Chapter 1: Chat's Claws

Everyone had started to notice it. The way he looked at her was the same, but had a sort of twist to it. They still worked great together, but he'd started sticking to her more. He would always find a reason to touch her or keep her close and he would glare at anyone who would question it. Was he just being overprotective of 'his Lady'? Or was there more to it? Even Alya had started writing about it in the Ladyblog.

One day though, Ladybug'd had enough and she decided to confront him about it during patrol.

She landed with a slight thump on the hard metal of the Eiffel Tower and walked over to him. His tail flicked in the air when he caught her scent and he turned around with a grin, stood up and reached out for her hand. But she pulled away. He looked at her face, confusion written in his eyes, and she stared back. She walked past him and sat down, her feet dangling off the edge, and with a sigh asked, "Chat, what's going on?" He sat next to her and with a wide grin answered, "What are you talking about m'lady?" She stared back into his green orbs and answered, "Something's wrong with you. Y-you've changed." His tail stopped flicking and his eyes darkened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she quickly bounced back.

But she wasn't quick enough.

He gripped her arm tight and growled.

Yes, growled.

Her face morphed from confusion to fear as she struggled to get out of his grip. He only gripped onto her tighter and pulled her in close; their chests practically touching. "Don't look so scared m'lady. I'll protect you from anyone who wants to pull you away from me. After all, we're soulmates." At this, she froze. Soulmates? No way. "W-why do you think we're soulmates?" The darkness in his eyes faded away as he responded, "Because we're the unstoppable cat and bug. We're purrfect for eachother."

At this, she became more desperate to escape. The cold night air blew against her and she shivered. "You're cold? Don't worry, I'll warm you right up!" Before she could decline, he gripped her waist, jumped off the tower and extended his baton, dropping them to a roof nearby in the more secluded parts of town. He then pinned her down and rubbed his cheek against hers. She struggled to get free and as she attempted to wriggle free, he purred. Her eyes widened as she felt something hard press against her thigh. "Oh please let it be his baton.", she thought as she looked down. Her face erupted as it heated up and went as red as her suit, if that was even possible, and her breathing quickened. "C-chat?" she whispered. No answer. "K-kitty?" she spoke a little louder. No answer. She slowly looked up and what she saw horrified her. His dilated pupils bored deep into her and his grin did not look friendly.

"C-chat." she tried again. But when she felt movement, she screeched," Chat please no! I know you're a man and all but-" she was cut off by something soft on her lips. He was kissing her. She tried more frantically to escape, but he only tightened his grip. He then ground down and she let out a squeak. "Chat noir!" She screamed. But he didn't answer. He only started moving his hips more quicker. Tears started to form at her eyes as Ladybug let out a cry only to be muffled by Chat's hand. Her eyebrows furrowed and she bit down hard on the leather. He grunted and ripped his hand away giving her the chance to push him off and run.

"Mariette?" Mariette was pulled out of her reverie by a soft voice calling her, "Are you okay?" She reached up and wiped the tears off her face and responded, "Yes. I'm fine Tikki." Although the tears kept dropping. She tried to stop them but they only increased and she let out a sob. Tikki flew to her chosen and gripped onto her wet face. She stroked her cheek in an attempt to calm her but she found herself crying along with her. Tikki would do anything to take back what Chat had done to her, but what was done was done. Although she could fix all the damages done after an akuma attack, she didn't have the power to fix this.

"Marinette, you need to speak to Master Fu about this." Marinette nodded and sniffed. She took deep breaths and smiled. "Y-yeah. Tomorrow." With that, she wiped her tears away and huffed. Hopefully he would have the answer to whatever what going on and the cure to fix it.

-&-

The curtains fluttered and a ray of light hit Marinette's creamy face. She blinked and blinked again then lifted her head to check the time. 11:53. She gave Tikki a little shake to wake her and then pulled the blankets off. She rubbed her face and sighed then shrugged on her clothes. They had upgraded from her signature teenage outfit and she now wore:

 (This image is on Wattpad)

"It's okay Marinette. We'll figure out what's wrong." Marinette nodded and opened her bedroom door. She turned around and opened a hidden pocket inside her cardigan she'd specially tailored for Tikki and indicated for the little Kwami to go inside. "Thanks Tikki" she said as the goddess flew into the pocket. She closed the door behind he and headed down the hallway into the elevator. Just like her outfit, her house had also changed. She'd long since moved out of her parent's bakery after graduating from Dupont and now lived in a lovely apartment near the Eiffel tower.

She grabbed a few cookies and a croissant from the bakery and bid her parents goodbye with a kiss in the cheek, after all this would probably be the last time she saw them for a while. She walked down the street passing the Hubble and bubble of hundreds of Parisians and quietly made her way into Master Fu's shop. She caught his eyes when she saw him and said, "Good afternoon sir, I would like the usual please." He nodded and led her into the back.

As the curtains flew to a close and they sat by the table, Tikki and Wayzz flew out and sat by their holders. "Marinette, it is rare for you to come unless something is really wrong." Marinette sighed and her eyes darkened as she responded, "Master. Something's wrong with Chat."

Master Fu listened carefully as she explained leaving out certain..details. He nodded and looked to the side. "Marinette. I should've told you earlier." he began, "The black cat ring isn't what it used to be." A look of confusion morphed on her face. "When I told you the story of the Sentimonster, I failed to mention one thing." he sighed, "During my escape, many things happened. One of them being that the cat ring was.... corrupted." Marinette's eyes widened as she took everything in. Chat's ring was corrupted? How? Why? "M-Master how?", she questioned. "Marinette. You know that the black ring has powers that associate with death, destruction and infamy." she nodded, "Along my travels I came across a dark force unlike anything I have ever seen. Even worse than the Sentimonster. To this day, I have not been able to find out what is was or how to fix the damage done on the ring."

Marinette thought back to Chat. When she looked at him, it looked to be more Chat than whoever was under that mask. It was more cat than human. "But Master. Why now? Why didn't this happen to any of the previous black ring holders?" Master Fu sighed and responded, "Marinette, there is great evil in this Era. I'm sure you must have sensed it too. There is a great evil amongst us. The same very evil that started this all." Marinette nodded. This world surely was evil. Corruption was in everyone; social media, makeup, teenage pregnancy. What had the world become?

Marinette shook herself out of her thoughts. There was something more important to be worrying about. She lifted her head and asked, "Master, where is it?" He stood and grabbed a map out of a drawer. He then layed it out on the table and placed a chess piece on top, the queen. He then sat back down and moved the queen. Marinette's eyes widened as she watched the piece move then stop. She looked up, "Gotham."

-&-

Marinette pushed the last suitcase in her car and slammed the trunk. She wiped a drop of sweat rolling down her forehead.

And sighed as she hugged her parents and kissed them goodbye. "Honey, are you sure you can't stay?" She kissed her father on the nose and responded, "No Papa. They offered me a great job and it has high benefits for my fashion career." She waved at them as she entered the car.

The moment she hit the pedal, her shoulders slumped and she let out a groan. Tikki whizzed out of her holder's pocket and patted her in the cheek, "I know how much you hate lying. You did the right thing." She slumped her head back against the chair and responded, "Did I Tikki? Did I?"

-&-

Marinette gulped as she stared at the dark portal before her. "Kaalki, are you sure it's safe?" A voice came from inside her head, "Of course. Over the years, my powers have grown stronger." Marinette nodded.

As she started the engine, her mind flew back to Master Fu's message.

"Marinette. Along this journey, you will need the horse kwami, Kalki. I once again thank you for your bravery. If you succeed, you will save millions. If you fail, you will die a hero, literally." Marinette giggled as she accepted the glasses.

As she entered the portal, she shut her eyes. A cool breeze blew against her and they flew back open. She gasped as she took in her surroundings. The dark buildings lurked above her and the grey sky above looked down at her. The pit a pats of water broke her out of her daze as it started to rain. She was in Gotham.

The car swerved as she made her way down the street looking for a hotel. She could barely see and the headlights were doing her little justice. Suddenly, something jumped out infront of the car and she quickly jerked the wheel. It all happened so quickly. The car slammed against the pavement and flipped then fell. The windows smashed and it all went dark.