Sakura P.O.V
"Azure? Where's Monkey King?" MK asked
"I want to know too" I said and Azure Lion grips the Scroll of Memory in his hand
"Explain yourself, Azure!" Mei demanded
"It's time for you to tell the truth Azure. Your game of lies ends" Iris said as she pulled out her scythe
"Guys? What are you talking about?" I asked looking confused
"Azure's been lying to us, MK, Sakura" Uncle Tang said
"Um... Maybe we should give Mr. Lion a chance to explain" Uncle Sandy said
"I agree with Uncle Sandy. I'm sure Azure Lion has a rea-" Uncle Tang cut me off
"I saw it! Here! Wherever this place is, him! Plotting to take down Monkey King. That was his plan all along! To trap Monkey King inside that scroll and do something sinister, something bad probably" Uncle Tang said, and Azure Lion looked away
"See?! He's basically admitting it! And to think I modeled my brand new sword after yours! Gross!" Mei said with a look of disgust
"It wasn't my intention to deceive you, but I knew you wouldn't understand. Sometimes it's easier to asked for forgiveness, not permission
"Ooh, okay. Then I hope you won't be upset when I don't ask permission for this!" Mei lunges towards Azure Lion to attack him. Azure Lion moved to the side to dodge her attacks and ink from the scroll came pouring out, Mei jumped over Azure Lion. She was about to strike him, but her sword attack was blocked by a pair of golden wings
'No way...' I realized whose golden wings belong to
"Greetings, little girl" The Golden Winged Bird Peng said as he pushed Mei back, sending her flying into a pillar
"Mei!" We all said, I went towards her to check to see if she's okay along with Iris, when my uncles jumped into the air to attack, in the corner of my eye, I saw another weapon heading towards them
"Uncles! Watch out!" I warned and Uncle Sandy pushed Uncle Tang away, and Uncle Sandy took the hit. I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw Yellowtusk the Wise, he was the one who attacked. Uncle Sandy he blocked the hammer, but Yellowtusk added more force on hammer and struck Uncle Sandy down
"Uncle Sandy!" I cried and noticed Peng has his foot on Uncle Tang's chest while pointing his spear at Mei
"No! Please, Azure!" MK was pleading, but held his head as his body started to flicker again
"Well, if it isn't the Great Monk Tang Sangzang. You cannot imagine how I've longed for this moment! I'm gonna make sure you and the Jade Emperor regret on what you did to Konohana!" Peng said as he put more pressure on Uncle Tang, and I grit my teeth in anger
"Peng, stop! This man isn't who-" Before Azure Lion could finish, I kicked Peng away from Uncle Tang, and I did the same kick on Yellowtusk to get him away from Uncle Sandy
"What the?" Peng got up in pain along with Yellowtusk and they both looked at me with a look of surprise
"Konohana?" Yellowtusk said
"Actually, this is her descendent, Sakura" Azure Lion said, leaving them shocked
"No one hurts my uncles! No one!" I shouted as I summoned my sword
"Uncles? They're your uncles?" Yellowtusk asked and I nodded
Then I noticed both Azure Lion and Peng gritting their teeth in anger
"To think her family are the ones who...!" Peng didn't say more as he looked more angry than before, then Azure Lion placed his hand on his shoulder
"Calm yourself brother. She isn't blood related to them" Azure Lion said
'How on earth does he know?!' I thought with a shocked look
"How did you about that? I never told you about that" I said as I held my sword
"I have been watching you for a long time. The scholar found you in the row of cherry blossoms, the pig man agreed to help raise you along with the big blue fellow" Azure Lion said
"You been spying on her too?! That's even more gross!" Mei said
"Actually, Iris was the one who spied her, or should I say her evil half" Then Iris glared at him
"Tell me something, Azure Lion. What do you plan to gain by using me and everyone?" Iris asked with anger in her tone
"Did you use us to free your sworn brothers from the scroll?" I asked with my voice trembling
"B-But why not tell us?!" MK asked
"He's a villain, MK. We should've never trusted him" Mei said
"Was everything you said a lie?! Answer me Azure!" Iris demanded
"How about you cool down, or you might go crazy after your rejection from Macaque" Peng said and Iris glared at him and pointed her scythe at him
"Calm down the both of you. I owe you an explanation, so if you allow me" Azure Lion unrolls the scroll and he showed both me and MK a memory from the past
"Is that... you?" MK asked
"Yes. Oh, I was a strapping lad back then. I was once a Celestial Warrior, fighting to protect the weak. Or so I thought" Then the memory changed and we were in the throne room of the Jade Emperor "Over time, it became clear to me that the Jade Emperor's only concern was keeping his subjects under his boot" Then showed Azure Lion not enjoying the meal while the other Celestial beings were eating like unmannered slobs and I felt sick in my stomach that I had to look away for a moment. Azure Lion patted my back "He cared not only for the plight of those he ruled" The next memory showed how Azure Lion first met Monkey King "And then I learned of the Monkey King, whose only allegiance was to his people. Monkey King made his land a paradise. I knew here was a warrior with my ideals. A brother, a king" The memory showed Azure Lion, Peng, Yellowtusk, DBK, Macaque and Monkey King having a good time chatting and making jokes
"You all seem so happy" MK said
"We were. Were going to change everything. It was glorious" Azure Lion said "I still remember when Wukong and Macaque first brought Konohana, she was amazed at everything she saw. But I also remember how we each explain things about having fun and many more. She enjoys talking with us and we enjoyed listening to her stories of her homeland"
"What happened? What changed?" MK asked
Then Azure Lion showed the memory of the battle in the Celestial Realm along with how DBK and Princess Iron Fan first met
'So this is how they met and fell in love' I thought to myself
"We followed our king into a glorious battle. Though the might of the Celestial Host stood against us, victory was in sight. But in the final moment, the Monkey King failed. He wasn't strong enough to defeat the Jade Emperor. The battle was lost. Our cause destroyed and our king struck down" The memory showed Monkey King who was defeated by the Jade Emperor and showed Azure Lion along with Peng, Yellowtusk and Macaque surrounded by the Celestial guards "However, fate had two more cruel twist for us, Sun Wukong yielded to an agent of the Celestial Host, another warrior for the oppressors" Azure Lion said as the memory showed Monkey King kneeling and Tang Sangzang put the circlet on his head
"What's the second?" I asked
"The second was... witnessing the memory removal"
"Memory removal?" I asked, the next memory showed Konohana being held down by the guards. Monkey King, Macaque, DBK, Azure Lion, Peng and Yellowtusk were forced to witness
"Both the Great Monk and the Jade Emperor performed a ritual to remove any memory that they choose, and they chose to remove all the memories she had made with us" The memory showed Konohana pleading to the both of them on not removing her memories of the fun she had, but the ritual went on as planned and Konohana screamed in pain as the memories started coming out from her mind. I was petrified at what I was witnessing, I closed my eyes and covered my ears, hoping it'll stop soon. Then I no longer hear the screaming, I carefully looked up and saw Konohana slumping towards the floor and Nezha quickly catches her
"That's terrible..." I said, still shaking from what I saw
"Even so, our cause still burned strong in our hearts. While Sun Wukong cut down out kinsmen, we set ourselves on a greater path. If Monkey King had it in his power to create a paradise on earth, so too could we" The memory showed Azure Lion, Peng and Yellowtusk using their combined powers to create a palace "Here at Camel Ridge. But the Celestial Realm did not abide the competition. My former brother were sent to destroy us and all we had built. It was with their combined power that we were cut down, imprisoned within the scroll, left at the mercy of the Celestial Court"
No One P.O.V
Azure Lion returned the two back from the scroll, Sakura fell to the ground and tears flowed out from her eyes. Sandy walked towards her to give her comfort like he did before when she was little and Iris was rubbing her back, hoping it'll calm her down
"That can't be true... Monkey King's a hero. He wouldn't just-" MK's sentence was cut off
"You've seen it with your own eyes, especially witnessing what the Great Monk and the Jade Emperor had done to Konohana" Azure Lion said and Peng grip on his spear tighten in anger
"Save your breath, Azure" Peng said and he turned his gaze at Sakura who was still crying. It broke his heart to see her like that
"His betrayal, his brutality. He took the only friends I had with me, and took away the one I love. I would have done anything in my power to bring them back. But it wasn't in my power, it was yours. You saved my friends. You returned them to me, and for that I am eternally grateful" Azure Lion said
"Great. You're grateful that you have your friends, we're done here, right? I'm sure Monkey King has learned his lesson. So, uh, just give him back and uh, we'll see ya around" Pigsy said as he side-glanced at his niece who's starting to calm down
"I'm afraid not. It was Piggy, right? We haven't been properly introduced. Monkey King didn't understand then, I'm certain his position on the matter remains unchanged" Azure Lion said
"And uh... what matter was that again?" Pigsy asked
"We're finally going to finish what we started" Peng said
"No longer will we stand by as the Celestial Realm acts with callous impunity. The Jade Emperor must be dethroned" Yellowtusk said as everyone looked at them with shocked looks
"We cannot allow anyone to stand in our way. Until this is over, Wukong must remain within the scroll" Azure Lion said as he pulled out Wukong's name plate
"Azure Lion, please let Monkey King go" Sakura pleaded
"I'm sorry, Sakura. But I cannot" Azure Lion said and gasped at MK as he summoned his powers
"What is this child?" Yellowtusk asked as he held up his hammer
"Careful, boy. My patience is not endless" Azure Lion warned
"MK...?" Sakura called out to her friend
"I won't let you take Monkey King away from me again!" MK changed into his monkey form and charges towards Azure Lion and grabs hold of Wukong's name plate
"Okay, I've seen enough!" Peng comes from behind Azure Lion and punches MK away, but that also resulted the name plate slipping out of both hands
"No!"
"MK, no!" Mei called out to her friend looking worried, MK rushes forwards again, but both Peng and Yellowtusk blocked his path. That didn't stop MK for zipline passed them and started hitting Azure Lion who grabbed the name plate from the ground. MK kicked Azure Lion's leg, sending Wukong's name plate in the sky, MK jumped up to grab it. Azure Lion looked up in the sky and he thought he saw Wukong trying to retrieve his name plate. Out of instinct, Azure Lion pulled out his saber and sent a blade strike towards him
Sakura soon realized what's happening that she jumps into the air and created a cherry blossom shield that protected Wukong's name plate. But wasn't able to create a shield for MK thus he was hit. MK hit the ground after the attack, and he was no longer in his monkey form
"MK, are you okay?" Sakura asked
"I think so... Wait! Monkey King's name plate! Where is it?" MK looked around for the name plate and was filled with worry
"Wukong's name plate... Where did it go?!" Azure Lion asked "All you had to do was wait. After this was over, I was going to release Sun Wukong, help him see reason"
Yellowtusk raised his hand and took the Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie's weapons and Tang Sangzang's khakkhara staff
"Hey! My golden jangly stick! What are you doing?!" Tang shouted
"Your ancestors were the agents of the Celestial Realm. Their weapons forged by the heavens, wielded against the weak. It's time that was reversed" Yellowtusk said
"I'd hoped to mend the fracture between myself and Sun Wukong, but his legacy will live on in out victory. Brothers, it's time to go" Azure Lion said as he turned away
"We're going to leave that kid out here with that power? And what about Konohana's descendent?" Peng asked
"It's not his fight, brother. Just another victim of Wukong's blindness. Give him charity. Leave him be. And as for Sakura, I don't think she's planning on joining our cause considering what she witness in the memory" Azure Lion said and he turned his head around to look at the others "But beware, my charity is at its limit. Stay out of our way"
"And what if we don't listen?" Iris said and Azure Lion snarled at her, and then they disappeared
Sandy helped MK stand up, but his body started to flicker again
"MK, are you...?" Pigsy was about to ask, but was cut off
"No. No, I'm not okay. No matter what I do, it's going to lead to pain. It's like the Lady Bone Demon said. Doesn't matter if I wanna help people or not! Everything I do just... it just makes things worse!" MK said as he started crying
"You're all struck up in your own head! None of this is your fault!" Mei said
"Mei is right, none of this is your fault, MK" Iris said
"It's always my fault! Ever since I picked up Monkey King's staff, I-" MK wiped away the tears from his face
"Listen, MK, I know this has been scary and confusing, and you know the whole monkey thing, but... I guess what I'm trying to say is I know what you're going through" Pigsy said
"No, you don't. You have scary demon ancestors, that just means you have family, you come from somewhere. I don't have a family. I don't have anything, and the most messed up this is, I... I never realized, never even questioned who I am or where I came from, or why" Everyone looked at MK with a sad look "Until I know what I am, what my destiny is, I can't risk hurting the people I care about, the ones I have left" MK said
"W-Wait, MK!" Sakura ran towards MK
"I just... Need to clear my head" MK said as he transformed into an eagle and flew away to who knows where
"MK..." Sakura looked up in the sky and Pigsy wiped away the tears that started to form
"Doesn't that moron know we're his family?" Pigsy asked and Tang place his hand on Pigsy's shoulder
"He didn't mean it, Pigsy. MK's just at that age where his body is changing into a... hairy, little magic monkey man. He'll be okay" Sandy said
"We should probably go after him, right?" Tang asked
"Oh, hundred percent" Mei said and then a seal appeared and they were teleported somewhere
"Where are we?" Iris asked and noticed an old man standing in front of the group
"Who the brick is this guy? This is the last thing we needed today-" Then Tang hushed her
"Mei! Mei! Shifu Subodhi!" Tang said looking excited
"The hour is late. It's well and truly time the new great companions received some training" Shifu Subodhi said "Except for you" He pointed at Sakura
"Me?" Sakura pointed at herself
"Yes, you have no need for training. It seems you've already found the answer on what you must do" Shifu Subodhi said
"Sigh... You're right. I'm going after Azure Lion and his sworn brothers" Sakura said
"B-But you can't! W-What if-!"
"Uncle Tang. I promise I'll be alright. Besides, I have a feeling Azure Lion is already at DBK's home. I need to save them quickly" Sakura said
"You're not going on this alone, young lady!" Pigsy said
"She's not. I'm going with her" Iris said
"Please keep Sakura safe. We don't want anything bad happen to her" Sandy said
"Don't worry, I promise to protect her" Iris said "Shall we go?"
Sakura nodded. They were about to leave, but Subodhi stopped her
"Before you go, take this" Subodhi handed her flower, but she knows it's not an ordinary flower "When the time comes, a new power shall be born and thus a new form. Use it when the time is right" Subodhi said
She was about to leave, when she suddenly remembered something
"Oh yeah! Uncle Sandy, I need you to hold onto this" Sakura pulled out Wukong's name plate that was still intact
"B-But how?" Tang asked looking surprised as she handed Sandy the name plate
"I summoned my cherry blossom shield to protect it, because I had a bad feeling" Sakura said "I better get going"
"Sigh. Alright, please be careful out there" Pigsy said as he hugged his niece along with Tang and Sandy
"I promise" With that said, both Sakura and Iris left, while leaving Sakura mumbled something
"Macaque, please help MK" Sakura mumbled and in her shadow, a smile grew
"On it" The shadow said as the smile disappeared
To be continued in Roast of the Monkie Kids