The Departure Suite
Marinette freaks out. Master Fu visits someone.
"Can I go with you?"
"We don't usually let minors in the ICU" The middle-aged doctor argued.
"Please! I don't even need to enter the room, I just want to see him." Marinette insisted. The bluenette had never felt so terrified in her life. She felt like she might pass out anytime soon, as her heart was racing inside her ribcage, and her insides felt as if they were twisting into knots. The love of her life was currently lying on a bed, God knows in what condition. Not even the doctors seemed to be convinced he was going to make it. But they didn't know him. They didn't know the wonderful and strong boy she had fallen in love with. So, a shred of hope was still pulsating inside her chest. Marinette only wanted to see him, to only catch a glimpse of him would mean the world to her at the moment. She needed to calm her erratic heart, and the only remedy for that was to be in the presence of the love of her life. Even if he couldn't see her, even if he was unconscious to the world.
"I don't mind if she comes with us. In fact, I would be thankful for not going alone." Mrs Agreste defended her, smiling softly at the girl.
The grey-haired doctor sighed, knowing that it was useless to argue against the distressed women, "Alright, but only one can enter the room, the other has to stay outside."
Both women nodded in understanding.
The walk from the sterile waiting room to the ICU seemed to have lasted forever. Despite their hurried pace, Marinette thought that they were nowhere close to the damn room. So lost she was in her own mind, that she didn't notice the doctor stop, crashing into his back, which startled her back to reality.
The teen heard a gasp coming from her side, and looking at Mrs Agreste, she saw the woman raising her hands to her mouth, shaking from head to toes as tears started to gather around her eyes. Cerulean eyes followed the older woman's gaze, a gasp of her own escaping from her mouth, as she took in the sight in front of them.
Behind the transparent glass window, inside a small room, fully packed in various machines, was her beloved partner. His pale form, so small between all the machinery that was keeping him alive, was tucked in bed, endless tubes and cables connected him to his life support. Marinette could only hear the constant beep from one of the machines, indicating his heartbeat. His face was mostly covered by a plastic strap, keeping the tube that was coming from his mouth in place. Lots of different cables were coming out from the blankets that were covering him.
A sob escaped her lips, as she rested her palm against the window separating the two of them. Mrs Agreste had rushed inside the room, followed by the doctor that had brought them there, and a nurse, who had pushed a chair right behind the blonde woman, for her to sit. However, instead of sitting normally, Émilie seemed to have lost the strength in her legs, her body falling in the chair. The nurse helped her get comfortable, and the doctor kneeled next to her, muttering incomprehensible words, mumbled by the window separating the teen from the room.
Marinette stood in the busy hallway, watching the commotion inside the room. Struggling to keep her emotions in check as tears were now flowing freely down her face. The boy she loved, completely oblivious to all the stress outside his inner realm. His mother, exhausted from all that had happened to her and around her in those last hours, had finally crashed.
"Hum-hm! Mademoiselle?" A grave voice called behind her.
The secret heroine turned back, searching for the source of the voice. Her crying eyes widened, staring at the strange couple dressed in suits.
"I'm agent Rousseau, and this is agent Dorian. We work for the DCPJ and are in charge of investigating what happened in the Agreste's house. We heard you were there, so… If you could answer a few questions we have, we would be very thankful. We promise we won't disturb much…" The strange red-haired woman explained.
Marinette peeked inside the room once more, noticing that Mrs Agreste had woken up. She looked at her sleeping partner, the nurse was adjusting his IV while the doctor spoke to Mrs Agreste. The teen finally acknowledged the inspectors pleading, and nodded in cooperation.
Meanwhile, outside the mansion that was now the centre of everyone's attention, an old Chinese man in a Hawaiian shirt was watching the swarm of reporters that had invaded the place, not passing the imponent gates as they were being held back by a strong ring of policemen. News vans were rushing there, parking in front of the house. Reporters shouted, trying to be heard, questioning the veracity of the rumours that had spread through Paris like wildfire. Flashes illuminated the street, as everyone wanted to have the picture of the crime scene, of the infamous villain's lair.
Master Fu eventually managed to sneak inside the building, taking in the eerie ambient surrounding him, clashing with the bursting energy outside.
Yellow tape served as a barrier, warning people not to enter the empty study, from where Gabriel supposedly operated. The Chinese man ignored the silent warning signs, following the instructions Nathalie had given him when he met her after her interrogatory, he rushed to the secret lair. He silently thanked the entity responsible for his spike of luck as no one was inside, although he still needed to be careful not to be caught.
When he finally got inside, the old guardian stood gobsmacked at the mess the room was in. Yellow tape was also surrounding the cavernous division, glass shards were scattered around the small garden in the far end of the room, they certainly belonged to the broken casket resting in the middle. Master Fu took a few steps closer, not missing any detail of the room. His aged experience as a guardian was feeling the presence of some magical artefacts in the lair, and he knew exactly what they were.
The magical influence from the lost jewels was like a chord pulling the guardian towards them. Carefully stepping between the broken glass on the floor, he kneeled, his old age betraying his agility. Peeking through the plants and all the mess, he saw a weak light, pulsing in the middle of the green leaves. To the distracted eye, this light could keep blinking completely unnoticed, Master Fu, however, knew exactly what it was.
Slowly approaching the mysterious light, he departed the plants, to have a better look at what was emanating all that magic he was feeling. He let out a breath of relief, as he found the jewels abandoned on the floor. A pair of black earrings and a silver ring were scattered on the ground, separated after being joined to grant absolute power. He snatched the miraculous, tucking them both in the small pocket of his shirt.
Further inspection of the place helped him find a small yellow comb, an orange necklace and a green bracelet. He slid the bracelet to his wrist revealing his companion, who fell exhausted into his palms. Snatching a piece of lettuce from his pocket, the old man waved it right in front of his kwami, who seemed to have been revived by the mere smell of his favourite food.
After devouring the piece of lettuce, Waizz looked up to his old master, "I'm sorry, Master! We failed…" The small creature lamented.
"We did, old friend… But not all is lost, there's still hope…" Master Fu sighed, leaving behind the once-secret room. He still had one more stop before he could go to the hospital.
BZZZZZ! The sound coming from the speakers on the tiled wall alerted the visitors that their relatives were ready to see them.
Master Fu was sitting on the metal chair inside the private room, secluded from prying eyes. When the heavy door opened in front of him, a handcuffed Gabriel Agreste walked towards him. The old man nodded at the guard who was accompanying the designer, signalling for him to leave.
Once they were alone, Gabriel wouldn't take his red-rimmed eyes from the guardian. Master Fu stared at the frail man in front of him, his general appearance was dishevelled, never in his long life had Master Fu seen someone so usually controlled looking like the mess the man in front of him was. "I see that they let you keep your clothes" The guardian started, noticing that Gabriel was indeed wearing his normal attire.
"Who are you?" The other man questioned.
"That doesn't matter, does it? What's important is that you have something that I lost a long time ago, something that never belonged to you."
Gabriel stared at him with wide eyes, a sudden realization hitting him like a wave, "You? You, you're the guardian of the miraculous…"
"I am- "
"You gave my son a miraculous, you made him fight your battles!" Gabriel interrupted.
"The only thing I regret is the mistake I made when I was young, one that made me lose two miraculous, along with a powerful book. Choosing your son to wield the Cat Miraculous, was one of the few good decisions I made, so do not try to blame me for your failures as a father, as a human being." Master Fu warned.
His last accusation seemed to have slapped the designer in the face, as he dropped his shoulders in defeat, a single tear made its way down his cheek.
"You're right…" Gabriel sighed, "I was so blind for power, that I willingly used my son to get what I wanted… By saving my wife, I killed my child, and now I've lost them both…" His voice quivered, and his shoulders started to shake, as the usually stoic man started to sob.
"Your son is not dead, at least for the time being. He will, if we do nothing, but I have a plan. Not everyone in his life has given up on him." Master Fu paused, looking at the man in front of him. Gabriel was staring at him, a flicker of hope could be distinguished in his stormy grey eyes.
"I pity you, Gabriel Agreste. You were so obsessed with your wife that you forgot about your own son. And now, that your wife is back, you finally realized how much he means to you. I'm afraid it's too late now. However, you can still do a good action, and give me back the butterfly miraculous, the more you fight, the further your family will be from you. It's up to you now, if you want to see your family again, you know what to do…" Master Fu warned.
"This is it…" Gabriel thought as the strange old man in front of him asked for what was rightfully his. He got his wish, all he had done, all he had sacrificed, it all ended up giving him what he wanted the most. Or so he thought…
Émilie was back, seemingly safe, at least from what he could gather from the few moments they were together before reality came crashing down upon them. How did things turn out so bad? Why did he believe that the wish came without a curse? Of course, there would be a price, after all, his years of experience as a ruthless businessman had taught him, that everything in this world had a price, so, why should magic be different?
He was willing to die for his family, and yet, he hurt the only good thing he had ever made beyond repair. Even if Adrien survived all this madness, he would be scarred for life.
Trembling hands struggled to reach the pocket containing the butterfly miraculous. Carefully, the designer handed the silver box to the guardian. Sighing, his usually cold gaze, now shining with unshed tears drifted from the unsuspicious box to the seemingly harmless man.
"What now?" Gabriel asked with a trembling and low voice.
"Now… we're setting everything right again. Your wife was never dead, so your son will not perish, that is not the price of your wish. She was trapped, confined to her own body…" The guardian gestured vaguely around them, "As you can see, the true price of your wish is already being paid."
The old man stood, "Goodbye, Gabriel. Perhaps one day you will find your peace. Perhaps one day, your son will be able to forgive you." The Guardian left, leaving behind a man resigned to his fate.
"So, you and your friends decided to rush in the manor to save Adrien? How did you know he was in danger?" The blonde detective asked.
Marinette tried to explain everything they asked, close to what really happened, leaving only the secret identities out, which was turning out to be a challenge. "I guess, what he was doing to Adrien was becoming too much, and Nathalie sent a message to my friend Alya, believing that she could contact Ladybug since she owned the Ladyblog…" Her exhausted mind kept shooting excuses mixed with the truth almost automatically. Marinette was totally surprised that her testimony was making sense, "We pressed her for answers, and she told us everything… Hawkmoth's identity, how he was making his son fight alongside him… How it was draining him… We only wanted to protect our best friend… We… We had to do something…" The teenager sat on a plastic chair outside the room her love was in. Her eyes drifted to the glass wall, contemplating the still form of her partner. Mrs Agreste was looking intently at him, grabbing his frail hand between her own palms.
"Thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng." The detectives smiled sympathetically at her.
Once alone, the aspiring designer raised her hands to cover her face, the turmoil inside her was finally bursting through the seams. Never in her short life had she felt as helpless as she was feeling. They had lost, they went to face Hawkmoth unprepared, in rage for what they learnt, completely at the mercy of the controlling powers of the butterfly user. And now, Adrien was paying the price for their recklessness.
She let out a shaky breath, tears streaming down her face. A hand rested on her shoulder, making her flinch slightly. "Marinette…" A voice called behind her. Her head turned slowly towards the source of said voice, acknowledging the man who was trying to comfort her.
"I failed, Master…" she whispered.
"Oh, Marinette! None of this was your fault, this was beyond your control. I'm so proud of you!" Master Fu admitted.
"Yet, Adrien is in that room. He's dying, Master Fu! I can feel it! It feels like someone is ripping my heart out of my chest! I can feel him fading…" She sobbed.
Master Fu sat next to her, tucking from his Hawaiian shirt a small object. He carefully opened his hand, presenting her the jewels of the Black Cat and the Ladybug.
"Young girl, this is not the end… I know how to solve this. Adrien will be okay, trust me."
Soooo, I kinda stopped updating. I am so sorry, I really am. It's just that university got in the way, I had presentations to make, finals to prepare, it was hell, gladly it all ended well. The good news is that I'm finally on Summer break, I'll try to update frequently. Hope you liked the chapter!
Next chapter: "The Ladybug miraculous is capable of many things. As the Cat ring is the only thing capable of destroying the other miraculous, the earrings can restore them. I believe that if we can fix the peacock brooch, the curse affecting Adrien will vanish."