Closing the theatre down, Macaque shifted his Chi into the broken lantern that had shattered due to prior events.
Of course, It was just a friendly shadow play that presented the story of how the moon had broken away from chasing the sun and drew closer to the stars around them.
Ren had ran off earlier to go hang out with Mei and that MK brat. Yeah he was still sour about that day still. But he didn't blame the young simian, he was just sour about the fact that Jinhua was harmed and he wasn't there to protect her. He was at home, cooking up dinner like a damn housewife.
Chuckling to himself, he remembered the scene of his kid and his friends all awing at the scene where the warrior confessed to his princess and lived happily ever after.
Well for now.
"Bravo—! Bravo—!" The sounds of slow clapping echoed around the stadium.
Macaque snapped his head around to see the damned abomination showcase a twisted grin at the simian in question.
"What a performance—!" He rolled his words with such enthusiasm that it almost sounded sickening to his six hidden ears.
Macaque tilted his head as he slyly his the lantern in his cape, "Last show actually... I was actually heading off—"
He didn't even have enough time to turn around and summon a portal at his feet, when a cold hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"UNGH—!"
Macaque suddenly felt his spiritual soul start to shift in and out of focus in his body by the servant's touch. He tried to grab hold of his sickly frozen hand but the creature's strength far outmatched his own.
The Mayor tilted his head with a coy smile, "My Lady would like to have a word..." His pale eyes then shifted to the fallen Lantern on the floor, "Oh—! And she'll be needing that."
A sudden explosion rang out in the entrance way, a sword came hurdling at the Mayor.
Letting go of the simian, the Mayor had no choice but to teleport out of the way with a glitch after effect.
Dropping to his knees, Macaque inhaled a large gasp of air as he rubbed his sore throat. Glancing up from his spot, he and the Mayor, watched a a familiar figure strutted into the room with a hand on her hip.
A fiery golden glare to match her flaming katana.
"I thought I warned you."
The Mayor released a snicker at the shuddering look she gave him, "And you, are not my Lady."
Jinhua rushed forward with her blade drawn. Her steps silenced as she leaped off a seat and lunged forward.
Barely getting out of the way, his face paled at the scorched wooden flooring on the stage, "And I seem to not have forgotten the last time we met under the same circumstances."
Jinhua snarled at his statement, "You dared to threaten a mother's child. My child." She let out a unamused laugh, "I have not forgotten my rage."
The Mayor gulped at the reminder, he let out a nervous laugh, "And he will fall under the same curse that had been promised in said contract."
Macaque gritted his teeth, and immediately summoned his astral projection. It roared to life as it instantly attacked the source of his anger. It's ribbons flying forward like snakes.
The Mayor squeaked and continued to teleport out of the way as they focused all they're anger on him.
The mayor then landed next to the lantern and picked it up frantically, his head whipping up with his disarrayed hair, "It's been a joy entertaining you two, but My Lady is waiting for me. And it seems the appointment for a new pawn will arrive much sooner due to unforeseen events..." He said with a wryly grin at Jinhua.
She hissed at his sentence and charged forward with her sword pointed.
But he teleported outbid her view as soon as she was inches from his face.
Macaque slowly stepped down from his projection as it grew back into his soul. He dusted off his clothes and glanced over at Jinhua, "Phew that was a close one. Sadly he obtained the lantern for my shadow play but that's fine."
"Macaque."
The simian froze in his explaining and slowly faced the demoness.
Jinhua was not amused nor humored by this event. Her eyes still glowed in anger and her sword was still unsheathed at her side, "I believe you have some explaining to do, my dear." Her ears pinned back in frustration as she stepped forward and glared down at him.
Macaque chuckled nervously, and glanced to the side, his tail swaying behind him with nervous twitches, "Ha ha... I don't understand what it is you wanna talk about..."
"Look at me."
Macaque felt his nerves get the best of him as he didn't want to face his wrathful lover, "H-honestly, I think we should go check—"
"Look at me, Macaque!"
He flinched at her demand and snapped his eyes to meet her's.
Jinhua was not tolerating this any longer. She had long forgotten the questions that flooded her mind due to the setting of peace she had achieved due to her family back with her. But now that it was being threatened again by an unknown demoness that sought to take that very peace away from her?
It was time for an explanation.
Jinhua sheathed her sword and felt her fur bristle, "It's time you explain to me how exactly you returned from the dead. And what debt you had to make with the devil to do so."
Macaque lowered his head in guilt.
Jinhua furrowed her brows, "And I ask for no lies to come from your mouth, Macaque. I know you. And I will know if you say such things." With that she snapped her fingers and teleported them away.
—
Rounding the corner, Jinhua entered the kitchen in search for the first aid. She was no healer anymore. She had only the abilities her demon genes aided her in. And even with that, it wasn't much.
Grabbing the red box, she rushed into the living room with Macaque still sitting on his knees with a dark look casting over his eyes.
When he looked up at her figure, the dark look was casted away as he nodded in gratitude for her assistance.
Kneeling beside him, Jinhua started to apply an ointment for the bruising. Her fingers lightly trailing over his neck softly, "I'm sorry for getting angry."
Macaque glanced her way, not moving much to Jinhua's relief. His fur now transitioning from its dark ichor to a snowy coat. His figure relaxed in her calm presence now that she wasn't angry at him anymore, "I-It's fi—." He tried to speak up but her sore throat retaliated against him and sent him into a coughing spree.
Jinhua held him up and patted his back comfortingly, "You don't have to explain to me now... You can wait."
Macaque snapped his head up at her supposed reassuring response, "N-No." he stated firmly. His voice was strained but he didn't let that stop him in his determination, "If I don't tell you now, I don't think I can do it again. I've waited far too long, and you don't deserve to be left out..."
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Jinhua let out a sigh as she began to idly twirl his loose hair between her fingers. Her eyes watched his claws twitch unconsciously at a thought.
"I... It wasn't my choice." Macaque started with a blank gaze.
Jinhua perked up at this, "What do you mean?"
He glanced down at his hands to focus on something. Anything but Jinhua's reactions to his resurrection, "I was forced to become a pawn at my awakening... But I broke free from her clutches and began in search for you."
Jinhua felt her ears pin back in disbelief.
"I had awakened exactly a decade later in the time, and I had no clue what had gone down after my death... So I did some history research... I even asked around for some clues about what had transpired with you and Wukong but it hit me pretty hard when I found out." Macaque placed his palms on his face, "I had no idea about the battle that took place nor the consequences of our actions would be our undoing."
Jinhua leaned in and placed her head on his shoulder, listening intently.
"Wukong... He wasn't in his right mind at the time... Even I could see that during our battle... We never planned on destroying the city nor massacring your race." He looked up at Jinhua's unreadable face, "It was never meant to go so far. Some thing happened in that room, Jinhua. And the cold darkness that leaked in the corners are awfully familiar to the one that brought me back."
Jinhua stiffened, her eyes slowly going wide in a realization. She sat up so quickly that Macaque had almost toppled over in his kneeling position, "Are you telling me... That Wukong was under the influence of that Lady Bone Demon?"
Macaque firmly nodded at her question. His eyes searching her face for a specific emotion, but it flickered between so many that he had a hard time reading her.
Jinhua sat back on her hunches and looked back up at the ceiling in a daze.
Macaque looked at her concerned, "Jinhua?"
Her mind flashed between the events that had happened hundreds of years ago. Her emotions that had gone haywire during that battle of control and unanswered questions.
She had lost so much that night.
Her kingdom.
Her clan.
Her friends.
A lover.
And most of all?
A brother.
Droplets of tears trailed down her face.
She glanced back to Macaque with the most fear stricken expression he had ever seen on her, but it quickly shifted to anger the next second. "Macaque... W-Why didn't you tell me...?" She felt her bottom lip tremble.
Macaque hurried over to her side and wrapped his arms around her and brought her face into the crook of his neck, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.. I-I didn't know how to explain... We had just found each other and Ren was literally thrown into the picture..."
Jinhua felt her mouth form a tight line, "And I thought we could literally have some peace for once in our lives..."
Macaque closed his eyes in disdain, "I'm sorry..." And he kept repeating it like a mantra into her shoulder as he kept her in his arms.
This whole thing with the Lady Bone demon has really been straining Jinhua and Macaque's relationship. They had never fought this much.
And it was almost draining the both of them.
Closing the door behind him, Ren faced his back against the doorway and glanced down at his pattered shoes.
His finger twiddling with the wilting daisies in his hands.
His eyes downcast as he had just heard the middle of it. He slid down the door and hugged his knees to his chest.
"I hope it ends soon..."