"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

The world shook as the fight drew to an end.

Chat Noir threw the yo-yo to the side, unable to utilize its power. The Akuma sprawled on the ground in pain, groaning with each movement as it fruitlessly tried to get up. The superhero grit his teeth and opened his clawed hand. "Cataclysm." His right hand burst into dark flames which danced wildly in the cold night's wind. His right eye twitched from under his mask as he approached the villain.

A black shroud lifted itself out of the Akuma, revealing the human who was possessed earlier; the principal of Adrien's school, Mr. Damocles. It accumulated and compacted into a small butterfly which attempted to flap its wings and fly away. Tensing his legs, Chat Noir screamed a cry of agony as he leaped into the air and caught the butterfly in his hand. The creature hardened in his hand and crumbled away to dust, falling through the cracks of his fingers as Chat landed onto the ground. He tossed whatever was left of the Akuma as far as he could and hunched over, completely out of breath.

Today had to be the worst day of his life; it was already terrible, to begin with, due to being his mother's disappearance anniversary. Tears stung at his eyes and he wiped away at them ferociously, refusing to let his weakness show.

The principal, who was still on the ground, finally got up on his feet while holding his head. "Where am I?" He muttered, looking around with anxiety filling his mind. He caught eye of the leather-clad hero who was staring him down with bright, green eyes. For some reason, instead of relief, fear sparked through his skin and trickled down his spine as he locked stares with Chat Noir. "W-What happened?" His emotions fell through with his voice as he stumbled over his own words. "Chat Noir, might you tell me how this—."

"Leave."

Mr. Damocles instantly took a step back. "Pardon?"

If possible, the principal could've sworn that lightning shot out of the hero's angry glare. A snarl rippled from Chat's throat and ripped from behind his fangs as the hero bent over in a sort of hunting stance. Death tainted his tone, "Are you deaf? Leave before I rip your arms off."

"E-Excuse me!" Without a moment to spare, Mr. Damocles took off into the night as fast and as far as his stubby, little legs could carry him.

Chat Noir merely stared at the retreating principal's back with his nails piercing through the fabric of his gloves. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as his chest heaved for air. The hairs were standing on the back of his neck and he felt like a predator wanting to hunt after its prey. His claws reached his skin and stabbed his palms before he snapped out of his stasis. "What..?" He straightened up and looked down at his hand, with grey ash, mixing with red, clinging to his glove. "Did I just... Kill an Akuma?" He could only watch as his hands began to shake. "What have I done?"

He turned around, and in the midst of his mental breakdown, a blur of red appeared into his vision. Ladybug. "Oh no," His words got caught in his throat and his legs broke into a run. "LADYBUG!" A small raindrop fell onto his head as his feet pounded against the pavement. Then another. Rain began to trickle down in a gentle shower as he finally reached his lady's side. "No, no, no, no," He repeated over and over again while he picked up her crumpled form. The back of her head seeped with a dark, sticky substance. Chat lifted his hand and stared at the deep red blood which enveloped his glove.

A soft beep emitted from her earrings and he bent over to see that one last spot flickered for its life.

The hero shut his eyes as a faded ray of red emitted from her suit. He wasn't sure if he should look at the girl behind the mask; the girl whom he wanted to know for so long, but there was no time. He needed to stop the bleeding wound.

Internally apologizing with guilt weighing down on his shoulders, Chat Noir slowly opened his eyes which dilated as they laid upon someone whom he never expected.

Small freckles that were hidden from her disguise dotted the bridge of her nose. She wore was a dark blazer with a white shirt and eye-catching pink pants. Chat caught his breath; after the mask came off, he couldn't help but chide himself by how obvious it was. She was the girl he loved all this time. He was happy that it was her, but he was also devastated that it was her.

"Marinette..?" He breathed, cradling the injured girl in his arms gingerly. He pressed his gloved hand against her wound, trying to stop the blood from flowing. "Oh no," His voice cracked. "Please... No. Not her." Chat pressed his lips against her cold forehead. "Anyone but her."

A small, red ball of light flew out of Marinette's earrings and landed next to Chat Noir's feet. It seemed to be a small, ladybug-like creature with antennas similar to Plagg's, which also laid unconscious by its friend.

"That must be her Kwami..." Chat muttered as he continued to apply pressure to Marinette's bleeding head.

A similar sounding beep came from his ring, and within moments, he reverted back into Adrien Agreste. Plagg spiraled out of his Miraculous onto the ground, groaning with exhaustion. "Adrien, I'm hungry," He complained. "Where's the Camembert you promised me—, TIKKI!" He mustered the energy to fly over to his friend's side, shaking the red Kwami's shoulders in fervor. "WAKE UP! WHY AREN'T YOU WAKING UP?!" Plagg gasped as he stopped his persistent shaking, realizing that Tikki wouldn't wake up from his rash action.

"They fell, Plagg," Adrien persisted against the wound, not hesitating to get his hands dirty. Who cares what sort of things his father would say when he got home; Marinette's life was much more important than any punishment. "They fell off the Eiffel Tower."

Plagg's little ears stood straight up in shock. "Off the tower?! Why couldn't she save herself with her yo-yo?!"

The blonde boy bit his lip in frustration before replying. "She lent me it. As a good luck charm."

A small sniffle came from the cat Kwami. "Well, it didn't work," Plagg hugged his friend with his small arms and wiped away at his green eyes with his paw. Adrien gazed down at his Kwami, feeling the exact same pain as Plagg did. He removed his hand to see if he had made any progress; a small amount, but it was better than nothing. The bleeding had begun to slow down, but he had no idea on how to get it to stop completely.

A loud blare ruptured the air and shattered his thoughts. In the stiff Paris ambiance, sirens flashed brightly against the buildings and its sound echoed down the streets. Two police cars and an ambulance sped down the street and hastily parked just a few feet away from him.

Mr. Damocles must've called them, Adrien thought.

One of the police officers stepped out of the car; it was Sabrina's father. Adrien recognized him from the bring-your-parent-to-school day that his father missed. Immediately, he gingerly lifted both Kwamis off of the ground and placed them in his shirt's pocket. Two paramedics came out of the ambulance and they, alongside Sabrina's father, jogged over to the fallen girl's side.

"What happened, boy?" The police officer said with his hands firmly planted on his hips.

Adrien glared, noticing that the officer didn't want to get his hands dirtied. "S-She was attacked by an Akuma," He held her tight, not wanting to let her go. His gaze didn't waver. He didn't want to let go of his princess. "Ladybug and Chat Noir went after the villain." His grip tightened on her shoulder as the police moved closer.

"Well then, move it, kid," Sabrina's father said as the two paramedics bent over and scooped Marinette's limp body out of Adrien's reach. "We're going to rush her to the hospital as fast as we can and you'll only be in the way. Go home and remember to wash your hands."

Adrien hastily got up onto his shaky legs and grabbed the officer's shirt. "PLEASE!" He begged in full desperation. "At least ride in the ambulance with her."

The orange haired officer grabbed Adrien by the wrists and pried the boy off of him. "I'm sorry, kid; protocol. No children allowed to attend without an accompanying adult." He walked away while scowling at his shirt. "Now I've got to get this dry cleaned..."

Adrien felt like a string snapped inside of him. "YOU ARE AN ADULT!" He yelled with a frustrated stomp as he watched the vehicles drive away. He watched until the lights disappeared into the darkness; his eyebrows tightly knitted and his fists squeezed tight.

His heart felt as if it were ripped out by the hands of Hawk Moth himself and stepped on over and over again by the disgusting villain. He lost feeling in his legs, a numbing sensation traveled through his form, and Adrien merely tumbled onto the ground. The cold air could no longer affect him, or the restless plight against the Akuma. His mind was fixated on the fall. Adrien continuously replayed the memory in his mind as if it were on a loop. Finally, after all that tension, and after all the pain he withheld that day, Adrien Agreste let the tears fall.

The rain stuck his wet hair to his forehead and trickled over his cheeks. His clothes clung to his skin restlessly like a child desperate for attention, but he didn't care. Adrien covered his face, his whole body racking with sobs. His shoulders shook and his arms trembled as he wiped away at his face again and again. The tears were endless; they cascaded like a waterfall. His cries awakened Paris' steady slumber.

Plagg peeked out of his pocket and could only look somberly at his crying companion. There was nothing he could do.

It's my fault. Adrien told himself. I couldn't catch her in time. I took the only thing that could've saved her.

I couldn't rewind time.