Adrien opened the door to Marinette's studio. When she didn't look up right away, he took a moment to watch her.
Marinette was furiously sketching away, surrounded by various swaths of fabric, mannequins displaying half finished projects, and more pins than Adrien had ever seen in his life.
Leaning against the door, Adrien smiled. Marinette was a godsend. He really had no idea how he would have managed the last two months without her.
After Gabriel Agreste was arrested, Adrien had suddenly found himself in possession of a major fashion empire, and while he did have a decent head for business, he had very little idea about what passed for fashionable. All his modeling experience hadn't prepared him for the creative side of things.
When the hypothetical smoke cleared, he had practically begged Marinette for her help. It really hadn't taken much to convince her, but the whole issue of running his father's company alone had seemed insurmountable at the time.
There had been so much to do, whole lines that were only half finished, and deadlines past due. It was clear to Adrien that his father's criminal activities had taken a toll on the company. Marinette had her work cut out for her when she stepped in as the new creative head.
After much discussion, it was decided that they would finish up the last lines his father worked on before going through a rebranding, a fresh start to cut ties with the company's former head.
Marinette's small apartment really didn't have the room for her to work on both the half finished lines, as well as creating and approving the designs for the relaunch, so Adrien had given her his father's old studio at the mansion. After too many instances of her falling asleep in the studio from working too late, he also gave her a suite of rooms for herself to keep her from pushing herself too hard. At first, she'd tried to protest, but Adrien was stubborn.
Adrien finally broke himself from the spell of watching her, and tapped on the door. Marinette looked up, smiling. "Oh, hey! I'm just about finished approving the designs for the relaunch. Once I send them over to the office, I'll be done for the day."
Adrien was impressed. He had been sure they would end up behind schedule for the relaunch, but it looked like he had underestimated Marinette. "That's good. Master Fu is here. It's time."
Marinette's eyes widened in understanding. "Is he sure she's ready?"
Adrien laughed. "She thought she was ready a week ago, but they couldn't convince Plagg. They got his approval, albeit still reluctantly, so we need to do it before he changes his mind and decides she still needs to rest."
Marinette laughed too. "Poor Tikki. She's been trying to convince him she's better for weeks now, and he's acting like a worried mother hen!"
Adrien had to agree. "You know, if you had told me a few years ago that Plagg would feel this strongly about anything other than cheese, I'd have said you were crazy!"
When Marinette's laughter died down, she smiled. "He really does care about her, doesn't he?"
Adrien started to lead the way to where the Guardian was waiting. "From what I've heard, they are the yin and yang miraculous. They bring balance to each other. They're linked in ways even the Master says he doesn't fully understand."
Marinette hurried to keep up with Adrien's long stride.
As they made their way through the mansion, Marinette was amazed, and not for the first time, at how different it seemed from the day they had defeated Hawkmoth. That day it had seemed cold and empty, and the air was heavy. Now, despite the fact that the decor hadn't changed much and they were the only two people staying here, it seemed warm, and the air light. It was as if the mansion itself was happy with the change. That was ridiculous, but still… the difference was easily noticeable.
They arrived in the secret chamber where Emilie slept, and found Master Fu patiently waiting.
"Are you ready, Marinette?" Master Fu asked.
Marinette smiled. "I am, Master. What do you need me to do?"
Master Fu moved toward where Emilie lay in the chamber, gesturing for Marinette to follow. "Our part in this is really very simple. The kwamis are linked to their miraculous, so when a person wears a miraculous, the kwami's power flows through that person, but that person's energy also flows through the kwami. So our job here is to act as an anchor for their powers."
Coming to a stop beside the sleeping Emilie, Master Fu continued. "Each miraculous is different, and so the ritual to fix it if it becomes damaged is also different. I know it may seem complicated," he smiled kindly at her, "but really, all you need to do is be here."
Marinette thought for a moment. "If Tikki's creation powers are necessary to fix a broken miraculous, what would happen if the ladybug miraculous was damaged?"
Master Fu's eyes twinkled. He was constantly being impressed by this girl. He was right, she was the perfect holder for Tikki. "An excellent question! The ladybug and black cat are the oldest, and most powerful miraculous. If the ladybug earrings were to be damaged, Tikki is capable of fixing them on her own, as long as there was a guardian who could speak the necessary spell. Now, let us begin."
Master Fu pinned the peacock brooch to Emilie's chest, and a moment later Duusu appeared in a flash of light. The little kwami squealed in delight. "Is it finally time, Master?!"
Master Fu chuckled. "Yes, Duusu. It is time."
Duusu squealed again and flew to hug him. "Thank you Master!"
At the sound of the other kwami, Tikki appeared from her hiding place in Marinette's bag and flew up to her shoulder.
After Duusu had calmed down from her excited outburst, Master Fu positioned himself on one side of Emilie, and Marinette on the other. He indicated for her to hold his hands, and for Tikki to hover over their hands on one side, and Duusu to do the same on the other.
When everyone was in position, Master Fu began to chant something in an ancient language that Marinette couldn't understand. A few moments later, the kwamis were surrounded by a soft light. Tikki's light was pink, and Duusu's light was blue.
When the light appeared around Tikki, Marinette felt something start to happen. It was as if the entire power of creation flowed through her. At the same time, she could feel her own energy flowing into the kwami. It was similar to how it felt to transform, but at the same time it was different. She had never really noticed the exchange of energy and power before, but now it was impossible to miss.
After the lights appeared, Master Fu nodded to Tikki while he continued to chant.
Tikki softly called for a lucky charm, and a sudden swarm of Ladybugs appeared in the middle of the circle. The swarm vanished as quickly as it came, leaving behind a beautiful jeweled butterfly, with green cat eye markings on its wings.
Master Fu raised his eyebrow at the shape it had taken, knowing that the butterfly must have represented Gabriel, and the cat's eyes must represent Adrien. The lucky charm seemed to have chosen to represent the people who were most dear to the sleeping woman.
He continued chanting as he nodded again, this time to Duusu.
Duusu plucked a feather from her tail, and blew it toward the jeweled butterfly. When it landed, a bright light enveloped it, and when the light was gone, a living butterfly sat fluttering its wings.
The butterfly sat for a moment, then it began to fly over Emilie, back and forth from her head to her feet and back. As it passed over her, Emilie began to glow. After a few passes, the butterfly paused a moment, landing briefly on her head, before lifting off again and coming to rest a final time on her miraculous which rested above her heart. The butterfly glowed softly, and slowly faded from existence.
Master Fu's chanting stopped, and silence fell. Adrien, who had been nervously standing back, came closer to get a better look.
A moment later, Emilie's eyes fluttered open. She glanced around for a moment in confusion before her eyes landed on her son. Despite the years that had changed him, there was recognition in her eyes, and a smile lit up her face. "Adrien."
Tears escaped his eyes, and his voice broke as he choked out one word, "mom", before falling into her arms.