Quicker than Marinette thought possible, the school day had ended. Jim hadn't called at lunch, probably because of something that came up, and was most likely asleep. But the young designer didn't quite have that luxury yet. She still had to see Tikki's friend.

"Okay, Tikki... who exactly is it that you need me to meet?" Marinette asked as she walked down the front steps of the school, and reached the sidewalk.

"The Great Guardian. He's the only human that I know who will have more information about the trolls," Tikki replied, much to Marinette's curiosity.

"Alright... where to?" Marinette questioned before she kept walking.

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Soon enough, Tikki had led her to a massage shop, where she stood in front of an apartment door on the top floor. She then opened the door, and saw an old man sitting on a rug in the middle of the room.

"Hello there Ladybug," The old man-dressed in familiar khakis, sandals, and a red Hawaiian shirt with white flowers-greeted as Marinette and Tikki walked/floated into the room.

"I know you never wanted me to bring her here. But something has changed and you must know right away! Tell him Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed as she filtered between the old man and Marinette as she spoke, settling back next to Marinette. But while Tikki was occupied, the designer finally got a good look at the man in front of her.

"Wait a minute, I've seen you before. You're the old man I helped on my first day back to school," Marinette noticed, recognising the man sitting in the middle of the room.

"So...I'm guessing that you're not really an ordinary old man, huh?" The designer questioned, seeing that there was more to this man than it seemed.

"Not really. And your first day of school was not a chance meeting either," The old man admitted as he remembered that day's events.

"Marinette, you are always ready to help others. I knew that day, you would make a fantastic Ladybug," He continued, stating the reasons as to why he chose Marinette. But it still wasn't enough of an answer for her.

"But, who are you?" Marinette asked, wanting to know more. The old man got up from the floor, and walked over to the gramophone behind him. The girl and her kwami followed him with rising curiosity.

Once he reached it, the man pressed the eyes of the decorative dragons, revealing a set of hidden buttons and pressed some of them, imputing a code. The gramophone then opened up, revealing a black wooden box with a red symbol on top, leaving Marinette speechless.

"Master Fu is the last known member of the Order of the Guardian," Tikki explained as she flew from Marinette's side and floated in front of her, introducing the man to Marinette.

"Guardians of the Miraculous," A voice continued, causing Marinette to see Wayzz fly out of the gramophone's horn and float in front of the old man

"I'm Wayzz, Master Fu's kwami. It's a pleasure to meet you Marinette," The turtle kwami introduced as he floated closer to Marinette, causing the girl to back up a bit in surprise.

"Uh, you too,"Marinette greeted with a nervous smile, a little taken aback by Wayzz's excitement.

"We guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the miraculous. For the good of all humanity," Master Fu began as he lifted the box out of the gramophone, and opened it to reveal the remaining two miraculous inside.

"We are chosen in childhood, and trained for many years, especially for this mission. But when we were much, much younger, we... no, I made a mistake. The Guardians temple was destroyed, all because of me," The Guardian revealed as he vividly remembered his time in the Order of the Guardians, both the good and bad memories.

"Two of the miraculous were lost that day. The Butterfly, and the Peacock," Master Fu explained as he pointed to the respective empty spots in the box, where the two miraculous would have sat. But all of this left Marinette speechless... which didn't last very long.

"We've all made mistakes. Lord knows I've had my fair share. All that matters is how we go on from there," Marinette comforted with a smile, making him return her kindness with a small laugh as he put the Miracle Box back into the gramophone.

"Now, why is it that Tikki was so insistent that you met me?" Master Fu asked.

"It's a long story." Marinette sighed.

"Sit, we can talk about it right now." Master Fu said as he gestured to a small table to the side of the room. Marinette then walked over to the table and sat down, with him soon sitting across from her. Once he was comfortable, he grabbed the teapot sitting on the table. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" the old man asked as he poured Marinette and himself some tea, Wayzz and Tikki sitting down on a small table in the middle of the bigger table. Like their holders, they poured themselves some tea into tiny cups and waited for the conversation to start.

"Well... how much did the Guardians tell you about trolls before the temple fell?" Marinette questioned as she gently took the cup of tea in front of her and held it in her hands. Master Fu's eyes widened at the question.

"Why would you want to know?" Master Fu asked with a raised eyebrow as he grabbed his own tea cup.

"Please answer the question." Marinette almost begged, holding her cup tighter as her voice became desperate. If not for her brother's life on the line, she would have been a bit more dignified when asking. Thankfully, Master Fu relented.

"I assume Tikki has told you a fair bit already?" Master Fu asked, prompting Marinette to nod in confirmation of his query and allowing him to continue. "I know only as much as the guardians taught me. We learned about multiple mythical creatures due to them having a corresponding Miraculous in different Miracle Boxes. But the one mythical creature we learned about the most was the trolls, due to them being Miraculous holders themselves." the Guardian began to explain, telling of how he knew about the ancient race as well as an interesting tidbit for later use.

"What else did you learn?" Marinette asked as she took a sip of her tea, hoping to get him to reveal more.

"We learned as much history about them as the kwami's know about. We learned that before he banished the Eldritch Queen, the wizard Merlin had studied the Miraculous, even using them as inspiration for creating the Amulet of Daylight." Master Fu explained before taking a sip of tea and going back to his tale. "And before the Battle of Killahead, when he was last heard from, Merlin had a hand in the selection of the few trolls that received some of the Miraculous, creating a team the Trollhunter could work with to defend humanity and Trollkind." the old master continued, revealing a detail Tikki hadn't mentioned earlier and leaving Marinette in thoughtful wonder.

"However, the peace after Killahead didn't last long. A year later, everything changed when the Janus Order executed what is commonly referred to as, the Battle of Two Orders, a clash between them and the Guardians." The Guardian explained before taking another sip of tea.

"What's the Janus Order?" Marinette asked, seeing yet another source of information to learn about, taking another sip of tea.

"The Janus Order is an organisation of trolls loyal to Gunmar, whom I'm sure you heard about from Tikki, whose mission is to free him from his prison in the Darklands. They targeted the Miraculous Holders helping the Trollhunters, gathering forces to attack them even before that day." the old master continued.

"It included finding ways to cause clashes between groups of humans and the Holders, especially the Trolls, poisoning them and other dreadful ways to destroy them. They were unsuccessful in causing any major losses until the Battle of Two Orders." Master Fu explained, only for Marinette's eyes to narrow slightly. There was something he was hiding, but she didn't want to pry.

'Don't want to make a bad impression.' Marinette thought to herself. "So what happened that day?" the designer asked, hoping to get more information.

'This was where Tikki had stopped talking about the Troll Miraculous Holders, so I need to know what happened.' the designer thought.

"From what I've learnt, it was when the Janus Order decided to launch an attack against the Guardians Temple. The Miraculous Holders at the time, both human and Troll, were called in to defend against them. But in the chaos of ten-to-one odds against them, Metamorphosis, the Troll Butterfly Miraculous Holder at the time, was slain in battle, with many others as well." Master Fu revealed. Marinette gasped in shock and put her cup down, covering her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god. What happened?" Marinette softly asked, now needing to know what had managed to kill a miraculous holder.

"He had taken a hit for Sphinx, who I'm sure you've heard of from Tikki, and saved her life. No one really knows who tried to attack Sphinx, but she didn't take it very well when Metamorphosis died." Master Fu explained. The new information made Marinette's eyebrow rise as she grabbed her cup to keep her hands occupied.

"Why would she be so affected? I mean, she must have been friends with him, but still." Marinette asked, not understanding why Sphinx had reacted the way she had.

"Well, it's understandable since we were taught that Sphinx and Metamorphosis were in love. In fact, they were engaged to be married from what I've been told. So when he died, as well as most of her allies, she became mad with grief, destroying many enemy forces." Master Fu explained, leaving Marinette at the edge of her seat. "But once the battle was over, only Red Scarab and Sphinx were left, so the Guardians took the Miraculous from them in light of the massive death count to not only protect the Miraculous but also the Trolls from any more unnecessary death." the guardian lamented, his face displaying his heavy heart before continuing.

"However, Sphinx was less eager to do so and disappeared afterwards. It wasn't until centuries later that it was discovered that she had joined the Janus Order... which resulted in Red Scarb's death." Master Fu said, frowning as he looked over at Marinette and saw her conflicted stare. But she quickly shook it off and gave the old man a determined nod.

"Please, don't stop, I have to know what happened. I don't mean to dredge up an old wound of Tikki's, but she didn't want to talk about it yesterday and something is telling me that this is important to know." Marinette confessed, hoping to finally get an answer to the burning question in her mind. Fortunately, it seemed to be enough to sway Master Fu to grant her request.

"It was after her Miraculous was revoked and a few decades following Kanjigar becoming the Trollhunter. Red Scarb became a frequently called upon ally of the Guardians after that day, which led to her and her husband being called on for a mission towards the end of the 30 Years War. The Janus Order had used the chaos that wrecked the German lands to expand their presence across humanity, so they went to investigate the matter and resolve it alongside a company of guardians and ally Trolls." Master Fu regaled, his tone getting heavier the deeper he went into the events of that particular day.

"But no one could have guessed that Sphinx would have ambushed the group, managing to get through the most skilled of the Guardians and Kanjigar himself.... To kill Red Scarb in cold blood." the old Guardian revealed, finally telling Marientte what Tikki couldn't tell her yesterday and leaving her speechless.

The pigtailed girl looked down at Tikki as she teared up at the Guardian's words, immediately putting down her cup and picking up her kwami, holding her to her eye level.

"Is that why you couldn't talk about it yesterday?" Marinette asked as Tikki wiped her tears away, and looked up at her holder with anger in her eyes.

"Sphinx quickly disappeared after that and no one has heard anything about her since. But if she ever comes back, I will personally see to it that she will suffer for her crimes." Tikki seethed, showing more anger than anyone thought possible of the tiny kwami. Not that anyone could blame her, she lost her holder to someone who they thought was their friend. Who wouldn't be angry?

"But I do have to ask again... why do you want to know about Trolls?" The old Guardian asked, once more raising his eyebrow as he started to sip on his tea. Now that he explained what he knew, Master Fu had to know why Marinette wanted to know as soon as possible. Unable to delay the inevitable, Marinette sighed and placed her kwami back on the table, looking down at her hands as she mentally prepared herself.

"It's about my brother, Jim." Marinette answered, taking the old man by surprise. To say that was new to him was an understatement.

"You have a brother?" Master Fu asked, curious about this new development.

"Half-brother. It's a long story, but I'm asking because..." Marinette trailed off, taking a deep breath before looking up back at the guardian. "...my brother has just been chosen to become the Trollhunter." Marinette continued, causing Master Fu's eyes to widen before he did a spit-take, not believing what he had heard.

"What did you say?!" Master Fu coughed out, shocked by this new development. 'This... changes everything.' the guardian thought to himself in shock.

"Yeah, I was shocked when I heard it too. But that's why Tikki was insistent I meet with you," Marinette explained, prompting Master Fu's eyes to turn from wide in shock, to narrowed in seriousness.

"She was right. Due to this development, you needed to come to me. I can teach you new ways to use your powers. And I have knowledge of many martial arts I can share with you if your brother's new line of work comes to rear its head here in Paris." Master Fu revealed, piquing Marinette's interest. It was a good offer, but there was one little thing that Marinette needed to consider.

"What about Chat Noir? He needs to know about the trolls, and you." Marinette asked, taking in the fact that her partner should be in the loop too.

"It is not the right time for him to know. And I honestly don't think it's important that he knows." Master Fu dismissed as he took the last sip from the cup, while Marinette's eyes widened at his words.

"What do you mean? Of course, he should know. If Trollkind's problems do come around in Paris, I will need his help. I trust, and need my partner... more than others think I do." Marinette argued, trying to get him to see that it was the most logical choice.

"I know you think you do, but you are much stronger than you think. With proper training, you could be your brother's greatest ally, and he yours when his training is complete." Master Fu reasoned to get Marinette to see that it wasn't the right time for Chat Noir to know. But when it comes to Marinette, first impression or not... she would not let anyone talk bad about those she cares about.

"I would have quit if it wasn't for Chat Noir. Heck, I did quit till I saw that I couldn't sit by and do nothing. But while everyone else turned me away from my mistake, he stood by my side, despite my mistake of not capturing the akuma." Marinette revealed, telling the old man what happened on that fateful day. "He might be a little annoying in regards to his comedic timing and constant flirting, but he is the most loyal, caring and hard-working person I know. I won't stand by and let him stay in the dark, if it means he might get killed because of it." the designer went on, trailing off to the qualities she admired about her partner before focusing on the conversation again.

"From what I know, Trollkind's threats are much more dangerous than Hawkmoth will ever be, and I won't ever allow him to be defenceless against them. He should know about you, the history of the Miraculous and the Trolls, and train him like how you will train me. And if you refuse, well... I guess you'll have to find another Ladybug." Marinette threatened, making her ultimatum. Tikki, Wayzz and Master Fu gasped at her words.

But he could see now... he had no choice. It was either relenting to let Chat Noir in, or he would have to find a new Ladybug, and in turn, a new Chat Noir if he quit because Marinette did. And if what Marinette said was true, he would most likely do so.

"Alright. I shall talk to him." Master Fu relented. Marinette smiled at his words, grateful he was listening to her. "Tomorrow." The old guardian said, making her smile fall.

'Okay, looks like he needs a little more of a push.' the designer thought to herself. "You will tell him today. And then tell him to meet me at the Eiffel Tower afterwards. I plan on talking to him about this." Marinette instructed, laying out another term Master Fu couldn't avoid. If Chat Noir didn't show up, she would know that Master Fu didn't tell him about what they talked about, and that would not do any of them any good.

"Very well. I will send Wayzz to tell Chat Noir to come here." Master Fu relented, not that she gave him much of a choice.

"Thank you." Marinette said, grateful for him allowing this to happen.

"Now you might want to return home. I'm sure you have homework to work on, isn't it correct?" Master Fu questioned.

"Yes. I better get going." Marinette realized as she stood up from her seat. Master Fu copied her and stood up as well, with their kwami's following in suit as they walked to the door.

"I hope to see you again soon to start your training, Marinette." Master Fu said, as he opened the door, and gestured to the hallway on the other side.

"You will. Goodbye Master Fu." Marinette farewelled as she and Tikki passed through the doorway and waved goodbye. She then reached for the door handle and closed it behind her, leaving Master Fu and Wayzz in the room, alone.

"Master, are you sure this is a good idea? It might be too soon for Adrien to know about us, let alone Trollkind." Wayzz questioned as he looked at his holder while the old man walked back to the table they had just occupied.

"This will be the only way to keep Marinette from quitting. She and Adrien are the only defense against Hawkmoth, and we can be sure that the threats of Old will show themselves again. Now that Marinette's brother is the Trollhunter, they will target her just to get to him. And she is right... it's better to have both of them prepared for the possibility." Master Fu argued as he sat back down, relieving his back from his weight. He might have been a superhero once before, but he definitely wasn't one now.

"So, do you want me to fly to Plagg's owner and get him to come?" Wayzz asked as he flew closer to Master Fu, eager to bring Adrien to the apartment.

"It's not like she gave me a choice. Might as well do this as soon as possible. You may bring them here." Master Fu allowed, giving Wayzz all he needed to fly through the window and head straight to Adrien's house, leaving Master Fu, all alone.

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(Time Skip)

An hour later, Wayzz had gotten to Adrien's house, met up with the boy and his kwami, and left after he told Plagg that Master Fu wanted to see them. After a period of initial confusion from Adrien, Plagg had led him to a massage shop.

Once he stood in front of the apartment door, Adrien opened it up and saw Master Fu sitting on the rug. Exactly how he had greeted Marinette earlier.

"Hello there, Chat Noir." Master Fu greeted as Adrien and Plagg walked/floated into the room.

"I must admit Fu, I would have thought you'd wait a seriously long time before summoning us to introduce yourself to Adrien. This is a surprise." Plagg admitted as he floated in the air in a reclined position next to Adrien, all while the model got a good look at the man in front of him.

"Wait a minute, I recognise you. You're the old man I helped from the ground on my first day back to school." Adrien exclaimed when he recognised the man in the middle of the room. "So...I'm guessing that you're not really an ordinary old man, huh?" The model asked with a nervous smile.

"No, I am not. And that day was not a chance meeting." The old man answered with a small smile. "Adrien, you are always ready to help others, even at your own expense. I knew that day, you would make an amazing Black Cat." Master Fu revealed, stating one of the many reasons as to why he chose Adrien for the role of the Black Cat Miraculous. But much like with Marinette, it still wasn't enough of an answer for Adrien.

"But, who are you?" Adrien asked, wanting to know more. Much like before, Master Fu got up from the floor, and walked over to the gramophone behind him as the boy and his kwami followed him. Once Master Fu reached it, he repeated what he had done before, and the gramophone opened up, revealing the Miracle Box and leaving Adrien speechless.

"Master Fu's the last known member of the Order of the Guardians." Plagg revealed as he flew to float in front of Adrien and introduced the old man in front of him.

"Guardians of the Miraculous." Wayzz continued as he flew out from behind Fu. The kwami's action made Adrien look for the source of the familiar voice, and see the kwami fly out and float in front of the old man.

"As I said before, I'm Wayzz. It's a pleasure to properly meet you, Adrien." The little kwami greeted as he floated closer to Adrien, causing the boy to smile at the kwami's excitement.

"You too, Wayzz." Adrien replied, finding Wayzz's excitement enjoyable.

"We guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the miraculous. For the good of all humanity." Master Fu began as he lifted the box out of the gramophone, and opened it to reveal the remaining two miraculous on the top section like before. "We are chosen in childhood, and trained for many years, especially for this mission. But when I was much, much younger... I made a mistake. The Guardian's temple was destroyed, all because of me." the Guardian revealed for the second time that day.

"Two of the miraculous were lost that day. The Butterfly, and the Peacock." Master Fu continued as he pointed to the corresponding spots in the box like he had done with Marinette earlier. All of this left Adrien speechless... but not for long.

"We all make mistakes, I know I've made quite a few. But all that matters is how we go on from there." Adrien assured, not knowing that Marinette had said something along the same lines earlier. The old master only softly laughed to himself as he put the Miracle Box back into the gramophone.

"You're right. Now, I should probably tell you why I was so insistent that you meet me." Master Fu realized, knowing Adrien was wondering why he was called on in the first place.

"Yes, why did you want me to come here?" Adrien questioned, just like Master Fu assumed. He then led Adrien to the table, which he, Marinette, and their kwami had occupied earlier, and they sat down. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" the green-eyed boy asked as Master Fu poured the boy and himself some tea while Wayzz tried to do the same for Plagg. But the black cat wouldn't go for it, finding the tea much too pleasant smelling for his tastes.

"Well... how much do you know about Trolls?" Master Fu questioned as he gently took the cup of tea in front of him and held it in his hands. Adrien's eyes widened at the question.

"Why would you want to know?" Adrien asked with a raised eyebrow as he grabbed his own tea cup.

"Please answer the question." Master Fu pressed, holding his cup tighter as his voice became serious. 'Hopefully, I didn't make a bad first impression.' the old man thought to himself. But thankfully, Adrien relented.

"Not much. The only knowledge I have is from fairy tales my mother read to me as a child. But nothing else. Why?" Adrien admitted, even if he basically thought Trolls were myths.

"What if I were to tell you... that Trolls exist?" Master Fu questioned, making Adrien laugh at the question.

"Yeah right. Like that's true!" Adrien chuckled, only to see all but him were not laughing, and instead have adopted serious expressions on their faces. "Oh, you're serious? Trolls actually exist?" The model asked, seeing that the others were taking the question seriously. So he just shut his mouth, and grabbed his cup, waiting for Master Fu to take it from there.

"Yes, I assume Plagg has not told you anything about Trolls?" Master Fu questioned. Adrien only shook his head while he turned to glare at the black kwami on his shoulder, confirming his query. "It's alright, he didn't need to tell you. But I know only as much as the guardians taught me. We learned about many mythical creatures due to them having a corresponding Miraculous in different Miracle Boxes. But the one mythical creature we learned about the most was the trolls." The old man explained for the second time that day.

"What else did you learn about them?" Adrien asked as he took a sip of tea, hoping to get him to reveal more.

"We learned as much history about them as the kwami's passed on to us. It all started almost 2 millennia ago..." Master Fu began as he started to explain all he knew about the hidden race of mythical creatures. The old master then told Adrien all about the conflict between humans and Trolls, the rise of Gunmar, the Battle of Killahead, the birth of Merlin's champion, the Trollhunter and the chosen team of Trolls gifted with Miraculous.

While the boy had many questions that were answered by the Guardian, to say he was shocked to learn about Red Scarab and Sphinx not being romantically involved was an understatement. He would need to process all of that when he was back at home.

But he also learned about how most of Troll Miraculous holders were nearly wiped out, and how Adrien's predecessor had betrayed them all by joining the Janus Order and killing Red Scarab. The reveal of that little bit of information made Adrien gasp in shock, and look down at Plagg, whose ears were dropping at the Guardian's words. The boy immediately put down his cup, picked up his kwami and held him to his eye level.

"Plagg, is that true?" Adrien asked, readjusting his hands to hold Plagg with one hand and pet his head with his free hand, getting a purr out of him.

"It is. I hope she had some sort of reason... but that doesn't mean I'll forgive her. Sphinx's actions broke Tikki's heart and she didn't move on until a century later. Even now, I am quite certain she still has a vendetta against her." Plagg admitted as a few tears slipped from his eyes.

Despite his harsh words, he cared about his past holder and was deeply hurt by her betrayal. But that was all Adrien needed to not push anymore and set Plagg back on the table before he looked back at the guardian.

"Why are you telling me this?" Adrien asked, wanting to know how all of this had any relevance to what was happening in Paris.

"Because the Trollhunter has died and a new one has been chosen." Master Fu answered, making Adrien think back to some of what he had said earlier.

"You had said earlier that Kanjigar was the Trollhunter. Does that mean someone had killed him?" Adrien questioned, hoping to learn more about this ancient race.

"As far as I know, there are only a few humans who think trolls exist. But amongst Trollkind, many forces would benefit from the Trollhunter dying. One of which would be Bular," Master Fu explained, which further hooked Adrien's attention.

"Who's that?" Adrien asked.

"He's Gunmar's son. When his father and his soldiers were imprisoned he got left behind and has been working to free his father. He must have killed Kanjigar the morning the new Trollhunter found the amulet, otherwise he would have taken it." Master Fu answered, once more confusing Adrien.

"Why couldn't he just take it? If that was Hawkmoth, he would have done it without question." Adrien pointed out, thinking he had missed something.

"Trolls, even Gumm-Gumm's are not able to walk in sunlight, otherwise they would be turned to stone, and die. So Kanjigar must have sacrificed himself to keep the amulet away from Bular, and then the new Trollhunter found it." Master Fu explained.

"That explains that. But why are you telling me all of this?" Adrien asked, causing Master Fu to smile a bit.

"Because Ladybug came to me earlier, and revealed that she is close with the new Trollhunter, who told her about his new role." Master Fu responded, making Adrien's eyes widen.

'Milady's now involved with the new Trollhunter? Now that's something I need to know more about.' the model thought to himself. "What do you mean, 'she's friends with the new Trollhunter.'? Does that mean that..." Adrien began.

"Yes, the possibility of threats from Trollkind, who will come to Paris in an attempt to get to the Trollhunter through Ladybug, is now very high." Master Fu interrupted, not quite answering the question Adrien had yet to finish. But he decided to put a pin in that since Master Fu still needed to say more.

"Admittedly, I didn't want to say anything to you to keep you out of the loop so you'd be safe. But Ladybug was insistent that I tell you, knowing that you would be defenceless to these threats if I didn't train you as well as her. She claimed that she would not allow you to be kept in the dark. She even threatened to quit if I didn't tell you." the guardian admitted, making Adrien start to tear up at his words.

'Ladybug had defended me against the Guardian? She did that for me? Maybe there's hope for a romantic relationship yet.' the model gushed in his thoughts. "She said that?" Adrien asked, moved that Ladybug had done that for him.

"Yes, and she asked me to tell you to meet her at the Eiffel Tower. She said you two have more to talk about after what I've told you." Master Fu finished, relaying what Marinette had asked him to do earlier.

"I guess I better get going then." Adrien proclaimed as he stood up from his seat, with Plagg following suit.

"Yes. Good luck Adrien." Master Fu said as the boy walked to the window, and opened it before saying...

"Plagg, Claws Out!" The bot exclaimed before transforming into Chat Noir. He then leapt out of the window and headed toward the Eiffel Tower. Once he left, Master Fu walked over to the open window and reached to close it.

"Now it is up to them." Master Fu whispered to himself as he closed the window, watching as Chat Noir made his way to the monument.

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(Time Skip)

Over at the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug sat on the top of the iron spire, overlooking the city below her. After she had gotten her homework done, she raced to the tower to not miss Chat Noir after he talked with Master Fu. She wanted to make it clear to him that they were a team... that she trusted him.

And soon enough, her patience was rewarded when she saw Chat climbing up the tower toward her. Ladybug smiled to herself as she looked down at the boy in black as he was just below her perch, and stood up to bend over the edge.

"I'm assuming you've met Master Fu, considering you're here?" Ladybug asked as she extended her hand to Chat Noir. The boy looked up and smiled as he took it, allowing her to pull him up onto the platform.

"Yep, and he told me alot. Both about the Miraculous, and that apparently Trolls exist. He also told me that you defended me against him. Are you sure you and I aren't made for each other?" Chat Noir asked with a grin, making Ladybug roll her eyes at his cockiness.

"Had I known you'd react like this, I wouldn't have done so," Ladybug groaned as she rolled her eyes at his behavior, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and turned away from him.

'Leave it to Chat Noir to ruin a moment,' the spotted heroine thought to herself.

"But seriously, why did you do that for me?" Chat Noir asked, still not understanding why she did that, especially since she doesn't seem to like him in the way he likes her. At his words, Ladybug turned to face him.

"You're my partner, Chat Noir. You might annoy me at times, but you've always been there for me since the beginning. I would never want to see you hurt, especially when these new threats come knocking on our doorstep. The only way we can defeat them is by doing it together," Ladybug assured, making Chat Noir smile at her words. Looks like they really were a great duo.

"Thank you, M'Lady. That truly means alot to me," Chat Noir gushed, right before Ladybug sat down on the ledge of the platform, and patted the spot next to her.

"You're welcome. Now I think I should explain a few things," Ladybug realized as Chat Noir walked over and sat down next to her, both looking out at the city below.

"You can start by telling me how you know the new Trollhunter," Chat Noir said, looking away from the city and back over at Ladybug.

"For personal reasons, I can't share his name. But I can say he and I are very close," Ladybug began, telling her side of this situation.

"Fair enough on keeping his name private, but exactly how close are you? Are you two... dating perhaps?" Chat Noir asked, trying to make sense of this mysterious person his lady knew. Ladybug's eyes widened at the question, an expression of disgust on her face, before she bursted out in laughter.

"You really... think that me... and him are... dating?" Ladybug managed to say through her laughter, not believing he actually thought that was a possibility, making the boy in black a little confused. Thankfully for him, Ladybug calmed down from her bout of laughing.

"Sorry about that. But no... me and the new Trollhunter are not, and have not ever dated. We've been close friends forever, so he's basically like a brother to me," Ladybug revealed, telling him of her relation to the new Trollhunter, but not revealing exactly how close they were. Good thing for her, the answer was enough for Chat Noir.

"Oh, okay. Sorry about the assumption," Chat Noir sighed, feeling relieved that he still had a chance. Ladybug only fondly shook her head at his antics.

"It's alright. To be fair, a lot of people could make that assumption without all the facts," Ladybug reassured, looking back at the city with a somber look.

"Something tells me that there is something you're worried about. Care to share?" Chat Noir asked as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. With a sigh, she looked back at him.

"What I'm about to say, has nothing against you, but... I'm a little worried about what Fu had said about Red Scarab and Sphinx," Ladybug admitted, causing Chat Noir's eyes to narrow at her words.

"What do you mean?" Chat noir asked, not quite seeing what Ladybug had meant.

"What I mean is... they were best friends, but they ended up being enemies, with Sphinx killing Scarab. What if that happens to us? I'm not saying that I think it will happen, but you never know. Things can change at the drop of a hat," Ladybug elaborated, bringing up a valid concern as she pulled up her legs to her chest.

'She's right. We don't know what will happen in the future,' the hero in black thought. But what Chat Noir did know was...

"You have a valid reason to be worried. I know I am when hearing about what happened between them. And who knows how many other Black Cats and Ladybugs have ended badly. But one thing I do know... is that we won't be like them," Chat Noir reassured as he turned Ladybug to face him, making her put her legs down, and face him.

"It's scary, yes. But we now know about them, and can find out more later on, so we can learn from them and be a better team. We can do this, if we stick together," the hero in black finished, once more showing off his hidden talent of knowing just what to say in any situation. Just like when they faced Stoneheart. Ladybug smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. A second later, he hugged her back.

"What's this for?" Chat Noir asked with a chuckle as she held onto him tighter.

"Just a 'Thank you' for always being there for me. I don't know where I'd be without you," Ladybug admitted, making Chat Noir blush at her words before he hugged her tighter.

"Like you said, we're partners, and always will be." Chat Noir said as he continued to hug Ladybug. A few seconds later they broke the hug and turned to look back out at the city.

"So... what do we do now that your friend is the Trollhunter?" Chat Noir asked as the sun started to set on the horizon, painting the city with bright orange and yellows.

"We don't do anything unless it comes to us. I'm always in contact with him, so he'll warn us of any dangers coming our way. Until then or if he does need help, we stay neutral," Ladybug said as she looked at the setting sun, knowing that while she'll always help her brother, she did have a duty to Paris first.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's just hope that it doesn't come too soon," Chat Noir stated as he leaned back and used his arms to support his weight, looking out at the view the two of them had.

"We can only hope," Ladybug sighed as she remained in her spot, staring out at the city. At the moment, they didn't have much to worry about, but they now knew things were only going to get tougher.

All they could do now... was wait.