Chapter Text
Since the incident with the book she had - temporarily - stolen from Adrien, Marinette had become accustomed to visiting Master Fu.
She regularly came to him to inquire about his progress in the decoding of the precious book, to formulate various hypotheses about the next attacks of Hawkmoth, or simply to talk about her role as heroine. For her part, Tikki was always happy to go to the old man. While her friend was chatting with Master Fu, she took the opportunity to spend time with Wayzz.
But despite these frequent visits, Marinette did not know how to contact the Great Guardian other than by going directly to his home.
So, each time, she dropped by unannounced.
And each time, she found him either ready to welcome her over a cup of tea, or apologizing for not being able to receive her immediately.
Marinette did not know if Master Fu guessed instinctively that she was going to come to his house, but he was never absent on the days when she decided to consult him. Never, absolutely never.
This is why, when she found the door closed one day, the girl was overcome by a strange feeling of unease. The sixth sense - or the seventh, eighth, whatever - that Master Fu seemed to have had for once failed.
Struggling with the unpleasant feeling that something abnormal was at work, Marinette returned home.
"He was probably out shopping," she confided to Tikki once they had both returned to her room. "These are things that happen. We just weren't lucky today. "
"Yes," her kwami approved in her little high-pitched voice. “Don't worry, Marinette. I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow. "
But the next day, when she returned, Marinette once again found the apartment empty of any occupants.
As well as the day after.
And after a week, after going daily to Master Fu's house and inquiring in vain in the neighborhood, the girl came to a chilling conclusion.
The Great Guardian had disappeared.
It took Marinette another day before she decided to tell Chat Noir. A long and exhausting day spent canvassing the area from one end to the other, going around all the shops in the area to question the owners, coming back to knock every hour on Master Fu's door in the hope that he finally opens it.
Each passing minute only increased the girl's concern a little more. Of course, Master Fu was the guardian of the knowledge specific to the miraculouses and of the precious jewels in question. But in addition, Marinette had ended up attaching herself to this eccentric old man who had once decreed that she was worthy of being a heroine.
She hoped with all her heart that nothing bad had happened to him, like an accident or a faintness.
Or even worse, like an abduction by Hawkmoth.
An unexpected encounter with a client of the Great Guardian ended up sealing the girl’s anxieties. This man whom she had seen waiting nearly half an hour in front of Master Fu's door told her that he had an appointment with the latter and that he had not been informed of any absence.
This seemingly innocuous fact only confirmed to Marinette a little more that something abnormal was at work. It was not the old man's habit to ignore his clients like this, and even Tikki agreed that under normal circumstances the Great Guardian would never have left without at least taking the time to cancel his appointments.
Finally, admitting to having been temporarily defeated, Marinette transformed and sent a brief message to her teammate asking him to join her as soon as possible.
"The great what?” Chat Noir exclaimed, giving his teammate a surprised look.
"The Great Guardian," Ladybug repeated patiently.
Sitting on top of a roof, the girl tried to present the situation to her partner as clearly as possible.
She sketched out a quick portrait of Master Fu, spoke of the preponderant role he had played in their respective careers and, finally, vehemently insisted on this sudden absence which seemed anything but natural.
No one, absolutely no one seemed to know what had happened of the Great Guardian.
Neither Tikki, nor the old man's neighbours, nor the shopkeepers he used to go to, nor especially the people he had an appointment with.
With a passion fed by the anguish that had gnawed at her for too many days already, Ladybug hammered that finding Master Fu was now an absolute urgency. The thought that something terrible had happened to him and that the miraculouses he was guarding had potentially fallen into the wrong hands made her blood run cold.
They needed to find out what had happened.
Imperatively.
"And are you sure he's really gone?" Chat Noir asked dubiously. "He didn't go for a walk around the neighbourhood or something?" "
"I'm sure," Ladybug replied in a firm voice. “No one has seen him for more than a week. A week, Chat! I just visited him two days before and he never told me about any trip. Even his neighbours don't know where he's been! One day he was there, and the next morning he was gone. "
Eyes sparkling with fierce conviction, the girl leaned towards her teammate.
“In other circumstances, I probably won't worry so much. But here we are talking about Master Fu. From the guardian of the miraculouses,” she hammered with absolute certainty. "You know as well as I am how dangerous it can be to have these jewels in your possession. "
Now convinced, Chat Noir silently nodded. He knew too well how much the miraculouses could stir up lust. Without even bothering to think for more than fifteen seconds, he could easily have cited a dozen people who would have been delighted to get their hands on these objects of power.
But naturally, one name in particular stood out from all the others in his mind.
A name, which imposed itself on him with such force that he could not ignore it.
"Do you think Hawkmoth is behind all of this?" He blurted out in a worried voice.
"I hope not," Ladybug replied with a shudder of anguish. “I really hope not. "
For the rest of the afternoon, the two teenagers toured all the hospitals and clinics in the area, looking in vain for a trace of the Great Guardian. Both hoped that their hero status would be enough to loosen tongues and allow them to learn information that might enlighten them about what had happened to the old man, but to no avail.
Finally, after hours of unsuccessful interrogations, the two teenagers agreed to stop their investigations there. It was late, and it was unlikely that they would learn anything new at this time.
After one last talk, they separated, promising to meet again the next day to resume their research.
“See you tomorrow, my Lady!” Chat Noir greeted, propelling himself to a nearby rooftop.
"See you tomorrow, kitty," Ladybug replied back.
Turning her back to her partner, the girl moved away. She deftly wrapped her yo-yo around a chimney and jumped forward, rocking from building to building with skill born of long practice. She thus travelled several tens of meters, before finally dropping to the bottom of a small deserted alley.
After making sure with a quick glance that no one was going to see her, the teenager transformed back and looked down at the small bag she never parted with.
"We didn't find anything," she whispered to Tikki in a tense voice. “I thought people might talk more easily to Ladybug than to Marinette, but nothing. He really disappeared."
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find out what happened to him in the end," Tikki replied in a tone that was meant to be reassuring, but without succeeding in completely concealing her concern. "You and Chat Noir are just beginning your investigation, you will surely find something! Someone must know what happened. "
"Yes, I hope so..." Marinette sighed resignedly. “But I don't like it. I really don't like it. I wish I had found even one little clue! I feel like I'm completely useless! "
"Do you want to take one last walk around the neighbourhood before you go home, to see if you spot anything abnormal?" Tikki suggested.
Nervously biting her lower lip, Marinette nodded mechanically.
"Yes," she approved in a whisper. “I think I'll do this. "
Then, without wasting another moment, she walked out of the alley and went to Master Fu's building.
Elegantly perched atop a chimney, Chat Noir gazed around.
Knowing that the person in charge of the miraculouses was now missing did not reassure the boy, and Ladybug's anguish had proved to be extraordinarily contagious. Too worried to go straight home, Chat Noir had finally decided to take a last look around the neighbourhood to see if he could spot anything suspicious.
But in vain.
The hero was about to go home when suddenly his night vision captured a very familiar figure. That of a girl with dark hair divided in two pigtails, which he crossed every day or so.
Marinette's.
Chat Noir instinctively shook his head in denial, refusing for a brief moment to believe his eyes. Impossible. It was absolutely impossible. At such a late hour, his classmate had absolutely no reason to find herself wandering the streets of Paris like this. He must have been hallucinating from spending too much time watching the surroundings, from a lack of sleep or from a sudden delusional fever.
Closing his eyes to try to chase away this incredible mirage, Chat Noir took a deep breath, then slowly reopened his eyelids.
And immediately, his gaze was again caught by this teenager he recognized too well.
Marinette.
Without the slightest possible doubt.
Mouth unpleasantly dry, Chat Noir leaned forward to better follow his comrade’s wanderings. It was certainly just a simple walk, he tried desperately to convince himself. A night walk, a day before a school day, with twists and turns in the most improbable alleys...
But quickly, Chat Noir must have come to terms with the idea that he was now witnessing anything but an innocent stroll in the moonlight. He who had desperately searched for something strange during this crazy day was now being rewarded in a very cruel way.
Marinette was the cutest, most adorable girl he knew.
Or at least, that he thought he knew.
Because at this precise moment, it was clear that Marinette's attitude was anything but natural.
His classmate was now venturing into alleys that he himself would not have dared to walk in broad daylight, while glancing furtively around her as if for fear of being recognized.
With his stomach in a knot, Chat Noir watched the girl for long minutes.
In this dark case of disappearance, he could certainly have dealt with any suspect. Chloe. Mr. Damocles. Even Alya. But Marinette? He refused to believe it.
Ultimately deciding that he couldn't continue without confiding in his kwami, Chat Noir took cover in the shade of a building and transformed back. He had already done the same earlier in the day to discuss with Plagg the mysterious absence of the Great Guardian.
Now it was time to talk about Marinette.
"Plagg, what the hell is she doing here?" He whispered in an almost imploring voice.
Hopefully his kwami might see a logical explanation for this situation, the meaning of which was still eluding him.
But alas, the hopes of the young man were quickly dashed.
"Who knows," Plagg replied with the most perfect indifference. “Maybe she's out for a walk. Maybe she's s for shopping. Maybe she kidnaps old people to smuggle old people. How do you want me to know? "
"Thanks for your help," Adrien retorted sarcastically.
"Hey, you're the hero," Plagg replied with a haughty little snort. "I give you your powers, you do the rest. "
As a defeated look painted on Adrien's features, the kwami finally seemed to take pity on the boy.
"Just go and see for yourself what it is, as Adrien," he said in an encouraging voice. “Maybe there is something that you missed from above. Maybe it’s nothing serious. "
As the boy continued to discuss with his kwami the best approach to take, a soft pink glow appeared unbeknownst to him a few streets away, just before a slim figure soared up to the rooftops.
And as Adrien began to wander through the streets of the capital, a young heroine who was preparing to go home until then looked at him in astonishment.
"... Adrien? "