Fandom Monkie Kid & Friends [1x1, Private]

[bingleybongusbingus]

[ LAST ON MONKIE KID AND FRIENDS ; ]

{S1 EP9} [ev]

---

The morning was fast paced, as I'd woken up a bit later than I expected to. I'd thrown on some clothes - baggy pants, a white t-shirt, and and a brown hoodie with faded skeleton imagery - and booked it to Pigsy's after kissing Bolin on the forehead. The ground rumbled slightly as I stepped into the shop, causes me to cling to the doorway. Oh- and there's a podium. I sat on one of the barstools, hands grasping at it between my legs. I was the last one there. "I can't believe this is happening!" MK said, practically vibrating with excitement. "I thought this stuff only ever happened in tv shows and movies!" He was practically bouncing from wall to wall with excitement.
"And I'm livestreaming the whoole thing!" Mei said, wrangling MK into one place, focusing the camera on the two of them. The flap to the entrance opened and I immediately felt a full body chill as all my hairs stood on edge. I felt sweat on the back of my neck as I jolted in response, earning a concerned look from Tang.
"You okay?" He asked, pointing his chopsticks at me.
"Y-yeah. Just a full body shiver, is all." I assured him with an awkward smile. I looked at who'd entered the noodle shop to see...and old man in a striped tux. He...looked vaguely familiar. I couldn't stop staring as he walked up to the podium, a smile etched into his face. MK ran to the side of the podium, shoving his hands in his pockets. The man, who I guess is the mayor, held up a strange looking key.

"Thank you for this amazing turnout!" He said, his tone borderline giddy. Mei cheered, shaking Tang and hopping around the shop.
"LET'S HEAR IT FOR MONKIE KID, HERO OF THE CITY!" Aanndd she threw a chair-
"As Mayor-" the old man continued, twisting his body to face MK while he stared at me. He then turned his head to MK. "I hereby give Monkie Kid the key to our fair city." MK excitedly grasped the key in his hands, slouching slightly like it was his precious. He jolted up straight, eyes glazing blue for a moment before he held the key in one hand, rubbing his head.
"Uh, what does this key do, exactly?" He asked.
"Oh, you'll love this." The mayor said, resting his elbow on the podium. "It has the power to open anything!" He held out his arm, like he was showing Simba what would soon be his. Mei all but pounced onto the podium, getting into the man's personal space.
"Ooh~ Anything?" The dragon girl eagerly asked. "Like a pet shop full of puppies?"
"Yeesss." The mayor responded, tilting his head to the side as he spoke. "Or the door to a lion's cage. Or an orphan's piggy bank." I swore his eyes started to glow. "An imprisoned mystic power source." He shook his head before turning back to MK. "Or whatever you like! Today, you can do no wrong. You've got my permission 'cuz...IM THE MAYOR." He leaned back, cackling evilly before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. ...Is everyone in this city a fucking lunatic???
"Huh." Mei hummed, resting on the podium. "I'm starting to think...that's maybe not the mayor."
"Oh, ya think?" I retorted, standing up and moving to the podium. "How the fuck did he disappear, though?" I looked around the podium, finding no trace of him except...a skull ring? I picked it up, examining it in my fingers. It looked and felt like it was made of real bone, but the eye sockets were a bright shade of blue. I shrugged and slipped it onto my left middle finger. Just as I did, though, a pain rang through my head and I stepped back, holding my head. "Fuckin-"
"You okay, kid?" Pigsy asked, leaning over the counter. I nodded, eyes shut tight for a moment.
"Yeah...I just think today hates me or something."

---

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

Father had discovered something far beneath the ground, hidden under metal, rock, and dirt. An essence, a power he described as chilling and gleaming blue. A power beyond any he's faced or held. At once, he had demanded that it be unearthed from it's place, brought to the light so that he may look upon it, or even harness it as his own.
Redson and his mother Ironfan weren't ones to deny him, even if, most especially Redson, was skeptical of such a thing. Other than the Monkey King, what else could possibly be more powerful? He saw his parents powerful. He didn't know anything else that could be bigger and better beyond the Jade Emperor himself or relics lost to time. He'd researched and dug as much as he could on anything regarding power, should it help his father regain his throne in the far future- but nothing like this. Even being near the cracks in the floor gave him chills, raked claws up his spine and shocked his ever immortal heart.
It was powerful, he came to agree eventually, sending out and ordering his bull clones to follow his fathers bidding. It was tireless work, loud, bright, continuous to the point of being monotone. It was even being worked on during the time leading up to the race maybe... heavens, was it already a week ago? More? He couldn't recall, and he did his best not too, considering the memories that came slinking back alongside it. The softness of flower petals tickled his nose every time he put on his coat now.
He could wash it out, but- He paused, scowling at a hunk of metal panels adjacent to him, having used to be the floor not long ago before this project took hold over their little hidden base of operations. It didn't matter. His coat was fine. As his mind wandered, he was harshly brought back to present time as an angled pickaxe swung true down in the ever glowing hole in the ground.
Hisses of whispers slunk through, louder than ever as the pickaxe wedged itself into a particularly wide fissure. The little bull clone wielding it jolted, startled by the sudden activity. It's peers, who worked tirelessly around it paused their own work, peering worriedly. Blue mist billowed up, shaping itself into a skeletal face, continuing to hiss and groan. Before any of them knew it, pressure exceeded it's limit below, and the rock they'd been making their way through exploded in terrifying blast of brilliant blue. Rock and shrapnel flew every which way, undeterred and uncaring where it would inevitably land. Terrified bull clones were temporarily airborne, a regular occurrence for them as of late. Once the smoke and unrulyness of the blast had hit it's peak and began to calm, then and only then did his mother, Princess Ironfan, decide to walk through the carnage to see the fruits of their labor. Groaning, moaning, and grumbling was all that the floor flattened bull clones could muster, unbothered to move. Redson followed quick at her heels as she glided, careful not to step on her crimson skirt.
Over the edge the pair peered, the cavern so much larger and deeper than before. There, at the very bottom, sat an old box. A tomb of sorts, held together tightly by chains, locks and magic seals. The raw power from earlier had seemingly doubled, seeping off the marble and into the room, bringing the lava bed to a startlingly several degrees cooler. It was a frightening idea to imagine how much colder it could get once the locks were opened. Ironfan wasted no time bringing herself down to it, carried by her winds. Redson however took a more cautious approach, clambering down by his boots and nearly slipping before she'd decided he was taking too long, extending her breeze to him and wrapping him in it's pull, guiding him to the floor without so much as a glance. He briefly bowed his head in gratitude before joining at her side.

It was a large piece of work, so large in fact it towered over both of their heads. A tomb the size of a small house. Redson examined it as best he could from arms length, unsure whether to approach it for a matter of danger. The magic was stronger here, so close they could touch it. It was of beautiful craftsmanship. As a fellow man of craft and building, he couldn't help but wonder what it was built for, and why. He kept his hands hidden in his pockets, finding it wise as his father joined him and his mother down below.
Each step the Bull King took only shook the ground, a rumble that consistently carried within his chest reverberating his own. His shadow stretched the closer he got, a small growl of interest leaving his throat. He was tall enough to see over the top, it nearly being eye level to him. A wide, almost manic grin spread around his snout, jingling his nose ring.
"Finally..." He growled out, a clawed hand reaching for the first lock that barred the grand door. But before he could honestly touch it, his claw a breath away, the electric blue from before expanded. Like a shockwave, it shot his hand away. He howled with the force, being pushed a step backwards by it.
A gleaming seal revealed itself over the lock.
Bull King snarled furiously at the sight of it, enraged by the block. Another step he had to worm his way around or bust through. The wait to even get to the tomb was enough. With furious cry, he threw his fist into the door. The seal stopped him yet again. The force sent out another shockwave, bouncing him away. He threw another, and another, and another. One after the other, he continued to beat against the seal in an effort to make it crack or budge. It remained unscathed. He raked his claws through it, claws that could cut through buildings and steel. Still, nothing changed.
"Another infernal obstacle keeping me from my DESTINY!" He roared out, eyes wild and teeth bared. He jaw was so taught from gritting his teeth veins bulged along his neck. One final, flaming punch was thrown into it's surface. The entire cavern shook with its power. A breath, before the power was returned full throttle, sending a shockwave of air blasting right back, light bright as a burning star. The seal continued to hold strong, despite all the odds. Steam and mist hissed as it blew through. Bull King stood panting several feet back from where he started, heaving so deeply in his fury his shoulders shook. His fists clenched as the glow cleared, revealing the tomb the same as before.

"Patience, my love." Ironfan chided soothingly, hands clasped and relaxed behind her back. Bull King, did not respond well to this comfort. In but a moment he whirled upon her, baring teeth in her face, "I've been patient LONG ENOUGH!" He shouted.
Redson jumped, alarmed to find his father speaking to his mother in such a way. Any semblance of words or even his own voice were caught in his throat, staring on with tense shoulders. His father only continued to shout.
"I NEED that POWER!"
Ironfan merely looked up with a small gasp of disbelief, her brows furrowed and lips parted. She could hardly believe such a reaction either. Her stare hardened as he only stood, huffing. With a huff of her own, her painted lips pulled into a thin line. A frown. Redson watched as his mother gave his father no response, simply rounding him even as he seethed, taking up her spot before the tomb instead. A hand extended, much like Bull King had done before. The seal responded to her immediately, activating before her finger tips. But it made no move to shoo her away. She read into it's symbols, feeling out it's power with her own. She grunted in low frustration as she searched inside, before setting her arm at her side.
"The power that crafted this tomb is beyond my skill..." She told her husband and son firmly. The notion seemed to frustrate her, but she seemed indignant to it.
"Without an artifact of equal strength, there is nothing we can do." She turned, facing the two men, regarding them with her gaze, "We're locked out."

Redson jerked into action. This! This is what he'd been researching for! He could find something of equal power, he had no doubt he could have seen something equivalent before! Even if it felt a bit... Impossible. He flew to the center of his parents vision, posed in a confident way, "Not for long!" He chimed. Before him, he swung out an arm, revealing his holographic screens at the ready. With a smooth few swipes, he began to glide through hundreds, even thousands of artifacts that he had recorded and researched before. Something had to be of a match or closer. After only a moments worth of searching, he paused on one. Only one.
He smiled widely, baring fangs with a joy unmatched, prided on his skills. He turned, allowing his parents to look closer.
"All we need is a key!" He told them earnestly, as obvious as it may have been, "And look what I found~"

---

We were certainly late. I was hoping we wouldn't be, but Baihe's morning club ran a little later than usual. Rainrunner was down with a popped tire, so we had to essentially travel by foot the whole way. Even running to pick up quick treats and a gift for the event. Flower's were insisted by Baihe.
"Zaza hurry up! We're probably missing the whole thing!" She called, bounding up the sidewalk, flower petals flying off the bouquet and leaving a little trail leading to her as I fumbled with her backpack and the bags from the shopping district.
"Don't run so far ahead! And look both ways before crossing the street!" I scolded, tripping over my laces and scurrying after her, adjusting my hold on the things the whole time.
"Yeah, yeah I know! Hurry hurry! I wanna give Mk his- OOF!" I startled as her words cut off in a yelp, "Baihe??" I exclaimed worriedly, adjusting to see again for the hundredth time. My eyes widened when I finally spotted her. She was on her butt on the sidewalk, rubbing her nose, the bouquet spilled on the sidewalk. Before her was a man dressed to the nines. He seemed to be leaving the direction we were headed too.
"My! In quite a hurry, aren't you, my dear?" He exclaimed, a little louder than anticipated. Baihe jumped in her spot on the sidewalk, immediately trying to curl into herself. Petals stuck to his suit vest, hued with grays and blues. I hurried to catch up, dropping the stuff I held in favor of checking her over.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry- Baihe, sweetheart, are you okay?" I apologized, cupping her cheeks. Her nose was a little red and she had some flower petals stuck to her forehead and in her hair, but otherwise she was fine. A hand being extended into our vision was a bit of a surprise. I looked up, finding him hovering the both of us. Something about his eyes felt off. They were cloudy gray, the smallest gleam of icy blue catching the further his face shadowed.
"Oh not a problem at all! A pleasant surprise if you will. Children, such silly things."
Baihe's face went bright pink, flustered and thoroughly embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry mister!" She squeaked out. Awkwardly, she took his hand shakily, and he eased her up to her feet. I followed, hands on her shoulders in a steadying motion, taking up a close and defensive stance. His smile remained, like it was plastered there and unable to move.
He made a low sound in his chest, similar to a hum.
"So sweet." He said, lifting a hand to pat her head. "I best be off. A good day to you." He chirped, before turning and going across the street.
Ooookaayyy?...
"That was... um..."
"Be nice Zaza." Baihe chirped, combing her bangs anxiously as she tried to soothe the embarrassed flush in her cheeks. I flustered immediately, "I wasn't going to say anything mean! I just... Oh whatever. Please listen next time, okay punkin'? There's a reason I say things."
"He was really cold." Baihe suddenly said, rubbing her hand now. I blinked, confused, "What?"
"Like he was in a freezer or something." She explained, looking up at me and extending her hand, the one he pulled her up by. With a furrowed brow, I gently took her little hand in mine and jolted, "Geez!"
"I told you!" She exclaimed. Clasping her hand in mine, I held it, hoping my body heat would transfer, "And I thought you were cold." She added.
"Hey now- alright, just hold my hand until we get to the shop, okay? That way that doesn't happen again, and your hand will warm up." She huffed, but nodded, turning to help me pick up what all we'd dropped.
As odd as the encounter was, we had somewhere to be. sadly though, our worries were right. We were really late.

"Hey gang!" I called, pushing open the curtain, "Sorry we're- Ah, darnit. We totally missed the whole thing, didn't we?"
"Told you!" Baihe scolded, "Oh shush lil missy!"

---

Oh how exciting this was.
So many things, falling right into place, just as his mistress foresaw. It was going swimmingly, all things considered. He wandered almost aimlessly, adjusting his shirt cuffs, humming a tune no one seemed to know, lost to time. He could feel the moment his little gift was picked up, left lovingly in his place. A piece of himself, of his lady. They were one after all, having been shared by power and mind for so long. It drove a shiver through his chest, to a heart that sat still. There wasn't a question about it, his lady had picked well, even dormant and trapped as she was.
Not much longer now, he promised. He was almost unable to hide his pure glee, his humming dissolving into giggles. Soon, oh so soon, he could just feel it. All the pieces were falling into place, and with a tug, he knew, so too did you. A warmth amongst the frigid cold, opened to the connection. It was faint, feeling you, but he knew it would grow stronger in due time, especially once his lady was free to roam the earth once more. Preening, smoothing his hair, dusting his clothes, he pulled free some flower petals.
Cute little things, colored warm pinks and buttercup yellow, silky soft between his rough finger tips.
So respectful, so sweet. Perhaps there would be more than one little flower coming into play for this lovely little game.
This writing of destiny.

 

[FandomTrash149]

I was staring at the ring, ignoring all that went on around me. I felt...different. Not in a major way, but...something felt off. Something in my mind felt...stronger? I didn't know how to describe it, and quite frankly I had thought I was beginning to go crazy.
"Yo, Ev!" Mei's voice in my ear caused me to jolt, taking a step back. Mei grabbed my hand, examining the ring. "What's the dealio with this dealy, yo?" She asked, poking at it.
"I dunno." I said with a shrug. "I just found it and it looked cool." BaiHe was suddenly next to me and Mei, wanting to look too. I lowered my hand so she could examine the ring.
"That's really creepy..." She said with a slight pout and I laughed, ruffling her hair.
"Yeah, but that's why I like it." MK had ducked outside of the shop already, dragging you with him. Mei, BaiHe and I all stepped outside and MK immediately wanted to go on an adventure with this key.
"Sorry, MK, I think I'm all adventured out for a bit." I said with an apologetic smile. "I'll stay behind on this one. BaiHe and I can go shopping!" BaiHe gasped loudly, bouncing on her toes.
"YESYESYESYES!!" She grabbed at my shirt, her smile wide as ever. "CAN WE??" I laughed, placing a hand on her head and looking at you.
"You can have fun on the adventure with MK and Mei, Bingy. It's been a while since BaiHe and I have gotten to hang out."
"That cuz you're always working." BaiHe pouted, jutting out her lower lip. I sighed with a light smile.
"Well, I gotta afford to take my favorite niece out shopping." I lifted her off the ground, spinning her and she giggled. By the time I'd set her down, Mei had already grabbed you and MK and pulled you into one of the doors MK had summoned and once the door had closed they all faded away. I looked back to BaiHe, placing my hands on my hips.
"Alright, my little flower, where to first?" I asked and BaiHe grabbed my arm and started dragging me to a store. It was full of plushies, video games, candy, anything a kid could dream of. BaiHe was all over the place, looking at everything she could. She was hard to keep up with, but I was determined, damnit! It was more of a workout than I expected, but I supposed that I could use one. Soon enough, our arms were full of plushies and candy as we made our way to the front. The cashier had a look of pure surprise and dread, and I apologized and even helped them bag the items. Most of the plushies and candies were for Baihe, but there were a few for me. I couldn't help myself! She'd also wanted to get some more plushies for Bolin which tugged at my heartstrings. A lot of the smaller cat plushies she'd picked out for him reminded me of our group, actually. One of them looked just like Mo but with Sandy's necklace, and another was a green cat-dragon.
We must've been quite a sight walking out of the store, my arms were being dug into by the bag strings, and BaiHe happily carried two bags in each hand. I looked up at the sky, and the sun had already started to set. Wow, we were in there for a long time. "Alright, BaiHe, we should head back to Pigsy's. Dingo's probably back there by now and they'll kill me if we stay out until it's dark." I said and BaiHe groaned and pouted.
"Okaayyy..." She groaned, puffing out her cheeks. I felt my lips twitch upwards and stifled a laugh.
"Don't you worry, little flower, we'll do this again soon, I promise." With that, her eyes once again sparkled with glee and she practically took off running back to Pigsy's.
"WAIT-" I shouted, stumbling on my own feet and starting to fall forward. I shut my eyes, preparing for impact, but was pleasently surprised when it wasn't the concrete. I opened my eyes as the person who'd caught me helped me stand back up, and I looked up to thank them but my words died in my throat. It...it was the guy who'd claimed to be the mayor! "Th-thank you." I managed to get out, voice strained. Why was I sweating? Why was I in fight or flight mode? For a second, I swore I saw him with longer hair. I honestly didn't catch what he'd said before BaiHe started tugging at my arm and telling me to hurry up.
"C'mon, Ayi!" She groaned, her little feet pounding against the ground. I said a quiet 'goodbye' to the 'Mayor' and stayed on BaiHe's tail as she ran. When we arrived, Pigsy was struggling with the door to his shop, which was rather confusing until I glanced upwards to see MK and Mei snickering, you looking a slight less amused, but still smiling. Just as I called out to Pigsy, a wild flame shoved the three of you off the fire exit of MK's home. My eyes widened, and I set everything down as Pigsy ran over to me and BaiHe. I watched as Redson emerged from the blaze, arms crossed. My blood ran cold and the first thing that came to mind was 'get BaiHe out of here.' She couldn't be near this guy, he was dangerous. And if she got hurt because of him, I'd have his head. It didn't matter how cool I thought he was, nobody hurts BaiHe and gets away with it. I shoved all the bags into the noodle cart, urging BaiHe into it. I felt Redson's gaze watching me, but I didn't return it. Not yet. BaiHe had to be safe first. I looked at Pigsy.
"Pigsy, can you-"
"I got it from here, kid." Pigsy interupted me, hopping into the cart. "I'll get her to safety. Just..." He looked at me, eyes pinched with a halfhearted smirk. "Try not to let that demon blow up my shop." And with that, he was off. I turned and the key had been engulfed in flame, floating towards Redson.
"Oh no you don't..." I'd muttered, hopping onto my hoverboard as fast as I could. But Redson grabbed the key before I could, and I'd almost had it, too! I shot him a side glare. BaiHe was safe, and for now that was all that mattered to me. I could be reckless because it meant she wouldn't get hurt.

"Finally decided to join us?" Redson asked, eyeing me. "Well, it's too late. So long-" As his hair lit into flames, I leapt off my hoverboard, tackling him.
"Gimme that-!!" I'd said, reaching for the key. I didn't know what it did, but I knew that if the Demon Bull Family wanted it, then we couldn't let them take it. I'd had his wrists pinned down despite his struggling and was about to grab the key when a bright blue flash came from the ring and a sharp pain rang through my head, causing me to fall backwards with a cry, holding my head. "FUCK-" Redson stared for a moment, but the pain rendered me immobile, so he'd let the fire take him to the alley where his bull car had been conspicously hiding. How the fuck did we not notice that? The moment he was in the car, the pain stopped. I looked at my hand, and small cracks of blue slipped back into the ring. I tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. Shit! This thing was cursed! I scrambled back to my feet, whistling for my hoverboard and grabbing you as Mei sped off after Redson on her bike.
"BaiHe's safe." I told you, having to raise my voice over the wind. "Pigsy's taking care of her." I stepped a little harder on the front, making us go faster. We'd had to dodge a few cars, and I made sure Pigsy's wasn't one of them. He'd gone the opposite way, but I had to make sure. Mei came from the sky, landing in front of him as her motorbike bounced slightly so she was now only slightly behind him like we were. Redson was half out of the window, fist clenched.
"Can't you and your little peasant friends let me plot in piece?" He'd shouted. "Just one time!" His hair erupted into flame and I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Not when it comes to magic artifacts, sorry!" I said, and Mei quickly butted in.
"Red flames are cool!" She laughed. "Wanna see some green ones!?" She and Redson sped up, so I did too. I'd almost forgotten I'd grabbed you to come with if you weren't squeezing me to death as to not fly off. ...We really needed to get you a faster mode of transport. Redson kept trying to run Mei off the road, but she was too quick for him, and I'd managed to grab hold of the back of his car. "Dingo, I'm gonna do something stupid, so just stay on the hoverboard and hold onto the car, kay? If you let go, press your foot down on the back to slow down." And with that, I'd started climbing the car.
Mei was indulging in some mocking banter with the bull prince, but the main thing on my mind was the key. I'd managed to crawl my way to the front of the car as Redson was distracted with Mei, but the car whipped around and I held on for dear life as the top flew off. I only hoped that you'd let go before it did. I was blown back into Redson, who promptly shoved me off of him until I was clinging to the back of his seat to not go flying.
"WHEN DID YOU-!?!?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?" I said, reaching for the key, but he'd turned around to taunt Mei before I could grab it. PAY ATTENTION TO ME, DAMN YOU-
"So long 'Dragon Horse Girl'!" Redson called mockingly, cackling. "Here's a tip! Next time, pick one animal and-" He couldn't finish his sentence because a giant staff threw us into the air and he'd dropped the key. The moment my feet were on the ground, I scrambled to it, scraping my knuckled on the street as I snatched it. I handed it to MK as he stood in victory in front of Redson, holding his staff in his arm and behind his head.
"So, looks like you've reached the end of the line, Redson." MK said with a smirk. "What were you even gonna do with this thing anyway?"
I'd noticed a gust of wind and looked up, my face paling. "Guys-" I'd barely managed to get out before she spoke.
"Why spoil the surprise?" All eyes turned to IronFan, only one set of them happy to see her. "Now hand the key over and quit wasting my time." She spoke to us as if we were...pests. It felt...weird. And not in a good way. She'd spoken like this to us before, why was it suddenly bothering me??
MK and Mei looked at each other, before leaping into action.
"GUYS WAIT-" I was too late, they were already trying to fight her. I grabbed Redson by the collar, lifting him slightly from the ground. "You. What's going on? Why do you need that key?" Something about all of this felt wrong. That something was going to go horribly wrong, and I needed to stop it. MK and Mei flew past me and I let go of Redson to rush to their aid. The key bounced to the ground-THE KEY- I whipped around, but Redson had already grabbed it, rushing to his mother.
"Come Redson." She said, her tone bordering on casual. "We have things to do."
"THANKS FOR THEY KEY, LOSERS!" Redson shouted at us and Ironfan rolled her eyes with a sigh as she whisked the two of them away. I ran for the spiral of wind, diving into it to be met with nothing but air. A blurry image flashed in my head. What was going on? I heard MK and Mei talking and I turned around to face them. Oh, you were there too! If you'd arrived earlier, I hadn't noticed. I'd been too caught up with getting the key. You handed me the hoverboard and my phone went off. I looked at it and it was a text from Pigsy, assuring me BaiHe was safe and sound. He'd gone to Sandy's with her. I breathed a sigh of relief and let you know. I had to head home then, something told me. I said a brief goodbye and sped off on my hoverboard. I looked at my ring, and the eyes seemed to be glowing.

I hadn't gone home, not right away. I sat in the park, under a tree as I tried to the the ring off with my teeth to no avail. I groaned in frustration, considering chopping my own finger off.
Don't do that... A voice pestered in my mind. I sighed, yeah, I probably shouldn't. I looked up at the sky, staring at the stars. Pain rang through my head again and I leaned forward, head touching the grass as I shouted. I'd shut my eyes tight willing the pain to go away. When it did leave, I looked up but everything was different. I wasn't in the park anymore. I stood up, looking around. A white void...?
No. Absolutely not. It was your voice. I whipped around to where it'd come from and there you stood... but as an orange apparition. You stood there, arms crossed and glaring and something over my shoulder.
"Dingo, what's going on?" I reached out to you, but your apparition dissipated around my hand.
Mom! A voice called out, echoing around me. I looked around but I couldn't find the source.
Accept your destiny. A woman's voice called out. I didn't recognize it, but I could've sworn there was an echo of BaiHe just barely noticeable.
"Let me out!" I shouted, grasping at the sides of my head, fingers digging into my hair. One final sentence echoed in my mind as the world around me shattered.
What about my destiny!?

I sat up, breathing heavily. I clutched my chest as I felt a drop of sweat fall from my neck. Was that...a dream? Yeah, that's had to have been what it was. I stood up, my legs feeling weak. I needed to get home...

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

Oh, you were there too! If you'd arrived earlier, I hadn't noticed. I'd been too caught up with getting the key. You handed me the hoverboard and my phone went off. I looked at it and it was a text from Pigsy, assuring me BaiHe was safe and sound. He'd gone to Sandy's with her. I breathed a sigh of relief and let you know. I had to head home then, something told me. I said a brief goodbye and sped off on my hoverboard. I looked at my ring, and the eyes seemed to be glowing.

I didn't get a chance to see the ring Mei and Baihe seemed to be gawking over, busy setting bags onto the counter and presenting to treats and gifts Baihe and I had collected on our way to celebrate. It was pretty big to be noticed by the mayor and given such an honorary item. Least I'd believe it was? It would only make sense wouldn't it?
Though the bouquet was a bit smashed and missing many petals, I extended it to the eagerly bouncing Mk, "We got you these. Sorry we missed out on everything." I told him. He awed aloud at the flowers, taking them gratefully to his chest, "you guys didn't have to do that!" He said appreciatively, eyes sparkly. "These are great, thank you!" Baihe puffed up beside you and Mei like a proud bird. "I picked them out myself!" She beamed. "Zaza got you guys a bunch of cupcakes."
"Smashed cupcakes." Tang said mournfully as he peered inside the bags. I laughed awkwardly, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Getting here was... a little chaotic." I tried to explain, before Mk was setting his gift on the counter and pulling me by the arm out the door.
"Cmon, cmon! I wanna see what this does!!" He ushered. I blinked, following along. "It's a key, so probably as any key does?" I tried to reason. But he shushed me, pausing on the sidewalk outside the shop to show me his prize from the Mayor. I blinked at the oddness of it. It was... certainly something.
"Are you... sure he gave you the right key?"
"I dunno! But it's pretty cool, right?" Mk beamed, turning it over and over in his hands. For a moment, it felt like the ghostly blue eyes of the key were staring into my soul. I tried to shake it off, and managed long enough to just admire the peculiar craftsmanship as you, Mei, and Baihe meandered your way back out.

"I wanna test this out right now!!" Mk cried, waving his arms wildly above his head. I laughed, "Down boy, you've got time." I missed the way his cheeks pinkened as he settled, unconsciously rocking on his heels as he eyed between the key and me. My attention was stolen by you and Baihe.
"We just left the shopping district, you goof! You wanna go back so soon?" I teased her. Baihe only flushed, cheeks puffed in a pout as she clung to your arm. "That was different! We got stuff for Mk cuz' today was his special day- but this time it's gonna be just Ayi and me. Ayi would be lonely if I didn't come, so..." She explained, cuddling closer as she drew her short-winded reasoning to a close.
"Oh you're being awful cheeky now." I chuckled, to which she only stuck a tongue at me with a giggle. I looked to you with a shake of my head, asking with a look if you were really okay taking her along if you were already tired. As sweet as Baihe was, she could be a real handful when she wanted to be. But you only smiled, waving me off.
"Alright, you guys have fun then! Text me if you need anything okay? Baihes got all her stuff in her backpack, so-"
"Quit being such a mother hen and let's go have fun!" Mei exclaimed, looping an arm around my middle and tugging me right off my feet, hauling Mk with her opposite as if we were just paper bags. I didn't even get to yelp out a proper goodbye before we fell through the magical door and into the other side. Weightless, we were met with the anti-gravity arcade.
"Dibs on Monkey Mech!" Mk hollered, swimming down until he found the sweet spot of gravity, sectioning to the ground to interact with the closest machine.
A little disoriented but feeling the spirit, I followed at Mei's tail. From then on, it was a whirlwind of places, events, and activities.

First was the arcade, playing game after game. Then with a hop we were after a parked truck, unloading it's latest arrivals of pets. Puppies primarily, and shockingly enough a random tiger. That scared us into another door to get away.

Doors were opening constantly, jumping, running, squealing, laughing.
It was quite literally endless, I lost track of so much time. The shoe store, trying out fresh kicks, unsure whether to go with something Sonic or Tails themed before Mei insisted all the bills were on her.
The arcade for the pumping base and flashy dance floor. I was anxious at first seeing Mk behind the DJ booth, having flashbacks to the clone scenario, but both of them showed me the ropes of how to man the booth, giving me the power for a moment. Making beats was pretty sick if you ask me. Maybe I was starting to get the power trip the party clone was on.
The pool was a blast in a half- I absolutely loved water. Though it was a little crazy trying to work on the wave pool, Mei putting the settings to Tsunami and us having to quickly save Mk and his upside down floatie being tossed around like a ragdoll.
Race track was like a roller coaster, though I'm making note never to let either of them drive me again unless absolutely necessary. Though when given the reigns of the wheel and gas peddle, I may have gotten a little adrenaline happy.

Mall claw machines cleared of everything they had, ice cream shop a free for all to the point we almost got sick, the bowling alley where competition got dicey, and then finally the unprompted photoshoot in the street. I tried to stay as out of the entire thing as I could, not liking the idea of a camera on me as they posed with the fruits of their labor. Hoards of stuffies and ice cream bars, a random throne, and a sick ass sports car that I tried not to drool over. Once the camera guys loosened up and moved on to other clients, Mei dragged me back over to have a more private shoot of our own, finding I found more comfort taking photos with them than with strangers.

With a series of clicks, she snapped as many as humanly possible between the three of us before her phone needed a cool down time. That was the most change of poses I'd ever done in my life, and man was I beat. Though the day was dwindling, and the sun was starting to sink into the horizon, Mk had one last idea.
"Guys!" He exclaimed, shaking us by our shoulders till our heads rattled.
"You know how this key can magically unlock anything, right?"
We nodded, leaning in, "Well... what if it can magically lock anything too??"
A pause. I fought off a snort.
"Uhm... Mk??" I giggled, trying to cover my mouth and stifle it.
"You literally just described... all keys." Mei told him slowly. Mk's face flushed before he viciously waved his hands, "right, yeah, whatever- my point is!!" He hurriedly began, before presenting the key to us again, his smile turning mischevious.
"I know just what to do with this."


When he said he knew what to do, I honestly hadn't been expecting he'd lock all entrances to the shop while Pigsy went to the market for spare ingredients.
"Pigsy's going to boil you two alive in his soups and serve you up tomorrow when he finds out." I forewarned as the two giddily scurried up the fire escape, me following steadily behind. We didn't have to wait long before Pigsy turned up, humming cheerfully and warmly to himself. A jingle of his own keys sent the two best friends into a stifled giggling fit, hurriedly trying to shush eachother as to not blow their cover. Leering over the edge of the railing, we heard Pigsy's cry of alarm and befuddlement. It quickly turned to rage as he rushed down the alleyway, slamming against the back door to try it next, only to face the same result.
"LET ME INTO MY NOODLE STORE!!" He hollered into the door window as we all stood above his head. We really started laughing then.
I looked over to see you and Baihe walked across the street, watching on as the situation unfolded. I perked at the glow in the both of your faces, a grin stretching my lips at seeing the pure joy that covered Baihe's as she proudly held her new prize. A stuffed animal almost the size of her torso.
I lifted a hand as you noticed us, your smile playful. I opened my mouth to say something, ready to greet you both-

A deafening sound rang behind our heads, and before we knew it, heat and pressure launched us out from the railing in a startling explosion. Mei rolled to the ground, Mk slammed into the wall and fell into a dumpster, and I found myself propped against an old trash can, the entirety of its silver metal dented inwards with the force I'd been thrown into it with. I heard Baihe scream, terrified by the blast and the fact that we'd all been thrown astray. My ears were ringing so loud, head pounding as I moved to sit up.
What just happened?
There was a voice yelling above us, and I could swear I recognized it based on the pure frustration hearing it brought.
"What are you doing in Mk's house?!" I heard Mei shout as my ears began to settle, rubbing my head. Mk was scrambling out from the garbage, shaking paper and a banana peel off his head, "You better not have touched my stuff!!" He exclaimed furiously, pointing up at the banister we all stood on not even a minute ago.
I finally looked up, and immediately felt an urge to suplex someone into the concrete. Preferably someone who's entire shtick involves red.
"Oh great. It's this guy again." I grumbled, moving to stand. Mk turned briefly, eyes wide, "aw geez, hang on Cheese-" He moved quickly, pulling me up properly. Ugh my ribs and head are killing me man. I hissed when he tried to wrap an arm around my side, to which he immediately pulled back, moving to just hold my arm. He looked ready to say something, his gaze uncertain and worried- but I only shook my head, glaring up at Redson.
Mk was hesitant, but followed my lead, giving the man a hard stare as I fought not to lean on him. I felt awfully unsteady, but that's a given when you're thrown into a wall at mock 7.
"I almost feel bad taking things from you!" Redson continued. "Buuuutt!~ I'm going to be needing that key." Though Mei had had it, said key that we'd had all day engulfed in flame at the same time his extended palm had, waiting for it. Mei leapt for it at the same time you'd zoomed into the alley, reaching where she missed, then Mk where you couldn't quite get it, leaving my side in an instant in an effort to stop the steadily rising super key.

It was moments away from his fingers, itching to close around its ivory body. With a lurch, you shot upwards, rocketing up and over the blown railing. Redson let out an undignified squeak as your aim rang true, body slamming him down into the messed up fire escape and grappling. His eyes were wide and glasses askew as you straddled him. The soft smell of blossoms invaded his nose, fresh and sweet. He made several sounds of discomfort, trying to wrestle free from you without honestly hurting you, more so alarmed you even dared to put him in such a position.
It was even worse when you latched onto his arms, shoving his hands down into the metal below him, locking his wrists on either sides of his head. He stared, mouth open with no sound. There was a fire in your eyes he only saw briefly the last time you were on top of that bull clone, in that video feed him and his mother refused to speak about ever again.
Immediately his face went as red as his trench coat, squirming in alarm. He was ages older then you, had more battle experience and body strength than you! How in all the realms could you PIN HIM??

He chalked it up to a surprise attack. You just caught him by surprise, that's all- ah, shit, you're trying to get the key! Trying to come to his senses, he kicked and bucked like his father's namesake, trying to throw you off and away- frankly he didn't need to do much. The moment your fingers were inches from touching the key in this wrestling match for possession of it, you jerked back with a scream of pain that shook his core. Something on your fingers lit up a brilliant blue.
His mind flashed back to the seal and the tomb, deep in the carved cavern they'd made inside his base. You flew backwards, as if trying to escape whatever caused you such agony, gripping your head to the point your knuckles turned white. Redson was aghast, feeling his heart race for an entirely new reason. Clutching the key in one hand, he reached out to you with the other. To comfort you, to aide you- he wasn't sure. But the moment the light faded and you eased, he knew he had to leave. He whipped up a whirlwind of fire, carrying himself off and away into his dormant vehicle at the end of the alley.

For a moment victory was in his sights, and he wasn't about to let it slip from his fingers again. He spared a sharp glance at the railing you sat on, finding you coming down from whatever had happened to you in the moments you tried to come after the key. With a rev, his engine spat fire, and he pulled out and off into the street, disappearing with a victorious cackle. Headstart it is!


Trying to keep myself steady was a lot harder than I thought. Here I was thinking all these weird adventures would give me some sort of immunity, but no. Turns out being thrown into a wall was enough. Your scream of pain overhead was not something any of us wanted to hear. My heart sank thinking Redson had burned you again, maybe even worse than before- but when he'd gone and you hopped down, you were unmarred except for being pale as a ghost and sweating like you'd caught a fever.
"Ev- Ev wait you don't have to-" but you were already pulling me onto your hoverboard, taking off in a flash.
My mind jumped to earlier, realizing now Baihe wasn't with you amidst the chaos. "Wait, wheres?!-"
"Baihe is safe." You told me, catching me up to speed. Did I look that out of it? Who knew a wall could do so much. Sorry wall. "Pigsy's got her." I felt myself sag with relief as I wrapped my arms a little tighter around your torso, feeling the wind already picking up the harder you pushed down on the front of the hover board.
"Thats... that's good. Good." I murmured back to you, unsure what else to say. When we'd finally caught up to Redson and Mei, I couldn't be bothered to listen to the banter, keeping an eye on the road and trying to figure where the key might be in his vehicle. Was he listening to smooth jazz right now while running people over?
I mean it's a good song, but that's beside the point-

Something that was being said put Redson and Mei at a neck and neck pace, burning color behind them. If I strained to look back, your hoverboard was gleaming a shocking electric pink streamline in its wake. You caught up fast, latching to the back of his beast of a truck by a back axle.
"Dingo, I'm gonna do something stupid, so just stay on the hoverboard and hold onto the car, kay? If you let go, press your foot down on the back to slow down."
"Wait, what?" I asked dumbly, eyes wide. My hands fumbled as you pulled to switch my grip to something else. I latched on to your previous hold, trying to keep my feet on the board as you began to clamber onto the speeding vehicle.
"I may love crazy, but this is pushing it!" I shouted at you. Goddess how do you even operate this thing?? I've seen you use this a hundred times before, and you always made it look so simple! Maybe it's because I didn't have gravity boots to keep me on it.

Suddenly, Redson swerved and turned his vehicle around entirely, driving backward. I held on tight like I was told to, realizing now I probably should have let go when I had the chance. Redson ended up ejecting his entire upper roof.
I yelped as the whole thing came free like a trampoline in the wind. It had stopped Mei long enough to have lost her, before he ripped back around. This time it lost me, the speed of the turn like whiplash. The hoverboard spun as he zipped off, and I fought to keep my footing, even slow it down. I stomped on the back, but it only sent the back end into the asphalt of the road. It spun out of control, scraping and screeching before both me and the hoverboard came off contact. I hit, bounced, and rolled across the road, the hoverboard coming and screeching upside down next to me.

I let out a loud, low groan of pain.
Hoverboards are awesome in theory when you have all the necessary parts. Got it. Safety 101. I may have failed, but- ugh yknow what forget it, that shit hurted.
Mei came screeching up next to me, halting her bike long enough to hop off and check on me.
"Oooo roadburn- that was a serious wipeout Cheesey, are you?-"
"I'm cool, totally cool." I wheezed out, shakily lifting myself. "If I ruined Ev's hoverboard, point me to the nearest river." I coughed. Thankfully, besides some minor scratches, your hoverboard was in peak shape compared to me.
"I'll catch up- go help Ev!" I ordered, waving the dragon girl away. She was like a flash of light, running ahead and whistling for her bike again before disappearing in a streak of green.
Flipping the hoverboard back over, the antigravity underside activated immediately. I stepped up, steadied myself, and feeling more self assured though looking worse for wear, I pressed front foot down and sped after her, leaning into the wind as to not be knocked off again.


The rest was history.
Returning your hoverboard, I apologized profusely for the scratches. "I can pay for those. Better yet, I can try to fix those if you want- I'm really sorry, I thought I would do better riding it-" I tried to explain, but slowly stopped.
"Ev are you okay?..." I murmured. You looked like something was ripping you from the inside out, whether it be worry, or something else, I really couldn't tell.
Shaky, pale, sweating, brows furrowed, jaw clenched. But you never answered me as you accepted back your hoverboard, hearing as your phone went off shortly after. At the mention of Baihe, I immediately perked up.
"Oh thank goddess... I should have figured. Sandy and the cats will keep her calm. I can't imagine the scare she got..." I heaved a sigh of relief.
"Are you sure you're safe to ride home? I think we should all go to Sandy's and-" but you were gone with a quick goodbye already.

"Cheese! You're elbow! Your face!!" Mk shrieked.
"Bad wipeout." Mei whispered not so discreetly to him, leaning to his side like I didn't already know. "Yep. I was there. Prolly should have had safety gear before using the hoverboard, huh?" I laughed a little, trying to ease the tension both left in me and from Mk.
"Not gonna lie... you're really bad at the hoverboard thing."
"Noted and understood. Will leave any and all hoverboard activities to Ev."
"Good idea." Mei chuckled.

Mei decided to give Mk and I a ride to Sandy's. To say Baihe was simply upset was an understatement.
She was furious, crying, and horrified all at once. She gave everyone an earful unbefitting of a ten year old and more like an angry teacher. Probably got it from me and Gramps, but who's to say?
"DONT YOU GUYS EVER DO THAT AGAIN! I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL STINKIN DEAD-" She shrieked, tears and snot running down her little face as she beat Mk with her stuffed animal. "Haulin me off like some, some kind of- I didn't even get to know you guys were okay!" She wailed, her anger dying down.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She sniffed.
"Do you guys even know how scared I was?" She hiccuped into her sleeves. Sandy hummed sympathetically as he sat her down on the couch. She cuddled to his side immediately, and like a swarm his kitties followed, purring and chirping all around her legs, arms and head in any place they could reach. I couldn't even hug her yet, as the second I got there Pigsy sat me down and started first aid.

I looked a little bit like a mummy, which was entirely unnecessary, but gave the old pig some peace of mind. After a long crying session and consoling the distraught little girl, she eased enough to simply cuddle. She was exhausted. Honestly, all of us were. Sandy and Pigsy were working hard to keep her calm the whole time since having taken her away from Redson blowing up part of Mk's apartment. We even had to call you up so you could show Baihe you were okay over video call. The last she ever saw of you was you hurrying her into the noodlecart and running to the still smoking half of Mk's apartment before Pigsy drove them far, far away.

You looked as exhausted as we all felt, but Baihe had never looked more relieved and satisfied than when she saw you pick up the call.
Sleepily, before hanging up, Baihe made us all promise to go get ice cream together to make up for everything that happened today. Everyone honestly laughed, but wholeheartedly agreed, and before we knew it, she was out like a light in a pile of all the toys and stuffies you'd bought her on Sandy's couch.

I didn't have to haul her home by myself though. Funnily enough, since Mk's apartment was needing some serious work, I offered he could stay with Baihe and I at KittyCorner until his wall was fixed. Considering the state I was in after today, he was a big help. I don't remember what we did for sleeping arrangements, but to just be home safe after such a long day was the biggest relief I could have ever asked for.

 

[FandomTrash149]

A couple or so days had passed since the key incident, and there was a lot on my mind. Every single time I slept, even if it was just a nap, I'd have...strange dreams. Most of which were unpleasant. I was always back in the strange white void, seeing brief apparitions of my loved ones, and even of people I didn't know. I even saw two masked figures talking to a younger Sun Wukong! I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they sounded like they were having fun. There were two that stuck out to me the most, though. One was of Bolin. He...he'd been dismembered. I ran over to his apparition but he'd disappeared. And the other one...Was of BaiHe. Her apparition was a pale blue compared to her usual pink, and she was wearing something entirely different. Her eyes were closed and I had stepped closer, reaching out to her. I'd quietly said her name and when she opened her eyes, there was a flash of pale blue and I'd woken up in a cold sweat. I'd hugged Bolin a little tighter every time I saw him since then.
I sat up in bed, rubbing at my eyes before staring at the ring. It'd become part of my morning routine at this point. Wake up, attempt to get the ring off, and carry on. I tried to get it off this time with scissors to no avail. It'd almost broken my damn scissors! I groaned and got out of bed, continuing with my morning routine. Shower, brush my teeth, have breakfast, hug Bolin and tell him I love him, and then look at the calender. I traced my finger to today's date, oh! MK was training with Wukong today. Looks like I'd be doing his portion, too. Not that I really minded, honestly. When I was working, it got my mind off of things. I could just listen to music and make deliveries on my hoverboard. It was kind of meditative in a way, if that makes any sense. I kissed Bolin's forehead and waved goodbye as I left to go to the shop. Picking up on MK's training days was actually how I'd gotten some extra money, since Pigsy refused to let me do it without pay. That meant I could spoil everyone if I wanted to! And, in just two week's time was the Lunar New Year festival. I'd been unable to go the past two years, since mother nature decided to cripple me both times, but i was determined to go this year! I was gonna buy everyone lots of things, damnit!

About an hour or two into my deliveries, the ground shook and I looked up to see...a giant purple monkey monster. Oh my fucking god, could we not catch a break for like, TWO SECONDS PLEASE??? I groaned and made the last delivery before booking it to the monster, where you and the others, sans MK, had gathered. Pigsy spun his wooden spoon in his hand, letting out some form of war cry as he leapt into action! ...Only to be smacked down into the pavement.
"WOAH, PIGSY-" I'd shouted, running to his side as Mei frantically called MK.
"I'm fine, kid, just let me stay like this for a moment." He'd groaned, clearly in more pain than he was letting on. I pouted, but I looked back up to the current monster. I really hoped it was just a villain of the week kind of monster and MK would beat it in no time. Mei had hung up the phone after MK said he was on the way, but was he going to get here in time? Shadows moved out of the corner of my eye, crawling up a wall. I decided to follow it, clambering up the fire escape less than gracefully. On the roof the shadows morphed into a figure, a monkey not unlike Wukong. Wait a minute is that-
Another shake of the ground knocked me onto my ass and I looked over the side of the roof, where MK was now in the same goku death pose as Pigsy. Like father, like son. The figure I'd seen took action then, faster than I'd ever seen anyone move, moving from rooftop to rooftop. I grabbed my hoverboard and followed him. He summoned a shadow staff not unlike MK's, although this one had spikes on the ends of it, and he'd taken out the monster with ease. I planted myself onto the ground to avoid being blown away by the wind he'd caused and when it was over, I stood up.
"Hey." I said, grabbing his attention. "Aren't you-"
"YES! MONKEY KING!" I startled slightly at the sound of MK's voice as he has climbed up the building, oh and there he goes. The monkey decided to try and walk away but MK appeared in front of him. I honestly decided to stop questioned how the fuck he did that. "That was awesome! I can't believe you came back to-" MK paused, getting a better look at the person who stood before him. I walked over, standing next to the shadow monkey. "Ooh, this is awkward." MK laughed nervously. "You're not Monkey King." With a slight laugh and a cross of his arms, the shadow monkey smirked.
"I get that a lot." He said, crouching down and balancing on his toes. I decided to look a bit closer at him. He had six ears, the insides each a different color. I was right!
"Monkie Kid, right?" He'd asked, and MK's eyes sparkled.
"How did you...?"
"Your staff kinda gives you away, dude. Not just anyone can wield that thing."
I let out a soft 'snrk' at that. Touche, Six Ears. Touche.
"Uhh, sorry, who are you?" MK asked, head tilted like a questioning puppy. I sighed.
"MK, I thought you've read Journey to The West-" I muttered, earning a barely concealed laugh from Six Ears.
"Macaque." He said at last, standing up and rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, the uh...Six Eared Macaque, is you know, my full name." He began to walk away as I spoke up again.
"Wait I thought you were d-"
"Whelp, see you around MK." He said, casting me a side glance. It wasn't a glare, not really. It felt like...one of sympathy? I was honestly confused.
"CAN YOU TEACH ME THAT AWESOME THING!?" MK ran in front of Macaque, smiling wide as he begged. I smirked. Oh, Wukong was not going to like that.
"Uh..." Macaque took a step back, trying to regain his personal space. "Don't you already have a master? I thought, uh, Monkey King was training you?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, no, he is-" MK stammered as I saw you finally making your way up the fire escape. You were so gonna freak.
"But, you can never have too many teachers, right?" Macaque said, crossing his arms and leaning forward. My fight or flight suddenly went off and every hair stood on end. Macaque seemed to notice my change in demeanor, as gave me a slight glance, but returned to MK. "I'm sure Monkey King would agree. It's not like he'd wanna hold you back."
"Uhmmm...." MK hummed, unsure. He dismissed that though, his smile returning. "Yeah! Yes! He'd totally be cool with it." Macaque wrapped an arm around MK's shoulders.
"Alright then." He glanced at me, and then to you. "You two are welcome to come watch, if ya want." He added and I shook my head.
"N-no, I'm good. I've got more deliveries to make." I said, walking closer to you. I grabbed your sleeve, my eyes never leaving Macaque even as I lowered my voice. "Dingo, could you keep and eye on him? I've got a bad gut feeling about this." For a quick moment, Macaque and MK were replaced by...a younger Macaque and Wukong. Both of which who were smiling and laughing. I blinked and everything was normal again. Gods, what was happening to me? As you departed with MK and Macaque, I climbed back down the fire exit and grabbed more deliveries from the shop and I was off.

---

Off you and MK went with Macaque. MK was practically vibrating with energy, eager to finally be learning the hero stuff! Macaque unlocked the door to a place in a rather...worn down part of the city, and MK's eyes widened in pure awe at the sight inside. It was a personal dojo! He examined all the weapons he could as Macaque pointed you towards a sitting area that was out of the splash zone, so to speak. Couldn't have Monkie Kid's partner getting hurt, after all. MK froze as he heard those words, his cheeks and ears burning as he whipped around.
"Haha, what?? Partner???" He asked with forced laughter. "That's ridiculous! Cheese is just a really good friend!" His voice cracked at several points, and he couldn't make eye contact with you or Macaque, who was smirking. The shadow monkey just barely concealed a laugh.
"Oh, really? I thought- ah, nevermind." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand and got into a fighting position, summoning the staff he'd used earlier. "Alright, kiddo. Ready to get started?" MK quickly pushed away feelings he was not ready to think about and got into position as well.
"Let's do dis!"

---

I'd made the last of my deliveries as the sun began to set and I wiped my forehead with the back of my arm. "Woo! That was a lot." I said aloud, to no one in particular. The street lamps around me flickered and the air became frigid.
"Oh! Hello!" A voice said behind me and I whipped around, hoverboard in my hands as if that was at all threatening. Oh god it was him again. "Funny running into you again!" His smile was etched into his face, as if it'd been there for a millenia and he'd forgotten how to do anything else. I looked around and the streets were empty.
"Yeah...funny..." I said carefully. This guy was clearly not the mayor, but also dangerous. It wasn't just happenstance that he'd just...ran into me. This wasn't a coincidence, this was planned. "Wha-" I cleared my throat as my voice cracked. "What do you want from me?" He tilted his head, and I cringed at how many of his joints seemed to pop because of it. His eyebrows were pinched in faux confusion, and his smile stayed.
"I'm not quite sure what you mean, my dear." He said. Why did he always sound so cheerful?
"You're freaking me out, old man." I said, my grip on my hoverboard tightening. "I will smack you with this if you don't back off." In a moment, he seemed to glitch and he appeared right in front of me, leaning down so his head was next to my ear as his laugh echoed through the empty street.
"I'd love to see you try." Oh, he didn't sound as cheerful now. His voice had gone deeper, and I felt my cheeks heating up slightly because of it. I shook my head and whacked him with my hoverboard but he was already gone. I really needed to get back to Pigsy's.

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

Beyond the healing road rash and a few bruises, I'd nearly forgotten about the fiasco about the strange key. I'd busied myself as I usually did- the only new thing that kept reminding me of it all was the fact that Mk was temporarily living at my place. This was day three now, and the repair guys were hoping to have his wall fully done later today or tomorrow, alongside the fire escape and alley way. They were horrified that anyone would survive an explosion let alone being thrown into a wall hard enough to create a miniature crater, but upon discovering the client they were working for was the new hero the Monkie Kid, all qualms and concerns were dashed in favor of praise and asking for autographs. I didn't mind Mk living there temporarily, but there was an underlying anxiety that just happened when people were in my private space, especially for this long unless it was you.
Baihe lived with me full time now, so she got a major pass. Speaking of Baihe, she was positively ecstatic that Mk was living with us. An extended super awesome sleepover she proclaimed it to be, and Mk only egged her on for it. Her routine that I'd built was very quickly taken for late night games and movies, and enough treats to make her sick. He was the equivalent of a big brother, or even that of a dad who had only one goal; to spoil the ever loving crap out of his kid.

... Alright, well I'm gonna just brush off that second comparison, that's doing weird stuff to my heart and brain cave and I don't need that on my plate.
Luckily, I wasn't the only one feeling a little uncomfortable having the 'new person' in our living space; who just so happened to be Mr.Salty, the stray that came around and never left. I knew he could make a nasty face, but not to this caliber. His tail lashed irritably every time Mk was anywhere near his space, and the lowest snarl would start like an engine in his little chest. He's taken some swipes, but nothing struck true. Though funnily enough, he didn't start acting like this until after Mk showed up the first night when... I fumbled with the baby bottles I was prepping, scrambling to catch them before they spilled. My cheeks burned remembering. It wasn't even that big of a deal. He was just being really sweet anyways, not to mention tired. It didn't mean anything. Nothing at all.
"Does it hurt?..." His voice whispered in my memory.
"A little. But it's no problem- I've had worse." I remember telling him with a small tired laugh, waving. He was quiet for a beat, simply staring. I'm pretty sure he frog blinked then, being so groggy. But then he moved.
The ghost of warm lips pressing against my cheek through the bandage Pigsy had applied back at Sandy's boat tickled me even now, despite it being days ago. I set the bottle against the counter, not trusting my grip as I covered my face with my free hand, grumbling. I could still remember the way he looked, eyes droopy with exhaustion, but such a warmth in his smile that melted my heart like butter.
"Maybe it'll feel better now." He'd whispered, before he simply rested against my shoulder and slipped into sleep.

I chuckled softly to myself about it now, shaking my head. The 'kiss it better' thing was so silly to me, something you'd do for kids. The fact that he did it to me of all people was humorous and... unbelievably sweet. Calming down now, I brushed it off as best as I possibly could, reminding myself, continuously, that that was all it was. Just Mk being silly and sweet, like always. Humming faintly to myself, I took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh, hoping any heat in my cheeks left with the breath. Picking the bottles back up again, I finished mixing the baby bottles and got back to work. Shortly after routine was up, Baihe came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.
"Club today?" She asked with a yawn.
"Nope," I told her, "but you do have a visit with gramps coming up."
She perked immediately, eyes sparkling, "Oh! That's right! Do you think he's gonna like the thing I made him?" She bounced. I smiled, walking up and brushing her wild nest of hair out of her face, "Without a doubt min elskede. Gramps always loves the things you make him." I said warmly. Leaning down, she got the message and shot to her tiptoes, cupping my hands that gingerly held her cheeks and pumping her forehead against mine. With a long, low hum, we harmonized our own little tune before pulling away. She beamed, "I got it right this time, right?"
I laughed, "You can't go wrong with it. Now go! Shoo, shoo- it's time to get ready for the day."
Baihe let out a long groan, "But it's Saturday," She whined, "Why can't I just wear my jam-jams today?"
"You sure you wanna go to the noodle shop in your jam-jams?" I asked her back. Baihe immediately stiffened, eyes wide. With a sharp turn, her hair following her and smacking her in the face- she swept it away and immediately bounded up the stairs on all fours, slipping and sliding. When she got up the stairs, I heard lots of thumping and scrambling. I could faintly hear her ranting.
Her head suddenly ducked out from the top of the stairs, yelling down at me, a brush stuck to the top of her head and a toothbrush in her other hand, "YOU SHOULD'VE SAID SOMETHING!!" She hollered at me, scolding. I held my hands up in mock defense, fighting off a snort. Trekking up the stairs myself as she disappeared again like a cat with it's tail on fire, I peered down the hall as clothes began to fly around her bedroom.
"I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE GOING TODAY, YOU STINKY- ARGH!" She raged. I was actively trying not to laugh, clutching my stomach and mouth to smother anything from escaping. She'd annihilate me with her stuffies if she heard so much as a snicker. With a slam, she appeared again, holding out two hangers with ready picked outfits, "Which one?" She demanded, her face serious.
"Kitty extraordinaire. Other one has too little pink." I replied with a nod. Baihe considered her clothes, before nodding in agreement, "Good, good. Okay I'm gonna go get dressed, go away." She said quickly, shooing me from the hall before sharply shutting her door. She took looking her best for you and the gang very seriously, but goddess I wasn't about to breathe a word about it. She wanted her efforts to look effortless! I wasn't about to call her out as a sham! What kind of Zaza would I be if I did that?

As I waited, I heard Baihe speak up from behind her bedroom door.
"Hey Zaza?" She called. I perked up, "Yeah honey?" I answered.
"Are clouds supposed to be... purple?"
I paused. , "Not all the time? Only during dusk I think." I replied finally, "Why do you ask?"
A few beats went by.
Baihe opened her door to me, looking more confused than anything, and a little nervous.
"I think you might wanna take a look at this."

---

Which leads us to now!
I may have cussed a lot more than I should have on the bike ride over, but luckily only in Norsk, so Baihe didn't get to understand a word. She voiced confusion, to which I didn't answer- which lead her to trying to repeat it and me immediately trying to get her to stop in a panic. "But it sounded funny!" "Trust me it's really not-"
I would have left her back home, but the comfort of keeping her by my side was too great to ignore. Slapping safety gear on her and gathering us up on Rainrunner, I sped in the direction of Pigsy's. Luckily enough, the giant purple cloud? Smoke creature? Didn't honestly move an inch since it appeared. Baihe couldn't decide whether to stare at it or hide her face in my back.
When we arrived, I ushered her off the bike and tried to get her inside the little shop, finding everyone was already out and trying to understand what on earth was going on. Baihe insisted to stay glued to my hip this time however, which made it a little tricky.
"What's going on?" Were the first words out of my mouth when I saw the others. Mei only shrugged, biting her nails, and Tang shook his head, brows furrowed and lips pulled in a fearful frown. Pigsy cracked his neck and knuckles one by one, glaring up at the essential kaiju overhead, looming like a shadow over the city.
"Dunno, but it's not gonna be stayin'!" He told us confidently and firmly, wielding his wooden spoon like a baton leading an entourage. When you rode up in a streak of pink, Baihe peeked from around my side. Her mouth opened to greet you, but Pigsy's war cry swallowed up her voice, stealing her attention in an instant, her head whipping around just in time to see him leave the ground and launch upwards in an incredible show of power, spinning his spoon.
"Go Piggy, go!" Mei cheered.
"Pigsy, don't!" I shouted.
After the longest time of inactivity, the creature finally moved. It's ribbons swiftly rose, before striking the battle ready pig man right back down. Like swatting a fly, honestly. It was a little funny how fast it happened, but in the moment it was a big surprise.
Baihe yelped as he hit the ground, and I moved to shield her as dirt and pebble flew up from the crater Pigsy made in his landing. "Mr.Pigsy!" Baihe cried out.
"WOAH, PIGSY-" You'd shouted, running to his side as Mei frantically called MK. Baihe, Tang and I were quick to join you by his side, peering down into the little crater at the very disoriented pig demon. His eyes practically rolled around in his head with his newfound dizziness.
"I'm fine, kid, just let me stay like this for a moment." He waved, before flopping over and honestly looking dead. "Do we know any doctors??" Baihe asked quickly. I hissed a breath through my teeth, "Just uh... lets give him a minute."
Just about the second Mei hung up her frantic video call, Mk came zipping up the street so fast, the hoverboard he'd snagged continued on without him long after he'd hopped off it, crashing into a nearby building.
"Okay!" He exclaimed, staff already at the ready. "What did I miss?" He asked confidently, stepping up beside Mei. She tore her gaze away from the giant smoke monster, immediately rounding on him, "Mk! What took you so long?!" She scolded, brows knit together in frustration.
"Sorry! Sorry. Monkey King had me doing boring stuff... that the bad guy?" He said quickly, moving through his reasoning in a snap before turning to face the looming entity overhead. No one got a chance to answer as he began to spin his staff, "Okay! Be right back." He told us all proudly. Immediately all of us were waving our hands, "Wait wait no no no!" Seemed to be the overall chorus, to which said hero didn't listen or even probably hear a word of before he was taking off in a similar leap to Pigsy's.
Before being shot right back down to the ground with a hearty bitch slap from a waving ribbon.

A pitiful groan followed as a new crater was made, directly next to Pigsy. I had never swooped up Baihe in my arms so fast to dodge the thrown boy than I had then. She clung with her arms around my neck, eyes wide as dinner plates. I made a hissed sound of sympathy through my teeth. Mei stood adjacent to him, leg raised.
"Oohhhh, yeahhhh-" She started slowly, leaning over him. "We uh... already tried that." She told him as he continued to lay facedown in his little crater.
To his left, Sandy dropped a sad little napkin overtop the still downed Pigsy. Baihe and I shook our heads mournfully like they were soldiers lost to war before giggling quietly to each other. We were cut off however as a new shadow rushed overhead. Everyone gasped as it zipped by, quicker than a flash. Your hoverboard activated in an instant, zipping right after in just a heartbeat.
"Speed-E where are you going? E!" Mei shouted after you, but you remained focused on the figure dashing ahead. Everyone paused to squint, Mk especially.
"Uhhh... Is that?" Mei began, to which Mk finished, "Monkey King?" He asked hopefully, and dare I say surprised.
Baihe's eyes lit up, a small gasp leaving her mouth. I looked to her curiously, watching as she began to bounce in her spot in my arms. I didn't have my glasses, so I wouldn't have been able to really tell who it was until it hit me in the face. "You think it's Monkey King?" I asked her. She spared me a look, her smile widening, as if ready to explode, but she quickly covered her mouth and shook her head, turning back to look at the figure again, now having stopped on a rooftop.
I rose a brow at her, confused. What an odd reaction. Did Mk make her a Monkey King fan or something? Was this someone else? Goddess I didn't know, and for now it didn't matter. I turned to watch. Though blurry, I watched as the figure began to twirl their staff with a flourish. Faster and faster, spinning so fast it became a blur- before they struck out. There wasn't even a second spared to blink before a blast of wind appeared. A cyclone is the best comparable power. The gusts were so strong they nearly took us all off our feet. Baihe, despite the strength of the wind, began to cheer at the top of her lungs, pumping her little arms before I had to duck her down as to not be taken away by the after waves.
When the smoke and wind finally cleared, the entity and it's clouds were gone like a ghost, letting in the sun once more to wash the city in light.
"That was incredible!" Baihe squealed, waving her hands rapidly. I let her loose, seeing the area safe again, "Did you see Zaza? What did you think? Wasn't that cool??" She beamed, jumping up and down before bouncing back to me, rapidly tugging my flannel.
"Woah, woah! Hang tight there goober, gimme a sec! Yes, yes, it was pretty awesome, I know-" I laughed, unsure where all this energy was coming from. Then again, it was also Baihe. She had a hidden energy bank that rivaled even Mei and Mk's.
Sandy did a comb over of everyone, ensuring all of us were okay, even going as far as counting heads. Though it was a bit concerning when he did three recounts. Scratching the back of his head, he made a low sound of confusion.
"Uhh... I know Ev left, but where did Mk go?" He asked.
"Oh, they went that way." Mei said, pointing down the street.
"They?" I asked. "Yeah! Baihe ran after him." Mei replied with a smile.
My heart leapt into my throat, whipping to look down at my side, finding a blinking outline of where Baihe was before looking up. Low and behold, Mk was several blocks down and there was Baihe, right on his tail.
"WHA-"

I took off in a sprint immediately, probably leaving a cartoonish dust cloud behind me in my wake. She was literally pulling on me not even a second ago!!
"BAIHE, LITTLE MISSY, GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"CAN'T HEAR YOU, IM RUNNING TOO FAST-"
"THAT'S NOT HOW HEARING WORKS-"
It didn't take me long to catch up, her stamina not being the best for one, and two, little legs. Swooping down I scooped her up in an instant, earning a startled yelp," What on Earth do you think you're doing??" I asked her incredulously. Heaving for air that she lost running, still managing to squirm, she heaved out, "Following-Mk!" She gasped, before going completely limp with a groan. "Stinkin' grownups and their big legs..."
When I looked up, it was just in time to hear Mk's enthusiastic, "Monkey King!" Before slipping and screaming into a trash-pile right in front of me. He landed with a thump, before scrambling back to his feet, going for the second try. Setting Baihe down, I moved to help him, or stop him- honestly I didn't know what I was doing. But he was quick as a whip, and I found myself scrambling up the fire escape to follow this time. At the sound of clanging, I looked back to find Baihe following me, follow Mk.
"Ah, ah- no! Stay down there, being on a roof is dangerous!" I told her firmly.
"But I wanna!-" She started, but with a look, she grumbled. Leaning against the wall and crossing her arms, she did as told. "I'll be back in a second, wait for me, okay sweetheart?"
She curled tighter into herself, her pout getting stronger before she huffed. "Fiiiiiinnneeee."
With a nod of thankfulness, I hurried back up the steps and pulled myself over the ledge. When I looked up, I felt myself jerk to a stop.

Oh shit dude- there was no fucking way.
"Do you see him??" Baihe suddenly asked from the alley below me, sounding eager. I almost couldn't find my voice, startled into silence. I glanced to the side, finding you there. Ah, so this is where you went. I wasn't fully processing what was being said between Mk and... am I sure I'm seeing this right?? I continued to side eye you, praying for an answer, or if I was going crazy. I jolted when I looked back at the pair and found eyes looking right back.
"You two are welcome to come watch, if ya want." He suddenly offered. Did Baihe just squeal?? I spared a glance behind me at her from over the edge, but didn't get a proper look before you were sidling up to my side, your grip on my sleeve taking my attention. Or at least part of it. I was hyperaware of the figure ahead next to Mk.
"N-no, I'm good. I've got more deliveries to make." You said apologetically, voice trying to smother a tremble. My brows knit together, gently tapping my knuckles to your side in acknowledgement and concern. When he'd turned away, chatting with Mk again, holding him close by the shoulders like a buddy, that was when you spoke, voice barely a whisper.
"Dingo, could you keep and eye on him? I've got a bad gut feeling about this." Any shock I was facing melted in an instant, and I turned my head to you fully this time, "Yeah- yeah of course. Could you take Baihe? She's uh... she followed Mk over here and I had to chase them both down. She's not gonna be happy that she can't come for..." I spared a glance ahead, watching the pair begin to walk closer to the other side of the roof, "Obvious reasons." I murmured. Once you agreed and hurried back down, I spoke up, accepting the extended the offer to spectate.
After a second of discussion how to get to where we were going, we ended up going by foot. Mk insisted it would be better, easier. At least on me. I tried to say I didn't mind how we got there, but he preferred we travel the way that was 'easier on me'. I'll be honest, I was slightly miffed by the way it was said, but brushed it off. We'd gotten down around the same time you and Baihe left the alley. I missed the bit where Macaque glanced back and winked to the little cat clad girl, who only grinned back and hurried the other way.
What I did catch however, was the subtle swipe of his hand across Mk's back and the swift change of his classic symbol. I blinked, unsure of my eyes, but knew for certain it was changed. I bit the inside of my cheek and looked ahead. I'll keep that to myself for now.

---

To be frank, though the outside and general area wasn't in the prettiest state, the inside was well kempt and cared for. Mk and I took a moment to simply gawk at the size of the place, and the things collected there. It was honestly impressive- not everyone can say they have a personal dojo. Most places for workouts are out of someone's garage, and this was several leagues above that. After a quick brief and some prep, I followed instruction and settled into the essential 'safe zone', not thinking much of the comment. I saw the partner bit as, well, like a sidekick sort of vibe, which felt accurate enough. Mk however, saw it differently, flying into a bluster.
I blinked, brows up to my hairline in befuddlement. "Uhh, Mk?" I began, thoroughly confused before he started to just... yap.
"Haha, what?? Partner???" He asked with forced laughter.
"That's ridiculous! Cheese is just a really good friend!" His voice cracked at several points, and he couldn't make eye contact with you or Macaque, who was smirking. Something about that... Stung. Did he not?... My mind began to dig, trying to understand, but came up with nothing that didn't make me feel a bit worse about it. My fingers dug into my jeans, clenching and unclenching fists. The shadow monkey just barely concealed a laugh.
"Oh, really? I thought- ah, nevermind." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand and got into a fighting position, summoning the staff he'd used earlier. "Alright, kiddo. Ready to get started?" MK quickly got into position as well with a shake of his head. I looked up then, having found I stopped looking at the both of them entirely. Ah, crap- focus, gotta focus. You're looking too much into it! It's not even a big deal! Focus!
"Let's do dis!" Mk exclaimed.
Oh if only that confidence stuck around.

---

I grimaced as Mk was thrown into a weapons rack, fighting the urge to stand and help him back up. I must have nail indents from how hard I was grabbing my legs. Macaque was putting the boy through the wringer, to put it lightly, and it was honestly painful to watch let alone hear. Though I wanted to text you all that was going on, I couldn't bring myself too. It felt like it would be rude to whip out my phone during all this, and secondly, it was hard to look away long enough to do so. Even as Mk began to sit up, rubbing his head uncomfortably, Macaque was already in front of him, his staff extended before his face and inches from his nose.
"Not bad...ugh-" He turned to huff a laugh into his scarf, "Don't get me wrong, but- I was kind of expecting a little more from someone with your power." He told him. Mk stared up, eyes wide. In an instant. he moved to stand, trying to get in a ready stance, "Hey, hey, I've got more. I can give way more than that. I can do better." He told Macaque earnestly, borderline begging under the lines for another go, another chance. Macaque only hummed, before turning and flipping his scarf over his shoulder, walking away, "Okay. Maybe show me next time."
"Next time?" Mk asked, following after his heels, "Are we not gonna do more?" He seemed borderline anxious about this being the end of the session. I stood now, trying to get the feeling back in my legs.
"Mk, you guys have been training for a good few hours now. It's late." I told him. I would have gestured to a window, but I couldn't exactly find any to help my reasoning.
"It is?" Mk seemed surprised.
"Easy to lose track of time when your busy, huh kid?" Macaque piped up, leaning against a pillar not far. "Come by again tomorrow. We can work on more than."
"It... might be a good idea to bump up that time frame." I offered. A brow was raised in my direction. "Why would you say that?"
"I don't think it's a good idea to put him up to more of this so soon. Give him a breather period." Mk glanced between us, unsure.
"I- I don't mind honestly- I can handle it." I looked at Mk, feeling my shoulders sag, "Mk, I don't think you should-"
"The sooner I can get some good training, the better I'll be." I tried searching his gaze. This didn't feel right. This would be an entirely new routine, a new strain, a new stress-
"...are you sure?" I asked, hoping he would at least think about it. Mk didn't hesitate to throw a thumbs up in the air, "Totally! It's gonna be great!"

The uncertainty and unease didn't go away. The burning feeling of eyes in my head began to become unbearable, and I finally looked in the direction.
"Let the kid do what he wants. Sides'," Macaque started, flashing a toothy smile, "What's the harm in extra help?"

 

[FandomTrash149]

After...whatever had happened with not mayor, I'd zoomed back to the shop where BaiHe was animatedly chatting with Pigsy with a crayon in hand, doodling on the paper. I smiled upon seeing her, my nerves finally relaxing. That was...until I took a closer look. She was...drawing Macaque?
"BaiHe, sweetie, whatcha drawin?" I asked, taking up a spot next to her.
"Mister Salty." She'd replied cheerfully, continuing to color in the hair. I froze.
"The...the cat?" I asked and she looked up at me with a wide smile and an eager nod.
"Yeah!" I rested a hand on her head as I looked at the paper she was drawing on. It was definitely Macaque. Pigsy had wandered back into the kitchen now that I was here to keep an eye on her. I briefly wondered where Tang was, but I turned my attention back to BaiHe.
"BaiHe, who's that?" I pointed to the figure she'd drawn that was clearly not a cat.
"I just told you!" She pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "It's Mister Salty!"
"Hey, look at me for a sec." I said, trying to sound gentle while switching to a serious tone. "That guy is named Macaque. You know how your ZaZa and MK always talk about the 'Journey to The West'?" She nodded, fully facing me now. "Well, he was in that story."
"I know! He told me!" BaiHe was still smiles.
"Does Cheese know?" I asked and she shook her head.
"No, he said he wanted to keep it a surprise!" She spoke as if it was a game. The feeling of dread creeped into my mind again.
"What else has he told you?"
"Nothing else about himself." BaiHe pouted, crossing her arms. "But, he does bring me candy sometimes!"
"Hey...BaiHe. Macaque..." Oh god how would I tell her this? "He used to be friends with Wukong, er-Monkey King." BaiHe's eyes widened.
"Really??" I had her attention now.
"Mhm. But...something happened between them. Something that really hurt Macaque. Stories say that he turned bitter, and wanted some form of revenge on Monkey King. And...he went away for a while. A long while. So, it's a little shocking that he's shown up now. So, I need you to tell me everything he's told you."
"...Promise not to tell ZaZa?" She asked, holding up her pinky finger. "I don't want Mr. Salty getting mad at me." I wrapped mine around hers.
"I promise." And with that, she told me pretty much everything she could remember. How he'd revealed himself on the night she guarded the store and kept her company, how he'd sometimes talk to her while she was alone in the shop. He'd always deflected when she wanted to know more about him, though. She was very upset about this fact, though. She swore he had no bad intentions, and that maybe he was trying to be nicer so he and Monkey King could make up! I nodded, really hoping that was the case. She was so excited to see him in action this morning, because this was her first time seeing him fight a monster. It was cool, unlike that mean old fire boy. Her words, not mine. Once she finished telling me everything I hummed in thought.
"Okay, so he hasn't done anything to hurt you, that's good." Because he'd see the underworld again if he did. "But, if he hurts MK or Cheese, you have to tell Cheese that Mr. Salty is Macaque, okay?"
"Okay!" She smiled as if she truly believed Macaque wasn't going to harm anyone. I wanted to believe her, I really did. But something in me was screaming that he was here to cause trouble. But then, why didn't I get this feeling when he was a cat? When he was around BaiHe? It was only when he was with MK that I got that horrible feeling. Maybe...he only meant harm with MK? That made me feel way more uneasy. My attention was grabbed by you and MK walking into the shop. MK looked...exhausted.
"Woah, buddy, are you alright?" I asked, getting up to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah! Yeah. Macaque's training is a bit more intense than Monkey King's." MK said, flashing a tired smile. I looked at you, and you seemed worried. "What happened?"
While MK collapsed onto a chair for a breather, BaiHe quickly went to his side, pestering him with questions about Macaque. You explained what had gone on - minus the partner bit MK noted - and I sighed. "Okay...So...Just...training..." Maybe I was wrong and getting worked up over nothing. You'd asked if I was alright, and I realized how jumpy I've been since getting this ring.
"I-I'm fine...I just. I dunno, maybe my gut feeling was wrong, but..." I lowered my voice, so BaiHe wouldn't overhear. "Macaque died in the story right? How is he here? I just...I feel like he might use MK. I don't know why, but something is, like, nagging in my brain telling me something is wrong. I think I'm going nuts." BaiHe was tugging at your sleeve now.
"ZaZa, MK passed out!" There was worry in her eyes, and she was pointing to MK who was out cold.
"Don't worry, BaiHe. He's probably just exhausted from his training with Macaque today." I said, resting a hand on her head. When she looked up at me, she had a streak of white that hadn't been there before. I blinked and it was gone. I felt sick. "His apartment's almost fixed up already. This city is pretty fast with repairs. It kinda freaks me out." I laughed nervously. "I gotta jet. Bolin wants to show me something." I hugged you and BaiHe, giving her a quick kiss to the top of her head, before zooming off.

As soon as I got home, Bolin ran up and hugged me. I laughed, patting his head as I kicked the door closed behind me. "Heya, bud! Whatcha wanna show me?" He pulled me to the couch, grabbing my laptop and showing me what he'd been doing. Research on skull rings...! Sadly there was no information on it. Well, no solid information. I sighed and closed the laptop, placing a kiss to Bolin's forehead.
"Thanks for trying, Bo. I'll get rid of this thing soon enough." Bolin grunted, clearly not believing me, but decided not to push it. We watched TV for a while until I decided to go to bed.

---

E can come whenever she wants- just- not her buddy.
I'M BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN- Goddamnit, could I not just have a normal dream? Macaque's voice echoed around the white void.
"Where am I!?" I shouted, my voice being the only one that didn't echo.
My lady...
A new voice filled the void and I whipped around, seeing a hunched figure on their knees, their color shifting between light blue and gray. I walked closer, reaching out. When my had reached them, they...didn't disappear. The figure looked up. Hold on is that-
My lady?
His hair was different and he looked so much younger, but it was him. It was the guy who'd given MK the skull key. He was wearing armor- ancient era armor by the looks of it. Tears had filled his eyes, and he was holding onto something, a wall maybe? He was barely holding himself up and his arm covered his abdomen as if he was injured. I stepped closer, wanting to help him up. His apparition still didn't disappear, but my touch did nothing, as he crumpled back onto the ground. I got onto my knees next to him as he began to mumble the same thing over and over.
"Hey..." I said, knowing he couldn't hear me. "It's gonna be okay. I dunno who your lady is, but I'm sure you'll see her again." He disappeared and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I flinched and looked over my shoulder to see...oh fUCK IT'S HIM- IT'S THE GUY- But he wasn't a colored apparition!! I scrambled backwards, pointing. "HOW THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?" He just stood there smiling.
"I-I'm not afraid to attack the elderly!" I got up to my feet, but he didn't move, nor make a sound. Okay...I need to wake up now. Please? I shut my eyes, trying to will myself to wake up but-
"That won't work here."
I looked at him, eyes wide now.
"What are you talking about?" He didn't bother to answer further and he disappeared into a plume of smoke. I ran up to touch it and-

---

My face hit the floor as I fell out of bed. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my cheeks. "God damnit..." I muttered, grabbing my phone to check the time. It was around time for me to wake up, anyway. I groaned and looked at the ring. "What are you...?" I muttered. I heard a yip from downstairs, so I ran down, thinking something had happened to Bolin. Bolin was on the couch, petting the fox that he'd found just the other week. Right. You had let it free a few days ago. How did it get in, though? Bolin waved at me and I waved back.

---

Over the next couple days, MK had been training with both Macaque and Wukong, and I could see the physical toll it was taking on him. Today though, he said Macaque had something big in mind. That made the gut feeling come back, but apparently Macaque just wanted MK on this one, since they were going up to a mountain to train. That made the gut feeling even worse. Over the next few hours, as the sun began to set, I couldn't stop worrying. When the stars were starting to come out and everyone was hanging out in the shop, since MK's apartment had been fixed and we wanted to surprise him with it, I just decided to call him.
Right as I pulled out my phone, though, he walked through the entrance looking worse for wear. BaiHe ran up to him, smiling at first but noting that he looked exhausted and injured.
"MK are you okay?" She asked, following him to a seat, where he sat down, resting his head on the table.
"So...bad news." He said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Macaque is evil." BaiHe's face paled.
"Wh-Why??" She questioned hands messing with the rim of her shirt. "What'd he do??"
"He uh..." MK took a deep breath. "Tried to take my powers and kill Monkey King. And also me, I think."
"WHAT!?" Everyone just about yelled the same thing at the same time. BaiHe looked at me, and I walked over to her, crouching down.
"BaiHe, remember our promise, yeah?" I said and she nodded sadly. She slowly made her way over to you, on the verge of tears. I stayed with her as she looked at the ground.
"ZaZa?" Her voice was meek. She didn't want to be in trouble. I rested a hand on her head.
"It's okay, BaiHe. You're not gonna get in trouble. I'll steal you if you do, and you can live with me." I joked, and that seemed to cheer her up slightly. She nodded and clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to ready herself.
"MISTERSALTYISMACAQUE-" She shouted quickly, before hiding in her jacket. I sighed when you looked between me and her, so I figured I'd explain.
"So, the cat you've named Mr. Salty? Apparently, that's Macaque. Wait. Macat. Heh."
"Ev, focus-" Pigsy said, leaning over the counter. "This is serious."
"Yeah, I know, sorry. BaiHe told me when we first saw Macaque that he'd revealed himself to her...the day we had our run in with Spider Queen. From what she told me, he didn't want her to tell Cheese because he wanted it to be a surprise. BaiHe swears up and down that he hasn't hurt her, but I made her promise me that if he hurt Cheese or MK that she'd have to fess up."
"OHHH Macat, I get it." MK said, poking his head over the seat. I snorted, sucking in my lips to refrain from laughing. He sure knew how to diffuse a situation.
"Does that mean he can't visit anymore?" BaiHe asked meekly, touching her pointer fingers together.
"I'm afraid so, kiddo." Pigsy said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took in the information. "He's dangerous, which means that if he keeps visitin' you and Cheese, he could hurt you." BaiHe pouted, but didn't argue. I crouched down to her level, my arms resting on my knees.
"Hey, I've got tomorrow off. You, Me, and Cheese can go to the arcade." I said and she sighed and gave a sad smile. Mei slung herself over me.
"Oh! I'll come too!"
"Come on guys, you're going to the arcade when I have work???"
"It's your punishment for not listening to Cheese when they wanted you to take a break."
"Boooooo!"

---

About a week passed, and I was getting so excited for the Lunar New Year festival. Before then, though, MK was going to train at Flower Fruit Mountain for a few days. We all hugged him goodbye, but he did leave us with a clone. The clone was...not helpful. Like at all. Especially not when we were hanging out in the shop and the ground began to shake and the roar of the Bull King raged through the city. We'd taken Bolin, who'd not been affected by whatever the other bull clones had been, and BaiHe and we kept them on Sandy's ship, because that's quite literally the safest place they can be right now.
My first encounter with the possessed bull clones was...unpleasant. It exploded in my face and when I'd looked in a nearby window...my right eye was sprouting blue cracks. I'd grabbed a bandage and wrapped it over my head. I couldn't let anyone else see that. I grabbed a nearby jacket and slipped it on. Apocalypse gear, baby!
When we'd managed to get to sleep that night, everyone taking turns on watch...I'd had the worst nightmare yet.

---

I was back in the white void, but in front of me stood BaiHe, her apparition pink. She had her back faced to me and I reached out to her.
"BaiHe-" But she exploded into blue flame and I stumbled backwards, eyes wide. A woman's laughter echoed throughout the white void, and BaiHe, now a light blue, turned to me, her eyes glowing. She had a wide smile on her face, and she was wearing a different outfit, and her hair was up.
Destiny awaits.

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

"Okay, that's enough! "
I was on my feet in an instant, unable to stay seated. The two sparring partner's took a moment to slow down, but came to halt soon enough. Mk was heaving great lungful's of air, sweat dripping from his upper lip and chin as he was finally granted a moment to pause. If I hadn't stepped up onto the mats to steady him, he likely would have fallen over.
"What's the hold-up? We were kind of in the middle of something." It was hard to look away from Mk, worry building stronger in my chest.
"Sit down," I told him quietly, ushering him to the floor. He was shaky and unsteady, but he made no move to argue, eyes shut tight as he simply did his best to catch his breath. "I'll grab you some water, alright?"
"Hey, what's your deal? He was doing just fine-"
I grit my teeth as I stepped over to the side where my bag was, fishing out a water bottle. I'd been coming to the training sessions as often as time would allow, between my own work and taking care of Baihe. This was day four or five I'd say, and honestly, though it was efficient in it's own way, something about the methods and lessons being used didn't sit well with me. Today seemed to be the height of it. Making my way back onto the mat, I moved to kneel by Mk's side- a staff stuck out in front of me, cutting me off from moving further. With a deep inhale, I turned to look to the holder. Macaque stared back, tail lashing.
"I'm just giving him water. If you want some, you can ask." I said firmly, moving to slide the staff aside. He let me for the most part. Mk, having had a few seconds to recuperate, accepted the bottle like a man in a desert, tearing off the top and dropping it back. Immediately I had my hands on his, "Woah, woah! Slow! You gotta sip it first- if you drink too fast while dehydrated you'll just puke." He whined at this, wanting to get rid of the parched, dry feeling in his throat sooner rather than a few seconds later, but did as told. I watched him for a moment, just to be sure, before nodding and standing again. Macaque kept an eye on the scene, and despite his indifferent expression, his tail and occasionally twitching lip gave some of him away.
"Look- I get what you're trying to do. But this? It's too much. You need to slow down once in awhile-"
"You got something against how I teach? Listen- don't take it personally, but you don't exactly look like someone experienced in... any of this."
The immediate need to gnash my teeth came over me, but I only gritted my teeth and set my shoulders straight.
"You're right, I don't." I said honestly, "But I do know the importance of breaks during bodily strains like this. It's going to drain anyone to the point of collapse, and you're running him to that line faster than a street racer." The crinkling of the plastic bottle sounded, empty. I glanced at Mk, grateful to see he was looking a little better than a few seconds ago. He moved and rolled the bottle back and forth in his hands, glancing up at the two of us and down again.

"I dunno, I think it's kinda like... The sooner I can get used to it, the easier it will be." Mk finally piped up.
"Exactly," Macaque said appraisingly, "See? The kid gets it." Mk smiled a bit at that, but seeing my expression, he shrunk a bit. He gave a small, albeit nervous, laugh, "well, I've had a sec- might wanna get back to it. Rise and Grind I guess?" He began to stand, pressing his arms heavy on his knees to prop himself up. "Sit back down, Mk." I told him firmly. He looked up again, blinking. He tried to smile, something disarming, easing.
"Wha? No, really, I'm fine Cheese-"
"Mk, you're shaking." My brows furrowed, arms crossed so tightly my fingers began to dig into my biceps through my flannel. He paused, before looking down at himself. "You can't hold your staff like this..." It was a fact.
"He'll be fine. Come on, kid. From the top." Macaque coaxed, already getting into position. Mk looked a bit torn, but he still moved to pick up his staff, and staggered almost immediately, slipping into a pillar. I hurried to help him back up, but a grip on my arm stopped me. I was jerked backwards, off the mats. Stumbling over my shoes, I steadied and looked up, ruffled. Macaque stepped forward, standing in front of me to keep me from stepping back onto the mats. His gaze had hardened into a glare, frustration written all over his face.
"Quit babying him- how's he gonna get better if you're here?"
"Have you seen him? He's falling over with every step, Macaque!"
"He's still getting up. If he can get up, he can fight." He bared his teeth. My eyes widened, shrinking back a tad. He can't be serious. I wanted him to not be serious. I glanced over his shoulder. Mk was staring back, watching as his newest mentor practically loomed. The uncertainty was more clear than ever, but he didn't say a word. He was still leaning against the pillar he fell into. I looked back to Macaque, feeling a spark of anger in the overwhelming wave of concern. I returned his glare, straightening again.
"This is not how you train someone- this is how you break someone."
I didn't think Macaque's glare could get any sharper, yet here I stood, feeling the icy tip of the blade. It took a lot not to bend under the pressure his presence carried.

Soon enough, Macaque stood straight himself. "I don't think you should come to training anymore." He said coldly. Mk looked to him, eyes wide.
"You've been getting in the way, and you don't seem all on board with the new hero getting any better." My jaw nearly hit the floor.
"I think you know where the door is." He told me. When I didn't move, staring at him in utter disbelief, he sharply lifted his staff beside my head, pointing to the exit behind me. I jolted at the motion. After a moment, I finally breathed in, then out in a short sigh. My glare returned, "Fine." Something akin to a victory smirk quirked the dark furred monkey's lips.
"Glad we're on the same page." He hummed as I knelt and scooped up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.
"Cheese..." Mk uttered, but I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to look at either of them. Macaque began to turn, ready to get back to work. Sharply, I dropped my bag back down to hold, digging in and freeing the extra bottles I had saved. I started to set them down on the floor, three in total, before coming to the last one. With an arm reeled back, I hurled it towards Macaque's back. Mk gave a short, strangled gasp of surprise, unexpecting of such an act from me.
Macaque's ear twitched, and he turned so quickly he was a blur, catching it in a millisecond. I looked at him then, locking gazes.
"Don't forget to drink water." I said, before finally turning and leaving. I heard a small huff of a laugh from him, but nothing else. I heard Mk shouting after me as I left the building and turned down the street, gripping the strap of my bag so tightly my fingers began to ache, but I didn't want to look back, head clouded with thoughts to the point it hurt. The walk home was lonelier than usual.

---

The next three days... Were rough. There wasn't any other way to put it. Mk was coming back looking more and more ragged by the day, and his entire demeanor was, well, sharp. He was quick to irritate, would even snap at Pigsy and Tang. I don't know what happened when I was kicked out of the dojo that day, or what was happening while I was away, unable to stop anything. It's not like I didn't try to go back, uncaring of my recalled invitation. But everything seemed to keep me from going. My bike missing bolts, popped tires, sudden road blocks, signs for detours leading me in circles. It was insane. The calls for animals skyrocketed too, and it was almost as bad as the calls were in the beginning. Like everything was trying to keep me from going to the Dojo.
What was even worse, was that Mk seemed especially avoidant of me. When I finally cornered him, trying to see what was up with him, if he was okay, if he needed any help- he snapped at me. He'd slammed what he'd been holding onto the counter and just- shouted. Even Pigsy jumped, and it's hard to catch the pig demon by surprise.
"God would you quit that?! You treat me like a baby, all the time! I'm fully capable of taking care of myself!" I remember him yelling, tugging his hair. "Would it kill you to just stop babying me?? Ugh!"
He'd left in a huff then. I'm glad you weren't there then, or Baihe. I'm ashamed Pigsy had to see me after that fiasco.
The same night, he'd actually dragged the boy to my door after I'd put Baihe to bed, and goddess he looked like a mess. He was in tears when I answered the door, Pigsy standing firm like an officer as he began apologizing profusely. He tried to hug me, but I stepped back, un-wanting of being touched. That only made him cry harder, I swore I heard his heart shatter for half a second. I'd assured him it was fine, that all was okay, and he calmed a bit before I told them it was late, and that I was tired. They accepted that, but I could tell they didn't quite believe it. I had a feeling I knew who to blame for this behavior, especially the wording- but I couldn't bring myself to feel angry about it. Just, sad.
Mr.Salty seemed more wanting of cuddles that night. I would have said it was weird of him a few weeks ago, but I'd started to get used to sharing my bed with him. He started this routine a little while ago, where he'd be with Baihe until she went to bed, then he'd show up when I finally decided to go to bed. Like he knew my routine and waited. Smart cat is what I chalked it up as.
I was glad he was there actually, even if I got his fur a little wet.

---

Mk was gone for the whole day today, all the way until the night came. No one knew where he was, he wouldn't answer his phone, nothing. We would have asked Monkey King, considering he was supposed to be with him today, but the trip over would take too long, and he didn't exactly have a phone. I'd taken a detour, uninterrupted this time, to the dojo. I was supposed to pick up Baihe from the senior center in a few minutes, and I was nearly there before my gut told me to check. I was fully prepared to get snapped at, or have Macaque shoving his staff in my face again, but there was nothing. It was quiet as a graveyard. They weren't there. Neither of them were.
Mei called then, asking me if I'd talked to Mk at all today. Then you, saying he didn't show up to work today. I felt like ice was poured over my head when I turned around again, riding back in the direction of the senior center. I was spam calling him, I knew I was, but I couldn't help it. Something felt horribly wrong, but the words wouldn't leave my chest. Baihe knew something was up- I didn't take her to the shop even once during this whole ordeal, scared Mk might hurt her feelings in his state. It was hard to imagine he ever would, but with the fact I got the brunt of being snapped at, I couldn't be certain. When I pulled up to the shop instead of going home, she was honestly excited at first- until we walked in and everyone was already there, looking more anxious than ever. She didn't understand why until she noticed Mk wasn't there at all.
We all waited together at the shop until it was sunset. Some of us had paced lines into the floor. Mei picked at her phone case so often that she'd ripped it trying to keep Baihe distracted with silly animal videos. We'd all tried calling on our own, and gave up for awhile- but you decided to give it one last try, pulling out your phone with a determined look in your eye. You were about to punch in your code, when the shade for the door shifted.

All eyes snapped to look, and low and behold, there he was. Mk, all limbs attached. He looking far worse than I'd ever seen him before, holding his ribs and stomach, almost limping, but alive and present.
BaiHe was on her feet in an instant, a smile so wide that it ran up to her ears. She hurried to him, arms ready to give him the biggest Baihe hug ever- but she halted, skidding on the tile. She stared, openly, before shrinking into herself. Through half lidded eyes, he looked to her, giving the barest hint of a smile before grimacing and shuffling past. Baihe followed at his heels until he sat down. We all watched, eyes wide like a ghost entered the room. Pigsy was hurrying for hi first aid kid on the wall. It was probably almost empty with how often he had to patch us up.
"MK, are you okay?" She asked quietly, as if speaking too loud would hurt him too. He had his face in his palm, before slowly resting his head onto the counter, feeling the cold against unseen bruises in his skin.
"So...bad news." He said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Macaque is evil." He told the room blandly. There was a chorus of mixed reactions, but all seemed to lean pretty heavy on the, 'yeah, we kind of saw that coming,' spectrum. I could only stare, before monotonously making my way into the kitchen, passing Pigsy as he wiggled his way out. I pulled open the freezer door, digging through the assortment of frozen goods as conversation progressed. A part of me was relieved my suspicions and concerns weren't just paranoia, or me thinking too far into it. The entire situation did feel inherently wrong, but I didn't trust myself to voice it the way I should have. I'd tried- and both times, I was snapped at, either by Macaque, or Mk.
I stood straight, closing the freezer with a bag of frozen peas in hand. When I'd walked back in, I faintly noticed you having taken Baihe off to the side to the dining tables, talking softly to her. If I wasn't so stuck on autopilot, I would have likely been more reactive to seeing my little girls eyes full of tears. Walking up to Mk's side, he nearly flinched seeing me beside him. I stared even more, before looking down, eyeing the bruises up and down his arms and the side of his head.
"Hey Cheese..." He murmured. I didn't answer. I held out the peas. He was quiet, but slowly accepted them with a small thank you and pressed them to his chest. I stepped back, and his eyes followed. I didn't meet his gaze. He sagged a little noticing that, but said nothing. When I turned, ready to walk further away, I found you and Baihe walking up to me. I blinked, confused, before willing myself to come out of autopilot as best I could. Baihe fiddled with her fingers and sleeves, biting her lip and looking anywhere but me. With a gentle hand on her shoulder and some encouraging words, she finally spoke.
"ZaZa?" Her voice was meek. She didn't want to be in trouble. You moved your hand from her shoulder to rest on her head.
"It's okay, BaiHe. You're not gonna get in trouble. I'll steal you if you do, and you can live with me." You'd joked, and that seemed to cheer her up slightly. I rose a brow, confused on what could possibly make her think she'd get in trouble for.
She nodded and clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to ready herself.

"MISTERSALTYISMACAQUE-" She shouted quickly, before hiding in her jacket.
My heart felt like it fell through the floor. I was frozen for a moment, before slowly looking to you. I must have lost some color. You grimaced sympathetically, before moving to explain; "So, the cat you've named Mr. Salty? Apparently, that's Macaque. Wait. Macat. Heh."
"Ev, focus-" Pigsy scolded, leaning over the counter. "This is serious."
"Yeah, I know, sorry. BaiHe told me when we first saw Macaque that he'd revealed himself to her...the day we had our run in with Spider Queen. From what she told me, he didn't want her to tell Cheese because he wanted it to be a surprise. BaiHe swears up and down that he hasn't hurt her, but I made her promise me that if he hurt Cheese or MK that she'd have to fess up." The run in with Spider Queen?... My brain was running as rapidly through memories as possible.
The door.
The icy feeling was back again, stronger than before. My heart rate picked up, and I couldn't look anywhere but the floor.
The door, the door, the door-
"Keep an eye on her for me, okay? I'll be back soon,"
The flash of violet eyes, the figure in the dark, looming over her asleep in her favorite bean chair, the fucking tail-
"OHHH Macat, I get it." I heard Mk faintly say. It felt like my ears were filling with water, sloshing storms rising in my head.
"Does that mean he can't visit anymore?" BaiHe asked meekly. I couldn't see her, my eyes foggy with the memory that kept me up for weeks. The danger she had been in- that I put her in.
"I'm afraid so, kiddo." Pigsy said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took in the information. "He's dangerous, which means that if he keeps visitin' you and Cheese, he could hurt you."
He was in my house-
I felt on the verge of collapse.
"What's wrong with a little extra help?"

"It's your punishment for not listening to Cheese when they wanted you to take a break." Pigsy chimed, cutting through the white noise. I jerked. I was shaking, I was shaking so hard. I clenched my fists to steady it, but my breathing felt shallow and uneven.
"Ev," I managed to choke out. You looked at me, curious. Then concerned. "Can Baihe stay over at your place for a little bit?..." I couldn't talk any louder, bordering on a whisper. "Feel like her and Bolin haven't hung out in awhile, and the shop is kinda crazy right now." I felt like I was running for excuses. By the look on your face, I think you already knew that.
"Please." My voice cracked with the word. I didn't want her to be there, not at the shop. Not where I knew he was probably waiting, ready to pretend and cozy up as he always did.
The mysterious, grumpy little stray, what a part he could play.
The sudden feeling of needing to heave up my guts took over, and I turned for the door, needing air.
"Zaza?" Baihe called as I hunkered onto the sidewalk, feeling the concrete. Hard, cold, steady. I heard you take over talking to her, but whatever was said missed my ears. The shadow of a body was ahead, hidden and blending with the alley way across the street. I watched it from over my arms and through my lashes, watching as it changed shape, morphing into a slim body of a cat, and taking off in a bound, further into the dark.

---

The next week was also rough. You'd agreed to take in Baihe, though you were hesitant. Baihe and Bolin were ecstatic to have such a long sleepover for the time, and I was grateful for the lack of pressure to pretend all was fine. Turns out, Mr.Salty- or, well, Macaque was more persistent then ever. Determined to keep up his little disguise, to keep what was his routine in the months of playing literal house. He and I both knew the ruse was up, but it didn't seem to stop him. I think I chased him with a broom more often than I would've liked, and within the first few days, he stopped using the cat form altogether. No matter what I did, no matter what locks or alarms I put in, he still got in. It drove me nuts on how until I finally caught him. Y'know all those shadows I'd been seeing everywhere? Made me think I was going batshit insane? I was cooking myself food in the kitchen at three in the morning when the shadow on the wall slowly grew a hand and stole the sliced cheese off the counter.
Doubly grateful Baihe wasn't there, because I cussed like a sailor who'd stubbed his toe, and I didn't need her hearing or repeating the profanities I'd been screeching. Exhaustion and defeat rang true, as that same night I left an extra bowl at the other end of the table for him. I couldn't stand the fact that I did, but food was food, and I'd made enough for two anyhow.
The next day, Mk announced he was going on retreat to Flower Fruit Mountain for a few days to fix his training. It wasn't bad, but he had some burned into his brain habits that he needed adjusted. Mk was glad to give everyone hugs, but it didn't miss anyone that he hesitated when he got to me. We both stood a moment. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, unsure as I fidgeted with my bandages. With a deep sigh, I reached out, taking him by the arm and tugging him into my arms. He was stiff as a board at first, but melted immediately, hugging back so tightly I think my back popped.
I couldn't help laughing as he rubbed his head into my shoulder, gladly squeezing him back. He breathed a small sigh of relief, and I found myself doing the same.
"You take care of yourself over there, okay?..." I told him as he pulled away. He smiled wide, saluting, "Will do!" I smiled back, nodding, saluting too.
As he got ready to go, he blew on a hair and gave us a clone just in case. We waved him bye, wishing him all the luck.
When I turned, I was surprised to find you looking so tired. I couldn't tell if it was both the kids running you ragged or not, but I couldn't help but nod in sympathy.
"Maybe we should just take a nap day today." I joked as we all headed back to the shop.

Be it wonderful and on point for plot that the second Mk leaves, everything goes to shit. We didn't even get to be in the shop for longer than two hours before all hell broke loose.
Bull clones, everywhere. Worse than the first DBK takeover ever had been. Sandy took the kids, locking up at the docks, determined to keep them safe while we turned the shop into a makeshift hideout, barring the windows and doors. You'd been injured at some point, wrapping half your head and your eye. Pigsy and I insisted we take a look at it, but you were hellbent on keeping us from it, insisting you already had it and it was fine. We had to cave in due to yelling made the bull clones stalk up to the door like a stalking zombie hoard.
I had flashbacks to one of my favorite videogames, L4D, and immediately was petrified by images of the bull clone zombies evolving and mutating. That did not help with my stress levels, but hey, apocalypse fits go hard.
Now was just a matter of how to survive this, end this, and how soon Mk would get back.
If only three days was faster than it actually was.

 

[FandomTrash149]

The morning I'd awoken from that dream, I was...on edge, to say the least. I had to keep reminding myself that BaiHe was safe. Sandy's ship was the safest place she could be. She'll be fine. While I was on watch, I traced the bandage I'd applied. With everything happening, I couldn't let you guys worry about something else. I'd deal with it by myself. I just had to figure out what was going on, and that started with finding out what this ring was. When everyone was awake, we'd hopped into the Noodle Truck that Sandy had fortified. We were trying to help other people as well, getting them to safe areas.
At some point, we'd crashed into a small horde of possessed bull clones, sending them flying into the air. I'd climbed on top of the truck, to see why we'd stopped and-
"MK!" I shouted, stumbling down and hugging him. "Thank fuck you're back, dude!"
"Guys!" MK let out a laugh as he admired our outfits. "You look awesome!"
"Yeah..." Mei said, hopping in front of MK and sheathing her blade. "So, uh...some stuff happened while you were away. Got kind of...intense"
"But I left you with one of my boys?" MK said, head tilted like a puppy.
"Oh he's been super useful." Tang mused, glancing at the clone in the passenger seat beside him.
"I dunno what to tell ya, man." And with a poof, all that was left was hair. Good riddance to that guy, if you ask me. Now, we had the real MK back!
"So, what happened??" MK asked, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. "AND WHY DO YOU HAVE YOUR EYE COVERED-"
"Well, after you left-" The sound of a gay nerd clearing his throat interrupted Mei as Tang slid over.
"If you'll allow me?" Mei and I groaned, but let the man proceed.
"Well, after you left, the bull clones attacked. But they were different. More powerful than before. We believe it's all tied back to the Demon Bull King himself. MK...He's conquered everything."
MK's face paled, and he looked to me.
"I uhm...just got injured. It's nothing serious, but better safe than sorry...heh..." Clearly nobody was buying this, but I was stubborn so they didn't push further. MK let out a deep sigh, a slight rumble coming from his throat.
"Where is he?" He asked. I don't think I've ever seen him this serious before... "Where's DBK?"
"We're not sure." Sandy said with a shake of his head, holding Mo in his arms. "But there's some pretty scary noises comin' from the mountain."

We'd all hopped into the truck, and I was in the back with you. Despite the swerving, and chaos from outside, I could see that you were panicking. You had every right to be! The stray cat you'd let into your home was actually a stray monkey who tried to kill MK! And now, we're going down to face DBK. I reached out to you, bumping my knuckles with yours.
"Hey..." I spoke in english, giving you a slight smile. "We're gonna be okay. MK's back with new training moves, and he'll kick ass like he always does." I tried not to let it show that not even I fully believed in those words, but with a jolt the truck stopped, abruptly ending my speaking. I'd sat up, now wielding a crowbar. Bolin had my hoverboard, just in case he and BaiHe needed to make a getaway.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Asked big blue. Ah, right, they'd all insited on being in the front.
"Uh...I dunno." MK said with a shrug. "I was just gonna...wing it?"
"Sounds great!" Sandy said as Mei offered a hyped up 'YEAH'. "Let's go!"
"What!? No!" MK scrambled, eyes wide. "I didn't mean you guys, too!"
"You thought you were going without us?" Tang asked, pushing up his glasses.
"MK, we get it." Pigsy said, hands still gripping the steering wheel. "You're the Monkie Kid, hah? And it's your job to fight the bad guys."
"But we're your team, little man!" Sandy chimed in, Mo on his shoulder. "It's our job to get ya there!"
"No matter what!" Mei slid in. I rested a hand on MK's shoulder.
"And besides, we're your friends. We're gonna help you the best we can." I said, looking at him with a smile and a firm nod.
MK looked around at all of us, his eyes watering at he smiled.

The engines revved as Pigsy hit the gas, and the truck flew onto the road beneath, now having to avoid one of the bull cars.
"LOOK!" Tang shouted, pointing at the window. "DBK's throne room! It's got to be down tHEEERRREEE-" His voice changed in tone as the bull car was now at our side, ready to ram into our truck. And it did, a couple times before we'd been grabbed by Sandy right before the truck exploded and we were booking it towards the bull car. Sandy leapt up, and I had to hold tight onto him because my gods did he go high, and came down with a ground shattering punch, effectively smashing the bull car. We jumped off of. Sandy and dove head first into the cavern, only for Mei to stab her sword into the wall to stop us from falling to our death. MK clung to her leg with one arm, you'd clung to him, and I was barely clinging to you.
"Now what?" MK asked and I sighed. Right, we were winging it. We really needed to start doing plans. Something caught my attention though, but none of you seemed to hear it.
Traitor...T r a i t o r...
The same word repeated over and over in the back of my mind. Something knew it wasn't for me, but if it wasn't then who...? I closed my eyes, trying to zone in on the voice when-oh god. Oh god no- Mei's phone started ringing and my grasp on you was slipping.
Let go...Let go.
I looked up at you and your grip on my arm was slipping.
"Dingo, bud? Do you trust me?" I asked, being met with a look of confusion. "Let me go. I'll be fine, I promise." I let go of your arm as the bull clones' eyes all started to glow the same shade of blue I'd been seeing for the past week or so. As they jumped, your hold on me slipped and I fell backwards, plummeting down. I braced myself for some form of impact, and shut my eyes for good measure. A cold touch caught me, and I jolted as I fell with it. I dared not open my eyes, but when the thing that grabbed me hit the ground, it smashed the ground beneath it. Then? I was dropped flat onto my back. I took a few deep breaths. Okay. I was still alive. Not for long, since you'd probably kill me for scaring you like that. I'd landed not too far from DBK and his family, because I could see them in the distance. But they were...fighting? As I gripped my crowbar and moved closer, Ironfan blocked an attack from DBK, who's eyes were glowing bright blue. Redson was knocked back onto the ground and bounced a few times. I'd started to run towards them when MK crash landed into the ground, holding onto you to make sure you didn't bare the brunt of the impact. He was mostly indestructible now, after all.
"MK! Cheese!-" I'd gasped, running over to making sure the two of you were okay.
"The little thief." Ruh oh, that didn't sound good. I looked up, and DBK had his head in his grasp, his eyes returning to normal for a moment, before glowing once again. As MK did a couple short stretched, DBK zeroed in on him.
"Sun Wukong! Come to lock me away again? I'll crush you where you stand!" Blue energy swirled around DBK, as he started to become stronger.
"Wukong?" MK asked, shaking his head. "Uh, I think you got the wrong guy. Are you feelin' okay, bud?"
"Guys, I don't think he's-" I'd started to speak as MK reached for the staff, but cut myself off when DBK was now charging at us. I grabbed you and yanked you out of the way as MK scrambled in his own escape.
"Mother, what are you-" I looked up as Ironfan used her fan to create wind blades that launched at her husband, but maneuvered behind him, exploding machinery as another gust of wind picked us up and brought us out of the blast radius. Okay, something was definitely up. DBK had to have been possessed or something.
"The canisters." Ironfan spoke, ready to defend or attack. "The power inside has driven him mad." More voices in the back of my head as I got onto my feet, gripping the crowbar.
"Alright." MK said, lifting his staff. "Time for round two."
"No." Redson put his arm in front of us. "This time, we fight with you." He shot himself forward with flames and I leapt into action as well. I knew there wasn't much I could do, but I could at least try. Redson hit the ground, dust and debris obscuring DBK's vision. I dug through my hair, pulling out... oh sick! Paint bomb! I threw it up and batted it with my crowbar, hitting DBK in the chest. I smiled, since I usually sucked at batting. I glanced at Redson, who was now staring at me.
"What? Somn' on my face?" I asked, wiping my cheek with my arm. Ironfan had used her fan to create a whirlwind around her husband, but all efforts were in vain.
"You will meet your fate together!" DBK roared, taking the power surrounding him and expelling it, launching us back. I landed on the ground between Ironfan and Redson-wait where were you and MK-OH SHIT MY CROWBAR- The voices were louder this time, but they weren't coming from me. Whatever was possessing DBK...could it possess me too? Would I become destructive and hurt you and the others? I didn't have much time to linger on these thoughts, as a rock hit DBK in the back of the head. We all turned our gaze to MK, who'd had stockpiled on rocks.
"Yeah!" He shouted. "I got more rocks where that one came from!" DBK shoved him into the wall with his hand, and I'd gotten onto my feet, leaning against a piece of rubble as I caught my breath. My eye started to tingle, and I grasped at the bandage. No, please don't. Not now, I needed to help MK- When I'd focused in again, hair was falling around DBK and MK had said something I didn't quite catch. Oh wow that is a lot of MK's, oh my gosh that's your dream isn't it??? MK was launched towards DBK, shattering the canisters as they bounced to the ground and exploded. Debris fell around us, and I'd spotted you inspecting the canisters- well, what was left of them anyhow. Whispers of freedom lingered in the back of my head and the bandage fell off my face and I'd grabbed at it- briefly making eye contact with Redson as I felt the blue cracks close themselves and returned my eye to normal. I looked away, gripping the bandage tightly. I was not going to let this thing take me. I couldn't. I wasn't going to hurt you guys. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. With the swirl of wind, the Bull Family was gone and MK was groaning about it, just barely dodging a piece of debris.

When we were back on the surface, I shoved the bandage into my pocket, not ready to face any questions about my eye. And unluckily, I didn't have to. I saw Bolin running towards us and I smiled but-wait. Where's BaiHe? Bolin grabbed my by the shoulders, and if he'd had the mechanisms for it he'd be crying. He grunted something to me, and my eyes widened, tears welling up in my eyes.
"G-guys...BaiHe's missing."

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

Let go...Let go.
I looked up at you and your grip on my arm was slipping.
"Dingo, bud? Do you trust me?" I asked, being met with a look of confusion. "Let me go. I'll be fine, I promise." I let go of your arm as the bull clones' eyes all started to glow the same shade of blue I'd been seeing for the past week or so. As they jumped, your hold on me slipped and I fell backwards, plummeting down. I braced myself for some form of impact, and shut my eyes for good measure. A cold touch caught me, and I jolted as I fell with it. I dared not open my eyes, but when the thing that grabbed me hit the ground, it smashed the ground beneath it. Then? I was dropped flat onto my back. I took a few deep breaths. Okay. I was still alive. Not for long, since you'd probably kill me for scaring you like that.

Alright, being launched into a massive, deadly sinkhole was not on my checklist for experiences today, but y'know, here we are! Not much I could do now except keep as much of a death grip on you and Mk as possible. It was like an awful link chain, dangling several stories above any semblance of ground. It was so deep, doubled with mist, the bottom wasn't even visible from up here. Instant death lurked past the mist for any average human or low ranking demon. Even as we dangled, Mk couldn't help but ask.
"So... uh- now what?"
I immediately grimaced. Mayyybbeee we should have thought this more through-

---

Far below, a different group conversed, coming upon a new turmoil unlike our own. The Demon Bull family was nothing short of tense. The head of the family, the beast himself, Demon Bull King, all but loomed before the holographic screens, displaying every inch of his conquest. His face was sour, brows downturned and furrowed harshly together, teeth grit and jaw clamped. His usual golden eyes were over taken by a sick, ice blue, reflecting the glow of the canisters embedded to his back. If he breathed, the jangling of bones within their glass containment could be heard. Though he scowled and growled, eyes never tearing from watching the carnage he'd brought, aided by this newfound power, this incredible energy- his son, his boy, Redson stuck close to his side with a gleeful twinkle in his eye. He was eager as he spoke, "Father! Let me go up there and destroy those-" He began, ready to provide his services, his strengths- His confidence was cut in the line as DBK threw his head backwards in a deep, bellyful laugh. It was cruel, the way he sounded, mocking and borderline manic.
"YOU?!" He'd howled, "Why would I trust you?!" He'd barked out, body hunched into himself like a rabid dog. The way he twitched, tensed and gnashed his teeth felt horrifically similar. Redson jerked in surprise, recoiling into himself at the sudden harshness. The entire base he'd built with his own two hands, deep in the lava bed, had already lost most of it's heat ever since that tomb had been opened- but now, with his father cackling at him in such a way, it felt like the room had only dropped further towards a freeze. The manic grin that stretched across his fathers face morphed as he ducked his head low to his chin, all teeth bared out to his molars and canines. Redson staggered away as his fathers maniacal laugh gave way to a snarl unlike any he'd ever heard before, especially not directed towards him.
"You have brought me nothing but failure!" The Bull Kings voice was so loud it rocked against the cavern walls, returning tenfold in an echo. Redson sucked in a lip, shoulders hiked. With a quiver, he ducked his head in what could only be described as shame as his father began to stalk closer, voice growing rougher in his rage, "Time and time again, nothing but DISAPPOINTMENT!" He berated, uncaring as Redson only shrunk further into himself, but didn't dare move away. His hands shook as they clenched into fists, claws digging deep in his palms as he fought to stay still and listen to his fathers fury.
He sneered down at the young man now, finished with his short tirade, his lip curled in disgust. He began to turn, ready to look back once again on the carnage he inflicted. But he was caught by the whispers in his ears. They snuck in, soft as the breeze, growing louder. Like scratching at the back of his skull, burning into his cranium. He trembled as the words took hold. Louder and louder they grew, whispering and whispering until the one voice became many. Only one word was spoken like mantra to him.
traitor
he's a traitor
DBK stood stock straight, back as stiff as a board. His jaw trembled, and his hands shook as he stared ahead at nothing, succumbing to only hearing.
"Traitor?" He said, sounding strangled. Redson jolted, alarmed. "What?" He asked, disbelieving. "Yes, perhaps..." He started. The voices guided him, uttering nothing but praise as the mantra continued, "Yes, yes, yes-" Redson sputtered, utterly horrified. His heart thundered in his chest as he hurried to explain himself, correct his fathers sudden assumption, "N-no Father!" He exclaimed, ready to deny even the thought of such an act. He would never! How could he ever??
Bull King gave him no chance to speak, let alone explain- he rounded on him like a starving dog would over a leg of meat against another, smaller dog. His eyes were wild as he shouted, "You thought you could deceive me?? STAND AGAINST ME?!" His voice rose to almost a scream. He was screaming at Redson. Redson could hardly believe it, frozen in his spot, mouth agape. His eyes widened as his father reared back a mighty fist. He wouldn't... He couldn't! But even still, despite the thoughts of knowing his father, Bull King brought down his mighty fist. It approached so quickly Redson couldn't move if he wanted to.
Before it ever made contact however, the flash of his mother came into view. She was faster, faster than anything. Her winds carried her, and with a mighty swing, she held up her trusted weapon, her iron fan. Bull Kings fist made contact with such a force it sent off shockwaves, the metal unyielding. With the move halted, she lowered her fan, her gaze furious.
"Come to your senses!" She exclaimed, tapping her staff to the ground beside her. Her arms stuck out before her son, who could do nothing but watch on. "This power had poisoned your mind!" Her voice was stern, reaching. But Bull King could not hear her. He could hardly see her, hunched into himself. The blue in his eyes was stronger than ever, and so too were the voices.
traitor, traitor, traitor- they're all traitors
"Another traitor in my midst!" He screamed, nostrils flaring. IronFan continued to stand her ground. Her voice sounded close to breaking as she spoke again, brows knitted together, "I do not want to hurt you." She told him, as honest as she felt.
The wild laugh returned, bellowing from the Demon Bull Kings chest, "As if you could..."

---

The winds had noticeably picked up, but there wasn't much we could say or do against that, being in the position we were. All we really could do was hold tight to one another as we all wracked our brains for a plan.
"So..." Mei started slowly, " about getting down..." She asked awkwardly. "If you're friend jumped off a cliff, would you?" She laughed. My eyes widened. I mean, I knew the answer to that, but was now really the time to even think of considering it? Rolling my eyes, I adjusted my grip on both Mk and you, deciding that after that question I wasn't about to let either of you slip away. I'd of held onto Mei too, but that would just turn me into a pretzel and do us even less favors than we already had. Mk simply smirked at that, chuckling himself, before he suddenly jerked, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates.
"Uhhh... Guys??" He squeaked out. Mei made a small sound of confusion, and in moments our gazes followed up, perturbed by the sudden fearful silence Mk had fallen into. All of us released strangled gasps of fear and alarm. Bull clones. So, so many bull clones. Dormant for now, almost resting, but they lined almost the entirety of the cavern walls all around us like dolls lined up on shelves.
"What are we gonna do???" Mk partially screamed, partially whispered, already squirming. I grunted at this, bonking my head into his collarbone to get him to quit it. It was making Mei squirm herself, trying to hold her sort and the weight of all of us at once.
Be it our luck that Mei's ringtone decided to go off. As loudly as humanly possible.
Be it doubly our luck when it echoed right back, growing in sound ten fold to the point it the reverberations shook some pebbles off the walls. All of us paled to the color of printer paper. Like a scene from a videogame, eyes started to light up the walls all around a brilliant, lightning blue. Mei scrambled with one hand to dig her phone free from her jacket pocket, before fumbling it entirely, and proceeded to let go of the sword keeping all of us up to grab it with both hands-
My mouth opened in a silent scream as Mk yelped aloud, suddenly feeling the drag of gravity trying to pull us down for a lovely little meeting to the unforeseen ground below. OH HELL NO- He all but swam through the open air, launching upwards with a foothold in the wall to snatch the sword handle and Mei's ankle with his free hand. With both his hands occupied, I slipped downward and latched around his waist like a spider monkey, eyes probably bigger than my head.
"WOULD YOU TWO JUST SIT STILL FOR FIVE SECONDS??" I begged through my teeth, trying to tug you up and closer to my side- you seemed distracted, more so than Mei was as she hung completely upside down, checking her phone.
"Seriously?? An app update right now??" She asked in exasperation. Goddess I could relate to that. The lights of the bull clones were on full blast by now, and I could tell just about all of us were sweating bullets. A small tug on my arm had me looking down at you in an instant, worried you were about to fall.
"Dingo, bud? Do you trust me?" Was all you'd asked of me. My brows furrowed, feeling sweat build on my brow as I struggled to keep you in my grasp and not slip off Mk all at once.
"I mean- yeah, of course I do- but do you really need to ask that right now?" I said, trying to sound as genuine as possible despite the stress of this whole thing giving me gray hairs.
"Let me go. I'll be fine, I promise."
"Excuse me, you want me to what now??"
My heart rate was already going crazy, but the simple thought of even seeing you plummet by my choice or not was even more horrendous to me than an actual heart attack. Before I could really reply, you let go of me first. The sudden drop of disconnect had me jerking, sliding down Mk until I was hanging off his hip. I held tighter, gritting my teeth.
"Ev you can't be serious! I'm not doing that!" I damn near shouted, trying desperately to keep a grip on you. When your wrist began to slide, giving me only your hand, then just your fingers, creeping dread began to crawl up from my chest and into my throat.
"No- no no no no!" My hand suddenly felt empty, and I jerked to catch you again. Catch anything about you. My fingers brushed the sleeve of the brown aviator you'd picked up and never took off- but my hand still came up with nothing. You gave a slight smile as your hair flew free, caught in the wind the further down you went. My hand extended out to you, reaching as far as I could, almost letting go of Mk entirely as the bull clones began to leap off the walls with sounds unfit for the human ear. The outcries of Mk and Mei, the bull clones- far out shadowed my own as I screamed out to you.
The mist swallowed you whole.

I don't full remember how we got down there, the whole thing being a bit of a blur. I remember seeing two separate flashes. Gold from Mk as he gave Mei something of her own, and within the mists I couldn't stop staring into far below, lit up a brilliant blue. Through it's clouds, a figure was there. It was massive, brutish, but far different than the bull king with a spiked, swept to the side silhouette of hair. It was gone as quick as the light appeared. Then it was Mk and I who were free falling, and the ground came quick. When we made it, I found myself looking for you first. I heard Redson faintly speak, sounding a mix of relieved and startled, "Hover girl?? Nyoodle boy??" he'd called out. Why did that sound like bad super hero names in a Disney short?
The tears sprung to my eyes before I could stop them, seeing you standing, alive and well not that far from us. How the actual fuck did you do that? Did you have some crazy powers I didn't know about? From the looks of the crater you stood in, I felt about ready to believe it. Oh whatever! You were okay!
I'm absolutely going to kill you, what the hell were you thinking-
BUT FOR NOW YOUR OKAY, I LOVE YOU SO DAMN MUCH!!
NEVER DO THAT AGAIN OR I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS-
Lots of complicated emotions in the studio today, welcome to Inside Out 3.0
The second you got close enough I had all but launched out of Mk's arms and damn near tackled you right back to the ground. I tried to blink back any tears I could, burying my head in your shoulder. Once I figured I squeezed you enough, I pulled back, hands on your shoulders as I tried to catch my breath from either wanting to break down sobbing or screaming.
The urge to shake you like a maraca skyrocketed, so I very quickly had to let you go. Not the time! Later! Fight now, scold later! When we turned, DBK was already aware of us.
"The little thief." DBK snarled out overhead. I jumped, I won't apologize for it.
Did he get scarier?? Was I supposed to be aware we might need new pants after this??
Mk grumbled as he stood, looking as bad as one would expect after falling and landing back first from several stories. He moved to pop his back, and with a horrible crack, he wheezed, falling right back over. I winced. "Gimme a minute-" He choked out like he'd inhaled several lungful's of smoke. DBK made a horrible sound then. Torn between who to focus on, I voted to look to the biggest guy in the room. The creeping sense of dread never really would leave, would it? He clutched his head, eyes flashing and sparking. The canisters around the room began to pulse, glowing with the same light. Blue. Toxic, icey, beautiful blue. He looked in pain the longer it lasted. Gold, blue, gold, blue, gold- He threw his head back with an agonized roar, teeth bared to the nonexistent ceiling. When he finally looked back down, the blue in his eyes was potent, practically swimming with a mist from his mouth and nose.
"Hoo... okay! I think I'm ready to fight now!" Mk chimed, finally standing again, doing some stretches. Rolling his shoulders, the whole shebang to get into peak moving shape. But the interaction that transpired gave him no room to try.
The second DBK leapt into the air, crying out the name of his previous, most feared rival, I found you'd latched onto my arm and took off running in the opposite direction. Mk screamed like a girl (totally valid) before doing the same, hightailing it in a mad scramble opposite of us. The force of which DBK had struck the ground took us off our feet, literally. The feeling of weightlessness followed as IronFan once more stepped into play. The canisters along the walls from before, the pulsed with the inner battle DBK seemed to be fighting, took on the brunt of her ranged attack. We landed behind her, unsteady but fine. The same couldn't be said for IronFan, or Redson for that matter.
"M-mother?" He stuttered out, stepping up beside us, just behind his mother. He gave us a glance over, but nothing more. He was bruised and battered, scraped from his chin to his brow like he was dragged across the ground. The attack she sent out temporarily subdued the raging DBK, burying him under the pile of rubble that exploded in her wake. Mk was brought to us shortly after, hidden behind the safety of her billowing red skirt.

"The canisters." She said, putting us all at attention. She was held taught like the string of a bow, bent low at the knees and waist, ready to launch into attack should she need to. Permanently on the defensive. "The power inside has driven him mad." She told us firmly. "We need to destroy them." DBK began to pull himself from the rubble now, the canisters upon his back more bright and visible than ever. It wasn't long before he stood to attention, eyes unseeing but very aware of where we were. He turned, launching onto his hands. With all four limbs, he charged, claws pushing so strongly into the ground to gain speed he left deep grooves in the rock and metal. Both you and Mk rose to your feet, you gripping your found crowbar, and Mk his staff. Looks of determination gleamed in your eyes. Unsteadily, I rose too, unsure. What could I even do, here?

"Alright." MK said, lifting his staff. "Time for round two."
"No." Redson cut in, stepping forward. He held an arm out before us all, standing near side by side with his mother. He glanced back, making firm eye contact with you, before he looked upon Mk. "This time, we fight with you." With those words, he took off in a blast of fire. Iron Fan stood behind, looking upon us all.
"You have one shot." She informed us.
"Make it count."
The trust she was putting into us was so unbelievably palpable that the hair on my arms stood on end with chills. She was trusting us with this? Why would she ever? How would we even do this? Could we do this??
"We don't have a choice." I murmured aloud, coming to the conclusion, watching her back as she took off after her son. They clashed with DBK immediately. A family forced to go against each other in such a way; was heartbreaking. You and Mk took her words to heart, immediately diving into the action. You dug through your hair, and much to my surprise, out came a literal bomb. It was small, and round and shape like a bouncy ball. With a toss, you eyeballed it, reared back, and swung like your life depended on it. It nailed right on. The second it was flying, I cheered not far behind you, watching as it splattered across DBK's chest in a colorful pink explosion. OOOO glitter paint!
Redson, who had been mid-swing to punch back his father, turned with wide eyes, staring at the direction it came from. Carrying your crowbar like a baseball bat was enough of a clue as any. He couldn't believe he, the literal embodiment of flame was saying this- but that was hot.
It didn't even seem like something he could think, but he saw it, he witnessed, and he was the judge. It was incredibly hot. But he didn't have time to gawk, heading back into the heat of the battle.
But the battle lasted no more than a minute before we had to dive for cover. I'd hurried behind a rock shelf sticking up from the ground, ducking away from the wind that had no where else to go, uncontained from the failed whirlwind IronFan had whipped up. Everyone came flying through, landing heavy across the ground. I jolted as Mk came bouncing over the rock I hid behind, landing several feet ahead of me as DBK continued to yell and scream. Something about fate. Redson, despite being heavy and beaten, had hovered over you against the force of the gusts, choosing to shield you from the sheer power of the leftover wind and rubble with his body. He would never truly know why he did what he did, but what's done is done. Mk began to sit up as I leaned over, taking him by the arms and hauling him closer to my safe spot. He huddled close, back tucked against the rock as he breathed.
"I have an idea." I told him. "I don't know how well it will work- but please, goddess bare with me-" I hurried, scrambling to assemble any sort of plan. I didn't have much time, practically none. None of us did, so I sputtered what I could out to Mk. Iron Fans words continued to ring in my mind; one shot. We had one shot, we had to make it count, or it's game over.
A sudden feeling of helplessness threatened to choke me out. I couldn't fight. I had no weapons, no powers, nothing. Just some idea that I'd barely had any time to put together and all the hope I could muster that it had to work. As I rambled, I gathered rocks around my feet, bits of rubble and fly away. I pointed, moving rapidly, hoping to everything out there I made sense. The anxiety and dread was so bad I felt like I could heave my guts and quake out of my skin.
Mk listened though, and with the few seconds to spare, we split.
"Just one shot,"

I dove to IronFan as Mk disappeared elsewhere, carrying with him several small puffs of gold. Her eyes were glued to DBK, looking as helpless as I felt. A hand at her back had her jerking, glancing me from the side of her eye. I did my best to look encouraging, or even comforting. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even expect to touch her let alone be near her, but I did what I could with the cards I was dealt. With a stagger, I looped her arm over my shoulder and helped her stand as you did the same with Redson, leaning against eachother mutually. We could do nothing but look ahead as DBK leered, stomping closer, and closer.
From the far side, a rock flew into view. It clonked against DBK's head with a hearty thunk. His head jerked sideways, pausing in his stride, before whirling around. I couldn't resist the smile making it's way to my lips at seeing Mk there, standing high up on a rockface not unlike the one from earlier. In his hand, another rock that he tossed playfully up and down within his grasp. My smile widened seeing the rockpile. Ironfan peered at me curiously, then to Mk, unsure of what to make of any of this. Noticing her skepticism, I passed her a nervous shrug, my smile going crooked, "Trust the... process?..." I whispered to her uncertainly, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. It didn't do any favors when Mk was snatched up in a heart beat, slammed into the wall- she drooped minimally, coming close to accepting such a defeat.
"You have been an utter disappointment." DBK snarled, keeping Mk pinned below his grasp. "I had hoped you would have learnt more of the 'Great Sages' little tricks..." He clasped the boy in his fist, pulling him up to his face to the point where Mk's visage was aglow with the blue cast from DBK's eyes.
Mk suddenly gave a look of indifference, pulling free like a noodle in his grasp and leaning casually over his fingers.
"I dunno what to tell you, dude." He'd said with a sigh. DBK growled, lifting his fist, his grip tightening. My heart was in my throat seeing this- with a thumb raised, Mk squawked, "No, wait!-" He started, before DBK dug his thumb downward and squished him until he- with a pop of gold light, hair exploded from the demon bulls fist. He spluttered in alarm, yelling out a furious, "WHAT?!"
IronFan gaped, leaning forward, looking to me quickly, then the hair that delicately fell.
Then the glow returned.
"Yeah, turns out I did learn a few tricks." Mk called, his voice almost all around.
All eyes shot up as he appeared, clones exploding left and right into existence, all with the same determined gleam in their eyes and a smirk.
"Here, comes... MONKIE KID!!"
In a startling dance and glowing array, the clones got to work. Coming down from the ceiling, they descended upon him in an instant, and not before long, the canister was finally, truly rid of.

---

The gust from the explosion was something else, sending a freeze straight through our clothes. My chest felt strange after the ordeal as Ironfan staggered from me towards the downed bull king. She was cautious, but moved with a certainty that couldn't be questioned. No matter how beaten she was, she moved with a grace unmatched. Words were said as the once possessed bull king came to, but in the end, she pressed her head to his, hands against his cheeks. His eyes were glossy as she held close, but the winds swept in before we could know anything else.
I approached the canisters during the ordeal, staring into the remains. Bone fragments lingered, alongside some strange, blue mist and a permanent cold. My eyes narrowed to hone in on the details, to make sense of what I saw, what I felt, what had transpired- but the appearance of Mei in the collapsing cavern gave me no time to look further. She scooped us all up and got out of there without a second to spare. When we got to the surface again, it was a relief to see the clouds begin to clear and the bull clones lose their power, crumbling to the ground like puppets without string. Sighs of relief were like a choir amongst our group. I could have laughed after all was said and done. But this was a happy ending never to come.
Bolin appeared then, running like his life depended on it. Or someone else's.
He was hysterical, trying to make the words come out, even without the proper voice. Even his little metal limbs shook before you had to steady him from collapse. Whatever you'd gleaned from him had you pale as a sheet.
I approached, already worried out of my mind.
"What's happening? Bolin are you okay?" I asked, already trying to hover, to check the little bull boy myself as he cowered in your arms. You turned, eyes wide and lip quivering.
I stared back at you, seeing an almost haunted look staring back.
"G-guys..."
I wish I was ready for what you said next. But I knew I never would be.
"Baihe's missing."

---

[ back on sandy's ship, an hour prior ]

The blasts were getting louder than ever. Some were so strong the residual shockwaves rocked the boat and made the waters at the dock unsteady. The lights even flickered as screams continued on outside. Baihe and Bolin were huddled in the lower deck, hands over their heads and ears, huddled in front of the couch on the floor. The cats sat close to them, unsure where to go. The windows had been boarded by the two of them alone, Sandy having left to help the others. He promised he'd be back, and that they would be okay as long as they stayed on the ship. It was hard to believe though, as the longer the two were left alone, the worse the outside world became. It was like a waking nightmare they couldn't hide from. Baihe tried to be brave, sucking in her lip and biting, trying to keep away the tears as she held her hands tightly over her ears. Bolin tried to comfort her, but to no avail, finding he was as scared as she was. What could they do?
Who could they cry to other than each other?
No one to tell them it was okay, and no way to believe each other when they tried to extend the comforts themselves. Baihe tried to do something I would do when she was scared, huddling close to Bolin's side and hugging him like a lifeline. She hummed and whispered a song, even when her voice shook and trembled. It almost settled them enough to the point where they could stop crying- but it wasn't enough. Another blast and crash outside shook the boat again, knocking them over. Glass shattered off the counter. Another teacup gone. Baihe screamed, unsure what else to do as she lost her spot, back flat against the ground. It felt like forever before the outside calmed down enough for the two kids to even hear themselves think. As they sat, hiding nearly under the table, Baihe found herself thinking. Her little mind raced. Where was everyone? Were they okay? Was I okay? Was someone going to come back for them?
Baihe choked on a sob, tugging her hair. This stunk! It really stunk! Everytime there was danger, she was always just shoved away- but even then, there was always someone with her! There was always a grownup, someone who knew better, someone who could tell her what to do, that everything was going to be okay! But now there was no one. No one but Bolin, and he'd never left Ayi Evee's apartment before! How could this be the first time he comes out?
Baihe glanced at the little bull boy, feeling her heart pinch in her chest as he cowered beside her, hands over his head and face in his metal padded knees. She wanted to be big and strong for him, to be as brave as brave could be. She had to be the grownup in this situation, but how? She didn't have any idea how to be like a grownup!
The quiet outside after so long of chaos started to make her feel restless.
Was Zaza okay?... The thought brought burning to her eyes. Furiously, she rubbed it away. Of course Zaza was okay! They were strong, she saw it everyday! Plus, Zaza was with the others, there's no way they'd let anything happen to them, and the others would do the same. She felt confident we were going to be okay. But then another thought came to mind that had her feeling chills.
What about Gramps?

Baihe shot to her feet in an instant. Bolin jerked, blurrily looking up at her in confusion. Baihe clutched her chest, trying to calm her heart. Oh no. No, no, no- what about gramps? Gramps couldn't protect himself at all! He could hardly hold his spoon anymore! He was just an old grandpa, so old he could be part dinosaur! Baihe looked around wildly, feeling her breathing rise in tempo. She had to check on him! Gramps would know what to do, but... but!
Bolin reached out to her and she tugged her bangs, ready to start pacing, a habit she'd picked up. He gently took the hem of her pink skirt, making a small noise of concern. She looked to him quickly, eyes wide. She was breathing heavy.
"Bolin- Bolin, Bolin- I- I have to do something-" She told him quickly, hunkering to his level. She took him by the shoulders, looking him square in his digital eyes, broken up by glitches from his high emotional state. He blinked to clear them, but some still remained. "I've got to check on my Grandpa." She said. Bolin jumped, his eyes going wide. He began to shake his head furiously, waving his hands. But she'd already made up her mind.
"I'll take one of Sandy's cats with me. They'll keep me safe, I know it!" She said, moving to stand. Bolin grabbed her cardigan, the soft buttercup yellow weaving rumpled by his grip. His voice box pushed towards pleading he couldn't make the words too, begging. She looked to him, sadness and uncertainty written on her face. But she was stubborn in this. She had to check, she had to see Gramps.
No matter how much Bolin pleaded, she began to grab a few things, leaving her bag on the couch. She picked up a sandy colored tabby in her arms, hurrying up the stairs and pulling down the boards. Bolin chased after her heels, his voice box practically cutting out as he tried to yell after her. She stopped him, rushing out the door and slamming it in his face. The rolling handle locked into place, heavy as can be. She stood to her tiptoes as Bolin banged on the metal from the other side, peering through the circle window.
"It's okay! I know the way! I'll be back before you know it!" She promised. "You have to stay here- if I'm not back within an hour- uh- it's okay! Nevermind, I'll be back Bolin, I promise!" She yelled, her voice muffled through the door. Bolin continued to beat at it to the point of denting, his voice echoing back at him tenfold in the small stairwell. He tugged, turned and pulled, but the wheel to the door barely budged. Baihe gave him a small look of pity, sad to be leaving him. But with the kitty in her arms, she set off, running across the deck and clambering down the ramp to the loading dock. Bolin could do nothing but scream after her through the door, watching her inky black hair fly behind her before she disappeared from sight altogether.

It took him too long before he finally got the door down, but he never looked back as he ran.
It'd been longer than an hour.

 

[FandomTrash149]

I held Bolin tightly as he shook in my arms. After the months of living with him, he was practically my son! I’d started to learn to understand him, despite his lack of words. He frantically explained everything that had happened, and apologized over and over. I held him tightly as he shrunk into me.

“BaiHe ran off with one of Sandy’s cats.” I said shakily, holding Bolin as close to me as physically possible. “Sh-she was worried about her grandfather…and she’d locked Bolin in so he couldn’t chase after her…” I saw the skeptical look in Pigsy’s and Tang’s eyes, but I trusted Bolin and they trusted me. “It’s okay, baby…” I whispered to the shivering bot who kept apologizing. “We’ll find her. I promise.” I placed a kiss to the top of his head before looking at you. “Hey, can you take him back home for me? We’ll start the search as soon as possible, but you’re in no condition to do that right now.” I looked over at the rest of the group. “And quite frankly, neither are any of you. Get a few hours rest. I’ll give us at least a bit of a head start.”

“You don’t look too good yourself, Ev.” Mei said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, kid. Let’s get your injuries checked out first-“
“No.” I said. “I’ve gotta find her. Cheese isn’t in any condition to go searching right now. I need you guys to keep an eye on them and Bo.”


“And what exactly are you going to do?” Tang asked, arms hidden in his sleeves with a skeptical brow raised.
“…I have a lead.” I said. “S-sort of. I’m gonna find Redson, or Ironfan or DBK. Whatever was possessing DBK might have something to do with this.” I’d handed Bolin off to MK, whistling for my hoverboard. “I’ll be back in two hours. If I don’t return by then or I don’t call for a check in…Just.” My hands fidgeted, curling into fists and stretching out again. “I-I’ll be back, or I’ll at least call to check in. I promise.” I placed a kiss to Bolin’s forehead, and zipped off before anyone could protest further.
I zipped back down into the crater, looking around.

“Redson?” I called out into the cavern, everything beaten and broken. “Anyone?” I walked closer to where the battle had just been, head on a constant swivel, searching for the slightest hint of movement. “Hello?” My voice echoed off the walls, almost deafening in my ears.
“What are you doing back here?” My head snapped to the source of the voice. Redson. He was crouched down, most likely inspecting the canisters, but his head faced me now.

“What happened?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “What-“ I choked on my own voice, fighting back tears. “What was possessing DBK?”

“I’m…not sure.” He responded, standing up. He tapped the knuckle of his forefinger to his chin as the gears turned in his head. It was clear he hadn’t expected me to come back here, as he looked between myself and the broken canisters a few times. He seemed to be debating on giving me the information he had. “Why?”
“I-“ My hands reached for my hair, tugging it over my eyes. I hated crying, especially in front of others. “I think…I think it took my niece.” Redson stood upright at that, eyebrows to his hairline in pure shock.
“You have a-“
“N-not by blood.” I clarified, looking at him through my hair and fingers. “Even though it feels like it… She… She lives with Cheese-er- the… the one with the orange hair. I-we’d placed her on a friends ship to keep her safe but she wasn’t there when we got there.” I didn’t know how he’d react to me having one of the bull clones that had malfunctioned, so I twisted the truth slightly. “We think it’s because she was worried about her grandfather…If whatever was possessing DBK got her-“ I hiccuped, tugging harder on my hair. “It’s all my fault. I-I should’ve protected her. I should’ve-“ I bit down hard on my lower lip. “Just-Please. I-I’m begging you. I-I’ll get on my goddamn knees if I have to- I just- I need to know everything you know. Please.” A heavy sigh came from Redson and I peeked at him through my hair.

“Fine.” He said, arms crossed. “But, you have to tell me what that is.” He was pointing at my hands. Right. The ring.
“Deal.” I said, wiping my eyes on my sleeves. We’d found some rubble to sit on, facing each other.
“The day we met, after our…loss.”
“After MK kicked your ass.” I tried with a forced smile.
“Do you want the information or not?”
“Right, sorry.” He cleared his throat.
“The day we’d suffered our first defeat at the hands of the nyoodle boy, father had raged. He destroyed had cracked the surface, and we’d found traces of what seemed to be an ancient power source. After…quite a bit of work, we found a tomb. The magic that sealed it was stronger than mother’s abilities, and it required a key.”
“The skull key…”
“Exactly. When we’d acquired it-“
“Stole it.”
“Acquired it. We opened the tomb and…the power source seemed to be…alive, almost. I heard faint whispers, and that was the day father had begun to change. That is…all I know at the moment.”

I stared at my lap, my hands gripping tightly at my pants. I should’ve fought harder to keep the key. If we’d just kept it, destroyed it, BaiHe might’ve been safe and we’d go back to our normal routine. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath. Brave face. I had to put on a brave face.

“I…I see. Thank you…for, uhm, telling me.” I looked at the ring on my left hand. “Now it’s my turn, I suppose.” I sighed, holding my hand out to show him the ring. “I…the day we got the key, it was given to MK by a guy who claimed to be the mayor. The key to the city, he’d called it. Soon after that, he’d disappeared into a cloud of smoke and I inspected where he had stood, but all I could find was thing ring. I thought it was cool, so I slipped it on. It was a stupid move, I know, but I wasn’t thinking at the time. I had suffered a sudden headache that was gone as soon as it came when I put it on.” My right hand reached to touch my forehead. “I…brushed it off then, but it must have been caused by the ring. Nothing really happened with it before you had showed up. When I tackled you to the ground- uhm, sorry about that by the way. It’s just, my niece was in the blast radius so I was on edge. Anyway…” I took another deep breath. “When I reached for the key, the ring flashed my eyes and another headache stabbed into my brain. It lasted a bit longer that time. I tried to take it off, but the damn thing is cursed. And…I’ve been having strange dreams recently. I’ve seen apparitions of my friends and people I don’t recognize. And I can’t interact with them, since they disappear when I try to touch them. But…I think…I’m glancing through time? I-I’m not exactly sure how to explain it. But…last night was the worst one. BaiHe was standing in front of me before she’d burst into blue flame and she’d changed entirely. I…I think whatever was controlling your father is connected to this ring…and I’m dreading the thought that BaiHe is now being possessed by it.”

Redson had taken my hand or his, inspecting the ring. “Hand holding already? Scandalous.” He looked up at me, flustered and sputtering. I couldn’t help but laugh, using my free hand to wipe tears from my eyes. “Sorry, sorry. If I get too in my feels I use humor to cope.” When he let go of my hand, I saw a glimpse of his. “Hold on.” I said, taking one of his hands in both of mine, holding it palm up. There were fresh wounds there, ones the size of nails…or claws. My shoulders dropped and I felt…calmer.
I let go of his hand and shuffled through my pockets. These things were deep. I pulled out a bandage roll and I then shuffled through my hair, pulling out the proper tape for it. When I looked at Redson, he looked confused. “Haha, yeah- So, my hair is thick enough to just put stuff in it. It…doesn’t weigh me down somehow.” I shrugged, now shuffling through my other pocket. I pulled out some disinfectant and a fresh roll of Cotten swabs. “Here.” I held out a hand to him, and he stared for a moment. He hesitated, but rested his hand in mine, palm up. “The day we met, and you burned my wrists, Pigsy taught me basic first aid. I’ve signed up for classes on how to do it properly, though.” I opened the disinfectant, placed a cotton swab on top, and flipped it upside down for a moment. I was sitting with my legs criss crossed, so I set the disinfectant between my calf and thigh.
“This usually stings for humans, but I’m not entirely sure if it would sting for a demon of your caliber.” I dabbed the cotton swab onto the freshly formed scabs. It looked like they’d only bled for a bit, and I knew nothing about how to help a demon with wounds, but it couldn’t hurt to try, right? I did the same treatment with his other hand. “Do you want me to wrap them in bandages?” I asked, tucking the used cotton swab into my pockets to throw away later. I closed up the disinfectant and shoved it back into my pocket. “It’d probably be unnecessary, considering I don’t know how fast demons heal, and they didn’t look too bad. But I’d be worried about picking at the scabs.” I lifted my bangs to show my forehead. “Got a lot of acne scars that way.” I let my bangs fall back into place. “But…it might be a good idea, since you work with mechanical stuff.” He was staring at me, eyes narrowed and scrutinizing. His eyebrows knitted together, causing small wrinkles around them. “I-uhm…did I say something wrong?” I asked, smiling nervously. “I-I’m sorry if I did-“

“No, you said nothing wrong.” He said, gaze still examining me. “I just can’t figure you out.”
“So is that a no on the bandages-“
“…It’s a smart idea.” He said after a few moments of silence, hesitantly extending his hands out to me again. I wrapped them just how you and Pigsy taught me. Tightly, but not suffocatingly so. I looked him over again.
"If it's not too much...could you show me your arms?" I asked, my voice barely even above a whisper. He seemed surprised I'd even asked such a thing, but hesitantly complied, taking off his jacket. I looked over his arms, and there were bruises and scrapes galore. I scooted a bit closer, turning his arm over. Nothing too bad, at least.

“The girl you were talking about…what does she look like?” He questioned. I blinked and looked up, unsure of how to answer.
“She’s a bit shorter than me, maybe up to my shoulder or a bit past that, she’s got long black hair and she usually wears a headband. And if I remember correctly, there’s a small scar on her left cheek from when she was trying to do a trick on my hoverboard unsupervised.” I relayed. “But…in the nightmare vision thing I had…she had changed. There was a white streak in her hair, and her hair was up partially and she was wearing a like, gods I don’t know how to describe it. She just…it wasn’t her. That wasn’t BaiHe.”
“So that’s why you believe she’s been possessed.” Redson mused, tapping the knuckle of his forefinger to his chin once more. I wondered how often he did that, and if he did it knowingly or not.
I nodded, moving to inspect his other arm. It was mostly the same as the last one, and I noted there were other scars that were from the past. I briefly recalled you telling me about the samadhi fire, but there were more recent ones as well. Probably with all the machines he makes, there's bound to have been thousands that have gone wrong. He let out a breath and I realized I'd started tracing one of the bigger ones. I pulled my hands back, cheeks flushing. "Sorry! Sorry." I apologized, looking to the side. "S-sorry. Uhm...do you get scars like that often...?" I still don't know why I asked, but the words came out before I could stop them.
"Sort of." He'd replied with a light shrug, and I honestly wasn't expecting him to. His tail lashed behind him slightly as he rolled his head around his shoulders. For a moment I couldn't stop myself from staring. Gods above he was...Beautiful. That's really the only word that described what I saw in that moment. "Do-" My voice cracked slightly, and I cleared my throat. "Do you wanna exchange numbers...?" It took me a few seconds of pause to realize how that sounded and my eyes widened. "NOT LIKE-" My hands waved wildly, as I desperately tried to stop the heat spreading on my cheeks. "Not like in a weird way or anything- Just...like...If you happen to see anything or if you see BaiHe...It'd be easier if you had a way to contact m-us." I swallowed dryly, noting on how dry my mouth felt now. "O-or like...if you wanted to talk about anything, I guess." Again, it took me a few seconds to realize how that sounded. "L-Like I feel like I like...dumped a lot of my personal bizz on you unprompted. I just...If you wanna talk about anything...I've been told I'm a pretty good listener." I watched as he considered it, his tail lashing a bit more now.
"I'll...I'll think about it." He said, crossing his arms, looking to the side. I dug through my hair, pulling out a sharpie. I slipped off the bomber jacket I'd picked up- oh gods that was a lot more bruises and scrapes I thought I'd gotten- and tore off part of the arm with my teeth. I wrote down my number on the part I'd ripped off and handed it to him. "Here. If you see BaiHe...can you make sure she's safe?" The tears welled up in my eyes again.
Your fault.
Your fault.
Y O U R F A U L T.
I shot up as a chill ran up my spine and I looked around.
“I have to go.” I said brushing off the dust and debris off my clothes with my hands. I wrapped the jacket around my waist, tying it firmly. “I told the others that I’d be back soon, and I don’t want to worry them even more than I already have. And…can you do me a favor? If you happen to come across any of them…please don’t tell them anything that I shared with you about the ring or my dreams. They'll worry about me more than they need to, and I don't want that. Plus, I’ve got a few ideas on how to get more information about this ring. But, those can wait until after the Lunar New Year festival…Because right now I’ve gotta look for BaiHe.” I looked at him again. I glanced to the side, hands flexing slightly. I gave him a quick hug, at which his whole body had stiffened. “Thank you.” I said, before stepping back. "I mean it. And...Sorry for...everything, I guess?" I stepped back up onto my hoverboard, trying to ignore the whispers in my head. “See you, around, Redson.”

---

Bolin tried to escape MK’s arms when I’d took off, wanting to come with me. MK held him tightly, though.

“It’s okay, bud.” He said, holding the bull clone tight to his chest. “She’ll be back. She’s strong.” Bolin struggled a bit more, but gave up, so MK turned to you. “…Cheese?” His voice was soft and quiet, and he released Bolin who huddled by a piece of rubble, knees to his chest. MK took a couple steps towards you, reaching out for a second before stopping. Right, probably no touchy. Instead, he did what he’d seen us do. He brushed his knuckles against yours. You seemed…out of it. Not that he blamed you, of course. When Bolin had come baring the bad news, he’d frozen and his blood had felt like it’d been turned to ice. He could only imagine how you were feeling right now. “Cheese, let’s get back to the shop so you can sit for a moment, okay?” He glanced at Pigsy, who had hesitantly moved to stand next to Bolin. MK walked over to the robot, crouching down to look at him. “Hey, it’ll be okay, Bo. We’ll find BaiHe and everything will go back to normal. I’m sure she’s okay. She probably just got lost. We’ll get help from others and we’ll find her in no time.” Bolin lifted his head slightly and nodded slowly. MK helped him up and walked over to you, taking your pinky in his. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

It was… a quiet walk, to say the least. Nobody knew what to say, so they said nothing. The shop was still intact, for the most part. The sign was a little banged up, and the inside had seen much better days, but it hadn’t completely fallen apart. MK sat you down on one of the counter seats, moving to grab the first aid kit Pigsy kept in the kitchen. He handed it to Pigsy as the pig man started examining your wounds, making sure nothing was infected or still bleeding. MK sat on the bar stool next to you. God, you were so pale. MK rested his knuckles against your shoulder.
“We’ll find her, Cheese. I promise.” He said, offering a smile. It was then that tears started to really pour out of your eyes, and MK’s eyes started to well up with them, too. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you a bit closer to him, but still loose enough that you could push him off of you wanted to. Mei walked over as well, resting her chin on your leg.

“Yeah, Cheese. I’ll scour all the cameras in the city. We’ll find her in no time at all.” She said, a determined smile across her face, although it did falter ever so slightly. Bolin sat on the floor next to the stool you were on, knees to his chest, but head resting against your calf.
“Yeah, we’ve got the best search team ever.” Pigsy offered, resting a hand on your head. Tang stood beside you, leaning against the counter.


“Theres no way we won’t find her. She couldn’t have gone too far.” He said, pushing up his glasses. The flap to the doorway opened and in I walked, seeing everyone surrounding you. I hopped over the counter, leaning forward and resting my forehead on the back of your head.
“I think I know where to start.”

---

"C'mon kitty!" BaiHe groaned, trying to reach for the cat that had leapt out of her arms. "You're really not making this easy for me buddy! We've gotta go check on gramps!" She jumped up, but she was still too short to reach the cat who'd jumped onto a wall. The light flickered and whispers startle BaiHe, and she whipped around, looking around frantically. "H-Hello?" She'd called out into the alleyway, really starting to regret her choice. "Zaza...?" She tried meekly, hoping that it was just you. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she held her arms, gripping into the fabric of her sleeves. It was then that she saw it, a blue mist whispering and moving towards her. She screamed, hoping someone would hear her and come save her. She wanted to go back home to you. Shadows shifted around her, and in her last effort she managed to scream. "Mr. Macaque!"
Her body was no longer her own. She'd been thrown into the backseat, still barely conscious and able to perceive things. She looked around, her surroundings a white void. It was empty, but there were whispers surrounding her. She covered her ears as she curled up, wanting to go home. She wanted to see you again, for you to tell her it was going to be okay. She let out a quiet sob, mumbling that she wanted to go home.

---

I'd decided to stay with you for a while. I was not going to leave you alone before we found BaiHe, and even then, I'd probably stay with you until the panic subsided. Bolin clung to me as well. He wanted to help search for her. It was obvious how guilty he felt, about not being able to stop her. That night, Bolin insisted on charging himself in BaiHe's room, just in case she came back through the window. I'd made sure that you were asleep before I even considered heading to the couch to sleep. I wasn't about to let you go searching, not yet. You'd search until you collapsed if I did. Once you were asleep, I saw the silhouette of a cat outside your window. I walked over, making eye contact.
"I know that's you, Macaque. You're not allowed here anymore. Scram." I said as quietly as I could, trying not to wake you. The cat leapt away, towards the front door. I stepped out of your room, closing the door as quietly as possible before making my way downstairs. I stepped out of the shop, seeing Macaque leaning on the wall outside.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I had my guard up. I knew for a fact that I couldn't beat him, but I could still try.
"She's gone, you know." He said, staring forward.
"No she's not." I glared at him. "She's alive, and we're going to find her."
"She's alive, yeah." Macaque shrugged, looking at me. "But you won't find her. Not here anyway."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Just...be careful." And with that ominous warning, he fell back into his shadow and was gone. I searched inside, making sure he hadn't decided to sneak in. When I confirmed that he wasn't, I laid on the couch, draping one of the throw blankets around me and closed my eyes. I was exhausted, so it wasn't exactly hard to fall asleep.

---

I sat up, looking around. Yep, same white void. Lovely. Something was different though. I could hear the sounds of crying, but they weren't echoing like the apparitions' voices would. "Hello?" I called out and the crying stopped. I heard the faint voice of...was that? I ran the direction that it came from. I saw her then, curled onto the ground. "Baihe!" I shouted, running faster. She looked up and scrambled to her feet.
"Ayi!" She tackled me and I held her tightly.
"BaiHe, oh my sweet girl..." I was crying and so was she. "Where are you? Can you tell me?"
"I-" She sobbed into my shirt. "There w-was an alley...Kitty had leapt out of my arms and-" She hiccupped, her little hands balling into fists as she held onto me.
"It's okay, Baihe, breathe. Deep breaths, in and out." I hugged her tightly, afraid if I let up even a little bit she'd vanish. "Everyone's so worried, but we're gonna find you, I promise. But you have to tell me where you are."
"I-I don't know!" She wailed, and I squeezed her.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here." I whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "We're gonna find you, I promise."
"I j-I just wanted to make sure gramps was ok-okay..." She buried her face into my shoulder. "I-I'm so scared, Ayi..."
"I know, baby, I know...Nobody's mad at you, I promise."
"I-Is Zaza okay?" Her voice was weak, her tears starting to slow.
"Y-yeah. They're okay. They're just really worried about you, Baihe." I said, hand on the back of her head. "I just need you to tell me where you are. Can you do that for me?
She nodded against my shoulder.
"Y-yeah...O-on the way to check on gramps...Kitty jumped out of my arms so-so I chased him...b-but I got lost...Th-there was this c-creepy alley a-and I heard noises-"
"Sweetie are you hurt!?"
"I-I don't think so...B-but th-there was a weird blu-blue mist and it was cold and then I was here..."
"Okay, sweetie. I think I know where you are. Just hold on tight, okay? We're gonna come get you. I don't know how long it'll take, but we're gonna come for you."
"P-promise?"
"I promise. We're gonna find you, and then we're gonna have a big ol' sleepover and we're gonna have so many snacks. And everything's gonna be okay, I promise." It was then that she started to fade.
"A-Ayi, where are you going!?" She held onto my tighter, but her grip was slipping. "D-don't leave!"
"It's okay, Baihe. We're gonna come find you. I love you, sweet flower." And then she was gone and I was shaking. A chill came from behind me. "Who are you?" I pushed myself to my feet. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was. "What have you done to her?" He didn't respond. "I swear, when I find you, I'm going to kill you."
Laughter. That fucker was laughing. I turned around, seeing his face with that smile still stapled onto his face.
"Give her back."
My nails dug into my palms.
"Give her back."
My feet were moving faster than I was thinking.
"She's just a kid!"

Every attempt to find BaiHe in that white void since then were futile. I couldn't find her anymore. But I had to keep my promise. I had to.

 

[bingleybongusbingus]

Nothing could restore the air that was stolen from my chest, squeezed out with every bit by the icy claws of dread, and panic. I felt choked, suffocating as I stood, alive yet bruised.
Missing.
Baihe was missing.
How could that have happened, right under my nose?
The need to run was unbearable. The need to move, to scream her name, to look into every nook and cranny, tear into buildings- anything and everything under the sun, I wanted to overturn, thinking with every bit of my being where in the world she could have gone. But in spite of all my wants, the burning, roiling need to move- I found my shoes stuck to the destroyed asphalt below me. Completely grounded. Unmoving.

I could feel the tremor within my very bones, that unfathomable need to hurry- but I was stuck where I was, unsure of why my body refused to do what I wanted of it. There it was again, that feeling of being miles under water. Everything sounded muffled and quiet, and yet loud and sharp. Indistinguishable between voices and noise. It felt wrong. I felt wrong.
My eyes darted, glancing the ruins of the streets and buildings, chasing the lines of the world like I would spot her coming out from the growing dark of the city. Not a hair showed, or even the glimmer of her little pink headband.
People were trying to talk to me, but I couldn't find a voice in my chest to reply, or get the water out of my ears long enough to understand what they said in the first place. You had clambered onto your hoverboard, after passing Bolin off to the others. The second you sped off, I found myself moving, shifting. I took only a couple steps after you, but stopped abruptly, unable to understand why. Desperation clawed within me, like a trapped animal. It was inconsolable and unruly, but within its entrapment, it can do nothing but thrash.

Maybe that's how I looked, even on the outside. Everyone seemed to be giving me a wide berth, murmuring amongst themselves. It was only Mk who had managed to step forward, into that bubble that everyone seemed to assume had grown twice it's size than it normally was. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at any of them. I continued to stare, glancing the ground on occasion, but keeping my gaze glued far ahead. I wasn't sure I was even looking into the city anymore. Slowly but surely, I could feel the warmth of someone at my side. Close enough to feel, but not touching. Mk was talking, his voice was easy to recognize, even if the words were muddled.
After a moment of waiting for my response, I was only able to make a meager nod. Once that was given, I felt his pinky sneak into my fingers, lacing with my own. It was odd how cold I felt in that moment, only realizing after the warmth of his skin was on my own.

The chill in my chest never left. Bolin was cautious at my side, unsure who to stand with or be close too, but he followed never-the-less. It was quiet. The walk was stuck between feeling like it was ages of moving to practically none at all.
The familiar smell of the shop was tarnished by dust and soot. But the warm hints of ginger and spices stuck out enough that it didn't feel too far gone. I felt like a body wandering without anything inside it. It was an odd feeling. Sitting down was more mechanical than anything. It didn't go unnoticed. Pigsy was quick to set to work. He paused, hand hovering over my exposed arm, uncertain, before delicately getting to work, lifting it by the wrist and taking up a freshly opened alcohol pad. The sting felt distant as he made gentle swipes across something between my bicep and elbow. Did I get hit by something? I didn't remember.

The different touches were starting to bring some feeling back into my fingers, buzzing with what felt like static. It felt like my blood had been frozen for a time, and was getting to unthawing, leaving me in a state of discomfort and confusion.
Knuckles on my shoulder, brushing so lightly it could be like a feather were tickling me. The warmth was familiar.
"We'll find her, Cheese. I promise."
His voice was so warm. So sweet.
It was the first clear sentence I heard since I was informed. The water in my ears changed course, and suddenly the fuzzy world I'd been staring into wavered like a pebble kicked into an unforseen puddle. The ripples continued, and the trembling became so fierce my body seized. I nearly doubled over as the pieces keeping my throat and lips shut crumbled away, and a strangled hiccup was all that made it out. Hot, wet streams began to flow down my face, chasing away the cold.
This was real.
This wasn't just some bad dream.
Baihe was missing.
She was really, truly missing.

Why wasn't I there?

The question only made the flow in my eyes stronger, pouring out like a broken facet, continuous and unyielding. Pigsy and Mks hands on me had frozen, before jumping back into action with a jerk; going from gentle to firm, as if trying to steady and push together what was already coming apart. My hands, shaking and all, tried to cover what come out, to hide and smother the tears into stopping, to quiet the miserable noises that snuck from my throat, but even so, they didn't stop. They wouldn't stop. I bit my lip so hard I could taste the sharp tang of iron on my tongue. I felt myself tilt as Mks arm came around to tug me close. He smelled of dust from the rubble. Everyone did. But he was warm, and I couldn't help leaning into him despite the want to run and hide away, go off on my own where no one could see me, and try to find where ever my little one had gone too.

One by one, I felt the warmth and pressure of the others coming around. Mei's head in my lap, Mk's arms around my shoulders, Bolin cuddled against my legs, Pigsys calloused hooved hand on the top of my head, petting down the wild mess of my hair. It was so much, almost too much, but it kept that distant static and cold away. I couldn't even think to push anyone away. I wanted everyone close, to know they were there.
That they were safe. That they were in reach.
That I didn't lose them either.

The last bit of hay to the haystack, that sent it billowing down and away, was when I felt you. You'd come in so quietly, your familiar warmth a comfort I could never place or describe. The soft bump of your head, resting against the crown of mine had me seeking out hands. Mk and Mei found my wandering left, holding it steady, as my right sought behind me on the counter, finding yours close to your lap and grasping your fingers. Pigsys hand moved to rest over top of yours and mine.

We sat that way for awhile, long enough that eventually the shaking returned to little trembles and the tears no longer dripped.



I didn't want to sleep. I didn't want to wait. When we made it to my home, I felt restless and wrong. Exhaustion plagued my bones, but I couldn't stop the feeling. I knew the empty room down the hall. The extra body that shared my space and its absence.
It took a lot of convincing, bargaining- but you managed to keep me sat in my room, just talking. The only way I was able to close my eyes, even if I truly fought it, was holding your hand like a lifeline until my consciousness disappeared into the dark.
I didn't stay asleep long. The anxiety was too great for me too. I was up and down majority of the night, unable to sit still. I'd constantly check on you and Bolin, all the cats downstairs.
When I was certain you were all well, it was exhausted, anxiety ridden mind, I even tried to sneak out. Only to be met with a familiar figure in my window sill, stopping me with a stare.
"I need to go." I whispered, voice raw from crying and trying not to make a sound all at once. The figure of the black cat only stared, his tail swaying and his ears twitching. Surprisingly, they mostly stayed pointed at me tonight.
"Not tonight."
It was the first time I'd heard him use his voice in that form. I sucked in a breath, before turning, ready to just use the front door, even if it caused a ruckus. A small rush of air, and a hand was holding the back of my shirt. I hadn't even changed into pajamas, I'd realized. The hold was firm, but not enough that his claws would poke holes into my shirt.
I turned, brows furrowed. My eyes stung from the night air, but I did what I could to look at him. His face didn't change much, simply watching, but there was an anxious twitch in his tail that couldn't be denied.
"Not tonight." He repeated, his voice stronger in his true form.
"Why not?..." I choked out. "Why is everyone stopping me? She's out there, right now- it hasn't been long- I can find her if you all would just let me-" abruptly, he shot forward, two fingers pressed to the center of my forehead. I blinked in surprise, tumbling backwards. His arm looped my waist in an instant, holding me steady. His fingers didn't move.
He spoke only one word then.
"Sleep."
A soft flash of violet shown before my eyes, a symbol swirling from where his fingers pressed. A heaviness hit me soon after, and before I could process a single thing- the world went dark and I was limp as a doll.

Carefully, he crawled from his perch on the window sill, looping his arms under my legs and behind my back. He carried me back to my bed, resting me there and pulling the covers back where they belonged. He stood a moment, eyeing my face and the bandages that adorned it, even the ones crawling up my arms. He was quiet even still. His hand lifted, moving to brush a strand from my eyes before stopping. He pulled back, closing his hand so tightly he felt his nails split the skin of his palm.
"... it's for the best." He murmured before falling away into the dark, leaving everything as it was. All except the open window.




The next morning, when I awoke, it was hard to move. Everything was sluggish and off. I felt like all my limbs weighed several pounds. The sun had just started to rise, the rays dancing across my room with a cold morning chill. My hand moved to press my forehead, pushing to recall what I could have done to feel such a way. My eyes screwed shut at the headache that ensued, earning a discomforted groan.
I dug through the haze in my mind, like one would with their hands in a garden, or wading through a muddy pool. The pieces came together slowly but surely, and I found myself sparked with a feeling of frustration and almost grief. My hand turned to a fist and smacked the mattress, feeling the burn of tears threatening my eyes.
"Asshole... fucking-" I sharply inhaled, my hands rubbing my eyes and leaving them there, covering my face as I breathed through my nose.
"...Damn it."
No one better stop me today.
I won't stop now. Yesterday will be the last and only time I let anyone stop me. It's been long enough.
I won't let her wait.

 

[FandomTrash149]

It was a rough couple of days. Between my own searching and trying to get you to take a break, I was exhausted. I hadn't seen BaiHe or the old man in that white void, and something about that irked me. It felt like she was intentionally being let out of my sight, so she couldn't tell me what was going on. Or maybe she was- N o. I couldn't think like that. Baihe was alive, she had to be. Bolin was different, too. He helped around the shop whenever he could, and even wanted to do some of my delivery work, but I put a stop to that. I wouldn't let him get grabbed by whatever got Baihe. Not before we found her. Bolin felt guilty, and when no one was in the shop, he stayed with Sandy, hoping that Baihe would go there first. Sandy was just as worried as I was, and he made sure to keep Bolin as distracted as possible. The Lunar New Year Festival was getting closer, and, despite everything, I was excited about it. Maybe we'd find Baihe there. I wanted to enjoy myself for a night, instead of crying myself to sleep. What a mistake I had made, thinking something like that. Nothing in this city goes right anymore, does it?

The day of, Mei had all but dragged me with her to the salon, and somehow managed to grab you as well. She was very insistent that you take a break, and said that you looked like a zombie. I had to agree with her on that, honestly. It was impossible to escape her sight, so we had no choice but to go shopping with her. She, much to my own dismay, insisted on paying for everything. Damnit, Mei I'm a grown adult LET ME BUY MY CLOTHES DAMNIT- She hauled the two of us into a store, and for a split second, I saw a small smile on your face. It was the first time since Baihe went missing. Mei shoved some clothes into my arms and pushed me into a changing room. I looked down, seeing a cute white t-shirt with a half moon design on it, and a sweater that was pink and blue. Damn she's got me pegged. I slipped them on, examining myself in the mirror. I liked it. It felt...comfortable. Mei cheered and bounced on her toes when she saw me before eyeing me with a sherlock-like gaze. "Something's missing." I looked at her, confused. I barely even got to look at you before she grabbed us by the wrists again and bolted out of the store, slamming cash onto the counter, probably more than what it would've cost, but she had a goal in mind.
She dragged us into a hair salon, wait there are hair salons in malls??? Isn't that, like, a health code violation, oh and I'm in a chair now. It was fairly empty in the salon, only a few others besides the three of us. I wondered if Mei checked the credibility of this place. The chat with the barber was awkward, to say the least, but she was super sweet. I decided that just a clean up and a re-dye of my red ends was what I wanted. It took a bit, because my hair is absolutely insane to deal with, but eventually, my hair was much less greasy, felt somewhat lighter, and the lower half was now a bright pink! Mei whispered something to the barber and the barber nodded. Suddenly there was the violent wind of a blow dryer and the fastest hands I'd ever seen in a barber shop. When the dust cleared, my hair was in two buns, and very cute. I beamed and Mei gave me a thumbs up before rushing to your side as well.

By the time we left the salon, people were already rushing to get to the festival. I finally got a good look at you and you seemed a lot calmer, and less tense. I nudged you, noting all the little stars in your hair. “Lookin’ good, Cheese.” I said, nudging you with my elbow. “Ready for the festival?” At the first sign of sadness, I wrapped my arm around your shoulders. “Hey.” I said, pulling you into a side hug. “We’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay.” I had switched to English. “Just one day off. The entire city is looking. I’ve even managed to get Redson to at least do some investigating.” I shrugged at the skeptical look you gave me. “Yeah, trust me I’m surprised, too. It was probably the endless amounts of bombs I kept pulling out of my hair.” You'd rolled your eyes and lightly shoved me. "No, no, I'm serious. It's like a factory up in here." An explosion came from the salon, causing brief cause. "Besides, they're not lethal. Just itty bitty ones that can only do a lotta damage if in bulk."

You shoved me again, but you were smiling. Gotcha. Now to land in the best part of it all. "I also said that I'd fuck his parents if he didn't help." You guffawed at that, hitting my shoulder.
"Shut up!" There we go.
"No, no, I'm serious! You should've seen the look on his face. Bro really lived up to his namesake. I shoulda gotten a picture." Mei ran up to us, I honestly didn't realize she had left our side at all, holding an armful of bags. "Alright! I've got some stuff to update your wardrobes!" I laughed a bit at that. She really always went above and beyond for us, huh?

---

---

All was bright and cheerful at the festival. Kids running around with their parents, buying concessions and playing games. Some people were dressed up, some weren't. I liked crowd watching, seeing so many people just enjoying themselves felt nice. Even if I could hear Pigsy's angry grumbling while he tried to keep his customer service smile. I turned on my stool, resting my arms on the counter, eyes now on Mei who was having trouble with making bao.
"I feel like this would be easier if I had fingers." She complained, and I cocked up an eyebrow.
"Mei, the hell are you talkin' about?" My voice was drowned out by Pigsy's frantic food prep, serving a customer with a very strained smile. He was sweating so much, goddamn.
"Mei..." The gay historian started. "Is it just me or does Pigsy seem more stressed than normal?"
"How'd ya figure?"
"Isn't MK supposed to be working today?" The old pig slowly turned to us, eyes filled with rage.
"YES TANG, HE IS." Damn, him being angry sure did make him look a lot bigger. "WHERE IS THAT PUNK, CUZ HE SURE AIN'T HERE."
"Pigsy, you know I can help, right? I really don't mind-"
"He's training with the Monkey King!" Mei chimed in a little too casually, before grabbing a mop and twirling it around. "He said: New year, new MK! I'm gonna take my training to a whole new level!" I had to admit, her MK impression was spot on. She posed and everything.
"Wow."
"GIMME THAT-" And I took that as my cue to sneak off for a bit. I was gonna do a bit of exploring before I helped out at the cart. I'd only be thirty minutes, tops. I passed Sandy holding a shit ton of prizes heading towards the Noodle Truck with Bolin on one of his shoulders. I needed to find where I could get those and fast.

---

---

Muffled sounds of excitement and cheer from above were irritating. Insufferable. "Yeah, keep laughin'." The powerful Queen glared up at the cave's ceiling. "Just wait til you see what I've got cookin' up! Then you'll have somethin' to celebrate! Only one hair left." In her hand was the last strand of MK's hair that she had left, the others used in failed experiments. "This little piece of that Monkie Kid holds all the power I need." She turned to the man typing at the big computer frantically. "You finished tinkerin' yet? The man shot upright, looking over his shoulder.
"I have constructed what you asked for." He said, his fingers diligently typing even while he wasn't looking. "The delivery systems are operational." He looked back at the computer, feeling an undeserved smirk pull at his lips. "So long as the venom works this time." I giant mechanical leg just barely missing him was quick to put him in his place.
"The venom will work." The queen stared down at him, eyes full of centuries of spite and hatred. She'd been ripped from her throne, and she wasn't going to lose it again. The man nodded, his entire body trembling. The queen turned, taking a few steps to what could only be described as a cauldron formed out of stone, and dropped the last piece of hair in. Green surged gold and a faint gong sounded as all the eggs glowed gold as well. From one of these eggs, sprouted a small mechanical robot. It landed on its feet, took a few steps and, before the Queen's waiting eyes, jolted before it exploded.
"No. NO. NO." She turned to the scientist, legs slamming into the ground as he stared up at her in fear. "I am the Queen!" Vials shattered. "I am meant to rule this world!" Cables torn out of place. "Not hide beneath it!" The scientist cowered as she brought her leg down, but it stopped just before it hit him. "It...can't be over..." A whispering chill seeped through the cave walls.

"It doesn't have to be."

---

---

I practically skipped through the shrinking crowds, arms full of plushies. Bo was going to love this haul! I heard the sound of complaining die out, and decided to investigate. A person with a blue bowl cut sprinted by me and I walked to where they had been running from. No fucking way. The sounds of chaos and screaming did not register in my mind as I felt myself beaming as my pace picked up.
"REDBOYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-" I skidded to a stop, eyes widening as the words died in my throat. "Oh, hello Mister Bull King, sir." The Bull King merely gave me a once over before turning back around. I stepped forward and leaned against the counter. "I didn't know you had a food truck, Redson!" I was smiling again, but hoh boy my heart was screaming. I didn't want to say something wrong and have my life be forfeit at the hands of DBK.
"It's...new." The demon sighed, crossing his arms, glancing at my glorious prizes. "...You've been busy."
"Jealous?" He guffawed at that, hand flying to his chest in offense.
"I am not jealous!" He slammed his hands on the counter, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Sorry, sorry! So, what kinda food you selling?" I peeked behind him, watching a fly land on a kebab and burst into flame. I could feel my face shrink.
"Can't handle spice?" It was he who was smirking now. My cheeks burned slightly as I fumbled to defend myself.
"I-Well-It's-" I groaned, leaning my head back. "Okay, fine. I can't handle anything really spicy." I looked at him, trying to keep an annoyed face, but a smile was pushing its way forward. I dug through one of my bags, pulling out a small keychain of a kebab on fire. "Check it out! Crazy, right?" I held it out to him. "Here, you can have it." He looked over his shoulder at his father, who was monologuing to himself, and back to me. He hesitantly took the keychain.
"I...Thank you, I suppose." He shoved it into his pocket, and right as DBK finished his soliloquy, the top of the tent had been torn away and I felt the color drain from my face.
"ˢᵖⁱᵈᵉʳ"
"Uhm, father?" Redson's voice shook as DBK turned around to see the giant fucking spider mech that was right behind him. In the blink of an eye, he was ensnared in webs that refused to break. I pulled Redson over the counter by his collar when a web shot at him. DBK was launched into the air, taken by the webs.
"Father!" I was tackled to the ground by a little robot, flailing to get it off of me. IT GRABBED ME. BY THE FACE.
"AH WHAT THE FUCK-" A swirl of fire spun above me and the tiny thing exploded, leaving a vial of a green liquid to land into Redson's hand. I scrambled to my feet to reclaim what was left of my dignity. "Redson are you-" He bolted to a tarp that was thrown over a suspiciously jet shaped item. He tore the tarp off to reveal - GASP - a jet. I ran over, eyes wide.
"Dude, that's so sick!" He grabbed me by the arm and threw me into the jet. It was clearly made for one person, so there wasn't a whole lot of room, and once it got into the air, I clung to him.
"I'm sorry father!" He said, looking back only once. "I will come back." I felt a chill run up my spine and my heart dropped into my stomach as dread filled me. Oh god, could this be related to...My grip was a little tighter now.
"We'll get him back, Redson. I promise."