Do You Love Me?

Chapter Twelve: The Fall

"Ladybug!" Hawkmoth landed and ran towards her. She was hunched over, blood dripping from her mouth. "How are you still alive??"

"The miraculous gives the user the power of almost invulnerability.'' She was only able to speak by only using her sheer willpower.

"Don't tire yourself! I'll help you, you're the only one who can fix this mess!" Hawkmoth tries to find a way to lift the debris off of her, but every try seems impossible. The chunks of cement were too big to lift, even with his powers.

Ladybug knew she wouldn't live much longer, miraculous or not. "Take my miraculous." she firmly said. "There's no other way to fix this. I can't summon my lucky charm to fix the damage."

"What?? You want ME to take your miraculous??" He was so desperate to take the miraculous back then. Now he's standing there in front of the holder, giving it to him.

"Yes, take it off. You need to fix everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Stop asking questions and take the damn earrings already."

He got closer to her and placed his fingers on her miraculous and looked her in the eye before taking it. He knows she'll die if he takes it off. That was her only source of strength left.

"I promise to do everything I can to fix this mess."

"I know you will. Tell Adrien I love him."

"I will. I'm proud to have you as my enemy, and now ally, Marinette." He finally made up his mind and took the earrings off of her.

Marinette could be seen dead and covered with debris in the streets. Her mouth had blood dripping out of it. She suffered so much pain, yet none of it was evident on her face. Her smile pierced through even the hardest of hearts. She accepted her death with pride.

Hawkmoth quickly covered the injuries of the girl, and gave her a quick kiss to the forehead. "I'll never let Paris forget its best hero." He jumped off to meet with Chat Ombre. He held the earrings out in the open.

"She's dead! Your well known hero Ladybug is dead!" He got the attention of everyone around him, including Chat Ombre's.

"I don't care if she's dead! I only want the destruction and suffering of those around me." he said with a malicious grin.

Hawkmoth didn't listen to him at all. He needed to tell everyone who's the real Ladybug. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng gave her life for this city. As her alter-egos, Ladybug, Multimouse, and the true Guardian of the Miraculous, we shall never forget her!"

Whispers around can be heard.

"Why are you telling us all of this? As I said, I don't care!"

"I'm not talking to you, look around you and you'll see who I'm talking to."

He did what he said and looked. He could see tons of citizens looking at them agape. Almost everyone is crying about their beloved hero.

"And this is supposed to do what?"

"She said she loves you, son! Her dying breaths were for you, even after you took her life!" the tone of Hawkmoth's voice was still as loud as when he announced her death.

His words caught Chat off guard. He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes. He knows that already, but something just hit different. He feels pain piercing through his chest. He finally realized that his lady was gone. He heard a voice coming from his side.

"He's just trying to make you feel bad," Chat Blanc said, standing beside him.

"He's trying to take advantage of you, Master." Princess Justice pleaded.