Thanks for waiting! I meant to have this up in November, but got distracted by a certain ice-skating anime…

Thanks to yellow 14 and Momijifan Low-Ki for your reviews and faves/follows, as well as Casual Voodoo, Mary Phantom, stopthattimerave, and 165072 for your faves and follows!

Without further ado, here's the epilogue!

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Paon and Renarde AU
"Volpina" Rewrite

Epilogue

"So this book really holds the secrets of the miraculouses?" Sabrina flipped through the pages, frowning. She had tried to read it last night, but trouble making out anything had convinced her that she'd been too tired to do so. Now fully awake, she realized the text was in some weird ancient tongue.

"Yup!" Trixx peeked out of Sabrina's bag, a strawberry in hand. "It's a really sacred text, so it'd be bad if it fell into the wrong hands." She bit the strawberry. "Which is why we're returning it to the boss."

Sabrina crossed the intersection. "Who is your boss?"

"The great guardian." At Sabrina's pout, Trixx added, "You'll meet him right about…now."

The building before them was a small massage shop-not exactly the most impressive hideout. But if this 'great guardian' really was important, it was probably best that he lived in such an inconspicuous place. Finding no one at the desk up front, Sabrina walked down the back hall and knocked on the nearest door, heart pounding. She hoped she made a good first impression.

"H-hello?"

"Ah, yes. Come in."

The room Sabrina entered was simply furnished, a large mat covering most of the floor and a big chest standing on one side. An elderly man in a Hawaiian shirt and khakis sat in the back-not exactly what she'd been expecting the great guardian to look like. At least, not until he looked up at her with a knowing smile.

"Master!" Trixx zoomed towards the man.

He chuckled. "Good to see you, too, Trixx." He nodded at Sabrina. "And Sabrina-I did not expect us to meet so soon."

Sabrina almost jumped out the back door. She got that Trixx's appearance immediately broke the glamour, but that didn't explain how the heck this man knew her name!

"I know both your and Paon's true identities," he explained, "I was the one to grant you the miraculouses, after all."

Sabrina frowned. The Guardian seemed familiar, but where had she seen him before? "Wait…aren't you that man I helped carry groceries for a few weeks ago?"

"I am. Your willingness to help me was the final factor in my decision to give Trixx to you." He scratched Trixx's head. She leaned into his touch, grinning.

His final factor? That meant he must've been watching her for some time, and Sabrina felt a little uncomfortable about that. She was even more uncomfortable about his choice, though. "But why me?" She looked at her shoes. "I'm…I'm nobody special. There's plenty of other people that could do a better job." And who wouldn't have waited so long to make an appearance.

But the Guardian shook his head. "There were multiple factors involved in your selection. You are quiet and unassuming, but also clever, stealthy, and capable of thinking on your feet-all good qualities for a fox holder. Even if you haven't always displayed them in the best way."

Sabrina felt her face heat up. If he knew about the things she'd done, then that was even less reason for her to have been chosen. She was about to say so when he added, "Your performance yesterday has only validated my choice. Your decision to disguise yourself as your friend is the only reason why Paon still has his miraculous and your friend her life."

Had…had her actions really been so vital?

"And the two of you work quite well together. But I don't believe Trixx brought you here for an assessment. So what does bring you here?" The Guardian gestured for her to sit.

"O-oh, right." Complying, Sabrina gave the book to him. "I got this from a classmate yesterday. Trixx says it's very important?"

Eyes wide, the Guardian skimmed through the book. "It is. Who did you retrieve this from?"

"Lila Rossi, the girl who got possessed yesterday. She stole it from my other classmate, Adrien Agreste." Sabrina didn't miss the surprise the Guardian quickly buried. "Do you know him?" Was he scouting Adrien, too?

But he was too caught up in his thoughts, absently running his fingers against the edges of the pages. After a few minutes, the Guardian said, "It would be best if you returned this back to Adrien, for the time being."

"What?" Trixx snapped, "Master, this book-"

The Guardian held up his hand, unfazed by Trixx's anger. How was he immune to her wrath? And was he willing to give Sabrina tips? "Will be safest in Adrien's home. I'm sure the Agrestes have resources to prevent theft. Besides, why would 'Queen Bee' suspect the son of such public figures to have this book?"

Sabrina's eyes narrowed. There was more to this than the Guardian was letting on; there had to be. You didn't hide important artifacts in 'random' households. "Why did Adrien have a book on miraculous holders, though?"

The Guardian smiled. "That's a good question."

"One you have the answer to, right?"

"One that may not be relevant enough to answer." Sabrina's frown deepened. "Now, now, you have just started using your miraculous. It would be unwise to overwhelm you with information, especially information you may never need." The Master gave the book back. "I can trust you to return this to Adrien, yes?"

Sabrina sighed. He wouldn't budge on this matter, would he? "Yes," she replied, rising.

"Good. Thank you for helping keep the streets of Paris safe, Renarde."

She flushed. "Y-you're welcome."

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Once he was sure that Sabrina and Trixx were gone, Wayzz emerged from his record player. "Master, why didn't you tell her about Adrien Agreste's potential? She may have been able to recruit him to our cause."

Master Fu shook his head. "I think two holders are enough for one rogue user." He wanted to avoid pulling any more children into this mess, if he could. Especially if that child was an Agreste.

"But what if the Moth has also been compromised? It would be best to be prepared, right?"

Fu sighed, rubbing Wayzz's head gently. "Hopefully, we will recover him before that happens."

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And this concludes the rewrite of "Volpina" for Paon and Renarde AU! Thanks to everyone who left reviews, favorites, and follows! Stay tuned for more P&R one-shots and fics in the future!

twilightwrites

2/26/2017