I Do Not Own Miraculous or Avatar.
Chapter Seventy-Three: The Change in Mantle.
"Neither of our fathers are here." Adrien said glumly as he walked over to Zuko and Sokka.
"Where on Earth have you been?" Sokka asked.
"Gathering information." Adrien said, stretching dramatically, "That guard dude laughed when I mentioned Hawkomth and when I asked about Water Tribe Warriors. Said I was crazy. They aren't here." He looked down a little, once more fingering the strange cloth covered object that Sokka had seen him messing with on the war balloon.
"So what? I risked our lives for nothing?" Sokka asked, "We failed, just like that?" Adrien flinched a little.
"I'm sorry Sokka. I miss my father too. I didn't realize I could until the invasion… we weren't really all that close, but I felt like I was just getting to know him." Sokka just growled, ramming his fist into the railing in frustration.
"This isn't fair! Why does the war seem to take everything from me? Who's next? Katara? First it was my mom, then Yue, then Suki, now my dad!" Sokka growled. Zuko calmly rested his hand on Sokka's shoulder.
"This war has hurt a lot of people in every nation. Heck, the Fire Nation took my mom too, but that's why we can't stop now. Stuff like this will keep happening until we end the war." Zuko said, "We'll find your father one day. We'll find Suki too, but first we need to end the war."
"Suki?" Sokka asked in confusion.
"Yeah, you know, that girl Marinette told me you were dating?" Adrien asked, "You literally just mentioned her, how did you just forget her name?"
"No! Look!" Sokka pointed down to the courtyard towards a young girl around Sokka's age with short auburn brown hair and blue eyes, "Suki's right there!"
"That's Suki?" Adrien asked, "So, wait, we came looking for our dads, but somehow we found your girlfriend instead?"
"Apparently." Zuko noted, "Sokka what is the-" Zuko turned to ask Sokka about the plan, but the boy was already gone, walking briskly in the direction of the cell Suki was being lead to.
"Ah, love." Adrien said, "What can you do?"
"He's gonna get us caught!" Zuko huffed.
"I'll get him. Come on." Adrien said, motioning for Zuko to follow him. Zuko rolled his eyes, lowering his visor and going after Adrien.
"Sir!" Sokka said to the guard escorting Suki, "The warden wanted me to take this young lady to him. She's a dangerous enemy of the nation and knows the secrets of the Earth Kingdom's plans. She needs to be interrogated."
"I had no orders for that." The guard objected. Adrien instantly fell into his character.
"Are you questioning orders?" Adrien growled, "I can speak with the warden personally on this matter if you would like. I'm sure he loves it when we interrupt him with such small matters and waste his time! Besides! If he wants to talk with this Earth Kingdom peasant, he can do it! That's why he's the warden, genius! If she has vital intel on this war, we need it. Denying the warden the chance to receive this intel could be considered treason! Do you want to commit treason against your Fire Lord?" It was at this moment Zuko realized how tall Adrien actually was as he towered over the hopeless guard with his arms crossed.
"...No… no sir! I'm sorry. I was just confused. I'll leave the prisoner with you. Please don't tell the warden about this!"
"Don't make me have to." Adrien said, "I'm willing to overlook this little mishap for now, but your incompetence will not be tolerated again! Understood?"
"Yes sir!" The man saluted before rushing off.
"Heh, I knew stealing a captain uniform would make my life easier." Adrien chuckled.
"How'd you know that was a captain's uniform?" Sokka asked.
"It's marked right here with different accents. Obviously, that means a different rank." Adrien said.
"I admit, that was a bit terrifying to watch. I didn't know you even had a dark side." Zuko said, clearly impressed.
"Hey, I'm not all sunshine, despite common belief. Plus, it's just acting!"
"Who are you people? What do you want with me?" Suki demanded. Sokka lifted his visor, beaming from ear to ear.
"You mean you don't recognize me?"
"Sokka!" Suki said, instantly going to kiss him. Adrien made a face. Sokka noticed as he pulled away.
"Hey, Sunshine, I don't make comments about you and your girlfriend."
"Yes you do." Adrien deadpanned, "All the time. And I didn't say anything."
"I can if you need me to." Zuko volunteered.
"Who are your friends?" Suki asked.
"Oh! Yeah, you remember Rin? The girl with the spirit powers who fought that sea serpent? The one looking for her lost partner Cat Noir?" Sokka asked
"Um, yeah?"
"I'm Adrien Agreste, aka, Cat Noir the wielder of destruction and misfortune… er, normally I am, though currently my powers are not available to me. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you Miss. Suki!" Adrien said, mock bowing.
"...Yeah… he's a bit on the dramatic side." Sokka said.
"But they all love me for it." Adrien said happily.
"Reminds me of a dorky Water Tribe boy I know!" Suki teased.
"Offensive." Sokka huffed, "Anyways, the other guy is Prince Zuko. He-"
"Oh, we've met." Suki grumbled, "He set my village on fire, remember?" Suki said. Zuko flinched. He'd forgotten he'd done that.
"Um… Sorry about that. Nice to meet you officially I guess." He said awkwardly.
"Zuzu! What did we say about burning down entire villages!?" Adrien said in a scolding tone. Zuko growled.
"I told you not to call me that!" He growled, flames dancing at his fingertips. Adrien just stuck his tongue out.
"Touchy, touchy. Father said the same thing about me calling him Hawky, and I still call him that. Mari said the same thing about the nickname Bugaboo, yet I still call her that. I get that your sister gave you that marvelous nickname, but as evil as Azula is, she has taste in embarrassing names. If it helps, my surrogate sister Chloe calls me Adrikins and Mari calls me Kitty. Sokka here calls me Sunshine, my friend Alya calls me Cinnamon Roll. "
"Adrikins is way worse." Zuko decided carefully. Suki looked between Zuko and Adrien.
"Okay, I am really confused, how do these two know each other?"
"Met in Ba Sing Se, I adopted Zuko." Adrien said, "Me, my dad, and his uncle have made him an official part of the Avatar family. He and I are practically brothers!" Adrien said, hugging Zuko. Zuko instantly pulled out of the blonde's grip.
"Yeah, no." Zuko huffed, "No hugs. We agreed on that ages ago." Adrien shrugged.
"Okay then, so we found Suki, so now we need a plan to escape with her. Any ideas, Plan Guy Number One?" Adrien asked. Sokka rubbed his chin, trying to come up with an idea. That's when a few more guards came their direction. Zuko immediately lowered his visor and Adrien grabbed Suki by the arm.
"Now you listen here, Earth Kingdom Peasant, it this prison, there are rules! You break them, and there will be consequences." The guards stopped, giving Adrien an odd look.
"We need to take that prisoner to be questioned, why isn't she in her cell?" Adrien straightened, waving his friends subtly away. Sokka and Zuko did as he wanted, backing away so Adrien was singled out.
"Funny, I had the same orders." Adrien said, "I was to take her to the warden."
"There must have been some confusion with the chain of command." The new guard said in a cautious tone, "Because we received the same orders from the warden himself."
"There must've been." Adrien said.
"Name and rank." The second guard ordered.
"Captain Adin. Just transferred here. Was called briefly to the Capitol to help handle that invasion force before being reassigned here."
"Bender?"
"No. Swordsman." Adrien replied firmly, "Best in my home village. It's why I was called to the Capitol, because the eclipse had no effect on my abilities to fight."
"Where's your sword then?" The first guard asked.
"I don't need a sword to win." Adrien said darkly, "It's just a tool. Besides, carry a weapon around a bunch of prisoners who would steal it? Unwise."
"Where were you stationed before this?" The second guard asked.
"Ba Sing Se." Adrien replied, "Helped tear down the wall. That coward Long Feng made everyone's job harder." The guards exchanged glances before huffing and taking Suki from Adrien.
"Story checks out." The guard said, "We'll figure out who gave you the wrong orders later. Welcome to the Boiling Rock, Captain." They lead Suki away. Zuko shook his head.
"You are scary good at that."
"Well, when you have to make up a million excuses as to why you're sneaking out to fight supervillains all the time, you'd be good at it too."
"Now, for the plan for escape…" Sokka said, "I have some ideas. Listen." The three boys collaborated quickly, comparing ideas until they settled on a plan to use a cooler to sail across the boiling waters to safety. Later, after Suki returned from her interrogation with the warden, the boys started to relay the new plan to her that's when things got complicated. While they were collaborating, the prisoner that Adrien had helped lock up earlier, the firebender Chit Sang, eavesdropped on their conversation and demanded to be cut in on their plans. They agreed to use Chit Sang to access the cooler, hoping to get him locked in on again so he could unbolt it from the building. Sokka and Zuko would be the ones to get Chit Sang out of the cooler and would carefully push it down to the boiling lake. Adrien was going to fake a fight with Chit Sang to get him to fire bend at him. Suki was going to gather their things and smuggle them out of the prison.
When this was all said and done, Suki, Zuko, Chit Sang, Adrien, and Sokka started their plan. They first had Chit Sang be returned to the cooler, who unbolted the cooler from the wall. Adrien easily hid the loose bolts away and Zuko and Sokka helped the blonde get the cooler safely down to the blindspot without detection. Suki located an escape route for Chit Sang and herself to use to reach the blindspot.
They were almost finished, when Zuko and Sokka overheard a conversation amongst guards about new prisoners possibly arriving with war prisoners. Zuko asked if Sokka wanted to stay and risk it. Sokka didn't seem to want to. Once the five and Chit Sang's friends readied themselves to board their cooler boat and leave that awful place, Zuko decided to ask Adrien his opinion.
"Adrien… there's something you need to know." Zuko said, "They are receiving more prisoners tomorrow. Sokka and your dad could be there." Adrien flinched slightly.
"Yeah, I know." Adrien said, "But he won't be one of them." Zuko cocked his head to the side.
"How do you know?" Adrien pulled out the object in the cloth he'd been messing with since they'd gotten there. He removed the cloth to reveal it was the Moth Miraculous. Adrien's expression was completely heartbroken.
"I've been searching for my father for nights, Zuko. I have no idea if Hokada is close… but my dad? He isn't. I can't feel him. I can't feel him at all. He must still be at the capitol or something since he was a Miraculous Holder and the Fire Lord wanted to know more about him. He might be somewhere else… he might be… he might be…" Adrien swallowed, "He might be gone forever." Suki and Chit Sang looked up from the cooler, a little surprised about Adrien's confession. Sokka stared at the Miraculous in Adrien's hand like it was the answer to all of their problems.
"You've had the Moth Miraculous on you this entire time and didn't say anything? We could use that!" Sokka said, "If this cooler idea fails, that's the perfect plan b!"
"I was stupid to bring it." Adrien grumbled, "It was selfish. I risked a lot by bringing a Miraculous into a Fire Nation prison. If the wrong person gets their hands on it… Sokka, I left my ring behind for a reason."
"I don't understand, what happened to your father?" Suki asked. Adrien looked down a little.
"He was an evil man who recently reformed to the side of good. His name was Gabriel Agreste, but he's most known as the famous Hawkmoth, master of change. He, like Ladybug, had the powers of a spirit and could change anyone he deemed worthy into his ally. This brooch contains his powers. He was arrested along with Sokka's father during the invasion. No one has seen or heard from them since. We came here looking for them, but my father isn't close… Sokka's… Sokka's, however might be, I haven't had the time to check. Using this Miraculous was a risk in the first place. Especially with some many guards watching."
"So there's a chance Sokka's dad could be on the next gondola?" Suki asked.
"...I'm not sure." Adrien said, "I'm terrified to check." Sokka looked downcast for a moment.
"...Me too. What if he's gone, like Adrien's dad?"
"Then let me try." Zuko grunted, "If he's close, maybe I can sense him. I understand why you both are so reluctant to risk this after what happened to you both in the invasion, but if there's a chance Hakoda is here, wouldn't you want to take that risk?"
"What if I fail again?" Sokka asked, "What if we all get caught?"
"What if the Miraculous is captured and the Fire Nation gains the powers my father once possessed and abused?" Adrien agreed, "Getting Suki to safety is what matters now." Zuko huffed a little before snatching the Miraculous out of Adrien's hand.
"Cowards." He grumbled before he pinned it on. There was a flash of purple light and Suki, Chit Sang, Chit Sang's girlfriend, and pal all gasped. Nooroo appeared in front of them. He stared at Zuko in alarm.
"You're not Master Gabriel or Master Adrien." He said.
"No, I'm not. But you do know who I am? Don't you?"
"How could I forget Méprisé, scorned and despised son of Ozai? One of the most powerful people I've encountered. You're emotions are so true. Raw and full of potential for great good or great evil. A boy whose heart longs to do only what is right for his nation and a person of great generosity. Your change was one Master Gabriel watched first hand alongside me. He and I both hoped you would discover the righteous path, and you did, making you one of the most worthy men in this world to be my holder aside from Gabriel himself."
"Hakoda of the Water Tribe? Do you know what his emotions feel like?" Zuko questioned.
"Yes." Nooroo said carefully, "He is close. But Master Zuko, I must warn you, accepting the Moth Miraculous has now tied you to me. So long as you wear this brooch, you will be able to sense the emotions of all who surround you. With this war going on, seeking out negative emotions will negatively affect you. Using my Miraculous for anything that could be considered selfish may also bring you harm in this unbalanced world. Since you are only seventeen, you will not be able to reach the same limits with these capabilities as Gabriel did. You will only be able to transform one person once everyday before you will be unable to tap into these abilities until the next day. You will only be able to transform people with a driving desire to bring forth great good or great evil. Your transformation will only last for five minutes after you detransform your champion, which means you must be certain your foes are defeated before releasing the champion from your deal. Gabriel was not restrained by all of these rules because he was 40 years old and experienced. He was over eighteen and able to help me should the burden of this power without bringing harm to himself. Adrien I hear will also be eighteen very soon and will be capable of many new feats with his Miraculous once he is ready. It is the same for you, though I doubt we will be aligned with one another long enough for you to reach that point."
"Woah, woah!" Sokka said in alarm, "So may dad is close?"
"Yes." Nooroo confirmed, "But not Gabriel. Master Gabriel alludes me at this point. Do not despair, though. Gabriel does know how to avoid my detection, he has been my Master for many years now and our bond is strong enough for this. He may very well be still alive, but for some reason he has silenced his bond with me."
"...Could he be with Hakoda?" Adrien asked.
"I am not sure, it could not help to check. I do not know what has happened to Master Gabriel." Nooroo said before turning to Zuko, "Now, Master Zuko, do you intend to keep using my Miraculous as Gabriel once did, or do you intend to return it to Ladybug until it is time for me to be reunited with Gabriel?"
"Oh, right." Zuko said, going to removed the brooch. Adrien grabbed Zuko's hand, stopping him.
"No. Keep it. I'm not sure how you'd look in purple, but Sokka's right, we can use this. The Moth Miraculous is a powerful tool that we could use to end this war. You can give it back once we find my dad, or, if we don't find him and the war is over, you can return it to me on the solstice. Hawkmoth's powers can help us and help a lot of people in the upcoming battles, if Nooroo thinks you are worthy of being his master, then you should. Besides, if it's in your hands, then I know I won't be tempted to use it selfishly like I've been doing these past few nights. I even have the purrfect superhero name for you! Lord Moth. Kinda like the Fire Lord, but with the Moth Miraculous. Like a way of proclaiming that you are the crown prince of this nation, whether Ozai will acknowledge it or not."
"But-" Zuko started to object.
"Nope." Sokka said, "It's official, all hail Lord Moth, the future ruler of the Fire Nation!" Zuko let out a sigh, dropping his hand back to his side.
"This is a really dumb idea."
"Great." Nooroo said, zooping over and landing on Zuko's shoulder, "So now what will you do?" Zuko looked over at his teammates.
"I'm staying to find Hakoda, with the Moth Miraculous, I may have luck in getting us out of here. You three go on without me, we can meet up later." Zuko ordered. Sokka crossed his arms.
"There's no way. If Nooroo is right… maybe it is worth the risk." Sokka said softly.
"And I go wherever you do, brother." Adrien added.
"And I want to help any way I can." Suki agreed.
"But I'm leaving!" Chit Sang announced, "This is getting too weird for me. Thanks for the break, but I've gotta jet before someone notices us down here." Chit Sang climbed into the cooler, shoving it off as he did so and floating away with their only plan of escape. Zuko nodded.
"Okay then, lets see about those new prisoners." He decided. They followed Zuko back up to the prison, just in time to see the gondola land. They watched as the new prisoners were unloaded. Sokka and Adrien seemed upset when the prisoners stopped coming, that was until the guard ordered one last prisoner to exit the gondola. Sokka watched with wide eyes as his father stepped off. Adrien shrank a little, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Dad." Sokka sighed in relief.
"...Father… where are you?" Adrien said in grief.
And Zuko felt Adrien's pain as well as Sokka's joy.
Sorry for not uploading as often as of recent. I've been getting really into season three of Miraculous and all of the lore and background that's been revealed so far. I'm kinda taking my Miraculous stories at a slower pace due to the fact that I want the lore for my stories to somewhat follow with the Canon Lore. I have a lot of ideas for my Avatar-Miraculous Story in the making but I've been kinda waiting to see how the season ends before I dive too deeply into some concepts. I do, however, have a few of the chapters finished and will be posting them eventually, but it may take some time depending on how season three works out.
Also, quick question. Would anyone reading this like to see a Miraculous-Avatar Crossover where the Avatar characters enter the Miraculous world? If so, I have a few ideas for that, but don't want to really commit to it if it's not something people want to read. If I did go ahead with this crossover, it would probably come after Sons of Destruction as a sequel. Like I said, I'm still wrestling with the concept and a lot of the Miraculous Lore, so it would be entirely up to the readers if I were to write this. Granted, Sons of Destruction has a little ways to go before the Winter Solstice, but I'm trying to plan for the future so I can figure out whether or not to start doing drafts for the concept. So far, all I have is a title, a possible conflict that would bring them back together, and a somewhat plausible idea for how Team Avatar ends up in the Miraculous world.
Anyways. Thank you all so much for your support and patience!