The door opened, and a teenage girl in a ballerina outfit was standing there. Her face blank, empty of all emotions. "Chloe!" she said loudly. "You think you're so special. You think I'm weak because I feel pain. Now I don't, but you will. You will feel true loss, you will feel the pain I've felt." The akuma kept walking towards Chloe, almost everyone else in the room froze. Alya quickly fumbled for her phone, so she could film for the Ladyblog. Marinette was looking around frantically, hoping that Chat Noir would show up soon, or that she would be able to get away soon, to transform. After all, Paris needed her. And now that the akuma was right there, it would be harder for her to get away. Paris needed her, but since no one knew, it was hard sometimes, to get away. The akuma's arm was extended towards Chloe, it seemed like she was charging up some sort of blast. Though Marinette couldn't seem to get away to transform, she still needed to do something. She was a hero after all, even if she wasn't wearing the suit, she was still going to help.

Marinette was brave, she always had been, well, that was until the accident. Before then, she was really the hero, the everyday type of hero. Now that she was in a chair, though, it was harder for her to be brave. Harder for her to be the hero. But being Ladybug made her brave again. And now, she felt like she could conquer the world. Well, as long as Chat Noir was by her side.

"I'll take away what is most precious to you, so you will know my pain. You can't escape me, Chloe," the akuma spat, venom filling her voice.

"Chloe, hide, quickly!" Marinette called out, making the akuma turn towards her, startled, while Chloe hid behind a desk.

"Poor, poor girl." Dark Swan started walking towards Marinette.

"Marinette, no!" Alya called, trying to jump in front the girl, so that the akuma couldn't get to Marinette.

"OUt of the way, pest!" Dark Swan spat, throwing Alya across the room.

"Alya!" Mari called out. Alya was barely moving, but at least she was still moving. She whimpered in pain, but it didn't seem like she was too badly injured. The akuma had made her way closer to Marinette, so that when Marinette looked up from her best friend's body, Dark Swan was standing right in front of her.

"Marinette, is it? Poor Marinette, you know what pain is. You know what loss is. I can see it in your eyes. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You're going to be one of my dancers. I will give you back what you lost, so you can help me get back what I lost," Dark Swan said, her voice sweet. But Marinette shook her head. She couldn't side with the akuma. She was a hero, she couldn't give into any selfish wishes. Then again, even if she got the use of her legs back, it wouldn't be for good. It would be just until the akuma was caught… Which wouldn't happen unless Ladybug showed up… Which was why she couldn't give in.

"You can either do it willingly, or not. You'll understand, dear one, you'll understand as soon as you're one of my dancers," the akuma told Mari, shooting a beam at her, transforming her into a ballerina.

When Chat Noir arrived in the classroom, there was an air of panic. Alya was on the ground, looking like she was in pain, with Juleka, Rose, and Nino fussing over her. Chloe was hiding, shaking under a desk. Mylene was cowering into Ivan, and the rest of the class was nowhere to be seen. Some of them could have run out of the room. But the part that made Adrien's blood run cold, was the empty wheelchair in the center of the room. Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

"Chat Noir…." Alya said, voice pained.

"Alya, rest, you're hurt," Nino chided.

"No… Chat… Chat Noir. Help… Help Marinette, she was taken by the akuma," she said, between gritted teeth.

"What happened?" Chat asked, getting closer to Alya.

"The akuma came here. Apparently Blonde there made fun of her, and she wanted revenge. Mari got in her way, saving Blonde, but getting the attention on herself. Alya tried to get between them, but the akuma threw her out of the way to get to Mari. Turned Mari into her 'Dancer' then left. I'm not sure where they went," Nino filled Chat in.

"You should take Alya to the nurse, she seems to be in pain," Chat Noir said, and Nino nodded.

"Help Marinette, please…. Save my best friend," Alya said, wincing with every word.

"I will, Ladybug and I will save her," Chat reassured her, before leaving the classroom. He didn't want any civilians, especially his classmates, to see the terror that ran through him when he realized what happened. He needed to take a break. Needed to talk to someone. Maybe he should talk to Plagg, get some ideas….

The halls of the school were empty, giving Chat a space to freak out in. He didn't even notice the little red kwami flying towards him.

"Plagg, claws in," Adrien said, he was at a loss of what to do. He sure hoped Ladybug was fighting the akuma. He wanted to call her, but he couldn't let her see the fear he had, of having to fight Marinette, the fear of Marinette being hurt. He needed to get a hold of himself before he could help Ladybug fight the akuma.

"Adrien, what's wrong?" Plagg asked. The teasing died on Plagg's lips when he saw the fear on his chosen's face.

"The akuma has Marinette," Adrien said, trying not to hyperventilate. "What if she hurts Marinette? What if I have to fight Marinette? What should I do?"

"Calm down, that's what you should do. Remember, once Ladybug cleanses the akuma, everything will go back to normal. She'll be okay, she'll be safe,"

"But what if…"

"Calm down, Ladybug will fix everything," Plagg said, trying to calm Adrien still.

"About that," another kwami interjected. Adrien looked down at the red bug, and it took him a second to realize what was happening. "Chat, this up to you. Ladybug won't be able to help, she is kind of indisposed at the moment. She sent me to help you out. I can purify the akuma, but other than that, us kwamis aren't really allowed to mess with the human world too much,"

"You're all about the rules Sugar Cube," Plagg said, looking at Tikki.

"The rules got stricter after the black plague. That's all your fault," Tikki said.

"So, your name is Sugar Cube?" Adrien asked, interrupting the kwamis.

"No, that's just Plagg's nickname for me. I'm Tikki, nice to meet you," Tikki said.

"Nice to meet you Tikki," Adrien said, feeling calmer than usual. Even though he knew he should probably be even more freaked out, since he was all on his own for this. Having Tikki there made it easier. And Plagg was right, Marinette would be okay. "Alright, Plagg, Claws out!" Adrien said, transforming into Chat Noir, and heading out to find the Akuma.

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Having a new job, being in a show, writers block, and the holidays have kept me from doing much writing recently. And the small amount of writing I have been doing, has been for my own original stories. But I have the day off today, and I wanted to update the story. I hope it's worth the wait, and I'm so sorry for how long it took me to get around to updating. I'm not going to be making any promises about when I'll update next, since my life is pretty crazy right now. But I will try to update sooner, rather than later. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter, any ideas you have for late chapters, or anything you would like to say. Love you all - Alice