When you live forever…

You forget what it's like for the powerless.

"All things can corrupt when minds are prone to evil."

-Ovid

———————

Adrian

The knocking became louder and louder the longer I tried to ignore it. With a groan, I shuffle from the couch, glancing into Mari's room, where she slept, then to my own, where Mason was taking the first sleep she's had in a few days.

I opened the door, eyes squinting at the light it brought into the dim room. "Alya-'s not… Good time." I slurred, the lack of sleep getting to me more than the actual poison in my veins. "Danger...ous."

"Holy crap, you look awful! What happened?" She immediately wrapped an arm around my waist and supporting me back inside.

"Poisonous… akuma. Ambush. Hurt." I muttered, leaning against the kitchen counter to try and get her from going any farther in. "Wait. No-"

The sharp intake told me I was too late.

It took me a second to catch up, by the time i did she was in the inside corner of the two couches, hands moving as if wanting to help but not touching anything.

George still laid on his back, bandages wrapped around his torso already dipped in red. His face was still and tense in pain, like the rest of his body. He hasn't woken up nor moved in hours.

Fred on the hand, was tossing and turning, muttering in a whimper random things as he held his blanket closer. His face was flushed bright red, his breath sporadic like he was about to have an attack, as well as the sweat pouring off him. Boils and red rashes were scattered along his body. The ice pack on his head was just changed.

Rabi and Trix sat on the side table, curled in their own blanket. Trix isn't showing symptoms of anything, but Rabi was dissolving. Slowly, one dust a minute, dissolving, from the foot and up. The grey rabbit was missing half a foot already.

George was dying.

"How do we fix this?" Alya almost demanded. "If we clean the akuma, we'll be fine. Let's do that!"

"We need Mari to gain back some strength, she's too weak. Hell, I'm to weak." I sighed. "Mason can fight it, but we'll be sitting ducks. It's all so screwed-"

Trix moved from her seat next to her sibling, weakly going over to Fred's head. With a stumbled gesture, she landed on the foxtail necklace the immortal always wore. After a moment, she pointed at Alya.

My eyes widened as I caught on. "No."

Trix looked up sadly with her amber eyes, eyes flickering towards her brother before looking back at Alya. She was too weak to speak.

"It wont work." I said, more to myself then Trix. "Only Fred can- no. No. Even- no, its to dangerous."

Alya, with Trix guiding, had already placed a hand on the necklace. It glowed slightly, and Fred's breathing calmed a fraction. Alya looked up, confused and ready to ask, but she didn't speak first.

"I'm… im scared."

Rabi was shaking, eyes grey as he looked at me was such panic and desperation that I almost took a step back. He whimpered again. "Pain- it hurts so much. Please, i'm scared. I don't wanna disappear- I don't wanna-" Rabi looked at George, the immortal that he came from. "I don't want him to go there… the brooch, the brooch is corrupted, Sirap. If he goes there, i'll never come back." Beads of tears welled into his eyes.

Plagg had been resting inside my ring, taking the poison in us and transferring it there so the ring could cleanse it. The ring shuddered on my finger, and it took only a second before Plagg was out, resting besides the rabbit. Rabi engulfed him with a muffled sob, but Plagg didn't move away, holding the other kwami and purring something I couldn't understand.

It took only a second before it clicked. Plagg had had the same fear. Tikki too, probably. That we would die, they would disappear into nothing and would never see us or anyone else again. Mason said that they combine back with their immortal, and the immortal is completely immortal afterwards. I guess that meant if we died, we'd go back to full power, but Gabe's brooch stops that from happening.

"But-" I was still trying to argue, and I didn't know why. "-taking off his necklace, that's supporting him. He'll get worse if we take it off."

Alya yanked her hand away like it had burned her after I finished speaking. Trix looked at me, sinking down to Fred's hair again. She took a second before finally speaking. "I've run out of power to put in the necklace…" the fox's frown deepened. "They're giving each other power right now, but once George goes…" She trailed off.

If George was normal, he would've died immediately to the wound. It was a six inch wide hole in the middle of his stomach, for christ sake! But the only thing that could kill us was the weapon of another immortal, and since the spider wasn't Gabe's actual weapon, it wasn't instantly fatal, but it was still killing him.

I turned to the tiny sound of a clip, and saw Alya holding the fox necklace, wonder and awe lighting up her eyes. After a moment, a look of cold determination took its place. As she clipped it on, I could see an aura overtake her. "When Mason and Mari wakes up, we go looking." Her tone was strict, eyes harsh and I realized then that she wasn't completely in control. A mortal, even a descendant, can't deal with the power in an immortal's miraculous.

I nodded. "We'll leave at dusk."

X.

Alya wasn't in a good place.

I could see it when I looked at her. Her shoulders were to tight, her lips pressed into to thin of a line, her face something between a grimace and anger. Trix sat on her shoulder, frowning softly at her person's descendant.

I was back to mostly normal by the time we left. The spider hadn't made it to my room, so I only got the after taste. Mason was back to somewhere close to full energy, and Mari was, surprisingly, doing okay as well. She said that the spider hadn't been in her room for long, only a few minutes, and she hadn't expelled poison directly at her like she did Fred.

I shuddered, reminding myself to buy better locks, for everything.

We were following Mason, the only one of us coherent enough to be able to follow the spider due to the wretched smell it produced. It was broad daylight, and since there was no screaming, I could guess that the spider had gone into hiding.

Suddenly, the wolf's face snapped to the side, and Mason took off, barely glancing around to see if anyone was looking before transforming. She didn't care anymore, I realized. She was about to lose her two closest friends, and she's already lost so much.

Alya frowned, as if annoyed at her, before breaking into an all out sprint to follow her. Mari and I exchanged looks, beyond worried, before following.

It didn't take long before we completely lost both of them. Mari noticed before I did, and made a b-line for an alley, pulling me with her. We transformed, jumping up to the roof. From there, we caught a glimpse of Mason scaling a building a block away.

When we arrived, she was losing her patience since the door was locked. Glaring, she kicked it, taking it off it's hinges. The door flew back.

Alya appeared moments later, dressed for the part in the Fox outfit. She didn't speak to any of us, pushing past and disappearing into the broken door.

Mason growled at her back. "She's going to get addicted to that power." She warned, before disappearing into the building as well.

I looked at Mari. "Once I destroy the akuma, can you grab her necklace?" I asked. "While she'd distracted? She can't keep that thing on longer then needed."

Mari nodded, still a little tired, before we both ventured forward.

The entire building was filled with the stench of the spider's poison. In the dark, I was the first one to see the people scattered across the ground, barely breathing. I knelt down by one, checking for a pulse. There wasn't one.

"Alya." I said,and she turned towards me. "You need to get these people to the roof."

She frowned. "We need to get rid of the akuma."

"Alya!" Mason snapped, eyes blazing, and she seemed to finally startle. "I swear, if you don't start listening to what we say and stop trying to boss us around I'm going to tear that necklace off your throat!"

Alya glared, before moving. She picked up two people, slinging them over each shoulder before leaving the way we came. "When you're done, call the police and ask for a helicopter." Mari called out. "Then get back to us."

"I swear." Mason grumbled. "This was a bad idea."

"If she wasn't here, then one of us would have to save those people." I said calmly, trying to negotiate. "Then only two of us could fight the spider."

As we moved through the building, we took the time to open windows in every room with a passed out person. It took us a few moments to locate where the bulk of the poison was coming from. But this time, the smell wasn't just the poison. I could smell rotting bodies.

Unbridled fury rushed through my veins as we finally saw the akuma. This room was different from the rest, since of all those in here were wrapped up in cocoons. I could tell they had all passed, the five or so people that were here before. I clenched my teeth when I saw the thousands of small spiders writhing across the floor, digging into the dead flesh or webbing up the walls.

"Ooo~" the spider sang. "More food for me and my lovelies!" She looked closer, before her eyes narrowed. "Ooo, it's you! You took my first meal! Miraculous tastes the best!"

Mason didn't let her talk any further, growling before unsheathing her claws and jumping forward, slashing down quick and hard. The spider couldn't block, and screamed in pain.

"How dare you!" She screeched, and the small spiders crawled into the word, ceasing the flow of blood. The lady's multiple eyes went black, and her spider body stood up. "You'll make great toys for my lovelies!"

A wave of spiders crashed into Mason, and she snarled as she tried to deal with them. The main spider laughed, secreting poison again.

"Chat!" Mari yelled, and at some point she had moved away to help Mason. "The windows!"

I obliged, jumping over the spiders coming for me. I had to practically dance my way over to the far wall, but it was worth it. The window was practically the entire wall, thankfully, so when it shattered the fresh air made it almost impossible for the poison to work. She'd have to grab us like she did Fred to cause any real damage.

The thought of it angered me, and I connected my batons, before throwing it like a javelin. It hit the back of her head before clattering to the ground. Due to my increased strength, she most definitely has a concussion. She swayed, falling forward for a moment before fighting herself, hissing and turning my way. I jumped over a new wave of spiders.

Moments later the sprinklers turned on. The room became unbearably hot.

"Come on!" Alya was at the door, and I could see a fire roaring behind her, one she most definitely started. The sprinklers were doing their best, but it wouldn't change the outcome. "We got to go!"

Mason reached her first, obviously enraged by what the teen had done. Even if she had finished rescuing all the wounded, there was a chance that she could have missed someone, or that other people were still in the building. She snapped at the mortal, grabbing her arm and pulling her out. Fire engulfed the spot they were standing in earlier, blocking their escape root.

Smoke started filling the room.

I made my way to Mari's side, using the fire as a distraction. My hand found her shoulder, and I gestured towards the window. "Let's go. You can miraculous the damage away and we can find the akuma later."

Mari shook her head, biting her lip. "The akuma won't survive this." She whispered a protest. The fire had spread quickly, burning through the fuel of the smaller spiders. It already had reached the akuma. "There's an innocent person in there."

I frowned. "When innocent people get akumatized they don't kill people. I doubt they're innocent."

But Mari's mind was made up. She took a step forward before dropping to the ground as the smoke reached us. After a moment, two things popped into reality with a bright flash. She had lucky charmed some oxygen masks, equipped with tanks and all.

It was only slightly hard to fit them over the ears, and the oxygen itself was bulky, but once we had put it on, it was easier to see and breath. Hopefully my suit would protect me somewhat from the heat. We just had to save the akuma and get out the window. Easy, right?

The akuma was still fighting the flames that had started to roam up it's body. She was clutching something purple in her hand, keeping it away from the flames. The akuma, most likely. Mari stood up slowly, sliding out of the fire's path, before slinging her yo-yo. It wrapped onto the spider's hand, and she yanked. The akuma lost its grip, and I lunged forward, grabbing the akumafied object, crushing it between my claws.

Plagg gave a little warning in my head, which was the only reason I noticed that my foot was on fire. These suits are indestructible, apparently. As I passed the broken akuma over, I put out my foot and waited for Mari to finish. It didn't take long before the akuma had turned into a regular old lady, curled up and most definitely unconscious.

I picked her up before the fire could reach her, and we both bolted for the broken window, jumping out almost recklessly. Mari landed on the short building on the opposite way, and I had to twist in mid air to hit the same spot. Once she saw that I was there and safe, she helped removed the mask from my head (I was holding someone) and miraculous the fire away.

I looked at the old woman in my arms before gasping. "Oh."

"Oh?" Mari turned back. "What, oh? What is it?"

"I recognize her." I pointed to the still down woman. "They call her Killer Granny. When she was thirty or so, she would kidnap kids and force them to kill stuff for her. It was an entire scandal in the 70s. They let her out of jail last year because she hadn't cause any problems."

Mark frowned, before glaring at the old woman. "I guess you were right." She said. "Innocent akuma don't kill."

I didn't answer, since Mason and Alya landed next to us moments later. Alya was actually snarling at the other girl, trying to scratch her with her claws. Mason glared but didn't retaliate, holding her arm back while blocking her attempts.

"It's an akuma!" She protested. "It wanted to kill us! It killed others! Better to kill it then let it live."

Mari sighed quietly, walking up to the mortal girl. She ignored Alya's protest, taking the necklace in her hands. Alya's protests increased, but she couldn't do anything as Mari gently took the necklace off, clipping it around her own neck for safekeeping. Trix appeared on her shoulder, purring at the extra energy Mari had, absorbing it all in. The necklace glowed for a moment.

Alya swayed, before falling over. Mari caught her. "I'll take her home." Her voice was soft. "You guys, go check on…" she trailed off, moving to the edge of the building.

I stopped her. "Let me have the necklace. You're still too weak to be feeding your energy to two Kwami."

She didn't argue, so I took the necklace and let her be. She disappeared down the block, and I wanted to wait for the firefighters to arrive, but the fire was out and Mason was obviously impatient to get back. We left moments later.

X.

Fred wasn't on the couch when we got back.

"That little bugger-" Mason was smiling, but she sounded upset. "Fred, we have Trix!"

She didn't wait for him to appear, instead moving over to George. Rabi sat in the same spot they left him, no longer vanishing but foot still missing. Trix spent no time flying over to her brother. George himself was still out, banadages redone by probably Fred. They were slightly red, which worried Mason enough to take them off to look at the wound.

A hand grabbed her wrist as she started. "Going to ask me to dinner before you start undressing me?"

I stand corrected. He wasn't unconscious.

Mason's face was something in between extreme relief and extreme sadness. She blinked back tears before continuing on. "Like you need to eat anymore."

"Hey, I'm fit as a fiddle!"

"Tell that to your potbelly." Mason's hand glided through his hair for only a moment, before she went back to checking the wound. It felt like I was watching something I shouldn't be watching, but this was my apartment and I wanted to make sure George was alright as well. "There's a reason why Fred keeps you away from France. You're in love with their baguettes."

George pouted. "I'm hurt, aren't you supposed to be nursing me back to health?"

"Do I look like a nurse to you?"

Mari's room door opened, and Fred spoke before his twin could. "Don't answer that." He warned. He looked only slightly sick, face still flush and eyes still red, but completely fine besides that. He snatched up his necklace before settling next to me, clipping it on. His smile was genuine when he spoke next, whispering to me so as to not interrupt his brother and friend. "I've aired out all your rooms. Any residue of poison should be gone."

"Thanks." I grinned, my own relief finally making itself known. Plagg purred from his spot on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Oh, she was nothing." Fred shrugged. "Terrifying in her own right, but you've never met Aragog before. Pissed my pants first time I saw him."

I couldn't wait to hear that story.

But now obviously wasn't the time, and we watched quietly as Mason rebandages George's wound. He had fallen back to sleep, still very hurt and very tired. The wound was now only an inch wide and maybe an inch deep, but that was still dangerous. The immortal wouldn't die, but he would need time to heal.

"We should get him back to our apartment." Fred said suddenly, standing up. He easily picked up his brother, making his way to the door. Mason whispered her farewells before joining Fred, opening the door for him. I didn't miss the kiss she planted on the sleeping twin's forehead.

It was quiet after they left. I wondered how long it would take Mari to get back, and I wasn't too keen on sleeping in my room at the moment. Turning on the tv, I watched five minutes of something or other, before drifting off. I guess I needed to recover as well.

I had a dream of fingers combing through my hair and humming me a tune lost to the ages. At first, I thought it was my mom. It took me a moment to figure out it wasn't. Then I realized it wasn't a dream.