Ladybug watched as her black clad crime fighting partner vaulted into the sky towards the mansion he called his home, for his ring did not have enough time to let him stay back and talk like usual. Marinette was grateful that the duo had decided to share their identities with one another on her 16th birthday, over two years ago. It had made them stronger both as a team, and as a couple, had given them one less thing to worry about.

She waited until her boyfriend was out of sight before she let out the breath she was holding and slumped against the chimney of a tall building's roof "Tikki. Spots off," she breathed painfully as she clutched her gaping side. As the glowing pink essence sparkled off of her body, the superhero was no more. Leaving a broken, bleeding young woman, who was a hero in her own right, and her worried kwami in its wake.

"Oh Marinette, I am so sorry…" Tikki gently spoke as she landed the neck of her charge, knowing that she did not have much time left. Marinette removed one of her hands from the wound in her side, and reached for the bag on her side to retrieve her phone. With shaking hands and absolute certainty with how she wanted to spend her remaining time, she dialed Adrien's phone number.

"Hello?" her boyfriend yawned tiredly into his phone. Marinette felt almost bad that she woke him up, but she knew that this was most likely going to be the last time they would speak.

"Hey Adrien. Sorry, did I wake you?" Marinette was impressed with the amount of strength she was able to put behind her words.

"It's fine, Mari. What's going on? Did you get home alright? Is something wrong?" she could hear that he was wide awake now and that panic was seeping into his voice. She didn't want him to worry.

"I'm fine, Adrien. I will be home soon enough. I just wanted to talk, I don't really have long."

"Well, I'm glad that you are almost home. You know, that akuma really worried me, I almost didn't think we were going to make it out of that one. I think the final battle is going to be happening sooner rather than later. We are going to have to be more careful in the future." A tear slipped down her cheek as she heard him say that, probably a combination of both the pain and also thinking about leaving her kitty to fight alone. Marinette could feel the calm darkness of death seeping into her and she knew it was time to say goodbye.

"Adrien, I want you to know...to know that I love you more than anything. You have made me the happiest person in the world and I could not have asked for a better partner or boyfriend."

The confusion was evident in his voice, "Are you sure you're ok, Mari? You don't sound like yourself."

"I'm fine, Adrien. I just want you to know that I love you, and that you mean the world to me." Marinette felt her time drawing near. She just needed him to say those words and she could go peacefully.

"Marinette, I love you so much. You are the absolute light of my life, and I could never imagine my life without you."

She sucked in one large breath and sighed, "I think it's time for me to go, Adrien. Never forget how much I love you...ok?"

"Are you sure that your Ok? Your kinda scaring me, Mari."

"I'm absolutely perfect. I just want you to know. I'll see you soon, Adrien. Goodbye."

"Yeah, I'll probably stop by tomorrow. Goodnight, Mari. I love you," he responded, already sounding tired again.

"I love you too, Adrien." With shaking fingers, Marinette ended the call and turned to the kwami that now floated in front of face, slightly blurred, but there none the less.

She inhaled a breath that felt like fire to her lungs and spoke softly, "I'm going to miss you, Tikki."

Almost immediately after saying those words, she released the breath and her arm went limp, causing her phone to clatter onto the cold, unforgiving ground that was coated in her blood. She did not inhale again.

The small red kwami floated over gently and placed a soft kiss on her friend's forehead and began to cry.

"I'm going to miss you too, Marinette