Eighty-Six: Farewell

Master Fu reveals more of what his quest cost him – and the Heroes of Paris.

The remains of our dinner party with Marinette's parents greeted me as I landed on the wrought iron railing surrounding our main balcony; perched there for a moment, I cocked my mane and trained my feline ears on the apartment. I was reasonably certain I had beaten my fiancé back, for though we had left together from that spot earlier, she had decided from an abundance of caution to re-enter the building from the street with Master Fu. Despite our ability to sneak in and out fairly deftly, it felt a bit like we might be pushing our luck for all three of us to return via the balcony.

Slipping down to the tile, I made it as far as the open slider when I heard the key to the apartment door; a moment later, I greeted Marinette and Master Fu. The can lights of our kitchen revealed how drawn and haggard the Guardian's face was, something I had seen with my night vision earlier. Shifting into host mode for the second time that evening, I guided Fu to the living room and settled him in on one end; Marinette quickly appeared with a small tray bearing mugs and the carafe of coffee we'd made before leaving for our "walk." Somehow, she'd even managed to cobble together several small fruit danishes, too.

Feeling finally like I had my full wits about me once more, I poured out the still-steaming coffee and then hopped onto the coffee table, allowing my tail to swish over the edge. Holding my mug in my paws, I trained every feline sense I had on the Guardian. "You appear to have been right in worrying about how difficult it would be to return that Miracle Box," I said.

"I was," he nodded.

"Forgive me, Master, but you look terrible," Marinette said, clearly seeing what I was seeing. "Based on what you said earlier, that makes me worried about what the ordeal cost you."

Fu nodded. "You might recall that this particular box is something of a magpie, collecting whatever Miraculous it comes into contact with. For your own protection, I won't tell you more than to say that the box has now been safely stored in what the Guardians call the Hall of Mysteries." He smiled tiredly. "What it cost me, my young friend," he added softly, "was my remaining time with the two of you."

My masked eyes widened. "You're not dying—"

"No, Chat, nothing quite like that," he replied. "But a Guardian may only pass through the Hall of Mysteries once; our ability to remain a Guardian is by definition revoked."

Marinette nodded slowly after a moment. "The Hall… it's only purpose is to act as a repository for Boxes?"

"Yes," Master Fu replied. "And the only way to deposit a box is for the current Guardian to give it up."

I narrowed my masked eyes. "There wasn't anything temporary about handing your Box off to Marinette, was there?" I asked, thinking that it was turning out to be a good thing we had come up with a secure hiding spot in the apartment for the Miracle Box.

"No," he shook his head. "I only knew of the myths surrounding the Hall, and wasn't certain, but suspected I would lose my ability to be a Guardian once I passed through the portal." He looked to Marinette. "Bequeathing my Box to you allowed me to take ownership of the magpie box."

"And gave you the ability to place it forever out of reach?"

"Something like that, Chat," he smiled again. He looked to between us again. "I will, however, be taking my leave of you."

"You're not departing Paris again, are you?" I asked.

"Not exactly," he sighed. "I will physically remain here, I think, but my memories of who I once was – specifically my role as Guardian – will soon disappear." He grimaced slightly. "It's one rather unfortunate side effect of using the Hall of Mysteries the way I did; I tried to counteract the effects with a potion from the Grimoire, but it has, at best, only given me a few days. Even now, I can feel the fuzziness beginning to surround any memories of my time at the monastery; in a few hours, I'll only know you, Chat, as part of the duo of masked heroes saving Paris every day." He turned to Marinette and smiled wider. "And you, my dear, as the wonderful daughter to my favorite bakers."

I looked to Mari, and saw her eyes glistening. "This is terrible," she said softly as she took his hand in hers. "Is there no other way? I feel like we have only scratched the surface of what we should know."

"It is already done," he replied softly. "But I know I leave my affairs in good order – and the Miraculous Box in exceptional hands." He slid the satchel he'd been carrying off his shoulder and handed it to Marinette. "Here is all of the research I've done up to this point," he explained, "and several months' worth of transformation potions for both you and Chat. I'm afraid you'll need to brew up more on your own, but I've left instructions for you on the iPad – including one for a new transformation I think will come in handy." Fu smiled slightly. "Think of it as my farewell gift."

"Master-" Marinette started.

Master Fu turned to me. "The two of you are meant to be together," he continued. "And I can think of no one else I would entrust the secrets of the Box to – or the awesome power it holds. You will defeat Hawkmoth; of that, I have no doubt."

For once, I was at a loss for words, and simply moved to the couch and hugged Master Fu; Marinette joined me a moment later, creating a group hug for the ages. After a long moment, I released him, and felt my voice catch. "I will… miss you terribly, Master Fu."

"As will I," Marinette added as she wiped away a tear. "It's been a wild ride."

"Take care, the both of you," he smiled as he stood from the couch. "And if you see me around, don't hesitate to say hello – even if I don't truly understand why you do."

"We will," Marinette replied.

"Now if you will excuse me," he smiled one last enigmatic smile. "I need to go now while I can still recall how to get to my apartment." Master Fu paused at the doorway for a moment. "Goodbye," he said simply.

And with that, he was gone.