Chapter Text
Tripitaka was weightless, cold; floating an effortless sort of thing. The feeling in her head not meeting the feeling in her toes.
-where was she, who was she, what happened.-
Shadows swirled; gold glinted. Her breathing stopped. Then it started again, and she was free of the cold, but not the shadows. Nor free the hands that encircled her throat. Soft hands, they had calluses from work, not the musical sort of calluses but those gained in war. Calluses gained in fights. Calluses gained in protecting her.
The hands were well taken care of. The hands were soft, so soft. Hands this soft could only belong to one person.
Monkey.
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I knew we weren't on the best of terms at the moment but he was looking at me funny. I felt cold, run up my spine settling sharply in the base of my skull. He had just come back from his initial perimeter sweep, and he looked as though he knew something was going to go disastrously wrong. I asked him about it. He was quiet, so quiet it was painful. Just because we were having trouble speaking doesn't mean he shouldn't be as brash and brazen as he usually was. He replied with a face more solemn than I'd ever seen him," We have to kill Shadow Monkey."
This left us in shock and not so subtle silence. The chill at the nape of my neck spread and grew heavy. I could feel Monkey's eyes bore into me like he is trying to scoop my soul out from within them. My heart stutters, I'm not sure I can give him what he wants. I'm not even sure what he wants. For the first time, in a long time feel afraid of Monkey.
"If we don't kill Shadow Monkey… there'll be no world left to save."
Monkey's face is a hard line after he speaks those words. He seems angry, no — he seems upset. And he is still looking at me. His mouth is a grimace but his eyes are soft and sad and distraught. I can see so much pain there, I know I can't do anything to fix his anger. I brought him on this quest after all. What happened to him in the woods; what happened to hurt him so bad.
- Why can't I just be enough, why am I not worthy, after all the work I put in and how far I have progressed why am I not recognized as the chosen one. -
Everywhere I look it is shiny.
Immediately I look for a love potion smoke bomb, but I can't seem to find one. That confirms my worst fears, salt slides down my face slow sluggish tears drip down without my allowance. I can't look at them; Sandy pulls me away.
Monkey is quiet.
Pigsy is stern-faced.
Gaxin is looking into the distance.
I can't breathe and I can't understand why.
Everything is spinning and I can't catch my breath- the tears flow faster - the worlds spinning speeds up -my hands reach for my head searching for hair, to find only a buzzcut - WHERE is my HAIR - Where Am I -
I let out a muted shriek.
I can't breathe and I can't understand why.
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Pigsy calls it a panic attack, he knows things, I hate to admit that. I really don't know why. But I hate to admit it.
I am worried about Trip. She is still mad at me. I hate it. I hate how vulnerable she makes me feel. Emphasis on feel- Because I the Great Sage Equal to heaven have no vulnerabilities.
Shadow Monkey - Shadow me?
Whatever we call him, he is a problem. He thinks Trip is controlling me, making me do what she wants. That's stupid of him- no one can make the Great Monkey King do anything he doesn't want to do. I only do what Trip asks me because it suits me and I want to. Her smile is soft and it makes me light up when she smiles at me. Her being mad at me was bad enough without having a murderous twin-clone brother person wanting her dead. I have only known her for less than 3 months and she means everything.
she means everything.
she means everything.
she means everything.
Oh gods she means everything.
The world had gained a new sense of color after he had kissed the monk, one that could not be attributed to being freed from stone. Creamy skin freckled with well, lovely freckles. Buzzed hair that just seemed to suit her. The blue compliments her so well. Monkey now knows, even if she didn't know the crown sutra he would have still followed her. The Great and all-powerful Monkey King in love with a weak human. It was a shock to Monkey's senses. Love, love was a strong word, not one he was ready to use. Especially when she was still mad at him - or was it disappointed?
How could he forget about the psycho with great hair and his beautiful mug who wanted her dead.
Someone who was created from him wanted her dead, a being with his face wanted his precious small monk dead. Because of him. Then again it makes sense as he has such positive and wonderful feelings toward her, it would only make sense that one created to oppose him would have the reverse feelings.
Does she see the way he looks at her as if she hung the moon to his sun? The way he trusts her….
No, she doesn't, she can't because he had betrayed her. He had undervalued her and took Gaxin over her. While Gaxin was easy on the eyes he wasn't her. He had put even more doubts in her head, only served to cause her pain. It seemed like both sides of The Monkey King were set on causing her harm. Be it physical, or emotionally traumatizing her and invalidating her.
Monkey had much to think about, good thing he was staying up all night to keep watch over her. He never knew when Shadow would come for her but he wouldn't be much of a protector of humans. Though this human, in particular, is special and not just to him but the entire world.