Marin sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair as he looked at the pile of schoolwork he had finished all stacked in a pile of papers and textbooks. He then looked at his phone and saw that it was only 6 in the evening."Ughhhhhh." He groaned, spinning in his chair. He was done with being stuck indoors, he was done trying to train himself to be ambidextrous. His arms hurt, his head hurt, all he wanted was his life to return to its normalcy...well, relative normalcy.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked from her yarn basket with a sandwich cookie in her hands.

"I think I finished everything for the next month." He said turning towards his Kwami. "But now there's nothing else to do."

"Well sure, you're working all day and night. You need to take a break." Tikki pointed out, hovering over his stack of school work.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Marin complained as his dominant arm was broken, severely limiting the number of things he could do besides training his other hand, which always ended up hurting at the end of the day. He couldn't even relax properly relax as every time he tried he would just grow anxious from unrest.

"You should get out of your room, when was the last time you were outside?" Tikki asked, but before Marin could answer she corrected herself. "That wasn't the result of you going to fight an Akuma or doing chores."She clarified.

Marin was silenced as he tried to think, but couldn't come up with a proper answer to her question.

"Come on, trust me here, you need to go out and get some exercise. What are you going to do just sitting around here, review your flashcards for the hundredth time?" The Kwami said as Marin rested his head on his desk, looking at the almost illegible paper cards. For a moment he thought about talking to his friends, it had been a few weeks since had done so, but he felt no motivation. For some reason, the thought of talking to them, being near them, scared him.

His mind then flashed to his the akumatized version of the person he loved most, the end of his friend who gave her life to save them, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

Don't think about it, don't think about it!

He willed as he pushed away those terrible thoughts. His breathing became hitched as his grief was now replaced with anger towards himself, getting angry at the fact that his own body was turning against him.

"Being stuck in here really is going to make me go crazy." He muttered to himself as Tikki flew over, nuzzling his face to try and comfort her partner. As his Kwami nuzzled him, he checked his phone, seeing that there were many messages from his friends that he didn't have the courage to look at. However, there was also a notification about something called friendships day, which was tomorrow.

Marin read over the message multiple times trying to place where he had heard about it before, and then recalled that he a few of his other friends signed up for it. "Yeesh, that was months ago," Marin said aloud, garnering Tikki's attention.

"Friendship day, a day where best buddies are made through a series of challenges. Enter for a chance to make a bud for life and a fabulous prize." Tikki read aloud as her eyes started to sparkle. "You should go to this! This is the perfect chance for you!" She exclaimed in excitement.

"Chance?" Marin asked, now slightly nervous as to where she was going with this.

"You said that you weren't feeling up to talking to your friends, but how about you go out and socialize with other people?" Tikki suggested. "What's the harm in meeting a stranger, playing a game, and then probably never meeting them again?"

"Probably a few things, a few social things..." Marin said trying to talk his way out of it. "What if I run into my friends during these challenges, it would be so awkward." He said feeling guilty about avoiding them.

"You went through alot. They're your friends, I'm sure they'll understand." Tikki tried to console him, but it didn't work as he clutched his shirt.

"They'll understand the lies I told them?" He said bitterly. "What kind of friend does that make me? Someone that has to cover up an entire other life and still can only pass for only barely function? A friend that apparently couldn't do his only job well enough in another timeline that everyone died in while his best friend suffered?!"

Tikki looked on sadly as Marin turned his head away from her, his tone then turning guilty as he held back his tears, resting his head on his good hand.

"I'm sorry Tikki, I didn't mean to put that all on you."

However, his Kwami hovered before his face, placing herself directly in his sights. "The first step is always the hardest. But you're not going to have to be alone when you decide to take it."

Marin's expression softened as he held Tikki in his hands, resting their foreheads against each other.

Adrien sat a good distance away from the camera crew setting up for the friendship day even he was part of. He had quickly become a little obsessed with checking his phone, silently hoping that maybe his best friend would text him. However, ever since Nino told them about his accident, Marin had reminded silent with all of them even Alya. She tried to reassure him, saying that Marin probably needed time to process what happened, as he was no longer in school and now had injuries. It was reasonable enough, but it never shook away the feeling of desperately wanting to talk to him. He never realized how much he actually missed talking to his best friend until he was cut off.

"Feeling lonely loverboy?" Plagg teased lightly as he ate a slice of camembert in his pocket. "Why don't you just go visit him?"

Adrien sighed heavily. "I already tried, you know what my schedules like." He had become more busy than usual in preparation for the event, which was a good distraction from his phone, but didn't remove the concern he had. Suddenly as he was scrolling through his messages he saw that there was an incoming message. His heart raced for a moment, hoping, but then the excitement quickly faded as he saw that it was from Kagami.

"Whossat?" Plagg said with a mouth full of cheese, seeing Adrien messing with his device.

"Just Kagami, she says that she's convinced her mother and she'll be participating in the games today." Adrien said as a smile drew on his face, happy for his friend.

"Ehhh, you sure about that? We've met her mom, somehow she's even worse than your dad." Plagg remarked.

"Plagg." Adrien scolded.

"What it's true!" Plagg retorted back.

"Still, you shouldn't say mean things like that."

Even if he is right.

Adrien thought to himself as he responded to her text, telling her that he hoped that she would have fun with whomever she was paired with.

"Adrien! We're ready to go live!" A producer said as he caught the model's attention.

"Coming!"

You can participate in the event but make sure to take your medication before leaving and always leave your phone on so we can call you.

Marin's parents had said when he told them about wanting to go outside. Part of him hoped that they would say no and justify his now growing desire to go back to his new den of a room and simply hide from everyone's sight.

But this was fine, this was the push he needed to re-grow his confidence. Walking outside with a broken arm in a sling, a medical eye-patch, a suit with the jacket resting over his shoulders, and shaggy hair. He could only dress himself so much, not even having the ability to place his hairpins on. He was at least grateful that the bruises around his neck had faded, he did not want to explain how he got those to anyone.

Marin took a deep breath as he could smell the salt in the air. "With one turn of a handle, I can raise the level. Which leads me here of all places." Marin re-read aloud as he stood before the location with a frown, hoping that his bad luck wasn't following him around again.

"Canal Saint-Martin?" Tikki asked peaking out of his jacket pocket.

"Yes, my almost namesake, the place where my parents first came across the magic ice cream man." Marin muttered in embarrassment."Hopefully, this isn't a sign-" He said, but then laid his eyes on a familiar face standing before him, looking around. "Uh oh."

"What is it? A supervillain?" Tikki asked as she spotted the same person that Marin did. "Isn't that Kagami?"

"Okay, time to go home." Marin said promptly, clapping his hands together as he turned the other direction.

"Marin!" Tikki called out, "You can't just leave her."

"I can if you let me walk away far enough." He reasoned before then feeling his Kwami pinch him in the side. "Ow!"

"Marin, this isn't fair to Kagami. If you won't be her friend, she won't be able to play."

"It's just a game." Marin pointed out, but Tikki frowned at him in disappointment.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to be friends with her?" Tikki asked.

"Tikki I'm pretty sure she can't stand me, also you don't sprain the wrist of someone who you'd consider to be a possible future friend. Not only that, she's close with Adrien, one of the many last people I'd like to see right now. Anything dumb I do today is going to go right to his ears and then to the entire class."

"Even so, shouldn't you at least try? Maybe she'll surprise you." Tikki suggested as Marin sighed heavily, wondering how he ended up with the sweetest, most right Kwami of the bunch. "Don't worry, I'll be with you the entire time.

"Why are you always so reasonable?" He asked, grinning a little as he felt her peck a kiss on his hand as he petted her head.

Marin took a deep breath, slapping his face with his good hand a few times to shake off the nerves. "Okay, I can do this." Marin said to himself as he walked towards the bridge. He saw Kagami already waiting for him as she appeared to be glaring at him. But knowing her, that could just be how she normally looked. For a moment he wondered if she was surprised by how different he looked, but if she did he couldn't tell.

"Hi Kagami." Marin greeted unconsciously gripping his wrist, but then snapped out of his nerves as he touched his cast. "What were the odds of you and I being paired up? One in ten million at least. Right? So awesome..." He said trying to faux optimism.

"You didn't look too happy about being my secret friend, though. I saw you turn around and walk away just now." She said bluntly as Marin could feel a cold chill go up his spine.

"I-I actually thought I'd, um, gotten the place wrong. I totally hadn't seen you yet." He said forcing a smile as he lied once more through his teeth. Making him all the more grateful as both of them received a notification on their phone.

"Congratulations! You've just located your game partner. And who knows? Maybe even a new friend for life. You've just received the second riddle." The app said and then popped a text.

"To get closer to your goal, you must explore further and deeper. This is ridiculous." He sighed, placing his phone in his back pocket, already walking off the canal, closely followed by Kagami.

"You already figured it out?" She questioned.

"Yeah." Marin said. "Each riddle is customized to the area each pair is stationed in. Meaning that as we have to do is to go further down the banks of the Seine, which is deeper than this canal, meaning the next clue is close by." Marin reasoned.

"That is quite insightful of you." Kagami said, "it's surprising to hear someone like you talk like that."

Marin held back for a moment, as he was put-off by her tone. He didn't know Kagami that well, not even knowing if Adrien talked about him at all to her. But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was being a little condescending to him, but then again she was someone who was extremely hard to get a read on. That part of her kinda reminded him of Luka in a sense.

As the approached the end of the canal Marin heard his phone beep, unlocking the screen to see that Alya had sent him a video message. He looked down at the notification, almost about to press it, but then decided against it as he then jogged to catch up with Kagami who was already at the second challenge location. She was fiddling with something in her hands, squatting down next to a box. Next thing he knew Kagami held the fishing rod towards him.

"...um." Marin was a little taken aback as he saw her eyes dart towards his sling.

"Right." She said, hesitating a little as she tried to cast out, however, the line didn't extend even after multiple attempts.

"You need to pull the latch back to release the line." Marin said, pointing out the latch to her.

"...right." Kagami said as she did as he said, casting out into the river. He then showed her how to real in her catch as she didn't pick up on the lure starting to bob in the water. As she reeled it in, Marin saw she had caught a rusted whistle, which he tossed in a nearby marked box as Kagami cast out again. He had to assumed that the clue had to be marked rather than just be a piece of litter in the river.

"Do you prefer to be called by your whole name, or a nickname?" Kagami asked as while Marin was tossing aside the rubbish she had pulled out her phone for a second.

"Marin is a nickname." He informed. "It's short for Marinus."

"Marinus...like the river?"

"...Yeah, kind of." He sighed as he wondered why there was a rusted pan in the river.

"Thank you... Marin. Uh– Your hair is… very shiny." Kagami said, and then flashed her teeth at him.

Marin wondered what exactly she was trying to imply. His hair was a mess, looking more like a bedhead as his cowlicks weren't pinned down.

I really need to get a haircut.

He thought to himself as he blew a few strands away from his face. "Thanks, your hair is nice as well."

While Kagami caught another rusted piece of trash, while his back was turned he once again heard a beeping sound and saw her place her phone back into her pocket as he turned towards her.

"What is your blood type?" She said flashing her teeth at him again.

"...Why?" He asked, now growing more anxious. "Is that something you usually ask people?"

Kagami shook her head. "No not at all. Everyone in Japan knows their blood type, it tells you who you are. Mine is O, which means that I'm independent, optimistic, strong-willed and intuitive."

"...Alright-"

"What's your favorite season?" She followed up.

"I don't know all of them?" Marin said instinctively as he started to wonder if he was being interrogated for some nefarious reason. "They all have value."

Kagami nodded as if that was the answer she expected. "You're indecisive, scatterbrained, irresponsible, you have a split personality: typical AB."

For a moment he wondered if he should have defended himself, but he really couldn't disagree with those traits.

"Let's say you found out about some special chocolate ice cream; you really want to try it, but someone else gets there first. Do you, A, steal it from them? B, get another type of chocolate ice cream, even if it's not as good? Or, C, never eat chocolate ice cream ever again?"

"I don't really like ice cream that much." Marin said bitterly. But as he spoke about ice cream, he felt like he was forgetting something. However, he couldn't recall what it was just as Kagami pulled out something shiny from the river. "Is that a rice cooker?" He asked as she opened it, revealing a clue inside.

"Oh, cool now we can move on from this strangely polluted river." Marin said as Kagami quickly looked over the clue.

"Would you like to get some orange juice with me?" She asked as she was seemingly done reading it.

"...Now?"

"After we win." She clarified, but then stood there for a moment. Before he could ask Kagami raised her arm, looking like she was forcing herself to be more chummy against her will. "You've...done a great job with...fishing." She said patting his good shoulder as she flashed her teeth at him again. She then turned away from him abruptly walking in the direction of the next clue.

Marin stood there for a moment, exchanging a glance with Tikki who popped her head out of his bag. "...You thought that was weird too, right?"

"A little bit, yes."

Adrien took a break from standing as a wax figure off to the side while everyone was preparing for the winner to arrive. He had already wished his friends good-luck as almost all of them were playing. He then saw that he had a text from Kagami, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw what she had to say.

[Kagami: How do I speak to your friend Marin?]

[Adrien: What? What are you talking about? Why?]

[Kagami: We have been paired together for the scavenger hunt. I have been using the app like you suggested, however...I do not seem to be making any progress.]

Adrien had to gather his composure, unable to really comprehend Kagami and Marin having normal interactions together. He cared for both of his friends, but he didn't really see how they would get along as Kagami could tend to come off as passive-aggressive and Marin was more...passive most of the time.

[Adrien: How is he doing? Does he look alright?]

[Kagami: He appears to be injured. But other than that, he has a pale complexion, messy hair and clothes, and his posture could use some improvement.]

[Adrien: ...]

[Adrien: That's how he normally looks.]

[Kagami:...oh.]

Adrien chuckled to himself as he wrote his response.

[Adrien: Marin responds to sincerity if you're yourself around him then he'll probably open himself up more to you. But if that doesn't work just talk about baking, he has literally gone on for hours about the ideal oven you need to properly bake bread in.]

[Kagami: A wood-burning brick oven, obviously.]

Adrien held his tongue as he recalled how offended his best friend had become when he suggested using a cookie sheet and an electric oven to bake sourdough bread. Marin told him that it wasn't a bad thing to ask, but Adrien could recall the disappointment in his tone as he then lectured him on the intricacies of how to properly bake the perfect sourdough bread roll. If he had ever questioned why they were friends, that moment was the peak moment.

Marin caught his breath as he crashed on the bench. He was more exhausted than usual while they basically ran across almost the entire city looking for clues.

"Trust challenge. Exchange unlocked phones. Separate and take a selfie in front of different monuments using each other's phones. Then regroup and take a selfie together like the true friends you've become. Once we've received the selfies, we'll send you a final text revealing where Adrien Agreste is hiding."

Marin's eyes widened nervously as he hoped he had heard Kagami wrong.

"...Say again?"

"Trust challenge. Exchange unlocked phones-"

"No no, that last part."

"We'll send you a final text revealing where Adrien Agreste is hiding."

Marin gripped the fabric of his pants. "Um...why exactly is Adrien part of his challenge?"

"This game has a major celebrity as the goal every year, this year it's him. I really hope we win."Kagami as she smiled a little, handing him her phone. However, Kagami's patience quickly ran out as Marin was sitting there, stunned. "You really are an indecisive boy. We'll meet back here; we're going away." She said as she switched their phones and ran in the opposite direction.

Marin snapped to attention just as she ran off. "Hold on-aaaand she's gone." Marin grimaced to himself, wondering how he got in this situation to begin with. "Bad things happen when I step outside my room, I understand that now." He said as Tikki popped her head out of his bag.

"What do you want to do?" Tikki asked.

"Isn't this the part where you say that I should be a good friend and go through with the challenge, see Adrien and reconcile after avoiding him and the rest of my friends for weeks?"

"Nope. I said that you doing this challenge was the first step, you've done it now you can decide what you want to do next." Tikki said.

"A-are you sure? What about Kagami?" Marin asked.

"Marin, if you are not comfortable with finishing this and seeing your friend, then it doesn't matter what Kagami thinks." Tikki said sternly. "You should be proud of yourself for everything you've accomplished today. Isn't it great that you went outside and walked around and talked with someone else?"

"Well...yeah," Marin said, feeling a little overwhelmed at Tikki's optimism. He looked down at Kagami's phone and felt a newfound determination. "We've come this far, I don't want to finish this halfway!" He said as Tikki smiled at his proudly.

"Then let's go!"

In front of the Obélisque de Louxor Kagami took multiple photos of herself, unsatisfied with every other due to the way she was smiling. She had noticed earlier that Marin looked weirded out by her smile, so now she worried that there was no way she would be able to produce a perfect photo. However, as she pressed the button to take the photo she accidentally pressed an accept call as the screen popped up. She didn't have a chance to see who was calling before the call was picked up.

Hesitantly, Kagami held the phone to her ear and heard a woman speaking Mandarin on the other end, uncertain of how to respond she said the first thing to come to mind.

"...This is Marinus Dupain-Cheung's phone, I apologize but I am not fluent in Mandarin."

There was a brief silence before the woman spoke up again.

"This is Marin's mother, are you one of his friends?"

"We are not friends, we are partners for the scavenger hunt. My name is Kagami Tsurugi ma'am." Kagami said bluntly. "I borrowed his phone and he borrowed mine to take photos for the final challenge."

"Oh my, that's nice." She said. "Tell me, how is my son doing if you wouldn't mind? Is he having fun?" She asked sounding extremely concerned for her child.

Kagami wasn't sure how to answer that question. "I am...uncertain. I do not believe that I have been a very attentive partner thus far, however we are working together quite well."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you two are getting along well. If you wouldn't mind, please look after my son, he gets so caught up in what he's going that he forgets to look after his own health sometimes." Kagami recalled when she first saw Marin, with a broken arm and injured face. She didn't say anything because she was certain that he had to be fine, otherwise why else would he be out here. She quickly realized that she had never once asked him how he felt or if he needed any assistance, he just kept up with her pace for the entire day. Adrien once mentioned that Marin wasn't very athletic so it must have been extremely hard for him running around the city.

"I shall, you have my word," Kagami said with new resolve as the call ended. She took a deep breath trying to smile more sincerely, trying to think about if she, Marin, and Adrien became friends. She wondered what they would do together, perhaps watch movies or practice fight. She then silently promised herself from that point, even if she couldn't be a friend, she would at least be a good partner.

"Ugghh, I'm not built for this kind of thing."Marin groaned, resting his back against a tree after getting his photo.

"Are you alright?" Tikki asked looking up at him in worry.

"I'm alright sugarcube, I just need to do this one more thing, and then I can win the bed."

"Bet."

"Hm?"

"Bet. You said bed."

"Ah." Marin said as she smiled sheepishly, "guess I'm more tired than I thought." He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the sounds of the park and the wind until suddenly Kagami's phone ran. "WAh!" Marin snapped, accidentally pressing the answer button as he scrambled not to let the device fall.

"Kagami, where are you? You were supposed to wait for me at home!"

Marin immediately panicked hearing Kagami's mother on the other end. "Uhh– Hello ma'am, I'm not Kagami, actually-"

"Who are you?! Where's my daughter?!" Tomoe demanded.

"I'm uh- I'm a friend of Kagami's-"

"Kagami doesn't have any friends. Why do you have her phone?!"

Marin tried not to let his voice crack but Tomoe was incredibly frightening when she was mad. "Because she took my phone in this game we're both playing, I can assure you that she's-"

"A game?!"

"A game? Did I say game? Oh no, I meant a grab… to grab–"

"Stop fooling around, young man, and put my daughter through. I can assure you she will not ugh-"

Marin grew worried as he heard Tomoe abruptly stop talking. "Ma'am? Hello?" He stood up, using the tree to help steady himself. His eyes widened as heard the elder woman's dulled voice.

"-With pleasure, Hawkmoth."

Marin immediately shut off the call, staring at the phone for a moment. "This is fine." He said as Tikki popped her head out of his messenger bag.

"You need to save Kagami's mom!" She said.

"I know I know, but I need to make sure Kagami's safe first." Marin said. He furiously paced back and forth, trying to think and then lifted his head in realization, running in a random direction and dialing at the same time.

"Marin?" Kagami asked on the other end of the line, taking on his phone.

"Kagami!" Marin said in relief as she sounded okay. "Does your mother have a tracker on your phone?"

"Wha- yeah probably, why?"

"Because your mom has been Akumatized and she's after you but if there's a tracker on your phone, chances are that she's going to come after me first. So sorry in advance if anything bad happens to your phone!" Marin said as fast as he could before cutting off the call.

"What's your plan?" Tikki asked.

"Run away, as fast as I-" Marin said but then tripped as he felt the ground shake from under him. He tripped over his own feet for a moment writhing in pain as he fell on his broken arm. As he tried to pick himself up, he looked back to see a giant red pointy centaur furiously rushing toward him yelling aloud Kagami's name.

"Marin!"

He turned his head to see Kagami was standing a few yards away tensing up to run towards him.

"Kagami! Run!" He immediately yelled back. He saw her hesitate for a moment, but then saw her hide as he was grabbed by her mother, now akumatized.

"Where is my daughter?!" She demanded screaming in fury as he tried not to struggle, already in a lot of pain. However, he glared back at her.

"You'll never find her without her tracker, she's hidden too well!" He shouted, hoping that she had heard however that only made the villain angrier. However, she was then hit by a flash of black, breaking her grip on him.

"Chat Noir!" Marin exclaimed in surprise as his partner jumped far from the Akumatized villain, placing him down behind some trees.

"I see you've made a new friend today, my prince-" Chat Noir was about to joke, but then immediately became concerned as he saw his best friend grasping his arm in pain.

"Fine, fine. Just- really not a fan of having a broken arm." Marin said, trying to smile as his breathing became hitched.

For once, Chat Noir felt helpless as he could see the condition his friend was in but snapped out of it as his ears flicked, hearing someone approaching. He grabbed his staff in hand but lowered his guard as he saw Kagami sprinted towards them, now kneeling by Marin's side.

"Kagami are you-" Marin was about to asked just as Kagami hugged him, much to his and Chat Noir's surprise.

"I'll take care of him, you focus on taking out my mother." Kagami said.

"Your mother?!" Chat Noir exclaimed.

Kagami nodded. "I didn't ask her permission to come out here today, and now it's my fault she's akumatized and you were harmed," Kagami said looking at Marin apologetically.

"That's not on you Kagami." Marin said trying to reassure her, but their moment was interrupted as the ground started to shake again.

"Okay okay, this is a very touching moment but you two need to get out of here fast. I'll hold her off." Chat Noir ordered before running onto the battlefield.

"Come on." Kagami said as she took his hand. The two ran towards the main street where Kagami tried to flag down a taxi. However, both of them stumbled as the ground started to shake once more. Both of them grasped each other to steady themselves as the akumatized villain landed near them.

"You'll never defeat me. I'm Ikari Gozen. As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, and as swift as lightning!" She proclaimed as she reached down to grab her daughter.

"Kaga-" Marin cried out just as she pushed him away just as her mother grabbed her, imprisoning her by swallowing her.

Marin's heart started to race in terror as the image of the rabbit themed hero flashed in his mind, mouthing the words he couldn't recall, no matter how much he tried. He clutched his shirt, trying to steady his heart, but it wasn't that easy. However, he forced himself to stand, no matter how much his body was screaming at him to curl up an cry.

He didn't have that option, to waste time feeling sorry for himself, he had to push forward.

Marin was gasping for air as he limped into the movie theatre, "Pop...corn..." He wheezed, holding a ticket for a movie in his hand as half of his body was lying on the snack counter.

"Excellent choice, Marinus, would you like butter on that?" Master Fu asked as he poped up behind it.

"N-one sec." Marin said, lifting himself up and then jumped over the counter. "No thank you. No time for pleasantries, I need to help out a friend, fast."

Master Fu nodded, taking the Miraculous box out of a cooler and opening it before him. "Marinus Dupain-Cheng. Pick an ally you can trust right alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good."

Marin narrowed his eyes as his hand hovered before the Miraculous Box. For a moment he shut his eyes as he instinctively picked up the Dragon Miraculous.

"The Dragon Miraculous, one of the most powerful. Do you believe you have found an ally disciplined enough to control its power?"

"I do Master." Marin said placing the Miraculous into his messenger bag. "But now we don't have a moment to waste, Tikki spots on!"

Chat Noir was thrown into the air as Ikari Gozen destroyed the fountain he was standing on, landing on the road behind him as the debris flew in the air. "As elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, as swift as lightning; sound's like you're just describing me and my lovely partner." He mocked as Ikari Gozen grew angrier. As Chat Noir prepared for another one of her attacks, about to use his power, he felt something wrap around his waist, pulling him forward while Ikari Gozen past him.

The next thing he knew, he had fallen into his partner's arms as they hid behind the wall of a nearby staircase within the plaza.

"You okay?" Ladybug asked he placed Chat Noir down.

"Of course, I can handle an akumatized villain on my own once in a while." Chat Noir said, praising himself but then turned more serious. "That thing has Kagami in her stomach, how should I take out Ikari Gozen?" Chat Noir asked as he flexed his claws.

"The akuma is in her weapon, but getting too close to it without weakening her won't end well for either of us." Ladybug explained as he threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" He exclaimed and in his hand fell a box.

"Bath bombs?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug opened the box. "Are we going to relax her out of submission with a spa day?" He joked as he saw the gears turning in his partner's head.

"Not us per say." Ladybug hinted. "How's your aim while swinging held up?"

"Still as accurate as you need it to be my Lady." Chat Noir remarked, holding his staff like a bat. The two split up, Chat Noir acting as a distraction while Ladybug gathered what he needed. Taking apart the travel crate off the back of a motorcycle and placing his lucky charm inside. For a moment he hesitated putting the little dragon Kwami in this situation so abruptly, however, he took a deep breath allowing his fears and concerns to melt away, at least for the time being. He kissed the box for luck, the same charm his mother taught him as he placed the Miraculous within the crate.

"Chat Noir! Batter up!" Ladybug warned as he saw Chat Noir's ears twitch.

"Ready!" He called out just as Ikari Gozen sent him flying. Ladybug still threw the box, watching as Chat Noir hit it while still in the air, striking it directly into Ikari Gozen's mouth and into her stomach. "YES!" Chat Noir cheered as he landed on his feet a few yards away from his partner. However, Ikari Gozen wasn't as happy as the cat-themed hero, so much so that her attacks started to become more frequent, more unhinged.

The two heroes could only evade the villains' attacks, ending up hiding together behind a van, catching their breath.

"So...when exactly is your plan going to work?" Chat Noir asked, noticing that Ladybug had a look of worry on his face, an expression he had seen before. "...You didn't. My Lady please do not tell me you have the Miraculous to the girl who has mother issues and a temper."

Ladybug's face reddened as knew the tone that Chat Noir was giving."I didn't really have a choice!"

"Bugaboo. Light of my life, wind in my sails, please tell me you did not give a Miraculous to-" Chat Noir was about to say as the van they were hiding behind was sliced in twain. However, just as the villain was prepared to strike them again, steam was released from her, materializing into a new superhero who stood atop the fountain ready for battle.

"See mother?! I can be as elusive as the wind!"

Ladybug could feel Chat Noir's quips as his partner glared at him. The new hero jumped before them as she blocked another one of her mother's attacks. "Thank you for the Miraculous, Ladybug. Nice to meet you, Cat Noir. I am Ryuko."

"What are you doing? This wasn't the plan!" Ladybug exclaimed, now frazzled.

"What plan?" Ryuko asked, which was the last thing he wanted to hear as the new hero disappeared again while Chat Noir tackled his partner, avoiding another attack.

"...So this may be a problem-" Ladybug said aloud, averting his gaze while Chat Noir looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Ya' think?!"

Just as Ikari Gozen attacked them again. Ryuko disappeared in an instant, deflecting her mother's attack while protecting them. But it was very clear what her intentions were as she furiously slashed at the villain.

"Kagami! You've disobeyed me yet again! And this time with the complicity of these so-called heroes. You are all going to pay!" Ikari Gozen remarked as she attacked her daughter without rest.

"Cover me!" Ladybug said as Chat Noir took on Ikari Gozen, evading her attacked with some aid with his heightened swiftness while Ladybug pulled Ryuko aside.

"Ryuko, did Long not have time to tell you about the plan?" Ladybug asked, grasping her arm, however, she pulled it away stubbornly.

"No. Just stay behind with Chat Noir. This is a personal matter between a mother and a daughter." She said, but as she was about to step back into battle Ladybug stood in her way.

"Kagami, this doesn't just involve you-"

"Yes, it does!"

"Ah, a little help here?!" Both of them turned to see Chat Noir being swallowed by the villain after his staff was knocked aside.

Ladybug eyed his staff but then saw how disheartened Ryuko looked and pulled her out of sight from Ikari Gozen, buying them a few seconds.

"Kagami, talk to me." Ladybug asked as he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Why are you so insistent on fighting your mother alone?"

Kagami turned her head away as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Because...I behaved hastily. I disobeyed my mother to play a game just for my own enjoyment, and I broke my promise to my partner's mother that I would look out for him. But because of my earlier actions, I got him and now Chat Noir in trouble. I just can't do anything right!" She said, her voice breaking as she started to cry.

Ladybug's expression softened with sympathy as he lifted her head, garnering her attention. "Kagami, it's okay. We all make mistakes, it's natural, the only time a mistake truly weaken us is when we allow it to control every part of ourselves. I chose you because I know that you have the drive to do what is right. But we must work together as a team. Can you trust me on this?"

Ryuko nodded, wiping away her tears as her expression was more determined.

Chat Noir struggled against the seat belts that bound him to the car seat, and kept him from using his cataclysm.

"I thought these things were supposed to save lives!" He yelled in frustration, just as someone else fell next to him. Ryuko was also bound by the seatbelts as she fell into the stomach of Ikari Gozen, looking at him with an expression of firm resolve.

"Good evening. How are you?" Chat Noir asked, making small talk.

"Hold your breath, then aim for her weapon," Ryuko informed, immediately shifting to her form to that of water, filling up the stomach of the villain. As she did so, the bath bombs were activated, expanding and bubblings quickly, causing Ikari Gozen to start gagging due to the added pressure, spitting him out. Chat Noir acted quickly, swiping his claws against the villain's weapon, effectively destroying it with a kick as the akuma was released.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning everything back to normal.

Tomoe turned back to normal as she reached around for her walking cane. "What's happened to me? Where is Kagami?" She asked as Ryuko helped her to her feet.

"Your daughter is safe ma'am. She'll be here soon." The hero said, guiding her off the street, and then turned back towards the two heroes who were waiting for her. Ryuko smiled as all three of them bumped fists just as Ladybug's miraculous started to beep.

"That's our cue, come on." Ladybug said, tapping her on the shoulder while waving his good-bye to Chat Noir while smiled at his partner fondly.

"Longg, open sky!" Kagami said as she detranformed. Ladybug caught the dragon Kwami in his hands, smiling reassuringly at her as she then disappeared when Kagami removed her Miraculous.

"I need to tell you that I won't be able to give you this Miraculous again." Ladybug said as he pocketed the Miraculous into his yo-yo. Kagami was dishearted but bowed her head respectfully to him.

"I know, I failed you." However, Ladybug grasped her hands as he shook his head.

"It's just the opposite. You learned fast, you're disciplined, and your skill with a weapon is almost unmatchable. However, now that Hawkmoth knows who you are your friends and family will be placed in fanger."

Kagami averted her gaze. "I don't really have any friends..."

"It's not important to have lots of friends. What matters is that the ones you keep close are true to you." Ladybug advised as he used his yo-yo to jump away, leaving Kagami with a genuine smile on her face.

Nearby the park, Kagami had her arms placed before her as she face her mother who sat in their car. "I'm sorry I wasn't truthful with you, mother. But, I really wanted to try and make a friend." She said sincerely, waiting for her mother to reprimand her.

"You already have Adrien." Her mother said.

"It's not the same." Kagami said. "I hardly get to see him and whenever we are together, we do the same things I do every day. I want to befriend someone who isn't like me, someone who I can learn new things from than someone who can simply help me train." Her grip tightened as she saw her mother sigh.

" I understand that you want to make friends, but friendships can prove disappointing sometimes." Tomoe said sincerely, but also could feel how much her daughter wanted this."Be home in time for dinner."

Kagami bowed her head out of respect for her mother, waiting until she had driven off to lift her head. A new feeling sparked within her, excitement as she texted Marin and sprinted off to meet him.

"So. This is where we're supposed to win." Marin said to himself, as he walked within the wax museum, feeling creeped out by all of the eerily realistic statues that surrounded him.

"There's so lifelike," Tikki commented as she peeked out of his messenger bag. They were supposed to meet Kagami here to finish off the challenges but then Marin was startled as he ran into something while looking down at the phone in his hands.

"Sorry-" He said reflexively but then froze for a moment as he saw Adrien.

Or...something that looked exactly like him.

He tried to calm his racing heart, looking up and down at the wax figure before him. "Huh, this is scarily similar to..."

"Marin."

"WAH!" Marin flinched back, unintentionally, knocking into the statue and making it fall over. Both he and Kagami stared at the statue of their shared friend, now partially broken as his arm was cleanly broken off. "...I broke Adrien." He said, looking down at the broken wax figure and trying not to panic as he had no idea what exactly this was going to cost him. He was uncertain of what to do, so instead Kagami stepped up, picking up the arm.

"No one would know it was you if we just leave now."

"Wha- isn't' that dishonest? Also, if we leave right now then you won't win." He said, recalling how happy she was when she mentioned him earlier.

"Yes." Kagami nodded. "However, I can see that a friend is in trouble, so I'm lending you my aid."

"And your solution is to run away?"

"Yes." Kagami nodded. "If you want to, that is. We could just stay and explain how this broke, or we could run and get orange juice together." She offered, holding up the arm.

Marin didn't hesitate as he overheard the sounds of people nearby. "Let's go."

Kagami grabbed his hand as they raced out of the museum, unable to hold back her laughter as her face turned extremely red with shame, as now they were partners-in-crime.

For the rest of the day, they walked around together, chatting until they ended up at a nearby cafe.

"I was wrong about you, Marin. I'm glad this game randomly put us together. Now I understand why Adrien considers you a good friend." Kagami said as she gripped the glass of orange juice.

Marin felt a pang of guilt as he avoided talking to his friends once more. "...I'm not, as good a friend as you may think. The truth is, I didn't even want to come out today because I thought I would run into someone I knew, and the thought of having to explain myself, explain why I haven't been responding to their messages when they've always looked out for me...I don't know, make me feel like I'm a crummy person."

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Kagami said bluntly. "I've never had friends. However, you're feeling that guilty over how your friends are feeling, then it just means you care about them, and if they really care about you then they probably won't ask you what happened they'll just want to see you."

Marin looked at her in surprise. "That's actually really comforting to hear, thanks, no wonder you and Adrien get along so well."

"Indeed, however- I am not a fan of how he always smells like Camembert," Kagami admitted while Marin couldn't help but laugh.

"What? But Camembert smells and tastes really nice."

"Then you're just as loopy as he is." Kagami chuckled as the two spent the entire rest of the evening simply talking and enjoying themselves.

Marin fell against his bed, laying on his back as he could feel the day's exhaustion course through his entire body. Despite the akuma, he had today, the most fun he had in a long time. As he was laying down, gathering his thoughts, he reached for his phone, sitting up from his bed and resting his back against the wall. While he felt the illusion of confidence, he picked up his phone, feeling some hesitation but tapped his messages. He was then immediately flooded with over a hundred texts and missed calls.

A part of him could help but feel a little happy at the attention, trying to ignore his previous less than-chummy behavior with them. As he read over all of the messages one by one, he then recalled what he was trying to remember earlier.

"Oh crap, I forgot about Luka!" Marin said to himself as he remembered the promise they made that day to get ice cream after...

He clutched his phone in hand, remembering that he was planning to confess that day. It was hard to comprehend that there was a time where he was so confident, not as Ladybug, but as himself. With the way he was now, he was in no shape to share his feelings with anyone, much less having to accept the terrifying thought of an answer. However, as much as he wanted to put his phone away and go to sleep, he instead, reflexively pressed the call button.

He didn't want to take a step back, he didn't want to continue feeling sorry for himself, all he wanted was to go back to the way things used to be.

Marin took a deep breath as he held his phone to his ear, hearing the ringtone of the other end, waiting for a voice on the other end.

Notes:

-Tikki is a good girl