It was both instinct which almost doomed her and saved her at the same time.

As soon as she found herself immersed in to icy cold river, she wanted nothing more than to gasp. It was a reflex and a dangerous one at that. Ironically, because only a few seconds earlier she had been in the middle of preparing to scream a warning to her friends, her lungs were already full. It meant that she doesn't swallow or inhale any water. She was paralysed however. Whilst the waters might not be covered with ice, in the middle of a Parisien winter, they most certainly weren't warm. They stung and bit as her skin despite the moderate protection which her miraculous offered her. Her eyes were blinded by the water, made all the worse by the darkness of the night.

It took the young woman a few moments to become slightly more aware of just what had happened. She was sinking, there was quite the current as well, dragging her along. Ever deeper. The moon was shining brightly above her.

Somehow, that was what it took for her to abruptly realize that if she did nothing, she was going to drown. That caused her to slip into panic. She swam with all of her strength for the surface, kicking as hard as she could. Finally, she managed to get her head above the water and fill her lungs with some much needed oxygen. The current, made worse by the recent rains still threatened to sweep her away though as she struggled to not get dragged down once more. She splashed around helplessly for a few moments before making a somewhat more constructed effort to reach a bank. She drifted under one of the city's numerous bridges. Desperately scrambling towards the nearest quai.

Finally, she managed to grab a hold of the hull of a boat, it was enough to stop her from getting dragged away. Every second she spent in the waters seemed to drain her strength, making her increasingly aware of just how cold they were. Gradually, she managed to help herself herself along.

She reached the stones of the pier but found herself too weak to haul herself out of the water. Her wet clothes were weighing her down and the cold continued to sap what little strength she had yet to give. It was only with a great effort and clenching her teeth to fight the pain that she was finally able to dig her fingers into the stone and scramble out of the freezing river. She dragged herself out, spluttering up water as she went.

A hand grabbed her, pulled her out and helped her along. She lay on her back, gasping for air and struggling to recover from the shock. For a moment, she couldn't quite breathe. Even thinking was something which the young woman didn't feel up to the task of attempting.

"Not the best night to go for a swim, eh milady?"

Recognizing the voice, her eyes shot open. In a flash, she backed herself into a corner, stumbling slightly as she went. It was true terror which took a hold of her. Despite everything, she could still recognize the menace behind the man's voice. In the night, for a couple of instants, she struggled to make out the figure of the miraculous holder. His green eyes were unmistakable though. There was a bitterness with which he spoke that informed her that he was done laughing. The game had ceased to be amusing.

Crouching nearby, Adrien approached slowly. Perhaps he could sense that she was mostly spent or maybe not and feared that this was all some kind of ploy. Either that or the swim in the river had taken a fair amount from him as well. The way that he made his way towards her almost reminded her of a big cat about to pounce on the unsuspecting deer. In this case however, she was fully aware that he was coming closer. Without her yoyo, she found herself comparatively defenceless. Instinct demanded therefore that she put as much distance between the two of them as possible.

It was as her back encountered the wall that she found herself wondering where the others had gone. She hadn't seen or heard them but then in her panic to avoid drowning, she maybe hadn't been paying as much attention as she should have been. They could have been anywhere: upstream, downstream… At the bottom of the river… The thought caused her to shudder. Ladybug looked to the water, desperately searching for any sign of life.

A mistake. In a flash, seizing the opportunity presented by her distraction, he leapt forwards. There was a rough impact as he shoved her roughly into the wall. She had the presence of mind to tuck her chin in, ensuring that her head couldn't be slammed against the stones. The violence of the action was still enough to knock the wind clean out of her. Cat Noir stood uncomfortably close, using his own body to pin her in place. His left arm rested against her throat, all but cutting off her oxygen supply. He did her best to such in a few breaths but it was never quite enough. His free right hand reached out and as easily as he would have plucked a berry from a bush, he removed one of her earrings.

It was an unpleasant feeling as her transformation wore off. It was as if all of her strength was fading away. It had been torn from her. She struggled, a little too late. Fighting tooth and nail against her attacker's hold on her. Without the added power of the miraculous however, her actions seemed to barely even register. Kahn held the jewel in between his two fingers, admiring it in the pale moonlight. If she protested, he made sure to press down just a little harder on her windpipe.

"Beautiful..." He muttered before his eyes drifted back to her. "-and not too bad yourself!"

"-giv…it… -ack." Was all that she could manage with the current pressure on her throat.

"I don't think so." With one of the earrings in his possession, his attitude seemed to have abruptly brightened up. "You're much prettier and far less of a nuisance like this."

She winced trying her best to push him back, to get at least some distance between the two of them. If he'd managed to pin a portion of her right arm in his manoeuvrer to pin her in place, her left remained comparatively free. It was the proximity of their bodies which made it difficult for her to move. Her efforts barely even seemed to register with him. If anything, he seemed to find them entertaining. Huffing with amusement, he took yet another step closer to the wall, practically crushing her. It felt as if he was intent on grinding her into the stones.

He closed his hand over the earring he had stolen, leaving only his index finger free. He reached out, resting his finger against the top of her cheekbone. She could feel his nail pricking at her skin. She found herself thinking back to Luka's description of what had been done to Nathalie and found herself wondering if she might be about to receive a scar of her own. Her breathing quickened as much as it could with her windpipe being compressed. It hurt although she could tell that he hadn't quite broken the skin. The discomfort and fear caused her to let out a whimper, despite her best attempts to remain brave.

She looked up into his green eyes, desperately trying to see past the madness and find some trace, even a faint one, of the young man she knew and loved. She pleaded silently for her assistance.

All that she was met by was a mocking little smile. He was aware of what he was doing. Slowly, he trailed his finger down, tracing her jawline. Marinette closed her eyes, flinching away.

"Where's the book little bug?"

She blinked a few times, for some reason struggling to process just what he wanted. The Book… It was something that she'd barely given any thought to when they'd gone into the waters. Now, she reasoned, it would likely be in her bag at the bottom of the Seine along with the rest of the miraculouses. That most definitely wouldn't do it any good. He must have mistaken her silence for stubborn refusal as he leaned in closer, tightening his grip to reinforce the threat. She gasped, coming dangerously close to running out of air.

There was none of Adrien there. Once more, she turned to her friend. Desperate and pleading. There was a hatred there she'd only ever seen once before. It had been a cursed arrow which had turned turned his heart to ice.

There was an idea beginning to form at the back of her mind. It wasn't much of them, the last few glimmers of hope which she still possessed. It was unpleasant to be stuck so close to him. Instinct demanded that she do everything within her power to escape and put some distance between herself and her attacker. She forced herself to remain as calm as possible however. She wouldn't get two chances at this. She moved her lips slightly. He would think that she was trying to articulate some words. The young woman even went so far as to add in a gag, reminding him that putting a great deal of pressure on her throat was equally counter-productive. She earned an exasperated eye roll but he did release her. Marinette took advantage of the few seconds of respite to fill her lungs with oxygen. Cat Noir seemed to be less than patient as she struggled to recover:

"What's that now?"

No doubt as he leaned in so that their heads were almost touching was intended to trouble her. In short, it was meant as a threat. What Kahn evidently didn't think of was that it might serve his foe's purposes as much as it did his own.

Marinette didn't give him any warning or a chance to react. She leaned in and kissed him, sending her lips crashing into his. She felt her friend tense up abruptly, his eyes widening with surprise. For her own part, she closed her eyes. This could only end one of two ways. Either Adrien, her Adrien, would return to her or Kahn would remain, in which case he would most certainly kill her. Perhaps by refusing to look, she hoped to forget just what she was doing. It had been one thing when Cat Noir had been struck by Dark Cupid's arrow. At least that had still been him, albeit a twisted and hateful version of the hero. This was… another man – although she hesitated to even qualify him as that much given what he'd done – who just happened to be in possession of her friend's body. Still, she kissed him.

It had saved him once…

The seconds trickled by and still she found herself somehow safe from being turned to ash. Cat Noir seemed to relax, his grip on her eased. His posture no longer seemed so threatening. He deepened the kiss slightly and she didn't object. She could only pray that love would bring him back to her the way that it had done when they were both younger.

He pulled away after a little while, staring at her as if he had never seen her before. There was something new behind his eyes. The rage had vanished but what now lay in its place, she couldn't say… The longer it lasted, the longer she dared to think that he might be back with her. The hostility had vanished, replaced with what almost appeared to be innocence. She fixed him uncertainly. Eyeing the young man for the slightest hint of just who she was dealing with. Gradually however, hope began to form inside of her once more. She figured that he would be confused, perhaps it was a sensation similar to that of awaking from a dream-filled sleep or in this case, nightmares.

She opened her mouth, ready to say something, to ask and check if it was well and truly her friend who had returned to her. Instead, she was met by a smirk, it almost seemed to be mocking her:

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting that."

In a flash, his face changed once more. Any feeling that she was dealing with the real Adrien Agreste was quickly dismissed. Kahn was back. Sensing that she was running out of options, the young woman did her best to side-step him. A swift kick was enough to knock the legs out from underneath her. She crashed to the ground roughly. He crouched down next to her, still taunting with that almost manic look that he sported. Just why he was dragging all of this out, she had no idea. Her best guess was that he took some sort of pleasure out of all of this. Presumably, it might have been the same reason that Nathalie had been spared.

"What? Were you hoping that 'true love' would be enough to draw out Adrien?!" He threw his head back and laughed. "Well, I'm afraid that no amount of love is enough to touch my heart."

"Do you even have one?" Marinette snapped finally pushed over the edge.

She couldn't fight Kahn. Not with only one earring. She didn't however plan on remaining easy pray. She would fight him, just as Luka had and give her attacker something to remember. Her eyes briefly glanced down. He'd used Cataclysm some time ago, yet for all that the ring didn't seem to be running down. Hardly surprising. Unlike her and her friends, Adrien had been using the ring for the past decade, he'd built up experience and skill and would therefore no longer be subject to the same limitations as they had once been. The only saving grace was that he would be unable to let loose with another wave of destruction. That being said, he was still more than capable of killing her.

"Of course I do Mari. I just get pleasure out of other things..." His eyes narrowed once more, fixing her. "Tell me where the book and other miraculous are or I swear I'll blind you."

"Go ahead. I'm not telling you anything..."

He grabbed her round the throat, shoving her head against the stone pavement once more. No longer dazed, Marinette fought back as much as she could. She kicked at him and scratched at his grip. It irritated her assailant who held firm none-the-less. The young man raised his free hand above his head menacingly, giving her a few seconds more to think things through. She bit her lower lip, both refusing to speak and trying to brace herself for what was to come.

Even deprived of her full power as Ladybug, she was determined to be brave. She shot her enemy a cold and defiant glare. He seemed to pause, to hesitate. Why, Marinette couldn't have said but there seemed to be just the whisper of some form of recognition behind his eyes. For a split second, Adrien perhaps hadn't returned but could have been aware of what he was doing, what he had already done and what he was about to do.

His claws were frighteningly close to her face when a shield shot out from the darkness colliding roughly with his wrist. He let out a howl of pain. The earring he had taken fell to the ground.

Marinette seized her opportunity. She kicked her somewhat stunned foe before he had enough time to either recover or process just what was happening. He fell backwards, suddenly more preoccupied by Carapace and Queen Bee charging towards him. It was all that the young woman needed to rush forwards and grab the fallen Ladybug miraculous. She forced herself to ignore the struggle as she put it back on. She would be of greater assistance as Ladybug than she would ever be as her civilian alter-ego.

The time it took for her to turn back, Cat Noir was being pushed back. He was being cautious. She realized that quickly. The tales the kwamis had told spoke of a ruthless and brutal warrior. Either he was a bully or he was afraid. Perhaps his defeat all those centuries ago had left a mark or maybe, despite all of his boasting, he wasn't confident in his ability to take on three miraculous holders at the same time. His eyes darted between his enemies, settling on none of them for more than a passing couple of seconds.

"What is it kitty?" Queen Bee questioned after a few moments of uncertainty. "Are you a scaredy-cat?"

"Hardy..." The mere notion caused him to huff in amusement. "I do know when I need to improve my odds however. I think you can count on seeing me in the future."

Nobody had the stomach to give chase. They chose to stay put as Cat Noir beat a hasty retreat into the shadows. Their foe was a powerful one and he would have the advantage in the darkness. It was best for them to regroup and try and come up with some sort of strategy before they proceeded.

If nothing else, Marinette was sure that she didn't have enough in her for another fight. Not tonight. Her legs were shaking. It was a mixture of the shock finally hitting home and the chill of the night. She was drenched. They all were. Apparently all of her friends had ended up in the icy waters judging by the sodden state of both Carapace and Queen Bee. Rena Rouge remained unaccounted for. A terrible thought suddenly occurred to the young woman, she'd been too panicked for it to properly register at first.

"What happened to Luka?!"

"Relax..." Carapace spoke softly, seemingly eager for her to stay calm. "Rena's taking him to the hospital. We got him out of the water but the dude was in a bad way. Looks like he broke something."

That was something of a relief. She'd feared the worst for a few moments. All she could picture when she thought back to the young man was the terrible sound his ribs had made when Cat Noir had finally stomped down on his chest. She dreaded to imagine the damage that a blow like that could and would do. She trusted that her friends knew what to do. If they had considered that it was serious enough to take him to hospital, then they were most certainly right and she wasn't about to question their judgement. She only hoped that he would be alright.

Her own body demanded that she rest. She wanted nothing more than to go home, have a warm shower, dry herself and slip into bed so that close her eyes and get some sleep. Unfortunately, her duties weren't quite over yet. Her eyes scanned the water, struggling to remember just where Couffaine's boat-house had been. She found herself approaching the water's edge, trying her best to look into the depths. Queen Bee and Carapace followed behind her, evidently confused by her current behaviour. Their own attention was focused more above their heads, apprehensive in case of a new attack.

Marinette was tired but somewhat more relaxed. She doubted he would show himself again, not until he was sure that he could achieve victory. For the time being, they were safe.

"What are you doing?" It was Queen Bee who questioned her after a few moments.

"We need the book and miraculouses back. They'll be at the bottom of the-"

"We got them." Carapace informed her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Fished them out before they sank."

"Oh." It was a relief to know that she wasn't going to have to dive back under the waters.

She raised her gaze. The city lights still shined brightly. It was quite beautiful, really in a way. Another day, Marinette might have allowed herself to fall down, to breathe deeply and to try and recover. Gritting her teeth however, Ladybug forced herself to go on further. There could be no stopping, no rest, not until this was finished…