13. Shutdown

Alya tapped the end of her pen against her chin pensively. She sighed to herself, rubbing her tired eyes. She had been lying in the dark for a while, with nothing but the bright blue light of her laptop to keep her company. She laid on her bed, scrolling idly down her Ladyblog, only half reading the posts on it.

Her siblings had long since gone to bed, but she couldn't for the life of her get to sleep despite the soothing pitter patter of the rain. The day's events still swirled incessantly in her head. As hard as she tried, she still found herself unable to wrap her head around some of the details yet.

To name a few: Adrien, sick and hurt, somehow managing to escape the school before it was destroyed by the dragon Akuma; Alya still flabbergasted that she had nailed its weakness from watching amateur videos of the attack at the park over and over; Chat Noir narrowly escaping certain death thanks to a last-minute save from Tom Dupain; Adrien going missing; Nino and Alya helping Nathalie look for him with no results; Nino freaking out, to the point of having a breakdown...

The image of his tired, tear-filled eyes had been stuck in her head since he had dropped her off earlier; she couldn't make it go away.

Sure, she was worried sick for Adrien too, but Nino was a whole different story. Nino blamed himself endlessly for never noticing Adrien's dire state and not helping him out, no matter how much Alya tried to reassure him that no one could've known. He kept beating himself up, describing himself with harsh expletives and moping over his negligence. In the end, she let him grieve in his own way, even though it tore at her heart to see him so heartbroken.

She understood where he was coming from. Nino had told her that before she arrived at Françoise-Dupont, he wasn't the easiest person to approach and thus had no real friends. Adrien had been his first. Finally, someone he could call a best bud… Losing Adrien like this, the first person he had ever considered close to a brother, was world-shattering. It had been the same way with Alya and Marinette.

But there was something that Alya simply couldn't shake off about Adrien. Something suspicious. She hadn't mentioned it to Nino - he was distraught as it was - but she had noticed that something had been going on with him the past few weeks. His mounting illness, his sudden exhaustion and - dare she say it? - his growing depression...?

She realized that it all coincided not just with Marinette's accident, but with Ladybug's death as well.

Had Adrien been friends with Ladybug?

She wouldn't have been surprised, considering his social status; he was in a position to get to know some of the most influential people in Paris. She had entertained the thought with mild interest the past few days, but didn't give it much weight until that morning. That morning something else had caught her eye, something that made an idea click and a tingle to rise on the back of her neck.

Sure, the burn on his back was peculiar, but the scar on his arm was what really got her. The pattern was not normal. It almost seemed like something like electricity mixed with fire had singed the skin, and curiously, the scar seemed to branch out exactly from the ring around his finger, as if it had originated from it. What had happened to give him such a curious mark?

And didn't the ring look a tad familiar?

It nagged at her with insistence and she grit her teeth in frustration.

And if that hadn't been enough, the sadness in Adrien's eyes threw up another red flag. There was so much desolation, so much loss. They held the kind of loneliness you'd find in someone who had just lost a part of himself. And recently, she had only seen such a look on one other person...

Could it be that Adrien was—

Tap, tap.

Alya jumped at the sound and turned to the window. It was late into the night and it was hard to see out through the thick sheets of dark rain. She wondered if perhaps a bird or critter had bumped into her window?

Tap, tap.

No, that seemed too deliberate. Setting her laptop aside, Alya stood from the bed and walked to the window, curiously peering through the glass. Finally she saw it, something dark coming up the lower edge of the window and rapping on the glass.

It looked like a hand.

A hand? On the second floor?

Alarmed, Alya jerked the window open, turning her head against the rain and wind. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness outside and she gasped.

In front of her window, hanging precariously from his extended staff, one arm bandaged against his chest and the other holding onto his baton for dear life while his legs wrapped tightly around the metal, was a soaking wet Chat Noir.

"Chat Noir?!"

"M-May I c-c-come in?" He croaked, his teeth chattering against the cold and glowing green eyes squinted against the rain.

"What? Oh! O-Of course," Alya said, tripping over her words as she reached forward to grab him and help him in through the window. He struggled terribly, grunting under his breath; every little move seemed to pain him. Wrapping her fingers around the back part of his belt, Alya pulled until Chat Noir slithered through the window and slid onto the floor of her room on all fours, breathing hard.

He shivered, unable to stop himself from shrinking into a ball to keep what little body heat he had left, wet hair plastered to his face and water dripping all over the floor. Alya quickly tugged the bedspread from her bed, easing it around Chat's trembling frame.

"T-Thank you…" he whispered through quivering lips, hand going out to tug the bedspread tighter around himself.

"Are you okay?" Alya said, kneeling at his side and rubbing his back.

"I've b-been b-better…" he wheezed, trying but failing to show her a small smile.

"What happened? What's wrong with your arm?" Alya asked him as she watched him reposition himself so his bandaged arm would not be upset, wrapping the comforter closer to his body with his good arm. With every tiny move he made, he grit his teeth and his eyes squeezed shut.

"D-dislocated it, but it'll be fine, never m-mind it…" his nose scrunched suddenly and he sneezed, covering his face with the back of his arm. He sniffled miserably and sighed.

"À tes souhaits. You don't sound so good. Do you need anything?" she offered.

Chat shook his head vehemently, "No t-time, I n-need your help…"

"Help? With what?" Alya's eyebrow perked up in curiosity.

"You f-figured it out," he coughed, tired eyes barely focused on her, "Y-you figured out his weakpoint. I need to f-find him… Can you h-help me find the Ak-kuma?"

"I could try but..." Alya looked him over with her eyebrow still raised. He was shivering fiercely, his face was pasty white, and he looked so sick it seemed he could pass out at any moment, "Are you sure you should take him on? You seem kind of..." Unable to find the right words, she simply gestured to where he lay in a shivering heap.

"A-Alya, it doesn't matter, please," He begged, grabbing her hand with trembling fingers, "I n-need your help, I c-can't do this without you. You're the b-best reporter I know…"

Alya blushed, feeling the thrums of pride rising in her chest, "Well, thank you."

"So, c-can you help me? Can you track down the Akuma?" Chat asked her, withdrawing his hand so he could once again wrap the comforter around him.

"Well, I could try making a map out of the reports. There have been some sightings…" She said, tapping her chin with a finger in thought and standing up to get her laptop.

"That would b-be g-great," Chat said hoarsely. He coughed and huddled into a ball, eyes blinking slowly. Alya watched him in concern, biting her lower lip. He looked so exhausted.

"Would you like to lay down on the bed a bit?" Alya offered, picking her laptop off the mattress.

"I-I don't want to g-get it wet. I'm fine h-here, honest," Chat whispered with a weak smile. "Don't worry about m-me."

"How do you not want me to worry about you? You nearly choked to death back in that fire and now you are practically coughing up a lung."

"Alya..."

She sighed in defeat, rolling her eyes. "Alright, if you insist… This will take a bit so sit tight."

She settled on her desk and pulled open her laptop. She scrolled through the reports on the Ladyblog, silently reading all of the latest posts, scouring every description meticulously and then jotting down the location of the sightings on a notebook.

Chat remained quiet, letting her work, and they fell into companionable silence, with the occasional bout of coughing here and there. She continued scrolling and clicking without pause, searching for coordinates and pulling up maps on her browser.

A few minutes passed and she heard shuffling. Turning her head, she found Chat had gone completely horizontal, head lying on the floor, his legs pulled to his chest, and completely wrapped in the comforter. His eyes had closed and he breathed with so much difficulty her concern for him grew again.

"Chat Noir?" Alya called softly. He didn't respond. He seemed to be completely out of it, face sunken into the comforter and shivering.

Her heart clenching, Alya stood up from the desk, notebook and laptop under her arm, and took a pillow from her bed. She walked towards him, silently seating herself beside him on the floor. Laying her laptop and notebook to the side, she gently propped his head up and laid the pillow underneath him, carefully laying him back on the plush surface.

He didn't react or stir, but she noticed his skin felt warm against her fingers. Hot, even. Clearly, he was in the middle of a fever that had not broken, and Alya clicked her tongue in disapproval. Despite her worry, however, he looked so tired that she didn't have the heart to wake him. She could tell that he definitely needed the rest.

She propped herself against the wall instead, laying her laptop on her crossed legs and continuing her work, occasionally stealing glances at him.

After a long while, she yawned and looked at the time on her phone. It was nearly 2 in the morning, and the rain hadn't let up, pattering hard against the window. She had spent close to an hour on her research, and just as she jotted down the last location, Chat shifted again, huffing as he tried to find a comfortable position for his head on the pillow. He rubbed his face unconsciously against the surface with a moan, messing up his hair in the process.

Alya looked long and hard at him and his now disheveled hair. An eerie sense of familiarity overtook her again and she paused her work, staring. Curiosity soon got the best of her, and she reached out with a hand, her fingers softly brushing on his bangs, tussling them and parting them until they resembled the familiar hairdo of one particular classmate of hers…

Could he be…?

He mumbled suddenly, eyes opening up a crack, and she quickly withdrew her hand, propping her laptop on her legs and pretending to have been working. He didn't seem to have noticed however, and looked around him in confusion.

"...Alya?" He asked groggily, "Did I fall asleep?" She hummed a vague affirmation. "How long was I out?"

"An hour, more or less." Alya said.

"An hour!?" he screeched, and he brusquely made to stand up, though he didn't quite make it. He immediately cried out, doubling over to hold his middle, eyes squeezed shut against the pain.

"Woah! Are you okay?" Alya set the laptop aside, moving to his side. He didn't answer immediately, slightly rocking himself back and forth and holding his stomach. It looked like whatever pain he was dealing with was excruciating.

"I-I need to get this over with…" he wheezed, but Alya could hear the faintest hint of a whimper in his voice. "Please tell me you found something…" he turned to her with glassy eyes, pupils completely dilated and nearly filling the green iris with black.

"I-I, yes… I think, but are you sure you want to do this?" She said. He was in such a bad shape. She was half tempted to take it back and pretend her investigation had lead to nothing but dead ends.

"If I don't finish it right now, I won't be able to do it later," Chat insisted. He then hesitated, turning away from her as if ashamed. "I...I don't think I'll be able to fight again for a while. This is my last chance…"

The way he said it, in such a finalizing, deadpan tone sent Alya's heart plummeting to her stomach. He sounded so distraught, so…defeated. She could tell that he had struggled to admit that maybe he was not fit for fighting anymore. He was beyond hurt, and not just physically.

Alya assumed that he must be feeling ashamed that he couldn't keep up like he usually could when Ladybug was around. But how could he blame himself? He had no purifying powers, he was doing what he could with what he had... No one could hold it against him. He was trying so hard.

"Chat, I…"

"Please tell me where he is, Alya…" He practically begged, looking back at her with glassy eyes, "Please…"

Alya bit her lower lip, but after a brief moment of consideration, she conceded. "La Petite Ceinture…"

Chat raised his eyebrow. "The old railway?" he asked, surprise evident in his tone.

"I traced a route using all the points where he was sighted. He must heal really slowly because he was easy to spot flying around for several hours, apparently. His camouflage must have not reformed yet. The sightings end somewhere along the old railway, so I'm assuming he's hiding in the tunnels there. It's the perfect cover from the rain."

Chat Noir nodded and hummed in thought. After a few moments of contemplation, he shrugged off the comforter and attempted to stand up. However, his condition was such that he had barely made it halfway up before his legs trembled and gave out from under him. Alya barely managed to shoot up in time to catch him before he hit the ground again.

He grunted in discomfort as she surrounded his torso with her arms, holding him aloft. He breathed tiredly against her shoulder, using his good arm to hold on to her.

"I'm sorry, I just…" He started softly.

"Hey, don't apologize, it's okay," Alya said amicably, putting his good arm around her shoulders and walking him to the bed, "You've been through a lot today…"

She sat him down gently, seating herself down beside him and softly rubbing his back with a hand. He sighed deeply, caressing his injured shoulder.

"You still sure you wanna do this?" She asked him again.

"P-Positive."

She sighed and stood up to retrieve her notebook from the floor.

"Here's the map I made," Alya said, showing him the notes on her notebook and pointing at different red marks on a hand drawn map, "The sightings stop close to La Fleche d'Or Café, which used to be the old Gare de Charonne station. I guess he's hiding somewhere around there."

"Thank you, Alya," Chat said, managing to flash her a small smile as he memorized the details in the map, "I knew you'd figure it out. You're amazing at this."

"Oh stop, it's nothing," Alya said, sitting beside him again, but he could see a faint blush on her cheeks. She chuckled suddenly, "Gosh, this is embarrassing…"

"What is?" Chat asked, slightly tilting his head in confusion.

Alya breathed in deeply.

"You know, I always wanted to be able to help you guys," Alya said, looking forlornly at the wall beside her bed. Chat followed her gaze and realized she was looking at a poster of both Ladybug and himself that she had taped to the wall. The way she looked at it longingly caused his heart to clench and a wave of nostalgia to course through him.

Seeing Ladybug's smiling face on the paper, looking at him with her trademark confident smirk and her eyebrow playfully quirked, only made his heart ache for her more than it already did. He could almost hear her voice echoing in his head, calling him by her pet name for him - Chaton - and chastising him for getting so sentimental.

"Ever since that day with Stoneheart, when you guys saved me and then asked me to help out… It felt great," Alya continued softly, "I couldn't be a hero like you guys, but I could help in my own way. That's why I created the Ladyblog. It's my pride and joy…"

Chat smiled warmly as Alya bared her feelings, resting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Ladybug was deeply grateful for your work, Alya." Chat said softly, "She was always thankful that she had you. You ar-" Chat hesitated at his slip up, and quickly mended it, "-were like a close friend to her. She was always fond of you. As am I. I'm really grateful for all your help. I wouldn't be able to do this without you."

She smiled and lowered her eyes to the ground, flustered. A moment later, her brows knitted into a frown as gears seemed to move in her head.

"Chat Noir?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I know Ladybug outside the costume?" She turned to him, her inquisitive eyes digging into his, "Do I know you?" She made special emphasis in the last word, leaning closer to him.

Chat's eyes widened and he pulled away. He could not betray Marinette's secret, but his…? He knew now in his heart that he couldn't tell her. He had certainly considered it, and had even been close to saying it before but now that he knew Dragonfire had it in for him and was purposefully chasing him, he couldn't risk putting Alya in danger.

If tonight didn't end well for him, he didn't want Alya to suffer the consequences. He knew she was hard-headed enough to want to help him with or without the costume and he couldn't do this to her. No matter how much he needed her, he just couldn't. He would never forgive himself.

"Alya, I can't…" he began. "I'm sorry, but… I can't tell you, neither hers, nor mine."

Alya sighed deeply, turning away from him. "I understand… but, could you at least tell me this? Did you know who she was? There was a rumor running around that not even you two knew…" She looked back at him meaningfully.

"It's true." Chat confessed, looking away, "She wanted it that way, to keep each other safe, and I respected her decision. I only found out who she was when she…" Chat cut off, head lowering and eyes lingering on the floor.

"I'm sorry…" Alya said softly, "Did she get a proper funeral? I just want to know if she…" she hesitated, trying to keep her voice level, "...She was given the respect she deserved."

Chat felt terrible lying about what actually happened, but he had to protect Marinette's identity, even from her best friend, "She did. She was shown that she was very loved by everyone around her."

"I'm glad to hear that," Alya said, and Chat could've sworn her voice quivered a bit. He took that as his cue to cut the conversation short. Time was of the essence and his was running out. He could almost feel a clock ticking away in his body, and he knew he wouldn't be able to walk for much longer. He had to end this. He took a long breath and let it out.

"She always cared about you, Alya," Chat said as he slowly stood up from the bed, "That's why she hid it from you and everyone. That's all we both ever wanted. To protect you and everyone around us."

"Hey, where are you going?" Alya asked as Chat made his way shakily to the window, taking out his baton.

"Hopefully, by morning, this will all be over," Chat said, turning around briefly to flash her a confident smile.

But Alya knew right away that he felt anything but confidence.

She could see it in his eyes, flooding the green. Fear. Helplessness. He was scared. And so was she. The way Chat kept speaking with such finality sent a cold shiver through her body and she could feel the beginnings of panic rising in her chest.

"Chat, hang on, we need a plan!" Alya said, standing up to follow him, but he was already halfway out the window.

"We? No. It's just me. You've done enough for me and I'm really grateful," Chat said elongating his baton and preparing to vault as he crouched on the windowsill. He turned to smile placidly at her. "But I can't risk putting you in any more danger than I already have." He gave her a weak salute. "Thank you for everything, Alya."

"Chat Noir, wait!"

Before her hand could wrap around his wrist to stop him, he leapt and vaulted away into the darkness of night. She groaned in frustration as she watched his outline disappear in the rain.

How he was even managing to move like that in such a bad state and with only one functional arm was anyone's guess but she figured the boy was running on the power of stupidity alone, which in an on itself was a force to be reckoned with.

Because if he thought he could shake Alya off his tail now that she had seen how helpless he was, he was going to be proven severely wrong.

Two could play the Reckless Stubbornness game.

Alya swiftly grabbed her phone off the floor and dialed a familiar public number.

"Are you sure?" Tom asked her.

"Why else would Chat Noir have this, Tom?" Sabine said stubbornly, showing him Marinette's bracelet, "The last person we saw it on was Adrien and… god, he looked so sick when he was here..."

Tom gave a pensive hum. After Chat Noir had jumped off, Sabine was left a fretful mess, turning to Tom to reveal her discovery with wide eyes.

"And during the attack on the park… Adrien disappeared but Chat Noir appeared right after and he was looking for us specifically and he knew our names, and it makes so much sense, oh my goodness…!" Sabine continued, getting more fretful as she continued to make connections between the two boys.

Although initially Tom chalked it up to a coincidence, he had to admit he had suspected it too. With the way Chat talked it sounded so Adrien-like it was almost uncanny. There were too many similarities between the two to be mere coincidence, now that he considered it. Sabine had a point as well.

Both Adrien and Chat Noir had been terribly sick when they last saw them, both afflicted by a fever. Marinette's Lucky Charm had just been the icing on the cake. Because why would Chat Noir have it when it had been given to Adrien?

And Adrien mysteriously going missing at the same time as Chat Noir passed out at their home?

It all added up.

"We have to find him," Sabine said urgently, walking to the closet beside the living room door and getting out her bright red raincoat.

"But how will we find him? It's raining cats and dogs outside-" Tom said, then cringed when he saw the look of disapproval Sabine shot him at his wording.

"Sorry…"

"He stands no chance out there, Tom," Sabine said, grabbing his raincoat and handing it to him, "There's no way he can fight in his condition, he's going to get himself killed! We have to find him before he finds the Akuma!"

"Sabine-"

"Tom, if something happens to him…" Sabine's voice cracked, and her eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked pleadingly at him, "I won't forgive myself. I can't… He saved our Marinette. It was him, Tom. My baby is alive because of him..." she said, covering her mouth with a hand as the weight of her words sunk in.

Tom's willpower fell. Seeing his wife so afflicted for Adrien's well being, her petite frame trembling with her contained sadness, completely destroyed his conviction. Besides, she was right. Adrien had saved Marinette. If not for him, Marinette would've….

"Shhh, we'll find him," Tom said soothingly, taking her into his large arms and rubbing her back. "We'll use the delivery truck to look for him."

"Where will we start?" Sabine asked him, sniffling against his chest.

Tom put a hand on his chin pensively, then clicked his fingers, "Alya's blog."

"The Ladyblog?"

"If Chat Noir is looking for the Akuma, he's bound to check her website for reports, right? I mean unless he has some kind of… Akuma-finding sixth sense, the blog is our best bet. Let's just follow the breadcrumbs. Someone is bound to have seen a huge dragon."

Sabine gave him a hopeful smile, "That's a brilliant idea!"

"Well, let's get going, then. We have a stray kitty to find."

He had only managed to vault away a couple of times before exhaustion made him take to the streets. He knew he wasn't too far away. He was nearing the 20th arrondissement, where the café was located, and he could already see the railway extending across the streets.

He limped down the waterlogged streets, using his baton as a walking staff as he lowered his head against the rain.

He was so cold and exhausted, his injured arm was aching and sore from his shoulder joint. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and curl into a ball, but he knew that if he didn't end this now, he wouldn't be able to do it later.

The medication and food the Dupain-Chengs had provided had given him a boost, but his energy was quickly depleting again and his fever was on the rise. His body was so ready to shut down. He was running on willpower alone.

He continued trudging through sheets upon sheets of cold October rain, staying out of the range of the streetlamps' light to avoid being seen. Thunder rolled across the sky and he jumped with the sudden thunderclap. Chat didn't think he'd ever be able to feel comfortable with thunder from now on. Every crack sounded like a roar, and his body would involuntarily tense up in anticipation of more pain.

He knew then that thunderstorms and rain would never be soothing for him again.

He walked down several blocks, his breath condensing into a white smoke-like plume in front of him. His legs and arms felt numb, paralyzed by the cold. He weakly raised his head and was relieved to make out the dark outline of the café close by.

Railways extended far underneath the venue, disappearing into a dark tunnel on the other side. The tunnel Dragonfire was surely hiding in.

However, the railway was mostly closed off. He'd either have to find a way in or make his own way in.

Where the old station used to be, he found a dilapidated staircase leading down to the tracks. The stairway had long since been boarded up with thick wiring to prevent the average passersby from getting onto the tracks, but he was hardly the average passerby.

Elongating his baton, Chat stuck it between the wiring and the edge of the entrance and pushed. It took a few tries but the wiring finally gave in and the rusty gate clattered to the ground strepitously, the sound echoing in the abandoned tunnels.

He walked cautiously into the railways, looking down both sides across graffiti-filled stone walls, his baton at the ready on his working hand. Taking a deep breath, Chat planted his feet on the gravel in front of the cavernous tunnel and steeled himself to whatever consequence his actions were going to bring.

"Dragonfire!" Chat called, his voice echoing through the dilapidated railway. "Come out, coward!"

Silence. Only the sound of the raindrops hitting the gravel and metal met his command.

"I know you're there!" he continued taunting. He was shivering, from both cold and fear, but he couldn't move. He had come this far and he would finish this. His stomach however, churned uncomfortably. What if he had been wrong? What if Alya's analysis had been inaccurate?

He was about to walk back the way he came, to at least have some cover from the rain, before he heard some rumbling behind him.

"FULL OF BRAVERY, OR JUST STUPIDITY? YOU MUST POSSESS ONE OR THE OTHER IN ORDER TO COME HERE..."

Chat swiveled on his feet, holding up his baton defensively with a gasp. Beyond the sheet of rain, within the darkness of the tunnel before him, a pair of gigantic, fuchsia eyes stared back at him.

Alya, two. Dragon, zero.

"I came to end this!" Chat said, his voice sounding more confident that what he really felt. His legs had begun to shake, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Damn Dragonfire and that voice which always seemed to reduce him to a whimpering pile of gooseflesh.

"END THIS? SEEMS TO ME YOU ARE ENDING NO ONE BUT YOURSELF." Dragonfire chuckled, his eyes narrowing as it seemed to catch Chat's useless arm in the sling. "COME HERE AND I'LL GLADLY HELP YOU SPEED UP THE PROCESS!"

"Why go there when you could come here? Or what? Is the little dragon afraid of some water?" Chat taunted. He had the distinct feeling he was just digging his grave deeper.

Dragonfire chuckled dryly. "YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU AND YOUR STUPID LITTLE FRIEND FIGURED OUT IT CHANGES ANYTHING?!"

Chat gulped, bracing against the effect Dragonfire's booming voice had on him.

"IT CHANGES NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL!"

It came without warning. Out of the tunnel a big mass of magenta and orange came hurtling at him with a deafening roar, fangs bared and tongue on fire. Chat barely managed to jump away in time before the humongous creature flew past him and into the cover of the tunnel underneath the café behind him. He heard the distinct sound of sizzling skin and scraping gravel, and he stood up to turn around and face Dragonfire again.

Bright, slitted eyes stared at him with hate, a low growl emanating from the darkness of the tunnel. A snout lined with razor sharp fangs opened a sliver, giving out a meager glow in the dark. Chat could see the glow bouncing off bright teal claws that scraped the ground as Dragonfire paced, considering his next move.

Chat knew Dragonfire couldn't use fire against him. He had seen it on the video. If his skin got wet, he couldn't produce fire. So all he had at his disposal was physical attacks, but to attack him, he'd have to come into the rain, which would hurt him. Chat was also smaller and his suit blended with the night, so that made him hard to spot in the dark… or so he hoped.

For all intents and purposes, Chat held the advantage, and under normal circumstances, he'd stand a fighting chance. But these were not normal circumstances. He was deeply injured and sick, and even the simple act of remaining standing took a toll on him. He had to finish this fast. But how? He knew Dragonfire's akuma was in an anklet tied around one of his back legs so if only he could get behind him…

Dragonfire lunged again, and Chat avoided him with a yelp. However, he hadn't counted with Dragonfire swishing his tail to the side at the last minute. It caught Chat around the middle and he was slammed against the wall, falling back to the ground with a pained grunt.

And just like that, the battle quickly took a turn for the worse.

Ignoring the burning of his skin from the rain, Dragonfire made a full turn and lunged back at him, but Chat didn't manage to get up in time. Dragonfire slammed his head against him, knocking the air out of him, and with a loud roar, swung his head and sent Chat flying through the air. He fell back on the ground with a painful crack, skidding through the gravel until he stopped in a heap.

Chat hissed loudly in pain, tears building in his eyes. He held his arm as he gingerly tried to get up before he was attacked again, but as his eyes took in his surroundings, his stomach bottomed out when he realized where he was.

Dragonfire had pushed him into the tunnel beneath the venue. Away from the rain. Away from his only advantage.

He couldn't run away in time.

Dragonfire slinked into the tunnel, quickly slamming a giant paw on Chat and pinning him back on the ground before he could move again. Chat cried out as his sling was ripped away and his injured arm sprawled out, sending jolts of pain coursing through his body. Two giant claws rested at either side of his face, cold and sharp to the touch. Dragonfire's skin sizzled and smoked, patches of bright red marring the shiny magenta scales where the water had burnt him.

"AW, DOES YOUR ARM HURT, KITTY CAT?" Dragonfire taunted, smiling a sadistic grin lined with sharp fangs, "MAYBE I CAN HELP?"

"No, no… please, no…" Chat begged as he saw Dragonfire lean down, his snout getting terribly close to his injured arm.

"WHERE IS YOUR BRAVADO NOW, CHAT NOIR?" Dragonfire sneered, opening his maw mere inches away from Chat's arm.

"Please, stop!" Chat cried.

"YOU KNOW JUST WHAT WILL MAKE THIS STOP…"

"No-!"

"HAVE IT YOUR WAY."

Dragonfire bit down hard on Chat's arm, causing him to scream out in pain, his arm exploding in fiery agony. White spots flashed in Chat's eyes as the tears came, his other hand coming up to claw at the dragon's paw to get him off, but his attempts were futile. Chat began to beg for him to stop, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Dragonfire merely bit harder and chuckled against his skin in sick delight.

As if the bite hadn't been enough, Dragonfire suddenly lifted him from his arm and slung Chat over his head, body arching in the air. Chat crashed against opposite wall of the tunnel, slumping into a heap on the ground while holding his abused arm to himself, tears running down his eyes in rivers as shock after shock of pain seared his nerves from his shoulder joint.

Although his suit was powerful enough that Dragonfire's fangs had not pierced it, he felt the pressure of the punctures and the fire from his throat on every inch of his arm.

And god, it hurt so terribly. He was at his wits end. Dragonfire turned on him and Chat shook, huddling further into a ball, terror flooding his senses. He stood absolutely no chance against this Akuma. He had been so stupid to think so.

Or were you?

Chat startled, taken aback. That whisper. It sounded like it had come from him. A very angry him, very deep inside in his head...

You can beat him.

I can? He asked himself.

Something stirred within. Something electrifying, something powerful, and although he was confused he did not fight it. He was so terrified, he felt weak. He wouldn't be able to fight if he kept feeling that way…He wanted to feel powerful, strong...

Dragonfire kept approaching, walking tantalizingly slow towards him...

Help me… Chat whispered within his head, Help me, please…!

Chat felt further stirring within him, like a connection was trying to be made within him, like his soul was trying to touch this source of power within himself…

Please, please help… Chat begged.

Dragonfire smirked a cruel grin as he came upon him.

Please! I need you! Chat pleaded, squeezing his eyes shut.

….So be it.

A familiar feeling, one he had felt just once before, overtook him. A feeling of incredible power flowing through his veins. At first he was scared of it, of its aggressive energy, but then, he let it come, letting the crackling energy flow down every limb.

The pain in his broken arm went completely numb, adrenaline clinging to every cell in his bloodstream. His pupils turned to slits and his eyes narrowed as a fanged grin found its way to his mouth.

Chat Noir chuckled darkly and Dragonfire hesitated, taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor.

"An eye for an eye!" Chat cackled loudly before he leapt forward and clambered over Dragonfire's back. Before Dragonfire could do anything to stop him, Chat bit down on the red, sore, and unprotected skin over the shoulder blade of Dragonfire's wing, claws going in deep to pierce muscle and nerve in a burst of blood.

Dragonfire roared in anguish and flailed around to knock Chat off him, but he held on stubbornly, laughing against the mangled skin.

"Where's your bravado, Dragonfire!?" Chat taunted, jumping off Dragonfire's back as he attempted to flatten Chat against the wall. Dragonfire crashed against the brick, wood and rock raining down on him from the impact and further upsetting the new wound on his shoulder.

Dragonfire growled in rage, his right wing now lying useless on the ground as he stared down Chat, who crouched on his three working limbs with a derisive smile on his face in front of him.

"Now, we are even…" Chat chuckled dryly, his tail swishing aggressively behind him, and his ears pulled back.

Dragonfire roared at him and began to pace, and Chat followed in turn. They circled each other within the cover of the tunnel, their eyes never leaving each other, angry snarl meeting mocking smirk. As Dragonfire growled at him, calculating his next move, Chat's ears twitched, catching on strange sounds coming from within the noise of the rain. He glanced into the darkness in curiosity, though Dragonfire didn't seem to notice what Chat was looking at, his eyes focused on his prey.

"IF YOU THINK YOUR LITTLE STUNT WILL STOP ME-"

"Oh, no, it won't…" Chat chuckled suddenly, standing on two legs again, his expression taunting and triumphant. "But this will!"

Before the Akuma could decipher what he meant, Chat pressed himself flat to the wall of the tunnel just as an intense white light like a headlight suddenly shone on them both, blinding them. Blinking against the lights, Dragonfire failed to see the three well aimed torrents of water that suddenly came shooting from the light, crashing against him in a thunderous downpour and pushing him out of the tunnel from sheer force alone.

Dragonfire screeched in agony as water cascaded on his skin, firefighters suddenly materializing from the bright glow of the headlights and advancing on the huge dragon, their hoses up and shooting water at him relentlessly.

The dragon flapped his one working wing uselessly, but the water continued to scald him, his skin crackling and sizzling with the onslaught.

As the firefighters moved forward, trying to corner Dragonfire, Chat raised an arm, covering his eyes from the light and looking beyond. A large fire truck was parked on the streets above, several hoses trailing down from it to the railways. Several police cars and an ambulance were also there, cordoning off the area, their sirens and lights blaring now that their ambush was in progress.

Chat squinted through the rain and lights, catching all of the sudden activity. Several officers were manning the headlights they had brought down to the railways to blind the dragon, and there, standing beside Officer Rogers wearing a purple raincoat was Alya, recording the whole thing. Chat grinned to himself, shaking his head with a sigh.

Of course, it had to be her. Who else was that clever and stubborn? Only she would've been able to think this up.

In his heart, Chat made a mental note to thank her later.

But that'd have to wait. This was his chance. He moved forward with the firefighters watching as Dragonfire uselessly tried to fend them off, but between being blinded and attacked, there was little he could do. However, he was flailing too much, so if Chat tried to grab the akumatized object now, it was very likely he'd end up being stepped on.

He had to immobilize him first, and he smirked as he got just the idea to achieve it. Crouching, Chat broke into a sprint, then took a running leap at one of the graffiti-covered walls of the railways. Using his gathered momentum and speed, Chat bent his legs against the wall and bounced off, twisting in midair to deliver a flying kick to the side of Dragonfire's head.

It connected and the force of the kick slammed Dragonfire's head against the opposite wall, winding him and causing him to fall into the ground in a daze. As he lay recovering with a pained growl, Chat quickly moved to his legs and snatched the akumatized object from around his ankle.

"Show's over…" Chat growled, throwing the anklet on the ground. His voice then lowered to a whisper that only he could hear. "Now it's your turn…"

Chat shivered suddenly, shaking his head as the power within him receded and he got his bearings back together again. Weakness and pain settled back in and Chat groaned in discomfort. Momentarily disoriented, Chat quickly looked around and assessed the situation, though it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. Although his memory during his strange moment of adrenaline rush was hazy, he knew that Alya had brought the cavalry to assist him, and it had worked!

It was not going to be in vain. His eyes fell on the ground, where a golden anklet with a dragon-shaped charm lay bathed in a purple glow.

Eyes narrowing in hate, he didn't waste any time. Grabbing a large rock from the ground, Chat kneeled and slammed it hard against the anklet, cracking it in several pieces. A purple butterfly came fluttering out of the remains, and Chat quickly snatched it out of the air in one swipe, crushing it in his fingers.

Breathing hard, Chat looked back as a purple glow started to surround Dragonfire and the firefighters stopped their onslaught. He took this as his cue and stood up, running towards the opposite tunnel and disappearing into the darkness, Akuma in hand.

Chat panted, feeling the butterfly fluttering frantically within his fisted hand.

Behind him he could hear the sound of rippling scales as the Akuma devolved into their old human self. He didn't even bother to turn around, unwilling to look at the civilian who had unwittingly caused so much pain to both the city and him, but he could hear their surprised gasp as they took in the sights around them and the familiar, confused "Where am I?" that usually accompanied each purification.

He could tell it was a boy, probably around his age, but Chat didn't care. That wasn't important.

The true problem lay encased between his fingers, trying desperately to get free as the magic in his ring prevented it from phasing through as it normally would. Chat knew by now how the Butterflies worked when they were infused with Hawk Moth's power.

It didn't matter where their victims were, or if they tried to hide, they would get to them anyway. Earthly objects were no obstacle for them, and they melted through whatever material stood in their way with ease, much like ghosts searching for an object to haunt.

Which is how Chat knew he couldn't simply put them inside a bottle and wait till Marinette woke up to purify them. He had thought about it, shortly after he destroyed the first Akuma and he had asked Plagg and Tikki about it. But no, that would've been too easy, and nothing was ever easy when Hawk Moth, or in this case, ancient magic was involved. The laws of physics did not apply to sinister powers permeating corrupted insects.

Only Ladybug's magic, which was pure and benevolent, could drive away the awful magic and purify them.

Chat's magic on the other hand, destructive and rotten, could only absorb that which could make it stronger but to great personal cost on his mortal body...

So now he stood at a loss. If he let it go, it would multiply, and he would definitely not be able to stop this Akuma and its army if that happened. He had already learned that he stood no chance against them, not without his partner. On the other hand, he could destroy it again the way he had done the other. It had proven effective, but he had been warned not to do it ever again.

The first one had already done enough damage.

But what else could he do? Without Ladybug, whom he vehemently refused to replace, either option was grim and terrible. There was but one big, poignant difference between the two...

To sacrifice a whole city, or sacrifice a single person?

He swallowed painfully, feeling the cold sweat against his skin as the weight of the thought sunk in. The knot in his stomach tightened, sending cold chills down his body, the fingers that trapped the horrible creature shaking. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, borne from the sudden feeling of pure helplessness building in his chest.

There was no other choice, and deep in his heart, he knew this to be a undeniable truth. With a shaky breath, he swallowed the lump in his throat, and for a moment, allowed himself to think of something more pleasant.

Marinette, beautiful and kind, was the first thing that materialized in his mind. He recalled the moment they unwittingly met in their suits, crashing against him as she fell from the sky. He thought of that cloudy first day of school where he lent her his umbrella to shield her from the rain. He thought of every adventure, every Akuma they fought, every laugh they shared... He thought of every happy memory he had of Nino, of Alya, the Dupain-Chengs, his father, his mother...

...And with a resigned sigh, he smiled to himself as the answer to his question became clear.

"C-Cataclysm!"

He had no chance to brace.

His broken scream filled the air as his spine snapped straight and pulled his head back, mouth wide open in a hoarse cry. His legs locked up in shock, fisted hand firmly pressed against his chest as Cataclysm and the Akuma flared around his body like a terrible tongue of fire. He could feel every bit of him, from the tip of his fingers, to his innermost organs flaring up in white hot pain. Knives stabbed and slashed at his lungs and heart, sending his head reeling. Tears leaked from his eyes, his throat turning raw from the endless screaming.

He could feel his insides shutting down one by one, feeling as though they were becoming undone, ripping open and bleeding, filling his body with a terrible, fiery sensation. Blood burst from his throat, choking him, dripping past his lips and down his chin in thick red rivulets.

The pain intensified a hundredfold, and he could not be freed. The thought of death, of leaving so much behind terrified him…

But maybe, just maybe, if Hawk Moth believed he had killed both of them, he would leave Paris alone. Maybe, if he believed their Miraculous to be lost, they would finally be allowed peace. He thought of Marinette, his Ladybug, and burned the image into his mind, hoping that when she woke, she would open her eyes to a peaceful, Akuma-free Paris.

With that last thought in his head, his mind shut down and it all ended.

His knees gave out first, and the rest of him followed, body collapsing to the ground. He hit the gravel, his body twitching and smoking, his eyes watering. He wheezed pitifully, unable to suck in air and every attempt painful in his chest. His body felt so heavy. He could hear a sizzling sound coming from his hand, which tingled with the pain of a freshly inflicted burn. No doubt a white butterfly lay ruined in his fingers, but his job was done. He had defeated the villain. He got the Akuma. He had saved the day.

The corners of his vision began to dim, the world around him blurring. He felt his heart beating erratically against his ribcage, weak and unstable. He realized that he couldn't feel his body. Starting from his legs and climbing up his spine, a numbing sensation that felt like a rising wave crept over him. He could no longer move, but he found that it didn't really bother him.

He felt no pain anymore.

A beep reached his ears. His Miraculous was running out and he would detransform soon, but he was alright with it. He would probably be long gone by the time he was discovered, anyway.

He idly wondered if he would get a memorial, too…

Wondered if Alya and Madame Cheng would ever forgive him when they found out the truth...

Sound drowned out, the bodies of the firefighters and officers moving beyond the cavernous tunnel becoming nothing but mere shadows in the black haze building around his vision. They hadn't even realized he was there. The sound of the rain provided good cover, possibly. Seconds passed, maybe minutes, he didn't know. The passage of time became irrelevant.

His breathing steadily slowed down until he ceased to feel it altogether. His body relaxed soundly against the ground, his eyelids slowly slid closed...

And with one last shuddering breath, his heart finally stopped.

Alya snuck around the officers as they tended to the confused Akuma victim, a boy no older than her with brown hair and blue eyes. He was being questioned as a second ambulance pulled up to the scene, and Alya took the chance to slip by unnoticed to the last place she had seen Chat Noir slink to.

"Chat Noir?" she called, silently trudging into the abandoned tunnel. It was dark and grim, so she pulled out her phone from under her raincoat and turned on her flashlight. She breathed heavy, flicking the light from corner to corner over dilapidated rock and wood, across abandoned railways and gravel. She heard the faint echo of a beeping sound and she followed the source.

She nearly jumped when she saw him, lying a couple of meters away from her. He was lying on his stomach, still as a statue, thin ribbons of smoke trailing from his suit. Alya's heart leapt in her chest.

"Chat!"

She ran to him, falling to her knees by his side. It felt like his suit had been burnt, warm to the touch and dirtied. She called his name again, gently shaking him by the shoulder, but he didn't move. She shook him again, harder this time, but there was no reaction.

"Wake up!" she hissed, grabbing him from his arm and flipping him on his back. His eyes were closed, his bloodstained lips parted…

And she realized no breath was coming out.

"No… Chat, don't do this," Alya whispered under her breath, cold creeping up her spine as she took in his body for any sign of movement, but his chest was impossibly still. She pressed two fingers against his neck, waiting, hoping… But he was getting colder, and there was no pulse to be found.

"No, no, no, no!" Alya cried as tears began well up in her eyes, "Wake up! Wake up! You can't do this, Chat!"

Alya shook him insistently by the shoulders, occasionally slapping his cheek in an attempt to rouse him but she got no reaction, his head bobbing uselessly with her shaking. She trembled as realization dawned on her, carefully laying him down on the ground again and gently easing his head on the gravel to not hurt him…

But he was… Chat Noir was…

Her cellphone began chiming and she jumped in alarm. With a mixture of grief and anger, she aggressively grabbed her phone from the ground with trembling fingers.

Who could be calling at a time like this? When Paris had just lost so much?

Through her tears, she saw the words M. Dupain-Cheng flashing on her touch screen and she gasped. Alya fumbled with her phone until she managed to tap the glowing, green phone icon.

"M-Madame!" she cried.

"Alya?" came Sabine's voice on the other side of the phone.

"M-Madame Cheng…" she wept.

"Alya, what is it? Are you okay?"

She couldn't speak. Sobs were starting to rise from her chest, impeding her speech.

"I-I'm fine but Ch-Chat… Chat is..."

God, she couldn't say it.

Sabine went suddenly quiet, "What about Chat Noir?

"He...He's…" she sobbed. Her fingers found his stiff hand, and she squeezed it.

"He's what? Alya, where are you?" Sabine started talking more urgently, sounding agitated. Alya heard her telling Tom I think she found Chat Noir in the background before she came back to her, "Honey, we need to know where you are. We found your bike. There are a lot of patrol cars. Are you at the railway?"

"T-Tunnels," Alya sniffled, "We are i-in the t-tunnels…Please hurry!"

"We?" Sabine asked.

"C-Chat… Chat Noir, but he's-" she sobbed again, bringing his inert hand to her chest, "Please…bring help!"

She heard Sabine give a sharp intake of breath. "Okay, stay on the phone with me, Alya. We are pulling over, don't move from where you are. Guide us to you, okay?"

"O-Okay."

"It's going to be fine, we are on our way," Sabine said, and from the fluctuations in her voice, Alya could tell they were getting out of the car, "Where are you? We see some officers with a kid down at the tracks, are you there? We are at the station."

"I-In the t-tunnel" Alya said, trying to keep her voice steady, "A-Across the station."

"Got it, hang on, we are moving down the stairs."

"The o-officers won't let you through."

"We'll handle it, don't worry dear. Stay with me and remain calm."

"Yes, Ma'am,"

Alya then heard some discussion going on through the phone. Tom sounded like he was arguing with someone, their voices getting more and more heated, but it began to sound farther and farther away, as if Sabine was moving despite the altercation.

"Alya, I'm near the tunnel, where are you?" she whispered.

"I'm further in I...um, I'm going to shine my phone, just f-follow the light?"

"Alright, show me the way."

Alya raised her phone over her head and waved it frantically. Beyond the entrance, through the curtain of rain, she made out the dark petite outline of Sabine against the headlights, angling her head in an attempt to see her. She seemed to shift and then she went through the curtain of water, a small beacon of light in her hand. Alya idly heard another beep echo behind her.

"O-Over here!" Alya called.

The light of the flashlight in Sabine's hand came closer and soon, her face became visible in the dark, white puffs of mist coming from her mouth as she huddled into her red raincoat.

"Alya!"

"Madame Cheng!"

Alya rose up to meet Sabine in a running hug, holding her tight against her and hiding her face in her chest.

"You had me worried! Are you alright, Alya?" Sabine asked her, running a hand down Alya's wet hair.

Alya nodded against her chest, sniffling dejectedly.

"Where's Chat Noir?"

Alya froze and slowly pulled back, avoiding Sabine's eyes as she looked over her shoulder with tear laden eyes. Sabine followed her gaze and gasped when her eyes fell on Chat Noir's unmoving shape on the ground.

"Chat!" Sabine called, running to him. She knelt at his side, flashlight discarded as she gently lay a quivering hand on his head. "Chat?"

"He's n-not breathing," Alya said, kneeling on the opposite side of Sabine beside Chat, bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle a whimper.

Sabine lowered her head, pressing her ear against his chest. She lingered there a few seconds before pulling back, her face blank. Sucking in a breath, Sabine quickly pulled Chat's head back and placed her hands on the middle of Chat's chest, one on top of the other, beginning to press intermittently. Although tears had begun to gather at her eyes, Sabine kept herself perfectly composed, counting her thrusts under her breath.

She pumped for a minute, her rhythm constant and steady. They both heard another beep from his ring, but ignored it. His life was more important than the possibility of his identity being revealed. Knowing that there was nothing she could do while Sabine worked, Alya ran a soothing hand down Chat's hair, hoping, praying, for him to give them a sign that there's was still life in him.

Then, as if in response to her pleading, Chat's face twitched. It was minuscule, almost imperceptible, but Alya saw it clearly: a subtle tilt of the chin and a small twitch in his Adam's apple.

"Madame Cheng—!" Alya gasped.

"Come on, Chat, come back to us," Sabine coaxed, her voice quivering, her energy renewed and her compressions unrelenting. "You can do this, come on…!"

A few sounds like low choking emanated from his throat and the corners of his lips twitched.

"Come on, Chat!" Alya pleaded, grabbing his hand and squeezing softly.

One more minute of constant pressing followed and then — finally — a reaction!

His head snapped back and his mouth spread wide in a ragged gasp, back arching with broken, gurgling breaths. He started to choke and Sabine quickly turned his head to a side as he heaved and blood came pouring out of his mouth, his body falling into a fit of coughing. Alya jumped back at the motion, avoiding the drops of red narrowly as they splattered on the ground.

Chat's body fell back on the ground, trembling fiercely, chest heaving, and breathing gruff. Alya sobbed incredulously, a big grin spreading on her face.

He was alive. Chat Noir was alive!

"Thank goodness!" Sabine cried, shrugging off her raincoat and removing the jacket she wore underneath, wrapping it over Chat to shield him from the cold. Bundling him up, she took him into her arms and lifted him to hold him to her chest, "Oh Chat, I'm so glad…"

He was unresponsive, shaking uncontrollably, but his chest rose and fell with his labored breathing, his mouth agape as he wheezed against her.

Sabine gave out what sounded like a sob mixed with a laugh as Chat curled into her, coughing lightly under his breath. She ran her fingers soothingly down his hair, stroking the side of his face. A last warning beep from his ring echoed in the dark tunnel.

"Chat? Can you hear me?" Sabine started softly, brushing his bangs away from his face.

Chat didn't react, chest still rising and falling haphazardly as his body seemed to get used to breathing again.

"If you can hear me, please open your eyes." Sabine hesitated a little, her voice going low. "Adrien…?"

Alya gasped, looking at Sabine with eyes wide.

"How do you...?" she stuttered.

But Alya had no chance to finish. With a shuddering sigh, Chat's eyes opened a crack, a hint of green peeking from under heavy lids. His gaze was unfocused, pupils entirely dilated. He didn't seem to be able to lock onto Sabine's face above him.

"Hello," Sabine said warmly with a quivering chuckle, smiling down at his tired face, "It's alright… You can turn back, Adrien…"

He just looked at her for a few moments, and then as if obeying her command, he closed his eyes and a bright green light enveloped him, blinding Sabine and Alya momentarily. A second later, Adrien Agreste lay before them. Beaten, sick, and barely alive in Sabine's arms.

The moment he materialized, white skin and blonde hair replacing black leather, Sabine found she couldn't hold back anymore. With a loud sob, the tears came, trailing down her cheeks in thick rivulets.

"It was you…" she whispered as she bent down to kiss his forehead as she held him tight. "It was you…"

"Adrien…" Alya said, grabbing his motionless hand and squeezing it. For once, Alya was at a loss for words. Although she had suspected it, the revelation that Chat Noir was indeed Adrien still came as a shock to her. Part of her still couldn't believe that it was her classmate during all those Akuma battles, cracking dumb jokes and pulling risky stunts, saving them countless times, stopping countless disasters…

And that same classmate had saved them again. He had been willing to give up his life to keep them safe. Adrien had been willing to give everything up for them.

Everything made so much sense now. His absences, his physique… The amount of affection Alya felt for him could've made her heart burst.

But said heart suddenly plummeted again. Sabine was looking at Adrien with something like panic in her eyes, one of her hands going to his cheek.

"Adrien, please open your eyes, please…" Sabine said desperately, shaking him lightly. He looked like he was sleeping, but his breathing was slowing down. "Please! Keep breathing Adrien! Keep breathing!"

"A-Adrien…"

Alya and Sabine both jumped at the sudden voice. It was low and squeaky and it had come from somewhere below Alya.

"… help…"

Alya grabbed her phone and shone a light on the floor, nearly jumping again with a tiny screech when her light fell on something small and black crawling on the ground beside her.

"Help me...up…" the dark thing croaked, dragging itself on all fours towards her. It looked like a mouse. A talking mouse. Or was it a tiny cat?

"What… are you?" Alya asked, inching away from it.

"I'm Plagg… Adrien… I have.. to help him…" Plagg gasped, weakly reaching out for Alya. "Help me…!"

Driven by curiosity, Alya reached forward hesitantly, grabbing Plagg by the scruff of his neck and carefully laying him on her hand to raise him up to Adrien's level.

Sabine stared dumbfounded at him, but she was too preoccupied by Adrien's condition to comment on it. Alya herself was weirded out by the fact she had a talking animal on her hand, but something about it was strangely exhilarating. She didn't know Chat Noir had an actual animal partner. She had only seen it in fiction. But here he was, on her hand, and he had only appeared right after Adrien transformed back. Was this the creature who gave Chat Noir his power?

But she had no chance to ponder it. After looking at Adrien, Plagg gasped and turned his face to Alya, green eyes widened.

"You are Marinette's friend… the blogger," Plagg said, "You.. you have videos of her, right? Play one... Play one to his ear! Hurry!"

"What? Why?"

"Just… do it! There's no time!" Plagg screeched.

Alya obeyed hesitantly, pulling up the video player on her phone and choosing a random recording of her and Marinette fooling around at her room at the Dupain-Cheng's. She placed the phone close to Adrien's ear, letting the sound of hers and Marinette's laughter flood the tunnel.

The video played for several minutes, but Adrien didn't seem to react to it, lying prone against Sabine's chest.

Plagg floated off Alya's hand - eliciting a little yelp of surprise from her and Sabine- and landed on Adrien's head, looking down at him.

"Come on kid, wake up! It's me, Plagg…" Plagg said, pulling on Adrien's hair. "Listen, it's Marinette. Hear her voice? You better wake up, I won't be explaining to her what happened to you!... Adrien?"

Adrien didn't acknowledge him, merely breathing a long, exhausted sigh in response.

"It's not working…" Plagg croaked, grabbing his tiny head in despair "It's not working…!"

"What's not working?" Alya asked. But Plagg didn't respond, losing his balance on Adrien's head with a yelp as it began to slide to a side.

"Kid, no, please, don't do this to me," Plagg begged, his tiny green eyes turning glassy, "You promised kid! Stay awake! Open your eyes!"

"Adrien? Sweetheart?" Sabine said as well, her hand gently catching his face and turning it towards her again, "Open your eyes, please…"

His eyelids twitched, but they only lifted a smidgen, the vaguest hint of green peeking under the lids. He stared blankly beyond Sabine.

"He needs help… Please, help him!" Plagg turned to Alya and Sabine, his voice desperate and his eyes wide and glossy. "Please help Adrien!"

"Alya, go to Tom, tell him!" Sabine commanded, holding Adrien to her, "Have them bring help!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Alya said, jumping to her feet and running back to the entrance of the tunnel to find Tom.

"Hang in there, Adrien. You're going to be okay…" Sabine soothed, rocking him gently. "You're going to be okay…"

"You stupid kid!" Plagg cried, pulling on a tuft of Adrien's hair dejectedly. "Dumb, stupid kid!"

"Y-You…" Sabine started hesitantly, addressing Plagg. "You worked with him?"

"Kinda," Plagg sniffled, no longer caring if he had revealed his existence to another human, "I give him his powers. Without me he can't transform."

"And w-what happened? What happened to Adrien?" Sabine asked.

"He… he destroyed an Akuma… And only Ladybug can deal with Akumas. He can't do that! I told him he couldn't do that! Stupid kid!" Plagg broke into wails again, slamming his small paws against Adrien's head. "Stupid, stupid kid!"

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps and chatter echoed in the tunnel and both Plagg and Sabine looked up. The distinct shape of several people outlined by light materialized in the mouth of the tunnel and Plagg yelped and flew behind Sabine, hiding in her hair.

"Don't tell anyone about me or Adrien!" Plagg hissed in her ear. Sabine nodded in understanding and remained impassive, as if Plagg had never been there.

"Sabine!" Tom called, coming in to view in his bright yellow raincoat. Alya was following at his side and behind them was a group of officers and paramedics.

The light of the flashlights in their hands illuminated Sabine and Adrien, blinding her momentarily as the group came closer. Tom and Alya came to stand to Sabine's side, and she heard the officer gasp and instruct the paramedics to move forward. He then pulled out his radio and began calling urgently into it.

"Tell Officer Rogers we found the Agreste kid! I repeat: we found the Agreste kid!"

The paramedics huddled around her, taking Adrien's limp body off Sabine's arms. She parted with him reluctantly, letting them carry him off.

"Don't give up, Adrien!" Sabine called to him as he was eased on a stretcher and was surrounded by paramedics. "Don't give up!"

He was trying.

By god, he was trying.

But it was just so hard to breathe.

It took everything out of him to keep his lungs functioning, pushing his chest to rise and fall. The oxygen mask on his face did little to help, because it was not the lack of oxygen what got him, it was the action of consciously keeping his lungs pumping.

It had ceased to be an automatic function for his body and he had to force it. He was quickly becoming exhausted, his eyes threatening to close again, but he had the distinct feeling that if he fell asleep, the chances of him not opening his eyes again were incredibly high.

Besides, Madame Cheng had told him to not give up.

So he kept trying.

He sucked in air however he could then exhaled. Over and over. He timed it and repeated it.

The world around him became a blur, like disjointed scenes from a movie. First, he was in the tunnel, in Madame Cheng's arms, his identity bared. She had been crying. He felt bad about it but he couldn't speak to tell her he was okay with it. There were many voices, many of them alarmed. He was being hauled up somewhere. Someone pricked his arms, moved him around. He heard the distinct sound of a siren. He was in a moving vehicle.

He was cold. So very cold.

The faces of young, pale faced paramedics came in and out of focus above him. His eyelids twitched, but he kept them raised, although there was still a dark halo around his vision and his sight was hazy. They shone a light on his eyes, and he saw the worry immediately etch on their faces. His pupils remained dilated, it seemed. He blinked slowly. His heart was beating strangely. He didn't understand what they were doing but their ministrations became more urgent.

He wasn't sure what had happened. One moment his world had gone dark, and the next, he was trying to force air into his lungs, feeling as if he was being asphyxiated, a dull pain blossoming in his chest, and the taste of copper on his tongue.

Then, he had heard Madame Cheng's voice, calling to him. She had asked him to open his eyes, and how could he refuse? He loved Madame Cheng. He didn't want to make her sad. Besides, she had called him by his name. How did she know? He didn't care much, he found. If there was someone he would trust with his secret, it would be her. Madame Cheng was nice.

She had asked him to destransform, too. She wanted him to rest. She always looked after him, so he obeyed. But then, he felt so tired, so hurt… He just wanted to sleep. But she wasn't letting him, she didn't want him sleeping. Then he heard Plagg. He hoped he wasn't annoying Madame Cheng. Plagg could be that way.

Then, he had heard Marinette. Was she there? Had she woken up? Was she seeing him? Why was she laughing, though? It confused him. He couldn't do anything about it, his body just refused to cooperate. The darkness in his head kept tempting him with sleep. But he had to remain awake. He was told to not give up.

Adrien wasn't sure how much time passed before he was being moved again, and then he was being pulled into a building. It was still raining. He wondered where Plagg was. Wasn't this Marinette's hospital? He recognized some of the walls. People were talking hurriedly around him, moving him speedily down hallways. He was not sure what was going on. He was so dizzy and everything in his body hurt.

He was just so, so tired.. He wanted to sleep. Sleep sounded so enticing. He was so drained and his chest just kept hurting so much...

He heard one of the medics yell something about his heart.

His eyelids began to lower. In his head, he still found it in himself to ask Madame Cheng to forgive him.

He failed to notice at what point he stopped breathing.

Shock.

That's what they had said was happening to him before he disappeared toward the ER. He was going into cardiogenic shock, he believed was the term.

Plagg had left Sabine's side and had followed the ambulance carrying Adrien all the way to the hospital, phasing through walls and remaining out of sight. He was exhausted and it was a tough journey, but his worry for Adrien was bigger than his hunger or fatigue.

He didn't care that his eyes stung with tears. None of that mattered.

What mattered is that his Chosen was dying.

He saw it in his eyes. He was on the verge of crossing a threshold, but he kept clinging to life by the skin of his teeth. Bless that stupid stubbornness of his, finally useful for something. Plagg had felt it all when Adrien used Cataclysm on the Akuma. He felt the dark power bounce back, felt it attack Adrien's body without mercy. It worsened all of Adrien's already existing conditions, and caused lasting damage to his heart. Adrien had stood no chance.

Plagg had even thought that his heart stopping cold the first time had been an act of mercy.

But he had been revived, and now he was agonizing, slowly descending back to death. He didn't want to lose him. Plagg really did not want to lose him, but to see him struggling for breath, his whole body paralyzed and useless, his heart barely beating…

Now he was at a crossroads, where his fate would hinge on the competence of the humans taking care of him as they attempted to save his life. He didn't know what had happened to the blogger girl that hung out with Marinette or the bakers. He had been seen, but at this point, he didn't care. All he cared about was that Adrien was suffering, and it tore at his heart that there was nothing he could do for him.

He was not Tikki. He couldn't heal, just destroy.

Tikki. If only she was there with him. But he couldn't tell her. Not yet. He wouldn't stand an earful, plus she couldn't help. Adrien was surrounded by people, there was no way she could even get close to him to try and help.

Plagg followed the doctors through the walls, his eyes never leaving Adrien. His Assistant - Nathalie? - had been called, as had been his father. Would he even show up, he wondered? That man was as cold as a slab of ice. It wasn't his business anyway. Only Adrien mattered. And right now, he was unconscious and they had to rip his shirt open because there was something wrong with his heart.

The doctors put him on a bed and began to work on him. They hooked him to weird machines and artifacts and Plagg hid on the light fixture on top of the operating table, watching closely.

They were trying to stabilize him, trying to find what was wrong, but they were perplexed. Everything in Adrien was malfunctioning and they couldn't figure out why. Adrien himself would slip in and out of consciousness. Sometimes he'd randomly bleed from his mouth, sometimes he'd stop breathing. Sometimes his heartbeat would hitch. It came and went.

Plagg could tell he was fighting, hanging on by a thread, but his body just couldn't keep up. He would try to move his hand sometimes, but he would stop soon after, exhausted, drained. It was futile.

An hour passed. An hour and a half. Nearly two hours, and he still hung on a precipice. It didn't matter how much they worked on him, Adrien looked worse and worse by the minute. Paler, sicker, weaker… Plagg was struggling not to cry. He heard that Adrien's father was demanding to see him but he wouldn't be let in. Adrien was in too delicate a state. He couldn't imagine what his assistant was going through, having to deal with him.

A sudden beeping sound caught Plagg's attention and he looked around. One of the machines was beeping intermittently. The doctors moved frantically around Adrien, giving hurried orders. Something was wrong, really really wrong. Something about his heart going into arrest. He tried to listen to any piece of conversation he could but they talked hurriedly between them.

Plagg paused, however, when he realized Adrien was looking at him. His green eyes, half lidded and lifeless, had spotted him and were looking at him beyond the light fixture. Plagg's heart clenched when he realized he was crying. Adrien was crying, warm tears leaking silently from his eyes and down his face. He was also mouthing something behind his oxygen mask but what? What was it?

Adrien slowly moved his right arm to a side, letting it hang over the edge of the operating table, his hand balled in a fist. Why was he doing that?

Plagg squinted at Adrien's lips trying to make it out…

'I'm sorry…'

As the terrible realization dawned on Plagg, Adrien's fist relaxed and his fingers loosened. A silver ring slipped through them, clattering to the ground and rolling across the floor into a dark corner of the room, unseen.

But the worst of it, what caused Plagg's stomach to bottom out and for a cold chill to overtake him, was the shrill alarm that began to blare from one of the machines and Adrien's eyes slowly slipping closed...

They didn't open again.