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You didn’t tend to see the stars in the city-
But MK had always heard stories of them from other borrower demons.
They sounded magical-
He wondered if Monkey King could see the stars atop his mountain.
Maybe if he got lucky Mr Tang would tell Pigsy another tale of the Monkey King in another attempt for free noodles-
And maybe if he was Really lucky! The story would clarify if stars were visible on the mountain.
But those were only on lucky days, today only had average sized luck-
Pigsy had been working all day- and there were a few scraps of food laying around as a result.
But nothing interesting happened.
Just normal customers doing normal customer things-
No Stories… no interest… nothing…
It almost made MK want to jump out into the Open and say “HEY! I’ve been living in your walls for free! Come and get me na na na na na!”
But.. no…
He wouldn’t do that… that’s a great way to get zapped by a bug swatter-
Or squished by a giant.
In a world so much bigger than yourself… all you could do is survive.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Sometimes MK liked to pretend the city lights were stars-
If he squinted really hard and looked at them from just the right angle they kinda looked like it.
Or.. so he thought.
Stars were supposed to be glowing dots in the sky-
No one ever told him what colour they were- or if they blinked rapidly-
Maybe they danced in the night sky and partied hard like Mei liked to do-
He didn’t know-
Probably would never know- the highest he had ever been was on top of Pigsy’s shop-
And he wasn’t lucky enough to be born with wings-
He was a miniature monkey demon…
like the Monkey king but.. a little less awesome…
He couldn’t fly, or transform-
He wasn’t immortal or indestructible
He was Just-
MK
A Borrower Demon who probably would never even leave the noodle shop-
Never mind the city.
this wasn’t new information To MK-
This was just life-
Unfortunate as it was…
He knew he’d never see the Stars for real…
But at least the city was still pretty at night
~•~••~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
The Demon Bull King Threatened everything MK had ever loved-
The monstrous Demon was well over a million times MK’s size at his enlarged form.
Tearing through buildings and sky scrapers like they were nothing more than cardboard.
Pigsy, Mr, Tang, Mei and a big blue guy named Sandy were holed up in the Shop.
They were all worried obviously- nervously checking their phones and watching live news coverage of the devastation.
MK stayed hidden in the walls, arms and tail wrapped around himself for comfort.
Never before had he wished more for the larger people to know of his existence.
He wished they knew-
Wished they’d care for him and held him close as fear coursed through his body.
..
He Wished they knew how much he loved them.
It was a strange relationship for sure but…
They were important to him.
His own little constellation
And He’d do anything to keep them safe.. even if the chances are slim.
So…
For once in his life he did something daring-
He set out.. for one final adventure outside of the noodle shop-
Just like Monkey king-
He’d save them.
He had to.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
MK had made decent progress towards the massive Bull king considering his size.
But he was still nowhere near the demon-
The small Monkey managed to climb up a radio tower most of the way-
But the height hadn’t given him the advantage he had hoped for-
It only stood to remind him how much farther he had to go-
Part of the Kid’s mind he wondered if this is what Monkey King Felt when he went on the original journey to the west.
If the distance between him and his goal felt overwhelming as well.
If it felt like no matter how much distance they covered-
They still came up short.
“C’mon MK! The Monkey King would never give up! Neither can you- your loved ones are at stake- Pull yourself together!”
With a few light slaps to the face to refocus MK took a few deep breaths and began to scale down the radio tower-
He didn’t get down more than a few meters before a terrifying screech nearly caused him to lose his grip!
Swinging his arms widely before clinging to a metal bar for dear life.
“SQUAACK!”
The Borrower snapped his attention towards the sound, only to be met face to face with a golden hawk.
Its eyes intently focused on the small monkey with something that could only be hunger-
“N-nice b-birdy-“
The bird tilted its head to the side
“Niiiiccce Birdy- no need to eat any little MK’s today-“
“SQUAWK!” It hopped towards him-
MK shakily backed away, precariously balanced on the thin metal beams of the tower
“Look - I… I get it okay? Big things eat smaller things- but can’t you just give me a break-
This one time?? Please?!?”
Annnnd now he was pleading with a bird, not like the stupid thing could even understand him!
But fear does weird things to the brain!
In fact it can even cause tunnel vision-
So you only focus on the problem in front of you-
And NOT where your foot is being placed behind you!!!
So when MK felt his back foot slip-
His heart rate spiked, and then a single thought went through his head
‘I’m dead… and the people I love don’t even know I exist… .. I should have at least said hi right??? I maybe they would’ve taken me to see the stars.”
The feeling of falling was almost freeing, wind rushing around him, whipping his hair in a mad flurry.
Then-
It stopped-
As two taloned feet lifted MK up by his arms.
“SQUAWK!”
The Golden Hawk stared down at him-
It’s hungry gaze looking almost more frustrated now like ‘how dare you try to run away?!’
MK’s breath caught, okay so he wasn’t going to die from falling to his death-
But instead he’d be torn apart by this stupid bird!!
Great!
Just great!
The young borrower was so caught up in contemplating his future demise that he didn’t even realize the flight path of his bird friend-
Heading straight for the Demon Bull King-
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
The bird Landed and gently deposited MK back to the sweet sweet ground!
It was almost a relief to the young borrower before he remembered he was probably still in imitate danger-
So he spun around and raised his fists up ready to fight!
But the bird wasn’t paying attention to him anymore though-
Instead its attention was off to the side-
So MK followed its gaze-
Only to crane his head all the way up as he saw what-
-No- WHO He was standing next to!!
The Demon Bull King filled his entire view- in a monstrous showing.
“W-wha… you brought me to DBK!?”
“Squawk!”
“H-how did you know? Wait can you understand me??”
“Squawk!!” The Bird hopped towards him, only this time it didn’t seem like a threat more like an invitation-
“Oh-! okay! Em… well.. we’re here now… I didn’t really have a plan on how to Stop him… but I’ll figure something out- I mean he’s only the size of a mountain!! Easy peasy! Heh heh heh heh heh.”
The small Monkey Demon must not have been very convincing because the Bird did not look impressed.
“Okay well what’s your bright idea then!”
“Squawk!!” The Bird’s eyes glowed bright gold, leaning down towards MK-
“Whoa… .. your Eyes…” the Borrower reached towards him without thinking-
And when his hand made contact with the bird’s beak-
The world all became gold and MK stumbled back
“Whoa!! What the heck is going on!?!”
The Bird just looked at him expectantly
MK Looked at the bird, then down at his hands then back at the bird-
“Squawk!” The bird seemed to be expectant-
But expectant for what exactly???
And what was that extremely bright light up above!!
Wait was that the sun?
No it couldn’t be, the Sun was being blocked out by the Bull King!!
So what was-
MK peered up, shielding his eyes with his hands for the source of the light.
And then…
He saw it..
Residing in the Bull King’s chest was a deep red staff, with gold trims and intricate designs all along it-
It was…
“THAT’S MONKEY KING’S STAFF!!!”
“SQUAWK!!”
“Holy crap! And is that- OH!! The Bull king is using the Staff to Power up!!!”
“SQUAWK!”
“So… in order to stop him- I JUST HAVE TO GET THE STAFF AWAY FROM HIM!”
“SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK!” The bird hopped up and down before affectionately nuzzling MK’s hair with it’s beak
“Ha ha!!! So glad we’re on the same page Birdy!” MK patted the Bird’s feathers, feeling hope fill his chest for the first time in a long while!
“But wait… how do I get up there?”
The bird trilled, spreading its wings and flapping them.
“Ohhhhhh- well then… what are we waiting for-“ he couldn’t help the massive grin spread across his face.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Flying was terrifying, MK never wanted to do it again!
At first flying up to the Demon Bull King was a breeze-
They were both so small that the moutain sized Monster didn’t even notice them-
But When MK entered the mechanism that allowed the Bull King to harness the Staff’s power, he could sense his time was short-
And once he reached the staff, even though it was much bigger than the borrower Demon he still reached for it-
Only to have the magic artifact shrink to accommodate his grip-
Holding it in his hand was like a dream come true, but then everything around his started to rumble and MK knew he was out of time-
The Bull King Knew he was there-
So he sprinted with all his might out of the mechanism- taking the Monkey Kings Power out with him.
MK leapt before he looked willingly going into a free fall as the Bull King Roared behind him
“LITTLE THEIF!! You think you can escape me!!”
But looking back only filled MK with more pride and confidence- the Demon was shrinking! His power diminishing-
The Little Monkey’s free fall was cut short when his bird friend swooped in and caught him on its back-
And suddenly they were in a full on chase throughout the city-
It was terrifying and adrenaline inducing but also-
Thrilling!
The Demon rampaged behind them, shrinking more and more-
Become much less mountainous and much more body builder sized-
Still huge to MK but much more manageable to everyone else in the city-
Everything was going great until DBK caught up enough to the tiny duo and grabbed the tail feathers of the Golden Hawk-
His grip was cruel and the Bird squawked out in pain.
DBK then pulled the bird closer to him, reaching for MK with his other Meaty Mitt!
“YOU THINK- YOU’RE LIKE THE MONKEY KING YOU LITTLE RAT! YOU THINK YOU CAN BE A HERO?!? You can’t- you are nothing more than a rat beneath my foot!”
Of course MK wasn’t like the Monkey King-
He wasn’t super strong
Or powerful
He was a borrower Demon-
He was small and weak by design!
But…
He loved deeply, and the Fire he had to defend his friends was immense!!
“You’re right! I’m not the Monkey King… IM THE MONKEY KID!”
With that admission MK leapt forward and he felt the staff in his hand stretch to aid his movement-
He dodged the bull king’s hand and pushed forward to his face-
Winding back to prepare for a downward strike MK shouted with as much force as he could
“HERE COMES! THE MONKEY KID!!”
The Bull King’s eyes widened “NO!!!”
And blow landed and everything went white
•~•~•~•~••~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~••~~•~•
MK woke up staring at the sky-
The city lights had mostly all gone dark- probably due to the damage-
But what was left…
Was absolutely beautiful.
A vast night sky, freckled with bright dots of light—
Stars.
There were Stars above him.
A soft trill beside him drew his attention away from the natural wonder-
Then his eyes landed on a very worried looking golden hawk-
“Hey Birdy-“ he rasped “you okay?”
The Bird Trilled happily nuzzling against MK’s face with its beak.
Something warm bloomed in the small Monkey Demon’s chest-
“Yeah I’m okay Buddy! Did we do it? Did we save everyone?”
As if to spite MK- a loud growl emanated a little ways away from him and The little Monkey’s heart stuttered in his chest-
Please no-
Please let this just be over
He turned his head to See DBK’s crumbled form start to shift and push itself up-
While the blow MK landed was substantial… it wasn’t enough-
The borrower Demon was quick to his feet, picking up the staff once more and clutching it tightly to his chest-
“You thought… that a rat like you… could defeat a DEMON Like ME!! You are nothing little theif-“
MK swallowed hard and took a step back, he had the element of surprise last time-
Now all he had was the staff.
Still he had to try-
For Pigsy! For Mr. Tang! For Mei! For Sandy and for this Bird he just met!!
He had to-
Then the bird hopped infront of MK
In-between him and the Bull King
“Birdy what? No fly away you’ll get hurt again!”
The bird looked back at him, a mischievous glint in its eyes-
Then… its whole body began to glow and its form started to slip-
The bird morphed, growing taller- stronger- and with a long fluffy tail..
And then..
Monkey King stood before the small little borrower demon-
MK didn’t have any words, only looking up at his Hero with awe and Bafflement
Monkey king looked back at MK one more time, before confronting the Bull King, arms crossed and voice stern-
“Don’t mistake my successor’s kindness for weakness DBK- leave now with your family while I’m still feeling merciful-“
“Simeon! I should tear you apart right-“
“App bup bup Bud- there are kids present, now- off you go- before I change my mind-“
Monkey King’s mere presence was intimidating Enough-
But the glare he sent DBK’s way would be enough to send the armies of Heaven fleeing-
DBK scoffed, returning the glare-
“You’ll regret this-“
“Ehhh- we’ll see about that-“
The Bull king growled one last time, before a swirl of green magic washed over him and he vanished without another trace-
MK was still left speechless-
Did…
Did monkey king just call him his successor!?!?! That had to have been a mistake or slip of the tongue because-
Holy CRAP!!!
Is this even real?!?
The stone Monkey spun on his heel to face the Young demon once again.
“You okay Bud?”
MK slowly nodded, his jaw still on the floor in awe that THE MONKEY KING WAS HERE!!!!
Monkey king chuckled gently, before kneeling down on the ground in front of him-
lowering an open hand for MK as an offer
“Want another ride? This one will be a nicer pace I promise-“
MK stared at the hand- he had never been held before - but… heavens above did he want to be- “t
Yes! yes please Mr Monkey King’s Sir!”
He climbed onto the offered hand, curling his tail around the Stone Monkey’s ring finger to keep his balance.
Once again Monkey King chuckled, lifting it hand up close to his chest-
“Please MK, Mr Monkey King would’ve been the name of my father-
You can call me Wukong, or- ya know the Super Awesome Great Sage equal to Heaven Monkey King-“
Now it was MK’s turn to laugh-
“Alright- thank you Wukong… .. for Everything-“
Monkey King Smiled Warmly-
“No- thank you MK- you saved the city-“
“What?? No no no- I wouldn’t even know what to do if it wasn’t for you!”
“Heh- well I might have pointed you in the right direction. But do you honestly think I would be able to sneak into DBK’s amor without him noticing my magic?”
“Of course!! You’re the Monkey King! You can do anything!”
“Ha! I appreciate that bud- but being so Great comes at a price of stealthiness sometimes-
Without you this city would be much worse off! I don’t think I can think of anyone else who is worthy to be my successor-“
“Huh????”
Was this even real life anymore???
No it couldn’t be-
Somebody pinch him!
Wait don’t!
If this was a dream he didn’t want to wake up yet!
Wukong giggled, lightly ruffling MK’s hair with his pointer finger.
“I’m serious bud- if you’re willing to accept it, I know you’ve got what it takes to be the next monkey king!”
“B-but… I’m small…”
“Pfft- and did that stop you today??”
“N-no but… I… .. are you sure??”
“Yeah Bud- I mean, not just anyone can lift my staff you know, it takes someone special-“
MK looked down at the staff in his hands “really?”
“Yup! So… what do you say?”
MK looked back up at The Monkey King with wide glossy eyes-
“It would mean more to me than you could ever know-“
The Stone Monkey smiled warmly at him-
“I’m glad to hear it- now.. I’m sure you want to get back home?”
“Yeah I do but.. first.. can we look at the stars a little longer? I’ve.. never really seen them before-“
And for the first time since meeting him-
Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven actually looked shocked.
“Wait really?”
“Uh yeah- I’ve lived in the city my whole life,”
“Oh well we’re going to get you a proper view- just you wait Bud!”
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~••~~•~••~•~•~•~•~•~
Wukong brought him to a one of his temples outside the city-
It was up another mountainside where the light pollution was practically nonexistent.
MK stayed sat in the Monkey King’s hand, tail wrapped around his finger, only because he hadn’t heard any complaints yet-
But honestly-
He couldn’t really focus on that anyways-
His eyes were transfixed on the night sky above-
Stars glittered like precious gems against the black sky,
And occasionally a streak of light would shoot by-
It was called a shooting star apparently.
Wukong told MK to make a wish once he saw one and honestly-
He only had one-
He wished he could experience more moments like that-
Surrounded by the people he loved…
Maybe not tonight…
But perhaps someday… he’ll make that wish a reality.