22. Master Fu

A/N: And now chapter 22! I should totally be doing school right now… Oh well, Sayuri was feeling very satisfied with 500 REVIEWS (still freaking out over that one) and so I transformed and wrote another chapter. Now she's hungry again.

Un-related side note: Someone offered to do fan art for me, which is so totally awesome and amazing! It's so cool that people are willing to spend their time to make amazing works of art for things! If you ever feel inspired by Secrets and Betrayals to make some fan art, make sure to tag me on tumblr ( LilyTheNinjaGirl) or Deviantart (LeoDonnieMikeyRaph). I'll be sure to leave a link to your art work in the A/N of a future chapter ;)

And now, enjoy!

Chapter 22: Master Fu

After a little while, Adrien ended up falling asleep. Knowing that she was using Tikki's energy for no good reason, Ladybug released her transformation. She slid out from underneath Adrien, carefully slid a pillow underneath his head, and tossed a blanket back over him. Then Marinette stretched and headed downstairs.

Unsurprisingly, her mother and Mrs. Cesaire were sitting around the kitchen table drinking tea. Alya was standing by the counter, having a heated argument with Nooroo on whether Batman or Superman would win in a fight. Alya argued strongly for Batman, and Nooroo was insistent that Superman would be the victor. In between sentences, Nooroo was crunching away on a lettuce leaf.

"Clearly," Nooroo said in a very annoyed tone of voice, "Superman would win. His only weakness is kryptonite, and there's no way Batman could ever get his hands on that!"

"Yeah, but Batman has experience working with scientists! I bet he could ally with Joker or someone to make or get something along the lines of kryptonite! And he has a TON of cool objects and gadgets that Superman has never had to face before!"

"But Superman has super powers! Laser vision, he can fly, super strength, etc.!"

"So? He's stuck up and over confident! What good are super powers if you don't have the brains to use them?"

"What? Batman is the stuck up rich boy! And he can't do anything without his little sidekick!"

"At least he could at least be a real thing! Having superpowers is impossible!"

"Ahem, Alya?" Marinette interrupted them. Alya turned to her friend, who raised an eyebrow and gestured to Tikki and her earrings.

"Are you telling me Superman is a miraculous wielder?" Alya said, putting her hands on her hips. Marinette shook her head and smiled.

"Come on, let's go visit Master Fu. Adrien is asleep upstairs. He'll probably stay asleep unless you wake him, which I wouldn't do if I were you. He'd probably freak out again."

"Poor boy," Mrs. Cesaire sighed. Marinette's mother muttered something about possible PTSD symptoms in teenagers. Alya stood and Nooroo followed her. The girls and the kwamis walked into the living room where Tom was watching the news.

"Ready to go, girls?" he asked.

"Hey, what about me?" Nooroo protested.

"And guy," Tom added, giving the kwami a strange look. Nooroo grinned with satisfaction.

"I think some of Hawkmoth's obnoxiousness rubbed off on you. That or you were hanging out with Plagg too much before you became Gabriel Agreste's slave," Tikki said with a laugh, shaking her little head. The kwami's hid in Marinette's purse as they all climbed into the car and drove away.

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"Finally, after all this time! The cat miraculous!" Chat Noir (well, the Gabriel Agreste version, anyway) cackled. He stretched out his fingers, feeling the sensation of destruction running through his veins.

"I sincerely hope my bad luck will rub off on you," Plagg spoke angrily from inside of his head. The black cat kwami was beyond bitter and, although he was forced to hold the transformation, he was making as little effort as possible to supply his new Chat Noir with power. There was honestly nothing Plagg could do at this point. But that didn't stop the kwami from hating every second he was inhabited with an evil host.

"Shut up, kwami!" Chat Noir growled. It would be weird if anyone saw him now. He looked so unlike the previous Chat Noir. He (like Adrien) retained his hair and eye color. His neatly combed back hair was a little longer and a little wilder, but it stayed combed back. Two cat ears were perched atop his head.

Other than that, the suit was identical, just with a larger person wearing it. The suit was tailored to magically fit whoever was wearing it, so nothing was a hindrance. The tail would take some getting used to, Gabriel mused. But other than that everything would be fine. His baton was very much like his old staff, so he had no problem adjusting to a different weapon.

"I hope you trip down the stairs and land on your head," Plagg growled.

"I said SHUT UP!" Chat Noir roared.

"De-transform and make me!" Plagg taunted. Chat Noir growled, but ignored the annoying, wheedling voice in his head. He didn't have time for this.

Chat Noir made his way to the window and slipped outside his house. He knew that Ladybug would be expecting an attempt to get her miraculous. She would also be guarding the butterfly miraculous carefully. But Gabriel had a different plan.

Master Fu was the current guardian of the miraculous. He was very, very wise. But he was also very, very old. Such an old man couldn't put up too much of a fight, could he? Gabriel would attack. With his newfound powers as Chat Noir, he was now more prepared for hand-to-hand combat instead of standing in the shadows and letting others do his dirty work. If he managed to steal the remaining miraculous, his combined powers would be unstoppable.

Chat Noir (it still felt weird to call himself that) hesitated, thinking about the peacock miraculous that was safely nestled away in his safe. He could use the peacock powers to help him. But he was reluctant. If he failed, he couldn't bear for his wife's miraculous to be taken from him. Deciding against using it, he leapt away. The fact that it was broad daylight now would make this much harder. But it was a risk that Gabriel was willing to take. He had to get her back. He had to get him back. He could fix his family. And he was going to do it. Or he would die trying.

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Marinette stepped out of her father's car, slamming the door behind her. All of Paris bustled busily around them. People strolled around pleasantly, shopping, hurrying to meetings, heading to the park to meet their friends. It all seemed foreign to Marinette and Alya, who had experienced far too much in the last four hours for their lives to ever be that normal again.

They headed up the front steps, noticing the flower pots that decorated the outside of the building, and knocked. After a few seconds, a man opened the door. He was wearing a red and white Hawaiian print shirt. His wrinkled face and grey hair clearly showed his old age, but his smile was warm and inviting.

"Come inside, Ladybug. I've been expecting you," he greeted. Marinette gasped.

"You're the old man I helped in the street! And you healed Tikki when she was sick!"

"Indeed," the man said, nodding. "I am Master Fu, but I think you knew that. I have already met your friend here." He gestured to Alya.

The two girls followed Master Fu into the main room of his house. They took a seat on some woven mats and accepted the cups of tea he handed them. Tikki and Nooroo immediately flew out of Marinette's purse. They were joined by a little green turtle kwami.

"This is Wayzz," Master Fu explained, motioning to the green kwami, who bobbed his head in greeting. "Now, please explain what is going on. Through my meditations, I have sensed a shift in the balance. I am very worried."

Marinette and Alya re-told the story of the past week. After their explanation to the adults, this time was much clearer and made a lot more sense. Master Fu nodded at each point. He grew more and more troubled as the girls went on. Once they were finished, he sighed.

"I was young," he started. "I was young, and I was impatient. I was not as careful in choosing miraculous wielders. Wayzz tried to guide me as best he could, but I was not always eager to listen." He smiled warmly, as if remembering some such instance. Then his features sunk back into a frown.

"I chose a young man and a young women to be the next peacock and butterfly. Gabriel Agreste, and Emily Dausi.* They were young, but I was confident in my choice. The young man was a bit of a trouble maker, but very serious and sullen. The girl was quite well-behaved, but joyful and free spirited. She brought out the best in him. I thought it was an excellent match."

"It is not your fault master, it was an excellent match. How were we to know that she was to die young in battle? And how were we to know that Gabriel would react like he did?" Wayzz comforted. Master Fu sighed and stroked his chin.

"Very true. But I still feel as though the blame lies with me. Anyway, it happened as Wayzz said. The couple had married and had a child. But one day, a disaster struck. There was a serial killer running around in Paris. He had taken several people hostage. Emily knew she couldn't live with herself if she did nothing. Gabriel didn't want her to go. He didn't want to go. He told her to let the police handle it, and that they shouldn't ruin the happiness that the small family had."

"But she went anyway," breathed Marinette. "And she died, didn't she?"

"Yes." Master Fu bowed his head. "She saved the hostages, but she was mortally wounded. She managed to get back to her home. She died in Gabriel's arms. That moment changed him somehow. He was obsessed with getting her back. He eventually found an ancient book in Tibet. A book that explained how to bring her back using the two most powerful miraculous, the cat and the ladybug. He vowed to bring her back, no matter what the cost."

"And so he started using his powers to get our miraculous," Marinette finished. Master Fu nodded.

"He has the cat miraculous and the peacock miraculous, which could prove to be disastrous. But we have the butterfly miraculous. And we also have the rest of them," Master Fu told them.

"The rest of them?" Alya asked eagerly, her inner reporter taking over. Master Fu nodded and stood, walking over to an old phonograph that sat in the corner. He entered a very complex passcode that was beyond the girls' understanding and a box opened. In it were two miraculous. One was a yellow and black comb, and the other was a necklace very similar to Lila's. The fox and the bee miraculous.

"Wow," Alya said, looking in awe. Marinette wanted to reach out and touch them, but something prevented her from doing so. There was a strange power radiating off of them. Something that both scared and thrilled her.

"With them, we can defeat him. It will take every ounce of strength and courage we have. It will take lots of careful planning. But it might just be possible."

"So, what do we do first?" Marinette asked nervously.

"First," Wayzz said, fluttering up behind them, "We must find proper wielders for the last few miraculous. Our decision will have to be rushed, but we can't be hasty, if that makes sense."

"No, it doesn't," Alya confirmed. Master Fu smiled, turning to her.

"And you Alya, you seem to have quite the characteristics I look for in a miraculous user. You are brave, very loyal, and determined to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. You stand up to those who try and bring you and others down. You are very caring for those you consider friends, no matter how exasperating they can be at times." He winked at Marinette.

"You have your faults," Wayzz picked the speech back up. "You can be very rash when running into dangerous situations. You have an overwhelming instinct as a reporter, but I have no doubt that you can keep your identity and the identity of others safe. And it is already clear that you work well with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

The smile on Alya's face could not be matched. She grew more and more giddy as Master Fu and Wayzz went on.

"Are you saying-" she began in a whisper. Master Fu cut her off.

"That I would like you to receive a miraculous? Yes, I am. Nooroo, come over here," he ordered. The butterfly kwami flew over. "Nooroo here is also extremely loyal and willing to work hard. However, he is not quick to rush into battle, which will keep you from making hasty and rash decisions. Your main talent, Alya, is your ability to pick apart clues and build astonishing theories. Such talents would allow you to use the butterfly powers to make excellent champions. You two would be an ideal match."

Alya nearly screamed in excitement as Marinette withdrew the butterfly brooch from her bag. "Ladybug, would you like to do the honors?" Master Fu asked. Marinette nodded. She walked over and proudly pinned the brooch on Alya's shirt. Nooroo happily flapped his wings in excitement.

"Of course, I'm not going to call you Hawkmoth," Marinette said, smiling and shaking her head. "That sounds too gross and evil. I'll call you Papillon."

"Perfect," Master Fu agreed. Wayzz nodded.

"Oh…my….GOODNESS! I can't believe I'm a MIRACULOUS WEILDER! And I'll have super powers and everything! EEEEEEHHHH!"

Master Fu covered his ears ad Alya shrieked and jumped up and down. Marinette grimaced and Tikki, who tried to remain polite, couldn't help but wince slightly. Nooroo was too excited to care! He finally got to go back to the good old days when he wasn't forced to use his powers for evil! He started doing gymnastics in the air, flipping and twirling around.

Suddenly, Marinette's phone started ringing. She pressed the send button and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Marinette, we went to check on him and he wasn't there!" her mother's panicked voice came on the other end of the phone.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked, her heart starting to pound slightly.

"Adrien! We went upstairs just to make sure he was okay! We weren't going to wake him up or anything. But when we got there, he was gone!"

A/N: *Emily Agreste's maiden name 'Gaudi', is literally 'peacock' in Japanese.

Anyway I hoped you enjoyed that chapter! I took several reader requests into play with that one, and more will happen next chapter! If you ever have an idea or something you want to happen, be sure to review! Also, Sayuri says 'hi'! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Have a great day!

I made a small mistake in this chapter, so thanks to KaliAnn for pointing it out so I could fix it ;) Also, I know nothing about Batman or Superman, so forgive me if Alya and Nooroo's argument is completely flawed. It was meant to be ridiculous anyway ;)