Mayura
The Blessing
"You were each given your Miraculous for a reason," Master Fu explained as he sat atop the hardwood floor of his apartment. His gray hair had grown longer with age, as had his mustache, though he forced his body to support his mind and spirit. Marinette, Adrien, and Alya listened intently, each of them barely blinking as their new master spoke. "It 'twas not only for deh purpose of protecting Paris, but because each of you had need of deh Miraculous, and deh Kwami that dwelled within, dat you were chosen."
Marinette glanced over at Tikki, and the two warmly smiled at one another. "Marinette," the elderly man addressed the newest in the line of Ladybugs.
"Yes, Master?" the dark-haired young woman answered with a slight bow of her head.
"Tell me, why do you think it was you and Tikki found one another?" Master Fu challenged his student.
"Well, when I found Tikki, I was very young," Marinette recalled that fateful day. "At the time, I had friends, but I was shy and afraid. I could never say what was on my mind, and I always looked down on myself. Tikki accepted me immediately. She's still one of the best friends I've ever had. When I was growing up, she taught me to be strong and confident. I'm, well, still working on that as Marinette, but it was critical as Ladybug. I'm learning to stand up for myself and see the good I have to offer, instead of always looking at my flaws. Thank you, Master Fu, for brining Tikki and I together. And thank you, Tikki, for being such an amazing friend." At that, Marinette and Tikki lovingly hugged one another, their smiling faces gently rubbing against one another.
"And through Ladybug's attitude and kindness, deh citizens of Paris have found a hero, who has guided dem through dark times and inspired dem with her strength," the old master explained. "But, Ladybug could not exist without Marinette's bond with Tikki. Dey complete one another. Now, Adrien, why did you and Plagg find one another?"
Adrien quickly looked at his Kwami before turning to his teacher. "Well, Master, it took me a long time to release Plagg from the Miraculous," the blond-haired young man began his answer. "But, when I did, I was afraid. At the time, I never thought I was capable of…anything, really. But, Plagg reminded me that I had good in me, and that I had something to fight for. I messed up at first, but he helped keep me from giving up. Thanks to him and Ladybug, I walked away from all the pain and anger from my past and managed to become a real hero."
"Thanks, kid," Plagg warmly declared. "…I'm not gonna hug you or anything gross like that, though." At that, Adrien chuckled.
"Yes, despite Plagg's unconventional methods and strange behavior, he has helped shape you into deh hero Paris and Ladybug could rely on," Master Fu declared with a slight smile. "Your journey will never come to an end until deh end of your days, but your friendship with Plagg has prevented you from succumbing to darkness. For dat, I am truly thankful." Adrien and Plagg warmly smiled at one another. "Alya, deh newest of my Miraculous, why do you believe Trixx was given to you?"
"Is that how it happened?" the fox Kwami jokingly spoke up.
"Hush, you," Alya replied with a chuckle. "Yes, Master. Um, I think Trixx and I found each other because, well, I was in a pretty bad place at the time. I mean, I felt like all I was good for was coming up with lies to protect Ladybug and Chat Noir's secrets. I started stress-eating again, and I was getting disgusted with myself. In the short time we've known each other, Trixx taught me to feel my emotions, instead of eating them. She's also helped me find ways to get beyond my compulsive habits."
"Dat is only deh beginning, Alya," the aged man declared. "You will find dat your heart is deeper dan problems you face on deh surface. Dere is more to you dan you know. During your time with Trixx, you will be forced to face a darkness dat has been sleeping within you, but your friendship will lead you to deh light you have prayed for."
Filled with concern and unease, Alya turned her troubled eyes toward her Kwami, who gently touched her finger to comfort her.
"Dhough your powers may seem a burden," Master Fu continued, his voice still heavy. "And dhough you have struggled, and will continue to struggle, you must never forget dat it is all a blessing. A storm is coming…one I may not be able to endure, but you and your Kwami must work together, and light Paris' darkest hour."
The three Miraculous and their Kwami each bowed their heads, each of them troubled by what their teacher had told them. However, his words also gave them hope.
"Master…" Marinette spoke up with deep concern in her voice. "If our Miraculous found us for a reason, why did Hawk Moth turn to evil?"
Releasing a heavy breath laden with sorrow and pain, the elderly man closed his weary eyes as his head rose towards the sky. "In deh presence of despair, when all seems hopeless, deh ones who stand with Angels believed Nooroo and deh butterfly Miraculous could soothe and save deh soul of a broken man…But, we learned far too late…dat we were mistaken. Instead of using his power to warm and empower deh world, Hawk Moth chose to succumb to deh darkness dat had hungered for him for so long…He chose to swallow all hope, and to try to raise himself up as a god. Deh Miraculous destroyed him, despite its intention, and despite our hopes…His tragedy haunts us all to dis day. Now, I fear, deh three of you must atone for dat mistake."
"But, shouldn't Nooroo have been able to save him?" Adrien asked as his heart continued to pound.
"Adrien, dere are those who will not allow demselves to be saved," Master Fu gravely answered. "No amount of persuasion can move deh heart if it has hardened itself. And now, I believe it is dat pain dat renders him incapable of controlling his Akuma… My heart breaks for him every day, but I cannot touch him. I do not even know who he is."
"Is he the only one who uses a Miraculous to do evil?" Alya asked, her right arm pressing into her stomach to dull its pain and nervous butterflies.
"…Dere is one more Miraculous dat has been lost," the weary man confessed. "We do not know how, but it has been broken beyond repair…Its purpose clouded and distorted, it cannot be found, nor can its true reason be realized. I fear it still lingers on, though." The three Miraculous shared a deeply troubled glance among themselves.
"…Master, how many Miraculous are there?" Marinette asked. At this, the wise, old man turned his eyes to his Ladybug.
Opening her swollen, tired eyes to find herself naked and curled into a fetal position atop her bathroom mat, Nathalie slowly clenched her stiff hands into fists to assure herself they still had feeling. Slowly, she pulled herself into a seated position and weakly rose onto her feet, though her knees threatened to fail her. Even now, she was disgusted by the reflection that stared back at her in the mirror. All too soon, the sweet dream she had dreamed came to an immediate and crushing end: Nathalie and Gabriel had held one another tightly as they danced atop the Agreste Mansion under the beautiful stars that blessed the sacred sky of night. All the lights of Paris seemed to shine around them as they gazed into their lover's eyes. There were no more Miraculous, no Akuma, and nothing to suffer from or die for. In that perfect moment, there was peace and certainty: Love was the absolute, and they were both so happy. There were no more secrets and no more misunderstandings. There was no more reason to cry, save for tears of joy. Having woken up, Nathalie found herself alone and ashamed , her naked body covered in bites and scratches. "…Why do I have to dream like that?" she sobbed weakly. "Why do I have to keep seeing how life could have been?" Looking up to the sky, the purple-haired woman allowed the last remaining tears to fall from her eyes. "Why do You let these things happen to me?" she begged, only to lower her head and leave the bathroom in shame.
After her many wounds had been dressed and mended and her eyes dried, Nathalie dressed in her normal, black suit and skirt, tied her hair back into an elegant bun, donned her spare glasses, and applied a thin layer of pink lip gloss to cover the cuts she had received the night before returning to her post. Within the first, agonizing hour, she was alone. Adrien had said the night before that Marinette would be escorting him to his Chinese instructor's studio, from which he wasn't expected to return until noon. Gabriel, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. No longer in his good graces, the woman knew she had no right to go to her employer, much less try to save him. Lowering her head in shame, Nathalie let out a heavy sigh and began dusting the living room. Despite her filthiness, despite her ugliness, she had a purpose, and a reason. Her work could save her from all she had done, and all she lacked. This was her blessing.
Keeping her eyes on the clock, her anxious, twisted stomach pained her with a feeling almost indistinguishable from excitement as she fearfully awaited Gabriel's presence. This awful feeling was an unhappy page from the miserable chapters of her childhood: She must have been about thirteen, she recalled, when she sat on the living room floor, dressed in only her t-shirt and panties after having cut the grass in the hot sun. Her body was still moist with sweat as her forehead slowly pounded. When the time came, her mother entered the house, just as the child had been dreading, greeted her daughter, and froze in the doorway. "Don't you have anything to say about last night?" she asked with an almost sinister smile on her pale face.
"…No," Nathalie answered in a sharp tone.
"…You woke your father and I up in the middle of the night…and you're not even going to apologize for it?" The woman's pleasant tone quickly faded as a rising anger, if not hatred, boiled and bubbled to the surface.
The previous night had been terrible: Self-hate and regret had kept the child awake until nearly one in the morning, and when it all became too much, she had snuck into her parent's bedroom and gently woke her father. However, the mother had awakened as well. Swearing under her breath just loud enough for Nathalie to hear, the cold-hearted woman did all she could to make her suffering daughter feel filthy and guilty.
"…I'm sorry you woke up," Nathalie finally declared, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
"You only think of yourself," the girl's mother scolded with rage and disgust in her sickening snarl of a voice. "Your father couldn't fall back asleep after you woke him up…We both had work in the morning. Don't you ever think of others instead of yourself? You're a selfish, spoiled girl. You obsess over something as stupid as something you said in class, but you don't have the character to think about your parents? If there's something you should be ashamed of, it's how you treat your father and I…"
The sound of slow and calm footsteps descending the stairs returned Nathalie to her present, though her past still lingered in her mind like a bad dream. Fixing his tie as he stepped onto the living room floor, Gabriel walked in front of his assistant without making eye contact.
"Good morning, sir," the purple-haired woman greeted her employer in the most professional voice she could form. Years ago, she was a master of concealing her emotions. Now, her old survival skill would have to serve her once more. She had no courage, nor right, to try to apologize for the night before. This was all she had.
Gabriel continued on his way without hesitation or pause, making the impact burn all the more. I hate Hawk Moth, the woman snarled in her mind. I hate the Miraculous. I hate the Akuma, the butterfly, the powers…I hate all of it! I hate them, for taking you away from me. Once Gabriel was out of sight, Nathalie bit her lip until she nearly reopened the wound, before falling silently to her knees. You were supposed to be there for me! …Not them! …Not even her… The image of Emilie Agreste, long since darkened and distorted, flashed through the woman's mind, and nearly drove her to tears. "…I loved you too, Emilie," Nathalie whispered through the aching lump in her throat. "But…you're gone now. I don't want to let you go…but you can't be there for me anymore. And I can't be there for you…I tried…I tried for so long. But Emilie, it just hurts too much now. Please understand…" The last of her composure gone, Nathalie felt hot tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "…So why can't he love me now?"
As her silence she was forced into held her like a cage, the purple-haired woman jolted at the sound of the electric doorbell at the gate. Turning to the nearest clock, Nathalie's jaw dropped when she found herself still cleaning the same wall she had begun with, come noon. Despite her shock and the surge of dulled memories from the past two hours, she collected herself, looked at the feed from a security camera on her tablet, and made her way to the door. Nathalie pressed a button on her tablet to open the gate, stood before the door, and pulled its handle back to allow her charge and his escort inside.
"Thanks, Nathalie," Adrien happily greeted his guardian as he and Marinette walked inside. "You remember my friend…"
"Marinette, right?" Nathalie declared with a restrained smile.
"Yes, ma'am," Marinette answered, unable to contain her bewilderment. "How do you remember me?"
"Well, Marinette, not many young women greet me with a 'hello' and ask if I'm Master Adrien's girlfriend," the purple-haired woman recalled, much to Marinette's embarrassment and Adrien's surprise. "You're a charming young lady, Marinette. I'm glad Master Adrien has a friend like you."
Blushing, the dark-haired young woman avoided eye contact. "Thank you," she squeaked out. Finally mustering the courage to look the beautiful woman in the eyes, Marinette suddenly froze.
"Are you alright?" Nathalie asked with genuine concern in her voice.
"…You've been crying," Marinette exclaimed with true sorrow and empathy in her words. "…Is everything okay?" Adrien turned towards his guardian with concern in his eyes.
Caught off-guard, Nathalie hesitated for a second before gently pressing her lips back together and donning a false smile. "…There's nothing to worry about, Marinette," she lied almost effortlessly. "Thank you for your concern, though. If the two of you will excuse me." Smiling, the purple-haired woman bowed slightly before departing from the room.
"How'd you know she'd been crying?" Adrien asked once Nathalie was too far to hear him.
"I'm not sure," Marinette answered. "When I looked at her, I just kind of…knew."
"…I've been worried about her," the blond young man confessed. "Nathalie's hurting, but she won't talk about it."
"Do you have any idea what's going on with her?" Marinette replied.
"I don't," Adrien answered. "She never really talks about herself. I thought it was because of what happened with those Akumatized, but I don't know."
"I wish there was something I could do," the dark-haired young woman exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Adrien."
"No, Marinette, it's…I think this is something I've gotta do," Adrien answered, his voice gentle. "Nathalie's like family to me. No, she is family. I'll talk to her tonight. Thank you for walking me home."
"Don't mention it," Marinette replied with a smile. Leaning forward, the young woman kissed her friend on his right cheek. "Good luck."
"Thanks," the blond young man warmly returned his friend's gesture. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will," Marinette answered with a nod before turning around and departing from the Agreste mansion. Turning her head back slightly, the raven-haired girl called out, "She's lucky to have you, Adrien. You're a blessing."