Between Life and Death
Emotion!
Sensations that Nooroo hadn't felt in decades were swirling around the cathedral of Notre Dame. Wings fluttered against his back in anticipation. 'Master will want to know about this as soon as possible.' Floating over to the window, he looked out at Paris, blue eyes scanning the various avenues of the burgeoning city. He had felt the emotions of the town for the past two decades, but this was a sensation all it's own. His body nearly vibrated with the emotions that spiked so fully at the church.
He tried to categorize the emotions; fear was obvious, shame along with... love, hatred, anger, and... hopelessness. Each sensation roiled over his body like a wave, threatening to drown him in the undertow of emotional turmoil. He wasn't sure how long he sat upon the sill, all he knew was that when he felt a presence behind him, the little creature could do nothing more than speak about what he was feeling. "Master," his voice was soft, owing to the weight of his next words, "there is something serious going on at Notre Dame."
"Could it be Fu Chiao?" the dark figure behind him asked.
Nooroo nodded. "I believe your search for the Miraculous is nearly at an end, Master." Turning, he looked up at the eyes of his wielder, before fluttering up to their hand.
"Good, Nooroo, but I will not have Fu Chiao discovering our presence here." the voice was soft as a finger rubbed between the Kwami's wings, eliciting a trilling of pleasure from the little creature. "I will not have him disappear again, potentially leading to another twenty-five years of searching."
"Understood, master." Nooroo looked up at the figure, only a pair of gentle gray eyes looked back, showing a kind happiness while the shadow of a smile graced the wielder's lips.
"I only hope we don't lose him again." is wielder sighed, knowing the risks of inaction.
oOo
Hearing the penultimate beeps of her Miraculous, Lila brought her hand up, cradling the fox pendant in her hand before the power dissipated, she waited until the little Kwami floated up in front of her eyes. "I'm sorry." Reaching back, she unclasped the necklace. "Trixx, I renounce you." Reaching up with the hand not holding the Miraculous, she rubbed the little creature's cheek with her thumb. "Take this to Beetle." she instructed, handing over the pendant.
"Do you really think you can stop me without being transformed?" Raptor scoffed.
A giggle issued from Lila's lips. "I know I can." She then turned toward the front doors, and ran as if a demon chased her. "Let's just say, there's more than one way to destroy someone!" she called back. Raptor watched her go, blinking for several seconds before his mouth dropped open.
"NO!" taking two steps, he leaped, but found his ankles wrapped up in a strong cable. Dropping to the ground, he slammed one of his claw blades into the tile, and used the other to slice the cable. The move caused Ladybird Beetle to stagger, her weapon completely destroyed. When he spread his legs, he shot off the mark and flew after the Lila.
She had just opened the door and screamed out "MILITIA! VIXEN IS IN THE CHURCH!" when she was hit from behind by Raptor. Flying up out over the courtyard, she twisted around, and drew her daggers, but he opened his arms wide, knocking them away. She started to fall, only for it to be arrested by him grabbing her blouse.
"Disloyal bitch!" he growled "You have done nothing, save for drawn attention to yourself!"
"That's where you're wrong, Bishop." She then smiled at him, her hand coming up to the side of his face. "I've exposed you to all of Paris, and forced you to come after me, leaving the Miraculous undefended." She then leaned in whispering, "Ladybird Beetle knows where they are, and will take the lot without you being able to stop her... and since you don't know who she is, you'll never find them."
"You dare to betray me like that?!" he yelled.
Lila scoffed as she took her hand away. "To the man that betrayed his fellow Guardians, his morals, his god, and his followers of the faith... yes, I would betray him." she suddenly smiled. "The longer you hold me, the more Miraculous that Ladybird Beetle is getting."
"Die you treasonous harlot!" he shouted as he threw the young woman away. Flying around, he went straight for the open door of the cathedral.
oOo
Marinette managed to recover her yo-yo seconds after Raptor had carried off Lila, but didn't know if the magical words would activate her ability. "Lucky Charm?" Amazingly, the magical yo-yo opened to reveal... another yo-yo. Within seconds, she saw the world go gray, and a pair of columns flash red with black spots. Running behind one, she affixed the yo-yo to her finger and tossed it across the way. It wrapped around the column, cinching it off while she stayed behind the other column, pulling the cable taut.
Upon hearing the tell-tale whoosh of wings she pulled as hard as she could, ensuring that the cable was completely straight. Raptor flew in through the door, as she braced her feet against the stone column. A sliver of moonlight barely managed to shimmer across the cable, allowing the villain to see it for a split second before his body moved to stop. Unfortunately for him, his speed carried his body past the cable, allowing it to tumble, and then slide along the floor. A trail of crimson flowed out behind the skidding form seconds before it stopped, while the head flopped and rolled to a stop three meters away from where the cable had decapitated the former Guardian.
When the transformation failed, his body and head returned to that of Bishop Damocles, and Marinette pulled her new yo-yo back. Rushing out the door, she smiled as she called out "Lila! We did..." In the center of the courtyard, with a quartet of militiamen starting to gather, she saw the lifeless form of the young woman she'd just called out for. Rushing over, she watched as one of the men, touched her neck, shaking his head. As she approached, she saw that the young woman had her arms out, so that she appeared as a cross, an expression of serenity on her face.
"Ladybird Beetle," Kim commented, "I was walking past when I heard her say that she was in the cathedral."
Nodding, she reached out, and lightly closed the eyes of the young woman. "She's been used her entire life," Beetle announced, "by her mother, the members of the Assembly, and..." she shook her head, "in the end, she chose to help us bring one of our most dangerous villains to justice."
"Who?" Kim asked.
"Bishop Damocles." Looking up at him, she sighed. "He was a member of the Assembly, along with Nadja Chamack, and Lila's mother, Zoe Rossi. The latter of which is one of their financial backers for the coup." Standing up, she sighed. "Lila Rossi confided that in Black Cat and myself just before we agreed to bring the bishop to justice." Wiping a pair of tears from her cheeks, she continued. "Unfortunately, he didn't want to come willingly, so we... were forced to kill him."
"Then he's saved the taxpayers the cost of a trial." Kim offered. Looking around, he blinked "Um, not to be rude, but where is he?"
"In the cathedral. Black Cat and our newest partner Ryukishi are inside as well, and I need to check on them." Ladybird Beetle offered. "If you can give us a few minutes, I can get them taken care of, and we can leave the crime scene."
Kim nodded. "You go ahead, we'll take care of her."
"Thank you." With that she turned and ran back to the cathedral.
oOo
"Master! Did you feel that?!" Nooroo's soft, melodic voice asked.
"Yes, Nooroo!" The joy in those two words had the little creature shivering from the sensation. "The traitor has been dealt with, and now I can sense the rest of the Kwami." he turned to regard the spirit of transmission. "The magic of the Miraculous calls to me. We must recover them before they fall into the wrong hands again."
"Will you be contacting the other Guardians to tell them?" Nooroo asked.
Reaching up, he rubbed at his chin. "Only when I have them back. You have said that you've felt the Kwamis of Creation and Destruction?"
"Yes, Master. Both have been close for quite some time, but unless I'm with the others, I cannot locate them." Nooroo announced.
"Can you find the others?"
Nooroo nodded, bowing a little "Yes, Master, quite easily."
"Then I urge you to fly, Nooroo, and once you know, then tell me where the Miraculous are."
Bowing graciously, the little creature smiled "Yes, Monarch." and left the room through a bare wall. Flying through all of Paris, the little creature closed his eyes, turning one way then another with his arms out to either side before he started flying again. His little wings fluttered as he drew closer to his destination. 'Soon I will see my family again!'
Emotions pulsed like a beacon from the cathedral, while the power of the Kwami glowed like a lantern on a dark, moonless night. Not long after the initial pulse of energy, Nooroo phased through the wall to find the bishop's room. With the protective wards gone, after his death, the little creature could now locate all of the Miraculous inside. Floating into the armoire, he saw all of them except for four. Opening his mouth, he started to sing the Song of Awakening; a wordless ballad that could rouse his family from their slumber.
The first to float out was a green turtle, then a snake, and next a horse. "Wayzz," Nooroo nearly cried, "Sass, Kaalki!" Wrapping them up in a hug, he smiled as a blue peahen flew out and tackled him. "DUSUU!" the pair hugged happily, laughing as more Kwami appeared. "You're all here!" The mouse appeared next, with the ox, pig, dog, and tiger. "I've missed you."
A salmon and pink otter floated across their vision as the monkey all but did cartwheels in the air, along with the goat, bee, and bunny. "Have you come to take us home?" Mullo asked.
"Yes." Nooroo answered. "My master has been sent to return you to the monastery." He then looked at everyone. "All of you have been gone for so long."
"How long were we gone?" asked Stompp.
"Twenty-five years." Nooroo answered. "I was with my master, training for him to understand the Kwami when all of your jewels were stolen."
Roarr floated over, "Did nobody give chase?"
It was at that question that Kaalki looked away, "He... used me to escape. There was no way anyone could have followed." Every one of the Kwami floated over to hug the horse, offering words of understanding and kindness.
"Don't worry, because the master will take us all back." Nooroo offered before the sounds of someone entering the room caused him to look at the door. "I can't be caught." he suddenly whispered.
With that said, he floated through the wooden wall of the armoire, watching what transpired.
oOo
"They're in here!" Tikki cried out as she floated over to the door. Marinette ran after along with Adrien and Kagami, their Kwami floating along with them, albeit a bit slower since they had just woke up. Opening the doors, the trio smiled as all the ten centimeter tall creatures floated out with a cheer. It was then that the raven-haired baker pulled up three more Miraculous. "Trixx! Liiri! Savvy!" all the little creatures cheered as there was a massive round of hugs.
Plagg smiled and laughed as he flew around the group, the normally grumpy cat completely overwhelmed by the collection. The emotion was all too much for Nooroo, so he watched for a few seconds longer before he had to fly out toward his master's home. There was no doubt in his mind who the trio of humans were. His only hope is that his master wouldn't be too upset to know who held the Miraculous.
While the butterfly Kwami flew away, the others hugged Marinette, Adrien, and Kagami, loving on all three of them as the trio took all the gems out of the armoire. "Is there a way to contain all the gems? I'm pretty sure my mother and father would notice if suddenly I had all these cute little creatures floating around our home." the girl with pigtails remarked.
"Perhaps we can split them?" Adrien offered. "Kagami could take a few, and I could take some. We have more than enough money to feed all of you, and can secret you into our rooms."
"You don't need to." Dusuu announced happily. "It won't be long before another Guardian takes us all back to the monastery!"
That got Plagg to stop flying as he floated in front of the group. "You actually want to go back to the Guardians?!" His question caused all of the Kwami to look at him.
Mullo squeaked as she spoke. "Th-They care for us. Keep us from being misused... and..."
That seemed to anger Plagg as he growled. "Are you insane?! They imprison you in those boxes and use you for their own selfish reasons!"
"No!" Roarr countered, pointing a paw at Plagg, "They keep us from being used for selfish reasons!" Floating over the tiger Kwami glared at the black cat as the pair growled at each other. "Tell us Plagg," the name was spoken almost as if was a curse, "have you made the best choices in your long life floating through this world?"
"I..." Plagg wanted to tell them he had, but knew that he couldn't, "At least I'm free to make my own decisions!"
"Until you choose a wielder," Tikki remarked, "and then your ability to choose is limited by the graciousness they show you." The black cat glared at her. "Don't get me wrong, you've chosen a great wielder, but previous ones were, shall we say, less than ideal?"
"Whose side are you on?!" Plagg all but yelled at Tikki. "You do the same exact thing as me!"
Everyone looked at Tikki, who nodded. "Yes, I do, but only because I was never told that I had another option." Looking at the other Kwami, she smiled. "Do they take good care of you all?"
"Yes!" chirped the otter who then swam through the sky, holding her cheeks. "They give us fish, and pet us, let us love on all of them..." Suddenly, the little Kwami's voice became squeaky with all the affection she had for the Guardian's who protected her family.
Liiri floated over, "That's enough Adorra, you're going to send yourself into squeaking fits."
Marinette looked at the little otter who floated between her and Adrien. "Ooh! I can feel the love in this room," she then wove her way around the pair, "a love that will span ages, and lifetimes! True soul-mates!" Giggling, she nuzzled against the blond's cheek, before doing the same to the raven-haired baker girl. The little Kwami then gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, before returning to the boy and performing the same action.
"What was that?" Tikki asked as the little otter floated away giggling.
Adorra floated over to the little red and black Kwami. "I just gave them the most precious gift ever! True love's kiss!" She then floated around to the others. "Every time they are reincarnated, their first kisses will always be with each other!" Giving off a squeaky little giggle, the otter floated back with her cheeks going crimson.
"You shouldn't have done that, Adorra." Tikki admonished. "They should have the right to kiss whomever they want."
At that, the little otter smiled at the Kwami. "Oh, but you don't understand." Adorra tittered, "They do have a choice in who they are with, but their first kisses will always be with each other. Regardless of how many lives they're reincarnated into, or who they wind up marrying. Their first kiss could be as children, teens, or adults, but it will always be with each other."
Smiling at the little otter, Adrien offered "I don't see a problem with giving us that type of gift." He saw the blush on Marinette's face as he continued. "It just shows that we will always have a connection with each other." Taking his betrothed's hand, he interlaced their fingers, prompting her to smile at him. "Right, milady?"
"Absolutely." Marinette said with a nod. "Now let's get these Miraculous out of here."
Gathering up the various Miraculous into a pair of jewelry boxes they found under the bishop's bed, they managed to separate them so that Duusu, Kaalki, Sass, Wayzz, Trixx, Mullo, Stompp, Ziggy, Fluff, Daizzi, Barkk, Orikko, Pollen, and Roaar were all in the same box, while Adorra, Liiri, Savvy, and all the others were placed in a different box. Adrien took the latter, while Kagami took the former. The trio transformed seconds later, and headed home with Marinette feeling melancholy about what had transpired.