[WARNING] A lot of angst and major character death in this chapter. Read at your own comfort.
"YOU MORTALS DO NOT DESERVE THE GIFT BESTOWED UNTO YOU BY THE ULTIMATE GOD. ALL YOU EVER DO IS ABUSE IT AND STEAL FROM IT. YOU DO NOT DESERVE THIS EARTH!"
They all stared at it flabbergasted. It spoke?
It continued, "HE THOUGHT THAT HE COULD CREATE A WORLD FULL OF PEACE AND JOY AND YET THE FIRST THING YOUR KIND DID WAS DISOBEY HIM AND BETRAY HIS TRUST! YOU ARE KILLING YOUR SO CALLED 'BELOVED PLANET' AND SO YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED AND THE WORLD WILL BEGIN AFRESH!"
No one dared to move. Until ladybug did. "How can you so easily judge humans based on our actions! Most of us are good at heart!"
Superboy almost fainted. What the hell did she think she was doing talking back to something that had the power to obliterate them!
"YOU DARE SPEAK BACK TO ME MORTAL!"
The ground began to crack and trees were swallowed up.
"Who even are you!" Ladybug shouted back.
" Are you trying to get yourself killed! " Robin screamed at her. This woman was out of her mind!
"WHO AM I YOU ASK?" It bellowed, " I AM THE GRIM REAPER! "
"Holy shit!" Red Hood shouted as he just about avoided being swallowed by a hole in the ground. "
" Why now? Why is it that you choose now to reform the world! " Ladybug asked.
"THE WORLD HAS ENDURED ENOUGH SUFFERING! THE SUN IS AT HALF ITS LIFE SPAN. IT WOULD BE BEST FOR IT TO WASTE THE OTHER HALF ON A BETTER WORLD."
" But what does Chat have to do with any of if! Why him? " At this point, tears were streaming down her face.
"I DID NOTHING TO YOUR MORTAL FRIEND. I ONLY OPENED HIS EYES TO THE SUFFERING THE WORLD WAS GOING THROUGH. HE CHOSE TO FILL HIS HEART WITH DARKNESS AND HE CHOSE TO LASH OUT!"
Ladybug growled. How dare he blame Chat for all of this! Anyone would lose it if they were suddenly shown something too great for the human brain. Anyone would lash out!
The Grim Reaper smirked, "I CAN FEEL THE RESENTMENT IN YOUR HEART! IF ONLY I COULD SEE THE PATHETIC LOOKS ON YOUR FACES WHEN I END YOU. OH WAIT, I CAN." He barked out laughing as a light exploded temporarily blinding them.
When they opened their eyes, Ladybug screamed.
"C-Chat?"
Robin eyed the figure in front of them. The stupid cat was back from the dead! However, something seemed off about him. Ladybug proceeded slowly towards him calling out his name, relief washed over her to see her partner back and in the flesh.
"Ladybug, wait!" Robin shouted after her, "Something's off about him."
But she didn't listen.
Although it was very faint, Robin swore he could see a smirk on Chat's face as he made his way over to her. "Did you miss me Bugaboo?" he sneered.
She froze. Something did indeed seem off about him. Then it clicked. He was meant to be dead! She saw him get taken and..and she even had his soul! But she realised one second too late and before she knew it, she'd been hit straight in the gut. She heard a few cracks and the metallic, warm taste of blood on the tip of her tongue. As she looked into his eyes, what she saw wasn't the familiar, playful green of his eyes, but a piercing black hole threatening to suck her up. Then she was sent flying.
"MARINETTE!" she heard Cyborg call out for her before a scream pierced through her ears.
Then another.
And another.
And one more.
They were going down like flies.
Her head felt so heavy and it felt like she was running a marathon just trying to keep her eyes open. Was this what death felt like? No she couldn't die yet! She still had a world to save. As she'd done many times before, she reached up for the familiar cool touch of her earrings as a sort of reassurance and promise that Tikki was there and watching out for her. Instead of feeling the smooth round touch of the spotted earrings, she was met with the rough touch of her blood-covered ears.
Where was Tikki?
She reached again and again for the earrings but they weren't there. Shit! Where was Tikki!
She shook violently as heavy sobs rang out from her mouth and salty tears raced down her cheeks.
"Marinette!" she heard a deep voice call her name. "MARINETTE!" There it was again.
Who was calling her? What did they want?
"MARINETTE!"
They sounded so desperate.
She slowly opened her eyes to be met with the teary face of Robin. Relief instantly washed over him.
"Oh-Oh thank Gods! I-I-I thought you were dead!" Hot streams raced down his face.
"Why are you crying?" she replied. Her voice so small he could barely make out the words.
"Oh Gods, you're okay!" he repeated as he sobbed and hugged her closely. He then released her as soon as he'd held her and muttered out an apology.
"S-sorry," he sniffed, "W-We need to go! I need to get you somewhere safe!"
He lifted her into his arms and began to run.
"S-Safe? Wait! Damian wait! What about the Grim Reaper?"
"To hell with the Grim Reaper! I'm not letting you die on a battlefield with no fucking weapon or way to defend yourself. Cyborg, Red Hood, Red Robin, Starfire and Beast boy are all down, I'm not losing you too!"
"B-But Damian-"
"Shut the hell up Marinette and let me fucking save you!" he screamed silencing her.
They reached a pile of rubble and he made space before laying her down.
"O-Okay I think this is far enough, when you've gained some energy, you run like hell out of here okay!"
"D-Damian-"
"PLEASE Marinette, PLEASE, I am BEGGING you to cooperate with me just this once!"
Her heart broke watching the hero in front of her. His eyes were a bloody red and his once smooth face was filled with cuts and bruises.
"I just wanted to say I lov-" she was cut off by a loud piercing. Robin's eyes widened as he slowly looked down. Marinette gasped and cried out.
He'd just been impaled with a metal rod.
The blood shot out seeping into her clothes and forming a pool of red on the ground and she screamed as the tears that were once there before now refused to escape.
He looked back up and slowly, but surely, the edges of his mouth twitched up. Was he smiling? Damian FUCKING Wayne was smiling??? He never smiled! She was shook out of her shell-shock by the feeling of his hands pressed on her bruised cheeks.
"D-D-D-Damian! Damian! DAMIAN!" she screamed out before she was silenced by the soft press of his lips on hers before he collapsed.
Her mouth wavered and twitched. She squeaked and fidgeted. Did Damian just die in her arms?No! He couldn't die! He was Damian Wayne! He never died! Nature just wouldn't allow it! The last time he did, he was resurrected in the Lazarus Pit! He couldn't die! He was just asleep!
Yeah! He was just in a deep sleep and he'd wake up soon! He wasn't dead! Marinette scoffed, he was just resting then he would get up and together, they would end this nightmare!
He wasn't dead...Right?
"Of course he's fucking DEAD Marinette!" the little voice in her dead called 'truth' spat out at her as she watched his lifeless figure on ground surrounded by what seemed to be a never ending ocean of blood.
Was there really that much blood in the human body?
Marinette saw red. She was so fucking furious! How dare-How-How DARE that thing take him away right in front of her eyes! She screamed out, the anger seaming out of her body. It was so gonna taste her fists! And yet, her legs refused to move. Her heart was screaming at her to lash out and go give that Grim Reaper a taste of its own medicine and yet, a little nudge in the back of her head was telling her otherwise.
She slumped. Chat had lashed out and look where it got him!
"Just face it Marinette, you're useless without Tikki." She cried out again. She'd failed. She'd failed Master Fu. She'd failed Chat. She'd failed Tikki. She'd failed the whole fucking world. She'd failed Damian.
"You can still help Marinette. You're stronger that you think. You're fight isn't over yet."
Tikki? She swore she'd heard Tikki just now. Something, no, Someone was still urging her to go on. She stood up and shook herself out of her stupor. The purse! She'd left the purse at the manor! Kaalki!
Although it was minuscule, she still had hope!
She took a step forward. And then another. Soon, she'd broken out in a full sprint.
"Marinette!" she stopped. Chat? "Marinette!" Although it was faint, she swore she could hear Chat calling her name. Not the evil, rough voice in pain she'd heard before he'd disappeared, but the smooth, friendly voice she'd always roll her eyes to when he'd said a ridiculous pun or stupidly silly and cheesy pick-up line. "Chat?" she called out.
"Marinette!" the voice became more frantic. He was calling her! He needed her help! She chased after the voice playing a game of 'Marco, Polo' and soon came to a pile of rubble. Was he underneath? Although it was soft, she saw a green glow. What the hell.
Desperately, she clawed at the pieces of metal, stone and concrete searching for the source and then her eyes widened as she picked up the black cat ring. But how? Her frown cracked and the edges of her lips slowly twisted up before she broke off into fresh laughter.
She still had hope and if the ring wasn't proof enough of that, she didn't know what was.
Thanks Chat.
-&-
As Marinette walked through the portal, she was hit with the fresh, crispy air of her hometown. The streets were so peacefully quiet and still. It was as though it were frozen and cocooned in a shell, away from the hellhole called Gotham city. She paused to let the cool air wash away at the physical scars evident on her face and slowly relaxed before Damian's face popped up in her head. She jerked.
She could't relax yet. She still had a mission to do.
-&-
The soft snores echoes around the room as Wang Fu slept. He slowly awoke to the sound of shuffling in the room next door and then a loud clatter and the sound of hushed voices broke him out of his tired daze. He checked the time, 1 in the morning. Who the hell was parading around his shop at this time? A robber? Then he gasped, what if Hawkmoth had found finally found him! He pulled on a robe and ran out, Wayzz chasing after him.
He ripped open the door to find the miraculous box on the floor. Shit. He ran over and lifted it up to find a note scribbled out. I apologise for not waking you Master, I promise to return them all when the fight is over.
Marinette? He looked inside the box to find all the draws open and every single miraculous gone. Was she going to recruit more heroes? Or...
No. She couldn't possible be thinking of- but no one had that kind of strength! She would die! Wielding multiple miraculi was impossible! Or at least, that was what the Order of the Guardians had told him. "Never try it." They'd said. "It's far too dangerous." They'd said. "The power of multiple Gods in one flesh vessel would cause complete destruction." They'd said.
He ran to the phone and dialled a few numbers. The phone rang as he called his old friend, Alfred Pennyworth.
-&-
"Are you sure about this Baby bug?" Plagg watched her worried as she placed the jewels on her, the other kwamis popping up and surrounding her intrigued as to what she was doing. "You could lose your mind. No Miraculous holder has even wielded this many Miraculi before. It was said to be impossible."
Marinette smiled at the worried black cat floating in front of her. "Well I guess I'll make history."
She placed the next bracelet around her wrist. "Besides, what's one life when I can save many?"
She finally stopped and looked around at the various eyes watching her own. It was now or never.
"Mullo, get squeaky!" she called out the words and was soon transformed into the grey clothes of the rat.
"What do you call yourself?" Pollen called out.
"Multimouse." Marinette answered.
She looked at herself. Something was missing. This alone wasn't enough to defeat an entity with control over life and death (mostly death XD).
"I know that look anywhere, what the hell are you thinking Marinette!" Plagg screamed, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Marinette looked up at the black cat. She smiled. Now she knew why Tikki loved him so much.
"Sorry Plagg." she answered. Plagg's eyes widened.
"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! DON'T YOU DAR-"
He was cut off by her voice. Her sweet, wavering voice. What would probably be the last anyone ever heard of her voice as she called out, "Plagg, Trixx, Pollen, Stompp, Roarr, Fluff, Longg, Sass, Kaalki, Ziggy, Xuppu, Barkk, Mullo, Orikko, Daizzi, MERGE!"
As the kwamis got sucked in, they watched her. Such a brave girl.
"There will be a price to pay Marinette!" Plagg screamed, "There's always a price!" He got sucked in.
Of course she knew there was a price. Everything, no matter how small, had a price.
"You will be remembered great hero." Sass whispered as he got sucked in. "You will be remembered."
Marinette stumbled. She lifted her hand and wiped away the blood dripping down her nose. She ignored the pounding in her head and stepped back through the portal and into the thick, heavy air of what was once where Gotham City stood.
"GRIM REAPER!" she screamed.
Phew! What a long chapter huh? XD Poor Damian. Don't worry, despite all the angst and depression in this chapter, the next will be the end of the long and tiring battle. Although, I can't promise that there won't be any more deaths...