Natedogx15

He looks down at the weapons that set his brother free, before letting out a sigh.

"He is gone. But he will return." Sensei Wu announces forebodingly.

Hearing this, the ninja look to each other before walking forward. Without hesitation, they pick up their golden weapons before looking to Sensei Wu.

"Then we'll be ready for him when he does," Kai promises Sensei Wu as he raises the Sword of Fire.

"And keep an eye out in case he has any more of his evil plans," Cole adds just as determinedly as his new companion.

Seeing this makes Sensei Wu smile before looking to the Miraculous users in their group.

"And what of you two?" He asks them.

Without hesitation, Cat Noir walks forward with a smile.

"There's no way I'm bowing out of this halfway through. We haven't even caught Hawkmoth." He tells Sensei Wu confidently.

"We have villains to stop. And I'm not going to quit until we've got them all." Cat Noir tells the group as he walks to join the ninja.

"Alright!" Jay shouts as he raises a fist to Cat Noir, causing the teen to grin and give him a fist bump.

With five of the six voicing their confidence, the only one who remains is their only female member.

Sensei Wu and the others look to Ladybug. While he waits patiently for her answer, the others look slightly expectantly. Or, in Cat Noir's case, conflicted and unhappy. Seeing all of this, the girl can't help but rub her arm nervously.

"Look, I'm sorry. But I don't think I'm cut out for this. Or that it's a good idea for me to be on the team." Ladybug finally mutters out in a sad voice.

"Ah, come on, you were doing great. You even helped us get Jay's weapon." Cole says while motioning to Jay with his head, causing Ladybug to shake her head.

"I'm sorry. But I don't think I should be around, especially since Adrien is here." Ladybug says, causing Cat Noir to look down with a complex expression.

Sensei Wu walks toward Ladybug and stares into her eyes for a moment. Ladybug is about to apologize when he rests a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I understand. I'm sorry to have put you in this situation. Your absence will be felt." He promises the girl, causing her eyes to widen.

"You have done your part by helping us get this far." He tells the girl with a nod.

"And I have done mine by helping the rest of you." Sensei Wu says, turning back to the group of five.

"The balance has been restored for now, but the future is always shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. But together, I'm confident you all can handle whatever comes your way with the proper guidance." He explains to the five as he walks toward them.

"So, I will continue teaching you all, so that you all may reach your true potential." He explains with a smile.

"Yes, master!" The ninja say all at once.

But Cat Noir rubs his head awkwardly.

"That sounds great and all. But how are you going to do that with me when my father will probably lock me back up in my house again?" He can't help but ask.

But Sensei Wu doesn't lose his smile. In fact, there seems to be a twinkle of mischief in his eyes now.

"Do not worry about that. I already have an idea of how to let you join." He promises, building hope in Cat Noir.

"But first, we should leave this prison before we handle that one." Sensei Wu states before walking toward the stairway.

-------------------

Later, the ninja are all flying over Kai's village, toward his blacksmithery under an orange evening sky. In the building, Nya is there, waiting for her brother as she promised. When she sees the dragons landing, she can't help but smile and excitedly run out of the room to hug her brother.

"My turn!" Jay calls out excitedly as he jumps off his dragon and runs toward Nya, who moves away from her brother to intercept him.

The two hug, Nya wearing an amused smile while Jay seems gleeful at the interaction, much to Cat Noir's amusement on Wisp.

The whole village seems to gather toward them and let out cheers at their return, likely because Nya explained everything to the villagers when she got back. The heroes take in the cheering for a moment while Nya seems to get more emotional.

"I'm so happy you're back." She tells the group before seeing someone she doesn't recognize.

"And who are you?" She asks, looking at Marinette while she's out of her Ladybug form.

"We met before. I'm the girl who helped your brother." Marinette says awkwardly while waving at Nya with a nervous smile, causing Nya's eyes to light up.

"Oh, right! Thank you for helping my brother." Nya says while grabbing Marinette's hands in thanks.

"Of course. But I have something for you." Marinette tells Nya, much to the girl's surprise, as she feels Marinette slip something into one of her hands.

Nya quickly pulls that hand back to see two earrings in it. She looks at them in surprise for a moment before looking to Marinette in confusion. The girl smiles before tapping on one, causing it to glow and for Tikki to pop out.

"Hiya!" She shouts to Nya excitedly.

"Whoa!" Nya shouts in amazement, staring at Tikki with sparkling eyes.

"She's taking this better than you," Tikki smiles toward Marinette, causing the girl to chuckle.

Then, Tikki's smile dims as she looks at Marinette sadly.

"I guess this is going to be goodbye?" She asks Marinette with a disappointed expression, causing the girl to grow sad as well.

"It is. I'm sorry. But I really don't think it's a good idea for me to stay or keep you." Marinette tells Tikki in a glum but earnest tone.

"I think you would have made a great Ladybug," Tikki tells her with her own earnest tone as she flies up and hugs Marinette's cheek, causing the girl to place a comforting hand on her.

"Thank you, Tikki. But I know you'll be just as happy with her." Marinette promises, doing her best to comfort the Kwami.

She then looks to Nya with a sad smile.

"Do me a favor and keep this and Tikki safe. If you're anything like your brother, I know you can do it." She says, closing Nya's hand around the earrings.

"Uh, sure," Nya says in a slightly lost voice before looking at Marinette worriedly.

"But are you sure this is a good idea?" Nya asks, causing Marinette to smile at her slightly hollowly.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sure you'll make better use of these than I did with Sensei Wu's help." Marinette says before backing away from the other girl.

She then feels one of the dragons nudge her, causing her to turn to see Rocky staring at her sadly.

"Oh, Rocky." She says while lightly petting his snout.

"It doesn't seem like he wants you to go either," Cole says nervously from atop the dragon, causing Marinette to smile.

"I'm sorry, boy. But I really have to go. But you can take me back." Marinette says, causing the dragon to let out a light roar before licking her head.

"It doesn't seem like he wants you to go either," Cole says nervously from atop the dragon, causing Marinette to smile.

"I'm sorry, boy. But I really have to go. But you can take me back." Marinette says, causing the dragon to let out a light roar before licking her head.

"I'll go with you to meet your family," Cole tells her, causing Marinette to smirk.

"Is that because you're too scared to get off?" She can't help but ask.

"Hey!" Cole shouts indignantly as Marinette gets on.

"But thanks. I'm still kind of scared about going back." She tells Cole as her smile turns genuine.

"What, did you and your parents have a fight before everything?" Cole asks.

Marinette shakes her head before grabbing Rocky's harness and having him take off. The village and heroes watch them go, some looking sad, others waving goodbye happily.

"Is this really okay?" Nya can't help but ask her brother and Tikki, causing the Kwami to nod sadly.

"It's alright. Marinette, Sensei Wu, and I already talked about it on our way here." Tikki tells her with a comforting smile, even if it still doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Besides, we can always visit her." Kai points out while placing a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"But, at least I don't have to worry about you getting kidnapped again with that." He tells her, causing Nya to chuckle before punching her brother in the shoulder.

"Shut up!" She shouts at him playfully, causing Kai to laugh and for the others to smile at the scene.

Eventually, though, Cat Noir looks off to where Marinette and Cole left.

-------------------

In the sky, Marinette enjoys the wind blowing in her face. The experience feels so freeing, even exciting. It's like she can finally be away from everything. But she knows this feeling won't last. Not only because she's going home, but because both Garmadon and Hawkmoth are still out there. With that in mind, she can't help but turn to Cole.

"Do you guys think you'll really be ready to deal with Hawkmoth and Garmadon again?" She asks worriedly as Cole nervously hugs the pole behind her.

Cole is caught off guard by Marinette's sudden question, but gives her a nod.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can handle them when they show up again. We'll be expecting them next time. And we have the weapons now." Cole tells her, causing Marinette to look forward and mull over his words.

"I still think it'd be great if you stuck around, though. You really helped us out, especially getting Jay's weapon." Cole tells her.

"I'm sorry, but if you knew more about me, I don't think you'd agree with that." Marinette sighs sadly.

"I'm not sure about that. But it's your choice." Cole shrugs, then decides to ask something to help him keep his mind off his current situation.

"So, why are you so worried about going back? You never answered me." Cole tells her, causing Marinette to sigh.

"I guess... I'm scared. I'm worried..." She starts before Cole cuts in.

"That you'll come home to find that your parents aren't there anymore. That something happened to them." He asks in a tone like he understands what she's going through.

"Yeah. Exactly. I mean, who knows if Miraculous Ladybug really took them back home? That's so far away. And it doesn't help that my phone died while we were out here." Marinette explains, reaching into her pocket to touch the device.

Cole digests this and even seems to forget his situation as he loosens his grip on the pole.

"I'm guessing you have a good relationship with your family?" Cole can't help but ask, something in his eyes that Marinette can't see.

"Of course. Well, I'm sure they're probably still angry at me for what I did. I ruined their bakery's image because of what I did to Adrien." Marinette says, looking down sadly, then smiles as she remembers the good times they had.

"But yeah. I think we're starting to get closer again. And I know they both love me and are worried about me. They tried to get me to dress better the morning everything happened." Marinette says before tears build in her eyes.

Tears of relief and hope that they'll be there when she gets back. But also fear about how they might not or something else might happen later. The girl's emotions are swirling between these feelings before she suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder.

She turns back to see Cole giving her a firm look.

"It'll be okay. I'm sure your parents will be there for you. And like I said, the others and I will stop Garmadon and Hawkmoth from doing anything else to them." He promises, voice full of determination, causing Marinette to smile before placing a hand on his.

"Thank you." She tells him before hearing Rocky roar.

Marinette turns back to the dragon and smiles down at him.

"Oh, are you going to help protect my family, too, Rocky?" She asks, causing the dragon to let out another roar.

Marinette smiles at the two and can feel relief building in her heart. And it's not a moment too soon, either. Because the trio soon nears Ninjago City, letting them see it's bustling with activity. Below them, giant TVs on buildings are displaying the news as Nadja Chamack discusses the return of everyone who went missing and how the same ladybug swarm that brought everyone back also repaired all the damage Darkblade did.

Most people outside are watching, at least until they see Rocky flying over the city. When the citizens see, they immediately begin to either panic or start recording as they try to figure out what's happening.

"Are we sure it's a good idea to fly Rocky over the city?" Marinette can't help but question as she stares down at the city.

"I'm sure it will be fine. It'll probably help your family's business. What did you say it was again?" Cole asks as they get close to said business.

"It's a bakery. We make all sorts of sweets." Marinette explains, causing Cole's eyes to widen excitedly.

"Including cake?" He asks hopefully, imagining various types of cakes.

The mental images cause his stomach to rumble. It feels like it's been forever since he got to enjoy a good cake.

"Yeah." Marinette nods.

"Do you think your family will have anything in stock?" He asks hopefully, causing Marinette to look up in thought.

"I don't know. The stuff they made before probably already went bad. But my dad is a stress baker. So, he might have made something." Marinette tells Cole, causing the black ninja to grow excited.

"Then we'd better hurry. Don't want it to go to wast- I mean, don't want to keep your parents waiting." Cole quickly corrects his excited tone as Marinette turns to him with a raised eyebrow.

She lets it go since they're near her home anyway. As soon as Rocky lands in the street, her mother comes out with a broom while her father brings a mallet.

"Get away, you beast!" Sabine shouts before she sees Marinette on Rocky, and her eyes widen.

"Marinette!" She and Tom shout in alarm and worry when they see Marinette sitting on the dragon, with a ninja behind her.

Seeing her parents, Marinette begins to tear up. Her parents can see this, and their protective instincts kick in.

"Give us back our daughter!" Sabine screams as she and Tom charge at the dragon.

"We're coming, Marinette!" Tom calls his daughter.

They're charge pulls Marinette out of her breakdown just in time for her to call out.

"No wait!"

As she calls to them to stop them from attacking Rocky, Cole jumps between them and Rocky.

"Whoa, hang on a minute!" Cole calls out, not wanting them to attack and anger Rocky.

But he soon finds it backfiring on him. Because Marinette's parents are now focusing their ire on him, believing he's in control of the beast that has their daughter.

"Give us back our daughter!" Tom demands as he swings his mallet at Cole's head, causing the ninja to duck.

Only for it to lead to his head slamming into Sabine's broom, as the woman launched an upward strike simultaneously with her husband's attack; Cole is disoriented from the hit long enough for Tom to wrap him in a bear hug and for Sabine to raise the broom to his neck like it's a sword.

"Give us back our daughter, or I swear." Sabine threatens before hearing Marinette call to her.

"Wait, stop! Cole's a friend! He helped me!" Marinette calls out in a panic as she gets off Rocky.

"What?!" Her parents shout in surprise as they turn to their daughter while she runs toward them.

"Cole helped me get you back. He didn't hurt me." Marinette tells them, raising her arms while trying to placate them.

Hearing that, Tom immediately drops Cole before helping the boy stand straight.

"Sorry about that, son." The giant of a man quickly apologizes as Cole coughs.

"I'm good." Cole groans a bit as he tries to catch his breath before looking up at Tom.

"You're really strong." He tells the man, causing Tom to grin.

But he doesn't get the chance to say anything, as his wife immediately drops her weapon and hugs her daughter, like she's afraid she'll vanish if she doesn't hold tight enough.

"Oh, my little Marinette. I'm so glad you're safe!" She tells her daughter before feeling Tom hug them both, lifting them off the ground and into his chest.

"When we couldn't find or call you after we found ourselves back at the bakery, we were so worried. We went to your school, but they didn't know where you were either." Tom explains, sobbing with relief at having his family whole again.

"I'm sorry." Marinette quickly apologizes as she feels her parents' warmth, her own tears or relief building in her eyes.

Cole watches them with a sad, but nice smile as the family continues their reunion. But eventually, the family has to let go of each other. And when they do, the parents focus on Cole again. Tom walks over to the young man and places his hands on Cole's shoulders with a thankful smile.

"Thank you so much for protecting my little girl." He tells Cole in a kind and genuine voice.

Sabine walks beside her husband and smiles apologetically at Cole.

"We're so sorry about earlier, young man. We saw a dragon and were worried the knight had our daughter." Sabine apologizes in a regretful voice.

"It's alright. I understand. I'm glad I could help." Cole tells the two kindly with a nod, causing the parents to smile wider.

"Why don't you come in. Let us give you something as thanks. I just made a cake." Tom tells Cole, causing the younger man's mouth to water.

"What kind of cake?" Cole can't help but ask excitedly.

"It's a triple-layer Neopolitan ice cream cake with cherries and nuts," Tom explains, causing Cole's stomach to growl.

"Well, I definitely can't say no to that." Cole grins before the family goes inside, never noticing the cameras on them.

Not even Marinette noticed it when she came out later to give Rocky a massive slice of the cake. Which the dragon happily took before nuzzling her.

-------------------

Meanwhile, Adrien is not having nearly as much fun reuniting with his family when he gets back later. He's currently sitting in a room in his father's office, Nathalie and his bodyguard standing on the sides of the door at attention.

Sitting at the desk ahead of Adrien is a man who looks like an older version of Adrien. He's a distinguished, tall, middle-aged man with tanned skin, dark blue eyes behind circular black-framed glasses, and platinum-blond hair combed back.

The man is wearing a white dress shirt with a high collar under a striped grey vest with red buttons. Over his vest is a white business jacket with red cufflinks, and he has a candy-cane-colored ascot tie. He's also wearing red pants and white, low-heel business shoes with red laces and black soles.

And right now, the man is glaring down at his son with a stern, frightening expression, one that almost makes Adrien miss all the villains and beasts he fought as Cat Noir. The teen can't even look his father in the eyes as the man stares down at him.

"Adrien. I'm going to ask you one simple question." His father says in a level, stern tone.

Adrien doesn't say anything. Instead, he has his hands in his lap, absently rubbing his ring with his index finger because of his nerves.

"Did you sneak out of the house a second time after Nathalie brought you back from your first attempt?" He demands, anger lacing his voice.

Adrien pauses at his question, unsure how to properly answer because of everything surrounding his second time leaving the house.

"Adrien," Gabriel demands again, his voice not increasing in volume but growing angrier.

"Yes." He finally says in a quiet voice, since it's technically true that he snuck out a second time.

Gabriel slams a hand on his desk, causing Adrien to flinch. But the man doesn't shout with it. Instead, he lets out a frustrated sigh, running his hand down his face.

"And, what happened to you while you were outside the safety of your home?" Gabriel demands again.

Again, Adrien is unable to answer. And Gabriel slams his fist on his desk again.

"Adrien!" His father demands with a stern glare.

"I got attacked by the knights outside." Again, partly truthful, but not the entire truth.

"Exactly!" Gabriel snaps, slamming a hand on his desk for the third time, causing Adrien to flinch again.

Realizing he's letting his emotions get the better of him, Gabriel takes a moment to compose himself while rubbing his temples.

"Adrien." Gabriel begins again, his voice far more subdued but stern.

"I understand something like knights kidnapping and turning people into more of them, like a poor movie concept is above the realm of what a person would expect." Gabriel starts, causing Adrien to look at his father, albeit seemingly reluctantly.

"But that doesn't mean you didn't disobey me twice in the same day. You left both Nathalie and me in a panic about where you were." Gabriel tells his son with a harsh glare.

"I'm sorry." Adrien can only apologize while looking down again.

He takes a moment to glance at Nathalie to see her reaction, but the woman is keeping a disciplined expression, not giving anything away.

"Look at me, Adrien." Gabriel orders, causing Adrien to turn back around quickly.

When he does, he's met with his father's stern glare.

"I'm going to make this clear, Adrien." He warns his son in a stern voice that leaves no room for argument.

"Until we have a better understanding of what's happening with Hawkmoth, you are not leaving your room." Gabriel states, emphasizing the 'not' with a low voice, as if daring him to argue this order.

"But father-" Adrien starts before Gabriel cuts him off.

"I mean it, Adrien!" Gabriel snaps, causing his son to flinch.

Realizing his emotions are getting the better of him again, Gabriel takes a moment to cool his features before looking at his son sternly.

"This isn't the same as when you first started going to school, son. We aren't dealing with some overzealous fan. We are dealing with a magical terrorist who managed to kidnap most of the city to do who knows what." Gabriel tells his son calmly.

Adrien can't argue against that. And it gives his father a chance to continue.

"Right now, I don't even know if I should continue letting you do photoshoots outside. We have no idea how this all works." Gabriel tells his son, rubbing his eyes in frustration, causing Adrien's eyes to widen in surprise and slight horror.

While he doesn't enjoy them that much anymore, they were still one of his few accesses to the outside world. If his father took those away, he really would be stuck in the house twenty-four seven.

"I-isn't that too extreme?" Adrien can't help but ask nervously.

"You have no right to say anything after what you did, Adrien. You disobeyed my order twice and were captured by those knights a second time!" Gabriel shouts, slamming his fist into his desk again.

"Do you honestly believe your bodyguard can keep you safe if more people like that knight show up!?" Gabriel demands, motioning to the giant man behind Adrien, who doesn't react to his boss's rant.

Adrien says nothing, and Gabriel lets out a sigh.

"Go to your room. I will decide on your punishment later. For now, I must make plans." Gabriel tells his son before motioning to Nathalie and Gorilla.

Nathalie looks to Gorilla and motions for him to take Adrien to his room. The man follows the order while Nathalie walks toward Gabriel's desk, tablet in hand.

"What do you plan to do?" Nathalie asks her boss.

"First, how are people reacting?" Gabriel questions her, causing Nathalie to raise her tablet.

"It's as you'd expect. Everyone is in a panic and trying to figure out what's happening." Nathalie says as she goes through social media and new outlets on her tablet.

Gabriel nods and puts a hand to his chin in thought. However, Nathalie has something else. Something that makes her visibly worried for Gabriel.

"But, sir. There might be an issue." Nathalie tells him, causing Gabriel to look toward her before Nathalie places the tablet on the desk.

Gabriel is now looking at a video of Cole and Marinette returning to Ninjago and landing in front of her parents' store. The man immediately recognizes the girl, and his eyes narrow.

"Isn't this?" He begins to question before Nathalie nods.

"Yes, it's the girl who stalked Adrien before. Her restraining order recently ended, and it seems like she's close to one of the heroes who saved everyone." Nathalie explains as the video continues to show Marinette's family hugging Cole.

"Why are you showing me this, Nathalie?" Gabriel demands from her.

"The publicity and current events might make reinstating the restraining order a bit more difficult due to potential backlash and the confusion still going on," Nathalie explains, causing Gabriel to sigh.

"Forget about that for now. If she becomes a problem again, we'll deal with it. For now, I need to find a suitable punishment for Adrien under our current situation." Gabriel states.

After saying so, the mansion doorbell rings. Gabriel raises an eyebrow and looks to Nathalie as she takes her tablet off the desk.

"Am I expecting any appointments right now?" Gabriel questions as Nathalie opens his schedule and the mansion's security cameras.

"The only things left after everyone else canceled are applicants for Adrien's new Chinese tutor," Nathalie explains as she uses the camera to see the person at the gate, an older man dressed in a red Hawaiian shirt.

"Let him in and interview him. I'll handle dealing with Adrien's punishment and this new situation." Gabriel waves Nathalie away, causing the woman to nod before leaving the office.

-------------------

Meanwhile, Adrien is looking out his window, staring from his room, without any human companions.

"You still worried, kid?" Plagg asks as he floats by Adrien, causing the teen to nod.

"Yeah. Can Sensei Wu really convince my father? I mean, I've never seen my father back down from anything that doesn't help him." Adrien states with a worried expression.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Beardy always has a trick or two up his sleeve. He'll think of something to help you." Plagg promises.

"It's more than that, though," Adrien reveals.

"We couldn't stop Hawkmoth or Garmadon. Heroes are always supposed to win. But we lost. And now they're both still out there." Adrien tells Plagg, causing the Kwami to sigh.

"Look, kid. That's just reality. Sometimes you win at something. Sometimes you don't. You'll learn that when you go out and see the world." Plagg promises his wielder.

"That's if I get to see more of it," Adrien mutters.

"Don't worry. If I know Wu, he'll already be making a move to get you out of here." Plagg promises.

-------------------

As the two converse, Master Fu is sitting in the lobby with Nathalie.

"Unfortunately, due to recent events involving Darkblade, Gabriel has decided to postpone the interviews for Adrien's new tutor. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Nathalie calmly explains to Master Fu as the man smiles.

"I more than understand, young lady. I'm sorry for wasting your time." Master Fu tells Nathalie kindly before reaching into his folder.

"But I do have something else to give you two due to recent events." Master Fu reveals, causing Nathalie to raise an eyebrow.

From Master Fu's folder, a pamphlet appears with Sensei Wu's dojo on the cover.

"This is a pamphlet to a nice monastery in the high mountains. Far away from any danger happening in the city and guaranteed to teach anyone who attends." Master Fu explains as Nathalie takes the pamphlet.

Nathalie looks it over for a moment before raising an eyebrow at Master Fu.

"And why are you giving us this?" She questions, despite having a good idea.

"I'm merely giving you an option to help keep your son safe until we understand more about what's happening. Spending a few days away from the city might be what you need." Master Fu explains kindly.

"Well, we thank you for your worry." Nathalie nods as she puts the pamphlet behind her tablet.

"We will take it under consideration. But for now, I'm afraid you'll need to leave while we try to figure the situation out." Nathalie says before motioning for Gorilla to see the man out and leaving.

"Of course. I'm happy I could help. Please have a nice day. I hope you figure something out." Master Fu says before following the bodyguard out.

-------------------

Nathalie returns to Gabriel's office and holds the pamphlet out to Gabriel.

"It was one of the tutor applicants. I sent them away. But they gave me this as an option for what we can do with Adrien." Nathalie says as Gabriel takes the pamphlet.

He takes a moment to look it over with a calculating gaze before looking back toward Nathalie.

"A monastery?" He can't help but question, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. The tutor said it was if we wanted to keep Adrien out of the city." Nathalie calmly explains, causing Gabriel to look at it again.

"If Adrien is going to keep trying to disobey me and sneak out, it might be a good idea. We don't need him constantly getting caught in these attacks." Gabriel states, tapping a finger on his desk.

"Yes. But is this really a good idea? It could backfire." Nathalie points out, but Gabriel sighs.

"We already have enough problems and enough danger, Nathalie. It might be best to send Adrien away for a while. Even if it might hurt the brand a bit." Gabriel says calmly as he sets the pamphlet down.

"We'll also need to update the mansion's security to ensure we're ready for an attack. Having Adrien gone at that time might be for the best." Gabriel adds, getting a nod from Nathalie.

"I will look into it and give you a report then," Nathalie tells Gabriel before leaving.

After she does, Gabriel stares at the photo of the monastery again, his eyes narrowing.

-------------------

A few days later, the ninja and Nya are in the monastery, setting up their rooms. Over the last few days, the group used the dragons to help them move anything they wanted to keep in the monastery.

"Sooooo, you cool living with a bunch of boys?" Jay can't help but ask curiously as he stares at Nya while hauling some boxes.

"Yeah, it's cool. I've already lived with my brother my whole life. You guys can't be any worse than he is." Nya says with a smirk.

"Hey!" Kai snaps at his sister.

"Is Marinette doing well?" Zane asks Cole curiously, causing the taller teen to grin.

"Yeah, she's cool. Her parents make great cake, too. The best I've ever had." Cole tells Zane.

"So, you've told us before," Jay calls back.

As the teens banter, Sensei Wu is meditating at the top of the stairwell, waiting.

"Have you heard from Adrien?" Cole asks, looking to Jay, since the blue ninja was the closest to the blond.

"Nope. I forgot to give him my number." Jay laughs awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Hopefully, we'll at least get to see him," Zane says in his usual calm tone as he helps Kai and Nya, since he has the least amount of stuff.

"You will see him sooner than you would expect." Sensei Wu announces, causing everyone to turn to him.

But with his back to them, Sensei Wu opens his eyes and watches as two people climb the stairs. One is Master Fu, the other is a smiling but tired Adrien.