Marinette knocked on the door. She had no idea what she would find behind it, so she was understandably a little nervous as she turned the handle. She poked her head into the doorway. It was only a little old Chinese man, sitting on his sleeping mat meditating. Is this the Great Guardian Tikki was insisting I meet? Marinette thought.
"Hello, Ladybug," the man said with a warm smile, opening his eyes.
Marinette stepped into the room, a thousand questions bouncing around her brain cells. How does he know I'm Ladybug? I'm not transformed right now. Why did Tikki say he needs Adrien's book about superheroes? What makes this one plain book so sacred and dangerous? Isn't this the same guy who healed Tikki when she was sick? Whoa! Did that door just close by itself? Marinette shivered a little at that.
"Come in! Make yourself at home," said the little man.
Marinette slowly walked toward him and knelt down beside his sleeping mat. Then, she suddenly remembered why she was here and said, "Um, here's your book."
"Set it down on the dresser, right by my phonograph." Marinette silently nodded and followed his instructions, bewildered by this man's aura of eerie mystery. Then, after a minute of awkward silence, the man asked, "Do you love Cat Noir?"
Marinette blinked. This question was so random. Even so, she had been asked this very thing by Cat Noir himself not too long ago after the Antibug incident. Seriously, what train of thought could possibly lead to this question? "N-no! Of c-course not…" At that moment, Marinette remembered how jealous she felt when she saw akumatized Lila flirting with him earlier that day. She realized she had gotten so used to Cat Noir's stupid jokes and constant attention for her that she couldn't stand the thought of him checking out another girl. Then, she remembered how he had always had her back and she his, ever since the day they met. "Well…maybe…but my heart is set on another guy."
"Who? The young man in your class with the blonde hair and the green eyes? Monsieur Adrien Agreste, I believe, is his name…seeing as his face is plastered over Paris."
Marinette gaped. "HOW?! How did you know?!"
The old man chuckled. "My name is Master Fu, so you know," he said, avoiding her question. "And what is your name, Ladybug?"
"M-Marinette…"
"Ah, Mademoiselle Marinette, please, tell me what love is."
"Love?" Where is this man getting all these questions from? she wondered. "Well, love is…a really strong feeling you have for someone else that makes you think about them all the time."
Master Fu chuckled again. "Ah, I see. So you have an obsession for Monsieur Agreste?"
"What?! Pfft, no, of course not…mmmmaaaaaybe…"
"Mademoiselle Marinette, obsession is not love. Your parents love you. Love is caring about another person, valuing their wants and needs over your own. It's the opposite of obsessive jealousy: wanting another person, putting your needs and wants above theirs. You and Cat Noir are made for each other; I should know since I chose you both for the miraculous. So I ask you again. Do you love Cat Noir?"
Marinette pondered the question for a moment. She had never thought about love in this way before. She thought back again to how jealous she felt of Lila with Cat Noir. Love is the opposite of jealousy. She didn't love Cat Noir; she only ever thought of herself. In fact, that was the same with Adrien, jealous of Lila and Chloe pushing their way toward him. She hung her head and answered, "I…I guess I don't love either Cat Noir or Adrien."
"But you like them?" he asked.
"Ha, yeah, of course!"
"Well, every rose blossom starts as a seed."
Marinette scratched her head. "Uh, I don't see what roses have to do with anything."
"Don't worry, young lady. You will before long. Cat Noir loves you, as does Monsieur Agreste." Then, Master Fu smiled mischievously when he added, "In fact, I have already sent my kwami to bring Monsieur Agreste here."
"Wait, what?!" Marinette exclaimed. "Adrien is coming? You sent your kwami? W-what is going on?!" Before she had time to process this new information, there was a knock at the door. Cat Noir sauntered in but then stopped suddenly when he met the eyes of the love of his life. "What?!" Marinette exclaimed, "Master Fu, you said Adrien was com…" She trailed off as the truth hit her like wrecking ball. She turned to face the feline superhero, whispering in a voice just barely audible, "A-Ad-ri-en?"
At this, Cat Noir's face lit up like a thousand fireflies. "LADYBUG!" he exclaimed, rushing over to scoop her up in his arms and cover her cheeks in a hundred kisses.
Once he finally set Marinette down, Master Fu spoke, "Once he discovered you were Ladybug, his seed blossomed into a rose and now, yours can blossom too."
Marinette and Cat Noir looked at each other in confusion. "A rose?" Cat Noir asked her.
"I think he means your crush on me turned into true love," Marinette replied, "but when?"
He shrugged. "Antibug," he said simply.
Marinette turned to Master Fu. "But I thought no one was supposed to know who we were, not even us."
The old man explained, "I could not keep him from knowing about you, so you needed to know about him in order to form a bond of love and trust. No matter the consequences of my actions, remember that love conquers all."
"And what about my father's book?" Cat Noir asked. "Your kwami – um, Wayzz – told me you had it."
"Indeed, but it is not your father's. I do not know how he came into possession of it; I feel there is a dark force soon to be unleashed because of these circumstances. You must prepare."
As if the timing could not be any better, a scream resounded from the distance. Wow, two akumatized victims in one day? Marinette thought. You have got to be pretty bored right now, Hawk Moth. "Time to transform!" she called to her kwami.
"Duty calls," Cat Noir said, smirking. "See you soon, my lady." With a wink, he pounced out the door.
Master Fu held up a hand to Marinette. "Hold on, young lady. I am coming with you. Wayzz –" Just then, his back seized up and he collapsed to the floor.
"Oh, are you alright, sir?" asked Marinette, concerned.
He picked himself up and grunted, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm only 187. Just a tiny cramp is all."
"Master," Wayzz sighed, "I've told you before. You are not in the shape to battle evil forces."
Marinette added, "And you know, if you're looking for someone to take your place as the turtle superhero, I know a girl who would be perfect for the job!"
"Thanks for the offer, Mademoiselle Marinette, but I do not wish to part with Wayzz just yet. Here, take this fox miraculous to her instead. This young lady may be of great assistance to you against this looming dark force. Now, she may know your identity, but let the knowledge between her and Cat Noir remain a secret as long as possible."
"But sir, isn't the fox miraculous the one Lila had when she was akumatized?"
"She may have resembled the fox holder in every way, but it was all just an illusion from Hawk Moth. This is the real fox miraculous, so if that young lady should be akumatized again, you will know who is the true fox holder."
He sure knows what he's doing! Marinette thought. She was in awe of the ingenuity of his plan. "Thank you so much, sir! Thank you! Thank you! Alya will be so hyped!" She slipped the case containing the fox miraculous into her bag before she turned to her own kwami. "Tikki, spots on!" Ladybug hurled her yo-yo out the window and swung away, ready to assist the love of her life in fighting Hawk Moth's newest akumatized victim.