Author's Note: Almost to the end here... (just one more chapter/epilogue after this)

Chapter 12

Alya stood on her tiptoes to see above the crowd exiting the train platform. Her stomach was a mess of butterflies. "I don't see her," she whispered into the tiny earpiece that Chat Noir had somehow managed to procure for the entire team.

"Passenger registry confirms she was on the train," Pegasus' voice spoke in her ear.

"Stick to the plan," Ladybug reminded them in a steady voice. "I need to talk to her before anyone engages."

The intercom went quiet and Alya hugged her chest to keep the nerves down. Even though she knew Nino and Kim were hiding nearby, she felt exposed. She tried to keep a smile on her face as the crowd thinned. Then, a hand touched her arm. Alya wheeled around to come face-to-face with a girl in a ragged hoodie and scratched sunglasses.

"Lila?" Alya gasped. Lila removed the sunglasses. She was fidgety, eyes darting from side to side.

"You're alone?" she hissed.

Alya nodded fervently.

"You've got cash?"

Alya raised an eyebrow, "Only enough for the cab home."
Lila's eyes were like ice. She grabbed Alya's hand and marched her to a corner of the platform where a pillar blocked most of the view. "Quick, give me everything you've got," she growled.

"Lila, you're scaring me," Alya replied. "Let's just get you home-I know your mother must be desperate to see you."

Lila rolled her frigid eyes, "She's a worthless lump who only wants the money she'll get out of this stupid lawsuit against Gabriel Agreste. No, we'll not be returning to her. You'll give me the cash you've got and then you'll clear out."

Alya placed her hand on Lila's shoulder, who immediately threw it off with a shrug. "Lila, don't be this way; your mom cares about you, you have friends who care about you too-"

"You sound like that pathetic excuse for a human being Chat Noir. Give me the money!"

"No, Lila, let's get you some help!"

Lila punched Alya, hard, in the stomach. She crumpled and gripped the wound. Lila grabbed a fistful of Alya's hair and yanked her face to look at hers.

"Give it to me now!"

"Get your hands off her!" Nino's voice growled. Alya felt a wave of relief as Nino and Kim charged into view with their fists raised.

Lila sneered and pulled Alya's head higher, exposing her neck and the thin silver chain that was tucked under her shirt. Lila's other hand wrapped around the chain and lifted the foxtail pendant out of its hiding spot.

"I wouldn't come closer, boys," she growled. Nino and Kim froze. Lila stole a glance at Alya's tear-stained face. "Who else is here?"

"No one," Alya answered honestly.

"Liar," Lila spat.

"Takes one to know one," Alya retorted, earning her a knee in the stomach. She doubled over in pain. Lila dropped the pendant to free her hands enough to punch Alya in the chin. Nino yelled in fury and threw himself at Lila.

His haste was in Lila's benefit. She ducked and he tripped over the two girls and collided with the wall.

"R-Requesting backup!" Kim was shouting into his earpiece. Lila threw Alya into Kim and the two crumpled.
"Duusu, spread my feathers!" she cried, and then used her newly powerful legs to climb up the wall and start jumping from pillar to pillar toward the exit.

"Xuppu, showtime," Kim called and then King Monkey tore after her.

Alya crawled to Nino, who was sliding in and out of consciousness. "C'mon, turtle boy, time to suit up!"

King Monkey chased the darting light-blue figure up the street for several blocks before she raced downstairs to a metro station. He did a triple summersault to launch himself over the stairwell and landed in a crouch. He saw her grabbing a purse off a woman's shoulder and holding up her fan. He pelted toward her and called "Uproar!" as he did. He caught the banana with a little squeak and threw it with all his might just as the amok tried to plant itself in the purse. The amok fizzled and disappeared, much to Jeune Paonne's chagrin. "Ha-ha!" King Monkey snorted and did a jubilant backflip. But she launched upward and grabbed the jingu bang from his back as he was midair.

He landed on his feet but was immediately whacked hard in the shins with his own weapon. The jingu bang then rebounded across his back. She threw it on the floor and bolted, sliding effortlessly through the closing doors of the nearest train.

"I lost her," King Monkey moaned into the intercom. "She's heading for Trocadero."

"I'm on my way," Ryuko's voice responded tersely.

"I'm already there," Chat Noir declared.

Adrien had to push people to the sides to get down to the Metro station at Trocadero.

"Akuma Alert!" they were yelling. The all-too-familiar evacuation sirens blared. One person slammed headlong into Adrien's chest.

"Hey man, get outta here, there's an Akum-" he started, then looked up at the black mask and ears. "Chat Noir? You look different-"
Adrien flashed his widest Chat Noir grin. "Not for long," he growled as the young man let him pass. He leapt over the ticket barrier after giving a brief thumbs-up to the security guard. He looked down the tunnel and saw the headlights of the train arriving. It didn't seem to be slowing down. As it got closer, Adrien caught sight of the front window and could see the driver slumped over the controls-clearly unconscious. The train entered the station at full speed. Adrien started running alongside it until a door handle came parallel to him-he reached, grabbed, and pulled himself to the side, holding on desperately. He scrambled up the wall and then to the roof of the train just as it exited the other side of the station. It took an enormous effort to inch forward and pry open the emergency exit on the ceiling, but finally he tumbled inside and prowled toward the front of the train.

Jeune Paonne was waiting for him in the front car. "So… still wearing that hideous costume," she taunted.

"I'll give you one last chance, Lila," he countered.

She rolled her eyes, "Here we go with the idiotic peace offerings again. You think I'm really going to hand over my miraculouses and join your pathetic team?"

He stepped toward her slowly, "No, but that won't stop me from trying. That's what heroes do-they try to see the best in everyone."

"You think you're a hero? What kind of hero wears a handmade costume and a tail decorated with crayon and glitter?"

He glanced down at his outfit, and slowly brought his eyes to meet hers in a piercing stare. "The true kind." He ran toward her fearlessly. She spread the fan as a shield. He punched hard, knocking her wrist and sending the fan clattering across the train car floor. She seemed shocked that he'd managed to land a blow on her when she had superpowers and he didn't.

"You're not as weak as you seem, are you," she glowered, and used the railings to get out of reach of Adrien's powerful arms. "You know, we'd make awfully great partners-" she dodged a blow- "We could get Ladybug's miraculous and then Hawkmoth's and be the strongest power couple the world has ever seen! And I do mean couple…"

She pounced, knocking him flat on his back and trapping his hands under hers. "Come on, admit it-you've always wanted this as well-" she pursed her lips and leaned in to his face.

"You're sick!" he recoiled, unable to break free of her super-strength grip. But centimeters above his face, the peacock brooch beeped rapidly and her light blue dress receded into a stained hoodie that smelled like garbage. Her eyes flew open in horror as the dark blue kwami fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry Miss Lila I held on as long as I could-" Duusu wailed.

"Shut up!" she demanded. Adrien triumphantly kicked upward with all his might and launched her into the wall, then charged. He lifted her up and pinned her against the wall with his elbow to her throat.

Suddenly, the train gave a mighty lurch and both Adrien and Lila were tossed to the floor. "Aargh!" It was as if the train had plummeted into the ocean—though Adrien knew that was impossible. The windows appeared flooded and water gushed inside from every crack in the doors. Lila scrambled to her feet, only to be knocked back again. Their bodies slammed into the front wall as the train sloshed to a stop and the water almost instantly evaporated. The doors were pried open by Ryuko and a security guard. Adrien picked up Lila by the scruff of her hoodie and dragged her into the open air of the train station. She wriggled under his grip, but he maintained it.

"Excuse me, officer?" he called. "You might want to arrest this girl."

Ryuko's choker was beeping at her. She made eye contact with Chat Noir. "You good?"

He tightened his hold on Lila's hoodie, smiled, and pursed his lips, "I think I've got a grip on this situation." Ryuko nodded and ran off to detransform.

Feeling particularly proud that he'd brought Lila down, Adrien adjusted his hands so the officer could arraign her-but just then, she sunk her teeth into his hand.

"Yooow!" he howled and dropped her. She bolted for the staircase with Adrien hot on her heels. He felt hot blood dripping from the bite mark but didn't slow. She made it to the top of the stairs before him. "You know the miraculouses will never work properly for you!" he wailed in desperation. She hesitated, slowing down. "That's right," he pressed, "they always work better when you have a real connection; when you're chosen."

She couldn't resist his challenge. She wheeled around and snarled, "I am chosen! I am the rightful champion!"

"Besides, it takes serious mental strength to wield two miraculouses," he pressed, "and you'll never have that."

His taunt had an adverse reaction to the one he'd been hoping for. Rather than backing down, she threw her chest out in spine-tingling determination. Lila's eyes narrowed with malice as she lifted her hands in the air.

"No, Lila, it's too dangerous-" Adrien screamed at her, but she didn't listen.

"Plagg, Duusu, Unify!"

There was an earth-rumbling explosion of energy that nearly ruptured Adrien's eardrums. He threw his hands over his ears and winced in pain. He was thrown off his feet as he was hit with the shockwave of the unification. When he managed to get upright enough to look forward, he gasped in horror. Lila's eyes had turned a blank white. Her jaw was slack and her features were frozen in a look of mindlessness. Her clothes were splotchy black and light blue. Her arms were suddenly different lengths, one with clawed fingertips, one a useless feathered wing.

It was as if the two miraculouses were at war with each other and she was their battlefield.

The feathered arm reached up. A single black-stained feather detached and flew up to Lila's blank forehead, where it nestled in the black ear that was perched there. Almost immediately, a static buzzing sound filled the air and a scaly, griffin-like creature burst into existence. It reared up on its hind legs, screeched as it spread its powerful wings, gripped Lila's floppy body in its claws, and launched itself into the sky.

"Dang!" Adrien cursed, forgetting he was on the headset still.

"What is it, Chat?" Ladybug's voice cried into his ear.

"We've got… a problem."

He jumped on a discarded bicycle as he tightened his mask against his face. He pedaled as hard as he could between the abandoned cars-thank goodness for the citizens of Paris and their well-rehearsed evacuation plans-and kept an eye on the monster in the sky. He tracked it down the Seine until he recognized where it was going.

"Sentimonster, heading toward Dupain Bakery!"

"Pegasus, get the family out of there!" Ladybug ordered.

"Give me two-point-six minutes," Pegasus' voice quipped.

Chat arrived at the bakery just in time to see the creature dive on the delicate little terrace, crunching through the top two stories of the building. Brick, metal, wood, and ash exploded from its claws as it shredded Marinette's bedroom. Seeing her home-no, the place was his home as well-destroyed this way made his stomach bunch up and anger ripped through his chest. "NO!" he screamed.

Ladybug zipped in from behind him, and he tossed the bike to the side and raced into the fray. His legs felt like jelly compared to their normal superstrength, but he didn't care. He lifted a stick of metal from the wreckage that he recognized as the handrail from Marinette's bedroom and caught the sentimonster's attention. It charged at him and he didn't flinch as he jumped and brought his new-made staff down on its beak. The ricochet sent ripples of jarring pain through Chat Noir's arms and back, but he gritted his teeth and spun the staff around hard for a second blow, then a third and fourth. Ladybug's yo-yo hooked a claw and yanked it backward mere milliseconds before it would have gashed Chat's back, but he didn't slow down his attack.

Viperion was the next one to arrive. He stayed back from Chat and the sentimonster, plucking his harp mindlessly as he scanned the battle. Then, he leapt into action. "Chat, go for the eyes," he called over the intercom.

He hit the side of its face twice more before plunging it into one of the eye sockets. It yowled and reared back-and with Chat's hands still firmly gripping the staff and the staff now firmly affixed to the hollow eye socket, Chat flew upward with it. Mid-arc he lost his grip and went flying into the sky.

"Chat!" he heard as he fell. By some miracle, a lifesaving string flew around his waist and anchored itself, then slowed his descent until he landed on his feet. He looked down and saw the red and black yo-yo releasing him. He followed the string back to Ladybug, who was perched on a lamp post holding the other end of her yo-yo for dear life.

"Look out!" he screamed at her just at the pointed tail of the monster snapped forward like a whip and hit the lamp post she'd just vacated. It disintegrated at the touch in a black pile of rubble. The sentimonster took a mighty leap and landed between Chat and Viperion. Its beaked mouth opened wide and clamped viciously on Viperion's arm. It lifted him off his feet, shook him violently, and tossed him into the air and flying into a building-where he hit hard and slid to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Mirage!" he heard from behind him, and suddenly hundreds of Rena Rouge were attacking the sentimonster. Unfortunately, it wasn't bewildered in the slightest and instinctively attacked the real Rena Rouge. Rena was knocked back with a swipe from a claw. However, the sentimonster's diverted attention was an opportunity that Ladybug didn't miss. Her yo-yo flew around the sentimonster's beak three times and she yanked back on it, hard, zipping the mouth shut. She pulled the head down between the front two legs-the left of which was still gripping Lila's unconscious body. She raced toward them.

"The amok's in her cat ear," Chat yelled. Ladybug was four paces away and closing fast. But something caught the corner of Chat's eye and he sensed, more than saw, the figure's long arms hurl the spear-like cane at Ladybug's hands. The cane hit her from the side and her body was flung into the air. Chat took an enormous leap and extended his arms, catching her just before she would have crunched into the pavement. He felt his ankle collapse beneath him, sending a spiral of pain up his left leg.

"Chat! Are you ok?" she tried to ask, but couldn't wait for an answer as Hawkmoth himself descended on them. She started throwing punches and kicks with such power that each hit echoed in Chat Noir's human ears. He clambered to his feet and kept as much weight on his right leg as possible. His fists flew along with hers, each landing blows against Hawkmoth's vicious attack.

The sentimonster managed to detangle its beak from Ladybug's yo-yo, screeched, and started charging the three battling individuals. "Shell-ter!" Carapace yelled and the sentimonster hit the blossoming forcefield-like wall head-on. It flew back, dazed, but shook its head, reared, and charged again, this time bringing the pointed tail down like a scorpion sting and it disintegrated the protective bubble. "Look out, that tail's got cataclysm powers," Carapace's voice called over the intercom.

"Thank-you-Captain-obvious!" Ladybug growled through breathless blows.

"Hand over your miraculous, Ladybug, and I'll put this whole debacle right," Hawkmoth sneered at her. Ryuko and King Monkey engaged the sentimonster with sword and jingu bang while Ladybug and Chat Noir continued fighting back Hawkmoth.

"Nice try, Hawkmoth," Ladybug spat. "You're just lucky we're here to clean up your mess."

He glared at the two teenagers in earnest, kicked them back hard, and retrieved his cane. He snapped the top open and a tiny black akuma zipped out toward the sentimonster. "Her anger is strong! Fly, akuma, and evilize her!"

A desperate thought flew through Chat's brain as the tiny akuma pelted toward the sentimonster: if Hawkmoth managed to gain control of it, he'd be able to extract both miraculouses. An image of Plagg, being ordered into submission by Hawkmoth, descended upon his vision. "NOOOO!" he screamed as he reached for the akuma.

"Wind dragon!" Ryuko yelled simultaneously and a gust of warm air enveloped the tiny akuma and knocked Chat, once again, to his back. For a moment, Chat thought that she'd managed to destroy the akuma, but then a huge whirlwind-surrounded by a hollow, luminescent purple butterfly- sprouted from the place that Ryuko had been and the ruins of Marinette's home were sucked up into the vortex. The sentimonster reared back, raising its tail to attack again. Hawkmoth's lip curled back in fury and he spun his cane over his head menacingly. He directed the vortex at Ladybug. She spun her yo-yo as a shield and deflected the debris that started pelting at her.

"Monkey, some help over here!" Chat commanded over the intercom.

"Uproar!" a banana zipped through the heart of the vortex, and it paused, dropping all the debris at once in a heap at Hawkmoth's feet. With no corporeal mass to hold onto the akuma, the black butterfly escaped. Ladybug jumped to her feet and caught it in her yo-yo, but made no show of waving it away. She raced straight for Hawkmoth and planted a right cross on his jaw, then followed up with a left hook in his gut and finally swept his feet out with a kick. He fell to his back and lifted his hands in defense. Her fingers clambered at the brooch on his chest, but with a hair raising screech, a black pointed tail whipped down and hit Ladybug in the stomach. She crumpled beneath the blow. Hawkmoth was tossed like a ragdoll into the wall of an adjacent building by the shockwave. Gripping his ribs, he ran for dear life. Chat was tempted to chase him down, but as the sentimonster reared again, he saw her figure sprawled on the concrete.

Ladybug wasn't stirring. Terrified, Chat dropped to her side. His fingers slipped under her jaw to find her pulse, and he leaned his cheek a centimeter above her lips. He closed his eyes and prayed to feel something, however small.

"Ch-Chat," she coughed.

"Oh!" he sighed and pressed his lips to her face. "You're alive!" She tried to pull her arms underneath her, but she failed. "Don't move!" he cautioned. "You've been cataclysmed!"

She nodded but groaned in pain. "L-L-"

"Shh, it's ok, I'm going to get you out of here-"

"Lucky...charm…" she whispered.

A sabre appeared at her side. Chat didn't even think, he just picked it up and tore toward the sentimonster. Steel flashing, hand oozing blood, ankle throbbing, muscles on fire with pain and adrenaline, he engaged. The sentimonster sneered in surprise, but he slashed, parried, and swung the sword with all his might. The tail swung at him and he threw his weight behind the sabre. He connected and the sentimonster let out a screech of pain as he sliced through the tail and left it a crumpled black mess on the ground. He lifted the sabre again and slashed at the belly of the sentimonster. It winced back, stumbled, and released its grip on Lila's motionless figure. Chat dove on Lila and ripped the black ear from her hair. He tore it in half with his bare hands and the black feather, at last, drifted out.

Ladybug barely had enough strength to throw her yo-yo at it before her arm gave up and fell to the side of her body.

"Ladybug!" Chat screamed, and raced back to her side. She was barely breathing. He took the sabre, pressed it into her hand and wrapped his arms around her. "Please, please Ladybug! You've got to do it! Please, I need you! I love you!" His tears splashed into her hair. "Come on, Ladybug, wake up!" He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her softly, "Please, please please wake up." He kissed her cheeks, forehead, and nose. "I'll take your place, I'll do anything, please just wake up!"

She gave the tiniest moan and he almost dropped her in surprise. "M-m-miraculous-l-l-ladybug-" she barely managed to mutter. The cascade of sparkling ladybugs erupted from the sabre in her hand. They washed over her, over Chat, over the bakery, the destroyed street, over each of the superhero's friends, and even over Lila.

Ladybug rolled to her side, still in Chat Noir's arms. "You'd do anything, huh?"

He smiled through his tears. "Anything."

She gripped both sides of his face with her hands and kissed him, hard. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and kissed her back. The hands slipped behind each others' backs in a deep, wordless hug of triumph. Then the two stood and, as if they could read the other's mind, they walked toward the crumpled, black-and-blue figure of Lila. She was fidgeting, blank-white eyes darting back and forth. Ladybug grabbed the peacock brooch while Chat Noir reached for her hand. She gave no struggle as the miraculouses were removed. The shimmer of energy faded from her body and the color came back to her eyes, but it was unfocused and faded.
Lila started mumbling incoherent gibberish. Ladybug knelt at her side and placed her hand on Lila's forehead. She closed her eyes, and started murmuring a string of ancient Chinese text under her breath. Chat watched in awe as a faint white energy poured from Ladybug's hand into Lila's forehead. Slowly, Lila's eyes focused and the words formed, though they still weren't making sense.

"World be home train mark esh lorg!" Lila squeaked. Ladybug continued the rhythmic chanting.

An untransformed Alya ran to their sides. "Is she ok?" she asked. Another minute went by and finally, Lila quieted. She stared off into the distance and blinked slowly.

Ladybug shook her head. "I think the combined power was too much. She's lost her mind."

Luka, Kim, Kagami, and Nino were hot on Alya's heels. "Isn't there anything more you can do for her?" Luka's quiet voice sighed.

Ladybug was still shaking her head. "The grimoire's pretty clear-if you're not mentally strong enough, the combination of miraculouses is terrifically dangerous. There's no cure for damage caused by the abuse of the miraculous. I tried to make her more comfortable, but I'm afraid this is going to be permanent. We should get her to a hospital." They looked around at each other. Ladybug's earrings chirped softly. "Chat, would you do the honor?"

Startled, he looked at the ring in his hand. With a hitch in his throat, he slipped the ring on his finger and Plagg appeared in front of him. Their eyes met and both faces split into enormous grins. "Plagg, Claws out!"