Second Chances

"I think my biggest problem is that I love being alone but hate being lonely."
~Unknown

Ladybug was holding her ground surprisingly well considering the circumstances, her partner had betrayed her and the odds were not in her favour as it was now three against one. She had taken several punches but also dealt her own.
She was just about to punch hawkmoth square in the face when Chat Noir tackled her to the ground, pinning her down. She struggled under his weight, but it was no use. His toxic green eyes bored into her bluebell ones. His once pristine golden locks had a hint of red in them but Ladybug was covered in the red substance. He lifted his clawed hand up to her face, itching closer to her earrings. She squirmed under his touch but there was nothing she could do. What felt like an eternity later a bright pink light enveloped her body leaving a beaten Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As soon as Chat Noir obtained the earnings he took off his miraculous as well and handed it to Hawkmoth. Marinette was shocked to see her classmate and former crush Adrien Agreste. Marinette had long gotten over her feelings for Adrien and now she finally understood what role he played. Earlier she had figured out that Gariel was Hawkmoth, now it all made sense. Emille Agreste.
She quickly sprung up into a fighting stance even without the miraculous. She had to stop Gabriel before it was too late. She had collected her bearings and sprinted towards the Agrestes and Natilie. But she was too late; he had already made the wish. A purple light surrounded the Eiffel Tower on which they were standing. Marinette stopped in her tracks and collapsed to her knees. An intense pain spread through her body. She couldn't move, she was in a paralysed type state. Black spots coulded her vision but she fought to remain conscious. But she knew it was in vain, she understood what was happening. "A life for a life that was the price." She whispered into the air for anyone listening. The life was seeping out of her, slowly and painfully, this was not how the story was supposed to end. With her last breath left an eighteen year old girl who fought to her last breath, a young woman who compromised so much in her life for others, a warrior who had suffered not only in the life of Ladybug but also in the life of Marinette, a person who had a life, now laid in her wake was a lifeless body of who used to be Marinette
Dupain-Cheng.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taliah had witnessed the final battle between the Parisian heroes and villains and how one Ladybug made an unfortunate end. But she was skilled, extremely so. She was smart, she was ambitious and she was loyal. Taliah knew she would be an asset to the League, Marinette would have a fate very similar to Jason Todd.

Marinette's eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar room. She tried to remember but her mind was covered by a fog and only one thing that was clear was one thing. Rage. The toxic green liquid she was put in made her feel a burning sensation, it was like her body was on fire. She lifted herself up to see strange figures in all black coming closer to her being. Marinette was breathing heavily and her body was tense but she was ready for battle. The black figures kept creeping closer, until one was in her reach did she make a move. She tackled the first which seemed to set off a chain reaction for the rest. Punch after punch, it never stopped; it was at the point her knuckles were bleeding. They kept coming and trying to stop but she never did, she was high on adrenaline and it didn't want to come down.
"Enough!" A booming voice made its presence known. An older man with greying hair and a green cloak stormed into the room. The black figures immediately complied, slowly backing away from the raging Marinette. Marinette knew this man held authority and demanded respect, her eyes darted around the room to make sure no one came at her. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I am Ra's Al Ghul, the Demon Head and leader of the League of assassins. We have brought you back to life with the use of the Lazarus Pit. In exchange for giving you a second chance at life you will be loyal to me and the League. Stray from our path, I don't want to imagine the consequences." It wasn't a request so she agreed, she knew where she stood and above Ra Al Ghul was not it.