." She felt Kagami shake in her arms, presumably crying. "But you're amazing the way you are, Kagami. You don't need to be anything for anyone, just yourself. You are enough, and one day, someone will fall in love with you for you. Not who you think you should be, but who you actually are." She coughed, feeling her knees shake. "And I'm so excited for the day that happens. But, I'm more excited for the day that people like us can understand…" She paused, eyes fluttering. "That all we can do...is our best."

She heard Chat scream her name. Her real name. The miraculous all beeped and she felt them, one after the other disperse leaving her as Marinette. Small, broken Marinette, cradled in Kagamis arms.

It was over, it was all over. She heard Luka speaking rapidly, presumably to someone who had just entered but Marinette couldn't make out anything he was saying. Her vision grew spotty, and before it went out completely, she saw Chat's face. Tears in his eyes as he spoke to her. There was no sound, and yet, the idea that the last thing she would see would be Adriens face, gave her the peace to let go