A/N: This was a weird idea that came to me while I was at work. Don't ask me why I thought of it; it just came to me. Besides, I wanted to do something spooktacular for Halloween.

That aside, I don't know if this has been happening to anybody else, but for some reason, I no longer get notifications even though I have them turned on, and my view counter is busted. If you leave a review on ANY of my works, PLEASE PM ME so I'll know.

Tomoe Tsurugi awoke to find herself in a dingy bathroom. She didn't quite know how she'd gotten here. All she could remember was being at home and feeling the darkness coming on at one point. She suspected that somebody had put something in her afternoon tea. Exactly who would do such a thing was beyond her, but she knew that they couldn't possibly be up to any good, whoever they were. As if that weren't bad enough, upon attempting to move, she discovered that somebody had handcuffed her by the ankle to an old radiator. All she had with her were her sabre and a Panasonic tape recorder. Upon seeing the tape recorder, she deduced that maybe it would give her a clue as to her ending up here, so she pressed "PLAY", and a deep, menacing voice spoke to her:

"Hello, Tomoe. I want to play a game. For years, you've been playing the role of the stereotypical 'Asian tiger mom' to your daughter Kagami, lording over her with an iron fist, not accepting even one iota of failure from her in the hopes that she would one day succeed you in the role of 'world's greatest fencer'. Did you ever once stop to think about how she feels about that? Perhaps after today, you will, and I'm giving you an opportunity to reconsider your attitude towards her. The room you are in is slowly filling with deadly propane gas. Eventually, a fuse will trip, and the gas will explode, killing you. It would be impossible to cut through your handcuffs with your sword. If you're lucky, however, you could hack through your ankle in five minutes. Live or die, make your choice. Let the game begin. And oh yes…there will be blood."

Tomoe's eyes widened in genuine horror as she learned of her potential fate. As the so-called 'Asian tiger mom', pretty much nothing shocked her, but knowing that somebody, somewhere out there knew all about her and Kagami and was willing to kill her shocked her more than sticking a fork in an electrical outlet. She did the only thing she felt was sensible in this situation:

"Is there anybody out there!? SOMEBODY HELP! HELP!"

"Wha…!?" said a familiar voice. "What's going on here?"

As it turned out, Tomoe wasn't alone. Also chained up in the room with her was Gabriel Agreste, the famous fashion designer.

"Gabriel!" cried Tomoe. "Help me get out of here!"

"I wish I could, but I have no idea how to do so," said Gabriel. "Perhaps this will tell me more…"

Gabriel hit "PLAY" on an identical tape recorder next to him, and the same voice that spoke to Tomoe spoke to him:

"Hello, Gabriel. I want to play a game. Ever since your beloved Emilie fell into a coma, you've wished that you could do anything to bring her back, even if it meant being cold and abusive to your dear son Adrien. You used to love him, but now you try to shut him away from the world, forcing him to do exactly as you say, never being the man he needs you to be. Even worse, you hide a deadly secret from him and his friend Marinette: the fact that you're really the evil mastermind Hawk Moth. However, I'm a nice guy, and I'm giving you the opportunity to clean up your act. The room you are in is slowly filling with deadly propane gas. Eventually, a fuse will trip, and the gas will explode, killing you. I'm giving you the key to unlock your handcuffs, but there is a catch: it is in the box next to another box holding the Butterfly Miraculous. If you take one, the other box will close forever, and there will be nothing you can do to open it. Live or die, make your choice. Let the game begin."

Gabriel felt his face grow flush as he took in the words of this mysterious madman. How the guy knew that he was really Hawk Moth was beyond him, and knowing that the madman was depriving him of what he perceived to be his best shot at getting Emilie back froze his veins. Nevertheless, he remained calm and talked to Tomoe:

"Tomoe, it'll be all right. We'll figure a way out of this. I know we will."

Tears rolled down Tomoe's face as she contemplated this brush with death. She didn't want to have to make a choice, but since nobody could hear her scream as though she was in space, she was up against a wall here.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.