✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 61: Fragments

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"The blades?" she repeats the question in her confusion.

Wukong thought back to the time he used astral communication with MK and how her image linked to them, only weaker. This was after the time she touched the dual blades. If he includes all other things that had happened before while she fought unconsciously, it'd make sense for his hypothesis to be true. "Xiu, for many years that you've fought with me, I'm pretty sure that fragments of my own powers are with you right now."

"Fragments? You mean—" their connection was cut short, her image disappearing from his sight just as before.

She wakes up midair, two hundred feet off the ground. In a state of panic, she tries to climb up with her limbs flapping about to try and stabilize herself without any footing, it was a ridiculous sight for the ones moving below. Xiu continued to fall despite her efforts, but not a moment later, a bird flew down to catch her, gripping her neck with its talons. She tried to claw at the large parrot, but surprise flashes before her features as she sees feathers and not arms moving to her will.

Her and Wukong crashes back on the mech, shifting back to their original forms. At her peripheral, she sees MK fighting off clones of himself—conjured through thick ice, while Macaque is pinned down by the Bone Demon, much like she is at the moment. "Wukong! Get yourself together, push her out!"

Lady Bone Demon snaps her attention towards her and laughs, "He's not strong enough to fight me off. What makes you think you can convince him otherwise?"

She turns back to the simian standing above her, his hand clutched tighter on her airways that she could already see stars forming on her eyes, "Wu... kong."

"Kill the host. Bring the weapon to me," says the demon.

"No!" Macaque squirms, but his ears are met with another cacophony of voices that disrupts him from making any sudden movements.

Xiu stared into the lifeless eyes of Wukong, stopping her hand from clawing at the simian's hand to raise it up towards his face. "F-Fight... don't stop until you win." Tears sprung in her eyes as she felt herself suffocated, lightheaded, in his strong grip. One second was all it took for everything to dim once more, and she was switched out again.

In the void of her own body, she can hear his voice call out of her again, "XIU!... I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL HER, YOU PILE OF BONES!" Amidst his words, he looked as if he's struggling to get out of something. Image of him started to appear once again, this time though, a bit more clearer and with visible chains on his body.

"Wukong, you're stronger than her. I know you are!"

He looks at her direction in shock.

"Drive her off of you!"

"I... I can't," he struggles again, and then chuckles, "I don't know if it's pretty obvious, but I'm chained down right now, if you can see me or at least hear all this rattling."

"I do. I can see you..." she gulps, taking just just a bit of a step towards him, "And I'm here with you. You want me out of the battle just so I'd live a little longer, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm your partner and I'm stubborn enough to not let my boyfriend be a toy to some pile of bones who thinks destiny is set in stone."

He stops struggling, his eyes closes as he breathes out. Wukong would be lying if he said he's not tired of fighting. He is. It's why he chose to retire in the first place. Even more so now that he's probably off killing her without being able to stop it. "... Strike me by the brain. It'll stop sending signals through my body to regenerate again... It's a theory, but it's worth a shot, right?"

Xiu blinks, silence lingering between the two of them. He looks defeated, both in mind and soul. The simian was always looking for a way to keep his head held high, his prideful nature bringing people to believe that he's strong enough to deal with things on his own way. He'd joke a few to lighten up the mood, even as everyone seemed to doubt his motives and even go as far as belittle him right to his face. Wukong always went for the quickest way to solve things, and kept the heavier knowledge to himself just so he could protect the ones he cared about. Even now, it was still a mistake to go against the enemy by himself, and he's paying for it by hurting the same people he tried to shield from danger.

"No... No, I'll won't kill you."

"Two birds with one stone," he chuckles again, but it was solemn compared to the last, "You'll have my full powers, you'll have the means to defeat the Bone Demon just as MK do. Besides, this might be for the best, my queen," the nickname rolls off his tongue as if he longed to call her that for a long long time, savoring it, and taste it off again as he gulped the lump growing in his throat. A tear slips down his cheek, "If you kill me, you'll won't be remembering your past anymore in your next life. Maybe even at present, you'll get to experience life at its fullest! How good is that, right? Go on dates, find that... perfect person who would treat you right. Have kids. Grow old with them. A perfect life, a perfect ending."

Xiu frowns at his offer, taking one step further towards him. And the next. And the next. She still sees him and is still narrowing the gap between them. Once they're only a meter apart, the woman knelt before him, carefully lifting her hand up to hover the back over his cheek. She hesitates, not wanting herself to be pulled out and switch control of her body just yet. Wukong sees this and leans in, although his form just passes through her, he wanted to imagine the warmth of her touch against him, a great comfort that can never be replaced by anything.

Xiu pushes herself forward to an air light kiss on his astral lips, the connection they had just making things a bit more realistic in spite of their circumstances. She breathes out, smiling at him, "One thing I know about you... is that the king never gives up." Her thumb tried to wipe the tear that slipped from his eye, but that won't be possible in this type of space, "You've already done so much. And even if you push me to seek a life that will give me a chance for a better future, I'd still chose to be with you. Now, and all other reincarnations I'll have. I love you that much, my king."

His lips quivered, looking back at her translucent eyes just as his was projected in her own void. Wukong let a out a chuckle, cherishing her words like his last lifeline. But that smile faded from his face, his head hung down to avoid her loving gaze.

"I'm sorry, Xiu..."

Just as she was about to ask, the woman was flung out and switched back in control. A possessed Wukong right in front of her and a fist nearly meeting her face to deal a strong, skull crushing blow.

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