Chapter 6: Crisis (I)

Hawk Moth stepped over the railings and launched himself off the walkway. A swarm of white butterflies suddenly flew into the building, forming a hovering platform for the supervillain to step on. The cloud of butterflies slowly lowered the man to the ground where he stepped off and stood with his chest thrust out and his chin held high in front of Marinette. The butterflies began to disperse, disappearing as quickly as they appeared.

Marinette steeled herself as she stood before the enemy of Paris. "What do you want, Hawk Moth?"

The man began to walk circles around Marinette. "Allow me to tell you a story, Miss Dupain-Cheng. This is a story about two very powerful artifacts: the earrings of the Ladybug and the ring of the Black Cat. On their own, these Miraculouses hold the power of Creation and Destruction respectively. However, when brought together, the wielder is granted unimaginable power. And so one man set out to capture these two Miraculouses, but he didn't know of their whereabouts. Yet he knew that these items of power were possessed by heroes: men and women who would appear any time their beloved citizens of Paris were in danger. And what better way to draw these heroes out than to create supervillains. They would surely come out of hiding to protect the people whom they so loved, and then my supervillains would defeat them and bring their Miraculouses to me."

"Everyone already knows this, Hawk Moth. What's your point in telling me your autobiography?"

Hawk Moth continued to circle the girl as he spoke. "The supervillain senses strong negative emotions coming from his would-be henchmen. Fear, anger, hate, jealousy and more; these are the weaknesses of man that draw the evil Akuma towards them. The supervillain grants these people the power they crave in order to achieve their hearts desires; all he asks in return is for the defeat of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and the retrieval of their Miraculouses."

"So why didn't you just Akumatise me? Why send the letter instead?"

The supervillain let out a brief chuckle. The grin on his face was nothing but unsettling. "Do not even think for a moment that I wasn't tempted, girl. The very first time I sensed all that pain within, it felt only natural—a routine, even—to send another one of my evil Akumas after you. But then I felt something more. There was this burning fire within you. You were not just an ordinary girl with negative emotions. There was this hidden strength within you, something almost recognisable yet I couldn't quite put a finger on. It didn't just stop there; there was also so much raw potential just waiting to burst forth, if only you would accept your fate and give in to your heart's desires. I was intrigued. Captivated, even. So you can imagine, to my surprise, when I finally learnt your true intentions. You desire the same thing as I do! Think, girl, of what the both of us could achieve if we worked together."

"You would share power with simple girl like me?" Marinette was curious. Of all the things, she had never expected such a direct offer. But this was Hawk Moth—the number one threat to Paris—and so she would not be so easily swayed by what could possibly amount to be empty promises. "Why do you think I am anything more than ordinary?"

Hawk Moth stopped walking and pointed his walking stick at her. His intense stare felt as if he was burning a hole right through her skull. "Working with negative emotions only goes so far. But you—you have so much strength and potential locked up deep down inside that innocent-looking act of yours. If you would be a willing minion—no, partner—I could grant you even more power than you could ever imagine. You shall be more powerful than even Ladybug and Chat Noir combined! If you and I worked together, their Miraculouses will easily fall into our hands. We shall become the gods of this world, to rule it and claim all of our hearts' desires."

"You want to play god? Is that even possible?"

"With the power of Creation and Destruction in our hands, anything is possible, girl." The supervillain raised his clenched fist and shook it as a gesture of strength.

"Even—even change the world? Can I change even the course of history?"

Hawk Moth threw his head back and laughed. It was so full of arrogance and pride, there was no mistaking it: he knew what he was doing. He fully understood the power that he could command if he had his way. "Changing the world is but child's play, girl. I can already grant people unimaginable power. They can make others obey their bidding. They can control the weather. They can travel back through time. All that is already possible, but with the power of Creation and Destruction in my hands, the world shall be our playground, the people our toys and playthings that answer only to us. So, what say you, girl?"

"I can change the world," Marinette said softly.

"Yes."

"I no longer have to endure living this false life."

"Yes."

"I could fix all the mistakes that I had made."

"Yes!"

"But…" All she needed to say to him was a simple "yes". It was the hardest thing for her to say even though she was literally screaming inside to just say the word and get it over with. Something was holding her back. The pain in her heart intensified and she held both hands close to her chest. Her eyes felt wet as a flood of recent memories surfaced.

Does the end justify the means? Sabine's voice echoed inside her mind. Was it right for her to sacrifice everything else in order to achieve that one final outcome, no matter how just it was?

Do you know what the difference is between a person with super powers and a hero? Master Fu had asked her. She told him that she no longer deserved that title, so why was she still thinking about it? If time had been corrected, none of this would have happened. Does that make it right?

I believe in you, Adrien had said just the night before. You'll come though. You just have to forgive yourself first.

This is me, Mari. Despite being told the truth, Nino still clung to his beliefs. His ideals. Himself. This is my world and here, I am your boyfriend. I love you, Mari, and that's all that matters to me.

"Why do you hesitate, girl?" Hawk Moth held out a hand, beckoning her to come forward. "Search your feelings, girl. You know what you must do."

"There are still people who care about me… People who would still put their faith in me. They would be disappointed if I made the wrong choice."

Hawk Moth chuckled. It was the most chilling sensation that Marinette had ever felt; it sent shivers down her spine. "Do you think these people would truly care for such a person as you? Listen to me, girl. You have already let them down. By coming here, by having this conversation with me, you have already betrayed their trust and they will know of it one way or another. The choice may still be yours to choose, but there is only one true path for you now."

Marinette stared down her hands. Her limbs stiffened as her muscles became tight. She clenched her fist and snapped her head back up to stare at that smug, anticipating look on Hawk Moth. She thought of Nino and Adrien, and of her mother and father. She even thought of Alya. These were the people whom she held closest to her heart. She had already hurt them enough. Even if some of them no longer thought well of her anymore, but she would not wish to hurt them any further. "No, Hawk Moth. You do not get to use my friends against me like that. Everything that has happened to me, both good and bad, has led me down this path. Every decision I made, every mistake and every blunder, made me the person whom I am now. Yet despite all that, Adrien still believes in me. Nino still wants to be by my side. My mother and my father still love me. My master and his kwami, even if they do not show it, still have faith in me!"

"What?"

"Even if I am not the Ladybug of this world, but I am still a hero and a true hero would never accept an offer as evil as yours."

"You foolish girl." Hawk Moth slammed the end of his walking stick to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Several small white butterflies that had gathered around his feet suddenly dispersed from his reaction. His expression was contorted, no longer wearing the pride and the smugness from before. His response was full of scorn as he spoke with agitated sweeping arm gestures. "You do not realise the kind of power we could wield. You think you can turn away from true and ultimate power, and then just walk away from me like that?"

"If you're going to Akumatise me, spare me the anguish and do it now. Otherwise, I'll be taking my leave." Marinette spun around and took a step towards the exit. Her hands were shaking, her legs weak, but she did the best she could to keep her emotions in check. She would not show him her weak side—not now—for that would only serve to fuel his ego and satisfaction.

"No." Hawk Moth let out a maniacal laugh. "There is so much fire in you, I would love to burn that brave facade of yours down like the thin paper wall that it really is. I would tear down every single pillar of hope that you cling to—every friend and family member—until you have nothing left to stand on. And then, only after you are completely broken and laid bare, would I take pleasure in sending an Akuma specifically crafted just for you."

Marinette continued marching towards the exit. She held her gaze on the double doors leading out of the building, consciously trying to block his words from her ears.

"A hero." The man spat. "You're nothing but a frightened little girl trying to act brave in the face of something you can never fathom to face nor defeat. Go run back to that pathetic little life of yours, but do not think that this is anything but over. In fact, the end is a lot closer than you might think."

She didn't want to hear any more of it. She bolted for the door, as if the Hounds of Tindalos themselves were on her trail.

Marinette had barely ran two blocks when a dark cloud passed over her. What she saw made her blood curl; she instantly stopped dead in her tracks. A swarm of Akumas had passed overhead and then dispersed, spreading unimaginable evil throughout the city of Paris. Murmurs from the people on the ground quickly escalated into screams of panic as scores of black butterflies began to descend upon the terrified citizens, transforming their unfortunate victims into evil supervillains under the thrall of the Butterfly Miraculous user.

She ducked into a small alley to avoid a group of panicked citizens stampeding in her direction. A young boy no younger than four stumbled and fell. A handheld electronic gaming console slipped out of his hand and scattered into the path of an oncoming crowd. He watched in horror as the panicked people crushed his favourite toy. Not more than a minute later, a black Akuma had found the boy's shattered device. He was no longer a crying little boy anymore, but some enraged digital monster hell-bent on turning the people who had crushed his gaming console into little collectible figurines.

Marinette kept herself out of sight until the Akumatised child had wandered off. She emerged out into the streets and stared in shock at the amount of destruction sustained throughout her beloved city. Shop windows were smashed, vehicles trampled and injured people lay on the side walk, caressing their wounds while backed up into a corner or against a wall. She could still hear the terrified screams of people from nearby streets and adjacent districts; the Akumas were causing widespread fear and panic throughout the entire city. She should have been afraid or even horrified by the chaos but she found herself confused more than anything else. A strong feeling of deja vu gripped her as she started to make her way back to the bakery. Like a faint memory tugging at her from the back of her mind, she somehow knew that this had happened before.

She immediately thought of her parents, and of her friends. She fished her phone out of her bag and then realised that she had left it in silent mode all this while. Dozens of unread messages and missed calls greeted her. A large number of them were from Nino while the more recent ones came from both her parents. She dialled the number of the bakery and brought the phone up to her ear. The constant beeping of the dial tone did nothing except increase her state of panic. When the connection was terminated on its own, Marinette flicked through the list of missed calls and tapped Nino's number instead. The boy answered mere moments after it began dialling.

"Mari? Is that you?"

A part of her felt relieved to hear his voice. Another part felt a pang of regret for keeping her little adventure this morning a secret from him. "Yes," she said in a soft voice. "It's me."

"Where are you? Do you know what's going on right now?"

"I'm… safe, for now. But I can't contact my parents. Have you heard anything from them? Or maybe just about the bakery?"

"No, I haven't heard. Where exactly are you, Mari?" His voice was loud and Marinette could literally hear his heavy and somewhat unsteady breathing through the phone.

"Where are you? Are you in some kind of trouble?" she asked.

"Just tell me where you are," Nino said, his voice sounding quite stern through the receiver. "I'm coming to get you."

Marinette gasped. "Nino, stay indoors. You're not safe outside."

"And what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Nevermind, I think I found you."

"What? Wait—" The call had already ended. Marinette jerked her head up and looked around. A lone figure was jogging towards her from the opposite direction.

"Nino, what are you doing here?"

He stopped and leaned a hand against a lamp post, his breathing loud and ragged. "Looking for you, Mari. You promised you would call me before you did anything. But instead," Nino gestured around in a sweeping pattern, "this happened."

"I'm so sorry, Nino, but I had to do this alone. It was too dangerous for you to come," Marinette said, trying to sound apologetic.

"Dangerous?"

"Yeah," she said. "Hawk Moth dangerous."

Nino gasped. "Hawk Moth? Are you crazy, Mari? You don't have Ladybug's powers to protect you anymore. Seriously, do you have some kind of death wish or something?"

"I wish." Marinette surveyed her surroundings. She thought she had heard something coming down the road from up ahead, but nothing came up in her sights. She took note of several side lanes near them in case they needed to make an exit in a hurry. "Anyway, how did you even know to look for me here?"

"I didn't. But you weren't answering my calls so I tried to call Adrien instead. He seemed kind of preoccupied with something and I got suspicious. I caught him and Alya taking off from his place this morning and tried to following them. They were heading somewhere in this direction but I lost them a while ago, then all this happened and I just knew that you had to be involved."

"But what were Adrien and Alya up to in this area…?"

Nino shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me."

"But that—that would mean that they were following me. And if they had followed me then…" Marinette's eyes widened as the realisation dawned upon her. "Oh no." She spun around started walking but Nino caught her hand and pulled her back towards him.

"Mari please, where are you going?"

"I have to stop them! They're going to get themselves killed at this rate!" She managed to twist her hand free of the boy's grip and marched off in the direction of the warehouse.

Nino pulled up beside her and took her hand in his. "I'm going with you."

"Nino, it's too dangerous. I can't—"

"Too dangerous for me, but not for you?" Nino asked. Not getting any answer in return, he continued. "Then lead the way, Mari."

The pair trudged on towards the warehouse, occasionally stepping into an alley or side lane to avoid being spotted by a random passer-by or an Akumatised victim. There were times when they came across an injured Parisian or two. Marinette forced herself to look away and shut mind from the pleading victims who were asking for medical attention. She didn't know what Nino must have thought of her to simply ignore them so coldly, but there were much bigger problems at hand and the clock was ticking. Despite having absolutely no plan, she was fully determined to get back to the warehouse.

After what felt like an eternity, the warehouse soon came into view. Already she could imagine Ladybug and Chat Noir battling for their lives against Hawk Moth. She hoped that she wasn't too late. A crushing sense of familiarity, intermingled with a pang of anguish and regret hit her immediately afterwards. She felt pain in her heart and her tears trickled onto her cheeks on their own. She reached for her head and shut her eyes tight, utterly confused and disoriented by the mix of emotions that hit her.

"Mari, what's wrong?" Nino stopped and let Marinette lean against him for support.

"I don't know, Nino." Marinette's voice was weak and broken, faltering with each drop of tear. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know."

Nino rested a hand on her shoulder. "Mari, it's okay to be scared. It's okay if you just want to—"

A loud crash up ahead interrupted the boy. Bursting out of the side of a wall was the largest, meanest crocodile they had ever seen. It stood on its two hind legs and spread an array of sharp spines out from its back. Its bloodshot eyes slowly turned and then locked onto the pair. In a deep, guttural voice it said, "I am the Crocopine and I'll show you what a real hunt looks like. You shall be my prey."

"Nino, duck!" Marinette grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him to the ground just as a single spine the length of her arm flew over his head. She dashed towards an alley that was closest to their position, pulling the boy along with her. Another spine embedded itself into the wall as they scrambled into the dark and narrow street. "I think if we head down this way and then turn left at the intersection up ahead, we can still get back to the warehouse."

"Then go," Nino said as he twisted his hand free. He bent down to pick up the metal lid of a garbage can and brandished it like a shield. "I'll hold him back."

"Nino, are you crazy? That's one of Hawk Moth's supervillain you're dealing with!"

The boy wouldn't listen. He ran back out into the open and yelled profanities at the supervillain. Several spines flew past him while he ducked behind his makeshift shield. He looked behind his shoulder and then began to inch backwards on step at a time, only to drop to his knees several moments later. A large spine the size of Hawk Moth's walking stick had embedded itself into his right thigh. He turned his head towards Marinette and shouted, "run!"

"Nino!"

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes. Nino, bravely fighting off an Akumatised supervillain even though he knew that he had no chance against it. He raised his make-shift shield as another volley of spines flew past. A single spine bounced off his shield, the recoil sending him stumbling backward but he still held his ground. He clutched his injured leg as he continued to make his retreat, but the spine that punctured his thigh was too painful for her to watch. Amidst the pain came a very strong sensation of familiarity. She saw a Chat Noir in him; not the hero himself, but a heroic spirit not unlike her Chat Noir. Those similar qualities—how bravely he fought, and how much he was willing to sacrifice to protect the ones he loved—triggered something deep within that her heart had somehow managed to suppress all this time. And just like that, a torrent of memories began to flood back into her mind. In that very instant, she had remembered everything.

The whole world was messed up because of her. Everything that had happened was her fault. She changed the world because Chat Noir had died.

Author's Note: Ooh look, new cover image! Well, it's just a lousy trace-and-repaint job since I suck at it but still... yayy, new cover!