"Do you absolutely any idea, what you have done—!?"
Two weapons clash in the heavy rain pour. Lightning struck in the midst of battle, each time their blades connected.
"Destroying a city?? Decimating an entire clan!? What was going through your mind at the time-!?" Her desperate plead for an answer rung through deaf ears.
"I- I can't.. I don't know how.." His frazzled state left him unable to form clear thoughts nor straight answers as he was left no choice but to defend himself against the onslaught of her rampaging attacks.
"Don't you dare hide behind that false charade! I know you, Wukong! And this-? You would never do such a thing!" The woman brandished her katana high up into the air and swung it down full force, decimating the terrain around them as he struggled to block the blow with his staff, "I ask— I plead—! I beg of you—! Just tell me what happened back there!"
At that, his eyes flickered from gold to a tiny glint of blue. It was almost missed if the woman didn't have enhanced eyesight. But as they struggled to overpower the other, Wukong still could not answer as he turned his head to the side in disdain, his lip forming into a tight line.
The woman's hackles raised as her eyes pricked with small droplets, "Your never gonna tell me, huh?"
Wukong hesitantly looked up to meet her gaze at the low and shuddering tone. His ears folding back in shame as he watched his friend let out a heart wracking sob.
"Your never gonna tell me why."
Her eyes then glowed a menacing gold. Her canines bared as she glared hatefully at the simian in front of her.
"Why did you—!"
Wukong gritted his teeth and pushed her back at the sudden question, "It wasn't my fault—! It was..! It was just a—!" But he was cut off when She swung back again but, more powerful as her aura raged on in his wrathful path of revenge.
"Don't you DARE say it was an accident!" She growled lowly from her chest, her katana glowing even more dangerously. Her golden fire roaring in a ravenous hunger, it started to absorb his staff's chi.
"I want the truth!" She pushed forward. Gaining more ground as Wukong started to stumble back.
"I want to know the reason of Macaque's death—!"
—
Jumping up with a start, Jinhua released gagged breathes, that tore free from her dry throat.
Her eyes pricking with little tears that threatened to fall down her already damp cheek.
Quickly using her sleeve to brush away her tears, she hurried to compose herself and freshen up from the horrendous past. Rising from her sleeping mat, she slowly made her way over to the mirror.
She frowned at the branding tattoos, "I really need to get rid of these...." She muttered softly, trying to use her shapeshifting ability to change her look.
She changed her skin tone, it didn't go away.
She tried to change into a whole different race of demon, it didn't go away.
She tried to hide the tattoos like how her two simians would use their glamor to hide some of their features but....
It still didn't go away.
With a irritated growl that erupted from her throat, she threw a punch into the mirror, sending it flying with shards across her wooden flooring.
Looking down at the broken shards of glass with a indifferent gaze, she stepped over them, no wanting to see them any longer than necessary.
Glancing over at her potted flowers by the window, she flashed her eyes into a light yellow and observed a small connect line of yellow and green from two of the plants. They were both pointing west where Mei's little abode dwelled.
"So they're over at Mei's place... Ao Ji's descendent.... How ironic...." She placed a palm to her cheek in slight amusement, "They act nothing alike.. But they both put their friends first before they're own." At that a small smile lit her face.
Blinking away the yellow glow from her eyes, they shifted back to the beautiful violet color.
Turning to her kitchen to try and distract herself, Jinhua opened the cabinets and took out a pan and skillet. Gathering her ingredients, she let out a hum as she began the process for her little treat for herself.
Her eyes drifted over to the counter for a bit as she looked for some spices but they landed on the black covered journal.
It was placed under a stack of papers that were already paid bills for her Tea Shop.
Letting her pan sizzle for a moment, she took her time to go through the journal and through her first in a life time journey with the monkey simian.
Her eyes softened as she reached a page that had a picture of Ren. Her fingers lightly trailing over the small sketched face of theirs.
"I'm not even sure if your still there or not... I've been sealed for so long that it's been heart breaking..." She muttered to herself.
"I see your still well enough."
Looking up from the journal, Jinhua's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Princess Iron Fan standing at the entrance of her cabin.
"Fann?"
"I told you I'd be visiting. Apparently your little apprentice had obtained that little dragon sword from her family. Too bad, I really like old relics from the past." She glanced down at her nails briefly, "She is trained well with the sword. And her style is very... Annoying to fight against." Princess Iron Fan gave a small smirk at the demoness in front of her.
Jinhua chuckled lightly, "Admit it. She's a good warrior in her own way. Even without my teachings, she still would've proved herself to her family." She casually closed the journal and turned back to the still sizzling food in the frying pan.
"Indeed, it's honestly refreshing to see new lady fighter in the mix of things. It gets boring after a couple of decades with men fighting our battles." Princess Iron fan lightly chuckled to herself as she took a seat on the counter stool. She leaned into the palm of her hand as she watched Jinhua continue her cooking, "I wish I had found you sooner..."
Jinhua stilled for a moment, processing her friend's words, "Yeah... It, it was kinda hard honestly, Fann."
"Do you regret anything?"
"I wish... I wish I could regret even meeting them in the first place... If I hadn't.. Then it wouldn't have hurt so much when they left..." Jinhua cut the stove off with flick of her finger. Her head hung low as she tried to think of a life where she hadn't went on that adventure, "But I can't... If I didn't go with them then I wouldn't have found how much it is to be free from the shackles of heaven that held me down..."
She suddenly felt her body being wrapped by a warm embrace from behind. Jinhua placed a hand over the ones that hugged her, "How did you do it... How did you— How did you continue on without your husband through so many years..."
"My advice will never be of help to you because of a major difference between time and cause of their disappearance..." Princess Iron Fan picked her words carefully, "But if one thing is clear, Jinhua, you are the strongest person I know... Both mentally and physically..." She rested her head on the back of the golden haired demoness.
"It's just... I'm angry with Wukong but most of all, I'm hurt... I feel like I'll shatter into broken pieces if I were stay near him long enough...." Jinhua muttered in small spluttered sobs, "But I don't wanna do that in front of the kids and others... But I know it'll happen sooner or later..."
Princess Iron Fan gave a tug on the taller demoness' sleeve and turned her around to face her, "Then you must endure." She placed her hands on both sides of the woman's face to keep their eyes locked on one another, "Endure even if you feel like running away. You must. You cannot let that instinct take over you and let it run free." Her voice stern but powerful in its own right.
Jinhua was quiet for a moment before a small smile rose on her lips, "I can see why that bull bulk of a king fell for you." She teased lightly with a smirk.
Princess grinned back with the same amused smirk, "What can I say, powerful woman sometimes awaken some things in strong men." She brushed a few locks of hair out of her face dramatically.
"So your the top and alpha dog in your marriage, huh?" Jinhua chuckled.
Giving the demoness a wink, "I could have said the same to you if the chance had ever arose."
Jinhua smiled softly at the thought, "Indeed... He was cute for some moments."
"That's what a top would say." Her friend commented with a small laugh.
"Oh shush you."
"I'm just saying. And it seems like your little apprentice will be the same from how she's acting with my son."
"My apprentice and God son?" Jinhua raised a brow.
"Indeed."
"My~! What an interesting matchup..." Jinhua hummed to herself, "Your not saying that because you just like how my apprentice is a strong female figure, are you?"
Princess Iron cleared her throat for a moment and looked out the window, "I'm just saying that they have this little cute rivalry from what I could have seen from that weather station incident."
Jinhua nodded along, rolling her eyes, "Uh huh. And I'm sure their child would have this abnormal amount of fire power and start a whole other incident again just like Red Son."
With that Princess Iron fan quieted down at the thought, "I never said they had to have a kid.... They could... adopt..."
"But you were thinking it." Jinhua huffed with a raised brow, "But even I am curious."
"Well besides that, they could just adopt like what your doing with those kids." Princess waved off.
Jinhua whipped around a bit too quick, "They are not my kids—!" Her cheeks dusting with a light tint of pink.
Princess Iron Fan blew a raspberry childishly, "Yeah, and I'm not in love with my husband." She rolled her eyes, "I see how you treat those kids. You've already bonded with them through demon means and not the mortal way. You can't lie to another mother demon, Jinhua. It's like a sixth sense between us female demons."
Jinhua all but looked away from the woman and proceeded to sit down at the counter, "I'm a bit hesitant..."
"Is this about the incident?"
"...Yes...."
"Oh... Jinhua, honey..." Princess Iron Fan gave the demoness and side hug of comfort, "That'll never happen again... As long as your there, nothing will ever happen to those kids..."
"I suppose..."
Jinhua relaxed in the demon princess' hold and sunk into the embrace to relinquish in her warmth, "I won't allow what happened to Ren happen to those two...."