Kintsugi

Preface

August 12, 2000 - Unknown location

6 pairs of eyes peered down at the newborn.

Her bright blue eyes sparkled and she cooed, reaching for the nearest person. Her tiny hands found rough brown fabric and gave it a tug.

"She will be very powerful."

The first thing spoken since the child had been handed back to her mother. She lifted a brow. That was their argument? Power?

"This is my child."

She stated this in a way that they got her true meaning. You're going to have to do better than that.

They stayed silent for a while after that. They weren't used to refusals. They never had had to persuade someone before.

"She will save the world. Bring balance to the chaos. No one else can do what she is destined to."

These words softened the mother's resolve.

"I will keep her for two years. When she is weaned you may have her."

They knew that that was the best they were going to get. They grabbed the papers for her to sign. They couldn't have her going back on this in two years. They needed the child.

"Another thing. She will keep the name that I give her."

Sounds of scratching pens pierced heavy silence as they add her new clause to the contract. As she signed her beloved child's life away.

"She will keep her first name no matter where she goes, however, the last one will change when she moves - for her safety ma'am."

The mother nods. Still exhausted, but couldn't fall asleep until this was taken care of.

"Now, before you sign, what will her first name be?"

The woman peered into her daughter's sparkling bluebell eyes.

"Marinette."

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August 11, 2002 - London

Warm brown eyes gazed into bright blues. This was her last day with her daughter. She was going to make it memorable. For the both of them.

They spent the day at the faire, going on rides and eating all of the cotton candy the small blue-eyed girl wanted. The mother smiled as she watched her baby girl skip around the games, cotton candy in hand. They had time for one more ride. She needed to take the girl home so that she could say goodbye to her big brother. 

"Last ride babydoll, what do you want to do?" The woman kneeled down so she was eye-level with her 2-year-old daughter. The young girl surveyed the rides around her, finally pointing to the ferris wheel.

"Tall!" She made grabbing motions towards the ride. She wanted to go high into the air, and that was the tallest thing around.

"You want to ride the ferris wheel?" The woman smiled at the eager toddler.

"Ferris wheel!"

"Alright, let's go baby." She scooped the small girl up into her arms and walked towards the ride. 

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Goodbyes that night were full of tears. 

Her mother knew she was not going to see her daughter again. Her baby girl. Her pride and joy. 

Her brother wasn't very happy to see his little blueberry go either. She may have been young, but she had nestled her way into his heart so quickly. She was his precious sister.

The Guardians came later that day. They took the girl, and all of her belongings. Leaving mother and brother with an ache in their chests, and an eerily quiet house.

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The girl - Marinette - fit right in to her new role. The Guardians had given her the best tutors, foods, and even another young girl to room with. The two became fast friends, and even started calling themselves sisters. Both being taken in at age 2, and looking eerily similar, people started confusing them for each other, some even thought that they were twins. This of course made many opportunities for the mischievous duo to get into trouble, pranking the Guardians - and anyone else unfortunate enough to meet them.  

Both girls trained to use their miraculous. Bridgette in the black panther miraculous, her special power being stealth. So naturally, she learned to fight from the shadows. Taking down threats before they even knew she was there. 

Marinette trained for the ladybug miraculous. The power she was granted was creation. Therefore; she learned to create; she was trained to be crafty - both in the literal and figurative sense. She needed to have a flexible mind, capable of quickly coming up with battle plans, and being able to create whatever was needed to win the day. She needed to be adaptable, to be able to best any opponent. It was through these studies that she found her love for sketching. Shortly after that she discovered her affinity for making clothes. She never wore Guardian robes again. 

But that was not all she did. She trained with the best the Guardians had to offer. Taking many fighting styles and creating her own - she moved fluidly and gracefully. Anyone who saw her train were captivated by her hauntingly beautiful movements. Even the most skilled among them were hard pressed to imitate her style, her grace. 

Both young girls grew as people, and as Holders. They became bright individuals. Marinette was a bubbling brook. Her smile could light up a room. Bridgette was like a river, flowing steadily. She served as Marinette's anchor - the stability to her exuberant, and somewhat chaotic, personality. They served their Kwamiis well, and were granted permanent use of their Miraculi. With the added time around the Kwamii, the four of them quickly became a tight-knit - somewhat unconventional - family.

However, at the ripe age of 5, the Shadows came. They had been searching for the Miraculi for centuries. So they were not going to leave until they got what they wanted. The Guardians, not trained to fight, diplomatically dealt with the situation. Noting that the Shadow's heir was around the same age as the Guardian's heir - Marinette. 

The Shadows had accepted their offer. They decided to Marinette with them, to train her to be an acceptable asset to their future leader. It was that first day that she got there that she met her betrothed - Damien.

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Word count: 1000