The Lazy Caretaker
So as some of you can probably tell this is a Miraculous x Moonknight crossover….sort of. I took the concept of 4 personalities and put them to a kwami rather then the host(Adrien). And not as blood-thirsty and insane….sometimes. There's gonna be a lot of exploring outside of Paris along with exploring more of the heroes of the ZAG Heroez universe and maybe a small mix of Marvel, but I haven't decided. There'll be mentions of other Miraculous holders too, sometimes chapter as Adrien explores.
There's sorta a overall plan here, I just don't have the finer details, honestly this could just be a one-shot, I don't know.
Also feel free to leave any recommendations if you have any. Honestly I felt as if I could have flushed out certain parts of this chapter more but by then it probably would have reached 10,000 words by then, and that seems a little excessive for a first chapter.
Things I know I could have built up more
-Ladybugs anger towards Cat Noir
-The Akuma if feel like I could have flushed him out more, but my creativity for Akumas is bad
-Probably could have made Adrien more emotional but decided to go with a less emotional and expressive, more dead inside route, he still had emotions bottled up, they just haven't exploded yet. Also we'll probably see in the future that a free Adrien with no one to tell him what to do will pro
-Even with the length of the chapter I still feel like it was rushed so I might explain it more in flashbacks in the future.
Please feel free to hate, love, or meh the story. Im letting jesus take the wheel for now until I get a more concrete idea. As long as this thing is, it really was just a spur of the moment idea, so whatever I guess.
Also if you guys could give me ideas on an Animal for The Embracer along with power activation phrases, that'd be appreciated. The title of this story and power activation phrases are subject to change. Like I said, spur of the moment.
"I've been sick my whole life. And I've felt ashamed of that. I think that's what the mask really was. Another way to hide. But I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to be ashamed anymore. I just want to be me."-Mark Spector
Everything felt so surreal, how did it come to this, it was supposed to be my day, a day where everyone would be happy, so why wasn't I happy, the only one not happy. I hadn't been happy in a long, long time.
As I laid here, back propped against the cement railing of the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, riddled with injuries such as broken bones and lacerations. I lifted my right hand shakily rubbing around the finger that had used to wear the ring that I had returned to Plagg whom I told to escape, after a quick argument, him leaving was the best option.
I turned my head toward the center of the bridge, there was a black scorch mark almost as if a bomb had gone off. The bridge had fire all along it walkway in spread out clusters. Also large cracks could be seen steadily growing large as chunks of the bridge fell into the Seine River. The bridge was rapidly destabilizing and soon, oh so very soon it would all come crumbling down.
As I felt the part of the bridge I was on give way, I thought about everything I had done in my life, the things that had been done to me and the decisions that ultimately brought me to this point.
One Day Earlier
Adrien had been informed by Nathalie that his father had wanted to speak to him, so he promptly headed towards his office. With his 18th birthday fast approaching and entering his final year of high school things were becoming busier in his civilian life. It was no trouble though seeing as he had more free time due to Ladybug not needing Cat Noir as much. The reason being that Ladybug was the new Guardian of the Miraculous, and as such she had access to the other Miraculous which meant that she could have another ally at any time. It had made him feel utterly useless however he mostly kept this thought to himself, believing that his Lady was correct.
However things changed, ever so subtly, and yet he noticed. At first it had been the more than friendly and familiar conversations. Rena Rouge, Carapace and Viperion were some of the most frequent ones to replace him in his stead. He had tried to remain positive and tell himself that he wasn't being replaced. It would end in misery.
Walking into his father office, Adrien was hoping for some free time so that he'd be able to go hang out with his friends and that his father would remember that his birthday this time around as he had always remembered a few days after it had past, on previous years.
"Good Morning Father!" Adrien said
Before his Father had even said anything, he had handed Adrien a manila folder.
"This is your schedule for the week, you'll have many photo shoots spread throughout the week, I expect better results than the last photo shoot, the last shoot left much to be desired. I've already arranged for your absence at school for the week, Nathalie will be delivering all of your assignments to you. May I remind you that both as my son and the top model of the company there will always be certain expectations of you." My father said leaving no room for argument. As always it was just business.
Of course, he was downtrodden, but having been like this since his mom disappeared, he had learned to just accept that this was the way things were. Any other person would have probably cracked by now, the only reason he hadn't could be attributed to the fact that being Cat Noir gave him a way to let loose. It was the only way he could be himself, even if only slightly.
"Sigh…yes Father." Adrien mumbled out
Life felt empty and boring, but hopefully things would change for the better eventually.
Depression and emptiness are not something that builds up in one day, but rather something that builds up over time until the day that it reaches its bursting point.
Growing older was supposed to mean more freedom but to him it felt as if he was only loosing more of what little he had.
Marinette's Pov
Life had been going absolutely perfect for Marinette. She had her loving, caring and supportive parents as always. She had polished her skills on fashion design even more so now that earlier in the year she had even won a spot as an intern under Gabriel Agreste over the summer. This would help her immensely in the future. She had even gotten into her preferred college to study fashion design.
Even as Ladybug her life had been going phenomenal. After becoming the Guardian of the Miraculous. As the Guardian, and ultimately the one who decides who gets a Miraculous, she had given Wayzz, Trixx, and Sass to Nino, Alya and Luka permanently while also disclosing identities to be transparent. After all if they ever need help with their Miraculous then they would need to be able to contact her immediately. It was a logical decision, just as she had Master Fu, her friends who she trusted now had her help. Knowing each others identities had really helped in being able to contact each other.
Alya had bombarded her with many questions once she had learned that her best friend was Ladybug. She had done a lot more personal interviews after that day. Along with hanging out with them more on Patrols across Paris. It felt like she finally had some breathing room and like she didn't have so many problems hanging over her head. The only minor inconvenience was perhaps Cat Noir, she had never really appreciated his incessant flirting and stupid puns, she tried her best to simply ignore him, she had no intention of being mean but she had hoped he would have outgrown that type of behavior with how long they had been working together, but his puns seem to have only gotten worse.
He was an amazing partner that she trusted but just by telling her friends her identity, she unknowingly placed them in a equal if not higher position at a subconscious level. This day would be the beginning of a new chapter. An eventual buildup that was ultimately inevitable.
With Adrien's birthday coming up she had spent over a week crafting him hat, to match the scarf she had given him all those years ago, spending painstakingly long hours making sure that its perfect.
Getting up from bed, Marinette had began getting started for the day.
"Morning Tikki!" Marinette said
"Morning Marinette!" Tikki said as chipper as ever
"Are you gonna give Adrien the gift that you made for him?" she asked while munching on a cookie
"That's the plan Tikki, ohhh I hope he likes it." Marinette said
"I'm sure he'll love it, after all you put so much heart into it." Tikki said
"Your right Tikki, I might even be able to finally confess to him." Marinette said
After she finished getting ready for the day, she ran towards school once she wished her parents a good morning, excited to start her day.
Once she got to school she stepped inside the room hurriedly, actually being on time for once. As she walked towards her spot with Alya, noticing that Adrien seemed to have not ben in the room. Alya then informed her that that she learned via Nino that Adrien had been assigned some photo shoots by his Father for the week.
While she was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't meet Adrien today, she was sure she'd have a chance to meet him sometime this week. She could hold onto his gift until then.
Later that Night
There had been another Sentimonster attack that night and Adrien was finally able to make it to the fight. When he had shown up he had landed next to Ladybug she had been surprised as she was with Viperion, Carapace and Rena Rouge, trying to put a plan together. Once he had made himself known the group had a sort of awkward silence. The reason being that they couldn't talk to Ladybug as if they knew her, because Cat Noir was still in the dark about identities.
Things had been awkward now for a while but eventually they went about attacking the Sentimonster.
During the plan, Cat Noir had made a small mistake, when he had accidently used Cataclysm on a building that some families had been in, due to being hit by the Sentimonster. No one had been killed but many people had been hurt. Cat Noir had felt bad about what had happened, but he had been just a bit out of practice and he wasn't used to the new team dynamic yet.
He wasn't happy about it, Paris wasn't happy about it and Ladybug certainly wasn't happy about it.
"You stupid, ignorant cat! Can't you stop with the puns and flirting, your already as useless enough as it is. The least you could do is not distract us when were fighting. You've always been like this, always the first to get hit, trapped, fall. Can't you do anything right!" Ladybug yelled
A crowd filled with civilians and reporters that had formed had stayed silent at first before slowly ramping up in volume as one by one people started agreeing with Paris's beloved Ladybug.
"When are you gonna learn that I'm never going to love you, why do you think I replaced you." She said at the end of her rant.
Cat Noir felt absolutely heartbroken, embarrassed and even more depressed then he was earlier.
Cat Noir quickly bounded away trying to get away as quickly as possible. Unknown to everyone else a particular figure was watching Cat Noir with predatory eyes.
From there Ladybug answered a multitude of questions. The were multiple articles on the news and Ladyblog. Everyone making remarks, if weather or not Cat Noir was even needed, or qualified to be Ladybug's sidekick.
The Next Night
Adrien had mostly ignored any news coverage in the past. There had been bad coverage of him of the past, but he never paid much attention to it.
A sidekick, they said. Only him, when another Miraculous holder was discussed they were talked about like they were all equals.
"That's it, I'm done." Adrien said letting a few tears fall as he laid on his bed.
"Hey kid, its alright, things will get better" Plagg voiced in concern for his kitten. He didn't have the heart to promise that things would.
"No….it won't. My dad doesn't care about what happens to me, I always have wear a smile, be fake, I have almost no freedom what so ever, and the freedom that I do have as Cat Noir, where its my only chance to be me, is ruined." Adrien finished laying there in bed
Adrien had never been the same after his mother had mysteriously disappeared. He HAD to be the people pleaser; he couldn't let people see just how broken he was. He tried to find happiness on multiple occasions, however, not much ever went his way.
This wasn't the first time he had sat there, wondering what it would be like to get away from it all. A year ago he would have been against the idea as he didn't really have a plan and at the time he didn't want to leave Ladybug alone. Now though, this was the final straw, he began packing a suitcase, all the while Plagg was watching. Once he was done he pulled up a chair in front of Plagg and sat down.
"Plagg you know who Ladybug is, right." Adrien said
"Adrien you know we aren't allowed to reveal identities." Plagg said
"I don't want to know who she is, not anymore, but do you know who she is?" Adrien asked again
"…..yes" Plagg answered slowly
"So if anything were to ever happen to me, would you be able to get to her?" Adrien asked
"Adrien, don't you think your taking this all to quickly. It's only been a day, things will get better, please." Plagg pleaded not liking where the conversation was going.
"I've made up my mind Plagg, trying to convince me otherwise won't work. I'm asking you this in hopes that I can leave you with Ladybug who is the Guardian instead of taking you with me. Ladybug needs Cat Noir, I'm sure she has someone she can pick from her group of friends." Adrien said
"Adrien, I'm sure if you just tal-SLAM" Plagg was interrupted by Adrien slamming his hand onto the desk.
"PLAGG I'M TRYING TO DO WHATS BEST FOR ME AND YOU, I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE! Adrien yelled before taking some calming breaths before continuing
"Plagg, as much as I love you, you can't come with me, I'm sure Ladybug would come looking. And I'm sure you don't want to be apart from Ladybug's kwami. It's already gonna be difficult running away as Adrien Agreste. So here's what were gonna do. I'm going to transform, get out of the house, drop the transformation. I'll walk for a bit and once I reach a certain distance, I'll hand you the ring and hopefully you can get to Ladybug's house. And then I'll be on my way." Adrien said
Plagg looked down extremely sad seeing as there was nothing he could do to change his chosen's mind. Adrien slipped on a hoodie needing something to at least hide him from curious people.
"Plagg!Claws out!" Adrien said transforming into Cat Noir
He slowly looked around his room, memories of the past flooding in. Remembering what few fond memories he had of after his mother's disappearance. He looked at himself in the mirror then too a picture of him, along with both parents all smiling for a family photo, actually looking like a legitimately happy family. He smiled grabbing the photo along with his backpack.
As is with every decision like this, there's a voice in the back of your head telling you that you can still turn back, that you don't have to go thru with this, no one apart from Plagg will know.
Liberation is all he's ever craved. Adrien Agreste was a mask. Only by becoming Cat Noir could he be himself. Now Cat Noir had become just another mask. It felt like something eating at his mind. Mask after mask and not one meeting everyone's expectations.
With a heavy sigh, he leapt thru the window, hopeful and anxious for the future.
Jumping across roof tops he landed in a vacant alley way and de-transformed. From there he slipped on the hood of his hoodie with Plagg next to his ear in the hood. He began walking into the street heading towards the city limits of Paris.
On his way down the sidewalk a store that was selling televisions had multiple TV's on that simultaneously switched to the news. Showing Nadja Chamack and what seemed to be the Miraculous Team fighting a Sentimonster in the background. It seemed to be live, which was a perfect opportunity for me. At least now I knew I'd get to leave without anyone aware. It seemed that they were all on the complete opposite side of the city.
As I made my way outwards, I saw a explosion rise up above the roofs a few blocks away. People began running away, yelling for help. Running to see what the commotion was I ran to the site of the explosion and saw what I believe to be a Sentimonster. A creature that looked like a oversized feral bloodhound. A truck filled with gasoline seemed to have crashed in attempting to swerve and avoid the creature. The creature ignored the people for the most part, sniffing around as if it was searching for something.
How are there 2 Sentimonster's at the same time. In the confusion of many people running away people were pushing past Adrien causing him to fall to the floor. Getting up I was about to start running also before I heard the cry of a child coming from one of the vehicles. It had been overturned by the truck crashing and it seemed as if the child's father was trying to get into the vehicle with the fire getting near them, while the mother was screaming for someone to help.
I wanted to run, realistically there was no way that I could win. Even if I could find its Amok I wouldn't be able to purify it. But I couldn't just leave this family here.
"Plagg, looks like we'll be working together one last time." Adrien said running into a vacant alley
"Plagg! Claws out!" Adrien said transforming into Cat Noir.
Running out I quickly got to the overturned vehicle.
I smashed the window open and reached in to grab the kid. It was a little girl crying and scared.
"Don't worry, everything's gonna be ok." I said
Out of the corner of my eye the dog like creature was standing a way of just staring at me. I had no idea why it hadn't attacked yet but was thankful none the less to help these people first.
At least I had thought that until my sensitive ears heard a high-pitched whistle that caused be to hold my head in pain. The creature obviously heard it as well and began charging at me.
The giant K-9 lunged at me, mouth open, reacting quickly I held up my staff and the oversized dog bit into it still trying to push even harder to get closer to me. Its slobbering maw getting closer and closer. It kept trying to bite again and again pushing me back.
By now the fire was everywhere. Still having the attention of the creature, I turned my head to the side to see the family escaping, the father having been able to finally grab his kid.
Thinking that I had to get out of here now, I punched the creature in the snout, causing it to cry out and release my staff.
I had to lead this Sentimonster away but it wasn't following me when I turned around the creature was not following. Looking now there was nothing on the creature that looked like the Amok.
There was another whistle and the creature then began to charge at me, seeing this I now lead it through Paris. Realizing that I could do anything on my own beside distract it I attempted to lead it to where I believe Ladybug was. Coming up to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim the creature followed me as I ran thru.
I heard a whizzing sound with my ears and the next thing I know I feel a incredible pain in my leg, a arrow having pierced thru my leg. Falling down I let out a loud cry clutching my leg. The giant creature was still charging. It let out a roar as it charged and right before it bit him another loud whistle rang thru and the beast stopped, its teeth inches away from him.
A figure seemed to pop out of hiding. A man wearing different pelts of animals armed with a bow and spear with a dog whistle hanging from his neck.
"Cat Noir! I am the Huntsman, I have come for your Miraculous. I must say you have disappointed me, I thought you would have presented more of a challenge." The Huntsman said
"I've been watching you, studying you, tracking you. While I couldn't get an exact scent in your civilian form my partner could always tell if you were close or not. Hawkmoth has entrusted me with this power in order fetch your Miraculous while he keeps your team distracted." Huntsman said
"Why…me?" Cat Noir said holding back the pain
"Come now Cat Noir, why ask a question you already know the answer too. You were the weakest link, separated from the pack. You'll be my greatest achievement, and once I bring your Miraculous to Hawkmoth, I'll hunt even bigger game. I'll be known as the greatest hunter ever." Huntsman said
Taking my staff I immediately tried calling anyone, the Huntsman just stood there watching, amused.
"Ladybug, Carapace, Rena Rouge, Viperion is anyone there." Cat Noir said
"Cat Noir?" Ladybug's voice coming from my staff.
"Ladybug, thank goodness, I could re…" Cat Noir began before being cut off
"Where have you been you mangy cat, Hawkmoth attacked and your god knows where being just as useless as you've always been.." Ladybugs voice faded into the background time slowed down
Again, this mental and verbal abuse, from both sides of his life. He sat there thinking to himself, bleeding and in pain. Anger building and rising.
"WILL YOU SHUT UP FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND, THERE'S AKC" Cat Noir was yelling before he was stabbed in the right shoulder by the Huntsman with a hunting knife.
After that The Huntsman kicked him while viciously ripping out the knife.
Cat Noir now had a damaged right shoulder and an arrow through his left leg.
He didn't know why but for some reason the pain felt dull, he initially thought that it should have hurt more.
Now alone with an Akuma along with his hound, he saw no chance for escaping. He raised his staff shakily standing on his legs. The Huntsman ran at Cat Noir, who successfully blocked the first strike but didn't have the strength to block the next. Taking another stab in the ribs, he fell to the ground and got up again shakily standing up again.
This process repeated itself multiple times, Cat Noir now being littered with lacerations on over.
"This is the end for you Cat Noir! The Huntsman said while standing over him.
He twirled the knife before stabbing it into his stomach using both hands. Cat Noir seized up grabbing the Huntsman around the neck trying to apply some pressure and succeeding in applying enough strength to throw him off.
The Huntsman landed on his back, before picking himself up and dusting himself off. Still confident he would win. He reached for the whistle around his neck, however when he reached for it the was nothing to be found. Looking at Cat Noir who was on the ground too weak to stand. He turned himself over to show that he had the whistle in hand.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Huntsman said
This whistle being small and thin broke quite easily in half. An Akuma flew out. The Huntsman and the dog returning to normal. The man started running towards the Akuma, eager on reclaiming his power. With Ladybug not here Cat Noir had no other option.
"Cataclysm." He weakly croaked out. Black particles coating his hand he grabbed the Akuma.
An Akuma in it's most simple description is a bundle of power that Hawkmoth uses to posses his victims. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, rather it can only be transformed or transferred. Ladybug changes that energy from negative to positive, a simple and safe process. Cat Noir, an Aspect of Destruction, was chaotic and powerful. Both can change energy from one form to the other. The way Cat Noir changes things just happen to be a lot more violent.
The moment he grabbed the Akuma, he felt a pressure quickly building, trying to force his hand open. A ear piercing ring emanating from enclosed fist, with small arcs of energy arcing out from between his fingers and disappearing when he closed his hand tighter, only to come out somewhere else. A massive gust of air from the pressure of the building energy was pushing all debris along with the man and his dog away.
His hand felt as if it was burning and the pressure only getting harder to hold. Looking off on the side of the bridge he could see civilians all watching from a safe distance. Not knowing what else to do, and the power felt as if it was only building, he let go.
An explosion rang out in the area. Smoke obscuring everyone's vision of Cat Noir.
Blown up against one of the stone railings. Cuts littered his body and his transformation dropping with Plagg laid tired on his lap. With smoke clouding everyone's vison.
Producing a slice of camembert, he fed it to Plagg who gulped it down quickly.
"Ok kid, hurry up and transform again so we can get out of here" Plagg said in urgency but obviously still slightly tired. Rubbing himself against Adrien's face who was looking as if he was about to pass out.
Little piles of fire and cracks littered the bridge along with dust and smoke clouding the bridge from everyone's view.
Without saying anything Adrien grabbed his Miraculous Ring and slowly and shakily handed it to Plagg. Plagg just looked at the ring in Adrien's hand before trying to get Adrien to put it on again.
"Plagg you been a great friend, you know that right?" Adrien said
"Come on kid, don't quit on me now. We can still get out of here, Ladybug should be able to fix you right up." Plagg said
"Plagg, I think we both know I'm not going to make it out of here. So I need you to go, find Ladybug, forget about me. You'll find another person to be Cat Noir, I'm sure of it." Adrien said
"I'm not gonna leave you here kid.." Plagg was saying before the bridge rumbled
"Listen Plagg why don't you just go get Ladybug, it'll be faster if you go, besides its not like I can move from here…cough..cough" Adrien said while coughing up blood
"I'll still be here when you get back, I promise. Take the ring with you though, I'm too weak to stop anyone from taking it, it'll be safer once Ladybug gets it." Adrien said
Adrien held the ring out to Plagg once more.
Plagg looked at the ring and Adrien one last time before scooping up the ring and flying off as fast as he could towards the direction that he could sense Tikki in, desperate to get there quickly.
As soon as he was gone Adrien breathed a sigh of relief, now at least Plagg would be safe. More cracking was heard as the bridge fell apart more and more, large chunks and support pillars falling into the Seine. The smoke and dust was just beginning to settle and now there were slightly more civilians all recording video from their phones. There were gasps of surprise before larger chunks of the bridge fell off into the Seine.
Try as he might, his body refused to move even an inch further. He finally felt the piece of bridge he was on starting to give way. He supposed that he should have felt some burning anger, the need for vengeance, he was angry sure. BUT he wished, oh how he wished to be given a chance to be free, to be himself, to never again listen to anyone.
"I guess everyone finally got what they wanted." Adrien thought to himself.
Time felt as if it had slowed down as he fell into the Seine where he would no doubt drown, closing his eyes in his final moments he waited, and waited, but surprisingly it never came. Opening his eyes he noticed that he was not falling, neither were the chunks of bridge falling next to him mid-air, the people and the very smoke in the air seemed to have paused as well. He could still move his head. Looking around he noticed above him stood a man with white hair and red eyes, dressed in a white suit standing there looking down at him, while also glancing at a watch on his wrist.
"It's nice to finally meet to Adrien, I was beginning to think we might never have this chance, however perhaps this conversation would be better if you were closer. The man made a come here motion with two fingers and Adrien felt a pull and he was pull from his spot frozen in time. His body was now transparent with no injuries. Turning back to look he still saw his body wounded, still there, even though he was just a few feet away. He had no idea what was going on or who this man was, his mind racked with question. His transparent figure floated until he was in front of the man.
"First of all let me be the first to welcome you to the Abstract Plane, a place where Abstract entities can watch but never interact with the physical. My name is Khonshu, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The being named Khonshu held out his palm to shake hands.
Adrien did nothing and only stared in shock, unable to even speak.
When the now named Khonshu received no verbal or physical response, he talked to himself again.
"Hmmmm, I thought you might talk to this form easier, perhaps something your more familiar with then." He said before snapping his fingers and a bright white light enveloped him and Adrien shielded his eyes. When he opened his eyes again there was a much smaller form floating in front of him. A small white kwami with dark blue feather and avian like features with small sparkles on the feathers that resembled the night sky.
"You're a Kwami?" Adrien asked, unsure himself.
"That's a name we go by, yes. The term god, demon, or even a interdimensional entity on an entirely different plane of existence, their all interchangeable really." Khonshu said flying up to his face.
"Now onto why I'm here, as you are no doubt aware, you are about to meet your untimely demise, of which there is no escape." Khonshu said floating away into the city and Adrien's floating body closely following. They came up to a black spec, Plagg holding the Black Cat Miraculous. Even with time paused Adrien could see the worry in his partners eyes, trying in vain to find Ladybug in time.
"Plagg does not make it in time." Khonshu said before flying away quickly towards a new destination. This time coming up to Ladybug and her team, who were pause, all smiling while answering reporters' questions.
"And your teammates don't even know what's going on, unaware that at this very moment you are just a breath away from death. I have a proposition for you Adrien, but first I am willing to answer any questions you might first have, I'm sure your very confused." Khonshu said
"Well,…how do you know me, first of all." Adrien said
"I've watched you since the day you were born Adrien. You're an extremely rare existence, even more so than Ladybug." Khonshu said
"How are you doing…..well, all of this." Adrien said gesturing to everyone paused
"We're in the Abstract Plane Adrien, the birth place of all kwami, I can do whatever I want, so long as it does not directly affect the Physical world, this much is nothing." Khonshu said
"You said were in the Abstract Plane, what exactly is it?" Adrien said
"Oh right, you weren't exactly considered worthy of such knowledge by that former guardian and Ladybug to be informed of this." Khonshu said
"You see Adrien, there are creatures like Kwami's that are born in the Abstract Plane. What the Guardian, Ladybug and her kwami might tell you, is that Kwami's are formed when a new abstract idea or emotion comes into existence. That is true, to an extent, but that's basically the simple explanation. The Abstract Plane is simply a plane of existence where we form." Khonshu said
"So if you're a Kwami, where your Miraculous or your holder?" Adrien asked
Khonshu's face turned blank before turning to an angry scowl. Flashing into a more human form he floated in front of Adrien.
"Listen here Adrien, I want to make one thing clear, I am not like the rest of those slaves. I am Earth's last free Kwami, not some dog you can order around." He said angrily before collecting himself.
"That's enough question for now, onto the more important matter at hand. Your about to die, if you'd like to live, become my avatar. The decision is yours." He said holding out his hand.
"Why me?" Adrien asked
"Various reasons Adrien, however, I won't tell you quite yet, there are incentives to be sure but I shouldn't have to entice you. This is a simple matter; do you choose life or death. You simply need the will to live, take my hand and I will never abandon you." Khonshu said
It all sounded too good to be true, but at this point what other choice did he have, he was tired of his father, Ladybug and all the people of Paris telling him he wasn't good enough and how he should be. If what this Kwami was telling him is true then he may never regret it. SO he took his hand, not knowing what the future had in store.
"You've made the right decision Adrien, rest assured, all will be revealed, and don't worry. I will put you back together." Khonshu said
Suddenly Adrien felt a pull and his Aspect form flew back to his Physical body. Time still paused his body was filled with fear again. What was going on, he thought, right before time resumed. He felt wet, heavy, tired, a piece on the bridge pinning his leg to the bottom of the Seine.
There was no noise other than his struggling grunts for breath. His vision grew darker and darker until everything went dark.
A Few Building Away
A white portal opened up Adrien fell out onto the roof of a building
"So how did it feel to be dead for about 5 minutes, it was more than enough time to disconnect you from all time and space." Khonshu said in his Kwami form flying around Adrien checking out his condition.
"It's nice to know I haven't gotten rusty in reconstituting new bodies." Khonshu said speaking to himself
Adrien looked over his body as well, all the injuries he had earlier were gone.
"Well first we should get you hidden, after all your body is still somewhere pinned at the bottom of the Seine, the first phase should do nicely, say Khonshu First Phase Rise" Khonshu said
I was still out of it, looking around he saw the bridge he died at and people and a ambulance along with the fire department surveying the area. Everyone was crowding around looking over the edge into the water.
Khonshu flew in front of his face once more.
"Listen kid, I get it , your in shock, you just died, but I need you to transform for my sake and yours." Khonshu said
"Khonshu New Moon Rise!" Adrien said
The full moon glowed brighter behind Adrien before the moon reverted to the New Moon Phase.
A white light flowed over Adrien's body, a black suit covered his body including his face with some parts also being covered in white armor. A cloak formed around the suit and Adrien put his hands near his head as if to pull up a white cowl and one manifested right as he did so.
"Great, nice, reallllllll nice now no one can see you." Khonshu said startling me.
"You're not in my suit." Adrien said surprised
"Of course not, why would I, now onto orientation. We'll start with a proper introduction now. I am Khonshu the Kwami of Regulation, Perception, Transition, Navigation, Interception, Retaliation, Recondition, Connection and hopefully before the end of this week another new title. Regulation is however my original Title." Khonshu said
"Now, you've been chosen for an extremely prestigious position that only seven people have held prior to you. You are the Moon Knight, my Avatar for protecting my People. A rather simple job that's so easy you can really just do as you please. I do have one caveat though, you must never under any circumstances interact with any of the Miraculous holders, unless of course were capturing one or it is deemed as an absolute necessity for saving my people" Khonshu said
Adrien was silent, still looking at himself, then to the bridge where he died moments ago. Anger, hurt, resentment, grief, regret, and most of all confusion. Khonshu who acted happy finally somewhat settled down.
"Listen Adrien, I chose you for multiple reasons, your pure-hearted, so much so that you come off as a little naïve. Your repressed, hiding yourself behind a mask constantly trying to please everyone. I was like you once, being the Kwami of Regulation there were rules I was expected to uphold and follow myself. Once all the others left the Abstract Plane, I was alone, and for the first time in my existence I could be me. I'm giving you that chance to finally be the you, you've always wanted to be. All of my previous host were the same in one way or another, but being Moon Knight is more than just job, it's a journey, you gotta keep moving forward and never look back. Live this new life without regrets, unbound by the rules of the universe, go out there and do right by you. Your second chance, your journey, begins now!" Khonshu said
Adrien looked hopeful, still slightly confused, this life was over and a new one had began? Who ever got chances like this?
"So what now?" Adrien asked
"Well first we should get out of Paris, your in the first phase Watcher form and can't be seen by regular people, but anyone currently using a Miraculous will be able to see you and certain children." Khonshu said
Testing this new suit I jumped up a bit only to find that I fall down significantly slower, as if gravity was almost losing its hold on me. It felt different from being Cat Noir. When I was Cat Noir I felt powerful every time I would jump in order to jump across the rooftops. With Khonshu I still fell power, just different.
Collecting myself I broke into a small run, ready to jump over to the next roof. I leapt towards the roof, but something felt wrong, instead of landing on the roof, I had this feeling of weightlessness and floated over the building and onto the next one, landing softly.
"Yeah, you don't really jump high, you just kinda float slash glide. But while you figure that out, I'll just explain to you my origins, you young people like that right?" Khonshu said floating by my face.
"I can't say I'm not curious, your not exactly like any Kwami I've seen before." Adrien said, speaking with a hush.
"Well it all started at the beginning of existence, the big bang. Now from the records recorded by the Guardians of the Miraculous, Tikki is the first Kwami to come into existence and that's true for the most part. Now at the time, all Kwami's existed in the Abstract Plane and we were unable to interact with the physical world." Khonshu said
"Or at least that's how it was until the "Great Mage" made the Miraculous. With these Miraculous the Mage was able to anchor Kwamis in the physical world, which also endowed their wearers with the power to transform into animal themed superheroes based on the Kwami. Tikki was the first one to be tethered with a Miraculous. She made that decision without any regard for what might come. They treated her extremely well, treated her like some sorta god, made her feel like she was making a difference in a world that we previously had no say in." Khonshu said with a condescending voice.
"After pampering her for just about a month, they asked her if Plagg wanted to join her. He was a bit apprehensive, but Plagg's a sucker for Tikki, so a few words were enough to convince him. After that, Kwami after Kwami joined the Mage until every Kwami on earth, besides me of course, was tethered to a Miraculous."
"Why didn't you?" Adrien asked mid jump floating to another roof.
"Because it was weird, they were to nice, they were working to quickly, making Miraculous after Miraculous, in fact the Mage even had a special interest in me specifically, probably because I was the only one to actually tell him no. He asked multiple times, and he kept coming back with Tikki and Plagg trying to get me to agree. I still don't understand why he kept asking?" Khoshu continued
"What could you do, that he wanted with you being the Kwami of Regulation at the time?" Adrien asked
"Ahh nothing much, I just regulated the laws on earth, you know Laws of Physics, rules on what Kwami's can and can't do with their power. I'm the reason Ladybugs can't create whatever they want, and Cat Noir's can't destroy whatever they want. I'm also the one that made the rule that if Plagg and Tikki are used together for a wish then there's a price of equal value taken. Let me give you an example." Khonshu said
"Say you were Cat Noir and you used Cataclysm, what do you think would happen if you touch the Seine or the open ocean?" Khonshu asked
"I don't know, I've never done that" Adrien answered
"Well back when the Miraculous were just created I didn't have a Law in place for such an event and one Cat Noir touched what is now known as the Dead Sea. See Adrien, what I can do is dictate how their powers are used, I cannot completely cut off their power, as that would be an abuse of power on my part. I can only make a Law if it is deemed beneficial for the world not just myself. The Mage probably wanted to make me remove the limitations set on Kwami's, which is a big no no" Khonshu said
"So your like some kind of Kwami Lawmaker." Adrien said now getting the hang of jumping, being able to jump over 4 buildings at a time.
"I used to be like that, now with all Kwami's in a Miraculous, I spend my days relaxing and exploring. And the rest of the Kwami get what they've always wanted "Freedom"". Khonshu said with air quotes
"Anyways, continuing where I left off, he kept asking, and asking, every day. At some point I guess he had enough and the guy tried to forcibly put me in a Miraculous against my will. When he put the other Kwami in a Miraculous I could have done something except I didn't because he asked and they agreed. Since he tried to capture me against my will, I fought back and that resistance broke the process and caused a magical feedback explosion that killed him." Khonshu said
"Needless to say I haven't exactly been on friendly terms with the Guardians since then. I can only imagine how annoying it would be if they found out that I found a way out of the Abstract Plane. Added to the fact that Kwami's from all four corners of the world would try to find us, believing that I can free them. I swear it's like a kwami civil war out there, half of them hate humans for quote on quote, imprisoning them, when they totally agreed to being put in a miraculous, then there are Kwami's that fight together to help humans, only because they haven't been abused yet. Damn I'm glad I'm smart." Khonshu said
In the distant night they talked, all the while, still traveling under the light of the moon
Reaching the harbor filled with large shipping vessels that are used for commercial trade, Adrien stopped.
"So we have to cross the ocean, NOT A PROBLEM! We can use this as an opportunity to practice your new powers. Your currently in the Watcher aspect that uses the power of Regulation and Perception. You'll find that attached to your hip is a book, open it." Khonshu said
Adrien grabbed within the cloak and sure enough he felt a book there. Grabbing said book he opened it.
"Turn to the Common Law Section, there you'll fine the fundamental laws that makes things work the way they do on earth. From anything to gravity, to even how water flows, these laws are yours to regulate." Khonshu said
Adrien touched the page and text flew out of the book. It had a bar with a dot in the center of the bar that read 50/50.
"Law of Cohesion, change that law to the highest setting and you'll be able to walk on water, change it to the lowest setting and you'll drop to the bottom of the ocean faster than a rock.
Holding out his finger Adrien slid the bar all the way to the end, once he was done the book shut itself and Adrien had a slight white glow around him, tentatively he took a step and his foot did not sink. Step after step, Adrien for the first time in his life felt free, looking back there was no one there to stop him, he could finally live on his own. Free of judgment, free of restriction, free of obligations, his walk quickly turned into a sprint. Disappearing into the fog, starting anew, a life he would not regret.
One Year Later
Sitting on the edge the Empire State Building, legs dangling, sat a figure wearing headphones while eating a submarine sandwich and looking out down below. The sun rising and the inhabitants bustling in the streets. With the attire he wore, people would mistake him for a hero if they could see him.
Finishing up his meal, he stood up, slapping his hands together to get rid of the crumbs and let out a burp. Looking into the distance he could make out a hospital. Standing up, he pulled out a book and made a few swipes and poking gestures before slamming it shut, a white glow now surrounding him.
While keeping perfectly straight he leaned over the edge of the building at a perfect 45% angle, gravity seeming to have lost its hold on him. Before he could fall any lower, he uttered a request.
"Khonshu, Waxing Crescent, if you'd be so kind." He said, in a flash of white the cloak had changed a mini cloak to cover only his upper body and became a lot more streamlined, and form fitting along with less armor. The cowl changed to that of a white wolf's pelt that covered the top part of his face leaving the bottom portion of his face exposed.
With just the slightest of kicks he launched off the tall building sailing towards another tall building, and despite his speed and momentum the glass building had not even made a sound or thump. He ran along the side of the building keeping one hand on the building before kicking off and sailing in an arc to the next one. Repeating the process until he reached his destination.
It's hard to imagine that just a year ago he had so many problems weighing on his mind. Now there was hardly a bad thought on his mind. He did as he pleased when he did, wandering just a small fraction of this world in a year, he saw things he could not imagine. From Ghosts, Fairies, Nature Spirits, Demons and just about any other magical or dimensional crossing creature.
About a week ago he met some of the children in this hospital, he had promised them that in a weeks time they'd be cured of their uncurable diseases or injuries. He switched form again. Rolling back the sleeve on his right arm, multiple white crescent moons littered his arm. He went from room to room, and with each child he healed there was a black crescent that replaced the white one on his arm.
"And that's another group of children saved from the clutches of disease, where to next Khonshu?" Adrien said switching back to his more mobile suit, while pulling out a compass that came with the transformation.
"Well we got a few options, there a killer clown in Derry, Maine, more than likely a creature from the Macroverse. Then there's the reemergence of an ancient artifact, dubbed the Darkhold in East Los Angeles, California, real nasty thing. And then we got the possibility of a Miracle wish being granted in Paris, France, looks like your dad may finally get his hands on both Tikki and Plagg." Khonshu said reading from a book floating in front of him.
"Ok we'll kill the Clown first, then we'll stop at Paris, just to check and see what's going down, then we'll head over to Cali for the Darkhold." Adrien said
"Khonshu, Full Moon Rise!" Adrien said with a smirk
This new transformation was the newest one he had gained. The body of the suit completely resembled his old Cat Noir suit, except white. His face was still covered with a white domino mask and he wore a hood as well that had cat ears on them.
Khonshu- The Traveler, The Wanderer, The Decider, The Provider, The Watcher, The Pathfinder, The Defender, The Embracer, Khonshu who lives on hearts. Real Kwami given name is unknown. Khonshu uses the name given to him by his first host.
Kwami Type-Support/Defensive
Role-Khonshu and by proxy, Adrien protect the Children of Khonshu, a group of people that have association with the current or former Moonknight, be it by providing a place to stay or meals and other amenities. They also protects regular people from small time crimes but leaves criminals above a certain danger level to the other heroes as to not stick out.
Special Ability- Khonshu's title The Watcher, represents his power of Regulation, his original title, while he can bend the rules just a bit he can not fully get rid of them, he can however remove their affects from him and his host resulting in Spatial-Temporal Lock. He who watches the laws is unaffected by those that break them. Moonknight's are immune to space and time based powers, are aware when a reality warping event is taking place, and while not physically invulnerable, to much damage will result in a temporal re-correction. Other time travelers may attempt to change the past but will find that the results will always be the same. Khonshu's other aspects also build up and supplement this power even more
Adrien-The Liberator
Mental State-Due to one Aspect, Adrien is incredibly dismissive and uncaring of things around him that don't make him happy, rather opting to find the next thing that makes him happy. Its not that he doesn't care but if it doesn't involve him, or pass a certain threshold of violence then he's willing to move on. On the bright side he holds no grudges, however it can also be said that he is willing to put allies down as well depending on the situation.
The Watcher- Regulation/Perception
Era- Egyptian
Animal-Falcon
Weapons/Item- Book of Laws/?
The Pathfinder- Navigation/Transition
Era- Ancient Greece
Animal-Wolf
Weapons/Item- Compass/?
The Defender- Interception/Retaliation
Era-Medieval Period
Animal-Bear
Weapon-Shield/?
The Embracer- Recondition/Connection
Era-World War 1
Animal-?
The Liberator- Liberation
Era-Now
Animal-Cat
Synopsis for Chapter 2: Adrien returns to Paris to check up on the situation. His job is to get a family out of harms way before Hawkmoth initiates his master plan. It will ultimately be up to his discretion whether he intervenes or not.
Thoughts on who is right in the whole concept of masks and whether or not their love is real or not.
One of the founding concepts for Miraculous stories here on fanfiction is the fact that there always a part of the story where Marinette tries to get Cat Noir/Adrien to fall in love with her, in her civilian form because she wants him to fall in love with the "real" her, not Ladybug the mask. Of course there are opposites where Cat Noir/Adrien tries to woo Marinette while still loving or after giving up on Ladybug or even in some cases where they are both aware of their partners identities, unknowingly. I tend to find this trope more believable from Adrien's side, because I believe everyone wears masks, and it is thru those masks that people show who they truly are. There's no one to judge you, no one knows who you are and you generally won't suffer consequences, and even if you do you can just switch masks. Adrien can be who he wants to be as Cat Noir. Even Marinette is more confident as Ladybug, when no one knows her. That's not to say that the concept doesn't work, but I find it a lot more believable when its Cat Noir/Adrien trying to get Marinette to like Cat Noir, not the other way around. I'll give some points in the show that led me to this conclusion in the next chapter maybe, but for now I just wanna post this and go to bed.