Alya stood up and started to pace the room.

It all made sense to her now. Marinette must've gotten a mark for Cat Noir, while Adrien got one for Marinette. It would explain why Marinette was trying to avoid Adrien, so she could try and get together with her soulmate, while Adrien tried to do the opposite. It would explain everything.

She still couldn't believe it. She was actually friends with a superhero! How had she not figured this out before? How had Marinette not figured it out before?!

That stupid cat had better give her an exclusive interview once all this soulmate stuff was sorted out.

The next day, when Alya arrived at school, she scanned the yard and found him at once.

She walked straight over to Nino and Adrien, determined to talk to the latter.

"Adrien, can I talk to you? It's important," Alya said.

Nino and Adrien looked at each other before Adrien obliged, a little confused.

"I'll see you in class, Nino," He said. Nino kissed Alya on the cheek briefly and set off for class.

Once Nino had left, Alya pulled Adrien to a shady area behind a huge sycamore tree. Marinette and her used this spot when they wanted to be sure no one would overhear them.

When she looked around and saw no one was near, she whacked Adrien on the head.

"OW! What did you do that for?" Adrien asked, rubbing his forehead.

"You, you stupid cat, hurt my best friend. I don't care if you're a superhero, I will kill you. I don't know what you did, but you made her really upset. So, before I can help you fix this situation, I need to know. How, exactly, did you hurt Marinette?" Alya asked.

"Y-you-"

"Yes, I figured it out. You're Cat Noir, superhero of Paris. But what's more important right now is what you did," Alya said impatiently.

Adrien stared at her, wide-eyed. He couldn't believe that someone knew about his secret identity, but right now he had to explain to Alya. She was clearly furious.

"Um, uh, well, the other night when I was on patrol with Ladybug, I may have confessed I loved her, but I think Marinette overheard me," Adrien mumbled.

This resulted in Alya hitting him on the head again.

"OW! You hit harder than some of the akumas do," Adrien said.

"I don't like you right now, but in order to help my best friend I have to help you fix your relationship. But it's going to be harder than you think. You basically established in Marinette's head that she will never be as good as Ladybug, and it will be hard to undo what's been done."

"I'm ready to do anything to get her to forgive me," Adrien said honestly.

"Good, I'll think up a plan, just you wait. In the meantime, we have to get to class," Alya said.

"Just one thing. How did you figure it out? That I'm - that I'm Cat Noir?" Adrien asked hesitantly.

"Used some common sense. Now come on, let's get to class."

When the two of them arrived at class, Marinette and Nino were sitting in their seats. They both looked at them questioningly, signalling they wanted answers later.

When Alya sat down, Marinette nudged her.

"What were you talking about with Adrien?" she asked.

"Nothing much, I'll tell you later," Alya said quickly.

Alya was determined to come up with a plan to get Marinette and Adrien on the right path. Too bad fate beat her to it.

Later that day, just as school ended, people were running and screaming. They were all wearing masks and costumes. When Marinette looked up there was a girl who had been akumatized who was storming around Paris.

She was wearing a white mask and her eyes had become completely black. She was wearing a short black dress, knee-high black boots and a black cloak with the hood up. She also had a black whip, which she was using to entrap people, who then seemed to glow and then look lifeless. Each time it happened, she laughed with happiness.

Before Marinette could transform, though, she was being swept away by all the people trying to run away.

Adrien saw her too, and was instantly worried for his soulmate's safety. He quickly ran to a hiding spot and said the three words:

"Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien transformed quickly and went to go fight the akuma.

"You know, it really isn't polite to tie people up," he said, leaning casually against a wall, totally unafraid. She turned around and saw him, immediately trying to entrap him with her whip.

"I'm not tying them up! I'm freeing them, freeing them of a lifetime with someone who was chosen for them. I am the Soul Reaper, and I take people's soulmate marks so they can choose their own destiny. Just like I'm going to take yours, after I take your miraculous," she said.

She then kept trying to hit Cat Noir with her whip but kept missing as he dodged expertly out of the way. She sometimes hit other people, after which they would glow and then become lifeless. After each soulmate mark she captured, she seemed to get stronger.

Meanwhile, Marinette had finally gotten free of the crowd. She was running to a safe space to transform, when the Soul Reaper hit a tree. It was about to collapse right onto her, but she had no idea.

"MARINETTE!" Cat Noir cried out. He saw all this in one second and raced to save her. He jumped down and carried Marinette out of the way. He then brought her back to the school and hid her in a janitor's closet he sometimes used to transform in.

"Stay here, Marinette. I won't be able to fight the akuma if I think you're not safe, that you're in danger," Cat Noir said.

"But I-" Marinette started, staring at him, but was cut off.

Cut off by Cat Noir kissing her.

It was quick, but still left her feeling breathless. No matter how mad she was at Cat Noir, the fact was that she'd still dreamed about this moment every day. She'd dreamed about it since she'd realized her feelings for Cat Noir, since that magical day where they'd held hands and Marinette hadn't thought she could like anyone more.

Or maybe love?

All of these thoughts rushed into her head at the same time, and as he pulled away, she realized it was so much better than anything she could have imagined.

He looked at her.

"Please, Marinette. I'll find you after, I promise."

Marinette was still in shock, so she just nodded her head slowly, not able to rip her gaze from his.

Cat Noir closed the door and went back to fight the akuma. Marinette slowly raised her hand and traced her lips. Tikki flew out and tried to snap Marinette back into reality.

"Marinette? Marinette, wake up!" Tikki said.

When she couldn't wake her up out of her kiss-induced daze, Tikki pinched her.

"Ow, what was that for, Tikki?" Marinette asked.

"Marinette you need to transform and help Cat Noir fight the akuma!" Tikki said.

"Right, sorry! Tikki, spots on!" Ladybug transformed and headed out of the closet.

As she went outside, she immediately spotted Soul Reaper and Cat Noir battling it out on the top of a building near the school. The surrounding area was filled with lifeless people on the ground, a majority wearing masquerade outfits.

"I'm here to join the party!" she called out, grinning. Cat Noir immediately looked at her and smiled. "Ladybug!" She was reminded of his admission of love to her and resolved to put it out of her mind for now.

She used her yo-yo to get on top of the building. Soul Reaper tried to trap her as soon as she arrived, but Ladybug leapt deftly out of the way. She continued to dodge the constant attacks as she spoke to Soul Reaper.

"I'm going to get your miraculous, and then I'll remove your mark and everyone else's!" Soul Reaper raged.

"What's got you this angry?" asked Ladybug. She felt sorry for the girl, no matter how much she tried to attack Ladybug.

"You should be able to choose who you love. All soulmates do is betray you. All they do is kiss other people. That's what he did to me, when I was at the masquerade party. And now, I'm going to make sure nobody else has to go through what I went through!" Soul Reaper lashed out with her whip and got Ladybug's ankle.

"Ladybug, are you okay?" cried Cat Noir.

Ladybug gave a mighty tug and got free. "Definitely. It's time to stop this." She took a deep breath. "LUCKY CHARM!"

The spell gave her a small black box. She opened it, and there sat a necklace. Ladybug looked around in confusion, trying to put the puzzle pieces together, then realized.

The lucky charm was telling her to give the Rena Rouge miraculous to someone! And that someone was Alya Cesaire, her best friend. But she also had to get the real necklace - this one was plasticky, just intended to deliver a message.

Cat Noir looked at her. "What does it mean?"

They dodged Soul Reaper's attacks as Ladybug whispered to him. "We need to get Rena Rouge. I need to give her her miraculous."

"Okay, also, who's Rena Rouge? Can you tell me?" Cat Noir pleaded.

"I can have her tell you, if she feels comfortable with it," Ladybug compromised.

"Thank you."

"So here's the plan. I need you to distract Soul Reaper and lead her away from here, so I can meet Rena and talk to her. Okay?"

"Okay," he whispered, happy that he'd most likely find out who Rena Rouge was. He didn't like so many secrets.

Cat Noir strode away from Ladybug and jumped onto another building. "You want my Miraculous and soulmate mark? Come get me!"

"You can't escape!" Soul Reaper shouted angrily. She followed, in hot pursuit, but Cat Noir only leapt to the next building.

Ladybug smiled, watching her partner, and left quickly. She had known that Alya probably wouldn't follow Cat Noir, seeing as she had the LadyBlog that was dedicated to Ladybug, and sure enough she saw Alya, hiding behind a tree and holding a camera.

Ladybug jumped down and approached her. "Alya, we need you."

"Me?" Alya asked. "Can I be Rena Rouge again?" Her face lit up with excitement.

"Yes. Just, wait here a moment. I need to get the Miraculous."

"Whatever you say, Ladybug!"

Ladybug ran through Paris. Knowing she didn't have much time until she detransformed, she tried to hurry. Luckily, he didn't live very far away.

As she arrived at the home of Master Fu, she slipped inside just as she started to detransform.

Master Fu was currently doing yoga. He stood up quickly. "Marinette?"

"Hello, Master Fu. We need to hurry. The lucky charm told me to get the Rena Rouge miraculous."

"Understood," he said, knowing the urgency of the situation. There was no time for pleasantries. As he went and got the Fox Miraculous, Marinette hurriedly fed Tikki a cookie from her purse, knowing she'd have to transform again, and quickly.

Master Fu gave her the little black box. She smiled. "Thank you, Master. Tikki, spots on!"

She had been worried transforming again wouldn't work, but luckily Tikki had just enough strength to transform her.

She ran out of the house and straight to Alya. "Here it is," she said, gasping for breath.

Alya opened the box, revealing a necklace. And there was Trixx, greeting her. Ladybug smiled, seeing Alya excitedly say her activation phrase. "Trixx, let's pounce!"

The rest of the akuma attack seemed to go by very quickly. Ladybug and Rena rejoined Cat Noir and fought against Soul Reaper. Ladybug did Lucky Charm again, giving her a speaker, which she hooked up to make it play the music that had been playing at the masquerade party. Alya blew on her flute, using Mirage to create an image of Soul Reaper's soulmate, the one who'd betrayed her.

Soul Reaper was immediately brought back to the dance with its music, and stood there, lost in sadness once again. While she approached the hologram of her soulmate, believing he was real, Cat Noir sneaked up behind her and touched the whip.

"CATACLYSM!"

"What are-" Soul Reaper turned around in fury, but couldn't attack Cat Noir as her whip was gone. Ladybug realized something.

"The akuma - I thought it was in her whip, but it's in her mask!"

Soul Reaper, weakened and powerless, wasn't able to hurt them, so they were very easily able to get the mask. Ladybug broke it and quickly purified the akuma.

Everything returned to normal as Ladybug watched the little white butterfly fly away into the clear blue sky. "Bye bye, little butterfly."

Just as ladybug and Rena rouge were about to leave, Cat Noir stopped them!

"Rena, Wait!" Cat Noir yelled

Rena rouge stopped and looked at him

"Is it possible I can come see your identity? It might be me who needs to give you your miraculous if ladybug is unable to do so," Cat Noir said

Rena thought about it. She knew his identity, why couldn't he know hers?

"I'll tell you later Cat Noir, right now isn't the best time," she said, then left with ladybug

After getting the Miraculous back from Alya, she hurried to get back to the closet where Cat Noir had left her and detransformed. She'd give the Miraculous back to Master Fu later.

Sitting in the closet, she started thinking about the kiss again. A huge smile made its way onto her face. She couldn't wait to see him again.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir was just about to detransform, so he ducked into a bathroom to do it. He fully intended to feed Plagg some cheese on the way to the closet where Marinette was and transform again so he could keep his promise and find her again, but as he stepped out of the bathroom, there was Chloe.

"ADRIKINS! We have a photoshoot together today till late! Daddy said so!"

"But, Chloe-" Adrien started. She just said, "Come on!", cutting him off, and dragged him away to a waiting limousine. He knew his father would punish him if he didn't show up, so he had to go.

And so Marinette was left waiting.