A Hero's Strength Is Measured By His Heart

P.S I Love You.

Marinette felt cold. Not the kind of cold you feel that causes the goosebumps to appear. But the kind of cold that consumes your entire body. The kind of cold that feels so intense it burns. The kind of cold that is always accompanied by darkness. And when she opened her eyes, darkness was all she saw.

The world was muffled. It was difficult to move and currents were forcing Marinette down as she attempted to push herself up.

A loud crash sounded above her head, casting light and illuminating her surroundings. That's when she noticed the long strand of seaweed tightly encircling her leg. She was underwater. Memories from earlier that night fought their way to the front of Marinette's brain: Walking hand and hand with Chat Noir. Talking about anything that came to their minds. The force that separated the duo. The hit she took for Chat that flung her in the direction of the icy river below.

Realizing she would run out of air before Chat came to her rescue, Marinette began to struggle with the vine, knowing her time was limited. Debris was falling from the battle overhead, missing the endeavoring girl by inches.

With each attempt, she felt the pressure inside her head building. Spots began to overtake her vision and her limbs grew heavy. Unable to avoid the inevitable, her mouth opened and the water came rushing in. Her eyes closed and once again, she was left to the mercy of the dark.

Above the surface, Chat Noir was undertaking his own battle rather unsuccessfully. He had seen Marinette fall into the water and prayed she could fight her way back to the surface. But as the minutes ticked by, Chat's worry became unmeasurable. With each attempt to leave the battle behind and save his love, he was stricken down and turned in the opposite direction by the akumatized victim.

"What, the little kitty's too afraid to fight the big bad wolf?" He sneered in a sinister, blood-chilling voice. "You can't run from me."

Not too afraid to fight, but rather too afraid of failing Marinette once again. Hawkmoth was taking this battle too far. He could not have possibly missed the innocent girl who had pushed him out of the way. If he couldn't save her, it was because Hawkmoth was indifferent as to whether or not she lived or died. The angered hero thought with a scowl.

The akuma had appeared out of no where. As if it were targeting Chat Noir himself. It had always been the heroes who had to hunt down the chaos, not the other way around.

Marinette had noticed the attacker before he did, pushing Chat to the side before the hit that was aimed at him could reach him. Without her suit, she was not strong enough to take the force and was thrown back into the deadly liquid below. This all seemed vaguely familiar.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Chat could hear the seconds counting down before it would be too late to save Marinette. He would have to work fast.

Using his baton as a distraction, he extended it in the direction of a flock of feeding birds. Whilst going the distance of the staff, the birds were scared off, flying in the direction of the akuma. Chat sprung off the edge, using the extra force to leap and barrel over the victim's head, successfully snatching the hat off the top of the victim's head. The accessory held the akuma, but Chat was still unaware of the man's reason for his possession.

Tearing it in half, the black butterfly was revealed and began to flutter away in an unpredictable pattern. Knowing there was no time to capture it, Chat Noir did the only thing he could think of.

"Cataclysm!"

Power danced at his fingertips, ready to follow his every command. With a single swipe, Chat Noir caught the butterfly in his fist, crushing it instantly with sheer hatred. The bug disintegrated in his palm, disappearing in a cloud of purple and black mist.