It had been a strange day for Marinette, but even still, this was more than she had bargained for. When Tikki told her it was time to meet the Great Guardian, she half-expected a tall, lithe wizard locked away in a great tower filled with books. She did not expect him to be an old masseuse living in Paris.

And she definitely had not expected his Hawaiian shirt.

"Welcome Ladybug." He said in a smooth, comforting voice. Marinette felt drawn to him, sensing great wisdom behind his eyes and terrible fashion sense. She entered the parlor and sat down across from him. The door closed on its own, as if by magic.

"I see you have found my book. Thank you for returning it to me." the old master noted.

"Uh, you're welcome?" Marinette responded sheepishly. She had thought of so many questions while Tikki led her here that the possibilities were tripping over each other in her mind. Finally, one managed to break through. "So are you the one who gave me the Miraculous?"

The man smiled. "Very good," he said. "I am Master Fu, Guardian of the Miraculous. I am the one who bestowed them upon you and Cat Noir. For the last century I have chosen the heroes of the world, as my Master before me did. I am pleased to say that you have lived up to all my expectations."

Marinette blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. But if you don't mind me asking -"

The questions jumbled up in her head again, leaving her confused and exasperated. Master Fu must have noticed, for he gave her a knowing smile and asked "You wish to know the origin of your powers? Of the Miraculous and Kwami?"

"Uh, well yes." she stammered out. "I know that they're thousands of years old and have amazing powers, but Tikki hasn't told me anything else."

Fu's brow crinkled. "I see." he said gravely. "Thank you for your discretion, Tikki. But I see now that the time for secrecy is nearing its end. I apologize for keeping my knowledge from you, Ladybug, but at the time it was necessary. Hawk Moth is a dangerous foe, and unfortunately I fear he is not our only one. Before I answer your questions, however, I will need you to answer one of mine. Where did you find this book?"

"Oh, my true lo- friend, Adrien had it. Tikki insisted we had to take it. Do you know how he could have gotten it?"

Fu frowned, contemplating the matter. After a moment, he replied "I have an idea of how he acquired it, but this is troubling. It appears I may have to put some cards on the table sooner than I expected."

"But I thought you said that you were going to tell me your secrets?" Marinette asked. She could see in his eyes that the Master was truly attempting to be kind, but his words had been steadily making her spine chill. Whatever she was about to learn was clearly going to change a great deal about her world.

"Some secrets are not mine to tell." Fu sighed. "But at this point, I am left with little choice. Wait here, I will be back within an hour."

"Wait, where are you going?" Marinette asked.

"To find answers for the three of us. To do that, I will need more than just Ladybug. I will also need her partner."

"Wait, you're bringing Cat Noir here? Shouldn't I suit up then?"

The old man shook his head. "No, the time for you to keep your identities secret from each other is over. Our enemy is on the move, and secrecy is no longer our greatest weapon. If we are to triumph, you both must know what you face, and the scope our battle."

Fu opened the door and exited, letting it close silently behind him. Marinette stayed sitting, feeling that all that had happened was leaving her with more questions than answers.

Author's Notes: It's been about five years since the last time I wrote a true fanfic, so hopefully my skills at writing have improved. I'm not sure if I'll continue this or not, but hopefully I did leave you all with an interesting scene at least. Feel free to sound off, even if you thought it was garbage!