NOTES: Ladies & GentleCats! 10 years later I bring to you a one-shot inspired by a wonderful masterpiece tagged 'yin and yang au' by sweetjupiterr on tumblr .
A huge thanks to idkwhyiexist and daedae127 on tumblr for beta reading this fic! You guys are the best!
Marinette relaxed (or at least tried to) on her seat and flipped the page of the novel resting on her lap, but her eyes were skipping the words. She opened the shutter next to her with a screech and looked out of it and her heart leaped. This was her second flight alone, and this was going to be much longer, she knew, and to some point much more excruciating. Unease coursed through her veins. She hadn't been this far away from home withoutany of her family. When she was going to China, she had her Uncle with her. Now she was all alone.
A sigh escaped as she moved a little closer to the window, trying to get out of the way of her drooling neighbor, and absentmindedly she brushed her fingers against her earrings. Her Miraculous. The Miraculous of the Ladybug, which in usual circumstances housed Tikki. Marinette knew that these were highly unusual circumstances.
It had happened way too fast for her or for Chat Noir to process.
Three months ago, on the peak of the Eiffel tower, the two superheroes of Paris had been battling an Akuma – another occurrence of Mr. Pigeon. For the first time in all of their battles, an akuma had gained the upper hand, letting Hawkmoth succeed for the time being. She hated to say it, but distracting them so that Hawkmoth could suck their Kwamis out was perhaps the most ingenious plan he had ever come up with.
Marinette, for the life of her, hadn't imagined the existence of equipment that could suck outthe Kwamis. A 'Mibi de Reneu,' as Su Han had called it when he had come to Marinette's, tumbling over her possessions, letting her know what a disappointment she and her partner were.
Su Han had told her that the Mibi de Reneu was an ancient box, carved by those who sought the miraculous' in the early ages. If the Kwamis of the Ladybug and the Black Cat were ever sucked into it, all the Kwamis inside the miracle boxes would go into a state of paralysis and would remain so till Tikki and Plagg were freed.
Fortunately for them, Alya and Nino were suited up during the attack and that meant that the Akuma attacks could be kept at bay. Unfortunately for them, though, no one knew how to breakthe Mibi de Reneu, which thankfully included Hawkmoth.
Su Han had later accepted that Marinette and Chat Noir or any other miraculous holder – past and present – couldn't have anticipated the arrival of the ancient box, especially since (according to Su Han) the scriptures stated that they were long destroyed.
They had gone two whole months hunting down answers but none had succeeded more than Alya, who had pointed out that they were perhaps looking in the wrong place. Su Han had immediately contacted the Temple in Tibet. Two days later he'd received a long scroll, wrapped in thin red covering, informing that there was perhaps a way – a ritual to be precise – that could enhance their powers to help break the box. To try it out, they, Ladybug and Chat Noir, had to go to Tibet to perform the ritual (in separate flights – skillfully arranged by the priests of the Guardian's Temple). All Marinette hoped for was that it worked, for the missing weight of Tikki made her feel dizzier and dizzier by the second.
-2 Weeks Later-
Marinette swiftly tied her hair into a bun, some of it dangling, obstructing her vision. She didn't bother moving them away because she won't be able to see much anyway.
Pulling up her black socks, she looked out of the room. She could see the glowing sun about to succumb to the moon from where she sat, like a golden coin engulfed in flames. It left her breathless as the moment when day intertwined the night always did.
The room she was given at the Temple was a square one, its four walls made out of cedar - the color of her desks at school, she remembered suddenly. It was half the size of Marinette's room back at home and its corners shone; not a flick of dust in sight, making Marinette wonder that perhaps her quarters (which was separate from all others who occupied the Temple) was one of the newer additions to the Temple. The scent of cinnamon spread across the room and sometimes she felt like she had dipped herself into a water cooler, for the weather never failed to send chills down her spine.
As time passed these quarters and the Temple felt familiar and comfortable, thanks to the hospitality given to her by all the other trainees at the Temple. And also because her kitty, her partner, Chat Noir too was taking residence in this Temple, learning along with her the art to perform the Yin and Yang ritual.
"Are you ready Ladybug?" A high-pitched voice called out.
Marinette jumped to her feet. No matter how hard she tried, she would never get used to someone addressing her as Ladybug outside of costume. She breathed in, trying to calm her racing heart.
She knew who the voice belonged to. It was the boy who had been escorting her and Chat for the past two weeks for all the training activities they did because both of them had to use a blindfold. She had never seen him but had always pictured him to be a short, young Guardian-in-training – eleven or twelve by the sound of his voice.
"A minute," Marinette replied as she pulled a cloth out of her jeans pocket, her new mask.. She had to be on time. Such were the obligations if one were to train in the Guardian's Temple, especially for the Yin and Yang ritual.
Marinette quite liked the sound of the Yin and Yang ritual. It was when two halves of a whole – the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous wielders – proved their worth in front of their previous holders. If they succeeded, the previous holders' spirits would grant them a collective power, which would help them battle outside of their masks. And to prove their worth, they had to perform a ritual – which needed immense training first. Although she found the ritual intriguing, she didn't know whether Chat and herself would be up to the task. Or would they ever be able to save Tikki and Plagg? It was not that she didn't trust their partnership; it was just that she didn't trust … herself.
She wrapped the white piece of cloth tightly around her eyes. It was a mild inconvenience, yet it was necessary to hide her secret from her partner and his from her.
A knock sounded from the other side. She walked towards the door, trusting her senses to not slam her face into the wall.
"I'm ready," Marinette said, reaching for the little knob that slid the door open, and she headed out for the training grounds.
"What's wrong, M'lady?"
It was Chat and his usual caring persona.
They were sitting together on a hard staircase, which – according to what Marinette had seen from her window – faced the training grounds and another fleet of stairs which led to a dōjō. It had been their usual routine from the day they had arrived at the Guardian's Temple, to spend a good twenty minutes on that staircase, waiting for the Head Priestess to arrive and initiate their final act of the day. The meditation. The rest of the trainees – Marinette had learned – did their meditation in the area which was beyond the staircase which led to the dōjō. But they were to meditate while sitting on the circle of the Yin and Yang.
"N – nothing," she hesitated, as she had done for the past two weeks.
Chat moved next to her. "If you don't want to tell, I respect that, but M'lady, if you ever need another pair of ears I'm here for you. I know that as bad as losing Plagg is for me, it's a whole lot worse for you."
Hearing those words sent an ache in her chest. She knew he meant those words. They had gone through this together, and right now he was the only one she could pour her heart out to.
"I'm a failure," Marinette whispered, dropping her head into her hands. And then the questions tumbled out of her amidst her ragged breaths, "D- do you think that we'll be able to do it? Please the previous holders? Do you think we'll be able to save Tikki and Plagg? Stop Hawkmoth?"
The weight of the world – the responsibilities that had been thrust on her – and also of her failure. It was all coming down on her. She was the Guardian and was solely responsible if anything happened to anyone because of their Kwamis' capture. If, she thought, if Hawkmoth succeeded!
"You're not a failure," Chat Noir said. He reached for her hand and placed it between both of his. "Civilians were in danger, and we did what Master Fu signed us up for. We saved them from danger. And you were doing all of that while formulating a plan and… it was all one crazy day! So, no, you're not a failure. And of course, we'll save Tikki and Plagg. We have come this far – all the way to Tibet! You always think of something, M'lady. You can do this. We can do this.
"We can please the previous holders. And YES, we WILL beat Hawkmoth's ass the moment we are done with the ritual!"
He paused for a moment, for effect Marinette thought, and at that moment she giggled heartily for the first time in ages.
"You'll see M'lady. We'll pass this storm together. It's you and me against the world, remember?"
Marinette put her free hand on top of Chat's, just like he had done a second earlier, and squeezed it tightly.
"You and me against the world," She repeated. "You're the best, Kitty!"
She could almost see the lopsided grin forming on her Kitty's face. "Anything for you Bugaboo!"
Marinette heard footsteps approaching. They let go of each other's grip, reluctantly.
"The High Priestess calls you to come," The little boy's voice called, nodded, hoping the boy saw it.
Marinette got up along with Chat Noir, both using each other as support. They walked towards where they knew the Yin and Yang circle resided, with the help of the little boy. Mentally, Marinette made a note to do something for the little boy for all the help he had given them.
Together, she and Chat Noir sat down and a little smile danced on her lips the moment she let her muscles relax. Her kitty's words were sinking in.
They would do this. They would free Tikki and Plagg. They would stop Hawkmoth.
With a creak, the little boy stepped onto the wooden stairs where Ladybug and Chat Noir had been seated previously. For a moment he looked back, as he had done for the past few days before rushing off to his meditation session.
The golden rays of the setting sun outlined the tall dōjō that stood afar, its pillars standing tall and proud. The bask of rays also hit the Guardian and her partner.
They were sitting, their backs facing each other – Ladybug obstructing the boy's view of the fleet of stairs that led to the dōjō and Chat Noir obstructing his view to the little well that stood a few feet away from it. Though he was deprived of many of the great pleasures that were offered by the view from the place he was standing, the view he received of Ladybug and Chat Noir was enough to settle the unease and anxiety that had bubbled in his heart. That had bubbled in the heart of all the other Guardians-in-training.
Not every Ladybug and Chat Noir were perfect Yin and Yang. Most of them were only a compatible fighting force. That is why they had all wondered whether these two would be able to save Tikki and Plagg. And that is why the training was necessary before the ritual; to assess whether they were two halves of a whole because if not, the ritual could be deadly.
He had had his fair share of doubts, along with many others, even though some had reminded him that this was the couple that brought back the lost Temple and all those who were lost along with it. He had thought that all hope was lost – that Tikki and Plagg would become this 'Hawkmoth' person'sslaves just like Nooroo. That the world will be doomed.
Looking at them now, their feet crossed, hands placed palm down on either of their legs, and their hair being whisked and ruffled and tousled by the growing wind, he was starting to think that maybe not all hope was lost.
There was a hint of a smile on their faces, mirroring that of the little boy who stood on the stairs.
They would do it, he knew, as he walked away. They would save the world. And he also knew that they would do it together. He knew that they would complete the ritual successfully. That they were Yin and Yang.
Feel free to point out if any of the cultural lore is not accurate. Reviews are appreciated!
I hope you all enjoyed!
P.S. Go check out sweetjupiterr's amazing art!