Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yang Jian woke up in the middle of the woods.

He slowly blinks as his vision adjusts to his surroundings.

He glances around. He was all alone.

Where was he?

He sits upright and tries to recap what happened to bring him here.

How did he get here?

A stinging pain surges in his brain and he groans, holding his head with a grimace.

It was then that he realized he forgot everything. Forget about the question of “where was he”.

WHO was he?

***

He wanders around, looking for food. Water. Shelter.

He still remembered how to BE. He remembered how to live. He just didn’t remember anything about who he was.

What was his name?

He manages to find some berries on a tree. Just as he reaches up to pluck one, he hears a voice cry out, “DON’T EAT THAT!”

He immediately backs away, obeying the command.

The owner of the voice was an old lady, who appeared as if she had been out gathering wood.

“My my you young folks never seem to understand! Haven’t you ever been taught to not eat random things in the woods?”

Maybe he had been taught. But he wouldn’t know. He doesn’t remember.

The old lady sighed as she waddled over.

“Young man, what are you doing in the middle of the woods? Go home before it gets dark. Yao Guais roam this area at night! It’s very dangerous!”

Yang Jian looks down at the little old woman. He replies, “Madam, could you tell me where I am?”

She replies back, “Ai ya. There’s no time for jokes. Just go on home.”

She starts to walk away, but turns back when she notices that Yang Jian was just standing there, not moving.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything.”

The lady’s eyebrows furrowed and she exclaims. “That’s the problem! I told you to go home!”

Yang Jian told her, “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know where home is.”

At this statement, the lady became even more puzzled. She walks back over and looks at Yang Jian more closely.

By his elegant clothing and poised demeanor, she now could tell he seemed to be from a higher class of society. Not a woodcutter like her and the rest of her neighbors.

“You don’t look like you belong in these woods. What’s your name, young man?”

Yang Jian bites his lip before saying, “I don’t know.”

“…oh dear.”

***
He follows the old lady to her house. Even if she might’ve been one of the Yaos, Yang Jian felt like he could beat her in a fight (not that he wanted to).

For some reason, he felt like he knew how to fight. He knew he wasn’t helpless. But why he felt that way he had no idea.

“Here it is. My humble abode. Come, come! Before the sun sets completely.”

The old lady gestures hurriedly for him to enter. Yang Jian walks in and is surprised to see three other people in the cottage.

There were two small children, one boy and one girl. The boy looked older than his sister by one year. On the small bed in the corner (he thinks it’s a bed, but it really was more like a hay stack) there lied an old man who was coughing weakly.

“Oh dear! Huan Hui! Go fetch your father some more water!” The old woman said.

The girl, named Huan Hui, went to the small bucket in the corner of the room near what Yang Jian thinks is a fireplace and scoops up a small bowl of water using a wooden bowl.

He couldn’t help but feel like he was interrupting. They were a full house. He shouldn’t be here.

“I-I think I’m going to go-

The lady grabbed his hand and replied, “Nonsense! The sun has already set! I can’t let you just wander around in the woods alone!”

“I-I can go home-

“But you said you didn’t know where home was!”

“I…I lied.”

The lady gave him a stern look.

“Young man. If you die, you’re going to make me a murderer. Or is it because you dislike our rather humble abode?”

Yang Jian quickly shook his head.

“No! No, it’s just that you guys need this space. I-I don’t want to get in the way or anything…”

“There’s a barn outside and we have space on the floor. I can bring out some mats and clothing to make you comfortable.”

After this the old lady sighs and continues, “Young man. Just stay until the sun comes up. Or you can stay until you remember where you’ve come from. If you truly wish to leave, I will not force you to stay.”

Yang Jian, seeing the old lady’s insistence, nods and agrees to stay for the night. The children don’t seem to mind. But they also don’t seem to truly understand what was happening.

The boy was exceptionally quiet. The girl was whispering to him about something.

The old father was sleeping already, soothed by the water that he drank greedily.

Yang Jian decides to sleep in the corner of the cottage, with a blanket and a bag of rice for a pillow.

That was how he managed to find a new “home” in this world that he doesn’t remember.

***
Yang Jian helps out around the place. He chops more wood than the woman and the boy could combine.

The girl’s job was to fetch water from a far away well every single morning for her whole family. Because she could only carry one bucket at a time, she had to make multiple rounds to supply them. The water was for their showers, drinking, boiling water so they needed a lot of it.

He finds out that the boy was a mute. He was also hard of hearing, which was why the girl had to whisper everything to him.

After a week of living with them, eating with them and getting to know them, Yang Jian decides to ask about their situation.

He tried to start it as, “Why are you guys…” but he blushed and couldn’t continue.

“So poor?” The girl said.

Huan Hui had warmed up to him a bit after he helped take care of her father. Yang Jian was very tentative and caring, so she liked him.

Yang Jian, embarrassed but honest, nodded.

“Well, it’s all because of water. Or something about the gods above who don’t give us any.”

Yang Jian was confused. What gods above? Water?

The old lady explains a bit further, “Years ago, we were a happy family of farmers. We grew crops and traded, and had a thriving business. But unfortunately, a drought came and we were unable to do anything. The water we had access to also became polluted, causing illness which is why my husband is so sick. We were forced to sell our house and moved out here, becoming woodcutters out of sheer desperation. We luckily had a backup barn from our better days as well as this cottage.”

The girl adds, “Mama sometimes goes to the marketplace to sell her sewing creations. She’s still working on some but, uncle, you could go with her!”

Huan Hui called him “Uncle” as a nickname now. But Yang Jian sometimes did forget he wasn’t actually related to her.

“If only someone could come by and ease the gods' fury against us. Maybe then we would be able to have a better life again…” the old lady mused as she bit into her rice.

Suddenly, there was a cough coming from the bedside. The old man rasped out, “I heard he’s coming.”

“Hm? Who’s coming?” The old woman asked.

“The monk. The monk from the east. I heard some passerbys of our neighbor a while back talking about the rumor. It’s the guy who defeated all of those other Yao Guais before.”

They were all surprised because this was the first time the old man had spoken so many words at once.

“Really? That’s quite amazing. Getting rid of Yaos would definitely improve our life out here.” The lady replied.

“Pray. He could pray for water. Pray for life.”

For some reason, the words “pray” and “water” together made something in Yang Jian stir. A small pang in his head rang, but he ignored it, thinking it was just a little migraine.

All he said was, “I will definitely pray for water then.”

The boy surprisingly gave him a smile. Maybe he read Yang Jian’s lips and liked what he “heard”.

***
A few days after that conversation, some travelers stopped by.

It was just as the old man described to them over these past days.

A monk from the east. With a couple of strange disciples.

They happened to stop by the village beside the woods and the monk asked for a place to stay. None of their neighbors had any rooms to spare, but the old lady went outside to greet them in person and welcomed them to stay in the barn.

The monk came to pay his thanks and the pig looking disciple asked for food, so they prepared some for their renowned guests.

When they entered the small cottage, Yang Jain stood quietly to the side, wanting to observe these strange visitors.

One such visitor caught his eye at first glance. It was not the renowned monk whose everyone saw as their savior, it was his oldest disciple.

What surprised him even more was when said disciple saw him and widened his eyes. What gorgeous eyes they were. So striking that Yang Jian felt unable to look away.

He also felt another sharp blow in his head, like someone was hammering his skull. But he tries to not show it.

After the meal, the monk and the others go to get settled in.

Yang Jian decides to walk out alone after a while to check up on them. While walking to the barn, he’s surprised to hear a voice calling out to him from behind.

“Erlang Shen? What are you doing here?”

Yang Jian blinked as the little monkey spirit walked up from behind him and exclaimed this strange “name.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you confused me with someone else. My name is not Erlang Shen.”

The little monkey’s mouth dropped open and he said, “What? Oh I had no idea you could tell jokes! It’s not very funny but you almost had me fooled haha!”

Yang Jian’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m not joking. My name isn’t Erlang Shen. Who are you talking about?”

Chapter Text

“You really don’t remember anything?”

They were sitting somewhere outside of the barn now. It was getting dark, but unlike before, Yang Jian now had a “protector.” Wukong had confidently told him that he could easily kill anyone who dared to touch them.

And now they were having a conversation. As if they were old friends. Wukong had already explained to him about his name and title.

Wukong also introduced himself in hopes of getting Yang Jian to remember who he was.

However, Yang Jian could only shake his head. No matter how hard he tried, it was all just a blank slate.

“I suddenly woke up in the middle of the woods. The only thing I knew was my name, nothing else. I don’t know where I came from, or who my family is. I don’t remember anything.”

Yang Jian placed a hand on his head.

“Whenever I try to remember, my head feels an overwhelming sensation of anguish. So I cannot recall anything.”

Yang Jian watches as Wukong’s eyes narrow, his face pondering. He looked really worried.

It made Yang Jian wonder. Why would he have such an expression? Why did he care so much? It didn’t make any sense to him!

Especially since he couldn’t shake the feeling that he KNEW who Wukong was.

He’s so curious, he ultimately decides to just ask, “Wukong, do we know each other? Do I know you?”

Unexpectedly, Wukong flinched when he asked this question and he looked away.

After a while, Wukong said, “Yes. We did.”

Yang Jian asks, “Were we friends?”

Wukong’s eyes glow gold for a split second before reverting back to his dark brown color. Yang Jian observed that he looked sad for some reason.

“Yes. We were.”

Wukong gives him a smile, and continues, “You're one of my… closest friends.”

Yang Jian thought it was strange. If they were such good friends, why couldn’t he remember anything about Wukong at all? He’s sure someone as unique as Wukong was impossible to forget!

But it doesn’t matter. His memories were gone. And it was ok. They found each other again, didn’t they?

Yang Jian smiles back. “Are we still friends then? Even without my memories?”

Wukong’s smile wavered for a moment before he recovered quickly, laughing out loud while responding, “Of course! Of course! It’s good to see you again, brother.”

Yang Jian replies, “Same goes for me.”

***

After that conversation, Yang Jian couldn’t fall asleep after he got back to the cottage.

Sun Wukong. He was Sun Wukong’s sworn brother. They were close. They were close friends.

His name was Yang Jian. His title was Erlang Shen. Wukong and his master were pilgrims going to the west.

That was all he knew.

For some reason, Yang Jian felt like if he could just remember Wukong, he could remember himself.

There was something about Wukong that made Yang Jian feel like he just HAD to be close to him.

Against all other logical explanations, he decides to do something rash.

He goes to the barn and knocks on the door. Wukong is the one who answers (just like he hoped).

“I want to go with you guys. I want to go on your journey to the west.”

Wukong shuts the door to the barn behind him.

“You what?” He whisper shouts, careful not to disturb the others.

“I want to follow you. I want to follow you guys to obtain the scriptures.”

Wukong’s eyebrows furrow. In the dark, his golden eyes glowed, shining a light in the darkness.

“Erlang Shen. It is-it’s too dangerous for you in the state that you are in right now-

“I am not weak!” Yang Jian shouted. Then he abruptly stopped himself, shutting his mouth.

Wukong looked caught off guard as well. He had not expected that outburst either.

“Of course. My apologies. I did not mean to offend you.”

Wukong looked extremely guilty, while Yang Jian felt guilty. Why had he shouted that? Who did he think he was? He was just a mortal. While Wukong was immortal.

Another pang in his head. It was happening quite frequently now.

“-can come with us. Tomorrow morning, I’ll let my master know.” Wukong finished.

Wait what? Yang Jian hadn’t been listening!!

“I’m allowed to go with you guys?” He asked impatiently.

Wukong nodded as he shut the door of the barn, giving him one last look. Whether it was filled with guilt or pity, Yang Jian could not tell.

***
The next morning, he announces to his “family” that it was time he left them.

When they all wondered why, Yang Jian told them he wanted to go to the west too.

“But the journey is dangerous! And you can just stay here with us forever!”

The entire family was adamant that he stayed. But Yang Jian declined their offer.

He almost gave in, but the memory of those golden eyes shining in the darkness, of Wukong’s voice telling him he could go with them. It made him more resolved than ever.

The old man was the one who finally made everyone settle down.

“Let the youngster go. It’s time he went on his own journey.”

At this, everyone remained silent. The boy who was mute stopped banging on the table in a fit, and the girl stopped shouting. The old lady stopped listing off reasons Yang Jian shouldn’t go.

Yang Jian walks over to the old man’s bedside and seeing the man gesture for him to lean down, he does so.

He hears the old man rasp out, “Young man, just promise me that when you leave, you won’t forget to pray for rain.”

Yang Jian nodded, feeling emotional despite himself.

“I will.”

***

And so, he bid farewell to the kind family that took him in and he greeted Wukong’s group briefly before they all continued on their journey.

For some reason, Wukong looked a bit sad. He even looked a bit scared. Tang and the other disciples all seemed nervous, glancing at Yang Jian before pretending like they had been staring at the clouds instead.

However, despite the initial tense atmosphere, Wukong welcomed Yang Jian in their group cheerfully, as if the initial doubts never existed. The other pilgrims had no complaints either.

So Yang Jian follows them. Or more specifically, he follows Wukong.

***
Yang Jian watched with amusement as Wukong bickered and bantered with Bajie, his younger martial brother. Sha was walking beside him, carrying the luggage. When Yang Jian offered to help carry some of it, Sha shook his head and adamantly refused his offer.

“Oh no, no! I would never dare to let someone like you carry luggage for me.”

Someone like him?

He still had no idea who he was. What did Sha mean, “Someone like him?”

Tang was riding on the horse, looking like he was deep in thought. The horse, who was also apparently a dragon, kept glancing back at Yang Jian. When he looked back, the horse snorted and kept walking forward.

They kept walking like that down the road until they arrived at a small village. They decided to camp beside the village for tonight, and they would travel down to it tomorrow morning.

Yang Jian stands to the side as all of the disciples start preparing their campsite, as if they had done this countless times already.

The horse even transformed into his human form and helped set up the campfire. When Yang Jian tried to help, Bajie patted him on the shoulder and said, “Now, now. You just sit down and protect our master. We’ll handle the other stuff.”

So Yang Jian sits beside Tang as the others prepare for the night. He still wonders why they wouldn’t allow him to help out. Was he infamous? Had he been some sort of royal? Was he important, or was he just a super clumsy worker? Maybe he was such a low status person that they didn’t want him to even help out?

Tang gives him a smile and hands him a book. Yang Jian noticed his hands were shaking slightly.

“Um, you can feel free to read these scripture verses. It-it might help?”

Yang Jian thanked Tang and started reading the verses. He feels like he’s read them before, but he can’t recall everything.

He really wished someone would tell him why everyone was treating him like this…

Chapter Text

Later that night after everyone else was already sound asleep, Yang Jian tried to fall asleep but he just couldn’t. He tossed and turned on the man made mattress that the other disciples made for him.

He couldn’t help but notice how they were all either simply lying against a tree or just sleeping on a flimsy blanket.

But he on the other hand was sleeping on a thick pile of clothing and had the one soft sack as a pillow. Tang even gave him his kasaya to use as a blanket!! HIS KASAYA!!

It was obvious they gave him special treatment. But why? Was it out of fear of who he was before? Had he been some sort of tyrant? Or was it because they pitied him?

Either scenario left a bitter taste in his mouth…

It was then that Yang Jian noticed Wukong was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t in the trees nor on the ground. Did something happen to him?

Yang Jian gets up and walks around, searching for the monkey spirit. He whisper yells Wukong’s name as leaves crunched underneath his feet.

Eventually, after walking around for a while, he finds Wukong sitting all alone on top of a giant rock. Wukong was looking up at the crescent moon and sniffling.

“Are you ok?” Yang Jian tentatively asks.

Wukong jolts a bit as he turns around. Yang Jian was once again mesmerized to see Wukong’s eyes glowing a golden color in the night.

Those eyes really made him feel something. Yang Jian grabs his head as a piercing pain comes into his skull again. This time it was more painful an intense than his previous attacks.

“Yang Jian! Yang Jian, what’s wrong?”

He feels warm hands touch his face and realizes that he fell down from the anguish. He was sitting on the ground holding his head.

When he opens his eyes, he’s met with Wukong’s face, filled with concern. His eyes were no longer glowing, but Yang Jian still thought his brown eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen underneath the glowing moonlight.

“I-I’m fine. Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Just then, Wukong noticed that he was cupping Yang Jian’s face and immediately let go of him, acting as if he burned himself.

Yang Jian feels like he lost something precious when Wukong pulled away. He liked the feeling of Wukong’s hands touching him, holding him with such care.

Wukong stands up and helps Yang Jian to his feet.

Wukong then suddenly starts talking at a rapid pace, trying to make things less awkward (which only ended up making things MORE awkward)

“Tha-that’s good. I’m glad you're ok. I just came out here to get some fresh air. And to look up at the moon, hehe. What a pretty moon right? Ok, um…Let’s go back now, shall we?”

As Wukong started walking back to the campsite, Yang Jian felt a panic rush up and he reached out to grab Wukong’s arm.

Wukong felt himself getting pulled back and he stopped. He turns and asks, “Yang Jian, what’s wrong?”

Yang Jian blinks. He doesn’t know why he did that. What was going on with him?

He was also distracted by how small Wukong’s wrist was. Yang Jian felt like he could snap it in half if he squeezed it too hard, so he’s currently holding his wrist gently, not wanting to hurt him.

Yang Jian stammers out, “I, um. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about myself. Everyone else seems nervous or anxious about my presence.”

Wukong stands there, looking at him with a blank gaze which prompted him to add,

“Please.”

Wukong bites his lower lip and he pulls his wrist away. Yang Jian was terrified that Wukong might say no.

But then he hears,

“Ok, what do you want to know?”

***

“Tell me about who I am. I know my name is Yang Jian. And my title is Erlang Shen. But I don’t know what that even means.”

They were sitting on the rock together now. The moon was still shining and Wukong was sitting in front of him, legs crossed.

“I’ll tell you the truth. But…I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”

Yang Jian replies, “I’ll believe you. I trust you.”

“How can you trust me so easily? You don’t even know-“ Wukong suddenly shouted before catching himself. He bows his head and sighs.

“Sorry. I just…I’m worried you’re too trusting. Someone could take advantage of you like this.”

Yang Jian wasn’t worried about that at all. “I’m not trusting. But I feel like I can trust you for some reason. After all, we’re brothers right?”

Wukong gave him a small smile. “Right.”

Wukong clears his throat and starts, “Your real identity is Erlang Shen, Deity of War. Son of Yunhua and the nephew of the Jade Emperor. He’s the ruler of the celestial realm.”

Yang Jian’s mouth dropped open slightly. No wonder Wukong was so hesitant. This was very hard to believe. HE was the DEITY OF WAR? Nephew of the ruler of the celestial realm?

“I’m-I’m a deity?!”

Wukong nodded. “Technically, you are a demigod. Your father was a human. Well, he was actually the reincarnation of Golden Boy who IS an immortal but that’s a very long story. The important thing is that you’re a really important person! Which is probably why my other fellow brothers treat you differently.”

Well, Yang Jian understood now. He was technically a prince right? And that’s the reason why Sha “wouldn’t dare” allow him to do servant work. For fear of consequences once he became himself again.

Yang Jian then asks, “How did we meet? Are you a celestial too?”

Wukong chuckled. “Well…I guess technically speaking I am. I did work for the celestial realm once upon a time. I was the lowest rank, haha.”

So they were both immortals? That’s how they met? The story seems to be rather interesting.

“We met while we were both up there?”

Wukong coughed, suddenly blushing. Yang Jian finds that his blushing face underneath the moonlight was exceptionally pretty. It contrasted well with his fur that was framing his round face.

“Um. Well, I sort of threw a fit because I didn’t like my rank. And I made a huge mess of things. They call it the Havoc of Heaven. It happened some 500 years ago.”

500 years?! How old was he then? Yang Jian was already having a hard time understanding that he was apparently immortal! But he had been an immortal for THAT LONG??

Wukong scratches his side burns and continues, “I was being a bit dramatic. Looking back, I feel a bit silly. You finally managed to stop my little fit. That’s how we met.”

Yang Jian asks, “So I talked you out of it? And you listened?”

Wukong laughed at this. “No, no. We had a battle. I was ready to declare war against the entire realm and even take over the Jade Emperor throne. You were the only warrior in all of the realm that could keep up with me.”

Even though Wukong was talking about his own downfall, Yang Jian noticed that his eyes were fond, as if he was recalling a pleasant memory.

“You were the first and only one who could keep up with me, maybe surpass me. The only other person who could do that was Nezha.”

Wukong goes on to talk about his own banishment of 500 years and all of the other celestials that Yang Jian should be able to recall.

Apparently he had a dog? That was pretty good news.

Yang Jian laughed at some of the stories that Wukong would tell him. Stories about Wukong himself, or stories about Yang Jian. Apparently he was very expressionless and stoic when they first met, but he started to warm up after a while.

According to Wukong, he also “threw a fit” for his mother’s sake. So they bonded over the fact that they were both rebels.

Yang Jian finds that it was really nice being with Wukong. The guy could chat and talk all day, and Yang Jian would never grow tired of listening.

He finds himself staring at Wukong lips as he talks. They looked so pretty. And he wondered how they would feel…

Yang Jian snaps himself out of whatever daze he had been in. What was that?

What had he been thinking? And what was Wukong saying now? When had he stopped paying attention?

“-he was honestly the best person I could have met. He’s like the complete opposite of me!”

“U-uh huh. Yeah.”

Wukong paused and tilted his head.

“Yang Jian, are you listening?”

“I-I was.”

“Then who was I talking about?”

Yang Jian panicked. He didn’t know. He hadn’t been listening.

“Um…me?”

Wukong blinked twice.

And then he tilted his head back and laughed out loud. He laughed so loudly, Yang Jian was scared that they had woken the others up.

“Oh Yang Jian, I had no idea you could be this adorable! You should tell jokes more often, haha!!”

Yang Jian watched silently as Wukong doubled over and laughed, tears glistening in his eyes.

He finds the tears really pretty. Because they were happy tears. And he caused that. He no longer cared if others heard them.

He wanted Wukong to laugh all the time. And especially if he was the reason he was so happy.

Wukong settled down and became serious again, wiping away his tears.

“I was talking about my master. He’s changed me for the better in more ways than one. You remember how reckless and stupid I was before, right?”

Yang Jian stares at him blankly. Wukong pauses as he suddenly realizes what he just said.

“Oh. That’s right. You don’t remember. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“No, it’s fine. You can tell me all about it. What were you like?”

In honesty, he just wanted to listen to Wukong talk more. Yang Jian just wanted to sit down and listen to everything. Wukong was very intelligent and a great storyteller.

But instead of telling him, Wukong asked, “Do you remember…anything at all? About yourself?”

Yang Jian pondered for a while, trying to piece anything together.

He was Erlang Shen. He lived at GuanJiangKou. He had a dog spirit named XiaoTian. He was the nephew of the Jade Emperor…

He closed his eyes as he tried to dig deeper.

Nothing.

Yang Jian swallowed and honestly responded, “I’m sorry.”

Wukong’s eyes softened and he smiled a weak smile at him. It made Yang Jian feel even worse.

“That’s ok, Yang Jian. I’m sure it’ll come back to you eventually.”

Wukong stretched as he yawned. “Let’s go to sleep now. I know we technically don’t have to, but self care is important! My master might be kidnapped before we get another chance to sleep!”

Yang Jian watched as Wukong leaped onto a tree and settled on one of the thick branches.

He hears Wukong call out, “You should go back to the campsite. Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch.”

Yang Jian wanted to tell him he wanted to stay. He didn’t feel sleepy and he wasn’t able to anyways. But then he realized that Wukong might be hinting at him to leave. Maybe Wukong was the one who wanted some privacy right now.

So Yang Jian nods and walks back to the campsite.

At first, he couldn't sleep at all. But then he recalls Wukong’s voice. And he closes his eyes, and eventually falls asleep.

***
That night he had a dream.

In the dream, he remembered his mother, Yunhua. He remembered his master, Yuding ZhenRen. He remembered his uncle and Xiaotian.

He remembered everything Wukong told him. Maybe his subconscious mind was moved by the stories Wukong told him.

He then dreamed about something scary. Something that terrified him to his core.

When he woke up, he sat up straight and cried out, “No!”

But he couldn’t remember what he had been so scared about.

The others were surprised when they saw him sitting upright, hand reaching out and sweat on his brows.

Sha went over and asked if he was ok, while Bajie and Tang looked worried. The dragon prince had already turned back into a horse.

Yang Jian nods his head and waves his hand. “I’m fine. Sorry, it was just a bad dream.”

He then glances over and sees that Wukong suddenly appeared by his side, looking at him up and down, ensuring he was ok.

He tells him it’s fine and then cleans up his mat, trying to play everything off as no big deal. The rest of the group look at each other and, realizing they really can’t do anything, also pretend like it was nothing.

Yang Jian felt Wukong’s eyes following him the entire time. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to get off that easily.

***
Later, he goes to Wukong again when they were alone. And he asks Wukong to tell him more about his past.

Wukong said, “I’m not going to tell you anymore.”

“What?”

Yang Jian was shocked that Wukong would say such a thing. Not tell him anymore? Why?

Wukong shrugged. “I told you all I know. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Yang Jian knew Wukong was lying to him. He knew a lot more than he was letting on.

“That’s not true. You know more don’t you? Weren’t we close?”

Aren’t they close? Did Wukong still consider Yang Jian a friend even though he lost his memories?

Wukong suddenly blurted out, “But it’s hurting you! Your memories! The more you remember, the more painful it might get. You only regained part of it and…I can’t. I can’t do that to you.”

Yang Jian reached over and held Wukong’s hand.

“Wukong, it’s not hurting me. Not remembering who I am is what’s hurting me. Please. You’re the only one who can help me.”

That technically wasn’t true. He could go back to his master. Heck, he could even find Xiaotian and get him to spill the beans.

But he didn’t want to leave Wukong.

Wukong’s eyes looked watery, like he was about to cry.

“Fine. I’ll tell you more. But if you wake up screaming and crying again I’m not going to tell you anymore.”

“I won’t.”

***
To his credit, Yang Jian stopped having nightmares after that. Maybe he willed himself to not have them anymore. But true to his word, he never woke up screaming or crying again.

However, he does have dreams. Blurry ones. And also clear ones.

He slowly gathers information with every story session from Wukong every day and every dream that follows after the storytelling.

Tonight, in his dream, he was sparring. With whom, he had no idea.

Wukong had finished telling him about the infamous Havoc incident 500 years ago while they were both picking fruit for the others.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember it at all! It’s my mark of fame upon this world! You played a pretty big part in it too.”

Yang Jian, through his dreams, already remembered some of the other immortals. A huge, gigantic man with two round clubs. A man who didn’t wear any shoes. A long bearded white haired man with a brush. A young boy with a bright red ribbon and fiery wheels. Seven maidens each wearing one of the colors of the rainbow.

He even remembered his other companions, his friends. His mother, YunHua and his father TianYou. His dog Xiaotian. His master, Yuding ZhenRen.

He even remembered the Jade Emperor, his uncle and the Mother Empress, his aunt.

He remembers nearly everyone. Everything. He could almost remember his home and what it looked like.

However, he doesn’t remember his abilities. He doesn’t remember his battles or experiences in war. Although he remembers WHO his master is, he doesn’t remember any of his master’s teachings.

More bizarrely, he doesn’t remember a single thing about Wukong. By the logic of exposure through stories, he should remember Wukong before anyone else. After all, he remembered them after some simple stories and descriptions.

He had the REAL Sun Wukong in front of him. He was with Wukong all the time. So why couldn’t he recall anything about the monkey?

But tonight, he finally dreamed something that he thinks might help him remember Wukong.

However, it was still extremely difficult to make out what exactly was going on.

He remembers how he was fishing by himself.

He was then summoned somewhere. There was gold and a nervous messenger.

He remembers he put on his armor. And he went to battle someone. It was a Yao Guai who had defeated all of the other warrior immortals.

The dream was quite strange. It was from HIS own perspective. He’s doing everything from a first person’s point of view. But he doesn’t know WHY he’s doing it, or how.

In the dream, he transforms into various things. How? He still has no idea.

He’s chasing someone. A golden blur. He hears a familiar giggle. He knows it’s Wukong.

“Catch me if you can!” He hears.

He felt excited and also delighted by this cat and mouse chase. He wanted to catch Wukong, but he also didn’t want this wonderful game to end.

Eventually, he follows Wukong to a familiar place. In the dream, he knows it to be his own temple.

He nearly forgot he was in fact a god. So it made sense for him to have his own temple. He’s confused as to why Wukong would end up here.

He walks inside. Silence. Minus the incense sticks and the offerings of food and gold, there was nothing inside.

Until he hears a loud bang. He spins around, his three headed spear pointed at the table with the offerings where the sound came from.

Instead of the objects, he finds his “enemy”. Sun Wukong had knocked over his statue as well as the incense sticks and was eating his food offerings on the table!

“What do you think you’re doing?” He says. He was partly mad, but mostly curious as to what was happening inside of the monkey’s mind.

“Mmmm. You greedy gods! Keeping all of this delicious food for yourself! I, Lao Sun, shall assist in helping you accept these gifts properly! You pig!”

Quite the strong language coming from the person who was stealing and ruining HIS temple. Any other god would want to strike the monkey down and strip him from limb to limb for such insulting speech.

But Yang Jian didn’t want to do that. Instead, he walks over to the table, lowering his weapon.

Wukong, in all his defiant spirit, doesn’t move or flinch. He bites into another apple, eyes on Erlang’s every move.

Suddenly, Yang Jian steps forward faster than he had ever moved before, catching Wukong off guard. He grabs the monkey’s arms and pushes him down on the table, making the other food objects roll off and land on the ground.

Wukong wiggles and tries to escape. He hisses and tries to bite Yang Jian’s face, since he was now leaning so close. Wukong’s tail was thrashing around, trying to slap Yang Jian’s arms away.

In his dream, Yang Jian was focused on the sweet liquid from the fruit Wukong had eaten, trailing down his lips onto his neck.

He hears and feels himself saying, “My, what’s this I see? Someone left quite the sweet fruit behind on my offering table. I suppose I have no choice but to accept such a generous gift.”

“You bit-hmph!”

Yang Jian leaned down and kissed Wukong, mouth opened and tongue slipping in, taking advantage of Wukong outburst to deeply enter that beautiful mouth.

Such sweetness. Such softness. Yang Jian’s hands held tighter onto Wukong’s wrists, which were fighting against his hold.

“Mm! Let me go-“

“Relax.” Erlang whispers against his ear, licking it and making Wukong gasp.

Yang Jian replies to this by kissing him again and again…

***

“-lang Shen! Erlang Shen!!”

Someone was jostling his shoulders now. Yang Jian groggily rubs his eyes as he wakes up.

It was Wukong who was squatting down in front of him, shaking his shoulders.

“Oh thank goodness! Did you have another nightmare? You kept groaning and saying something and you wouldn’t wake up even though I called your name over and over!!”

“Huh? I…I…”

It wasn’t a nightmare.

It was quite the opposite. But here and now, Yang Jian felt such shame he couldn’t reply properly.

All of the other pilgrims were staring at him too. Ao Lie was giving him a strange look, as if he knew what was going on in his mind.

He tries to slow down his heart rate and cleared his throat.

“I’m fine. I just…I remembered something important to me.”

Wukong’s eyes hardened.

“Was it a nightmare?”

Yang Jian smiled brightly, his eyes staring directly into Wukong’s as he remembered his dream.

“No. It was a wonderful dream….”

Chapter Text

There were things Yang Jian noticed about Wukong the longer he traveled with them.

He already knew the basic details about him, like how he was a stone monkey who wrecked havoc once upon a time ago and how he loved peaches more than anything.

But he also noticed the other details.

Like how Wukong loved to lunge on top of trees away from the rest of the group to sleep and eat while traveling on the road.

How Wukong was constantly moving, fiddling with his fingers or tapping his feet.

How Wukong was almost never completely quiet. He always made cute little noises of confusion whenever he saw anything that interested him. He ate with his mouth open, but the small smacking noises were not like people’s. And he was a lot cleaner than certain people when eating (ahem, Bajie). He would hum whenever he was bored or even sing a little tune.

It made the journey all the more enjoyable. He was very happy he decided to go on this journey with them. It was the best decision he could have ever made.

Getting to be with Wukong everyday? And getting to spend time with the other pilgrims wasn’t bad either!

Honestly, he couldn’t care less if he never got all of his memories back. He didn’t need them. He was fine without them.

However, he did realize that he was the weakest link (not counting Tang) out of all the travelers. So, he decided to ask Wukong to train him.

“Tha-that’s actually not a bad idea! Sure! I’ll help you!”

And now here they were.

Meditating.

Wukong speaks as their eyes were closed. Their bodies in a relaxed sitting position.

Yang Jian’s body naturally fell into a perfect meditation position, as if he had done this countless times before. It was like a reflex.

“Focus on everything while focusing on yourself….”

It wasn’t difficult at all. Wukong even complimented him and said that they didn’t need to touch this subject anymore.

Next, they skipped straight to the transformations.

It was honestly a lot of memorization. Poetry even. Yang Jian finds it easy to memorize. Since he had already learned all of them before.

“I don’t really feel adept to be your teacher. It’s a shame to admit it, but you were stronger than me in combat. I’m still smarter though!”

Yang Jian nodded but inside he wanted to say,

“Yes I know. I know I’m stronger. I’m strong enough to hold you, to pin you down. To keep you in place. To touch you and embrace you and kiss you. I’m strong enough to be your equal. I remember our fight. I remember our time together in the temple. I remember how gorgeous your eyes looked when they were flowing with pearl like tears. I remember how beautiful you sounded when I-

But all he said out loud was, “Thank you. But you are the only one qualified enough to help me.”

Wukong laughed at the compliment and they both proceeded to take a short break.

***

The group kept traveling until they reached a small city. It seemed like this area was large enough to need a king, so Tang suggested that they go straight to the palace to get their passport stamped.

Along the way, the all received the usual stares and whispers, pointing and murmurs of

“Are they monsters?”

“But the monk is rather handsome!”

“There’s a pig head and a fish man! And there’s a golden monkey! Is this a circus parade?”

There was a new addition to these chatters. Yang Jian wasn’t deaf when he heard, “My what a pretty young man he is!”

“Do you think he’s single?”

“He still has such beautiful long hair. So that must mean he’s not a monk!”

Yang Jian tries to ignore all of these murmurs and nonsense. But he couldn’t ignore the aggravating sight of some people trying to make contact with Wukong and the others.

A few bold people stepped closer to get a better look, and even reached out a hand to see if they could pet Wukong’s fur! There were others who wanted to see if Sha and Bajie were only wearing disguises, so they were getting attention as well, but to Yang Jian, they didn’t matter.

He intentionally walked closer to Wukong and stood beside him. He glared at anyone who dared to come too close.

The women saw his cold gaze and immediately blushed, backing away meekly with flushing faces. They thought his gaze was rather intense, and moving.

Wukong looked at him with a strange expression, tilting his head as if he didn’t know what Yang Jian was doing. Yang Jian innocently looked back and gazed at him with a little smile.

Their walk to the palace was a rather eventful one indeed.

***
Turns out it was not a palace, but only a governor’s office. However, the place was so grand, it could easily be mistaken as one.

“Whatever is going on? Who are you?” The governor asked. He didn’t ask in an accusatory manner, but rather in a pleasantly surprised way.

Tang, as always, bowed and introduced all of them, including Yang Jian, to the governor.

“Ohhh. All the way from the eastern region! You guys have traveled quite far indeed! Quite far! Say, am I to believe that you possess magical abilities that allowed you to vanquish Yaos along the way?”

Tang shook his head.

“It is not me. It is through the help of all of my dear disciples. They are the powerful ones, not I.”

The governor then went on to explain to him his current situation.

“You see…the reason why I asked about your abilities was to request for help. You might not be aware, but our region is currently facing a very tiresome drought. It’s been this way for over a decade now.”

Yang Jian was immediately intrigued. So were the others. They had already known about the drought. What did this guy have to say about it?

The governor continued after a brief pause.

“I…I might have done something to cause this?…”

“What? You?” Yang Jian couldn’t help the accusation from spilling out of his mouth. This man was the reason for the family’s suffering?

“Oh, well. Yes? Or I guess no? Maybe? Le-let me explain…”

The man stammers at he recaps his life as a governor and how he became the leader and blah blah blah…

Until he reached the part about the drought. Apparently, he had met the Jade Emperor once and even gained his favor. Because of this, the governor even built the Jade Emperor an altar to worship him.

Despite all of these efforts, the Jade Emperor became furious with him! And even ordered that a century long drought be placed upon them!

For immortals, a century might not seem that big of a deal. But for a mortal, it was more than a lifetime!

“It’s only been 10 years or so. I think? Gosh, it’s been so long since we’ve had rain. And we can hardly take this anymore. Please, great sirs. Help me. If you do, I’ll gladly grant you passage!”

Naturally, Tang turned to Wukong and asked him, “Wukong, do you think you’ll be able to help this man out?”

“We kind of need to help in order to leave” is implied. But of course they were also doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.

Wukong pondered over this and then said, “I mean…I don’t think the Jade Emperor likes me very much. I’m pretty sure ME visiting him for a favor like this is just going to make him even angrier…”

Yang Jian spoke up, “I could go.”

Everyone stared at him.

Wukong said, “You? A-are you sure? But you can’t even fly! You don’t have your 72 transformations fully mastered yet!”

Yang Jian replied, "So you can take me. And I’ll talk to the Jade Emperor for you.”

Even though he didn’t want to see his uncle and even though he didn’t care about finding his memories back, he did want to help Wukong and the rest of the group out.

And a small part of him wanted to find out more. He might not WANT to, but he does know he needs to learn more about himself eventually. So why not take this chance?

Wukong gives him a worried look. But then the governor begged Tang and him again and again, and Wukong sighed in exasperation.

“Fine. But if something bad happens, we are LEAVING immediately. That emperor is always in a crabby mood…”