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Macaque and Wukong walked side by side in silence trying to ignore the aching feeling in their chests as they reached what was the cemetery of Flower Fruit Mountain. Yellowtusk and some unnamed celestial warriors trailed behind the two, with Yellowtusk’s handcuffs clanking together, each step emitting a sharp ring. The sound was driving Macaque crazy. He kept wringing his head back and forth, just to glare at the celestial guards and their ruckus in chaining him up so much. He could tell after a couple looks that Yellowtusk had tried to move in some way to make his handcuffs emit less sound but he was too bound by the shackles to do so. The high pitched ring continued to travel with them up the mountain.
As the cemetery came closer in view, Macaque began to walk slower, letting Wukong take the lead. He tries to ignore the feeling in his stomach, a selfish question burning on the tip of his tongue. Am I buried here too? He shakes his head not wanting to think about it, bringing his mind back to the past. Before the immortalities were given, the regular monkeys were laid to rest here from old age or tragic accidents. Macaque remembers burying a few, most of them really as Wukong stayed at the mountain less and less on his journey for power. Tiny graves compared to what would be made now in that plot of land, if Azure had actually left behind a body to bury.
Azure's sacrifice was still fresh in everyone's head, along with the effects of the world almost ending. The cracks in the sky were smaller, but still stitching themselves back together at the right time. Debris from the fight was littered throughout the pathway and perhaps the whole mountain. Each step the group took was careful over jagged rocks and splinters of wood. Even the trees had been ripped from the ground and laid to rest on the way to the cemetery.
Macaque stopped before entering the clearing in front of them, letting Wukong clean it up in silence. The orange monkey moved quickly in removing large chunks of rock to the side of the pathway, even fallen trees were picked up in a hurry. The remains of the battle were shoved in a corner, and the new emptiness of the lot made the place much more depressing.
Yellowtusk then stood next to Macaque's side, watching Wukong with his eyes, moving them back and forth in following. Yellowtusk’s face betrayed no emotion, keeping a blank slate. Macaque turned his attention back to Wukong and chewed on the edge of his scarf. No one had to die today. No one had to die back then either if they all just had let go of their stupid plan. But everyone else had already made their decision without him and he felt forced to follow along. Look where that got all of them. Azure was dead, and while none of the group liked the Jade Emperor a loss was a loss that didn't need to be made.
The wind on the mountain was cold and it felt like whatever was left of Azure had faded into it. Magic doesn't disappear. It changes form, its nature, and Azure had been overtaken by it, fading into the air. If Macaque feels the wind change because of his death it most likely is.
“I think that's the last of it,” Wukong states, holding another fallen tree over his shoulder before chucking it into the pile. Macaque looks past him at the tiny headstones, names etched in them with something sharp. It looks the same as when he left, Macaque thinks. He doesn't know what to feel about that.
“There's a spot in the back we can use.” Macaque head snaps to where Wukong was now, digging through the debris pile and pulling out three small rocks. Macaque watches him rub his fingers over them for a second before passing one to Macaque and then Yellowtusk.
The celestial guards seem to stop Wukong from giving his old brother the rock, that's what Macaque hears from behind him. “You can't do that.” They repeat, the jostling of chains loud and foreign ringing again. “You can't just give our prisoner a rock, he can hurt people with it.” Macaque feels Wukong's anger like his own, looking back toward the two at the tone. “He's literally in cuffs!” Macaque watches Wukong gesture to Yellowtusk's hands with his own. They flop back to his side with a thud. “Are you fucking serious?” Wukong yells and Yellowtusk waves him off. “It's ok brother, you can place it for me.”
“But that's not-” Wukong ends his sentence with a growl, knowing the words would be lost in front of him. Yellowtusk knows when he has been defeated and he's accepting the crime he's committed now, the one that's the reason why they're here in the first place. The crime that's led to the death of their brother. Wukong almost stops to throw the rock in frustration before remembering what it's for. He takes a breath, holding both rocks toward his chest and walks toward the back.
It's a small spot Wukong has picked out, right where the sun hits the ground through the leaves of a singular standing tree. Macaque sees Wukong hesitate at the spot. There's nothing to bury but Wukong's hands had moved a split second forward ready to dig like he's done this thousands of times before. Now his hands hang limply at his sides, each of them clutching a rock when he should have one hand free. Wukong clears his throat and starts.
“I know he wanted to fix things between us. Even if it ended up like this.” Wukong fiddles with one of the rocks in his hand, turning it over on its sides with his thumb and index finger. “I just hope he felt peace when deciding it was the end.” Macaque watches quietly as Wukong finishes, bending to lay his rock on the dirt. Both of them then turn to Yellowtusk and his turn to speak.
It's the first time Yellowtusk's face showed any emotion on the way up here. His voice was solemn yet sad on the words he spoke.
“You've worked your whole life to save the world, brother.” He spoke as if Azure was listening and maybe he was. “It is a tragedy such feat could only be done with your death. May you rest knowing you've done what no one else could have.” Wukong looks back at Yellowtusk for approval and the elephant nods, with Wukong moving to place the next stone.
Macaque knows the eyes are on him now and he swallows down nervousness. He's not a part of this. He never was. The brotherhood and it's entirety was built on the bond they had with Sun Wukong. Not him. These weren't his friends. He didn't have any. He was quite literally the shadow that followed the group from Wukong's betrayal. What do you even say at a funeral for someone who never saw you as anything else besides what you reminded them of?
“Azure was… a good person.” Macaque settles on saying, trying to ignore the dryness on his tongue. “Who made the wrong choices.” A lot of them. “I'm not sure if this was the right one, but he died saving the world he had cared so much about.” Macaque didn't stop to look at anyone's approval before placing his rock on the spot, bringing his hands to his pockets. He notices a small nod from Wukong anyways.
Moments pass in silence as the three stare down at the makeshift grave, their rocks piled on top of each other like an offering. For once the rustle of the leaves above them were louder than the sounds of chains. That is until Yellowtusk spoke again. “Thank you. My brothers.” Macaque stares at his feet, the word brothers feeling empty here. “For allowing me this final goodbye.” Wukong responds for the both of them. “It's no problem Yellowtusk. Maybe this is how we move on from the dream we used to share.” A scoff comes out of Macaque's mouth at the words and the shadow monkey crosses his arms. Who are you and what have you done with Wukong? They ignore him like usual.
“Perhaps you're right brother. Camel Ridge will also finally get some rest.” The celestial warriors ready themselves with Yellowtusk quietly. The whispers of chains disappear into a light portal leaving the two monkeys alone at the cemetery.
Macaque closes his eyes listening quietly to the sounds of the mountain. There's less trees for the wind to stop at, both far away and nearby. The wind was a long howl drowned out by the sound of Wukong's feet in the dirt path. Macaque opens one eye to view Wukong staring at the rock pile. “It doesn't make any sense.” Wukong digs the tip of his toes into the ground mindlessly as he spoke. “It doesn't make any sense how he got here. How the scroll ended up in my house.” Macaque frowns, watching the king's shoulders slump with his head hung toward the ground. “It doesn't.” Macaque replies to him, not knowing what else to say. “But maybe it was meant to happen.” This time Wukong scoffs at him and his words, picking his head up to stare at him. “Just because it was meant to happen doesn't mean I fucking wanted it though.” he flicks his tail rapidly. “Like all my sins catching up to me.”
Macaque's fur ruffles at the statement. “Did you think you could run forever?” the sentence is spit like acid but leaves him empty. After all, Wukong thinks Macaque knows a lot about running.
“Forever is all I have.”
The king's sentence has Macaque's blood run cold, the reminder of immortality burning into his skull despite the buried ones under his feet. From the forevers this graveyard would never reach, and the one once promised to him in flesh standing in front. The ground's heavy, the chill in the air touching the fur on his arms feels like her and her chains. He doesn't have a grave here, he thinks again. Macaque is a stain, another forever that slipped through the Monkey King's hands like water.
A sigh snaps Macaque out of his dark thoughts seeing Wukong plaster on a smile walking towards him. “So…. Good person huh? What you said about Azure?” Macaque blinks. “Wha- oh.” Right he did say that. “Well-” Macaque rubs the back of his neck, avoiding Wukong’s gaze. “He wasn't evil, I can say that.” As good as a person who encouraged him into murdering his best friend could be really. But even in thinking that, what he said was true. Azure wasn't a bad person.
“Right, right,” Wukong says with a playful look in his eyes, rubbing his chin with thumb. “Just Peng though right?” Macaque laughs and it's real. “Oh yeah definitely. He was definitely evil.” Wukong laughs along with him. “Fucking jackass.” There's a twinkle in his eyes that would make Macaque fall in love with him all over again had their history not created the Great Wall of China. There's a hand on his shoulder from the orange monkey that he feels isn't supposed to be there. Not in this lifetime nor the next.
“You know they weren't very nice to you right?” Wukong replies, his hand soft on Macaque's shoulder. “Yeah. So?” he wants to shake him off. Not have this conversation right now. Wukong frowns and Macaque looks away. The hold on his shoulder squeezes once now. “I should have said something. I'm sorry.” Macaque is taken aback by the confession. “What? You didn't even do anything.” Wukong groans at Macaque's answer, it presumably being the wrong one. “Yes I know that's the problem.” Wukong runs his fingers through his hair before continuing. “I made sure to include you with me but not you with them. If that makes any sense.”
It didn't make sense. Macaque just never had a place with them. He wasn't in the brotherhood as himself, he was just another Wukong to them. And a really bad one at that. If he spoke up, it was drowned out by someone louder, manlier, stronger. That wasn't anybody's fault but his for not being what they wanted. A full arm is wrapped around his shoulders now as he slipped further into dark thoughts. Wukong nudges him forward. “Let's go back to the hut.” Wukong says despite the fact there is no hut, it was destroyed in the battle. “Everyone's waiting.” And with that, somehow Macaque felt more alone than when he entered the cemetery.