Author's Note: Apologies for accidentally lying to my readers about the revelations coming in this chapter, but as I kept writing it got so big that I ended up having to split it in two. To make up for it I'm publishing both at once, so you can just head to the next one after this. Hope you enjoy!
Marinette had barely made it through the first half-hour before she started pacing through the parlor, or was it more of a dojo? It certainly has an Eastern Asian feel to it, Marinette thought, maybe Master Fu is Chinese. If he is Chinese, maybe he met my uncle once, and maybe he met my mother. Oh no! What if he had told her I'm Ladybug?
"Marinette, it's okay." Tikki giggled. "Master Fu will be back soon. Getting worked up won't solve anything."
"Ugh, you're right Tikki, but I just can't help it!" Marinette complained. "It's just so stressful. Until today I thought nobody knew who I was, and now I find out not only does Master Fu know, he wants Cat Noir and I to learn each other's identity too! And then there's this book with the Miraculous wielders that Adrien somehow had, and I have no idea how to explain to him where it went or why I needed it without telling him too much and putting him in danger and there's anewthreatIveneverheardofand -"
"Easy, Marinette." the little Kwami interrupted. "Master Fu will explain everything you need to know. He'll take care of Adrien. As for your identity, it was him who chose you to have the Miraculous in the first place. He'd never reveal your secret unless it was really important."
Marinette took in a deep breath. Her partner was right. There was no use getting worked up over things she couldn't control. That didn't stop her from being nervous, but Tikki's words had at least managed to stop her mind from tearing itself apart over the possibilities. Not for the first time she was grateful to have the little creature in her life. Tikki had been a constant source of encouragement and wisdom throughout the past year, helping Marinette when no one else could.
Calming down, Marinette said "Thank you, Tikki. I'm so lucky I got you as my Kwami."
Tikki flew over and snuggled up to her cheek. "And I'm lucky to have you as my human. Now why don't we sit down and wait for Master Fu to come back."
Marinette took Tikki up on her suggestion and decided to occupy her mind by going through the Miraculous book she had brought. True, she couldn't read what it said, but she could at least gain some idea from the images of who the previous Miraculous wielders were. She was even able to guess the time period some of them lived in based on the designs of their outfits. Before long she was able to notice a pattern. All of them were themed after seven different animals; a butterfly, a bee, a fox, a turtle, a peacock, and of course a ladybug and a cat. Those two in particular seemed to come in pairs.
"Hey Tikki, is there a reason the Ladybugs and Cat Noirs are grouped together?" she asked.
The little Kwami nodded. "There is, but I think Master Fu should be the one to explain it."
Marinette shrugged her shoulders and went back to looking through the book. She was so absorbed in it that the sound of the door opening shocked her upright like a jack-in-the-box. She quickly turned around to see the old Guardian and …
"A-Adrien?!" she stammered. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Marinette." the young boy said with a puzzled look. "I was wondering the same thing about you. Wait a minute, is that my father's book?"
"Your father's?" Marinette was still shocked to see him (not to mention feeling a little guilty about stealing the book from him), but even that wasn't enough to completely shake her wits. Maybe most of them, but not all. If Adrien's father had a tome of the Miraculous, then something very strange was going on.
"If I might interrupt," the old man said. "We have much to discuss. Tikki, Plagg, please come out and join us."
The two Kwamis emerged from their hiding places, exchanging a knowing glance. Marinette stared at the floating black cat that had emerged from Adrien's jacket pocket. But how could he have a Kwami unless...
"Thank you for joining us." Fu acknowledged. Then he turned his head to the two teenagers and said "I believe you already know each other, Ladybug and Cat Noir."
Marinette wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she did a triple take. Adrien couldn't be Cat Noir. He just couldn't.
Could he?
Plagg let out a roaring laugh. "Oh man, you should see the look on your faces. Priceless!
"Plagg!" Tikki scolded, though the little red Kwami was struggling to keep herself from snickering.
Marinette could feel the blood rising in her cheeks. How had she not connected the dots? With just one revelation everything made sense and nothing made sense anymore.
"Ahem," the old master cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, we have important matters to discuss. I realize that the two of you are surprised by this news, but we must put that aside for now. The time has come for me to tell you both the origins of the Miraculous, and the reason for our battle against Hawk Moth."
