There was no way he wasn't going to notice her now. It was as if she was shouting for attention.
No, wait, she did literally shout for this attention. He watched her return to the courtyard after a few minutes.
She loves me. With a mask, yes, but it still counts… doesn't it? I never did think about her as… well, in the love sense of things. But now whenever I see her… I can't help but think about it!
He realized this only highlighted how little he knew about Marinette. Or about love. Was there ever a girl truly in love with him, modelling infatuations not counting? Sure, there was Chloe… but...
If a girl would be in love with me… I might not even know it. Would I?
And back to Marinette.
He found himself watching her all through art class. Her nimble hands working the cloth, cutting and sewing.
Why am I watching her?
And yet he was transfixed. The girl definitely had the talent, he knew he was watching a professional's work done. How she was outright delighted when she went about it with contagious happiness and optimism.
(Little did he know Miki was helping our bluenette there, but that did fit with what he knew and remembered about his friend anyway).
Girl's got natural talent. That's kinda like cheating.
Nino's snapping his fingers next to his ears brought him up to the real world again.
"Dude, you ok? You spaced out there." He was eyeing him suspiciously. It wasn't quite like Adrien to do these things.
"Uh… yeah. I'm good."
Either too good or not good at all, I'm having trouble deciding.
And then came P.E. . She was doing very well there too, not to mention her sports clothing made her look real go-
Wait! Don't think that!
… As if I can control it…
He had just a few minutes after school, and the Dupain-Cheng bakery was just a block away…
And there she was, working the dough with the same professional aire to it. Same grace of movements. Exactly like what happened in art class. Same happiness that makes you feel warm inside when you watch it.
But she's a baker's daughter, obviously. That's kinda like cheating.
…
Or rather, being Marinette is kinda like cheating. That Girl might just be a real steal. I mean, if-
Preoccupied with his thoughts, he was slow to notice she stopped her work and came to see what he needed.
"Hi Adrien, can I get you something?" Her voice cut his line of thought. He looked at her, kind of dumbfounded.
Say something...
"Uhh… Umm… I wanted the… uhh… Macarons! Yes!"
Well that was smooth.
It wasn't the macarons he was looking at, though. He was focused on bluebell eyes and little pink lips that-
"Oh, sure! Which taste would you like?"
Yeah, he didn't consider tastes at all, almost blurting the last thing he thought about.
"Lip- I mean, L-lemon! Yeah, umm.. Lemon"
If you can't keep your calm, there's going to be a disaster.
And that thought just made it all worse. Not that she seemed to notice any of that!
"Here you go!" she smiled at him. "It's so great to have friends around. Do come over, anytime!"
He paid for the cookies and quickly made way back to school for his ride home. Or was it a photoshoot that he had? Or fencing class?
I'm not supposed to forget my schedule like this… what… is happening?
To add to his troubles, he was caught losing his history book. Not that it would have been a big deal, really. The big deal was that he lost it as Chat Noir. And who else found it, none other than Alya, the Ladyblog blogger, live! And Marinette's best friend!
He had to come up with a plan, and quickly.
"Ask Marinette to bring Alya to the louvre, and make sure she has the book!" Plagg suggested.
"Ok, I'll see if I can do that… but I'm not sure what your plan is." Adrien countered.
Couldn't he at least tell me what he has in mind?
"Trust me on this one Kid. Get them there and it will all resolve itself somehow."
"Nathalie, can I go to the Louvre with friends? Let's make it part of the classical education quota. Some new exhibitions have been opened."
There were times Adrien knew exactly which buttons needed pressing, and this was one such instance. He got his father's approval in no time.
Not to mention it's going to be more time with Marinette...
He found himself taking extra care when preparing for that specific tour and then he pulled out his cellphone, clicked Marinette's contact card and texted her.
"Amu, we are so going there." Miki flew around her, all giddy.
"Wait, aren't I supposed to decide that?" The bluenette questioned her.
"You should have thought about it before you texted him back 'Yes, I'd like that'" Miki grinned as Suu and Ran smiled.
Wait a moment, I never…
"Miki! This is the last time you are answering texts in my name!" The bluenette protested, then deflated.
"Oh well, I guess this is a nice idea, and he's a good friend…". Miki looked at her triumphantly.
The bluenette texted Alya, this time herself, quickly receiving a confirmation.
Her cellphone beeped again, indicating another text: "we are still going to talk about school later on."
Oh yeah, that...
"And now we're going to pick your clothes." Miki continued assertively.
"Go Miki, it's your day!" Ran cheered for her and Suu added: "It must feel so nice to do it."
"Wait, why are you taking control of the whole thing?" the bluenette tried to stop her, but it was just another feeble attempt at protesting. Even she had to admit, this was probably a Miki moment as far as they come.
"Does she only wear pink trousers and a white t-shirt? And she's a designer? Jeez! Somebody ought to get fired for this." Miki's eyes flamed, though she eventually did find a light blue blouse and blue jeans and matched them with the blazer.
"We are going shopping with Alya after this." both the bluenette and all her guardian characters concluded.
"And if you don't get going, 'after this' will be soon!' Ran alerted them to the time, and they dashed out.
Adrien tapped his leg nervously. Why'd she have to be late? But then Alya arrived, surprised to see Adrien there.
"Hey… Mari didn't even mention you joining us…"
Which is quite weird...
"She didn't?" Adrien sounded disappointed.
"Alya, why do you think Marinette-" He stopped short as she came, in stylish blue clothes and a hair clip.
"We'll talk about it later, mister, be sure of it." Alya concluded their aborted talk as Adrien turned to look at the bluenette.
She's not a design student for nothing...
"Well, shall we get going?" she asked them and they both nodded.
Miki zipped through the exhibits ecstatic, much like a bee collecting pollen. Our bluenette of course couldn't say a word to her though, not when Alya and Adrien were around. Her buzzing around was starting to be too much. Ran and Suu mostly just floated next to the bluenette, gaping at the exhibits quietly.
The sound of footsteps behind them made them turn their head, it was Alix hanging about.
"Hey Alix, what are you doing here?" The bluenette asked.
"Oh, my dad works here. He's one of the head curators for the museum." She replied.
All of them couldn't help but notice she had what appeared to be a new tattoo on her left arm. It looked like a red cross sign with two red arcs in the mid of the upper and lower halves of it. It wasn't a real tattoo though, it was a transparent patch made to look like one. Something someone would use before going through with the actual thing.
She noticed them eyeing it and replied to a question they were yet to ask.
"What, this? Oh, it's just something I care about. I don't think you guys would be interested. It's called a Yaz, i'm just sampling it before doing the real thing."
As they walked through the exhibition rooms, they've reached the japanese arts hall. Our bluenette couldn't be more thankful for her luck. If she got to cheat, then why not?
Finally, something good coming out of history class!
Alya and Adrien listened with intent and our bluenette got carried away with it, while Alix tagged alone rather bored but preferring to go with her classmates. They were done with that room though, now what?
Our bluenette didn't even have to ask. Miki did that one out of her own excitement.
"Character change: From an art hobbyist, to an art history student!"
Alya listened with intent to the incoming stream of insights and explanations coming from her friend. Adrien however outright adored it.
Man, that girl is so smart! How come I never saw that side of hers like this? Maybe I need to spend more time with her.
Alix finally interrupted the personal tour they were getting.
"And now we're going to the new North African display. My father told me not to go there yet, which is exactly why we are all so going there." Alix grinned at them and they nodded. It would be a nice change to see Alix change her bored looks into a more excited one.
"Is it done by your dad?" Adrien asked.
"No, it was brought over from London, he's still reviewing it or whatever he's doing with it. Who cares, no time to waste on that." Alix replied.
Apparently, someone did care, but she just wasn't fully aware of that yet.
No sooner than they've reached the displays, Alix's jubilation at defying her father switched to anger.
"What is this? It's all lies! And distortions! Why do people think they can do this to my history?!"
Her frustration and anger were welling at the displays retelling Berber history up until contemporary events. Something about these rubbed Alix the wrong way and put her in a very foul mood.
"And you know what? These don't belong here, too." She said, pointing to some Berber artifacts. "They belong back where they came from."
Alix kicked the display, her discontent welling up. The guard began to approach to inspect the commotion, but Alix wasn't the type to let things offending her slide just like that.
"Calm down Alix… please…" Adrien tried to placate her, to no avail.
"No, they should calm down! I'm not-..." Alix's words were stopped short as the security guard caught her and tried to pull her off the display.
"We're going to tell your dad all about this. You'd be getting the punishment of a lifetime." The guard threatened her.
Alix brushed his hands off her. "I'll see myself out personally. That display is a punishment to generations, anyway." She retorted, huffed in exasperation and left.
Suu almost teared up at the sight. "It's so sad! Poor girl!" she said, as she cupped her hands together and gently flew by following her.
Alix gritted her teeth and went to sit next to the Ponte des arts, right at the river bank.
Light shone on Hawk Moth's lair as its window expanded, triggering a fluttering of the numerous butterflies in wait for their turn.
"There's no anger like the anger that's been seething for over a millennium. it appears that someone needs a blast from the past. Fly away my evil Akuma, and re-incite the Berber rebellion!"
It wasn't long before the Akuma reached Alix, landing straight on her temporary tattoo.
"Kahina, I am Hawk Moth. I can grant you the power to restore your heritage and reclaim your glory from those who seek to bury it. In return, you shall give me the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses."
"You got it, Hawk Moth" Alix replied.
As the black and purple mist engulfed her, Alix took the form of Kahina the Berber queen. Now bearing a black turban and full-body black cape, a traditional Berber flyssa long sword in her hand, a silver royalty ring and coin-string adornments throughout her clothes. The looks were matched by determined red eyes and a vicious threatening grin.
Alya, Adrien and the bluenette continued the tour much more solemnly. There was a heavy air about and suddenly it wasn't nearly as much fun as before.
"Amu! Big problem! Something bad happened to Alix! An Akuma landed on her tattoo!" Suu's voice cut through the silence, although only for her to hear. Then again there was no way she'd be talking back to thin air, as much as her friends would have seen the scenario.
In a matter of seconds afterward, Kahina burst into the room again.
"A-A-Alix? Is that you?" Our bluenette asked. Adrien shuddered and Alya pulled out her cellphone to take pictures.
"The name's Kahina now! And I officially declare the Berber rebellion against Paris!"
Kahina looked a the guard that threw her away a few moments ago.
"Not so smug anymore, are you?" She pointed his sword towards him. A few blunt hits from her sword and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious. She turned her eyes to look for her former friends but they were all gone now. Alya took a position to keep filming as both Adrien and the Bluenette picked their own private spots to transform.
"Kid, about this Kahina… she was aaaaaaa-" Plagg failed to finish the sentence as he was whisked into the transformation as Adrien called it, "Claws Out!"
"Character transformation: Amulet spade!" The bluenette called it, as she assumed the form of Amulet spade.
Cat Noir and Kahina exchanged blows, baton to sword. After a few skillful exchanges, Cat Noir managed to throw her sword to the side. She now barely stopped him by clenching her hands to his own baton. But all of a sudden she had a devious grin, one that caught Cat Noir off-guard as she spoke.
"You know, Cat Noir… There's something that history books don't write about Kahina. When her sword was gone… she fought with her… CLAWS OUT!"
Kahina transformed even further. Her black cape now clung to her and seemed to grow more fur. Cat ears, a furred tail and claws emerged. Her eyes became yellowish and more cat-like and her speed and reflexes increased tremendously. Worse still, her tattoo was now fully covered, a problem which Cat Noir couldn't even grasp yet.
She… was an owner of the cat miraculous? Because if she did, she's going to-
"Cataclysm!" she called it, and the all familiar black cloudlike pattern formed in her hand, still gripping at his baton.
Not good.
He saw his baton rust and crumble, with few bits remaining for him to hold with his left hand.
"Cat noir, hold on to the remains!" Amulet said, as she changed her transformation to Amulet Clover. Kahina was about to hit him again, just as Amulet called it. "Remake honey!"
His staff was instantly restored, giving both Kahina and him major hit in the process. Amulet used the opportunity to drag him to safety before Kahina could recover. As she crawled for her sword, Amulet had an idea came to her. "Stay here and sneak in slowly and stealthily when the time is right. Can you do it?" she said and he nodded.
She changed form back to Amulet spade and emerged to face Kahina as she recovered from the blow she got.
"Kahina, it's history that you want to fix, right? I am going to help you!" She called to her and that made Kahina stop and listen.
"I'm all ears. Serve me well and you shall be spared."
Your listening should be good with these cat ears on. But I need them off for what I'm going to do.
"I will use my brush to fix the displays to the rightful narrative!" Amulet offered, and Kahina seemed to agree. "But I shall have to ask you to detransform, so I will get the right historical inspiration".
Kahina agreed to that. She could always re-transform at a moment's notice. "Claws in!" she called it, and Amulet faced a no less dangerous though less miraculous Kahina.
A few brush strokes and the text on several of them changed, Kahina nodded with approval.
"... But you know, Kahina didn't even use the Yaz on her flag." Amulet ventured. "She used the Star of David symbol, because she was Jewish. Let me fix that right here," She offered.
Kahina Nodded. "If you fix history, I shall allow this."
"And there's one here too". Amulet added.
"Fix that as well. Don't wait." Kahina seemed eager to have her goal fulfilled.
And here comes my bluff...
"And your Tattoo." She said, trying to sound as natural as ever.
"Ok" Kahina replied, a moment before she realized her mistake. Amulet Spade's paintbrush managed to smudge her Tattoo before she jerked, right into Cat Noir's baton. She was enraged by the stunt pulled against her.
"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir called, touching his hand at her ring and causing it to turn into nothing, just as Kahina made her own "Claws out" call, now in vain.
"Turns out 'stealthy as a cat' still goes here too! What a shame, I love a good cat fight, but I'll have to skip that one today." he mocked her.
She charged against him with rage and tried to strike him with her sword, but he parried with his baton. Then he tried to strike her in return and as she parried his blow, her sword broke into pieces.
"The smudging must have weakened her! Now's our chance!" Amulet cried to him.
Cat Noir pinned her to the ground as Amulet Spade's brush fully erased the tattoo and the Akuma left it. In a moment, her decorated black turban and black cape dissipated away and the transformation left her, revealing a dazed and confused Alix.
The butterfly was fluttering away as Amulet turned her attention towards it.
"Negative heart… lock on! … Open heart!"
A wave of heart shapes engulfed the butterfly, whisking away its purple and black colors to reveal a pristine white butterfly.
"Bye bye little butterfly" she called as the purified butterfly flew away.
"We're both about to transform back…" she held an adoring look towards Cat Noir, to which he returned an assuring smile.
You were so cool out there...
"You were great out there, Amulet. Paris can count on you."
He turned away and left, not noticing her slight blush. She turned her attention back to Alix.
"We can still protest this, you know. Just in a bit more effective way. You care about it, it's understandable, your cause is just, but it's not the way."
Alix nodded. "Guess you're right. If they can't feel the punch of my fist, they're going to hear my voice at its loudest."
Mr. Kubdel clapped his hands slowly three times in approval, making both notice his presence there.
"Alix dear… sometimes patience is a virtue. I've been battling for a while now and there will always be work to do. Some just need a more gentle approach. That's why I wanted you to wait. Besides, we now know a few new things about Kahina, so…" He smiled at that.
"We do? Uh, I can't remember anything…" Alix said, having a somewhat dazed look to her.
"We'll watch the video from the security cams together at home." His smile widened as he said that, and they both left the museum to let all this excitement wind down.
Amulet allowed herself a little smile as well as she jumped away to detransform in a hidden spot.
All three gathered back together, now fully detransformed.
"So, about that history book…" Alya asked, and Adrien responded. "I think Cat Noir just wanted to check up on how past holders were recorded in history. There's no way he'd be a high school student now would it?" he said, his book now safely tucked away in his bag.
"The book! It's gone!" Alya looked exasperated as she started to look after it frantically, leaving Adrien and our bluenette alone.
"M-Marinette… I had a great time today with you. I was wondering if… well… there's a chance…"
Just be smooth, Adrien...
"Yes?" she asked
"Could we do this some time again?" he lowered his head a bit and fiddled with his fingers.
"Sure! I love hanging out with friends. We can all go together again! I'll ask Alya and Alix later on what time is good for them."
I meant… just the two us! He wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to do it.
Very smooth, indeed… you missed the biggest point you wanted to make!
