Hello! HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY CHRISTMAS! Right now, it still Christmas EVE for me, but time zones exist so HOHOHO here's a chapter!

alexc1209: Road is ecstatic that Allen's in this world. So far, no other Noahs will be making an appearance just yet.

Elogane: The main heroes have a little ways to go before understanding the differences between the two types of Akuma. As for real akuma...well, this is the perfect chapter to answer that question for you.

EllaWaterfall2: The darkness of DGM will be shown to the little duo in due time. Hopefully, it doesn't consume them [totally not a cryptic warning].

Thanks for all the love and support! I really enjoy writing this story and it makes me glad that I'm not the only one loving it! Since it's the holiday season, I've prepared this "jolly" little chapter as a present. Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR. (BEWARE OF THE WARNING BELOW) ENJOY!

WARNING: This Chapter will Feature some CHARACTER DEATH.

Chapter 16: Flutter Of Death

Hawkmoth lingered in his lair along with his new boss. He was doing as he instructed. He was seeking a negative emotion. The villain had been ordered to find the strongest emotion. No more mess ups. He bitterly remembered the one time he akumatized an infant. It was the most humiliating day of his life.

From all his searching, he found two potential targets. A man, who he akumatized before, and a gentle Doctor. Both exhibited signs of frustrations. One was in a spat with his spouse. The other was fearful and frustrated at his lack of knowledge over a disease that his patient was suffering from. Wait. He could feel the growing anger coming from the spouse of the man. So that made three potential targets.

"Have you chosen yet?" he heard Tyki yawn behind him.

Hawkmoth glanced to the side and sighed, "No, but I've narrowed it down to three."

"Well hurry it up."

He sighed and closed his eyes. The gentle doctor's frustration and fear were dimming. He switched over to the husband. If he remembered correctly…this one was the police officer. He recalled how the dynamic duo defeated him. It was like a walk in the park for them. If he akumatized him again, he wondered if he would be the same? I'd rather not risk it.

"I've chosen."

"Finally!"

With a wave of his hand, the pure butterflies fluttered and one gracefully landed in his hands. He chose not to monologue with Tyki in the room. That would be just awkward for him. He lifted his other hand and placed it over his butterfly. He could feel the rush within him as it tainted the pure thing. The blacken creature flew from his grasp towards the open window, before it was intercepted.

Another larger butterfly swooped in and bit into it. Hawkmoth gasped as he watched the bug get devoured. He turned to Tyki with wide eyes. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Experimentation…" The Noah hummed.

When the villain looked back, he noticed how the bug changed. It was black with specs of purple in it as normal. Yet it was larger and sharper. He could see the dark energy radiating off of it in tiny little orbs of black with each flutter. Hawkmoth felt something turn in his stomach as it left his window. Only something bad would come from that butterfly. He could feel it.

"What do you mean you're going!?" A male voice shouted.

There was a rustle of fabrics being pushed and pulled. There was a woman placing neatly folded clothes in a large purple suitcase. Her sandy blonde hair bounced in a curly ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Her eyes were going from each clothing item and ignoring the man that stood in the room's doorway. They were sea blue pair that was framed with thin black glasses.

"It means exactly what It means! I'm going!"

"You can't go! You just came back! And you promised our daughter that you wouldn't go on another one until January!" there was a crack in the man's voice that almost went unnoticed by the woman. Almost. Her hands were gripping on folded clothes that she had been shoving in a suitcase. The sound of her husband's voice cracking made her hesitate. Only for a second.

She whipped around to face him. He was a fairly large man whose height was average at most. His eyes were green like emeralds and his hair was short and ginger. Her eyes trailed down toward the silver chain that hung around his neck where a shiny whistle sat. Determination filled her and she huffed.

"I know what I said, but this just came up and it's important." the woman turned away and continued her packing.

"More important than your family?"

That made her freeze in her tracks. Her hands fell in the suitcase and she sighed. Turning her head to only glance over her shoulder, she responded. "You and I both know that's not true."

"Do I? I'm not so sure anymore. Ever since you got this job you've been flying all over the place on these "business trips". Never having time for us anymore!"

She glared at him. "I thought you were happy about my job! I know I was happy for you when you were ranked up to Lieutenant by the Mayor!" the woman accused.

"That was different."

"No it's not!" the woman stomped over to him and shoved her finger at his chest. "I can't stand this anymore! I supported you when you wanted to follow your dreams to be a police officer, yet you can't offer me the same!?"

"This is not about my support for you but about Sabrina! She'll be devastated to see that you've broken your promise…again." that last word hung in the air and added to the tension.

The woman knew she hadn't kept her word on a lot of things when it came to their daughter. She couldn't count on the number of times she missed an event that her daughter was in or a birthday that she wasn't personally there for. She tried though. She really did. Skype calls and the post office where her salvation in those instances. She had vowed to be able to stick around longer this time, but an offer had just come in. A once in a lifetime type of chance. A chance that would allow her career to skyrocket.

A bride-to-be had called for her to plan their wedding in Sicily, Italy. It seemed her fiancé had a large influence in the country and heard of her services. It seemed that he was friends with another couple that she had planned for. A couple from Paris that he knew. It was a great opportunity. Not only would she be able to bring in enough money so that they could get by and get her daughter that outfit from Gabriel's collection that Sabrina wanted, but if she did well then more young couples will come seeking her help. Then she could do what she loved most. Making sure that others had that special day turn out perfect and that their memories of it will only be happy.

"Well…I can't turn it down. I already accepted the offer."

The man scoffed. "Of course you did. You know, you're always like this."

"Always like what!?"

The man rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "I'll have to go tell Sabrina the news. You finish your packing." When he said packing, the bitterness rolled off his tongue and sliced through her heart. Yet her stubborn nature just stood firm and she demanded of him to tell her what he had meant by his comment. Only to have the door closed on her. The woman let out a frustrated yell and sat on her bed. Her hands slapped over her face and she sighed. She spent her time thinking over the conversation and her past mistakes.

Maybe, her husband was right.

Maybe, she had been an awful mother to her only child.

Maybe, she could just stick to planning weddings in Paris.

Or Maybe, it was time to give up the dream.

She had already put off working for it once she had her daughter to make sure to the girl got all the care and love in the world. Now that she was older, she thought that maybe she could try again. Only to have the curtain start to close on her. Maybe she had missed her chance a long time ago. She should've tried before she had a kid or before she married.

Regret bubbled up in her as she held back the tears that were threatening to form. There was a flutter that barely registered in the back of her mind.

How can I give up something I've wanted since childhood?

She felt a force push on her hand. It prompted her to pull her hands away and look at her left hand. Her eyes went straight to the wedding ring. The ring was a beautiful piece that had a braided band that looked like thorns. The center was a large rose that had a diamond center. It was custom made from her husband. She had cherished it ever since that day. She turned her palm downward and saw a large black butterfly on her hand. She gasped and attempted to scratch at it. It didn't come off, much to her dismay. In fact, the skin around it seemed to turn gray.

"Lacrimosa, I am Hawkmoth. You have spent your whole life putting others before you. Don't you think it's time to finally follow your dreams?" The voice echoed in her mind.

I have, haven't I? The discoloration grew in the form of tiny gray stars.

"I can give you the chance of the lifetime to finally soar."

He can?

"All I need in return are a pair of jewelry. Ladybug earrings and Chat Noir's ring."

"Jewelry? Ha! I can do that no problem. You can count on it, Hawkmoth."

Once he felt the Akuma's transformation complete, Hawkmoth sighed and turned to his boss. The man looked pleased and even amused by his performance. In his hand was another butterfly. He grimaced at the sight of it. Those things were horrid.

"Nice work." The man simply stated before turning and walking away.

"And where are you going?"

The man turned his way and gave him a grin worthy of Cheshire Cat's approval. "To observe," he said no more and turned away.

He watched as a door seemed to form out of nowhere and open up. A girl jumped out and greeted the man. "Hey, Tyki! Do I get to participate in the fun this time?"

"Not this time, Road," she whined and pouted. "But, you may watch the show."

Instantly her mood improved. She cheered and twirled around. "Yay! Maybe I'll get to see my dear Allen this time~!"

"Maybe." The two vanished through the doorway and it closed behind him. Now alone, he sighed. He hoped that they would stay out of the fight. He didn't know if Ladybug and Chat Noir could handle dealing with such powerful entities.

What is this? Is this…worry for the enemy?

Marinette was walking through the park. She thought the carousel could give her an idea. She had been wanting to draw ballroom style clothing that was a pair. A suit for a man and a large dress for a woman. However, she didn't know what she could do for it. She didn't know what theme it could be. Maybe a circus theme? She never drew anything with a circus in mind. Of course, she's never been to a circus so that could be the reason.

Her eyes scanned to the park's fountain. She was half expecting to see Adrien posing for pictures there as always, but to her surprise, she saw Lou Fa instead. At least, she assumed it was her. The only way she could tell was because of the woman's glasses. The girl's hair was tied in a long braid with a blue beret on top. She was wearing a navy dress and with a white collar. Over it was a long, black coat. Around her legs were thigh high socks with black high heels. Like Marinette, the girl had a small purse around her shoulder. However, the strap was a chain and the purse was made of black leather.

Interesting…I thought she was a scientist.

"Whatcha staring at Mari?" she heard a whisper in her ear and jumped. The voice laughed and she recognized it as her best friend, Alya.

"Alya," she whined, "don't do that to me."

The girl giggled, "Sorry! Who are you looking at?"

"Eh, I was admiring that model's clothes." More like she recognized that model and wondered how she had never seen her before.

"Oh. Yeah, I can see why. She's pretty." Alya nodded.

Marinette hummed in agreement. "So what are you doing here Alya, I thought you were going to post one of your theories on the blog again." the duo began to walk and talk towards an unoccupied bench.

"I was! This time it's about the new Superheroes. After I typed it up, I realized I needed more information. So I was planning on looking around to find them and gather info." Good luck with that. "Then I saw you here."

"Oh, I was here to catch some inspiration." As she said that, her foot came in contact with a something soft on the ground.

She pulled back and looked down. It was a stuffed doll. The doll had dark skin and spiky purple hair. Around its neck was a large red ribbon tied in a bow and a little pink dress. Its mouth was made of stitches in a cute zigzag pattern. Its eyes were round black stones. It was a charming toy. The designer leaned down and picked it up off the ground. She dusted the dirt off of it and inspected it. It seemed intact. No rips or holes.

"I wonder who this belongs to."

Alya shrugged, "Probably some kid who accidentally left it there. The real question is, what to do with it? Not like you can put up a found sign for a doll."

"I could. But then I wouldn't know for sure who it belonged to. Someone could come in and claim that it's theirs."

"Yeah, or you can ke—" A loud banshee-like shriek ripped through the air, followed by a chorus of screaming. Akuma.

Before Marinette could get out an excuse, there was a yelp. She saw Lou Fa, or whom she believed was her, being thrown over a man's shoulder. She recognized that man instantly by his scowl. What was Kanda doing out here? Before she could wonder she found herself being pulled up and away. The doll laid forgotten on the dirt ground. The designer thought it was Chat but when she looked it was Lavi. Oh god. Why him? It could've been anyone but him.

She was placed on the balcony. Her balcony. Which she tried not to be surprised about, her house was close to the park after all. The exorcist winked or blinked at her before turning away. "Wait! What about my friend?! She's still down there!"

"Don't worry little lady. I've got that covered!" he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out. "Hey, kid! Grab on!"

Marinette peeked over the railing and saw that Alya had climbed onto an enlarged hammer. The base was wide and the handle was long. It seemed like the handle could function the same way Chat's baton could. Suddenly, the handle began to shrink. The action pulled Alya up and out of the way. When she arrived at the top, Lavi carefully let her off and onto the balcony.

"Alright, Kiddos. You stay here and—"

"Who are you!?" Alya started. Her phone was already on and the recording had begun. "What kind of power was that? Does that thing work the same way as Chat's Baton?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Uhm."

"Where did you come from? Are you really apart of some organization?" Alya kept walking towards him, backing him into a corner.

"How—"

"Are you guys fugitives or were you sent here on a mission!?" His back hit her railing as he looked towards her for help. She tried not to look smug, but she couldn't hold her smile in. Ha, how does it feel?

"Um…" He looked over his shoulder and noticed Kanda with Lou Fa. The man was on a rooftop away from them, but Lavi still called out to him. "Yuu! Well, there's my teammate. Sorry, but your questions will have to wait. Bye!"

Lavi's hammer extended into the ground before propelling him away. Kanda turned and left with the model/scientist in tow. She turned to Alya. The girl was pouting yet she looked confused. "Did he call his own Teammate "You"?"

"Maybe he did it, so you wouldn't know his name?" she fibbed.

The girl hummed. "Smart! But not smart enough! See ya Mari, I've got a hero to catch!" the girl quickly ducked into her balcony and was gone like the wind. Well, duty calls.

When Ladybug got on the scene, she wasn't surprised to see the whole gang there. Gang, can I call them that? Squad? No, we're not that close. There were thorns everywhere. Everywhere. It looked like a maze. She couldn't even see some of the buildings through it. Chat Noir, Allen, and Kanda were busy hacking away at the thorns. Lavi was standing back and observing. His expression was serious and thoughtful. His hammer rested in his hand but the size seemed normal. She swung down and landed near him.

"What's the situation?"

"Crazy bride that looks like she belongs in Children's and Household Tales." Lavi hummed.

"Children's and Household Tales?" that was a first for her.

He looked at her as if she had said something ridiculous. "Yeah, it's an old classic. It came out decades ago, so it makes sense if you've never heard of it." Decades? How old is he? She tried not to think about it too much. Suddenly, Lavi clapped his hands together. "Got an idea. Guys I'm gonna need you to get back!" The three leaped away while Lavi rose his hammer. It seemed to grow ten times bigger.

She scoffed. "What are you going to do? Crush it?"

"Nope! Even better!" she saw something green spark around him before eight circles appeared around him. They turned and turned before one stopped in front of him. He rose his hammer up and slammed right through the circle. "Fire Stamp: Hellfire and Ash!" It hit the ground and a ring of fire formed around him.

Ladybug watched with awe as the fire turned and spiraled up into a large snake. A snake which ran right through the thorns. Setting every single one ablaze. Dang.

"Now that's what I call a warm up." Chat grinned and Ladybug shook her head with a fond smile.

They heard a loud shriek and all of them took off towards the sound. This akuma truly did look like a gothic bride. Her dress was a ripped up, large ballroom gown. It had thorns in the ruffles. Around her waist was a corset that was made up of sharp thorns. Her arms were covered in grey, ripped gloves that covered her elbow to her fingertips. Her hair was as white as snow like a certain exorcist she knew. In her hair was a crown made up of thorns that held a long veil behind her. Her skin was a light gray with various cracks in it. With a wave of her hand, thorns flew and grew. She used this to terrorize the civilians.

The fire snakes that Lavi summoned spiraled up towards the woman. The two circled around her as if they were trying to squeeze her. The bride flew up and away from them. Yet, they followed her movements. The woman was quick. She ended up drawing them towards the Seine before making a risky dodge. The snake flew into the water and turned into smoke. The bride turned away with a smirk and spotted them.

"I am Lacrimosa! And today is the day that You and Chat Noir will finally fall!" At least this akuma had the decency to introduce herself first.

The fighting finally started. It was a little hard at first. Ladybug and Chat Noir were in perfect sync and the Exorcists worked like a well-oiled machine. But by trying to put them together it made everything off balanced. Not only that, but the communication between the two teams was nearly nonexistent. She would call out a plan around the same time Allen would shout out a plan of his own. It got to the point where no one knew who's orders they were following. Is it flank to the right or the left? Everything was getting mixed up. It got the point to where Ladybug got so fed up she called her Lucky Charm before she planned to.

What landed in her hand was a whistle. The whistle that looked pretty familiar. If she looked passed its spotted appearance, that is. She looked at her surroundings and saw each of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Once her plan was formulated, she called out to her teammates.

"Kanda, Chat. I'm—" she tried, but Allen called out as well.

"Kanda, I'm going to need you to—"

"Wait!" she stopped him. The boy turned to look at her and Lacrimosa struck. He was lucky that he dodged her attack in time. The exorcist flipped away and large thorns impaled into his spot.

"What?" he responded to her.

"I have a plan! Just…follow my lead!" she rolled out the way of a thorn as Lavi tried to get a hit on Lacrimosa. The bride swayed to the side and grabbed him by his scarf. The man was flung towards her. Ladybug leaped forward and caught him before he could crash into the cement.

He nodded at her in appreciation "So about that plan?"

Ladybug nodded and helped him up. She called out to Kanda and Chat, "Hey! Kanda, Chat. I need you two to lead her right to that spot right there." she pointed to the top of the carousel. "When she's there blow this whistle—" she tossed the lucky charm towards Chat. "—twice!" They nodded at her in affirmation.

Ladybug turned to Lavi, "Lavi when you hear that. Activate those snakes. I want every thorn burned off of her. Once that's done, me and Allen will wrap her up like a Christmas present. Go it!"

"Righto! Let's get this over with."

Chat and Kanda took off towards Lacrimosa and Chat blew the whistle long and hard to catch the woman's attention. She chased after them all around the park until she saw them land on the carousel. The woman flew after and landed. The sound of two whistles cut the air and Lavi's snake tore right through the rest. Ladybug watched as it circled the woman, getting closer and closer to her thorns. It ended up burning more than just those thorns if her angry scream was to go by. Mixing in with the fire were little pieces of black cloth and some purple lightning. This was the third Akuma to do that. She wondered what that meant.

"Alright! On three!" Ribbons sprung out of Allen's cloak and hung around him, waiting. Ladybug spun her yo-yo and continued the countdown.

"One!"

"Two!" Allen counted.

"Three!" they all shouted.

The fire serpent vanished and before the woman had time to recover, she had white cloth tying her one way and a red yo-yo locking her wrists together. With a swift tug, the akuma was on the ground.

"Alright! Now that was lit!"

"Lit? What does that—" Allen seemed confused while Chat tried to explain to him the concept of "Lit".

Ladybug walked over to the woman and looked down at her. She quickly scanned her and found something shining on her finger. It was a beautiful wedding ring. This gives me ideas for my own when me and Adrien—uhm, Akuma! Right! Gotta pay attention. It had to be the source of her power. What was a bride without a ring? With her gloved hands, she tugged the ring off and mercilessly snapped it in half. To her shock, nothing flew out.

"What—" Lacrimosa glared her down before shrieking. The sound pierced right through her ears. They all covered their ears as the bride screamed out. The woman ripped through Allen's restraints. She grabbed onto the yo-yo string and pulled Ladybug towards her.

Marinette felt herself get snatched up by her neck. She was forced to stare into the eyes of the villain. Hawkmoth's symbol shone over her eyes. Instinctively, she clasped her hands over the woman's wrists. Yet her grip grew tighter. At this rate-Suddenly, there was a line of silver that raced through the air and into Lacrimosa's forearm. Ladybug recognized it as Kanda's sword. The woman screamed and let her go. Without missing a beat, the man raced forward and grabbed the hilt. He turned it and Ladybug saw blood spray from the wound. The Akuma's arm came off and fell in front of her. It laid on the grass. Bleeding out everywhere. Ladybug placed a hand on her mouth in disgust.

Lacrimosa held her stump. Her eyes were wide with shock and she shrieked out in pain. Ladybug saw a large black butterfly on the severed limb. The whole thing turned a dark, almost purplish gray before crumbling away. Out of it was the familiar white butterfly. Was that the akuma? The exorcists advanced on the akuma as Ladybug turned to her partner.

Holding her vomit down, she called out to him. "Chat! The charm!" He looked as pale as she was sure she was. He hesitated before throwing it her way. Ladybug threw it in the air with a shout. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybugs bloomed from the objects and swirled around the city. It flew and cleaned up the arm. As good as new, it was on the woman's person again. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Minus how her skin was still gray.

Ladybug pushed herself up on shaky legs and ran in front of the woman. She faced the exorcists with her hands up. They were staring at the woman with untrusting eyes. "It's fine now! She's…human again."

"That's impossible…Allen?" Lavi turned to Allen.

"My eye isn't reacting to her."

"Yeah, but it doesn't react to these things anyway." Kanda aimed his sword at her. "Move."

"Hey!" Chat ran to her side. "Trust us. It's all fixed."

There was a period of silence before Allen sighed, "Kanda, yield." the swordsman huffed and turned away.

Simultaneously, LB and Chat's shoulders relaxed as they turned to address the victim. "Are you okay, Madame?" she nodded fearfully. There was a shout and everyone turned. Ladybug turned her head and saw her classmate, Sabrina. She ran up to the victim with a huge relieved smile. The girl fell to her knees and hugged her mother.

"Maman! I'm so happy you're okay!" Finally, another happy ending.

Or so she thought.

"Maman? What's wrong?" The woman had rested upon her daughter's shoulder. There was a sad smile on her face that Ladybug recognized. It had a sense of peace yet sorrow in it. The woman pushed her daughter away at arm's length. Ladybug could see that her skin had started to develop black stars on them. The woman had tears streaming down her cheeks as her body seemed to freeze.

"Oh no." she heard a mutter come from Allen. With a quick glance, she saw them avert their eyes from the scene. What does that mean? The bug heroine could see other people creeping onto the streets to see the action. All of them were as shocked as she was. What's going on?! The woman grew stiff as a statue. The stars completely consumed her.

"M-Maman…?"

Beep.

Like sand, the woman crumbled before their eyes. Just like the arm. Her ashes laid on the floor as the air grew silent around them. Marinette slapped her hand over her mouth and staggered back. This was too much! This was too much for her! Hawkmoth had gone too far this time! Anger and disgust boiled in her. She was sick from the sight and from the type of man their enemy was. She tightened her grip on her yo-yo in anger. Everyone kept their eyes on the pile of ash.

Sabrina choked before reaching forward. "M-Maman?" her voice cracked. Her hand reached for the ashes when she heard the sound of footsteps and Ladybug saw Allen Walker grabbing a hold of her classmate and dragging her away from her mother. Or what was left of her.

"No! Let me go!"

"If you touch those ashes, you'll end up just like her!" he held the writhing and crying girl. Sabrina screamed and crumbled in Allen's arms.

Beep.

Marinette saw her vision blur before tears fell from her eyes. A strong pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a familiar chest. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. The clear skies darkened and black clouds started to roll in. It was as if the Earth was weeping for the loss of a mother.

"Curse you…" Sabrina muttered, "Curse you. I curse you. You terrible God! I HATE YOU!" Thunder crackled.

Doctor's Notes: Patient skin is turning into a gray color.

Léon clicked his pen and stared out the window. Clear liquid ran down the glass. It was a perfect mood for this day. He had seen the news. He heard what happened. The whole city had seen it. Now they were all mourning for the loss. No one had ever died from akumatization before. That wasn't the norm. He feared that panic would stir in everyone. It was already starting. Some of his co-workers had been turned in the past. Before, some people would be wary of them around, but now everyone avoided them like the plague. As if breathing their air would kill them instantly.

"Doctor. Am I….Am I going to die?" the doctor's heart broke.

He turned to the girl sitting on the bed. Her head looking down as if she should be ashamed. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her head. She turned up and looked at him. Her skin looked like she rolled around in a pile of ash. Just like that akuma victim. He tried to not let that thought linger for too long. Léon shook his head, no, at her question.

"Of course not. I'm a doctor, aren't I? I'll make sure that you'll be back home in no time! I promise!"

She smiled but it did not reach her eyes. The girl said nothing. Does she not believe me? Or can she sense the gravity of the situation? With the absent of knowledge and his lack of control, he couldn't do much. Could this child see that? He wondered. He didn't know if this thing was life-threatening or not. But…going off of today…I have a pretty bad feeling. He was going to try every possible thing until she got better.

Knock, Knock.

They turned to the now opened door. It was one of the nurses. He didn't recognize her, but her nameplate said, "Lucia". She carried a clipboard with her along with a silver box. Around her neck was a tiny spider charm. She smiled at him, "Doctor, Nurse June is having an issue with patient PK13."

He straightened immediately at the mention of the familiar patient. "I'll be there right away." He went to walk away before he felt a tiny hand hold him back. He looked to see Esther with a look of fear on her face.

"Don't go!" she cried.

He was shocked at the this but took it in stride. Léon smiled at her and placed a hand over hers. "I need to go. I'll only be gone for a few minutes."

"It's going to poison me! Please!"

"It?" she pointed at the nurse.

"She's a monster!"

He shook his head. He guessed it must've been those dreams again. Children have such active imaginations "She's not a monster. And she won't poison you. Now, I need to leave but don't worry. I'll be back soon." he pulled away from her. He felt guilty when he saw her look of betrayal. Her heart was broken. He saw the sight before on many other patients and family members. As much as it hurt to see her look like that, he was her doctor, not her father. So he turned and walked towards the Nurse. She lowered her head with a smile.

"Good luck, Doctor." he nodded and walked out the door. As he walked passed Lucia, he felt something turn in his gut. It was that familiar feeling of dread. He looked back only to see the door closing on him and Esther staring with tears in her eyes. Something told him that he would regret leaving.

The whistling of the wind rang through the humid air. The rhythm of rain hitting the concrete and the rushing of people worked in harmony to create a heart-wrenching melody. The sky was dark and clouded. Not even a glimmer of the moon showed through. The only thing lighting up the sky were strikes of lighting. There was a large building that stood far about the rest. It was white with rows of windows and a large red plus at its top. In one window, there stood a girl. She had looked like she just came from the wet outside. Her clothes sagged and clung to her skin. Her body would shiver from time to time from the coldness of it. But she didn't mind. Her eyes were too busy staring out at the dull world around her. Those orbs that were usually filled with life and happiness now were barren like a wasteland. Dull. Emotionless. Like a void.

There were others around her that moved at a faster pace. Their words were fast and garbled to her. Not that she cared. There were sounds of wailing. Both from Death and from Life. Not that it mattered. For her mind was elsewhere. It was too busy replaying that scene in her head. To busy reminding her of why she was feeling this cold aching in her chest. This numbness in her fingers. Why her eyes stung and felt puffy. Why that she was feeling that bitter feeling of being totally alone. She knew she wouldn't have felt this way if that hadn't happened. If she was still here.

"Sabrina? Darling?" a man's voice questioned. He sounded so gentle and sad.

She did not answer him. His voice was blocked out of her mind. Her mind which was too busy assaulting her with all the sounds, smells, and sensations of that moment. Outside of her, there was a sigh.

"It's okay, Monsieur Raincomprix. She'll come around. Right now, she just needs to grieve." A woman's voice reassured. "It's best we leave her be."

"I guess." The broken man replied.

The two shuffled out the room. Their exit was followed by a click of a door. Not that the girl had noticed the change. Her thoughts were swimming with a thousand regrets. That scene was at the forefront of her mind. The emotions in her soul were turning and turning. They were shifting to a new one. One that created wars, broke relationships and blinded people. Anger. Her sadness was transformed. She felt anger at everything. Angry at the people that went on their way outside these walls. Angry at the cries of children being brought into this world, when the one most important person in her life was so cruelly taken out of it. Angry at the so-called heroes. They hadn't been able to save her. They were failures. And most of all, she was angry at the controversial entity that said to dwell past the clouds. She hated it. She cursed it. It stole her away.

She wanted to take her back. To rip her from the heavens and keep her with them. Everything would go back to normal. She wished to have her still be walking around and breathing. To be able to wake up to the smell of breakfast or eagerly awaiting a scheduled Skype call. Not to be here in a room where Death and Life are so constant.

I want her back. Giver her back. Give my Mother back to me.

Unknown to her, the shadows in the room started to move and stretch. They peeled off the walls and collected together. The figure they formed was similar to a large clown. It had a round body and a tall hat. Its hat was only one of the most striking features the clown had. With its purple butterflies, red ladybugs, and cat ears at it's very top. The feature that trumped the clown's hat was its smile. The jaw-dropping long smile with large fangs. It looked like something out of a horror film.

"Do you wish for your mother to be revived?" Her eyes snapped upward. She could see him in the window's reflection. Inspecting further, she saw his sickly gray skin, large coat, and top hat. As well as his gleaming spectacles.

She turned around and stared. Her voice was blubbery and filled with disbelief. "W-What?"

"Do you wish to bring her back, Child?" his grin remained fixed.

Bring…her back?

"Why you can. With this—" the clown waved his large hand and a black skeleton popped from the floor. It was strange. The skull had no sockets and its teeth were razor sharp. Its arms were long and slender yet were like large blades. Deadly if used the right way. Her legs were the same as her arms yet they had no feet. Just pointed needles. It was abnormal. "—Magical body I created. Just slip a soul in and it shall walk among the living once again. You can get your mother back from that awful God."

A flash of hope sparked in her heart. Could she really have her mother back? Would this skeleton be the thing that reunited her with her loved one?

"Just scream out your sweet mother's name to the heavens and her soul will be called back down." the being instructed.

A spark of determination twinkled in her eyes. This was it! A grin spread on her mouth at the possibility. She opened her mouth and sucked in as much air she could hold.

"Remember, to do it as loud as possible. You want her to hear you right?"

Yes, she did! She wanted her to hear. To come back. She needed her to come back. This was the only way. With a loud voice that was peppered with desperation, Sabrina screamed out to the heavens the name that would forever change her fate.

"CÉCILE!" thunder roared and purple lighting crackled down from the sky. It hit the glass and magically pierced through it into the skeleton's skull head on. Her name was written on the forehead in beautiful cursive. A star opened up above it and the body started to move.

"Sabrina?" She heard her voice sound from the machine.

Relief flowed from her. Tears ran down her cheeks like raindrops. She couldn't believe it! She had done it! She wasn't alone anymore! She could have her mother back once again. They can be happy now!

"You…you…"

"Maman!" she opened her arms and took a few steps towards her.

"You…How DARE YOU!?" the anger that twisted out of her was unexpected. What was wrong? What had she done? "How could you do this to me!? Do you realize what you have done!? You've turned me into an Akuma!"

Akuma? "Ma-Maman?" A whimper escaped her lips. Why was she so angry? She brought her back. Wouldn't she be happy to be back? To be alive? To see her again?

The clown grabbed her by the shoulders and kept her from running. Moving was pointless. The monster's grip was too strong for her. The clown laughed. His laughter was sinister and sent chills down her spine. "You belong to me now, Cécile! Kill this girl now and wear her body!"

The skeleton moved off its frame and came towards her. Panic engulfed the young girl. Kill? Kill?! KILL!? She struggled some more as the thing brought it's arm up. The sharp edge shined in the light. Her mother cried out and it sounded like she was in pain. The skeleton—her mother—brought the blade down. A scream tore from her throat only be silenced with a loud slice and the spraying of blood on a thin window.

"Happy Birthday~!"

Now, aren't you all glad I gave you those simple happy chapters. This chapter isn't my best one, but it's loaded with emotion. And that counts for something right? The "fight" scene wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but I still have a long way to go before being able to write action scenes well. Anyway! I hope no one's favorite character was Sabrina.

Ciao-su~