So, I could have posted this on Sunday- it was finished, edited, the whole lot, but I couldn't quite bring myself to post something so… I don't know, bad? It was 823 words and just generally ugh. I wasn't happy with it in the slightest, but I didn't know how to fix it.

I left it a couple of days, came back a couple hours ago, and BOOM. Easy. I knew exactly how to make it much less completely, horribly-paced, repetitive trash, and more of a good chapter.

Enjoy :3

—

The akuma was coming.

Nino had detransformed and that meant it was free, flapping around down there. Rena Rouge almost laughed at how hopeless the whole situation was. Almost. There was only so much her and Nino could do about it- they weren't even permanent miraculous holders! Sure, Rena Rouge had at least a little confidence in Adrien doing something- anything useful, at this point- but Marinette was far to busy feeling inadequate to catch the damn butterfly.

Rena Rouge didn't know how she hadn't seen this already. It's not like this sort of thing happened overnight. You didn't just flick a switch and suddenly not believe in yourself. Then again, it seemed as if Marinette was far better at keeping secrets than Rena Rouge had thought, having hidden her identity from everyone for this long.

Of course, Marinette had no idea that the akuma had been released down there. Should she tell her? Hope that it acted as some sort of catalyst to get her to transform and purify it? Or just pretend that nothing had happened, and try and get her to calm down so the akuma gave up anyway?

"Alya, are you okay?" Marinette asked, reaching out for her. Clearly she'd been stuck in her thoughts longer than she'd realised… Mirage-Alya's eyes widened as Marinette drew closer, and she reacted too slowly to move away from her. Her friend's hand passed through Mirage-Alya's body, the image shifting and distorting until Rena Rouge could feel her hold on it slipping away.

That was not how she'd intended to end their conversation.

"Shoot." Mirage-Alya got out as she faded, Rena Rouge's consciousness being crushed back into her body. If she'd found it nauseating before, going back to her own body against her will was like having her organs shoved up her throat. She highly doubted that a bone in Nino's hand wasn't broken, as she clutched it desperately, trying to blink away her daze. "Al, we have to go," Nino told her, the urgency in his tone settling her stomach somewhat. Alya glanced over at him, "The akuma is gonna get out. We have to get them out of here."

"I know," Rena Rouge said weakly, resisting the urge to gag, "Help me up." Nino pulled them both up, the blood rushing to her head making her sway slightly. Steadying her, Nino led them up to the trapdoor, letting go of her to climb the ladder, the akuma slightly ahead of them. After fluttering against the ceiling, it landed for a second and Rena Rouge jumped around Nino, pushing herself through the trapdoor in front of the akuma.

"Marinette, the akuma!" Rena Rouge shouted breathlessly, putting herself between the akuma and her friends, "Nino couldn't hold his transformation any longer." She couldn't help but flinch at the choked sob from behind her, closing her eyes to avoid the tears forming there, as Nino climbed onto the balcony behind the akuma. She had no clue what had happened in the brief time she wasn't with them, but Marinette had obviously reverted back to tears again. It was heading straight for her, and Rena Rouge had no idea what she was planning to do. It wasn't like she could touch it, or risk being akumatised herself. Though that would probably be better than it being Ladybug…

No, Rena Rouge couldn't afford that right now, not while she had the chance to think of something else.

Hawkmoth was probably curious about what exactly was happening to the akuma. And he was probably enjoying all the negativity shared between the four of them in the last couple of days, just waiting fo one of them to truly snap. To be honest, she wouldn't be surprised if he could guess who they were, just from the sheer volume of pent-up feelings. She just hoped they wouldn't be getting a visit from him so he could investigate.

And then, just to make everything far more difficult, she heard a sound she wished she'd never hear again. Her miraculous chiming, signalling her time was up. Light washed over her, the lingering nausea doubling as the suit fell away from her body. This time, she really did laugh.

Of all the times to detransform, it had to be then. Luckily enough, the akuma seemed almost drunk, switching direction every second. One moment, it would dip down, the next back towards the trapdoor, but it was still making fairly stable progress towards her. Trixx whispered an apology, settling in her pocket, too exhausted to do anything else. Alya had no food for him, no way to transform back into Rena Rouge.

She was defenceless, no magic left to rely on.

After instinctively dodging out of the way of the akuma, the butterfly swung closer to her threateningly, but didn't bother to pursue her. Marinette took a step away from it, the rest of them standing there uselessly; because, honestly, what was there left to do? "Marinette, you have to transform!" Nino exclaimed, rushing forwards as Marinette attempted to move further away from the butterfly, back pressed against the balcony railing.

Alya closed her eyes, knowing Marinette was far too lost in fear to save herself, and that Adrien was probably just as frozen. Heroes of Paris or not, Alya and Nino had no more power to stop an akuma evilising their friends than any random civilian- at least not anymore.

They were done. It was over.

Unless…

"Adrien," Alya said firmly, her friend's eyes, full of pain, fixing on her. Marinette ducked out the way of the akuma, trying to escape but falling to her knees. Still, a spark lit up within her, burning away any uncertainty and replacing is with pure, unfiltered hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was one last thing she could do. "Adrien, wake up, and save your Lady or I'll never forgive you," Alya stated as Marinette stood up shakily, now trapped in a corner by the akuma.

"I'm sorry," Marinette said quietly, and Alya looked away from any reaction from Adrien. Marinette was staring at the butterfly, and pushing herself up and on top of the the railing, "But I'd rather die than make you fight me."

The words didn't quite reach her brain before it was far, far too late.

"Marientte, no!" Nino said lunging for her. Marinette was too quick, Alya feeling as if they were in slow motion as she launched herself backwards. Alya barely had time to register that her best friend had effectively just killed herself before Adrien was diving after her, calling his transformation as he fell.

—

Did Adrien just jump off a building? After Marientte? Nino had no idea how exactly he'd got where they were, but he was on the floor, hanging onto the railing with the cold metal pressing into his palms. His face dug into the bars, searching the ground for any sign of their friends. There was nothing. His eyes were to blurred to see anyway. He didn't remember trying to get to Marinette and Adrien, but Alya was holding him tight enough to imagine he'd been straining against her, forcing her to hold him back.

The calm he'd felt earlier that day had drained out of him, Master's Fu's teachings abandoned with the remains of his restraint. Probably as dead as- as dead as… Choking back a sob, Nino collapsed against Alya, who sighed in his ear despite the fact she was trembling. He took a heaving breath, burying his face in Alya's shoulder.

"They're gone," she whispered, "They're gone and we can't fix it." Nino couldn't muster a single sound of acknowledgment. What Alya had just said- it meant that he had failed them. He wasn't even upset, just ashamed and- and utterly, terrifyingly empty. After all this time, after all the sacrifice and heartbreak and secrets, it was over, and they were gone.

Soft footsteps behind them roused Nino from his guilt, lifting his head to see what had interrupted them. He really hoped it wasn't Marientte's parents- how the hell was he meant to explain what happened? Yeah, sorry guys, but your daughter just jumped off her balcony and-

"Chat Noir?"