He was running out of time. He could sense it, or rather Wayzz could. What he'd do without the kwami he didn't know but he was about to find out, it was about time he passed the torch. He'd been watching the boy, and the other two for weeks almost months now, and if he thought about it he supposed it was creepy how intimately he knew of their lives but unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir he could not be certain that they were right for the job but now, now he was certain.

He was sure of the Alya girl first, she was headstrong yes, and rash very much so actually. That had been proven once the destruction sisters where on the scene. But she was also very intelligent and compassionate, Master Fu had figured out how to follow her site early on and while she did run headlong into the danger she had a certain respect for the heroes that went beyond idealism.

Once the two were de transforming she stood her ground to tell the other reporters to back off. He'd initially been worried about her quest for the truth considering why she'd been akumatized but after seeing her sacrifice finding out for the sake and respect off the hero's he knew that, that combination of loyalty and headstrong attitude was the right one for Trixx.

It was almost dangerous to send out Trixx with her temperament but somehow, he knew, there was something about Alya that would balance it out, regardless of their similarities in personality there was something about them that was different enough that wouldn't cause a problem.

So he checked that off his list one down two to go. The next one he didn't mean to pick so readily. While Alya he knew a lot of from Marinette and from watching the Pair the next he knew more from reputation rather than interaction.

But there was something about her that caught his attention, regardless of her rude nature and horrible demeanor her sensed, almost a pain to her. Yes, Chloe Bourgeois was a pampered bully, and often did horrible things for attention but there was also a sense of melancholy about her actions. There was something about her that made Fu stop and pause.

So he tailed her and hid in shadows and got Wayzz to help him get information. He watched as she bullied her classmates and akumatize them but then, afterward, there was a softness to her gaze, and then after Nathanael became the evilustrator he saw something shocking. Early in the morning when no one could see before even Sabrina arrived she went to the boy's locker and put in a small gift, it was a set of nice illustration pens double ended and with varying thicknesses.

From that moment on he watched her carefully as she would give small expensive gifts to the akumatized people. Melene received a small tie-dye hair tie of a very nice material, Sabrina not only got her best friend pin back from the girl but later she placed a box of nice hair dye in the girls things knowing that Sabrina had been wanting to dye her bangs green for a very long time despite its clashing with her red locks.

Alya received a small Chat Noir charm to go with her Ladybug one; Ivan eventually (despite the long pause since she'd akumatized him) got a pair of tickets to his favorite band's concert in the next month. Kim got a Valentine's note that was written in a different hand than her own and unsigned so as not to be caught of course.

Alex got a watch upkeep kit, a small set for oiling and polishing, Chloe even smiled softly once she noticed that the girl's watch was gleaming more brightly afterward. Rose got a small vial of rose-scented perfume; Julika got a dark grey hair clip with curly Q decals.

Afterwards, she began to gift out small things to even the people she didn't akumatize, Max got a rubber grippy accessory for his game controller, Nino was given an otamatone, mainly as a joke but even she was fed up with the mechanical screeched of the false notes at some point.

The gifts became a little-unspoken mystery in the class, no one really spoke about it and even if no one really knew who it was they theorized, some people were almost certain it was Chloe but again no one said anything, it breathed a hope into the classroom that eventually they could all be friends.

Master Fu noticed that Lila never got a gift, but even he supposed that things like that really took time. He then after noticing this and having reports from Wayzz come back about it started to watch her more closely. He transformed into the turtle hero for the first time in a while, he used the turtles hiding power to watch her have dinner with her father one afternoon.

It was late sometime right after she was akumatized for the second time, not even a week had passed. There was a silence that constricted the empty room of Chloe and her father, as the thickset man sipped his soup broth and checked his phone for important messages or emails.

"Father," Chloe began measuredly her nasally voice only hitting the faintest note of an emotion.

The mayor didn't respond he continued to tap away on his phone eyebrows furrowing and unfurrowing at random intervals.

"Daddy," she scoffed annoyance twinging her vice nearly painting over some other much smaller emotion that Fu was having trouble picking up on.

The man continued to not respond.

"DAAaaDY!" she shouted at him.

"Hm uh, oh?" he said confused looking up from his phone," Yes Chloe dear?" he slathered on the honey thick sweetness to his voice.

Chloe cleared her throat and start," Daddy there is something I need to tell you," she looked down at her bowl nervous," I'm-" she looked up at her father probably intending to meet his eyes once she told him whatever this was but he was once again on his phone.

She cleared her throat with an "hmm hmm, Fatheeeeer," she sang out frustration ringing true in the tone.

He laughed nervously and looked up," Uh sorry Chloe but I need to leave unless this is urgent then I must go." He started to walk away from the table

"But Daddy was going to tell you," her father was out of the door," that I was Bi," she trailed out sadly. She tugged her hair loops to the side before she straightened out her back," I'll tell him next time," she muttered to herself getting up. She was so quiet that it was almost indiscernible from the dead air in the room. She walked past master Fu seeming to steel herself on some action further than that.

Afterwards he was almost certain that she was perfect for Pollen, he followed her a few more times and watched her interact with people but got the impression that she was just too stuck in her ways and too proud to actually apologize, he got the impression too that she was afraid to apologize that if she did then the others might turn on her more.

So he knew that Pollen was the right one for her, that they were similar in pride and sense of who they were and their beauty standards. But he somehow knew that that would cause them both to soften and no longer be so harsh on them both tearing each other down.

The last one was the most difficult to figure out, while he was more careful with Trixx and Pollen in the sense that he was afraid of his past repeating he was even more afraid to pass off Wayzz, because the Kwami had given him strength and wisdom for decades now. He'd given him support and understanding for just as long and he'd helped him understand a world that he once thought was too strange and wondrous to be real.

So he vetted the next three boys carefully. While Alya he'd been certain of early on and Chloe eventually they were pretty much the only candidates for their miraculous. The Turtle miraculous was different, he was closer to the kwami and as such took longer to decide. The one that really stood out against the other two was Nino Lahiffe.

And while the other two boys were each their own version of brave and wise there was something about Nino that always told him he'd be the one to inherit the turtle miraculous. Regardless he followed the other two boys even with Nino, almost as if to delay what he knew was inevitable.

One boy was out of the running once he saw him run leaving another in the path of the destructing Akuma, Fu didn't blame him Akumas were terrifying and there was nothing wrong with wanting to save yourself but his failure to see the person and get them out of the way even if Chat Noir later picked them up and saved them was still enough for him to consider him not a good candidate.

The second one did nothing wrong in particular but after he watched Nino for a while he was very aware that the other couldn't possibly be the wielder of his dear friend. He watched as Nino reassured Adrien and helped him navigate through school, it was heartwarming and although he hid it well Fu could tell when Nino knew Adrien's secret. He wasn't sure if the blonde had told him or not but the silent reassurance that he gave his friend.

He watched as the boy had a falling out with Alya and while he knew that them being miraculous welders wouldn't help and would certainly make it all worse he was also was aware though that, in the long run, it would strengthen their relationship.

He watched as he swallowed his fear and posed with Adrien for a shoot. He watched as he just posed doing his best and then when he was a lackey for the Akuma he fought well. But what sold him was the incident with the sisters of destruction.

He watched as with a moment of quick thinking he backed Alya away and tried to move her out of the way from the destruction, and then going farther and shielding her with his body. Despite the fact that he waited longer, that was the moment that really sold him on Nino being the welder of the turtle miraculous. Despite all his fears and waiting and hedging that was the moment when he was absolutely certain that this was the correct decision to make. So on the night of the red moon, he handed out the miraculous'.

Like he'd done with Ladybug and Chat Noir nearly four years ago planted the miraculous boxes. He hobbled to Chloe's building and whilst he was in the elevator transformed and turned invisible. Hobbling he entered her room as the butler opened the door.

The Butler moved a cart of facial products towards Chloe, Chloe thanked him, which really surprised master Fu and she started to set the ends of her hair in one of those cloth curlers for wet hair and placed a face mask on her face.

His joints aching from all the movement he very carefully placed the box in the closet on a small podium knowing that she'd notice it in the morning.

Next, he went to Alya's and at this point, it was much closer to the morning, because he had to feed Wayzz after turning invisible but he also didn't feel like it'd be right to enter her home while she was sleeping, it made him feel creepy.

Once her parents left for the morning to go to work he entered with the open door and placed the box on her bedside table, he was a little concerned when he saw her younger siblings because he worried that they'd open the box first but she closed the door and shoed them away when they tried to enter so he figured it would be okay.

He exited the apartment and was halfway down the street as himself when he saw Nino walk towards the girl's home muttering to himself.

"So Al," he cut himself off," no Alya I-I-I-I uuh-uh-uh-uh like you? No want to, uh," he cut himself off," hit I'm aaah shit I'm screwed," he went to turn around in fear looking like he wanted to scream but then he was walking there again making his way towards her house running a hand through his short hair muttering worriedly.

And Master Fu reached for his miraculous.

"Master?" Wayzz said putting a hand on the bracelet.

"I have to pass the torch now," he said sadly to the kwami.

"I know," Wayzz said whipping a tear from his face," It's just- I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you too dear friend but our story is coming to close now."

Wayzz nodded and Fu removed the bracelet and with a quick burst of light his friend was gone. He grabbed the box from his pocket and placed the bracelet in, he walked down the sidewalk towards the boy and intended to slip the box into his bag when the boy very quickly turned around and bumped into master Fu.

"Ah I'm so sorry!" he said giving the man a hand up," I wasn't looking where I was going dude, I am so sorry," he rambled before noticing the cane on the ground, he picked it up and handed it to him.

While he did so Fu put the box in his bag, once he received his cane he smiled at him," So young man what seems to have you down?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Nino asked him confused.

"You've been muttering to yourself and keep turning around.

Nino looked surprised," oh right ha-ha, well it's really nothing it's just," he looked down ashamed," Things with my friend Alya have been a little weird recently and well I wanted to fix it, ya know dude?"

Master Fu nodded," may I ask why it is strange?"

Nino laughed awkwardly," it's a really long story man and honestly, I feel a little strange about talking to you a stranger about this."

"That's understandable," he nodded," but sometimes a stranger is the best person to talk to about your problems."

"Not to be rude man but, why do you care?" he asked, Fu, gave him a confused looked," well the thing is I don't know you and to be honest I did knock you over.

"Sometimes it's just a good thing to ask people how they are doing.

Nino sighed," Well see there was this Akuma and it made people make out and so, me and Al ended up making out and well neither of us talked about it so it, it got really awkward really fast.

"Well, in my opinion, it seems like this is a misunderstanding and maybe it's awkward because she returns your feelings.

Nino turned red in response," how did you- I mean what makes you think I like her?"

"Sometimes the matters of the heart are more readable on our faces than we'd like to believe.

"Well I should go," Nino said turning awkwardly.

"Well good luck, young man," Fu said turning around and leaving.

And Maybe they'd solve things after all and maybe the miraculous' wouldn't make things strange. He turned down the street and chanced a glance at Nino who was now walking down the sidewalk determination in his stride and Master Fu smiled he'd chosen well, he could tell.


Yo, guys, this was a lot easier to write than the last chapter and I'm getting better schedule wise and such reviews are always appreciated. :)