i

It was dark and it was hard to breathe. The sound of things shaking, glass shattering, the earth trembling. There was people talking in the distance, but it was garbled noise. A hot pain shot through his right arm and a cool swirling on his left.

Adrien shot up in his bed, drenched in a pool of his own sweat as he gasped for air. "What...?"

"Adrien!" A black fuzz zipped to the blond, looking over him frantically for any injuries. "Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?" Adrien peeled his blankets off, coming to sit to the edge of his bed. He moved his extremities, rolled his shoulders, stood and stretched. Nothing.

"Was it all a dream?" Adrien was quick to reach into his nightstand, opening the top drawer and opening the green marker that lay inside.

The red string of fate – a connection made by the gods that tied you to the person you're destined to be with. At the age of fifteen, the red string grants you the ability to communicate with the end of your red string; write on your skin and the other will receive the mark as well.

As Chat Noir, Adrien found his string tied to his partner, Ladybug. After several long years, Adrien discovered Ladybug's identity on a school trip to London. Adrien had been meaning to tell her that he knows her identity, he just hadn't gotten around to it.

All he remembers is fighting some akuma in a cathedral but things took a turn for the worst... .

"Are you there? Ladybug?" The writing on his arm glowed and started to slowly fade – something he had never experienced before. Adrien looked up at Plagg.

"Was this all just a dream? Did I dream up an akuma?"

"You didn't."

"A musical, choral akuma?" Plagg nodded. "What happened?" Adrien didn't receive an answer as a knock on his door made Plagg zip under the pillows.

"Adrien, it's time to wake up. You're going to be late for school if you sleep in." Adrien let out a silent sigh.

"I'm awake Nathalie." Adrien called back.

"Breakfast will be served in the dining room." The echo of her heels clipping the floor slowly disappeared and Adrien began to get ready for school.

It was weird. Everything seemed normal and it was beginning to put Adrien on edge.

Breakfast was the same as usual, alone and bland. Nathalie describing the plans for today before leaving him alone to his thoughts until he arrived at school.

Could it really have been just a dream? Everything had been so clear, there is no way that it could have been a dream. Even Plagg knows of the akuma and Plagg has no way to get into my head unless we are transformed. Everyone was there, Chloé, Nino, Alya...

The Ladyblog.

Adrien was quick to get on his cell phone and to the internet browser, putting in the all too familiar address.

"Webpage not found?"

"Did you say something, Adrien?" Nathalie asked from the front seat.

"N-No, sorry." Adrien muttered. He continued to refresh the page, but it still read "webpage not found". He searched for it in the search engine and nothing was found either. He continued searching until he arrived at the school, meeting up with Nino at the front.

"Hey dude, good morning." Nino greeted with a wave.

"Good morning. Uh, where's Alya?" Nino looked at his wrist. Red messy writing was barely visible.

"She's on her way."

"Good morning!" Alya called, coming down the corner and planting a kiss on Nino's cheek. Alya greeted Adrien and he smiled and nodded in return, before they began to head inside. Which was something that struck Adrien as odd as they would usually wait for Marinette.

"Hey Alya, what happened to the Ladyblog?" Adrien asked as he stood at her other side. She looked at him curiously.

"Ladyblog? I have a Chatblog but not a 'Ladyblog'." Now it was Adrien's turn to look at her as if she had sprouted another head.

"Chatblog?" She laughed.

"Yeah, the blog to only the greatest, most wanted leather wearing cat of Paris. Don't you remember? You're a big fan of that black cat too."

"I am?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah bro. Ever since he came out, he's been the most wanted. Don't you remember, like three years ago?"

"Most wanted, how come?"

"Paris' most wanted criminal!" Criminal?

"What's with you all of a sudden? You suddenly claim about some 'Ladyblog' and now you don't even remember that you're a Chat Noir fan?" Adrien shook his head slowly.

"I guess I've been too stressed out and all." He mumbled and tried to laugh. Alya hummed.

"Probably. By the way, where's your sister?"

"My what? Sister?" Alya and Nino exchanged a glance and laughed.

"You know, your only sister?"

"I don't have one.

"If she hears you say that, she's going to be upset." Adrien was about to reject the idea once more before his voice was interrupted.

"Big brother!" A flash of blue bounded into the classroom, attaching to his arm and looking up at him with a smile.

"Marinette!" He was glad to see her, alive and uninjured, but he was worried about how she was addressing him by.

"Sorry, I wasn't able to come to school with you with morning. Papa had me showing a design early this morning." She hugged him and as much as Adrien wanted to hold her flush to him, he couldn't find the strength to.

"Showing a design?"

"For the upcoming Agreste fall line, remember?" Adrien blinked.

"When did Father get you to show your designs" Marinette chuckled, looking at Adrien and her two peers nervously.

"Silly, are you feeling well?" She leaned back from him and put the back of her hand to his forehead. "Don't you remember? Papa put us in the business together; you the model and I'm the designer. Remember how happy Papa was whenever he found out I wanted to be fashion designer?" She smiled fondly at the memory while it didn't come to Adrien.

"Who are you?" Her attention turned back to Adrien and her smile faltered.

"W-What do you mean?"

"What is your name?"

"M-Marinette... Agreste." His heart sunk.

"Isn't your name Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" She began to stammer.

"Yo, aren't those like the famous bakers? I heard that they didn't have any children." Adrien stared at Nino.

"Okay, what kind of prank are you all playing at here?" He asked, looking at all of them as if they were strangers. They returned the same stare with concern.

"Adrikins! Oh and Mari too!"

"Chlo!" Marinette quickly went to Chloé's side. "Something is wrong with Adrien."

"What?" The blonde turned her gaze to Adrien. "Are you okay? If Mari's this upset, it must be big." This was a good prank. Marinette and Chloé? He started to laugh.