This story isn't some cute, sweet romance.
It's the story of a girl's descent into hell who gradually goes insane and who will take others with her. The romance will clearly be third rate, you've been warned.

I had originally posted this story under the nickname "GreenYou", but due to a number of problems I had to delete my account. So I'm re-posting the story, this time in English, hoping you'll like it.

This work is inspired by:
- The fiction "Keeping You Warm" written by DesertSnowQueen on AO3,
- "The New Lady of Gotham" written by someone-ev found on Tumblr.
- The song "Partners in Crime" by Set It Off was also very inspiring.

Ladybug was running through the rooftops of Paris with hardly any breath.

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

Apocalypse.

It was probably the most appropriate word to describe the chao that reigned in Paris.

The buildings were collapsing one after the other. All over the capital screams and tears could be heard. Some were desperately trying to help their loved ones, their friends, their neighbors buried under rubble. Others tried to keep their injured friends safe, while cracks spread to the ground.

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

Powerlessness.

It was the only word capable of describing what the favorite heroine of Parisians felt. She had failed. She was still reliving the last few hours in a loop in her head.

Locked in her room, the little brunette was sewing. Earlier in the day she had been humiliated by Lila Rossi, again. This bitch had deliberately hit her with her cup of hot coffee. She then began to cry, screaming that Marinette had spilled coffee on her.

This had earned her more hours of detention for again mistreating her poor classmate. Her old friends were all against her now, manipulated by this viper. At this point she didn't even try to defend herself anymore. Why was she wasting her tongue when everyone had already condemned her?

She had preferred to go home through the back door, so she wouldn't have to explain herself to her parents. It was only a short respite, however, as soon as the college called them... Oh God, she would be punished until the grave...

Only three people still supported her: Tikki, Kagami and Luka. The only ones who didn't doubt her, the only ones who still listened to her. The only ones who tried to console her. All the others had abandoned her. Even Adrien, who had dangled his support in front of her, had cowardly abandoned her. And to think she'd fallen in love with a coward.

After a few hours of work, she was tired and had finally turned off her computer. That's when she saw the Ladyblog's notification. A click on the video confirmed to her that they had an akuma in town, accompanied by a monster created by Mayura who was causing havoc.

"I am Explosivo! After so much good and loyal service to my fellow citizens, you dare to fire me for a mistake that wasn't even mine? Now Paris will pay for this injustice! So, try to maintain order now! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

The villain climbed on the Mayura's monster, which was a kind of flaming bird. The thing flew away and Explosivo started shooting explosive balls without any distinction. On buildings, on civilians, everything exploded.

By all Kwamis, this story is going to end badly...

She transformed and ran to the spot. As usual, she was alone against her attackers. For several months now, Chat Noir had not helped her in battle, or hardly helped her at all. He would either always arrive late or at the very end of the battles just to flirt with her.

The fight was rough and Ladybug had to use her Lucky Charm. It was a teapot. The message was clear, she must go to Master Fu. Immediately, the heroine hid in an alley before de-transforming to go to the old man's home.

The first thing that concerned her was the silence that reigned in the place. Nothing could be heard, not even the sound of pigeons. Everything was completely silent. It wasn't normal. She was going to knock on the door, but the door was open. She didn't get any answer. That was the second thing that surprised her. Fear and doubt entered her heart. Despite everything, the little heroine walked in.

The place was completely devastated. The jewel box containing the Miraculous was on the floor in pieces, visibly empty. And most importantly, in the middle of the room was a person. The horrified cry of his Kwami did not help the situation.

"Mas... Master Fu... n-no... »

They rushed over him. The old man was bathed in a pool of blood, a knife had been planted in his heart. The smell of blood went up to their noses. The heroine of Paris was petrified, not knowing what to do. Panic was mounting in her. Her goddess of creation frantically shook the old man, howling, tears streaming profusely from her little cheeks.

That's when the ground started shaking. The walls began to crack. Marinette saw how the wall began to get dangerously close, but she did not move. Fear had literally frozen her on the spot. She felt something grab her by the collar and pull her under a table at full speed. It was Tikki.

For a few seconds everything went black. Then a cynical laugh invades the room. It was the akumatized person. Without any hesitation, the villain began to shoot multicolored marbles everywhere. When the marbles touched a surface, they exploded.

The young ladybug didn't move from her hiding place, the chewing sounds of Tikki was the only thing she was concentrating on at the moment, trying to ignore the explosions as well as the sound of the walls threatening to collapse. At one point or another, she had retrieved the macaroon that was in her satchel. Marinette concentrated on her breathing. It was not yet time to panic, she had to be strong... She was proud, she was strong, she was Ladybug! If the akuma was purified and her "miraculous ladybug" was released, then everything would return to normal.

She then clung to the idea. With renewed courage, her eyes met Tikki's.

"Tikki, spot on!"

Immediately, Ladybug came out of the rubble. Of course, the villain threw himself on her. A fight ensued. Just as she was about to overpower him, she was hit by something that made her let go. Her gaze fell to the ground on the object at fault for her sudden temple ache.

A fan. Mayura had made her entrance.

Thanks to several acrobatic back flips, Ladybug moved away from her enemies. It was then that Cat Noir graciously landed beside her. At first relieved to have reinforcements, she let out a sigh.

"Kitten, you fall well, take care of Mayura until I can purify the akuma.

— With pleasure my Lady"

However, instead of rushing on Mayura, he passed his arms around her to immobilize her. He then whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry."

At first shocked, she quickly regained her composure and began to struggle. Mayura graciously retrieved her fan and began to move towards them. In a desperate gesture, she tilted her head violently backwards with all her might, hitting Chat Noir on the chin. The pain made him let go slightly. She took the opportunity to inflict an elbow on his rib. The Cat let escape a cry of pain.

She didn't ask for the rest to run away.

-XxxX-

Nightmare.

Ladybug was in the middle of a nightmare. As she ran away, she was hit in the back by an explosive ball. Others hit the roof she was standing on. The explosives caused severe damage to the structure of the building which began to collapse. Ladybug's fell down. She was buried under rubble. Using her yo-yo, she spun it around at full speed to use it as a drill and managed to get out of the rubble. While her Ladybug's suit was supposed to protect her from all outside attacks, it was torn in several places. Her body was bruised. Alas, as soon as she was out of the rubble, all hell broke loose. Chat Noir, Mayura and Explosivo attacked her from all sides. She dodged the blows as best she could.

Chat Noir tried to catch her, but she managed to duck again. That was all she had left for now, the dodge. However, the akumatized one managed to hit her head, throwing her against the only wall still standing. A sharp pain spread all over his body. Getting up as best she could, the Franco-Chinese woman felt a hot liquid begin to flow down her neck. A disturbing noise began to resound.

BIP, BIP, BIP, BIP, BIP, BIP.

Her left earring was torn off on impact. She slowly began to un-transform. Her tears began to flow again. She staggered and leaned against the cracked wall. The brunette was shaking all over her body. Her Ladybug uniform disappeared, leaving a disturbing bluish mark on her body, traces of cuts and scratches.

-XxxX-

Chat Noir watched her with an unreadable gaze. The akumatized one was standing on his left, soon joined by Mayura who placed herself on his right. The monster she had created began to fly over the place. It was a bird, like an eagle, completely covered with red flame and spitting blue fire.

Explosivo stepped forward, picked up the earring now on the ground, with a smile of satisfaction. He straightened up and looked in the direction of the heroin. Only a few straps of her clothing could be seen, her transformation being extremely slow.

"You're finished Ladybug, you have nowhere to go, give me your Miraculous!"

Marinette hid her ear with her left hand. She was out of breath, exhausted. Despite this, she stared her opponent in the eye. You could see her determination.

"Never."

A Machiavellian laugh resounded in the building. Hawk Moth was in full euphoria, his moment of glory had finally arrived. Chat Noir took his turn to speak, while advancing towards the young girl.

"My Lady, be reasonable, give him your Miraculous, then we can finally be toget-

— SHUT UP! I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU!

— My Lady... That's - "

Chat Noir was cut off by an explosion that occurred between him and his dulcine, causing him to step back a few steps. When he raised his head again, his Lady was inside a green sphere. Was that The Shield of Carapace? But instead of the hero was a small green turtle. The little creature stared at him with a cold, piercing look.

Before anyone can say a word, the place suddenly fills with mist. Longg, the dragon Kwami who had caused the explosion with his lightning element, was now using his water element to make mist. Several thin voices were heard resonating in the place like the sound of a current.

"We won't let you hurt the little bug!

— DEATH TO THE BUTTERFLY!

— You will pay for what you did to Master Fu!

— You'll never get us!"

A rain of bananas began to fall. Mayura taken by surprise, received several bananas on her head and immediately lost control of the monster she had created. The latter began to spit fire all over the city without her being able to do anything about it. Hundreds of feathers began to fly all over Paris. Other monsters began to appear everywhere accordingly. Indeed, her power was activated alone. Nathalie tried to get away from the fog by jumping, but before she could realize it, a voice was heard behind her.

"VENOM!"

The woman with the red wick was paralyzed. Her face was frozen in an expression of surprise. Triixx, the Fox Kwami took the opportunity to tear off the brooch on her chest with violence, while Kaalki, the Horse Kwami opened a gate for their friend Pollen to push her inside.

Hawk Moth champion started shooting explosive balls everywhere without being able to control himself. One of them hit Chat Noir - who was concentrating on dodging bananas - in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. When Xuppu saw him fall, he stopped the banana proliferation. The traitor cat immediately got up, just in time to see his father's secretary disappear through a portal.

"NOOOON!"

He leapt forward to try to catch her in vain. Mad with rage he tried to hit the Kwamis with his stick, screaming like a possessed. In his haste, the blond was hit by a banana - courtesy of Xuppu-. As a reaction to the fruity attack, his cataclysm was unleashed. Adrien tried in vain to control it, while dodging the assaults of the Kwamis. It was then that Stompp, the Kwami buffalo succeeded in giving him a headbutt on his back which made him lose his balance, he "cataclysmed" the ground. The ground fell at his feet. During his fall, a stone fell on his head and knocked him out instantly. Fluff, the rabbit kwami was the one who removed the cat's ring while he was unconscious, his body half buried under rubble. The flying rabbit put the ring in a small bag containing all the other jewels that Master Fu had given them earlier.

The akumatized villain took advantage of the confusion to escape with the earring he had managed to steal. None of the Kwamis sought to catch up with him.

-XxxX-

Marinette had witnessed the stunned scene. How was that possible? The Miraculous' box had been looted. She had seen it with her own eyes, there was no more jewelry.

"Y-Y-You... H-How? »

Wayzz removed his shield and slowly turned to the young Ladybug. He had a sad expression. The little turtle began his explanation.

"When Master Fu realized that Hawk Moth was coming for him, he liberated us all and entrusted the jewels. We had to find you in order to entrust them to you..."

Ladybug dropped to her knees. Her transformation had disappeared, and she was succeeded by a young schoolgirl with blue eyes and hair tied up in two pigtails. She could feel the blood dripping from her ear. She could feel every cut on her body. Her head was spinning, her eyes were misty with tears.

"I failed Wayzz, guys... I failed... Tikki, my poor Tikki... She's... She's...

— Marinette my child, time is running out, we will soon return to our jewels to sleep. You must absolutely leave here before Hawk Moth or Mayura returns."

Sass's phrase had the merit of throwing a bowl of ice water on the Franco-Chinese girl. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was right, if she stayed in Paris Hawk Moth would not let her go now that he had obtained one of her earrings. Moreover, assuming that the explosive villain was waiting for her ... it also meant that his enemy knew her identity. His family was in danger. What few friends she still had were in danger. The Miraculous could never fall into the wrong hands, ever. Hawk Moth, Mayura, and Chat Noir were proof of that.

She opened her eyes and looked at all the Kwamis present. They were her friends, too. They had to be protected at all costs.

Fluff approached her, handing her the small bag containing all the Miraculous. Marinette took the bag in her hands. Wayzz then walked up to her and spoke.

"Marinette, from now on you will be the new guardian of the Miraculous instead of Master Fu. The Master... had placed great hope in you. We trust you and we will follow you. From this day on, we Kwami swear allegiance to Master Marinette Dupain-Cheng. »

All the Kwamis nodded in unison.

The brunette took a little time to assimilate everything that had just happened. After clearing her throat, she decided to speak.

"Thank you. Sass is right, we have to leave this place. Kaalki, you who can teleport anywhere... opens a portal that will take us far from here... The destination doesn't matter, as long as it's as far away as possible. »

The little horse nodded and opened a portal. Marinette got up and crossed it.

Once on the other side of the portal she found herself alone. The Kwamis had returned to their state of sleep.

Mechanically, she began to walk without looking where she was going. Marinette ends up hitting something. She heard vaguely voices that seemed distant. Her attention turned to her bloody hands. She saw that her jewelry bag was on the ground. Her whole body began to tremble. The tremors became more intense, soon accompanied by a sob.

Memories began to overwhelm her. Lila's machinations, her friends turning her back, Master Fu's death, Chat Noir's betrayal, the beatings, the pain. Tikki disappearing.

At that moment, all the emotion she had tried to contain until now left her at once. Marinette thought then heard a scream.

It was her.

-XxxX-

It was supposed to be an ordinary night for Jason Todd.

He was going to go out and punch a few criminals in the neighborhood, then go shopping in a local convenience store to fill his fridge. And why not start a new series?

He had already identified his future targets. Drug dealers who had the nerve to move into his neighborhood... There were only two more, one bullet each! It was PERFECT! No really, tonight would be great. At least it was supposed to be, until he heard a scream that made the Joker go pale. He went to his window to see what was going on downstairs...

He could see three silhouettes.

A guy - who he quickly recognized as one of his targets of the day - was holding someone by the collar, while his sidekick was picking something up, maybe a bag?

He started to load his gun; at this distance the assets shouldn't be too complicated. Then suddenly without warning their victim started screaming again. From the sound of her voice, Jason deduced it was a kid.

« [...] It... Drop it... DROP IT!* »

This girl is speaking in French, a tourist?

The girl gave a violent blow to the man who was holding her. The guy released her surprised. She took the opportunity to give him a kick right between the legs. He couldn't stop laughing.

Ahahaha! Nice shot!

The guy dropped a knife -Jason hadn't seen when he pulled it out-, and immediately put his hands between his legs and fell forward.

"ARGH! Damn you, little brat!"

He saw the little girl take the knife in her hands quickly and threw herself on the second guy. He dodged her without too much difficulty. While attacking him, she continued to scream.

"Let them go! Let them go! »

Jason decided it would be more interesting to see the scene more closely. So, he opened his window and went down silently.

The brat was clearly not used to fighting with a knife. Her blows were random, she wasn't trying to kill him, just to make him drop the bag in his hands. The guy clearly seemed to be enjoying himself at her expense. Eventually he got bored and managed to grab her arm, no doubt he wanted to punch her. But to her great surprise -and Jason's-, she took the opportunity to lean on the arm of her assailant to give him a masterful knee in the face.

The guy screamed furiously as he stood his nose.

"BITCH, YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

He lunged at her. She dodged his blows without too much difficulty, at least at first. The fight seemed to be in her favor until she slipped and lost her balance -Jason wondered how such a thing was possible- and took a blow to the face, knocking her to the ground. The vermin decided it wasn't enough and started kicking her. She seemed to be trying to protect herself as best she could.

The first moron seemed to have recovered from his momentary castration and got up. He staggered towards his sidekick, a bad smile on his face.

Jason decided he'd seen enough.

"Sooo... Gentlemen, need a little help? »

The two men turned to him. He didn't give them time to fight back, no matter what that kind of scum might come out as an excuse to harass a little girl on the street. They happily served as a target.

When he reached the level of the corpses, he bent down to pick up the bag. Looking inside, he noticed that there were different types of jewelry. He then looked at the unconscious girl.

A little thief?

He approached her. She was covered with bruises on her arms and face. Her face was covered with blood. A red spot was visible on her shirt and grew larger at a glance. Her injuries were quite serious. He took out his mobile phone to call an ambulance, and then he changed his mind. He couldn't help remembering who he was as a child. He thought he saw a specter of himself lying on the ground for a moment.

Holy shit. I feel like I'm going to bitterly regret what I'm going to do.

He took the girl in his arms and brought her back to his place.

This was supposed to be a peaceful night...