"What do you mean you're not staying?!"Xiaotian yelled.
He had already brought everything from the cave and was standing in front of the palace. Macaque helped him out but broke the unfortunate news to him. Xiaotian was so happy that he had agreed to stay. Now he was frustrated and mad at him, it broke Macaque to see him like that.
"Listen kid, I thought we've already talked about this. My job requires me to work near the town. I can't live here. Besides, you're twenty. It's time to leave my side."
"Are you kidding me? I lived by myself for years, until you showed up and moved yourself in. I'm not saying you have to stay in the palace. But at least live near it. You and I both know the conditions we used to lived in. It's not safe." Xiaotian pleaded.
Macaque looked back at him. He sighed and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Ok fine, I'll find a place near the palace."
Xiaotian smiled and hugged the other monkey. Macaque returned his own smile and embraced him.
"I'll tell your old boss that you're quitting. So do me a favour and get a new job."
"Yeah I will. Come to the palace after work. I want to take advantage of the food over here." Xiaotian said.
Macaque chuckled and said his goodbyes. He created a shadow portal below him and sank down. He appeared behind a stall filled with potions and suspicious objects. A woman with long black hair and heavy makeup stood at the front. Macaque smirked and walked quietly, he came behind her.
"Boo." The woman shrieked.
"Why you little- Macaque! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me?!" She yelled.
"Sorry Spider Queen. I couldn't resist, you got a mission for me?" He asked.
"Yeah, I was gonna give you a woman who's a prostitute but I didn't know if that was malicious enough for you. I don't get it, why're so picky with the people you kill if you're a hit man? Why have a moral compass?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I only kill those who have plagued this world with their existence. Let me guess, the person who asked for the woman to be killed is her kid?" He asked.
"Yup, the girl said she's been flirting with her husband. I'm excited for this one, she's been nothing but rude to me when shopping in my stall." She said.
"So you're basically killing her for your own gain." Macaque pointed out.
The woman shrugged and took out some parchment for him to read.
"Here's the man you're going to kill. It's a pretty big task, he's a higher up. He works at the palace so it's going to be difficult. His name is Jing Ke, he seems pretty young. An old friend of his requested his removal."
She led him toward her cauldron, she gave it a stir. The liquid swirled to reveal an image of a young man with green eyes and brown hair. He looked down at the substance and gritted his teeth.
"I'm not doing it." Macaque said instantly.
"Come on Macaque! He's giving big money for it too!" She yelled.
"I thought we both agreed to not do anyone who's associated with the emperor."
"He's probably not that important. Besides, we haven't been getting much business. This could end that." She proposed.
Macaque thought for a bit, he didn't want to risk it. Especially since Xiaotian was now living there. He didn't even need the money since he was free to go to the palace anytime.
"At least think about it. I've been pretty low on money so I need it." She said, defeated.
"I will... consider it. We shall see each other some other time."
———————————————————————
Xiaotian wandered the palace hallways. He awed at the beautiful artwork and architecture. He hasn't seen Wukong in some time. It makes sense though, he is an emperor. Xiaotian stopped walking, he needed something better to do. He noticed a woman dusting the windows by herself. He walked over to her and tapped her shoulder.
"Excuse me? Do you happened to know a place I could work at?" He asked.
"Work? Do thou not stay in a palace?"
"Well yes, however I'd still like to-"
The woman turned around and muttered an insult. She walked away, leaving Xiaotian by himself. He sighed and leaned on the window. He felt so privileged compared to others. He was served a beautiful home on a silver platter, while other people had to stay on the streets. His sulking was interrupted by a delicious smell.
Xiaotian's stomach grumbled. He hadn't had breakfast yet and he was starving. He raised his chin and followed the smell. Turning sharp corners and passing though confused people, he finally arrived. It was a kitchen with an intimidating aura. It was mostly because of the chef that was in it. There stood a short pig demon with a white apron.
More importantly, there was a beautiful bowl of noodles on the counter. Drool rolled down his mouth, he tried to be as quiet as possible. He came closer, and closer, the distance was closing...
"Hey! What'd you think you're doing?" Xiaotian yelled and scurried away.
The pig ran after him, waving a wooden spoon at him. The boy screeched and tried to get away. He bumped into a strangers chest, he rubbed his head and looked up. It was Sun Wukong himself. Xiaotian hid behind him.
"Emperor! Please help me! This retched beast is trying to kill me!" He screamed.
The emperor laughed and moved Xiaotian away from him. The pig came rushing in with a dissatisfied look.
"Wukong! Who's this brat and why is he in my kitchen?" He yelled.
"He's a resident here! Why were you trying to steal food?" Wukong asked Xiaotian.
"I was looking around for a job but then I got hungry! I'm sorry just don't hurt me!" Xiaotian pleaded.
The pig sighed, earning a cheeky grin from the emperor.
"You know what, I have an idea. Why don't you two work together. Xiaotian can be your assistant chef." He said.
The pig stayed silent, until he erupted into tantrum.
"Are you kidding me?! This kid probably doesn't know anything about cooking!"
"That is not true!" Xiaotian yelled.
"Either way, it's better for the both of you to help each other out. What do you say?"
They both pouted but nodded to confirm with Wukong. He smiled and turned around to go his own way.
"Come on kid, I've got a lot teaching to do."
Xiaotian followed him to the kitchen where he was shown where all the ingredients and utensils were. The pig took out a red bandana and handed it over to the boy.
"Here, you don't want your hair in your face."
Xiaotian tied it up and started washing his hands.
"Roll up your sleeves kid, we got a lot of work cut out for us."
That's how he spent the rest of his day. Dicing and cooking whatever was in the kitchen. The pig wasn't that bad either. Apparently his name was Pigsy and had been working in the palace for ten years so he had a lot of history with the emperor. The day was coming to a close and Xiaotian was unpacking his belongings. He was interrupted by a shadow portal being summoned in the middle of the room. He smiled to see a familiar black monkey.
"Welcome Macaque. Is something the matter? You seem tired." He commented.
The reality was that yes, he was tired. He had caved and took the mission that Spider Queen gave him. He'd been researching his target the whole day and he was exhausted.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just... really need some rest." He said.
A knock could be heard from the other side of the door. They both looked at each other in confusion.
"Come in!" Xiaotian yelled.
The door opened loudly to reveal a knight.
"The emperor has requested both of you to come to the dining room." He said.
They exchanged looks, Xiaotian and Macaque reluctantly got up and followed the knight. The knight wasn't too tall, yet he seemed very mature. His voice felt a bit forced and his posture wasn't straight.
"If you don't mind me asking... how long have you been loyal to the emperor?" Macaque asked.
"Two months." He said immediately.
Macaque squinted his eyes, Xiaotian noticed. He looked ahead to see a big table with ravishing dishes. He practically ran to sit down and start eating. Macaque laughed at the boy, his eyes moved to the chair that was facing him. Sun Wukong was eating his own meal, behind him was a knight keeping watch. The knight that had assisted them joined the other one. Macaque walked up to the table and sat down.
"Hello Macaque and Xiaotian. I am glad that you could assist me for dinner. How have you two been?" He asked.
"I've been doing great! Pigsy isn't that bad of a boss and I've learned a lot. Oh right! Macaque I got a job as an assistant chef! Isn't that great!" Xiaotian said.
"I'm proud of you kid. Let me know when you get better so I can start tasting some of your stuff."
"So... Macaque. I haven't seen you in the palace. Why is that?" Wukong asked.
"That's because I was at work." Macaque shot back.
"Work? What exactly is your job?"
"I work at a theatre in which I make shows with shadow puppets."
"Really? How interesting... why don't you show me a show of yours? I'd like to see that." Wukong said in a lower tone.
"Of course. It would be an honour for the great emperor to witness my show." Macaque said in a sort of mocking tone.
His ears twitched, he could hear a conversation going on behind Wukong. He looked to see the two knights talking with one another. He payed close attention to what they were saying.
"You seem quite new to this... when did you join?"
"A week ago." The other knight said.
"That's weird he said he joined two months ago when talking with me..." Macaque thought.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Yìchén, let's stop talking. It's unprofessional." The knight quickly said.
"I can feel his heartbeat. He's lying. Oh no... if he is what I think he is." Macaque thought.
He stared at the knight and looked through his armour using his special vision. He shot up from his seat and marched over to him. The table went silent as he grabbed the knights neck and pinned him down to the table.
"Macaque what are y-"
He bent down and took off the guys helmet. It revealed the face of Jing Ke, fuming with anger.
"He's framing himself as a knight, when he's just a normal citizen. He's been planning to kill the emperor."
Many gasps escaped people's lips. Wukong's eyebrows furrowed.
"How do you know?" He asked.
"You seriously think I would let Xiaotian stay here without checking if it was safe." He lied.
Macaque released the man from his grasp, he fell hard on the floor. Jing Ke cupped his neck and took deep breaths. He looked up at emperor, his nostrils flared. He got up from the floor and reached for the knife in his pocket. He charge towards Wukong but was blocked. Macaque had ran in front of and was now wielding a staff.
"Touch him and see what happens." He said in exasperation.
Macaque threw him back on the ground. He put back his staff and glared at the man. Xiaotian walked over to him.
"Here, let me help you up."
"Xiaotian get away from him!" Macaque yelled.
He didn't listen to him. Instead he grabbed the man's hand and lifted him up. The man looked up at him in disbelief.
"Why... why are you helping me?" He asked.
"I may live in a palace, but I am not one to leave someone vulnerable."
Knights pushed passed Xiaotian and put the man's hands behind his back. Wukong got up from his seat and looked down at the boy .
"You have done a heinous crime. I should put you up for execution."
The man gulped, his lips quivered. He looked at Xiaotian and mouthed the words "please."
"Emperor... I'm well aware this man has done wrong. However, he is still young. Do you not think that we should give him a second chance?"
Wukong looked back down at him, he sighed and scratched the back of his neck.
"All right... he'll live. But prison does await him."
The man smiled, tears trickled down his cheek. He looked back at Xiaotian and bowed his head as a sort of thanks. Xiaotian smiled and also bowed his head. The man was taken away, they were now left with a huge mess of food. Several maids came in and started cleaning after the mess. The three of them exited the dining room. Macaque was about to go his own way but was stopped.
"Xiaotian. Would you give us a moment?" Wukong asked, smiling.
He shrugged and left the two of them alone. He dropped his smile and looked at Macaque.
"So... Liùěr Míhóu. You wanna tell me what your actual job is?"
Macaque was backed up to a wall, his breath felt shaky and his heart was beating rapidly.
"I already told you, I work at a theatre."
Wukong darkly chuckled.
"You seriously think I believe that. Do you think so low of me?" He asked.
"You're smarter than I thought. Yeah you're right, I don't work at a theatre. I'm a hit-man."
Wukong's eyes widened. He took a step back.
"You mean... you kill people?" He asked. Macaque started walking away from him.
"Exactly, don't act so surprised." He turned around.
"You knew this whole time. You just wanted me to admit it out loud. If it makes you feel better, I only kill those who deserve it."
Wukong stood there silent. He looked out the window. The night was beautiful, stars and clouds decorated the sky. He leaned on the ledge and stared at the sight.
"I'm not going to act like I have never taken a life. It's something that I'm required to do as an emperor."
Macaque walked beside him and rested his arm on the ledge. He looked up and smiled. The moon reflected through his eyes, it shone on his face to give him a blue light around his face.
"I know what I do is wrong but... I have to do what is necessary. If there was another way I would do it, but I'm not perfect." Macaque said.
"Are you sure about that?" Wukong asked.
Macaque turned to him, a light dust of blush dusted on his face.
"You know... you could always work with me. I've seen the way you fight. You have a talent, why not use it for good?" He asked.
"You know what... maybe I will." He said, inching closer to him.
Wukong could feel Macaques breath on him. He was looking down on at his lips. He was about to close the distance when Macaque stood up.
"I'll be going now, sorry to leave you hanging emperor." He said before sinking himself down a shadow portal.
Wukong was left there stunned. He chuckled and leaned his cheek on his hand. He could be imaging in but... he's going soft on the other monkey.