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(what she looks like before this all starts!)
WuKong glared as he slammed LBD hard into her own ice.
"Stop! Have you forgotten? Destroy me, and you destroy the host!" The lady said as a smirk grew on her face."Have you become so desperate to end me you would sacrifice this blameless, innocent child?"
WuKong hesitated, his eyes wide before schooling his face growling the next words. "You're giving me no choice! All the time you spent locked away, you haven't changed a bit! I'm going to finish you like I should have done a long time ago! You should have stayed buried!" He pulled his fist back as LBD stared in shock for a second before a smile grew on her face.
A small giggle came to her as she spoke, "Do you really want to hurt your Bug?"
"W-What are you talking about?" WuKong faltered slightly, his arm still raised, but this time not swinging. "You must have misheard me, I call MK Bud, not Bug."
"Oh, I know all about your little secret. The one traveling around China? Learning new techniques from others? What was her name? Chao-Xing, perhaps?" LBD said as her smirk grew before she was pulled back and slammed harder into the ice.
"You are not worthy to say her name!" WuKong screamed as rage filled him.
Before he could do anything, soft magic washed across his hand as a glamor slowly fell. The black soulless eyes of the possessed girl morphed into eyes like his own, surrounded by the familiar red around her eyes, her mostly ginger fur with black streaks sprinkled in followed soon after. WuKong stared in shock as he finally looked at the two ears stationed on each side of her head. a painfully familiar voice touched his ears, "B-Bama..?"
The scared expression morphed into one of pain as she looked back at him as her tail fell limply behind her. A distressed sound came from her. The monkey king froze, his eyes wide as he subconsciously let his grip loosen. "Chao-Xing?" His voice caught in his throat as he stared back at his daughter. A hand reached towards his face, trying to reach out to him, and not even a second later, a wild, gleeful smile grew on her face. Her hand gleaned with the blue magic of the LBD before closing her fist.
Something cold slammed into WuKong's back, and he bit back a scream of pain. His grip completely dropped who he thought was his daughter. As he struggled to fight off whatever was stabbing him in the back, his pinched voice spoke up. "H-how?!"
"Oh, it was a nice surprise I found out! While you and your little friends were on your trip, I found a curious little monkey walking the path back to her home." LBD's voice said overlapping over Chao-Xing's. "I guess she was trying to find you, but she found ME instead."
"No.." WuKong gritted out as numbness filled his body, and the ringing in his ears grew ever louder. He didn't miss the tiniest blue crack on his daughter's face.
"I must thank you. If you and your little friends hadn't run, I wouldn't have found this worthy vessel." LBD said with a playful smile. "So much power in such a young body, and she uses it for "good"? What a waste!"
"Don't worry." The monkey king only heard his daughter's voice as his own body fell limp in LBD's magical hold, and the world seemed to be covered in a blue film. "I'll take good care of her."
~~~
Macaque squinted his eyes at the two in the distance. His shock made him falter in his flight when he saw what the glamor revealed a four-eared monkey. There was no other monkey in this world with ears more than two besides himself. He tried to get closer to hear what she was saying, but not a moment after his hawk form began fighting against the air currents created by whatever magic LBD was doing.
When he finally re-centered himself, he watched in shock as WuKong stopped fighting, his arms hung at his side. He gaped as the other turned his head, a blue shine coming from his eyes. He wasn't looking at Macaque, though. No, he was looking at the foolish human and deity down below.
The next thing that happened, Macaque only had a few seconds to decide. He cursed his growing soft spot for the kid that WuKong took under his wing, a portal opened under the kid saving MK from the punch of the currently possessed monkey king. The six-eared monkey felt his heart stop as he felt that icy haze falls on him.
Macaque closed his wings and dived down, a portal opening under the "mayor", both he and the other fell through the portal.
~~~
Macaque rolled his eyes but didn't fight when the others tied him up. He knew he could get out in an instant, and with this, he had a bit of an excuse not to speak. His thoughts all focused on the female monkey. The scene he witnessed before WuKong got possessed kept playing in his mind. A frown pulled at his lips as he cataloged the similarities between the two, the golden eyes and the majority of the russet-colored fur almost identical to each other. Her fur, though, was maybe just a smidge darker than WuKong's own but not by a lot.
The warrior couldn't ignore the similarities he had to the female. The streaks of black dotted her fur, her bushy eyebrows, and the red around her eyes. Instead of having the three spikes like his own, she only had one at the top. The only thing that was completely different from both of them was the braid that fell to her shoulder blades. He bit back a curse, his mind racing with the hows and the why's.
He sighed softly. What the two had before Macaque's death, the six-eared demon never would have thought it would amount to her. He understood why WuKong didn't say anything to him. All they have done since Macaques return has been fighting. It's not a good time to discuss 'hey! Why have a kid together!'
His thoughts came to a halt when he heard the "mayor" babbling on about how LBD's victory was assured. He chimed in when he finally fell silent. "She didn't look too hot the last time I saw her."
" Nu-uh, you're in time out! So you don't get to chime in." Mk softly glared at him."Sandy! Spin him!"
"Come on, kid! You must have seen it." Macaque huffed as the big blue guy spun him away from the group. "I don't know how much power she has being the daughter of WuKong bu-"
"WAIT, WHAT?!" MK screeched, cutting off Macaque from what he was saying. The warrior's eyes widened as he looked at the group. All of their faces were filled with shock. The only one who didn't seem shocked was the fake mayor.
"You didn't know?" Macaque asked softly, confusion growing on his face.
Pigsly threw open his hands, his face full of disbelief as his voice began to rise. "What are you even talking about?! WuKong?! The Monkey King?! HAS A DAUGHTER?!"
Macaque could just see both Tang and MK's brains running a mile a minute, probably going through all the stories and legends they heard about the Monkey King. "Th-that's not possible," MK said uncertainly. "I know every legend about the Monkey King. Nothing says anything about having a daughter."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. With how many enemies he has, would you want people to know he had someone close to him?" Sandy spoke up being the voice of reason.
Tang nodded slowly as he looked at the others. "That would make sense, that would technically make her the Monkey Princess? That would definitely paint a target on her back."
"How did you know about that when we didn't?" MK asked, turning back to Macaque.
The warrior shrugged. "I noted the similarities."
"Now that I think about it, they do have similarities, but..." MK halted as his eyes grew wide before turning to look at Macaque. The darker monkey shifted uncomfortably under the kids' gaze realization lit up his eyes, and at that moment, Macaque realized MK connected the similarities he saw to himself. "She resembles you as well."
All eyes turned to him now, and he huffed, not meeting any of their eyes. "Can we get back to the plan now?" The others allowed him to drop it, and they got back to planning. He didn't miss the burning eyes of Red Son in the side of his skull. He took a calming breath before finally looking at his nephew. His eyes were wide before a smile graced his lips. Dread filled Macaque as he groaned, those two were gonna get in a lot of trouble when they finally met.
After a bit, the plan they did come up with sounded half-baked and careless, but it was the best one they got.
~~~
Macaque hit the ground hard, and pain flared on his side from how much force WuKong threw him. He tried desperately to get up, his gaze locked solely on WuKong as he advanced on MK. He could do nothing but watch.
~~~
Darkness. All Chao-Xing felt was the cold and empty darkness. She felt like the scared 8-year-old after she had a nightmare and just wanted to snuggle in bed with her Bama. She just wanted Bama, but all she felt was cold. It was so so cold...her magic was waning she could feel it. She had been struggling for so long in this abyss, whatever she was doing, while also whoever possessed her was draining her magic. She was so tired.
After what felt like an eternity flashes in her mind, she was finally graced with glimpses of the outside world. She didn't know if it was because of this LBD's hold was wearing or not. She thought she saw her Bama, and she wasn't sure about the kid she heard him talk about. She whimpered when more magic was called upon, and her mind supplied with haunting blue eyes her Bama now sported. "STOP IT!" Chao-Xing roared in rage, her magic heading her call and crackling around her. "LET HIM GO!"
A haunting laugh echoed in her ears before, followed by a sickly sweet voice. "No, I still need you. As well as your Bama." The voice said the final word mockingly. This time, though, instead of flashes, know. She could see the outside world, and WuKong stared back devoid of any emotion. With another scream mixed with pain and anger, the magic that was crackling around Chao-Xing exploded outward.
She could see through her looking glass LBD falter just ever so slightly, and the blue in her Bama's eyes dimmed before brightening up again. Chao-Xing growled as the demon answered with one of her own, and she was thrust back into darkness again.
Chao-Xing smirked softly. 'So, the more magic I use, the less she can draw upon. Good to know.' Chao-Xing closed her eyes and tried as much as she could to her into a meditative state, breathing in and out. More time passed as she remained there, and a soft, familiar orange glow covered her.
Her eyes snapped open as orange replaced the darkness around her. She looked around, hoping to spot her Bama or maybe even this MK she had yet to meet. A staticky version of her Bama appeared before her. He seemed to be struggling, his arms and legs bound by chains. "Bama!" She called out, but he didn't react.
Chao-Xing felt the magic slip away from her, he Bama vanishing and leaving her again. She breathed again, and instead of the orange glow like before, the window opened again. Someone was fighting with Bama in the distance. The kid who she believed to be MK was struggling with getting her father's staff. No sound was coming through, and it looked like he was speaking.
A figure was thrown to the ground by her Bama, it looked familiar but she didn't have time to focus as she watched him advance on MK. "No!" Chao-Xing eyes grew wide as she desperately called on her magic again. The staticky version of WuKong appeared to her again, and this time, he finally looked at her. Bama's mouth was moving. He looked to be calling to her. Chao-Xing just responded with a smile before closing her eyes again.
"Let him GO!" She yelled as she let out another wave of magic, this time so much stronger than her last one. One where both her demon magic and celestial combined in a beautiful array of purple and gold. It was then she felt something break.
Chao-Xing eyes widened as the cold seemed to warm up. Her window grew more, as she noticed her Bama and MK gripping the staff. A smile grew on her face as a golden wave came from the staff as it was removed from its prison. It didn't stop the cry of pain that came from her mouth as she registered the pain flaring up her spine from the impact of hitting solid ice.
Chao-Xing barked a laugh when she heard Bama's comment followed by another voice she didn't recognize. A flare of anger caught her off guard as she heard the LBD speak, "predictably unpredictable fools! I'm not one to rush destiny, but I won't be undone by a trope of headstrong simians(? I couldn't tell what she said. XD)"
LBD reached for her magic only to feel Chao-Xing's fighting against hers. "I won't let you hurt them!" Her voice strained through her own mouth for the first time, drawing WuKong's eyes.
A sharp pain filled her chest as LBD tried desperately to access the other's magic again before screaming in anger, one that mixed with Chao-Xing's cry of pain. Before she realized what happened, a force threw her back. Her blurry eyes made out a white blob of the LBD's true form, and she felt herself fall. Nothing worked as she tried desperately to move anything!
Instead of hard ground, she landed on someone? Two arms were wrapped around her, one gently cradling her head, and the other holding her shoulder. She continued to hear LBD speak, but no words were registering in her brain. She felt tired. She fought to keep her eyes open and turned to look at who caught her.
She squinted. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. That couldn't be...A tired and barely there whisper spoke up "B-Baba?"
The blurry face of a familiar red and black quickly looked back at her. "Yeah, I got you, kid." A reassuring voice said just as a loud explosion roared in her ears, and she squealed in pain as the noise pierced her sensitive ears. Heat followed soon after before, and the feeling of weightlessness hit her again.
~~~
WuKong watched as Macaque gently set Chao-Xing down, and they all turned to look at the now-activated mech. The king fought every urge in his body to check on his daughter, but that didn't stop him from standing over her protectively with an angry hiss. WuKong noticed Macaque's ear flick at the sound but didn't turn to look, only taking a protective stance beside the other.
"You were right MK, if you had never found that staff, none of this would have been possible." LBD taunted from her mech."A delivery boy to the end." WuKong watched as MK stepped forward, and he held up a hand when Pigsly called out to him. LBD continued to speak. "Now watch as I fulfill my destiny and begin this world anew. No Monkey King! No Monkey Kid! Nothing!" Two shadow swords were being brought down on where MK was standing.
WuKong watched on as MK slammed his staff hard into the ground, a mech of his appearing to combat LBD's own. The others called out in excitement, and Macaque let out a gasp of shock. WuKong smirked with pride as he watched MK. He quickly turned to look at his daughter, seeing her slowly open her eyes. Their stare was clouded, but she smiled when she saw him looking at her back. A little bit of his tension eased for a bit.
WuKong stared wide-eyed at Tang's glowing magic sigil (i completely forgot what they're called). He then looked macaque, a quick nod exchanged between the two before they raised their hands. They're magic reaching out and combining with the others. A soft chuckle came from him.
~~~
Chao-Xing's eyes slowly cleared and watched on in amazement at her Bama's mentee. The magic of everyone slowly combined and made each other stronger. What little of her magic was left tugged towards the others. She looked to see the staff stopped by LBD's magical shield. Chao-Xing slowly started to rise, her body sluggish, and she fought to stand up.
Tank's sigil pulsed under her as she brought her hand to her chest. Weak purple and gold lightning crackled from her chest. They danced around each other and traveled to her hand where a gold orb surrounded by a purple flame pulsed and grew. Much like how she summons her shadow clones, she raised her hand before slamming it hard on the ground with a scream of her own. Multiple gold streaks with purple fire circling around it shot from the ground toward the opposing mech.
The sigil pulsed stronger with the edition of her magic, causing MK's mech to get a tiny purple tint, and with that, the staff smashed through LBD's last defenses The mech blew up in a puff of smoke, and a wave of gold swept across the land.
Chao-Xing swayed where she stood fighting to keep her eyes open. "Bug?!" The voice of her Bama called. She turned to see him running towards her, and when he was close enough, she tipped forward in his arms. He caught her easily, worry laced heavily in his tone. "Why did you do that?! You're barely even standing! You could have hurt yourself more!" The princess didn't reply as she leaned into her Bama's touch. She tried desperately to fight back the tears that threatened to flow. She hated crying, but they wouldn't stop!
"Shh, I got you, Bug. I got you now. I'm so sorry." WuKong sank to his knees with his daughter curled on his lap, tears flowing freely down her face as she clung to him desperately, scared he'd disappear if she did. WuKong didn't notice the others' approach until he looked up to see Macaque kneeling in front of him. "Can we talk about this later," WuKong whispered to him. Chao-Xing didn't catch what was said after that as the world around her began to fade to finally welcomed darkness.
The last thing she remembered was another gentle hand joining her Bama's.
~~~
Macaque leaned against a tree, his eyes flicking between the group as they were in the middle of making food. Then, towards WuKong, he sat not too far away with his daughter, who was still in her curled position in his lap. Her tail had wrapped itself around his waist, and her head claimed his shoulder as a pillow. They had long since removed the Monkey King's armor, Macaque had gently cradled Chao-Xing in his arms while MK pulled the armor off.
Macaque gently gave her back as WuKong picked her up, bridal style, and they soon found themselves there. The warrior was broken from his thoughts when a very loud "WHAT?!" came from Mei before being followed by multiple shhhs and gestures to the sleeping monkey. She repeated herself this time in a strained whisper.
Macaque just chuckled softly at the group's antics before he pushed off the tree and towards the family of two. WuKong made no acknowledgment when Macaque sat down beside the other. He looked over the two, first the sleeping Chao-Xing, she seemed content. The only thing that left LBD's possession was a few speckles on white streaks and a long strip of white that started from her forehead and ended where her braid ended.
The Monkey King didn't look any better but thankfully seemed to be saved from the white that tainted Chao-Xing and his wrists and ankles from LBD's cold chains. The six-eared monkey could just tell the thoughts running behind the King's eyes.
Macaque lifted his hand and flicked the other beside right into the side of his temple, making him jump and turn towards Macaque with a half-hearted glare. "You were thinking too hard, Sun. It looked bad." Macaque said as he looked Monkey King right in his eyes. All the other did was huff. "Want to explain a little, or is it too soon for you?" He asked softly, but he could hear the others grow quiet at his question.
A sigh answered him before WuKong spoke, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. I was just..." His voice trailed off.
"Trying to keep her safe? Even if that meant not telling us?" Sandy's voice spoke up for him, and WuKong nodded.
"I promise I was going to tell you before the LBD fiasco happened. She was coming home for a visit too, so I thought it would have been a perfect time to break the ice." WuKong didn't look at the others as he hunched himself a little around her, blame for what happened was written clearly on his face. "If I had just reached out to her before all of this, she wouldn't have been where LBD could reach her. This is all my fault!"
Macaque wanted to reach out to try and comfort his Sun, but he knew comfort would probably not be appreciated by him. Thankfully, Pigsy approached and kneeled beside him, a hand resting on WuKong's shoulder. "You can't be there to protect them constantly, as much as this situation was horrible. You got her back. That's all that matters." WuKong stared wide before giving him a small nod as Pigsly continued. "It'll take a bit before you accept that, but it'll get better."
Before anyone else could ask a question, Pigsly shooed them back towards the fire. "Now food is cooking, which we should get back to. Any more questions from us can wait for later." WuKong seemed to relax at Pigsly's words before nodding gratefully, one which the pig demon returned.
When Macaque prepared to get up, he halted when WuKong spoke, "I know you have questions."
"Yea, but they can wait if you're not ready." the warrior said as he fully sat down again. His eyes draw back to the girl who looks so much like him.
"You deserve an answer out of everyone here." WuKong said, finally turning to look at Macaque look he returned "yes she is yours as well."
"How?" Macaque asked softly. The Monkey King just sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. He grew meticulous about it, and Macaque realized he was grooming her fur.
"Our magic," WuKong replied as he turned back to look at her. "I'm not sure how our magic came together, even after not seeing each other in a good light before you..." his voice trailed off, and Macaque knew the rest of the sentence that was left unsaid. "Months after everything, a stone appeared in my bed. One with gold and purple etching that pulsed like a heartbeat."
"When she was born, she didn't have the darkness in her fur." WuKong continued a soft gasp came from Macaque. "The streaks came when her demon magic manifested first speckles, then to the size you see now when she fully started training it."
Macaque nodded. "I'm guessing she has both of our powers?"
WuKong smiled with a nod "yes, though, please don't ask her about them until after her magic store is fully recovered." The monkey chuckled at Macaque's confused expression and answered before he could ask. "She loves showing off her powers to loved ones. No doubt she'd proudly show you and the others, she worked so hard to strengthen them."
Macaque just gave his version of a small smile. The two fell into a comfortable silence, one that wasn't possible for centuries.
~~~
The first thing that caught Chao-Xing's attention was that something smelled really good. Also, the familiar peachy scent of her Bama soon followed, and she twitched slightly, wanting to snuggle into him more. The next was the darkness she was in was soft and comforting, unlike the cold empty one she was in before. Her ears flicked, hearing a strong heartbeat against it, soft far off chatter also graced her ear. A soft whine pushed past her lips as the smell of food got closer.
"Well, she's definitely your kid," a voice that she believed to be her Baba said teasingly.
A soothing rumble came from her Bama. "Yea, she is. Hey there, Bug. Can you hear me?"
A coo came from Chao-Xing, and one WuKong answered with his own. The princess' eyes were heavy and not responding. After a bit of fighting, blurry colors finally danced across her vision. "That's it, Bug." Chao-Xing blinked her eyes a few times as they slowly gave away from their heaviness. She tiredly smiled when she noticed her father looking down at her. "We made food. Do you think you can try to eat some?" WuKong told her softly.
Chao-Xing voice felt strained and tired as she spoke, "ok." She shifted a little to try and sit up more but fought back a flinch when pain coursed down her back. Her eyes closed and the tiniest flick of her tail was the only thing that indicated she was in pain. No one seemed to notice, and she was thankful none of them did. WuKong helped his daughter sit up more. He seemed reluctant to allow her to sit on her own, but he wove his tail around her, which she didn't mind. Her tail found its way from his waist to drape over her Bama's.
Chao-Xing finally looked up to see the other two that now sat next to WuKong. She waved with a tired hi to MK and her Baba. The human smiled warmly back, holding out a bowl for her. "Hi, I'm MK. It's nice to finally meet you."
The princess nodded in thanks and was glad she wasn't too tired to hold the bowl or feed herself. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Bama told me a lot about you, MK, good things, I promise," Chao-Xing said as he smiled widely. She then turned to the darker monkey on the other side of MK. "Good things for you too, Baba." Chao-Xing saw the shock fill Macaque's eyes as he stared at WuKong, who just rubbed the back of his head with a blush of embarrassment.
Chao-Xing looked back at her food and brought it to her lips. Her eyes widened before a happy purr burst from her chest, her tail wagging contently. She didn't realize how empty her stomach was, but she forced herself to eat the food slowly. As much as she wanted to shovel it into her mouth, she didn't want to add more pain she was already in.
She looked back at the other three. They all had their bowls to see WuKong and MK falling into familiar chatter. Macaque seemed to watch them content to just sit and listen. He flicked his eyes hers and the questions still blazed in his eyes. Chao-Xing mouthed a later, and her Baba nodded before looking to the other two again.
The Monkey Princess closed her eyes as she held her empty bowl. She wanted more, but she felt content at this moment to just enjoy the calmness while it lasted.
~~~
WuKong stood just in the doorway of his home. It had been a few days since the battle with LBD. The Monkey King had taken Chao-Xing back to Flower Fruit mountain, wanting to keep an eye on her until her magic stores returned. It also didn't help that his instincts screamed at him to keep his daughter close and safe on the mountain. For what it was worth, Chao-Xing didn't fight it much.
Said Princess was curled up on her side under a tree close to the house. The monkeys they watched over were also curled around her. Everyone in the pile was sound asleep. WuKong smiled softly and turned to go back into the house when an unnatural movement caught his eye close to the pile. The Monkey King stamped down on his instincts to protect, already knowing who it was.
"Macaque, I know you're there," WuKong called out. He watched the shadow shift before moving closer to him and almost seemed apologetic in its movements. He just rolled his eyes as he spoke up again. "If you wanted to check on her, you could have just asked."
The shadow slithered into the house and climbed up a wall before the owner of said shadows finally poked his head out to look at WuKong. "Yea, but what's the fun in that?" A smirk graced his lips as he fully emerged.
WuKong did not comment as he walked to the kitchen to grab the already heating up water he left there. He came back in with two prepared cups to see Macaque investigating the living room of the home. It has been many years since the other had come to his house, so he allowed the shadow's curiosity.
Macaque turned at his entrance and moved to sit down at the table before WuKong stopped him. "Can I sit there just for now?" The shadow just sighed more out of show than actual annoyance. When they both settled down the Monkey King's eyes flicked out the door, which gave a clear view of where Chao-Xing was sleeping.
"You're running on instincts at the moment, aren't you?" Macaque said, drawing WuKong's gaze, catching on to why he asked to switch seats.
WuKong just nodded. "You're lucky I recognized your magic because if I didn't, I probably would have clawed you out of the shadow myself for being near her." He took a sip from his tea and looked at Macaque. The other didn't even seem surprised at his declaration, nor did he deny it either. He just smirked when a realization hit WuKong, "your instincts making you stay here too. Am I right?"
A hard-to-see, embarrassed blush came from the other, but no words of denial came from Macaque. The only movement he made was to hide behind his own cup of tea. WuKong just smirked, remembering how high-strung his instincts were when he held Chao-Xing for the first time, "It'll get better, I'm surprised you're not trying to look for her right now."
"It's taking me a lot to keep myself planted in this stupid chair," Macaque said with a strained mumble, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "How did you deal with this?"
WuKong scratched his cheek in contemplation. "It took me about a month to feel comfortable enough to leave her alone with my clones. Even then, it was such a short period of time." He fought back a snicker when the only response he got was facepalm from Macaque. Though as much as it irritated the shadow, WuKong could also see in the other's eyes that he didn't mind either.
"If it makes you feel uncomfortable to stay here, your house and grove are still here," WuKong spoke up, making the other wipe his head up to look at him.
Macaque stared in shock. "y-you kept them?"
"Yea, after everything I did to you, I tried to convince myself that I wanted it there to remind myself what I had done." WuKong stared at his empty tea cup, not looking at Macaque. "I know it's not true, though. I still wanted to cling to something that belonged to you." He quickly added a dramatic sigh to the end of it sarcasm dripping in his next words."Though your daughter apparently likes mangos more than she likes peaches, so I just feel completely betrayed."
Macaque bit back a laugh at WuKong's exasperated face and filed that information away for later, before growing serious again. "Yea, that would be better if I stayed there for the time being. After everything, I want to be here, for her. But, I don't feel comfortable around you 24/7, and I don't want to be fighting with you anymore, words or fists. Not around her."
"I'm ok with that." WuKong replied, "and I'm ok with you never wanting to forgive me." The Monkey King surprised himself with how much he found himself alright with that.
"I never said that," Macaque said softly.
"What?"
Macaque sighed as he looked at WuKong, "it's true I haven't forgiven you yet, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future. It's just not gonna be now."
WuKong nodded before taking both of their empty cups, and they both fell into a comfortable silence. The russet-furred monkey moves to the kitchen to clean it off while Macaque got up to look out the door again. Chao-Xing still remained asleep.
"What was my sister's reaction to having a niece?" The shadow asked as he turned to look back at WuKong when the other re-entered the living room.
The king froze in his walking and laughed half-heartedly. "She doesn't know yet." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You never told her? Princess Iron Fan? That she has a niece?" Macaque asked slowly, his arms crossed over his chest as a smirk grew.
"Look, we weren't on very good terms after Chao-Xing was born, ok." WuKong said nervously before sighing."I'm dead, aren't I?"
Macaque slapped a hand over his mouth, trying and failing to stop a laugh from coming out, "so dead."
~~~
Chao-Xing sat on a bench, a piece of paper in her lap as she scribbled away. Her Bama was currently at work in the garden, while Baba was in a tree whittling away a piece of wood. Her ears flicked when silence touched them, and she looked around. No birds, no bugs, not even the sound of little monkeys playing in the trees.
Before she could call out to her Bama or Baba, a strong gust of wind swept across the mountain, whipping anything that made noise into a frenzy. She held onto her paper and immediately slapped her hands over her ears, a soft whine escaped from her lips. The wind seemed to calm down the moment Chao-Xing expressed pain. It seemed to dance across her skin in apology.
Another set of hands joined hers, and she looked to see her Baba looking at her, eyes filled with worry. "Are you alright?" He asked softly. Thankfully, Chao-Xing could still hear him over the loud ringing the wind left behind in her ears.
"I am now." The princess said, matching Baba's softer tone, "I'm still trying to work out regulating the sounds, still hurts when I get caught off guard."
Baba nodded before he reached up and ruffled her hair. "How about this, in a few days, we can do some training and work on that sense of yours." Chao-Xing stared wide-eyed, looking at her dark-furred father before, nodding happily. A smile which he returned.
"Macaque." A female voice with no emotion spoke up, making him turn from his daughter to greet the newcomer, well newcomers. They were standing not too far away was Princess Iron Fan, Demon Bull King, and Red Son.
The shadow of the smile he had given Chao-Xing never dropped "hello sister." They approached each other and the two soon fell into a hug.
The monkey princess turned to look at her Bama who was slowly trying to back away. She held back a laugh when PIF's sharp voice stopped him in his tracks "We have a lot to talk about Sun WuKong." He just smiled nervously before immediately cowering behind Macaque. The tiny whisper of 'If I can't see them they can't see me.' came from her Bama, making Chao-Xing slap her hands over her mouth to seriously keep from laughing.
"Hello, Monkey Girl." The familiar voice of Red Son filled her ears, she took a deep breath to control herself, and when she finally composed herself turned to her cousin.
"Sup Hothead." She said easily before looking down at her paper checking for spelling mistakes.
Red Son moved so he can lean on the side of the bench she was using as he spoke "I'm surprised you can even read, let alone write."
"I was taught by one of my many teachers," Chao-Xing spoke up not looking at Red Son, before rolling up the piece of paper and trying a red ribbon around it. She pulled out a second and began to write again. "My Bama wasn't the best example to learn how to read from, considering he doesn't read at all."
"Teachers?" Red Son asked confused.
"Oh, right. You don't know about my journey. " Chao-Xing said as she facepalmed. "Basically, I wanted to learn more techniques and stuff from others. Broaden my horizons and whatnot. One of my first teachers was a school teacher, she taught me the basics of stuff that my Bama couldn't, like reading and writing."
"Who are you with now?" Red Son asked curiously.
"Their group is called The Skulk. It's a group of Huli Jing. The leader is a centuries-old Huli Jing named Dai Lu, she is the one who's technically my teacher but, I've worked with basically about everyone who permanently lives in the group." Chao-Xing explained not stopping in her writing.
Red Son hummed in thought "I wasn't aware Huli Jing form groups, I thought they were solitary demons only seen beside a mate."
"Some do." The princess said with a smile looking up a Red Son "there are groups formed filled with companions as well as family groups. The Skulk is a little bit different, it's made for Huli Jing who don't have someone to learn from."
"So it's a school?" Red Son asked his finger tapping his chin in thought.
Chao-Xing made a so-so gesture before turning to her paper. "Sorta? Dai Lu wanted kits to have a safe space to train their magic but also to not feel alone. It is a place to form a family if they wish, anyone is free to come and go as they please, as long as they adhere to the rules of the Skulk of course." She looked at the paper seemingly satisfied with what she wrote. "One I know for example who likes to travel but, returns to the group from time to time is Qiang, he was trained by Dai Lu's daughter"
"Hmmm, interesting." Red Son faintly said as the two fell into silence. Chao-Xing didn't think any of it as she looked over the paper. She bit back a screech when she felt Red Son step closer and look directly at the letter she was writing, "I find it more interesting that you're writing to him specifically."
Chao-Xing's hand immediately found purchase on Red Son's face and shoved him a foot away from her, with embarrassment bright on her cheeks. Her paper was pressed close to her chest and with the time her cousin righted himself, the paper was rolled up and wrapped in its blue ribbon.
Red Son just smirked at her, "Do tell, does Monkey King know about him?"
"No, and I'd like to keep it that way for now." A light blush dusted Chao-Xing's cheeks before she held the first paper in her hands. She looked at her parents quickly as PIF and DBK kept their attention off her, she took in a soft breath it began to glow a faint orange. When it stayed steady, she blew out and on the paper. It instantly dissolved into cherry blossoms and on the wind that was blowing fluttered off the mountain.
"Aren't you not supposed to be using magic?" Red Son asked with narrowed eyes as he took his finger and jabbed it in her back.
Chao-Xing let out a soft yelp not expecting the jab before immediately recovering "yes, but it barely takes up anything and I need to get a message to Dai Lu and the others." Her voice was a little strained by the sudden pain.
The princess grabbed her second scroll and focused again, missing the frown that settled on Red Son's lips. It glow orange again, she opened her eyes to see her Bama looking right at her. "Chao-Xing. What did I tell you about using magic?" WuKong called to her. She looked sheepish before quickly blowing on the scroll making it flutter off like the last one "Chao-Xing!"
WuKong walked over to his daughter, whatever the wind demon was saying to him was completely forgotten as he knelt in front of her. "Hand." His voice was gentle but insistent. Chao-Xing bit back an annoyed sigh, but didn't dawdle in giving her Bama her hand. An orange glow surround him and with the contact between their hands, Chao-Xing's own weak aura activated.
She watched as his Gold Vision stared at her for what felt like a minute before finally letting go and his eyes stopped glowing. "You're lucky that didn't use much, no more magic use at all or I will keep you longer."
Chao-Xing just pouted as she crossed her arms before agreeing "fine, no more magic use."
"Who did this to you?" The icy voice of Princess Iron Fan filled her ears, she stood beside WuKong, before she gently reached out and traced the longest white hair on her head the end gently lying in her hand. The face of the demon before Chao-Xing was impassive and showed nothing to anyone who didn't have a trained eye. She thanked her training with Dai Lu as she noticed the most subtlest shift in the other's eyebrows, the tiniest of furrows before it settled back into its impassiveness.
"Lady Bone Demon," Chao-Xing said as PIF let her niece's hair drop from her hand. "She um, she used me as her vessel."
The silence that followed from the two demons was deafening. "How did she...?" Chao-Xing looked to meet Demon Bull King's eyes after his voice trailed off.
"I was coming here for a visit." Chao-Xing gestured to the mountain around her. "I had to walk passed Megapolis and when I saw the city in ruin, I went to go help and was looking for Bama in the process. I found her instead. She used my glamors to still look like her original vessel before me, and she used her own magic to suppress my own so Bama couldn't sense me."
Chao-Xing noticed her Bama look at his hands before she spoke again "I don't blame anyone for what happened, I wasn't hurt so it's fine."
The russet-furred female could feel the burning gaze of Red Son watching her but, before she could turn to level him with a glare he spoke up. "The second part of that statement is not entirely true."
She still turned and scowled at him, Red Son just frowned back. Chao-Xing flinched back with a squeak when she turned to stare right into her Bama's face. "What?! Where?" WuKong started to gently look her over.
"Check her back." The fire wielder said and WuKong immediately shifted behind her, the princess pouted as her Bama lifted the back of her shirt. The sharp intake of air she heard behind her, she knew how bad it looked. All along her back starting from her shoulder blades to her lower back was covered in colors of red, black, and blue. It was dark enough for it to stand out against her fur.
Silence touched Chao-Xing's ear as she felt her Bama tense behind her, she finally spoke, "I didn't want to say anything because I knew you would blame yourself, Bama, and feel guilty. I didn't want to be someone to add more to that."
Chao-Xing looked up as Demon Bull King spoke gently, "you should have still spoken up, you could have gotten worse with like that. From the looks of it, that's not a normal bruise."
"I know"
"Come on, we're getting this fixed," WuKong said nudging Chao-Xing making her stand as they both walked into the house.
Her ears fluttered catching what the others outside were saying as WuKong wrapped her back to keep it from swelling more than it already was.
"How did she come to be?" DBK asked the shadow monkey that stayed with the family.
The voices dissolved into the background as Chao-Xing relaxed under her Bama's hands, well as much as she could.
~~~
Macaque sighed sleep refused to come and it was already well past midnight. His hand reached up to cup where his right eye used to be, trying to soothe the persistent phantom pain that dance around it and deep in his muscles. It had been persistent since midday, only had been a dull ache easily ignored when he was with WuKong and Chao-Xing. Though it didn't last long since the moment he settled down for sleep, it grew into something he could not overlook.
With a growl, the shadow sat up in his bed, letting his hand fall. The cool night air filtered through the window he left open as he rested his arms which acted as a pillow for his face on the windowsill, hoping the breeze would dull the ache just a bit. After a few moments when it did nothing Macaque grumbled and threw his blankets off him.
His hand made its way to his eye again as he stepped outside, mindlessly following a trail he took many times in his past life. He walked through his grove, snagging two mangos on his way. Macaque's focus was completly on hoping the pain would just stop, he didn't register the other that sat near the cliff face.
A loud snapping sound came from underneath him and he flinched back when a quick movement caught his eye. Only to see WuKong staring right at him. The other had turned around from his sitting position where Macaque guessed he was looking out towards the sea.
Macaque immediately dropped his hand from the place over his eye, only to realize his mistake. He forgot to put his glamors back in place, so his X-shaped scar, empty socket, and all six ears were on full display for the king to see. WuKong must have seen something in his expression as quickly as he looked at Macaque, did he look away.
The shadow debated on what to do, before biting back a sigh. His skin crawled at the thought of being unglamored in front of WuKong, but right now. Macaque didn't have the energy to throw them back on. Against his better judgment to turn and walk away, he sat beside the other monkey.
His second mango was held out towards WuKong, a peace offering. One that they used to do when their life only consisted of the mountain. It was their a way of asking a penny for your thoughts if the one took the offering of peach or mango that meant they were ready to talk. If not, no words were spoken and a comforting silence would fall over them.
Trembling fingers took the mango and all Macaque did in response was bite into his own. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it still felt heavy between the two. Finally after what felt like a while WuKong spoke, his voice soft and strained. "Just stupid thoughts that won't shut up, nothing for you to worry about."
Macaque turned his head enough for his good eye to look at the Sun's face, his eyes tired as he just stared at the mango he was given. "And I'm guessing the talking with DMK and me staying has affected it a little?" The Shadow asked softly.
A silent wince pulled across WuKong's face giving Macaque all the answer he needed. Every since Macaque was resurrected, anger and revenge had danced in his mind towards Sun WuKong. How could the Monkey still be lazing about with the blood of his lover on his hands or had used those same hands to trap his sworn brother in a mountain.
Without those emotions clouding his brain for once in years, Macaque looks upon the monkey king to truly see how broken he was. Something WuKong hid well. The shadow turned to look out again, silently wondering if LBD was the cause of those heightened angered emotions.
"I know DBK you had no choice and with me, I should have stopped when I knew I should have stopped." Macaque voiced what the two already knew.
"But you had every right to keep pressing me, I was gone for over 500 hundred years and instead of coming home after I was freed, I immediately went on a journey leaving you and my subjects alone," WuKong said softly as he curled in on himself resting his head on his knees. "I didn't even tell you I was free or where I was. All you heard was I was on a journey. You then saw me laughing and smiling with others, no wonder you were angry."
"I guess we were both idiots then." Macaque spoke his tone light making WuKong glare with no real heat, "there's has been a lot of what we should and shouldn't have done in the past. I could have talked to you before assuming and I could have left when you told me the first hundred times. What done is done, right now I'm just so tired of the fighting." His voice grew tired with the last sentence of his words.
"I am too," WuKong said his voice matching Macaque's. "I know I'm still gonna have these doubts and guilts and ill work on them."
Macaque nodded "good." before the pain his eye made itself known again, he reached up and rubbed it gently as his face twistes in slight pain.
WuKong stared, "you're in pain."
Macaque winced in reply "it happens from time to time, it should go away after a while."
"Here, massage here." WuKong moved closer and gently took the hand Macaque and moved a finger to rest along the inner-eye area, next to the nose. "It's a pressure point, I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's said to help pain in the eye."
The shadow felt his cheeks warm a little at the touch, but said nothing and almost mourned the loss of the warmth that came from the hand when WuKong retreated back to his spot.
Macaque did as he was told, slowly beginning to eat his mango and he noticed the other doing the same. "Oh! I just remembered." The darker monkey just raised ans eye brow promoting the other to continue. "Did you know Rumble, Savage and Mummy all stuck around here?"
Macaque froze mid-bite and looked to WuKong, "wait you mean. They're still here?"
"Mhmm, you gave them an order to protect Flower Fruit mountain and stay" the sun nodded before continuing "Well, besides Mummy, since you called on him in his big form to fight MK and me."
"I didn't know my clones could stick around, I know Mummy probably slept in his den like a sentry, what did Rumble and Savage do?" Macaque asked.
WuKong smiled "they helped me a lot with raising Chao-Xing, one of them always remained in her shadow ever since she was still in her rock. I wouldn't be suprised if both of them are there right now."
The shadow closed his eyes and with his magic much like echo location, pinged the two clones with Chao-Xing and the sleeping giant in the mountain. "Huh. I did tell them to protect the mountian before I left."
"I'm guessing from what they could tell me, her rock technically came from me, you and the mountain, they deemed her a part of your protection order." The russet-furred monkey said as he tapped his chin in thought.
Macaque then frowned "why haven't they made themselves known to me?"
"I'm guessing they don't want to be called back into the shadows?" WuKong muttered with a shrug "as the years went by they looked less of like your shadow clones."
Macaque sighed dramatically, "WuKong those two haven't been full shadow clones since you named them all those years ago."
"Hey! You can't blame me, you litarally called on those two so much when we were younger. What was I supposed to fall them? Macaque 2 and 3?"
A laugh bubbled up un-willingly passed Macaque's lips, earning a proud smile from the other "and what about Mummy?" Macaque asked with a smug grin.
"Again, even if he wasn't technically a shadow clone you still called on him a lot, so my defense still stands." WuKong said as he defiently crossed his arms with a huff. The silence that settled between the two was comforting.
WuKong's soft voice finally broke the silence after a bit. "I'm glad after everything to see you back home."
Macaque smiled gently as he turned back to WuKong "I haven't had a home in a long time."
The monkey king's eyes grew wide before matching the shadow's smile "well, welcome home Macaque." Macaque just chuckled before they turned back to the starry sky, their tails looping once around each other as they sat in comfortable silence.
