Enjoy this preview to my two different Miraculous story lines. You will learn the main issues for what my second season trilogy will be about and gain insight into the sequel I will write for Peridot Turtle. Read and review please!
Marinette was sitting at her desk, her foot tapping anxiously. Her homework sat in a neat pile next to Wayzz's terrarium as she looked over the accounting books from her massage/spa, "Turtle Relaxing Lagoon Massage/Spa", the newly reopened business that Master Fu had left her in her inheritance.
It had been nearly three and half months since the defeat of Chaotic and the death of Chloe Bourgeois, resulting in the birth of Celeste-Xun, the reincarnation of Master Fu's daughter Xinyi. Her business had only been open for a month and half and she was very involved with it.
Marinette had hired an accountant for the business to manage the money, but she also liked to double check the books to make sure they matched up. Using a calculator with a pen and pad, she finished reviewing the books. "Alright, according to the books, the employees have all been paid for, we've managed to stay in budget for supplies and we have gained enough profit to keep the business running and save a little extra for future construction." She let out a sigh of relief and laid her head down on the desk exhausted.
Wayzz smiled and flew out of his terrarium and settled next to her hand. "That's wonderful to hear and you picked a real good accountant. He knows what he's doing. You can trust him."
Marinette muttered something about afraid of being ripped off and as the owner of the business it was important for her to be involved in all aspects of the business. "The bright side is my math skills have improved because of this."
Spinning around in her chair she looked at her room seeing how much it had changed in such a short time. Wayzz's little home and belongings took up space on a part of her desk. Her designing materials and dressmaker had moved to the opposite side of the room to free up some space for a small cabinet for her business ventures.
The keys to the locks on her balcony and trap door sat in a soapstone dish Adrien had bought her. The vanity drawer with everything related to the Miraculous and her Great Guardian duties had been freshly polished. Tucked behind the vanity was the secret compartment where she kept the Miraculous Book while the disguised Miraculous Chest was tucked in the shelf above her bed.
She started rubbing her bracelet, a habit she had developed during her short time as the Great Guardian. Whenever she was nervous or anxious, rubbing her Miraculous helped calm her down. Turning on the computer she listen to the latest news updates to see if there were any new Akumas that night.
Hawkmoth had kept his promise to lay off the Akumas for a bit while the city healed from the tragedy. Without Chloe deliberate actions to create situations to turn people into Akumas, it was a harder for him to find people to manipulate. Nooroo must have had some influence with him because he hadn't been picking people who were still full of anger and hate for what happened.
There had been five Akumas so far, four which Chat Noir and Ladybeetle had managed to take care of their own. The fifth, a disgruntle business owner who place was going under, had been too much for the duo to handle, prompting her to come to their aid. Being back in the field for the first time, it had been challenging to slip back into her battling form.
Between school, designing, having fun with friends and family; not to mention mentoring/Guardian lessons while helping out from time to time, she had to make time for her business, her boyfriend, and for herself. It was exhausting work and she was struggling with finding the right balance for everything. Most nights she went to sleep utterly exhausted and it took a lot of pastries to get her energy back in the morning.
"I wish I could talk to the other parts of my soul again. They always had good advice and I could use their experiences right now. I've gone to my soul room several times, but no is ever there," Marinette admitted reluctantly to her kwami. He looked at her thoughtfully before responding.
"Well since Chaotic has been taken care of and Hawkmoth's presence has lessened, perhaps the other parts of your souls are busy with their own lives. Give it some time, you'll figure out how to call upon them and learn from them again."
Marinette frowned before yawning loudly. Today had been exhausting and she really needed to get some sleep. Good thing she had finished all her homework and there was nothing to do tonight. "I think I'll turn in early tonight."
She got ready for bed, did a quick look over to make sure everything was locked tight before closing her eyes. "I really wish there was someone I could talk to about all this. A person who understood what it means to be Guardian and is struggling with life."
As she fell asleep she didn't see the faint outline of a seven pointed star glow on her abdomen. In the locked compartment the Miraculous Book glowed as a silvery sparkle trail phased through the wall up to the glowing star. There was a soft humming indicating something special was happening.
In another version of the world; Peace Keeper flopped on her couch bone tired from her latest mission. Her secret underground bunker home had taken a full day to clean after returning from a mission to form a new Peace Keeping team in North Korea. It had taken a few months and lot of stealth, but she managed to recruit four North Koreans to assist in preventing their country from going to war or vice versa. It was a small start for a growing conflict that should never had escalated to this point by now.
"Ugh, if I knew the headache I would get from trying to gain insight to Kim Jong-un with my new peace team members not in high governmental positions, I wouldn't have asked. At least they got the scuttlebutt on possible future testing sites. I hope they remain safe," she said to herself as she ran her hands through her black locks.
She buried her head into a pillow and let out a scream before she started punching it hard. Of all the rotten luck in the world, why did the United States, one of the founding members of the UN Charter and where she lived, have to elect a president who was making her life ten times harder than it needed to be with his poor diplomatic skills? She was the UN Security Council secret weapon, but even she couldn't help the USA and its people from the wraith of most countries in the UN.
"How am I ever going to have time to complete my apprenticeship with Master Fu to be the next Great Guardian, if I'm constantly trying to keep the peace between the USA and the rest of the world? It's impossible and I can't think anything that would miraculously make this better!"
Sitting up she fingered the Kwami Charms on her necklace. She had four out of the seven, well more like three and half. Nooroo had only managed to give her half of his power during the terrible conflict when Marinette had been a sleeper akuma named Dreamwalker. Handling that kind of power was turning out to be difficult.
Becoming the next Great Guardian was hard, especially when Peace Keeper kept wondering how she was going to get time to return to Paris or even if she would eventually find a way out of the duty she had been created for. She was loyal to the world yes. However, she was also loyal to preserving the ancient magic of the world from dying out.
Looking at her coffee table all the books Master Fu had given her to read about the Miraculouses, the Kwamiis, and lastly the Kwami Charms. So far she had learned a lot about her role as an apprentice. Such as earning the trust of the Kwamiis to use their charms and the different roles they played. She had even managed to get the Miraculous Book out of the Agreste Mansion with Adrien's help and leave a fake replacement in its place. That particular book had been the source of recent contention.
"That book, Master Fu was so happy to get it back and he promised to tell me what it was all about after I retrieved it. Except he hasn't! I lost my vacation and ended up dealing with the teenager from hell in order to retrieve that book. If he can send me a holiday present, he can share with me the contents of the book."
Peace Keeper had done so much for the man who saved her life as a child and given her the strength to claim an identity for herself. It hurt a lot that her pseudo grandfather wasn't telling her everything she needed to know. She had kept the secret of Wayzz's Kwami Charm for nearly twenty three years! So why didn't he have faith in her to keep the book's secrets?
"If he's keeping the book from me, what else is he keeping from me? Ugh, why do all my superiors have to keep secret agendas? I don't have a secret agenda, I just do the missions the best I can and if I need to improvise, I do!
I'm not just some world peace project or secret agent. I'm more than just a heroine and a Guardian in training. I have feelings, friends, and a name! Sure only a handful of people call me by the name I chose, but still!"
Realizing she was getting worked up, Peace Keeper went to her bedroom/bathroom bunker section and took a nice hot shower. All the grime and sweat washed off and she felt human again. Changing out of her mission uniform she put it in the specialized washing machine/dryer combo to get clean overnight. She would need it if she was sent out on another mission in the immediate future.
After putting on her pajamas she snuggled under the covers of her large bed content to once again be a normal human instead of UN project. Out of habit she fingered her Kwami Charm necklace once again to make sure they were all there. "For once, I wish I could just be normal. It would be nice to have someone who could relate to me. Someone who wouldn't put so much pressure on me and trust me."
As she settled in her dreamland Nooroo's Kwami Charm glittered brightly. Sparkles shot out of it scattering them all over Peace Keeper's body. A lavender colored outline formed around her body centering its power on her forehead. Peace Keeper squirmed for a second, then relaxed as the Kwami Charm worked its magic.
Marinette found herself floating in the air and not in her soul room. In fact, she couldn't even find where the center of her soul was, because she was in starry landscape that seemed to go on for miles. There was nothing to give her a sense of direction.
"What is going on? Where am I?" she asked herself. She was not at all sure about what was going on with her. Ever since she learned how to come willingly to her soul room she had never appeared anywhere except there.
Her body started to tingle a lot. There was a gentle warmth spreading out through her body. Then right in front of her she saw a lavender outline of what looked like a picture of Nooroo she had seen appeared.
The seven colored star leapt off her body and touched the outline. They merged together before flashing brightly. Opening her eyes she found herself in what appeared to be Master Fu's version of the massage/spa and the other half appeared to be an underground facility. In the middle of the floor was a lavender mat with the seven pointed star on it.
"What is this place?"
"Marinette?" a multi accented voice asked curiously. Marinette's entire body tensed up as she straightened to see a woman emerging from the the other side of the room.
This woman appeared to be almost thirty, but with a lot of youth still visible. Her skin tone was very mixed making her have an exotic appearance that was matched by her green eyes and black hair, a combo she hadn't seen before. The way she carried herself was that of someone trained for a job with lots of dangerous risks.
"Marinette, it's nice to see you again, even if it's only a dream version of you," the woman told her smiling. Only to frown when she saw the teenager looked completely puzzled. "Oh don't tell me that this is a dream where my friend doesn't know who I am or about all the times we teamed up to help Master Fu and stop Hawkmoth."
Peace Keeper listened as Marinette exclaimed this wasn't a dream. She demanded to know who she was, how she knew Master Fu and her, while continuously asking what the young woman was doing here. This was her soul room and only the parts of her soul she called on should be here.
Being a genius Peace Keeper quickly deduced what was going. Touching Nooroo's charm and used its powers to become lucid enough to control the dream. The two spaces came into focus and the strange atmosphere disappeared. Two comfy pillows appeared on the mat.
"That's better and I'm glad the strange echoing of our voices has stopped. Please take a seat and I think I can explain what's going on. By the way, my real name is Ning Sun, but most people call me Peace Keeper."
The teen's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Why is your voice back to normal? Hey I'm talking normally too! You say you know me, but I'm not sure I can trust you."
Hearing those words Peace Keeper deflated a bit. The hurt in the woman's eyes spoke volumes to the teenager. She gave the woman a small smile trying to look friendly. "If you are close to Master Fu as you indicated then, I guess I can listen to what you have to say."
Once Marinette was seated, Peace Keeper asked what appeared to be a random question. She wanted to know if Marinette had made a wish before she fell asleep that night. After getting confirmation that she did the agent revealed that she had done the same thing. Both had wished they could meet and talk with someone who would understand their frustrations and positions.
Marinette's powers as a One and Nooroo's Kwami Charm, had been activated by the wishes and reached across the space/time barriers to bring the two together and this place was the result of being part dreamscape and part mindscape. For one night the two of them could talk about what they were experiencing and give the other advice on how to deal with.
"Well I think I'll start with my story. I have to tell you it isn't an easy tale to tell and when I'm finished, you might not have the same perception of me as you do know."
"I'll be the judge of that."
Marinette listened in amazement and disbelief about how Peace Keeper had once held her, as Ladybug, and Adrien/Chat Noir as prisoners for suspected terrorism. It had never occurred to her that foreign governments would view heroic actions as part of a terrorist plot. She was glad at least that Peace Keeper had made up for her actions and become a trusted friend.
The Great Guardian inside her couldn't believe how amazing the Kwami Charms were and how she wished she had them to help her. Their powers were astonishing and very useful. Learning how she had become a sleeper akuma and nearly died because of a simple ear infection gone wild, she promised herself she wouldn't put herself in that position.
As Peace Keeper summed up her tale about a thief girl named Lila Rossi and how she had helped get back the Miraculous Book, Marinette had to admit she was impressed. It also warmed her heart to know that the other version of her was happily dating Adrien.
"You were right, I had no idea how unique you are. I wish Master Fu was still alive to guide me in my world. I never expected to be Great Guardian and Wayzz's can be very stubborn at times." She remembered bitterly how he had kept several secrets from her.
Settling into her pillow Peace Keeper asked how she had gone from being the heroine Ladybug to the Great Guardian Peridot Turtle. By the expression on her face she was sad to learn that Master Fu was dead in one version of events.
Marinette did the best she could to explain things. She talked about the circumstances that lead to her becoming the Great Guardian while giving the earrings to Mireille so she could become Ladybeetle.
Peace Keeper listened patiently about all the different items that Marinette used for her job, wondering if they also existed in her version. She couldn't believe that Marinette was such a rare treasure with her ability to interact with all parts of her soul no matter when or where they came from.
The biggest surprise was learning that Chloe was actually half demonic and had nearly destroyed Paris with Chaotic scared her badly. Having met the girl several times it was obvious the girl was a she demon, but not literally in her world. Still, it couldn't hurt to keep an eye on things just in case they were true.
Both of them gave a huge sigh before they let out a little laugh. It was astonishing how similar yet different they were. Marinette envied how Peace Keeper still had a mentor and thought that easing into her role would have been a lot easier if she been able to practice using a kwami's power before using all of it.
On the other hand, Peace Keeper wondered what it would be liked to not have the entire world on your shoulders, and being able to stay in one place without having to be sent on missions, all over the planet.
Still, she had been drawn here for a purpose. To find someone who understood her problems and get advice. First, she should give Marinette some advice to help her out.
Playing with her hands Peace Keeper had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Marinette, even though I still have Master Fu as mentor doesn't always mean that he's the best teacher. In fact, sometimes I question his methods."
That surprised the bluenette. "Why do you say that? He's given you all this material to study and he obviously thought you would be perfect for the job if he gave you Wayzz's charm. I mean you were six years old and he already had faith in you!"
Fingering her charms, Peace Keeper repeated that just because he chose her didn't mean her apprenticeship was easy. Peace Keeper reminded Marinette that most of the time she couldn't be in Paris because of her job. Even with all the material she had to study, it was still a difficult responsibility to carry out. Especially when she had to choose between what was best for the world and what was best for the Miraculouses.
"Master Fu is a wonderful man and I love him like a grandfather, but all this reading doesn't replace actual training you know. Even when we're together training isn't all it's cracked up to be."
She described how hard she had to train in order to use the charms to communicate through the other Kwamiis and how difficult it could be over vast distances. Peace Keeper went to say on most of her visits to Paris, Master Fu wanted her to figure out a lesson while only giving her the barest of facts.
"We don't go into a lot of physical training. I know how to fight and defend myself of course. Still, I've never transformed into a heroine, even though I need to get use to the experience of feeling one hundred percent power of a Kwami instead of a tenth.
The one time I did have a Miraculous, I was being controlled by a past user, who had placed a piece of her soul, into the Miraculous. It was a strain on my body because I hadn't ever used powerful magic and I was afraid that the spirit would erase me. The experience frightened me a little."
Marinette could understand how someone could feel frightened by a transformation. She had been frightened too the first time she had transformed. Having a spirit forcing you to transform, especially with a Miraculous that wasn't the right fit, had to be even scarier.
"Mastering the Turtle Miraculous isn't easy. The shell alone makes you heavier and you have to learn move without falling over. Even after all this time, I still have trouble moving. The other problem is your plastron, your chest portion, it's really strong, but a major hit could take you out."
Peace Keeper thanked her for the advice. "I still want to try out the Turtle Miraculous once so I can get over my bad experience. One of my goals in the future is to use a Miraculous instead of a charm for one fight."
Marinette looked down and rubbed her Miraculous. She thought about offering it to Peace Keeper to try out only to remember that this wasn't the real world nor did she have Wayzz with her. "That's a good goal to have. Do you have any others?"
Peace Keeper nodded quickly. "While Master Fu may not trust me yet with the contents of the Miraculous Book, I do know that he's thinking about releasing the remaining Miraculous he has. I trust his judgement, but a good apprentice must also evaluate candidates themselves. Sometimes you need a fresh pair of eyes to gain perspective on a person that you might not have known about."
"I'm also worried about that myself. Hawkmoth is getting stronger and I know I have to give out the Miraculouses one day, but I'm not sure if I'm up to it. I never had to choose before. I mean Master Fu had already written a list of people that matched up. I chose Mireille because she went to my school and I knew her."
Peace Keeper nodded her head. "That's pretty typical of most Guardians. No matter who you give the Miraculous too, partners should always be people close to the other for dependability. I know in my world he'll chose people in your class to make it easier to come together.
I have suspicions on who he'll give the Miraculous too and if they're the people I think they might be, I will do everything in my power to test them and possibly prevent them from getting the Miraculous. Nooroo is already being abused and I don't want the others to be as well."
Peace Keeper added that was her other goal. Her last one was the most important. With her vast resources at her disposal she was determined to find out Hawkmoth's civilian identity and bring him to justice. Her connections with different countries and her Peace Teams could make the work easier.
The only real problem she faced was trying to navigate the politics of the world while continuing her ongoing duties to the UN. Even with several years of multitasking under her belt, learning to delegate and prioritize didn't always come easy.
"I still have a lot to learn to become a Great Guardian, but deep in my heart I know I can find my own path towards that goal. In the future I need to trust my instincts and start using my training in everyday life if I can. That's how I'll become the wielder of the Turtle Miraculous."
Seeing Peace Keepers determination and confidence made the teenage Great Guardian question her commitment to the job she had. Looking down Marinette muttered something along the lines that she feared she wasn't strong enough to continue to be the Great Guardian.
"Master Fu's spirit told me I was doing a good job. Adrien and Mireille are confident in my skills. Even Alya believes Peridot Turtle is an amazing heroine despite that I'm not out there as often."
Peace Keeper had an amused expression on her face. She gestured for Marinette to continue. "I'm just, what I mean is, oh! I have so many responsibilities and I'm still trying to come to terms with that I'm not infallible. I still have nightmares about Chaotic and Chloe. I know I did everything I could."
"You still feel guilty don't you? You're second guessing yourself. I'm guessing that's the reason you've been trying to talk to the other parts of your soul so badly. Summoning them and listening to them isn't the same as truly putting yourself in their lives. You know them as parts of your soul, but you don't have the grasp on what they represent."
"Exactly! I know I should be able to trust myself and bring out the parts of them they represent in my version of life, but I can't. I've tried so hard and well it's gotten me mixed results."
"So what do you intend to do about it?"
"I've been thinking about checking the Miraculous Book for help. It has all sorts of spells and history in it. It has to have something that could get me in touch with my other sides."
Peace Keeper's eyes bore into Marinette's own. "Are you sure that's a good idea? With all your stress isn't it dangerous to use the Miraculous Book in such a way. You told me the most important thing about being the Great Guardian is you don't have to go it alone. Others have offered their help so why not take it?"
"Because this is something unique to me. I know I could leave the business stuff to my staff or ask my parents for help if I get overwhelmed. I could cut back on some of Wayzz's lessons. Adrien and Mireille are doing okay and there's no need to push new lessons on them right now."
"Yet no one can help you with your inner struggle to figure out how to draw on the strength of others inside of you. You're very determined to do this. I can't stop you, but promise me you'll be careful if you do attempt to do a spell."
Marinette nodded her head as she also held out her hands in placating manner. She felt confident in herself once again. This journey to understand her soul was the next step in becoming a better Great Guardian. Not to mention being a better person all around.
So it seemed the two ladies had their goals set in their minds. Peace Keeper was determined to be a better apprentice and try transforming once. She also had great determination to make sure any Miraculous released didn't end up in the wrong hands and that she narrowed her search to identify Hawkmoth before he could cause problems.
At the same time, Marinette was going to find a way to truly understand the other parts of her soul and see through their eyes, how their traits helped her. Maybe she could also share some of her traits with them.
It would be a challenge, but how much harder could it be to find something to help and use it properly? It couldn't be any harder than her life was right now! Of course she would let Adrien and Mireille what she was doing before she actually did something.
For the rest of their time together they just talked or listened to the other one. Occasionally some advice was given. Peace Keeper shared a few of her tamer missions with the bluenette. In turn, Marinette mentioned a few things she had done growing up.
Both of them noticed at the same time their half mindscape/dreamscape was starting to fade away. Nooroo's charm was blinking and so was the seven star mark. It was time for them to depart.
"I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but I'm very proud to have met you. I wish you nothing, but the best my friend for future endeavors Great Guardian Marinette," Peace Keeper told her as she shook the girl's hands before embracing her tightly.
"I'm happy to have met you as well Peace Keeper. I hope that you achieve all your goals and dreams. If anyone can bring about world peace or at least part of it to the world you can. You're going to be a fantastic Great Guardian someday apprentice," Marinette whispered as she patted her new friend on the back.
They stepped apart just as the two areas split apart. They waved good-bye thankful that their wish came true. Who knew? They might even see each other again. Miraculouses do work in mysterious ways.
Marinette opened her eyes and stretched. Even with last night's activities she felt completely energized and ready for anything to happen today. "Wayzz, time to get up! It's a beautiful morning."
Wayzz stretched out and then flew up to the bed with a small grin on his face. "Well you're looking much better this morning my dear. Did you get a good night's sleep or finally connect with the other parts of your soul?"
Marinette gave him a playful look before getting out of bed and heading about her morning routine. She was going to live for today and enjoy herself for once. No need to worry about the future right now.
In another place Peace Keeper woke up and let out a content sigh. Last night had to be one of the most unusual yet fun experience she had in her young life. It was fun to see another version of Marinette and gain some insight on my future. I hope she continues to thrive the young agent thought to herself.
Getting dressed and enjoying her breakfast, Peace Keeper wondered what today's mission was going to be. Go with another UN team on a peace mission or perhaps be assigned to a relief team? There was always the chance she would be called upstairs to help out with another part of the UN.
It didn't matter what her job was for today. She would make the time to study and prepare for her return to Paris. Her friends needed her and so did Master Fu. No matter what happened next she was sure she could handle it.