Here it is, the first full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on time as promised. I will be aiming for a weekly release of this unless y'all want it twice a week which I can probably do sometimes as I do have the first 22 chapters of this story drafted so all they need is editing (a process that takes between 3 and 12 hours depending on chapter length and draft quality) so I am prepared for the long haul. For the most part, this story will follow canon with Adrien and Marinette as the main focus as they are the base of the crossover but there will be plenty of differences as I don't want to just copy canon. Anyway, that is all I really have for this opening note but I will now clarify my OC rules for suggested OCs.

For suggested OCs, I have 3 rules: 1- absolutely no romantic relations with canon characters, when it comes to romance I stick to canon almost exclusively though I have 3 exceptions (Tokka in Avatar the Last Airbender, Red Moon in Harry Potter and White Rose in RWBY but only in AU stories). 2 - An OC cannot become a main character, they can be a recurring character but the standard for that will be set by Mage as he's the only one of my OCs that will appear semi-regularly in this fic though other Guardians will appear on occasion. 3 - No Mary Sues. If they meet these requirements then I will consider them and work with you to make it work. If you want reference for suggested OCs in my other works, see the ones in my Pokémon series (shameless self promotion I know) for 3 examples, 2 of which are based of MHA characters and are actually what ended up leading me to the show as one was suggested before I watched it so I watched the show to understand her and well the rest is history.

Anyway, that is all for this pre chapter note, hopefully I've sorted out the one issue from the Prologue now that I've had time to address it. Please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 1st full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.

Chapter 1: Where and When Are We?

The quiet air atop one of the many skyscrapers in Tokyo was suddenly rent open as if a miniature storm had materialized above it. To those watching it was a non-factor, likely just a hero arriving there, or someone illegally using a warp Quirk and would be dealt with accordingly in that case. In a superhero society stuff like that was so common that unless there was active property destruction or threat to life it didn't register. If they had paid attention then they would have been surprised by what happened next.

From the black void that the rip created, two figures were violently thrown out of it. The first was a blond boy in a black suit with cat ears on his head and a bell at his throat. He was followed by a black-haired girl in a red suit with black spots on it. As soon as the girl was out of the void it closed as if nothing had happened or had ever been there other than two new kids it had spat out.

Adrien had no idea what was going on. One moment he and Ladybug had been facing a new Hawkmoth in his newest form following the fusion of his Miraculous to another one they couldn't identify right away, then they were sucked into a portal Hawkmoth had created. The next moment he was flying backwards and slamming into a large air conditioning unit with enough force to dent it.

A second later Ladybug slammed into him, and they fell to the roof in a pile of limbs with her on top of him thanks to a last second twist of his body. They couldn't have avoided what happened next even if they had wanted to.

Almost as soon as they were back in the timeline their Miraculouses timed out. They may have been in stasis for over 200 years, but their Miraculouses had still been active so as soon they hat hit their limit centuries ago despite neither hero using their power yet as Hawkmoth had attacked before they could do more than process his new form.

Instantly Tikki and Plagg were expelled from their Miraculouses and shot up into the air before slamming their heads together and falling to the ground. Adrien and Ladybug detransformed right there without any way to prevent it. It was not how he'd wanted the reveal to happen, but it had happened and there was nothing that they could do about it.

Adrien was now looking into the bluebell eyes of his friend and classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng as she lay on him, his cheeks now burning because she was Ladybug, and she was on top of him. Marinette for her part was even more embarrassed by the situation she was in though thankfully Adrien's hands were on her waist and not higher.

As soon as the transformation fell she saw the brilliant green eyes of the boy she loved beneath her. Adrien Agreste was Cat Noir and that meant that he liked her back because she knew that Cat Noir loved Ladybug and right now she was on top of him and his amazingly firm chest. She was redder than her costume in the moment.

"Oh, this is not good." Tikki said breaking the silence as the kwamis recovered and floated up to look at them while rubbing their heads from the collision. "Not good at all."

"A, A, Adrien." Marinette stuttered as she suddenly leapt up and fell onto her ass as she scooted away from him as her love shyness around him kicked in in full force. "Y, You're Cat Noir?"

"I am bugaboo." Adrien said as he sat up. "And you're Ladybug, aren't you Marinette?"

Marinette just nodded as she tried to process what had just happened. The last thing she recalled was that strange portal that Hawkmoth had created following his surprise fusion. Next thing she knew she watched Adrien turn back to civilian form beneath her as she herself turned back as well thus revealing themselves to one another.

This was not good at all. She knew that if they learned each other's identities then they had to renounce their Miraculouses or else they would be in danger because the Hawkmoth might use that knowledge against them. As good as it was, and it was because it meant that she actually had a chance with Adrien, so her heart was all aflutter, it was also bad. It meant that she could no longer be Ladybug.

She was so distracted by what had happened, as was Adrien, that neither were paying attention to what was going on around them or that they were clearly not on a rooftop in Paris. However, Plagg was as he had experience waking up or finding himself somewhere he had no memory of getting to, and as such he'd flown to the edge of the roof to get his bearing. That was when he realized that the situation was even worse than they'd all first thought.

"Guys this little reveal is the least of our current problems." Plagg said flying back to the two heroes and Tikki who looking concerned for her human after the reveal. "We have a much bigger problem, two in fact."

"What could be worse than this Plagg?" Tikki asked seriously. "You've seen how reveals go down, you've caused several yourself, they're seldom pretty."

"I mean I'm glad to know who m'lady is." Adrien said with a kind smile at her that made Marinette blush and look away like the bashful school girl that she was. "But I agree with Tikki, how could this be worse? As much as I wanted this I know the price of it. Master Fu drilled that into me during one of our few meetings."

"I, er, think that that's not going to be necessary." Plagg said as a strange but familiar feeling ran down his spine, it had been a while since he'd come too on a different continent though this was much different to the last time. "We aren't in Paris anymore."

"Huh?" Adrien asked standing up and heading over to offer a hand to Marinette to help her up which she took and reluctantly let go of when they were standing, they could deal with that stuff later if what Plagg was saying was true. "So where are we?"

"If I had to guess we're in Japan." Plagg said as Adrien and Marinette saw the flashing billboards around them and knew that they were clearly not in French or Chinese, so it had to be Japanese or maybe Korean but the kwami was sure that it was the former as he was sure that the writing was kanji so Japanese. "And that's not even the biggest problem we're dealing with right now."

"It's not?" Marinette asked as she looked around and her eyes went wide at what she saw on the boards. "You're right it's not. What the fuck is going on?"

Marinette usually wouldn't swear but she felt that this time it was justified. On the billboards were people but they didn't look like people. Ok most did but others didn't. Some had multiple arms or looked like animals or had strange skin colors or appendages or even a horn as one newsreader on a screen seemed to have and was speaking as if he didn't notice it.

This was not normal, and Marinette instantly took Adrien's hand to get some sense of reassurance from him and feeling him grip hers back. This didn't look like what she expected Japan to look like and she was starting to freak out. Where they even on earth anymore? They didn't know what Hawkmoth had done after all so this was now a possibility.

"Does it get worse Plagg?" Adrien asked squeezing Marinette's hand and trying to keep calm but feeling really worried as well and glad that she was there with him. "It always gets worse in my experience."

Plagg looked around and found a date on the bar with the news feed beneath the one horned newsreader. As soon as he translated it, his Japanese was rusty, but it came back to him after a moment, and made sure it was what he thought it was, he blanched. Adrien was right it was worse.

"Yeah it does, and it means that I know what Miraculous was used to fuse with Hawkmoth's and it's the one that should never be fused." Plagg said flying back to them now worried, not even he'd been on a bender that lasted this long before, the worst had been a month lost and that was a special case. "According to the date we are currently in the year 2249."

That did it. Marinette was on the brink of a full-scale panic attack as she felt the tears come to her eyes. Adrien's resolve was crumbling, and they had no idea what to do. Marinette hadn't made a Lucy Charm before they had been hit so she couldn't fix this.

Somehow they had been blasted into the future somehow which meant that the Miraculous used in the fusion was the Rabbit Miraculous. It looked like they were stuck here as the only way home Marinette could think of was with the Rabbit Miraculous, but they had no idea where it was now. Plus, if 230 years had in deed passed, well neither of them wanted to think about what that meant.

They were both about to fully freak when suddenly a wave of unnatural calm and easiness came over them as they backed up from the edge to not see that date anymore. At the same time all the sounds of the city they were in suddenly stopped. If they looked they would have noticed that all the screens near them were no longer moving. It was as if time was standing still because, well, it was.

"I'm sorry I had to cast a calming spell on you two." A male voice speaking in French said to them though his accent showed that it wasn't his first language, English was if Adrien had to guess based off the accent. "But I needed you to calm down because there is a lot to explain, and this will be hard to process if you're worked up. Tikki, Plagg, good to see you two again, it's been too long. I'm glad to see that you are ok after what just happened."

Adrien and Marinette turned to the sound instinctively taking fighting stances. The air in front of them shimmered and a man appeared on the roof before them, his arms raised in a surrender gesture to show that he was not a threat. It wouldn't have put the young heroes at ease to begin with but the waves of power emanating off the man was more than enough to let them know that if they challenged him then he would be a serious threat.

The man wore a lilac hooded cape with the hood raised, a lilac t-shirt, blue jeans and black boots. A knife with a dark wood handle was strapped to his right hip. However, the truly odd things were the heavy looking, metal gauntlets on his forearms that glinted in the light from the billboards.

"I'm impressed, your reflexes are second nature but in a real fight you would stand no chance against me, even with your Miraculouses active." The man said simply as he slowly lowered his hood to reveal short brown hair, eyes, and a 5-o'clock shadow. "Your kwamis know that."

"You know of them and our Miraculouses?" Marinette asked hesitantly but not breaking her stance. "Just who are you?"

"Tikki, Plagg, care to introduce me." The man said looking to them. "It's been a while, but I seldom change my appearance and I know that you can sense my magic."

"Mage, our apologies." The kwamis said in unison bowing in midair as they recovered from the shock of him being here, if he was here then shit had really hit the fan. "We weren't expecting the Guardian of Magic himself, the being who granted us a physical form on this earth, to suddenly appear. We only see you when things have gone really bad."

"Really, after what just happened?" The man, apparently called Mage said, a name Marinette was sure that she'd heard before but couldn't place it at the moment. "You didn't expect me to show up after you were blasted 230 years into the future and half the planet away? I would say that this is really bad and as it is all tied to the Miraculouses I have to be here. This is my fault and I have spent the last 230 years preparing for this moment."

"Er yeah about that?" Adrien asked. "What happened and how can we get back to our time?"

"Alas you can't, at least not in a way I've discovered, and I've tried to see if I can ever since you were blasted out of the timeline." Mage said with a sigh that was heavy with remorse causing Marinette and Adrien to blanch at that, but the shock was such that they weren't going to fully feel it yet. "And that is why I am here. I need to take you somewhere safe to explain it and the changes that have happened while you were away. I can't keep this time bubble active for long and there may be an investigation to what just happened so I think we need to get somewhere where you can sit down and process everything."

"That would probably be for the best because I don't see how the Rabbit Miraculous can't solve this." Marinette said hesitantly as she tried to keep everything under control. "But we don't know or trust you."

"Fair enough, I haven't earned that from you yet, but your kwamis do." Mage said. "And I know that you trust them."

"Yeah Marinette, if there's anyone you can trust right now to keep us safe it's Mage." Tikki said surprising Marinette. "We've known him for millennia. I am sure that he won't let any harm befall you or Adrien."

"No, I swear on the River Styx that I mean you no harm but am here to aid you as much as I can." Mage said seriously as a clap of thunder was heard despite there being no clouds in the sky. "Within my power that is, and my power is extensive."

"Marinette, that was a formal oath Mage just made." Tikki said her eyes wide at it. "He can't break it lightly. Please, I know him well, with that oath we are safest with him."

"We are?" Marinette asked. "How can you be sure?"

"He's the being who created the Miraculouses." Tikki said causing the teens' mouths to fall open. "He's who made it such that we could take physical form. That's how we know him."

"Wait you created them?" Adrien asked the man confused. "You don't look more than 30."

"The benefits to being an immortal Guardian is that I can look however I want age wise though my general appearance is what it was like before I ascended." Mage said with a shrug. "But yes I created them. Kwamis are simply manifestations of different human concepts. They are created by the permeable magic in this world. Eons ago I traveled to a spiritual location in ancient China, and later other such locations around the world, and meditated there during the early years of my Guardianship, and fully entered the streams of magic."

"Wait there's a lot to parse." Adrien said rubbing his brain as it began to hurt. "I don't understand any of this."

"Yes there is a lot to parse and I'm straining myself with this time bubble." Mage said as he grimaced as if he was over exerting himself. "I have been granted the power to create this temporarily as time is something few have control over and for good reason. Doing this takes a lot out of me so can we please head somewhere where I can explain everything normally."

"Tikki, you are sure that we can trust him?" Marinette asked her kwami trusting Tikki's judgement. "If you say so then we'll go."

"Yes." Tikki said instantly. "I trust him and if we want answers this is the best way to get them."

"I can also confirm it." Plagg said seriously. "And it is for the best, Mage's powers aren't in the field of time, the laws of the universe are very picky about things that mess with time, so if it's the Master Guardian granting him the power then I know that it won't be permanent."

"Alright we'll go." Marinette said and Adrien nodded trusting his kwami as well. "But we need answers to everything going on and why we can't go back with the Rabbit Miraculous."

"You'll get that and more." Mage said as he breathed out a sigh of relief and suddenly they could hear the traffic again. "Now this may be a little disconcerting."

Before either could react they vanished from the rooftop. Less than a second later they were standing in a large living room set up in a classic French design. A fire burned merrily in a hearth near them, a sofa was behind them and there were several bookcases filled with books in multiple languages the room. A door leading into wherever they were was set into on wall while large windows showed a view of an ornate garden that was lit by a fountain outside.

As soon as they were there they fell back onto the sofa sitting a little closer than usual, but they needed that right now. Mage was now sitting on a sofa across from them and a small table was between them. He waved his hand and a pot of tea, a tray of French pastries and fine cheeses, and 3 cups appeared on it out of thin air.

Another wave and the tea poured itself and the cups floated to a stunned Adrien and Marinette while Plagg dove into the cheese finishing it in seconds before it replenished itself so he could go for round two and a second later round 3. Tikki just rolled her eyes and ate a macaroon, which wasn't as good as Marinette's, but she was starving, as more pastry filled plates appeared and floated over to hover before the teens.

They were so hungry that they began to eat as fast as they could do so politely. They were delicious though Marinette knew she could make better with pastries. The tea on the other hand was the best she'd ever had and at the perfect temperature to drink comfortably.

"Alright I guess I should start from the beginning." Mage said as they tucked in, a cup of tea in his hand. "And your kwamis can confirm everything I speak is the truth, at least for their origins."

"We can." Tikki said while Plagg just continued to eat. "Plagg."

"Sorry I forgot how amazing your abilities can be Mage, this is some of the best cheese I've ever had, and I haven't eaten in over 200 years, so I'm allowed to enjoy it." Plagg said with a grin. "Now all I need is some wine to wash it down."

"Alas I can't do that." Mage said shaking his head. "Food doesn't have a Guardian, but alcohol does and well I can't dip into her element without permission. Magic is one of the strongest and strangest elements in the Order, but I have my own limitations and the creation of something with a Guardian is one of them."

"True well I will just enjoy this instead." Plagg said with a smile as a kwami sized cup of tea appeared before him that he drank. "It's still good."

"Just ignore him." Tikki said with a sigh. "Mage, I think the very beginning, as in the creation of the world beginning, is the best place to start. I presume that they will be meeting the Master Guardian soon enough so they should know the full story."

"Yes they will, he will be here in a week's time once you all have had time to process this and think on the offer I have for them." Mage said before looking at Adrien and Marinette who were now really confused. "Very well I will start with the creation of the Order that I belong to, the Guardians of the Elements."

"The Guardians of the Elements?" Adrien asked confused. "Never heard of them."

"That's because we are not known to mortals in general." Mage said. "Only those who are part of the Order, either as Guardians or who serve it as I did prior to my ascension to Guardianship, or are immortal deities themselves, or those who we let know because we have to, know of us. The last one is more common these days for various reasons, and we do have a front for the current state of society but more on that in a bit."

"Alright so what are the Guardians of the Elements?" Marinette asked. "All this is still hard to believe mind you, but, well, we have Miraculouses so things like this aren't as strange as they would be without them."

"We are the beings imbued with powers to protect our set elements and oversee them by the Master Guardian himself." Mage said simply even it wasn't so simple. "Well, most of us are, the original 5 are different from the rest of us. The goal of our Order is to preserve the line between order and chaos in the world, any pun there is unintended."

"Ok given what we've seen we can get behind this." Adrien said respecting the pun but not doing one of his own as the situation was too serious for it. "We know magic is real, so this is plausible."

"You've seen enough to know the unbelievable can be real." Mage said with a smile. "That will make a lot of this easier. Usually, it takes more to persuade normal mortals, but Miraculous Holders have always been easier."

"Mage just get on with it." Plagg said.

"Very well, you always were impatient." Mage said with a grin at Plagg who just rolled his eyes and ate some more cheese. "Ok so a simplified version is that when the world was created by the oldest of all divine beings, the primordial god Chaos, and in the process two entities were created. One was Gaia, the earth mother herself, and the other was Ouranos, the sky. Well other cultures have their own versions that appeared to them as well, but I don't know them well, so I'll stick with simply earth and sky were created first."

"Wait are you saying that the Greek stuff is real?" Adrien asked confused while Marinette just tried to process all that she was hearing. "And the other mythic pantheons as well?"

"Yes that is how the world began and yes all the old gods of the various pantheons from around the world are real." Mage said shocking them. "Though due to the shift in society a little over 200 years few remain in any sentient state as for the most part they are forgotten by the world, and it is human memory that keeps them alive so to speak."

"Tikki, is this true?" Marinette asked deciding that if her kwami confirmed it she'd believe it as she trusted her kwami.

"It is though I am not sure about the newer stuff." Tikki confirmed. "The gods and goddesses of old are real, Plagg has a long history with many of them, for the most part it's not a good one."

"Hey, I am proud of that." Plagg interjected. "Well, proud of most of it, there's a fair but I don't remember or am not proud of."

"Yes well regardless of that they are real and alive." Tikki said. "But as they are forgotten by society, or their society is wiped out for that matter, or their terrain is lost they fade which is their version of death. When we were active in Paris I know that a handful of the more obscure ones had faded such as the Ptolemaic ones as they weren't well remembered. I hadn't realized that more had since then."

"I will get into it more in a moment when we get to the change that happened in the world, but it is not so much faded." Mage said as he tried to find the right phrase. "More that they are in a coma of sorts. There is enough memory to keep them alive but not enough to keep them stable. It was decided 183 years ago to forcibly put them into a deep sleep to conserve their energy and avoid issues while hoping that they are remembered again."

"Are any still around?" Tikki asked sounding worried. "To do something like that, only the Master Guardian would have the power and he'd need their permission to do so. I can't imagine all of them agreeing to it."

"Most did and the ones who didn't but were unstable were made too after Chaos granted the Master Guardian an exception in those cases." Mage said. "However, there some that are still active. For the most part though, the only fully functional are the underworld ones like Hades and Tartarus as they haven't been forgotten or are needed. Also, the eastern pantheons survived more than the western ones for various reasons."

"Great old deathy is still around." Plagg mumbled. "I am in so much debt to that dude."

"I know Plagg, you seem to accumulate it with all of the underworld deities and Guardians." Mage said with a chuckle. "But yes they are real. Who knows, in time you may meet a few as I occasionally have dealings with them."

"Ok given the weird shit we've seen and if our kwamis confirm it then we'll accept it." Marinette said as Adrien just nodded at her words. "So back to the beginning then."

"Yes sorry for the distraction." Mage said. "After Chaos created the world and those two entities he realized that there was a need for a balance between what he saw as his natural element and the stability of the world, so he created a third being, one to hold the line between order and chaos by protecting the elements of the new world as he saw fit. That being was the Master Guardian, a being of immense power but with many restrictions on that power. To aid the Master, Chaos created the original 4 Guardians to aid him out of 4 Elements present at the time on the newly created earth."

"Elements?" Adrien asked. "I presume that you mean things like earth, water, air and fire, the so-called mythical elements though in Chinese mythology metal is one as well and air is replaced by wood I believe."

"I do but the original 4 aren't what you would assume, that is simply something created by mortals out of the 4 building blocks of civilization." Mage said. "Two of those mortal 4, fire and water, are two of the original 4 but because of Gaia and Ouranos earth and air couldn't be created by Chaos. The other two were light and thunder. The correct order of elements after the Master is Light, Fire, Thunder and Water."

"But you are a Guardian." Marinette said as she tried to process what she was hearing. "So that means that more have been added, presumably the other ones we would traditionally assume like earth, air, wood, and metal, as well as some that we wouldn't expect."

"Correct all 4 of those have been added though wood actually falls under the broader element of Nature." Mage said with a nod. "In fact, earth and air were the first two added by the Master and both are originally kids of the Gaia and Ouranos respectively and don't ask how that works, those two predate me by many millennia and I don't understand their origins at all."

"Ok so how does someone become a Guardian then?" Adrien asked. "If Chaos only make the 4 original ones, how did the others come into being? How does this Master Guardian make them as you did say he had a role in it."

"The Master Guardian has the power to bestow Guardianship upon an individual." Mage said simply. "So long as the other originals have agreed to that person's candidacy, are present at the time of creation, and the person has proven himself or herself to the Guardians, the Master will turn them into the living embodiment of that element with full power over it. Only the Master Guardian can use that element as well but not at the same level as he is no longer the authority over it."

"I see, I guess." Marinette said knowing that she and Adrien would have to debrief later with their kwamis on this just to understand it more but going with it for now. "I don't get the element thing though. How does this Master Guardian determine one?"

"Honestly I am not sure, you can ask him yourself when you meet him in a week as he has to be here for some things and hopefully you will help us then." Mage said surprising both Tikki and Plagg. "But he can designate something an element and bestow it upon someone and it becomes an official element."

"He's coming in person?" Plagg asked amazed. "I thought you were joking earlier when you said that he was."

"He has to, pay attention as well Plagg." Mage said. "He can clarify a few things then, but I can answer most questions now and I am sure you have a few more about the Guardians."

"I'm curious as to how many there are." Adrien said. "And what are considered elements? Clearly they are things we wouldn't think of as Magic appears to be one."

"In total there are 31 though 32 people have been made Guardians." Mage said. "And before you ask, that number is because one of the Guardians, the original Guardian of Ghosts, and don't ask why that is an element as it's one of the ones I don't understand, betrayed us and had her powers stripped from her. She is still in our special prison. The most recent Guardian was elevated shortly before you got your Miraculouses and that is the Guardian of Pain. Again, don't ask, the Master has named several esoteric elements especially with the advent of modern society and the advances that mortals have made in that regard."

"Sounds it." Adrien said trying to process it. "So, what are the other elements?"

"There are too many to go through, but I will list the ones that you are likely to interact with or have to know about as they will help you." Mage said. "Other than me, you will likely deal with or meet the Guardians of Technology, Fashion, Bone, Blood, Gas, and Metal. They're the ones who are most likely though others like Gravity, Nature, Darkness, and Alcohol may show up as well for various reasons. That's just a few, others could be called upon if needed."

"And I am in debt to many of them." Plagg groaned before perking up. "But it will be great to see a few of them again."

"I have a feeling there is a story there." Adrien said. "But for later."

"Much later." Plagg mumbled. "They're rated 18+ in my book."

"Anyway, that basically sums up the Guardians, at least in terms of our origin, creation, mandate, and numbers but I am sure the Master Guardian will go over more if you want." Mage said. "Is there anything else I can answer before I get onto the next thing we need to discuss."

"I would like to know more about you personally." Marinette said which Adrien agreed with. "You created the Miraculouses, and now that I think on it I recall that the creator was someone called Mage, so it makes sense. However, we should probably know your own backstory as you are the one we are putting our current trust in thanks to the kwamis."

"A fair point as I am responsible for you for the moment." Mage agreed. "My back story is the more common one amongst the Guardians as I was born the illegitimate love child of two gods, so I am by birth immortal. Not all Guardians or those who assist us are like this, some are the children of gods and mortals while others are mortals with no godly parents but most of us who ascend to the ranks of the Guardians are illegitimate immortals."

"Why?" Adrien asked.

"Because our existence shouldn't be." Mage said simply. "At some point long before my birth, the gods decide to not have any godlier kids, or at least the ones that they did have after that point wouldn't have any actual godhood or powers beyond what their parents had. So, to give us a place and purpose we were often handed over to the Guardians to serve them as the Order of the Guardians of the Elements is much more than the 31 Guardians. The followers of the Guardians is a whole complicated mess that I won't get into right now as it doesn't concern you but suffice to say that I was given to the Guardians at birth."

"Isn't your parentage even more problematic." Plagg said looking up from his latest piece of cheese. "I recall it being especially bad."

"Yes I am one of a few Guardians who was born to parents of different pantheons." Mage said with a sigh. "That is a big no-no in the celestial world, so I had no choice but honestly I am glad for it as it gave me a place."

"Wait does that mean that you are like the kid of a Greek and roman god?" Marinette asked confused. "I don't really get that."

"No but those ones are weird as the Greek and Roman gods are the same just different personalities of the same god for the most part, though some are unique to the respective civilizations." Mage said shaking his head. "I am worse than that, I am the son of Ra, the Egyptian God of the Sun and their ruler at the time of my birth, and Hecate the Greek Goddess of Magic. I shouldn't exist but I do."

"That explains the magic." Adrien said. "You're mother was the goddess of it so I can see why you got that as your element."

"It does as most Guardians are given elements that they have ties to via their parents or their own innovations in a certain field." Mage said. "It is why illegitimate godly kids are usually the ones who distinguish themselves enough to earn ascension as we have a tie to something already. Oddly, Nyx, the Greek Goddess of the Night, is the mother of 5 Guardians all of whom hate her but that's a story for another day and at least she procreated with Greek or Roman gods. I'm not the only one of cross pantheons though."

"You're not." Plagg said confused. "Who else is? I think Vina is two pantheons but that's it."

"Vina, the Guardian of Alcohol, is probably the oddest of the bunch." Mage said. "She's actually a born demigod to Dionysus when he was mortal and some obscure Slavic goddess that faded centuries ago. She was also the one who actually invented wine not her father, but he took the credit for it and was named a god by his father Zeus for it, and other heroic deeds."

"That explains her extreme daddy issues." Plagg said. "So, who else?"

"The Nature Guardian is the son of Frey and Demeter so Norse and Greek while one of the newer ones is the offspring of an Aztec and Mayan gods." Mage said with a thoughtful look on his face. "And then there's the Gravity Guardian, he's really different with his parentage, but we can discuss this in private Plagg, I keep getting distracted."

"It's ok." Marinette said. "It helps us understand this a lot more actually."

"Yeah and on that note, how did you become a Guardian?" Adrien asked. "I'm still not sure how someone actually becomes a Guardian."

"The best way is through a grand act; in my case it was giving the world magic." Mage said simply. "Or more precisely I granted it to a Greek village, and it spread from there. My element is arguably the most nebulous and esoteric of the lot. At the time I could do it because of my parentage and was a high-ranking member of the organization that supports the Guardians. It was that act that made the Master Guardian realize that magic needed a Guardian, and I was elevated to the position some 7,000 years ago or so. I became the 19th Guardian at the time, but I was after the traitor so I'm now the 18th."

"Alright that answers that part so there is only one more thing I want to know before we address the current situation Adrien, and I are in." Marinette said. "What is the origin of the Miraculouses? Like why did you create them?"

"Why is tough to answer." Mage said after a moment's thought rubbing his chin. "I guess it was because I was curious and kept hearing voices in my head, so I wanted to see what those voices were."

"Curious?" Adrien asked his brows furrowing.

"Yeah it started after my ascension to the Guardians." Mage said. "I became one with my element. I am magic and magic is me. I am the closest thing to the physical embodiment of magic that there is in this world. While I can have my powers stripped, only those created by Chaos cannot have their powers stripped as they are actually made from their elements, I am still my element. When I became the Guardian of Magic I felt the kwamis' presence, and heard their voices calling out to me, but I couldn't pinpoint it."

"Now I am really confused." Adrien said and Marinette nodded in agreement. "You could actually hear them but didn't know where they were? That makes little sense."

"Kwamis don't have a physical body normally." Tikki said helpfully. "We are actual disembodied entities that are the personifications of various human ideal like creation for me, destruction for Plagg or other concepts like protection, freedom, intuition, and willpower to name a few. We come into being with each new concept, but we couldn't form physical bodies on our own. However, we are formed by magic, so we fall under that element."

"Tikki is right." Mage said. "The Master Guardian wasn't adept enough to sense them but when I became the Guardian and magic had a true Guardian I felt them because all my being was in tune with the currents of magic in the world. It took me years to find the first place I needed but I eventually found it in Tibet. There was a monastery there that knew of the kwamis having been able to contact them through meditation on a spiritual spot but not more than identifying them. However, I am different, I am magic so I can truly reach the kwamis."

"How?" Marinette asked. "How did you reach them?"

"I had to meditate in their holy spot and become one with the currents of magic to reach them." Mage said. "It's hard to explain it but I was able to make contact with the kwamis and from there I was able to tie them to this plain and thus give them bodies. They are tied to the jewelry which I created to give them an anchor in the physical world and thus form bodies. For whatever reason, they are based off animals that are seen as symbols of that trait or connected to it in some way."

"Sounds like a tough and complicated process." Adrien said rubbing his head.

"It is." Mage said with a nod. "It requires almost all of my power as I have to leave the real plain and enter the magical one to make contact with an unbound kwami. As a result, I must rest for at least a year after I do it, but I have done it for all the kwamis, and there are more than the 19 Master Fu guarded, though only Tikki and Plagg were created at the same time as they are the oldest and inexorably linked for creation and destruction always go hand in hand. I am who gave kwamis a physical form, but it is humanity who created them."

"Ok we are going to need time to process this." Marinette said as she tried to understand it, but she somehow felt that she got it because of her use of her Miraculous though she still needed to digest it all. "But I think that is all of that for now."

"Yeah we can talk more later with you or the kwamis if we have more questions." Adrien added.

"I will be around, as will the kwamis who know as much as I do about the Guardians so they can help." Mage said. "However, that is not the only thing I have to discuss with you and if you thought that what you just learned was a lot to handle, brace yourself because it's about to get weirder."

"How can it get weirder?" Marinette asked her eyes wide. "We just learned that the ancient gods are real and asleep now apparently, learned about an entity known as the Guardians of the Elements that has existed since the dawn of time, which is also different from what we were told in school, met the being who forged our Miraculouses oh and on top of that we are now 230 years in the future and in Japan. How can this get weirder?"

"Well, I guess I should address the future thing now." Mage said, and the teens now looked even more intently at the Guardian as he got to that part at last. "Well, that is a little more straightforward, at least to how you got here. As you have probably deduced, Hawk Moth combined his Miraculous with the Rabbit Miraculous and that fusion gave him access to the timestream at will. He blasted you two into it and sent you to a point and location the future. He had no idea what he was doing and as such trapped you somewhere outside the timeline."

"That is straightforward?" Adrien asked completely baffled by what Mage was saying. "How?"

"Ok let me make a visual to help." Mage said as he waved his hand and a glowing lilac line appeared in the air that stretched across the whole room with a white ball appearing just past Mage's face. "Imagine this as the timeline and the ball is where we are right now."

The teens nodded understanding that as another white ball appeared further back down the line with a date above it. It was the date they had faced Hawkmoth before being sucked into that portal.

"Ok and that is when you were blasted out of it." Mage said as he created two stick figures, one red and one black that were expelled from the ball and hurtled together to the nearer white ball with today's date now above it. "You were blasted to this point in the timeline and for her own reasons Fate sent to Tokyo, which was the only good thing to come from this, but for the period between the balls you were not within it anymore."

"I still don't get it." Marinette said as the gap between the balls vanished as if to show that they weren't in it, but the rest stayed. "Couldn't we be saved? We've used time travel before thanks to Alix and Fluff so why not go into the future to grab us or to the past to prevent Hawk Moth's actions? It is the only Miraculous that can exist in multiple places at once that I know of."

"We tried to see if that could be done with the other Rabbit Miraculous, both future or the past, and it always messed up." Mage said with a heavy sigh. "We first assessed the situation and found out what happened to you. It required the Master Guardian himself to actually leave the timestream and enter the void that you were in. That took a lot of his power and he stayed there long enough to confirm what had happened before he had to return."

"What had happened?" Adrien asked. "We aren't sure on that part either."

"The Master Guardian was able to determine that Hawkmoth had put you two in some sort of stasis." Mage said. "You were literally frozen in time, out of reach or rescue. Somehow, Hawkmoth had locked you in the timeline and there was nothing to be done about it. He'd made it, inadvertently it seems as he didn't understand the power himself, so that you could only return once time caught up with you and he didn't specify a location so you could end up anywhere. Fate chose Tokyo as your return spot."

"How'd he manage to do that?" Marinette asked horrified by it. "Hawkmoth that is."

"The Rabbit Miraculous is one of the most powerful out there, it is the Miraculous of last resort for a reason, and as such it is never combined." Mage said. "When Hawkmoth fused it with the Moth Miraculous that was the first time in history that it had been fused. We learned why it can't be fused in the years after the incident. Fusing the Rabbit Miraculous causes any actions done with it to be irreversible if time is involved."

"What!" Marinette exclaimed her mouth open in shock, an expression Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg all shared. "There is not way to reverse it because of the fusion."

"Fusion of Miraculouses creates an item of immense power." Mage explained. "As it is the power of two Miraculouses in one. As such, the near sentient nature of magic installs checks and balances to that power to even things out. It is part of why only two can be fused at a time unless the power of the Mouse Miraculous is invoked."

"That actually makes sense." Marinette said recovering a bit as something that Master Fu had once told her.

"It does?" Adrien asked confused.

"Yes it does." Marinette said. "When we learned that Hawkmoth wanted our Miraculouses to fuse them to grant him a wish I asked Master Fu why we didn't do it ourselves. He said we didn't because in order for the universe to grant a wish it must take something in return to balance it out. That is why we don't fuse our Miraculouses."

"Precisely." Mage said with a nod. "Fusion always creates a balance and because no one had ever fused the Rabbit Miraculous due to its status we never knew its balance. It was never tried so we never asked Fluff what it was until this happened and she explained it through tears, she's as guilty as I am about this, what it was. Turns out that balance is irreversibility if time is messed with. It's a balance to the power over time that the Miraculous has."

"I get it now." Adrien said understanding it. "It's like a scale then. In order to balance the scale, there must be a cost for the power gained."

"Correct and this was the cost we discovered." Mage said sadly. "We didn't know it at first and with the Master Guardian forced to take a decade off to recover from the expenditure I was left to find it out myself while working with Master Fu and an associated of the Guardian who helps fix problems. I tried what I could to correct my mistake but even if we had a Guardian of Time we couldn't have done it because it was magic not time and my own powers were never meant to be used in that way."

"So, we were stuck for 230 years?" Adrien asked as the full weight of the situation fell on them. "Until time caught up to us and now, because of this check on power, we are stuck here."

"Alas yes and words cannot express how sorry I am for this." Mage said and the sorrow and regret in his voice was heavy. "I wish I could have done more but I couldn't because this was a situation we'd never expected until it actually happened and learned the devastating truth. This has been one of my greatest failures as a Guardian, but I swear by the River Styx I will do what I can to atone for it."

"Mage it's not your fault." Tikki said sympathetically as another clap of thunder was heard at the invocation of the oath. "You created our Miraculouses because of the good in humanity that led to our formation, you were giving us a chance to give back to mankind for what it did for us, you never intended for them to be used this way."

"True but I still hate that this happened and there is nothing I can ever do to truly make it up to you two." Mage said sadly. "But I will do my best and unfortunately, as bad a time as it is all things considered, there is something that could really use your help here in Japan. If you are willing to help of course, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to."

"I agree with Tikki on this." Marinette said controlling her raging emotions at everything that had happened but directing them at the right person not the wrong one. "This was Hawkmoth's fault. It was his evil that did this to us. He was the one who fused the Moth and Rabbit Miraculouses without seeing what would happen or learning of the risks. It was he who tore us from our friends and family by misusing your gifts to humanity. You tried to correct your mistake and that matters, it means that you know you messed up and did what you could to rectify it. That means a lot."

"Yeah it just shows that you Guardians aren't all powerful at all." Adrien said fighting back tears because Hawkmoth had taken his family and friends from him, but he had Marinette which was a plus and he took her hand for comfort that she squeezed back for the same thing. "It will hit us what we lost, and we will need time to process this, but we won't blame you for the evil of one man misusing gifts that were entrusted to humanity to help it."

"Thank you and I mean it I will make it up to you." Mage said conjuring a lilac handkerchief out of thin air and dabbing at his eyes that were watering at the kind words of the two true heroes opposite him, Fu had really knocked it out of the park with these two. "And if you let me I will grant you a gift, one that you more than deserve and is only a fraction of the debt I owe you two. You will need going forward regardless of your decision but whatever happens this is now yours. You have earned this and are the first beings to ever get it."

"A gift?" Marinette asked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Tikki, Plagg, do you know what I could give them." Mage said to the kwamis. "It is that gift by the way."

"They've earned it?" Tikki asked her eyes wide. "I know you feel bad but are you sure? No one has ever been given this as far as I know, well no Ladybug that I've been paired with at least."

"There is more to it than just that they earned it that I will get it but yes I am sure." Mage said with a nod. "Even without the shift in society I would have done this for them. Their reaction to the news alone is enough to show me that Wang Fu made the best choice I've ever seen for the two most powerful Miraculouses."

"Then we agree." Plagg said seriously before looking at Adrien. "Adrien, you have to take it. This is a gift from a Guardian, few ever get one and this one in particular can only be offered by Mage. I don't know a human who's received it."

"Marinette you can't turn this down." Tikki said with a smile at Marinette. "And I know you deserve it as you are the best Ladybug I've ever had."

"Same with you Adrien though as a black cat not Ladybug." Plagg said with a nod. "There's never been a human I've paired with more deserving of my friendship then you."

"If you will accept it my lady, I will as well." Adrien said to Marinette. "I know we just met this Guardian but our kwamis trust him, so I say we do as well."

"I agree kitty, we should accept this gift." Marinette said to him. "Thank you Mage, this means a lot and if you need our help with something then we will offer it. We have nothing now, Hawkmoth took that from us with his unbelievable evil, and while we want to know what happened to our friends and families Adrien and I still have each other so I know that we can pull through this together. If you need our assistance we will help. It is what heroes do after all."

"You two continue to prove how worthy you are to wield Miraculouses." Mage said with a smile as he rose. "I have to touch your heads now to grant you this gift. As for your friends and families, know that they always loved and missed you after you disappeared and never doubted that you were alive and well despite their worry and sadness when you vanished. I have provided tablets in your rooms for you to get that needed closure."

"Thank you." The teens said knowing that it would be hard, but they had to get that and move on, it's what their friends would have wanted for them after all.

Mage didn't say anything as he walked up to them. With one last nod from the teens, he placed a hand on each of their heads and closed his eyes. He tapped into his magic and found their genetic code. From there it was child's play to change it to what he wanted it to become.

He'd had centuries to perfect this on worthy followers and these two were getting something special that the others never had. Their Miraculouses helped as he knew what they did and could feel the traces of his magic within their bodies that using the Miraculouses for as long as they had left. All he had to do was code that into their very DNA in such a way that it would register correctly. They were ready for the task at hand and had what 80% of the globe now had.

"Done." Mage said as he stepped back and sat down, he was only slightly drained, but the teens were going to really feel it in a second. "It will take a moment, but you now have my gift."

"And that is?" Adrien asked before he suddenly felt drained but somehow stronger as if he had his Miraculous was active. "Woah, what happened?"

"I have recoded your DNA to fit with the current world but there is more to that, and we will discuss that soon." Mage said surprising them. "However, what I have done is the gift that I can bestow upon a Miraculous Holder who goes above and beyond what is expect from one and you two being the first to ever achieve that status. What I have done is essentially given you your powers permanently."

"What?" Marinette asked her eyes wide and mouth agape, Adrien mirroring her next to her. "I mean I do feel stronger, the way I do when I activate my Miraculous but it's hard to believe."

"Well believe it because now you have your Miraculous powers without the need for the Miraculous." Mage said with a smile at them. "Well with some limitations. Those are that Lucky Charm will no longer clean up messes, you can't use it to correct what has happened, and you can't purify an akuma though that will not happen I predict. As for Cataclysm, it will not work on organic matter."

"That is good to know." Adrien said, he'd never tested it out on organic matter and was glad to know that it would work on another human or animal.

"Shame about the losses of what I can do but I do get that." Marinette said though she was still skeptical.

"There is more to that though." Mage said. "Your Lucky Charm and Cataclysm will now be seen as your Quirks while heightened reflexes, speed, strength, endurance and durability that you have when you have activated your Miraculouses are now part of you, we have an excuse for that prepared. In addition, Adrien's heightened senses of sight, smell and hearing are there as well."

"I do feel stronger." Adrien said and Marinette agreed, she felt like she did when powered up and if this was permanent she'd have to get used to it so that she could control it. "So how do I used Cataclysm now?"

"Just think of activating it and it will activate." Mage said simply. "Same with Lucky Charm. It will only last 5 minutes, and you are still limited to destroying one thing right now Adrien and the recharge method of eating food is still the same. However, over time and with training you can grow your powers beyond the base level. They work as a Quirk now and as such it can grow with proper training."

Adrien didn't get the whole Quirk part as he had never heard that term before, he just focused on activating Cataclysm. A second later the black power of pure destruction appeared around his right hand. He yelped at the sight before putting his hand down on the table in front of them and it disintegrated, and the power ended once the table was destroyed leaving Adrien feeling spent.

Before anything fell Mage reformed the table and smiled at them. It had worked perfectly as he had expected it would. This was just the first thing, next up was what they had agreed to help with, if they still wanted to do so after he explained it to them that is. Regardless, they now had their Quirks.

"Woah you weren't kidding." Adrien said as he picked up some food and ate it, the food making him feel better, but he knew it would be a few more minutes until it was recharged. "I can't believe it."

"There is a lot to explain." Mage said. "And some things are a little different as I have explained. That said, your tunnel vision with Lucky Charm will work as it always has, that is part of how you see the world so it's part of the power for you Marinette. To fully use Lucky Charm now, all you have to think of is what you wish to accomplish and then just mentally think of your power and the item will appear."

"Good to know." Marinette said. "I think it is best if I try it out later though."

"A wise idea." Mage said.

"What about our fighting abilities?" Adrien said. "And our weapons and costumes?"

"Your fighting abilities are what they would be with your Miraculous active though actual training in hand-to-hand combat will help you improve." Mage said. "As for weapons, I will recreate them and sort out your Miraculouses so they can still create your costumes or something similar, but that is something we need to discuss as it is tied into what is going on in the world now and what I would like to ask of you."

"Wait but if we now have the powers of our Miraculouses then do we really need them?" Marinette asked confused. "I of course don't want to give it or Tikki up but surely they could be useful to someone else who's worthy."

"Society has changed and nowadays Miraculouses are obsolete for the most part." Mage said surprising them. "We still give them out to those born without Quirks and who are worthy but that is slightly different and not relevant to you right now. You can keep them as long as you want and Tikki and Plagg are free to stay with you."

"We are?" Tikki asked amazed. "Thank you Mage. I didn't want to leave Marinette, so this is wonderful news."

"Yeah you aren't getting rid of me anytime soon kid." Plagg said with a grin. "Though now that I have more freedom I will use it, most of my boys seem to still be around so I can party with the guys and make up for all my lost time."

"I wouldn't think of it." Adrien said grinning back. "And good, you know I would never constrain you Plagg."

"Well now that that is sorted I think there is only one more thing to explain." Mage said. "And I know that it is a lot, but I think I should do it now. You will have a week to process this and talk to me about it during that time, but you seem eager to help so you should know now. I hope you still want to help afterwards but the choice is yours regardless."

"What do you need of us?" Marinette asked.

"I need you to assist us in something that will also ensure that you two can remain heroes in the new society you have found yourself in but first you have to understand the changes." Mage said. "Because society is very different to how you remember it."

"We saw some images that were odd." Adrien said recalling the billboards. "People who didn't look like people and no one acted strange to it. I take it that that is tied to this change?"

"It is." Mage said. "It all started shortly after you two were blasted into the timeline, about a decade or so give or take as I can't actually recall the precise date right now. What happened was that a baby was born in China that was glowing."

"Glowing?" Marinette asked confused.

"Yup literally glowing as in it was luminescent even when the lights were off." Mage said with a nod. "He was born with a genetic abnormality that gave him the ability to make his skin glow. He was the first but over the last 2 centuries this phenomenon has become the norm. It is considered the next stage in human evolution. These days almost all humans are born with a superhuman ability."

"Hold up." Adrien said. "You mean actual superpowers?"

"Yes." Mage confirmed. "People are born with these abilities that are called Quirks though they were initially called Meta Abilities until a woman called her son's ability a Quirk and the term stuck. They come in all shapes and styles but are for the most part hereditary so a person's Quirk will be similar to their parents but usually slightly different though mutations can happen and a Quirk unrelated to the parents' ones manifests. There are 3 classes of it, and you will be educated on all of that but that is for the Master Guardian as he can speed up the process though it will take a few months to fully comprehend it."

"Months?" Marinette asked worried. "That seems like a long time."

"You have 200 years' worth of history to learn." Mage said simply. "We can basically streamline it into you but to fully understand it you will have to process it but fortunately we have about 6 months to fully prepare should you agree to help us which gives you time to understand it and get you used to your Quirks."

"So, our powers are now Quirks?" Adrien asked still trying to process this latest bit of new information.

"Yes though officially only your Cataclysm and Marinette's Lucky Charm will be considered your Quirk and for all intents and purposes they are now your Quirks." Mage said. "The physical enhancements you have will be explained away as a not a Quirk but the byproduct of selective breeding that has occurred in France, which is true thanks to the elites of the past there, to ensure that their descendants have these enhanced constitutions."

"That sounds so wrong." Marinette said. "Like they are treating humans as if they're livestock. I've heard of eugenics, and this sounds just like that in a sense."

"It is but alas it is pretty normal in the elite circles all over the world." Mage said. "They are referred to as Quirk Marriages and were compared to old fashioned arranged marriages. To explain away your enhancements, you both will have histories of it in your families as part of your backstory, that is already in place, but to keep things simple your parents or grandparents won't have had it."

"Good." Adrien said. "I know how much my dad loved my mom and how much he was affected when she disappeared."

"Same with my parents." Marinette said. "So, what is it that you need of us?"

"Think about it for a second." Mage said with a grin at the first test he was giving them. "You are both smart kids, in a world where about 80% of the population have a superpower of sorts, is there a problem with that?"

Adrien and Marinette thought for a moment before it hit them. It was so obvious that both slapped their foreheads for not thinking of it the moment they'd learned about the shift in society because of these Quirk things.

"How can society function like this?" Adrien said. "People will just use their Quirks for their own gains and if everyone has a power, or at least most do, then there will be chaos as the strong take what they want while the weak suffer because of it."

"Yes and many do, they are referred to as villains if they use their Quirk for their own gain or to harm another." Mage said. "Which is why there are heroes who exist to fight them."

"Well, we would do that." Marinette said. "That is what we did in Paris, we can do it here as well. Right? If there is evil to be fought we can't stand by and let it run wild."

"That is what I expected and hoped for." Mage said with a smile. "However, you can't do it without a license though, that is a crime and makes you technically a villain."

"That makes sense actually." Adrien said. "It would be chaos if anyone could do just claim to be a hero."

"It would be, and it is why, in no small part thanks to our machinations, we restricted society to adapt to Quirks in a way it could handle it." Mage said. "Which is why there are special hero schools for teens to go to, if they can get in, and study to pass the necessary tests they need to pass in order to get their licenses. It is a full-time study that is at the high school level. I think there were comics and books about that kinda thing back when you two were in Paris."

"There were." Adrien said while Marinette just took his word for it, she wasn't into that scene unless it was to do with video games though she did help Nathaniel and Marc with their comics. "And that is what they do here?"

"It is and you two just so happen to be the right age I think." Mage said. "You are 15, right?"

"We are." Marinette said. "Well technically 245 I guess but physically 15."

"Excellent, Fate is annoying old crone, but she is reliable when she needs to be and now I probably have to take her out for a date." Mage said with a sigh of relief at the former part and shudder at the latter part. "And you two are ok studying to be heroes? It is a bit of a step down I know but that is how society is now set up."

"We don't really know anything else, so it makes the most sense to do what we know." Adrien said with a shrug. "I presume you will help in this and the transition in general."

"I will as the Guardians are active as heroes here as part of our cover to aid society." Mage said with a nod. "We keep our powers in check and in line with what is expected but we do what we can when we have to so long as it is within our mandate. You will learn more about that over the next week though. For now, I will explain what we want of you."

"Other than to be heroes." Marinette said. "Regardless we would do that, it is who we are after all. I couldn't imagine doing anything else other than my fashion but that is something I can do around hero work."

"Same and this time I won't have to model." Adrien said. "As much as I miss my dad, I have already grieved for a parent, and I won't miss his controlling ways. I loved being a hero in Paris, I can't turn down the chance to continue it in this new society."

"That is good to hear as the world could need you." Mage said with a smile. "That is because we now we are in a transition period and Japan is the epicenter center of it. The greatest villain of all time, a man known only as All for One, who has the power to steal Quirks and give what he has stolen to others or use himself, was Japanese. He was defeated 5 years ago by a hero known as All Might, the symbol of peace here and the reason why Japan has a low crime rate, but the battle came at a cost, and All Might was greatly injured."

"That's not good." Adrien commented. "But sounds like the classic epic battle between good and evil where good triumphs but at a cost."

"No, it's not." Mage said. "And I know for a fact that All for One is going to be back, within a year if I had to guess. Thankfully All Might has the ability to pass his Quirk on and you will meet him for a full explanation when I bind you to secrecy on this, and he has a successor chosen who will get his Quirk in a few months' time. The boy he's chosen is perfect for the role from what I have gathered. What we want from you two is to help him become what he has the potential to become."

"Help him?" Marinette asked. "How?"

"As friends, classmates, and comrades striving to become heroes." Mage said. "He's applying to the number 1 hero school in Japan, a place called U.A. High, and one of the few people we know with foresight has seen that he will get in. You two will attend U.A. as exchange students from Paris through an exchange program we created decades ago in preparation for this. You will be considered recommended students for enrollment purposes. It is something that has been done in the past and you will be in addition to the usual 40 students accepted."

"I take it that that means something." Marinette said. "If we are additions to the usual numbers that is."

"It does." Mage said. "Usually, U.A. admits 40 into the Hero Course there but they allow General Studies students to transfer to the Hero Course if they prove themselves the first year but usually at the cost of a Hero Course student. With you two joining one of the classes as additions to the standard 20, it will allow for 2 students to transfer at no cost. This is how the exchange program operates. It was all part of our preparations for your arrival and has really worked out well at U.A. So well in fact that other schools have done it as well."

"That makes sense." Adrien said understanding the logic even if he was a little taken aback by how this had been prepared with their return in mind. "I think we can do it."

"We are heroes, we will do it." Marinette said before she suddenly yawned. "But we, er, probably should get some sleep soon. It has been a long, er, day I guess seeing as when we woke up it was 230 years ago. However, there is one more thing I want to know before we go to bed."

"What is it?" Mage asked.

"The other kwamis?" Marinette asked. "Where are they now?"

"They are here." Mage said surprising all 4 of them and smiling. "I had the most recent Grand Guardian of the Chinese Box bring them to Japan when we knew you would show up here within a year, that was the moment we were able to know of your impending arrival and location."

"Most recent?" Adrien asked. "Is there no current one?"

"No, he opted to retire once he brought the box and renounced it thus losing his memories of it." Mage said. "Such is the magic on the box so as to protect the secrets of the Miraculouses. As of right now, the box is under my protection, and I have allowed all the kwamis to be out and have fun. They've helped in sorting things out for your arrival and are in your wing of this compound waiting for you, but they won't come out until tomorrow as they know you have a lot to process right now."

"It will be great to see them again." Tikki said with a smile. "I bet they've missed us. It's uncommon for some of us to be away for so long."

"Wait you said all." Plagg said. "So does that mean Nooroo and Duusu are there as well?"

"They are but I will get into that when I cover your backstories." Mage said. "It is getting late and you're going to need to be well rested for that."

"I think that is for the best." Adrien said stifling a yawn. "I can barely stay awake now and I don't know how much I'd retain."

"Same." Marinette said as her fatigue really got to her despite everything.

"I will show you to your rooms and leave you for the night then." Mage said. "You will have a week to process this and everything else, but both me and the kwamis will be around to help. The only thing is that you can't leave the estate and there are spells in place to prevent that. This is for your own safety as there is a lot to sort out and you are in a nation neither of you have ever been to. In 5 months, we will move to Tokyo where you will stay in the Guardian Agency penthouse there while attending U.A. That will be part of your cover."

"We understand given how we don't know the nation or anything really about this new society." Marinette said. "I presume that the cover will be gone over in more detail soon."

"In a week's time the Master Guardian, along with All Might himself and the Principal of U.A. will come here and we will iron out everything while ensuring that you have the knowledge and language skills to avoid people learning the truth of where you came from." Mage said. "I don't like deception, but it would be hard to explain that you two are from the past. We've been preparing this for centuries, so you are in good hands."

"I can see that." Adrien said accepting it even if he hated lying to people though he had experience at that from his time as Cat Noir. "It wouldn't go over well."

"No, it wouldn't." Mage said. "It is for the best, at least for the moment but things may change, and you can be honest then. However, I think that is all for now. You two are in the guest wing so there are two rooms for you along with a common area with all the amenities you could want, bathrooms, and a kitchen."

With that Mage rose and Adrien and Marinette got up to follow him. They had a lot to process but somehow they could manage, they knew it. After all they'd been through in Paris over the last few years they could deal with this in a mature way. It was going to hit them at some point, but they had each other to get through the coming pain and emerge from it stronger.

Mage led them through the sprawling mansion estate that they were in. It was done in the Japanese style but had western interior decorations. It took a good 5 minutes to reach the guest quarters but soon they were there, and Mage led them into a common room of sorts.

It was a nice place with a sofa, a table, chairs, a TV, several gaming systems, and a small kitchenette. There were two bathrooms so that they didn't have to wait off to the side and two doors at the back of the room that had to lead to the bedrooms. Mage waved his hand and their names appeared on the doors.

"I have transformed the rooms inside into what you are used to but if that is too much just say tell the room what you want, and it will change for you." Mage said simply. "Get some rest. When you wake just ask for what you want to eat, and the kitchen will provide it. If you need me tomorrow call and I will appear but the kwamis should be out to say hi by then. Otherwise, you have free reign of the estate and interior grounds until next week when we have our follow up meeting."

"How is everything done here?" Adrien asked.

"I am the Guardian of Magic." Mage said. "So, take a guess."

"Oh right." Adrien said as Marinette chuckled. "Forgot that. It will take some getting used to I think."

"It will be good to not see me as that going forward but we can discuss that in time." Mage said. "Goodnight and thank you for your help, I know that this is a lot to deal with and it is all my fault, so it shows why you two are truly worthy heroes that you are helping."

"Of course, and thank you for everything Mage." Marinette said bowing to him, Adrien doing the same a second later. "We would have been screwed without your help, so we are even as far as we are concerned."

Mage just smiled and nodded before leaving them alone. He knew that they were good and noble kids who were handling this as well as they could. While he had a lot to atone for for what had happened to them he was glad that they showed their pure hearts by forgiving him. They were true heroes and in this society they would go far. It was time to contact Dominus and let him know that they had arrived, been briefed, prepared, and that everything was a go.

-break-

Meanwhile back in the common room Adrien and Marinette looked at each other for a second finally alone for the first time since arriving in this new time period. Tikki had already flown off to bed while Plagg was arguing with something in the kitchen demanding cheese and apparently getting sass from a refrigerator. This was their first chance to discuss things.

"So." Adrien said breaking the slightly awkward silence. "We have a lot to talk about."

"That we do." Marinette said. "But there is something we need to address first before we deal with everything else."

"Our identities and what that means." Adrien said and Marinette nodded.

"We know them now and we don't have to give up being heroes because of it." Marinette said. "Not that it wasn't inevitable that we find out after what had happened though the latter part is nice. I still need to process that though because well…"

"Everyone we know is dead." Adrien said sadly and Marinette nodded tears in her eyes as she tried to hold them back. "I know I'm upset as well but we have each other at least, that is a start for our recovery. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather be with now. We can get through this together, I know it."

"Me too." Marinette said as she swallowed but plowed on because there was something that she had to know before they went to bed. "And that leads me to something else I need to know."

"And that is?" Adrien asked.

"Adrien, I, I know that Cat Noir has feelings for Ladybug." Marinette said. "I may have thought that it was a joke at first, but I realized that night you took me as Marinette to the roof where you'd prepared that really romantic date that you liked Ladybug."

"I still have feelings for Ladybug." Adrien said causing Marinette's breath to hitch in her throat at his words. "But I know that you love someone else Marinette, someone who's probably gone now. However, I can't lie, I do love you, with or without the mask, I love you. You were chosen to be Ladybug which means you are her regardless of the costume. I fell in love with Ladybug and all that she is, that includes her civilian form. I don't want to make this awkward or anything but as Cat Noir I've always been honest with you on this front."

Marinette just listened to Adrien her eyes wide. He loved her, he really loved her despite knowing that it was her who was under Ladybug's mask. As soon as she'd learned that Adrien was Cat Noir she'd hoped for this but hearing this was confirmation of it. They were in love with each other but had been prevented from doing anything because of their secret identities. That didn't matter now though, and Marinette just smiled at Adrien.

She didn't respond to him; she didn't need to. Instead, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him too her. Adrien yelped in surprise as Marinette rose onto her toes and kissed him on the lips the way she'd always wanted to. Her arms went around his neck as she felt his arms encircle her waist and pull her close as they deepened the kiss.

They poured their love into it glad that it was all in the open now. They may be in a strange place with strange new changes in the world, and centuries in the future, but they had each other and their love, they could do this so long as they were together.

All else faded around them as they kissed. They could deal with everything else in the morning as the lost themselves in the moment knowing that no matter what they would come out of this one top. They always did after because they were Ladybug and Cat Noir. No matter where they were they would always win and that is what they intended on doing in this new world, winning.

Few, that was long and there is a lot to digest from that but after what happened in the prologue it was needed for sure. So yeah, Adrien and Marinette are back at last and about 6 months before U.A. starts. Hopefully I've given a convincing reason why they can't go back; I know it is a little weak, but it was the best I could think of to ensure that this story worked as it should. Other than that, there will be more about the Guardians over the course of the story, but this has the main lore overview for y'all while also setting things up for the story. I went with the full change to give them Quirks to make things easier though Tikki and Plagg at least will still be around when they are alone, so they won't be written out, this is just easier for the general story and frees the kwamis up to be more independent characters going forward. While I am not sure if I will have them reveal their history to anyone outside the know (that will be revealed in the next chapter who will be in the know) I may have some suspicion and the pain they feel will come up from time to time so I won't gloss over it fully, it will be addressed on a few occasions. The last thing to mention is that when it comes to pairings, this fic will only have two. The obvious one of Adrien and Marinette that has now sailed and a slow burn IzuOcha. Anyway, next up the meeting that was mentioned so another long chapter is on the way. However, that is all I have for now so I will leave it here. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Until next week.

Stringdog