Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There is someone sobbing in the sewers, just as he escaped the wrath of the spider queen. The joy of escaping through a tiny crack in the wall falls at the sound. 

“Hello?” His voice echoes through the shady sewer canal, the familiar anxiety filled weight settles in his lower abdomen. 

Nerves high, he summons the staff from his ear, swirling it before cowering behind one of the pipes that encase the tunnel.

Mk steadily, albeit very nervous and tense, follows the sound of sobbing towards the debris having fallen from the hole above.

He holds the staff close to him, starting to shake himself as he slowly peers around the debris.

And there he sees her, a girl, much younger than him, curled up and the cause of the sobbing.

Noticing his presence, the girl jolts. “Stay back!” she warns, failing in her attempt to cower behind the debris and out of his sight.

Mk lets out a big sigh, filled with relief of his discovery. “Ohhh,” His shoulder sag, tension leaving just as fast as it came. “It’s just a kid.” 

Seeing no dangers, he lets go of the golden staff, letting it return to its previous place and stepping from behind the debris fully. 

“Hey what are you doing down here?” He gives a smile,  still nervous, the bad feeling not having left yet.

The girl studies him, despite the nagging from the back of his head, he relaxes more. 

“It’s you–” she says with wonder in her voice. “You’re the monkie kid!” Her tears are wiped away and she uncurls. 

Sitting on her knees now, she peers up at him.  

Giddy, Mk poses, hand tousling his dark hair held by his beloved headband. "Ohoho!" he pretends to sound smug, “So you’ve heard of me!”

He leans forward with a friendly grin, eyes crinkling. “Not surprised!” 

Mk deems the little show off enough, letting his pose fall and look around the two sides of the canal. 

“C’mon lets get–” 

The body moves from the corner of his eyes, the dark, black hair moving along gracefully as he feels the weight of the girl curl around him. 

The sudden feeling of dread only grows. 

“Please– You have to help me!” she pleads, her eyes wide and Mk notes of the eye shadow around them. 

“There is not much time!” The small noise of the wind distracts her panicking mind, letting go of him in order to look around with haste.  

Alarmed, Mk turns, eyes already all around to search for any danger. 

Seeing nothing, the noise of sobbing reaches him again. With his head tilted, he sees the girl curled up in the corner of the debris, just like he found her a moment ago. 

His heart clenches at the sight, a gentle smile spreads. 

“It’s okay,” he reassures, kneeling to her front. “I get it, it's scary being alone, but you’re not alone now, you got me!”

The anxiety hasn’t dissipated yet, he ignores it.

Instead, he extends his hand to her, “We will find a way out together, I promise.” His words seem to work because the sobbing stopped and a smile bloomed on the mysterious girl, taking his hand.  

Or would have, her hand, just barely away from his, stops. “Wait–” his eyes meet hers. “you’re the monkie kid.”

It’s like she hadn’t realised it yet, or hadn’t settled in from her previous observation. 

Her whole demeanour changed, suddenly shy with determination shiny in her formerly teary eyes. 

She jumps up, poorly holding back a squeal of excitement he often heard from people watching his fights. 

“Come one, you have to follow me!” She moved again, faster than before and scurried down the canal way. 

Mk watches her before it catches up to him,

“E-Ey! Wait!” 

And he follows.

(Every step following her is nauseating, Mk doesn’t know why.)

“Hold up!” He waves his arms, jumping in front of her standing person. “We really shouldn't be here–” he gently chides, hand on his staff.

“Come on–” Worry growing at her pinched expression.

She is clenching her hands, eyebrows furrowed. “We can’t go yet.” she says. “Spider queen is building something…” trailing off, mk follows her finger that is pointing at something behind him.

“...Evil.” He squints, before eyes blow wide open and up. There, in the middle of the room is some sort of hologram of something.

“Whatever she is planning, would have to do with that.” 

Mk isn’t really focusing on her anymore, the dread and anxiety suddenly swinging back full force at the sight of that thing.

“I’ve seen you using your staff!” She continues, completely missing the tension. “Surely you could use it to smash that thing…?”

His eyes wander from the top of the thing to the bottom, recognition sparking up.

The trigram furnace is there, holding the entire blue being up. 

(He has been wondering where the furnace disappeared off to.)

“Don’t want to hurt someone else.” Her voice brings him back, his brows raised in disbelief as he looks at her.

Her words seemed earnest.

(He doesn’t acknowledge the warning bells going off in his head, what he saw from the reflection of the Furnace was nothing but a fluke.

The same creepy human skull from the fight against DBK surrounding the girl was a mere coincidence. The incident keeps following him in his mind since Monkey King's departure.)

“Please.” Mk caves in.

He nods, lightning up with a grin and determined to stop whatever the thing is.

“Okay, buuttt maybe step back.” Heading his warning, she does so and he approaches the thing while twirling his staff.

“Here…” He jumps with the next step, launching himself into the air. “Comes…” Mk holds the staff ready as he falls towards the furnace. “Monkie kid–”

(His usual bright and enthusiastic catch phrase seems dull even to his ears.)

Yet just as he is about to smash the whole thing, his face flashes before the mirror-glass, showing him his anxiety and dreaded expression.

“Don’t do it!” his other self frantically whispers. 

Mk halts, confused with his staff in hands and away from the furnace.

“Wait! How did the trigram furnace even get here?” He leans over his reflection, the same panic filled expression staring back.  

“You have to destroy it now!” The girl calls from behind, yet mk doesn’t even glance at her, eyebrows furrowing and the dread finally settling in him.

Something isn’t right.

“There is no time!”

Trust your instincts, his mind whispers, and Mk does.

He closes his eyes. 

“Monkie kid, please!”

And opens them with Gold flooding his vision. 

There, beneath him the familiar wisps of blue spirits surround the furnace. 

(The skull appears in his mind, the one he saw in the tank and again mere minutes ago. 

It dawns on him that it wasn't a fluke.)

Behind him, Mk notices the girl going eerily quiet.

Sweat builds up as he slowly and oh so carefully turns his head, mind flashing of the white hair, spider web draining both Monkey King and DBK in its grasp.

Daunting laughter echoes through the room as Mk finally faces the girl, yet her expression is hidden by the shadows.

The unnerving blue surrounds the girl, the face of the white headed woman flashes before him.

Mk jolts, he loses his grip on his staff and staggers back in panic. 

(He should have listened to the dread and anxiety.)

“It's you.” 

The smirk on her young face stretches.

(His instincts are screeching, yelling at him to rUN.)

“I am,” Her eyes are closed, yet the power grows. “The Lady Bone Demon.” With a snap, blue fills his sight, her black hair from before turning to snow white. 

Mk staggers, feeling something going through him, it lingers and he clenches his head.

Bitter coldness enters his body, it's messing with him, the spirits are disorienting his senses. 

The girl– lady bone demon?– steps forward and it glitches, spirits of the damn are surrounding the entire room, closing in on them. 

“Mk,” she says, the room glitches and and spirit are closer– and appears closer.

“I apologise, but i need to take,” Another glitch and– she is in front of him, so close, too close.

“That staff.” She smiles, pale just like the spirits, just like death. 

(run. rUN. RUN—)

He chokes, shaking out of the trance and booking it towards his staff. The world glitches and it h urts– 

His head explodes with noise, the groaning and screams of the spirits, of her voice fill his mind. Mk clenches his head with pain clouding him, trying to desperately get away from her–

“Calm yourself.” her voice follows him, dragging nothing but that damn coldness, its clinging to his bones, dragging him down and he is losing his mind–

“It's pointless to deny me.” The words are spoken softly over his shoulder, the lady bone demon peering down on his struggling form. 

(She is TOO CLOSE.)

The golden staff is swinging back, Mk is panting as he dissipates the mist surrounding them.

She is standing just a few steps away from the end of his staff, calmly with her hands over another as if she didn’t just play with him and his mind.

The blue vanishes with a gold, Mk finally gets his awareness back and looks at her.

“I helped you– I thought you were a–”

“a helpless girl?” she tilts her head, “Ah yes, my disguises have fooled many. This body in particular is quite useful, for now.”

Mk grits his teeth at her words, anger building up. 

“I’m not gonna let you win, i’ll tell monkey king–”

Just as the name of his mentor leaves his mouth, a searing pain erupts in his head, piercing like lightning. 

A scream tears itself out of his throat, Mk collapses to his knees and the pain grows.

Her chuckle reaches his ears, filled with amusement, as if he told a particular funny joke.

“Monkey King,” All he sees is darkness with the cold blue, her voice coming from behind him–

“You really think he doesn’t already know all about me?” She sounds playful, acting like she is speaking to a small child instead of the successor of Sun Wukong.

(The cold burns, he is freezing.)

“Curious, that he is not with you now, is it not?.” She is kneeling before his form, mirth colouring every word. 

“Ah I see,” The voice is behind him again, right and keeps glitching– “You have already suspected that he knows.”

“That he made the wrong choice.” Her words are spoken into his ear, dragging his mind down, clinging to his form and watching him struggle to b rea th.

“Picked,” The sound is louder than before– “the wrong,” Her arms curl around him, so much bigger than before– “Successor.” A cheshire grin coats her face, Mk can’t fo c u s.

A snap and everything is gone, Mk falls on his face with a noise, breathing hard. 

He tries to see, cheek pressed on the rough ground and blue mist keeps glitching in and out.

“You’re right, you know.” His gaze is fixed on her, her appearance switching from black to white.

“It’s scary being alone!” It's the same trembling voice of the little girl he met, teary eyes and just genuinely scared–

The cheshire grin glitches in, skull around the demon and her arms behind her back.

“I do pity you.” her eyes glow in the sickly blue colour, he hates it–

Mk is choking, the blue mist closes in again and he can’t m ov e, pressed down on the ground.

He is struggling, screaming as she appears from the ground, hand closing in on his throat and pressing–

“Just a piece in the game you can’t possibly comprehend.” Her face is so close, smiling and still choking him .

He can’t b r ea th.

An explosion shakes the room, green smoke emits from the hole and– “Monkie kid!” Spider Queen laughs. “Enough wait! I’m gonna enjoy this!”

And she attacks. 

Mk doesn’t hesitate and turns little in a puff of golden smoke. 

Spider queen misses.

The wrath of the bone demon hits her instead, sending her like a bullet into the wall. 

“Run along.” her voice echoes even in his tiny state, flickering in and out of existence around him. “Destiny will find you soon enough.” 

Her chuckle follows him through the crack and he finally escapes. 

(He can breathe, run, scream. 

His heart is still racing.)

He returns home, drinking in the sight of Tang and Pigsy arguing. 

With a firm “Go take a shower!” from pigsy, Mk goes to his apartment above the noodle shop.

Monkie kid locks himself in his bathroom, taking in deep breaths and focusing on calming down.

He passes his mirror, sees something and stops in his trek.

His breath hitches and he slowly and carefully touches his hair.

Specifically the White strand.

(He feels cold.) 

Chapter Text

“I didn’t take you for something like that, kid.” At Pigsy’s tone, Mk looks up from his breakfast, confused.

“The white strand.” He elaborates, turning back to the stove.

(He knows Pigsy’s dislike towards freeloaders, yet he feels warm whenever he sees the man cook perfectly fresh noodles for the scholar in the mornings before work.)

“Uh–” Hesitating a bit too long, Mk blurts out the first thing in mind. “I’m trying something new! You know, gonna match with Mei!”

Pigsy hums, letting the not so smooth lie roll. 

“Whatever you say, kid.”  

“Good morning!” Perking up, Mk cheerfully greets the man, watching amused at the ruffled clothes and crooked glasses.

The pig demon scoffs behind the counter, already placing the noodles down for the dishevelled scholar.

Tang, in the moment of weakness, sags down on the chair with a groan. “Ugh! The manager wants me to start early today,” He takes one look at the noodles and has the chopsticks in hand already.

“Apparently we got new books today!” He cheers, joyfully. “Don’t worry mk, if i find anything related to Monkey King, i’ll bring it back!” 

Mk falters slightly at the stare from his father-figure, the man froze mid grin and wink, opting to blink at him owlishly.

“Oho?” he closes in on Mk, nudging his glasses up. 

Monkie kid grows increasingly more nervous at the stare.

“Something changed about you.” Tang hums.

Apparently being blinder than the prescription assumed, it's by pure luck that the man doesn't notice the change of hair colour.

Said man resumes in slurping his noodles.

Seemingly reading his mind, Pigsy snorts, pointing his spoon at Mk. “You dunce, he got a white strand.”

Spitting out the soup, Tang whips sound towards Mk and stares at disbelief. His glasses fall off its perch and his eyes are trained on the snugly (but poorly) hidden white strand.

“Oh! Mk in his rebellious phase??” 

Mk in answer, chokes. 

“W–what?!” he sputters, cheeks growing warm at the attention.

“So many have warned me about the rebellious phase! Seems like you were just late in it!” Tangs laughs, throwing his head back. 

He is wiping tears away when Mk finally finds words again.

“No!” He waves his hands up and down, shaking his head. “This– just no! I’m trying to match with Mei!”

Taking another look at the boy, Tang bursts in laughter again, even Pigsy seems to find amusement in his frantic movements. 

Seeing that there is no way to get out of this, Mk turns to his noodles and slurps loudly, his face hidden in the soup.

The laughter slowly comes to a stop, and just as Mk finishes his breakfast, Mei bursts into the shop with Sandy behind.

“Good morning! What’s– Huh??” 

It must be quite the funny picture, Tang clutching his abdomen with mirth, Pigsy leaning across the counter with a smirk and Mk hiding his red face.

“Uh– Is everything alright?” The White Horse dragon questions, sweat-dropping.

“I’m fine! We’re fine!” he waves off Sandy’s concern, shoving the bowl to Pigsy and jumping from his seat.

“We have somewhere to be! Bye Dadsy, bye Mr. Tang!”

As Mk drags both the blue water demon and dragon girl with him, he waves back as the two bid him goodbye.

(Mk never did acknowledge the glances the two were exchanging over his form, concern written on them.)

-

They’re rummaging through Monkey King’s house.

Mo sits curled up on the couch, lazily watching as Sandy searches with Mk around the room.

Mei scratches Mo behind the ear, looking around.  

“Oh! Is this what we’re looking for?” he looks up at Sandy's voice, staring at the golden cube, looking comically small in the blue hands.

Despite the demon's rather cheerful demeanour, Mk grumbles and throws the cube from his hands. 

“I’m trying to find something that will make me super powerful to defeat–” Flashes of white and blue come back, her voice whispering promises. “S–someone, anyone!”

“Haha–” he laughs, unsure and nervous. “Y’know! Gotta be prepared for anything while Monkey king is away!”

(He doesn’t notice Mei’s piercing stare, eyes glowing in faint green.)

“I thought the monkey king was teaching you those lessons!” with a push, he got Sandy next to Mei on the couch, laughing the comment off albeit awkwardly.

“Everything he left for me is already in use, I don't know? I got the hang of them already!” He assures them, showcasing a mini version of everything he can do with the staff, from shrinking to growing.

Mei got her hands on the controller.

“Kid, today is one of your free days! Enjoy it.” Even Mo seems to agree with Sandy's words.

“But- not even Monkey king does!” 

“Mk,” Mei drawls. “The man, monkey?, is literally on vacation.”

Slumbing, the boy joins his friends on the couch. 

“What are you even playing?” he asks, watching as Mei’s avatar moves on screen.

Before she can answer, Monkey King appears.

“Welcome traveller, to a journey to the west.” Both Mk and Mei guffaw at the sight, the King drawn as a very handsome and sparkly version.

A blushing and sparkly version.

They’re wheezing, the game put on pause and Mei having thrown the VR set to Sandy.

What the fuck–

“I can’t play this! There is no way I can take this seriously.” She gasps, one hand on Mk’s shoulder and shaking him.

As they calm down, both their eyes travel to Sandy. 

(Sandy feels dread pooling and laughs under their mischievous gazes.

Even Mo’s is looking at him, he should feel betrayal but gives up instead.)

They squeeze the big demon between them, closing all his escaping routes and forcing him to play to their demand.

Mk can’t stop the giggles pouring out with every pop-up of the king, he can see why his mentor got the game.

During the whole thing, Mei turned upside down in her seat, cheering their friend on as he finally reached an in-game store.

(Nothing could have prepared their eyes for the picture of Sun Wukong being shirtless.)

“WOAH! The shop got all of Monkey King's moves!” He squeals, stars in his eyes and Sandy gives him the controller for this.

With every swipe, Mk’s excitement falls. “Hey, these are all passive abilities!” 

A groan and misclick later, they land on the other abilities, those he was interested in.

(Another picture of Sun Wukong having a somewhat humanoid form of a body builder in nothing but shorts appears.

Sandy seems to admire the build, yet both Mei and Mk wish to erase the picture FOREVER from their brain.

They don’t speak about it.)

He gleefully laughs at the new options. “Now this is more like it!” His tongue pokes out and he leans forwards eagerly, going through them. 

He pauses at one attack, a gasp leaving his lips. “Wukong’s flaming fist of fury! This is perfect!” He selects it and the instructions are shown. 

He buys it.

“Sorry Sandy, you can continue.” The controller is given back with no fuss.

The man in turn buys more passive attacks as well.

Their adventure continues towards the village, where the monkey king informs them of a kidnapping?

“Hey,” Mei points at the pig demon. “Doesn’t that guy kinda look like-” 

“Tang right!? I see it too!” Sandy answers with a laugh, giddy at the discovery.

Mei laughs nervously, agreeing.

The Pig demon gives the villain spiel, before the screen changes to that of a fight.

“Go sandy! Use Wukong’s flaming fist of fury!” Doing as said, Sandy’s avatar leans down, gathering flicking fire in his hand and punching the demon repeatedly with fire fists.

(Mei nor Sandy feel confident to question Mk’s maniac laughter, finding it way too creepy.

Monkey king appears, congratulating them on the win. “But remember, not every opponent can be beaten with brute strength! Wanna learn a counter attack?” 

Mk waves the screen off. “Nah, Sandy's already stacked with ‘em!”

Despite being absolutely stacked in passive and counter attacks, Sandy majorly uses the flaming fists, much to Mk’s happiness. 

(Mei doesn’t point out that Sandy does it FOR Mk, knowing he loves the move.)

With every opponent falling victim to the flaming fists, the dragon girl slowly nods off, leaning against the water demon. 

He passes the controller to Mk, getting a blanket for Mei and tucking her dragon plush under her arm. 

“Flaming fist of fury!” He calls, standing in front of the TV itself and punishing his own arm along. 

Instead of falling over like every other opponent, the end boss counters the attack and kills the little Mk in the process. 

“What?!” Baffled, Mk repeats the boss fight, skipping Wukong.

It happens again and again.

And again.

Thoroughly annoyed and worked up, Mk bursts. “How is that possible?!” He throws the controller away. “It's the strongest move in the game! How am I supposed to use it?!”

A loud crash has him looking behind, freezing at the sight of Mei confused and sprawled over the tipped over couch.

Sandy helps her up, “Alright, i think that's enough gaming–” his attempt of taking the controller fails because Mk, the smart guy, climbs over him.

“Never!!”

And he goes again.

If the in-game wukong sounded more annoyed at him, no one pointed it out.

Just as before, ready to use the fire fist once again, another option catches his eye.

An idea forms.

With a smirk, Mk uses another option, evading the attack of the Rhino boss with a shout. His avatar jumps over the boss, letting it run into the wall and get confused from the wall slam.

Both Sandy and Mei cheer.

Seeing his chance, adrenaline builds and Mk follows his avatar’s movement, balling his hand into a fist. “Wukong’s–”

He grits his teeth. “Flaming fist–” smaller punches attack the boss, and he jumps back once done.

He feels warmth in his hand, closing his fist and holding on that power. 

“Of fury!” With a yell, he punches along his avatar, not aware of the Flaming fist of fury materialising.

(Later, they all agreed to NOT tell the monkey king of the wall punched through by Mk.

They do not question either how Sandy was already prepared.)

-

When he is on his way home, having reassured and bid goodbye to his friends, he passes an alleyway with a flickering light.

For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow moving.

(He doesn’t notice the same dread and anxiety pooling in him again, he never does.)

His mind flashes to the blue spirits, shuddering he gets his staff out and approaches the alleyway. 

“Hello?” faint whispers reach his ears and Mk hesitates.

He isn’t deep in, slowly backtracking his steps and definitely ready to bolt. The grip on his staff tightens, high alarmed. 

He shouldn’t have entered the alleyway.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the monkie kid.” A voice drawls from behind and Mk whirls around.

The staff is battered away by Macaque .

“Hey there, ki–” The dark furred monkey pauses, eyes zeroing on the white strand.

“Kid.” He tastes the word, voice serious and taking a step towards Mk . “Where did the white strand come from?”

(Under Macaque eyes, Mk feels unbelievably small, he wants to go home and sleep.

Maybe he could practise drawing Tang for fathers day, anything to get away from this uncomfortable reunion.

He shudders, feeling frost gnawing at his bones.)

Mk stays silent and slams the staff down. 

He doesn’t care that Mac expected the attack, doesn’t care that he stopped it.

With a flick of his finger and the staff disappears, he dashes past Macaque and pushes himself into the air with a jump against the wall.

The panic must be affecting his powers as well, seeing as he feels himself shift into something.

He isn’t feeling it but rather seeing it, as feathers spread through his arms and he becomes smaller.

Mk doesn’t focus on it, just flapping away from him .

(Behind him, Macaque watches pensively. “Since when did he learn transformation?” is muttered, but he doesn’t show any signs of wanting to follow his ex-student. 

The demon lets the shadows lick at his figure, deciding to plan for a future confrontation.

He will get answers.)

Chapter Text

It’s been a few days since the encounter with the Shadow monkey.

Mk takes a look up, noting the placement of the sun. 

Deeming it enough for today, he collapses onto the dirty ground, letting the young monkeys of the mountain jump him in the moment of weakness. 

The golden staff doesn’t land without cracking the ground and re-creating the shape of it.

A screech has him wincing, Mk carefully holds one of the younger monkeys up. “Air jail for you, no screeching.” 

Seeing it as a challenge, the monkeys rise in an attempt to free one of their own from the monkie kid’s evil clutches.

Sputtering, Mk can’t even defend himself before chaos breaks out.

(He vaguely remembers Tang telling him something, a plan?

He shrugs.)

-

Tang invited them all to a play. 

“I’m so excited!” Barely containing the brimming energy in him, he flaps with his hands, squealing. “It's been ages since I've been to a movie!!”

“Uh– Kid, this ain’t a cinema.” Pigsy informs, breaking him from his excited demeanour.

“Actually, it’s a shadow play,” Tang joins in. “With puppets.”

Eyes widen in horror, Mk clings to Mei’s shoulder. “Whatttt, Puppets?” he whines, going gooey like slime and falling to Mei’s side. “I thought we were seeing Kung Fu monkey cop the movie!”

He’s even holding up the poster Tang brought with him. 

“Uh– Mk, check the back.” Pointing with green nails, Mei gestures to it. 

Mk grumbles. 

With the poster tucked back in, he catches the eyes of the Mayor (not mayor!). 

(His mind is screAMING– 

GET AWAY–)

Eyes snap away when a hint of blue flickers by, Mk shakes his head, getting rid of those thoughts.

Isn’t that…?

“That’s the guy that gave us the weird key!” Mei confirms his suspicion, watching the guy with narrowed eyes. 

(He doesn’t notice how Mei’s eyes glow with barely contained anger.

How she nudges closer to him under the watchful gaze of the Mayor not mayor.)

“It’s been a while since we hung out, ya know!” Mei says, her arm wrapping around his shoulders and grinning at him.

“What?” Busy thinking back on the week, mk asks. “What do you mean? We hang out all the time!” 

“Nuh uh!” She shakes her head. “With you it’s always Monkey king this, monkey king that! We never hang around anymore!”

(Mk feels guilty.

It hadn’t been just a few days then.)

Even Tang seems to have moments too, contributing to the discussion of missed hang outs.

“Alright! Okay–” Mk groans. “I know, i know, i just–” Flashes of blue, her words echoing in the mist– ‘Wrong successor.’ it chants, Mk can’t–

“I was too focused on training.” He finishes lamely, suddenly feeling tired. 

He ignored Pigsy’s glance.

“SHH!” Tang shushes harshly and is way overhyped in Mk’s opinion. “It's starting!” Not even the pig demon escapes the shushing.

The light in the room dim, the storyteller steps from the shadows. 

Mk is reminded of Macaque, watching the man start. 

As the shadow of a person screams in pain, it dawns on Mk. “Mei,” he whispers, shaking her shoulder. “I don’t have snacks.”

She drops her face in her hands at his reveal, grumbling slightly. 

“Kid,” pigsy whisper-shouts. “You literally just ate!”

Not even listening to the demon, Mk starts shaking all over. 

“Fine! Go grab some snacks.” And Mk leaves so fast, only a dusty version of his figure remains before dissipating. 

-

He returns with way too many snacks in both hands.

“I got you your usual bubble tea Mr. Tang–” Mk blinks, “Huh? Where is everyone?” No one but the storyteller in the room.

His attention is caught by the glowing lantern from the man.

Mk is doing his best to look at the play, but he can’t.

His friends aren’t here.

(Anxiety builds up once again, not without dread, never without. But Mk knows there is no danger here. Shouldn't be.

It was supposed to be a normal hangout.) 

The storyteller continues. And yet– he isn’t focusing on the play.

Not when the cold returns, like an old friend. The numb feeling grew tenfold. 

His friends aren’t here.

Whatever it is the man performs, Mk can only make out shapes and colours, all he sees is blue, so much blue, it's everywhere.

It’s haunting him.

(Mayor not mayor sits a few seats away, enjoying the show with a toothy grin, he knows his lady would be pleased.)

-

( It was a pleasant surprise to see him at his plays, getting ready to tell the kid of his tale. Their Tale, as the warrior and hero.

And yet, it was a matter of time until he noticed. 

Macaque may not know the kid better than his friends, but he knows enough to see that something is wrong.

The kid’s been jittery since the last meeting, he’s been keeping tabs on Mk. He knows of the training, of the fear. 

He saw that expression on Wukong’s face enough to recognise it on the kid.  

Just who is it, the one frightening the poor boy so much, he is burning himself out before a real fight can even happen?

Macaque’s fur bristles at the familiar feeling of cold in Mk’s shadow, the kid shouldn’t be cold.

Wukong is a fool to leave his kid so vulnerable against such a powerful demon, if it is who he thinks it is.

He on the other hand won’t be leaving Mk for the near future. Too risky, he justifies. )

-

“–id? Kid!” 

Snapping out of whatever that was, Mk feels a hand on his back, his eyes on fur, familiar fur.

He flinches from the touch, voice coming back. “Monkey King?” 

The monkey sags, former tension leaving him and he sighs. “Kid, you were gone for a while.” 

(Mk’s heart beats a tad faster at the gesture.

He cared?)

Fumbling with his words, Mk stares at the monkey with wide eyes. “You’re back? Since when?!”

Monkey king doesn’t answer, relaxing in his seat instead. “My vacation ended sooner than i thought!” 

At the confused stare, he tilts his head. “Something wrong, bud?”

‘That he–’

“Uh– Nothing.”

‘Choose the–’

“Kid, you sure you’re okay?”

‘Wrong Successor?’

“Are you sure you chose right when you picked me as your successor?” The words roll before Mk can catch himself, desperation clinging to every word as he focuses on his Mentor.

The shadows hide the Sage’s expression, the way he froze didn’t leave Mk’s notice. 

“Is she– right?” He’s practically leaning against the king with knitted eyebrows. 

-

( The pronouns usage certainly didn’t escape Macaque. )

-

“Maybe,” A cocky grin spreads on the Sage’s face, mirth dancing in his eyes. “I really didn’t choose wisely.”

(His heart shatters in his chest, the voices scream.)

“Wow, you’re sure are dense, aren’t you kiddo?” The former voice turns mischievous, the shadows licking at the golden furr as it turns dark. 

Mk’s throat feels dry.

“Macaque?” Its a faint whisper, had the monkey been a mortal, he was sure he’d miss it.

Laughter answers.

Suddenly, the desperation, the fear, the dread and anxiety turns to anger. Anger he can’t control. 

Despite the attack aimed at him, the dark furred monkey catches each fist easily, mocking him more with a croon.

“Man, kid, you sure got a temper! Maybe you should talk it out– I mean, I don't do it.” the demon thinks it over. “Maybe I should.”

“Would you just get to the point?!”

His tail lashes out, curling around the leg kicking at him. “Slow down kiddo,” the sage drawls, “This is the thanks I get for checking in on my favourite student?”

“I was your only student?” Rebutted the other and Macaque sputters. 

“Well– Anyway, without the old King around, I'd thought someone should teach you a lesson!” he pushes the kid away, watching as he tumbles down and lands on his back, dancing away from the attempted kick. 

“Ahhh Mk,” he sighs loudly, hand on his lantern and letting the purple light surround them both. “you really need to pay more attention!”

(At least now he knows where his friends went off to.)

Mei’s shadow kicks him into the wall.

“On another side note–” The monkey calls out, watching the fight with a cocky grin.

“How did you not notice it was me? C’mon kid, shadows are like, my thing!”

He is grabbed by the jacket and thrown to the ground. 

“I’m sorry! I was KINDA occupied with BIGGER things!” Mk replies, sarcasm rolling off his tongue as he evades Pigsy’s shadow. 

The small moment didn’t last long as all three shadows pinned him to the ground, pressing his head down hard. 

“You’re a good kid, Mk.” The sage waves, leaning against a pole and watching with mild interest.

(He is LYING, HE HURT YOU, USED YOU– - a voice screeches.

SHUT UP. - the other yells.

It's silent.)

Brown eyes search for a hint, anything, before his world turns gold, drawn to the three lights in Macaque’s lantern.

“That's it…!”

His vision turns blue, her eyes peering down at him, at his friends and he cAN’T DO ANYTHING.

Mk chokes on his words, the blue spirits leave from the corner of his eye and he has enough. 

The gold rolls off him in waves, it surrounds him, the shadows and Macaque shields his eyes from the brightness.

-

( The kid is fast, faster than before, faster than during training. 

Wukong’s image flashes through his mind. )

 -

He meets the staff wielding kid head on, destroying the entire room in the process. 

“You’re right,” The sage admits, peering his eyes open lazily. “Enough is enough.”

He ignores the puzzled expression, locking eyes with the kid. “You know,” he smiles, like something funny came to mind. “You really are a bit too much like him.”

His hand tears through the lantern, freeing Mk’s friends. “It's good to see at least some potential in you.” 

The lights dash across the room, reuniting with their bodies and bringing them back to the world.

Not caring for any consequences, he throws himself at them with a cheer, Mk half-heartedly wonders where Macaque disappeared off to. “You’re okay!!” 

“What? What happened?” Mei hugs back, looking around the destroyed room slightly dazed.

“I–” The door closes behind them. “I’ll explain everything! Just hold on a moment–”

He ignores the call of his family and rushes out, tumbling through the doors and catching up to Macaque in the same alleyway from before.  

“What the hell macaque?!” Words spit out, said monkey turns around flustered. 

“Is it because I broke the lantern?” he asks, hand rubbing the back of his neck, “You know–” he gestures to the side. “I was gonna torment you a bit, but your mind is already doing it for me!”

The sage turns into his shadow, swirling along the walls of the alleyway, his voice echoing through. 

“You really are a good kid, a good kid with a really terrible teacher.”

“Oh?” Mk puts his staff away, eyebrow raised. “Didn’t you call yourself my teacher back there?”

A hiss rings out. “Ouch, okay you got me there!”

Monkie kid’s eyes fly around, trying to get just a glimpse of the straying shadow.

“You were the warrior in the story, weren’t you? With Monkey king as the hero.”

-

( The kid did listen. 

He is glad. )

-

“You’re not as dense as I thought.” The voice is much more clearer when in the shadow, Mk easily spots the demon crouched on top of the lamp hanging on the side of the building.

With a playful wink, he turns back to the shadows, disappearing from his view. 

“She is coming, but hey,” He laughs from the roof of the left building, looking down and giving a crooked grin. “You can never have enough teachers.”

In a puff of smoke, he vanishes.

Mk doesn’t even know anymore.

(HE CARES! - a gruff voice hisses.

HE USED YOU! - another shouts.

SHUT UP! HE LOOKED AFTER YOU– - a third voice joins the fray. 

HE MADE YOU VULNERABLE! 

- the voices argue, more join in with opinions and there are too many–)

His head hurts.

-

In the end, he explained the whole story with only slight nervousness.

Mei holding his hand helped a lot, surviving the fussing of both Pigsy and Tang, having joined forces together against Mk, did take most of the way home.

Later, in his apartment with Mei by his side, does she pounce with the rage of a thousand suns, shaking him vigorously.

“Next time get help!” She screams, eyes bright green and brows knitted with worry. 

“Get Sandy! Or even Red son! I don’t care, just don't rush into things you can’t handle without help at least..!”

(He is glad to have Mei as a friend, as his BESTfriend! 

He would do anything to protect his friends.)

It feels like Mei just predicted the future.

-

( Back in the room fully destroyed, Macaque repairs his lantern.

Clapping interrupts his thoughts and Mayor steps into the light, not a single injury nor a speck of dust on him.

“Bravo! What a wonderful performance!”

Wary, Macaque gives an awkward grin, “Thanks,” he turns with his body to the side, watching the man with narrowed eyes. “Last show actually, I was just heading off.”

Ready to bolt, he turns and blue glitches before him, closing in on his throat and the mayor got him in a choke hold.

The sage grunts, flickering between here and there.

“Lady bone demon would like a word.”

Seems like his hunch was right after all. )

Chapter Text

Turns out eating cursed meatballs to spitefully win wasn’t a good idea.

Not to say he regrets it, actually he is quite proud of his achievement! He even bested the record.

It may not be one of his best moments, laying on the floor of the closed noodle shop, deeming it too dangerous after every time he nearly hit his head with a hiccup.

Another earth shaking hiccup later, Mei went up to his apartment to steal clothes, Pigsy in the kitchen out of sight with Tang and Sandy who knows where.

Didn’t the blue man go to find something against his cursed hiccups? Pondering, Mk shrugs in the end. 

At least Monkey King wasn’t seeing him in such a state.

“Ohh, that's a nasty hiccup there!” 

Nevermind then.

Scrambling up, Mk badly startles at the looming form of his mentor staring down at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Monkey king!” he must be looking like a spooked cat. “Do you need something?”

“Actually,” The sage grins, his astral projection only slightly wavering this time. “You called me! But seeing those nasty hiccups, I'm right in assuming that you didn’t mean to?”

Mk’s mind blanks.

Seeing his face, the monkey king bursts out laughing, clenching his abdomen and bending over slightly.

“Honestly, your face!” he wipes a stray tear. “Kid, cheer up! Get some peaches from the flower mountain for your throat. It might not be a solution, but I have a feeling you’d appreciate some good tea.”

With the teasing over, Mk rubs his reddened ears with slight embarrassment. “I– uh,” He coughs. 

His mentor is still leaning forward with a smile, waiting, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

Feeling impossibly open, he hides his face in his hands, curling up on and still on the ground. 

“Don’t you have something to do? Super mega secretly?” he grumbles, peeking through his fingers to see Monkey king leaning against something on his side of the projection, he has his hand on his hip and a look that just speaks of his defeat.

Mk curses mentally, cringing at the incident and only says two words as explanation. “Cursed meatballs.” There, that's enough.

The great sage equal to Heaven snickers, trying to cover up his amusement and failing miserably. 

“Competition?” he asks, Mk nods. “Did you win at least?” another nod.

“Cheer up kid!” The monkey moves, kneeling before his curled up-self. “It's not the end of the world–” Jinxed, the whole shop shakes, some chairs fall over from the hiccup.

“Well– it would be funny, a world ending hiccup by the Monkie Kid himself!” 

Not even he can stop the giggles from the joke, unbeknown to him his mentor softens at the sound.

“Besides, you got me in a good time! Unlike last time, we can talk now! C’mon, tell me what I'm missing!” 

(He does care.)

So, Mk talks.

“The monkeys are all doing great, Mei and I have been hanging out all around the city, Sandy is currently on his solo adventure of getting a cure? Tang and Pigsy are okay too.”

“Can you imagine that Pigsy thought Tang would betray the restaurant during the food competition?”

“Oh! And I became friends with those twin demons, they’re very cool when not up to mischief. I think Red son is finally warming up to us more and–”

The sage hums, following each word with a nod.

-

( His heart squeezes with unease at the sight of white in his successor's hair.

He carefully turns the frown into a smile when the kid looks at him. Concern and questions at the tip of his tongue, begging to be asked.

She wasn’t free. Sun Wukong, Sage equal to heaven, the Monkey King, wasn’t late. 

This was between them, and them alone. )

-

“Mk,” The boy pauses from his storytelling, looking at the king. “What about you? How have you been?”

Ah.

Right, he forgot.

“I–” His face scrunches up. “I could be better, honestly.” his shoulders sag at the confession, eyes trained on the ground and fiddling with his jacket.

“And why is that?”

Startled, he meets Monkey King’s eyes, encouraging him to speak up more. 

“I… met,” He tastes the words, grimacing. “Someone.”

“OOOOOHHH.”

“Not like that!!” trying, and failing, to shove his mentor, he falls through him instead with an offended sniffle.

“She–”

-

( His heart beats faster, hoping, praying, it's not her. )

-

“I don’t know what to do,” His knuckles turning white from how tight he holds his hands.. “I will never be able to fight her in this state.” 

He turns, distressed and looking at the sage as if he holds all the answers.

-

( Please don’t let it be her. 

He can’t let his kid go against her, never.

Not when he can step in. )

-

“Who? Bud, who did you meet?”

“She calls herself the lady bone demon.”

-

( His heart stops, his face falls and Wukong never felt more regret than he does now.

He should have killed her the first time they met.

His kid met her. 

Blood boiling, Wukong thinks. His plans have to be rushed now, the kid is gonna need him. A look at the strand has him bitter, the kid already needed him and he wasn’t there.

It's alright, once he got the map from Nezha, he will come back and finish her like he was supposed to do years ago. )

-

The talk with Monkey king really lifted some of the weight, Mk supposes. It was a wonder that neither Mei nor the two men walked in on their conversation.

Sandy did bring back the cure for his hiccups, tea made from a rare flower? At the reminder of it, he rubs his forehead, wincing at the small bruise from Mei throwing her teacup at him.

(You should go visit her. -a voice says, it's one of many in his head, appearing one by one with more opinions and less morals.

She is waiting, you know. -a faint whisper chimes in, blue spirits clinging to the corners of his room, it's dark outside. 

He should be sleeping.)

This is such a bad idea, Tang and Pigsy would ground him if they witnessed what he was doing.

No, it's alright. He is just… practising his shapeshifting. 

Yes.

“C’mon, bird form, bird form!” Staff laying beside him, he got the whole city in his view. 

The night sky really brings out the shining stars up above, they catch his attention with no difficulty, distracting him from the self imposed training.

For a moment, the world around him glitches, the wisps of blue, so, so cold, close in on him. 

“She is waiting.” They whisper, clawing at his form and–

He feels so cold.

Jerking up, nearly falling off the roof in the process, his eyes latch on the first manhole on the street.

He vanishes in a flutter of feathers.

(Seems like he did, in a way even if not conscious of it, turned into a bird like desired.)

-

“It seems like the Queen’s usefulness is drawing to an end.” She looks back, giving the man-made monster a look. “Time to remove the unnecessary pieces of the game.”

“With pleasure, my lady.” he purrs, letting the mist sweep him away.

-

They were rebuilding the Spider mech. 

So many bells rang when the plan was revealed, yet Mk does not feel dread nor anxiety.

Just what is going on?

Mk is perched up on a creaky pipe, wings tucked in and head tilted over the edge, peering down on Spider queen and her clan members. With every word spoken, every command given, he slowly connects the loose ends.

Spider queen is rebuilding her mech to use against Lady bone demon.

(He has a feeling it won’t be enough to stop her.)

Claws scratch the rusty pipe and in one swoop, feet slip and in one feathery ball, Mk falls down.

He lands as human with a scream, roughly on his side, debris digging into his side. Ow.

“Monkie boy.” His name is hissed with barely concealed distaste and anger.

Shit. Spider Queen.

He is up in a second, shuddering at her spidey appearance alongside her clan members. Why does it always have to be spiders?

“Heyyyy spider queen!” The greeting didn’t help, it seems. With a snap, one of her legs has him pinned against the head of the mech.

“What do you think you’re doing here?!” She screams, her clans members surround him from her openings and all Mk meets are barred fangs.

“Listen– I’m not here to fight, in fact! I’m already leaving!” In a puff of golden smoke he turns tiny and runs like the reaper is after him.

“What are you waiting for?!” She barks at the others, “Find him!” and they scurry off.

-

( Syntax complains, there isn’t enough time and material to recreate the Spider Mech. With his calculations and the time they still have, this should be–

The next step misses and he falls into darkness.

Wisps of blue whisper and crawl their way through the tunnel, missing their target by few minutes. )

-

The more Mk nears the centre of the underground base, the lower the temperature is. 

It's freezing, his eyes feel heavy– the wisps cling to the corners, they escort him to their lady whispering sweet nothings into his ear and dragging him along.

They tug and tug, letting him stumble on their way, leaving the light behind.

(Finally! -a feminine voice cheers, others agree, whistling and breaking into sound.

Mk feels nothing, numb to the cold, but the unease still grows inside him.)

"If it isn't Monkie Kid," a voice chimes, soothing to the outside yet her voice causes Mk to shudder. "What a pleasure."

"Lady bone demon." The wisps fade back to her side, leaving him bare.

"I'm quite pleased by the progress," she steps forward, her feet leaving no sound as her hair turns white. 

"I suppose you have already heard of them?" She tilts her head with a smile.

(SHE IS TOO CLOSE–) 

"Of who?" The moment he asks, his head burns.

(Of us, dummy!

The voices chime up with various responses, some scream, some yell and others laugh.)

Mk's head feels like it's bursting, so close to exploding.

"So you do!" She laughs, a cheshire grin growing as his hands crawl up to his head, fingers tugging on his hair.

Lifting her hand, she combs through the mess of brown and white.

Much to her amusement, the white grows, like a parasite it goes up to his head, festering itself into the root of his hair and spreading.

The knot loosens and his headband falls, a third of his hair white and loosely falling around the sides of his face.

"You're definitely better looking like this." Knees buckling, Mk falls, only held by the hand gripping his face.

Lady bone demon gazes down at him, "Run along, little pawn, you will be needed much later," she looks back, eyes drawn to the blue being in the middle of the room.

"The time is running, until then, little pawn."

He doesn't remember much, but he feels light as he falls into her arms.

"Sleep well."

-

( Much further along, Huntsman and their strongest spider clan member walk, the coldness spreads quickly, and yet once again, Mayor misses his targets by seconds.

Disappearing with nothing left behind but the giggles of the shadows. )

-

Despite falling unconscious, so much more happens after.

A shadow attacks, hand stretched out at Lady bone demon and she jumps back, her form returning to that of the human disguise.

"Oh?"

More shadows crawl out of the corners, blue wisps gather around her form, but none attack.

They reach for the boy, alone on the ground, hands clutching his shirt and expression knitted.

As the shadows take the boy, Lady bone demon only hums.

"You cannot run forever, Liu'er." 

Another form leaves the pit of darkness underneath the unconscious form, holding the kid to his chest.

"And I won't, Baigujing." 

She simply turns her back as the shadows vanish, a frown on her face.

Chapter Text

Mk woke with a gasp.

His head hurt, pounding from all sides. The sun-beams gleaming onto his bed temporarily blind him, with a groan, he pushes his pillow over his head.

It takes Mk a few moments to regain his senses.

And oh boy, does he regain them. He throws off the pillow and bolts up, swiping the hair from his face and looking around.

(How did he get home?)

"What." Blankly, he stares around, even turning to gold vision to double check.

This was definitely his apartment. Not calabash, not some messed up illusion from her either.

Mk's home.

His focus snapped from the room to his hair, his white hair. Dangling in front of him without his headband.

(Where is his headband?!)

"Oh." Numb, he touches his hair, combing through it with a weird feeling churning.

The touch was cold, almost freezing, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, instead he felt familiarity.

The cold felt welcoming.

(Little champion -coo the voices, they murmur and–

Mk doesn't feel weirded out anymore.)

"No– I– Champion?!" Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, he can see the blue wisps in his room floating and hanging on the walls in his apartment.

They made themselves comfortable, he doesn't know how to feel about it.

Standing on wobbly legs, Mk makes his way to the bathroom. He nearly falls from the glimpse he got of himself in the mirror, freezing so terribly and hyper-aware of the coldness clinging to him.

(He isn't going crazy.)

The wisps of blue coo at him, their silhouettes shown yet invisible to the mere human and weaker demon eye.

(He feels tired, the crawling of their voices, the faces, the goddamn lady bone–

Mk feels a rush of fresh cold waft over him, blinking his eyes slowly and mind numb.

What was he angry about again?)

His stomach rumbles, its time for breakfast.

-

( To say Pigsy and Tang were worried would be too light.

First the kid seemed to be completely okay! Then he comes down one day with white strands, jumpy and far more anxious.

And now?

Now half of his head is nearly white, the kid got eyebags big as the shop and his head in the clouds.

And he isn't wearing his headband.

They share a look, worry dancing in their eyes as they watch their kid sit and eat the noodles pigsy prepared.

How did this happen? )

-

A blue wisp lays across the counter, Mk doesn't mind, they have become clingy after visiting the lady bone demon.

(How did he get home–)

He looks up at Pigsy when the demon clears his throat.

"Pigsy?"

The cook stares at him, expression conflicted and brows furrowed. "Kid–"

"MK!!" The door is thrown open, strutting inside is none other than Mei, engulfing the boy in a bear hug and nuzzling his head.

But then, he is suddenly spinning to face Mei, her eyes pinned at his head and lips pursed.

"Why is your head going white?" 

Mk felt a rock drop in his stomach.

"I'm trying to match you?" 

Irritation reflected on Mei's face, he cowers slightly, taken aback. She sees, her expression softening and eyes crinkling.

"Bullshit, Mk." Her tone is light but the grip on his shoulders isn’t.

"You would have told me if you wanted us to match, so spit it out, what's going on?" 

(Familiar dread pools in, but it's wrong this time.

He is with his family.)

Sandy is flapping his arms around, trying to dissolve the bad air in the room, failing from trying to defend Mk with a tiny voice filled with uncertainty, to get the attention away from him.

"We should train more guys–" he laughs, it's awkward and scratches his throat uncomfortably.

"Why?" Pigsy asks, arms crosses and brow raised, huffing and eyes narrowed as he stares at Mk.

(Yeah, why does he want to train? 

Because you're afraid, but you don't need to anymore. -a voice, so, so familiar, why does he not recognize her? 

Calm, champion. -another, rasping and ferocious, voice joins.

Yeah, he can be calm.)

"Is it because of this lady bone demon?" 

Oh how those simple words put together into a sentence shook Mk's world.

Between Pigsy's staring, Tang's frown, Mei's confusion and Sandy's worry, Mk truly felt like someone punched him in the gut.

(Anxiety is building up. No, why is it? They're family! He shouldn't be feeling this!)

"Lady bone demon?" Tang taps his chin, deep in thought. "Why does that name feel familiar somehow?"

-

( 'Somehow familiar' isn't the correct word, Tang tenses instead as her name is uttered, he looks around quickly for any danger and feels his blood burning.

It felt like a deja vu. )

-

Mk remains silent, panicking inside his mind and trying to form a plan.

(Plan? For what? He didn't need one, why would he need–

A breeze ruffles his hair and he feels nothing.)

"Well?" He avoids pigsy's eyes, fidgeting in his seat.

"She– the lady bone demon is an old enemy of Monkey king." He pauses, taking a quick look at their right reaction. "In the story, she– uh–" Tangs catches his eyes and understanding fills in.

"She has been trying to kill the monk." Glasses pushed up, Tang hums. "I remember, but she never had an explicit name in the past."

"So she is still alive, and you met her?" 

Mk feels shame as he admits it. "Yes."

Pigsy, having stayed silent till now, miffs. "Kid, when were you going to tell us of her?" 

"Honestly?" At the demon's nod, he continues. "Hopefully never."

"Mk!"

"Okay! Okay, I know this sounds bad, but I was confident that I could handle it!" He scratches his head, chastened.

More curses are said aloud.

"We talked about this, Mk!" Mei grabs his hands, headbutting him hard with no regret, both their forehead turning red from the impact.

"I know!" Teary eyed, he scrunches his nose at Mei.

"Now come one everyone, give the little guy some space." Sandy, like an angel descending, tugs each of them slightly away, enough for him to take a breath.

(It might have been his imagination, but was his shadow… muffling its laughter?)

“Thanks Sandy,” the blue hand ruffles his hair playfully. “Anytime.”

They share a moment of silence, it stretches and stretches until he can’t take it anymore–

“Let's go train?” he cringes, shoulder hunched high and awkwardly laughing, his blue wisps crawl across his shoulders like cats, making him shudder.

(They went to train.)

-

The discussion is far from finished, just temporarily paused. At least that's what he thinks.

(He isn’t sure what to think anymore.)

It's been a while since he has seen Redson, he half-heartedly wonders where the fire demon is while looking around every corner or so.

Since the confrontation, everyone has been keen on not letting him alone for even five minutes.

It's like they’re possessed. 

(The voices snicker at the comparison, dragging him down further into the cold, their claws digging into his flesh, it hurt–

Snow hits his skin and he relaxes.

What was he talking about again?)

Sudden dizziness hits him out of nowhere, Mk falters, rounding the corner and into an alleyway. He walks straight in, out of the public's eye and sits down on the ground, head held between arms, curling up.

Deep breaths, he knows what to do, Mk just needs a moment. Maybe sneaking off was a bad idea.

When he uncurls, the sun has already started to set. Fishing his phone from his pockets, he winces at the time, eyes catch his reflection and he stills.

Since when is his head nearly white?

(Mk doesn’t notice his shadow flickering, doesn’t notice the wisps chanting ‘traitor’, doesn’t notice the hissing and tension rising the more the shadow moves.

He never does.)

The night is chilly, or should be, Mk is pretty used to the cold, when and how, he doesn’t remember. 

It’s strange, the numbness in his muscles clawing up, the light pressure getting heavier with every step he takes.

Suffocating, he is suffocating.

His next step is into water, the world turns white, snow falling and the wisps are dragging him forwards. The pond, not frozen despite the weather, is unnaturally still. 

“Visiting me a bit too soon, don’t you think?” There standing in all her cold glory, is the demon in his vision.

“Yours? Bit selfish, are we?” her tone eerily calm and dare he say, happy. “You intruded on my ground, foolish boy.” 

Oh. Did he? How? Mk steps away from her, his foot catches the water of the freezing pond.

Something, a look down reveals it to be blue ribbons, no, seals? They latch on his ankle, tugging and pulling.

“Wha– Let me go!” Snarling, Mk attempts to free himself, grabbing the air to summon his staff but nothing appears–

Mk starts panicking.

“NO!” he slips, more ribbons come from the pond, getting a hold of his lower body and pulling. Hands try to grasp the ground but its to no avail, the ribbons pull and PULL, HE DOESN’T WANT–

Her laughter is the last thing he hears.

The water rushes past him, he startles back into awareness, finding the shop not even five feet from him. Confused, dizzy and just tired, Mk wondered when he arrived home.

Nevermind, he shakes his head, the warmth of the shop hugs him, welcoming him.

Yes, he is home.

-

( That night, Mk is plagued with the same pond in his dreams, the seal wrapping around his legs, around his arms, his upper body completely–

“HELP!” with every yell and scream, no matter how often he calls out, the seals tighten each time, bruising and hurting.

With bloodied fingers, he turns, grabbing the ribbons and trying to get them off. It does nothing, he struggles more even halfway in the pond, heart racing and desperation taking over.

His eyes nearly pop out when he reads the words on the seal.

Imprisonment.

The laughter of the fallen echo into the snow coated sky, loud and clear as he suffocates. )

-

Bed unmade and various pieces of furniture lay on the ground as Pigsy carefully steps over each item, frowning at the mess.

He shares a look with Tang.

“This is getting worse.” The scholar mutters, following gingerly after the demon. His companion says nothing, reaching the only other room of the small apartment.

“Kid?” He knocks on the door, ears pointed up to catch any noise on the other side.

Tang stands next to Pigsy, worried and reaching to knock again, only stopping at the sound of shuffling, few sniffles muffled and a croaky voice reaching out.

“The door is open.” His voice is miserable, the two breath in sharply. Tang doesn’t even wait a second to consider, swinging open the door. 

The sight breaks his heart, “Oh, Mk.” Their boy, sitting on the ground, has a fist full of white hair, scissors laying next to him and frustrated tears building up.

“Tang, I don't know what to do– they keep growing back, she keeps coming back!” he sobs, hands shaking and turning white from the grip on his shirt.

And tang? Tang lunges, he buries Mk’s head into his chest, arms around his boy and hugging him tight.

Pigsy takes the pair of scissors on the ground, putting them away and hugs the two of them. His form changes, growing taller and shifting to his bigger form, rocking them together on the bathroom floor. 

(The voices whisper, of bad things, of plans, of his destiny. 

Mk ignores them, he is safe.)

The shaking subdues, he lifts his head sniffling, peering up at Pigsy, at his dad.

“You okay, kid?” His voice is gruff, but gentle, soft and careful.

“No,” He says, a smile blooming, however small, it's just as bright as ever. “But I will be.”

A hand cards through his hair, Tang smiles. “We’re so proud of you kid.”

“I know.” 

(The shop didn’t open that day, instead Pigsy and Tang helped tidy up the apartment, burying Mk in blankets and watching a movie on his bed.  

As cramped as they are, they ended up napping on Pigsy, the movie continuing despite no one watching.)

Chapter Text

They grew more violent, Mk noticed soon after.

The wisps act out of what he grew comfortable with, they started leaving scratch marks, whispering in his ears.

Voices, so many, talked of abandoning his family, of leaving, returning to her side. Everytime it happens, Mk becomes both irritated and petrified. 

Mk has been avoiding Mei like the plague after the first meeting. They spoke of his weakness with disdain, hissing and threatening her dragon bloodline like she can hear, yet he watched, knows.

Mei cannot hear the whispers. 

He loves Mei, they do everything together, everything. They are partners in crime, no argument between them lasted longer than three days, no one got to separate them. Least of all the stupid blue wisps.

Sandy has been a great help, wherever he knew or not, his cats have the uncanny ability to sense the spirits following him. Maybe he’ll get a cat too, the man would be ecstatic to help him out, feed him cat facts with Mo on his shoulder.

With tension lining his shoulders, Mk took up on wearing a beanie every time he left the shop, from delivering orders and going out after shift hours. He tries his best to go through the day with the breaks that Pigsy orders him to take, growing more silent with every story told by Tang.

He hasn’t seen Macaque in a while, nor did Monkey King call.

(Silly little boy, -a voice mocks, so cruel with her words, they make him feel so small. Belittling him and–

He doesn’t like them anymore, never did, how did they even get here?)

He’s been avoiding looking at any surface able to reflect his face, he doesn’t need to see to know he looks like shit. Mk hasn’t gotten any good sleep, staying awake ‘till the early mornings until exhaustion calls and he collapses.

(Somehow, everytime he does, he ends up waking in his bed tucked in and changed. 

He rubs his eyes whenever he sees his shadow wavering, he's just imagining that, after all.)

With the whispers, came also blinding headaches. Strong enough to make him falter, it takes attention and concentration to smooth the pain away with the golden warmth of his power. 

He might hate meditation, but he admits it helped him during headaches more often than not. 

(Sometimes, those headaches feel more like an invasion to his mind than anything else. Mk doesn’t like thinking of it like that, he will be fine. Just gotta stay optimistic, right?)

Tang stayed by his side a lot more, they knew he wasn’t feeling good, hell, he thinks most of the demons know of that. Why else is no one attacking the city?

What Mk didn’t know is, he was only halfway right. 

(Mk isn’t a demon, he can’t feel her in the city like they do, can’t taste her power rising from the underground. 

Especially how her power clings to him like a second skin, the wisps shoo away any wandering demon. 

This is one of the main reasons why no one attacked, every stray turned cautious, hiding in the shadows hoping she cannot find them.)   

Pigsy wasn’t as stern as usual, opting to show his concern through actions than speech. It was sweet to see Pigsy act like he did back when he was 5, barely able to get out of bed and sleeping for weeks with no end in sight.

(It was unheard of to see a human in such a state. Pigsy ended up bringing in a Demon doctor, who knew how to help swiftly and Mk was back on his feet in no time.

The conversation of whether Mk is or is not, never got an answer.)

“Kid,” the snap of fingers startle Mk, he blinks confused for a moment.

“You back with us? Was it a headache again?” The pig demon frowns, he crouches down to Mk’s level. “Kid?”

Monkie Kid stares. “Uhh– oh! I’m good! No headaches all day and ready to rumble.” To prove his point, Mk jumps up from the ground and twirls his staff on his fingertips.

However, despite smiling at his antics, there is still a line of worry on the others' forehead. 

Mk doesn’t like that at all. “I am!” he reassures, flapping his arms to convince the demon. Said demon does not budge, standing tall with crossed arms and lips tugged down. 

“Mk.” he says, slow and warning. In return, the successor of Sun Wukong sighs, leaning against a chair with a pout.

"I've been taking it easy, it's boring." He whines, the staff returns to his ear and the elder of the two sighs.

"Why don't you meet up with Mei?" He questions.

Mk stays silent, avoiding Pigsy's eyes, in favour of looking at his shoes. They're rather spectacular today.

Another sigh.

"Alright kid, I'm cancelling the rest of your shift. Go out and do something." His boss waves off his sputtering and callings, opting to turn and go back to the kitchen.

The staff wielder groans, seemingly contemplating the now free time he has.

As he ruefully leaves the shop, Pigsy sighs again.

"You have been sighing a lot." Tang comments, his book closed in order to look at the demon.

"Just worried for the kid." 

The scholar hums, placing his book down and getting closer to the other.

"I might have found something out, last night." 

At the pointed look he receives, Tang simply gets a chair from a table and drags it into the kitchen, gently pushing his partner down.

"The Lady Bone Demon is a smart demon, her actions are near untraceable and she knows what she does." He pushes his glasses up, expression pensive as he talks.

"She was sealed by the Monk with the Monkey King, I'm not sure when, but she is now free and here."

Tang falters, Pigsy waits patiently for him to prepare mentally, growing tense as the silence grows.

"With the obvious signs, the only possibility is possession." 

Suddenly he understood why Tang wanted him to sit.

This was bad. So goddamn bad. Of all the things…

Possession.

"Fuck." He takes a deep breath, head held by his arm settled on the counter. "How?"

Tang answers, like an angel he is. "How a demon with the capability to possess appeared out of nowhere with no one noticing or how she got so much power in the first place?" 

"Tang, there is absolutely no way she wouldn't be noticed, in this century, trying to become strong enough to possess." 

The man nods along, agreeing with his words. "That's the thing, and if her age is true then," he pauses.

"Either she got the power during her imprisonment with the help of an ally or–"

Their eyes meet, the horrifying truth settling slowly.  

"She had her power even before her imprisonment." 

The shop remained closed the rest of the day.

-

Turns out, the walk around the city did him good. 

Headphones on, bopping along the song, Mk makes his way through the street. He greets the occasional fan, having become a hero of the city seems like old news now, with all parties aware of another.

Mk fumbles, trying to catch his headphones as two, one blue and the other orange, arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Hey there, Monkey man!" Twin grins meet him as he gets his bearings together.

The silver horned demon, Yin, face falls as the silence stretches, confused. He lets go of the kid and steps before the pair.

"Did we break him? Why isn't he talking?" His brother, the golden horned demon, Jin replies with a shrug.

Instead, Jin gives the boy a shake, poking him from head to shoulders. Which triggers Yin to start tickling and evolves to Mk shrieking and flailing in their hold, howling with laughter.

"Ha aA — stOP!" The twins get pushed aside, shit eating grins on their faces as Mk heaves for air.

"You guys– ugh. Why!?" Jin and Yin push together, leaning on the other as they look at the boy.

"Wow, wow, wow! You were the one ignoring us!" Jin points at Mk, offended. 

"Yeah! You were totally ignoring us!" Yin agrees spitefully.

Mk smacks the finger away, watches amused as Jin holds his finger gingerly while whining in pain and Yin examines said finger.

The picture of ridiculously is gone just as fast as it came, the two are now going way over his personal space, pressing their faces into his.

(It would be pretty funny if he bit one of them–)

"Alright–" He pushes each brother with an arm, walking in the space made in between. "If this is all, I'll be going!" He calls back.

Not even one step forward, and the two are back in his view.

"Not so fast, monkey boy!" Jin says, then gets pushed down by the Silver horned demon.

"We got a new game and want to try the 3-player mode, but we don't know any demon that wouldn't attack! So you will do it." He explains, pointing with his stick along the paper made plan.

While distracted by the plan and explanation, Jin creeps up on Mk and swoops him up and over his shoulder.

"Got him!" The golden horned demon waves off the noises of offence.

Yin whines with his stick in hand and grumbles as he packs his plan back into whatever he pulled it out of.

Mk is oddly still over Jin's shoulder, even propping his head up to watch Yin pack.

"So we're doing this, alright." Monkie kid mutters, following everything as they move.

"You, you could have just asked me like a normal person!" He calls, the words cause the two demons to cackle as they walk and jump from alleyway to rooftop.

"We are doing it like a normal person! Demon standard!" 

(As they jump, the wisps chitter in displeasure, hissing at the brothers and leaving ice growing from various places they leap from.

Mk wonders if the demon brothers notice anything, watching with hawk eyes, he sees neither shudder nor show any signs.

He wonders just how powerful they truly are beyond their morals.) 

It didn't take long to land in front of the building Mk once delivered noodles to, then getting captured and breaking out. 

The place, their home?, isn't all too different from the last time, once inside does Jin let him down.

"Welcome back, little guy!" Yin throws his arms out, showing off the place with flair.

Mk snorts.

Jin nudges him to the sofa in the middle of the room, blankets and pillows thrown around and messy.

Wordlessly, Mk takes a seat, jumping as Yin throws himself next to him with a can of soda. The demon places more on the ground, next to their feet, before taking one controller and picking the game for the day.

"So, the new game is called PicoPark, the players are these cute bear things, we could play Mario Kart or Gang beast afterwards." Yin gives him a controller, selecting the first game and already claiming the blue colour.

Mk glances at Jin in the kitchen, then claims the orange colour with Yin grinning at him.

When Jin returns, he throws the bowl of chips and popcorn at his brother and hostage, which both catch with yelps.

A glance at the TV has him whipped around with an offended gasp, "Orange is my colour!" he snarls. 

Mk cackles in glee, scooting over for the displeased gold horned demon to sit.

"Pink would suit you." He says, snickering behind his hand at the affronted look.

"Pink is Yin's colour!" He scoffs. "Purple suits me much better."

Jin picks purple after another debate of the difference between Yellow and Orange.

It doesn't take long for the game to show its true colours, Jin immediately falls and dies.

They respawned at the beginning.

"Well fuck." Whoever said those words, Mk couldn't agree more.

Their figures are connected by a line now, and it's driving them nuts. They spend 15 whole minutes just falling into the hole on their path, it involved all parties screaming to various decrees and the brothers becoming physical.

Yin won't stop jumping on the white blocks, triggering them to fall before they could start the process of going through, Jin on the other hand keeps falling off whenever he gets the key.

They respawned 7 times.

Then the levels with a time limit started, that was a whole other can of worms.

It took collectively screaming from all of them to even get through the first level. If Mk threatened them with the golden staff at some point, no one is mentioning anything. 

The levels with the shields tested their trust and Mk is pretty sure he lost some of that towards the brothers. One look at them reassures him he isn't the only one, with the way they are glancing warily at the other.

The spaceship level was his favourite by far.

That's also the one he died the most at, constantly flying faster and hitting the walls. Each time it happened, he got smacked by pillows.

(They don't talk as they rage quit PicoPark, instead focus on winning as they start Mario Kart.)

(Later, once it's dark out and he finally leaves, he admits he did need that little break.

However, Mk feels dread, he knows this little break was nothing to what was to come. 

He doesn't mention to anyone how the wisps became a bit more possessive with him.)

Chapter Text

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Ah. Mk blatantly thinks. My time is up.

He doesn't recall anything else, succumbing under the water and floating aimlessly. 

He can't feel anything, everything is so cloudy and–

It's wonderful. Why was he fighting it?

-

Mei is the first one to notice. Of course she would! The moment her best friend stumbled downstairs, hair dishevelled, sleepy and a faraway look in his eyes, Mei knew something was up.

She pushes down her unease, replacing it with false cheer and pounds on her bestie.

"Mk! Good morning!" She greets, yet her smile falters at his unusual stiffness.

"Mk?" Prodding at the boy ends up futile, she cups his cheeks instead, tilting his head to look.

Nothing is amiss. 

"Is your hair longer?" She glances behind, seeing Tang's unease form, they're all closing in as she speaks.

"W-what is happening?" Mei turns to Tang, brows furrowed and worry dancing. "Tang? What's wrong with Mk?" 

Before Tang can answer, as if feeling her worry, Mk wakes.

"Huh?" He mumbles, hands on hers, he looks up confused.

What worries her more are the cloudy eyes he got, the spark of blue more prominent than ever.

Something is wrong.

"Mk? Are you good?"

"I…" she leaned close, ears perked at the sound of his voice. "I'm good." 

Yeah, no he is definitely not.

Mk winces, rubbing his throat after speaking, Mei frowns watching.

The White Horse Dragon Girl looks back, catching Tang's unreadable expression, it's a mix of concern and so much more.

Determined to fix whatever is going on with her best friend, she hooks her arm around his and turns to Sandy.

Just as expected, the blue man is fretting with worry, hands hovering over the two.

"C'mon Sandy, pal! We had a plan today, maybe it will hype Mk up and out of his depressed state!" She gives her friend a smile, it's strained and unpleasant but he gets it nevertheless. 

-

It didn't take long settling in on the Team Dronecopter, the aircraft hovering near the city, surrounded by the desert. 

Mk still doesn't feel particularly good, despite sitting under the shade with the sun glaring down on them all, his skin is ice cold.

( When she held his hand, goosebumps erupted along her arm and back, senses screaming at the danger, yet there was no enemy but her, Mk and their friends.

For a second, she felt like a stranger, out of her body and trusted into a whole new world.

It was filled with snow, drenching the place in white and blinding Mei with the brightness.

She turned and turned and turned, trying to figure out where she was. Only to stop at the sight of blue.  

A pond with ribbons digging deep into the waters, holding something down with everything. She idly wonders what it is, that they're imprisoning into the depths of the pond.

Mei snaps out of it when Mk's grip on her wrist shows itself, the grip is strong, hurting her.

She looks up to see Mk's strained smile.

Something is wrong. )

Under Tang and Pigsy's watchful eyes, Mei jumps from the aircraft, turning to her more dragonic form mid air and flying.

She twirls and loops, roaring as she dances amidst the sky. 

( She hopes Mk is watching, hopes for him to come back to his joyous self, hopes for him to jump after her in his various selections of winged forms and joins the sky dance.

But one looks down at the vehicle and her hopes fall, Mk did not move during her jump. )

-

Tang watches, notes and surveys the situation. He analyses, memorises and thinks, this isn't good.

Tang knows his stuff, he knows the history of demons, of the journey to the west, of demons powerful enough to be mentioned. 

Yet, somehow, somehow, the lady bone demon isn't amongst them.

Why.  

It's baffling, confusing and the cause of his current panic.

How does he know, remember, feel her hands around his throat, squeezing oh so slowly and watch with her bright frosty blue eyes as his breath hitches and slowly stops.

When.

He has never met her, he would have remembered. Yet here he is, feeling the phantom pains, emotions that aren't his, just from one name spoken aloud.

How.

There are many theories, Tang is open minded and knows anything could be plausible. May it be reincarnation, rebirth, amnesia, flashbacks, another life, given memories, hell! Even possession!

He is aware.

He felt the connection to the golden jangly stick, felt it singing under his hovering hand before he took the sword, felt its power.

Tang knows of the prickling under his skin, of the light golden glow when he worries and frets over small bruises or burns. 

He sees the golden energy connecting the living, sees it dancing in the air.

Tang also knows that he wasn't aware nor felt the power back then, during his search for knowledge, studying so feverishly and hogging the library. 

It came in waves, first the knowledge, then the change of sight, after the pulse of golden energy. 

The scholar used to be a sickly child, catching fevers easily and even getting into an accident which left him with weakened ankles.

Tang knows, sees and believes. 

What he doesn't believe, doesn't know of, cannot see and accept is the golden flow around Mk turning blue.

That wasn't heard of, none of his scrolls, books, written predictions has anything about such an occurrence.

Tang hates the unknown.

He spent days, weeks, on pushing the golden flow into Mk, cleansing the blue and checking on him every so often.

But the blue is stubborn, it won't leave, festering itself in his kids head.

A tricky part, Tang doesn't have much experience despite knowing what to do, of the unfamiliar words and sigils already memorised, of the golden flow guiding him, feeling like a missing piece finally returning.

Tang knows how to cleanse certain body parts, knows how to bring the souls and spirits of the passed to the beyond, knows how to handle the occasion weakening seal with a feisty yet small spirit stuck.

But this? 

This is beyond his capabilities. 

So instead he researched, searched and found who it is, invading Mk's mind and controlling him.

Tang is not a violent person– he is chaotic, yes, and sometimes slightly unhinged, but never violent.

This demon, Lady fucking Bone Demon, might change that. 

Just the thought of her makes him scowl. Tang does not, never has, yet is now scowling.

( He hates it. Hates her hands pressing down his throat, hates her ice crawling up his legs, hates the disguises and disguises–

Always, every time, trying and failing to kill h– )

Tang does not like this demon at all.

-

Mo purrs up a storm, rubbing his head against Mk's thigh as the boy sits motionless.

He hasn't moved since they arrived.

Pigsy taps his arm, patience running on thin ice. He doesn't like waiting while knowing his kid is going through something.

He wished he could give his support, but this is unfortunate a battle only Mk can win.

( He will win, he always does, why wouldn't he? )   

All he can do is wait.

So he just does that.

He waits.

( Rocks pile up with doubt and worries, stabbing him with the obvious signs, of the overlooked points, the odd behaviour. 

No, he can’t feel guilt now. Mk needs him, he can’t succumb to remorse. ) 

-

A beam of blue light shot into the sky. 

Mei faces the sudden appearance of energy, idly floating in the air and watching carefully. As the blue fades from the sky, ears twitch at the sound of vibrations, sand swept up from below as something moves.

The White Horse Dragon Girl becomes alert of the fast approaching threat, coiling before the aircraft in an attempt to protect. 

Just in sight of them, a giant, mechanic, spider jumps from the ground and up into the open. Its glowing red eye immediately focuses on them.

Mei has played and watched enough video games/movies to know that that is bad.

So she stays poised to attack, waiting and expecting. The form of the mech reminds her of Spider Queen, yet the only thing stopping her from assuming is the sheer power difference this mech has to the old spider mech during the festival.

( She feels herself back at the pond, outside of her body and thrusted into the unknown. )

Jolting back, Mei growls lowly. This is bad.

The thing steps forward and Mei snaps, lunging at its legs and biting its head clean off. Tang’s callings fell to deaf ears as she focuses on the circle of light that she flew into, it appeared once the thing had been destroyed and disappeared just as fast as it came. 

-

( His head hurt, pulsing with fresh pain.

They washed over him in waves, the cold digging into him, snowflakes coating his hands as he shudders.

Mk hears the croons of the wisps, hears her soft laughter, hears the groans and cracks of the Skeleton mech rebuilding itself.

A nap would be good. )

-

Laughter fills the silence after the defeat of the mech spider. Mei growls at the unfamiliar figure, coiling around the aircraft again with her eyes never leaving the girl.

“You have done well, Mk.”

Her eye twitches at the usage of Mk’s name, a quick glance down has her calm again. He didn’t even twitch or indicate hearing her. 

( Why didn’t he?! Mk doesn’t sit still, never has and never does. Why is he so silent, why isn’t he helping her?!

…Is it because of her? )

Mei roars, but she, she just giggles.

Mei doesn’t like her.

The pieces of the spider mech fly up, Lady Bone Demon floats to the same height of the aircraft. Her hair is white now, Mei wonders when that happened.

A sharp inhale from Tang has her alert, from beneath Spirits, lots of whining and groaning blue spirits rush from the ground she stood on moments ago, they whirls around the demon lady, covering the sky in blues.

( Mei snarls.

That's the same blue in Mk’s eyes. )

The wind picks up and another mech is revealed. There in the red eye she is, hiding like a coward and facing towards the ship.

A rumbling, warning sound rears its head towards the mech, the intent to fight clear as the day was. 

Mei whips her tail out to stop the coming attack from the scorpion, having swung its telson at the vehicle. With the scorpion's tail wrapped in hers, she hadn’t had the time to dodge the upcoming pincher, grabbing her torso and squeezing. 

She cries out, flailing and wiggling, scratching on the furnace of the pincher. 

( SHE CAN’T MOVE– )

Mei gathers all her strength, all her power and sends a blast of green fire at the mech. Like a sword it snaps the pinchers in half, along with the legs and the tail. Dust and sand blocks her sight of the enemy, Mei gives Pigsy, Tang and Sandy a reassured look, she got this handled.

Until she doesn’t.

The blue ring of Symbols appears again and Mei feels weak.

A beam of light shoots out, bigger than the previous one, so much bigger. It swept the Team Dronecopter away, Mei cries out, trying to catch them only to get captured by her. A Mech bigger than the other ones, bigger than the Monkey Mech. 

Mei yowls in pain as the hand bound by chains dislocates her right shoulder, she kicks and scratches, even biting but nothing gets her free. 

All she can do is measly glare at the Demon as she laughs and laughs and laughs.

“Thank you, White Horse Dragon Girl, for offering me so much power!” Lady Bone Demon smoothes her laughter, sighing amused as she stands inside her Mech. “Your will is formidable, as expected of the Dragon clan.” 

Mei blinks, writhing in the holds as she emerges from her hiding spot and floats to her position.

Lady Bone demon looks off, gone is her healthy and humanoid form, instead her skin is ashen white, eyes red like blood and sticking from her as accessories are bones. Her new outfit consists of a purple skirt reaching her feet, along her waist are ribcage bones sticking out, her shoulders protected by armour.

Purple lips stretch into a smile, with a snap of purple tinted nails, frost starts to grow along Mei’s body.

It reaches her middle part in seconds, she shakily breathes out, puffs of cold air leaving her snout. 

( SHE CAN’T MOVE– WHY CAN’T SHE MOVE?! 

She feels sleepy, drowsy, why does she feel– )

-

( Tang breath hitches at the sigh of it. He sees the blue swirling in the air, drenching the Lady Bone demon.

He doesn’t recall whatever Sandy and Pigsy were saying, his focus solely on the slumped form of his son–

There is blue energy swirling around him, piling upon his body and–

Mk stands, swaying like a puppet, worry grows, Tang feels the familiar golden tingle as Mk steps towards the edge of the ship, swinging the Staff out of his ear.

In a flash, he is gone before Tang could do  a n y t h i n g– )

-

Golden light strikes from the clouds, a ball of light covers the entire field, warming up anything in reach like a miniature sun.

The frost falls, melting. Mei gasps, gulping the air in significantly, she switches, letting the green light vanish her dragonic form and returning to her humanoid one.

Monkey King catches her when she stumbles.

Monkey King caught her–

When did he?

"Are you alright, Mei?" He asks, now that she looks at him, she sees the scrabs and dishevelled look.

He looks like a train wreck.

Mei winces, clearing her throat. "I am."

The King nods, giving a quick smile before turning sombre, looking at Lady Bone demon.

-

( He wasn’t late. He did it. He came in time. )

-

“Sun Wukong.” She croons, wisps of blue dragged along her every word, whispering and cooing. Monkey King's eye twitches at her voice. 

Instead of answering, he snarls, pulls his fist back and punches.

CLANK! 

His vision is blocked by light, blue and gold clashing like dark and light. Blinded for a moment, Wukong shakes his head.

“Now, now. Haven’t you learned anything, Wukong?” Her voice drawls, snapping him out, and looking.

His breath hitches, fist loosens and eyes widen. 

There, meeting his fist head on is the golden staff and holding it?

Mk.

“Kid!” Monkey King calls, jumping back to Mei’s form. A quick glance shows she is just as shocked as he is.

“Honestly Wukong, what did you expect?” LBD laughs, shoulder shaking with mirth. “One cannot escape fate without consequences.” her hand idly plays with Mk’s hair.

“What. Did. You. DO?!” He barks, lips pulled back to snarl.

-

( Why can’t she move? She isn’t freezing anymore, isn’t drowsy and held captive.

So why can’t she?

Mei stares at Mk, frozen stiff and eyes blue , so bright she might puke from the wrongness. She hates it, hates the situation, hates the demon and hates thats she didn’t know–  

Why him? )

-

“What? Me? I did nothing, just gave the little pawn a–” She hums, tapping her chin before smirking. “Push to the right direction, the path of Destiny.” 

Wukong grits his teeth, fangs flashing as he growls, tail lashing behind him. Mei is kneeling on the ground, holding her dislocated shoulder with a wince. 

“Free him!” 

LBD hums, deep in thought. “How about… no?” A snap of her finger has Mk moving, turning the half frozen staff into a bigger form of itself and throwing it at the two.

“Mk!” Mei calls, yelping as Monkey King throws her over his shoulder and jumps away from the attack, dodging just in time.

“No one can run from Destiny, Sun Wukong.”

Monkey King shouts, frustrated. “Let's test that!” 

-

( Mei doesn’t like how red Monkey King’s eyes are turning, doesn’t like the way his fur ruffles, how his tail lashes.

She has a bad feeling. )

-

Wukong summons his Nimbus, rips out a big chunk of fur and has clones by his sides all around ready.

Just as he was about to reach her, claws poking out and poised to attack, a swift kick against his midriff has him reeling back. 

“Honestly, Wukong, what did you expect?” Rage rolls off in waves from Monkey King, watching as Mk twirls the half frozen staff in his hand, getting into a defensive pose in front of LBD.

-

( They’re too red, too much red, this is getting bad. )

-

A pin drops and both Mk and Wukong rush at another. 

Yet, Wukong didn’t get far as a giant circle of gold materialises beneath Mei and Monkey King. Mk’s head snaps at the golden light, jumping back to her side with the staff ready, he didn’t need it however, seeing as the two were teleported before their eyes.

( LBD quite enjoyed the look of panic they sprouted upon realising what the circle was used for.

Nevertheless, she didn’t think she’d see that energy ever again. Of course he would get reincarnated again, this could get troublesome if she isn’t careful. 

Noneless, it's one step further of her plan. )

-

Monkey King drops to his knees, staring regretfully into the direction of the desert. 

“Mei!” He turns at the voice, Sandy pulls Mei up to sit, looking over her shoulder with a grimace, Pigsy and Tang by her side. 

He winces internally as her green eyes shine like venom, fixed on him despite the fretting. “Where were you?” She spits out, a low growl coming from her as she gets the help needed.

He doesn’t answer.

“We needed you! HE needed you!” she cries, grunting as Sandy carefully gets her jacket off.

She breathes in sharply at the tug on her arm, waving away the mutters of apologies. “We need to go back.”

“Mei–” 

“No Tang!” Tears well up yet do not fall, she looks at the Scholar with crazed eyes. “You didn’t see him, you didn’t see how he acted! Mk is in Danger!”

“We have to.” Mei’s left shoulder sags in defeat, voice filled with anguish. 

“No,” Wukong doesn’t dare meet her eyes as he talks, sitting up roughly. “We can’t.”

Pigsy steps forward, fists balled and huffing. “You’re giving up? Just like that? After finally coming back from your vacation? What could have been so important to leave Mk and get us into this situation?” He barks, shaking off Tang’s protests.

“Tang and I heard your conversation with Mk! We researched her! You knew and yet you decided to leave?!”

Wulong evades his eyes, eyebrows scrunched. 

“That’s enough Pigsy!” Sandy shouts, looking downright terrifying. “This is no time to argue! Give Mister Monkey King time to defend himself and explain.”

Pigsy just snorts, backing off.

“I– err, Alright we’re doing this.” He crosses his legs, sitting straight. “I was never actually on Vacation.”

He finally meets their eyes. “I figured out Lady Bone demon was back after the fight with Spider Queen during the Festival.” 

“And I know how strong she was, she could get, if not supervised.” He explains. “That's why i left, to find a weapon to finally finish her after so many years.”

To prove his point, he reached to his side, tossing the glowing script at the group. It rolls open as it lands, showcasing the various landmarks and red circled spots. 

Tang pushes his glasses up, analysing the paper. “I know what happened back there kinda sucked.” Wukong starts, getting interrupted by Mei's comment of, “Mega sucked.”, he shamelessly repeats the words. “Mega sucked.”

“But don’t worry! Monkey King always has a trick up his sleeve!” he announced, giving the pig demon the side eye when he snorted.

“Is that the Samadhi Fire?” 

Wukong freezes at the words, whacking himself for thinking the scholar wouldn’t recognise the symbols, so he nods. 

“What is the Samadhi Fire?” Mei asks, shrieking loudly after when her shoulder gets popped back into the socket. Sandy rubs her sore spot, smiling apologetically.

Monkey King shares a look with Tang, tilting his head. The scholar nods and turns to the huddled group to explain.

“An ever burning, uncontrollable, fire. It has been contained and sealed into 3 Rings, scattered like in the map.” He points to each marked spot.

“We are in no shape to fight back,” The King takes over. “Especially having taken some of your power.” Wukong nods to Mei. “She is too much for us now, but once we have the fire, we will return and save Mk.”

“Once we do get the fire, Tang mentioned it cannot be controlled?” Sandy adds, frowning confused. Pigsy agrees wholeheartedly. 

At this point, Mei stops listening, standing shakily and walking past the hovering hands of Sandy. 

She stops at the railing, staring at the grey clouds. 

( Of course she is still mad. 

Mei pats herself on her shoulder, pride filling her whenever she watches Mk handle his anxiety better, his self-loathing and doubt finally seen as an obstacle and not the truth.

She is so, SO goddamn proud of him. 

Like hell will she let some ancient bloody demon take her friend and cause him to crumble when she is right there.

Green horns curl around her head, fangs piercing her lips and a deep growl wretches itself out from her form.

She ignores the startled looks of her friends, of her family, there is an important problem that needs her immediate attention.

There, floating before that stupidity big and overpowered mech, is her best friend. Holding the goddamn staff and his soft brown eyes now a cold– so cold blue, freezing and so unlike him–

She will tear that bastard demon out with her claws and teeth, that is not a warning, but a promise. Mei will come back with everything she has that even Money King can’t stop her.

That demon took someone important from her.

Lady bone demon will regret stealing from a dragon, she will make sure. The world be damn if she didn’t. )

Chapter Text

Something is attacking the ship.

The whole aircraft shakes as a beam of light hits the deck right in the middle, Sandy holds onto Mei and Tang, leaving Wukong to shield Pigsy. 

The sound of another engine could be heard nearing.

“What's going on?!” Tang calls out, holding on his glasses for dear life as they stabilise.

Mei is alert, having drawn her sword and searching for the threat.

The groan Wukong lets out is enough to garner all the attention. “Oh no….”

“Oh WUKONG!” Following the call is laughter, a familiar one. A moment later Macaque is there, riding on his jet flyer while shooting smaller beams of energy.

They explode on impact and everyone ducks.

“Macaque?!”

“Oh, that's a relief,” Wukong waves the other monkey off. “I thought it was someone important.” he gives a mocking grin. 

“Heh, always the comedian,” He rolls his eyes, tilting to the side to assess the situation.

“Sandy get us out of here!” At the call, Sandy nods before sprinting off.

With laughter, macaque speeds up, nearly hitting the Team Dronecopter with the beams if it wasn’t for Sandy’s immaculate dodging manoeuvres. 

“Monkey King! Do something!” Tang yells, holding on the railing. Mei shields him, swinging and blocking stray beams.

Wukong sweat drops. “Yeah about thattttt–” He holds out the scroll. “I kinda spent all of my power to get the scroll?”

Macaque laughs, enjoying himself thoroughly. He disappears from view shortly, letting the wind carry his voice. “Looking a bit banged up there, Monkey King. Oh! The others as well.”

“Looks like our old friend, the lady bone demon, did a number on you guys, heh?” His words fade with chuckles.

“So what? You’re a puppet now?” Wukong grins. “I mean, you do seem to fit the category.”

Instead of replying, Macaque drove his jet right between the other monkey and dragon girl, separating them.

He jumping from his vehicle and attacks Wukong head first.

For a split second, Mei swore she saw surprising flickering across Monkey King face.

With a grunt, Wukong holds his own while Macaque barely breaks a sweat. 

“Heh, you know me. There is a new player in town! I’m just feeling out which one is the winning side.” He gives a teasing grin, fangs glinting, pushing Wukong farther.

His ears flick back at a noise, one blink later and he has the other monkey kicked in the stomach, letting him crash on the ground, and turning to block the attack of the dragon blade. 

With a swipe, Mei goes flying, hitting the ground roughly. 

“Mei!” Pigsy cries out, and Wukong gets pinned to the ground by shadows. 

“You are such a mess right now, wukong.” he huffs. “I can imagine why the Lady Bone demon wants me to bring you back.” 

He steps onwards Monkey King, with a scoff.

“You’re all powerless now.” 

A beam of green light shoots, vanishing the shadows pinning Wukong down and causing Macaque to evade. 

Mei stands with the help of Pigsy, snarling and displeased. 

“Interesting.” Just as the words leave his mouth, another beam gets shot, nearly taking Monkey King with it.  

“If you want to get our monkey, you gotta go through me first!” she says, getting into stance as said monkey ducks behind her. 

“Ah! You must be the dragon girl I have heard so little about.” he gives a sneer, raising a single brow at her. “You can shoot me all you want, it won’t stop me.”

As he calmly nears them, another voice eches. “Actually, that might not, but this will.” Tang is holding a piece of scrap, before promptly pushing it into the engine. 

The engine explodes, the airship turns sideways from the lack of one engine and Macaque falls. With them all slipping along the ground, Mei thinks fast and stabs her sword into it, Tang catches her around the waist and Pigsy is dangling from Tang’s legs.

“Tang!”

“Sorry!”

And the ship sinks.

-

“Great!” Pigsy says, sarcasm dripping as he tries to climb higher in the cockpit. “We escaped Macaque and now are drowning!”

The glass cracks, letting in even more water. 

“Mr. Monkey King, some help would be appreciated! This craft is not made for water life!” Sandy says while flipping some panels.

Tang yelps as a fish slaps him in the face, his glasses sinking in the water.

“Huh? Why? A little water isn’t hurting anyone!” he stretches, tail grabbing the glasses and holding them out for tang, said man gives a quick thanks in return. 

“Oh right– mortality.” he realises, hand turning to a fist at the mere thought of his biggest enemy. Mortality. 

A red light blares inside the cockpit.

“Don’t worry guys! If my hunch is right, then this might be an old friend of mine!”

They watch as a giant dragon-turtle towers over them.

“Actually, friend mighttttt be stretching it.”

Shortly after the thought of hitting the Monkey King enters Pigsy’s mind, they are pushed into an air bubble harbouring the palace of the dragon of the east. 

“The dragon palace of the east sea,” Mei stares with wide eyes, awe filling her. “We are in the dragon palace of the east sea!” She laughs, drinking in the sight of every corner in her view. 

“Yeah!” Wukong appears, matching her excitement. “this is my kinda, sort of, old buddy’s house! Where I got my staff from.”

“Got orr?” Pigsy asks, side eyeing the primate. 

Wukong ignores him, pointing at the entrance. “Here they come! Smile everyone!”

Monkey King smiles, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling when the dragon of the east shows up. “Heyyyy Ao Guang! Long time no s–” A hard look from the dragon has him silent, his smile dropping.  “Aw….”

“You DARE to return to my domain, after humiliating me, tricking me!” His spiritual dragon form takes shape behind him, coloured in the midst of white, teal and magenta.

The Primate protests, sputtering at the accusations. “Woah! Whattttt, the staff? That’s just a big misunderstanding!”

“And now I learn it has been lost?! You have given the evil Lady Bone Demon exactly what she needs to destroy us all!”

( She watches silently, taking notice of the shift of body language, the way his expressions fall and guilt creeps up.

Mei has been watching for a while and knows for sure that Monkey king is regretful, that he tried but failed to save mk. 

It doesn’t matter, he got one strike, two more and he is on thin ice. )

“I should execute you where you stand.”

Tang pops up, whisper-yelling at Wukong. “What are we gonna do?!”

“Relax, I got this!” He gives them a thumb up and turns back to the furious dragon. 

“Maybe you forgot!” The sage points at the dragon, striking a pose with a gleaming grin. “I am the great Sun W–” and gets promptly smacked back by the dragon’s spiritual form. 

“Do not try to fool me a second time, trickster! I can sense your weakness.” in front of the sage, looking down upon his form is the dragon form, glaring holes. 

“Your power is all but consumed.”

As guards near them, Mei sprints forwards, kicking the nearest guard in the face and landing before the dragon form with her sword drawn, green blade glinting threateningly.

Ao Guang eyes widen at the sight, turning to slits at the familiar blade. 

“Hold!” The spears leave the group alone, the dragon vanishes and Ao Guang stares down at her intensively.

“Where did you get that from?” he points with clawed hands at the sword, tail still and eyes wide in disbelief. 

Taken aback, Mei lowers her blade, confused. “It's mine? My family heirloom?”

At the words, he urges Mei to step forward, which she does. 

“I know this blade, it belonged to my brother, the dragon of the west.” He takes a breath, expression pinched as he stares down at her.

“You mean to tell me that you are a descendant of Ao Ji?”

Instead of answering, Mei puffs her cheeks, looking determined, meeting his gaze head on. 

And just like that, the moment is ruined by the scroll falling from wukong’s robe, in a matter of seconds Ao Guang sent his dragon form to retrieve it. 

Mei glowers at the scroll in his hand.

He turns around, “Bring the girl, and imprison the rest.” and leaves.

The assistant tugs Mei's sleeve, dragging her after the King of the east. She tries to reassure her friends, giving Monkey King a glance and a nod.

( Wukong didn’t need to use his powers to convey the message. 

He is glad Mk has such a great friend on his side. )

As she follows the assistant, Sandy gets sent to clean up the mess they left. 

Not even 5 minutes in jail, Tang is going crazy and Pigsy is trying to scrap out and escape with…. Plastic spoons. Multiple, plastic spoons. 

-

Unlike her friends, Mei looks at herself with wonder, twirling in the dress given and admiring the make up.

The attendant puts her clothes to the side, eyeing her sword in hand. “It's not becoming of a lady holding a sword in a dress.”

Mei ignored her, taking her jacket and wrapping it around her waist, acting as a holster for her sword. 

Once out does she grab another jacket with more warmer colours and starts the search for the map. 

( We do not talk about the way an argument broke out, which lead to the attendant being thrown into the wandrope tied up and locked in as Mei leaves without a scratch. ) 

The Dragon horse girl makes her way all around the palace while huffing, with every turn and stop she takes, the more annoyed she gets.

Until finally, a giant door lays ahead and right in her view.

“Now that looks like a treasure room.” With a knowing glint, she enters. 

As she nears the scroll, she looks over every treasure with careful eyes, just as she starts getting up the stairs does her attention finally land on what she came here for.

Approaching seems futile as Ao Guang appears with his dragon form coiled around him. 

“It is never wise,” He says, stepping from the fog. “To come uninvited to the lair of a dragon.”

Mei startles at his arrival, she composes herself quickly and waves with a nervous smile.

“Heyyyy i was just–”

“Stealing from me?” He looks at her with unimpressed eyes. 

Her eyes narrow at his accusation, annoyance finally getting the better of her. “Is it really stealing if it was ours to begin with?”

“You are a member of the Dragon clan!” Her distant uncle bellows. “Your allegiance is with your family!”

And Mei? Mei does not like what he is implying at all. 

“My allegiance is to my family!” She snarls, her dragonic features slipping from her carefuly kept control. Her eyes meet the startled ones of Ao Guang.

“And SHE took him from ME!” her growl shakes the treasure room, her eyes flashing vividly with the images of blue. “You may be my great- thousand times- great grand uncle! But that does not mean you can stop me from SAVING HIM!”

Her green dragon flings itself at the white one, taking the King of the east by surprise and grabbing hold of her sword. Mei doesn’t hesitate to point the tip of her blade at its creator’s brother, storming at him.

Ao Guang goes into defensive, preparing to strike only for his great niece to jump over him, swiping the scroll under his own eyes and all he can do is grab her arm.

With a flash of green, Mei pushes him away with her tail. Tearing her eyes from his surprised ones, she turns tail and runs.

( Mei runs and runs and runs– Hoping, trying and wishing to escape the flashes of red, of destruction, of the unbearable heat. 

She is here to save Mk, whatever that was, is none of her concern, until Mk is back with her and they are whole again. )

-

Back in the cell, Pigsy barely scraped a whole chunk of the wall off, the remains of plastic spoons surrounding him.

“Alright,” he grunts. “Everyone hold tight! I’m getting us out of here in five or six–”

“Years?” Tang interrupts with a sigh, rolling his eyes at his husband’s antics.

Wukong snickers. 

Sandy rams into the wall, their new vehicle shining in the glory of the sun as they broke the others out. 

They cheer, climbing into the T.E.A. and getting comfortable. 

Sandy gets the vehicle into water mode, ready to escape the air bubble that is the palace, but the form of Ao Guang blocks their path. 

With a sharp turn, the T.E.A. twirls, leaving the back open for the king of the west to peer in.

Mei throws the scroll at Tang, standing from her kneeling position and getting into defence. 

“I will not allow you to leave with that map!”

Even Wukong seems annoyed. “What are you not getting?!”

The Dragon king is not phased. “The Samadhi cannot be contained!”

“We DON’T have any other choice!” Mei cries, heaving for air as she stares with furrowed brows at her great-grand uncle.

His eyes soften.

Immense amount of energy being used startle both Ao Guang and Wukong, alerting them of the immediate threat.

Outside of the palace, Macaque re-appears, behind him his smoke monster and surrounding him are a dozen shadow clones. 

“If he catches us, the map…” they share uncertain glances.

“We need to leave, preferably now .” Tang’s eyes are focused on the radar, staring as the red dot nears them.

An unreadable expression is on Ao Guang, he grumbles, deep in thought. “All hope will truly be lost if…”

He sighs, mind made up and ruefully. 

“Go,” He says, looking at Mei. “I’ll hold him off.” 

Her breath hitches and she surges forward, grasping his long sleeve. “Thank you, great-thousand times-grand uncle!”

Ao Guang simply smiles, giving her hand a squeeze. 

It's too fast for her to follow, the next moment they are driving through the water, and she can only watch as the king of the west battles. 

( If she grips the jacket she stole tighter, no one says anything.

The colours simply reminding her what could have been. )

-

They are lost. 

Sand, everywhere. 

Tang wipes off some sweat, trying to figure out what the map even says. 

Mei throws her jacket on her bed, groaning on the ground, next to the meditating Wukong. 

“C’mon everyone! It's no time to be so gloomy!” Sandy peers back with a bright smile, Mo meowing on his shoulder. “Lets roll own these window and–”

Heat washes in, igniting Sandy's hair and beard, Mo hastily puts it down as the blue water demon rolls the window back up. 

While they drive, Mei decides to occupy herself with throwing stuff at Monkey King, letting Pigsy’s commentary encourage her to do better.

Wukong didn’t notice.

She just hopes they will reach the end of the desert soon. 

-

Mei never regretted her words as much than she does right now.

-

( One overheated engine, threatening a fish thing, and taking the engine from said cheating bastard forcefully later and they are back on the road!

They decided not to tell Wukong that Mei betted him off first thing. )

-

Not far from them is Macaque, stranded in the desert and looking down at his compass with a complicated look.

( Mayor had forced him out of his hiding place, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him at the feet of the Lady bone demon with no mercy. 

“Clever, to hide in the shadow of my little champion.” LBD comments halfheartedly, and Macaque’s eyes widen a fraction at the presence of the kid next to her.

He looks wrong.  

Gone are the warm colours, instead he wears dark blue, tied around the waist with a light blue- silvery band. The cloth flows down in the front, a cloud pattern printed at the ends, the sides are shorter, pulled back.

Adorning his shoulders is armour, forearm and shins covered as well, the same colours of the spirits following the boy. 

What really takes his attention however, is the appendage coming from the kid’s back.

A tail, the tip being brown and the rest white, but a tail nonetheless. A quick glance up has him confirming his theory, a pair of monkey shaped ears are settled comfortably at the side of the kid’s head. 

His blue eyes don't even glance his way, in his grasp a frozen over golden staff.

It's wrong.

The s pirits whisper of him, of traitors. 

“Say, when did you decide to betray me, Liu’er?” Her voice grabs his attentions and he knows, inside, that he fucked up.

Nonchalant, he starts. “Lady bone de–” 

“Have you forgotten ẃ̷̖͓̔h̷̻̜̘͘͜o̵̬͝͝ ̵̘̱̞͋i̵̜͚̅ ̷̬͍̟̇̓ȁ̵̦̥̻̀m̵͖̺͊̃̿?̶͍͚̹̦̉͝ ” Coldness washes over him, reeling him back from the display of power. 

W̷̡̡̦͓͈͉͙̟̮̤̹̜͎̰̖̰̩̠̖̤̓̄ͅh̶̛̺̙͈̰̤͎̺͕͓͈̼̠̰͈̦͈̐̑̄͛̒́͆͊̾̀̎̀̊̿̕̕͜͝ͅǎ̶̡͚̳̝̟͕̯͎̪͓̮̼̭͚̦̳̓͒͌̆͐̎͑͆̃̂̈́̓̀͘͠ṫ̵̡̝̰̝̗̦̫͖̩̰̳͈̹̪̠͓̹͖̞̋̈́͒̓̾͐̈́́̏̔̽͛̃̂̊̐̿̕̕̕̚̚ ̶̼̥̣͛͋̉͆̄͂͝ḯ̸͔̩̩̪̰͗́́̾̇̈͐͠ ̵̡̛͉̖͉̻̙͙̙̤͕̫̦̼͚͉͇̑̄̓̇̓́̿̅̉̈́̉̉̊̊͛̃̕͘͝å̵͓̱͍̹̳͜m̸͉̄̋͛̍́͗̋̿̍̿̈́̑̎̾̚͝͝¿̸̡̨̛͍̪͔͖͓̟̭̞̍̏̾͒͂͌̀̿͐̃͋̽̄̄̊̕͝͠͝ͅ!̸̨̛̼͕̖̖̱͎͕͉̯̟͍͚͇̗̭̭̜̠͍͉̥̄̂̆̾̒̎͌́̕͝͝

“I, who returned YOU to the mortal plane.” She sighs, acting like a rather disobedient child was in front of her, and not him.

“All for a small favour, but when the time came, you failed.” She chuckles. “No, like the first breath of a new life, you rebelled against your fate.”

Macaque coughs, breathing hard, propping himself up on the ground, LBD finally out of his mind.

“You want something.” he states, his glamour falling in a moment of weakness and his scarred eye shining under the blue light.

“I offer one more chance of redemption.” She says, the moon encasing her form in light, floating amidst the air. “Bring me Sun Wukong and mayhaps, you will be worthy of my mercy.”

She gestures to Mk and Macaque watches the kid warily. 

He steps forward, like a puppet, spirits twirling in his palm before forming something, an object he passes to the darker monkey.

“A compass, wherever they flee, it will show you where they are.” LBD explains idly, staring down expecting.

“Brilliant, i’ll take my leave then–” not even a step further and a blue circle appears beneath him, chains reeking of death wrap around him.  

“What–?!” 

“A reminder.” Mayor answers, an unnervingly big grin on his face. 

“It seems like you cannot be trusted to willingly follow the path of destiny.”

The spirits of the circle float and cling on him, pulling him down.

“Betray me again, fail once, and I will erase the mere memory of you.” 

All Macaque hears before he gets pushed through he circles is.

“Bring him to me now, my messenger.”

And then– )

He sighs. 

Fuck.

-

Mei groans, giving Pigsy one last chair as they finally pack up camp.

Monkey King did not move one bit. 

She enters the T.E.A. with Sandy close behind, they get comfortable in the back, yet something nags Mei in the back of her mind.

“Uh, Mei? Have you seen Mo? And Mr. Monkey King?” The ginger water demon asks, looking through cramped spaces.

Connecting the dots, Mei jumps from the bed, striding to the front and pulling the cloth aside to see–

No Pigsy and no Tang.

One looks out and she sees the desert. The desert they left few hours ago–

“Sandy! We have to get out!” She snaps, turning to see no one.

Sandy is gone.

Laughter fills the fake T.E.A. and Macaque appears once more. “YOU!!” Mei growls and the immortal grins.

“Me.”

The Demon looks around the vehicle, sighing at his mistake. “Wrong van, I was so sure Wukong would be with you two.”

“Well you thought wrong! Give Sandy back!”

He dodgers the swing of the blade. “Oooh, feisty. Has anyone told you that you are very ferocious?”

He laughs more, meeting the blade with his staff, pushing Mei back with force. 

A shadow clone crawls out of the side, hooking its arms under her shoulders. While she struggles, Sandy freed himself, charging at macaque with his fists. 

“Listen, Dragon girl, don’t make it obvious.” Mei pauses, confused as the shadow whispers. “I don’t mean to fight, I am currently unable to do anything but take orders, take it as you will.” It mutters.

Realisation dawns on her.

“Mk is okay, or as okay as can be but,” The shadow hesitates and Mei has to stop herself from demanding answers, acting like she is still struggling in the grip.

“He changed, physically. For good or bad, we will see at end.” The shadow melts, leaving her stranded.

Sudden anger blazes inside of her, her body trembles and her dragon form makes itself apparent next to her.

She rocks the entire fake T.E.A., destroying it even as her dragon form tears it apart.

Macaque gets thrown back, green shocks wrecking his form. 

She glares. 

-

( The other monkey reveals his Mech and Mei for the first time after days of having recovered her power, and turns to her full dragon form. 

It feels great, floating in the sky and shooting a beam of precisely put together energy for double damage at the Mech., tearing it apart in one go and letting out the pent up anger.

It took longer to actually defeat him, or flee in that regard. He recovered quickly and grabbed a hold of her form, but with a lash of her tail to his scarred eye and she, alongside Sandy, were let go.

In one swoop, she threw Sandy up to land on her head, nestled between her horns and makes a run for it, while he is distracted. )

-

Her power didn’t last long, they crashed not even halfway through the desert, resorting to Sandy carrying her on his back.

Thirst made itself apparent very quickly.

“I’ll get us to safety Mei…!” Sandy promises, but that promise is broken when he collapses not even a second later.

The last thing she remembers is red flaming hair and a scowl.

Chapter Text

“So, any reason the two of you are alone, under the heat of the sun with no water?” Red son asks, his leg propped up on the chair and lazily looking at the two intruders.

Mei doesn’t even glance at him as she and Sandy stuff their faces full.

“We’re looking for the Samadhi fire.” 

He spits out his water, hair igniting in sparks. “The samadhi–WHAT!?”

The whole room shakes, Sandy puts down his bowl of food to voice his concern, just as the lava-fall parts and DBK enters. His eyes zoom in on the two immediately. “Ah, the thief’s friends.” 

Red son yelps, he jumps from his seat to explain himself. “Ah– Father! I did not expect you to be so back so soon–”

The Demon King lets the meat he brought along fall on the table, grunting while he sits down at the end of the table.

( “This is awkward.” Sandy mutters, leaning down to Mei as they both watch with wide eyes.

Mei agrees. )

“I didn’t think dinner would include guests.” PIF appears in a whirlwind, sitting down in her seat on the other end elegantly, petting her dress down and gazing at them impassively.

“I trust you are aware that this little truce with that thief is fragile at best,” The princess comments, taking a sip of water, her eyes cold and disapproving. “So spit it out, what is it that you are here for, disturbing our dinner?”

Red son takes her attention. “They are looking for– the Samadhi fire.”

Both rulers spit out their water.

“WHAT.”

PIF scoffs, placing her glass down and staring. “Must have been the plan of that foolish monkey.”

DBK jerks his head, nodding at her words. “What in the world would give him the reason to–” he stops, his gaze back on the two.

“Where is the thief?” He asks, voice carefully neutral and eyes narrowed at them.

The way Sandy avoids meeting his gaze and Mei’s expression darkens answers his assumptions. 

He slumps into his seat, heaving a sigh and rubbing his temple.

( At the revelation, both parents had looked at Red son, gauging his reaction. 

They share a glance when he reacts, it's small, easy to miss. The way his hand twitches, hair flickers and tails wraps around his leg beneath the table. How he lets out the breath he held, exhaling harshly with smoke. 

PIF and DBK know their child, know his tells and how he acts. 

They saw the signs before their intelligent and smart boy did himself. )

PIF isn’t faring much better, having resigned herself to whatever is to come.

“What… do you know about the Samadhi fire?” Red son decided to interfere, giving his parents a needed break without knowing. His eyes are ablaze with fury that doesn’t escape Mei’s notice, she straightens her back and meets his eyes.

Fire burns in both of them, flashes of red appear, of smoke filled fields, of burning wheat and so much destruction. 

A mutual understanding and agreement is formed on the spot.

“Not much, admittedly.” Mei's voice is clipped, acting more professional than she did with the King of the East.

“Understandable,” Red is quick to reassure her, avoiding the looks those outside of the conversation give him. “You know the basics, right? Never fading fire, burning heaven?”

Mei nods.

“Good, to put it simple, I made the Samadhi fire.” While they talk about the origin as if the weather outside, PIF and DBK wear horrified expressions, mirrored by Sandy.

( They give one another the look ™. 

‘You’re seeing this too, right?’ DBK conveys with a glance and PIF gives a jerky nod.

‘I do.’

‘I’m not going crazy.’

‘No, or it means I'm going crazy alongside you.’

Their conversation ends at that, watching Hong Hai'er and the Dragon girl with hawk eyes. )

“It was centuries in the past, mind you. A simple infant with celestial and demon blood? That just spelled chaos.” He waves her concerns away, tilting his head and taking a sip of water.

His eyes never left hers and hers didn't leave his. 

"We know one of the rings is in your possession." Dragon girl speaks, eyes glancing to Red Son's parents quickly, narrowing her eyes to convey her suspicion.

The demon understands, takes a deep breath and exhales harshly. "I will neither confirm nor deny." He tests the words, remaining vague as possible, yet the way his eyes droop and stare intently gives her the answer. 

Then, Hong Hai'er leans against his hand, propping his head on the table and rubbing the space between lip and nose. He tilts his head, thoughtful, Mei lets her eyes wander at the silence, flying over DBK uninterested.

She fakes a yawn, nudging Sandy and stretching.

“Seems like our… guests are tired. Father, Mother, I shall show them their living quarters for now.” He gives them a shallow half bow and leads the two out of the dining hall. 

-

"Master bedroom, 4th floor, left hall, last door." Red begrudgingly accepts the way Mei lightly knocks her fist against his chest.

He leaves swiftly after.

"Sandy," she looks up at her friend, determined. "I need you to create absolute mayhem , got it?"

The blue man grins, fired up, and leaves the room with silent footsteps.

Mei follows shortly after, she hides around the corner as her friend yells, disturbing the silence and gets chased by a horde of bull bots, with the walls shaking as they begin the chase.

The green dragon peeks, no guards as far as the eye reaches. 

She runs, jumping from wall to wall and climbing up the stairs two at a time.

-

“Stay seated, I'll discern what this noise is about.” PIF leaves swiftly, her free hair bouncing from the turns and robe swaying with every steadforward step. 

DBK grumbles, watching and turning to the TV once the door closes, he pauses the Chang’e stream, opting to wait for his wife to return. 

-

PIF scowls, walking along the path and passing Mei, who is hanging on the ceiling in the other hallway, she grumbles and descends the stairs.

The dragon girl is quick yet silent at her chase, 

She makes her way the lady had come from, ears twitching at the lightest of noise. Mei shares a brief glance with Hong Hai'er, hiding behind another wall as he knocks on the door.

“Father,” Red boy calls out, prideful with his chin facing the ceiling at this point. 

(She muffles her chuckle at his facade. Because that’s what it is, a facade.)

DBK opens the door, unamused and fur dishevelled. “Hong Hai'er,” he says. “What is it?”

“I finished my project, it will aid us in our next forthcoming.”

It had DBK pinching his nose, exhaling. “We will have to postpone that to tomorrow… son. It is rather late.”

Before awkward silence could settle, Mei dashed forward, hands around DBK’s nose ring and taking it out in one swoop.

She lands not far off, immediately continuing on her crime path down once more, following the noise of chaos.

Red son is engulfed in his flames, running after her victorious. DBK retreated to his room to get his weapon, the heavy footsteps of his louder with each step.

Once he passed his son, did red use the chance to disappear from the way, using secret tunnels to get to his workshop. His race car stands in its place, shining at its place.

He hops in, rearing the engine and speeds out of the room.

(The rest is history, or so they say.

It ends with them all packed into the tiny car, mei taking control, Red seeing his parents for the last time for this adventure. Betrayal with something more, deeper in their eyes. Pure emotion shared for one single moment.

It has Hong Hai'er chest hurting in a familiar way.

He never liked it, but the cause of his actions has meaning, if his parents understand or not.

Hong Hai'er believes they do.)

“Welcome to the club.” Mei gives a smile.

“Thanks.” Is Red Boys dry response.

And they continue to drive.