As she pulled herself to her feet, a fresh wave of sobs wracked her body and she collapsed to the floor again, no longer attempting to contain the anguish that tormented her soul. And she heard it for the first time since Master Fu leaving her life weeks ago.

Marinette lifted her tearstained face, nervously looking around her room. Wiping away the tears from her eyes,

It was growing louder: Your fault! Your fault! it repeated over and over again, an endless litany in her brain, pushing her, goading her.

Marinette clamped her hands harder over her ears, willing the voice to leave as she paced around the room in a desperate effort to drive it out of her mind. "Go away, you aren't real! Go away, you aren't real! GO AWAY!"

Marinette fell to her knees in front of her mirror, and for the first time since the tragedy of the previous weeks she saw her reflection. A gasp escaped from her lips as she saw the striking change in her appearance. Gone was the light that always shone in her eyes; they were now dull, heavy, bloodshot, full of sorrow. Her normally immaculate hair was disheveled and scattered about. Her typically rosy cheeks were now white and pale, while her lips—so used to being turned up in a smile—was drawn and taught. What is happening to me? the young girl thought, a lump catching in her throat.

The evil in you wants to be free? The voice was back, louder than before. Why do you keep neglecting me?

"NO!" Marinette cried, shaking her head in denial. "Go away NOW!"

To her horror, her reflection smiled back wickedly at her and laughed. Go away? Go away?! I'm not going anywhere! I'm a part of you, dearie. Marinerte recoiled as somehow, impossibly, inexplicably, her reflection leaned forward, reached out of the mirror, and touched her right above her heart. Right here!

"Get away from me!" Marinette screamed, scooting backwards across the floor, away from whatever devil was in her mirror.

Her reflection cackled again.

You can try to hide from me, dearie, but I'll always be a part of you. The part of you you don't want to admit exists. What you fear more than anything! The part of you that destroyed Master Fu. Now Adrien is Chat Noir and you won't admit it? You still think they are not the same person. Gabriel gave you the akuma, Chat Blanc will come because your not going to save him.

Tears began to stream down Marinette's cheeks once more, despite her best efforts to contain them. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to hurt anyone! Please . . . just leave me alone!"

Soon the pain stopped as an explosion was heard outside.

The Miraculous team had rushed back onto the charred landscape and continued fighting. Since Miracle Queen, Hawkmoth had been able to use Mayura to akumatized multiple villains at the same time. It had required Ladybug to create a team to fight by her and Chat Noir's side calling them to unite more recently. There was the risk of him using the team's identity to his advantage. But it became no other choice as more villains were akumatized at the same time and Chat Noir and Ladybug were outnumbered.

"How can you stand to watch them suffer?" The voice said as Ladybug was out of battle to detransform. "Deep down you enjoy watching them fail, watching them waste their time on a battle they cannot win..."

"SHUT UP!" Marinette. screamed, tilting her head toward the ground while doing so.

"ADMIT IT! You love seeing them in pain..." the voice was exploiting her weakness, her emotions, and if he succeeds they will no longer be her weakness but her strength. "Deep down, you have wanted this for a long time, you were just too weak to carry it out..."

"Your right...no...no... get out..." Marinette whispered, raising her head, "Good always win."

"Then use the power within you as you did to Stoneheart... use it for good, don't do the mistake that caused you to lose Master Fu" The voice continued her emotional bombardment, "Isn't that what you want? to be free? To finally end this before something like Master Fu happens again to let the future come true"

"Yes...Yesss..." Marinette had given in as she feared the worse was coming if she didn't trust the darkness. "Let's do it."

She let the voice take control like last time but with better control that no one from the Miraculous team notices her new power. Except for Chat Noir, as he noticed something was different about Ladybug fighting an akumatized villain without using her Lucky Charm. After the battle Ladybug had left Chat Noir hanging for their pound it moment.

"Hmm," Chat Noir sighed with sad ears but as he was running across the roof he had received a message from Ladybug to meet up at the Eiffel Tower later that evening.

She watched from the rooftop of stores across the street as the Effiel tower lit up. "Little bug sitting all alone.." she sang in a humm tone, "Oh, kitty where are you."

The power felt good. The darkness was now coursing through her veins. It made her wonder why she even fought this in the first place she was in control.

It was snowing that night. She felt someone land behind her, "What's up Ladybug?"

"So your not calling me m'lady anymore." She sighs as she turned to face him,

"Of course." He smirked knowing that he was going to cause a reaction, "But why did you call me? Not that I'm complaining m'lady."

Ladybug seemed to be walking through the shadows and in an instant was right in front of him, "I needed to tell you something."

"What's the wrong m'Lady?" Chat Noir said who was now inches from her face making him extremely nervous as all he could do was stare into the blue eyes.

"I've realized something about my feelings." She says as she places her arms around his neck, "Am I too close?"

"No of...of course not I...I just like...like being this close to...well you," said Chat Noir who didn't know why he was having a difficult time in front of Ladybug like this.

"Just me or are you afraid of something else?" said Ladybug emphasizing on 'else' with a mischievous smile Chat Noir had never seen before in her.

"Ladybug I...," was all Chat Noir could say as Ladybug quickly cut him off with a well-placed kiss to his lips shocking him to no end.

"The thing is... I've come to like you, a lot." She says as he zoned back into what she was saying only to catch on to the last part.

"What?" He blinked, assuming he had pretty much misheard her although they just kissed, "I thought you were in love with someone else."

"I know, I know. What a way to bring that out here. I mean it though. I do like you. You are someone else. I've only been hiding my feelings to protect us. But lovers or partners, I've realized we will always be there for each other..."

He leaned forward and kissed her. Not a quick kiss, but it wasn't a lasting one either. When he pulled away he seemed to hesitate a moment, "m' lady please tell this isn't a dream, or a sentimonster or an akumatized villain."

"No, it's real," she says before he returning a kiss to her.

"Prove it." He says as he stopped.

She grins evilly, "Lucky charm."

Then a scarf appeared and Chat Noir Chuckled, "Ok you are Ladybug, but I wonder what the scarf for?"

"This." She says as she wrapped his neck. He pulled her into his embrace, deepening the previous kiss. She finds herself placing her hands on his shoulders, pushing herself towards him to get more. He pulls back; looking at her with this expression in his eyes she can only call yearning. She doesn't want to stop yet. She put her hands on the back of his neck, pulling him down to her again and capturing his lips once more. He seems surprised, but he welcomes it. His hands leave her elbows to find her waist, wrapping his strong arms around her small frame, holding her close against him. The sweet and tender kiss turns raw and passionate, both filled with a sense of desire.

She finds herself tangling her fingers in his shaggy blonde hair that she loves so much better than its civilian style. He was both Adrien and Chat Noir.

They both pulled apart at the same time, catching our breaths. Her hand was where his ring was. The darkness taking charge. They kissed once again, it was slow and tender and wonderful all the same time. They hugged their bodies close together, neither willing to break the kiss. She then began to slide off his ring. She knew that he was having an argument with himself inside his head about rights and wrongs but at the moment all she cared about were all those wrongs. She was so close before her earring began to beep. Chat Noir sighed in disappointment and looked down to see his ring halfway pulled down then at her."Ladybug?"

Ladybug smiled as her earring started to beep, "um, I have to go," she says as she fell back and pulled out her yoyo.

"Wait.." he says as he caught her hand, "so are we?"

Ladybug smiled. Then her earrings began to beep again, "Goodnight my prince." She then threw her yoyo to swing off the rooftop and leave.

Chat Noir watched her leave then he looked at his ring and pushed it back in place, "Goodnight princess."

'Well, missy,' the voice returned in her head, "What happened?'

"I won't trouble you with the details now. All you need to be aware of is that I have embraced the darkness."

"That much is abundantly clear," she commented.

Then Ladybug jumps off the roof and turned back into Marinette. Her mind went blank as recalled what happened as the darkness vanishes. Tikki was trying to ask but her voice was nonexistent as Marinette realized what happened. She kissed Chat Noir and was taking his ring. She muttered as she looked at her hands then tapped her lips.

"Its what you didn't do."

"No..." Marinette was confused in her thoughts of what just happened. She turned evil and couldn't control it. She almost took his ring.

"Is that how do you plan on breaking that news to him?" She asked, knowing that her secret of being akumatized won't be a secret for long.

"No, I won't let you take control."

"But you just did. You stop being selfless to get what you truly want."

"No, your wrong." Marinette growled as she then started to make her way down the streets, "I'm going to do it my way."

"What do you mean?"

"First by finding who Chat Noir is behind the mask."

Marinette woke with new energy the following morning

'It appears you needed him more than you realized,' The voice echoed as Marinette got ready for school and she glanced at the letter from Master Fu.

She recalled the last moments as he gave her the responsibility of a guardian. She was brushing her hair out to be let down. She was wearing the white with the black and red shirt.

"Marinette what's going on?" Tikki asked as she realized that Marinette know spoke to whispers.

"Don't worry Tikki." Marinette smiled confidently, "I'm going to fix everything."

Her eyes started to turn purple, "Marinette yo.. you're being akumatized?!" Tikki expressed.

"Don't worry," Marinette smiled as she finished looking herself in the mirror, "Hawkmoth is not in control of my Akuma."

"What?" Tikki asked in fear.

Marinette gave an evil smirk, "Just trust me, I'm going to defeat him. I know how to end it. But first I have to make changes."

"What kind of changes?" Tikki asked nervously.

"Master Fu letter.." Marinette couldn't explain how she was feeling. The voice was right. She didn't realize how instrumental Master Fu was in keeping her from the darkness. She couldn't stop herself from smiling; she didn't WANT to stop herself from smiling, "He said the ability to accept changes in ourselves it accepting that if even life doesn't always give the gifts we were hoping for. The real gift is life itself. This Akuma was pure. I darken it by not accepting who I am."

"And you can purify it as Ladybug!" Tikki argues.

"I can't..." Marinette sighed as Tikki still didn't understand, "I am the Akuma, only by changing the future I can defeat it."

Tikki frowned with cross arm, "Marinette..."

"Tikki I know what I'm doing. I have been fighting this darkness longer than you know. I've finally accepted its terms. The only ways are by me changing."

"You don't have to change who you are!"

"Oh, Tikki." Marinette smiled, "I have to if I have to make things right."

Tikki was going to say more but Marinette was already running late.

'Well, Mari, what is it you want?' The voice asked curiously.

She felt a short-lived relief wash over as her smile faltered slightly. She wasn't sure. To both her dismay and joy, her smile reappeared.

'His identity'

"Him?" The voice repeated, "How selfless..."

"Quiet," she said, frustration present in her voice.

"Well, what's the plan, Lady Misfortune?" The voice questioned.

"Don't call me Lady Misfortune," Marinette said coldly to it, clearly hating the fact that she was still here echoing its opinion. "I won't be taking your orders. I control the darkness."

It sighed. "Very well," she said. "If you should ever have need of me, you know where I'll be."

Marinette smiled as she finally caught up with Alya as they headed to class. When they both arrive at school she notices Adrien giving an odd expression as he was saying goodbye to Kagami.

"Are you sure your okay with them together?" Alya asked as they walked into school together.

"Of course," Marinette says in a sad tone, "they belong together."

"So does the mean your heart is open for Luka?" Alya asked.

"Yeah, well, its time for me to face the facts." Marinette shrugged.

"I don't believe it's over for you and Adrien," Alya argues.

"I'm only a friend." She admits but knowing otherwise what happened between them in there heroes form, "Its okay Alya."

"You don't need to be selfless for Kagami." Alya continues as they stopped at the doorway of the classroom.

"She is my friend too. Come on Alya..." Marinette was going to continue but was interrupted by Chloe shoving through them.

"What were you expecting by standing right behind the door? Is it another dumb chick trick to get noticed?"

"I'm not going to play at who is dumber, Chloe, I know you're going to win hands down. Come on, leave us alone!" Marinette eye-rolled with cross arms.

"How utterly ridiculous!" Chloe growled as she left with Sabrina following her.

"Don't worry Chloe..." Sabrina began but was quickly cut off by Chloe.

"I hired you to do my homework. Did you get an A?" Chloe huffed in annoyance.

"You didn't hire me. I'm your friend Sabrina, but,"

"I pay you." Chloe corrected falsely.

"Yes, you got an A." Sabrina sighed as they sat in their desks.

"Has anyone ever told you're a little dramatic?" Marinette says as she passes by.

"A little?!" Chloe said offendedly as she glared at Marinette. Chloe hasn't been the same since she became Miracle Queen. She knew she had made a horrible mistake. She had lost her temper and lost Ladybug's trust. She knew there is no redemption. She wrapped in her guilt and misery. Even now that she knows a lot of her classmates are heroes she didn't dare to expose there secret. It was the least she could do even though they don't know she knows there secret.

It hurt Marinette, seeing her like that and knowing she had caused some blame to Chloe's demise.

"Wow, Marinette!" Alya expressed, "You're like a new person."

"I'm just trying to be who I truly am," Marinette says as she walked to her desk and sat beside Alya focusing back to their conversation instead of Chloe's hurt feelings.

"At my funeral, please make sure everyone wears bright colors. No sad, dark colors please." Nino was saying to Adrien.

"What is he talking about now?" Alya's eye-rolled as she places her hand under her chin.

"Bold of you to assume I'm going to let you die." Adrien answers.

"Umm, guys what are you guys talking about?" Marinette asked.

At the same time, they both answered, "His grades."Adrien says. "My grades," Nino says.

"Nino your not going to fail." Alya looked at him with crossed arms.

They continued talking as a group but as soon as class started Marinette was trapped in her thought against the darkness plague. Planning her next moves.