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Chapter Text

MK could feel every muscle in his body melt at the softness of the bed sheets. It had been awhile since he had gotten some proper sleep and with everything that had recently happened he was exhausted. Still, all he did was roll from one side to the other not being able to fall asleep.

His mind was too busy, too crowded, too loud. It was all washed up with recent memories. Azure, the celestial realm, the Jade Emperor fall, he and his friends escaping but most of all...Monkey King disappearing. In a split scroll that he now carried in a pouch that sat at the foot of the bed. Impulsing himself, he sat up and stretched his arms to pull it close. Opening it up.

"Monkey King..."

He whispered

"I don't know if you can hear me but I hope you're okay. You have to be, I am not sure of what I'm doing... honestly I'm winging it as I go. I was able to get my friends and escape from Azure so that's good...but I wasn't able to do anything about the Jade Emperor. Neezha is still processing that part. I guess you would be surprised to hear he's here. Funny enough, this tragedy has brought many of us together. Even Macaque is here. I think he's secretly worried. I mean, everyone is. Even Mai is a little quieter than usual. Yeah, I know, Mai and quiet in the same sentence sounds very strange"

He paused, looking at the pieces of scroll intensely. As if hoping something would happened. As if his words would be met with an answer. They weren't.

"I'm not going to give up on you so just hold on for me"

Was the last thing he said before he closed the pouch and wrapped it carefully around his waist. He figured he should walk around since he wasn't getting much sleep. The place was quiet. Everyone was asleep and he made sure to make no noise as he went outside the cabin.

Going outside his mind couldn't help but wonder again. After all, this was Monkey King's place. It was filled with memories of their training sections, bonding moments, times of learning...it was much less bright without his mentor around.

He finally stopped near the lake that formed due to the huge waterfall entrance. Sitting down he looked into his own reflection that started right back at him. The tiredness in his eyes was painfully obvious. Then he cupped his hands and filled them with water to splash his face and let his eyes stay shut for a few more seconds as he breathed in deeply. Once he opened them though, he found that his reflection was no longer alone.

"Ah-"

He let out a small yell as he jumped back in suprise. Next to him, stood Macaque.

"Oh it's you"

He said as soon as he analyzed his presences. Calming down he went back to his original sitting position.

"Disappointed?"

The shadow monkey asked in a playful type of way. Trying to slide in a joke to crack up a smile. When he saw that he wasn't successful he just sighed and sat down next to him.

"You don't have to stay up with me"

Said MK, not tearing his eyes away from the water. Macaque just shrugged.

"I know"

A small moment of silence followed until the oldest cleared his throat.

"So...is that him?"

He asked peeking at the pouch that hanged around MK's waist. He finally looked up at him and then down.

"Yeah, but you're not aloud to throw it off any cliff if that's what you were hoping for"

The youngest said finally cracking a small smile. He had made a joke. That was a good sign and Macaque ran with it.

"Ugh, there goes my plans! Now what am I supposed to do?"

He said and messed up MK's hair a bit, finally earning a laugh from his part.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. He might still hear us you know? I don't want to get in trouble"

They both chuckled and stared up at the night sky.

"Kid, I know you must be going through some heavy stuff but you gotta sleep. You're not immortal after all. You need it"

The mentioned avoided his eyes and looked down at his lap.

"All I need is for Monkey King to come back. When he does we can all make a plan together. We can stand a chance against Azure...I can apologize"

He said whispering the last part. Surprised he felt Macaque placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look MK there's nothing you should apologize for. Wukong is a idiot but I'm sure even that idiot is aware that you had no fault in this. I mean, you never asked for Azure to come or for him to get trapped. On the contrary, you are always trying to fight for the right thing. Never losing your morals in the process, which is something not many of us can say...Plus this whole battle with Azure, Wukong, The Jade Emperor...this is a battle that has been going on for eras before you were even born. This is something that was already brewing. You can't blame yourself for a fire you didn't cause"

Even though what he said was true it wasn't reassuring enough.

"Maybe but, I always cause chaos around me. I pulled the staff, I brought DBK out, I chickened out many times on the Spider Queen, giving her the means to become more powerful, I let LBD get to me, she almost destroyed everything and everyone, I opened the scroll, I blindly trusted Azure who was still a stranger, I led him to Monkey King, I got him trapped, I lost control, I caused Azure to break the scroll, I bailed on my friends when I had a emotional outburst and I...have been leaving nothing but destruction everywhere I go. It doesn't matter if I didn't start it. Because I couldn't stop it. It doesn't matter if my intentions and morals lead me to do good when I still do bad. It doesn't matter. I'm still guilty!"

As he continued talking he got more and more desperate. His voice increased and finally the glitching started again. MK pushed himself aside and wrapped his arms around his waist as between flashes of gold his monkey form came back in and out.

"MK!"

Macaque got up immediately walking to the spot where he was now rolling in pain.

"MK just breathe okay? Breathe! Come on, I'll do it with you. Concentrate on me"

He pulled on one of his arms making him stand up. The shadow monkey started breathing slowly and loudly. Making sure his rythim was very obvious. After a few seconds the youngest shifted his eyes and started imitating him.

"Yeah, yeah that's it"

MK tried to concentrate and soon the glitching started to fade out until it was completely gone. This left him exhausted and he started to fall down. Luckily, Macaque caught him just in time and settled him down on the ground softly to sit. After a few seconds of quiet, MK started to laugh.

"Look at you helping me now. Weren't you trying to kill me a few months ago?"

Macaque started to laugh too

"Ey! Give me a break I ain't doing that no more. Plus I was just taking my anger out on a kid because of someone else. I won't do that anymore"

MK raised an eyebrow

"You do know I'm 20 right?"

His counterpart didn't seemed to really care about that fact as he shrugged his shoulders.

"This is another reason why Monkey King needs to hurry and come back. Hopefully he'll be able to explain all of this situation"

The shadow monkey's face shifted all serious and he went quiet. Too quiet. Standing up he looked down and once again asked the youngest to go to sleep.

"What do you know about this?"

He asked now standing up too.

"What?"

Macaque answered putting a confused face.

"About my glitching. You know something about it, what is it?"

Macaque just shook his head

"No, I don't kid. I have no idea what all of this is"

MK didn't believe him

"Look if it's bad It's okay. Just be honest with me, I need to know the truth"

At this point the shadow monkey was trying to leave but MK just followed him. Continuing to ask again and again.

"Look I just can't tell you! Is not up to me! Is up to your mentor"

He said finally turning around and pointing at the sack the hanged around his waist.

"But...your my mentor too"

He answered softly. This caught Macaque by surprise. He could feel his heart warming. Still he held back.

"Kid that's...nice but you know that I can't tell you. You'll know when the time is right. Now isn't that time"

This was an answer that irritated him. MK felt out of power again. Lately he had been feeling left out of a lot of information. Many might think it all just slides over his head but he just pretends. Sure he wasn't the brightest(that's an understatement) but he could still catch on to some things. That plus the feeling of having no ownership towards his own body and whatever was happening to it…It was finally getting him angry. The way he felt so powerless.

"I'm tired of this! Why won't anyone tell me anything? I'm constantly reminded that I'm Monkey King's successor, that I have great power, a great heart and that you all believe in me but sometimes it doesn't feel like that at all. I'm always left on the outside of things. Pigsy didn't want to tell me when he found out that Monkey King was looking for an extra Samari ring! I still have a lot of questions regarding Azure's and Monkey King's past! Which is all just the tip of the iceberg"

Macaque got real quiet but MK was nowhere near done.

"Now I'm in this state...I can't control my own body. I can hurt the people I care about or get completely paralyzed. You know something about this and you won't tell me. Why? Is this your way to pay back for whatever drama happened between you and Monkey King?"

Finally Macaque spoke. He spoke on a low tone, soft but serious.

"MK you know that has nothing to do with this. Let's just stop it right here"

He shook his head

"No I don't know Macaque! You know what I do know? That the hero and the warrior were like the sun and the moon- like that's all I got. A song riddle! What am I supposed to do with that? Don't talk to me as if I understand when I don't. When you're always leaving out information on me just like the rest of them. Which I never asked you to further explain. You know why? Cause I could see that it caused you pain. I'm not blind! Because it had nothing to do with me. I respected that. Even when you hit me again and again and again, I didn't ask for anything else. But this, this is my body, this is my life. If you know something about it and you won't tell me...then you really are nothing but a mere cowardly shadow"

With that MK turned around and stormed off.

Chapter Text

An hour had passed since MK's heated outburst. Since he had stormed out. Macaque left the lake area and started making his way to the trees. Something told him he could find him there. He walked around at ground level for a bit, then climbed up the trees(jumping from branch to branch) and even did a bit of shadow teleportation. Finally, he found who he was looking for. At the base of a huge tree sat MK, with his back against the bark. Macaque climbed down from the tree he was on and walked slowly to where the youngest sat. Sneaking from behind since he didn't know how he would react to his presence. If he needed more time alone or not.

"Macaque I know you're there"

The young adult spoke. Turning his head to face him. Macaque noticed how his eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm sorry"

MK's voice cracked a little in the end and his hands covered his face. Macaque quickly moved and sat down next to him. Placing his arm around his shoulder firmly and in a reassuring way.

"Hey kiddo, it's okay. If I'm being honest you impressed me back there. Didn't know you had it in you to talk back like that"

He could hear a wet laugh in between the crying.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing"

He answered and Macaque shrugged

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. I kinda deserved that"

MK finally withdrew his face from his hands. The streams of fresh tears still marking his cheeks.

"No, you didn't. I didn't mean any of it I promise. I just got frustrated...and I took it out on you. I'm really sorry"

He could really tell how genuinely sorry MK felt.

"I know what that's like…Let's do a deal, I'll forgive you if you forgive me for all the troubles I caused you in the past. We can start new, no more trauma dumbing on each other. Sounds good?"

MK nodded

"Then we're even"

They both stayed quiet as Macaque reached into his pocket and handed MK a piece of cloth to wipe his tears with. After that he was the first to speak again.

"Look about Monkey King and what happened..."

He was quickly interrupted

"Don't. You don't have to tell me. I can tell you don't want to. Is none of my business and frankly maybe is best we leave this topic for another time. When it's more comfortable to talk about"

Macaque hadn't noticed how tense his body was until he heard him say that. A wave of relief washed over him.

"Thanks kid, quite frankly I'm glad we're not having that conversation yet"

They both laughed a bit

"But, I do owe you an explanation when it comes to your glitching. You were right, that is your business, your body, your life. You have the right to know"

The youngest took a deep breath and nodded. Getting ready to hear whatever it all meant. In front of them a small dark circle formed and out of its shadow, Macaque pulled out a letter.

"Remember when we defeated the Lady Bone Demon? Monkey King gave me this"

He said, passing the letter to MK.

"He told me to set our anger aside and to keep it safe. Because it had to do with you. He didn't tell me much but apparently he knew this was going to happen eventually. Granted probably in a different way bustill...He hoped to explain things in person but just in case he wasn't here in time, well that's what the letter is for. That's all I know. I promise"

MK gave him a small smile, letting him know that he believed him and gently opened the envelope. Retrieving the letter inside.

"Do you want to be alone?"

Macaque asked in case he wanted space, much to his surprise MK shook his head.

"Actually, can you read it to me? I think I'm too nervous"

He nodded and grabbed the letter. Clearing his throat, he started to read it out loud.

"Dear MK,
If you are reading this I'm afraid I'm not currently around. For whatever reason that may be just know that is not by choice. Since I much rather tell you this story in person. Still, I hope that through this letter I may answer some of your questions and that whatever keeps me from being with you won't keep me away for too long. You might be experiencing some changes with your powers and your current form. The best way I can explain this to you is to go back in time. 20 years ago..."

[Flashback from Monkey King's POV]

It was a normal day at Flower Fruit mountain...is what Wukong would normally think, but not this time. Something big was happening. After so many battles, adventures, victories and failures, Sun Wukong had come back to his homeland. He had grown used to the quiet days, with the exception of the playful monkeys.

"So much for my streak of peace"

He whispered to himself looking up at the sky. That day the clouds all seemed to be pulled by an invisible source towards his mountain. Going round and round in golden hues with a small hole in the center that hovered above the very tip of the mountain. Without thinking twice he flew there, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

Finally, once he reached the top he walked around. This was the place where it all started for him. Where the great "Monkey King, Sun Wukong Sage Equal to the Heavens" came to exist. Today, though, it felt different. Something deep inside his bones told him that this place wasn't going to just mark his beginning but the beginning of something else. Whether that was a good or a bad thing he didn't know and that was what worried him.

The sky grew dark with the exception of the golden clouds around. Finally, from the small hole in the center a gust of wind and light came rushing down. In an instant Wukong spread his legs ready to fight anything or anyone that came his way. Instead what descended from the clouds was nothing...but a small stone.

"What?"

His posture stiffen, not wanting to let his guard down as he quietly approached the tiny rock. With one of his hands he slowly inched closer until his fingertips touched it. In that very moment he felt something he had never felt before. His golden vision activated and inside the small stone he saw a silhouette of someone inside...They were small, curled up, he could barely make much out. The image was a little blurry, but what he saw right before he moved his hand away was crystal clear. It tilted its head up and a pair of eyes looked right back at him. Small, round, innocent and kind. Surprised he took a step back, falling down on his behind.

A second light came, but this time it was not from the sky but from the stone itself. Little by little it shook until small cracks started to form. From inside the cracks the light became more apparent, in a gold color. Finally it was so much that even Wukong had to cover his eyes.

A few seconds later, he opened them again. The stone before him wasn't glowing anymore and the sky was back to normal. As if nothing had happened. The stone stayed still where it had landed. A permanent and non-glowing mark where the cracks had been made. The real surprise though, was on the ground right in front of it. A small body layed there, curled up in a ball.

"Oh my-"

Wukong got up and approached slowly. Extending his hand he gently tapped the body and was received with the same pair of small eyes he had seen before. Uncurling, the body turned out to be a small boy. For a second he looked like the small monkeys that lived in the mountain with him but with darker fur. Yet, Wukong quickly realized that the boy was not just a little monkey. He was like him. A stone monkey spirit. Only that he had been born just this instant. He was still barely a baby.

He started trying to roll around. Unable to walk or move much. His giggles filled the air as he kicked his tiny feet up and looked around. His eyes, filled with wonder, scanned his surroundings until they finally set on Wukong. His tail wrapped around his tiny body and Wukong couldn't help but gush.

"Oh heavens you are adorable!"

He said, finally grabbing him gently and lifting him up. The baby cooed and chirped when he was finally held. This just made Monkey King gush harder and he stepped onto his cloud and rushed quickly to his cabin with the fragile newborn in his arms.

[Back to present times]

"And that was the day I first met you MK..."

Macaque took a break from reading and stopped in complete shock. He slowly turned to MK who was also analyzing what he just heard.

"That means..."

MK whispered looking down at the grass and then back up at Macaque.

"You are a stone monkey spirit"

Finished Macaque

Chapter Text

"No, no, no, this can't be. I'm just MK the noodle boy. Sucesor of Monkey King. Not a stone monkey spirit!"

MK said standing up and pacing from one side to the other.

"Excuse me, what would be so wrong with that?"

Macaque said, still sitting on the ground with the letter open in his hands. The young adult stopped in his tracks and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry Macaque, that's not what I meant. There's nothing wrong with it. Trust me under other circumstances I would think this is really cool"

The shadow monkey crossed his arms.

"Then why is it suddenly not cool?"

The youngest let out a sigh and sat back down next to him. Placing his hands over his lap and keeping his head down.

"Because that would mean that the scroll's curse was right all along. It would mean I was destined to be a harbor of chaos. My existence is predetermined to cause pain. My porpose-"

He stopped when Macaque placed one of his hands over his.

"Listen MK, that curse thing, whatever it said to you, that's just a combination of the scroll's way of taunting you and your own dark thoughts messing with you. Even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. Everyone had thoughts like that sometimes. You have doubts, worry about your future and where it will lead you. There's nothing wrong with that. Yet, I know by experience that someone can't just be easily measured by a single path of destiny. Sometimes people who we believe will do good end up hurting us the most. People who we thought brought bad news are now our friends. Some always stay bad and some stay good. It all comes down to a choice, not a predetermined path. I mean, Lady Bone Demon thought her destiny was to erase the whole universe and start a new one from scratch...where is she now MK?"

MK looked up at him. A small smile forming in his face.

"Look kid, where you come from doesn't define where you'll go. It's only a part of your story. It doesn't define the person you can grow to be. Or the monkey…or- whatever, you get my point. Only you can choose that. You can choose whether you believe you will bring nothing but chaos or to fight against that and bring all the goodness that's already inside of you"

Once he was done talking MK couldn't help but give him a hug. This caught Macaque by surprise as his arms hung around his sides awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"Thanks Macaque, who knew you could be so poetic?"

They both laughed and finally the shadow monkey placed his arms around MK's back.

"What can I say? I worked in a theater before remember?"

Letting go, MK took a deep breath and straighten his back against the tree behind them.

"Okay, I'm ready. Please continue reading"

Macaque nodded, taking the letter and doing as told.

[Back to the flashback from Monkey King's POV]

"Man you are one dirty kid"

Said Wukong after he arrived back at his cabin. Looking at the baby he brought he noticed he was still covered in dirt and his hair had little pieces of rock and sticks. He cleaned him off as gently as he possibly could. A little scared to forget his own strength. Thankfully he managed well and once done, he wrapped the little one with a blanket until he was but a small smiling bundle.

"Now when I saw the sky go all crazy like that I expected many things but definitely not you"

He said walking around and kicking stuff out of the way until he reached his sofa and sat down. A few monkeys came in by an open nearby and looked in awe at what their king brought. One of them even went out and came back with a banana in hand, pushing it softly against the baby's cheek.

"Sorry little guy I think he's too young for that. I mean look, there's still no chompers in there"

He said stretching one corner of his mouth which revealed a smile with no teeth. The monkey shrugged eating the banana himself as the others went about their day leaving both of them alone for the moment.

"Now what to do with you"

Wukong said, mostly to himself. In response the little one wiggled slightly releasing himself from the blanket that wrapped around his body. Then, stretching one hand up, he grabbed a chunk of Monkey King's fur and pulled it towards himself.

"Hey- Ow!"

The baby laughed and Wukong grabbed his tiny hand to set himself free. When he did the little one grabbed one of his fingers wrapping his hand around it and holding it tight.

"Oh stop you are very cute"

He admitted for like the one hundredth time that day. He then sighed as looked around his current home. Pieces of ancient treasure, memories of past battles, piles of fruit, old armor and all sorts of stuff laid in the floor of his cabin. It was a mess.

"Look I'm not fit to take care of you little guy. I can barely take care of myself"

He said as if the baby could respond. Which obviously he didn't.

"I've already done so much...both good and bad. Finally the world seems to have entered a time of peace and I was thinking of retiring. To just spend my days monkeying around. I should find someone to look after you, someone more suitable...even if you are adorable"

He said but then looked at the child much closer. He couldn't quite describe the feeling but even though he just listed a very good reason as to why he shouldn't keep him, something else told him to do otherwise.

"I mean...but now that I think about it. Who in the mortal world could I just hand a baby spirit stone monkey to? And the celestial realms are way out of the question. Looks like you got no home but here...and I couldn't possibly leave a baby all alone. Plus, technically speaking if I am to retire this just means I have a lot of extra free time in my hands and I'm no longer constantly fighting bad guys anymore so..."

The more he thought about it the more inclined he was to the idea.

"What do you say baby? You want to stay with the great Monkey King?"

In perfect timing the baby chirped showing off his toothless smile. Wukong took that as a sign.

"Great! But I am going to have to give you a name now. Can't go around calling you baby forever. Hmmm... let's see. I'm really bad at names though...how about Wukong Jr?"

In came another group of monkeys and they all shook their heads in disapproval.

"Really? I thought it was sorta cute"

They all started squeaking loudly and he got the message.

"Fine! Fine! What a bunch of haters. Alright, how about... Pebble? He did come from a small stone"

Half of the monkeys seemed to like that idea but the other half still disapproved.

"I'm running out of ideas here, um...well he is a monkey...monkey...kid- Oh! Monkey Kid! How about that? And we can call him MK as a nickname. Is simple yet effective?"

The monkeys thought about if for a few seconds before clapping and swinging around happily. Wukong laughed and nodded.

"Great we have a winner! Monkey kid it is"

With that Wukong took MK under his wing. He took care of him, taught him basic skills and took him everywhere he went. He even cleaned his cabin for baby proofing (or well not clean but more so stuffed all of his stuff in the temple where MK couldn't get any).

He was there when MK said his first word. He was there when he learned to crawl and eventually walk. He taught him how to climb trees although MK would still prefer to ride on his back for the most part. Taught him what fruits were safe to eat and how to swim. The colors, the numbers and the stars. He was there every night, telling him a story before he went to sleep and every morning fixing his hair and brushing his teeth.

MK was a sweet child. The few times he ever got in trouble was due to his high levels of energy. Running off without Wukong's knowledge or accidentally breaking stuff in the house. He once accidentally lit a fire in the living room but Monkey King was able to get to it before he got hurt. Other than that, he was well behaved and very caring. He loved hanging around with all the other monkeys and played with them for hours each day. Of course he also loved hanging around with Wukong, who to his knowledge, was family. Wukong got specially excited when MK stated showing signs of his powers coming in. They were just like his and he gladly guided him through. Very basic stuff for his age but still exciting nonetheless. Time passed by and now MK was a three year old boy just three months away from turning four.

Everything was perfect but it didn't last. In just those three months things changed drastically. The peace that seemed to be over the world was tumbling down as Wukong's old enemies seemed to slowly resurface. The world seemed to be saying that it was not ready for his retirement just yet. Not only that but he kept having vivid dreams, some were vivid nightmares. Monkey King didn't need to sleep but he found himself doing it out of nowhere and when he did he saw dreams of MK getting hurt. Dreams of losing him. The only time where he had dreams that didn't end up tragically were the ones where Wukong left MK somewhere else. He would wake up sweating, breathing heavily and quickly. Analyzing what it all meant. Looking at the small child that layed in bed, he couldn't imagine ever leaving him. MK was his family so he denied it all.

Until sadly he couldn't deny it anymore. Staying with him was slowly becoming a dangerous option for the kid and Monkey King needed to lay low for a few years. He tried everything he could in his power to avoid doing what would pained him the most but- it almost felt like life itself was sending him codes. He had to think of MK's safety before anything else and he knew exactly where he would be the safest.

For his fourth birthday he told him they were going to go on a adventure on the human city. Dressing him up (to hide his tail and monkey features). He took MK on his back and once on top of his cloud they both zoomed off. He bought him ice cream and let him play in the park with the other kids while he watched from the bench. He took him to the arcade and they took pictures together in the booth. He made sure to make MK's day as special as he could while suppressing his sadness inside.

"MK did you have fun today?"

He asked as the sun started to set.

"Yes!"

The little boy replied while skipping around. They continued walking for a bit until Monkey King saw it, the place that had appeared in his dreams again and again. It was exactly as he had seen it. It was a restaurant that specialized in noodles. He stopped and soon so did MK when he noticed.

"What is it?"

He asked innocently walking back to him. Monkey King smiled at him sadly and kneeled down to be at the same level as the young boy.

"Hey MK I want to show you a new trick I learned. Is perfect for our adventures with the humans. You can go anywhere without having to put any disguise!"

He said faking excitement. MK loved to see Monkey King use his powers and always found it exciting, so he couldn't wait to see what it was.

"Okay now, close your eyes for me and stand still"

MK did as told and Wukong breathe in deeply. Placing his hands together he concentrated hard until they started to glow. Then he placed them out touching MK's chest, a symbol of a circle forming around the kid. In a instant everything went white and when he finished MK looked like a human boy. His tail was gone, his fur was gone and his ears were much smaller. It was all part of a spell Monkey King worked on that basically put MK's power in a sleep status of sorts.

"Wow! I look like a human!"

He said turning around amazed at the sudden transformation.

"Yeah isn't it fun? Now you don't have to hide yourself anymore"

MK nodded while jumping from side to side. Then noticing a mud puddle, that had formed due to previous raining, he looked up at Monkey King giving him the puppy eyes.

"Sure buddy, knock yourself out"

He said allowing him to jump around and have fun. Getting all dirty in the process. Monkey King had to hold in his tears as he watched the little kid run around. Completely unaware of what was about to happen. Blinking quickly he took a deep breath and kneeled down on the floor, calling his name. MK stoped playing in the puddle and went towards him.

"MK..."

He moved his hair around and grabbed his little arms staring at him for a long time.

"What's wrong baba?"

That was the last straw and this time Wukong couldn't hold it any longer. He started crying. Quickly pulling the child close to his chest and giving him a tight hug.

"Oh no! Don't cry!"

MK said in his sweet little voice and Monkey King pulled away after a minute or two and forced himself to show him a smile.

"S-sorry bud, don't worry is nothing. I'm just very proud of you. You are a very special boy with a very special heart. Can you promise me something?"

MK nodded confused

"Don't change"

He said

"I don't understand"

MK answered still confused and a little worried. Wukong laughed softly and shook his head.

"Is okay little monkey you don't have to. Just know that I love you very much okay?"

MK quickly smiled

"I love you too!"

Monkey King gave him one last tight hug before whispering a soft "sorry". As soon as he did he kissed his forehead gently and immediately MK fell on his arms unconscious. Through that kiss Monkey King released a spell that would make MK forget everything. Choosing to leave only his name for him to remember.

"I'll come back I promise"

He whispered laying his body gently in front of the establishment's door. Then he hid behind a wall and waited. He knew that the spell worked quickly and as expected it only took MK half a minute to wake up again. When he did, he looked around confused. Looking up he saw the store's sign with the growly lights and the big noodle image. His eyes went wide with wonder as he stood up. The door then opened and out came a pig, who by the outfit, seemed to be a chef.

"I'm going to close now- Oh my! Tang! Come over here"

A second figure came out. This one, a human with glasses and brown hair. He seemed just as surprised as the first one to see the little boy out there alone.

"Hey little guy are you lost?"

Tang asked as he lowered himself to be at the same level as him. The little boy just shrugged.

"I don't know"

This answer confused both of them and Pigsy cleared his throat. Gently placing his hands over his knees and bending slightly.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

He asked hoping to get further information that way. The little boy shook his head.

"No...I don't think I have any"

Tang and Pigsy immediately turned as white as ghost. Both of them standing up straight and turning around quickly.

"Pigsy what do we do? It's the middle of the night and this kid is all alone. Look at him, he's all dirty and the poor thing might be hungry too"

Tang whispered

"Calm down, it's easy. Let's just get him inside. Get him cleaned up and some food. Then tomorrow we're going to take him to the police station. They'll know what to do. Okay?"

Tang nodded

"This means don't get attached"

Tang rolled his eyes

"Okay, okay I get it. Loud and clear"

Satisfied with their plan they turned around and invited the little boy to come inside. As soon as the three of them were indoors Monkey King stepped out from hiding. His eyes red and puffy from the tears that wouldn't stop coming out. This was the right thing to do.He told himself multiple times to stop himself from running back to grab MK.

Ever since that day he would casually check up on him on his bird or butterfly form. He specially made sure to visit on his birthdays. Those he didn't miss for the world.

Pigsy who had told Tang not to get attached was the first one to grow fond of the boy. As soon as the police reported that there was no one for the kid, he was the first one to offer to take him in. As Monkey King secretly visited more and more he could tell he chose the right people to watch over MK.

When the time was right Wukong kept his promise and came back for MK. Turning him into his sucesor and as soon as he held his staff his powers awakened in him. The rest is a story we all know.

[Back to present times]

"That's the whole story. I tell you this because by putting your powers to sleep you were able to live most of your life in a human-like body. Yet now, you have wielded the staff. Your power awakening in you. You have fought against multiple enemies now and little by little your power is growing and improving. I suspect that eventually this means your body will start turning back into its original form, so don't freak out too much about it. Sorry if this whole letter and explication is a mess but I really do hope you do okay bud.
See you soon
You're FAVORITE mentor,
Monkey king"

Macaque scoffed once he finished reading it all.

"Okay that last part was definitely a direct stab at me"

MK didn't answer. He seemed to be in deep thought. The shadow monkey folded the letter in half and passed it to him.

"You okay kiddo?"

MK took the letter and looked at it for awhile before looking back up at Macaque. He smiled, his eyes watering up.

"Aw, MK"

Macaque tapped his back reassuringly and let the youngest cry his heart out. It wasn't a bad cry, it was more in relief. Some sort of release. With just a slight bit of sadness.

"What if Monkey King never comes out? I haven't thanked him for...this"

He said lifting the letter slightly.

"From what I just read I don't think Wukong wanted a thank you. I just think he wanted you to be alright"

MK laughed between his tears as he tried to use his sleeves to dry them off.

"Didn't you hate Monkey King?"

Macaque crossed his arms and looked away.

"I still do! This is just different. This about you, I was just trying to not let my bias influence here. That's all"

MK decided not to push him anymore on the matter, at least for now, and grabbed the pouch that had been hanging on his waist the whole time. Opening it he placed the letter gently right next to the two pieces of the scroll.

"Still...Monkey King, if you can hear me...thank you. For taking care of me, even if it meant doing hard decisions. I met amaizing people like Pigsy,Tang,Mei and Sandy because of you. I'll make sure to make you proud..."

Macaque watched in silence as MK talked his heart out. Not being able to avoid smiling, just a little bit.

"MK!"

A voice was heard coming near to where they sat. MK closed the sack and both of them stood up seeing that it was his best friend Mai.

"MK what are you doing here? If Pigsy wakes up and sees that you aren't sleeping you're going to be in big trouble"

She said, not angry but more so worried for him.

"Don't worry Mai I'm coming back now. Thanks for the heads up"

He then turned to Macaque giving him a knowing nod to which he reciprocated in the same manner.

"What did all that mean?"

Asked Mai as he grabbed her hand and both of them ran off whispering and laughing back to the cabin. Hoping to get back to sleep before Pigsy noticed their absence.

"Wukong, you idiot, you have made many mistakes"

Said Macaque as he watched them from afar.

"But that kid is the best decision you have ever made"