Prologue
They met in the ruins of the Agreste mansion. Marinette, Adrien, Master Fu, and Gabriel Agreste—all of the permanent holders of the miraculouses in the past decade. The mansion wasn't actually in ruins, of course. The miraculous ladybugs had seen to it that the rubble was cleared away, the torn-up paintings repaired, and each and every piece of designer furniture restored to its carefully-designated place. Even so, each of the four humans felt the damage the place had sustained mere hours before weighing heavy on their minds.
They went to Adrien's room, because it somehow felt safest, and Marinette and the two Agrestes found a seat on the couch while Master Fu sat on the ground in front of them. The old man set the heavy old-fashioned phonograph between them, and the phonograph filled the space of the cavernous room with its imposing presence.
"Any news of Nooroo?" Master Fu asked, finally breaking the oppressive silence.
Gabriel shook his head.
"No. I know… I'm almost certain that girl has him, but I can't be sure."
The day before was when everything changed. Ladybug and Cat Noir finally faced Hawk Moth in person, only to discover him to be Gabriel Agreste. Identities were revealed, motives exposed, tears shed, hearts broken. In the end, they defeated Gabriel, and Gabriel gave up his destructive and futile quest to undo the past. There was no time to celebrate their triumph, however, as the Butterfly Miraculous had somehow disappeared in all the chaos. It seemed their work was not yet finished.
"Lila?" Adrien asked, "you think Lila has the Butterfly Miraculous?"
"Yes…" Gabriel said, his voice trailing off. "She had become something of a protege to me as Hawk Moth. I can't prove it but it must have been her."
"Lila was your protege?" Adrien asked, affronted. "Well I suppose it makes sense that you'd take someone like her under your wing. You're much better suited to mentor a manipulative, power-hungry liar like her."
The slight twitch of Gabriel's eye was the only indication his son's words hurt.
"Well at least we know who she is. How hard could it be to take her down?" Marinette said, shooting Adrien a worried glance before returning her attention to Master Fu.
"I'm afraid it won't be as simple as that. The kwamis could sense a change in Nooroo yesterday, and something isn't quite right. His powers were never meant to be used for evil, and over time it's affected him."
"Well, I don't see how that makes our current situation any different from before. My father used Nooroo for evil for years," Adrien said.
It had been over four years since Hawk Moth had first declared war on Ladybug and Cat Noir. Tonight, Marinette and Adrien were supposed to be studying for the bac. They were supposed to be deciding to which universities they'd apply. They were supposed to be making plans for the summer. Instead, they were sitting in this shell of a mansion, trying to put their lives back together and figure out how to move forward.
Gabriel's lips pursed as Adrien continued to speak as if he weren't present. Master Fu just shook his head.
"It is different now. Gabriel used the Butterfly Miraculous to create villains, but his ultimate goal was not malicious. This new holder, whoever it is, doesn't have the same… justifiable intentions."
"So then what next? How does this change what we need to do?" Marinette asked.
"I think it unwise to approach Lila directly until we know more about what's happening with Nooroo, and until we are certain that Lila is indeed the new Hawk Moth. She hasn't even akumatized anyone yet."
"So what? We're just supposed to wait?" Adrien said, folding his arms across his chest.
Marinette's brow furrowed, and after a moment of hesitation she placed a comforting hand on Adrien's leg. He flinched at her touch, and she moved her hand away.
"We're not going to just wait. There is another book, like the grimoire, containing the histories of the past miraculous users. I believe this book will help me understand what is happening to Nooroo, and how we might be able to help him escape from his new master."
"Where is the book, Master?" Marinette said.
"It's been lost for centuries, but I have some good leads," Master Fu said. "I will need to leave Paris for a time in order to search for it."
Plagg popped out of Adrien's shirt, his tiny mouth gaping.
"Are you taking the other miraculouses with you? If you don't, who will be the next Guardian."
Master Fu closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
"You are correct, Plagg, we will need another Guardian. The Guardian is chosen not by me, but by the collective will of the miraculouses themselves. I have spoken with the kwamis, and I have read they signs. They all agree that Gabriel Agreste will be the next Guardian."
Marinette's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. She turned to Adrien and Gabriel, and found her expression mirrored back at her. The shock had cracked even Gabriel's measured expression.
"What?! No! How could… how could someone who's been abusing the power of a miraculous for so long be the Guardian? Why can't you just stay Guardian? Take the other miraculouses with you, or even just leave them here and keep your position. We can watch after them even if you're gone," Adrien said.
"I am old, Adrien. In not too long I will be two hundred years old. Even if I wasn't leaving Paris, I still know it is time to pass on what I have learned."
"But… but… why Hawk-m-... Why Gabriel?" Marinette asked.
Master closed his eyes again and let out a deep breath. He opened his eyes and leaned forward, resting a weathered hand on the old phonograph.
"The power of the miraculous works in mysterious ways. It knows things before we know them ourselves. I cannot be certain why the power chose Gabriel, but I suspect it has something to do with his experiences. No one knows better than he, after all, the dangers of misusing a miraculous."
All eyes turned to Gabriel, whose expression had returned to a calm equilibrium, though his eyes were still open larger than usual. He returned each gaze in turn, ending on his son.
"I… I am willing to do whatever is necessary to fix my mistakes. If that means becoming the Guardian-"
"-No."
Adrien stood abruptly and looked down on Gabriel with a cold expression.
"No. How can you expect me to continue to be Cat Noir with him leading us?"
"Adrien, I understand how this must make you feel-" Master Fu started.
"No you don't," Adrien said shortly, then made his way to the door.
"Son, where are you going? We're in your room," Gabriel called after him.
"I don't care where I'm going as long as it's away."
Gabriel got up to go after Adrin, but Marinette stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, let me. He only just found out about you yesterday."
Gabriel's shoulders slumped, and his eyes fell shut in defeat. His head ducked a tiny nod of agreement, and Marinette followed after Adrien.
She found him in the main entrance, sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. Plagg rested on his shoulder, murmuring inaudible words of comfort in his oddly scratchy voice. Marinette gently lowered herself down next to Adrien, close enough that he'd be able to feel her presence, but not touching.
"Well. It's a lot to take in," she said eventually.
Adrien didn't move. With the caution of an art restorer working on a masterpiece, Marinette slowly rested her hand on Adrien's shoulder. This time he didn't shake her off.
"I don't know what comes next, Adrien, but I'll always be there for you. I promise."
Adrien tilted his head, his vibrant green eyes looking up at her through his hair.
"Partners?" he said, after a long and painful pause.
"Always."