Eighty-Five: Welcome... Back?

Master Fu returns from his quest and is not impressed that the Heroes of Paris have left the Miraculous Box unguarded... but is there something more to his unusual request?

"Chat. Ladybug," Master Fu said.

It wasn't hard to see what passed for irritation on the visage of the wizened Guardian; while not an expression he normally wore, when he did, it was generally after we had done something questionable with our Miraculous that, while not expressly forbidden, was to be highly discouraged. I'd seen that expression more than a few times in my years as Chat, for of the two of us, I had tended to be the one to bend the rules nearly to breaking – especially during my early years as a superhero, though honestly, it had been some time since I'd run afoul of anything on the rather lengthy list of rules. (Plagg had helpfully informed me some time back the baton had a list of said regulations, but I'd ignored him, to my peril apparently.)

The wine was still making my feline brain a little fuzzy, but not fuzzy enough to realize that Master Fu had been away for months now; I wondered what on earth he could possibly be annoyed about. After all, Paris was still standing and more or less just about what it had been before he'd left, give or take a few akumas. Still, as he crossed his arms against his chest, I got the distinct impression we were in trouble.

Besides my father, Master Fu was the only other person that could sometimes make me feel like a teenager again.

After a few moments of staring at each other, Ladybug broke the silence. "When did you return?" she asked.

"Tonight," he replied. "I stopped by your apartment. You weren't there," he added meaningfully.

"We were here," I replied somewhat stupidly, cursing myself immediately. "I mean, we were there, but needed some fresh air."

"Given the number of wine bottles I saw open, I can understand that," he replied.

"My parents were over for dinner," Ladybug replied defensively. "That wasn't all us."

"And yet, I was able to sneak up on the Heroes of Paris."

I found myself stiffen at the implied critique. "You always sneak up on us," I reminded him. "A glass of wine doesn't change that."

"Was it just one glass?" he asked.

My hackles went up further, and I had to work to stifle a growl. "Master Fu, Ladybug and I are allowed to have downtime-"

"No, Chat, you're not," he replied. "This is most irresponsible behavior," he continued as he stepped toward us across the glass of the Grand Palais. "I thought you had grown out of it, Chat; and you, Ladybug – that you would allow this to happen at all unnerves me to no end."

"We had dinner," Ladybug replied. "Family dinner. Adults do that from time to time."

"Adults who don't wield two of the most powerful Miraculous out there." He paused, then looked more closely at Ladybug. "But that isn't the part I'm upset about."

"Could have fooled me," I replied churlishly, only to get a glare from my fiancé.

"You left the box unguarded," Master Fu said coldly. "Why?"

Ladybug blinked. "It's perfectly safe where we've stashed it," she said before shooting a confused glance in my direction. "More than anyone, you'd understand why there would be times that no one would be guarding it."

"I can understand an akuma attack," he replied. "But simply being out here, for no reason at all-"

"Master," I interrupted, my temper getting the better of me. "Can you honestly tell us you've never left the Box unguarded for brief periods? To go to the corner store, for example?" I paused, my tail swishing angrily. "For all you know, we were on patrol this evening and stopped for a breather just now."

Master Fu lifted a single eyebrow. "The point remains-"

This time, I did growl, but Ladybug put a hand to my arm in warning; biting my tongue, I simply glared at the Guardian while Ladybug calmly interrupted him. "Forgive me, Master Fu, but this seems a bit out of character for you. What is this truly about?"

I turned my attention back to Master Fu and belatedly realized I'd not been fully training my feline senses on the wizened figure. Blinking, it dawned on me I could feel waves of fear radiating away from him, so intense as to nearly be palpable. My anger was momentarily forgotten as I quickly went to his side. "Holy shit," I breathed. "Whatever it is, it's not good."

Fu looked at me for a long moment before his enigmatic smile made an appearance. "I forget how you use that particular skill of yours," he said quietly. "You wield it better than any holder before you."

Ladybug joined me by his side, her masked face betraying her concern. As the three of us stood atop the glass roof, she searched his face briefly before nodding slowly. "Your quest wasn't successful."

A slight flicker of emotion appeared in his face. "Oh, it was," he said softly. "But it cost me more than I expected."

My masked eyes went wide. "I don't like the sound of that," I replied. "What happened, exactly?"

"It's a long story," he sighed. "But the short version is I'm on borrowed time. It's made me a bit irritable."

"Borrowed time?" Ladybug echoed. "I'm with Chat, I don't like the sound of that at all."

This time, we were treated to the full version of his enigmatic smile. "The two of you truly are wise beyond your years. Please, it would be easier to explain with the Miracle Box present; if we could regroup at your apartment…?"

"Of course," Ladybug answered. "And then you'll tell us everything?"

Master Fu looked pained. "And then some."