The Lady in Red

Chapter 7- Not You...

"Marinette! There's an akuma!" Adrien shouted as he gripped the computer screen urgently, "Watch out!"

"How could I have failed," Marinette whispered in a sorrowful tone, her lip quaking and her eyes watering. "I- I tried so, so hard..."

The dark butterfly fluttered closer as Marinette mourned on the ground, clenching her designs close to her chest.

Adrien knew it was too late, he couldn't talk her out of it. Marinette was strong, but this was more than just a negative emotion, she was losing her dream. She was losing her home. But... wasn't Paris her home?

Adrien shut the laptop closed, causing the screen to go blank, as he ran off just as his father did. He did it for a different reason than his father, though. He was going to save her. While Hawkmoth plotted to use her.

He swiftly ran into his room and shut the door, lifting his white jacket to reveal a tired, yawning kwami.

"Ah, Adrien. Going after Marinette, I presume."

"Not 'going after', but saving Marinette," Adrien said as he lifted his hand in a justifiable fist. He gave Plagg a deep stare of concern, but also a hint of excitement to see his friend he's missed all this time.

"Plagg," Adrien threw his fist in front of him, thrusting his ring towards Plagg, "Claws out!"

----

Marinette rose as the collective black matter covered her, transforming her into the last thing she would ever want, a supervillain.

She turned her head as she muttered the words: "Thank you, Shadow Moth."

----

Chat Noir ran through the hallways of AB Fashions, stopping at every other door to check for Marinette.

"Hello, Chat Noir."

Chat stopped dead in his tracks, positioning himself to deflect any forms of attack.

This was it, she was akumatized. A day Adrien never thought would happen. 

Her hair was pulled into a soft bun, her bangs framing her face. Her suit consisted of light pink, black and white, the color scheme of her designs. 

She wore a short dress with high sinched-up boots and a simple mask across her face. She held a hand fan that alternated between the colors black and white.

Her eyes- Chat's heart skipped, they weren't blue. They weren't the beautiful blue-bell eyes he knew. They were grey. They were solemn. They were cold. 

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Marinette."

"I'm not Marinette, I'm Lady Subjugation." She paused as she looked him up and down, "Now, how 'bout you apologize for calling me such a name?" She raised her hand fan to her face, covering her mouth as she stared him in the eyes.

Chat took a step forward, ready to try and talk some sense into her, as his mouth began to blurt out, "I'm sorry, Lady Subjugation." His eyes widened as he raised his hand to his mouth.

How did she- ?

Marinette let out a maniacal giggle, small hairs of hers blew in the air due to her waving the paper piece in her face.

"Your power is to- to control other peoples' words?"

"My work was wrongly judged. I'll show everyone that Audrey Bourgeois changed her mind and made a mistake. But, until then, how about you give me your miraculous?" She smirked as she placed a hand out, the other holding the fan to her mouth.

"Yes, I'll give you my miraculous."

Chat shook his head to snap himself out of it.

What if this keeps me from calling my cataclysm?

"Aw, how kind of you..." She let out in a sweet tone right as she charged at him, ready to fight.

"Marinette, I-" He blocked a punch from her, "Won't-" he ducked her fan as it whipped through the air, "fight you."

"Then you'll be defeated more pathetically than most." She said as she caught the fan in her hand as it came back to her.

Chat sighed as he looked her in the eyes, "Marinette..." he whispered, looking down. He remembered all the times they had spent together, especially the time they had met on the balcony.

She was just as heartbroken as she was that night, the night a boy had done something to make her upset.

Dame was nowhere to be seen, and Chat didn't know how to face Marinette. How would he get the akuma? She could control his words, which meant she wouldn't allow him to bring about his cataclysm.

It made sense, though. It made sense that Dame wouldn't be there. It was New York, and the only reason Chat knew was because he had seen it over the video call.

Wait!

He knew how to defeat her.

----

"Come on, Kitty. You can't not fight me forever."

"Maybe not forever, but long enough to get your akuma!" Chat called out from the top of the billboard he sat upon, up on the roof. "So tell Hawkmoth he won't see this ring for a while."

She chuckled as she waved her fan about, "Oh no, I don't work for Hawkmoth. I'm far too esteemed to do that. Shadow Moth is my leader.."

Shadow Moth?! But that means-

"I know what you're thinking. 'That involves a sentimonster, though, right?'" She took a step closer to the billboard, "Yes, yes it does. Get ready, Chat Noir. I will rock your world"

Chat Noir jumped down and stood face to face with her,

"How 'bout a little dinner then? Rooftop style?"