Finally, the chapter I have been anxious to write. I've had this planned since day one.

Chapter 22: Red

Marinette should've been shocked by how easily the exorcists were slowly being acquainted with her parents. However, she knew the effect they had on people. She also learned a tiny new piece about Lavi. The boy had previously omitted his last name. But it seems that he willing to openly give it to "Marinette". Bookman Jr. That meant there was a Sr, right? Though, the way he said it…made it seems different somehow. Lavi had paused upon saying his full name long enough to imply a sort of separation there. Maybe he made it up?

The girl yawned as she climbed up to her loft bed. It had been an exhausting day for her. She had a busy week ahead of her. In her civilian life, she had everything planned out. The only unknown factor was how long Hawkmoth was going to be absent. It was making her suspicious. The last time he was active was…She averted her eyes in shame. I'm about to go to bed…I don't really want to think about that for tonight.

Marinette flopped down on the mattress and let herself sink into the soft form. She wrapped a blanket around her while snuggling up to her large cat pillow. Tikki flew above her before settling down next to her.

"Goodnight Tikki," she whispered fondly.

"Goodnight Marinette." the kwami sighed as her eyes fluttered shut.

The heroine turned over in her spot. Her eyes went straight to the corkboard on her wall. It featured the various midnight ideas she had and her love, Adrien. She reached out and caressed one of the pictures. With a fond smile, she whispered, "Goodnight Adrien." the girl sighed and finally settled in. She yawned one last time before closing her eyes. The world fell away.

In the darkness, she saw a pink structure rise. Her expert eye recognized it immediately. How could she not? It was one of the famous symbols of her city. Marinette witnessed various dots blink into existence in the sky before something white slid into view. It appeared as if something was being pulled off of it. It turned out to be a full snow-white moon. The moon illuminated the world around her.

She twirled around and noticed she was in the middle of an infinite meadow. It was a beautiful green that reminded her of her dear Adrien. The meadow was not filled with flowers like a normal one. There were a few crumbling structures littered everywhere. They were tall stone pagodas. They had an average of five roof tiers. There were quite a lot of these ruin-like structures but not enough to make it feel crowded.

Bluebell eyes flickered to the side and spotted another shiny structure. Her eyes glittered and she lit up at the sight of it. It was the statue that now stood in her city's park. She smiled fondly at the memory. The day was hectic but compared to now it was nothing. Her smile faded when she spotted a tiny white figure sitting upon the statue. They swung their feet like a little school girl.

Wait is that? The figure looked down at her and she gasped. The grief-stricken face of Sabrina was staring into her soul. Marinette hesitantly took a step back. When Sabrina opened her mouth a wisp of smoke trailed out. It was as if she was cold.

With tears running down her face, she spoke. "You have to release her," she emphasized. "Please! You must! To be able to save us."

"Her? Us?" What did she mean release her? She didn't hold anyone captive.

"Us," Sabrina repeated.

Suddenly there were other ghostly figures that moved from behind the pagodas. From a quick count, it looked to be around 22 others. They were shaking and crying as well. Marinette gasped as she recognized their faces. Each one was featured on the news. These were the missing people! With that in mind, she turned sharply and found Jean. The boy looked as tired and sad as the rest of them. His clothes had holes that were identical the ones she found on the clothes from the scene.

"Please Marinette. You have to save us," he repeated the words of Sabrina.

"I…I can't. You're…You all could be…" she was hesitant to say it. At her refusal, the others erupted in choruses of depressing pleas. They all repeated the same message. They started to migrate towards her. It broke her heart and scared her half to death to see them all. From little children to grown adults. They all pleaded with her. Marinette, naturally, moved back from the crowd. They kept advancing on her and she kept moving away.

Marinette took her last step back and her foot became submerged in water. Quickly, she recoiled away and stumbled forward. The heroine looked over her shoulder and saw a pond. It rippled and waved from the sudden movement, but the image on its surface never changed. It was of a brighter world. The sky was white and pure. But the full moon she saw was pitch black. It too had a grassy meadow, but it was bare except for a single tree. What?

TAP

TAP

The voices of the others went dead quiet. She looked at them. They all were turned towards the sky. A look of fear could be read on all their faces. She followed their gaze and saw nothing unusual.

TAP

TAP

Suddenly, they turned and fled. "Wait!" she reached out.

"It's coming!" the crowd screamed and scattered. They all leaped behind the pagodas and vanished. She didn't understand it. What were they afraid of? What was that noise?! She saw Jean as one of the few who hadn't hidden yet.

"Wait!" she ran after him and grabbed his arm. It startled her upon seeing him closely. His clothes were stained and his skin was practically transparent. He looked at her with fear reflecting in his eyes. Jean grabbed her hand.

"It's here! You must hide!"

"What's here?" she could feel her heart pound as a shiver ran down her spine. Jean shook his head and looked up. The dead boy then pulled himself free from her grasp and ran. He ran to the statue of her and slipped around it. Sabrina was the very last of them around. She slowly stood up and stared her down. "Sabrina?"

"See you soon." there was a sudden wind and the girl vanished in front of her. Marinette hugged herself tightly against the sudden cold. She glanced down and squinted her eyes. The girl blinked upon noticed how the grass around her was suddenly red. At her side was another circle of red. What? It wasn't dyed red. No, it was as if someone was shining a light on the grass. She was reminded how the others had stared at the sky.

Marinette looked up once again and gasped. The moon was gone. In its place were two shining red orbs. The girl gulped and felt herself freeze in place. Her hair waved in the breeze as the lights suddenly blinked. There was a loud sound of something scratching against glass.

TAP

TAP

"Marinette!" she heard a worried voice yell for her. It sounded distant. "You need to wake up NOW!" She knew that voice! Tikki! "Marinette!"

A sudden, intense shiver pulled her from her dream. Her eyes snapped open. Marinette stared at the wall as she felt a prickly feeling down her spine. In an instant, she recognized the sensation. Her mind was filled with sudden anxiety of someone's eyes on her.

Tap

Tap

Tap

Her heart jumped in her chest. Her breathing picked up and she slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle it. Marinette's thoughts ran out of her control. She noticed the red dot that was Tikki peeking from underneath her covers. The sprite looked on edge.

Her kwami looked at her and nodded. "You need to transform," she whispered. But. She felt something tell her that she shouldn't even move. Marinette's eyes traveled up her bed at her phone. Its reflective black screen was staring up at her trapdoor. She focused her eyes on the screen and felt her skin grow cold. There were two red dots reflected on the screen. "Marinette! You must transform." Tikki harshly whispered.

The dots blinked and a scratching sound was heard. Whatever it was, it was trying to get in! Her heart was beating fast as she whispered, "Tikki. Transform me." Instantly, she was covered in pink light. With her suit on, she felt a bit safer and braver. Ladybug swiftly flipped around and grabbed her yo-yo. When she looked out the trapdoor, she saw nothing.

Ladybug reached forward and placed her hand on the glass surface. Her arms were trembling in fear. She felt her earrings pulse as if they were trying to compel her outside. Ladybug shook her head. She could feel her gut screaming for her to stay still. The girl sat on her bed and kept her eyes on the sky. She had her yo-yo in her tight grasp. Only occasionally pulling the string.

Marinette stayed like that for hours. Her eyes were struggling to stay open. She slid back against her wall and tried to stay awake. When she noticed the golden rays of the sun peeking through, that's when she felt confident that the presence was gone. She was safe now. Well…I don't really FEEL safe at all. Something, she didn't know what had been looking at her through her trap door. A place that no one could climb up to. Marinette yawned and closed her eyes for a second. That was all it took for her to fall back asleep.

Due to waking up extremely late, Marinette missed a few morning classes. It was odd to wake up and find herself still transformed. She just hoped her parents hadn't wandered up to see her. The girl rushed to get ready and fled to school. As late as she was, she still had to be there. Upon arriving at school, Marinette noticed that Sabrina's low mood was lifted. It was odd due to the fact that it seemed too soon. It had only been a few weeks since that incident. It made her worried for her, but at the same time, glad. If the girl was getting better, then all would be right with the world. When she got to her next class, she allowed herself to doze off. The event that happened last night had robbed her of all sleep. So, she was taking in any precious amount she could get. That meant missing a lesson or two.

"Marinette~! Wake up!" She felt herself being shaken and the girl turned her head to look at the criminal who did it.

"Alya…" She mumbled in her sleepy state.

"Girl, you need to get up. Class just ended." She yawned and rubbed her eyes as Alya guided her out of her seat. She felt a bag being pressed into her hands. "I know you're tired but we gotta move."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Just—" She yawned loudly. "—Couldn't sleep last night."

Marinette slipped her book bag over her shoulders and stretched her body out. How many periods did she have left? One? Two? Blinking herself awake, she scanned her surroundings. They were the only ones in the class. Wow, I must've really been out of it. The two walked out of the classroom and proceeded towards their next class. They descended down the stairs into the courtyard. Along the way, Alya started up the conversation again.

"Wanna tell me why?"

"Huh?"

"Why you can't sleep?" Alya elaborated.

"Oh! I…I just couldn't. I felt like there was…" She looked around at everyone who was passing by before continuing her sentence. "I feel like there's someone watching me." She confessed.

"Watching you? Like a stalker?"

One hell of a stalker…"I don't know, maybe. This morning…I thought I saw…" she bit her tongue.

Alya tilted her head and looked concerned. The girl placed her hand on her shoulder. Marinette expected it, but still reacted as if she was startled. The girl jumped a bit. Alya frowned. "Maybe you should come over and we can—"

"Marinette!" A female voice called out to her.

The duo turned and looked at the source of the sound. It was Sabrina. The girl jogged over to them and stopped when she was close to Marinette. The girl placed her hands on her knees, as if she was out of breath, before grabbing Marinette's wrist. At the contact, a cold chill ran down her spine. The sensation of her being watched came back full force. That same anxiety from last night came back.

"Marinette! Sorry to catch you while you're going to class, but can I ask you something?"

A lump formed in her throat and she just nodded her head. Without her consent, her body started to shake. She felt…afraid for some reason. But why? It was just Sabrina. But as she stared at her, she could feel something nagging in the back of her mind. Something about her felt wrong. It felt off.

"You said, I could always talk to you, right? Can I talk to you later today? Afterschool." The girl's grip tightened.

For some reason, that voice in her mind told her to say no. It screamed to run far away or stand and fight. Which was a ridiculous response to a "grieving girl". Marinette took a few deep breaths to steel her nerves and smiled at the girl. The hero had to remember that everyone processed grief differently. How could she tell if the girl wasn't still suffering? Just because she looked chipper lately doesn't mean anything. In fact, that was a great thing! That meant she was getting better. Yes, there wasn't anything wrong with this. I need to get a grip.

"Of course!" The girl cheerfully answered.

"Great! I'll be expecting you at my place then! Oh…will you need directions or..?" Marinette winced when she felt the girl's nail dig into her wrist. What was this?

Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat started to accumulate on her forehead. It seems her body was panicking for no reason. "No, I'm sure I can find it!"

Sabrina hummed before adding, "If not, maybe I can meet you at your house?"

"No!" she had yelled with such conviction.

Sabrina's eyes went wide and made her realize her error. Strangely, Sabrina suddenly glared at her and tightened her grip on her wrist. Marinette winced again at the pain from her wrist. What was this girl trying to do? Run her thumb into her wrist? Unbeknownst to her, her precious earrings were flickering between Red and Black. Marinette could feel a small press of her kwami at her side. It felt like Tikki was buzzing. Marinette twisted her wrist and yanked it out of Sabrina's grasp.

"The Bakery has just been super busy lately!" she lied, "It's better if I go to you."

Sabrina's glare was like daggers had been thrown at her. It faded to a bright smile. "Oh? I see, then I'll message you the address."

Marinette glanced around as she rubbed her wrist. It felt bruised. Since when did the petite Sabrina become so strong? "Okay."

"It's set!" The way she said her name made a shiver run down her spine. Sabrina grabbed her hand and held it tight with both hands. A grin stretched on her face. Marinette hesitantly smiled back. "I'll see you soon." Her face felt pale. That line…The girl felt strangely exposed and uncomfortable. Sabrina giggled and released her. When the girl backed away, Marinette felt like she could suddenly breathe.

The ginger turned away and walked back over to Chloé, who waited patiently for her. Another odd sight that she didn't think about. The designer rubbed her wrists and took a step back.

"Marinette?" she heard Alya say. The girl turned to her friend and gave her a reassuring smile. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm just feeling a little lightheaded. I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning." She knew the right things to say to distract Alya. How else was she able to keep her identity a secret all these years?

The girl gave her a disappointed stare. "What have I told you about skipping breakfast?"

"I woke up late!"

"No excuse! Let's go grab something to snack on before you faint!" Alya lightly grabbed her other wrist and dragged her across to courtyard. Marinette smiled before feeling like someone was burning a hole in the back of her head. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Sabrina staring right into her back. There was a strange smile on her face. She watched as the girl licked her lips in anticipation. A shiver went down her spine.

After Alya forced her to eat something, Marinette excused herself to the restroom. The hero could tell that Tikki was trying to get her attention ever since her encounter with Sabrina. She slapped an "Out of Order" sign on the restroom before sliding in. A quick scan let her know that all the was clear. She opened her purse and found a nearly neon Tikki fly out. The sprite whipped around her and buzzed in a huge frenzy. Her expression was one of anger. She had the same look like last night — er this morning. Tikki's large eyes took in their surroundings before she floated in front of her.

"Why are we in the bathroom?" was the first thing she asked.

Marinette rose her eyebrow. "For privacy. Did you need something? You kept poking me from my purse."

"Yes! That one you were speaking to, Sabrina! Something is wrong with her."

"Uh, yeah. She's grieving from her mother's death." Marinette's eyes averted. Guilt rose in her chest. She could hear that poor mother's words circle her brain. She glanced up at Tikki. The girl was prepared to hear the sprite comfort her. For some reason, it was like the being could sense her emotions and react accordingly.

Tikki didn't notice this time it seemed. The kwami just huffed before glaring at the door. The action shocked her. Tikki never glared! She never even looked mildly annoyed before. The ladybug kwami always had this wise air around her. She acted almost omnipresent. At times, she mostly looked happy, concerned, or even disappointed. Never angry or irritated.

"I hardly think that human is grieving," she spoke.

Marinette openly gasped, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Something's wrong with that one!" Tikki's wide eyes stared up at her. "There's something dark about it." It unnerved her how referred to Sabrina as an IT instead of a SHE like usually. She brushed it off as a simple mistake.

"You said the same thing about Allen, but he's fine." So far.

Tikki shook her head. "This is different. I've never felt something like it before, but she was entirely ominous. It was almost like facing off against Hawkmoth's akumas but worse."

"Maybe, it's just the grief you're sensing. You do have a knack for telling peoples emotions." Marinette tried weakly.

"Emotions? No. I don't sense other human emotions, Marinette. Other humans are just too easy to read. I've learned over the years the various ways people react and how to respond to it." For a second, it seemed like Tikki had distanced herself from the conversation. It was like she was remembering something before pulling herself back in.

"Oh…"

"We should investigate." Tikki declared. "For all we know, she could be another akuma lying in wait."

"But she's fine!"

"No, she's not! Can't you see something's off about her?"

"Yeah! She's in a lot of pain! The only thing I need to do is help her as best as I can." Since I couldn't help her mother, it's the best thing I can do.

Tikki frowned at her before flying towards her face. Her eyes were narrowed. "Hawkmoth managed to turn a woman into dust. What else is he capable of doing?" Marinette frowned at the kwami's logic. She hated to think that Hawkmoth was somehow controlling Sabrina. Not only does he kill her mother, but then he manipulates her daughter. It's despicable. However, Sabrina was not akumatized for her grief, so that means she was safe for now. At least until Hawkmoth decides to act again. It was Marinette's duty to help her classmate with her mental state before it could be used against her.

"We are investigating," Tikki spoke this time with a familiar tone. Her mother had used it on her one too many times. It basically read as: 'we are doing this, no matter how much you whine about it'.

"No!" Marinette defied. "I don't know what's up with you, but it ends now. Sabrina is just in pain. We are not going to do anything other than help her." Tikki crossed her little nub arms and glared her down. Marinette challenged her glare. She crossed her own arms and cocked her hips to the side.

"No?"

"No." she repeated.

For some reason, she swore the bright light made Tikki's blue eyes shine a different color. The sprite's bright red color dulled down before she backed away. The light in her eyes, the only humane thing in Tikki's appearance, was gone for a moment. They were like a doll's eyes before she blinked and turned away. As soon as she did that, Marinette felt a sharp pain in her head. Followed by an aching migraine. She held her hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes close.

Separate from that pain, she felt something pulsing behind her earrings. She opened one eye to peek out at Tikki. The kwami hadn't seemed to notice her sudden discomfort. Marinette could almost hear the panicked thoughts rushing in her head. They all commanded her to do one thing or else….

"Maybe, when I go visit her, I'll let you out so you can see for yourself that I'm right." The words fell from her lips before she could even think about them.

Tikki glanced back at her. There was tense silence. Marinette's head felt like it was going to burst open. Suddenly Tikki sighed and relaxed. Almost instantly, her migraine dissipated. "I'll accept that."

"O-Okay.." Marinette stuttered. Did her headache have a connection to Tikki? Did she cause it?

DING-DONG

The bell sounded off. Without another word, Tikki flew in her purse. Marinette snapped the bag close behind her. She then stared down at it feeling a sudden wariness. Tikki would never purposefully hurt her. The kwami was just acting strangely that was all. She was sure that a cookie would make her normal content self again. Still that headache…She hadn't had a headache that painful since…Stoneheart. Coincidentally, it happened around the same time she rejected Tikki. She tried to believe that the events had no correlation.

With one last glance at her bag, she walked out of the restroom feeling more uneasy than before.

School went by relatively fast after that. The only other odd instances were when Sabrina kept staring at her from afar. Her expression had been one of eager and anticipation. It was weird, but Sabrina was a weird person. So, Marinette tried to disregard it.

Upon arriving home, she prepared herself before getting ready to go to Sabrina's. She wanted to delay the trip due to Tikki's strange attitude. So, she spent her evening catching up on work and projects. Tikki had constantly buzzed in her ear every few hours and wondered when she would leave. It made her see the sprite a little differently. Marinette felt that her kwami could potentially not be what she assumed. Was what she had seen the real Tikki? An unfeeling, inhuman being that masqueraded as something kind? Was the whole thing an act? Had she been playing Marinette for her own benefit?

"Marinette," she heard the kwami call her.

"Yes, Tikki?" she expected for her to ask once again. The girl glanced over to see her sitting and munching on cookies.

She pointed at the words on the page. "That's wrong. It wasn't in Rome when that happened. It was in Greece."

"Oh?" Marinette scanned the problem and the answer she gave. She clicked her tongue and nodded her head. "You're right! Thank you." with a swift erase, she corrected her error.

Tikki hummed and nodded, "It easy to mix those two. Considering the Empire's wide reach."

She agreed with her and went back to work. No…she finally decided. Tikki is not like that. I refuse to believe everything was a lie. That was right. There was no way that Tikki, the kwami of creation, was anything like that. After all, creation is not evil. Marinette concluded that she had simply jumped to conclusions once again. It was unlikely the headache and the situation had been related. Though…it stopped immediately after I allowed her to investigate Sabrina. Maybe…I should just ask? Would it be wise to ask her kwami what had happened?

"Tikki?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

She swallowed a lump in her throat. With a pause to consider her next words, she spoke. "What happened earlier today? Why are you so insistent that something evil is in Sabrina?"

Tikki was silent for a moment. It made Marinette regret asking for a second. "I know you don't understand but just like I told you about Allen….I sense a greater dark presence in her. It's like…if there was a spec of Sabrina left, it's gone." The sprite placed her cookie down and floated up to the window. She gazed out at the cloudy sky with a strange melancholy expression. "When my eyes laid upon Sabrina, from inside your little purse, I saw darkness…I've never witnessed something like that before today. That's why I'm insisting we at least investigate."

Marinette looked down and considered the information that she got. It was vague and made little sense. She wanted to trust Tikki, but the headache she got from earlier made her hesitant. It's unlikely that the sprite caused it, but…it was too strange to be considered coincidental. I'll allow her to investigate. That way she'll get this out of her system.

"Fine, I understand. Let's go then." Tikki brightened up and zipped by her face. The sprite cuddled close to her cheek and made her giggle.

"Thank you!"

Marinette gathered her stuff and packed it all on her bookbag. She threw it on the chaise so that she could find it easily the next morning. With only her purse, phone, and spare cookies, the heroine left her room. She informed her mother earlier that day that she was going to Sabrina's later. The woman had shown some concern over her leaving so late, but Marinette brushed her worries aside. The girl sent out a quick text to Sabrina to let her know. When she left the bakery, she looked up. It was then that she noticed how dark the clouds were. She could barely see the sun. It kept being clouded over. I guess a storm's rolling in. She gazed down at the map on her phone.

"Should I go back in and get an umbrella?" judging by the time and distance she would take to get there, she decided against it.

The girl walked away as the air around her began to cool. She still felt this nagging feeling that someone was watching her. Dread had floated it's way up and tried to cause doubt within her. But, when she thought of Hawkmoth and what he's done, she held firm. Marinette continued on her path when she saw a flicker of black appear in her peripheral vision. Turning her head to the side, she spotted a black cat. It was staring out at something from on top of a trash bin, from within an alley. It's blue eyes reflecting her own. It noticed her but seemed focused on something else. It was still before jumping in front of her. She watched as it carefully stalked past her before scurrying across at something.

"Strange." she wondered out loud. If she was feeling honest, the whole encounter was unnerving. Suddenly, a golden spot flew out of the bushes. It came out as soon as the cat pounced. Wait that's! "Timcanpy!"

Tim noticed her before flying up and away from the cat. It circled around and landed on her head. The cat froze and stared her down. She returned the stare before it ran back across her and off. She watched it go with a sigh. That was twice that a black cat ran past her. Had she believed in the superstition, she would've been worried about how unlucky she had just gotten.

Marinette reached up and grabbed the rubber ball. With a light squeeze, she brought it up to her eyes. "It's been some time, Tim." he flapped his wings in response. "What are you doing out here?" he twisted in her hand and she released him. He flew around in a circle for a moment before hovering next to her. Marinette didn't understand what Tim had tried to communicate. She just shook her head and hummed.

"I see." How do you politely end a conversation again? "Well, I was just out on a stroll." she omitted the part about Sabrina. The thing already knew her Identity and friends. Suddenly, it's face changed to an exclamation point. That she understood. Tim appeared to be expressing shock. "I know, it's late. But I'm fine. I'm…well…you know." she nervously laughed.

"Marinette…" Tikki suddenly spoke in a warning tone.

A loud sound alerted her. It was that annoying sound of metal scraping against concrete. It was followed by the sound of a lot of small something's hitting the ground. She froze and looked around her surroundings. She turned her attention to where the alleyway goes deeper and found that it was completely shadowed in black. As expected, the creepy sound came from that darkness. Tikki flew out next to her. The sprite was bright red and seemed to be ready for anything. Marinette prepared herself for whatever may come.

CREEK

She felt her blood grow cold. That sound. It was like metal pieces were moving and shifting together. The hair on her neck rose and something crawled down her spine. Her skin felt cold yet she began to sweat. She clenched her hands in a fist and glared down the darkness. Her heart started to beat erotically in her chest. Out of the darkness was a pair of piercing, soulless red eyes. She felt the color drain from her face.

"Marinette~!" Its voice was like it was computer generated. The eyes moved and their owner started to crawl out of it's hiding spot.

What came out was a doll-like head. Like something out that wildly popular game about killer toys. When she had seen it, the color that had entered her brain was a big, fat Red. The creature was mostly red. Its head was large and had bright red cheeks on it like those from a doll. Its hair was red plated in a short bob like a haircut. Something that reminded her of a certain redhead. In it was a headband that also looked familiar. Their eyes were pitch black, save for the red dots that floated in their center. Its mouth was like that of a puppet. The lines on the sides that ran from the edge of the mouth to the chin were there. Its lips were even decorated red and its teeth had red spots in it. Along with sharp fangs. Its skin was hard steel that violently contrasted with the red stains that were on it.

When the rest of it emerged, she saw that it had a feminine body. It was tall and slender but had curves. It's chest and legs were a purple metallic color and she could see that its joints were like that of a mannequin. The kind used to pose for references. Where her legs met, there was a block of red that looked suspiciously like shorts. Her torso was that same purple and red, just in a diamond pattern. Her chest was the creepiest of it all. In the middle of it was another face. This time it looked like there was someone who had tried to push themselves out but created a face print on the surface. The face looked like it was crying out in agony. It had a large black star on its forehead.

The metal monster brought its appendage out into the light and she saw that its arms were long and slender. But the frightful thing about them was the fresh liquid dripping from it. A cloud in the sky rolled past and revealed the moon once more and she saw behind the creature was a fairly fresh corpse. It was a male with black hair and his head was turned so that he was staring right at her. His eyes were wide and had a look of horror on them. He looked familiar if she was being honest. Her mind flashed back to the moment in the alleyway with Timcanpy. It was him! The alcoholic! She gasped at the sight and slapped her hands over her mouth. Her body shook in fear and that seemed to make the sick creature laugh.

"I've been waiting for some time for this moment, Marinette~!" it sang. Its tone was sick and made her spine crawl. "Now to see you here! Shaking in fear, it's…it's…absolutely delicious." it punctuated that with a lick of its lips. Its tongue was pink but had a metal tip at its end.

"W-What do you want from me?!"

It made a disgusting moan of pleasure at the sound of her trembling voice. "Oh~! Master Earl has given me permission to do anything I want with you. All I need to do is take the Innocence from you."

"Wh—What?!" Wait…the Earl? Is this another one of Hawkmoth's Akumas? But what does it—she mean by innocence?! I don't have Innocence!

"So be a good girl and hand it here!" it roared and leaped at her.

Thanking her quick reflexes, she dodged out the way and ran out of the alleyway to the street. Not bothering to look back at the crash that it made, Marinette ran as if her life depended on it. She could hear the furious tapping and clanking coming from behind her, but she knew that if she looked back it would all be over. She quickly turned down another street as she heard an angry roar behind her. The sound of metal on concrete assaulted her ears. It was drawn out for far too long when another crash was heard. The temptation to look back was there, but she knew better. Rain began to fall during her run. It seems that she had been right about the storm.

As she ran, her luck screwed her over again. She heard a sound of metal being shot through the air and her body decided to trip. It was another blessing in disguise as she saw that there was a wet metal chain sticking in the ground in front of her. The sound of furious tapping came upon her and she turned back to finally see it. She saw the monster on all four legs with its mouth open and tongue out. From it was a long wet chain from where she assumed the metal bit came from. It seemed to cry out in happiness at the sight of her. It lifted it's arm up in the air as if to bring it down on her.

Suddenly a large golden ball rammed into the beast. It sent the red monster into the wall near her. She recognized it as Timcanpy. The urgency of the situation made her not think about how he had grown so quickly. Marinette turned around and scrambled to her feet. Her heart pounded in between her ears as she watched Tim hold the monster down.

"Marinette! You have to transform!" Tikki urged.

"R-Right!" her body was trembling. "Tikki T—" suddenly, the monster vanished. Right underneath Timcanpy. It just faded away. Yet, Tim was still shown to be on something. The situation seemed to confused Timcanpy as evident by the question mark on his large face. There was a loud cutting sound in the air and she saw Tim still.

The golden snitch suddenly fell apart. Two halves slide away from each other. Out of fear, Marinette shrieked. There was a furious tapping sound that grew close to her position.

"Move!" Tikki yelled.

Marinette swiftly slid away as something broke the ground where she had been. Time to run! The heroine turned and ran as fast as she could. There were more crashes behind her. She came upon a fork in the road. One was brightly lit with white cloth stringing itself like independence decorations. That road was brightly lit and that meant people. I don't want to draw this thing to a crowd! The other was had a darker atmosphere. No lights. The road was cracked. It made her hesitate. A cry behind her forced her down the darker path.

Along the way, she barely noticed the broken Christmas lights around her. There was another sound of metal flying through the air and this time it got her. Something wet curled around her right thigh. She glanced down and saw that it was a wet chain with that bit at the end of it. She reached down to try and pry it off, yet it tugged on her and found herself being swept off her feet. Her head hit the concrete hard. She felt the burn of pebbles scrapping against her forehead. Her watering eyes glanced over and saw the beast across the way. Tikki tugged on the chain to help. But it was all in vain. The chain dragged her across the wet floor. Her eyes shot up to the monster that had trapped her.

"Now~! Let's have some fun~!" Marinette courageously glared up at it. She would give this monster no satisfaction.

The monster frowned at her obvious rejection. The wet chain curled up her leg and around her torso. She could feel it squeeze the air from her. By some feat of fate, it lifted her off the ground and suspended her in the air. Her eyes connected to the monster's beading red ones before her back was slammed into a brick wall. Her spine trembled from the impact and she gasped in pain. The impact had given her another hit to her head and she felt like the world was spinning. She could hear her heart pound in her head. She could also hear the thing laughing harshly at her.

"How boring~! And here I thought I would be amused. Turns out you're just like the other pitiful humans." She was silent as the spiderlike creature crept towards her. "Oi! This is the part where you beg for mercy!"

"Go to hell." She bit back and it roared in laughter.

It brought one appendage up and stabbed it into her left shoulder, pinning her to the wall. She cried out in pain. On instinct, her hands rose up and wrapped around the knife-like appendage. The blade arm didn't go all the way through, so there was her absent luck. Not that it did her any good now. The chain slithered off her frame and back into the monster's mouth. She looked up and saw it licking its lips with a girlish giggle. It brought another arm up and tapped her earring. She glared up at the beast and watched it grin at her.

"Maybe I'll keep you alive just long enough until I've had my fill!"

Unknown to them, her earrings started to glow red. The light attracted the monster's focus. It hummed before grinning again. However, before it could talk. Its arm was shocked by the red light. Quick as lightning, it jumped back and left her there. Her body fell to the ground. She quickly placed her bleeding hand over the wound. The light seemed to have corroded the tip of the monster's arm. The thing hissed before glaring at her.

"You little—!" Tikki flew from her jacket and right into the Monster's face. She watched as it swat at the bug. I need to go. Her other hand rose up and she tried to push herself from the wall. Yet the dirty surface and rocky texture burned her cut palm.

Marinette uselessly fell back down. She watched as Tikki zoomed around before it finally landed a hit on her. The sprite flew back and into her hand. "Tikki!" She cried.

The angered beast growled and lunged at them. It rose its arm above her head. She watched as it gleamed in the moonlight. Her hand curled Tikki close as an effort to protect her.

This was it. This was how she goes. By an unknown beast in the streets of Paris. If she had just stayed home, then this whole mess wouldn't have happened. I never got to tell Adrien that I love him. I never got to fulfill my lifelong dream. Regret filled her heart. Chat…he'll be so crushed to hear that I've been killed. Even more so if he finds out that it was not only Marinette who died, but Ladybug as well. I'm gonna miss that dumb cat. With all his puns and lame flirtations. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the final blow.

I'm sorry.

Suddenly, she heard the clash of metal hitting metal. She opened her eyes and saw that there was a white cloth fluttering in front of her eyes. She heard the beast hiss in anger in front of her. "Damned Exorcist!" Exorcist!? Could it be?

"Allen?" she mumbled underneath her breath.

"It ends here Akuma." his tone was harsh and firm.

It cackled before the sound seemed to fade. Marinette glanced over and saw it falling into the ground. Something black had opened from underneath it. "Next time!" it hissed.

"Get back here!" Allen yelled out and jumped forward. She heard metal hit the rough ground as the laughter was finally gone. From the light swore underneath Allen's breath, she guessed that he was unsuccessful.

The exorcist turned her way and she involuntarily gasped. Hovering over his eye was two cogs. One was large and had a red film over the center. The other was small and seemed to work with the bigger one. Under the film, she could see that his eye was black with red rings around the center. Like a target of some kind. In an instant, it vanished. He seemed to have taken in her state and rushed to her side. He placed his hand on her only good shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She held back a sarcastic whip and just shook her head no. He scrunched his face up in worry and glanced over his shoulder to where the "Akuma" had been before looking back at her. "Is there a hospital around here?"

She violently shook her head no. "N-No! No hospital!" He rose an eyebrow at her and she continued her sentence. "T-Take me home."

He shook his head. "No way, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Your mother would have a fit. Let's take you to someone who can help."

She was going to argue until she felt her wound give her sharp pain. "Alright. I'll show you where it is." she weakly spoke. She pointed off into the distance and he sighed. He slipped his other hand—claw—underneath her legs and picked her up. He looked back once more to see where the beast had left before departing.

Marinette gazed up at the crying sky and found that she had her own rain running her cheeks. Now safe, she let relief wash over her, but there was a prickle of fear still inside of her. She needed answers. Was that thing really an Akuma? And most of all, Why was it after her? It implied that she may have Innocence, but she did not have such power. Only the exorcists did…right?

I told you I'd even up the pain/torment soon.

I know Tikki feels a bit OOC here. But, this is just how I think they would interact in an argument. We've never seen them argue (maybe disagree). Tikki has a sort of "higher-than-thou" stance in those disagreements that we see, I hoped I displayed it well enough here. Especially the emotional whiplash that usually comes after. It borders to be...confusingly manipulative.

Anyway, that it for this month~! See you in May.

Ciao-su~!