46. Chapter 46

"How is it going, Mister Fu?" Adrien greeted, flashing his toothy smile as he buckled the seatbelts.

"You know." the driver in floral shirt tapped the steering wheel with a bemused expression. "For someone who was born and raised in a well-endowed elite family, aren't you a bit crude?"

Marinette rolled her eyes then hand-chopped her companion's head lightly. "Bad Kitty."

Said Kitty stuck his tongue out.

After they loaded the Peugeot in the open rear of the Ford pickup, the teenagers settled themselves in the backseat while their kwamis occupied the front compartment where their treats were being handed by Wayzz.

"I believe 'Congratulations' is appropriate, given to that...obscenity I've witnessed awhile ago."

"Urk - "

"Eep - "

Fu tried not to cackle at their flustered face.

"Stop teasing them, Master." the green blob chided then bowed at the two apologetically. "Sorry about his teasing behavior, Mme Ladybug and M. Noir. Master was just happy that you two are finally together again."

"So you knew." the girl reclined her back as she gave the kwami and his Master an impassive eye. "What else would you be here?"

"Of course. I am your Teacher." Fu answered, swiveling the wheels on the other side of the road. "Besides, my vacation bliss has been ruined already. Did you remember the call you two made in Costa Rica?"

The teenagers eyed each other for a moment before her companion responded. "I somewhat recalled something about going back to Paris to visit you..."

"But your shop was empty, and there's a note stuck on the door." she supplied. "It was dubious how we were able to enter inside though."

"You showed me a hotel pamphlet." he mulled over. "I think."

The raven-haired girl tapped her chin in confusion. "I believe it's you who found it."

"Really?"

"Interesting." the elderly hummed. "So your memories overlapped with each other, eh."

"Tikki said we're not supposed to remember anything."

"Miraculous powers are not always absolute, Ladybug. Same with your Miraculous Cleanse. Same with his Cataclysm." he adjusted the rear mirror. "Though mine was securing the Balance like the legendary turtle that carried the weight of the world, that doesn't mean I can protect everything. I'm getting old and already beyond the retirement age if you put it bluntly."

"Are you saying that we committed a blunder?"

Fu shook his head. "It's not like that, Chat Noir. There have been no records about wielders losing their Miraculous powers, but there are contributing factors as to why they failed to control it. Have you ever wondered why the Akuma became a rogue?"

The teenagers eyed each other.

"The victim has a mind of steel?"

"Strong will?"

"Not really." their Master chuckled. "The power of Miraculous relies on its bearer's compatibility. True that anybody can use it, but only a handful can amplify it to its maximum - and rare are those who have the potential to unlock its hidden abilities."

"Papillion is not a Chosen One, and will never be." he went on. "That's why he doesn't have the ability like any other Butterfly wielders had. He can send one Champion, yes, but multiple? He must divide the strength of one to several entities."

"So that means Twiddle Gain and Twiddle Doom have 50% control each?"

"Exactly."

"Is it similar to the case wherein I time traveled and fought two Akumas?" she asked again.

"Non."

Adrien didn't remember anything after he was hit by Timebreaker's powers. According to his partner, he was absorbed and his soul fueled Timebreaker's power to time-travel - though, in actuality, she just leaped to another timeline with a rewind setting, like, few seconds before Alix' watch got destroyed.

She, as Ladybug, was also transported there, only to be confronted by her own self, as Marinette, there.

Long story short; there were two Ladybugs with one swooned Chat Noir, two Timebreakers, two simultaneous Lucky Charm summons and Miraculous Cleanses, and a restored timeline.

His Ladybug returned unscathed, her civilian classmates showed up as normal, and a penalty for abandoning an errand.

When she asked Tikki about the conclusion of the second timeline, her kwami told her that the second Marinette might've arrived in the bakery to give Miss Chamak's cake on time, went back as the second Ladybug to assist her, the first Ladybug, and once the Miraculous Cleanses were triggered, all vanished beings on both timelines were restored.

Unlike their timeline, Alix' watch on the second timeline got fixed.

"If we didn't commit any mistakes then how come we retained some memories, unlike Timebreaker? And why is it I have a partial memory while the rest went to Mari's?" the blond asked.

"That, and some alterations."

A pin-drop silence hung in the air before the realization dawned them.

"The timeline." Marinette gasped then looked at her stupefied companion. "We - remember the incident at the bus stop?"

"Of course." he nodded fervently. "I - I met a couple inside the toilet in a cheap DMC cosplay, and I bumped you instead of someone who ratted me as Adrien Agreste."

"I - I saw a news about a fiasco in Gare St. Lazare, and I think our bus passed a green minivan when we're en-route to Evreux..." she trailed off. "And my parents called me. You even clued me on it!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought it was all de ja vu."

"I even got myself late during our first assembly because I rushed to the park as Ladybug, believing that an Akuma will appear there just like in my dreams."

"Like a sixth sense, huh."

"Mon dieu. The piano man Marcelo and his brother Felix."

"JOSEPH HOWARDS!" both almost jumped on their seats as they exclaimed in unison.

"Relax, kids." Fu laughed with eyes remained on the road. "Justice has been served, don't worry, and he will stay behind bars in order to pay for his crimes."

"Bu-but how?! And w - why? Wa - what happened - "

Their questions were answered immediately after they loaded a recent news article online. Skimming the posts through their mobile apps, it was reported that DGSE busted the tycoon's smuggling activities days ago and raided one of his mansions to capture the man alive, that currently, he was facing several cases of Estafa with a court hiring for no bail.

"Rewriting history." Marinette gaped, still shell-shocked. "You have an ability to alter reality?!"

"I don't have the power to do such extent, Ladybug, but I can make things more logical," he replied solemnly. "Let me give you a clue: Joan of Arc."

The teenagers froze as they fell into a deep silence.

"Mudekudeku. Hippolyta. Hercules. Cernunnos. Tomoe." the man enumerated. "You've seen the Egyptian scrolls and the previous holders from Ancient China through the Miraculous Spellbook, right?"

The two nodded as Fu went on.

"See, nobody would believe that the Black Cat was the reason behind the Black Plague. Nobody would think that a certain Fox made an illusion in Hameln. Same with Lucky Charm summons during the siege of Orleans, or the birth of the Champions during the first Olympics. It is my task to overseer everything, to be the protector of the Balance and the wielder's guide, and not to influence the flow of time."

"What is the truth then?" Adrien asked. "What is the reason why we have some memory fragments, and why the events were altered, substituting us with other people without destroying the flow of time? If this is not a mistake on our part or a malfunction of our Miraculous, then what is this?"

"A Miracle."

It was Tikki who gave the answer as she hovered towards their view. "This is the result of combining the powers of Ladybug and Cat Miraculous, granting your innermost wishes to something unimaginable. A product that defiles logical reasoning."

"Bu-but we didn't combine them!" her charger squeaked then glanced at her perturbed partner. "We're on the verge of de-transformation. Besides, its ultimate power only works for one, not for two people!"

"I like your Chosen, Tikki." Plagg emerged with a sigh. "I really do. But boy she can really be this dense."

"Look who's the pot calling the kettle black." the red kwami retorted.

"Miraculous powers are not always absolute, Ladybug." Fu quoted her airily. "And using the ultimate power is not necessarily forbidden except for selfish needs. What happened back there was something you both did unconsciously, and as what Tikki mentioned, it granted your innermost wishes - hence, the reasons for your incomplete memories. The unwavering trust you had for each other incited it. You believed that your partner will never forget you, as so was him."

An illuminated monastery of Mont St Michel became apparent as he embarked on the causeway. Fu pulled over when they reached the parking lot, but the teenagers somehow lost their desire to get out. They were quite glued to their seats as they waited for his explanations.

"It happened once before, several centuries ago, in Ancient China under a different circumstance," he told them. "The feat that you two did was rare that even I as your Guardian finds it strange - in a good way, actually - to execute it. And I highly doubt it if your successors can replicate it. Unless..."

"Unless what, Master?"

A knowing smile formed on the elderly's face.

"Unless they were soulmates."

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.

.

.

After hauling the fixed Peugeot out and left the two flabbergasted teenagers at the entrance, Fu turned the ignition on and drove back to Paris.

"Hey, Wayzz?"

The green kwami perked up. "Yes, Master?"

"I can see what's happening." he hummed.

"What?"

"And they don't have a clue."

"Who?"

"They'd fall in love, but here's the bottom line." the elderly snickered. "The four squares down to two."

Wayzz couldn't help but cringe. "Urgh."