5. Pitch Black

Freezing. Freezing. Freezing. Freezing!

Chat Noir's body was yelling, the cold slicing at his body like knives even through the suit. He resisted the urge to scream, holding his breath as he swam around the raining debris still crashing through the surface. Padlocks pelted his back and shoulders as they sank to the bottom of the river and he waved his arms frantically to get out of the way..

He brought a hand to his bell, checking around the zipper, and relieved to find Tikki had left the suit on time. No more borrowed luck, it was now or never. He looked through the murk surrounding him, grateful that his night vision worked even under water.

He spotted his target a few meters down, bubbles coming out in streams from his mouth as he struggled to surface. But metal did not float and Demoman continued to sink into the dark, weighed down by his massive arms.

Chat quickly kicked his feet towards Demoman. As much as he had come to resent the villain, he knew there was a blameless, confused person underneath Hawk Moth's spell, and he had to be swift if he wanted them to survive. A life was at stake. He had to get the akumatized item and fast.

Demoman's face contorted in a expression of fury as Chat approached him, but there was nothing he could do to repel him. His arms were pure iron and he could not move them as they sank deeper into the sand on the bottom. Chat propelled himself forward with his arms, increasing speed. His lungs were burning and his time was running out. Finally, when he was but a few inches away from Demoman, he snatched the safety helmet right off his head.

A murmur of approval rumbled in his throat, and he kicked his feet again, swimming back up. His lungs were on fire by the time he breached the water's surface, sucking in lungfuls of cool, night air. Panting, he swam to the river bank, pulling himself over the edge. He fell on all fours, dripping wet.

"Chat Noir!" Came Tikki's voice as she flew down to meet him, "Are you okay?"

"Perfect," he sputtered, and he smiled as he raised his hand and showed Tikki the safety helmet, which glowed in an ominous purple light. However, he was surprised to find she did not share in his happiness. In fact, her face was contorted in worry. His smile fell. "Tikki?"

"What are you going to do with the Akuma?" She asked, her voice low. "You cannot purify it."

Chat Noir remained silent. He had refrained from telling her about that particular part of his plan in fear that she would somehow object it and talk him out of it. But there was no choice. It was the only alternative he had. A civilian's life was at stake, and he couldn't waste time discussing the repercussions of his actions with the Kwami. He was jumping in blindly.

He dropped the helmet on the ground and promptly punched a fist through it. The helmet cracked under the force of the hit, and a purple butterfly fluttered out of the remains, quickly flying away. It was now or never.

If Ladybug was meant to purify, Chat Noir was meant to destroy.

"CATACLYSM!"

"Chat Noir, no-!"

He slammed the butterfly down hard against the ground, crunching it under his hand with the full weight of his resentment. Cataclysm flared around his fingers as it made contact with the Akuma, and no amount of mental fortitude could have prepared him for the consequences.

Purple and black light mingled, flaring up his arm and around his chest in a flurry of black and purple energy. A shock like lightning shot through his limbs and his body seized up, a horrible scream ripping from his throat. He was on fire, white hot pain incensing every nerve end on his body. Pain like he had never felt before attacked every inch of him, constricted every muscle, and fried every nerve. He felt like liquid fire was flowing through his veins, scorching his insides.

His vision exploded with white flashes, and he couldn't think. He lost sense of where he was. Tikki was screaming at him, her face panic-stricken, but he couldn't hear her. All he heard was the sound of his screaming, piercing his ears along the sound of another creature screeching in the back of his head.

He was burning, white fire searing every inch of his body.

He wanted it to end. Mercy above, he wanted to die.

And then, abruptly, it all stopped, and Chat Noir toppled sideways, collapsing on the ground. His body spasmed uncontrollably, eyes blown wide. His mouth gaped as if unable to breathe, sound dead in his raw throat. The world spun around him. He saw a red blur he thought was Tikki, floating in front of him, her mouth was moving though the sound was distorted. She sounded like she was underwater.

Then suddenly, she zipped away and she was gone.

The corners of his vision started fading to black, his eyelids becoming heavier. Sound was completely drowned out, as if his ears had been plugged, still submerged in the river. He could feel his frantic pulse throughout his body, throbbing in his veins, his heart beat erratically against his ribcage. He couldn't move.

And then he was being shaken.

Someone grabbed him by the arm, trying to raise him. He heard his name. A familiar voice was calling his name.

"Chat Noir! Are you okay?" He heard. He was flopped on his back and a brown and red blur appeared in his line of vision.. He didn't respond. He couldn't speak, his voice was gone, and his mind fried. He registered his right arm prickling uncomfortably as if he had a thousand needles pressed to his skin.

Lights. There were suddenly lights all around him, illuminating him, blinding him.

"Chat!" He heard again. The brown and red blur had not left yet. More shadows appeared behind the blur, looking down at him. He was shaken again. Someone was touching his cheek, then his forehead. There was a drowned out cacophony of voices, all speaking at the same time. He could barely make them out.

"He's not responding,"

"Is he okay?"

"Call an ambulance!"

He wanted to sleep. He needed to sleep. His eyes felt so heavy...

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

That part came surprisingly clear, and all at once, sound came back full force, assaulting his ears with loud chatter and gasping. His eyes snapped fully open but his vision swam. He could see it, though. Hazel eyes looking at him through a familiar set of black glasses, framed by auburn hair. Other people stood behind her, reporters and civilians alike, looking at him with faces of curiosity and fear alike.

"Chat! Can you hear me? Hey!" Alya snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, but he was slow to blink.

"Come on! Your ring is blinking!" Alya urged him, and that did the trick.

It was like a switch had been turned back on.

Normal function seemed to return to his brain, and Chat groaned, trying to move his arms. They felt like lead weights as he sluggishly tried to turn on his side. Alya grabbed his arm, helping him pull himself on all fours. He panted as if he had run a marathon, his right arm burning. His arms threatened to give out again, but a foreboding beep of his ring kept him rooted.

He caught a glimpse of a white butterfly on the ground in front of him. Its wings were ripped to shreds, the ground around it charred.

"Hey get out, give him some space!" Alya yelled at someone Chat could not see. His eyes were on the ground, and he was trying to make sense of his surroundings. Bridge. Collapse. Akuma…What else? He could hear chatter, questions, being shot at him.

"Chat Noir! What happened?

"What was that attack you just used?"

"Will the damage in the city be repaired?"

"Where is Ladybug?"

"Is she hurt?"

"Is she dead?"

Tears. Tears came. Falling from his eyes in droplets, leaving little circular stains on the floor. No. He didn't want to hurt again. Please stop. Please stop.

His throat tightened.

"Back off!" Alya yelled again as she pulled his arm around her shoulders and hauled him up to his feet with a strength Chat didn't know the girl possessed. She turned to him, whispering. "You really need to get out of here. I will cover you."

Chat raised his head with much difficulty, looking at Alya with heavy-lidded eyes. Although he could not speak, he wished the girl could see his gratitude. She smiled at him, her gaze empathetic, and he could see her eyes were glistening. She passed him his baton.

"Go."

Chat grabbed it with shaky fingers, and gathering all the energy he could from his broken body, he grabbed on to it with both hands and elongated his baton, shooting to the sky and out of sight. Alya watched him soar away, her heart heavy.

And that night, Paris got one confirmation.

Ladybug was no more.

Dying. He felt like he was dying.

His breath came in ragged gasps.

"Just a little bit more, Chat." Tikki's voice coaxed.

He dragged his feet on the roof, hunched over his baton. Breathing was becoming hard to do. His lungs just refused to cooperate. His heart kept thumping erratically in his ears, and his knees trembled, threatening to buckle. His vision kept fading to black and back, so he followed the red glow he assumed to be Tikki across the roofs to find his way home. Everything else was a murky sea of dark blue and brown.

He wheezed. His body was shutting down. He couldn't continue. His ring was on its final beep.

"One more roof, Chat."

He extended his trembling arms, planted his baton, and shot into the sky on instinct, but he could no longer calculate his trajectory right. He couldn't breathe anymore. His world spun and his eyes slid shut.

Down and down he went...

"Look out!"

He felt something small hit him on the side as he plummeted and his body shifted direction. He felt the wind pass him as he flew through a window and crashed against something cushioned but firm. The couch tumbled back and he rolled over, his body sprawling on the floor.

"Adrien!" Tikki squeaked, worried.

He felt the rush of wind of his transformation releasing, and heard Plagg fall beside his head with a dull thump.

"Owww…" He heard him whine.

"Adrien? Adrien, hang in there! Oh no…." He heard Tikki say. Her voice sounded far away.

"Stupid kid!" Plagg yelled distantly, but his voice was weak, tired.

He didn't know why he was stupid, but he didn't really care. He was sort of breathing again, he thought. He didn't know. He was falling. Falling into darkness, soothing and all enveloping. A voice told him to let go, and he was so tempted...

"Adrien, please say something!"

"Open your eyes, kid! Now!"

No. That was too much work. He preferred it this way. Nothing could touch him here. He drifted, farther and farther away...

"No, no no no! Adrien!"

"I think I know what to do!"

"Hurry, Tikki!"

Tikki and Plagg voices faded. He felt like he should have been more concerned about that but he wasn't. He was so comfortable in this darkness. He had stopped feeling his body. He only heard his heartbeat, low and weak… getting slower and slower…

Something soft pressed against his face. The smell of cinnamon drifted to his nose. He felt warmer, and his drifting stopped for a moment. He nuzzled against the soft thing against his cheek. It felt so nice...

He suddenly heard girly giggling. He heard Nino, Alya, and another voice, laughing. A familiar voice. It made his heart flutter. The audio seemed to be coming from someplace next to his head. It sounded distorted. A video perhaps?

More voices. He knew this video; he recognized its audio. He had watched it many times before. It was one of his favorites. They were in a park if he recalled right. He was the one recording. It was the first day of summer of Adrien's first year at school and Nino had invited him over to the water park. They were using water guns. Nino and Alya were in one team, and he was in another with-

"M-Mari...nette…" He mumbled.

"Plagg, it's working!"

"Shhhh…"

He wanted to tell the Kwami to be quiet, too. He wanted to hear her voice. He couldn't see. He couldn't open his eyes, but he could hear. Marinette's sweet laughter reached his ears. It tugged at his memories, and images materialized behind his lids. A sunny scene at a park full of colorful waterworks and slides bloomed into view. There was so much laughter and joy. He was having fun!

They were having a war. Marinette was on his side, brandishing a bright green water gun. She was an amazing shooter, he noted, scoring several points for both of them. All that videogame playing made her really skilled. She gave a whoop, celebrating that she had hit both Alya and Nino with a water bomb, and Adrien heard his own laugh in his head.

Adrien smiled. The video had seemingly stopped, but the memory kept playing in his head, continuing from where the video left off.

'We won, Adrien!'

He saw her do a little victory dance, then she high fived him. She wore a cute, pink bikini with white polka dots, a white beach wrap tied around her hip. Her hair was down and dripping wet. She was grinning brightly, a cute blush on her face as she looked at him. She looked beautiful.

He had never noticed how similar her adorable little freckles were to the ones that peeked just below Ladybug's mask. Had those always been there? Her eyes gazed at him; they were a beautiful shade of blue like the summer sky, her smile sunny and bright and wide.

She was his sky.

She was just in front of him, smiling and sweet. So close, so very tantalizing. He wanted to embrace her, hold her close. Share her warmth. He reached out with his arms.

"Oops, careful," Tikki giggled.

"Good, he is moving…"

The memory faded suddenly, and Adrien's eyes cracked open slowly. Nothing but blurred colors met his gaze. He blinked repeatedly, his vision sharpening. Tikki and Plagg were mere inches from his face, looking intently at him. Plagg was holding Adrien's cellphone in his paws in front of him, a video had just stopped, rendering the screen black. Feeling started returning to his limbs, and he was suddenly aware of his heartbeat and breathing again.

"Adrien!" Tikki said with glee, relief flooding her features. Plagg just sighed, dropping the phone on the floor and sitting down beside Tikki. He looked exhausted.

"Plagg?" Adrien croaked, struggling to find his voice, "What happened?"

He found he couldn't recall how he had ended up on the floor of his room, lying on his side with a blue scarf laying across his neck and cheek, and his Valentine tucked under his face.

"You used Cataclysm on an Akuma…" Tikki said, her smile vanishing.

Worry tugged at his insides. "Did.. did it multiply?"

Tikki shook her head, "No, it disappeared, but.."

"You absorbed it, you big, stupid boy!" Plagg burst out, furious, "Don't you realize what that could've done to you!?"

"Wha-?" Adrien had trouble keeping up with what he was saying. With much difficulty, he pulled himself to a sitting position with shaking arms, bringing the scarf up with him. He felt like throwing up. "Ugh…"

"Cataclysm is meant to destroy, so it can - and it will - absorb anything that can make it more powerful!" Plagg said, "And guess what, genius? Akumas fit that description! They bend the will of their target, so when Cataclysm absorbed it, part of it bounced back at you! You could have died, idiot!"

"Adrien, you must never, ever, touch Akumas with Cataclysm." Tikki explained, "You can destroy the object they are in but you must never use it on the butterflies themselves! That's why Ladybug is the only one capable of purifying them. They don't affect her when she uses her power."

"You and Ladybug exist in a balance." She continued "Where she is light, you are darkness. Darkness grows with more darkness, and there's no telling what could happen if you absorb too much of it. You must not do it again. Do you understand?"

"Yeah but...what happened to me?" Adrien asked.

"We are not quite sure," Tikki said, scratching her head, "The nature of Akumas is a mystery, even more so when combined with a power such as Cataclysm, which is unpredictable in itself. From what I could tell, your body was fighting it, but we can't tell if it was fighting off Cataclysm - which could have damaged your body - or the Akuma - which was trying to take over your mind. It very well could have been both."

"A-And…?" Adrien pressed. He wanted to know what the extent of the damage was.

"You were becoming unresponsive. We tried to appeal to your mind, since the mind is stronger than the body. And since the Akumas need negative mental consent to work, we … we tried to make you happy, so we could get you back." Tikki explained, then she smiled. "And it worked! How are you feeling?"

"Like my arms are gonna fall off." Adrien said, grimacing. "And nauseous."

She let out a breath of relief. "Good. It seems Plagg was able to syphon most of the energy out, since the damage looks to be superficial." Tikki said with an approving nod.

"Yeah, and you better not force me to do that again. I'm going to feel it for days." Plagg said, ears and whiskers drooping. "If you were trying to test your theory on whether or not I could do for you what Tikki did for Marinette, then congratulations, you almost did!"

He could swear Plagg's eyes were glassy.

"Plagg, that's not…" Adrien stuttered, "I'm… I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I will be when you stop making stupid decisions." Plagg spat. He struggled to his feet and floated away to the second floor and out of sight.

Adrien felt terrible. He raked a hand through his hair miserably.

"I messed up…" He moaned, "I just… I didn't think- I th-thought it would work."

"He thought you were going to die. He was scared." Tikki said, touching his hand, "Plagg may not show it, but he really cares about you, Adrien. Please, be careful. Tell us what you are planning next time."

Adrien hissed suddenly as one of Tikki's comforting pats actually sent a stab of pain up his right arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She squeaked, covering her mouth.

Adrien was about to tell her it was alright until he looked at his hand and the words got stuck in his throat.

Extending from his ring finger and a little beyond his wrist, he had an angry red scar shaped like a lightning strike, spreading tendrils around his palm and wrist. It looked as if electricity had flown up his hand, burning the skin in its path

"What is this?" Adrien croaked, touching it with a finger but regretting it as the contact made him wince.

"I guess a scorch mark from when Cataclysm merged with the Akuma." Tikki tried.

"And…is it permanent?"

"I don't know, Adrien…" Tikki said, and she looked at him sadly, "You are the first Chat Noir to have ever survived something like this."

"Hey Ladybloggers, Alya here with good news and bad news.

As you all know, for the past few days Paris has been under the attack of an akuma calling himself Demoman. The attack affected the 17th, 8th, and 7th arrondissement of Paris, as well as half of the 6th, leaving an enormous amount of property damage and injured civilians in its wake.

The local Police force are doing what they can to support anyone who might need a hand. If you need any help, remember to call their distress number by dialing 17 on your mobile or 112 for general assistance.

Now for the good news.

Demoman has finally been stopped. At around 3:15 a.m last night, Chat Noir appeared and neutralized Demoman at Le Pont des Arts. The bridge collapsed under them from the damage sustained during battle, and Chat Noir was able to free the akuma victim, who is now being properly cared for in the hospital. No other casualties have been reported. Thank you to the medical force for their quick response, and thank you Chat Noir for saving us!

As for the bad news," in here, Alya's face fell, and she tried to blink away the moisture in her eyes, straightening again in an attempt to look professional, "It seems Paris' fears have been confirmed. Chat Noir appeared last night on his own. At no point during the battle was he joined by his partner. When asked about Ladybug, he was unable to answer and his physical response confirmed our suspicions." Alya swallowed hard, struggling to keep her voice even, "Though a body was never retrieved, it is to our understanding that Ladybug passed away during the attack on the 8th arrondissement while on the line of duty. Paris is in mourning; It has lost one of its guardian angels.

Paris will forever be in your debt. Thank you for everything you did for us, Ladybug. May you get the rest you deserve.

As for Chat Noir. The Ladyblog would like to extend their condolences and ask readers to respect Chat Noir's privacy and do not bother him about this. Chat Noir, if you are watching this, Paris stands with you, and we will continue to support you in any way we can.

The Ladyblog will remain online to continue giving people a platform to report on attacks, and to aid Chat Noir in whatever he may need.

This was Alya with the latest. Good night, Ladybloggers, and stay connected."

The video went dark, and his cursor lingered over the player for a few moments. He was silent as the weight of what Alya said sunk in.

And although he knew the truth behind Ladybug's whereabouts, Adrien mourned with Paris that night.

And this time, he didn't try to hide the tears.