Adrien stood and watched them. The two of them walking hand in hand in front of him, making their way further into the mall. He shouldn't feel this way, he chose Kagami, he chose to move on from Ladybug and went for a new target, yet here he was wishing and wanting.

She was his best friend. She was the one he should be with. Everything about her was what he truly needed, what he truly wanted. She'd moved on but only because he had. Big mistake on his part. He loved her. He loved her so much he'd began to daydream constantly about her.

"Adrien, come on. We're splitting up. Apparently the girls are going to look at dresses for prom and they don't want us there." As Nino spoke all Adrien could do was look at the girl he longed to be with.

Luka was whispering in her ear causing her to smile, that smile could light the world if the sun ever ran out of energy. It lit his world daily. He could have had it, he could of had her.

The day he found out about her soul mark was the day he felt like his heart had been torn out and stamped on. He was too late to realise exactly how he felt about the girl with the beautiful smile. Stupid, stupid Adrien. Plagg was right, there was no getting out of this mistake. She was with Luka now and he had got himself into a situation he had no idea how to get out of.

"I'll come with you, Adrien. I have no interest in mediocre dresses," Kagami had grabbed ahold of his hand. He'd forgotten she was there for a moment. He was too engrossed in the raven haired girl with the sky blue eyes. But he'd made his choice. For now he needed to try and make this work. He could only pray that he'd get a second chance. That fate would bring them together as they're meant to be.

They separated. Boys one way, girls the other. As the distance between them grew, Adrien felt something overpower his stomach, he suddenly felt sick. A swirling, twisting sensation inside his stomach drew acid up his throat, something wasn't right, in fact something was very, very wrong.

All of a sudden a sound ricocheted down the mall's hallway causing undeniable screams and chaos. Adrien looked around trying to see if it was an akuma attack, instead only to be met with people running for their lives. Running away from whatever was happening further in the mall.

"Ladies and gentleman please leave the mall immediately. We are locking down, I repeat we are locking down."

The teens began to scramble as they made their way out onto the street. All out for themselves, their own survival. Adrien pushed Kagami towards the exit asking Luka to take her with him. He knew he had to transform, but he couldn't leave until he saw that Marinette had made it out safely too. Luka nodded, face as white as a ghost, as he grabbed Adrien's girlfriends hand and ran out the building, along with the rest of their friends.

Adrien began to make his way towards the restrooms, preparing to become his alter ego. He pushed through the mounds of people as they tried to turn him in the opposite direction. To turn him to safety.

His leg buckled as he continued to fight through the crowd, something wasn't right. A pain suddenly shot through his leg. It was excruciating, a flame burning through each and every muscle.

"Plagg?"

"It'll go when you transform, kid. It's your soulmate. She been seriously hurt." Adrien felt sick. His soulmate? His soulmate?Marinette? Fear coursed through his veins, if he was feeling it then she hadn't escaped. She'd got hit. He needed to find her. His Princess.

"Adrien! Adrien!" Alya ran towards him and grabbed his arm. Her face was pale, with fear evident in her eyes.

"Alya? Calm down, you need to get out of here." He firmly tried to push her towards the door but she wasn't moving.

"It's Marinette, Adrien. There was a shot and we ran! I thought she was with me! I can't find her, Adrien." She was crying. She looked beside herself with pain. "I've lost Marinette!"

Adrien pushed Alya towards the doorway a little more forcefully.

"I'll find her. You just get to safety."

He watched his friend leave before continuing to the restrooms.

"Plagg, claws out." Adrien's pain may have gone for the time being, but the sick feeling remained gripping at his stomach. He needed to find Marinette, he needed to find his soulmate. He couldn't lose her before even having her.

Carefully, and quietly, he made his way over to the store where the girls were shopping. The mall was silent with shutters pulled down on most store windows. He heard a couple more gunshots before heading into the dress store.

The glass on the display window had been destroyed, he could see how a bullet had pierced through, creating a shattered glass spiderweb around the small hole.

"Princess?" Chat Noir stepped carefully into the store. He'd never battled anything un-Miraculous related. His thoughts crossed to whether his suit would protect him. Chat continued to look around the store for any sign of life, pushing his own worries to the back of his mind. He wasn't selfish, he knew he had a job to do.

He found nothing. He found no one.

Except a trail of blood leading towards the back of the store disappearing under into the stock room.

He crept closer and opened the door. A startled scream hit his ears, before the sound was muffled by hands. He saw her. Screwed up on the floor and in pain, hands placed firmly over her mouth and tears streaking down her cheeks. Her knees had been bought up tightly into her chest, with the red blood streaking down her usually immaculate pink trousers.

Running towards her he knelt next to her, taking her in his arms. He knew he was too rough. Her muffled scream indicated that. He let go of her and sat down next to her. The fear releasing its tight grasp on his stomach as he saw she was there. She was still with him. His soulmate was alive.

"Don't leave me! Please!" He'd never seen her so distressed. He searched around him and found a piece of cloth making an attempt at a tourniquet above the hole spilling blood from her thigh. The pool she was sitting in was extreme. She had lost a lot of blood.

"I'm not leaving you Mari, but you've got to promise me you'll stay awake."

"I'll try but I'm cold, Chat! I'm so cold!" Marinette said, leaning towards him. He edged closer allowing her head to rest against his shoulder.

"It'll be ok, I promise Marinette." He began to grow in fear. Cold was not a good sign, he needed to find a way to get her out of here safely.

"Talk to me," he demanded, "Tell about your favourite day."

He looked at the helpless girl sitting next to him on the floor wishing he could just take her and leave. It was too risky though. The shooter could still be lurking around, and he feared moving her. His main aim was to keep her awake, he'd reevaluate if he needed.

"It was when I went to New York from lycée. We had gone to the roof and met up with some friends." Her voice was weak and he could see how pale her face was, the panic began to set in. He was sure she was going to pass out, she really had lost an incredible amount of blood. "We had so much fun. There were other superheroes there, and we ate these special hot dogs. I shared one with him and we both ended up flying. I danced with him in the moonlight and I fell in love all over again. Then you left me. I've never been so scared you stupid cat, I can't do this superhero thing without you." Her eyes were beginning to close.

Chat gasped knowing she meant him. Her favourite day was about him ... not Luka or anyone else. But then the second part of the story hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd been an idiot. An absolute idiot. Ladybug, M'Lady was Marinette. His soulmate. The theories were right, they are yin and yang.

"It's not glass in my leg is it?" She suddenly asked him. Taking him out of his thoughts.

"I don't think it is, I think it might be a bullet," She whimpered at his words and he reached over taking her hand in his, comforting her in a way to not provoke her injury. He kissed the back of her hand.

"Mari, Princess, I promise nothing is going to happen to you, I won't let it!"

"You're always saving me, my Kitty." She whispered through her tears.

"Somebody has to, M'Lady." His lips pulled at the sides. He'd always save her. He'd go to the ends of the Earth for her.

"If I told you I loved you right now would you hold it against me." Her voice was fading as she spoke. "I have lost a lot of blood."

Adrien's heart stopped in his chest. He knew this was probably result of her injury, but the thought she could love him, in his alter ego and civilian form, was overwhelming. He reached down and placed his lips to hers, stealing a long awaited kiss. Forgetting about life outside of this small cupboard.

"Never."