Sun Wukong had never believed in miracles.
Things like destiny or fate, were all excuses people made to explain why certain things happened out of their control.
As such, he rather despised when someone attempted to claim what his destiny was. He made his own path. Always have and always will.
Sometimes there were influences, sure.
Like friends, duty, or promises. Those things could always alter what path you walk. However, he had never once doubted that this road he is on is something not of his choosing. After all, mistakes were something everyone loved to point out. When you did something good, it was "due to the gods' ' or "destiny intended so". Yet mistakes were alllll on your shoulders. Any mistakes he made were due to him and only him, so he truly believed any success was also the same.
Rather redundant.
So whatever happened on his journey to the west, he did it all of his own free will. When the journey was done, all the mistakes that followed after were also his. At least, that is what he was taught by his Master. He valued his words above all else, having changed a lot on account of his teachings.
He wanted to believe he was a better person. That one day all of this would work out and the consequences of his actions would be forgiven with time if he just worked hard enough.
In his youth, he didn't like to see it that way. Some part of him gladly blamed any mistake he made on destiny's shoulders. After all, his accomplishments often were given to fate, so why couldn't his failures also be so?
It was a naive thought.
He knows better now, though it was far too late.
His companions had left him long ago. He actually wondered if he was cursed. Or just wasn't suited for things like connections. One way or another, every friend, every precious person, had left him. Whether through time and age, or through betrayal. He had gotten used to being alone.
It was better this way. Only the monkeys of peach fruit mountain seemed to linger, but even they couldn't stick around forever. They were more simple and peaceful beings, but their lives were finite.
From time to time, he allows his mind to recall a distant past. One of laughter, peaches, and a lovely companion.
The loveliest he had encountered in all his travels. The embodiment of home .
Wukong could still recall the smell of plums. The soft brush of darkened fur. Eyes he could drown in and a smile so heavenly that it made him forget that anything else existed. More beautiful than the moon at its peak in the sky.
" Sun Wukong~"
His name had never sounded so sweet.
He was naive to the idea of it all of course. In his foolishness he never once truly understood the weight this companion had on him. He had the audacity to believe that similar to his longevity, this too would last forever. So there was no need to hold it too tight, or guard it with all his might, because surely it would never leave him.
He was the Great Sun Wukong, Sage Equal to Heaven! Nothing would get past him. Be it god or demon alike, all would cower if they tried to touch a single dark hair upon the head of his moon.
It never occurred to him that he might be the one to end it all. All it took was one bone cracking thrust of his staff for the light of the stars to leave such lovely eyes. Many things had led up to this. It wasn't just some spur of the moment, no. He would never just-
.....
...The decision he made that day was the hardest he had ever made. Emotions were high, and the taste of battle was coppery in his mouth.
He wanted to believe in something bigger than himself for once. Yet, in choosing one, he gave up the other.
The Six-eared Macaque, being that price.
Even now, he could hear the crunch of bone, the wrecked gasp of Macaque's last breath, uttering the word "Wu..kong..." before his fingers lost their strength, and feel limp to the floor. His face was riddled with absolute terror. It haunted his waking day, emerging in flashes when he dared to close his eyes. The mighty Monkey King could go over and over again why he had no choice. Why he never meant to go as far as he did. Why he regrets every single second...
Pointless wonders if there was some other way. If he had just done something different and found a better solution, would things be different?
When he returned to his companions to journey West, he was welcomed back with a more understanding outlook. He had been exiled from the party for a time by his Master for his use of violence. It felt almost hypocritical that he was welcomed back after performing a far worse crime.
For days on end, he repeated the words, He had no choice, in his mind.
What's done is done.
He couldn't reverse time. He couldn't get Lui'er back, no matter how hard he tried. All he could do was keep walking forward, even if his feet were heavy and his heart was broken.
It was funny actually.
When the Journey to the West was done, he achieved what he needed to. Gained a sort of enlightenment, glory , and fame that would outlive the mortal realm itself. And all it required was to lose far more than was ever gained.
Hilarious... right?
Unable to share this oh so hilarious tidbit with anyone, the years crawled by slowly. One after another, bearing bitter memories and an unbearable silence. The celestial realm had found itself in an uncommon era of peace. Of course, there was a hiccup from time to time. An unruly demon, a power hungry god, a easily pissed off Bull King wanting to rule the mortal realm- yada yada yada~ Which, Wukong couldn't exactly ignore. The earth realm was his realm too and he rather liked his mountain to be left alone.
Plus, old habits die hard. It would be a waste to just let the realm fall to ruin when his departed friends of the West had cherished it so much. In the name of nostalgia, Wukong picked up his staff one last time and took to the battle field to meet his old war buddy.
It ended, like all things tend to, with Wukong winning. With Wukong striking him down. Same ending, different story. Predictably horrendous.
"Should have stayed with your wife..." Wukong whispered as the dust cleared, leaving him alone upon a small monkey made mountain.
He stood at the highest peak, a strong breeze ruffling his hair. Below, the jostled mountain shook for only a moment, before falling deathly still. DBK was gone, buried for as long as his staff was indebted into the earth's surface.
Slowly slipping his fingers from his trusty weapon, he took a slow step back. An empty feeling washed over him, recalling his friend below. He was the last one. The last person Wukong had truly trusted to know, to call his friend, and he just buried him miles below the ground. It was enough to make him laugh. A bitter taste of humor dotting his tongue. He was considered reformed by many nowadays. Wiser, and overall more approachable than when he first emerged from his mountain, with hardly a care for those who stood before him. He half agreed he truly was better now, but this enlightenment he possessed seemed to just involve him getting rid of everyone he's ever known before.
Which was the right thing to do.
...Wasn't it?
"DBK..." he ran his hand down his face, exhausted. He had put up a good fight... he just wished the demon's crazed ideas of grandeur and conquest could have been quenched. That they could have talked this out...
He caressed the side of his temple gingerly, the area sore. The golden headband that had once squeezed his skull was long since gone, but the area was still raw and sensitive- A phantom touch of its cold grasp was a plague on his mind.
"Well-" he frowned at the sky. "I've done your errand. Now how about you leave me be for a time, ya?" The question was posed to no one in sight, but he's sure the Celestial Realm was watching. He could practically hear their voices in his head.
" What will you do now?"
Of course they were curious about the future of Sun Wukong. All anticipating with baited breath what the unpredictable sage's next moves were. It seemed there wasn't anything he couldn't do.
It was over. Everything was over. He won. He should be basking in the after party and proudly stating his accomplishments to the world over. Throwing one large mess of a celebration and causing a ruckus up in the celestial world for years to come! He should, anyway.
The only thoughts in Wukong's mind was what had come from winning. Now that everything was done, he had time to focus on it. Had time to go over every detail, every loss. He just wanted to forget it all and return to his mountain to numb it all away. To pretend, for even just a day, that everything was fine.
"Good bye, old friend." He left his staff where it stood, turning to leave. It was surprisingly easier then he thought to leave his staff behind. Better that then kill another comrade....
He could do without it. He didn't plan on doing much hero work anymore anyway. He had to get home.
An eclipse was arriving in a few days.
Wukong leaned his head back to eye the sun above him, letting it warm his cheeks in hopes of... feeling something right now. Some sense of joy or even sorrow to the loss of yet another old friend. Nothing really felt the same anymore when Liu'er left this world. All he was doing now was ticking down the clock and waiting for a particular day to arrive. The day life would come into his world.
Back home, at Flower Fruit Mountain, awaited something precious. Or rather, someone. It had been years since the day that solar eclipse graced their skies. He had stood with Macaque atop the peak of their home during the time. Hand in hand they watched the moon breach across the sun in a vibrant silver glow.
Between them, a single stone was held to absorb the energy. A certain amount was required for anything to spring forth from this stone, so the task had been slow. Every year they waited for that same eclipse, and every year they stood together to let the stone absorb what it could. Even with his mate, his moon, gone- Wukong could feel it. Surely this was the year the stone would crack, and a new journey would begin.
Longingly Wukong wished to hold them. To see their child with his own eyes and to fill the hole in his heart that cried out against his loneliness.
Glancing at the sun as he summoned his cloud, he watched a darkened storm inch across the sky, signalling rainfall. A blanket of shade over-casted him. It was somber and quiet. He focused back on his cloud, settling his hand across its softness, exhaling heavily.
Gone
"!!" His breath caught in his throat. He staggered, a surge of something unfamiliar. It shocked him like a bolt of lightning, making his fur stand on end. Pressing his palm to his cloud to steady himself, he swayed.
The world felt amiss. He could feel it. Deep in his soul he felt a ripping sensation too painful to bare. Something, somewhere was changing. Dying...
His star.
His star!
His Star!
Back across the world, something terrible was happening. As much as he tried to pinpoint this feeling and understand what it meant, he was cut off. As fast as it had happened, the feeling had dispersed, leaving Wukong's mouth dry and his eyes wide. Despite it seemingly being okay now, the damage was done. The fear had crept into his mind, and a feeling far worse than death followed.
He had to get home.
As fast as the wind might carry him, he arrived at the top of Flower Fruit Mountain just as the rain began to fall from the approaching clouds. Every fiber in his body felt cold. His fur was heavy and his tail sagged behind him. He scrambled up the small stone path, arriving at the small pasture of flowers that had been planted to liven the place up. Meticulously placed to surround a rounded flattened boulder that held something worth more than gold on top.
A single Stone.
Nothing had been tampered with, as far as he could tell. Not a single soul had entered nor broke the seals he had enchanted within a mile of the location to seal it away from prying eyes. So if nothing had entered, and nothing had left, what had caused such a disturbance that he felt it half way across the realm?
He walked forward cautiously, eyeing every crevice and shadow for anything that might be amiss. One step at a time, until he stood before his little Stone.
Their stone...
Mihou's voice echoed in his ears like a living terror. The words were sweeter than honey and condescendingly annoying.
"The first thing they should see is something lovely, like flowers. Not some dumb rocks."
Wukong had responded in turn, his fur bristling like he was insulted, "What is wrong with rocks? Literally this whole mountain is rocks? They will be coming from a rock?? "
"A stone, to be correct." Macaque felt the incessant need to correct him.
Wukong pursed his lips, inches from snapping, "A stone is a rock??" he grit his teeth, totalllyyy keeping his cool.
Mihou flicked his tail in Wukong's direction, catching his eye in a tease when that same tail slithered below Wukong's chin like it ALWAYS did when he wanted to get a rouse from the King. He smugly stated, "It's different. See, it's that exact thought process that explains your lack of taste and stale design choices." it was a not so subtle jab at Wukong's choice in decorating. If his heavy trove of just tossed around souvenirs was anything to go by.
"Hey! I can decorate just fine." Wukong huffed heatedly. An idea flickered in his head, having waited a while for this perfect moment. "Watch~" he proudly strolled forward to poke a hole into the fresh dirt behind the boulder. Liu'er folded his arms, not impressed.
"...Whoa... Blew my mind just now." he gave a gritted toothed smile.
"Wait for it." Wukong instructed, lifting his finger. From his pocket, he pulled out a single seed. Rough and red, similar in size to a coin, he plopped it into the hole and promptly covered it with dirt. "Tada~"
Liu'er was confused to say the least, "And what exactly is it?"
"A peach tree seed!" Wukong grinned, throwing his arms up. "Sure ya can't see anything right now cause like- it needs to grow?? But just imagine, in the time it takes for our Star to be born, they'll pop their little head out to see a blossoming tree right above their head!"
Mihou blinked at him, his mouth hanging ajar. "That is actually..." he rubbed his chin, a dazzled look in his eyes. Feeling Wukong lean closer with a smug smile, eager to hear his mate admit it was a great idea, Mihou clicked his teeth. He was nudging him away fondly. "Oh knock it off." he snickered. "It's a nice thought, okay? Stop before your ego explodes."
"Knew it. I'ma genius." Wukong tapped his own chest with pride. There was a small pause as he wrapped an arm around Mihou, tilting his mate's chin up to picture the scene. "They'll be right there, enjoying peaches." he whispered against the lovely six ears of his mate, "The sun in their hair and the wind at their back."
Mihou's smirk settled to something softer, a small tilt to his head. A warm exhale drew from his lips, his tail moving around the King's, "They might not be able to get the fruit on their own." he pondered. "Especially if a certain Peach obsessed King can't keep his paws to himself." he curled an eyebrow at Wukong.
His mate gasped, "Mihou! I am both SHOCKED and APPALLED at the notion that you think I, the mighty Sun Wukong, would fall prey to such earthly temptations~!!" There was a purposeful drawn out pause, welcomed by a slow cheeky smile pulling at Wukong's lips, "Plus, this is just a regular peach tree from the human realm."
"Oh?' Liu'er was honestly surprised. He pressed closer to the King, settling his head agianst his shoulder, "Couldn't rustle up the time to steal a peach tree seed from the Heavens?"
"Noooo." Wukong denied, even if it was a little true, "I just didn't want anyone bothering our little one up here if it got out we had peaches of immortality." He gave a dramatic flourish of his hand, "But just you wait, when our little one comes into the world, they are getting an entire garden to themselves!"
Mihou threw his head back at the very notion, "Because that certainly won't piss off the Heavenly Realm."
"Only the best for our Star!" Wukong insisted.
Mihou's laugh was music to the King's ears, "I'll hold you to your word then, Peaches." turning into Wukong's arms, their foreheads clicked lovingly together. "Nothing but the best."
The best. That was the plan.
It was the plan, anyway.
Feeling himself slip up the steps, his mind too flustered to care, Wukong found his way to their... nursery. The flowers seemed dull, lacking in their normal vibrance. The tree, which he planted himself, was half grown and tilting in an odd way. Like the foundation had been shifted, forcing its roots to grow misshapen. A cruel jab at the tainted twist of fate he now walked.
Below, on the flattened boulder, was their Stone.
Their baby.
His eyes shook with fear. He could feel it even from there. Something was wrong. The normal rush of power he felt from the Stone was diminished. Like it had never existed in the first place.
At one time, he could feel a tug of celestial power that seemed to match, or almost mimic his own. So warm and familiar, that together he laid there with his mate, waiting so eagerly for the day their little one would come into the world.
It was a... miracle.
Something he didn't think existed until then. Miracles didn't just happen, they were made through blood, sweat and tears. So when their little one appeared one day, their power so clear even through the thick layers of stone, Mihou and him rejoiced.
It was theirs. Their own twinkle of sunlight to guard and protect and grow. They knew the moment they felt the power. Like something in their soul was telling them it was so. Years had passed, but that was nothing compared to immortals. They could wait as long as needed and prepare their little piece of the world to be a perfect haven for their child. Every patiently awaited solar eclipse was worth it. They had for a time, found their perfect utopia. In an attempt to keep this precious place, they agreed and disagreed on many different things. Both fought wars bigger than themselves to ensure the future was bright.
"Star...?" he hesitated to touch something so precious with hands like his. Tainted with the blood of foe, friend... and his mate. His child's parent. "Baby, what's wrong?" He found his courage, and gently lifted the stone into his grasp. It felt cold between his fingers. Lifeless and lost.
Wukong wheezed, his breaths short and sharp. "No..." he whispered brokenly. His legs shook as they gave out below him. "No. No no!!" he denied the truth, pressing the palms of his fingers against the stone in desperation. Nothing had been here to even touch his child! Nothing should be wrong!
It was like his child just... gave up. That little spark of growth and will, blown away with the wind.
"Is it..." Wukong ventures, terrified of the potential answer, "Is it my fault? Are you gone- because of me?" The wind cuts into his fur like razors, shifting into a rushing storm. He ducked down, shielding the stone with his chest. There was nothing within anymore but his instinct still held strong. Rain stung Wukongs eyes, like an effort to blind him. He stumbles back, the flowers and budding weeds shackling his ankles in familiar torment. There wasn't a gash, or wound, or cut anywhere on his body. Nothing could break his skin or cause him pain.
The very notion was laughable to the King. The idea of pain.
Today, he felt like he truly understood it.
A mountain could be thrown down on him like decades before and the pain it would cause would be nothing compared to the searing infero in his core. His "miracle" was still clutched in his palm.
As small as any other throwing stone, mocking him with its simplicity. Whatever life once might have grown inside, seemed to have gone still.
It was theirs.
Mihou's and his.
This was supposed to be their future. Their love. All combined into one perfect little being. Their child.
It seemed, the world had one more punishment for his crimes, and it left Wukong with nothing. It felt only fitting, if he was honest. What right did he have to keep the last sliver of his mate, when it was he who expunged him from this realm?
Only under the water of rainfall did he allow himself to feel the emotions that had built up over years of time. Only under the rain, in the comforts of his home, could he admit that he had lost. He had gotten to the West, he had succeeded in his mission, but he had lost in every imaginable way.
And only under the water, could he admit the terror that swallowed him, and the desperate wish that there was someone to whom he could tell all this too.
Tears stung his eyes and he titled his head back to roar into the cloudy night.
The retching agony of his voice, mourning the loss of all he had loved. He was truly, undeniably, alone.
Forever.