Chapter Text
As a soul got back into the depts of Diyu, the whole realm was shaken: every shadow seemed to come alive and crawl towards the corpse of a black furred monkey; a part of the shadows got inside said corpse, as a hooded figure stopped the purplish soul that almost got back where it belonged.
The body lit up with a blackish flame, and the underworld god barely managed to not burn themselves in it; they made their exit in a hurry, as the fire died down almost instantly. However, a little sparkle managed to reach the soul.
It wasn’t enough for the it to break free from its’ captor; nonetheless, even when it got fed the water of oblivion, that one sparkle kept burning.
XXX
Liang Yue was born in a night of full moon, his white fur so shining and pure that his parents had no doubt about his name: Bright Moon.
Liang Yue wasn’t like the other monkeys of his little troop. And it wasn’t just because he was the only one with that kind of fur in a troop of pitched black macaques; he grew up slower but stronger than any cub, he had the best hearing of them all, and he was the only one there who could use magic.
He was just ten years old when a god descended there to find him.
“The heavens heard of a prophecy, which talked about a mystic monkey being born to be a harbinger of chaos. I’ve come here to fetch them.” The evil god slammed his spear to the ground, opening his third eye.
To no one’s surprise, the only odd monkey was his target.
“You will come with me.” said the stranger, and for some reason Liang Yue seemed to know that before him there was no other than Erlang Shen.
“And then what?” the little albino monkey asked, purple eyes trembling while looking at him.
The god called for his hound, who landed right beside him.
“Heaven will decide what to do with you.”
“That sounds like a death sentence.” Liang Yue took a couple of steps backwards, stopping when the heavenly dog growled at him.
“You can either come along willingly or I’ll make you. It wouldn’t really be the first time I handle you monkeys.” Erlang’s grip on his spear tightened. “I have no problem with burning down everything around you, young one. Are you really that selfish?”
That made Liang Yue consider his surrender; however, before he could answer the god, the whole troop put themselves between him and his enemy.
“Run.” Ordered his mother in their language.
Liang Yue heard Erlang sigh, just before he sunk his weapon into the monkey that had just talked.
“Speak decently when you face a god, you stupid monkeys.” The three-eyed monster took his spear out, and his hound started to attack the rest of the troop.
Liang Yue run as fast as he could, squeezing his eyes as he heard his family being massacred to protect him.
Erlang kept his word and, soon enough, flames started to burn everything in his path; luckily, the troop was dead before they could be burned alive.
Liang Yue tried to hold his tears, as he kept running, until the heavenly dog slammed him on the ground, baring its’ teeth on his neck.
The child ended up trembling even if he was trying to not move.
“Did you really need to put up this show, young one?” the god rolled his eyes, getting near him. “You monkeys are all the same, never understanding when to stop.”
When he made the beast stand down, Liang Yue crawled backwards until his back met a tree, trembling and sobbing as he never did in his short life.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Stop acting like a child and come with me.” Erlang crouched in front of him, letting the cub have some space. Then, he offered his hand. “All of this could’ve been avoided if you just came with me willingly. Now your house is on fire and your family is dead. Why should you keep running? You got nothing left in this world.”
Amethyst eyes opened, now reddened by tears, and looked at the god, so calm despite what he just said. The monster gave him a soft smile, waiting for him to take his hand. Why was he being nice to him?
Liang Yue wanted to calm down, think rationally, but that unusual kindness made him panic way more.
“Come on now, don’t make me angry.” Warned the god.
The cub squeezed his eyes shut, covering his head with his arms. The shadows around him trembled with him.
The celestial observed him, confused. He noticed the resemblances with the Six Eared Macaque, but shadow powers too? That was too much for a mere coincidence.
His arm got near the cub to grab him and, just before he could that, the shadows exploded: Erlang landed a few feet away, looking at the simian melt into a silhouette and then disappear.
The god cursed under his breath. His prey got away. Again.
XXX
When Wukong finally managed to stop breaking down, Ne Zha suggested him to meditate to clear his mind. And so, he did, not really able to provide a reason to not do it.
The third lotus prince left him after a week, mainly for the fact that the Sage didn’t give any clear sighs of waking up from his meditation.
Thirty years later, there he was, still meditating.
What did manage to wake him up?
A white furred monkey, landing on him after falling from a shadow portal – opened on the ceiling -.
Golden eyes were squeezed, before opening slowly, blinking a few times to focus on the being that got on their knees and hands in order to stand up.
White hair tickled the left side of the king’s face, as he observed, astonished, the monkey on top of him.
Purple eyes met him, and a realization hit them as they shined brighter, a victorious smile appearing on his lips.
“I’ve found you.” He said in a whisper, as if he didn’t believe what was happening.
“Mihou?” muttered Wukong, his breathing slowing down. A tingling sensation made him lift his arms to hug the other monkey, but he froze before he could do that. He didn’t have six ears. Was he using a glamour? His face wasn’t quite the same as Mihou’s, but he had to be Mihou, right?
“I can’t believe I’ve found you.” The white furred monkey squeaked, before hugging him tight by the neck.
Wukong close his eyes, wrapping his arms around him. That was Mihou. Of course he was. He had to be. His body relaxed. That was nice. That was beyond nice.
He felt like he could cry.
“Sorry- we don’t even know each other and I- gods it’s embarrassing.” Mihou tried to get up, but Wukong held him tight, his eyes now open wide.
“You don’t know me?” the stone monkey looked at him, and his heart was so heavy he could feel it sink.
“I- don’t think so? I’ve been looking for you in what feels like- forever. I would remember if I knew you.” Liang Yue laughed a bit embarrassed.
“Why were you looking for me?” the king frowned.
“I mean- there’s this godly asshole that wants me dead and- I thought that the monkey king would help a fellow monkey-”
“You’re safe here.” The Sage interrupted him. “What’s your name?”
“I- Yue, Liang Yue, it’s like, my full name. Sorry, I’m a bit nervous-. It’s you, Sun Wukong and I fell on top of you and hugged like we know each other, I’m sorry-”
“We know each other.”
Liang Yue looked at him, tilting his head to the left, confused.
“How so?”
“You-” Wukong sighed, then took a deep breath. “Are the second reincarnation of the Six Eared Macaque, my other half.”
“As in, the part of you that was evil, and you killed to reach enlightenment?” Liang Yue blinked at him, confused.
“What? No- he was my husband- he was way more than a piece of me- who is saying these idiocies?”
“Like- everyone? I thought you were married to some princess that you kidnapped-” Liang Yue frowned, then shut up and processed what he had just heard. “I was your husband?”
“You were.” Wukong nodded, loosening his grip a bit. “And what do you mean everyone? And who might be this wife that I didn’t know of? I would’ve remembered if I were married to someone else.”
“This is an awkward conversation to have.” The albino monkey sighed, sitting on the sage’s chest.
“One would think it’s even an awkward position to have.” The ginger joked, looking at the other blush furiously.
“You’re the one who won’t let me go-” Liang Yue squeaked, trashing his arms around.
Wukong let him go and watched as the shadow demon fell next to him; they looked at each other for a moment before the sage busted out laughing.
“You’re always the same, Mihou.”
He didn’t quite realize he was crying until his other half wiped a tear off his cheek.
“Are you crying cause you’re laughing too much or cause you’re sad?” it was barely a whisper, meant to be soft, but that wrecked the king even more.
“I don’t know.”
The king let out other laughs that filled the silence, threatening to take over, and Liang Yue just let him calm down a bit, before asking:
“What happened to you?”
“I saw you die, twice. Both times you died because of me.” Wukong sighed, looking at the sky, the emptiness inside him growing bigger. “You might end up like that too, if you stay here.”
“Do you want me to leave? Cause I mean- I’m as good as dead if you don’t help me-”
“No.”
“No?”
“I never wanted you to leave, Mihou.” Golden eyes met the purple ones, one exhausted, the others surprised.
“Well, I’m not your Mihou, Great Sage.”
“It’s not my name, Great Sage.” Yan Lien said to him, a lifetime ago.
“Your name means bright moon, my Mihou was my moon, that has to mean something, right?”
The pleading look on Wukong’s face made Liang Yue sigh and nod a bit.
“Yeah, maybe it means something.” The white furred simian hummed, relaxing a bit. “You are sure that I’m safe here?”
“I’m not letting anything happen to you.” Wukong nodded.
“I’m so sleepy.” Liang Yue laughed a bit. “I don’t even remember the last time I’ve slept. This could be all a weird dream and I could wake up just to see that asshole aiming for my throat.”
“Rest, I’ll be right here when you wake up.” Wukong took his hand, observing him.
“Basking in the sun is nice.” The shadow demon hummed quietly, slowly closing his eyes.
“Yeah, it sure is.” The hero hummed back.
XXX
The white furred monkey ended up sleeping for half a day, in which the sage had time to think, or rather, to overthink.
Who was the asshole that wanted his Mihou dead?
He was going to protect him this time. He wasn’t going to let him step out of the island. Let them come for him, Wukong would show whoever it was what it meant to mess with him.
He tried to shut up the thoughts saying that this wasn’t Mihou.
Of course he was!
How could it be someone else?
Mihou’s eyes never lied.
Not even as they lost their light and became dull mirrors in which Wukong could see his bloody reflection .
Wukong shook his head, before taking the macaque inside his house and put him into his bed.
That had to be Mihou.
He could prove to himself he was right, using golden vision would’ve given him the answer, but… what would he do if he were right and that wasn’t Mihou?
He couldn’t risk it.
He would’ve gone insane.
He couldn’t go insane.
And so, he spent hours observing the unconscious monkey, smiling a bit at every little detail that could prove he was Mihou: how he slept, how he turned inside the bed, how his tail would curl around his leg when he was having a nightmare, how being cuddled softly calmed him down in his slumber.
And the days passed, and they talked, joked around, trained (Wukong insisted that Liang Yue trained a little, since a god was after him), and everything almost felt the same as when Wukong first met his Mihou.
Almost.
“Who’s the god that wants you dead?” Wukong asked after a while.
“The three eyed freak with the lame dog.” Liang Yue huffed. “They never caught me; they came close but never succeeded. My powers always save me just in time, but I can’t control them properly, at least not yet.”
“Your shadow powers?” the king hummed.
Mihou had problems controlling them too, sometimes.
“Yeah, those. When I feel threatened, they send me somewhere safe, if I’m not freaking out, I can use them a bit but, you know, I need to train them a bit more and I haven’t got anyone to help with that.” Liang Yue shrugged a bit, laughing nervously.
“I- saw you using them a lot, you made it look like it was as easy as breathing.”
“Well, he was a prodigy if he used those powers like that.”
“I wish I could help you with those too, I barely know how they work.” The sage confessed, rubbing his head.
“You don’t know how the powers of your husband work?” Liang Yue furred his eyebrows.
“Well, whenever I asked, you just said that you simply thought about what you wanted the shadows to do and then they did it, once you tried to explain something better, but I got bored and then we went to steal something-” Wukong laughed a bit, shutting up when the other monkey just looked at him confused.
“Well, I’m not him. I don’t remember anything, much less how to control the shadows. They don’t listen to me; I have to be on the verge of death for them to act and they pretty much take me wherever they want. They are alive, it’s not easy convincing them to help.” The albino’s tail twitched a bit in annoyance.
“I could search for some of the scrolls you wrote back in the day-” the ginger stopped when the other gave him an annoyed look.
Liang Yue was about to say that he wasn’t Liu Er Mihou, for the millionth time, but instead he said:
“Which scrolls?”
“Oh, I bet you still love to write like you used to-, there are so many scrolls that you filled, be it with what we did, or with one of your shadow-play, they were always so beautiful! Just you wait, I will definitely find those-”
“I don’t see how they could be useful; I don’t even know how to read.” Liang Yue interrupted him again.
The hero froze.
“You don’t-? That’s beyond ridiculous, you spent like forever reading and writing things-”
“Liu Er Mihou had the privilege of being able to stay in a place long enough to learn how to write and read, I had no such privileges, Great Sage.”
Wukong bit his cheek, looking at his moon – who was avoiding any eye contact, his tail twitching again -.
“You have that privilege now, I can teach you, if you want.”
“I don’t need pity. Reading and writing won’t help me defend myself.”
Wukong kneeled down before him, smiling at him softly.
“I’m here to defend you, so you might as well learn a thing or two just because.” He held out his hand.
Liang Yue looked at it, before glancing at the king, then at the hand again. Then he sighed and took it.
XXX
Wukong was deeply satisfied with the albino’s ability to learn, like really fast. A week passed and Liang Yue already did so much progress, consuming scrolls as fast as he could.
The only things they could use to practice were in fact the scrolls that Mihou wrote so long ago, but giving how Wukong stored them, no scroll was intact; Liang Yue wasn’t pleased to see that such scrolls were lost in the pile of treasures Wukong had, but he didn’t say much about it.
“You could store your things better.” He just scoffed.
“I know, I know, you used to help me but I’m not really able to keep this place tidy on my own.” The king laughed a bit.
“I am not helping you sort this mess.”
“I don’t expect you to, I’ll start to do it on my own, eventually-”
Reading Mihou’s scroll hurt him a bit.
«It’s been a couple of weeks since me and Wukong are living together, the old hags up there are still mad about me preferring Sun Wukong and leaving them, Wukong says it’d be better if we leave them be for a good while before interacting again. They offered Wukong the title he wanted, and said they’d find him a job suited for him, we are still waiting for the offer to arrive. Wukong thinks he might tell them off anyway, so we can spend time together. »
«We went up there for some days, then Wukong got bored and we’re now back at Flower Fruit Mountain. »
«Wukong introduced me to his friends. I don’t like them, and the feeling is mutual. »
«Wukong dragged me around to have some adventures, he’s so stupid and yet so cute. We ended up fighting a dragon and he almost got burned. Stupid dork, I told him to not go near his mouth. »
«It’s been a year, I don’t think I’ve ever lived so much, with Wukong every day is better than the last. I hope it stays like this. »
«Wukong took me flying with his cloud again, I almost vomited, he can’t really drive that thing properly. He’s so stupid. »
«I really think I’m falling for this idiot. Maybe I did long ago. He feels the same, that much I know. We are living our best life, except for the times the brotherhood visits us, I still don’t like them. Especially Peng. »
«Wukong wants to marry me. He hasn’t really asked, he will in a near future. I know I am not supposed to listen to the future for stupid things, but I need to know what is going to happen with Wukong. Heaven will contact him in five years. He will ignore the call for another few years. I really hope I can get him to ignore them forever. »
«They contacted us right after Wukong proposed. I said yes, on the condition that he needs to ignore Heavens at least for some more years if he wants to marry me. He said yes, I contacted my sister to tell her. She is not pleased; I’m not surprised by that. Still, she’ll be here for the wedding. I hope I’m doing the right thing. »
«The wedding was one of the happiest days of my life. Wukong smiled so much his face hurts. I’m in the same situation. My sister was civil with Wukong, but it’s clear she doesn’t like him. »
«We’ve been married for twenty years. He still ignores heavens. I’m so happy he doesn’t want to go. I know that if he does, something bad might happen. I don’t know what, the winds aren’t clear about it. »
«It’s been fifty years since we got married. Heavens sent another message and Wukong says he can’t ignore them anymore. I think it’s because I got injured during a fight, he is a bit paranoid about death. I told him that the future said I’m supposed to die in a thousand years, but instead of reassuring him, that made him panic more. He says we both need to be as immortal as we can get. I don’t have the heart to say to him that since I’ve heard it, my death is final and is going to happen, it’s not something vague and malleable, I heard the hit that will kill me, I heard the fight before that, I heard it all. But maybe he can really change the future; if he can’t, no one can. »
«Wukong went up there yesterday, he insisted I stayed on the mountain so they would be scared I wouldn’t show up, I’ll join him in a few days, apparently he will be tasked to guard something, I just know he’ll get bored in a short time, so I better go up there and keep him company. »
«I came back to the mountain after a few weeks, Wukong said he’d be here shortly after I leave. »
«It took months for Wukong to come back, apparently, he didn’t know that time works differently up there, I’ve really missed him. He said he needs to go back in a while. I’ve managed to convince him to stay some years on flower fruit mountain, saying that it’s just days up there. »
«We’re going back in a few days. I wish I could burn down that damn place. »
« Wukong made a mess, now he’s more times immortal and we’re back to Flower Fruit Mountain. I used my ears to know what they are going to do, and I heard that they’ll send Erlang. I told Wukong and he said to not worry about it and to stay on the mountain and defend the troop. »
«Wukong was adamant about not letting me fight Erlang with him, so the idiot ended up being caught. I’m going up there to get him out of this mess. »
«I don’t know how much time I spent between heaven and Earth, fighting celestials to get to Wukong, when I’ve found him, he was fighting seventy-two lighting gods. I took him and dragged us back home. He told me they tried to burn him alive in the eight trigrams furnace, I tried to heal him as best as I could, but his eyes are now almost entirely red and there’s little I can do about it. He says he got a new power and that his husband was there to save him, so everything is fine, but it’s really not. I was too tired to argue. Now the brotherhood is adamant about fighting the heavens. I wish Wukong would listen to me, instead of listening to Azure. I don’t want to be separated from my husband again. »
Liang Yue read all the scrolls that Wukong could find, so, he end up wandering around the cave to search for some others. Wukong ended up observing the other simian many times; the more he did that, the more the king thought that it was really his moonlight before him.
Liang Yue was still dealing with the fact that what Wukong told him might’ve been true. Almost everything depicted in Liu Er Mihou’s scrolls was the same, except how much more attentive the king seemed to be; he could believe just fine that his past life fell in love with him, but he wasn’t the same person, was he? Would he really develop such feelings for Wukong? And what if he did, while Wukong didn’t? At least, not for him, just for the shadow of his past life.
Liang Yue wasn’t Liu Er Mihou and Wukong was both believing that and believing the opposite. He would always call him Mihou, even though Liang Yue corrected him very often.
On top of all that, he still had other problems. Sure, the three eyed freak wouldn’t touch him as long as he was with Wukong, but what about when he wanted to travel around the world? The only good thing Yue ever had during his constant escape was the fact that he could pretend that he was on an adventure, rather than running away from certain death.
He dreamt about being free to go wherever he wanted without having to care about monsters chasing him.
Sure, Flower Fruit Mountain was a paradise, but he wanted more. Liu Er Mihou might’ve settled down with Wukong all those years ago, but he was born stronger, he was free to do whatever he wanted, and he lived in the real heaven for a while and hated it.
Liang Yue couldn’t even phantom the privilege of thinking that heaven sucks.
Sure, if everyone was like Erlang, that wasn’t such a difficult thought to have, but to be treated like a god and say you hate it? Definitely beyond a mere mortal wildest dream.
And how did Liu Er Mihou’s life end? From the hands of the one he loved, so disrespected in death that everyone now talked of him as he were just the incarnation of Wukong’s darkness, not even his own person.
Liang Yue didn’t want that for himself. He wanted to become strong enough to earn the life he always wanted: free from everything and everyone. With Wukong, he was getting a taste of his ideal life, however… it wasn’t enough. There was something that wanted to lead him beyond a little life he could have sheltered in a mountain.
On top of it, there still were some things that didn’t seem right. If all the things about their marriage being so perfect were in fact right, why didn’t Wukong know about all of his husband’s powers? Did he really never cared to ask? How did they end like that? Trying to kill each other and succeeding?
The scrolls were missing pieces and some of them were from years after the last one. Was Wukong really that messy or was he hiding the ones that depicted him as an asshole?
“Mihou?” the Sage’s voice broke Liang Yue’s spiralling.
“How many times I have to tell you that’s not my name?” the white furred monkey lifted his head to meet his eyes.
“Well, it’s time to stargaze, if you are still up to do it, I mean-” Wukong laughed a bit in discomfort, scratching his head as he looked away from him.
“Sure.” He got up and ended up smiling a bit in seeing the king smile softly, before heading out the cave with him.
Wukong took his hand, dragging him on his cloud before Liang Yue could protest; this time he just let the cloud float to the perfect point for them to stargaze without any problem, then he lay down.
The other monkey looked at him, sighed and lay down as well, without pulling away his hand. He listened to Wukong’s long explanations about the cosmos and the stars, the constellations, what he saw when he jumped at the end of the universe.
Without even realizing it, Liang Yue was just looking at Wukong’s happy face as he kept talking, pointing at the things he was ranting about; he could hear his own heart beating like it never did before.
That warm feeling was nice.
He wondered if Liu Er Mihou ever felt that.
It took hours later for Wukong to notice that Liang Yue’s gaze was on him, so, he shut up for a moment, purple eyes meeting his golden ones, the same look he already saw in other two faces.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, as the younger monkey blushed a bit, almost afraid to ruin the moment.
“I- I’m more than fine, don’t worry about it.” The other smiled softly and even giggled.
“Are you tired? We can go to bed if you are-”
“Let’s stay a little more.”
That made Wukong smile even more, and that smile made Liang Yue’s heart skip another beat.
XXX
“Have you ever saw a play?” asked Wukong one time, taking out the thorns of a blue rose from its’ stem.
Liang Yue put down the basket full of fruits for the little monkeys to share, looking at him.
“Which play are you talking about?”
“Like, a theatrical one?”
“Sure, I had all the time to go at every theatre I saw on my way, while Erlang and his fucking dog took a vacation from tormenting me.” The white furred monkey rolled his eyes, annoyed.
“Would you like to see one?” Wukong smiled at him, raising his eyebrows when his lover’s reincarnation shot another glare at him.
“If I step out of here that asshole will be on my ass in no time, and I doubt the little ones are able to put up a play.”
“I would take you there, it’s not like I’d leave you alone like that.” The king said, giggling a little.
“And what if they come anyway?” asked the other, frowning.
“I’ll take you back here safely while I let my clones deal with him.”
Liang Yue shut his mouth after that answer, considering.
“Look, it’s just an idea, you used to like plays, and we don’t have to go now, just think about it.” Wukong put the thornless rose in the other’s hair, his smile widening when the albino monkey blushed a little. “In the meantime, are you up to let me braid your hair?”
“Fine.” Liang Yue mumbled, sitting down, and looking away from him.
The hero giggled a bit, sitting behind him and starting his work with the long white hair before him.
Liang Yue ended up relaxing so much, he actually fell on the hero’s chest, snoring cutely. Wukong giggled, holding him close; then an idea crossed his mind and soon a clone was off Flower Fruit Mountain for a good while.
When the white furred monkey woke up, the king was still cuddling him and a clone jumped next to them, carrying a huge box. The smaller monkey flinched, hiding more in Wukong’s arms.
“It’s okay, I just sent a clone to get you something.” The ginger reassured him, smiling widely.
“What?” the other murmured, still a bit sleepy.
The clone answered, opening the box, and taking out something from it.
“Robes for plays” he smiled too.
Liang Yue got up slowly, walking to the clone with a confused look on his face. He took one of the robes, inspected for a good while, then looking at (both) Wukong(s).
“It’s really for me?”
“All yours.” The clone nodded proudly.
And Wukong happily watched the albino’s face lit up as he tried that robe on, going near the river so that he could look at his reflection. Then he took off said robe to try another one and repeat the same process.
His favourite was the black one with red clouds on it.
The rest of the day passed with Liang Yue kept asking Wukong about plays.
It took days for the reincarnation to ask when and where could they go to see one.
“Whenever you are ready for it, moonlight, just say the word and I’ll have my clones go around to find a play to see anywhere near here, so you won’t have to worry about being too far from our safe place.”
The moon nodded a bit, and after thinking about it for another while, he told the sun that he’d like to at least try, adding that if he changed his mind, they could always come back home, could they not?
“Of course, moonlight, we’ll be back here the moment you want to!” Wukong cheered, and his beloved was finally convinced.
When they managed to go, both of the monkeys were under a glamours that made them look like normal humans – maybe with Erlang that wasn’t helpful, but everyone else would be fooled by those disguises -; Wukong took his moon around the village before the play actually started, buying everything that seemed interesting to Liang Yue Mihou, even if he insisted that it wasn’t necessary.
Then, they sat in the open theatre, holding hands, and cuddling happily as they enjoyed the show, up until Liang Yue heard someone approaching.
“He’s here.” He mumbled to Wukong, gulping as the panic was rising in his throat.
“Can you use your powers?” the king asked calmly, tightening his hold on the other’s hand. The albino shook his head. “It’s okay, stay with me and everything is going to be okay.”
After saying that, the hero got up and walked away, the reincarnation following him step by step.
“Are you two that stupid?” the god revealed himself once they were deep in the forest, his spear lighten up the area around, his loyal hound right behind him.
Wukong let their glamours fall, hiding Liang Yue with his body.
“The only stupid I see is before me if you think I’d let you hurt him.” he growled.
“You know, I also thought he had some traits of Liu Er Mihou, but taking him as a husband just for that? Don’t you think it’s a bit shallow?” Erlang tilted his head to the left, observing both monkeys.
“I don’t need to marry him to protect him. Even if he weren’t his reincarnation, he asked me for help, and I granted him my help. You got stupider with the years or what?”
“That’s a question I should ask you. What did he tell you? That I am hunting him down for fun? He didn’t want to come with me when I asked nicely.”
Liang Yue was about to answer that he would’ve been long dead if he took that chance, but Wukong replied for him with:
“Yeah, no offence, no one would willingly go anywhere with you, so, how about you cease this whole thing? Cause we both know the only time you didn’t lose against me was when others came down to help you out.”
In a second both Erlang and his dog were on the monkeys, ready to strike and Liang Yue’s shadow trembled like him while he shut close his eyes; but just as fast as Erlang, Wukong summoned dozens of clones that took care of them.
When the moon opened his eyes again, Wukong was carrying him on his cloud and they were already speeding towards their mountain; of course, Erlang tried to follow them but, as soon as the albino was able to see the god, he was stopped by many clones – some of them with Wukong’s normal appearance, others transformed as animals.
“See? I can handle him just fine.” Wukong laughed a bit, jumping off his cloud and landing near his cave. “Go inside, I’ll handle it.” He put down the other monkey, smiling as to reassure him.
“You could get hurt.” Liang Yue mumbled, taking his hand, and trying to drag him inside the cave too.
“I won’t, I promise.” Wukong smiled more, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead, looking at him entering before taking his staff out and flying back to fight the awful god.
And so, Liang Yue watched and heard the battle between them. Wukong looked so relaxed now, fighting and making fun of his opponent.
The monkey king was… toying with that three eyed freak?
As the albino watched astonished, he realized just how strong the Sage really was. No wonder he treated Liang Yue with so much care while training… And Liang Yue? He was barely able to speak in the presence of that freak. The most he could do when facing Erlang, was run.
He was no equal to Wukong, how could he ever be? And was he really the reincarnation of the Six Eared Macaque at this point, if their difference in power was so huge?
Liu Er Mihou commanded the shadows as if it were breathing.
Liu Er Mihou was as strong as Sun Wukong.
Liu Er Mihou had knowledge of the past, present, and future.
Liu Er Mihou knew so many things, if Liang Yue was supposed to be him, how come that he didn’t remember a single thing? Not even reading what Liu Er Mihou wrote eons ago?
And while he kept spiralling, searching for a quiet place to calm down, Wukong kept pestering Erlang to make him leave.
Hid between treasures, Liang Yue covered his ears and tried to breathe as normally as he could. A mirror fell just before him, and his reflection went from his own to another: six ears, dark fur, purple eyes, skin paler…
That had Liang Yue frozen up. Was that really him? Was that what he was supposed to be? He moved his hand to meet his reflection, studying it.
Was that his expression or it was Liu Er Mihou that seemed so tired and hurt?
Liang Yue surely wasn’t half blind.
Liang Yue surely wasn’t dead.
And Liang Yue surely didn’t want to end up like Liu Er Mihou.
He kicked the mirror as he got up, grumbling, and covering his ears again.
The winds still managed to whisper words about hidden treasures to him; by the time Wukong got back, Liang Yue was sat down in what once was Liu Er Mihou’s room – which wasn’t used that much since it was created for him, the six eared macaque started to join Wukong in his room far too fast for his standard, so said room was just used to store what Mihou didn’t want to go lost in Wukong’s pile of things -.
Wukong hummed, figuring that the albino just needed some time to calm down on his own, but, hidden under piles of robes and other things, Liang Yue found other scrolls and started reading them as if he needed them to know how to breathe.
XXX
«Wukong insisted on going against the Heavens. No one in the brotherhood listens to me, as usual. I don’t think we’ll make it. »
«We lost, I barely managed to get out of there, I’ve let Wukong out of my sight for a minute and he went against the Jade Emperor. He lost. He surrendered. I feel like he abandoned me. Yet, I’m sure he did it to let us escape. I wish I died up there. »
«I listened to the voices of time. If I try to fight heaven over Wukong, they will just lock me up too. If I bargain for his release, they will turn me in one of their leashed dogs. If I fight them and win, I’ll just die for using too much power. The only option is free Wukong without fighting anyone when they lock him up somewhere. »
«They have imprisoned him under a mountain. I had to search for months to just find him. Only someone with the permission of the Buddha can free him. Wukong was… upset to say the least. It’s not his fault. He doesn’t mean it when he gets mad at me. Next time I visit, I’ll bring him something to cheer him up. »
«That fucking ungrateful bastard dared to blame me for his failures. I’ll let him rot there for what I care, maybe a few hundred years will serve him right and leave him with a functional brain. »
«I hate him. I miss him. He doesn’t want to see me anymore. I’ll not let him see me until he begs. How does he dare to treat me like I were some common garbage. I left heaven for him! I fought heaven for him! And now what? I am supposed to guard his fucking island after he belittles me like that? Unbelievable. »
«Those idiots that still call themselves my brothers asked me to join them in Camel Ridge. They think they can kill him. I’m the only one that can make him suffer. They will die fighting him and I couldn’t care less. »
«He’s been free for ten years, even if now he’s a leashed dog. He came back here just briefly; I didn’t let him see me. He just asked the little ones about me, and they told me I stuck around. He didn’t call for me. »
«I keep hearing that damn monk torturing him. Who is he to torture my husband? I’ll make them all regret what they did to him. He’ll ask forgiveness on his knees. I’ll leave him begging and he won’t ever see me again. I waited for him long enough. »
XXX
Liang Yue hummed as he read the last scroll, he could find there. He knew that Wukong had to be an asshole. He knew it was all too good to be true. He was just trying to manipulate him, trying to shape him into his perfect husband so he could live with himself. Even Liu Er Mihou didn’t want anything to do with Wukong in the end.
Liang Yue would not be trapped like that. Wukong was trying to use him like he saw fit. He would do the same. History would tell who was going to win that challenge.
XXX
Wukong noticed a shift in Liang Yue, he was being a bit more distant, however, he thought it wasn’t anything bad, just his moon needing some time to… digest their encounter with Erlang.
Liang Yue wanted to be trained more and Wukong humoured him, hoping that in doing so, he’d help his beloved overcome his anxiety about the three-eyed-freak.
Whenever Wukong tried to cuddle now, Liang Yue would flinch a bit, just to apologize and let him get closer.
Wukong tried to be as delicate as he could.
And so, months went by, and then a few years followed, filled by Liang Yue doubting everything, trusting Wukong just to regret it and secretly plot a way to leave alone and as safe as he could.
Filled by Wukong genuinely loving him, and thinking that his love was reciprocated, cuddling him whenever he could, gifting him so many treasures, doing everything in his power to make Mihou feel loved and appreciated.
And Wukong never tried to ask for more. How could he? He just wanted his moon to be safe and happy.
Liang Yue spent his days doubting, spiralling, and plotting when the sage wasn’t near him, just to relax in his arms when he was. Stealing from him some kisses, believing he could love him and be loved for who he was, then rethinking about every little thing whenever the hero called him “Mihou.”
Lying down beside him, pretend to sleep and then spend half of the night looking at the sun sleeping peacefully. There was a monster, deep down there. Under the soft smiles, the loving gaze, the care he showed him. He knew there was a monster in there. He wasn’t sure that was enough of a reason to not love him.
Wukong seemed to love him. But was he loving Liang Yue or the memory of Liu Er Mihou?
Liang Yue knew he too, had a monster inside of himself.
Would have Wukong loved him as well if he knew about that monster?
Could Liang Yue feel really safe enough to be himself around him?
Sometimes, the answer seemed to be ‘yes.’
Other times, his mind (or his monster?) posed him another question as an answer: if Wukong couldn’t love him like that, would he just kill him like he did with his first moon?
He didn’t want to die.
However, the Great Sage never seemed to have murderous intentions. Was he faking it? He couldn’t really tell. Maybe Liang Yue was already too deep into that situation to think clearly.
Just when he started to believe he could be wrong and the ginger actually loved him and could be trusted, a messenger came down from the heavens: The golden star of Venus.
Wukong’s old friend explained that why Erlang was after Liang Yue and that they wanted to meet him, to discover if the prophecy was about him or not; they wouldn’t kill him just because, and Erlang had exaggerated as always.
The best solution for everyone would’ve been Liang Yue going willingly to the heavens.
Wukong made sure to answer that in no instance Liang Yue would go up there alone and that, having clear the fact that Wukong would accompany him, Liang Yue had to choose to go there.
No one would make him.
The celestial accepted these conditions and left, giving the monkeys some time to think the offer over.
“If you don’t want to go up there, it’s fine, I’ll send some clones to see what they want.” Wukong said to him, hours after the Golden Star made their announcement.
“But?” Liang Yue asked, hearing the hesitance in his voice.
“But it would be best if we went there and just hear it from them. I’m not going to let any of them lay a finger on you. You’ll be safe.”
That was it, Liang Yue was done trusting him. How could he expect him to willingly go in heaven when they wanted him dead?
But he didn’t voice his worries, just told Wukong he needed time to think about it.
After years of training, he was actually able to control his powers… more or less. He could use them to escape, that was for sure. He thought things thru. He came up with an emergency plan. He could do it.
They ignored the matter for a few days, then the moon spoke about it.
“We can go.” It was barely a whisper, but Wukong heard it anyway and nodded.
“We can go tomorrow; I’ll send a clone to tell them we’re coming.”
And that was it.
Just a day and off they go.
In the celestial realm, everything went downhill very quickly.
Firstly, the two monkeys were welcomed by a trial, were Liang Yue was the defendant. Even if Liang Yue didn’t do anything besides escape, the heavens heard a prophecy about a mystic monkey destined to bring chaos upon everyone.
So, their option were simple: either Liang Yue accepted to remain there, and the celestial court would take any precaution they see fit for making sure he wouldn’t do such a thing, or he was sentenced to death.
The reincarnation looked at Wukong, in a last attempt at trusting him.
Wukong looked at him too, panicked; clearly, he didn’t expect such a thing. How did he not see this coming? When Liang Yue made it clear that Erlang always tried to kill him?
The moon ended up trusting him – despite his better judgement – enough to tell him about his traumatic life and for what? For him to believe he was exaggerating?
Tears filling amethyst eyes, Liang Yue growled, letting his shadow go berserk on the whole heavenly court: their explosion sent everyone – including Wukong – flying away from him, as he started to run away from there, sneaking thru shadows whenever he was about to get hit, and letting said shadows attack whoever tried to strike him down.
Be it a god or a guard, almost no one could get away from their own shadow, sinking them into oblivion.
Wukong was one of the few to be able to escape the darkness that tried to tie him up; so, of course, he went after his beloved.
“Moonlight, stop, please, listen to me for a minute!” he called for him, dodging the strikes of purple magic that threatened to get him.
“That's rich coming from you!” Liang Yue Mihou screamed back at him. “You can go back to your little friend and stop pretending to care about me. I want each and every one of you to get off from my sight!”
“Please, I know what you are trying to do- push me away to-” Wukong, panicked, couldn’t really find the words for a moment. “-your plan, whatever it is, isn't the right choice. We shouldn't mess with heaven, but- I’m not like them! I care about you! We can fix it! You can’t seriously believe l’d let them- I know you trust me- and you love me!”
“I- really don’t.” Liang Yue Mihou shutter, pulling away one of his arms from his own shadow and stopping to try and breathe. He found that hard to do. The void was calling for him, he wasn’t ready to answer.
“I know you love me. You love me. And I've always loved you, please- I don’t want to lose you again. Just trust me-”
“Trust you? Like Mihou did?” Liang Yue snapped at him, growling.
“You don’t mean that-” Wukong muttered, taking a step back. The shadows around them standing still for a moment, just before attacking their own master.
“Oh, I do mean that, where did he get trusting you, mh?” Liang Yue kept pulling himself away to not being dragged into the void, his panic rising every second more.
He couldn’t die there. He needed to run, grab a peach of immortality to make sure no one could kill him and not let himself being seen by any of those godly asshole-
“I've made mistakes, I know, but I've always loved you, Mihou-” Wukong called him back to reality.
“Loved him? You don't know anything about him that doesn't involve you!” the moon shouted at him again. Every single thing he never told Wukong, every little paranoia that he let build up was now exploding. “You promised him eternity and then what? Took it back like nothing? He had a life before you and now you say, ‘we shouldn't mess with heaven’?! I can't trust them to not mess with me! And I should trust you to keep me safe? You just want someone that reminds you of your husband, which you killed, by the way. I'm not your fucking pet, I won't stay locked up in your island to wait for you up until I grow old and useless so you can throw me away too! You grew bored of someone who could match up with you in every-single-thing and now I am to believe that you won't do the same with me? I can't even- phantom to say I'm his reincarnation because I'll never have that amount of power on my own!”
Deadly silence filled the distance between them. Just as Liang Yue was about to run away again, Wukong found the strength to speak again.
“Mihou wait-”
“I AM NOT HIM!” the moon roared. Tears shedding, despite him fighting to not let that happen. “I can only trust myself. I was wrong about you. I'll do things myself.” His lips tightened, just before he let out a hysterical laugh. “You didn't really think I'd do as you pleased, did you? Sure, it was fun, relaxing even, but these bastards you are worshipping are onto me, they want me dead. I knew I couldn't count on you, so far up your throne that you couldn't listen to me even if you really wanted to. Will my plan work? I don't know, but it's either me winning or dying and I can choose to die fighting. These people took everything for me and I'm not letting them put me on a leash or have an easy kill. Not for anything, not for anyone. Not even for you”
“I would never let them do that to you!” Wukong shouted back, finally moving fast enough to grab his shoulders.
“Shut the hell up! You still didn't get it?! No matter how many times my soul is being reincarnated my destiny is to be a loser! And what do you care exactly? You're on the blessed side, you don't lose, if I die, you'll be able to have your perfect little fantasy with my next reincarnation just fine! You know, after I suffer from the bad karma that I accumulated following you centuries ago! Do you have any idea of how much I suffered just in this life?! And I should not only forgive and forget but work for them as a slave on a leash? Screw you and their idea of redemption. I'd rather be remembered as your evil shadow than kneel down before them.” Liang Yue snarled, ending up clawing Wukong’s face, leaving three deep cuts right in the middle of it and making him fall to the ground.
The sun froze, not for the pain, but for the fact that his moon would do such a thing to him.
Liang Yue Mihou sunk into his shadows, then reappeared right beside a peach tree. Wukong’s eyes went to him, as the injury on his face was healing. Tears merging with the hot blood that was still spilling.
Liang Yue Mihou’s hand reached for a peach and just before he could get it, a spear went thru his eye. In a second Wukong’s world was being shattered all over again: Erlang Shen had just killed his beloved.
His now corpse, still and bleeding at the god’s feet.
Wukong’s eyes filled with a golden glow.
Heaven was about to see his havoc once again.